Men are facing a big financial hit from 21st century dating, according to the latest NS&I Quarterly Savings Survey, which reveals old-fashioned expectations among men and women. On average, men expect to pay 60% more on a date than their female counterparts and some are even prepared to go into debt to fund this. While spending to impress is making many wallets groan, encouragingly some sensible guys are planning ahead and saving in advance.

Dating is a deeply-embedded cultural phenomenon and finding a partner in 21st century Britain seems to be almost as reliant on finances as in Jane Austen times, as couples stick to traditional gender roles.

According to the survey, men expect to fork out over £50 (£52.51) on a date, with women reckoning on spending about £20 less (£32.49). These costs add up, with single men in Great Britain collectively planning to spend over £12billion a year on dating, while the figure for women is over £7.5billion less.

In view of romantic expenses a quarter (25%) of men will spend on their credit card, even though they know it will be difficult to pay back, and 16% of men would borrow money from friends or families to fund the date. Even with just over a quarter (26%) of men saying that they set money aside specifically for this purpose, it seems that once men are out on their rendezvous they are happy to spend now and worry later. Three quarters (75%) of men say that they have overspent on a night out and more than one in ten (12%) have been caught short of money at the end of the date.

Dax Harkins, senior savings strategist at NS&I, said: “There is no doubt that dating costs a lot, and many people in Britain need to think beyond impressing with wit and charm and also plan their finances. Given the expense, especially for men, it is great to see that some are setting money aside specifically for this reason. However it is clear that men need to keep at least a few of their thoughts on money when they’re trying to impress on a date, so they don’t end up overspending or being caught short of cash.”

Men seem to understand what the opposite sex wants as the women surveyed said they expected money to be lavished on them. On average, women said they would want their date to spend over £40 (£40.05). In contrast, men don’t hope for as much and generally twenty pounds (£22.85) will do. In fact, almost a fifth (17%) of British women say they expect men to pick up the bill on an evening out. It’s lucky then that men are so generous with 40% saying they think that their partner should pay nothing at all towards their romantic liaison.

With these kinds of expectations, men may be right in thinking that it helps to spend to find favour with their date, with a large proportion of men (45%) admitting they wanted to be seen as generous and financially well off in the eyes of their companion, in order to make a good impression. In contrast this is only important for less than a third of women (29%). But they won’t necessarily carry on spending indefinitely. Indeed, nearly a fifth (18%) of men will walk away if they think their date isn’t worth the money they’re investing.

Spring is around the corner in Niagara Falls, and this season Niagara entertainment is heating up with world-renowned musicians, magicians, and more. The impressive list of live entertainment venues and events around Niagara Falls includes Avalon Ballroom at the Fallsview Casino, Greg Frewin Theatre, Bird Kingdom, Spring in Bloom Concert, and the Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show.

Fallsview Casino concerts at the Avalon Ballroom are attracting increasingly popular acts in 2008. This Spring, visitors to the newest Niagara casino can see Gary Sinise and The Lt. Dan Band (March 28 & 29), Gladys Knight (April 3 & 4), Ray Charles (April 7-13), Chicago (May 8 & 9), Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (June 6 & 7) and Grand Funk Railroad (June 27 & 28), among many more. In addition to live music, Avalon Theatre also hosts Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show (April 25 & 26) and Le Grande Cirque (May 12-25).

The Greg Frewin Theatre is a Niagara entertainment must-see for a family night out. One of the most celebrated magicians in the world, Greg Frewin presents “Beyond Belief,” a Las Vegas Style Magical Review, right in the heart of town. A favourite sightseeing attraction on a Niagara Falls vacation is the Bird Kingdom which also features daily live entertainment. From Lorikeet Feeding and Bat Feeding to Interactive Reptile Encounters and the Wings of the World Bird Show, Bird Kingdom offers an engaging and educational experience for adults and children.

In addition to the Fallsview Casino concerts, visitors looking for live music will enjoy the Winter Festival of Lights’ Spring in Bloom Concerts. The Spring in Bloom will feature headliners Mickey Gilley and The Lettermen, from May 1 to 3, 2008. Many Niagara hotels have created vacation packages just for Niagara trips around this special event.

For a truly Canadian experience, the award-winning Oh Canada, Eh? Dinner Show runs year-round. Not only do the performers (including Mounties, lumberjacks, and hockey players) sing Canadian songs from the cozy confines of their log cabin theatre, they also deliver dinner—serving up authentic and tasty Niagara entertainment for the whole family.

For more information about a Niagara vacation, visit www.niagarafallstourism.com to reach individual hotel websites.

Talentscotland.com is a Scottish Enterprise initiative managed by Scottish Development International aimed at attracting highly skilled professionals to choose Scotland as a location to live and work. Talent Scotland provides information and job listings in life science, electronic technology, financial services and energy.

The newsletter, which is produced by the Edinburgh office of Engage Group, is now circulating in almost 150 countries and has a ‘click through rate’ of readers going on to the main TalentScotland web site of 34% against an industry standard of 20%.

Judges commented that this publication is doing a good job. The content is jargon free and clearly worded and is a good example of how an email newsletter should be sent out and written.

Hazel Sinclair, Project Manager of TalentScotland.com said; “The remarkable growth of the financial services sector in Scotland is generating a great deal of interest worldwide and the e-zine is helping to bridge the information gap between people just being curious and deciding to get involved.

“Last year there were over 8,000 new registrations to TalentScotland by individuals with key skills who wish to work in Scotland. And a recent survey highlighted that 80% of recipients said that the information from Talentscotland improved their views of Scotland, 73% reported an improved perception of Scotland as a career choice and two thirds have already applied for jobs in Scotland.”

There’s still time to book your spring escape. Visitors to www.vcmbc.com will find low springtime fares and special rates on a wide range of spring holiday vacation packages and weekend getaways. With everything from spectacular golf getaways to the best in late-season skiing, planning your spring holiday in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region will be a breeze.

Families planning a getaway during the school-break can take advantage of special rates for top Vancouver attractions and sights, like the BC Museum of Mining and Canada Place. A nature-oriented family trip to Harrison Hot Springs also provides the perfect combination of entertainment and relaxation, with fabulous festivals and events and a soothing mineral hot pool.

But a spring break isn’t just for the kids: parents and couples deserve a fun weekend getaway, too. Vancouver, Coast and Mountains is offering special rates on weekend getaways to the Historic Lund Hotel, the Sundial Boutique Hotel, the Sunshine Coast Resort, the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel, and other Vancouver hotels. Or, take in the local sights on a sightseeing tour with the Vancouver Trolley Company.

Golfers seeking greener pastures will enjoy a golf getaway in Sea to Sky Country. The Sea to Sky Golf Getaway package includes a round of golf at both Furry Creek Golf and Country Club and Nicklaus North Golf Course, plus an overnight stay at the Crystal Lodge in Whistler Village.

Vancouver, Coast and Mountains is easily accessed by two international airports, the Vancouver International Airport and the Abbotsford International Airport. Travelers will find special deals on spring travel to the Abbotsford International Airport, a convenient choice for visitors to the Fraser Valley and communities east of Vancouver. Abbotsford offers excellent deals on urban escapes, where you can stay, play, dine and shop in the Fraser Valley.

For more information about weekend getaways and spring holidays in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region visit www.vcmbc.com or call 604-739-9011.

If you love to travel, I found a program that will help you visit everywhere you have always wanted to go but never could afford to.
With this program you will become what the company refers to as a referring travel agent. You will point people in the direction of your own personal web site.
Your family and friends will book their travel and vacation through your web site and you will earn 60% commission of the total commission paid to the agency on the bookings.
And as an RTA (referring travel agent) you will be also entitled to all the perks and discounts that travel agents receive. You will get your own travel agent ID card and be able to become a member of the cruise industry, so that you may enjoy discounted and even free cruises.
This is the best program I have found for people who LOVE to travel. Not only will you be able to travel for pennies on the dollar but by having a home based business you can write it off on your taxes.
The travel industry gives away hundreds of FAM trips at a time. A FAM trip is where the resort or cruise line, etc. lets agents go for deeply discounted rates in order that they may inspect their properties, so they can go home and tell their clients about it; therefore hoping to bring about more business.
For more info on this please contact me at 727-815-8242 or visit www.manzotravel.info where you can get more detailed information and a free report on marketing your business.

Chris Guenzler will be the first regular passenger documented to have ever traveled 1,000,000 miles over all the routes in the Amtrak system.

This record event will occur just in time for Amtrak’s own six weeks of celebrations culminating in its first National Train Day on Saturday, May 10, 2008.

Amtrak’s celebration of National Train Day will begin six weeks prior to May 10 with special promotions, events, partnerships, and an advertising campaign. On May 10 Amtrak will host events at four of its largest stations, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit: NationalTrainDay.com

Traveling from Fullerton, California, Chris Guenzler will reach exactly 1,000,000 miles of Amtrak travel as he steps off the eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief Train #4 in La Plata, Missouri, on Monday, April 7, 2008. The scheduled train arrival time is 9:57 AM CT.

A brief welcome is planned for trackside as the train arrives, to be immediately followed by a celebration, awards, and interviews at the nearby newly opened Silver Rails Event Center in La Plata.

Those attending the event will also have the opportunity to tour the newly opened Exhibition of Amtrak History that features the collection of the Amtrak Historical Society in two ex-U.S.Mail Amtrak freight cars.

The Silver Rails Event Center and the Exhibition of Amtrak History are just two of the latest additions in the plans to build the 160 acre Silver Rails Resort in La Plata, Missouri, which already features the Depot Inn & Suites, the Lookout Point train watching facility, and the restored La Plata Santa Fe Depot / Amtrak Station.

Setting rail travel records is nothing new for Chris Guenzler. Last April 27, 2007, Chris became the first regular rail passenger in modern times in North America to travel more than 1,000,000 miles over all types of rail lines including tourist trains, light rail, streetcars, and more.

For more information, please visit: www.RailResort.com/2008apr07.html

(Castries, St. Lucia) A new and provocative star is born in the constellation of Caribbean destination sites. StLuciaislandresorts.com is the new premier online source for everything exotic St. Lucia Island has to offer. St. Lucia is located in the Lesser Antilles island group in the Caribbean Ocean and has become a very popular tropical destination for honeymoon couples, singles, and families. St. Lucia has accommodations to suit every traveler and budget, from private St. Lucia luxury villas to all-inclusive family resorts to oceanfront Caribbean hotels. Now StLuciaislandresorts.com brings island adventurers all the information they need to create an unforgettable St. Lucia vacation experience.

The company’s travel professionals have prepared in-depth reviews of the very best St. Lucia resorts and vacation villas on the island. The website at www.StLuciaislandresorts.com is loaded with rich information about the natural beauty of St. Lucia, including marine life of the coral reefs and the birds and animals of the lush tropical forest. Visitors will learn about the magnificent Pitons, the breath-taking twin mountains that are the major landmarks of St. Lucia Island.

St. Lucia is home to some of the very best scuba diving in the Caribbean. St. Lucia guests can enjoy diving lessons and tours from some of the world’s finest instructors and explore the beauties of Anse Chastanet Reef and beyond. Water sports are everywhere with jet skis, para-sailing, water skiing, sailing, and St. Lucia fishing expeditions.

Details about St. Lucia’s many activities and cultural attractions abound on the website, covering the world-renown St. Lucia Jazz Festival, intoxicating island nightlife, and St. Lucia restaurants and shops. A timeline of St. Lucia history explores the island from its very beginnings to the present day and the culture and heritage of the native people are detailed. Visitors will enjoy the website Blog announcing new St. Lucia villa and resort news and inviting readers to share their comments, questions, and their own St. Lucia travel experiences. High quality photos bring the words of the travel writers to life.

The Main Attraction of www.StLuciaislandresorts.com is their collection of expert St. Lucia hotel, resort, and villa reviews. The travel team searches for the finest Caribbean island destinations to fit a variety of lifestyles and pocketbooks, and presents their findings in a clear unbiased fashion so that couples, singles, and families can find the St. Lucia resort that fits them perfectly.

Visitors will find everything they need to know about beautiful Marigot Beach Club & Dive Resort, a St. Lucia luxury resort that features a world-class PADI dive center with classes and excursions for beginners and advanced divers alike. The resort offers tranquil St. Lucia villas that perch on the hillside overlooking sparkling Marigot Bay. St. Lucia resort guests enjoy a world-class day spa, vast swimming pool, modern gym, babysitting services, the PADI dive shop and school, and two full service gourmet restaurants.

The Stluciaislandresorts.com review of St. Lucia’s Firefly Villa describes an incredible experience of luxury and elegance. This ultimate luxury St. Lucia villa sits on 2.4 very private acres in exclusive Cap Estates. The main house includes 5 bedrooms each with private bath with a separate one bedroom guest house on the property. This vacation villa features air conditioning throughout, spacious dining room and sitting room that each seat 12 guests comfortably, and the very finest Caribbean décor and details. Anse due Cap beach is 600 feet from the front door and a romantic gazebo nestles within the lush tropical landscaping.
The beautiful and elegant Firefly Villa St. Lucia can be explored at: http://www.stluciaislandresorts.com/villas2.php.

This group of island travel enthusiasts is dedicated to bringing their visitors everything that’s new and exciting about tropical St. Lucia. Only the highest quality and most inviting St. Lucia resorts and villas are included in their reviews. Island travelers will find info on all kinds of St. Lucia activities, tours, diving, and first-class accommodations at www.StLuciaislandresorts.com. Visitors are invited to share their St. Lucia travel experiences, comments, and questions via the contact form or the website Travel Blog.

No. 1 source for Mario Lopez is now online at mariolopez.info
Mario López, Jr. is a Mexican American actor who appeared on several television series. He first became well known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell.

On USA Network’s Pacific Blue, he played police officer Bobby Cruz. Lopez also served as the host of the syndicated series Name Your Adventure. He also starred as the Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis in Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story.

He emceed the second season of the Family Channel game show Masters of the Maze.

He was also one of the co-hosts of the syndicated talk show The Other Half, which aired from 2001-2003. It was a male version of the female ensemble talk show The View, featuring four male co-hosts, including Danny Bonaduce and executive producer, Dick Clark.

As late as 2001, Lopez’ likeness was featured in the Disneyland attraction Space Mountain in Anaheim. He played a space captain that informed guests of the adventure-to-come while they waited in queue for the ride.

In March 2006, he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful playing the role of Dr. Christian Ramirez. On July 18, 2006, Lopez was released from his B&B contract. He guest-starred as a plastic surgeon who drives Christian Troy to jealousy when he sees him naked in the shower in an episode of FX Network’s Nip/Tuck during the show’s fourth season, which began in Fall 2006.

In the fall of 2006, Lopez appeared as a celebrity contestant for the third season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, who made her series debut. Lopez’s strong start in the program left some viewers wondering whether he had received dance training prior to joining the series. Initially, he said that he had not received any formal training, but he later revealed that, though he hasn’t had formal ballroom training, he has studied tap and hip hop styles. He finished second to Emmitt Smith.

He was announced as a celebrity guest host for the syndicated entertainment news magazine show Extra on January 12, 2006. His first assignment was covering the Golden Globes.

Lopez was scheduled to be color commentator for the first EliteXC mixed martial arts event alongside pro-wrestler Bill Goldberg, but was inexplicably replaced at the last minute.

Lopez is both the host with Carmen Palumbo and co-executive producer of Sí TV’s Dating Factory.

On March 12, 2007, Lopez auditioned in a not-for-air episode of The Price is Right to take over for the retiring Bob Barker.

Lopez has hosted primetime television pageants; Miss Teen USA in 1998, 2003 and August 2007; Miss America in January 2007; and Miss Universe in May 2007, giving him the distinction of being the only individual to have served in hosting capacity for both of the major pageant system organizations.

Lopez is currently hosting the MTV reality show America’s Best Dance Crew.

Starting on April 15, 2008, he will take on the role of Zach in Broadway’s A CHORUS LINE.

Mario Lopez site is now online at www.mariolopez.info . This site includes filmography, downloads, news and video. so check it out now.

Big Ticket to Wealth will help you with your road to financial freedom. With Bigticketreview I, John, can help you achieve your goals. Many individuals around the world are looking to get started in their own business. However, many feel as if this is just a “pipe dream”. Fortunately, that is far from the truth! With the power of the internet available, there are many opportunities available for individuals who wish to get their start in an online business.

One of these is Big Ticket to Wealth(BTTW). However, most individuals have heard of all the scams going on when it comes to internet businesses. When researching a company for value, there are a number of things that can help you decide if the company is legitimate, or if it is just another scam. The first thing that you should look for is the history of the company. Research the individuals who founded the company, their intent, their popularity, and their level of success. You should also take a little bit of time to determine how and if the company pays. This will also give you a good idea as to whether other individuals have been appropriately compensated. The next area you should investigate is the actual products and/or services that the company offers to consumers. The history of the program is a very broad and rich one. This specific company was originated by a man who has extensive experience in the area of internet marketing and success. After many exciting years in multi-level marketing, internet advertising, and success, Gerald Van Yerxa decided to invest his knowledge and experience into opening his own online company. Since starting the program, his company has been recognized for profits, impact, and general success. If you ask yourself, is it the real deal or a scam? Let me ask you this, do scams REALLY succeed in the same way this company has? This company offers a unique method of compensating those that wish to experience success. The first thing that you should know and understand is that the compensation is based on the membership type that you elect to choose from. There are three basic types; National, Executive, and Presidential. National membership is considered to be the most basic of the types, while Presidential is considered to the premium membership types. The compensation plan includes matching bonuses that match the sponsor’s commission to the individual selling the package.
These two individuals actually earn the same! There are no guidelines as to when you can enjoy these benefits. It can start from day one depending on your level of activity in promoting the company. Big Ticket to Wealth has created an extensive list of high technological marketing tools, custom flash videos, and resources to help train their affiliates in the in exciting world of internet marketing. Most businesses on the internet that are considered “scams” fail to offer interested parties the materials that are required to succeed. In addition to this, many of these scams also fail to offer the level of expertise and support that you require. Draw in customers with highly advanced Flash presentations; enjoy a large library with tons of resources that you can use to ensure that you experience success. Based upon my research I feel that the program is the real deal and is legitimate opportunity with real value.

CastXplorer-C is a full SNMP stand-alone network probe for monitoring the performance and quality throughout the Digital Cable network. The innovative QoS validation device returns and logs real-time key RF and MPEG2-TS parameters. SNMP traps allow for instant reactivity on critical failures whereas statistics log files enable long-term performance management for anticipating potential outages.
After validation at the head-end level, not all parameters need to be monitored since distribution cannot impact all signalling parameters. Most important elements to be monitored are the RF layer and some critical parameters of ETR290 validation scheme. CastXplorer-C features an innovative solution to monitor ETR290 to avoid triggering thousands of non-critical SNMP traps a day. As a result of this feature combination, the product achieves high cost-efficiency and facilitates information collection.
To further reduce costs of deploying a QoS monitoring solution, CastXplorer-C features multiple channel management. With a single unit located in a network node, it is possible to monitor all multiplexes. CastXplorer-C features a unique solution for monitoring all frequencies one after the other: Statistics log files are automatically linked to the multiplex monitored, thus enabling long-term performance information collection on all channels.

Being fully SNMP, CastXplorer-C can be entirely and easily integrated into any Network or Performance Monitoring System. This integration achieves a complete and cost-effective solution of QoS monitoring.
In addition, CastXplorer-C features a 100%-FPGA core, making it a highly robust product ideally fit for installation in critical environments such as street cabinets. CastXplorer-C is the optimal hardware unit to monitor the last mile and Cable Carriers are free to select their preferred Monitoring System or reuse their existing one.
CastXplorer-C is currently undergoing extensive tests by several major Cable MSOs. “The product shows very interesting features at a very cost-efficient price, thus allowing Cable MSOs to contemplate large-scale deployment. Most of our customers consider deploying several dozens probes to achieve refined evaluation of the Quality of Service at all critical locations on their network. As the product can be remotely accessed and configured, they also see CastXplorer-C as a fit solution to quickly check an area from which many calls to their customer care service originate: It can definitely help them reduce the costs of call-out operations in addition to the quality monitoring”, says Cécile Martin, Test & Monitoring Product Manager at ENENSYS.
Being fully compatible with all three annexes of the worldwide Digital Cable standard (ITU-J83), CastXplorer-C is the only reference on the market fitting for all areas in the World, from Europe to North America through Asia.

The number of digital Cable TV subscribers is increasing quickly all over the world and the growing expectations for new services or HD TV programs is leading to a cable bandwidth crunch. It is essential that Cable Carriers are capable of monitoring the Quality of Service actually delivered to their subscribers in order to reduce incident response time or even eliminate it by anticipating failures. Providing a higher quality of experience to their subscribers will help in increasing customer satisfaction and reduce churn.

About ENENSYS Technologies
ENENSYS has years of experience in Digital TV transmission systems design and manufacturing. Offer ranges from Mobile TV, Digital Terrestrial TV, IP Distribution to Test & Monitoring solutions, with high grade services and trainings. Covered standards include DVB-T, DVB-H, DTMB, MediaFLO, Digital Cable, 8-VSB…
With more than 200 customers on 50 countries, ENENSYS clients are Broadcast Operators, Network Operators, Telcos, TV Channels Chipset Vendors, Set Top Boxes Manufacturers, Professional Equipment Manufacturers and System Integrators.
Headquartered in Rennes, France, in the heart of the European Digital Broadcast Cluster, ENENSYS is publicly listed on Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (FR0010286252 – MLENS). For more information, please visit www.enensys.com.