Clipmarks | debbyski's clips

Mininum Wage Goes Up Thursday

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:05:24 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Burger flippers rejoice! The federal minimum wage will go up on Thursday to $6.55 from $5.85. Too bad the minimum wage isn't rising as fast as gas prices. Still, this is an improvement. Congress went nine years without raising the floor for low-wage workers, finally boosting the minimum last year when its value hit a 51-year low. One more bump next year will bring the federal minimum wage up to $7.25, a far cry from the $10.50 an hour paid in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but a step in the right direction. Another decade, the minimum wage might actually lift someone above the poverty line.

Now that Congress has come this far, the next step ought to be indexing the damn thing to inflation like many of the states do. I've never understood why poor working people should be made to suffer so much from political gridlock. Making sure that work pays ought to be one thing people in both parties can agree on.

A Double Life

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:12:31 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

BELGRADE, Serbia — The infamous fugitive, long charged with war crimes, was not in a distant monastery or a dark cave when caught at last, but living in Serbia’s capital. Nor was Radovan Karadzic lurking inconspicuously, but instead giving public lectures on alternative medicine before audiences of hundreds.

He was hiding behind an enormous beard, white ponytailed hair topped with an odd black tuft, and a new life so at odds with his myth as to deflect suspicion.

She said that he did not speak with a Bosnian accent, and that he seemed like a valuable member of the small alternative-medicine community here, not someone who could have been the force behind the notorious Srebrenica massacre and the deadly siege of Sarajevo.

“I still don’t believe it’s the same person,”

Mr. Karadzic was questioned, but ministers said he had remained silent.

A New Low In The High Life

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:47:54 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "Taken together, though, the plight of working women and Spelling's let-them-eat-cake, $47-million extravagance point to the fact that, all but unnoticed, America has slipped into a new Gilded Age, with all the inequalities that historical appellation implies.
What do you suppose the chances are of getting either John McCain or Barack Obama to hit this issue head on? They're probably about the same as the odds that the Widow Spelling will end up sleeping in her car."

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

» Discuss Article Acouple of front-page stories in Tuesday's papers -- one from the East Coast, the other from the West -- frame a pretty effective portrait of these United States in this election year.

Working women now earn a third of America's total household income, and by and large, only those homes with a working wife have made real gains in their standard of living over the last eight years.

In other words, things are tough all over, particularly if you're a woman -- unless, of course, you're Candy Spelling.

As the Los Angeles Times' Roger Vincent reported Tuesday, television mogul Aaron Spelling's widow has paid $47 million for a 16,500-square-foot, two-story penthouse condominium atop a new building going up in Century City

Now none of this is the Widow Spelling's fault, and she hardly can be expected to stay put in a 16-bathroom mansion with nobody but "staff" for company if she doesn't want to.

All Wet? Astronomers Claim Discovery of Earth-like Planet

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:54:27 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: I volunteer for an exploration mission...

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

A team of astronomers announced they have discovered the smallest and potentially most Earth-like extrasolar planet yet. Five times as massive as Earth, it orbits a relatively cool star at a distance that would provide earthly temperatures as well, signaling the possibility of liquid water.

"The separation between the planet and its star is just right for having liquid water at its surface," says astronomer and team spokesperson Stephane Udry of the Observatory of Geneva in Versoix, Switzerland. "That's why we are a bit excited."

But researchers do not yet know if the planet contains water, if it is truly rocky like Earth, which might make it hospitable to life as we know it, or whether it is blanketed by a thick atmosphere.

The smaller of the new planets, dubbed Gliese 581 c, orbits at one fourteenth the distance between Earth and the sun. But the red dwarf is 50 times cooler than the sun. The group estimates that the planet would experience temperatures in the zero-to-40-degree-Celsius

Tags: space, earth like planets

Myths and Realities

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:13:22 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "We have seen here that bisexuality is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon, and that many types of bisexuality exist in women."

Lordy, I have psychoanalyzed my little selfy to deathy, and I must say it's so tough being a variant, opps, deviant. I must say I was happier making the perfect jam.

Kidding aside, it's sometimes tough to be bi. There are stigma's and ppl wanting to put you in boxes and brain freezes *LOL*

For those on the right, I have to say, I KNEW from early on that I liked both sexes romantically and erotically. It depends on the person, and I've lived and loved hard and I don't regret a damn thing.

Clip Source: www.ipgcounseling.com

The history of research into bisexuality until now could almost be characterized as nonexistent.

Underlying the conflict model of bisexuality is the notion that sexual orientation is a dichotomy: One is either heterosexual or homosexual.

The investigation of bisexuality holds rich promise for our understanding of some of the basic structures of human sexuality

Exploring bisexuality in depth leads to an even more radical revising of our views on sexuality.

It is difficult to ascertain the rates of bisexuality in women, and one can do so only inferentially. Part of the problem lines in how one defines bisexuality.

This data is not surprising in a society which, first, stigmatizes homosexuality and, second, teaches us to polarize sexual orientation.

Most bisexuals, whether male or female, first eroticize the opposite sex and identify as heterosexual, recognizing their homosexual interests in adulthood.

Mirrors Don’t Lie.. : -)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:34:05 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: “When people are made to be self-aware, they are likelier to stop and think about what they are doing,” Dr. Bodenhausen said. “A byproduct of that awareness may be a shift away from acting on autopilot toward more desirable ways of behaving.” Physical self-reflection, in other words, encourages philosophical self-reflection, a crash course in the Socratic notion that you cannot know or appreciate others until you know yourself. "

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

For the aging narcissist of Shakespeare’s 62nd sonnet, the mirror delivered a much-needed whack to his vanity, the sight of a face “beated and chopp’d with tann’d antiquity” underscoring the limits of self-love.

To scientists, the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of mirrors make them powerful tools for exploring questions about perception and cognition in humans and other neuronally gifted species, and how the brain interprets and acts upon the great tides of sensory information from the external world.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

How can we be so self-delusional when the truth stares back at us? “Although we do indeed see ourselves in the mirror every day, we don’t look exactly the same every time,”

“Which image is you?”

“Our research shows that people, on average, resolve that ambiguity in their favor, forming a representation of their image that is more attractive than they actually are.”

Multimedia

Graphic

Mirror Images

Death In A Bottle

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:00:42 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: Should someone dying from terminal cancer have the right to end their life peacefully?

Obviously, this is a very controversial subject, and some of the things that bother me are the depression, state of mind, and pain one is in when dying. Maybe because I had a NDE myself, I feel as though there is a certain wrongness to it, but I can't speak for anyone else.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

TIJUANA, Mexico — “Cocaine?” a hustler working Tijuana’s seedy Avenida Revolución called out on a recent night, his voice not the least bit muted.

“How about girls?”

One product from this border town, though, trumps all others in terms of shock value: death in a bottle, a liquid more potent than even the strongest tequila.

The drug, pentobarbital, literally takes a person’s breath away. It can kill by putting people to sleep, and it is tightly regulated in most countries. But aging and ailing people seeking a quick and painless way to end their lives say there is no easier place on earth than Mexico to obtain pentobarbital, a barbiturate commonly known as Nembutal.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

“It’s awful to me,” Mr. Velazquez, the Tijuana veterinarian and pharmacy owner, said of euthanasia. “I think people should live as long as God decides.”

Sex Is Good For You

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:56:40 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "When people feel deeply close while merely holding hands, they are having sex. When people display caring for each other through hugs, caresses, and kissing, they are also having sex. When connecting people in a crowded room wink at each other in their own secret way, they are communicating sex to each other; such non-contact sex can be excitedly arousing and emotionally fulfilling. And, of course, during sexual union when the sky seems to open so a lightning bolt can strike the couple--while fireworks ignite and the earth stops spinning-- this is sex, too."

Emotional intimacy is so important and the first step is to allow yourself to be vulnerable with someone is taking the time to build that intimacy with others. One of the primary reasons I've always felt close to women is because of emotional intimacy. The whole package of love, companionship and sex can be so appealing, and I think that is one of the reasons men are attracted to women.

Clip Source: www.selfhelpmagazine.com

Scientific evidence is accumulating support what many of us have suspected all along: good sex not only adds great enjoyment to our lives, but it also actually improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity.

Does this mean that to live longer or be more healthy we just need to DO IT more often or better? Of course not! Sex is a much broader concept that genital connecting or having an orgasm. Psychologist and author Gina Ogden, Ph.D. notes in her book, "Women Who Love Sex", that sex has everything to do with openness, connection to and bonding with a partner, feelings about what is happening to us, and memories. For those who love it, sex permeates their lives and is not merely a specialized, time-intensive, physical activity that takes place under the covers--as quickly as possible.

For women, according to Dr.Ogden, it has more to do with feelings of connectedness in their relationships: "Heart to heart, soul to soul, even mind to mind."

A Comic Book Campaign

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:21:47 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: *sigh*

Clip Source: www.rightwingwatch.org

From the state that brought us Sally Kern comes yet another elected official who believes gays are conspiring against him. Embattled Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart is facing felony campaign finance charges, but his re-election campaign is in full swing, distributing a crudely drawn comic book explaining to voters how he stood up to "the homosexuals, the good ol' boy politicians, and liberals"--not to mention a cartoon Satan:

Don't Take This For Your Side Effects

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:22:25 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

The long search for the female equivalent of Viagra has led researchers to . . . Viagra.

More than 6 million women in the U.S. suffer from major depression. Antidepressants are the most common treatment for the mood disorder, and while they can be quite beneficial, they often have debilitating sexual side effects.

Its effectiveness in women is limited compared with men, and Pfizer has said it does not plan to develop the drug for female disorders.

Still, the study is certain to rekindle debate about the nature of sexual problems in women and men. While male difficulties have largely been seen in mechanical terms, female dysfunction has been viewed as more complicated and connected to desire.

But Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, who has prescribed Viagra for some of his female patients, said the new research suggests that "however you think about men and women, there are a lot of similarities."

Spray-On Condom

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:50:56 GMT

clipped by: milmufmas

Clip Source: www.coolhunting.com

Spray-On Condom

While most technologies advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades, condom design has been relatively static for the last century or so. One visionary German scientist is working to change that. Jan Vinzenz Krause has spent recent years trying to make the world's most common prophylactic available in spray-on form. The technology's draw, according to Krause (pictured), is that conventional condoms often don't fit penises of varying sizes (also pictured, sort of).

Unlike its depiction in popular media, it's not a generic spray can that men haphazardly shoot towards their crotch. In reality, it works like a miniature car wash, employing a penis chamber lined with jets that distribute liquid latex. The entire process takes 10 seconds, with another 20 to 25 required for drying. But couples who don't want to miss a second of "Two and a Half Men" will be happy to hear that the inventor is hard at work decreasing that time to 10 seconds.

A Broader Bet

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:33:59 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: Whew, I wouldn't want to accompany those risk takers to VEGAS!!!!

DAMN, those CEO's are just soooooo innovative, LORDY, give em a big raise Opps, they already did that.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Motor Company, which devoted itself for nearly 20 years to putting millions of Americans into big pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, is about to drastically alter its focus to building more small cars.

And as part of the huge bet it is placing on the future direction of the troubled American auto industry, Ford will realign factories to manufacture more fuel-efficient engines and produce six of its next European car models for the United States market.

United States vehicle sales have slumped 10 percent so far this year, with Ford down 14 percent, and the industry is headed for its worst annual sales in more than a decade.

Moreover, $4-a-gallon gas and a weak economy have battered the market for big S.U.V.’s and pickups, and sent automakers scrambling to revamp their product lineups.

Welcome To The Real World

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:12:01 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it."
-John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776

Clip Source: www.opednews.com

ndividually we find that we are powerless against corporate media or Big Oil or Washington. Our choices are limited. Our effectiveness diminished. This is not by accident. Unions, social gatherings, clubs that all flourished before the 1960s have all been destroyed by those who find you & me to be a threat.

Today people will tell you that protest are ineffective. And they are. But real change does not come from the ballot box. Great social change like the eight hour work day, child labor laws, a woman's right to vote, civil rights, etc., etc. all came about through blood & sweat & great effort.

Yet what you need is not marches, demonstrations, rallies or wide associations; all of them are important. What you need is direct action. The sooner people understand that, the sooner we'll begin to change things. --Arthur Scargill

Our Culture Of Debt

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:44:04 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "We absorb a way of perceiving the world from parents and neighbors. We mimic the behavior around us. Only at the end of the process is there self-conscious oversight.

America once had a culture of thrift. But over the past decades, that unspoken code has been silently eroded."

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

On the front page of Sunday’s Times, Gretchen Morgenson described Diane McLeod’s spiral into indebtedness, and now a debate has erupted over who is to blame.

Some people emphasize the predatory lenders who seduced her with too-good-to-be-true credit lines and incomprehensible mortgage offers

These lenders had little interest in whether she could pay off her loans. They made most of their money via initial lending fees and then sold off the loans to third parties.

Other people emphasize McLeod’s own responsibility. She is the one who took the credit card offers knowing that debt is a promise that has to be kept. After her divorce, she went on a shopping spree to make herself feel better. After surgery, she sat at home watching the home shopping channels, charging thousands more.

This third position begins with the notion that people are driven by the desire to earn the respect of their fellows.

A Generation Under Stress

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:38:08 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: static-p4.fotolia.com

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Girls as young as 10 are suffering stress, anxiety and unhappiness as they struggle to cope with the pressures of growing up, according to research published today.

"Girls and young women are being forced to grow up at an unnatural pace in a society that we, as adults, have created and it's damaging their emotional well-being. We have a responsibility to put this right – we must tackle head-on the difficulties that the younger generation are facing."

Emotional well-being is being harmed by factors such as premature sexualisation and materialism, the study, A Generation Under Stress?,

When it comes to mental health, half said they know someone who has suffered depression, two-fifths know someone who has self-harmed, a third have a friend who has suffered an eating disorder and two in five know someone who has had panic attacks.

The research was carried out using an online survey of 350 girls and eight separate focus groups involving 54 girls.