Clipmarks | rmowery's Comments

Bush Signs Presidential Transition Order

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:07:28 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

A piece of paper that President Bush signed Thursday helps ease his way out of the White House when his term ends and clears the way for his successor.

the directive he put his name on Thursday was one that few talk very much about. Basically, it's the executive order that turns the keys to the White House over to whomever is elected president on Nov. 4.

A little publicized truth is that Washington can't wait until inauguration day next Jan. 20 to figure out the details of a transition to a new presidency. Both Barack Obama and John McCain already have designated officials to oversee such a transition once the outcome of the election is known. The transition team of the winning candidate will set up procedures for selecting key personnel and making policy decisions in the 11 weeks between the election and when the new president takes office.

Tags: bush, president, transition, obama, mccain

Please Vote NO For President.

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:41:35 GMT

clipped by: davboz

Clip Source: www.ldnews.com

After reading the litany of letters in the past weeks endorsing this candidate or that I am outraged and embarrassed at either the ignorance or the naivete of these citizens.

John McCain has associated intimately with lobbyist groups for years, along with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden. Barack Obama is second only to Democrat Chris Dodd in money received from lobbyist groups representing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. What about Sarah Palin? She was for the Bridge to Nowhere until it became such a political focal point, and then she was against it.

These candidates do not deserve your consideration. Vote no for president. Send a message!

Our nation stands on the brink of a finacial catastrophe experienced only by the most senior of our citizens, and three of the four names mentioned above stood guard while this cancer festered. If they were not diligent in the past, why will they care in the future?

The American citizens want change, but nobody wants to pay the price.

The Sidewalk to Nowhere, McCain Supporters in Bethlehem, PA

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:53:21 GMT

clipped by: monstersmom
clipper's remarks: I'm not even going to mention how wrong these people are regarding their political arguments. Why are people who are obviously not at work themselves deriding other people for not being at work? Seriously? That's just stupid.

I wish I could feel more pity for these people since they are so obviously trapped in their own ignorance, fear and hatred. Really, where does that come from?

Palin eats hate and winks while playing to the cameras, but McCain should be ashamed that he has fostered this.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

McCain supporters tell their stories while waiting for the McCain/Palin rally in Bethlehem, PA, October 8, 2008.

Tags: palin, mccain, hate, mob, angry, fearful

Naked British!!!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:23:50 GMT

clipped by: wiganfootie

Clip Source: uk.news.yahoo.com

Naked British pursuit in Japan

A bald, naked man, who said he was a British tourist, has gone swimming in the moat of Japan's Imperial Palace.

Eyewitnesses said he managed to climb the palace wall, throwing rocks and splashing water at police before being taken into custody.

Television footage showed the tall man getting out of the water at one point, chasing police with a rock and a plastic construction site pole.

He then went back to the murky water and swam across to the other side of the moat, climbing up the eight-metre stone wall of the palace.

He was caught by two policemen, after a chase which eyewitnesses said lasted for an hour-and-a-half.

One witness said: "I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing. He must be a bit crazy."

Television pics showed passers-by gathering around the moat and watching the chase, giggling and taking photos on mobile phones.

Police said it was unclear what his motives were, although media said he had dropped a bag in the water.

I'd Rather Listen to Insects Buzz

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:58:00 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: (continued)

Listening to politicians, regardless of party, discuss economics makes me sick both to my head and to my stomach. And the only people who are not similarly affected, I fear, are persons whose knowledge of economics is sufficiently scant -- or whose ethics are sufficiently perverted -- to protect their senses from being insulted by what issues forth from the mouths of politicians speaking on economic topics.

So as an economist, I am no more interested in having Sen. Obama (or Sen. McCain) come to GMU's campus to lecture us on "how to manage the economy" than I would be, say, to have O.J. Simpson come to GMU's campus to lecture us on how to manage one's marriage.

Sincerely,
Don Boudreaux
Professor and Chairman
Department of Economics
George Mason University

Clip Source: cafehayek.typepad.com

Dear Mr. _______:

Thanks for your note asking if GMU Econ is interested in inviting Barack Obama to campus in order for him to outline his "economic plan."

I can't go along with your suggestion. First, and most practically, such an invitation would really have to come from either the Office of the Provost or the Office of the President -- not from the Chairman of the Department of Economics.

Second, and most importantly, I have negative willingness to be part of an effort to give any politician a platform to speak about economics. Very few of them have any knowledge of the subject, and even fewer of them are courageous enough to speak about it honestly.

Tags: economics, politics

Bush to America: Hang in there

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:25:00 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: ap.google.com

Bush to America: Hang in there

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush on Tuesday told a country engulfed by dire economic news that it should not expect a sudden recovery, but rather a gradual rebound that will test people's patience.

Pounding home a sober tone, Bush said about a dozen times that the nation is enduring "tough times."

"I know that the days are dim right now for a lot of folks," Bush said. "But I firmly believe tomorrow is going to be brighter."

Just not literally tomorrow.

The government's unprecedented plan to buy up Wall Street's failed assets has not kept the stock market from plunging or the credit crisis from imperiling financial markets around the globe. That, in turn, has exacerbated the confusion of the public, which was told repeatedly that the government plan was a rescue.

So the White House, led by Bush, is sending this message: Hang in there, America. The massive federal intervention will just take time to work.

Tags: bush, chantilly, economy, pep talk, finance, retirement, housing

Buy Stock now or Why You Should Fear the Future

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:54:12 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.fool.com

Why You Should Fear the Future

Remember when everyone was quoting Baron Rothschild, saying, "Buy when blood is in the streets"? Well, this is it. We're in the Wall Street equivalent of Kill Bill meets Jurassic Park. It looks like it's all over but the spurting.

Warren Buffett knows how to play this game. He's buying, and he says that in five or 10 years, "we'll look back on this period and we'll see that you could have made some extraordinary buys."

But when the market drops 9% in a day, it's hard to react logically, like Buffett -- and not, say, curl up into a quivering, sniffling ball. Here are five ways to help you achieve your goal.

1. Be afraid -- be very afraid
Instead of looking at how much you can make by buying a stock, examine all the ways that you can lose. Bruce Berkowitz, who manages the Fairholme Fund, swears by this strategy. He tries to think of every possible scenario that can kill a company -- and if he can't find any, then he'll buy.

Tags: stocks, market, economy, buffet, investment

Is Aging an Accident of Evolution? Scientists Say "Yes"

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:06:40 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

"Everyone has assumed we age by rust. But how do you explain animals that don't age? Some tortoises lay eggs at the age of 100, there are whales that live to be 200 and clams that make it past 400 years."

Prevailing theory of aging challenged by Stanford Universit

Their discovery contradicts the prevailing theory that aging is a buildup of tissue damage similar to rust. The Stanford findings suggest specific genetic instructions drive the process. If they are right, science might one day find ways of switching the signals off and halting or even reversing aging.

“Everyone has assumed we age by rust,” Kim said. “But then how do you explain animals that don’t age?”

“A free radical doesn’t care if it’s in a human cell or a worm cell,” Kim said.

If aging is not a cost of unavoidable chemistry but is instead driven by changes in regulatory genes, the aging process may not be inevitable. It is at least theoretically possible to slow down or stop developmental drift.

5 Battered but Worthy Stocks

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:56:51 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.fool.com

5 Battered but Worthy Stocks

This past month has been brutal, and we've seen a lot of stocks lose value. Sometimes, a stock price declines because the market has efficiently digested new information and appropriately discounted the stock's value. And sometimes a stock price spikes downward because people panic.

But in Motley Fool CAPS, where 115,000-plus members offer their investing opinions, stocks with a maximum rating of five stars have a stellar record.

Still, some of our five-star stocks travel a turbulent road to good performance. And even though most of the five-star picks pan out, not all of them will. So let's examine some five-star stocks with large price declines over the past month. We'll look at some reasons for the decline and see whether these battered stocks are worth their stars.

Here are the past month's battered prospects:

Tags: stocks, worthy investments, economy, stock market

Archbishop of New Orleans criticizes ‘blatantly anti-life’ sterilization proposal

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:23:59 GMT

clipped by: Efrain Alvarado

Clip Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com

New Orleans, Sep 30, 2008 / 03:20 am (CNA).- Archbishop of New Orleans Alfred C. Hughes has criticized a Louisiana lawmaker’s proposal to pay poor women to sterilize themselves, calling it “seriously wrong,” “blatantly anti-life,” and a “form of eugenics.”

Louisiana’s Rep. John LaBruzzo, a Republican from Metairie, last week said he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied.

His proposal would also cover other forms of birth control, such as vasectomies for men, and could also encourage tax incentives for college-educated, higher-income people to have more children, the Times-Picayune reports.

“Our lawmakers would do better to focus on policies that promote education and achievement to counteract poverty and the bigotry of low expectations,” Archbishop Hughes said.

Tags: eugenics, prolife

Criminal Grandma Gets Knitting Punishment

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:47:19 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: This is so funny! *LOL*

Clip Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk

Criminal gran gets knitting punishment

An 89-year-old grandmother who went on a tyre-wrecking spree in her street has been ordered to knit jumpers for her victims.

Heidi Kohl, from western Germany, was arrested after one neighbour spotted her slashing the tyres on a car. She later confessed that she had resorted to drastic measures after becoming "fed up" with so many drivers parking in her neighbourhood.

Kohl was initially told that she would be fined for her behaviour, but authorities came up with the more unusual punishment after the woman claimed she would be unable to pay.

A spokeswoman confirmed: "When she's knitted the sweaters, then the matter will be over for us."

Kohl is believed to have wrecked 50 tyres in total. Prosecutors have said that she will not offend again as she has since been moved to a retirement home.

How the Federal Reserve Violates the Constitution

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:07:08 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns

Clip Source: www.donaldtrumphair.com

[Video]

Foreclosure Alley (Very Sad)

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:39:34 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: corgiguy.gohds.net

This video was a shocker to my senses since I live in the Inland Empire where the video was filmed and i've seen the foreclosure signs everywhere. I've always wonder how this people could afford this homes and the life style they were carrying. Seeing the american dream thrown in the dumpster is truely sad. And to think that is going to get worse when those adjustable mortages recast in the comming months. Lisa Ling did a fabulous job on this piece as usual, top notch.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: economy, life, people

Family forced to live in tent

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:20:42 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A Kansas City family is living in a tent after losing their home to foreclosure. KMBC reports.

• Politics - News, Opinion and Analysis from CNN.com

Family forced to live in tent

Tags: economy, foreclosure, family, tent, kids, kansas

Strippers, potato chips inspire Ig Nobel winners

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:01:02 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: Wonder if this means the strippers should pour Diet Coke on themselves before doing lap dances?

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

Strippers, potato chips inspire Ig Nobel winners

BOSTON — Deborah Anderson had heard the urban legends about the contraceptive effectiveness of Coca-Cola products for years.

So she and her colleagues decided to put the soft drink to the test. In the lab, that is.

For discovering that, yes indeed, Coke was a spermicide, Anderson and her team are among this year's winners of the Ig Nobel prize, the annual award given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine to oddball but often surprisingly practical scientific achievements.

The ceremony at Harvard University, in which actual Nobel laureates bestow the awards, also honored a British psychologist who found foods that sound better taste better; a group of researchers who discovered exotic dancers make more money when they are at peak fertility; and a pair of Brazilian archaeologists who determined armadillos can change the course of history.

Tags: strippers, ig noble prize, lap dancers, potato chips, coke, fertility