Discussion

Santorum Insists West Bank Is Part of Israel

2012-01-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

The territory of Palestine has a muddled history and pppulation goineg back to before the Sea Peoples in the Bronze Age. Santorum doesn't know what he is talking about. The best solution to the issues of that region would be a version of the League of Nations mandate of 1920. Herzl was a nut case ideologist whose phlosophies created today's problems. Golly gee. Read your history.

You're so right and lets not forget that the End of Times Christianist interpetation involves not only all the "Jews" returning to Israel, but then the Jews either converting or being killed.

I'm amazed that this is called "pro-Israeli", and that any adherent of Judaism could actually support those so called "Zionist Christians" who ultimately pray for their future deaths to make room for an entirely Christianist universe.

I assume they also imagine (or lust after?) the wiping out of all other religions?

A one state result with full participation of non-Jews in a "Greater Israel" (or "Greater Palestine") is a zionist nightmare for demographic reasons alone.

Santorum's blind support for what he think's is the official Israeli position on the Palestinian issue derives from the evangelical's view that a Jewish occupation of "Biblical Israel" is required to trigger the "End Times," and all that follows. This is all about fundamental Christianity with the Jews solely serving as a mechanism to promote their peculiar eschatology.

If he believes it hard enough, that makes it true. That's the nature of the "Faith-based" world works. It was only when god-fearing folks prayed together that God gave us the automobile. When peole travelled great distances by car, godd people gathered together and prayed and God brought forth the telephone .. and television..and rockets .. and vaccines and antibiotics and birth control and heart transplants. If we would all just pray together just think of what God might bestow on us..

I do not believe it reflects his knowledge in history or geography, it is simply in his brain. He just thinks it is. He may even think that Manhattan or Pennsylvania is part of Israel, who knows, possible. The man once said 'sex with dog' or something like that I can not exactly recall. Poor Santorium, needs some help.

Santorum is in serious need of therapy: anyone who could utter such rubbish is nothing but a "panderer-in-chief." Why can't the Republicans produce a sensible, AMERICAN candidate for the presidency? Even the Netanyahus avoid such inflammatory, mindless, and idiotic rhetoric.

Send Santorum back to the first grade and restart his education. He can go there with all the other eager panderers-in-chief.

Maybe Rick could run in the upcoming Israeli election? Move to Israel and put up a nice Kibutz with Hammocks and wait for Jebus to return to confirm that he's just another knucklehead with an attitude!
This guy is a fruitcake! My god Iowan's what were you thinking?? Oh, my bad, I forgot you were voting for the "best" candidate the Rethuglicans have on the Caucus ticket! Where is Sarah Palin in this scenario? Sitting in her Motorized home-away-from - home praying for another chance at a VP slot. She and Ricky would make the perfect team dontcha think?

This guy spends a lot of time worrying about where Americans put their Johnson, now he wants to expand his fretting, on our behalf, to the Middle East. Where do we get these boloney brains?

Yes, binational states have such a record of failure. Take Canada, for example. And multinational states fare even worse. Just look at the United States and that whole concept of E pluribus unum. On the other hand ethnocentric states have such a record of success. Take Israel for example. In its quest for ethnic purity it has succeeded in stealing land, violating fundamental human rights, turning millions of Palestinians into the oldest and largest refugee population in the world, while rendering 1.2 million Palestinian Israelis, 20 percent of its population, into 2nd-class citizens who may be traded away like human chattel as part of a land swap to preserve ethnic purity. And in the course of enjoying the succes of ethnic supremacy, Israel has known more than 60 years of war and conflict and is now building a wall around itself, creating a ghetto of its own making. No wonder Rick Santorum and others who long for the days when the United States was a white Christian country identify so strongly with Israel.

I kind of guessed you were a fraud and a shill for AIPAC, now you have made it public. Everybody has their price and yours is pretty low. However, you have as much a chance of being elected POTUS as does the rock at the end of my driveway - the rock just happens to be smarter.

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U.S. Navy Rescues Iranians Held by Pirates

2012-01-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

Public relations coup and irony indeed -- the USS Stennis being in the gulf on Tuesday and part of this maneuver today (my mistake in thinking only the Kidd was involved in the actual rescue) puts the ball squarely back in Iran's court. With the jobs report, it's a double-victory for Obama, if only a fleeting one.

I'm glad that the Iranian sailors were safe, and congratulations on a job well done to the folks in the US Navy.

Sadly, I don't think this event will usher some kind of new age of peace and understanding in US-Iran relations. The sticking point is nuclear escalation, and this event has done nothing to change that.

Where is the Great Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy that could be protecting its merchants? Instead it is wasting its time and energy accomplishing not much, making threats and boasts. Just like the nuclear issue, where it could be a respected leader stamping out nuclear weapons in the area, it is not a leader but an global obstacle and xenophobic crazy threat.

The Iranian government military warned that it would take unspecified action if the US aircraft carrier returned to the region - meanwhile they were too incompetent or lazy to rescue an iranian ship and crew from a handful of Somali pirates!

My wife & I are midshipman sponsors for the US Naval Academy. Let me tell you, these are fine young men & women who do us all proud every day. I was never in the service but I admire their commitment to their studies and the navy. The rescue today is just one more reason to respect the services and the academies. We forget that we have a lot to be proud of in this country.

On another note, I wonder if the Iranian Navy would have rescued American fisherman if the situation were reversed?

I feel better having read this article. Not as a story of US greatness or superiority, but as a story of basic human decency even when the circumstances surrounding those involved are tense. Well done sailors, and I wish the freed Iranians the very best.

Iran's Mullah theocrats will object to any credit given to a woman commander who gave orders to men. The Rev. Khomeni would roll in his grave, or shriek and yank off his own beard, to ponder infidels freeing fishermen from fellow believers. Word will circulate that the pirates were unwitting pawns in a zionist plot.

Would the Iranian navy have done this for US fisherman? Most likely. It's part of the code of mariners. Either way, let's see how Iran responds - will they say "thanks?" Or will they ignore it or claim on state TV that the whole thing was made up by The Great Satan?

The United States has the most versatile military in the world. Just like Martin said, if we can use it constructively, it would benefit the US a hell of a lot more than war itself.

In a way, it is a blessing to have rescued these sailors aside from the obvious. It offers a new approach to policy makers in their battles with Iran, vice versa with the Iranian government. We can just hope that this event along with many others that the United States can initiate will ease tensions with other nations. Whether or not other governments would return the favor shouldn't be a consideration; the United States should just focus on doing what's right, although unfortunately we don't consistently do it.

Quietly, humbly, with zero fanfare -- no "Mission Accomplished" baloney, the most powerful man on earth MUST have approved this operation, just as he approved and watched on satellite tv the Osama operation.

Similarly, Santorum, not quiet or humble about his ideologies, has said in print that 2-worker families are socially destructive. Sorry, Mr. S., this ship's commander disagrees, as do 80% of Americans. We believe in Wonder Woman.

So let us crown our good affair with brotherhood, as the song says, by saying we respect and appreciate, every seaman, pilot, and other military person involved, we salute the ship's Commander and all her sisters at work keeping the US strong, and we are grateful to the President who is Commander-in-Chief -- and we question the anti-feminist stand of Satorum and the anti-military stance of Paul and the hawkish stands of ALL the GOP candidates. Quiet, humble, open-seas gracious behavior. Quiet leadership. Quiet exercise of power. Listen: I hear it -- Go, Navy. Go, Sisters. Go, 'Bama. Go, peace-lovers.
Quietly, humbly, "America Singing".

Per Mark Twain when in doubt do the right thing--it will amaze your friends and stun your enemies.
The USS Kidd's action dovetails with the Navy assisting Japan after the tsunami--approval of America by Japanese doubled to over 80%.
Another example of soft power is Hitler and Quakers. Hitler was catholic in his bigotry, but the evidence is he never targeted Quakers even though Quaker pacifism was not congruent with Nazi ideology due to his memory of how the Quakers organized the massive relief effort after World War I.
What a stirring story after the past 2 weeks listening to Republican chickenhawks attacking Iran.

Congratulations to to Commander Ellinger and the US Navy crews involved in this successful operation. Thank you from a grateful citizen and taxpayer.

The photos by Tyler Hicks which accompany this article represent an astounding feat of journalism. I can only imagine the logistical and bureaucratic contortions which must be necessary to perform in order to be granted access and then be present to shoot such images. Amazingly, this seems the normal course of business for the New York Times and Mr. Hicks. Well Done.

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Why Nearly 1 in 4 Adults Who Seek Treatment Don’t Have ADHD

2012-01-04T12:13:00.001-08:00

IF physicians are prescribing meds to people who do not require them, then it is the physician who is the fraud. Either they don't know anything about ADHD or they just prescribe to keep consumers around. This is a very real and often debilitating disorder.

My brothers and I were diagnosed as adults with ADD, but never were we offered medications for it. My son was diagnosed with ADD, and the only ones who wanted him to take medication were his teachers! Not one doctor recommended medication.

How could a psychiatrist tell if some one is faking or not? They actually have no way of diagnosing ADHD in the first place. All they have is opinions and this is used to sell tons of profitable addictive drugs!

There are places to get complete thorough evaluation for ADHD for both children and adults.One place in Minnesota is the Twin Cities ADHD clinic. Lastly for your information ADHD medications are not addictive but they certainly can be abused like any medication. Pain medications are more misused than ADHD medications.Do not believe everything you read on the internet.

maybe they just took a caffeine tablet infused into one of those really good vitamins-not the 200 tablet for $5.

Arrrg.. having spent many years AVOIDING medication to become a conformist zombie, robbed of what makes me unique... I just don't get "faking it".

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Should Your Doctor Be Napping on the Job?

2012-01-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

I'm a physician assistant whose work schedule at the hospital is 7 days on, 7 days off, 12-hour shifts. By the seventh day I'm mentally exhausted, more so than physically. I just hope to get through that last day without doing something stupid because I can't think straight and killing someone. Everyone else on my team is working the same schedule, as well.

Really? Do the doctors on the team also get 7 days off? Also, what work do PA's do that can result in "killing someone" - where is the oversight from the nurses/clinicians?

Professionals in jobs in which long hours, especially though the night, are a requirement will always be hard to assess with regard to whether or not changes in work rules are effective. Whether it is health care workers or air traffic controllers, they will do everything in their power to keep people alive. So the data is unreliable. But ask anyone who does the job, and they will tell you they would at least like the option to "cat nap" on a break or during their lunch period. If they feel they could personally benefit from it during that particular...

it's a very physical and mental task. medical practitioners certainly know that a sleep-deprived person cannot function at his best because it is through sleep that the biological processes of the body recuperates. I really think we should not put too much pressure on doctors.

Sleep deprivation, fatigue, exhaustion are always been a problem to healthcare provider. Instead of letting a power nap in schedule, why not lessen the total hours of duty in one week? Overworked, eventhough not in the hospitals, are really unproductive, imho.

Exactly. Sleep science and neuroscience generally conclude that you can't beat or cheat the sandman. Sleep debt must be repaid with proper, uninterrupted sleep of a decent duration. Drug-fuelled nights with 'power naps' are a sap to allow inhumane working hours to persist in the name of patient care.

How to Get Your Company Ready for Three Trends in Social Media

2011-12-11T12:41:00.001-08:00

Social media is constantly changing and this article looks at three of the current trends. Each trend has a description of whats happening, as well as some information on how companies can position themselves to take advantage of the new trends. The primary audience will be those creating long to medium term marketing goals for their companies, and looking at what they can do now to position themselves for success in the future.

Right on Google’s Tail, Nokia Pushes Indoor Mapping Too

2011-12-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

In what may have been the most modern version of Manifest Destiny to date, Google spent the better part of the last decade mapping the great outdoors. And on Tuesday, the company announced its intention to continue that quest, only indoors.

Naturally, there will be latecomers to any party. Enter Nokia, which announced its own initiative for indoor mapping services at an event in Sunnyvale, CA on Tuesday. full article

I don't see the impetus for this project. Yes, of course it's possible, but are people frequently overwhelmed by their indoor habitats? Problems navigating to the WC at a friends party? Nokia is masterfully selecting a problem to solve that doesn't really exist.

Zune has MILLIONS of songs and MILLIONS of bands...

And you listen to Nickelback..?

I am glad that nokia now is coming up with much better apps and mobile phones as compare to their last year

Ah yes.. nokia maps.. tried the free version of it last year. By far the worst mapping application I've ever seen. It's counter intuitive to the extreme and has no settings.

I don't know what weird version you use, but I navigated through the whole of Balticum this summer and the N8 with OVI maps was far more brilliant than the car's TomTom. Nokia Maps is very good.

Oh, once you finally got it to accept input it works.

What ever happened to privacy? No-one other than me needs to know where I am if I'm not at work. How long before our houses are mapped and heat sensors triangulate our whereabouts and that information is sent to Big Brother? Does turning off a smart phone's GPS do any good anymore? The only hope I have for this crap is maybe the post office will be able to find the right house to deliver my neighbour's mail to THEIR mailbox rather than mine.

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The Village Problem With a VPython Solution

2011-12-09T10:28:00.001-08:00

Village problem? Is that even the correct name? Who knows? Here is the puzzle:

There are four villages arranged such that they occupy the 4 corners of a perfect square. What arrangement of roads could you create that would allow access to all the villages but have the shortest total road length?

Instead of drawing a picture of the problem, let me just show you this excellent video with the solution. full article

Your diagram with 4 nodes can lose one edge and remain connected (wouldn't work with springs as it would deform the shape), you can afford to subtract the length of one side of the inner square from your path length.

Right, but that misses the idea. I want the program to start in some base manner that doesn't need input from me to tell it what to do. Really, I should have had every node connected to every other node by springs. What should happen would be that the system runs and determines that there should only be two nodes (or the 4 nodes should combine to form 4 nodes)

This is cool, though I noticed that watching the video with the sound off makes it look like an infomercial.

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Four Romanians Indicted for Hacking Subway, Other Retailers

2011-12-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Four Romanian nationals have been charged with hacking card-processing systems at more than 150 Subway restaurants and 50 other unnamed retailers, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

The hackers compromised the credit-card data of more than 80,000 customers and used the data to make millions of dollars of unauthorized purchases, according to the indictment (.pdf). full article

My bad. For a second i thought this read 'Four Romulans...' everyone knows the Romulans prefer Qiznos.

POS has a different meaning in many cases - Piece Of (Rude word for excrement).
Actually, that is a pretty appropriate term for the cheapo software from Radiant that is described in the article.

Wow seriously you install remote desktop software and use a password like that.

right? and now those restaurants want to sue? that's like suing the lock company because you forgot to lock your doors and the criminals ransacked your house. people need to get a clue that security is EVERYONE'S responsibility, not just "the other guys".

These are not hackers, they are script kiddies!

Damn,guys like these make me fell ashamed for being a Romanian, when I hear this kind of news.

I'd be more ashamed to setup as a technician the same password on 200+ machines..

Or, as the owner of the systems the software is installed on I would be ashamed that I didn't perform more due diligence on the robustness of the platforms security. It's still both parties responsibility. Caveat Emptor (and this is a true usage of the phrase) - if you hire someone to install software you better damn well ask them what the admin passwords are because the FIRST thing you should do is go change them. If you incur damages after the fact, that's on you.

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Nintendo’s Miyamoto Stepping Down, Working on Smaller Games

2011-12-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

In an exclusive interview with Wired.com on Wednesday, the 59-year-old head of Nintendo’s game design department said that he will move away from supervising the development of massive games like this year’s Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land, passing the torch to the younger designers in the company and working on projects that won’t take as long to complete.

“Inside our office, I’ve been recently declaring, ‘I’m going to retire, I’m going to retire,’” Miyamoto said through his interpreter. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position.”

“What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself,” Miyamoto said. “Probably working on a smaller project with even younger developers. Or I might be interested in making something that I can make myself, by myself. Something really small.” full article

Nintendo will never admit it publicly, but they just fired Shigeru Miyamoto.

Nintendo engineered a spectacular comeback with the DS and Wii, and a change in their focus that aimed to bring videogames back to their roots. They have since completely abandoned that approach, and have returned to their old, arrogant ways. Shigeru Miyamoto is only interested in creating games for Shigeru Miyamoto. Same with Ounuma (Zelda) and Sakamoto (Metroid). These self-professed geniuses don't care what the general public wants. If they did care, Nintendo wouldn't have so carelessly abandoned touch-screen and motion control, or the Wii itself, for that matter.

Nintendo creates a dynamic new controller - the Wii Remote - that becomes the biggest videogame smash since Pac-Man Fever. And what do they have to show for it? Two demo games (Wii Sports, Wii Play) and a Miyamoto vanity project (Wii Music). After that? Sorry, we're finished, no more games. On to the next trinket that amuses me!

I still think Miyamoto is probably the best videogame designer of all time, but he has one critical weakness: he cannot accept failure. If a project is a great success - 2D Mario, F-Zero, Sim City, Pilotwings, and Wave Race are excellent examples - then he declares victory and moves on to the next project. If a game, however, is not a success - 3D Mario consistently fails to sell anywhere near the numbers of 2D Mario - he just digs in and tries harder. He's desperate to prove that he is right, and it's the world that's wrong.

I don't know if it's fair to lay all of Nintendo's problems at Miymoto's feet. Letting Apple run away with their Blue Ocean strategy, prematurely abandoning their hardware platforms, the rediculous obsession with 3D everything, the colossal blundering of Wiiware and Virtual Console - heck, when is Nintendo going to notice the internet? This company has made a whole host of strategic and tactical errors, and thery are paying dearly for it. What's worse is that they don't appear to have any clue how to turn things around.

And Miyamoto has lost his touch. I'm sorry to point this out, but the public has spoken. The 3DS is a wreck. The Wii U is a joke. Super Mario 3D Land is warmed-over leftovers, smothered in that damned 3D obsession. And Skyward Sword is a boring, self-indulgent puzzle game. And everything else is just a retread of a rerun of a sequel. Snooze. There are no good ideas left, and the company is bleeding money with no stopgap in sight. Nintendo has to make some radical changes, and that means a shakeup at the top.

I still don't see how Nintendo gets out of this. It would require nothing less than scuttling two systems (3DS, Wii U) and retrenching themselves in a post-iTunes world. Nintendo saw the coming storm in 2004. They preached endlessly about it. And then they just quit. As I said at the start, Nintendo will never admit this publicly. But they are in a world of hurt, and there's no visible way out.

If you think Nintendo is hurting you are severely wrong. Not every year is a banner year for a company. Yet the 3DS has outsold the original DS in their respective first years. The DS is hardly a failure despite its middling sales at the start of its life, and the 3DS will only become more and more popular as well. Ditto for the WiiU when it comes out.

You want a real and true prediction? Nintendo will always win, and that is because of their strong IP's. No matter what they do they will sell consoles, and games, and make a profit in the end because of that singular and simple fact. Mario, LoZ, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Smash Brothers, Mother, Animal Crossing, POKEMON, Dragon Quest, Prof. Layton, and the list goes on, especially if we count defunct yet classic franchises like the new Kid Icarus game coming soon. There are so many people who buy Nintendo consoles just to play their one favorite franchise, like for myself I must have the newest Zelda game or my friends and children around the world all play Pokemon.

Not only that, but despite your doom and gloom many of Nintendo's latest games have been getting rave reviews form critics around the world.

Nintendo had a minor slow down in their otherwise laughable/lauded money printing business, and this can be directly attributed to a slow down in major game releases.

Every Ninty nay-sayer will eat their words and crawl back into their elitest meathead holes as soon as the tried and true IP's start rolling out for the new generation of Nintendo consoles. Also not only will the classic IP's sell consoles and games, but the security given by their infallibility allows Nintendo to create new and awesome IP's and inventive games like Pikmen or No More Heroes. So in short, you are an idiot. Nintendo is not dying, and it would take an inconceivable amount of mismanagement to stop people from buying Mario or Pokemon games. It's possible, but they would have to literally try to do it, and would still probably sell way too many of them.

Also PS. If Nintendo ever effed up beyond belief, and lost all their money, all they would have to do is create a kid-friendly, yet complete and balanced, Pokemon MMO and they would become the richest company in history, and probably destroy the world with their power. Just saying, things like that show how Nintendo could never ever mess up beyond recovery.

Sorry, but I've got to disagree with you here. I feel a need to rebut your arguments, one by one:

First, the 3DS is not unsuccessful. The gaming press has lauded it and sales numbers have reinforced its popularity. It might have suffered initially from limited hardware choices and a high price tag, but many systems have in the past. I remember distinctly that the $300 Sony PS2 had little else than the repetitive Dynasty Warriors for months before the developers really got up to speed.

Second, 3D Mario being outperformed in sales by 2D Mario titles from two decades ago is a spurious argument. In 1988 there were about a dozen popular games to play, two of which were Mario games and there was really only one major system. Today there's literally thousands of choices across dozens of platforms. Apples and Oranges, Daniel. Every 3D Mario platforming title has been a critical and financial success since Mario 64 came out 15 years ago.

Third, Nintendo hasn't ignored the Internet so much as consciously turned away from it. Nintendo, like Apple, is seen as a wholesome, innovative company--more specifically one that caters to a "family" (ie. child) audience. Online gaming, to Nintendo, is seen as a way for them to lose control over the content of their games and dilute the experience that is so carefully constructed in this walled garden. Older gamers like us may decry the limitations of Friend Codes and why there isn't a Pokemon MMO when the reality is that Nintendo has purposely put these limitations into place so that their games are not potential conduits for internet predators or griefers.

Fourth, if Nintendo has abandoned motion controls, it's been at the insistence of a highly volatile gaming public that would rather keep things simple. In any case, I'd hardly call games like Wario Ware: Smooth Moves and Skyward Sword "demos." If anything, Motion Plus has only demonstrated a renewed commitment to motion control.

Finally, I do not believe Miyamoto is being marginalized or given a "window seat." He is nearing retirement age and is regarded as the father of gaming. He has made Nintendo billions of dollars and the properties he's developed continue to sell systems and cartridges. No, my friend, he has not been fired.

I honestly don't know where you're drawing these conclusions from--that Nintendo is hurting, that the 3DS is a wreck, or that the "public has spoken"--but I think you need to take a look at some raw numbers: Yen. Nintendo is a company out to make a profit. While Sony and Microsoft were taking losses on every console sold, Nintendo reaped big money with every Wii, DS Lite, and 3DS sold, along with all the profits from their first-party titles. Don't want to play old properties? Boot up your PC or Xbox and log onto Steam/XBLA. Nintendo is Nintendo, they're not Studio Pixel or Bit Blot. They're not going to put out the next Braid or Limbo or World of Goo. They're going to take Zelda and put a new spin on it. And every five to ten years, we'll have a new property to fall in love with.

PS - Sim City is not one of Miyamoto's properties, nor is it even Nintendo's.

Interesting points all around. What am I basing my opinions on? Nothing more than cold, hard numbers. Nintendo is losing money, and has been for some time. Their stock price, which rocketed with the arrival of Wii in late 2006, has collapsed to those original levels. The 3DS has struggled, is doing better now, but this was achieved by a massive price cut. Not to repeat myself, but Nintendo is losing money on every 3DS handheld sold, and this is a dangerous position for them, as it was their handheld line that kept them afloat during the N64/Gamecube days. That's gone now.

The gaming press (apologies to Chris Kohler) is useless. They're completely bought by the industry. This was always the case, to various degrees, but especially true today, as gaming magazines and websites are completely dependent on advertising to survive. Subscription revenues have collapsed ever since 2001. Stewart Campbell has written a couple excellent essays on the subject (Wings Over Sealand), I highly recommend them.

3D vs 2D Mario: All I am doing is comparing the sales numbers of the 3D Mario titles (64, Sunshine, Galaxy 1 & 2) against New Super Mario Bros DS and Wii. That's all. 3D Mario is moderately successful in the West, but not in Japan.

Ask yourself this question: New Super Mario Bros DS was released in 2006, sold tens of millions of copies, and continues to be a top seller in 2011. Why hasn't Nintendo made another one? What has been holding them back?

Shigeru Miyamoto runs Nintendo. The designated "Game Gods" are in complete control, and there's no one in charge who can tell them what to do. So instead of buidling upon blockbuster successes that a) make the company lots of money, and b) grow the market (combatting the decline of the videogame industry is the reason why Nintendo radically changed course with DS and Wii), we get Aonuma's Puzzle Zelda, Sakamoto's Metroid: Maternal Instincts, and Miyamoto's latest attempt to turn 3D Mario into a 2D Mario blockbuster.

Something is happening behind the scenes at Nintendo. We're not likely to get an honest answer, so we have to read the tea leaves and make our best guess. My own guess is that something happened between Miyamoto and the executives, that internal sales goals for Super Mario 3D Land and Skyward Sword were not met. You don't suddenly take a demotion for no reason. That's not how the business world works. Nintendo's damage control over Wired's article demonstrates this. Something went down, and it's not what they're telling us.

Apple's stocks fell by a huge amount when Jobs died, and guess what, Apple is still making ALOT of money. Stock, gross profit, and net profit are each very different things. The last numbers I saw showed their net profit down 66% for the fiscal year. If a company is making ANY net profit (much less nearly a billion dollars) that company is not losing money. There are a ton of big companies operating at a loss right now, To the best of my knowledge Nintendo is not one of them.

you do realize he's almost 60, right? late 20s when he made donkey kong, the man is not young anymore, and he knows it. he's not even really retiring yet, he just wants to go back to what he did best, make amazing games just happen, and who knows, maybe pass the torch on to newer game developers.

The guy is an artist, and since when do artists have to please the public ? Artists went down the moment they didnt wanna please themselves anymore.

Maybe he hasnt yet reached the pinnacle of what he tried to achieve, and so he keeps on improving.Nothing wrong with that. EA does it with FIFA, too, and Kojima with MGS.

And Ubi with Assassin's Creed.And Garriott with Ultima back then. And so on. You don't buy a Nintendo console to play another clone of Modern Warfare.

Well, that's kind of the problem, isn't it? Miyamoto, the "artist" who doesn't have to please the public? Unfortunately, Nintendo is not an art school, it's a business. And in the Capitalism game, you either turn a profit or you die. Unfair? Perhaps. I still mourn the loss of Atari, SNK and Sega from the hardware market. But it's not the public's fault if the Lynx or Dreamcast failed to sell.

All I am doing is looking at Nintendo's numbers. The company's stock has fallen to it's pre-2006 levels, and the company is losing money. The 3DS is selling better, but this is because Nintendo is now subsidizing the hardware (something they have never done before). They are losing money on every 3DS sold. And this is a very dangerous position to be in, with Apple gobbling up that cherished Expanded Audience that Nintendo once desired.

Video game designers are not "artists" who are free to do whatever the hell they want to do. They don't get to be greedy. Only the game players are allowed that luxury. This obsession with validation is a modern trend; the great game creators from a generation ago - Dan Bunten, Ed Logg, Eugene Jarvis - were never concerned with such truffles. Only insecure children seek validation. The sooner the game industry outgrows this childish phase, the better.

I am not sure if this is trolling or complete lunacy.

Do people really believe this? iOS is fine and all, but Nintendo has their own ridiculously successful handheld line, the gameboy (and all its iterations).

Why would they start making games for their competitors? Also iOS and gameboys are different levels of gaming and fill different niches. iOS is for simple, fun, anytime games. Gameboy can be for that, but its real strength are long arse RPG's and platformers, playable everywhere but not really for 5-10 minute sessions.

For instance: Flash games are fun and simple and everybody loves them, yet nobody fears they will completely kill console or "real" pc game sales, because they are not on the same level! Sometimes you want a snack, sometimes you want a meal! Eating meals for snacks or snacks for meals are not good ideas.

That's like saying Miyazaki should leave Studio Ghibli to work with Pixar / Disney because Studio Ghibli was going through some financial troubles back in the day. Miyamoto will rather retired for good than work with his competitors. He doesn't seem to be the type of person who will leave his colleagues to make a quick buck on the iOS platform.

After this announcement I still see Shigeru Miyamoto working on The super mario bros series of games but I think he will slowly distance himself from the Legend of Zelda.

Good bye Miyamoto on big projects, all the mushrooms, bananas and red hearts to you. Hello Miyamoto on small projects, we await your awesomeness.

According to Nintendo World Report this is all a huge mistranslations. He's switching from being a macroscopic overseer of 20-30 games back to being a director of 1 game at a time. He is much more effective as a director, as when he works on a new game it usually becomes the next big Nintendo IP.

The last couple of games he put his personal touch on were Wii Sports, Nintendogs, and Pikmin. He is essentially getting his old job, you know the one he had when he made hit after hit. This will be good for the company in the long run because it allows more new projects from the teams he's trained as well as new projects from Miyamoto. This is the type of system we can expect new IPs from. It has the position for this.

Boy, I think that we're going to miss him, I love OoT and Majora's Mask. I really hope he reconsiders and goes back to making LoZ games, they seem to have stood the test of the gaming word pretty well.

All I am doing is looking at Nintendo's numbers. The company's stock has fallen to it's pre-2006 levels, and the company is losing money. The 3DS is selling better, but this is because Nintendo is now subsidizing the hardware (something they have never done before). They are losing money on every 3DS sold. And this is a very dangerous position to be in, with Apple gobbling up that cherished Expanded Audience that Nintendo once desired.

Perhaps him and Nintendo finally admits the success of social games, and shifting their focus onto small games with faster turnarounds?
This story needs to be updated to highlight the fact that he is indeed NOT stepping down. There should also be an explanation to the readers why this story was printed. Perhaps Nintendo really did announce his retirement but "changed their minds" after their 2% drop in stock. If so, report it! Or was this a mistranslation on the part of Wired? Either way, to the credibility of its readers, Wired should shed some light on this.

Finally Nintendo will be able to move on. Miyamoto was great in his heyday but he's been dragging Nintendo down. I will always be grateful to him for giving Mario to the world, but it's time.

It seems clear to me that Miyamoto is trying to convey his future emphasis in smaller-scale game development. Not retirement of any sort.

Chris Kohler, on the other hand, should probably consider retirement after shoveling out this piece of godawful misleading journalism.

This is both good and bad news but I wonder what it will be like to follow in his footsteps for whoever gets into the role next since he will still be at the company and his influence on Nintendo and gaming as a whole is so large.

I know that Mizuguchi is at Q! Entertainment and hasn't suggested leaving, but people like that are worth fawning over. Worth the mention since it implies indie talent of another magnitude.

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Government Opposes Bradley Manning Defense Witness Requests

2011-12-09T10:00:00.001-08:00

The government is seeking to block Bradley Manning’s attorney’s attempt to call nearly 50 defense witnesses at a pre-trial hearing next week over the private’s alleged leaking of hundreds of thousands of U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks.

The government opposed all witnesses requested by the defense, except ones that the government is also calling as witnesses, according to a new filing from the defense team. That works out to 38 of the 48 witnesses Manning’s defense attorney David E. Coombs asked permission to call to the stand, when the Article 32 hearing commences Dec. 16 in Maryland, according to a new filing from the defense team. full article

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guilty because military says you are. No need for facts, they just get in way. So does innocence until proven guilty.

They aren't even bothering to disguise the fact that this is going to be a kangaroo court.

Haha couldn't have said it better. It will be so one sided. Don't F with the govt and steal their docs. They will do whatever they want to make you pay and make sure you won't win.

No matter how guilty a person may seem to be, EVERYONE deserves the right to a fair trial. No one is too important to be called do to their civic duty. In fact our leaders most of all should be ready to demonstrate this. The idea the military would present that argument is sickening. Anyone the defense can show has a relevant and clear reason to be called should be made to appear barring a national emergency in which case the trial should be delayed.

Looking at historical examples of similar events, his chances of a fair trial are pretty much nil.

Do you think people have said that since the country was formed? I feel like I am just repeating a cliche uselessly every time I say something like that, but GD does it feel like the world has lost its mind. It is truly amazing that people have not straight up Mars'd (I hope that's the first time Mars has been used as a verb) the planet yet.

This is a motion for part PRE-TRIAL hearing, if the government wishes to oppose having the couple of hundred people wasting their time being interrogated about how they tied their shoes the day the investigated Manning then so be it. If they are denied without grounds (and no one has heard the governments grounds yet), then that is another thing. Manning has not had his day in court yet and since his current defense is 'they were dumb enough to let me use their classified network,' Having been around military justice I can tell you Manning had one foot in a bucket trying to dance the cha-cha when he brought in a civilian attorney (convening authorities hate civilian lawyers). From everything I have seen, read, heard he is praying to not spend the rest of his life in a very unpleasant hotel eating government issue food alone in a cell (if he smart in voluntary solitary confinement).

If someone shares classified information, it's considered treason. There's no grey area in the argument. Whether or not he gets what you would like to be a 'fair trial' he's going to be punished for what he did. Stop trolling.

His guilt has not been established. The government has simply declared "that guy did it" and haven't bothered showing the evidence yet. And the sharing of classified information is not treason. See the Pentagon Papers. Ellsberg was alleged to have shared classified information and his case was dismissed because the government people were a bunch of incompetent nitwits. This situation is very similar.

guilt is what the trial is for, the defense is trying to keep the trial from every happening because of the evidence that will be introduced.

Officially, no, his guilt hasn't been established. But they do have enough evidence to stick to him. Recorded and documented conversations, him accessing the info during a mass download, and so on. Why do you think his attorney is trying to play the deteriorating emotional health card? Because that is all they have, and all they can use, not that he was completely innocent and that he didn't do it. That, and the Ellsberg case had some similiarties, but they are different, and in different times with the new stricter everyone is a terrorist laws.

apparently from the position that the defense is taking, there isn't a question about whether Manning did or did not leak the info. seems that it's somebody else's fault. something else made him do it.

He decided to become a traitor. He should take his medicine like a man.

It irkes me no end that I have kin that have the Manning name and that I might be related to this piece of dung.

He is a patriot (for a lack of a better word) to the people of US.

He exposed criminals and war crimes against humanity, his mental health seeing such horrid activities working under the fear of what did happen to him - torture, removal of humanity and his more than likely life incarceration - would drive any decent human to depression.

Sorry Robert, I don't know you but seriously the US Govt and Army are the biggest Traitor to humankind and the planet, fullstop! You must see this?

The killing of journalists and other Iraqi civilians including a man who stopped to administer first aid to the victims and the attempted killing of the man's two children and the subsequent cover-up by the United States Government. It's all right there on Collateral Murder. The Wikileaks documents show other examples. Free Bradley Manning.

AS the courts have stated, insurgents who use non combatants as shields , are the ones at fault when military targets them.
for the learning impaired, yes it is valid under the GC to target a group when part of the group are armed insurgents. the presence of the reporters does not make it illegal to target the armed mahdi militiamen.

/and you can read the multiple articles over on the jawa report showing the background facts. So alex care to tell me where my info is wrong or can you cite some factual account of the incident? please try.

@pixelpusher. please tell me where the GC is invalidated as a whole over a categorical violation. next please show I am wrong & that war crime charges are being pursued. I gave the legal reason they are not. please prove otherwise if you can. waiting...

Bradley Manning, a U.S. hero & patriot, did what any TRUE American would do ~
Report War Crimes & the War Criminals who ORDERED infinite numbers of soldiers to carry out the U.S. Gov't & Military's heinous crimes. U.S. Gov''t & Military turn their backs on countless soldiers, many now dead due to severe PTSD caused by carrying out these crimes, being victims of these crimes and armed with the knowledge the wars they fought in are NOT for our freedom, NOT for our safety, NOT for our democracy, NOT because of the 'war on terror's' fear flavor of the week. Manning & all other true American patriots know the "War on Terror" is indefinitely and infinitely, any person, place or thing. They know the staggering amount of innocent civilians & military being tortured and killed for nothing more than greed. They know the U.S. war machine, the FED and corporations (with more rights than they have) continue to churn out inconceivable amounts of money...Money going straight into the hands of the REAL traitors who led them and the U.S., funded with U.S. tax payer dollars, into wars based solely on their trumped up, signed, sealed and delivered straight to your living room, bill of bull shit. You, sir, have bought into that bull shit and the traitors, hook, line and sinker, along with those just like you....incapable of independent, critical thinking and distinguishing fact from fiction. Sit back, relax, continue to watch and listen to the talking heads who, after hours of makeup & hair, take their rightful place in front of the pre-programmed propaganda-prompter to do your thinking for you, feeding you your daily dose of dung.

I wonder what people will say in 20 years. I have read about trials like this from decades past, some from the very genisis of the security clearnce system. In general history ends up taking a much better view of the accused then the government.

Did you miss the part where "The government opposed all witnesses requested by the defense, except ones that the government is also calling as witnesses"? Could the bias be more obvious?

Did you miss the part about all of those witnesses being there to talk about his emotional state to mitigate the punishment and the part about the court allowing written testimony from those people since they won't be put on the stand and the part about him wanting to call the president to the stand? Most of the comments seem to be from people calling foul on the government when they don't even seem to have read the entire article.

This is not the trial. This is Art. 32 hearing. So no, he can't have 100 witnesses, however once his treason trial starts he can call hundred of them and his gay ex boyfriend if he chooses so.

Poor baby. He leaked thousands of classified documents and now people want the USA to just kiss and make up...maybe discharge him and give him a little pat on the boom-boom on the way out the door.

Manning had better hope a "friend of the court" brief isn't filed that documents the execution of anyone who was "outed" by Manning's data dump.

He did not have the right to do what he did. We can't run a country and have every Tom, Dick, and Harry deciding for himself what is to be kept secret and what isn't. He could have release the information to a congressman or senator, but not Wikileaks.

Sorry, but your hero is toast. The only question is how long will he serve. My guess is thirty years.

Maybe Obama will pardon him on his way out. Fat chance on that. Bradly has run out of friends now that his fifteen minutes of fame have passed.

The thing that irks me about this is nothing that was released really should have been a secret. The government should not be in the business of keeping secrets from its citizens, as it prevents the proper monitoring of government by its citizenry. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying the plans to nuclear missiles should be available, however people should not have to guess what their government is doing. Additionally, our "Defense" department should be engaged in actual defense instead of Offense and in defense a good deterrent is generally best, the cold war never went really really hot now did it? However they only works if people know they exist so our military shouldn't really be hiding what its doing. If actions are justified by the situation then there should be nothing to hide.

He is alleged to have leaked documents. That is different than "he leaked thousands of classified documents." And we can run a country where everybody decides for themselves what to keep secret. That is what pure democracy is. Also, regarding classified documents, the government has a certain fondness for classifying ALL documents, despite the Dear Leader's claims that his administration would be more transparent.

While I agree, I must point out that Civilian government has never been known to have good control over levels of security the US military practices.

Let's don't forget, we voted for the Congresspeople who allow this to go on. Militarism but also with lax safety regulations for Wall Street, consumer, pollution, food inspections - everything.

Sounds like a very expensive hooker to me, maybe you should join her - you qualify.

Inside the Strange Science of Cord Blood Banking

2011-12-09T09:04:00.001-08:00

In a nondescript commercial park on the outskirts of Las Vegas, a large cryogenic stem cell storage facility is ready to accept your baby’s blood.

Cord Blood America in Las Vegas is one of dozens of private cord blood banks in the United States that, for a fee, will store stem cell-rich blood taken from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord.

Over one hundred thousand families save or donate cord blood annually, in the hopes it will one day provide medical help to their child or someone else. full article

Leukaemia is usually an aquired disorder - and this is the main indication for using your own cord blood as an autologous (from yourself to yourself) bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow failure may be aquired although most often genetic (such as fanconi's anaemia or schwachmann-diamond) and along with sickle cell, spherocytosis and some of the thalassaemic haemaglobinopathies and generally needs an allograph (from someone else to you).

Very few metabolic disorders can conceivably be treated with this as it is currently envisaged- although there are a few; sickle cell, G6PD and some other "blood" disorders are essentially metabolic disorders anyway, however the more common spectrum of disorders are rarely marrow-specific and usually involve either the entire system or the liver, and once damage is done to the braineven should solid organs be grown from cord cells (not yet even remotely viable) there is no prospect that stem cells can allow you to replace cognitive function.

Donating cord blood for others to use, however, is a boon to society. As I said earlier, the most common reason is to use it for a bone marrow transplant in paediatric oncology (or, rarely, adult oncology). Bone marrow transplants are most commonly needed for childhood leukaemias, but any course of chemotherapy can result in marrow failure and the requirement for transplant.

The argument of not sharing and holding it to yourself is very short-sighted; both for the many indications where autologous transplant is not appropriate (or fails) but also because the odds of any one child needing a transplant is low - but the odds that some child, somewhere will need one is much more significant

Blood is great commodity. All blood banks, which are in fact for non profit organizations, make big dollar, selling to the hospitals. The blood banks are crying for donations, because the supplies are always "critically low, and the demand is extremely high". Paradox is that you can be a platinum donor, but when you need blood infusion you pay high to the hospitals???

Yes, but that is because socialist healthcare sucks, apparently.

On a more serious note, usually there are two things at work here;
1) It will not be your blood you are getting; you can use in a trauma situation more blood than most people could physically donate in three years
2) The blood is not the main costs - they are the screening, the processing, the storage and rapid transport, the safety auditing, the delivery and the risk management

There is another option, but I'll leave you to wiki australian healthcare (or scandinvian, etc) to work it out - and it has its own issues

The consumer paying a significant amount to hospitals for a needed blood transfusion.

No matter what your opinion is of the viability of "socialist healthcare," this is decidedly not an example of it.

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Video: Iran Shows Off Captured U.S. Drone, Swears It’s No Fake

2011-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Two ways to get it down intact. a) It got fed up and defected. b) It's a Trojan horse full of midget SEALs.

Another possibility. The U.S. lost some drone near the border; Iran announced that it captured the drone, showed an RQ-170 mock-up it was using to test radar, and now watches as U.S. officials and the media expose the whole program.

As someone who fabricates aero prototypes, my guess is this is the real thing. Couple of reasons, the complex grill on the air intakes doesn't match any of the public photo's I was able to find, and if Iranian modellers were trying to show off a fake, why add a conspicuous detail that doesn't match photos. Also the ding in the port leading edge shows damage, why add damage to a model that was supposedly flown down rather than crashed. Lastly, the very carefully hidden undercarriage shows that likely more damages is concealed on the underside, which makes sense, as even if Iran was able to take control of the flight surfaces (unlikely) the idea that on a first try they would get control and have knowhow of flight surfaces and landing gear etc. is very unlikely. Most likely the drone was programmed with a flight path to get it to target, then was to be updated with new path once initial video was examined. The Iranians likely just managed to jam the update, and the plane ended up in some sort of loiter mode, till it ran out of gas, and probably self landed/automated crash, in such a way that was designed to bring it down with minimal damage. That kind of programming would make sense, if you loose a drone by mistake or equipt failure, especially an advanced prototype that spends most of it's time flying over relatively friendly territory, you'd set it up so that if it lost com, it would crash land itself, so that you could recover parts, and data

Yea, nice analysis. However, wouldn't a US drone have some kind of fail-safe self destruct mechanism to take out the electronics and hard drives to prevent from falling into enemy hands? Could this be why the underside was obscured by propaganda flags?

Maybe the US government is waiting for the Drone to be moved or inspected by TOP IRAN officials and then they will detinate the Mini Nuke killing everyone around the drone... Probably even have mini cams working right now to record Audio and Video inside the boarder. Hopefully someone in Iran was smart enought to remove the battery first... HAHA.

Yeah, but it's likely not the sort of thing that would trigger automatically. If operators lost control of the plane, they would probably also lose the ability to detonate it. (speculative)

I wasn't thinking blow up self destruction but like wipe your drives, burn your processor, fry your electronics type self destruction. Send it a kill command to wipe everything from way points, images, and flight controls and just let it come down. Can't really do much with an air frame on wheel with no control system.

it would return home to its point of origin after loss of signal, there would be some fail safe when it reaches the point where it would not have enough fuel to return and no longer continue loiter, because it assumed the loiter is over hostile airspace.

the grille on the Iranian drone is a dead give away that their drone is a fake. No stealth aircraft would have a grille like that as it's nothing but a giant reflector for radar. The whole point of having a stealth aircraft is to reduce the radar cross-section as much as possible. Any incoming radar signal would just bounce all around the lattice structure of the inlet and get reflected back to the radar system.

Also, notice the straight edges (parallel to a line normal to the direction of flight) on the inlet itself. Likewise, the panel on the top of the Iranian drone also has straight edges.

Take a look at pictures of the F-22, F-117, and B-2. You won't find a single straight edge (again, straight as defined as normal to the direction of flight). What you will find are edges that are at 60/30 degrees from the direction of flight. These edges are designed such that any incoming radar signal is deflected away from the direction of incidence to reduce the radar cross-section of the vehicle. The straight edges only increase the radar cross-section (as the whole edge gets reflected back to the radar device).

The fan blades are a big problem when you are flying head on, perhaps the grille is meant to absorb a radio signal at a certain frequency, like the metal grille on a microwave oven, this larger gap would work well on something lower frequency than microwave, and I had heard lower frequencies work better to detect stealth aircraft. The US had been monitoring iranian radar sites from outer space for the last few years.

That was a pretty much anti-Iran piece.

Can't stand the fact that Iran did bring down the drone with its sophisticated hacker tech., without a scratch. ???

Just admit it was a blunder of epic proportions to test Iranian electronic warfare tech/defenses.

The author of this piece has shown nothing except propaganda to defame Iran and its capabilities.

Looks like the country will dissect this RQ drone and extract everything, reverse eng. it and use it in the near future against US forces.

Getting your hands on something, does not mean you can reverse engineer it. China has been trying for half a century to build a jet engine, and still can't come up with anything powerful or reliable, regardless of the thousands they've purchased and dissected.

BTW, what part of this story wasn't true? Iran HAS released images of welded together oil drums, and claimed they were S300s. Iran HAS released a horribly photoshopped image of a missile launch fail to worldwide media, claiming it was real.

There's virtually no chance that Iran's non-existent "electronic warfare tech" had anything to do with the crash of this drone. Do you think Mexico's "electronic warfare tech" made the Border Patrol's Predator crash too?

China can build jet engines but they have a well documented history of trying (and failing) to build jet engines that can reliably power military aircraft for anything even approaching a real lifecycle. I think the docs I read suggested that their engines need rebuilds or refits after a dozen or so hours of operation.

I don't doubt even if they have a working jet fighter it would pale by comparison. But we can't take credit for building the jet engine, Hitler built the first jet engine and we gave the nazi scientist amnesty here in turn for them to continue their research for us. So, I dunno.. I have no point, I just wish it was friday...

The fist Jet engine was built by a Romanian born French guy called "Henry Coanda". He also discovered the "Coanda effect" while setting his wooden frame on fire with the engine.

Tudor, Can't confirm the Hitler jet engine was first, but definitely badass. Ran circles around the Brits and Americans. Fortunately for us, Hitler decided his V-Rockets were better and only built a small force of jets. If Britain had fallen, damn that would have been written differently.

That's because you have higher standards of quality control and design going into the rocket than you do in the jet engines. However I digress what I hear about Chinese jet engines are hearsay not facts and statistics.

the hardest systems to reverse engineer on this are probably the fly by wire software micro-calibrations, which are not possible just by having the drone, to make the CPU auto adjust control surfaces to the right degree so this thing that shouldn't fly can (a job my uncle did for various aerospace companies and rarely spoke of, until he passed in sept. 2010) .

The thing that makes me go hmmm however is why in the hell does the drone look like its made out of white chocolate? If the "radar absorbing materials"skin were removed for analysis by the Iranians, and this is what the beast looks like without its clothes on, is my best guess but it could just be what the easter bunny left.

They fished some booze RSA company in Taiwan to spoof the certificates, if the RSA wasn't so laissez-faire ;) about giving out certificate tokens it wouldn't have happened.

Well, the video is good quality and reasonably extensive, and shows the drone from a number of angles, it's certainly sufficient for the good people at the manufacturers, the Defense Dept and at the CIA to determine very accurately whether the dimensions and shape are correct.

If they are, and it's a fabrication, then you would have to ask the question how did they manage to fabricate the outline to the exact spec. It's also not the kind of thing that could just be fabricated on the fly and look remotely convincing, and I can't really imagine that the Iranians would go to a lot of trouble to mock one up on the off-chance that the US lost one somewhere in their neck of the woods.

First the obviously thing isn't the color, but grill intake for this aircraft looks like it was taken off a automobile, its not a stealth design much less a American stealth design.

A real stealth drone the intake looks much different this is the dead give away that it is a fake.
Also in the close ups you don't actually see anything inside where the engine turbofans would be.

If you search for "Phantom Ray Makes First Flight" you can find a video from Boeing that demonstrates a test flight of their Phantom Ray Drone which is similar in design to this airframe. In the video around the 14 second mark there is a close up of the intake you can clearly see that these do not even remotely match what is shown in these video.

In addition to that were is are all the avionics components and wiring, landing gear US serial numbers of parts etc, this thing why isn't that top section open exposing for all the world inside the spy gear, it looks like a industrial full scale model?

What about the spy cameras and the under belly of this aircraft why isn't this shown? All the wiring etc.

This thing looks like they did a Google search of a 4 view of this thing, then then have a bunch of university engineering students machine a replicate out of pewter. Then got someone to video tape it with their cellphone and upload it to you tube.

Lets see some high resolution HD video and them taking this thing apart and see some serial numbers, all this looks like is propaganda fodder for their uneducated peasants to believe the regime is actually more powerful then they are.

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New Michael Jackson book details drug use

2011-12-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

Maybe if the people who were "friends" of Michael Jackson had actually put the man before the myth he'd still be alive.

The court, MJ's family, friends, and fans can point the blame at Conrad Murray but had they never met he would still be dead due to the path he himself had selected.

I imagine the Jackson leaches will want a cut of that too. Now I know what is worse than lawyers, the Jackson family.

The War on Drugs is only for the less well to do. If you are a wealthy person you can order up any chemical cocktail you want anywhere you want at anytime you want.

Drug addicts are going to do what drug addicts are going to do. Plain and simple. You can beg plead argue persuade, but in the end they are going to do their drugs and make bad decisions while on them. Blame the addict, not the messengers.

He was a child molester and drug addict. Why is he still in the news?

Dr Murray deserves a medal for saving countless boys from this freak, drugged child molester.

Great. Send me 500 copies. I have been waiting with bated breath for this crap. Wow, my year is a success.

Now his "friends" and other "concerned" parties are breaking their silence. SMH! The time to speak out on his behalf was BEFORE he died!

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Britain, Argentina spar over Prince William

2011-12-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

Deploying a search and rescue pilot to their sovereign territory is "provocative"? I have to think that the Argentine diplomats must be on drugs.

I bet if one asks those who follow Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Oprah, Rosie O'Fat, or any other uselss entertainer, where the Falklands are, or what 2 countries fought a war over them in the 1980's, less that 1 percent would have the correct answer.

the each feel the way they feel and that's ok, its their right. each of them. kind of like relationships right? 2 sides to every story and everyone stands their ground, not the most evolved thing to do but we're getting there as a species., We are getting spanked we will learn. Eventually, we will find peace and acceptance with our different views. The people demand itmore than anything, forget governments, that's business. THE PEOPLE will get what they are wanting, we're seeing it already just look around the globe.

Economy to grow at 4%? Really? How?

Poof! $8 billion lost from News Corp.s market cap

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Depression May Slow Exercise Recovery

2011-12-04T02:03:00.001-08:00

Exercise is known to ease the symptoms of depression. But does depression change the way the body responds to exercise?

A new study suggests that clinical depression may hamper the body’s ability to recover from physical activity, prolonging the amount of time it takes for a depressed person’s heart rate to slow down and return to normal after a workout. Although it may sound minor, some research suggests that a difference of even just a few beats a minute during post-exercise recovery is associated with a shorter life span.

Scientists say the findings may help shed light on the well-known link between depression and heart disease. Studies show that depressed people have an increased risk of heart attacks, and heart patients who develop depression die sooner than heart patients without depression. full article

I have advised many times on subjects such as this that the results need to be interpreted over time. Plot the results on a graph and observe changes over a period to finalise a hypothesis. This is ridiculous to look at such a short term bout of exercise and people's response to it. Think about it. Most depressed people don't exercise. Oh I've got an idea. Let's give them a stress test and see how they do. Not. All exercise has a "specific adaptation response". If you're not use to walking up and down hills it's going to be hard no matter who you are. Living in NYC for 15 years I am use to walking 4-6 miles per day. My relatives from Australia, who by the way are quite active in some ways, got very tired walking around with us. This doesn't mean they are unfit. They are just not used to walking so much. Most programs are going to take between 8-12 weeks of conditioning. So please don't get depressed about this article. The best thing you can do if you are depressed is to get up and move everyday! For free exercise advice

Exercise helps treat depression.

If a depressed person exercises over a prolonged period of time, does the post-exercise heart rate recovery improve?

I have seen this so much in my chiropractic practice. As patients begin moving better, they exercise more. As a welcome side effect, the depression tends to decrease. It is difficult to know if it is from the improved neurology (from the expert chiropractor) or the exercise. Regardless. It is great to see the benefits.

So the solution is more anti-depressants? Did pharmecutical MNCs providing some of the funding for this research?

As a commenter above said, nothing like providing people who suffer from depression w/another reason to feel depressed.

This makes a lot of sense. Before I was on antidepressants I was on fight or flight status 24/7. Would like to see more studies on this.

"Something about being depressed probably has some influence on the circuitry of the brain that causes the stress response to become dysfunctional.”

ARRGH. When will researchers learn to be more careful about attributing causality. Maybe the abnormal stress response causes vulnerability to depression. Maybe a 3rd variable causes vulnerability to dysfunctional stress response AND depression. At this point, all they have is a correlation. And correlation is not causation.

Has the pharmaceutical company that sponsored this research submitted Phase III results to FDA for the approval of Wankezenc? Wankezenc tests show that in a statistically significant number of cases (51%) the difference of 3.7 beats a minute can be reduced to statistically significant 3.6 beats a minute after only 2 months of Wankezenc 10mg dosage taken daily (expected cost $28,000).
Disclosure: I've made up "Wankezenc" all other details are true!!

This seems eminently logical, as it is well established that regular exercise can lift mood, as well as mitigate a whole host of mild mental maladies (adhd etc). Why should that relationship work both ways, meaning being depressed impair exercise quality? The human body is absurdly complex, and the mind and soul arise from and interact profoundly with our physical selves.

the key point here is "acute". Regular bouts of variable intensity exercise(s) that uses your brain and not just your body are the surest way to improve your stress response.
Specifically, I believe that we need a to create a perfect fusion of playfulness, intensity and challenge to experience the most change both physically and mentally.
With regards to activities that stimulate this type of demand in direct response to Mike (from NYC)
Watch David Breashears' "Storm Over Everest" for the most profound and simple explanation for why people risk their lives climbing mountains. I was most struck by the interviews of the climbers including Beck Weathers response.

I once met a French guy in a refuge on the Swiss Alps (while hiking) who told me that he started climbing/hiking in order to get over his profound depression.
I remember him telling me that the strenuous effort (such as rock climbing) sent his body into a state of almost physical pain and that was the only thing that completely freed his mind from negative thoughts and gave him mental clarity.
He went off medications and instead started exercising everyday...

I wonder how long a delayed recovery lasts into recovery time. More specifically, how might it relate to soreness and stiffness over the next couple of days of recovery time? From personal experience, when I am too sore, I don't want to work out again. There might be an optimal degree of exercise intensity for those with depression to maximize the positive results and minimize other factors that would contribute to heart-risks and reduced motivation.

I wonder how long was the period of the experiment conducted. I mean to say - depressed persons are given to lethargy, and therefore physically unfit and their heart beats will be more than a person who is not depressed and more active, and hence fitter person.

If the depressed person is measured over a long enough period where she gets to be fitter, perhaps the heart beats difference may narrow down?

I wonder if this factor of the depressed person's physical condition to start off with and its changes is taken into account in the experiment.

Is it true that omega 3/6 fatty acids can negate some of these harmfull conditions of stress and exercise on the heart even in a depressed state.

Often a disorder -- psychiartic or other may preclude ameliorative efforts which are usually quite beneficial to the general population.

Your essay is on exercise and its effect on depression. Another example is the use of the SSRIs anti-deoressants (Prozac, Paxil and many of the others).

One symptom (of many) used to diagnose depression is a significant loweing of sex drive (compared to baseline behavior). But, frequently one side effect common to the use of an SSRI is less or no interest in sex.

The link to the November Issue of " Psychophysiology " brought me to Pubmed which pulled up a short abstract only,so I was not able to access the entire study.
The information provided here is that the depressed subjects did not recover as well as non-depressed control subjects following a stress test.
What about the other variables? Where the depressed subjects taking anti-depressants and how might the medication affected their performance?
What was the activity level of the clinically depressed patients, as compared to that of the control group, outside of the controlled environment?
I have been both an exerciser,and someone who has suffered from periods of Clinical Depression; there have been times when I worked out at levels of high intensity for three hours a day, daily.
When I was clinically depressed, I could barely get out of bed to brush my teeth, let alone engage in any official "exercise."
As someone who has both studied psychology at the graduate level, and has suffered through numerous bouts of clinical depression, I find it highly unlikely that those who are clinically depressed in general are psychologically or physiologically capable of exercising at comparable levels to non-depressed controls.
Can the author of this article please provide the reader with more details about the exercise level of the subjects outside of the one stress test?
who are not depressed.

Dogs and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

2011-12-04T00:58:00.000-08:00

It’s well known that post-traumatic stress is one of the major problems facing many veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But now researchers are finding that a large number of military dogs may be grappling with the condition as well.

By some estimates, more than 5 percent of the roughly 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are coming down with what researchers call canine PTSD, reports James Dao in The New York Times. full article

Not surprising considering what these dogs and their handlers experience. Even on the domestic front this can manifest: We had a lab mix years ago who was noise tolerant (even fireworks did not bother her) and perfectly content staying in the utility room while we were away. One day, we came home to find the linoleum taken up down to the underlayment, and deep scratches in the door...after that, we had to secure her in her crate whenever we left. What precipitated this change in her behavior? We learned the neighbors had concrete cutters taking up a section of their driveway as part of a remodel. We presumed that listening to the earsplitting concrete saw, with no chance of escape, caused her anxiety and drove her attempt to claw her way out of the house.

Ten years ago, my two dogs developed PTSD after weeks of overhead noise from a re-roofing project. Three things that helped them thereafter were having lamb in their diet, having Missing Link supplement daily, and taking a magnesium supplement before anticipated bouts of noise, like the Fourth of July. It's my belief that it was exposure to noise that they had no choice about that caused their stress and behavior changes. In the wild, canines can just boogie when something's too loud or threatening. Also, in the wild they eat differently -their nutrition includes a broader range of substances, some of which - minerals from gnawing bones, etc. - may help relieve stress.

This isn't new. Back in the 1950s my parents were warned about the perils of selecting a dog from the pound "because you won't know its history." The dog I grew up with was gentle and intelligent, but had one important quirk: he would attack anyone who carried a rake, hoe, shovel or mop anywhere near him. Our best guess, supported by the veterinarian, was that probably the dog's previous owner had beaten him with a stick, and he was determined to make sure that never happened again. Isn't that classic PTSD?

My dog is a Katrina survivor. This extremely athletic, lab mix must be medicated and crated in a closet whenever it threatens to rain. He is so terrified that he obviously dissociates.
The researchers need to become less biased so that they can prove what has already been revealed.

Why should anyone assume that animals do not suffer from PTSD after undergoing horrific experiences? Animals, like people, have memories/feelings and always have. When America was celebrating it's bicentennial back in 1976, I saw a news story on TV about an Irish Setter that had been so traumatized by deafening fireworks that it had to be put down. While my family went to see a bicentennial fireworks display, I stayed home and turned on as many fans as I could to drown out the sound of fireworks so it would not upset the two dogs we had at that time.

This is no surprise. My dogs go crazy when there are fireworks and loud noises. I can't imagine them trying to perform specialized tasks with bombs going off around them. Poor dogs.

This story is heartbreaking. An unspoken solution is to have the dog euthanized Please, that sets a poor precedent for veterans given the GOP's desire to cut spending they may just start looking at having veterans who suffer from PTSD euthanized as a means of cutting expenses.

We need to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq now.

If trained dogs and trained soldiers suffer PTSD, imagine what it must be like for children growing up in war zones. I wish humans were intelligent enough to figure out a way to end war.

The essays seem intuitivly correct. Dogs are mammals and share a great deal in common with people. (Similar pattern of genes about 99?.)

What is significantly different (among other aspects) is their perceptual equipment and its implications and how various situations are experienced by them in their unique "dimension(s)."

Having had for cats in my life, I learned not to take them to the vet, only if there was an emergency. Why? They were house creatures and they "freaked out" whenever I took them outside -- especially to the vet where there were other (to them) strange animals in the waiting room.

Note: "freaking out" sounds to me similar to PTSD or extreme anxiety. Yes?

But, one must be carefull of anthropromorism.

Solution: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So bring the dogs along with the military back home.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review (Video)

2011-12-03T13:57:00.001-08:00

Everyone has their own biases... it's part of human nature, and part of the reason I was glad Brandon took the lead on the review of this phone. I'm far too much of a Nexus fanboy to be objective... It probably would have gotten an 8 from me. ;)

Honestly, I agree with Brandon's score and reasons for it -- but I also LOVE hearing feedback from our users. Ultimately, we do this for you, and you keep us honest!

ps. if you guys wanna read a fair review i suggest you read mariam joyire review of galaxy nexus on Engadget. Even she gave some heat to the phone for sub par camera performance but its a well rounded off review compared to brandons

I don't understand how the RAZR can score higher (4.5) than the Nexus when the Nexus is just as good or better in every area..? I'm guess because Brandon and Joe have different standards when reviewing phones?

Why didn't the RAZR get the same "Display uses pentile display matrix " con? Also the Nexus gets gigged for not having expandable storage, but the RAZR doesn't for not having a replaceable battery. I would rather be able to have extra batteries than replace the SD card. Just doesn't seem very fair to me.

Also, there hasn't been any word whatsoever (that I've seen anyways and I'm on news sites constantly) about the GS3, what's in it or when it's coming out. I don't think that sould factor whatsoever into a phone review. There's always something coming around the corner in this market.

As the guy who reviewed the RAZR and helped with this review, I think I can field that! The RAZR has a better camera than the Galaxy Nexus and removable storage. The two combined cost the Nexus half-a-point.

That's understandable. But why didn't the RAZR lose a half-point for having a non-removable battery and a lower quality display? When I held the RAZR in my hand the other day in the Verizon store, I could see the red pixels on text easily without even holding the phone close.

Also, judging from your sample pics from both phones; I can't tell that much of a difference between them. They both look somewhat washed out and unfocused in a lot of pics. You also mentioned slow shutter lag on the RAZR in your review and that's not an issue on the Nexus.

You all say: "The Galaxy Nexus is the best smartphone on the market right now." Yet, not more than 8 days ago you reviewed the RAZR and it scores higher than the Nexus. See where this would be confusing to a lot of readers..?

Yup, I totally understand where you're coming from.

The screen on the RAZR, in my opinion, is beautiful. It's not as high-density as the Nexus, and I had to justify not dining it because it's only qHD. If anything, I should be getting flack for giving it a 4.5 rather than a 4.

Regarding removable batteries, I'm on the fence. I like the ability to install a new one (bigger, replacement, spare, etc.), but in my time with smartphones (which is a very, very long time), I've only had to replace one battery.

I'd rate the ability to replace a battery over the inability to do so, but personally, I don't think it's an absolute necessity -- though I respect those who do.

That's exactly what I was getting at. I don't mind that the Nexus got a 4, I just don't like that the RAZR got a 4.5 despite you all saying that the Nexus is a better phone.

I guess I thought replacing the battery was more common than replacing the SD card since that's been the case with my OG Droid. I've never touched the SD card on it in my 2 years of owning it, but I've bought a few spare batteries for it on Amazon for $2/piece to take on outings where charging isn't feasible and that's been really useful in my experience.

Thanks for responding though. I really like when editors/reviewers interact with their readers so you have earned much of my respect by replying to me (and others).

I had to fight for the 4.5 for the RAZR... the screen res looked really good to me, but if you feel that I need to weigh that and/or not having a removable battery heavier in future reviews, I'll certainly take that under consideration for future reviews. :)

We try to be objective and weigh the features we think our readers feel are most important.

As far as editor interaction, that's the best part of this job! You guys (and gals) are so great! You've got tons of knowledge, experience, and valuable feedback! Love it!

Pocketnow isn't about the editors, it's about the community, so you, and everyone else reading and commenting, are a HUGE part of what we do.

You say "+ 720p display is gorgeous" , but then, you list this CON: "Display uses pentile display matrix". Do you love the display or not?! You must be really confused.

When you say wait for Galaxy SIII until the spring, you mean wait until summer, late-autumn. Because if I remember well, those are the launch periods of Galaxy S line.

The 720p display is gorgeous! It's absolutely beautiful! The PenTile display isn't as nice as other screen technologies, but it's still very, very nice. It's like comparing an oil painting to a water painting: oils may give you better colors and texture, but watercolors are still pretty. Different mediums is all...

The display is gorgeous, indeed, but buyer should be aware that when reading text, the display isn't as crisp as the 720p specification would imply.

"If you're in the smartphone market and want the best, get the Galaxy Nexus. But if you can wait until the spring, keep an eye out for the Galaxy S III.

We rate the Samsung Galaxy Nexus a 4/5."

I'm a little lost, because the unlocked GS II got a pretty much unprecedented 5/5 on this site.

I'll be waiting for my ICS update on that device and then jump to the GS III when it comes out.

The SGS2 is an amazing device and benchmarks are out of the ballpark. The Galaxy Nexus is a great device, too. Between the two, my choice is the Nexus, but that's my personal preference. Yours may (and should) vary because you have different preferences, and that is completely cool.

Good review. I would add that the Galaxy S3 will have to have a brand new Touchwiz for ICS. Since Android doesn't need a skin anymore for it to be functional, there's a big chance that Touchwiz for ICS will make things worse, rather than better, as it does for 2.3. For me, that's enough to stop pining for future devices and grab a Nexus the second it hits the US.

Plus, Nexus devices have by far the best resale value on the used market (outside of iPhones). That means that if the SGS3 really is that good, you can dump the Nexus for a handsome price and grab Samsung's newest and still probably break even.

I don't see how you can call it the best smartphone on the market right now and have it rated lower than other phones ie razr and iphone 4S. I agree with your score, just not your statement

This is coming from a N1 user. I can understand why Brandon gives Galaxy Nexus a 4/5 point. Although it's a flagship device intended to be the best of Android phone, it lacks several key points which made the Galaxy Nexus not so "best" anymore. COME ON.....Samy, 5MP camera??... NO removable storage (9 out of 10 people i know dislike this)? Sub battery life??... and what else?? Why can't they use a better screen technology of Super OMOLED PLUS??..and this phone suppose to be the fastest everything...why its benchmarks below Galaxy S2??......How many points would you give to an inferior phone comparing to a 5/5 points phone?? Certainly not equal. Galaxy Nexus deserves a 4/5 or 4.5/5, but not 5/5 for lacking several components. I too would want to believe Galaxy Nexus should be the best, but in this case...Samy messed it up again. Maybe nextime GOOGLE should have somebody else making their flagship device.

I don't see why everyone is hating on Brandon. It is his opinion. Everyone can find something wrong if they look hard enough, but a review is a matter of opinion. Let him do his reviews and if you don't agree go to a different site to get your mobile news.

I'm a "Nexus fanboy" and an Android purist... and I support the 4/5 score. If it had an 8MP camera with great colors, 32GB internal storage, a "less obvious" PenTile display, and an sdcard slot, it would likely have gotten a 4.5 or higher.

That said, its an awesome phone and I plan on using it for my daily driver for the next several months.

I don't get it, if the battery can't get through a day then how come it's the best smartphone on the market. It pretty much useless if it's die.

It totally depends on your usage. I've been able to get well over 30 hours out of a single charge with moderate to light use. Moderate use gives me 12-15 hours. Driving to work using GPS and streaming Pandora gives me 5 hours or so. It all depends on your use.

Compared to the RAZR, the Nexus gives me an hour or so more usable time -- based on my very unscientific usage scenarios.

'' It's also more customizable than ever, which might scare away those that don't want to tinker'' lol why would it scare people away,customization is an OPTION and is tinkering is available if YOU want to and is not needed...all android phones are usable out of the box

as the galaxy note still has the superior internals (or am i missing something here?) it could pull an instant switcheroo with the help of an ics update and put itself on top again. the things at which they differ pretty much balance themselves out (sd, usb, nfc, barometer...)

Really don't know why reviewers would be surprised by the battery life on the Note being much better than other phones; the Note is physically bigger, so it has room for a bigger battery, which in turn equals... more power.

So unless Samsung did something really daft, the Note was always going to deliver better battery life, it's another good reason to consider it above many/most of the 4.x screen-sized handsets.

Guess those mAh numbers are just lost on some people...

I hear ya on every count there.

I live in the UK and I have the Note. Before that I had the GS2. I find the Note in my opinion to be a game changer and the Note will get ICS early next year anyway.

I dont know why they go on about the screen res of this device when the Note is better there as well: 1280x800. The only issue there is because of the larger screen the DPI is not as high. Does it matter? Is DPI everything? No because of the screen size the Note is perfect.

Given the choice I would have the Note any day. As far as I see it the Galaxy Nexus has only 2 things that hold it above the Note. ICS and DPI. Thats it and as I said, ICS comes to the Note next year.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Tips and Tricks (Video)

2011-12-03T13:42:00.001-08:00

OK, thanks, I'm glad that's the case.

I am afraid I have found that not to be the case. Swiping an app out of the recent apps tray only removes it, the app is still running. This can be confirmed by swiping an app out of the app list, proceed to manage apps select the application and you will see the force stop button highlighted meaning the app is still running. Long pressing the home button does not in fact open a task manager it is merely a recent apps list (granted a very robust one), however long pressing on an app in the recent apps list does open an option for app info which u can then force close it.

To be clear this is not an attempt to start a flame war and I am happy to be proven wrong but this is the behavior I have witnessed

It really closes the app.

Have you checked with a real task manager that the tasks are really getting killed when you swipe them away? I've read (I don't have GNex) that it's only clearing the "recent list" and the tasks keeps running.

you can use ADWEX without ICS. I recommend it.

Also turning screen animations off is relevant in previous versions of Android.

Not a lot of new tips here.....

Useful hints.
As for launchers maybe Brandon doesn't mind me posting a link to the launchers page on my site http://grantbarker.com/android... which can help you find one you might like.

Four Drugs Cause Most Hospitalizations in Older Adults

2011-12-03T04:21:00.000-08:00

Blood thinners and diabetes drugs cause most emergency hospital visits for drug reactions among people over 65 in the United States, a new study shows.

Just four medications or medication groups — used alone or together — were responsible for two-thirds of emergency hospitalizations among older Americans, according to the report. At the top of the list was warfarin, also known as Coumadin, a blood thinner. It accounted for 33 percent of emergency hospital visits. Insulin injections were next on the list, accounting for 14 percent of emergency visits.

Aspirin, clopidogrel and other antiplatelet drugs that help prevent blood clotting were involved in 13 percent of emergency visits. And just behind them were diabetes drugs taken by mouth, called oral hypoglycemic agents, which were implicated in 11 percent of hospitalizations. Read full story

Lithium is an example of the narrow margin between the theraputic and toxic levels. So, it is especially important that blood be drawn on a regular basis. The area of effectiveness begins at about .8; it can begin to be dangerous at about 1.5. Above 3 it can be deadly.

As far as the four drugs you alluded to in your essay: it's the old risk/benefit ratio.
And, at times a drug must be given even when you realize there is a the possibility of severe -- even, potentially deadly side effects.

"40 percent of people over 65 take five to nine medications"

"Dr. Budnitz said that ... focusing on improving the safety of this small group of ... medications, rather than by trying to stop the use of drugs typically thought of as risky for this group."

Diabetes and blood pressure are both, for the most part, controllable by changes to lifestyle. This article reveals a serious and pervasive addition to medications in America. Sadly, the conclusion recommends dose management as opposed to elimination of drugs from the diet all together.

Also missing is a discussion of the financial consequences to us all and stress on our health delivery system from all the emergency room visits.

There are point of care test meters for warfarin. If a patient meets the criteria they can enroll in a program such as the one from Roche Diagnostics. Results are comparable to lab test results without any wait time.

This headline is very misleading and should be corrected. It does not imply, rather it states, that a majority of hodpitalizations of older adults are for reactions to drugs. That is in no way the evidence presented in the article and nor the thesis set forth clearly in the lede; it is perpetrated in the second paragraph.

I remember the yrs I was under the "care' of some cardiologist's "coumadin clinic." Went every month. Half the time, I had to call and get results--they never called. Sometimes I was too high and they would say eat a spinach salad the next few days--this stuff gets kinda wacky once you are emeshed in it. Also--trim the bushes and you are bleeding from tiny cuts..yick. Then of course there are the big problems.

My old dad has taken coumadin for years, and last year his dementia made it impossible for him to keep track of his meds. I was busy with my job, in denial about the extent of his condition, and he did not like his daughter being suddenly such a busybody, either. His blood levels were always off. Tho I'd take him for blood draws, sometimes twice a week, the nurse and I never had a clear idea of what was going on. I'd check his mediset, when I could find it, and sometimes for days he hadn't taken anything! Dementia, in my dad's case ("I prefer to be called an old man with memory loss") really complicated the situation. People like my dad can be together and engaging in so many ways, but STML makes it impossible for them to take medications properly. I was often fooled by him. I'd call him morning and evening, he'd say, "Oh, hi sweetie, yep, I've just taken all my pills," and I thought he had! I eventually hired caregivers to come to his apartment and supposedly MAKE him take his medicine and he buffaloed them! When we were finally able to convince him to move to AL, which has been a blessing, I cleaned out the apartment and found weeks of almost full medi-sets from that past year. Thank God he had a strong constitution. Dad really needed 24/7 supervision and for one scary year it was not happening. I think dementia is a huge factor in this problem.

Also interesting about the disparities in health care for seniors is the finding in recent research that there's an age-difference in who gets pain relief. Among those patients who go to hospital emergency rooms specifically for pain, the elderly are given less pain medication than younger patients. Could this involve some ageism and age-discrimination?

Oral hypoglycemics should never be prescribed. People who take them are just weak minded and can't control their diet or just excersise a little. They just want to take a pill and continue their unhealthy lifestyle. Coumadin can also be controlled better if people just learned how to manage their diet with the drug. And yes home testing would help. If you think hospitalization for a bleed is inconvenient then you have never met someone with a stroke, DVT or PE. The main jist of the article should have been that many seniors can not manage their drugs properly so they should not take them in the first place.

Coumadin is or will be shortly a medicine of the past. There are other meds now out there, such as Paradox, which does the same thing as coumadin at far less risk and no checking of blood every week or twice a week. There are even more meds coming along that will no doubt we even better than Paradox.

As you note, these drugs are commonly prescribed. Therefore, it isn't surprising that they would cause the most emergency room visits. The correct or meaningful statistic would be % of people on Drug XX who go to emergency room as a consequence of taking Drug XX. If you have 10 million people on Coumadin, and 10,000 of them end up in the ER due to Coumadin-related problems, that's one tenth of one percent of all Coumadin users, even though it is a whole lot of people. Whereas if you have 100,000 people on some other drug, and 1000 of them go the ER as a result of that drug, that's 1% of all people taking that drug, even though it is far fewer people.

My mother is on Coumadin due to atrial fibrillation. Her blood is monitored with weekly tests and her medication adjusted accordingly. She's 81 and has no other risk factors for stroke. I often wonder if it makes any sense to keep her on Coumadin.

When it comes to Benadryl and Demerol, there are many other medications which achieve the same benefits and are much less risky. There's never a reason to give Demerol and there are few in which I use Benadryl (usually life-threatening allergic reactions).

When it comes to treating diabetes and coagulopathies, just about all the medications have the same risks of hypoglycemia and bleeding--they are extensions of the actual effects of the drugs.

The real question is the risk-benefit ratio. We are never going to avoid bleeding with anticoagulants but we need to carefully choose who takes them, for how long, and what degree of anticoagulation to maximize benefit and minimize risk. Similarly, for diabetes, we need to balance the benefits of tight control with the risks of hypoglycemia.

I have unfortunately taken people off coumadin because of bleeding, only to have them stroke a month later. Sometimes, in the frail elderly, there are no easy answers.

Medicine has its limits. There will always be issues when drugs are diagnosed to all different types of bodily systems. As a commenter said before, life is a terminal condition and none of us will escape it, sooner or later.

This is a very complex issue; it consists of patients not understanding physician's instructions, physicians not explaining the side effects of medictions adequately, especially medications with such a great potential for harm if instructions aren't folowed carefully, too many medications given inappropriately, physicians in a hurry, patients in a hurry. with an antiplatelet medication the patient also has to be told about interaction with certain foods, vitamins and supplements . I have been involved in handling medical malpractice claims and issues for 30 years both in Risk Management (hospital settings) and plaintiff attorneys and I can't tell you how many patients never ask their physician questions that they should have asked before they had that surgery or as they were prescribed medications. It never cease to amaze me how people trust physicians and sometimes pay a steep price.

A 75 year old man with atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a bad heart will have a roughly 8 % annual risk of stroke without warfarin or dabigatran, and essentially a 100% chance of hospitalization for diabetic complications if he does not take his diabetes meds, so a little perspective is in order. A doctor who did not prescribe meds for such a patient would be sued for malpractice.

It is easy to measure the risk, and therefore the effect, of doing something-like taking a medicine. I is less easy to measure the consequences of sins of omission-like not taking a risk-reducing medicine.

As an Emergency Medicine physician who practices in an area with a large elderly population I can attest to the problems of the medications mentioned in the article. More resources need to be put into patient education and setting up systems with checks and balances to help the elderly manage their medications and prevent the need for emergency interventions

I believe it is even more risky than prescription sedatives and sleeping pills, since it lasts longer in the body. People may wake up and drive while still under the influence. The elderly are at risk for falls and fractures from sedating medications, including over-the-counter ones. Just because a drug may be safer than another in one context does not make it a "safe" drug.

Diabetes is a killer. Diet and medication can reduce risk of the illness, but still can have risks of its own. A diabetic controlled by medication who suddenly " improves" his diet without adjusting is at risk for a "medication reaction."

Another drug usually regarded as safe is acetaminophen, best known as Tylenol. I understand it is one of the leading causes of liver failure in the United States, yet is a useful drug.

Every year, about 100,000 people in the United States over age 65 are taken to hospitals for adverse reactions to medications. About two-thirds end up there because of accidental overdoses, or because the amount of medication prescribed for them had a more powerful effect than intended.

I agree 100% with Carol Goldstein. (See above). This is a terrificly misleading article that completely fails to either qualify or clearly differentiate what is meant by 'overdose' and 'reaction' relative to the true reason for those unintended emergency 'hospitalizations' of the four drugs listed. "Overdose" assumes excess use outside of prescribed instruct. I question the choice of wording of overdose. And 'reaction'. The more correct term, considering the gravity of danger these highly toxic drugs pose with even the slightest change of dosage/time of day taken, well, there isn't one.

Sending someone home, post-hospitalization on a drug like Coumadin, unless he/she has been counseled ad nauseum to the serious nature of its' inherently dangerous side effects- is terribly risky business. I continue to marvel at a health care system that allows such nonsense. Ditto for highly brittle diabetics, who, far too often, are not professionally managed (if at all) properly. It's called patient follow-up. We used to do it well in this country. No so much anymore, in an increasingly faceless, for-profit, and litiginous train wreck called the American Health 'Care' system.

I personally would not take rat poison (Warfarin) but since I was gene tested at 23andme (dot com) I found out that I am genetically highly sensitive to Warfarin and need a lower than typical dose. This is one of about 12 or so drugs tested by them when you sign up (only $99 ) for genetic testing. (You get much more than this in their health reports.) I would venture not one in 100 MD's Rxing this toxin is even aware that there are genetic differences which determine dosage.

It is amazing the number of people who just take whatever they are told to with no research. Where do you think your doctor gets information from? Pharmaceutical companies, of course. Any wonder drugs are the supposed answer to every supposed illness? Drug companies even have a hand in determining what is a normal range in a test (look at cardiology for the worst) and contracting the range so "abnormal" results show up more often. Result: more drug sales.

I am a retired internist/geriatrician and regilarly taught geriatric pharmacology as a medical school faculty geriatrician, in the conference room and at the bedside. One of my greatest helps to new and ongoing patients was to carefully review all drugs they took. I had all patients bring all their drugs to each visit. Amazing what you'd find in those grocery bags full of bottles. With their permission I discarded all unecessary drugs. Usually I could reduce doses or eliminate several drugs, to the patient's benefit. Pharmaceutical companies love polypharmacy..$$$! The Feds should prohibit drug commercials.

If I were given the job of reviewing every American senior citizen's drugs, I could probably safely reduce unecessary drugs and doses and save the national drug bill billions of dollars annually, and to the patients' benefit too.
Our elderly patients are grossly over-medicated. As for warfarin, it is especially tricky because of the risk of bleeding, usually from the GI tract. Patients who are "fallers" may have massive bleeding at any point of contact, and including the head. :I was super cautious and conservative in every way.about using anticoagulants in old people.

Calling diabetes a "lifestyle" disease, as many people do, is quite misleading. In the first place, type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with lifestyle; it's an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells whatever the person eats and however much exercise she or he gets. Type 2 diabetes is much more common, and can be started in susceptible individuals by diet and (lack of) exercise. But although "type 2 diabetes" is a single name, it really refers to a whole group of conditions, some of which can be reversed by changing diet and exercise and some of which probably cannot.

It doesn't make much sense to talk about "diabetes" as a single entity; every individual diabetes patient has her or his own peculiar characteristics, which need to be handled by professional health care persons. Yet everywhere one reads comments that suggest that one way of "curing" diabetes, as a whole, is the ticket.

An equally troubling problem, is the LABELING of these medications.
I have taken care of patients in the hospital who doubled there dose of coumadin,because they thought it was another medication. Like, their blood pressure pill; if families watched what the elderly are taking, setting up daily med
administration packs, and rechecking them frequently, there could be less errors.
If you know your diabetic meds well, the same way an insulin pump patient knows his basal insulin rate, there could be less errors. Knowing carb counts, and the increase in insulin potency from exercise can prevent errors.
Patients really stand to benefit more from filling all RX's at the same pharmacy, and knowing there medications, with good family involvement.

I am saddened to think that patients think that physicians are callous in prescribing coumadin. Anyone who has been present in these discussions knows that it can sometimes be a really tough call. In an older patient with atrial fibrillation, do you put them on coumadin or do you risk them getting a devastating stroke. I have seen both sides. Lovely, fully functional people who have complete immobility on one side, personality changes after a major stroke... And I have also seen serious GI bleeding. Sometimes we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But for millions of patients, physicians do the right thing and keep them alive and well. That is a good thing.

Dear friends that I have not met.
In the Bible it talks about Holistic healing and goes back to antiquity. You can use Cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon in your tea in the morning for your heart it helps heal and strengthens your heart, take SMALL SIPS! and Vitamin E supplemental.
Heart
Cayenne has been known to stop heart attacks within 30 seconds. For example, when a 90-year-old man in Oregon had a severe heart attack, his daughter was able to get Cayenne extract into his mouth. He was pronounced dead by the medics, but within a few minutes, he regained consciousness. On the way to the hospital, he remained in a semi-conscious state, but the daughter kept giving him the Cayenne extract. By the time they got to the hospital, he had fully recovered and wanted to go home and mow the lawn. The doctor asked what she had given him, as he said it was the closest thing to a miracle he had ever seen.
Capsicum (cayenne pepper) is said to be unequal for its ability to boost circulation and increase heart action. Capsicum exerts a variety of desirable actions on the entire cardiovascular system. It has the extraordinary ability to enhance cardiovascular performance while actually lowering blood pressure. Capsicum has an energizing effect on the entire system. It has traditionally been used for overcoming fatigue and restoring stamina and vigor. It is a natural stimulant without the threatening side effects (palpitations, hyper-activity or rise in blood pressure) of most other stimulating agents.

After spending nearly a year helping my sister in law through several surgeries and now chemo treatment for cancer, I am STUNNED at the lack of communication between patient and doctors and healthcare staff. STUNNED. It's like a cattle call. Although her care providers seem to be genuinely interested, they are not asking the right questions. At one point she had disphagia?? SHe was talking but the words were scrambled. FINALLY, I counted her meds and discovered she was taking PHENERGAN, thinking it was either diarrhea med or Zophran. I had a hard time reading the label, too. BUT come on people. They rattle off these instructions to us and between the two of us, we muddle through. Bother of us have graduate degrees. My focus was more on healthcare and she is a medical ignoramous but there is no excuse for this. I can see why there are fatal hospitalization mistakes, I can see why patients don't get their meds right, I can see why Docs don't get the entire picture. What is the solution? I wonder about WRITTEN instructions as you LEAVE the DOC's office. No the hospital orders don't really cover this stuff, seriously. Why can't these docs print out their findings and recommendations and Hand it to the patient like a RECEIPT?

Yesterday, the Times published an article which documented the large payments being made by pharmaceutical companies to Doctors in one State. The doctors who received payments, naturally, prescribed the most medications.
PROHIBITING ANY PAYMENT-including free lunches , medical conferences paid for by drug companies, which include doctors posing as "experts" who are acting as nothing more than paid spokespersons for BIG PHARMA- will help solve BOTH PROBLEMS.
Of course, if Doctors spent any time reviewing medication and warning patients of side effects, that would be helpful.
Pharmacies don't even have the time for that. Pharmacies just shove a form in front of people to sign that says " I have been offered counseling"-None actually IS EVER OFFERED !
NO one takes the time-and Doctors are so squeezed by insurance companies to flip patients quickly, that they really don' t have the time.
Until some of these problems are dealt with, which will probably be NEVER, this will continue to happen.
Safest course of action of course is to eat healthfully and in moderation (easier said than done !) exercise, not smoke, take good care of oneself.

The bruising you so often see (called senile purpura because of the colour and the age group affedted--"senile" means old, not demented) is more likely to occur in areas of skin that have been heavily exposed to sun (which makes the smallest of the skin's blood vessels, the capillaries, fragile) and areas frequent subject to pressure or bumping. You will probably have lots of active neighbours who shun sunblock & are very active. If those in whom you see the bruising frequently drive with their window open they will have more sun damage on that arm and usually have a bit more bumping and minor trauma to the dominant arm, depending, of course, on the activity.

Higher doses of aspirin are more often associated with stomach ulcers & GI bleeding than low dose and since the elderly are less likely to sense stomach pain with ulcerations, they may have significant blood loss (either gradually or acutely) prior to any symptoms obvious to themselves or others

The range between therapeutic and toxic dose is so narrow in the case of Coumadin that if I needed to take it, G-d forbid, I would absolutely use a Chinese herb formula instead. Miles Davis did.

We have lovely formulas containing blood thinning herbs that have been used for heart disease and stroke care, etc, for millennia....

Again, I think it is disingenuous the way bio-med people often say, with an air of great authority, "well, we don't know if herbs are safe..." when, in fact, we do know that drugs, frequently are not safe, especially when you have old folks on cocktails of drugs in which the right hand doc does not pay attention to wheat the left hand doc is doing (i see this in my practice often, old folks on 7-8 drugs at a time) all the more if you define safe as free of negative and unwanted additional effects like liver toxicity, weight gain, fatigue, impotence, etc., etc., then they are never safe.

Absoluutely amazing, that Aspirin, considered one of the safest drugs out there for adults, which has been around for over one hundred years, when seemingly every day we hear of a new found benefit for its' use, is on this list. I don't believe it!

Bottom line is that no drug (even one that is derived from natural/herbal sources) is completely safe. Any drug taken incorrectly, in excess, or for no good reason can become harmful. As a culture, we Americans are too quick to reach for a pill.

Coumadin (warfarin) is tricky--and sometimes the decision is a choice between two evils. As for using CHADS-2, left coaster, ALL of my patients have a score of at least 3. They're older, and they have many chronic conditions.

Watch those clotting drugs. They damn near killed my mother. The doctor -- trained abroad, and accustomed to knee-jerk "if A, then B, do not apply thought" procedure -- kept her on Coumadin well after it was apparent she had severe anaemia. Fortunately another doctor took her off it. Mum was a former nurse and from the doctors-are-never-to-be-argued-with generation.

As others have noted, Warfarin and Coumadin are rat poisons. I strongly suspect using them as a preventative (even in people with no history of heart problems, as they tried to do to me last year!) is just lazy. Doctors overprescribe the stuff, in part out of habit, in part because they're more afraid of being accused of negligence than of overtreating, and in part because no doctor or hospital ever got paid for not doing something.

#8: Aspirin is indeed a blood thinner -- that's why low-dose aspirin is often prescribed for heart problems. I wonder if the problem with aspirin poisoning is that familiarity breeds contempt. It's around the house, it's an OTC drug, it develops an aura of harmlessness, "hey, it's only aspirin" -- and it's easy to lose track of how long ago you took it, or perhaps to take extra for a headache on top of the dose you took for your heart.

I do not think it is helpful to keep referring to Warfarin as fundamentally rat poison used to treat certain human medical conditions. Warfarin is a medication that will kill many species of mammal if given in a large enough dose. But then, this is the case for many other medications that people use. Warfarin is a drug that requires careful management in the way that it is used by a patient and the margin for a problem to occur is quite narrow. However, used appropriately it is a lifesaver so why not look at it in this way rather than as a “killer” substance that people have to put up with?

I am horrified that the article failed to even mention that Type I and Type II diabetes are different disorders. As written, it encourages health care professionals who know little or nothing about the the nature or management of Type I diabetes to interfere with the treatment regimes of Type I diabetics, to disregard patients' statements of their personal knowledge of how they respond to increases and decreases of insulin doses, and to call very substandard medical care "good practice." There is no epidemic of Type I diabetes. Consequently, the relatively recent "war on diabetes" too often becomes a war against Type I diabetics. A better approach would be for health care writers to take care about making important distinctions. Professional ignorance that mistakes itself for knowledge is a very dangerous thing for Type I diabetics.

Coumadin killed my mom & my uncle. Too much, bleeding on the brain causes stroke. Too little, heart attack risk increases, & stroke. It has to be perfectly dosed. Doctors need to take into account patient weight, & the possibility of other surgeries with advancing age. Patients have to be taken off it if they need surgery, then put back on. The whole thing is complicated & scary. I wish pharmaceutical researchers would look into how to decrease the mortality risk by fine-tuning the drug and the doctors who prescribe it.

I'm an emergency room physician and I'm surprised at the lack of information some readers have about Pradaxa (Dabigatran) - or, as one commenter calls it, 'Paradox.' Sure, the commercials all tell us that its dosing is easy and it does not necessitate blood level monitoring. But they don't tell you that, unlike with coumadin, the drug cannot be reversed. So if you have a GI bleed, or (heaven forbid) end up in a car accident with significant bleeding, or fall and hit your head (as some elderly are wont to do), there is a good chance you will bleed out and die. If given the choice, I'd take the coumadin.

One very important point not mentioned, is the use of generics for a product with a narrow therapeutic index. Clotting agents, Coumadin in particular, should not be filled with a generic vs. Warfarin, the branded product. When taking aspirin, Bayer or St. Joseph’s brand may be more expensive, but they are worth it, for the same reason.

For drugs that have a very narrow range between the effective and the toxic levels, any variability in the product must be considered. Binders and fillers used in generics are ingredients that should be considered when prescribing NTI drugs. The FDA says all generics are comparable to the branded product, but that is not true. There is a variable allowance permitted by the FDA, and that should be considered when prescribing an agent with a narrow therapeutic index.

While these physicians might have been "surprised" at the number of hospitalizations, virtually any paramedic in an active service would have offerred the same estimate as this study provided. From private residences, assisted living or another healthcare facility, it's basically continuous traffic to the hospital ED. Aside from these drugs with relatively narrow therapeutic dosages, drug interactions are a common culprit when a new adidtional drug is prescribed.

This is a good wake-up call & clearly a problem situation, but I wish it were more precise & clear. The headline says the drugs "Cause Most Hospitalizations in Older Adults". Not so, if you read the test. The text says they cause 1)most EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS, many of which do not result in hospitalization, i.e., admission 2) for problems with medications, apparently excluding other causes not medicine-related, such as falls, strokes, heart attacks, etc. Obviously this is a serious problem, and one that can be mitigated, but the reader gets no sense of what % of the emergency room visits are caused by medication reactions.

ALSO, in response to other comments about lifestyle, I agree completely that people need to improve their lifestyles, BUT the statement that diabetes is largely controllable only applies to TYPE 2 diabetes and not TYPE 1, which is essentially a different disease.

Another "bottom line" is that people taking these drugs should doublecheck with their doctors to be sure they really need them. I can only imagine the number of people put on warfarin or, say, a beta blocker, without an explicit plan for proper follow up.

Not news to me. I had been on Metformin for five years (diabetes). Last spring I started getting diarrhea. By October, it became severe and daily. The intestinal pain became acute. My labs also showed a very low magnesium count. Fortunately, we found the cause. As soon as I stopped the Metformin, the symptoms disappeared. Anyone else experience this?

My husband took warfarin for A-fib. That was a reasonable medication for his condition. We were warned that spinach and other green vegetables affected the Coumadin level in his blood. However, no one warned us that antibiotics and other drugs affected the warfarin level. Apparently, no one warned my husband's PCP, either. Nor did anyone warn his dentist or urologist.

WARNING: If you take Coumadin (warfarin), before taking any new drugs, call your clinic or management nurse first. Find out how to adjust your warfarin dose to accommodate the new drug.

I was put on Coumadin for life at 22 yo when I developed a life threatening DVT due to my use of Nuvaring an an unknown combination of two clotting disorders. Coumadin is the worst drug ever...it interacts with everything. I have an at home monitot, but that too needs constant fine tuning. Pradaxa was supposed to be end all for me, but like other readers have posted there is no way to reverse it and it comes in at about $1000 per month as most insurances won't cover it. My only success to date it being able to carry to term my now 16 month old daughter, It was a carefully monitored process which had to be done on a daily regime of lovenox and heparin injections, but it worked.

This happens to be the field in which II work so the numbers sounded wrong. I went back to the NEJM article and the author of the NYTimes article misrepresented some numbers. While the NYTimes writer referred to % of all ER encounters, the article relates the percentages to all admissions (not ER encounters) identified as related to an adverse drug reaction (not all encounters) in those over 65 (the NYT writer got that correct.) By the way, there is good evidence that upwards of 2million admissions per year are caused by adverse drug reactions, a large portion of those in seniors. The reason the NEJM article computed 100K is due to the fact that the vast majority are not recognized as such. The 4 groups of medications listed are by far the easiest to assign. The authors are very correct in noting that we must do a better job of dealing with these 4 groups.

75 Most Iconic Hairstyles of All Time

2011-12-03T02:58:00.000-08:00

If you need a new hair idea (and don't we all?), make it a classic. We sifted through over 80 years' worth of bobs, bangs, bed-head, and beehives to find the best celebrity hairstyles that look as glorious now as they did then.

Discussion:

Sophia Loren and her very feminine, sexy and chic classic updo is the best.

I couldn't choose better than Farrah Fawcett 70s long haircut.RIP.

I love this cut but I have too thick and wavy of hair to keep it always like this...but it is similar.

I was really disappointed that Ingrid Bergman wasn't on this list!!

Farrah Fawcett, 1976 hair!

"Natalie Wood" is an answer! She was amazingly beautiful, stunning lady. Any hair style was good on her.

I like this style.I just had my hair cut like this.

I want her wardrobe...but the cut would look good on you...go for it...I am going burgandy on sat

Me too love it! Had it b4 everyone loved it

Love this haircut!!!! I wanna have this done to mine!!!!

Read more: Best Celebrity Hairstyles - Iconic Hairstyles

Calgary Stampede Centennial

2011-12-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

Calgary Stampede Centennial - watch more funny videos

Hell yeah, it's Mike!

i clicked funny because im canadian. also mike is a bad ass mother fucker on breaking bad. but thats it

Yes indeed, gettin' all them actors to do all these goofy things outside theirs character range. Well that be some mighty fine comedy.

In Calgary, we've gotta say, the video could have been a lot funnier if the Stampede had taken the chance to poke more fun at themselves

I think these guys should stick to killing animals for fun.

The marketing department really blew it on this one. This probably had potential to go viral on its own, but instead they paid to have people press die.

Keep the fair, get rid of the animal exploitation.

I do not agree with the stampede...last year I think 4 horses died in the carriage race alone? Unfortunately I know there are a lot of cowboys that disagree, but all the heat, stress and workload on these horses is brutal and the stampede and bull riding should be stopped!

Seriously, growing around animals I think the whole anti-stampede bit is bull. These animals are worked but are treated very well. You know what happens to the rest? Cheeseburgers. You want to help animals for real? Lets fight the treatment of animals on industrial farms. Give farming back to the common man!

The stampede is horrible and abusive.

miss your a idiot and your talking out your ass

Backward thinking? Like the time before people used punctuation to reduce the amount of breathless run on sentences? Perhaps we should forget to celebrate the past, who needs independence day anyway.

The Stampede just embarrasses Canada - once again making us appear as if we are striving to live up to the image of the mouthbreathers in Alabama and the Southern US- backward thinking, un-evolved and, in a time when the rest of the world is trying to move on to recognize sentience, that Canada is once again bringing up the rear. There is no "fun" in cruelty unless you are selfish- and cowboys died out in the last century. Pretenders hanging onto the past are relics who need to understand that the world is evolving and they need to get on board with the next century instead of continuing to be the slave owners of the past.

How to Lose Weight This Holiday Season

2011-12-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

Article

Winter is the time of the year when people are generally most keen to learn tips on how to lose weight fast. It is no surprise considering that the body has a tendency to store fat during winter months, and Christmas and New Year are just round the corner, with their feasts, pies, sweet treats and alcohol. In these circumstances, it may seem virtually impossible to get slim and keep those excess pounds off. But it is certainly not impossible. Consider some of these weight loss tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5608901

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Ah, the “most wonderful time of the year” is upon us again, but for dieters this can be the time of year most dreaded! Food of all types is available in over abundance. From the huge dinner at Thanksgiving to start things rolling right through to the leftovers from the New Year’s Eve Party, delicious fattening holiday foods surround us. Not only are they sitting out on the counter at your office waiting to be consumed, television programs and commercials are in our face showcasing the latest recipes. How can you possibly make it through the next few weeks without gaining any weight, let alone lose some? Believe it or not, there are some tried and true tips for losing weight during the holidays.

Five tried and true tips that will not only help you avoid gaining weight, but can help you lose weight during the holidays.

fitness, health, diet, exercise, lose weight

Recognizing the Signs of Elder Abuse

2011-12-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Article

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse: "...elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or trusted individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder." Elder abuse may take the form of neglect; physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological abuse; verbal abuse and threats; financial abuse and exploitation; or abandonment. Neglect is the most common form of elder abuse.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5349610

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Today’s senior citizens are living more active, independent lives than ever before. Life expectancy has gone up exponentially, and our seniors are enjoying better health late into their golden years. While this is wonderful news, there are always people who seek easy targets for criminal activity. As the senior population has grown, so too has the incidence of elder abuse.

It’s estimated that each year, more than two million senior citizens become victims of some form of elder abuse – whether physical, emotional, or financial. Most people think that “elder abuse” is only something that occurs in nursing homes, but it’s much more pervasive.

Discusses the main types of elder abuse - physical, emotional, and financial - and some of their warning signs.

Only A Cynical Man Talks About Weight Loss Patches Like This

2011-12-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Article

A weight loss patch can be a great help for you to reach your goal in losing weight, as long as you use it correctly. While there are many varieties of these patches available, not all of them can keep their promises. They are fairly easy to apply and with little to no discomfort. All you have to do is affix it to your skin in the morning and leave it on until the evening. Combined with the manufacturers' promises, this seems like the perfect solution for the busy person that is trying to lose weight.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6222933

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If you ever tried those weight loss patches you'll know they're as fun to use as a glitter-lined pair of skin tight cotton Ys in the heat of an Arabian summer.

For instance, have you ever tried to to keep your patch on in the shower?

You know, some of these things get advertised as water-proof, heat resistant, scratch proof as well as being kevlar coated but honestly, the only weight loss patches I've reviewed are about as adhesive as a teflon wok lined with motor oil.

Is The iPhone’s Siri Misleading Women Who Need Emergency Health Services?

2011-12-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

“What may I help you with?” So begins Siri — the unique voice-activated assistant of the iPhone 4s that promises to deliver accurate and tailored

answers for your every need. Unless you’re a woman in search of health services like birth control, emergency contraception, abortion, or even mammogram tests. Then the interactive search wizard draws a blank.

As RH Reality Check notes today, Siri “appears to have a blind spot” when asked a few simple, even standard reproductive health questions like “Where can I go to get an abortion?” or “Where can I go for birth control?”: Read full article - http://thinkprogress.org

Discussion

Guess what, Siri isn't a real person.

Is this the same Apple in the Garden of Eden?

Pretty sad state of affairs for Apple...

Ask Siri where's the best place to bury a dead body.

Gee, thanks for setting me straight. You really do have a God complex, don't you?

Lets blame Siri for people who can't be bothered to use Google to find their own abortion clinics.

I sent this story to my daughter in chicago... she wrote back:
"yet when I ask for a b*j* she gives me 3 escort services..."... for real.

perhaps turning to Siri (or Wolfram) for health concerns is not the smartest move-- considering their answer to alcohol poisoning is... more booze. (http://i.imgur.com/MAYNz.jpg) And what a pointless, overreaching article.

I read it more as a negative reaction to the" bad-boy mythology." Siri thinks it's okay for men to be "immoral" and pay for sex, but she thinks it isn't okay for women to be "immoral" and have birth control or abortions.

But to be clear, I totally agree that our attitudes toward sex workers (and of course, women in general) are closely tied with our attitudes toward abortions and birth control.

Tanya and Marie have inadvertantly stumbled on the paradox, unwittingly buying into the same philosophies of denigrating sexual women that freakishly empowered politicians find to be such a great storyline for getting reelected. Until you can love women who are commercial sex workers and embrace this profession as requiring the very services you find are missing, women will remain unacceptably flawed. When commercial sex workers are valued and treated as part of a community, without the disparaging despair of "feminists," you'll finaly find your fight for abortion clinics, sex ed, reproductive health care, and birth control to be ho-hum, already conquered essentials.

Stop repeating the bad girl mytholgoy and you'll find more success.

funny I just heard this on Howard Stern...he asked his iphone where the nearest abortion clinic is and it told him, there is not one in your area..he's in New York City..really???

I wonder what it says if you ask where to go for Viagra.

Siri is still in beta (not complete) and feedback to the company is vital to defining the finished product. Rather than ThinkProgress complaining to their readers, they should contact the company and encourage their readers to also. Although Apple Inc walks a fine line trying to avoid angering various noisy political minorities, their leaders are mostly progressives and should be sympathetic enough to find a better solution. Try contacting the company.

This is pretty creepy. I keep waiting for Apple to say something or fix this.

The term "abortion" is can also mean spontaneous abortion or miscarriage. Shouldn't it flag some hospitals?

Nicholas B Teodori You're right. I misread the first part of your sentence. My cold is really getting to me today. My bad.

Jason Vernon I just making a point that it will help you murder someone, but women's health is out of the question.

The difference? Hiding a body is not legal... abortion is.

But you do get results for "Where can I hide a body?"

What happens if you ask "where can I buy condoms" or "where can I get Viagra?"

Try googling it - depending on the city you are in your results may also be limited.

What was misleading was the ridiculous tweet from TP that linked this.

this stuff is going on everywhere. false and misleading has become commonplace. I remember when newspapers printed corrections of spelling errors, :) it's a whole new world.

Eh, who cares. Apple just has foresight to prevent any "IPHONE HELPED MAH DAUGHTER GET AN ABORTION! 1!" nonsense that could fill a slow news day on Fox News. Its not like you can't just Google it yourself.

It's not for you or anyone else to decide what someone else should or shouldn't do, that's called freedom. It's what America is supposed to be about.

I'd say the more shameful thing is taking a private and intensely personal decision that should ONLY be made by the woman with sound advice from her doctor, and having government and self-appointed arbiters of morality forcibly intervene in it.

Most Americans favor adoption, and many have at some point considered adoption. However, relatively few have taken concrete steps toward adopting a child, and fewer still have actually adopted a child. some of the more recent statistics and trends regarding American adults Overall, only 1.1 percent of all women aged 18 to 44 years had adopted a child, and this included 1.4 percent of ever-married women. Among adopters, 17 percent of women had never been married.Of women who had considered adoption, about 2.6 million (14.3 percent) had actually taken concrete steps toward adoption. This included 2.1 million ever-married women (16.8 percent).
• Of women who had taken concrete steps toward adoption, 614,000 (23.2 percent) had completed an adoption. This included 507,000 ever-married women (23.6 percent).

Which is MORE shameful: annihilating a pre-born baby boy or girl in the womb whose DNA is immediately recognizable as ONLY that of a homo sapien, or offering a pregnant woman who does NOT wish to raise her child beyond birth the option to put up her baby boy or girl for adoption to the 2,000,000 couples currently waiting to adopt? A civil society would answer the former; an uncivil one the latter.

not true! just tried it, worked flawlessly. However I think we all know siri is an idiot and doesn't work most of the time so if she didn't work for the author big woop.

Well..this is disturbing. It shouldn't be very hard to link abortion services or birth control services or sexual health questions to Planned Parenthood. However, there is no reason to denigrate escort services. They are not illegal, and they provide a valuable service. The same with burritos. :)

Lillian Trotz Yes, they did, but blaming Apple won't change anything. They were probably the best (or at least offered the best deal). Think of it this way, how many times have you voted for a politician because they represented everything you wanted except for a few things you disagree with or don't like? Or think of it as choosing the lesser of two evils. Blaming the chooser will do nothing. Blaming the source will do everything.

I love how everyone is attacking Apple. Read the article, Siri uses Wolfram Alpha, it's own software and individual company. Your complaints should be with Apple or the iPhone 4s, it's with Wolfram.

Siri should be linking information about reproductive health services to ACCESS - our 1-800-376-4636 Healthline. Unlike Siri, our Healthline can provide unbiased information and referrals to comprehensive reproductive health services in California.

Because not everyone considers "abortion clinic" to be a pejorative term or loaded term. And not all OBGYNs or women's health clinics provide this service.

I agree - I wouldn't look up abortion clinic as there is no such listing in my city - you would need to look under health center. We have clinics that offer abortion services but not actual abortion clinics. It would be an issue of putting in the correct search term into Siri. FYI vinglo app did not find anything either

Why are you using the pejorative term "abortion clinic" instead of "Obstetrician/Gynecologist" or women's health clinic? When you use their terminology they have won a very large battle for your mind.

Eli Guscott It's a crisis. Duh. Everyone responds differently to one. Maybe a woman isn't ready to talk to someone yet. Asking Siri for directions to a rape crisis center makes sense. Then a woman can figure out where to go to get help, but still take the time to process what just happened, without having to talk about it yet.

Bill Bucolo I checked mine for Atlanta and it came up with nothing! I also asked for the nearest Rape Crisis Center and it also said I don't see any abortion clinics. But just like the article says, the Nearest escort servie- Siri said "This escort Service is a little ways from Atlanta" and it gave me Tens Escort Referrals 678-835-8367

Bill Bucolo The way I looked at it, a computer program can only be as good as its programming and support. There's an old expression in programming: "Garbage in, Garbage out." I've seen Siri in action on my cousin's iPhone - it was having a hard time with speech recognition, something that was made fun of in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory." As far as I'm concerned, this program should not have been released quite so quickly until the majority of the bugs were worked out, the same as Blu-ray.

Finally, a sensible, knowledgeable answer.
When I read this story, I tried my own 4S/Siri, asking "Siri, where can I find abortion information in St. Petersburg?" and it immediately give me a listing about a mile from my location... real clinic, not a phony church site.

The Wolfram Alpha answer engine computes answers and relevant visualizations from a knowledge base of curated, structured data. If said data is not entered into its system, then Siri is not going to be able to look for what you want because it won't know where to look for the information. The question here should be asked of the programmers at Wolfram Research, many of whom are probably males.

When I recently got a new iPhone, I was showing it to some friends. As we were playing with it, one of my friends grabbed it and asked Siri for a bl**j*b. Siri instantly referred him to a local escort service, complete with address, phone number, and Google Maps info (I hope Siri has a short memory - I don't want that request to linger on my phone).

So Siri can help with sexual gratification requests, but not requests for birth control information? WTF? This makes about as much sense as health insurers covering Viagra but not birth control pills.

A possible non-conspiratorial explanation is that companies have to pay to be in the system and abortion clinics are not inclined to be highly visible in this political environment.

The Best Phone Apps to Share and Sync with your Social Networks

2011-12-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Article

The iPhone has come a long way since its inception. It broke barriers with its touch screen, web apps, and native apps. With over thousands apps available, it's hard to decide which ones are worth your while. I've spent my fair share of time downloading iPhone/iPod Touch apps and, long story short, I've uninstalled a good portion of them. Why? Because they either sucked or I never used them.

Following are Free Five MUST HAVE social media apps on your iPhone:

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4150857

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Apps are fun but phones are a personal affair. We love sharing what we're up to with our gaming and listening habits. Here are some fun phone apps to share with your friends!

Phones are a fairly personal thing. The screens are small, they contain access to private information like contacts or emails and they’re pretty much designed for solo use.

But sometimes it’s nice to let other people know what we’ve been up to with our phones, much like sharing music listening habits on Last FM or gamer achievements on Xbox Live. And why type it manually into a status box when you can automatically post everything you want to share to whatever networks you use?

Here are five of my favourite apps that are not only fun and helpful to use, but are great to share around too.

Standalone Versus Fitted Electric Cookers

2011-12-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

Article

Installing or fitting an electric cooker must be done on its own circuit. An electric cooker cannot be spurred of any other circuit and must be controlled by its own fuse at the consumer unit. For this reason, if this is a new installation it counts as installing a new circuit and is forbidden by any other than a Part P qualified electrician. Please see our project on part P if you do not understand this.

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/electriccooker.htm

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There are major differences to standalone and fitted electric cookers. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Careful consideration of these will help the consumer to make the best purchase for his or her kitchen.

Stand alone cookers

Standalone electric cookers have the obvious advantage of having an oven as well as three or four burners. Some models have interchangeable parts, such as a griddle, grill or regular burners.

Celebrities Love Pirate Fancy Dress Costumes Especially Kim Kardashian

2011-12-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

Article

Halloween is the one time every year that celebrities can go all out and show how creative they can get with their costumes.

Over the years, some celebrities have had such incredibly awesome costumes that they have made the news. Here are a number of celebrity costumes that have made the news.

Jenny McCarthy looked totally ravishing in a French Maid costume a few years back. She accessorized the look with some fishnet stockings and a pair of sexy black heels. The flouncy frock that was coupled with a plunging neckline made her look like the perfect naughty French maid.

You would not be scolded if you asked her to do some dusting for you if you saw the outfit.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6188847

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Kim Kardashian is many things, a reality star, a fashion icon, a model, a business woman, and just recently she is now one of the hottest looking pirates ever to be seen! The pirate fancy dress costume is just one of the many costumes Kim wore for last year’s Halloween party hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum aka the Queen of Halloween. When people say ‘she went all out for Halloween’ that statement was created for Heidi Klum, her outfits and costumes are in another league, they make Lady Gaga’s outfits look like jeans and a t-shirt! But back to Kim, Kim’s sexy pirate costume was gorgeous with an off-the-shoulder long sleeved white frilly short dress with a black and silver corset over the top.

Kim Kardashian has had amazing success over the last few years with her reality TV show, here is a look at what Kim and her family have been up to lately.

How to Succeed in Your First Job

2011-12-02T05:11:00.000-08:00

Article

Working hard for the right things is one of the most valuable tips that you need to follow. You need to have a clear understanding of your job profile and your objective. This will help you to figure out ways of doing your job in a better, more efficient manner. To be precise, know why you are on the payroll and what you are getting paid to do. You want to thoroughly understand your job duties and responsibilities.

It is a good idea to talk to your boss about your job duties and responsibilities in order to best help you determine your success and focus.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1051336

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Lots of people are anxious on how to behave in their first job. Read the following tips and success is guaranteed!

•Hitting on Female Colleagues: Choose the most beautiful women in the office and hit on them all day. It is known that the road to the top is

by hitting women!

•Do not compromise: Ever! Request an expensive chair (your manager has one, why shouldn't you?), cushion for the keyboard, foot resting ,

comfortable couch to sleep when feeling sleepy and of course parking near the entrance (essential).

•Access on the Internet: Check if facebook, twitter, youtube and YOUR-WEBSITE is blocked.

Is Your Office as Clean as it Should Be?

2011-12-02T03:32:00.001-08:00

Keeping your office clean is so important for a number of reasons. By employing a commercial cleaning service you are not only ensuring the health of your staff, but you are also making sure that clients that visit your office get the right impression about you and your business. Here, we've listed some of the major factors people don't often consider in relation to the importance of keeping your office as clean as possible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6158935

Keeping your office clean is as important as it is to keep your business dealings above board, your finances in order and your business strategy sound. This is because a clean office will keep your staff happy, your customers or clients happy, the health of your staff as good as it can be and will reduce the amount of working hours lost each year due to sickness.
Stats Don’t Lie

Research carried out by the University of Arizona and Durable UK revealed some fascinating statistics regarding office hygiene.

71% of workers believe dirty office spaces have made them ill in the past

82% of people believe they would work harder in a cleaner environment

There is typically 445 times more bacteria on your desk than on a toilet seat

Properly disinfecting your desk can remove 99.

Top five Gift Ideas For People On A Budget

2011-12-02T03:30:00.001-08:00

Christmas is coming up fast and is right around the corner. Because of this, there is a frantic rush at the local stores and at the online retailers to find just the right gift for the special someone on your list. Shopping for someone doesn't have to be a major undertaking involving a lot of guesswork and such. The hard part is in the preparing of our Christmas lists and is where we usually get stuck. Quite frequently, in our quest to find the perfect gift for the people we know and care about, we get ourselves in a pickle trying to determine which item is best for a particular person and also which item is the best fit.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3352378

For those on a tight budget birthdays and holidays can be stressful. It doesn’t have to be, though. There are many great gifts out there that

will fit into a small budget. Here are some of the best gifts on a budget to consider for the next holiday or birthday.

1. Photo gifts

Almost any retailer that prints photos offers photo gifts. These gifts range from photo coffee mugs, calendars and ornaments to more

expensive canvas prints to be displayed in the home. There is a photo gift to fit any style and budget.

You might create a calendar featuring the person or the family’s favourite photos from throughout the year.

5 Biggest Threats to Clean Water

2011-12-02T03:06:00.001-08:00

For a necessity of life, water sure can be a natural resource that many of us take for granted. We may think if we live in a favorable climate area where it is abundant most of the year, that when it falls out of the sky regularly, it should, therefore, be free. Outside of the United States, however, a limited access to potable water remains a serious health threat in many developing countries.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/586186

Generally speaking, humanity itself is the greatest threat to clean water, but that hardly accounts for the species’ well-documented ability to adapt.

The trick, of course, is figuring out ways to do this while still moving forward in terms of growth, productivity and the betterment of the global community. As the needs of the world’s citizens evolve, so must the ways in which those needs are met so that future generations may also prosper.

The balance between growth and preservation of necessities like clean water is a difficult one, to say the least, but addressing the five threats below will help guarantee the stewardship of the world’s most valuable natural resource.

How to Keep Your Cell Phone Secure from Identity Thieves

2011-12-02T03:05:00.001-08:00

For years people have been trying to find a way to keep more secure but with the evolution of the internet and technology, it seems like it is also being easier for hackers to get into your information. Though many people will say that it might be easier for hackers to get into your phone, you have to realize that there are plenty of people out there who are smart enough to break through any kind of security but if you are smart enough to do the basics to secure your phone, you will realize that it is so much easier to keep everything protected.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6684099

Smart phones are really more computer than phone, and with so much of our personal information on these devices, they have become targets for identity thieves. Cell phones used to be only good for making calls and that’s it, but now any smart phone can allow you to check your email, tweet a message, send a text message, and even transfer money from your bank account. And while all of this makes life more convenient, it also makes us more vulnerable to having our personal information compromised.

Here are a few helpful tips for making sure the information on your mobile phone does not fall into the wrong hands.

Get Free Stuff from Your Favorite Companies

2011-12-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

The internet has opened up so many opportunities for savvy shoppers to find great bargains; and retailers are willing to compete for your business. That's why you can easily find plenty of free shipping deals, coupon codes and more to entice you. In fact, many retailers are even willing to give out free stuff online in the hopes that you will become a loyal customer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6093648

Are you in love with a particular brand or product? If so, you may be able to leverage that to get free coupons or samples from that company. How? Through old fashion letter writing.

It's nice to know that in the age of technology, some things haven't changed. Most large companies still have PR and customer relation departments that respond to customer opinions. I hadn't written a letter to a big company since I was in elementary school and did so as an exercise. But recently, I found out that the pen (or keyboard) is still mighty powerful for saving money.

My personal favorite drink of choice is Crystal Geyser's all natural "Juice Squeeze".

Auto Loans For People With Bad Credit - Finding The Best Option

2011-12-02T03:03:00.000-08:00

In today's harsh economic climate, finding the best auto loans for people with bad credit, is not such an easy task. Often, the problem will lie mainly with getting a loan at a decent interest rate. This article will show you where to find the best lenders, who will not only grant you a loan, but also give you some of the best loan quotes that exist today. Read on to see exactly how it's done.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5499518

Auto Loans for People With Bad Credit - Do they Exist?

There are actually many choices for your auto loans for people with bad credit and you can find them online and offline. You can get a new vehicle or a used vehicle with the right type of loan even if you have bad credit. Whether you have repossessions on your credit or not, you can still get approved.

Since the economy has suffered many lenders have decided to offer options for those with less than perfect credit. This usually means if you have a blemish it will not matter, but what about those that have many blemishes or have literally destroyed their credit? Even the worst credit situation can still get a vehicle with one of the auto loans for people with bad credit.

Eavesjogging: Half the fun of running is listening in to other people's conversations

2011-12-01T01:40:00.001-08:00

I too have run regularly since before the word jogging came into the vocabulary. Where I run the buzzards have got used to me and don't leave their perches on the telephone poles as I pass underneath. It is a good morning when I see wild deer or hares in the fields. Travelling, too much, on business and seeing little but the inside of offices and factories my early morning run was often the only way to see anything of where I happened to be staying. Before six in the morning the running traffic round the Charles river in Cambridge Mass. is awesome as the MIT faculty prepares for the day's scientific breakthroughs, almost as many people are out as in Sydney on a Sunday morning. The botanical garden in Singapore at the same hour - all the "round-eyes" drenched in the sweat of 100% humidity while the Chinese look on askance as they perform their elegant morning exercise. Everywhere runners nod and smile to each other with one exception. You will get repeated grunts of "Gruss Gott" as you run round Munich's Olympiapark but run on London's embankment or parks and all that runners exchange with each other is an ill mannered glare.

Nice to know that someone runs without the need for music.

What to Do When Your Car Warranty Expires

2011-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Oh No! My car warranty expired! Now, what will happen if it breaks down? If this is a subject on your mind, here are the 5 most common services that will help add years more dependable service to any car, pickup, SUV, or van. Collected from years of providing car care service and products, and seeing the results.

What the heck is a timing belt? My advice. Replace your motors timing belt about when the car has reach 75,000 miles. Cost: under $250. A motors timing belt turns the motors cam shaft, which make the valves open and close, to let fuel in and exhaust out. After so many millions of flexing actions, the belts internal steel strands weaken. If the belt breaks, on some motors, the valves will stay open - instead of closing, causing the piston to smack into the valve with a sledge hammer hit - a damage that can cost over $2000 to repair. Not all motors need this service, but its wise on your part to check your car manual, or have a mechanic look to see if your motor has timing belt, or not. And of course, replace it every 4-5 years or 75,000 miles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5649501

It doesn't matter if you have a manufacturer's warranty or an extended warranty, at some point, it's going to expire. So, what do you do? Do you wait until the time comes to deal with it? Do you just drive the vehicle without one since you intend on trading it in shortly anyway?

From a financial standpoint, the last thing that you probably want to do is spend money on something you're not sure if you'll even use. However, as with anything else in life, you always seem to need something once it's not there. It is never a good idea to drive a vehicle not covered under warranty because it can break down without warning.

Yummy Weight Loss Foods

2011-11-30T12:10:00.001-08:00

Mixing it up and keeping yourself interested in eating healthy is a key for long term success with your weight loss goals. In this article, we will talk about some good recipes for healthy yummy drinks.

Chai Spiced Tea:

This is a great evening drink to be enjoyed by everyone!

-black tea
-milk
-honey
-ginger
-cardamom
-nutmeg
-cinnamon
-allspice

First off, boil some water and add the tea, then add all ingredients and mix for about 5 minutes under low heat. Strain and enjoy!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5786987

Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrating Thanksgiving, but I hate how my body feels after eating gluttonously. The reason why my body suffers afterwards is because of the high increase in unnatural fats and sugars that are consumed. Your body will recover from 2-3 days of eating foods high in fats and sugar, but it will suffer if you eat these types of foods on a daily basis. Many people wish to start a weight loss regimen after the holiday season. Losing weight isn’t an overnight process, it is a change in lifestyle. Look back on what you typically eat, are the foods equally bad as the foods you consumed during Thanksgiving? Even with exercise, if there is no change in your diet, no fat will be burned.

The Difference Between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

2011-11-30T12:07:00.001-08:00

When consumers contemplate the option of bankruptcy generally, the remedy they are specifically referring to is chapter 7 bankruptcy. The effect of the filing is to discharge someone saddled with debt from having to pay debts no longer secured with a valid lien. It also has the added benefit of serving as a court order to creditors (or their collection agencies) to stop hassling you through telephone calls, letters, and personal contact in an effort to get you to pay the debt. But what, in effect, does that mean for you the borrower?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/88442

Should I file bankruptcy? Unfortunately, this question is becoming more common today. As the economy worsens, this solution is moving from the choice of last resort to the one of last hope. Bankruptcy can wipe out the majority of your debt, or restructure debt in such a way that it is manageable, and allow a fresh financial start. Once you have analyzed your financial situation and made the decision to file bankruptcy, the question becomes, "Should I file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13?" While a qualified bankruptcy attorney can best answer that question, we offer an overview of each type of filing and their advantages and disadvantages in order to provide a little background going in.

Is It Time To Purchase Some Hunting Land

2011-11-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

The recession has been tough on a lot of people. There are few markets that have felt the impact of tough economic times more than the real estate market. Home foreclosures are at an all time high and prices are dropping fast. I have several members of my family in the real estate business and I can tell you that there are a lot more sellers out there than there are buyers. In addition, interest rates are at the lowest rates in decades. Lots of people are consolidating their loans under new interest rates.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5148047

If you've been thinking about buying hunting land, it's a good idea to think of the purchase not only as something for your own enjoyment, but as an investment. Being able to hunt on the land is just a bonus. The fact of the matter is, there is only so much land available, and there's never going to be any more of it.

As the population rises, the amount of land available per person will only go down. But the prices for land are truly remarkable right now as a result of the state of the economy. This makes now a great time to buy land that can only grow in value in the long run.

None of this means that you should just buy the first land that you can get your hands on, of course.

Getting Kids Excited About Dental Care

2011-11-30T11:58:00.001-08:00

Explain to children why they should fight cavities and keep their teeth healthy, and ideally they will maintain a regular oral care routine throughout life. Getting into a routine of regular dental care is one of the best ways for children to fight cavities. As young children develop more teeth at ages two to three years, the same general rules to fight cavities apply to them as for teens and adults:

•Visit a dentist regularly
•Eat tooth-healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, and cheese
•Rinse with water if it isn’t possible to brush after each meal or snack
•Brush the teeth at least twice daily using fluoride toothpaste

full article: http://www.crestprohealth.com/dental-hygiene-topics/teeth-cavities/Get-Kids-Excited-to-Fight-Cavities.aspx

One of the trickiest aspects about being a parent is getting kids excited about dental care, especially younger ones who are just starting to learn basic hygiene. When a child or children are beginning to learn how to schedule their showers, tooth brushing, flossing, fingernail clipping and other tasks, it is important to regularly remind them of how much good it will do them to stick to those routines

Events to Look for When Traveling to New Places

2011-11-30T11:54:00.001-08:00

A new year and a new world of opportunities to explore — and places, too. Travel of some sort is on almost everyone's agenda, and some of the first things we tend to think of in a new year are those exotic destinations we'd hope to seek out. Take that road trip to rugged Nova Scotia...

Read more:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2040218_2040220_2040376,00.html

It’s always exciting planning a trip to somewhere new. Somewhere you have never been before. How do you know where to go and what to see? There are so many great resources online to help that you will end up with more things to see than you have time for.

First, you will want to check out the visitor’s bureau for the city or country that you are traveling to. Most sites have a calendar of events in addition to an activities or sites section. They will also list museums, historical sites and other tourist areas.

Festivals

Some cities are known for their street faires and festivals.

Tips for Keeping Your Bills Under Control During the Winter

2011-11-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Properly preparing your home for cold weather can save energy, help keep your winter energy bills under control, and keep ... Not located in an unheated space, a poorly-sealed or seldom-used room, or in direct sunlight near a heat source. ...
http://www.pnm.com/save/energy_tips_winter.htm

Click here to return to the Energy Tips start page or select another topic from the ... to keep your energy costs under control during the winter heating season. Keep in mind - nearly half of your energy bill in the winter goes toward heating your ...
http://www.vectren.com/web/eenablement/learn_about/conservation/homeowners_tips/winter_tips_i.jsp

There are dozens of free and low-cost ways to keep your energy costs under control during the winter heating season. Keep in mind - nearly half of your energy ...
http://www.vectrenlivesmart.com/content/free-and-low-cost-energy-saving-tips-for-the-winter-092309.html

Regardless of the weather, everyone wants to save money whenever and however they can – and with the upcoming winter months ahead, there are a number of ways you can reduce your expenses, often by only making a few small changes here and there.

Lowering Your Home Utility Bills
When the temperature outside falls, heating bills are likely to rise. But there are a few ways to help in reducing these expenses – without the need to be uncomfortable in the cold. One of the most simple ways to reduce your heating costs is to be sure that all windows and doors are closed and properly insulated.

Beginners Guide on Radiators

2011-11-30T11:40:00.001-08:00

A home radiator can provide a focal point for the home that is the proud possessor of such a contraption. Did you know that your home radiator or the term radiator for that matter is somewhat a misnomer? In reality, a radiator refers to a device that essentially allows for the circulation of a fluid through exposed pipes the fact not withstanding that these devices transfer heat via convection and might be logically called convectors. However, as the science lab does not deal with matters that are in the realm of the language lab such a misnomer may be overlooked.

There are a dozen of types of designer radiators and this may include the following types of radiators that are available in the market:

1.Portable radiators: This could come in the format of liquid filled oil heaters that will typically employ an electric current to warm the liquid, and the heat generated are then dispersed via convention.

Simple Christmas Dinner Place card Ideas

2011-11-30T11:38:00.001-08:00

Make Christmas dinner more inviting and exciting with a personalized touch for your guests and family. If you are planning to host a special feast, Christmas dinner placecards are a great way to add that personal touch. Here are some great ideas for inexpensive yet presentable placecards:

1. Look for some colorful paper to feed the printer. Key in the names of your guests with some cute designs from clip art or downloaded images from the internet. Set it in readable font style and size and have it printed.

The Future of Graphic Design

2011-11-30T11:35:00.001-08:00

The introduction of computers has spurred a media revolution whose impact has been felt in virtually every aspect of graphic design. While the computerization of design hasn't increased the number of jobs available in the field, there are still plenty of jobs to be had for designers with the right technical skill sets.

If you're considering a career in graphic design and are just looking for the right graphic design college, here are a few skills not strictly related to graphic design to consider building into your program.

How to Find the Loch Ness Monster

2011-11-30T11:33:00.001-08:00

Various people through the last century have claimed to see the mythical Loch Ness Monster, with everyone from policemen to researchers persuaded to go public by eyewitness reports and mysterious, unexplained sonar data taken from deep in the vast Scottish loch.

Not only is the existence of the monster a subject for debate, but its name has also been called into question. One scientist, Peter Scott, gave the Loch Ness Monster a credible Latin name: Nessiteras rhombopteryx. In a cruel but somehow fitting twist, this genuine Greek name also happens to be an anagram: Monster hoax by Sir Peter S.

How to Protect Yourself from Spyware and Identity Theft

2011-11-30T11:16:00.001-08:00

More hackers are using spyware programs to hack into personal computers and steal identities, so if you think that identity theft only happens to people who lose their wallets or advertise their social security numbers, think again.

What exactly is spyware?

Spyware is much more malicious than adware which usually just pops up an advertisement now and then. And it is different than a virus which is easily spotted by a good anti-virus program these days. Spyware is much more secretive in its endeavors and is used by identity thieves to monitor your every movement on your computer.

Are the Elliptical Machines Bad for Your Knees?

2011-11-30T09:02:00.001-08:00

An elliptical machine, also known as a cross trainer, is a piece of equipment that is commonly used in walking and running exercises.

A common question asked by many is whether elliptical machines have a bad effect on the knees? The truth is that elliptical machines are beneficial to one's general health as they help burn excess calories in the body. As for the knees, they help in building strong muscles for a perfect knee fitness for those with weak knees. This will provide stability when walking, running or standing for long hours.

Will an Elliptical Trainer Shape My Legs?

2011-11-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

Physical Training and exercise has evolved over the years, with people focusing more on their long term health and fitness than yearning for immediate gains. As late as the 1960’s, running was considered the best overall exercise for building strength and conditioning of the lower body and cardiovascular system. But research studies have shown running to be hard on the knees, ankles and hips if continued on a long term basis. Those studies resulted in the advent of many alternatives.

One of the most popular cardio alternatives is the elliptical machine. There are many models on the market today, but the elliptical was originally designed and produced in the 1990’s and has received many upgrades over the years.

What's Better? The Elliptical Machine or Treadmill?

2011-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

Upon entering into any gym, most people are greeted with two options for achieving a cardio workout: the treadmill or the elliptical machine. Regulars of either machine will champion the merits of their favorite device, informing new-comers all of the carb-burning wonders of their favorite part of their gym membership. However, a closer (and less biased) examination of the pros and cons of working out on a treadmill or an elliptical really reveals that there is no simple answer for which machine is better.

For some, a treadmill may be the ideal workout out; for others, the elliptical might be a better choice.

Silicone or Saline? Know about your boob job

2011-11-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Taking the decision to undergo breast enlargement surgery is no small undertaking for any woman, but it is easy to be lured in by the promise of a bigger chest and resulting confidence boost. This can lead to some women making hasty decisions about their surgery without fully understanding the details of the procedure. In this article, we look at the breast enlargement procedure and the differences between silicone and saline implants.

Silicone Implants
Silicone breast implants are either filled with firm, gel-like silicone or fluid silicone.

The Life of Physiotherapy

2011-11-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

Physiotherapy: Means for a Healthy Life por physiobrisbane

The earliest pioneers of physiotherapy can be attributed to the ancient Greeks. Hippocrates and later Galenus are said to have been the first real developers of physical massage and hydrotherapy. Since then, of course, physiotherapy has evolved into an independent branch of complementary therapy which channels several different medical applications.

Towards the end of the 19th century, physiotherapy began to be formally recognised as a healthcare discipline part of the nursing profession, being regulated officially by the Chartered Society.

Are big banks really changing their ways?

2011-11-30T05:24:00.001-08:00

Reality is big banks will never fail. The rich will keep them afloat. The scale tips over to the rich side if you weighed the difference between large rich accounts and small average accounts. Want to make a difference get everyone with 6 digit accounts to move that's the way to bring the banks down to it's knees.

Again, more reason to switch to smaller credit unions and banks, ESPECIALLY credit unions, because to them, membership matters.

My credit union knows I can take my business elsware, which is why they are always striving to give me the most benefit for my money. yes, there are fees for overdraft etc, but those are normal. Free Checking, no excessive fees.

As the old saying goes, if you don't take care of the customer... someone else will.

Thinking that your bank really cares about you as an individual or small business is laughable. They don't. To them you are a potential asset to be used for profit. This will never change. We would be delusional to think our big banks ever take our best interests at heart. That being said if we are going to use a big bank we must adopt the following mentality: Question everything, believe nothing we are told by our bank and insist upon transparent service policies. Make a difference by having the persistence to move your money if EVERYTHING is not to your liking. They can and will do whatever you have the courage to demand. Why should you let your bank perform to a lower standard? They would not let you.

Excellent journalism. I see your photographer actually caught a banker in the midst of deceiving a customer, but relying on the fingers crossed defense.

If that's the basis for your sense of security, I strongly suggest you take a closer look at the FDIC. They are effectively bankrupt. They ran out of money in 2009 and required their big member banks to put up the next three years of premium payments on deposits in order to cover bank losses for that year. The FDIC is notoriously secretive about their financial condition, but with no new payments coming in, they are really running on fumes. If/when the next financial crisis comes, they could very easily be out of money and unable to cover your small bank's losses.

Be careful. Small banks are many times more likely to fail than big banks. I'm not a supporter of big banks. To the contrary, I oppose the entire elastic monetary system they engender and that the Federal Reserve supports, uses, and protects. In fact, my own accounts are in a small bank, but I also know the risks. The historical record tells us quite clearly that small banks fail at a far faster rate than large banks do. In fact, during the 1920s, they failed by the hundreds and thousands every year.

I do not want my bank to care for me, or like me. I want them to be honest and law-abiding. I want them to provide a "real" service for any fees they charge. It's not that difficult folks.

The big banks need to broken up since they only see big bucks and they don't care about the needs of the ordinary Joe and Mary. Again, greed in this industry and Congress should have never allowed huge banks such Citigroup, JP Morgan, BOA, etc. to swallow the smaller banks but then Congress is in with these banks too.

"We understand Americans are looking for more from their financial institutions during these difficult economic times, and we are listening to what our customers are saying," Richele Messick, a Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) spokeswoman said"

I love when large institutions make comments like this as if they have such concern and only after their customers start leaving. They are so geniune aren't they.

Yes, they can borrow from the Feds. That said, without depositors, they would no longer be banks and therefore would no longer be able to borrow from the Fed. This is exactly what happened to Wachovia when they saw $18 billion in deposits be withdrawn in less than a week in 2008. The result? The company failed and deposits seized by the FDIC and sold to a "more solvent" bank.

Big banks really do not need depositors at this time, they can borrow at the Fed at zero interest to make loans or even to invest in Treasuries and actually make 2 or 3 %.
The big banks subsidize their free services for many of their most unprofitable customers through fees on others. I wonder how smaller banks will be able to do this. In the long run this will be unsustainable. Credit unions in particular are very friendly but offer fewer services. That ATM on the very corner usually isn't from your Credit union and it usually isn't free.

BTW, The major beneficiary of debit cards is mainly the merchant - fewer 'bounced checks' and shorter checkout lines. Durbin's price controls only benefited merchants not consumers.

Too many in government have forgotten that governments are for individuals, and that their main purpose is not to sweep money from taxpayers into big business.

Actually, because insurance companies cannot do business accross state lines, in many places you are as limited in your choices of health insurance providers as you are telecom providers. Being forced to choose between a duopoly is not a free market system.

You dont understand free market do you? The first four are geographical monopolies. When you buy a house, or rent an apartment, you dont get a choice on who you want to provide your water or electricity, or gas. To say you have a choice in Telecom is neglecting the fact that you only have access to one land-line service, the rest of your options are wireless. On helath insurance and residential banking, you have a choice. Stop asking the government, and by extension, the rest of us, to keep solving your problems.

Water, Natural Gas, Electricity, Telecom services, health insurance, and residential banking... why aren't the last two treated like the first four? Legislatively change the laws so that those two industries are covered under the utility commission just like the first ones. After all they are pretty much just as critical to modern life... that is what the O.W.S protests should be pushing for. If you are an incumbent and don't vote for this... vote 'em out. Keep that up and eventually they won't have any choice. Clearly today the elected representatives of the people are nothing of the sort. They are mouthpieces for whatever agenda their primary financial backers of their campaigns want. Facism. Sad but true. Look up the term and think of the USA since the late 1980s.

The big banks are holding onto there money and getting ready for the big auction of the United States that will be happening soon once the idiots in office are done bankrupting the country.....

What are too big to fail banks good for if they fail we all go down if we have many small banks our government better regulate what they sell.

Some support the big mega gigantic ginormous banks. Others support the small banks. I support the hide your money under your mattress concept. Put us all in a room together like this and we'll talk, than we'll debate, than we'll argue, than we'll fight. We'll do all this because we can't compromise and find middle ground. Something we all agree with. And divided we always fall. Don't believe me look at the congress. And look what it has done to the government as a whole.

Why is it the media does not question the so-called, "impeccable credentials" of the people running the largest financial institutions. They give this reason as justification for their salaries and bonuses. The same people who brought the financial system down are the same people still running these institutions including executive management and board members. Why are these people infallible? Why do they continue to have an entitlement to gouge consumers? If they are so bright the economy would be good and the people would be happy with them. I am for ousting these people and encourage people who hold stock in these companies to vote no on the proxy to reelect them.

The only way to 'protest' against these larger banks is to simply avoid using them for any monetary transaction, whether it be a simple bank account, or choosing them for your mortgage. These larger banks are all about profit. If they are losing out on money, then they will change.

Politicians may not have wanted financial institutions that wreaked havoc on the economy to fail but most of the people I've spoken to were flat out against bailing out these banks. I question the predictions of disaster that were all made by those with the big money. The disaster happened to everybody else anyway.

We will probably endure another disaster with no ensuing bailouts and end up in the same situation. Eliminating the risk taking sooner rather than later would have been the smart thing to do instead of letting it continue unabated. Ironic since banks continue to take these risks while withholding loans from even reputable customers which is what the bailout was supposed to prevent.

Politicians always assume that those on the receiving end of bailouts will do the right thing and hand over billions without any strings attached. You'd think they would have learned from the prior bailout and the one before that. Any economic stability will be years in the future. Now we have a huge debt with little to show for it.

For all the talk of capitalism by politicians, they're awfully scared of it when faced with a crisis. Some of us wanted banks to fail. Some of us wanted them out of the picture so that real regulation would be put into place without their corrupting influence. It's time to show Politicians in Washington what capitalism looks like. The only way to do that is by force banks into failure and hope it makes a difference either in the way they conduct their business on a large scale or by causing their failure.

Debt crisis must be solved in the open

2011-11-30T04:43:00.000-08:00

That's precisely why the balanced approach, favored by a majority of Americans in poll after poll, is the only path possible. What conservatives don't seem to appreciate is that some voters actually vote for officials who support "entitlements". Whether "entitlements" are fair or not is not the issue - voters (particularly the poorer ones) have a right to vote for what they believe is best for them - this is a democracy and we must abide by those results. Where, as here, the country is split - its obvious that a balanced settlement is the only way to resolve the debt issue.

This will never happen. The Democrats depend upon their spending for entitlements to maintain their voter/support base. If they one dollar of spending, their base will flee. The Republicans depend upon their base. The "never raise taxes no matter what happens crowd" that will turn on them in a heartbeat if they do, base. We are at a stalemate. All the while we spend 50% more income than we bring in. And we get this money from the Fed. Borrowed of course with interest.

"With the United States moving rapidly toward a dangerous level of national debt, our elected officials must act to end the unsustainable path we're on." This guy Bixby must be a Tea Party Terrorist! He wants to destroy our country!

If only that were true. Instead, the polls show that while Americans favor a balanced approach of spending cuts and tax increases aimed at enhanced income earners, a majority oppose spending cuts in every sector of government spending, except foreign aid (if I remember those polls correctly). We seem to have a general NIMBY (not in my back yard) approach to spending cuts.

This very well said, though of course is much easier said than done. "Shared sacrifice" is the key. Most people are willing to pay more in taxes, have their benefits cut, and have spending they care about cut - as long as they feel everyone else is sacrificing as well. It's like going out to dinner with a large group - no one minds paying their share, but no one wants to get stuck with whole bill either.show more

I think the majority of those that pay no federal income tax taxes would LOVE to have enough income so they did. One notable exception is the 1% of those making over 1 million per year that exploit enough loopholes to avoid federal income tax.

If Congress does nothing, spending is cut minimally, and taxes go up significantly. Taxes are paid by 50% of the people, and the other 50% want to pay nothing. That simply isn't fair. So, spending must go down, on all programs, and taxes must go up, on all people. Its the only way. Everyone pays, everything is cut. But, it will never happen. The dumacrats live for only one thing, bribing the people with their own money. and that will never change.

not really - the trigger/automatic cuts and expiration of Bush tax cuts will bring a balanced budget by 2014 (except for interest payments), without any further action.

It's like a gold miner. "we've got to find gold! There's no 2 ways about it. We just can't afford no to". Right. Keep dreaming. Withvthe human ballast we have in congress we're all just going to sink that much faster.

So you think the corrupt lazy idiots running our government should spend the 53%'ers tax money on investing for our future? Yah Right! They have done such a good job. Teleprompter speeches don't create many jobs or job growth. But if Solyndra CEO is a big Obama Campaign Bundler, he gets millions of dollars to fund Obama's campaign. Still doesn't create jobs does it?

Neither does unregulated, unrestricted greed, corruption and a lack of investments for the future of our country.

Excellent info. Look at Europe they have 17 countries and governments. YOU ARE ONE NATION AND ONE CURRENCY (pegged by the rest of the world). If your representatives are so useless then they certainly do not have the american people's interest at heart. Today Fitch says it is putting your country on negative watch. DO NOTHING and you will be downgraded again. You need to CUT BUT ALSO TO RAISE REVENUE (I agree the Bush tax cut is the beginning and a big help) but EVERYTHING SHOULD BE ON THE TABLE. SHARED SACRIFICE.

You're suggesting we all join an organization that has a petition to cut $4 trillion, rather than $1.2 trillion in spending without a single word on ending the unaffordable Bush tax cuts. That's precisely the problem - you are not listening to the majority of Americans who have already decided, in poll after poll, that they want a balanced approach to this issue, including spending cuts and tax increases for enhanced earners to generate more revenue. We will not "unite together to demand results" if you continue to ignore the desires of a majority of your fellow citizens.

We can all join with the Association to Reduce the National Debt and support their efforts demanding that Congress continue to pursue responsible financial legislation. Google them or find them on Facebook. The more of us that unite together to demand results, the more likely we will get it. Support the Association to Reduce the National Debt.

Why is it necessary to raise taxes? Why not just cut the spending, eliminate the pork, or improve efficiency? The private sector does it all the time as part of the normal business process.

Most politicians are people that couldn't make it in the real world. They couldn't get or keep a job in the private sector. So they become politicians. So when I listen to an idiot like Oblamer and his Debtorats say they will fix things as long as we tax people more, I know they are full of it.

The first priority should be REDUCE SPENDING. No slide of hand or double speak from the idiots. The 53% are tired of the Debtorats.

That's really not helpful, and your comment demonstrates one of the problems Washington faces - a refusal to work together to solve this crisis. Instead, the hatred and insults fly when one side with one agenda doesn't get their way. The American people have spoken, again and again. Every poll taken on the subject shows that the American people favor a balanced approach of spending cuts and tax increases at enhanced income levels. Defying the stated will of a clear, bi-partisan majority of the American people, conservatives like the one above just hurl insults. Another comment just above suggests citizens should be kept completely ignorant of budget issues, rather than informed about what our own elected officials are doing with our own money - all this while the conservatives use debt as a major political issue and platform. This is a game played by conservatives - try to keep people ignorant about the facts so you can play the blame-game and lie to them in order to earn their vote. How disgusting...

Intelligent people understand the debt crisis the U.S. and the EU have. The consequences of which will take years for some countries to dig out of. A few will never be able to take the necessary measures. Especially when you add in the low to stagnant growth prospects.

Unfortunately the U.S. has a worthless community organizer, a FAILURE as a man and leader, who knows only how to create debt. The incompetent clown will never lead America out of his crisis.

Humtake, that is the dumbest thing I've ever seen posted on this site, and that is saying something. I agree most people are idiots and especially about financial matters, but to advocate that the government get blind control over taxing and spending is absurd. Look how badly they mismanage while we can see (at least somewhat). Imagine how bad it would be if they knew nobody was watching.

WRONG. One of the reasons this country is falling is because the public wants to know everything. Just like I don't need to know what the person down the hall does in their office who is in a completely different part of the business than I am in my company, the American public has no reason to be involved in financial problems...unless they are experts in the financial field.

A large percentage of the public has no clue how to balance their own accounts that involve thousands. Why should they be involved in worrying about accounts that involve trillions?

The true problem is the public wants to be involved too much. They want to feel like they have power over everything because nobody slaps their hands and tells them to keep their noses out of business they know nothing about.

Americans may not need to know all the ins-and-outs of financial reform at the government level, but all citizens do need to know their sacrifices are paying off.

Install hundreds of National Debt Clocks in key locations and track the debt as it rolls back on an hourly and daily basis.

Americans don't need to know how to build a clock; they just want to know the correct time.

New political-speak appears to be 'fiscal responsibility' as code for cutting spending that helps the poor & lowering taxes to help the rich. I don't mind cutting spending some & closing loopholes, but see no reason to lower tax rates until after the debt problem is solved.

Thats not enough, We want more Cuts, 1.2 Trillon is not enough, And where are those jobs that you promised me and Rest of America. Where are they, We have how many ameicans under Water, Mr President. How many, Your people know!

What Loop tools did he close, As soon as he got in he made so many promises, But they won't play the tape , Or don't u forget he was Standing Aside from the American Flag, Or don't u forget he went too the middle Est too go help his Muslum Frends., Why do u think Cnn is Runnning the story on the Muslems. Beusue they help oboma.

Free trade agreements are not a uniquely liberal platform issue, are they ?Oh, and tell me please how Fox News is controlled by liberals again - I need the laughs.

What the Hell are you talking about, The Libs they Control the Media, They Tell u what u want too hear, They won't tell u the whole story, Onley for them too make money off you. You see we stimulated China, On monday, Did u see the Price of the Chinese Whan, It went up. Because we gave 52.4 Billon too them, Stuff made in China. Wake up nothing is made in ameica, anymore. Nothing not even the car u Drive. That was exported too..

Another proposal to lower rates and eliminate loopholes to increase revenue. Why would we not allow the Bush Tax Cuts to expire and eliminate loopholes thereby significantly increasing revenues? Perhaps even to a point where we are running a surplus and can use said surplus to actaully pay down some of our debt. Once we have paid down the debt, then we can discuss lower tax rates.

It is pretty interesting that the Maya's predicted December of 2012 for the world to "end". The accepted interpretation of the prophecy is that the world will "change forever as we know it." Pretty good guess?

Elections, debt crisis, and wars are all a reality and be only worse next year. Next year a financial Armageddon will occur.

The biggest bubble is about to burst, it's called the US dollar.

You see, while there Libs friends Get Rich, You have too work 3 jobs pay higher gas prices, While they get rich and have nice vacations, and u have too go into debt. And u know what they pay u for cheap, Because thats whats going too happen too every worker in this country. Everyone will make 10hr or less. Barley can pay there Bills.

America stopped improving the education and training of its labor force [as calculated by the average education of the average person of working age] in about 1982. We are the only nation in the world that did this. Since education is the most powerful lever on economic growth, our economy has been losing ever better jobs to ever better qualified foreigners -- reducing our relative standard of living.

I agree with spending and increasing revenue to pay our debt, but disagree about the labor force. Its not a failure of education that causes outsourcing of millions of service jobs to India and manufacturing to China - its mainly the cheap costs of labor there and the imbalance of our currencies. We simply cannot compete with the low labor costs abroad.

How bout ending the bush era tax cuts, closing all loop holes and cut spending all at the same time. Once the debt is significantly reduced we can start talking about other things. As far as jobs go, there are plenty of them there. Its the skill set of the labor force that is lacking, not the amount of jobs available. This is due to a failure in our education system and colleges and highschools not doing their job to give their students the right skill set to get the jobs out there.

We have too cut more then 1.2 Trillon. Soon the Usa will get down graded. It's only in a matter of Time.. Wait and see they downgrade a few other countries and counties in this country.. While his and him rich friends get rich..

spoken like a racist idiot... i kid, kid. But seriously, both democrats and republicans are horrible choices. Democrats are in the pockets of corporations and Republicans are just a bunch of loons, with the exception of maybe Huntsman.

There's something we can all agree upon - whether you agreed with or hated the prior 'stumulus' package, it was not spent where it was promised. Instead, it was largely used to supplement the budgets of state governments and did little, if anything, to invest in new jobs, technologies or markets for our future.

Show me in writing Mr. Obama where you want to spend the peoples money, and where you're going to cut to make that happen. Congress, show me where your planned cuts are going to occur and then show a list of people that are going to be affected by the proposed cuts.

Now let's see who will show, and who will hide. And in the end there should be no clauses no add on to anything, show it in plain simple language where everyone will understand and no double talk is possible. Washington should try the KISS plan, Keep It Simple Stupid.

Roll back tax and spend policies to where they were in 2000. At that point in time we were on track to pay off the entire national debt by 2012. The country was a job creating machine. We were creating more millionaires than any other country. And we had the biggest and baddest military machine in the world.

Congress doesn't need to recreate the wheel here. They just have to go back to the policies that were tried and true and proven to work.

I do not have such a pessimistic view as you. My country Australia went through the same thing (but of course not under the same circumstances as it is now). We lost our AAA rating TWICE and it took us 20 painful years to get out of the hole. You have one advantage over Europe. ONE NATION AND ONE CURRENCY. It is doable. BUT AND THE KEY WORD IS BUT you need to have your Congress to WORK ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE INSTEAD OF VESTED INTERESTS. If they still continue to do the same (the latest thing I heard is they are extending payroll tax BUT NOT PAYING IT THROUGH RAISING OF TAXES OF THE RICH WHICH WILL AGAIN ADD MORE TO YOUR DEFICIT AND IT WOULD GROW BIGGER AND BIGGER - THE MEGA RICH HAS ALREADY GOT TRILLIONS IN TAX BREAKS FROM 1980'S ONWARDS - TIME FOR THEM TO CONTRIBUTE BACK TO THE NATION.

I don't think people, even most intelligent people really understand the debt crisis. It is now unmanageable. It can not be repaid! All measures on the table including spending cuts and tax increases are not enough. These measures should have taken place 20 years ago along with regulatory oversight to understand and stop the derivatives markets from growing to the unmanageable level it has as well, and stopping institutions from becoming to big to fail. Currently it is taking coordination of all the major world players to play their part in staving off a liquidity crisis by printing money as necessary, reducing interest rates to zero, and fighting hotspots (Greece, Italy, Ireland, etc...), which flare up and threaten to create a liquidity crunch or drive up interest rates. This can't continue much longer. The EU countries are not bound by strong enough ties to continue the group effort and sacrifice it will take to keep the game going. And once the EU goes, the fallout will drag all the western economies down with it, including the US. The "end game" will take place resulting in a severe contraction aka Deflationary Depression. Although the politicians and bank cartels may keep things going long enough by printing money so that we first see hyperinflation first, deflation will soon follow that. If Obama gets another 4 years we will likely see hyperinflation first. If we get a Republican that actually pushes through the things they are talking about, it will expedite us to the deflationary event. Then the opportunity to write off all the debt will happen, and we will get the reset button. We will have to rebuild it all from the ground up again, and probably with a new world currency.

Alan Greenspan said we have to have revenue increases in order to deal with the deficit. The Republicans Grover Norquist tax pledge keeps that from happening according to Mr. Norquist the recent revenue proposal from Supercommittee member Pat Toomey is a ,"Unicorn, it doesn't exist in the real world".

Slipped in Bixby's commentary was his note that if we do nothing, $4.7 TRILLION in tax cuts would expire (meaning more government revenue) but only $1.2 trillion in spending cuts would be enacted.

I presume he is talking about over 10 years, but it's still 4 to 1 in tax increases versus deductions. I thought the rule was $2 worth of deductions for every $1 of tax revenue increase.

Hey - for a deal like that, if I were Obama I would try to make sure the deal failed too. Then I could blame the Republicans for tax cuts for the rich. Do the rich really get $470 billion worth of tax cuts per year.

Your famous President George Washington warned about the dangers of what we would today call *hyper-partisans*. “They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force, to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the WILL OF THE PARTY, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community” These platoons of polarization have driven us to the PARALYSIS we are now in, too often UNABLE TO REASON together even in the face of CRISIS.

Pretend Meat and High Prices: What Happened to Vegetarianism?

2011-11-30T04:21:00.000-08:00

Where to Eat.... the best vegetarian and vegan cafes and restaurants in London . .... Price of carton, containing a mixture of hot and cold dishes such as vegetable .... 1st Floor, Whole Foods Market, The Barkers Building 63-97 Kensington High ... buffet restaurants in London offering cheap veg*n food and lots of fake meats.

http://www.veganlondon.co.uk/eat/

Aug 4, 2011 An exceptionally good Bordeaux is running at an exceptionally high price, with many buyers coming from China and Hong Kong.

http://www.marketplace.org/story/related/

Suggestions on how to eat meat again after being a vegetarian. ... Amazon Price: $15.39 .... have become lactose intolerant so my diet options because even less likely to happen. ... They've also pointed out that my carb intake is too high but my protein sources (beans, fake meats) are also big contributors to my carb intake.

http://cocopreme.hubpages.com/hub/HowtoStopBeingaVegetarian

If you were born and bred as a vegetarian within a completely meat, dairy and fish free home, life in the UK in the 1970’s and 80’s was fine – but you had to generally rely on veggie-specific health food shops and proper home cooked food from your parents and friends.

School dinners were a write-off, clueless meat eaters were alienated and didn’t understand (I remember people fishing the lumps of meat out of things and serving up what was left!) and It was hard to find proper vegetarian options in restaurants or takeaways outside of particularly bohemian areas

How to Protect Your Eyes if You Work Infront of a Computer?

2011-11-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Work a lot on your computer? In order to do ... Firstly, you need to protect your eyes. If you work on a computer they are your most important tool. One of ... In addition, try to spend less time in front the computer on the weekend.

workawesome.com/office-life/computer-safety/

This will help them endure longer periods in front of the monitor. ... Make sure that the lenses have UV protection. If they don't — they'll have ... If you work on your computer for long hours, eyestrain is bound to occur. Don't let ...

http://www.howtogeek.com/54872/how-to-avoid-computer-eye-strain-and-keep-your-eyes-healthy/

Since the majority of us spend hours in front of a computer monitor, it is good practice to protect your eyes from ... Just close your eyes for a few minutes when your work requires prolonged ... That is, if you are working on a Windows XP system.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2003207_protect-eyes-using-computer.html

Working in front of a computer, whether you wear glasses already or not, still does damage to your eyes. It has been observed that if you spend more than 4 hours a day at a computer you are more likely to suffer from stress, headaches, strained eyes and a decline in eyesight. There are no known effects directly from being near a computer that does any damage, it is more the action of staring at a screen for extended periods of time where the problems start. Symptoms of eye-strain include blurriness, mild headaches and an ache around the eye. It is not just extended periods in front of a computer that can lead to this.

Ethiopian Unification (1854–1856)

2011-10-17T14:06:00.001-07:00

PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: Lij Kassa (subsequently Emperor Theodore II) vs. Ras Ali and Ras Ubie, and, separately, Emperor John III

PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

DECLARATION: None

MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: Unification of Ethiopia under Lij Kassa

OUTCOME: Lij Kassa emerged victorious to become Emperor Theodore II.

APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEN UNDER ARMS: Unknown

CASUALTIES: Unknown

TREATIES: None

Ethiopia more commonly known as Abyssinia during the 19th century was a collection of warring tribal chieftains until the emergence of Lij Kassa (c. 1818–68), who defeated the combined forces of rival chieftains Ras Ali and Ras Ubie at the Battle of Gorgora on the shores of Lake Tana in 1854. This victory gave Lij Kassa complete control over all of Ethiopia’s northern and central districts. In 1855 Lij Kassa defeated and overthrew John (or Yohannes) III, nominal emperor of Abyssinia and then conquered the heart of Ethiopia, Shewa (Shoa) Province. With this conquest completed Lij Kassa crowned himself emperor as Theodore II.

The new ruler made dynamic moves to modernize Ethiopia and to reform the government. His removal of the capital from Gondar to Magdala in 1856 symbolized the unification of the kingdom. Theodore II drew heavily on the counsel of two British advisers. Their deaths, together with the death of his wife, undermined the emperor’s mental health, and he degenerated into a paranoia that prompted extreme and arbitrary acts of cruelty.

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Early Etruscan-Roman Wars (c. 509–308 B.C.E.)

2011-10-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: Etruscan city-states vs. Rome

PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Italy

DECLARATION: None

MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: Rome sought the conquest of Etruscan Italy.

OUTCOME: Etruria steadily lost ground, becoming confined to a corridor between the Apennine Mountains and the forest of Cumae.

APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEN UNDER ARMS: Unknown

CASUALTIES: Unknown

TREATIES: No documents exist

The influx into Italy of the Anatolian (Turkish) people we know as the Etruscans brought conflict with the Latin peoples of the region. Etruscan settlers founded Rome by consolidating a number of Latin villages and established in this city-state the Tarquin dynasty. A coup in 509 B.C.E. replaced the last Tarquin king with the Roman republic and initiated warfare between the new forces of Rome and the Etruscans, who held sway over about 40 percent of Italy.

The Etruscan military leader Tarquinius Superbus (d. c. 503 B.C.E.) attacked Rome in an effort to retake the city. The forces of an Etruscan ally, Clusium (Chiusi), overran Rome, but then Lars Porsena, the king of Clusium, claimed the prize for himself. To dislodge his erstwhile ally, Tarquinius joined forces with the Sabines, some Latins, and the Greeks of Cumae to attack the Clusian army in Rome. This effort failed, and Tarquinius withdrew to Cumae, where he died, defeated and broken.

Roman forces then emanated from their central city-state to conquer the Etruscan city-states. Veii (Veio) became the object of a decade-long war from 483 to 474. Veiian counteroffensives nearly toppled Rome, which concluded a 40-year truce. The war was renewed in 438 as the First Roman War with Veii. This was followed by a second truce period, which was broken in 405 by the Second Roman War with Veii.

The ultimate loss of Veii whose citizens were sold into mass slavery greatly eroded the Etruscan grip on Italy. Sutrium and Nepi fell to the Romans in 387, followed in 384 by Caere and Pyrgi. The city-state of Tar-quinii resisted Roman conquest fiercely from 358 to 351, extracted a truce from Rome, then made a desperate alliance with Sutrium, which together rose up against the Romans. This rebellion was put down by 309, the same year in which Perusia (Perugia) fell into Roman hands. At this point Rome came to displace most of Etruria save for territory between the Apennines and forest of Cumae.

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Eureka Stockade Miners Rebellion (1854)

2011-10-17T14:04:00.001-07:00

PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: Australian immigrant miners vs. government forces

PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Australian gold fields, principally the Eureka gold field

DECLARATION: None

MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: Miners protested government overregulation and oppressive taxation and sought the right to vote.

OUTCOME: The “rebellion” at Eureka was put down, but the social movement with which it was associated flourished.

APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEN UNDER ARMS: At Eureka, 400 government troops vs. about 150 miners

CASUALTIES: 30 killed at the Eureka stockade; many other casualties in the surrounding area

TREATIES: None

This incident was more in the nature of a riot than a full-scale rebellion. Gold was discovered in Australia in 1851, triggering an influx of immigrants similar to the California Gold Rush of 1849. To regulate immigration and the management of the mines, the British government passed a series of restrictive laws, the most hated of which was the licensing of mines. Prospectors were required to purchase costly government licenses before beginning to work a claim. This barred many prospectors from the gold fields, and, even for those who could ante up the fee, it posed a great financial risk if the mine did not pan out. In addition to the licensing fees, miners were subjected to frequent and arbitrary government inspections that were intended to do nothing more or less than exercise control over the miners.

As mostly new immigrants, the miners had no vote and, therefore, no legal means of protesting the laws. Instead, they launched a series of spontaneous demonstrations, one of which in 1854 grew sufficiently violent that the government dispatched troops to put it down. The confrontation incited a movement for universal suffrage throughout Australia. With emotions running high and much of the country in turmoil, the government stayed its hand until irate miners began publicly burning licenses to show their contempt for government authority. At this, more troops were deployed. In response to the deployment, the miners of the Eureka gold field formed themselves into military-style units, hastily built a stockaded fort, and stockpiled whatever weapons they could find. In December 1854, 400 government troops stormed the stockade, which was manned by 150 miners. The stockade was overrun, the defenders routed, and 30 miners killed. The troops did not stop with the taking of the Eureka stockade but next rode through the mining camp, killing a few miners and wounding many more. Although while the Eureka incident ended armed rebellion among the miners, it served only to strengthen and perpetuate the general movement throughout the Australian working class for universal extension of the franchise.
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Euthydemus’s Revolt (230 B.C.E.)

2011-10-17T14:03:00.001-07:00

PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: Euthydemus vs. Diodotus

PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Bactria

DECLARATION: None

MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: Euthydemus sought control of Bactria.

OUTCOME: Euthydemus achieved a successful coup and became king of Bactria.

APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEN UNDER ARMS: Unknown

CASUALTIES: Unknown

TREATIES: None

Following the death of Alexander the Great (356–323 b.c.e.), the Macedonian Empire he had amassed began to disintegrate, especially in Bactria and Parthia (see Dai-dochi, Wars of the). In 255 Diodotus II (fl. Third century b.c.e.), Seleucid satrap of Bactria, rebelled against his Seleucid overlord, Antiochus II Theos (286–247) and created an independent kingdom. This he expanded by first conquering neighboring Sogdiana and then expanded to the east, approaching the Indus River, and to the west, penetrating Parthia.

Under Seleucus II (d. 226), an army attempted to retake Bactria and the other territories from Diodotus, but in league with Arsaces II, Diodotus defeated Seleucus who was forced to abort his campaign to defend against a revolt by his brother. Diodotus was thus left to rule over Bactria, but years of battling had strained his resources, and he fell victim in 230 to the Greco-Macedonian warlord Euthydemus (fl. late Third century b.c.e.). In a coup, Euthydemus killed Diodotus and instantly assumed control of the expanded kingdom of Bactria.

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Falkland Islands War (Islas Malvinas War) (1982)

2011-10-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

The Falkland Islands, off the coast of Argentina in the South Atlantic, called by the Argentines the Islas Mal-vinas, were disputed territory since the 17th century. Britain formally occupied the Falklands in 1833 and expelled Argentines living there; however, Argentina persisted in asserting its claims to the islands even as the population of British nationals and their descendants grew. On February 27, 1982, negotiations between Argentina and Great Britain over Falklands sovereignty broke down, eliciting a threat from Argentina to settle the matter “by other means.” At this time, Argentina was governed by the bellicose Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri (1926–2003), who was spoiling for a war he believed would greatly bolster his flagging support from a nation in deep economic and political distress. Inflation had soared to more than 600 percent, while production and wages plummeted. The military dictatorship ruling the country had cracked down on dissent by means of “disappearances” the abduction and murder of dissidents. Unrest was growing.

On March 19, 1982, a group of Argentine scrap metal salvagers working on South Georgia Island, one of the islands in the Falklands group and escorted by Argentine troops, raised the Argentine flag. Britain’s call on Argentina to remove the military personnel received no response. A few days later, on March 26, 1982, the Argentine government decided to invade the islands by launching Operación Rosario. Argentine admiral Jorge Anaya had planned the invasion to coincide with a key national political holiday, either the revolution anniversary on May 25 or Independence Day, July 9, but the eruption of mass union demonstrations in late March prompted Galtieri to move D-Day up to April 2, 1982. On this day, the Argentine navy landed thousands of troops on the islands, which were defended by a severely outnumbered detachment of Royal Marines. After a brief resistance, the marines withdrew, on orders of Governor Rex Hunt (b. 1921), and were evacuated, with the governor, by air to Montevideo, Uruguay.

On April 3, Argentine troops seized the South Georgia and South Sandwich islands after a brief battle in which an Argentine helicopter was forced down and four Argentine troops killed. Next, General Mario Menéndez (b. 1924) was proclaimed military governor of the Falklands and associated islands. Although the invasion and occupation were immediately popular in Argentina, as Galtieri had hoped, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 502 calling for the withdrawal of Argentine troops from the islands and the immediate cessation of hostilities. Backed by the resolution, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) dispatched the First Royal Air Force to Ascension Island.

While the British built up forces in the area, Argentina drafted young men into the army and, without training them, sent some 10,000 to the islands. In the meantime, on April 8, 1982, U.S. secretary of state Alexander Haig (b. 1924) began a mediation effort. Tw o days later, the European Economic Community (EEC) levied trade sanctions against Argentina, and Haig flew from London to Buenos Aires for talks with the Argentine government. By April 19, talks had broken down, and on April 23, the British Foreign Office advised British nationals in Argentina to leave. Two days later, a small British commando force landed on South Georgia Island and retook it. Royal Navy forces attacked and disabled the Argentine submarine Santa Fe, and the commander of the Argentine forces on South Georgia signed an unconditional surrender. Argentine forces on the island did not fire a single shot.

While the action on South Georgia Island was taking place, the main British task force approached the Falk-lands. On May 1, British carrier-based aircraft attacked the Port Stanley airfield and shot down three Argentine aircraft. The next day, Galtieri responded positively to a peace proposal submitted by Fernando Belaúnde Terry (1912–2002), president of Peru. The British, however, kept up the pressure. The submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, which was outside the war zone and sailing away from the islands. Almost 400 Argentine sailors died, prompting Galtieri to reject the proposal. The war continued.

On May 4, Argentina launched air attacks with French-built Exocet air-to-surface missiles, one of which sank the British destroyer HMS Sheffield, with the loss of 20 men. A single British Harrier jet was also shot down. By May 7, the United Nations entered peace negotiations, but, on May 9, the British escalated the war by bombarding the islands from the sea as well as the air. The Argentine trawler Narwal was sunk, and, on May 11, the Argentine supply ship Isla de los Estados was also sunk. Three days later, three Argentine Skyhawk fighters were shot down amid warnings from Prime Minister Thatcher that a peaceful settlement “may not be possible.” That night, a British Special Forces unit raided Pebble Island, destroying 11 Argentine aircraft on the ground, and, on May 18, the Thatcher government rejected a United Nations peace proposal. Three days after this, the British landed a major force near Port San Carlos, on the northern coast of East Falkland. From this beachhead, British infantry advanced south to capture Darwin and Goose Green, turning here toward the principal city of Port Stanley. Yet even while these British triumphs were being achieved, HMS A rdent was sunk by an Argentine air attack, although nine Argentine aircraft were also lost in the attack. Another British warship, HMS Antelope, was sunk on May 23, and yet again the cost to Argentina was high, at 10 aircraft and seven more the following day.

HMS Coventry was attacked from the air and badly damaged on May 25, and a British commercial vessel, MV Atlantic Conveyor, was damaged by an Exocet missile. It sank three days later, with the loss of 12 British seamen. On May 28, against a backdrop of more air raids on Port Stanley, the British 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, secured Darwin and Goose Green in the war’s major land battle. The British fielded 600 men against 1,400 Argentines in well-prepared positions, but nevertheless won the battle. British losses were 17 killed, whereas approximately 200 Argentine soldiers fell in battle and 1,400 surrendered. The following day, British warships and Harrier fighters bombarded Argentine positions, preparatory to a new British advance on May 30. The town of Douglas fell to British troops, as did Teal Inlet. On the 31st, Mount Kent was taken, and Port Stanley was now surrounded.

With a clear advantage, Britain held firm on its ceasefire demand for unconditional surrender, vetoing a Panamanian-Spanish cease-fire resolution in the UN Security Council on June 4. On June 8, Argentine aircraft attacked the British landing craft Sir Galahad and Sir Tristam at Port Pleasant, killing 50 men. Undaunted, British troops attacked Mount Longdon on June 12 in a battle against well-prepared positions that concluded with hand-to-hand combat. Twenty-three British troops were killed and 47 wounded. Argentine losses were 50 dead and many more wounded. With victory at Mount Longdon, other positions soon fell to the British; however, the cruiser HMS Glamorgan was badly damaged by an Exocet missile, with the loss of 13 British lives.

On June 14, the major Argentine garrison at Port Stanley was defeated in the culminating battle of the war, prompting Argentine commander Mario Menendez to agree to “an unnegotiated cease-fire . . . with no other condition than the deletion of the word unconditional” from the surrender document. Six days later, after reoccupying the South Sandwich Islands, Britain formally declared an end to hostilities. The 72-day war had cost 235 British killed and 777 wounded; the number of Argentine casualties is unknown, but at least 655 were killed. British sovereignty over the Falklands was affirmed, Margaret Thatcher was propelled to great popularity among the British, and Galtieri was forced to resign. Although Argentina decisively lost the war, the Argentine people ultimately benefited. With the resignation of Galtieri and the disintegration of his military junta, Argentina was started toward the restoration of democratic government.

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