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Never Pay Retail Again
As Americans aim to curtail their spending, more retailers are cutting deals to reel in customers
Times are tough. The economy is weakening, consumer confidence is at a low and Americans are struggling just to buy basics like gas and groceries. So when it comes to getting goods that fall beyond the bare necessities, shoppers are getting smarter.
Not only has scouring the Web for the best possible price become standard protocol before buying a big-ticket item, but more consumers are employing creative strategies for scoring hot deals on everything from stereos to sweat pants.
Comparison shopping, haggling and swapping discount codes are all becoming mainstream marks of savvy shoppers. And retailers are playing along.
Coupon craze
Swapping online coupons or discount codes is one quick way to score a reduced price. Often simply applying the right coupon or promotion code during the online payment process can mean a savings of 10 to 30 percent or at least free shipping.
"People are feeling a bit of squeeze and are looking for ways to save money without cutting back their spending," said Barry Boone, owner of currentcodes.com and naughtycodes.com.
Web sites like currentcodes.com list discount codes for a number of online retailers from Amazon to Zappos. If you find a code to an online store you're shopping at, just copy it and paste it into the "promotional code" box in the checkout area of the retailer's Web site.
Printable coupons, which can be used in stores, are also readily found online at various Web sites and blogs like printable-coupons.blogspot.com and wow-coupons.com.
And sellers are taking note, offering more coupons more often as the coupon sharing sites surge in popularity.
According to a recent survey conducted by retailmenot.com, 63 percent of respondents said they would not make a purchase if there was no deal attached. The coupon site expects 4 million visitors in May, up 260 percent from a year ago, according to co-founder Bevan Clark.
Clark says the savings shouldn't end there. He urges online shoppers to check a comparison service like pricegrabber before making a purchase, and then go to a coupon sharing site "to really stack on the savings," and lastly, watch for any future price drops with a price protection service like priceprotectr.com. Many retailers will refund the difference if the price of a product is reduced within two weeks after the purchase is made.
That's what he calls a "Triad of Shopping Awesomeness."
Hidden discounts
Awesome deals can be found inside brick-and-mortar stores as well. Whether it is expressly stated or for those in the know, boutiques and big box stores alike are often willing to price match or offer a discount to reel in those that are ready to buy.
Circuit City and Sears not only have price matching policies, but they will undercut a lower advertised price by taking off an extra 10 percent of the difference. Plus, if customers catch a lower advertised price from another local store within 30 days of the purchase, the chains will refund 100 percent of the difference.
Even luxury retailers are willing to do what it takes to compete. A sales manager at Montmartre, a high-end clothier in New York City, said that even though it's not written in the store policy, they will match lower prices from other retailers on request and also give a 10 percent discount to their "VIP" customers, which include those that shop at the store regularly or have reached a certain spending threshold. Not a bad deal for a $400
dress or pair of $190 designer jeans.
In light of the current economic conditions, the store recently added more clients to the VIP list, the manager said, hoping to boost sales.
Haggling
Even outright haggling — once restricted to flea markets and car dealerships — has become acceptable in the mass retail marketplace.
Most store policies on bargaining are informal, but shoppers with the nerve to ask about flexible pricing may just save some serious cash.
A good place to start is to ask to speak with a manager. Often a sales associate will defer to the store manager, who has more leeway to cut deals. Open the discussion by asking if the listed price is the best possible deal.
Electronics retailer P.C. Richards is willing to negotiate on everything from air conditioners to HDTVs. With a little prodding, a sales manager agreed to take 10 percent off the retail price of a Garmin Nuvi 200W GPS System, which comes to about $30.
Slightly imperfect merchandise
There is more flexibility to haggle on products that have been on display and show some wear, such as shoes or sports equipment. A garment displayed on a mannequin or an item in a store window might come with a discount if it's missing original labels or packaging.
Electronics sold "out of the box" are also a source of great bargains, and usually have little more wear than a few fingerprints. Though they are generally missing instructions, these can often be easily downloaded online.
A manager at Best Buy said he would knock 10 percent off the price of a product if the box had been opened — even if it was in perfect working order.
At PC Richards, a manager slashed the price of the display model on a navigational system by 50 percent — not bad by bargain hunting standards.
Source: http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Times are tough. The economy is weakening, consumer confidence is at a low and Americans are struggling just to buy basics like gas and groceries. So when it comes to getting goods that fall beyond the bare necessities, shoppers are getting smarter.
Not only has scouring the Web for the best possible price become standard protocol before buying a big-ticket item, but more consumers are employing creative strategies for scoring hot deals on everything from stereos to sweat pants.
Comparison shopping, haggling and swapping discount codes are all becoming mainstream marks of savvy shoppers. And retailers are playing along.
Coupon craze
Swapping online coupons or discount codes is one quick way to score a reduced price. Often simply applying the right coupon or promotion code during the online payment process can mean a savings of 10 to 30 percent or at least free shipping.
"People are feeling a bit of squeeze and are looking for ways to save money without cutting back their spending," said Barry Boone, owner of currentcodes.com and naughtycodes.com.
Web sites like currentcodes.com list discount codes for a number of online retailers from Amazon to Zappos. If you find a code to an online store you're shopping at, just copy it and paste it into the "promotional code" box in the checkout area of the retailer's Web site.
Printable coupons, which can be used in stores, are also readily found online at various Web sites and blogs like printable-coupons.blogspot.com and wow-coupons.com.
And sellers are taking note, offering more coupons more often as the coupon sharing sites surge in popularity.
According to a recent survey conducted by retailmenot.com, 63 percent of respondents said they would not make a purchase if there was no deal attached. The coupon site expects 4 million visitors in May, up 260 percent from a year ago, according to co-founder Bevan Clark.
Clark says the savings shouldn't end there. He urges online shoppers to check a comparison service like pricegrabber before making a purchase, and then go to a coupon sharing site "to really stack on the savings," and lastly, watch for any future price drops with a price protection service like priceprotectr.com. Many retailers will refund the difference if the price of a product is reduced within two weeks after the purchase is made.
That's what he calls a "Triad of Shopping Awesomeness."
Hidden discounts
Awesome deals can be found inside brick-and-mortar stores as well. Whether it is expressly stated or for those in the know, boutiques and big box stores alike are often willing to price match or offer a discount to reel in those that are ready to buy.
Circuit City and Sears not only have price matching policies, but they will undercut a lower advertised price by taking off an extra 10 percent of the difference. Plus, if customers catch a lower advertised price from another local store within 30 days of the purchase, the chains will refund 100 percent of the difference.
Even luxury retailers are willing to do what it takes to compete. A sales manager at Montmartre, a high-end clothier in New York City, said that even though it's not written in the store policy, they will match lower prices from other retailers on request and also give a 10 percent discount to their "VIP" customers, which include those that shop at the store regularly or have reached a certain spending threshold. Not a bad deal for a $400
dress or pair of $190 designer jeans.
In light of the current economic conditions, the store recently added more clients to the VIP list, the manager said, hoping to boost sales.
Haggling
Even outright haggling — once restricted to flea markets and car dealerships — has become acceptable in the mass retail marketplace.
Most store policies on bargaining are informal, but shoppers with the nerve to ask about flexible pricing may just save some serious cash.
A good place to start is to ask to speak with a manager. Often a sales associate will defer to the store manager, who has more leeway to cut deals. Open the discussion by asking if the listed price is the best possible deal.
Electronics retailer P.C. Richards is willing to negotiate on everything from air conditioners to HDTVs. With a little prodding, a sales manager agreed to take 10 percent off the retail price of a Garmin Nuvi 200W GPS System, which comes to about $30.
Slightly imperfect merchandise
There is more flexibility to haggle on products that have been on display and show some wear, such as shoes or sports equipment. A garment displayed on a mannequin or an item in a store window might come with a discount if it's missing original labels or packaging.
Electronics sold "out of the box" are also a source of great bargains, and usually have little more wear than a few fingerprints. Though they are generally missing instructions, these can often be easily downloaded online.
A manager at Best Buy said he would knock 10 percent off the price of a product if the box had been opened — even if it was in perfect working order.
At PC Richards, a manager slashed the price of the display model on a navigational system by 50 percent — not bad by bargain hunting standards.
Source: http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Secret Ways to Boost Your Social Security
Four legal strategies for adding as much as $12,000 a year to your retirement income.
Some retirement decisions are irreversible. But many retirees will be happy to learn that choosing when to start collecting Social Security benefits is not one of them.
When John Rothenhoefer, 70, found out that he could increase his Social Security benefits by about $1,000 a month by taking advantage of a do-over strategy, he thought he'd struck gold. As it turns out, he might as well have won a mega lottery. Out of the 32 million retirees who collect Social Security benefits, Rothenhoefer was one of just 71 people this fiscal year to take advantage of an obscure option that lets you halt your current benefits, pay back all you have collected interest-free, and restart your benefits at a new, higher rate based on your current age.
It's perfectly legal, says Mark Lassiter, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration. But don't expect the claims representatives at your local Social Security office or the employees who answer the agency's toll-free number ( 800-772-1213 ) to be familiar with the details. "Our service representatives can go an entire career and never encounter this situation," says Lassiter. He recommends that you download Form 521 ("Request for Withdrawal of Application") from the agency's Web site and visit your local office in person.
This strategy is just one of four little-publicized ways we uncovered to help you maximize your Social Security benefits. Each tactic applies to a specific situation; if one of them is yours, you could be in the money.
A "Sweet Deal"
For someone like Rothenhoefer, who had been collecting monthly checks for eight years, the price of repaying Social Security benefits can be steep -- $100,000 or more in some cases. But he thinks it's well worth it. Not only will his monthly check be about 75% larger than his previous benefit, but it will also increase with inflation each year for the rest of his life. And if John dies first, his wife, Charlotte, 67, will collect the same monthly amount as a survivor benefit for as long as she lives.
Here's how it works: Let's say you qualify for full benefits of $1,600 a month at your normal retirement age of 66, but you decide to begin collecting your benefits at 62. Your retirement benefits will be reduced by 25% for the rest of your life -- to $1,200 a month, in this example -- because you'll be collecting a smaller benefit for a longer period of time.
On the other hand, if you delay collecting benefits, you will receive an 8% credit for every year beyond your normal retirement age until you reach 70, when your maximum benefit will be 132% of what you would have received at age 66. In this example, you would receive about $2,100 a month at 70 -- a $900 difference.
Maybe you decided to collect benefits early out of fear that you wouldn't live long enough to collect the larger delayed benefit. But now that you've made it to 70, you may regret your decision and wish you were receiving a larger check.
In order to get one, you must first file Form 521 at your local Social Security office to request a withdrawal of your application for benefits. Your retirement benefits will stop almost immediately -- and if your husband or wife receives spousal benefits based on your work record, his or her benefits will stop, too. Then the Social Security Administration will send you a letter telling you how much you need to repay (including any spousal benefits). That process may take several weeks. Once you repay the benefits, you can reapply for new, higher payments based on your current age.
If, for example, you received $1,200 a month starting at age 62, plus annual cost-of-living adjustments through age 70, you would have to repay about $130,000. That's a lot of money, but for some people it's worth the price to get an additional $900 a month in retirement. By comparison, it would cost a 70-year-old man about $190,000 to buy an immediate annuity that would provide $900 a month initially, plus annual inflation adjustments and a 100% survivor benefit. That's 46% more expensive than "buying" a lifetime annuity from Social Security.
Rothenhoefer thinks it's a "sweet deal." He concedes the strategy could backfire if both he and his wife were to die before they recoup their investment, which will take about ten and a half years. Still, he says, "it's worth the gamble," particularly because his wife stands a good chance of living into her nineties, as her mother and grandmother did.
There's another financial downside: You may have to go without Social Security benefits for a few months while the agency sorts out how much you have to repay and you reapply for benefits. When your benefits stop, so do the automatic deductions that cover your Medicare premium. You'll have to pay the Part B premium yourself -- currently $96.40 a month for most retirees -- until your Social Security benefits resume.
Crunch the Numbers
Boston University economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff says repaying and reapplying for Social Security benefits is a "fantastic option" for some people. But it can involve a lot of number-crunching to determine whether it's the right decision for you. Kotlikoff offers case studies on his Web site, www.esplanner.com. For $149, you can access his sophisticated financial-planning software, which lets you create your own comprehensive retirement plan, including an analysis of the pros and cons of a decision to pay back your Social Security.
John Greaney, who started the Retire Early Web site, says that members of his online community were aware of the repayment strategy but treated it as an urban legend. When Greaney took the time to research it last summer, he realized that it was an even better deal than he had first thought. That's because when you repay your Social Security benefits, you can claim either an itemized deduction or a tax credit (whichever results in bigger savings to you) for the taxes you paid on your benefits in previous years. The calculations are complicated, but you can get all the details in IRS Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits, at www.irs.gov.
The idea of boosting your Social Security benefits may be enticing, but you still have to figure out how to pay for it. Kotlikoff's case studies weigh the pros and cons of using other assets to repay the benefits. Greaney created a spreadsheet that assumes you collect benefits early, invest all the money, then repay the benefits with earnings to spare. The spreadsheet also factors in the tax refund.
But Rothenhoefer had another idea. With his mortgage paid off, he decided to take out a home-equity loan and use the extra income from the bigger monthly Social Security benefit to repay the loan. "I didn't have to touch my savings, and I'll get a tax deduction on the interest," says Rothenhoefer, who lives in Ellicott City, Md.
One word of caution: Although this strategy can work well if you are already collecting benefits and like the idea of starting over at a higher monthly rate, it's riskier to plan to collect reduced benefits now with the intention of repaying them later. For one thing, you might not live long enough to take advantage of the repayment strategy. In that case, your spouse would be left with a reduced survivor benefit. Plus, there's no guarantee that Congress won't tinker with the provision when it eventually turns its attention to Social Security reform.
Tactics for Couples
Two other income-boosting strategies give couples a way to maximize their Social Security benefits. A recent paper by the Center for Retirement Research recommends that the spouse who is eligible for lower benefits collect them early, while the higher-earning spouse delays taking benefits until they are worth more. Then, when the primary breadwinner dies, the spouse with the lower benefit will "step up" to a much higher survivor benefit as the smaller retirement payment drops off.
In the past, it wasn't always possible to implement such a strategy. For example, a wife with little or no work history would have to wait until her husband actually started collecting Social Security to apply for spousal benefits based on his work record, equal to half of his monthly check.
That's not the case anymore. The Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000 allows a worker to "file and suspend" Social Security benefits once he or she has reached full retirement age. Under this law, the higher-earning spouse (usually the husband) could file for benefits, allowing his wife to collect her share, and then suspend his own benefits while continuing to work and building a bigger payment for the future. This kind of planning works best for couples in which one spouse has substantially higher lifetime earnings than the other.
There's also a way for married couples with similar incomes to enhance their benefits. In that situation, once you reach your normal retirement age, you can apply just for spousal Social Security benefits and delay the start of your own, higher benefits.
Let's say, for instance, that a man and his wife are both 66 years old and each is entitled to retirement benefits of $1,500 a month. She decides to retire, but he wants to continue working. He can apply for spousal benefits based on her work record -- worth $750 a month in this case -- and delay claiming benefits based on his own work history until he reaches age 70. At that point, his check would be worth about $2,000 a month.
Take Care of the Kids
Older men who are widowers or divorced often get remarried to younger women, and it's not uncommon for them to start second families. So when these do-over dads start collecting Social Security benefits, they may still have minor children at home. More than 500,000 children currently receive monthly payments based on a parent's Social Security retirement benefits.
If you're in this situation, you can put aside the money for your kids -- you might even be able to get Uncle Sam to foot the bill for their college education. That's what one 67-year-old man in Austin, Tex., plans to do. Although he didn't want us to use his name, "Bill" was happy to share his story.
After the death of his first wife several years ago, Bill married a younger woman, and they're expecting their first child this year. When the baby is born, he or she will receive monthly Social Security checks worth up to half of Bill's benefit until the child reaches age 18.
Bill plans to stretch those benefits even further by depositing them in a state-sponsored 529 college-savings plan. By contributing to a 529, he'll be able to use the earnings and distributions tax-free to pay for tuition, books, fees and other qualified expenses. If the child received $500 a month, for example, and the account earned an average 5% annual return, the college fund would be worth about $175,000 in 18 years. Depending on where you live, you may also qualify for a state income-tax deduction on your 529 contribution.
Despite the Social Security system's long-term financial problems, you don't need to feel guilty about trying to maximize your benefits, says Mary Jane Yarrington, a policy analyst with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "These new strategies bring public attention to the fact that Social Security is truly valuable and that there are ways to make it even more worthwhile," Yarrington says.
Copyrighted, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.
Source : http://finance.yahoo.com/
Some retirement decisions are irreversible. But many retirees will be happy to learn that choosing when to start collecting Social Security benefits is not one of them.
When John Rothenhoefer, 70, found out that he could increase his Social Security benefits by about $1,000 a month by taking advantage of a do-over strategy, he thought he'd struck gold. As it turns out, he might as well have won a mega lottery. Out of the 32 million retirees who collect Social Security benefits, Rothenhoefer was one of just 71 people this fiscal year to take advantage of an obscure option that lets you halt your current benefits, pay back all you have collected interest-free, and restart your benefits at a new, higher rate based on your current age.
It's perfectly legal, says Mark Lassiter, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration. But don't expect the claims representatives at your local Social Security office or the employees who answer the agency's toll-free number ( 800-772-1213 ) to be familiar with the details. "Our service representatives can go an entire career and never encounter this situation," says Lassiter. He recommends that you download Form 521 ("Request for Withdrawal of Application") from the agency's Web site and visit your local office in person.
This strategy is just one of four little-publicized ways we uncovered to help you maximize your Social Security benefits. Each tactic applies to a specific situation; if one of them is yours, you could be in the money.
A "Sweet Deal"
For someone like Rothenhoefer, who had been collecting monthly checks for eight years, the price of repaying Social Security benefits can be steep -- $100,000 or more in some cases. But he thinks it's well worth it. Not only will his monthly check be about 75% larger than his previous benefit, but it will also increase with inflation each year for the rest of his life. And if John dies first, his wife, Charlotte, 67, will collect the same monthly amount as a survivor benefit for as long as she lives.
Here's how it works: Let's say you qualify for full benefits of $1,600 a month at your normal retirement age of 66, but you decide to begin collecting your benefits at 62. Your retirement benefits will be reduced by 25% for the rest of your life -- to $1,200 a month, in this example -- because you'll be collecting a smaller benefit for a longer period of time.
On the other hand, if you delay collecting benefits, you will receive an 8% credit for every year beyond your normal retirement age until you reach 70, when your maximum benefit will be 132% of what you would have received at age 66. In this example, you would receive about $2,100 a month at 70 -- a $900 difference.
Maybe you decided to collect benefits early out of fear that you wouldn't live long enough to collect the larger delayed benefit. But now that you've made it to 70, you may regret your decision and wish you were receiving a larger check.
In order to get one, you must first file Form 521 at your local Social Security office to request a withdrawal of your application for benefits. Your retirement benefits will stop almost immediately -- and if your husband or wife receives spousal benefits based on your work record, his or her benefits will stop, too. Then the Social Security Administration will send you a letter telling you how much you need to repay (including any spousal benefits). That process may take several weeks. Once you repay the benefits, you can reapply for new, higher payments based on your current age.
If, for example, you received $1,200 a month starting at age 62, plus annual cost-of-living adjustments through age 70, you would have to repay about $130,000. That's a lot of money, but for some people it's worth the price to get an additional $900 a month in retirement. By comparison, it would cost a 70-year-old man about $190,000 to buy an immediate annuity that would provide $900 a month initially, plus annual inflation adjustments and a 100% survivor benefit. That's 46% more expensive than "buying" a lifetime annuity from Social Security.
Rothenhoefer thinks it's a "sweet deal." He concedes the strategy could backfire if both he and his wife were to die before they recoup their investment, which will take about ten and a half years. Still, he says, "it's worth the gamble," particularly because his wife stands a good chance of living into her nineties, as her mother and grandmother did.
There's another financial downside: You may have to go without Social Security benefits for a few months while the agency sorts out how much you have to repay and you reapply for benefits. When your benefits stop, so do the automatic deductions that cover your Medicare premium. You'll have to pay the Part B premium yourself -- currently $96.40 a month for most retirees -- until your Social Security benefits resume.
Crunch the Numbers
Boston University economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff says repaying and reapplying for Social Security benefits is a "fantastic option" for some people. But it can involve a lot of number-crunching to determine whether it's the right decision for you. Kotlikoff offers case studies on his Web site, www.esplanner.com. For $149, you can access his sophisticated financial-planning software, which lets you create your own comprehensive retirement plan, including an analysis of the pros and cons of a decision to pay back your Social Security.
John Greaney, who started the Retire Early Web site, says that members of his online community were aware of the repayment strategy but treated it as an urban legend. When Greaney took the time to research it last summer, he realized that it was an even better deal than he had first thought. That's because when you repay your Social Security benefits, you can claim either an itemized deduction or a tax credit (whichever results in bigger savings to you) for the taxes you paid on your benefits in previous years. The calculations are complicated, but you can get all the details in IRS Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits, at www.irs.gov.
The idea of boosting your Social Security benefits may be enticing, but you still have to figure out how to pay for it. Kotlikoff's case studies weigh the pros and cons of using other assets to repay the benefits. Greaney created a spreadsheet that assumes you collect benefits early, invest all the money, then repay the benefits with earnings to spare. The spreadsheet also factors in the tax refund.
But Rothenhoefer had another idea. With his mortgage paid off, he decided to take out a home-equity loan and use the extra income from the bigger monthly Social Security benefit to repay the loan. "I didn't have to touch my savings, and I'll get a tax deduction on the interest," says Rothenhoefer, who lives in Ellicott City, Md.
One word of caution: Although this strategy can work well if you are already collecting benefits and like the idea of starting over at a higher monthly rate, it's riskier to plan to collect reduced benefits now with the intention of repaying them later. For one thing, you might not live long enough to take advantage of the repayment strategy. In that case, your spouse would be left with a reduced survivor benefit. Plus, there's no guarantee that Congress won't tinker with the provision when it eventually turns its attention to Social Security reform.
Tactics for Couples
Two other income-boosting strategies give couples a way to maximize their Social Security benefits. A recent paper by the Center for Retirement Research recommends that the spouse who is eligible for lower benefits collect them early, while the higher-earning spouse delays taking benefits until they are worth more. Then, when the primary breadwinner dies, the spouse with the lower benefit will "step up" to a much higher survivor benefit as the smaller retirement payment drops off.
In the past, it wasn't always possible to implement such a strategy. For example, a wife with little or no work history would have to wait until her husband actually started collecting Social Security to apply for spousal benefits based on his work record, equal to half of his monthly check.
That's not the case anymore. The Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000 allows a worker to "file and suspend" Social Security benefits once he or she has reached full retirement age. Under this law, the higher-earning spouse (usually the husband) could file for benefits, allowing his wife to collect her share, and then suspend his own benefits while continuing to work and building a bigger payment for the future. This kind of planning works best for couples in which one spouse has substantially higher lifetime earnings than the other.
There's also a way for married couples with similar incomes to enhance their benefits. In that situation, once you reach your normal retirement age, you can apply just for spousal Social Security benefits and delay the start of your own, higher benefits.
Let's say, for instance, that a man and his wife are both 66 years old and each is entitled to retirement benefits of $1,500 a month. She decides to retire, but he wants to continue working. He can apply for spousal benefits based on her work record -- worth $750 a month in this case -- and delay claiming benefits based on his own work history until he reaches age 70. At that point, his check would be worth about $2,000 a month.
Take Care of the Kids
Older men who are widowers or divorced often get remarried to younger women, and it's not uncommon for them to start second families. So when these do-over dads start collecting Social Security benefits, they may still have minor children at home. More than 500,000 children currently receive monthly payments based on a parent's Social Security retirement benefits.
If you're in this situation, you can put aside the money for your kids -- you might even be able to get Uncle Sam to foot the bill for their college education. That's what one 67-year-old man in Austin, Tex., plans to do. Although he didn't want us to use his name, "Bill" was happy to share his story.
After the death of his first wife several years ago, Bill married a younger woman, and they're expecting their first child this year. When the baby is born, he or she will receive monthly Social Security checks worth up to half of Bill's benefit until the child reaches age 18.
Bill plans to stretch those benefits even further by depositing them in a state-sponsored 529 college-savings plan. By contributing to a 529, he'll be able to use the earnings and distributions tax-free to pay for tuition, books, fees and other qualified expenses. If the child received $500 a month, for example, and the account earned an average 5% annual return, the college fund would be worth about $175,000 in 18 years. Depending on where you live, you may also qualify for a state income-tax deduction on your 529 contribution.
Despite the Social Security system's long-term financial problems, you don't need to feel guilty about trying to maximize your benefits, says Mary Jane Yarrington, a policy analyst with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "These new strategies bring public attention to the fact that Social Security is truly valuable and that there are ways to make it even more worthwhile," Yarrington says.
Copyrighted, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.
Source : http://finance.yahoo.com/
You Shouldn't Skip Out On Your Vacation
The slowdown in the U.S. economy is threatening a necessity for workers: vacations.
According to the annual Yahoo! HotJobs vacation survey, 51% of respondents said they plan to skip taking a vacation this year, opting to save money instead.
Not a Frivolous Matter
"Vacations are usually the first thing to go when people feel job or economic pressure," says Joe Robinson, a trainer in work-life balance and author of "Work to Live." He continues, "We're programmed to believe that free time is worthless, a frill to shove aside, but vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise."
Skipping a vacation can also be bad for your employer.
Milo and Thuy Sindell, founders of Hit the Ground Running and authors of "Job Spa," say, "You are not helpful to the company and your coworkers when you are not operating at full capacity. Vacations help you to get rejuvenated to come back to work at full capacity."
Make It Work With Less
For those tempted to skip vacation this year due to financial worries, experts recommend the following tips:
Remind yourself: Vacation is not a luxury. "You owe it to yourself, your family, and your company to take care of yourself by stepping out of the office for at least a few days at a time," says Liz Bywater, president of the Bywater Consulting Group, which helps improve organizational performance.
Put aside some funds each week. "Even $50 a week [or less] can add up and make your trip happen," says Robinson.
Plan leisure activities near home. "Stay at home and read, garden, hike, jog, bike, or whatever you like to do but never have enough time for during the weekends," say the Sindells. "Or be a tourist in your own city."
Try home-swapping. You can swap with someone you know in another city, or use an online service, such as homexchange.com or even vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner). "It can have the look and feel of a vacation at a much more affordable housing cost than paying for hotel or resort lodging," says Michael Haubrich, president of Financial Service Group and an expert in financial planning for career issues.
Keep the itinerary simple. Travel columnist Donald D. Groff recommends selecting a destination within 200 miles (a three-hour drive) from your home. If you're traveling by plane, fly nonstop whenever possible. "The sooner you get to your destination, the sooner your relaxation begins," Groff says.
Stress-Busting Strategies
The economic downturn is also adding to workers' stress levels. Nearly a third of the respondents (31%) are worried by how the economy is affecting their workplaces, and 34% said they feel pressure to improve their performance for fear of being laid off.
With 55% of respondents admitted to being "burned out" by work, stress and fatigue add another threat to vacations. Experts say you can prevent the threat in the following ways:
Start small. "Start with an afternoon off to do something you really enjoy, even if it's just a walk at the beach or a visit to a farmer's market," says Beth A. Levin, author of "Making a Richer, More Fulfilling Life a Reality."
If planning is a burden, don't. "Instead of planning a vacation, just take time off to be at home and figure it out each day as you go," the Sindells suggest.
Enlist back-up support. Ask a trusted coworker to back you up while you're away and offer to return the favor, Bywater suggests. "It's much easier to relax when you know someone's got you covered."
Choose according to what you need. You may need a peaceful retreat from stress, or you may benefit from something more active and exciting. "Avoid the kind of vacation that will leave you even more exhausted than before," she adds.
Give yourself a deadline. "Stop thinking about it and just do it," says Bywater. "Think of it as 'doctor's orders.'"
Source : http://hotjobs.promotions.yahoo.com/
According to the annual Yahoo! HotJobs vacation survey, 51% of respondents said they plan to skip taking a vacation this year, opting to save money instead.
Not a Frivolous Matter
"Vacations are usually the first thing to go when people feel job or economic pressure," says Joe Robinson, a trainer in work-life balance and author of "Work to Live." He continues, "We're programmed to believe that free time is worthless, a frill to shove aside, but vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise."
Skipping a vacation can also be bad for your employer.
Milo and Thuy Sindell, founders of Hit the Ground Running and authors of "Job Spa," say, "You are not helpful to the company and your coworkers when you are not operating at full capacity. Vacations help you to get rejuvenated to come back to work at full capacity."
Make It Work With Less
For those tempted to skip vacation this year due to financial worries, experts recommend the following tips:
Remind yourself: Vacation is not a luxury. "You owe it to yourself, your family, and your company to take care of yourself by stepping out of the office for at least a few days at a time," says Liz Bywater, president of the Bywater Consulting Group, which helps improve organizational performance.
Put aside some funds each week. "Even $50 a week [or less] can add up and make your trip happen," says Robinson.
Plan leisure activities near home. "Stay at home and read, garden, hike, jog, bike, or whatever you like to do but never have enough time for during the weekends," say the Sindells. "Or be a tourist in your own city."
Try home-swapping. You can swap with someone you know in another city, or use an online service, such as homexchange.com or even vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner). "It can have the look and feel of a vacation at a much more affordable housing cost than paying for hotel or resort lodging," says Michael Haubrich, president of Financial Service Group and an expert in financial planning for career issues.
Keep the itinerary simple. Travel columnist Donald D. Groff recommends selecting a destination within 200 miles (a three-hour drive) from your home. If you're traveling by plane, fly nonstop whenever possible. "The sooner you get to your destination, the sooner your relaxation begins," Groff says.
Stress-Busting Strategies
The economic downturn is also adding to workers' stress levels. Nearly a third of the respondents (31%) are worried by how the economy is affecting their workplaces, and 34% said they feel pressure to improve their performance for fear of being laid off.
With 55% of respondents admitted to being "burned out" by work, stress and fatigue add another threat to vacations. Experts say you can prevent the threat in the following ways:
Start small. "Start with an afternoon off to do something you really enjoy, even if it's just a walk at the beach or a visit to a farmer's market," says Beth A. Levin, author of "Making a Richer, More Fulfilling Life a Reality."
If planning is a burden, don't. "Instead of planning a vacation, just take time off to be at home and figure it out each day as you go," the Sindells suggest.
Enlist back-up support. Ask a trusted coworker to back you up while you're away and offer to return the favor, Bywater suggests. "It's much easier to relax when you know someone's got you covered."
Choose according to what you need. You may need a peaceful retreat from stress, or you may benefit from something more active and exciting. "Avoid the kind of vacation that will leave you even more exhausted than before," she adds.
Give yourself a deadline. "Stop thinking about it and just do it," says Bywater. "Think of it as 'doctor's orders.'"
Source : http://hotjobs.promotions.yahoo.com/
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Obama Names A Kennedy To Help Pick VP
Barack Obama turned in earnest to the general election and the hunt for a running mate Wednesday, embraced by Democratic leaders who signaled forcefully and sometimes impatiently to Hillary Rodham Clinton that her marathon duel with Obama was over. Clinton kept her silence in public, while supporters made a case for her as Obama's No. 2.
Obama himself moved to link himself more closely with a young Democratic hero of a half-century ago, picking President Kennedy's daughter Caroline to help him choose a vice president.
While Clinton still wasn't conceding, even after Tuesday's primaries and a flood of "superdelegate" endorsements of Obama sealed the nomination, there were signs aplenty that she was closing shop. She began bidding campaign staff members farewell, and a number were told not to come to work after Friday. Last paychecks were expected to go out June 15.
The primary rivals ran into each other backstage at a hall where both spoke to Jewish leaders, but Obama said there was no mention of how or when she would formally end her long campaign to become the nation's first female president.
Obama showed no impatience, merely smiling and accepting congratulations from colleagues in both parties as he returned to the Capitol for a Senate vote. But other Democrats urged her to get out of the way.
"I don't see why we don't get on with it and endorse" Obama, said Rep. Charles Rangel, a congressman from Clinton's home state of New York. He said it was only a matter of time before he and other Clinton supporters formally back Obama.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Obama supporter, said Clinton's non-concession "creates a pretty delicate situation here, an awkward situation."
"I don't want to push her. Nobody is going to push her," Durbin said on MSNBC. "But the sooner she does, I think the more likely we're going to be organized and ready to win in November."
Obama began focusing on who will join his ticket in the fall. His campaign said the vetting of potential running mates was to be managed by a three-person team of Caroline Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson.
Clinton has told lawmakers privately that she would be interested in the vice presidential nomination. Obama was noncommittal after his chat with her behind the scenes at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
"We're going to be having a conversation in coming weeks, and I'm very confident how unified the Democratic Party's going to be to win in November," he told reporters after a vote in the Senate where he received congratulations from all sides.
Meanwhile, the dam holding back endorsements broke from coast to coast on the day after the primary elections concluded.
Seven senators who had stayed out of the matter said they were giving Obama their commitment and would work toward uniting Democrats for the election, now exactly five months away.
In Nashville, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was joined by two other superdelegates to say they hoped to bring the party behind Obama even though Clinton won their state. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who had been a Clinton supporter, announced he was backing Obama.
It hardly mattered in terms of delegate math — after months of struggle, Obama had more than enough to prevail at the party convention in Denver in August. But Obama's new backers were also sending a message to Clinton that her race was over.
Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, was lobbying members of the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Obama to place Clinton on the ticket. He said he was doing so with her blessing.
Rangel, a founding member of the caucus, expressed doubts that Johnson's approach would work. "I don't really think that the way to get Obama to (choose) Clinton would be to put pressure on him. I think it would have the opposite effect," Rangel said.
The Obama camp's disclosure about the three-person veep vetting team was an effort to change the subject from the long, divisive primary campaign toward the general election.
Kennedy's name came as a surprise, although she endorsed Obama at a critical time last winter, saying he could be an inspirational leader like her father. She also campaigned for Obama.
Holder is a former federal prosecutor and District of Columbia Superior Court judge who held the No. 2 job at the Justice Department under President Clinton.
Johnson is widely known among Democrats for having helped previous candidates, including John Kerry four years ago, sift through vice presidential possibilities. He is a former chief executive officer for the mortgage lender Fannie Mae.
Clinton visited her campaign headquarters in suburban Arlington, Va., where she thanked staff members for their work. Aides said she was also phoning superdelegates and supporters, and planned to host an 89th birthday celebration at her Washington home for her mother, Dorothy Rodham.
Several high-dollar fundraisers who had spoken to the former first lady described her as upbeat and realistic about what she faced.
"She's very resolved, but open minded about whatever's coming. She's going forward with an optimistic eye," said Susie Tompkins Buell, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who flew from New York to Washington early Wednesday morning.
Some lawmakers showed deference to Clinton, an indication of the political and fundraising power that she and her husband still wield.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, an uncommitted superdelegate, said he will be supporting Obama but declined to make a formal endorsement. "I expect Mrs. Clinton to say some things over the next couple of days and I think that's appropriate for her to do. And I expect her to say that, at which time I may make a more formal" announcement, Hoyer said.
___
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
Obama himself moved to link himself more closely with a young Democratic hero of a half-century ago, picking President Kennedy's daughter Caroline to help him choose a vice president.
While Clinton still wasn't conceding, even after Tuesday's primaries and a flood of "superdelegate" endorsements of Obama sealed the nomination, there were signs aplenty that she was closing shop. She began bidding campaign staff members farewell, and a number were told not to come to work after Friday. Last paychecks were expected to go out June 15.
The primary rivals ran into each other backstage at a hall where both spoke to Jewish leaders, but Obama said there was no mention of how or when she would formally end her long campaign to become the nation's first female president.
Obama showed no impatience, merely smiling and accepting congratulations from colleagues in both parties as he returned to the Capitol for a Senate vote. But other Democrats urged her to get out of the way.
"I don't see why we don't get on with it and endorse" Obama, said Rep. Charles Rangel, a congressman from Clinton's home state of New York. He said it was only a matter of time before he and other Clinton supporters formally back Obama.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Obama supporter, said Clinton's non-concession "creates a pretty delicate situation here, an awkward situation."
"I don't want to push her. Nobody is going to push her," Durbin said on MSNBC. "But the sooner she does, I think the more likely we're going to be organized and ready to win in November."
Obama began focusing on who will join his ticket in the fall. His campaign said the vetting of potential running mates was to be managed by a three-person team of Caroline Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson.
Clinton has told lawmakers privately that she would be interested in the vice presidential nomination. Obama was noncommittal after his chat with her behind the scenes at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
"We're going to be having a conversation in coming weeks, and I'm very confident how unified the Democratic Party's going to be to win in November," he told reporters after a vote in the Senate where he received congratulations from all sides.
Meanwhile, the dam holding back endorsements broke from coast to coast on the day after the primary elections concluded.
Seven senators who had stayed out of the matter said they were giving Obama their commitment and would work toward uniting Democrats for the election, now exactly five months away.
In Nashville, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was joined by two other superdelegates to say they hoped to bring the party behind Obama even though Clinton won their state. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who had been a Clinton supporter, announced he was backing Obama.
It hardly mattered in terms of delegate math — after months of struggle, Obama had more than enough to prevail at the party convention in Denver in August. But Obama's new backers were also sending a message to Clinton that her race was over.
Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, was lobbying members of the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Obama to place Clinton on the ticket. He said he was doing so with her blessing.
Rangel, a founding member of the caucus, expressed doubts that Johnson's approach would work. "I don't really think that the way to get Obama to (choose) Clinton would be to put pressure on him. I think it would have the opposite effect," Rangel said.
The Obama camp's disclosure about the three-person veep vetting team was an effort to change the subject from the long, divisive primary campaign toward the general election.
Kennedy's name came as a surprise, although she endorsed Obama at a critical time last winter, saying he could be an inspirational leader like her father. She also campaigned for Obama.
Holder is a former federal prosecutor and District of Columbia Superior Court judge who held the No. 2 job at the Justice Department under President Clinton.
Johnson is widely known among Democrats for having helped previous candidates, including John Kerry four years ago, sift through vice presidential possibilities. He is a former chief executive officer for the mortgage lender Fannie Mae.
Clinton visited her campaign headquarters in suburban Arlington, Va., where she thanked staff members for their work. Aides said she was also phoning superdelegates and supporters, and planned to host an 89th birthday celebration at her Washington home for her mother, Dorothy Rodham.
Several high-dollar fundraisers who had spoken to the former first lady described her as upbeat and realistic about what she faced.
"She's very resolved, but open minded about whatever's coming. She's going forward with an optimistic eye," said Susie Tompkins Buell, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who flew from New York to Washington early Wednesday morning.
Some lawmakers showed deference to Clinton, an indication of the political and fundraising power that she and her husband still wield.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, an uncommitted superdelegate, said he will be supporting Obama but declined to make a formal endorsement. "I expect Mrs. Clinton to say some things over the next couple of days and I think that's appropriate for her to do. And I expect her to say that, at which time I may make a more formal" announcement, Hoyer said.
___
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
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Sarah Jessica Parker 'Disappointed' Over 'Sex' Premiere Dress Debacle
When the "Sex and The City" movie made its New York City premiere last week, Sarah Jessica Parker stunned fans in a floor length Nina Ricci strapless number.
The elegant gown, with a gold sash, was full of crinkly silver metallics that draped to the floor, and it was a one-of-a-kind gown Parker's on-screen character Carrie Bradshaw would have approved of, except for one little thing - the dress had already been worn several times.
[ 'Sex And The City' New York Premiere, Part 1 - Play it Now ]
Parker told the New York Times she was disappointed to learn that her Nina Ricci gown had previously been worn by Lauren Santo Domingo to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala on May 5. And before that, the gown was worn by Lindsay Lohan in Harper's Bazaar magazine this past March.
Nina Ricci's camp offered no comment on the dress debacle, but Parker made her feelings known in the paper.
[ Sarah Jessica Parker - Check Out the Photos ]
"My affection for the dress hasn't changed," Parker told the newspaper. "But what they did was so short-sighted. It's just unethical and disappointing that they would allow the dress to be worn again."
Parker said she tried on the dress under the eye of Olivier Theyskens, who was previously captured in photographs, escorting Santo Domingo and the dress down the red carpet.
[ All Access: Movies - Sarah Jessica Parker - Celebrities - Sex And The City - Style ]
During the fitting, the "SATC" actress said she told Theyskens she was surprised the dress had not been worn before, and she claims he assured her it had not.
"He didn't say, 'Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.' " Parker said. "I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it."
[ Dish Of Salt: Vanessa Hudgens Talks 'High School Musical 3' - Play it Now ]
Mario Grauso, president of the fashion division at Puig, which owns Nina Ricci said Parker and her stylist had asked if the dress had been photographed, according to the Times. He also said there was not a reason to mention that Santo Domingo wore the dress.
"Is Lauren a celebrity? It depends on how you look at it," he said.
[ 'Sex And The City' NYC Premiere - Check Out the Photos ]
Source : http://omg.yahoo.com/
The elegant gown, with a gold sash, was full of crinkly silver metallics that draped to the floor, and it was a one-of-a-kind gown Parker's on-screen character Carrie Bradshaw would have approved of, except for one little thing - the dress had already been worn several times.
[ 'Sex And The City' New York Premiere, Part 1 - Play it Now ]
Parker told the New York Times she was disappointed to learn that her Nina Ricci gown had previously been worn by Lauren Santo Domingo to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala on May 5. And before that, the gown was worn by Lindsay Lohan in Harper's Bazaar magazine this past March.
Nina Ricci's camp offered no comment on the dress debacle, but Parker made her feelings known in the paper.
[ Sarah Jessica Parker - Check Out the Photos ]
"My affection for the dress hasn't changed," Parker told the newspaper. "But what they did was so short-sighted. It's just unethical and disappointing that they would allow the dress to be worn again."
Parker said she tried on the dress under the eye of Olivier Theyskens, who was previously captured in photographs, escorting Santo Domingo and the dress down the red carpet.
[ All Access: Movies - Sarah Jessica Parker - Celebrities - Sex And The City - Style ]
During the fitting, the "SATC" actress said she told Theyskens she was surprised the dress had not been worn before, and she claims he assured her it had not.
"He didn't say, 'Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.' " Parker said. "I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it."
[ Dish Of Salt: Vanessa Hudgens Talks 'High School Musical 3' - Play it Now ]
Mario Grauso, president of the fashion division at Puig, which owns Nina Ricci said Parker and her stylist had asked if the dress had been photographed, according to the Times. He also said there was not a reason to mention that Santo Domingo wore the dress.
"Is Lauren a celebrity? It depends on how you look at it," he said.
[ 'Sex And The City' NYC Premiere - Check Out the Photos ]
Source : http://omg.yahoo.com/
New Report Identifies Dangerous Web Domains
When surfing the Internet for safe Web sites, not all domains are equal.
Companies that assign addresses for Web sites appear to be cutting corners on security more when they assign names in certain domains than in others, according to a report to be released Wednesday by antivirus software vendor McAfee Inc.
McAfee found the most dangerous domains to navigate to are ".hk" (Hong Kong), ".cn" (China) and ".info" (information).
Of all ".hk" sites McAfee tested, it flagged 19.2 percent as dangerous or potentially dangerous to visitors; it flagged 11.8 percent of ".cn" sites and 11.7 percent of ".info" sites that way.
A little more than 5 percent of the sites under the ".com" domain — the world's most popular — were identified as dangerous.
More spammers, malicious code writers and other cybercriminals can establish an online presence when domain name registry businesses cut requirements for registering a site in order to boost their profit and profile. The report doesn't identify domain name registration companies McAfee believes are responsible for those lapses.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of companies are in the business of registering domain names; some are large and well known, while others are small and less reputable, offering their services on the cheap and with flimsy or no background checks to lure in more customers.
The fact that Internet scam artists gravitate to domain name services with lower fees and fewer requirements isn't new.
What McAfee's "Mapping the Mal Web" report, now in its second year, tries to do is identify the domains that are populated with the highest concentration of risky sites.
The servers for ".hk" and ".cn" Web sites don't have to be in China; Web site operators can register sites from anywhere to target different geographies.
Other risky domains include ".ro" (Romania), with 6.8 percent, and ".ru" (Russia), with 6 percent of sites flagged as dangerous.
Shane Keats, research analyst for McAfee and lead author of the report, said the increase in dangerous sites registered under the ".hk" and ".cn" domains over last year's report was caused in part by better data collection on McAfee's part on those domains and by apparent security lapses in some registrar companies' processes for registering addresses.
"My advice about surfing behavior is that if you're really desperate for cheap Prozac and the pharmacy ends in '.cn,' don't do it. Just don't do it," Keats said. "Find another place to get your Prozac."
Many Internet frauds involve fake sites for pharmaceuticals.
The McAfee report is based on results from 9.9 million Web sites that were tested in 265 domains for serving malicious code, excessive pop-up ads or forms to fill out that actually are tools for harvesting e-mail addresses for sending spam.
Keats said domain name registrars that are strict about authenticating that Web site owners are operating a legitimate business see far fewer malicious Web sites using their services.
Where McAfee found some of the least-risky domain names:
• ".gov" (government use), with 0.05 percent flagged;
• ".jp" (Japan), with 0.1 percent flagged and
• ".au" (Australia), with 0.3 percent flagged.
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
Companies that assign addresses for Web sites appear to be cutting corners on security more when they assign names in certain domains than in others, according to a report to be released Wednesday by antivirus software vendor McAfee Inc.
McAfee found the most dangerous domains to navigate to are ".hk" (Hong Kong), ".cn" (China) and ".info" (information).
Of all ".hk" sites McAfee tested, it flagged 19.2 percent as dangerous or potentially dangerous to visitors; it flagged 11.8 percent of ".cn" sites and 11.7 percent of ".info" sites that way.
A little more than 5 percent of the sites under the ".com" domain — the world's most popular — were identified as dangerous.
More spammers, malicious code writers and other cybercriminals can establish an online presence when domain name registry businesses cut requirements for registering a site in order to boost their profit and profile. The report doesn't identify domain name registration companies McAfee believes are responsible for those lapses.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of companies are in the business of registering domain names; some are large and well known, while others are small and less reputable, offering their services on the cheap and with flimsy or no background checks to lure in more customers.
The fact that Internet scam artists gravitate to domain name services with lower fees and fewer requirements isn't new.
What McAfee's "Mapping the Mal Web" report, now in its second year, tries to do is identify the domains that are populated with the highest concentration of risky sites.
The servers for ".hk" and ".cn" Web sites don't have to be in China; Web site operators can register sites from anywhere to target different geographies.
Other risky domains include ".ro" (Romania), with 6.8 percent, and ".ru" (Russia), with 6 percent of sites flagged as dangerous.
Shane Keats, research analyst for McAfee and lead author of the report, said the increase in dangerous sites registered under the ".hk" and ".cn" domains over last year's report was caused in part by better data collection on McAfee's part on those domains and by apparent security lapses in some registrar companies' processes for registering addresses.
"My advice about surfing behavior is that if you're really desperate for cheap Prozac and the pharmacy ends in '.cn,' don't do it. Just don't do it," Keats said. "Find another place to get your Prozac."
Many Internet frauds involve fake sites for pharmaceuticals.
The McAfee report is based on results from 9.9 million Web sites that were tested in 265 domains for serving malicious code, excessive pop-up ads or forms to fill out that actually are tools for harvesting e-mail addresses for sending spam.
Keats said domain name registrars that are strict about authenticating that Web site owners are operating a legitimate business see far fewer malicious Web sites using their services.
Where McAfee found some of the least-risky domain names:
• ".gov" (government use), with 0.05 percent flagged;
• ".jp" (Japan), with 0.1 percent flagged and
• ".au" (Australia), with 0.3 percent flagged.
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Obama Clinches Nomination; Clinton Seeks VP Spot
Before a crowd of cheering thousands, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois laid claim to the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, taking a historic step toward his once-improbable goal of becoming the nation's first black president. Hillary Rodham Clinton maneuvered for the vice presidential spot on his fall ticket without conceding her own defeat.
America, this is our moment," the 46-year-old senator and one-time community organizer said in his first appearance as the Democratic nominee-in-waiting. "This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past."
Obama's victory set up a five-month campaign with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a race between a first-term Senate opponent of the Iraq War and a 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current U.S. military mission.
And both men seemed eager to begin.
McCain spoke first, in New Orleans, and he accused his younger rival of voting "to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job" in Iraq. It was a reference to 2007 legislation to pay for the Iraq war, a measure Obama opposed citing the lack of a timetable for withdrawing troops.
McCain agreed with Obama that the presidential race would focus on change. "But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said.
Obama responded quickly, pausing only long enough to praise Clinton for "her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight."
As for his general election rival, he said, "It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
"It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. ... And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians."
In a symbolic move, Obama spoke in the same hall — filled to capacity — where McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party's convention in September.
One campaign began as another was ending.
Clinton won South Dakota on the final night of the primary season; Obama took Montana.
The former first lady praised her rival warmly in an appearance before supporters in New York in which she neither acknowledged Obama's victory nor offered a concession of any sort.
Instead, she said she was committed to a united party, and said she would spend the next few days determining "how to move forward with the best interests of our country and our party guiding my way."
Only 31 delegates were at stake in the two states on the night's ballot, the final few among the thousands that once drew Obama, Clinton and six other Democratic candidates into the campaign to replace Bush and become the nation's 44th president.
Obama sealed his nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and support from party "superdelegates." It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention in Denver this summer, and Obama had 2,144 by the AP count.
Obama, a first-term senator who was virtually unknown on the national stage four years ago, defeated Clinton, the former first lady and one-time campaign front-runner, in a 17-month marathon for the Democratic nomination.
His victory had been widely assumed for weeks. But Clinton's declaration of interest in becoming his ticketmate was wholly unexpected.
She expressed it in a conference call with her state's congressional delegation after Rep. Nydia Velazquez, predicted Obama would have great difficulty winning the support of Hispanics and other voting blocs unless the former first lady was on the ticket.
"I am open to it" if it would help the party's prospects in November, Clinton replied, according to participants who spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was private.
Clinton's comments raised anew the prospect of what many Democrats have called a "Dream Ticket" that would put a black man and a woman on the same ballot, but Obama's aides were noncommittal. "We're not in the presidential phase here. We're going to close out the nominating fight and then we'll consider that," David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist, told reporters aboard the candidate's plane en route to Minnesota.
McCain's criticism of Obama referred to a vote last year in which the Illinois senator came out against legislation paying for the Iraq war because it did not include a timetable for withdrawing troops. At the time, Obama said the funding would give President Bush "a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path."
Obama previously had opposed a deadline for troop withdrawal, but shifted position under pressure from the Democratic Party's liberal wing as he maneuvered for support in advance of the primaries.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, responded tartly. "While John McCain has a record of occasional independence from his party in the past, last year he chose to embrace 95% of George Bush's agenda, including his failed economic policies and his failed policy in Iraq. No matter how hard he tries to spin it otherwise, that kind of record is simply not the change the American people are looking for or deserve."
The young Illinois senator's success amounted to a victory of hope over experience, earned across an enervating 56 primaries and caucuses that tested the political skills and human endurance of all involved.
Obama stood for change. Clinton was the candidate of experience, ready, she said, to serve in the Oval Office from Day One.
Together, they drew record turnouts in primary after primary — more than 34 million voters in all, independents and Republicans as well as Democrats.
Yet the race between a black man and a woman exposed deep racial and gender divisions within the party.
Obama drew strength from blacks, and from the younger, more liberal and wealthier voters in many states. Clinton was preferred by older, more downscale voters, and women, of course.
Personality issues rose and receded through the campaign:
Clinton's husband, the former president, campaigned tirelessly for her but sometimes became an issue himself, to her detriment.
And Obama struggled to minimize the damage caused by the incendiary rhetoric of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an issue likely to be raised anew by Republicans in the fall campaign.
Obama's triumph was fashioned on prodigious fundraising, meticulous organizing and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy — all harnessed to his own gifts as an inspirational speaker.
With her husband's two White House terms as a backdrop, Clinton campaigned for months as the candidate of experience, a former first lady and second-term senator ready to be commander in chief.
But after a year on the campaign trail, Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, and the freshman senator became a political phenomenon.
"We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come," he said that night of victory in Des Moines.
As the strongest female presidential candidate in history, Clinton drew large, enthusiastic audiences. Yet Obama's were bigger. One audience, in Dallas, famously cheered when he blew his nose on stage; a crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland, Ore., the weekend before the state's May 20 primary.
The former first lady countered Obama's Iowa victory with an upset five days later in New Hampshire that set the stage for a campaign marathon as competitive as any in the past generation.
"Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," she told supporters who had saved her candidacy from an early demise.
In defeat, Obama's aides concluded they had committed a cardinal sin of New Hampshire politics, forsaking small, intimate events in favor of speeches to large audiences inviting them to ratify Iowa's choice.
It was not a mistake they made again — which helped explain Obama's later outings to bowling alleys, backyard basketball courts and American Legion halls in the heartland.
Clinton conceded nothing, memorably knocking back a shot of Crown Royal whiskey at a bar in Indiana, recalling that her grandfather had taught her to use a shotgun, and driving in a pickup to a gas station in South Bend, Ind., to emphasize her support for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax.
As other rivals fell away in winter, Obama and Clinton traded victories on Super Tuesday, the Feb. 5 series of primaries and caucuses across 21 states and American Samoa that once seemed likely to settle the nomination.
But Clinton had a problem that Obama exploited, and he scored a coup she could not answer.
Pressed for cash, the former first lady ran noncompetitive campaigns in several Super Tuesday caucus states, allowing her rival to run up his delegate totals.
At the same time, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., endorsed the young senator in terms that summoned memories of his slain brothers while seeking to turn the page on the Clinton era.
Merely by surviving Super Tuesday, Obama exceeded expectations. But he did more than survive, emerging with a lead in delegates that he never relinquished, and he proceeded to run off a string of 11 straight victories.
Clinton saved her candidacy once more with primary victories in Ohio and Texas on March 4, beginning a stretch in which she won in six of the next nine states on the calendar, as well as in Puerto Rico.
It was a strong run, providing glimpses of what might have been for the one-time front-runner.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/
America, this is our moment," the 46-year-old senator and one-time community organizer said in his first appearance as the Democratic nominee-in-waiting. "This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past."
Obama's victory set up a five-month campaign with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a race between a first-term Senate opponent of the Iraq War and a 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current U.S. military mission.
And both men seemed eager to begin.
McCain spoke first, in New Orleans, and he accused his younger rival of voting "to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job" in Iraq. It was a reference to 2007 legislation to pay for the Iraq war, a measure Obama opposed citing the lack of a timetable for withdrawing troops.
McCain agreed with Obama that the presidential race would focus on change. "But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said.
Obama responded quickly, pausing only long enough to praise Clinton for "her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight."
As for his general election rival, he said, "It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
"It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. ... And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians."
In a symbolic move, Obama spoke in the same hall — filled to capacity — where McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party's convention in September.
One campaign began as another was ending.
Clinton won South Dakota on the final night of the primary season; Obama took Montana.
The former first lady praised her rival warmly in an appearance before supporters in New York in which she neither acknowledged Obama's victory nor offered a concession of any sort.
Instead, she said she was committed to a united party, and said she would spend the next few days determining "how to move forward with the best interests of our country and our party guiding my way."
Only 31 delegates were at stake in the two states on the night's ballot, the final few among the thousands that once drew Obama, Clinton and six other Democratic candidates into the campaign to replace Bush and become the nation's 44th president.
Obama sealed his nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and support from party "superdelegates." It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention in Denver this summer, and Obama had 2,144 by the AP count.
Obama, a first-term senator who was virtually unknown on the national stage four years ago, defeated Clinton, the former first lady and one-time campaign front-runner, in a 17-month marathon for the Democratic nomination.
His victory had been widely assumed for weeks. But Clinton's declaration of interest in becoming his ticketmate was wholly unexpected.
She expressed it in a conference call with her state's congressional delegation after Rep. Nydia Velazquez, predicted Obama would have great difficulty winning the support of Hispanics and other voting blocs unless the former first lady was on the ticket.
"I am open to it" if it would help the party's prospects in November, Clinton replied, according to participants who spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was private.
Clinton's comments raised anew the prospect of what many Democrats have called a "Dream Ticket" that would put a black man and a woman on the same ballot, but Obama's aides were noncommittal. "We're not in the presidential phase here. We're going to close out the nominating fight and then we'll consider that," David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist, told reporters aboard the candidate's plane en route to Minnesota.
McCain's criticism of Obama referred to a vote last year in which the Illinois senator came out against legislation paying for the Iraq war because it did not include a timetable for withdrawing troops. At the time, Obama said the funding would give President Bush "a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path."
Obama previously had opposed a deadline for troop withdrawal, but shifted position under pressure from the Democratic Party's liberal wing as he maneuvered for support in advance of the primaries.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, responded tartly. "While John McCain has a record of occasional independence from his party in the past, last year he chose to embrace 95% of George Bush's agenda, including his failed economic policies and his failed policy in Iraq. No matter how hard he tries to spin it otherwise, that kind of record is simply not the change the American people are looking for or deserve."
The young Illinois senator's success amounted to a victory of hope over experience, earned across an enervating 56 primaries and caucuses that tested the political skills and human endurance of all involved.
Obama stood for change. Clinton was the candidate of experience, ready, she said, to serve in the Oval Office from Day One.
Together, they drew record turnouts in primary after primary — more than 34 million voters in all, independents and Republicans as well as Democrats.
Yet the race between a black man and a woman exposed deep racial and gender divisions within the party.
Obama drew strength from blacks, and from the younger, more liberal and wealthier voters in many states. Clinton was preferred by older, more downscale voters, and women, of course.
Personality issues rose and receded through the campaign:
Clinton's husband, the former president, campaigned tirelessly for her but sometimes became an issue himself, to her detriment.
And Obama struggled to minimize the damage caused by the incendiary rhetoric of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an issue likely to be raised anew by Republicans in the fall campaign.
Obama's triumph was fashioned on prodigious fundraising, meticulous organizing and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy — all harnessed to his own gifts as an inspirational speaker.
With her husband's two White House terms as a backdrop, Clinton campaigned for months as the candidate of experience, a former first lady and second-term senator ready to be commander in chief.
But after a year on the campaign trail, Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, and the freshman senator became a political phenomenon.
"We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come," he said that night of victory in Des Moines.
As the strongest female presidential candidate in history, Clinton drew large, enthusiastic audiences. Yet Obama's were bigger. One audience, in Dallas, famously cheered when he blew his nose on stage; a crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland, Ore., the weekend before the state's May 20 primary.
The former first lady countered Obama's Iowa victory with an upset five days later in New Hampshire that set the stage for a campaign marathon as competitive as any in the past generation.
"Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," she told supporters who had saved her candidacy from an early demise.
In defeat, Obama's aides concluded they had committed a cardinal sin of New Hampshire politics, forsaking small, intimate events in favor of speeches to large audiences inviting them to ratify Iowa's choice.
It was not a mistake they made again — which helped explain Obama's later outings to bowling alleys, backyard basketball courts and American Legion halls in the heartland.
Clinton conceded nothing, memorably knocking back a shot of Crown Royal whiskey at a bar in Indiana, recalling that her grandfather had taught her to use a shotgun, and driving in a pickup to a gas station in South Bend, Ind., to emphasize her support for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax.
As other rivals fell away in winter, Obama and Clinton traded victories on Super Tuesday, the Feb. 5 series of primaries and caucuses across 21 states and American Samoa that once seemed likely to settle the nomination.
But Clinton had a problem that Obama exploited, and he scored a coup she could not answer.
Pressed for cash, the former first lady ran noncompetitive campaigns in several Super Tuesday caucus states, allowing her rival to run up his delegate totals.
At the same time, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., endorsed the young senator in terms that summoned memories of his slain brothers while seeking to turn the page on the Clinton era.
Merely by surviving Super Tuesday, Obama exceeded expectations. But he did more than survive, emerging with a lead in delegates that he never relinquished, and he proceeded to run off a string of 11 straight victories.
Clinton saved her candidacy once more with primary victories in Ohio and Texas on March 4, beginning a stretch in which she won in six of the next nine states on the calendar, as well as in Puerto Rico.
It was a strong run, providing glimpses of what might have been for the one-time front-runner.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/
10 Most Outrageous Cars of 2008
With all the changes in the automotive world, there's never a shortage of crazy ideas floating around.
Fortunately for car enthusiasts, many of those wacky ideas actually see the light of day -- and we've got the 10 best for you right here.
Environmental-friendliness and a concern over high gas prices are the driving forces in today's auto trends, according to Wes Siler, road test editor for the popular car Web site Jalopnik.com.
Siler says the hybrid and "green" car revolution is here to stay, but that the supercar market is a niche one and there'll always be someone willing to shell out big bucks for an exotic ride.
With that in mind, here are 10 of the most outrageous, extravagant, or just plain cool autos to look for in the coming year, from green car to supercar and beyond:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/105184/10-Most-Outrageous-Cars-of-2008
Fortunately for car enthusiasts, many of those wacky ideas actually see the light of day -- and we've got the 10 best for you right here.
Environmental-friendliness and a concern over high gas prices are the driving forces in today's auto trends, according to Wes Siler, road test editor for the popular car Web site Jalopnik.com.
Siler says the hybrid and "green" car revolution is here to stay, but that the supercar market is a niche one and there'll always be someone willing to shell out big bucks for an exotic ride.
With that in mind, here are 10 of the most outrageous, extravagant, or just plain cool autos to look for in the coming year, from green car to supercar and beyond:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/105184/10-Most-Outrageous-Cars-of-2008
Possible Democratic Vice Presidential Candidates For Obama
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who will claim the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, has taken the first small step toward choosing a running mate.
Obama has asked Jim Johnson, former head of mortgage giant Fannie Mae, to begin research on potential candidates for the No. 2 slot on the ticket, media reports said. Johnson performed a similar task for Democratic presidential nominees John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984.
Here is a list of some possible Democratic vice presidential candidates, in alphabetical order:
* Joseph Biden, 65 - The senator from Delaware, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is a respected foreign policy expert who would give Obama authority on the issue. But Obama might not want to add a second senator to the ticket, and could be looking for a fresher face to reinforce his message that this election is about change and the future.
* Wesley Clark, 63 - A retired Army general and former NATO commander who ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination in 2004, Clark is a supporter of Hillary Clinton who could help rally the party and provide a boost on national security issues. But he did not run a strong campaign in 2004 and he would be unlikely to generate much enthusiasm among party activists.
* Hillary Clinton, 60 - Polls have shown strong Democratic support for a "dream team" ticket of Obama and Clinton, his top rival for the nomination. Obama has not ruled out the option, which would help unify the party after a grueling nominating battle. But Clinton also would bring complications, including the return of former President Bill Clinton to the White House. A joint ticket could help attract some of Clinton's supporters -- including women and white working-class Democrats -- who have been reluctant to support Obama.
* Chris Dodd, 64 - The Connecticut senator, a fluent Spanish speaker and expert in Latin American issues, is the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a former foe for the presidential nomination who quickly endorsed Obama after dropping out. He would help bolster Obama's foreign policy and economic credentials, but presents many of the same drawbacks as Biden.
* Chuck Hagel, 61 - The Republican senator from Nebraska, a conservative Vietnam veteran but outspoken critic of the Iraq war, would help Obama reach out to independents and Republicans and reinforce his promise to bridge partisan divides.
* Tim Kaine, 50 - The Virginia governor was one of Obama's earliest and strongest supporters and could help him in a state that traditionally has been Republican in presidential elections but has been turning Democratic in recent years.
* Sam Nunn, 69 - The former Armed Services Committee chairman from Georgia is a respected foreign and military policy voice, but his age and conservative view on some social issues might make him an awkward fit with Obama.
* Ed Rendell, 64 - The Pennsylvania governor has been one of Clinton's strongest campaigners and he could help woo her supporters and help deliver a key state. A former district attorney and the mayor of Philadelphia, Rendell has executive experience that could help Obama.
* Bill Richardson, 60 - New Mexico governor, a Hispanic, could help with Latino vote -- the fastest-growing segment of the electorate and a potentially vital voting bloc. A seasoned negotiator, the former energy secretary and U.N. ambassador would also bring foreign policy experience to the ticket as well as inside knowledge of how Washington works.
* Kathleen Sebelius, 60 - Two-term governor of Kansas could bring some vital elements to the ticket: she's a woman and as the leader of a mostly Republican state has shown she can work across party lines. But she is largely untested on the national stage.
* Ted Strickland, 66 - The governor of Ohio is another strong Clinton supporter who comes from a battleground state. A former U.S. congressman, the first-term governor is not well-known nationally.
* Jim Webb, 62 - The first-term Virginia senator, Vietnam veteran and former secretary of the Navy has written seven novels, including "Fields of Fire," considered one of the best novels about the Vietnam War. Webb could help Obama in a state that has turned more Democratic in recent years.
(Reporting by Deborah Charles and John Whitesides, editing by David Wiessler)
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
Obama has asked Jim Johnson, former head of mortgage giant Fannie Mae, to begin research on potential candidates for the No. 2 slot on the ticket, media reports said. Johnson performed a similar task for Democratic presidential nominees John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984.
Here is a list of some possible Democratic vice presidential candidates, in alphabetical order:
* Joseph Biden, 65 - The senator from Delaware, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is a respected foreign policy expert who would give Obama authority on the issue. But Obama might not want to add a second senator to the ticket, and could be looking for a fresher face to reinforce his message that this election is about change and the future.
* Wesley Clark, 63 - A retired Army general and former NATO commander who ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination in 2004, Clark is a supporter of Hillary Clinton who could help rally the party and provide a boost on national security issues. But he did not run a strong campaign in 2004 and he would be unlikely to generate much enthusiasm among party activists.
* Hillary Clinton, 60 - Polls have shown strong Democratic support for a "dream team" ticket of Obama and Clinton, his top rival for the nomination. Obama has not ruled out the option, which would help unify the party after a grueling nominating battle. But Clinton also would bring complications, including the return of former President Bill Clinton to the White House. A joint ticket could help attract some of Clinton's supporters -- including women and white working-class Democrats -- who have been reluctant to support Obama.
* Chris Dodd, 64 - The Connecticut senator, a fluent Spanish speaker and expert in Latin American issues, is the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a former foe for the presidential nomination who quickly endorsed Obama after dropping out. He would help bolster Obama's foreign policy and economic credentials, but presents many of the same drawbacks as Biden.
* Chuck Hagel, 61 - The Republican senator from Nebraska, a conservative Vietnam veteran but outspoken critic of the Iraq war, would help Obama reach out to independents and Republicans and reinforce his promise to bridge partisan divides.
* Tim Kaine, 50 - The Virginia governor was one of Obama's earliest and strongest supporters and could help him in a state that traditionally has been Republican in presidential elections but has been turning Democratic in recent years.
* Sam Nunn, 69 - The former Armed Services Committee chairman from Georgia is a respected foreign and military policy voice, but his age and conservative view on some social issues might make him an awkward fit with Obama.
* Ed Rendell, 64 - The Pennsylvania governor has been one of Clinton's strongest campaigners and he could help woo her supporters and help deliver a key state. A former district attorney and the mayor of Philadelphia, Rendell has executive experience that could help Obama.
* Bill Richardson, 60 - New Mexico governor, a Hispanic, could help with Latino vote -- the fastest-growing segment of the electorate and a potentially vital voting bloc. A seasoned negotiator, the former energy secretary and U.N. ambassador would also bring foreign policy experience to the ticket as well as inside knowledge of how Washington works.
* Kathleen Sebelius, 60 - Two-term governor of Kansas could bring some vital elements to the ticket: she's a woman and as the leader of a mostly Republican state has shown she can work across party lines. But she is largely untested on the national stage.
* Ted Strickland, 66 - The governor of Ohio is another strong Clinton supporter who comes from a battleground state. A former U.S. congressman, the first-term governor is not well-known nationally.
* Jim Webb, 62 - The first-term Virginia senator, Vietnam veteran and former secretary of the Navy has written seven novels, including "Fields of Fire," considered one of the best novels about the Vietnam War. Webb could help Obama in a state that has turned more Democratic in recent years.
(Reporting by Deborah Charles and John Whitesides, editing by David Wiessler)
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/
Cattrall Will Show Some "Skin" For HBO Comedy
Kim Cattrall, the co-star of new box office champ "Sex and the City," is back at HBO with another sex-themed comedy project set in New York.
Cattrall is set to star in and executive produce an adaptation of the British comedy series "Sensitive Skin." She would play a middle-aged wife and mother who rediscovers her sexuality, and begins to question her place in the world and the choices she has made in life.
The original series, which aired on BBC Two for two seasons, starred Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous") as a well-to-do ex-model working at an art gallery in London.
"Sensitive Skin" is the latest British format to make its way to HBO's development slate, following the comedy "Suburban Shootouts" and the prison drama "Bad Girls."
A year after "Sex and the City" ended its HBO run in 2004, Cattrall partnered with cable network on the documentary "Kim Cattrall: Sexual Intelligence," which she executive produced and starred in. She reprised her "Sex and the City" role of Samantha in the feature version of the series, which currently rules the North American box office after surprisingly strong opening-weekend sales of $56 million.
Cattrall recently starred in the ITV television movie "My Boy Jack" in her native England.
Source: http://tv.yahoo.com/
Cattrall is set to star in and executive produce an adaptation of the British comedy series "Sensitive Skin." She would play a middle-aged wife and mother who rediscovers her sexuality, and begins to question her place in the world and the choices she has made in life.
The original series, which aired on BBC Two for two seasons, starred Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous") as a well-to-do ex-model working at an art gallery in London.
"Sensitive Skin" is the latest British format to make its way to HBO's development slate, following the comedy "Suburban Shootouts" and the prison drama "Bad Girls."
A year after "Sex and the City" ended its HBO run in 2004, Cattrall partnered with cable network on the documentary "Kim Cattrall: Sexual Intelligence," which she executive produced and starred in. She reprised her "Sex and the City" role of Samantha in the feature version of the series, which currently rules the North American box office after surprisingly strong opening-weekend sales of $56 million.
Cattrall recently starred in the ITV television movie "My Boy Jack" in her native England.
Source: http://tv.yahoo.com/
Bill Cosby's Famous TV Sweaters Up For Auction
Some of Bill Cosby's legendary patterned sweaters his long-running television hit "The Cosby Show" will be auctioned off next month to benefit a charity set up in memory of the actor's late son, organizers said on Thursday.
Never available to the public before, three of the iconic sweaters worn by Cosby's character, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, on the show in the 1980s and '90s will be sold on eBay's Giving Works charity listing arm from June 2-12. Opening bids will start at $5,000 per item on www.eBay.com/cosby.
The proceeds will benefit the education charity Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, which was established in 1997 by the Cosby family to continue the legacy of Cosby's son Ennis after his murder in Los Angeles.
"My mother and father were going through a storage closet, and I happened to be there and pounced on these sweaters," explained daughter Evin Cosby, who is a board member of Hello Friend.
"I told them that the price of what some of these sweaters might sell for could make a big difference in the lives of thousands of children."
"The Cosby Show" was one of the most popular sitcoms on U.S. television, airing on NBC between 1984 and 1992.
Reuters/Nielsen
Source : http://tv.yahoo.com/
Never available to the public before, three of the iconic sweaters worn by Cosby's character, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, on the show in the 1980s and '90s will be sold on eBay's Giving Works charity listing arm from June 2-12. Opening bids will start at $5,000 per item on www.eBay.com/cosby.
The proceeds will benefit the education charity Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, which was established in 1997 by the Cosby family to continue the legacy of Cosby's son Ennis after his murder in Los Angeles.
"My mother and father were going through a storage closet, and I happened to be there and pounced on these sweaters," explained daughter Evin Cosby, who is a board member of Hello Friend.
"I told them that the price of what some of these sweaters might sell for could make a big difference in the lives of thousands of children."
"The Cosby Show" was one of the most popular sitcoms on U.S. television, airing on NBC between 1984 and 1992.
Reuters/Nielsen
Source : http://tv.yahoo.com/
Is Soda Bad For Bones? 3 Reasons To Think Before You Drink
Although I never developed a regular soda habit, I’m an avid seltzer drinker and I love to mix carbonated waters and beverages in healthy summer cocktails. But I’ve heard that drinking seltzers, sodas or other carbonated drinks may harm your bones. So I asked Joyce Hendley, an EatingWell contributing editor, if that rumor is true. She wrote about this question in EatingWell’s June issue. Her answer? "Perhaps."
3 reasons to think before you drink:
1. There’s research that links drinking certain types of soda with weaker bones—but carbonation doesn’t seem to be the problem. (Keep your bones strong with recipes from EatingWell’s Bone Health Recipe Collection.)
2. Nutrition experts once believed caffeine could be the culprit. In a 2001 study out of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, people lost measurable amounts of calcium after drinking caffeinated sodas. Drinking decaffeinated sodas didn’t appear to have the same effect. As it turned out, though, people tended to make up for the losses by excreting less calcium later in the day. The researchers concluded that if sodas harm bones it’s probably because people drink them in place of milk. (Make sure you’re getting enough calcium with these delicious calcium-rich recipes.)
3. But another study, reported in 2006 by researchers at Tufts University in Boston, suggests that colas, specifically, might be problematic. Among the 1,413 women whose dietary records and bone-density scans they reviewed, those who drank a diet or regular cola at least three times a week over five years had significantly lower bone densities than those who sipped cola once a month or less. No such effect occurred with other carbonated drinks, even after researchers factored in intake of calcium from foods.
The likely cause? Phosphoric acid, which is unique to colas, says Katherine Tucker, Ph.D., lead author of the study. When the body breaks down this compound, the acidity (or concentration of free hydrogen ions) of the blood increases. To neutralize acidity, hydrogen ions bind with minerals, including calcium and magnesium. If they’re not available in the blood, says Tucker, “the body draws calcium from bones.” The occasional-cola drinker probably needn’t worry. “The real risk is for those who drink cola every day,” says Tucker. (Find out how to boost your bone health with EatingWell’s diet tips and menus.)
Healthy summer drink recipesJoyce’s bottom line: There are plenty of good reasons to quit a regular soda habit; carbonation isn’t one of them. In fact, sparkling mineral waters sometimes contain a little calcium and magnesium so they might even benefit bones. So skip the soda and try one of EatingWell’s healthy recipes for summer drinks.
Here's a refreshing and low-calorie alternative to sugar-laden sodas:
Raspberry SpritzerMakes 2 servings
2 cups seltzer2/3 cup frozen raspberries2 sprigs fresh mint3 ounces raspberry-flavored syrup or ChambordIce cubes
Combine seltzer, raspberries, mint and raspberry-flavored syrup (or Chambord) in a small pitcher. Pour over ice.
By Michelle Edelbaum
3 reasons to think before you drink:
1. There’s research that links drinking certain types of soda with weaker bones—but carbonation doesn’t seem to be the problem. (Keep your bones strong with recipes from EatingWell’s Bone Health Recipe Collection.)
2. Nutrition experts once believed caffeine could be the culprit. In a 2001 study out of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, people lost measurable amounts of calcium after drinking caffeinated sodas. Drinking decaffeinated sodas didn’t appear to have the same effect. As it turned out, though, people tended to make up for the losses by excreting less calcium later in the day. The researchers concluded that if sodas harm bones it’s probably because people drink them in place of milk. (Make sure you’re getting enough calcium with these delicious calcium-rich recipes.)
3. But another study, reported in 2006 by researchers at Tufts University in Boston, suggests that colas, specifically, might be problematic. Among the 1,413 women whose dietary records and bone-density scans they reviewed, those who drank a diet or regular cola at least three times a week over five years had significantly lower bone densities than those who sipped cola once a month or less. No such effect occurred with other carbonated drinks, even after researchers factored in intake of calcium from foods.
The likely cause? Phosphoric acid, which is unique to colas, says Katherine Tucker, Ph.D., lead author of the study. When the body breaks down this compound, the acidity (or concentration of free hydrogen ions) of the blood increases. To neutralize acidity, hydrogen ions bind with minerals, including calcium and magnesium. If they’re not available in the blood, says Tucker, “the body draws calcium from bones.” The occasional-cola drinker probably needn’t worry. “The real risk is for those who drink cola every day,” says Tucker. (Find out how to boost your bone health with EatingWell’s diet tips and menus.)
Healthy summer drink recipesJoyce’s bottom line: There are plenty of good reasons to quit a regular soda habit; carbonation isn’t one of them. In fact, sparkling mineral waters sometimes contain a little calcium and magnesium so they might even benefit bones. So skip the soda and try one of EatingWell’s healthy recipes for summer drinks.
Here's a refreshing and low-calorie alternative to sugar-laden sodas:
Raspberry SpritzerMakes 2 servings
2 cups seltzer2/3 cup frozen raspberries2 sprigs fresh mint3 ounces raspberry-flavored syrup or ChambordIce cubes
Combine seltzer, raspberries, mint and raspberry-flavored syrup (or Chambord) in a small pitcher. Pour over ice.
By Michelle Edelbaum
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Monday, June 2, 2008
Father Of Rock Bo Diddley Dies Aged 79
ROCK 'n' roll pioneer Bo Diddley, who banged out hit songs powered by the relentless "Bo Diddley beat" that influenced rockers from Buddy Holly to U2, has died at the age of 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida, his management agency, Talent Consultants International, said in a statement.
"One of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll has left the building he helped construct," the statement said.
Diddley suffered a stroke during a concert in Iowa in May 2007.
In August 2007 he had a heart attack in Florida.
In a career spanning more than five decades, Diddley composed a substantial body of rock classics, including Who Do You Love, Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger, Before You Accuse Me, I'm a Man, Pretty Thing and Mona.
He cranked them out on a signature rectangular guitar, setting many of them to rumba-like rhythm of his Bo Diddley beat that gave rock 'n' roll a powerful rhythmic foundation.
Along with such contemporaries as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, he was among a pioneering group of black recording artists who crossed the American racial divide with music that appealed to white audiences and was emulated by white performers.
Although Diddley recorded relatively few chart-topping hits, his seminal role in the formative years of rock music was recognised by his induction into the Rock `n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and with a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1998.
Diddley's unique guitar playing and rhythm influenced generations of rockers from Elvis Presley to Bon Jovi.
Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi made guest appearances on his records and Diddley played with the likes of The Clash and The Grateful Dead.
Arguably the greatest mainstream success of a song with the Bo Diddley beat was Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, recorded in the 1950s and which saw renewed success when it was covered by the Rolling Stones in the 1960s.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in March 2007, Diddley insisted he was the real father of rock, saying: "Little Richard came two or three years later, along with Elvis Presley. In other words, I was the first dude out there."
Diddley had harsh words for the direction black music had taken in recent years, telling Reuters that "gangsta" rap made his blood boil.
"I hate it. I call it rap-crap," Diddley said in a 1996 interview. "I can't seem to get my records played but they'll play all this garbage."
His agency said public and private services were planned for this weekend.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida, his management agency, Talent Consultants International, said in a statement.
"One of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll has left the building he helped construct," the statement said.
Diddley suffered a stroke during a concert in Iowa in May 2007.
In August 2007 he had a heart attack in Florida.
In a career spanning more than five decades, Diddley composed a substantial body of rock classics, including Who Do You Love, Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger, Before You Accuse Me, I'm a Man, Pretty Thing and Mona.
He cranked them out on a signature rectangular guitar, setting many of them to rumba-like rhythm of his Bo Diddley beat that gave rock 'n' roll a powerful rhythmic foundation.
Along with such contemporaries as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, he was among a pioneering group of black recording artists who crossed the American racial divide with music that appealed to white audiences and was emulated by white performers.
Although Diddley recorded relatively few chart-topping hits, his seminal role in the formative years of rock music was recognised by his induction into the Rock `n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and with a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1998.
Diddley's unique guitar playing and rhythm influenced generations of rockers from Elvis Presley to Bon Jovi.
Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi made guest appearances on his records and Diddley played with the likes of The Clash and The Grateful Dead.
Arguably the greatest mainstream success of a song with the Bo Diddley beat was Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, recorded in the 1950s and which saw renewed success when it was covered by the Rolling Stones in the 1960s.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in March 2007, Diddley insisted he was the real father of rock, saying: "Little Richard came two or three years later, along with Elvis Presley. In other words, I was the first dude out there."
Diddley had harsh words for the direction black music had taken in recent years, telling Reuters that "gangsta" rap made his blood boil.
"I hate it. I call it rap-crap," Diddley said in a 1996 interview. "I can't seem to get my records played but they'll play all this garbage."
His agency said public and private services were planned for this weekend.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
Head Covering May Increase SIDS Risk
BABIES who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are often found with their heads covered by bedding, and now new research suggests this covering usually precedes death and may, in fact, contribute to the cause of death.
This finding supports current recommendations to avoid head covering to reduce the risk of SIDS, lead author Dr Edwin A Mitchell, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and colleagues note in the medical journal, Pediatrics.
They point out that in UK guidelines, a "feet to foot" approach (placing the infant's feet at the foot of the cot) is recommended as a strategy to prevent the infant from sliding underneath the bedding.
Despite this recommendation, it was unclear if head covering, which is seen in roughly 25 per cent of SIDS cases, contributed to death or if it was associated with another event, the report said.
To answer this question, the researchers analysed data from 393 SIDS cases in the New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987 to 1990) and from 333 cases in a German SIDS case-control study (1998 to 2001).
Overall, 15.6 per cent of infants in the New Zealand study and 28.1 per cent in the German study had their heads covered, the report indicates.
Infants whose heads were covered were often very sweaty, the researchers found, which suggests the covering occurred before death. Older infants were more likely than younger ones to have their head covered, which likely reflects motor development.
In both studies, head covering correlated with the occurrence and severity of red spots on the thymus gland, which suggests low platelet counts. By contrast, head covering was not associated with the position the child was placed to sleep, or with the position the child was found in at death.
While the new findings support SIDS prevention strategies, research is "urgently" needed on how best to prevent head covering, the authors conclude.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
This finding supports current recommendations to avoid head covering to reduce the risk of SIDS, lead author Dr Edwin A Mitchell, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and colleagues note in the medical journal, Pediatrics.
They point out that in UK guidelines, a "feet to foot" approach (placing the infant's feet at the foot of the cot) is recommended as a strategy to prevent the infant from sliding underneath the bedding.
Despite this recommendation, it was unclear if head covering, which is seen in roughly 25 per cent of SIDS cases, contributed to death or if it was associated with another event, the report said.
To answer this question, the researchers analysed data from 393 SIDS cases in the New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987 to 1990) and from 333 cases in a German SIDS case-control study (1998 to 2001).
Overall, 15.6 per cent of infants in the New Zealand study and 28.1 per cent in the German study had their heads covered, the report indicates.
Infants whose heads were covered were often very sweaty, the researchers found, which suggests the covering occurred before death. Older infants were more likely than younger ones to have their head covered, which likely reflects motor development.
In both studies, head covering correlated with the occurrence and severity of red spots on the thymus gland, which suggests low platelet counts. By contrast, head covering was not associated with the position the child was placed to sleep, or with the position the child was found in at death.
While the new findings support SIDS prevention strategies, research is "urgently" needed on how best to prevent head covering, the authors conclude.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
Taggers Forced To Wear Pink Vests
A POLICE officer in New Zealand says he has cut graffiti crime by making taggers wear pink vests while painting over their tags.
Wellington community Constable Theo Gommans said the vests, emblazoned with the word 'tagger', made offenders make them think about the consequences of their actions, Radio New Zealand reported.
He said he had already seen a reduction in tagging since he began touring schools with the pink vest.
But local city councillor Iona Pannett likened the vests to the pink triangles that gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps and called for their use to be halted.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/
Wellington community Constable Theo Gommans said the vests, emblazoned with the word 'tagger', made offenders make them think about the consequences of their actions, Radio New Zealand reported.
He said he had already seen a reduction in tagging since he began touring schools with the pink vest.
But local city councillor Iona Pannett likened the vests to the pink triangles that gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps and called for their use to be halted.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/
Kelsey Grammer Has Heart Attack
KELSEY GRAMMER has had a heart attack in Hawaii, a spokesperson for the star has confirmed.
The Back to You star is recovering in hospital after what the spokesperson described as a "mild heart attack", Associated Press reports. Grammer, 53, is said to be resting comfortably and will be released later this week, the spokesperson said. He said Grammer was "paddle-boarding" at the beach with his wife, Camille, when he experienced symptoms and was rushed to hospital. The couple lives in Kona, on Hawaii's big island.
Grammer's sitcom Back to You was recently axed in the US.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/
The Back to You star is recovering in hospital after what the spokesperson described as a "mild heart attack", Associated Press reports. Grammer, 53, is said to be resting comfortably and will be released later this week, the spokesperson said. He said Grammer was "paddle-boarding" at the beach with his wife, Camille, when he experienced symptoms and was rushed to hospital. The couple lives in Kona, on Hawaii's big island.
Grammer's sitcom Back to You was recently axed in the US.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/
Police Probe Nude Exhibition Protest
POLICE are investigating an artist over nude photographs of 11-year-old boys set to be exhibited in Melbourne tonight.
Artist Victoria Larielle is exhibiting the collection in protest against the recent censorship of Bill Henson's work.
Police spokeswoman Marika Fengler today said police were investigating the matter but early observations suggested the works were not pornographic.
"Yes, we will look into it. However, what we've seen at this stage gives us no reason for concern," she said.
Ms Fengler said child pornography was classified under the Crimes Act as a photo that depicts a minor either engaged in sexual activity or in an indecent sexual manner or context.
"That doesn't seem to fall into that category. However, we will be attending and looking into it."
The collection includes 30-40 photographs of two 11-year-old boys, who are now aged 17, and who gave their consent.
One photograph shows a full body shot of a naked boy lying on the ground on his side in the fetal position.
Another is a frontal shot of a child's face and naked chest.
The photographs were taken in three separate shoots in 2001 and will be exhibited for the first time tonight at The Loop bar in Melbourne's CBD.
Larielle said she decided only a week ago to exhibit the images publicly, a decision spurred by the furore surrounding Henson's Sydney exhibition from which police last month seized 20 photographs of a naked adolescent girl and boy.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
Artist Victoria Larielle is exhibiting the collection in protest against the recent censorship of Bill Henson's work.
Police spokeswoman Marika Fengler today said police were investigating the matter but early observations suggested the works were not pornographic.
"Yes, we will look into it. However, what we've seen at this stage gives us no reason for concern," she said.
Ms Fengler said child pornography was classified under the Crimes Act as a photo that depicts a minor either engaged in sexual activity or in an indecent sexual manner or context.
"That doesn't seem to fall into that category. However, we will be attending and looking into it."
The collection includes 30-40 photographs of two 11-year-old boys, who are now aged 17, and who gave their consent.
One photograph shows a full body shot of a naked boy lying on the ground on his side in the fetal position.
Another is a frontal shot of a child's face and naked chest.
The photographs were taken in three separate shoots in 2001 and will be exhibited for the first time tonight at The Loop bar in Melbourne's CBD.
Larielle said she decided only a week ago to exhibit the images publicly, a decision spurred by the furore surrounding Henson's Sydney exhibition from which police last month seized 20 photographs of a naked adolescent girl and boy.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
Theft Leaves Strippers Naked
AUSTRALIAN male strip review The Thunder From Down Under has had to cancel some of its US tour because its costumes were stolen, along with the tour van.
The strippers were in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday night when the van went missing. The van contained thousands of dollars of equipment, costumes and merchandise and the entertainers have promised a US$5000 ($5230) reward to get it all back. "They were shocked," said Bradford Singh, a manager at the Ram's Head Tavern where the troupe had been performing, told the Annapolis Capital. "Maybe it was one of the ladies who just wanted a thong."Annapolis Police Department officer Hal Dalton said he spoke to a woman who was with the group about the theft, the Annapolis Capital reported."It was kind of humorous. She said there were costumes, equipment and the merchandise they sell on tour. But she wondered what anyone would want with tear-away pants," he told the paper.
"Aside from the humorous element here it is a hardship and an inconvenience to them and we'd like to get it worked out." The dancers had to cancel a Saturday night performance in Rhode Island.
source : http://www.news.com.au/
The strippers were in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday night when the van went missing. The van contained thousands of dollars of equipment, costumes and merchandise and the entertainers have promised a US$5000 ($5230) reward to get it all back. "They were shocked," said Bradford Singh, a manager at the Ram's Head Tavern where the troupe had been performing, told the Annapolis Capital. "Maybe it was one of the ladies who just wanted a thong."Annapolis Police Department officer Hal Dalton said he spoke to a woman who was with the group about the theft, the Annapolis Capital reported."It was kind of humorous. She said there were costumes, equipment and the merchandise they sell on tour. But she wondered what anyone would want with tear-away pants," he told the paper.
"Aside from the humorous element here it is a hardship and an inconvenience to them and we'd like to get it worked out." The dancers had to cancel a Saturday night performance in Rhode Island.
source : http://www.news.com.au/
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Sunday, June 1, 2008
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