Clipmarks | boozich's clips

important article (c2007) predicted food shortage

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:16:40 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: really good piece that says a lot, with some scientific backing. Also highlights all the brainless, thoughtless government use of subsidies.

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Their analysis shows that by 2006 government support for biofuels had reached 11 billion dollars a year for Organisation of Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) countries. More than 90 percent of those subsidies came from the European Union and the U.S.

In fact, countries will have to spend more than 100 billion dollars a year to get biofuel production levels high enough to supply 25 or 30 percent of transport fuel demands.

About 80 percent of Europe’s biodiesel comes from rapeseed and in America the vast majority is maize ethanol.

Last January, U.S. President George W. Bush set a biofuel target of 35 billion gallons per year by 2017, more than five times the current production of less than 7 billion gallons.

Subsidies for ethanol are more about securing votes from the powerful agricultural lobby than bringing environmental benefits

Mobility - getting from A to B - with the minimum of GHG emissions is the core problem we should be addressing not finding greener fuels

demand for natural "cures" go up

Wed, 07 May 2008 21:33:17 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: don't usually plug things but after spending hours this year with respiratory specialists consulting about our sons constant coughing ("oh, it's allergy related and will stay until season ends") and trying diff medicines with no +++, we tried homeopathic and breathing practitioner with dramatic changes!!!
Last year he suffered from adenoid problem and prior to removal the only benefit was again homeopathics, after 3 months worth of antibiotics...so don't tell me natural or homeopathics don't work...the only worry is when you read the ingred: golden rod, red clover, arsenic, animal dander...WTF arsenic!!!

Clip Source: lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk

Alternative medicines are fast becoming the new mainstream as Britons increasingly turn to self-medication. Sales of herbal and homeopathic remedies in chemists, health stores and supermarkets have doubled in a decade and are now estimated to be worth £200m.

And there is no sign of a slowdown as consumers - the majority women aged more than 35 years - are expected to continue sweeping 'natural' pills, potions and ointments off the shelves, according to new research.

Neil Young's stuff on Blu ray

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:45:56 GMT

clipped by: boozich

Clip Source: edition.cnn.com

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Rocker Neil Young plans to release his entire music archive on Blu-ray discs, a sign that the discs' capabilities are building appeal among musicians as well as movie studios.

Most of the Blu-ray discs manufactured so far have been used for high-definition movies.

Blu-ray discs hold much more data than DVDs, are easily updated over the Internet and offer better picture and sound quality.

Blu-ray's rival format HD DVD effectively died with maker Toshiba Corp.'s announcement in February that it will no longer produce HD DVD players.

Java technology that gives Blu-ray discs their interactive menus and ability to accept updates over an Internet connection.

the high-resolution audio that Blu-ray technology is known for.

tall buildings

Wed, 07 May 2008 08:12:03 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: an informative and educational approach in flash

Clip Source: www.moma.org

Site requires the Flash 6 plug-in or higher and Acrobat Reader.
Site contents will load in a full-screen pop-up window. Minimum screen resolution: 800 x 600.
This site contains large images that may require longer download time on slower internet connections.

high heels

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:23:31 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: have no idea why posting this except that i cannot believe women wear these things!!! I gotta admit, when worn smartly and walked correctly, the backside wiggle is a beautiful thing!!!

Clip Source: shoegallery.blogspot.com

dial a decade in shoes

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:19:33 GMT

clipped by: boozich

Clip Source: www.centuryinshoes.com

optimum way of shoe lacing

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:14:01 GMT

clipped by: boozich

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Mathematics unravels optimum way of shoe lacing

The knotty problem of choosing the optimum way of lacing up shoes has been solved by a new mathematical proof.

The criss-cross and straight patterns (left and centre) are strongest, but the bow-tie pattern (right) is the most efficient

are 400 million different ways of lacing a shoe with only seven pairs of eyelets. "Even if God wears shoes with 100 eyelets, these proofs will predict the shortest and the strongest lacings

most people

opt for criss-cross lacing not because it is stronger, but because it is easy and you do not end up with uneven ends - a big risk with straight lacing. Straight lacing is sometimes used in the army because, if the foot is injured, you can cut the lace with one swipe.

first PCs sold in Cuba

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:05:07 GMT

clipped by: boozich

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

HAVANA (AP) -- Cubans are getting wired. The island's communist government put desktop computers on sale to the public for the first time Friday, ending a ban on PC sales

While few Cubans can afford that, dozens still gawked outside a tiny Havana electronics store, crowding every inch of its large glass windows

"Look at that!" murmured Armando Batista as he pressed against the window. Although he can't afford to buy one, he said, "these are good for a start."

The Cuban PCs have Intel Celeron processors with 80 gigabytes of memory and 512 RAM and are equipped with Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. Both could be violations of a U.S. trade embargo, but not something Washington can do anything about in the absence of diplomatic relations with Havana

Clerks said the PCs were assembled by Cuban companies using parts imported from China

most Cubans are banned from accessing the Internet at home. So many of these new computers may never be connected to the Web.

most $$ ever for a Monet

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:01:11 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: i want some of that commission!!

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

NEW YORK (AP) -- A Claude Monet painting was auctioned Tuesday for more than $41 million, breaking the auction record for the French Impressionist artist.

"Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil" - a painting of a bridge with two trains passing over the Seine while pleasure boats float below - was sold at a Christie's sale for $41,481,000

Argenteuil was a center for pleasure boating among affluent Parisians and a popular subject for many Impressionist artists. Monet, who rented a house near the cast-iron railway bridge, painted the work in 1873.