Clipmarks | katknit's Pops

The buck doesn't stop here; it just keeps falling

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:04:45 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Brought to you by our friends at the federal reserve. Imagine that "nutjob" republican who during the debates said he wanted to abolish the federal reserve, stop printing fiat money, and return the US to a sound monetary policy, what a kook, huh! Of course those words were greeted with laughter from McCain, Guiliani, and others! Now I see why...

Clip Source: www.breitbart.com

Things in the U.S. sure are tough. Brother, can you spare a euro? Signs saying "We accept euros" are cropping up in the windows of some Manhattan retailers. A Belgium company is trying to gobble up St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, the nation's largest brewer and iconic Super Bowl advertiser

The almighty dollar is mighty no more. It has been declining steadily for six years against other major currencies, undercutting its role as the leading international banking currency. The long slide is fanning inflation at home and playing a major role in the run-up of oil and gasoline prices everywhere

Vacationing Europeans are finding bargains in the U.S., while Americans in Paris and other world capitals are being clobbered by sky-high tabs for hotels, travel and even sidewalk cafes.

When the credit crisis broke last summer, the result was a sharp reduction in interest rates by the Fed. That, in turn, accelerated the fall of the dollar.

"There's a painful irony here

Tags: money, federal reserve, economy

Publish Yourself Online

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:43:36 GMT

clipped by: NS-Clips
clipper's remarks: One more but fairly good with a rich variety of resources

Clip Source: www.scribd.com

Publish Yourself Online

Searching over
12 billion words

Over 17 million people a month
view documents on Scribd

Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia'

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:17:35 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Emphasis on may. note that there may be other factors and that one study does not make "the truth". Nonetheless an interesting potential health issue.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Eating high levels of some soy products - including tofu - may raise the risk of memory loss, research suggests.

The researchers found high tofu consumption - at least once a day - was associated with worse memory, particularly among the over-68s.

A third theory is that damage is caused not by the tofu, but by formaldehyde, which is sometimes used in Indonesia as a preservative.

The researchers admit that more research is required to ascertain whether the same effects are found in other ethnic groups.

Tags: diet, health, brain, food

Stinging Nettle

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:22:59 GMT

clipped by: nekoneko
clipper's remarks: Not just stinging - healing

Clip Source: www.harmonyhikes.com

Food: The whole plant is edible, but it tastes best when young and under 2 feet. The plant can be eaten raw, however this can be uncomfortable as you are likely to get stung by one of its spines. The spines, which are believed to contain formic acid and histamine compounds, will irritate the skin upon contact. Traditionally, nettles have been steamed to avoid the stinging sensation, however, blending the plant destroys its needles and enables consumption in the raw form!

Nutrition:

Nettles have been used for hundreds of years to treat arthritis and other joint problems. They have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, lower blood sugar, calm allergies, and relax sore muscles. Nettles are particularly high in iron making them extremely beneficial for people suffering from anemia. Tea made from nettles makes a great hair rinse, promotes hair growth, and eliminates dandruff.

Good cholesterol may protect memory

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:28:30 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: There is good and bad cholesterol. They sum it up by saying, what is good for the heart, is good for the brain.
Certain changes in lifestyle can have a positive impact on raising HDL levels:
Aerobic exercise, Weight loss, Smoking cessation.
Removing trans fatty acids from the diet
One to two drinks of alcohol a day - HDL transports cholesterol to the liver and cholesterol is known to have a protective effect on the cell membrane. It is likely that this reflects the liver's need for more cholesterol to protect itself from the alcohol. Adding monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to the diet, and reducing or eliminating saturated fats. Adding soluble fiber to diet. Oats are a prime source. Taking Omega 3 fatty acids such as in tuna, or sardines, or suppliments. Limiting intake of dietary fat to 30–35% of total calories
Taking Niacin aka Vitamin B3

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Low levels of so-called good cholesterol during middle age may increase the risk of memory loss and dementia, European researchers say.

The study, involving about 3700 British men and women, was published in the American Heart Association's journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

It found that low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol were linked to declining memory by age 61.

Experts predict increasing numbers of people worldwide will develop Alzheimer's in the coming decades as populations in many countries grow older.

Scientists are trying to identify risk factors that may appear years before the onset of dementia to help find ways to prevent or postpone it.

"Considering the way the population is ageing - the 65-plus age group being the fastest-growing age group - we are facing a dementia time bomb," says Dr Archana Singh-Manoux of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and the University College London

Intelligence linked to atheism

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:09:48 GMT

clipped by: deusdiabolus

Clip Source: www.news.com.au

PEOPLE with high IQs are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study.

A leading psychology professor at Ulster University said many more "intellectually elite" people in the UK, especially univeristy academics, identified themselves as atheists than the national average.

Prof Richard Lynn said a decline in religious beliefs over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence, the Telegraph reported.

A survey of Royal Society fellows, the independent academy of science in the UK, found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God - at a time when 68.5 per cent of the general UK population described themselves as believers.

50 office-speak phrases you love to hate

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:00:27 GMT

clipped by: NS-Clips
clipper's remarks: well said!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

50 office-speak phrases you love to hate

1. "When I worked for Verizon, I found the phrase going forward to be more sinister than annoying. When used by my boss - sorry, "team leader" - it was understood to mean that the topic of conversation was at an end and not be discussed again."
Nima Nassefat, Vancouver, Canada

11. "Business speak even supersedes itself and does so with silliness, the shorthand for quick win is now low hanging fruit."
Paul, Formby, UK

21. "I am a financial journalist and am on a mission to remove words and phrases such as 360-degree thinking from existence."
Richard, London

32. "My least favourite business-speak term is not enough bandwidth. When an employee used this term to refuse an additional assignment, I realised I was completely 'out of the loop'."
April, Berkeley, US

47. "When a stock market is down why must we be told it is in negative territory?"
Phil Linehan, Mexico City, Mexico

Wouldn't want to wrongside the demographic

Don't Fear the Bubble

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:07:53 GMT

clipped by: odiedog
clipper's remarks: Speculative booms and busts are actually good for the long-term health of the economy. Here's why

Clip Source: www.businessweek.com

Don't Fear the Bubble

Speculative booms and busts are actually good for the long-term health of the economy. Here's why

Want to silence a group of colleagues at work or friends at dinner? Heap praise on speculators—and the market bubbles they help create.

Functionalist Theory of Crime

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:49:47 GMT

clipped by: nhorn

Clip Source: www.crimetheory.com

Strange as it may seem at first, functionalist theorists argue just this point! Just like many other institutionalized behaviors, crime has an important function in society. For example, both Émile Durkheim and G. H. Mead argue that crime allows the members of a society, who are otherwise quite different, to join together in condemning the criminal, a commonly perceived enemy. By coming together, allowing people to see what they have in common and defining themselves against what they are not, individuals acquire a "collective cohesion."

Clip Source: www.crimetheory.com

crime is required for social progress. Thus Durkheim argues that a society must not be overly repressive: it must provide enough freedom of action for the criminal to behave in ways that hurt it, in order to give enough space for the "genius" to act in ways that benefit it. One step ahead of the rest of us, the genius develops new and progressive ways of living; thus a society lacking tolerance of such behavior will be a stagnant one.

Tags: sociology, crime

Obama tells black fathers to step up

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:41:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Barack Obama celebrated Father's Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children.

"They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown.

Obama often speaks about the importance of parental involvement. In Washington, he sponsored legislation to get more child support money to children by offering a tax credit for fathers who pay support, more efficient collection and penalties for fathers who don't meet their obligations.

"We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."

Obama urged black parents to demand the best from themselves and their children.

Tags: obama, parents, parenting, father, children

Manson follower Susan Atkins being considered for release

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:10:26 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.woai.com

Authorities say Susan Atkins, a Charles Manson follower convicted in the 1969 murder of actress Sharon Tate, could soon be released from prison because she is near death.

State corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton says the now 59-year-old Atkins is terminally ill and is being considered for so-called "compassionate release."

Thornton says the corrections department is reviewing the request, which would then be passed to a state sentencing court.

Thornton did not say what sort of illness Atkins has.

Atkins helped stab Tate, the pregnant wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, 16 times during a 1969 rampage that saw six others murdered.

Tags: charles manson, murder, prison, death, celebrity

Download Free Brain Games

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:33:10 GMT

clipped by: k9riley99
clipper's remarks: For all ages.........

Clip Source: brainden.com

Oslík (113 KB) - get the yellow square out through the bottom edge (tease your mind).

Atomic (198 KB) - move atoms in a maze to create a molecule and all that in a time limit.

Triogical (4156 KB) is a free (freeware), puzzle-type game. Collect all Klondikes by using 3 robots - pusher, grabber and zapper (99 maps).

PocoMan (1045 KB) is another brain game like Soukoban with a bit more complicated mazes.

Soukoban (144 KB) is a classic brain game for all ages. The objective is to push given cubes to a certain position in a warehouse.

Here are my favourite free brain games for all ages (a. k. a. puzzle games or mind games - typical brain food), that you can download as zip files.

Tags: brain teasers, games

Rep. Kucinich introduces Bush impeachment resolution

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:27:53 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: ap.google.com

ep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential contender, said Monday he wants the House to consider a resolution to impeach President Bush.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi consistently has said impeachment was "off the table."

Kucinich, D-Ohio, read his proposed impeachment language in a floor speech. He contended Bush deceived the nation and violated his oath of office in leading the country into the Iraq war.

Kucinich introduced a resolution last year to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. That resolution was killed, but only after Republicans initially voted in favor of taking up the measure to force a debate.

Tags: bush, president, impeachment, government

Do You Feel a Draft?

Fri, 23 May 2008 12:30:05 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: www.military.com

Military.com|by Colin Clark

In an exchange sure to send ripples of anxiety through the all-volunteer military, the Senate's senior defense spending member asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen if it is time to "consider reinstituting the draft."

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, asked Gates and Mullen the question he said no one wants to ask: "Is the cost of maintaining an all-volunteer force becoming unsustainable and, secondly, do we need to consider reinstituting the draft."

Inouye cited the ever-increasing pay and benefits paid to active and reserve service members, noting that it now costs an estimated $126,000 per service member

This marks the first time a senior member of Congress has seriously discussed reinstituting the draft in almost two years. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, called for reinstituting the draft in November 2006

Tags: military, politics, money

Start Hoarding Now?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:46:47 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: "I think for that reason, probably sometime in the next year or two, you're going to see the government trying to combat this, either through price controls on certain products, or through official government limitations on the number or the quantity of things that people can buy. All of this is coming, because the government is going to be focused on the symptoms and not the disease. They're going to focus on rising prices, whether it's for food or oil or whatever, and try to stop prices from rising, without understanding that they are rising because of all the money that they're creating."
It's crazy how the government wants to interfere with prices. They're going to look at oil prices and food prices and say hey these prices are too high; we need to limit them with price ceilings. But now they look at house prices and say, oh no, house prices are not high enough, we need to stop them from falling."

Clip Source: www.myprops.org

"Look what happened to food prices today. You got reports from Costco that they're trying to restrict the ability of their customers to buy rice, because people are starting to hoard rice because their price is rising so much. You know this is just the beginning, I wrote about this in 'Crash Proof.'

et's say someone only has a few thousands dollars and is really not enough to build a stock portfolio, I said what should this person do? I said what they should do is buy things that they're gonna need. But buy them now, don't wait and buy them later.

Buy non perishable foods stuffs. Buy things like razor blades, or shaving cream, or toothpaste, or batteries -- things that you can stock up that you know you are going to need in the future, because they're only going to be more expensive. So why put the money in the bank and earn 2 or 3 percent interest while inflation ravages it

As more and more people try to hoard things

that's really going to accelerate the price increases

Tags: money, crisis