Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/06/28/miss-congeniality-gifs/
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Saturday, June 29, 2013
15 Lessons Learned From 'Miss Congeniality': An Appreciation In GIFs
This weekend Sandra Bullock returns to the realm of crime-fighting comedy with "The Heat," her new film with Melissa McCarthy, but seeing the Oscar winner with a gun and a badge has us reminiscing about the movie that started it all, the gem that is "Miss Congeniality." In the 13 years since the story of [...]
Monday, June 24, 2013
Ellen Dolgen: How To Eat Your Way To A Happier Menopause
An apple a day keeps the hot flashes away. OK, not really, but it's not as far off as you might think.
Diet is a huge factor in how perimenopausal and menopausal women feel and act, according to Susan Wysocki, WHNP, FAANP, president at iWoman's Health. Research shows that what women eat can either quell or exacerbate just about every menopausal symptom from hot flashes and night sweats to mood swings and weight gain, she says. "The key to eating right during perimenopause and menopause is to eat foods that will improve health as much as they are to keep symptoms of menopause at bay," she says. Unfortunately, most of us are filling up with the wrong foods. No more!
Here are three tips for eating your way to a healthier, happier menopause:
Pick More Produce
"Certain fruits and vegetables have a mineral called boron that may increase estrogen levels in certain women," says Wysocki. However, even if produce doesn't pick up your estrogen production, it can still do a menopausal body good. One large-scale study published in Menopause found that menopausal women who lost weight eating a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduced or eliminated their hot flashes and night sweats. Talk about a two-in-one benefit: Fruits and vegetables can reduce your hot flashes and help you avoid menopausal weight gain. During perimenopause and menopause, many women gain weight as reduced estrogen levels trigger cells to store more fat, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.
Find the Right Fats
New research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that menopausal women who most closely follow a Mediterranean diet rich in produce, whole grain pasta, and healthy fats cut their risk of hot flashes and night sweats by about 20 percent. Meanwhile, menopausal women who eat diets high in sugar as well as saturated and trans fats increase their risk by 23 percent. "Research has also shown that trans fats increase bad cholesterol in the body and decrease good cholesterol, and too much in the diet could result in memory loss and an inability to concentrate, both of which some women experience as symptoms of menopause," Wysocki adds. Your move: Avoid foods such as butter, fast food, and baked goods that are rich in saturated and trans fats and opt for foods such as fish, olive oil, and canola oil that are rich in unsaturated, good-for-you fats.
Pass on Processed Foods
Packaged foods are breeding grounds for sugar and salt, according to Wysocki. "Refined carbs such as white bread, rice, pasta and potatoes release glucose into the bloodstream quickly, which can lead to high-low mood swings and weight gain, not to mention making you feel tired. Opt for low-glycemic carbs like wholegrain breads, cereals, and pastas that will provide energy without causing moodiness and fatigue," she says. Likewise, opt for sugar-free drinks such as water and tea. Contrary to what most women think, even diet sodas aren't safe. Artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking it's getting sugar. That means when you really do consume any sugar, your hips, butt, and belly will hold onto it as fat, Wysocki says. The simple way to find your grocery's whole foods: Stick to the perimeter of the store. Many grocery stores are designed with whole foods like produce and lean meats around the perimeter. "Be careful in the aisles," she warns. "That is where a lot of the 'non-food' food is." If it comes in a box, can, jar, or bottle, read the label.
Food is fuel. So when we start eating to live rather than living to eat, it's about impossible not to feel better in our bodies--especially when those bodies are going through all the changes of perimenopause and menopause. Still, that doesn't mean we can't indulge in the occasional pint of ice cream or candy bar from the checkout aisle; but "occasional" is the operative word. Remember: Absence makes the heart (and taste buds) grow fonder!
Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!
Let's hang out! The first Monday of every month at 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST, Ellen is hosting her Menopause Mondays Google Hangouts: Where the Sisterhood helps the Sisterhood. Her July 1 hangout will include women's sexual health expert Dr. Ricki Pollycove! Send your questions here today! Get ready to talk menopause with Ellen and Dr. Pollycove at this free online event! Details and RSVP here.
For more by Ellen Dolgen, click here.
For more on women's health, click here.
Ellen Dolgen is an outspoken women's health and wellness advocate, menopause awareness expert, author, and speaker.
After struggling through the silence that surrounds menopause, Ellen resolved to help women reach out and end the confusion, embarrassment, and less-than-lovely symptoms that come with "the change." Her passion to be a "sister" to all women fueled Ellen's book, Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness. As a result of her women's wellness journey, and in response to the overwhelming thirst of her ever-expanding audience for empowering information, Ellen's weekly blog, Menopause MondaysTM was born.
Menopause MondaysTM allows Ellen an expansive platform from which she broadens her discussion of menopause, women's health, and life as a menopausal (and fabulous!) woman. Her weekly Menopause News Flash provides a one-stop shop for the latest menopause and women's health news and research, allowing women the access and know-how needed to take charge of their health and happiness. In addition to Ellen's ever-growing social media presence, EllenDolgen.com has fast become "the place" on the web for informative and entertaining women's menopause and wellness engagement. In 2012 EllenDolgen.com was named first on the list of the "Best Menopause Blogs" by Healthline. Ellen is also a regular contributor to over a dozen leading women's health blogs. Her motto is: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!
Ellen has appeared on the "TODAY Show," the "Rachael Ray Show," "The Doctors," Oprah Radio, Playboy Radio, NPR's "Tell Me More," Doctor Radio, and dozens of regional and national media outlets. Ellen is also one of the first regular contributors to debut on The Huffington Post's recently added site, Huff/Post50, which targets 116 million Americans over the age of 50.
Click here to read Ellen's full bio
Like Ellen Dolgen on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, connect with her on LinkedIn, Google+, and Klout, watch her videos on YouTube, and subscribe to her newsletter.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
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Follow Ellen Dolgen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ellendolgen
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Sunday, June 23, 2013
Still looking for a Google Reader replacement? AOL steps up to the plate!
We're little over a week out from Google Reader's planned closure, and AOL is the latest -- and perhaps, slightly unlikely -- source of a replacement service ready to fill the Google shaped void. AOL Reader has launched in beta form, though access seems highly restricted at this time, and you will be able to sign in via your Google account. Engadget, an AOL company, has confirmed that invite requests to AOL Reader will be accepted beginning Monday, June 24.
If you want to migrate your feeds to AOL Reader, you'll be able to import an OPML file containing all your feed information. Of specific interest is the promise of native iOS apps for the service, and an API to allow third-party applications to hook in. AOL might be late to the party, with Feedly and Digg already making strides, but it seems like a post-Google Reader life isn't going to look as bleak as we may have first thought. We'll follow AOL Reader's progress when it begins to open up, but RSS fans are going to be spoiled for choice after July 1.
Source: Engadget
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/XiU0UI59rYY/story01.htm
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Google's Waze acquisition catches FTC's investigative eyes
Google officially acquired the crowd-sourced mapping and traffic app Waze earlier this month, but the $1.1 billion deal is hitting a last-minute jam. The search giant has confirmed with Reuters that the Federal Trade Commission recently opened an antitrust investigation into the purchase, even though Waze will mostly operate independently. According to the New York Post, Google didn't file a review with the FTC because Waze makes less than $70 million annually, which is below the bar for an "automatic review." Reuters notes that the FTC can put a magnifying glass to any closed deals at its discretion, namely to ensure there was no prior intent simply to stifle competition. These latest happenings might make for a temporary roadblock between the integration of certain data between Waze and Maps, notes the Post -- assuming the deal indeed gets an okay from The Man. Either way, we'd imagine concessions will be made if needed, as Google's no a stranger to these types of proceedings.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Software
Source: Reuters, New York Post
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VUW5-d13gZ8/
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Benefits of Owning a Pool in Your Backyard - Bruzzese Home ...
Owning a swimming pool has become a popular addition for many people.? During the summer, you?ll find families flocking to their backyard swimming pools (or those of their neighbors).? A pool can offer you numerous benefits that you will get nowhere else. Below are some of the reasons as to why owning a pool could be a great idea for you and your family:
General health benefits
Apart from the entertainment benefit, a swimming pool provides you with many health benefits. Spending a few minutes a day in the pool helps to exercise your body with no risk of injury as those caused by high impact exercise.? Swimming is also a great aerobic activity! ?If you?re trying to keep fit without the hassles of going to a public place like a gym, then owning a pool is a great option for you.? Personal pools are hygienic, easy to maintain and accessible at whatever time you choose to exercise.?
Helps save money spent on recreational activities
Someone who loves swimming or engaging in other recreational activities will find owning a pool to be beneficial especially when it comes to saving time and money. ?You?ll no longer need to pack up the kids and head out to a public pool thus saving money in gas and time.? Your backyard will become the center of your families recreational activities.? There?s no end to the amount of fun you can have in your own private backyard oasis!
A pool can also help add value to your home
Having an in ground swimming pool in your backyard can easily add value to your home and even attract ?buyers in the event that you plan to sell your home. Many prospective buyers will opt for a home equipped with a pool over one that does not have one. This is especially the case if the pool is properly designed, landscaped and built by a professional pool construction company.
A pool can add an aesthetic touch to your backyard giving it an alluring appeal. Just the look of the sparkling clean water in the neighborhood will transform your home into a charming place where everyone wants to visit and spend some time.? Always be sure to keep your pool maintained and the patio area safe and tidy!
Author About:
Jacqueline Mya is a passionate writer who loves to write Home Improvement related tips. By the way, you can find out more about Pool Maintenance Raleigh ?as well as much more information on all types of services at Pool Repair Raleigh
What are your thoughts on installing a swimming pool in your backyard? ~Gary B.
Comments
Source: http://www.bruzzesehomeimprovements.com/benefits-of-owning-a-pool-in-your-backyard/
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
SmackDown Results: Bryan def. Orton by count-out and is left completely livid
All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.
Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-06-21/results
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Adobe Photoshop CC Proves That The Cloud Isn't A Cure-All Refuge From Software Piracy
Adobe released Photoshop CC this week, as part of its Creative Cloud-only revamp of the entire Creative Suite of software products it offers. The new version of Photoshop offers some exclusive new features, which I've covered previously, but the cloud-based and subscription nature of the program were seen by many as a way of counteracting the rampant piracy that greets each new edition of Adobe's software.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/l3FH4bxOzCE/
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Family seeks answers in death near Hernandez home
New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez drives from his home late Thursday morning, June 20, 2013, in North Attleborough, Mass. Hernandez had a connection to homicide victim Odin Lloyd, of Boston, whose body was found in an industrial park near the athlete's home. Family and officials were mum on the nature of their relationship Thursday, two days after police visited Hernandez' home. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mark Stockwell) MANDATORY CREDIT. MAGAZINES OUT.
New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez drives from his home late Thursday morning, June 20, 2013, in North Attleborough, Mass. Hernandez had a connection to homicide victim Odin Lloyd, of Boston, whose body was found in an industrial park near the athlete's home. Family and officials were mum on the nature of their relationship Thursday, two days after police visited Hernandez' home. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mark Stockwell) MANDATORY CREDIT. MAGAZINES OUT.
Massachusetts State Police dig for evidence Thursday, June 20, 2013, at the sight in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass., where the body of Odin Lloyd, of Boston, was found earlier this week. New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had a connection Lloyd, but family and officials were mum on the nature of their relationship Thursday, two days after police visited Hernandez' home. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mark Stockwell) MANDATORY CREDIT. MAGAZINES OUT.
FILE - In this May 29, 2013, file photo, New England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez kneels on the field during NFL football practice in Foxborough, Mass. Hernandez is being sued in South Florida by a man claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after an argument at a strip club. The lawsuit comes as police in New England investigate Hernandez's possible connection to the death of a semipro player. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
BOSTON (AP) ? Family members of the man found slain a mile from New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez's house said Friday they are looking for answers about what happened the night he died.
Police have searched in and around Hernandez's sprawling home in North Attleborough, not far from where the Patriots practice. The Bristol County District Attorney has not released any information, other than saying the death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd is being treated as a homicide.
A jogger found Lloyd's body in an industrial park Monday. Family members said Friday that Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend and the two men were friends who were together at some point the night that Lloyd died.
Family members have said Lloyd, a semi-pro football player, was never in trouble and that many things are puzzling about the case. But they also said Friday that they can see progress in the investigation.
"I want the person that killed my son to be brought to justice," said Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward. "That's my first-born child, my only boy child, and they took him away from me. ... I wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world. And if money could bring him back I would give this house up to bring my son back. Nothing can bring my son back."
Hernandez attorney Michael Fee has acknowledged media reports about the state police search of his client's home but says he wouldn't have any comment on it.
Mark E. Sturdy, clerk magistrate of Attleboro District Court, said three search warrants were issued in the investigation earlier in the week, but they have not yet been returned, meaning they're not public. He said no arrest warrants had been filed in state courts as of Friday morning.
Media have been camped out for several days at Hernandez's home, near the Rhode Island state line. A news helicopter followed along Thursday as Hernandez drove in a white SUV from his home to the Patriots' stadium, then got out and went inside.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no comment on why Hernandez was there. He said earlier that the team did not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is waiting for the legal process to take its course.
The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.
Hernandez said after he was drafted that he had failed a drug test while with the Gators and had been upfront with NFL teams about the issue.
Earlier this week, a 30-year-old man filed a lawsuit in South Florida claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club.
Alexander Bradley's lawsuit accuses Hernandez of negligence, among other things, suggesting that the shooting may have been accidental. Bradley said he lost his right eye and suffers many other lingering effects from the shooting.
Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, said Friday that investigators would need to speak directly with Bradley in order to move forward with a criminal investigation and cannot rely on the claims he made in his lawsuit. She said Bradley repeatedly refused to cooperate in the criminal probe after he was shot in February, telling detectives he didn't know who shot him.
"If he contacts us, we would move forward with the investigation," Barbera said. "He needs to reach out to us and he has not done so."
Hernandez's attorney did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
___
Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami and Michelle R. Smith in Attleboro, Mass., contributed to this report.
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Friday, June 21, 2013
Rdio version 2.21 for iOS gets song stations, autoplay
Rdio, the streaming service that hates the letter a, has updated its iOS app to help users find new, yet similar, music. Song Stations will generate playlists from a single artist, which folds in related music as it goes. The feature will let you preview the next four tracks in the list, giving you the power to skip as many time as you like -- just in case you find yourself trapped in a singer's middle-period creative slump. Rdio has also added autoplay to the app, so when your current playlist has ended, it'll find something similar to ensure you're never plunged into an awkward silence.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Software, Apple
Source: Rdio (App Store)
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Jn0JO94YN4I/
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Weiner defends his reaction to voter who used anti-gay slur
Weiner says he condemned a voter who used a slur against Quinn (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
NEW YORK?Armed with laser pointer and several PowerPoint slides, former Rep. Anthony Weiner sought to distinguish himself Thursday as the only Democratic mayoral hopeful willing to embrace what he called the "big" and "bold" ideas with a speech calling for a dramatic transformation of the way New Yorkers receive their health care.
But all it took was an apparent throw-away comment on a street corner several weeks ago to overshadow Weiner's latest attempt to turn the page from being the candidate who was forced out of Congress in a sexting scandal.
Instead of talking about health care, Weiner was forced to respond to questions about a published report that suggested he failed to strongly condemn a voter who used a homophobic slur to describe his mayoral rival Christine Quinn.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Weiner, at a recent campaign stop, spoke to an elderly voter who described Quinn, who is openly gay, as a ?dyke.?
Weiner, according to the paper, did not initially offer a reaction, asking the woman to sign a petition that would help him qualify for the city?s mayoral ballot. But the Post reported Weiner quickly shifted gears when he noticed the ?incredulous reaction of a reporter.?
?You really shouldn?t talk that way about people,? Weiner told the woman, according to the Post.
?Oh, I?m sorry,? the woman replied.
?It?s okay,? Weiner reportedly said. ?It?s not your fault.?
The story forced Weiner into damage control mode, telling reporters that the conversation with the woman occurred when he was standing in a "scrum of people." He insisted again and again he had condemned her comment and didn't recall any further discussion with the woman.
?When I heard the woman make that remark, I immediately admonished her not to say anything further,? Weiner told reporters, who surrounded him with tape recorders and cameras. ?I don?t have any memory of saying anything beyond that to the woman.?
He added, ?Let me make very clear that any utterance of any type of slur against any community I won?t tolerate.?
Weiner repeatedly said he has a ?long record? of supporting gay rights, even though he represented a ?fairly conservative district? in Congress and risked alienating his constituents.
?I feel very strongly about these issues, and I did admonish the woman and if there was something else that was said that was in any way interpreted as anything else, that was wrong. I admonished the woman and I believe she shouldn?t have said what she said,? Weiner declared, adding ?there should be no slurs like this of any kind? in the campaign.
While the Quinn campaign had no response, two openly gay state lawmakers released a statement criticizing Weiner?s initial response to the voter.
?We are appalled by the account in the Washington Post of Anthony Weiner?s unacceptable response to a prospective voter?s homophobic, misogynistic slur in reference to Christine Quinn,? Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and Sen. Brad Hoylman, both of whom have endorsed Quinn, said in a statement. ?Weiner?s response to this blatant display of homophobia is completely inappropriate and extremely alarming.?
The episode overshadowed the health care speech Weiner delivered before a Manhattan policy group Thursday in which he repeated his call for the creation of a ?single payer? health care system modeled after Medicare and managed and publicly financed by the city. He said his proposal, similar to a plan he pushed while in Congress, would save money by ?streamlining? the administration of the city?s health care and ultimately reducing overall coverage costs for all New Yorkers.
?New York is the ideal laboratory for a single-payer health care system,? Weiner said, pointing to the diversity of the population.
But Weiner offered only vague points about the mechanics of how he would begin to implement such a plan?especially in a political environment where President Barack Obama?s health care plan, which does not go nearly as far, is considered controversial.
He told Yahoo News he did not believe he would have to sign a law implementing the health care changes, but walked away before offering other details, like whether he would require approval from the City Council or would merely seek an executive order.
One element of Weiner?s plan that could generate some opposition from powerful labor unions representing city employees is a plan to ask municipal workers to pay more for their insurance. Under his proposal, current and retired city workers would pay 10 percent of their health care premiums, while smokers would pay 25 percent.
?Everybody has to have some skin in the game (for it to work),? Weiner said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/weiner-defends-reaction-voter-used-anti-gay-slur-213436150.html
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Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas
June 20, 2013 ? On June 7, 2011, our Sun erupted, blasting tons of hot plasma into space. Some of that plasma splashed back down onto the Sun's surface, sparking bright flashes of ultraviolet light. This dramatic event may provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas.
The eruption and subsequent splashdown were observed in spectacular detail by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. This spacecraft watches the Sun 24 hours a day, providing images with better-than-HD resolution. Its Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument was designed and developed by researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
"We're getting beautiful observations of the Sun. And we get such high spatial resolution and high cadence that we can see things that weren't obvious before," says CfA astronomer Paola Testa.
Movies of the June 7th eruption show dark filaments of gas blasting outward from the Sun's lower right. Although the solar plasma appears dark against the Sun's bright surface, it actually glows at a temperature of about 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. When the blobs of plasma hit the Sun's surface again, they heat up by a factor of 100 to a temperature of almost 2 million degrees F. As a result, those spots brighten in the ultraviolet by a factor of 2 -- 5 over just a few minutes.
The tremendous energy release occurs because the in falling blobs are traveling at high speeds, up to 900,000 miles per hour (400 km/sec). Those speeds are similar to the speeds reached by material falling onto young stars as they grow via accretion. Therefore, observations of this solar eruption provide an "up close" view of what happens on distant stars.
"We often study young stars to learn about our Sun when it was an 'infant.' Now we're doing the reverse and studying our Sun to better understand distant stars," notes Testa.
These new observations, combined with computer modeling, have helped resolve a decade-long argument over how to measure the accretion rates of growing stars. Astronomers calculate how fast a young star is gathering material by observing its brightness at various wavelengths of light, and how that brightness changes over time. However, they got higher estimates from optical and ultraviolet light than from X-rays.
The team discovered that the ultraviolet flashes they observed came from the in falling material itself, not the surrounding solar atmosphere. If the same is true for distant, young stars, then by analyzing the ultraviolet light they emit, we can learn about the material they are accreting.
"By seeing the dark spots on the Sun, we can learn about how young stars accrete material and grow." explains Testa.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Spendthrift elite signals equity slide, behavioral experts warn
By Atul Prakash
LONDON (Reuters) - Record prices at art auctions in recent weeks and oversubscribed holidays by private jet are among signals that a stock market slump is approaching, if followers of behavioral finance are to be believed.
They insist social mood governs human action, including investment on stock markets, and their theories are gaining ground as tools for financial analysis.
To gauge the mood and the likely impact on markets, behavioral analysts look at traditional measures such as investment polls and options but also at social media, including Twitter and Facebook, and even at developments in art and sport.
The theory goes that people make bad decisions at moments of extreme fear or optimism and that studying their behavior could provide clues to where equities are headed.
Now may be just such a moment.
"Markets either have topped or will soon top, based on the behaviors I see outside of the markets, especially in art, automobiles and residential real estate," Peter Atwater, president and chief executive of Financial Insyghts, a firm based in Mendenhall, Pennsylvania, that advises on how social mood affects decision making, said.
Atwater cited an Aston Martin car fetching a record $4.85 million at auction in May, a New York sale of Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art setting 37 records last month, and holiday firm Abercrombie & Kent adding a second departure to its 19-day tour of Africa by private jet after the first sold out.
Behavioral analysts term the 140 percent rise in major indexes since 2009 the "rich man's rally", and say the behavior of the uber-rich reflects peak-of-the-market sentiment.
Their views are in sharp contrast with many traditional analysts, who bet an improving global economic outlook, along with better company fundamentals, will take indexes to new highs in coming months despite recent "healthy" corrections.
One non-traditional expert who accurately predicted 2007's stocks bust and the recovery in 2009 is Robert Prechter, whose Socionomic Theory of Finance suggests social mood causes economic and political events instead of the other way round.
"Two dozen stock market sentiment indicators show record or near-record optimism, suggesting the stock market is a lot closer to a top than a bottom," said Prechter, founder of the U.S.-based Socionomics Institute.
To measure mood, Prechter looks at investor polls, buying in stock option contracts and polls of feelings of well-being.
"In the past century at least, optimism this extreme has occurred only twice before, in 2000 and 2007," said Prechter, whose theories have influenced many others.
The S&P 500 index slid 50 percent in two years from August 2000 after the dot-com bubble burst and sank 55 percent in 17 months from late 2007 as the financial crisis took hold. It surged 33 percent in a year to hit a record high last month.
CLOSE TO A TURN
Terry Burnham, author of "Mean Markets and Lizard Brains" and associate professor of finance at Chapman University in Orange, California, is a recent convert. He initially held the traditional notion that economic fundamentals led market moves.
"Twenty five years later, I have come to the opposite view. Prices move first and fundamentals adjust later. My sense is that we are pretty close to a turn in equity markets and people will be given no gentle opportunity to sell stocks," he said.
Experts like Burnham, HSBC's head of technical analysis Murray Gunn and others have been influenced by socionomics, which has gained ground since the 2000 dot-com bust, though some seeing it another tool rather than the only one.
"Prechter's theory is complementary to technical analysis. We incorporate it into our analysis by identifying mood trends," Gunn said.
Others base their strategies on these ideas. Richard Peterson, managing partner of behavioral economics consultancy MarketPsych, said he ran his fund on his model for two years during the financial crisis and beat the S&P 500 by 24 percent.
A fund at Derwent Capital, launched by Paul Hawtin in 2011, used only Twitter to take investment decisions and returned 1.9 percent in its first month as global equity markets sank, but was then forced to close having failed to raise enough capital.
Hawtin, who now uses Twitter analysis as his principal investment strategy to manage private accounts at his new company Cayman Atlantic, said his systems were flagging up an increasing chance of a bubble in the market.
Several top global banks have been less keen to take up the trend, saying it was hard to lay down strict rules on behavioral finance and results were subject to wide interpretations.
Some quantitative analysts reject the idea markets are either driven purely by mood or purely by traditional factors, seeing the two in a symbiotic relationship.
"I find the term 'socionomics' a bit pompous. However, I subscribe to the idea that social moods may govern events," said Julien Turc, Societe Generale's head of cross-asset quantitative strategy. "I believe both things are the product of each other."
Behavioral finance analysts said although socionomics will continue to gain in popularity, its counter-intuitive nature challenges the way most investors think.
"While I expect that it will be a while before investors intuitively think "sociologically", those who do will be at a strong advantage to those who just follow the herd," Atwater said.
(Editing by Nigel Stephenson and Philippa Fletcher)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spendthrift-elite-signals-equity-slide-behavioral-experts-warn-084320810.html
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