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NONVIOLENT, BUT 'SIMS' HITS 100M IN SALES: There are no scary monsters to slay, no enemies to shoot and no cars to hijack. But "The Sims" video and computer game has sold 100 million units since its launch in 2000. Long the world's top-selling game for computers, "The Sims" is also available on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, the Nintendo Co. Wii and other platforms, but it remains most popular on PCs. The 100-million mark, which publisher Electronic Arts Inc. announced Wednesday, puts "The Sims" in the ranks of blockbuster franchises such as Nintendo's Mario and Pokemon games, which have sold more than 201 million and 175 million units respectively, as well as Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s "Grand Theft Auto" series, which has sold more than 65 million copies. In "The Sims," which can be played online or not, players create homes and businesses for and guide the day-to-day lives of "Sims" characters. It has been published in 60 countries and 22 languages. Its creator, Will Wright, is one of the video game industry's best regarded brains, though he's no longer involved with the title.

FREDDIE MAC BUYING $15B IN HOME LOANS: Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said Thursday it would buy up to $15 billion in home loans for higher-priced properties, using flexibility granted by Congress earlier this year. Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. financier and guarantor of home mortgages, said it would buy the mortgages of up to nearly $730,000 from Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Washington Mutual Inc. Richard Syron, chief executive of the McLean, Va.-based-company said the move "shows how we can bring new liquidity to markets other investors have all but abandoned and make full use of the new tools Congress gave us to help restore stability during the current housing crisis." The economic stimulus package signed by President Bush in February temporarily raised the maximum size of so-called conforming mortgages that government-sponsored lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase and market as securities. The limit was raised from $417,000 to $729,750 in expensive parts of the country such as California.

MICROSOFT LOBBYISTS WORKING FOR TAKEOVER: Microsoft Corp. has yet to convince Yahoo Inc. to agree to a friendly takeover, but the software company is hiring lobbyists to help it convince regulators to let the deal -- hostile if it has to be -- go through. Software company Microsoft Corp., bracing for a regulatory squabble in its takeover bid, recently hired Bryan Cave Strategies LLC to lobby the federal government on the proposed multibillion-dollar deal. The firm disclosed the information on a registration form filed online Tuesday by the Senate's public records office. Microsoft announced the unsolicited offer of $31 per share, or more than $40 billion, in February for slumping Sunnyvale-based Yahoo, which rejected the initial bid and is seeking alternatives. Options include an experimental advertising alliance with Google Inc. that could lead to a long-term partnership and, according to published reports, a combination with online operations of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL.

ONE PASSWORD COMMON BUT UNWISE: Using the same password for multiple Web pages is the Internet-era equivalent of having the same key for your home, car and bank safe-deposit box. Even though a universal password is like gold for cyber crooks because they can use it to steal all of a person's sensitive data at once, nearly half the Internet users queried in a survey said they use just one password for all their online accounts. At the same time, 88 percent of the 800 people interviewed for the survey by the Accenture consulting firm, which was released Thursday, said personal irresponsibility is the key cause of identity theft and fraud. Researchers say the findings suggest that many users underestimate the growing threat from organized cyber criminals.

BEE NEWS SERVICES

Figuratively Speaking

19: Percentage of homeowners who have received reverse mortgage loans who said they needed the funds because their budget was too tight, according to a survey by Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta

16: Percentage who said they needed more liquid assets on hand

15: Percentage who said the money was needed for repairs and maintenance

8: Percentage who needed to care for dependents and/or pay medical bills

JOHN MacINTYRE,

UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE