6 winter health problems to watch out for - Mother Nature Network

Plenty of pesky germs plague people during the winter months. Blame cold- and flu-causing viruses that thrive when people spend more time indoors together. But colds and flu aren't the only cold-weather health problems that bug people when the temperature drops. Here are six to watch out for:

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Heart problems

During the winter, the number of heart attacks climbs, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

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One culprit: Physical exertion ? think shoveling snow ? in chilly temperatures could put a strain on the heart, especially in people who aren?t usually physically active or who have an existing heart condition. Indeed, people with heart disease tend to experience chest pain and discomfort, also called angina, when the mercury drops, reports the AHA.

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"People who aren?t active don?t realize how much physical exertion it takes to clear up a sidewalk," said Dr. Derek R. Cooney, who specializes in emergency medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

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For safer shoveling, the AHA recommends taking frequent rest breaks while shoveling to avoid overworking the heart. Don?t eat a heavy meal before shoveling either as that can put an extra load on the heart. Also, use a small shovel to avoid lifting heavy mounds of snow.

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Seasonal affective disorder

As the days get shorter, some people develop the winter blues. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that can occur throughout the year, but the most common type appears in late fall or early winter and lasts until summer. Between 4 and 6 percent of Americans suffer from SAD, which is more common in women, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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Not everyone who develops SAD experiences the same symptoms, but hallmark signs include feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt or worthlessness; thoughts of suicide; fatigue; and irritability. The cause of SAD is unknown. Some experts believe the condition could be linked to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that regulate sleep, energy and mood. This imbalance occurs when levels of melatonin, one of these brain chemicals, rise while levels of serotonin, the other chemical, drops.

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According to the American Psychiatric Association, getting more sunlight can improve symptoms of SAD. Experts also recommend talk therapy and antidepressants. For people with severe SAD, light box therapy may be advised. Treatment involves sitting in front of a special lamp that mimics outdoor light, without looking directly into the light, for about 30 minutes a day. Experts recommend starting light therapy in the early fall and continuing until the spring. The light is used to adjust daily sleep cycles (circadian rhythm), which may play a role in mood.? Although light therapy has been shown to ease depression, it won?t cure SAD.?

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Carbon monoxide poisoning

Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Another 20,000 Americans visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized annually.

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Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas that is produced by burning fuel. Any fuel-burning appliances in the home could be a source of CO, including stoves, gas ranges and heating systems. Running a car or generator in an attached garage of a home can also cause CO poisoning.?

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Common symptoms of CO exposure are headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and confusion. But CO poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms mimic those of other illnesses. If more than one person develops the aforementioned symptoms over a short period of time, experts say that could be a sign that something is wrong.

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Installing a CO detector in the house that will sound an alarm if high levels of CO are present is essential. To prevent CO from becoming a problem, the CDC advises against using a range or oven to heat a home. Never leave the car motor running in the garage and never run a generator or any gas-powered engine in the basement or any other enclosed space in the home.

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Frostbite

Frostbite occurs when the skin and the tissue underneath it freeze. It often affects areas of the body that are more exposed to the cold such as the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes and have less circulation. Frostbite can permanently damage skin and underlying tissue, and severe cases may require amputation.

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"Symptoms often begin with pain and a blotchy white appearance," said Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff, an emergency medicine physician at the Denver Health Medical Center. "Once sensation is lost and the area it stops being painful, frostbite is severe."

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Get out of the cold if frostbite is suspected, Sankoff advised. "Once inside, don?t rub the frostbite since that can cause even more damage," he said. Don't apply direct heat, such as hot water, to the area either, he added, as that can burn already-damaged skin and tissue.

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Instead, immerse the affected area in room-temperature water. "It can be quite painful, but do it till the area warms up," Sankoff said. Seek medical attention if the frostbitten area starts to blister or turns black.

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"The best way to prevent frostbite is to plan and prepare," Sankoff said. "Dress properly and remember that layers are important. They can be removed and replaced as needed."

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Hypothermia

Hypothermia, which can affect the ability to think or move, occurs when a person?s body temperature drops below 95 degrees. This happens when someone is exposed to cold temperatures for a long period of time. But hypothermia can happen at higher temperatures, too.

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"We occasionally see cases during the summer," Sankoff said. "Any temperature lower than body temperature can cool the body. While there is no absolute threshold, it is far more common once the temperature drops below 45 degrees or so."

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Babies and the elderly are especially at risk as are people who drink alcohol. Even one drink is enough to disrupt the body?s ability to regulate its temperature, according to Sankoff. "Once a person becomes intoxicated, that risk becomes truly heightened, but the risk varies by individual," he said.

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"People who drink alcohol may feel warm even though they?re cold,? Cooney said. "But after a time the warm feeling goes away, which is dangerous if someone is outside for long periods of time."

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During the early stages of hypothermia, a person may feel tired, confused and disoriented and experience uncontrollable shivering. Eventually, a person stops shivering, doesn't feel cold at all, develops blue skin and dilated pupils and loses consciousness.

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Experts recommend getting medical attention during the early stages of hypothermia, before later symptoms make it difficult to seek help.? "The best way to treat people with hypothermia is to re-warm them," Sankoff said. "If it?s mild, we just let people re-warm themselves by putting blankets on them until they warm up again." If it's more severe, he said a person is treated with warming lights, blankets and warm fluids given through an IV.

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Shoveling injuries

Some people dread shoveling snow, and for good reason.? It can be hazardous to health. According to a 2011 study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine,?an average of more than 11,000 adults and children are hospitalized for shoveling injuries every year. The most common injuries include heart problems, head injuries, muscle sprains, cuts and fractures and, especially, the lower back.

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To avoid falling on snow or ice, experts recommend wearing shoes or boots with traction. To prevent back injuries, push the snow with the shovel, rather than lifting it. If lifting is unavoidable, scoop up a small amount of snow, then squat, keeping legs apart, knees bent, and back straight. Then, slowly rise but avoid bending at the waist. Experts also caution against throwing snow over the shoulders or to the side, since the twisting motion involved performing these movements stresses the back.?

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Related on MyHealthNewsDaily and MNN:

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This story was originally written for MyHealthNewsDaily and was republished with permission here. Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company.

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/6-winter-health-problems-to-watch-out-for

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PowerVR Series6 mobile GPUs are almost here, we go eyes-on with a test chip (video)

PowerVR Series 6 mobile GPUs are almost here, we go handson with a test chip video

Imagination Technologies is on a high right now. Throughout 2012, the company's PowerVR graphics processors continued to monopolize the iPhone and iPad as well as appearing in (late 2011) Android flagships, the PlayStation Vita and even the first Clover Trail-powered Windows 8 tablets. But you know what? That's old news, because all those devices run current-gen PowerVR Series5 silicon. Most new top-end devices in 2013 and 2014 will either contain the latest Mali GPUs from rival ARM, or they'll pack PowerVR Series6, aka Rogue. This latter chip is currently being developed by at least eight different smartphone and tablet manufacturers and is expected to make a good bit of noise at CES next week.

But who's going to wait that long if they don't absolutely have to? To get a fuller understanding of what awaits us in the coming weeks and months, we scoped out a Rogue test chip at Imagination's sparkly new HQ just outside of London, UK. The test silicon doesn't represent the true power of Series6 because it's running on an FPGA board that severely limits its bandwidth, but it's still able to show off one crucial advantage: namely the ability to run OpenGL ES 3.0 games and apps. This API is all about improving mobile graphics through making smarter use of GPU compute, without annoying the battery, and the three demos after the break show just how it pulls that off.

Continue reading PowerVR Series6 mobile GPUs are almost here, we go eyes-on with a test chip (video)

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/wmcwBv5B0Bc/

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UPDATE 2-Governor announces suit vs NCAA over Penn State scandal

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said on Wednesday he will seek to have the costly sanctions levied by the NCAA against Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal thrown out, saying the punishment threatens to cause devastating damage to the state's residents and economy.

The sanctions, which included an unprecedented $60 million fine, are "overreaching and unlawful," the governor said at a news conference in State College where the university is located. He said a lawsuit would be filed asking a federal court to throw out all Sandusky-related sanctions against Penn State.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body of U.S. collegiate sports, fined Penn State $60 million in July and voided its football victories for the past 14 seasons in a dramatic rebuke for its failure to stop Sandusky's sexual abuse of children.

"This was a criminal matter, not a violation of NCAA rules," Corbett said. He added that he believed the NCAA acted as it did because it benefited from the sizable penalty.

"These punishments threaten to have a devastating, long-lasting and irreparable effect on the state, its citizens and its economy," the governor said. "I cannot and will not stand by and let it happen without a fight."

The Republican governor has come under criticism for his handling of the scandal, which was revealed by a grand jury he convened in 2009 when he was Pennsylvania's attorney general.

State Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane, a Democrat, said during her campaign last year that by convening the grand jury, Corbett failed to protect children by delaying prosecution for more than two years. She has vowed to probe his handling of the case. Corbett has said he would welcome such an investigation.

In a statement, Kane said she had not been consulted on the filing of the lawsuit and would reserve comment.

Pennsylvania voters too have expressed dissatisfaction with Corbett's handling of the case. Nearly two thirds of registered voters said he did a fair or poor job, according to a Franklin & Marshall College survey in September.

Sandusky, Penn State's former defensive coordinator, was convicted in June of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, some in the football team's showers. He is serving a prison term of 30 to 60 years.

The scandal sparked a national discussion of child sex abuse, embarrassed the university and implicated top officials in a cover-up, including the late Joe Paterno, the legendary football head coach.

The NCAA said it was disappointed by Corbett's move.

"Not only does this forthcoming lawsuit appear to be without merit, it is an affront to all of the victims in this tragedy - lives that were destroyed by the criminal actions of Jerry Sandusky," NCAA General Counsel Donald Remy said in a statement.

Pennsylvania residents have also been unhappy with the NCAA sanctions. The Franklin & Marshall poll showed more than half the respondents believed they were unfair.

Although Corbett might be seen as pursuing the lawsuit to further his own political ends, "this decision will be popular among Pennsylvanians," said Terry Madonna, a professor of public affairs at Franklin & Marshall and director of the poll.

At Wednesday's press conference Corbett rejected any political motivation for the lawsuit.

James Schultz, general counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who will be handling the case for the governor, said by suing, Corbett was acting on behalf of state residents and businesses "collaterally damaged" by the NCAA sanctions.

The sanctions hurt businesses and residents, particularly in State College where football games bring lots of visitors, he said.

"In the wake of this terrible scandal, Penn State was left to heal and clean up this tragedy that was created by the few," Corbett said.

In State College, Kathy Punt, manager of a motel used by football fans, said her business dropped 30 to 40 percent this past fall as fewer people attended Penn State games.

"We didn't get the Penn State fans who usually come in," she said.

The university recently made the first payment of $12 million of the sanctions toward a national fund to support the victims of child abuse. Other sanctions included a ban on its football team from appearing in bowl games for four years.

According to the governor's office, Penn State football was the second most profitable collegiate athletic program in the nation in 2010-11 when it brought in $50 million, generating more than $5 million in tax revenue.

Penn State released a statement saying it was not party to the lawsuit and reiterated its commitment to comply with the NCAA sanctions.

The governor was asked about the report into the Penn State scandal produced by former FBI director Louis Freeh that was the basis of the NCAA sanctions. The report was scathingly critical of the university and said Penn State leaders covered up Sandusky's sexual abuse of children for years.

"The Freeh report is an incomplete report," Corbett said.

The family of Joe Paterno, who was fired by Penn State trustees who said he failed to do enough when he was alerted to suspicions about Sandusky, said: "The fact that Governor Corbett now realizes, as do many others, that there was an inexcusable rush to judgment is encouraging."

The family, which took strong exception to the Freeh report, had said it was convening its own experts to review the case and the actions of the board and school administration. Paterno died a year ago of lung cancer.

His family said on Wednesday it expects to release its findings "in the near future."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-governor-announces-lawsuit-vs-ncaa-over-penn-181537836--nfl.html

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Same-sex marriage ceremonies begin in Maryland

Darcia Anthony, left, and her partner, Danielle Williams, chat before participating in a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Darcia Anthony, left, and her partner, Danielle Williams, chat before participating in a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

James Scales, left, and William Tasker react after participating in a wedding ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

(AP) ? Same-sex couples in Maryland were greeted with cheers and noisemakers held over from New Year's Eve parties, as gay marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line on New Year's Day.

James Scales, 68, was married to William Tasker, 60, on Tuesday shortly after midnight by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake inside City Hall.

"It's just so hard to believe it's happening," Scales said shortly before marrying his partner of 35 years.

Six other same-sex couples also were being married at City Hall. Ceremonies were taking place in other parts of the state as well.

The ceremonies follow a legislative fight that pitted Gov. Martin O'Malley against leaders of his Catholic faith. Voters in the state, founded by Catholics in the 17th century, sealed the change by approving a November ballot question.

"There is no human institution more sacred than that of the one that you are about to form," Rawlings-Blake said during the brief ceremony. "True marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships."

Same-sex couples in Maryland have been able to get marriage licenses since Dec. 6, but they did not take effect until Tuesday.

In 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed in the state Senate but stalled in the House of Delegates. O'Malley hadn't made the issue a key part of his 2011 legislative agenda, but indicated that summer that he was considering backing a measure similar to New York's law, which includes exemptions for religious organizations.

Shortly after, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore wrote to O'Malley that same-sex marriage went against the governor's faith.

"As advocates for the truths we are compelled to uphold, we speak with equal intensity and urgency in opposition to your promoting a goal that so deeply conflicts with your faith, not to mention the best interests of our society," wrote O'Brien, who served as archbishop of the nation's first diocese from October 2007 to August 2011.

The governor was not persuaded. He held a news conference in July 2011 to announce that he would make same-sex marriage a priority in the 2012 legislative session. He wrote back to the archbishop that "when shortcomings in our laws bring about a result that is unjust, I have a public obligation to try to change that injustice."

The measure, with exemptions for religious organizations that choose not to marry gay couples, passed the House of Delegates in February in a close vote. O'Malley signed it in March. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put the bill to a statewide vote, and it passed with 52 percent in favor.

Voters in Maine and Washington state also approved same-sex marriage at the ballot box in November. In total, nine states and the District of Columbia have approved same-sex marriage. The other states are Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-01-Gay%20Marriage-Maryland/id-543fa9c108d545e9aeec44527a7b740f

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Ivory Coast stampede survivors blame barricades

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) ? Survivors of a stampede in Ivory Coast that killed 61 people, most of them children and teenagers, after a New Year's Eve fireworks display said Wednesday that makeshift barricades stopped them from moving along a main boulevard, causing the crush of people.

Ivory Coast police said unknown people put tree trunks across the Boulevard de la Republic where the trampling took place.

"For security, because there were so many important people at the event, we closed certain main streets," said a police officer who was overheard briefing Ivory Coast President Alassane Outtara on the incident.

"After the fireworks we reopened the other streets, but we had not yet removed the tree trunks from the Boulevard de la Republic, in front of the Hotel Tiana near the National Assembly (parliament) building," she said. "That is where the stampede happened when people flooded in from the other streets."

Ouattara ordered three days of national mourning and launched an investigation into the causes of the tragedy but two survivors, in interviews with The Associated Press, indicated why so many died in what would normally be an open area, the Boulevard de la Republic. An estimated 50,000 people had gathered near the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium and elsewhere in Abidjan's Plateau district to watch the fireworks. As they streamed away from the show some encountered the blockades.

"Near the Justice Palace we were stopped by some people who put blockades of wood in the street," 33-year-old Zoure Sanate said from her bed in Cocody Hospital. "They told us we must stay in the Plateau area until morning. None of us accepted to stay in Plateau until the morning for a celebration that ended at around 1 a.m.

"Then came the stampede of people behind us," she said. "My four children and I were knocked to the ground. I was hearing my kids calling me, but I was powerless and fighting against death. Two of my kids are in hospital with me, but two others are missing. They cannot be found."

Another hospital patient, Brahima Compaore, 39, said he also was caught in the pile of people stopped by the roadblock.

"I found myself on the ground and people were walking on me," said Compaore. "I was only saved by people who pulled me onto the sidewalk."

Local newspapers are speculating that thieves put up the roadblocks so that pickpockets could steal money and mobile phones from the packed-in people.

Ouattara pledged to get answers. Some observers wondered why police did not prevent the tragedy.

"The investigation must take into account all the testimonies of victims," he said Wednesday. "We will have a crisis center to share and receive information."

Ouattara also postponed the traditional New Year's receptions at his residence, which had been scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

The leader of a human rights organization said that deadly incidents were predictable because the police and civil authorities had not taken adequate protective measures.

"The situation is deplorable," said Thierry Legre, president of the Ivorian League of Human Rights. "It is our first tragedy of 2013 but in 2012 we could already see possibility of such a tragedy because there are not adequate authorities patrolling our roads and waters."

Legre said the New Year's stampede "exposes our weak and dysfunctional civil protection system. This must be corrected immediately. The government cannot invite people to this kind of public gathering without taking adequate precautions to protect their safety and their lives."

He called on the government "to implement measures to avoid such tragedies in the future by reinforcing the civil protection system."

The government organized the fireworks to celebrate Ivory Coast's peace, after several months of political violence in early 2011 following disputed elections.

Just one night before the New Year's incident, there had been a big concert at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium where American rap star Chris Brown performed. That Sunday night event was for the Kora Awards for African musicians. No serious incidents were reported from that event.

In 2009, 22 people died and over 130 were injured in a stampede at a World Cup qualifying match at the Houphouet Boigny Stadium, prompting FIFA, soccer's global governing body, to impose a fine of tens of thousands of dollars on Ivory Coast's soccer federation. The stadium, which officially holds 35,000, was overcrowded at the time of the disaster.

Another African stadium tragedy occurred on New Year's Eve in Angola where 13 people, including four children, died in a stampede during a religious gathering at a sports stadium in Luanda, the capital.

Angop, the Angolan news agency, cited officials as saying Tuesday that 120 people were also injured. The incident happened on New Year's Eve when tens of thousands of people gathered at the stadium and panic ensued. Faustino Sebastiao, spokesman for the national firefighters department, says those who died were crushed and asphyxiated.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ivory-coast-stampede-survivors-blame-barricades-130553379.html

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Make this mistake and lose thousands on a mortgage

By Bob Sullivan

I had just borrowed about a quarter-million dollars and my question was simple: "How do I pay you back?"

The woman on the other end of the phone, however, couldn't tell me. Ten days had passed since I signed the papers to refinance my home and, with the holidays approaching, I was worried my first payment would be late. She tried to soothe me with perhaps the most misunderstood phrase of the refinancing process: "Don't worry. You get to skip a payment."

Had I listened to her, it would have cost me thousands of dollars. And if you are one of the millions of homeowners who will refinance in 2013, it could cost you, too.?


If your new year?s resolution is to save money or get control of the family budget, refinancing remains a really good option. But the idea that ?skipping? the first payment can be pain free, financially speaking, is a myth, repeated over and over by loan officers like mine. Sometimes they are lying, sometimes they are misinformed and sometimes they are just trying to get an annoying borrower like me off the phone. But with rare exception, they are giving bad advice.? (News flash: Whenever a bank seems to be doing you a favor, it probably has a hand in your wallet.)

Real estate transactions are already confusing enough. There are questions surrounding when you make your last payment on the old loan, when you make your first payment on the new loan, how many extra days of interest you pay toward both your old and your new loan, and when you are paying for both loans. We'll get to those tricky issues in a moment, but the priciest mistake you might make in a refinance is also the simplest one to correct.?

You've heard this before, but this time, it's probably true: mortgage interest rates are at historic lows, and there may never be a better time to refinance.? It's hard to imagine rates going any lower than the 3 percent range they are at now, but it's easy to imagine that, at the first signs of a real economic recovery or real inflation, they will climb sharply during 2013.? The low interest rates that the Federal Reserve has imposed to boost the economy have been punishing for many, notably savers, who can barely earn 1 percent interest on their bank accounts and certificates of deposit. The one perk for consumers from the Fed?s interest rate policy is the ability to get cheap home and auto loans. If you haven't refinanced your mortgage in the past 24 months or so, you are missing out.

Fortunately, many American homeowners have gotten the message. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage holders engaged in $1.3 trillion worth of refinancing in 2012. In fact, more than four out of five new mortgages in 2012 were refinanced loans, not home purchases.

I wish there were a way to know how many of those borrowers chose to skip that first payment.

'Can I get that in writing?' 'No'
My loan officer was lazy, I believe, and -- knowing that my loan had closed and all the commissions were guaranteed -- just wanted me off the phone as soon as possible. My call was unusual. ?I am always overly cautious when I set up any kind of new loan payment, as the chances for error are great: a wrong loan number on a check, a bad address, etc. So I always make the first payment early to make sure nothing goes wrong.? That good habit proved profitable this time.

When I signed my loan papers, there were no payment instructions in my closing documents (not terribly unusual). My loan officer said I would receive payment coupons later.? But when 10 days passed, and I heard nothing, I called. She sent me to the bank's customer service line, where I was informed that there was no record of my loan. (Did that mean I didn?t have to pay it back? Sadly, No.) Customer service transferred me back to my loan officer. She assured me that their computers would catch up to my urge to pay the loan, and I?d get payment information soon. Incredulous that they seemed not to want my money, I persisted. She tapped a few keys on her keyboard, made me wait a minute, then told me that my loan had funded on Dec. 5, so I didn't have to make a payment until Feb. 1.

"But my documents say repayment begins Jan. 1," I said. "So you're saying there will be no late fees if I don't pay Jan. 1?"

"Yes," she said.

"Can I get that in writing.??

"No. I can't do that."

At that point, I did what any mature consumer would do: I laughed. And then I muttered something about the 100 pieces of paper they just made me sign, with innocuous documents putting the finest point on everything you can imagine, like the form I initialed in multiple places agreeing that, yes, I am known by Bob, Robert, Bobby, Robby and various other nicknames. Yet I couldn?t get the bank to put something in writing saying when I should make my loan payment?

My loan officer didn't laugh, but eventually she put me on the phone with a supervisor who sounded very grave. She'd done additional research, she said, and found out that the reason customer service couldn't find my loan was because it had already been sold to another bank. We called that bank together and found out my loan actually funded on Nov. 30, so my first payment was indeed due on Jan. 1. And I would have been liable for about an $80 late fee if I had listened to my loan officer. The manager profusely apologized.

Steep penalty anyway
But I'm not writing to warn you about late fees. There's a much bigger culprit here you have to worry about.? Had I followed my loan officer's advice and skipped a payment, even if the bank waived the late fee (which the manager said was likely), I would have paid a steep penalty anyway.? You've probably guessed the punch line: there's no such thing as skipping a payment. In reality, homeowners are borrowing that money and extending the loan term for an extra month.? The payment will be tacked onto the end of the loan, with interest.? How much? If it's a conventional loan, that?s 30 years? worth of interest.? Effectively, you are borrowing one month's payment for 30 years. Ouch!

"Skipping is a misnomer. A better description would be ?deferring with additional interest added,'" said Jack Guttentag, a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania who also runs a consumer education website called MortgageProfessor.com.?

Just how much extra interest can skipping that first payment cost you? There are too many variables to create a decent rule of thumb. But here's an illustration from Guttentag's site with deliberately round numbers. Skip the first payment of $500 on a $100,000 loan at 6 percent, and you will pay an additional $2,993 in interest during the 30 years.

Forget the $75 late fee. That's real money. As Guttentag puts it, "a payment that is miniscule to one is a fortune to another."

Some loan officers say they only won't offer the "skip-a-payment" option unless the refinance closes toward the end of the month, when the homeowner might have trouble coming up with the extra cash for closing costs and a fresh mortgage payment close together.? Others say they offer it all the time.

To be clear: Most borrowers don?t actually complete their 30-year loans before moving or refinancing, so few would end up paying that high a penalty. Also, it's important to note that my bank didn't even hold the loan, so they weren't profiting from the ?skip-a-payment? advice.? I believe this is usually a lazy mistake, not a greedy one. Still, the basic truth holds.? Don't be tempted to skip a payment when you refinance unless you really, really need the cash for some unusual expense (Christmas credit card bills are probably not the best reason.)

Skipped payments are not to be confused with other loan closing related interest payments, including:

*Your last payment on the old loan. You can't skip that, either. If your loan closes near the end of the month, you should still make the scheduled payment to your old bank. Why?? Interest is actually paid in arrears, meaning you pay at the end of the month the cost of borrowing the money for that month.? It's confusing, because mortgage payments are really two payments at once -- last month's interest and next month's principal.? To keep it simple, if your loan closes on the Nov. 30, you will be paying November's interest with your Dec. 1 payment, along with December?s principal. You won't need to make the December principal payment if you refinance on Nov. 30, but most folks pay far more in interest than principal because they are early in their loan's term, so the overpayment won't be large. Just pay it to avoid late fees, and enjoy any refund that comes your way.?

*Pre-paid interest. When your loan closes in the middle of the month, your new bank will make you pay up-front (as opposed to in arrears) daily interest for the remaining days of the month. If you close on the 20th, you'll pay 10 more days of interest payments.? That's OK, it means you won't owe the money on the back end of the loan.

*Money for nothing: The three-day (or more) overlap. There's an odd quirk in most refinancing deals in which there are several days when the homeowner will be paying interest on the same loan to both banks. In most states, consumers have a three-day "right of rescission" after signing their refinancing papers, meaning they can cancel the new loan if they get buyer's remorse.? Such regret laws are very consumer-friendly and are necessary because of nefarious loan officers who tricked consumers into bad deals in the past. But, in this case, the consumer-friendly law is also costly, as it means both banks have liability for the loan during that rescission period, and are both entitled to collect interest.? Note: The regret period is usually three business days, so if your closing stretches over a weekend, the double-interest period can be even more costly.

It's important to keep all these quirky, refinance-related interest payments straight when talking to your loan officer, so you'll know what to do when he or she suggests you can skip a payment. None of this should scare you away from refinancing, which is really the only way you can make the recession work for you.

But remember, you are refinancing to save money, and you probably shopped around trying to save $50 here or $100 there on closing costs; don't lose thousands of dollars because of one false move after closing.

* Follow Bob Sullivan on?Facebook.

* Follow Bob Sullivan on?Twitter.

More from Red Tape Chronicles:

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Source: http://redtape.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/01/16239394-make-this-mistake-and-youll-lose-thousands-when-refinancing-your-mortgage?lite

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Source: http://jenlester.blogspot.com/2013/01/fantasy-auto-racing.html

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LORE: The Heroes Legacy- players wanted

Lore Kingdom. A universally neutral country, with a population of 20,000,000. It is a world of magic and Magic is traded (bought and sold), and an integral part of the people?s lives. Lore is a place full of magical creatures, items and secrets. Spells have taken over this world as the internet took ours. Quests have rised upon the lands, the waterfalls tell fables about the sounds of blade clashing.

The land was once harsh and full of sarrow, demons and monsters roamed the earth feeding off of the greef of the People that lived their, All hope seemed lost untill the fairies of light and life came to this world , Along with the Nephilim( half angel half humans). It is said the Lore was Changed into a place of hope and peace by this powerful Light fairy. She was called Sephia and she was the first Queen of Lore. Since then, the world has been a prosperous Place for all how live in it.
BUT now there is a dark shadow looms over Lore and the monsters and demons are back, but the once gaurdian faies and the Nephilim are long gone and now it is up to you to stop the shadow from distroying this world and its people.

http://www.roleplaygateway.com/roleplay/lore-the-heroes-legacy/

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/5OdE8qzyC64/viewtopic.php

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GLHFCasting ? How to Receive a VA Loan

Our nation?s armed forces is a vital part of our great nation and we are forever indebted to the countless men and women who have been a part of the military. By using several unique skills, these people are protecting our freedom in places all over the world. These brave individuals have done so much, which is why it is critical to show them how much we appreciate what they have done. By offering VA home loans, the U.S. Government has paved a way to provide affordable mortgage rates to our servicemen and women. The processes of eligibility and application have been simplified to help as many people as possible get access to VA loans. To provide additional simplicity, VA loans can be customized for disabled vets and may be able to be applied to debt consolidation or streamline refinance. Take the fastest route to getting a VA loan by sitting down with our lending team today. VA Loans Chesapeake VA

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Source: http://www.glhfcasting.com/how-to-receive-a-va-loan/

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Gunmen kill five female teachers in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? Gunmen in northwest Pakistan killed five female teachers and two aid workers on Tuesday in an ambush on a van carrying workers home from their jobs at a community center, officials said.

The attack was another reminder of the risks to women educators and aid workers from Islamic militants who oppose their work. It was in the same conservative province where militants shot and seriously wounded 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, an outspoken young activist for girls' education, in October.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest shootings.

The van was transporting teachers and aid workers from the center in conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is an area where Islamic militants often target women and girls trying to get an education or female teachers.

Militants in the province have blown up schools and killed female educators. They have also kidnapped and killed aid workers, viewing them as promoting a foreign agenda.

Last month, nine people working on an anti-polio vaccination campaign were shot and killed.

The teachers were killed along with two health workers, one man and one woman. Their driver was wounded. They were on their way home from a community center in the town of Swabi where they were working at a primary school for girls and adjoining medical center.

Swabi police chief Abdur Rasheed said most of the women killed were between the ages of 20 and 22. He said four gunmen who used two motorcycles fled the scene and have not been apprehended.

The gunmen on motorcycles opened fire with automatic weapons, said Javed Akhtar, executive director of the non-governmental organization Support With Working Solutions. The NGO conducts programs in the education and health sectors and runs the community center in Swabi, he said. The group has been active in the city since 1992, and started the Ujala Community Welfare Center in 2010, he added. Ujala means "light" in Urdu.

The center is financed by the Pakistani government's Poverty Alleviation Program and a German organization, said Akhtar.

He said the NGO also runs health and education projects in the South Waziristan tribal area, as well as health projects in the cities of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan and the regions of Lower Dir and Upper Kurram. All of those cities and regions are in northwest Pakistan, the area that has been most affected by the ongoing fight with militants opposed to the current government.

Aid groups such as Support With Working Solutions often provide a vital role in many areas of Pakistan where the government has been unable to provide services such as medical clinics or schools. But in some areas like the northwest, they have had to work to overcome community fears that they are promoting a foreign agenda at odds with local traditions and values.

Akhtar said he has directed staff at all projects to stop working for the time being until security measures are reviewed but vowed that they would resume their work soon.

He said that the NGO had not received any threats before the attack.

In a case in the same province that gained international attention, a Taliban gunman shot 15-year-old Yousufzai in the head last October for criticizing the militants and promoting girls' education. She is currently recovering in Britain.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-kill-5-female-teachers-pakistan-123705233.html

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