Avastin Lawsuit

While reading up on current cancer treatments, I read about the Avastin lawsuit, which was brought on by patients injured by Avastin, a cancer medication that was said to be able to interfere with the growth of cancer cells and stunts the spread of these cells in the body of patients.

However, it is recently found out that Avastin has given patients more medical problems than it is said to be able to cure cancer. Some of the side effects include high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, bleeding and even holes in the nose, stomach and intestines!

It is very strange to think that while on medication hoping to be cured of a disease, one suffers even more because of the medication that has caused those damages!

Cheryl Cole Slim Dress Is Now On eBay Again

The owner of Girls Aloud Chery Cole's Hervé Léger bandage dress up on eBay because she couldn't fit in. She thinks it's timely to sell it on eBay to someone who can wear it, and to donate part of the proceeds to Macmillan Cancer Support because she has recently lost a brother-in-law to cancer.

According to the owner, the dress was bought by her boyfriend when Cheryl Cole was auctioning her wardrobe. It's funny. Although he won the bid, that doesn't mean that the girlfriend has to wear it. It could be an "investment", couldn't it?

Personalized Backpacks For Kids

My sister told me she is very tired running around stores helping her friend get two kids ready for school. Once they have made the purchases, they had to label everything with the names of the children. That certainly sounds like a lot of work!

If she had told me earlier what she is lately busy with, I would have suggested she buys all the school needs online. She could even buy a functional kids backpack online that comes with free personalization. That would save her plenty of work and obviously, time!

In addition, the free personalization looks way better than my sister's handiwork. My sister is all thumbs when it comes to sewing!

Men Slightly Outnumber Women In Malaysia

When friends ask me what they should sell if they plan to set up a retail business, I tell them to first think of who they would like to target. Obviously, they also need to enjoy what they trade in, have knowledge and most of all, passion.

In Malaysia, the 2010 census has shown that the male population in the country slightly outnumbers the female population. Therefore, if one targets just the male or just the female market, there is not much difference in terms of number of potential customers.

Of course, it is best if we could target both men and women but then again, I think women generally shops more than men. However, they shop at places that could offer them the best prices, unlike men who would only shop at places they are comfortable in and familiar with!

Actos Lawsuit

A friend told me to read up the news about a recent Actos lawsuit. According to her, it has been found that Actos leads to serious injuries to the heart causing heart attack and heart failure. Moreover, studies have shown that it increases the risk of bladder cancer.

It's ironic that Actos, which is sold under these trade names, Actos, ActoplusMet, Competact and Duetact, and used to control diabetes in patients, could cause even more health problems to a diabetic!

If you are on medication for diabetes, do check with your doctor if you are at risk! Hopefully not, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Autographed "Rare" Mega Drive Tetris On eBay

An autographed mega drive tetris game cartridge has been put up on eBay with an asking price of USD1 million. A lot of people are saying that the game is not as rare as the seller claimed and not worth the asking price. It is autographed by game developer, Alexei Patzinov.

Interested parties can offer a lower price, if they are not willing to pay USD1 million for it but then again, it's up to the seller to accept to reject the offer. Now, I have no knowledge of games and how rare or not they are. I think the value of the cartridge will not only depend on the rarity of the game but also on how rare an autograph of Alexei Patzinov is!

What do you think of the asking price? If you are a game collector, would you pay USD1 million for this game cartridge? If so, how much do you think the value of this autographed mega drive tetris will potentially rise?

PayPal Fee Changes w.e.f. 7th September 2011

PayPal UK will be making slight changes to their fees with effect from 7th September, 2011. You'd think that the company is rich enough, and yet there is fee increase in some transactions. To be fair, they have not increased their fees for eight years.

Depending on who in Europe you normally trade with, you may be affected by the fee increase, or you may gain from the slight decrease in fees. Yes, not all transactions are affected by an increase, as you can see. But even if we hate to be held at ransom like this, if we are trading on PayPal, we have to play by their rules.

For more information, read this PAGE on PayPal UK.

Kate Middleton's 2001 Volkswagen Golf On eBay

The current owner of an inky blue Volkswagen Golf is putting it up on eBay to cash in on the new found fame of Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge. According to Sonny Brazil, he bought the car two years ago from GBP1,400 from one James Middleton, who turns out to be the younger brother of Kate. Catherine Middleton's name is listed on the car registration certificate.

Sonny has listed his car on eBay with a staring bid of GBP20,000 and the winner of the auction will also receive a pair of silver cufflinks found in the car. It is not know who owned the cufflinks. Maybe James or Prince William, who used the car when he was dating Kate Middleton while they were in college.

News of the World Final Issue costs £30 On eBay

The final issue of News of the World is being sold on eBay at £30 and still going up. This copy has already been sold out at new-stands as soon as it hit the streets. It is then not surprising that some people would be heading to eBay and other online marketplaces to get their hands on the final issue of News of the World.

This newspaper has been in circulation for 168 years but the decision to shut it down came after a scandal that implicated former News of the World journalists in illegal phone hacking where it is reported that more than 4000 people were targetted.

Personalized Checks

Although I have a personal and a company checking account, I hardly issue checks. Most of my transactions, like bill payments, are done online while most purchases are done with cash or credit card. Frankly, I'd rather receive checks than issue them! In contrast, my sister is a regular check user, paying all her bills with checks. She would write a check even if she's buying a $10 item!

However, when running a company, there really is no escape from writing bank checks, and when I do issue one, I like it to be special. In the United States, we have the freedom to customize our checks, whether personal or business checks. Of course, you would have to order checks from third party printers, like Carousel Checks for example, and not directly through your bank.

I find this great. When we are running a company, it sets us apart from other companies and is another avenue for us to promote our brand, especially in a competitive business environment. I believe that if we have custom printed checks, the recipients of our checks will remember us better. Perhaps they will think of us when there is a new business opportunity.

This morning, I had the chance to browse through the wide variety of personal and photo checks on the Carousel Checks website. No matter whether we require custom printed checks for personal or business use, we can be sure our needs will be met.

eBay FVF Updated

eBay has updated their new Final Value Fees, which will impact new listings only. This means that old ones will not be affected, until they are up for renewal. The new FVF will include shipping costs as well. This is really unfair, don't you think so? However, eBay says this is their way to reward those who reward low cost shipping.

I don't know how this will affect buyers and sellers in generally, but from what I can see, it will be more difficult to earn a living from selling on eBay because it will increase the sellers' costs. In any case, we need some time to evaluate the impact on users of eBay, particularly on sellers.

Golf Gift

I went to Jusco's golf fair the other day, hoping to find a golf gift for my friend. After looking for thirty minutes, decided to leave as I couldn't find anything unique. I was hoping to get him a unique golf gift, maybe a novelty item, since he already has everything he needs when it comes to golfing!

I think I will have to resort to shopping for his gift online. I have no issues with shopping online, I just hope that the item will be shipped to me quickly. Maybe I would need to pay for overnight shipping so as to get the gift on time for the birthday. I'll give it a day or two to look at local shops first before I go online.

Family Puts EVERYTHING On eBay Auction

A family in the US is putting up everything they have, well almost everything, on eBay on auction, before they move to a new city and build a new life. What they are keeping are the kids, in-laws, pets, Pillow Pets, stuffed animals and sports trophies. They rest are sold in a "bundle" including the house and car.

Right now, bidding has yet to reach the reserved price but the family is unfazed as they believe last minute bidders will help push the price up before the auction closes. However, with a reserved price of US$275K, there are not many people which that much spare cash to splurge on a purchase like this.

Price Comparison Shopping

Since using an Android handphone, I have been comparing prices of my purchases way more often than I used to. It's so easy because of the barcode scanner application, and with my phone connected to the internet, it will call up prices of the item from all major retailers.

Of course, this doesn't always work, especially when I am not buying an item from a major brand name. Still, having this application on my smart phone is truly handy. I don't know how much I have saved on my purchases but it has definitely helped me save some money over time.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Autographed Handphones On eBay Auction

eBay India and Maxx Mobile (India) are collaborating with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to raise funds for charity. Maxx Mobile will be sponsoring two handsets, MSD7 and M2020, which will be autographed by brand ambassador, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mahendra is the current captain of the Indian national cricket team.

Proceeds from the auction of these two mobile phones, which will run from 5th to 15th July, 2011, will benefit MS Dhoni Charitable Foundation. This charity foundation supports people in India from all segments of society and provides assistance to build careers in cricketing.

Helping Out The Family Business

Many people do not know that I come from a mining family. Well, although I work for myself as a web marketer, I still have to help out the family business when I can. I am right now busy sourcing for waterproof metal detectors.

Well, if you have played treasure hunting before as a kid, you will have a rough idea what I am looking for, except that what my dad wants are industrial sized and waterproof metal detectors. I hope I am able to source for him what he wants, and at a good price too! It’s not easy to fit his budget but I hope I can do that.

PayPal Most Targetted By Phishers In May 2011

Kaspersky Labs, a leading internet security company, has released a report on phishing victims in May, 2011. According to the report, PayPal, not surprisingly remains the top company targetted by phishers, leading by 23.28%. Meanwhile, the country that generated the most spam mail was India, with 11.35% share of the pie. Hhmm I never realised this.

Also, May was the month that Osama bin Laden was killed by America and spammers took it to the (online) street by making use of the news story and tricking web users to click on links purportedly showing graphic images of Osama being killed, that unfortunately lead them to phishing websites.

Managing Retirement Fund

A friend will have access to his retirement fund at the end of this year. It's quite a sum of money since he held a high paying job before his retirement. He said that because it is a lump sum of money, he would consult with a wealth management group to see what the best way to grow his money, his new wealth.

I read about a Missoula, MT wealth management group earlier which I am sure would be able to give him the advice he needs. This is an established company; when it comes to wealth management, we definitely don't feel as secure going with a new company, right?

Stolen Watch Turns Up On eBay After 27 Years

A 1960's chronograph Tissot watch with a leather band that was stolen from its owner's home in 1984 has turned up on eBay, being sold by a vintage watch seller.

The owner of the watch was alerted to the auction by someone who did an online search based on the inscription at the back of the watch. Joe Mosbrook, the original owner, however, decided not to place a bid on the eBay auction and just thought this a very fascinating story.

The auction received more than thirty bids and closed at US$526.