Women are flocking to the labor force in record numbers. Nearly 60% sought or occupied employment in 2008, the latest year for which statistics are available, representing 46.5% of the total U.S. labor force. More than one-third of these women worked in management, professional and related occupations, accounting for 51% of all workers in this top-paying sector.
Though a pay gap persists -- women's earnings remain stalled at around 80% of men's -- women are finding the jobs that pay them the most, and some may surprise you. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau 2008 analysis, we ranked women's median weekly earnings as full-time wage and salary workers to uncover the highest-paying jobs for women.

An unlikely No. 1 emerged. Much to our surprise, pharmacy topped the list, where women pharmacists earn a median wage of $1,647 per week or about $86,000 a year. Women currently account for slightly less than half of all pharmacists in the U.S. and earn about 85% as much as their male colleagues. It's a much smaller pay gap than that of medical doctors, however, where women make 59% as much as men. And pharmacy requires less education.
Women physicians and surgeons came in far behind pharmacists at No. 6 on the list, earning a median of $1,230 per week. Dr. Drucilla Barker, economist and director of women's and gender studies at the University of South Carolina, explains this by the wide distribution of salaries in the medical profession. Women often go into family practice or other lower-paying specialties, she says, rather than work the 80-hour-plus weeks of surgeons. In jobs like pharmacy and speech pathology there is a clear and narrow salary range, and women are more likely to have manageable schedules, Barker says.
Women computer scientists and systems analysts came in at No. 10, earning a median wage of $1,082 per week or about $56,000 a year. In recent years, telecommuting has become increasingly common in the industry, making computer science even more appealing to women seeking high-paying work and flexibility.

And just above, at No. 9, were speech-language pathologists, the only occupation on our list in which women earn exactly equal to men and represent 50% of the field's total workers.
While women are inching higher and higher in status positions and earnings -- the pay gap has narrowed by 10 percentage points since 1990 -- there remains a large divide. About 3.5 million women earn within the highest pay bracket, making a minimum of $1,500 per week, compared with almost 10 million men. This may be explained by the most common female-held positions: administrative assistants, nurses and grade school teachers. (As a comparison, there are 36 times as many women administrative assistants as there are women pharmacists.)
Yet women outnumber men in some unexpected high-earning jobs like financial managers, accountants and auditors, and budget analysts. Women human resource managers, the No. 8 position on our list with a median of $1,137 per week, outnumber men in the field 2 to 1.
Top-Paying Jobs for Women
Though a pay gap persists--women's earnings remain stalled at around 80% of men's--women are finding the jobs that pay them the most, and some may surprise you. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau 2008 analysis, we ranked women's median weekly earnings as full-time wage and salary workers to uncover the highest paying jobs for women.
No. 1: Pharmacists
Women's median weekly earnings: $1,647 Women's median yearly earnings: $85,644 Percentage of men's earnings: 84.9% Education required: PCAT; Pharm.D. degree; six to seven years of collegiate study What they do: Distribute pharmaceutical drugs
No. 2: Chief Executives Women's median weekly earnings: $1,603 Women's median yearly earnings: $83,356 Percentage of men's earnings: 80.1% Education required: Varies; many hold a bachelor's or graduate degree in business administration or more specialized discipline What they do: Hold overall responsibility for the operation of an organization, including corporate and small businesses
No. 3: Lawyers Women's median weekly earnings: $1,509 Women's median yearly earnings: $78,468 Percentage of men's earnings: 77.5% Education required: LSAT; J.D. degree; about seven years of collegiate study What they do: Advocate in criminal and civil courts and provide legal counsel to clients on business and personal matters
No. 4: Computer Software Engineers Women's median weekly earnings: $1,351 Women's median yearly earnings: $70,252 Percentage of men's earnings: 87.3% Education required: Bachelor of computer science or software engineering What they do: Design, develop, test and evaluate computer systems and software
No. 5: Computer and Information Systems Managers Women's median weekly earnings: $1,260 Women's median yearly earnings: $65,520 Percentage of men's earnings: 85.4% Education required: Bachelor's degree; often a technology-specific MBA What they do: Implement technology into an organization, often overseeing network security and IT operations

America's Most Endangered Malls

Birmingham's Century Plaza mall was a consumer mecca when it opened in 1971, drawing shoppers from outlying suburbs and even from other states. Over the years, however, people moved outward from central Birmingham, and new shopping centers sprouted around them. Sales at Century Plaza declined. Three of the mall's four big "anchor" tenants eventually left, and smaller retailers followed. By 2008, Century Plaza was a shadowy hulk with more shuttered stores than open ones. Then the last anchor tenant, Sears, announced it was leaving. The mall finally closed for good in early June.
Malls have a natural lifespan, as population centers shift, architecture evolves, and shopping habits change. But a sharp recession is clearly accelerating the demise of vulnerable retailers--and some of the shopping centers they inhabit. Plunging sales are one obvious reason. Many retailers are also saddled with heavy debt taken on in recent years to fund aggressive growth. And the credit crunch has made cash scarce for firms that need it most.
Those tough conditions have already driven retailers like Circuit City, Linens 'N Things, and Steve & Barry's out of business. Other chains are closing stores and slashing costs as they fight to survive. General Growth Properties, a Chicago firm that operates more than 200 malls--and owns the remnants of Century Plaza--declared bankruptcy in April and is working on a restructuring plan.
[See America's most profitable malls.]
The churn is transforming America's retail landscape. "During times like this, good malls tend to get better and bad malls tend to get worse," says Steve Sterrett, chief financial officer of Simon Property Group, the nation's largest mall operator. The first sign of trouble is often the departure of department stores and other anchor tenants, especially if those spaces stay vacant. High-quality, name-brand merchants often follow, with discounters--or nobody--replacing them. Shoppers sense the ennui, and gravitate toward malls that feel more vibrant, which only deepens the distress at troubled properties. By some estimates, about 10 percent of the America's malls could close within the next few years.
To gauge which malls are in trouble, U.S. News analyzed data from Green Street Advisors, an investment research firm in Newport Beach, Calif., that specializes in publicly owned real estate companies. Their data includes occupancy rates, sales per square foot, and quality grades for about 650 of America's biggest shopping centers. The average property in the data set has sales of about $420 per square foot and an occupancy rate of 92 percent, good for an A- grade.
[See how to tell if a mall is in trouble.]
The malls at the bottom of the list earn grades of C- or D, with falling sales at many stores and a high proportion of discount retailers that tend to draw the least lucrative consumers. As a rule of thumb, malls with sales of $250 per square foot or lower are struggling. "It's hard for many retailers to be profitable at $250," says Jim Sullivan of Green Street. And nine out of 10 malls at the bottom of Green Street's list have sales at or below that threshold.
The data we used doesn't cover strip malls and other shopping centers owned by private firms, which tend to be smaller, less profitable, and more vulnerable to a bad economy than regional malls. But the following 10 malls still represent bleak snapshots of some of the weakest spots in the nation's retail economy.
Century III Mall, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Occupancy rate: 70 percent; sales per square foot: $200*). About 30 of the 120 stores at this suburban Pittsburgh mall have closed recently, including anchor tenant Steve & Barry's and KB Toys (both of which have declared bankruptcy), Old Navy, Ruby Tuesday's, and Macy's Furniture Outlet. The 30-year-old complex targets value shoppers but competes with nearby discounters like Wal-Mart and Kohl's. Other area malls with more upscale stores are doing better. Century's owner, Simon Property Group, may be looking to sell Century III.
Chambersburg Mall, Chambersburg, Pa. (62 percent; $234). Sales have held steady over the past year, but a bucolic location 60 miles southwest of Harrisburg makes this sleepy mall a perennial underperformer. K.B. Toys, Value City, and B. Moss closed their stores after declaring bankruptcy. Newcomers include discounters like Bolton's and Burlington Coat Factory, which are likely to generate little excitement.
Crossroads Mall, Omaha, Neb. (68 percent; $200*). Shoppers are fleeing this 50-year-old mall in central Omaha for suburban shopping centers that feel safer and more vibrant. The departure of Dillard's in 2008 left one of three anchor slots vacant. The Zales and Gordon's jewelry chains are also gone, along with Gap and most of the mall's food-court restaurants. According to press reports, owner Simon Property Group recently put the property up for sale. A buyer could try to resuscitate the mall or convert it to a different kind of retail or commercial complex.
Hickory Hollow Mall, Nashville, Tenn. (82 percent; $187). Dillard's has left, and other departed tenants include Linens 'N Things and Steve & Barry's, two of the biggest casualties of the recession. Two of four anchor slots are vacant, and the theater recently switched from first-run movies to late-run discount flicks. With a lack of retailers, the mall may convert some of its space to office use. One new tenant: the local police, who recently opened a recruiting station at the mall.
Highland Mall, Austin, Tex. (61 percent; $150*). While gleaming new stores have been springing up in some parts of Austin, this 38-year-old mall along I-35 has struggled to keep stores open--and avoid embarrassing controversies. Anchor JCPenney left in 2006, and this year Dillard's sued the mall's owners, claiming they let the mall become a "ghost town." The owners countersued, claiming that the suit is part of a scheme to help Dillard's get out of its lease early.
Palm Beach Mall, West Palm Beach, Fla. (82 percent; $250*). A year ago, the plan was to renovate this fading 42-year-old property. But that changed with the recession. Anchor tenants Dillard's and Macy's bolted within the last year, and in April, the mall's owners defaulted on a big bank payment, triggering a foreclosure lawsuit that could force the sale of the property. The power company even threatened to shut off the mall's electricity, but the bill was paid at the last minute. While remaining tenants like Sears and JC Penney await the outcome of litigation, other nearby malls are adding space and gaining customers.
[See why more companies are likely to fail this year.]
SouthPark Mall, Moline, Ill. (84 percent; $225). The owners spent a couple of years trying to sell this Quad Cities landmark, built in 1974, but they finally gave up late last year. Local officials would like to see the aging property converted to a more modern "lifestyle mall" with boutiques, lounging areas, and an upscale ambience. But modest local incomes probably can't support the major investment that would require. For now, the only upgrades at SouthPark are the construction of a few strip centers on "outlots" surrounding the mall, to be occupied by cheap restaurants and local service businesses.
Southridge Mall, Des Moines, Iowa. (84 percent; $168). The 2007 arrival of Steve & Barry's was supposed to mark a revival for this 34-year-old complex on Des Moines's South Side, which has been losing shoppers to more gentrified suburban malls. Then the discounter went bankrupt and closed its stores. The mall's owners have been trying to sell the property, and city officials have been working on ways to revitalize the entire area. They better hurry: At $168 per square foot, Southridge's sales are among the lowest for big malls.
Towne Mall, Franklin, Ohio. (49 percent; $207). This aging structure between Cincinnati and Dayton has been troubled for years, as the owner, CBL & Associates, and local officials have deliberated over whether to tear it down and build something more modern. Towne Mall has one of the highest vacancy rates of any operating mall, with more closed stores than open ones. A decision on the mall's fate is supposed to come soon.
Washington Crown Center, Washington, Pa. (70 percent; $265). Three of its biggest retailers--Macy's, Bon-Ton, and Gander Mountain--have suffered deep losses as consumers have cut spending. The mall's owner, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, is revamping some of its properties--but not Washington Crown Centre, one of the weakest malls in its portfolio. PREIT could end up selling some of its subpar properties, which leaves this mall vulnerable.

Oil spikes above US$70 for first time this year

Oil prices broke through the $70 per-barrel barrier Friday and more forecasters are broadening expectations for an upward swing in crude.
Benchmark crude for July delivery lost 37 cents to settle at $68.44 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, finishing the week with a gain of nearly $2 a barrel.
Earlier in the day oil jumped as high as $70.32 per barrel, the highest since October.
Oil prices have been soaring for months despite a massive surplus of petroleum and natural gas. A large amount of speculative money has flowed into the markets, according to government reports, potentially taking advantage of a weak U.S. currency.
Surging energy prices appear to be outpacing an economic recovery for now, and there are concerns that consumers may pull back spending further, especially with retail gasoline nearing the $3 mark.
"That everyday, in-your-face experience of seeing higher gas prices at the pump; that has quite an impact on people's psyche," said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service.
"There's this feeling of 'here we go again' with what happened last year," Kloza said.
"It hurts discretional spending.
"It leaves people to think about not taking those summer vacations."
This week, Goldman Sachs revised its forecast and predicted that oil would rally to $85 a barrel by the end of the year as the economy stabilizes and OPEC production cuts take hold.
The forecast assumes, however, that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will stick to its cuts - and that has never been a sure bet.
Yet even news that could be perceived as negative on the surface has brought more money into oil markets.
The Labor Department said Friday that employers cut 345,000 jobs in May, the fewest since September.
On Thursday, it said the nation's unemployment rolls fell for the first time in 20 weeks.
Still, the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in May, the highest level in more than 25 years.
One of the reasons that gasoline costs nearly $1.40 per gallon less than last year are the massive layoffs the have millions fewer people commuting to work.
Signs that major employers such as manufacturers, and consumers are suffering badly continues to arrive in government energy reports.
Industrial and residential natural gas consumption plunged in March, according to an Energy Department report this week.
Storage facilities continue to swell with huge stocks of unused crude and natural gas. Analyst Stephen Schork noted that 14 GM factories will be idled because of the automaker's bankruptcy.
"That is another 450 football fields worth of power and Btu demand that is about to go missing from the market," he said.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for July delivery fell less than a penny to settle at $1.9546 and heating oil dropped 1.39 cents to settle at $1.7701 a gallon.
Natural gas for July delivery rose 5.8 cents to settle at $3.868 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Russia says economic crisis is past peak, but not yet over

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that the world has escaped the worst of the global economic crisis but warned that Russia could face a second crisis if it fails to break free of its dependence on oil exports.
Speaking at a packed investment forum in St. Petersburg, Medvedev sought to reassure investors worried about the country's sharp slide into recession.
He said it was too early "to crack open the champagne" but that "nonetheless, I believe we have avoided the worst-case scenario." Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin gave a bleaker assessment, warning of further deterioration in the economic situation.
He said the rising number of unpaid loans would trigger a second wave of the crisis in Russia.
But he shrugged off more systemic problems, saying the crisis would be contained through further recapitalization of banks.
Meanwhile, Medvedev said there would be an inevitable increase in state involvement in some sectors of the economy that have been particularly hurt by the global economy, but promised it would be short-lived.
In recent years, the Russian government has moved to reassert control over areas of the economy deemed most strategic, most notably the energy sector.
Since the crisis began last year, however, the government has bailed out some major conglomerates that were highly leveraged, accepting shares as collateral in exchange for loans. Several mid-sized banks were also rescued by the government last year.
Those moves have worried investors who fear the government ownership will lead to inefficiency and corruption.
"State ownership in most of the sectors of the economy should be viewed as an inevitable but a short-term solution," Medvedev said.
Russia's worst economic downturn in a decade has been driven by tumbling oil prices, a weakening ruble and a flight of capital to safer havens.
Gross domestic product contracted by 9.5 percent in the first quarter after nearly a decade of robust economic growth.
Medvedev conceded the government failed to do enough to diversify the economy away from oil when times were good, and said it was necessary to ramp up efforts to reduce Russia's reliance on energy exports if it is to avoid a more serious crisis in the future.
But investors warned that Russia will find that harder to do when crude prices remain high.
"The more we will suffer from low oil and gas prices, the better we will move toward diversification of the economy," said Andrei Sharonov, managing director of Troika Dialog investment bank.
This "pain" is vital if Russia is "to switch to another kind of wealth," he said.
Oil executives said Friday that if there is not an increase in investment in the oil sector, prices could soar again.
Igor Sechin, Russian deputy prime minister, said oil prices could rise to $150 a barrel within two years in the absence of significant investment in the energy sector.
Nearly 30 percent of the audience polled at the forum said a fair price for oil was between $70 and $80 a barrel.
Medvedev's comments were a departure from previous government statements that the United States, where the sub-prime mortgage collapse sent shock waves through the global financial sector, is primarily at fault for bringing the Russian economy to its knees.
The tone appeared softer toward Washington than at the same forum last year, when Russia still appeared relatively untouched by the global crisis.
The president reiterated Russia's interest in seeing the ruble emerge as a reserve currency regionally and the emergence of Moscow as an international financial center - topics on which the president has touched repeatedly.
Chris Gibson-Smith, chairman of the London Stock Exchange, said Medvedev's speech demonstrated "a gentle assertion of Russia's potentially new position in the new world order."
But those ambitions seemed less attainable after a gradual but deep devaluation of the ruble early this year - the currency is strongly linked to oil prices - and the collapse of Russia's financial markets last autumn.
Ahead of the speech, analysts said they were looking for more concrete commitments by the government to wide-ranging reform even as a rising oil price gives the Kremlin a bit of breathing space.
Russia's stock markets experienced an impressive recovery this year after slumping by some 70 percent in 2008.
But volumes still remain thin compared to last year. The ruble has also recovered much of its losses, prompting some analysts to suggest that the currency is becoming too strong at a time the economy is still under considerable pressure.
"In Russia, we can see tremendous progress ... but that's just half of the truth," said Troika's Sharonov.

Beware! Oil Price is Rising Sharply

Oil prices rose sharply Thursday despite more hints that energy use is way down, with traders focusing instead on a rising stock market and surprising news from retailers that suggests Americans are spending money.
If registers at the mall are ringing, that likely means people are driving.
Benchmark crude for May delivery rose nearly 6 percent, or $2.86 to settle at $52.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Trading was very light on a shortened trading week.
Nymex is closed for Good Friday.
In London, Brent prices jumped $2.47 to settle at $54.06 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
"A lot of little things are giving investors hope that maybe the economy has seen the worst," said Andrew Lebow, senior vice president and broker at MF Global.
So far this week, home decor chain Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and restaurant Ruby Tuesday Inc. have reported better-than-expected first quarter results.
Teen retailer Hot Topic Inc. said sales at stores open at least a year rose more than analysts' forecasts.
On Thursday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said sales at stores open at least a year, excluding fuel, rose 1.4 percent, short of the 3.2 percent rise analysts were predicting.
However, the world's largest retailer said a later Easter was to blame and that April sales are likely to be boosted by the holiday.
The government on Thursday said new jobless claims fell more than expected.
The Labor Department's tally of initial jobless claims fell to a seasonally adjusted 654,000, down from a revised 674,000 the previous week.
Analysts expected claims to drop only to 660,000.
"People are buying oil when they see signs of economic hope," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Alaron Trading Corp.
Flynn said he'll know that global demand has returned - and higher crude prices justified - when he sees both a significant drop in petroleum supplies and a decision by refineries to crank up their operations.
"Right now, we're not seeing that," Flynn said.
The government reported Thursday that natural gas storage levels in the U.S. rose more than expected last week.
Natural gas is a key energy source for many power plants and factories.
Rising storage levels suggest that people are using less energy, and companies are making fewer products.
Workers in energy intense industries like metals or manufacturing have been hit especially hard in recent rounds of job cuts.
That is reflected in the growing stocks of oil and natural gas in U.S. storage facilities.
It is potential energy that is not being used, one side effect of a very bad recession.
The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report that natural gas inventories held in underground storage in the lower 48 states rose by 20 billion cubic feet to about 1.67 trillion cubic feet for the week ended April 3.
Analysts had expected a boost of between 11 billion to 16 billion cubic feet, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.
On Wednesday, the government reported crude supplies increased by 1.7 million barrels and gasoline inventories rose by 600,000 barrels,
OPEC countries continue to trim crude production in hopes of siphoning off a global surplus.
Tanker tracker Oil Movements reported Thursday that shipments from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries are expected to drop another 280,000 barrels for the four-week period to April 25.
Meanwhile, with U.S. gas supplies well above average for this time of year, refiners have cut back on gasoline production, which has in turn helped boost prices.
The Energy Information Administration said 767,400 barrels of refining capacity will be offline this month, up 14.5 percent from the historical average of 670,000 barrels of offline capacity.
That could mean tighter supply and higher prices in some regions, particularly on the East Coast in the next couple of weeks.
This is the season when refineries shut down for repairs and switch over to summer blends.
That, along with more people hitting the road, usually means higher gasoline prices.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for May delivery rose 4.14 cents to settle at $1.4810 a gallon and heating oil gained just over 3 cents to settle at $1.4288 a gallon.

Public Bank to cut BLR by 55 basis pts

KUALA LUMPUR: Public Bank Bhd and Public Islamic Bank Bhd will reduce their Base Lending Rate (BLR) and Base Financing Rate (BFR) by 55 basis points from 6.5% to 5.95% with effect from Feb 3.
Public Bank group chairman Tan Sri Dr Teh Hong Piow said on Thursday the reduction of BLR/BFR was part of the banking group’s on-going commitment towards the creation of a more supportive monetary environment to sustain the country’s economic growth.
“Customers will enjoy immediate benefits as the interest/financing rates of all their loans and financing pegged to BLR/BFR will be reduced by 0.55%,” he said.
Teh said Public Bank Group would assist customers manage their financial obligations by providing them with the flexibility to reduce their monthly loan instalments.

Fuel Price Reduced to RM2.55 Effective August 23

Most of the Malaysian didn't expect that the fuel price will be adjusted all in a sudden. Because, earlier news still announced that the new price will be announced by 31st.August, and take effective by 1st.September.
Petrol and diesel price will drop by between eight sen and 22 sen a litre from Saturday.
The price of RON97 petrol will be reduced by 15 sen to RM2.55 a litre from RM2.70, while RON92 would be 22 sen less at RM2.40, from RM2.62
The retail price of diesel would drop by eight sen to RM2.50 a litre.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah ahmad Badawi announced the new prices in a statement after Friday's Cabinet meeting.
He said the prices were determined by taking into account the actual price from Aug 1 to 21 and the 30 sen per litre subsidy borne by the government while the subsidy for diesel, based on the new price, was 50 sen a litre.
"The cabinet decided to bring forward the enforcement date for adjustment of the new petrol price," he said

Malaysia Fuel Price Reduce By 1st.September

Announced by Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 20th.Aug., the Malaysia Government will announce the new fuel prices on Aug 31, which will take effect on Sept 1.

He said the new price would be based on the average fuel prices throughout the month of August and after deducting the 30-sen subsidy per litre.

"We are now monitoring the fuel price (in the international market) and I hope it will continue its downward trend," he said after chairing the 4th National Water Resources Council meeting at the parliament house today.

He said it was still too early to predict how far the prices of petrol and diesel could be lowered.
"It is still too early... We still have about ten days to go and I hope there will be no more increase in the price of fuel," he said.

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Fuel Saver Tips from Helen Taylor

By traveling on normal roads, at realistic speeds and in a variety of weather and traffic conditions in an unmodified car, Helen offered the following tips and guidance on how motorists can obtain the best possible fuel efficiency from their vehicle.

Drive Smoothly
Aggressive driving can use as much as a third more fuel compared to conservative driving. Avoid accelerating or braking too hard, and try to keep the steering action as smooth as possible.

Use Higher Gears
The higher the gear, the lower the engine speed. This can improve fuel efficiency, so use the highest gear appropriate, without causing the engine to labour at an ultra-low rpm. Automatic transmission vehicles will upshift through the gears more quickly and smoothly if the driver eases back slightly on the accelerator when the car has gathered sufficient momentum.

Tune and Service the Engine
A well tuned engine can improve fuel economy by up to four percent. Change the oil and always follow the car manufacturer’s recommendation on servicing.

Keep the Tyres at the Correct Pressure
Correctly inflated tyres are safer and last longer, and they also reduce the amount of energy required to keep the vehicle rolling. A tyre that is under inflated by one psi can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as three percent.

Avoid Carrying Excess Weight
For every extra 45 kilograms (100 pounds) carried in a vehicle, the fuel efficiency can drop by two percent, so keep the trunk and rear seat clear of any unnecessary items that just add weight to the vehicle.

Take the Roof Rack Off
If the roof rack or roof bars are not being used, then remove them. They adversely affect the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle and create drag, reducing fuel economy by as much as five percent.

Use the Correct Engine Oil
Always use the recommended grade of motor oil. Using the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant can improve fuel efficiency by one or two percent. Higher quality motor oils can also help your engine operate more efficiently.

Avoid Excess Idling
Idling gets a vehicle nowhere but still burns fuel. Turn the engine off when you’re in a queue, or waiting for someone, until you need to drive.

Avoid High Speeds
The faster you travel, the more wind resistance you’ll encounter and the more fuel your vehicle will consume just to maintain speed. Driving just eight km/h (five mph) over the speed limit can affect fuel economy by up to 23 percent.

Maintain the Distance
Leaving a sensible distance between your car and the vehicle in front gives the driver ample time to anticipate obstacles and to brake evenly.

Use Air Conditioning Sparingly
Air conditioning puts added strain on the engine and uses additional fuel when operating, so limit its use to particularly hot days. On temperate days, use the fan instead of air conditioning.

Check the Air Filter
The air filter keeps impurities from damaging your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percent while helping to protect your engine.

Avoid Rush Hour or Traffic Jam Hotspots
If you can travel outside of peak times and avoid known areas of heavy traffic, you’ll spend less time stuck in queues and slow-moving traffic, thus consuming less fuel.

Conserve Momentum
Think ahead when driving. For example, slow down early to let red traffic lights change to green, rather than stopping completely. Also, speed up a little before reaching the start of a hill and then allow the vehicle’s momentum to carry the vehicle up the hill without working the engine harder.

Keep Calm
When drivers are not calm, they are more likely to make judgement errors. Fuel efficiency is all about smoothness. Judgement and keeping calm is absolutely crucial to achieving fuel economy.

Use Handbrakes on Slopes
Some motorists do not use the handbrake when stopping their vehicle on a slope. Instead, they either partially disengage the clutch (on manual transmission vehicles), or use the accelerator (on automatic vehicles), to keep the vehicles from rolling back. Both actions use fuel unnecessarily.


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PRO-ACTIVE ATTITUDE CAN SLASH FUEL COSTS

A couple holding the world record for fuel efficiency driving say that having a pro-active stance can go a long way to help reduce fuel costs."You don’t need rocket science to achieve fuel efficiency," says Helen Taylor, who together with her husband, John, is now in Malaysia to impart their knowledge on fuel savings."Stop complaining about higher fuel prices, think and do something constructive by being proactive, save fuel and give the money back to the Malaysian community," she told Bernama after a demonstration on "fuel economy simulator" organised by Shell Malaysia at Wisma Bernama lobby here Tuesday."We hope our lessons will help all drivers reduce fuel consumption by at least 10 percent, resulting in much lower carbon emissions and more money in the people's pockets," said Helen.John and Helen set the Guinness World Record for fuel efficiency in 2006 for using less of 40 tanks of fuel to drive 28,970 kilometres around the world in 78 days.They are officially the world’s most economical drivers. In recent years they have dedicated their lives to proving it and have notched up an impressive list of 35 fuel economy records.Their next goal is fuel economy endurance drive across 48 states in the mainland of the United States to break another record as "records are meant to be broken," said John.He also revealed that an under-inflated tyre at just one pound per square inch or psi lower can negate fuel efficiency by three percent."Check tyres regularly to keep all of them at the right pressure," said John.The fuel economy simulator, which has been designed to show the effect of a cars acceleration on the mileage and fuel usage, is timely as it comes when most Malaysians are griping about the price of fuel, which was raised by 40 percent in June this year.John and Helen will also conduct similar demonstrations at the Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya this weekend and later across the country.By implementing one or two recommended tips, they said motorists could already save 10 percent and "when millions of motorists do it, the results can be highly significant".The Taylors, who have driven in over 20 countries, have also established a Fuel Academy to take this message directly to the motoring public, which contains a list of tips to improve fuel efficiency.According to their website at www.fuelacademy.com, they have laid down some 30 "Taylor’s Tips” such as getting the car into higher gear quickly as this would help save fuel.In urging motorists to drive smoothly, they also advised motorists to avoid carrying excess weight, remove the roof rack when not in use, use the correct lubrication and fuel, ensure a clean air filter and avoid excess idling, which means turning the engine off when one is stationary.Motorists should plan trips carefully to avoid rush hour driving and over revving.One should keep also use air-conditioning sparingly, conserve momentum, ensure that the fuel cap is airtight, be calm while driving and moderate the speed when driving against a headwind.John and Helen said motorists of manual transmission cars should also use the handbrake when stopping on a slope rather than riding their clutch to balance.They also advocate -- travelling light, preparing to ensure a relaxed journey, planning the route, avoid using a handphone while driving and accelerating gradually.The couple emphasised that the driver was by far the most important factor in fuel consumption, adding that the rule should be to drive slightly below the speed limit."There is no need to stomp the accelerator into the carpet to the next red traffic light. It is (still) possible to achieve the same speed using far less fuel by simply being patient. If you’re using your brakes unnecessarily, you’re essentially wasting energy," added Helen

Will Malaysia's Fuel Price Cut Soon ?

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday the Malaysian government was set to announce a cut in fuel prices, following a 41-percent hike in June that stirred protests.

The government hiked petrol prices to ease the burden of spiralling energy subsidies, but crude oil costs have fallen around 23 dollars from record highs above 147 dollars per barrel hit earlier in July.

"If possible, I want to reduce the fuel price right now. Be patient, the government will announce it later," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

"The government is studying several matters before making the announcement."

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government wanted to cut fuel prices.

"I think if the trend of oil prices continues downwards, it is only right that it is reflected in domestic prices. There is a desire for us to reflect the current market situation," he told reporters.

A senior finance ministry official told AFP Thursday that Malaysia may reduce fuel prices in the weeks ahead if global oil prices continue to fall.

The official said "if oil prices remain between 120 dollars a barrel and 125 dollars a barrel for two weeks," then Abdullah could announce a cut in fuel costs.

Oil was trading at around 123 dollars on Friday after being pushed lower on fears of easing energy demand. But prices are still much higher than in recent history, having traded at under 10 dollars in the late 1990s.

Abdullah's decision to hike fuel prices sparked angry street protests and triggered calls for the premier to stand down, compounding his woes after disastrous results in March elections.

Malaysia's annual inflation rate soared to a 26-year high of nearly eight percent in June due to the rise in fuel costs, echoing a surge in inflation across Asia that has stoked fears of slower regional economic growth.

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Toyota's Stand-Up-and-Ride Segway

Toyota has developed a motorized stand-up-and-ride Segway lookalike designed to help people scoot around at malls and airports.

But the "Winglet," shown Friday in Tokyo, takes some getting used to. A demonstrator was visibly worried about its safety while accompanying a reporter who cautiously tried it on a short course in a Toyota showroom.
Toyota officials insist anyone can learn to ride it with some practice, including the elderly — its major target buyer.
Still, Toyota Motor Corp. has no plans yet to turn the Winglet into a commercial product. The Japanese automaker will start testing the two-wheeler this year at an airport and resort complex and next year at a shopping mall, all in Japan, to get user feedback. Overseas test plans are undecided.
The Winglet goes up to 3.7 mph, about the same speed as pedestrians, far slower than 12.5-mph Segway, which costs $5,000. The Winglet can go about 3 miles before needing to be recharged.
It is designed to stop easily with little pressure, pivot full-circle and go smoothly over bumps on roads. And it is designed to respond almost intuitively — moving forward when you lean to the front, and turning when you sway to the right or left, similar to skiing. One of three models shown comes with a protruding handle that can be grabbed and used like a steering wheel.
Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada, who zipped around on a Winglet as though he was on a skateboard, said the company is experimenting with new ways of mobility as part of a company strategy to spread robotics.
"We hope to create friendly robots that can exist side by side with people," Uchiyamada said. "Winglet will help everyone move around safely and stay active."
Winglet evolved out of Toyota's takeover of parts of Sony Corp.'s robotics division last year. Sony, reshaping itself under Chief Executive Howard Stringer, decided to focus on electronics and wipe out its Aibo pet robot and other peripheral businesses.
Toyota envisions a future in which Winglet will be packed with wireless technology so it relays shopping information at stores. Or it may move on its own, Uchiyamada said. So it might go recharge its batteries itself, or come pick you up when you beckon it, toting your luggage.

Samsung Anycall Haptic Technology

­If you thought the Apple iPhone was amazing, then feast your eyes -- and fingers -- on this phone from Samsung. Dubbed the Anycall Haptic, the phone features a large touch-screen display just like the iPhone. But it does Apple's revolutionary gadget one better, at least for now: It enables users to feel clicks, vibrations and other tactile input. In all, it provides the user with 22 kinds of touch sensations.

Those sensations explain the use of the term haptic in the name. Haptic is from the Greek "haptesthai," meaning to touch. As an adjective, it means relating to or based on the sense of touch. As a noun, usually used in a plural form (haptics), it means the science and physiology of the sense of touch. Scientists have studied haptics for decades, and they know quite a bit about the biology of touch. They know, for example, what kind of receptors are in the skin and how nerves shuttle information back and forth between the central nervous system and the point of contact.

Unfortunately, computer scientists have had great difficulty transferring this basic understanding of touch into their virtual reality systems. Visual and auditory cues are easy to replicate in computer-generated models, but tactile cues are more prob­lematic. It is almost impossible to enable a user to feel something happening in the computer's mind thro­ugh a typical interface. Sure, keyboards allow users to type in words, and joysticks and steering wheels can vibrate. But how can a user touch what's inside the virtual world? How, for example, can a video game player feel the hard, cold steel of his or her character's weapon? How can an astronaut, training in a computer simulator, feel the weight and rough texture of a virtual moon rock?

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High Tech New Motorola Handphone

Wowww!!!

When will this cool Motorola Handphone

release in Market????

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Hyundai's Genesis Coupe Concept is Coming

The sporty new Genesis Coupe concept of Hyundai will become a reality in the spring of next year, 2009.

According to "Road & Track", the gloves are off at Hyundai, determined to convince the world that it's ready to go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry, is showing off its sporty new Genesis Coupe concept that is to become a reality in the spring of 2009.

Here's the more details of the articles,

"The Genesis Coupe, despite circulating rumors, will not succeed the Tiburon since Hyundai has no plans to stop production of its front-drive sports coupe. Instead it will enter Hyundai's line up as an entry-level rear-driver powered either by a base turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, or more powerful all-aluminum 3.8-liter V-6 that is estimated to make over 300-bhp, and over 250 lb-ft of torque.
The curvaceously raked body design is said to have been inspired by LeMans race cars, drift cars and of all other things, some die cast models by Jada Toys Dub City. Extensive use of carbon fiber can be seen throughout the entire body including the hood, roof, front fascia, rocker panels and various other details. This is no doubt an expensive setup which will most likely not make it into the sub-$30,000 production version.
Mated to either a 6-speed automatic or ZF-made 6-speed manual transmission, power will then be transmitted through a limited-slip differential and ultimately to a pair of the large 20-in. polished aluminum wheels. Hankook Ventus tires measuring 255/35ZR-20 in front and 275/35ZR-20 at the rear, are assigned the duty of managing traction under acceleration and cornering, and when the 4-piston monobloc Brembo brakes are called upon, stopping.
This 2 + 2 seater measuring 183.7-in. long, 74.9-in. wide, 54.5-in. tall and with a wheelbase of 111.0-in, upon entering the market in 2009 will have a specific mission, according to V.P. John Krafcik, and that is to "deliver a driving experience that challenges cars like the Infiniti G37, at prices more like a Mitsubishi Eclipse."

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Over 150 Banks will be closed in America

According to report from The New York Times, as many as 150 America banks would be closed over the next 12 to 18 months. For sure, this would force a big impact to the world economy since the America still holding as big leader in the world market. The damage to Asia would very much depend on how far we could absorb the impact.

Here's the report captured from The New York Times,
"As home prices continue to decline and loan defaults mount, federal regulators are bracing for dozens of American banks to fail over the next year.
But after a large mortgage lender in California collapsed late Friday, Wall Street analysts began posing two crucial questions: Just how many banks might falter? And, more urgently, which one could be next?
The nation’s banks are in far less danger than they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when more than 1,000 federally insured institutions went under during the savings-and-loan crisis. The debacle, the greatest collapse of American financial institutions since the Depression, prompted a government bailout that cost taxpayers about $125 billion.
But the troubles are growing so rapidly at some small and midsize banks that as many as 150 out of the 7,500 banks nationwide could fail over the next 12 to 18 months, analysts say. Other lenders are likely to shut branches or seek mergers.
“Everybody is drawing up lists, trying to figure out who the next bank is, No. 1, and No. 2, how many of them are there,” said Richard X. Bove, the banking analyst with Ladenburg Thalmann, who released a list of troubled banks over the weekend. “And No. 3, from the standpoint of Washington, how badly is it going to affect the economy?”
Many investors are on edge after federal regulators seized the California lender, IndyMac Bank, one of the nation’s largest savings and loans, last week. With $32 billion in assets, IndyMac, a spinoff of the Countrywide Financial Corporation, was the biggest American lender to fail in more than two decades.
Now, as the Bush administration grapples with the crisis at the nation’s two largest mortgage finance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a rush of earnings reports in the coming days and weeks from some of the nation’s largest financial companies are likely to provide more gloomy reminders about the sorry state of the industry.
The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is vital to the banks, savings and loans and credit unions, which own $1.3 trillion of securities issued or guaranteed by the two mortgage companies. If the mortgage giants ever defaulted on those obligations, banks might be forced to raise billions of dollars in additional capital.
The large institutions set to report results this week, including Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, are in no danger of failing, but some are expected to report more multibillion-dollar write-offs.
But time may be running out for some small and midsize lenders. They vary in size and location, but their common woe is the collapsed real estate market and souring mortgage loans. Most of these banks are far smaller than the industry giants that have drawn so much scrutiny from regulators and investors.
Still, only six lenders have failed so far this year, including IndyMac. In 1994, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation listed 575 banks that it considered to be troubled. As of this spring, the agency was worried about just 90 banks. That number may go up in August, when the government releases an updated list.
“Failed banks are a lagging indicator, not a leading indicator,” said William Isaac, who was chairman of the F.D.I.C. in the early 1980s and is now the chairman of the Secura Group, a finance consulting firm in Virginia. “So you will see more troubled, more failed banks this year.”
And yet IndyMac, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, was not on the government’s troubled bank list this spring — an indication that other troubled banks may be below the radar.
The F.D.I.C. has $53 billion set aside to reimburse consumers for deposits lost at failed banks. IndyMac will eat up $4 billion to $8 billion of that fund, the agency estimates, and that could force it to raise more money from the banks that it insures.
The agency does not disclose which banks it thinks are troubled. But analysts are circulating their own lists, and short sellers — investors who bet against stocks — are piling on. In recent weeks, the share prices of some regional banks, like the BankUnited Financial Corporation, in Florida, and the Downey Financial Corporation, in California, have stumbled hard amid concern about their financial health. A BankUnited spokeswoman said the lender had largely avoided risky subprime loans.
In his “Who Is Next?” report over the weekend, Mr. Bove listed the fraction of loans at banks that are nonperforming, meaning, for example, that the assets have been foreclosed on or that payments are 90 days past due. He came up with what he called a danger zone, which was a percentage above 5 percent. Seven banks fell in this category.
An important issue for the regional and community banks will be whether they have managed to sell their riskiest loans to Wall Street firms.
And the government may have fewer failures than in the past because private investment funds might buy some troubled lenders. Regulators are considering rule changes that would allow private equity firms to buy larger shares of banks, and several prominent investors, like Wilbur Ross, have raised funds to leap in."

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