It's a stressful time to have student loans. Between payment pauses and the courts disputing the legality of the Biden administration's SAVE repayment plan, there are many questions about what will happen next. Elaine Rubin, a higher education policy expertAs a student loan expert with more than 15 years of experience in the industry, I understand the confusion. I've witnessed my fair share of program changes, but I've never been through a period more complicated and tumultuous than the policy tug-of-war we've seen over the past two years.With so many factors up in the air, how should you approach your student loan repayment strategy?You can't control the fate of debt relief programs or income-driven repayment plans, but there are steps you can take to regain control of your student loans. Here are five things you can do right now and one thing you shouldn't do. Check your student loan balanceDo you know how much you owe in total on your student loans? You might have an idea (or think you do), but it's important to check.Many borrowers I've worked with are surprised to find they owe more than they initially borrowed when it's time to start repayment. This is because most loans, except subsidized ones, begin accruing interest from the moment they are disbursed. Outstanding interest, which has not been capitalized or added to your loan, is listed separately from the principal balance. To fully understand your loan balance, it's important to carefully review your statements.If you know who your student loan servicer is, you can log into your online account to check your balance. If you're not sure, you can find out by logging into your Federal Student Aid account and visiting the My Aid page.Read more:5 Ways to Pay Off Your Student Loans Even Faster Prepare now to restart paymentsIf you are enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan, your loans have been in an administrative forbearance since this summer due to the plan's legal challenges. You haven't been able to make payments, and your interest rate has been set to zero. This payment hold is temporary, and I expect it to end soon.If you haven't done so already, reevaluate your monthly budget to accommodate your student loan payments.Compare the income-driven repayment plansIf you're worried about SAVE disappearing or looking to adjust your budget to include your monthly loan payments, it's a good idea to explore all available repayment plans. You can use the US Department of Education's Loan Simulator to estimate your payments and check eligibility for specific plans. This tool will let you explore available income-driven payment options.Update: The department recentlyrestored the Pay as You Earn and Income-Contingent Repayment options, two IDR plans that were previously phased out. You can now apply for them online (if you're eligible). Consider the PSLF buyback programThe Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers debt cancellation for teachers, nurses and other public service employees who work in a qualifying job for 10 years and make 120 payments on their loans. If you're enrolled in SAVE and were close to reaching your 120 total payments, the recent payment pause may have delayed your forgiveness. In this case, you might benefit from the PSLF buyback program.The PSLF buyback program lets you "buy back" months where your loans sat on hold during a forbearance period but only if doing so brings you to 120 total payments.For example, let's say you had already made 115 qualifying payments before your loan entered the SAVE Plan forbearance. You could apply for the PSLF buyback program to buy back five of the months where your loans were in forbearance to reach the 120-payment requirement. You'll apply for the program online, and once approved, you'll have 90 days to pay off what you owe for the number of months you buy back. So, if your monthly payment was $100, you'd need to pay $500 to receive forgiveness.You'll need to also make sure you meet all other PSLF eligibility criteria, such as working for a qualifying employer and having the correct loan type. If you think you're eligible and want to confirm your payment count, you can find qualifying payment amounts in yourStudentAid.gov account. Expert tip: If you qualify for forgiveness through the buyback program, you will not pay any federal taxes on the forgiven amounts through 2025. However, certain states may tax student loan forgiveness. If you're in school, start paying off interestIf you're still in college, your student loans likely haven't entered repayment yet. While it's difficult to predict what repayment options will be available in the future, there are proactive steps you can take now.One recommendation is to pay off any interest that accrues while you're still in school. Even small contributions can help reduce the overall cost of your loans in the long run.If your federal student loan hasn't yet entered repayment, you won't be eligible to enroll in a repayment plan yet. Repayment starts six months after graduation or if your enrollment drops below half-time, unless you enroll in another program, like graduate school, before the grace period ends. Don't plan on forgiveness as an optionMany borrowers have turned to income-driven repayment plans to reduce their monthly payments and potentially qualify for student loan forgiveness. However, forgiveness is not guaranteed, especially as legal challenges continue to threaten the SAVE repayment plan. Programs like PSLF and forgiveness under the Income-Based Repayment Plan carry less risk, since they would require congressional action to be altered or eliminated.That said, it's always wise to plan for full repayment of your student loans, regardless of any current potential forgiveness opportunities. More student loan advice

Looking for the most recent Strands answer?Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Connections puzzles.When I saw the topic of today'sStrandspuzzle, which is "literary couples," I figured it would be the names of married writers, like F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. (Hey, New York Times Games editors, free future topic idea!) Spoiler: It's not. Don't think of "literary couples" as people, but as paired words in their book titles. If you need hints and answers, read on.Also, I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more:NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So FarHint for today's Strands puzzleToday's Strands theme is:Literary couplesIf that doesn't help you, here's a clue: Like War and Peace, or Sense and Sensibility.Clue words to unlock in-game hintsYour goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle's theme. If you're stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:SITE, SITED, SLIT, BOOM, SHIM, SHINE, TILE, TIED, TIRED, DICEAnswers for today's Strands puzzleThese are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you've got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:SOUND, FURY, CRIME, PUNISHMENT, PRIDE, PREJUDICEToday's Strands spangramToday's Strands spangram isBOOKTITLES. To find it, start with the B that's five letters down on the far left column, and wind up and around. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 4, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.Oh purple category, how you love to throw players curve balls. You'll need to be very familiar with a certain painting in order to get that category. It's a very famous painting, but still, this could be a streak-breaking day for some. Read on for today's Connections hints and answers.The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. And players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.Read more:Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every TimeHints for today's Connections groupsHere are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.Yellow group hint: Smash up.Green group hint: Connect together.Blue group hint: Done!Purple group hint: Famed surrealist painting.Answers for today's Connections groupsYellow group: Crush into a compact shape.Green group: Fasteners.Blue group: Mark as completed.Purple group: Depicted in Dali's The Persistence of Memory.Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English WordsWhat are today's Connections answers? The completed NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 4, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is crush into a compact shape. The four answers are ball, crumple, scrunch and wad.The green words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is fasteners. The four answers are buckle, clip, hook and snap.The blue words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is mark as completed. The four answers are check, cross, strike and tick.The purple words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is depicted in Dali's The Persistence of Memory. The four answers are ant, branch, clock and melting.

If you've tested positive for COVID-19, you do have to take some positive steps to protect yourself ... [+] and those around you.. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)In Pictures via Getty ImagesTesting positive for COVID-19 is not exactly a positive experience. After all, wanting to go viral these days doesnt tend to mean wanting to be infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. But theres currently a silent COVID-19 happening across the U.S. right now, as I recently covered for Forbes. This means that your risk for catching the SARS-CoV-2 will be higher, especially if precautions arent being taken. And if you do find yourself infected with the SARS-CoV-2 you do have to take some positive steps to protect yourself and those around you.Step 1 After You Test Positive For COVID-19: Isolate YourselfWearing an N95 face mask can prevent you from getting infected with the SARS-CoV-2. It can also keep ... [+] you from infecting others if you have COVID-19. (Photo: Getty)gettyTesting positive means that in all likelihood you are shedding the virus, because the false positive rates for the commercially available tests are very low. Thus, a positive test means you should immediately stop interacting with other people who are not already infected because you could effectively be like a SARS-CoV-2 lawn sprinkler. Therefore, stay isolated until you are fairly certain that you are no longer shedding the virus.Now, these days, it can be a bit tough to figure out how long to stay isolated. It used to be clearer for COVID-19: keep yourself isolated and away from others for 10 days. Thats because studies showed that a decent proportion of people can still shed the virus for seven, eight and even nine days after first becoming contagious as I covered for Forbes back in 2020. But since 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recommended isolation period has gotten shorter and shorter. Some have argued that its been for financial reasons so that employers can get people back to work sooner. Regardless, the changing guidance did make it more difficult for people to know what to do.Nowadays, the CDC no longer has separate COVID-19 isolation guidance and has rolled it into general respiratory virus isolation guidance, even though all respiratory viruses are not the same. This guidance says, You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:MORE FOR YOUYour symptoms are getting better overall, andYou have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).Thats not super-straightforward since getting better overall can be a rather subjective measure. Plus, with COVID-19 symptoms can fluctuate from day to day. All of this can be just as difficult to tell as whether your relationship with your cat getting better overall.Moreover, the CDC does add, When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. Plus, the CDC does indicate, Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. So If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days.OK, thats not confusing at all, right?The bottom line is that you cant be reasonably sure that you arent still shedding enough SARS-CoV-2 to infect others until 10 days have elapsed. Repeatedly testing yourself and finding the tests to be negative can suggest that you are no longer contagious.But a negative COVID-19 test is not great at completely ruling out a SARS-CoV-2 infection because the test has a high false negative rate. Thats because it is not easy to get a good saliva sample that has enough virus in it. Remember back in 2020 when the PCR tests required getting a swab sample from the back of your throat in a manner that seemed like your brain was being tickled? Well, the home tests these days are easier to perform, but they do come with a cost in accuracy since they dont involve the same kind of samples and look for virus antigens rather than virus genetic material.So, you may want to be careful for the 10 days after you first tested positive or began displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Therefore, it may be wise to use at least some combination of isolating yourself and wearing an N95 face mask over those 10 days.Step 2 After You Test Positive For COVID-19: Notify OthersIt's important to figure out who you may have come into contact with while infectious. (Photo: ... [+] Getty)gettyIf you actually, you know, care about other people, you should notify everyone whom you could have possibly infected. Remember you could have been shedding virus without having any symptoms. So, think back to when you first began experiencing symptoms or tested positive, whichever came first, and then count a few days before that date to estimate when you might have first been contagious. Then inform everyone you shared a room or any other indoor or tighter outdoor space with from the start of your contagious period all the way up to when you commenced isolating yourself.It may seem awkward to contact others under such circumstances especially if you dont know them very well. Dont simply tell them you may have exposed yourself to them. That may not be the best wording. Instead, let them know that you tested positive for COVID-19 and the date of the first positive test. Its also good to relate to them whether youre experiencing symptoms, when those symptoms began, what precautions you were taking at the time and how you may have interacted with them. As will be explained later, knowing all this info will help them decide their risk.Naturally, you may not be able to find everyone you may have infected. For example, you cant possibly call everyone who happened to be in the Newark Airport with you on such and such date. Or you may not have identified that hot guy or gal you were chatting up on the subway. And searching the Internet simply for that hot guy or gal on the subway wont be fruitful.Letting others know about your positive test can help them take precautions so that they dont further infect others. This may include quarantining themselves or wearing a N95 face mask for up to two weeks. Thats because the incubation periodmeaning the time between exposure and the emergence of COVID-19 symptomscan range from two to 14 days. Their risk of being infected depends on how long they were with you, how close your interactions were, when they interacted with you and what precautions they were taking (e.g., if they were wearing a N95 face mask, they were less likely to have gotten infected.)It can also help them plan for possible treatments, which brings up the next step...Step 3 After You Test Positive For COVID-19: Ask A Medical Professional About Treatment OptionsPaxlovid is one of the two oral antivirals available for Covid-19 treatment. (Photo by Joe ... [+] Raedle/Getty Images)Getty ImagesIf you havent been vaccinated, are experiencing more severe symptoms or have risk factors for more severe COVID-19 outcomes such as being over 65 years of age, having chronic medical conditions or taking immunosuppressive medications then it may be good idea to start antiviral medications as soon as possible. Therefore, talk to a medical professional about whether you should get treatment and what kind. This should be a real medical professional and not someone who will use a magic 8 ball or something similar to determine what to do or tell you to eat dirt.The currently available oral options are Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir). The intravenous option is Veklury (remdesivir). Since antivirals work by preventing viral replicationwhich is basically the virus equivalent of doing the nasty and reproducingthese medications are much less effective after the first five days of the infection after the virus has already reproduced a lot. So time is of the essence, which is another reason you want to notify others of your COVID-19 test positivity as soon as possible.Oh, and dont believe that testing positive for COVID-19 means that you now will have enough immunity to prevent you from getting infected again. Immunity from being infected starts to wane after about four to six months. Additionally, such immunity is far from 100%. Its not like wearing a full-body concrete condom. Plenty of people have gotten infected more than once within the span of just a few months if not a shorter time period.Finally, testing positive should be a reminder that COVID-19 has not gone away. If you are going to be in close quarters with others, take appropriate precautions. This can include:Wearing a good quality face mask, preferably an N95 one.Making sure that the area is well-ventilated, preferably with an air purifier running if indoors.Keeping a reasonable distance from others.Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. This includes lathering up with soap for at least 20 seconds, which is the amount of time it takes to sing from the start of the Divinyls song I Touch Myself through its first chorus.Staying to up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccinationWhen you test positive for COVID-19, you are still at some risk for long Covid or more severe COVID-19 outcomes, regardless of who you are. Although you may not hear about COVID-19 as much these days compared to the first two years of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 will remain a threat for a while. You can be positive about that.

MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 31: (R-L) Anthony Pettis kicks Benson Henderson in their UFC lightweight ... [+] championship bout at BMO Harris Bradley Center on August 31, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesNews on the Global Fight League is gaining momentum by the day.The mixed martial arts league will kick off its inaugural season in April, followed by playoffs leading to the crowning of its first champions.The roster is large and packed with recognizable names from the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and ONE Championship. There are dozens of draft-eligible fighters in the mens and womens divisions, including nine former UFC champions.I asked a GFL representative for a full list of the draft-eligible fighters. Heres a look at the mens and womens lists as of January 3:GFL HeavyweightVANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 11: Andrei Arlovski poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on June ... [+] 11, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesAlan BelcherAleksandr MaslovAlexei OleynikAndrei ArlovskiFabricio WerdumFrank MirGreg HardyJunior Dos SantosOli ThompsonPhilipe LinsRobelis DespaigneRoggers SousaStuart AustinTanner BoserGFL Light HeavyweightSTOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - MAY 30: Alexander Gustafsson speaks with the media during the UFC Fight Night ... [+] Gustafsson v Smith: Media Day at Ericsson Globe on May 30, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMORE FOR YOUAlexander GustafssonCleiton SilvaDa Woon JungEmiliano SordiGrant NealOvince Saint PreuxRafael CarvalhoGFL MiddleweightNEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold celebrates defeating Lyoto Machida of Brazil by tap out in ... [+] their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesChauncey FoxworthGegaro MousasiGlaico FrancaHector LombardJared RevelJozef WittnerKyle DaukausLuke RockholdMariusz KsiazkiewiczMarkus PerezPhillip HawesWanderlei SilvaGFL WelterweightANAHEIM, CA - JULY 29: Tyron Woodley reacts after his UFC welterweight championship bout against ... [+] Demian Maia of Brazil during the UFC 214 event at Honda Center on July 29, 2017 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesAbubakar NurmagomedovAdilet NurmatovAustin TweedyBenson HendersonDanny MitchellDominick MeriweatherFrancisco TrinaldoJoao ZeferinoJordan MeinJozef WittnerJulio SpadacciniMichael IrizarryRousimar PalharesRuan MachadoTyron WoodleyGFL LightweightDublin , Ireland - 21 September 2022; Benson Henderson poses for a portrait at a Bellator 285 Media ... [+] Event at The Gibson Hotel in Dublin. (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Sportsfile via Getty ImagesAaron McKenzieAlex OliveiraAmirkhon AlikhuzhaevAnthony PettisAyinda OctaveAyton De PaepeBenson HendersonCharles RosaChristos GiagosJefferson PontesJeremy StephensJohn MakdessiKevin LeeKillys MotaLucas MartinsMohamed Tarek MoheyOscar OwnsworthRaimundo BatistaSidney OutlawStephen BeaumontWill BrooksWilliam LimaYan CabralGFL FeatherweightLAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 01: Marlon Moraes prepares to fight against Brendan Loughnane during the 2023 ... [+] PFL 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels on April 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAlexsandro CangatyAndre HarrisonClaudeci BritoDeberson BatistaLance PalmerMarcel AdurMarcelo DiasMarlon MoraesMohammad AbzakhPatrizio De SouzaRenan OliveiraGFL Mens BantamweightPHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 14: Renan Barao of Brazil poses for a portrait during a UFC photo ... [+] session on February 14, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesCameron ElseDenis PalancicaDiego TeixeiraJimmie RiveraMarciano FerreiraMarcus Paulo AmaralOmar ArteagaRenan BaraoGFL Womens FeatherweightATLANTA, GA - JUNE 16: Julia Budd walks to the cage before fighting Martina Jindrova during PFL 2023 ... [+] week 5 at OTE Arena on June 16, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Getty ImagesJulia BuddJulia DornyFernanda GuersoneMariza LochEvelyn MartinsLorrany SantosGFL Womens BantamweightLAS VEGAS, NEVADA- AUGUST 07: Pannie Kianzad poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] August 7, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCFernanda BarbosaTalita BernardoQueila BragaJuliet ChukwuBrittney CloudyAlexa ConnersBianca DiamoniThaliat DinizTonya EvingerPannie KianzadGisele MoreiraZurina TurreyLuz VazquezTamires VidalGFL Womens FlyweightTAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 05: Paige Van Zant fights Britain Hart during the BKFC KnuckleMania event at RP ... [+] Funding Center on February 05, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMara BorellaMiao DingKalindra FariaJanaisa MorandinChiara PencoAndressa RochaAntonia SilvaneidePaige VanZantGFL Womens StrawweightLAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 16: Jessica Penne poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] October 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesMelissa AmayaYasmin CastanhoMaria Luiz de AbreuIsabela de PaduaEva DourtheRandi FieldHannah GoldyBrenda GottigKayla HrachoNatalia KuziutinaPamela MaraSilvania MonteiroBi NguyenJessica PenneViviane PereiraLivinha SouzaIsis VerbeekGFL Womens AtomweightCLAYMONT, DE - MARCH 29: Jessica Aguilar poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at ... [+] Crowne Plaza Wilmington North on March 29, 2019 in Claymont, Delaware. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesJessica AguilarClaire LopezThe GFL isnt done locking fighters in as there are a few free agents who could be targets for the league. The PFL/Bellators Aaron Pico would be an excellent get for the GFL.His contract with the PFL is coming to an end soon, but rumors suggest they would like to re-sign him. Likewise, rumors suggest the UFC is interested.If the GFL could snag Pico, it would be a strong storyline for them heading into their first season. The GFL Draft happens on January 24.Look out for more coverage of the league leading up to the draft.

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/119271941 .In this episodes of the top down shooter series, I am going to work on how to aim and shoot in top down view mode. Here we will determine the real-world location where the cursor would overlap on the game world and use it as the aiming location for the player. CodeLikeMe Top Down shooter series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou4pEFizUOVzcM5roBFYa1oN CodeLikeMe Third-Person shooter series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou4HL7SAyIQoCqJRJ5QeQAl8 // ! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefitsJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue5 #indiegamedev

Jan. 3, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

So i dont have to try a lot doing and finding that is impossible. Is possible to apply a color ONLY on the edges of a object in shading tab? This image is just to take something as a reference. Obs: - I know the voronoi texture, i will not use it. - Painting? ugh submitted by /u/shogunmikez [link] [comments]