Consumer protection for gift cards

Over the last years gift cards have become increasingly popular. They have many advantages for both the contributor and the receiver.

Choosing the perfect present for friends, family members,… is not always easy and we definitely don’t want to give some ordinary banknotes. In that case the gift card is a good alternative. The giver only needs to choose the store and the amount of money he or she wants to spend and the recipient picks up his favorite gift in the store, that’s all.

But consumers must be aware of the hidden fees and untimely expiration dates of these cards. The U.S. government realized that consumers need more protection. Therefore they will introduce new rules for gift cards. These rules will influence the majority of these cards. The conditions and service fees will be more clearly indicated and strictly defined.

I must admit that I’m not a fan of the gift card. As a receiver, I prefer banknotes above gift cards because then I’m totally free to choose what I really want. The choice is not limited by a certain store and product assortment. If you receive cash, it will be easier to collect it for something bigger. You can also put the money on your bank account and save it for later on.

To my opinion banknotes and gift cards are very impersonal. So if you want to buy a gift for someone you like or love, choose something more personal. It doesn’t have to be necessarily a material gift but one can go for example together to a restaurant, a café,…

By Liesbeth Alliet

http://www.aolnews.com/money/article/shoppers-get-new-protection-for-gift-cards/19411613

Supermarket offers 'mislead' consumers

A lot of supermarkets (tesco, asda, sainsbury’s,…) thought to be smart, by selling thousands of items on a special offer and not lowering their prices overall.

People believe in the supermarkets! Consumers think that the supermarkets give them benefits for help them spending less. But nothing is like it seems.
You have to now that during January and February more than 1/5 of all goods in the leading supermarkets were on special offer. And that’s a record.
But! People think that they spend less through the offers, but that’s not true. People pay even more than last year. The prices in the supermarkets have increased by 1.9%.

According to Jim Dowd, head of the Parliamentary small shops group, said that everybody knows that the supermarkets are very popular and that’s their marketing is very clever!
But I think that’s unfair to the small shops, because people goes to the supermarkets for their profit. They think that’s cheaper over there but that’s not true.

The reason why supermarkets have to do this, is because of the recession and because of the other ‘new’ supermarkets like ‘Lidl & Aldi’. Because those supermarkets have a lower price. There’s a too big competition between the retailers.
John Bridgeman, General Director of the Office of Fair Trading (until 2000) said that isn’t good for the consumers that supermarkets change their prices so often. He says that there can’t be competition if you change them every week. But the explanation for that is that they look for the needs of the families like seasons, holidays,… They take products that families often buy like eggs, vegetables, cookies,..

I believe that people should look more carefully to the prices, when they see a discount they will buy it quicker even if they didn’t want to buy it before. It’s like a carrot for the consumers. They always think that they do profit, without thinking.

Written by: sofie lamon

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7466837/Supermarket-offers-mislead-consumers.html

Seven things that will cost more this April

April is the month of a new financial year and for some of us, this might be good news.

Advantages of this can maybe a small pay rise, but April can also be a whole host of price increases on everyday products. On the other hand, April is the month where tax and duty increase has effect.

Here are seven things that will cost more from April 2010.

1) Stamps

On April 6, stamps from first- and second-class will increase in price by two Pence. They will cost 41 Pence and 32 Pence. But if you are a regular letter-writer you can buy nowadays a stock, because the old stamps are still usable after the price rises happen.

2) BT phone calls

If you’re signed up to BT’s Evening & Weekend plan or Weekend plan, the time will change when you are able to do free calls. The customers know the upcoming change. The daytime calls will also increase but they have no effect on the telephone plans. The solution the cut the phone costs is to bundle TV, phone and Internet.

3) Your TV licence

On 1 April, the cost of a colour TV licence will increase by £ 3, while the cost of a black and white only licence will go up by £ 1.

4) Fuel duty

The prices at the pumps are already very high; the government will add 3p in fuel duty, VAT and to the cost of petrol and diesel.

5) Council tax

In different places, the council tax might increase from April. Depending on where you live, it’s possible your council tax might increase from April.

6) Bankruptcy fees

The Insolvency Service will increase its bankruptcy petition fee by £ 90, from £ 360 to £ 450 on April 6. The county court fee will be kept (£150) and the total cost of going bankrupt will be £600, which is an increase.

7) Income tax for high earners

This tax will also increase and the new 50% tax rate will be used for those with an annual income of more than £150.000.

I think that some measures are obvious and others are exaggerated. The adjustments are an answer on the worldwide problem of inflation. All products become more expensive and people have more problems to pay all there goods. There is noting to do about it, which is regrettable. But on the other hand, some people have a bigger income. My conclusion is that the poorer people are punished.

By Karen Mechelinck – 2 FV 4

Source: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/03/seven-things-that-will-cost-more-this-april-207090

Consumer confidence best in two years as recession ends

According to a poll the confidence of the British consumers raise because of the recovery.

The consumer confidence index from Nationwide has climbed up to 80. You should know that this is the highest figure since January 2008. And that it’s almost doubled in comparison with last year.

And that’s a good point! When people feels that the economy is getting better and better recovery their faith will grow. And the bigger their confidence is, the more they will buy and the quicker the recession will end. And that’s what the consumer confidence also saw, that there’s more economic optimism. There’s even 39% that thinks that the economy will be better within 6 months. In September 2008 50% of people thought that there will be a job shortage while now ‘only’ 43% of people think this.

People also believe in the fact that their income will stay the same of even will be higher! And that’s a good point because here you can see that they believe in a recovery.

Now people see that the recession will end and they are optimistic for the future. According to Martin Gahbauer ( Nationwide’s chief economist) this factor is due to the fact that the UK is climbing out of its longest recession of 6 quarters.

It’s good to see that the confidence in growing. You can see it a lot of numbers. When the confidence is getter bigger their spending will also get bigger and that’s good for the recovery. Because people will earn more and they will be happier!

Written by: Sofie Lamon

Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23811398-consumer-confidence-best-in-two-years-as-recession-ends.do

Extreme obesity among kids

We all know that obesity is a major problem in America today, but what if it's even worse than we thought?

A recent study of 710,949 children and teens (aged 2-19) revealed that 7.3% of boys and 5.5% of girls are extremely obese. This translates into about 45,000 extreme obese kids. The peak is at 10 years for boys and 12 years for girls.
You are considered extremely obese if you got a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 35.

Of course being obese at that age is not healthy. If they go on like this, they can have their life expectation shortened by 10 to 20 years.
But that's not everything, they will also develop health problems in their twenties, while normal people will only face those when they are 40-60 years old.
Extremely obese kids are also at higher risk of getting heart diseases, diabetes, liver diseases and joint problems.

Specialists warn them and their families to change their lifestyle fast, because this has to be treated as a family issue. You'll never see an extremely obese child surrounded by a completely healthy family.

I think the families should be a lot more careful with what they give their child. If you look at the percentages of extremely obese kids, it's ridiculously high. Also the age at which they peak is really low.
If you are that obese at that age, it's no wonder your life expectation drops dramatically. This can't be good for a young body.

The effects that extreme obesity causes are really frightening too.
A higher risk for heart diseases, diabetes, liver problems,... . They are all lethal. No wonder that your life expecation drops by 10 to 20 years.

The main reason why kids are that obese is the lifestyle of their family, their parents in particular. They are the ones to blame. The kids grow up with fastfood and microwave meals, they are very unhealthy.
So to let the obesity drop, you have to change the parents' lifestyle first.

Written by Dieter De Smet

Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/obese_kids.html

Dishing out some truth

Most of the people believe that our meat, dairy products, eggs,... are produced in farms. In fact food is fabricated in huge factories. The documentary “Food, Inc.”, broadcasted on television, gives a straight view on the American food industry. The real reality has been hidden too long.

It all started with McDonald’s who wanted to offer their products on the market place at the lowest prices. They actually invented mass food production. They bought little farms and transformed them into huge production plants. Other companies adopt this idea and now only a few multinationals control the whole the food chain. They raised the production efficiency to such a level that at the end in fact they only produce unhealthy products, which lead to health risks for consumers of their products.

The consequences are proven to be enormous:

• The food has become much more dangerous. Some people died by eating fast food that contains Salmonella or E Colli.
• Poor people have no choice and buy these products because they are cheaper.
• More and more people suffer from obesity and diabetes.
• Farmers are totally controlled by the multinationals and have no rights anymore.
• The industry causes pollution.
• ...

So why do the FDA and USDA refuse to intervene? Well, curiously enough these organisations are led by people who have strong connections with the food multinationals.

The FDA and USDA are supposed to protect us and control our food. In my opinion everyone who can be linked with one of these food multinationals should be immediately discharged from any government’s function.

I’m convinced that if more people would know the truth, this system could be changed. You can for example buy products of companies which respect their workers, the environment, the animals and choose for organic and locally grown products. It won’t be easy but there is hope.

Food, Inc. is a very confronting movie. I will never look at my meal the same way, that’s for sure!

By Liesbeth Alliet

Source: Food, Inc. (documentary directed by Robert Kenner)

Which is better, store brand or name brand?

If you go to a shop and you can choose between a store brand and a name brand. What would you choose? The name brand because the quality is better? If you do this, you are wrong. The only difference between both brands is the part of the manufacturer of the good. He uses more money to promote the name brand. This is why costumers have to pay more for a name brand.

The quality of both goods is the same. Even more, some people don't even taste the difference between both products and sometimes, they think that store brands are name brands. In a inquiry, 51% of the participants preferred the taste of the store brand instead of the name brand.

In the past, people didn't buy much store brands. But nowadays, they buy them more because they know that both brands have the same quality so they have to pay less for the same product.

Another reason why people buy more store brands is because the crisis hits every family. They buy less name brands and more store brands because they have to economize.

I think that it's obvious why people buy store brands. They know that it has the same quality as name brands and it costs less. I also buy store brands because, as a student, you don't have much money to buy name brands every time I go to a shop.

My conclusion: Store brands are better for the consumer because you don't have to pay much and it has the same quality as name brands.
Name brands are better for manufacturers because they can earn more if they sell them.

Written by Yorick Stroobant

My source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/brand_comparison.html

Huge phone bills incoming

According to the consumers' association "Which?'" a lot of people that use smartphones abroad can get huge bills.

If you use a smartphone in your own country, to go on Facebook for example, you don't really need to worry about your bills. But if you do that abroad, you can pay a lot more.
Some say it can cost up to 8 pounds per megabyte downloaded and downloading one 10 minute movie + 5 music tracks can cost you up to 200 pounds.

Most people think they are safe if they don't download anything via their smartphones abroad, but they are wrong. Turning on your phone will cause it to connect with the internet, so if you get an e-mail you'll have to pay for it, if you try to search for the nearest restaurant, you'll pay.

I think those prices are ridiculous. Up to 8 pounds for 1mb is a lot. People easily download several megabytes when connected with the internet, so they'll have to pay a lot without them even knowing it.
I also don't see a reason why you have to pay a lot more for downloads than the people from that country. I think it's unfair.

The EU responds to the many angry reactions from customers and comes up with a new set of rules.
If you download anything fomr within the EU27 (+Switzerland), you'll be protected by a rule that will limit the bills you have to pay to a maximum of 50 euros. The limit is changeable, but you'll have to contact your phone company. People will be warned when they reach 80% of their limit, and they can't download anything once they reached it.

I think those rules are very good. It will stop people from getting huge phone bills. It's also nice that it gives a warning first, this means people know when to stop.
It would be better if it gave a warning at 30% and 50% of your limit. So people get an idea of how much they have to pay and how much they can still download.
A negative side is that the rules only apply to the EU27, so not in like Asia or Africa. It would be better if they had a worldwide rule for this problem.

Written by Dieter De Smet

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8576941.stm

How many chickens does it take to make Mc Donald’s breakfast?

Each morning, McDonalds serves numerous numbers of Egg McMuffins, McGriddles and other popular breakfast items to their customers. The ingredients such as the bread, sausage, ham, bacon, cheese and eggs that are used several times in 1 dish don’t appear from thin air. They discovered that it takes more than 1.1 million hens to produce the amount of eggs McDonalds needs to feed their customers in the United States which is just the west of the Mississippi river!

In this role we have the exclusive supplier for McDonald’s, Sparboe Farms. They supply all the eggs and liquid eggs for the big fast-food restaurants west of the Mississippi river in the United States. Today there are approximately 500.000 hens producing eggs in the facility but McDonalds has asked Sparboe to expand the number of hens because they can’t keep up the?

Of course, Sparboe followed the advice and is now in the process to expand in its facility near Eagle Grove, MN. They hope to complete the extra 2 buildings on June 1^st. The new buildings will add 600.000 more hens to Sparboe’s production number. Sparboe has around 100 employees at the 2 sites and with the upcoming expansion they will create 7 new jobs. The company’s west facility is currently producing approximately 2 million eggs a day, which means about 14million a week.

If we look closer at McDonalds we see that they where the first who started offering breakfast foods in 1973 which was the Egg McMuffin. After that they invented new products and today they sell the most breakfast items of all fast-food suppliers in the United States.

I think that it’s rather normal that they offer breakfast but why are most items based on eggs. It’s possible to introduce other non-egg products to the menu. On the other hand it’s business as usual and more profit with the same items is normal.

By Karen Mechelinck – 2 FV 4

Source: http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2010/03/how-many-chickens-does-it-take-to-make-mcdonalds-breakfast.html

March 15^th 2010

5 reasons to use mobile banking

According to Frost & Sullivan, a business research & consulting, more and more people are using mobile banking. In 2009 12 million people worldwide used mobile banking services. By 2010 this number will rise up to 45 million.

The users have 5 good reasons to use mobile banking:
1) Experts pretend that mobile banking is more secure than Internet banking.
2) They don’t have to pay the banks fees.
3) They can consult their account balance, transactions,… anytime, anywhere. So they have more control over their financial affairs.
4) Mobile banking is increasing very fast.
5) There are more ways to access accounts: texting, mobile browsers or downloadable applications.

But at this moment mobile banking is still in his infancy:
- The number of services is limited in comparison with Internet banking and only basic services such as checking your account, translations, pay bills,…, are offered.
- Besides, most banks concentrate on the smart phones users (Iphone, Blackberry) and develop applications mainly for these devices. So for those who don’t have Iphone or Blackberry is not always possible to make use of mobile banking.

I believe in the future of mobile banking. It seems to me that mobile banking will even replace the Internet banking at long notice. In a few years everyone will have a smart phone and will be able to use mobile banking services. But first the banks should invest more in new applications so that everyone can take advantage of mobile banking.

Thanks to these technologies our live becomes easier. We adapt new technologies easily and we can’t even live without anymore.

To conclude, the future for mobile banking seems to be promising.

By Liesbeth Alliet

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/5-reasons-to-use-mobile-banking-1.aspx
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/5-reasons-to-use-mobile-banking-2.aspx

Prices of consumer goods holds steady, indicating that inflation is at bay

Because of the recession people looks after the prices of their goods. According to the government the price of the consumers goods held steady in February. The labor department announced that there’s no movement in the prices. But with fuel and volatile food it rose with 0.1%

A few facts:
• Cars: - used vehicles rose with 0.7 %
           - new vehicles rose with 0.4 %
• Medical care costs: + 0.5 %
• Food prices: + 0.1 %
• Energy: reduced with 0.5 %

The US had to do something to keep the constancy in the prices. There a lot of efforts to stimulate the economy but they haven’t achieved a lot yet.
The federal reserve want a maximum increase of 2% and in comparison with last year there’s a grow of 1.3%. But it’s getting better because the inflation is stabled.

When there’s a weak demand for goods the prices will fall which will cause a deflation. But because there’s a recovery the demand will not drop.

The prices maintain the same because of the high unemployment rate. When people doesn’t have a job, they haven’t a lot of money to buy goods with, so the companies doesn’t earn a lot of money. So they have to raise the prices.

I think it’s difficult to lower the prices in times of recovery. Cause the economy isn’t strong enough to drop the prices. When they decrease the prices the companies will earn less and that’s not good for the economy. Like a lot of economists said it will take another 2-3 years until the economy will be strong again. It’s because the recovery that some interventions are stopped so they have to do it on their own again and that’s not always that easy. And due to the fact that a lot of people has lost their jobs it’s difficult to raise the prices because they can’t effort them a lot.

Written by Sofie Lamon (2fv4)
source:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/business/economy/19econ.html

The fat tax, a way to healthier America or a poorer one?

The fat tax is a hot subject the last decade. It is the result of the rising obesity rates, an increase of lifestyle diseases and recessionary conditions since 2009.

In the state of New York we discovered an unbelievable $7.6 billion in obesity-related medical bills, this was covered by tax-payers. The governor David Patterson is convinced that it is necessary to include the ‘fat-tax’ in the 2010 budget.

In this role, the soft drink industry is a big player. The sweets are prompted together with cigarettes and alcohol, which is a connection that the American Beverage Association is against.

The tax proposed for New York would include all beverages that “contain more than ten calories per eight ounces, such as soda, sports drinks, ‘energy’ drinks, colas, fruit or vegetable drinks containing less than 70% natural fruit or vegetable juice, and bottled coffee or tea”. The effect will be a price increase of approximately a penny per ounce for each bottled beverage.

You have people who are strongly in favor (especially health specialists and law-makers) and others who don’t believe in the idée. Those in favor say the tax will reduce the whole public cost health care and otherwise the system will improve the lives of those ones who are sizeable. On the other hand we have the people who don’t believe in the idée and are pointing to the flop of the ‘sin tax’ on alcohol and cigarettes. It made some people poorer and the government more invasive.

We also refer to a study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine that seems to support the opinions of those in favor of the fat tax. There was a study of the University of North Carolina where they reviewed the dietary habits of 5,115 young adults, age 18 to 30, starting in 1985 to 1986 and continuing through 2005 to 2006. The meaning was to determine if the relationship between the price of fatty foods and especially drinks have an effect on the Body Mass Index of the persons involved.

The study concluded, “National, state or local policies have to change the price of less healthful foods and beverages because it may be one possible mechanism for steering U.S. adults towards a more healthful diet”.

I think that a ‘fat tax’ will be a good solution in the struggle against the big health care costs and especially if we look at the peoples who need it. They have to choose between the choice of being unhealthy or poor. It is an endless discussion.

By Karen Mechelinck - 2 FV 4

Source: http://www.americanconsumernews.com/the-fat-tax-a-way-to-a-healthier-america-or-a-poorer-one.html - March 10th 2010

65% more fakes confiscated.

In 2009, the economic inspection of Belgium has confiscated 230,000 fakes. This is 65% more than last year. The confiscated goods have a value of 4,4 million euro.

In most of the cases, illegal DVD's,CD's,toys, jewelry and other accessories were countergeited. These goods were found at carnival hucksters and stallholders, at retailers, near football stadiums and concert halls.

Vincent van Quickenborne, Minister responsible for the simplification of the administration, says that soon, the fakes files will be quicker concluded. The agents will be able to impose amicable settlements. The fines have an amount of minimum 50 euro and maximum 550,000 euro.

The fakes are, after the confiscation, destroyed in a incinerator in Brussels. But not everything have to be destroyed. There will come a new law that makes it possible to recycle fakes. For example: fake toys will be transformed into plastic granules.

I think that counterfeiting has become a very big problem. Nowadays, everything could be counterfeited: DVD's,CD's, brand clothes and many more. Some people don't care about it, they think it's good that it exists because it's less expensive.

However the fakes consists of toxic substances. They are very dangerous for our health.

My conclusion: I understand why people don't have a problem with fakes but these fakes aren't good for out health. It's very important that counterfeiters are being fined.

written by Yorick Stroobant

Source: http:// www.hln.be/hln/nl/943/Consument/article/detail/1079278/2010/03/12/65-meer-namaakgoederen-in-beslag-genomen.dhtml

'Minority Report' digital billboard 'watches consumers shop'

It's unbelievable but it's true! NEC a Japanese electronics company has developed a 'Minortiy Report' styled digital billboard!
What does that billboard exactly do?


Well just like in the movie with Tom Cruise the billboard shows some personal information if you walk by. That’s because there’s a small camera with a flat-panel monitor inside the billboard. It’s a facial-recognition system, called the Next Generation Digital Signage Solution.


So when you pass a billboard like that, it sent your information to a computer and then the billboard shows you your age, your gender, your name,..


But critics warns that it’s not respectable to the privacy and I can believe that there are persons who don’t want to be on those billboards with their name and age.

But what’s not enjoyable for some individuals is useful for the advertisers because they can create more related and appropriated publicities. Because the longer you stay in front of the billboards the more detailed the information will be. So the advertisers will know who is watching the boards and they can change the advertisements.

But the citizens don’t have to be afraid of the information they get, because they may not abuse the information and the person will stay totally anonymous.

Now the project is running in Japan and later this year in America. If it’s successful other countries will follow.

I think it’s a knife that cuts on both sides. Because it’s good for the advertisers because they can make their advertisements more specific and more related to the person who pass the billboard. But as consumer I think it’s not that interesting because other people can see who you are and how old you are. But it’s helpful because the commercials will be more suitable and appropriate to each singular person.

Written by Sofie Lamon (2fv4)
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7411249/Minority-Report-digital-billboard-watches-consumers-shop.html

Cannabis increases mental illnesses

For many decades cannabis (or marihuana) is a popular drug among youngsters. They seem to be very attracted to experiment with cannabis although it’s illegal.

People discuss the legalisation of medical use of cannabis for many years now. A lot of lawyers plead for the legalisation, whilst adversaries warn for its negative consequences.

Thanks to research more and more of the effects of cannabis come to light. All over the world different recent studies indicate the increase of mental diseases due to the use of cannabis.

The researchers discovered that Cannabis is mainly harmful for young people under the age of 21. The risk to develop a mental illness like schizophrenia or psychosis on a later age would be bigger because until the age of 21 the brain is developing very rapidly and is this more fragile for the damaging effects of the drug.

Many researchers say that further study is needed to take the correct conclusions. Nevertheless, if cannabis causes mental illnesses, legalisation will likely suffer more headwind than ever before.

I understand the arguments “against” of the adversaries but I think the negative effects are somewhat exaggerated, particularly if it’s only used for medical applications.

In my view cannabis should be strictly permitted for medical use.

For example, cannabis can ease chronic pain aligned with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, .... Consider it as an alternative medical science. But of course the prescription of it has to be controlled in fixed circumstances and with a good survey and support.

I agree with the researchers that further study is necessary. If the use of cannabis turns out to be increasing mental illnesses, there is also a need for research of the effects of medical use on patients.

My conclusion: we can’t think away cannabis out of our society.

By Liesbeth Alliet

http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2010/02/studies-show-marijuana-may-increase-psychosis.html

Debt settlement complaints

In recent years, the consumer complaints against the debt settlement industry have risen phenomenally.

This is because the last few years hundreds of new companies were created, all offering debt relief.
The thousands of Americans who are in financial troubles went to those companies to get rid of their debts. But because this market is largely unregulated, the consumers didn't get the results they wanted.

A solution to this problem could be the regulation of the debt settlement companies, which would create more consumer protection.
A lot of American states already do this, but more and more states are thinking about it, because the complaints keep rising.

I think this bill should be accepted as soon as possible. The economical crisis is affecting the normal people the most (the working class). Having so many problems with the debt settlement companies won't help them.
Also the debt companies should be more human. A lot of Americans are struggling to survive and still the companies don't give the services they promise.

They also give some tips here before choosing a debt relief program:

• Determine if debt settlement is right for you (Is there no other option to save you from bankruptcy?)
• Understand the process (How do debt settlement companies cut your debt in half?)
• Check out the payment structure (When do you have to pay and how much?)

I think these questions are very good. You should try to answer them first before going with a debt settlement. You need to know what and how a debt settlement works before you can actually use it, otherwise it could go terribly wrong.

Written by Dieter De Smet

Source: http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2010/02/debt-settlement-complaints-on-the-rise.html

Gas prices again on the rise- again

Bad news for car drivers in the U.S.A.: gas prices has gone up. The prices have increased by 8 cents a gallon (= 3,785 liters) and the diesel fuel prices has risen by 5 cents a gallon. All of this happened in a few days.

It's quite remarkable that the prices have increased because, for a while, they decreased. In the last 3 months, the gas prices have been staying within a 15 cent range.

It isn't cetain what causes the price increase, some experts think that it's due to the fact that demand and supply have no longer an influence on the oil prices.

The gas prices are increasing and life is getting more expensive. Here are some tips how to save some money on gas:

• Fill up your tank before the holidays starts because demand will increase when the holidays starts.
• Don't drive to hard, otherwise you lose more gas.
• Buy a car that doesn't consume too much.

I think a car is very useful. You are free, you can do what you want. However, a car is quite expensive.You must pay a lot of money for a car insurance, gas, taxes.
But I go by train or by bicycle because it's better for the environment and it isn't such expensive.

My conclusion: In the future, gas will become expensive because it will be hard to find. There are some alternatives (for example: an electric car). But there should be more promotion for these alternatives.

This blog is based on: http://americanconsumernews.com/2010/02/gas-prices-again-on-the-rise-%e2%80%93-again.html

Written by Yorick Stroobant

Find more rewards with debit cards

Since the credit crises more Americans are deleting their credit card application. The usage of the debit cards and cash increased the last months.

The last several years, the traditional reward programs offered on a credit card have been on the decline. At the moment banks are offering similar rewards programs on the debit cards because they need the revenue. Banks are not longer allowed to collect excessive fees for things like overdrafts, so they are looking for new opportunities. Banks have a good chance of successful cross-promotion of other goods including savings accounts and loans because the cards are linked directly to a checking account.

If we look at generating revenue from a debit card incentive program we see it is not easy and definitely not cheap. If we compare the 2, you have on the debit side up to $25 for reward program members each year when you look at the costs. A similar credit card is around $30 per member each year. But the banks need to maintain the consumer interest if they want to keep the people away from the credit card.

What to expect now? With the debit card rewards you earn points it you spend 1 or 2 dollars, if we look at today many banks are creating such initiatives for the credit card. Members can earn 3-4 points for each dollar spent. With the points you can obtain cash or another reward item. You can earn by everyday banking procedures and e.g. a new account for extra points. Many banks have contracts with retailers and today you can earn special discounts or exclusive rewards at your local locations. It’s the same story in each bank; if you use the debit card frequently you obtain more rewards.

I think if you are a regular debit card user, it’s recommended to check out what the incentive programs mean for you personally. You can find special offers or you see you made a bad choice. That’s very important because you have the difference between older and younger people.

One advice: check how you can earn more cash with your debit card especially with the points for the daily bank procedures.

By Karen Mechelinck - 2 FV 4

Source: http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2010/01/find-more-rewards-with-debit-cards.html - 27th, 2010

Smart phones versus cyber attacks

First the computers were assaulted by viruses. Now it's up to the smart phones to undergo severe attacks.
The cyber attacks against your smart phone are very similar to the ones being launched at your computer. They are sometimes even worse.

The reason why viruses are now also affecting your smart phone is because your phone and computer run on the same operating system. So the smart phones vulnerabilities are the same as the ones on your computer.

It's also really hard to protect yourself against the cyber attacks. Most of us think that the attacks only occur when your smart phone makes connection with the internet, but that's not true. Viruses can also enter through Bluetooth devices and text messages.

I think that's the reason why so many people think they are safe. They think because they never go on the internet with their smartphones, the viruses can't enter.

The major problems caused by the cyber attacks are: a dead battery, other people eavesdropping on your conversations or you being tracked by someone else (via the GPS receiver on the device).

I think those problems are really major. It violates your privacy, knowing that other people know where you are at what time and they can even hear in on your conversations. Those consequences are really frightening when you think about it.

It's also very disturbing. There was a debate, earlier this week, about the politicians using their blackberry's. They would be vulnerable to cyber attacks and precious information could be stolen from their phones.
I think this might be true. There are so many ways cyber attacks can occur and they are so well developed that they can make your phone do anything and they can take all the information they want from it.

Those consequences are something to think about for people using a smart phone. They should be really careful with unknown text messages and pay attention to any irregularity in their phone.

Written by Dieter De Smet

Source: http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2010/02/smart-phone-users-dodging-viral-attacks.html

Stick What in Your Ear?


FDA warns about use of 'ear candles'

There are some people who put candles in their ears. That must be a funny scene almost that funny as Ernie with his banana in his ear.
They think that it’s good for their health. It would heal their headaches, it would moderate their sinus and ear infections. there are even people who believe that it could improve their hearing. That’s because the packaging tells them it’s been well inspected by doctors and scientists.
You have to stick the candle in your ear, that should create a vacuum that draws wax and other debris from your ear canal. They have to put the candles into the ear canal and then light the end.
But of course not everyone believes that. The FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) discovered that the candles are as a matter of fact hollow cones made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax or paraffin. There’s no confirmation of medical advantages.
In truth there are some people who suffered with burned and perforated eardrums. Some people needed an operation. It’s certainly not good for children and infants because the ear is not full-grown jet so they can get more rapidly injured than adults.
There’s an international non-profit organization that also investigated the candles. They found a lady who also tried the candle. She ended in the emergency room with wax in her ear and a hole in her ear canal.
It’s not easy to remove all the ear candles because you can find them as good as everywhere. You can find them in flea markets, health food stores on amazon.com etc. You can also doubt the price because of the big difference between the stores. One pack cost $2.77 and in another store it’s $ 28.85.
It’s silly that people believe that ear candles are good for their health. I would personally not believe in the efficacy of the candles!
I can believe that the FDA wants to warn the community of the danger of the candles. There are numerous people who suffered or are suffering with burned eardrums. It’s impossible that people still can buy those candles. There have to follow a prohibition. When people buy the candles they have to know about the linked threats. And they should keep the candles away from children! I can’t understand a parent who put such a candle in its ear! It’s not pleasant and certainly not healthy! I find it rather strange and suspicious.
Written by Sofie

I found my article on http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/02/ear_candles.html#ixzz0guaPMk1Q

Adidas using the force

Adidas, the famous sport brand, has a new collection. It's inspired by Star Wars, the famous movie of George Lucas. Another part of the collection will follow.

The collection consits of 28 pieces. Some examples of the current collection are Princess Leia sneakers, Darth Vader jackets with an attachable cape, stormtrooper track tops, a Star Wars Famous Scenes Micropaper and a Yoda Boat Shoe.

Adidas is the second largest sports good maker of the world. Nike is the largest and on the third place, we have Puma. With this new collection, Adidas tries to reach a wider audience to sell more products to put an end to their crisis and so become the biggest sport brand.

Why use Star Wars? There are many reasons

1. Star Wars stands for hope. Just like in the movie, one person can make the difference
2. Every generation knows Star Wars. There's the original movie and also the Lego movie which were both a big success.
3. Dark Vader is the most famous bad guy which ever existed.

I think that Adidas is doing very smart. WHat Adidas is doing, is playing on human's feelings. Everybody has a hero. They have a great influence in our life. As a fact, some people are prepared to buy the product the product when they see their heroes on it. For Example: Plop bananas,Mega biscuits,...

My conclusion: Crisis, a word that every company has to deal with. Companies are doing everything in their might to make profit again and Adidas has a big chance with their new collection to 'make their day'. I think it's best to say: 'With the force be with them'

by yorick stroobant

My source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/3373051/Adidas-using-the-Force