Friday, 28 May 2010

Eighty percent (80%) of Americans now agree with Congress that Auditing The Federal Reserve Board is a good idea -

Eighty percent (80%) of Americans now agree with Congress that auditing the Federal Reserve Board is a good idea, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Just nine percent (9%) oppose an audit of the Fed, and 12% more are not sure.

This marks little change from December. But it’s up five points from last July when Congressman Ron Paul’s proposal began to gain steam in Congress.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has consistently opposed such an audit of the Fed’s monetary policies, but it’s included in the major financial regulatory legislation now being pushed through Congress. Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans oppose more government regulation of the U.S. financial system, but 37% are in favor of it. Just 27% favor giving the Fed more regulatory control over the financial system.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. Adults was conducted on May 21-22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Investors support an audit of the Fed even more strongly than non-investors.

Republicans and adults not affiliated with either major party also favor an audit more than Democrats do, but support for auditing the Fed is high across all demographic groups.

Congressional supporters of the audit see it in part as a way to check how much the Fed’s actions are influenced by political pressure. Sixty percent (60%) of Americans believe the Fed chairman is influenced by the president in his decision-marking. Just 20% say the chairman acts independently.

Bernanke and the Fed have been key players in the Obama administration’sunpopular stimulus and bailout plans.

Americans were evenly divided over whether Bernanke should stay or go just before the Senate confirmed the president’s nomination of him to a second term as Fed chairman.

Hurricane season could be stronger than usual because Black Oil would heat the water and speed formation of hurricanes -

A predicted busy hurricane season this summer is on a collision course with an unprecedented oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the results are anyone's guess, weather experts say.

"The problem is that this is a man-made experiment we wish we hadn't made," said Jenni Evans, a professor of meteorology at Penn State University. Scientists on Thursday said as much as 19,000 barrels of oil have been spewing every day from the BP well in the Gulf, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Most of the oily water lies off the coast of Louisiana, where marshes and wildlife have been coated and the state's fishing and tourism industries have taken direct hits. Not only is it hard to track how contaminants would be redistributed by a hurricane, but it's also hard to predict how the slick would affect the storm, NOAA Public Affairs Officer Dennis Feltgen and Evans agreed. Evans said the storm could either move the oil along the water's surface or it could mix the oil with the water and cause it to sink. If the oil moved horizontally, the shoreline would be polluted, she said. If it moved vertically, the marine life under the surface would suffer. The oil could slow the storm's growth, Feltgen said. Evaporated ocean water fuels hurricanes, and the oil forming a film across the Gulf could buffer the water from the air, preventing the ocean water from feeding the hurricane, he said. CNN meteorologist Chad Meyers said there was another threat from the volatile mix of hurricanes and oil: storm surge.But other scientists say the storms could be stronger than usual because the black oil would heat the water faster and accelerate formation of hurricanes, which rely on warm waters for their development, Evans said. "All the winds would be coming here," he said, indicating the coast on a map, "and there would be storm surge here. All the winds would be going this way, and there would be scouring and cleaning of the beaches on this side. But the storm surge that could make its way up and bring the oil miles inland could be completely contaminating the oil inland." Oil in the Gulf coast isn't the only worry for hurricane forecasters this year: In earthquake-devastated Haiti, roughly 1.5 million displaced people are at risk. They are living under tarps and in tents in makeshift camps. In Haiti, aid agencies relocated about 20,000 people who were vulnerable to flooding and mudslides when the rainy season began. But it is impossible to hurricane-proof the congested tent cities that many are calling home right now, said Heather Paul, CEO of the aid program SOS Children's Villages. Paul's program is working to provide permanent, stable homes to orphans in the form of polypropylene shelters. While her program's anchored shelters have the greatest potential to withstand strong winds, the outlook appears grim for many Port-Au-Prince residents. "It's only short of a miracle to prepare these people for hurricane season," she said.

Thursday, 27 May 2010

CNN anchor Kyra Phillips had to apologize Wed. after the network accidentally played a Coolio song featuring the N-word -

"We aired some music just a few minutes ago, and, obviously for those of you that heard it, it was the wrong music that aired," Phillips said shortly thereafter. "We apologize for that. It was a terrible mistake. And we're working very hard to make up for it."
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CNN anchor Kyra Phillips had to apologize Wednesday after the network accidentally played a Coolio song featuring the N-word.

For a clip on a 103-year-old Pennsylvania woman who still drives, CNN played Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage" to go into break.

The clip of the song they used?

"Ain't no bloodin', Ain't no crippin' / Ain't no punk-ass nigga's set trippin' / everybody's got a stack and it ain't no crack / and it really don't matter..."

"We aired some music just a few minutes ago, and, obviously for those of you that heard it, it was the wrong music that aired," Phillips said shortly thereafter. "We apologize for that. It was a terrible mistake. And we're working very hard to make up for it."

NASA Satellites' View of Gulf Oil Spill Over Time - from the MODIS instruments aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites -

Two NASA satellites are capturing images of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which began April 20, 2010, with the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. This series of images reveals a space-based view of the burning oil rig and the ensuing oil spill, through May 24. The imagery comes from the MODIS instruments aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. The oil slick appears grayish-beige in these images. The shape of the spill changes due to weather conditions, currents and the use of oil-dispersing chemicals.

The images in this video were selected to show the spill most clearly. The full image archive is available at http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov. For more information and imagery about the oil spill, visit NASA's Oil Spill website -- http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/feat... . Imagery and information about the oil spill is also available on NASA's Earth Observatory Natural Hazards website -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Natu...

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

Forth Worth Cops May Get Testosterone Adjustment - Chief believes his officers may be better officers with a hormone -

FORT WORTH — Sex drive. Mental focus. Energy.

All were topics of discussion at a recent voluntary Wellness Seminar for Fort Worth police officers. Chief Jeffrey Halstead called the meeting to share his testimony about testosterone.

He said he didn't have enough, and hit rock bottom, until he was treated with hormone therapy.

Halstead said he believes some of his officers may be better officers with a hormone adjustment. But is the product he's sharing safe?

A police chief works long hours and has to make some tough decisions. Managing hundreds of police officers is a challenge.

But recently, Halstead noticed something in his life was off. "Stress of the job, long hours and work — everything was getting pulled from both ends," he said.

So the chief turned to SottoPelle Pellet Therapy to boost his testosterone levels.

The therapy starts with a small incision under the skin. A pellet containing testosterone is inserted to raise levels of the hormone.

Halstead said he now feels great again, and to share his success, he created a voluntary wellness program for the entire Fort Worth Police Department and invited the SottoPelle team.

RFID chip implanted into man gets computer virus - implanted identity chips can pick up computer viruses -

Mark Gasson should have booked off sick.

After all, he caught something unusual.

In fact, he's the first human every to be infected with a computer virus.

Dr. Gasson, a researcher at the UK's University of Reading, lives with an implant under his skin. It's a more advanced version of your pet's ID chip.

During his days, the tiny rice-like bit of wizardry unlocks his phone and opens security doors.

But he wanted to explore its risks as well as the wonders, so he infected his device, and successfully transmitted the virus to an outside target.

The experiment, Gasson told QMI Agency, explores the way things like pacemakers and cochlear implants may become corrupted.

But he doesn't think there is an outstanding concern where viruses are smuggled, below the skin of terrorists, into government or industry as a techno-weapon.

"I think we have to be careful," he said of the threat. "You wouldn't expect a virus in your home computer to necessarily be able to transfer to your phone.

"It is not the case that an infected implant could simply start infecting all technology around it."

But Gasson's ability to be infected and then infect another device may show how humans may one day transmit information without even knowing it

Gasson predicts implanted technology will become widely used - much like cosmetic surgery.

So the debate over how they're used to track us will then likely run deeper than the devices themselves.

Prof. Rafael Capurro of the Steinbeis-Transfer-Institute of Information Ethics in Germany pointed out during an interview with the BBC: "If someone can get online access to your implant, it could be serious."

As for Gasson, he isn't sweating his infection, as he prepares to outline his research during a conference next month.

"Currently I still have the virus," he said.

But have no fear of standing too close or sharing the TV remote with him.

"The potential damage is restricted to the one system for which the virus has been designed."

Source: BBC

Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Twitter Bans Some Advertising (Other Than Its Own) - banning many forms of third-party advertisements from the site -

Twitter’s growing up. And part of that means trying to make some money.

In an announcement Monday (euphemistically named “Enduring Value“) Twitter made changes to its ad policy, a step that included banning many forms of third-party advertisements from the site. “Aside from Promoted Tweets, we will not allow any third party to inject paid tweets into a timeline on any service that leverages the Twitter API,” wrote Dick Costello, Twitter’s chief operating officer.

To translate into English, Twitter doesn’t want companies to be able to clog up your feed of tweets with advertisements. Well, other companies. In April, Twitter released its own form of advertising on the site dubbed Promoted Tweets, which lets companies purchase a spot in your Twitter feed and search results to hype a product. Twitter, of course, gets revenue through this model — it doesn’t if advertisers use one of the third-party advertising sites like Ad.ly.

Twitter’s announcement is probably a good thing for users, but essentially kills some of the businesses that have popped up around the Twitter platform. As Twitter matures, its had to wrest control over pieces of its product back from third-parties who sprung up to fill the gap. (The company’s acquisition of Tweetie being the most notable example.) For the people who build products that depend on Twitter, abrupt changes in policy like this have to be troubling notions indeed.

Monday, 24 May 2010

41% Say Random Selection From Phone Book Would Do A Better Job Than Current Congress

Tuesday's primaries were more proof of the anti-incumbency mood felt in many parts of the nation, and a new Rasmussen Reports poll finds that many voters continue to feel a randomly selected sample of people from the phone book could do a better job than their elected representatives in Congress.

The latest national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds that 41% say a group of people selected at random from the phone book would do a better job addressing the nation’s problems than the current Congress. Almost as many (38%) disagree, however, and another 20% are undecided.

These findings show little change from early January and early September 2009. However, the number of voters who feel a random selection could do better is up eight points from early October 2008, just before the presidential election.

Yet while 57% of Mainstream voters think a random selection from the phone book would do a better job than the current Congress, 90% of the Political Classdisagree.

Only 32% of all voters are at least somewhat confident that their representatives in Congress have the voters' best interests in mind. Sixty-six percent (66%) don't share the confidence, down 10 points from October 2008.

Again, while 79% of the Political Class are confident that their members of Congress do have their best interests at heart, 84% of Mainstream voters don't see it that way.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 18-19, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters think most members of Congress get reelected because the election rules are rigged to benefit incumbents. Only 20% say they get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents. But 31% are not sure why most member of Congress are reelected. These findings show little change from early January.

A majority (57%) say members of Congress are paid too much, while just six percent (6%) feel they are paid too little. Twenty-nine percent (29%) feel members of Congress are paid just the right amount. These findings show little change from January and September 2009, but are up eight points from October 2008.

Since Democrats hold a majority in both the House and the Senate, perhaps it’s no surprise that 55% of Republicans say a random selection of people from the phone book would do a better job than Congress, a view shared by just 21% of Democrats. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters not affiliated with either major party agree.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Democrats express confidence in their representatives in Congress. An overwhelming majority (81%) of GOP voters and 77% of unaffiliateds have little or no confidence in their congressional representatives.

Just 20% of all voters believe that most members of Congress always get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents.

Republican candidates now hold a five-point lead over Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot, a further narrowing of the gap between the two parties to the smallest margin this year.

Most voters believe it would be better for the country if most of the current members of Congress were not elected this November.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

Venezuelan speeders beware: President Chavez pulls over, scolds lead-footed motorist

Venezuelan speeders beware: President Chavez pulls over, scolds lead-footed motorist -

Hugo Chavez has a new pet peeve: speeding drivers who he says are creating mayhem on Venezuela's highways.

Chavez says he recently was tailgated in the slow lane by a young man in a truck who unknowingly honked at the president and then passed him on the shoulder.

But Chavez didn't let it go at that. He says he chased down the vehicle — probably with the presidential motorcade in tow — and scolded the remorseful motorist.

Chavez, who is known to enjoy driving himself on road trips from time to time, said Sunday on his weekly broadcast show that "there's madness on the highways."

He urged police to crack down on speeding and spread the word that reckless driving won't be tolerated.

Sunday, 23 May 2010

32 States Have Borrowed from the Federal Government to Make Unemployment Payments - total balance May 2010 - $37.8 billion -

32 States Have Borrowed from the Federal Government to Make Unemployment Payments - total balance May 2010 - $37.8 billion -

EconomicPolicyJournal.com has learned that 32 states have run out funds to make unemployment benefit payments and that the federal government has been supplying these states with funds so that they can make their payments to the unemployed. In some cases, states have borrowed billions. As of May 20, the total balance outstanding by 32 states (and the Virgin Islands) is $37.8 billion.

The state of California has borrowed $6.9 billion. Michigan has borrowed $3.9 billion, Illinois $2.2 billion.

Below is the full list of the 32 states (and the Virgin Islands) that have borrowed from the federal government to make unemployment payments, and the amounts that remain borrowed as of May 20 . (Numbers in red are billions)

Alabama $ 283 million

Arkansas 330 million

California 6.9 billion

Colorado 253 million

Connecticut 498 million

Delaware 12 million

Florida 1.6 billion

Georgia 416 million

Idaho 202 million

Illinois 2.2 billion

Indiana 1.7 billion

Kansas 88 million

Kentucky 795 million

Maryland 133 million

Mass. 387 million

Michigan 3.9 billion

Minnesota 477 million

Missouri 722 million

Nevada 397 million

New Jersey 1.7 billion

New York 3.2 billion

N.C. 2.1 billion

Ohio 2.3 billion

Penn. 3.0 billion

R.I. 225 million

S.C. 886 million

S.D. 24 million

Tennessee 21 million

Texas 1.0 billion

Vermont 33 million

Virginia 346 million

Virgin Islands 13 million

Wisconsin 1.4 billion

Total $37.8 billion

Toyota Uses Gangster Music & White Soccer Moms For New TV Ad - Bad, really, really Bad -

Saturday, 22 May 2010

DC High school students complaining that the free condoms are not of good enough quality and are too small -

High school students and college-age adults have been complaining to District officials that the free condoms the city has been offering are not of good enough quality and are too small and that getting them from school nurses is "just like asking grandma or auntie."

So D.C. officials have decided to stock up on Trojan condoms, including the company's super-size Magnum variety, and they have begun to authorize teachers or counselors, preferably male, to distribute condoms to students if the teachers complete a 30-minute online training course called "WrapMC" -- for Master of Condoms.
"If people get what they don't want, they are just going to trash them," said T. Squalls, 30, who attends the University of the District of Columbia. "So why not spend a few extra dollars and get what people want?"
Health officials and consumer advocates say that in terms of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, there's no difference between Trojans and the less-expensive Durex condoms that the city is offering.
But because Trojans are considered the better-known brand, city officials say, they are willing to spend an extra few thousand dollars a year to try to persuade sexually active teenagers to practice safer sex. The Durex condoms will still be offered.
"We thought making condoms available was a good thing, but we never asked the kids what they wanted," said D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), chairman of the health committee.
The addition of the more expensive Trojan condoms is the latest move in an effort by officials to flood city streets with latex to battle HIV/AIDS.
The District, where 3 percent of residents have HIV, studies show, recently received a grant to offer free female condoms. And, in what is thought to be a first for a local government, the city is mailing up to 10 free condoms at a time to residents who request them online. Free condoms are also available at more than 100 locations, including barbershops, liquor stores and youth centers.
"We want to support the regularization of condom use citywide," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the city's HIV/AIDS administration. "We are promoting this idea that using condoms is healthy . . . to try to destigmatize condom use, not only for kids, but for grown-ups."
Scientists and D.C. health officials said the appeal of Trojan condoms can be attributed to the company's marketing strategy, including the packaging of Magnums in a shiny, gold wrapper.
"The gold package certainly has a little bit of the bling quality," said Michael Kharfen, a spokesman for the city's HIV/AIDS administration.

Read more -http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052003980.html

Thursday, 20 May 2010

Bus driver CCTV narrowly avoided plowing into a baby girl as she sat half-naked in the middle of a busy road -

A bus driver has told how he narrowly avoided plowing into a baby girl as she sat half-naked in the middle of a busy road.
Mike Hubbard was on his usual San Antonio bus route just after midnight when he saw a creature in the road ahead of him.
Thinking it was a dog he sounded his horn but then, to his horror, he realised it was a baby in a nappy.
He slammed on the brakes, stopping just inches from the infant.
The incident would almost be unbelievable had it not been caught on a CCTV camera on the front of the bus.
"I was definitely in shock,' Mr Hubbard told local Texas news station WOAI-TV.
"From a distance I can't tell exactly what it is. It looks like a dog, something moving around, I can't really tell what it was.
"I started slowing down and then I noticed it's a baby in the middle of the street."
He continued: "To me he looked like he was eight months old with a pamper, just sitting there.
"I couldn't tell if he was eating something or not. But, his eyes got real big when he saw the big old bus in front of him."
In another strange twist, as the shaken driver rushed out to check the baby, its father appeared and simply grabbed her and ran off without even thanking Mr Hubbard for his quick action.
The infant has since been identified as Destiny Flores, a young girl who, as a result of the near miss, is now the subject of a custody battle.
The bus company VIA reported the incident, last May, to Texas child protection services who have yet to decide whether Destiny and her two sisters can stay with their parents.
Destiny's mother Catherine Gonzalez, 25, and her husband are fighting to keep their children, claiming it was just an unfortunate accident.
Mrs Gonzalez said the youngsters were in the living room watching TV and she had no idea Destiny had escaped until she heard a horn and a screeching sound as the bus braked.
"We had the door open, but there's a screen door. I had the lock on it, but I don't know, maybe I didn't put it all the way and she just snuck out. I really can't even tell you," she told WOAI-TV.
"It was just an accident, that's all it was. It's not like we weren't paying attention, you know. I could have swore all my kids were in the back watching TV and they were doing fine. It was just the biggest accident and it hurts me."

XIAM007