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Best Places For Singles To Retire Overseas

Retirement is no longer what it used to be in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to who you'll be spending your golden years with: many post 50s may not be retiring as a married couple.

Whether through gray divorce, never marrying or an unfortunate death, more post 50s and baby boomers are single than previous generations. But that doesn't mean their retirement options have to be limited, according to retirement expert Kathleen Peddicord. Retiring overseas is a viable choice for single retirees looking to mix and mingle in vibrant expat communities, she wrote in an email to Huff/Post50. The best places for singles to retire overseas can offer low cost of living, fun activities and interesting people to spend time with.

But what should single boomers who want to retire abroad look for that's different from couples retiring overseas?

"Couples have each other for activities, company, and support so they can go most anyplace. Singles should look for locations with established expat communities and activities and events to help them integrate and stay active," Peddicord wrote. "Safety is [also] a top concern for single women thinking about retiring overseas."

Connecting with an expatriate community doesn't have to be intimidating either for singles who want to retire overseas.

"Online forums can be a good place to start, a good way to meet new people in the location before visiting or moving," Peddicord told Huff/Post50, "but beware that online forums can attract expats with too much time on their hands looking for a soap box.

"Volunteer groups are a great way to connect on the ground, with both the expat and the local communities," Peddicord continued. "Another good idea is to seek out hobby groups. For example, a friend who has lived in four different countries always finds a runners' group first thing upon arrival in her new home. She likes to run...and enjoys the company of others who like to run, too. Another friend is a musician. He travels everywhere with his guitar. As soon as he arrives in a new place, he asks around for a bar with live music. He shows up with his guitar and chats up the musicians. Inevitably, one thing leads to another...and he's made new friends...and, usually, been invited to play along. If you like to play bridge, play golf, whatever, try to find a group focused on that hobby in the place where you're relocating."

Facebook Removes Photo Of Breast Cancer Survivor's Tattoo, Users Fight Back

In a move criticized by many, Facebook removed a photo of a breast cancer survivor's large chest tattoo, citing a violation of its strict nudity policy, UPI reports.

However, the social networking site has since backtracked on its decision, allowing the photo to stay on the Custom Tattoo Design's Facebook page.

In an email to The Huffington Post, Fred Wolens of Facebook Policy Communications explained the move, writing "Mastectomy photos don't violate our content standards and are permitted on the site."

The announcement comes after Lee Roller of the Ontario-based Custom Tattoo Design -- the photo's original poster -- reposted the striking image and asked other users to share the photo.

n the latest reposting of the cancer survivor's tattoo photo, Roller explained:

Facebook keeps removing the post in 24hour as an offensive photo do [sic] to nudity. However we feel this woman is both brave and strong so were going to post it anyways and ask for your awareness and support; Please like and share this photo quickly to show your support for this and many other women who have lost so much.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the image had already been shared more than 138,000 times.

This is not the first time the photo has been circulated on the social networking site. The tattoo design was also posted by Middle Aged Woman Talking in October and the Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition in January. Neither of those posts has been removed by Facebook.

The photo of Inga Duncan Thornell, a breast cancer survivor who underwent a mastectomy, was borrowed from the book Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo.

In the past, Facebook has swiftly removed photos said to be in violation of its community standards. In February, four breastfeeding photos were pulled from a "Respect the Breast" community page. More recently, in November, Facebook also censored a photo of an elbow that resembled a woman's breast within 24 hours of its posting.

Facebook's community standards governing nudity and pornography are as follows:

Facebook has a strict policy against the sharing of pornographic content and any explicitly sexual content where a minor is involved. We also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We aspire to respect people’s right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo's David or family photos of a child breastfeeding.

The Nu Project's Nude Photos Tell The Truth About Women's Bodies

Female nudity isn't hard to come by in the media, but the bodies we see usually represent a fairly limited scope of sizes and shapes. The Nu Project, a collection of nude photographs shot by Minneapolis photographer Matt Blum, seeks to add some variety to the mix.

Blum started The Nu Project in 2005 but said it really took off when his wife, Katy Kessler, became the project's editor. Blum sees the photos as filling a void. "When I started shooting nudes there was no project like it," he told The Huffington Post in an email. "The things that I had seen either used models with typical model bodies or average people who were made to look extremely unimpressive. I figured there was a way to treat women (of any size/shape) like models and photograph them beautifully, respectfully without a lot of sexual under or overtones."

The women photographed are all volunteers, and most of the pictures are taken in the subjects' homes -- where they feel most comfortable. The Nu Project's website showcases six galleries of nudes, three shot in North America, three in South America.

Although Blum told HuffPost that he feels that they have a "good variety of people involved," he and Kessler acknowledge on The Nu Project website that they'd love for the subjects to be more diverse. "The hardest part for us is that the project is 100 percent volunteer, so I do not see the women until I show up at their door," Blum writes on the website. "We’re doing our best to encourage all types of women, but we need volunteers of all backgrounds and walks of life to make the project more complete."

Blum said he ultimately hopes that these images inspire the women who see them to feel better about their own bodies. "It's been really exciting to hear people react to the images," he told HuffPost. "We get a lot of feedback from women (especially) who have struggled to see themselves as beautiful, and this project has helped them on that path."

Papal resignation linked to inquiry into 'Vatican gay officials', says paper

A potentially explosive report has linked the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI to the discovery of a network of gay prelates in the Vatican, some of whom – the report said – were being blackmailed by outsiders.

The pope's spokesman declined to confirm or deny the report, which was carried by the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.

The paper said the pope had taken the decision on 17 December that he was going to resign – the day he received a dossier compiled by three cardinals delegated to look into the so-called "Vatileaks" affair.

Last May Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with having stolen and leaked papal correspondence that depicted the Vatican as a seething hotbed of intrigue and infighting.

According to La Repubblica, the dossier comprising "two volumes of almost 300 pages – bound in red" had been consigned to a safe in the papal apartments and would be delivered to the pope's successor upon his election.

The newspaper said the cardinals described a number of factions, including one whose members were "united by sexual orientation".

In an apparent quotation from the report, La Repubblica said some Vatican officials had been subject to "external influence" from laymen with whom they had links of a "worldly nature". The paper said this was a clear reference to blackmail.

It quoted a source "very close to those who wrote [the cardinal's report]" as saying: "Everything revolves around the non-observance of the sixth and seventh commandments."

The seventh enjoins against theft. The sixth forbids adultery, but is linked in Catholic doctrine to the proscribing of homosexual acts.

La Repubblica said the cardinals' report identified a series of meeting places in and around Rome. They included a villa outside the Italian capital, a sauna in a Rome suburb, a beauty parlour in the centre, and a former university residence that was in use by a provincial Italian archbishop.

How to generate State Bank Virtual Card (SBI e-Card)

SBI introduced virtual card for SBI net banking users. Other banks may also be providing Virtual Card, because I have listened about virtual card before SBI. Virtual card, by all the banks may be working the same way.

SBI Virtual Credit CardsA virtual card is also known as Electronic Card or e-Card. Virtual card gives an extra layer of security for your credit or debit card. It works the same way as real debit or credit card works but it is virtual (not physical). And your actual card (plastic card) info will be safe from merchants. Virtual card has only card number so it is secure and makes your real card secure. There are some of the information about this card.

Advantages for using State Bank Virtual Card

    Virtual Card provides an easy and secure way of transacting online without providing the Primary Card/ Account information to the merchant.
    It reduces the risk of exposing entire Credit/ Debit limit/ as the Primary Card/ Account information is not communicated to the merchant.
    Card is valid for a Max. of 48 hours or till the transaction is complete.
    The amount is debited only when actual purchase, using the Virtual Card, is completed successfully.

State Bank Virtual Card Creation / generation:

Step 1: Visit SBI Internet Banking (https://www.onlinesbi.com/) and click on Login of Personal Banking.
.
SBI E-card

Step 2: Login on using User Name and Password (Advisable to use Online Virtual Keyboard).
SBI Online Login Page

Step 3: Click on “e-Card” tab and select “State Bank Virtual Card” option.
SBI e-Cards Page

Step 4: Select the appropriate Account No. from the list and enter the amount for which you want
a State Bank Virtual Card. Accept the Terms & Conditions and click on Generate.

Step 5: Verify Card Holder Name, Debit Account No. and Virtual Card Limit. On re-verification of particulars/values click on Generate and in case of any error click on Back for correction.
Verify SBI e-Card

Step 6: Click on the specific Card No. which you want to view. On click the complete Card details viz. Name, Issue Date, Expiry, Merchant Name, CVV2, Limit Amount, Status, Source Account No. will be displayed on the screen.
State Bank Virtual Card Detail

How to Cancel generated/created State Bank Virtual Card:

Step 1: Visit SBI Internet Banking (https://www.onlinesbi.com/) and click on Personal Banking.
SBI E-card

Step 2: Login on using User Name and Password.
SBI Online Login Page

Step 3: Click on “Requests” tab and select “State Bank Virtual Card” option.
State Bank Virtual Card Requests

Step 4: Click on Cancel Virtual Card. Select the Virtual Card and click on Cancel.
State Bank Virtual Card Cancel

Step 5: Verify the Virtual Card No. you wanted to cancel and click on OK.
Verify the SBI Virtual Card No

Step 6: Confirmation message “Your Virtual Card number 466XXXXXX462 has been successfully cancelled.” will be displayed on the screen and the blocked amount will be credited back to the account, within an hour.
State Bank Virtual Card Delete

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Why tech innovators are Africa's future

Apps4Africa has just announced the three winners of its 2012 competition, showcasing the best in African innovation.

The winners, chosen from nearly 300 submissions, were Ffene, from Uganda, an app that helps small and medium businesses reduce administrative costs; SliceBiz, from Ghana, a crowdsourcing platform to encourage middle class Africans to invest small amounts in high-growth startups; and Prowork, from Nigeria, which is a project management and real-time collaboration tool for businesses.

The Apps4Africa competition began in late 2009 as an annual program that aimed to support African social entrepreneurs using technology to solve societal problems. This year's competition demonstrated again that Africa has innovation and a growing number of innovators. But now the challenge for technology entrepreneurs is not merely to innovate and create apps, but to turn them into lucrative business ideas.

During my trips to Africa while coordinating the Apps4Africa competition, I witnessed from the innovators a real desire to innovate and have their voices heard. But whilst a technology revolution is taking place in Africa, with so many of these young men and women building and creating apps, they still face huge challenges in understanding how to start businesses around their innovations.
An African future inspired by tech?
Africa's technology potential

Most of the innovators are following trends and their dreams, inspired mostly by the stories of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs making it without a clear business plan or any structured road map when they started their businesses many years ago. The reality check has not yet taken place in the minds of Africa's innovators and lots of time is being wasted on unrealistic desires.

Young entrepreneurs in Africa have a mosaic of demands that need urgent attention. Policy makers need to start taking the young entrepreneurs seriously, as they are the future of Africa.

The growing number of competitions and gatherings -- like Apps4Africa, Startup Weekend, Africa Gathering, Maker Faire, Pivot East and BarCamps -- help to give visibility and credibility to these innovators, but this is not enough. The young African innovator needs business skills and funding.

However, preparatory brainstorming gatherings, where people meet to share ideas, cement relationships and learn, could form the missing link that helps to create a culture of entrepreneurship and trust, that challenges and empowers the technology entrepreneurs to do more for Africa, and encourages the funders to support them.

Now the competition is over, with the prize money coming soon into the winners' bank accounts, what is next for them? Many people are asking this legitimate question.

One thing is sure, the entrepreneurs have ideas; the proof is that we have banks of apps being developed from the continent. But 90% of the people who attended the Apps4Africa sessions, with their business ideas in hand, need mentoring.

The ecosystem in their countries to facilitate the creation of companies and a culture of entrepreneurship and risk taking is currently in its infancy or non-existent. Funding is currently a big issue. Investors don't take the technologists seriously, say the entrepreneurs. Whilst their intentions and ideas are good, many of the entrepreneurs that I meet need to be mentored intensively. Investors don't have time for this.

Two Bomb Blasts Killed at Least 15 People in southern Indian city of Hyderabad

Two bomb blasts killed at least 15 people and wounded 119 others on Thursday in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, the city's police commissioner, Anurag Sharma, said a day after the attack.

Sharma didn't rule out the possibility of terror involvement in the city blasts. But he refused to identity any group as a suspect.

The two bombs were planted on bicycles parked in a crowded spot, Sharma said. They were improvised explosive devices, he said, and they could have been triggered by a timer.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the strike a "dastardly attack" and said "the guilty will not go unpunished." He directed government agencies to extend all possible relief to authorities in Andhra Pradesh state. He also approved money for the next of kin of those killed and for others seriously injured.

TSA apologizes after family told wheelchair-bound daughter would get pat-down

The Transportation Security Administration has apologized after the family of a wheelchair-bound 3-year-old girl with spina bifida was pulled aside and told she would receive a pat-down.

The family was heading to Disney World when the incident took place on February 9. It was "really strange and stressful," said Nathan Forck, the girl's father.

His daughter, Lucy, was taking her first big airline trip. "She didn't know what to expect," he said. "She was pretty upset."

In a video taken by her mother and posted on YouTube with the title "Shh! TSA Wants to Touch Your Kids," Lucy appears visibly distraught. Sitting in her hot pink wheelchair, Lucy weeps, crying for her stuffed lamb doll. A TSA agent can be overheard telling Lucy's mother, Annie Shulte, to stop her "illegal" recording. There is discussion by the agents over whether to give Lucy a pat-down.

The video has been viewed more than 136,000 times.

"TSA regrets inaccurate guidance was provided to this family during screening and offers its apology," the agency wrote in an email. "We are committed to maintaining the security of the traveling public and strive to treat all passengers with dignity and respect. While no pat-down was performed, we will address specific concerns with our work force.”

Furthermore, TSA policy does not prohibit passengers from taking photos or videos at screening locations as long as they're not interfering with or slowing down the process.

The trouble apparently began with mom's earrings.

According to Nathan, Annie was pushing Lucy through security when alarms were tripped by her metallic earrings. In the case of a passenger in a wheelchair, "a pat-down procedure is used to resolve any alarms of a metal detector," TSA says on its website.

It may have appeared to the agents that it was Lucy who set it off, not Annie.

After 30 minutes of tense isolation as agents and supervisors discussed options, Annie proposed carrying Lucy through security while agents swabbed the wheelchair separately.

Rapper among dead after shooting, fiery crash on Las Vegas Strip

A shooting and a fiery crash left three people dead in the neon heart of the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, and police scrambled to find out who triggered the carnage.

The bloodshed closed the Strip for about a block and a half around some of its biggest draws, leaving tourists gaping at a wrecked Maserati, a burned-out taxi and four other vehicles.

"First time in Vegas, and then, like, the whole thing, what you know from movies only -- I was shocked," Christine Gerstenberger, who was visiting the desert gambling mecca from Germany, said Thursday afternoon. She and her brothers debated going back to the hotel "because I'm totally scared," but "We're too curious," she said.

See iReporter's video of fire

One of those killed was Kenneth Cherry Jr. -- an aspiring rapper also known as Kenny Clutch -- his attorney Vicki Greco said. According to his Facebook page, Cherry is from Oakland, California, and lived in Las Vegas.

"Out of everyone I know in the rapping industry there is no way I would have ever, ever expected to find that he was shot on the Las Vegas strip in such an aggressive manner," said Greco, who said Cherry had two kids. "He didn't have a (criminal) record or a history. He was just a good kid trying to make it and be a good father."

Four of the Nevada city's biggest casinos -- Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo -- are nearby, and police collected surveillance-camera video from them to help the probe.

Also killed in the incident was a cab driver named Michael Boldon, CNN affiliate KVVU reported.

His family is devastated by the death of the 62-year-old cab driver, his brother Tehran Boldon told the affiliate.

"It is gut-wrenching," a tearful Tehran Boldon told KVVU. "My life mission will be to see them punished and brought to justice for the senseless thing they did."

It started around 4:20 a.m. with a dispute in the valet lot of the Aria Hotel, about a block away, Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said. Investigators haven't confirmed the cause of the altercation, but he said it spilled onto the street as someone in a black Range Rover Sport fired several shots at the Maserati as it headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard.

When the driver was hit, the Maserati continued into the intersection of the boulevard and Flamingo Road and collided with a taxi, which caught fire. The sports car's driver, the cab driver and a passenger in the taxi all died; a passenger in the Maserati and three other people in the resulting pileup were hurt, Gillespie said.

The Maserati's passenger and other witnesses are helping detectives piece together what happened, he said. And the "top priority" for police is to find the Range Rover, which sped away from the intersection, and those inside it when the shooting happened.

"This act is totally unacceptable, and we are going to make a very clear message to these individuals in regards to that," Gillespie said.

Police in neighboring states have been asked to look for the sport-utility vehicle, and Gillespie warned the occupants should be considered armed and dangerous.

"Clearly, the suspects have no regard for the lives and safety of others," he said.

The Range Rover had an out-of-state dealer plate, tinted windows and large, black rims, Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said.

The block around the crash remained closed off into Thursday afternoon. John Lamb, who was inside Caesars Palace, told CNN affiliate KLAS he heard the commotion and saw the taxi on fire from a window.

Connecticut woman threatened 'suicidal mass murder' at collegen FBI

The FBI has arrested an Connecticut woman accused of threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a community college.

Amanda Bowden, 19, of East Haven, Conn., was taken into custody Tuesday.

Bowden is accused of threatening to commit a Newtown-style mass shooting at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn.

"As alleged, this defendent made a series of threats that described in great detail her intention to carry out a suicidal mass murder at a community college in New Haven," said U.S. Attorney David Fein.

According to federal authorities, Bowden made several threats by text message with a witness cooperating with investigators between Feb. 4 and Feb 16. She also had text message and verbal conversations with an undercover officer, discussing her plans to commit a mass shooting and bombing at Gateway, authorities said.

Bowden claimed to have guns and claimed that she had constructed at least two napalm-based bombs at her home in East Haven, according to Fein.

The FBI and New Haven police chief Dean Esserman notified Gateway Community College President Dorsey Kendrick about the threats on Feb. 5, according to a school spokesperson.

"Chief Esserman and GCC security had been contacted by the FBI, and were told that there was no imminent danger as a result of the post, but an investigation was underway," said Evelyn Gard. "The chief requested that Dr. Kendrick and GCC security keep the matter confidential until the investigation wa
s complete."

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