5 Ways You're Frugal to a Fault

5 Ways You're Frugal to a Fault

By Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo!Finance – Mon, Jul 23, 2012

Sometimes our attempt to save money backfires. Ever drive around for miles to find the cheapest gas, but really just waste time and money in the process? It happens to the best of us.

Here are 5 common ways we tend to be frugal to a fault.

Falling for Free

We like to think that the best price is no price. A free lunch? Sign me up! But think twice about “free” promotions since, in many cases, there may be hidden costs. Buy-two-get-one-free deals, for example, can entice us to spend more than we intend to, while "free shipping" offers may require a minimum purchase that’s still more than what we want to pay. Never forget that marketers use “free” campaigns to rake in big bucks. So, if the freebie is not a need or requires you to

McDonald's blames economy as sales stall in July

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McDonald's blames economy as sales stall in July

McDonald's key sales figure flat in July; hamburger chain points finger at weak economy
By Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer | Associated Press
2012/8/08
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Golden Arches are starting to lose some of their shine.
McDonald's Corp. says a key revenue figure came in flat in July as diners pulled back amid a tough economy. After years of outperforming expectations, even through the recession, the stall is the latest sign that the world's biggest hamburger chain is starting to feel the effects of the global economic volatility.
In the U.S., the company said its promotions failed to drive growth, and revenue at restaurant open at least 13 months dipped 0.1 percent. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company also says it faced a tough

Russian punk rocker trial wraps up, verdict set for Aug. 17

Russian punk rocker trial wraps up, verdict set for Aug. 17

By foxnews.com 2012/8/08

MOSCOW – A Moscow judge wrapped up the trial of three feminist punk rockers on Wednesday and said she would issue a verdict in the controversial case next week.
Prosecutors have called for three-year prison sentences for the Pussy Riot band members, who have already been in custody for five months after giving an impromptu performance in Moscow's main cathedral to call for an end to Vladimir Putin's rule.

Kourtney Kardashian Shows Off First Photos of Baby Penelope

NEWS/Kourtney Kardashian Shows Off First Photos of Baby Penelope

by Gina Serpe

Aw!
Kourtney Kardashian's darling baby girl Penelope Scotland Disick may have taken a while to make her public debut, but like all good, utterly adorable things, she was definitely worth the wait.
And like any good Kardashian, the cutie pie tot knows how to make an entrance, and did so by claiming her first cover, debuting today on Us Weekly. (Proud big bro Mason happily posed with his adorable sis and beaming mom!)
Baby gear alert! Find out what Kourtney packed in her hospital bag
"Nothing could prepare me for how hard I fell in love with her," the new mom gushed to the mag.
Kourtney and Scott Disick welcomed baby Penelope exactly a month ago, on July 8, in Los Angeles. Since then, the babe has been keeping an inordinately low profile, just like her 33-year-old mama, leaving it to papa Scott and her big brother to be spotted around

Gold medal will bring more green to U.S. women's soccer team

Gold medal will bring more green to U.S. women's soccer team

By Robert Klemko, USA TODAY
LONDON – How much does U.S. soccer value gold in these London Olympics? More than you might guess.
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati says the women's team will split a $1.5 million bonus if the Americans beat Japan in the final here Thursday, which is more than they would earn with a loss, though Gulati declined to specify how much more. The expectation is that the money will be split by the 18 players on the current roster, a pool of about a dozen reserves and training staff. Not every person may receive a full share or a share at all.

In addition, each player would get a $15,000 bonus for silver or a $25,000 bonus for gold from the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Fire on 88th Floor of 1 WTC Contained

Fire on 88th Floor of 1 WTC Contained

The fire may have been sparked by a welding incident
Wednesday, Aug 8, 2012
Firefighters have contained a fire that broke out on the 88th floor of 1 World Trade Center Wednesday morning, fire officials said.

The fire, which may have been sparked by a welding incident, was reported to the FDNY just before 7:45 a.m. It was under control by 8:40 a.m.

No one was inside the building when the fire started.

Officials advised motorists to expect heavy traffic delays and possible street closures in the area.

Last week, a steel beam signed by President Barack Obama was lifted into place at the top of the 104-story skyscraper that's being built to replace the twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

It's expected to be completed in 2014.

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Composer Marvin Hamlisch has died at the age of 68

Composer Marvin Hamlisch has died at the age of 68

2012/8/08

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King Backs Cameron Budget Plan As BOE Lowers Outlook: Economy

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King Backs Cameron Budget Plan As BOE Lowers Outlook: Economy

By Jennifer Ryan and Scott Hamilton - Aug 8, 2012

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King signalled continued support for Prime Minister David Cameron’s budget squeeze as he cut forecasts for economic growth and said Britain’s recovery will be a “slow process.”

Judge Sees 'Different Person' in Arizona Gunman

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Judge Sees 'Different Person' in Arizona Gunman

By BOB CHRISTIE and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. August 7, 2012 (AP)

Jared Loughner sat looking relaxed and attentive in a packed courtroom as he pleaded guilty to a deadly shooting rampage in an agreement with prosecutors that will send him to prison for life. He even cracked a smile when a court-appointed psychologist talked about the special bond that he formed with a prison guard.

Bill Clinton slams new Romney welfare ad, says it is disappointing

Bill Clinton slams new Romney welfare ad, says it is disappointing

Published August 08, 2012
FoxNews.com
NEW YORK – Former President Bill Clinton is leaping to President Obama's defense after a new Romney attack ad accused the president of tearing down one of the signature bipartisan accomplishments from Clinton's term.

Early Retirement Will Impact Your Social Security Benefit

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Early Retirement Will Impact Your Social Security Benefit

By Joe Udo | U.S.News & World Report LP – Thu, Aug 2, 2012
Many people strive to retire early. But retiring early could reduce your Social Security benefits, which means you have to save even more on your own. Here's how early retirement impacts your Social Security payments, even if you delay receiving benefits until the full retirement age of 67.
Eligibility. You need 40 credits of work in order to receive Social Security benefits. For 2012, you can earn one credit for every $1,130 you earn, up to a maximum of four credits each year. If you worked for at least 10 years and paid Social Security taxes, then you probably will be eligible for Social Security.
Average earnings. Social Security payouts are typically calculated using your average indexed

Microbial Life In An Undersea Volcano, New Limits Of Life Defined

Microbial Life In An Undersea Volcano, New Limits Of Life Defined

AUGUST 7, 2012 BY NATHAN
A third of Earth’s organisms by mass are estimated to be the ones that live in the Earth’s rocks and sediments, but until now hardly anything has been known about them. Their lives and ecology are mostly a mystery.
That’s beginning to change though, a new study headed by microbiologist James Holden at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has provided “the first detailed data about a group of methane-exhaling microbes that live deep in the cracks of hot undersea volcanoes.”
Holden says, “Evidence has built over the past 20 years that there’s an incredible amount of biomass in Earth’s subsurface, in the crust and marine sediments, perhaps as much as all the plants and

Facebook ventures into online gambling

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August 7, 2012

Facebook ventures into online gambling

By Christopher Thompson in London and April Dembosky in San Francisco
Facebook is venturing into the world of online gambling with the launch of its first application where punters can stake real money.
Starting on Tuesday, Facebook will offer users in the UK aged 18 and over the opportunity to play online bingo and slots for cash prizes.

“Gambling is very popular and well regulated in the UK . . . for millions of bingo users it’s already a social experience [so] it makes sense [for us] to offer that as well,” said Julien Codorniou, Facebook’s head of gaming for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

There has long been speculation among investors as to whether Facebook and other social networking

'Completely heartbroken' Gary Barlow and wife Dawn plan 'beautiful funeral' for stillborn daughter Poppy

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'Completely heartbroken' Gary Barlow and wife Dawn plan 'beautiful funeral' for stillborn daughter Poppy

By SARA NATHAN
7 August 2012
Take That star Gary Barlow and his wife Dawn last night spoke of their devastation at losing their fourth child, a daughter they had named Poppy.
Mrs Barlow, 42, a former dancer, went into labour on Saturday, but Poppy was delivered stillborn.
In a statement last night, X Factor judge Barlow, 41, said: ‘Dawn and I are devastated to announce that we’ve lost our baby.
‘Poppy Barlow was delivered stillborn on August 4 in London. Our focus now is giving her a beautiful funeral and loving our three children with all our hearts. We’d ask at this painful time that our privacy be respected.’
The couple are parents to Daniel, 11, Emily, nine, and three-year-old Daisy.
Last night, a close friend told the Mail: ‘Gary and Dawn are just heartbroken. This is completely senseless. They just want time to grieve now and be with their children.’
Composer Lord Lloyd-Webber, who worked with Barlow to compose the official diamond jubilee

Italy Economy Shrinks For A Fourth Quarter As Slump Deepens

Italy Economy Shrinks For A Fourth Quarter As Slump Deepens

By Chiara Vasarri and Andrew Frye - Aug 7, 2012
Italy’s economy contracted for a fourth straight quarter in the three months through June as manufacturing slumped and the euro-area debt crisis intensified.
Gross domestic product declined 0.7 percent in the second quarter, Rome-based national statistics institute Istat said in a preliminary report today. The contraction was less than the median forecast for a 0.8 percent decline in a survey of 22 economists by Bloomberg News. GDP fell 2.5 percent from a

Usain Bolt sets out to win 200-meter race, become 'living legend'

Usain Bolt sets out to win 200-meter race, become 'living legend'

Published: August 7, 2012 5:08 AM
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON - Get ready for more of The Bolt Show.
Usain Bolt dropped by Olympic Stadium for a brief visit Monday night and did things his way, as usual, jumping to the top step of the medal podium to collect his second consecutive gold for the 100 meters.
When the Jamaican sensation returns to the track on Tuesday, it'll be for the first round of the 200 meters, an event he's planning to win, too, as part of his quest to become what he calls a "living legend."

Curiosity's landing on Mars gives NASA's scientists a reason to high-five

Curiosity's landing on Mars gives NASA's scientists a reason to high-five

Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2012
PASADENA, Calif. — NASA celebrated the precision landing of a rover on Mars and marveled over the mission's first photographs Monday — grainy, black-and-white images of Martian gravel, a mountain at sunset and, most exciting of all, the spacecraft's white-knuckle plunge through the red planet's atmosphere.
Curiosity, a roving laboratory the size of a compact car, landed right on target late Sunday night after an eight-month, 352-million-mile journey.
Cheers and applause echoed through NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and engineers hugged, high-fived and thrust their fists in the air after signals from space indicated the vehicle had survived the harrowing descent through Mars' pinkish atmosphere.
JPL Director Charles Elachi likened the team to Olympic athletes: "This team came back with the gold."

YouTube app vanishes from Apple's next version of iOS

7 August 2012

YouTube app vanishes from Apple's next version of iOS

By bbc.co.uk

The app for video sharing YouTube is currently missing from the next version of Apple's iOS6 operating system.

Apple said the app had been removed because its licence to produce the program had expired.

The Apple-made version of the YouTube app has been a staple on the iPhone's iOS since the device was first launched in 2007.

Apple said Google was developing its own version of the app which should appear soon.

'Worse experience'
The fourth test, or beta, version of iOS6 was released by Apple on 6 August. The final public version is expected to be ready in September prior to the rumoured launch of a new iPhone.

Soon after the software was released many tech news sites noticed it lacked the YouTube app, even

Federal Agency Warns About New Pig Flu That Could Spread to Humans

http://sirifarm.com/index.htmlFederal Agency Warns About New Pig Flu That Could Spread to Humans

Published August 06, 2012
Fox News Latino
Atlanta, Ga. – The Centers for Disease Control is warning people to be careful around pigs because of a new flu found in them that can spread to people.
The agency is highlighting state and county fairs, which are common at this time of year and often feature pigs.

Chemotherapy can inadvertently trigger cancer resistance

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Chemotherapy can inadvertently trigger cancer resistance

Published August 06, 2012
FoxNews.com
Scientists may have a better understanding as to why some people become resistant to chemotherapy treatment, the BBC News reported.
According to a new study in Nature Medicine, researchers found the therapy can cause healthy wound-healing cells around tumors to “go rogue” and produce a protein that helps the cancer to resist the chemo.