Clipmarks | dmegivern's Pops

Single Celled Organisms that can Make Oil, Cure Cancer, and Build a City

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:17:14 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

there are some super-powered single cells which are far more than meets the unaided eye. We might think their mightiest power is confining us to the bathroom after an ill-advised late night snack, but having only one cell to deal with means bacteria can adapt incredibly well - and a single mutation can give rise to powers that make Professor Xavier's wheelchair-accessible mansion look like a home for people who are good at minigolf. Here we look at five organisms that would be called the Super-Cells, if that name wasn't probably already taken by Michael Crichton.

1) Eat Radiation

a species of bacteria with the ability to consume uranium and other extremely antisocial wastes has been discovered by US scientists

2) Generate Electricity

3) Make oil without the inconvenient "millions of years" thing

4) Cure cancer

5) Build a city

They form highly organized structures called biofilms, mini-city analogs which can share food intake and waste disposal routes for the good of the whole colony.

Tags: cell, bacteria

Important Championship Decided in Tiebreaker

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:42:59 GMT

clipped by: DanaGarrett
clipper's remarks: USA rules in hot dog gorging!!

Clip Source: en.wikinews.org

For the second year in a row, American competitive eater Joey Chestnut defeated his Japanese rival Takeru Kobayashi at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City, after a tie forced a five hot dog eat-off to be held.

After 10 minutes of hot dog eating, 2 less than in previous years, Chestnut and Kobayashi were tied at 59 frankfurters. But after the rare tiebreaker, 24 year old Chestnut emerged as the winner, claiming a $10,000 prize and a mustard-yellow belt. "It was crazy," he said. "I'm just a normal guy eating hot dogs on the Fourth. You can't overcomplicate it."

Kobayashi, whose loss last year shattered a 6 year winning streak, said that a sore jaw and a tooth problem may have altered his performance. "If I put one more mouthful in, I could've won", the 30 year old Nagano native said through a translator. "I lost because I wasn't quick enough in the rematch."

9/11 Third Tower Mystery 'solved'

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:00:23 GMT

clipped by: spherepet

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

9/11 third tower mystery 'solved'

Friday, 4 July 2008 22:11 UK

By Mike Rudin

The final mystery of 9/11 will soon be solved, according to US experts investigating the collapse of the third tower at the World Trade Center.

The 47-storey third tower, known as Tower Seven, collapsed seven hours after the twin towers.

Investigators are expected to say ordinary fires on several different floors caused the collapse.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, based near Washington DC, is expected to conclude in its long-awaited report this month that ordinary fires caused the building to collapse.

"Our working hypothesis now actually suggests that it was normal building fires that were growing and spreading throughout the multiple floors that may have caused the ultimate collapse of the buildings."

that fires caused the collapse is impossible

Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth argue there must have been a controlled demolition

facts that have encouraged conspiracy theories

Tags: 9/11, third tower, mystery, collapse

Friends with Benefits Poster

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:56:24 GMT

clipped by: missmeliss85

Clip Source: crap.fi

A Backlog Of Cases Alleging Fraud

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:23:42 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.michaelmoore.com

More than 900 cases alleging that government contractors and drugmakers have defrauded taxpayers out of billions of dollars are languishing in a backlog that has built up over the past decade because the Justice Department cannot keep pace with the surge in charges brought by whistle-blowers, according to lawyers involved in the disputes.

The issue is drawing renewed interest among lawmakers and nonprofit groups because many of the cases involve the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rising health-care payouts, and privatization of government functions -- all of which offer rich new opportunities to swindle taxpayers.

Tags: a, stressed, society, enriches, drug, companies

Why Some People are Mosquito Magnets

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:54:29 GMT

clipped by: Tylast
clipper's remarks: I knew it! I usually have bites before people even notice the buzzing. Crieky!

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

Each person's individual body chemistry determines how many mosquitoes will come calling.

According to Joe Conlon, a medical entomologist who advises the American Mosquito Control Association, the insects can detect their targets from nearly 100 feet away. But what are they seeking? Mostly the scent of carbon dioxide and lactic acid, two compounds that indicate to the hematophagous — or blood-sucking — pests that their next landing pad is nearby. (It's worth noting that when a female mosquito latches on to you, she's not looking for food; instead, she sucks out blood to help fertilize her eggs... that's why males don't "bite").

Carbon dioxide and lactic acid are released whenever we breathe or sweat, but the emission rates vary by person.

the scents of these compounds coupled with body heat are the biggest attractors.

how to cool your drinks in this hot weather quickly!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:16:45 GMT

clipped by: silvanaraihane

Clip Source: www.wikihow.com

Take the temperature of the drink. This step is optional; once you open a can, this method won't be as effective. If this is your first time trying it, though, it may be interesting to record how drastically the temperature can change.

Fill a bowl with water and add ice to it. Add as much ice to the water as you can, but not so much that it prevents the entire beverage container from being submerged into the water. A 50/50 mix of ice and water is a good rule of thumb.

Add table salt to the ice. A small handful should do. Adding salt lowers the freezing temperature of the water.

Place your drinks in the ice water solution and rapidly stir them all around. By stirring, you're using forced convection to speed the transfer of heat out of your drink and into the ice water solution.

Enjoy your cold drink. It should now be about the perfect temperature to quench your thirst.

Top 10 Anti-Abortion Myths

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:46:56 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: All statements are false. At the site you will see the reasons for the falseness.

Clip Source: civilliberty.about.com

1. "You can't be pro-choice and be anti-death penalty/anti-war at the same time."

False. The pro-choice position is predicated on the idea that women have the right to decide whether to carry their pregnancies to term. The victims of the death penalty and war are fully conscious persons rather than presentient entities in a woman's womb, so the moral questions involved are entirely different.

2. "Abortion causes breast cancer."

3. "This is what an abortion looks like."

4. "Even first-trimester fetuses can feel pain."

5. "Fetuses become conscious at 8 weeks."

6. "Emergency contraception causes abortions."

7. "Banning abortion will get rid of it, once and for all."

8. "Pro-choice activists want to increase the number of abortions."

9. "Pro-choice activists want abortion on demand until the moment of birth."

10. "Human life begins at conception."

Tags: men, make, abortion, rights, a, necessity

Anti-abortion group wins free-speech ruling (can show fetus pics near schools)

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:41:00 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The day dreamers looking out of the classroom window will get a shock. As a parent, I am disgusted by the idea of this. Especially when it is just an extremist assault on the rights of women. Who needs Muslim extremism, when you have this? And I understand some of these extremists have murdered people in the name of "Pro-Life"

Clip Source: www.democraticunderground.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court gave an anti-abortion group the go-ahead Wednesday to drive trucks with enlarged photos of aborted fetuses past California schools, saying the Constitution protects the display of disturbing messages.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies interfered with free speech by ordering the driver of one such truck to move away from a middle school, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The deputies had cited a state law barring disruptive activities near public school grounds.

"The government cannot silence messages simply because they cause discomfort, fear or even anger," said a panel of three judges - Harry Pregerson, Marsha Berzon and William Fletcher, all considered liberals.

... A lawyer for the anti-abortion group, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, called the ruling "a tremendous victory for the pro-life movement."

Tags: muslim, extremists? no, american, judges

Classic Quotes by George Orwell

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:57:14 GMT

clipped by: carrerinyes

Clip Source: www.arcamax.com

Classic Quotes by George Orwell (1903-1950) English writer

A tragic situation exists precisely when virtue does not triumph but when it is still felt that man is nobler than the forces which destroy him.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.

All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.

At 50, everyone has the face he deserves.

Big Brother is watching you.

But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.

But the thing that I saw in your face no power can disinherit: No bomb that ever burst shatters the crystal spirit.

Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

The birthorder & jobs who holds the most power!

Mon, 26 May 2008 15:36:59 GMT

clipped by: meancookie89
clipper's remarks: I'm the eldest in my family thus am assertive and have been known for not taking $h-it from no one and yes i have been known for getting what i want an damn it i'm smarter then my brother by a mile hmmmmm thus i'm better then him yeah!

1 borns are most loved thus all others fall in line pronto ....."do as i say and not as i do" the first golden rule i thought my brother when he was 4 and i was 5 hell i slapped him into submission hmmmm

from the most prestigious/ pretentious/ obnoxious - meancookie89

Clip Source: jobs.aol.com

Jobs & Birth Order

Oldest, Middle, Youngest: Who's More Successful?

Research shows that first-borns (and onlys) lead the pack in terms of educational attainment, occupational prestige, income and net worth. Conversely middle children in large families tend to fare the worst. (Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

A child's position in the family impacts his personality, his behavior, his learning and ultimately his earning power," states Michael Grose, author of 'Why First-Born Rule the World and Last-borns Want to Change It.' "Most people have an intuitive knowledge that birth order somehow has an impact on development, but they underestimate how far-reaching and just how significant that impact really is."

First-Borns:
More conscientious

Middles:
Middle children are more easy going and peer-oriented.

Famous eldest children include: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Richard Branso

Famous middle children include: Bill Gates, J.F.K.,

Youngest:
The youngest child tends to be the most creative

Only Children:

Twins:

Woman who died on hospital floor called 'beautiful person'

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:13:20 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Woman who died on hospital floor called 'beautiful person'

NEW YORK (CNN) -- To people around the world who have seen the video, Esmin Green is a symbol of a health-care system that seems to have failed horribly.

Green, 49, is shown rolling off a waiting room chair at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on June 19. She lands face-down on the floor, convulsing.

Surveillance video captures her lying on the floor for more than an hour as several hospital workers see her and appear to ignore her. She died there.

But to fellow members of her church, she was known as "Sister Green." Together, they served as a family for her in the decade after she left Jamaica for New York.

Green left six children in Jamaica -- the youngest now 14. She had been sending money home. Watch 'Sister Green' in church »

Friend Peter Pilgrim says he saw Green a few days before her death.

"Esmin Green is a beautiful person," he said. "She has a good heart. She loved people, and she loved children."

Tags: news

Speak English Please: No more buzzwords

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:02:58 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

LONDON, England (AP) -- British bureaucrats have been warned: no more synergies, stakeholders or sustainable communities.

The Local Government Association, whose members include hundreds of district, town and county councils in England and Wales, on Friday sent out a list of 100 "non-words" that it said officials should avoid if they want to be understood.

The list includes the popular but vague term "empowerment;" "coterminosity," a situation in which two organizations oversee the same geographical area; and "synergies," combinations in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Officials were told to ditch the term "revenue stream" for income, as well as the imprecise "sustainable communities." The association also said councils should stop referring to local residents as "customers" or "stakeholders."

"Why do we have to have 'coterminous, stakeholder engagement' when we could just 'talk to people' instead?" he said.

Tags: jargon, english, language, buzzwords

Bill Maher - New Rules America Isnt #1

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:29:38 GMT

clipped by: Yassin_M

Clip Source: video.stumbleupon.com

Bill Maher - New Rules America Isnt #1

[Video]

McCain Flips at Legit Question

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:02:47 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: McCain's response?

"Please," he said, recoiling back in his seat in distaste at the very question.

Uh uh. That's not good enough. You would assume that given all the whining over General Clark's legitimate point, that John McCain had some obvious answer to the question. Instead, he refused to answer the question, and let Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham come to his defense, babbling to the reporter about character, but not a word about qualifications.

The fact of the matter is that General Clark was absolutely right. McCain's service, while heroic and honorable, is not very relevant when it comes to preparing him to be the military's ultimate commander. His experience didn't involve executive decision making in the military, or global strategy. Very few candidates for the presidency have had the experience in life that prepares them for that role. In fact, McCain said it himself in 2003, that some of our best Commanders in Chief had no military experience at all.

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: Jon Soltz

Thu Jul 03, 2008

I've been running VoteVets.org for a couple of years now. In 2006 and in 2008, we endorsed a number of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for Congress. It's still a story that the press is largely interested in, and when they call me to talk about it, I always -- always -- get the same first question:

What is it about their honorable service in Iraq and/or Afghanistan that qualifies them to go to Congress?

It's a legit question, and neither I, nor any of the candidates, take any umbrage at it. As veterans of the current conflicts, they have a unique perspective on the wars that should be part of the debate on the floor of Congress, and a vote that helps shapes our security policy.

Yesterday, John McCain was asked basically the same question by a brave reporter at ABC News. The reporter,

simply asked what John McCain's experiences in Vietnam did to prepare him to lead the largest military on the face of the earth.

Tags: question, too, hard, to, answer