-
-
Newest Net Scam: Phony Grassroots Campaigns
If you find a grassroots campaign of any sort online, you are probably reading a fake—an "Astroturf" rootless campaign orchestrated by a professional being paid by some group to do its bidding. There is no such thing as grassroots anymore. Everything is manipulated and fake.
On my podcast "No Agenda", Adam Curry and I were carping about the Russia-Georgia situation a few weeks back; we found some anti-Russian site that was simply too slick to be anything but professionally designed and maintained. This is kind of the giveaway. Within a few minutes it turned out to be a Georgian government front, rather than the site of some downtrodden few. In other words, it was BS.
Just this last week, the Associated Press ran a piece on a slew of Astroturf sites it discovered, including these two phonies:
* Tennesseans Against Teen Drinking was promoted as a font of grassroots opposition to Internet sales of alcohol, but its Web site didn't mention that the group was backed by major alcohol lobbying firms that wanted to kill legislation allowing people to buy wine from other states.
* Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity ran a Web site warning about the consequences of an electricity rate freeze. It was later revealed the group was largely funded by Illinois electric utility company Commonwealth Edison. If you find a grassroots campaign of any sort online, you are probably reading a fake—an "Astroturf" rootless campaign orche... more -
New plans for world's tallest building unveiled in Dubai
The Dubai developer Nakheel – the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world – said the structure would be the centre-piece of an inner-city harbour planned as the emirate's unofficial capital.
It would not comment on the exact height or cost of the Islamic design-inspired Nakheel Tower. The building will have "more than 200 floors" and be part of "a multi-billion pound development", the company said.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, a cautious Nakheel chief executive officer, Christopher O'Donnell, said: "From our perspective, we are building a tower that's going to be over a kilometre in height. This is a complete iconic development. It may be the tallest."
The tower and harbour project will take more than 10 years to complete. Apart from the landmark structure, there will be another 40 towers, ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors. The entire development will be home to more than 55,000 people and a workplace for more than 45,000. The Dubai developer Nakheel – the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world – said the structur... more -
The Woman Who Never Stopped Talking
I know who keep on talking...but The Women Who never stopped talking..a must read
-
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain, the globe-trotting chef and host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations, has returned home to the Big Apple to take part in a panel with legendary Spanish chef Ferrán Adrià at the Food Network's New York City Wine & Food Festival (October 9–12). According to Anthony, 52, who lives on the Upper East Side, absence does make the heart grow fonder—with food, especially. "After weeks [away], I really miss a good pastrami sandwich," he says.
Where's the best place to people-watch in the city? On the high end, Da Silvano. On the low end, Carl Schurz Park. I used to be really
irritated by people with Bugaboos, but [since the birth of my daughter Ariane, 1 ½, with my wife, Ottavia] I've become one of those people!
Describe the fantasy party you'd like to attend. [Chef] Marco Pierre White and Keith Richards would be throwing something on the barbie in a backyard in Red Hook. Louise Brooks, the silent film actress, would be there, along with Ava Gardner, Orson Welles, [British spy] Kim Philby and the CIA director of counterintelligence.
What's your favorite dive bar? Since Siberia closed I've been living a bleak, friendless and flatlined existence, slowly slipping into senility and death. But the Holland Bar on Ninth Avenue is pretty good. So is the Distinguished Wakamba Lounge on Eighth Avenue at 37th Street.
Your dream New York City address? One of those big piles on Riverside Drive would be nice. Ain't never gonna happen.
If you were mayor of NYC, what would you change? I'd get rid of street fairs, or at least you'd no longer be allowed to sell tube socks at them. Anthony Bourdain, the globe-trotting chef and host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations, has returned home to the Big Apple to... more -
Sunday, holy Sunday?
One of the longest running disputes in the history of Christianity – Saturday vs. Sunday – is having new life breathed into it with a cash reward of up to $1 million toward a resolution.
A. Jan Marcussen, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Illinois, is starting with $50,000 of his own money if someone can produce "a verse from the Holy Bible showing that God commands us to keep holy the first day of the week" – Sunday – "instead of the seventh day" – Saturday – "as is commanded in the Bible."
He says the reward will increase in $25,000 increments each week for 40 consecutive weeks if no one sends him such a verse, with a final cap at $1 million.
"The $50,000 offer is to wake people up out of a stupor," Marcussen tells WorldNetDaily. "People wake up when there's money involved."
A. Jan Marcussen (right), and wife Vennita
Marcussen, who says he has the money ready to pay if someone is successful, is making the offer to encourage people to read the Bible for themselves, instead of accepting without question what religious leaders have been instructing.
"Millions of people believe and have confidence in their clergy that what they're being taught is true," says Marcussen. "They'll find out that the clergy is not teaching from the Bible."
Marcussen, 52, is not only a preacher in his local church, he's also a physical therapist, nutritionist, marriage counselor and author of six books. One of those works, "National Sunday Law," focuses on the Saturday-vs.-Sunday debate. Marcussen is asking people to read that book before applying for the reward. (It can be read for free online.) One of the longest running disputes in the history of Christianity – Saturday vs. Sunday – is having new life breathed into it with a ... more -
One man, seven wives, Is this Britain's most bizarre family?
You would think seven wives would be more than enough to keep a man busy.
But Philip Sharp has a little more on his plate than usual - two are pregnant at the same time.
Margo, 39, is due this month, while Vreni, 38, is scheduled to deliver in January. You would think seven wives would be more than enough to keep a man busy. ... more -
Madonna gives fans a `Sticky & Sweet` treat
In a show defined by throbbing dance music, tight choreography, spectacular stage sets and stunning visuals, perhaps the most stirring moment during the kickoff concert to Madonna`s `Sticky & Sweet` tour came when the Material Girl stood onstage with just her guitar and a few musicians for an acoustic set.
As she sang the emotional song from her movie `Evita,` Madonna couldn`t help but wink and smile at the roaring sold-out crowd as she sang the song`s main refrain and title: `You must love me.`
Maybe that`s because she knew she was right. Even the superstar`s most cynical critics couldn`t walk away from her two-hour extravaganza at the Izod Center in East Rutherford (New Jersey) on Saturday night without being thoroughly wowed. It was not only the spectacle of the concert, but the performer herself, as she reasserted her musical relevance and dominance in her 25th year in the spotlight. In a show defined by throbbing dance music, tight choreography, spectacular stage sets and stunning visuals, perhaps the most stirring... more -
The rival to the Bible
What is probably the oldest known Bible is being digitised, reuniting its scattered parts for the first time since its discovery 160 years ago. It is markedly different from its modern equivalent. What's left out?
The world's oldest surviving Bible is in bits.
For 1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery, until it was found - or stolen, as the monks say - in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany and Britain.
Now these different parts are to be united online and, from next July, anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access will be able to view the complete text and read a translation.
For those who believe the Bible is the inerrant, unaltered word of God, there will be some very uncomfortable questions to answer. It shows there have been thousands of alterations to today's bible. What is probably the oldest known Bible is being digitised, reuniting its scattered parts for the first time since its discovery 160 y... more -
Prehistoric cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete
It may have taken Michelangelo four long years to paint his fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but his earliest predecessors spent considerably longer perfecting their own masterpieces.
By comparing the ratio of uranium to thorium in the thin layers on top of the cave art, researchers were able to calculate the age of the paintings
Scientists have discovered that prehistoric cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete.
Rather than being created in one session, as archaeologists previously thought, many of the works discovered across Europe were produced over hundreds of generations who added to, refreshed and painted over the original pieces of art.
Until now it has been extremely difficult to pinpoint when prehistoric cave paintings and carvings were created, but a pioneering technique is allowing researchers to date cave art accurately for the first time and show how the works were crafted over thousands of years.
Experts now hope the technique will help provide a valuable insight into how early human culture developed and changed as the first modern humans moved across Europe around 40,000 years ago. It may have taken Michelangelo four long years to paint his fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but his earliest predecessors... more -
Philippines population
Manila, October 2, 2008 (AFP) - A bill seeking to impose population control in the Philippines is a waste of valuable resources that would be better ploughed into education and infrastructure, a conservative think-tank said Thursday.
The proposed law comes at a time when countries that adopted similar policies in the 1970s are reversing them as they start to worry about supporting their ageing populations, said the economists at Manila-based University of Asia and the Pacific.
Its chief economist Bernardo Villegas said controlling the population would be "demographic suicide," and would put the blame for widespread Philippine poverty with "people who are not yet even born".
The bill is about 12 votes shy of passing the House of Representatives, according to its principal author and House member Edcel Lagman.
However, it lacks the support of President Gloria Arroyo, a devout Roman Catholic who could theoretically veto it even if passed by the House and the Senate. Lagman said a dozen previous population bills over the past generation had been defeated.
The dominant Catholic church has threatened to excommunicate legislators who vote for the bill.
Under the proposed law the state would have to fund a population programme, teach it at schools and to couples intending to marry and have government hospitals offer contraceptives, vasectomies and tubal ligations, an operation that blocks the fallopian tubes.
It would require the state to "encourage two children as the ideal family size".
The Philippines has among the highest birth rates in Asia, with the population growing at around two percent annually and expected to top 100 million in five years.
Villegas told reporters solving poverty that binds a third of the population required improving the quality of basic education, curbing corruption and devoting state resources to developing the countryside, where the largest concentrations of poor live.
"The greatest impact of your peso is in educating women," said Roberto de Vera, another economist at the same school.
Villegas said international studies showed the growth of per capita income was related to school enrolment rates rather than population control.
"Countries with higher human capital also have lower fertility rates," he added.
Contrary to popular convention, he said the fertility rate of Filipino women had fallen from six children in 1975 to fewer than three.
Even without state intervention, the Philippine population would peak at 111 million in 2025, with a maximum population density of just 370 people per square kilometre (0.39 square miles), he added. Manila, October 2, 2008 (AFP) - A bill seeking to impose population control in the Philippines is a waste of valuable resources that w... more -
Tainted Chineses milk.. Where?
Manila, October 3, 2008 (AFP) - Two China-made milk products sold in the Philippines have tested positive for melamine, health officials said Friday, ordering that they be removed from store shelves immediately.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said authorities suspect the products, under the brand names Yili and Mengniu, were illegally smuggled into the country as they do not have labels in English.
Duque played down any fears of a public health scare stemming from consumption of the products -- Green Food Yili fresh milk and a Mengniu milk drink.
"There have been no reports coming from our hospitals, whom we ordered to report to us cases of kidney problems that may have some associations with the intake of milk tainted with melamine," Duque said.
The government has shut down a Manila supermarket found to be selling the two brands, Duque said.
Last month, the government ordered Chinese-made milk products to be removed from grocery shelves after tests revealed widespread contamination with the industrial chemical melamine, which makes products appear to have more protein.
Such products have killed at least four children and sickened 53,000 in mainland China, officials have said.
The health department's Bureau of Food and Drugs has cleared 28 other China-made products for sale in the Philippines after they tested negative for melamine content, said its laboratory chief, Maria Lourdes Santiago.
The bureau is testing a second batch of 200 mostly Chinese-made dairy products, with results expected next week, Santiago said. Manila, October 3, 2008 (AFP) - Two China-made milk products sold in the Philippines have tested positive for melamine, health officia... more -
World's 8 Most Expensive Perfumes - Amazing
Globally, the flavors and fragrances form a $17.8-billion industry of which the top five players are Givaudan, International Flavors & Fragrances, Firmenich, Symrise and Quest International.
These five companies have a substantial presence in the Indian market, along with competition from Indian F&F houses like SH Kelkar, Sachee Aromatics and Oriental Flavors & Fragrances. The Indian F&F market is estimated at around $225 million.
"The word 'perfume' comes from the Latin per fume 'through smoke'. One of the oldest uses of perfumes was in the form the burning of incense and aromatic herbs used in religious services, often the aromatic gums, frankincense and myrrh, gathered from trees.
The Egyptians were the first clan to use perfume followed by the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans.
The Egyptians invented glass and perfume bottles were one of the first common uses for glass.
So which is the most expensive perfume brand available in the market? Which perfume bottle is adorned with a five-carat diamond? Read on to find out. Globally, the flavors and fragrances form a $17.8-billion industry of which the top five players are Givaudan, International Flavors &... more -
New study: American cause and - and could cure - most US emissions
'It's easy to mock little efforts to save the environment: reusing grocery bags, buying a Prius, putting an energy-efficient refrigerator in an energy-eating mansion,' says the Wall Street Journal.
While most 'arguments' are aimed at - 'big industrial companies that spew millions of tons of heat-trapping gases every year.'
American consumers actually 'have more influence over climate change than they might think.'
'US consumers have direct or indirect control over 65% of the country's greenhouse-gas emissions, according to new statistics tallied by consultant McKinsey & Co. The figure for consumers in the rest of the world is just 43%. Americans, largely because of how they drive and how they build and use their homes and offices, lead some of the most energy-intensive lives in the world.'
'It's hardly surprising that Americans burn more energy than their counterparts elsewhere in the world. With just 5% of the world's population, the U.S. burns 23% of the world's oil. What's striking about the McKinsey numbers is less the size of America's "carbon footprint" than its makeup.' ... 'It's easy to mock little efforts to save the environment: reusing grocery bags, buying a Prius, putting an energy-efficient... more -
Simian Mobile Disco team up with Nike to help people stay fit
Simian Mobile Disco have teamed up with Nike to help people stay fit. The duo have created a soundtrack for Nike to be used in a training regimen the company is set to launch called Nike Plus. 'Run' is now available to download on iTunes. Simian Mobile Disco have teamed up with Nike to help people stay fit. The duo have created a soundtrack for Nike to be used in a train... more
-
How Eco Is Your Wardrobe?
Trace back your clothing, as manufacturers embrace the Eco mantle.
-
Foldaway Rooms Solve Those Space Issues At Home
So what do you do when you only live in a one-room bedsit but want all the comfort of a fully-fitted kitchen, office and bedroom? Get a fold-up version of course! Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is an invention by those clever origami-afficianados in Japan, with each 'set' folding up into a tiny box. See vid. So what do you do when you only live in a one-room bedsit but want all the comfort of a fully-fitted kitchen, office and bedroom? Get... more
-
Here's How to Fix the Wall Street Mess ...from Michael Moore
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
Here's How to Fix the Wall Street Mess ...from Michael Moore
Friends,
The richest 400 Americans -- that's right, just four hundred people -- own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400 rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion -- the same amount that they are now demanding we give to them for the "bailout." Why don't they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They'd still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves!
Of course, they are not going to do that -- at least not voluntarily. George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not his, he did what the rich prefer to do -- spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt. Why on earth would we even think of giving these robber barons any more of our money?
I would like to propose my own bailout plan. My suggestions, listed below, are predicated on the singular and simple belief that the rich must pull themselves up by their own platinum bootstraps. Sorry, fellows, but you drilled it into our heads one too many times: There... is... no... free... lunch. And thank you for encouraging us to hate people on welfare! So, there will be no handouts from us to you. The Senate, tonight, is going to try to rush their version of a "bailout" bill to a vote. They must be stopped. We did it on Monday with the House, and we can do it again today with the Senate.
It is clear, though, that we cannot simply keep protesting without proposing exactly what it is we think Congress should do. So, after consulting with a number of people smarter than Phil Gramm, here is my proposal, now known as "Mike's Rescue Plan." It has 10 simple, straightforward points. They are:
(Read article at link) Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 Here's How to Fix the Wall Street Mess ...from Michael Moore Friends, ... more -
More grannies going to bankruptcy court
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (AP) -- First came the health problems. Then, unable to work, Ada Noda watched the bills pile up. And then, suffocating in debt, the 80-year-old did something she never thought she'd be forced to do.
Ada Noda, 80, pictured with her puppy Lolita, declared bankruptcy after health problems.
Ada Noda, 80, pictured with her puppy Lolita, declared bankruptcy after health problems.
She declared bankruptcy. ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (AP) -- First came the health problems. Then, unable to work, Ada Noda watched the bills pile up. And then, suf... more -
Stripper-FAQ
A Non-profit resource for those women who have already decided that they would like to earn a living as a stripper.
-
50 rules to being a gentleman
If you want to wow corporate suits and A-list women (and you should), step up your lifestyle with these 50 foolproof rules.
-
related topics
Lifestyle
Contributors (754)
Lifestyle
