Recession? Move Along, Nothing to See Here
Americans awoke on Tuesday to word that the Federal Reserve had issued its biggest rate cut in 23 years to help stave off a rough open to the stock market on the heels of overseas losses Monday. The Fed cut rates three-quarters of a point, to 3.5 percent, on a day it wasn't supposed to meet. Another cut is expected at next week's regularly scheduled meeting.

There's been lots of talk that the United States is facing a forthcoming recession. According to some, we are already suffering one.

It's not good. That is to say, it's pretty bad. (One particular MarketWatch editor put it pretty well.)

However, according to a commentary at Slate, there is "good news" of the recession: "Maybe it will finally teach Americans how to compete globally." For some — like critics of rampant consumerism — "the parade of bad news is an occasion for schadenfreude."

Of course, worrying about a recession and talking about a recession helps fuel a recession.

So maybe we should just ignore it.

Feast for Productivity
We're always looking for tricks to be more productive. Consider what you eat.

Lifehack.org has rounded up a number of foods that are not only healthier than chips or candy, but can also help bolster your productivity and, in some case, your mood. A few on Lifehack's list of 20 Foods to Snack On For Enhanced Productivity:

Raisins. Want more energy? Grab a pack of raisins. They are high in energy and antioxidants, and low in fat and calories.
Strawberries. As with carrots and flaxseeds, strawberries surprisingly aid in better eye sight. Eating strawberries has also been linked to preventing cancer.
Peppermint. If you have a stomach bug or just need to perk up a bit, have a peppermint drink. It's a great muscle relaxant and helps you clean up your nasal passages and breathe easily.
Dark chocolate. Having one small bar a day will satisfy your cravings for sweets and give you a load of antioxidants.

Personally, only coffee works for me; everything else is time-consuming. Now, at last, I have the choice between a $1 cup of coffee and a $20,000 cup of coffee.

Fatal Shortage of Dirt
So here we are reporting on a future global shortage of water, when, apparently, disappearing topsoil rivals both the water shortage and global warming as an environmental threat.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports:

While many worry about the potential consequences of atmospheric warming, a few experts are trying to call attention to another global crisis quietly taking place under our feet. Call it the thin brown line. Dirt. On average, the planet is covered with little more than 3 feet of topsoil — the shallow skin of nutrient-rich matter that sustains most of our food and appears to play a critical role in supporting life on Earth.

The National Academy of Sciences has determined that cropland in the U.S. is being eroded at least 10 times faster than the time it takes for lost soil to be replaced.

"Globally, it's pretty clear we're running out of dirt," said David Montgomery, a geologist at the University of Washington and author of the popular book Dirt.

This is Not News
As has been confirmed time and time again, throughout history and throughout married homes, men are not smarter than women — despite what our egos may tell us.

According to an interview in Newsweek this week:

An analysis of some 30 studies by British researcher Adrian Furnham, a professor of psychology at University College London, shows that men and women are fairly equal overall in terms of IQ. But women, it seems, underestimate their own candlepower (and that of women in general), while men overestimate theirs.

"It's what we call the male hubris and female humility effect," Furnham says.

New Study on World's Oldest Profession
At the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, held this month in New Orleans, University of Chicago economics professor and co-author of the bestseller Freakonomics Steven Levitt presented preliminary findings from a study conducted with Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociologist at Columbia University. Their research on the economics of street prostitution combines official arrest records with data on 2,200 tricks — i.e., transactions — collected by Venkatesh in co-operation with sex workers in three Chicago districts.

From The Economist's coverage of this comprehensive study on the economics of prostitution:

Pricing strategies are much like any other business. Fees vary with the service provided and prostitutes maximize [Sic.] returns by segmenting the market. Clients are charged according to their perceived ability to pay, with white customers paying more than black ones. When negotiating prices, prostitutes will usually make an offer to black clients, but will solicit a bid from a white client. There are some anomalies. Although prices increase with the riskiness of an act, the premium charged for forgoing a condom is much smaller than found in other studies. And attractive prostitutes were unable to command higher fees.

Compared to other jobs, earnings are high: Sex workers receive $25-30 per hour, roughly four times what they could expect outside prostitution. Of course, this wage premium also comes with the stigma and inherent risks of the job.

Rich Roaming
International business travelers are racking up an average of nearly $700 in cell-phone roaming charges per business trip, according to a study released Wednesday.

The study shows that U.S. enterprises are spending up to $693.50 on international cellular roaming charges each time an employee takes a business trip overseas. The study, commissioned by global cellular communications provider Brightroam and conducted by research company Harris Interactive Inc., reveals that the nearly $700-per-trip cell bill is 12 times more than the average monthly wireless bill.

Roughly 15 percent of the U.S. global workforce travels overseas at least once a year, so businesses with more than 10,000 employees are currently shelling out upwards of $1 million for international cellular roaming annually, according to Brightroam.

"If you consider that many large businesses in the U.S. employ more than 30,000 employees, it is easy to see how roaming costs can take a big bite out of operating costs," Jeff Wilson, general manager at Brightroam, said in a statement.

Surprisingly, few U.S. businesses report plans to look for more affordable options.

Kite Rider
The world's first commercial cargo ship powered partly by a giant kite set sail from Germany to Venezuela on its maiden voyage Tuesday. The computer-guided kite will harness powerful ocean winds far above the surface and support the engine.

Inventor Stephan Wrage hopes the experiment will wipe 20 percent, or $1,600, from the ship's daily fuel bill. The designers of the 10,000-ton MS Beluga Skysails also hope the state-of-the-art kite will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions as it tugs the ship.

Fuel burnt by ships accounts for 4 percent of global CO2 emissions, reports Reuters. That is twice as much as the aviation industry produces.

Amazing Shelf Cloud Over Saskatchewan
Shelf clouds are typically seen leading thunderstorms, although they may precede any well defined front of relatively cold air. The shelf cloud below was photographed toward the southwest during a trip crossing the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Trans-Canada Highway in August 2001. A rising Sun illuminated the impressive cloud from the east as it advanced from the west.

Click image for larger version.
Credit: Jeff Kerr – APOD


Cheers.