Ultimate Call for Content Winner and Runners-Up

Out of nearly 1,000 submissions, Rodney Southern's story about survival skills for the American upper-middle class was picked as the winner of Associated Content's Ultimate Call for Content contest.
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Here is Southern's story, along with the three runners-up.

Survival Skills for the American Upper Middle Class - Welcome to the Poor Club
by Rodney Southern

Over the last several years, the middle class made friends with the poor and picked up some survival skills along the way. Those poor folks are survivalists, are they not? With the rising cost of gas, a lack of a decent health care program, and a slumping economy, the upper middle class should get to know the poor. It is a matter of survival. Here are the things you need to know
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Runners-up

Staycations, Locavores, Tryvertising: How Consumerism is Changing
by Sylvia Cochran

Today the face of consumerism is changing and loyalty to a brand name or company logo no longer guides buying trends; instead, the average consumer is a brand slave and the bottom line price dictates buying behavior.
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Gasoline at $10 Per Gallon May Prime the World Wide Web
by Opher Ganel

The realistic prospect of $10-per-gallon gas could fuel a surge in Internet and Web usage unlike any before seen. When a drive to the mall costs $10, will you go as often? When gas for getting to work costs $12 each day, can you afford to continue the commute?
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Green' Replaces the Frequent Flyer Upgrade as the New Status Symbol of the World Traveler
by Heather Mark

Despite the doom-and-gloom reporting we hear on the news, the travel industry is holding steady. As fuel prices rise, consumers as well as corporations are realizing that natural resources are a precious commodity, and initiatives are springing up to encourage "green travel" all over the world. "Green" replaces the frequent flyer upgrade as the new status symbol of the world traveler.
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