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A little over a year ago a stunt driver named Chris Morena took a Dodge pickup off a dealer lot, installed a roll cage, racing seat and metal bracing for the bed, then used it to jump over a slew of cars and through two fireballs. He was only trying to go 134 feet. Instead, he went 193 feet and set a jumping distance record in a pickup.

Until a few days ago. That’s when race driver Jonny Greaves took his closed-course 2WD racing truck and jumped 301 feet and happily remained alive to talk about it. Employing a bit of Back to the Future precision, calculations had worked out that his truck had to be the end of the jump ramp going 105.5 mph and, managing to hit that, he went exactly 301 feet. It isn’t car launching, but it’s now the mark to beat for 2WD trucks.

Just as impressive, Greaves had been doing practice runs that went as far as 200 feet before the record-setting attempt, and he nailed those as well. Perhaps Travis Pastrana, who’s had slightly less luck on the run-up to his 270-foot New Year’s Eve stunt, might want to give Greaves a ring.

[Source: Race Dezert]

Jonny Greaves jumps 301 feet to claim 2WD truck record originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This chart from Fitch, via Paul Kedrosky, shows the history of Las Vegas since 1971.

As Paul notes:

You can see some interesting trends, including that the current troubles really began, as was the case in most of the U.S. back in the late-1990s, as visitor traffic growth fell off below 5% and Vegas tried every trick to compensate.

Meanwhile, the 2008-2011 period is seeing some major growth in room inventory once again. Let’s hope visitor volume growth really jumps las they expect.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Dubai’s Overbuilt Hotels Make Vegas Look Healthy
• Meet The Man Who Blew $127 Million And Most Of His Family’s Fortune Gambling In Vegas
• Famed Vegas Icon Binion’s Hotel To Close Down

by Andrée Zaleska

Family and crew show their climate commitment at the JP Green House.As I write this, the Northeast is methodically being blanketed with a thick blessing of snow, shutting everything down, as if the earth knows we need comfort and beauty after this horrible week.

The crisis of our planet manifested at Copenhagen. We held a vigil for 350, singing Dylan into the howling winds of downtown Boston, outside of John Kerry’s empty office. We fasted at the request of 350.org. We followed the grim updates with little expectation, and we rejoiced at the protests of the people and the righteous rage of the global South.

Down at the house, Monday morning we found only two of our work-team, looking grim. Placetailor is a design-build firm that specializes in Passive House design. They’re serious, purposeful, knowledgeable young men who ride their bikes onto the site each day because they eschew unnecessary use of fossil fuels. They work on one project at a time, meticulously, getting it right. Over the weekend their upcoming project had fallen apart, and with nothing else on the horizon once they complete work on the JPGH next month, they had to lay off most of the staff. Mitch, Michael, and Tony were gone, off to look for other building work in a tough economy.

Though there are both state- and utilities-sponsored programs to support and promote green building in our area, the JP Green House and Placetailor have failed to qualify. Going well beyond weatherizing and insulation, into the realm of zero-carbon, perhaps inspires anxiety in funders? We have to ask: Where is the real impetus and funding to build the houses of the future? Where is the bailout for the planet—and shouldn’t this be a part of it?

Worse still, Ken and I seem to be ready to fall victim to the stereotype that building houses ruins relationships. For a year we have struggled with the mounting costs of this project, which has come out at 10 times the cost we originally (naively) projected. I have the full-time job and most of the capital, and Ken has the vision, the carpentry skills, the fundraising experience. It seemed workable, but the reality of the past year has been a constant struggle  to procure the right amounts of money at the right time, costing us both much of our retirement funds.

In a fallen economy, and with the level of denial pervading our society about climate change, there is little work for a radical environmental campaigner. And we have chosen to put our political energy behind 350.org, the most effective, and least-funded environmental campaign ever seen. My job, too, has suffered from the fracturing of my attention and commitments. It can be difficult to take anything not related to climate seriously. We risk underemployment if not unemployment by taking on this commitment to activism.

New siding, fresh snow.We both carry marriages behind us like bags of bones, and I, in particular, have such abiding doubts about the institution itself that I refuse to ever consider remarriage. I have been prone to spells of witchiness, wherein I rage and stomp and declare that I never intended to take in a homeless environmentalist and his child. I have insisted on binding contracts to codify what each of us owes the other, and the project itself. Ken has fairly countered that he cannot live with the unpredictability of my anger, and that we must act as a team going forward, or not go forward.

We have tried to take the thing apart, reduce it to its essence—which for us seems to be love and activism. Perhaps that essence will remain even if the relationship fails. We have, if nothing else, always been able to envision a very different future.

The JP Green House stands majestically with the snow against the beautiful red siding, the huge Canadian windows opening the south side to the light. Last week we were offered a great deal on two wind-turbines. Generous gifts and loans have been coming our way, and a community is watching. It’s our job to make this happen for our kids, if nothing else. It’s bigger than we are, and it stands for a real, livable future—we couldn’t abandon that.

Spread the news on what the føck is going on in Copenhagen with friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, or smoke signals.

Related Links:

Copenhagen coal in the stocking?

What you need to know following the Copenhagen climate summit

Obama to world in Copenhagen: ‘We will do what we say.’ Now tell it to the Senate.

Sea Buckthorn
Scientific Name(s): Hippophae rhamnoides L. Family: Elaeagnaceae

Common Name(s): Sea buckthorn

Uses of Sea Buckthorn

Numerous pharmacological effects are documented in the scientific literature, including antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, antioxidant, anticancer, radioprotective activity, platelet aggregation, liver injury, cardiovascular risk factors, and effects on skin and mucosa.

Chemistry

Sea buckthorn contains carotenoids, tocopherols, sterols, flavonoids, lipids, ascorbic acid, and tannins.

Flavonols in the leaves, fruit, or juice of sea buckthorn are noted because of their antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activity. Most occur as C-3 glucosides, rutinosides, and sophorosides.

Flavon-3-ols found in the juice of sea buckthorn include (+) catechin (and +/- gallocatechin) and (-) epicatechin.

Phenolic acids found in the leaves, juice, or fruit of sea buckthorn include gallic, protecatechuic, p-coumaric, ferulic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and ellagic acid.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols in the fruit or seeds of sea buckthorn, collectively known as vitamin E, have antioxidant activity. A-Tocopherol has the highest antioxidant activity and is the most abundant tocopherol, comprising approximately 76% to 89% of the berry.

Carotenoids found in the fruit of sea buckthorn may decrease the risk for age-related macular degeneration and include α-, β-, and γ-carotene; Lycopene; Zeaxanthin; Zeaxanthin dipalmitat; And β-cryptoxanthin palmitate. The antioxidant activity is more potent with extracted sea buckthorn oil because of higher carotenoid levels. Organic acids in the juice of sea buckthorn have been identified as oxalic, citric, tartaric, malic, quinic, and ascorbic acid.

Fatty acid composition differs between the seed oil and soft parts of the fruit. The seed oil contains linoleic, α-linoleic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, and vaccenic acids. The fruit contains palmitoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids. Sterols are found in 1% to 2% of the seed oil and 1% to 3% in the soft parts of the fruit as sitosterol, isofucosterol, campsterol, stigmastanol, citrostadienol, avenasterol, cycloartenol, 24-methylenecycloartanol, and obtusifoliol.

More than 40 volatile compounds are in the fruit and leaves of sea buckthorn. Steam distillation of the fruit yielded 8 aliphatic esters, 9 aliphatic alcohols, and 10 aliphatic hydrocarbons. The primary constituents of the volatile fruit aromas are ethyl dodecenoate, ethyl octanoate, decanol, ethyl decanoate, and ethyl dodecanoate.

The tannins hippophaenins A and B have been isolated from the leaves of sea buckthorn.

Product Name: Lemon Balm P E
Botanical Name:Melissa officinalis (a member of the mint family)
Common Names: Balm, Balm Mint, , Bee Balm, Blue Balm, Cure-all, Honey Plant, Melissa, Melisse, Scholars Herb, Sweet Balm
Appearance: Fine Light brown to brown Powder
Assay: 3%-5% Rosmarinic acid
Function:
1) Antioxidant and antitumor activity
2) Antimicrobial, antiviral activity against a variety of viruses, including herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV-1
3) Mild sedatives, anxiety reduction and hypnotics
4) Modulate for mood and cognitive enhancement, mild sedative and sleep aid
5) Memory-enhancing properties
6) Widely use as a mild sedative and antibacterial agent.
Packing and Storage: Packed in fiber drum, LDPE bag inside. Net weight: 25kg/drum. Keep away from moisture, strong heat and sunlight.

Zerumbone is a sesquiterpene phytochemical from a type of edible ginger known as “Zingiber Zerumbet Smith” grown in Southeast Asia or “Zingiber aromaticum”, called also in china as Wild Ginger. Zerumbone is currently being explored for its effects on cancer in general and Leukemia in particular.
Medicinal Properties of Zerumbone:
Suppresses free radical generation;
Anti-inflammatory;
Suppresses cancer cell proliferation accompanied by apoptosis: “abolishes NF-kappaB and IkappaBalpha kinase activation leading to suppression of anti-apoptotic and metastatic gene expression, upregulation of apoptosis, and downregulation of invasion. ” (See article below)Counters HIV activity (IC50=0.14mM).
Scientific Data on Zerumbone:
Synonyms:
1. (E, E, E)-2, 6, 9, 9-Tetramethyl-2, 6, 10-cycloundecatrien-1-one 2, 6, 10-Cycloundecatrien-1-one, 2, 6, 9, 9-tetramethyl-, (E, E, E)- 471-05-6
2. Shampoo Ginger, Pinecone Ginger.
Chemical Formula: C15H22O
Molecular Weight: 218.340
The Plant:
Zingiber Zerumbet Smith is from KINGHERBS’ farm. The 2-3 years old rhizome is used.Historical Uses of Zerumbone:This variety of Ginger was carried by Polynesians throughout the islands of the Pacific, from Taiwan where it has always been used by the indigenous population, to Hawaii where it is known as “awapuhi”. Zerumbet Ginger is used in cooking for flavour, in the treatment of swellings, strains and bruises as a poultice, as a decoction for settling upset stomachs, for toothache as an anaesthetic, for the treament of cuts and sores, and for tinea and ringworm. The clear liquid contents of the cones are used as a shampoo. The parts used are the rhizome, the leaves and the cone.
Abstracts of Following Research on Zerumbone are available from KINGHERBS INC.
1: Zerumbone as treatment for cancer.
2: Zerumbone as treatment for Leukemia.
3: Zerumbone as treatment for tumor.
4: Zerumbone and inflamation.

Resveratrol is an active component extracted from Huzhang (Polygonum cuspidatum) in China.It is an antioxidant phenol and a potent vasodilator that inhibits serum triglyceride synthesis, lipid peroxidation, and platelet aggregation. It is extensively used for treatment of blood vessel disease such as atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia. In addition, it has anti-virus and anti-inflammatory activity, can treat acute microbial infections and viral hepatitis, ect.
Origin: Polygonum cuspidatum
CAS Number: 501-36-0
Synonyms: Trans-3, 4′, -5-trihydroxystilebene
Molecular Formula: C14H12O3
Molecular Weight: 228.2
Appearance: Off-white Powder
Purity: Minimum 98%
Solubility: Clear faint yellow solution at 50Mg/Ml in acetone.
Storage: The product is stable stored at 4Centidegree and in a dampproof, airtight, lightresistant area for at least two years.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard has an interesting column in today’s Telegraph arguing that the EU’s austerity “diktat” towards Southern Europe is creating a climate of anger, anarchy, and terrorism.

Greece’s Revolutionary Struggle detonated a car bomb at the Athens Stock Exchange in September. Citigroup’s branches have been targeted twice this year.

Hooded extremists attacked the rector of Athens University in his office this month, sending him to hospital with head injuries.

In Milan, the Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) planted 2kg of dynamite last week at Bocconi University, the symbol of the free market in Italy.

What, specifically, is the issue?

The hard-Left resurgence cannot be blamed on monetary union as such, yet the two are linked. EMU has always been viewed as a capitalist conspiracy – a “bankers’ ramp” – in Left-wing circles. While their view may seem odd to us, they are entirely right to think that poor people in certain countries are victims of the experiment.

Unemployment is 19pc in Spain (43pc for youth) on Eurostat data. Greece is catching up fast. Labour minister Andreas Loverdos said Greek joblessness has jumped above 18pc over the last two months as EU-funded workfare schemes expire.

This will get worse. Southern Europe is being ordered to carry out IMF-style austerity, without the IMF-style devaluation required to rectify the massive imbalances that have built up between North and South under the euro. The victims are caught like France and Germany under the Gold Standard of the early 1930s, when society was broken on a wheel of deflation decrees.

Read the whole story at The Telegraph >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• 10 Looming Geopolitical Disasters
• Gartman: The EU Exodus Is Coming
• Gulf States Ignore Dubai And Greece And Pursue Unified Currency Because They’re So Worried About The Dollar

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If we could all just get along like these three unusual friends, we would live in a much different world.

In human society, people often do not like others simply because they are different. Humans kill over this matter. In more normal and everyday life, people may not kill each other but may not be as friendly or open to those from a different background, with a different color, with different views, or even with a different style.

In the animal kingdom, dangerous predators are not generally friends — they keep their distance. But in some cases (i.e. when being raised together), animals and humans alike can learn to be caring friends with those they might not have ever said hello to.

In the short story below, you can see how a lion, a tiger and a bear (Shere Khan, Baloo and Leo) became true friends, in the real world not a Disney story.

Read more of this story »

Despite a last-minute weekend deal that put the Senate on the brink of passing health care reform this week, liberal and moderate Democrats remain on a collision course over the bill, as both sides dug in Sunday for the next phase of negotiations.

President Barack Obama’s liberal base and powerful union leaders once hoped the expected House-Senate conference would partly undo a year of retreats and compromises, with Obama weighing in to nudge the moderate Senate bill to the left.

But the titanic struggle to lock in Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) as the 60th senator for the first key test vote early Monday morning has changed all that.

Read the whole story at POLITICO >>

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See Also:

• Healthcare Reform Is One Step Closer To Reality After Huge 1:00 AM Vote Gets To 60
• With Healthcare, Democrats Commit Unprecedented Act Of Political Suicide
• Healthcare Stocks On Fire As Investors Wake Up And Realize Healthcare "Reform" Is A Giant Sellout

Here at Just A Guy Thing we try to write about stuff that’s of interest to men, but we know we can’t cover everything. That’s where The Toilet Paper comes in. It’s an email newsletter that provides a funny, smart burst of daily news delivered straight to your in-box.

Each day The Toilet Paper covers a single, relevant news topic ranging from front-page headlines to business, sports, and lifestyle/entertainment. All this in a one-page, easily digestible format. Oh, and did we mention it’s free?

The folks at The Toilet Paper know you’re intelligent, but also know you don’t have all the time in the world to keep up with the latest stuff. While it’s certainly journalistic, The Toilet Paper most definitely does not take itself too seriously, keeping things light and witty.

It’s just some dudes busting balls on breaking news. That’s why their motto is: Sign up. Sit down. Get smart.

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New range of Light & Medium Waste Water pumps with following features,

a) Equipped with automatic reset protector
b) Heavy duty bearings
c) Double side Mechanical Seal
d) Float switch for on/off operations
e) Inbuilt capacitor for single phase pumps
f) Inbuilt contactor for three phase pumps

The NFO filter is only for use with silos, closed containers etc., in which the direct inlet of transport air and material is required.

The filter can be designed to accommodate large quantities of air and contemn inant material and for either continuous operation or with a 15 minute cleaning pause every four hours.

The NFo filter can handle from 1 500 m3/h (900 cfm), and is for outdoor installation, or can be built into the silo.

Construction and operation

The NFO filter is a self-supporting structure with an open base. It requires a completely sealed silo design for high pressure, on which the filter is mounted directly. The high pressure within the silo forces the air through the filter, causing the filtered material to fall into the container.

The filter’s capacity is thus in practice limited only by the size of the roof area.

The NFO filter can be supplied with automatic filter bag cleaning.

Has anyone ever said "Don’t let the bedbugs bite!" to you before you’ve gone to bed?

My grandparents used to say it to me when I used to sleep over at their house as a kid. I always thought that they were being cute and bedbugs, like the boogieman, lived in the land of make-believe. Today I find bedbugs very real—I’m sitting at a friend’s apartment while the exterminators spray my place for bedbugs.

It seems my neighbors had some bedbugs stowaway in their luggage on an overseas trip and my apartment complex is spraying to ensure they don’t take over the building. Bedbugs are nasty creatures. During the day they live under your bed and/or floor board and at night they come out to feast on your blood.

These pests were thought to have been eradicated with the use of DDT in the 1940’s, but during the the last decade bedbugs made a comeback. The most likely cause of their resurgence is today’s pest-control methods get rid of other pests but don’t kill bedbugs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the bugs are not known to spread disease and the best way to treat a bedbug infestation is to contact your local exterminator. I had to move my furniture 3 feet away from the wall, take everything off the floor and remove my cats from the apartment for the exterminator. I consider that a small price to pay to keep bedbug infestation in the land of make-believe.

Have you ever had a bedbug problem?

(This guest post originally appeared at the author’s blog)

We continue our 2010 outlook series with the latest from UBS.  The European bank has an outlook that is dissimilar from two of the European teams we highlighted over the last few weeks (CS here and MS here).  They do, however, have many similarities with the majority of banks we have covered which are bullish about 2010.  The UBS outlook can best be described as a transitional recovery.  Despite recovery, they believe the risks are numerous and will likely result in a more risk averse investment community.  Investors will move out of the risk trade:

Over the last two years, markets have been driven primarily by the ‘risk trade.’ We see this trend moderating and anticipate a more balanced performance at both the sector and stock level as investor focus returns to fundamentals and valuation. We believe this should make 2010 a more investable market from a fundamental perspective, and we recommend investors seek out ‘quality’ in their stock selections.

This transition will result in a search for yield as investors move into higher quality dividend paying names (see our 8 high quality global dividend payers here) and out of the high beta names that performed so well in 2009.

UBS is not concerned about the value of the markets despite concerns that the markets have gotten overheated.  They believe the earnings rebound in 2010 will justify the current levels:

We continue to see equity markets as fairly valued, noting that the rise in multiples reflects investor expectations for earnings recovery. However, we also see structural challenges limiting further multiple expansion. This balance suggests that gains in equity markets will need to be driven primarily by earnings growth.  Despite modest GDP growth, both top-down and bottom-up estimates forecast a year of robust earnings growth in 2010. This growth, along with higher margins and strong balance sheet conditions, provides a solid backdrop for equity markets.

Like JP Morgan, they favor emerging markets over developed markets:

Our base case forecasts call for a continued, gradual recovery in demand from
developed markets, with emerging economies faring better.

This doesn’t mean the markets are without risks, however.  The broader macro trends of an end to the government stimulus, high unemployment and continued deleveraging will hang over the markets:

But just as the investment landscape looks better than it did 12 months ago, new challenges await. To that end, we expect 2010 to be a year of transition where cyclical and structural forces meet and the strength of the recovery is tested. For one, markets will be forced to consider the impact of government ‘exit strategies,’ where the Fed and other central banks begin a process of stimulus removal and interest rate normalization. Other concerns center on high unemployment, further de-leveraging and balance sheet repair, increased
regulation, and funding of large fiscal deficits.

How to play it?  UBS favors tech, consumer staples, and energy.  They are underweight consumer discretionary, telecomm and industrials.  They are neutral on financials and materials.  Globally, they prefer emerging markets, neutral on US and Europe and underweight Japan.

Read more market commentary at The Pragmatic Capitalist >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• 2010 Will Feel Like The 1890s, A Deflationary Recovery Except With Robots
• Goldman: Trading Corporate Buybacks Will Make A Killing In 2010
• Huge Surprises In 2010: An American Third Party, A Major Yuan Devaluation And The VIX Falling To 14

Google is one of the biggest players in the tech industry and one of the largest companies in the world, bringing in some serious revenue numbers every year. At those levels, the taxes the company pays for its operations are also significant, so much that choosing the right country to pay those taxes for its international revenue can save it several hundred million pounds a year, according to the Guardian.

Outside of its US operations, the UK market is the biggest revenue earner for Google, yet the company doesn’t pay any taxes whatsoever in the country. Instead it reports all revenue from the UK, from all over Europe in fact, in Ireland where the company has its headquarters for the continent. Thanks to the much lower corporation tax levels, Google can avoid paying as much as £450 million in the UK alone. And the savings can be significant, taxes are as two to three times lower in Ireland.

Google does have an affiliate in the UK, but it only files expense reports in the country which add up to about £177 million for 2008. It also reports a revenue of just £150 million meaning that, as far as the accounting is concerned, Google is running at a loss in the UK. However, if the company’s financial statements paint a rather different picture, the UK is the second biggest revenue earner after the US bringing in £13.5 billion ($21.8 billio… (read more)

The Democrats cleared a HUGE hurdle at around 1:00 AM, when they managed to get their 60 votes together in support of healthcare reform.

Technically it’s not the final vote, just one of these key procedural votes, but it was the one where they needed every single last member of the caucus to vote ‘aye.’

Next step: an official vote sometime this week int he Senate, and then a reconciliation between the Senate’s version of healthcare reform and that from The House.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• With Healthcare, Democrats Commit Unprecedented Act Of Political Suicide
• Why Does The Government Care About Healthcare When 30 Million Are Out Of Work?
• Lieberman Threatens To Go GOP In 2012, Torpedoing All Hopes Of Getting To 60 On Healthcare