Clipmarks | muckdog's clips

AIG to Get New $30B Bailout

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:51:13 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: YIKES. Throwing more good money after bad?

AIG To Get New $30 Billion Bailout

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — American International Group Inc. will receive additional federal assistance of up to $30 billion as part of a revamped government bailout, according to media reports Sunday, citing unnamed sources.

The new funding, the fourth government rescue of AIG since September, is intended to support the New York-based insurer as it is expected to announce $60 billion in quarterly losses early Monday.

Once one of the world's largest insurers, AIG has already received $150 billion in loans from the government. In return the government has taken an 80 percent stake in the insurer.

Under the new deal, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve would provide about $30 billion in fresh capital to the insurer, lower the interest rate on a $60 billion loan and ease the terms of a $40 billion preferred share investment.

Conservatives Watch More Porn

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:12:03 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Hey! Got any Mika Tan videos to share???

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers

Americans may paint themselves in increasingly bright shades of red and blue, but new research finds one thing that varies little across the nation: the liking for online pornography.

"When it comes to adult entertainment, it seems people are more the same than different," says Benjamin Edelman at Harvard Business School.

However, there are some trends to be seen in the data. Those states that do consume the most porn tend to be more conservative and religious than states with lower levels of consumption, the study finds.

Have the Rules Changed?

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:28:20 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: No, the rules haven't changed. I think greed is extreme at the tops, and pessimism is extreme near the bottoms. There always seems to be a consensus that the rules have changed or that this time it's different at those extremes. Rarely if ever is that the case, though.

Clip Source: www.fivecentnickel.com

Have the Rules Changed?

Clip Source: www.fivecentnickel.com

In response to my previous post about when the recession will end, a reader named Neal wondered aloud if we’re entering a new paradigm — one in which the old economic rules no longer hold.

While I understand where Neal is coming from, I’m always hesitant to jump on board when people claim that the rules have changed. Remember the late 1990s, when stock prices just keep going up, up, up as we approached the pinnacle of the dot com boom?

iPhone App - PMS Buddy

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:10:08 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Who needs a reminder? The YELLING and moodiness is the reminder! LOL.

Clip Source: www.freshapps.com

PMS Buddy - the iPhone PMS Reminder

“Saving relationships, one month at a time!”

PMS Buddy is a service utilized by over 100,000 people worldwide which allows you to track PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome).

Easily and simply track the pending PMS of all the women in your life.

MEN: Ever wondered when your wife or girlfriend is closing in on “that time of the month?” With PMS Buddy, you will never have to guess again!

FEATURES:
- Unique PMS Meter (shows green to red warning levels)
- Displays date of when PMS will begin
- Add up to 10 women to track
- Automatically calculates upcoming PMS dates

Obama Plans Mortgage-Deduction Cut

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:03:20 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Yikes! This would be in addition to increasing the marginal tax brackets, too.

Clip Source: millionairenowbook.blogspot.com

Obama plans mortgage-deduction cut

In what would be another blow to the California housing market, the Obama administration’s new fiscal year 2010 budget proposes to cap the mortgage deductions on “higher income” households — well, if you consider making $208,850 extremely high income!

Here’s what the budget — it’s HERE — says, in part: “The Administration’s Budget includes a proposal to limit the tax rate at which high-income taxpayers can take itemized deductions to 28 percent — and the initial reserve fund would be funded in part through this provision This provision would raise $318 billion over 10 years.”

Global Warming and Shark Attacks

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:48:54 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: I think global warming "science" has jumped the shark.

Clip Source: www.thepiratescove.us

Fewer Shark Attacks NOT Blamed On Global Warming

May 4th 2008: Surge in fatal shark attacks blamed on global warming
September 15 2008: Sharks don’t much like colder northern and southern waters but global warming may yet extend the range of these inadvertent man-eaters.
February 19 2009: Shark Attacks Dip To Five Year Low In 2008. Sagging Economy May Have Played A Role

I think they missed the narrative. It used to be that when it was hot, it was global warming, when it was cold, it was weather. Then they changed it to when it is hot, it is global warming, when it is cold, it is because of global warming. So, when shark attacks surge, it is global warming, when they dip, it is because of global warming.

Tags: global warming

Calvin and Hobbes on the Economy

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 07:59:08 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Brilliant!

Clip Source: blogs.herald.com

Steven Chu Surprised to Learn He's in Charge of Oil Policy

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 07:56:09 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Yikes. As Obama focuses on things other than energy, notice gasoline prices inching higher. How long until they're back over $4?

Better get building nuclear power plants and converting the federal vehicle fleet to use natural gas, Mr. President. Sure, you can talk about windmills and solar panels out on your speaking stops. But lets make sure that we're doing something serious about our energy needs, okay?

Clip Source: hotair.com

Obama’s energy secretary surprised to learn he’s in charge of oil policy

At a forum with reporters on Thursday, the head of the department that has traditionally taken the lead on global oil-market policy, was asked what message the Obama administration had for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at its meeting next month.

“I’m not the administration,” the Cabinet secretary replied. “I will be speaking and learning more about this in order to figure out what the U.S. position should be and what the president’s position is.”…

The day before, reporters asked him about OPEC output levels after a speech to a group of utility regulators. He responded that the issue was “not in my domain.”

Tags: energy, oil, natural gas

California Approves Budget; Taxes Going Up

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:51:58 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: What happens in CA, is that every few year we have a budget crisis that demands that taxes be hiked. Then the money isn't uses for one-time expenses. The money is used for new programs. The new programs grow at a rate faster than CPI plus economic growth. Thus, the state is soon in a "structural deficit."

Politicians then raise taxes.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

And that's why the sales tax is now pushing 10-cents and the income taxes are rising to close to 10% for the middle class.

Nevada, anyone?

Clip Source: www.taxfoundation.org

California Approves Budget; Taxes Going Up

Drop the gas tax increase part of the proposal
Suspends pay for legislators when they miss the budget deadline (this demand was rejected)
Freeze pay raises for legislators when the budget is not balanced
(Most controversially,) submission of a "top two" primary system for public vote, whereby all candidates run in a primary race and only the top two votegetters go on to the November ballot. Such a system has the pro of empowering moderate candidates that can draw from primary voters of all parties, but has the con of shutting out smaller parties statewide and even a major party in a district that is sufficiently gerrymandered.

Apple Snapping up Memory for new iPhone?

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:24:41 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Seems to make sense. Some of the new phones are offering some stuff that is quite more powerful than the current 3G iphone. Of course, ease of use isn't one of those "stuffs."

Will they include cut and paste?

Clip Source: news.cnet.com

Apple snapping up flash memory for new iPhone?

It's been clear for a while that Apple seems to have settled into midyear iPhone refresh cycles as it closes in on the two-year anniversary of its debut, but more signs are pointing to a summer launch.

Think Equity Partners put out a report this week, spotted by AppleInsider, that says Apple has essentially cleaned out Samsung's supply of flash memory in recent weeks. Apple has also asked Toshiba and Hynix to step up with more flash memory, according to Think Equity, as it prepares for an iPhone launch.

Tags: apple, iphone

Octuplet Mom Spends Money on Video Games

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:07:38 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Boy, I can imagine the fighting over the Wiimotes with 14 kids in the house!

Clip Source: lakeminnetonkaliberty.blogspot.com

Octo-mom Nadya Suleman is spending welfare money on, A) food for her children, B) hospital bill, C) Video Games

Global Warming - The Law of Doomsaying

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:02:32 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: A fantastic column from George Will on they latest doom-and-gloom from the global warming crowd. Of course, they're losing a bit of steam lately. Literally!

I was pleased to learn that there will be close to 100 scientists at the upcoming global warming conference who aren't afraid to speak up against the hysteria.

Clip Source: townhall.com

The Law of Doomsaying

WASHINGTON -- A corollary of Murphy's Law ("If something can go wrong, it will") is: "Things are worse than they can possibly be." Energy Secretary Steven Chu, an atomic physicist, seems to embrace that corollary but ignores Gregg Easterbrook's "Law of Doomsaying": Predict catastrophe no sooner than five years hence but no later than 10 years away, soon enough to terrify but distant enough that people will forget if you are wrong.

As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.

Tags: global warming

Internet Killed the Satellite Radio Star

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:39:35 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: I've been using WunderRadio on my iPhone for months. It's fantastic! Pretty much any radio station from anywhere on the planet is available.

Clip Source: entertainment.slashdot.org

Internet Killed the Satellite Radio Star

"As Sirius XM faces bankruptcy, Slate's Farhad Manjoo reports that the company has bigger problems than just the end of cheap credit. While it has what seems like a pretty great service — the world's best radio programming for just a small monthly fee — Sirius XM has been eclipsed by something far cheaper and more convenient: the Internet. Load up Pandora or the Public Radio Tuner on your iPhone, and you've got access to a wider stream of music than you'll ever get through satellite. So forget the satellites, the special radios, and the huge customer acquisition costs, advises Manjoo, and instead focus on getting Howard Stern, Oprah, the NFL, and MLB on every Internet-connected device on the market at very low prices."

ESPN to Charge to Watch Videos Online?

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:34:47 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Leave it to ESPN to jack up their costs. Will this result in your ISP passing on the costs to you?

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

ESPN to ISPs: Pay for Your Customers to Play Video

For some sports fans, ESPN360, the online version of ESPN's television channel, is a cornucopia of more than 3,500 sporting events each year, viewable from the convenience of a computer. For others, it's a total bust. The only difference: their ISP.

The culprit is ESPN's strategy of licensing ISPs rather than users. If your ISP doesn't want to pay for you to watch ESPN360, there's nothing you can do about it, short of switching to a provider that pays for it. While other companies strive for a more direct, one-to-one relationship with consumers, ESPN is doggedly pursuing the same strategy online that made it a success in the TV world: licensing pipes, not people. And it just might work.

Who Will Replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft?

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:31:40 GMT

clipped by: muckdog
clipper's remarks: Good choices. I like Summer Glau.

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

5 Actresses Who Could Replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft

Is there anybody out there, really, who can replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft?

The new Lara Croft will have a tough act to follow. An exception to the videogames-make-lousy-movies rule, the original Tomb Raider grossed a whopping $275 million worldwide. But when fans weren't so thrilled with 2003's sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Jolie moved on.

Photos (left to right): Mila Kunis, Malin Akerman, Evangeline Lilly, Sienna Miller and Summer Glau. Photos courtesy Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, ABC, Universal Pictures.