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Clipmarks | Live ClipsTerrorist is that Word that Follows Arabclipped by: katsteevns A senior AP executive responded to my concerns with a quip. "Terrorist is the word that follows Arab," he said. Though meant as a lighthearted riposte, the comment clearly had a great deal of truth to it. It was easy to attach "terrorist" to any Arab attack - even against a military target such as the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983 after the Reagan administration had joined hostilities against Muslim forces by having U.S. warships lob shells into Lebanese villages. But it was understood that different rules on the use of the word "terrorism" applied when the terrorism was coming from "our side." Then, no American reporter with any sense of career survival would think of injecting the word "terrorist" whatever the justification. Mileage Taxclipped by: sillysamclippers remarks: Oregons economy is in shambles and has been for years. When will they learn that it is all the taxes that are making life so difficult. Oh, and if Oregonians are indeed driving less and less why would you nee more money for roads? A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads ? via a mileage tax and satellite technology ? could work. Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he?d like the legislature to take the next step. As part of a transportation-related bill he has filed for the 2009 legislative session, the governor says he plans to recommend ?a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.? What that means is explained on the governor?s website: ?As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.? Hamas Fantasyclipped by: sillysamSince 2001, something on the order of 4,000 missiles, and the same number of mortar shells, have been fired from Gaza at civilian targets miles into Israel. Since taking power in Gaza, Hamas has split the Palestinians into two irreconcilable camps, with themselves as Islamists and Fatah under Mahmoud Abbas as putative nationalists (albeit with their own jihadist elements). While the latter camp has been negotiating for a peace settlement, Hamas has been preparing openly for the final war its leaders envision, asserting at every opportunity that it will never under any circumstances settle for the two-state solution that most of the world hopes for. The truce Hamas offered was an opportunity to stockpile weapons and undergo training. Hamas interpreted Israeli restraint as evidence that Israel was unable to defend its sovereignty and was therefore actually on the path to defeat and national dissolution. Senora Kennedy Is Make A Good Senatorclipped by: merrieclippers remarks: Senora Kennedy is many plaques. She have a diploma from the Senator school and many trophies. She have many famous photografias and autografias. I know this because I have to clean her office every Tuesday and is very hard for to dust all this many things. Senora Kennedy have very many busy jobs. She is edit the book for the children and the poetry. She also choose the winners for the many awards she is boss for. It is make her very tired, but every day Senora is go to work for the volunteer to raise the money for the awards and the charity. She have many parties at the home and the museum. She work very hard to shop for the new gowns and invitacions. She is also make the seating arrange and hide the tequila from Tio Teddy so he not get borracho. This she do for the poor. Senora Kennedy she is the good mother. She is raise her two girls by herself, with the nannies, and every night read the girls the poetry book she edit. 
Senora Kennedy is very very sad that television man say he no think she is make a good senator in Washington. This is not right for you to think this too because Senora Kennedy is make very good senator! Here is the reasons: Senora Kennedy she is from famous senator family. Senora Kennedy father was El Presidente. She have tio who is senator. She have many cousin who also is senator, even all the ones with the drug problems. Why she is only one who no is senator? This is no fair to her. . . . Ghaza . . . Again. .clipped by: merrieclippers remarks: Congratulations Livni, you might just beat Netanyahu for the big seat. All the while the Fatah supporters are crying, see what Hamas has done to Ghaza, as if they themselves did not partake in this dance with Israel a million times before. And it is a dance, well-rehearsed and well-executed, and performed so many times before that those of us paying attention could tell what will happen next to a tee. The reprisals, the statements from whomever condemning whatever and standing in solidarity with what side of this conflict and their god given right to protect themselves/resist the aggression/yadayadayada, the eventual kidnapping, the eventual cease fire, the eventual negotiations, the funerals on each side of their own fallen heroes and innocent victims, and naturally, the reprisal for that again. Come on people, we have 24 hour news channels now, what would we fill them with without some good old Israeli Palestinian conflict? Bloodshed in Ghaza?again. Rockets launched from both sides?.again. Round 69474932 of the grandsons of Isaac vs. the grandsons of Ishmael?again. And again, no end in sight..again and again and again. Welcome to Middle-east people, where we make excellent rugs and most fantastic death, all for political gain. Hamas wanted to be relevant again, wanted the arab world to support it, and has learned the lessons of Hezbollah well. Provoke, get your people slaughtered, get recognition and sympathy and power. Who is to question your authority now that you are the one standing in the line of fire? Elections you say coming up? Who will oppose you now? We all have to band together in times of crisis, no? And on the Israeli side, the same lesson applies: Hey, wanna be the Prime Minister in the next elections? Attack Ghaza. In recent memory, not a single election for PM has taken place before the candidates party has launched some sort of Attack on Ghaza. Its like tradition, you see, for good luck. Europe Re-Thinks Globaloney Warmingclipped by: clinpsydocclippers remarks: The weak minded are always up on disaster of the week. Environment minister Sammy Wilson: I still think man-made climate change is a conWednesday, 31 December 2008 Spending billions on trying to reduce carbon emissions is one giant con that is depriving third world countries of vital funds to tackle famine, HIV and other diseases, Sammy Wilson said. The DUP minister has been heavily criticised by environmentalists for claiming that ongoing climatic shifts are down to nature and not mankind. ?I think in 20 years? time we will look back at this whole climate change debate and ask ourselves how on earth were we ever conned into spending the billions of pounds which are going into this without any kind of rigorous examination of the background, the science, the implications of it all. Because there is now a degree of hysteria about it, fairly unformed hysteria I?ve got to say as well. "Most of the people who shout about climate change have not read one article about it "Into The Mystic," by Van Morrisonclipped by: swampfoxzclippers remarks: nice version "Into The Mystic," by Van Morrison[Video] This Modern World Thanks for the material, George W. Now get lost!clipped by: ratilfarclippers remarks: Bye, bye Georgie Porgy!  New Years Resolutions 2009clipped by: thisnamecantbetakenNew Years Resolutions  for 2009 This year, I resolve to: Always replace the gas nozzle  I will always "check for paper"  I will try to drive closer to the speed limit.  I will always wear clean underwear, "just in case".  I will keep an extra safe distance when driving behind police cars.  I will no longer park the BMW next to fire hydrants.  and never again will I try to diffuse an explosive device with a known practical joker.  Have a Safe and Happy New Year!  Bush has successfully defended anti-terrorism policiesclipped by: ratilfarclippers remarks: Soon after Sept. 11, Bush said that as commander in chief he had the "inherent" power to act boldly in the nations defense, regardless of whether Congress or the courts agreed. His claim has been much criticized. It also has not been accepted by Congress or endorsed by the Supreme Court. The justices have said the president must act according to the law, not in spite of it. Nonetheless, Bushs anti-terrorism policies have not been blocked by the courts or Congress. When the Supreme Court struck down Bushs use of special military trials at Guantanamo on grounds that he had no legal basis for creating them, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act to authorize the trials.  The military prison at Guantanamo may be the exception to Bush?s string of legal successes. The Supreme Court struck down his policies regarding the holding and trying of prisoners there. But the administration has resisted changes. Domestic surveillance, rounding up Muslim men after Sept. 11, harsh interrogations -- the administration has beat back nearly all legal challenges to its controversial programs. George W. Bush will end his presidency in retreat, forced to compromise on several fronts. Free-market economics have given way to massive government bailouts, and an assertive, unilateral foreign policy has yielded to one more attuned to world opinion. But in his defense of the war on terrorism, Bush has succeeded in beating back nearly all legal challenges -- including those to some of his most controversial policies. Stellar Mystique and Violenceclipped by: Kelikaclippers remarks: ""Originally believed to be a typical nova eruption, it was then realized to be something completely different. The reason for the outburst is still uncertain..." This animation is a morph between a number of Hubble images, showing the light echoes expanding around the star (reflected from nebulas and other stellar material expelled earlier)" The brightening was caused by a rapid expanding of the stars outer layer - making this celestial body (at the maximum size) the brightest star in our Galaxy, with a radius comparable to the orbital radius of Jupiter... (originally the star was approximately 5 times larger than our Sun). The dynamics of brightening are totally unique, and pretty much unexplainable: multiple sharp bursts (with phenomenal speed of expansion), followed by weird lulls.  The most interesting possibility is that V838 Monocerotis may have swallowed its giant planets. "If one of the planets entered into the atmosphere of the star, the stellar atmosphere would have begun slowing down the planet, releasing more kinetic energy into the star. The stars envelope would then warm up enough to trigger deuterium fusion, which would lead to rapid expansion. The later peaks may then have occurred when two other planets entered into the expanded envelope." (source) [Video] Ingenious Hellraiser Fires Up Homebrew Flamethrowersclipped by: tabseyclippers remarks: Is there a big market for flame throwers in the US? We dont burn much sugar cane any more. Fire breaks would be a use.  Former contractor turned full-time tinkerer Bob Hofmann has built everything from an adult-size tricycle to a Skilsaw-powered dragster. But his real passion is fire. So a few years ago he came up with a lightweight, easy-to-use flamethrower he calls the Bonefire. Looking a little like an antique musket, the polished-metal torch has an elegantly simple design: Propane vapor collects in a half-gallon accumulator tank at the end of a 3-foot-long tube. A bicycle brake caliper and cable control a steam-whistle valve, which unleashes the vapor in high-volume bursts that ignite as they pass an electric barbecue starter switch. Depending on your cable technique?strum, stroke, smack?you can produce a peep of flame, smoke rings, or a 20-foot torrent of hell. Hofmann sells his handmade Bonefires for $850 a pop, but he already has his eye on a bigger inferno, a machine hes dubbed the Fountain of Flame. Itll use 32 GPS-controlled robots to re-create Las Vegas Bellagio water show in colored flam [Video] Tags: inventor Safer here? or Safer there?clipped by: chestnut501clippers remarks: Here on the Internet? Or Out There in the Rest of the World? Internet Safety: Adults are at Risk TooAdware, Spyware and Computer VirusesFraudIdentity TheftCyberstalkingSexual PredatorsU.S. man pleads guilty to acting as agent for Israelclipped by: ratilfarclippers remarks: "Kadish used his security clearance to borrow 50 to 100 classified documents from the arsenals library, including some "concerning nuclear weaponry" and others relating to a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet that the United States had sold to an unidentified country, the complaint said." From best friend Israel. Nice! NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An 85-year-old former U.S. Army employee pleaded guilty on Tuesday to acting as an unregistered agent of Israel and admitted he gave classified documents to the Jewish state in the 1980s. Court documents show the defendant, Ben-Ami Kadish, reported to the same handler as Jonathan Pollard, an American who spied for Israel in the 1980s and triggered a scandal that rocked U.S.-Israeli relations. Kadishs plea indicates the Israeli spy network that obtained U.S. nuclear secrets through Pollard spread further than previously acknowledged. It comes as the Bush administration considers a new request by Pollard for a commutation of his life sentence. Prosecutors say Ben-Ami Kadish provided classified documents, including some relating to U.S. missile defense systems, to an Israeli agent, Yosef Yagur, who photographed the documents at Kadishs residence. Yagur was one of Pollards handlers, according to court documents. Epic FAILs From Around the Worldclipped by: chestnut501clippers remarks: You just know they arent going to amount to anything.....             Did the CIA trade Viagra for intel?clipped by: Kelika CIA operatives in Afghanistan may be buying favors from local leaders using the erection-boosting drug Viagra, the Washington Post reports. A tribal patriarch described in the Post story was happy to provide info about Taliban trade routes to intel officers in exchange for the little blue pills. "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people?whether its building a school or handing out Viagra," a CIA operative told the paper. Another CIA source was careful to point out that the agency only uses tactics "consistent with the laws of our country." Viagra may have found a new niche?Afghan men ages 60 and older who have to juggle the needs of up to four younger wives (the maximum number allowed by the Koran, as the Post points out). After all, the average man reaches his sexual peak in his twenties, and testosterone levels decrease by about 1 percent every year after the age of 30, Saigal says, adding: "Im glad theyre making love not war, is all I can say." Atheist and the Inagurationclipped by: sillysamclippers remarks: I especially like the part where the guy from t e atheist group tries to convince everyone that this is a secular country. Atheist Group Files Lawsuit Against Prayer at Presidential Inauguration"The inauguration is not a religious event. It is a secular event of a secular country that includes all Americans, including those of us who are not Christians, including those of us who are not believers," he continued. "The atheists, while they have every right to practice their atheism, they do not have an absolute right not to be exposed to viewpoints they dont agree with. So I think this lawsuit has no merit whatsoever," Sprigg said. "These atheists who are suing to prevent prayer at the inauguration are showing a fundamental misunderstanding of what the First Amendment is all about. The establishment of religion that is forbidden by the First Amendment means the official declaration of an official national church. It doesnt mean that public ceremonies can not include prayers or acknowledgement of the existence of God," he told FOX News Radio. The Art of the Impossible By Thomas Sowellclipped by: merrieclippers remarks: It may be impossible to have "open space" laws and "affordable housing" at the same time, but what are politicians there for, except to figure out ways to give us the impossible? Palo Alto, California, where housing prices nearly quadrupled in one decade after severe building restrictions were imposed, also pioneered in laws mandating that each builder agree to sell a certain percentage of any new housing "below market." Happy voters are what get politicians re-elected. Of course this system can work only where just a fraction of the new housing is sold "below market." Moreover, the market price of housing is raised so far above what it was by building restrictions that even "below market" prices for condominiums in Palo Alto can run to $300,000 or $400,000. This is hardly "affordable housing" for people on modest incomes. Only 7 percent of Palo Altos police, for example, live in Palo Alto-- probably older cops who bought their homes long ago. Whoever called politics "the art of the possible" must have had a strange idea of what is possible or a strange idea of politics, where the impossible is one of the biggest vote-getters. People can get the possible on their own. Politicians have to be able to offer the voters something that they cannot get on their own. The impossible fills that bill perfectly. As a noted economist has pointed out, nothing "could prevent the California electorate from simultaneously demanding low electricity prices and no new generating plants while using ever increasing amounts of electricity." You want the government to create more jobs for people when there is widespread unemployment? Its been done. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the government employed more young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps than there were in the Army. While jobs created by the government may not have reduced total unemployment, these jobs increased votes for the administration, which is the real bottom line China reveals largest dinosaur fossil site in worldclipped by: martinlowe China reveals largest dinosaur fossil site in worldSeveral thousands of dinosaur fossils have been found in the Chinese eastern province of Shandong, making it the largest site in the world, according to officials. The remains of the tallest hadrosaurus (20-metre) also belong to the finding.Tuesday 30 December 2008 Scientists in China say they have discovered the worlds largest dinosaur fossil site in the eastern province of Shandong, state media reported on Tuesday. Scientists had recovered some 7,600 fossils from a 300 metre (980 ft) long pit near Zhucheng city over the past seven months, Xinhua news agency said. The finds included remains of a 20-metre hadrosaurus, which could be a record size for the duck-billed dinosaur, Xinhua said. Scientists had put down tools for the winter, but said further excavations could yield more fossils. Zhucheng, known locally as Chinas "Dinosaur City", has produced dinosaur fossils in some 30 sites, according to local media. A Poem for My Online Friendsclipped by: thisnamecantbetakenclippers remarks: Happy New Year, fellow clippers! Some of you, I have had the good fortune of meeting in real life, some I have plans to meet and others still I will never see face to face, but you ALL make my life and world, just that little bit bigger and way more fun. I wish you all the very best in the new year. Rock on, clippers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_5XIusA5Ng "A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying... Damn, that was fun!" So true.  When I read this poem... I thought of you! ![[IMAGE]](http://clipmarks.com/image_cache/thisnamecantbetaken/512/37BF521D-A5F1-4A6D-BE76-2360DCDEC373.jpg) I had some free time, so what did I do? I checked the computer to see if Id heard from you. I used to walk out to a box to retrieve mail But Id rather get it instantly than wait on the snail... Checking my email is always fun I usually get a joke or greeting from someone. I feel so connected because on the other end I know Ive discovered a newfound friend. When Ive had a hard day and need to share Here I can find a friend who will listen and care. And to this friend I hope I let know That I am always there for them also. Isnt it a strange kind of bond we form? It isnt exactly like the "norm" But where is it written, face to face we have to be For you to be a very good friend to me? That little joke, or note, or even just a simple "Hi" Could be like a ray of sunshine from the sky. So my online-pals , this is dedicated to you For all the smiles you have made anew May our friendship continue to grow and the warmth we feel continue to flow. ![[IMAGE]](http://clipmarks.com/image_cache/thisnamecantbetaken/512/3C75EBA5-DE95-4EEF-BE24-E5CE44153EE4.gif) Compost These 30 Unexpected Itemsclipped by: BartendingBearclippers remarks: You can compost anything of organic origin: fruit peels and pits, sandwich crusts, gluey pasta, oatmeal that?s gone the way of cement, soggy cereal, stale pastries, nut shells, orange rinds, tea bags, coffee filters, onion skins, melon rinds, seeds, cores, old milk, stale potato chips? but NO MEAT. Bills Latex condoms Junk mail Catalogs and magazines - just shred them first. Old fish food and stale catnip Abandoned hide/bone dog chews Worn out rope and used masking tape Any old leather should be fairly worn out, otherwise you?ll be dead before it degrades White glue ATM and gas station receipts Ticket stubs, post-its, stickers, labels, price tags Ratty wool or 100% cotton socks Old Halloween candy Holey cotton underwear Dirt, crap and grime from your shoes or boots Cardboard cereal boxes - shred them Vacuum cleaner bag/bin contents and dryer lint Skunked beer, ancient candy bars, expired protein bars Cotton tampons and cardboard applicators Expired dairy and moldy cheese Used tissues and paper towels Aquarium plants and wilted flower bouquets Cat fur, dog hair, and nail clippings Your hair Matches Wood chips from the BBQ Fireplace and campfire ashes That cute little brie cheese box Cardboard toilet paper and paper towel rolls Hamster/guinea pig/rat/bird cage cleanings Double Standardsclipped by: katsteevnsDouble Standards December 31, 2008 by Consortium News Eventually, the American press corps developed an engrained sense of the double standards. Moral outrage could be expressed when acts of terrorism were committed by U.S. enemies, while studied silence - or nuanced concern - would be in order when the crimes were by U.S. allies. So, while the U.S. news media had no doubt that the 9/11 terrorist attacks justified invading Afghanistan, there was very little U.S. media criticism when President Bush inflicted his "shock and awe" assault on Iraq, a war that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths. Though many Muslims and others around the world have denounced Bushs Iraq invasion as "state terrorism," such a charge would be considered far outside the mainstream in the United States. Instead, Iraqi insurgents are often labeled "terrorists" when they attack U.S. troops inside Iraq. The word "terrorist" has become, in effect, a geopolitical curse word. Victoria to ban electric cigarettesclipped by: tabseyclippers remarks: Generally advertised as a stopgap measure while giving up. Interesting that the govt can ban this nicotine producing product with a "flick of the pen" but imagine the crap if they tried to ban smoking. The Victorian Government will ban battery-powered cigarettes. The products do not contain tobacco, but produce nicotine vapours. Health Minister Daniel Andrews says the devices create side effects similar to traditional cigarettes. Water-filled glasses, adjustable for anyoneclipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Can be produced by the millions, adjusted on site in 3rd world by the users themselves, most of whom stand a one in a million chance of ever visiting with an optometrist.  British inventor Josh Silver, a former professor of physics at Oxford University, has come up with a game-changer of a product design with his water-lensed glasses. Inside the devices tough plastic lenses are two clear circular sacs filled with fluid, each of which is connected to a small syringe attached to either arm of the spectacles. The wearer adjusts a dial on the syringe to add or reduce amount of fluid in the membrane, thus changing the power of the lens. with very little guidance people are perfectly capable of creating glasses to their own prescription Silvers goal is to help the hundreds of millions of people in developing countries who suffer from poor eyesight in Ghana, Silver met a man who had been forced to retire as a tailor because he could no longer see to thread the needle He was about 35 We put these specs on him, and he smiled, and threaded his needle, and sped up with this sewing machine. He can work now. He can see Mother has healthy baby boy despite abortion warning by doctorclipped by: Efrain Alvarado Gaynor Purdy was warned her first child could have a fatal chromosome defect and a life threatening heart condition. But she rejected two suggestions to terminate the pregnancy and she and her husband Lee are celebrating life with their "perfect" ten-month-old son. Mrs Purdy, 28, a quality control inspector, said: "We refused to give up on him, and decided throughout the pregnancy that as long as he was fighting, we would continue fighting with him." Four months into the pregnancy doctors told them that part of their unborn childs heart was narrow and underdeveloped and would mean open heart surgery if the baby was born. They were warned the condition could worsen and around Christmas last year, an immediate termination should be considered. Secrets of Stradivarius Explainedclipped by: einbarSecrets of Stradivarius Explained Scientists may finally have discovered the secret of Stradivarius violins. Dutch researchers ran five of the peerless instruments, made in the early 18th century by Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari and synonymous with harmonic perfection, through a CT scanner The resulting three-dimensional X-rays revealed that wood used in Stradivaris violins possessed an exceptionally uniform density, with little variation in growth rings added by trees each season Summertime growth typically outpaces wintertime growth, producing broad rings of relatively permeable wood that alternate with narrow, dense winter bands. That differential affects the woods harmonic qualities Fortunately for Stradivari, he lived during the Little Ice Age: trees grew little more in summer than in winter Are there musical instruments that would benefit from the highly variable grains likely produced in the wildy oscillating growing seasons of our changing climate? [Video] 2000-Police Against the NWO.pdfclipped by: paleblueclippers remarks: Read the PDF link.. very interesting.. Operation Vampire Killer (.pdf). It is written by police for police and military and educates them not only about the New World Order, but exhorts them to think deeply about whether or not they will obey the command if and when they are told to disarm or fire upon fellow Americans.
Ball & Chain - Janis Joplinclipped by: ofcapriclippers remarks: Woodstock 69 [Video] Ball & Chain - Woodstock 69Tags: woodstock Injectable Bone Made to Heal Breaks in a Hurryclipped by: A53GG4Injectable Bone Made to Heal Breaks in a HurryEric Bland, Discovery News  Dec. 31, 2008 -- It can take months for bones to heal after even a small break. Now a U.K. company, RegenTec, hopes to speed up the healing process by injecting a white powder designed to seal broken bones together in minutes. "You wont be able to just walk out of a hospital with a broken leg," said Robin Quirk, a professor at the University of Nottingham who, along with Kevin Shakesheff in the United States, originally developed the technology. "What we are trying to do in the short term is have something that fills the void left by a break that acts like normal spongy bone and encourages natural regeneration." The proprietary mix of ceramic and polylactic acid is called, for now, Injectable Bone. Injectable Bone isnt the only bone glue out there. Others exist, although they have some problems. In some cases they harden in a solid mass or raise body temperature at the injection site enough to damage nearby tissue Tags: science Fond Farewellsclipped by: aklimentoclippers remarks: Lets pay tribute to those who just gone...  Fond FarewellsWilliam F. Buckley, 1925-2008 George Carlin, 1937-2008 There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad intentions. And woooords. Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008 The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.  Their trade was in matters of the heart. Kantrowitz performed the first U.S. heart transplant; DeBakey, the first coronary bypass. Kantrowitz created a device to help keep a heart pumping outside the hospital; DeBakey devised the procedure to repair torn aortas. Their combined work led to the invention of virtually entire medical fields, and the knowledge that some broken hearts can be mended. Bobby Fischer, 1943-2008 the greatest player ever of the greatest game ever invented Paul Newman, 1925-2008 That seductive, spoiled grin said here was a fellow Randy Pausch, 1960-2008 Pausch also showed us how to die: calmly, gracefully and gratefully.        Megacorps Agree To Stop Being Dicksclipped by: aerynvalaclippers remarks: At least for the moment. As someone who wouldve been screwed by this money grab, Im glad theyve come to an agreement. However, I think this shows why regulation needs to be brought back and brought back hard. Time Warner Cable and Viacom reach dealLOS ANGELES (AP) ? Time Warner Cable Inc. said Wednesday it reached a deal with Viacom Inc. on carriage fees, avoiding a blackout of 19 cable channels including MTV and Comedy Central. Viacom had mounted an advertising onslaught warning customers of the possible blackout, taking out ads in major newspapers and Web sites from The New York Times and TVGuide.com featuring a tearful "Dora the Explorer" crying and clinging to her monkey pal, Boots. Time Warner Chief Executive Glenn Britt on Wednesday had called Viacoms demand for a 12 percent increase in fees ? an extra $39 million on top of the estimated $300 million it pays Viacom annually ? extortion and outrageous given the recession. Viacom countered that the requested increase amounted to an extra $2.76 annually per subscriber. Viacom shares rose 88 cents, or 4.5 percent, to close at $20.12 on Wednesday, while Time Warner Cable shares fell 31 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $21.45. Geeks aint Grandmaclipped by: psidreclippers remarks: found this funny W3C does publish a series of tutorials, though most web developers are unaware of it. Mainly, though, W3C?s site houses a collection of proposals, drafts, and Recommendations, written by geeks for geeks. And when I say geeks, I don?t mean ordinary web professionals like you and me. I mean geeks who make the rest of us look like Grandma on the first day She?s Got Mail. Top 10 Things Caused by Global Warming in 2008clipped by: ColoradoRightclippers remarks: P.S. Ted Turner has 6 children 1. Cannibalism Turner blamed global warming on overpopulation, saying ?too many people are using too much stuff.? Crops won?t grow and ?most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals,? Turner said. 2. The Death of the Loch Ness Monster 3. Beer Gets More Expensive 4. Pythons Take Over America Giant Burmese pythons ? big enough to eat alligators and deer in a single mouthful ? will be capable of living in one-third of continental U.S. 5. Kidney Stones 6. Skinny Whales 7. Shark Attacks 8. Black Hawk Down Although it happened in 1993, the crash of a U.S. military helicopter in Mogadishu that became the film ?Black Hawk Down? was blamed on global warming by a Massachusetts congressman in 2008. 9. Frozen Penguin Babies Penguin babies, whose water-repellant feathers had not grown in yet, froze to death after torrential rains 10. Killer Stingray Invasion Global warming is going to drive killer stingrays, like the one that killed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, to the shores of Britain 12 Elegant Examples of Evolutionclipped by: tabseyclippers remarks: More info at the source. The video is a moray eel, the finches are classic examples with their beaks, and so on.  Almost, But Not Quite, a Whale In 2007, researchers showed that Indohyus ? a 50 million-year-old, dog-sized member of the extinct raoellidae ungulate family ? had ears, teeth and bones that resembled whales, not other raoellids.  Out of the Soup Tiktaalik had a flexible neck and limb-like fins suitable for shallow waters, and, before long, land  Dinosaurs of a Feather Archaeopteryx, found in 1861, was long thought to be the first bird. Then it was recognized as something closer to a dinosaur with feathers  A Toothy Finding. Her model predicted tooth development of rodents with different diets ? a perfect confluence of a small mechanical observation and observed evolutionary trajectories.  The Beginnings of Bones. Neural crest cells originate in the spinal cord before diffusing through our developing bodies, forming face and neck bones as well as sense organs and skin  Natural Selection in Speciation  Lizard Games  An Evolutionary Arms Race, Frozen in Time  Gene Flow, With Purpose  [Video]  Tags: evolution Are People Better Thinkers When They Arent Trying?clipped by: dmegivernResearchers have shown that the human brain ? once thought to be a seriously flawed decision maker ? is actually hard-wired to allow us to make the best decisions possible with the information we are given.  Contrary to Kahnneman and Tversky?s research, Alex Pouget, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, has shown that people do indeed make optimal decisions ? but only when their unconscious brain makes the choice. ?A lot of the early work in this field was on conscious decisionmaking, but most of the decisions you make aren?t based on conscious reasoning,? says Pouget. reach a reasonable decision in a reasonable amount of time. If we had to wait until we?re 99 percent sure before we make a decision, Pouget says, then we would waste time accumulating data unnecessarily. If we only required a 51 percent certainty, then we might reach a decision before enough data has been collected. "War On Terror": Iraqi Civilian Fatalitiesclipped by: Rasmusclippers remarks: 151,000 as reported by the World Health Organization, January 2008 An October 2006 study by John Hopkins University estimated the number of Iraqi civilian deaths resulting from the war at 654,965 and Iraq Body Count, as of December 3, 2008, puts the civilian fatality count somewhere between 89,544 ? 97,762. No matter the number, every one of these civilian deaths is the result of a Bush Administration lie. infoshout.com Documented civilian deaths from violence 90,147 ? 98,413  Deaths per day from suicide attacks and vehicle bombs (now includes non-vehicle suicide attacks) Deaths per day from gunfire / executions This data is based on 17,152 database entries from the beginning of the war to 13 December 2008. The most recent weeks are always in the process of compilation and will rise further. The current range contains 3,112?3,201 deaths (3.5%?3.3%, a portion which may rise or fall over time) based on single-sourced reports. Graphs are based on the higher number in our totals. Gaps in recording and reporting suggest that even our highest totals to date may be missing many civilian deaths from violence. See Recent Events for as yet unpublished incidents, and read About IBC for a better description of the projects scope and limitations. Tags: iraq, death toll "1,000 Genomes" -The Worlds Most Detailed Map of the Human Genomeclipped by: tabseyclippers remarks: Of interest to we "lay" people too.  To date, only a handful of humans have had their genes analysed in this way, including scientists Craig Venter and James Watson, and anonymous volunteers. Teams in the UK, US and China are at work on the 1,000 Genomes Project, which will create the most useful map ever of genetic variation. The project Will read 6 trillion DNA building blocks including populations from Africa, Asia, USA and Europe. Any two humans are genetically more than 99% identical: variations can explain why some get certain diseases. ?The 1000 Genomes Project will examine the human genome at a level of detail that no one has done before,? said Richard Durbin Such a project would have been unthinkable only two years ago. Today, thanks to amazing strides in sequencing technology, bioinformatics and population genomics, it is now within our grasp. So we are moving forward to build a tool that will greatly expand and further accelerate efforts to find more of the genetic factors involved in human health and disease. Tags: humans Hunter S. Thompson Motivational Postersclipped by: reimersWhile drafting the recent guide outlining the real dangers associated with combining different types of alcohol, I got to thinking about one of the most prominent and outspoken substance-mixers of our time, the late Hunter S. Thompson. A man who graciously documented the uncharted depths of the binge unlike any other in history, HST provided us with nuggets of wisdom and encouragement all along the way. So instead of merely sharing a list of my favorite quotes from the author, I have placed them in their proper environment, the pervasive motivational poster.               Adorable Kittens Wish You a Happy New Yearclipped by: thisnamecantbetakenclippers remarks: Too cute. . 
2008 has run its course...  Now its time to face 2009.  There may be risks involved.  There may be some roadblocks.  So stay alert!  Share time with friends.  Jump over obstacles...  ... with care...  ... and caution!  Face your challenges head on.  Remember to laugh!  Cooperate.  Discover.  Make new friends.  Above all... be ready for adventure.  Stick together...  ... and youll be able to go far.  Very far.  Always take time to smell the flowers.  Remember to relax and enjoy!  And, dont forget those who love you.  HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you health and happiness in 2009 It is not the dope, its the dopamine :)clipped by: balthazarusclippers remarks: I think this finding is interesting in the light of the latest and fast growing body of experimental results in neuroscience; finding correlation (some are straight forward, and not very complex) of so called unique attributes to genetics and physiology. this might carry with it a fundamental perceptual change. first we learned that the earth is not the center, than we realized that the human emergence is part of a bigger continuum (evolution that is) and now we come to know that one own psyche is not unique... Risk takers seek thrills to compensate for less responsive brain Researchers have found that impulsive characters are less able to react to dopamine, a substance produced naturally in the brain which triggers feelings of wellbeing and reward. They believe that this means that these individuals must take bigger risks in order to achieve the same feelings of excitement that others get regularly. novelty seekers have less of a particular type of dopamine receptor, which may lead them to seek out novel and exciting experiences "Weve found that the density of these dopamine autoreceptors is inversely related to an individuals interest in and desire for novel experiences," Previous research has shown that individuals differ in both their number of dopamine receptors and the amount of dopamine they produce, and that these differences may play a critical role in addiction. Dopamine has long been known to play an important role in how we experience rewards from a variety of natural sources Tags: neuroscience Different conflicts demand different resolutionsclipped by: balthazarusclippers remarks: The first interesting result was that offering money or material goods in exchange for sacred ones did not make the sacred goods less valuable but more. Expressions of anger and disgust and of the willingness to use violence actually rose among moral absolutists when a deal involving giving up some sacred value was sweetened with material incitements, the second, more optimistic, result was that the absolutists who rejected with contumely the offer of profane money (or peace) for sacred landwould accept deals that involved their enemies giving up things that they considered sacred . The paper cites both Israeli and Hamas leaders saying that they could make peace if only the other side would apologise for 1948, or recognise formally Israels right to exist. Demanding this kind of wholly intangible mutual surrender of pride makes no sense on a utilitarian calculus, and yet it may be the only thing to unlock the situation. Sacred bounds on rational resolution of violent political conflictAbstractWe report a series of experiments carried out with Palestinian and Israeli participants showing that violent opposition to compromise over issues considered sacred is (i) increased by offering material incentives to compromise but (ii) decreased when the adversary makes symbolic compromises over their own sacred values. the use of material incentives to promote the peaceful resolution of political and cultural conflicts may backfire when adversaries treat contested issues as sacred values. Instrumental decision-making involves cost?benefit calculations regarding goals and entails abandoning or adjusting goals if the costs outweigh the benefits. Our experiments tested the general hypothesis that, when reasoning about sacred values, people would not apply instrumental (cost?benefit) calculations but would instead apply deontological (moral) rules or intuitions. Tags: politics Arise, Sir Terryclipped by: cakebellyclippers remarks: continues: The author has also made major donations to the Alzheimers Research Trust after announcing that he had been diagnosed with the brain disorder last year. Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, was also made a CBE for services to music. The band, which has sold 300 million albums worldwide, reunited for a single show at Londons O2 arena. Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series of novels that have sold more than 55 million copies worldwide, said he was "stunned, in a good way" after receiving a knighthood in the New Years Honours List.  The 60-year-old writer, below, whose first book was published in 1971, told The Independent last night: "Im having difficulty fitting it into my head. Im very pleased indeed. It cheers me up no end." He added: "It will also impress some of my American friends, who started calling me Sir after I received my MBE, which was a little embarrassing." Though he has written works of science fiction and horror, Pratchetts greatest creation came with his first novel set in Discworld, a fantasy realm balanced on the backs of four elephants, which themselves stand atop a huge turtle. "The Discworld series has been going on quietly but successfully for a long time now. Ive gone all over the world with it," he said. Zbigniew Brzezinski Not Having Any Of Joe Scarboroughs Stunningly Superficial Nonsenseclipped by: reimersclippers remarks: Watch full interview here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28433263#28433263 Former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski was invited on MSNBCs Morning Joe to discuss the strife in Gaza, and he imparts much wisdom. But things get awkward at about the 6:30 mark, when host Joe Scarborough jumps in to try to defend the Bush administrations Middle East policies and, naturally, blame Bill Clinton. Brzezinski lashes back with a zinger: "You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that its almost embarrassing to listen to you." [Video] how hypocrisy on terrorism killsclipped by: doodleiciousHow Hypocrisy on Terrorism Kills Israel, a nation that was born out of Zionist terrorism, has launched massive airstrikes against targets in Gaza using high-tech weapons produced by the United States, a country that often has aided and abetted terrorism by its client military forces, such as Chile?s Operation Condor and the Nicaraguan contras, and even today harbors right-wing Cuban terrorists implicated in blowing up a civilian airliner. Yet, with that moral ambiguity excluded from the debate, the justification for the Israeli attacks, which have killed at least 364 people, is the righteous fight against ?terrorism,? since Gaza is ruled by the militant Palestinian group, Hamas. Hamas rose to power in January 2006 through Palestinian elections, which ironically the Bush administration had demanded. However, after Hamas won a parliamentary majority, Israel and the United States denounced the outcome because they deem Hamas a ?terrorist organization.? Tags: terrorism "6 Minutes to More Memory!" (psssst mini-nap)clipped by: merrieclippers remarks: Heres how the scientists at the University of Düsseldorf figured it out: First, they asked university students to memorize a list of 30 words. Afterwards, the participants were either allowed to play a video game or to take a nap in a quiet room. The napping times were varied, though. Some students were allowed to take a 50-minute nap, whereas others were took 35-minute and 6-minute naps. When researchers compared the groups, they found that nap takers consistently remembered more words. On average, those who napped for six minutes remembered one word more than the video game players, while people taking the longer naps remembered two words more. The fascinating finding here--and the reasons for how six minutes can be so meaningful--is that most of the memory improvement is linked to changes in the brain that happen right when you start to doze off. We know now that restful sleep helps us to consolidate our memories, among other great things it does for us. And we also know that naps can have similar, albeit smaller-scale benefits. But a "nap" is generally thought of as being either a 20-minute "power" version or a longer one that allows you to go through a full cycle of sleep (through all the 4 stages, not just the first two). Or is it? News flash: you can really benefit from a mini, 6-minute nap.In a new study just published, German researchers have shown that if you nap just six itty-bitty minutes during the day, it will not only make you feel better but will also improve your ability to learn and remember. Sounds like a new fad diet, doesnt it? But rather than the slogan "slim in 6," we can say "sharper in 6." And unlike a diet that takes so much effort with no guarantees, this is quite real and can help everyone. 6 minutes after your good nights sleep. So sleep tight first, and practice the art of napping second. Hot Model - Pooja Misra Picturesclipped by: namrata1980clippers remarks: A very few model turned actresses actually make it to the big league in Bollywood, most vanish after a small part in a movie. A very few model turned actresses actually make it to the big league in Bollywood, most vanish after a small part in a movie. It is also believed that models dont turn out to be good actors.The sexy Pooja Misra, a model turned actress, made her on screen debut with Shatrughan Sinha?s Dil Deke Dekho, she appeared in a super hot item number. She hasn?t made it big as an item girl or as an actress. But things seem to be changing now for the Hot model, she has signed a movie recently but says ?I am concentrating on my career. I still have to etch my feet firmly in Bollywood?      400,000 PCs infected with Fake Antivirus 2009 Software, says Microsoftclipped by: Rashid Malikclippers remarks: Two of my colleagues also fell in the trap. Last month Microsoft claimed it purged programs called "Advanced Antivirus," "Ultimate Antivirus 2008," and "XPert Antivirus" from almost a million PCs. This month, Microsoft targeted the Win32/FakeXPA family (including Win32/Yektel and Win32/FakeXPA) which include fake security software called "Antivirus XP," "AntivirusXP 2008," and "Antivirus 2009." (Source: technet.com) Free Tools to Remove Antivirus 2009 (Rogue)If your system has any of the above mentioned rogue programs, you should scan your PC with MSRT from Microsoft immediately. Other useful resources and tools to remove the rogue Antivirus 2009 malware: Tags: virus Wanna Keep Your New Years Resolutions...This Timeclipped by: dmegivernclippers remarks: Website has advice for achieving those annual goals The most popular New Year?s goals people set, according to Miller and Marlatt (1998) are: According to the same survey, most people ? 75 percent ? who make a resolution fail on their first attempt and most people ? 67 percent ? make more than one resolution. As the researchers summarized, individuals with high self-efficacy attribute failure to insufficient effort, while individuals with low self-efficacy attribute failure to deficient ability. Higher self-efficacy generally is correlated with a greater likelihood of achieving one?s goals. The investigators also found that if you are made to believe that self-control is a fixed or limited resource that you can?t change, you will also set fewer goals and will give up on them sooner, regardless of your level of self-efficacy. To be successful with your own resolutions: Tags: resolutions Have a great 2009 !!!clipped by: swampfoxzclippers remarks: Spring Break Beach Bikini Babe« January: LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER HISTORY MONTH (U.K.)clipped by: egsnyderclippers remarks: Another interesting calendar event brought to you by Eric "Calendarwallah" Snyder and STEs Diversity Calendar  
© Copyright 2002-2009 Creative Cultural Communications. Reproduction of intellectual content is forbidden without express written consent. Uncle Jays Year in Review- Hilariousclipped by: ncoutlander[Video] Easy as 1, 2, 3clipped by: einbarEasy as 1, 2, 3 People come into the world ready to count its wondersrian Butterworth, a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London, has spent much of his career teasing out which bits of humans? understanding of numbers are innate?and which learnt, and how. He thinks people are born with brain circuits that are dedicated to recognising and understanding the number of items in small collections. On this foundation an entire ?number sense? is built, as children realise that bigger and bigger numbers can be reached by adding ?one more? and learn by experience how these bigger numbers behave. His most recent work has confirmed that to develop a better understanding of numbers than that of a newborn baby, it is not necessary to be able to count with words Some animals also seem able to perceive and understand small numbers  That humans (and perhaps other animals) come ready-supplied with numbers contradicts two popular rival theories: the Platonic and the constructivist Brzezinski: Obama must press Israelis and Palestiniansclipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Offering bitter pills for both that will be supported by a majority on both sides. Both sides are divided, and unable to produce an agreement on their own. -- No right of return for the Palestinian refugees. This is a very bitter pill for the Palestinians to swallow, though it can be sweetened by an international acknowledgment of their suffering. -- Jerusalem has to be equitably shared as the capital of two states, Israeli and Palestinian. Admittedly, this is a bitter pill for the Israelis. But the fact of the matter is that no peace will be viewed as equitable without this. -- An equitable territorial arrangement based on the 1967 lines, with some changes permitting the incorporation into Israel of some heavily urbanized communities beyond the 67 lines. In return, the Palestinians would be compensated with other territory, perhaps in Galilee and the Negev. -- A demilitarized Palestinian state with the deployment of American troops along the Jordan River, thereby insuring Israeli security XXX by providing "strategic depth." would be supported by the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, and would isolate the extremists on both sides Tags: israel, palestinians Happy New Year...Peace...!clipped by: TJColatrella ICONIC IMAGES:THE YEAR IN PICTURESclipped by: ellington Iconic images: the year in pictures A Chilean volcano erupts into a lightning storm, a line of US voters brave the morning hours in anticipation of casting their ballot, and Olympic sailboats from around the world slip across a pocket of sunlight just before competition; these are a few of the iconic images that MSN selected from a year riddled with events. Covering daunting conflicts, the beauty of nature, athletic feats and events from around the world, these are the years most iconic images. Intrigued? Click on the thumbnails in the gallery below.                         21 Chic Drinking Glasses to Ring in 2009 in Styleclipped by: valann 47Made your New Year Resolutions yet? If not today, then there?s always tomorrow. Certainly many people will resolve ?never to drink again? with a thick new year?s hangover, but pre-countdown to midnight, it?s doubtful too many people who enjoy champagne will be shying away from a toast. For ideas on how to raise your glass in style, here is a selection of some of the most innovative wine and martini glasses and, of course, beautiful champagne flutes to kick off 2009 with panache. Cheers!                      At Home with Natureclipped by: spirithikerclippers remarks: I had to clip this because Amanda puts it into words so well. Perhaps more of us need to get into the back country and re-learn our appreciation of nature and what to offer and how our lives affect it. It?s hard to appreciate what one doesn?t know, and in 2009, there could be no knowledge greater and appreciation more necessary than that for the Earth?s health. This is where backpacking comes in.  Backpacking has the ability to seed and nurture gratitude for the environment, while feeding desires to preserve it. When one enters the wilderness with only a pack on their back, awareness rapidly takes formation around issues like water consumption, garbage creation, biodegradability, behavioral impacts, and one?s place in the natural world. The amount of water that a traveler?s body will require to quench its thirst, cook its food, or cleanse its surfaces, has to be either physically hauled through the rugged terrain, or sought after and filtered to insure safety The traveler must keep all garbage items in their possession until the journey has been completed, providing a constant reminder of the amount of packaging and waste utilized daily The Wonder Bonerclipped by: lifecyce1898clippers remarks: "My wife would like that!" Commercial Fail[Video] Jewish Organisations Call for End to Gaza Bombingsclipped by: brightlight4Jewish Organisations Call for End to Gaza BombingsBut, rather than unquestioning support of Israels latest military venture in the decades-long conflict, four major Jewish organizations here are calling for an immediate end to the bombings, and for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. One of the groups, Americans for Peace Now, the sister organization of the Israel-based Peace Now, called for "the government of Israel to end its military operation in the Gaza Strip and to act toward achieving a ceasefire." J Street echoed its directors statement with a press release declaring that the recent massive escalation was "pushing the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict further down a path of never-ending violence." Levy said that the groups are essentially saying, "We love Israel too, but it doesnt do us or Israel any good to be the mouthpiece for the talking points of the Israeli foreign ministry." A New Years Prayer for Peaceclipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Beautiful  Abarth 500 Assetto Corseclipped by: JohnFellows Defatted Soy Flour eyed as filler substitute for rubber tiresclipped by: spirithikerclippers remarks: The further we get away from oil products the better for the environment. Now if we can just slow down the use of chemical-based fertilizer (which has a petroleum component to it) to grow the soy. researchers continue to toy with the idea, including Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists Lei Jong and Jeffrey Byars, who are testing soy flour as a "green" filler for tires and other natural rubber products. Todays fillers are typically petroleum-based particles called "carbon black." Tire manufacturers use them in rubber to improve tensile strength and wear resistance. But petroleums many competing uses, rising costs and ties to pollution have rekindled interest in biobased alternatives, especially those derived from homegrown crops like soybeans. researchers use defatted soy flour thats been dispersed in water to form aggregates 10 microns in diameter (about 1/1000th of an inch). Then they add the aggregates to rubber latex and freeze-dry the mixture. This causes the aggregates to form a tight interconnecting network through the rubber. A report on the research was recently published online in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. mindfulness and yoga can improve levels of desireclipped by: einbarWhat Science Says about Enlightened SexAnother year, another batch of resolutions: eat right, exercise more, pay bills on time etc. All good in theory, but potentially dull in practice. In 2009, then, resolve to have better sex. According to a recent review article in the Dec. 3 issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, sexually unsatisfied women who practiced the Eastern techniques of mindfulness and yoga reported improvements in levels of arousal and desire, as well as better orgasms. In addition, yoga has been found to effectively treat premature ejaculation in men. Eastern practices have been touted as sexually beneficial for years ? as the article states, the techniques have "their origin in the Kama Sutra of the fourth to sixth centuries." ecent research findings warrant increased attention, and respect, from Western medicine. Does Anyone Know of a Website for Cool Profile Names?clipped by: thisnamecantbetakenclippers remarks: I wasnt trying to be creative, I was most likely just totally PMSed, when I picked my profile name. I just HATE being told "the name you chose has been taken" ALL the time, when I subscribe to something. Ha! Bastards. Grrr....and so *thisnamecantbetaken* came to mind. .  Today, I wish I had picked something shorter though, like TN or.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiVaE-pKqM  Why Millions Of Americans Will Never Retireclipped by: Kauaiguyclippers remarks: The 401K has always existed for the benefit of corporations and individuals with executive salaries, not middle class workers. 401(k) plans under scrutinyThe financial crisis, which has caused a dramatic decline in the value of the average worker?s account, has undermined confidence in the system. So far this year, the average worker?s 401(k) account balance has dropped between 21% and 27%, depending on the worker?s age and time with his or her employer, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Bicycle - 100 day event at Designhuis in Eindhovenclipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Surely bikes are among the most beautiful of machines. See categories at bottom.                        "Bicycle" is the title of a 100-day event (Jun.22 - Oct.5) full of activities and lectures anchored by a central exhibition at the Designhuis in Eindhoven. The exhibition provides a great overview on the variety of two-wheelers designed for sports, transport, showing off... everything! Some 18 million bicycles in the Netherlands make it worth checking out this gallery of Dutch design on wheels. Categories+ all bicycles (100)+ bicycle fantasy (7) + children bicycles (7) + comfort bicycles (14) + cruiser bicycles (7) + dream bicycles (10) + future bicycles (8) + reclining bicycles (7) + sport bicycles (11) + transport bicycles (11) + urban bicycles (11) Tags: bicycles American Pie - Don McLeanclipped by: chestnut501[Video] A New Push to Turn Off the Lights in 2009clipped by: tabseyclippers remarks: When I lived in Alice Springs sky viewing was great, but it was better when camping out of town. Translate that to cities and you cant see a thing. I have always wondered about the tall buildings needing to have all those lights on at night for the cleaners. Id been brought up to turn lights off when leaving a room.  Astronomers are fed up. One fifth of the worlds population cannot see the Milky Way because street lamps and building lights are too bright. So scientists are mounting a new campaign, called Dark Skies Awareness, aiming to reduce light pollution as part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. "Reducing the number of lights on at night could help conserve energy, protect wildlife and benefit human health," astronomer Malcolm Smith of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile wrote in a commentary Wednesday in the journal Nature. Smith points out that billions of dollars of light is needlessly shined into the sky each year. Beyond the waste of money and energy, this light is blocking peoples view of the heavens. "Without a direct view of the stars, mankind is cut off from most of the universe, deprived of any direct sense of its huge scale and our tiny place within it," Smith wrote. Plus, lights confuse and harm wildlife. migration patterns are disrupted by errant light What others think of you ,what it means!clipped by: tidbit2clippers remarks: a new years gift plenty of more quotes there to whet your appetite You have more harmony points with every person on the planet than you have disharmony points, because there is much more of you that is in harmony with your Core than you realize or that most of you allow. The closer you come to being in harmony with your Source Energy, the more in harmony you are with each other. When you think about other people and what they think of you, do you understand that what they think of you has very little to do with what you are? It has mostly to do with the habits of thought that they have developed. It has more to do with them as thinkers than it does with you as the subject of their thought. If nothing is more important to you than that you feel good, you can form a fantasy about someone who is in your life and they will begin to modify to meet your fantasy, because Law of Attraction is a very powerful thing. --- Abraham Reality of so-called ?clean coal?clipped by: spirithikerclippers remarks: You can polish a piece of crap all you want, but it is still a piece of crap. From the Reality Coalition, who are debunking the myth of ?clean coal?. The video is pretty funny, and sadly true. Coal companies are spending huge sums of money marketing coal as ?clean? rather than actually making it so. But the truth is in America, burning coal for electricity emits more global warming pollution than all our cars and trucks combined.  Let?s Say Good-bye to Mediocrity in 2009clipped by: TylastWhether or not the bailouts were needed remains up for debate. I will let others scream and holler in outrage about the immorality of the actions taken by our completely biased politicians. I will let those who are suffering tell their tragic stories on national media. All I am going to say is this: In 2008, U.S. society ? from the very top (our political leaders) to the very bottom (our bankers) ? came to embrace mediocrity. Think of it this way: If a waiter spilled hot soup and scalded you, you would have him fired. A cab driver who had the nerve to take a longer route wouldn?t get his tip. And yet the bankers who turned out to buffoons are being paid to save institutions that in a free market should be left to die. We spent tens of billions of dollars to save a car company (Chrysler) that not only makes cars that are of questionable quality but also is owned by Cerberus, a vulture fund that has proven itself to be bad at its job Speaking of Ponzi Schemesclipped by: willhelmLike many people, Ben Stein was assured that Bernard Madoff "never lost money" ("They Told Me That Madoff Never Lost Money," Dec. 28). Unlike many people, Ben Stein wisely understood this assurance to be nonsense. Americans should apply Mr. Steins wisdom to the greatest Ponzi scheme going: Social Security. Many pols and pundits assure us that this program is a great financial deal for ordinary Americans. But in principle Social Security is identical to Mr. Madoffs fraudulent scheme: rather than generate wealth through productive investments, both schemes transfer wealth from newer investors to older investors. As long as a sufficient number of newer investors keep coming aboard ? either by being duped a la Mr. Madoff or by being coerced a la Social Security ? such schemes appear brilliant. This appearance, however, is a dangerous apparition. Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux New Year?s Summation: Top 10 Articles of The Pinup Blogclipped by: Tali99clippers remarks: You love them and I cant argue with you! For your enjoyment; It?s the top 10 articles of The Pinup Blog! #5 The Pinup Glossary- Cheesecake A to Z! ?Rockabilly?, ?cheesecake?, ?bombshell?? there are so many terms in the pinup niche. I remember when I first fell in love with these retro images, I didn?t even know the word pinup! I searched all over google for terms like ?beautiful women? and ?1950?s paintings?. Slowly, but surly, I had learned the terminology that would help me find all the bombshells, my little heart desired. I remembered this, when I opened The Pinup Blog and added my own Pinup Glossary, for you. great failures of 2008 and their potential benefits for 2009clipped by: doodleiciousclippers remarks: i love the eleanor roosevelt quote...... Great Failures of 2008 and Their Potential Benefits For 2009 2008 provided an embarrassing, albeit sometimes disastrous cascade of evidence that so-called brilliant minds twerent so brilliant. One need not go any farther that former Federal Reserve chairman and former market genius Alan Greenspan who was "shocked" to find a flaw in his no-regulations-needed-here ideology or that the Gray Lady of Spoof, National Lampoon spoofed their stock value right into a federal securities fraud case. The good news is that all those mistakes, blunders and seeming outright failures hold much promise for the rest of us to gain something tangibly positive. "Learn from the mistakes of others," said Eleanor Roosevelt. "We dont have the time to make them all ourselves." Heres your somewhat skewed guide for making your own new years lemonade out of someone elses old lemons. Tags: politics Key Elements of Global Economic Declineclipped by: hlimjrDec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- This wasn?t just a bad year for the economy. By some measures, it was the worst year any American under age 70 has ever seen. Housing?s Collapse Credit Freeze Skidding Profits China?s Exports Decline ?The recession will stretch for at least the next six months,? Marc Faber, managing director of Marc Faber Ltd. in Hong Kong and publisher of the ?Gloom, Boom and Doom Report,? told Bloomberg TV Dec. 26. ?2009 will be a write-off in terms of economic activity.? Think your life sucks?clipped by: lifecyce1898 Most f***edI found out that creepy guy who liked to buy me drinks was my dad. FML Im 23 years old, live in an apartment with my mom and her two "partners". They shoot "films" in the basement and I man the camera for extra money. My girlfriend broke up with me because she says Im "addicted" to sex. I work at Pizza Hut and Papa Johns and still cant afford my own place. FML Received phone call from my employer. "Happy Birthday!! Hows your vacation going? Hows the weather in Florida?...Thats great. Well, we have some news for you; were laying you off effective today." FML My first (and only true) date ended with the girl saying "Thanks for dinner, I was hungry - and oh, by the way, Im a lesbian". FML I go to college for 5 years to become an architect and my plumber makes more than I do. FML My two favorite things in the world are Pizza and Beer.... I now have Celiac and cant have either. FML TVA Coal Ash Spill .. on the ground updates.clipped by: papananookclippers remarks: scroll down at site linked for lots of info Everyone was told to boil their water (as if this was merely a sewer line break) but boiling the water destroys the pots and they can?t be used anymore. The residents and the cats and dogs are throwing up because of the water. People are getting burned just by taking a shower. TVA publicly states they?re delivering water but the residents aren?t receiving any bottled water. UMD volunteers delivering hundreds of gallons of bottled water were getting arrested and told that we?re not allowed to pass out free water to the public. TVA is turning the Emory River into a new coal slurry impoundment by creating two new earthen dams on it. TVA is building new pond slurry impoundment and is spraying asbestos into this new pond which is illegal. While the land, wildlife and people are being destroyed, TVA is rebuilding the railway ASAP so they can bring in more coal to burn at the Kingston Coal Plant. They don?t care and they can?t stop. - United Mountain Defense [Video]  [Video] Sunspots?clipped by: merrieclippers remarks: in 1850 - 20 years after the Dalton Minimum. This doesn?t conclusively put paid to the AGW theory (or the opportunity cost of dealing with it*), but it certainly does give one the impression that its adherents have spectacularly poor timing. In the meantime, bundle up. Environment minister Sammy Wilson: I still think man-made climate change is a con http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/environment-minister-sammy-wilson-i-still-think-manmade-climate-change-is-a-con-14123972.html Solar & Heliospheric Observatory Sunspot Image http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/ ?There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.? ? Wm. Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, scene 5.  Possibly related? IBD points to a trend for 2008: 2008 has been a year of records for cold and snowfall and may indeed be the coldest year of the 21st century thus far. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month of October. Watt?s Up With That defines the issue further The total number of spotless days this spolar minimum is now at around 510 days since the last maximum. The earliest the minimum of the sunspot cycles can be is July 2008, which would make the cycle length 12 years 3 months, longest since cycle 9 in 1848. If the sun stays quiet for a few more months we will rival the early 1800s, the Dalton Minimum which fits with the 213 year cycle which begin with the solar minimum in the late 1790s. The Dalton Minimum was the third and final of the three sunspot minimas believed to be responsible for the ?Little Ice Age,? starting in the Medieval era and ending Im a sucker for this girl...clipped by: robjustin Anarchists All Over The Worldclipped by: BartendingBearclippers remarks: Barricades shall fall. I prefer peaceful protest, but not all are as patient as I. Perhaps patience is a luxury we may soon not afford. [Video] Promises and Betrayalsclipped by: thisnamecantbetakenclippers remarks: This white on black web page came up a little pale in the clip, but I hope you can read it anyway. I couldnt clip the full video at the source either, so I added it in parts, from youtube. There are some really *good* Israeli quotes further down on the source web page you should read, too. History In Context The History Channel Promises and Betrayals Documentary on how British double-dealing during WWI ignited the conflict between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. This is a story of intrigue among rival empires; of misguided strategies; and of how conflicting promises created a legacy of bloodshed which determined the fate of the Middle East. This film pieces together a disturbing picture of a cynical and duplicitous war time government. British promises & betrayals [Part1of5][Video] British promises & betrayals [Part2of5][Video] British promises & betrayals [Part3of5][Video] British promises & betrayals [Part4of5][Video] British promises & betrayals [Part5of5][Video] Fed Continues Propping Up Fannie and Freddieclipped by: jwojdyloToday we learned that the Federal Reserve will begin buying securities backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in January; in essence, continuing to prop these companies up. After hearing this news, one must bring back the Jim Rogers video from last July when he stated that the Fed propping up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was indeed a horrible idea. He later made the statement that this act was a ?communist? act. If a government run entity, the United States Treasury, is creating $5 trillion of debt to support a private company, how is this not communist? STALINS NEW STATUS IN RUSSIAclipped by: ellingtonStalins new status in Russia The poll was conducted online and by phone and text message Inspired by the British competition 100 Greatest Britons, one of Russias biggest television stations Rossiya has been conducting a nationwide poll for much of this year. The former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin may have killed millions of his own people but this weekend he could be chosen by Russians as their greatest-ever countryman. From an original list of 500 candidates now there are just 12 names left from which viewers can select their all-time hero. The winner will be announced on Sunday. More than 3.5 million people have already voted and Stalin - born an ethnic Georgian - has been riding high for many months. In the summer he held the number one slot but was knocked down several places after the producer of the show appealed to viewers to vote for someone else. Amongst the others on the list are Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Catherine the Great and Alexander Pushkin. Mistakes forgiven Tags: russia N. Carolina Parks using solar electric cars to replace ATV?sclipped by: spirithikerclippers remarks: Another positive step toward getting off the grid. Its good to see American automakers diversifying their product line away from oversized gas guzzlers.  Two of the vehicles charge by plugging into the wall. The third has been specially retrofitted with a solar array over its flatbed, freeing it from the grid and allowing it to charge while in the field. The vehicles, which all have small flatbeds, will be replacing ATVs and trucks for hauling maintenance and landscaping materials The Mecklenburg County Department of Park and Recreation bought the three GEM vehicles (Global Electric Motorcars - a Chrysler company) with help from the Solar Center at North Carolina State University. Tags: electric cars, solar power A Message from a Batclipped by: egsnyderclippers remarks: Heard Lynda Barry interviewed on CBC Radio 1 this morning. This is a sample of her cartoons. Fox News: Hope the Magic Negro Does a Good Jobclipped by: reimers Modelling time travel in fictionclipped by: Fast T friendclippers remarks: Quite extensive and cool Time travel is a subject of great interest to me - not the actual, you know, nuts and bolts physics of it, but the various possible models that can be imagined. Ive written a variety of fiction based around these. The most important thing, I find, when coming up with a new theory, is to try to trip it up in every way imaginable and make sure it still works. Here I go with every model of time travel I can think of. The Crazy Idea of Fasting in 2009clipped by: willhelmclippers remarks: John Piper Jesus did not say, ?If you fast...? but ?When you fast...? (Matthew 6:16). This will be new (even over the top) for some of you. So do a crazy thing in 2009. It might change your relationship with God. And your life. Pick a day of the week or a day of the month and plan to fast in 2009. Plan which meal or meals to skip. Skip them entirely, or do it with only juice or only water. There are not rules. There is only spiritual hunger being spoken and stoked with physical hunger. Why Fast?Here are six biblical aims for fasting. 1. For Jesus to come back 2. For help in a new venture in ministry 3. To avert some danger or threat 4. To express sorrow and loss 5. To express repentance and grief for sin 6. Not for the praise of men (For more instruction and inspiration in fasting see A Hunger for God, Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer.) Is the Euro the New Dollar?clipped by: reimers Europes single currency has come of age early. The euro turns ten on Jan. 1, a milestone for one of the most powerful symbols of European identity. It has already endured a rite of passage over the past few months, as the global financial crisis battered European markets yet failed to fluster the euro. And, like any debutante, it has its suitors: a string of countries lining up to dump their national currencies and join the euro zone. Its a remarkable achievement for a currency whose only global rival is the U.S. dollar. The greenback has over two centuries of history behind it. But it wasnt until Jan. 1, 1999 that 11 E.U. countries locked their national currencies together into a fixed exchange rate. Three years later physical coins and notes became available, replacing national cash in a massive changeover operation. (Read TIMEs Top 10 business deals of the year.) Yusuf Islam - Father & Sonclipped by: swampfoxzclippers remarks: Amazing how the years go by but the song remains. Yusuf Islam - Father & Son[Video] Tags: yusuf islam 2009 - Time to wake upclipped by: brightlight4clippers remarks: While 100 of millions are happily celebrating the New Years Eve with their loved ones, 100s of innocent Palestinian civilians & Hamas Freedom Fighters have been bombed by F-16s indiscriminately. 1000s of seriously injured Palestinians are desperately waiting for blood, medicine & doctors. 100,000s are trying to find a shelter to hide and protect their loved ones, food to eat and water to drink. More than 2,000,000 are hoping for an end to all misery inflicted on them during the past 60 years. Yet with all those numbers, the headlines of CNN as well as other major media corporations focus on the less than 10 injured Israelis and 2 dead Israelis. Watching Al-Jazeera and reading online news that you wont find on CNN and Fox News, one will witness a historic moment in which millions of protestors worldwide have decided to speak against the atrocities occurring in the lands of Palestine. Many holding shoes (symbolizes the shoe-thrower Hero of Iraq), many holding signs of "Stop Zionism", 2009 - Time to wake up This new level of awareness filling the streets of the world is growing with every injust bombing or bullet that penetrates through the flesh of the Heroic Stone Throwers & Resistance Fighters. Gaza has become a symbol of resistance to injustice, Gaza has become a symbol of freedom, Gaza has become the symbol of unity for all those who seek justice in our world. Young & Old people of all faiths are waking up to the injustice that has been hidden from them by the very same tools that aim to brainwash and manipulate the masses. It is time for real change, not the change promised to us by the manipulative soon to be President of USA, but by change that will be brought by the brave people of the world who seek justice and truth. The new Holocaust will end, the New World Order will fail, and Good will win over Evil. This is not utopian, reality has shown us that this can be accomplished. Happy New Year. The Status of "Spaceship Earth"clipped by: papananookclippers remarks: Read it all if you dare...  One of the leading experts on planet Earth, James Lovelock, believes that there is very little we can do to stave off global warming catastrophes. Lovelock is the man who created the Gaia theory ? that the earth is essentially a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Today, Lovelock believes that a rapid drop in carbon in the atmosphere could actually do more damage than good. He believes that the global warming that we are currently experiencing is offset by a cooling of 2-3ºC, caused by Global Dimming -essentially, the reduction of direct irradiance at the earth?s atmosphere as a result of industrial pollution It?s a horrible catch 22 situation that leaves only a very small gap for any joy at all. If we continue to do nothing (note the use of the word continue), then we will doom ourselves. If we do do something, like a massive cut back in the emission of carbon in to our atmosphere, Lovelock believes that we would further damage Earth. Looking for a career in Journalism?clipped by: Fast T friend  UPIU is a self-policed, self-edited web site that may contain content with unverified facts, edits or proofs. Please see Content Disclaimer for full information LED ZEPPELIN FRONTMAN HONOURED BY THE QUEENclipped by: ellingtonLed Zeppelin frontman honoured by The Queen Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has been honoured by The Queen in the New Year Honours List today (December 31). Plant becomes a CBE for services to music as part of the 966-strong list of honours. It comes at the end of a year that has seen him at the centre of continued speculation about a potential return for the legendary rock group. Despite playing a one-off show last December at the 02 Arena, Plant has been reluctant to go back for a full tour. He also enjoyed a Mercury nomination for Raising Sand, his collaboration with country singer Alison Krauss. Saxophone player Courtney Pine also becomes a CBE. He said he was "deeply moved and honoured," calling his work "a noble mission in uniting people through sound." according to the {b]BBC{/b}. Elsewhere, fantasy author Terry Pratchett becomes a CBE while racing driver Lewis Hamilton is made an MBE. Tags: zeppilin Tech, Oil, and Abroad Worst Hit in 2008clipped by: Victoria Barretclippers remarks: Comparing categories, tech, oil and foreign stocks were the worst to be in last year. Will that be true in 09? -- The Nasdaq composite index tumbled 40.5 percent, the worst annual loss since its launch in 1971. The tech-heavy index now stands 69 percent below its all-time high in March 2000. He says that from the markets bottom in 2003 until its peak in 2007, the market value of all publicly traded stocks worldwide grew from about $20 trillion to $45 trillion. During this period, only about $1.5 trillion in cash went into the market. Debt accounted for some of the remaining increase in market capitalization, but most of it existed only on paper. Breath of Heavenclipped by: willhelm[Video] Russian professor predicts disintigration of United Statesclipped by: egoldsteinclippers remarks: I strongly recommend reading the entire article. While its hard to imagine his prediction coming true; given that our banks have become dependent on the government for survival and the government seems dependent on China for survival, it doesnt seem impossible. Further, this idea cant be taken lightly given the tense, extremely divisive nature of U.S. politics (look at the uproar between the different factions in the auto bailout as an example). He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in. California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Welcome to the World, Baby Palin (Oops, I Mean Johnston)clipped by: zaselclippers remarks: I dont generally take any pleasure in the misfortune of others, but these people seem to revel in their trashiness. Somehow, Sarah wants to convince America that her family is the quintessential American family, and everyone else is just plain un-American. Thank you John McCain for putting "Country First" and losing this last presidential election and sparing the country such illustrious role models of how not to live our lives. 18-year-old Bristol Palin, daughter of also-ran Vice Presidential candidate and current Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, gave birth to a son on Saturday. She and fiance Levi Johnston named the new addition Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston. Depending who you ask, this is either Bristols first child or her second. Bristol did not finish high school (neither did her brother Track, who is in the army, which brings Sarah Palins total of high school graduate offspring to 0/5) Levi, who is also a high school dropout, is training to work as an electrician. If People is willing to drop a lot of coin for pictures of your infant, I guess that makes you by their logic a celebrity. What does this mean? It means that, for now, were stuck with Bristol, Levi, Tripp, and the rest of the gang. That doesnt just include Sarah Palin, it includes Tripps other grandma, Sherry Johnston, who got busted last week for selling OxyContin to an undercover police informant. Will the GOP ever learn?clipped by: masburyclippers remarks: "Barack the Magic Negro" represents the remnants of the Cro-Magnon wing of the GOP, still clueless about why voters left them in droves. To be honest, when I initially heard it, I laughed. Not out of some demented appreciation for its comedic value, but because of the simple nature of its pathetic absurdity. True to form, Republicans, in their best eight-year-old hand caught in the cookie jar impersonation cried, "WHAAAT?" But if we cannot have a serious discussion about Americas original sin, we are hardly in a position to include it into the lexicon of political satire simply because the next commander-in-chief is black But flirting with racism either overtly or covertly has also been an unfortunate component of the Republican Party for the past 40 years The fact that such debase humor was considered an appropriate holiday gift is further confirmation of a political party in decline, vapid of ideas, and clueless as to why it lost handily in the 2006 and 2008 elections. the Republican Party might want to ask does "Barack the Magic Negro" help or hurt with those who left in droves this year? Tags: gop, magic negro Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.clipped by: sunstreak509MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now hes found an eager audience: Russian state media. ![[Prof. Panarin]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/HC-GN187_Panari_BV_20081228131701.gif) Igor Panarin In recent weeks, hes been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "Its a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger." Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministrys academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations. Satire. Israel Attacks USclipped by: brightlight4clippers remarks: President Bush noted that the American casualties from the Israeli raids were not equal to those killed in terrorist attacks on 9/11. ?There is no moral equivalence between those killed in self-defense by Israeli warriors fighting for a democratically elected government and those killed by rogue terrorists who hate the freedoms we enjoy,? Bush suggested. Despite some minor collateral damage to some synagogues, traditional liberal Jewish-American leaders remained steadfast in their unwavering defense of Israel. There was far more criticism and debate of the Israeli attacks on the US in the Knesset and among the Israeli public than there was in the US Congress or the American Jewish community, respectively. Those few critics of the incursion contend that all Americans are protected by American and international law, and the strikes against the US should be construed as war crimes. US law prohibits the use of American-made weapons to be used for offensive purposes. Attor Satire Israel Attacks US "Information Clearinghouse" -- The government of Israel today launched a massive air assault on suspected terrorist targets along major coastal cities in the United States of America. In an operation termed ?Friendly Enemy,? hundreds of Israeli F-16 fighter jets streaked across the Atlantic in precise formation and fired surgical air strikes at alleged terrorist strongholds in densely populated Muslim communities all along the northeast corridor of the United States. The American-made Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets then continued south, inflicting massive destruction in densely populated Muslim communities along many southeastern US states as well. Reaction to the attacks on the US was swift. President Bush and President-Elect Obama both appealed for restraint, but stated emphatically, ?Israel has the right to defend itself.? Local hospitals overflowed with American survivors the victims asked not ?why do they hate us?? but ?why do we love them?? Top 10 Global Warming Stories of 08clipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Some bad news and some really good news. 10. Gas Pains. As NOAA reported, levels of methane rose sharply in 2007 for the first time since 1998 9. The Thrilla in Vanilla Henry Waxmans smackdown of John Dingell for chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Finally, we have a champion of serious action and strong regulation in charge of the crucial committee 8. Ice, Ice maybe no 7. The rise of sea level rise: 1 to 2 meters is the new 1 to 2 feet 6. Clean coal aint The industry, however, began a well-funded advertising effort to sell clean coal, with marketing that bordered on Onion-esque self-parody 4. Clean tech shines 3. Desperate Scientists, Season II worlds top climate scientists are once again begging for action 2. Conservatives go all in on climate denial and delay 1. Team Without Rivals we will be led by the greenest, most scientifically informed, radical pragmatists in the history of the Republic Toyota secretly developing solar vehicleclipped by: masburyclippers remarks: Already uses solar to power one of its plants. Novel approach, eh? Responding to tough times by building cars for the future? TOKYO ? Toyota Motor Corp. is secretly developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy in an effort to turn around its struggling business with a futuristic ecological car, a top business daily reported Thursday. it will be years before the planned vehicle will be available an electric vehicle that will get some of its power from solar cells equipped on the vehicle, and that can be recharged with electricity generated from solar panels on the roofs of homes. The automaker later hopes to develop a model totally powered by solar cells on the vehicle The solar car is part of efforts by Japans top automaker to grow during hard times executives have stressed they wont cut back on environmental research despite its troubles has already begun using solar panels at its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan to produce some of its own electricity panels on the roofs add up in size to the equivalent of 60 tennis courts and produce enough electricity to power 500 homes equal to 1,500 barrels Looks like a must-see movie to me.clipped by: robjustinSeveral months ago, when Ari Folman was promoting his new animated documentary, ?Waltz With Bashir,? the film screened for a Palestinian audience in Ramallah, less than 40 miles from his home in Tel Aviv.  The director was asked not to attend. ?I show how stupid wars are,? ?I wanted to make a movie that no teenager could watch and think ?Oh, sure, war sucks, but those soldiers are cool.? the first feature-length animated documentary ever made the French company presenting in Ramallah had asked the 45-year-old war veteran not to come to this screening because it was not sure it could guarantee his safety. ecollections of the 1982 war in Lebanon, culminates in bloody live footage of the aftermath of the infamous Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp massacres in which thousands of Palestinian men, women and children were murdered by Christian militia with Israeli troops stationed directly outside the camps. 40 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE IN 2009clipped by: ellington40 Movies You MUST See In 2009 2008 is so? well, 2008. Look forward to a whole new year of movies with us as we present the films you?ll want to be seeing in the months ahead. Are you excited about Star Trek? Does Watchmen fill you with joy? Or are you all about Pixars follow-up to Wall-E? Whether it?s comedy, action or romance you?re after, next year has you covered. So sit back and let us do the hard work of finding the prime pics for 2009?                                         Tags: movies 2009 Pay to Pee Schemeclipped by: Moliticon ?An energetic hamster is powering an environmentally-friendly paper shredder by running on his wheel. And he?s certainly got his work cut out for him - as he has to run flat out for 45 minutes to shred one sheet of A4 paper. Happily, he is able to enjoy the fruits of his labor as the paper falls onto the base of his cage, providing fresh bedding for the exhausted pet.? w/ photos WORST SONGS OF THE YEAR 2008clipped by: ellingtonWorst Songs Of The Year - 2008 Tom reminisces about a year of aural torture?  While 2008 is unlikely to go down in history as a vintage year for classic songs, it well and truly earned its entry in the Stinkers Almanac, with a tide of pop effluent that had our ears stockpiling wax and fashioning it into a musical dam. Perhaps the biggest insult to taste and decency came in the shape of whats been described as flat-pack indie.  These were bands who appeared to have been assembled on a production line to look and sound as much like "wot da kids are into" as possible, but on closer inspection were insubstantial, cynically marketed facsimiles of groups from the recent past ? minus the creative spark that terrifies record companies because it so often results in said groups making music that DOESNT GET PLAYED ON THE RADIO.    BEST SONGS OF THE YEAR 2008clipped by: ellingtonBest Songs Of The Year - 2008 Tom casts an eye over the best bits of the year gone by...  2008 began, as most years do, with the hits of the recent past still weighing heavy on the airwaves. Predominantly these were the sharp, innovative sounds of ultra-modern R&B, since they perfectly reflected the bright, affluent future we were headed for... Oh dear. When the country falls apart, theres only one thing to do: distract ourselves from impending doom with shiny, happy pop music until our world leaders stick a few things on ebay to pay for the global financial crisis that none of us quite understands. (How does a bank run out of money? Cant they just print more?)        The Evil Behind The Smilesclipped by: debbyskiclippers remarks: "I hope that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will recognize slavery as unfinished business on the foreign policy agenda. The abolitionist cause simply hasn?t been completed as long as 14-year-old girls are being jolted with electric shocks ? right now, as you read this ? to make them smile before oblivious tourists." Western men who visit red-light districts in poor countries often find themselves surrounded by coquettish teenage girls laughingly tugging them toward the brothels. The men assume that the girls are there voluntarily, and in some cases they are right. But anyone inclined to take the girls? smiles at face value should talk to Sina Vann, who was once one of those smiling girls. Sina is Vietnamese but was kidnapped at the age of 13 and taken to Cambodia, where she was drugged. She said she woke up naked and bloody on a bed with a white man ? she doesn?t know his nationality ? who had purchased her virginity. ?My first phrase in Khmer,? the Cambodian language, ?was, ?I want to sleep with you,? ? she said. ?My first phrase in English was? ? well, it?s unprintable. As in many brothels, the torture of choice was electric shocks. Shocks fit well into the brothel business model because they cause agonizing pain and terrify the girls without damaging their looks or undermining their market value. FACES OF THE YEAR -WOMENclipped by: ellingtonFaces of the year - the womenSome of the women who have made the headlines in 2008, clockwise from top left: Duffy, Simone Wallmeyer, Fiona Shackleton, Shannon Matthews, Ingrid Betancourt, Fern Britton, Cheryl Cole, Christine Ohuruogu, Georgina Baillie, Sarah Palin, Carla Bruni and Yang Peiyi. FACES OF THE YEAR - MENclipped by: ellingtonFaces of the year - the menSome of the men who have made the headlines in 2008, clockwise from top left: Radovan Karadzic, John Sergeant, Josef Fritzl, Usain Bolt, John Coward, Rafa Nadal, Damian Green, Jay-Z, Max Mosely, Nathaniel Rothschild, David Axelrod and Henry Conway. Click The former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, was finally apprehended after 12 years on the run. He faces 11 charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. They include genocide relating to his orchestrating the mass murder of tens of thousands of Bosnians, mainly Muslims, during the civil war in Bosnia, which ended 1995. Karadzic initially evaded capture by surrounding himself with sympathisers and flitting between farmsteads, monasteries and caves. He never used a mobile phone for fear of being detected by the US ROBBERY SUSPECT LEFT HIS ADDRESSclipped by: ellingtonRobbery suspect left his addressChicago police have arrested a man who allegedly robbed a bank using a threatening note written on the back of his own pay cheque. Police say 40-year-old Thomas Infante walked into the bank and gave a staff member a note saying, "Be Quick...Give your cash or Ill shoot". He got $400 (£270), but left behind half of his note as he fled. Detectives found the rest of the slip - complete with his name and home address - outside the banks front doors. Mr Infante was later arrested at his home in Cary, Illinois. If convicted of bank robbery, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Tags: robbery BABY FOR PALINS TEENAGE DAUGHTERclipped by: ellingtonBaby for Palins teenage daughterBristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Alaska governor and former White House hopeful Sarah Palin, has given birth to a son, reports say.  Johnston and Palin have reportedly been dating for three years Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston was born on Sunday, weighing in at 7 lb 4 oz (3.3 kg), People magazine reported. Mrs Palins office declined to comment on what it called a family matter. The father is apprentice electrician Levi Johnston, who has been dating Miss Palin for three years and is reportedly keen to take their child hunting. Both mother and child were reported to be doing well, People quoted family sources as saying. The Alaska governor, a mother-of-five, disclosed the pregnancy three days after she was nominated as the Republican vice-presidential candidate in September. Mrs Palin, a social conservative who is opposed to abortion, said in a statement at the time her daughter would keep the child and was to get married. IN PICTURES:STAMPS TOAST BRITAINclipped by: ellingtonIn pictures: Stamps toast Britain The Royal Mail is to release special sets of stamps each month in 2009. Januarys collection will feature classic British designs from the mini skirt to the Mini, and the London Tube map to the phone box. LONDON AND EDINBURGH CELEBRATE 2009clipped by: ellingtonLondon and Edinburgh celebrate 2009 An estimated 400,000 people, both local and from further afield, brought in the new year with a bang in London. SOPRANOS ACTOR COSTELLOE DIES AT 47clipped by: ellingtonSopranos actor Costelloe dies at 47 A 47-year-old actor who starred as the gay firefighter lover of a closeted mobster on the hit show The Sopranos was found dead of an apparent suicide after family members were unable to contact him. Sopranos actor Costelloe dies at 47 A 47-year-old actor who starred as the gay firefighter lover of a closeted mobster on the hit show The Sopranos was found dead of an apparent suicide after family members were unable to contact him. John Costelloe, who played the hunky short-order cook Johnny Cakes on four episodes of the series, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Brooklyn, New York home on December 18, police spokesman Lieutenant John Grimpel said. Costelloe gained a measure of fame in 2006 when he was cast as Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski opposite his old friend, actor Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mob capo Vito Spatafore. Tags: costelloe Drunk Settler: "We killed Jesus and were proud of it"clipped by: ratcatcher2clippers remarks: Watch the video of the incident filmed by a UK crew. The so called "Jewish" settlers in Hebron keep surprising us with their ability to prove continuously how someone in the shape of a human being can act worse than an animal; excuse me animals! Im sorry that I have no choice but to call them "Jewish" as this is what they claim to be and I cant call them Israelis as they dont live in the so called "Israel" but rather in the West Bank, a land internationally recognised as an Occupied Palestinian Territory. Tel Rumeida is a small Palestinian neighbourhood deep in the West Bank city of Hebron. Palestinian families, from whom these settlers occupied lands, live directly next to these settlers and are often virtual prisoners in their homes, subject to the settlers violent attacks and destruction of property. The title above is just one of that settler?s sick quotations recorded in the footage. Drunken Israeli Settler Threatens Film Crew claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) The babushkas who guard the art in Russian museumsclipped by: Lexicaclippers remarks: Wonderful photo essay. (But why, oh why do photographers insist on setting up their galleries to be side-scrolling? My keyboard has a "page up" and a "page down" key, not a "page sideways to the right" or "page sideways to the left" key. Arrgh.)  In the art museums of Russia, women sit in the galleries and guard the collections. When you look at the paintings and sculptures, the presence of the women becomes an inherent part of viewing the artwork itself. I found the guards as intriguing to observe as the pieces they watch over. In conversation they told me how much they like being among Russia?s great art. A woman in Moscow?s State Tretyakov Gallery Museum said she often returns there on her day off to sit in front of a painting that reminds her of her childhood home. Another guard travels three hours each way to work, since at home she would just sit on her porch and complain about her illnesses, ?as old women do.? She would rather be at the museum enjoying the people watching, surrounded by the history of her country.                   Do You Believe In Mystical Experiences?clipped by: debbyskimysticism (noun ) 2. a doctrine of an immediate spiritual intuition of truths believed to transcend ordinary understanding, or of a direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy ( a partial definition retrieved from: www.dictionary.com today). Do you believe that mystical experiences happen? Care to share yours? If you dont believe that they happen to people- what do you think people are describing? Blago Appointee Burris Once Pushed to Execute Innocent Manclipped by: Wiscoclippers remarks: This is pretty ugly. The piece goes on: "Anybody who understood this case wouldn?t have voted for Burris," Rob Warden, executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, told ProPublica. Indeed, Burris lost that race, and two other attempts to become governor. Burris? role in the Cruz case was "indefensible and in defiance of common sense and common decency," Warden said. "There was obvious evidence that was innocent." Putting ambition over justice. I guess we shouldnt be surprised. Former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich?s pick to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, is no stranger to controversy.  While state attorney general in 1992, Burris aggressively sought the death penalty for Rolando Cruz, who twice was convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. The crime took place in 1983. But by 1992, another man had confessed to the crime, and Burris? own deputy attorney general was pleading with Burris to drop the case, then on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court. Burris refused. He was running for governor. Tags: news Neocons Using Israeli/Gaza Conflict to Push Iran Warclipped by: blueridgeclippers remarks: Is Israels attack on Gaza just a part of the neocon-Israeli war plan, that is being pushed onto Obamas plate during transition? Bolten was a member of the Project for New American Century and part of the neoconservative cabal that started the Iraq war on pretext of 9/11. Bolton: Gaza raids precursor to Iran war  Former top US diplomat John Bolton says Israeli strikes on Gaza have ignited a multi-front war which could lead to a US attack on Iran. Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN, accused Iran of supplying arms and equipment to Hamas and making efforts to develop a nuclear bomb. "I dont think theres anything at this point standing between Iran and nuclear weapons other than the possibility of the use of military force possibly by the United States, possibly by Israel," Bolton told FoxNews. "So while our focus obviously is on Gaza right now, this could turn out to be a much larger conflict," said the hawkish US official, adding, "Were looking at potentially a multi-front war." The controversial intelligence contradicted longstanding claims that Tehran was "working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb" and came as a blow to advocates of a military strike against Iran like Bolton. Toyota working on solar powered carclipped by: egoldsteinclippers remarks: Ive always said that my daughters (currently 4 and 1) will never drive a car powered by gasoline - but instead will drive cars that are powered by the sun. This is encouraging news!! Toyota is working on an electric vehicle that will get some of its power from solar cells equipped on the vehicle, and that can be recharged with electricity generated from solar panels on the roofs of homes. The automaker later hopes to develop a model totally powered by solar cells on the vehicle, the newspaper said without citing sources. Apple?s Internet share registered strong gains in Dec.clipped by: stanyaoclippers remarks: We can see a clear trend of increasing market share of sub-notebooks, netbooks, and mobile devices.    Evolution of Technology, From Dinosaur Robots to Modern Androidsclipped by: Silkweaver[Video] ?Evolution of Technology?, is a fantastic ad created by Scholz&Friends Group for the German electronics store Saturn that shows an evolutionary process from dinosaur robots to modern androids. Tags: fun, advertisement Cool Amphibious Vehicles,clipped by: wiganfootieDriving your car on your local river may seem unnecessary, unless you want to avoid your usual traffic jams, or to take out your girlfriend on a river cruise with a backseat.       AQUADA: High-Speed Amphibian Car The Aquada is the fastest amphibian vehicle ever built, equipped with HSA (High Speed Amphibian) technology from the British company Gibbs Technologies (in production since 2003).   For conversion to a speed boat, the Aquada can simply be driven into the water from a ramp.  Once the vehicle reaches deep enough water, the computer controlled hydro-pneumatic suspension unit collapses all four wheels upwards into the wheel cases.  The engine is directly coupled to a waterjet, capable to propel the vehicle up to a maximum speed of 55 kilometres per hour (30 mph). For optimum performance, the underside of the Aquada is fully streamlined while the waterjet is completely integrated into the vehicle body with no protruding parts.           Für die Inhalte dieses Feeds ist alleine der jeweilige Autor/Anbieter verantwortlich. Die Inhalte stellen nicht die Meinung von EasyRSS dar. Dies ist eine automatisch generierte E-Mail. Bitte antworten Sie nicht auf diese E-Mail. Wenn Sie Feedback an EasyRSS senden wollen, nutzen Sie bitte das Feedback Forumlar. Wenn Sie sich von EasyRSS abmelden wollen, gehen Sie bitte auf den Menüpunkt "Meine Daten". Ihr EasyRSS Team http://www.easyrss.de | ||||||
