New penalty for late credit card payments
If you don't pay your bill on time, you could lose the miles or points earned by using the card.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Guide to holiday tipping during tough times
Guide to holiday tipping during tough times
Many people plan to trim their year-end generosity.
Here's how to save without appearing cheap.
Top 10 countries for travelers in 2010
Top 10 countries for travelers in 2010
Malaysia is a cultural smorgasbord that boasts comfortable hotels and great exchange rates.
Also from Treehugger:
Camouflaged oil rig in LA. Photo via Consrv
You would be forgiven for not knowing that there are a slew of working oil rigs scattered across Los Angeles, hidden in plain sight. But there are. LA sits on top of the nation's third largest oil field--and oil companies would be damned if they'd let all that go to waste. So, it turns out that they have rigs pumping away throughout the massive city--and not even the city's residents know about it. Amazing video after the jump.
Article continues: Secret Oil Rigs Pump Away in LA, Hidden in Plain Sight (Video)
80 Year-Old Bookkeeping Error Causes First Species to be Fished to Extinction
From Treehugger:
The Almost-Extinct Flapper Skate. Photo via the Telegraph
Everyone has no doubt heard about how fisheries around the world are in grave danger of being fished into oblivion. Countless species are currently threatened by overfishing, and environmentalists work fiercely to prevent victims like sharks and tuna from disappearing--but no one suspected that a common skate would be the first to go. And it turns out no one suspected anything because of a simple classification mistake made 80 years ago.
A message to the birthers
When you hear a birther-handjob say,
"Obama is killing the economy..."
say, "Go fuck yourself!" and show them this.
Going from 104 to 141 is no small feat and remember,
the numbers went DOWN under the shrub.
When you hear a birther-handjob say,
"Obama is killing the economy..."
Going from 8,292 to 10,437 is a 25% increase and remember,
the numbers went DOWN under the shrub.
Quote of the Day
Western Pennsylvania will soon have a new U.S. attorney. Mary Beth Buchanan announced her resignation.
Buchanan says her only regret during her tenure was accepting a plea from Tommy Chong.
I'm honored to be Mary Beth's only regret.
Now does she regret going after me?
Or does she regret that I never got enough time?
I tend to think she wishes she'd never heard my name.
I have become her legacy.
Mary Beth Loose Cannon is now looking for a job.
She blew her last job busting me.
Karma is so sweet!
She's looking for a work while Cheech and I start our second multi-million dollar tour thanks to the publicity she created for us!
Thank you Mary Beth - may you find peace and happiness in your search for your soul.
~ Tommy Chong
Now does she regret going after me?
Or does she regret that I never got enough time?
I tend to think she wishes she'd never heard my name.
I have become her legacy.
Mary Beth Loose Cannon is now looking for a job.
She blew her last job busting me.
Karma is so sweet!
She's looking for a work while Cheech and I start our second multi-million dollar tour thanks to the publicity she created for us!
Thank you Mary Beth - may you find peace and happiness in your search for your soul.
~ Tommy Chong
Science News
A species of skate could become the first marine fish driven to extinction by commercial fishing, say scientists.
Microsoft Banned From Selling Windows In China
And how do you define Irony, again?
Irony of ironies.
Microsoft has been banned from selling Windows in China, the ultimate land of piracy.
One would think it might be the other way around (if it were possible, that is).
Irony of ironies.
Microsoft has been banned from selling Windows in China, the ultimate land of piracy.
One would think it might be the other way around (if it were possible, that is).
Airlines add 'Super Bowl' surcharge
Airlines add 'Super Bowl' surcharge
Fans leaving Miami the day after the big game face the priciest peak-travel-day fee yet.
Black Friday 'leaks' have shoppers excited
Black Friday 'leaks' have shoppers excited
Although more than a week away, Black Friday has ignited Web searches for deals.
The fight for the right to hang laundry
The fight for the right to hang laundry
Despite its energy-saving benefits, drying laundry on a clothesline is sparking debate.
California outlaws big, power-hungry TVs
California outlaws big, power-hungry TVs
State regulators pass a law banning the sale of large televisions that consume too much energy.
America's best places to raise kids
America's best places to raise kids
The top-ranked city features low crime, good schools, beautiful parks, and affordable houses.
Rachel Maddow on the very real and growing threat from the wingnuts
Rachel Maddow on the increasingly dangerous and "unhinged" rhetoric coming repugicans and their allies. It's ten minutes long, but watch if you haven't seen it. Frightening:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Couple arrested after reporting stolen marijuana
From the "Duh!" Department:
A man and woman who reported to police that robbers stole their marijuana are now facing charges themselves.
Couple arrested after reporting stolen marijuana
A man and woman who reported to police that robbers stole their marijuana are now facing charges themselves.
Couple arrested after reporting stolen marijuana
Morgellon's Disease: Real or Imagined?
Valerie Swanson remembers it all started with a rash. Then loss of energy. Then blisters covering her whole body.
Then it got weird.
Strange fibers appeared to be growing out of her hands. And tiny black specks resembling seeds, she said, began appearing mysteriously on her wrists and fingers...
Full StoryTen-Year-Old Tasered in Arkansas
Tasers are supposed to be used in place of lethal force when a criminal is uncooperative or combative.
In this case, however, a ten-year-old was tasered when she was combative as an officer tried to get the girl into a patrol car to be taken to a youth shelter.
In this case, however, a ten-year-old was tasered when she was combative as an officer tried to get the girl into a patrol car to be taken to a youth shelter.
Meditation
No-cost stress relief proves effective
Meditation lowers the risk of illnesses like hypertension and depression, a study reveals.
Where billions in government waste went
Where billions in government waste went
The Defense Department's $849 mil in improper spending is minor compared to other agencies.
Ways to impress the boss
Money lessons from a billionaire
Money lessons from a billionaire
John Paulson made $10 million per day while others lost big during the financial crisis.
The truth about negative-calorie foods
The truth about negative-calorie foods
Certain foods are often said to be so difficult to digest that they actually burn calories.
Oh, the Horror! Call out the Guard!
Eggo waffle shortage leads to rationing
Kellogg says grocery stores will receive limited supplies of the popular waffles until mid-2010.
Mythical Shangri-La may have been found
Mythical Shangri-La may have been found
Explorers find caves full of unusual treasures that could be the lost land of legend.
Byrd becomes longest-serving Congress member
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd became the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history Wednesday, a milestone to be marked with a morning of Senate tributes and a special resolution.
"I look forward to serving you for the next 56 years and 320 days," Byrd said in a statement marking the occasion. His only regret, Byrd said, was that his late wife, Erma, was not there with him.
Ric Flair punches Hulk Hogan during news conference
Charlotte's Ric Flair is in Australia to promote an upcoming wresting event with Hulk Hogan.
During a press event Flair punched Hogan in the head causing blood to pour all over Hogan's face.
Is it real or just a stunt for the wrestling event? TMZ.com says, "We spoke with somebody in Hulk's camp who insists the entire thing was real ... the blood and the injuries."
Big names missing from list of safest cars
Big names missing from list of safest cars
Tougher standards lead to major changes in an annual list of the safest new vehicles.
Dump the sweetheart deal with drug makers
This summer, we learned that Billy Tauzin, the former Louisiana Congressman who everyone knows is the chief lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry, got a sweetheart deal for drug makers in the Senate's reform bill.
Then, drug makers started raising prices anyway.
Today's NY Times says enough already.
The deal has to go:
Then, drug makers started raising prices anyway.
Today's NY Times says enough already.
The deal has to go:
Now come the price increases. As Duff Wilson reported in The Times on Monday, the industry has raised the wholesale prices of prescription drugs by about 9 percent in the past year. That appears to be the highest annual increase since 1992.
The industry contends that it must raise prices to finance research on new drugs, and that may hold some truth given the dearth of promising new drugs in the pipelines of major manufacturers. But the increases also look designed to establish a higher price base before reform bills, if passed, try to reduce drug spending.
The industry’s maneuver suggests that the Senate’s deal with the industry should be abandoned in favor of the much tougher demands in the reform bill passed by the House. The House bill requires rebates and discounts from drug makers that may save the government about $150 billion over 10 years, according to the chief actuary for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The House bill also authorizes the secretary of health and human services to negotiate with the companies to obtain lower prices for drugs sold to Medicare beneficiaries and to a new public plan if one is approved.
The government needs every penny it can get to help cover the uninsured. Given the industry’s last-minute price increases, it seems prudent to ignore the supposed deal and demand a greater contribution.
The deal never should have been cut in the first place. It has to go.
Global temperatures to rise dramatically by 2100
The numbers could easily get completely out of control, if they're not already.
An increase of almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) would make an enormous change but that would be the average.
At the moment, the bloated numbers emissions numbers for US citizens are over two times the UK figure.
During the recession the US numbers have fallen slightly though in China, the numbers are increasing quickly.
China is still around a quarter of the US emissions.
The problem is there but is the world's leadership ready?
An increase of almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) would make an enormous change but that would be the average.
At the moment, the bloated numbers emissions numbers for US citizens are over two times the UK figure.
During the recession the US numbers have fallen slightly though in China, the numbers are increasing quickly.
China is still around a quarter of the US emissions.
The problem is there but is the world's leadership ready?
Global temperatures are on a path to rise by an average of 6C by the end of the century as CO2 emissions increase and the Earth's natural ability to absorb the gas declines, according to a major new study.
Scientists said that CO2 emissions have risen by 29% in the past decade alone and called for urgent action by leaders at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to agree drastic emissions cuts in order to avoid dangerous climate change.
Conviction of Sheik's Lawyer for Assisting Terrorism Is Upheld
A federal appeals court panel in Manhattan on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Lynne F. Stewart , the outspoken defense lawyer who was found guilty in 2005 of assisting terrorism by smuggling information from an imprisoned client to his violent followers in Egypt.
Selling Pot Door-To-Door
From the "And you wonder why they call it, Dope" Department:
Selling pot door-to-door might have seemed like a good idea.
That was until the accused salesman knocked on a policeman's door.
Door-to-door salesman knocks on wrong door
Selling pot door-to-door might have seemed like a good idea.
That was until the accused salesman knocked on a policeman's door.
Door-to-door salesman knocks on wrong door
Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight
Conservationists searching for one of the world's most endangered crocodile species say they have found dozens of the reptiles lounging in plain sight at a wildlife rescue center in Cambodia.
Hiding in plain sight
Hiding in plain sight
Substitute Teacher Ties Up Students At Hickory Elementary School
The families of some Southwest Elementary School students in Hickory, North Carolina, are angry because they say a substitute teacher acted inappropriately last week.
Flesh-eating piranha could surpass python threat in US
Forget the Burmese pythons, Florida Fish and Wildlife officials says a 14-year-old boy fishing in a retention pond in Palm Springs has reeled in a piranha .
More than $2 million counterfeit cigarettes filled with rabbit droppings instead of tobacco seized
More than $2 million worth of counterfeit cigarettes filled with rabbit droppings instead of tobacco have been confiscated by customs officials in Spain.
Official accused of selling town property on eBay
North Andover's purchasing director was arrested on Monday, accused of using eBay to embezzle money from the town.
Gangsters Go Green!
From Treehugger:
photo: Chiara Marra via flickr.
There have been an increasing number of stories coming to light detailing how organized crime syndicates around the world have been getting their dirty little fingers into the green world. The latest: 1) Italian police have arrested two businessmen on fraud charges, linking them with Mafia in wind farm permit fixing schemes; and 2) The government of Madagascar (such as it is) appears to be tied in with what's being called a 'timber mafia', profiting from illegal wood sales largely sent to China:
Recession Sparks Global Shoplifting Spree
The global recession isn’t just making jobs scarce and tightening spending — it’s also turning more people into thieves. According to an annual survey released on Tuesday, incidents of shoplifting rose nearly 6% over the past year, representing nearly $115 billion in losses for businesses. One of the more surprising findings: a growing number of new shoplifters are outwardly reputable, middle-class people who are walking off with French cheeses, quality meats, cosmetics, mobile phones, clothing and other goodies that they feel they need to maintain a quality of life they can no longer afford. [...]
Though Bamfield says theft by organized criminals for the purpose of resale remains the biggest segment of shoplifting, there’s been a noticeable increase in the number of middle-class people stuffing their pockets — people who are not “stealing necessities to keep themselves and their families alive,” he adds. Worse still, more than a few of these individuals regard this kind of stealing in the economic crisis as fully justified, as the researchers discovered through interviews with shoplifters and police.
“Though most thieves rationalize their acts, the current situation has many people feeling the entire system is broken, that politicians are too corrupt or inept to fix it, and that there’s nothing wrong with stealing from these big companies and fancy stores that — the thinking goes — are themselves making out like thieves,” Bamfield explains. “There’s a real perception among many new shoplifters that if you work hard, put money away and play the game, you’re asking for someone to come along and rip you off.”
Depression as Deadly as Smoking
A study by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking.
Utilising a unique link between a survey of over 60,000 people and a comprehensive mortality database, the researchers found that over the four years following the survey, the mortality risk was increased to a similar extent in people who were depressed as in people who were smokers.
Dr Robert Stewart, who led the research team at the IoP, explains the possible reasons that may underlie these surprising findings: ‘Unlike smoking, we don’t know how causal the association with depression is but it does suggest that more attention should be paid to this link because the association persisted after adjusting for many other factors.’
The study also shows that patients with depression face an overall increased risk of mortality, while a combination of depression and anxiety in patients lowers mortality compared with depression alone. Dr Stewart explains: ‘One of the main messages from this research is that ‘a little anxiety may be good for you’.
Science News
From BBC-Science
 |  | Specimens collected by Charles Darwin could help scientists reintroduce a rare mockingbird to the Galapagos Islands. |
Saving Darwin's mockingbirdsDetroit takes Motor Trend Car of the Year
Detroit takes Motor Trend Car of the Year
An American car tops Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes to win the prestigious prize.
Companies hiring during the recession
Companies hiring during the recession
There are a few companies not only thriving in tough times, but hiring too.
Promising vaccines on the horizon
Promising vaccines on the horizon
Diseases such as AIDS and Alzheimer’s may be preventable as biotech firms develop vaccines.
Searching the Amazon for cancer secrets
Searching the Amazon for cancer secrets
The difficult task of finding a cure for the disease in a vast rain forest falls largely on one man.
Obama visits half brother in Beijing
Obama visits half brother in Beijing
Though they met only in recent years, Mark Ndesandjo says his encounter with the president was "intense."
Ship thwarts second pirate hijacking
Ship thwarts second pirate hijacking
Somali pirates once again attack the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, but this time guards repel the attack.
Daily Almanac
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 18, the 322nd day of 2009.
There are 43 days left in the year.
Today In History November 18
There are 43 days left in the year.
Today In History November 18
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Amiens, Picardie, France
Santa Fe De Bogota, Distrito Especial, Colombia
Arima, Arima, Trinidad & Tobago
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Amman, Amman, Jordan
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Bradford, England, United Kingdom
Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
Oldham, England, United Kingdom
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Luton, England, United Kingdom
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Amiens, Picardie, France
Santa Fe De Bogota, Distrito Especial, Colombia
Arima, Arima, Trinidad & Tobago
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Amman, Amman, Jordan
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Bradford, England, United Kingdom
Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
Oldham, England, United Kingdom
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Luton, England, United Kingdom
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
You'll be exhibiting some very peculiar characteristics today: nostalgia, sentimentality and a desire to return to the past.
No, that doesn't sound at all like you.
But remember, even you get to express all your unfiltered feelings every now and then.
It's just officially your turn right now.
Oh, and when your dear ones look a bit troubled, tell them not to worry.
This, too, shall pass.
Alrighty then.
You'll be exhibiting some very peculiar characteristics today: nostalgia, sentimentality and a desire to return to the past.
No, that doesn't sound at all like you.
But remember, even you get to express all your unfiltered feelings every now and then.
It's just officially your turn right now.
Oh, and when your dear ones look a bit troubled, tell them not to worry.
This, too, shall pass.
Alrighty then.
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