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Friday, September 30
Fri, Sep 30 Morning Featured Article
by
tecHead
on Fri 30 Sep 2005 08:00 AM EDT
FACING THE PAST
By Kay L. Schalgel
How many times in life have you been faced by circumstances beyond your control? To come face to face with the very
things in your past, that you’ve spent most of your life running away from? Well, not actually running, per say, but
definitely eager to put it behind you. How many times have you been admonished, "don't talk about it. It’s the past.
Let it go." That's very good advice, if we can do it. Keeping the past in the past is a very tricky business. It has
the worst way of popping up when we least expect. When you unexpectedly run into an old friend; an off hand comments
of "remember when", or worse, an old boyfriend or lover popping up at the worst time. Needless to say, you're not
going to get rid of the past
The past is a part of us. It is the foundation of what our present as been built on. Our personalities have been
shaped by it. Are we permanently imprisoned by our past? NO. I can't even say that loud enough. Yes, we have built on
the past but we can definitely remodel or even tear down the house and build again. For those of us who were victims
of childhood abuse or neglect, it seems impossible. The past is a constant reminder of shame, guilt, of never knowing
what will come next. We never knew what it was like to take ownership of our bodies, own emotions. and sometimes even
our own thoughts. That was then. This is now. It's time we learned how we take back our bodies and minds. They belong
to us and only us. No one should ever have that control again. I'll say it again you're not going to get rid of the
past, its going to keep popping up now and then, but you're going to have learn to handle it differently. Instead of
it being an enemy, and persisting to keep obsessing on the bad memories. With knowledge and practice, slowly but
surely the good memories will begin to take their place.
"What good memories you say?" Was there a neighbor that would talk, listen, feed, or just give you a safe place to
hide at times? The kids you played with who may or may not have been abused themselves? There were some good times
and memories even if infrequent they are there buried somewhere under the bad ones. I myself, remember the trips to
Kentucky that we frequently took to see my step dad’s parents. It was the only time that he sobered up and stopped
hurting or beating us. We didn't know why at the time, but who cared? It was safe and we loved it. We had vacations
in the summer with just my mother and the neighbor. We loved this neighbor so much and knew she loved us. There were
special pets who loved us unconditionally. Yes, there were long periods of violence and humiliation but there were
also memories stuck in here and there that didn't hurt and were good memories. For most of us, those good memories
were so overshadowed by bad, that we couldn’t appreciate the good ones. Some may have only happened once, and for a
very short time perhaps, but they were good. That is the foundation you have to build on. Now that we are working on
the good, what do you do with the bad? That is what takes some work.
We can’t demolish all the bad and throw it all in one big disaster dumpster. We have to sift though it just one more
time. Not all of it, of course, but we need to find the lessons we learned, the courage we had, and the strength we
earned. Last, but definitely not least, the wisdom and compassion, we acquired along this journey. Most, if not all
of us, need help with this part of the process of recovery. A professional health worker such as psychiatrist,
therapist, counselor, or pastor can be a really big help. For those of us with less serious problems to be worked
through a good friend, journaling and reading self help books can even do the trick. Theremany organization such as
al-anon, AA, violence shelters. I could go on and on but you get the point. They offer support and help. Even with a
competent professional we can all use some outside support. For me a journal was almost a must. It helped me know
where I’d been, and how far I’d come. It has become record of my journey—one that I will always cherish.
Keeping a journal helps keep your thoughts and fears, safe and orderly, until the time comes that you will know what
you want to do with them. You may sit down to journal about how angry or frustrated you are at a particular situation.
Afterwards, lo and behold you find that you anger is actually stemming from something totally different. That is
what journaling is for. It's an avenue for your subconscious to speak. Where you are able to sort out you thoughts
and feelings and get to the core of what you're really feeling and thinking. I’ve heard so many people say, "but what
am I going to write in it?" That’s the beauty of it. You can write down anything that comes to mind. The trick isn’t
in the writing but the attempt to put down on paper some of the things you have held and let build up for so long.
You don’t have to be a "writer" to write. There have been days when the only entry in my journal is, "I can’t think
of anything to write about." Those days, however, become farther and further between as you become more familiar and
feel more comfortable writing down whatever it is that you’re thinking. It doesn’t have to be good or even make sense.
You are giving yourself a physical non-threatening way to begin your inner dialogue. It goes without saying that you
keep this journal private and in a place where only you can read it, until you can decide whether or not to share it,
burn it, or whatever you want to do with it.
The whole point of this conversation is that with help you can come to a point that the past is no longer so
threatening. That many of us who finally took the "bull by the horns" and decided to face our past head on; found to
our surprise that we could control our reaction to it. We could stop being afraid. We still have the rest of our
lives ahead of us, let’s get moving toward that more healthy future than constantly fearing the past. We only have
today---the past is just that---in the past---tomorrow is a mystery in which all kinds of miracles could unfold if we
just let them. We want to train ourselves just as an athlete would for their hardest race, to be strong and healthy
to make today and tomorrow count for something. We are no longer victims. we are survivors and we should give
ourselves the respect that as survivors we deserve. It isn’t the goal, or hoping that we’ll be ok in a decade or so.
This may sound harsh but unfortunately it is the truth. Everyday, most of us have the capacity to make choices
whether to continue to obsess helpless on the past without making any changes or seeing any results. We also can make
choices to work toward positive goals and ways to work more in the present and toward the future, dealing with the
past as quickly and effectively when it tries to interfere with our onward path. It’s the journey that counts and we
need to learn to appreciate and enjoy the journey.
Kay L. Schlagel
4/19/05
www.mdmkay.blogspot.com
I've lived most of my life in Nebraska. My educational history is in the field of nursing with over ten years of
registered nursing before having to retire to due complications from childhood injuries. I'm an artist/writer who
primarily writes for children. I have also writen articles and one book, for women's issues such as abuse, MPD/DID..
etc. As an artist I am proficient with acrylic, oil, and some digital arts.
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tHg News
by
tecHead
on Fri 30 Sep 2005 06:00 AM EDT
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Integrated Search Engine Marketing Program for B2B Organizations ...
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PR Web (press release), WA - 2 hours ago
...
For more information, visit http://www.elixirsystems.com, or their 'Insights into Search for
Business
'
blog
http://searchblog.elixirsystems.com or call 480-889
...
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First Coffee -- Free Calls For Soldiers Now!
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TMCnet (press release) - 33 minutes ago
...
to bidding carriers “We’d like to give all that
business
to one
...
classic Customer Relationship Management for a minute, this (ostensibly) being a CRM
blog
.
...
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All the news that`s fair
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El Diario (New York), NY - 5 hours ago
Politics is a rough and tumble
business
, especially in New York.
...
of mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer erroneously said on the campaign web
blog
that Ferrer
...
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Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Gap, PepsiCo, Semiconductor ...
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Business Wire (press release), CA - 14 hours ago
CINCINNATI--(
BUSINESS
WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2005--Among the stocks featured in the September 29 edition of Schaeffer's Market
Blog
are Gap (NYSE:GPS), PepsiCo (NYSE
...
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Another week, another blog network or 2
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Blog Herald, Australia - 1 hour ago
This week takes us to two new
blog
networks with a twist, both offering
...
where as Webby Media offers 100% of all revenue, which is an interesting
business
model
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Dolce & Gabbana Celebrates 20th Anniversary Daily Blog: Thursday ...
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Fashion Windows, TX - 11 hours ago
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of Victorian-inspired gowns and outfits, the Dolce & Gabbana continued the spirit of sanguinity and confidence that 20 years in the
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Business news briefs
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Lansing State Journal, MI - 21 hours ago
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It also will include the first official state of Michigan Weblog, or "
blog
." The announcement of the new site was made at a press conference held at the
...
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'BRIBE' FOR CIOS DETAILED IN BLOG
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SearchCIO.com - 15 hours ago
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offer I have received," said Weider, when reached for comment on his
blog
.
...
having the highest ethical standards, which ultimately is good for
business
and the
...
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American ChroniclePodcasting Used As a Business Marketing Tool by Media Publishing ...
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American Chronicle, CA - 21 hours ago
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Search engines such as Google will index podcasts feeds,
Blog
and podcast
...
Leveraging podcasting as a
business
promotion and marketing tool is going to be part
...
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The Changing Face of Sexual Harrassment
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AlterNet, CA - 2 hours ago
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who has been painted as the fuck-up in dozens of articles and
blog
posts.
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Articles followed in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and
Business
Week
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RSS delivered by
tHgLLC.net
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BoardCentral.com Highlights Stocks in RAMP-5 Index: Triangle Multi-Media, Advanced Optics Electronics, CirTran, Global Diversified Industries, GlobeTel Communictions
by
tecHead
on Fri 30 Sep 2005 01:53 AM EDT
BoardCentral.com highlights stocks in latest RAMP-5 Index: Triangle Multi-Media, Advanced Optics Electronics, CirTran, Global Diversified Industries, and GlobeTel Communictions.BoardCentral highlights new stocks included in its March 30th RAMP-5 activity Index based on popularity of stocks on various financial message boards. RAMP-5 index is based on stocks that generate highest levels of activity on online stock and financial message board communities.BoardCentral.com Inc., the leading provider of search tools and information for online financial message board communities, and an aggregator of financial message board information, highlights stocks included in its RAMP-5 Index based on search activities on online stock and financial message board communities. RAMP-5 3 days (ReadAway Most Popular) Index contains 5 most popular stocks that have generated the largest number of message search requests on BoardCentral’s ReadAway(TM) message board search engine. These results were collected and aggregated over the period of the last three trading days, and take into account the absolute number of search queries for each stock. RAMP-5 3 Days for March 30th:- Triangle Multi-Media (OTC BB:QBID.PK)- Advanced Optics Electronics Inc (OTC BB:ADOT.OB)- CirTran Corp (OTC BB:CIRT.OB)- Global Diversified Industries, Inc.
Read Full Article
tHg News
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 06:00 PM EDT
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Managing InformationInformation Industry Awards Nominations Closing Soon
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Managing Information, UK - 13 hours ago
...
New awards this year include: 'Best Implementation of a
Business
Blog
' and 'The Annalie Vickers and Jeremy Lakin Young Achiever Award'.
...
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Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Gap, PepsiCo, Semiconductor ...
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Business Wire (press release), CA - 2 hours ago
CINCINNATI--(
BUSINESS
WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2005--Among the stocks featured in the September 29 edition of Schaeffer's Market
Blog
are Gap (NYSE:GPS), PepsiCo (NYSE
...
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Search Engine JournalSearch Engine Journal Editors and Columnists
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Search Engine Journal - 15 hours ago
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editor of The Kelsey Group who also writes the Local Media Journal
Blog
.
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site accompanying the first national television show dedicated to e-
business
and the
...
Search Engine Journal Editors and Columnists
Search Engine Journal
all 2 related »
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Business news briefs
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Lansing State Journal, MI - 9 hours ago
...
It also will include the first official state of Michigan Weblog, or "
blog
." The announcement of the new site was made at a press conference held at the
...
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|
'BRIBE' FOR CIOS DETAILED IN BLOG
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SearchCIO.com - 3 hours ago
...
offer I have received," said Weider, when reached for comment on his
blog
.
...
having the highest ethical standards, which ultimately is good for
business
and the
...
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Meet The B2B Search Engines
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Search Engine Watch - 17 hours ago
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how specialized search engines could lead to a
business
-to-
business
renaissance." He
...
and public relations firm that specializes in news search,
blog
search and
...
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American ChroniclePodcasting Used As a Business Marketing Tool by Media Publishing ...
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American Chronicle, CA - 9 hours ago
...
Search engines such as Google will index podcasts feeds,
Blog
and podcast
...
Leveraging podcasting as a
business
promotion and marketing tool is going to be part
...
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Nora Ephron: One Small Blog
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Yahoo! News - 23 hours ago
The World Is One Big
Blog
, that's what the panel was called that I went to
...
too, but had to cancel and was replaced by her Huffington Post
business
partner Ken
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Media mull blogs' role
Variety (subscription)
all 4 related »
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Major areas of New Orleans to reopen Thursday
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MSNBC - 21 hours ago
Follow two MSNBC.com journalists as they
blog
from the less publicized areas of
...
The areas include the French Quarter, the Central
Business
District, and Uptown
...
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Launch of New Article Submission Site
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Pressbox.co.uk (press release), UK - 21 minutes ago
...
to topics in the area of Personal, Professional, and
Business
Development.
...
notification is enabled through RSS .The Articles Beyond Better
Blog
will feature
...
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RSS delivered by
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Thu, Sep 29 Evening Featured Article
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 01:00 PM EDT
FAQ: Advice About US Airways and Other Airline Bankruptcies
By PRWEB
Air travel expert and consumer advocate Edward Hasbrouck (author of the "Practical Nomad" series of travel how-to and
advice books) offers authoritative guidance to travellers on what to do if you have tickets or frequent flyer miles
on US Airways or another bankrupt airline, or are trying to decide whether to buy tickets on one of these bankrupt
airlines.
(PRWEB) September 13, 2004 -- FAQ about Airline Bankruptcies (by Edward Hasbrouck, air travel expert, consumer
advocate, and author of the "Practical Nomad" series of travel how-to and advice books):
http://hasbrouck.org/articles/bankruptcy.html (http://hasbrouck.org/articles/bankruptcy.html)
Q. Which major airlines based in the USA are currently in bankruptcy?
A. United Airlines, US Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines. Airlines based in other countries that are operating under
bankruptcy protection included Avianca Columbian Airlines and Air Canada.
Q. When did this happen?
A. United Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2002, and Hawaiian Airlines in March 2003. US Airways
was reorganized under bankruptcy protection after 11 September 2001, and was released from bankruptcy 31 March 2003,
but filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time on 12 September 2004.
Q. The airlines say that they are in "Chapter 11" or "reorganization". Does this mean they aren't really bankrupt?
A. No. Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code is a form of bankruptcy. It isn't
"liquidation", but it's not a joke, either -- it's the
last legal step before liquidation. If they weren't in
danger of going out of business, they wouldn't be in
bankruptcy. A company is "reorganized under Chapter
11" only if it is insolvent: its debts exceed its
assets.
Q. The bankrupt airlines say that they will continue
to operate, and will honor all tickets. Should I
believe them?
A. No. They hope to reorganize, under the protection
and supervision of the Bankruptcy Court. But they
might not succeed. If the Bankruptcy Court doesn't
think they have a realistic chance of recovery, the
court will order them shut down and liquidated. Since
the decision of whether to allow them to continue to
operate is now in the hands of the bankruptcy courts,
not the airlines, the airlines cannot make any
promises about continued operations, honoring of
tickets, frequent flyer mileage credits, etc.
Q. What will happen next?
A. We will have wait and see. Eventually, these
airlines will either:
1. Reorganize, return to profitability, settle their debts, and be released from bankruptcy;
or
2. Go out of business and have their assets auctioned off under court supervision to pay as many of their remaining
debts as possible.
Q. How long will this take? When will we know what's
going to happen?
A. The current airline bankruptcy proceedings will
probably go on for many months, perhaps for years.
Some airlines, such as Continental Airlines and
America West, have reorganized under bankruptcy
protection, and are still operating. Several others in
the USA, and more in other parts of the world, have
gone out of business, sometimes after being in and out
of bankruptcy repeatedly.
Q. What happens to ticket holders if an airline is
still in business but changes its schedule, cancels
flights, or discontinues routes?
A. In almost all such cases, the airline will
"protect" ticket holders on other flights, at no
additional charge. If necessary, they will "endorse"
tickets, at no charge, to other airlines that have
space available. These will not necessary be the most
convenient or direct alternatives, and they may go by
way of different connecting airports. In general, it's
first come, first served: if you hear that the flight
you have tickets for has been cancelled, contact the
airline as soon as possible to have them book you on
alternate flights.
If a schedule or flight change is unacceptable to the passenger, the airline must offer a full and unconditional
refund -- even if the ticket was otherwise completely nonrefundable. Particularly if
you purchased your ticket directly from the airline, this may be your best chance to get out of the risk of holding
tickets on a bankrupt airline. (If you purchased the ticket through a travel agency, you are
may still have to pay any penalty or refund fee charged by the travel agency, which could be substantial.) If tickets
are still available for a similar price on another airline that isn't bankrupt, refuse to accept any schedule changes.
Take your tickets back to the airline, and insist on a full refund.
Q. I don't want to fly on a bankrupt airline. Can I
get my money back?
A. Unless there is an unacceptable schedule or flight
change (see above), normal refund procedures and
penalties still apply. You would have to submit your
refund request (with the physical tickets, if you have
paper tickets) to the airline or travel agency from
which you purchased them, and wait for a refund. As
always, refunds could take considerable time, and
could be affected by whatever transpires in the
meantime.
Q. What happens to tickets holders if an airline goes
out of business or is liquidated through bankruptcy?
A. Ticket holders are considered "unsecured
creditors". As such, they are among the last people to
get paid, if there is anything left after all the
secured creditors (such as aircraft leasing companies)
are paid. In most recent airline liquidations, ticket
holders have gotten nothing. At most, they would get
pennies on the dollar, at least if they bought their
tickets in the USA. (The USA has unusually weak,
"laissez faire", aviation consumer law. People who
bought tickets in other countries such as Canada and
the U.K. on an airline that subsequently goes out of
business, including an airline based in the USA, may
have substantially greater protection than people who
bought tickets in the USA.)
Q. If a bankrupt airline in the USA goes out of
business, will other airlines have to honor their
tickets?
A. Yes, but only USA-based airlines flying exactly the
same routes, only if space is available, and only
until 18 November 2004.
Under the USA Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-71, 19 November 2001) and the Century
of Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-176, 12 December 2003), other airlines based in the USA are
required to provide transportation to
holders of tickets on other USA-based airlines that have ceased operations due to insolvency or bankruptcy, "to the
extent practicable", provided that the passenger makes arrangements with another airline within 60 days of the
shutdown of the ticketed
airline. The USA Department of Transportation has interpreted this in a series of guidance letters (administrative
rulings) to mean that other USA-based airlines flying the exact same route were required to
honor tickets of a USA-based airline that shut down, on a space-available (standby) basis, for no more than US$25 per
person per flight, one-way. (See the full ruling from the Department of Transportation in the case of Vanguard
Airlines.)
Other airlines have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the $25 per flight limit as exceeding DOT's authority: they
want to charge at least their regular $100 per person minimum re-ticketing fee. That
lawsuit is pending, but in the meantime DOT has reiterated that other airlines may not charge more than US$25 per
flight.
The portion of the law requiring airlines to accommodate passengers holding ticket on insolvent airlines was
originally scheduled to expire on 18 May 2003. Congress has extended it twice, most recently
through 18 November 2004, but each time with a "sunset" provision that will cause it to expire automatically unless
Congress takes new action.
Q. Does this law mean I can still count on getting to
my destination?
A. No. There's no guarantee there will be any space
available on another airline, especially since an
airline faced with the prospect of having to transport
a bankrupt airline's passengers for US$25 each would
have a strong reason to lower its prices to fill those
seats with its own passengers for US$26 each. Even if
seats are available, you might have to travel several
days earlier or later than you had planned. On some
international routes, there may be no other USA-based
airline that serves the route, or only very limited
capacity on USA-based airlines. Airlines based in
other countries have never had any obligation to help
holders of tickets from bankrupt or insolvent
airlines.
Q. I already have tickets on an airline that is in
bankruptcy. What should I do?
A. You should:
1. Wait and see. You can't get retroactive
insurance, now that they are already in
bankruptcy.
2. Be prepared for schedule changes, flight
cancellations, or other disruptions of your plans,
before or during your trip, possibly with little
or no warning.
3. If you have electronic tickets, consider
going to the airline's ticket counter at an
airport, or one of its city ticket offices,
and paying to get your tickets converted to
paper tickets. (You have a much better
chance of getting another airline to accept a
paper ticket than of getting them to accept an
electronic ticket, especially if the airline
has shut down. Paper tickets are verifiable,
but e-ticket receipts are easy to forge, and
thus don't provide definite proof of payment.)
4. If you don't want to pay to have your
e-tickets converted to paper tickets, you may
still be able to get a printout on airline
ticket/boarding pass stock of the "passenger
receipt" coupon of your e-ticket. (Some
travellers need these for expense reimbursement
and/or tax purposes, and there should be no charge
for a "passenger receipt" coupon.) This isn't
a ticket per se, but is much stronger evidence
of having a ticket, and more likely to be
useable on another airline, than an ordinary
itinerary or confirmation notice.
Q. What about tickets on "codeshare" flights that have
a flight number of a bankrupt airline, but are
operated by another airline, or have another airline's
flight number but are operated by a bankrupt airline?
A. Legal responsibility for tickets on codeshare
flights depends on which airline is the "validating"
or "issuing" airline -- not which airline operates the
flight, which airline's flight number appears on your
tickets, or from which airline you bought your
tickets.
To determine the validating carrier, look in the "Issued By" box on your tickets. If you have an e-ticket, get a
printout of the "passenger receipt" coupon of your e-ticket, and look in the "Issued By" box. Itineraries and Web and
e-mail confirmation
notices almost never identify the validating carrier. Remember, this is not necessarily the same as the airline that
operates the flight, whose name and number appears on the flight, or from which you bought
the tickets.
The validating or issuing airline identified on your ticket is the airline with which you have a contract. If the
ticket was issued by an airline that is still in business, they have a contractual obligation to arrange
transportation -- regardless of whether an
airline that was, in effect, their subcontractor to provide the transportation has gone out of business. On the other
hand, if the ticket was issued by an airline that has gone out of business, it doesn't matter that the transportation
was supposed to be
provided by an airline that is still flying.
Yes, this is confusing and counterintuitive. Since most ticket sales Web sites don't identify the validating airline
before tickets are purchased, it's almost impossible for travellers to make informed
decisions about what financial risk they are taking. These are some of the reasons why I think codesharing is
inherently fraudulent, as I've discussed elsewhere.
Q. I have frequent flyer mileage credits on a bankrupt
airline. Are they safe?
A. No. You may think of mileage credits as "money in
the bank". But they aren't. According to the terms and
conditions of these programs, airlines can change or
eliminate them at any time, whether or not they are
bankrupt. Bankrupt airlines will probably try to keep
their frequent flyer programs as long as they are
still flying. But some airlines in, or at risk of,
bankruptcy are already increasing the numbers of miles
required for awards. And of course, if they shut down
entirely, mileage credits will be worthless.
Q. If a bankrupt airline is liquidated, will some
other airline take over their frequent flyer program?
A. Maybe. Maybe not. More likely frequent flyer
records will be sold to a data mining or direct
marketing company. You might think that records about
you and your travel and purchasing history belong to
you. In Canada or the European Union, that's true --
but not in the USA. Under current law in the USA,
"your" frequent flyer and travel records belong to the
airline, and are theirs to sell. If the airline is
liquidated, those customer records will be sold at the
bankruptcy auction. No comparable customer database --
identified by name, computerized, extending back for
decades, and with information on tens of millions of
people -- has ever been auctioned. But the frequent
flyer and customer records of an airline like United
or American are probably worth US$50-250 million --
more than any other cash-strapped airline could
afford. Only if Congress passes a Federal travel or
data privacy law could such a sale of travel records
about you be prevented.
Q. What should I do about my current frequent flyer
mileage credits on bankrupt airlines?
A. Use them up as soon as possible, while you still
can.
Q. Should I care about accumulating more miles in
these programs?
A. No. Don't waste money paying extra for tickets in
order to earn more credits in a frequent flyer program
that may disappear or be devalued at any time, without
warning.
Q. Should I avoid buying tickets on bankrupt airlines
for future travel?
A. Yes. All else being equal (including price), use
another airline that isn't bankrupt.
Q. As long as they are still flying, should I care
that they are bankrupt?
A. Yes. They could stop flying with little or no
warning. If they do, it would be a major inconvenience
to make alternate arrangements to travel on another
airline. You might have to pay more for tickets, or
seats might not be available at any price on other
airlines. You could lose all the money you paid for
tickets. Before you buy tickets on a bankrupt airline,
think carefully about how much it is worth to you to
avoid those risks and possible expenses.
Q. Are there any circumstances when it would still
make sense to buy tickets on a bankrupt airline?
A. Yes, but only if all of the following are true:
1. The price or routing is substantially
better than any other airline that isn't
bankrupt;
2. You can pay for the tickets with a credit
card, and the charge will be made directly by the
airline (this rules out almost all consolidator
tickets, as discussed below);
3. You will use all of your tickets within at
most 60 days of when you buy them, so you can get
your money back from the credit card company
if the airline shuts down or cancels the
flights;
4. Your trip is inessential, so it will be
won't be a serious problem if you can't take
the trip at all because the flights are cancelled
and no other airline has space available;
5. Your plans are very flexible, so you don't
really care what time of day, or exactly what
day, you fly; and
6. You haven't made any non-refundable
arrangements that require you to be on
specific flights, or to fly on a specific day
(e.g. you aren't meeting a cruise or tour
that departs on a specific date, or connecting to a
flight on another airline).
Q. What should I do to protect myself if I'm buying
tickets on a bankrupt airline?
1. Pay for your tickets with a credit card. If
you pay by credit card, you may be able to get your
money back, eventually, from the credit card
company, even if the airline goes out of
business. (See "The Practical Nomad Guide to
the Online Travel Marketplace" for a detailed
discussion of credit card chargeback rights
and procedures.)
2. Make sure the credit card charge will be
made, and will appear on your credit card statement,
in the name of the airline, not in the name the
travel agency, consolidator, or tour operator. (In
general, only tickets at published fares can be
charged directly by the airline. If you pay for a
consolidator ticket with a credit card, the charge
usually has to be made by the travel agency or tour
operator, not the airline. This reduces your rights
and protections, and can make it difficult, often
impossible, to recover the money from your credit
card company if the flight is cancelled or
discontinued.)
3. Get paper tickets whenever possible.
Consider paying extra, if necessary, for paper
tickets. If you buy e-tickets, try to get a printout
on airline ticket stock of the "passenger receipt"
coupon of your e-ticket. (See above.)
Q. What about other airlines? Will they go bankrupt
too?
A. Maybe.
Q. Which other airlines might go bankrupt?
A. Almost any of them might. I don't know which ones
will. There is no airline that is certain not to go
bankrupt, especially if there is more prolonged or
widespread war, or more terrorist incidents involving
airlines.
Q. I'm buying tickets on another airline that isn't
(yet) bankrupt. What can I do to protect myself?
A. You can:
1. Get travel insurance (trip cancellation and
interruption insurance) when you buy your tickets
that covers "supplier default", i.e. airline
bankruptcy. Read the fine print carefully -- some
travel insurance policies only cover certain
airlines that the insurers think are less
likely to go bankrupt. Note also that
you can't usually get insurance for tickets on an
airline that is already in bankruptcy, so this won't
help you if you already have tickets on a bankrupt
airline, and didn't buy insurance before they went
into bankruptcy.
2. Pay for your tickets with a credit card.
(See above.)
3. Get paper tickets whenever possible.
Consider paying extra, if necessary, for paper
tickets. (See above.)
Q. What will happen to airline ticket prices as a
result of these bankruptcies?
A. No one knows for sure. Most airlines want to reduce
the supply of airline seats, in order to be able to
raise prices to profitable levels. If bankrupt
airlines cut back their flights, other airline will
probably try to raise prices. But if people avoid
buying tickets on bankrupt airlines, they may have to
reduce prices sharply. And other airlines that serve
the same routes may feel they have to match those
price reductions. The result could well be a more
extreme yo-yoing of prices than usual, with a general
upward trend in ticket prices punctuated by "fare
wars" started by desperate bankrupt airlines.
Q. So what should I do? How do I get the best prices?
A. Watch for short-lived but potentially extreme
discounts, especially on routes served by bankrupt
airlines. If you get a good price, buy tickets
immediately, as prices are much more volatile than
usual, and prices are always subject to change without
notice.
If a bankrupt airline offers a tempting deal, try to
find an airline that isn't bankrupt that's matching
the price.
Airlines are still selling tickets below cost. In the
medium to long term, there will be fewer flights per
capita, and prices will be higher. Travel now, while
you can still afford it.
Latest version of this FAQ:
http://hasbrouck.org/articles/bankruptcy.html (http://hasbrouck.org/articles/bankruptcy.html)
Latest travel news updates from Edward Hasbrouck:
http://hasbrouck.org/blog (http://hasbrouck.org/blog)
Contact the author for more information, interviews, talk shows, or public appearances:
e-mail protected from spam bots
More information about the author:
http://hasbrouck.org (http://hasbrouck.org)
# # #
|
Daily Comics
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 12:00 PM EDT
Thursday, September 29
thgllc.net Resources
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 10:46 AM EDT
Political Blogger Launches Business Blog Consulting and Ghostblogging Service...
27 Sep 2005 at 3:05am
The Language Artist is a recently-launched blog consulting and ghostblogging business owned by popular political blogger La Shawn Barber. [PRWEB Sep 27, 2005]
Blog Message Boards: A Blog Traffic Builder (WebProNews)
25 Sep 2005 at 1:13pm
Everyone is searching for ways to promote and market their blogs. I'm sure you are no exception.
Search Engine Marketing Blog Launched by Elixir Systems (PR Web)
22 Sep 2005 at 3:36am
A new search engine marketing blog is now online. Elixir Systems, a leading search marketing agency, has developed a new Insights into Search for Business blog as a platform to inform, educate on discuss topics of interest to growing online businesses. [PRWEB Sep 15, 2005]
Howtogetemail (Financial Times)
19 Sep 2005 at 7:48am
FT.com subscribers exclusively can have the UK business blog sent to their inbox as soon at it is published. Simply set up a keyword alert, by going to keyword alerts. Type in ?business blog?.
E-market: Shoe companies aligning with video games (ESPN)
20 Sep 2005 at 7:43pm
Shoe companies aligning with video games by Darren Rovell Hoping to catch the eye of their young sports-minded target audience, the battle for athletic shoe supremacy has spilled over into video games. Take-Two Interactive, maker of NBA 2K6, has entered into a strategic partnership with Nike, while its competitor,...
|
Thu, Sep 29 Morning Featured Article
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 08:00 AM EDT
Feed me - Satisfy the Search Engines and Your Site's Visitors With Keyword-Rich Content
By Julia Hyde
Search engines love content. Graphics may make your site look great, but a nice picture does not attract a search
engine. Or a searcher for that matter. Good, relevant content does.
Search engines aren't all that different from people. When faced with a ton of choices, they want to know which sites
are the best. And, the best sites are the ones that give the most accurate and relevant information.
Good content serves three main purposes:
1. Search engines will rank your site higher for keywords and phrases included within your content.
2. Users will return to your site, and recommend it to others
3. Other sites will link to you, which will improve your linking popularity and make your web site visible to the
spiders.
But, how do you get good content? Simple. You write it, or get someone else to write it for you, using keywords and
phrases your visitors will actually use on a search query.
Feeling a little hot under the collar? Relax. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Anyone can learn to write for
crawler search engines. It just takes a little planning, detective work and focus. Ready to begin? Follow the steps
below and you'll be writing like a pro in no time.
1. Determine which keywords and phrases you want to target
Before you sit down to write anything, you'll need to decide which keywords and keyphrases are relevant to your site.
One of the best ways to do this is to use the Word Tracker keyword tracking service at www.wordtracker.com (http://
www.wordtracker.com). Word Tracker receives its data from the Dogpile and Metacrawler search engines and estimates
search counts for all other search engines based on its market share. You can sign up for a day, a week, a month or a
year.
Another good way to find keywords your visitors are using is to look at your site's server logs. These will tell you
what phrases people are using to find your site. Some keywords will be too competitive. For example, the keywords
"real estate" will return hundreds, if not thousands of search results, and may not place your site near the top, but
"Houston Real Estate" or is more focused and targeted to a particular query.
If you want your site to be included in local and regional searches you may want to design your site with local
searches in mind, even if you also market globally. How do you do this? Just include local keywords such as address,
city, state, province and zip code in the header or footer of your web pages. For example:
XYZ Business Consultant, 3657 Acacia Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95067. Tel: 408 746 8954. Located close to San
Jose, CA.
That way you have a much better chance of getting a first page listing on a localized search.
2. Scatter your chosen keywords and phrases throughout your text.
Let's say one of the keyphrases you want to target is "cotton duvets". You'll want to weave this phrase throughout
your copy without making it sound stilted or contrived. Remember, you still need to persuade your prospects to buy
your product, so don't be tempted to write paragraphs like this:
"Our cotton duvets are the softest cotton duvets around. Check out our affordable cotton duvets in our online cotton
duvet store now." While it's obvious what your keyphrases are, the two sentences don't exactly encourage your visitor
to place an order. Be subtle. Use your keywords to emphasize your point and insert them where they naturally fit,
without compromising flow and readability.
3. Review your headings, titles and hyperlinks
Use your keywords in headings, subtitles, page titles (found in the blue bar at the top of your Web browser), bold
face and hyperlinks, because these stand out to the search engines. For example, returning to the cotton duvets you
may want to change your "contact us" hyperlink to "contact us now about our luxurious cotton duvets." Or, "learn more
about how our cotton duvets can keep you warm and snug this winter"
4. Post keyphrase-rich, informative articles on your site
Another great way to fill your site up with keyword-laden content is to post relevant, informative articles. Every
article you post on your site adds more content--content that the search engines thrive on. And, if you write each
article as if you are giving the spider a good, healthy meal full of essential keywords, they'll devour every word,
and index it for future use.
You can also post your articles on article directories such as GoArticles, Article City or IdeaMarketers that offer
free content to ezine publishers and website owners. That way you'll spread the word about your site, get some great
back links and even free publicity.
5. Publish a Newsletter or Ezine
Newsletters and ezines are another way to add content to your site. If you've written articles already, you get to
reuse them, and you can create a newsletter archive section on your website.
6. Post a blog or weblog
Blogs or Weblogs are frequently updated journals. that point to articles elsewhere on the web, and to existing on-site
articles. The popularity of blogs have spawned blog services such as Typepad and Blogger which make it easy for non-
techies to update their sites and add them to an existing web site. Because both the search engines and your site's
visitor's love new, updated information, blogs can be a great way of adding content to your site on a daily basis.
You can use a blog to announce company news or comment on industry news, announce new product details or to create a
"brand" or "personality" for your company.
Before you begin publishing your blog, think about what you're customers want to know. Then, answer their questions on
a daily basis. It won't be long before you'll have them, and the search engines hooked.
Julia is an independent copywriter specializing in advertising and search engine marketing services. To learn more
about how Julia can help boost your company's profits visit her site at www.juliahyde.com (http://www.juliahyde.com).
You may also like to sign up for Marketing Works! Julia's monthly ezine. Visit www.juliahyde.com/form.html (http://
www.juliahyde.com/form.html) or email Julia for details.
info@juliahyde.com (mailto:info@juliahyde.com)
|
tHg News
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 06:00 AM EDT
|
|
|
Political Blogger Launches Business Blog Consulting and ...
|
I-newswire.com (Pressemitteilung), Netherlands - 17 hours ago
...
com ), a
blog
consulting, ghostblogging, writing, and editing service. Her
business
blog
promotion methods have proven successful.
...
|
|
Managing InformationInformation Industry Awards Nominations Closing Soon
|
Managing Information, UK - 1 hour ago
...
New awards this year include: 'Best Implementation of a
Business
Blog
' and 'The Annalie Vickers and Jeremy Lakin Young Achiever Award'.
...
|
|
Free Speech Issues On The Internet
|
WebProNews, KY - 18 hours ago
...
The lawsuit against Aaron Wall and his
blog
SEOBook stems more from comments
...
more pursuable in one respect in that it's essentially a picketer of the
business
.
...
Search Engine Placement Lawsuit May Chill Free Speech
E-Commerce Times
all 3 related »
|
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Special EventsUgly Rita: Hurricane slows but can't stop Houston event pros
|
Special Events, CA - 12 hours ago
...
His biggest challenge: "Finding new
business
to make up for the lost revenue." Lytwyn
...
in the hurricane areas—visit the free Special Events
blog
by clicking
...
|
|
Search Engine JournalSearch Engine Journal Editors and Columnists
|
Search Engine Journal - 3 hours ago
...
editor of The Kelsey Group who also writes the Local Media Journal
Blog
.
...
site accompanying the first national television show dedicated to e-
business
and the
...
Search Engine Journal Editors and Columnists
Search Engine Journal
all 4 related »
|
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CoranteAbout your authors
|
Corante - 14 hours ago
...
He is in the process of acquiring an MBA from Baruch's Zicklin school of
business
. Learn more about him at Benkoil.com or his
blog
- MediaFlect.com.
...
|
|
Major areas of New Orleans to reopen Thursday
|
MSNBC - 9 hours ago
Follow two MSNBC.com journalists as they
blog
from the less publicized areas of
...
The areas include the French Quarter, the Central
Business
District, and Uptown
...
|
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Nora Ephron: One Small Blog
|
Yahoo! News - 11 hours ago
The World Is One Big
Blog
, that's what the panel was called that I went to
...
too, but had to cancel and was replaced by her Huffington Post
business
partner Ken
...
Media mull blogs' role
Variety (subscription)
all 4 related »
|
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Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Harley-Davidson, Baidu.com ...
|
Business Wire (press release), CA - 12 hours ago
CINCINNATI--(
BUSINESS
WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2005--Among the stocks featured in the September 28 edition of Schaeffer's Market
Blog
are Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HDI
...
|
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Phil Rogers' Blog: George Ryan Trial
|
NBC5.com, IL - 16 hours ago
...
Check his
blog
on a regular basis for some of his behind-the-scenes observations of the trial.
...
It's a collegial but
business
-like atmosphere.
...
|
|
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RSS delivered by
tHgLLC.net
|
Steps to Create and Promote RSS Feeds
by
tecHead
on Thu 29 Sep 2005 01:55 AM EDT
notepage
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication as it is commonly known, is a technology that gives webmasters the ability to easily distribute and publish syndicated content on the Internet. It seems like all Internet businesses now have RSS feeds available; at least your competitors do. You have finally made the decision that you have to have one. Where do you start?Steps to Creating an RSS feed1.) Build a FeedThere are a number of desktop and web applications available that make feed creation easy. I would encourage anyone creating a feed to use one.
Read Full Article
tHg News
by
tecHead
on Wed 28 Sep 2005 06:00 PM EDT
|
|
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Political Blogger Launches Business Blog Consulting and ...
|
I-newswire.com (Pressemitteilung), Netherlands - 5 hours ago
...
com ), a
blog
consulting, ghostblogging, writing, and editing service. Her
business
blog
promotion methods have proven successful.
...
|
|
Industry Award to honour terrorist victims
|
Information World Review, UK - 12 hours ago
...
Also making their debut are: Best Implementation of a
Business
Blog
; The IWR Readers Award for Technology of the Year; and Best Team in a Scientific Environment
...
|
|
Search Engine Placement Lawsuit May Chill Free Speech
|
E-Commerce Times - 9 hours ago
...
Blogger Aaron Wall, whose
blog
, SEOBook.com, is a popular destination for those
...
and confidential information related to Traffic-Power.com's
business
that was
...
Free Speech Issues On The Internet
WebProNews
all 3 related »
|
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Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Harley-Davidson, Baidu.com ...
|
Business Wire (press release), CA - 34 minutes ago
CINCINNATI--(
BUSINESS
WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2005--Among the stocks featured in the September 28 edition of Schaeffer's Market
Blog
are Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HDI
...
|
|
CoranteAbout your authors
|
Corante - 2 hours ago
...
He is in the process of acquiring an MBA from Baruch's Zicklin school of
business
. Learn more about him at Benkoil.com or his
blog
- MediaFlect.com.
...
|
|
Phil Rogers' Blog: George Ryan Trial
|
NBC5.com, IL - 4 hours ago
...
Check his
blog
on a regular basis for some of his behind-the-scenes observations of the trial.
...
It's a collegial but
business
-like atmosphere.
...
|
|
Prompt Communications Launches Technology Blog
|
PR Web (press release), WA - 13 hours ago
...
copywriting firm, Prompt Communications, has launched a tech-
blog
to showcase its copywriting talent and demonstrate the feasibility of
business
blogging as a
...
|
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MIDDAY REPORT: Should the Lions be ranked?; blogs sizzle today ...
|
Centre Daily Times, PA - 12 hours ago
...
TODAY'S CDT opinion page, or our online opinion page, today for a discussion on State College's
business
privilege tax
...
See our Back in Happy Valley
blog
today.
...
|
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Corante New York
|
Corante - 9 hours ago
Here we'll report daily on the latest tech and
business
developments in New York
...
An innocent comment by Fernando Ferrer on his mayoral campaign
blog
("I was
...
Corante New York
Corante
all 10 related »
|
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Using a Blog Service to Minimize Your Exposure to Spammers
|
Help Net Security, Croatia - 5 hours ago
...
I spend most of my non-
business
related surfing time on blogs.
...
Coveno is your typically looking
blog
, but it has a twist - it is, as the authors call it, web's
...
|
|
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RSS delivered by
tHgLLC.net
|
Wed, Sep 28 Evening Featured Article
by
tecHead
on Wed 28 Sep 2005 01:00 PM EDT
Female Marriage Counselor Challenges Male Psychiatrist to a Diablog Duel
By PRWEB
On January 19th, Betsy Sansby, a licensed marriage & family therapist from Minnesota, and Scott Haltzman, MD, a Yale-
trained psychiatrist from Rhode Island will team up for the launch of an on-going Diablog about men, women, sex,
marriage, and more at: http://www.theouchkit.com/diablog.php (http://www.theouchkit.com/diablog.php). Visitors will
be able to join in the conversation by submitting their own comments and questions to the experts.
(PRWEB) January 19, 2005 -- Betsy Sansby came up with the idea for the Diablog after finding herself in a heated email
exchange with Scott Haltzman that generated lots of sparks. "What started out as a simple question to Dr. Scott,"
said Sansby, "turned into a hot debate about what men and women really want from each other, and how to go about
getting it." When Sansby showed the email exchange to some friends, they all went wild. "Suddenly," said Sansby, "my
email box was flooded with comments. Once you start talking about sex, everybody's got strong feelings they're
desperate to share." That’s when the idea for the Diablog was hatched.
Sansby is the creator of The OuchKit, an ingenious set of exchangeable cards that helps couples—and especially
men—identify and express their feelings to each other, without blowing up or shutting down. She is also the co-author
of seven books and writes "Ask Betsy," a popular, on-line relationship advice column: http://www.showmomthemoney.com/
relationships.asp (http://www.showmomthemoney.com/relationships.asp).
Haltzman has gained international recognition for his work in support of marriage and husbands. He has appeared in
Time, Glamour, Woman's World Weekly, the Chicago Tribune, and is a regular presenter at the annual SmartMarriages
conference. Dr. Haltzman’s book, "The Secrets of Happily Married Men," will be published in January of 2006.
"My hope," said Sansby, "is that the Diablog format will give men and women a chance to talk about how they really
feel and what they really want from their partners, without having to censor themselves." Several other experts in
the field, like Michele Weiner-Davis, author of The Sex-Starved Marriage, have already been invited to join in the
conversation.
For inquiries about ordering, interviews, or distribution for The OuchKit, call: (952) 933-0942, or visit http://www.
theouchkit.com (http://www.theouchkit.com). You can also read Sansby's relationship advice column at:http://www.
showmomthemoney.com/relationships.asp (http://www.showmomthemoney.com/relationships.asp).
# # #
|
Daily Comics
by
tecHead
on Wed 28 Sep 2005 12:00 PM EDT
|
|
