Fear of the future sells insurance. Because we can't predict the future, we want to be ready to cover our financial needs if, or when, something bad happens. Insurance companies understand this fear and offer a variety of insurance policies designed to protect us from a host of calamities that range from disability to disease and everything in between. While none of us wants anything bad to happen, many of the potential catastrophes that happen in our lives are not worth insuring against. In this article, we'll take you through 15 policies that you're probably better off without.
1. Private Mortgage Insurance
The infamous private mortgage insurance (PMI) is well known to homeowners because it increases the amount of their monthly mortgage payments. PMI is an insurance policy that protects the lender against loss when lending to a higher-risk borrower. The borrower pays for this insurance but derives no benefit. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid paying for this unnecessary policy. PMI is required if you purchase a home with a down payment of less than 20% of the home's value. The small down payment is viewed as putting you at risk of defaulting on the loan. Put down at least 20% and the PMI requirement goes away. Alternatively, you can put down 10% and take out two loans, one for 80% of the sale price of the property and one for 10%, although interests rates can prevent the economics of this maneuver from working out in the homeowner's favor.
2. Extended Warranties
Extended warranties are available on a host of appliances and electronics. From a consumer's perspective, they are rarely used, particularly on small items such as DVD players and radios. If you purchase a reputable, brand-name product, you can be fairly certain it will work as advertised and that the extended warranty is statistically likely to be unnecessary. If you spend $5,000 on a giant, flat-screen television, the policy is still unlikely to pay off, but might make you feel better. For everything else, forget it.
3. Automobile Collision
Collision insurance is designed to cover the cost of repairs to your vehicle if you are involved in an accident. If you have a loan out on the car, the loan issuer is likely to require that you have collision insurance. If your car is paid off, collision is optional; therefore, if you have enough money in the bank to cover the cost of a new car, collision insurance may be an unnecessary expense. This is particularly true if you are driving an old car, because cars depreciate so quickly that many vehicles are worth only a fraction of their purchase price by the time the loan is paid in full.
4. Rental Car Insurance
Most auto insurance policies offer additional coverage for the cost of car rentals, touting it as a useful feature if your car is ever involved in an accident and needs to spend some time in the repair shop. This may sound like a good idea, but in reality, most people rarely rent a car, and when they do, the cost is relatively low and hardly worth insuring against. Although rental car insurance is relatively inexpensive, amortized over the course of a lifetime you are still likely to spend far more than you will benefit.
5. Car Rental Damage Insurance
Many auto insurance policies already cover rentals, so there's no need to pay for this twice. Check your policy before you pay. Depending on where you rent the vehicle, you may also be able to pay a small fee for insurance on your rental when you pick it up at the rental center. If this fee is less than what you'd pay for a year in your old policy, choose the fee over the policy.
6. Flight Insurance
Flight insurance coverage is completely unnecessary. Despite media portrayal, airline accidents are relatively rare, and your life insurance policy should already provide coverage in the event of a catastrophe.
7. Water Line Coverage
Water companies have made an aggressive push to sell policies that cover the repair of the water line that runs from the street to your house. The odds are in your favor that you will never use this coverage, particularly if you live in a newer home. If you live an average suburban neighborhood and you do need to repair the water line, the distance to the street is short, the likelihood of a problem is low and repair costs are a few thousand dollars or less. The same goes for policies offered by other utility companies.
8. Life Insurance for Children
Life insurance is designed to provide a safety net for your heirs/dependents. Because children don't have heirs to worry about and, statistically speaking, most kids will grow up safe and healthy, most parents should not purchase life insurance for their kids. Instead, use the money that you would have spent on life insurance to fund an education plan or an individual retirement account (IRA).
9. Flood Insurance
Unless you live in a flood plain or an area with a history of water problems, don't even bother buying flood insurance. If none of the homes in the area has ever been flooded, yours is unlikely to be the first.
10. Credit Card Insurance
Purchasing coverage to pay your credit card bill in the event you cannot pay it is a waste of money. A far better idea is to avoid running up your credit cards in the first place, so you won't need to worry about the bills. Not only do you not save on the insurance premiums, you'll also save the interest on your debt.
11. Credit Card Loss Insurance
Federal law limits your liability if your credit card is stolen. Your out-of-pocket costs are limited to $50 per card and not a penny more. In fact, many credit card companies don't even try to collect the $50.
12. Mortgage Life Insurance
Mortgage life insurance pays off your house in the event of your death. Rather than add another policy - and another bill - to your list of insurance plans, it makes more sense to get a term-life policy instead. A good life insurance policy will provide enough money to pay off the mortgage and to cover other expenses as well. After all, the mortgage isn't the only bill your survivors will need to pay.
13. Unemployment Insurance
This coverage makes minimum payments on your bills if you are out of work, which sounds like an attractive proposition. A better plan is to save your money and build up an emergency fund instead. You won't have to cover the cost of the insurance policy and, if you are never out of work, you won't spend any money at all.
14. Disease Insurance
Policies are available to cover cancer, heart disease and other maladies. Instead of trying to identify every possible disease that you may encounter, get a good medical coverage policy instead. This way, your medical bills will be covered regardless of the problem you face.
15. Accidental-Death Insurance
Unless you are extraordinarily accident prone, an accident is unlikely. Major catastrophes such as car wrecks and fires are covered under other policies, as is any harm that comes to you while at work. Accidental-death policies are often fraught with stipulations that make them difficult to collect on, so skip the hassles and get life insurance instead.
When Choosing Insurance
There are so many policies to chose from, and they all cost money. While a certain amount of insurance coverage is necessary and prudent, you need to choose carefully. In general, broad policies that offer coverage for a multitude of potential events are a better choice than limited-scope policies that focus on specific diseases or potential incidents. Before you buy any policy, read it carefully to make sure that you understand the terms, coverage and costs. Don't sign on the dotted line until you are comfortable with the coverage and are sure that you need it.
Obama's tax record
Republicans portray President Obama as the tax-hiker-in-chief.
Obama portrays himself as a tax cutter for the masses but not the rich.
The truth isn't so cut and dry.
The fact is, the president's record on taxes is a mixed bag. In three-plus years in office, Obama has raised some taxes even as he has cut others.
The end result: Both sides get their election-year talking points, and families and businesses get a maze of temporary or soon-to-expire tax laws mixed in with some new ones on tap.
Low- and middle-income households: The president wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent for anyone making less than $200,000 ($250,000 for couples). In the meantime, as part of a deal with Congress in December 2010, he supported a two-year extension of them through the end of this year.
Mostly in the context of stimulus, he created several new -- if temporary -- tax breaks. He has tried to make a few permanent, such as the Making Work Pay credit for families earning under $150,000. And he has backed the expansion of existing breaks, such as the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit.
Obama focuses State of the Union on income inequality
He lost the fight to permanently extend the Making Work Pay credit. But he gave his blessing to a temporary payroll tax cut that he is now seeking to extend through 2012.
Obama, however, also signed into law measures that would raise the tax burden for some in the middle class.
Specifically, he made it more expensive to smoke and look mahvelous by approving a federal tobacco tax hike and a new 10% tanning tax.
He also reduced how much one can put into a tax-advantaged flexible spending plan at work and raised the bar on how much one needs to accrue in medical bills before being allowed to deduct any medical expenses.
High-income households: The president makes no bones about wanting to raise taxes on the rich. At the same time, some of his tax proposals would also benefit them.
Take the Bush tax cuts, for example. Obama wants to let the top two income tax rates revert to 39.6% and 36%, up from 35% and 33% today. He also wants to increase the wealthy's capital gains and dividend rates to 20%, up from 15% now. And he would limit the value of their itemized deductions to 28% of the deductible item, below the 33% and 35% top rates they can use now.
But the wealthy would still benefit if the Bush tax cuts are preserved for everyone else, since some of their income is also taxed at the lower rates of 10%, 15%, 25% and 28%.
Obama's 30% millionaire tax
In addition, the 2010 tax deal that kept the Bush tax rates where they are for the middle class, did the same for the highest-income families. The deal also introduced the temporary payroll tax cut for everyone -- which Obama agreed to when he couldn't convince the GOP to extend the Making Work Pay Credit. That tax cut put more than $2,000 in the pockets of those making six figures or more in salary.
Lastly, relative to current law, which would impose higher rates on dividends and impose a more stringent estate tax, the rich would do somewhat better under Obama's proposals.
Obama favors an estate tax with a top rate of 45% and a $3.5 million exemption. That would hit estates harder than the rules in place today, but less hard than what those rules are scheduled to revert to if Congress does nothing.
In other ways, though, the president is aiming to impose new tax burdens on the rich to help pay for new programs like health care reform and reduce deficits.
Starting in 2013, wealthy taxpayers will have to pay more in Medicare tax, because a new surtax of 0.9% will be imposed on top of the 1.45% they already pay on their wages. And they will have to pay 3.8% on at least some of their investment income for the first time.
Lastly, though it's unlikely to pass as proposed, Obama wants to impose a so-called Buffett Rule to ensure that millionaires pay at least 30% of their income in federal taxes. In addition, last week he said that he'll propose eliminating deductions for millionaires that apply to their home, health care, retirement and child care.
Businesses: Here again, the president has a mixed record on the tax front. He has proposed -- and in some cases signed into law -- a bevy of discrete tax cuts aimed at small businesses and specific industries, such as manufacturing. He's also backed the extension of several temporary business deductions and credits.
At the same time, he has proposed or approved a list of tax increases aimed at health insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, oil and gas companies, and businesses that send jobs overseas, among others.
And last week he again proposed a fee on large banks, this time to pay for an expanded mortgage refinancing program.
The bottom line: Three things can be said with certainty about Obama's tax record. Democrats will tout his tax cuts. Republicans will lambast his tax hikes. And serious tax policy experts will continue to beat their head against the wall because the president has done nothing to simplify the code.
TaxVox blog editor Howard Gleckman coined the president's most recent tax proposals his "Tax Deform Agenda."
Indeed, said Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, "President Obama has a lousy record in terms of the making the tax code more complex."
Then again, so do both parties in Congress.
View this article on CNNMoney
Obama portrays himself as a tax cutter for the masses but not the rich.
The truth isn't so cut and dry.
The fact is, the president's record on taxes is a mixed bag. In three-plus years in office, Obama has raised some taxes even as he has cut others.
The end result: Both sides get their election-year talking points, and families and businesses get a maze of temporary or soon-to-expire tax laws mixed in with some new ones on tap.
Low- and middle-income households: The president wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent for anyone making less than $200,000 ($250,000 for couples). In the meantime, as part of a deal with Congress in December 2010, he supported a two-year extension of them through the end of this year.
Mostly in the context of stimulus, he created several new -- if temporary -- tax breaks. He has tried to make a few permanent, such as the Making Work Pay credit for families earning under $150,000. And he has backed the expansion of existing breaks, such as the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit.
Obama focuses State of the Union on income inequality
He lost the fight to permanently extend the Making Work Pay credit. But he gave his blessing to a temporary payroll tax cut that he is now seeking to extend through 2012.
Obama, however, also signed into law measures that would raise the tax burden for some in the middle class.
Specifically, he made it more expensive to smoke and look mahvelous by approving a federal tobacco tax hike and a new 10% tanning tax.
He also reduced how much one can put into a tax-advantaged flexible spending plan at work and raised the bar on how much one needs to accrue in medical bills before being allowed to deduct any medical expenses.
High-income households: The president makes no bones about wanting to raise taxes on the rich. At the same time, some of his tax proposals would also benefit them.
Take the Bush tax cuts, for example. Obama wants to let the top two income tax rates revert to 39.6% and 36%, up from 35% and 33% today. He also wants to increase the wealthy's capital gains and dividend rates to 20%, up from 15% now. And he would limit the value of their itemized deductions to 28% of the deductible item, below the 33% and 35% top rates they can use now.
But the wealthy would still benefit if the Bush tax cuts are preserved for everyone else, since some of their income is also taxed at the lower rates of 10%, 15%, 25% and 28%.
Obama's 30% millionaire tax
In addition, the 2010 tax deal that kept the Bush tax rates where they are for the middle class, did the same for the highest-income families. The deal also introduced the temporary payroll tax cut for everyone -- which Obama agreed to when he couldn't convince the GOP to extend the Making Work Pay Credit. That tax cut put more than $2,000 in the pockets of those making six figures or more in salary.
Lastly, relative to current law, which would impose higher rates on dividends and impose a more stringent estate tax, the rich would do somewhat better under Obama's proposals.
Obama favors an estate tax with a top rate of 45% and a $3.5 million exemption. That would hit estates harder than the rules in place today, but less hard than what those rules are scheduled to revert to if Congress does nothing.
In other ways, though, the president is aiming to impose new tax burdens on the rich to help pay for new programs like health care reform and reduce deficits.
Starting in 2013, wealthy taxpayers will have to pay more in Medicare tax, because a new surtax of 0.9% will be imposed on top of the 1.45% they already pay on their wages. And they will have to pay 3.8% on at least some of their investment income for the first time.
Lastly, though it's unlikely to pass as proposed, Obama wants to impose a so-called Buffett Rule to ensure that millionaires pay at least 30% of their income in federal taxes. In addition, last week he said that he'll propose eliminating deductions for millionaires that apply to their home, health care, retirement and child care.
Businesses: Here again, the president has a mixed record on the tax front. He has proposed -- and in some cases signed into law -- a bevy of discrete tax cuts aimed at small businesses and specific industries, such as manufacturing. He's also backed the extension of several temporary business deductions and credits.
At the same time, he has proposed or approved a list of tax increases aimed at health insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, oil and gas companies, and businesses that send jobs overseas, among others.
And last week he again proposed a fee on large banks, this time to pay for an expanded mortgage refinancing program.
The bottom line: Three things can be said with certainty about Obama's tax record. Democrats will tout his tax cuts. Republicans will lambast his tax hikes. And serious tax policy experts will continue to beat their head against the wall because the president has done nothing to simplify the code.
TaxVox blog editor Howard Gleckman coined the president's most recent tax proposals his "Tax Deform Agenda."
Indeed, said Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, "President Obama has a lousy record in terms of the making the tax code more complex."
Then again, so do both parties in Congress.
View this article on CNNMoney
Congress revisiting bruising payroll tax cut fight
WASHINGTON (AP) -- With television lights glaring, 20 lawmakers will gather next week to revisit the fight that consumed Congress before Christmas over renewing a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.
Little real work will be done, but the meeting will mark the formal start of an effort to untangle a dispute that both parties want to resolve, though for different reasons. Following is a look at the path Round 2 could take, based on interviews with participants on both sides.
Q: Can you remind me what's at stake?
A: After a bitter clash and just a week before a New Year's Day deadline, President Barack Obama and Congress renewed a 2 percentage point payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and benefits for the long-term unemployed through February. They also temporarily forestalled a deep cut in doctors' Medicare fees that threatened to make it harder for the elderly to find physicians who would treat them. Now, the two sides need to figure out how to extend all three measures through 2012 and cover the roughly $160 billion cost.
Q: Are they expected to succeed?
A: Yes, though it will probably take until shortly before the current extensions expire Feb. 29. There are complicated decisions ahead, chiefly what programs to cut and what fees to increase to offset the price tag. Just as important, Democrats won't be in a hurry to finish.
Q: Why not?
A: Republicans took a severe pounding in December when the House GOP resisted a bipartisan, Senate-approved, two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, which was designed to give lawmakers time to negotiate a longer version. With control of the White House and Congress at stake in the November elections, many Democrats think the GOP could incur further damage if these latest talks take time.
Many Republicans doubt the economic benefit of a payroll tax cut, a foundation of Obama's plan to create jobs. But as December's battle unfolded, GOP leaders worried that they would suffer political damage from opposing the deeply popular tax cut, worth $1,000 annually to a family earning $50,000 a year.
With the House's fractious conservative wing balking until the very end, the fight made the GOP look like it was opposing the tax reduction — which Democrats contrasted with Republican support for tax breaks for the wealthy. Most Republicans want this year's fight to end quickly so they can change the subject to their own efforts to cut taxes, federal spending and Obama administration regulations.
Q: How long can Democrats prolong the negotiations?
A: If they're not careful they could overplay their hand.
Democrats scored points last year by forcing Senate votes on their proposal to finance the payroll tax cut with a small surtax on people earning $1 million or more a year. They have a new incentive to do something similar this year with the GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, a wealthy venture capitalist, being cast by party rivals as callous and out of touch.
As a result, many Democrats want to begin this year's talks on extending the Social Security tax cut by targeting the wealthy for a tax increase, perhaps with the millionaire surtax or by limiting their deductions. The millionaire surtax has no chance of passage in the GOP-run House, and Democrats could be accused of blatantly playing politics. Democrats and Obama have a reason to cut a deal: They believe extending the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits will goose the economy and reduce the risk of another economic downturn that could hurt their election prospects.
Q; What will the 20 members of Congress do?
A: House and Senate party leaders each have appointed bargainers to hash out differences over the bill, following Congress' tradition of naming conference committees to craft compromise legislation. But as usual when high-profile battles are being resolved, party leaders will have tight control over the ultimate deal. Still, conference committee members will play a role in writing details, and their endorsement of a package would let leaders argue that they didn't jam something down the throats of rank-and-file lawmakers.
Q: Who are these 20 lawmakers?
A: They range from formidable committee chairmen to lowly freshmen, but each has a stake in the fight.
The chairmen of Congress' two tax-writing committees are included: Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., of the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is the Senate's No. 2 Republican and a close ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, facing re-election this fall in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania, has repeatedly been given a visible role in the payroll tax fight by party leaders.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., a party leader, should be a leading opponent of Republican proposals to help finance the plan by effectively denying the child tax credit to many illegal immigrants. Freshman GOP Rep. Nan Hayworth is from a closely contested district in New York's Hudson River Valley.
Hayworth and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., are doctors, which could give them roles in the talks involving Medicare. A pair of Maryland Democrats, Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, are sure to battle a Republican proposal to make federal employees contribute more to their pensions.
Q: Do they bring other experience to the bargaining table?
A: Seven have participated in recent, failed bipartisan efforts to contain mammoth budget deficits. Those were Congress' supercommittee, talks led by Vice President Joe Biden, the "Group of Six" senators, and a presidential commission headed by former Wyoming GOP Sen. Alan Simpson and former President Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff, Erskine Bowles.
None of those groups succeeded, largely because party leaders could not agree to the controversial tax increases and cuts in entitlement programs like Medicare that would have been required for the trillions of dollars in savings needed.
Far smaller savings are needed to resolve the payroll tax fight, and the consensus is that this time, the president and leaders in both parties want a package that can become law.
Little real work will be done, but the meeting will mark the formal start of an effort to untangle a dispute that both parties want to resolve, though for different reasons. Following is a look at the path Round 2 could take, based on interviews with participants on both sides.
Q: Can you remind me what's at stake?
A: After a bitter clash and just a week before a New Year's Day deadline, President Barack Obama and Congress renewed a 2 percentage point payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and benefits for the long-term unemployed through February. They also temporarily forestalled a deep cut in doctors' Medicare fees that threatened to make it harder for the elderly to find physicians who would treat them. Now, the two sides need to figure out how to extend all three measures through 2012 and cover the roughly $160 billion cost.
Q: Are they expected to succeed?
A: Yes, though it will probably take until shortly before the current extensions expire Feb. 29. There are complicated decisions ahead, chiefly what programs to cut and what fees to increase to offset the price tag. Just as important, Democrats won't be in a hurry to finish.
Q: Why not?
A: Republicans took a severe pounding in December when the House GOP resisted a bipartisan, Senate-approved, two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, which was designed to give lawmakers time to negotiate a longer version. With control of the White House and Congress at stake in the November elections, many Democrats think the GOP could incur further damage if these latest talks take time.
Many Republicans doubt the economic benefit of a payroll tax cut, a foundation of Obama's plan to create jobs. But as December's battle unfolded, GOP leaders worried that they would suffer political damage from opposing the deeply popular tax cut, worth $1,000 annually to a family earning $50,000 a year.
With the House's fractious conservative wing balking until the very end, the fight made the GOP look like it was opposing the tax reduction — which Democrats contrasted with Republican support for tax breaks for the wealthy. Most Republicans want this year's fight to end quickly so they can change the subject to their own efforts to cut taxes, federal spending and Obama administration regulations.
Q: How long can Democrats prolong the negotiations?
A: If they're not careful they could overplay their hand.
Democrats scored points last year by forcing Senate votes on their proposal to finance the payroll tax cut with a small surtax on people earning $1 million or more a year. They have a new incentive to do something similar this year with the GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, a wealthy venture capitalist, being cast by party rivals as callous and out of touch.
As a result, many Democrats want to begin this year's talks on extending the Social Security tax cut by targeting the wealthy for a tax increase, perhaps with the millionaire surtax or by limiting their deductions. The millionaire surtax has no chance of passage in the GOP-run House, and Democrats could be accused of blatantly playing politics. Democrats and Obama have a reason to cut a deal: They believe extending the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits will goose the economy and reduce the risk of another economic downturn that could hurt their election prospects.
Q; What will the 20 members of Congress do?
A: House and Senate party leaders each have appointed bargainers to hash out differences over the bill, following Congress' tradition of naming conference committees to craft compromise legislation. But as usual when high-profile battles are being resolved, party leaders will have tight control over the ultimate deal. Still, conference committee members will play a role in writing details, and their endorsement of a package would let leaders argue that they didn't jam something down the throats of rank-and-file lawmakers.
Q: Who are these 20 lawmakers?
A: They range from formidable committee chairmen to lowly freshmen, but each has a stake in the fight.
The chairmen of Congress' two tax-writing committees are included: Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., of the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is the Senate's No. 2 Republican and a close ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, facing re-election this fall in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania, has repeatedly been given a visible role in the payroll tax fight by party leaders.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., a party leader, should be a leading opponent of Republican proposals to help finance the plan by effectively denying the child tax credit to many illegal immigrants. Freshman GOP Rep. Nan Hayworth is from a closely contested district in New York's Hudson River Valley.
Hayworth and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., are doctors, which could give them roles in the talks involving Medicare. A pair of Maryland Democrats, Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, are sure to battle a Republican proposal to make federal employees contribute more to their pensions.
Q: Do they bring other experience to the bargaining table?
A: Seven have participated in recent, failed bipartisan efforts to contain mammoth budget deficits. Those were Congress' supercommittee, talks led by Vice President Joe Biden, the "Group of Six" senators, and a presidential commission headed by former Wyoming GOP Sen. Alan Simpson and former President Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff, Erskine Bowles.
None of those groups succeeded, largely because party leaders could not agree to the controversial tax increases and cuts in entitlement programs like Medicare that would have been required for the trillions of dollars in savings needed.
Far smaller savings are needed to resolve the payroll tax fight, and the consensus is that this time, the president and leaders in both parties want a package that can become law.
Download Angry Birds PC Full Version
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Want to download a variety of the best games from the software company trusted with ease? Download, install and use Steam now.
Steam
is a digital distribution system, digital rights settings, multiplayer
and communications platform designed by Valve Corporation. Steam is used to move the online gaming and media-related, ranging from independent developers to large software houses. Steam also has a community feature, game updates automatically, and the functionality and voice chat.
In July of 2011, there were more than 1300 games available on Steam, and more than 30 million active user accounts. Although Valve has never released sales figures, Stardock, the previous owner of Impulse, estimates that Steam has a 70% share of the market for digital distribution of video games.
A number of big publishers have a catalog available on Steam, include Bethesda Softwork, Electronic Art, Activision, Rockstar Games, Square Enix, 2K Games, and TellTale Games.Steam main service is to allow the user should download games and other software that they have on their virtual library software to computer users at home. Steam-related games have been moved as a compressed archive files that are not using the extension. GCF (initials for Game Cache Files).
Steam allocates space on the hard disk the user to the file. GCF before downloading to reduce fagmentasi that may arise when downloading large files and to access the disk. Game Cache File helps to make the game more portable, stopping the user so as not overwriting on certain files inadvertently, allowing for easy modification of resources, and allows for content validation error.
For games that are not related, a system of "No Cache File" has been available. Here, an index file. NCF mapped onto a directory of the file is missing anywhere in the system. Users can activate the steam to bypass the software package after the package is automatically updated by the publisher, or allow the user to perform this process manually. Client allows users to backup the game data files to other media, and meremove game content files to a blank space on their machines.
Steam
is a digital distribution system, digital rights settings, multiplayer
and communications platform designed by Valve Corporation. Steam is used to move the online gaming and media-related, ranging from independent developers to large software houses. Steam also has a community feature, game updates automatically, and the functionality and voice chat.In July of 2011, there were more than 1300 games available on Steam, and more than 30 million active user accounts. Although Valve has never released sales figures, Stardock, the previous owner of Impulse, estimates that Steam has a 70% share of the market for digital distribution of video games.
A number of big publishers have a catalog available on Steam, include Bethesda Softwork, Electronic Art, Activision, Rockstar Games, Square Enix, 2K Games, and TellTale Games.Steam main service is to allow the user should download games and other software that they have on their virtual library software to computer users at home. Steam-related games have been moved as a compressed archive files that are not using the extension. GCF (initials for Game Cache Files).
Steam allocates space on the hard disk the user to the file. GCF before downloading to reduce fagmentasi that may arise when downloading large files and to access the disk. Game Cache File helps to make the game more portable, stopping the user so as not overwriting on certain files inadvertently, allowing for easy modification of resources, and allows for content validation error.
For games that are not related, a system of "No Cache File" has been available. Here, an index file. NCF mapped onto a directory of the file is missing anywhere in the system. Users can activate the steam to bypass the software package after the package is automatically updated by the publisher, or allow the user to perform this process manually. Client allows users to backup the game data files to other media, and meremove game content files to a blank space on their machines.
| Download Link |
 |
| Entry Update | 2011-10-03 |
| Software Tags | • steam free gratis • steam terbaru 2012 |
| Supported Operating System(s) | Windows 7, Windows XP, |
| File Size | ~ 1530kb |
| Version | Package 1503 |
| License Type | Freeware |
Download Microsoft Games for Windows 3.5 Free Free Latest
Microsoft Games for Windows is a software that helps you to organize your game collection in one easy interface.
Microsoft and some of the world's largest gaming vendors have collaborated to build a software that is intended to ensure quality and compatibility between the various games available on the market with windows platform. And here's the software.
This software, in addition to functioning as a store to download games you want, can also be used to label the box game, is a symbol that a sign that the game has some important features of the following:
* Games are qualified: Games that carry the logo Game for Windows is a game that has passed the testing and high-quality, including not overload the computer and other.
* Games are compatible: If there are Games for Windows logo, it means the game can run smoothly on different editions of Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) both 32-bit editions and 64 bit editions.
* Games are played safe: you can feel confident and secure that the games played can be filtered based on age level by the parents.
* Games are not damaging the system: In other words, games that carry this logo can certainly install, search, play and be uninstalled safely and easily.
Microsoft and some of the world's largest gaming vendors have collaborated to build a software that is intended to ensure quality and compatibility between the various games available on the market with windows platform. And here's the software.This software, in addition to functioning as a store to download games you want, can also be used to label the box game, is a symbol that a sign that the game has some important features of the following:
* Games are qualified: Games that carry the logo Game for Windows is a game that has passed the testing and high-quality, including not overload the computer and other.
* Games are compatible: If there are Games for Windows logo, it means the game can run smoothly on different editions of Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) both 32-bit editions and 64 bit editions.
* Games are played safe: you can feel confident and secure that the games played can be filtered based on age level by the parents.
* Games are not damaging the system: In other words, games that carry this logo can certainly install, search, play and be uninstalled safely and easily.
| Download Link |
|
| Entry Update | 2011-10-03 |
| Software Tags | • microsoft games for windows free gratis • microsoft games for windows terbaru 2012 |
| Supported Operating System(s) | Windows 7, Windows XP, |
| File Size | ~ 70430kb |
| Version | 3.5 |
| License Type | Freeware |
3 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Soda
America has a drinking problem. No, not booze. I'm talking about soft
drinks. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, the average
American guzzles 44.7 gallons of the sweet stuff every year. Not sure
what 44.7 gallons looks like? It's about what you'd need to fill a small
kiddie pool.
But the truth is, you don't need me to tell you that soda isn't healthy. We all know that America’s drink of choice contributes to our country's ever-expanding obesity problem. But, as Rodale.com writer Leah Zerbe discovered, love handles are just the beginning. Read on for her report on three shocking soda facts that will have you saying “Just water, please” from now on.
And for more instant secrets that will keep you healthy and fit all year long, follow me right here on Twitter or sign up for our FREE Eat This, Not That! daily newsletter to lose weight without ever dieting again.
Shocking Soda Fact #1: Soda fattens up your organs
A
recent Danish study revealed that drinking non-diet soda leads to
dramatic increases in dangerous hard-to-detect fats. Researchers asked
participants to drink either regular soda, milk containing the same
amount of calories as regular soda, diet cola, or water every day for
six months. The results? Total fat mass remained the same across all
beverage-consuming groups, but regular-soda drinkers experienced
dramatic increases in harmful hidden fats, including liver fat and
skeletal fat. The regular-soda group also experienced an 11 percent
increase in cholesterol compared to the other groups! And don’t think
switching to diet varieties will save you from harm: Artificial
sweeteners and food dyes have been linked to brain cell damage and
hyperactivity, and research has shown that people who drink diet soda
have a higher risk of developing diabetes.
FIX IT WITH FOOD: The average American drinks 450 calories a day. By switching to water as your go-to beverage, you'll make room in your diet for these 40 Foods with Superpowers—foods that, even in moderation, can strengthen your heart, fortify your bones, and boost your metabolism so you can lose weight more quickly.
Shocking Soda Fact #2: Soda contains flame retardants
Some
popular soda brands, including Mountain Dew, use brominated vegetable
oil—a toxic flame retardant—to keep the artificial flavoring from
separating from the rest of the liquid. This hazardous
ingredient—sometimes listed as BVO on soda and sports drinks—can cause
bromide poisoning symptoms like skin lesions and memory loss, as well as
nerve disorders. If that’s not a good enough reason not to “Do the
Dew,” I don’t know what is. (We reveal more insidious ingredients hiding
on supermarket shelves in the 15 Scariest Food Additives).
DRINK DISASTERS: Soda isn’t the only dubious drink you have to watch out for. Many bottled beverages pack enough sugar and calories to foil your get-fit plans in one fell sip. Protect yourself by avoiding the 11 Worst Beverages in the Supermarket!
Shocking Soda Fact #3: Drinking soda makes you a lab rat
Many
American soda brands are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a
heart-harming man-made compound derived mainly from genetically
engineered corn. The problem? Genetically engineered ingredients have
only been in our food chain since the 1990s, and we don't know their
long-term health impacts because the corporations that developed the
crops never had to test them for long-term safety. Case in point: Some
recent findings suggest that genetically engineered crops are linked to
digestive tract damage, accelerated aging, and even infertility!
But the truth is, you don't need me to tell you that soda isn't healthy. We all know that America’s drink of choice contributes to our country's ever-expanding obesity problem. But, as Rodale.com writer Leah Zerbe discovered, love handles are just the beginning. Read on for her report on three shocking soda facts that will have you saying “Just water, please” from now on.
And for more instant secrets that will keep you healthy and fit all year long, follow me right here on Twitter or sign up for our FREE Eat This, Not That! daily newsletter to lose weight without ever dieting again.
Shocking Soda Fact #1: Soda fattens up your organs
A
recent Danish study revealed that drinking non-diet soda leads to
dramatic increases in dangerous hard-to-detect fats. Researchers asked
participants to drink either regular soda, milk containing the same
amount of calories as regular soda, diet cola, or water every day for
six months. The results? Total fat mass remained the same across all
beverage-consuming groups, but regular-soda drinkers experienced
dramatic increases in harmful hidden fats, including liver fat and
skeletal fat. The regular-soda group also experienced an 11 percent
increase in cholesterol compared to the other groups! And don’t think
switching to diet varieties will save you from harm: Artificial
sweeteners and food dyes have been linked to brain cell damage and
hyperactivity, and research has shown that people who drink diet soda
have a higher risk of developing diabetes. FIX IT WITH FOOD: The average American drinks 450 calories a day. By switching to water as your go-to beverage, you'll make room in your diet for these 40 Foods with Superpowers—foods that, even in moderation, can strengthen your heart, fortify your bones, and boost your metabolism so you can lose weight more quickly.
Shocking Soda Fact #2: Soda contains flame retardants
Some
popular soda brands, including Mountain Dew, use brominated vegetable
oil—a toxic flame retardant—to keep the artificial flavoring from
separating from the rest of the liquid. This hazardous
ingredient—sometimes listed as BVO on soda and sports drinks—can cause
bromide poisoning symptoms like skin lesions and memory loss, as well as
nerve disorders. If that’s not a good enough reason not to “Do the
Dew,” I don’t know what is. (We reveal more insidious ingredients hiding
on supermarket shelves in the 15 Scariest Food Additives).DRINK DISASTERS: Soda isn’t the only dubious drink you have to watch out for. Many bottled beverages pack enough sugar and calories to foil your get-fit plans in one fell sip. Protect yourself by avoiding the 11 Worst Beverages in the Supermarket!
Shocking Soda Fact #3: Drinking soda makes you a lab rat 
Many
American soda brands are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a
heart-harming man-made compound derived mainly from genetically
engineered corn. The problem? Genetically engineered ingredients have
only been in our food chain since the 1990s, and we don't know their
long-term health impacts because the corporations that developed the
crops never had to test them for long-term safety. Case in point: Some
recent findings suggest that genetically engineered crops are linked to
digestive tract damage, accelerated aging, and even infertility!
9 Things You Should Know About Your Credit Card Receipt
You may know them as those annoying scraps of paper that litter your
purse or flutter from your wallet at inopportune moments, but receipts
for credit card transactions are actually worth paying attention to.
Here's what you probably didn't know about them, but should:
Receipts are more secure than you think ... Unless a merchant made a big mistake, you won't see your whole credit card number on a receipt. That's because the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act -- an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act that took effect in 2006 -- legislated that for better financial security, only the last four or five digits of your card number can appear. That's why you see something like XXX-XXXX-1234 instead. Your card expiration date can't show either.
... but receipts aren't totally thief-proof. Your truncated card number isn't enough to steal, but those digits "should still be treated as sensitive, confidential information," says Jamie May, chief investigator at AllClear ID, an identity protection company. Scam artists who get their hands on even part of your card number can use it to phish for the whole number by posing as your credit card issuer or utility company over the phone. "Your card company will never call you and ask you to give them your whole card number," May says. "A good rule of thumb is to hang up and call them back at a number you know is theirs."
Receipt numbers aren't just gobbledygook. Besides the recognizable parts of your receipt, like your truncated card number and the date, are a slew of mysterious numbers. They're not alien communications; they're codes that identify the store to the company that processes their credit card payments -- for instance, a merchant ID number, an approval code, a reference sequencing number and sometimes a terminal number to identify which cash register took the payment. They're generally the same on every receipt issued by the same store. Consider them behind-the-scenes details that you can safely ignore.
Store copies and customer copies are the same. You've eaten a nice restaurant meal, tallied the tip and signed the credit card receipt -- only to realize that you've walked off with the wrong copy. "It's usually not a problem," says Heather Petersen, CEO of National Merchants Association, a payment and transaction processor. Most companies now put the tip and signature line on both copies of the receipt, so it's not a big deal if you signed the wrong one. Even if you left only an unsigned copy of the receipt, your dinner will still get charged.
You can sign as Mickey Mouse, but you shouldn't. Speaking of signatures, they matter more than you think. In an ideal world, a cashier should compare the signature on your receipt to the one on the back of your credit card. However, that rarely happens these days, and certainly no one at the bank is scrutinizing electronic signatures. That doesn't mean you're free to scrawl whatever you want, though. "This is a legally binding contract," says Petersen. "It states right on there that the undersigned agrees to pay." If the seller does notice that you signed a silly name, he can void the transaction. Plus, if you need to dispute a fraudulent charge, the signature can be a key bit of evidence. Signing your receipt "Kim Kardashian" will not help your case.
Your receipt and your bill may not always match. When your credit card bill arrives, pull out your receipts and make sure what you signed for is actually what you were charged, paying particular attention to transactions where you wrote in a tip. It's easy for a cashier to mis-key the wrong amount or to fraudulently add a few bucks to your tip. Plus, if you messed up on your math, your cashier will generally go by what the total is -- but not always. "It could be a case where they take the liberty of saying, ‘I'm pretty sure they meant $5, so I'm going to charge $5,'" says May. If something is off, your credit card receipt gives you the ammo to dispute the charge with your credit card company.
It's wise to keep your receipts around. "By far the best reason for archiving receipts is in case of an IRS audit," says Jake Brereton, marketing manager for Shoeboxed, a company that digitizes customers' receipts. But it's also helpful in case you need it to use a warranty, get a refund challenge a charge or (duh!) make a return. With Shoeboxed, you mail in an envelope of receipts and wait for them to be added to your cloud-based archive; basic service starts at $10 a month. To do it yourself, file receipts for a year or two, then shred.
Old-fashioned isn't best. Remember those clunky machines that cashiers once used to make an imprint of your credit card? Occasionally you still see them (or hand-written receipts) when small businesses lack the infrastructure to process your credit payment electronically. It seems like an innocent throwback, but "those are riskiest kinds of transactions," warns May, because you have no idea what happens to your credit card number afterwards. If a salesperson hauls out the old-school imprint machine, it's best to go get some cash.
You don't have to get a receipt. If you don't plan on keeping your receipt, don't ask for it. "It's better to not have it than throw it in the trash," points out Petersen -- not only because it's not secure, but because it's a waste. Plus, many retailers have moved toward electronic receipts and ask whether you'd like your receipt emailed to you vs. receiving a paper receipt. According to some estimates, it takes approximately 9.6 million trees to create the 640,000 tons of paper that go into receipts each year. So, if you choose an emailed receipt or just hit "no receipt" when you pay at the pump, you'll be doing yourself a financial and environmental favor.
Here's what you probably didn't know about them, but should:
Receipts are more secure than you think ... Unless a merchant made a big mistake, you won't see your whole credit card number on a receipt. That's because the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act -- an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act that took effect in 2006 -- legislated that for better financial security, only the last four or five digits of your card number can appear. That's why you see something like XXX-XXXX-1234 instead. Your card expiration date can't show either.
... but receipts aren't totally thief-proof. Your truncated card number isn't enough to steal, but those digits "should still be treated as sensitive, confidential information," says Jamie May, chief investigator at AllClear ID, an identity protection company. Scam artists who get their hands on even part of your card number can use it to phish for the whole number by posing as your credit card issuer or utility company over the phone. "Your card company will never call you and ask you to give them your whole card number," May says. "A good rule of thumb is to hang up and call them back at a number you know is theirs."
Receipt numbers aren't just gobbledygook. Besides the recognizable parts of your receipt, like your truncated card number and the date, are a slew of mysterious numbers. They're not alien communications; they're codes that identify the store to the company that processes their credit card payments -- for instance, a merchant ID number, an approval code, a reference sequencing number and sometimes a terminal number to identify which cash register took the payment. They're generally the same on every receipt issued by the same store. Consider them behind-the-scenes details that you can safely ignore.
Store copies and customer copies are the same. You've eaten a nice restaurant meal, tallied the tip and signed the credit card receipt -- only to realize that you've walked off with the wrong copy. "It's usually not a problem," says Heather Petersen, CEO of National Merchants Association, a payment and transaction processor. Most companies now put the tip and signature line on both copies of the receipt, so it's not a big deal if you signed the wrong one. Even if you left only an unsigned copy of the receipt, your dinner will still get charged.
You can sign as Mickey Mouse, but you shouldn't. Speaking of signatures, they matter more than you think. In an ideal world, a cashier should compare the signature on your receipt to the one on the back of your credit card. However, that rarely happens these days, and certainly no one at the bank is scrutinizing electronic signatures. That doesn't mean you're free to scrawl whatever you want, though. "This is a legally binding contract," says Petersen. "It states right on there that the undersigned agrees to pay." If the seller does notice that you signed a silly name, he can void the transaction. Plus, if you need to dispute a fraudulent charge, the signature can be a key bit of evidence. Signing your receipt "Kim Kardashian" will not help your case.
Your receipt and your bill may not always match. When your credit card bill arrives, pull out your receipts and make sure what you signed for is actually what you were charged, paying particular attention to transactions where you wrote in a tip. It's easy for a cashier to mis-key the wrong amount or to fraudulently add a few bucks to your tip. Plus, if you messed up on your math, your cashier will generally go by what the total is -- but not always. "It could be a case where they take the liberty of saying, ‘I'm pretty sure they meant $5, so I'm going to charge $5,'" says May. If something is off, your credit card receipt gives you the ammo to dispute the charge with your credit card company.
It's wise to keep your receipts around. "By far the best reason for archiving receipts is in case of an IRS audit," says Jake Brereton, marketing manager for Shoeboxed, a company that digitizes customers' receipts. But it's also helpful in case you need it to use a warranty, get a refund challenge a charge or (duh!) make a return. With Shoeboxed, you mail in an envelope of receipts and wait for them to be added to your cloud-based archive; basic service starts at $10 a month. To do it yourself, file receipts for a year or two, then shred.
Old-fashioned isn't best. Remember those clunky machines that cashiers once used to make an imprint of your credit card? Occasionally you still see them (or hand-written receipts) when small businesses lack the infrastructure to process your credit payment electronically. It seems like an innocent throwback, but "those are riskiest kinds of transactions," warns May, because you have no idea what happens to your credit card number afterwards. If a salesperson hauls out the old-school imprint machine, it's best to go get some cash.
You don't have to get a receipt. If you don't plan on keeping your receipt, don't ask for it. "It's better to not have it than throw it in the trash," points out Petersen -- not only because it's not secure, but because it's a waste. Plus, many retailers have moved toward electronic receipts and ask whether you'd like your receipt emailed to you vs. receiving a paper receipt. According to some estimates, it takes approximately 9.6 million trees to create the 640,000 tons of paper that go into receipts each year. So, if you choose an emailed receipt or just hit "no receipt" when you pay at the pump, you'll be doing yourself a financial and environmental favor.
Relieve Student Loan Burden With Public Service
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program created by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act encourages individuals to enter and continue full-time public service employment by offering loan forgiveness for those borrowers that meet the requirements. To qualify, a borrower must make 120 qualifying monthly loan payments (once a month for 10 years) on eligible loans while working in qualifying public service employment.
What is qualifying employment? Qualifying public service employment is full-time paid work in the government; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position; or for a private "public service organization."
[How to Repay Your Loans]
Which student loans are eligible? Only Federal Direct loans are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. All current students borrow federal student loans through Federal Direct. In the past, students also borrowed federal student loans from private banks and lending institutions through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Borrowers with FFEL loans must consolidate, or reconsolidate, into Federal Direct in order to be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Find out what kind of student loans you have using the National Student Loan Data System at www.nslds.gov.
Some students also borrow commercial loans from state or private lenders. Commercial loans are never eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Which payments count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness? Most borrowers seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness will choose Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and payments made under IBR will count toward the 120 payments required for forgiveness.
Where can I get more information? Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not automatic, and borrowers must take specific actions in order to benefit. Equal Justice Works provides free online resources to help you figure it all out, including webinars, podcasts, a downloadable checklist, and an interactive forum.
What is qualifying employment? Qualifying public service employment is full-time paid work in the government; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position; or for a private "public service organization."
[How to Repay Your Loans]
Which student loans are eligible? Only Federal Direct loans are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. All current students borrow federal student loans through Federal Direct. In the past, students also borrowed federal student loans from private banks and lending institutions through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Borrowers with FFEL loans must consolidate, or reconsolidate, into Federal Direct in order to be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Find out what kind of student loans you have using the National Student Loan Data System at www.nslds.gov.
Some students also borrow commercial loans from state or private lenders. Commercial loans are never eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Which payments count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness? Most borrowers seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness will choose Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and payments made under IBR will count toward the 120 payments required for forgiveness.
Where can I get more information? Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not automatic, and borrowers must take specific actions in order to benefit. Equal Justice Works provides free online resources to help you figure it all out, including webinars, podcasts, a downloadable checklist, and an interactive forum.
Middle-aged borrowers piling on student debt
(Reuters) - Middle-aged borrowers are piling up student debt faster than any other age group, according to a new analysis obtained by Reuters.
Educational borrowing is up for every age group over the past three
years, but it has grown far more quickly among those between 35 and 49,
according to the analysis of more than 3 million credit reports
provided to Reuters by the credit score tracking site CreditKarma
(http://CreditKarma.com). That group saw its school debt burden increase
by a staggering 47 percent, according to the analysis.The average student loan debt for those aged 38 to 41 was the biggest of that group -- about $12,000, up from just under $9,000 in 2009. Young people still carry the biggest student loan burdens; those aged 26 to 29 have an average of $14,000 in student debt. But the increased levels in middle-aged student debt is a new phenomenon.
Credit Karma CEO Kenneth Lin says the reason is obvious: The tough economy has pushed people to seek mid-career training.
"More and more people are going back to school," he says. "High unemployment, rising tuition costs, artificially low interest rates from the government, and increased for-profit school advertising... (adds up to) consumers taking on student loan debt at an alarming pace."
For-profit schools tend to saddle more debt on older students with poorer credit than traditional institutions, he said.
For example, Atlantan Janice Derrick might be typical. She was 47, with 25 years of work experience when she got laid off nearly three years ago as an executive assistant. She applied for about 200 jobs without getting a single call.
"Not even temp agencies were taking on people," she says.
Derrick took an aptitude test and found she was well suited to be a social worker or school counselor. But she did the math and realized the low salary expectations and the amount of additional schooling weren't a great combination. So she decided to study to become a court reporter instead, and amassed about $25,000 in student loan debt for her training. That was on top of the credit card debt she accumulated while unemployed.
Now 50, she just got her court reporting license, and she says she's hopeful.
"I am still worried about money, but there is plenty of work," Derrick says. "Unlike most of my friends, I am starting to catch up."
ALL WALKS OF LIFE
Derrick has been working with a financial planner, Cristina Briboneria, vice president, oXYGen Financial in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Briboneria says she sees similar, and sometimes less-positive situations with people from all walks of life.
College loans are a huge problem beyond just this recent move into an older demographic. The financial aid site FinAid.org estimates the amount of outstanding student loans at $966 billion, which surpasses even the amount of credit card debt in the US .
Mitchell Weiss, co-founder of the Center for Personal Financial Responsibility at the University of Hartford, which gives students personal finance guidance, says he's not surprised to see the trend and has words of caution for those who are considering taking on student debt in a career change: It's easy to get student loans - perhaps too easy.
"The loans they take are often times more than they can tolerate. And they can't always score a better job to pay for them... Everybody believes they will get out school, get a job and pay it back. Few really take the time to do the math and decide how much they could afford to borrow," he says.
The best bet for anyone who feels as though additional schooling will help their job prospects is to enroll while they're still employed and they are able to take advantage of any education support from their employer.
If that opportunity's already gone, it's important to do a realistic evaluation as to whether the job opportunities are going to justify the expense. Weiss says he knows people who assumed a mid-career change would be successful simply because they went back to school and got a master's degree in business. But a degree without any related experience could put a 40-something in competition with a 20-something graduate who's done internships and may be willing to work for less.
Going back to school and accumulating debt without a realistic plan to pay for it is a "roll of the dice," Weiss says.
Both Weiss and Lin noted that this government-backed debt, unlike most other debt, cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy, so it is an albatross for those who can't make enough money after going back to school.
"Some of my clients have come out of their programs with over $100,000 worth of debt and are unable to find a job making six figures," Briboneria says. "Because of the economy, many employers have an abundance of candidates to choose from for their open positions who will work for less money to pay the bills."
There are some alternatives to piling up student debt for those who do want to take the chance and go back to school. Explore what support might be available to you:
--Does you state offer grants toward job training and education if you've been laid off?
--Look for grants or student loan forgiveness if you pursue certain career paths, such as teaching.
--Shop around for aid packages from schools you're interested in attending. The Department of Education says some colleges and universities will offer a "bargain" tuition for older students.
--Ask a prospective college or university if they will award life experience credit to help offset the number of classes you might have to pay for.
---
The author is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own. (Edited by Beth Gladstone and Jilian Mincer)
Black Tea Can Lower Blood Pressure?
Already hundreds of years ago, tea is believed to be efficacious for health drinks. Lately a very popular is because green tea is rich in antioxidants. However, recent studies reveal the efficacy of black tea instead.
A new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center, showed that black tea will not increase blood pressure or hypertension. On the contrary, this tea may help lower blood pressure.
The results of a study just published (23 / 1) in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined the effects after drinking three cups of tea hitamsehari for six months. The researchers found that consumption of black tea, dikaitan down 2 to 3 points on the mercury blood pressure when blood pressure measurements were taken.
A researcher and professor of cardiology division at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Dr. John D. Bisognano, said "Due to reductions in blood pressure is small, it is difficult to say that drinking black tea has great benefits for people suffering from hypertension."
However, this study suggests that in people who suffer from high blood pressure, 31% of the food you eat will affect his physical condition. As quoted by CNN, people who suffer from high blood pressure should maintain their health and do not aggravate the condition by drinking liquor.
Bisognano adds, black tea has a small benefit for blood pressure, and other types of tea may have the same benefits for blood pressure. In a previous study in the journal Phytomedicine suggest that hibiscus tea can help lower blood pressure, according to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health.
Meanwhile Bisognano also stressed that the drug used to treat blood pressure is an important step to help people to control their blood pressure. In addition to tea, some relaxation like yoga can also help lower high blood pressure.
A new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center, showed that black tea will not increase blood pressure or hypertension. On the contrary, this tea may help lower blood pressure.
The results of a study just published (23 / 1) in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined the effects after drinking three cups of tea hitamsehari for six months. The researchers found that consumption of black tea, dikaitan down 2 to 3 points on the mercury blood pressure when blood pressure measurements were taken.
A researcher and professor of cardiology division at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Dr. John D. Bisognano, said "Due to reductions in blood pressure is small, it is difficult to say that drinking black tea has great benefits for people suffering from hypertension."
However, this study suggests that in people who suffer from high blood pressure, 31% of the food you eat will affect his physical condition. As quoted by CNN, people who suffer from high blood pressure should maintain their health and do not aggravate the condition by drinking liquor.
Bisognano adds, black tea has a small benefit for blood pressure, and other types of tea may have the same benefits for blood pressure. In a previous study in the journal Phytomedicine suggest that hibiscus tea can help lower blood pressure, according to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health.
Meanwhile Bisognano also stressed that the drug used to treat blood pressure is an important step to help people to control their blood pressure. In addition to tea, some relaxation like yoga can also help lower high blood pressure.
Farts Astronauts Space Aircraft Could Explode
Because
they contain gases that are flammable, believed to be an astronaut
farts terakulumasi and trigger an explosion in the spacecraft. Therefore, the diet must be adjusted so that an astronaut is not a lot of fart.
Gas-flammable gas that can be found in, among others, hydrogen gas and methane. When terakumukasi in a confined space, they can increase the pressure and when it reaches the most extreme conditions could theoretically trigger the explosion.
Given the spacecraft made very close to the air does not come out, then the astronauts believed to be in danger if too many fart. If both flammable gas that accumulates, it is feared an explosion will occur in the spacecraft.
This risk can be prevented by eating a diet or menu selection, such as studied by two nutritionists in the United States, Edwin L Murphy and Doris H. Calloway. Both compared the diets of astronauts in 2 different flight missions.
The study, published in 1969 showed, the difference in diet can make the composition of fart gas in different astronauts. In this study, both types of diets that are used are distinguished by a specific code that is diet S and diet F.
"Within 12 hours, the astronauts who eat a diet S 3-206 mL of hydrogen released from the anus and 24-156 mL of the lungs. With diet F, hydrogen is produced only 0-3 ml of the anus and 6-36 mL of lung lung, "the researchers said as quoted from the site io9, Tuesday (17/01/2012).
The researchers did not mention any differences in diet that contained both types of diets. But in theory, the production of digestive gases are expelled through a fart can be increased when a lot of eating cabbage, tubers and soft drinks.
In addition to hydrogen and methane, in general, farting is also composed of a variety of other gases are mixed together. Some types of gases found in farts, among others, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide which gives odor.
These gases are produced by bacteria in the digestive tract, as a result of the decomposition of amino acids, glucose and fatty acids in the stomach. Someone can still be considered normal if the issue fart gas between 0.5 liters to 2 liters a day.
Gas-flammable gas that can be found in, among others, hydrogen gas and methane. When terakumukasi in a confined space, they can increase the pressure and when it reaches the most extreme conditions could theoretically trigger the explosion.
Given the spacecraft made very close to the air does not come out, then the astronauts believed to be in danger if too many fart. If both flammable gas that accumulates, it is feared an explosion will occur in the spacecraft.
This risk can be prevented by eating a diet or menu selection, such as studied by two nutritionists in the United States, Edwin L Murphy and Doris H. Calloway. Both compared the diets of astronauts in 2 different flight missions.
The study, published in 1969 showed, the difference in diet can make the composition of fart gas in different astronauts. In this study, both types of diets that are used are distinguished by a specific code that is diet S and diet F.
"Within 12 hours, the astronauts who eat a diet S 3-206 mL of hydrogen released from the anus and 24-156 mL of the lungs. With diet F, hydrogen is produced only 0-3 ml of the anus and 6-36 mL of lung lung, "the researchers said as quoted from the site io9, Tuesday (17/01/2012).
The researchers did not mention any differences in diet that contained both types of diets. But in theory, the production of digestive gases are expelled through a fart can be increased when a lot of eating cabbage, tubers and soft drinks.
In addition to hydrogen and methane, in general, farting is also composed of a variety of other gases are mixed together. Some types of gases found in farts, among others, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide which gives odor.
These gases are produced by bacteria in the digestive tract, as a result of the decomposition of amino acids, glucose and fatty acids in the stomach. Someone can still be considered normal if the issue fart gas between 0.5 liters to 2 liters a day.
When to Pay Off a Mortgage Early
If you can afford to pay off your home mortgage early, good for you – it’s usually a great financial move. But not always.
If you have other big debt items (like credit cards) or you plan on moving in the next few years, paying your mortgage early may be a bad move. To know what factors influence that decision, the folks at Freedom Debt Relief came up with a couple of questions to ask to help you decide if you should pay your home mortgage off early.
“With consumer revolving debt balances declining nationwide and home values flat, some homeowners are considering paying off their mortgages early,” says Kevin Gallegos, vice president at the San Mateo, Calif.-based company. “For people who are staying put in their home for some time, paying a mortgage off before the end of its term has benefits. Obviously, making extra payments eliminates the loan debt faster. This in turn dramatically lowers the total interest paid over the life of the mortgage.”
A March 2006 study from the Federal Reserve concluded that 16% of U.S. homeowners prepaid their mortgages annually (and that was before the Great Recession). But mortgage debt is one of the most affordable debts around, as far as interest rates go, with most charging interest rates around 5%, much lower than the interest you pay on credit card debt.
To find out if your situation merits early repayment, ask yourself these key questions:
Would early repayment sacrifice your long-term financial future or your short-term financial health? While prepaying your mortgage has great advantages, should you do it at the expense of other debt and your long-term savings?
“It’s most important, in that situation, to be sure you will have enough cash to fund your retirement,” said Gallegos. He says consumers should ask themselves if they can afford to pay more each month and if they have an emergency fund that could cover six months’ living expenses? If the answer is “no” then it’s best to keep paying regular mortgage payments until the answer to those two questions is “yes”.
Do you plan on moving soon?
If you’re planning on moving, you’ll need plenty of cash for a good down payment. The days of slapping down 5% or even 10% for a home mortgage down payment are going the way of the dodo bird. “The market is still a bit wobbly in most locales,” Gallegos says, “and lenders are demanding higher down payments than in recent years. If you plan to relocate soon, hang on to your cash for the move.”
Does your mortgage carry prepayment penalties?
Not all mortgages have prepayment penalties, but those that do can unload a financial sledgehammer that you may not see coming. To be sure, read your home loan’s “truth in lending” disclosure and see if yours has a pre-payment penalty and how much it will cost you.
If you decide to prepay, make sure you do so early in the life of your mortgage – that’s when it does the most good in reducing long-term interest. And ask a financial advisor for help in figuring out whether you’re better off pre-paying a mortgage or putting that money to work for you and your retirement fund.
You may want to fully own your home, but you don’t want to lose your shirt in the process.
If you have other big debt items (like credit cards) or you plan on moving in the next few years, paying your mortgage early may be a bad move. To know what factors influence that decision, the folks at Freedom Debt Relief came up with a couple of questions to ask to help you decide if you should pay your home mortgage off early.
“With consumer revolving debt balances declining nationwide and home values flat, some homeowners are considering paying off their mortgages early,” says Kevin Gallegos, vice president at the San Mateo, Calif.-based company. “For people who are staying put in their home for some time, paying a mortgage off before the end of its term has benefits. Obviously, making extra payments eliminates the loan debt faster. This in turn dramatically lowers the total interest paid over the life of the mortgage.”
A March 2006 study from the Federal Reserve concluded that 16% of U.S. homeowners prepaid their mortgages annually (and that was before the Great Recession). But mortgage debt is one of the most affordable debts around, as far as interest rates go, with most charging interest rates around 5%, much lower than the interest you pay on credit card debt.
To find out if your situation merits early repayment, ask yourself these key questions:
Would early repayment sacrifice your long-term financial future or your short-term financial health? While prepaying your mortgage has great advantages, should you do it at the expense of other debt and your long-term savings?
“It’s most important, in that situation, to be sure you will have enough cash to fund your retirement,” said Gallegos. He says consumers should ask themselves if they can afford to pay more each month and if they have an emergency fund that could cover six months’ living expenses? If the answer is “no” then it’s best to keep paying regular mortgage payments until the answer to those two questions is “yes”.
Do you plan on moving soon?
If you’re planning on moving, you’ll need plenty of cash for a good down payment. The days of slapping down 5% or even 10% for a home mortgage down payment are going the way of the dodo bird. “The market is still a bit wobbly in most locales,” Gallegos says, “and lenders are demanding higher down payments than in recent years. If you plan to relocate soon, hang on to your cash for the move.”
Does your mortgage carry prepayment penalties?
Not all mortgages have prepayment penalties, but those that do can unload a financial sledgehammer that you may not see coming. To be sure, read your home loan’s “truth in lending” disclosure and see if yours has a pre-payment penalty and how much it will cost you.
If you decide to prepay, make sure you do so early in the life of your mortgage – that’s when it does the most good in reducing long-term interest. And ask a financial advisor for help in figuring out whether you’re better off pre-paying a mortgage or putting that money to work for you and your retirement fund.
You may want to fully own your home, but you don’t want to lose your shirt in the process.
Apple’s Sweatshop Problem: 16 Hour Days, ~70 Cents An Hour
We love our iPhones and iPads.
We love the prices of our iPhones and iPads.
We love the super-high profit margins of Apple, Inc., the maker of our iPhones and iPads.
And that's why it's disconcerting to remember that the low prices of our iPhones and iPads — and the super-high profit margins of Apple — are only possible because our iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States.
And it's also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only don't have iPhones and iPads (because they can't afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them.
This is a complex issue. But it's also an important one. And it's only going to get more important as the world's economies continue to become more intertwined.
(And the issue obviously concerns a lot more companies than Apple. Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labor practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the company's profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable.)
Last week, PRI's "This American Life" did a special on Apple's manufacturing. The show featured (among others) the reporting of Mike Daisey, the man who does the one-man stage show "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," and The NYT's Nicholas Kristof, whose wife's family is from China.
You can read a transcript of the whole show here. Here are some details:
So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month (Kristof's estimates. In 2010, Reuters says, Foxconn workers were given a raise to $298 per month, or $10 a day, or less than $1 an hour). With this money, they're doing considerably better than they once were. Especially women, who had few other alternatives.
But, of course, the reason Apple assembles iPhones and iPads in China instead of America, is that assembling them here or Europe would cost much, much more — even with shipping and transportation. And it would cost much, much more because, in the United States and Europe, we have established minimum acceptable standards for the treatment and pay of workers like those who build the iPhones and iPads.
Foxconn, needless to say, doesn't come anywhere near meeting these minimum standards.
If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen:
In other words, Apple could probably afford to use American labor rules when building iPhones and iPads without destroying its business.
So it seems reasonable to ask why Apple is choosing NOT to do that.
(Not that Apple is the only company choosing to avoid American labor rules and costs, of course — almost all manufacturing companies that want to survive, let alone thrive, have to reduce production costs and standards by making their products elsewhere.)
The bottom line is that iPhones and iPads cost what they do because they are built using labor practices that would be illegal in this country — because people in this country consider those practices grossly unfair.
That's not a value judgment. It's a fact.
So, next time you pick up your iPhone or iPad, ask yourself how you feel about that.
We love the prices of our iPhones and iPads.
We love the super-high profit margins of Apple, Inc., the maker of our iPhones and iPads.
And that's why it's disconcerting to remember that the low prices of our iPhones and iPads — and the super-high profit margins of Apple — are only possible because our iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States.
And it's also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only don't have iPhones and iPads (because they can't afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them.
This is a complex issue. But it's also an important one. And it's only going to get more important as the world's economies continue to become more intertwined.
(And the issue obviously concerns a lot more companies than Apple. Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labor practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the company's profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable.)
Last week, PRI's "This American Life" did a special on Apple's manufacturing. The show featured (among others) the reporting of Mike Daisey, the man who does the one-man stage show "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," and The NYT's Nicholas Kristof, whose wife's family is from China.
You can read a transcript of the whole show here. Here are some details:
- The Chinese city of Shenzhen is where most of our "crap" is made. 30 years ago, Shenzhen was a little village on a river. Now it's a city of 13 million people — bigger than New York.
- Foxconn, one of the companies that builds iPhones and iPads (and products for many other electronics companies), has a factory in Shenzhen that employs 430,000 people.
- There are 20 cafeterias at the Foxconn Shenzhen plant. They each serve 10,000 people.
- One Foxconn worker Mike Daisey interviewed, outside factory gates manned by guards with guns, was a 13-year old girl. She polished the glass of thousands of new iPhones a day.
- The 13-year old said Foxconn doesn't really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when they're happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones.
- In the first two hours outside the factory gates, Daisey meets workers who say they are 14, 13, and 12 years old (along with plenty of older ones). Daisey estimates that about 5% of the workers he talked to were underage.
- Daisey assumes that Apple, obsessed as it is with details, must know this. Or, if they don't, it's because they don't want to know.
- Daisey visits other Shenzhen factories, posing as a potential customer. He discovers that most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: There's no machinery, and there's no talking allowed. When labor costs so little, there's no reason to build anything other than by hand.
- A Chinese working "hour" is 60 minutes — unlike an American "hour," which generally includes breaks for Facebook, the bathroom, a phone call, and some conversation. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when there's a hot new gadget to build. While Daisey is in Shenzhen, a Foxconn worker dies after working a 34-hour shift.
- Assembly lines can only move as fast as their slowest worker, so all the workers are watched (with cameras). Most people stand.
- The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them.
- Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison.
- Daisey interviews dozens of (former) workers who are secretly supporting a union. One group talked about using "hexane," an iPhone screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably.
- Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers' hands no longer work, obviously, they're canned.
- One former worker had asked her company to pay her overtime, and when her company refused, she went to the labor board. The labor board put her on a black list that was circulated to every company in the area. The workers on the black list are branded "troublemakers" and companies won't hire them.
- One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the man's hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him. (Fortunately, the man was able to get a new job, at a wood-working plant. The hours are much better there, he says — only 70 hours a week).
- The man, by the way, made the metal casings of iPads at Foxconn. Daisey showed him his iPad. The man had never seen one before. He held it and played with it. He said it was "magic."
So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month (Kristof's estimates. In 2010, Reuters says, Foxconn workers were given a raise to $298 per month, or $10 a day, or less than $1 an hour). With this money, they're doing considerably better than they once were. Especially women, who had few other alternatives.
But, of course, the reason Apple assembles iPhones and iPads in China instead of America, is that assembling them here or Europe would cost much, much more — even with shipping and transportation. And it would cost much, much more because, in the United States and Europe, we have established minimum acceptable standards for the treatment and pay of workers like those who build the iPhones and iPads.
Foxconn, needless to say, doesn't come anywhere near meeting these minimum standards.
If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen:
- The prices of iPhones and iPads would go up
- Apple's profit margins would go down
In other words, Apple could probably afford to use American labor rules when building iPhones and iPads without destroying its business.
So it seems reasonable to ask why Apple is choosing NOT to do that.
(Not that Apple is the only company choosing to avoid American labor rules and costs, of course — almost all manufacturing companies that want to survive, let alone thrive, have to reduce production costs and standards by making their products elsewhere.)
The bottom line is that iPhones and iPads cost what they do because they are built using labor practices that would be illegal in this country — because people in this country consider those practices grossly unfair.
That's not a value judgment. It's a fact.
So, next time you pick up your iPhone or iPad, ask yourself how you feel about that.
China's Wen presses Saudi Arabia for oil access
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pressed Saudi Arabia
to open its huge oil and gas resources to expanded Chinese investment,
media reports said on Sunday against a backdrop of growing tension over
Iran and worries over its crude exports to the Asian power.
The Saudi kingdom is China's biggest source of imported oil, and securing energy security was high on Wen's agenda in Riyadh, in part reflecting concerns about how nuclear tensions and sanctions could unsettle ties with Iran.
"China and Saudi Arabia are both in important stages of development, and there are broad prospects for enhancing cooperation," Wen on Saturday told Prince Nayef, who is a senior member of the Saudi government, according to Xinhua.
"Both sides must strive together to expand trade and cooperation, upstream and downstream, in crude oil and natural gas," said Wen, referring to access to extracting oil and gas and then processing the them.
The Xinhua report made no mention of any discussion of Iran, whose oil exports to China face pressure from new U.S. sanctions. The U.S. sanctions threat is a particular worry for China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. Only Saudi Arabia and Angola sell it more crude.
"Beijing is concerned with the potential response to Iranian bellicose statements and with the spike in oil prices that would ensue from greater turmoil in Syria and Iran," Michal Meidan, an analyst in London with the Eurasia Group who studies Chinese energy investment and policy, said in an emailed research note.
Late on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced U.S. punishment of China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp.
On Thursday, the Obama administration invoked U.S. law to sanction Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, which it said was Iran's largest supplier of refined petroleum products.
"Imposing sanctions on a Chinese company based on a domestic (U.S.) law is totally unreasonable, and does not conform to the spirit or content of U.N. Security Council resolutions about the Iran nuclear issue," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement issued on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
"China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and adamant opposition," said Liu.
The Obama administration said its sanctions against the Chinese company and two other firms are part of a broadening effort to target Iran's energy sector and press Tehran to curb in its nuclear ambitions, which Western governments say appear aimed at developing the means to make atomic weapons.
Iran says its nuclear activities are legitimate and entirely for peaceful ends.
China cut oil imports from Iran in January and February in a commercial dispute over contract terms, and has been looking for alternative supplies.
Yet China is unlikely to dramatically boost crude imports from Saudi Arabia, even with the Iranian worries, said Meidan, the analyst with the Eurasia Group.
"In the likely event that Iran will offer discounted oil, Chinese traders will buy more Iranian barrels and could consequently reduce their Saudi imports," she said.
"Wen will therefore need to convey both commercial and diplomatic realities to Saudi Arabia, China's number one source of crude imports, and ensure that bilateral ties remain on steady footing."
MORE TRADE TOO, PLEASE
Wen also said his government wants "strong and reputable" Chinese companies to invest in Saudi Arabia's ports, railways and infrastructure, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.
China and Saudi Arabia should keep deepening cooperation "in the face of changeable and complicated regional and international trends," he said, according to Xinhua.
Crown Prince Nayef is King Abdullah's half brother and became heir to the throne in October. The Xinhua report paraphrased the prince as saying that Saudi Arabia is willing to expand cooperation in energy and infrastructure.
China is already Saudi Arabia's biggest customer and the kingdom is keen to diversify its economic ties.
On Saturday, the state-run Saudi oil giant Aramco and Chinese companies finalized an initial agreement signed last year to develop a 400,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Yanbu, on the kingdom's Red Sea coast.
Aramco will hold a 62.5 percent stake in the joint venture formed to develop Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Co (YASREF), and Sinopec will own the rest.
In the first 11 months of 2011, top supplier Saudi Arabia shipped 45.5 million tons of crude to China, a rise of 12.9 percent over the same period in 2010, according to Chinese customs data. Angola and Iran were China's second and third biggest suppliers.
Wen is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
The Saudi kingdom is China's biggest source of imported oil, and securing energy security was high on Wen's agenda in Riyadh, in part reflecting concerns about how nuclear tensions and sanctions could unsettle ties with Iran.
"China and Saudi Arabia are both in important stages of development, and there are broad prospects for enhancing cooperation," Wen on Saturday told Prince Nayef, who is a senior member of the Saudi government, according to Xinhua.
"Both sides must strive together to expand trade and cooperation, upstream and downstream, in crude oil and natural gas," said Wen, referring to access to extracting oil and gas and then processing the them.
The Xinhua report made no mention of any discussion of Iran, whose oil exports to China face pressure from new U.S. sanctions. The U.S. sanctions threat is a particular worry for China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. Only Saudi Arabia and Angola sell it more crude.
"Beijing is concerned with the potential response to Iranian bellicose statements and with the spike in oil prices that would ensue from greater turmoil in Syria and Iran," Michal Meidan, an analyst in London with the Eurasia Group who studies Chinese energy investment and policy, said in an emailed research note.
Late on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced U.S. punishment of China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp.
On Thursday, the Obama administration invoked U.S. law to sanction Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, which it said was Iran's largest supplier of refined petroleum products.
"Imposing sanctions on a Chinese company based on a domestic (U.S.) law is totally unreasonable, and does not conform to the spirit or content of U.N. Security Council resolutions about the Iran nuclear issue," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement issued on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
"China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and adamant opposition," said Liu.
The Obama administration said its sanctions against the Chinese company and two other firms are part of a broadening effort to target Iran's energy sector and press Tehran to curb in its nuclear ambitions, which Western governments say appear aimed at developing the means to make atomic weapons.
Iran says its nuclear activities are legitimate and entirely for peaceful ends.
China cut oil imports from Iran in January and February in a commercial dispute over contract terms, and has been looking for alternative supplies.
Yet China is unlikely to dramatically boost crude imports from Saudi Arabia, even with the Iranian worries, said Meidan, the analyst with the Eurasia Group.
"In the likely event that Iran will offer discounted oil, Chinese traders will buy more Iranian barrels and could consequently reduce their Saudi imports," she said.
"Wen will therefore need to convey both commercial and diplomatic realities to Saudi Arabia, China's number one source of crude imports, and ensure that bilateral ties remain on steady footing."
MORE TRADE TOO, PLEASE
Wen also said his government wants "strong and reputable" Chinese companies to invest in Saudi Arabia's ports, railways and infrastructure, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.
China and Saudi Arabia should keep deepening cooperation "in the face of changeable and complicated regional and international trends," he said, according to Xinhua.
Crown Prince Nayef is King Abdullah's half brother and became heir to the throne in October. The Xinhua report paraphrased the prince as saying that Saudi Arabia is willing to expand cooperation in energy and infrastructure.
China is already Saudi Arabia's biggest customer and the kingdom is keen to diversify its economic ties.
On Saturday, the state-run Saudi oil giant Aramco and Chinese companies finalized an initial agreement signed last year to develop a 400,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Yanbu, on the kingdom's Red Sea coast.
Aramco will hold a 62.5 percent stake in the joint venture formed to develop Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Co (YASREF), and Sinopec will own the rest.
In the first 11 months of 2011, top supplier Saudi Arabia shipped 45.5 million tons of crude to China, a rise of 12.9 percent over the same period in 2010, according to Chinese customs data. Angola and Iran were China's second and third biggest suppliers.
Wen is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
Nuclear Reactor Increase Risk of Blood Cancer
Paris, Pros cons of electric power generation is still rampant in many parts of the world diperbincangakan. In addition to outstanding benefits, the risks posed are also very dangerous. The study found that children living near nuclear power plants doubled risk of developing leukemia.
Leukemia or blood cancer is a type of cancer in which white blood cells produced in excess and disrupt the cells of the body. A study in France has found that the risk of leukemia two times higher in children living near nuclear power plants.
Unfortunately, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer does not claim a causal relationship between leukemia risk by living near nuclear power plants.
France has been using nuclear power for thirty years and is one country that relies heavily on nuclear power. 75 percent of electricity supply in France is produced by 58 reactors fruit.
Research conducted by the French health research agency, INSERM, found that in 2002 and 2007, 14 children under the age of 15 years who lived within 5 kilometers of the 19 nuclear power plants in France has been diagnosed with leukemia.
This figure is two-fold higher compared with other regions in France, where there are a total of 2753 cases of diagnosis in the same period throughout France.
"These findings have been thoroughly inspected and deemed statistically significant," said Dominique Laurier, head of epidemiological research laboratory at the French research institute of nuclear safety (IRSN).
INSERM has conducted similar research with IRSN since 1990, but have never found a conclusion that a higher risk of leukemia found in children living near nuclear power plants.
The results also showed no difference in risk between the power plant located near the sea or river, or based on power capacity.
IRSN recommends a more thorough study of the causes of leukemia cases found near nuclear power plants. They also hope to be able to conduct international research collaboration.
"Leukaemia is a rare disease, and examined on a larger scale would allow more precise results," added Laurier as reported Health24.com, Friday (01/13/2012).
However, a study for 35 years in England, published in 2011 found no evidence that children living near nuclear power plants is more risk of developing leukemia.
Research conducted by scientists Committee of the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), only found 20 cases of childhood leukemia within 5 miles of a nuclear power plant in 1969 until 2004. COMARE scientists say that figure is almost equal to the area that there is no nuclear power plants.
In contrast to the findings of COMARE, a German study published in 2007 found an increased risk of leukemia in children living near power plants within a radius of 5 km significantly.
Leukemia or blood cancer is a type of cancer in which white blood cells produced in excess and disrupt the cells of the body. A study in France has found that the risk of leukemia two times higher in children living near nuclear power plants.
Unfortunately, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer does not claim a causal relationship between leukemia risk by living near nuclear power plants.
France has been using nuclear power for thirty years and is one country that relies heavily on nuclear power. 75 percent of electricity supply in France is produced by 58 reactors fruit.
Research conducted by the French health research agency, INSERM, found that in 2002 and 2007, 14 children under the age of 15 years who lived within 5 kilometers of the 19 nuclear power plants in France has been diagnosed with leukemia.
This figure is two-fold higher compared with other regions in France, where there are a total of 2753 cases of diagnosis in the same period throughout France.
"These findings have been thoroughly inspected and deemed statistically significant," said Dominique Laurier, head of epidemiological research laboratory at the French research institute of nuclear safety (IRSN).
INSERM has conducted similar research with IRSN since 1990, but have never found a conclusion that a higher risk of leukemia found in children living near nuclear power plants.
The results also showed no difference in risk between the power plant located near the sea or river, or based on power capacity.
IRSN recommends a more thorough study of the causes of leukemia cases found near nuclear power plants. They also hope to be able to conduct international research collaboration.
"Leukaemia is a rare disease, and examined on a larger scale would allow more precise results," added Laurier as reported Health24.com, Friday (01/13/2012).
However, a study for 35 years in England, published in 2011 found no evidence that children living near nuclear power plants is more risk of developing leukemia.
Research conducted by scientists Committee of the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), only found 20 cases of childhood leukemia within 5 miles of a nuclear power plant in 1969 until 2004. COMARE scientists say that figure is almost equal to the area that there is no nuclear power plants.
In contrast to the findings of COMARE, a German study published in 2007 found an increased risk of leukemia in children living near power plants within a radius of 5 km significantly.
Birth marks are almost choking baby
Rochford, Essex, first just a birthmark little blue in the face Adorable Millie Field since he was born. But
within a few days, birthmarks become malignant, dilated red that covers
half his face, even almost killed him because of choking airway and
voice box.
Millie birthmarks identified as hemangioma, birthmark that is caused by benign tumor of blood vessels in the skin. Birthmark is growing rapidly and in severe cases like that of Millie can block the airway.
At the age of 3 weeks, Millie has ever almost facing death and was in intensive care since having trouble breathing.
Millie's baby had to use a tracheostomy tube that is placed in operation for seven hours, which allows it to breathe, but it can not make a sound.
Her parents, Michelle (37 years) and Stuart (36 years), feeling very devastated and afraid that her daughter would never breathe freely, let alone speak or smile.
"One of the most pathetic it can not give him and treat him, and never hear it cry or make noise. The tumor was growing everywhere, which made him unable to suck, swallow, breathe at the same time," explains Michelle Field, which derived from Rochford, Essex, as reported by Dailymail, Friday (01/13/2012).
According to Michelle, it all happened so fast. She and her husband could not imagine what will happen in the future. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, never gave Millie a powerful steroids to shrink the tumor, but it does not have much effect.
And when her daughter was lying seriously ill in hospital for 6 months, Michelle heard about a drug trial in France for propranolol, a beta-blocker that is traditionally used to treat hypertension and heart conditions, which have been shown to shrink the hemangioma.
"We discussed it with Millie and the dermatologist and ENT physicians and throat specialist. But at that time because Millie had pneumonia and respiratory problems, they do not think it is a good idea. But in the end we had to try it. She takes morphine regularly only to make himself comfortable. He has no quality of life and just getting worse and worse, "explains Michelle.
The gamble paid off. Millie's condition began to improve immediately, birthmarks begin to shrink and fade, and within a week he was allowed home from hospital.
"It's really changed his life. Tumor really sick and he never like being touched or held because it gives so much pain. But then we can kiss and cuddle, and within days he was able to move his head," recalls Millie.
However, Millie battle is far from over. The tumor had caused the damage so he must have a new airway created using a piece of rib cartilage last year.
He stopped taking the drug last August after two years of treatment, and this month will undergo surgery to reconstruct her lip.
Millie is now 3 years old can also have a big smile, although he still has some problems on the ability to speak due to damage to the mouth.
Millie birthmarks identified as hemangioma, birthmark that is caused by benign tumor of blood vessels in the skin. Birthmark is growing rapidly and in severe cases like that of Millie can block the airway.
At the age of 3 weeks, Millie has ever almost facing death and was in intensive care since having trouble breathing.
Millie's baby had to use a tracheostomy tube that is placed in operation for seven hours, which allows it to breathe, but it can not make a sound.
Her parents, Michelle (37 years) and Stuart (36 years), feeling very devastated and afraid that her daughter would never breathe freely, let alone speak or smile.
"One of the most pathetic it can not give him and treat him, and never hear it cry or make noise. The tumor was growing everywhere, which made him unable to suck, swallow, breathe at the same time," explains Michelle Field, which derived from Rochford, Essex, as reported by Dailymail, Friday (01/13/2012).
According to Michelle, it all happened so fast. She and her husband could not imagine what will happen in the future. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, never gave Millie a powerful steroids to shrink the tumor, but it does not have much effect.
And when her daughter was lying seriously ill in hospital for 6 months, Michelle heard about a drug trial in France for propranolol, a beta-blocker that is traditionally used to treat hypertension and heart conditions, which have been shown to shrink the hemangioma.
"We discussed it with Millie and the dermatologist and ENT physicians and throat specialist. But at that time because Millie had pneumonia and respiratory problems, they do not think it is a good idea. But in the end we had to try it. She takes morphine regularly only to make himself comfortable. He has no quality of life and just getting worse and worse, "explains Michelle.
The gamble paid off. Millie's condition began to improve immediately, birthmarks begin to shrink and fade, and within a week he was allowed home from hospital.
"It's really changed his life. Tumor really sick and he never like being touched or held because it gives so much pain. But then we can kiss and cuddle, and within days he was able to move his head," recalls Millie.
However, Millie battle is far from over. The tumor had caused the damage so he must have a new airway created using a piece of rib cartilage last year.
He stopped taking the drug last August after two years of treatment, and this month will undergo surgery to reconstruct her lip.
Millie is now 3 years old can also have a big smile, although he still has some problems on the ability to speak due to damage to the mouth.
Axel and Pixel v1.21-TE
Genre: Indie
Developer: Silver Wish Games
Publisher: 2K Play
Release Note :
Axel and Pixel are trapped in a beautiful but dangerous dream world. If they plan to get out they must solve its mysteries. Drawn by hand and rendered in full high-definition, Axel & Pixel is a unique journey through an artist’s dream. Axel and Pixel features 24 stunning chapters set in 4 different seasons, 3 vehicle minigames and many challenging puzzles. One day Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel awaken trapped in a beautiful but perilous dream world of his own creation. They must solve the mysteries of Axel’s landscapes to get home. Guide the duo through this awe-inspiring world to help Axel fulfill his greatest wish – to paint a picture of all four seasons in a single day. Unlock the full game for 24 stunning chapters in different seasons, vehicle mini-games, many challenging puzzles and hand-drawn art rendered in full high-definition, Axel & Pixel is a unique journey through an artist’s dream.
Developer: Silver Wish Games
Publisher: 2K Play
Release Note :
Axel and Pixel are trapped in a beautiful but dangerous dream world. If they plan to get out they must solve its mysteries. Drawn by hand and rendered in full high-definition, Axel & Pixel is a unique journey through an artist’s dream. Axel and Pixel features 24 stunning chapters set in 4 different seasons, 3 vehicle minigames and many challenging puzzles. One day Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel awaken trapped in a beautiful but perilous dream world of his own creation. They must solve the mysteries of Axel’s landscapes to get home. Guide the duo through this awe-inspiring world to help Axel fulfill his greatest wish – to paint a picture of all four seasons in a single day. Unlock the full game for 24 stunning chapters in different seasons, vehicle mini-games, many challenging puzzles and hand-drawn art rendered in full high-definition, Axel & Pixel is a unique journey through an artist’s dream.
Midnight Mansion HD v1.0.0 cracked READ NFO-THETA
Publisher: ActionSoft
Developer: ActionSoft
Genre: 2D Platform
Release Note :
As Jack Malone, you will explore five huge mansions, each filled with traps, puzzles, and secrets, as you search for legendary treasure. Ride on conveyor belts, avoid zapper beams, and dodge monsters as you collect keys that give you access to new areas of each mansion. In the vein of games like Dark Castle and Montezuma’s Revenge, Midnight Mansion HD brings you classic 2D platformer action with High Definition graphics that look great even on a 30″ screen, and a spooky soundtrack that helps set the mood. Midnight Mansion HD is family friendly! We regularly hear stories of grandmothers who play it with their grandchildren… although we’re not sure who is enjoying the game more! This is not a cheap port of an iPhone game. You will find no low-res graphics or ported touch-based gameplay here. Finally enjoy a game that doesn’t lose its replay value after just a few hours of playing!
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light-SKIDROW
Release Note:
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an action/adventure game featuring Lara Croft. This brand extension combines the hallmarks of the Tomb Raider franchise including exploration & discovery, platforming, and puzzle solving combined with character progression, fun fast-paced combat, and elements of human cooperation and competition.A classic formula of puzzles, combat, exploration, and breathtaking visuals put through the lens of an isometric fast-paced gaming experience. A wide range of options for solving puzzles and traversing deadly environmental traps, offering players an unprecedented level of freedom to choose their own solutions and explore various paths through the dense jungles of Central America. Crystal Dynamics' proprietary engine delivers sprawling environments with no load-times and unbelievable vertical gameplay through tombs reaching deep into the Earth.Face off against a myriad of undead warriors brought to life by the evil Xolotl, including a number of boss battles that are not to be missed!
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an action/adventure game featuring Lara Croft. This brand extension combines the hallmarks of the Tomb Raider franchise including exploration & discovery, platforming, and puzzle solving combined with character progression, fun fast-paced combat, and elements of human cooperation and competition.A classic formula of puzzles, combat, exploration, and breathtaking visuals put through the lens of an isometric fast-paced gaming experience. A wide range of options for solving puzzles and traversing deadly environmental traps, offering players an unprecedented level of freedom to choose their own solutions and explore various paths through the dense jungles of Central America. Crystal Dynamics' proprietary engine delivers sprawling environments with no load-times and unbelievable vertical gameplay through tombs reaching deep into the Earth.Face off against a myriad of undead warriors brought to life by the evil Xolotl, including a number of boss battles that are not to be missed!
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