The News Room

AN EFFECTIVE JOB SEARCH: Side Skills Community

2012-02-22T18:40:00.005Z

Are you tired of looking around for employment on job boards only to find nothing is suitable? Or maybe you're an employer that has been searching endlessly for decent staff only to be let down by job agencies you signed up with or disappointed by the people who have attended interviews?

With website Side Skills all the hassle is cut out. Its a community site where you can look for applicants and post job vacancy proposals across the USA for free.

For job seekers you create your own portfolio which is your own personal space to sell your skills and what you can offer to an employer basically. This can include any photos or biography. Its a bit like a Curriculum vitae but much better.

Your skills can be chosen from 900 pre-selected ones which employers will use as keywords when making their search, and then the employer can hopefully select you from their list if you're a good match.

For employers you can pre-screen all of your potential employees by checking out their profile page beforehand. You might have a contact on Side Skills who can refer one of their clients and vice versa.You won't get any spam emails or worse scam emails from applicants.

As mentioned earlier its a community website so its all about getting connections. The more connections the better, as those people will connect with others and so on. Maybe you could even get a job offer or an ideal applicant through a connection of a connection! You never know.

GET AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR FUTURE - Psychic Readings

2012-02-22T14:21:00.006Z

Are you going through some problems in your life at the moment? Perhaps emotionally or financially? Do you wish you could get some answers to your questions and see a ray of light at the end of that dark tunnel?

I can't promise you the future will be bright or you're going to have a massive lottery win but there are physics out there that can give you an insight of what to expect if you're a believer in fate.

At website Psychic Source you can get a Psychic Reading live and choose from a huge selection of qualified Psychics who specialise in different areas such as crystal, stone and Tarot Readings, channelling, dream interpretation, numerology, spirit guidance and more.

The channelling and spirit guidance is particularly good if you have lost a loved one and are looking to try and reach out to their presence for answers or get some sort of sign or clue to what you've been searching for.

For just a $1 a minute as as a new member you can enjoy this exclusive offer.

The majority of the psychics you will be talking to have been born with the gift of being able to glance into your future and see special insights in their own unique way.

If you're at a particularly low time in your life I think this could be a good way of seeing some positivity in what the future has in store, and if you have something to look forward to. Plus maybe the reading will give you an idea of how to deal with your current situation too.

You can select the psychics through their star rating, price per minute, availability, featured specialities or maybe a bit of each or all!

All you have to do first of all is sign up for a free account and go from there.

WALGREEN'S PHARMACY OFFER HUGE SAVINGS: Prescription Savings Club

2012-02-08T20:00:00.003Z

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you don't have the benefit of getting free prescriptions, if you do have to pay for them there should still be a way that you can get rewarded for all the money that you spend and have spent. Especially if you're a regular to pharmacies.

Walgreen's recognised this and have created the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club so people can have massive savings over the year.

From just $20 per annum you would be getting things like:

* Savings on more than 8,000 brand named and generic medications.

* Discounts on flu shots, diabetic supplies, nebulizers and pet prescriptions.

* Bonuses when you buy Walgreen's own products and photofinishing services.

And you did read rightly - your pets can be included in the plan too. In fact for $35 a year you can have a Family Membership that not only covers yourself but your immediate family and your pets too. Imagine the savings alone on just the membership if you were a family of four say .. that's $80 for individual memberships so your already getting yourself a bargain with the $35 deal.

You can find out more by visiting the Walgreen's website direct. Also follow Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook to get the latest information and updates.

CAT CRAZE 'BREADING' IS A MASSIVE HIT

2012-02-06T09:31:00.004Z

Forget Planking that is sooooo old news now! Instead the new thing to be doing is breading! Yep you read right - breading is using making a large hole in a piece of bread and putting it around your cats head so it looks like a mane.

This craze has been spreading like wild fire across the Internet with thousands of images popping up of the different creations and bread used. And of course a craze wouldn't be complete without various Facebook like pages being created and Twitterers tweeting away about how great (or not so great maybe?) this is.

Will you be joining in or sitting it out for this one?

A bread hat!

WALGREEN'S PRESCRIPTION SAVINGS CLUB: 24 hour Value

2012-01-21T02:00:00.003Z

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

What would you do if you were in a health care plan but all of a sudden couldn't use your local pharmacy to get your usually discounted medicines, get prescriptions in advance where you can collect them 24 hours a day?

This is an issue that's effecting lots of people of the moment who are in the Walgreens and Express Script health care plan.

To cut a long story short Walgreen's failed to sign a new contract with Express Scripts because they wouldn't accept their terms of a frozen reimbursement rate. Instead Express Scripts wanted to enforce a lower the rate below the industry average. This is business after all and everyone needs to see a profit. So with this unfortunately the partnership ended.

Now it is suggested that the health care plan customers can use their mail order prescription service. But this is no good to people who need prescriptions or flu shots on the same day or need them at 3am in the morning!

So Walgreen's have devised the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club where people can still enjoy discounted prescriptions on over 8,000 brand names including pet medicines, diabetic supplies and get bonuses when using Walgreen's own products and photofinishing services.

Have a look at Walgreens on Facebook and follow Walgreens on Twitter to find out more information. Plans start from as little as $5 per annum for individuals or $10 that covers the whole of your immediate family.

THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL ASSISTANT: My Travel Checklist Widget

2012-01-10T21:01:00.003Z

This post brought to you by My Travel Checklist. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever came to a blank when writing out your holiday list? When I'm writing mine I'm usually OK with the items I need to take in my bag then when I'm about to leave the house I'm like oh no I forgot I need to ask someone to look after the cat! Or I realize last minute I need to leave a spare key with my parents to collect the post.

Plus I've had times where I can't find a pen to write it all down when I do think of something I need to pack or do!

That's why I love the My Travel Checklist. Its so effortless to download and use, and it has everything you need already listed ready for you to check off depending on what type of break you're going on, whether you're male or female and what the weather is looking to be forecast.

I like the fact that its free to use and that you can also add your own items and suggestions to the list too that are not featured. And when you are ready to make your journey you can email it to yourself or your mobile phone and simply check off your list online as you're going along.

GET A WORKSPACE MAKEOVER: Pimp My Cube Contest

2011-12-14T00:01:00.004Z

This post brought to you by Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you work in a office cube or room that looks like it should be back in the dark ages? Those bulky computer monitors, separate printer, scanner, photocopier and an organization system that should have gone out when typewriters did!?

Then you need to enter the Pimp My Cube Contest! To enter you just need to upload a video of your work space and explain why its so terrible just in case its not obvious to the eye straight away! The winning entry will get their cubed pimped of course Contest Factory style.

To win you need to get as many votes in as possible from friends, family, co-workers etc and make sure you really sell your story so the judges choose yours as the absolute worst and most in need of a makeover.

If you don't get the grand prize there is always the runner up $200 gift card with the person being chosen at random, so you will still be in with a good chance.

The contest will close January 31st 2012 at 12pm. Just check the video above and follow the link within this post to find out more, then you can register and upload your own video.

Don't forget to invite as many people as you can to vote for you too.

SAVER OR SPENDER?: £1 goes a long way!

2011-12-09T20:00:00.002Z

This post brought to you by ING Direct. All opinions are 100% mine.

Find out more about ING Direct Savings

When was the last time you actually filled your money savings tin without dipping into in every now and then? Its because its there in your face looking at you saying spend me spend me! Far too much temptation for my non willpower mind that's why I've always preferred actual Savings Accounts.

Although mine is looking a little dried up with just £5.00 left at the moment its still savings isn't it!? And you never know when you might need that money.

I'm more of a debit card person so whenever I have cash in my purse I feel the need to spend it even though I don't need to. But now with 2 kids to think of, birthdays, Christmas etc I thought it was about time I started putting that money away, even if its something like £1 a week.

And it looks like more and more people are doing the same, as bank ING have been researching what amount of savings people have in the UK.

They have created a useful widget that shows you how much people are saving by region. What's your region saying? Do you think you would be able to follow suit and save that much yourself? Let me know in comments.

CREATE A FREE SANTA VIDEO MESSAGE

2011-12-08T12:35:00.003Z

Screenshot of one of the scenes in the video

This fantastic tool called Portable North Pole lets your child (and even adults!) receive a personal video message from Santa. The way it works is you select several options from drop down boxes. And its helpful if your little one or loved one has been naughty lately as Santa can have a word to them!

The message comes across as very real and its great how the video is all pieced together.

You don't have to give out any personal contact details except for your email address. The options for your video message that Santa talks about are:

- Nice or naughty (For Santa's nice or naughty list)

- Name

- Age

- Country

- Daily Life: i.e school, stays home etc

- Special effort asked: Such as eat all vegetables, tidy up, go to bed. The adult ones are humorous!

- A special message from you (Adults only)

- The gift the person has asked for

- Upload 3 memorable pictures for the year

All this then gets put together in a story that's emailed to you then its ready for your child or adult member to listen to. Best of all its free for you to view online.

IT SUPPORT WITH FREE CALL OUT & GUARANTEES

2011-11-23T20:56:00.005Z

Even the most computer savvy person can struggle with things like Application Hosting and cloud hosting at times. Maybe some of you have just read that and thought what's that all about then!?

These are just a couple of keys things to running a successful business. ComputerSupport.com are there to give you their IT support experience and help so you don't have to. This as well as offering guarantees other companies don't consider such as free onsite visits.

NEW GRIPPING DRAMA: Untitled Jersey City Project

2011-11-09T07:01:00.002Z

This post brought to you by Untitled Jersey City Project. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just across the river from Manhattan a new city has developed full of people who are deceitful, shady and not afraid to do what they need to get the money, fame, power they long for so much. But to your face they are going to be the nicest, kindest, most faithful people you will ever meet. You won't want to make an enemy out of these guys. So where is this intriguing place? It can only be Jersey City.

Jersey City is a new fictional drama called Untitled Jersey City Project that hopes to grab audiences attention leaving them wanting more. At the moment its in experimental viewing and there are 8 short episodes you can view which are clips from the full episodes to give you an idea of what to expect.

Have a look at the video above for starters then get yourself onto the website to view all the episodes. The video is Episode 2 with the storyline that sometimes bad press is JUST bad press.

What do you think about the characters? Can you trust them or do you just think everyone is out to play a game of their own in which they are always the winners?

I would really like to hear what you think in the comments section. Maybe your ideas and thoughts will help make stories for future episodes you never know ...

CONTRACT FREE FLEXIBLE PHONE PLANS: Net10

2011-10-21T03:01:00.003+01:00

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

There are many mobile phone companies about and plans to choose from but do you really want to be tied to a contract? What if I said you can be on a flexible plan but still reap the benefits you would get on a contract phone plan?

As a Real NET10 customer you can change plans on a monthly basis if you want to. Maybe one month you know you will be doing a lot of talking and texting and maybe hardly any at all for another.

For the talkers business or socially the Net10 Unlimited plan would be perfect. For just $50 a month you get unlimited talk, text, data and nationwide coverage on big brand phone names such as Nokia, Motorola, LC, Samsung and more.

Is $50 a little more than you wanted to pay? Net10 have plans for everybody with ones that are under $15.00 too and simpler phones for the non techy people.

But for the the folks who do love their features you can find phones with a camera, video recorder, blue tooth capabilities, web access amongst others.

You should see What Rob has to say using this link here for his top reasons for using Net10. This as well as check out the video below and the website to find out more.

And of course if your anyone and anybody you have to be on Twitter and Facebook, so you can find them over there also.

3 YEAR OLD TAUNTED FOR HER 'RED CLOWN NOSE'

2011-10-18T11:53:00.005+01:00

A 3 year old little girl from Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom had a life changing operation to get rid of a bright red clown nose she was born with.

The problem was actually picked up as a 'shadow' on her 26 year old scan and when she was born it was only small. But then several weeks later grew up to 4cm.
Doctors said that Connie Lloyd had a condition called benign tumor but never attempted to remove the blemish. Sadly Connie was teased a lot because of her red nose to the point her mother would hide her in the car on doctors trips for fear of people making comments.
Then a doctor was actually found who was willing to remove the blemish that had grown on the inside as well as on the outside. To her and her families relief she now has a small scar on her nose instead and her mom said;

"Now she is doing really well, she has a big group of friends and we are so proud of her. She is very intelligent. It's nice not to have to deal with the cruel comments any more but red nose or not Connie has always been our perfect little girl."

THE USEFULNESS OF A GRAMMAR CHECKER

2011-10-18T10:33:00.005+01:00

If I ever need to find something out I always go straight to good old reliable Google and type in whatever I need to know. You can literally type in anything even full sentences and results will pop up where someone else has asked the same question and the answer is right there! Its so good - I don't know how we all managed before the days of the Internet.

It does make me laugh though because sometimes I will misspell a word but yet it still recognises what I've put and suggests the word its suppose to be for me to click on instead! Maybe I could do with a Grammar Checker!

And in saying that I think the majority of us could do with checking our grammar from time to time. Some of the sites I have landed on have some really obvious mistakes. Although I do know what the word is suppose to say or mean I think to myself where is the effort to actually check your work? Potentially thousands if not millions of people can be landing on your page giving you traffic to your website so you should spend the time to check to make sure the grammar is all correct.

I mean I'm not perfect in my grammar to be honest and from time to time I can make minor errors like knowing when to put the I before the e in words and I've even been guilty of spelling I'd like I'ld in the past and putting down 'I' as a 'i' on its own instead, but by using grammar and spell checkers they have helped me recognise these mistakes more as I type them in the future because I remember I spelt them wrong previously so it kinda sticks in my mind from then!

KEEPING DOGS PROPERLY CONTAINED

2011-10-18T09:33:00.005+01:00

Dogs can be great creatures in our lives that bring us joy and happiness. But for the ones in need of dog containment systems it can be a bit of a nightmare without them!

My neighbours dog is left in the garden all day whilst the owners go to work, but anyone that has a dog of their own knows that they can get bored really easily as well as easily distracted too. Bearing in mind the fence on my neighbours side is only 2 foot in height, so many times I have been shocked to find a Dalmatian in my actual garden from chasing a pigeon or a cat!

On another occasion I had found him to be out the front by the main road and have had to bring him back inside. He's not even my responsibility but I would have felt really bad if anything had happened to him and I could have stopped it.

That was when I had to speak to my neighbours about the situation and try to convince them to get some boundary fences or similar put in place to keep their dog in their garden. He may as well have been my dog the amount of times he visited my garden and tried to get through my patio door that I always keep ajar slightly to let the fresh air in.

Dogs can get anywhere if they want to so if you're going to take on having a big pet like that you need to make sure you can do more than just provide it with a kennel, food and water. And actually consider others and the possibilities of the things that can happen if you are going to leave your pet somewhere for long periods of time - Even if its indoors.

Do you have a dog containment system in place for your pet?

SHOULD WE TREAT DOGS LIKE PEOPLE OR PETS?

2011-10-14T09:28:00.005+01:00

There have been many inventions over the years for animals such as dog bark collar's, dog blankets, leads and even dog clothing. Some people treat their pets like they are actual human beings and give them their own single bed and feed them the same type of food they eat such as Sunday Dinners and Pizza's.

I think that's nice to want to make your pet as at home as possible but I don't think its necessarily a healthy thing. There are certain vitamins and protein in dog food needed for your pet to grow and develop. You have to remember they may have the same organs as us but completely different systems. It's like feeding your hamster curry from the night before or putting a piece of chicken in your fish tank for a treat. You just wouldn't do it would you?

And in another sense it would be like trying to make a wild animal such as a lion into a vegetarian. Their meat eating nature is built into them so to suddenly have that taken away from them would probably cause them to be quite poorly.

Then you have these celebrities who dress their dog up in clothing and see them as some sort of play thing and fashion accessory to carry around with them. What ever happened to the times of your dog being there to comfort you in times of worry?, to guard your home and bark their lungs off when there is risk of an intruder? and the ones that help their owners with their work such as farming, hunting etc?

I'm sure there are still many of those type of pets about, but I think we have forgotten what having a pet is all about and some people don't take it as seriously as they should do.

Do you think we should treat dogs like people or like pets?

MOBILE PHONE PLANS WITH BETTER VALUE

2011-09-11T07:01:00.002+01:00

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

In this hard period of the recession we could do with saving all the money we can really. And with everything tending to be going up in price the last thing we need is to be being charged extra for essentials we need such as our mobile phone plans.

So it was very refreshing to hear that as a Real NET10 customer you can get some low cost plans and still get a good package back for it in return. The Net10 unlimited plan for instance lets you have a Cute NET10 commercial phone amongst others with unlimited talk, text, data and nationwide coverage for just £50 a month.

You don't have to concern yourself about getting tied into any binding contracts or pass any credit searches either as Net10 don't require them. You simply top up on a pre-paid flexible basis that you can change as and when you want to to another plan if you require, making it perfect for personal and business users alike.

The low cost value doesn't reflect in the look or make of the phone either. You can still expect to chose from Nokia, Samsung. LG, Motorola and more with all the regular features you need such as camera, video recording, bluetooth etc.

Find out more checking out the video below, visiting the site direct and seeing N10's pages on Twitter and Facebook.

IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH: Train Your Brain

2011-09-10T12:15:00.005+01:00

Whether you finished high school, went to college or university as the years go by unfortunately age tends to creep up on us and our health and abilities can change in a way where it may affect our lives in a minor way or dramatically.

One of the things to look out for is Mental health. Maybe you have found that you're not so focused in your work lately?, you keep forgetting things or you can't answer that question you should be able to know just like that?

There is a cool website called cognifit.com that helps you train your brain for free! For just one hour a day you can take part in challenges that are just like games really so you don't even realise that you're working your mind.

The games help improve the way you think and assist you with your overall wellbeing. You are given a brain score and each day you get the chance to improve it by completing different online tasks. There are loads of different applications to browse through that are targeted for specific mental abilities.

To begin you simply register for free then you take a quick assessment. If you wanted to make it more fun why not challenge your friends and family too?

MOTHER SPRAY TANS HER 4 YEAR OLD

2011-09-02T21:22:00.006+01:00

A mother of four from Hailsham, East Sussex in the United Kingdom has come under scrutiny by child welfare groups after boasting she gives her four year old daughter spray tans at her beauty parlour. Jools Willis who uses her own tanning formula on her child said "Beauty treatments help boost a child's confidence"

However she has said that she would not spray a four year old customer but would treat older children if they came in with their parents.

The Child Welfare strongly disagree and say it makes Jool's daughter a potential target for paedophiles and it's sexualising young children.

One of the representatives said;

"A four-year-old is much too young to be getting beauty treatments. Children should not be encouraged to grow up too soon.

We should let children be children. True confidence and self-esteem come from within.

I'm sure mothers who do this mean the very best for their children. But they are inadvertently playing into the hands of paedophiles, who treat children as sexualised beings.

We need to get this right as a society. We shouldn't let the values of The Only Way Is Essex seep into the family home."

This is just one of the stories that has brought speculation and anger amongst the public lately like the mother who bought her 7 year old a boob job.

PERSONAL LOANS TO HELP CONSOLIDATE DEBTS

2011-09-02T20:12:00.005+01:00

Have you ever got yourself into a situation where you have used your credit card not just for emergencies but for luxuries and essentials too? Maybe for presents, to pay off bills etc? Then all of a sudden the amount builds up on top of you and you struggle to pay?

With things like this, auto financing and medical bills it can all get a bit too much and you would probably be much better off with a Personal Loan for Debt Consolidation. You can use this to pay off all your bills and it would no doubt make your life a lot easier too.

TENANT TO HAVE HIS DOOR MAT EVICTED!

2011-08-23T22:19:00.002+01:00

A tenant from Albert Street, Bedford in the UK got a surprise when he found warning tape on a mat used to wipe his feet!

It has been seen as a fire hazard by Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association and they have basically told him to 'Move it or lose it'.

37 year old Lubin Reyes was not happy with this decision and has said there is no way he will be complying with the order and removing it. He further went on to say;

"Someone is being paid to walk around and do this. It's ridiculous. I can't understand what they are thinking, it my doorstep and my doormat."

"I need to wipe the soles of my shoes dry or I might fall over in my house then that would be health and safety issue."

"It's right at the end of a corridor so its not like people will be rushing past it. It's about one centimetre high and made of rubber. It had 'move it or lose it' written on it, that's like a threat."

'It's like they are saying don't mess with us but it's only a doormat. I was very shocked that they would act in this way for something as minor as a doormat.'

However when questioned the association who issued the notice said they are standing by their decision and believe it could trip people.

So how is that going to work out for all the other door mats around the world then!? ....

CREATE EXTRA SPACE & STORAGE SOLUTIONS

2011-08-23T21:30:00.003+01:00

Some of us only have one living area and dream of having another room for dining, office use or a play/hobby room. But instead of going to the extreme of moving home or having extensions have you ever thought that a simple divider contemporary bookcase could solve your problem?

I'm not talking about your usual 5 shelf ones that sit in the corner unnoticed. You can get massive feature modern bookcases like this gorgeous Delta contemporary bookcase.

Fill it with books, files, ornaments, hobby items or whatever you like really as it makes a great space saver. As an idea maybe you could use one area of the bookcase a for your lounge items and the other one for the separated room side?

If you have quite a large width perhaps you could get two or several bookcases to create a modern wall look? In fact the Delta bookcase you see here is made of 2 parts. Clever isn't it? Who would have thought! And again seeing the shape a single bookcase it would go great under the stairs too.

You can find this bookcase above as well as other gorgeous contemporary pieces over at Go Modern.

PAINTING GOAT ATTRACTS ZOO VISITORS

2011-08-20T22:45:00.004+01:00

Several goats at McGovern Children’s Zoo in Houston in Texas, USA have been taught how to do abstract art. Or as some would say just pick up a brush and splodge on a few lines! But nevertheless the paintings have became quite a hit with visitors. So much so they have been used in various fundraising events.

The goat pictured here is Peep the latest goat to catch on. The first one to paint was a goat called Domino but zoo keeper Amber Zelmer said the best painter is called Trent.

She commented saying;

"He caught on really quickly so helping him to make the paintings a bit better wasn’t hard at all – it took less than a month. The first task was teaching the goats to touch the canvas with the paint brush once they had it held in their mouth. Then we just added paint and we had goat art."

The goats are not the only budding artists to come from this Zoo either. In 2006 an elephant called Paya had her self portrait pictures displayed at The Dundas Gallery in Edinburgh. And is the only elephant to have been able to do a masterpiece like that based on her own likeness.

CALGARY RENTAL SEARCH MADE EASY

2011-08-20T22:40:00.000+01:00

If you're looking for Calgary Rentals instead of searching around websites that list properties in all cities you should make it easier for yourself by using the Rentcalagary.com website.

From here you can effortlessly search for houses and apartments by selecting the area in Calgary you're looking for such as Bragg Creek, Airdrie, Chestermere, Inner City and many more.

Once you have you will then see a list of properties that you can narrow down by price, property type or bedroom numbers. Each home has a full description including pictures inside and out, the address, square footage and the main features of the property such as balconies, appliances, any furnishings included and what utilities are available.

It even says if they allow smokers or pets. You couldn't get more detail if you were to speak to the agent/landlord themselves really!

JACKETS PUT ON MONKEY STATUES TO STOP SPEEDING

2011-08-20T22:32:00.004+01:00

There is a speeding problem on one of the roads in China so a brilliant way to stop this is by dressing statue monkeys in florescent jackets right!?

The police in Changsha seem to think this is the solution. Or maybe they are trying to save costs on installing a speed camera like any other city would!

They said they hope these bizarre statues will remind drivers not to break the law ... They might be breaking something else by staring at those monkeys and not the road more like!