You may remember the old spy movies where people talked to their watches or pulled daggers out of their coat sleeves. While some of that was pure drama, today’s technology has advanced into clothing. Fashion designers and cyber techies are combining to create clothing with a double use.

Practical Hoodie

Imagine always having headphones with you when you go for a jog. The hoodie has headphones woven into the material, with a jack in the pocket. The drawstrings have the earplugs that you can easily put into your ears; no more tangled up wires.

Oakley Sunglasses

A lot of companies have made their sunglasses with a built in music player. Not all of them look as cool or work as well as the Oakley sunglasses. With these sunglasses, you don’t have to carry an mp3 player.

James Bond Style Watches

Imagine being in a tight situation and you talk into your watch to your partner for them to rescue you. Now you can do that with cell phone watches. With Bluetooth technology, you can wear an earpiece that is connected to your wristwatch - aka cell phone. Don’t expect them to have all of the features of a Smartphone, but you can make and receive calls.  

Some people seem to gravitate to the same kind of person in a relationship and don’t understand why.  They are actually drawn to a type of person even though it is a negative relationship that can be painful or even harmful.  How can you know if you are addicted to bad relationships?  There are a few indicators to prove whether you just had a bad experience or continually choose the wrong partners.

Same Story New Name

Does all of your past relationships sound the same with a different person involved?  People often repeat the same destructive behaviors.  If you have the same kinds of problems with each person you date or they end the same way, you may be addicted to that type of relationship.

People who are abused either verbally or physically often have the same abuse with a new partner.  They do not consciously seek such a person, but gravitate towards the same personality traits in someone.

President Obama announced last week that he was asking the Justice Department to create a task force to investigate lenders who gave loans to new homeowners prior to the debt crisis. The task force is supposed to find out if there were abusive or illegal lending practices. Those found guilty would be required to compensate the victims by contributing to the housing relief program.

Those Who Agree

There are many who are in support of this task force. Predatory lending practices provided loans to people who could not afford them, and are seen as the primary cause for the housing crisis. The term “predatory lending” refers to the unscrupulous and illegal practices used by many lenders while creating a loan.  

There are many behaviors that are categorized as predatory, and resulting in borrowers signing a loan they cannot afford. Some of these include:

-Failing to tell the borrower that the price of the home is negotiable

-Failing to clearly disclose the terms of the loan

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place in Park City, Utah, from January 19th to 29th. The festival selects and showcases the best short films. Submissions come from all over the world, and this year there were over 7,000 submissions. Each year the festival highlights the best new voices in independent film. 

Drama

Dramatic, documentary, and international films are the three genres featured at the Sundance Film Festival. The dramatic films that received the most praise this year all had dark themes of disaster, violence, and illness in common. Beasts of the Southern Wild, a lyrical film that followed the narrative of a defiant family after a devastating flood, was amongst the most loved films of the festival. It received the award for Dramatic Cinematography as well as the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Competition. Another crowd pleaser, The Surrogate, starred John Hawkes as a polio victim who hires a sex surrogate to take his virginity. This film won the audience’s choice award and the prize for ensemble acting. The award for dramatic director went to Ava DuVernay for her film Middle of Nowhere, which follows the personal crisis of an African American woman and her marriage to an incarcerated man. 

The internet is a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners. There is plenty of information on accounting, marketing, business strategy, and any other topic you may need to know about. However, most business owners don’t have the time to browse the web to find these resources. Here is a list of 10 websites that will be beneficial to almost every new entrepreneur and small business owner.

Business Owner’s Tool Kit

From cost-cutting tips and checklists to case studies and startup advice, this site is loaded with information. The best part is that it is free, which means you don’t have to add another cost to your already strapped budget.

Startup Nation

This website has useful information for anyone who is just starting their business. There are forums where you can learn from others with similar goals. You will find articles filled with information that pertains to you, as well as advice from experts and those “who have been there.”