Author: Serkadis

Unless you have been living in a soundproof cave for the past few weeks, you are probably well aware that today is Apple tablet day. Today, our friends over at social media monitoring and analytics firm Sysomos took a closer look at the hype and how the rumors have resonated on Twitter, YouTube and blogs over the last 30 days. According to Sysomos’ data, for example, Twitter users sent more than half a million messages – with an average of 6545 tweets per hour – with the both words apple and tablet in them.

Sponsor

Unsurprisingly, Engadet’s Twitter account was the most retweeted account that featured tablet news in the last 30 days.

Blogs

Sysomos also found almost 50,000 blogs posts. The post that resonated the most in the blogosphere, according to Sysomos’ data, is was yesterday’s article on the Guardian’s Technology blog about Terry McGraw leaking information about the tablet on CNBC.

YouTube

In the last 30 days, YouTube users also posted over 5,391 YouTube videos that used the words apple and tablet. The most popular one was a roundup of tablet rumors from TechnoBuffalo that currently has about 700,000 views.

Sentiment

Overall, the blogosphere’s reaction to the Apple tablet rumors has been extremely positive. Over 81% of all the tweets and blog posts in the past 30 days were positive about the tablet.

Discuss

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Do you want to take control of your Android phone? By “rooting” your device, a process similar to “jailbreaking” an iPhone, you can install custom ROMs (images) which add stability and speed improvements to Google’s mobile operating system as well as install new features developed by the hacker community themselves. The procedure involves running commands that enable total access to the device. For non-developer types, hacks like these sound scary, but by following the instructions below, you can take control of your Android phone in only a matter of minutes. The end result is a truly “open” device which you can modify to your heart’s content.

Sponsor

Why Hack Android?

So why would you want to hack your Android phone? For those with older handsets, rooting the device lets you install customized ROMs which can deliver major speed improvements and performance increases. For example, the popular CyanogenMod, created by one of Android’s most notable hackers, optimizes performance for both the G1 and MyTouch 3G handsets.

Another good reason to root your phone? Multi-touch. One of the surprising omissions from Google’s own Nexus One handset, for example, is the ability to use more than one finger at a time to operate the device. Although available on iPhone from the start, the Nexus One excludes this valuable feature from its mobile operating system. Why? No one knows for sure, but it might have something to do with some patents Apple owns. But that’s no matter to the hacker community. Thanks again to cyanogen, Nexus One owners can enable the feature by copying some files over to their device. Other Android owners can perform similar procedures to enable multi-touch web browsing. But before you can get started with any of these hacks, you first have to root the phone.

How to Root Your Android Phone

However, for novice hackers, “rooting” the phone sounds like it may be easier said than done. Although seemingly intimidating, by following a few simple steps anyone can do this with ease.

Before getting started, remember to back up your phone, including your contacts, SMS messages, files, and photos.

1. The first step is to download and install Superboot, a boot image that, when flashed, will root the device the first time you boot up. You can grab a copy of the Superboot zip file from the Modaco forums here.
2. Once downloaded, extract the files it contains to a directory on your computer, just like any other zip file.
3. Now put your Android phone in bootloader mode. (Note, owners of a retail N1 should see instructions here).
   • To do so, turn off the phone, remove the battery, and plug in the USB cable. When the battery icon appears onscreen, pop the battery back in. Now tap the Power button while holding down the Camera key.
   • For those whose Android phones have a trackball, you have an even easier method of doing this: turn off the phone, press and hold the trackball, then turn the phone back on.
4. Depending on your computer’s OS, do one of the following:
   • Windows: Double click ‘install-superboot-windows.bat’
   • Mac: Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type ‘chmod +x install-superboot-mac.sh’ followed by ‘./install-superboot-mac.sh’
   • Linux: Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type ‘chmod +x install-superboot-linux.sh’ followed by ‘./install-superboot-linux.sh’
5. That’s it, your device has been rooted!

If those instructions confused you, check out YouTube for instructional videos instead. Here’s one for rooting the myTouch 3G or G1, here’s one for the Motorola Droid. Here’s another. There’s also an alternative rooting method involving 1 click demoed here. You get the idea.

Now What?

Now that you’ve rooted your Android phone, you can get busy adding features, functionality, and other hacks. This is the fun part! LifeHacker offers 5 great reasons to root your phone, for those wondering why you would bother to do this.

Our favorite reasons?

1. Multi-Touch

First of all, Nexus One users can enable multi-touch on their devices. RedmondPie has a good how-to on this:

Meanwhile, Droid owners can hack their phones for multi-touch web browsing:

T-Mobile G1 owners can do this too following the instructions here.

2. Mods for Performance Improvements (and More)

G1 and myTouch 3G owners can follow this tutorial to install the popular CyanogenMod on their devices which boosts performance and speed, among other things. Here’s a video tutorial on this via AndroidandMe.com: 

If you need more information, visit the Cyanogenmod Wiki for all the details on this custom ROM. And stay tuned to the latest Cyanogen news via the this website. 

3. Extra Apps and Features

For more fun hacks, try these:

Anyone with a rooted handset can set up Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tethering using this app. The ever-popular Apps2SD software lets you migrate your Android apps over to your SD card, freeing up room on your phone. You can also install custom themes, ringtones and alerts.

More?

If you’ve hacked your Android phone, share your tips and tricks in the comments. Or if you have links to other good hacks, let us know.

Image credit: rooting android via ryebrye.com

Discuss

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Be careful suggesting that you want to “save the earth.” Automaker Honda just did that in an ad with a guy wearing a “save the earth” t-shirt, and for doing so, it got slapped with a trademark infringement lawsuit from the Save the Earth Foundation, which apparently has a trademark on that phrase (and has had it since 1972). The foundation claims that the ad was implying endorsement by the foundation. I wonder if morons in a hurry have any interest in saving the earth.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Bridges collapse, roadways crack and buildings crumble.  The ground violently shakes as homes, offices, schools — even hospitals and police stations  — are reduced to a pile of cinder blocks, bricks and splintered wood.  Thousands are dead, tens of thousands are injured.  Daily life comes to a screeching halt as desperate relatives and rescue crews dig through concrete and steel trying to save those who survived, but are buried alive.

It’s a scene many of us watched unfold in Haiti just two weeks ago and in China in 2008.  But this feared earthquake is expected to hit closer to home, inside our own borders.  Scientists are predicting a major shaker, 7.0 or greater on the Richter scale, to strike in the United States within the next 50 years.  Hardest hit — not Los Angeles or San Francisco as you would expect — but St. Louis, Little Rock and Memphis.  Heartland cities along or near the Mississippi River.

The New Madrid Fault

Geologists and emergency management officials have been watching the New Madrid Fault, a crack in the earth’s crust that zig-zags along the Mississippi River from Southern Illinois to Northern Mississippi.  It’s been relatively quiet until recently.  But a series of minor earthquakes, measuring up to 3.4, have been felt recently in small towns across seven states.  Just last week, residents of tiny Lynn, Arkansas were jolted out of bed in the middle of the night as a 3.3 quake shook windows, shattered knick-knacks and rattled nerves.  Monster earthquakes, believed to register hgher than 7.0, hit this area back in 1811 and 1812.  The force of those twin quakes rattled towns up to a thousand miles away.  Furniture moved in Washington, DC, chimneys collapsed in Maine and church bells rang in Boston.

Poverty and Disaster

Particularly concerning here is the number of people that live at or below the poverty line.  Some communities along the Mississippi River have 26% of their residents living in sub-standard housing and unable to fend for themselves should disaster strike.  Emergency Management Officials have estimated that a 7.0 earthquake would destroy more than 227,000 buildings, kill almost 3400 people and seriously injure more than 63,000 others in seven states from Indiana to Mississippi.  Images of poorly built buildings and homes leveled in Haiti along with a population not financially equipped with the basics to survive this kind of tragedy, have raised concerns of a similar tragedy and rescue effort happening here.

Preparing for the Worst

The second week of February is Earthquake Awareness Week in the New Madrid Strike Zone.  Since 2006, authorities have been working on the New Madrid Seizmic Zone Catastrophic Planning Project — a multi-state, multi-agency effort to improve how emergency crews will rebuild and recover after a major earthquake, much of it based on the response following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.   State emergency management officials from seven states are hoping that the nearly 41 million residents who live in the New Madrid strike zone are taking the recent outbreak smaller quakes as a warning for the big one they expect to happen sooner than later.

New Madrid Earthquake Resources

For more information on the New Madrid Fault and the Center for Earthquake Information and Research.  You can also learn more about Earthquake Preparedness in the New Madrid Strike Zone through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency or the Central US Earthquake Consortium.

By Russell Adams, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

They may not know exactly what Apple’s (AAPL) working on or how it will benefit them, but publishers are lining up to tout their tablet-readiness.

The latest magazine to jump in is Golf Digest, which on Thursday will make a “Golf Digest Tablet” presentation at the PGA Merchandise Show, a golf-industry trade show in Orlando, the magazine’s editor, Jerry Tarde, said.

Narrated by Mr. Tarde, the demo will show how the magazine will look on a tablet, with features like golf swings analyzed in motion, course reviews tied into social-networking tools, and equipment reviews with “buy-it-now” buttons.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Ever stumbled onto a torrent on-the-go and wished you could start the download on your home computer? ReactorFeed allows you to create a custom RSS feed and add items from popular torrent sites that your home BitTorrent client can automatically start downloading.

We’ve featured ways to download torrents remotely before, such as with Dropbox—unfortunately, that method requires that you actually download the file to sync it via Dropbox. That’s fairly simple, but if you’re on a computer where you can’t install Dropbox, copying and pasting is simpler. By creating a custom RSS feed in ReactorFeed and having your torrent client monitor it at home, you can begin torrent downloads instantly just by adding a torrent’s link to your feed. Because it’s all done on the web with simple copying and pasting, you can add torrents from anywhere—your work computer, a friend’s computer, or even your smartphone. You can even make your feed public, if you so choose, so your friends with similar tastes can check out what you’re downloading, or run multiple feeds to share with different people or keep certain ones private. Not a bad tool for getting your BitTorrent fix when you’re away from your computer.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Mary J. Blige, The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, is teaming up with opera star Andrea Bocelli for a duet at Sunday’s 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the duo will cover the Grammy Award-winning song to raise money for the Haiti relief effort. The Blige/Bocelli rendition of the song will be available for download immediately following the show at iTunes.com/Target to raise money for the American Red Cross’ relief efforts in devastated island nation.

The superstars last performed together on a November broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they sang “What Child is This.” [Watch below.]

The 2010 Grammy Awards — featuring performances by Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift — air Sunday, January 31 on CBS.

On January 1st, I asked readers to share their Primal Blueprint New Year’s Resolutions on video. Folks wrote poems, made their own Grok shirts, and even threw away all their sugar products on camera. Nearly 40 people submitted videos; below are a few highlights…

You can watch individual entries here on YouTube, or here on Vimeo.

I’d like to thank everyone who participated. It’s always a pleasure to add faces to the voices in the Primal community. I’d love to be able to give a grand prize to each and every participant, but this time around there is only one grand prize for one lucky winner. Without further ado, the winner of the contest is…

Aaron R.!

Aaron wins over $700 in Primal goodies including a mobile pull up bar, 18 pounds of grass fed beef, YouBars, dark chocolate, resistance bands, salad dressings, magnesium bath flakes, coconut oil, and coconut flour. Check out the original contest post for a little more detail on all the nifty Primal merch.

Now that we’re almost a month into the year, how are folks doing? Setting the bar higher? Lower? Discuss your Primal progress in the comments section.

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts Delivered to Your Inbox

Related posts:

1. Contest: New Year’s Resolutions
2. Announcement: New Year’s Resolution Contest
3. Contest: What Did You Learn This Year?

Actor Kiefer Sutherland has lost $869,000 to a con-man who roped him into a bum cow investing scheme. Shyster Michael Wayne Carr had a plan to buy cows in Mexico and sell them in the US for a profit, but allegedly never bought the cows and sold cows that weren’t his.

Perhaps karmic comeuppance for his baby cow bestiality crimes in 1994’s The Cowboy Way?

The deal is said to have been handled by Sutherland’s financial advisers, who were duped by forged documents, and the actor had no knowledge of it.

And that’s why you need to understand your investments and be involved in decisions about them, otherwise, one way or another, you’re apt to get fleeced. Even if you’re Jack Bauer.

Kiefer Sutherland Loses $869K in Cow Scam [newser] (Thanks to GitEmSteveDave!)

A few weeks into the New Year, regular gym attendance and healthy eating pledges might have slowed in their momentum, but the spirit in which these resolutions were made remains.

In addition to this increased emphasis on diet and exercise, Northwestern Memorial Hospital experts say the start of the New Year is a good opportunity to take stock of your mental and emotional fitness and offer tips to keep stress symptoms at bay.

“The holidays are over, winter is here, and with the current economic conditions in the world, stress is running rampant,” said Mike Ziffra, MD, a psychiatrist with Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“So it’s important to look at your mood and anxiety levels and see how you’re functioning overall.”

Ziffra acknowledges in the past, mental health was a subject that was not addressed in mainstream discourse.

“We see a willingness to talk openly about improving other areas of life, such as quitting smoking or a new weight loss plan,” said Ziffra. “However, there’s always been this stigma attached to mental health issues.”

“We used to be told to ignore problems and shove stress aside,” said Greg Petersen, PhD, a health psychologist at Northwestern Memorial’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness. “Often times we viewed admitting your problems as a sign of weakness or a flaw in character.”

With an increasing wealth of knowledge regarding mental health, the subject has become far less taboo.

“People are less uneasy about discussing mental health now,” he said. “Society has started to realize that mental health can effect overall health, and vice versa, and that counseling is a well researched tool that can help get your well-being back on track.”

“When you reach for the right tool, it’s not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength,” he added.

Petersen said recognizing the symptoms of stress is key to overcoming them.

“Avoidance can only really work in the short term,” he said.

Physical signs of stress include being unusually tired or fatigued, changes in weight, sleep, or appetite, decreased motivation, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, and thoughts of death.

If you or a family member/friend is experiencing these symptoms, Petersen and Ziffra say it’s important to seek professional help, either through your primary caregiver or a counselor.

They also offer several tips to increase mental fitness and keep stress levels low.

“If you’re doing everything you can about a problem but you’re still feeling stressed, you don’t need to try harder, but different,” said Petersen.

“Constructive worry is an important thing to practice too—make a plan about what you will do to combat your worry, and when you’re not doing that, let the worry go and focus on other things.”

Ziffra recommends patients maintain a consistent sleep schedule, get regular exercise, and have a healthy diet to build up resistance to stress.

“Make sure you have outlets for socialization too, so that you’re not isolated and can reach out to others during stressful times,” said Ziffra.

“People who have buffers, through being socially and spiritually connected, and those who participate in a variety of activities, are the ones who are going to handle difficulties the best,” said Petersen. “It’s about creating joy in the midst of hardship.”

When word of the PS3 hack first came out (qjnet/playstation-3/ps3-hacked-by-iphone-dev.html), some were skeptical, some were intrigued, the rest simply waited for events to unfold. Unfold they did George Hotz, aka Geohotz, has indeed paved the way

Heroes star Adrian Pasdar was booked on suspicion of DUI charges after he was stopped for driving erratically on a Los Angeles freeway early Wednesday.

The actor — who plays Senator Nathan Petrelli on the NBC sci-fi series — was clocked going more than 90 mph on the 405 Freeway in L.A. just before 3 AM. Police hauled the star down to headquarters after he refused to take a breathlyzer. Pasdar, 44, was held on $15,000 bail and later released. The actor has been charged with a misdemeanor.

Pasdar is the husband of Dixie Chicks star Natalie Maines.

We’re here in San Francisco for Apple’s event today where they’re expected to unveil their new tablet computer which may or may not be known as the iPad, iSlate, iBook, iTablet, the Apple Tablet or some other variation. The event starts at 10 AM PT. Be sure to check back in.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Ever wonder where inventors and companies find the technical materials needed to manufacture their products? Traditionally, inventors could find materials at trade shows or could order the products via trade magazines. Unfortunately, both channels have many drawbacks, including travel, connectivity and accessibility. Chicago-based Inventables has entered the scene has an online marketplace for materials where vendors can advertise their products and engineers and designers can easily find these materials. And the site has just closed a $2 million funding round from True Ventures.

Inventables allows vendors to create online profiles for their products in order to generate sales leads. Customers, ranging from mega companies such as Procter and Gamble to individual inventors, who are looking to source new materials and technologies can browse through these profiles and submit inquiries about products they are interested in. Each vendor profile includes exact details on composition, makeup and use of the material, commercial uses for the material, similar materials and more. Products range from electroluminescent fabric to concentrated cheese flavor powder. The site currently lists over 1500 different materials and technologies.

As a vendor, (e.g. Dupont, RTP Company, MDI Products), you are notified by email each time your Inventables profile receives a new inquiry and given an opportunity to purchase the corresponding sales lead from Inventables. It’s free for vendors to list their products; they only pay Inventables for specific leads that they are interested in.

The essence of Inventables is that it helps vendors develop “sales leads worth their time”. The site’s cognitive technology, remembers and “learns” what kinds of materials the potential buyers are interested in and will suggests similar products based on this. The investment from True Ventures is going to be used towards further product development and to hire additional software engineers.

Launched in January, the site doesn’t include a ton of bells and whistles and has a fairly simple userface; but it’s easy to navigate and serves a genuine purpose in the materials and technology industry. And Inventables is already gaining the attention of Fortune 500 companies and prominent brands such as Palm, Microsoft, PING Golf Clubs, and Kraft Foods.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

As announced earlier this week, FoMoCo has confirmed that it will produce its next-generation Ford Explorer SUV at its Chicago Assembly Plant during the fourth quarter of 2010. Ford will invest $400 million, including approximately $180 million in manufacturing investment at the Chicago sites and about $220 million for launch and engineering costs.

“The new Explorer will redefine the SUV for the modern era – retaining the capability customers want while delivering superb fuel efficiency, comfort and convenience,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas.

According to Ford, the next-generation unibody Ford Explorer will deliver at least a 25 percent increase in fuel-economy. Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology, a 6-speed transmission and lightweight materials will all be part of the game.

The next-generation Ford Explorer will also debut the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts.

Ford will provide more details on the new Explorer later this year.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Press Release:

FORD TO BRING NEXT-GENERATION FORD EXPLORER, 1,200 JOBS TO CHICAGO MANUFACTURING FACILITIES

* Ford will produce the next-generation Explorer SUV at its Chicago Assembly Plant beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, bringing approximately 1,200 new jobs to the Chicago region
* Ford will invest nearly $400 million in its Chicago Assembly and Chicago Stamping plants to launch production of the Explorer
* The next-generation Explorer will feature significant fuel economy gains of at least 25 percent over the current-model Explorer thanks to EcoBoost engine technology, six-speed transmissions and a unibody construction
* Ford has sold more than 6 million Explorers since the vehicle was originally launched in 1990; Explorer has been America’s best-selling midsize SUV for 15 of the past 19 years

CHICAGO, Jan. 26, 2010 – Ford Motor Company today announced it will produce the next-generation Ford Explorer SUV at the company’s Chicago Assembly Plant beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.

Ford is investing nearly $400 million in its Chicago manufacturing facilities to launch production of the new, fuel-efficient Ford Explorer. The company also will add 1,200 new jobs to staff a second production shift at Chicago Assembly Plant and increase production at the nearby Chicago Stamping Plant.

The next-generation Explorer will be built at the Chicago Assembly Plant on a flexible assembly line alongside the new Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans. Ford’s $400 million investment includes approximately $180 million in manufacturing investment at the Chicago sites and about $220 million for launch and engineering costs. In addition, Ford will be making significant investment in supplier tooling to support next-generation Explorer production.

“The new Explorer will redefine the SUV for the modern era – retaining the capability customers want while delivering superb fuel efficiency, comfort and convenience,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “This investment underscores Ford’s commitment to building world-class, fuel-efficient vehicles in America and creating new jobs that will contribute to our nation’s economic recovery.”

The new Explorer will deliver at least 25 percent better fuel economy than the current model. The vehicle will feature unibody construction, Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology, a six-speed transmission and lightweight materials. Ford will provide full details about the new Explorer later this year.

In addition, the next-generation Explorer will debut the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants – often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries. The inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts, which helps to reduce pressure on the chest and to control head and neck motion for rear-seat passengers. Ford eventually plans to offer inflatable seat belt technology on other vehicles globally.

“Our Chicago Assembly Plant – with its excellent work force, lean and flexible manufacturing processes, and proud history of making great Ford vehicles – is the ideal choice for building the new Explorer,” said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president, North America Manufacturing. “The plant successfully has launched two new vehicles in the past two years and our Chicago employees consistently deliver with an eye on quality, efficiency and safety.”

In planning for the company’s future manufacturing presence in the state, Ford worked closely with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who led an effort in passing legislation that allows Ford to participate in Illinois’ Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program, which provides tax incentives to businesses that commit to new investments and create or retain jobs in the state. This legislation allows Ford to participate in the EDGE program through payroll tax credits rather than corporate income taxes.

“Governor Quinn immediately understood the importance of helping Ford by proposing and passing legislation that provides us with an alternative way to claim and secure these important tax credits,” Fields said. “We are grateful for his support of Ford and auto manufacturing in Illinois, and want to thank him for his leadership.”

“The production of the new Ford Explorer will create 1,200 new jobs here in Illinois,” said Gov. Quinn. “The Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit, which I put the full weight of my administration behind and signed into law in December, has provided much needed relief to our state’s ailing automotive industry and the necessary incentives for one of our nation’s leading car companies to stay in the Land of Lincoln.”

Ford’s investment of $400 million in Chicago-area manufacturing facilities and Explorer’s fuel economy improvement of at least 25 percent is also supported by Ford’s green partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. Chicago Assembly Plant is one of 11 Ford facilities in the U.S. participating in the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentives Programinitiated by Congress and implemented by the Obama administration. The program is helping to develop advanced technology vehicles and strengthen American manufacturing across the country. Ford, Nissan, Tesla, Fisker and Tenneco are all participants in this initiative.

“Ford has been a major presence in our city since 1924 when it opened this plant to make the Model T,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. “The company has demonstrated its commitment to Chicago by spending millions of dollars to modernize the facility in recent years, and I want to thank the company for that commitment and for its faith in Chicago and its residents.”

The current Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac models are built at the company’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky. Shifting production of the next-generation Explorer to Chicago Assembly paves the way for Louisville Assembly to undergo transformation to a flexible, fuel-efficient small car plant from a truck-based SUV plant. Ford will begin producing new vehicles at Louisville Assembly based on its global C-car platform in 2011. The specific models will be named at a later date.

The Chicago Assembly Plant, opened in 1924, currently has approximately 1,200 employees working on one shift. Ford’s Chicago Stamping Plant, which opened in 1956, has approximately 700 employees on two shifts. Opened in 1955, Louisville Assembly Plant has approximately 1,000 employees operating on one shift.

# # #

– By: Omar Rana

Thirty years of performance data make it very clear -- health care always wins. For each of the last three decades, Health Care has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 index. It's the only sector to have done so. Meanwhile, the telecom has consistently underperformed the S&P 500 for three decades.

Past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but we wouldn't think it crazy to keep betting on health care, even despite the heightened regulatory risks within the current U.S. political environment.

Surprisingly, energy has actually been a loser in two out of three decades. As have Materials and Industrials. They basically sucked until China's growth hit critical mass from 2000 onwards.

Financials have been a pretty bad to place to put your money, in relative terms, not just in the last ten years, but in the 80's as well. Meanwhile Consumer Staples won in two out of three decades.

Lesson learned? Invest in things people need badly on a daily basis, health care and staples, and you should at least do okay.

See more details over at Econompic.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Obama's Spending Freeze Will Torpedo The Push For A Jobs Bill, Infrastructure, And Expanded Healthcare
• Here's Why You Can Stop Fantasizing About Healthcare Reform Coming Back To Life
• More Than Healthcare Or The Recession, Obama's Presidency Will Be Defined By Haiti

Two off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers have been arrested for allegedly pistol-whipping a man during a fight in Whittier, authorities said this morning.

One of the officers apparently got into an argument with his girlfriend about 8 p.m. Tuesday outside a Panera Bread restaurant in the 15600 block of Whittwood Lane, the Whittier Police Department said in a statement.

Witnesses told police the officer took issue with a bystander, who was watching the altercation while talking on his cellphone, and struck the man in the face. A fight ensued, during which one of the officers allegedly pulled out a handgun and began hitting the victim in the head, the statement said.

The victim was able to break free, but both off-duty officers chased after him and tackled him to the ground, where the assault continued, the statement said. The victim eventually escaped by running into a nearby Target store.

The victim was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
The two officers were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. They have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, LAPD officials said.

The Whittier Police Department has identified the arrested officers as Brandon Valdez, 29, and Patrick Fitzgerald, 38.

[Updated, 4:03 pm: The officers were each released this morning on $30,000 bail.]

— Alexandra Zavis and Andrew Blankstein

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

13 California hospitals fined for medical errors

Supporters turn out for Santa Clarita councilman who called himself ‘proud racist’

2 water main breaks in L.A. flood homes, apartment building

Marine, Navy corpsman from Camp Pendleton killed in Afghanistan

Covina father arrested in fatal stabbing of 2-year-old son

On Wednesday night, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union speech amid rampant speculation over what issues he will choose to emphasize. Will he focus on health-care reform? The need to rein in Wall Street? His new proposal to freeze domestic spending?

An issue that he will almost certainly tackle is jobs and the economy. Nationwide unemployment continues to hover around 10 percent, a number that doesn’t even account for people who have given up their job hunt. Clearly, the topic of the hour is jobs, jobs, jobs.

Although some would argue that in this political climate, those who advocate for clean energy and climate action should put their issues on the back burner, the Apollo Alliance believes that the best way to address the American jobs crisis is to implement clean energy and climate measures that will re-establish the U.S. as a leader in the global clean energy marketplace.

Climate and clean energy measures create jobs. Even without national climate and clean energy policies, green jobs have grown at more than twice the rate of overall jobs over the past decade, according to a June 2009 study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. State-level studies show the same trend. For example, a December 2009 analysis by Collaborative Economics and Next 10 showed that California, which has some of the most forward-thinking climate policies in the country, has seen green job growth outpace overall job growth by a rate of almost 3-to-1 since 1995.

In 2008, the Apollo Alliance put forward a blueprint for creating a clean energy, good jobs economy called the New Apollo Program. Our plan was developed by experts from business and labor union representatives, environmentalists and social justice leaders. The plan calls for investing $500 billion over the next ten years on specific steps for generating clean power, improving energy conservation and efficiency, cutting energy bills, restoring America’s technological and industrial preeminence, and creating 5 million high-quality jobs.

The New Apollo Program includes five principal initiatives to achieve energy security, climate stability and economic prosperity:

*REBUILD AMERICA CLEAN AND GREEN: Produce 25 percent of the nation’s power from renewable sources and upgrade the energy efficiency of buildings by at least 30 percent by 2025; modernize the power grid; and improve transit systems.

*TAP THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: Invest in green-collar job training initiatives – including job readiness and service programs, union apprenticeships, and community and technical college courses – to provide better jobs and the workforce needed to build the clean energy future.

*REINVEST IN AMERICA: Establish a “cap and invest” program to reduce carbon emissions and reinvest resources to build the new clean energy economy.

*MAKE IT IN AMERICA: Retool American factories to build renewable energy systems and high-efficiency, alternative-fuel vehicles.

This last recommendation to “Make it in America” is one that the president should unquestionably address in his State of the Union speech. More and more people are concerned that the clean energy manufacturing jobs that could be reviving the American manufacturing sector—and bringing back family supporting, middle-class jobs—are locating abroad in places like China instead of here at home in places like Ohio, Michigan and Missouri. If the president and Congress implemented policies to help level the playing field for American clean energy manufacturers, we would see a proliferation of jobs manufacturing solar panels, wind turbines, electric car batteries, and other components of the clean energy economy.

Since we published the New Apollo Program in 2008, the Apollo Alliance has released additional job-creation proposals, including a December 2009 5-Point Plan for Boosting Clean Energy Job Growth. The plan—for inclusion in a larger Congressional and administration jobs bill—would create 1.2 million domestic jobs through initiatives like rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure by prioritizing public transit investments and fully funding the America Serves Act, which would expand programs like the conservation corps. The 5-Point Plan for Boosting Clean Energy Job Growth is available on ApolloAlliance.org.

On Wednesday night, the Apollo Alliance and our supporters will be watching the State of the Union speech and listening for the president’s recommendations on clean energy and good jobs. We expect him to be able to explain to the American people that achieving U.S. energy independence and climate security is a key to reviving our depressed economy and will benefit workers and businesses nationwide. If anyone can make this case, it’s our president.
 

Blame It on The Alcohol? It appears Mariah has been “Saying Ahh” again. The songbird surprised hubby Nick Cannon by phoning into his NYC radio show on Tuesday, claiming to be “Debbie From Long Island” — a woman obsessed with watching porn.

Rollin With Nick Cannon airs M-F on 92.3 NOW FM.