Looming

I'm preempting the Thursday Shout-Out this week for a special announcement: Humor-Blogs.com 3.0 will be launched this Sunday, July 6.The main change is going to be the way that blogs are ranked. We stopped doing blog reviews several months ago, and I've been trying to come up with a way to fairly rank blogs without so much manual effort. I've settled on a sort of thumbs-up/thumbs-down rating syste

“There’s no argument that water is much more necessary to life than oil. Without water, we die. Without oil, well, we learn to use biofuel… or bicycles.” — Mike Burnick by Mike Burnick Baltimore and Florida – (TFN): Commodity prices have been going through the roof for years, thanks to a [...]

The emergence of a variant on a virus that encrypts the victim’s data with a strong 1,024-bit algorithm so the victim can’t unscramble it without paying a ransom has begun to spread,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Lev Navrozov emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1972 He settled in New York City where he quickly learned that there was no market for his eloquent and powerful English language attacks on the Soviet Union. To this day, he writes without fear or favor or the conventions of polite society. He chaired the "Alternative to the New York Times Committee" in 1980, challenged the editors of the New

The transcript of my conversation with Lawrence Wright from yesterday is here. The podcast is here. More than 90% of it is devoted to the ideological battles splitting al Qaeda today which are the focus of Wright's...

The recent tragic events in Burma and China have perhaps distracted us from another emergency facing the world, and that is a world wide food crisis. Most people (in Canada) wouldn’t recognize it as a ‘crisis’ because it doesn’t personally affect anyone we know. We just know of them. They, are out there, and they [...]

It’s been a solid tick since the North American N95, also referred to as the N95-3, received a software update. For those clamoring for a little love from Nokia’s dev team, listen up: an administrator over at the outfit’s forums has admitted that the Software Update crew has a new version in the works. No [...]

May 21rst is the “Boycott Twitter Day”, which is generally, refuse to use twitter for one day because people don’t like the outages that Twitter has been having. Twitter is a great service, that has seen its own share of outages and performance issues, but is that worthy of a boycott? Probably Not. So is this [...]

April 16 2008 International community must act earlier to address increasing vulnerability. An estimated 14 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing a food emergency just two years on from the height of the worst drought in decades, CARE International warned today. Without significant rain this month, millions of people, already left devastated and vulnerable by the 2006 emergency, risk further loss of their livelihoods and possible starvation as water and pasture rapidly diminish.Parts of Somalia are already facing emergency and CARE staff are responding to widespread and acute shortages of food and water. In Kenya and Ethiopia, despite recent rains in places, CARE staff are reporting high levels of vulnerability with livestock dying due to lack of water and grazing, dramatic ris

‘In 1998, there was a massive yen carry trade going on. Interest rates were a half percent in Japan… The institutions were all pouring in borrowing the yen in order to buy the emerging market countries. Then we had the Asian financial crisis and a real deleveraging. At the time, [...]

The legacy of George Bush continues haunting efforts to bring stabiliy to many areas of the world. His lies, incompetence, and bravado have transformed the United States into among the most distrusted nations in the world. Sudan officials claim their nation does not believe any statements made by American leaders. Former Foreign Minister Suliman Aba [...]

Have you seen the new issue of the phenomenally popular online humor magazine, The Clay Pigeon? (Seriously, despite the fact that hardly anybody leaves comments on the articles, it's doing quite well.) With tough economic times ahead, the CP is doing its part to spread gloom and unease with a special Looming Recession issue.As CP Publisher Rusty Gibbons puts it:“This is no time for joking around, Clay. The economy is in real trouble. I think our readers need to hear about the fragile state of free trade in this world. Did you know that 63% of Americans are now against NAMBLA?”Read the rest of Rusty's pontification here.And be sure to check out our exclusive transcript of Britney Spears' recent address to the American Coal Foundation, our shocking report on Smiley Inflation and the C

If you haven’t checked out my interview over at Angry Seafood, do so now by clicking here.  I’ll wait. (…harmless background music…)  Good.  Funny, huh?  Now then.  I’d like to thank my pal Kev, the genius behind mashing peanut butter between cookies, for talking The Fearless Frog out of retirement.  In my inimitable fashion, I stopped posting weekly economic columns [...]

Obama and Clinton are currently virtually tied in Texas however the Texas polls may not be accurately reflecting the reality on the ground.From CNN: In the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters said Obama is their choice for the party's nominee, while 46 percent backed Clinton. But taking into account the poll's sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for Democratic respondents, the race is a virtual tieThere is some evidence to suggest that since McCain basically has the nomination in the bag some Texas Republican's are opting to vote against Clinton in the Texas Democratic primary.From The San Antonio Express News: Republican and Republican-leaning insiders report that a number of their GOP friends — their own p

The past six months or so have been especially hard on the constitutions of all classes of investors. With the subprime mortgage mess in the US wreaking havoc on the global markets investors have watched the value of their portfolios dip 10-20%. It has been scientifically demonstrated that the human response to loss is twice as high as that of gain, so it biologically natural for us to have an emotional reaction to what is happening in the markets.Emotion is the nemesis of the long-term investor. Remember that. It can prompt us to make irrational short-term decisions based on fear that can do terrible damage to our long-term savings goals. As hard as it will be, you must detach yourself from what is happening in the markets. You can't control it, and if you try you will do more harm than g

With the slowing economy, talks of recession, the tick up in unemployment, and the volatile stock market, the 30 year fixed rate mortgage has slowly continued to drop. A couple of weeks ago, the Feds finally took steps to combat the signs of recession by cutting the Fed rate by a combined 125 basis points. Usually the Fed funds rate has little to do with fixed rate mortgages, but it usually does not take long for fixed rates to follow the trend. Long-term mortgage rates are already low and may go lower. Usually when the economy faces a possible recession, these rates drop. We all remember what happened to rates from 2003 – 2005, after the 2001- 2003 recession. So, if history is any indication, there is a good possibility that rates can fall further. This is good news for potential

For those who have spent years wringing their hands over Microsoft’s desktop dominance, have no fear: competition is on its way. It’s called Google, and it promises to dramatically shake up the computing market by shifting the battle to the Internet, as an article in The New York Times insightfully states. We should have seen this [...]

For ADIA, the $7.5 billion deal represents a value investment. For Citi and other banks affected by the housing crisis, it is a temporary respite from the bad news. What remains hidden from public view is the off-the-books $83 billion liability from SIVs that Citi may have to deal with soon..

I see google tops the list as the Uk’s most popular online brand. Google is developing too  much of a monopoly for its own good. Microsoft and Apple have slipped down the list. Google is the new Microsoft and Microsoft is either loved or hated. Me … I hate Microsoft …. pompous attitude that they have … a holier than thou attitude. (more…) Share This

If you thought re-runs were bad in the summer, you ain't seen nothing yet.The Writers Guild of America met last night and agreed to recommend to their union leaders that they go on strike. The strike could begin as early as Monday, although there is room for some last-minute negotiating at the bargain table this weekend.What would a strike mean for you, the television viewer? Well, a lot more reality-based shows like Dancing With The Stars and American Idol. It could also mean some of your favorite shows will suddenly vanish and go into re-run mode, since few have completed filming their full compliment of shows for the television season. Other shows, like FOX's upcoming Season 7 of 24 and ABC's Season 4 of Lost may not hit airwaves at all for a while, since only about 1/3rd of those seasons' episodes have been shot to this point.Obviously, the longer a strike goes on, the more impact it has. Movie-goers won't immediately notice the impact of the strike, but an ongoing strike will

With the possibility of having to pay for the amount of waste you produce, being given the go ahead by the U.K.Government my first reaction is that this needs careful thought.As a seasoned recycler I can understand the need to encourage people to recycle more, but is this the best way?For a long time now in this country we have had nothing but ....if you do this you will be fined, if you do that you will be fined....the whole approach by the powers that be is to Fine you and not reward you.This means that people will only do what they have to do and does not change their views on recycling and may even make some people resentful. This could then result in some people abusing the process by putting their rubbish into other peoples bins, because for them their aim is to save money not recycle. To me this is one of the major problems to be addressed, as I can see neighbours falling out with each other, which in turn could lead to major problems within communities that are already sufferin

There are many theories as to why there has been an increase in head injuries in the NHL, but it’s hard to refute the reality that they are on the rise. Here are some statistics. The most recent example is the hit laid on Dean McAmmond by Steve Downie in a pre-season game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators. The increased speed, strength and size of the players coupled with the stricter enforcement of various obstruction penalties is one of the main story-lines mentioned whenever the issue crops up. Replace a corroded and rotten length of pipe in a larger network and the result is an improved and speedier flow of water. But it can also put unexpected pressure on other areas within the system. Refuse to deal with the subsequent pressure points and the end result could be a total collapse. These types of injuries aren’t going away anytime soon and not because of any lack of suspensions that will continue to follow. It’s mainly to do with the fact that mo

The crisis in the West will hit the Russian mortgage market the hardest. There are several reasons for that. First, Russian banks had serious intentions of securitizing the mortgage credits they issued in order to continue to increase their volume. A business will come to a standstill without that and its competitors will eat it up. Securitization is much harder now and its cost, approaching 15 percent annually, is critical for the market. In Russia, if mortgage credits are taken out at 15-percent, it will only be unwillingly.

Life is weird.I've recently been in touch with an old friend/boyfriend. The story regarding our "six degrees of separation" is weird enough, and I'm not going to go into it, so there's that.At any rate, this guy has had his share of hassles in life and now he's staring down the big "C".Yep...cancer.He had non-cancerous lesions on his pancreas, they got removed, and now the big "C" is back in his life and partying with his liver, one adrenal gland, and the aforementioned pancreas. He's only a year older than me...and while that's not exactly outside the realm of possibility it's still freaky to hear that someone my age is dealing with such a thing. He deals with all the aspects of his treatment well, finds things to laugh about, and is treating this as something that just...HAPPENS. He's waiting to hear back from his doctors to find out the next steps in treatment...and then who knows? Who, indeed?So when I start thinking about him, I start thinking about the general scheme

Imagine a loaded plane coming into Melbourne airport overshooting the runway and ploughing full on into the terminal. The death toll would be horrendous. There would be a full inquiry. The people would demand someones head on a platter. What if at the end of the day, the fault/ responsibility rested on a teenage kid with a laser he bought for under 25 bucks? Apparently these things can be seen for 5 kilometers. I don't know anything about laser technology but I guess in years to come they will double, triple or even quadruple in power. It seems people can use them to dazzle football players as well. What if the mad Mullah's of hate used them to attempt to bring down aircraft at major airports? The wikipedia says that During late 2004 a man was arrested in USA under terrorist laws when he was identified as pointing a high power green laser pointer into the cockpit of an airplane I'm not sure I see a practical use for these things to the general population that is above boa

Updated : 26-07-2007 Media : Bloomberg Story By : Claire Leow July 26 (Bloomberg) -- Palm oil futures in Malaysia, the benchmark for the commodity, had the biggest gain in 11 days after exports from the Southeast Asian nation rose, indicating demand rising with the approach of major Asian festivals.This year, China and Chinese people around Asia celebrate the mid-autumn harvest in September, while Hindus mark their new year in November. Muslims will fast for a month from mid- September, starting and ending each day with communal meals. Most palm oil is used in cooking.``Demand is strong due to coming festivities,'' said David Chang, research director, at PT UOB Kay Hian Securities in Jakarta. ``Any short-term weaknesses provide excellent buying opportunities. Demand is seasonally strong. We saw that palm oil prices came down, and then trended back up immediately.''Palm oil for October delivery, the most actively traded contract on the Malaysia Derivatives Exchange, rose 47 ringgit,

I wasn’t intending on writing for a couple days because I’m on vacation, enjoying a beautiful week of weather and having fun on a lake, but a story about New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg CNN this afternoon prompted me to put together a column. While a few bloggers and some polls have indicated a Bloomberg candidacy would hurt the GOP, there’s little way this could happen based on the mayor’s stances on key issues. His entry into the 2008 presidential campaign will help Republican candidates. (more…)

Play Video Focus on REITs: Impact of Interest Rates Bloomberg-Clip - (BLOOM-Clip) Jun. 20, 2007. 11:00 AM EST Analysis and Discussion with Featured Guest Martin Cohen of Cohen & Steers: Commercial Real Estate Facing Headwinds This Year mortgage news, Mortgage Video, REIT ---Related Articles at Consumer Mortgage Reports:Rentals And Occupancys Are Good - REITs Are Happening!REIT Week In New York CityHow The Housing Slowdown Is Creating Apartment DemandApartment REITs Surge - Rents Due To Rise 6.5%Bear Stearns Fund Collapse Sends Wall Street ShockwavesHR Block Is Still Loosing

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a report last month on the state of the U.S. economy (1). The report warns that the U.S. is headed for a budget crisis unless it reforms healthcare spending. Without reform, the report forecasts that healthcare costs will consume approximately 20% of GDP by 2050: “The major entitlement programmes – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – are the main reason that government finances are on an unsustainable course. Under current law, public spending on retirement and health programmes is expected to rise toward 20% of GDP by the middle of the century; resulting soaring budget deficits would entail a government debt twice the size of GDP at that time. Raising tax rates to finance such spending would be an expensive and inefficient solution. Entitlement reform is therefore essential to address this longer-term fiscal challenge. The problem facing Social Security is population ageing. As the post-World War

The 'Offshore Disclosure Facility' outlined in previous posts is now looming. Basically if you have an offshore account with undeclared taxes due you have until the 22nd June to declare it, pay your taxes and a 10% fine. If not and the Revenue investigate, you will pay tax and up to 100% of the overdue taxes as a fine. It is important for you to consider your options if you are in this situation

Doing my usual, searching the net for news, and I came across this headline:Water scarcity: A looming crisis?http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3747724.stmWhat I want to focus on today is the table that is on this link...Comparing different countries usage of water to one another..Go ahead, click on the link so we can get started...Ok, done now??Americans wonder why so many other countries view us with disdain and are constantly appalled by our lack of respect...Respect for what? You may ask...Oh, let me see.... Our lack of respect for the environment is what I am talking about today...Yes, we have gotten better in some areas, logging industries are replanting forests, more and more towns are enforcing recycling, etc... But why do we still fight when it comes to tightening up our policies on hazardous waste output, things of that nature? Other countries have been trying to get this administration to come up to their standards for years, but yet we resist. Why? (For more information on

"Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed — if a president really believes that, then there are — what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that."--Senator Chuck Hagel

But first, grab Micheal Cheney’s brand new e-book “How To Avoid The Top 20 Traffic Disasters” for FREE! It’s just to whet your appetite for the launch of his new step-by-step video product “Michael’s Traffic Videos” that goes live to the public at 12PM EST on Tuesday, April 3rd 2007. Stay tuned!

But first, grab Michael Cheney’s brand new e-book “How To Avoid The Top 20 Traffic Disasters” for FREE! It’s just to whet your appetite for the launch of his new step-by-step video product “Michael’s Traffic Videos” that goes live to the public at 12PM EST on Tuesday, April 3rd 2007. Stay tuned!

Are you worried over the debts that you owe? Do you fear that some of your lenders may initiate legal proceedings against you for non-payment of the loan amount? If yes, then why not avoid the impending situation just by taking debt consolidation loans.Debt consolidation loans mean that you would get enough funds for repaying your existing debts. All your debts will get converted into a single debt inviting single instalment. Thus, it would not only become easier to maintain your debts but you would also be able to save some money in the process.Generally, debt consolidation loans attract an interest rate that is lower when compared to what you may be paying overall to your lenders. Debt consolidation loans also allow you to restructure your monthly outgoings as per your repaying capabilities. You can lower down your monthly outgoings, if you so desire, by taking debt consolidation loans.Debt consolidation loans can be classified as secured or unsecured. You should go for secured debt

The downturn in the economy isn't just affecting the mainstream automakers. The Wall Street Journal reports luxury car manufacturers are also suffering. (Yes, suffering.) In March, luxury car sales sank 14 percent from last year. "Super luxury" cars such Bentley, Rolls and Maybach were hit the hardest-- the uber expensive segment fell 39 percent. Of those models, Bentley was the biggest loser, with a 42 percent loss. Entry level luxury models (BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-Class) were down by 13 percent. Middle (though not middling) luxury cars (BMW 5-Series, Jaguar S-type, Infiniti M35) were down 20 percent. And upper luxury vehicles (Mercedes E-Class, BMW 6- and 7-Series) dropped 24 percent. It's probably not a very good sign for the rest of us when even the wealthy sta

Filed under: Cellphones It's been a solid tick since the North American N95, also referred to as the N95-3, received a software update. For those clamoring for a little love from Nokia's dev team, listen up: an administrator over at the outfit's forums has admitted that the Software Update crew ...