Archive for October, 2008

Is Phentermine Safe?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

In the past there has been much controversy about the safety of the stimulant known as Phentermine which acts as an amphetamine. Phentermine has been used as an appetite suppressant which does affect the central nervous system. Together with exercise, Phentermine has been successful for weight loss. In the late 1990’s, the issue of Phentarmine safety arose because of the Phen-fen scare where it was determined that the combination of Phentermine and Fenfluramine which made up Phen-fen was pulled from the market due to serious health conditions involving the heart and lungs. It was the combination of the two drugs that were the problem, primarily the Fenfluramine. There has been no evidence that Phentermine is ineffective or unsafe on its own.

Phentirmine is also sold under the brand name Adipex and is available for anyone to order via online pharmacies. Under these conditions, Phenturmine would not be considered safe unless it was prescribed by and monitored by a physician. There are certain side effects when using Phentarmine and there are also certain people who should not use this drug because they would be considered high risk. Phentermine can be safe for some people and not for others especially those who might suffer from conditions such as anxiety, high blood pressure, any type of heart disease, an overactive thyroid, glaucoma, or if you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse.

Specific side effects can be associated with the use of Phentermin and while some are minor such as dizziness, nervousness or anxiousness, headaches, insomnia, itching, diarrhea, or constipation sometimes a simple dosage adjustment will alleviate these side effects. However, there can be major side effects that might need more attention than just a dosage adjustment and can indicate a serious problem. These could include chest pain, swelling in the feet or ankles, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, a feeling of restlessness or confusion, increased blood pressure, or seizures.

Read full article: Is Phentermine Safe?

Source: Is Phentermine Safe?

ArcelorMittal, AngloGold, Sasol: South Africa Equity Preview

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

By Janice Kew

Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) — The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.

South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index fell for a fourth day, losing 95.43, or 0.5 percent, to 18,363.70. The measure has dropped 23 percent in October, the worst monthly performance since August 1998.

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG SJ): Gold fell for the fifth time in six days in Asia as the U.S. dollar’s strength kept a lid on investor demand for the precious metal as an alternative asset. AngloGold, Africa’s largest mining company, climbed 4 rand, or 2.5 percent, to 164.

Ansys Ltd. (ANS SJ): The designer of transport and defense monitoring and control systems said it will post a loss per share of between 4.5 cents and 5.5 cents in the six months through August after delays in the start up of a “significant” number of their projects. Ansys slumped 17 cents, or 14 percent, to 1.08 rand.

ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. (ACL SJ): Africa’s biggest steelmaker said it will leave December prices unchanged after cutting them for two consecutive months. ArcelorMittal South Africa fell 7 rand, or 8.1 percent, to 79 rand.

Barloworld Ltd. (BAW SJ): Morgan Stanley rated the world’s largest forklift dealer as “equal-weight” in new coverage of the stock. Barloworld lost 1.90 rand, or 4 percent, to 46.

BHP Billiton Ltd. (BIL SJ): Copper fell below $4,000 a metric ton as the ongoing slump in stock markets increased concern a glob recession will sap demand. The metal used in wires and pipes plunged by the daily limit for a fifth day in Shanghai. BHP, the world’s largest mining company, rose 2.07 rand, or 1.4 percent, to 145.90.

Infrasors Ltd. (IRA SJ): The brick and sand producer said first-half earnings per share fell as much as 40 percent. Infrasors was unchanged at 1.90 rand.

Murray & Roberts Holdings Ltd. (MUR SJ): South Africa’s largest construction company by market value holds its annual general meeting in Johannesburg. Murray & Roberts was unchanged at 60 rand.

Read full article: ArcelorMittal, AngloGold, Sasol: South Africa Equity Preview

What US Expats Need to Know About Paying Taxes

Saturday, October 25th, 2008

The main opinion considering taxes and American expatriates is that there is no need to worry about paying any more dues to the government. However, the meaningfulness is not that simple, and it is vital that you understand exactly the facts concerning the matter to keep yourself from getting into any legal complications.

The following are the facts involving the Internal Gross income Service and the tax liabilities of an American expat:

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

This of obviously, refers to any amount that you may have, or have earned from working in another country besides the US. It includes not just your salary but also any allowance that you may receive as compensation.

To avail of the revenues exclusion, you must meet the following requirements: the first is that you must have lived in that foreign country for at least full year, or have spent at least 330 days from a 12 month epoch. The amount that you can take advantage of can reach up to $80,000. You must, however, file all the necessary papers to the IRS to be a part of this program.

Expats and Self Occupation Tax / the US Social security and Medicare

If you are an expatriate who is employed by a company in the United Sates, it is almost always the case that your proprietor will hold back any Meficare or Social Security.

For those that are their own employers (self employed in other words), you will need to pay up to whatever amount you owe the gate service. Moreover, there is a self employment tax that you will have to pay so that you will be entitled to both Social Security and Medicare.

American Expats Employed by ForeignersIn the mainIf you are working for a corporation in another country, you will not, except in special cases, pay anything to the Internal Revenue Service with respect to your Social Safe keeping, and instead will be covered by that country’s own laws concerning taxation.

Facts about Tax Treaties

Read full article: What US Expats Need to Know About Paying Taxes

What is Tax Deductible?

Saturday, October 25th, 2008

Nobody likes to pay taxes, but we all have to. One of the maximum effort ways to lower the amount we shell out to the government is to maximize your tax deductions. Sometimes this takes some financial planning. Of course, you will fundamental a list of tax deductibles, too. If you know what is deductible, and keep good records, you will find yourself paying less money to Uncle Sam every year.

First of all, keep up with all receipts you get for medical costs. Any instruction drugs, doctor or hospital co-pays, and many other medical costs, can be deducted. However, if your medical bills do not equal a unerring percentage of your adjusted gross income, or AGI, then you cannot deduct them at all. Still, it is wise to keep track of these expenses, just in case you do reach that amount. You could mayhap incur a large expense at the end of the year that will make all your expenses deductible.

Some interest expenses should be on the list of tax deductibles. Most interest you pay for your old folks’ mortgage is deductible. If you have a home equity line of credit, this interest is typically deducted as well. There are certain limitations, and if you own more than one living quarters, you must pick one or two to count as deductible (depending on certain circumstances.) Unfortunately for some, personal loans like confidence in cards and auto loans do not count as deductible interest expense. However, student loan debt will typically quantify toward your deductions. If you pay anything towards education, you should hold on to the receipts, and ask your tax professional whether or not it goes on the list of tax deductibles.

Read full article: List of Tax Deductibles - What is Tax Deductible?

Samsung E250 Review

Monday, October 20th, 2008

In a nutshell: The E250 is an entry-level slide phone and is one of the best phones in the entry-level price range. For less than 50 quid you get a cool-looking slide phone with a camera, music player, FM radio, Bluetooth and a memory card slot for storing loads of music. You can’t go wrong with this one! Best buy: On Pay as you Go from the Carphone Warehouse for ??39.95. The E250 is Samsung’s first slide phone in the entry-level market, and it’s an impressive one. This is a phone that retails for less than ??50 on Pay as you Go, but it shares the cool looks and design of Samsung’s top-end slide phones that are currently all the rage. It’s a very compact, slimline and lightweight phone, weighing just 81g. The keypad and slide are very similar to the top-of-the-range Samsung D900, and are a proven design - very easy to use. When closed, the navigation keys enable you to access most of the phone’s functions and you just slide the phone open to make a call or send a text. For an entry-level phone it’s very well specified too. The VGA camera (0.3 megapixels) and video recorder are fairly basic, but the phone is also equipped with a good quality MP3 player and FM radio too. In this price range, only the Sony Ericsson W200i can offer the same. The MP3 player can also handle AAC and AAC+ formats too. You can also set MP3 tracks as your ringtone. The built-in memory of 13 Mbytes is enough to store 3 or 4 songs only, but you can expand the memory with a MicroSD memory card if you want to make more use of the music player. Other handy features include a built-in speakerphone and a voice memo recorder. All kinds of messaging are supported, including MMS (multimedia messaging) and email. You can download Java games as well as the embedded games that come pre-installed. A full range of personal organiser functions are included. Flight mode lets you listen to music, play games, etc whilst the network connection is switched off.Read full article: Samsung E250 Review