World Bank In Trouble

Could 'Run Out of Money' within 12 months - Telegraph UK:

"The Bank, whose job it is to support low-income countries, has had to hand out so much cash in the wake of the financial crisis that its resources could run dry within 12 months.

"By the middle of next year we will face serious constraints,” said its president Robert Zoellick, as he launched a major campaign to persuade rich nations to pour more money into the Washington-based institution."

Well here's something else for Boomers to worry about in our Golden Years.

I wonder which country will be asked to step up to the plate and contribute the lions share of money to the World Bank? I wonder whose country's politicians will be tripping all over themselves proposing funding bills for "the great humanitarian effort" to save the World Bank? My prediction is that whatever country it is, it will be a Herculean Bi-partisan Effort to give away more of that country's dwindling assets.

You get the point.

Economy Down But Chip Sales Up

Sales Of Potato Chips Thriving In Recession:

"It seems that those of us who aren't chewing our nails these days are busy chewing potato chips. Chip sales have leaped by 22% since the economy started to go south, according to market research firm Mintel, which compared 2007 market data against its own market estimate for the category for full-year 2009."

I can't figure out why the sales are up, the price per pound on those things are outrageous, you can buy a pound of chop meat cheaper. When I do buy them, it's generally my local Kroger brand, they are as good as the national brand, but 1/2 the price (on sale of course).

 I will tell you one thing, supermarket Seniors Discount Days are getting very popular around here, with a %5 discount it's small wonder. Krogers is Tuesday, Harris Teeter is Thursdays and Food Lion is empty all week because it doesn't have one. I've even noticed that Targets food department is devoid of gray haired people because they're all buying on senior's day.

I'm sure you've noticed all of the pictures in my posts lately. Well it's because I've just learned how to insert them using a nifty text editor function, and I've also found that Google and Bing have a large collection of images to choose from.

Google Web Site Experiment

I'm thinking of setting up a Google Web Site to supplement my knowledge of Internet Publishing. It could also be a good way to make some extra cash by teaching people how to create their own Blogs and Web sites.

I had originally intended to graduate from Google Blog to a more robust blog platform called WordPress, but I think I'll hold off on that until I try Google Sites.

Google products have a few things going for them:

1. FREE
2. EASY (if you stick to basics)
3. TEACHABLE
   

You can't ask for anything more, did I mention FREE?

The Dark Side Of Debt

Introducing a new product, "Insurance": 
"The boys at The Economist are once again sounding the alarm over hedge funds, derivatives, and now dark matter. No, not the chimerical good will and brand value used by some supply-siders to rationalize away the huge trade deficit - the dark matter in this case is debt. As in the current cover story, The Dark Side of Debt.

There are three stories in the current issue about the new dark matter that is driving the world economy - there may be more than three, as the entire magazine has not yet been reviewed. Surprisingly, all three are in the public area of the website, available to passersby at no charge. The cover story starts the ball rolling, wondering what a low-interest rate world hath wrought."

Let me preface the following remarks with the statement "I am a capitalist, I've always been a capitalist, I will always be a capitalist".
BUT......... these guys are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

More Health Tips

Five hospital secrets you should know:

"While most patients check in and out without incident, there are plenty who haven't been as lucky. On average, one person at every hospital is harmed by a drug error -- every day, according to a 2006 study by the Institute of Medicine. It gets worse. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that roughly two million people a year get hospital-related infections, many of which are potentially lethal. About 195,000 patients die each year from hospital errors, according to healthcare ratings firm HealthGrades."

It's amazing how many health related articles I've run across this week. But then again, it beats all the other depressing news the media is throwing our way.

Men's Health - FOXNews.com

Overcoming Bad Eating Habits:
"Ever find yourself mindlessly munching in front of the TV, entirely unaware of what you’re shoving into your mouth? Or perhaps you’re the type who inhales their food in record time? If these traits sound familiar, then you may in fact be guilty of a bad eating habit. But don’t worry; you’re certainly not alone."

Although the title of the article indicates that it's just for The Boyz, I'm sure that The Goils can pick up a few pointers. After all, we're all guilty of carrying around a few extra pounds these days, we're not Yuppies anymore.

Todays Money Saving Tip

How Facebook Can Save you Money
"Facebook is great for connecting with old friends, cyber-stalking exes and wasting time. But it’s also great for saving money. There are freebies and exclusive deals all over this social networking site. Here are ways Facebook can be a frugal person’s dream."

Even though I'm not a Facebook fan, I'm sure many of you out there are. The article explains unique ways  to use it to save some money. The source for this article, The Bargainist, is well worth bookmarking for future bargain hunting excursions. I've put it in my bag of tricks.    

Free Microsoft Security Software

Microsoft confirms free security software ships Tuesday:
Microsoft today confirmed that it will launch its free security software suite, which has been in development for almost a year, Tuesday morning. "Microsoft Security Essentials, the highly anticipated no-cost consumer security offering, will be released to the public tomorrow, September 29," a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail reply to questions.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the words "Free" and "Microsoft" used in the same sentence, but here it is. If you don't have a security suite or are using one that you don't feel comfortable with, read the article and comments, then download the MS suite from Free Security Essentials 

Oops, almost forgot Matt's YouTube Review

Enjoy!

  

Medical News - Prostate Cancer

Exercise Lowers Risk of Prostate Cancer, Less Aggressive Disease:

By Duke Medicine News and Communications -

A moderate amount of exercise most days of the week may contribute to a lower risk of prostate cancer, and lower grade tumors among those men who are diagnosed with the disease following biopsy, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital."

This article should be of interest to "The Boyz" out there. I saw it in my quarterly issue of  Duke Medical magazine, tracked down a copy from their web site, Duke Health , and posted it here. You might want to visit the site from time to time, just to stay current with what's happening in medical breakthroughs.

Breaking News - From COMPUTERWORLD Magazine

Nanotech used to build cancer-detecting microchip:

"Scientists at the University of Toronto reported today that the chip not only detects cancer but also can detect the type and severity of it. The chip, built with nanowires, is designed to sense trace amounts of cancer bio-markers, which are biologic molecules that indicate the presence or progression of a disease."

Halloween Projects How-To Guides

Monster List of DYI Halloween Projects:

"With little more than a month left before Halloween, if you're intending to set up some underwear-destroying, adrenaline-spiking Halloween props, you're going to need to get cracking. Thankfully the MonsterList of Halloween Projects has hundreds of how-to guides."

I know a lot of you folks are fanatics about Halloween, so when I ran across this article on the LifeHacker website my first thought was to share it with you. I think that most adults still enjoy Halloween because it brings out the children in us, or maybe it's just the CANDY and TREATS that we enjoy.