Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Census shows populat
Pax Romana – An FP
Pax Romana - An FP Photo Essay | Foreign Policy
To the ancient Romans, the Mediterranean was mare nostrum, "our sea" -- a claim that not only pertained to its waters, but to much of the territory that bordered it. At its height, the Roman Empire spanned from Britain to Mesopotamia. But when the modern state was eventually founded in 1861 -- bringing together a number of independent monarchies and city-states on the Italian peninsula -- Italy was a shadow of its former self, more a collection of duchies and principalities than anything resembling a modern nation.
Eclipsed by more powerful, more established European neighbors, Italy came late to the colonialism game and was, to put it rather bluntly, left to pick up the scraps -- the yet-uncolonized areas of Africa, including the places now known as Libya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Italy's occupation of these countries was undoubtedly brutal -- Italian security forces were constantly suppressing insurrections in each -- and all of its former colonies have struggled since gaining their independence. But Italy's influence in these areas, in the way of culture, architecture, and political identity, is still unmistakable. Above, a mosque in the Eritrean city of Asmara.
Getty images
Census shows population center moving out of Midwest - 2010 Census
AP/Jon C. HancockEd Shepard, 87, runs a full service gas station in Welch, West Virginia, a dying town.America's population center is edging away from the Midwest, pulled by Hispanic growth in the Southwest, according to census figures. The historic shift is changing the nation's politics and even the traditional notion of the country's heartland -- long the symbol of mainstream American beliefs and culture.
The West is now home to the four fastest-growing states -- Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho -- and has surpassed the Midwest in population, according to 2010 figures. California and Texas added to the southwestern population tilt, making up more than one-fourth of the nation's total gains since 2000.
When the Census Bureau announces a new mean center of population next month, geographers believe it will be placed in or around Texas County, Mo., southwest of the present location in Phelps County, Mo. That would put it on a path to leave the region by midcentury.
"The geography is clearly shifting, with the West beginning to emerge as America's new heartland," said Robert Lang, a sociology professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas who regularly crunches data to determine the nation's center. "It's a pace-setting region that is dominant in population growth but also as a swing point in American politics."
The last time the U.S. center fell outside the Midwest was 1850, in the eastern territory now known as West Virginia. Its later move to the Midwest bolstered the region as the nation's cultural heartland in the 20th century, central to U.S. farming and Rust Belt manufacturing sites.
In the 1960s, "Will it play in Peoria?" was a common phrase that coincided with the U.S. center's location in Illinois. It was a measure of whether a politician or consumer product could appeal to mainstream Americans with traits associated with Midwesterners, such as stability and caution.
But over the last decade, the Phoenix suburb of Peoria, Ariz., soared past its namesake Peoria, Ill., in population size. Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 successfully made the Republican-leaning Mountain West a key component to winning elections, with Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico now considered swing states.
Mardi Gras 2011: Ima
R.I.P Former Alice i
Milena Arciszewski,
R.I.P Former Alice in Chains Bassist Mike Starr - Los Angeles Music - West Coast Sound
We are sad to report the death of former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, whose body was found earlier today in a Salt Lake City home.Via TMZ:
Police tell us Starr's body was found in a Salt Lake City home today. Cops say they were called to the house at 1:42PM.
Formed in 1987 by guitarist singer Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and drummer Sean the band drew from a mixture of grunge metal, and even folk for a rich, bleak sound that appealed to fans across a variety of genres. They quickly grew to be among the best known of Seattle grunge bands and soared easily to multi-platinum sales with 1992's Dirt.
Ultimately, a combination of factors ranging from drug abuse to artistic differences led to changes in line-up, and former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez stepped to replace Starr before the band recorded their third LP.
Details to follow as they are made available ...
Charlie Sheen Surfac
Charlie Sheen Surfaces, Plans 10PM EST Broadcast; Also: His Phone Number Gets Out | Showbiz411
Now it’s like getting ready to watch a fresh train wreck. Charlie Sheen will return to UStream.tv tonight at 10PM eastern for yet another broadcast. After last night’s debacle, the only place to go is up. He just sent out a Tweet, his first in 24 hours, that reads: “The Warlock is hungry. Hungry for corporate flesh.” His attorney, Marty Singer, must be cringing. All of this, every word of it, will come back to haunt Charlie in court. I spoke to the people at UStream and they’re anticipating a massive audience since this is the last scheduled episode of “Sheen’s Korner.” And then what? One can only imagine. Some topics tonight: how Charlie would feel if his good friend Rob Lowe took over his spot on “Two and a Half Men.” And how he feels about taking down an entire hit TV series. Of course, there’s always the subject of his health. But we seem to be beyond that now.
Roubini Predicts Oil
Bipolar disorder vas
Bipolar disorder vastly undertreated: study | Reuters
(Reuters) - Bipolar disorder, a brain disorder that strikes early and can cause lifelong disability, is chronically undertreated in many low-income countries, government researchers reported on Monday.
Their survey of more than 61,000 patients suggests 2.4 percent of the world's population may have some form of the disease, which is marked by bizarre shifts in mood, energy and activity that can affect relationships and job performance.
Roubini Predicts Oil Will Hit $150 Per Barrel, Traders Betting On $200 - Chris Barth - Invested Interest - Forbes
“Oil price shocks have led to US recessions in 1974-75, 1980, 1990, 2001 and 2008-2009. 3 of these were caused by Mid East political shocks,” notoriously bearish economist Nouriel Roubini wrote on his Twitter account at the end of February.
Last Wednesday, he made another bold prediction: “If troubles spread to other countries such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this could push oil prices up to $140 to $150 per barrel, which could trigger a double-dip recession in the periphery of Europe and the U.K.”
While the predicted oil price may seem shock-worthy, the correlation of oil prices and recession should not. As James Hamilton, an Economics Professor at the University of California, San Diego, wrote last year, rising oil prices are a potential retardant to economic recovery, both in the automotive sector as well as across consumer spending in general.
“I could certainly imagine that an abrupt move up in gasoline prices from here could hurt the struggling recovery of the domestic auto sector and dampen overall consumer spending,” Hamilton wrote in a fascinating post on EconBrowser.com. “I do not think it would be enough to give us a second economic downturn, but it could easily be a factor reducing the growth rate.”
Hamilton wrote that statement when oil prices had just pushed past $90/barrel. Now, price per barrel is at its highest level in over two years, and Roubini, known for his gloom and doom predictions, says the tough ride is just beginning. According to Forbes’ Robert Lenzner, Roubini’s predicted price of $150/barrel could take 2% out of the U.S. GDP.
It seems that plenty of traders agree with Roubini’s bearish outlook. A chart published today by Bloomberg shows a sharp increase in traders buying call options on $200/barrel oil futures, which expire on May 17th.
When Roubini sat down with Steve Forbes in January, he made predictions about the future of the U.S. economy. Thus far, he has been proven wrong about his take on unemployment, which he stated would remain above 9%.
He also, however, predicted a U.S. GDP growth of 2.7% this year, below the consensus of 3.2%. If oil prices continue to rise and the U.S. economy responds negatively, Dr. Doom could find himself in the rare position of having been overly bullish.
Charlie Sheen’s la
Charlie Sheen's latest Webcast: The saddest performance of his career | Inside TV
At this point, there’s nothing particularly newsworthy about Charlie Sheen’s rants. But his new video is so dramatic and striking in its pathos, it’s hard not to comment on how utterly sad and unprecedented it is.
The most recent brief and disturbing “Sheen’s Korner” video shows the actor, who was fired on Monday from his hit series Two and a Half Men, looking disheveled, thin and agitated, smoking and jerking the conversation from one topic to another. Sheen spends the video talking to his associate “Bob” (who apparently doesn’t know he’s being streamed on the Web) on a speakerphone. The associate is by turns flattering Sheen and awkwardly trying to play along, and the transparency of that relationship is disheartening too.
“What’s not to love, it’s my life — winning!” Sheen says, occasionally dipping off screen to drink from a bottle whose label he covers. “Keep in mind anytime I roll something out my plan is the best plan in the room. And people are starting to realize that. That their plan is s–t and my plan is gold. Walk into my plan and they’re going to win, win, win …. winner-winner Sheen dinner!” etc etc.
Never in the history of Hollywood has a celebrity downfall been so meticulously publicly documented — initially to our stunned amusement, then to our growing horror. It feels as if a street corner addict were given millions of dollars, millions of fans, and a Web cam. The fan reactions below the video tell you all you need to know: “AWWW SOMEBODY THAT’S CLOSE TO HIM PLEASE GET to his HOME and HELP Him!” wrote one.
There’s been plenty of debate on the EW.com message boards about how much Charlie Sheen coverage is too much, and there’s debate behind the scenes, too. This story has been, and remains, extraordinary — in its business implications for a broadcast network’s top-rated show, and in the celebrity drama of a major star burning out in a spectacular fashion. But with Monday’s episode of “Sheen’s Korner,” which streamed on a night when fans are used to watching Sheen make them laugh on CBS, he’s turned his implosion into an online creepshow, and the most humane instinct was to turn him off.
For more on Sheen, check out EW’s Charlie Sheen Central.
Read more:
Charlie Sheen Central
Losing: Why Charlie Sheen was fired
Charlie Sheen fired from ‘Two and a Half Men’
Charlie Sheen admits first ‘Sheen’s Korner’ sucked
‘Sheen’s Korner’: Not a winning broadcast
Charlie Sheen to land his own show on HDNet?
19 Public Celebrity Meltdowns
PopWatch’s Charlie Sheen coverage
InsideTV’s Charlie Sheen coverage
Underwater mortgages
Underwater mortgages rise as home prices fall - Yahoo! Finance
The Associated Press, On Tuesday March 8, 2011, 10:45 am ESTWASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth rose at the end of last year, preventing many people from selling their homes in an already weak housing market.
CoreLogic said Tuesday that about 11.1 million households, or 23.1 percent of all mortgaged homes, were underwater in the October-December quarter. That's up from 22.5 percent, or 10.8 million households, in the July-September quarter.
The number of underwater mortgages had fallen in the previous three quarters. But that was mostly because more homes had fallen into foreclosure.
Underwater mortgages typically rise when home prices fall. Home prices in December hit their lowest point since the housing bust in 11 of 20 major U.S. metro areas. In a healthy housing market, about 5 percent of homeowners are underwater.
About 2.4 million people have only 5 percent equity or less in their homes, putting them near the tipping point if prices in their area fall.
Roughly two-thirds of homeowners in Nevada with a mortgage had negative home equity, the worst in the country. Arizona, Florida, Michigan and California were next, with nearly 50 percent of homeowners with mortgages in those states underwater.
Oklahoma had the smallest percentage of underwater homeowners in the October-December quarter, at 5.8 percent. Only nine states recorded percentages less than 10 percent.
When a mortgage is underwater, the homeowner often can't qualify for mortgage refinancing and has little recourse but to continue making payments in hopes the property eventually regains its value.
The slide in home prices began stabilizing last year. But prices are expected to continue falling in many markets due to still-high levels of foreclosure and unemployment.
That means homes purchased at the height of the real estate boom are unlikely to recover lost value for years.
Underwater mortgages also dampen home sales. Homeowners who might otherwise sell their home refuse to take a loss or can't get the bank to agree to a short sale -- when a lender lets a borrower sell their property for less than the amount owed on the mortgage.
Home sales have been weaker in areas where there are a large number of homeowners with negative equity.
The total amount of negative equity increased to $751 billion nationwide, up from $744 billion in the previous quarter.
Subway Runs Past McD
Late-winter wallop s
Starbucks consumer g
Subway Runs Past McDonald's Chain - WSJ.com
It's official: the Subway sandwich chain has surpassed McDonald's Corp. as the world's largest restaurant chain, in terms of units.
At the end of last year, Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide, compared to McDonald's 32,737. The burger giant disclosed its year-end store count in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late last month.
China cool to Libya no-fly zone proposal | Reuters
(Reuters) - Any United Nations-authorized action against Libya must ensure it helps the country return to stability as soon as possible, China said on Tuesday in response to British and French proposals for a no-fly zone.