http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/why-the-hindenburg-omen-is-hooey/19613706/

Investors might be atwitter over the so-called Hindenburg Omen a technical indicator flashing a red alert for an imminent market crash, but the odds of it being right are long to non-existent, experts say.
Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James,  has made many adroit calls since the last market crash and rally, and he told clients Monday morning that the Hindenburg Omen is, well, hooey.
"While the various markets can certainly do ANYTHING, it's typically not the snake you see that bites you," Saut writes. "Ladies and gentlemen, when so many people are asking the same 'Hindenburg Omen' question, it is typically the wrong question!"
Lousy Track Record
Meanwhile, Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, made it clear to clients that the Hindenburg Omen has a really lousy track record.
"This indicator has flashed multiple times during the past 20-plus years when there hasn't been a crash," Sonders writes. "In fact, more than 75% of the time the Omen has been a false signal, according to The Wall Street Journal." And if you want an opinion from someone who doesn't work for a big brokerage house, Lawrence McMillan, editor of The Option Strategist newsletter, has found that adherents of the Hindenburg Omen "put so many conditions on it as to render it almost useless."
The indicator has a number of criteria, including that the daily number of new 52-week highs and lows on the NYSE must be both equal to or greater than 2.3% of the total number of NYSE issues that advance or decline that day.

True, the market may very well crash badly and soon, but investors would be wise to position their portfolios based on something more than technical signal with a catchy name -- and little predicative value.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15936268

After capturing a bird Greg Wann collects a blood sample. (DP | HELEN H. RICHARDSON)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK — Amid concerns that climate change will reshape Colorado's high country, Colorado State University ecologist Greg Wann is on a tough mission: tracking ptarmigans, the elusive mountain birds known for their camouflage.

The conditions he faces trudging after them here at 12,100 feet — sharp rocks, icy wind, a merciless sun — are daunting even during summer.

http://health.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/30/the-penis-a-barometer-for-the-heart/

When the arteries in one part of your body are clogged, you can expect arteries to be filling up with sticky plaque in other parts of the body as well. One of these parts is the penis.
   
Heart doctors have long understood this concept, routinely ultrasounding the arteries of the neck (carotids) to provide a barometer for  the tiny arteries (coronaries) that supply the heart.
   
Now, a new study provides evidence that the penis is another crucial barometer of arterial disease.The study, published in the August issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, reveals that men with erectile dysfunction (ED and depression) are much more likely to go on to develop heart disease than those without ED.
  
A team of Italian researchers led by Dr. Elisa Bandini, screened 1687 patients with erectile dysfunction  and found that men with ED who were also depressed were much more likely to have a heart attack or angina. ED is clearly an alert to larger emotional and physical problems including heart disease.  
   
Here’s why: The arteries that supply the penis are only able to provide a strong sustained erection when they are working perfectly. So ED is often an indication that something is wrong with your arteries, and since the arteries of the penis are smaller than the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries), they tend to get clogged earlier. ED usually occurs before heart disease occurs. The penis is a likely barometer, a canary in the coal mine, for impending problems in the coronary arteries.  
   
Of course, ED can be caused by many different things, including low testosterone, medication side effects, and depression alone. Not all patients with ED have arterial problems or will go on to have problems with their hearts. But a significant number will. We recommend all men who begin having problems getting erections to see their doctor for a more thorough total body examination. And the concept of formally screening men for heart disease on the basis of ED should be investigated further. 
   
An ideal study would separate men into two groups; one with erectile dysfunction and one without. Each group would be followed to see which men went on to develop heart problems and which didn’t. In the meantime, there is every reason to consider ED as a warning sign for heart disease and a window into problems in a man’s total health.

David B. Samadi, MD is the Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. As a board-certified urologist and an oncologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of urologic diseases, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer, he also specializes in many advanced minimally invasive treatments for prostate cancer, including laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and laparoscopic robotic radical prostatectomy. His Web site, Robotic Oncology, has been translated into six different languages and is one of the most popular urology sites on the Internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/technology/30location.html?th&emc=th

Internet companies have appropriated the real estate business’s mantra — it’s all about location, location, location. 

But while a home on the beach will always be an easy sell, it may be more difficult to persuade people to start using location-based Web services.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/technology/30adstalk.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Julie Matlin was tempted by a pair of shoes on Zappos.com. Then the shoes started showing up in ads on other sites she visited.

The shoes that Julie Matlin recently saw on Zappos.com were kind of cute, or so she thought. But Ms. Matlin wasn’t ready to buy and left the site. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/29/ivabradine-procoralan-heart-pill-trial?CMP=EMCGT_300810&CMP=EMCNEWEML961

$20+-a-week ivabradine, also known as Procoralan, cut patients' risk of death from heart failure by 26% over two-year trial

http://www.statesman.com/business/homeowners-cut-back-on-renovations-884990.html

Paint and caulk take the place of showplace remodeling projects amid nervousness about economy.

Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos., the top home improvement chains in the U.S., both recently cut their 2010 sales forecasts. As anxiety about the economy grows, homeowners are putting off expensive home renovation projects and finding ways to make improvements for less. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129482104&ft=1&f=1019

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff  is installing electronic scanners outside some large lecture halls to track attendance. NAU may be the first American educational institution to try the technology.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129506748&ft=1&f=1006

 There's an old saying: "Penny wise and Pound Foolish."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-luxury-foreclosures-20100829,0,122103,full.story

The number of homes in the $1-million-and-up slice of the market that have become bank owned has tripled during the last three years in Los Angeles County, and the trend has shown little sign of slowing.

Foreclosure is blind.

After the mortgage meltdown and the plunge in home prices, record numbers of ordinary houses tumbled into foreclosure across Southern California as borrowers became unable or unwilling to pay their mortgages. But the rich aren't so different after all: Million-dollar-plus homes have reverted to lender ownership in increasing numbers — previous sales prices, prime locations and even celebrity pedigrees have provided no immunity. Earlier this year, Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage's English Tudor joined the foreclosure fraternity. The nearly 12,000-square-foot house, once marketed at $35 million, now is listed for $11.8 million; the seller, Citibank.