If you thought about what types of insurance you have, you could probably only think of a few. If you're lucky, you have health insurance, life insurance, homeowner's, car, and maybe one or two other insured things. Most people don't know it, but you can get insurance on some pretty off-the-wall things. Take it from multiple celebrities; they're insuring body parts. In this market, insurance companies often offer policies that pay if something damages the appearance of functionality of a body part. You may know this as a contract clause for professional athletes, but who would have guessed it was a legitimate form of insurance? You would have to seriously ask yourself if insuring a body part was worth it. For most of us, the answer is undoubtedly no. But if you're Peyton Manning, it helps to have an insurance policy on your right arm.
Another weird and not so common thing that people insure is a golf game. If you've ever participated in a game of golf or a tournament, then you've probably seen a hole-in-one prize. Anyone who scores this shot during a game will win money, a new car, etc. This is a very common thing in the world of golf tournaments. And as rare as a hole-in-one is on average, you'd be surprised how many are actually made. So, they're losing money every time someone makes the shot, right? Wait just a minute. The people/companies offering the prize take insurance out against someone showing up and making the fluke shot. The hole-in-one insurance policy is part of a broader class known as price indemnification insurance, which is used on various game shows and contests. The event sponsor pays a premium to an insurer, and if someone makes the shot, wins the prize, etc, the policy picks up the tab.
So much for ransom notes. If you happen to ever be kidnapped and held for ransom, having to pay the fee to be released can possibly ruin your financial situation. The well-to-do and workers in high-risk areas have a ransom insurance policy to signup with. These policies are typically held by businessmen who work in dangerous areas, and they offer indemnity coverage for any loss incurred by whoever pays the ransom. The losses include the sum of the ransom itself, any money lost in transit, expenses of the team to deliver the ransom, the hiring of professionals such as negotiators, and rewards offered for the same return of the victim.
Perhaps the oddest insurance policy of all comes from Lloyd's of London. Over the years, this company has sold policies for vampire bites, werewolf attacks, and alien abduction. Over 40,000 policies have been sold to insure against alien abduction. If you claim to have been abducted, can pass a lie detector test, and have video or a third-party witness, then you'll be compensated at the tune of 1-million-pounds.
John Weise represents, car insurance marketplace which connects consumers with insurance providers who will help you develop a solid insurance plan. For more information please visit Weird things people insure
Weird Inventions
Weird inventions can be profitable. I just saw a report on the news about an automated dog wash at a car wash. Get the car and the dog clean all at once! Of course, ideas for inventions that are just weird and interesting or funny is okay too. By the way, the ideas below are not patented, so feel free to take them, make them, patent them and earn a few dollars with them. Good luck!
Wind chimes made from bones. There are a lot of people out there who like the morbid side of life, and I'll bet they buy wind chimes too. Of course, they don't have to be human bones!
Machine that induces naps. Some of the brain wave entrainment CDs I've been using for months are really powerful. One puts me to sleep everytime, anytime of the day. This technology could be used to create a system for baby cribs and kid's beds. The machine would play CDs which slow down brain waves and puts kids to sleep. More than a few parents would buy this.
Wall-mounted furniture. Have a steel track built into the perimeter of the room, and furniture designed to hang from this. The couches, tables and chairs wouldn't need legs, and would be easy to clean under. Of course, if you produce the system, the customer has to buy furniture from you.
Furniture that glows in the dark. Perhaps it would be more practical to have just the edges trimmed with a glow-in-the-dark material. No more bumping into the coffee table in the dark, and a nice party atmosphere too.
Alarm clock that uses voices. Here's one of those easy inventions, and it isn't even that weird. Use one of the "sampler" chips that are found in electronic keyboards. Push the button to record a short message-alarm. Wake up to your own voice, or record a wake-up message from a sexy friend for more motivation. Have it say what you want. "You're late for work!" might work, or might just give you a heart attack.
Exam survival kit. Are you ready for that big exam? Now you are, with your new Examomatic Survival Kit. The kit contains caffeine pills, ginkgo biloba capsules, aromatic oils that "wake up" the brain, and a dozen quick tips for instantly raising your IQ.
Fish kite. look, in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane... no, it's the new flying fish kite! It's an inflatable kite (no kite sticks), but it flys just like any kite. Comes with a fishing pole for the kitestring, so you can just reel it in when you're done. Fishing in the sky!
A few ideas, and now it's time to come up with your own weird inventions.
Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for more weird invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: New Ideas ( http://www.999ideas.com )
Wind chimes made from bones. There are a lot of people out there who like the morbid side of life, and I'll bet they buy wind chimes too. Of course, they don't have to be human bones!
Machine that induces naps. Some of the brain wave entrainment CDs I've been using for months are really powerful. One puts me to sleep everytime, anytime of the day. This technology could be used to create a system for baby cribs and kid's beds. The machine would play CDs which slow down brain waves and puts kids to sleep. More than a few parents would buy this.
Wall-mounted furniture. Have a steel track built into the perimeter of the room, and furniture designed to hang from this. The couches, tables and chairs wouldn't need legs, and would be easy to clean under. Of course, if you produce the system, the customer has to buy furniture from you.
Furniture that glows in the dark. Perhaps it would be more practical to have just the edges trimmed with a glow-in-the-dark material. No more bumping into the coffee table in the dark, and a nice party atmosphere too.
Alarm clock that uses voices. Here's one of those easy inventions, and it isn't even that weird. Use one of the "sampler" chips that are found in electronic keyboards. Push the button to record a short message-alarm. Wake up to your own voice, or record a wake-up message from a sexy friend for more motivation. Have it say what you want. "You're late for work!" might work, or might just give you a heart attack.
Exam survival kit. Are you ready for that big exam? Now you are, with your new Examomatic Survival Kit. The kit contains caffeine pills, ginkgo biloba capsules, aromatic oils that "wake up" the brain, and a dozen quick tips for instantly raising your IQ.
Fish kite. look, in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane... no, it's the new flying fish kite! It's an inflatable kite (no kite sticks), but it flys just like any kite. Comes with a fishing pole for the kitestring, so you can just reel it in when you're done. Fishing in the sky!
A few ideas, and now it's time to come up with your own weird inventions.
Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for more weird invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: New Ideas ( http://www.999ideas.com )
Irritated Obama 'Stares Down' Reporter During Press Corps Visit
Obama got annoyed at a reporter while visiting the west wing to meet the members of the white house press corps.
FBI Hiring Campaign - 2950 FBI Jobs
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced that they are hiring almost 2,950 people making it the biggest hiring campaign in 100 years for the Bureau. On top of that, the FBI aim to close applications by the 16th Jan 09’.
The following are the positions to be filled within the FBI according to their website:
- Automotive Mechanic Professionals
- Compliance and Quality Assurance Professionals
- Electronic Technicians
- Engineering Professionals
- Fingerprint Examiners
- General Education and Training Professionals
- Finance/Accounting/Budget Analysis Professionals
- IT/Computer Science Professionals
- Intelligence/Analytical Professionals
- Language Specialists
- Management and Program Analysis
- Physical/Natural/Social Science Professionals
- Records Management Professionals
- Security Professionals
- Physical Surveillance Professionals
- Human Resources Professionals
Assistant Director John Raucci, FBI Human Resources Division, said "The FBI is like no other career choice you've ever considered. Whatever your background or expertise, you will find the FBI exceptionally rewarding. It is challenging, compelling, and important, as the work you perform has a daily impact on the nation's security and the quality-of-life for all
A New Cigarette Hazard: ‘Third-Hand Smoke’
From The New York Times
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.
That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.
“Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this,” said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids,” Dr. Winickoff continued. “We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”
Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, he said, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. “Your nose isn’t lying,” he said. “The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you: ’Get away.’”
The study reported on attitudes toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were aware that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers agreed with the statement that “inhaling smoke from a parent’s cigarette can harm the health of infants and children.”
But far fewer of those surveyed were aware of the risks of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that “breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children.” Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that statement, which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke.
The belief that second-hand smoke harms children’s health was not independently associated with strict smoking bans in homes and cars, the researchers found. On the other hand, the belief that third-hand smoke was harmful greatly increased the likelihood the respondent also would enforce a strict smoking ban at home, Dr. Winickoff said.
“That tells us we’re onto an important new health message here,” he said. “What we heard in focus group after focus group was, ‘I turn on the fan and the smoke disappears.’ It made us realize how many people think about second-hand smoke — they’re telling us they know it’s bad but they’ve figured out a way to do it.”
The data was collected in a national random-digit-dial telephone survey done between September and November 2005. The sample was weighted by race and gender, based on census information.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician who heads the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said the phrase third-hand smoke is a brand-new term that has implications for behavior.
“The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke,” he said. “There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with .......... more from The New York Times
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.
That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.
“Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this,” said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids,” Dr. Winickoff continued. “We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”
Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, he said, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. “Your nose isn’t lying,” he said. “The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you: ’Get away.’”
The study reported on attitudes toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were aware that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers agreed with the statement that “inhaling smoke from a parent’s cigarette can harm the health of infants and children.”
But far fewer of those surveyed were aware of the risks of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that “breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children.” Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that statement, which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke.
The belief that second-hand smoke harms children’s health was not independently associated with strict smoking bans in homes and cars, the researchers found. On the other hand, the belief that third-hand smoke was harmful greatly increased the likelihood the respondent also would enforce a strict smoking ban at home, Dr. Winickoff said.
“That tells us we’re onto an important new health message here,” he said. “What we heard in focus group after focus group was, ‘I turn on the fan and the smoke disappears.’ It made us realize how many people think about second-hand smoke — they’re telling us they know it’s bad but they’ve figured out a way to do it.”
The data was collected in a national random-digit-dial telephone survey done between September and November 2005. The sample was weighted by race and gender, based on census information.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician who heads the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said the phrase third-hand smoke is a brand-new term that has implications for behavior.
“The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke,” he said. “There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with .......... more from The New York Times
Michael Jackson Sick
Michael Jackson needs to undergo an emergency transplant operation but is too weak to be rushed for surgery and may even be fighting for his life. He can barely speak and has 95 per cent vision in his left eye. This s as a result of an Alpha-1 antitypsin deficiency, that can lead to loss of lung elasticity as well as emphysema and gastrointestinal bleeding.
Jackson has been spotted in a wheelchair and receiving help while walking in recent times due to his illness. Doctors have been prescribing medication for Jacksons condition in an attempt to stabilize his condition.
Many people believe that Jackson is still suffering from attention defecate disorder, or just plain old attention seeking celebrity syndrome in layman’s terms.
LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's glittery glove is going to auction
You remember the glove that first featured in the 1983 hit “Billy Jean”? Well its being put on auction next year at Juliens. The glove is part of many other of Michael Jackson’s personal possessions being auctioned off such as the large gates that once stood at the front of his Neverland Ranch.
Michael Jackson’s glitter glove and the rest of his possessions will be on display before the auction begins in April of next year. If you cant make the auction then you can always bid online.
Sales of replica glitter gloves have increased on eBay since the auction was announced but for a die hard fan this isn’t good enough, only the real deal is acceptable. It should be interesting how much money will be raised from the auction and if it will satisfy the financially strained
The 50 year old singer will be soon returning to work as he recently reported to the media.
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