Fastest Growing US Cities

According to a news release from U.S. Census Bureau today, Port St.
Lucie, Fla., had the nation’s fastest growth rate among large cities
(100,000 or more population) between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004.
Located along the Atlantic coast between Cape Canaveral and West Palm
Beach, Port St. Lucie saw its population increase 12% during the period,
to 118,396. In fact Florida has 2 other cities in this list of the 10 fastest
growing cities: Cape Coral (ranking 5th) and Miramar city (8th).

California had 4 cities in the top 10: Elk Grove (2nd), Moreno Valley
(6th), Rancho Cucamonga (9th) and Roseville (10th). Two cities in Arizona
were in the top 10 — Gilbert (4th) and Chandler (7th) — and, relatively
nearby, North Las Vegas, Nev., was 3rd.

New York City continued to be the nation’s most populous city, with 8.1
million residents. This was more than twice the population of Los Angeles,
which ranked 2nd at 3.8 million.

San Francisco and Boston found themselves among the cities losing the
most people between April 2000 and July 2004. Boston, for example, shed
more than 19,000 people, or 3.4% of its population, while San Francisco lost
32,000, or 4.2%. Phoenix, AZ had the largest population increase between
2003 and 2004, adding 29,826 people.

Free IceCream & a Movie

Free Icecream at Starbucks Today!
Starbucks Corp. would give away free ice cream at more than 6,000 of its
U.S. coffee shops Wednesday afternoon. The company said in a statement
it is trying to generate interest in the Starbucks brand of ice cream, which
it has been selling in grocery stores since 1995 as part of a joint venture
with Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.

AMC's money-back guarantee for "Cinderella Man"
In a rare marketing ploy, the No. 2 U.S. movie theater chain, AMC
Entertainment, is offering a money-back guarantee for boxing picture
"Cinderella Man," hoping to boost interest in the struggling film amid a
record box-office slump. Advertisements offering on-the-spot refunds to
AMC patrons unhappy with the film began running June 24 in newspapers
and on the exhibitor's Web site . The ads, welcomed by the film's
distributor, Universal Pictures, say in part: "AMC believes Cinderella
Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year!"

Resources for Disabled Child

Today we present some resources for managing issues related to diabled
child and give pointers to websites and telephone numbers of such
organizations:

Special Needs Alliance (SNA) is a network of lawyers who specialize in
disabilities law. To locate the SNA lawyer nearest you or to find out more
about their special network and the compassionate services they offer,
you may visit their website or simply call them toll-free: 1.877.572.8472.

The Arc of the United States represents all children and adults with
cognitive, intellectual, and developmental disabilities and their families
in every community. Phone: 301-565-3842

The Financial Planning Association can provide names of certified financial
partners in your area that specialize in special needs issues. Their toll free
number is 800-322-4237

Metlife's special-needs division offers an online calculator that will helps in
estimating a disabled child's future expenses.

Engagement Ring Online!

Proposing her to marry you? You may love her a lot but have you got the
perfect ring ...that ...that ...well...love has nothing to do with it...but...yes..
that fits your budget? You may remember that the average price of a ring
could be $5,000 for a mounted, one-carat, diamond in a platinum setting
and, be serious, even if you have 3 or 4 decades before you reach the
retirement age, this could be a hefty investment on your part!

Yes. You can educate yourself much in advance in this regard so that
you'll not only find what your future fiancée would like best, but you
won't stretch your financial capability in doing so. One of the newest ways
of researching and purchasing an engagement ring is to go online. Many
people may not buy a ring without directly looking at it but this is at least
a way to prepare yourself before you step in your local jewelry shop.
It is of advantage to know a little more than that well-known old proverb
'All that glitters is not gold"!

So, here are a few websites for those readers who have marriage in mind:
FindMyJeweler.com specializes in educating first-time buyers and
connecting them to reliable local jewelers.
DiamondHelpers.com investigates and lists the best online diamond
sellers. Two attractive features in their website are PriceFinder and
SizeFinder calculators that can help you to get the most for your buck.
BlueNile.com and UnionDiamond.com sell high quality rings at a much
lower price than those bigger brand name jewelers.

Hybrid Cars

Last November the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy
Department released their annual list of the most and the least
fuel-efficient cars. With gas prices finding newer and newer peaks ...
we thought we must remind our readers that list again, which they might
have forgotten or misplaced:

Most Fuel Efficient: (city/freeway miles per gallon)
1. Honda Insight (manual, hybrid) 61/66 mpg
2. Toyota Prius 60/51
3. Honda Insight (automatic, hybrid) 57/56
4. Honda Civic Hybrid 48/47

[Among the above four, it seems Toyota Prius could catch the popular
attention much more than others. Read our past postings: Posting 1 & 2]

Least Fuel Efficient: (city/freeway miles per gallon)
1. Dodge Ram Pickup (2 wh dr auto) 9/12 mpg
2. Lamborghini L-147/148 Murcielago 9/13
3. Dodge Ram Pickup (2 wh dr manual) 9/15 &
Lamborghini L-140/141 Murcielago
4. Bentley Arnage LWB 10/14

Oil-Change: How often?

Nowadays most of the automakers specify 5000 or 7500 miles' interval
for oil change. But most of the shops in the business of car repair still
recommend 3000 miles' interval.

It depends on your driving habit if we wish to decide who is right. Even if
your auto-manufacturer recommends longer interval, it could be that
they are actually meaning it for a driving habit that does not involve
wondering around the city with too frequent starts and stops or carrying
excessive loads. Short (like 1-2 miles) intermittent trips in too cold
weather and long (above 25 miles) continuous trips in too hot weather
(say in California desert) or any trip in muddy roads may also go against
such recommendations.

On the other hand, if your driving habit is quite normal most of the days,
it is good to have oil-changing trips at longer intervals. This saves your
money and wait-time and also prevents some significant amount of
pollution to the environment.

Home Price: Bubble?

If you are thinking of buying a home in this hot market, probably you need
to think a lot. If you think your job is stable and you may not have to
move within 10 years, you may come out OK, whatever and however
people term the current home price - 'bubble' or 'peak' or whatever! But if
you think you might need to move out within a time-frame of 5 years or
less, possibly you would be better off renting a house or living in some
cooler housing market like in midwest. With rising interest rate, no doubt
home prices pose a serious risk to your money and new investment into
real estate.

According to statistics released in May by the National Association of
Realtors (NAR), U.S. residential real estate markets lost no steam in the
first quarter of 2005. The NAR's quarterly report covers 136 metro areas.
A record 66 of these have experienced double-digit jumps in home prices
over the past year.

The median price of a single-family American home hit $188,800 at the
end of the first quarter, a rise of 9.7 percent compared with a year ago.
The NAR, the nation's biggest real estate agent group, pointed to tight
inventories as a major factor in the continued strong growth. The median
house price was highest in the West, at $282,900, and lowest in the
Midwest at $148,800.

Here is the list of the top 10 Metropolitan areas with home price
appreciation from the first quarter 2004 through the first quarter 2005:
... and it is dominated by Florida!
1) Bradenton, FL 45.6%
2) Sarasota, FL 36%
3) W. Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Delray Beach, FL 35.9%
4) Riverside/San Bernardino, CA 32.6%
5) Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood/Pompano Beach, FL 31.8%
6) Las Vegas, NV 29.4%
7) Melbourne/Titusville/Palm Bay, FL 29.3%
8) Orlando, FL 28.7%
9) Miami/Hialeah, FL 28.4%
10) Ocala, FL 27%

Important Travel Insurance

This time, like all other time before, bears uncertainty in all aspects of life.
So, if you are planning a vacation or tour abroad, it is good to have an
insurance that can bring you back home in case of any emergency. In
case of an emergency your regular health care insurance may provide
only the medical cost but they donot bear the cost of bringing you back to
the comfort of your home or hometown.

Even though you go on a vacation with a round-trip ticket, in case of an
emergency, you may not find any seat in the earliest possible flight. This
may sound too panicky but in these days of terrorism or tsunami and
frequent break-outs of things like bird flu you never know what you might
need. "International SOS" is the world's leading evacuation and assistance
company for business and leisure travelers as well as expatriates. It
provides at a reasonable price international medical assistance,
emergency services, healthcare, evacuation and repatriation services.

It basically offers an international 911 line by providing critical medical and
security help to those in need while away from home. Their emergency
and day-to-day medical, security, personal and travel assistance services
are globally supported by their staff at service throughout the world with
the help of a global infrastructure and 20 years of expertise. So, next time
you go abroad, you may seriously consider carrying their membership
card in your wallet.

Stored Value Cards

Stored value cards are one of the most dynamic and fastest growing
products in the financial industry. Anyone who makes purchases with a
merchant gift card, places phone calls with a prepaid telephone card, or
buys goods or services with a prepaid debit card is using a stored value
card. Stored value cards use magnetic stripe technology to store
information about funds that have been prepaid to the card.

In recent years Traveler's checks have fallen out of favor with Americans
travelling abroad. We now tend to use more versatile credit and debit
cards. But if you still like the security benefits of traveler's checks (for
which the funds are unconnected to your bank or credit card accounts
and the issuer can replace them in 24 hours) and you do not mind
paying a little extra, you may consider carrying stored value cards.

You can use stored value cards at ATMs to get local currency. American
Express offers a stored value card named TravelFunds (888-412-6945)
which can be used in stores just like an ordinary Amex card. The sign-up
fee is $15 and it can be reloaded by phone for $5.

Visa's TravelMoney cards (available through Travelex at 877-394-2247)
cost about the same, work at more ATMs and are available at a discount
to AAA members. Unlike the Amex version, however, it can not be used
in stores as a charge card.

The cards may change rules and fees often. So, when you purchase, read
their brochures with attention and ask them about your concerns
and pros and cons of all types of transactions.

Illegal Credit Application

It's always a good idea (before your identity is theft and you find yourself
in trouble without committing any sin) to block any illegal application to
credit cards by someone out there using your name. You can instruct the
credit bureaus to make it mandatory for credit cards to verify any such
application by calling you at your residential number.

You can do this by going online to websites of all 3 bureaus or just by
calling them (through automatic service).
REMEMBER: To instruct the bureaus again if you move from your old
place and get a new telephone number. Otherwise, your own legitimate
applications will be unnecessarily delayed...

Here are contact information for three Credit Bureaus:

Equifax Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc
P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374
To order report: 1-800-685-1111 To report fraud: 1-800-525-6285

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
PO Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013
To order report: 1-888-397-3742 To report fraud: 1-888-397-3742

Transunion Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 1000 Chester, PA 19022
To order report: 1-800-888-4213 To report fraud: 1-800-916-8800

Home Wi-Fi Network

From one comfort we move to further comfort. A mere convenience of an
access to internet satisfy us no more. More and more households are now
setting up wireless networks in their homes for the convenience of remote
access to the Internet.

Most importantly, in recent times prices have fallen rapidly for wireless
access points and wireless routers. Nowadays all laptops come with built-in
wi-fi capability. The main advantage, however, is that many users can
access internet from anywhere in the house without disturbing others, if
the household has many computers. If they have laptops, family members
can move to any room they want and still use internet without bothering
themselves about length of ethernet cables.

But here is the caution: It's very important to make sure that no stranger
in the vicinity of your home can get access to your wireless network. It is
particularly important for those living in apartments or condominiums
where their proximity with others may bring unwanted guests to their
network.

The "Wired Equivalence Protocol" (WEP) security feature provided on
early wireless devices has already been compromised. Newer wireless
devices are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit industry standards
group, and they use security protocols called WPA or WPA2.

For an easier and faster setup, many people may just "plug and play"
without bothering to use the security features on their wireless networks.
Such networks are heaven for computer hackers who can easily connect
directly to your network and capture your bank or credit card account
names, numbers and passwords, or penetrate the computers connected to
your network.

So, as soon as you purchase your wi-fi equipments and set it up, always
have the security features on your network enabled and configured
properly. Change the admin password, and block or change your network
name (SSID). Use MAC address filtering if your network equipment
supports it. And Do not forget to install and enable firewalls.

Disposable Digital Camera

Digital cameras are now everywhere and probably you already have or
had one or more of them. And now you can purchase single-use digital
cameras as well, that cost hardly more than their film counterparts.
CVS drugstores sell two models in this category, a $10 basic version and
one that costs $20 with a small color display. Both store 25 photos. Ritz
Camera has similar products, charging $18.99 for the model with the color
display and $10.99 for the one without.

The term disposable is again being stretched to its limits. In this case the
cameras are actually rentals. After using up the memory card you return
the camera to the store and the photos are loaded onto CD for you while
you wait. The store keeps the camera.

The cameras themselves are of rather poor specification and you might
be better off buying a real cheap digital camera that you actually get to
keep. The resolution is only 2.1 million pixels. The screen is there only to
help you compose the shot. You can't review images or delete any from
the card, thereby removing two of the major benefits of digital
photography.

We also heard that CVS is planning to stock a disposable (there's that
word again) video camera. The $29.99 digital video cameras can capture
up to 20 minutes of video and sound. CVS will process the camera for
$12.99 and return a DVD. The camera itself even has the ability to
review and delete footage which puts it one up on the stills variety.

5 Colors A Day

It’s important to get a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables into your
diet every day! Eating 5 or more servings of colorful fruits and vegetables
a day is part of an important plan for healthier living. That’s because
deeply hued fruits and vegetables provide the wide range of vitamins,
minerals, and phytochemicals your body needs to maintain good health
and energy levels, protect against the effects of aging, and reduce the risk
of cancer and heart disease.

It’s all about color – blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange, and red. So
when you're grocery shopping, planning your meals or dining out, think color.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3)
consumer education foundation whose mission is to be the catalyst for
creating a healthier America through increased consumption of a variety of
fruits and vegetables. PBH is chair of the National 5 A Day Partnership,
consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and industry
working in collaboration to expand 5 A Day efforts to increase
consumption of fruits and vegetables for improved public health. The
5 A Day for Better Health program is the nation’s largest public-private
nutrition education initiative with 5 A Day coordinators in each state,
territory, and the military.

In this connection let us mention that the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) also provides a useful website MyPyramid.gov where
you will be able to know the amount of each foodgroup you need daily.

99 minutes for 99c

Thank God! At least there are a few things in this world whose price goes
down as days pass by ...

Long Distance Calling card is one of those few advantages of our daily life.
And here is a real bargain from 99c only store. In collaboration with
Wildcard, they are offering a long distance card costing an incredible 99c
for 99 minutes. One can call anywhere in the continental United States
anytime from anywhere in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. If you
are calling from other states, the rate is 2c/min but even that is a great
bargain!

The same calling card can also be used for making international calls at a
very low rate (ex: Mexico, Germany, Italy, UK for 4.9c/min, Australia for
5.9c/min etc..)

The card has one minute rounding charge. There is no connection fee. The
cards are rechargable and are available in all 99c only stores. Or you may
purchase it by clicking this link.

Getting Online Music

For quite sometime ...one of the music industry's questions has been,
when will paid download stores start competing head-to-head with free
peer-to-peer (P2P) download services? Probably, time has arrived when
an answer can now be given. It has been found that Apple's iTunes is now
more popular than nearly any P2P service.

A survey by market research firm NPD Group found that approximately
1.7 million U.S. households downloaded a song from iTunes in March.
That was good enough to earn the store a 2nd place ranking with P2P
downloading service LimeWire.

The most popular digital music service, however, was the P2P site
WinMX, which was used by 2.1 million households to download music
during the month. On NPD's list of the top 10 digital music services,
iTunes was ranked ahead of file-sharing companies such as Kazaa and
iMesh. Other paid online music services such as Napster and
RealNetworks' RealPlayer store also found a place in the list.

According to NPD, about 4% of Internet-enabled households in the
nation used a paid music download store in March. Most of those who
prefer legal music download sites are over 30 years of age. But many
younger consumers still resort to sharing files over peer-to-peer services.

Plan Home Improvements

There is no better time than summer to make home improvements.
Whether you need a new kitchen, an outside deck or even new windows,
there are some easy and quick steps that will help you determine the best
way to finance your additions.

Step1: Add Up Your Project
From blueprint to finish carpentry, use a checklist to estimate your total
project cost. If you work with a contractor, get a comprehensive bid.

Step2: Make a Budget
Set aside any extra cash that you have for your project. Be sure to include
a surplus, or make sure you have a ready access to savings (like CD or
money market) in case your project goes over budget. If you don't have
cash, explore all options for financing before you decide you can't afford it.

Step3: Getting The Money
Explore all financing options and select the one best-suited for you.
(i) Consider cash-out option by refinancing your existing mortgage and
taking all or part of your current equity in cash. Consider this option only
if you plan to live in your home long enough to make refinancing
cost-effective.
(ii) Second Mortgages or home equity loans are most appropriate for
projects requiring a lump sum payment.
(iii) Home equity lines of credit are most appropriate for short-term
projects or projects requiring incremental payments.

Always consider financing large projects versus paying cash. It may be
more profitable to invest your cash, and refinance or take out a 2nd
mortgage. If you pay cash, always pay in agreed-upon increments.

Resources for Legal Matters

For legal matters in general, visit
American Bar Association (321) 988-5000

Halt is an organization for Americans for legal Reform. They offer
information and assistance on a variety of topics.
Their site: HALT, Inc. (202) 437-9600

If you think arbitration might resolve your grievances, visit
American Arbitration Association (212) 484-4000

For assistance with age or sex or racial discrimination claims, visit
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (202) 663-4264.

Legal Counsel for the Elderly provides information on a broad range of
legal and healthcare issues and also performs some pro bono work.
Their Tel: (202)434-2120. For related issues, one can also consult
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (602) 881-4005.

Finally, as we know that death and tax are inevitable destiny of all of
us, U.S. Tax Court could be a helpful site for you, if you have disputes
with IRS on tax matters. Tel: (202) 606-8754.

Private Test Preparation

Over the last few years the number of companies offering private test
preparation services and private college admissions guidance kept on
rising. Some kind of increased parental concern or heightened competition
for getting into good colleges could be reasons behind this trend. The
Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) says its
membership base has grown to 450 from 250 roughly five years earlier
and they are predicting that the group's membership will swell to 850
within the next three to five years.

For example, Inspirica charges $125 to $400 an hour for private test
coaching and has tutors who are available to fly all over the world just to
tutor. Such private coaching are also offered by Test preparation titans
Kaplan and The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review offers a
standard tutor package featuring 18 hours of instruction, 4 practice tests,
and access to their online student center for $2,000.

Howard Greene, an author and independent college admissions counselor
runs Howard Greene and Associates that specializes in college consulting.
Fees could start from $750 for a private meeting that includes a review of
the student's curriculum for the current and upcoming academic year,
tests taken, and help developing a specific list of schools that may fit the
student's needs. Ongoing counseling is available for $6,000.

IvyWise is a New York-based college consulting firm. It charges $1,000
for a 90-minute initial consultation to $32,995 for a two-year, 100-hour
plus program working with their founder Dr. Katherine Cohen. They boast
of an impressive list of statistics of former students, noting that 75% of
their clients have gone on to Ivy League schools.

SATs are typically taken at the end of a student's junior year, or early
senior year at the latest. But in recent years more and more kids are
preparing for the exam the summer after their sophomore year as
opposed to taking a short-course right before the exam. Repeated
exposure to the test breeds familiarity, but the time spent studying for
the test is taken away from other activities which are important as well.

Summer Travelling Aid

Summer is almost here. Today we post contact information for travel and
vacation related organizations which may come to your help in organizing
a well-earned vacation with your family.
You may start by reading our past postings about Home Exchange
programs and an important insurance for vacationing abroad.
And here are other useful sites:

American Resort Development Association(ARDA) (202) 371-6700
Trade association for the time-share industry

American Society of Travel Agents(ASTA) (703) 739-2782

Elder hostel (617) 426-7788 Vacation tips for for those above 55 .

Go Camping America hotline (800) 47-SUNNY
Information on RV Campgrounds

Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (703) 620-6003
Offers list of RV clubs, other material

Recreation Vehicle Rental Association (800) 336-0355
For information on renting an RV

... and last but not the least ... a Currency Converter Site ... and..
a WebSite for All Airlines in the World Wide Web with Airline-Code, the
homebase, country or region of the carrier is indicated.

Elder Care Issues

You may be old or young, but you may need help regarding care issues of
yourself or your elderly relatives. You may approach the folowing
organizations for various kinds of help and information:

Support:
Children of Aging Parents 800-227-7294
The Family Caregiver Alliance 800-445-8106
National Shared Housing Resource Center

Government Programs:
The Elderly Locator 800-677-1116
The National Council on The Aging

Legal Help:
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 520-881-4005

Financial Advice:
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors 800-366-2732
The Financial Planning Association 800-282-7526

Estate Planning:
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys 800-846-1555

Just Wave a Credit Card!

In the coming summer JPMorgan Chase & Co. is set to introduce a credit
card that will allow a consumer to merely wave it past a sensor to make
payments, a function already common at many U.S. gas stations. A top
issuer of credit cards in the United States, JPMorgan Chase said its new
credit card, called "blink," can be used in movie theaters, convenience
stores, specialty shops and drug stores.

Sheetz Inc., an East Coast convenience store chain, will be JPMorgan
Chase's first partner to launch a co-branded credit card with the
contactless feature. Another early adopter of the new card is convenience
store chain 7-Eleven which will test the card in 170 of its stores and
eventually will accept it at its 5,700 stores throughout USA. JP Morgan
Chase hopes its new card payment system will cut transaction times. At
drive-throughs, use of the new card system speeds transaction time by
20 seconds, the company said.

Also, consumers may soon be able to use this card at fast-food giant
McDonald's Corp. The new card will allow card holders to hold their card
at a point of sale terminal at checkouts, rather than swiping the card or
handing it to a store employee. As card members hold their card near the
point of sale terminal, the terminal will emit a signal or tone to confirm the
payment.

This new card payment technology has been used by customers at many
Exxon Mobil Corp. gas stations since 1997. The gas station's payment
card has a miniature transponder that is attached to a customer's key
chain and is waved in front of an electronic reader at pumps and checkout
counters. A credit card or check card designated by the customer is then
charged for the purchases.

Consolidate Private Student Loan

In our May 13 posting on Federal college loan we advised readers to move
fast for consolodating their Federal student loan so that the whole process
can be finished before June 30th and they can take advantage of the
prevailing lower rate.

But remember, if you have private student loans, consolidation (i.e.
combining multiple loans into one) would be a different type of game than
that for federal student loans. First of all, consolidation of a mix of federal
and private loans is not allowed. You must separately consolidate any
private loans through a private lender.

The first difficulty you may face is that some lenders may not consolidate
your loan unless the loan balance is at least $10,000. Also, unlike with
federal student loans, no grace period may be allowed.

Interest rates for private student loans are usually higher. Most lenders
use the formula of prime interest rate (currently 6%) plus an additional
percentage based on your credit score. Some change the rate monthly,
others annually. (to compare... the rate on federal Stafford loans for
current students and recent graduates is 2.875%. Rates for graduates past
their grace period are 3.375%).

On the other hand there are sevaral advantages with private loans. For
example, you are allowed to re-consolidate your private loans at any time
if you find a lower rate. Federal student loans can be consolidated only
once - and after that you are stuck with the rate. For information on
private lenders and their background, visit FinAid.org's Website.

Also remember that for both private and Federal student loans, you may
be eligible for a discounted rate if you make payments on time for a set
period, or sign up to make automatic payments each month.