Resources: Emergency

These websites offer information, tips, and checklists for emergency
preparedness:

www.fema.gov/areyouready. You can refer to or download the Federal
Emergency Management Agency's comprehensive 204-page book, Are
You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness, which is available
in English and Spanish. It includes a step-by-step approach to
preparedness, as well a tips a checklists. (the guide is also available by
calling 800-480-2520.)

www.ready.gov. This U.S. Department of homeland Security website
helps people prepare for the possibility of terrorist attacks, natural
disasters, and other emergencies. It encourages putting together a kit and
a plan, and staying informed. You can download a brochure, Preparing
Makes Sense, Get Ready Now, which includes worksheets and a wallet
card; It's available in english and spanish. (To Order the brochure by
phone, call 800-237-3239)

www.redcross.org/prepare. Together We Prepare, an American Red
Cross program, encourages you to take five steps toward emergency
preparedness: make a plan, build a kit, get trained (in first aid and CPR),
volunteer, and give blood. There's also a link to the online Red Cross
Store, which sells emergency supply kits.

Preparing for Disaster, a booklet with tips and checklists, is available
through both the American Red Cross office (ask for booklet number
A4600), visit www.fema.gov/pdf/library/pfd.pdf, or call FEMA at
(800) 480-2520 (ask for booklet FEMA 475).

Identity Theft ...of cars!

If you have not yet got enough reasons to get
concerned about the identity theft problem, well,
here is another already in your basket
-- the identity theft ...of your car.

In what is now termed by police department as
vehicle identification number cloning, thieves
replace a stolen car ID number with a legitimate
number from another vehicle of the same make and model. The "cloned"
car then ends up in an unsuspecting used-car lots. If you still think these
are too much of raising an alarm, consider this report from Carfax which
estimates that 225,000 of the 1.5 million stolen vehicles last year were
tagged with cloned VINs.

How could you avoid this? Before you decide to purchase a used car,
conduct a title search, which will detect cars with the same number
registered to different people.

Not-so-well-known Airlines

In last few years we all got used to
hearing the buzz surrounding
discount airlines JetBlue and
Southwest. But, if you wish to
explore a little more, some of the
best deals around are on airline
you've never heard of. According
to the Department of
Transportation, there are some 60
small airlines offering chartered
flights to the public, often with
scheduled service. Some have
every amenity that the wellknown
big airlines provide. Here are some examples:

-- North American Airlines flies Boeing 757s and 767s, and it has leather
seats and handheld video players on flights to Hawaii from Oakland. Fare?
One-way fares start at $125. Fair?
-- Allegiant Air flies to Las Vegas from 21 U.S. cities. Fares start at $57.
-- TransMeridian, which flies to Orlando from the northeast and midwest,
offers 1st class on most flights.

Any drawbacks? Yes. There are. These airlines usually use secondary
airports. Sometimes there's just one flight in a day. Some of the days
could be completely blank. Not all travel agents (online or otherwise)
include those in their program. Sites like Orbitz.com may include some of
these names in their searches.

To reserve a seat, visit the homepages through links above or you may
also search the website of your destination airport which will enlist all
airlines serving it.

Credit Score & Job

Even before you face the interview board for a new job, there is a strong
possibility that the interviewer has already formed an opinion about you
– through information contained in your credit report. Increasing numbers
of companies are requesting credit reports to assist them in the job hiring
process.

Essentially, your credit report is your financial resume and employers use
it as an indicator of your personal integrity and how you conduct your life.
With that in mind, it's alarming that 79% of all credit reports contain
errors. In the competitive job market, an accurate credit history may turn
out to be the decisive factor in gaining a job interview. Inaccurate credit
reports can negate the most impressive of resumes, and you won't have a
second chance to make a first impression.

Many companies are more interested in your financial patterns than your
employment background. They want to know if you pay your bills
promptly and lead a normal life ... whether or not you would come to work
with lots of anxieties inside. So, credit report gives them an idea of how
the individual might be expected to behave, if hired.

Rather than getting worried about it, you must try to utilize this recent
trend of employer credit checking to your advantage by repairing and/or
maintaining a clean credit history and wait 'fully prepared' for jumping
into the dream job you are aspiring for.

Home Security

Summer months are the peak months for U.S travel and
also for break-ins, with about 400,000 burglaries each
year. But there are simple steps you can take to boost
your defenses.

Delete old voice mails and call home while you're away
to collect messages. If your voice mail gets full, that's
a sign you're traveling.

Advertise your alarm system. Yard signs are far more
effective than window decals. Burglars can't see decals
from the street, and once they approach your house,
they're far more likely to attempt a break-in.

Never put your home address on luggage tags. You're announcing the
location of yur empty home to everyone in the airport. Use a business
address or P.O. Box number instead.

Don't stop deliveries. Information left with the post office may fall into
the wrong hands. Instead, enlist neighbors or friends to collect the mail
--and to take out the trash. You may not beieve it but would-be
intruders really look for garbage cans that aren't by the curb on
collection day.

99 minutes for 99c

Thank God! At least there are a few things in this world whose price go
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.

Cruising in Fall

Oil prices and the travel boom have driven
cruise prices up 10% from last year, but there's
a little -known way to get a steal. Here is the
secret!

Fall is "repositioning" season, when cruise lines
move their fleets from summer ports, like
Alaska and New England, to the Caribbean
for the winter. Hitch a ride and pay up to 75% off regular rates.

For instance, Celebrity Cruises has a 15-day cruise from Barcelona to Fort
Lauderdale in November for $1,230; its peak rate is $2,600.

The drawback? These cruises tend to be longer than usual, have fewer
port visits and can have fewer amenities. Sometimes cruise lines use the
time to do maintenance on the ships. They're not heavily marketed, But
you can find them on sites like Cruise.com or CruiseCompete.com, or
through travel agents, who tend to get the early words on these sails.

Trees & Home value

Did you know trees and shrubs can dramatically increase the value of your
home? Many specialists now say not to remove any mature tree or shrub
before considering it's worth today and tomorrow.

What to Consider: Trees are the most valuable plants in landscape
because they are the most useful. For example, they may function as
energy savers, air conditioners or wildlife havens. Shade trees can reduce
the cost of heating and cooling your home by10 to 50%.

Values: Landscape appraisers are in the best position to determine the
most accurate value for the trees and shrubs in your yard. When seeking
the value of your landscaping take this into account:
Size: A mature oak is more valuable than a fast-growing poplar because it
is more difficult to replace. Generally, large trees provide more benefits
(and have more value) than small ones
Type: Some kinds of trees have a higher value due to their hardiness,
durability, adaptability and overall desirability (sturdy, low-maintenance
or attractive). Japanese maples and dwarf conifers are among the most
highly valued trees.
Condition: Healthy, well-formed trees and shrubs have more value than
malformed, poorly maintained or storm-damaged plants.
Location: The Plant's value to the property arises from both functional and
aesthetic considerations. Trees and shrubs that form a focal point, frame
the house or stand in a hedgerow represent high-value specimens.

How Are Your Credit Cards?

In its 2005 credit card survey, the San Francisco-based nonprofit
advocacy group Consumer Action examined the pricing policies of 146
cards from 47 issuers. Here are some findings which might interest you:

Annual Fees: The majority of cards (68 percent) don't charge annual
fees. Of those that do, the average is $43.27.
Late fees: About 95% of cards carry late fees. The average late fee is
$27.46.
Penalty Rate: 79% of issuers impose a penalty rate when cardholders
are late with their payments. The average penalty rate has gone up to
24.23%, from 21.91 percent in 2004.
Over-the-limit fees: Again, 95% of cards have them and the average is
$30.18, with a high of $39.
Bounced check fees: If your payment check bounces, 89% of banks
surveyed will charge you an average fee of $28.61, with a high of $38.
Universal Default Rates: Even though you have a perfect record with
a credit card company, your rate may get jacked up because something
happened in another area of your financial life (like falling credit score,
late payment on a loan or other obligation, bouncing a payment check on
another account, too much debt, too much available credit, getting a new
credit card, or even inquiring about a car loan or mortgage). You get to
pay what is called universal default rate. About 45% of card issuers
impose a universal default rate. The rates can be as high as 35% (at
Merrick Bank). The 2nd highest rate of 29.99 percent is imposed by
Citibank, Bank of America and Providian.
Rewards: When it comes to rewards – e.g., airline miles, cash back,
points for merchandise or gasoline -- the number of cards offering them
has increased to 36% from 23% last year.

Discount on Nintendo DS

In the war of video games, Nintendo wants
to be ahead of others by gearing up early for
the holiday season. It announced a drop in
the price of its Nintendo DS handheld gaming
system. Effective Aug. 21, the DS will cost
$129.99, a $20 discount from its current price.

Launched in last December, the DS has been
a strong seller for Nintendo, with more than 5
million units sold worldwide. The clamshell
device allows gamers to use a stylus and
touchscreen, rather than just the standard
controllers found on other handheld systems.

For Game Boy fans, a new version of the handheld gaming system is still
on track for this year. Nintendo announced the Game Boy Micro will ship
to stores on Sept. 19. Measuring just four inches wide, two inches tall and
less than an inch deep, the Micro weighs just 2.8 ounces, roughly the same
as 80 paper clips. The Micro will also be more customizable than previous
versions of the Game Boy, with a removeable face plate, much like
today's cell phones. No pricing has been announced.

However, Nintendo has decided to delay its most anticipated game of the
year. "Zelda: Twilight Princess" has been pushed back to a 2006 release.

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.

Best & Worst Credit Scores

How does your city rank in terms of credit scores of its residents? Here
are the scores for 20 major metropolitan areas, according to an Experian
study:
Minneapolis (707), Boston (705), Washington DC (693), Seattle (691),
Cleveland (690), Philadelphia (688), New York (688),
San Francisco (686), Chicago (680), Sacramento (676), Tampa (675),
Denver (675), Detroit (675), Miami (672), Orlando (671), Atlanta (670),
Los Angeles (667), Phoenix (660), Houston (655), Dallas (653),

Credit scores range from 300 to 850 and are increasingly used by lenders
when evaluating credit-worthiness. Only about 11% of the surveyed
population ranks above 800; 29% ranks between 750-799. Those with
scores below 620 or so are credit-challenged, typically paying much higher
interest rates.

Elderly Care Resources

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

Auction Services

We are in mid-Summer and probably it's the right time of the year to clear
your closets. If you are too busy to hold a garage sale, you may take the
service of these organisations who will sell your items at online auction:

Trading Assistants: This eBay service matches customers with
individual sellers on the auction Web site. Search for a trading assistant at
Ebay.com/ta by ZIP code or specialty. Commissions vary by seller
and so do guidelines for pickup or delivery.

Auction Drop: This service works with UPS for a commission of 20% to
38% of an item's selling price. To sell your items, fill out a form at
AuctionDrop.com . Drop your unpackaged items off at a participating UPS
store and 'Auction Drop' will take care of listing and selling the items. You'll
receive a check -- minus Auction Drop's take and e-Bay selling fees. If
your item doesn't sell, it will be returned to you at no charge.

Snappy Auctions: This service works through a team of franchisers who
are located throughout USA. Simply drop off your item at the nearest
location and 'Snappy Auctions' will take care of the rest, from pricing the
item to shipping it out. The commission fee is 35% for items selling at up
to $500 and slightly less for pricier items. You'll also need to make a
refundable deposit of $15 to $20 if you want to start the bidding at more
than $1. Visit their site: SnappyAuctions.com.

Before you choose a service, shop around for the following: commission,
shipping, fees, etc. What happens if the item doesn't sell? What is required
on your part? Will you need to be home for the item to be picked up or will
you need to drive somewhere to drop the item off? If your sale items are
valuable collectible, do some research before putting it for sale. Who
knows you may be losing a fortune without ever realizing it.

Cellphones for kids

Would you like to stay connected with your school-aged child during the
day but feel a little queasy about giving them an expensive cell phone?
Now age-appropriate mobile phones are available from some providers,
which may give you security and control, and your child freedom and fun!

Beginning this month, parents will be able to buy a new child-friendly
phone called TicTalk from LeapFrog Enterproses. Parents can control
the phone numbers online at MyTicTalk.com, where they can also set
total minutes. Parents prepay $15 for an hour of time in addition to the
$10 activation fee and the $99 cost of the phone.

Firefly is also offering a $99 child-friendly phone. It comes with 30 minutes
of airtime on Cingular's network, and parents can buy additional time
online at FireFlyMobile.com or at Target for 25 cents a minute, in blocks
ranging from $10 to $50.

Best Family Cars of 2005

Honda Civic
















Back in May, AAA, the Auto Club, in collaboration with Parents magazine
released its annual list of 15 best cars for families for the year 2005. The
judgement was based on reliability, value, style, convenience, comfort,
safety and road performance. Here we republish that list again to remind
our readers of the best cars in categories of their choice:

Economy Cars: Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Scion xB
Sedans: Chrysler 300, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry
Station Wagons: Ford Freestyle, Mazda 6, Subaru Legacy
Minivans: Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna
SUVs: Dodge Durango, Volvo XC90, Nissan Murano

Closing Your Credit Cards?

Having a good credit score is good for so many things: getting a lower rate
mortgage, getting good deals on credit cards and also for your hunting a
job.

Some people tend to cancel their old unused credit card accounts under a
wrong impression that getting rid of fat in your wallet might improve your
credit score.

Instead of closing out old accounts, leave them be. The FICO calculator
looks at your credit utilization which is measured by the ratio between
your credit limit and the amount of balance on your cards. This should be
a fraction less than 1. As it approaches 1, you max out your cards. So,
closing a old credit card reduces the amount of your available credit
without paying down the amount of debt you have. This makes it appear
that you are getting closer to maxxing out your cards and hurts your
FICO score. For example, if you have $10,000 of available credit on
several credit cards and owe a total of $1,000, you have used 10 percent
of your available credit. However, if you close accounts with $9,000 of
available credit, you now have used 100 percent of your available credit,
and that isn't good for your credit score.

Sometimes, consumers seek to close out old unused cards with high
interest rates just to avoid the possibility of using them. This is called 'a
smart consumer point of view' but not a 'smart credit point of view'. Even
if you want to cancel (may be just to have a lighter wallet or less number
of things to worry about), you might be better off to close the newer
cards which is not carrying your long-time credit history and thus are
less important from the point of view of the FICO scoring system.

Shoplifting: The Temptation

Our posting today starts with a special word -- Kleptomaniac
-- people who feel compelled to steal at any opportunity.

According to an estimate, every year US retailers loose about 10 billions
due to shoplifting. The ratailers of course make sure that the amount is
extracted from average consumers like you and us through higher prices
for their merchandise.

People steal things that they want to have but cannot afford like fancy
cosmetics or apparels or the latest CD/DVD or things that they are
forbidden to purchase like cigarettes. Some do this just out of fun.
However, survey says that majority (about two-third) of shoplifters
resort to this simply because they see the opportunity of doing that,
even though they were not predetermined when they entered the shop.

Some retailers like Walmart takes quite tough stand about this. Many
retailers keep plain-cloth security people in aisles and exit. Walmart, for
example, charges a high amount from the arrested person irrespective
of the outcome of the court. The high cost of the procedures in court and
complexity of expunging the act from the criminal record may take
peace away from the arrested person's mind.

So, never get into such a temptation and make your friends and family
members, especially young people, aware of this. One evening's
temptation may haunt them and their career for a long time.

Your Diet: MyPyramid.gov

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a useful website
MyPyramid.gov where you will be able to know the amount of each food
group you need daily. You need to enter your information like age, sex,
activity level etc and you will be able to find out and receive a customized
food guide.

You can receive an estimate of what and how much you need to eat and a
detailed assessment of your food intake and physical activity level. This
also will help you make smart choices from every food group, find your
balance between food and physical activity, and get the most nutrition out
of your calories.

The above-mentioned website is managed by the Center for Nutrition
Policy and Promotion, an organization of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture which was established in 1994 to improve the nutrition and
well-being of Americans. Toward this goal, the Center focuses its efforts
on two primary objectives—
1. Advance and promote dietary guidance for all Americans, and
2. Conduct applied research and analyses in nutrition and consumer
economics.

The Center's core products to support its objectives are the following:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPyramid Food Guidance System,
Healthy Eating Index, U.S. Food Plans, Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food
Supply, Expenditures on Children by Families.

Kids' Health Coverage

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an estimated 45
million Americans lack health insurance, and nearly 20% of them are
children. These kids are often forced to go without needed medical care,
including a pediatrician. The Foundation is preparing to launch its 6th
annual Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School campaign with the goal
of informing working families that their children may be eligible for
federal and state health coverage programs.

More than half of uninsured children in 2002 were eligible for these
programs. This shortfall may be due to the stigma surrounding
government support, as well as a complicated eligibility system. Also,
many working parents don't realize they can have a relatively modest
income and still qualify for government-funded insurance for their
children. Though eligibility varies by state, in most states children in a
family of 4 with an annual income of up to $38,000 would likely receive
some coverage.

To find out if your child is eligible for health coverage, call the Covering
Kids & Families toll-free number at 1(877) KIDS-NOW.

Changing Hotel Bed Sheets

USA Today reported that hotel chains are saving millions of dollars by
reducing their changes of sheets. Of course, all new guests get new
sheets, but those with extended stays will no longer see the daily sheet
changes that used to be industry standard.

Hotels are explaining the move as an effort to be more environmentally
friendly, using less hot water, detergents and bleach to clean sheets. But
the hotels see big savings from less laundry and reduced labor costs.

The upscale, full-service hotels of Marriott International, the world's
largest hotel chain, began switching to every 3 days earlier this year.
Privately-held Global Hyatt Corp. went from changing each guest's sheets
daily to every 4 days last year. Some leading chains, including Holiday
Inn, do not have uniform policies on sheet changes across the chain.
Some lodging companies, including Sheraton, Westin and St. Regis, all
owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, still make daily sheet
changes.

Most hotels are willing to change sheets daily for any customer who
requests it. According to that report, about 5 to 7% of guests make that
requests, although that varies by hotel.