Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry
The latest American Religious Identification Survey revealed that nonreligious Americans now outnumber American Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons combined.
Despite the stereotypes others may have of non-believers, we are law-abiding citizens, charitable members of the community, and good neighbors. In fact, a surprisingly large percentage of famous artists, writers, philanthropists, activists, composers, actors, musicians and scientists are non-believers. (See here, here, here and here for lists.) At the same time, they also make up a surprisingly small percentage of the prison population.
http://lowcountryhumanists.org/default.php?page=Home

US (New York Times Permalink)
More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: April 27, 2009
Organized atheist groups liken their strategy to the gay-rights movement, which lifted off when members of a scorned minority went public.

The Potential in Nintendo's DSi Foray

The Nintendo DSi, which went on sale Sunday, lets users play games, listen to music, take photos, surf the Web and wirelessly download applications. It’s not on a 3G network and you can’t use it to make phone calls, but it does offer a Nintendo spin on many features that define Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.

The economic crisis is spreading

The economic crisis is spreading, now in Madrid

Thursday, April 02, 2009
Spain's Unemployment Continues Its Sharp Upward Surge
(Source http://spaineconomy.blogspot.com/)
The number of unemployed in Spain was up again in March - by "only" 123,543. I say "only" since it is evidently less than the 154,508 increase registered in February, or the 198,538 registered in January. And indeed many of the newspaper stories have been full of arguments from Employment Minister Maravillas Rojo (would that she could work "Maravillas") about how Spain registered the weakest unemployment gain in six months in March (when compared to the previous month). However, as those who look into the economic analysis side of this a bit more (and who don't believe in either wonders or "miracles) point out, taking seasonal factors into account the monthly 3.55% rise in March shows a more or less steady trend, and no special sign of improvement, despite the large stimulus programme. Last March, for example, unemployment fell by 0.62%.
So when we come to look at the year on year situation (which more or less eliminates the seasonal variation) we find that the year on year rate of increase of 56.69% was the highest so far, and if we look at the chart we will see there is no sign of a softening in the curve.
Read article...
http://spaineconomy.blogspot.com/

The Dell Adamo, trendy, high-tech, fashionable and sexy

adamo moby dell, http://www.adamobydell.com/us

Dell hopes PCs can't be too rich or too thin
Tuesday March 17, 12:02 am ET

Monsieur, you're getting a Dell: PC maker uses couture to sell luxury laptops in recession
The way it came on the scene, it could have been a rare perfume or a designer handbag, undaunted by the roilingeconomy.

The first rumors of it surfaced in December on a lifestyle magazine's blog. A few weeks later, it was spotted in the arms of runway model Hollis Wakeema in a Las Vegas hotel.
Then came its Web site: Black and white fashion photos fade in and out as cool piano notes drop and melt into a warm, smooth beat. Prepare to fall in love, the site reads.

Now, go buy the laptop.
Specifically, Dell Inc.'s new $2,000-and-up laptop. The computer maker was entering the ultra-thin notebook race Tuesday with the Adamo, from the Latin for "to fall in love with."

The aluminum-body laptop comes in two colors, "onyx" and "pearl." It boasts a 13-inch screen and, with a depth of less than two-thirds of an inch, is thinner than both Apple Inc.'s 0.76-inch MacBook Air ($1,800 and up) and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s 0.7-inch Voodoo Envy notebook (from $1,900).
Even the customer support package goes upscale. Dell will guarantee the same team of service representatives for $99 for a year or $349 for three.
Dell, known for affordable, no-frills computers, leaned away from consumer-electronics tropes and toward the seductive imagery of couture as it designed a marketing campaign to fit the Adamo. The leap Dell is asking consumers to make from its core brand would be a risk in any economy, let alone the worst recession of the personal-computer age. PC sales are sliding and the lone bright spot in the market appears to be small, inexpensive "netbooks," Adamo's polar opposite.

The World's Billionaires

The World's Billionaires

(Source Forbes)
Last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today there are 793. How $1.4 trillion vanished. The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world's billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months. The world now has 793 billionaires, down from 1,125 a year ago.
After slipping in recent years, the U.S. is regaining its dominance as a repository of wealth. Americans account for 44% of the money and 45% of the list's slots, up seven and three percentage points from last year, respectively. Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world's richest man. Warren Buffett, last year's No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.
More ...

Fashionable News Photography

Fashionable News Photography
New York Times Looks Behind The Scenes at Paris Fashion Week

Trends via TrendHunter.com.

Retro Drugs As Modern Medicine?

Psychedelic Therapy
Retro Drugs As Modern Medicine?

(Source TrendHunter)
Baby boomers that experimented with LSD and magic mushrooms in the 60’s and 70’s are now senior scientists nearing retirement in the FDA and other institutions, and are no longer afraid to assert their belief that psychedelics have a place in modern medical therapy.

After a break of 20 years research quietly began again in the early 90’s and has been gaining credibility, current studies involve the treatment of cluster headaches, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), severe anxiety in terminal cancer patients, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcoholism and opiate addiction and the FDA has approved clinical trials in the U.S., Switzerland, Israel and Spain.
Mind-altering psychedelics are back—but this time they are being explored in labs for their therapeutic applications rather than being used illegally. The past 15 years have seen a quiet resurgence of psychedelic drug research as scientists have come to recognize the long-underappreciated potential of these drugs. In the past few years, a growing number of studies using human volunteers have begun to explore the possible therapeutic benefits of drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, MDMA, ibogaine and ketamine. Much remains unclear about the precise neural mechanisms governing how these drugs produce their mind-bending results, but they often produce somewhat similar psychoactive effects that make them potential therapeutic tools. Though still in their preliminary stages, studies in humans suggest that the day when people can schedule a psychedelic session with their therapist to overcome a serious psychiatric problem may not be that far off. (sciam)

Trends via TrendHunter.com.

Aigo (China-made digital camera ) T60 jumped to the first place

Aigo (China-made digital camera ) T60 jumped to the first place
The latest survey in January, 2009 showed that the sales of Aigo digital camera T60 jumped to the first place. The survery is from Gome, China's largest home appliance retail chain store. This is the first time China-made digital camera sales surpass Japanese brands.
T60 is the flagship point & shoot digital camera of aigo’s with new generation dual core image processor, announced in summer 2008. It is featured with a size of 1/2.5 inch 8.0 Mega Pixel sharp CCD image sensor, a 3X optical zoom and 3.0 inch 230,000-pixel PURE-COLOR LTPS TFT LCD which are the mainstream of the current standard. Otherwise, it also featured with functions of face detection, the smiling face shutter, panoramic image stitching and manual exposure which make it a more competitive digital compact camera. For ordinary users, aigo T60 is quite a good choice. Read more...

http://china-business-daily.blogspot.com/2009/02/aigo-camera-first-time-surpass-japanese.html

Groot overschot aan apart ingezameld afval in EU

Groot overschot aan apart ingezameld afval in EU

(Bron: De Telegraaf, DFT)
BRUSSEL (AFN) - De vraag naar oud papier, metaal en ander apart ingezameld afval is zo ingestort, dat wereldwijd grote overschotten zijn ontstaan. Ministers van Milieu van de EU-landen vrezen voor langdurige opslag, verbranding of zelfs groeiende stortplaatsen.
Veel afval verlaat normaal de EU. Zo gaat de helft van het oud papier naar Azië.
De milieuministers vragen de Europese Commissie om de helpende hand te bieden. Ze denken aan lagere btw-tarieven, verminderde administratieve lasten en meer impulsen om gerecycled materiaal te kopen.
Ze willen de gescheiden afvalinzameling zeker niet een tandje lager zetten. “Recycling is van strategisch belang voor het milieu en voor de Europese concurrentiekracht”, aldus een nota van huidig EU-voorzitter Tsjechië. “De huidige recycling van metaal, glas, papier en plastic bespaart nu al ruim 200 miljoen ton CO2.”

http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/3381421/__Groot_overschot_aan_apart_ingezameld_afval__.html

Will the luxury auto market weather the drought on Wall Street? (Forbes Video)

Will the luxury auto market weather the drought on Wall Street? (Forbes Video)
Bonuses and Business

Generation B: Boomers in Line , ,

Generation B: Boomers in Line (New York Times Video Link)

Published: 09'

In frigid temperatures, mid-career job applicants wait to be seen by prospective employers.

In hard times, more U.S. women try to sell their eggs

In hard times, more U.S. women try to sell their eggs

(Source Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drawn by payments of up to $10,000, an increasing number of women are offering to sell their eggs at U.S. fertility clinics as a way to make money amid the financial crisis.
Nicole Hodges, a 23-year-old actress in New York City who has been out of work since November, says she has decided to sell her eggs because she desperately needs cash.
"I'm still paying off college. I have credit card bills and, you know, rent in New York is so expensive," Hodges, who has been accepted as donor and is waiting to be chosen by a couple, told Reuters Television.
Hodges said there was also some satisfaction in helping an infertile couple have a child. "Yes, the money is very nice, but it's nice to be able to let a mother who wants to be a mother be a mother," she said.
Fertility organizations across the country said there had been a growing interest. The Center for Egg Options in Illinois has seen a 40 percent increase in egg donor inquiries since the start of 2008.
New York City's Northeast Assisted Fertility Group said interest had doubled and the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine said it had received 10 percent more inquiries.
The Reproductive Science Center of New England, which does not deal directly with egg donors, said it had gone from no inquiries to now receiving several a month.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that total payments to donors be capped at $10,000.
Read more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE51Q3LB20090227

London Fashion Week with sofeminine.co.uk

London Fashion Week
Invitations to Schwab’s show came with inbuilt 3D glasses which saw the audience peering through them to see 3D marble prints popping out from the curvaceous dresses. Featuring tulip-shaped skirts, waist-cinching belts and slash details, the collection gave a nod to the 1950s and was a true celebration of women’s curves.
http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/news/luxury/n28528.html

Japan's 40 Richest

Special Report
Japan's 40 Richest
(Forbes: Tatiana Serafin, 02.18.09, 10:00 PM EST)
Even the soaring yen couldn't pull up the fortunes of Japan's richest people.
At least someone is making money these days.
Japan's retail tycoon Tadashi Yanai, whose Uniqlo stores sell affordable apparel, has added $1.4 billion to his wealth to become Japan's richest person for the first time. He is now worth $6.1 billion and has moved up to No. 1 from No. 6 last year, becoming the fifth person in as many years to take the top spot in Japan.
Yanai's good fortune aside, most of Japan's richest lost money in the past year as the country slipped into a recession, business confidence hit its lowest level in 34 years, and the Nikkei stock index dropped 45% since its June peak. More ...

VSB-fonds ontslaat personeel en halveert budget

VSBfonds blijft actief in Mens & Maatschappij en Kunst & Cultuur

15-02-2009
Als gevolg van een reorganisatie blijft VSBfonds de komende jaren alleen actief in de sectoren Mens & Maatschappij en Kunst & Cultuur. Hiervoor is een jaarlijks donatiebudget van € 26 miljoen beschikbaar. Het fonds stopt per 16 februari 2009 met het toekennen van donaties aan projecten op het terrein van Sport en Natuur & Milieu.
VSBfonds heeft duidelijke keuzes gemaakt en niet voor de 'kaasschaafmethode' willen kiezen. Hierbij is het fonds teruggegaan naar zijn wortels die ruim 200 jaar terug in de tijd gaan. De focus van zijn rechtsvoorgangers op 'ontwikkeling en beschaving van de gewone mens' wijzen, indien vertaald naar de huidige tijd, naar kern activiteiten in de sectoren Mens & Maatschappij en Kunst & Cultuur. Sport en Natuur & Milieu staan net iets verder af van dit gedachtegoed.

VSB-fonds ontslaat personeel en halveert budget
(Bron NRC)
Het fonds richt zich alleen nog op de sectoren ‘mens en maatschappij’ en ‘kunst en cultuur’. Van de 68 medewerkers worden er 33 ontslagen.
De maatregelen zijn een gevolg van de ineenstorting van Fortis, waarin het VSB-fonds met 2 procent van de aandelen (50 miljoen) een groot belang heeft. Door de enorme daling van het aandeel Fortis werd het vermogen van het VSB-fonds vorig jaar gehalveerd. Het donatiebudget gaat met meer dan de helft omlaag naar 26 miljoen euro per jaar.

What is exactly a trend?

What is exactly a trend?

(Source Trendwatching.com)
How about: “A statistically significant change in performance of measured data which is unlikely to be due to a random variation in the process.” That won't get the creative juices going. So consider the following definition, which we came up with years ago and which still holds pretty well:
A manifestation of something that has unlocked or newly serviced an existing (and hardly ever changing) consumer need,* desire, want, or value.
At the core of this statement is the assumption that human beings, and thus consumers, don't change that much. Their deep needs remain the same, yet can be unlocked or newly serviced. The 'unlockers' can be anything from changes in societal norms and values, to a breakthrough in technology, to a rise in prosperity.
Example? One of the core human needs is to be in control, or at least to have the illusion of being in control. No wonder then, that the online world is so addictive. After all, it firmly puts the individual in the driver's seat.
Just give it a try: apply the above definition to your daily spottings and observations of how consumers behave, and how that behaviour is forever changing, and you will find that many seemingly unconnected business success stories will start to make sense. Successful innovations often satisfy existing, dormant needs in new and attractive ways.

Rereading Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs never hurts.

Austerity is hip and becomes cool

Austerity is hip and becomes cool

Patrick Deneen alerts us to an encouraging new trend: making austerity cool. It's not really coming about out of an intent to be virtuous, but out of necessity, given the grim economic forecast. In an interesting twist, though, USA Today reports that people are becoming competitively frugal -- turning "keeping up with the Joneses" inside out. That's great! Forecasters suggest that this is not just a temporary thing, but a long-term shift:
Small cuts can also have a big effect on the economy. If cutting back becomes a cultural mind-set, it can be very hard to turn around.
"The new status isn't how much you've got, but your ability to show what you don't spend," says futurist Watts Wacker, who advises businesses on trends.
"This is a seminal moment. It's not a fad that will die out when the economy picks up."
Read more on Patrick's Blog

Modern Vintage and Brutal Vintage Advertising

Modern Vintage and Brutal Vintage Advertising

Vintage Badvertising - Hilarious Dated Slogans to Inspire Contemporary Mad Men (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) This is a brilliant collection of vintage advertising campaign slogans--so brilliant, in fact, a part of me suspects that they all may not be totally genuine.

If only advertising slogans such as those… [More]

Equities VS Gold Bullion , trends

Stock Market is Bottoming, Equities VS Gold Bullion
(Courtesy: Chris Vermeulen, www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com)

A copy of the same post is also on our Blog: Beurskrach 2008 - Stock Market Crash, recession and the World Economy http://beurskrach.blogspot.com/

Stock market looks like it has bottomed forming a similar pattern as it did in 2003. What is the better investment during an opportunity like this if this is the bottom: Stocks, Gold Bullion or Mining Stocks?
I recommend investors start thinking about putting some long term money to work giving it at least 4 years to mature. Today I started investing some long term money with some great looking Canadian ETFs for dividends, Growth and commodities. There are tones of ETFs in the USA for picking what you think will perform nicely during the next bull market.

If you would like to receive my free weekly market updates please visit my website:
Chris Vermeulen, www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Download and Read the PDF with charts and analysis

Social unrest is increasing

Social unrest is increasing in Europe


Saturday January 31
In this week we witnessed growing social unrest in Greece, France and the U.K.
Strikes, blockades, occasional riots and picket lines, it's a sign of the times.
Last month, it was only in Iceland and in Greece. As the recession is spreading, the housing market worsening and currencies dropping, people really begin to fear for their future, and tempers are getting shorter.
In the U.K. we noticed an increase in anti-European sentiment and strikes after remarks from the Britsh Prime Minister Gordon Brown about 'British Jobs for British Workers', Mr. Brown obviously likes to play with fire.

January was the worst month for the U.S. job market with a 100.000 job cuts in every sector of the industry. President Obama spoke out against the shameful bonus culture in Wallstreet. In general people in the banking sector and in high financial positions do not show much social responsibility.
In economic lesser times social unrest always increases and with the economy and politics globally intertwined the effects of social unrest show up sooner and stronger.
These are testing times for the old political elite, in 2009 we will see if they have inner wisdom and can keep their nerve.