The Beacon

Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple has unveiled the new Apple iPhone 4 which is due to be released in the UK on the 24th June and you can pre-order the new handset as of the 15th of June.

While many struggle to make ends meet during economic slowdowns, rest assured that the “average Joes” are not the only ones in the thick of a financial battle. Many celebs have also waged (and lost) the money war, giving up valuable pieces of real estate in the process. Here are five celebrities that have faced foreclosure on their massive homes around the globe.

Wyclef Jean

Just over a year ago, Wyclef Jean’s real estate dream in the making was foreclosed in Miami, Florida. The home was a canal-front property that Jean originally planned to completely renovate. However, construction was held up for more than two years, as one construction lien after another was filed against the property. The $2 million mortgage was left in arrears, and a series of fines and fees owed to architects and other professionals involved with the renovation project have put Jean $2.4 million in the hole. The mansion was sold at the end of 2008 so the bank could recoup some of their losses on the property.

LaToya Jackson

The former Celebrity UK Big Brother personality joined the ranks of celebrities facing foreclosure. Her Las Vegas condo, located on the 27th floor of the Regency Towers inside Las Vegas Country Club, is currently sporting an unpaid balance of about $750,000. Jackson has owned the condo since 1996, when she purchased the unit for just $260,000. The latest reports state that Jackson has moved her belongings out of the condo, suggesting she might be ready to let the property go.

Nicolas Cage

This Academy Award winner may take home yet another prize: the most foreclosures a Hollywood star must face during the current economic downturn. Blaming many of his financial woes on an unscrupulous business manager, Cage has bid farewell to properties in California and Las Vegas. His latest two losses are properties in New Orleans, which went on the auction block at the end of last year. One property, located in the French Quarter, was valued at $3.5 million and sold for $2.3 million. The other, in the Garden District, was appraised at $3.3 million and sold for $2.2 million.

Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin, the American actor who was on 2010’s Celebrity UK Big Brother, has also joined the foreclosure gang. His New York property was originally purchased for $515,000, but showed a default amount more than 10 years later of $824,000 out of his current accounts. Taxes were owed on the property, totaling thousands of additional dollars, along with the outstanding mortgage balance.

Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield’s massive estate in Fayetteville, Georgia has faced foreclosure not once, but twice in as many years. A second property owned by Holyfield in Fayetteville is also under foreclosure. The former heavyweight boxer owns a 109-room mansion that has an outstanding mortgage balance of $10 million. The first time the property came under fire, Holyfield was able to cough up the cash. The second time, he was not so lucky.

Foreclosure happens – even to the rich and famous it appears. Let it be a lesson to all of us to purchase homes we can afford, no matter how green the grass on the other side of the fence might look.

Cochlear implants are small and highly complex electronic devices which enables people with acute degree of deafness to have sense of hearing to some extent. More popularly called the bionic ear, cochlear implants are used at least by an estimated 200,000 people worldwide. This implant is pretty much similar to the basic hearing aids except that this device is fitted deep inside the ear by surgical means. The mode of functioning and usage of cochlear implants is vastly different from that of hearing aids. Hearing aids function by increasing the amplitude of the incoming sound waves and these waves are in turn picked up by the slightly damaged audio-sensory receptors. These devices are fitted outside the ear and are used mainly for people with mild to moderate level of hearing defects. Cochlear implants on the other hand are fixed inside the ear which bypass the eardrum and directly stimulate the auditory nerve which leads up to the brain.

Cochlear implant devices are essentially made of four parts namely a microphone, speech processor and amplifier, transmitter and stimulator and an electrode array which is a set of electrodes that collect signals from the receiving stimulator which in turn activates various regions of the auditory canal. The fitting of cochlear implants to a patient is a big task in itself. The success of installing cochlear implants depends on the age of the person, cause for deafness, minimum hearing capacity of the ear, health and ability of the person to recognize speech. The surgical procedure for fixing cochlear implants is relatively simple taking from 1 and ½ to 5 hours. The surgical procedure is prone to some risk just like in other cases with the possibility of damaging facial nerves while removing the device. Once the device is fixed in the ear, the patient automatically loses his natural hearing ability, so it is advisable to opt for one bionic device than two.

The efficacy of cochlear implants varies from person to person. While some people experience improved hearing ability after getting cochlear implants, there are still others who feel using the implant is worse than hearing without it. However, cochlear implants prove to be a blessing for people who suffer from deafblindness since it orients the person’s sense of balance present in the ear and promote interaction with other people around. It also helps people to regain the ability to understand and remember speech.

There are certain disadvantages associated with fixing cochlear implants in the inner ear. Due the process of implantation of the device, the delicate nerves connecting to the cochlea may be damaged. Candidates seeking cochlear implants go through a series of battery tests to ensure that the cochlear implants will function effectively in the patients’ ears.

Phonak hearing aids are a very reliable and durable brand of hearing aid.

Energy which the sun emits is known as Solar Energy. Earlier solar energy could be used only in a few areas and the installation of solar systems was too expensive, but nowadays solar energy is being used almost everywhere. You will find many people into the business of selling solar systems. Solar systems can even be bought online.
There are many solar services provided in today’s world but solar heating and solar lighting is still the most extensively used of the lot. solar heating helps in heating water and other objects while solar lighting provide for ways to reduce energy consumption. Solar heating has been used extensively in the past and continues to be in demand.

If you plan to buy one online, www.solarinstall.co.uk  is the place to be. Solar Install provides solar solutions for residential and commercial purposes by supplying three types of technologies, such as flat plate collector system, evacuated tube collector systems and Photovoltaic panel systems. Of the above systems, evacuated tube collector systems are the best when considering for domestic purposes but are the most expensive of all.
Solar install even provide other services such as Gas Central Heating Installation and Installers, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Air Source Heat Pumps and services for domestic purposes such as home phones, broadband, mobiles, internet, electricity, energy, etc. It even helps to raise the level of savings for business customers. The solar lighting products available here can even help in places such as schools, councils and housing associations.

The best way to save your money in the current depression is to turn to online conferencing instead of traditional ways of meeting up with important clients. To call up a conference today would mean thousands spent on air tickets, venue rental, food, entertainment, accommodation and the rest of organisational aspects of it. Do you really want to go into all the stress and the expenses? We didn’t think so. So here is a chance to do it the easy way.

No longer is it necessary to pay inordinate fees, buy expensive online conference equipment and teach stuff to work with it in order to call up a good online conference. To host a quality online conference, training session or seminar all you need is a good broadband connection, a high quality webinar software and a business suit to preserve the original atmosphere of such official occasions. This opens up infinite possibilities for you and your partners. You don’t have to be physically present in the office since conferences can host people from multiple locations simultaneously and transmit video and audio signal in real time. Sick leave and overseas trips are no longer a problem. So think about it today and begin a new business life tomorrow.

Lifeinsure.co.uk have quickly become one of the UK’s leading life insurance market comparison websites, scanning the internet and working directly with insurance companies to find you the right policy at the best price. ??

The Edinburgh-based company help customers looking to take out new cover, or hoping to save money on their existing life insurance policy – and whether it’s one-off personal policies or larger contracts with major businesses, LifeInsure are always happy to assist.??

The 20-person brokerage are proud of their excellent customer service, satisfying tens of thousands of clients already this year, and they take immense pleasure in being the first company of its kind to offer face-to-face or direct marketing of life insurance as well as internet-based.??

For more information on finding life insurance at the most competitive prices, visit http://www.lifeinsure.co.uk. 

If you have had to go down the route of an IVA, then unfortunately you don’t have many options.

IVAs show to other lenders that you are unable to handle your debts therefore placing you in the category as a risky borrower. Or at least the majority of lenders will think that. There is however, help available for those looking to pay back their IVA debt and turn their fortunes around.

One way is through an IVA mortgage-a refinance mortgage for those looking to seek out as much they can out of their property to help pay off IVA debt. It isn’t the most competitive mortgage rate on the market (in fact it probably won’t even rank) but it will help you consolidate your debts.

Not only will it give you some much needed capital it can begin to repair your credit rating – handling tougher debt will begin to convince lenders that you are a worthy borrower by handling your IVA debt and your IVA mortgage at the same time, all of this will be covered when you apply for IVA advice. 

If refinancing isn’t an option for you, you could always go for a secured loan as a means of paying off some or all of your IVA debt. A secured loan is just money taken from the equity in your home, so it is your money and it is safe. It can be used to pay off your IVA debt, to make sure that you do not return to debt again.

It takes a lot of time and work to cope with IVA debt and a mortgage. The process makes you view your expenditure and income in a very different way.

Expenses will need to be cut, luxuries must be slashed and you need to be able to come up with a plan to pay off your IVA debt each and every day.

At the end of it all it will be worth the hard work and paying off your IVA debt will put you on the right track to financial piece of mind.

There are many reasons to say a heart-felt thankyou to someone special. Whether a friend has given you a lot of support over the years, or you have been sent a gift and would like to show your appreciation, saying thankyou to someone is easy and free with ecards.co.uk.

This amazing free e cards site allows you to select and send a whole range of thankyou cards with a few clicks of the mouse. Incredibly user friendly, just follow the step by step instructions on screen in order to send a great greeting your friend or family member will love. The only tricky part of the whole process is deciding which ecard greeting to send!

Sending ecards from ecards.co.uk is a great alternative to paper greetings because not only are you helping the planet by saving paper, but you are also saving money. This is a wonderful idea if you have to send a lot of thankyou messages and you are trying to watch what you spend. With a huge variety of classic cards, you really are spoilt for choice. All ecards have a section where you can add a few words of your own in order to show the recipient how you appreciate them and everything that they have done for you.

Want to go that little extra mile? Then select thankyou greeting cards which has the ‘Face It’ application added. Here you are able to upload photographs to surprise your recipient, imagine the look on their face when they recognise the picture infront of them. Any ‘Face It’ cards on the site are a wonderful way to add that extra special touch so you can create a greeting that is truly personal.

Since this particular e cards site is totally free you can send as many greeting cards as you wish, so why not browse through the large selection on offer and see which cards are your favourite. Remember that there doesn’t need to be a reason to send an e card, it is always a lovely gesture to just send a message to someone important in your life and show you are thinking of them.

For more information please visit For more information visit http://www.ecards.co.uk or contact

Sam Heaton   (01237 426555)

Broadband in telecommunication is a signaling method that handles a relatively wide range of frequencies that may be divided into channels or frequency bins. On the other hand the mobile broadband is the most common kind of broadband that is widely used by individuals who are into online jobs and business since DSL or mobile broadband is wireless and that they can access internet even while they are on vacation. As an advice you should be careful to compare broadband that can suit your needs, it should be based on the places and the time that you need its use.

Furthermore, you should carefully determine the importance of internet access to you before you compare broadband and make a final decision on which type will you best suits your needs. Always keep in mind the difference of how cable connection and DSL or mobile broadband function so that you can come up with the internet connection that best suits your needs. You are fortunate enough to live in a digital world like our world today, so don’t waste time and take advantage of the benefits that is along with the changes in our technology.

A good central heating radiators system and radiator have become the need of the hour, especially if you reside in a country with extreme climatic conditions. central heating radiators are available in various styles right from the contemporary style to the traditional ones. You can pick the exquisite Cast Iron Radiators, Designer Radiators, the Classic, Contemporary or the Traditional Column Radiators, which present you with great flexibility including bespoke angled or curved radiators, bench radiators, welded feet, and the vertical/horizontal radiators. Basically, the central heating radiators offer a comprehensive heating solution.

You can find a radiator to fit your budget, style as well as environment, and you can make a choice depending upon your specific requirements.Usually those who’re looking for affordable central heating radiators pick the traditional ones, while those who love trendy ones pick the contemporary range that comes at a slightly higher cost. Remember, this will be a long term investment, so spending few extra bucks and picking a better and trendier one might be a good idea.