$6,000,000,000 in housing wealth up in smoke

That is more then a day's pay for certain.

clipped from latimesblogs.latimes.com A Washington think tank is warning that housing prices are falling at an accelerating level, destroying wealth at a pace that will cost the average homeowner $85,000 in lost wealth this year alone. The projections by the Center for Economic and Policy Research are based on the numbers in Tuesday's Case-Shiller home price index, which showed accelerating price declines in most big cities. The annual rate of price decline over the last quarter was 24.9% in the 20-city index and 25.8% in the 10-city index the center said in its Housing Market Monitor today. the rate of price decline in the 20-city index would imply a loss of almost $6 trillion in real housing wealth over the course of the year The CPER says prices are falling so rapidly that the bubble will be gone by the end of 2008, but the loss of housing wealth will be massive. Peter Viles, senior producer for Real Estate at LATimes.com

Change

clipped from www.lifecoachsolutions.co.uk To begin to make a decision to change something in our life we all have to go through the following cycle. clipped from www.skysite.org Allegory of Change BY PORTIA NELSON 1. I walk,down the street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in I am lost.......I am helpless It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. 2. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place,but, It isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. 3. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in..........it's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am It is my fault. I get out immediately. 4. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. 5. I walk down another street.

Alleged Jimi Hendrix sex tape to be released

clipped from apnews.myway.com Vivid Entertainment is releasing a sex tape allegedly starring Jimi Hendrix. The Los Angeles-based adult entertainment company said they obtained the sex tape from a memorabilia collector. The 11 minutes of footage, reportedly shot in a hotel room about 40 years ago, features Hendrix - or someone who looks like him - engaged in various sexual acts with two women. The company said they consulted with experts to authenticate the footage. But Charles R. Cross, author of the Hendrix biography "Room Full of Mirrors," has seen the film and doubts the man is Hendrix. (AP) On this 1970 file photo, Jimi Hendrix performs on the Isle of Wight in England. Vivid Entertainment... Full Image

People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'

Good way to increase tourism?

clipped from hosted.ap.org A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women. "My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said. Three islanders from Lesbos - home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women - have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name. One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians. Lesbos is famed as the birthplace of Sappho The island is a favored holiday destination for gay women, particularly the lyric poet's reputed home town of Eressos. The Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece could not be reached for comment.

The Allure of the Forever Stamp

On May 12 the price of a stamp is rising by one cent. (a 2.4 percent increase). Right now you have the opportunity to lock in the 41 cent price forever. Is there any doubt, given the cost of gasoline, that the price will be rising again soon? This might rank as one of the best investments opportunities for businesses in a long time.

The stamp is quite handsome as you can see.

clipped from thelede.blogs.nytimes.com Risky investments and rising prices seem to be everywhere these days For the past year, branches have been selling “The Forever Stamp” for 41 cents each “The stamp will be good for mailing one-ounce First-Class letters anytime in the future — regardless of price changes,” the agency promises. As the penny increase of May 12 nears, the forever deal is proving irresistible to millions of Americans, according to today’s news release: In the past several weeks, Postal Service customers have been buying Forever Stamps at a rate of about 30 million per day, bringing the amount sold to more than 6 billion since they were first offered. The Associated Press further detailed the climb, reporting forever stamp sales of $267,696,023 in March, $207,900,132 in February and $115,303,031 in January When the standard stamp switches to 42 cents, so will the forever version, thus commencing a new round of forever stamp stockpiling.

The World's Biggest Clean-Energy Projects

Use the links to read the full story and to view the pictures and descriptions of the biggest clean energy projects.

clipped from www.forbes.com In Pictures: The World's Biggest Clean-Energy Projects clipped from www.forbes.com Read the full story William Pentland

Free Ice Cream Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's

Don't forget. Free cone day at Ben & Jerry's is Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

To find a scoop shop near you Go Here. Enjoy!!!

Investigators: Millions in Iraq contracts never finished

Its time to call for the heads of those responsible. It appears firings and some jail time might help insure these practices are stopped.

As taxpayers shouldn't we be demanding accountability?

clipped from hosted.ap.org Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say. uneven reconstruction effort that has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion U.S. Agency for International Development contracted with Bechtel Corp. in 2004 to construct a $50 million children's hospital in Basra, only to "essentially terminate" the project in 2006 because of monthslong delays But rather than terminate the project, U.S. officials modified the contract to change the scope of the work when in fact the hospital was only 35 percent complete "The report paints a depressing picture of money being poured into failed Iraq reconstruction projects - contractors are killed, projects are blown up just before being completed, or the contractor just stops doing the work," she said.

'Rent-a-solar-cell' on the drawing board

clipped from www.nashuatelegraph.com One way photovoltaic power is spreading in other parts of the country is by firms installing their solar cells on top of other companies' buildings – basically, leasing roof space and sharing the resulting income from electric generation. A Delaware company called CitizenRe wants to bring that model to homeowners. It's trying to establish a "rent-a-solar-cell" model around the country, using local agents recruited in an Amway-like, network-level marketing model. Kesty, who has a degree in environmental studies, thinks people who want to cut greenhouse-gas emissions will jump at the chance of getting solar power with fewer hassles and without having to invest in the hardware Details are still meager This lack of details has produced plenty of skeptics who don't believe the cost of building and installing small arrays of photovoltaic cells on thousands of roofs can be covered by the power they generate.

A Peek at U.S. Energy Subsidies

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Ever wondered how much U.S. federal energy subsidies amount to—and who’s getting them? So did Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander who almost a year ago asked the Energy Information Administration to cough up the latest numbers This month, the EIA did. Since 1999, federal energy subsidies have more than doubled—from $8.2 billion to $16.6 billion in 2007 Renewables” landed $4.8 billion last year, but that includes $3.25 billion for ethanol and other biofuels Coal and cleaner-burning “refined” coal took home $3.3 billion nuclear power industry got $1.3 billion Federal energy subsidies seem to dominate discussion on the Hill (and overseas) Sen. Alexander argued against the current subsidy mix After a doubling of federal energy subsidies in eight years, the EIA notes, U.S. total energy production is “virtually unchanged” at 72 quadrillion British Thermal Units with the significant incentives provided to various production segments of the energy sector would tend to raise domestic energy production.

Fatal shark attack in San Diego

clipped from www.usatoday.com A shark attacked and killed a swimmer who was training in the ocean off San Diego County Friday with a group of local triathletes, authorities said A man between 55 and 60 years old was swimming with others at Tide Beach around 7 a.m. when he was attacked, according to a statement on the Solana Beach city website Swimmers were ordered out of the water for a 17-mile stretch around the attack site and the county authorities sent up helicopters to scan the waters for the shark. clipped from blogs.usatoday.com The sheriff's office tells KGTV-TV that the waters are temporarily off-limits to swimmers between Del Mar and Solana Beach.

Gadgets that help you Conserve Energy at Home

clipped from www.usnews.com These gadgets save power without breaking the bank Simple meters can help identify energy hogs. The Kill A Watt (about $25 online) monitors the electricity used at one outlet. Even when switched off, most electronics continue sucking small streams of current. That phantom load can consume 5 to 20 percent of a home's total electrical bill. The Bye Bye Standby starter kit (about $30) uses a wireless remote control to completely cut power to two outlets. HYmini ($50) can put wind power into a handset. A battery stores electricity for small devices, such as cellphones, and can be charged from an outlet. The Black & Decker CMM1200 ($400) packs enough of a charge to cut a third of an acre. It's also the first mower to earn an Energy Star rating. Tankless heaters deliver water on demand The Rheem RTG-53 (about $800) can supply two showers at a time, including north of the Mason-Dixon Line. the Stiebel Eltron Tempra 12 (about $350) can provide enough water for one satisfying shower at a time

Veterans Will Be Alerted to Available Health Services

Veterans are committing suicide at a rate 3-7 times of the general population. We need to get on top of this problem.

clipped from health.usnews.com The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to call about 570,000 recent combat veterans to make them aware of the health services available to them, the agency announced yesterday. A government contractor will handle the $2.7 million effort, which comes after criticism that the VA's claims backlog and bureaucratic hurdles have kept some recent veterans from accessing needed mental and physical health services, the Associated Press reports. The agency was also accused of trying to cover up the number of veterans who commit suicide. U.S. News's On Men blog provides a list of resources that suicidal veterans can turn to.

Kids in America Are Better Off

Nice to read some positive news.

clipped from health.usnews.com Life for kids is getting better in the United States in many ways, with fewer sixth graders fearing for their safety at school, more preschoolers getting immunizations, and the number of small children with elevated levels of lead dropping by 84 percent in the past 10 years. The new data, from the nonprofit Foundation for Child Development, track changes in the lives of children from 1994 to 2006. In that time, the death rates for kids under age 5 declined by one third, and more parents were reading to their kids. Children are also doing better in school, with performance on standardized tests improving for 9-to-12-year-olds. U.S. News offers advice on setting limits on kids' television time and how to teach healthful eating habits at home.

LASIK Surgery Woes

Good information on Lasik surgery.

clipped from health.usnews.com While many people walk away from LASIK vision correction surgery with 20/20 vision or better, others are left with such side effects as glare, poor vision, dry eyes, and problems seeing at night, reports the Associated Press. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that about 5 percent of patients who get LASIK are unhappy with the results. The agency is holding a public hearing today to figure out if the warnings issued about the risks of LASIK are appropriate. And the FDA will be involved in a major study intended to determine how often such complications occur. Still, after years of refinement, options for vision correction are better and more varied than in the past, U.S. News's Michelle Andrews reports. The U.S. News eye and vision center offers advice on taking care of your eyes.

Climate and the Web: ‘Electronic Democracy on Steroids’

This is a clip of an interesting article. I suggest you follow the link and read it. Good perspective.

clipped from dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com We tried an experiment a week ago in collectively deconstructing President Bush’s latest speech on climate change. One early post here tried to create a “starting point for productive climate discourse.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the same kind of experiment, but with a lot of the consensus-building happening behind closed doors. That leaves it subject to criticism from those saying it’s overly conservative or prone to warming alarmism. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Center for Collective Intelligence is creating what it calls a wiki-style Climate Collaboratorium aimed at clarifying issues and options related to human-driven climate change. The idea began in a 2006 paper by M.I.T.’s Mark Klein and others (pdf alert). A video summary is on YouTube: Gavin Schmidt at Realclimate.org and NASA also recently weighed in on blogging and climate science

Skyrocketing Oil: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Is Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez about to get his wish—is the world really headed for $200 oil? Make that $225 in 2012, says CIBC World Markets, a Canadian broker, in a new report arguing that “world oil markets will remain as tight over the next five years as they have over the last two years.” The main explanation? Fundamentals, not commodity speculators, the report says.

9 Words Women Use

Please Do

OH

OK

clipped from she-power.com Fine This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up. Five Minutes If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Nothing This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes Go Ahead This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It! Loud Sigh A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing That’s Okay This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. “That’s okay” means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake. Thanks A woman is thanking you, do not question it or faint. Just say you’re welcome. Whatever Is a women’s way of saying FUCK YOU! Don’t worry about it, I got it Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but she is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking “What’s wrong?”

Brain reacts to fairness as it does to money and chocolate

clipped from www.physorg.com The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry. "We may be hard-wired to treat fairness as a reward," said study co-author Matthew D. Lieberman, UCLA associate professor of psychology and a founder of social cognitive neuroscience. "Receiving a fair offer activates the same brain circuitry as when we eat craved food, win money or see a beautiful face," said Golnaz Tabibnia, a postdoctoral scholar at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and lead author of the study, which appears in the April issue of the journal Psychological Science. "Fairness is activating the same part of the brain that responds to food in rats," she said. This is consistent with the notion that being treated fairly satisfies a basic need, she added.

Shhh....it's room 8.

Wha? I thought it was funny.

clipped from eigentaste.berkeley.edu A man arrives at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks, "Religion?" The man says, "Methodist." St. Peter looks down his list, and says, "Go to room 24, but be very quiet as you pass room 8." Another man arrives at the gates of heaven. "Religion?" "Baptist." "Go to room 18, but be very quiet as you pass room 8." A third man arrives at the gates. "Religion?" "Jewish." "Go to room 11, but be very quiet as you pass room 8." The man says, "I can understand there being different rooms for different religions, but why must I be quiet when I pass room 8?" St. Peter tells him, "Well, the Catholics are in room 8, and they think they're the only ones here."