Photos taken at just the right angle #`1

Thanks to Trudi for this one!

BREAKFAST AT MCDONALD'S

Subject: BREAKFAST AT MCDONALD'S

A Return is Requested......You'll see why.

Breakfast at McDonald's

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.

The last class I had to take was Sociology.

The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with..

Her last project of the term was called, 'Smile.'

The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake,

Literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.

It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son

We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then

Even my husband did.

I did not move an inch... An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was 'smiling'

His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.

He said, 'Good day' as he counted the few coins he had been clutching..

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.

He said, 'Coffee is all Miss' because that was all they could afford.. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.

That is when I noticed all eyes in the

Restaurant were set on me, judging

My every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.

I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand..

He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Thank you.'

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.'

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, 'That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope..'

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.

We are not church goers, but we are believers.

That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.

I turned in 'my project' and the instructor read it.

Then she looked up at me and said, 'Can I share this?'

I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my son,the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to

LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS -

NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

There is an Angel sent to watch over you.

In order for her to work, you must pass this on to the people you want watched over..

An Angel wrote:

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart

To handle yourself, use your head..

To handle others, use your heart.

God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into its nest.

Send it back, you'll see why !

A box of gold

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With a secret inside

that has never been told

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This box is priceless

but as I see

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The treasure inside is

precious to me

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today I share this

treasure with thee

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's the treasure of

friendship you've

given me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If this comes back to you

then you'll have a friend

for life but, if this

becomes deleted, you are

not a friend.

Send this to everyone you

consider a friend!

It will grant you one wish and only one wish,

that is, if you decide to send this to others. You can wish for anything.

Repeat your wish until you have stopped scrolling. Make it count!

Holiday cookies

Really cool site with recipes for each day of December!
Just click on any of the cookie pictures!

Click here: Associated Press Interactive

Click here: Technical Difficulties Delay Unemployment Benefits | NBC4i.com

Click here: Technical Difficulties Delay Unemployment Benefits | NBC4i.com

Technical Difficulties Delay Unemployment Benefits

By Donna Willis | Web Content Coordinator
Published: December 1, 2009

» 1 Comment | Post a Comment

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CENTRAL OHIO—A computer glitch at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has delayed unemployment benefits to debit cards and direct deposits.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.

A statement on the Web site claims ReliaCard payments were to be made by 4 p.m. Wednesday and debit-card payments were to be made within 24 hours.

Go to https://unemployment.ohio.gov/ for updated information.

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail .

Check out Early Toys R Us shoppers get worm: 2 charges for purchases

Click here: Early Toys R Us shoppers get worm: 2 charges for purchases

Early Toys R Us shoppers get worm: 2 charges for purchases

Sarah Gilbert
Dec 1st 2009 at 2:15PM

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Filed under: Banks, Shopping, Black Friday, Credit cards

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I swiped my debit card to get on the light rail and was billed for a bus ticket the machine wouldn't give me. I had to pay $1.50 again to get my oldest son onto our next connection. I know! Frustrating.

As someone who's always living on the very edge of black in her checking account, I know too well the dangers of unexpected transactions, and for me they come in $29 overdraft increments. Customers at Toys R Us this weekend, shopping before regular store opening hours during Black Friday, experienced a similar and far more account-balance-deadly problem: double billing.

Keith Bossey, a marketing and strategy consultant in New York City, may not be at the edge of his bank account, but he just found out today he was double-billed for his purchase.

"Wife says cashiers were frazzled," his Tweet says; but according to the Consumerist, this probably wasn't due to the cashiers' early morning agitation, but of an entirely systems-related fray.

Way upstate in Albany, N.Y., Kathleen Cary told local NEWS10 that her $127.59 purchase was subtracted from her account twice, causing $50 in overdraft fees. Why buy toys when you barely have enough left in your account? As my 7-year-old would say, derrr.

Watch more AOL Personal Finance videos on AOL Video

Cary told NEW10, "I knew I was on a tight budget. That's why I got up in the middle of the night and went shopping; with the economy you've got to try and save a penny."

Kathleen Waugh of Toys R Us told us on the phone that it had "all been resolved" and sent a statement, "A systems issue occurred in some of our stores early on Black Friday. This resulted in some customers incurring double charges on their credit cards... We worked quickly to identify the customers affected and any double charges on credit cards have since been reversed."

But even a few minutes after I talked to Kathleen, a Twitter user named Teresa was complaining that she'd been charged $217.97 twice when she shopped at the very beginning of Black Friday, at midnight in Virginia.

Several states away, in Indiana, Jeannine had the same complaint. Further north, in Detroit, more customers complained. The toy retailer told ClickOnDetroit that the error occurred because stores opened earlier than usual. A glitch meant that some transactions were repeated 48 hours later.

While this widespread systems glitch is frustrating for consumers, it also exposes some of the unexpected dangers of shopping in the heady hours between midnight Thanksgiving and the normal, ordinary shopping hours typically kept by consuming human beings.

In the wee hours, employees are exhausted and stressed and discomfited; shoppers are strung out on bargains and caffeine and good old fashioned acquisitory lust; systems unused to handling transactions 24 hours a day can fail. Mistakes are made, both of the human and inhuman sort. Bodies are jostled. Too much is spent.

When spending with a debit card, as so many of us are these days, the balance between positive and negative is too often upset, and the wages of this sin are punishing overdraft fees, embarrassment, brokeness.

It's a cautionary tale, and while I've never cared to shop 'round 1 a.m. on Black Friday, I've decided: from now on, I pay for Christmas purchases with cash.

YouTube: Surprised Kitty (video)

Check out Your Free Columbus Classifieds

Click here: Your Free Columbus Classifieds


OHGET IT.COM

Check out Emergency-room docs offer inside scoop: How to get treated faster,

Click here: Emergency-room docs offer inside scoop: How to get treated faster, better -- DailyFinance

Filed under: Healthcare

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You accidentally filet your finger with your sharpest kitchen knife. Your daughter breaks her arm at a gymnastics meet. Or the fool who's texting while driving totals your car -- with you in it. At some point in life, chances are you'll be taking a trip to the emergency room. Some 120 million Americans do every year. And it won't be a picnic.

Before seeing a doctor, expect to wait more than 55 minutes, the average ER wait time across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Show up on a busy night or weekend and the wait could drag on for several hours.

There are plenty of ER horror stories, like the case of 49-year-old Illinois resident Beatrice Vance who arrived at the hospital complaining of chest pains, only to be found dead two hours later, still in a waiting room chair. But this doesn't happen every day. DailyFinance spoke with emergency-room physicians across the country to find out what moves patients can make to prevent experiencing a horror story of their own.

First let's debunk a persistent ER "shortcut" myth. If you or a loved one has a life-threatening emergency, by all means call an ambulance, as paramedics can immediately begin care as you're being rushed to a medical facility. But don't expect to get treated any faster for sunburn or a stubbed toe just because you arrive in an ambulance, emergency physicians say. You'll be triaged based on the severity of your condition, just like everyone else.

"We have people who've called an ambulance for earwax impaction or prescription refills," says one ER physician, who writes a blog called ER Stories. "When they come in by ambulance, they go right into the waiting room."

Here are some things you can do to be treated faster and better:

Avoid nights, weekends and holidays: Face it folks, doctors take time off, too, and you'll be seen more quickly if you show up at 10 a.m. on a weekday rather than 10 p.m. on Saturday night -- after there's been a series of car wrecks. "Even if it happens to be less busy on a night or weekend, the staffing is lower," the ER doc in the northeast says. "There may only be five people ahead of you, but it will take a while to get seen." Holidays are also a bad time to go, as is the day right after, as hospital staff may extend their vacations. True emergencies, of course, give little advance warning. But if you have an inkling your bandaged finger, say, may need stitches, best head to the ER as soon as possible, rather than waiting until after work when you'll have plenty of company.

Call your regular doctor before you go: If you let your primary care physician know you're heading to the hospital, he or she may be able to call ahead and alert the staff. Often, the ER department may even be able to hold a bed for you if your doctor requests it. "If the doctor wants us to call them back, we'll try to see the patient quickly, at least to give them an update," says Larry D. Weiss, president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. "The care is more coordinated." If at all possible, go to the ER at a hospital where your physician has "privileges," or the authority to provide patient care. What's more, your primary care physician may have you directly admitted to the hospital, bypassing the emergency room. "Not everyone has to come from the ER," he says.

Bring a list of your medications: Certain drug allergies or interactions can harm or even kill you. To begin treatment, doctors will ideally need to find out about all the medications you're taking. "People will come in and say 'I'm on five different drugs,' but that isn't as helpful as knowing the actual names," says Weiss, who is also a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He recommends keeping the names of your medications on a card in your wallet. Or throw your medications into a bag and take them to the hospital to show the staff.

Have your medical records and tests handy: Another major slowdown for doctors in the ER can come from having to order medical records and tests from other hospitals or departments to get the full picture of your condition. Having copies of them will speed up the process, doctor say. "They may still need to order new blood tests," says DailyFinance columnist Russell Turk, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist in Connecticut. "But if they have a [previous] test, they have a much better idea of what's changed."

Make sure your hospital treats what's ailing you: Knowing ahead of time whether the ER to which you're heading actually has the right staff and resources to treat your problem will save you time. If your teeth get knocked out in a car crash but the hospital you visit has no dentistry unit, you may have to be transferred, costing valuable time. Same goes if you drop off a suicidal friend at a hospital that has no psychiatric ward. "The transfer may take days," warns the blogging ER doc. "It's not a bad idea to look at the hospital website" to see what its specialties are.

Try to be understanding: The reality of the ER is that unless you're dying, you're going to be treated after someone who is in much worse shape. "Going up to the nursing station and yelling and raising your voice about a relatively minor complaint is often counterproductive," says the ER blogger. That said, ER staff will be responsive if you have a reasonable request, he says. If your grandmother is in pain, for instance, let the staff know and ask if someone can assess her. "The doctor could see her quickly, at the very least to give her some pain medication," he says.

Bring somebody with you: It's likely that when you go to the ER, you won't exactly be feeling your best. It's always a good idea to bring somebody with you -- a spouse, perhaps, or a trusted friend -- who can help answer questions about your condition and recall any information the medical team gives. "If you're the patient in the ER, there might be situation where they're talking about certain problems and you'll want to have someone else there," says Turk. But if at all possible, don't bring along kids or others who could distract both you and the medical team.

Avoid the ER altogether: If you're suffering from an urgent -- but minor -- problem like a cut, ear infection, flu or animal bite, you may be able to go to an urgent care center instead of a hospital ER. Typically, patients are seen more quickly at urgent care centers. "From my perspective, if you have minor problem for which you are not going to need, say, a CAT Scan, go to an urgent care center as opposed a large hospital emergency room," Turk says. For more serious emergencies such as chest pain, poisoning, or head or spinal injuries, go to the ER after dialing 911, of course.

If you do end up at an emergency room some day, here's a little perspective: There are now about 1,100 -- or 22% -- less emergency departments across the United States than there were 20 years ago, while the number of ER patients has risen 33% to 120 million annually in the same period, according to the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Because emergency rooms have such high overhead, hospitals are simply closing them to get rid of the burden, Weiss says. "It's really a huge mess."

Keeping these tips handy may make the mess a little more bearable.

Check out Adopt A Local Family & Make Holiday Wishes Come True

Click here: Adopt A Local Family & Make Holiday Wishes Come True | NBC4i.com

By Tom Brockman | Reporter
Published: December 1, 2009
Updated: December 1, 2009

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CENTRAL OHIO—As you make your gift list and check it twice this holiday season, keep in mind many local families are not as fortunate.

For them, buying even the simplest of gifts isn’t financially possible.

That’s where the rest of us can help.

For Ernest and Gilda Miller, last year at this time, affording a life for only the two of them was tough. Gilda was, and still is, on disability and Ernest is retired.

Then, the couple received custody of their 16-month-old grandson, Isaiah.

The grandparents quickly realized they weren’t going to be able to give him the Christmas they wanted for him.

“He wasn’t in our budget when we got him,” Gilda said.

The Millers contacted the Salvation Army for a food basket and toy and ended up with much more.

The Salvation Army signed up the Millers for its Adopt a Family Program.

Over the holiday season, they received household items as well as gifts for the whole family, especially Isaiah.

“It was really nice. It was really nice,” Gilda said.

She said without being sponsored by a family, coats—such as the one Isaiah received—wouldn’t have been possible.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“He got toys, big wheel, he got turtleneck shirts—like four or five turtleneck shirts—brand new,” she said. “We don’t know who the family was that sponsored us, but I would just say, ‘God bless them,‘ because they did a wonderful job.”

If you would like to adopt a local family like the Millers, Friday is the deadline.

Call the Salvation Army at 614-437-2131 or go to http://www.salvationarmycolumbus.org/.

While the families to be adopted this season already were chosen, if you would like to take part in the Salvation Army’s Christmas Cheer program and request a basket of food and toy, call 614-221-6561 extension 600 or go to http://www.salvationarmycolumbus.org/.

The Christmas Cheer program is a food and toy distribution program where families receive a Christmas Dinner food box that includes a chicken, stuffing, potatoes, apples, corn, milk, butter, yams, applesauce and cookies. It also includes a toy for every child younger than 13 years.

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail .

Check out Swine flu spawns an email phishing scam

Click here: Swine flu spawns an email phishing scam that'll give you a nasty virus -- DailyFinance

Swine flu spawns an email phishing scam that'll give you a nasty virus

Melly Alazraki
Dec 3rd 2009 at 4:30PM

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Filed under: Healthcare

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It's bad enough that the H1N1 swine flu pandemic has caused such widespread public anxiety, and it's worse that the vaccine has become its own source of concern, whether due to the shortage or spurious fears about its safety. Now, the bottom-feeders known as phishing scammers are exploiting the situation, sowing even more fear, anger and mistrust around the swine flu.

It seems that people have been receiving emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting that recipients complete a "Personal H1N1 Vaccination Profile" at cdc.gov for the CDC Sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1. Of course, there's no such thing.

The CDC writes on its website under the Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors section:

"The CDC has NOT implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration on www.cdc.gov. Users that click on the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their system."

The email security experts at Red Condor explain how the scam works: When users click on the embedded "Create Personal Profile" link in the email, they are sent to a page that to all intents and purposes looks like the real thing, with a CDC-branded header and footer, including the Department of Health and Human Services logo. From there, visitors are asked to download an "electronic document, which contains your name, your contact details and your medical data." The file is actually an executable that contains a Trojan virus identified as W32/Vacc.A!tr.

Unfortunately, since this is a relatively new phishing scam, it is not being detected by most antivirus programs, "so it is important that people simply delete these messages and notify their IT administrators of the threat," Red Condor says.

The CDC also suggests users to take the following steps to reduce their risk of being victimized by a phishing attack:

• Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
• Use caution when visiting untrusted websites.
• Use caution when entering personal information online.

To prey on the public's fear in such a manner truly is a new low even for phishers, especially because this scam is adding to existing concerns and feeding a mindset of mistrust. These scammers should be dealt with seriously and to the fullest measure of the law, preferably with some significant prison time.

There's no better place to get information about seasonal and pandemic influenza and their vaccines than the real CDC website and other health department sites such as Flu.gov. Here's hoping that this phishing scam won't deter anyone from visiting the legitimate sites.

Daffy Duck Parachute Jump - Very Addictive !

Very Addictive

Try not to spend all day at it!!!

Click here: PARACHUTE JUMP

Check out Katherine Heigl Helps 25 Lap Dogs Evade Euthanasia

Click here: Katherine Heigl Helps 25 Lap Dogs Evade Euthanasia - Paw Nation

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

Katherine Heigl may help patients of the human variety on "Grey's Anatomy", but in real life the movie star has a soft spot for dogs. According to PeoplePets.com, when the actress' charity organization, the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, found out that Los Angeles-based rescue group Kinder Rescue were looking for the funds to transport a group of small lap dogs from an overcrowded Hollywood shelter to the Humane Society in Nashua, NH the group donated $25,000 to get it done.

Los Angeles' shelters have too many small dogs, such as chihuahuas and terriers, but not enough people who want to take them in. The Humane Society in Nashua has the demand for small dogs, but not the supply. So naturally the rescue group thought to move the supply to where the demand is. For three months they tried to collect the funds to fly the dogs out, but kept coming up short. And then the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation came to the rescue.

The Humane Society for Greater Nashua told WMUR that movies like "Beverly Hills Chihuahua", which feature the cute pups, along with celebrities like Paris Hilton who create doggy trends are to blame for the influx of small dogs in Los Angeles shelters. Luckily, small lap dogs are in demand in Nashua. "The response has been phenomenal," HSGN executive director Karen Bill told PeoplePets.com. "We had more than 40 voicemails Thursday morning from families inquiring about these dogs. I can guarantee we'll have a line out the door starting at 9:30." The dogs go up for adoption this Saturday at the Humane Society for Greater Nashua.

Flush Away Trouble

From the AOL News!

Flush Away Trouble

Ever notice how satisfying it is to flush a toilet, especially if it's one of those airport monsters? Think of this next tip as a stress laxative-a bit strange, but guaranteed to be gentle and effective: Before you go to bed, put some small strips of flushable paper and a pencil in the bathroom. The following morning, take a seat and write down the names of all the people or situations in your life that are causing you angst. Then throw them in the bowl and flush. You'll be amazed at how great this feels and works.

Ohio AG Warns Of Swine Flu Computer Virus

Click here: Ohio AG Warns Of Swine Flu Computer Virus | NBC4i.com

Associated Press
Published: December 2, 2009
Updated: December 2, 2009

» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

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COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray warns that a scam playing on fears of the swine flu virus is spreading a computer virus that could lead to identify theft.

Cordray said Tuesday that Ohioans need to beware of bogus e-mails that appear to come from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announcing the launch of a state vaccination program for swine flu.

The messages encourage recipients to click on a link and download instructions for creating a personal vaccination profile.

Cordray warns that the download infects computers with a virus capable of sending the user’s personal information back to the scammers.

The attorney general says consumers should always resist links in e-mails that come from people they don’t know personally.

Check out Computer failure stalls state unemployment benefits

Click here: Computer failure stalls state unemployment benefits | The Columbus Dispatch

Computer failure stalls state unemployment benefits

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:55 PM

By Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Jobless Ohioans have been jamming state phone lines today to find out why they haven't received their unemployment benefits as expected.

A computer system failure over the weekend is to blame, said Brian Harter, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which oversees the state's unemployment system.

The glitch occurred when the system was being updated for the issuance of extended jobless benefits. It has been corrected, but deposits that should have been made overnight will be delayed 24 to 48 hours, Harter said.

Correspondence, including eligibility determinations on applications for benefits, also will be delayed.

About 200,000 Ohioans are receiving jobless benefits, with payments distributed daily. Harter said he did not know how many recipients were impacted by the computer problem.

Several callers to The Dispatch complained that they have been unable to get through to the state agency because telephone lines were busy.

One Columbus man said a state operator told him the Department of Job and Family Services was receiving an average of 700 calls a minute.

"When I heard that, I knew we had a big problem," said the man, who asked that his name not be used in fear of retribution.

Harter said he was not surprised the phones were busy but did not know how many calls were received.

"Is the Ohio unemployment fund empty? Is there a technical problem? What's going on?" asked another anxious Columbus man. "I need my money in a hurry."

One caller said his weekly benefit is deposited into his account between midnight and 7 a.m. Tuesday.

"I'm OK today, but my rent is due tomorrow," said the man who lost his job about a year ago and, more recently, his house.