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is it t time to give up on your health insurance?
As health insurance costs continue to spiral out of control, more and more people are opting out of private health cover -- but what are the health and cost implications if someone gets sick?
Also, what will the influx of additional users mean for an already overburdened public health system?
1 What is the current state of health of the private health insurance market?
Critical.

From the economic downturn in the UK and Europe that has hit women particularly hard, to the treatment of female protesters in the Arab spring, to the success of International Women's Day, 2011 has been a year of winners and losers Christine Lagarde was appointed head of the International Monetary Fund, the first woman to hold the post, in June 2011.

Raise a glass for some festive cheer
Susannah Wright
• Actually, if you’re not sure, don’t worry as apparently nearly a third of Mancunians don’t know the difference, according to a new survey. And I have to confess I was one of them.
Despite having previously worked in a pub, my mixology skills are seriously lacking. So in the interests of self-improvement, and possibly to extend some hospitality to my friends, I went along to Manchester’s Prohibition bar to learn some tricks of the trade.

According to the research, breakfast is the key to a healthy lifestyle determining the quality of your whole day's nutrition.

And the best way to start the morning is with a simple bowl of cereal, as it makes people less likely to turn to fatty, sugary food through the rest of the day.

The study, by nutritionist Sigrid Gibson, and published in the BNF Nutrition Bulletin, revealed that cereal is a good source of calcium and numerous other key nutrients, such as fibre, protein and carbohydrate.