Thursday, October 22, 2009

10 stressful yet satisfying jobs

These careers have their share of challenges but can give a real sense of accomplishment.

Also:

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

All right now!
Another day without any events to speak of - we're slacking off folks.

Daily Almanac

Today is Thursday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2009.

There are 70 days left in the year.

Today In History October 22

Some of our readers today have been in:

Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Porto, Porto, Portugal
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

as well as Luxembourg, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

There's a threatening gray cloud of pessimism just over the horizon.
Its power over your life will increase exponentially with each negative person you encounter today, so try to stick with people who always see the bright side of life and who are good at cheering you up.
Stay away from naysayers who tell you the things you want to do can't be done.
Because the truth is, anything that you can think of can happen -- if you persevere.

Oooh, don't be so negative people.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Grayson Starts Website to Honor Those Dead From Lack of Health Insurance

Representative David Grayson (Democrat-FL), has started a new web site, to honor the dead. However, not the dead from a war or other such calamity. Rather, Grayson's site, Names of the Dead, will honor those "more than 44,000 Americans who die simply because have no health insurance," annually.

Full Story

Newark Security Guard Arrested For Threats Against Obama

A private security guard at Newark Airport was arrested for making threats against President Barack Obama the night before Obama was to land there. A Continental Airlines employee had reported overhearing John Brek, 55, make threatening comments at an airport coffee cart Tuesday afternoon.

Full Story

An employee for a security subcontractor at Newark Liberty International Airport has been arrested on charges he made threatening remarks about President Obama.

How to stop people from bugging you about getting married

Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next."

They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

First hybrid sports car coming to America

Honda's sporty hybrid coupe is a two-seater with manual transmission.

When it hits U.S. showrooms

Also:

Mixed news for the American workforce

Unemployment climbed in 23 states last month, and only seven states saw job growth.

Some bright spots

Also:

Big pay cuts coming at bailout firms

White House Slashes Pay For Wall Street Execs

Big pay cuts coming at bailout firms

The government reportedly plans to order companies that received huge bailouts to slash exec salaries.

By how much?

Also:

The Obama administration stunned Wall Street on Wednesday by ordering massive pay cuts for top executives at seven financial firms that still hold billions in U.S. government bailout funds.

Full Story

Must-have habits of millionaires

One major tip from the financially successful — learn from your mistakes.

5 other ways of the wealthy

Also:

FDA targets nutrition labels on cereal

Officials crack down on cereals and snacks that appear to tout misleading health benefits.

Industry response

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New scrutiny for off-road vehicles

The government will issue rules for ROVs following scores of deaths.

What the industry says

Also:

Professions with the most growth

Demand for workers in these fields is expected to skyrocket in the next decade.

One will grow by 53%

Also:

Diet advice that could make you fat

Whole grains are good for you, but eating them in abundance may backfire on you.

Personalize your diet

Also:

Insider trader lost millions

Accused insider trader lost millions

Raj Rajaratnam allegedly devised one of Wall Street's biggest schemes and still lost money.

$30 million in one trade

Also:

Unusual beneficiary of the bailout

The bill designed to keep failing banks afloat is fueling a rise in golf cart sales.

$5,000 reason

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Recession's surprising winners & losers

Men are more likely to be unemployed than women — but that's not their only problem.

Difference in salaries, too

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Oil prices surging despite low demand

Crude prices are spiking even though supplies are growing and demand for gas is dropping.

Effect at the pump

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Secret Service facing big dilemma

Report: Secret Service facing big dilemma

Unprecedented threats coupled with deep budget cuts may force the agency to reassess its mission.

Details

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When fears aren't worth the energy

The things that cause the most anxiety are often the least likely to happen, experts say.

Dose of reality

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Too small for health insurance

Aislin Bates, a perfectly healthy 2-year-old, is denied health coverage.

'Things have to change'

Also:

U.S. facing swine flu vaccine shortage

Only a fraction of the 120 million vaccine doses promised by the government are available.

What's to blame

Also:

US Chamber of Commerce spent nearly $35 million to block reform

And that amount is only for the previous quarter.
Why does the US Chamber of Commerce hate capitalism and progress?

Why do they hate America?

However, on one broad issue considered critical to the Obama administration's success the Chamber's anti-regulatory postures created a rift. On the question of how to address climate change, the Chamber has seen a growing number of companies defect. They say the self-proclaimed "voice of business" doesn't speak for them when it denies global warming and lobbies against climate change legislation.

Early and high-profile departures included Apple Inc., Exelon Corp., Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the Public Service Company of New Mexico. On Tuesday, Mohawk Fine Paper, a privately-held paper manufacturer based in Cohoes, N.Y., joined them.

Cars that can stop themselves

Some autos save gas, but with this crash-prevention technology, they could also help save lives.

How it works

Also:

Science News

From BBC-Science:

'Giant' orb web spider discovered

Scientists identify a new and elusive species of "giant" golden orb-weaving spider which is the biggest of its group.

Turtles prefer the 'city life'

Suburban turtles in Australia outperform their counterparts living in nature reserves, surprising scientists.

Leave it to the Irish

Question: Did you hear about the Irishman who went duck hunting?

Answer: He didn't get any because he couldn't throw the dog high enough.

Magpies 'feel grief and hold funerals'

Dr Bekoff, of the University of Colorado, said these rituals prove that magpies, usually seen as an aggressive predator, also have a compassionate side.

Full Story

Being online is good for the old brain

Researchers found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.

"You can teach an old brain new technology tricks," said Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatry professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of iBrain. With people who had little Internet experience, "we found that after just a week of practice, there was a much greater extent of activity particularly in the areas of the brain that make decisions, the thinking brain -- which makes sense because, when you're searching online, you're making a lot of decisions," he said. "It's interactive."

Bailout helped, but at high cost

Watchdog: Bailout helped, but at high cost

The man who watches over $700 billion in TARP money offers a blunt take on the program's effects.

Damage done

Also:

Are artificial sweeteners bad for you?

Misconceptions about the safety and health risks of sugar substitutes abound.

Cancer risks, link to obesity

Also:

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

There's not one worth mentioning today, come on people let's celebrate something?!

Daily Almanac

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 21, the 294th day of 2009.

There are 71 days left in the year.

Today In History October 21

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Uppsala, Uppsala Lan, Sweden
Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania

as well as Korea, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Like slowly rising bread dough, your business or career plans are finally starting to turn into something real!
This is a day of great momentum, when a little nudge of effort in one direction will cause a giant avalanche of good will, positive feedback and success.
Keep talking all day long -- the more you can connect people to what you're doing, the better.
You will soak up a lot of energy from the enthusiasm that other people are showing you.

All right!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

College tuition up sharply amid recession

The cost of higher education continues to rise despite massive cutbacks by colleges.

But 2 states freeze tuition

Also:

Calorie limit coming to school menus?

A new report advises federal lunch programs to limit calories based on grade levels.

Fruits vs. juice

Also:

Make store-bought pie taste homemade

A scoop of cinnamon ice cream can make that apple pie taste like you made it from scratch.

More simple tricks

Also:

A trick to make homes fancy for cheap

There's a simple, sneaky way to give your couch or floor a luxury look.

How the pros get massive discounts

Also:

Pay bills on time, get hit with fee

If you never carry a balance or don't charge that much on your cards, watch out for new fees.

Tips

Also:

FOX News caught cropping Dunn quote to falsely claim she said Mao was "the man she turns to most"

Good Stuff:

By John Aravosis

Well now color me confused. I thought FOX News was Fair and Balanced? But today we learn from Media Matters that in fact FOX has been peddling a "quote" from White House communications director Anita Dunn, supposing claiming that she turns to Mao and Mother Teresa "the most" in her life, and in fact, that's not what she said at all.

Dunn said that she turns to them most "to basically deliver a simple point, which is, you're going to make choices." The difference isn't insignificant. The FOX quote says that Dunn turns to Mao the most in her life, on any and every issue - that there is no one in the world (other than Mother Teresa) who Dunn looks to for guidance on everything in her life than Mao. What Dunn actually said is that, on the singular lesson of "having to make choices" in life, her favorite quotes are from Mao and Mother Teresa. A rather huge difference, especially since FOX News is now claiming that Dunn is a Maoist who endorsed the murders of countless Chinese during the Cultural Revolution.

It's really rather sick what FOX is doing. And, ironically, FOX has now proven Dunn's point she made last week, that FOX is nothing more than a political operation of the Republican party.

FOX also needs to answer the question of whether their own "news" host Chris Wallace was the secret "concerned parent" they had on Glenn Beck's show yesterday to, again, slur Anita Dunn. Newsweek's Richard Wolffe was on Olbermann last night asking what ties Chris Wallace may have had to this entire smear. If Wallace was truly involved, then any lingering questions about his status as a GOP activist, rather than a real journalist, will be resolved.

At some point, someone needs to ask Democratic members of Congress why they keep going on FOX. Someone needs to ask them whose side they're on - the White House's, or FOX's.

*****

And they wonder why we refer to them as Faux News?!

Fossil Fuels' Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says

Burning fossil fuels costs the United States about $120 billion a year in health costs, mostly because of thousands of premature deaths from air pollution, the National Academy of Sciences reported in a study issued Monday.

Full Story

Make your Social Security choice wisely

Many Americans take Social Security early, at age 62, because they really need it. They're in poor health or unemployed or both. Others take benefits early because they're worried they'll lose out on what's rightfully theirs if benefits are reduced. But few people try to figure out the best age to take Social Security - and that's a serious mistake.

Full Story

Baby Denied Health Insurance Because Underweight

People should ask why this doesn't happen to fashion models, as they are frequently underweight. Recently, a baby was denied insurance because it was overweight, according to the insurance company, anyway. Here's an example in the other direction: a baby denied insurance because it is underweight.

Full Story

Farmville: An addiction worth cultivating?

For weeks now, Farmville the popular and excessively addictive Facebook game everyone's talking about has been demanding my attention.

An addiction worth cultivating?

Amelia Earhart's hair in museum just a thread

Cleveland museum has learned that what it thought was a lock of hair from Amelia Earhart is just thread.

Full Story

Hundreds line up to apply for a job at In-N-Out Burger

Hundreds of Utahans lined up Monday hoping to get a job flipping burgers as a fast-food restaurant makes its debut in northern Utah.

Full Story

Dinosaurs wiped out a by algae, not asteroids, claim scientists

Dinosaurs may have been wiped out by toxic algae - rather than asteroids, scientists claim.

Full Story

And I Quote

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.

~ W. C. Fields

Leech provides the evidence to convict robber

Eight years ago, police investigating the robbery of a 71-year-old Tasmian woman found a leech at the home. They took a blood sample from the leech and now have used DNA gleaned from the sample to convict Peter Alec Cannon of the crime. He has since admitted guilt.

From the BBC-News:

When police came to investigate the robbery, officers found a leech near the safe, and the resulting DNA sample was recorded in the Tasmania Police DNA offender database.

Cannon would probably have got away with the crime had he not been charged with drug offenses late last year, and asked to give a DNA sample - which matched that from the crime scene.

Leech convicts Australian robber

Six diseases you never knew you could catch

Bacteria or viruses could cause illnesses from diabetes to schizophrenia that are usually blamed on genes or unhealthy lifestyles.

Six diseases you never knew you could catch

Eagles filmed hunting reindeer

Extraordinary camera footage taken by a BBC crew proves that golden eagles do hunt and kill reindeer.

Rebel Rouser

Duane Eddy

The 809 Area Code Scam

And just when I was beginning to believe that I was getting $30 million when a UK barrister contacted me last week via email telling me that I was a recipient of some dead millionaire's largess. Now we have this one:

Please pass along....Don't let this happen to you or anyone you know.

809 Area Code

We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey,this is Karen . Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809 We didn't respond.

Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284, AND 876

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809

This one is being distributed all over the US. This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.

Be sure you read this and pass it on.

They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc..

In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

If you call from the U.S. , you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute.

Or, you'll get a long recorded message.. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.

WHY IT WORKS:

The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic .. The charges afterward can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.