Propeller.com Stories submitted by engineer

Economic tremors in the West reach China

engineer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:18:10 EDT

A slowdown in the flow of containers through the giant ports of southern China is providing an amber warning light that all is not well in the vast workshops of China's eastern seaboard.

Channel: Money Tags: China slowdown West container ships less

The global economy is at the point of maximum danger

engineer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:09:00 EDT

It feels like the summer of 1931. The world's two biggest financial institutions have had a heart attack. The global currency system is breaking down. The policy doctrines that got us into this mess are bankrupt. No world leader seems able to discern the problem, let alone forge a solution.

Channel: Money Tags: economy global finances institutions danger maximum

U.S. food companies plan more hefty price increases

engineer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:46:05 EDT

U.S. food companies are preparing another round of hefty price increases as soaring commodity costs force them to pass on rises to consumers.

Channel: Food Tags: Food prices up companies consumers

Mideast Facing Choice Between Crops and Water

engineer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:51:22 EDT

Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water.

Channel: Food Tags: Crops water choice Mideast Northern Africa food crisis worldwide

Influx of Voters Likely to Test New Machines

engineer — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:49:07 EDT

With millions of new voters heading to the polls this November and many states introducing new voting technologies, election officials and voting monitors say they fear the combination is likely to create long lines, stressed-out poll workers and late tallies on Election Day.

Channel: Politics Tags: technooogy voting optical scanners paper ballots long lines stress

Online auctions are past their prime Neither eBay nor Wall Street knows what is the future.

engineer — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:01:04 EDT

Online auctions are past their prime. Neither the market leader nor Wall Street knows what that means for the future.

Channel: Money Tags: eBay Auctions luster going past prime

Given a Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper Into Debt

engineer — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:35:56 EDT

This is a story of the debt crisis facing millions of Americans and the reasons for it

Channel: Money Tags: Debt crisis credit foreclosure Americans

Commercial bankruptcies soar, reflecting widening economic woes

engineer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:41:32 EDT

Driven by a sour economy and skittish consumers, U.S. business bankruptcies saw their sharpest quarterly rise in two years, jumping 17 percent in the second quarter of 2008, according to an analysis by McClatchy.

Channel: Money Tags: Business bankruptcies up 17 percent 2nd quarter 2008

What was discussed at a closed session of the U.S. House of Representatives? .

engineer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:39:36 EDT

This story is about the House closed session. Read it and draw your own conclusions. Some say security. Others say the financial collapse of the US. Some say both.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: House closed session security financial collapse US

Prostitution measure makes in onto S.F. ballot

engineer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:05:41 EDT

A measure that would make it more difficult to investigate and punish prostitution crimes in San Francisco qualified for the November ballot on Friday, opening another passage in the city's long fight over decriminalizing the sex-trade industry.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Prostitution decriminalization San Francisco ballot

Zimbabwe introduces $100 billion banknotes - CNN.com

engineer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:51:18 EDT

New bills officially come into circulation Monday Bills aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread. They can only buy four oranges Gideon Gono: Notes for "convenience of the banking public and corporate sector" The new note is equal to just one U.S. dollar

Channel: Money Tags: Zimbabwe 100 billion dollar note 100 billion 2 million percent inflation

Millions of decent taxpayers will foot the bill for institutional idiocy

engineer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:10:38 EDT

So now we know: the Government gave the public a "wholly misleading picture" of the safety of their savings. That is the assessment of the Parliamentary Ombudsman after an exhaustive inquiry into Equitable Life's collapse.

Channel: Money Tags: taxpayers government pay misleading UK institution idiocy

'Nerd Girls' show brains can be beautiful

engineer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:36:09 EDT

Group seeks to shatter stereotypes and attract girls to technology careers

Channel: Careers & Jobs Tags: Women girls engineers nerds Nerd Girls attractive sexy

Candidates' Terror Policies Tough To Distinguish

engineer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:05:09 EDT

Michael Sheehan, a former counterterrorism adviser to both Republicans and Democrats, says the differences between John McCain's and Barack Obama's terrorism policies are subtle and ambiguous.

Channel: Politics Tags: Terorism Obama McCain indistinguishable

Russia to 'neutralise' US missile defence threat: report

engineer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:25:08 EDT

Russia's military is ready to "neutralize" any threat to its nuclear deterrent from US missile defense sites in Europe, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Monday, according to Interfax news agency.

Channel: News Tags: Missiles Europe US Russia neutralize

As faith in bank bailouts dims, losses set to deepen

engineer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:20:53 EDT

The nightmare scenario for U.S. economic authorities is here: confidence in their ability to rescue the country from a housing-led financial panic is now at its lowest level since the crisis began.

Channel: Money Tags: housing banks crisis panic financial confidence low

Exiting Iraq Is Easier Than They Say

engineer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:38:01 EDT

Exiting Iraq is not as big a deal as the hawks and warmongers might make you think. This article shows you the whys

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq war pullout exit easier

Iran Pours Cash Into Afghanistan, Seeking Leverage Against U.S.

engineer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:14:05 EDT

Tehran's investment of $500 million in the region has helped the U.S. by minimizing the influence of the Taliban extremists Iran paved half of Herat's streets and 40 miles of highway leading north, built schools and health clinics and partnered with Afghan companies.

Channel: News Tags: Iran Afghanistan investment 500 million Taliban schools clinics highway companies

U.S. to establish presence in Tehran: report

engineer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:53:37 EDT

The United States will announce in the next month that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years, a British newspaper said on Thursday.

Channel: News Tags: US Iran Tehran embassy diplomat

Casino regulators got items meant for Katrina victims

engineer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:00:58 EDT

Mississippi Gaming Commission received items meant for hurricane victims It was among 11 state agencies that got the household items from FEMA FEMA let 121 truckloads of supplies linger in a warehouse

Channel: News Tags: Katrina victims casinos FEMA truckloads supplies

U.S. cities scrambling to meet rising mass transit demands

engineer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:56:55 EDT

Statistics suggest Americans are driving less and using mass transit more Some transit systems labor to meet the new and rising demand They are hampered by high operating costs, spurred by high fuel prices

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Mass transit Cities usage up demand coping

Banks at Risk of Failing Nearly Doubles

engineer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:39:19 EDT

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says 90 institutions, about 1 percent of those it insures, are on its list of "problem banks" at greater risk of failing. That's up from 50 at the end of 2006.

Channel: Money Tags: Banks failures 2008 risks increase

The Great Biofuels Con

engineer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:30:03 EDT

Rarely in political history can there have been such a rapid and dramatic reversal of a received wisdom as we have seen in the past 18 months over biofuels - the cropping of living plants, such as soy beans, wheat and sugar cane, to generate energy.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Biofuels con starvation costs

A New Way to Measure Stress

engineer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:38:55 EDT

Developers are discovering a new way to measure the muscle tension and stress encompassing our bodies. By wearing a sensor riddled vest, tiny electrodes record how much strain our bodies are currently experiencing. Muscle strain and tension is often a direct reflection of how much stress someone is undergoing. Sensors are uniquely threaded through

Channel: Science Tags: Stress muscles measurement

Ulcers Discovered in Mummies - Yahoo! News

engineer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:05:19 EDT

Two Mexican mummies had ulcers when they were alive. Remnants of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori were discovered in gastric tissue from the mummies, human remains believed to predate Columbus' discovery of the New World.

Channel: Science Tags: Mummies 1350AD ulcers Mexicans

Police, roads, buses feel gas price pinch - Jul. 15, 2008

engineer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:57:53 EDT

Local governments grappling with soaring fuel prices scale back services citizens have come to expect.

Channel: Money Tags: local governments municipalities police roads potholes buses cutbacks

GM to announce changes Tuesday - Jul. 14, 2008

engineer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:54:26 EDT

In an announcement Tuesday, the ailing U.S. automaker is expected to cut production and jobs due to falling domestic sales.

Channel: Money Tags: GM restructuring jobs thousands cut sales down

PickensPlan

engineer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:17:44 EDT

This tells how we can end our dependence on foreign oil through wind. T Boone Pickens puts a very convincing argument for the technology in less than ten years

Channel: Science Tags: T Boone Pickens wind oil dependence 10 years

FBI at 100: From Al Capone to al Qaeda - CNN.com

engineer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:12:25 EDT

FBI was founded in 1908 and celebrates its 100th anniversary on July 26 Crooks like Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone part of agency's early days Mission changed dramatically after September 11 attacks Today's agents track as many as 100 reported threats a day across U.S.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: FBI 100

Honey, they shrank the packets of food

engineer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:18:23 EDT

Facing higher prices for ingredients and a tumbling dollar, American food manufacturers have been forced to tackle the issue of price inflation. But rather than increase the prices of packets of food on the shelves, many of the big food manufacturers have simply shrunk the size of their products while keeping prices steady.

Channel: Food Tags: Fod packages smaller prices inflation dollar

Homeowners who use heating oil seek alternatives

engineer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:00:54 EDT

As heating oil approaches $5 a gallon, consumers in the oil-reliant Northeast are looking at pellets, heat pumps, firewood and even geothermal systems to soften the blow of high oil prices - which have almost doubled in the past year and gone up nearly fivefold since 2003.

Channel: Money Tags: Heating oil alternatives wood pellets heat pumps geothermal.prices

Sleeping soundly 'boosts memory'

engineer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:28:39 EDT

A refreshing night's sleep may be the best way to boost memory, a study suggests.

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: Sleep memory boost University of Geneva researchers

Teenage Mothers Rose in 2006, Reversing a 15-Year U.S. Decline

engineer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:31:54 EDT

The number of U.S. teenagers who gave birth increased for the first time in 15 years, raising what a health official called ``a red flag.'' The rate at which teen girls became mothers rose 2.8 percent in 2006 from a year earlier The increase ended a decline that began when teen birthrate peaked at 38 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 17 in 1991

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: Teens births 2006 birthrates.highest

Home Prices Off More than 20 Percent Nationally: Report

engineer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:21:03 EDT

A new housing price index suggested earlier this week that housing prices have fallen by 20.1 percent nationally between May 2007 and May of this year; fresh evidence that the nation's housing woes have yet to subside.

Channel: Real Estate Tags: New homes housing off 20 percent May year

Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran

engineer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:16:34 EDT

Halliburton sold key components for a nuclear reactor to an Iranian oil development company. Leopold says his Halliburton sources have intimate knowledge of the business dealings of both Halliburton and Oriental Oil Kish, one of Iran's largest private oil companies.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Halliburton Iran sales nuclear secrets Cheney Oriental Kish reactor

Earthquake Destroyed China's Largest Military Armory, Says Source

engineer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:12:18 EDT

A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army's largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is con

Channel: News Tags: China earthquake military explosions nuclear warheads

Law School Dean Calls Conference to Plan Bush War Crimes Prosecution | ABA Journal

engineer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:39:11 EDT

The dean of Massachusetts School of Law at Andover is planning a September conference to map out war crimes prosecutions, and the targets are President Bush and other administration officials.

Channel: News Tags: Law School Dean Bush administration war crimes prosecution

Study: As gas prices go up, auto deaths drop

engineer — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:18:18 EDT

High gas prices could turn out to be a lifesaver for some drivers. The authors of a new study say gas prices are causing driving declines that could result in a third fewer auto deaths annually, with the most dramatic drop likely to be among teen drivers.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: gas prices high deaths accidents low teens drivers third fewer

Bush pushes Congress to allow offshore drilling in Alaska - Jul. 11, 2008

engineer — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:50:50 EDT

Bush says one answer to soaring gas and oil prices is to increase supply by tapping reserves in the Alaskan wildlife refuge.

Channel: Money Tags: Bush Congress Alaska drill offshore prices gas

Cheated into Working in a War Zone

engineer — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:21:36 EDT

Thousands of impoverished Asians are tricked into driving supply trucks through Iraq's sniper fire and mortar bombs

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: trucks Asians KBR Halliburton trick trickery abuse bombs sniper