Even after huge salary increases, many will be disappointed not to receive a bonus.
Also: 
Monday, December 20, 2010
When refinancing makes sense
More homeowners are looking to lock in historically low rates or shorten the loan term.
Also: How to wreck a credit score
Transferring your balance from a high-rate card to a low-rate one can be harmful.
Also: 
Top 30 Biggest And Best Comedy Movies Of 2011
We've all laughed so hard over the last 12 months, but could it turn out that 2011 is the funniest year, ever?
Let's see if that's possible.
Here are the biggest and best comedy movies of 2011.
"Yarn Bombing"
Photo via picocool
A new form of street art has been gaining popularity throughout the US -- and, while it may not be taking the world by storm just yet, it's certainly helping to keep things cozy just in case. Quite often, graffiti is cited as making neighborhoods seem rundown or unwelcoming, but it seems that some vigilante artisans have been putting down the spray-paint and picking up a needle and thread. "Yarn bombing" -- as its been dubbed -- isn't just about unbridled self-expression; it's about bringing a little warmth to a cold urban cityscape.Article continues: "Yarn Bombing" Graffiti Cozies Up Cold Cityscapes
What not to do in five big cities
When in Los Angeles, pass up Venice Beach and maps of stars' homes.
Also: 
Culinary DeLites
A Christmas rib roast with fruit and onions is a hearty alternative to ham or turkey.
Also: Food Safety Bill passes Senate
Not a bad surprise after years of failure in Washington on the issue of food safety.
ABC News:
ABC News:
In an unexpected move, the Senate today passed a sweeping food safety bill by unanimous consent, sending the bill back for a vote in the House before it will move on to President Obama’s desk.
“Very very important for our country,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said this evening on the Senate floor. “Perfect legislation? No. But a broad broad step in the right direction. We haven’t done anything in this regard for more than a hundred years for our country. With all the changes in processing food, it’s so very important. I’ve spoken to the Speaker tonight and this will pass the House when they come back Monday night or Tuesday.”
The surprising development is only the latest bizarre twist for the measure. Just a few days ago the food safety bill was seen as dead on Capitol Hill, but the Senate this weekend modified it to resolve a revenue technicality and managed to pass it.
Worst and Best
Can you live on Twinkies or baby food and watch the pounds melt away? Probably not.
Also: 
Resistance exercise breaks down muscle, so recharge with these protein-packed foods.
Also: 
Harmful chemical in tap water
Millions of Americans in 31 cities could be drinking tainted water, a study finds.
Also: Free Radicals Don't Cause Aging.
Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and his student Dr. Wen Yang, who are in the Montreal university's biology department, planned to test the so-called “free radical theory of aging” by genetically modifying wild worms in a lab to accelerate production of free radicals — toxic molecules generated as a byproduct of oxygen use.
Although the theory has long been held as conventional wisdom by some, Hekimi said he “stands the theory on its head” by showing in his experiment that increasing free radical production did not necessarily speed up aging.
The production of mitochondrial free radicals may actually protect organisms from the damage of cells associated with aging, he said.
“It also suggests that free radical generation and aging are correlated because free radical generation is a positive reaction. It’s an attempt to turn on stress responses to fight the damage that accumulates during aging.”
He suggested that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C, meanwhile, may actually be “misguided.” As far as it goes for attempting to prolong life, they may not be the answer. Such vitamins could actually be a factor of resistance as they soak up free radicals like a sponge.
So antioxidant food products and supplements are just bullshit marketing, and may actually accelerate the aging process? Who'd have ever guessed that?
Although the theory has long been held as conventional wisdom by some, Hekimi said he “stands the theory on its head” by showing in his experiment that increasing free radical production did not necessarily speed up aging.
The production of mitochondrial free radicals may actually protect organisms from the damage of cells associated with aging, he said.
“It also suggests that free radical generation and aging are correlated because free radical generation is a positive reaction. It’s an attempt to turn on stress responses to fight the damage that accumulates during aging.”
He suggested that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C, meanwhile, may actually be “misguided.” As far as it goes for attempting to prolong life, they may not be the answer. Such vitamins could actually be a factor of resistance as they soak up free radicals like a sponge.
So antioxidant food products and supplements are just bullshit marketing, and may actually accelerate the aging process? Who'd have ever guessed that?
Surprising facts about colds
Orange juice and echinacea are both touted as ways to stay healthy.
Also: Periodic Table Gets A Makeover
Remember memorizing the periodic table in high school? Well, forget it. Some information on the table is about to be reset. The world's top chemists and physicists have determined that the atomic weights of 10 elements need to be expressed as an interval rather than a static number, Science Daily reports.
The new atomic weights of hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, chlorine and thallium will more accurately reflect how those elements occur in nature.
Amazing Automatons: Ancient Robots & Victorian Androids
Dark Roasted Blend does a roundup of wonderful, ingenious automata of ages past -- the early clockwork robots that boggled crowds with their ticktock liveliness: "As watch making developed in the Age of Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, so did the art of creating mechanical people and animals. Jacques Vaucason created numerous working figures, including a flute player, which actually played the instrument, in 1738, plus this duck from 1739. The gilded copper bird could sit, stand, splash around in water, quack and even give the impression of eating food and digesting it:"
The Hermitage Of San Colombano
As you drive over the Passo Pian delle Fugazze in Italy, between Vivenza and Rovereto for the first time, you are due for something of a surprise. The Leno valley of the Trento province is home to the Hermitage of San Colombano.
You would expect a hermitage to be somewhat off the beaten track but this takes isolation to a new height - literally.
Ten Of The Worst Natural Disasters Ever
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or landslide) that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and human losses. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience.
This understanding is concentrated in the formulation: 'disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability.' The term natural has consequently been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement.
Colorful Geyser
This geothermal geyser is somewhere near Gerlach, Nevada. The colors are due to different mineral deposits as well as algae growing on it. Read about how this strange formation came about at Kuriositas. Link
They look as if they were taken on another planet, or at least on the set of a new and very expensive science fiction movie. Yet these pictures are of the Fly Geyser which is very much of planet earth even though - and herein lies the surprise - it is effectively man made.
What Can This 300 Year Old French Fortress Tell Us About Green Architecture?
Photo: GIPE under a Creative Commons license.
These days it seems that every new building is being billed as green: LEED certifications and new technologies that limit the environmental impact of lighting, water use, heating and air conditioning abound. But on a trip last weekend to Besançon, in eastern France, I visited a building that isn't LEED certified or equipped with any fancy technology, but that nonetheless showcases important principles of green architecture. The building: the Citadel of Besançon. The architect: Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. The client: King Louis XIV of France.Article continues: What Can This 300 Year Old French Fortress Tell Us About Green Architecture?
Erosion Eating Up South Carolina Beaches
Photo: Jack Duval
Folly Beach, a South Carolina Beach just outside of Charleston, needs another re-nourishment project just five years after the last one, according to a recent article in The State.Article continues: Erosion Eating Up South Carolina Beaches
Iran's Lake Urmia Is Drying Up Fast
Salt crystals in Lake Urmia.
Photo: Ehsan Mahdiyan / Creative Commons.
About 100 years ago, my grandfather emigrated to the United States from a village near Lake Urmia, in what is now northwestern Iran. He died long before I was born, leaving me with little connection to my ancestors in the region, but a strong desire to someday visit the place -- tantalizing close to Turkey, where I now live, though difficult to reach due to visa restrictions -- where they apparently once tended vineyards. If I don't manage to get there soon, though, there may not be much left to see of the lake itself.Article continues: Iran's Lake Urmia Is Drying Up Fast
The Most Heroic Animals of 2010
The Daily Beast collected stories of animal heroism from the past year that might make you a bit teary-eyed. The story of Angel the golden retriever is an example.Eleven-year-old Austin Foreman was gathering firewood near his home in Boston Bar, British Columbia, when he came face to face with a cougar. When the wild cat lunged at him, his Golden Retriever, Angel, stepped in. She put herself between Austin and the cougar, giving him time to escape to the house. The cougar viciously attacked Angel, carrying her around by the neck while Austin’s mother called 911. Police arrived just in time to shoot the cougar, and after a few moments of suspense, Angel coughed back to life. She had several puncture wounds and a punctured sinus cavity, but she made a full recovery.See a video report about Angel and read about the other heroic animals in a slide show.
Ohio zoo names snake Hanna, after celebrity zookeeper
An Ohio zoo has settled on a familiar name for its new snake that has replaced her record-breaking mother.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says its new reticulated python will be called Hanna - which happens to be the last name of the zoo's celebrity zookeeper, Jack Hanna.Hanna the snake was acquired last month from the same private breeder ...
Giant Yummy Eggs Killed Off the Elephant Bird
Photo: De Agostini Picture Library/BBC
Sir David Attenborough explains:
Recent archaeological evidence has revealed the fragments of elephant bird egg shells among the remains of human fires, suggesting that the eggs, which are 180 times bigger than a chicken egg, regularly provided food for entire families.
Sir David says: "I doubt it was hunted to extinction – anyone who has seen an ostrich in a zoo knows that it has a kick which can open a man’s stomach and an enraged elephant bird, many times the size of an ostrich, must have been a truly formidable opponent.
"I suspect it was its egg. They may not have been able to tackle an adult bird, but they could have taken its eggs which would have been a huge source of food.
"Even if the bird itself was held in awe or fear by the people here, it’s unlikely the eggs were – and that would have meant the gradual disappearance of this unique giant."
Dog gives birth to 17 puppies
A dog in Germany has given birth to 17 puppies, leaving their owner thrilled but fatigued after having to feed them with a bottle for several weeks because their mother couldn't cope with the demand.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Surprises are fun for some folks, but for you -- well, you'd rather have everything that's been penciled into your day-timer go just as you'd planned it.
Of course, that's not always possible, and you've definitely learned that over the course of your time here on the planet.
You've also learned that the way to have any kind of control over what you wish had happened and what actually did happen lies in your reaction.
Give 'em heck.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Espoo, Southern Finland, Finland
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Turnhout, Antwerpen, Belgium
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Harlow, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, malaysia
Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
as well as Bulgaria, Israel, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico and in cities across the United States such as Kill Devil Hills, Durham, Asheville, Cornelius and more.
Today is:
Today is Sunday, December 19, the 353rd day of 2010.
There are 12 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
There isn't one.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
'Don't ask, don't tell' repealed
In a landmark for gay rights, the final vote sends an overturn of the ban to President Obama.
Also: US irritated with EU human rights laws
From the WikiLeaks File:
This is a problem, with the modern US political system problem and it's only getting worse.
The Guardian:
This is a problem, with the modern US political system problem and it's only getting worse.
The Guardian:
US officials regard European human rights standards as an "irritant", secret cables show, and have strongly objected to the safeguards which could protect WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from extradition.
In a confidential cable from the US embassy in Strasbourg, US consul general Vincent Carver criticized the Council of Europe, the most authoritative human-rights body for European countries, for its stance against extraditions to America, as well as secret renditions and prisons used to hold terrorist suspects.
He blamed the council for creating anti-US sentiment and hampering the US war on terror. "The Council of Europe (COE) likes to portray itself as a bastion of democracy, a promoter of human rights, and the last best hope for defending the rule of law in Europe – and beyond," Carver said. "[But] it is an organization with an inferiority complex and, simultaneously, an overambitious agenda.
Bank of America bans all payments to WikiLeaks, who respond accordingly
The new year promises to be an exciting one for the banking industry. It's not surprising that Bank of America - rumored to be the target of new WikiLeaks reports - is targeting WikiLeaks though the grounds do sound suspicious and maybe even illegal since WikiLeaks has yet to be found guilty of any crime. If only the banking industry was as vigilant when it came to illegal drug related money.
In classic form, WikiLeaks has sent out a message on Twitter related to Bank of America.
In classic form, WikiLeaks has sent out a message on Twitter related to Bank of America.
Does your business do business with Bank of America? Our advise is to place your funds somewhere safer.What's also interesting here is that the Bank of America hasn't realized that we're living in a different age. Smearing and attacking WikiLeaks a decade ago would have been easier but with the tools and technology available today (at least before Comcast scraps Net Neutrality with the help of Washington) the fight is less one-sided. It's not as easy to dominate the message today.
Thief steals 'Honesty' sculpture
Honesty walked right out the door of Normandale Community College on Tuesday night and hasn't been seen since. Muddy footprints and a trail of rolled-up dollar bills hint that a getaway car may have been parked in front of the Fine Arts building, but officials at the Bloomington school are baffled.
"Honesty" is, or was, a wire-mesh sculpture by John Ilg in which 316 rolled-up dollar bills were stuffed into the mesh to spell out the word "Honesty." It had hung in the college gallery since Nov. 9 with other works by Ilg. When it was first shown at the Minnesota State Fair in 2008, visitors liked the sculpture so much they added $150 to the piece. It has been exhibited unharmed several times since. "People like to tug on the bills to see if they're glued in and if I'm really trusting them," said Ilg, 53, of Woodbury.
He can tell when the bills have been tampered with because he rolls and folds them so the words "In God We Trust" are visible. Additions or replacements aren't rolled that way. A student reported the theft to campus security at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Two security officers followed footprints to the parking lot where another student found two rolled bills in an entrance parking spot. The officers retrieved a total of seven bills from the gallery and environs. Security cameras had no record of the crime and there are no suspects.
"It was a wonderful piece that really spurred a lot of discussion," said Jeff Judge, Normandale's dean of humanities whose office adjoins the gallery. Asked what the theft suggested about the college, he said, "I don't think it says anything about Normandale, but it says a whole lot about the person who took it. I'm holding out hope that the person was not in any way connected with Normandale." Ilg may recreate the piece. "All you can do is laugh," he said.
"Honesty" is, or was, a wire-mesh sculpture by John Ilg in which 316 rolled-up dollar bills were stuffed into the mesh to spell out the word "Honesty." It had hung in the college gallery since Nov. 9 with other works by Ilg. When it was first shown at the Minnesota State Fair in 2008, visitors liked the sculpture so much they added $150 to the piece. It has been exhibited unharmed several times since. "People like to tug on the bills to see if they're glued in and if I'm really trusting them," said Ilg, 53, of Woodbury.
He can tell when the bills have been tampered with because he rolls and folds them so the words "In God We Trust" are visible. Additions or replacements aren't rolled that way. A student reported the theft to campus security at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Two security officers followed footprints to the parking lot where another student found two rolled bills in an entrance parking spot. The officers retrieved a total of seven bills from the gallery and environs. Security cameras had no record of the crime and there are no suspects.
"It was a wonderful piece that really spurred a lot of discussion," said Jeff Judge, Normandale's dean of humanities whose office adjoins the gallery. Asked what the theft suggested about the college, he said, "I don't think it says anything about Normandale, but it says a whole lot about the person who took it. I'm holding out hope that the person was not in any way connected with Normandale." Ilg may recreate the piece. "All you can do is laugh," he said.
How to burn off holiday foods
It takes an hour of lifting weights to shed the calories in one serving of potatoes.
Also: 
Disastrous money mistakes
These missteps seem insignificant but could be disastrous for your finances in the long run.
Also: Property tax boosters
You might think you're adding value to your home, but you could also be adding to your tax bill.
Also: Tax deal: More pay for most
Most American workers will be keeping more of their wages starting next month.
Also: The 10 worst states for retirees
High taxes, cold winters, and fiscal woes tarnish these places for your golden years.
Also: Six gifts not to buy this Christmas
Flowers can be inconvenient, and monthly food baskets aren't worth the money.
Also: 
Total lunar eclipse coming
Skywatchers will have a view of one of nature's most beautiful spectacles if the weather is clear.
Also: The Ghost Cities of China
Photo: Michael Christopher Brown/TIME Magazine
The Kangbashi district began as a public-works project in Ordos, a wealthy coal-mining town in Inner Mongolia. The area is filled with office towers, administrative centers, government buildings, museums, theaters and sports fields—not to mention acre on acre of subdivisions overflowing with middle-class duplexes and bungalows. The only problem: the district was originally designed to house, support and entertain 1 million people, yet hardly anyone lives there.
Similarly, Business Insider has the satellite photos of Ordos and other ghost cities of China:
There are no cars in the city, except for a few dozen parked at the glamorous government center.
Good samaritans face fine after rescuing deer from icy water
They fought to save a life, and now they say they’ll fight the fine. It all revolves around the rescue of a deer trapped in icy water on Thursday night. Strangers banded together to pull a deer out of the freezing water of the Patapsco River near Linthicum.
“We seen the deer going under,” said Khalil Abusakran. “It couldn’t maintain. It was starting to freeze, and it was really getting bad.” Abusakran brought a raft, and Jim Hart joined him. “We had oars and shovels to break the ice, for the deer to get out,” Abusakran said.
But in the excited aftermath of the rescue, a natural resources police officer on the scene wrote both men a ticket.“And he didn’t say anything,” Jim Hart said. “We went in and out of the water numerous times. He didn’t stop us at all.” They say they were ticketed for not wearing life vests, although both are over the age for mandatory use of flotation devices.
“No, we didn’t have vests on, but we’re not 16 years old,” Abusakran said. “There were personal floating devices on the boat.” The ticket itself doesn’t check off any specific violation, just a $90 fine. They’ll fight it in court, as they fought for the deer. The two men ticketed say they will fight the citations at the court hearing in Annapolis set for Feb. 18.
“We seen the deer going under,” said Khalil Abusakran. “It couldn’t maintain. It was starting to freeze, and it was really getting bad.” Abusakran brought a raft, and Jim Hart joined him. “We had oars and shovels to break the ice, for the deer to get out,” Abusakran said.
But in the excited aftermath of the rescue, a natural resources police officer on the scene wrote both men a ticket.“And he didn’t say anything,” Jim Hart said. “We went in and out of the water numerous times. He didn’t stop us at all.” They say they were ticketed for not wearing life vests, although both are over the age for mandatory use of flotation devices.
“No, we didn’t have vests on, but we’re not 16 years old,” Abusakran said. “There were personal floating devices on the boat.” The ticket itself doesn’t check off any specific violation, just a $90 fine. They’ll fight it in court, as they fought for the deer. The two men ticketed say they will fight the citations at the court hearing in Annapolis set for Feb. 18.
Coyote rescued from floating sheet of ice on Lake Michigan
A coyote which became trapped on a sheet of ice has been rescued by firemen in Chicago. The animal, which rescuers named Holly, spent over an hour floating on the lake in the United States.
Rescue workers were called at around 9.30am when passers by spotted the coyote on a block of ice.
Helicopter camera crews recorded the event. At one point, the coyote jumped off the ice and tried to swim to shore in the zero-degree celsius water.
The animal then climbed on a another ice flow, said Larry Langford, fire department spokesman, before being pulled to safety.
Rescue workers were called at around 9.30am when passers by spotted the coyote on a block of ice.
Helicopter camera crews recorded the event. At one point, the coyote jumped off the ice and tried to swim to shore in the zero-degree celsius water.
The animal then climbed on a another ice flow, said Larry Langford, fire department spokesman, before being pulled to safety.
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