Colorado is lagging behind other regions of the country in the use of federal government's Home Affordable Modification Program.

Data compiled the U. S. Treasury & Housing and departments of Urban Development showed that the number of HAMP-related mortgage-loan modifications in Colorado reached 14,320 by the end of February.

Out of a total of 14,320, Colorado's permanent modifications and active trial modifications were reported at 2,613 and 11,707 respectively.

Figures released by the Treasury Department showed that as many as 90,000 borrowers saw their mortgage aid vanished under the government's foreclosure prevention plan as they could not provide evidence that they qualified for the plan.

Government's foreclosure prevention plan helps borrowers by lowering mortgage payments by around $500 per month.

If you have just had a knee replacement surgery and your doctor has advised you not to engage in any sports activity then read more. A recent study has stated that sport participation post knee replacement is not only safe but may lead to better knee function.

A study on Alzheimer's disease states that elderly people driving with failing memories often keep driving and they might get lost even on ways that are familiar to them.

Linda Hunt, an associate professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Pacific University, Oregon, said that even with early dementia, being behind the steering wheel is not safe at all because the disease is unpredictable.

The most preferred prostate cancer screening procedure, PSA, is under the clouds of uncertainty as its discoverer said that the test was a `hugely expensive public health disaster.'

According to Richard Ablin from the University of Arizona, the screening tool that was discovered by him about four decades ago is now ineffective and expensive.

Sounding sorrow to parents who are seeking reimbursements for children's illness related to vaccines, a special U. S. court ruled that vaccines that contain a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal could not cause autism.

William Mead, a boy based in Oregon, is autistic and his family blames it on vaccines.

Patients taking Plavix will now be able to read a warning written on the drug. This would be specifically for those who have a poor response to the drug. US regulators said that due to patients not responding to the drug are unable to break down the drug well.

The $8-billion-a-year drug sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Sanofi-Aventis SA, will carry the boxed warning, the Food and Drug Administration said.

FDA's website states that patients who are poor metabolizers of Plavix will be warned about its effectiveness.

China's higher-than-expected inflation in February would not affect the policy plans of country’s central bank, The People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan has said.

Consumer inflation in China jumped year-on-year 2.7 per cent last month, raising concerns that inflation could surpass the government’s target of keeping under 3 per cent in 2010.

Speaking on the topic, Mr. Zhou added, "February CPI was higher than forecast but not by too much.”

State banking regulators shut down three banks on Friday, pushing the total number of failed financial institutions to 30 this year.

Regulators closed Park Avenue Bank in New York, Old Southern Bank in Florida and Statewide Bank in Louisiana.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said that Home Bank of Lafayette in Louisiana had agreed to assume all the deposits of Statewide Bank; however, it would not pay the FDIC a premium.

In addition, Home Bank will purchase almost all the assets of the Statewide Bank.

In a speech at the Game Developers Conference, well-known game designer Sid Meier expressed his views on the psychology of game design.

Sid Meier, the architect of Civilization, said the top secret of creating a groundbreaking game is to recognize what is going on inside the mind of a player.

He said that developers must keep the psychology of players in their mind while creating games for them. If a game is not rewarding in the first 15 minutes, risk of losing audience soars.

MyOuterSpace. com, William Shatner’s newly launched social network website, aims at fans of science fiction, horror and fantasy.

The motive of the Canadian actor behind the launch of MyOuterSpace. com is to recruit people with high skills in the field of science fiction.

The network, which is divided into 12 categories, covers diverse aspects of science fiction.

Category ‘Plants’ stand for the entertainment arts, while ‘Anteros’ represents designers and animators.

Leaked details of the facelifted Maybach have revealed that car’s facelift has been limited to mainly visual upgrades.

The upgraded Maybach will come with LED daytime running lights, new front bumper and redesigned grille and hood. The vehicle is also expected to come with more aggressive lower air intake area.

The engines of the Maybach have been upgraded to fit with Euro V standards, but their power output has been left untouched.

Coffee maker Starbucks has teamed up with Foursquare to get feedback from customers.

It was announced that frequent Starbucks visitors who would check in at retail locations via Foursquare would get rewards.

However, it should be noted here that there is no financial reward or free coffee to begin with for the winners.

Customers will be able to unlock the ‘Barista badge’ after five times check in.

The coffee maker is using Foursquare to see how popular it has become.

Mobile phone operator Vodafone UK has announced that the Sony Ericsson Vivaz is now available online and in its stores to buy.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz boasts of its 8.1 megapixel camera and 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen.

Built-in Facebook and Twitter applications, GPS support, ability to record high-definition video are some of the other striking features of the handset.

In addition, the handset comes with FM Radio as well as TrackID capabilities.

Gavin Cheshire, the vice president of Codemasters, has confirmed that the company was working on the sequel to last year's Colin McRae - DiRT 2.

In an interview with Edge, Mr. Cheshire said that rally driving game DiRT 3 would bring something fresh & new.

Speaking on the topic, he said, “In DiRT 3, I’m not saying we’re throwing all codebase away, but we’re throwing the thoughts away and coming out with something fresh and new.”