7.0 Earthquake Hits Eastern Japan

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan at 5.27 UTC (14.47 local time).

The temblor was centred at a depth of 371 kilometers. No Tsunami threat issued at this moment.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

Related articles

• 7.0-magnitude earthquake hits Japan, no danger of tsunami - South Asian News Agency (sananews.net)
• Japan Rings In New Year With 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake (inquisitr.com)
• Tokyo rattled by major earthquake on New Year's Day (vancouversun.com)

Best Cat Video of the Year #1

Of course, my cat Andie gets the gold! My beautiful Andie kitty loves to bring my slippers down...isn´t she adorable?

Best Cycling Video of the Year #1

This is definitely the best cycling video of the year. I love it because I identify myself with that child, his free spirit, ah, freedom on a bicycle, freedom anywhere...everywhere...for everyone!

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #1

Non-coding RNAs and Cancer: New Paradigms in Oncology

Abstract:

Over the last decade, a growing number of non-coding transcripts have been found to have roles in gene regulation and RNA processing. The most well known small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are the microRNAs (miRNAs), but the network of long and short non-coding transcripts is complex and is likely to contain as yet unidentified classes of molecules that form transcriptional regulatory networks. miRNAs and some other ncRNAs have been found to be involved in human tumorigenesis, revealing a new layer in the molecular architecture of cancer. Gene expression studies have shown that hundreds of miRNAs are deregulated in cancer cells, and functional studies have clarified that miRNAs are involved in all the molecular and biologic processes that drive tumorigenesis. Here, we summarize the recent advances in understanding miRNAs' and other ncRNAs' involvement in cancer and illustrate how this knowledge may be useful in medical practice. New diagnostic classifiers based on miRNAs will soon be available for medical practitioners, and even more importantly, miRNAs may become novel anti-cancer therapies.

Introduction

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are RNAs that do not encode proteins (Eddy, 2001; Mattick, 2009). Until a decade ago, ncRNAs went unnoticed in the genome sequencing field because the central dogma of genetics was that RNA is the messenger between genes and the final proteins that they encode. However, recent improvements in high-throughput technology for gene expression assays have led to the discovery that most human transcriptional units are ncRNAs (Bertone et al., 2004; Birney et al., 2007). Moreover, newly discovered ncRNAs seem to play important roles in several gene regulation mechanisms (Mercer et al., 2009; Ponting et al., 2009).

Long ncRNAs and Cancer

ncRNAs can be classified by their length. Long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) are typically >200 nucleotides long. Small ncRNAs are processed from longer precursors and include Piwi-interacting RNAs, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and some bacterial regulatory RNAs (Brosnan and Voinnet, 2009). Many ncRNA classes have been extensively studied, and their regulatory roles in cell biology are broadly recognized. miRNAs are well-known ncRNA molecules that regulate various gene expressions at the RNA level. Likewise, lncRNAs such as ultraconserved genes (UCGs) and HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) have been characterized.

Defense Act Affirms Indefinite Detention of US Citizens

ATLANTA, Georgia – Civil liberties groups and many citizen activists are outraged over language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (NDAA) that appears to lay the legal groundwork for indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without trial.

David Gespass, president of the National Lawyers Guild, called it an “enormous attack on the U.S. and our heritage” and a “significant step” towards fascism, in an interview with IPS.

“For a very long time the U.S. has been moving towards what I personally think of as fascist – the integration of monopoly capital with state power, that’s combined with an increased repression at home and greater aggression around the world. I don’t think we’re there yet, but I do see that we’re going in that direction,” Gespass said. “I think the… act is a significant step in that direction.”

“It’s quite severe. If this continues, people will not be able to count on constitutional protections at all,” Debra Sweet, national director of the group World Can’t Wait, told IPS.

Subtitle D of the act contains several controversial provisions on indefinite detention of terrorism suspects.

The executive branch – starting with the George W. Bush administration shortly after Sep. 11, 2001 – began indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

When those detentions were challenged in the courts, the federal government argued that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by the U.S. Congress on Sep. 18, 2001, allowed for the detentions to occur. In 2004, the Supreme Court agreed in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.

“I know a lot of people who voted in favour of it (AUMF) back then didn’t think they voted in favour of what ended up happening, but what it said is the president is authorised (to do) whatever is necessary,” Gespass said. “The language as I recall it is not at all restrictive.”

The current language in the NDAA seeks to legislatively affirm that the U.S. has the right to detain people, even though the courts already ruled, at least in the case of Hamdi, a prisoner captured during armed conflict in Afghanistan, that it already has that power.

From: http://ping.fm/M6pfA

Obama Makes It Official: Suspected Terrorists Can Be Indefinitely Detained Without a Trial - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

Not a very HAPPY NEW YEAR for Americans. My heart goes out to them, sincerely.

Despite having once threatened to veto the bill due to controversial language about the treatment of suspected terrorists, the president signed the controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law on Saturday. Barack Obama did not keep his lingering concerns about aspects of the bill law a secret, however. In justifying his decision to sign NDAA into law, Obama said in a statement, "I have signed the Act chiefly because it authorizes funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, crucial services for service members and their families, and vital national security programs that must be renewed." He continued, "The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it. In particular, I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists." (We've pasted the full statement at the bottom of this post.)

Economists Agree: We are In a Depression

“The Prevailing Debate Among Economists and Historians is Whether the World Economy Faces the ‘Great’ Depression of the 1930s or the ‘Long’ Depression of the 1870s”
Reuters notes:

You know it’s grim when the prevailing debate among economists and historians is whether the world economy faces the “Great” depression of the 1930s or the “Long” depression of the 1870s.
***
Harvard professor and economic historian Niall Ferguson, a fan of the British government’s austerity drive and skeptic of further stimulus, reckons the world is facing a “slight depression” and favors comparison with the late 19th century rather than 1930s.

Best Cat Photo of the Year #2

Even though this photo was taken on 2007, I decided to choose for 2011 BESTS LIST because it's the first time I do it, and Tony'a yawn deserves to be amongst the best ones.

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #1

In an interview on BBC News this morning that left the hosts gob-smacked (google it... it is the BBC after all), Alessio Rastani outlines in a mere three-and-a-half-minutes what we all know and most ignore. While the whole interview is worth watching, the money shot for us was "This economic crisis is like a cancer, if you just wait and wait hoping it is going to go away, just like a cancer it is going to grow and it will be too late!". While he dreams of recessions, sees Goldman ruling the world, and urges people to prepare, it is hard to disagree with much (or actually anything) of what he says and obviously interventions and machinations means we will have days like this (in Silver for instance), there is only one endgame here and we hope there is less hopeful euphoria (and more preparedness) as we pull back the curtain further and further. While we do not know who this trader is, one thing we can be 100% certain of is that he will never appear on CNBC.


From: Ping.fm

Best Cat Picture of the Year #3

One of my cyclist cats, LOL. Bitsy loves to get on my bikes and ride on!

Best Cycling Photos of the Year #2

I decided to list these pics as #2 because they represent exactly what cycling is all about:

1. Great mental strength
2. Tremendous courage
3. Physical power that takes the cyclist to wonderful levels of accomplishment.
4. "Pain is temporary, defeat lasts forever" - Lance Armstrong
5. Dignity

Johnny Hoogerland as he crosses the finish line
of the 9th stage of the Tour de France.

Best Cycling Video of the Year #3

Amazing video of cyclists going downhill FAST, on a very narrow lane. I gotta give them my utmost respect, they are fearless and have a great technique.

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #2

On the brain about OBESITY

Professor Steve Bloom at Imperial College London has found how energy balance can be restored by gut hormones8. These hormones are released when a person eats, acting as neurotransmitters to indicate to the brain to stop eating. Researchers believe these hormones may provide a solution to appetite suppression, by mimicking the body’s response to being full.
An MRC researcher at University College London, Dr Rachel Batterham, has discovered why a high protein diet can help weight loss9. The gut hormone peptide YY (PYY) helps to regulate appetite by sending signals to the brain indicating that the person is full. The team has found that eating high protein foods increases PYY levels and reduces hunger10.

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #3

Image via Wikipedia

High risk research

Individual studies funded by the MRC include research on monitoring the disease within the population, the spread of disease and clinical and health services research. Most deal with people at high risk for HIV and other STIs.
Dr Lucy Platt, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has funding for a project on the risk of HIV among female sex workers from Eastern Europe. The majority of London’s sex workers are migrants and many of them enter the UK against their will or under false pretences. Women from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union make up a significant proportion of all female sex workers in London. This study will provide the first estimate of HIV and STI prevalence and risk among sex workers.

Best Economy Blog Report Video of the Year #2

This is just BRILLIANT and exquisite. This comment is one of the best ones about the video: "Well spoken, compelling, true account of a scoundrel who begat a nest of monsters through abusing them from birth, and so on, until now. The doctor in 'silence of the lambs,' who assesses Hannibal speaks about his uniqueness as a true sociopath who is a rare catch for study. But in reality they are not born but made. The Rockefellers are a product of their own cruelty, not an aberration of nature. The people are waking up to this as they see how insanely these so called 'elites' are privately."

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #3

Dude, Where’s My Job?

Every politician in the U.S. is running for election on a platform of“creating” new good paying jobs for Americans. Only one problem. Politicians don’t create jobs. Businesses create jobs. When politicians and the Federal Reserve get involved in the job market, bad things happen. The excessively low interest rates put in place by the Federal Reserve created a housing bubble that led to the “creation” of 1 million new construction jobs between 2002 and 2006. Of course, the bubble burst has led to the loss of 2 million construction jobs since 2007. What the myopic pundits on CNBC don’t realize, because they aren’t programmed to think, is that the Greenspan Housing Bubble “created” millions of other jobs that had no chance of being sustained. The number of realtors grew from 750,000 in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2006. We needed hundreds of thousands of new mortgage brokers and appraisers to falsify documents and not conduct proper due diligence. Wall Street needed to hire thousands of new MBA shysters to create fraudulent packages of toxic mortgages and the rating agencies needed to hire thousands of
Burger King level thinkers to stamp AAA on the packages of toxic mortgages. These were just the direct jobs created by Easy Al.

Spain warns of higher budget deficit for 2011

MADRID (MarketWatch) -- More than a month after coming to power, the new center-right government in Spain has warned that the country's budget deficit will surpass prior expectations, hitting around 8% for 2011. The prior government had predicted a budget deficit of 6%. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria made the announcements at a press conference, in which she said the government had approved an austerity package worth €8.9 billion euros ($11.5 billion) to combat the country's economic and budgetary difficulties. Saenz also said the government would need to increase some taxes on a temporary basis.

From: Ping.fm

US Business Closings Rise Tremendously

LIST OF BUSINESSES CLOSING THEIR DOORS ONLY TODAY, DECEMBER 29th.

Planned Parenthood Closing Office in St Joseph County Michigan

Loose Lucy's in Downtown Charleston SC

Cassella's Kitchen in Downtown Muncie

Update: Altschul’s Clothing Store Virginia

Platinum Sports & Fitness in Keizer

Conrad’s Coffee Company on Shadowline Drive NC

Two Blockbuster stores in Kettering and the one in Fairborn Ohio

Smit's Flower Shop in Wood River IL

Stamplistic 1957 Cooper Foster Park Road in Amherst

Delicieuse in Redondo Beach CA

San Rafael's Western Sports Shop  

The Palace Diner in Flushing NY

Café Twenty Eight in MN

The Krispy Kreme in Midtown Mobile AL

Elegant Impressions in Clinton Township Michigan

Home Depot Closing Phoenix Warehouse Moving to CA - up to 144 Layoffs Resulting

Maijean Restaurant in Clarendon IL

Angeli Caffe in Los Angeles CA

Paper Zone Closing 8 Stores in Washington and Oregon

Polonia in The East Village NYC

Best Cycling Photo of the Year #4

Alberto Contador, punching a guy who was bothering him in the Tour de France 2011.  Bad attitude, Alberto. How many times was Lance Armstrong bothered by imbeciles while riding? Many. But Lance never reacted like that, because he has class, Alberto doesn´t.

Alberto Contador punching a guy during the TDF 2011

Best Cat Photo of the Year #4

One of my cats, Francesca Schleck, is a little trouble maker, but she makes me very happy with the things that she does every day.

My female cat, Francesca, in a rolled Yoga mat

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #4

Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

50 Economic Numbers From 2011 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don't make dramatic changes immediately. If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just "tweaking" things here and there is not going to fix this economy. We truly do need a fundamental change in direction. America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding. If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.

Eurozone faces tough hurdles early in 2012 - Europe news

December 29, 2011 — FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — After a turbulent 2011, the 17 countries that use the euro will be quickly confronted in the new year with major hurdles to solving their government debt crisis, just as the eurozone economy is expected to sink back into recession.

With government finances under pressure as growth wanes, the eurozone will find it even more difficult to shore up shaky banks and reduce the high borrowing costs that threaten Italy and Spain with financial ruin.

As early as the second full week of January, bond auctions in which Italy and Spain need to borrow big chunks of cash will start showing whether the eurozone is finally getting a grip on the 2-year-old crisis that has seen Greece, Ireland and Portugal bailed out.

Best Medical Article of the Year #4

Andrew N. Wilner, MD: Here at the ECTRIMS conference, there's a lot of emphasis on biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS). Are practicing neurologists using any biomarkers at the moment?

Charlotte Teunissen, PhD: There are oligoclonal bands being used to discriminate MS patients from controls, and they're rather sensitive for MS -- above 90%. They are also very stable.

Dr. Wilner: So they're very sensitive, but not very specific. There are many other neurologic diseases in which oligoclonal bands can occur.

Dr. Teunissen: Yes, that's true. We find that using MRI measures and oligoclonal bands reduces [diagnostic uncertainty]. But this is also a controversial issue currently.

Dr. Wilner: So, what is a biomarker?

Best Cat Video of the Year #5

Two cute cats who talk to each other. About what, I ask myself? What do you think?

Best Cycling Video of the Year #5

What a rush I get after I get to the top of a 13.5 kms steep hill and then I turn right and get ready to go downhill for another 13-14 kms at fast pace, crazy speed, wind blowing, cars passing by...who cares? I'M ALIVE!

SOME OF THE COMMENTS I LIKE THE MOST:

1. "You definitely have an optimistic look on life. :-D I wish I had that much optimism"

2. "Nice camera work Martha, I can't figure out how you were able to move the camera around so well, some of your shots were almost 180 degrees!!! Did you have a passenger on the back of your bike holding the camera?!?"

3. "this is perfect, a nice smooth slight downhill, just nice to get your adrenaline going!"

And the Financial Bloodshed Continues

"and the bloodshed continues"... and who ever disagrees with me is DOOMED!

Image by scorpiorules58 via Flickr

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks suffered significant losses Wednesday, with the S&P 500 retreating to the loss column for 2011, on concern about Italy’s next auction of government debt.

“Italy did have a decent short-term auction today, and markets responded neutrally to reasonably well to that, but what is causing market participants greater concern is the longer-term sale tomorrow,” said Mike McGervey, president of McGervey Wealth Management in North Canton, Ohio.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot to push prices around when we see volume this light, whether stocks or currencies,” McGervey added of the thin volumes in the holiday-shortened trading week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA -1.14% fell 139.94 points, or 1.1%, to 12,151.41 with all of its 30 components ending in the red.

The Dow held a 5% gain for the year, with two sessions remaining.

“It has to do with the more defensive nature of some of the Dow stocks,” said McGervey. “Some of the industrials have benefited from modest signs of growth, and a lot of people look at those giants as larger dividend paying stocks.”

Back in negative terrain for 2011, the S&P 500 Index SPX -1.25% shed 15.79 points, or 1.3%, to 1,249.64, with natural-resource and energy shares hardest hit among its 10 major industry groups.

The Nasdaq Composite COMP -1.34% declined 35.22 points, or 1.3%, to 2,589.98, leaving the index in the red by 2.4% for the year.

From: Ping.fm

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #5

Image via Wikipedia

Latest cancer research Ovarian cancer 'not detectable' in the blood for years

A mathematical model designed by scientists in the US indicates thatovarian cancer may not be detectable in the blood using current technology until 10 years after the disease first starts to develop.
The researchers say their work could make future efforts to develop diagnostic blood tests more efficient.

BBC News - Argentina President Cristina Fernandez has cancer

La Sra. Presidenta de la República de Argentina, Cristina Fernandez Kirchner, ha sido diagnosticada con cancer tiroideo no metastásico (Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma) y será operada en cuanto antes.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has cancer and will have an operation on 4 January, her government has announced. The cancer is in her thyroid gland but has not spread to other parts of her body, a spokesman said. Ms Fernandez, 58, recently began her second term as president after a landslide election victory.

Best Economy Blog Post Article of the Year #5

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Nine weeks after its bankruptcy, the general public still hasn’t quite realized the implications of the MF Global scandal.

My own sense is, this is the first tremor of the earthquake that’s coming to the global financial system. And how the central banks and financial regulators treated the “Systemically Important Financial Institutions” that had exposure to MF Global—to the detriment of the ordinary, blameless customer who got royally ripped off in its bankruptcy—is both the template of how the next financial crisis will be handled, and an accelerator that will make the next crisis happen that much sooner.

Simple: It went bankrupt—because it made bad bets on European sovereign debt, by way of leveraging positions 100-to-1. Yeah, I know: Stupid. Anyway, they went bankrupt—which in and of itself is no big deal. It’s not as if it’s the first time in history that a brokerage firm has gone bust. But to me, the big deal in this case was the way the bankruptcy was handled.

Paranoia and Schizophrenia of the US Fearmongering

"Many believe that the US is already in a covert war with Iran. Key scientists involved in Iran's nuclear program have been assassinated and several Iranian government buildings have been blown up. Now Iran, according to a Univision documentary, is being aided by Venezuela and Cuba. According to the documentary, the three countries are meeting in Mexico to plot terrorist attacks in the US. Is the Iranian threat real? Eva Golinger, lawyer and author, joins us to analyze if Iran is a danger to the US."

Owners of Mexico restaurant blame economy, competition, health issues for closure | The Republic

MEXICO, Maine — A landmark Mexico restaurant has closed after more than four decades in business.

The owners of Maddy's Pizza say the tough economy, competition from chains and a serious illness in the family all contributed to the closure Friday.

Greg and Norma Arsenault have owned Maddy's for 17 years. They took over from Norma's mother, Maddy Lauzier, who opened the eatery in December 1970.

Norma Arsenault tells the Sun Journal (http://bit.ly/szD9ED) that her husband was recently hospitalized for what doctors believed was toxic shock syndrome. He was on life support for three days but is now expected to recover.

Greg Arsenault was also the town's recreation director and lost his health benefits when the town reduced the job from full-time to 20 hours per week.

From: http://ping.fm/9JbEq

Bad holiday sales leads to Sears, Kmart store closings - Dec. 27, 2011

Image via Wikipedia

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Sears Holdings on Tuesday reported a sharp drop in holiday sales compared to a year ago, and said the results will force it to close 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores.
The company said the stores to be closed have yet to be identified.
Sears Holdings said sales at stores open at least a year, a closely watched retail measure known as same-store sales, tumbled 5.2% in the eight weeks ended on Christmas Day. That came from a 4.4% drop in sales at Kmart stores and a 6% slide in sales at domestic Sears stores.
"Given our performance and the difficult economic environment, especially for big-ticket items, we intend to implement a series of actions to reduce on-going expenses," said Lou D'Ambrosio, CEO of the company.

Best Cat Video of the Year #6

Lovely Cute Cat Kitty in a Colander 

This is one of my cats, her name is Bitsy. She is so cute and I adore her but sometimes she is soooo crazy, the little thing. She has my heart.

Best Cycling Video of the Year 2011 #6

The 2011 Ironman St. George race video from the awards banquet May 8.

HMC will lay off 200 on Christmas Eve - Pacific Business News

The bankrupt Hawaii Medical Center has begun its first round of layoffs by notifying 200 employees Friday that they will be jobless effective Saturday — Christmas Eve.
The across-the-board layoffs cover employees across multiple departments at both Hawaii Medical Center East in Liliha and Hawaii Medical Center West . The first round of layoffs comes one week after HMC officials announced that they would be forced to shut down after failing to reach a deal with a potential new buyer for the hospitals as part of its second go-around in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

Huntington Station Toys 'R' Us Closing - Huntington, NY Patch

For many, shopping at the Toys 'R' Us store in Huntington Station has been part of the holiday agenda for decades — but it all ends Monday.

Store officials confirmed to Patch that the retail giant is moving out.

"We are closing, that is correct," said Rob, a store manager who did not disclose his last name. "We are starting liquidation Monday. When we close? We will not know the exact date on that."

According to one source, the store is being forced to close Jan. 25 due to the inability to reach an agreement with the present landlord. The manager at the store could not confirm the report.

"I can refer you to media relations and they can give you that information," said Rob.

Located at 350 Route 110 in Huntington Station, the toy store has been a fixture in the community for many years.

"Toys R Us has been in this community for approximately 30 years," said one regular customer in an e-mail to Patch. "Many families are now second-generation Toys 'R' Us kids and will certainly miss the events and the shopping experience that Toys 'R' Us strives to provide for our community."

It is the latest in a recent string of bad news for the Huntington Station business community.

From: http://ping.fm/VBNCM

Best Medial Research Article of the Year #6

Ingentaconnect Publication Cell Transplantation Medicine

Cell Transplantation publishes original, peer-reviewed research and review articles on the subject of cell transplantation and its application to human diseases. To ensure high-quality contributions from all areas of transplantation, separate section editors and editorial boards have been established.
Articles deal with a wide range of topics including physiological, medical, preclinical, tissue engineering, and device-oriented aspects of transplantation of nervous system, endocrine, growth factor-secreting, bone marrow, epithelial, endothelial, and genetically engineered cells, among others. Basic clinical studies and immunological research papers are also featured. To provide complete coverage of this revolutionary field, Cell Transplantation will report on relevant technological advances, and ethical and regulatory considerations of cell transplants. Cell Transplantation is now an Open Access journal starting with volume 18 in 2009, and therefore there will be an inexpensive publication charge, which is dependent on the number of pages, in addition to the charge for color figures. This will allow work to be disseminated to a wider audience and also entitle the corresponding author to a free PDF, as well as prepublication of an unedited version of the manuscript.


From: http://ping.fm/nSq8t

Best Economy Video Report of the Year #6

Tent "cities" are springing up and enlarging across the USA as more are forced out of homes by the crooked bankers, as they receive corporate welfare from the government to carry on defrauding taxpayers. Meanwhile politicians like President Obama look on as he gives bankers money.

Recorded from Sky News, 23 December 2011

THIS ARE SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS ABOUT THE VIDEO: 

1. Don't believe the 8.6% (UNEMPLOYMENT) number. It's actually around 20%. 

 2. That's just one tent city, there are hundreds in the USA. There are people living underground in tunnels in Vegas city. Its been going on since the 2008 crash and is going to get much worse very quickly. The UK holds the same fate. Be prepared.

Best Cat Video of the Year #7

Cat celebrating a fooball soccer GOL!

Best Cycling Video of the Year #7

This is me cycling on a mild cold Sunday morning; the beginning of a 74 kms bike ride.

Best Science Research Article of the Year #7

Discovery changes how scientists think about plant cell wall formation

"Many people have overlooked the importance of pectins because they think pectins aren't important in the thicker and stronger secondary plant cell wall," said Mohnen. But, she said, "because pectins are synthesized in all plant cell wall types -- not just in soft fruits, but also in wood and grasses that have tough and different outer walls -- this new discovery makes it likely that modification of pectin will improve the availability of carbon reserves in the plant cell wall for renewable sources of energy."

Best Economy Article of the Year #7

King of Spain Says “Very Hard Times” are in Spaniards’ Future

Spain’s King Juan Carlos said Tuesday that his country is facing “very hard times,” calling on Spaniards to “win the battle” against high unemployment and consolidate “the definitive victory” over terrorism.

The monarch made his comment in a toast during a farewell luncheon at the Royal Palace for the outgoing Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who thanked the king for his commitment to Spain and for working in the “general interest of its citizens.”

France advises breast implant removal for 30,000 women - France - RFI

IMPLANTES CON SILICON DEFECTIVO
DEFECTIVE SILICON GEL IMPLANTS

France’s health ministry on Friday advised 30,000 women with breast implants made by the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), to have them removed.

A health ministry statement said women with PIP implants “do not have a higher risk of cancer than women who have implants manufactured by other firms”, but added that there were “well established risks of ruptures”.

Best Cycling Video of the Year #8

Libertad, freedom, laughter, speed, joining yourself with nature, these are the few of the many things that cycling means to me, and this video shows them!

Best Cat Video of the Year #8

This is sweet tender cat mom love!

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #8

A colony of embryonic stem cells, from the H9 cell line (NIH code: WA09). Viewed at 10X with Carl Zeiss Axiovert scope. 

One of the many obstacles that have to be overcome before human embryonic stem cells can reach their therapeutic potential is to establish whether or not transplanted cells can be functionally integrated into tissues or organs.

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #8

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

A lot of people were puzzled about what German Chancellor Angela Merkel meant when she recently stated that the ultimate solution to the financial crisis in the EU would "mean more Europe, not less Europe". Well, now we are finding out. A leaked internal German government memo entitled "The Future of the EU: Required Integration Policy Improvements for the Creation of a Stability Union" actually proposes the creation of a "European Monetary Fund" which would be given the power to run the economies of troubled European nations. This "stability union" would be quickly followed by the creation of a full-fledged "political union". Essentially, this leaked memo proposes the creation of a "European Superstate" which will be crammed down the throats of the rest of Europe whether they like it or not. National sovereignty would be a thing of the past and European bureaucrats would run everything. Of course this will never be accepted by the people of Europe until they feel the bitter pain of the coming financial collapse, but we are starting to see that there is already a clear plan for what the Germans wish to implement in the aftermath of the coming crisis.

Weirdest Ride-able Bicycle of the Year 2011

ESP: Simpática la bici, pero solo para coleccionar. Como rareza es una lindura, como ciclista....mmmm....no.

ENG: To each their own. Like it but not to ride it myself.

Argentina President: Britain is a class colonial power in decline - Telegraph

The response came after Mr Cameron told the Commons on Wednesday: "I would say this: as long as the Falkland Islands want to be sovereign British territory, they should remain sovereign British territory - full stop, end of story."
Mrs Kirchner has insisted Argentina and Britain should negotiate over the South Atlantic islands, which the two countries fought a 10-week war over in 1982.
Addressing Mr Cameron's stance, she said: "In the 21st century (Britain) continues to be a crude colonial power in decline."
She branded Mr Cameron "arrogant" and said his remarks were an expression of "mediocrity and stupidity".

From: http://ping.fm/PdFaJ

This shrinking Christian nation: Number of believers falls 10% in just five years | Mail Online

Christianity is slowly, but surely losing ground in England and Wales, according to an official survey yesterday.
The number who declare themselves to be Christian has dropped by nearly 10 per cent in five years, while the number of non-believers is growing.
The state research into race and religion also showed that Christians are less than half as likely to attend a place of worship as followers of other traditions.
The Citizenship Survey showed that Christianity remains the faith of the great majority of the population. But its share dropped from 77 per cent to 70 per cent between 2005 and 2010.
Over the same period the numbers who say they have no religion went up from 15 per cent to 21 per cent.

Syria: 'bomb attacks' in Damascus - live updates | World news | guardian.co.uk

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A group of activists hoping to join up with the "Life march" protesting at the immunity deal for Ali Abdullah Saleh has been attacked by government loyalists, south of Sana'a, AFP reports.

The "Life March" was due to arrive in the capital today after setting off from Taiz, nearly 267km away but is now likely to enter Sana'a tomorrow, AFP says, quoting a rally organiser.

Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sanaa, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.

House approves payroll tax cut, jobless benefits - politics - msnbc.com

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WASHINGTON — The House passed a two-month renewal of payroll tax cuts for 160 million workers and unemployment benefits for millions of jobless on Friday, giving President Barack Obama a resounding victory over Republicans who control the House.
The Senate approved the bill earlier.

Best Cat Video of the Year #9

A very cute cat, and the owners were very well trained by the kitty to do exactly what he wants them to do for his...pure entertainment.

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #9

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 21 - Macrolide antibiotics appear to reduce mortality in patients with acute lung injury, according to a post hoc analysis of data from an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network trial.

Until now the only treatment shown to reduce mortality in acute lung injury is low tidal volume ventilation, but animal experiments had suggested that the immunomodulatory effects of macrolides could be beneficial, said Dr. Allan J. Walkey and Dr. Renda S. Wiener at Boston University School of Medicine in a November 23 online paper in Chest.

Best Cycling Video of the Year #9

Fabián Cancellara, the human cyclist engine of our times!

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #9

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Are we on the verge of another Great Depression? Christian Lagarde, the head of the IMF, said this week that if dramatic action is not taken immediately we could actually see conditions "reminiscent of the 1930s depression" and that no country on earth "will be immune to the crisis". Right now, financial panic is sweeping across Europe, but most Americans are not too concerned about it because they simply don't understand how important the EU is. The truth is that the EU has a much larger population than the United States does. The EU has an economy that is nearly as large as the economies of the United States and China combined. The EU has more Fortune 500 companies that the United States does, and the banking system of Europe is substantially larger than the banking system of the United States. Anyone out there that believes that a massive financial collapse in Europe would not dramatically affect the rest of the globe is being delusional. The European debt crisis is one of the biggest stories that we have seen in a long, long time and the coming financial meltdown is going to permanently change the global economy.

Medicare doctors face 27.4% pay cut come January - Dec. 21, 2011

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The payroll tax impasse in Congress has put Medicare doctors on edge over the likelihood that their pay could be slashed 27.4% in two weeks time.
Under current law, health care providers to the nation's 45 million Medicare beneficiaries -- including physicians, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and podiatrists -- face reduced government reimbursement payments on Jan. 1.

Best Cat Picture of the Year #10

These two beautiful cats are Cocco and Andy, resting and cuddling.

"With their qualities of cleanliness, discretion, affection, patience, dignity, 
and courage, how many of us, I ask you, 
would be capable of becoming cats?" -Fernand Mery Her Majesty the Cat

Best Medical Research Article of the Year #10

This is great news for all patients who are suffering of brain cancer or have the risk of developing it.

"LONDON, ONTARIO, PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT -- (Marketwire - Jan. 20, 2010) -
The Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative (BTFC) today announced the award of 11 one-year feasibility grants of $100,000 each to teams of researchers and clinicians developing the types of tools needed to translate scientific discoveries into effective new treatments for brain cancer patients. The BTFC's second joint initiative for brain tumor research is intended to accelerate the testing of different kinds of brain tumor response markers - reliable, easily monitored biological signals that can reveal if and how a tumor is responding to therapies."

Best Cycling Video of the Year #10

I do not just like Andy Schleck, I ADORE Andy Schleck. He is one of my favorite cyclists now days (let us never forget the ones that have preceded and have marked and given glory to this wonderful sport, cycling) and have a little collection of videos where he shines dancing on the bike, conquering mountains and roads on his bicycle.

If you like cycling as much as I do, you are going to enjoy this video with Andy.

Best Economy Blog Post of the Year #10

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The young man stands on the edge of his porch

The days were short and the father was gone

There was no one in the town and no one in the field

This dusty barren land had given all it could yield

I've been kicked off my land at the age of sixteen

And I have no idea where else my heart could have been

I placed all my trust at the foot of this hill

And now I am sure my heart can never be still

So collect your courage and collect your horse

And pray you never feel this same kind of remorse

Dust Bowl Dance - Mumford & Sons

The song from Mumford & Sons called Dust Bowl Dance is as pertinent to today as it was in describing the Great Depression. I was taken by the lyrics and the rage in the song. The setting for the song is the Dust Bowl of the 1930's in the U.S. Midwest. Picture the Joads in Grapes of Wrath. As I listened to the song again this morning I was struck by the similarities between the time period described in the song and our present situation.

The Previously Unthinkable Becomes A Planned Event | ZeroHedge

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Governments and companies around the world have been preparing for a collapse of the Eurozone—simple prudence requires them to do that. Theoretical exercises for a hypothetical scenario, they call it. But recently, these theoretical exercises have taken on practical overtones.

In early December, Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told parliament that the Swiss government was preparing concrete measures to defend Switzerland against a collapse of the euro. And then, just before the Brussels summit, Nicolas Sarkozy voiced his existential concerns about the Eurozone (Sarkozy: “The Risk that the Euro Will Explode”). Large corporations are also preparing.

El mundo no se acabará en 2012 - Yahoo!

Washington, 20 dic (EFE).- El mundo no se acabará en 2012 tal y como anuncian algunas páginas web de mal agüero, que aprovechan el fin del calendario maya para predecir una serie de catástrofes pero que los científicos de la NASA desmienten tajantemente.
La fecha marcada en rojo es el 21 de diciembre de 2012, día en el que se producirá el solsticio anual de invierno, se alinearán el Sol y la Tierra y concluirá un ciclo de más de 5.000 años del antiguo calendario Maya.

Deutsche Telekom slams US regulators - FT.com

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Mr Obermann and AT&T counterpart Randall Stephenson on Monday had to concede defeat in their pursuit of a deal which attracted overwhelming opposition from US regulators since it was announced in spring.
The companies had argued that the merger of T-Mobile US, the nation’s number four player, with AT&T, the number two, would have established a powerful mobile phone network which would have helped overcome capacity shortages.
Mr Obermann on Tuesday morning said the merger followed the logic of other tie-ups in the US market and would have created a company “not a whole lot bigger” than the US market leader, Verizon Wireless.
“Given that, I don’t really understand the position of US authorities,” he said. He declined to speculate about the motivation of the US Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.
The demise of the deal leaves Deutsche Telekom, which had made no secret of its desire to quit the US market, looking for alternatives. Among its options could be an outright sale, merger or joint venture with a competitor.

From: http://ping.fm/x3tBo

Tour of the Mediterranean cancelled | Cycling Weekly

Due to the terrible financial crisis that the Eurozone faces at the moment, the Tour of the Mediterranean 2012 has been cancelled.

The French cycling federation (FFC) confirmed on Monday that the 2012 edition of the Tour of the Mediterranean has been cancelled.
The race was due to have taken place over February 8-12 2012 in the south of France, but has been cancelled as "conditions of its inclusion in the 2012 race calendar had not been met," according to FFC. There have been unconfirmed reports that the race has had financial difficulties.
In recent years, the Tour of the Mediterranean has clashed with other early-season events such as the Tour of Qatar (February 5-10) and has not attracted the start list that it once did.
The race has been run annually since 1974 and has been the traditional season starter for many continental riders. Frenchman David Moncoutie (Cofidis) won the 2011 edition of the race.
Past winners include Jens Voigt (2005), Luis Leon Sanchez (2009), Paolo Bettini (2003), Laurent Jalabert (2000) and Eddy Merckx (1977).

From: http://ping.fm/K6Ajw

Cycling Road at London 2012

SPANISH: A pesar de la estúpida militarización de los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 2012, estoy super emocionadísima de que la fecha se aproxima; especialmente por mi obvia preferencia por el ciclismo. Aquí tenemos un pequeño adelanto:

ENGLISH: Despite the stupid militarization of the Olympic Games in London 2012, I am waiting anxiously for them to start. As all you know, cycling is my sport of preference, but I enjoy (almost) all kinds of sports.

European Stock Futures Slide as Fitch Considers France Downgrade

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Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- European stock-index futures declined, indicating the Stoxx Europe 600 Index will extend last week's slide, after Fitch Ratings said it may downgrade France, Spain and Italy. U.S. futures and Asian shares retreated after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died.

Danske Bank A/S may move after the lender said its chairman, Eivind Kolding, will become its next chief executive officer. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc may be active following a report that the U.K.'s largest government-owned lender is considering plans to close more than half of its 18,900-worker investment banking unit.

Zelboraf Approved in Europe

December 16, 2011 — The European Medicines Agency has recommended the approval of vemurafenil

(Zelboraf, Plexxikon/Roche), a first-in-class treatment for metastatic or unresectable melanoma.

In its assessment for the European Medicines Agency, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended the granting of a marketing authorization for the product.

Vemurafenib is a novel protein-kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of melanomas with BRAF V600 mutations. An estimated 50% of patients with melanoma have this type of BRAF mutation, which does not occur in normal cells. The drug is not indicated for use in patients without the mutation.

Saab files for bankruptcy after Chinese deal fails - chicagotribune.com

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STOCKHOLM— Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy on Monday, giving up a desperate struggle to stay in business after previous owner General Motors Co. blocked takeover attempts by Chinese investors.

Saab CEO Victor Muller personally handed in the bankruptcy application to a court in southwestern Sweden, ending his two-year effort to revive the carmaker that over more than six decades has become known for its rounded sedans and quirky design features.

The Dutch entrepreneur told reporters he had to pull the plug after GM, which still owns some technology licenses for Saab, rejected a last-ditch financing plan involving a Chinese company.