How Much Are You Over-Paying For Your Auto Insurance

In good times, it's natural that we pay less attention to our individual expenses. But, in today's uncertain times, regardless of our current situation, everybody needs to save as much money as possible.

When it comes to saving money, the best place to start is with your auto insurance.

Most Americans can point to a similar list of monthly expenses, including mortgage or rent payments, auto expenses, utility bills, food & clothing, and so on. Many of these expenses are fixed and can't be changed, so they offer few opportunities to save any significant amounts of money. Financial experts agree, however, that the one monthly expense where people can, with minimal effort, often find a substantial monthly savings is auto insurance.

Auto insurance is a necessary evil that responsible people know they can't live without. In fact, for many of us, it's a payment we make month-in and month-out, and never see the benefit of. That's OK, because the coverage has to be there if we need it--but, it's also makes it all the more important that we don't overpay.

How to make sure your insurance company is not getting rich off you.

Fortunately, today there are online services that let consumers quickly shop for the best rates from a nationwide selection of auto insurance companies, all competing for your business. You simply enter your requirements, and instantly receive quotes from a wide range of reputable companies.

One of the most comprehensive of these services is AutoInsuranceTips.com. They operate a free website service that will find you the best insurance quotes from a wide network of premium insurers. The site also contains a wealth of reference information that helps you understand how different policies work, and how to save the most money possible.

The fact is that auto insurance rates are constantly changing, and for certain policies, rates have actually dropped significantly in the past 12 months. You can be sure, however, that your insurance company is not going to call you up and let you know their rates have dropped. But, with a minimal amount of time on a service such as AutoInsuranceTips.com you may be able to quickly save hundreds of dollars.

So, if you're into saving money, start by finding out how much you're over-paying for your insurance coverage.  Click here to start.

New From: www.howlifeworks.com

Keith Olbermann And MSNBC Announce They Are Parting Ways (VIDEO)

Keith Olbermann and MSNBC abruptly announced tonight that "Countdown" has ended, effective immediately.

Olbermann broke the news to his viewers during his show's final sign-off (full video below). MSNBC issued a statement with the news following tonight's episode. According to the New York Times, the host came to an agreement with NBC management late this week to step down. "Countdown" aired for just under eight years.

The bizarre timing of the announcement has raised a number of speculations, from Olbermann's suspension last November to the departure of NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker in light of the network's recent acquisition by Comcast. Read Full Story

Video: You Are the Resistance

videos: You Are the Resistance

The latest Terminator Salvation trailer is out, and we have to admit that it really looks hot! Just keep in mind as you hit the video play button below, if you’re watching this, you are the resistance. . .

Kat Von D & Jesse James Engaged

Kat Von D and Jesse James Are Engaged

Only six months after they first confirmed their relationship to the press, Jesse James and Kat Von D have gotten engaged, PEOPLE reports.

The tattooed twosome, who were first spotted canoodling at Las Vegas hotspot N9NE in mid-August, fueled engagement rumors at Monday night's Art of Elysium charity gala, when the 'LA Ink' star showed up sporting a diamond stunner on her ring finger.

James, whose divorce from wife Sandra Bullock was finalized in June 2010 following reports of his infidelity, has openly professed his love for Kat. "Baby? You make it so easy to do everything I can to show you how Amazing you are. I see it as clear as a bell. My other half," he tweeted over the weekend.

The former 'Jesse James Is a Dead Man' host says of his fiancee, "I have never met anyone so kind and loving and committed to making the world a better place every day. My love for her is beyond description. So honored that she said 'yes.' Growing old with her is going to be a f----n' blast!"

The marriage will be the second for Von D, who divorced husband Oliver Peck in 2007, and the fourth for James.

Von D, who owns High Voltage Tattoo in Los Angeles, where her TLC show is shot, says of her husband-to-be, "There is no one else for me. He's the one."

Despite their wedding plans, relocation is not the first priority for Von D, whose betrothed currently resides in Austin, Texas.

"Having two places we call home will be good for now," she says. "In the end, home is where the heart is, and my heart's with him."

While James' cheating made national headlines as a list of alleged mistresses came forward, Von D says she isn't concerned about his commitment to her. "I've made mistakes too," she told the Kevin & Bean show in August. "People have a hard time letting go of that you know? For me, I've got a lot of respect for Jesse and how he handled it."

News From: www.popeater.com

Wendy Williams Serena Williams and Common Engaged

Are Serena Williams and Common Engaged? Wendy Williams Asks Selita Ebanks!

Serena Williams‘ BFF Selita Ebanks recently paid a visit to the Wendy Williams Show and was asked about Serena and Common’s rumored “secret engagement” that allegedly occurred over the Holidays. And while reps for Serena Williams continue to deny the engagement rumors, Ebanks played coy when Wendy Williams grilled her on her friend’s rumored engagement.

“I’m the best friend, and I wouldn’t be the best friend if I told you, so I don’t know … #KanyeShrug” Selita jokingly told Wendy, later adding: “You know what, he would be smart if he did marry her. So, he’d be a very smart man.”

Are Serena and Common Getting Hitched?

News From: gossiponthis.com

The Biggest Loser: the masks are off

So in its third episode of the season last night, NBC's "The Biggest Loser: Couples" revealed the faces of the "unknown" trainers–Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel. Man, it's gonna suck having to write those names and trying to remember how to spell them! But in all seriousness, these two seem tough as nails. Bob and Jillian tend to have soft sides, and these two seem like they don't have any–they both are all business.

Then they showed the "unknown" camp, and how Rulon and Justin were calling out a couple of their fellow contestants for not giving their all last week, when they lost the weigh-in to the Biggest Loser ranch contingent. They called out Q and Austin, both of whom realized that they indeed had to step things up.

Then host Alison Sweeney offered up the first challenge, and brought the contestants to a location on the ranch where there was a wall up. Then black vans arrived with the other players in it, and they would be competing against each other as teams, but while not being able to actually see the other team. The challenge was to balance an egg on an upside-down frying pan. Yikes. The winner from each group would face off in a calorie-guessing contest with Curtis Stone, who would also be cooking them dinner. Then, the winner of that challenge would have a 2 pound advantage for their team at the weigh-in.

The unknowns already chose their winner in advance, Denise, and instead of dropping their eggs, they all launched them over the wall at the ranch team. Nice. For the ranch team, Marci won, so it would be Deni vs. Marci, two middle aged ladies who clearly had the hots for Curtis during the dinner. Curtis made them a meal of argula/squash salad; halibut over quinoa; and poached pear dessert—and they had to estimate the number of calories per serving for the entire meal. Marci went first and guessed 480, and Deni guessed 440. I was looking at this, and trying to figure it out, but I had absolutely no clue. Marci was closer, as the true calories came in at 572. Is it just me, or does that seem high for a "healthy" meal? I know there was nothing junky in it, but still.

Then came the main challenge, which was to pump water from barrels that had to be carried for ½ mile into each other's trough. Just like the unknowns did on the first challenge, the group decided to let Irene win, since the prize was to give the winning team the only vote at this week's weigh in. That's a lot of power, and they wanted to give Irene, one person, that power? Okay.

So then they showed the weigh-in at the unknown location, and Austin lost 15 while Q lost 19; and Moses has now lost a total of 64 pounds. They sure are working it under Cara and Brett.

Then, Alison mentioned one thing that wasn't mentioned earlier—that if Irene fell below the yellow line, she would automatically be eliminated. So Courtney and Marci went first and lost 6 and 7 pounds, respectively, and then another 2 pounds on top of that. Not bad, but not awesome, especially for the very hefty Courtney. Irene was next and lost 8 pounds, assuring her safety and vote. Jay and Jen were next, and Jay had the number "349" written on his arm all week and kept telling Bob he was going to achieve that, by losing 15 pounds. He almost did, losing 14, and Jen lost 8. Then Jesse and Arthur weighed in, and Arthur did the same as Jay, calling out a 17 pound weight loss—but he only lost 4 pounds while Jesse lost 9. Bob was pissed that now Arthur was in danger of going home while he really needed to stay on the ranch to get healthy. Hannah and Olivia were next and lost 6 pounds each, leaving the twins, Dan and Don. These two had mentioned earlier to everyone that it wouldn't break their hearts to go home, especially Dan, who really missed his family and especially his young daughter. So maybe they'd throw the weigh-in, right? They each GAINED 9 pounds. Each. Holy crap…I have never seen anyone throw it that badly, nor have I ever seen two contestants try to reasonably explain something like that. All I heard was "blah blah blah," and so did Bob and Jillian. Jillian said she was sad more than angry, and I can see that.

So now Irene had to choose between these two, and per his wishes she chose Dan. When Dan was then saying how he would continue to work hard at home, I didn't believe him. But they showed him having gone from 287 to 215, so he really is working at it.

Still, that 9 pound gain is now going to be a sore spot for Don to Bob and Jillian on the ranch. Can he gain their trust and confidence back? It should get interesting, that's for sure. And I think they are going to bring the groups back together next week. So things are heating up for sure.

News From: www.premiumhollywood.com

W e are Really Excited Have Kids Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff "We are Really Excited to Have Kids"

She found love with hockey pro Mike Comrie, and got married in August, so is a baby carriage in Hilary Duff's near future?

"Yeah, I think we're really excited to have kids," the singer/actress told UsMagazine.com at the Kentucky Derby Prelude Party Thursday. "And he comes from a big family."

PHOTOS: See what celebrities are expecting now

Still, added the star, "I'm only 23, so give me a little bit of time. Come on people!"

In the meantime, Duff and her man, 30, are enjoying their newlywed bliss.

"We just still have this really giddy excitement about each other that's like, 'Oh we got married! Oh my god! You're my husband and I'm your wife!'" she told Us.

PHOTOS: Check out Hilary and Mike's romantic wedding

And though the twosome don't live together -- she lives in L.A., and he's based in Pittsburgh where he plays for the Penguins -- they make sure not to spend more than three weeks apart.

"I go back and visit," she said. "It's all just been really good. I say 'I can't wait to see you' and 'I miss you so much.' He's such a good guy."

PHOTOS: See what other stars are dating athletes

So great, in fact, that the former Gossip Girl star didn't mind taking care of him while he recovered from hip surgery over the holidays.

"I played nurse all throughout Christmas, but we were in Vail so it was beautiful and nice," she told Us. "He's a good patient. Boys are a little whiny, but he was really good."


News From: www.usmagazine.com

Thewless

Some Heathens are Confused

Some heathens think our religion is about giving a rubber stamp to norms or customs. Yea, our heathenism is about pragmatism, so let's just find some gods who will place their stamp of approval on the way we like to do things anyway.

Sorry.

Wrong.

What are you saying, Ziggy, that thew has no place in heathenism? That customs don't matter?

No, customs can be good, but they ain't necessarily good, either. It depends on the custom, wouldn't you say?

There's a confusion in heathenism between thew and wyrd. They're not the same thing. Thew is for carls, wyrd for jarls and wizards. People talk about "laying down wyrd". There ain't no weird in there! They're laying down thew. They're trying to establish norms. Ok, that's what carls do, go at it.

Religion is about aligning thew with wyrd.

There. It's that simple.

It means thew and wyrd are not always aligned. It means there has to be a continual realignment. It means the job of the Gothi is to provide an Outside to the culture from within that cannot be domesticated.

That means the nationalists, I'm sorry to say again for the umpteenth time, have got it all wrong. Yep, that's right, I'm talking about the "folkish". You can't have it both ways. The folkish are wrong. Well, that's kind of bold to say, isn't it? I worship bold Gods. We get to say bold things. That's one of the nice things about worshipping bold Gods.

Now why do I say the folkish are out-and-out wrong? If I'm going to say something that daring, I might as well back it up.

I say it because the folkish confuse culture and spirituality. They are not, not, not the same thing, not now, not ever.

Spirituality is about transcending culture. It's about correcting culture. It's about taking the folk -- and that means the "people", folks, not ethnic nationalists -- who are thick with thew, cantankerous with their customs, their strivings, their desire to domesticate everything according to their norms --- and introducing them to WEIRD.

Don't give me no fancy-shmancy nonsense about what Wyrd means. It means WEIRD. It means Reality That Cannot Be Domesticated. It means Becoming Beyond Norms. That means that norms, "thew" if you will, must be adjusted to Wyrd.

This doesn't mean the Gods hate thew. Heimdall above all understands the need for social order, which is why he tried to inaugurate a system that could make some sense of this imperfect world for us. The fact that we don't follow it is not his fault, but we can divide the social system into three classes : the Thewless, the thralls ; the Thewful, the carls ; and the Wyrd-tenders, the jarls. People need norms, customs they can count on. They also need judges and wizards who act as adjustors who recommend corrections and exceptions to customs where customs have fallen out of alignment with Wyrd.

When you come to a blot, you're coming to the table to make or renew a treaty. A treaty with Gods who are not here to rubber-stamp your desires or even your customs. Gods who have their own agenda as Trustees and Agents of Wyrd. Wyrd the Powerful, wyrd before whom all thew must bow and adjust, lest it be washed away.

We come to the blot to say, ok, we are the folk, we have thew, and we love it. It is our treasure, it keeps us warm, it gives us our rights, and it keeps the village safe. But we know we stand before Gods so wild and wondrous, so untameable and mysterious, that we will have to put aside for a moment our desire to tame the whole world, and realize that the world is not going to be tamed by us. The Gods give us our villages so that we might have our own gards, our places of safety, where we make the world a little bit more like us in the process. But meanwhile the Great Flow of Becoming rolls onward, and it is impossible to tame. No one will ever tame Wyrd. So we bow ourselves before this process, and we relinquish our domestication upon the altar. We give up the fruits of our domesticated lives upon the horg. In so doing, we say to the Gods, we know that our village is not the end-all and be-all of existence, but we exist to serve larger powers. The fruits of our domestication are to feed wilder powers and flows.

Not jotnar. I'm not making the Gods big and scary here. They're our Friends, but they are also our Teachers, and as such, they'd like us to pay attention to where we need to adjust our norms to wyrd.

So a ritual, a blot, is a really profound thing. The laying of the meat or the fruits upon the stones is not simply about having a church barbecue where we feast each other with the Gods. It is that, but it is more. It's about bringing our families and friends, with all of our customs, desires, strivings, norms, bickerings, and taming impulses, into a holy space, a space set aside from all that strife, in order to reattune. A space where we are asked to give up, to relinquish, to surrender something precious to us. To acknowledge that our little empires exist on the crest of waves far bigger than ourselves.

That is the inner transformation the blot is meant to effect.

And we get to have our customs and our common law. And we also get to figure out that, hey, there are exceptions. There are some people who are following a holy path who are going to live a little bit different than us, who are going to have customs of their own. And they are not evil. We don't get to domesticate everyone. We know that our most noble folks are creative folks, are folks who think outside the box. Hell, our Chief God is renowned for thinking outside the box! So our most noble folks are, in a sense, Outsiders on the Inside.

They don't get to abrogate our thew. They don't get to wash it away. We get to live the way we like to live, for the most part. But we, at the same time, do not get to judge them by the standards of our mainstream expectations. It works both ways. If we the tame want respect, we must give respect to the wild.

The blot is where the wild and tame meet, and make a treaty. That treaty is at first mere grith. It's not based on deep trust. We distrust that which is outside our own cultural norms. Grandpa and the Bible say that there's no gay marriage, so there shouldn't be gay marriage. Yet the Gods speak of exceptions, and the Gothis speak of Wyrd having its own ways, and sometimes these ways outstretch our thew. So reluctantly, grumbling, we listen, and make our treaty. Ok, we're willing to give up that much. But we also want this much.

Yet if we will attend to the terms of the treaty, over time, what was mere Grith will become full Frith. Frith with the world, Frith with Wyrd.

That's the magic that's possible through the blots. If we will take them where they wish to lead us.

Claire Danes Are Best TV Actresses

68th Golden Globes: Jane Lynch and Claire Danes Are Best TV Actresses

The awards giving continues at 68th Golden Globe Awards with more of "Glee" and HBO shows. After Chris Colfer's victory for "Glee" in the Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini -Series or TV Movie, his co-star Jane Lynch takes the Supporting Actress category for her performance as the "Glee" character that also won her an Emmy last year.

"I am nothing but falsely humble!" Lynch says as the audience laughed. She went on thanking the "Glee" writers for coming up with such an evil and witty character as Sue Sylvester. Last year Chloe Sevigny won the title for her role on "Big Love".

Claire Danes also goes home with a trophy that night for her titular role in HBO's TV movie "Temple Grandin". The actress says, "This is so cool", before getting emotional about her win. Last year, Drew Barrymore of "Grey Gardens" won the same category for HBO.

Al Pacino also adds the number of wins HBO is collecting by taking the Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie. He plays the titular character in TV movie "You Don't Know Jack" about an American doctor known for a number of assisted suicides. Pacino receives a standing ovation when receiving the trophy.

"Boardwalk Empire", which has won earlier through Steve Buscemi, walks away with Best TV Series Drama. The whole cast and creator Terrence Winter go to the stage to accept the prize. "Mad Men" won the title last year although it is nominated again this year.

BP-Rosneft deal: Who are Rosneft?

Back in 2003 few people had ever heard of Rosneft. A state-owned, relatively minor player in Russia’s oil industry, the10 year old company was dwarfed by its privately owned rival Yukos, which was controlled by the country’s then richest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

That all changed in December of that year. A $27bn tax claim against Yukos set off a chain of events that would eventually lead to the bankruptcy of the company and the jailing of Mr Khodorkovsky, who was last month sentenced to a further eight years in prison for tax evasion.

But, it was 12 months later with the auction of Yuganskneftegaz, the main production facility of Yukos’s empire, that Rosneft was propelled into the big time as the business was sold off to help settle the Yukos tax debt.

Despite Yuganskneftegaz being one of the most attractive oil assets put up for sale in Russia, bidders proved elusive and in the end only two offers were made for the business; one from Gazpromneft, the oil business of state gas company Gazprom, the other from Baikalfinansgrup.

If the second name is not familiar this is no surprise - the company was only set up two weeks before the date of the auction. Even more bizarrely, the company was registered in the Russian city of Tver in a building that otherwise housed a vodka bar, a mobile phone retailer, a travel agent and a handful of other small local companies.

Yet this improbable bidder won the day, offering $9.3bn after securing a multi-billion dollar letter of credit from Sberbank, a state-owned bank. Four days later Baikalfinansgrup was bought by Rosneft.

The Baikalfinansgrup deal might seem somewhat murky, but it had one substantial result: Rosneft could not be directly legally challenged by the owners of Yukos for the purchase of the company’s prize asset.
The acquisition immediately promoted Rosneft to the oil industry’s big league and took its annual production from about 20m tons to more than 70m. Today it produces more than 100m tons a year.
The second major event in Rosneft’s rise to prominence came in 2006 when it listed on the London stock market.
The deal was highly controversial and even many City financiers had misgivings about allowing a company with Rosneft’s recent history to sell its shares in the UK market.
Billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros railed against the deal, describing Rosneft as an “instrument of state”. The company’s listing prospectus did little to dampen these fears, containing an admission that it might not always act in the interests of minority shareholders.
In the event the deal got done, partly with the support of BP and other major oil companies, who acted as strategic investors. The Russian state retained, as it does today, the majority of the shares, with a 75.16pc holding.
The Russian government’s hold over Rosneft is unsurprisingly strong and the company is chaired by Russia’s deputy prime minister, Igor Sechin. Other board members include senior government adviser Andrei Reus; Andrey Kostin, the chairman of a state development bank; and the company’s former president Sergey Bogdanchikov.
The only non-Russian member of the board is Swiss banker Hans-Joerg Rudloff, chairman of Barclays Capital, who is well connected in Russia having been one of the first Western financiers to do business there after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In today’s Russia, Rosneft is among the handful of state champions created by the government that have become international players in the world markets. Run out of a rocket ship-shaped skyscraper in Moscow the company employs more than 100,000 people and generates tens of billions of dollars in profits each year.