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29March 2012 (Staffordshire) - A NN and Ewan Munro have not sat idle during the eight years in their home at this surprising semi. The couple has put in a new high efficiency gas combi boiler, rewired throughout, put in a new fitted kitchen with proper slate tiling laid there and in the hall, hung new doors, installed double glazing, put in a new bathroom with a Jacuzzi spa bath, created a loft room, planted a magnificent garden and created a driveway for several cars. The result is that the property at 108, Harrison Road, Norton, is a genuinely surprising and very appealing family home ready to be moved into tomorrow. My first impression of the house is that it is very light. Ewan knocked down a stud wall erected by the previous owner so the lounge and diner are now one room stretching more than 26 feet. With sliding patio doors at the back overlooking the garden and glass panelled doors from the hall and the kitchen and a generous bay window at the front as well, the room is flooded with light. It is also the perfect place for Ann to sit and watch her garden and its visitors. She says: "It is full of life and colour. Squirrels come and feed here and when it is in bloom it is like having the countryside in the back garden. We only know we have neighbours for four months of the year because when everything is in leaf it is just a riot of colour.'' The modern fitted kitchen has a range of Shaker style base and wall units, all the usual facilities plus space for a washing machine and tumble dryer and a double glazed door to the drive at the side and back garden. There is understairs storage in the hall and more on the landing. Upstairs the master bedroom at the back of the house has mirrored built in wardrobes, there is a second generous bedroom and the third can be used as either a study or as a single and the couple say there has been bunk beds in there too. Above them is a real surprise and delight feature because the loft has been c

/PeopleBookmarks/ - 4/12/2012 - Norton Scientific Reviews blog gives you the latest update on IRS warning on Tax fraud and other related scams. The US Internal Revenue Service has published their yearly ranking of tax scams, called Dirty Dozen, in an effort to remind taxpayers to be cautious as there are many schemes designed to cheat them this tax period. The list which is compiled by the IRS every year also contains a wide range of common tax scams that people can encounter anytime. But the fraudulent claims usually increase during the time people file their tax returns. Con artists will try to cheat people either through online, email messages, flyers, word of mouth or personal encounter. They are armed with misleading promises about free money or lost refunds. The most complex and accounts for the most number of victims is the case of identity theft. IRS has seen increasing number of such cases where the thieves use legitimate taxpayers' information to file a return and claim a fraudulent refund. A notice from the IRS will usually be sent to a taxpayer if more than one return was filed in his or her name, or if he or she received salary from an unknown employer. Suspicious preparers of return have been known to steal their clients' refunds or charge huge amounts for preparing the return on the client's behalf. They basically draw potential clients by promising guaranteed or increased refunds. A number of federal courts have already issued hundreds of injunctions while the Justice Department has many pending complaints against others. Because of this, taxpayers are warned to choose carefully who to hire as tax preparer. As a preventive measure, every paid preparer are required to have a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) that he needs to put on the returns he prepares. Scammers typically target the elderly and persons who have low income in order to bring false hopes and charge them for the 'advice'. But victims always end up disappointed a

The cancer society urged the federal government to: Ensure there is mandatory listing of unavailable drugs by drug manufacturer. Develop early warning systems to identify potential drug shortages. Put systems in place to prevent shortages from escalating. Work with other jurisdictions to investigate the root causes of the shortages and act to prevent them where possible. Canada's supply of injectable drugs such as painkillers, antibiotics and anesthetics became more precarious following a fire in the boiler room at Sandoz Canada's plant in Boucherville, Que. "Production has resumed in the portion of the plant that was not directly affected by the incident, which took place on March 4," the company said in a email to CBC News on Monday. "Our objective is to restore previous levels of supply as soon as possible, and we will make every effort to meet medical needs, while ensuring consistent high quality standards." Rationing supplies The company was unable to quantify how much more capacity it now has. Anthony Dale, vice-president of policy and public affairs at the Ontario Hospital Association in Toronto, called it "outrageous" that one company could have this kind of effect on drug supplies. Dale also called for a national strategy, noting hospitals are taking inventory of their supplies and trying to share and to compound or carefully mix drugs from raw ingredients under sterile conditions. Hospitals and drug purchasers have been holding daily conference calls to mitigate shortages. Doctors are carefully selecting patients who can swallow to give them oral forms of the medications, said Myrella Roy, executive director of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists in Ottawa. Last week, officials with Alberta Health Services asked doctors to conserve injectable medications. Cancer patients were asked to get oral anti-nausea medications instead of injections before chemotherapy treatment. In mid-February, Sandoz informed hospitals and other health-care client