In a world extraordinarily focused on outward appearance, we need only to open a magazine or turn on our televisions to see the latest and greatest fashion trend; it walks the red carpet, checks out a movie premier, and heads out nightly to the hottest restaurants. And we, as a society always mindful of what’s popular, follows dutifully along, eager to purchase the “must have” item of the season. But, ultimately, the fashion style that works best for us is that which looks good on our particular body and reflects our very individual personality.
As anyone who follows the fashion industry will tell you, trends come and go. What is one year’s hot item is the next season’s fashion “don’t.” Designers present their newest lines and before you know it stores are carrying these clothes in every conceivable variation. And then, just as quickly, they’re gone. It’s almost impossible to keep pace. Luckily, the fashion style that makes the most sense on an individual level is the fashion style that reflects who we are as people; and that never goes out of style.
The most important thing to remember is that just because a particular fashion style is popular at the moment does not mean that it will look good on your particular body. Wearing something just for the sake of wearing it ultimately goes against the principles of fashion. A fashion style that you choose to wear should be something that accentuates your positives, downplays your negatives, and complements the overall line of your body.
Take the time to get to know your body and what styles work best with it. Assess your body objectively; if you have trouble spots, look for cuts and fabrics that camouflage what you need them to camouflage; if you are on the shorter side, look for a fashion style that elongates your body; and always choose colors that complement your skin tone.
Once you find a style that works – stick with it and add your personal touches to reflect your personality; that is the best fashion style you can possibly wear.
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Dos and Don’ts When Completing Individual Health Insurance Application
If you do not have access to a group employer plan then the other option you have is to apply for individual health insurance plan. Individual health insurance application require more information from you then group health insurance plans that you might have had through job. The reason for that is that individual, and that applies to family health plans, are medically underwritten. That means that a person called medical underwriter will go over your medical application and decide if you are a good risk for the insurance company. The main reason for medical underwriting is to keep over all cost for every one low. The more insurance company has to pay out in claims the more they have to charge every one for health insurance to keep the average cost down.
If you have already had a chance to take a look at individual application then you probably know that it can be long. How much of the application you have to fill out depends on your previous medical history. If you are in perfect health then there is not much that you can write on your application other then some basic information. If you are some one who has been to the doctors for lab work, test or takes prescription medication then you would have to include that on your application. Most individual application require you to provide information of your doctor or the last doctor you have been to. If you are not sure of the name of the doctor you can always include the hospital name, clinic name or doctors practice name. When it comes for the dates of your last doctor office visit or any other dates. If you do not remember exact dates, just put down your best estimate.
The most important thing to keep in mind when filling out individual or family application, especially if you do have some medical issues, is to understand this. Until there is a permanent change to health care system and health insurance is not medically underwritten. Insurance company will consider every condition that you have and every medication that you take. The reason for that is that in most states in the US health insurance companies require to cover everything once you are approved. That means that all of your medical conditions and prescription drugs have to be cover by law once you have been approved for coverage. That is if you are approved. I hate to use this analogy because we a talking about human lives, but the simple way to explain health insurance is to compare it to car insurance. For example lets say you get in the minor car accident and you do not have car insurance. Your car is still derivable and it looks like you will need a new bumper and some paint. The next day you go out and purchase car insurance to cover your accident. Well we know it does not work like that. If you could just go out and get car insurance only after you had an accident then no one would pay for car insurance. Why pay if you can just get it after you had an accident. No one would pay for car insurance and car insurance companies would not exist. Then you would be fully responsible for all the damages out of your own pocket. I know I would rather pay that $100 a month just in case something does happen.
Most people do not recognize that health insurance works in the same way. Health insurance companies are not going to approve some one who requires immediate medical assistance. That includes pending follow up visits to the doctor, recent surgery (after a surgery a lot of complications can arise), prescription drugs and anything that is known upfront that could potentially be covered expense. Insurance companies use a “actuarial tables” to underwrite individual applications. If based on what you have put down on the application could potentially cost insurance company money, chances are your application will not be approved.
If health insurance companies automatically approved all the application then it would be the same scenario as with car insurance example, that no one would pay for health insurance. I know I would not, why pay for insurance if I can get it when I get sick. If no one would pay for insurance then there would no insurance companies to cover us for unforeseen large medical expenses. I am certainly not prepared to pay $400,000 or higher for medical emergency.
Getting approved for health insurance could take some preparation. If you are currently taking prescription drugs, find out how to can slowly get off them. I am not a doctor and certainly would never tell anyone to not take drugs that were subscribed by their doctor. I think sometimes great health starts with us, with small daily choice we make. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. When completing application sometimes being too honest can cost you also. That does not mean lying. Going to chiropractor and writing on the application that you have had back pains and you will need to see a specialist. On top of that is that you have not has any health insurance previous is just way to suspicious. It looks like you are trying to get health insurance to get medical care for something that you do not want to pay yourself. Do not make it worse then it is and always phrase everything in the positive. Instead of you writing that you are having back pain, taking Advil and going to chiropractor. Phrase it that you went to chiropractor for maintenance just to realigning your back. I see a lot of people get declined for coverage even though they are in perfect health just because how and what they wrote on the application.
Real people will be looking at your application if you are making it worse then it is or you are volunteering too much information then it is only your fault if you get declined. Your answers should be, everything is fine, just a check up, results were normal. Also before you know that you might be looking for health insurance do not go see your doctor until you do have coverage. If you go to the doctor and they find something “wrong” with you then bye, bye health insurance. Now you are stuck. When at the doctors office, again, be careful what you tell your doctor because it will end up in your medical records. When self diagnosing your self do not volunteer that information to your doctor, it is your doctors job to find if there is an issue. If you have been declined for health insurance there are options available to you so is having or not having health insurance. Having any health insurance plan is infinitely better then not having anything at all. It is a know fact that you will get a better treatment if the hospital knows that you have some way to pay for your medical care and that they are not just working for free taking care of you. The one and the most important thing that you can do is to take care of your health. Eat your broccoli.
Debts to Society and Crime Victims
In the twentieth century, the U.S. Supreme Court greatly developed criminal constitutional rights favoring the accused. A backlash ensued, and the campaign for victims’ rights followed. Advocates for crime victims supported increased incarceration by encouraging three-strikes habitual offender and mandatory sentence legislation. This was a good attempt to refocus upon people other than the offenders. Some believe victims’ rights went too far by putting too many people in prison. In actuality, victims’ rights did not go far enough. Prison labor to pay restitution is rarely allowed, required or encouraged by the laws, special interest groups and systems in place. The way to serve a determinate sentence (i.e. one for a set term of years) in prison is to wait. While prisoners kill time, prisons deprive most prisoners of a major part of life, namely work, while prisons also deprive victims and the state of the benefit of the prisoner’s labor. Convicts often walk out of prison with heavy debts for child support, court costs, legal representation and restitution, most of which they cannot discharge in bankruptcy. After release, restitution collection prospects turn dim. Most convicts never fully pay their debts to society, their victims or their own families.
The shallow statement we hear that ex-convicts have “paid their debt to society” is completely false and very misleading. All they’ve done is wait, age, sleep, eat, shower, obey, suffer, receive benefits and cost money. The words “paid their debt to society” are lip service to our failed correctional regimes. Prisoners have not worked for, honored or paid law-abiding folks. The “payment” they supposedly make does not help anyone, and in fact, it harms society. While in prison, prisoners are on expensive and comprehensive welfare that pays for everything they consume or need. Prisoners unfortunately believe they have “paid up” when their sentence is concluded. Prisoners deserve their punishment, but law-abiding citizens do not deserve the expense, collateral social costs, recidivism and weak deterrence value of prison. It’s time for law-abiding people to be paid in cash, not empty phrases. Part of a new movement should be the right of victims to receive the benefit of their guilty perpetrators’ labor.
To produce economically and generate a cash flow for their victims, prisoners must be allowed to work in private prison industries, operating freely in prison. Prisons made money in the 1800’s and sent their profits to the state legislatures. Over 100 years ago, free labor and businesses were afraid prisoners would put them out of work and business, so prison industries were suppressed with various laws. Under current laws, most prisoners can only make things for the state and there are not enough prison jobs to go around.
Today, most consumer goods are made overseas. Manufactured goods can now be made in the U.S.A. without harming, and actually helping, free American labor and businesses. If American laws were changed to permit vibrant prison industries, prisoners could earn money to compensate their victims and society. Then prisoners can truly pay their debts to society and to the victims of their crimes. Under equitable laws, crime victims should receive the benefit of their guilty perpetrators’ labor.
Great Designer Fashion Styles
There are quite a few varieties of fashion shoe and handbag styles, but some are better known than others. Coach shoes and handbags are among the more well-known, and some of the other famous brands include Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs. Status handbags are more expensive than others, but designer handbags are something that many women like to splurge on, to make themselves feel good.
Marc Jacobs tweed bags show that the 80’s can still be fun if we remember them fondly. This company truly understands the retro influence on fashion, and each creation is proof that Jacobs is a quirky genius as a designer.
Muse bags are made by Yves Saint Laurent, and they make many accessories as well, for women looking for a chic flair. Muse merges different styles into feminine and unique bags and accessories that are sure to compliment women’s active lifestyles. These bags are playful and a little sexy, and they make handbags in many different sizes.
Coach is possibly the best known designer of handbags and shoes. Coach heels and Coach boots are among the most highly favored of the designer shoes available, and this brand combines logic and magic to create shoes and handbags that are obviously made of quality materials with good value and an American style that is distinctive and inspirational. Each pair of Coach sneakers or Coach heels reflects the attributes of the Coach brand.
Coach shoes are not normally available at discount prices, because they are top sellers without needing to lower prices. They offer excellent service that will make sure your needs as a customer are met. They treat customers buying Coach shoes like guests, and they like to establish relationships for the long term, based on satisfaction and trust.
Designer shoes like Coach heels are symbols of design and luxury in one. Amid the many brands available, it’s no mistake that so many people clamor for Coach shoes. Seldom seen at a discount, they are nonetheless snatched up at a fast pace.
The success of Coach shoes and Coach boots, as well as their well-known handbags, shows off their devotion to fairness and honesty, as concerning their own business as well as the communities they are located in. The company stands behind Coach shoes, Coach sneakers and handbags, because they realize that their reputation is reflected in everything they make.
You can find Coach boots and Coach heels at retail stores and sites online. Originally their handbags were made from the same leather used for baseball gloves. Now there are so many styles of Coach shoes, too, that you are never at a loss, regardless of the occasion. They use other materials in addition to leather now, to craft their fine Coach boots and Coach shoes. Available in every fabric and style you might want, Coach shoes are the toast of the town. While their most current collection tends to show off many casual espadrilles, flip-flops and sandals, you can also find the Coach name on excellently-designed sandals and stilettos. You’ll never go wrong wearing the Coach name.
Eco Travel World Wide
Although the words Eco travel have been popping up a lot more over the past few years, its definition is often misunderstood or not known at all. Possibly you have also heard the word Eco tourism and they are used interchangeably because of their common definition. So what do they mean? Eco travel is planning a responsible vacation to places that conserve the environment. They also contribute to the well being of their community while practicing ethical policies.
The amount of interest in Eco friendly travel has soared, as people become more and more aware of environmental issues. Recycling and reducing vehicle emissions. Lowering the use of energy all makes a difference. Now your Eco travel vacation can also make a difference.
There are different things to look for to know if the vacation your are planning is environmentally and socially friendly. Let’s say for an example you went to a resort. You would check if they use environmentally friendly, recycled products? Are they committed to preserving their wild and marine life and the environment? Increase knowledge of local community and benefits socioeconomically and affordability? Not using wasteful products to make the area more attractive? Do the profits go back into the community? Do they employ local people and pay them fair wages, which is referred to as fair trade? These are all things to consider before deciding on your destination
Government and local communities are starting to work together to conserve their environment while providing much need employment in the area. There are many programs now available to help people in the tourism industry and program directors increase their knowledge of Eco travel, Eco tourism. Consumers that are ethically aware of fair trade have drastically increased sales in the tourism industry by over 50% on any given holiday.
There are now a wide variety of areas in different Countries that offer Eco travel vacations. The industry has grown so much over the past few years that it has become difficult to choose which one. From Costa Rico to Hawaii to Antarctica the choices are endless. Be aware of conservation of our environment and make Eco travel part of your next vacation.
The Perfect Wood For Home Furniture
The most popular and durable wood for the furniture is pine wood. This wood has many unique qualities. It has the style, comfort and the durability of lifetime. This wood is very stiff and can easily bear sever climatic conditions. If you want to buy new furniture for your home then the pine furniture is an ideal choice to go.
This is very easy task for you to modernize your residence and will be very cost effective way to get a fresh appearance to your home. The wooden furniture is a better choice to renovate the house. The wood will last for many years and only the color will fade that can be fixed very easily whenever needed.
This can be easily identified by having a look at the furniture edges. If you notice that the edges of the furniture are faded due to some sort of wear and tear then you should think of recycling the furniture.
The wear and tear may be the result of some daily cleaning or the sun light effect. But, this is not any issue and don’t waste your furniture just get it painted again.
First of all you should take the loose fragments of the item away and then scrap the edges that are needed to be coated again gently with a good cement scraper. Then re-coat the item again and you will get a new piece of furniture again with the original shine.
Then the damp cloth piece can be used to remove the extra pieces from the wooden surface.
The sand paper can make the surface ready to paint and remove the splinters off. You can now coat the item with the varnish or the wood stain whatever you like. You can also give it a new look by painting it with the desired color.
The whole process is very easy it will not affect the furniture at all. You might have understood that the pine furniture can be the best choice to buy.
Italy Travel Info – Plan a Better Trip
Italy is a hot vacation spot and there is so much to see you can get quite overwhelmed planning your vacation. Everybody feels compelled to hit the big three, Venice, Florence, and Rome. These are incredible cities with many great sites to visit and famous objects (art, architecture, etc.) to see. Here’s some Italy travel info to help you plan a better trip.
Here’s a simple fact, you cannot see everything in a single vacation, and the attempt to do so becomes very stressful, robbing you of the fun and excitement you planned. The thousands of years of history found in Italy (about 5,000 years of civilized history to be more precise) make it impossible to absorb in a few days, weeks, or months. You need to decide what you really want to see and build your trip around this rather than try and see everything. I would like you to think about a better way to see Italy with less stress, less expense, and more enjoyment. How? Plan your trip and get out of the major tour cities and into the lesser strained hill towns and fortified villages.
Say you are planning a trip to Florence. Identify the top three to five sites you wish to see and give yourself two or three days to see them. Once this is scheduled, take out a map of the region and start looking at the many incredible sites within a couple of hours of Florence. The big secondary sites include Pisa (worth a half a day at least), Lucca (also worth at least half a day), and Montecatinni (a spa town with open markets, grand parks, and an ancient hill town overlooking the town below). To the south of Florence are such well known sites as Siena (easily worth a full day), San Gimingano (get here early to avoid the crowds), and Volterra (worth at least half a day and one of the most interesting of Tuscan hill towns).
By picking day trips to one or two of these other towns between your planned excursions in Florence will allow you to experience a more intimate Italy. Enjoy a walk along the curtain wall surrounding Lucca (the wall is now a park and trail), then pop over to Pisa for a gander of the Tower, Basilica and more white marble than you have ever seen in one place. Another day you can stroll the narrow medieval streets of Siena, Then head on over to Volterra and explore the Etruscans, Romans, and the architecture and fortifications of a typical walled hill town.
Each of these towns is rich in history and tradition and will give you a better sense of rural and small town Italy. Each of the big three have dozens of great secondary sites nearby, all worth a visit, making planning trips as described above easy and fun.
Relax and get in sync with the slower pace of rural Italy, wander the myriad shops and cafés, and watch lovely sunsets or sunrises. A trip to Italy should be fun, relaxing, and truly a trip of a lifetime. The true beauty of Italy is that you can have several of these “trips of a lifetime”, never seeing the same places twice (unless you want to, I know we have).
Should Travelers Who Book Direct Get Fairer Fare Prices?
A travel website that does not sell travel but enables travelers to save money on travel as long as they do their own bookings is now offering services to internet travelers. This service is a unique addition to travel options for all travelers comfortable with direct bookings using a new type of travel document called a TopTravelVoucher.
The operators of this service are addressing the issue of travel pricing which often includes a 10 to 25% mark-up to allow for the payment of travel agent commission to either wholesalers or retailers but when travelers buy directly from the provider (accommodations, tours or transportation) they can still pay the price inclusive of commission. To overcome the travel providers’ problems of showing multiple prices for the same products and services on their websites, they can now offer ‘fair fare prices’ by issuing TopTravelVouchers.
Travel Providers are given marketing and promotion in exchange for their own travel vouchers, equivalent to or more than, the commission that would be payable upon sale of their various travel packages and services, so they still incur the commission cost on sales but do not have to alienate their distribution chain of wholesalers and retailers by offering a retail, wholesale or ‘direct’ price on their website. This is done by the voucher operator who sells their vouchers to travelers at deep discounts to their redemption values to be used when making direct bookings, hence a travel agent who does not sell travel, only travel vouchers and therefore is not a travel agent.
According to the website information of the voucher operator, they are able to offer the ‘Fair Fare Price’ option because they do not have the normal operating costs of travel agencies such as shops, reservation systems, brochures, advertising and high staffing levels, but can still offer the traveler and the travel provider a service that is fair to all users.
Before purchasing TopTravelVouchers, travelers are advised to check for quality and availability directly with the website of their travel selection and when satisfied, make a direct booking mentioning the voucher, then purchase the voucher. All vouchers come with a 100% money-back guarantee and in the event that the traveler is not happy with their travel purchase upon completion, the cost of the TopTravelVouchers will be reimbursed and the matter taken up with the provider.
There are three levels of vouchers, $30, $50 and $100usd achieving various levels of savings but to give an example, at the time of this article there was a voucher valued at 1,500 euros (around $2,000usd) on sale for $100usd. If the vouchers are purchased outside of the USA the price is shown in the relevant currency. All vouchers are issued online and the provider is also sent a duplicate with the traveler details to encourage assistance in any travel itinerary planning of the traveler.
So as not to deter expert travel agents and agencies from participation in this service the site invites them to identify any destination and activity expertise and to also offer vouchers to encourage travelers to seek out expert professional agents. Many retail agents offer their own travel packages and tours and many are comfortable in dealing with new clients from anywhere in the world over the internet, telephone or skype. The site cautions travelers to be careful when selecting ‘specialist’ agents who are not necessarily experts and who may have just taken a simple test operated by a tourism office or tour operator promoting their own destination or products.
The travel selections with TopTravelVouchers are limited at present but the site operators are confident in the growth potential, but if you want to see what is available, you can find them at toptravelsites.
Bracelets – Great Adornments to Accentuate One’s Fashion Style
From every perspective, bracelets are absolutely great adornments for fashion conscious women to make their fashion statement and infuse their personal styles with new vitality. Great bracelets can help to set you apart from the crowd. With the embellishment of gorgeous bracelets, your old outdated outfit may even obtain new glamour beyond your expectation.
Over the years, the designs and styles of bracelets have evolved a lot. Apart from the traditional silver and gold bracelets, you can also find leather wristbands, wood bangles and many other bracelets made from unique materials of distinct styles. Nowadays, personalized or customized wristbands are really popular. People like to attach pendants carrying special meaningful notes to the bracelets as their lucky wristband.
Bracelets can help to highlight one’s personality greatly. Just like clothes or any other fashion accessories, stunning bracelets do have the ability to make you stand out in the crowd and make a deep impression on others. For example, rock and roll style bracelets can reflect your bold characters and funky fashion attitude.
Generally speaking, chunky jewelry is in trend this season, while there are still many people who show their constant passion for subtle and tiny jewelry. No matter whether it is a chunky style or tiny style, it is really chic to wear several pieces of bracelets together at the same time.
You must believe that gorgeous bracelets can add great fancies to your outfit and do you a great favor to become the center of attention. However, when you select the bracelets, you should still stick to your own preference and personal style.
Famous Style Icons
Have you ever wondered what a style icon is? Can a style icon actually be a fashion victim, someone who cannot help but follow all the trends all the time? This couldn’t be further from the truth! They are actually women who have the whole package: fashion style, personality and confidence. Such a person doesn’t ever follow a fashion trend but creates them.
In our days being a style icon means much more than having good taste. What you wear seems to be less important than how you wear it. But back in time style icons helped us shape the way we think about fashion and style.
One of the ladies that has re-written the book of fashion is Gabrielle “Coco” Channel. Not only has she dazzled the whole world with her creations but she is responsible for the famous “little black dress” and her famous perfume, among many other things. Jackie Kennedy might have had a tormented life but her fashion style was way ahead of her time. She was among the first women who wore jackets designed by Coco Channel with a simple pair of jeans. Another important style icon that has impressed the audience not only because of her slender figure and pixie haircut but by the simple and yet fabulous way she wore even the most common outfits is Audrey Hepburn.
In our days the style icons are many but among the first that come to mind are: Kate Moss, Michelle Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker. Their styles can be adopted by almost every woman. Having a style of their own these three powerful women are not afraid to express their personalities through the outfits that they put together. Kate Moss is famous for her sexy clothes as she can be seen wearing short pants and leather jackets most of the time when she goes out. SJP on the other hand opts for glamorous and romantic clothes that impress everyone on the red carpet. Because most of the time she appears at official meetings, Michelle Obama chooses to dress elegant and yet casual and practical. Her choice in clothes is admirable and can be an inspiration for most women.
Fashion is relative and it is the way you wear the clothes that matters. Trusting your instincts is something that you should do at all times. You can create wonderful and original outfits by choosing to wear the things that you look and feel great it!