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Guide Home Improvement Kids Life Opinion Spying

The Long-Term Affects Of Spying On Your Teen And Why You Shouldn’t Spy

In this day and age, of suicide and depression, of sex and drugs, parents want to know what’s going on in every breathing moment of their teenagers lives. They want to know where they’re going, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. But, being a teenager myself, we all know that one little lie can […]

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Hearing Aids: Why I’ll Never Wear One

I’m deaf, well, nearly deaf. A year of mortar fire in Vietnam, years of loud rock music and bringing up three crazy boys have taken their toll on my ears.

Most every family has somebody who drives them crazy by saying “Huh?” and “Whadja say?” all the time. Sooner or later they will harangue this person into getting their ears checked with the express purpose of getting a hearing aid. My family was no different and I finally buckled and saw an audiologist. After reading some of the muama enence reviews, I made this stark decision. 

I have to say I found out some very interesting things. First, I had a hearing loss at most tone levels with at significant level at the high pitches. This is known as “high frequency hearing loss”. Additionally, though, I found out some fascinating things about how we function when we don’t hear so well.

It turns out that when we talk with those we are close to such as family members that live under the same roof, we get used to the same topics coming up over and over again. As a result we actually “fill in the blanks” when it comes to words we don’t hear clearly; we assume certain things are being said and most of the time we are right. It also means that in many situations we don’t really pay that much attention. We minimize our listening effort in order to think about what we are going to say next.

In another venue, when people are talking and we really can’t make out the words through sound, we read lips; so the audiologist said. I didn’t believe her because I didn’t remember consciously reading lips. I had my wife mouth a short sentence and I couldn’t believe it; I understood it!

I was fascinated by the new information and was ready to go on with my life but, my family had other ideas. They wanted me to get bilateral (both sides) hearing aids. I priced them and the ones that didn’t make me look like an idiot were priced at $4,500 each; $4,500…each! That was the initial reason I decided against ever wearing hearing aids.

My wife, claiming that was there no way that there wasn’t an option lower than $4,500 dragged me out to several stores. She found a pair of hearing aids for $1,200. I’m not kidding you, they weighed about ten pounds each and I had to wear a battery on my back that looked like scuba gear; that’s the second reason I won’t ever get a hearing aid, I refuse to look goofier than I already do.

However, there is an overriding reason that a hearing aid is not a part of my future. We have two dogs. These dogs occasionally whine. I have high frequency loss so I can’t hear them. When I go into a noisy restaurant, it just sounds like a low hum, not a lot of obnoxious people talking. Why would I pay money to add irritating sounds to my life?

I have learned the fine art of smiling and nodding my head about every 20 seconds and frankly, people don’t want to hear me talk anyway.

Yes, I need a hearing aid. I’ll never get one because they’re too expensive; they look too stupid and I don’t want to hear most of the noises I’m missing anyway.

My hearing loss bothers other people; it doesn’t bother me. I know I should put others first, especially my family…nah.

Smartphones Without Contracts

The increase in smartphone competition has resulted in more cell phone carriers offering smartphones without contracts. Some carriers offer limited number of minutes, while others provide unlimited minutes for a monthly charge. However, in most cases the consumer has to pay full price for the phone. You can pay as low as $45 per month for the service and get unlimited minutes without a contract.

Most no contract phones though run on older technology and powered mostly on Android and Blackberry operating systems. Most of the major carriers like AT  amp; T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint offer no contract phones, also referred to as prepaid phones. There are also smaller cellphone carriers like, Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Metro PCS, NET10, and Virgin Mobile that provide no contract phones as well.

The following are a few cellphone carriers that provide smartphones without contracts. These have a larger customer base, offer a variety of smartphones, provide many options and affordable service plans. In addition, if you use the best wifi extender, these smartphones are quite impressive when it comes to connectivity. It can be easily connected to a wifi connection.

T-Mobile Prepaid/No Contract Smartphones

T-Mobile Prepaid currently has smartphones without contracts ranging from $99.99 to as high as $379.99. At the lower end there is the T-Mobile Comet for $99.99. There is also the LG Optimus T with Google Titanium for $119.99. Both of these smartphones though are refurbished, however, T-Mobile has a new LG Optimus T that costs $149.99. Blackberry Curve is also available for $187.49, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S 4G for $349.99.

AT  amp; T GoPhone Smartphones

AT  amp; T currently offers no contract smartphones on their GoPhone Prepaid Plans. Prices start at $179.99 and go as high as $499.99. GoPhone smartphones include the LG Thrive, Palm Pixi, Samsung Focus, Pantech Crossover, LG Quantum, and the HTC HD 7s. The LG Thrive is at the lower end for $179.99, while the HTC HD 7S is on higher end for $499.99.

Virgin Mobile Prepaid/No Contract Phones

Virgin Mobile Prepaid currently offers no contract smartphones but operate under the Sprint network. They have quite a few smartphones ranging from $129.99 to as high as $299.99. They offer the Samsung Intercept, an Android smartphone that costs $129.99. It is a 3G smartphone that features a 3.2″ touchscreen, a 3.2 MP (megapixel), camera and a QWERTY keyboard. One of the most expensive Virgin Mobile smartphone is the Motorola Triumph. It is powered by the Android 2.2 and features a 1 GHz (Gigahertz) processor, a 4.1″ touchscreen, 5 MP camera, a front facing VGA camera, a 720p HD camcorder, an HDMI output, Google Maps and the Android Market. They also have the LG Optimus V for $149.99 and the Blackberry Curve 8530 for $179.99.

Metro PCS Prepaid/ No Contract Smartphones

Metro PCS, a wireless prepaid company, offers a variety of smartphones on their network without contracts. Their smartphone prices currently range from $99.00 to $349.00. On the low end is the LG Optimus M for $99.00. It operates on the Android 2.2 OS and features Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3.2 MP camera. Metro PCS also carries the Samsung Galaxy Indulge, the Samsung Craft, Blackberry Curve 8530, Samsung Admire Red, and the Huawei M 835.

Boost Mobile Prepaid/ No Contract Smartphones

Like Metro PCS, Boost Mobile offers prepaid cellphone services with no contract. Boost Mobile smartphones operates on the Android and Blackberry operating systems. Most of their smartphones are on the lower end, in comparison with other prepaid carriers. Prices range from $79.99 on the low end, and $229.99 on the high end. The most affordable Boost Mobile smartphones are currently the Samsung Seek and the Sanyo Incognito for $79.99 each. They also offer the Blackberry Curve for $179.99, the Samsung Transform Ultra for $229.99, the Samsung Prevail for $149.99, and the Blackberry Style 9670 for $199.99.

Smartphones are on the rise, and more carriers are offering a variety of affordable services without contracts. So, as the competition increases and smartphones become more popular, the cost of smartphones will decrease, which will open up the market for more prepaid smartphones.

Hearing Aids: Why I’ll Never Wear One

I’m deaf, well, nearly deaf. A year of mortar fire in Vietnam, years of loud rock music and bringing up three crazy boys have taken their toll on my ears.

Most every family has somebody who drives them crazy by saying “Huh?” and “Whadja say?” all the time. Sooner or later they will harangue this person into getting their ears checked with the express purpose of getting a hearing aid. My family was no different and I finally buckled and saw an audiologist. After reading some of the muama enence reviews, I made this stark decision. 

I have to say I found out some very interesting things. First, I had a hearing loss at most tone levels with at significant level at the high pitches. This is known as “high frequency hearing loss”. Additionally, though, I found out some fascinating things about how we function when we don’t hear so well.

It turns out that when we talk with those we are close to such as family members that live under the same roof, we get used to the same topics coming up over and over again. As a result we actually “fill in the blanks” when it comes to words we don’t hear clearly; we assume certain things are being said and most of the time we are right. It also means that in many situations we don’t really pay that much attention. We minimize our listening effort in order to think about what we are going to say next.

In another venue, when people are talking and we really can’t make out the words through sound, we read lips; so the audiologist said. I didn’t believe her because I didn’t remember consciously reading lips. I had my wife mouth a short sentence and I couldn’t believe it; I understood it!

I was fascinated by the new information and was ready to go on with my life but, my family had other ideas. They wanted me to get bilateral (both sides) hearing aids. I priced them and the ones that didn’t make me look like an idiot were priced at $4,500 each; $4,500…each! That was the initial reason I decided against ever wearing hearing aids.

My wife, claiming that was there no way that there wasn’t an option lower than $4,500 dragged me out to several stores. She found a pair of hearing aids for $1,200. I’m not kidding you, they weighed about ten pounds each and I had to wear a battery on my back that looked like scuba gear; that’s the second reason I won’t ever get a hearing aid, I refuse to look goofier than I already do.

However, there is an overriding reason that a hearing aid is not a part of my future. We have two dogs. These dogs occasionally whine. I have high frequency loss so I can’t hear them. When I go into a noisy restaurant, it just sounds like a low hum, not a lot of obnoxious people talking. Why would I pay money to add irritating sounds to my life?

I have learned the fine art of smiling and nodding my head about every 20 seconds and frankly, people don’t want to hear me talk anyway.

Yes, I need a hearing aid. I’ll never get one because they’re too expensive; they look too stupid and I don’t want to hear most of the noises I’m missing anyway.

My hearing loss bothers other people; it doesn’t bother me. I know I should put others first, especially my family…nah.

Facebook, Myspace, and Xanga: Why All 3 Are a Danger

Social networking websites run rampant in the big world of the World Wide Web and there are many legitimate uses that a person can have for all three of the major websites, like Facebook, Myspace, or Xanga. Unfortunately, not everyone does have good intentions, but instead there are those people who carry the concept of social networking to feed their own habits. A couple examples of this is stalkers finding an innocent teenager to stalk and prey on, rapists who look for adolescents to commit their next crime, and others who only use social networking websites as a way to continue statistics of crime-ridden America.

Age Restrictions

There are age restrictions to using Myspace and you cannot have a Facebook account while in junior high. The age restrictions for Myspace, however, include not being able to create an account unless you are at least 14 years old. On the other hand, Facebook’s Terms state that users can use a Facebook account if they are 13 years of age or older and in high school. The age requirement for Xanga is also 13 years old.

Safety Precautions

Myspace –

Even though Myspace automatically makes a user’s account “private” for children under 16 years old, they do have a glitch in the system. For a child under 16 years old, no one can add that user as a friend until they input some personal detail, like their email address or last name, about the child they’re trying to add. That might stop a predator from adding a child under 16 years old to their friend list, however, it does not stop them from messaging the user under 16 years old. Therefore, users on Myspace can be threatened, harassed, stalked, and otherwise preyed upon through the use of the Myspace messaging system.

Facebook –

Facebook does not have any safety precautions when it comes to the safety of children under 16 years old. Furthermore, Facebook’s terms state that children under 18 are not allowed an account unless they are in high school. How many children begin their high school career at 13 years old? Not many, but this is not to say that 13 year olds cannot have Facebook accounts and falsify the information they pass along to Facebook to say that they are in high school. Facebook wouldn’t necessarily have to verify the teen’s account, nor would they have enough time to do so. In order to get information about instagram safety, then a check can be made at the https://lightninglikes.com site. All the necessary information will be provided to the person. 

Xanga –

Probably the worst of the three social networking websites when it comes to safety precautions for young children, Xanga allows children who are at least 13 years old to have a Xanga account. They don’t even require them to be in high school as Facebook does. Of course, Xanga does state in their Terms of Service that Xanga is not to be used to harm or stalk anyone else. However, this doesn’t prevent the meeting of young children and predators, pedophiles, and stalkers. But Xanga admits and even states that they have no responsibility to filter or monitor any of the content that is put on their website.

At a time when an adolescent is developing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, it is not a time to introduce things and websites that could potentially cause harm to them. Parents definitely need to be on the lookout if their child is using these social networking websites for anything inappropriate or if they have reason to believe that their child is being stalked, harmed, or preyed upon in some way. The safety of adolescents is definitely not left up to these social networking websites themselves, so parents need to do all they can to protect their children when social networking!

Visit Temecula, Southern California’s Weekend Getaway

Temecula, California, also known as Temecula Valley Wine Country, is a beautiful unique city located outside Northern San Diego County and 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles off the 15 Freeway. Temecula is nestled between beautiful scenic mountains and offers award winning wineries, hot air balloon rides, golf, hiking trails, lakes and a casino. It is the perfect weekend getaway.

Old Town

Old Town Temecula is a quaint and historic town built in the early 1800’s. It has over 640 antique dealers in addition to craft stores offering unique shopping. Every Saturday morning there is the popular Farmers Market from 8:00 am to 12:30 p.m. featuring local organic fruits, vegetables, and crafts.

Temecula

Temecula has the perfect climate for growing olives. Located in Old Town is a specialty olive oil store that accommodates an olive oil tasting room offering many unique blends of olive oils that will delight any palate. They also sell olive oil products such as soap, scrubs, lip balm, food, gift baskets and clothing. Temecula Olive Oil Company

Wineries

Temecula is Southern California’s Wine Country. There are over 30 Wineries to choose from, some offer wine tasting rooms and tours of the winery. Each winery is unique, and some are first class resorts featuring villas and spas, shopping and restaurants. A few specialize in group getaways and weddings, which have houses, condominiums and rooms for rent. You can drive to them yourself, or choose from many of the Winery Tours, including limousine and van rentals. Temecula Wineries

For a one of a kind experience, try a beautiful horseback riding tour through some of the wineries. Morning, afternoon and evening tours are available. Wine Country Trails by Horseback

Hot Air Ballooning

There are Hot Air Balloon adventures over the beautiful rolling hills of Wine Country lasting 60 to 75 minutes. They offer special occasion tours such as proposals, anniversaries and birthdays. In June, there is an annual Wine and Balloon Festival where hundreds of thousands gather to watch over 40 to 50 hot air balloons while listening to famous bands perform. Hot Air Ballooning

Gamming

Temecula has one of the largest Indian Casino’s in Southern California, Pechanga Resort amp; Casino. Besides gamming, it hosts a hotel, spa, restaurants, nightclubs, holds concerts and events with top entertainers. In addition, there is RV parking with overnight stays. Pechanga Resort amp; Casino

Lakes

Lake Skinner is great for camping, fishing and boating. Rentals are available including kayaks and 10 person pontoons. Although there is no body contact allowed on the lake there is a swimming pool nearby. They have beautiful hiking and nature trails and offer a camp store and caf©. Lake Skinner is host to the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival held in early June. Lake Skinner Vail Lake Resort is the largest private lake in Southern California surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest, Agua Tivia Wilderness and the BLM lands. It offers, camping, hiking, mountain biking, bass fishing, water slides, wakeboarding, beaches and swimming. On the weekends, they have a Saturday night Carne Asada grill that includes evening headline entertainment at their lakeside amphitheater. They offer many festivals such as the Temecula Wine and Food Festival held in April, in addition to special events throughout the year. Vail Lake Resort

For a special weekend of adventure, beauty, relaxation, and entertainment, Temecula is the perfect getaway. Temecula, California Official Website

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