Las Vegas: The Last Big City With Falling Home Prices

The Las Vegas area remains the last "big city" with falling home values, according to a new report from Standard & Poor's. The incredibly high unemployment levels combined with home foreclosures and a big slowdown in tourism is simply killing the city's economy.

Every one of the other 20 big US cities has seen its home prices increase or, in two cases, remain even. So despite some bright spots Las Vegas continues to lag behind the rest of the country. A second "double dip" recession has become a major concern in Southern Nevada.

The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reports that the median price of a single-family house in Southern Nevada is around $135,000... half of what is was just a couple of years ago!

According to one expert:

"The worry starts when you remember that the Homebuyers' Tax Credit has expired, foreclosures are still at high levels and July data on home sales and starts were very, very weak. The inventory of unsold homes and months' supply data were particularly troubling. If this relative weakness in demand continues, it will likely filter through to home prices in coming months."

Learn some mo': 20-city index shows Las Vegas alone in home price decline

Chlorine Gas Sickens People at Las Vegas Pool

Almost a hundred people were sickened and given medical attention after breathing chlorine gas at the MGM Grand pool in Las Vegas today. 12 of them had to be taken to the hospital for additional treatment. Nearly 200 people in total were evacuated at the popular Vegas casino resort.

According to Gordon Asher, MGM Resorts spokesmen, an injector valve on the pool's chlorination system got stuck in the "on" position, allowing the dangerous fumes to escape. He said that an MGM employee closed the valve as soon as it was noticed. Las Vegas Metro Police as well as the Fire & Rescue hazardous materials team are still on the scene investigating.

As Las Vegas residents and frequent visitors to the cities many amazing resort pools, we find it pretty alarming that something like this could even happen. Chlorine gas is extremely deadly and can do a lot of damage to lung tissue. If the (often not too bright) people working at casino pools are going to be allowed to handle dangerous chemicals there should be more safety rules and oversight. Every industrial site that uses chlorine has gas detectors, alarms, etc. Maybe Vegas pools should too...

Learn some mo': 12 hospitalized, 100 treated after MGM Grand chemical leak

Instant Canker Sore Relief

I have an incredibly painful canker sore on the inside of my bottom lip, rubbing up against my lower teeth and gums. It hurts like hell and I had to find a solution in order to work, talk, think, or even keep from going out of my mind! Luckily I found a solution for instant canker sore relief. Here it is...

Step 1: Put a cap-ful of hydrogen peroxide in your mouth and swish it around for at least 1 minute. This cleans all the oral bacteria out and leaves you with a nice, disinfected canker sore.

Step 2: Press a piece of ice on the sore for 30 seconds. This cools it down, numbs it, and starts to bring down the swelling.

Step 3: Put an un-coated aspirin against the canker sore. Hold it there -- either by hand or by positioning it in your mouth -- for the next 15 minutes. It'll burn for a few seconds but then the pain will begin to subside. Be sure to spit out the aspirin after 15 minutes or you may suffer "aspirin burn" because aspirin is actually a form of weak acid -- acetylsalicylic acid to be precise.

If the pain doesn't go away rinse out your mouth with cold water and repeat the steps above after waiting half an hour. And there you have it: your instant canker sore pain relief remedy. It worked for me and it should work for you. Good luck!

Learn some mo': Canker Sore Remedies

Proven: Drinking Water Helps You Lose Weight!

It's been debated for years and now it's been scientifically proven: drinking lots of water does, in fact, help you lose weight. More specifically, drinking at least 2 cups of water right before eating meals helps you lose weight faster. Researchers found that obese dieters who did that lost 5 pounds more than dieters who didn't drink extra water before meals.

Plus, the water-drinking group were more likely to keep the weight off after a year. So we're talking about a true "healthy" weight loss solution that works both short-term and long-term!

Besides filling the stomach, helping to suppress the appetite naturally, and even boosting metabolism slightly, drinking more water helps you cut calories. The average American drinks more than 230 calories per day. Fitness and weight loss experts say that sipping from a water bottle all day long while avoiding sodas, juices, soft drinks, high-sugar/high-calorie coffee drinks, and alcohol is one of the best ways to lose pounds more quickly and keep them off over time.

According to one expert:

"Water is by far the healthiest beverage, and if you can't drink water, then drink unsweetened tea, coffee, diet beverages or for kids, low-fat milk... The fewer calories we get from beverages, the healthier we're going to be."

So there you have it: drink more water and sugar-free beverages and you'll get rid of your stubborn belly fat and lose weight faster (plus you'll probably just feel a lot better too!).

Learn some mo': Drinking Water Proven to Help Weight Loss

Oil-Eating Microbe: Nature's Solution to Gulf Coast Oil Spill?

A newly discovered type of oil-eating bacteria may be nature's own solution to cleaning up the giant BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That's good new because just a few days ago scientists released a report showing that an oil plume the size of Manhattan is still lurking about 3000 feet below the surface of the water.

According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's findings there is "a great potential for bacteria to help dispose of oil plumes in the deep-sea." And here's more good news: not only does the ocean bacteria help to bio-degrade crude oil in deep, cold water... it does so without lowering the oxygen levels in the water.

That means that it probably won't create large "dead zones" of low-oxygen seawater, a problem that already exists in the Gulf.

Learn some mo': 'Opportunistic' Bacteria Feasting Slowly on Underwater Oil in Gulf

Jimena Navarrete Wins Miss Universe Pageant

Congratulations to the beautiful Miss Mexico -- Jimena Navarrete!

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Might Be Caused By XMRV Virus

New research has once again linked chronic fatigue syndrome with a recently discovered type of retrovirus called MRV-related viruses. The evidence backs up a study published last fall that linked CFS with the XMRV virus. This new research may finally convince skeptical doctors that the debilitating disease is caused by a pathogen.

Chronic fatigue syndrome affects over a million people in America alone and caused profound exhaustion, headaches, severe joint and muscle pain, sleep disorders, cognitive problems, and other serious health issues. Experts are hopeful that once the cause is pinpointed a cure will soon be found to help people who are suffering from this nasty affliction!

Learn some mo': Chronic fatigue may be triggered by virus

Van Gogh's Poppy Flowers Still Missing

The famous Van Gogh painting Poppy Flowers (aka Vase And Flowers) has been stolen in Cairo and is still missing, despite previous reports!



Learn some mo': Egyptian minister says Van Gogh picture still missing

Fructose Sugar Feeds Cancer

The natural sugar fructose fuels cancer growth, according to a new study from UCLA. Researchers found that pancreatic cancer cells grew much faster on a diet of fructose. Experts believe that it also boosts the rate of growth of many other cancers.

According to study author Dr. Anthony Heaney:

"The bottom line is the modern diet contains a lot of refined sugar including fructose and it's a hidden danger implicated in a lot of modern diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and fatty liver."

High-fructose corn syrup is now the most popular sweetener in the United States and much of the world. Heaney and others are calling for the federal government to take steps to try and reduce America's consumption of corn syrup.

Of course, fructose (a "fruit" sugar) can also be found in fruits, some vegetables, and regular white table sugar.

The corn/corn syrup lobby is obviously unhappy with the news. They say that the study doesn't necessarily prove that fructose fuels cancer growth and that high-fructose corn syrup is safe when consumed in moderation.

One things for sure: everyone should minimize their intake of ALL refines sugars in order to improve health and reduce the risk of cancer!

Learn some mo': Cancer Cells Use Fructose to Grow

World's Oldest Scotch Whiskey Won't Be Tasted

A crate of Scotch whiskey found frozen in Antarctica may be the world's oldest existing Scotch... and it won't even be tasted. The create was brought on an expedition by famous explorer Ernest Shackleton over 100 years ago and was finally opened this past Friday the 13th. But apparently the bottles themselves probably won't be opened and may not even be tasted so that they can be preserved for their historic significance.

We think that at least one of the 11 bottles of "Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky" should be enjoyed by someone! How about giving a bottle to the person who figures out how to make solar energy really cheap or the company that comes up with a way to get the world economy going again? That would be a pretty good use of the oldest Scotch around...

Learn some mo': 100-year-old Scotch pulled from frozen crate

magicTalk = Free Cell Phone Calls

The company that makes the very popular magicJack product has come up with a new gadget that should make cell phone calls really cheap -- or even free -- and it's finally being released to the public. The magicTalk -- announced in January -- routes calls over the Internet in a way that bypasses the normal cell phone networks. It provides a more convenient alternative to "free" web calling services such as Google Voice.

The MagicTalk will allow unlimited calls in the US and Canada. Special versions for the various smartphone models -- including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android -- will be available in the fall. A version for the Apple iPad will also be released soon. The product's maker -- VocalTec -- operates as its own phone company and provides unique phone numbers to each user.

Good news is you want to start making free long-distance and cheap international calls, even on your cell phone!

Learn some mo': Free calls from co. behind magicJack

Las Vegas Casinos Had Worst Month in 7 Years

This past June casinos on the Las Vegas Strip didn't win a lot of money, relatively speaking. In fact it was their worst month in terms of gross win since 2003 according to a Nevada Gaming Control Board report just released. The good news for gamblers: blackjack, craps, and baccarat players won significantly more than usual.

The only bright spot for the casinos was a big increase in sports betting, due to the huge amount of bets placed during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Still, the 37 Strip casinos won only $383 million in June, a very low overall figure. Downtown casinos also had a horrible month according to state officials.

So is Las Vegas dying, as many experts are predicting? Or was June just another bump in the road to a citywide (and possible statewide) economic recovery? Only time will tell...

Learn some mo': Las Vegas Strip casinos see lowest win since 2003

New "Useful Stuff" Blog

A friend of mine has just launched a new blog about useful stuff he finds online. He's a pretty smart guy so I thought I'd give him a link. You can check out the blog at:

http://justusefulstuff.blogspot.com/

Be sure to leave a comment and let him know what you think!

Bad Menstural Cramp Pain Changes Women's Brains

The painful menstrual cramps that women experience monthly may alter their brains, according to new research from Taiwan. Researchers used a special type of brain scan to study the brains of women who experience high levels of menstrual pain. They found "abnormalities" in the grey matter of women who reported having bad cramps during their menstruation.

Some of the abnormalities include lower volume in parts of the brain related to pain processing, high-level sensory processing, and emotional regulation. The women also had more volume in the brain regions related to pain modulation and endocrine function regulation.

Experts aren't sure exactly how the brain changes affect a woman's experience of pain. But they do believe that menstrual pain may be similar to other forms of chronic pain, which are known to actually make the brain more sensitive to pain and, therefore, make the pain sensations worse!

According to one researcher:

"A long-term bombardment by peripheral pain can elicit plastic changes in the central brain as a reactive adaptation... It can also be a crucial mechanism that perpetuates the 'chronification' of pain."

Learn some mo': Menstrual Cramps May Alter Women's Brains

Less Sitting = More Health!

Working out every day won't give you many health benefits if you're always sitting down, according to a new study that associates an increased risk of mortality with the time that people spend on their derrieres. This suggests that people should spend more time engaging in physical activity and less time sitting on the couch or the Lazy-Boy.

Experts believe that the obesity problem in the US is definitely associated with the increased amount of time the average American spends sitting down. Now we have evidence to show that lack of regular activity can definitely lead to early death.

Some of the health problems associated with large amounts of sitting/inactivity include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and unhealthy eating patterns. So the obvious conclusion is that we all need to spend less time sitting on our behinds and more time moving around!

Learn some mo': Are you sitting down? It's slowly killing you

Gorilla Glass to Make Touch-Screen Computers & TVs Better, Cheaper

A super-strong, ultra-thin, and highly flexible glass called "Gorilla glass" is set to make big improvements to modern touch-screen computers, tablet PCs, and high-end televisions. Corning Inc. invented the glass in 1962 but could not find a good commercial use for it at the time. Now the famous company is set to create a new multi-billion-dollar product niche with the tough, scratch-resistant glass.

Because Gorilla is so thin and light, it's cheaper to transport, which should lower shipping costs. Eventually that should lead to cheaper electronics products.

Gorilla glass is already being used to create a protective layer over the small screens of cell phones and other mobile communication devices. But the latest trends in TV and computer technologies could launch it to an exponentially bigger business. Things like "frameless" flat-screen TVs and ultra-tough, ultralight touchscreen laptops, and amazing high-definition wall art displays are now possible with the glass.

Learn some mo': 'Gorilla' glass may be new face of touch-screen tablets, high-end TVs

Nevada Casino Companies Ready to Lead in New Legal Online Casino Industry

The wave of Internet gambling that is set to sweep over the United States may favor Nevada casino operators, according to some experts. Nevada and especially Las Vegas-based casino companies own some of the best-known and most-trusted gaming brands in the industry. That may put them in a very unique and profitable position if and when the US government makes online wagering legal.

Parts of the new legislation being proposed in Washington aim to penalize foreign companies that ran online gambling websites and profited by accepting American bets even though it was illegal. Fortunately for the major US casino companies, none of them risked becoming involved in the offshore operations. That wise decision could set them up to make huge profits in the new Internet gaming boom.

The House Financial Services Committee has just passed a bill to legalize and regulate online betting in the US. But it also added amendments that are designed to prevent online casino operators currently violating US laws from getting licenses to operate under the new legal online gaming regulation.

Many experts believe that both Nevada and possibly New Jersey gaming corporations are set to become the leaders legal Internet gambling. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

Learn some mo': Nevada gaming companies see potential flush online