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Soros floats alternative bailout plan with Dems
The billionaire financier George Soros, a major Democratic financial backer, is floating his own rescue plan among Democratic lawmakers who are uncertain what to do in the wake of a surprise defeat of a proposed $700 billion rescue package proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Soros has outlined his plan in an opinion editorial in the Financial Times and circulated a concept paper among decision-makers.
Specifically, the liberal philanthropist has proposed that government funds should be used to recapitalize the American banking system by purchasing equity in banks and investment firms...
Read the rest at link... The billionaire financier George Soros, a major Democratic financial backer, is floating his own rescue plan among Democratic lawmaker... more -
Why aren't Americans buying the bailout?
The $700 billion financial bailout package failed because most Americans wanted it to fail. Before the vote, members of Congress were getting calls 100 to 1 against the bill. The question is: why? It's easy to see why bailing out rich bankers doesn't feel super, but why, despite all the efforts of all of the country's leaders to fill them with fear of an economic apocalypse, did Americans not see a failure to act as a serious threat to their livelihoods?
Traditionally, human beings are not great at assessing this kind of risk - a peril that has not yet arrived and that is, in any case, hard to viscerally imagine. Witness people's reluctance to evacuate before hurricanes, and weather forecasts portend a danger far easier to comprehend than failing investment banks.
But there are methods of communicating risk in a way that stills the heart, with words that inject dread into the populace. And Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr., Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and President George W. Bush used none of them. "The case wasn't made as to why the little guy needs this," says Paul Slovic, author of The Perception of Risk and a psychology professor at the University of Oregon. "The numbers and vague warnings are too abstract."
The most effective warnings are like the most effective TV ads: easily understood, specific, frequently repeated, personal, accurate, and targeted. Paulson and his grim reapers managed only to repeat themselves frequently. They were not easily understood, partly because the problem is so complex. They did not personalize or target their warnings. And, as they themselves admitted, they did not know if their warnings were necessarily accurate, due to the novelty and unpredictability of the crisis.
But their biggest mistake was a lack of specificity. They never clearly told the American people what...
Read the rest at link... The $700 billion financial bailout package failed because most Americans wanted it to fail. Before the vote, members of Congress were ... more -
Anger, Skepticism Grows Over $700B Bailout
Experts See a Need for Punitive Action in Bailout
As economists puzzle over the proposed details of what may be the biggest financial bailout in American history, the initial skepticism that greeted its unveiling has only deepened.
Some are horrified at the prospect of putting $700 billion in public money on the line. Others are outraged that Wall Street, home of the eight-figure salary, may get rescued from the consequences of its real estate bender, even as working families give up their houses to foreclosure.
Most economists accept that the nation's financial crisis — the worst since the Great Depression — has reached such perilous proportions that an expensive intervention is required. But considerable disagreement centers on how to go about it. The Treasury's proposal for a bailout, now being negotiated with Congress, is being challenged as fundamentally deficient...
Read the rest at Link... Experts See a Need for Punitive Action in Bailout ... more -
Do Ghosts Exist? (Version 2)
A short trailer pod for longer film about paranormal activity at Castle Keep in Newcastle.
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Do Ghosts Exist? (Version 1)
A short trailer pod for longer film about paranormal activity at Castle Keep in Newcastle.
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Castle Keep's Ghosts
This film looks at paranormal activity in Castle Keep, Newcastle. During the investigation the team heard some noises and photographed many orbs on the digital camera. However, it was only when the footage was watched back that some very spooky things were revealed.
Credits:
Written and Produced by Daniel Stephens
Directed by Daniel Stephens and Craig Mellor
Camera by Craig Mellor
Edited by Daniel Stephens
Voice-Over, Sound Design, and Graphics by Daniel Stephens
Music courtesy of Current TV/APM
With thanks to paranormal investigators Yoni and StreetSpirit
With thanks to the West Yorkshire Paranormal Group This film looks at paranormal activity in Castle Keep, Newcastle. During the investigation the team heard some noises and photographed... more -
Scientists see why people see 'ghosts'
Team of neuroscientist's from the University College London explain's a theory on how your mind can make you think,and see thing's that aren't there...they focus mostly on people who have witnessed "Ghosts" or "Spirits",..Click on link for more on this subject...hhhmmmm. Team of neuroscientist's from the University College London explain's a theory on how your mind can make you think,and see t... more
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Michael Shermer: Evolutionary Economics and the Google Theory of Peace
Shermer, who lives and works in Southern California and is the author of previous books such as Why Darwin Matters and The Borderlands of Science, sat down with reason.tv to talk about the intersection between evolution and capitalism, trust in a globalized world, his "Google theory of peace," and his ideological journey toward libertarianism. Shermer, who lives and works in Southern California and is the author of previous books such as Why Darwin Matters and The Borderlands... more
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Astrology Isn't Baloney, It's Just Sorta WRONG
Somebody alert the media. According to Live Science, Astrology may be inaccurate! Heavens!
Why? Basically, the zodiac signs were originally determined by which constellation the sun was crossing through, or "in," on the day you were born.
Of course, that was 2200 years ago, and apparently the Earth wobbles on its axis during a 25,800-year cycle. All the signs have tipped one-tenth to the west which means my fun-loving, party throwing, travel junkie Sagittarian self might in fact be a Capricorn.
So what's your "real" sign?
Capricorn - Jan 20 to Feb 16 Aquarius - Feb 16 to Mar 11 Pisces - Mar 11 to Apr 18 Aries - Apr 18 to May 13 Taurus - May 13 to Jun 21 Gemini - Jun 21 to Jul 20 Cancer - Jul 20 to Aug 10 Leo - Aug 10 to Sep 16 Virgo - Sep 16 to Oct 30 Libra - Oct 30 to Nov 23 Scorpius - Nov 23 to Nov 29 Ophiuchus - Nov 29 to Dec 17 Sagittarius - Dec 17 to Jan 20
Turns out I'm a bloody Ophiuchus? What in tarnation is that?!?!?!? Somebody alert the media. According to Live Science, Astrology may be inaccurate! Heavens! ... more -
Forget Harry, Christian groups now after The Golden Compass
A handful of Christian groups are protesting The Golden Compass for teaching "atheist" values to kids. Hmmm.... I always thought that encouraging imagination and questioning authority were socially productive values... Silly me.
Best quote from the article:
"This is the least offensive of the three, and they're watering down the most despicable elements, so why the protest? Not because it's going to be so shocking," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said. "The protest is this: It's being done at Christmastime, and when parents don't find the film troubling, they're going to buy the books for their kids as Christmas gifts. They're doing it through the back door, in a stealth fashion, because each book becomes more provocative, more aggressive and more anti-Christian. I've never seen anything quite like this before, to use a movie like this." A handful of Christian groups are protesting The Golden Compass for teaching "atheist" values to kids. Hmmm.... I always th... more -
Criss Angel and contestant Jim Callahan have it out on live TV
In short: After a bit of 'mentalism' made much less bland thanks to his truly riveting twitching -- not to mention guest star Raven-Symoné -- 'Phenomenon' contestant Jim Callahan turns to judges Uri Geller and Criss Angel for their takes on his performance. Geller has some nice things to say, but Criss Angel double-dog-dares Callahan to duplicate the performance, this time for real. Truly great television ensues, until they cut away for commercial.
This is from last week. I can't believe I missed it! In short: After a bit of 'mentalism' made much less bland thanks to his truly riveting twitching -- not to mention guest sta... more -
Do you believe in "Reverse Speech"? Or is it a pseudoscience?
"When human speech is recorded and played backwards, mixed amongst the gibberish at regular intervals can be heard very clear statements. These statements usually appear in short sentence form and are nearly always related to the forward speech. It appears constantly throughout language, so much so in fact, that it is believed to be a natural part of our speech processes."
Reverse Speech -- a term we usually reserve for the satanic messages on Judas Priest records -- is, supposedly, the subconscious mind rephrasing itself.
Here at this Reverse Speech website, you can listen to sound bytes of famous people, played first forwards and then in reverse, and choose for yourself. "When human speech is recorded and played backwards, mixed amongst the gibberish at regular intervals can be heard very clear sta... more -
What if Richard Dawkins is wrong?
This is the question from someone in the audience at one of his lecture.
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