Finally Friday 9-3-2010

Twenty Cities That Are Doing Better Than The Rest Of The CountryAugust 30, 2010 The Consumerist The Daily Beast has come up with a list of 10 "recession-proof" cities across the U.S. The 10 that made the list each showed growth since 2007 in three categories: overall employment, per capita personal income, and metropolitan area gross domestic product (GDP).Here are the top 10……………….Jacksonville, NC Fort Hood, TX Fayetteville, NC Baton Rouge, LA Cedar Rapids, IA Iowa City, IA Harrisburg, PA Cheyenne, WY Worcester, MA Washington, DC

The 5 Fastest Growing Occupations? AOL News Surge Desk (Aug. 27) -- The key to economic recovery following one of the worst recessions in U.S. history can be summed up in a single word: jobs. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute, however, is shedding some light on the fastest growing sectors of the job market, and concludes that the nation's employment picture is still leaving a lot to be desired. Using figures provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nonprofit thin tank discovered that the five fastest growing occupations in America from 2006 to 2009 were as follows:Food preparation and servingHome health aideWarehouse stock clerkMedical assistantRegistered nurseAccording to EPI, there are a few dark clouds to these seemingly silver linings. First, only one of the jobs on the list, registered nurse, paid a salary ($30.65 per hour) above the median wage of $15.95 an hour. Second, three of the five fastest growing occupations are essentially in the same field: health care. To some extent, that makes sense given the aging of the U.S. population, but, as EPI points out, "the disproportionate growth in health care jobs points to a lack of robust job growth across the labor market."Moreover, three of the five fastest growing job categories pay little more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. In fact, assuming a 40-hour workweek, the annual salary for a gig in food preparation and serving would be $17,222. A home health aide would do little better, bringing in an annual salary of $20,488, while a warehouse stock clerk would take in $20,966.

Study: More omega-3 fats didn't aid heart patientsSun Aug 29, 2:00 am ETNEW YORK – Eating more heart-healthy omega-3 fats provided no additional benefit in a study of heart attack survivors who were already getting good care, Dutch researchers report.After nearly 3 1/2 years, there was no difference in deaths, heart attacks and other heart problems between those who ate margarine with added omega-3 fatty acids and those who didn't, the study found.The results don't mean that getting more of the essential nutrient has no value. Several studies have offered evidence that the fats — mostly from fish oil — reduce heart disease.But for heart patients who are carefully treated "adding a little bit of omega-3 fatty acid does not seem to make a difference," said Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition professor, who was not involved in the research.Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to help reduce the risk of abnormal heartbeats, slow the growth of plaque that can clog arteries and lower harmful fats called triglycerides.In recent years, omega-3 has been added to some foods such as margarine and eggs, or labels highlight the omega-3 content of foods like tuna fish."Now they're popping up in the most unexpected places," including trail mix, said Lichtenstein.Two kinds of omega-3s come from wild oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. A third type comes from plants; sources include walnuts, flaxseed, soybeans and canola oil.It's generally recommended that people eat one or two servings of fish a week, said the study's leader, DaanKromhout of Wageningen University in the Netherlands."The results of this trial do not change that," he said, noting that there were no harmful side effects. "It's still a good thing to eat fish once or twice a week.“The study's participants were taking the best medicines to prevent future heart trouble, and that could be why adding a low-dose of omega-3s offered no extra protection, the researchers said. The volunteers were also older and entered the study years after their heart attacks, in contrast to heart patients in earlier research who did benefit by taking fish oil pills.The findings were presented Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The 10 countries with the greatest number of weapons held by civilians6retweetA study released by the United Nations, entitled The Globalization of Crime: A Threat Assessment on Organized Transnational Crime, which has shown are the ten countries where people have more guns.1º. United States: 270 millions firearms held by civilians2º. India: 46 millions3º. China: 40 millions4º. Germany: 25 millions5º. France: 19 millions6º. Brazil: 15 millions7º. Mexico: 15 millions8º. Russia: 13 milhões9º. Yemen: 12 millions10º. South Africa: 6 millions

Bears guarded B.C. grow-op: RCMPAugust 31, 2010 CBC NewsAn RCMP officer poses with two of the bears found at a marijuana grow-op in southeastern B.C. (RCMP)Police in southeastern B.C. have raided a marijuana grow operation that was apparently guarded by black bears.Officers conducting the raid two weeks ago at Christina Lake found a property with two residential buildings and a fenced-off grow-op with about 1,000 plants, police said Tuesday.But they also found about 10 bears that the owner appeared to be using to keep people from stealing any pot plants, said RCMP Sgt. Fred Mansveld."[Officers] soon noticed the bears were docile and tame," Mansveld told CBC News. "One of them jumped on our unmarked car for a while. But it soon became apparent they were habituated to the grow operation.“It was evident the animals had lived on the property for some time, police said.The woman accused of running the grow-op has been feeding the bears for years, one neighbour said.Police are recommending that the woman face charges related to marijuana cultivation.Conservation officers now have to decide what to do about the bears, which might have to be destroyed because they have become too used to human food and contact, police said.Christina Lake is about 350 kilometres east of Vancouver.

2010-08-28 - No Joke: Scientists Finding New Uses For "Dry Water" Washington, DC, United States (NewsBahn) - Discovered in 1968, and initially seen as having potential use in cosmetics, it was a little kept secret within the scientific community until its recent de-discovery by a group of researchers from the University of Liverpool. By combining sand and water, researchers found the resulting "dry water" could safely store and transport potentially harmful industrial materials. "Dry water" is actually droplets of water covered by modified silica, or sand, that prevent it from merging into its liquid form. The final substance resemblance fine sugar or sand. The research team this week told a national meeting of the American Chemical Society this powdered form of water can absorb not just liquid and other toxic substances in liquid form but also gases, particularly carbon dioxide. The compound can absorb more than three times as much as CO 2 as uncombined water and silica. Carbon dioxide is the major cause of the greenhouse effect, in which CO 2 in the earth's atmosphere prevents heat from leaving. Dry water technology could be used to help reduce global warming. Dry water technology could also be used to collect and store deposits of natural gas in the ocean floor, such as frozen methane. The methane could be transported in powdered form to be used later as fuel for vehicles powered by natural gas. Dry water could also speed up the catalyzed reactions between hydrogen gas and maleic acid that produce succinic acid, a raw material widely used in the manufacture of drugs, food ingredients, and other consumer products. The U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Center for Materials Discovery is providing funding and technical support for continued study by the American Chemical Society on the further uses and development of dry water technology.

“A bizarre substance known as ‘dry water,’ which resembles powdered sugar but is 95% ‘wet’ water could help fight global warming. Scientists claim the powdered water will change the way chemicals are used and that it could even be used to soak up greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Each powder particle contains a water droplet surrounded by modified silica, which prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. This means it has an amazing ability to slurp up gases, which chemically combine with the water molecules to form what chemists term a hydrate.” w/ photo

GERM CESSPOOLSWednesday, September 01, 2010 Germaphobes beware! The world around us is teeming with microbial life. From the dead-set obvious public toilet seat to the obscure bacteria-laden snowflake, the world is a reservoir of the microscopic, and we are merely passengers.AM has done a little homework to compile a short list of germ cesspools. Acknowledging these filthy microbial hangouts and following some of our suggested precautionary measures might just keep you a tad healthier and away from winter sicknesses.1. Public MagazinesThose alluring public magazines, especially those in doctor's offices, have the potential for carrying the cold and flu viruses (especially with all those sickies around). Bathroom reading materials, on the other hand, may carry fecal bacteria like E. coli, which can cause diarrhea. 2. Office KeyboardsA study by UK consumer group Which? Computing tested 33 office keyboards for microbial contamination. The result: Several office keyboards were labeled “health hazardous,” while one particular keyboard was found to be carrying five times as many germs as the same office's public toilet seats. That's a germ cesspool if ever there was one. 3. The GymA 2006 study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine found the cold virus on 73% of weight-lifting equipment and on 51% of aerobic equipment. Thankfully, the same study found little to no trace of infectious bacteria. 4. Shopping CartsA 2006 study out of the University of Arizona found two-thirds of shopping cart handles to be contaminated with fecal bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella, more so than public toilet seats. The culprit: Diapered infants. Further research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that riding in a shopping cart next to raw meat or poultry puts infants at greater risk for acquiring salmonella infection.5. Subway PolesGerms be gone: Public places are laden with all kinds of germs, and subway poles are perhaps the defining example of a germ cesspool. Despite the label, unless you have open cuts on your hand or frequently touch your face while riding the rails, the risk of infection is still very low. To ease commuter concerns, new protective measures are currently being explored — including the use of copper poles or other bacteria-resistant polymers on rails — but in the meantime, veteran rail-riders can try washing their hands after each trip.

Top 8 Ways To Ensure Human Survival08/30/10 – “Recently, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking announced that if humans didn’t want to face extinction, our only option is to abandon planet Earth. In addition to the threats most species face, we humans also have the capability to destroy ourselves and/or our planet with thermonuclear weapons. Nuclear devastation tops a long list of ways for us to go out, including asteroid impacts, solar storms, disease outbreaks, etc. Here’s a fun fact: Over 99% of all species that have ever existed on our planet have gone extinct. Still, assuming Earth someday becomes inhospitable due to some catastrophe, here are 8 ways for us to avoid extinction.” w/ photos

How Gun Silencers Work08/29/10 – “A silencer is a device attached to the barrel of a gun, either part of the integral design or as an after-market addition. The purpose of this device is to quiet the sound of the gun firing. Silencers were developed at the beginning of the 20th century by several scientists who were actually working on developing mufflers for motor vehicles and realized the device they had invented had other applications. The term silencer is a misnomer and is not used by the firearms industry for several reasons. Silencers received some very bad publicity as they were used in many spy and gangster films, giving the suggestion that their only purpose was crime and murder. It is also an inaccurate term as very few silencers effectively stop all the sound of a gun firing. The purpose of the device is to instead quiet the sound and render it unrecognizable as gunfire. For that reason, these devices are more commonly referred to as suppressors… Now, find out how gun silencers work.” w/ photos

$2 Million Dream Car, for Now, Remains a DreamAOL News (Aug. 30) -- It's a luxury car so over the top that if it ever gets made, it'll be a marriage of science fiction and reality, folly and foresight: a four-door sedan with a staggering $2 million sticker price, 16-speed transmission, top speed of 270 mph and a chassis made out of biodegradable lava rock.We're talking a sweet whip that, if it ever sees the road, will have a paint job that magically fades from black to white depending on the temperature, tint-control windows and leather seats that stay cool in even the hottest climes.Just listing the amenities could take up an entire article. In fact, this car has so many bells and whistles that even the bells and whistles have bells and whistles. What billionaire ride would be complete without a 256-megabyte flash memory MP3 horn?And that's just the base model. Want the turbo? That'll cost you $2.8 million.This is the DiMora Natalia, a production car that's been in the works for three and half years from DiMora Motorcar, based in Palm Springs, Calif. Slated for release some time in 2012, it will be the world's most expensive production car.

F-22 Double Rainbow "An F-22 at Miramar at the top of a loop. He is pulling so many Gs, the low pressure air over the fuselage (that is “sucking” the airplane into the loop) gets cold enough for the water to condense… And the angle is just right for sunlight to undergo total internal refraction and make rainbow colors around the airplane.

Self-lacing Nikes from Back to the Future II may become a reality!Aug. 28, 2010Being that it's the 25th Anniversary of the original BACK TO THE FUTURE, there's been lots of news and fun stuff popping up all over the web of late in celebration of the classic film and series. And now it looks like Nike wants in on that... MSNBC is reporting that the popular footwear company has filed a patent for a self-lacing shoe that resembles the sneakers from BACK TO THE FUTURE II that practically everyone and their mothers wanted. According to the patent, "the automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper." So essentially, it'll work the same way as seen in the movie. Heavy! This also means that there will need to be some sort of power supply in the shoe itself. Apparently, the patent reveals that Nike is trying to figure whether to go with either a USB or mini-USB port to charge the sneaker's on-board battery

August 27, 2010 4:00 AM PDT Virtual farm games absorb real money, real livesLast century's cash crops included tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane. Now we have magic cauliflower and super berries, too--and even though they can't be sold at market, some people still toil from dawn to dusk cultivating them. People spend not just real time but also real money growing these crops in virtual farming games that combine the allure of both games and social networking in what is usually a cute and deceptively simple package. They can be addictive: many users come back at least once a day to micromanage their farms and deal with other users' requests.On average, the users of these types of games are spending anywhere from a few minutes a game to the greater part of an hour. Indeed, one individual who CNET spoke with said that it's all she does between waking up and going to bed--and that's every every day of the week.The companies behind these titles are raking in millions of dollars from people who toil on land that doesn't even exist, and that number continues to grow. A research report from eMarketer in June said social games generated more than $725 million last year in the U.S. alone and projected three times that revenue in 2011.One of the most popular social-gaming titles is FarmVille, a game designed by San Francisco-based Zynga that users can play in Facebook and on iPhones. More than 63 million active users each month spend an average of 15 minutes a day in the game, Zynga told CNET News. Typical activities for these users involve planting and harvesting crops, reorganizing, and helping to tend friends' neighboring farms. The game can be played for free, but players can get an edge by paying. Farm cash and farm coins can be purchased for anywhere from $1 to $50 in real money via credit card, PayPal, and Facebook's Credits currency platform. With the virtual money, people can accelerate play or purchase goods that otherwise would take longer to acquire. It's only for the most involved, though."The large majority of our players never pay anything to play our games," Zynga told CNET, and that those who do account for only a "small percentage." One of those players in the small percentage we'll call Katie S. She told CNET her daily FarmVille routine consists of waking up around 10 a.m. and proceeding to play the game until well past midnight, though her sessions can often go longer. "I've been known to stay up all night until at least 5 or 6 a.m. if a new feature is out, and I'm excited about it," she said.

One letter on a plane ticket says a lot about youWed Aug 25, 5:25 pm ETNEW YORK – There are a few bits of information to pay close attention to on an airline ticket: the flight number, gate number and boarding time. Fare basis code? Not a common concern.But the single-letter code can make a big difference in some parts of the travel experience, even though most passengers don't pay any attention. A fare basis code further divides passengers into classes based on how much they paid and how far out they booked. There are about a dozen in coach class alone.When you're on the plane, there's no difference in service between a passenger who has a "Y" or "Q" — a full-fare and a discounted ticket — if you're both in coach. But the codes are still important: Some indicate your trip isn't eligible for frequent-flier miles or an upgrade; others tell a ticket agent where to rank you on a standby list.

Hoyt's Carbon Matrix carbon fiber bowWith an ATA of 35�� and a mass of 3.8 lbs, the Carbon Matrix is one of the lightest bows on the market. It's carbon fiber, and will launch an arrow at a buck-piercing 318 feet per second. Price: $1,600 | BUY | Source

August 31, 2010Medical Marijuana Ad on TelevisionPosted: 08:47 AM ETSacaramento’s Fox Affiliate KTXL broadcast what is believed to be the first paid advertisement for a medical marijuana dispensary. The 30-second ad, paid for by Sacramento-based "CannaCare" and produced by KTXL, shows various people delivering testimonials on the benefits of marijuana when used for medicinal purposes. Text at the bottom of the advertisement indicates that marijuana can be used in the relief of many diseases and illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis C and hypertension among others.Marijuana is not shown in the advertisement, and the word "marijuana" is never used. Instead, patients and the ad itself refer to pot as "cannabis.“Of course, right now, this is as controversial as when cigarette, condom and Viagra commericials first hit television. So, What do you think? Does medical marijuana have a place on television in California?It’s legal, after all. Or are some things best left off the airwaves? Post your comments here and Kyra will read them in the 10am hour of CNN Newsroom.

Spain breaks up male-prostitute trafficking gang(AP) –MADRID — Spanish police say that for the first time they have broken up a human-trafficking gang that brought men to the country to work as prostitutes, providing them with Viagra, cocaine and other stimulant drugs to be available for sex 24 hours a day.Authorities arrested 14 people, mainly Brazilians, on suspicion of running the organization and another 17 alleged prostitutes for being in Spain illegally, the National Police said in a statement Tuesday. A police official said he did not know if the male prostitutes serviced men or women.Sex is a multibillion-dollar industry in Spain, with brothels staffed mainly by immigrant women from Latin America, Africa and eastern Europe lining highways just about everywhere and respectable daily newspapers brimming with ads from people selling their bodies. Prostitution falls in legal limbo: it is not regulated, although pimping is a crime.Police said the case involving the Brazilians is the first in which they have broken up a ring in which traffickers brought in men, rather than women, to toil as sex workers.The victims were recruited in Brazil and saddled with debts of up to euro4,000 ($5,000) as the cost of bringing them to Spain. Some were duped into thinking legitimate jobs awaited them; others knew they would be working in the sex industry, but not that they had to be available for sex around the clock and would be moved from one province to another, the police official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department rules.The men had to give half their earnings to the gang."If the men complained or caused any kind of problem, the gang leaders would threaten them, even with death," the statement said.The arrests were made in recent weeks and the alleged ringleader is a Brazilian based in Palma on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.Besides Viagra and cocaine, the men were given marijuana and the club scene drug known as 'poppers', the police statement said.

Switzerland Confidential: Behold the Legal Sex Drive-ThruAugust 29, 2010It looks like police in Zurich are subscribing to the "if you can't beat them, build them little huts to do the nasty in" theory of prostitution control. Only in Europe.Prostitution has become such a problem in Switzerland that Zurich officials have made proposals to add "sex boxes" to the city. The idea itself is adopted from German cities like Essen and Cologne, and will be a way for prostitution to continue on behind closed, uh, doors.The boxes will serve as quickie drive-throughs, so-to-speak, and will free up city streets from unsightly acts that haunt Zurich residents whose homes overlook the city's red light district. "They get up to all sorts in broad daylight - and we're sick to death of looking at it," one resident told the U.K.'s Metro. From the looks of things, the boxes are big enough to conceal vehicles while prostitutes and clients handle business, away from the public eye.This somewhat laissez faire approach to Swiss sex industry control even comes an official police endorsement: "We can't get rid of prostitution, so have to learn how to control it," Police spokesman Reto Casanova said.

Man replaces ex-girlfriend with custom-made sex doll NewsCoreSeptember 01, 2010 9:40AM A SEX-starved businessman was so hung up on his ex-girlfriend after she dumped him that he paid $18,000 to recreate her as a life-sized sex doll. The 50-year-old man put together a collection of photos of his ex and told Italian adult toymaker Diego Bortolin: "I want it just like her but with bigger boobs", Italy's Il Messaggero newspaper said.Mr Bortolin, who hasn't named the man, creates extremely realistic sex dolls at the factory behind his shop, named "Temptations" in English, in Treviso, Italy."She was a smiling blonde girl but he wanted bigger boobs and a curvier backside," Mr Bortolin said. "Our normal dolls are very realistic and everything works just like the real thing.Mr Bortolin said he usually charges around $US5000 for the dolls, but that this particular project was more expensive "because we had to replicate everything, right down to the shape of her nails and teeth".The doll weighs 58kg and is about 1.6m tall. Mr Bortolin said the doll is fully flexible and can take on any movement or position a human can."She is now the perfect girlfriend as far as I can see," Mr Bortolin said.

NH teen who zapped nipples during shop class sues August 31, 2010 - 10:09amDOVER, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire high school student shocked so severely in shop class that his heart stopped beating is suing his teacher, the school district and the city of Dover.Kyle Dubois and his parents claim teacher Thomas Kelley did not warn Dubois and other students of the dangers of the electrical demonstration cords in their electrical trades class.On March 11, Dubois attached an electrical clamp to one nipple while another student attached another clamp to the other. A third student plugged in the cord.Dubois was critically injured.The New Hampshire Union Leader says Dubois' suit contends he suffered permanent brain damage.Kelley resigned from his teaching position about a month after the incident. He declined to comment on the lawsuit.Associated Press

An Afghan policeman looks at remains of an attacker who blew himself up after storming an abandoned government building in Khost, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Soldiers eat dinner in a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant located on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Saturday, July 31, 2010. Kandahar Airfield is the largest military base in southern Afghanistan and has a population by some estimates of at least 20,000 soldiers and civilians, and has many of the same services of a small American city.

A medevac UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter from the 101st Airborne division, Task Force Destiny, is reflected in the glasses of a ground staff member during a refueling operation at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in Kandahar province, August 29, 2010.

Cpl Ryan Belgrave with the Canadian Army's 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, walks through a field of marijuana plants during a patrol near the village of Salavat, in the Panjway district west of Kandahar on August 4, 2010.

A man pours fuel over a pile of illegal narcotics to be burned in Kabul on August 30, 2010. Nearly 9 tons of narcotics, including opium and hashish.

Finally Friday 9-3-2010

by Boland on Sep 07, 2010

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Finally Friday 9-3-2010 Presentation Transcript