Gordon Brown, speaking recently in Scotland, said that there should be a national debate on raising the state pension age, and David Blunkett, Work and Pensions secretary, told the BBC News that a rise in the state pension age should be considered.
The Pension Commission has already suggested that a mixture of higher taxes, larger savings and a higher retirement age could go some way to making sure that people will not be living in poverty in their old age.
Apparently the 'problem' is that people are living longer, and the pension's commission declares that more than 12 million people are not saving enough towards retirement. Since the government, and life insurance firms, didn't anticipate pensioners living so long, now they are saying that, in order to be able to afford to pay out on their pensions, they will have to work to at least the age of 70.
At first sight this all looks rather bleak, but it's not all bad news, because people who work longer, particularly in a job they enjoy, actually live longer. Many people think that if they retire early they will live longer, but researchers have disproved this theory. In fact, those who stop working at 55 have nearly double the death rate of those who continue to work until they reach at least 65!
Baroness Greengross, chief executive of the International Longevity Centre UK, has said Work is a huge part of this equation, and provides mental and physical activity, self-esteem, social interaction and income for many of us is vital for older people to stay mentally and physically activeSo maybe we are all going to have to work for longer, and yet no one wants to be stuck in a job they hate for even more years than they had already anticipated.
Luckily there are some happy alternatives. There's been quite an increase recently in people wanting to set up an e-commerce business with a view to building it up now, so that it will bring an income during their 'retirement' years.
Usually customers have been planning on setting up an online shop to sell products or services connected with their interests or hobbies. They're doing this with the intention of using the internet to make money for themselves, and their families, in an enjoyable way, and setting up something they will be able to continue with well into their old age.
These days it is not nearly as expensive or difficult to set up an e-commerce website as it used to be. Getting asite that would let you sell your products or service online can be done quite quickly, and with the minimum of fuss, if you approach a company who has experience in setting up ecommerce websites. You do really need to seek professional help and advice with this though, as it's not something a novice can do successfully by themselves.
Making your later years 'golden' could be as simple as expanding your hobby and getting set up to sell related products or services online. With an uncertain future ahead, the security of a little extra income is sure to be very welcome indeed.
When you head to the grocery store, shopping for products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce can be very tricky. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural, organic, and a number of other things-but what's the difference, really? Learning what specific names mean can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a product, whether the nutrition value is better or if it is simply a marketing ploy.
Natural is a term associated with a number of fruit and vegetable product. Typically, this is simple a marketing ploy to convince you to buy the product. After all, all fruits and vegetables are natural, right? Unless it's a new kind of food that has been developed and processed, the product is natural. Probably what you're really looking for is organic. Organic foods are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There are two main benefits to organic foods. Firstly, you are helping the environment as chemicals are not being introduced into nature. Secondly, you are avoiding ingesting chemicals and are therefore benefitting by using a healthier food. However, organic products are usually more expensive while nutrition is the same (I mean a good apple is a good apple). If you're on a budget, skip over organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. After all, once you've discarded the peel, you've also discarded the chemicals. Instead, opt for organic items like apples, where you eat the peel. No matter what you buy, however, make sure that you rinse off the food when you get homeAnother tricky label you will see is "no hormones." This is usually in regards to milk or meat products and is false, since all animals naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what helps an animal (even a human) regulate body organs, have young, and otherwise function. All meat products have hormones. What the labels really mean is that no hormones were unnaturally given to the animal, which is sometimes done to increase milk production. Regardless of hormones, however, the milk and meat is safe for a person and not a violation of an animal's rights.
Lastly, a label on eggs and meat can indicate if the animal was caged or penned. This does not make a difference in the quality or nutritional value of the meat, but is simply a matter of animal rights. These products may be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make human decisions, that is the way to go. Reading the label and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best choices for you diet.
Digital video recorders (DVR) are recording equipment that can record and store digital video on a computer. These can record audio as well as video data from multiple sources.
A DVR is basically a hard drive that can be connected to the computer and to other video sources such as a VCR. It has a tuner which captures the signal using a cable, antenna, or a satellite. The analog signals are compressed and converted into digital signals, which are then stored on the hard drive. A built-in MPEG-2 decoder converts the digital signal back into analog signal when it has to reach the television for viewing. Each DVR has an operating system within the hard drive.
There are several advantages to digital video recorders. They do not require a recording medium like tapes, as the data is stored on the DVR itself. Another main advantage is that the recording and playback can be done at the same time. Using this, even a live program on the TV can be paused, in the sense that the program can be recorded on the DVR and then viewed instead of the live program. However, the space within a DVR is limited, which is its main disadvantage. DVRs also have a live-TV buffer that keeps them in a constant recording mode for an hour or more.
Another interesting feature of DVRs is their search tool, which allows searching of a particular program by name of the program, name of the actors, or even by keywords. Some DVRs can be programmed to record some programs that have certain words in them. DVRs have recording capacities ranging from thirty hours to 320 hours. This also depends on the quality of the stored files.
The main categories of digital video recorders are TiVo, ReplayTV, and UltimateTV. Some of the top manufacturers of digital video recorders are LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, RCA,Samsung, Sonic Blue, and Sony. Prices range from $600 to $1,200 or more, depending on the brand, the model, and the options provided.
