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First-of-its-kind study finds alarming increase in flow of water into oceans

Janet Wilson - University of California -- Irvine

Freshwater is flowing into Earth's oceans in greater amounts every year, a team of researchers has found, thanks to more frequent and extreme storms linked to global warming. All told, 18 percent more water fed into the world's oceans from rivers and melting polar ice sheets in 2006 than in 1994, with an average annual rise of 1.5 percent.

"That might not sound like much – 1.5 percent a year – but after a few decades, it's huge," said Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine Earth system science professor and principal investigator on the study, which will be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He noted that while freshwater is essential to humans and ecosystems, the rain is falling in all the wrong places, for all the wrong reasons.

"In general, more water is good," Famiglietti said. "But here's the problem: Not everybody is getting more rainfall, and those who are may not need it. What we're seeing is exactly what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted – that precipitation is increasing in the tropics and the Arctic Circle with heavier, more punishing storms. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of people live in semiarid regions, and those are drying up."

In essence, he said, the evaporation and precipitation cycle taught in grade school is accelerating dangerously because of greenhouse gas-fueled higher temperatures, triggering monsoons and hurricanes. Hotter weather above the oceans causes freshwater to evaporate faster, which leads to thicker clouds unleashing more powerful storms over land. The rainfall then travels via rivers to the sea in ever-larger amounts, and the cycle begins again.

The pioneering study, which is ongoing, employs NASA and other world-scale satellite observations rather than computer models to track total water volume each month flowing from the continents into the oceans.

"Many scientists and models have suggested that if the water cycle is intensifying because of climate change, then we should be seeing increasing river flow. Unfortunately, there is no global discharge measurement network, so we have not been able to tell," wrote Famiglietti and lead author Tajdarul Syed of the Indian School of Mines, formerly of UCI.

"This paper uses satellite records of sea level rise, precipitation and evaporation to put together a unique 13-year record – the longest and first of its kind. The trends were all the same: increased evaporation from the ocean that led to increased precipitation on land and more flow back into the ocean." ...

via First-of-its-kind study finds alarming increase in flow of water into oceans.

Just ignore the planet. It will go away.

First-of-its-kind study finds alarming increase in flow of water into oceans

Janet Wilson - University of California -- Irvine

Freshwater is flowing into Earth's oceans in greater amounts every year, a team of researchers has found, thanks to more frequent and extreme storms linked to global warming. All told, 18 percent more water fed into the world's oceans from rivers and melting polar ice sheets in 2006 than in 1994, with an average annual rise of 1.5 percent.

"That might not sound like much – 1.5 percent a year – but after a few decades, it's huge," said Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine Earth system science professor and principal investigator on the study, which will be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He noted that while freshwater is essential to humans and ecosystems, the rain is falling in all the wrong places, for all the wrong reasons.

"In general, more water is good," Famiglietti said. "But here's the problem: Not everybody is getting more rainfall, and those who are may not need it. What we're seeing is exactly what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted – that precipitation is increasing in the tropics and the Arctic Circle with heavier, more punishing storms. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of people live in semiarid regions, and those are drying up."

In essence, he said, the evaporation and precipitation cycle taught in grade school is accelerating dangerously because of greenhouse gas-fueled higher temperatures, triggering monsoons and hurricanes. Hotter weather above the oceans causes freshwater to evaporate faster, which leads to thicker clouds unleashing more powerful storms over land. The rainfall then travels via rivers to the sea in ever-larger amounts, and the cycle begins again.

The pioneering study, which is ongoing, employs NASA and other world-scale satellite observations rather than computer models to track total water volume each month flowing from the continents into the oceans.

"Many scientists and models have suggested that if the water cycle is intensifying because of climate change, then we should be seeing increasing river flow. Unfortunately, there is no global discharge measurement network, so we have not been able to tell," wrote Famiglietti and lead author Tajdarul Syed of the Indian School of Mines, formerly of UCI.

"This paper uses satellite records of sea level rise, precipitation and evaporation to put together a unique 13-year record – the longest and first of its kind. The trends were all the same: increased evaporation from the ocean that led to increased precipitation on land and more flow back into the ocean." ...

via First-of-its-kind study finds alarming increase in flow of water into oceans.

Just ignore the planet. It will go away.

An eye for an eye

Johannes Haushofer - University of Zurich

Revenge cuts both ways in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Scientists of the University of Zurich, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities show that attacks by either side lead to violent retaliation from the other. Both Israelis and Palestinians may underestimate their own role in perpetuating the conflict.

A team of scientists from the University of Zurich, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities have found that attacks by both Israel and Palestinians lead to violent retaliation from the other side. This finding challenges claims by both Israelis and Palestinians that they confronted with a fundamentally hostile and implacable foe, suggesting instead that part of the violence of each side is a direct reaction to previous attacks by the other party.

The team analyzed a large dataset of killings and rocket attacks in the Second Intifada between Israel and Palestine, spanning the years 2000-2008, using a statistical method called Vector Autoregression. "This technique allows us to study the effect of a single additional attack from one side on future attacks by the other side," says lead author Johannes Haushofer, a neurobiologist and economist at the University of Zurich. "We find that when one side attacks the other, they directly inflict a certain additional number of fatalities or rocket attacks on their own people, because they can be nearly certain that the other side will retaliate. For example, when Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians, they automatically increase the probability that Israelis will die from Palestinian attacks on the following day by 50%."

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, overturns earlier findings which had suggested that only Palestinian attacks lead to retaliation, while Israeli attacks did not. "The previous evidence suggested that Israeli attacks were often responses to Palestinian aggression, whereas this did not appear to be true for Palestinian attacks," says Anat Biletzki, a professor of philosophy at Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities, and former head of BT'selem, an Israeli human rights organization that collects the data that were used in the study. "This implied that the conflict was one-sided, with Palestinians attacking Israel, and the Israeli army merely responding to this aggression. Our findings suggest that the situation is more balanced than that."...

via An eye for an eye.

An eye for an eye

Johannes Haushofer - University of Zurich

Revenge cuts both ways in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Scientists of the University of Zurich, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities show that attacks by either side lead to violent retaliation from the other. Both Israelis and Palestinians may underestimate their own role in perpetuating the conflict.

A team of scientists from the University of Zurich, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities have found that attacks by both Israel and Palestinians lead to violent retaliation from the other side. This finding challenges claims by both Israelis and Palestinians that they confronted with a fundamentally hostile and implacable foe, suggesting instead that part of the violence of each side is a direct reaction to previous attacks by the other party.

The team analyzed a large dataset of killings and rocket attacks in the Second Intifada between Israel and Palestine, spanning the years 2000-2008, using a statistical method called Vector Autoregression. "This technique allows us to study the effect of a single additional attack from one side on future attacks by the other side," says lead author Johannes Haushofer, a neurobiologist and economist at the University of Zurich. "We find that when one side attacks the other, they directly inflict a certain additional number of fatalities or rocket attacks on their own people, because they can be nearly certain that the other side will retaliate. For example, when Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians, they automatically increase the probability that Israelis will die from Palestinian attacks on the following day by 50%."

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, overturns earlier findings which had suggested that only Palestinian attacks lead to retaliation, while Israeli attacks did not. "The previous evidence suggested that Israeli attacks were often responses to Palestinian aggression, whereas this did not appear to be true for Palestinian attacks," says Anat Biletzki, a professor of philosophy at Tel Aviv and Quinnipiaq Universities, and former head of BT'selem, an Israeli human rights organization that collects the data that were used in the study. "This implied that the conflict was one-sided, with Palestinians attacking Israel, and the Israeli army merely responding to this aggression. Our findings suggest that the situation is more balanced than that."...

via An eye for an eye.

UN 'to appoint space ambassador to greet alien visitors'

A space ambassador could be appointed by the United Nations to act as the first point of contact for aliens trying to communicate with Earth.

Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist, is set to be tasked with co-ordinating humanity’s response if and when extraterrestrials make contact.

Aliens who landed on earth and asked: “Take me to your leader” would be directed to Mrs Othman.

She will set out the details of her proposed new role at a Royal Society conference in Buckinghamshire next week.

The 58-year-old is expected to tell delegates that the proposal has been prompted by the recent discovery of hundreds of planets orbiting other starts, which is thought to make the discovery of extraterrestrial life more probable than ever before.

Mrs Othman is currently head of the UN’s little known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa). ...

via UN 'to appoint space ambassador to greet alien visitors' - Telegraph.

M. Othman, not to be confused with the Mothman.

Attention space aliens, you are now just one step away from communicating with a chosen representative of the planet Earth.  Just click the "Contact Us" link on our web site.

Please note a few points of protocol about humans:

1. Observe the humans discreetly for several thousands years before introducing yourself if you can.


2. Allow yourself to be seen from a distance so the humans can become accustomed to you.


3. Don't brandish weapons at your first meeting if you can avoid it.

These are the first things that came to mind. What else should we tell them?

UN 'to appoint space ambassador to greet alien visitors'

A space ambassador could be appointed by the United Nations to act as the first point of contact for aliens trying to communicate with Earth.

Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist, is set to be tasked with co-ordinating humanity’s response if and when extraterrestrials make contact.

Aliens who landed on earth and asked: “Take me to your leader” would be directed to Mrs Othman.

She will set out the details of her proposed new role at a Royal Society conference in Buckinghamshire next week.

The 58-year-old is expected to tell delegates that the proposal has been prompted by the recent discovery of hundreds of planets orbiting other starts, which is thought to make the discovery of extraterrestrial life more probable than ever before.

Mrs Othman is currently head of the UN’s little known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa). ...

via UN 'to appoint space ambassador to greet alien visitors' - Telegraph.

M. Othman, not to be confused with the Mothman.

Attention space aliens, you are now just one step away from communicating with a chosen representative of the planet Earth.  Just click the "Contact Us" link on our web site.

Please note a few points of protocol about humans:

1. Observe the humans discreetly for several thousands years before introducing yourself if you can.


2. Allow yourself to be seen from a distance so the humans can become accustomed to you.


3. Don't brandish weapons at your first meeting if you can avoid it.

These are the first things that came to mind. What else should we tell them?

Druidry to be classed as religion by Charity Commission

Druidry is to become the first pagan practice to be given official recognition as a religion.

The Charity Commission has accepted that druids' worship of natural spirits could be seen as religious activity.

The Druid Network's charitable status entitles it to tax breaks, but the organisation says it does not earn enough to benefit from this.

The commission says the network's work in promoting druidry as a religion is in the public interest.

The move comes thousands of years after the first druids worshipped in Britain. ...

via BBC News - Druidry to be classed as religion by Charity Commission.

Druidry to be classed as religion by Charity Commission

Druidry is to become the first pagan practice to be given official recognition as a religion.

The Charity Commission has accepted that druids' worship of natural spirits could be seen as religious activity.

The Druid Network's charitable status entitles it to tax breaks, but the organisation says it does not earn enough to benefit from this.

The commission says the network's work in promoting druidry as a religion is in the public interest.

The move comes thousands of years after the first druids worshipped in Britain. ...

via BBC News - Druidry to be classed as religion by Charity Commission.

No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress

A Brazilian clown has had the last laugh by winning a seat in Congress with more votes than any other candidate in Sunday's elections.

Tiririca, or Francisco Oliveira Silva to give him his real name, was elected as a federal deputy for Sao Paulo with more than 1.3 million votes.

Tiririca, or "Grumpy", had slogans such as: "It can't get any worse."

Another celebrity winner was ex-footballer Romario, elected federal deputy for Rio de Janeiro.

Tiririca won 1,353,355 votes - well ahead of the next best-supported politician, former Rio state governor Antony Garotinho, who took more than 694,000 votes to be elected a federal deputy for the state. ...

via BBC News - No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress.

No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress

A Brazilian clown has had the last laugh by winning a seat in Congress with more votes than any other candidate in Sunday's elections.

Tiririca, or Francisco Oliveira Silva to give him his real name, was elected as a federal deputy for Sao Paulo with more than 1.3 million votes.

Tiririca, or "Grumpy", had slogans such as: "It can't get any worse."

Another celebrity winner was ex-footballer Romario, elected federal deputy for Rio de Janeiro.

Tiririca won 1,353,355 votes - well ahead of the next best-supported politician, former Rio state governor Antony Garotinho, who took more than 694,000 votes to be elected a federal deputy for the state. ...

via BBC News - No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress.

'Toasted Skin Syndrome' a side effect of warm laptop on skin

In this undated photo provided by the journal Pediatrics, a 12 year-old boy is pictured with evidence of "toasted skin syndrome".

Lindsay Goldwert - There’s a downside to the toasty feeling of a warm laptop against your legs -- mottled and discolored skin.

Keeping the heated surface of the laptop against one’s skin can for extended periods of time can cause ‘toasted skin syndrome’ – a condition caused by long-term heat exposure, reports the Associated Press.

While laptop computers (similar to heating pads or hot water bottles) rarely get hot enough to cause burns, the syndrome can cause the skin to darken and can, in rare cases, lead to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel.

Researchers do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but advice using a ‘heat shield’ under the computer if you work with it on your lap. ...

via 'Toasted Skin Syndrome' a side effect of working with warm laptop against exposed skin.

'Toasted Skin Syndrome' a side effect of warm laptop on skin

In this undated photo provided by the journal Pediatrics, a 12 year-old boy is pictured with evidence of "toasted skin syndrome".

Lindsay Goldwert - There’s a downside to the toasty feeling of a warm laptop against your legs -- mottled and discolored skin.

Keeping the heated surface of the laptop against one’s skin can for extended periods of time can cause ‘toasted skin syndrome’ – a condition caused by long-term heat exposure, reports the Associated Press.

While laptop computers (similar to heating pads or hot water bottles) rarely get hot enough to cause burns, the syndrome can cause the skin to darken and can, in rare cases, lead to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel.

Researchers do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but advice using a ‘heat shield’ under the computer if you work with it on your lap. ...

via 'Toasted Skin Syndrome' a side effect of working with warm laptop against exposed skin.

New computers will ‘boot up in seconds’

The next generation of home computers will be able to boot up in just a few seconds, as 25-year-old BIOS technology makes way for new start-up software known as UEFI.

BIOS technology, which has been used to boot up computers since 1979, was never designed to last as long as it has, and is one of the reasons modern computers take so long to get up and running.

By contrast, UEFI – which stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface – has been built to meet modern computing needs, and will soon be the pre-eminent technology in many new computers, enabling them to go from ‘off’ to ‘on’ in seconds.

“At the moment, it can be 25- to 30 seconds of boot time before you see the first bit of OS sign-on,” Mark Doran, head of the UEFI Forum, told the BBC. “With UEFI, we’re getting it down to a handful of seconds.

“It’s not quite instant-on, but it is already a lot better than conventional BIOS can manage.” ... Experts expect UEFI to start gaining a significant foothold in the computing market from as early as next year.

via New computers will ‘boot up in seconds’ - Telegraph.

More from the UEFI FAQ:

	The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) served as the OS-firmware interface for the original PC-XT and PC-AT computers. This interface has been expanded over the years as the "PC clone" market has grown, but was never fully modernized as the market grew. UEFI defines a similar OS-firmware interface, known as "boot services" and "runtime services", but is not specific to any processor architecture. BIOS is specific to the Intel x86 processor architecture, as it relies on the 16-bit "real mode" interface supported by x86 processors.
	Does UEFI completely replace a PC BIOS?
	No. While UEFI uses a different interface for "boot services" and "runtime services", some platform firmware must perform the functions BIOS uses for system configuration (a.k.a. "Power On Self Test" or "POST") and Setup. UEFI does not specify how POST & Setup are implemented.
	How is UEFI implemented on a computer system?
	UEFI is an interface. It can be implemented on top of a traditional BIOS (in which case it supplants the traditional "INT" entry points into BIOS) or on top of non-BIOS implementations.

New computers will ‘boot up in seconds’

The next generation of home computers will be able to boot up in just a few seconds, as 25-year-old BIOS technology makes way for new start-up software known as UEFI.

BIOS technology, which has been used to boot up computers since 1979, was never designed to last as long as it has, and is one of the reasons modern computers take so long to get up and running.

By contrast, UEFI – which stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface – has been built to meet modern computing needs, and will soon be the pre-eminent technology in many new computers, enabling them to go from ‘off’ to ‘on’ in seconds.

“At the moment, it can be 25- to 30 seconds of boot time before you see the first bit of OS sign-on,” Mark Doran, head of the UEFI Forum, told the BBC. “With UEFI, we’re getting it down to a handful of seconds.

“It’s not quite instant-on, but it is already a lot better than conventional BIOS can manage.” ... Experts expect UEFI to start gaining a significant foothold in the computing market from as early as next year.

via New computers will ‘boot up in seconds’ - Telegraph.

More from the UEFI FAQ:

	The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) served as the OS-firmware interface for the original PC-XT and PC-AT computers. This interface has been expanded over the years as the "PC clone" market has grown, but was never fully modernized as the market grew. UEFI defines a similar OS-firmware interface, known as "boot services" and "runtime services", but is not specific to any processor architecture. BIOS is specific to the Intel x86 processor architecture, as it relies on the 16-bit "real mode" interface supported by x86 processors.
	Does UEFI completely replace a PC BIOS?
	No. While UEFI uses a different interface for "boot services" and "runtime services", some platform firmware must perform the functions BIOS uses for system configuration (a.k.a. "Power On Self Test" or "POST") and Setup. UEFI does not specify how POST & Setup are implemented.
	How is UEFI implemented on a computer system?
	UEFI is an interface. It can be implemented on top of a traditional BIOS (in which case it supplants the traditional "INT" entry points into BIOS) or on top of non-BIOS implementations.

Faking it in the USA

... Now, an Indiana University survey published today has put some confirming data on the faked orgasm phenomenon. According to the survey's researchers, 85 percent of men said their partners climaxed during the most recent sex act, while 64 percent of women reported they actually did.

"There's this massive gap between men's perception and women's reality," says Debby Herbenick, co-author of the research and associate director at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the university. "It shows a lack of communication between partners, either by women faking it, or by men not asking or noticing if their partner [climaxed]."

The survey, which drew on data from nearly 6,000 participants between the ages of 14 and 94, covered a wide range of sexual behaviors, sexual health practices and sexual perceptions, and according to the center, it was the largest nationally representative survey on sexual health ever performed. ...

via Sex, Surveys, and Masturbation: Internet Changing U.S. Sexual Behavior - ABC News.

Most reported reasons for faking it according to a 2009 study

• Orgasm was unlikely. — Sometimes it’s just not going to happen, and although this seems to be a more common issue amongst women, it can also happen with men. Especially if alcohol is involved.


• They wanted sex to end. — Closely linked to an orgasm is unlikely, sometimes a partner will want to keep having sex until their partner finishes. A fake orgasm brings sex to an end quickly.


• They wanted to avoid negative consequences. — Most people don’t want to hurt another person’s feelings, and that’s no more the case than with our romantic partner. A fake orgasm avoids the negative consequences of having another person feel badly that they didn’t perform “well enough” to bring the other person to climax.


• They wanted to please their partner. — Faking an orgasm shows that you care about your partner’s feelings of performance and self-esteem. Or so said the people who filled out the survey. ...

- Muehlenhard CL. & Shippee SK. (2009). Men’s and Women’s Reports of Pretending Orgasm. J Sex Res, 5, 1-16.

If you want to know for certain, all you need is "a simple brain scan" ...

A simple brain scan can spot whether a woman is faking an orgasm or not, a major fertility conference has heard. Researchers found that when a woman is faking, a part of the brain under conscious control lights up, while real orgasms occur subconsciously.

The University of Groningen scans also showed important differences between the male and female orgasm.

In women, turning off fear and anxiety is key, while men need to know they will be physically stimulated. - bbc


Professor Gert Holstege and colleagues asked 13 heterosexual couples aged 19-49 to take part in an experiment.

Faking it in the USA

... Now, an Indiana University survey published today has put some confirming data on the faked orgasm phenomenon. According to the survey's researchers, 85 percent of men said their partners climaxed during the most recent sex act, while 64 percent of women reported they actually did.

"There's this massive gap between men's perception and women's reality," says Debby Herbenick, co-author of the research and associate director at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the university. "It shows a lack of communication between partners, either by women faking it, or by men not asking or noticing if their partner [climaxed]."

The survey, which drew on data from nearly 6,000 participants between the ages of 14 and 94, covered a wide range of sexual behaviors, sexual health practices and sexual perceptions, and according to the center, it was the largest nationally representative survey on sexual health ever performed. ...

via Sex, Surveys, and Masturbation: Internet Changing U.S. Sexual Behavior - ABC News.

Most reported reasons for faking it according to a 2009 study

• Orgasm was unlikely. — Sometimes it’s just not going to happen, and although this seems to be a more common issue amongst women, it can also happen with men. Especially if alcohol is involved.


• They wanted sex to end. — Closely linked to an orgasm is unlikely, sometimes a partner will want to keep having sex until their partner finishes. A fake orgasm brings sex to an end quickly.


• They wanted to avoid negative consequences. — Most people don’t want to hurt another person’s feelings, and that’s no more the case than with our romantic partner. A fake orgasm avoids the negative consequences of having another person feel badly that they didn’t perform “well enough” to bring the other person to climax.


• They wanted to please their partner. — Faking an orgasm shows that you care about your partner’s feelings of performance and self-esteem. Or so said the people who filled out the survey. ...

- Muehlenhard CL. & Shippee SK. (2009). Men’s and Women’s Reports of Pretending Orgasm. J Sex Res, 5, 1-16.

If you want to know for certain, all you need is "a simple brain scan" ...

A simple brain scan can spot whether a woman is faking an orgasm or not, a major fertility conference has heard. Researchers found that when a woman is faking, a part of the brain under conscious control lights up, while real orgasms occur subconsciously.

The University of Groningen scans also showed important differences between the male and female orgasm.

In women, turning off fear and anxiety is key, while men need to know they will be physically stimulated. - bbc


Professor Gert Holstege and colleagues asked 13 heterosexual couples aged 19-49 to take part in an experiment.

Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Saw this last night. Good movie! Enjoyed the acting.

It is also important to realize that we are just waiting for the big financial collapse where the banks close and ATMs stop spitting out money.

The bail out just created another bubble that must eventually collapse. That's why gold will keep going up for some time.

Update: Aug 18, 2010:

MICHAEL DOUGLAS may never act again after, as Douglas can lose his voice after being treated for throat cancer.

The 65-year-old Oscar winner, who is married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, is beginning an aggressive course of radiation and chemotherapy in New York.

The 65-year-old will soon go for an eight-week radiation and chemotherapy session to cure the cancer. The treatment is known to affect the larynx, said Kenneth Hu of New York's Beth Israel Medical Centre.

- allvoices

Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Saw this last night. Good movie! Enjoyed the acting.

It is also important to realize that we are just waiting for the big financial collapse where the banks close and ATMs stop spitting out money.

The bail out just created another bubble that must eventually collapse. That's why gold will keep going up for some time.

Update: Aug 18, 2010:

MICHAEL DOUGLAS may never act again after, as Douglas can lose his voice after being treated for throat cancer.

The 65-year-old Oscar winner, who is married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, is beginning an aggressive course of radiation and chemotherapy in New York.

The 65-year-old will soon go for an eight-week radiation and chemotherapy session to cure the cancer. The treatment is known to affect the larynx, said Kenneth Hu of New York's Beth Israel Medical Centre.

- allvoices

Is Gold the Next Bubble?

Brett Arends - It's been the amazing, runaway boom of the past decade. If you'd put your money into gold at the lows about 10 years ago, you'd have made a nearly 400% return. That's left pretty much everything else—stocks, China, let alone housing—in the dust.

But with gold now trading near record highs, the big $1,200-an-ounce question is obvious.

Is the gold rush over? ...

So far gold has followed the same path as the previous two bubbles. And if it continues along the same trajectory—a big if—gold today is only where the Nasdaq was in 1998 and housing in 2003.

In other words, just before those markets went into orbit.

Maybe the smart money is out of gold today. But how easily we forget that the smart money got out of these past bubbles way too early. The really smart money knows you make the most money in a bubble right at the end, when it goes manic.

There are other reasons to think that gold is still a long way from that point.

Like the futures market. It is predicting gold will rise by just a few percent a year over the next few years. That's less than you'd get from municipal bonds.

When the market thinks an investment is going to underperform munis, it's safe to say we are not in the midst of euphoria. ...

via ROI: Is Gold the Next Bubble? - WSJ.com.