Category: News

  • “No hemos terminado”, advierte la sociedad civil

    Marcha de la sociedad civil en Copenhague. Crédito: Claudia Ciobanu/IPS

    Marcha de la sociedad civil en Copenhague. Crédito: Claudia Ciobanu/IPS

    Por Raúl Pierri y Daniela Estrada

    COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva)  La COP-15 demostró ser un “espectacular fracaso en sus propios términos”, pero la sociedad civil tuvo algunos “éxitos”, como imponer temas en la agenda climática y hacer oír más fuerte la voz el Sur.

    Así evaluaron activistas sus esfuerzos al cierre de la COP-15 (15 Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático), que todavía sesionaba agónicamente el sábado.

    Excluidos del Bella Center, sede de las conversaciones oficiales, y soportando la represión contra algunas de las numerosas manifestaciones en la capital danesa, representantes de la sociedad civil, reunidos en forma paralela en Copenhague en el Klimaforum, destacaron victorias en estas dos semanas.

    “A pesar de la falta de transparencia, el movimiento social ha permitido hacer visible las posturas más consistentes con la justicia climática, que nosotros la concebimos como la única forma de transitar hacia un mundo sustentable”, dijo a TerraViva Eduardo Geisen, coordinador para América Latina y el Caribe del Programa de Justicia Climática y Energía de Amigos de la Tierra Internacional.

    Además,“hemos dado un vital apoyo para que los países en desarrollo se hayan mantenido unidos frente a las exigencias del mundo industrializado y no hayan cedido a las presiones que en algunos casos rayaron en lo colonialista”, añadió.

    Las dos semanas de actividades en el Klimaforum fueron selladas el viernes con un espectáculo artístico y el traspaso de la organización de la próxima cumbre paralela, en 2010, a representantes de México y América Latina.

    “El sentimiento generalizado es que lo que no se logró en el Bella Center se logró en el Klimaforum”, en términos de sintonía de contenidos y construcción de alianzas, resumió Giesen.

    Por su parte, la periodista e investigadora canadiense Naomi Klein llamó a los activistas a no desanimarse.

    “Es realmente importante asegurarnos de que no nos vayamos de esta reunión desalentados”, afirmó.

    El hecho de que los negociadores en el Bella Center no logren un acuerdo dentro de sus propias concepciones de cómo resolver el problema demuestra que se trata de un modelo fallido, sostuvo.

    “Es muy importante contar una historia diferente de lo que ocurrió en Copenhague. La historia debe ser que su modelo demuestra ser un espectacular fracaso incluso en sus propios términos”, afirmó.

    “Y porque su modelo fracasó, ahora es nuestro turno. Por tanto, no se permitan deprimirse”, añadió.

    Para Klein, todo el proceso está fallido por su énfasis en el mercado de carbono y otros mecanismos de carácter económico.

    “El discurso sobre cambio climático ha sido asaltado por tecnócratas… y se ha vuelto extremadamente exclusivo. Esto es de hecho muy similar a las discusiones sobre comercio hace una década, donde todo eran acrónimos, todo eran conversaciones increíblemente largas e impenetrables”, dijo.

    “Mucha gente pensaba: no puedo ser parte de la discusión, no tengo un título en economía”, agregó.

    La canadiense subrayó la necesidad de rechazar “el modelo” en que se manejan las negociaciones en el marco de la Convención.

    “Debemos rechazar cualquier medida que permita a los países que crearon el problema evadir su responsabilidad: deben recortar sus emisiones”, enfatizó.

    Por su parte, Giesen repudió a organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) internacionales que “siguen el discurso” de los países del Norte, y apoyan mecanismos que tienen efectos contraproducentes.

    “Nosotros somos ONG que trabajamos con las comunidades por la justicia ambiental. No nos hemos convertido en empresas consultoras que buscamos financiarnos de cualquier modo, como lo están haciendo algunas ONG multinacionales, que han visto en el mercado de carbono una forma de adquirir mucho dinero. Han entrado en el orden del capitalismo”, afirmó.

    Mientras, Klein destacó los “éxitos” de las últimas dos semanas.

    “El mundo rico ya no puede argüir no saber lo que implica dejar de actuar. Las voces del Sur, el costo de millones de vidas, la desaparición de países y culturas… todo eso ha aterrizado en la agenda”, indicó.

    Cambiando el sistema

    “Cambiemos el sistema, no el clima”, es el título de la declaración final del Klimaforum, firmada por unas 360 organizaciones de todo el mundo.

    Preparado desde hace meses y discutido durante la semana pasada en la capital danesa, el documento de seis puntos plantea que “hay soluciones a la crisis del clima”.

    “Lo que necesitan los pueblos y el planeta es una transición justa y sostenible de nuestras sociedades a un modelo que garantice el derecho a la vida y la dignidad de todas las personas, y entregue un planeta más fértil y vidas más plenas a las generaciones presentes y futuras”, señala.

    Los firmantes llamaron a los gobiernos a abandonar los combustibles fósiles en los próximos 30 años, con metas específicas para cada período quinquenal.

    También exigieron una reducción inmediata de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de los países industrializados de 40 por ciento respecto de 1990 para 2020, así como el reconocimiento y pago de la deuda generada por el consumo excesivo del espacio atmosférico y los efectos sobre las poblaciones afectadas.

    El texto rechaza las “falsas y peligrosas soluciones orientadas al mercado”, como la energía nuclear, los agrocombustibles, la captura y almacenamiento de carbono, los Mecanismos de Desarrollo Limpio, el carbón vegetal, los transgénicos denominados “climate ready” y la iniciativa REDD (Reducción de Emisiones de Carbono causadas por la Deforestación y la Degradación de los Bosques).

    Las “soluciones reales” estarían basadas en el “uso seguro, limpio, renovable y sostenible de los recursos naturales, y la transición a la soberanía alimentaria, energética, sobre la tierra y las aguas”.

    También propusieron un impuesto equitativo a las emisiones de dióxido de carbono, en lugar del régimen de cuotas comerciables, y el reemplazo de los organismos financieros multilaterales, como el Banco Mundial y el Fondo Monetario Internacional, por instituciones “equitativas y democráticas”.

    Asimismo, buscan la creación de un mecanismo que controlelas operaciones de las empresas trasnacionales.

    “Independientemente de los resultados de la Cumbre de Copenhague sobre el Cambio Climático, hay una necesidad urgente de construir un movimiento mundial de movimientos que trabajen a largo plazo a favor de una transición sostenible para nuestras sociedades”, concluyeron.

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  • Alfa Giulietta 1/2: Maintenant en robe rouge,et quelques observations…

    Quelques nouvelles vues de la remplaçante de l’Alfa 147,la Giulietta,publiées par Alfa Romeo sur le nouveau site consacré à la belle compacte Milanaise.

    Les premières photos officielles,présentées la semaine dernière ne la montraient qu’en blanc,un choix qui se discute.Qu’importe,la voici qui revient en rouge.Pas de vue globale,mais plusieurs parties,que voici:

    Alfa Giulietta 001 bis

    Alfa Giulietta 002 bis

    Alfa Giulietta 003 bis

     Une nouvelle photo de l’intérieur également:

    Alfa Giulietta 005 bis

    Toujours pas de photos du tableau de bord,évidemment,puisque Sergio Marchionne,monté à bord d’un exemplaire de la voiture peu avant sa présentation,a demandé quelques modifications de détails pour des raisons de qualité perçue.Pour mémoire voici les illustrations qui circulaient il y a quelques mois et dont on voit bien qu’elles sont très proches de la réalité,excepté pour les contre-portes:

     

    Illustration préfigurant,apparemment assez fidèlement,la planche de bord de la Giulietta

    Illustration préfigurant,apparemment assez fidèlement,la planche de bord de la Giulietta

    Le bandeau central pourrait exister en différentes teintes,un peu à la mode Fiat 500

    Le bandeau central pourrait exister en différentes teintes,un peu à la mode Fiat 500

    Une livrée très Giulietta sixties qui ravirait les esthètes et les amoureux du Trèfle

    Une livrée très Giulietta sixties qui ravirait les esthètes et les amoureux du Trèfle

    Pas grand chose de plus sur ce site,pour l’instant,il se développera sûrement à mesure que la marque « teasera » autour de son nouveau bébé.Je vous laisse découvrir le site (ici),vous y trouverez en plus une photo sans intérêt du 1750TBI,que je vous épargne,par charité pour les chromes magnifiques du V6 Arese.

    D’une manière générale,la Giulietta semble bien calibrée pour sa cible.Alfa Romeo,si elle peine à s’imposer plus haut en gamme,est par contre parfaitement légitime maintenant sur le segment compacte premium.Il est toujours très difficile de juger une voiture en photos,et avec le recul on apprend à s’abstenir quelque peu,de peur de dire de grosses bêtises,qu’on regrette ensuite.Il faut donc attendre de voir en vrai.C’est d’autant plus vrai ici que la voiture semble très travaillée au niveau des lignes,ce qui ne ressort pas forcément en photo.

    Deux remarques tout de même.La première concernant les feux arrière.Ceux-ci semblent très travaillés,pour ne pas dire alambiqués,et la signature visuelle est très particulière (voir ci-dessous également).De nuit,vous ne risquerez pas de confondre la Giulietta qui vous précède avec une autre voiture.Pas très convaincant en photo,à voir en vrai donc.La seconde concerne la face avant.Il y a eu deux phases ces dernières années dans le design Alfa.La phase Brera,suivant la sortie du concept éponyme en 2002 est maintenant refermée,et nous sommes depuis l’an dernier et l’arrivée de la MiTo dans la phase 8C.Alors pas question ici de mettre en doute la beauté de la 8C évidemment.Mais pas sur non plus que la vue de plein avant de celle-ci soit la plus réussie.Singer ses feux en les déclinant sur tous les modèles à sortir n’est peut-être pas la meilleure idée.Bien entendu,un design doit se renouveler,mais il est sur que si quelquechose empêche les voitures actuelles de se vendre correctement,ce n’est certainement pas leur face avant,inspirée de la Brera concept.Une évolution aussi radicale était-elle nécessaire?Ces feux moins expressifs sont-ils aussi « Alfa » que ceux des voitures actuelles?Transposer le look 8c sur tous les modèles est-il une bonne idée?A chacun de se faire son idée…

    Quoi qu’il en soit,la Giulietta semble être une voiture magnifique,et si techniquement le ramage se rapporte au plumage,ça devrait bien se passer pour elle.C’est tout le mal qu’on lui souhaite!

    Dernière minute: Les photos de l’intérieur ici!

    (Rappelons qu’Alfa est l’objet du dossier de la semaine,que vous retrouverez dans le Slideshow à l’accueil et dans les notes concernant « Alfa vs Lancia« )

    La signature visuelle et lumineuse des feux arrière est très singulière

    La signature visuelle et lumineuse des feux arrière est très singulière

    Un profil dynamique et très travaillé,certainement plus spectaculaire "en vrai"

    Un profil dynamique et très travaillé,certainement plus spectaculaire "en vrai"

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  • Love: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

    Suzy Cohen R.Ph.–

    Dear Readers,

    Since this column prints during the holiday season, I’ve decided to write about the greatest gift we an give, love. Experiencing love can make you feel better because it causes you to release endorphins. In a day and age where prescribed anti-depressants are top-selling drugs, a little love can go a long way. 

    If you think about it, hearing “I love you” is important but it really must be supported with actions. For example, when you arrive home, your dog shows you love at the front door. It licks you, jumps all over you and wags its tail so hard it could break a hip. It never says the word love, but is there any doubt in your mind how much you are loved by your pet? Likewise, your dog could care less if you say “I love you” a thousand times because this feeling is demonstrated when you give it a pat, a belly scratch or a doggie bone. Do you see now that love has to be supported by actions in order for the feeling to be conveyed? 

    When you experience loving thoughts, feelings or memories, your heart rate and breathing patterns improve. Brain waves deepen and intensify too, and the positive effects of relaxation, meditation and focused positive thinking has been well studied.  For sure, feeling loved by those around me gives me longer-lasting euphoria than any drug I can think of.

    Most of us believe that we act kind and loving throughout the day, but do we? Take notice of your own attitude while you’re driving, shopping, or checking out. Some relatives or friends end their phone call or visit saying “love you” yet they show little interest or compassion for your life. Sometimes they only act nice when they need something. Do these people honestly love you, or do they just say they do? Actions speak louder than words.

    Let’s express more kindness to people instead of behaving as if we are the stars of our own movie and everyone else is just an extra. If we didn’t use the word for a day, but relied solely on our behavior, would people walk away from us feeling loved? Some might.  Recently, I gave a hand-made gift to a person who works at a local shop. She always has goodness emanating from her when I check out. My gesture was to say thank you for being such a beautiful soul though I never said that, nor did I say I loved her. She became teary-eyed and hugged me long and hard. She may have received the present, but I got the gift. The story of your life eventually gets summarized to a dash between two very important dates. Make that dash matter because it is what everyone will remember about you.  So what is my prescription for you? Just love.

    These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products mentioned or information within this column is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

    Suzy Cohen, R. Ph., is a licensed pharmacist with nearly 20 years of clinical experience. The author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist (HarperCollins, July ’07) and Drug Muggers; she is “America’s Most Trusted Pharmacist,” and has helped millions of patients in various clinical settings, such as retail, hospital, nursing home pharmacies, and through her nationally syndicated column, “Dear Pharmacist.” A former spokesperson for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Suzy Cohen is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine, The Association of Natural Medicine Pharmacists and The American Pharmacists Association. You can subscribe to Suzy’s free weekly newsletter or ask her a question at her DearPharmacist website.

    A Pharmacist’s Tips for Cold and H1N1 Flu Survival

    Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

     

  • Stop Organic Body Care Fraud

    Eariler this year the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) passed a recommendation for “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products.” The recommendation urges the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to make sure that any use of the word “organic” on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards.

    organic cosmetics

    Why the fuss?

    Thus far, products for your body, i.e. cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, and so on, have not been regulated in any sort of a substantial way. A body care item can claim to be organic, with no viable proof to back it up. Unless a product is labeled with the USDA Organic seal, you can’t, as a consumer, be sure if the product is really organic. The Organic Consumer Association is one organization working on the issue, and is helping to spread the word to consumers about real vs. fake organics.

    Their website has a list of current “fakers” or products with no organic seal to back them up, even though some of their products may be labeled organic. The list of fakers includes…

    Amazon Organics, Avalon Organics, Desert Essence Organics, Earth’s Best Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Head Organics, JASON Pure Natural and Organic, Nature’s Gate Organics, Organics by Noah’s Naturals

    How to get involved:

    • Only buy organic body care products that can back up their claims.
    • There are plenty of companies who make natural, chemical-free, and organic body care products who are not labeled by the USDA, if you’re going to use a product not labeled, look into the company background before you buy and find out about their policies, regulations, and ethics.
    • Sign on for the current OCA ACTION ALERT: Tell the USDA to Stop Organic Body Care Fraud!
    • Learn which body care products are actually true organics.
    • Make body care products yourself so you know what’s in them.

    [image via stock.xchng]

    Post from: Blisstree

    Stop Organic Body Care Fraud

  • HTC HD2 coming to Telstra in January – chance to win 1 of 5

    hdhd2telstra

    The HTC HD2 has been confirmed to be coming to Telstra in the next few weeks, and to celebrate Microsoft Australia is giving away 5 HTC HD2’s. 

    To enter, and perfect for the twitter generation, one simply need to tell Microsoft in 25 words or less how the HTC HD2 will make your life better.

    Enter at Microsoft here.

    Via istartedsomething.com

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  • 5% Downpayments Are Back As Mortgage Companies Swing For Fences Again

    money-tree-tbi.jpg

    Mortgage companies are apparently convinced the housing slump is over. 

    At this rate, we’ll be back to no-money-down mortgages with three-year-teaser rates by spring.

    Ruth Simon, WSJ: Some mortgage insurers and lenders are beginning to relax their down-payment requirements, in a sign of increased confidence in the housing market.

    The changes, which are being done on a market-by-market basis, mean buyers in some parts of the country can now borrow 95% instead of 90% of a property’s value. Until recently, mortgage companies had tighter standards for these markets because of falling home prices.

    “We are feeling better about the economic condition of the marketplace,” said Michael Zimmerman, senior vice president of investor relations at mortgage insurer MGIC Insurance Corp. Borrowers who want to finance more than 80% of a home’s value must typically purchase mortgage insurance.

    Earlier this month, MGIC removed New Orleans, Dover, Del., Akron, Ohio, and four other areas in Ohio from its list of restricted markets. The moves followed the company’s decision in September to loosen restrictions on 11 markets, including Denver and St. Louis.

    Read the whole thing >

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  • REPORT: Trio of top Toyota execs to retire

    Filed under:

    Toyota Veeps

    Departing Toyota VPs Steve Sturm, Dave Danzer, Irv Miller

    According to Automotive News, three of Toyota’s group vice presidents will be leaving the company in less than sixty days. Steve Sturm, 28 years with the company, oversaw strategic research and planning for the Americas as well as corporate communications. Dave Danzer is a 24-year veteran and headed strategic and product planning. Environmental and public affairs were headed by Irv Miller, who’s been a Toyota associate for 29 years.

    Long-tenured group VPs don’t generally just get up and leave, especially not in unison, so we assume their departures are not a surprise inside the company. Still, we imagine it’s a blow, and there’s probably more than one Toyota higher-up singing, “You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille…”

    [Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

    REPORT: Trio of top Toyota execs to retire originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Winter Storm Threatens To Bury “Super Saturday”

    Winter Storm Whacks Washington DC

    Are you going to be shopping today?

    If you live anywhere on the East Coast, the answer is probably not. It’s likely too late for most online shopping to reach you by Christmas on Thursday. And there’s that monster blizzard that is working its way up the East Coast.

    Retail sales will certainly suffer this weekend. Usually today is one of the largest shopping days before Christmas, which is why it is sometimes called “Super Saturday.” A storm like this one, hitting major population centers all over the East Coast, will have a major impact on shopping behavior.

    Although the East Coast is a geographically narrow stretch of the United States, it is filled with shopping malls and big box retailers. Indeed, stores like Macy’s, Kohl’s, Walmart, and Toys R Us typically do as many as 60% of their sales on Super Saturday today. So even though last year’s pre-Christmas storms covered a bigger portion of the country, this year’s storm could have an outsized impact on overall sales.

    “When you lose a day of sales between now and Dec. 25, you don’t make it up,” Stifel Nicolaus analyst Richard Jaffe told the Associated Press. “If you’re closed for business on Saturday, you’re not going to do twice the business on Sunday.”

    Even if major storms don’t materialize, forecasts could keep shoppers home. “When the radio says, ‘Stay tuned, don’t leave your house, this is the storm of ’09,’” that’s bad for business, he said.

    Strapped local budgets may also make things worse. Many localities will have fewer plows on the road this year, and fewer police directing traffic.

    Join the conversation about this story »

  • Bentley and Zai launch Supersport skis

    Filed under: ,

    Zai Bentley Skis

    Zai for Bentley ‘Zai Supersports’ skis — Click above for high-res image gallery

    Swiss firm Zai makes high-zoot skis. When the company teamed up with Bentley, the result was an even higher-zoot ski kit called Zai Supersports, composed of handmade skis and poles, and a ski bag.

    The skis themselves feature a special carbon fiber material called “Zaiìra” on top, with a natural rubber core, chromium-steel-infused carbon fiber for the twisty bits, and Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites to round out your lust for exotic materials. The poles use the ExoGrid tech usually associated with the world of golf clubs.

    There will only be 250 pairs made, and because you knew they wouldn’t be cheap you won’t be surprised by the $9,800 purchase price. Get all the facts in the press release after the jump, and pretty pictures in the high-res gallery below.

    [Source: Zai]

    Continue reading Bentley and Zai launch Supersport skis

    Bentley and Zai launch Supersport skis originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Health headlines: Playground injuries, a new polio vaccine and the latest anti-soda ad

    Other stories we’ve been reading:

    stockphotopro_11081538GZC_mom_bandaging_Uganda outlaws female circumcision. A new polio vaccine is going to be used in Afghanistan. Researchers have developed an artificial clotting agent to help stop massive bleeding.

    Playground injuries aren’t about fall – it’s the landing. Fifty million shades have been recalled for strangulation risk. Pregnancy spacing matters in babies’ health and STDs are common among sexually active teen girls in cities.

    The CDC has a healthy version of the song The 12 Days of Christmas. Watch NYC’s latest anti-soda ad.

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  • Dollar-Bullish Fund Runs Out Of Shares

    Dollar bulls swamped the dollar-bullish exchange traded fund ‘UUP’ on Friday.

    WSJ: Strong demand for instruments that take bullish positions on the dollar prompted one such exchange-traded fund to be halted on Friday, after it ran out of shares.

    “The fund issued all of the remaining shares to its authorized participants,” said DB Commodity Services, which offers the ETF, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The PowerShares DB U.S. Dollar Index Bullish Fund is often referred to by its symbol, UUP.

    DB Commodity Services, which offers the U.S. Dollar Index Bullish Fund, said in a prepared statement Friday that it filed on Dec. 8 to create 240 million additional shares of UUP “to manage exceptional investor demand.”

    The surprising thing is that UUP hasn’t even rallied that much yet. These investors must be expecting a massive dollar move ahead, given how frenzied they have become. Check out the huge spike in volume since October::

    uup

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  • Top 100 Searches of 2009 by Kids

    2009 is coming to a close so what better time than to release all manner of interesting and exciting statistics and tops for all the family to enjoy. Symantec certainly thinks so and better yet, it’s tying in some marketing material for good measure. The company has released the top 100 searches for 2009 by kids, as measured by its very own OnlineFamily.Norton app for concerned parents with busy lives. It’s not the first one this year though, so it should be interesting to see how things evolved, if indeed they have.

    Surprise, surprise, things haven’t changed that much since summer, but a few of the top terms have switched positions. Coming in at number two and the biggest search term of 2009 as determined by Symantec is “YouTube,” Google’s hugely popular video site, which is certainly replacing TV for the younger set. The second most searched term was “Google,” which it makes as little sense as it did the first time the results were released.

    You’d expect some kids to search for Google, maybe even enough to make it to the top 100, but certainly not the second spot. Even if you account for searches in the browser’s search boxes and the searches on other search engines which may be the homepage, Yahoo has this great habit of taking over people’s homepages for example, it still couldn’t possibly … (read more)

  • Samsung Giorgio Armani smartphone lovingly fondled

    Now its safe to say most of us will never get to hold a fashion phone like the Samsung Giorgio Armani B7620 Windows Mobile smartphone.  Mobilized was luckier, and in this 9 minute video gives the device a good going over.

    Calling the device solid and smooth, he appeared pretty impressed by the device.

    Read more at Mobilyz here.

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  • GABA Calm ( 120 Tabs )

    GABA Calm ( 120 Tabs ) GABA Calm combines three of the main inhibitory neurotransmitters, plus N-acytyl L-tyrosine, a precursor of norepinephrine The sublingual form is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, via the blood vessels under the tongue and cheeks, allowing for quick entry into the system.
  • Twitter API Set to Become an Industry Standard

    There have been a couple of new developments in the past week regarding the Twitter API and, surprisingly, they don’t really have anything to do with Twitter at all. Rather they have to do with ‘old school’ blogging platforms WordPress and Tumblr adopting the Twitter API as their own. What this means is that people using third-party Twitter apps can now use them for WordPress as well, for example, to some degree as the implementations aren’t complete yet.

    “We’ve enabled posting to and reading of WordPress.com blogs via the Twitter API. Any app that allows you to set a custom API URL will work,” WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg wrote about a week ago. “I see the Twitter API as one of the new de facto standards that as many applications should support as possible.”

    It didn’t take long for Mullenweg’s words to take heed and up and coming blogging platform Tumblr also rolled out a similar feature. “Inspired by WordPress’ seriously clever use of Loren Brichter’s new Tweetie options, we’re launching our own Tweetie and Twitterrific compatible API. This Twitter-like API should make it easy for a lot of existing Twitter clients to start supporting Tumblr,” Tumblr wrote.

    The support isn’t complete, for WordPress you can read and even write posts and you can geotag it as well, but more advanced fu… (read more)

  • Eco Cars: Nissan VanNEXT transportation vehicle runs clean on electricity

    vannext_1

    Eco Factor: Zero-emission transportation vehicle powered by batteries.

    Nissan VanNEXT is the work of industrial designer Victor Romero who has tried to make some deep changes in small transport vehicles in use today. The all-electric concept vehicle features a simple and efficient exterior design, with rounded frontal surfaces that better the vehicle’s aerodynamic properties.

    (more…)

  • WordPress 2.9, Now with Built-in Image Editor and Delete Undo

    The latest version of the world most popular self-hosted blogging platform, WordPress 2.9, is now out and available for everyone to download and install. It’s been quite a while since the last major update, more than six months actually, and the latest version comes with a few big new features and a bunch of smaller ones as well as updates, bug fixes, the works. The biggest feature is likely the new image editor which allows users to do basic photo editing inside the post editor without having to rely on third-party tools.

    “I’m here on behalf of the entire WordPress development team and community to announce the immediate availability of WordPress version 2.9 “Carmen” named in honor of magical jazz vocalist Carmen McRae (whom we’ve added to our Last.fm WP release station),” Matt Mullenweg, Automattic founder, the company behind the open-source WordPress platform and the WordPress.com blog hosting service, wrote.

    With the new built-in image editor, users can crop, edit, rotate, flip, and scale images until they fit perfectly in the post. Seeing as these are 99 percent of the editing tools any blogger would ever need, the tool is a very welcome addition. It also probably means that you won’t need to fire up Photoshop, or maybe Gimp if you’re into open sourc… (read more)

  • Pocket Change Portfolio – November 2009

    Each month I update the Pocket Change Portfolio (PCP). The table below reconciles the PCP from beginning of period to end of period for November 2009, Year-To-Date (2009) and Life-To-Date. The Portfolio Returns line provides the calculated return for the three displayed periods.

    Description November-2009 Year-To-Date Life-To-Date
    Beg. Portfolio Value 13,764.54 3,395.62
    Online Cash Receipts 3,636.60 13,333.17 16,881.51
    Online Expenses (30.00) (116.23)
    Gross Profit 3,636.60 13,303.17 16,765.28
    Dividends 13.50 201.12 226.28
    Interest Income 1.02 11.49 17.64
    Subtotal 3,651.12 13,515.78 17,009.20
    Gain/(Loss) 561.56 1,065.82 968.02
    Ending Portfolio Value 17,977.22 17,977.22 17,977.22
    Portfolio Returns 3.31% 19.91% 16.82%

    Online Cash Receipts are the collected earnings from my online endeavors. Most of which is advertising on the my various blogs. The year-to-date $30.00 Online Expenses relates to registering 3 domains (DividendsValue.com, Dividends4Life.com and TheDiv-Net.com). November Dividends include $4.70 from Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV) and $8.80 from The Procter & Gamble Company (PG). The Interest Income line is interest earned on cash balances in an ING account I set up for the PCP. The Gain/(Loss) line is for market changes to the PCP (realized and unrealized).

    The portfolio was up in November, for the year and since its inception. Online earnings in November surpassed the $3,000 mark for the first time. A large portion of the increase is related to the strong interest in D4L-Premium Services. The premium service continues grow each month. The subscriber retention rate remains in the 85-90% range. Traffic on Dividend Value continues but high, but was lower than the record October level.

    During the month of November, I purchased 26 shares of Nucor Corporation (NUE) providing me $36.40 in annual earnings at the current dividend rate. I also purchased 14 shares of Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV) providing me $48.30 in annual earnings at the current dividend rate.  Including the November purchases, my annual PCP dividend income is now $517.74 at the current dividend rates. I ended the month with $4,398.18 in cash, enough to purchase two or three stocks in December. Through November, I have purchased ten stocks this year, including at least one in the last seven consecutive months. I continue to believe the current cash balance and recent earnings will support the purchase of at least one stock each month.

    My PCP holdings are always available by selecting the Holdings option from the menu in the header. The next PCP update will be mid-January.

    (Photo: sanja gjenero)

    The Coca-Cola Company

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  • Eco Homes: X2Shelter – A portable green home for disaster relief

    x2shelter_1

    Eco Factor: Emergency shelter designed to be powered by renewable energy.

    GEOTECTURA Architectural Studio has come with a concept emergency shelter that is both green and easy to deploy. Dubbed the X2Shelter or X2S, the emergency shelter can be airdropped to unreachable disaster zones and is powered by renewable energy. The X2S can be used as a standalone tent for dwelling, sanitation and health care and can also be connected with other X2S shelters to provide shelter for many people.

    (more…)