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Michigan lawyers welcome new law that will surely prevent car accidents and save lives

After extensively blogging about the extreme dangers of texting while driving, I am elated to report that Michigan has adopted a legal ban on texting while driving a motor vehicle. With the new ban, drivers who text message can give legal cause for police to pull them over and issue a ticket.

Michigan joins 18 other states with similar anti-texting while driving laws. And for the car accident lawyers who work at Michigan Auto Law, we have only one word to add: Finally.

According to an article by the Detroit Free Press, the bill won’t go to the governor for signing until the House approves a companion bill that prohibits adding points to a driver’s record for text messaging. Nevertheless, the main bill is a victory for safety advocates. Now it’s up to lawyers and other civil justice and safety groups to keep educating the public on just how dangerous text messaging is when driving a car.

The ban is to take effect on July 1.  It will surely save lives and prevent needless car accidents.

Texting and Distracted Driving: The Facts

As of now, the accident statistics stemming from texting while driving are going up. Latest numbers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (Summer 2009) prove the act of writing a text message while behind the wheel is one of the most dangerous things a driver can do. That “How r u?” can make a car crash 23 times more likely for truck drivers and six times more likely for most motorists.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said that police across Michigan noted on crash reports that nearly 900 drivers involved in car wrecks were using cell phones – out of 3,315 crashes where officers noted distraction of some sort in 2009, the Freep reported.

And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which encourages states to pass such bans, attributed 6,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries to distracted driving in 2008. President Barack Obama even issued an executive order last fall prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving on the job or in government vehicles.

Again, the lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have seen far too many preventable car accidents resulting from distracted drivers texting and talking on cell phones. To put things into perspective, I tell my clients and loved ones that research shows talking on a cell phone while driving can have the same effect on perception and reaction timing as driving with four drinks in your system. Texting can have the same effect as driving with eight drinks in your system.

With this new law, we can say with scientific certainty that more car accidents will be prevented, and that lives of Michigan residents will be saved.  Obviously, this is an area that I’m quite passionate about; and this new law is a relief for me and the other personal injury lawyers who work here.

I sincerely hope you will consider the car accident statistics I’ve provided above, and the safety of others when you get behind the wheel and make decisions that can cause distracted driving.  And if that isn’t enough, maybe the new  possibility of legal fines and tickets may help before you pick up that phone to text while driving.

– Steven M. Gursten is recognized as one of the nation’s top experts in serious car and truck accident injury cases and automobile insurance no-fault litigation. Michigan Auto Law has received the largest reported jury verdict for an automobile accident case in Michigan in seven of the past 10 years, including 2009, according to published year-end verdicts and settlements reports.

– Photo courtesy of Creative Commons, by mrJasonWeaver

Related information:

Be Prepared in Case of a Car Accident

17 Mistakes that Can Kill Your Car Accident Case

Michigan No-Fault Resource Center

Michigan Auto Law is the largest law firm exclusively handling car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state. We have offices in Southfield, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights to better serve you. Call (800) 777-0028 for a free consultation with an auto accident attorney. We are always here to help.

Whether you’re itching to sign up for an electric vehicle field trial, hoping to buy one of the earliest plug-in models, or just want a heads up on what models you might see hitting showrooms and U.S. roads in the next couple years, here’s a dozen models to have on your list. Some of them will be available only in select markets or for a handful of fleets initially, but if all goes well (a big if), then this could mark the first trickle before a flood of plug-in models during the next decade.

What	When	Where	How Much
BMW Concept ActiveE – BEV – 4 seats	Limited leasing in 2011	U.S., EU	TBA
BMW Mini-E – BEV – 2 seats	Field trials underway; expanding 2010	Germany, U.S., UK, China	$850/month lease
BYD e6 – BEV – 5 seats	Late 2010	Select U.S. markets initially, likely starting with Southern California, followed by San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Boston.	Around $40,000
Coda Sedan – BEV – 5 seats	Fall 2010	California initially, later expanding across U.S.	$45,000
Fisker Karma – PHEV – 4 seats	September 2010	U.S., Canada, EU	$87,900
Ford Focus – BEV – 5 seats	Fleet trials underway; launch late 2011	North America, then EU	TBA
GM Chevy Volt – EREV – 5 seats)	November 2010	Select U.S. cities initially including San Francisco, CA, Washington, D.C.,	Around $40,000
Nissan LEAF – BEV – 5 seats	Early reservations through May 15, 2010.	Primary lead markets include Tennessee, California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona.	$32,780, or $349/month lease with $1,999 down payment
Smart Fortwo ED – BEV – 2 seats	Field trials underway; U.S. trials starting second half of 2010; 2012 series production.	Select customers in Germany, Italy, Spain, England, France, Switzerland, U.S., Canada	TBA. Gas version starts at $11,990
Think City – BEV – 2 seats	Already available in EU; U.S. launch planned for 2010	Select U.S. cities initially, starting with New York City (LA, San Francisco, Chicago rank high on list of potential lead markets).	About $28,690, plus $183/month for battery leasing if U.S. pricing is similar to pricing for Norway market
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid – PHEV – 5 seats	Limited leasing underway	Select fleets in Japan, EU and across the U.S., including universities, companies and governments in California, Colorado and Oregon.	TBA. About $47,800 for demo fleet customers in Japan. 2010 Prius (hybrid, no plug) starts at $22,800
Ford Transit Connect – BEV – Light commercial van	Late 2010	North America, then EU	TBA. Gas version starts under $22,000

BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle; PHEV = Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle; EREV = Extended Range Electric Vehicle

Image courtesy of felixkramer’s photostream

What it is: A four-door electric sedan that will change everything. Unless it doesn’t.

Keep Reading: 2012 Tesla Model S – Feature

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When it comes to the relationship between bees and African elephants, size does not matter. The massive pachyderms are terrified of bees, which can painfully sting elephants around their eyes and inside their trunks. Baby elephants are the most vulnerable to bee stings, as their skin isn’t thick enough to ward off the insects. And researchers have now found that the elephants have developed a special strategy to help them avoid these bees that scare the bejesus out of them.

When an elephant takes note of a swarm of bees, it emits a distinct rumbling call. This bee alarm, which the scientists termed a “bee rumble,” helps draw the herd’s attention to the bees and allows them to run off unharmed, the researchers write in the journal PloS ONE. What’s more, they respond to an audio recording of the bee rumble as if it were the real thing, giving farmers a tool they could potentially use to fend off unwanted elephants.

This is the first time that an alarm call for a specific threat has been identified in elephants. Lead researcher Lucy King of the University of Oxford believes that such calls may be an “emotional response” to a threat and a way to co-ordinate group movements. Ms King explained: “We discovered elephants not only flee from the buzzing sound, but make a unique rumbling call, as well as shaking their heads” [BBC]. The head-shaking looked like an attempt to fend off or dislodge the bees that the elephants assumed were buzzing around, King says.

For the study, King and her team played the recordings of the bee rumble vocalization to 10 elephant families. Six of the families immediately got up and fled, despite the fact that they had neither seen nor heard any bees. When the scientists tweaked the vocalization a bit to remove a key acoustical feature found in bee rumbles, the elephants stayed put. The researchers suggest that elephants may also have warning calls to alert their fellows to humans and lions—much like Diana monkeys in West Africa can call out a leopard alarm or eagle alarm, depending on which predator they spot [ScienceNOW].

King hopes that recordings of the bee rumble can be used by farmers to chase away elephants and keep them from trampling fields. As agriculture expands in Africa, elephants have been squeezed into tighter habitats–causing them to stray across fields and damage crops. “Farmers will do anything to keep their crops and families safe from damage, and unfortunately records of shootings, spearings, and poisonings of elephants are on the increase,” Ms King wrote on the University of Oxford’s website [BBC]. King hopes that playing back the bee rumble around fields could serve as a low-tech, humane deterrent to elephants, who will then be sent packing back into the woods.

Related Content:
80beats: Elephants’ Tail Hairs Tell a Story of Competition on the Savanna
80beats: Zoo Elephants’ Lives Cut Short by Obesity, Loneliness
80beats: Elephant-Lovers Worry About Controversial Ivory Auctions in Africa
80beats: Memories of Hard Times Might Help Elephants Survive Global Warming

Image: Lucy King/Oxford University

It’s definitely unnerving to see a line of ants marching
across the kitchen floor. But you don’t need to hire an expensive professional
exterminator or spray toxic chemicals to banish nuisance ants from your home.

Pesticides can harm your family’s health as well as your
pets’. Plus, they don’t
get to the root of the problem.

Instead, try these tips for preventing ants from entering
your home in the first place and banishing them once they get there. (Carpenter ants are a
more serious problem, so make sure that those aren’t what you’re seeing in inside.)

 

Keep the ants from coming in

Seal cracks or holes where outdoor ants are entering the house. This will require less than an hour of your time and an inexpensive tube
of caulk.
It’s also a good idea to trim the branches of trees or shrubs that touch your home
so that ants can’t crawl in through windows and doors.

Sprinkling cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or cloves where ants enter or gravitate to can deter them from moving in. Bay leaves, fresh mint, or
peppermint tea bags also work well.

 

Starve the ants

You’ll need to be a fastidious housekeeper while you’re
trying to get rid of ants because they feast on the tiniest crumbs or drops
of water. If ants can’t find anything to eat or drink, they will leave.

Keep food in containers with tight-fitting lids. Wash and
dry dishes immediately. If you need to leave dishes in the sink, submerge them in
soapy water. Wipe down your counters thoroughly. Sweep or vacuum up crumbs
often. Take your garbage outside regularly.

Don’t leave pet food and water dishes out overnight. If you
need to, then place bowls in pans of soapy water.  

Fix dripping faucets, leaks, and eliminate any standing water.

 

Banish ants from your house

Mix a teaspoon of liquid soap and water in a quart-size
spray bottle and spray areas where the ants are active. This will drown the
ants and destroy the chemical
trails left by worker ants so it will prevent more ants from invading your
home. Vinegar and water should also do the trick.

The Natural Resource Defense Council recommends making
your own ant traps from a mixture of borax, sugar, and water. Be careful
with these if you have young children or pets because it’s not safe to ingest. Ants
can’t digest cornmeal properly so that’s another way to get rid of them — sprinkle it around holes or ant trails.

If all else fails and you decide to go for pesticides, use
baits in closed cases instead of sprays.

You can also try to locate the nest and destroy the colony.
Place honey or syrup on cardboard
along ant trails and follow the thick trail of syrup to the nest. If the nest is
outside, pour one or more pots of boiling water over it.

Indoor nests can be
vacuumed up with a HEPA filter. Add a little cornstarch to the bag to suffocate
ants, and dispose of the bag outside of your home. 

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

In his daily note, Gluskin-Sheff economist David Rosenberg makes an important observation about the frequency of recessions.

Namely: The gap between them is getting shorter and shorter.

Nobody would ever dispute that the U.S. economy has managed to see its
government spend its way into some sort of statistical recovery — though it is
more evident in the output and sales data than in the income data.  Look at the
largesse — a 0% policy rate, a $2.3 trillion Fed balance sheet loaded up with
mortgages, a $1.4 trillion fiscal deficit loaded with bailouts and freebies and
accounting changes that have allowed the banks to mark-to-model their way
back towards earnings heaven.  If the economy was not recovering without
Uncle Sam’s generosity, then that would truly be a big story.  

But Mr. Market at some point will have to confront the future.  The time gap
between recessions is shortening now — we went 10 years from 1990 to 2000,
then 5 years from 2002 to 2007 and the next recession, following this pattern,
is likely going to occur within the next 2-3 years.  And, unlike the start of the last
recession when the government had so many arrows in its quiver, there are
none today to help lift the economy again.  

Going into the 2007 downturn, the budget deficit was $160 billion.  There was
ample room for fiscal stimulus.  The funds rate was 5.5% and could be cut
550bps — now it is at 0%.  The Fed’s balance sheet could be allowed to triple
without reviving inflation expectations — good luck the next time around. 

He seems to be throwing in the towel on this recession, and its potential to be “the big one.”

Perhaps the downturn that really shakes the foundation (the equity culture, the
view that we can spend more than we make to perpetuity, etc) is the next one
because the policy response, by definition, will just not be there to turn things
around.  Not something to worry about today, but the day of reckoning is coming.   
What we see in the crystal ball is not only the limited response the government
will have on hand to deal with the next downturn, but that it will likely start with
the economy never getting back to full employment.  Recall that for the first time
ever, the U.S. economy in 2007 slipped into recession without having first swung
into excess demand terrain (when inflation pressures are burgeoning), which is
why it didn’t take long for deflation risks to come to the forefront.  Imagine how
intense the deflation pressures will be in the next go-around as the recession
begins with a much higher unemployment rate, a much lower capacity utilization
rate, and a more constrained government response.  

We can understand that this is far beyond a market mindset that is fixated on
next month’s nonfarm payroll release and the coming quarter’s earnings reports
— but the primary trend, which is deflationary, is hardly going to be broken by
current reflationary policies than was the case from 2002 to 2007 when credit
growth and asset prices surged.  It was a great five years for the beta trade, but
it ended in tears.  So will this whippy rally, even if not currently recognized by the
majority of market pundits who will get you into safety as quickly heading into
the next turndown as they so successfully did in late 2007.   

Join the conversation about this story »

Toyota and Subaru are collaborating on a shared four-cylinder sports car that will be sold in two versions, beginning near the end of 2011. Largely engineered by Subaru, the cars will get a rear-drive platform consisting of a steel structure with aluminum body panels. A small, 2.0-liter flat-four engine made by Subaru will sit low behind the front-axle line. Toyota previewed its FT86 concept at last year’s Tokyo auto show; Subaru has yet to show its cards.

Keep Reading: 2012 Toyota FT86 / Subaru 0846 – Feature

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Tiring of pilots overshooting their destination by over 100 miles because they were busy fiddling with their laptop, the FAA has asked all airlines to create and enforce policies to minimize distractions in the cockpit.

“There is no room for distraction when your job is to get people safely to their destinations,” said DOT Secretary Ray LaHood. “The traveling public expects professional pilots to focus on flying and on safety at all times.”

The FAA reminded carriers that unecessary distractions, including pilots’ use of personal electronic devices, in the cockpit can “constitute a safety risk.” They point to the Northwest flight from October 2009, where a plane that was supposed to land in Minnesota went 150 miles too far because the pilots were engrossed in using their laptops for personal reasons.

“Every aviation professional needs to take the issue of distractions in the cockpit seriously,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “And when there are two or more professionals on the flight deck, they must hold each other to the highest safety standards. Allowing distractions is unacceptable.”

FAA Calls on Airlines to Limit Cockpit Distractions [FAA]

Early results from a Phase II study demonstrate that Bristol-Myers Squibb’s experimental drug has unrivaled potency against the Hepatitis C virus.

Bristol compound potent against hepatitis C

(Reuters) – An experimental Bristol-Myers Squibb compound called BMS-790052 is proving to be the most potent yet at treating hepatitis C, an infection poorly treated with existing drugs, company researchers said on Wednesday.

An early, phase I safety study of the compound found it was highly effective at blocking the protein NS5A, a new target that might provide one more weapon against a virus that can quickly develop resistance.

Continue reading this entire article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63K5QB20100421

(This is a guest post from the author’s blog.)

As if Greece did not already have enough problems. The market was already jolted by the Goldman SEC case. Then, it was the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland postponed a key meeting with European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials on aid for the country.

When the Officials from the EU and IMF finally launched a two-week talk on a Greek rescue package this Wednesday, it failed to calm the bond markets.

Slow Talk, Bond Rout & Downgrade

To make matters even worse, on Thursday, the European Union revised upward its estimate of Greece’s 2009 deficit to 13.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) and may be revised to as high as 14.1%. On that news, ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Greece’s credit rating, the second time in five months.

With a string of bad news, a bond market rout eventually pushed two-year Greek government bond yields above 10% and forced 10-year yields near 9% on Thursday. 

Credit default swaps on Greece’s five-year bonds also surged to a record high of 577 (Chart 1).  Meanwhile, the Greek curve remains steeply inverted with two-year yield higher than the 5-year bond, which indicates that the market sees significant near-term risks.

Temporary Liquidity Relief

At these levels, it is virtually impossible for the debt-strapped nation to meet its funding needs on the open market. This sharp jump in borrowing costs ultimately forced Greek government to formally request the joint EU-IMF rescue plan on Friday. 

After two months of intense debate among European governments and market speculations, the joint IMF-EU Greek rescue package has finally been decided earlier this month. The size of the rescue package reportedly amounts to about €45bn ($60bn, £40bn), of which less than a third will come from the IMF.

The heavily indebted Greece needs to borrow some €54 billion this year and must refinance around €20 billion in April and May. Simple math could tell you this €45-billion bailout only helps avert a temporary liquidity crisis and would sustain Greece through this year at best.

Solvency Risk Remains

Calculations by The Economist suggest that even on optimistic assumptions, Greece will run up an extra €67 billion of debt by 2014, when its debt will peak at a scary 149% of GDP. (Table 1)

Greece underlying problems–flat growth, high debt load and interest costs–could take years to resolve. Additional rescue program(s) of at least an equivalent sum–or more–might be needed again in the next few years, depending on the progress of their austerity measures.

This means resorting to a “debt restructure” to defer loans or pay back less than it owed, could still be a distinct possibility.

No Way Out?

The proposed spending cuts and revenue raising measures have met with fierce resistance by the public workers. Economists such as Martin Feldstein argue in favor of exchange rate devaluation, hence an exit of the euro zone.

A steep devaluation of the currency to improve competitiveness would help achieve a recovery; however, being a member of the euro monetary union, Greece does not have this luxury. Furthermore, currency devaluation, even if feasible, would reduce the country’s buying power costing the country in the long run.

Another option – Greece could leave the EU and create a new national currency. The problem is that a potential bank run and the subsequent collapse of the domestic banking system would precede Greece’s exit of the EU, not to mention the chaos ensued converting bonds, etc. from euro into the new currency.

“A Second Lehman”

According to estimates by The Economist, foreign banks’ exposure to Greece, Portugal and Spain combined comes to €1.2 trillion. European banks have lent most of this. German banks alone account for almost a fifth of the total. (Table 2) 

Realizing failure to act risks a financial meltdown, German finance minister Wolfgang Chasuble pleaded with his people and told Der Spiegel that

“We cannot allow the bankruptcy of a euro member state like Greece to turn into a second Lehman Brothers…Greece’s debts are all in euros, but it isn’t clear who holds how much of those debts. The consequences of a national bankruptcy would be incalculable.”

From Greece to Euro Zone

Worries about Greece’s widening deficit and has contributed to a 7.2% slide in the euro this year and sent ominous ripples across a stagnant European economy.

The proposed pact would cost EU members–almost all of them facing onerous debts already—additional €30bn ($40bn, £26bn) of debt. More bailouts could be expected with other highly indebted PIIGS nations waiting in the wing.

This no doubt will damage the euro’s prestige, inevitably increase their debt burden, and further weaken the euro. Eventually, Greece might still default and the entire euro zone will likely face higher interest spread, and so the vicious debt & risk cycle would commence again.

Greece Does Matter

Jim O’Neill, head of global economic research at Goldman Sachs, argues that the Greek debt crisis does not really matter very much in the global scheme of things.

Nevertheless, the involvement of the IMF essentially shifts the Greece debt burden beyond the EU and to its members. The United States, Japan and the EU are among the top funding nations of IMF’s lending capacity.

The Greece crisis has let to increasing scrutiny of sovereign debt, and could be a small-scale sketch of other large nations, including the United States, which carry increasing levels of debt.

All this could all end horribly, if governments refuse to cut spending and markets refuse to fund that spending.

China To The Rescue?

In the meantime, IMF data shows that China and emerging markets have accumulated $4.8 trillion (£3.1bn) in foreign reserves. Roughly $1.7 trillion is invested in euro zone bonds. These bond holders with rising powers could play a deciding role on how Europe’s drama unfolds.

So, before long, we may see new Chinese pagodas sprouting in the Mediterranean when the EU and IMF could no longer bankroll Greece, et. al.  

Join the conversation about this story »

MTV managed to set a new standard for tawdry reality TV with the premiere of its drink-throwin’ smash Jersey Shore. (Not that the standard for such shows could have gotten any lower.) We doubt there’s any way they’ll manage to top The Situation’s abs or Snooki’s spitfire outbursts, but the network that brought us The Hills and America’s Next Best Dance Crew is hoping to strike gold once more with the debut of its new summer “reality-sitcom” (Whatever That Is…) Downtown Girls.

Think of it as a thinly-veiled imitation of Sex And The City. We’re still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, so wake us up when someone starts fist-pumpin’.

The show, which is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, June 1 @ 11 PM ET/PT, follows the real-life adventures and challenges of Shallon Lester, a sex/relationship blogger for Glamour.com, and her friends: Gurj, a digital marketing guru at Atlantic Records; Nikki, a fashion boutique owner; Victoria, an aspiring lawyer; and Klo, a wealthy bride-to-be as they learn, love, and experience life in upscale Manhattan.

“I’m going to be on a TV show! Like, every single week. Downtown Girls will premiere on MTV on June 1 at 11 P.M.!! I am so thrilled-slash-a-nervous-wreck, but I really think it’s a series you guys are going to like,” Shallon blogged to her Glamour readers on Tuesday.

Meet The Cast:

Shallon: As a relationship blogger for Glamour.com’s Smitten, Shallon writes about sex, love and relationships, examining the lives and loves of those around her as well as her own dating dramas. Career-driven and boy-crazy, she has a knack for falling for younger men and has experienced many heartbreaks of late. Shallon might be able to dish out good advice professionally, but she often forgets to take that advice herself. For more on Shallon’s blog, go to: www.glamour.com/contributors/shallon-lester

Gurj: A brassy, strong-willed London rocker, Gurj can usually be found at the center of the Manhattan music scene. She works in digital media for Atlantic Records, and is not only Shallon’s ticket to “hot rock musicians” but also serves as a great voice of reason to the girls. She has a serious musician boyfriend, who is frequently away on tour with his up-and-coming band.

Nikki: Having claimed to have dated every Jewish guy in Manhattan, Nikki is on the hunt to find her Prince Charming. She is also one of Shallon’s roommates and often acts as her partner in crime. Although Nikki comes from a wealthy Long Island family, she works very hard and owns a high-end boutique called Nikki Laura, with a celebrity clientele. Unfortunately for Nikki, her store is not immune to the current economy, and she struggles to keep her boutique open while the stores around her close one by one.

Victoria: An aspiring attorney, Victoria is Shallon’s other roommate, whose eccentric ways provide a source of rattlebrained comic relief. Victoria recently graduated from law school and is currently awaiting the results of her second attempt at the bar exam. Like her roommates, Victoria is also single, and is infamously known as the “queen of the first date.”

Klo: Shallon’s best friend and a bride-to-be, Klo is a newly reformed party girl in the midst of planning her wedding to the man of her dreams. Even though she and Shallon don’t hit the town together like they used to, Klo is always around to give Shallon her blunt and often comical opinion.

What it is: A U.S.-built replacement for the slow-selling Passat. Larger and less expensive than VW’s current mid-sizer, the new car is aimed directly at the mainstream Honda Accord and Toyota Camry customer.

 

Keep Reading: 2012 Volkswagen New Mid-Size Sedan – Feature

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I’ve been a little wrapped up in the NFL Draft over the last week. I always take this time after getting taxes done to throw my thoughts about finances aside for a little bit and focus and my other true love – football. Having grown up in New England, I’m a Patriots fan. If you care to read a little of football, I brought back Lazy Man and Sports to briefly discuss Belichick’s trading and drafting strategy.

Those interested in more of a personal finance article about the NFL Draft could read my previously written article on Compounding Interest in the NFL.

Lastly, check out these personal finance links:

The Money Writers:

• Brip Blap asks what is the point of saving, the world may end tomorrow?
• Digerati Life blogs about extra insurance coverage through credit cards: use those perks.
• Frugal Dad discusses the pros and cons of pre-paying a mortgage.
• Generation X Finance wonders how much money do I need to save for retirement?
• Million Dollar Journey says avoid the 5-year fixed mortgage trap.
• Money Smart Life goes over some smart ways to invest your tax refund.
• My Dollar Plan presents 10 free web services to check out.
• The Sun’s Financial Diary writes manage credit card debit, don’t let it manage you.

Top PF Posts:

• Free Money Finance posts the fragility of freedom at 60%.
• The Smarter Wallet asks can stock investing software help you trade or invest?
• PT Money says I quit my day job.
• Bargaineering shows readers how to read the Wall Street Journal for free.
• Tough Money Love writes save as they say, not as they do.
• Saving Advice offers 12 ways to save on groceries if you don’t plan ahead.
• Dog Ate My Finances on the B word.
• Blogging Away Debt posts in defense of debt…
• Darwin’s Finance shares the hidden cost of staying home with the kids.
• One Frugal Girl asks how much do you rely on your parents for money?

Related posts:

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The paper reviewed here is ‘Differentiating the Cognitive Profile of Schizophrenia from that of Alzheimer Disease and Depression in Later Life’ by Mulsant and colleagues and freely available here. In the abstract the authors conclude that

‘Patients with LLS (Late Life Schizophrenia) have a different cognitive profile than patients with AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) or DEP (Depression in later life). Particularly, memory impairment in LLS seems to be more pronounced in learning than recall‘

Method

• All cases referred to a memory service for consultation were analysed. I wasn’t absolutely clear if this was done retrospectively or prospectively but from the wording it seemed to be retrospective.
• People referred to the service underwent psychiatric and neurological assessments and DSM-IV criteria were used for the diagnoses
• All people referred to the service underwent the following neuropsychological test battery as routine and these test scores were included in the analysis

1. Animal Fluency
2. Boston Naming Test
3. Clock Drawing Test – Freedman Scale
4. California Verbal Learning Test II – Short Form (CVLT)
5. Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS)
6. FAS Letter Fluency (FAS)
7. Luria Alternating Diagrams
8. Mini-Mental Status Examination
9. Trail Making Test A and B
10. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test – 64

• It didn’t look as though a single specific hypothesis was being tested. Instead the demographics and cognitive test results from the different groups – DEP, AD, LLS and control group were being compared.
• In the first phase of the statistical analysis, ANOVA was used.
• When differences between groups were identified using the ANOVA, a Bonferroni correction was made for multiple comparisons
• Cohen’s D was used for differences between the LLS and other groups

Results

• LLS (n=25)
• AD (n=15)
• DEP (n=15)
• NC (n=12)
• I thought Figure 1 was a very useful summary of the data and quite intuitive. The Late onset Schizophrenia group are acting as the reference group. In this diagram, group differences at p<0.001 are highlighted with ***. From looking at differences of this significance I noted the following
• The LLS group were significantly better on a number of memory tasks than the AD group
• The control and DEP groups were significantly better than the LLS group on the FAS, DRM memory, WCST categories, CVLT short and long delay free recall
• I wondered if the latter findings were tapping predominantly into frontal lobe function and the AD group findings into medial temporal lobe function

Discussion

• In the discussion, the authors comment on the hierarchy of memory impairment across groups
• The researchers note that the groups have small sample sizes which would reduce the power of the study
• They note the memory impairment of the LLS group compared to the DES and control groups on a number of memory tasks

I thought this was a neat study, showing how service data can be effectively utilised to examine group differences in cognition. This research approach should be reproducible across other services although the components of the test battery will vary. Even so, examination of group differences including vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia using different test batteries would be valuable.

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What it is: A redesign of the C/D comparison-test Terminator, the 3-series.

We’ve received more up-to-date information since this article was published in the magazine. Click here for an updated story.

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Back in November, Denise Kaigler left her seat (qjnet/nintendo-ds/corporate-affairs-vp-denise-kaigler-leaves-nintendo.html) as the corporate affairs VP of Nintendo of America. Citing family reasons as the reason for her depature, she also believed that it wasn’t game over for

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

Amid news yesterday of a discovery by an independent programmer of what appeared to be another door left open for Web apps to access Facebook users’ personal data, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D – N.Y.) called upon the Federal Trade Commission to take the next step in forming the equivalent of a US “privacy commissioner.”

It was the first step in a one-two punch, as Sen. Schumer later joined three other Democrat senators in penning a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, calling upon him to make his site’s privacy policy clearer and tighter, in order to give the FTC less to scrutinize.

“I am asking the FTC to use the authority given to it to examine practices in the disclosure of private information from social networking sites and to ensure users have the ability to prohibit the sharing of personal information,” reads the statement from Schumer’s office yesterday. “If the FTC feels it does not have the authority to do so under current regulations, I will support them in obtaining the tools and authority to do just that.”

The press office cited recent Facebook issues only made more prominent after last week’s unveiling of the Open Graph platform, which enables other Web sites to opt into Facebook’s sharing system through the inclusion of codes in their <META> tags and new API function calls. The functionality is being marketed to prospective Facebook partners as instant personalization. As Facebook’s updated privacy policy reveals, users can indeed opt out of other sites’ or applications’ instant personalization…on an app-by-app basis.

That means users of sites where Facebook’s “Like” system has just been deployed, will be instantly personalized…until they explicitly report they’d prefer not to be, thank you very much.

“We appreciate that Facebook is attempting to integrate the functionality of several popular Web sites, and that Facebook has carefully selected its initial partners for its new ‘instant personalization’ feature,” reads the Democrat leaders’ letter to Zuckerberg, reprinted this morning by Politico. “We are concerned, however, that this feature will now allow certain third party partners to have access not only to a user’s publicly available profile information, but also to the user’s friend list and the publicly available information about those friends. As a result of the other changes noted above, this class of information now includes significant and personal data points that should be kept private unless the user chooses to share them. Although we are pleased that Facebook allows users to opt-out of sharing private data, many users are unaware of this option and, moreover, find it complicated and confusing to navigate. Facebook should offer users the ability to opt-in to sharing such information, instead of opting out, and should make the process for doing so more clear and coherent.”

Also signing their name to this morning’s letter were Sens. Michael Bennet (D – Colo.), Mark Begich (D – Ark.), and Al Franken (D – Minn.). The senators closed by saying they look forward to the FTC examining this and the other issues they raised, but would hope Facebook would act in the meantime.
The discovery that some private data may be inadvertently shared by Facebook anyway was made by a Google employee named Ping, who posted to his Web site this Facebook app. Essentially, the app acts as a catalog that reveals every data item that is publicly accessible through Facebook’s API (which Ping identifies as the Graph API, but which has actually been a part of Facebook’s platform since before last week).

On Monday, Ping wrote, “Yesterday, I discovered something strange while playing with Facebook’s new Graph API: The API was showing a list of my events, and it seemed that anyone could get this list. Today, I spent a while checking to make sure I wasn’t crazy. I didn’t opt in for this. I even tried setting all my Privacy Settings for maximum privacy. But Facebook is still exposing the list of events I’ve attended, and maybe your events too.”

Ping accompanied his post with a screenshot of some of Mark Zuckerberg’s personal events, pulled up through his API tool.

Betanews tried using the tool to verify Ping’s claims, especially since he later reported that the tool works for some people and not for others. For us, it did not reveal personal data for accounts where personal data was blocked, for any account we tested. In other words, at least for us, Facebook was doing its job.

Early Tuesday morning, Ping reported back that the tool is no longer revealing anyone’s events. “Thanks to the Facebook folks for improving their stuff!” he wrote. Commenters to Ping’s blog also noted that users’ events that were exposed over the weekend, do not appear to be exposed now.

Either a certain someone read that letter, or he may be getting a very interesting visitor. The Hill‘s Kim Hart reported this morning that Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn will convene a special meeting on cybersecurity, at Zuckerberg’s office in Palo Alto.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

For the past month or so several rumors and leaks about Nokia’s next flagship device have been floating around the web.  Today the Nokia N8 becomes official, equipped with some specs and bold statements that will no doubt leave you (at the very least) curious.  According to the official Nokia Blog, “the Nokia N8 will launch with a new breed of camera that promises to capture photos and video to rival dedicated point and shoot cameras,” a rather audacious claim indeed.  

Here are just a few of the specs that the N8 boasts:

• Symbian ^3 for Nokia
• Screen size: 3.5″
• Capacitive touch screen
• 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics
• Orientation sensor (Accelerometer)
• Bluetooth version 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate
• Integrated GPS, A-GPS receivers
• Internal memory: 16 GB
• MicroSD card slot capacity up to 32 GB (for a total of 48GB!)
• Size: 113.5 x 59 x 12.9 mm
• Weight (with battery): 135 g

As you can see the N8 will be the first device sporting Symbian ^3, though according to MobileCrunch, its not much different than Sybmian ^1 and Symbian ^2.  SlashGear is also reporting (based on a Russian blogger’s review of a pre-release unit) that while the “stills from the camera are good…the 720p HD video isn’t anything special in comparison to other handsets.”  However, in a later piece on the same topic, they make the point that much of the negative press the device is receiving comes from a single review on a prototype unit.  

That being said, all the videos and specs look great, so my suggestion to readers would be to check it out for themselves when it becomes available in Europe in Q3 of this year.  The N8 is expected to sell for €370 and there is no exact release date or carrier information as of yet.  To form your own opinion of the N8, go here to view all sorts of related media.  And don’t forget to stop back and leave your opinion in the comments!

Via SlashGear, MobileCrunch, NokiaConversations

What it is: A small, relatively affordable two-seat sports car available as a coupe or a convertible. Styling will be fully modern.

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