Wednesday, September 22, 2010

List of Famous People from Texas

Don Henley: Best known as the drummer and vocalist for the country band Eagles, Don Henley was born in Linden, Texas in 1947.

Beyonce Knowles: Bootylicious solo singer Beyonce Knowles, who started her career with the band, Destiny's Child, was born in Houston, Texas in 1981.

Janis Joplin: One of the few female rock singers at the time, Janis Joplin who enjoyed roaring success in the 1960s was born in Port Arthur, Texas.

Usher: Famous R&B singer Usher (Usher Raymond IV) was born in 1978 in Dallas, Texas.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Rock guitarist, songwriter and singer Stevie Ray Vaughan hails from Dallas, Texas.

Owen Wilson: Marley & Me and Wedding Crashers star Owen Wilson is another famous Texan. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1968.

Luke Wilson: The younger sibling of actor Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas and is known for his roles in Legally Blond and Charlie's Angels.

Renee Zellweger: A diverse actress with several big hits to her name like Chicago and Bridget Jones' Diary, Renee Zellweger was born in Houston, Texas in 1969.

Matthew McConaughey: Matthew McConaughey, star of films like Sahara and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, another Texan born in Uvalde, Texas.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin: Born Steven James Anderson in Austin Texas, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is a former WWE wrestler.

Lance Armstrong: Seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was born in Plano, Texas.

George Foreman: Former heavyweight boxer and currently a businessman, George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas in 1949.

Tom Landry: Legendary former coach of the Dallas Cowboys Tom Landry was born in Mission, Texas in 1924.

Michael Dell: Founder and CEO of Dell Computers, Michael Dell was born in Houston, Texas.

Dwight Eisenhower: The former President of the United States (34th) was born in 1890 in Denison, Texas.

Lyndon B. Johnson: Better known as the President who stepped in following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson was born in Stonewall, Texas in 1908.

'Bonnie and Clyde': Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were two famous outlaws in the 1930s. Clyde was born in Ellis County, Texas and Bonnie was from Rowena, Texas

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

In Case You Didn't Realize How Much Gold Investors Love Bernanke

The price of gold spiked dramatically right around 2:15 PM ET today, as the Fed released its latest statement on the strength of the economy.

The FOMC mentioned the word quantitative easing, and left the door open for future asset purchases by the central bank.

The result was a rush out of the dollar, and into a myriad of other assets. But gold's move was the most Dramatic.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Real GDP Annual Rate Change





A Few More Quarters Like This, And Growth Will Be Finished
This morning's GDP report confirmed a sharp slowdown from the blistering growth in Q4 '09 and Q1'10.
This look back through recent quarters, published by White House economist Christina Romer, offers a nice visualization of where we might be going.
Suffice to say, a few more quarters like this, and that bar will be negative again. This is what keeps James Bullard up at night.
 Read »

Using Data on Money Stocks to Estimate Real Colonial Gdp in the Seven Colonies of Australasia: 1861-1991 (Discussion Paper No 687)

Are real GDP levels trend, difference, or regime-wise trend stationary? Evidence from panel data tests incorporating structural change.: An article from: Southern Economic Journal

Thursday, July 29, 2010

On this Day in History -- July 29

Famous people born on this day:

1869, Booth Tarkington, novelist. The Magnificent Ambersons

1871, Rasputin, the mad Russian monk. Biography - Rasputin: The Mad Monk

1905, Clara Bow Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild

1905, Thelma Todd White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd
 
1907, Melvin Belli, San Francisco's "King of Torts." Melvin Belli: King of the Courtroom

Events on this day in history:

1835, First sugar plantation in Hawaii begun.Agriculture in Hawaii: Sugar Plantations in Hawaii, Mckinley Tariff, Kekaha, Hawaii, Pahala, Hawaii, Waipahu, Hawaii, Aiea, Hawaii, Ladd

1858, First commercial treaty between US and Japan is signed. The Rough Guide to Japan Fourth Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

1914, First transcontinental phone link made. It's between NYC and
San Francisco.Long Distance Calling: Speeding Speech (1950's) [DVD]

1921, First transcontinental airmail flight from New York to San
Francisco (taking 33 hours and 21 minutes to complete).Aviation Pioneers: A Collection of Stories From the First Airmail Pilots, Flight Attendants, and Passengers

1926, Don Juan opens with the most kisses, 127 in a single movie.Don Juan

1958, Southern Pacific Bay Ferries stop running.Southern Pacific Water Lines: Marine, Bay and River Operations of the Southern Pacific System

1981, The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.Diana - Her True Story - In Her Own Words - Completely Revised Edition

1996, Carl Lewis wins his 9th Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympics.One More Victory Lap
  

Monday, July 26, 2010

Americans Have A Serious Household Net Worth Problem



The state of U.S. household net worth is dismal, as this chart (via The Big Picture) shows, with the country falling back to levels last seen in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This collapse happened once prior, after the deflation of the dot com bubble. But now, as a result of the housing bubble collapsing, household net worth has fallen even lower.
The rebound after the dot com collapse was dramatic. The rise from 2009 lows has been less pronounced, with it clearly slowing in 2010.
We are only back to levels first reached in the early 1990s.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-household-net-worth-as-a-percent-of-disposable-personal-income-2010-7?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CS_COTD_072610#ixzz0upCtwTXO

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

China Oil Spill Covers 165 sq Miles | HULIQ

China Oil Spill Covers 165 sq Miles | HULIQ
China has had a huge disaster as an oil pipeline exploded in the Yellow Sea off a busy north-east port. It sparked a massive fire which lasted fifteen hours until it was finally extinguished. Workers are now in a huge rush to contain the oil and keep it from running into international waters. Officials are still trying to figure out how big the oil spill actually is.China's Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach
It has been said by Uncoverage.net that the China oil spill received much quicker attention upon occurring than did the BP oil spill in the United States. An environmental group is trying to assess whether or not this China oil spill may possibly be the country’s largest oil spill and that it is even worse than what is being disclosed by officials.
According to Uncoverage.net, the China government said that the oil slick has spread across seventy square miles of ocean and that the causes of the blast are still not clear. The Huffington Post has reported that environmental groups are saying that China oil spill has already reached 165 square miles of water. The pipeline owned by China National Petroleum Corp, Asia’s biggest oil and gas producer by volume has not disclosed any discriminating evidence as of yet either.
President Hu Jintao and other top leaders in China were immediately made aware of images of one hundred foot high flames that were shooting up near part of China’s strategic oil reserves.
China's once most livable cities is not a mess and workers in the country have their days planned out for them. They will need to concentrate quickly and efficiently to control the oil from spreading and to save the shores of Dalian which was once named "China’s most livable city."
Since the day of the China oil spill until today, July 21, 2010, the oil spill has more than doubled. Beaches on the Yellow Sea have been closed and a "severe threat" has been posed to humans, sea life and water quality. Hundreds of fishing boats and already about forty oil control boats have been set into the water to help with the cleanup. Governance and Politics of China (Comparative Government and Politics)
It has been only five days since the explosion of the China oil spill and this is just the beginning. Zhong Yu, a worker with the environmental group Greenpeace China stated to the Associated Press, "I've been to a few bays today and discovered they were almost entirely covered with dark oil. The oil is half-solid and half liquid and is as sticky as asphalt."
Stay in touch with HULIQ NEWS on Twitter @HULIQ

Morning Miracle: Inside the Washington Post: A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life By David Kindred


Part insider tell-all about the day-to-day operation of
The Washington Post, part battle narrative documenting the paper’s struggle to survive in a rapidly and radically transforming media landscape, Kindred’s book is primarily a lament: the hard-hitting, deeply reported journalism of the Post’s heyday is under threat in the age of the Internet.

What’s the Big Deal?

In the year leading up to September 2009, 24,500 print-media staffers in the U.S. were laid off, and daily papers in Seattle and Denver shut down their print operations. Need any more proof that print outlets are struggling? Morning Miracle chronicles the inner workings of what was once one of America’s most successful newspapers, now facing declining circulation and profits and a slashed staff. But Miracle argues that while the medium may be dying, quality journalism continues to matter.

1969, Neil Armstrong steps on the moon at 2:56:15 AM (GMT.)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Nevada Has The Highest Unemployment Rate

















This chart, from Calculated Risk, points to what are some shocking realities for states breaking unemployment records and a reshaping of the worst hit parts of the country.
Now Nevada is number 1 for unemployment, rather than Michigan, which held the title for four years until May 2010.
Rhode Island, Georgia, and Connecticut are notably close to their records.
From Calculated Risk:

 

Friday, July 16, 2010

Free Apple iPhone 4 Cases ?

After getting countless complaints about the iPhone 4’s reception problem, Steve Jobs finally decided to have a press conference this morning about what he was planning to do to fix it.


For now there will be no hardware updates or recalls, but instead Apple will give out free protective cases to combat the reception problem. 


Steve jobs started off the press conference by saying that the company is not perfect and neither is the iPhone, but they are trying as hard as possible to figure out what the problems  are and how fix them as fast as possible.


Aside for recalling the iPhone 4, which would disastrous for Apple’s public image and brand, the only thing that Apple can do to fix the reception problem is give out free protective cases to everyone that is having reception issues and give a refund to everyone that already bought them.


Published on 16 July 2010 by Stan Shyshkin in Security News 

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Happy Birthday Linda!

Linda Ronstadt (b. July 15, 1946) is an American popular music singer. Her many vocal styles in a variety of genres have resonated with the general public over the course of her four-decade career. As a result, she has earned multiple Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden Globe nominations.
A singer-songwriter and record producer, she is recognized as a definitive interpreter of songs.[2] Being one of music's most versatile and commercially successful female singers in U.S. history, she is recognized for her many public stages of self-reinvention and public incarnations.[3]
With a one time standing as the Queen of Rock[4][5] where she was bestowed the title of "highest paid woman in rock",[6][7] and known as the First Lady of Rock, she has more recently emerged as music matriarch, international arts advocate[3] and Human Rights advocate.[8][9]
Ronstadt has collaborated with more artists from a diverse spectrum of genres – including Billy Eckstine[10], Frank Zappa, Rosemary Clooney, Flaco Jiménez, Philip Glass, The Chieftains, Gram Parsons – than perhaps any popular music vocalist in modern U.S. history, lending her voice to over 120 albums around the world.[11]
In total, she has released over 30 solo albums, more than 15 compilations or greatest hits albums. Ronstadt has charted thirty-eight Billboard Hot 100 singles, twenty-one of which have reached the top 40, ten of which have reached the top 10, three peaking at No. 2, the No. 1 hit, "You're No Good". In the UK, her single "Blue Bayou" reached the UK Top 40[12] and the duet with Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much", peaked at #2 in November 1989.[13] In addition, she has charted thirty-six albums, ten Top 10 albums, and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 Pop Album Charts.

Marriage or Relationship With a Significant Other ...

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it's not quite as good as his mother's
cid:E3D344C4-9B0F-4AC1-A758-8C75758FCC24
then adopt a dog.


If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want  ...
cid:1459A558-0A2A-498F-AE05-D3091198086F
then adopt a dog.

If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies
cid:ECBA6687-C668-47E0-94AB-8612AF8509AC
..then adopt a dog.

If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores
cid:833303A2-AE32-4C67-A9C0-F200DD95138D
..then adopt a dog !

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves
you unconditionally, perpetually ..
cid:6F301698-0D2A-437F-8A4A-1FE5A8531C00
..then adopt a dog.

BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness ....
.
.
.
.cid:2BB1C130-2312-47A3-A075-C4C22B8C7DF5
..then adopt a cat!

You thought I was gonna say... marry a man, didn't you?


Send this to all  the women you know to brighten their day.
Send this to all the men just to annoy them!

cid:BCE97502-5F21-481B-A23D-30C47114186D





cid:66F72F10-6D86-4CEB-AA68-18F0EAC1D959
Shake & Bake !!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Alien and Sedition Acts Passed. On This Day

Four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress during an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. They were signed into law by President John Adams. Proponents claimed the acts were designed to protect the Catholics from alien citizens of enemy powers and to prevent seditious attacks from weakening the government. The Democratic-Republicans, like later historians, denominated them as being both unconstitutional and designed to stifle criticism of the administration, and as infringing on the right of the states to act in these areas. They became a major political issue in the elections of 1798 and 1800.

BASTILLE DAY 2010

Bastille Day is a day of celebrations of French culture. Many large-scale public events are held, including a military parade in Paris, as well as communal meals, dances, parties and fireworks. The Bastille Day parade,

What do people do?

Many people attend large-scale public celebrations. These often include:Day the Bastille Fell; July 14, 1789, the Beginning of the End of the French Monarchy (A World focus book)
  • Military and civilian parades.
  • Musical performances.
  • Communal meals.
  • Dances.
  • Balls.
  • Spectacular fireworks displays.
There is a large military parade in Paris in the morning of July 14. Service men and women from various units, including cadets from military schools, the French Navy and the French Foreign Legion, participate in the parade. The parade ends with the Paris Fire Brigade. Military aircraft fly over the parade route during the parade. The French president opens the parade and reviews the troops and thousands of people line the route. Other people spend the day quietly and eat a celebratory meal or picnic with family and close friends.
BASTILLE DAY PARIS 1950 POSTER 24" X 36" #ST2782

Public life

Bastille Day is a public holiday in France so post offices, banks, and many businesses are closed. Restaurants and cafes outside of tourist areas may also be closed. However, bakeries and some stores in Paris, as well as at airports and railway stations and along major highways, are open.
Public transport service schedules vary depending on where one lives and intends to travel. Roads in the centers of villages, towns and cities (particularly in Paris) may be closed for parades and other large public events.The Fall of the Bastille (A Day That Made History Series)

Background

The Bastille is a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fête de la Fédération was held on July 14, 1790. This was a way to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.
Official celebrations were held in Paris on June 30, 1878, to honor the Republic of France. On July 14, 1879, more official celebrations were held. These included a military review in Longchamp near Paris and celebrations all over the country. A politician named Benjamin Raspail proposed that July 14 should become a holiday in France in 1880. The law was enacted on July 6, 1880. Bastille Day was a public holiday for the first time on July 14, 1880.
The military parade in Paris has been held every year since 1880, except during World War II. The Free French Forces paraded on this date in London, England from 1940 until 1944. Jean Michel Jarre held a concert in Paris that attracted one million people, then the largest recorded crowd at an outdoor concert, in 1979. Special celebrations were held for the 200th anniversary of the French revolution in 1989. The French football team became world champions on July 12, 1998. This sparked celebrations throughout France on Bastille Day.
Bastille Day celebrations are held in French communities and the Institut de France around the world. Such events in the United States are held in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. There are festivals of French culture in Franschhoek, South Africa, and Hungary. Bastille Day (Pamphlet poets)

Symbols

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the French national flag, or tricolor, are important symbols of Bastille Day. The French national flag is one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall. It consists of three vertical bands of equal width colored blue, white and red. The same colors are displayed in bunting and banners of many shapes on Bastille Day. People may also wear clothing or face paint in these colors.
   

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Apple Forum Police Erase Consumer Reports Threads

ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for Apple iPhone 4 (Full Body)
 From PCWORLD
To cope with iPhone 4 antenna issues, Apple's latest fingers-in-ears method involves deleting support forum threads that point out Consumer Reports' recent "can't recommend" rating.
Using Google searches, TUAW found five threads referencing Consumer Reports' iPhone 4 lab test results. Now, they all come up as error messages on Apple's website. Bing cached one of the threads, which includes a link to Consumer Reports' blog post on iPhone 4 antenna issues and a discussion of the reports' validity.
At the time of this writing, Apple has not deleted two threads discussing the deletion of previous threads. Posts about the Consumer Reports findings also remain untouched in a larger thread on the iPhone 4's antenna issues.

Read More

YMCA Name Change. Tell me it ain't so!

FROM THE GROUND UP

A Fresh 
Look: The YMCA to Unveil New Brand Strategy

A Brand New Day: The YMCA Unveils New Brand Strategy to Further Community Impact

For the first time in 43 years, the YMCA has unveiled a new brand strategy to increase understanding of the impact the nonprofit makes in communities. Through its new brand strategy and framework, the nonprofit will extend its reach into communities to nurture the potential of youth and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to support neighbors. Read more

NEWS FROM THE Y


Y.M.C.A. Is Downsizing to a Single Letter

One of the nation’s most iconic nonprofit organizations, founded 166 years ago in England as the Young Men’s Christian Association, is undergoing a major rebranding, adopting as its name the nickname everyone has used for generations.

UNDATED (WREX) - It's what most people call it already, so the YMCA has decided to change its name to the "Y".
The national organization has decided to officially change its name, however each local YMCA will have the option to keep the old name. The local YMCA's plan to keep their name the same.
And just in case you were worried, the classic Village People song YMCA will not be affected by the national name change.




http://www.ymca.net/

Monday, July 12, 2010

The Pile Of Cash That Everyone Wants To See Gone

Corporate America Has Plenty of Cash
Corporate America's large, un-spent cash-horde has become the latest obsession among economists and other pundits.
In theory, corporate America has plenty of dry power, but as The Big Picture has pointed out, there's little compelling reason for corporate America to invest when there's so much slack and unused capacity in the system. Add in general unease, and you can see why the system is so stuck.
Now come up with a solution for what to do with the cash, and we might be able to get things going without more stimulus.
 Read »