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  • Artie Lange Stabs Himself

    However, not all of Lange’s skeletons have been kept in the closet. Lange’s hospitalization reportedly occurred after the comedian stabbed himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt, according to a published report.

    According to a law-enforcement source, Lange’s mother called 911 after entering his Hoboken apartment and finding the blood-stained comedian Saturday morning.

    Lange’s mother reportedly came to visit him to drop off food when she discovered her injured son, who sustained six “hesitation wounds” and three deep plunges.

    Despite heavy bleeding from the incident, surgeons managed to save Lange’s life.

    Earlier in the week, Stern spoke out about his ailing friend, however wouldn’t reveal the reason for Lange’s emergency.

    “We all have our demons,” said Stern, referring to Lange’s past battles with addiction. “Artie has given this show tremendous moments of great comedy. He’s a tremendous contributor. He is a good man. Don’t forget how great he is.”

    Stern, who has hosted the controversial radio program, “The Howard Stern Show,” on Sirius/XM radio since January 2006, also denied that Lange was quitting the show and being replaced by Jim Breuer.

    Lange, 41, had been mysteriously absent from the radio talk show in the days prior to the company’s holiday break.

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    1. Artie Lange Sucide, Artie Lange Sucide Information However, not all of Lange’s skeletons have been kept in…
    2. Artie Lange Hospitalized, Artie Lange Dead In 2009, Artie Lange made headlines for a DUI bust…
    3. Artie Lange Hospitalized, Artie Lange Dead In 2009, Artie Lange made headlines for a DUI bust…

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  • Chute alto + mini saia = diversão garantida no youtube

  • Artie Lange Sucide, Artie Lange Sucide Information

    However, not all of Lange’s skeletons have been kept in the closet. Lange’s hospitalization reportedly occurred after the comedian stabbed himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt, according to a published report.

    According to a law-enforcement source, Lange’s mother called 911 after entering his Hoboken apartment and finding the blood-stained comedian Saturday morning.

    Lange’s mother reportedly came to visit him to drop off food when she discovered her injured son, who sustained six “hesitation wounds” and three deep plunges.

    Despite heavy bleeding from the incident, surgeons managed to save Lange’s life.

    Earlier in the week, Stern spoke out about his ailing friend, however wouldn’t reveal the reason for Lange’s emergency.

    “We all have our demons,” said Stern, referring to Lange’s past battles with addiction. “Artie has given this show tremendous moments of great comedy. He’s a tremendous contributor. He is a good man. Don’t forget how great he is.”

    Stern, who has hosted the controversial radio program, “The Howard Stern Show,” on Sirius/XM radio since January 2006, also denied that Lange was quitting the show and being replaced by Jim Breuer.

    Lange, 41, had been mysteriously absent from the radio talk show in the days prior to the company’s holiday break.

    Share/Save/Bookmark

    Related posts:

    1. Artie Lange Stabs Himself However, not all of Lange’s skeletons have been kept in…
    2. Artie Lange Hospitalized, Artie Lange Dead In 2009, Artie Lange made headlines for a DUI bust…
    3. Artie Lange Hospitalized, Artie Lange Dead In 2009, Artie Lange made headlines for a DUI bust…

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  • Britney Spears Dumps Jason Trawick

    Britney Spears has reportedly called it quits with boyfriend Jason Trainwreck. The “Toxic” singer is said to be “distraught” after learning Jason Trawick romanced two women during a boys’ night out at Los Angeles’ bar Roger Room.

    “Jason left the bar with two bottles of water – and a stunning blonde who looked like Britney,” Ella Davis, a reveller at the bar, told the Daily Mirror this week. “He had his arms around her and they looked very much like they were together for the night.”

    Friends of Jason insists the behavior is not characteristic of Jason.

    “Jason’s a great guy and super loyal. This behavior is really out of character. But Los Angeles is a small town and word soon got back to Britney he’d had a wild one,” says one Trawick pal. “When she heard he’d been caught cozying up two girls in The Roger Room, it was the last straw. Jason’s really not like this and quickly tried to calm Britney down and rectify the situation……Everyone is assuming it’s over – for the time being anyway.”


  • Healthy Hair Reality With Herbal Hair Care Procerin Provillus

    Healthy hair means strong and shining hair on your head. Only healthy hair provides you the luxury to comb them in attractive hair styles. Men or Women, healthy hair is equally important for everyone. Alas! Hair loss diseases do not permit everyone to enjoy the luxury of attractive hair style. Gradual hair loss finally leads to baldness. Baldness in men is more prevalent than baldness in women. Pollution, reaction of soaps & shampoos, rough combing, reaction of medications or hormonal disorder; the factors behind baldness are numerous.


    Hormonal disorder causes baldness more than nothing else. Unwanted effect of puberty hormone ‘testosterone’ is the prime cause of baldness in men. Testosterone in its latter phase converts into DHT, this final product of testosterone clogs hair follicles and leads to fall of hair. Baldness of this sort is known as male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. Procerin and Provillus are two herbal medications, which can cure this sort of baldness. These medications are made up of all natural ingredients. Saw Palmetto and Gotu Kola are the two prime ingredients of herbal hair loss cure Procerin and Provillus. Procerin especially has DHT blocker Nesstles, which by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT stops further hair loss. While it’s other ingredients open up DHT affected hair follicles. Hair growth takes place in these newly opened hair follicles because herbal hair care product Procerin is rich in vitamins and minerals.


    The effect of Procerin is oriented only on male pattern baldness. Provillus is different from Procerin in this regard as it is a common solution for hair loss diseases in men and women. All most all ingredients of Procerin are found in Provillus herbal hair care medication too. Other than identical ingredient Provillus has vitamin B6, Biotin, Magnesium, Nettle root, Curcubita Maxima, Eleuthero, Uva-Ursi, Muria Puama. All these ingredients make Provillus effective in almost all type of baldness.


    Herbal medications are generally free of any side effect. This applies to herbal hair care Procerin and Provillus too. There should be no worry about any side effect while using Provillus and Procerin herbal cure for hair loss diseases. The efficacy of these medications is proven by the fact that as being herbal the ingredients of these medications are in use for centuries.


    Dosages of Procerin and Provillus are easy to take. Procerin or Provillus whichever medication you are taking; the general pattern of dosage is a tablet each time twice a day. Maintain a gap of 10 hours between two consecutive dosages. Since hair growth is a slow process, therefore to see any significant result Procerin or Provillus should be used at least for three months. The complete course of medication can be 1 year long. The treatment done by Provillus and Procerin is permanent. Generally hair loss diseases, treated with herbal hair cure Procerin and Provillus, do not come back.


    Your local pharmacist cannot have stock of every medication. May be Procerin and Provillus are out of his stock. Then, the search for these medications can be very hassling. Buy Provillus and Procerin herbal hair cure through an online order and turn your dream of healthy hair into a reality. Online pharmacies can deliver Provillus and Procerin at your doorstep and make your drug purchase cheap.

    Alan Anderson writes on health, beauty and hair styles. He has been working in the same field and writes informative articles for Hair Care subject. To learn more about Procerin, Hair care tips, Rogaine, Hair loss treatment, Provillus, Best hair loss remedy, Stop hair loss visit http://www.haircaretips.net

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  • Cell launches “Article of the Future” format

    During the last year, Cell has spearheaded an initiative to change the way readers interact with research articles on the Internet. They note that, for a long time, research papers on the Web laid flat and lifeless on the screen, much as print articles do on the page, but they were capable of so much more. Cell came up with new layouts for research papers that take advantage of current Web technology, and presented the prototypes to its authors and readers, who voted and gave feedback on the designs.

    What Cell came up with was a format it has christened “Article of the Future.” Articles of the Future are broken down into their respective sections (Introduction, Discussion, Figures, and so on) with a navigation section at the top, allowing readers to jump to the sections they are most interested in. The landing section of each article is a bullet-point summary and abstract next to a representative image, allowing readers a quick take-away message if that’s all they’re looking for (video descriptions called a “PaperFlick” appear here, when available). You can even zoom in on images (!), which are presented under the Data tab as a film strip. The citations in the body of the paper are also linked to a separate section, where readers can view the citation in full.

    Hold on, don’t reach for your smelling salts just yet. Doesn’t this sound a little familiar? It should—to an extent, all Cell has done is take features from dozens of websites and apply them to scientific publications. But, similarities aside, any effort to make research more accessible and readable is a good thing, and rare among Cell’s peers. Maybe this will encourage other publications to step into the Future—or, you know, at least 2001.


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  • man faces jail for handing in abandoned gun

    just when you think things can’t get any more stupid it seems the government in its desire to ban illegally owned weapons has drafter the law rather badly…

    http://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/news/…d_shotgun.html

    Quote:

    In a statement read out in,court, Mr Clarke said: “I did not think for one moment I would be arrested. I thought it was my duty to hand it in and get it off the streets.” The court heard how Mr Clarke found a black bin liner at the bottom of his garden, which backs on to a field. He added: “I didn’t know what to do, so the next morning I rang chief superintendent Adrian Harper at Surrey police and asked if I could pop in and see him.”

    Mr Clarke was then arrested for possession of a firearm at Reigate police station and taken to a cell.

    Prosecutor Brian Stalk explained to the jury that possession of a firearm was a “strict liability” charge, therefore Mr Clarke’s allegedly honest intent was irrelevant. “Just by having the gun in his possession Mr Clarke was guilty of the charge and has no defence in law against it,” he added.

  • Man Who E-Mailed Threats to Ohio Company, Florida Legislator Sentenced

    Ninety-Month Sentence for Man Who E-Mailed Threats to a Columbus Company, Florida Legislator

    Kyle Jeffrey Tschiegg, 39, of Sarasota, Florida was sentenced in United States District Court here today to 90 months’ imprisonment for e-mailing threats, including threats to cause a candidate to drop out of a race for statewide office in Florida; hacking into e-mail accounts of individuals and companies; and using stolen identity information to commit computer crimes.

    Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Keith L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, of the Cincinnati Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the sentence handed down today by Senior United States District Court Judge James L. Graham.

    Tscheigg pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2009 to one count each of interstate transmission of threatening communications, interstate extortion, computer intrusion, and identity theft.

    On Aug. 4, 2008, Tscheigg sent an e-mail to a Columbus company he picked at random and two company employees threatening to “start shooting the whole place up, blowing your heads off…”

    In part, Tscheigg’s e-mail said, “I want to come to “RF” company in columbus and just start shooting the whole place up, blowing your heads off, and then I’m gonna go to “Pro” in sarasota and and kill all of them too, see ya soon!! Im looking forward to painting walls with brain matter:)”

    A group of approximately 40 individuals and businesses received repeated e-mail and telephone threats or harassment by Tschiegg. At one point, approximately 3500 e-mail accounts were being copied on the threatening e-mails.

    Tschiegg used several methods to conceal his identity online, including using his laptop computer to access the Internet through neighbors’ unsecured wireless networks in Sarasota.

    Tschiegg also hacked into a Florida state legislator’s e-mail account in October 2008. He used personal information he found about the legislator on the Internet to reset the legislator’s password.

    Less than two weeks before the November 4, 2008 election, Tscheigg sent two e-mails threatening to injure the legislator, her family, and supporters unless she withdrew from the race.

    Tscheigg has been in custody since FBI agents arrested him at his parents’ Sarasota home on February 12, 2009.

    Stewart commended the investigation by FBI agents and investigators in the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah A. Solove and Department of Justice Attorney Joseph Springsteen of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, who prosecuted the case.

    Stewart also acknowledged the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel Moore in the Middle District of Florida.


  • Detroit Preview: Jeep to unveil Wrangler Islander and Mountain trims, plus Liberty Renegade

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    2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander – Click above for high-res image gallery

    Jeep is poised to release a trio of special edition vehicles next week at the Detroit Auto Show; two based on the iconic Wrangler platform and a third based on the Liberty. As much as we’d love to tell you about some amazing new powertrain option, that’s not happening – at least not yet. Instead, these three models are really just interesting themes on the same basic and well-known packages.

    We’ll start with the Liberty Renegade, which will be positioned in between the Sport and Limited models. Included in the kit are painted Mineral Gray Keystone 16-inch wheels capped with all-terrain P235/70R16 tires along with dark neutral metallic wheel flares, side sills and fascia. The graphics package continues with Argent Silver on the lower fascia and roof rack plus Satin Black vinyl hood decals. Finally, the interior features new driftwood accent bezels.

    On the Wrangler front, the first highlight is the $1,120 Islander package, which returns after a 20-plus-year absence. Unique touches include an optional Surf Blue Pearl Coat, an Islander “Tiki Bob” decal on the hood with latitude and longitude coordinates, black side steps and 17-inch Moab wheels shod with 32-inch tires. Tiki Bob makes an appearance inside too, embroidered on the seat backs.

    Finally, the $1,820 Wrangler Mountain package is based on the S model and comes with a unique “Mountain” decal on the hood with latitude and longitude coordinates (different from the Islander’s coordinates, naturally) along with painted high-gloss Mineral Gray 17-inch Moab wheels, grille and bumper appliqués. Other bits include tubular side steps, black tail lamp guards and a fuel-filler door from Mopar. Interior improvements are made up of an embossed seat insert with embroidered “Mountain logo” plus anodized graphite heating, ventilation and air conditioning rings.

    Want to know more? Check out our high-res image galleries of all three models below and then hit the jump for the official press release.

    Gallery: 2010 Jeep Liberty Renegade

    Gallery: 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander

    Gallery: 2010 Jeep Wrangler Mountain

    [Source: Jeep]

    Continue reading Detroit Preview: Jeep to unveil Wrangler Islander and Mountain trims, plus Liberty Renegade

    Detroit Preview: Jeep to unveil Wrangler Islander and Mountain trims, plus Liberty Renegade originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • How often — and when — do you eat?

    I’m a newly diagnosed diabetic t2 and just before I was dx I was hired for a part-time job in retail. My hours vary from day to day, and my shift is usually 5-6 hours long. My problem is the start and stop times are not near what I consider meal times and I’m not sure what to do. My understanding is they don’t have to give me a meal break if my shift is not more than 6 hours in length. But many of my shifts are from 3-9 pm or from 10am to 2pm, which makes meals awkward. Any advice?

  • Sarkozy Goes for Google in Attempt to Claw Back Piracy Revenue [Sarkozy]

    President Sarkozy, that small man with the excellent peripheral – wife Carla Bruni – could be going for the Internet giants in order to claw back some of the revenue he claims that creatives are losing through piracy.

    In his traditional new year speech outlining his plans for the next 360 or so days, Sarkozy announced plans to tax overseas search engines, Web portals and ISPs such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Aol) despite the fact that Google doesn’t pay tax in la belle, fromage-y France (its european tax is paid in Ireland.) The thought behind it is that the companies should pay tax on the revenue generated by French Internet users when they click on an ad banner or sponsored link.

    Despite the fact that his three-strikes law is now on the statute book, my money’s on Google and the other behemoths telling Sarkozy to stick it where the Google Street View don’t shine. In fact, they’re probably developing plans for Google Colonoscopy. Coming to a head of state near you soon. [CNET News]







  • Best Hair Loss Treatment – Why These Are Best Hair Loss Treatments

    The best hair loss treatment typically stimulates the hair follicles that help them to rapidly produce quality new tissues or cells. The rapid multiplication of hair follicles makes betterment in hair growth and helps improving the cuticles of hair and density of hair. Best hair loss treatment may include some topical hair applications, some external therapies and some special internal medications. Topical hair loss treatment includes the usage of several hair loss shampoos, creams, oils, and conditioners. At times, some topical solutions that contain very strong chemicals can cause irritation and other serious side effects and that is why, more and more people prefer best hair loss treatment that comes through natural sources and therapies.

    A lot of research reveals that topical hair loss treatments using various special hair shampoos, conditioners, scalp lotions or solutions made up of natural herbal extracts, fruits and other natural compounds may give better results than chemically made products. That is why, herbal hair loss treatments have been proven as best hair loss treatment those are reported very effective and have been used since years. That is because herbal or natural hair loss products cause minimal or no side effects, cost less than any chemically made hair loss treatment (are affordable) and offer good results in preventing hair loss, stopping hair loss and re-growing healthy and shiny hair.

    Here are some of the most common herbs used in some best hair loss treatment:

    Rosmary (Rosmarinus in Latin) – This herb is known to stimulate the hair growth and also enhance darkness of hair. The herb is also said to improve the hair color.

    Dong Quai – It is a traditional Chinese herb containing phytoestrogens that help in reducing the formation of DHT. Therefore, Dong Quai is used in many best hair loss treatment products having dual effects of strengthening and re-growing shiner health.

    Saw Palmetto – It is a small creeping palm that is also popular as Serenoa repens. It contains free fatty acids and phytosterols that help blocking the manufacturing of DHT and also inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that is said to be causative factor for androgenetic alopecia.

    Aloe Vera – Aloe is timely tested and trusted herb that has multiple health benefits including hair strengthening and preventing them to fall. For the scalp, it is very nourishing and it also helps in improving the blood circulation. The herb is also useful in treating premature graying of the hair.

    Bhringaraj – It is known as Eclipta alba and has various health benefits, including preventing hair fall. It helps in stimulating the hair growth by providing proper nourishment. The herb can be used internally and there are many best hair loss treatment oils. However, regular application may require to see desired results.

    Along with all the herbs, some exercises such as yogasanas (like shirshasana) and Pranayama are considered to be best hair loss treatments. However, regularity is important. Also, one has to eat healthy food and less junk/canned or packed foods. Spicy and oily food is to be avoided.

  • Tarjetódromo – Hilo oficial de las dichosas tarjetas prepago.

    Debido a que en el general de Ryanair llevamos ya ocho páginas con la maldita tarjeta, se hace necesario crear otro hilo para comentar esto y dejar el general de Ryanair para noticias sobre la compañía, no sobre si la tarjeta del Sevilla sirve pero la del Betis no, o sobre si los impuestos en una son del 1’75 y en otra del 2’05%.

    Así que, si no es mucha molestia, pediría a algún moderador que mueva los comentarios sobre la tarjeta desde el general de Ryanair hasta este hilo, para tenerlos todos aquí.

    Podéis empezar a pegaros debajo de la línea

    ______

  • Eunice Wong on ?Footnotes in Gaza?

    Eunice Wong on ?Footnotes in Gaza?
    Joe Sacco’s graphic treatment of the 1956 massacres of Palestinians by invading Israeli soldiers melds tough-minded journalism with philosophical reflection into a gut-wrenching banquet of a comic book.

    footnotes in gaza

    Joe Sacco’s graphic treatment of the 1956 massacres of Palestinians by invading Israeli soldiers melds tough-minded journalism with philosophical reflection into a gut-wrenching banquet of a comic book.

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  • Agadir sur EarthTV.com

    Une première : La destination Agadir on line sur earthTV. com
    Tourisme

    Le CRT Agadir SMD vient de réussir une action promotionnelle de grande envergure. Depuis le 15 novembre, Agadir figure on line sur le site de earthTV.com avec une visibilité qui touche 100 millions de personnes, via 50 chaînes de télévisions internationales partenaires de earthTV. C’est une grande première touristique au Maroc. Agadir est, en effet, la première destination à figurer sur ce site international consulté pour ses web cam transmettant des images en directe 24 h sur 24 des destinations touristiques mondiales. Et déjà depuis sa mise en ligne, Agadir figure parmi les Top Ten de earthTV.
    Lors de la cérémonie officielle de lancement en ligne, Abderrahim Oummani, président du CRT, n’a pas caché sa fierté de voir Agadir figurer sur ce site qui n’abrite pour l’instant, dans le continent africain, que l’Afrique du Sud et le Maroc, via sa capitale touristique balnéaire Agadir. Le président du CRT a rendu hommage au Wali d’Agadir Rachid Filali, qui fut derrière cette initiative et au DG de l’ONMT A. Addou pour l’accompagnement de l’ONMT qui est de grande importance puisqu’il finance cet abonnement de 60 000 euros par an, sur trois ans.
    Maroc Télécom est le responsable de l’alimentation en continue d’un accès illimité via internet avec un débit de 2Mbit/sec. La caméra de earthTV est installée sut le toit de l’hôtel Royal Atlas. L’objectif de cette action promotionnelle est d’abord d’afficher 24/24 la plage d’Agadir, en temps réel, en direct, d’afficher également la température de la destination et de donner un bref aperçu sur les atouts touristiques d’Agadir.
    Il est clair que le capital de la destination est d’abord sa plage, son climat, son front de mer auxquels s’est ajouté dernièrement sa nouvelle promenade sur front de mer, dont les travaux de la deuxième phase sont, par ailleurs, en cous. Afficher les bonnes températures hivernales d’Agadir qui tournent autour de 22 et 28° au moment où les températures hivernales en Europe affichent des degrés en dessous de zéro est effectivement un bon argument de commercialisation et joue positivement en faveur de la destination. C’est là où se trouve le grand intérêt pour la destination Agadir, de figurer sur earthTV.com.
    Cet abonnement est utile également pour les TO qui auront là un moyen concret pour convaincre leurs clients sur le bon choix de faire un séjour en hiver à Agadir. En plus voir les eaux de baignade bleuâtres avec des gens qui se baignent, qui se promènent en bord de mer et qui bronzent en hiver est un bon argument de vente de grand impact sur la décision du voyageur. Reste à signaler que les images diffusées sont faites de vues générales sans aucun zoom sur les personnes.
    Bravo donc au CRT d’Agadir pour cette action promotionnelle très particulière qui n’aura que de bonnes conséquences sur la commercialisation de la destination Agadir et la consolidation de sa renommée touristique internationale en tant que capitale du tourisme balnéaire au Maroc, avec son volet balnéaire d’hiver tant cherché par les clients européens. A travers earthTV, Agadir démontre que son produit balnéaire hivernal est inégalable en Afrique du nord et en méditerranée et n’a de vrais concurrents que les Ils Canaries qui jouissent de leur grande expérience touristique et de leur ancrage en Europe.
    Cette action promotionnelle doit toutefois être accompagnée d’une bonne synergie entre CRT, commune urbaine et autorités pour aller encore de l’avant et innover en matière promotionnelle en vue de consolider l’image touristique d’Agadir et de son secteur économique phare basé sur le tourisme.

  • Health Care Reform Could Boost Jobs And Save Money, Say Harvard, USC Economists

    Health Care Reform Could Boost Jobs And Save Money, Say Harvard, USC Economists
    In a report to be released today, Harvard and USC economists say legislation being considered would slow cost increases and free up money for companies…

    Richard (RJ) Eskow: Weird Science: Why Politicians and Pundits Cling to the “Cadillac Tax” Idea
    I believe that the President, Sen. Kerry, and other advocates of the “Cadillac tax” on health care plans are intelligent, ethical, dedicated people. So why do they support what amounts to wishful thinking based on dubious research?

    Orville Schell: The Melting of America: The Story of a Can’t-Do Nation
    We Americans seem to have passed a tipping point.  Like the glaciers of the high Himalaya, long-familiar aspects of our nation are beginning to feel as if they were, in a sense, melting away.

  • Need breakfast help

    I cook breakfast for my Type 2 husband and am in need of some info. When I am fixing his breakfast I don’t know what to substitute for the potato and the bread.

    I’ve tried sliced tomato, but it doesn’t give the same fullness that hash browns and toast/biscuit used to give.

    I don’t have any trouble when it’s scrambled or omelets because I use the veggies alot, but when it’s over easy I’m at a loss.

    And is there any advantage to eating Yukon Gold potatoes, and or sweet potatoes?

    Thanks I really am using this site alot reading and learning and I wanted to thank you all. you have taught me alot.

    Marsha (the wife of 46 yrs)

  • Quick Fact: Beck falsely claims “SEIU” is “number-one visitor to the White House”

    Quick Fact: Beck falsely claims “SEIU” is “number-one visitor to the White House”

    On January 7, Glenn Beck falsely suggested that Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president Andy Stern is the “number-one visitor to the White House.” Politifact has rated Beck’s prior claim that Stern was “the most frequent visitor at the White House” as “false.”

    From the January 7 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Glenn Beck Program:

    BECK: Don’t you see how well-orchestrated this is to overwhelm the system. You can’t tell me that organized labor, with as much as they control this country now, that the number-one visitor to the White House and meeting with President Obama is SEIU. And they’re against this, and their case is “we will not be able to afford the Cadillac health tax. We’ll not be able to afford the health plans for these pensions if you pass this.” There shouldn’t be anything else on the agenda. If he’s meeting with President Obama — SEIU and organized labor — they shouldn’t talk about anything else, every time. “You must not pass that. You must not pass that. You must not pass that.”

    Fact: SEIU’s Stern is “not the number-one visitor to the White House”

    Politifact rated as “false” Beck’s previous claim that SEIU’s Andy Stern was “the most frequent visitor at the White House. In a December 7, 2009, post, Politifact reported:

    We found the source of Beck’s claim. When the White House released its first batch of visitor logs on Oct. 30, 2009, as part of a pledge to bring more transparency to the White House, Stern’s name did indeed appear 22 times, more than anyone else listed, including Clinton, who was listed three times.

    But that’s not the whole story.

    Stern led the pack for the first data release, which covered visits from Jan. 20, 2009 to July 31, 2009. But he was surpassed by several other individuals in the second release, which updates the data through Aug. 31, 2009 (and which was made public more than a week before Beck aired his comment).

    Among those who visited more frequently than Stern, according to the combination of the two logs, were Lewis (Lee) Sachs, counselor to Treasury Secetary Timothy Geithner, with 92 visits; associate attorney general Tom Perrelli, with 49; Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski with 47; Spencer Overton, principal deputy assistant attorney general, with 38; and Health and Human Services office of health reform director Jeanne Lambrew, with 27. (Stern visited twice more during the period covered by the second batch of data, giving him a total of 24 visits.) [Politifact, [12/7/09]

    Stern does not appear in the visitor logs the White House subsequently released on December 30 for the period from September 16 through September 30.

  • CES: Synaptics CEO Says Tablet Adoption Will Take Time [Voices]

    By Alexander Eule, Reporter, Barron’s Online

    Earlier today I spoke with Synaptics (SYNA) CEO Tom Tiernan. We met in Synaptics’ temporary conference room deep inside the South Hall of the convention center. Executives at the company, a leading maker of touchscreens for mobile handsets and touchpads for notebook computers, should be in a good mood these days given the explosion in touch screen interfaces on mobile handsets and and the coming wave of tablets. Still, the stock has been on something of a roller coaster in the last year.

    Here’s some of Tiernan’s commentary from Thursday:

    Read the rest of this post on the original site

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    Read Original Article

  • The Garrett, Watts Report (January 7th, 2010)

     

    garrett-watts1

     

    To Our Clients, Colleagues and Friends,

    • If you’re older, you remember when mortgage rates were always over 10%.  If you’re really old, you remember when they were always under 10%.  For the five years ending in 2009, they averaged around 5.41%.  Pretty amazing.
    • You know how government projections are always wrong, and how they always underestimate how much programs will cost?  The Jan. 7thWSJ had an article about how the Congressional Budget Office originally projected Medicare prescription drug benefits to cost $640 billion over ten years, but that it’s now down to $410 billion. 
    • And how about that office building that opened in Dubai last week?  At 2,717 feet, it’s a full 1,000 feet higher than the world’s previous highest building, and assuming about 10 feet over floor, it’s well over 200 stories high.  It will contain more than 1,000 apartments, a hotel, and offices up to the 160th floor.
      j2
    • Things are looking good in Texas .  While 29% of subprime loans nationally are at least 90 days delinquent, the number is only 17% in Texas .  In the third quarter, Texas banks were five times as profitable as banks in the other 49 states.
    • We just thought of a good title for the past year:  The Year of Living Dangerously.  This was actually the title of a 1982 movie, starring a young Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver, but it probably applies to your bank.  If we need a name for the coming year, how about Fear Strikes Out (if you’re an optimist) or Requiem for a Dream  (if you’re a pessimist), No Country for Old Men (if the past year made you feel old) and Jaws or maybe A Touch of Evil  (if that’s how you perceive your regulators).  And finally, referring to all that capital that vanished into the sinkhole of bad loans, how about Gone with the Wind?
    • A new biography outlining the supposed bedroom doings of Warren Beatty claims that the actor has had sex with “12,775 women, give or take.”  Just how did the book’s author figure this out?  Anyway, step aside, Wilt Chamberlain.
    • Back when New England was a very conservative area, H.L. Mencken wrote that “The most serious charge against New England is not Puritanism but January.”  We just looked at the weather in Hanover , New Hampshire , and it was 2 degrees out.
    • Center Financial of Los Angeles (where it’s about 70 degrees now) is raising $73 million in new capital, and the securities have about the longest name we’ve ever seen:  Mandatorily Convertible Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B.  Can you say that three times really quickly?
    • Why should you strive for absolute perfection in every aspect of your operations?  Why 100% and not 99% accuracy?  Let’s say you do 300 loans a month.  If you’ll settle for 99% perfection, that means you’ll screw up 3 loans every month, or 36 loans over the next year?  Think about it.   The most profitable companies we know aim for 100% perfection, for zero mistakes.
    • Remember the Misery Index, the rate of inflation + the unemployment rate?  Ronald Reagan cited this index throughout his 1980 campaign when the index peeked at 20.8.  For all of 2009, this index averaged 8.1.
    • Regarding stage coach drivers, yes, it turns out that there were both black and female stagecoach drivers.  Shana Chrisman contacted a Wells Fargo historian who wrote “We do have several examples of African-American drovers, one being George Monroe who drove stages into Yosemite Valley and who was generally acknowledged to be one of the finest reinsmen in California and who impressed former President U.S. Grant.  There were a few female stage drivers as well: Delia Haskins Rawson drove in Mendocino and Lake County , and “Charlie” Parkhurst, who posed as a man throughout her driving career and whose gender was revealed only after her death.”
    • If you’re from San Francisco , you know all about the history of the Bank of America, how A.P. Gianinni founded it as the Bank of Italy, how he made loans to families and small shopkeepers right after the 1906 earthquake, and how the Bank played such a big role in the growth of California .  These days, we can’t find the history of the BofA anywhere on their website.  We did an internet search and came up with the history of the North Carolina bank founded in 1874 which became NationsBank which eventually bought the BofA.  This is a long-winded way of saying how much we admire Wells Fargo for honoring its past.  Their downtown San Francisco museum is a must-see.
    • Lending Tree just got an extension on its $50 million warehouse line from PNC.  PNC had previously announced that they were getting out of the warehouse lending business, but this shows why maintaining a good relationship with a good bank makes all the difference in the world.  PNC obviously will work with borrowers.  Had they been a Wall Street firm, they would have yanked the rug out form under Lending Tree without blinking an eye.
    • Hey, want to have another contest? How about nominations for the silliest novelty songs you can think of.  You may not be able to define what a novelty song is, but we bet you know one when you hear one.  Wooly Booly would count as one.  It was by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, proof that the sixties were not entirely the Golden Age of Rock.
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      As we vaguely recall, the lyrics to Wooly Booly had nothing to do with Pharaohs or anything remotely Egyptian.
    • If you want to watch the Tampa  Bay Devil Rays play the Yankees or Red Sox, you’ll pay 82% more than you’d pay for a ticket against (and it kills us to say this) the Oakland A’s.  A ticket to Avatar in 3-D costs more than a ticket to The Princess and the Frog.  Is there some lesson in here for mortgage bankers? For commercial bankers?
    • About $650 billion in commercial real estate mortgages come due in the next four years, but we’re not worried about those maturing in 2012-2013.  The economy will be doing just fine by then.  The problematic loans are those coming due this year, and the number is $150 billion.  It’s a big number, but spread over all the banks and other lenders, it’s a manageable number.

    If you’re looking for a key metric to monitor during the year, look at leakage, or what some call seepage.  It’s the difference between the profit margin  you build in on your rate sheet versus what you actually realize.  There’s no reason those two numbers should vary by more than 2-3 bps.  If you’re off by more, you need to find out why.  This may be the biggest contributor to underperformance we consistently see out there.
    And in the next few days, we’ll be in Cleveland and Columbus , Ohio , Dallas and Seattle. Brrr.

    Today’s Bonus:  How to use Return on Capital

    Garrett, Watts & Co.

    “Helping lenders increase revenues, control costs, and better manage risk.”

    Joe Garrett   (510-469-8633)

    Corky Watts   (408-395-5504)
    Mike McAuley    (281-250-2536)