5-smart-moves-to-make-before-the-new-credit-card-law-takes-effec. With new regulations starting in less than a month, you may need to take stock of your credit card portfolio to determine which cards' terms are changing to your benefit and which feature changes that can hit you in the wallet. The most important thing to do, says Lauren Bowne, staff attorney at San Francisco-based Consumers Union, is be aware of your card terms. So much has changed in recent months that consumers need to pay attention to what is and isn't featured in the credit card. "Even if you're the person who pays off your balance and doesn't even have any credit card debt," says Bowne. "They might get a notice that says they're getting a $100 annual fee. Even people with stellar credit and stellar credit payment histories need to pay attention.
" Here are five smart credit card moves to make before Feb. 22: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Some Advice Doesn't Change In addition to the moves to make before the law takes effect, good credit card habits remain important, some of them even more so. Avoid-an-audit-6-red-flags-you-should-Know: Personal Finance New. If history is any indicator, less than 1% of Americans will be audited by the Internal Revenue Service in the coming year. And while some of these audits are totally random, and there's nothing that the individual taxpayer can do about them, many audits are actually instigated by the taxpayers themselves.
To that end, below is a list of "red flags" that can cause your return to be cherry picked by the IRS for review. Pay particular attention, as knowing what the flags are can keep you out of trouble. 1. The IRS encourages individuals to donate things like clothes, food and even old automobiles to charities. As a general rule, the IRS likes to see individuals value the items they donate at anywhere between 1% and 30% of the original purchase price (unless special circumstances exist). There are several other tips that the taxpayer can use to ensure that he or she is valuing donated goods at a "fair" price. 2. 3. A large percentage of folks simply forget to sign their tax returns. 4. 5. Advertising: Apple Sets Out to Reinvent Mobile Ads - Advertising. Marvel admits to 'mistake' in controversial Captain America comi.
Google to offer 'ultra high-speed' broadband in US. Google is spreading its wings in yet another direction - this time as a network provider, offering super-fast broadband to thousands of US homes. It plans to build a fibre-optic network offering speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabit per second) to up to 500,000 homes. It said it would compete on price with other broadband providers offering much slower speeds. Google said the trial was about promoting killer apps that would take advantage of fast speeds. "We planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States," the search giant said in its blog.
"We plan to offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people. Growing Google Google already has a fibre network which connects its data centres, speeds up search and lowers the cost of streaming video on YouTube. Now it plans to take this to the next stage and connect that network directly to consumers' homes. Broadband expansion. Iranian Government Bans Gmail. As the Iranian authorities attempt to stifle tomorrow's protests surrounding the anniversary of the Iranian revolution, they are going one step further: Iran is permanently suspending access to Google's Gmail.
Earlier this week, we wrote about failing Internet connections in Iran. The timing of these problems has been met with suspicion: February 11 (tomorrow) marks the anniversary of the Iranian revolution and gatherings are already being planned to protest against June's alleged election fraud. From the Wall Street Journal: "Iranians have reported widespread service disruptions to Internet and text messaging services, though mobile phones appeared to be operating normally Wednesday.Iran's telecommunications agency announced what it described as a permanent suspension of Google Inc.'s email services, saying instead that a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out. Iran Mobilizes to Stifle Opposition Protests. BEIRUT—Iranian authorities deployed in force across Tehran Wednesday to conduct last-minute security sweeps and warn residents to refrain from joining antigovernment protests planned for Thursday.
The government typically orchestrates large, carnival-like rallies and demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Republic. For this year's events on Feb. 11, the day marking the culmination of the annual celebrations, opposition leaders have called for protesters to demonstrate against the regime. That has set the stage for clashes between authorities and demonstrators, who have taken to the streets repeatedly to protest the outcome of presidential elections in June. Government officials, meanwhile, ratcheted up threats against any protests Thursday, vowing to confront demonstrators on the streets and calling for government supporters to turn out in large numbers.
Iranian officials have branded protesters as agents of foreign powers. I got an email forward from my grandma today, and unlike most of. Google: We May Remove Buzz From Gmail. Google says it may allow people to participate in Google Buzz without having it integrated within Gmail, in addition to offering a combined Gmail service. That may be a welcome move for users of both products, especially in light of the substantial privacy concerns voiced this week about Google Buzz. “It’s clear that interest in Buzz may extend beyond the current Gmail base, and we’re open to serving that community,” said Bradley Horowitz, Google’s VP of Product Marketing, when I spoke to him about some Buzz issues at the TED Conference.
Horowitz stressed that Google would still offer a version of Buzz within Gmail, in addition to any independent version. “We think that Buzz within Gmail is a great experience, and we’ll keep offering that as well,” Horowitz said. Trademarks, “Big Names” & Buzz One issue with Buzz is that it may be difficult for companies to have profiles that match their trademarks, or famous people might have similar issues. Buzz & Privacy. 5 Sites That Are Better Than Google. How much do I love Google? Thanks to the stats provided by Google Web History, it's easy to quantify: Over the past four and a half years, I've Googled for information 43,295 times. That works out to about one search per hour, 24/7/365. If that doesn't indicate passion for the world's most popular search engine, I don't know what does.
But I'd never argue that Google is always the fastest, most effective way to find facts, seek advice, take actions, or simply satisfy your curiosity about the world around you. Actually, there are more viable Google alternatives than ever. For the most part, they don't compete by trying to out-Google Google at basic Web searching. Instead, they do useful things that Google doesn't.
I'm nowhere near as dependent on any of these five free services as I am on Google -- but I use and recommend them all. When Microsoft relaunched its blah Windows Live search engine as Bing last year, it didn't just give it a different name and a fresh coat of paint. What are the most useful websites on the web? : AskReddit. Fear and Loathing On a Tech Support Call - Huntersthompson - Giz. The FBI Knows Where You Are, Thanks to Your Cell Phone.
A federal appeals court Friday debated a privacy issue you probably hadn't considered: the government's ability to track your location at any time, if you carry a cell phone. As cell phones have morphed from cordless communication devices into pocket-sized PCs, cellular providers have developed and honed the ability to pinpoint your location fairly accurately -- potentially to within 150 feet. This helps network operators connect your phone to the nearest cell tower and locate you in an emergency, a federally mandated feature called E9-1-1. That feature could be a lifesaver if your car runs off a rural road on a dark night. But it also enables the authorities to know your location at all times when you're carrying your phone. "Most people don't understand they are carrying a tracking device in their pockets," Kevin Bankston, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Newsweek.
The U.S. "Can the government assure us that it will never try to find out these things? " Jeremy A. Author: The Web is among world's most 'destructive' technologies. In the face of constant news about how the Internet connects people and empowers them, Sam Harris provided an interesting and contrarian perspective here at the brainy TED Conference in Long Beach, California. The eternal skeptic and author of "The End of Faith" responded in this way when I asked him what the most destructive technology on the planet is: "Increasingly the Internet itself, given our reliance on it, is a source of destructive technology.
I think we really have to worry about cyber terrorism and cyber crime increasingly. But there's obviously nuclear proliferation and bio-weapons and chemical weapons. " But the Web isn't completely bad, he said: "I think it's had two diametrically opposed effects. It's yet to be seen whether technology's overall effect on humanity has been good or bad, he said. "The final chapter is not written on that. Bank of America forecloses on house that couple had paid cash fo. SPRING HILL — Charlie and Maria Cardoso are among the millions of Americans who have experienced the misery and embarrassment that come with home foreclosure. Just one problem: The Massachusetts couple paid for their future retirement home in Spring Hill with cash in 2005, five years before agents for Bank of America seized the house, removed belongings and changed the locks on the doors, according to a lawsuit the couple have filed in federal court.
Early last month, Charlie Cardoso had to drive to Florida to get his home back, the complaint filed in Massachusetts on Jan. 20 states. The bank had an incorrect address on foreclosure documents — the house it meant to seize is across the street and about 10 doors down — but the Cardosos and a Realtor employed by Bank of America were unable to convince the company that it had the wrong house, the suit states. The Cardosos are seeking unspecified damages from Bank of America. The suit also charges the company with defamation and libel. FlashGot - Best Firefox Download Manager Integration - what is i. Low intelligence among top heart health risks | Top News | Reute. By Kate Kelland LONDON Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:50am GMT LONDON (Reuters) - Intelligence comes second only to smoking as a predictor of heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, suggesting public health campaigns may need to be designed for people with lower IQs if they are to work.
Research by Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) found that lower intelligence quotient (IQ) scores were associated with higher rates of heart disease and death, and were more important indicators than any other risk factors except smoking. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women Europe, the United States and most industrialised countries. According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes accounted for 32 percent of all deaths around the world in 2005.
It is well known that people with poorer education and lower incomes often face higher risks of ill health and a range of diseases. (Editing by Charles Dick) Arab ambassador discovers bride is bearded and cross-eyed behind. Sept. 11 PHOTOS: Newly Released 9/11 World Trade Center Aerials. New black hole simulator uses real star data - space - 09 Februa. Video: Black hole simulation A new interactive program reveals the spectacular light show you'd see if you dared to wander close to a black hole. It demonstrates how the extreme gravity of a black hole could appear to shred background constellations of stars, spinning them around as though in a giant black washing machine.
The program's creators say it could be an excellent tool to familiarise people with the weird ways that black holes warp light. "It's useful for people to play around with the parameters to study how, for instance, a black hole would distort the constellation Orion," says Thomas Müller of the University of Stuttgart in Germany. A black hole forms when a massive star explodes at the end of its life, the core collapsing to a point with huge density and an enormous gravitational pull. Even at a safe distance from the black hole, its gravity can distort the apparent positions of background stars, an effect called gravitational lensing.
Real data 'Like a mirror' Recommended by. 10 Alternatives to Clickbank. If you've listened to much of my training, when it comes to showing you how to find affiliate products to promote quite often I personally refer to the Clickbank Marketplace. The reason I do this is because Clickbank approves virtually everyone (unless you are from Nigeria or some other country outside their approval zones), and they have an amazing selection of products to promote with high commissions. The other reasons are because most of the money that I make comes from Clickbank and also because they are extremely reliable with their on time payments, and I've built up a good relationship with them over the years. However, in this blog post I want to share with you a list of other alternatives for you to consider as I don't want my own bias to prevent you from seeing that there is a whole world of affiliate offers to promote outside of Clickbank. In no particular order, here they are: 1.
Rakuten LinkShare You can find more information comparing Rakuten LinkShare and Clickbank here.