FrontierVille New Years RSVP Prizes: Everything you need to know ---->SHARE

Share Along with the New Years Party Goals that were released in FrontierVille earlier today, comes a new collection event in the game, which will have users collecting RSVPs for their New Years Party, so that you can upgrade your dance floor to intricately decorated and massive proportions just in time for the ball to drop ringing in the new year.

While you'll need to collect just a few RSVPs to set your party into motion technically (that is, in order to bring some of the FrontierVille cast out onto the dance floor), that isn't their only purpose. In fact, collect enough RSVPs, either by completing the New Years Party Goals, or by earning them from friends, and you'll be able to trade them in for some awesome themed items. Share

FrontierVille Want to win 500 Horseshoes? ---("SHARE") !!!!

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FrontierVille Want to win 500 Horseshoes? Then enter FrontierVille's Winter Homestead Story Contest. Tell a story using your imagination and pictures of your homestead win Horseshoes. There's 5 days left!

 

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FrontierVille Get ready to party like it's 1799 ---->SHARE

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FrontierVille Get ready to party like it's 1799. Celebrate New Year's Party FrontierVille style by building your dance floor & setting up for the ball drop. While you're at it, collect RVSPs to earn fun prizes along the way. Let's Party!

 

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Social game spoilers: Love 'em or hate 'em? ---> SHARE

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Spoilers. They're a popular staple of many a social game blog (including this ridiculously good-looking one, mind you), but not everyone is a fan. At least according to FarmVille forum user sophiemilan who believes posts containing unreleased items and content ruin the element of surprise. For this digital farmer, it got to the point where they literally stopped visiting sites that covered unreleased game content.

"When updates come out, it's just a matter of seeing which unreleased item they decided to release," sophiemilan says. "There is no element of surprise anymore."
The user even mentions that companies like Zynga have become privy to the practice, posting its own sneak peeks on its fan pages for FarmVille, FrontierVille and even CityVille already. And the problem persists when friends see the news and regurgitate it through their Facebook News Feeds. So, let's have it out in a poll, shall we? Share

New FrontierVille Timed Mission: The Cattle Drive ---->SHARE

Share I have just received a new timed mission in FrontierVille and apparently I’m the last person on earth to get it: The Cattle Drive is the name of the new mission and I’ve seen reports now that it was supposed to go live on December 28th. However, I just got it and since some other people might be in my situation, I’ve decided to share all the details with you.
In order to complete the Cattle Drive
Mission you need to complete the following requirements:
- Sell 20 Adult Cows.
- Get 20 Rodeo Hats
- Get 20 Bags of Feed
You can accept the mission by January 7th and you have 4 days to complete it, so if you don’t have the adult cows (I find myself in this situation), you should buy them ASAP and start feeding before getting the mission. Share

FrontierVille Win an IPad in FrontierVille's Toy Factory ----> Share

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FrontierVille Win an IPad in FrontierVille's Toy Factory. From now till January 3, 2011 12:00 PM PST (GMT-8),the person who has the most toys by will receive an IPAD. To participate, please see rules below.

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Maintaining A Heart-Healthy Diet Is So Expensive. How Can I Eat Healthy Without Increasing Food Costs? --->SHARE

Share Question: I Want To Maintain A Heart-Healthy Diet, But It Is So Expensive. How Can I Eat Healthy Without Increasing Food Costs?
Answer: Well, there are a lot of different ways to maintain a heart healthy diet without increasing food cost. And it depends on the category of food. So for example, with fruits and vegetables, you want to buy those that are in season. Frequently there are specials in the supermarket,

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

  so really take advantage of that. In addition to which, a lot of the frozen vegetables and to a certain extent, fruit snacks, tend to be more affordable than the fresh counterpart. They're very high quality, they're nutritionally equivalent, or actually a little bit better, because they're processed at the point right after they're picked. And there tends to be less waste. Share

Why Christmas reduces capable women like me to gibbering wrecks (clue:.....!!!!((share

Share Honestly, I’m a strong woman whose mantra is: ‘There are two ways of doing things — my way and the wrong way.’ Nevertheless, with the ­arrival of Christmas, my tried-and-tested ­master plan for dealing with life goes out of the ­window. I’m not unique. Highly capable women all over the country who ­normally multi-task without giving it a second thought will feel the same.
Multi-tasking: Janet Street Porter will have to juggle cooking, present wrapping and decorating the house for Christmas
Capable, uncomplaining females, who manage the school run in all weathers, pitch up at the local carol service bearing cakes and can deal with the endless delivery men expecting Christmas ‘tips’, will have, with four days to go, started feeling so annoyed they could scream.
Within 24 hours (if this year follows the pattern of the past decade), we will have entered the first period of non-speakers with our partner, the jumbo pack of headache pills in our handbag will be half empty, and that secret bottle of Prosecco hidden at the back of the fridge for emergencies will appear magically to be drinking itself.And you ­wonder why most women don’t love Christmas quite as much as men! Here’s why . THE FRANTIC FORTNIGHT
This year I wrote a book called Don’t Let The B*****ds Get You Down to cheer people up because we’re bombarded with patronising advice.
And Christmas is when this blizzard of ‘expert’ advice reaches fever pitch and leaves you feeling absolutely unable to cope. Share

CityVille blasts past FrontierVille with 47.9 million players, could outgrow FarmVille in days --->Share

Share CityVille, for all intents and purposes, is the new ish on Facebook. It's been reported by AppData and VentureBeat that the game, after grabbing a massive 47.9 million monthly players in just 18 days, could easily soar high above FarmVille in days. Think about it: the game made mincemeat of FrontierVille's 30.9 million with ease. With the farming sim sitting

at 56.3 million players after a significant drop from its peak of over 80 million players earlier this year, Zynga is apparently in competition with itself. Now that FarmVille is frighteningly close to being finally dethroned, we ask, "Could anyone else have done it but Zynga?" Share

Pocket God iPhone game makes its way to Facebook with female Pygmies, exclusive powers---- Shate

Share Bolt Creative has brought their hit iPhone game Pocket God to Facebook, with an all-new Facebook game of the same name, complete with Facebook exclusive features to give those non-believers a reason to convert. For those unfamiliar with the iPhone game, you're asked simply "What kind of God would you be?" If given the chance, would you be a loving, understanding God, or would you sacrifice all of your followers just to prove a point?

In Pocket God on Facebook, you get to answer that question (more of the latter), by spawning Pygmies and then sacrificing them just as quickly in a variety of zany, clever ways. Pygmies live on islands, and the more you play, the larger the island you will have control over. The larger the island, the more Pygmies it can hold, and the more Pygmies you can sacrifice as a result, completing quests along the way. Share

FrontierVille Toy Factory Contest: Win an iPad for Christmas ----->>Share

Share The giving spirit has clearly overtaken Zynga as the company will be giving away an Apple iPad to one dedicated pioneer in FrontierVille this Christmas. From now through Jan. 3, 2011 the Zynga team will be watching us like Santa does the little girls and boys every year, but for a far different reason. The player who has hoarded the most Toys by Jan. 3 will be awarded a 16GB iPad in the FrontierVille Toy Factory Contest.

However, everyone who wants in will have to specifically register via e-mail including their Facebook profile link and other important information. This way, Zynga will be able to track your Toy-gathering prowess over the next two weeks and declare a winner on the FrontierVille fan page and forums that day. Thankfully, the team will also be counting Toys turned in the exclusive items that the Pioneer Toy Factory, so feel free to spend like normal. Though, you'll have to hoard if you want to keep track of your own progress and to be prepared to break a tie. Check out the forums for the official rules and how to enter. Now, get to sending those Toys if you want the toy of the Holidays. Share

FrontierVille Want 5 extra storage spaces? ------> SHARE

Share FrontierVille Want 5 extra storage spaces? Then finish the STORAGE SPACE PART II mission by tomorrow December 21, 2010. Hurry! You got less than 24 hours to complete this mission.

 

 FrontierVille Want 5 extra storage spaces? ------> SHARE 

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Sneaky Credit Card Company Tricks -----:::--->Share

Share Credit card companies are supposed to follow new consumer friendly rules these days, but just when you thought the people won a little protection, here come some fancy new tricks. Look out for funky new ways to nail you for extra fee. Things like:
Weekend charging: The new rules say if a due date falls on a weekend or holiday when the bank is closed, you can pay your bill on the next business day and not be hit with a late fee.
But banks are keeping a few branches open on weekends, just so they can charge that fee.
College gotchas: The new rules say that if you’re under 21, you can’t get a credit card unless you have a parent co-sign or can show proof of a job that would allow you to pay your bills. But card companies seem to be looking the other way when classmates act as co-signers. Share

Compare Credit Card Offers, Low Rate Deals and Applications 1 ----->share

Share Apply for the credit card of your choice by filling out a secure online application. Offering the best low interest credit card with rewards and benefits. Use our free instant matching search engine to find and apply for low interest credit cards with the lowest rates. Discover the top credit card offers to browse and compare. Apply online and get an instant response.
Best Low Interest Credit Cards. Plus review information on rewards, secured credit cards, platinum cards and more. Search through the low interest credit card offers available.

Special Offer: 0% for 12 months and is applied to purchases, balance transfers. Cards with no annual membership fee. Secure, free online account management, including $0 liability on unauthorized purchases. Low No Interest 0% APR credit cards no annual fee. Compare offers side by side in order to determine which card is best for you. Apply Online Today.
Shopping online for low interest credit card deals? Compare offers and apply online. Apply now. No annual fees. Find low interest credit card rates and deals by receiving free quotes online and avoiding outrageous fees and penalties..  Share

Fancy Credit Card Looks Like Calculator ------>> Share

Share Innovative Card Technologies got together with eMue Technologies to come up with a credit card with a "Credit Card Embedded Authentication Device". Basically whenever you're making an internet or mobile-based transaction you have to enter your PIN into the card to receive a one-time-use authentication code to complete the deal.
 
I'm thinking you should probably grab one of these as soon as they're available. Because while you were reading this I joined two "women over 60" themed porno sites using your credit card. Thanks for the wrinkles!
Compare Credit Card Offers, Low Rate Deals and Applications Share

Compare Credit Card Offers, Low Rate Deals and Applications ((SHARE))

Share Apply for the credit card of your choice by filling out a secure online application. Offering the best low interest credit card with rewards and benefits. Use our free instant matching search engine to find and apply for low interest credit cards with the lowest rates.  Discover the top credit card offers to browse and compare. Apply online and get an instant response. 




Best Low Interest Credit Cards. Plus review information on rewards, secured credit cards, platinum cards and more. Search through the low interest credit card offers available. 
Special Offer: 0% for 12 months and is applied to purchases, balance transfers. Cards with no annual membership fee. Secure, free online account management, including $0 liability on unauthorized purchases. Low No Interest 0% APR credit cards no annual fee. Compare offers side by side in order to determine which card is best for you. Apply Online Today.
Shopping online for low interest credit card deals? Compare offers and apply online. Apply now. No annual fees. Find low interest credit card rates and deals by receiving free quotes online and avoiding outrageous fees and penalties..  Share

Top 10 Celebrity Homes for Sale :Ricky Martin's Former Home -----> Share

Share Ricky Martin, known for his pulsating hits like "Livin' la Vida Loca" and his frost-and-tip-kit-inspired 'do, owned this home from 2004 to 2006, when he sold it for $15 million. Three years later, it's back on the market for $26.9 mil.
Martin's former residence is steeped in history. Once the site of a 9,000-square-foot midcentury house owned by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, the property belonged to actor Michael Caine
and his wife, Shakira (not the pop singer), from 1976 to 1987, according to SF Gate's 2006 account of Martin's property sale. The buyer before Martin bought the midcentury house and demolished it, building the home that stands today.
The new home features 12 baths, a large family room, a gourmet kitchen, a master suite with his-and-hers baths, a gym and four additional bedroom suites. There's also a guesthouse and tennis court on the property.  Share

The Vacation Homes of the Stars ----> Share

Share Very few celebrities have only one home -- owning multiple residences in locations around the world is key to keeping any sense of normalcy and routine in their lives. But although first homes are usually in cities like New York and LA to be close to work, where do celebrities like George Clooney, Johnny Depp, and Oprah choose to buy vacation homes? Where do they go when it's entirely up to them and they want to relax?

Well for Clooney it's a waterfront villa in Lake Como, Italy, for Depp it's a 50 acre farmhouse in France, and Oprah prefers her ocean-front ranch in Santa Monica. Where would you live? Check out this list of celebrity summer homes and see who's taste is closest to your own.

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wow --- VietinBank Business Center ---->Share

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Located in central Hanoi, VietinBank Business Center comprises of two towers that are connected by a seven story podium building. Designed by Foster + Partners this is first project that is located in Vietnam. It consists of Bank’s offices, apartments, hotel and contains leisure facilities such as luxury shops, cafes, restaurants and roof top gardens
   
The taller tower (68 storey tall) will host headquarters for one of  largest banking groups in Vietnam. The second tower(48 storey) will house a five-star hotel, spa and serviced apartments. With area of 300,000 sq m, the building was designed to be as green as possible and will mitigate the effects of the area’s high levels of humidity using a low-energy, desiccant wheel.
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Hotels favorite artists Mon Hotel, Paris, France ----->> Share

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Set behind the elegant frontal of a resplendent and imposing private townhouse, it is a voguish boutique hotel centrally settled within a stone’s fuddle of the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees and within gradual accomplish of the La Defense’s byplay refer. Style down its dignified townhouse facade, this midway Town Author organization hotel is brimming of spirited.

 The 37 guest rooms and suites tally been completely refurbished to successfully feature alleviate with creator music. In gain four of the floors hump balconies or small terraces with a sight over Avenue Foch: tempt and stabilize a remover’s express from the Champs Elysees. The hotel’s special surround is also enhanced by photographic exhibitions by favorite artists.

In rooms conveniences: Air-conditioning, Specialist toiletries, Dvd/cd contestant and accumulation, Flatscreen tv, Cyberspace operation, Sideboard, Pay-per-view, Way care, Safe, Wifi.

Mon Hotel has a spa tub, a clean populate, fitness center, massage and a condition installation. Enterprise amenities at this 4.0-star possession countenance limo/town car author and playacting services.

 The Mon restaurant and the bar also plan a largish variety of eminent degree beverages . Its fashionable purpurate walls, evil tables and violet chairs are impeccably caller. Share

FrontierVille Howdy Ya'll! Complete all 12 missions and you'll get this beautiful partridge in a pear tree, plus other .......!!!! (share

Share FrontierVille Howdy Ya'll! Are you ready for the 12 days of FrontierVille Christmas? Complete all 12 missions and you'll get this beautiful partridge in a pear tree, plus other cool prizes along the way!

 

FrontierVille Howdy Ya'll! Complete all 12 missions and you'll get this beautiful partridge in a pear tree, plus other .......!!!! (share

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FrontierVille gave to me, Eight Groundhogs Diggin', Seven Neighbor Visits, Six Mules a-Brayin’ Five Prairie ---- Share

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FrontierVille On the eighth day o' Christmas, my true love gave to me, Eight Groundhogs Diggin', Seven Neighbor Visits, Six Mules a-Brayin’ Five Prairie Piles! Four Pig Collections, Three Chicken Coop, Two "Tend Here" signs, And a Varmint in a Pine Tree.

 

 FrontierVille On the eighth day o' Christmas

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Frontierville : 5 Winners. 50 horseshoes each ----> SHARE

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Frontierville : 5 Winners. 50 horseshoes each. Get ready for A Flash Mob Party and get ready to prove you're a FrontierVille Master.

  

Frontierville : 5 Winners. 50 horseshoes each ----> SHARE

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FrontierVille: 12 Days of Christmas missions are here... or are they?----->Share

Share Starting a few hours ago, some FrontierVille players were given a mysterious letter from Frontier Jack, detailing a new mission set that was apparently launched in the game at the same time. The mission set is the "12 Days of FrontierVille," the game's admitted take on the 12 Days of Christmas. However, the Carolers and the missions that this letter details are nowhere to be found. In an effort to calm some of the confusion associated with this seemingly "glitched" event, here's a recap of what we know so far.
When logging into the game, you'll receive a regular notice from Frontier Jack, pointing at a letter decorated with musical notes. If you can actually click on the letter (you may need to refresh the page and try again), you'll be introduced to a group of carolers, who sing a few lines of a revised version of the 12 Days of Christmas. This verse lets us know that the 12 Missions of FrontierVille are going to be released, one mission at a time - one mission for each of the next twelve days. Share

Is Blu-ray Finally Hitting Its Stride?-----> SHARE

Share To the victor go the spoils, and after Blu-ray defeated the HD-DVD format in the high definition wars, the spoils have been slow to come. Instead, streaming media is the latest fad, while many still view Blu-ray as expensive and unnecessary. Could that perception be changing?
According to Futuresource Consulting, worldwide pre-recorded Blu-ray disc production has set a pace to exceed 400 million units by the end of 2010, representing a healthy 60 percent jump from 2009. And that doesn't even take into account PS3 titles.

"Moving forward we expect to see continued expansion in BD video production volumes, with our forecasts indicating that annual global output will reach two billion discs by 2014," says Michael Boreham, a senior consultant with Futuresource.
Futuresource says that bundling discs with hardware is also a factor, particularly with the launch of 3D BD titles.
"As 3D is ideally suited to the BD delivery platform, this is clearly a long-term opportunity for the industry to further sustain consumer interest in packaged entertainment media," Futuresource says. Share

Australia says Christmas Island wreck killed up to 48 ---->Share

Share Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says as many as 48 asylum seekers may have been killed when their boat sank last week off Christmas Island.  So far 30 bodies have been recovered after the boat hit rocks and broke apart in stormy seas on Wednesday.
Officials have been talking to the 42 survivors to try to determine how many more people may still be missing."That does mean of course that we are still not able to account for around 18 people."
Ms Gillard said around 90 people were now thought to have been on the boat, but some bodies might not be recovered.
"We may never know the precise number, but the advice to me is that the best estimate at present is that there were around 90 people on the boat," she said.
"That does mean of course that we are still not able to account for around 18 people."
The passengers of the flimsy wooden boat are believed to have been Iranian, Iraqi and Kurdish asylum seekers making their way to Australia via Indonesia.
Christmas Island lies in the Indian Ocean about 2,600km (1,600 miles) from the Australian mainland, but only 300km south of Indonesia. Share

Further snow travel chaos set to disrupt Christmas week ---->Share

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Thousands of people face further disruption to their Christmas travel plans as cold weather conditions continue to grip much of the country.

British Airways is hoping that about 60 flights will depart Heathrow on Monday morning, but dozens of cancellations have been announced.
Hundreds of travellers slept there for a second night, amid mounting anger. 

Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh and Southampton airports are open but expect delays or cancellations.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has warned of more snow and ice in many parts of the country.
A "bitterly cold" day is forecast, with freezing fog.
Southern England and south Wales were among those in the "firing line" for Monday, said BBC weather forecaster Helen Willetts, with 5-10cm of snowfall that could coincide with both the morning and evening rush hours.
There were also warnings of more heavy snow for much of Scotland and north-east England, with up to 10cm of snow expected in northern Scotland.
The lowest UK temperature overnight, recorded in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, was thought to be -19.6C. Share

Facebook for farmers:------>>SHARE

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Straining to control a deafening, bucking, fuel-powered plough, Qing Zhongxing prepares a strip of land ahead of sowing next season's harvest of rapeseed.

Throttling down at the next turn, he pauses to check his mobile phone: it is the latest news on pork prices.
On the other side of the village, in Chongqing's Dazu County, beekeeper Long Ximing is too engrossed in his honeycombs - and avoiding being stung - to check on his phone's shrill alert. 
 
Nonetheless, like Mr Qing and 20 million others in rural China, he is a big fan of mobile farming.

China Mobile's Nongxington - or farming information service - launched four years ago. The company is currently focusing on expanding its delivery in China's west and south-west regions.

"Building the mobile network and covering most of the country's administrative villages, we realised that there was only a network signal. In rural areas, this is not enough," explains Liu Jing, a local manager for the service at China Mobile.
"It's like having a highway and no cars!" And for those who can't yet afford a basic $30 (£19.20; 22.66 euros) phone, they can have one for free so long as their total monthly bill exceeds $2. Share

Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid ----->>Share

Share A new survey of American voters shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources.
December 15, 2010 |
Advertisement
Yet another study has been released proving that watching Fox News is detrimental to your intelligence. World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy
 
Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. What’s more, the study shows that greater exposure to Fox News increases misinformation.
So the more you watch, the less you know. Or to be precise, the more you think you know that is actually false. This study corroborates a previous PIPA study that focused on the Iraq war with similar results. And there was an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that demonstrated the break with reality on the part of Fox viewers with regard to health care. The body of evidence that Fox News is nothing but a propaganda machine dedicated to lies is growing by the day.
In eight of the nine questions below, Fox News placed first in the percentage of those who were misinformed (they placed second in the question on TARP). That’s a pretty high batting average for journalistic fraud. Here is a list of what Fox News viewers believe that just aint so:
91 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs
72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit
72 percent believe the economy is getting worse
60 percent believe climate change is not occurring
49 percent believe income taxes have gone up
63 percent believe the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts
56 percent believe Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout
38 percent believe that most Republicans opposed TARP
63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear) Share

The Elvis presley’s home – Graceland 1000000 of visitors to Graceland pass by the staircase --->>SHARE

Share If you’re looking for fun things to do in Memphis and enjoy visiting celebrity homes, don’t miss touring Elvis’s 14-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee. Touring Graceland is a one-of-a-kind experience that will lead you on Elvis’s fascinating journey to super stardom. Graceland is the name of the large white-columned estate that once belonged to Elvis Presley, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

When Elvis was a boy, he told his parents that one day he would make a lot of money and buy them the finest house in town. Buying Graceland in 1957 was, for Elvis, the fulfillment of that dream and proof of how far he had come. Settled on 14 acres, the mansion that the Presley called home is the second most famous house in America and one of the most visited homes in America today.
The front room features a white marble fireplace and Louis XIV furniture. After buying Graceland, Elvis added several rooms including a trophy room and racquetball court. In addition, Elvis erected a pink Alabama field stone wall around the property and also the famous wrought-iron, guitar gates at a cost of $3,052.
Millions of visitors to Graceland pass by the staircase to the 2nd floor during their tour of the mansion

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FrontierVille Holiday Free Gifts: Large Wreath, Fence with Garland, Fruitcake now available ---->Share

Share For the first time in a very, very long time, Zynga has updated the free gifts page in FrontierVille to offer a trio of new Winter Holiday items that you can now send to your friends, just as you would any other free gift.
Two of these items are decorative, and come in the form of a Large Wreath, and a Fence with Farland. The Large Wreath is just that - a large decorated wreath that has been placed on top of a tall stick, so that you
 
don't have to worry about finding a "wall" to place the wreath on. The Fence with Garland item, meanwhile, is a simple brown, wooden fence (the most basic in the game), that happens to have green and red garland wrapped around the top and sides.
As for the Fruitcake, it is an energy item, which will reward you with 15 energy points each time you "eat" one. This is done in the same way that you use Lunches, Light Snacks, and the like, in that you can simply head into your inventory and use the item with a single click of the mouse.
It's likely that these three items will only be available for the rest of the Holiday season, so make sure to send them to your friends / ask your friends to send them to you while you know they are still available. Share

FrontierVille On the seventh day o' Christmas , my true love gave to me !!!!!!!!!!!! share

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FrontierVille On the seventh day o' Christmas, my true love gave to me, Seven Neighbor Visits, Six Mules a-Brayin’, Five Prairie Piles! Four Pig Collections, Three Chicken Coops, Two "Tend Here" signs, And a Varmint in a Pine Tree.

FrontierVille house is sall by

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Growing up without a father may be a root cause of many ----> Share

Share Growing up without a father may be a root cause of many social ills—from crime to academic failure.
The decline of fatherhood is one of the most basic, unexpected and extraordinary trends of our time. Its dimensions can be captured in a single statistic: In just three decades, between 1960 and 1990, the percentage of children living apart from their biological fathers more than doubled, from 17 percent to 36 percent. By the turn of the century, nearly 50 percent of American children may be going to sleep each evening without being able to say good night to their dads.
No one predicted this trend; few researchers or government agencies have monitored it; and it is not widely discussed, even today. But the decline of fatherhood is a major force behind many of the most disturbing problems that plague American society: crime; premature sexuality and out-of-wedlock births to teenagers; deteriorating educational achievement; depression, substance abuse and alienation among adolescents; and the growing number of women and children in poverty. 

Even as this calamity unfolds, our cultural view of fatherhood, itself, is changing. Few people doubt the fundamental importance of mothers. But fathers? More and more, the question of whether fathers are really necessary is being raised. Many would answer no, or maybe not. And to the degree that fathers are still thought necessary, fatherhood is said by many to be merely a social role that others can play: mothers, partners, stepfathers, uncles and aunts, grandparents. Perhaps the script can even be rewritten and the role changed—or dropped.
There was a time in the past when fatherlessness was far more common than it is today, but death was to blame, not divorce, desertion and out-of-wedlock births. Almost all of today's fatherless children have fathers who are alive, well, and perfectly capable of shouldering the responsibilities of fatherhood. Who would ever have thought that so many men would choose to relinquish them. Not so long ago, the change in the cause of fatherlessness was dismissed as irrelevant in many quarters, including among social scientists. Children, it was said, are merely losing their parents in a different way than they used to. You don't hear that very much anymore. A surprising finding of recent social science research is that it is decidedly worse for a child to lose a father in the modern, voluntary way than through death. The children of divorced and never-married mothers are less successful in life by almost every measure than the children of widowed mothers. The replacement of death by divorce as the prime Cause of fatherlessness, then is a monumental setback in the history of childhood. Until the 1960s, the falling death rate and the rising divorce rate neutralized each other. In 1900, the percentage of all American children living in single-parent families was 8.5 percent. By 1960, it had increased to just 9.1 percent Share

Hitting five-a-day fruit and vegetable target 'would save 15,000 lives' ---->Share

Share At least 33,000 lives could be saved each year if the nation ate more healthily, claim researchers.
Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day would by itself prevent 15,000 early deaths, ­including 7,000 from coronary heart disease, almost 5,000 from cancer and more than 3,000 from stroke.
Increasing dietary fibre would save another 4,000 lives, the study from Oxford University suggests, while watching fat intake would save almost 7,000, and another 7,500 early deaths would be prevented by reducing salt consumption.
Life saving: But recent studies suggest Britons are becoming less likely to include five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables in their daily diet 

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, analysed deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke and cancers, figures on food and nutrient intake, and studies on the influence of diet on illness and early death for 2005 to 2007.
The UK’s nutritional goals and guidelines are for people to eat 440g of fruit and vegetables every day and 18g of fibre.
A third of the total number of calories should come from fat but saturated fat should make up only ten per cent. People should also consume no more than 6g of salt a day.
However, the researchers found no country in the UK fully meets the criteria, with Scotland and Northern Ireland doing the worst.
In fact, figures earlier this year showed that Britons were actually becoming less likely to eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables. Only about a third of Britons are thought to hit the five-a-day target.
Oxford’s Dr Peter Scarborough, who led the latest research, said: ‘Meeting dietary recommendations would have a massive effect on the health of the nation.
‘According to our model, the ­biggest impact would be eating more fruit and veg.’
Victoria Taylor, senior dietician of the British Heart Foundation, which co-funded the study, said: ‘By eating more fruit and vegetables there is less room in your diet for other foods that might not be great for your heart.’ Share

No fear: The woman with a bizarre medical condition that means she CANNOT be afraid ---->Share

Share A woman who knows no fear because of damage to a key emotion centre in her brain is lucky to be alive, scientists said today.
The US woman, known only as SM, lives in a poor and dangerous neighbourhood and has been the victim of numerous crimes.
She has shrugged off being held at knife and gunpoint, death threats, and assaults, and was once nearly killed by an act of domestic violence.

Lucky to be alive: Undated MRI scans of patient SM's brain. The arrows point to the amygdala, the region of the brain which SM is missing, as shown by the vacant black holes underneath the arrows
Yet even when her life was in peril her behaviour 'lacked any sense of desperation or urgency', said researchers. She was simply unafraid.In tests SM also showed no hint of fear when exposed to snakes and spiders, during a trip to one of the world's scariest haunted houses, or while watching clips of spine-chilling horror films. Share

Mistletoe can help kiss goodbye to cancer side effects ----->Share

Share The plant has also been credited with the power of healing - an attribute currently being harnessed by a new outpatient unit at the independent Raphael Medical Centre in Kent, which offers integrated cancer care.
The centre uses mistletoe (known by its Latin plant name, viscum album) to combat undesirable effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, such as fatigue, nausea, weight loss, low mood and infections.
Magical: Mistletoe's healing properties are being harnessed at a cancer unit 

Advocates believe the herb boosts the immune system and may even help kill tumour cells - particularly breast, gynaecological, colo-rectal, pancreatic and lung cancer, along with lymphomas and leukaemia.
Results have been so promising that Professor Gene Feder, a GP and Professor of Primary Care at Bristol University, is initiating the UK's first pilot study.
From his GP experience he says: 'Patients receiving mistletoe during and after radiotherapy or chemotherapy appear to tolerate those treatments better. The university is planning a pilot double-blind randomised controlled trial, and hope to start recruiting in Bristol in April.'
Treatment is usually by injections - two a week for two years. Patients inject at home after initial treatment by medical staff to monitor effects. Dr Maurice Orange MSc, who heads the integrated cancer care clinic at Raphael, explains: 'We look for inflammation at the injection site.
This may be itchy, tender or painful for a day or two. Like after-effects of a bee sting, redness indicates the body's immune response. For this treatment that's desirable. After weeks or months of treatment it settles down. 'Similarly, within 24 hours of an injection we expect patients to feel off-colour, fatigued, headachy with bodily aches and pains, and possibly raised body temperature - like mild flu, but lasting about 12 hours. Again it's a positive sign. The immune system is firing into action. Depending on reactions we adjust doses, increasing as patients get used to it.'
Dr Orange stresses that mistletoe is an adjunct to conventional cancer treatment. While patients sometimes want to avoid orthodox treatment, he sees his job as discussing best treatments, often referring patients to sympathetic oncologists.
Kiss of life: Anne Marshall-Lee, 51, who is receiving mistletoe treatment for her breast cancer
One patient who believes mistletoe has been the kiss of life is Anne Marshall-Lee. Diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2009, the 51-year-old teacher from Manchester was advised to have a mastectomy.
She studied the debate about whether mastectomy is appropriate for her particular cancer - DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in situ - cancer in the breast ducts) which later progressed to invasive cancer. She declined a mastectomy.
Specialists ruled out lumpectomy, in which only the tumour is removed.
'When the surgeon at my local hospital returned from leave, he saw my records and asked if I'd like to be referred for mistletoe therapy. I hadn't heard of this, but after discussion felt very comfortable with the idea,' recalls Anne.
She started injections in March 2009 and her NHS consultant kept watch with biopsies and scans.
Two weeks ago an ultrasound scan left Anne jubilant.
'In the last six months the diseased area reduced by almost two inches,' reports Anne. 'I'm looking forward to further successes as treatment continues.'
The average cost of mistletoe therapy is £50 a month. Share

Can Cell Phones Save the World? -----> Share

Share In Mobile Message, a new series of blog posts for Nat Geo News Watch starting today, innovator, anthropologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Ken Banks shares exciting stories about how mobile phones are being used throughout the world to improve, enrich, and empower billions of lives. This first post sets the stage.
By Ken Banks
As a child I had a fascination with the natural world. It helped being brought up in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands between the English and French coasts where Gerald Durrell set up a zoo in the late 1950s that would become famous for its pioneering work, captive-breeding endangered species. It also helped having grandparents who were ardent amateur naturalists, and a mother who followed closely in their footsteps.
I remember flicking through old National Geographic magazines in awe, scissors in hand, and being fixated by David Attenborough's natural history programs on the BBC, wondering what it would be like to visit "deepest darkest" Africa and see the wildlife first-hand.
Looking back, I really wasn't that different to many children my age. Only, my dreams came true.

1993 was a big year for me. I was already beginning to turn my back on a career in information technology when I was selected to be a team member for a school building project in northern Zambia. Those five weeks changed the course of my life as I became hungry to learn more about the developing world, and the tensions between wildlife conservation and human development.
Another trip to Africa followed in 1995, this time to Uganda. Later the following year I left Jersey and my journey was well and truly underway. The next few years took me to Sussex University to study Social Anthropology and Development Studies, and then back to Africa to run a primate sanctuary in Nigeria. It's safe to say that after all this I was well and truly hooked. 
Today, with over 500 million subscribers across Africa alone and more people around the world owning a phone than not, mobile phones seem to be everywhere.

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8 Old School Toys That Got Badass Makeovers ----->>Share

Share Some say the children of this generation will be the first in a long while to have life harder than their parents. The economy, the environment, the wars... the future has looked brighter.
We would feel sorry for them, but then we see their fucking toys, which pretty much makes the stuff we played with look like bullshit.
The Concept: 
 
Back in the 80s, toymaker Hasbro was forced to answer the difficult question, "How does one harvest a profit from young boys' innate need to blow each other away with firearms, whilst keeping lawsuits to a minimum?" The answer was NERF: harmless foam ball-shooting, air-powered toys.
Then:
The first NERF shooter, uninspiringly named "Blast-A-Ball," required raw elbow grease to fire balls at other children. The harder the pump, the farther the ball flew. The execution was simple, yet painful, which appealed to the kids. Its total lack of resemblance to a real gun kept moms relatively happy as well.
Now:
Ladies and gentleman, meet the NERF Vulcan EBF-25. Presumably the fucking nightmare of mothers everywhere, this battery-operated (SIX D-cells!), belt-fed, fully automatic monstrosity can rain down a shitstorm of NERF darts for as long as the 25 or 50 round belts will last.
A far cry from the Blast-A-Ball indeed. No toy in history has better allowed young boys to greet the arrival of their little sister home from school with a reenactment of the Normandy beach landing. The only downside is the limited range. If only you had some kind of...
Oh, yeah. NERF made a sniper rifle. The victims will never even hear the shot that NERFed them. Share

5 Silver Linings Now That Identity Theft Ruined Your Life ---->Share

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Looking back on it now, you have to admit that this was bound to happen eventually. Someone has stolen your identity, using nefarious schemes and treachery, yes, but also greatly assisted by some of your shocking personal security habits, including:
Your practice of tossing unopened mail into the garbage.
Your soft spot for internet ads that congratulate you out loud when you open a webpage.
Your ill-advised decision to name your dog after your Social SecurityNumber.

Also, it was probably a bad idea to use your credit card as a Facebook profile pic.

And now some maniac is running around racking up purchases on your credit and otherwise sullying your good name - or even your stupid, regrettable name, like Franz, or Gene. But is it possible there's a lighter side hidden in all of this? Is there a silver lining tucked away here, which can provide you solace, and something to laugh at as you rebuild your horrible, poorly-named life?
Obviously. Didn't you read the title of the article?
#5. You're going to get really good on the telephone
And that's because you will be spending the next six months of your life on it. Whether dealing with banks, collection agencies or erotic cake subscription services, you're going to get really good at dealing with customer service representatives over the next few weeks and months as you go over the list of things you allegedly bought.

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FrontierVille Rein Em In Event Brings Us Mystery Reindeer Crate --->> ShareFrontierVille Rein Em In Event Brings Us Mystery Reindeer Crate --->> Share

Share Zynga is bringing the North Pole and Santa Claus
closer to us with the Rein Em In event that has just debuted in FrontierVille: the Mystery Reindeer Crate is probably one of the most wanted items that were released, since it brings us an animal we all love: the reindeer!
   
If you open the market
and click the Special tab, you will see there that you can purchase a Mystery Reindeer Crate
for 30 Lucky Horseshoes:

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FrontierVille Flashing Tree and Kwanza Kinara Decorations Available for Purchase ---->>Share

Share Finally we can really feel that Christmas is near in FrontierVille (but also quite expensive): a Christmas Tree has been launched in the game under the name of “flashing tree” (last year Zynga had some problems in FarmVille with the Christmas tree because of the people who
 
don’t “believe” in Christmas and that’s why the tree has such a strange name). But at least the FrontierVille Christmas tree looks really amazing, so bad it costs 52 HS. You can get a cheaper decoration (even though not as impressive) with the Kwanza Kinara. Here is an image with the two new decorations in the market: Share

FrontierVille Unreleased Playtime II Timed Mission: Everything you need to know ------>>Share

Share Zynga is apparently looking to continue the fun had in the recent FrontierVille timed mission called "Playtime," as they seem to be working on a follow-up to that quest entitled "Playtime II." Playtime II will also be a timed mission, just like its predecessor, and you should have 2 days after you accept the mission to complete it before it expires. Rumor has it that you'll be able to buy extra time for Horseshoes.

This mission will require you to complete three tasks:
Craft 20 Planks
Collect 10 Metal Bars
Collect 10 Wood Rasps Share

FrontierVille Quests: Family Guide ----->>Share

Share So you've set out on a FrontierVille quest to the wild west: you've made your claim, you've tamed the wilderness, you've raised some crops and livestock, and you've built a log cabin. So what's next for such a brave FrontierVille pioneer? Perhaps the most challenging quest of them all: starting a family.

By doing specific FrontierVille quests, you can slowly build a family. Start with getting your spouse out west, then have a kid, maybe have another, perhaps have four more (at least you won't be lonely).
However, starting a family isn't easy, it's a lot of work. In addition to often losing your spouse in the woods, you'll have a ton of FrontierVille quests to do. So what are you waiting for? Use our FrontierVille Quests: Family Guide to get your family started today.
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