Story by Lori Murphy

When a pregnant female finds a suitable nesting site, she lays a clutch of ping-pong-ball-sized eggs, many of which fall prey to scavengers, people, dogs, or even other turtles. A few, however, will make it to hatching when scores of young turtles scurry across the open beach to the water’s edge where a host of new threats await. The luckiest few make it to open water. From there, amazingly, loggerheads can migrate thousands of miles to foraging areas where they spend their early years eating and growing until they reach maturity.

Traveling those miles, sea turtles encounter many threats. Loggerheads have been hunted by humans as food. Others get hit by boats or die snagged on fishing hooks and in nets. Marine debris claims a good number, too. The loggerheads' hunger for jellyfish and Man O’ Wars draws them to floating plastic bags and other bits of plastic, which they mistake for food. Countless turtles die each year from choking or starvation after ingesting plastic.

If they make it through all these threats, the loggerhead females will one day return to the exact beaches from which they hatched to lay eggs of their own. Thus begins a new cycle that has repeated without change for millions of years.

Learn more about Loggerheads

Support our work on sea turtles and other ocean wildlife with a contribution today Join Ocean Conservancy Senior Scientist Wallace J. Nichols on a research expedition to monitor loggerhead sea turtles in Baja California, Mexico.

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore... and who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
Give this heart to everyone you don't want to lose in 2008, including me, if you care.
Try to collect 12; it's not easy!
'Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

Nigerian official: greedy marks as guilty as 419 scammers

People who fall for so-called "Nigerian scams" aren't victims at all—in fact, they're greedy and should be jailed, according to Nigerian high commissioner Sunday Olu Agbi. He said today that Nigeria has gained a bad reputation because of the scams perpetrated by a minuscule number of people, and that those who find themselves involved with the scams are equally as guilty as those running them.

"The Nigerian Government frowns very seriously on these scams... and every day tries to track down those who are involved," Olu Agbi told the Sydney Morning Herald in response to a previous article on Australians falling for Nigerian scams. "People who send their money are as guilty as those who are asking them to send the money."

Out of the 140 million people in Nigeria, Olu Agbi said that fewer than 0.1 percent were involved in Nigerian scams. The scams, also referred to as 419 scams or advance-fee fraud, predate the Internet, but have exploded in recent years thanks to the proliferation of e-mail and instant money transfers. Although the scams can take on many forms—from payments for products sold on eBay or Craigslist, to deposits on houses and purchases of plane tickets for "true love" on the other side of the ocean—they all follow the same general theme.

Scammers send huge checks to unsuspecting victims with some story attached to explain the overpayment, and the victim is expected to wire back the difference immediately. Eventually when the checks are deposited, they bounce and the victim is out a lot of money. Sometimes, victims are tricked into thinking they'll eventually be paid back and continue to participate in this endless cycle of sending money, especially if the scammer is wooing them romantically (which happens more commonly than one might think, to both men and women).

Although this kind of fraud originates from all over the world, it seems to have an unusually high concentration in Africa and, specifically, Nigeria. This has, unsurprisingly, cast Nigeria in a negative light. Olu Agbi said that Nigeria's reputation for being involved with the scams has even hurt the country's ability to land business deals. "[T]hose who want to transact business with us are always very suspicious," he told the newspaper.

Still, Olu Agbi's "blame the victim" mentality won't help Nigeria win any friends, but education on how to spot 419 scams and avoid falling for them can certainly go a long way in curbing their growth. After all, once victims stop blindly forking over cash, scammers will have to figure out some other way to make money.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080822-nigerian-official-greedy-marks-as-guilty-as-419-scammers.html

It was a beautiful morning, sunny, warm, a little breeze as we headed out San Diego bay on Coyote to meet the Tall Ships off Point Loma. From there, we had front row seats to watch the parade as the Tall Ships entered the channel and sailed to the Maritime Museum.

It was a special moment since this is the last time San Diego will host the Festival of Sails and the Tall Ships.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

For more information on the Tall Ships and help the San Diego Maritime Museum

http://www.sdmaritime.org/

The no-interest or no-payment offers that electronics and furniture retailers are making these days may be tempting, but here's a little-known side effect to keep in mind: Signing up may dent your credit score.

Many no-interest or no-payment offers involve signing up for a new retail credit card. A credit inquiry and new card can both ding a credit score. But the biggest impact may come from the relatively low credit limit you get on a new retail card.

That's because the credit-scoring folks typically base 30% of your score on your "credit utilization," or how much of your credit limit you have actually borrowed. If you buy a $2,000 big-screen TV and the new card grants you only $2,500 in borrowing power, that card will show up as 80% maxed out. The credit bureaus look at how much of all your available credit is borrowed as well how much you've used on each card.

If the salesperson doesn't tell you the size of your credit line when your new card is approved, ask -- especially if you are planning to buy a house or finance a car in the next few months.

Also think twice if the offer involves a one-time loan rather than a credit card and the provider is a finance company like GE Credit. Credit bureaus see loans from finance companies as riskier than credit cards and your credit score may be penalized because of the loan.

The agency which brought you the “do not call” registry – thus bringing a measure of peace to American dinner tables – has now decided to tighten rules restricting prerecorded telephone sales calls.

It all started with the telemarketing industry, which uses automatic dialers that shunt calls to sales people. The industry asked the Federal Trade Commission to allow them to play a prerecorded message if a live sales agent was not available.

The FTC considered the change, said Allen Hile, assistant director for the division of marketing practices.

“We got a tidal wave of comments of people saying 'Are you nuts?'” Hile said in a telephone interview with Reuters Tuesday.

The result is a rule that requires telemarketers with prerecorded calls to give consumers a way to opt out, the same way that they can now ask live sales agents to refrain from calling again. This goes into effect Dec. 1.

And, as of Sept. 1, 2009, the telemarketer must have consumers' written consent to telephone them at all.

The commission's wildly popular “do not call” registry, which was signed into law in 2003, allows people to put their telephone numbers on a list of numbers that telemarketers are barred from contacting.

Peugeot is returning across the Atlantic this fall after announcing that it will enter two of its diesel-powered prototypes for Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New Mazda6 at Road Atlanta. The pair of 908 HDi FAPs will go head-to-head against the leading manufacturers and teams of the American Le Mans Series in its cornerstone event, just as it did in March at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"Peugeot thrilled our fans with their stunningly beautiful cars, leading-edge clean diesel technology and fantastic speed," said Scott Atherton, Series President and CEO. "Our fans at Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New Mazda6 are in for the same treat. Peugeot's decision to enter confirms the prestige this cornerstone event has attained. I think Peugeot is looking at racing in the American Le Mans Series as 'unfinished business,' and I suspect they will pick up where they left off last March at Sebring."

Marc Gene, Christian Klien and former Series pole-winner Nic Minassian will drive one of the exquisite diesel coupes, which will use Petit Le Mans as a test for next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin, who teamed for three GT1 victories in 2006 for Aston Martin Racing in a full American Le Mans Series effort, will partner with Alexander Wurtz in the second 908.

Five of the six are former Formula 1 competitors with the sixth - Minassian - widely considered one of the two best sports car drivers in the world alongside Audi's Allan McNish.

"Nothing can replace actual competition," said Team Peugeot Technical Director Bruno Famin. "As last June's Le Mans showed, it takes experience to take on a competitor that has the benefit of 10 years of this race behind it and which stays fit by contesting more races during the season compared with Peugeot, namely in the American Le Mans Series in which it faces opponents like Porsche and Acura. Petit Le Mans is about traffic, safety car interventions and strategy, but it is above all 1,000 miles - or up to 10 hours - of fierce racing, which is sufficient to enable us to collect some very valuable data and information."

Peugeot entered one 908 at Sebring and finished 11th overall (fourth in LMP1) for its first start in North America. It went on to finish second, third and fifth at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June as the lead 908 finished on the same lap as race winners McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen in an Audi R10 TDI.

"With Peugeot entering two cars, Petit Le Mans has the potential of literally being a continuation of the epic battle that raged between them and the diesel Audis for 24 hours at Le Mans," Atherton said. "And for fans of truly world class sports car racing - does it get any better? Audi against Peugeot against Porsche against Acura against many others over the course of 1,000 miles will undoubtedly be one for the history books - and certainly one of the highlights of what has been an extraordinary 10th season."

Let’s have fun, the weekend is coming

Electile Dysfunction: The inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

Jack A. Weil, owner and C.E.O. of Rockmount Ranch Wear, puts on his hat as he leaves for the day from his desk at the company headquarters located at 1626 Wazee street in Denver in 2007.

Jack A. Weil, the oldest working CEO in America and patriarch of a LoDo clothing company that put the snap in Western wear, died Wednesday night at the age of 107.

Weil died at home surrounded by members of his family, said his oldest grandson, Steve Weil. A service is scheduled for Sunday at Temple Emanuel, but a time has not been set.

Since founding the Rockmount Ranch Wear Manufacturing Co. in 1946, "Papa Jack" Weil and his company have been a fixture in lower downtown. He saw value in the former warehouse district long before it became fashionable as LoDo.

With his cowboy hat, folksy manner and his favorite greeting - "Where you from?" - he welcomed everyone from truck drivers to celebrities like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Robert Redford and Eric Clapton.

They all got the same friendly treatment, said Steve Weil, who went to work for his grandfather full time in the 1980s.

Status never mattered. "He didn't care about what you were, he cared about who you were," his grandson said.

His death comes about eight months after his son, Jack B. Weil, died.

Symbol of the city

Until a few weeks ago, the eldest Weil was a fixture in the store on a part of Wazee Street that the city renamed "Jack A. Weil Boulevard" when he turned 100.

Each day, he would put in about four hours at the store, serving as the official greeter before heading for lunch with his son at the Denver Athletic Club.

For many years, his grandfather was "kind of the family secret," Steve Weil said, someone his family admired and loved.

But in recent years, he became the face of the company and later a memorable symbol for the city itself. He was featured on billboards and videos created by the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"He was part of our brand. He's part of what makes Denver the West," said Mayor John Hickenlooper, who remembered Weil for his entrepreneurial spirit and ceaseless optimism.

"He was somebody who just by being in the room helped everyone feel better," said Hickenlooper, who remembered first meeting "Jack A." back in 1987, when he asked him to sign a petition for a liquor license for what became the Wynkoop Brewing Co.

Hickenlooper remembered Weil being skeptical of the idea of opening a restaurant in what had been a warehouse district, but on his grandson's recommendation he signed the petition.

"He believed in self-reliance, but also in the value of community," Hickenlooper said, recalling the care Weil took in his business relations with the retailers who sold his Western wear.

Andrew Hudson, who got to know Weil better while serving as spokesman for former Mayor Wellington Webb, said the 107-year-old businessman's influence went far beyond LoDo.

"He was an icon," Hudson said. "He believed in business ethics long before it became a buzzword."

'Twinkle in his eye'

Westword Editor Patricia Calhoun recalled meeting Weil back in the 1970s when Westword's offices were located near Rockmount.

"He was just funny as anything and really created a tremendous legacy in this town," Calhoun said, adding that she enjoyed seeing him every St. Patrick's Day at McCormick's restaurant.

"He always had a twinkle in his eye and told these great jokes, usually at the expense of Democrats," she recalled. It probably would have tickled him to see Democrats buying his shirts during the convention later this month, she said.

Stewart Patton, the doorman at the Oxford Hotel, got to know Weil after helping him into a car one day.

"He said, 'Where you from?' And I said, 'Oh a little town in Indiana you probably never heard of.' "

"Try me," Weil answered.

"Poseyville, Indiana," Patton said.

"Poseyville? That's seven miles from Harmony. My brother and I used to herd cattle through there in 1918."

Thereafter, Weil would always say howdy to Patton, and then, with a twinkle in his eye, added, "Do you believe he didn't think I knew where Poseyville was?"

Weil was born March 28, 1901, in Evansville, Ind., where his father, Abraham, who lived until 90, was a cattleman.

During a labor shortage in World War I, Weil went to work after school in the DS Bernstein Overall Factory, where he began a lifetime of learning the apparel manufacturing business.

When he started Rockmount, Weil became what his grandson called "the Henry Ford" of Western shirts by inventing the sawtooth pocket and diamond snap design.

Weil is survived by his daughter, Jane Romberg, of Steamboat Springs, and by five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/14/oldest-working-ceo-jack-weil-dies-at-107/

Weil family statement

The Family of Jack A. Weil wishes to thank the many people who care about him and have offered support in so many ways. He touched many lives deeply, but none more so than ours.

Through his influence for over 100 years we learned the importance of hard work and balancing careers with humor and compassion. We came to know the importance of integrity and responsibility, the strength within us to deal with life’s challenges, the beauty of carefully chosen words in difficult situations, the power of story telling and example in conveying values.

His highest values include respect for others. He just as soon talked to the man off the street as with captains of industry and political leaders with whom he was an equal. He brought his mid-Western roots West when he established his business, Rockmount Ranch Wear Mfg. Co. in 1946.

His employees were figuratively and literally family. His customers, big or small, treated equally. He was committed to made in USA when others went abroad for cheaper labor because how can the domestic market afford to buy our product if their jobs are exported? He was a bank without interest to his employees. He said, “I never wanted to be the richest man in the cemetery”.

He stood staunchly by mom and pop retailers across the country by selling them at the same price as the big stores. He believed that giving discounts to discounters was unfair to independent retailers who pay higher prices and in effect subsidize predatory bigger stores. He knew the challenges faced by the independents long before big box retail decimated the retail landscape. He gave credit on trust, rarely was he wrong and never did he lose sleep from helping retailers establish themselves across the nation.

Everything he touched is stitched with his special thread and color. He leaves behind more than shirts with his unique mark, but a tapestry that has never had stronger stitching. His thread remains to holds it all together.

Do what you love... he probably is the poster boy to illustrate the quote.  I read about him over 10 years ago when I was still living in Denver.  He could be the poster boy for a lot of things; work ethics or just plain ethics.  The younger generation could learn a lot from him and quite a few in the older generations.

I think most are wrong on one point though, I don't think he ever was old, from what I read in the article he was younger than most of us.

Rest in peace and long live your legacy

A breeze from above can help you get through the dog days of summer, simply and efficiently. Here’s what you need to know.

Staying cool in the summer is no easy task. And now that we’re in the peak heat of August, staying comfortable will prove even more costly, as well. So it’s ceiling fans to the rescue — they produce a “windchill” effect, allowing you to feel cooler regardless of the temperature. They’re also efficient, consuming less energy on average than a 100-watt light bulb.

Keep in mind …
1. Materials: In coastal climates, look for fans with rust-free finishes and blades that won’t warp.

2. Seasonality: In warm weather, you’ll want the fan in “downdraft” mode, with the blades running counterclockwise, to circulate cooler air. But in winter, remember to reverse the motor so that the blades run clockwise, forcing warm air down. Reverse switches usually are located inside or on top of the motor housing.

3. Size: Choose the largest possible fan for your room. Sizes generally run from 36 to 60 inches, representing the distance from the tip of one blade to the tip of the opposite. The 42- and 52-inch fans are most popular: For a 12-by-12 room (150 square feet or less), the 42-inch fan is best. For a 20-by-20 room (400 square feet), choose a 52-inch fan. Optimal circulation occurs in square areas. If you’re cooling a large, rectangular room, consider two fans, evenly spaced, to distribute air.

5. Positioning: If your ceiling is sloped, suspend the fan from an angled mount. Versatile “tri-mount” models can be installed in any application (down rod, flush-mount or angled).

6. Blades: Fans with fewer than three or more than six blades generally are considered decorative. Most fans have four or five blades. Balance is more important than number of blades or style — uneven blades can cause fans to wobble.

7. Controls: Decide early what kind of power, speed and lighting controls you need. Some companies have moved away from the pull chain entirely, while others include it but also give an option for a wall-mounted control. Brand-new models often have handheld remotes.

"not every violation of the law, is a crime”  Attorney General Mukasey..... speaking about crimes committed by the Bush administration. 

Our moral standards reached another low…. And that's coming from the party and the administration preaching morale and values to us and using religion to get elected.

What are we supposed to tell kids when they read that, granted most of them do not read, in this case that might be a blessing in disguise.

Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress.

The study by the Government Accountability Office, expected to be released Tuesday, said about 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period.

Collectively, the companies reported trillions of dollars in sales, according to GAO's estimate.

“It's shameful that so many corporations make big profits and pay nothing to support our country,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who asked for the GAO study with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

An outside tax expert, Chris Edwards of the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, said increasing numbers of limited liability corporations and so-called “S” corporations pay taxes under individual tax codes.

“Half of all business income in the United States now ends up going through the individual tax code,” Edwards said.

The GAO study did not investigate why corporations weren't paying federal income taxes or corporate taxes and it did not identify any corporations by name. It said companies may escape paying such taxes due to operating losses or because of tax credits.

More than 38,000 foreign corporations had no tax liability in 2005 and 1.2 million U.S. companies paid no income tax, the GAO said. Combined, the companies had $2.5 trillion in sales. About 25 percent of the U.S. corporations not paying corporate taxes were considered large corporations, meaning they had at least $250 million in assets or $50 million in receipts.

The GAO said it analyzed data from the Internal Revenue Service, examining samples of corporate returns for the years 1998 through 2005. For 2005, for example, it reviewed 110,003 tax returns from among more than 1.2 million corporations doing business in the U.S.

Dorgan and Levin have complained about companies abusing transfer prices – amounts charged on transactions between companies in a group, such as a parent and subsidiary. In some cases, multinational companies can manipulate transfer prices to shift income from higher to lower tax jurisdictions, cutting their tax liabilities. The GAO did not suggest which companies might be doing this.

“It's time for the big corporations to pay their fair share,” Dorgan said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080812-0155-corporations-incometax.html

IKEA plans to pour $77 million into clean-technology start-ups within the next five years and could add "green" goods such as solar panels to its inventory, according to Cleantech Group.

The four-person, 50 million euro IKEA GreenTech fund has been operating for eight months, the report said. And it could invest in up to 10 fledgling companies in the next few years, perhaps first in Europe, where IKEA rings up about 82 percent of its sales.

Efforts to commercialize new and affordable green technologies within several years could lead to IKEA selling the resulting products at its growing collection of stores, currently 283 in more than 30 nations. The goods reportedly would relate to energy in the form of solar panels, efficiency meters, and lighting; as well as more sustainable materials, and water treatment and conservation.

In 2007, IKEA expanded sales of pre-fab, low-income, eco-friendly housing from Sweden into the United Kingdom. Could its catalog of 9,500 products someday add flat-packed, "smart" green homes available globally?

Given IKEA's sheer reach, an aggressive focus on green technologies might reshape the furnishings industry. For instance, green-business gurus credit Wal-Mart's controversial efforts to green its shelves and practices with shifting big-box stores and shoppers' tastes toward less toxic and wasteful products.

Among IKEA's latest moves in support of sustainability, by the fall, it will eliminate its checkout use of plastic bags, for which it began charging British customers about two years ago. More than 380 billion plastic bags are estimated to be trashed each year in the United States alone, polluting land and waterways with toxic chemicals.

In the early years of this decade, the modern-furnishings goliath pledged to phase out unhealthy formaldehyde and PVC in its core products, and to stock wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Its Swedish stores use mostly renewable energy. Some of the 18,000 staff members use hybrid cars or bicycles. IKEA pledged to carry organic consumables, including coffee, jam, and schnapps within the year. But a nagging question remains: Would solar panels from IKEA require an Allen wrench?

In Asian cultures, the number eight is considered a lucky number for building wealth and affluence; hence, the Summer Olympics in Beijing opens on 8/8/08 at 8:08:08 p.m.

In Chinese language and dialects, the number eight sounds similar to words such as wealth and fortune. On a numerological level, the number eight represents the evolution of life. The two perfect circles together are a symbol of learning the lessons of Earth before transcending to a higher spiritual dimension, therefore transforming the material pot of gold to spiritual prosperity. This signifies birth and death with a need of spiritual evolvement and understanding to be able to acquire the riches of the Earthly existence.

The two circles that make up the number eight, when viewed horizontally, show as a symbol for infinity and eternity. In astrology, it represents the eighth sign of the zodiac, Scorpio, which is a highly passionate and determined star sign, and also represents the cycle of birth and death. It is considered a powerful number - and here are insights into how wealth and money corresponds to each star sign.

ARIES

MARCH 21 - APRIL 19

Wealth-creation strategy: Aries star sign people are go-getters who like to have more than one project on the go at once. They don't mind taking a risk to get what they want and feel more comfortable running the show than being a follower. They are best placed when they can initiate the deals, then hand them over to others to fulfill. Excitement and a fast pace is a dream come true for an Arian. However, they do need to be careful of rushing into things. If in too much of a hurry, they could miss out on an even better deal.

Chinese proverb: To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.

TAURUS

APRIL 20 - MAY 20

Wealth-creation strategy: Taureans like to do business nice and slow. That doesn't mean they aren't quick to make decisions or able to act fast, but they do like to build relationships with the people they work with - and this can be accomplished only over the space of time. Making money, saving it and investing to make more money is a talent that Taureans posses. They like to own things. and are into possessions and tangible investments, and money achieves this goal. Rarely will they enter into a get-rich-quick scheme.

Chinese proverb: Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Wealth-creation strategy: Generally speaking, Gemini's are more interested in the experiences money can buy rather than money itself. They can live well on very little or live like a king if they have abundant finances at their disposal. They do things that challenge their minds. If their attention isn't kept active, they quickly become bored. A Gemini loves to gather data; they strive on information that others would find trivial. In a business meeting, they have an excellent memory and can recall the minutest of details in an instant.

Chinese proverb: A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

CANCER

JUNE 21 - JULY 22

Wealth-creation strategy: Money and everything that money can buy is important to a Cancerian. They are clever with money management and have a sixth sense whether a financial deal is going to be a winner or not. They are highly intuitive and rely heavily on their feelings when it selecting a financial portfolio and the people they deal with. They can walk away from what looks like a guaranteed success, simply because they don't like the people who are doing the business. Once the door has been shut, it is rarely reopened.

Chinese proverb: If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a 100 days of sorrow.

LEO

JULY 23 - AUG. 22

Wealth-creation strategy: Glitz, glamour and glorious days and nights spent entertaining friends, colleagues and prospective financial partners are what Leo lives for. The Leo optimism is forever finding ways to increase their own and their partner's financial security. They focus on how to achieve goals, rather than why something can't be accomplished. They prefer to work with people, and are well-suited to partnerships and team work. Their sense of fair play is admirable, and they understand that partnerships are built on trust and equality.

Chinese proverb: Raise your sail one foot and you get 10 feet of wind.

VIRGO

AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22

Wealth-creation strategy: Virgos are meticulous in all of their affairs as well as in business. They take pride in their work, and where money is concerned they are the first to make sure everything is conducted in the correct manner. When you hand over a business project or financial deal to a Virgo there is no stone left unturned. They will research every detail to make sure that all is in order. If dealing with a Virgo, you are in good hands and can be assured of a peaceful night's sleep with the knowledge that nothing will have been overlooked.

Chinese proverb: A book holds a house of gold.

LIBRA

SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22

Wealth-creation strategy: Librans love to be surrounded by beauty, and feel more comfortable in an environment that has a feeling of good feng shui. For this reason, doing business in areas that are pleasing to the eye will enhance the level of energy they put into each business deal. They loathe upsets in their life and are repulsed by ugliness and rudeness. If you are planning to do business with a Libran, make sure that conflict is left out of the equation. A Libran will walk away from a deal that is unruly and filled with tension, rather than work through problems.

Chinese proverb: A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.

SCORPIO

OCT. 23 - NOV. 21

Wealth-creation strategy: Scorpios are secretive when it comes to money, and they will not show all of their cards. They are strategic in the way they play the game of business and can put on a poker face at all times, leaving their opponent wondering if they are full of bluff or for real. There are usually a few aces up the Scorpio's sleeve, and rarely will they leave a negotiation without having won at least the first battle with a plan to win the overall prize. They are not to be underestimated - their will to win is fierce. They make a better ally than enemy.

Chinese proverb: He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22 - DEC. 21

Wealth-creation strategy: Sagittarians are visionaries who look at the big picture rather than what's happening in the here-and-now. It's not that a once-only deal won't interest them, but they are far more interested in doing business on a long-term basis and building on what has already transpired. They are well-read, and in many ways futuristic. They are in touch with where the markets are heading and will put their energy and money in that direction. If you want to invest for the future, a Sagittarian is the perfect person to do business with.

Chinese proverb: Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22 - JAN. 19

Wealth creation strategy: Capricorns are driven by business and money. Once their mind is set to achieving something, there's no stopping them. If they don't succeed at first, they will eventually. They generally have multiple things happening all at once. They are persistent to the end, and if they have their sights on doing business with you, it's only a matter of time until they do. Financial security is crucial, and they will steadily climb the ladder of success until they reach the top. Capricorns like to be in control and prefer to keep a hold on the purse strings.

Chinese proverb: Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20 - FEB. 18

Wealth-creation strategy: Aquarians are people of principle and will look to invest money or do business with people who are alike in their way of thinking. They are tough businesspeople who work toward getting the best deal possible. They also have a soft spot for those less fortunate and like to give back to society in some way. If a business deal includes a percentage to be given to charity, they will look more favorably on doing business with that company or person. They are the movers and shakers of life who get things done.

Chinese proverb: He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

PISCES

FEB. 19 - MARCH 20

Wealth-creation strategy: When a Piscean makes life happen, rather than going with flow of the tide, they can reach the highest levels of success. In this case, there is no one more dedicated to the cause of increasing the level of their bank balance. They are masters of using money to make money, and look for deals that make cash while they sleep. They can be superstitious and may even carry a lucky coin in their pocket. Pisceans have role models they look up to and can imitate those who have been successful in life to further their own goals.

Chinese proverb: If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.

Now he's back, in electronic form -- in the home office.

In a budding trend some employment experts say is invasive, companies are stepping up electronic monitoring and oversight of tens of thousands of home-based independent contractors. They're taking photos of workers' computer screens at random, counting keystrokes and mouse clicks and snapping photos of them at their computers. They're plying sophisticated technology to instantaneously detect anger, raised voices or children crying in the background on workers' home-office calls. Others are using Darwinian routing systems that keep calls coming so fast workers have no time to go to the bathroom.

Peter Weddle, an author, consultant and researcher on employment Web sites, calls the trend "21st Century Big Brotherism" that risks being "horribly intrusive." Skilled workers "don't need someone looking over their shoulders," he says. But while the monitoring can put a damper on home life, many people are so eager to avoid commuting hassles that they see the practice as an acceptable tradeoff.

The technology so far affects mainly freelance information-technology workers, writers, graphic-design artists and call-center agents. But as telecommuting grows amid soaring fuel costs, more people will find themselves on an electronic leash. The monitoring itself may speed the growth, because it tears down one of the biggest obstacles to working at home -- employers' fear that remote workers will slack off.

Electronic monitoring is built right into freelance transactions at oDesk.com, which links 90,000 computer programmers, network administrators, graphic designers, writers and others with about 10,000 clients world-wide. The system takes random snapshots of workers' computer screens six times an hour, records keystrokes and mouse clicks and takes optional Web cam photos of freelancers at work. Clients can log into the system anytime and see whether contractors are working, what they're doing and how long it's taking them; clients' weekly bills are based largely on the data. A small computer-screen icon pops up at the bottom of workers' screens each time a screen shot is taken.

ODesk Chief Executive Gary Swart says a client paying a freelancer likes knowing, "You can't play Blackjack. You can't watch YouTube. Why? Because I'm watching you work." When one oDesk client questioned an inflated bill from a freelancer, a check of the screen shots revealed he'd been watching a cricket game online. The freelancer reduced his bill.

One big oDesk competitor, Elance.com, says installing "spyware," as one Elance executive calls it, is going too far. Elance recently unveiled a monitoring system of its own that allows freelancers to document their work electronically, but leaves control entirely in freelancers' hands. "We don't believe in having a camera on your computer, taking pictures and tracing every move," says Elance Chief Executive Fabio Rosati. Several of oDesk's own programmers quit several years ago when the company insisted they submit to monitoring.

At first, it seems like "Oh, this is Big Brother" watching, acknowledges Russell Tweed, a St. Helens, Ore., computer-network administrator who works on oDesk. But he says none of his oDesk clients has tried to micromanage his work. Freelancers like oDesk's payment system; it takes clients' credit cards up front and, barring a veto from the buyer, pays workers promptly every week, eliminating slow-pay problems.

One oDesk buyer, Juliana Carroll, a Manhattan financial-services consultant, says she has saved as much as 25% using oDesk freelancers because they turn out more work faster than contractors she has found on her own. Menlo Park, Calif.-based oDesk, which charges clients 10% on top of freelancers' fees, says its June 2008 revenue was 2.8 times year-earlier levels.

Corporate managers with work-at-home employees also worry about potential slackers, and some have tightened ties with home-office workers by monitoring their use of instant messaging or corporate VPN links. However, employers typically resist Web cam or keystroke monitoring of their own staffers as too invasive, relying instead on screening telecommuters carefully and setting measurable work objectives.

In another sector, call-center companies are tightening the electronic leash on home-based agents, who handle calls for retailing, travel and other clients. Call-routing technology at Arise.com, Miramar, Fla., helps keep its 8,000 home agents so tightly tethered to their phones that they have to schedule unpaid time off to go to the bathroom. Calls flow fastest to the most productive workers. Arise home agents, who are all independent business owners, have incentives to take a lot of calls; their base pay starts at about $8 an hour, but commissions are added for selling cruises, computers and the like. Top performers also get more flexibility, in the form of first dibs on work shifts.

To keep calls flowing, Arise agents are discouraged from leaving their desks. Instead, Arise recommends they anticipate when they'll need a bathroom break and schedule a half-hour off the clock, without pay, at that time -- usually every two to three hours.

Another call-center outsourcer, Working Solutions, which has 4,000 active agents, is applying sophisticated speech-analytics technology to tune an omnipresent electronic ear into numerous home-office conversations at once.

It's not unusual for call-center companies to record and spot-check agents' calls by listening in now and then. Working Solutions' new system goes beyond that to instantly detect and flag such trouble signals as cancellation threats or angry voices, enabling supervisors to jump in on the conversations right away, says Tim Houlne, chief executive of the Plano, Texas, company.

Home agents' slipups, such as dogs barking or children crying in the background, are frowned upon. Like most call-center operators, Working Solutions says it has "zero tolerance" for background noise.

The trend suggests the home office, long regarded as a calmer place to work, may evolve into just another office, fraught with the same constraints as a corporate cubicle. Maggie Torres, a longtime home agent for Arise in Southwest Ranches, Fla., says her children, 17 and 18, have learned over the years to "stay out and be quiet" when she works. Even her little dog stops running and jumping; "when he sees me go to that seat, he goes to his bed and lies down and that's it." But the rewards, she says, warrant the sacrifices. "If you do good on all your stats you get to pick your hours early. I usually do -- and thank God, I get to pick the hours I want.

Hackers are trying to dupe people into downloading malicious software labeled as Adobe Systems' Flash Player, prompting a warning from the company.

Adobe is advising users to ignore links on social-networking sites that lead to other Web sites purportedly hosting Flash Player, as those sites often have malicious software.

"If the download is from an unfamiliar URL or an IP address, you should be suspicious," Adobe's advisory said.

Labeling malware as legitimate software is an old social-engineering tactic. But given the wide use of Flash on Web sites, most people have installed Flash Player to display the content.

Adobe has also updated Flash Player several times this year due to other security issues, so it may not come as a surprise to see an upgrade message, albeit a fake one. The current version is 9.0.124.0.

Adobe said the Flash Player available on its Web site is digitally signed and validated by the Windows OS during an installation. Users can also verify that the Flash Player installer is legitimate by right-clicking on it, selecting "properties" and going to the "digital signatures" tab. It should say that the publisher is "Adobe Systems, Incorporated."

Security vendor Kaspersky Lab wrote on Monday that the micro-blogging site Twitter was being used for attacks employing the Flash Player ruse.

A Portuguese-language profile was created that included a link to a video that, if clicked, starts downloading what is supposed to be Flash Player. Instead, 10 varieties of malware that steal banking-related information are dumped on a PC.

The boat, Pangaea, “was designed with sustainability as its central tenet. Its primary design criterion was to be a hardy, durable ship capable of traversing the globe with minimum ecological impact. … This sailboat, though it will rely on its sails for most of its propulsion, uses a hydrogen fuel cell for power when it cuts through icy Arctic waters. Solar panels on the surface of the cockpit power the process of electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The split hydrogen is transferred into a storing device, which can then be used to run the fuel cell. The Pangaea is sponsored by Mercedes Benz and is equipped with Mercedes’ fuel-efficient BlueTec engines in case they are needed. Plenty says the project “aims to bring attention to sustainability, much like how another eco-boat Earthrace, the eco-plane Solar Impulse, and other groups planned epic voyages to demonstrate the application of green technologies in dramatic, eye-catching ways.”

While the aware world waits for governments to act decisively on global warming, and slowly adjusts to the idea that life will never be the same as it has been for the last 50 years or so, active and brave people and their organisations are taking steps of their own, some of them immense, to help re-green the world.

From Gizmag comes the story about one of these extraordinary people: The Pangaea Expedition is a four year journey headed by Mike Horn, which will enlist a total of 144 young people from around the world in a variety of projects, including ocean clean-up, biodiversity World-Seed-Bank Nov-07 monitoring, and improving the sanitary and hygiene conditions in villages.

Mike Horn has so many expeditions under his belt he resembles something of a modern day Indiana Jones – but instead of punching Nazis, his fight is against the more insidious enemy of global warmingLearning-to-Love-Global-Warming .

Horn’s previous journeys have included a circumnavigation of the Earth around the equator, a circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, a night expedition to the North Pole, and the ascent of two summits greater than 8,000 meters without the use of additional oxygen.

The Pangaea expedition, however, might be the most ambitious one to date – because the goal is not simply to traverse the extreme territories of the globe, but to raise awareness on climate change and encourage a new generation to take an active role in the preservation of their planet.

The expedition commences on October 9, with the ship sailing from Punta Arenas in Chile to Antarctica. The route then moves through Australasia, China, Russia, the North Pole, Greenland, and North America, before finally arriving back in Punta Arenas.

Over 22,000 hours of design were pumped into making a ship that can navigate through tropics and rivers as easily as it can through polar regionsSpecialty-Tour-Guides , without resorting to solutions that were overly harmful to the environment. The resulting ship, christened Pangaea, is an amazingly versatile piece of work. The 35-meter two master vessel has 600 square meters of sailcloth and 35 meters of mast. It can hold 30 people, and has a 16-seat conference room.

While the sails will provide the impetus for most of the journey, they are inadequate for carving through sea ice. In order to navigate through polar terrain, the Pangaea is equipped with BlueTec engines, which provide comparatively low emissions.

The batteries of the boat are charged by a combination of solar and hydrogen fuelGM-Coskata-Alternative-Fuels cell power. Solar panels cover the surface of the cockpit, and provide the energy required for electrolysis, which separates water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. When the hydrogen is used as fuel, the only emission is water.

The lighting system on the boat uses LED bulbs to reduce voltage requirements. A secondary, dimmed light system is also in place, to further reduce power consumption.

The Pangaea has placed a large emphasis on recycling. The kitchen has separate compartments for different types of waste to make recycling simple and efficient, and the boat is equipped with large nets to collect bottles and bags from the water. Even the ship itself, which is made out of aluminium, will eventually be recycled – as recycling aluminium uses just 5% of the energy required to produce it.

Don’t let the environmental aspect fool you into thinking it’s going to be some sort of floating hippy van. The Pangaea has a cutting edge media and broadcast centre that can communicate high quality AV content from anywhere in the world. The media centre allows post-production of audio and video content on different workstations, professional HD Video, audio and DVD creation, content storage, content conversion, content copying, content backup, video conferencing and IT infrastructure with office applications, e-mail, internet and instant messaging using intranet.

The Pangaea expedition is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz as part of the company’s “TrueBlueSolutions” sustainability strategy. Mike said “It is a treasure hunt to uncover the solutions I know are there. By working together with, ingenuity, drive and resourcefulness, the energies of our individual efforts can complement each other and create a collective momentum to inspire change. Together we can tap the world’s most powerful energy source – the younger generation.”