Social Security: 7 common myths busted

Whether it will be around when you retire or not, Social Security is a difficult thing to understand. Here are seven common questions about the program, explained.?

By Renee Morad,?Contributor / October 13, 2012

A check from the US Treasury is shown in this 2005 file photo. A common misconception is that it's easy to live off Social Security alone, but that's rarely the case.

Department of Treasury/AP/File

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Will Social Security be around when I retire?

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That?s a question lots of Americans are probably asking themselves, though it?s certainly not the only thing we might be wondering when it comes to Social Security. Given our national retirement program?s handbook of 2,728 rules and countless interpretations, few participants are likely to thoroughly understand it.

To help shed light on Social Security, we recently set out to separate fact from fiction. Below are some of the most common Social Security myths, along with explanations:

Myth: Social Security funds are running dry, so I should collect as soon as possible

The most recent government-issued report projects that Social Security will?run out of funding by 2033. This is earlier than previously expected, but doesn?t necessarily mean Social Security will be gone in 20 years. It means system revenues won?t be capable of paying 100 percent of promised benefits under the law. The Social Security Administration estimates that benefits could be reduced by 22 percent at that point and may continue to decline if Congress doesn?t intervene.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of Americans are taking Social Security at the minimum age of 62, according to?SmartMoney. But experts insist that it pays to wait. For each year you hold off on collecting Social Security after reaching full retirement age ? which is typically age 66 for baby boomers ? you?ll get an 8 percent increase in benefits. So waiting till 70 means about a third more income.

Myth: I?ll be able to live comfortably on Social Security alone

If you?re counting solely on Social Security to support you after retirement, you might find yourself in a difficult financial situation: The average Social Security payment to a retired worker is around?$1,234 per month?? slightly more than the Federal minimum for a month?s wages.

So unless you?re prepared to supplement Social Security with savings or a pension, be prepared for a challenge. Consider cost-cutting measures, like minimizing housing expenses, as well as earning extra income. You can work and claim Social Security benefits at the same time.

Myth: The more money I make now, the more I?ll get back later

Social Security?s progressive benefits formula favors low-income workers; they tend to get back a greater percentage of what they put in compared to higher-income workers. But for many retirees today, the amount they?ve paid in over the years will likely exceed what they?ll take out, according to?an analysis by The Associated Press.

This has also changed drastically with the times. According to The Associated Press, those who retired in 1960 could expect to receive seven times more in benefits than they paid in taxes. Last year, data showed a retired married couple who paid $598,000 in Social Security taxes throughout their careers could expect to collect only $556,000 in benefits ? and that?s if the man lives to 82 and the woman to 85, according to an Urban Institute study.

Myth: Social Security is only for the retired

The program provides benefits for disabled workers of all ages ? though qualifying for benefits can be challenging. It also provides survivor benefits to dependents of workers who pass away.

Myth: Qualifying for disability will be easy

With more than 8 million Americans receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, you?d think anyone unable to work due to a long-term physical or mental disability would be covered. But that?s not necessarily the case. Applications are up nearly 50 percent over a decade ago, and some applicants have to wait?two years or longer?for a resolution. For tips on qualifying for disability benefits, take a look at?SSA.gov.

Myth: If I?m divorced, I can?t collect benefits from my ex-spouse

You can collect retirement benefits on your ex-spouse?s record if you were married for at least 10 years. However, you can?t collect benefits if you remarry ? unless your second marriage also ends.

Myth: If I?m collecting Social Security, I?m an obvious target for identity theft and scams

You should always keep a eye out for scammers. Recently,?CNNMoney?reported that identity thieves are targeting seniors by fraudulently rerouting Social Security benefits to their own accounts. But that doesn?t mean?only?those at retirement age are at risk ? anyone with a Social Security number is.

Surprisingly, children are even more at risk for getting their Social Security number stolen, according to a?Carnegie Mellon University?CyLab study. An astounding 10 percent of children surveyed had someone else using their Social Security number. For ways to avoid identity theft targeting children, check out our story?Your Child Might Be an Identity Theft Victim.

Myth: I?ll be eligible for Medicare as soon as I can collect Social Security

Americans can?t earn Medicare benefits until age 65, but can collect Social Security as early as 62. Exception: If you collect Social Security Disability, you?ll get Medicare coverage automatically after two years.

Renee Morad is a writer for?Money Talks News, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities and around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/x94sZxA_cpI/Social-Security-7-common-myths-busted

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    FACT CHECK: Slips in vice presidential debate

    WASHINGTON (AP) ? Anyone who paid attention to a hearing in Congress this week knew that the administration had been implored to beef up security at the U.S. Consulate in Libya before the deadly terrorist attack there. But in the vice presidential debate Thursday night, Joe Biden seemed unaware.

    "We weren't told they wanted more security there," the vice president asserted flatly. During a night in which Biden and Republican rival Paul Ryan both drifted from the facts on a range of domestic and foreign issues, that was a standout.

    A look at some of their claims:

    BIDEN: "Well, we weren't told they wanted more security there. We did not know they wanted more security again. And by the way, at the time we were told exactly ? we said exactly what the intelligence community told us that they knew. That was the assessment. And as the intelligence community changed their view, we made it clear they changed their view."

    RYAN: "There were requests for more security."

    THE FACTS: Ryan is right, judging by testimony from Obama administration officials at the hearing a day earlier.

    Charlene R. Lamb, a deputy assistant secretary for diplomatic security, told lawmakers she refused requests for more security in Benghazi, saying the department wanted to train Libyans to protect the consulate. "Yes, sir, I said personally I would not support it," she said.

    Eric Nordstrom, who was the top security official in Libya earlier this year, testified he was criticized for seeking more security. He said conversations he had with people in Washington led him to believe that it was "abundantly clear we were not going to get resources until the aftermath of an incident. How thin does the ice have to get before someone falls through?"

    He said his exasperation reached a point where he told a colleague that "for me the Taliban is on the inside of the building."

    ___

    RYAN: "Look at just the $90 billion in stimulus the vice president was in charge of overseeing ? this $90 billion in green pork to campaign contributors and special interest groups."

    THE FACTS: Dismissing an entire package of energy stimulus grants and loans as "green pork" ignores the help that was given to people to make their homes more energy efficient, grants to public entities constructing high speed rail lines and tax credits to manufacturers to install equipment fostering cleaner energy.

    To be sure, there were notable failed investments, such as $528 million to the politically connected and now-bankrupt solar power company Solyndra. But Ryan's claim made it sound like every penny went down the drain.

    More broadly, economists are nearly universal in saying Obama's $800 billion-plus stimulus passed in early 2009 helped create both public-sector and private-sector jobs, even if they fell short of what sponsors had hoped. Douglas Elmendorf, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, estimated the stimulus saved or created more than 3 million jobs.

    ___

    BIDEN: "We went out and rescued General Motors."

    THE FACTS: Actually, the auto bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under President George W. Bush. The Obama administration continued and expanded it.

    ___ RYAN: "And then they put this new Obamacare board in charge of cutting Medicare each and every year in ways that will lead to denied care for current seniors. This board, by the way, it's 15 people, the president's supposed to appoint them next year. And not one of them even has to have medical training."

    THE FACTS: Ryan is referring to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law. It has the power to force cuts in Medicare payments to service providers if costs rise above certain levels and Congress fails to act. But it doesn't look like the board will be cutting Medicare "each and every year," as Ryan asserts. Medicare costs are currently rising modestly and the government's own experts project the board's intervention will not be needed until 2018 and 2019 at the earliest ? after Obama leaves office if re-elected to a second term.

    ___

    BIDEN, when asked who would pay more taxes in Obama's second term: "People making a million dollars or more."

    THE FACTS: Obama's proposed tax increase reaches farther down the income ladder than millionaires. He wants to roll back Bush-era tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000.

    ___

    RYAN: "We cannot allow Iran to gain a nuclear weapons capability. Now, let's take a look at where we've gone ? come from. When Barack Obama was elected, they had enough fissile material ? nuclear material ? to make one bomb. Now they have enough for five. They're racing toward a nuclear weapon. They're four years closer toward a nuclear weapons capability."

    THE FACTS: Ryan's claim is misleading. Iran isn't believed to have produced any of the highly enriched uranium needed to produce even one nuclear weapon, let alone five. That point isn't even disputed by Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored the world at the United Nations last month to create a "red line" at enrichment above 20 percent. Iran would have to enrich uranium at much higher levels to produce a weapon. There is intelligence suggesting that Iran has worked on weapon designs, but not that it has developed a delivery system for any potential nuclear warhead.

    ___

    BIDEN: "What we did is, we saved $716 billion and put it back, applied it to Medicare."

    THE FACTS: Contrary to Biden's assertion, not all the money cut from Medicare is going back into the program in some other way. The administration is cutting $716 billion over 10 years in Medicare payments to providers and using some of the money to improve benefits under the program. But most of the money is being used to expand health care coverage outside of Medicare.

    ___

    RYAN: "What troubles me more is how this administration has handled all of these issues. Look at what they're doing through Obamacare with respect to assaulting the religious liberties of this country. They're infringing upon our first freedom, the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities, Catholic churches, Catholic hospitals."

    THE FACTS: The requirement under the health care law that most employers cover birth control free of charge to female employees does not apply to churches, houses of worship, or other institutions directly involved in propagating a religious faith. It does apply to church-affiliated institutions such as hospitals and charities that serve the general public.

    ___

    BIDEN: "Romney said 'No, let Detroit go bankrupt.'"

    THE FACTS: GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has gotten endless grief through the campaign for the headline put on his November 2008 opinion essay that he wrote for The New York Times. But his point was never that he wanted the auto industry to go down the tubes.

    Romney opposed using government money to bail out Chrysler and General Motors, instead favoring privately financed bankruptcy restructuring. His prescription seemed improbable. Automakers were hemorrhaging cash and the banking system was in crisis, so private money wasn't available. Without the government money, it's likely both companies would have gone out of business. Romney did propose government-guaranteed private loans for both companies after bankruptcy.

    ___

    RYAN: "We should have spoken out right away when the green revolution was up and starting, when the mullahs in Iran were attacking their people. We should not have called Bashar Assad a reformer when he was turning his Russian-provided guns on his own people.

    THE FACTS: Neither President Barack Obama nor anyone else in his administration ever considered the Syrian leader a "reformer." The oft-repeated charge stems from an interview Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave in March 2011 noting that "many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he's a reformer." She did not endorse that view. The comment was widely perceived to be a knock at senators such as John Kerry of Massachusetts who maintained cordial relations with Assad in the months leading up to his crackdown on protesters.

    ___

    RYAN: "This one tax would actually tax about 53 percent of small-business income."

    BIDEN: "Ninety-seven percent of the small businesses in America pay less ? make less than $250,000."

    THE FACTS: Both are correct, but incomplete, when sizing up the effect on small business of raising taxes for individuals making more than $200,000 and married couples making more than $250,000, as Obama wants to do. Republicans say that would hit small-business owners who report business income on their individual income tax; Democrats say the overwhelming majority of small businesses would not be affected.

    According to a 2010 report by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper for Congress, about 3 percent of people who report business income would face a tax increase under Obama's plan. That support's Biden's point.

    The same report says those business owners account for about half of all business income. That supports Ryan.

    ___

    RYAN: Notes that there have been four rounds of U.N. sanctions on Iran to deter its nuclear program, three during the Bush administration and one under Obama. "And the only reason we got it is because Russia watered it down and prevented the sanctions from hitting the central bank. Mitt Romney proposed these sanctions in 2007. In Congress, I've been fighting for these sanctions since 2009. The administration was blocking us every step of the way." He also noted the administration has granted 20 waivers to the sanctions.

    THE FACTS: The argument that the administration was watering down or delaying sanctions is misleading. For sanctions to work, they need maximum global agreement and cooperation. Russia watered down U.N. sanctions not only under Obama, but also under Bush. And it's highly unlikely that a Romney administration, particularly led by a candidate who says Russia is the biggest geostrategic threat to the U.S., would be able to get Russia completely on board with what the U.S. wants to ? either in Iran or Syria.

    The more absolute U.S. sanctions that Ryan and others have pushed in Congress would have punished U.S. allies, including most countries in Europe as well as Japan and South Korea, along with good friends like India and Singapore ? without the exemptions that were put in place.

    The administration has indeed granted 20 waivers, to countries that made significant reductions in Iranian oil imports. And the sanctions are pinching; Iran has been convulsed over the past week with protests over the collapse of its currency, which most people say is a direct result of the sanctions that the U.S. and others have imposed.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper, Tom Raum, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Stephen Ohlemacher, Tom Krisher and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

    EDITOR'S NOTE _ An occasional look at political claims that take shortcuts with the facts or don't tell the full story

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-slips-vice-presidential-debate-075056482--election.html

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    Clive Davis, Kenny ?Babyface? Edmonds, Jimmy Jam, Trevor Rabin ...

    Event to feature special performances and exclusive music auction

    Clive Davis, Kenny ?Babyface? Edmonds, Jimmy Jam, Trevor Rabin (composer and vocalist of Grammy Award-winning group Yes) and music and entertainment industry giants committed to fighting cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases will take part in Songs of Hope VIII, a special event and silent auction that supports lifesaving research at City of Hope. Held at Rolling Stone?s exclusive House of Rock in, Santa Monica, Calif., the Oct. 18 event will be emceed by Jimmy Jam and feature an intimate performance by Edmonds.

    Recognizing their amazing careers as songwriters and composers, the Songs of Hope VIII award recipients will include the:

    • Clive Davis Legend in Songwriting Award presented to Edmonds
    • Electronic Arts Composer Award presented to Rabin

    The exclusive Songs of Hope silent auction features rare and one-of-a-kind music and film experiences and autographed items, including the opportunity to bid on original sheet music to ?Lay Lady Lay? autographed by Bob Dylan; lithographs of John Lennon?s ?On Cloud Nine? and ?Ongakuku? (?Musician?); a Takamine guitar signed by the Eagles; autographed scores for ?Hunger Games? and ?Game of Thrones?; a guitar signed by Maroon 5; conductor?s lead sheets for the Bobby Darrin song ?That?s All? with his notes; 4-person VIP scoring session experience with Danny Elfman for the movie ?Oz: The Great & Powerful?; a Slash-signed guitar; and access to sound check, meet & greet, and VIP tickets to a Paul McCartney concert, to name a few.

    David Renzer, president of Music Ventures at Saban Capital Group and co-event chair of Songs of Hope VIII, said, ?Since its inception, Songs of Hope has been a unique event that has attracted tremendous support from the songwriter, publisher, music and entertainment industry. It?s great to see that tradition of philanthropy continue with Songs of Hope VIII, and a big thanks to our partners at House of Rock.?

    ?I am thrilled to be able to support City of Hope?s incredible research and lifesaving treatment by co-chairing Songs of Hope VIII, which has always been one of the most enjoyable music industry events,? said Doug Davis of The Davis Firm, co-event chair of Songs of Hope VIII.

    ?It?s an honor to continue to be associated with the City of Hope whose sole purpose it is to better the quality of the lives of the people it touches,? said Evan Lamberg, Songs of Hope VIII co-event chair and president, North America, Universal Music Publishing Group.

    ?The generosity of the music and entertainment industry allows City of Hope to create longer and healthier lives for people everywhere,?said Britta Bucholz, senior director of development at City of Hope.

    Guests will enjoy a cocktail/hors d?oeuvres reception and the ambiance of the exclusive House of Rock ? a historic estate transformed into an unparalleled, exclusive media, pop culture, and live music experience.

    Prior honorees and participants at Songs of Hope have included Ne-Yo, Desmond Child, Stevie Wonder, Will.i.am, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Doobie Brothers, Swizz Beats, Jermaine Dupri, Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard,Lionel Richie, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, and many others.

    Songs of Hope VIII music and entertainment platinum and presenting sponsors include Clive Davis,American Express,Electronic Arts, Peer Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Spotify, Universal Music Publishing Group, Stiletto Entertainment and VEVO.To date, Songs of Hope has raised over $2 million for City of Hope.

    To inquire about purchasing tickets for this nearly sold-out event, visit www.cityofhope.org/music or contact Mary Carlzen at City of Hope,800-272-2310 or mcarlzen@coh.org.

    ?

    See photos from last year?s Songs of Hope event here.

    Source: http://www.theresident.com/2012/10/12/songs-of-hope-viii/

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    San Diego Education Report Blog: Anti-SLAPP motion wins: Court of ...

    See my earlier post about Darren Chaker.

    See Court of Appeal decision in Chaker v. Mateo.

    Panel Says Online Comments by Mother, Grandmother of Plaintiff?s Child Were Opinions
    Defamation Suit Over ?Deadbeat Dad? Reference Held SLAPP
    By KENNETH OFGANG
    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    October 5, 2012

    Two women who referred to a San Diego man, in an online posting, as a ?criminal and a deadbeat dad? who ?may be taking steroids? were expressing protected opinions and cannot be liable for defamation, the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled yesterday. Div. One affirmed a San Diego Superior Court judge?s ruling that the suit by Darren D. Chaker against Wendy and Nicole Mateo was a strategic lawsuit against public participation. The justices agreed with Judge Timothy Taylor that the suit arose from speech on a public issue, and that the action is barred by the First Amendment.

    The evidence, Justice Patricia Benke explained, showed that Nicole Mateo became pregnant during a brief relationship with Chaker, resulting in contentious paternity and child support litigation in Mateo?s home state of Texas. In 2010, comments about Chaker and his forensics business, including claims that he was involved in fraud and prostitution, as well as the deadbeat dad and steroid references, began showing up in the comments sections of websites such as Topix, where he had posted a profile, and the Ripoff Report.

    Anti-SLAPP Motion

    Chaker attributed some of those statements to Nicole Mateo and her mother Wendy Mateo, and sued both of them, as well as others. Wendy Mateo brought an anti-SLAPP motion, which the judge granted.

    Benke, like the trial judge, rejected Chaker?s argument that the allegedly defamatory statements related to a purely private dispute, thus falling outside the scope of the statute. The justice cited Wilbanks v. Wolk (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 883, which held that the Internet is a public forum, as well as cases holding that public statements about private conduct?such as criticism of the treatment of young athletes by their coaches? may be matters of public interest for purposes of Code of Civil Procedure Sec. 425.16.

    ?Like the court in Wilbanks, we view the Internet as an electronic bulletin board open to literally billions of people all over the world,? the jurist wrote. ?...The Internet is a classic public forum which permits an exchange of views in public about everything from the great issues of war, peace, and economic development to the relative quality of the chicken pot pies served at competing family restaurants in a single small neighborhood.?

    She went on to say:

    ?The statements posted to the ?Ripoff Report? Web site about Chaker?s character and business practices plainly fall within in the rubric of consumer information about Chaker?s ?Counterforensics? business and were intended to serve as a warning to consumers about his trustworthiness.?

    By posting his profile on Topix, she added, Chaker ?made his character a matter of public interest as the term has been interpreted.?

    Because the comments deal with a matter of public interest, Benke wrote, the burden shifted to Chaker to show that he was likely to prevail. But because the First Amendment protects opinion, she said, he could not make such a showing.

    Opinion, Not Fact

    Citing a number of recent cases holding similar online comments to be opinion, rather than assertions of fact, the justice said the statements challenged by Chaker had to be understood in the context of the litigation between him and Nicole Mateo, particularly since they ?were made on Internet Web sites which plainly invited the sort of exaggerated and insulting criticisms of businesses and individuals which occurred here.?

    Attacking Chaker as ?dishonest and scary,? the justice said, ?is on its face nothing more than a negative, but nonactionable opinion.

    A different result might have been reached, Benke suggested, if, instead of mere generalized attacks on the plaintiff?s character, the defendants made allegations of specific wrongdoing at specified times and places.

    The reference to Chaker as a ?criminal,? the justice added, was arguably defamatory, but is nonactionable because Chaker was convicted of a crime, although the conviction was expunged.

    The case is Chaker v. Mateo, D058753

    Source: http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2012/10/anti-slapp-motion-wins-court-of-appeal.html

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    Social Loyalty Platform PunchTab Heads To Mobile: Debuts Giveaways App For iPhone

    badges-transPunchTab, a social loyalty and rewards platform now backed by $5.25 million in venture funding, is expanding its platform to mobile. Until now, the company had focused on allowing businesses?and agencies to run campaigns across the social web - something that made it stand out from similar platforms, which often only target Facebook and Twitter. PunchTab, meanwhile, supports Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Foursquare, and SoundCloud, for example. Today, the startup is launching an iPhone app called "PunchTab Giveaways," which will allow consumers to engage with publishers' contests on their phone.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9a8WmfCsqAQ/

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    Pre-caffeine tech: Purple haze, baby tapir!

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    A teenage hacker, known only as Pinkie Pie (Like the My Little Pony!) won a cool $60,000 from Google for his full exploit of Chrome browser -- for the second time!?

    Poor Mozilla had to pull Firefox 16 one day after the roll out on account of some serious vulnerability to malware.?

    Here's a hilarious story about how to troll a tech support scammer: Read it!?

    In closing: ERMAHGERD! BABY TAPIR!?

    Compiled?by?Helen A.S. Popkin,?who invites you to?join her on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook. Also,?Google+.

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/pre-caffeine-tech-purple-haze-baby-tapir-1C6406627

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    Buffeted by debt crisis, EU wins Nobel Peace Prize

    European flags wave at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, an award given even though the bloc is struggling with its biggest crisis since it was created in the 1950s. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

    European flags wave at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, an award given even though the bloc is struggling with its biggest crisis since it was created in the 1950s. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

    European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso reacts, as he received flowers by Norway's ambassador to the EU Atle Leikvoll, after the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was given to the EU, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, an award given even though the bloc is struggling with its biggest crisis since it was created in the 1950s. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

    A statue of a globe painted with the EU flag and a peace dove stands in the garden of a church near the EU Council in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, despite being in the midst of its biggest crisis since the bloc was created in the 1950s. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

    People walk in front of flags of European countries outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, despite being in the midst of its biggest crisis since the bloc was created in the 1950s. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

    European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso addresses the media after the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was given to the EU, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The European Union has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe, in the midst of the union's biggest crisis since its creation in the 1950s. The Norwegian prize committee said the EU received the award for six decades of contributions "to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

    BRUSSELS (AP) ? The European Commission president had no reason to expect anything but another bad day. Then, out of the blue, after three years of back-biting and seemingly daily financial crisis, the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace on a continent long ravaged by war.

    It was a badly needed morale boost for a 60-year-old union in the midst of a midlife crisis.

    Even as it announced the award Friday, the Norwegian prize jury warned that the financial crisis challenging the 27-nation bloc's unity could lead to a return to "extremism and nationalism." It urged Europeans to remember the EU's role in building peace and reconciliation among enemies who fought Europe's bloodiest wars, even as they tackle the economic crisis that threatens its future.

    The award was hailed at EU headquarters in Brussels and by pro-EU leaders across Europe, but derided by "euroskeptics" who consider the EU an elitist super-state that erodes national identities.

    Emerging for a brief encounter with reporters, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was beaming as he declared: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have to say that when I woke up this morning, I did not expect it to be such a good day."

    "The Nobel Peace Prize committee and the international community are now sending a very important message to Europe that the European Union is something very precious, that we should cherish it for the good of Europeans and for the good of the entire world," he said.

    The announcement was met with negative reactions in debt-ridden countries like Spain and Greece, where many blame Germany and other northern EU neighbors for the painful austerity measures like higher taxes and job cuts they have endured in a so-far failed effort to salvage their floundering economies.

    As the EU grinds toward the three-year mark in its withering financial crisis, problems abound, progress is slow and 25 million people are out of work. The prize will do nothing to balance out-of-kilter national budgets or spur economic growth in Greece or bring down the borrowing costs of some of the weaker countries that use the euro, such as Spain.

    Nor will it provide solace to the unemployed.

    "For them, people may even think that this is cynical," said Paul De Grauwe, an economist with the London School of Economics. "If I were living in Portugal or Spain or Greece, I would be upset about it: 'They are giving this prize to these people in Brussels, and they are the source of my misery.'"

    Still, there seems little doubt that the European Union has played a major role in bringing peace to a continent that had known precious little of it.

    Growing out of the devastation of World War II, the premise of the project was that closer economic interdependence would ensure that centuries-old enemies never again turn on each other. The EU is now made up of 500 million people in 27 nations, with others lined up to join.

    "If we ask Europeans anywhere, in any country, of any age, including the youngest ones, they can't imagine that there could be war in Europe today. It's over," said former French President Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, who was born in Germany, fought in World War II and drafted the first version of the EU constitution.

    Jacques Delors, often dubbed Mr. Europe for his efforts as European Commission president to push toward greater unity in the 1980s and '90s, said the prize was "a great satisfaction for the founding fathers of Europe, and all the activists for the European cause over the years who tried to make progress on what was for them, at the outset, a dream."

    "The European construction is a work of peace. It was meant to reconcile people," Delors said.

    But if economic ties once brought peace, they are now putting European unity at risk. The economic crisis has stirred tensions between north and south, caused unemployment to soar and sent hundreds of thousands of people into the streets to protest tax hikes and job cuts.

    The bloc's financial disarray is threatening the euro ? the common currency used by 17 of its members ? and fueling the rise of extremist movements such as Golden Dawn in Greece. The party, branded as neo-Nazi by opponents, has soared in popularity as Greece sinks deeper into a debt-fueled morass.

    Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front in France, told AP Television News that the EU is "massively rejected by Europeans" and doesn't deserve the prize.

    "This is practically a provocation considering the suffering of millions of Europeans who today see themselves led by the European Union to a veritable economic and social war," she said. "Three years ago, it was Barack Obama who won it while he was engaged in military wars. So this Nobel Peace Prize has actually become a Nobel prize of war."

    Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said the committee had no position on how to solve the continent's economic crisis.

    "But we send a very strong message that we should keep in mind why we got this Europe after World War II," he said. "We should do everything we can to safeguard it, not let it disintegrate and let the extremism and nationalism grow again."

    The road ahead remains difficult.

    European leaders enjoyed a period of relative calm over the summer, when it seemed they had built the more centralized institutions that many economists believe are necessary to the stability of the common currency.

    But now there are what the economist De Grauwe called "rear guard battles" in which some EU states, notably Germany, appear to be trying to undo or dilute some of those accomplishments, including a proposed banking union and the ability of the European Central Bank to reduce countries' borrowing costs by buying sovereign bonds.

    And perhaps the biggest challenge of all is restoring growth to a region where the economies of many are shrinking. That is unlikely to happen, De Grauwe said, unless EU leaders relax their unrelenting drive for austerity, through which they are creating what he called "a recession that could have been avoided."

    Those hit by this recession were not impressed by the prize.

    "The peace prize?" asked Giorgos Dertilis, who works at an insurance company in Athens. "The way things are going, what will happen in the immediate future? Peace is the one thing we might not have."

    George Tzogopoulos, a political analyst from the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, said the prize might help people understand the role the EU has played in preserving peace. But it could also be viewed as "a hypocritical gesture, because the European Union has so far completely failed to deal with the social dimension of the crisis and problems like poverty and unemployment."

    Still, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Nobel committee had made a "wonderful decision," and linked it to efforts to salvage the euro, even though the judges didn't mention the common currency.

    "I often say the euro is more than a currency. We shouldn't forget this in these weeks and months in which we work for the strengthening of the euro," Merkel told reporters at the Chancellery in Berlin. The euro "has always primarily been about the original idea of Europe as a community of peace and values."

    Strong reactions to the choice for the $1.2 million award crackled Friday over social media.

    "The EU is a unique project that replaced war with peace, hate with solidarity. Overwhelming emotion for awarding of (hash)Nobel prize to EU," Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, wrote on Twitter.

    "Nobel prize for the EU. At a time Brussels and all of Europe is collapsing in misery. What next? An Oscar for Van Rompuy?" said Dutch euro-skeptic lawmaker Geert Wilders, referring to Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council.

    Normally, the prize committee either honors lifetime achievement or promotes a work in progress.

    This year's award does both, Jagland said, noting it "looks backward as well as forward" by recognizing the EU's historic role in building peace, even as nationalist forces that once tore the continent apart are again on the rise.

    The citation noted the democratic reforms the EU demands of nations who join. It referred to Greece, Spain and Portugal, which joined in the 1980s after emerging from dictatorships, and to the talks with Balkan nations seeking membership following bloody wars in the 1990s.

    Europe's stumbling economy is making it harder for economies around the world to recover and international policymakers are urging more decisive action from the region's governments to deal with the crippling debt crisis.

    The region is the United States' largest export customer and any fall-off in demand will hurt U.S. businesses ? as well as Obama's election prospects.

    ____

    Ritter reported from Stockholm. Gronnevet reported from Oslo. AP reporters Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm, David Rising in Berlin, Elena Becatoros in Athens and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report. Don Melvin can be reached at http://twitter.com/Don_Melvin .

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-12-Nobel-Peace/id-1412f2b4ee9547bdb81ac46e70772a78

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    A MotherHood Experience: ThreeWorks Apple Chips

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    ThreeWorks Apple Chips

    The kids have been back to school for almost two months now, we pretty much have the routine in tact from getting up and ready to returning home and of course enjoying that after school afternoon snack. Ever notice it seems the whole family could use a pick-me-up around 3pm? Afternoon snacks are an every day ritual in our house, the kids are always scouring the cupboards and fridge for something quick to munch on.

    As any parent, I want my kids to enjoy a healthy afternoon snack. Not junk food with empty calories, loaded with sugar that will have them jumping off the walls and crashing by the time supper is on the table.

    We were recently introduced to Apple Chips by ThreeWorks Inc! They are a healthy alternative to one of our original favourite snacks, chips - except instead of being made from potatoes they are made from Apples!

    ThreeWorks Inc are a Toronto, Ontario based food company offering different healthy alternative options for food and beverage to families across Canada. They are also helping sponsor my trip to ShesConnected Conference, they supplied the funds I'll need to feed myself during the trip - how fitting a sponsorship!

    ThreeWorks sent us along a cute gift basket of Apple Chips goodies in a variety of flavours for us to try and information about them to share with all of you.


    ThreeWorks Apple Chips launched in Canada earlier this year. Apple Chips are unlike your typical dried fruit snack. They are dehydrated using a proprietary technique to retain all of the nutriens and the crunch. If you love the crunch of a potatoe chip, Apple Chips will surprise you but with more goodness. Apple Chips are made with the best real sliced Fuji Apples for a sweeter, less tart snacking experience. Apple Chips are fat free, gluten free, not fried and have no added sugar or GMO. Apple Chips have no artificial colours or flavours, all natural.

    Apple Chips come in 6 flavours including Original, Cinnamon, Caramel and Mixed Berries which we got to try out. Apple Chips come in a resealable container (similar to that of a popular potatoe chip we all know) and in two sizes! One to share and one perfect for on the go! Apple Chips are all natural and also nut-free so they make a great healthy snack to send off to school or on outings.


    Our?package of Apple Chips goodness arrived just in time for after school snacking. The kids are always interested?in trying out any new foods and didn't resist the?Apple Chips. Although we haven't tried them all just yet, I can imagine they are all yummy considering we all really liked the Cinnamon and Mixed Berry?flavoured ones. They taste just like pie, we all love apple pie in this house! If you're looking for a quick, healthy snack try out new Apple Chips by ThreeWorks!

    Apple Chips can be purchased at select Loblaws, No Frills, Safeway, select Shoppers Drug Mart locations in the GTA, London Drugs, Northwest Company, select Shell Canada locations, Highland Farms, Michael Angelo's, Starsky, and Denninger's.

    Learn more about ThreeWorks Apple Chips and other great up and coming products like new Fresh Mints and more coming for 2013 at http://www.threeworks.ca. Show ThreeWorks some love by following on Twitter and Liking the Facebook Page!



    Disclosure: Posted by Ame on behalf of ThreeWorks Inc. We received complimentary product for review purposes. Comments and opinions on this blog are otherwise those of the author.

    ?

    Source: http://www.amotherhoodexperience.com/2012/10/AppleChips.html

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