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China’s Harmony train can now boast of being the fastest long distance passenger train on the planet. The Harmony express raced 1,100 km in less than three hours on Saturday, travelling from Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, to the central city of Wuhan. The journey previously took at least 11 hours [Financial Times]. That’s almost like traveling from New York City to Indianapolis by train in three hours. Even if you encountered a two and a half hour delay, which happened to one unlucky load of Harmony riders this week, you’d still make great time.

See the train in action in the video below:

The train will run 56 times per day and the cheapest fare is 490 yuan (roughly $72), however many slower trains along the same route will be axed to help cover costs.

Harmony reached a top speed of 217 miles per hour (350 km per hour) on its debut, bumping off Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train and France’s TGV, both of which can travel at 186 miles per hour (300 km per hour). Embarrassingly for the United States, Amtrak’s Acela service takes three and a half hours to travel the 186 miles (300 km) between New York and Boston.

For a look at Chinese high speed rail, both present and future, and the state of U.S. high speed rail spending, click over to Next Big Future.

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Video: YouTube / itnnews

Honestly, that’s just not even fair.

(Busted Coverage)

 

Regulators to disclose salaries of up to $6M for top execs at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac  By: ALAN ZIBEL –  Federal regulators plan to disclose Thursday that the top executives of government-controlled mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each earned between $4 million and $6 million this year, two people briefed on the matter said.  The people, who declined to be identified because the announcement was not yet public, said Wednesday that the pay packages were approved by the Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie and Freddie. – AP   Washington Examiner

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Are Hedge Funds Responsible For The Missing Half A Trillion In Treasury Purchases? – Submitted by Tyler Durden – haptip John Cervarich – Zero Hedge

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   + 

China Is Now The World’s Second Largest Economy –  China became the world’s second largest economy in 2009, passing Japan, which has held this distinction for decades. – 24/7 Wall St

and
China Charts Its Own Path – Keith R. McCullough –  While America dithers, the Chinese set up a currency reserve fund against — U.S. crashes.  “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” — Leroy “Satchel” Paige – Forbes

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   + 

Fed proposes new method for withdrawing stimulus – … — proposed the creation of a new mechanism  – a term deposit facility — it could use to withdraw money from the banking system when the time comes to tighten monetary policy. … – Reuters

and

FRB Press release on “Term Deposits” – … Term deposits would not satisfy required reserve balances or contractual clearing balances and would not be available to clear payments or to cover daylight or overnight overdrafts. …

Yes, there’s really a naked clown calendar. The dead mall calendar is kind of cool though.

(Asylum)

Beautiful shining hair is akin to beauty & health. However, many people experience unjustified loss of hair loss, which negatively affects their social life and self perception. Hair loss can be attributed to several reasons including hormone changes, dandruff, exposure to chemicals, side effects of strong medications, side effects of radiation, etc. Sometimes hair loss can be the most visible aspect of some serious diseases, inadequate nutrition, or serious physical conditions.

Causes of Hair Loss

Stress & associated hormone changes

Side effects of some medicines

Ill health of liver, kidney and other internal organs

Radiation

Dandruff & other skin diseases

Incomplete nutrition – lack of proteins, minerals (like zinc) & vitamins

Exposure to chemicals

Excess use of shampoo, soap

Application of too much or too little oil

Kinds of Hair Loss

Hair loss can be classified into different kinds according to the nature of hair loss.

Alopecia areata is characterized by loss of hair in circles. This is mainly induced by stress and mental trauma. Certain physical conditions like Systematic Lupas Erythematosus (SLE) can also be a cause of this condition.

Alopecia totalis is characterized by total loss of hair from the head, leaving behind a bald head and even barren eyebrows. The skin of head turns smooth.

Diffuse alopecia condition has unhealthy, thin and short hair.

Trichotillomania is another condition, prevalent among children, characterized by the children pulling their hair and eating it. Children do this without their conscious knowledge and the hair they eat can remain in the stomach as a ball of hair, leading to pain.

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss found among men. This is caused by excess activity of androgen, a hormone. Women too can suffer from this problem.

Holistic Food to Prevent Hair Loss

Every nutrient that helps in normal body functioning is also required for proper hair growth. Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (fat), minerals and vitamins play important roles in body functioning and hair growth as well. Inadequate nutrition also first reflects on the hair.

The Essential Food Items to Take to Prevent Hair Loss

Include in your diet a good mixture of everything listed below. Take a mix of everything in moderation. Curcuma longa, cumin seed, etc are good spices to prepare food. Similarly, gooseberry (Embellica officinale), dried grapes, pea (small green pea), etc also promote good physical health and hair growth.

Green and colored vegetables

Wholegrain rice and wheat

Carbohydrate rich root items – tapioca, sweet potato, etc

Egg

Milk and dairy products

Fruits – especially orange, grapes, and other slightly sour fruits

However, the quality of the atmosphere, ground, etc under which the plants grow also affect the quality of the food you take. Food crops grown with excess use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc have very limited quality.

Food Items to Avoid

If you care about your hair and physical health, avoid the following items.

Soft drinks

Fast food

Overly cooked food

Processed food (canned, packaged)

Agreed, these items are good for your tongue. However, what is good for your tongue may not be good for your body, blood and hair.

Hair Care Precautions

Note the following points to take good care of your hair.

Gently dry your hair with a clean towel after bathing

Always use a clean comb

Don’t comb wet hair

Don’t comb your hair too often

Comb your hair in the direction of its growth and not against it

Don’t use shampoos that contain chemicals – better option is natural shampoos prepared from hibiscus leaves, henna, grounded small green pea, etc

Apply enough oil on hair 30 minutes before bathing – coconut oil, sesame oil, etc are enough

Be gentle on your hair. Don’t rub your hair violently and use hair dryer sparingly. Shampoos that contain chemicals actively destabilize your hair. You can prepare natural herbal shampoo from materials available from your backyard itself and it is better than any shampoo that you pay big prices for.

Ayurvedic Means of Hair Care and Hair Growth Measures

Ayurveda suggests different hair oils for healthy hair growth. Amalaki (Emblica officinale) is a major component of Ayurvedic hair oils. Massage your scalp with these oils and you can see healthier hair growth.

Treatments for Hair Loss

Allopathy medicine has quite a few treatments for hair loss, which are listed below.

1. Minoxidil – this medicine prescribed for blood pressure is prescribed for hair loss too. Apply the medicine on your scalp. Effectiveness is 10-20%. Hair loss will come back once you stop using the medicine.

2. Finasteride – this medicine usually prescribed for prostrate enlargement is handy treatment against hair loss. Temporary loss of libido and lowered quality of semen are the usual side effects of using this medicine. Women shall not use this, as it can cause the women to give birth to handicapped child.

3. Hair transplantation – hair from one part of the head is transplanted to other parts of scanty hair growth. Strip incision, laser grafting, punch grafts, etc are the main types of hair transplantation treatments. The possibility of hair fall in two-three years and the scars at the areas where hair is taken are to be taken care of.

4. Scalp Reduction – a kind of plastic surgery, where skin of hairless area is removed and the skin from hairy area is stretched. The success depends on hairless area of head and the elasticity of skin.

5. Hairpiece or toupee – wigs are attached to the skin, without being noticed. Can wear and tear in the long run.

In case of hair loss, cure is almost impossible and even prevention is difficult. Put your focus on better physical and mental health than worrying about lost hair. Follow

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  LINK TO PARTS 1-3

Questions Surround Fannie, Freddie – By NICK TIMIRAOS – … Mahesh Swaminathan, senior mortgage analyst at Credit Suisse, said the firms could use their increased capacity to purchase delinquent loans from pools of mortgage-backed securities that they guarantee. … Others said the new flexibility means that Fannie and Freddie could replace the Fed as a big buyer of mortgage-backed securities, especially if weak demand for mortgage-backed securities from private investors drives rates higher. … – Wall Street Journal

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Expect More Bailouts in 2010 – Daryl Montgomery – has a list of all that will be in line – Seeking Alpha

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Fannie, Freddie, and full faith – Paul Krugman – … But I think it adds to our understanding if you think of Fannie and Freddie as being, in effect, in the same business as the Fed these days.  That is, if you think about what the Fed is doing when it engages in “quantitative easing” — expanding its balance sheet by buying unconventional assets — you realize that it’s part of a broader provision of credit to the private sector by governmental or quasi-governmental agencies, which are ultimately financed or at least backstopped by public debt. … – NY Times
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The Price for Fannie and Freddie Keeps Going Up – By PETER J. WALLISON – Barney Frank’s decision to ‘roll the dice’ on subsidized housing is becoming an epic disaster for taxpayers. – Wall Street Journal Opinion

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VIEWPOINT: Treasury Updates GSE Support, and the Mainstream Misleads – By LINDA LOWELL – … More to the point, given the central role Fannie and Freddie now play in sustaining home sales and refinancings as well as in preventing liquidations through foreclosure (the force weighing on housing markets around the country), the Treasury had no choice but to lift the caps. Too much is at stake, for taxpaying homeowners, to leave outstanding even a small “tail risk” that one of the enterprises would penetrate the cap. … – long article, lots of good points – HousingWire

Public-health-related bans are set to take effect with the New Year in a bunch of states. Here’s a sampling:

California restaurants will be banned from using trans fats. Starting tomorrow, restaurants won’t be able to use “oil, shortening, or margarine containing specified trans fats,” according to the text of the legislation. In 2011, the bill will expand to prohibit restaurants from serving “any food containing artificial trans fat.” Certain exceptions will apply, and some school cafeterias will be exempt. Eating trans fats increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. California is the first state to ban restaurants’ use of trans fats, the San Francisco Chronicle says, though some cities (including New York) have similar bans in place.

Smoking will be banned in North Carolina bars and restaurants starting Saturday. Yes, dozens of states already have smoking bans in place. But this one’s noteworthy because North Carolina is a big tobacco state, and home to cigarette giants like R.J. Reynolds (Camel, Winston) and Lorillard (Kent, Newport). “Even as recently as a decade ago, this was unthinkable,” a UNC prof told the Charlotte Observer.

Texting while driving will be banned in New Hampshire, Oregon and Illinois, the Associated Press reports. That will bring the number of states that ban the practice to 19, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, which publishes this handy chart of state laws that limit the use of cell phones while driving.

Astonishingly, the AP found a 42-year-old woman who said for the record that she didn’t plan to stop texting while driving in New Hampshire, where the fine for getting caught will be $100. “I’d better start saving my money,” she told the AP.

Photo by GypsyRock via Flickr

Well these latest goggles won’t open your world to some type of Virtual Reality experience like the Vuzix, but they will make your TV screen seem bigger than ever. The iTVGoggles are video glasses that project a big screen in front of your eyes making you feel like you are alone in a movie theater. There are two little LCD screens in the glasses that when worn over your eyes, will mold together to appear as one big screen. You can choose from two different pairs of glasses that will create this image for you of simulating a 50 inch or 80 inch big screen. “iTV Goggles is a fun and convenient way to watch movies on-the-go,” says Doug Pircher, the general manager of International Supplies, the leading worldwide distributor in digital electronics. “Because iTV Goggles is a completely private experience, it is great when traveling in an airplane, or on the road with kids whom you want to keep busy. Not to mention that these high-tech goggles can be hooked up to almost anything that plays video, from your video iPod to a portable DVD player to your favorite video game system. You can finally stop family members, especially your kids, from hogging the TV. Plus, you can even watch 3D movies from the 80 inch virtual screen model. iTV Goggles truly is your own personal theatre.”

Both the 50 inch and 80 inch virtual screen models come with stereo ear buds, the volume is adjustable, a light shield to protect your viewing experience from bright lights, USB charge cable, etc… At full charge, the iTV Goggles will last approximately four to five hours. They are compatible with anything that has an AV output, such as the iPod/iPod Video, DVD players, VHS players, DVR recorders, Tivo, Nintendo Wii, PS, PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360.   The iTV Goggles featuring the 50 inch virtual screen runs about $180 and the goggles featuring the 80 inch virtual screen costs around $310.

2009-1961: Annual Temperature Averages (Australian BoM).

Reference: Australian BoM http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/global/averagemaps.cgi?map=global_t&season=0112

Image Description: see case description. Image Location: Australian BoM http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/global/averagemaps.cgi?map=global_t&season=0112 Image Permission: This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. However, it is believed that the use of this work to illustrate the subject in question, Where no free equivalent is available or could be created that would adequately give the same information, on Interlinked Challenges, hosted on servers in the United States by Michigan State University, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

This community has the smartest tech people around, and is a good place to pose a problem one of our readers needs to solve. I will let Sanjay speak for himself:

I am an avid reader of jkOnTheRun from India (New Delhi) for the last few years and visit the site daily….I am just moving into a large house (9000 square feet over two floor with lots of concrete) built on a 3 acre plot of land…..

Wanted your help or suitable link to a resource on whats the most powerful Wifi Router to use so that I get coverage on both the floors of the house ….. i have a 8 mbps DSL line from my telecom service provider…

Thank you in advance

What is the best way to cover such a large, multi-story dwelling made of concrete? I am confident we’ll get the best solutions for Sanjay to consider, even though it’s a pretty big problem. Leave your suggestions for Sanjay in the comments.

---

2009-1900: Trend in Global Annual Temperature 1900-2009, 1910-2009, 1920-2009, 1930-2009, 1940-2009, 1950-2009, 1960-2009, 1970-2009 (Australian BoM).

Reference: Australian BoM http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/global/trendmaps.cgi

Image Descriptions: see case descriptions. Images are located at Australian BoM http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/global/trendmaps.cgi Image Permission: These works are copyrighted and unlicensed. However, it is believed that the use of these works to illustrate the subject in question, Where no free equivalent is available or could be created that would adequately give the same information, on Interlinked Challenges, hosted on servers in the United States by Michigan State University, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

Looking for something to pass the time this New Years weekend?  Once you’re all caught up with AndroidGuys news, you should take a few minutes to make your own Android doll and phone holder!  The process seems simple enough and, depending on what shade of green you get, looks 100% authentic and adorable!

Check out the quick tutorial video below for a simple walkthrough of the process.

If you decide to make one of these, send us a picture!

Source: Recombu

Most turnaround professionals predict a hard slog toward economic recovery in 2010 as businesses weighed down by debt hit rough patches and credit markets shun them.

Nearly half (49 percent) the respondents to the Turnaround Management Association’s distressed industries forecast think durable economic improvement is unlikely until at least the second half of 2010.

About three out of 10 think the worst is over, but nearly 20 percent suggest the economy has yet to hit rock bottom.

Industry Outlook

Three out of four respondents think the commercial real estate industry will fare the worst in 2010 as debt matures and lenders remain reluctant to refinance.

Retail again garnered the second highest proportion of responses, 35 percent, down from 52 percent last year.

Automotive, at the top of last year’s predictions list for most troubled industries, slipped to third (31 percent) during a year in which the federal government brokered restructurings of two of the big three automakers.

Technology appealed to nearly 30 percent of respondents as the industry most likely to improve in 2010, and energy and health care ranked nearly as high.

Commercial banks, which ranked third among industries most likely to improve in 2009, slid to fourth place.

Persistent Economic Trouble

Nearly all (92 percent) said economic conditions pose the greatest threat to struggling industries, and the most hard pressed will contend with too much debt compounded by lack of access to capital, according to 78 and 52 percent of respondents, respectively.

Industries likely to fare better in 2010 will do so mainly because of increased demand for products and services (59 percent) and an improved economy (52 percent).

Joblessness Cures

If the economy recovers without sufficient job creation, most respondents suggest the unemployment rate could be lowered through tax incentives for hiring, capital spending, and technology investment.

To a lesser degree, respondents think stimulus spending to create public works and youth employment projects and repatriate manufacturing jobs could help absorb some of the millions of out-of-work Americans.

The Chicago-based Turnaround Management Association has more than 9,000 members in 46 regional chapters who comprise a professional community of turnaround practitioners, attorneys, accountants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers, liquidators, executive recruiters and consultants.

It’s December 31, the last day of the 2000s. It’s always fun, and often quite moving, at times like these to take a look back and remind ourselves how far we’ve come, to recall where and what we were and how and why we are different now. These exercises can seem a little cheesy, but I think they’re quite useful. Some change comes so gradually that you hardly recognize it’s occurring at all. With a little self-reflection you can acknowledge that real change has occurred, be proud of it and own it, and then commit to further personal growth.

I was inspired by this Mark’s Daily Apple forum thread. In it forum user bonesheal asked, “What did YOU learn this year?” Seeing that Mark’s Daily Apple may have played a small part in raising the consciousness of the people that responded makes the experiment that is MDA all worth it. I started MDA over 3 years ago now with the goal to, as I say, empower people to take full responsibility for their own health and enjoyment of life by investigatng, discussing and critically rethinking everything we’ve assumed to be trued about health and wellness. I’m thrilled to see that people are doing just that. And I look forward to continuing to provide the resources and this forum for change.

At this time I’d like to echo bonesheal and ask, What did you learn this year? List and share your thoughts in the comment board.

I’ll be choosing one lucky commenter at random to win the Primal Holiday Package. This contest ends when the Primal Holiday offer ends – Dec. 31, midnight.

Check back tomorrow for an all new contest! Grok on!

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

Related posts:

1. Contest: New Year’s Resolutions
2. The World’s Healthiest Countries (and What We Can Learn From Them)
3. Happy Thanksgiving

According to a new report from Cambridge University (PDF), students aren’t interested in being able to read eBooks and eJournals on their mobile phones. Instead, users are far more interested in opening hours, location maps, contact info, and access to the library catalog. Most respondents were also far more interested in getting alerts by text message than being able to use library resources over the mobile web.

Sponsor

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series we call Redux, where we’ll re-publish some of our best posts of 2009. As we look back at the year – and ahead to what next year holds – we think these are the stories that deserve a second glance. It’s not just a best-of list, it’s also a collection of posts that examine the fundamental issues that continue to shape the Web. We hope you enjoy reading them again and we look forward to bringing you more Web products and trends analysis in 2010. Happy holidays from Team ReadWriteWeb!

According to the researchers, libraries that serve colleges should invest in text alerting services, and text reference services instead of mobile web services. With text alerting services, users could receive alerts when books are due, for example, while text reference services would give students access to the library reference desk over SMS. The report also advises libraries to allow mobile phone use in their buildings, “as long as they are set to silent or to flight mode.”

It is important to note that the researchers only surveyed users at Cambridge University and the Open University, so these results are somewhat skewed and only apply to the U.K., where text messaging is even more prevalent than in the United States.

The report, however, also found that users of more advanced phones like the iPhone are far more inclined to read e-books on their phones than users of feature phones (no surprise there, given the difference in screen estate and quality). In the end, though, the report argues that it is currently “not worth libraries putting development resource into delivering content such as e-books and e-journals to mobile devices at present.”

Too Conservative?

While these recommendations seem reasonable based on the survey data, we agree with Lorcan Dempsey, a library blogger and Vice President of OCLC, who argues that with the advent of better eReaders and the iPhone, these survey results will probably look very different in just a few years from now.

As Sarah Bartlett from the Panlibus blog points out, the recommendations in this report are anchored in the past (getting SMS alerts about due books, for example), while now would be a good time to “re-imagine the library and its services.”

While some libraries are often conservative when it comes to adopting new technologies, we would think that starting to adopt some of these technologies like e-books and better mobile services now would help these institutions to remain relevant in a future where those large buildings in the middle of campus are already turning more into places for study groups to meet up and grab a cup of coffee than centers of academic research.

CC-licensed image used courtesy of Flickr user umjanedoan.

Discuss

which offers top performance in combination with a minimum footprint. With its Intel Atom and Core 2 Duo processors, the device offers differing clock frequencies in a range of 1.2 – 2.26 GHz and hence the precise adjustment of performance to differing needs. The control device is available with two different housings, the smaller of which has a volume of around 1.5 liters and therefore only requires minimal space. The larger version has two integrated PCIe slots and thus facilitates the installation of customized extension cards. In this way existing proprietary hardware may be used further and links can be established with external components via Profinet RT, Ethernet/IP or CAN. Data can be conserved in the easily accessible internal CF or SSD memories, or be stored via an SD interface located on the front side of the housing. As a result of the use of non-rotating memory, the data is better protected than on standard hard disks. An integrated, two-line LCD facilitates the issue of messages during start-up and ongoing operation, while an on-board graphic card with DVI interface allows connection to an external display. Peripheral devices can be connected to the two USB 2.0 interfaces (high-speed) and the controls networked via the two gigabit Ethernet connections. Two real time Ethernet interfaces permit the linkage of I/Os, sensors and drives, either via SERCOS III or EtherCAT. KeControl C3 offers an especially robust aluminum housing, which is foreseen for simple DIN rail installation without screws.

Filed under: GM, Saab

After canceling a earlier deadline of December 31, General Motors has given potential suitors until January 7 to come up with a bid for Saab or the storied Swedish brand will go the way of the dodo. On a business level, the move to rid itself of Saab makes sense. Saab is a perennial money loser and it has never quite figured out how to handle the brand. At this point, about the only possibility for Saab to escape the guillotine is for Spyker Cars or another bidder to somehow come up with a satisfactory last minute bid- or is it?

The brand enthusiasts at Saab History are trying to stage a last minute rally of their own – only instead of a bid for the company, these fans are looking to rally at GM’s Renaissance Center headquarters in Detroit, hoping that a show of force will help keep the doors open in Trollhättan. The goal is to assemble an impressive show of force just hours prior to the General’s January 7 board meeting that will determine the fate of the brand. The directions are simple. Get to GM headquarters, park your Saab, get some group photos and talk to the press.

The hope of the rally is that GM’s board members will see the outpouring of support for Saab and somehow push harder to make a deal a reality. While that sounds nice – and probably fun – like the hoped-for agreement with Spyker itself, it remains to be seen whether the plan can be seen through. After all, the rally suggestion was floated just yesterday, and thus far plans are in their infancy. That said, we’ve seen car enthusiasts scrap together more with less, so this is something worth keeping an eye on. Interested in learning more? Click on the link below.

[Source: Saab History]

Saab enthusiasts planning rally at GM HQ? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nevada solar power plant will use molten salt to store heat energy in event that solar panels reduce their power output. The reserve heat will continue to drive steam turbines and generate electricity due to the thermal conductivity of molten salt. …

… “SolarReserve, a California-based company that says it has the answer: technology that uses salt to store the sun’s energy. And it is making its debut in the form of a solar plant just outside of Tonopah, Nevada. ” …

Via msnbc: Solar energy plant

SolarReserve Molten Salt Solar Technology: “The heated molten salt then flows into a thermal storage tank where it is stored, maintaining 98% thermal efficiency, and eventually pumped to a steam generator. ”