Tips On How To Plan For A Wedding

Planning a wedding is an exciting time, but it's very easy to go overboard, and in no time, your expenses could start spiraling out of control. You can do many things to control your wedding budget. This article is packed with useful tips and tricks for planning a magical wedding on a practical budget.

Try something relaxing before your wedding if your time allows. Getting a relaxing massage for about 30 minutes in the morning of your big day is a perfect way to keep yourself feeling great.

If you cannot justify the cost of a thousand-dollar wedding cake, consider contacting a local bakery and inquiring about single-serving portions, like cupcakes or cake pops. Many bakeries can provide wedding cupcakes that come in at 100 calories or less per serving. Other healthier options include gluten-free pastries, no-calorie sweeteners, and icing alternatives, such as meringue or fruit spreads.

Get a wedding planner who can help you get through the whole planning process. Weddings tend to be stressful and many things can go wrong. A professional has seen most of these problems before and can deal with them more effectively than you can. That way your loved ones can enjoy the wedding and the reception with no worries.

Dress any children attending your ceremony in comfortable attire. Dress them in soft, comfortable fabrics that are airy and fit loosely. It's important that any shoes they wear are comfortable, which means new shoes, will need to be broken in. Taking care of these small details will allow children to focus on participation in the wedding instead of fussing with their attire.

Seasonal flowers that are native to your state may not be easy to find at your wedding location, especially if it's a completely different climate. Contact professionals near the destination site to find out which blooms are readily available.

The lighting in your venue should be able to be dimmed. Although this may seem trivial, you want the option of having a low-light setting during your first dance and a more brighter setting for the rest of the celebration. Check out the lighting available at different venues before picking one.

Consider the appearance of your wedding cake when deciding how to display it. For example, if your cake is unusually colorful, match its color to the hue of the fabric underneath it. There are many different styles and options, such as various types of fabrics and textures. It is up to you how to put it all together.

See if you can find a willing helper who can assist you with looking after your equipment and moving it when necessary. They can also be of assistance in rounding everyone up for the group photographs, and this will make sure no one is left out.

Make a detailed itinerary with directions, so guests know when and where the wedding and reception will be held. Inform people of events, like rehearsals, that they are required to attend, so they will be where they are supposed to be at the scheduled time.

Avoid cluttering tables with too many flowers at your reception. Often, flowers interfere with guests being able to converse across the table. Also, some of your guests may have allergies to the flowers. Try putting some scent free candles on your wedding tables.

Place a number of different-sized potted plants throughout the venue in lieu of costly floral arrangements. Use colorful, glazed ceramic pots, or dress up earthy terracotta stoneware with ribbons, decoupage, or decorative paint effects. When the wedding is over, the guests can then take those plants home with them as a favor and have a constant reminder of the new couple.

Trust in others to help you with your wedding plans. It is natural to want to participate in all aspects of planning, especially since your wedding is such a personal affair. You can overdo it though, so you may want a trusted pro who has expertise in this area.

Be sure you have help when trying on wedding dresses. Choose a dress whose style you like but also one that suits your figure. Ask your friend or the sales clerk what they think of it. If you are under 5"4', step away from the normal dress section and make a beeline for the petite dresses. By choosing a gown that is designed for your body type, it will ensure a comfortable fit, making you much happier.

If you want the bride to be happy on her wedding day, it is important that everything meets her standards. Planning the wedding is stressful for the bride, and sub-par results may leave her crushed. In order to prevent your fianc from being upset, ensure that you run everything by her.

If you conduct your wedding in a vacation spot, have a basketful of themed goodies delivered to each guest's room. Useful things that you may include are local attraction pamphlets, a hat, sunglasses, tourist map, and a disposable camera. It may also be nice to give them a guide to a restaurant in the area so they have an easier time finding a place to get food.

Pick out a few special activities for the day, and use them to spice up the mood when needed. Don't just let everyone stand around tapping their feet, waiting for something to happen. Examples of activities could include a volleyball game, or a contest of who can get to know the most people prior to the wedding. You can make your wedding more memorable by planning activities that allow your guests to have fun and interact with each other.

Let your control issues go, and allow your friends and family to get involved in the planning of your wedding. You will more than likely want to control every aspect of your wedding, but it is important to be able to let go of some aspects so that you do not get overly stressed during what should be the happiest time of your life. On the other hand, overdoing it is really possible, and some things are just better left in the hands of expert professionals.

Your assistant will be helping carry equipment around for you so there is no need for them to have any specific photography training. They can help you get group shots of the family too!

Large centerpieces are unnecessary on your tables as they not only eat away at your budget, but serve as an unneeded distraction. Instead of going with a huge table centerpiece that uses up almost the entire table, keep it simple. You do not want your guests to be unable to communicate because there is a large centerpiece in the way.

If not planned well, a joyous wedding occasion can turn disastrous. Follow the advice in this article as you are planning your wedding, and you will see how easy it can be.

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Check in married and then check out single

The American marriage, it seems, is on the rocks. The common line ? true or not ? is that half of all marriages in this country end in divorce.

So here comes a plucky entrepreneur from, of all places, the Netherlands, with a wild, you?ve-got-to-be-joking plan to profit from the sorry state of so many American unions.

It?s called Divorce Hotel, and the idea is this: Check in on Friday, married. Then, with the help of mediators and independent lawyers, check out on Sunday, divorce papers in hand, all for a flat fee.

And ? why not? ? toss in some reality TV for good measure.

Unusual as it sounds, the Divorce Hotel concept is up and running in the Netherlands, where its mastermind, Jim Halfens, is helping unhappy marrieds divorce en suite. Seventeen couples have tried it so far. All but one left divorce-ready.

Now Mr. Halfens, 33, wants to take the idea to the United States. He is negotiating with hotels in several cities, including New York and Los Angeles, as well as with law firms and, yes, two television production companies ? for a reality show.

American divorce lawyers roll their eyes. Sure, ?Divorce Hotel? sounds catchy. But most breakups are too complicated ? or, frankly, too acrimonious ? to be worked out in a cozy hotel room somewhere.

Robert S. Cohen, the lawyer who helped guide Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Christie Brinkley, Ivana Trump and other A-listers to splitsville, says he wishes he?d thought of the idea. It?s a great gimmick, he says ? but as a practical matter, he adds, it probably wouldn?t work for most couples, let alone for the well-heeled types he advises.

It might if a couple were still friends and their financial arrangements were straightforward, he says. But in his view, it?s unlikely to work for complicated cases involving, say, significant property or business holdings, complex stock options or offshore accounts that must be traced or assessed.

?The notion of being able to ? at the beginning of a split-up ? spend a weekend putting these various pieces together and coming to a solution to them would be virtually impossible,? Mr. Cohen says. ?I don?t see how one would do it and come up with a fair result.?

He notes that divorce proceedings are often a highly emotional time for couples. ?And the notion they?re now going to spend two days with each other at some fancy hotel seems to me not to be a very likely scenario,? he says. ?Most people getting divorced don?t want to see each other again except when they have to.?

Mr. Cohen would be the first to tell you that divorce is big business these days. In the United States alone, estimates of what might be called the divorce industry range from $50 billion to $175 billion a year, depending on what costs are included. (Lawyers, after all, are only the beginning.) More than 1.2 million people in the United States filed for divorce in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Mr. Halfens came up with the idea for Divorce Hotel after watching a college friend go through a painful divorce.

?He was losing weight, he was unable to have fun in life anymore and they were fighting every time you saw them ? it was horrible,? Mr. Halfens says of his friend. The divorce negotiations dragged on for five months, he says ? not all that long, by American standards.

?I was convinced there has to be another way,? Mr. Halfens says.

So, drawing on a background in marketing, as well as a stint at a law firm, he opened Divorce Hotel. And, by the way, it isn?t just a single hotel. Mr. Halfens has struck agreements with six high-end hotels in the Netherlands, most of which are reluctant to be seen as the Divorce Hotel, or even to divulge that they participate in the program.

Couples stay in separate rooms. A suite is used for mediation talks. Hotel staff members receive special instructions ? and are told that these are no ordinary guests. ?You don?t want the hotel crew wishing you a very nice weekend and hoping you have lots of fun here,? says Mr. Halfens, who evaluates couples first, to enhance the odds of success.

Divorce Hotel charges a flat fee of $3,500 to $10,000, depending on the complexity of a couple?s financial arrangements. Divorces in the United States tend to cost $5,000 to $20,000, though the cost can soar depending on the assets involved, the case?s complexity and, perhaps most crucially, whether child custody is an issue, according to Randall M. Kessler, chairman of the American Bar Association?s family law section.

Child custody battles and cases involving complex financial arrangements, such as self-owned businesses and stock options, tend to be the costliest, he says, with fees often exceeding $100,000 from each party.

Once the couple check out, they need only show the papers to a judge to have their divorce made final. Of course, marriage laws vary from state to state, which is why Mr. Halfens is in talks with law firms and hotels in different states.

Last September, a 44-year-old computer consultant in the Netherlands checked into a Divorce Hotel with his wife. He spoke on the condition that his full name not be used, to protect their privacy.

Both had been through divorces before. The first time, he says, he lost the equivalent of $30,000 just on lawyer and court costs. The process took a year.

?There was a lot of fighting ? not by us, but our lawyers,? he recalls. ?Every letter her attorney wrote had to be answered by mine. That financially ruined me.?

He and his second wife wanted to end their seven-year marriage on friendly terms. ?We were both divorced before and we both experienced a lot of pain and misery,? he says.

So they opted for the Divorce Hotel ? and were thrilled with the results. On his divorce weekend, he says, they went out on the town for dinner and wine. ?It wasn?t weird or wrong,? he says, ?We felt great ? like friends.?

Mr. Halfens tells the story of one couple who got along so well during the weekend talks that the mediator wondered whether they would reconcile. ?They were so positive that they went to the beach together,? he says. Ultimately, though, they pressed on with the divorce. Another time, a couple shared their final night together in the hotel?s honeymoon suite.

?We were a bit flabbergasted,? Mr. Halfens says. That couple, too, ended up divorcing.

Mr. Halfens has big plans for Divorce Hotel. He?s written a book, due out next year, and says that in addition to the hotels in the United States, he has talked to hotels in Britain, Italy and Germany about hosting his program.

Under his agreements with the two American production companies, Base Productions and A. Smith & Company, some couples would be followed and filmed as they go through Divorce Hotel.

Mickey Stern, co-chief executive of Base Productions, says he jumped at the chance to produce a show around Divorce Hotel. ?These are real people getting real divorces ? or at least attempting to get real divorces ? and it has all of the human drama of this significant process all condensed down into a very short period of time,? Mr. Stern says. Given the number of people who get divorces in the United States ? and the possibility for some TV fireworks ? the audience could be huge, he says.

?Divorce Hotel is as real as it gets,? he says. ?If there?s a conflict, it?s real because the stakes are real.? He says he expects the show to have its debut this fall, although he declined to name the network.

Television aside, could Divorce Hotel really work here? Mr. Cohen, the divorce lawyer, says the courts are so backed up with cases that people are moving toward mediation and arbitration to end marriages, at least when huge sums of money or child custody are not at stake.

But, like Mr. Cohen, Jason Marks, a divorce lawyer in Miami, says complex cases cannot be resolved in a weekend. And some people may do all sorts of things when a marriage runs into trouble: hide money, undervalue assets, perpetrate fraud.

?That happens all the time,? Mr. Marks says. It takes time ? and expensive lawyers ? to sort it all out.

Mr. Halfens concedes that only one of every three couples that apply for his program is accepted. His team tries to ensure that both parties want to divorce and are willing to work with a mediator. If the couple is bickering or barely speaking to each other, or if greed or vengeance seems to be a motivation, the couple is rejected.

Mr. Halfens, who is not married, has already invited Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher to Divorce Hotel, he says. They?re a perfect fit, in his view, since they?ve indicated they want to end their six-year marriage on friendly terms.

He hasn?t heard back.

This story, "Quick Getaways, at the Divorce Hotel," originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright ? 2012 The New York Times

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Top Pentagon officer urges non-military pressure on Assad

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'A woman who. ...': Romney's stories court females

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Mitt Romney's courtship of female voters in his typical campaign speech sounds a bit like a movie's casting call.

Woman Whose Husband Took an Upholstery Class. Woman Who Is Going Back To College. Woman Who Owns Duplexes.

Romney's campaign won't identify these women, making it impossible to check the accuracy of the Republican presidential candidate's accounts. It's unclear whether they even know of their cameos in Romney's campaign.

But they're serving an important role as he looks to narrow the advantage President Barack Obama has with female voters.

The latest Associated Press-GfK poll found women favor Obama by 54 percent to 39 percent ? largely in line with the 2008 "gender gap" that helped him win the White House.

With women making up roughly 52 percent of the electorate, Romney needs to gain ground with these voters to have a better shot at winning the White House. Less than six months before the election, polls show it's a competitive race overall.

Women historically tilt toward Democrats. And this spring's national debate over access to contraception hasn't helped GOP candidates.

Romney's advisers are aware of the hurdle, and the campaign is working to overcome it.

Ann Romney has taken on a prominent role in the campaign. She's almost always by her husband's side in an attempt to soften ? critics say humanize ? the hard-edged former business executive.

And Romney, himself, has started highlighting women's stories of economic success ? or hardship ? in the speech he delivers once or more a day at campaign appearances.

He often starts by telling audiences about some of the women he meets when he holds private meetings with voters before larger public events. The tight-lipped campaign has repeatedly refused to allow reporters to attend most of those small gatherings or provide lists of attendees, leaving it to Romney, himself, to fill in the blanks.

"In some of the towns that I go to, I ask to get a group of women business owners, and I meet with them. I have them describe their experiences," Romney told supporters at a fundraiser here last week.

A look at some of the women Romney says he has met during his presidential bid:

? WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND TOOK UPHOLSTERY CLASS

Romney often recounts the story of one industrious woman whose husband lost his job and decided to take an upholstering class.

"I thought, 'That's a strange class to take,'" Romney said as he described the exchange.

The woman apparently thought so, too. Then she looked around and found there weren't many upholsterers in her area. It turned out that her husband was embarking on a new career ? and she was, too. The woman started her own upholstery business and put her husband ? and 40 others ? to work.

"I thought that was pretty impressive," Romney said.

? WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND DRAWS PICTURES

There's also a Hispanic woman he said he'd met who went to work ? and found a job that matched her skill set ? because her husband's job didn't pay very well.

"Her husband is a caricature artist," Romney explained to one audience. "It's hard to make a great living out of just being a caricature artist. He does caricatures at county fairs and so forth."

The woman, he said, decided not to leave the bread-winning to him alone.

"She was born in Mexico, speaks Spanish fluently and English," Romney said. So she found a job where fluency in two languages was necessary. Today, he said: "She translates construction manuals from English into Spanish." It's "just remarkable."

? WOMAN WHO RUNS A TRUCK COMPANY

Then there's the highly accomplished woman whose job ? running "a very substantial trucking company" ? speaks to her toughness.

"She described how she would purchase trucks year after year" and how she employs men and women alike to drive the big rigs, Romney said. She is waiting, however, to buy new equipment; she is uncertain how many new regulations or taxes Democrats might force upon her in the coming months and prefers to wait to purchase big-ticket items until a Republican is in the White House.

"She runs the place with a very strong hand. A very successful hand," he says.

? WOMAN WHO IS GOING BACK TO COLLEGE

A frequent story of Romney's is the one about the young woman he says he met in Cleveland who had just graduated from college but is going back to earn another undergraduate degree. The reason: She's struggling to make ends meet and doesn't have to start repaying her $40,000 student loan if she's still in school.

For now, Romney says, "she can't find a job so she's doing three part-time jobs." But he says she's heading back to college as soon as her loan payments begin.

"She doesn't know how they're going to make it," Romney said. "She's having a hard time."

? WOMAN WHO OWNS DUPLEXES

Sometimes, Romney tells the tale of an older woman he says he met in Appleton, Wis., who sells perfume in a department store. She and her husband didn't plan to still be working.

"They had expected to retire but the duplexes they bought ? they had two duplexes ? their values had become so depressed," Romney says.

He likens her to a number of other older women he's met who are finding the retirement years not as great as they'd expected.

"They're employed but they can't make ends meet the way they hoped," says Romney.

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Scott Tucker understands why people love an important Change ...

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Can We Become Foster Parents in New York as a Gay Couple ...

Q: My husband and I would like to become foster parents as a gay couple? Can we?

A: Your question is perfectly timed for May, which is National Foster Care Month. With over 14,000 children currently in foster care in New York City, there is always a need for families and homes for the youngest New Yorkers.

The foster care system is run by the Administration for Children?s Services (ACS), which is the local government agency with the power to assume custody of children in New York City and place them in Foster Care. According to ACS, a foster parent must be:

• over the age of 21;
• in good physical and mental health (handicaps and illness may be considered depending on how it affects the individual?s ability to adequately care for the child);
• have the ability and desire to adequately care for a child;
• possess a steady income;
• live in a sanitary and safe home;
• be free of a serious criminal record

In New York, similar to the treatment of handicaps and illness, a prospective foster parent?s marital status may only be considered based on if and how it affects the ability to adequately care for the foster child. There is no requirement ? you can be single, straight, gay, or married.

Your family will work with a foster care agency assigned to your district. (In some neighborhoods, there is only one designated agency; in other areas, there are multiple choices.) Each agency must meet ACS? requirements but also may have additional unique requirements, which you can inquire about over the phone or during an introductory meeting.

If you are interested in signing up with an agency that has a strong LGBT presence, you may ask other LGBT families for suggested organizations, inquire directly about the agency?s work in the community, or contact ACS for information about their efforts to recruit affirming families for LGBT foster youth. Once you are paired with an agency, you will undergo 30 hours of training and a homestudy to become a licensed foster family.

For answers to your adoption questions or to set up a free consultation, email: evita@greenbergadoption.com

Evita Nancy Torre is an adoption attorney with Greenberg Adoption: The Law Offices of Clifford L. Greenberg in New York City. The firm?s founder, Cliff Greenberg, is the resident legal expert at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, and published a children?s book (illustrated by his young daughter) about a girl?s adoption by two loving mothers, ?Living the Dream with Mommy and Mama.? Evita and Cliff host The Center?s monthly Family Law Clinic, and exclusively practice adoption law (public agency, private agency, second-parent adoption, sperm donor agreements, co-parenting agreements) in Chelsea.

Please Note: This article, or its content, does not create an attorney-client relationship. The information provided is about legal issues but it is not intended as legal advice.

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HOMES Arkansas -- Homes Arkansas ? Real Estate News ? Blog ...

I?m always fascinated at the impressive array of architectural styles that populate the North American landscape. The combination of climate demands, indigenous building materials and imaginative solutions to housing ? whether there are budget constraints or the sky?s the limit ? have produced buildings that satisfy more than the need for shelter. The different styles tell a story of their place in time and the personalities of the homeowners, and they also mirror the best (and worst) of an era. Wartime bungalows, working farmhouses, rural cottages, rambling ranchers, Colonials, Victorians and townhouses all have characteristics that set them apart and make them interesting and endearing in their own right.

For the lovers of ranch style, I?ve discovered a book, published by Gibbs Smith, and through the book a magazine that celebrates these midcentury houses in all their glory. Author of Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors Michelle Gringeri-Brown and photographer Jim Brown launched the quarterly magazine Atomic Ranch in 2004 to call attention to the underappreciated ranch homes built all across postwar America. Their in-depth research and admiration for the style dazzle in their new book as they showcase stylish ranchers decorated from vintage original to updated modern.

So what?s a rancher? Key elements are a long, low (often rambling) profile with minimal exterior decoration. Gringeri-Brown notes that they have limited curb appeal, but once you are inside, the story heats up. You?ll find simple, no-fuss architecture, an open plan, small kitchens and baths, and bedrooms separated from living area. Large windows and sliding glass doors bring the outside in. Rooflines overhang to protect the interior from direct sun.

Shown here is a midcentury house built by real estate developer Joseph Eichler. Renowned for bringing modern style to subdivision or tract housing, his homes were post and beam construction, which allows for huge expanses of glass and a wide-open layout. The design is Spartan, with clean geometric lines. The living room is a challenge to set up, with the off-center fireplace and walls of glass. A focal wall of green Venetian plaster and a pair of red cotton rugs balance the strength of the brick fireplace wall and tile floor.

With walls of glass come big utility bills, a drawback to this modern design. Pinch-pleat curtains or metal blinds do suit the style, and offer privacy, but not in this home. The bedroom floor is a slat-covered, radiant-heated slab, which helps.

Decorating solutions are described with tips from the homeowners for each of the eight ranchers in the book. Minimize colors and materials in an open-plan style. Repeat materials to build cohesion. Research midcentury colors on the Internet to find the right palette. Shop for vintage pieces that are appropriate to the style of the ranch; you often can mix in a few modern pieces. Lighting makes a big impression; the lamps shown throughout the book are fantastic!

To heighten the book?s appeal even more, there?s a very complete resource section for those who are seeking anything midcentury, from furniture and lighting to art and architects. And if you don?t have a rancher, you can steal a few very cool decorating ideas that would work wherever you live.

Debbie Travis? House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Email any questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/debbie_travis, or visit her new website, www.debbietravis.com.

More from columnist Debbie Travis

This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 8:25 am and is filed under Debbie Travis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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PSA: LG Optimus Elite available today on Virgin Mobile USA for $150

If you were one of those who jumped on last week's pre-order, chances are you're eagerly waiting for this Virgin-branded Optimus Elite to show up at your doorstep today. For those who decided to wait it out, however, you'll be happy to know LG's Gingerbread slab is now up for grabs at "major" retail shops in the States as well as Virgin Mobile USA's site. The contract-free flavor of the Optimus Elite carries a $149.99 price tag, which isn't a bad deal when you take into consideration its NFC and Google Wallet capabilities -- that said, its biggest trait's likely to be that lack of a two-year commitment. So, hit the source link below if you'd like one of these for yourself, or you could always take a quick road trip to one of your favorite stores.

Continue reading PSA: LG Optimus Elite available today on Virgin Mobile USA for $150

PSA: LG Optimus Elite available today on Virgin Mobile USA for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nick Diaz no shows for grappling superfight, Facebook post blames ?shady promoter?

Suspended UFC fighter Nick Diaz was supposed to take on BJJ star Braulio Estima in a grappling supermatch in California Saturday. Diaz was supposed to show his grappling chops off in a match against one of the world's best jiu-jitsu players. He was supposed to donate his entire purse to St. Jude's Children Hospital.

Most importantly, he was supposed to show up for his first competitive match-up since being suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for a positive marijuana test after losing to Carlos Condit in February. He didn't.

Diaz never showed up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, where the bout was scheduled to take place. Estima was reasonably steamed for the no-show.

"I know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough, he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this?" said Estima. "When you make an announcement that you're going to fight for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on? It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't know what is going on."

The Facebook page that purports to represent the Diaz brothers had this post on it early Sunday morning:

Promoter fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian
Match ain't happening

When Estima communicated with the WJJE organizers that he couldn't get down to the agreed-upon 180-lb. weight limit, they renegotiated the weight to 185 lbs. Diaz's camp agreed to the weight change ahead of time. As for the donation, could Diaz not have deposited his purse into his account and then write a check to St. Jude's? Taking five minutes to make the donation himself surely would have been better than depriving the hospital completely.

And if he really made the decision not to show up because of the promoters, he should have communicated it to his fans well before they spent $12.95 on the live stream of the event. That decision would have truly hurt the "shady" promoters in their wallets.

Instead, Diaz again decided not to show up for a commitment. In October, he skipped out on several media opportunities before his planned title fight and was removed from the bout. Again, he bizarrely blamed everyone but himself.

At this point, Diaz not following through on his commitments is par for the course. The MMA world shouldn't expect anything else.

--

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What the Hell Is Under This TV Reporter's Dress? [Video]

In the heat of discussing the super hot Facebook IPO, these Bloomberg TV reporters have suffered some technical difficulties. What the hell is that thing under reporter Sara Eisen's dress? Skip 22 seconds in help us solve the mystery. More »

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Father Jumps Out of Moving Car to Save Baby Daughter From Getting Run Over [Video]

Watch this father as he jumps out of a moving car to save his baby daughter from being run over by other cars in this busy intersection of Wenzhou, a city in the east of China. It was quite the move. More »

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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Sprint reassured us with optimism for Windows Phone 8, and T-Mobile's CEO found a new partner to continue the fight against Verizon's AWS acquisition. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 7th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino mechs learn RobotC, plot assimilation with Lego Mindstorms

Arduino boards have smoothed the creation of lots of eccentric thingamajigs, but robotics and controllers are still not for the faint of heart. Luckily, RoboMatter is coming to the rescue of would-be roboticists with a public beta version of its C-based RobotC language for Arduino. Joining Lego Mindstorm and other bots, Arduino will get RobotC's straightforward sensor and motor controls, along with a debugger and sample program library, while still keeping its native Wiring language. So, if you want to be a Kickstarter magnate , or just out-weird everyone else, rolling your own droid is now a bit easier.

Arduino mechs learn RobotC, plot assimilation with Lego Mindstorms originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 04:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Senate hearing set on Secret Service scandal probe (cbsnews)

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Samsung's SHV-E170K is a mid-range Galaxy S III variant for Korea Telecom

It's been just a week since we saw the Samsung Galaxy S III unveiled at London's Earl's Court arena, but already the international variants of the device are starting to appear. The first is from Korea Telecom, and comes with the snappy interim title of SHV-E170K. The device, which you'll see over on the left in the photo above, looks like a cross between a Galaxy Player 7.0 and a Galaxy S III (and also bears more than a passing resemblance to this alleged S III leak from back in March.)

It's a bit more angular than the international Galaxy S III, but it's running the same combination of ICS and the TouchWiz "Nature UX" that you'll find on that phone. The SHV-E170K is confirmed to be an LTE-capable handset, but other specs have yet to be officially announced. Based on benchmark results, SammyHub? postulates that it'll carry a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip, a 5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front-facer and a 4.3-inch qHD SuperAMOLED screen. Essentially, this is to the Galaxy S III what the HTC One S is to the One X.

No word on whether we'll see this thing outside of Korea, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a HSPA+ version of this thing in the months ahead, as Samsung brings its mid-range portfolio up-to-date.

Source: SammyHub

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