Posted October 25th, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
As Thomas Kostigen observed in his Marketwatch article entitled Harsh Reality, “the real tragedy of this financial crisis is that people will die.”
It’s not just the stock markets and lending institutions that are affected. Each and every one of us will feel the effects of this sooner or later. Living in a developed country does not grant you immunity to the ripples on this particularly murky pond. As Mr. Kostigen points out:
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported this week that the gap between the rich and the poor is getting bigger around the world, and that the U.S. is experiencing the biggest dichotomy.
Just how many people worldwide are affected by that ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots is made plain by The World Health Organization. They note on the WHO website “inequality in income is increasing in countries that account for more than 80% of the world’s population.” In case you’re wondering, The US Census Bureau’s projection for today’s world population at 6,732,572,877.
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Posted August 30th, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
It’s looking like the menace of Hurricane Gustav means oil prices could go either way next week and no one, even the analysts, seem confident in which way to jump. It’s not unusual to see oil leap whenever there’s a perceived threat to oil supplies, be it weather or terrorism related, for example.
Analysts are divided on what the outcome will be if Gustav does indeed hit hard. Memories of hurricane Katrina, which was right at this time of year in 2005, are still fresh in most people’s minds with the anniversary having just passed. This time round though, speculation is rife that some of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve supplies might be made available. Others are banking that enough of a disruption could lead to oil soaring above the $120 a barrel mark.
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Posted July 5th, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
The little change made to Google’s homepage perhaps wasn’t even noticed by the majority of regular Google users. After all, most of our attention is drawn straight to the search box. But closer observation tells the tale of Google’s newest feature - the inclusion of a Privacy link. Previously the last line on the page simply read “© 2008 Google”. Now it says “© 2008 - Privacy”.
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Posted July 4th, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
Ever wondered why fireworks are used to celebrate Independence Day? I did. It’s a nod to the muskets that were fired, bonfires lit and shouts that rang out in celebration of the Declaration’s first readings in public.
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Posted July 1st, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
Today on 1 July 2008, hands free legislation regarding cell phones came into effect in California. The new law state that drivers aged 18 or over can only talk on their cell phones if they use a hands-free device. Unless it’s a call for fire, police or medical assistance, you better holster that cellphone.
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Posted June 25th, 2008 by Kay Elizabeth
That’s your mission should you choose to accept it. If you always fancied yourself as the explorer type, here’s your opportunity to let that spring forth. Today Google put out a call for volunteers to help them fill in the blanks for uncharted terrains in GoogleMaps.
Interested? Then toddle on over to the Google Map Maker. Anyone can help by adding additional features like roads, businesses, points of interest and lakes to the maps. Details in Google’s LatLong blog revealed, “You will be able to trace many of these features using satellite images; as you trace, maps are immediately updated.”
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