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October 1987 all over again - 2010's coming stock market crash

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In two tumultuous weeks in October 1987, the stock market shed nearly one-third of its value in perhaps the second most notorious crash in U.S. history. It could happen again. Don't be deceived by the rebounding economy, any more than the bulls should have been misled by the balmy climate during the late Reagan years. Right now, stocks are extremely vulnerable to the same scenario. The reason: The market is even more overpriced than when thunder struck on that distant Black Monday. That doesn't mean that a giant correction is inevitable; far from it. But the quasi-bubble that followed the big selloff in late 2008 and early 2009 makes the probability of sudden downward swing far more likely. And today's cheap prices like for sunglasses make it practically certain that investors can, at best, expect extremely low returns in the years ahead.

India is to ban school children from wearing leather shoes

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Instead canvas plimsolls will replace uncomfortable and "environmentally hazardous" leather shoes . The move by the country's school boards follows a campaign by Maneka Gandhi, Indira Gandhi's widowed daughter-in-law, who is now an member of parliament for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. She is one of India's leading animal rights campaigners and a fierce opponent of slaughtering cows, which are revered among Hindus. India's Central Board of School Education and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination has accepted her proposal. Black leather shoes were introduced as mandatory items in Indian school uniforms during British colonial rule and have continued unchallenged ever since. Their widespread use has made school children the country's largest consumers of leather products, according to the People for Animals (PFA) campaign. Sixteen schools in Madras have already banned leather footwear in response to their campaign and proteste

Chuck Taylor All-Stars

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Chuck Taylor All-Stars, or Converse All-Stars , also referred to as "Chucks" or Cons ' are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All-Star," Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market . The shoes were not particularly popular until basketball player Chuck Taylor adopted them as his preferred shoe. He was impressed with the design so he became the shoe's leading salesman. After proposing a few changes to the shoe, the shoe got its current name and Chuck Taylor's signature on its ankle All Stars patch. One change was the switch to nonslip soles. Although classic black is the most popular, Chuck Taylor was himself known to prefer unbleached white high-tops. In the 1950s the shoes became popular within the greaser subculture and amongst many fans of rockabilly. Consumers demanded more variety from the shoe – particularly with respect to colors in order to match basketball teams – so colored an

European satellite designed to measure how fast the Earth's ice are melting

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Yesterday there was jubilation among the scientists of the European Space Agency (ESA) who tracked the launch from the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. CryoSat-2, which was designed and built in France and Germany but masterminded by British scientists, blasted off on a Russian launcher rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan shortly before 3pm yesterday afternoon. Some time later, a tracking station in Africa picked up the satellite's signal, confirming that it had gone into orbit. CryoSat-2 is part of the ESA's Earth Explorers programme, involving seven spacecraft which will carry out innovative research about issues of pressing environmental concern. The melting ice of the poles and Greenland is considered one of the most pressing of all, with implications for ocean circulation patterns, the global climate and sea levels. If the land-based Greenland ice sheet were to melt completely, it would mean a global sea-level rise of 21 feet, while if

Non native mammal species are damaging the UK countryside

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The trust said some of the creatures have been in the UK for so long, they are thought of as indigenous. A number of non-native mammal species are damaging the UK countryside by eating crops and threatening wildlife, a conservation charity has warned. A report by the People's Trust for Endangered Species identified 14 problem species including rats , American mink and muntjac deer. It said it was important to stop the extinction of native species. American minks prey on water voles while grey squirrels, which were introduced to the UK in the 19th century carry the deadly squirrelpox virus and outcompete the native red squirrel when it comes to hunting for food and habitats. According to the report, two of the UK's fastest declining native species the red squirrel and the water vole - which has declined by 90% - are under threat by mammals introduced by humans in the last two centuries. The trust also warned the red-necked wallaby is capable of damaging capercaillie birds on Loc