The Reasons Why You Must Send Your Children to Catholic School
Until a child tells you what they are thinking, we can't even begin to imagine how their mind is working....
Little Zachary was doing very badly in math.
His parents had tried everything...tutors, mentors, flash cards, special learning centers.
In short, everything they could think of to help his math.
Finally,
in a last ditch effort, they took Zachary down and enrolled him in the
local Catholic school. After the first day, little Zachary came home
with a very serious look on his face. He didn't even kiss his mother
hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying.
Books
and papers were spread out all over the room and little Zachary was
hard at work. His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner.
To
her shock, the minute he was done, he marched back to his room without a
word, and in no time, he was back hitting the books as hard as before.
This went on for some time, day after day, while the mother tried to understand what made all the difference.
Finally,
little Zachary brought home his report Card. He quietly laid it on the
table, went up to his room and hit the books. With great trepidation,
His Mom looked at it and to her great surprise, Little Zachary got an
'A' in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity. She went to his
room and said, 'Son, what was it? Was it the nuns?' Little Zachary
looked at her and shook his head, no. 'Well, then,' she replied, Was it
the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniforms? WHAT WAS IT?'
Little
Zachary looked at her and said, 'Well, on the first day of school when I
saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren't fooling
around.'
The Modern Dynasty In Singapore
Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. SOCRATES
The Stories Must Read Before You Die
A Few Senior Moments For My Contemporaries above 50 - and something to look forward to for my 'younger' audience.
An elderly gentleman....
Had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Your hearing is perfect.. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.'
The gentleman replied, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!'
Two elderly gentlemen from a retirement center were sitting on a bench under a tree when one turns to the other and says: 'Slim, I'm 83 years old now and I'm just full of aches and pains. I know you're about my age. How do you feel?'
Slim says, 'I feel just like a newborn baby.'
'Really!? Like a newborn baby!?'
'Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants..'
An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, 'Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great.. I would recommend it very highly.'
The other man said, 'What is the name of the restaurant?'
The first man thought and thought and finally said, 'What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love?
You know.... The one that's red and has thorns.'
'Do you mean a rose?'
'Yes, that's the one,' replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, 'Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?'
Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator.
On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.'
Couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things.. During a checkup, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember..
Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair.
'Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?' he asks.
'Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?'
'Sure..'
'Don't you think you should write i t down so you can remember it?' she asks.
'No, I can remember it.'
'Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so
as not to forget it?'
He says, 'I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.'
'I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?' she asks.
Irritated, he says, 'I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!'
Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes,The old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs..
She stares at the plate for a moment.
'Where's my toast ?'
A senior citizenship to his eighty-year old buddy:
'So I hear you're getting married?'
'Yep!'
'Do I know her?'
'Nope!'
'This woman, is she good looking?'
'Not really.'
'Is she a good cook?'
'Naw, she can't cook too well.'
'Does she have lots of money?'
'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.'
'Well, then, is she good in bed?'
'I don't know.'
'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?'
'Because she can still drive!'
Three old guys are out walking.
First one says, 'Windy, isn't it?'
Second one says, 'No, it's Thursday!'
Third one says, 'So am I. Let's go get a beer..'
A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art.. It's perfect.'
'Really,' answered the neighbor. 'What kind is it?'
'Twelve thirty..'
Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing great, aren't you?'
Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''
The doctor said, 'I didn't say that.. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'
One more. . .!
A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool.. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split.
The waitress asked kindly, 'Crushed nuts?'
'No,' he replied, 'Arthritis.'
Now , before you 'forget', send them on to some other folks you know who could use a laugh !!
A Grandma Beaten By 2 Other Grandma - Cat Fight
Lenteng (80) bruised due attacked by two other grandmother named Sapiah (70) and Sungguh (75)
The Country With Only $217 Left In The Bank
Zimbabwe's Total Cash On Hand: $217.00
Several years after revealing the first one hundred trillion modern-day banknote and seeing its economy implode in a cloud of hyperinflationary smoke, Zimbabwe's problems are back with a vengeance. And this time not even more currency destruction, as Zimbabwe does not actually have its own currency any more having largely shifted to foreign currencies primarily the USD and the ZAR - can help. The problem? The country is officially out of cash. From AFP: "After paying public workers’ salaries last week, the balance in cash-strapped Zimbabwe’s government public account stood at just $217, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Tuesday. “Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 (left) in government coffers,” Biti told journalists in the capital Harare, claiming some of them had healthier bank balances than the state. “The government finances are in paralysis state at the present moment. We are failing to meet our targets.”" Sadly not even the projected and quite hilarious 5% GDP growth of the now completely broke country, which can't even create money out of thin air as there is nobody who will lend it even one penny, will do much if anything. (Here we will briefly ignore the fact that Zimbabwe's net cash position is about $120,000,000,000,217.00 greater than that of the US)
The less than fun, for its citizens at least, details:
The move demolished investor confidence in the country, paralysed production, prompted international sanctions and scared off tourists.
Zimbabwe’s government has warned it does not have enough money to fund a constitutional referendum and elections expected this year.
Biti said that left no choice but to ask the donors for cash. “We will be approaching the international community,” he said.
The country’s elections agency said it requires $104 million to organise the vote.
Government’s national budget for this year stands at $3.8 billion and the economy is projected to grow 5.0 percent.
At least Zimbabwe can sell its gold. Well, it could, if it had any.
And when even the government apartchicks, which also includes the army, received no more cash, they turn violent, and quite hostile, to the very same government that provided for them for years. Which is to be expected: because as history has shown that without fail what follows hyperinflation, is war. Which incidentally is all the US government will need to position its southern drone base in order to quell the imminent appearance of "Al Qaeda" rebels and militants in the South African country. This, in turn would fall perfectly with the WSJ's headline article totay: "U.S. to Expand Role in Africa."
Because while the US is about to have western Africa covered with its drone presence, it needed a lucky break in order to get involved in the just as valuable south.
Why, again, does the US need to be in every nook and corner Africa? Same explanation we gave yesterday: to prevent the rapid Chinese colonization of the last continent, a development the US has been well behind the curve on. And since it has no cash to spend to compete with China, it will do the next best thing - send in the drones.
The Hottest Penis
Peter pepper
The Peter pepper, Capsicum annuum var. annuum, "Peter pepper" (sometimes referred to as the penis pepper) is an heirloom chili pepper that is best known for its unusual shape. It is a type of Capsicum annuum, though it is not officially recognized as a cultivar of the species. It occurs in red and yellow varieties. The pepper is considered very rare, and its origin is unknown.
The pepper is most commonly grown in eastern Texas and Louisiana, although it is grown in Mexico, as well. It was first popularized in the United States by Frank X. Tolbert in his Dallas Morning News column about obscure local history, although he saw the pepper only once in his life. It has since been studied by horticulture experts at the University of Texas at Austin and Louisiana State University. Though it is rare, its seeds are available from some private suppliers. It is adaptable to a variety of growing conditions. The seeds have also been exported to Asian countries, including South Korea.
The pepper has often been noted for its phallic appearance when fully grown. The pepper, particularly the red variety, has been described as a "miniature replica of the circumcised male organ". The pod of the pepper is wrinkled and has a round tip with a cleft. It is approximately 3 to 4 inches in length, and 1 to 1.5 inches wide when fully mature.The pod of the pepper has also been noted for its pungency.
As it has a very high Scoville rating, the pepper has been suggested for ornamental use rather than human consumption. It is sometimes pickled, as well.
It was described by Frank X. Tolbert, a Texas journalist, historian, and chili enthusiast in one of his columns called Tolbert's Texas he wrote for the Dallas Morning News. Jean Andrews in her book Peppers: the domesticated Capsicums states that Peter pepper did have all the qualifications "to be honored by the pen" of Mr. Tolbert, who wrote about "little-known facts about little- known things that occur in little-known places in Texas". Ms. Andrews describes how hard it was to get the seed of this "little- known things that occur in little-known places" that she needed to study, but eventually she got the seeds and was amused to see how "resulting pods naturally and consistently contorted themselves into a miniature replica of the circumcised male organ."
Family kicked out of museum for body odor
The family was browsing a room with paintings by Van Gogh when guards told them they had to leave
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Guards told a family visiting a Paris museum they had to leave because people were complaining about their smell, news sources reported.
The couple and a young child were on a free trip to the Musee d'Orsay with a charity that supports struggling families, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.
The family was browsing a room with paintings by Van Gogh when guards told them they had to leave.
"I argued with the security man, telling him the family were all decent and properly dressed," said a worker with the charity, Act for Dignity.
The director of the museum told French news sources he was saddened by the incident.
Claire Hedon, vice president of the charity, said she wrote to Aurelie Filippetti, the French culture minister, to complain about the incident.
Sexual Healing: Nursing Home Provides Strippers, Prostitutes
"People have needs," said manager Helena Barrow, as quoted in The Sun. "We are there to help. We respect our residents as individuals so that's why we help this to happen. If we refused, we would not be delivering a holistic level of care."
The revelation has ignited a nationwide debate over the rights of the disabled, and over the role of sex in assisted living facilities. The local East Sussex County Council has started an investigation into the home's use of strippers and prostitutes, according to The Inquisitr.
"This has the potential to place vulnerable East Sussex residents at risk of exploitation and abuse," a council spokesman told The Inquisitr.
Nonetheless, Barrow claims the practice has the support of Chaseley's staff, who said they might otherwise be sexually harassed by the residents — some of whom are as young as 18 years and have neurological conditions.
"If you have a resident who is groping staff, one way of resolving that problem is to get a sex worker in who is trained to deal with that situation," Barrow told The Sun. "Most of the time, these are people who feel frustrated by a primeval need they cannot fulfill."
Sex in assisted living facilities, especially those with older residents, has long been a taboo subject, though attitudes are becoming more enlightened. As more people are living longer, healthier lives, sexuality among seniors is now largely understood as an important part of a happy, complete life.
Privacy is a particular issue among sexually active nursing-home residents, and those at Chaseley were no exception. The staff managed those concerns by placing a bright red sock on the door handle of a resident's room as a kind of "Do Not Disturb" signal when that resident wanted some privacy, the Daily Mail reports.
One stripper who visited Chaseley — a performer who goes by the name Solitaire — has also performed before the U.K. Royal Society of Medicine at a conference on sex and disability, where she provided a lap dance to a deaf and blind man, according to the Daily Mail.
Barrow was put in touch with Solitaire through the services of the TLC Trust, an organization that campaigns for the sexual rights of disabled men and women, the Daily Mail reports.
Sussex Church Releases 'silence' on CD
Sussex church releases 'silence' on CD
St Peter's Church, East Blatchington Mr Yarnton said the 12th Century building had a very special atmosphere
Members of St Peter's Church, East Blatchington, have sold their first copies at an open day, and taken orders for more.
The recording of the church's atmosphere includes the ambient sounds of voices, footsteps and occasional background traffic noise.
Church technician Robin Yarnton said: "Mostly people have said it's nice and they like it, and that it's quiet and peaceful.
"It does what it says on the tin. Silence is all you get."
'Played on headphones'
He said he was "quite sceptical" when the idea was first proposed by church member Roger Bing, and he didn't know who would buy the CDs.
But he said the church had the people to do it and a good sound system and the team went ahead and recorded a 30-minute track with a spoken introduction by the Reverend Canon Dr Andrew Mayes, closing words, and 28 minutes of silence.
I don't know if you can ever get silence”
Robin Yarnton
The church launched the Sound of Silence CD at an open day when the church was filled with the sounds of the organ, the choir, and music playing every half hour - but people who were interested in buying the CD could listen to it on headphones.
Mr Bing said the first CDs sold out and further copies would be made.
John Cage famously recorded silence in his experimental work 4'33", an experiment repeated in the music campaign Cage Against the Machine two years ago, and in 2010 the Royal British Legion also released a silent video called 2 Minute Silence.
And a church in Lewes that also recorded and sold its silence gave Mr Bing the idea of repeating the project in Seaford.
St Peter's Church, East Blatchington The Sound of Silence CD invites people to "tune out and tune in"
The introduction he wrote for the CD describes what a rare treat silence can be in what has become a busy and noisy world.
He explains that it has tried to capture "a little bit of the silence" of the building's special atmosphere, and invites people to "tune out and tune in".
Mr Bing said: "The point was to have silence but not total silence. You need the occasional background noise such as a footfall or the sound of someone squeaking in a pew."
Mr Yarnton said: "It's an old building, a 12th Century building. You get sounds of footsteps, voices, traffic.
"I don't know if you can ever get silence.
"But you do feel there's something special about this church. So many people have mentioned it. It's a feeling you get."
He described the CD as a meditation aid with a spiritual or faith element, but said people could use it in any way they liked.
Mr Yarnton said the main aim of the project was to raise the profile of the church rather than make money.
He said the church did not put a price on the CD but left it to people to decide what it was worth to them and make a donation.
Hot Sexy Live Mannequins
Agent Provocateur hires models to stand in for mannequins as they advertise their high-end Valentine's Day lingerie
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If these ladies can't coax a man into a lingerie store to buy an unmentionable Valentine's Day gift, nothing probably can.
Two sultry models posed as living mannequins in the window of one of Agent Provocateur's New York City lingerie boutiques Saturday.
They frolicked and flirted with passersby on the sidewalk as those modeled some of the upscale London designer's more provocative products.
Human mannequins: Greer and Sabrina model Agent Provocateur's lingerie in the window of one of the company's New York boutiques
On loan: Agent Provocateur hired the models from the New York modeling agency Fenton Moon
Models Greer and Sabrina are both brown-haired beauties from the New York modeling agency Fenton Moon.
Both women sport printed black braziers, panties and garter belts with stockings. They also wear sexy high heals and long pearl necklaces to compliment their look.
The marketing campaign for Agent Provocateur's Valentine's Day lines leave just about as little to the imagination as the outfits Greer and Sabrina are wearing.
With slogans like: 'Give and you shall receive,' 'I'll show you my knickers if you buy them for me,' and 'This Valentine's Day lie back and think of the knickers,' the Soho, London, firm is playing on the age-old concept that women will repay their Valentine's Day gifts with sexual favors for their partner.
Sexy: With their playful antics, Agent Provocateur hoped Greer and Sabrina would catch eyes and drove well-healed customers into their high-end boutique
Looking fabulous: Each of the models sported braziers, panties, garter belts, stockings and shoes from the lingerie firm
Black Fungus Kills Bad Cholesterol
Black fungus kills bad cholesterol, dechokes blocked arteries and lowers high blood pressure!
MOK NEE (in Cantonese: MOK YEE) : black fungus kills bad cholesterol, dechokes blocked arteries and lowers high blood pressure! (Mok née)
The Chinese have centuries been eating this fungus. And their acute observations tell and give them a lot of medical information which our present scientists would scoff at because it is not scientificall based and just because it comes from the East. We have to learn to be open minded and discerning and be cautious but not dismissive of all things Chinese or Eastern.
After the Drug companies all have vested interest in selling their products and not tell you the truth. They have been found wanting about telling us the harmful side effects in some instances.
Case 1
Today I went to TTSH for follow up eye check after they found (6 weeks ago) that I have clots in the some of the veins in my right eye. The eye consultant was surprised and very glad that the clots in the veins have all cleared and gave me a follow up appointment 3 months later. I told him that I have been taking black fungus (Mok Yee in Cantonese) for 6 weeks which he personally accepts under "holistic medicine". I also gave him an exercise disc which I brought back from Guangzhou which he was very happy to receive as he lacks exercise and his cholesterol is also high.
Case 2
A herbal treatment for High Blood cholesterol
I want to share a secret for treating high cholesterol. Three weeks ago l went for a cholesterol check. To my surprise, it was above the normal range which should be less than 5.2 mmol/L. My reading obtained was 6.6. I had been consuming a lot of red meat and lamb recently. After consuming Mok Yee for two weeks, l had my cholesterol checked again and found that my cholesterol level fell to 4.70 mmol/L. My pharmacist said that even cholesterol medication will need 1- 3 months to take effect. She was very surprised and said it is a miracle.
Review:
I immediately followed an advice of a friend who told me about Black fungus (Mok Yee). He had four blocked heart arteries, over 90 percent blocked.
His cardiologist advised him to go for bypass surgery, failing which he would suffer an imminent heart attack. His sinseh (Chinese physician) friend advised him against surgery as the procedure would be messy, painful and expensive.. He followed the advice of his sinseh friend by consuming Mok Yee daily.
After consuming boiled Mok Yee juice for 40 days, he went for an angiogram.
His heart specialist was surprised and shocked that his arteries were all cleared of any blockage and it would not be necessary to see him for another 10 years!
My observation is that Mok Yee juice is not only effective in treating high blood cholesterol but also helps to bring relief to joint paints, arthritis and poor blood circulation.
The internet info. claims that Mok Yee reduces blood clot, preventing thrombosis, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and cancer.
Black Fungus contains abundant proteins, ferric iron, calcium, vitamins, rough fibre; the content of protein is equal to meat.
Preparation:
1) Pick a handful of Mok Yee and soak in water for 1-2 hours
2) Wash Mok Yee and cut to pieces with scissors.
3) Pour five bowls of plain water into slow cooker (crock pot)
4) Put 2-3 slices of ginger, 8-10 red dates, 20 kay-chee (wolf berry) into crock pot.
5) Bring to boil for 8 hours. One and a half bowls of Mok Yee soup will remain after boiling overnight.
Eat black fungus and drink the soup.
Consumption:
You may consume for 10 to 14 days according to the severity of the problem.
For those with low blood pressure consume less or only for alternate days.
Drink Mok Yee first thing in the morning with an 'empty stomach'.
Consume at least one large bowl.
Take breakfast 2 hours later.
Side effects - you may feel a little tired after 3- 4 days.
Consume multivitamins and fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
Do not eat oily or fried foods during this period.
Observation:
Dark and oily stool during the first two days.
Remarks:
Cholesterol medication is man-made and may harm the liver.
Mok Yee is a plant and does not seem to contain chemicals that harm the body.
Take blood test for blood cholesterol before and after treatment and study the results!
Thick Black Fungus
Natural remedies for high cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a very common condition mainly due to our unhealthy diet.
It is not a disease but a negative health condition that may contribute to many forms of diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.
This article is mainly on how to reduce high cholesterol, and not about cholesterol.
High cholesterol is defined as a measurement greater than 200 mg/dL.
LDL cholesterol levels greater than 130 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol levels less than 60 mg/dL are considered high.
So much for the technical measurement.
There are numerous natural foods that can reduce high cholesterol.
Below are five such foods:
Oatmeal or oats
Eggplant or aubergine. Also known as brinjal
Black beans
Corn
Enoki mushroom. Those little Japanese needle mushroom with tiny white caps.
However, the most potent one for reducing high blood cholesterol is the black fungus.
What is black fungus?
The technical name for black fungus is Auricularia polytricha or Hirneola polytricha.
What a mouthful!
It is also known by other equally interesting names: cloud ear; tree ear; wood fungus, ear fungus, mouse ear, and jelly mushroom.
The Chinese call it “yun er” which means “cloud ear.”
Let us just call it Black Fungus.
Black fungus is usually sold in dried form. There are actually two types of black fungus.
The very thick one and the smaller flakey variety.
Here we are referring to the thick black fungus.
It measures around 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) and is black on one side and grey on the other.
Black fungus is very popular in Chinese cuisine. Although tasteless by itself, when cooked with other ingredients, it absorbed the flavor while maintaining its crunchiness.
Black fungus is used in Chinese herbal medication to increase blood fluidity and improve blood circulation. Black fungus can reduce high blood cholesterol.
Medicinal uses:
Black fungus has a reputation in Chinese herbal medicine for increasing the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation. It is given to patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. Western medicine is now investigating centuries-old claims made by Eastern sages and finding them surprisingly accurate.
Malaysia Best 10 Durians
Cannot depend on MARDI to come out with any good clones. So the people have done their own selection and came out with these Top 10 Durians for the Nation.
Just a simple guide. Malaysian durians now command better prices and profits too.DURIAN-
Number 1「猫山王」(Mao Shan Wang, Musang King) Musang King lovers swear by its rich, creamy taste. The best Musang King was from Pahang. The Musang King’s flesh is yellow. It’s creamy, too, and has a fragrance that lingers long in your mouth. The quality is consistent and you cannot find fault from one pulp to the other.
Number 2 Udang Merah (Ang Hae) D 175 Udang Merah is in a long oval shaped fruit and its skin has short thorns. Its soft and fine texture together with its skin sweet and creamy taste of thick and yellow flesh makes this durian as one of the most delicious durians!
Number 3 D600 If you like a slightly bitter taste yet creamy and sweet, D600 is the answer! Although its texture is rough, its mouth-watering thick and yellowish gold flesh will never turn you down! This durian is in a medium-sized yellowish green skin fruit.
Number 4 D101 Sweet & good fragrance, Smooth flesh & small seed, Red Flesh & High Quality taste is creamy and delicious of fine texture. If you found a long oval shaped and golden coloured fruit with short and sharp thorns, it is this type of durian! hor_lorNumber 5 Ho Lor durian Ho Lor is in a medium-sized and long oval shaped fruit. Its solid and yellow flesh gives you a soft and quality taste of sweet and creamy. Tasty enough to lure you for more!
Number 6 ThRaka. Never heard of it right? Neither have I. It's also called 竹脚. Fragrant Durian & tastes good. Sweet & acrid taste, small seed & High quality.
Number 7 XO Durian So we have an XO replacement that turned out really creamy and tasted so much better.
Number 8 Penang D24 With the shape of a heart, this type of durian is soft and creamy in texture and it comes with deliciously sweet and creamy taste too! DSC_0007
Number 9 Amy Yip. Amy Yip disguises its rich and sweet taste under spherical shape skin of long thorns. You will find delicious 1-4 cloves per pod in there too!
Number 10 Kulit Hijau Almost similar to Lipas Kuning, Kulit Hijau taste is rich, sweet and creamy but the flesh is slightly hard and yellowish white in colour.
The Treasury Has Already Minted Two Trillion Dollar Coins
No doubt, you’ve heard about the latest irresponsible fiscal/monetary proposal to be floated by members of Congress and the erstwhile economist, Paul Krugman, whose lunch was just eaten by Jon Stewart.
It entails having the Treasury avoid the federal debt limit by handing the Federal Reserve a single $1 trillion platinum coin. The Fed would then credit the Treasury’s bank account with $1 trillion, which the Fed could spend on the President’s lunch, a $200 toilet seat, a new aircraft carrier, more Medicare spending – anything it wants.
Pulling Money Out of Thin Air
Is there anything special about platinum? Well, yes. The coin doesn’t have to contain $1 trillion worth of platinum. It can be microscopic for all the Fed cares as long as they can use a electron microscope to read the $1 trillion "In God We Trust" inscription. But it has to be made out of platinum. No other metal or substance, like a piece of pizza, will do. The reason is that the Treasury has the right, by an obscure law, to mint platinum coins, but only platinum coins. Otherwise, making money by making money is the Fed’s domain.
Countries that pay for what they spend by printing money or, these days, creating it electronically, are usually broke. That certainly fits our bill.
Our country is completely, entirely, and thoroughly broke. In fact, we’re in worst fiscal shape than any developed country, including Greece. We have fantastically large expenditures coming due in the form of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid payments to the baby boom generations – I.O.U.s, which we’ve conveniently kept off the books.
When the boomers are fully retired, Uncle Sam will need to cough up $3 trillion (in today’s dollars) per year to pay us (I’m one of us) these benefits. To put $3 trillion in perspective, it’s 1.5 times Russia’s GDP.
These benefits are called entitlements because, presumably, we feel we are entitled to hit up our children to cover their costs. Borrowing from them and letting them tax themselves and their kids to pay themselves back is a good trick, but it’s running afoul of the debt ceiling. Taxing them more and promising to the pay them benefits they’ll never receive is an old trick that’s run its course. So we’re now onto printing money that will, we hope, raise prices only after we have protected our assets against inflation.
We've Been Here Before
And we’re printing lots and lots of money. Indeed, over the past five years, the Treasury has, in effect, done its $1 trillion coin trick twice.
Come again?
Well, substitute a $2 trillion piece of paper called a Treasury bond for the platinum coin. Suppose the Treasury prints up such a piece of paper and hands it to the Fed and the Fed puts $2 trillion into its account. No difference right, except for the lack of platinum.
Next suppose the Treasury doesn’t hand the $2 trillion bond to the Fed directly, but hands it to John Q. Public who gives the Treasury $2 trillion and then hands the bond to the Fed in exchange for $2 trillion. What’s the result? It’s the same. The Treasury has $2 trillion to spend. John Q. Public has his original $2 trillion. And the Fed is holding the piece of paper labeled U.S. Treasury bond.
Finally, suppose the Treasury does this operation in smaller steps and over five years, specifically between 2007 and today. It sells, i.e., hands to John Q. in exchange for money, smaller denomination bonds, which Johns Q. sells to the Fed, i.e., hands to the Fed in exchange for money. Further, suppose the sum total of all these bond sales to the public and Fed purchases of the bonds from the public equals $2 trillion. Voila, you’ve got U.S. monetary policy since 2007.
In 2007, the monetary base – the amount of money our government printed in its 231 years of existence totaled $800 billion. Today it totals $2.8 trillion. And it increased by this amount via the process just described – the Treasury’s effective minting out of thin air two $1 trillion platinum coins.
A Hidden Tax
Now what happens when the Treasury spends its freebee money? It raises prices of the goods and services we buy or keeps them from falling as much as would otherwise be the case. Either way, the money we have in our pockets or in the bank or coming to us over time as, for example, interest plus principal on bonds we’ve bought in the past – all this money loses purchasing power. So we are effectively taxed $2 trillion.
What the advocates of the $1 trillion coin are, therefore, proposing is to tax us in a hidden way. This is not just taxation without representation. It’s also taxation with misrepresentation. The fact that a Nobel Laureate in economics would propose this without making clear this fact raises the question of whether his prize should be revoked. Lance Armstrong, after all, is losing his medals for discrediting his profession. Perhaps the Nobel committee should consider taking back Krugman’s.
This is no innocent omission. Every PhD economist is taught about seigniorage. It’s a term that was coined (excuse the pun) in the 15th century and stems from the right of feudal lords – seignurs – to coin money, use it to buy, say, chickens and debase the purchasing power of the coins they had given their serfs in the past for, say, wild boar.
Today, 12 cents out of ever dollar being spent by our government is being printed. As indicated, the money supply has more than tripled. While inflation, let alone hyperinflation, has not yet occurred, everything is in place for this outcome. If you want to see what things will look like, check out Zimbabwe, which has surely been reading Krugman’s articles.
Laurence Kotlikoff is an economist at Boston University, co-author of The Clash of Generations, and President of Economic Security Planning, Inc.
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!
Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
Somehow I feel better,even though I have it!!
Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the outdoor table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table,
Put the junk mail in the bin which is on the back patio,
And notice that the bin is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the rubbish first.
But then I think,
Since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the rubbish anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my cheque book off the table,
And see that there is only one cheque left.
My extra cheques are in my desk in the study,
So I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my cheques,
But first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over..
The Coke is getting warm,
And I decide to put it in the fridge to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
A vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Coke on the counter and
Discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk,
But first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter,
Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
So I decide to put it back in the Family room where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers,
But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table,
Get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
The car isn't washed
The bills aren't paid
There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
The flowers don't have enough water,
There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all darn day,
And I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it,
But first I'll check my e-mail...
Do me a favour.
Forward this message to everyone you know,
Because I don't remember who the heck I've sent it to.
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!
I am So Blessed to Have Lived Long Enough
I am forwarding this to those on my Seniors email list because it is so well written.
Please send back. (I did) It's neat. Don't delete this one, you'll laugh when you see the return message.
As I've aged, I've become kinder to, and less critical of, myself. I've become my own friend.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50s, 60s & 70s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.
I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, eventually, I remember the important things.
Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).
MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
Forward this to at least 7 people, and see what happens on your screen. You will laugh your head off!
Idiot Among Us - Warning
They walk among us. Funny but true.
This is part of the reason our country is broke !!!! These are from people that are working in the US!
New sign at Wal-Mart
Our society is doomed..............
IDIOT SIGHTING I handed the teller at my bank a withdrawal slip for $400.00
I said "May I have large bills, please"
She looked at me and said "I'm sorry sir, all the bills are the same size."
When I got up off the floor I explained it to her....
IDIOT SIGHTING
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'it's open!' His reply: 'I know. I already got that side.'
This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS
IDIOT SIGHTING
We had to have the garage door repaired.
The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4.He said, 'NO, it's not..' Four is larger than two.' We haven't used Sears repair since.
IDIOT SIGHTING
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back. She sighed and went to get the manager, who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but we could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change.
IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.
-- From Kansas City
IDIOT SIGHTING
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'
Happened in Birmingham, Ala.
IDIOT SIGHTING
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'
She was a probation officer in Wichita, KS.
IDIOT SIGHTING At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker who was leaving the company due to 'downsizing,' our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often. 'Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare. This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.
IDIOT SIGHTING
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.
A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.
IDIOT SIGHTING How would you pronounce this child's name?
"Le-a"
Leah?? NO
Lee - A?? NOPE
Lay - a?? NO
Lei?? Guess Again. This child attends a school in Kansas City, Mo. Her mother is irate because everyone is getting her name wrong. It's pronounced "Ledasha". When the Mother was asked about the pronunciation of the name, she said, "the dash don't be silent." SO, if you see something come across your desk like this please remember to pronounce the dash. If dey axe you why, tell dem de dash don't be silent. STAY ALERT!
They walk among us
China's Bizarre Bamboo Rat farms
Inside China's bizarre Bamboo Rat farms
• Shi Beidan has 2,000 bamboo rats that she plans to sell at market
• She is fattening them up with bamboo to be eaten or turned into fur coats
• Cash-strapped farmers in Guizhou Province are breeding rats for income
• They can grow up to 50 centimetres in length and four kilograms in weight
• Rat meat costs four times more than chicken or pork and twice that of beef
• It is also believed to cure baldness.
Fat rat: Shi Beidan holds up one of her specimens to the camera. She has spent months fattening it up by feeding it bamboo
Tasty dish: They are a popular delicacy in some parts of china and are eaten in a variety of dishes, but the biggest ones can also be skinned and turned into fur coats
Rodent family: She now has more than 2,000 giant bamboo rats at her home in Congjiang, in southwest China's Guizhou Province, all of which she is fattening up to sell at market
Just a baby... for now: Bamboo rats are a species of rodent that are found in the eastern half of Asia and can grow up to 50 centimetres in length and four kilograms in weight
Big business: Cash-strapped farmers are breeding the rats as a new source of income. A pair of well-kept breed bamboo rats can sell for between 600 and 900 Chinese yuan (£60 and £90)
When Shi Beidan spotted a rat the size of a small dog scuttling across her kitchen floor, the last thing she wanted to do was call in the exterminators.
Instead she caught the rodent, gave it a lunch of bamboo and put it in a box to breed more.
She now has more than 2,000 giant bamboo rats at her home in Congjiang, in southwest China's Guizhou Province, all of which she is fattening up to sell at market.
They are a popular delicacy in some parts of china and are eaten in a variety of dishes, but the biggest ones can also be skinned and turned into fur coats.
It is a scheme that is sweeping across the region, with cash-strapped farmers turning to breeding the rats as a new source of income. And it is becoming big business.
Congjiang county already has 18 bamboo rat farms, and it is planning to expand that number to 20 in 2013.
Bamboo rats are a species of rodent that are found in the eastern half of Asia and can grow up to 50 centimetres in length and four kilograms in weight.
A pair of well-kept breed bamboo rats can sell for between 600 and 900 Chinese yuan (£60 and £90).
And they reproduce rapidly with three to four litters of two to five offspring a year.
Rat meat costs over four times more than chicken or pork and twice that of beef in China. Eating rat is even said to prevent baldness and is considered a winter dish.
Brazil Makes Tourist Strolls Smartphone Friendly
Brazil: Bar codes on sidewalks give tourist info
A two-dimensional bar code, or QR code, as they’re known, made from black and white stones covers a sidewalk near the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The QR codes are being placed at tourist spots which can be scanned with a mobile device for information about the site. — AP
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro is mixing technology with tradition to provide tourists information about the city by embedding bar codes into the black and white mosaic sidewalks that are a symbol of the city.
The first two-dimensional bar codes, or QR codes, as they’re known, were installed Friday at Arpoador, a massive boulder that rises at the end of Ipanema beach. The image was built into the sidewalk with the same black and white stones that decorate sidewalks around town with mosaics of waves, fish and abstract images.
The launch attracted onlookers, who downloaded an application to their smartphones or tablets and photographed the icon. The app read the code and they were then taken to a web site that gave them information in Portuguese, Spanish or English, and a map of the area.
They learned, for example, that Arpoador gets big waves, making it a hot spot for surfing and giving the 500-meter beach nearby the name of “Praia do Diabo,” or Devil’s Beach. They could also find out that the rock is called Arpoador because fishermen once harpooned whales off the shore.
The city plans to install 30 of these QR codes at beaches, vistas, and historic sites, so Rio’s approximately 2 million foreign visitors can learn about the city as they walk around.
“If you add the number of Brazilian tourists, this tool has a great potential to be useful,” said Marcos Correa Bento, head of the city’s conservation and public works.
Raul Oliveira Neto, a 24-year-old visitor from the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, was one of the first to use the icon and thought the service fit well with the way people live now.
“We use so much technology to pass information, this makes sense,” he said, noting he’d seen QR codes on tourist sites in Portugal, where they were first used for this purpose. “It’s the way we do things nowadays.”
Locals — used to giving visitors directions — also approved the novelty.
“Look, there’s a little map; it even shows you where we are,” said Diego Fortunato, 25, as he pulled up information.
“Rio doesn’t always have information for those who don’t know the city,” he said. “It’s something the city needs, that it’s been lacking.”
Urinated Bentley
A Man United fan urinated on Mario Balotelli’s camouflage Bentley
Mario Balotelli had to know that having his Bentley customized with a camouflage paint scheme would actually make it stand out even more than a Bentley already would, but I doubt he anticipated that it would attract public urinators. On Sunday night, as Balotelli dined in Manchester at an Indian restaurant with friends while rumors swirled of an impending transfer to Milan, a group of Man United fans found his distinctive car (parked on the sidewalk, of course) and had their way with it. One man urinated on the door, while another pulled down his pants, got on top of the car and rubbed his bare backside on the rear window. According to The Sun a witness said that one of them sang Man United songs as they did it.
But within hours of the pictures spreading across Twitter on Monday, the urinator was identified, reported to the Greater Manchester Police, mocked for the size of his genitalia by thousands of people around the world and deleted his account in disgrace. So I don't think Mario got the worst end of this prank. Plus the inside of that car has probably experienced far worse than what happened to the outside of it on Sunday night.
The Biggest Wave Ever Surfed - 30m !!!!
Garrett McNamara says surfing massive 30m wave in Nazare, Portugal 'very challenging'
"Personally, it was very challenging," Garrett McNamara was quoted as saying by surfertoday.com.
"You just have to stay in the moment, stay focused on what you're doing. We're really comfortable here, but some of those waves..."
McNamara currently holds the world record for the biggest wave surfed after riding a 78-foot (23.77 metre) breaker in Nazare, central Portugal, on November 1, 2011 but on Monday was thought to have gone better at the same location.
The 45-year-old from Hawaii was cautious about his exploit, though, telling reporters that he had "no idea" about the size of the wave and that his partner Kealii Mamala may even have set the new global benchmark.
"It definitely took longer (than his previous world best) but I can't say if it was bigger," he added.
Surfing experts and event organisers were also unable to say definitively whether the man nicknamed "G-Mac" had clinched another world best, amid reports that the wave could have been as high as 100ft (30m), but praised his bravery for tackling the waves.
The 2012 Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) World Tour champion Joel Parkinson, was quoted as saying by surfertoday.com: "If this is real it's off the charts."
Both McNamara and Mamala were able to reach the waves in the Atlantic Ocean swell off the rocky coast of the fishing village, some 130 kilometres north of Lisbon, due to practice known as a "tow-in".
Portugal Surf McNamara
Surfer Garrett McNamara carries his board after at Praia do Norte beach in Nazare, Portugal.
They were towed by a jet-ski towards the face of the wave, allowing them to catch the biggest rather than only using the strength of their own arms, as in traditional surfing. Rescue crews were on hand in case of any mishap.
AFP contacted Guinness World Records about the claim but there was no immediate response.
The US extreme athlete, who grew up riding the breaks on Hawaii's north shore with his older brother, risked slamming into a reef or the ocean floor as he rode the waves.
The massive swell in Portugal's north attracts surfers year-round.
The big-wave rider is no stranger to the extreme, becoming the first man to ride a glacier wave on a surfboard in 2007.
Clay Sculpture Park in China
Clay sculpture park in China
A clay sculpture park built to simulate the scene of renowned Chinese scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival (清明上河图) was officially opened in Changzhuang Township, Tangshan City of north China’s Hebei Province last Friday.
Clay sculpture park in Hebei, China
The original (5.28 metre long) scroll painting by Zhang Zeduan portrayed the life of people preparing for the Qingming (tomb sweeping) Festival during the Song Dynasty (960-1729).
50 Ultimate Travel Apps
50 ultimate travel apps ... so far
It's hard to keep up with all the travel apps being released -- which is why we've pulled out the best 50 to date
There is of course one smartphone app no true traveler could ever do without. This one.
But once you've downloaded that, why not browse these too?
We're going to skip over obvious ones like Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Gowalla, Foursquare, Instagram, Google Earth/Maps, as worthy as they are, for ones you may have overlooked, but shouldn't.
1. Kayak -- Flight search
More than a few trips begin with Kayak, one of the web's most popular travel services. Its mobile apps are great as well, allowing you to search flight details with ease on a mobile device.
I especially like the "explore" function, which presents you with a map of the world and the prices that it would cost to travel to various locations. For those who dream about traveling as much as they actually travel, the Kayak app is for you.
I mean seriously, who knew about these little Mariana Islands?
2. Time Out -- Location guide
Time Out has an assortment of apps for big cities New York, Paris, and London as well as for pacific hubs like Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, and Melbourne.
While it would be better if more cities were available, the ones that do have guides are well served with lots of information about entertainment, nightlife, and the best places to eat near you.
The apps I tried were location-aware (if you allow it) and will then show you points of interest nearby.
3. Lonely Planet Travel Guides
As you might expect, Lonely Planet has a lot of guides and phrasebook apps available in Apple's App Store. And just as you likely have more than one Lonely Planet book on your bookshelf, it's very possible that you're going to buy more than one Lonely Planet guide.
In order to manage your Lonely Planet purchases, you can add a sort of Lonely Planet catch-all app, which lets you access its entire catalog, including stored titles you've bought already.
4. TripIt -- Travel planner
All those confirmation mails that you get from hotels and airlines, you can simply forward along to plans@tripit.com, which will then magically generate a digital itinerary that you can refer to on your mobile device.
You can add multiple trips to TripIt if you're a frequent traveler, or just use it for a single vacation. TripIt was awarded Best Travel Mobile App for 2011 at the Webby Awards. It's not hard to see why.
5. Evernote -- Organizer
This popular digital note-taking app makes for a very helpful travel companion as well. I've not used it on trips myself, but Brett Terpstra recently pointed out that the app can really shine when you're on the road.
Take pictures of receipts and other important paperwork, and let Evernote's OCR help with the cataloguing. While I'm not a big fan of the Evernote desktop app (Brett's Notational Velocity wins out there), I think Evernote definitely wins when note-taking on the go.
6. UNESCO World Heritage -- Location guide
For travelers who would like a bucket list of amazing places to visit in their lifetime, the World Heritage app will do the trick.
It costs US$4.99, but that's a pretty good deal for a complete list of over 900 sites with 650 photographs as well. You can browse sites according to country or by classification, and favorite the ones you'd like to revisit later.
7. XE currency exchange
If you plan to hit multiple countries during your travels, it's always useful to have a currency conversion app handy. XE.com is one of the best known and most reliable currency-related sites on the net, and as you might expect, its app is no exception.
Just set your default currency and you can keep tabs on a number of others. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it remembers the most recently updated rate, so you can still convert with reasonable accuracy even when you don't have a connection.
8. Google Translate
Few companies bust language barriers better than Google, and the Google Translate app does this exceptionally well. Like the Google Translate web service, you can translate pieces of text with ease.
Of course the accuracy is not always perfect, but it's about as good as it gets. But where the app excels is in voice recognition. It allows you to speak in English (or another language) and it will translate what you said into the language of your choice.
If you've ever had difficulty making yourself understood to a speaker of a foreign language, then this free app will certainly help. Check out a video demo here.
9. Trip Journal -- Trip documenter
Currently on sale for US$0.99, Trip Journal is an award-winning travel app that lets you digitally document your trip on your iOS, Android, Bada or Symbian device.
With Google Maps/Earth integration, you get to map places that you've visited, geo-tag your photos and videos, or write blog entries too. Once you're finished you can export trips to Facebook where your friends can follow along on your path.
10. Airbnb -- Accommodation
Airbnb is an essential app for the tech-savvy backpacker, listing affordable accommodation around the globe -- ranging "from a private apartment to a private island."
In addition to searching for places to stay, you can also offer your own room for rent, if you'd like to make a little extra money. So far there are 150,000 places listed in 190 countries. In-app messaging to guests/hosts make communication frictionless, keeping all activity on your mobile.
11. Dropbox -- File sharing/storage
In the past, if you needed important documents while traveling that often meant scanning and emailing them to yourself. But now there's Dropbox.
Perhaps the best consumer cloud storage service out there, Dropbox gives you two gigabytes of free storage with paid options if you need more.
Having Dropbox on your laptop or phone is also a great way to protect yourself against theft, because even if your device is stolen, you still have your key information.
12. Dropphox -- Photo sharing/storage
Dropphox is an application that sends your iPhone photos to the above-mentioned Dropbox, giving you a cloud backup only seconds after you snap off the picture.
If you share a Dropbox folder with friends or family, then they'll be notified of any photos you take in real time. The new version 1.1 supports geo-tagging of photos, although you'll need an Internet connection for this function to work.
Foreign correspondents would do well to install this one. It costs US$1.99.
13. Wikitude -- Location guide
This is a very handy application that draws a plethora of useful info about your surroundings from Wikitravel (a Wiki for travelers).
The display uses Augmented Reality to display annotations of nearby points of interest over the top of the regular camera display. Wikitude certainly looks useful, though it did throw an occasional 'cam view memory warning' for me.
14. Skype Wi-Fi-- Communication
An obvious addition to any travel app list would be Skype. But a less obvious addition to your app repertoire is Skype's recently released Skype Wi-Fi application.
If you've ever been in an airport browsing all the paid Wi-Fi hotspots, but not willing to pay for any, then this app might be of use. Skype Wi-Fi lets you pay using Skype Access, and on a per-minute basis too, so you only pay for as much time as you need, rather than a full hour or a day.
15. AccuWeather -- Weather report
There are more than a few weather applications available to mobile users. And while I haven't tried them all, I think you can't go wrong with AccuWeather.
The ability to add multiple locations along your trip (place of departure and destination) certainly helps, as does the feature that lets you browse tomorrow's forecast by the hour.
If you're making plans that could be tripped up by weather, this is a wonderful app to have. Golfers take note.
16. mTrip -- Location guide/planner
mTrip travel guides are available for most of the world's major cities including many in Asia, such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. There are offline maps for when you don't have an Internet connection, as well as a fancy AR feature that lets you browse points of interest nearby.
There's a function that lets you send virtual postcards to friends and family, either via email or on Facebook. The trip auto-generated itineraries are slick, mapping out the places you plan to go in a given day according to the types of places you enjoy (i.e. museums, parks, etc).
17. Highlights for iPad -- Hot spot finder
As someone who isn't a huge fan of Foursquare or Gowalla, I was pretty tickled to stumble upon highlights. This clever app takes all the most popular places that people check into on those platforms, and makes them browsable via a convenient map.
So if you find yourself in a strange location and you want to find the most popular places in the area, just fire up Highlights to see where people check in the most. You can scan reviews and photos, and add locations to your personal planner. The app isn't free, but at US$0.99 it's pretty close.
18. TripAdvisor -- Travel reviews
TripAdvisor is another wildly popular travel application that features a number of practical uses from finding flights to hunting hotels.
Perhaps the biggest plus is the ability to browse so many reviews from places of interest. Like many of the travel applications we've featured on this list, TripAdvisor also comes with an augmented reality function called "Live View."
19. Google Goggles -- Image search/translate
This innovative app has received much attention since it first hit the Android Market. It lets you search on Google by just taking a picture. So, if you're visiting a landmark, you can take a picture which Google will then analyze and provide results for.
More practical however is the OCR function, which will let you take pictures of foreign text, which you can then run through Google Translate. Google has a demo video here if you'd like to learn more.
20. Orient -- Location finder
This is a very simple app, but it's one of my favorites. Orient gives you a sort of compass view of a list of locations, showing you where certain locations are in relation to you. When you fire up the app, it shows major world cities.
But to get the full benefit, try adding all the places you plan to visit during your next day trip. If you're doing a walking tour of a city, Orient show you the direction and distance of all your destinations.
Orient Lite is a free application, but there is a US$0.99 version with slick AR functionality.
21. AroundMe -- Location finder
This aptly named app tells you all the points of interest that are located near you. It detects your current location, and lets you select from categories like bars, cafés, hospitals, and hotels to filter though the results.
You can review the places on a map, or try the AR feature with markers overlaid on your phone' camera viewfinder. It's undoubtedly a quality app, but its mileage may vary as some locations do not have as many results as others (I tried Tokyo, and the results were not so helpful).
22. Hotels.com -- Accommodation
You've probably already figured out what this app does. The Hotels.com app lets you search and book hotels all from your mobile phone. The location-aware function makes it possible to find the closest hotel where you are currently.
Users can also access their reservation information even without an Internet connection. Even if you aren't a member of Hotels.com, the app is still extremely useful if you're in a new city looking for a place to stay.
23. Converse -- Translate
This iPad application is a very innovative one, but it isn't without flaws. Much like the Google Translate app, Converse aims to solve travelers' language woes with a real-time mobile solution.
With keyboards on opposite sides of your iPad, two people can face each other and communicate by typing on the iPad. So far, messages can be translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch.
But the biggest issue is that it requires an internet connection to work, so travelers on the road might be left to their pocket phrasebooks more often than not. However for someone like a hotel concierge with constant access to a connection, it could be a very snazzy work tool.
24. Hipmunk Flight Search
Here's another flight search app that wins points for style. Flight options on Hipmunk are presented not in a list but rather on a sort of visual timeline sorted by various criteria.
Perhaps the most interesting sort filter is "Agony," which shows you the least painful of your options. You can sort by conventional filters like price, duration, and departure time.
25. Skyscanner -- Flight search
If you need to check flight availability and prices on the go, Skyscanner is a must for your iOS or Android device. It's a free application that covers over 670,00 flights on more than 600 airlines.
The scroll date selection is pretty convenient, and I got a kick out of the airplane loading bar that appeared while I was waiting for search results. For anyone who flies regularly, this is a great app.
26. Wordpress for iOS -- Blogging
I wouldn't normally include this, but a recent upgrade that added new text styling buttons and full-screen editing makes it worth a push to bloggers on the go.
My mobile blogging app of choice is still Writing Kit for the iPad (with Markdown support), but if you want a decent editor on the cheap, the Wordpress app is a good choice.
27. Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime -- Remote storytelling
While most of the apps on this list focus on helping you have fun, we can't forget about the people we've left at home. That's the spirit behind this Nursery Rhymes application, which lets travelers read stories to loved ones from a remote location.
Available for both iPhone and iPad, Nursery Rhymes features wonderful artwork that both parents and kids can enjoy. It's available in the app store for US$3.99. Check out the promo video here.
28. uPackingList -- Travel organizer
It's debatable whether or not you really need an app to help you put your stuff in a suitcase. But for those who do, uPacking List provides an assortment of common items that you can choose from and add to your list.
In the interests of testing the app, I made up a hypothetical list as a demonstration (pictured). The app is ad-supported, but there's a paid option if you don't like the advertising.
29. Living Earth HD -- Travel organizer
This application rolls a lot of functions into one, ranging from weather, to a world clock, to an alarm for when you need a wake-up call.
Throw in a beautiful interface and you have a great addition to your travel app arsenal. Living Earth HD isn't free, but it's currently discounted 50 percent, to US$0.99.
30. Knapsack -- Travel organizer
While this list is practically all mobile apps, I'm going to include one exception to the rule. Because after all, more than a few of us bring along a laptop when we travel, so it stands to reason that a Mac travel app could be a useful addition.
Knapsack for Mac is a useful multi-purpose travel app that includes map integration, itinerary and iCal functions, as well as to-do lists. It costs US$29, but give the free demo a try first to see if it's a good fit for you.
31. World Atlas HD -- Maps
For travelers with stops in multiple countries, this app by the National Geographic Society is a good reference. The design of the maps included with this app are a refreshing change from normal digital maps.
But if you have an Internet connection, you can still zoom in to view small details on Microsoft Bing maps. You can also browse interesting data and statistics regarding the countries you plan to visit.
32. Expensify -- Finance organizer
This popular app is a great companion for business travelers. Use Expensify to keep track of your purchases and transactions by syncing with your credit cards and bank accounts.
The app also acts as a receipt scanner, taking advantage of your mobile phone's camera. After your trip, you're sent a PDF report of all your spending which you can submit to your company for reimbursement.
33. GateGuru -- Airport guide
If you're a person who spends a lot of time in airports, GateGuru will be a godsend. This app contains a detailed list of places within 120 airports worldwide, including different terminals, cafés, restaurants and gift shops.
There are lots of reviews available for some airports, although when I browsed Narita it was sorely lacking. Nonetheless, having access to so many airport maps on the go is very helpful, especially if you find yourself running late and unsure of where you need to go.
34. FlightTrack Pro -- Flight information
This award-winning app is one of the most expensive on our list at US$9.99, but it's also one of the most practical. FlightTrack Pro integrates with TripIt, importing your flight itinerary so you can track its status in real time.
Flight maps show your progress as well as the current weather. Knowing the status of your flight allows you to share it with people who may be waiting on the ground, via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
One app review claimed that on occasion the app provides even better information than the airline!
35. Tripline -- Travel documenter
Although still in beta, Tripline is a really fun app to play with while traveling. You can create a mapped timeline of your travels by checking into a location, taking a photo or video, or jotting down a few notes about your stop.
When you return home, you can replay the entire trip in an interactive presentation, reviewing your notes and collected media that documented your time on the road.
36. My TSA -- U.S. travel information
For travelers passing through the United States, it certainly helps to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the TSA. The My TSA app tells you exactly that, with a practical travelers guide telling you what sorts of things you can and cannot take with you when you fly.
The app also provides flight delay information for airports nationwide, as well as tips for how to prepare for security checkpoints.
37. Wi-Fi Finder
Many of the apps on this list are dependent on an Internet connection. This application helps ensure that you have one by helping you find one of over 500,000 locations listed worldwide.
You can filter according to whether a hot spot is free or paid, although in some countries, the results are less than ideal. I explored some of the regions for Asia, and many places didn't show a lot of results.
The app is free though, so there's no harm in trying it out.
38. JetLag Genie -- Health
If your trip is going to include a long flight, you might want to invest a couple of bucks into JetLag Genie.
Once you specify all your flight information and sleep patterns, the application tells you what course of action you should take -- before, during and after your flight -- to minimize jet lag.
For international travelers, this is a great app.
39. tripwolf -- Location guide
The tripwolf app provides access to travel guides for most of the world's major cities. And while the main app is free, if you want an in-depth city guide, you can purchase it in-app for about US$5.
There's an augmented reality viewer, and those are always fun for looking at points of interest nearby. But perhaps the most useful feature is having maps available when offline.
40. Fotopedia Heritage -- Image-based location guide
Another great way to browse UNESCO World Heritage sites is by using the award-winning Fotopedia Heritage app. You can browse all world heritage sites on a single map, and click through to view information about them as well as stunning photography.
It's available for both iPhone and iPad, although if you want to experience the full benefit of the application, try it on the iPad.
41. aMetro -- Transport information
Most of the major world cities will have applications for navigating city trains or subways. For bigger cities like Tokyo, there are more robust options available.
But if you'd like a single app that gives you access to transit systems all over the world (in 180 cities to be exact) then aMetro is the way to go. There's a video demo of the app in action available on YouTube if you'd like a preview.
42. Convert Clothes -- Clothing size converter
While shopping abroad, travelers often run into the dilemma of figuring out foreign sizes. Thankfully the Convert Clothes app for iPhone has you covered.
Whether you're shopping for shoes, pants, a shirt, or even a bra, the app converts sizes for a number of different countries (Britain, Japan, Korea, France, for to name a few). It's a simple app that performs a simple task, and best of all it's free.
43. iMovie -- Video
I nearly overlooked this one, but if you decide to shoot any video on your trip using an Apple mobile device, then you're probably going to want to drop US$5 on iMovie.
Choose a theme and edit your video and add music or sound effects, and share with your friends online when you're finished (publish to YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo). Once you get the hang of video editing on a mobile device, you'll have one less reason to bring along your laptop.
44. Tipping Bird -- Tipping information
Tipping is a practice that can vary from one country to the next. Indeed in many cultures, they might not even tip at all.
The Tipping Bird app lets you select a country, and then it tells you a recommended tip for typical situations, such as in restaurants or taxis. You can also convert the currency to your own, just so you have a relative idea of how big a hole you're burning in your pocket.
45. EveryTrail -- Location guide
For those who especially enjoy the great outdoors, EveryTrail is an important app to bring along. In addition to letting you map your route via GPS, EveryTrail also contains the shared trails of other users.
So if you find yourself in a strange land in need of a recommended route, try firing up EveryTrail to see if there are any shared guides for your area.
46. Postagram -- Communication
While sharing postcards online is great for most people, it's possible that you might have a few loved ones who have yet to join the digital world.
Postagram solves this problem by letting you create a postcard with photos on your iPhone, and then ships it as a physical postcard to whoever you choose. There is a charge of course, but there always is when sending mail, right?
47. Photosynth -- Photography
If you happen to find yourself standing in awe at some spectacular view or landscape, you'll need some way to capture the scene to share with friends later.
Thankfully there are a number of panorama applications out there. Pano and 360 Panorama are both available for US$1.99 each, but if you'd like a free one, try out Microsoft's Photosynth.
In addition to panning horizontally, you can also pan vertically -- even creating a full sphere panorama if you like.
48. Trip Splitter -- Finance organizer
This app is a handy way to divy up travel costs if you're on a trip with friends. Most of the time, whoever has the cash readily available will pay, but quite often it can be tricky to remember who paid for what at the end of your travels.
Trip Splitter (for iPhone or iPad) helps you do this, although the less-than-intuitive interface does take some getting used to. There's a free version that supports inputs for two travelers, but if you have more people whose payments you want to track, you'll want the paid version (US$1.99).
49. mPassport -- Health
mPassport apps give you medical resources for a number of cities around the world, including many in which assistance in English might be otherwise hard to find.
The service claims to be a "mobile, medical, concierge" with English-speaking doctors and dentists available in many cities around the world. Apps for each city cost US$0.99.
50. Due -- Travel organizer
Time is always a factor when you travel, so in order to make the most of yours, you might want to make use of a reminder or timer application.
Due is both of those in one, and you can use it to remind you of important tasks on your trip, or you can have it alert you when to move on to the next item on your itinerary.
For users who want something a little better than Apple's regular calendar app, Due is a great addition, though it does cost US$4.99.
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