The Economist compares the dollar price of the Big Mac hamburger in different countries for two decades already, making conclusions about underestimations or overestimations of national currencies. The Big Mac index is based on the theory of the purchasing capacity parity, in accordance with which the currency rate balances out the cost of the basket of goods in different countries. The basket is replaced with the McDonald’s sandwich. The cost of the most popular sandwich in the world in each country depends on the volume of production, the prices on rent, raw materials, labor force and other factors. Therefore, the Big Mac index is the best way to see the mismatch of currency costs in the countries with similar levels of income, especially during the crisis, when the expensive basket is particularly unprofitable. A weak currency gives advantage on expenses and product prices. The cheapest Big Mac is sold in Hong Kong ($1.72), China, Sri Lanka and Ukraine ($1.83), which is twice as cheap as in the USA ($3.57). The most expensive Big Mac is sold in Norway: $6.15, which is 1.7 times as expensive as in the USA and 3.4 times as expensive as in China and Ukraine. The Big Mac in Switzerland is 1.6 times as expensive as in the United States and 1.5 as expensive in Denmark. The Euro zone saw a 40-percent reduction of the price gap over one year, and the sandwich costs $4.62 there. The British pound was 28 percent overestimated on the Big Mac index a year ago. Now its cost vs. the dollar has reached parity after the pound lost nearly 30 percent of its value from August till February. Unlike the pound, the Japanese yen was strengthening its positions, and its price edge of 27 percent has vanished.

Ex-Marine Kills 300-Pound Bear With Log July 18, 2009 “Chris Everhart just had a Father’s Day he’ll never forget. The ex-Marine saved the lives of his three young sons when a 300-pound bear attacked their Georgia campsite last weekend. While cleaning up after dinner, the family came face to face with the large animal. “From out of nowhere we heard this loud crash,” Everhart said on “Good Morning America.” “For a second, I didn’t know what it was, but I realized it was a bear. I went to the back of the Jeep to get my pots and pans to scare the bear off.” At the same time, Everhart’s 6-year-old son, Logan, tried to frighten the animal. Instead of running away, the bear turned on the boy. Logan’s brother, Kyle, tried to help him. “I threw about five rocks at the bear to keep him away,” Kyle Everhart said. Realizing his sons could be killed, Everhart grabbed a log and threw it at the bear’s head, striking and killing him .” w/ photos

Free Machine Gun With Every Truck Purchased July 18, 2009 “ Gun-toting truck drivers in the United States have been given a new incentive to upgrade their vehicle – a free AK-47 machine gun with every pick-up purchased . During August, all sales at Max Motors in Butler, south of Kansas, will be accompanied by a voucher for a complimentary semi-automatic weapon, owner Mark Muller announced. It is not the fist time the dealership – which goes by the slogan ‘Guns, God, Guts and American Pick-Up Trucks’ – has run such a promotion. ast year, free handguns saw the dealership shift an extra 35 cars in one month. Mr Muller, 49, is a passionate lover of the American way of life and sees his gun promotion as a healthy way to encourage sales and ensure his countrymen are well protected. He said: ‘We feel we have an obligation to protect ourselves. There are a bunch of maggots out there and not protecting yourself is highly irresponsible. ‘Everyone is scared at the moment. You cannot buy bullets because stores are selling out and guns are hard to come by, so I thought it was a good promotion. The only people being irresponsible are those not protecting themselves.”

California sprouts marijuana 'green rush' Associated Press Published: Jul 19, 2009 12:00 am SAN FRANCISCO — A drug deal plays out, California-style: A conservatively dressed courier drives a company-leased Smart Car to an apartment on a weekday afternoon. Erick Alvaro hands over a white paper bag to his 58-year-old customer, who inspects the bag to ensure that everything he ordered over the phone is there. An eighth-ounce of organic marijuana buds for treating his seasonal allergies? Check. An eighth of a different pot strain for insomnia? Check. THC-infused lozenges and tea bags? Check and check, with a free herb-laced cookie thrown in as a thank-you gift. It's a $102 credit card transaction carried out with the practiced efficiency of a home-delivered pizza — and with just about as much legal scrutiny. More and more, having premium pot delivered to your door in California is not a crime. It is a legitimate business. Since the state became the first to legalize the drug for medicinal use, the weed the federal government puts in the same category as heroin and cocaine has become a major economic force. Based on the quantity of marijuana authorities seized last year, the crop alone was worth an estimated $17 billion or more, dwarfing any other sector of the state's agricultural economy.

Police: Nurse shot ex-husband in groin to release 'demons' Associated Press July 17, 2009 CHATTANOOGA — A nurse accused of shooting her ex-husband in the groin inside his chiropractic clinic while their two young daughters waited outside had written in her diary that she needed to create "portals of exit" for demonic spirits, a detective testified Friday. Tina Loher, 41, a registered nurse from Eidson, had written in a diary obtained by investigators after the July 10 shooting in Signal Mountain that left 38-year-old Terrance "Terry" Loher seriously wounded, Hamilton County Detective Rodger Brown said. She had also been taken to a hospital briefly with a head injury. She has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and two counts of reckless endangerment. The accused woman stood in court in a jail jumpsuit at her initial appearance hearing. Her ex-husband, who underwent surgery for the gunshot, was seated in a wheelchair about 20 feet away at the hearing. He cried as he asked the judge to deny her bond. Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Ronald Durby increased Tina Loher's $140,000 bond to $600,000. Records show the Lohers are involved in an ongoing court dispute over the children. Brown said Tina Loher's' diary contained an entry that included: "Terry is filled with three demonic spirits. One is assigned to me, one to each of my children. The purpose is to destroy us. The only way Terry will stop trying to destroy us is if the spirits exit his body today. I will have to create three portals of exit, that way they can leave." Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox told the judge the accused woman is a danger to the community and intends to "finish the job" if she's freed.

Rollerblade Rollercoaster July 21, 2009 “ An adrenaline junkie has taken in-line skating to new heights and set a new world record after racing down a roller coaster at speeds of 56mph . Dirk Auer decided to go where no sane man or woman had gone before and skated down an 860 metre track in just over a minute. Wearing specially designed in-line skates, the German made the attempt on the Mammoth roller coaster at the Trips Drill theme park in Stuttgart. The 36-year-old admitted he had placed his life at risk by performing the daredevil stunt. ‘This was a very dangerous stunt because there were so many factors to consider,’ he said. ‘The roller caster is wooden and so unlike rides made from iron and steel there was always a chance of the odd nail or screw that would not be entirely flat. ‘If the skates were to catch a stray nail then I could have fallen and I would almost certainly have died.’ Spending two months planning the outrageous stunt, Mr Auer also designed and made the monster skates, which took him a total of 110 hours’ work.” w/ photos

Son 'in plot to kill his parents' 21 July 2009 A man plotted to kill his adoptive parents with the help of a friend he met on the internet, a court has heard. Christopher Monks, 24, wanted Shaun Skarnes to murder his parents Christopher and Elizabeth Monks while they slept and then perform an extreme sex act on him, Preston Crown Court was told. The bisexual pair are alleged to have hatched the plot after meeting on an internet site about "Furries" – people who pretend to be animal characters and share sexual role-playing fantasies. Skarnes, 19, visited Monks' family home in Preston Road, Clayton-le-Woods, near Chorley, in February after weeks of chatting to him online. The two played computer games before Skarnes left, telling Mr and Mrs Monks he was getting the train home to Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, and thanking them for having him round. Monks then watched a DVD with his parents while Skarnes waited for hours in a playpark nearby until he received a text from his friend, telling him the couple were asleep in the four-bedroom house they shared with their son. Mr Monks woke in the early hours of the morning to find Skarnes beside his bed, clutching a kitchen knife. He grappled with the intruder and yelled for help from his wife, who was sleeping downstairs. Dad-of-three Mr Monks told the court: "I thought he was trying to kill me. My wife tried to hit him with a stick but it broke. "She then began to talk to him in a calming way. At that point, his manner changed completely." The couple went downstairs to find a police officer on the doorstep, who had responded to Mrs Monks' 999 call. Mr Monks was left with bruised arms, a cut palm and bite marks. Monks, who was downstairs during the attack, was initially treated as a witness but then later arrested. Prosecutor Dennis Watson QC told the court that while Skarnes carried out the attack, ex-Runshaw College student Monks stayed downstairs, deleting "incriminating" text messages. Mr Watson said Monks had talked about his sexual desire for his penis to be bitten off in online chatroom discussions. He told the jury: "It may seem extreme that he wanted his penis bitten off, but there is ample evidence from websites he visited and conversations with Shaun Skarnes that this was a deeply held interest and one he found sexually stimulating. "It seems that Skarnes was to receive no money for killing Mr and Mrs Monks but the prospect of biting off Monks' penis. This was the climactic act of the conspiracy."

In the year 2040 - 1.3 billion senior citizens Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:01am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world's population of older people is growing at the fastest rate ever seen and the old will soon outnumber the young for the first time, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. An aging population will push up pension and healthcare costs, forcing major increases in public spending that could slow economic growth in rich and poor countries. The number of people 65 and older hit about 506 million as of midyear 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This will double to 1.3 billion by 2040, accounting for 14 percent of the total global population. "People aged 65 and over will soon outnumber children under age 5 for the first time in history," said the report put together by Kevin Kinsella and Wan He of the U.S. Census Bureau. "Aging is affecting every country in every part of the world," said Richard Suzman of the National Institute of Aging, which commissioned the report. "While there are important differences between developed and developing countries, global aging is changing the social and economic nature of the planet and presenting difficult challenges." The report found that people aged 80 and older are the fastest growing portion of the total population in many countries. Globally, this "oldest old" population is projected to increase by 233 percent between 2008 and 2040. This could strain their children and grandchildren.

Swiss Mini Gun: The Smallest Manufactured Pistol July 14, 2009 Measuring only 5.5cm long, the SwissMiniGun claims to be the smallest pistol manufactured today. The gun is so tiny that it requires specialty 2.34mm caliber bullets. And I have no idea where you’d even find a holster. At $6,000, this pistol probably isn’t for the amateur gun owner , but why would the average person need this thing anyway? Also, this gun can’t be imported in the U.S., but is permitted in Canada. So, if your American heart is that set on the SwissMini, you might need to pack up and move.

Iceman by Robert Longo July 15, 2009 Iceman (2009) by Robert Longo Robert Longo draws amazing portraits using charcoal on mounted papers that are so life-like one could swear they were black and white photographs. This one at right, Iceman (where’s Maverick and Goose?) is part of a series of helmeted fighter jet pilots titled Yingxiong (Heroes) .

Original Leather Postal Messenger Bag Enjoy the traditional style of postal service messengers recreated perfectly by J. Crew down to every hand-oiled piece of leather, every careful stitch and every hand set copper rivet. The quality and historical accuracy shines through with the unique character of every bag. The Original Leather Postal Messenger bag features a buckle strap closure and continue reading… $595 Check It Out

Broomba Self-propelled Broom For the next Halloween, the Broomba ($39) is a life-size Self-propelled Broom. Instead of autonomously sweeping and cleaning, it's designed to scare your guests. It is sound-activated, so partygoers will be aghast as it starts moving around the room while playing spooky music and emitting frightful cackling sounds. Features: Broom automatically changes direction when it contacts any object Sturdy plastic construction Recommended for use on smooth surfaces Powered by on 3 AA batteries.

FAIYATORIKKUBOBU – Jet Power Bike This bike is a jet power bike, called FAIYATORIKKUBOBU by the Japan company Rintendo. Wow, Cool, it is not a toy! You can ride it like a regular bike. if you want to speed up, it has 4,4 HP, and featuring one liter jet fuel for seven minutes continuous 'flying'(specs check out the link (Japanese)). It is on sale for one million (about $10,000 USD!!).

The Rocking Horse This Rocking Horse created by Felix Götze. He noticed three year old Otto Komei is watching out the window at the bike gang across the street as they spent their days souping up their choppers. After three year old Otto Komei drove his chopper on the rear wheel down the street, Felix decided to build his own ride. The Rocking Horse is built from old motorcycle parts, a two stroke engine with 150 ccm, a sprung saddle and a rather wonderful headlamp. It's probably a little dangerous for child to play on, but it is really Cool! + More >>

Dark Knight Motorcycle Suit Replica July 17, 2009 Geeky bikers are a special sort of breed. They are bad-ass enough to step on a speeding motorcycle, but geeky enough to wear something like this while doing it. The Dark Knight Motorcycle Suit is a replica of the suit worn by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight film. The suit is designed to be worn by bikers, though I’m sure the non-biking geek can get plenty of pleasure out of wearing it as well. Link [ via ]

2009-07-22 - '35 Million Joints' Seized in Gulf of Aden(AHN) -- A British ship carried out the largest drug bust ever recorded in the Middle East this week, seizing an amount of cannabis sufficient to make 35 million marijuana cigarettes, the British Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. The HMS Cumberland ship caught the drugs off the coast of Oman during a Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 patrol. The seized drugs, comprised of 12.4 tons of cannabis resin , have a street value of $70 million. "If you look at individual seizure cases, it's the largest seizure of cannabis resin ever, according to our databases," Thomas Pietschmann, a Research Officer at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime told The Media Line. "The only larger seizures were in Turkey in 2001, when 19 tons were seized, and in Spain where we had 15.8 tons." Pietschmann explained that while in terms of global of seizures, this drug bust is equivalent to 0.9 percent of seized cannabis resin, a relatively low figure, the significance lies in the quantity seized in a single operation. Officials believe the drugs were intended to reach the Europe and the seizure is seen as an important step in stopping the financing of terrorism. "Typically, it seems that this would originate in Afghanistan, exported via Pakistan to the sea and exported from Pakistan onward, either to Europe or to Africa," Pietschmann said. "We've seen for quite some time that Afghanistan is really expanding its cannabis resin production," he added. "The largest producers of cannabis resin in the world are Morocco and Afghanistan."

Oakland, California, passes landmark marijuana tax July 22, 2009 -- OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- Oakland's bid to become the first U.S. city to tax proceeds on medical marijuana passed Tuesday by a landslide vote. About 80 percent of people voting in the Oakland election approved the new medical marijuana tax. About 80 percent of voters chose to impose the tax on Oakland's medical marijuana facilities, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. Some celebrated the news at Oaksterdam University by hand-rolling large marijuana cigarettes or stuffing cannabis into pipes. The school trains students for work in the medical marijuana industry. "It is important because the city of Oakland is facing a massive deficit like many jurisdictions in California," said Steve DeAngelo, a leader of one of the city's cannabis clubs. "And we decided to step up to the plate and make a contribution to the city in a time of need." DeAngelo, one of the people who led the effort to get the tax approved, said his business will now have to pay more than $350,000 from the new tax next year. Watch report from CNN's Dan Simon » Oakland's City Council was also behind the move. "Given that the medical cannabis dispensaries are something that was legalized in California, why not have revenue from it?" said councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan. There was no formal opposition to the effort, but some drug fighters say the tax sends the wrong message. "The taxation of a federally unlawful drug is just not something that the community should accept," said Paul Chabot of the Coalition for a Drug Free California. "With the state in dire straits in finances and the country looking for ways to pay down debt, looking at illegal drugs is the absolute wrong thing to do." The measure, passed in special mail-in election Tuesday, imposes a 1.8 percent gross receipts tax on the four licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Oakland. These facilities would have to pay about $18 in taxes for every 1,000 in marijuana sales .

BECKMAN CAUGHT!!!