Clipmarks | Shortage Clips

Signs Of Limited Credit Thaw Emerge In Money Markets

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:43:10 GMT

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Banks cut the rates they charge each other for overnight loans in U.S. dollars and euros on Friday, and the rate on one-day corporate IOUs eased from Thursday, providing tentative signs that some corners of the credit market are thawing.

Still, rates for longer interbank loans pushed higher again Friday, and the drop in overnight rates was not universal. The cost to borrow pounds sterling funds overnight jumped as dealers reported some U.K. banks faced a shortage of cash.

And even though overnight rates in some countries moved closer to central bank targets they remain well above where they were four weeks ago before the bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers locked up credit markets around the world.

Tags: credit crisis, money markets, interbank lending

Human evolution is over

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:50:07 GMT

clipped by: fraynelson

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Human evolution is grinding to a halt because of a shortage of older fathers in the West, according to a leading genetics expert.

Fathers over the age of 35 are more likely to pass on mutations, according to Professor Steve Jones, of University College London.

Speaking today at a UCL lecture entitled “Human evolution is over” Professor Jones will argue that there were three components to evolution – natural selection, mutation and random change. “Quite unexpectedly, we have dropped the human mutation rate because of a change in reproductive patterns,” Professor Jones told The Times.

This is because cell divisions in males increase with age. “Every time there is a cell division, there is a chance of a mistake, a mutation, an error,” he said.

“For a 50-year-old father, the figure is well over a thousand. A drop in the number of older fathers will thus have a major effect on the rate of mutation.”

Panic as Russian stock market falls by almost 20%

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:47:50 GMT

clipped by: sunstreak509

Clip Source: en.rian.ru

MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian stock market gave in to panic on Monday with the MICEX dropping 18.6% to 752 points and the RTS falling by 19.1% to 866.39 points - the worst losses since the 1998 crash.

Russia's financial system has been affected by a global credit crunch which started in the U.S. and quickly spread to Asia and Europe leading to record losses on Russia's financial markets, rising interest rates and a liquidity shortage.

Sergei Sheikov, managing director for corporate clients at the Olma Company said: "Monday became one of the blackest days for most market participants - for the first time since 2005 the RTS index closed below the psychologically important benchmarks of 900 and 1,000 points."

Tags: economy, markets, russia

A Better Strategy on Opium in Afghanistan

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:07:36 GMT

clipped by: oscarrob
clipper's remarks: The statistics are bleak and we are pursuing typically myopic policies in Afghanistan. Hitchens (whose writing I think is superb) makes a great case for a different approach.

"in the short term, hard-pressed Afghan farmers should be allowed to sell their opium to the government rather than only to the many criminal elements that continue to infest it or to the Taliban. We don't have to smoke the stuff once we have purchased it: It can be burned or thrown away or perhaps more profitably used to manufacture the painkillers of which the United States currently suffers a shortage. (As it is, we allow Turkey to cultivate opium poppy fields for precisely this purpose.)"

Clip Source: www.slate.com

suicide bombings in Afghanistan were up 27 percent in 2007 over 2006, commenting that Mullen "should have added that they are up 600 percent over 2005, and that all insurgent attacks are up 400 percent over 2005."

the number of attacks on World Food Program convoys, on relief workers, and on prominent Afghan women. All of these show a steady upward curve,

depressing figure is the index of civilian casualties caused by aerial bombardment from NATO forces: This year will show a large increase in these, as well, and that is one of the chief concerns underlying Sir Sherard's bleakly expressed view that the current U.S.-led strategy is "destined to fail."

Afghanistan's poppy fields,

produced 93 percent of all the world's opium.

the vast bulk of the revenue from this astonishing harvest goes directly to the Taliban or to local warlords and mullahs. Meanwhile, in the guise of liberators, NATO forces appear and tell the Afghan villagers that they intend to burn their only crop.

Tags: afghanistan, strategy, drugs, war, war on terror

Leading geneticist Steve Jones says human evolution is over

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:57:36 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Again, the problem is man made.

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Human evolution is grinding to a halt because of a shortage of older fathers in the West, according to a leading genetics expert.

Fathers over the age of 35 are more likely to pass on mutations, according to Professor Steve Jones, of University College London.

“Human social change often changes our genetic future,” he said, citing marriage patterns and contraception as examples. Although chemicals and radioactive pollution could alter genetics, one of the most important mutation triggers is advanced age in men.

This is because cell divisions in males increase with age. “Every time there is a cell division, there is a chance of a mistake, a mutation, an error,”

Tags: evolution

Economic chaos creates surge in homelessness

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:36:54 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Economic chaos creates surge in homelessness

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (AP) -- The number of homeless families in Massachusetts has surged -- a spike that has overwhelmed the state's shelter capacity and forced it to again place homeless families in motels.

Driving the increase is the sour economy, rising energy costs, escalating unemployment and shortage of affordable housing. For the first time, the state is tracking how many families are winding up homeless due to foreclosures.

"You're seeing a perfect storm," said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

The upswing is also putting pressure on a landmark initiative by Gov. Deval Patrick to virtually end homelessness in Massachusetts in the next five years.

In just the past 12 months, the number of homeless families living in Massachusetts motels has skyrocketed from 17 in September 2007 to 550 in September 2008. That's on top of another 1,800 or so families in shelters.

Tags: homeless, shelters, massachusetts, families, economy

Great Lakes Compact OK'd to prevent water diversion

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:25:50 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Great Lakes Compact OK'd to prevent water diversion

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (AP) -- Great Lakes water cannot be diverted to thirsty areas elsewhere in the United States and abroad under an agreement approved Friday by President Bush.

Approval of the Great Lakes Compact was the final step in a nearly decadelong quest to strengthen legal protections for the use of water from the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River. It received bipartisan support and the backing of business and environmental groups and both presidential candidates.

The pact bans new diversions of water to places outside the region -- eight states and two Canadian provinces with a combined population of roughly 40 million. There are limited exceptions for communities near the basin boundary that meet rigorous requirements and for the taking of water in small containers.

Tags: great lakes, water, water shortage, fresh water, clean water

Large dog savaged by killer squirrels

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:30:36 GMT

clipped by: cakebelly
clipper's remarks: continues:
Mikhail Tiyunov, a scientist in the region, said it was the first he had ever heard of such an attack. While squirrels without sources of protein might attack birds' nests, he said, the idea of them chewing a dog to death was "absurd".

"If it really happened, things must be pretty bad in our forests," he added. Komosmolskaya Pravda notes that in a previous incident this autumn chipmunks terrorised cats in a part of the territory. A Lazo man who called himself only Mikhalich said there had been "no pine cones at all" in the local forests this year. "The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat," he added.

Clip Source: mysterytopia.com

Large dog savaged by killer squirrels

Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.

the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute. They are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh. A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical. The attack was reported in parkland in the centre of Lazo, a village in the Maritime Territory, and was witnessed by three local people. A "big" stray dog was nosing about the trees and barking at squirrels hiding in branches overhead when a number of them suddenly descended and attacked, reports say.

"They literally gutted the dog," local journalist Anastasia Trubitsina told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "When they saw the men, they scattered in different directions, taking pieces of their kill away with them."

Wireless at Fiber Speeds

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:17:29 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Richard Ridgway, a senior researcher at Battelle, says that the technique could be used to send huge files across college campuses, to quickly set up emergency networks in a disaster, and even to stream uncompressed high-definition video from a computer or set-top box to a display.

Clip Source: www.technologyreview.com

New millimeter-wave technology sends data at 10 gigabits per second.

There's no shortage of demand for faster wireless, but today's fastest technologies--Wi-Fi, 3G cellular networks, and even the upcoming WiMax--max out at tens or hundreds of megabits per second. So far, no commercial wireless system can beat the raw speed of optical fiber, which can carry tens of gigabits per second.

One way to achieve faster speeds is to harness the millimeter-wavelength frequency of the wireless spectrum, although this usually requires expensive and very complex equipment. Now, engineers at Battelle, a research and development firm based in Columbus, OH, have come up with a simpler way to send data through the air with millimeter-wave technology. Earlier this year, in field tests of a prototype point-to-point system, the team was able to send a 10.6-gigabit-per-second signal between antennas 800 meters apart. And more recently, the researchers demonstrated a 20-gigabit-per-second signal in the lab.

Tags: technology, wireless, communication, network

Food Riots Have Already Begun

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:08:02 GMT

clipped by: sunstreak509

Clip Source: www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) Riots and other forms of civil unrest have already broken out around the world in response to a global grain shortage and surging food prices.

According to data from the World Food Program and the early warning and global information system of the Food and Agricultural Organization, street protests and rioting over high food prices have broken out in Guinea, Indonesia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Yemen and West Africa in the past several months.

Tags: food, grain, riots, agriculture, shortage

water from air

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:39:52 GMT

clipped by: Nadav_1

Clip Source: www.engadget.com

Watermill pulls drinking water from thin air

Sure we've seen glorified dehumidifiers like this before, but we're a sucker for any aquatic wonder which claims to solve the world's drinking water shortage. The wall-mounted Watermill from Element Four is the latest "water from thin air" contraption and produces up to 3.2 gallons of water a day, pumped through a trusty ultraviolet sterilizer. But more importantly, it offers to hydrate your family of 6 for a mere thirty-five cents a day in power, not including whatever price Element Four decides to sell it for. Or you could just stick a bucket on your roof and be done with it -- we hear it rains occasionally.

Tags: watertech

Food Riots Have Already Begun

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:14:54 GMT

clipped by: Geshizar

Clip Source: www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) Riots and other forms of civil unrest have already broken out around the world in response to a global grain shortage and surging food prices.

Prices of wheat and rice in particular have skyrocketed recently. Rice prices have increased 50 percent in the past year, while wheat prices went up 115 percent in the same time period. The high prices have been attributed to increased fuel and shipping costs, plus a worldwide grain shortage.

Tags: food shortages

Cooking Dash Game Download

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:07:11 GMT

clipped by: hi0829cox
clipper's remarks: Cooking Dash, Cooking Dash Game, Cooking Dash Download, Cooking Dash Game Download, Cooking Dash Game Free Download

Clip Source: game4106.ourbestgames.net

Cooking Dash Game

Cooking Dash Download

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:24:08 GMT

clipped by: gameyou888
clipper's remarks: In Cooking Dash, Flo returns to cook dishes instead of serve them. When Cookie the Chef leaves Flo`s Diner to pursue a career on a popular reality cooking TV show, there is a shortage of chefs in DinerTown as Cookie invites them all to appear as guest stars. Flo, with her grandmother, help out at all four DinerTown restaurants and ends up hosting with Cookie on a Hollywood set of Flo`s Diner!

Clip Source: pcgames.addictinggameonline.com

Free Download (22.5 MB)

Full unlimited version

Cooking Dash full game features:

Cook a variety of food.
Cool new upgrades to earn.
3D rendered characters.

System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista

$6.99 per game-->Jumbo Pack
12 games minimum in next 12 months
$7.99 per game-->Super Pack
6 games minimum in next 6 months
$9.99 per game-->Casual Pack
2 games minimum in next 2 months
$19.99 Just want this game

Click here to buy Cooking Dash

(click on screenshots to zoom)

Tags: game, games, pc games, new game, hot game, cooking dash

Perhaps They Meant Well...

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:55:08 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: I hope.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.whitehouse.gov

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. Thanks, for coming. Well, thanks for the warm welcome. Thank you for being here today. I appreciate your attendance to this very important conference. You see, we want everybody in America to own their own home. That's what we want. This is -- an ownership society is a compassionate society.

Freddie Mae -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- I see the heads who are here; I want to thank you all for coming -- (laughter) -- have committed to provide more money for lenders. They've committed to help meet the shortage of capital available for minority home buyers.

Clip Source: www.rurdev.usda.gov

USDA UNVEILS PLAN TO INCREASE MINORITY HOMEOWNERSHIP IN RURAL AMERICA
Partnership with Bankers Critical To Meet President Bush’s Goal

Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr today announced an aggressive plan to help achieve President Bush’s goal of helping 5.5 million minority families attain the dream of homeownership by 2010.