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Despite shutdown, DC had record visitation in 2013
WASHINGTON — Even though museums and memorials were shuttered last fall by a government shutdown, 2013 was another record-breaking year for attractions in the nation's capital with an increase in domestic visitors and spending, tourism officials said Tuesday.
Statistics released by the tourism bureau Destination D.C. show Washington had more than 17.4 million U.S. visitors in 2013. That's up 3.1 percent from the 16.8 million domestic visitors in 2012.
Visitors spent $6.7 billion last year in Washington, an increase of nearly 8 percent over 2012, according to the study. Spending was up on retail goods, food, beverages and entertainment.
While 2013 was the year of a 16-day government shutdown in October that shuttered Smithsonian museums and monuments, it was also a presidential inauguration year and a strong year for large citywide conventions, said Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination D.C.
"We had a lot of variables that really worked in our favor," he said.
During the shutdown, tourism officials worked to advertise the many privately funded museums and attractions that remained open. Many visitors found other things to do, and business meetings and conventions went on as planned, officials said.
In announcing the 2013 data, Mayor Vincent Gray said the city's tourism sector supported nearly 76,000 jobs last year. The hospitality industry is the second largest employer after the federal government.
Looking ahead to 2014, Ferguson said the numbers are "pacing relatively well, despite the first three months of the year" when winter weather forced the city and federal government to shut down several times.
This year will bring 17 citywide conventions and high-profile events to Washington, including the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. The recent opening of the city's largest hotel, a new Marriott Marquis next to the city's convention center, already is boosting future bookings, Ferguson said.


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Everything I do, I do it For You
With relationships breaking up often, without real reasons, or with reasons that could have easily been dealt with, "honey, please pass me the sugar" shouldn't be the last sweet words you said to your partner. A delightful smile at their sight, a wink from across the room and a little kiss saying you love them can make a huge difference in your relationship. Know how to keep your relationship fresh and intimate with these "acts of love." Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Light Up Your Days with "I Love You"
Take your significant other by the hands, look them deep into their eyes, and say it. Say how much you love them. Can you already imagine them smiling? Yeah, that's what you want. Say "I love you" because you want to, you mean to, and you feel it. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Watch a Mushy Film Together
This simple but effective formula never goes wrong. You can watch any film of your choice but we recommend European romantic films. They have real-life situations and are pretty interesting. You can feel the love and emotion through the movie and hold each other through it. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Love is Being Stupid Together. Be it
Being silly together shows how comfortable you are with each other. Relive your childhood with your lover. Let the inhibitions go. Embracing one another through folly will make you laugh and play together. You will feel closer and happier. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Say "Thank You for Supporting Me through the Thin Days"
And for lots of other things that really matter. It's not hard to say thank you. Show them that you are grateful for their support when they held your hand through a crisis, or when they lifted you up when you had failed, or when they stood by your side when you were ill. Words may be too small to express gratitude but they will make your partner feel special and cared for. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
"Hoot. Hoot. Someone's looking pretty today"
And shower many more compliments. They are awesome things. Compliments show that you notice, approve, appreciate and admire them. Complimenting your partner on their looks, their personality, their positive spirit or whatever else you admire or love about them is something you can't do too much of. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Have at least one meal together
Today's couples very often tend to feel left out at the dining table. So why not take some time out from your busy schedule and eat at least one meal with your partner? If you're too hungry, you can always have dessert with them. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Do What Your Partner Enjoys
Cheer for his favourite football team with him. Watch her favourite TV serial with her. Take interest in your significant other's likes even if it's not your personal favourite. Going outside of your comfort zone speaks volumes to our significant other. It's a small gesture that shows you want to be with them and that you go out of your way to see them happy in their element. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
See the World with Them
Take them away from the place you live in, have each other to rely on, spend more time together and create memories. Travelling together can do all that for you. If you can't afford a big vacation, explore the cities nearby. It will give you both a shared experience and something to talk about that will bring you closer. Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Take Their Side in an Argument
You should always back your partner up when they are having a brawl, even if you think that they are not in the right. You must never leave them standing on their own in an argument. This is a little thing that makes a BIG difference. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

subset: commoncrawl


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Choosing a Car
Choosing a car is a little bit like dating. There are so many different cars out there. What do you need in a car? What do you prefer in a car? Is there that special connection when you're driving it?
But unlike dating (or just like dating, depending on your outlook), you can settle for a vehicle that fits your needs right now, even if you can't see yourself in it long term. And as long as you're smart about the financing, it's easy enough to trade it in for a newer model when it no longer suits your needs.
Make an inventory of your needs:
- What will you use the car for most? If you're just driving back and forth to work, all you need is a dependable car with good gas mileage. If you have to haul around kids, you need it to be roomy. If you entertain clients, it needs to have some style and class. You get the idea.
- Where do you live? You may need four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive. It needs to be able to withstand some major wear and tear if you live on a bumpy gravel road.
- Do you drive in stop-and-go traffic often? That may make an automatic transmission a necessity.
Comparing Vehicles
Now that you have a list of your needs, it's time for more research. There is an awful lot of research, isn't there? There are thousands of models to choose from. But your needs should help narrow them down fairly quickly.
Auto magazines are a great place to get less biased information about particular models and the advantages/disadvantages associated with them. Consumer Reports is a very thorough publication with a reputation for bias-free reporting.
Dealerships are often the worst place to get information. They have a lot of material, but it is very heavily biased and you may have to endure a strong sales pitch just to get simple information. If you visit the dealership when they are closed, you can look at the cars and read the information on the vehicles without worrying about the salespeople. You can also get a lot of information from the manufacturer's Web site and literature, but stick to the facts they provide since much of the material will be heavily biased.
Great sources of information are your friends and family or even strangers. Find others who have owned the model you are interested in. Ask about their experience with it.
Take special care in buying a first-year model, meaning the first year a manufacturer produces a certain model of car. The first year is a time to iron out the kinks and you may become an unwilling guinea pig and have unforeseen problems that the manufacturer will correct for the next year's model.
The Test Drive
You've compared numbers and features. You've checked into the gas mileage. Now it's time to put away all the theory and speculation and get to the point of choosing a car - how it drives.
You have to be able to focus when test-driving a car. If you go to a dealership to test-drive cars, make sure the salesperson gives you some space to make your decision. As a matter of fact, tell the sales team you have no intention of buying on that day. They should leave you alone long enough to test-drive without distraction. If they don't, be sure to avoid them when you're going to actually buy a car. If they get too pushy, go to another dealership for your test drives.
If you're not comfortable with visiting dealerships just for a test drive, try renting the cars you are interested in. It may cost you $100 to try out your top favorites, but you're paying for the freedom of driving a whole day without listening to any sales pitches.
Compare the Dealerships
Shopping for a dealership is just as important as the other comparisons you have been doing. It can help you save a lot of money AND ensure that you have some customer support while you're still under warranty.
All dealerships pay the same price for the cars in the beginning. But don't let them fool you. Dealerships with better CSI ratings (Customer Satisfaction Index ratings) often get better bonuses that allow them to offer you a better price.


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SLCene Suggests: Zakk Wylde at The Depot
AN EVENING WITH ZAKK WYLDE, THE DEPOT, Wednesday, April 24, 9 p.m., $30/$35 day of show
Anyone who's seen guitarist/loudmouth Zakk Wylde perform on stage with either Black Label Society or Ozzy Osbourne, doing interviews on friendly outlets like VH1 Classic's Heavy Metal Show, or pop up in unusual spots like as a voice-actor/guest star on Aqua Teen Hunger Force knows that the man is entertaining as all get-out. Talk to Kevin at The Heavy Metal Shop about a long-ago in-store appearance, and you'll hear that the man is also a handful. But no matter how you know Wylde's style, you probably never had him pegged as a literary mind for our times. Even so, he's penned a book called Bringing Metal to the Children, and on his current tour he's combining readings from the tome with acoustic performances and Q&A sessions that no doubt will offer some hilarious answers.
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Six Easy Ways to Prevent Dental Cavities
In dentistry, children and cavities seem to go hand in hand. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 percent of children ages 2 through 5 have at least one dental cavity, compared to 24 percent a decade ago. Although 4 percent may not seem like a lot, that increase represents thousands and thousands of children and cavities — as well as a trend in the opposite direction of the last 40 years, when tooth decay was on a gradual decline.
Eating unhealthy foods is one of the primary reasons for the rise in numbers of affected children and cavities. Healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts are often replaced with processed foods, and soda and sugary drinks have trumped water.
And unfortunately, even if your child is drinking water, it won't do their teeth any good if it's bottled; because unlike tap water, bottled water doesn't contain fluoride, which is essential for the healthy development of your child's teeth.
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. Visiting the dentist regularly, practicing good oral hygiene and promoting healthy eating habits are all ways to help break the connection between children and cavities.
You can also get a head start on fighting the children and cavities epidemic by taking extra special care of your child's baby teeth. Baby teeth are adorable to look at, but they also set the stage for healthy adult teeth. If tooth decay is present in baby teeth, your child's adult teeth can also become infected.
So if you have children and cavities are a concern, here are six easy ways to reduce the risk:
- Avoid giving your baby juice or formula at night. The sugar in juice and formula causes the bacteria in the mouth to produce the acids that cause baby bottle tooth decay. Usefluoridated water instead.
- Choose low-fat foods from the basic food groups.Raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole-grain breads and low-fat dairy products are great for your child's overall health and their dental health!
- If you must, give sweets only as a dessert. If your child must have sweets, limit it to dessert or following a main meal. Late-night snacking and frequent snacking are a major culprit of cavities in children.
- Invest in a water filter. Most community sources of water are fluoridated — an excellent resource to help the battle between children and cavities. Instead of spending extra on bottled water, invest in a filter for your sink, or a filtered water pitcher.
- Don't share cups or utensils. Cavities are contagious. So if you have them, you can pass them onto your child by sharing cups and utensils.
- If you smoke, stop. The University of Rochester's Strong Children's Research Center has discovered a link between smoking, children and cavities. Results from a recent study show that children of parents who smoke are more likely to develop cavities.
Learning how to brush properly is also essential in helping to stop the children and cavities epidemic. Teach your child to use short side-to-side, up-and-down strokes and to brush around his or her gum line for at least two minutes twice a day.
Finally, never skip taking your child to the dentist for regular exams and dental cleanings. While you're at the dentist's office, be sure to ask plenty of questions — your dentist or pediatric dentist is the best resource for learning how to protect your children from cavities!


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© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and Infection Control Today. All rights reserved.
Vaccination against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) in children two years of age and younger remains effective for at least 10 years, according to new research available in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The study found that any transfer of the mother's HAV antibodies does not lower the child's immune response to the vaccine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.4 million cases of HAV occur worldwide each year. HAV affects the liver and typically occurs in areas with poor sanitation where ingestion of contaminated food or water can transmit the virus. In the U.S., HAV cases have decreased by 90 percent in the past 20 years, with roughly 20,000 new cases reported each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts attribute the decline in HAV cases in the U.S. to routine vaccination of children 12 to 18 months.
According to lead author Dr. Umid Sharapov, an epidemiologist with the CDC and his coauthors, this is the first study to examine the effectiveness of a two-dose inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in children younger than two years of age over a ten-year period. In addition, the researchers investigated whether maternal anti-HAV antibody transfer to their children impacts the vaccine protection against HAV.
With parental consent, researchers enrolled full-term infants who were healthy at six-months of age. Mothers were tested for total antibody to HAV. The 197 infants and toddlers were broken into three age groups: group one-infants 6 to 12 months; group two-toddlers between 12 and 18 months; and group three-toddlers 15 to 21 months of age. Each group was randomized by maternal anti-HAV status. HAV antibody levels were measured at one and six months, and additional follow-up took place at three, five, seven and 10 years after the second dose of hepatitis A vaccine.
At one month following the second dose of the hepatitis A vaccine children in all groups showed signs of protection from the virus. At the 10-year follow-up most children retained anti-HAV protection. In the first group, 7 percent and 11 percent of children born to mother's without and with antibodies to the HAV virus, did not retain HAV protection from vaccination, respectively. Additionally, 4 percent of group three children born to anti-HAV negative mothers lost HAV protection.
"Our study demonstrates that seropositivity to hepatitis A persists for at least 10 years after primary vaccination with two-dose inactivated HAV vaccine when administered to children at ages 12 months and older, regardless of their mothers' anti-HAV status," concludes Sharapov. "These findings support current CDC/ACIP guidelines for routine administration of two doses of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine to all children in the U.S. beginning at the age of 12 months."
The authors point out that a future booster dose may be necessary to maintain protection against HAV and they will continue follow-up participants into their teens to monitor benefit of the initial immunization.
Reference: "Persistence of Hepatitis A Vaccine Induced Seropositivity in Infants and Young Children by Maternal Antibody Status: 10-Year Follow-Up." Umid M. Sharapov, Lisa R. Bulkow, Susan E. Negus, Philip R. Spradling, Chriss Homan, Jan Drobeniuc, Michael Bruce, Saleem Kamili, Dale J. Hu, Brian J. McMahon. Hepatology; DOI: 10.1002/hep.25687); Print Issue Date: August, 2012.


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There is a bit of 'wisdom' about stereotypes that says that they have a basis in truth. Reader and regular commenter mynameischeese* referred to a particularly insightful observation:
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once pointed out, the problem with stereotypes isn't that they're untrue; it's that they are incomplete. If you go to Mexico, you can find a guy in a sombrero playing mariachi music. He does exist. But he can't represent all of Mexico.
It's an instructive way to think about stereotypes – as a selective slice of reality that is stretched and warp to represent the totality. However, when you look with any serious scrutiny at the situation and attempt to find any truth, there's a pretty good chance you'll find that the stereotype is woefully unhelpful.
I usually discourage the use of stereotype whenever possible. Stereotypical thinking not only often goes hand in hand with system justifying behaviours, but are often based on harmful ideas that can 'other' minority groups, even if that dehumanization is unintentional. Stereotype-based thinking is the antithesis of a skeptical mindset, and can lead us to make really poor decisions. Plus, the fact is that the more we learn about reality the more interesting life becomes – living in a world where everything adheres to a stereotype is boring.
That being established, as we said off the top, sometimes there's truth in even the most cliched stereotype:
Inventively titled Who Drives a Taxi in Canada, the study of 50,000 cab drivers concluded that half are immigrants. Two hundred are doctors or have PhDs, compared with just 55 of their Canadian-born counterparts. Twenty per cent have undergraduate university degrees or master's, compared with 4 per cent of Canadian-born drivers. One of every three taxi drivers is born in India or Pakistan. They may be well qualified to navigate chaotic traffic, understand the mechanics of a meter and deal with unruly customers. But only 6 per cent of immigrant drivers listed as their field of study "personal, protective and transportation services." Most had backgrounds in business, engineering and architecture and are clearly underemployed.
Now, I have been waiting forever to have a post in which I bust a myth so I can use this one particularly splendid animated .gif that I've been saving up, but sadly this myth is confirmed. The stereotype about the nuclear physicist who moves to Canada and can't get work in hir field so ends up driving a cab just to pay rent isn't just one of those colourful stories that bleeding-heart liberals use to guilt people into… liking immigrants? I dunno. Usually when someone uses the words 'bleeding heart' I tune out. At any rate, the .gif will have to remain in its folder, awaiting the great bustactular day I get a chance to unleash it.
Here's the particularly crummy part of this story – nobody wins in this story:
This is a dramatic loss of economic potential. The study found the occupation-education mismatch was replicated in other areas, and that it worsens for recent arrivals. Ottawa's efforts to overhaul the selection criteria with an increased emphasis on language ability and pre-arranged employment is long overdue. These newcomers can contribute much more to Canada's productivity if their education and job experience can be converted into the Canadian job market.
Now I don't agree at all with the means by which Ottawa is overhauling Canada's immigration system. It is being executed with this government's expected level of assholishness:
A group of lawyers is trying to stop the Conservative government from deleting a massive backlog of 280,000 immigration applications, saying the move is unfair because people have been waiting to come to Canada for years. The government announced its decision to wipe out the application backlog in its March budget, saying it is a necessary part of modernizing the country's immigration system.
Lorne Waldman, an immigration lawyer based in Toronto, says that breaks a promise to applicants who followed all the necessary steps to come to Canada. "They've been waiting in the queue for years and years, and now [Immigration Minister] Jason Kenney is saying, 'Yeah we told you to wait in the queue, we told you that was the right way but that's too bad. Now we've changed our mind and there's no longer going to be a queue for you.'
As with many things, I don't disagree with the necessity of a massive overhaul of the inefficient system that created the backlog in the first place. Where I do disagree is when that overhaul is unthinking, uncaring, and does real damage to Canada's international reputation. of course, thinking, caring, and giving two shits about the international community are all things that the current regime don't really seem to place much emphasis on, so I guess I can't exactly be surprised that this is the route they chose.
But there is a lesson to be learned in all of this: if we fail to look at stereotypes – either to confirm or challenge them – we may find that we end up hurting not only those who are already one the receiving end of the direct consequences of discrimination, but ourselves by extension. It is simply not enough to "leave well enough alone" – we can and must find better ways of integrating new Canadians into their new home.
Like this article? Follow me on Twitter!
*Usually I don't say anything about online aliases because… well because it's really not relevant. However, this time I am going to take a moment to goggle at the internet-based absurdity that is referring to the 'the poignant and instructive lessons we've learned from philosopher and scholar Mynameischeese'. Say it out loud. It's funny.


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The impact of EUROFORGEN-NoE will be extensive not only from the point of view of the integration of knowledge and resources but also regarding improved research efforts.The EUROFORGEN-NoE partners represent a highly experienced international consortium, all based in Europe.
Its members have been pioneers in developing all aspects of forensic DNA profiling methods, including the development of the first national DNA databases in the world and the associated methodology. The expected impact will become visible based on the following activities:
- The creation and start-up funding of a European Virtual Centre for Research in Forensic Genetics will become a keystone for a long-term integration of research efforts at the European level. It will ensure a long-lasting impact on the quality of science and forensic laboratory service to the benefit of the security sector in Europe. Exemplar research projects will serve as focal points to strengthen this process.
- Through the provision of a professional forum, EUROFORGEN-NoE enables most important stakeholders in the field of forensic genetics and crime scene investigation to come together, to exchange and disseminate information about the impact of DNA evidence.
- EUROFORGEN-NoE will recruit competent fellow scientists with interest to act as "multiplicators", so that they obtain the capability to arrange their own training seminars at the national or local level within their own area of responsibility. Again, the impact of an European network becomes distinct by offering of a professional platform for exchange of experience that will integrate its output into new national and international training concepts.
- EUROFORGEN-NoE includes the very important identification of public perception of forensic DNA typing as well as the potential for ethical or legal conflicts. Efficient strategies will be applied in order to encourage an ongoing awareness amongst operational scientists and criminal investigators of the ethical and social pitfalls-issues that surround their work and the importance of public trust for ensuring its success.
On that background, EUROFORGEN-NoE aims to have a long-lasting effect for building an efficient research network.


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In this public school worksheet given to children is every lie about the Second Amendment and the Constitution offered by the radical left.
The father of a Connecticut child is furious after discovering that his son's school is teaching students that Americans don't have a Second Amendment right to bear arms.
"I am appalled," said Steven Boibeaux, of Bristol. "It sounds to me like they are trying to indoctrinate our kids."
Boibeaux's son is an eighth grader at Northeast Middle School. On Monday his social studies teacher gave students a worksheet titled, 'The Second Amendment Today.'
"The courts have consistently determined that the Second Amendment does not ensure each individual the right to bear arms," the worksheet states. "The courts have never found a law regulating the private ownership of weapons unconstitutional.
The worksheet, published by Instructional Fair, goes on to say that the Second Amendment is not incorporated against the states.
"This means that the rights of this amendment are not extended to the individual citizens of the states," the worksheet reads. "So a person has no right to complain about a Second Amendment violation by state laws."
According to the document, the Second Amendment "only provides the right of a state to keep an armed National Guard."
Boibeaux said he discovered the worksheet as he was going over his son's homework assignments.
"I'm more than a little upset about this," he told Fox News. "It's not up to the teacher to determine what the Constitution means."
Mat Staver, the founder and chairman of the Liberty Counsel, called the lesson propaganda – that is "absolutely false."
"In fact, the US Supreme Court has affirmed that the Second Amendment ensures the individual the right to bear arms," Staver told Fox News. "The progressive interpretation of the Second Amendment is that it doesn't give you the right to bear arms – that it's a corporate right of the government – but that has been rejected by the Courts."
Boibeaux's son's teacher also told the students that the Constitution is a "living document."
As noted in the worksheet provided to students – that means "the interpretation changes to meet the needs of the times."
"The judges and courts of each generation provide the interpretation of the document," the worksheet states.
Boibeaux called that concept mind-boggling.
It's not up to the teacher to determine what the Constitution means," he said. "If you want to learn about the Constitution, recite it word for word."
Staver said the idea that the Constitution is a living document is another progressive tactic.
"This idea that this school is propagating that the Constitution can simply be changed at the whim of someone – or that the Second Amendment does not protect the individual right to bear arms is absolute propaganda and absolutely false," Staver said.


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You are currently browsing the daily archive for February 16, 2008.
When I started this series, I imagined alternating fotos of women and men, but siren per se doesn't seem to include men although there are other winged-creatures that include men. As a digression, check out this mechanical siren with –er– horsepower.
But I'll persist a little and go inland to a favorite place, Rockefeller Center and Paul Manship's Prometheus. Seeing Prometheus from this angle prompts two thoughts:
First, the people below him are not too impressed that he's just stolen fire from Zeus and quite caught up, instead, in just maintaining their balance. And second, that fire in his raised right hand, if dropped, would quickly melt the ice and send the skaters into the waters below. Well… if waters existed below. By the way, Prometheus' grandfather was Oceanus. Prometheus isn't a siren and has no wings, but some flight was involved in his getting away with the fire.
Flight happens here too in this Robert Garrison carving "Morning" facing Sixth Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas) although the eagle provides the wings. More Garrison later.
Of course Giotto and Bosch show angels exist as a category, one that I'm thinking about today since reading Cees Nooteboom's Lost Paradise. See NYC angels here.
Photos, WVD.


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WASHINGTON — Passengers and flight crews will be banned from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights under emergency orders issued Friday by both Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
The orders, which are effective immediately in Canada and at noon EDT Saturday in the U.S., say the phones may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from Canada and the United States or within either country. The phones also can't be shipped as air cargo.
Passengers with the phones will not be allowed to board planes. And those who try to evade the U.S. ban by packing the phones in checked luggage may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines. Transport officials in both countries warned that carrying the phones in checked luggage increases the potential danger to the flight.
Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million of the smartphones, citing a battery manufacturing error. The South Korean company discontinued the product earlier this week, less than two months after its August release.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the United States. One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
Transport Canada and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had previously warned passengers not to pack the phones in their checked bags and to power them off and not charge them while on board planes.
"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."
Samsung said in a statement that it is working with the department to make customers aware of the ban. The company also urged Note 7 customers to get a refund or exchange their phones by visiting their wireless carrier or retail store. Samsung has a website at samsung.com/us/note7recall and a phone number, 1-844-365-6197, for customers with questions.
The Note 7 isn't the only gadget to catch fire thanks to lithium-battery problems, which have afflicted everything from laptops to Tesla cars to Boeing's 787 jetliner. At least three U.S. airlines are adding new fire-suppression equipment to fleets in case a cellphone or laptop battery overheats, catches on fire and can't be extinguished.
Rechargeable lithium batteries are more susceptible to overheating than other types of batteries if they are exposed to high temperatures, are damaged or have manufacturing flaws. Once overheating starts, it can lead to "thermal runaway" in which temperatures continue escalating to very high levels. Water can extinguish the flames, but doesn't always halt the thermal runaway. Flames will often reappear after initially being quenched.
Lithium batteries are ubiquitous in consumer electronic devices. Manufacturers like them because they weigh less and pack considerably more energy into the same space than other types of batteries.
Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards, banned bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger planes until better packaging can be developed to prevent a fire from spreading and potentially destroying the plane.
With files from The Canadian Press


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Disneyland reopens ride after safety case
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — One of Disneyland's most popular rides has reopened after the company declined to appeal a workplace safety case.
The Orange County Register reported that Space Mountain reopened Friday evening.
The attraction was closed in April after state officials said safety rules were violated when a contractor fell and suffered broken bones while cleaning Space Mountain's slanted roof.
The contract company was fined nearly $61,000 for the safety violations.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health proposed a nearly $235,000 penalty against Disney in connection with the contractor's injury.
Disney did not appeal by Friday's deadline, but the company said it continues to meet with the state agency about the citations.
Disney closed two other rides — the Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland and Soarin' Over California in Disney California Adventure — to evaluate the safety of employees who maintain them. Both attractions have since reopened.


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WHEN I BEGAN READING an advance copy of John Coyne's The Caddie Who Played with Hickory a few weeks back, I'll admit I was already a fan. In a nutshell, it's a fictional story about how a teenage caddie comes to play the great Walter Hagen in Hagen's final match with a prized set of hickory clubs. Getting to that match is an entertaining journey.
I had read Coyne's first "caddie" story, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, a year ago and wrote at the time that I was skeptical about putting Hogan in a fictional story in a real place, Chicago's Midlothian Country Club (also the setting for this new book). But Coyne's storytelling skills (he's authored more than 20 books, mostly novels) combined with his first-hand knowledge of country club life as a teenage caddie made the golf tale entertaining and believable.
For me, "Hickory" is even better: the story, the characters (more with more depth) and the little plot twists and surprises along the way. Plus, there's the colorful Walter Hagen, a larger-than-life golf professional who out-earned Babe Ruth! My hunch is that Coyne is more comfortable in what's looking like a "caddie" series.
I didn't know much about the hickory era, but Coyne has a way of educating the reader without ever being tedious. That's great for me because I enjoy learning about different eras and players. The bonus was getting a fun page-turner, with golf matches, a mysterious character and, instead of Hogan, the trail-blazing Hagen, the greatest hickory player of all time. Another legend, amateur Chick Evans, also makes an appearance in the climactic challenge match.
If you read the "Hogan" book and liked it, you'll want to read The Caddie Who Played with Hickory. If you're new to John Coyne but enjoy golf history in the hands of a gifted storyteller, I highly recommend it. It's a satisfying read.
-The Armchair Golfer
More John Coyne:
John Coyne Books (and blog)
2007 interview
2007 golf tidbits


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Reno, Jesse Lee
Reno, Jesse Lee
rē´nō, 1823–62, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Wheeling, Va. (now W.Va.). He was twice brevetted for his service in the Mexican War. In the Civil War, Reno was made a brigadier general of volunteers (Nov., 1861) and commanded a brigade in Ambrose Burnside's expedition to North Carolina (1861–62). Promoted to major general (July, 1862), he led the 9th Corps at the second battle of Bull Run, at Chantilly, and at South Mt., where he was killed on Sept. 14, 1862. Reno, Nev., was named for him.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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January consumer spending misses forecasts
Washington, D.C. -- A report released Monday by the Commerce Department showed that consumer spending in the United States in January edged up 0.2%, curbed by increased food and gas prices. The results missed Bloomberg News forecasts and represented the smallest gain since June. Incomes beat projections by climbing 1%, according to the report, reflecting the tax-cut compromise reached by President Obama and Congressional Republicans in December, and inflation remained below the Federal Reserve's long-term forecast. A median estimate of 71 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 0.4% advance in spending. Projections ranged from increases of 0.2%
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The Leatherman took the idea of a multitool to its logical conclusion, jamming screwdrivers, knives, saws, can openers, pliers, and just about any other extension you could think of into a fold-up kit. Now, it wants to do the same thing, but on your wrist.
The new Tread bracelet contains all the tools of your trusty Leatherman but in a compact design you wear on your wrist—the individual links turn into miniature tools. There's a cutting hook, allen wrench, a screwdriver, a box wrench, and more. You can put them in any order you like. The tool, inspired by bracelets made from old bike chains, is meant to pass easily through airport security, which a regular Leatherman will not.
There's also the option to add a watch face and turn the Tread into a proper timekeeping device. If Leatherman somehow turns it into a smart watch, it may, in fact, be the only tool you'll need.
More From Popular Mechanics
This story was originally published by Popular Mechanics.


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Iceland becomes the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay
LONDON (AP) — Iceland will be the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality, the Nordic nation's government said Wednesday — International Women's Day.
The government said it will introduce legislation to parliament this month, requiring all employers with more than 25 staff members to obtain certification to prove they give equal pay for work of equal value.
While other countries, and the U.S. state of Minnesota, have equal-salary certificate policies, Iceland is thought to be the first to make it mandatory for both private and public firms.
The North Atlantic island nation, which has a population of about 330,000, wants to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022.
Social Affairs and Equality Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson said "the time is right to do something radical about this issue."
"Equal rights are human rights," he said. "We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace. It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that."
Iceland has been ranked the best country in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum, but Icelandic women still earn, on average, 14 to 18% less than men.
In October thousands of Icelandic women left work at 2:38 p.m. and demonstrated outside parliament to protest the gender pay gap. Women's rights groups calculate that after that time each day, women are working for free.
The new legislation is expected to be approved by Iceland's parliament because it has support from both the center-right government and opposition lawmakers. The government hopes to implement it by 2020.
Iceland has introduced other measures to boost women's equality, including quotas for female participation on government committees and corporate boards. Such measures have proven controversial in some countries, but have wide support across Iceland's political spectrum.
Viglundsson said some people had argued the equal-pay law imposes unneeded bureaucracy on firms, and is not necessary because the pay gap is closing.
"It is a burden to put on companies to have to comply with a law like this," he acknowledged. "But we put such burdens on companies all the time when it comes to auditing your annual accounts or turning in your tax report.
"You have to dare to take new steps, to be bold in the fight against injustice."


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Internet Cat Video Fest Returns
You've seen them in your news feed (maybe you put them there!), you've watched them secretly (or not) on YouTube countless times. Next week, internet cat video afficionados will once again be treated to a screening of the best-of-the-best in feline interweb superstardom.
Will Braden (aka creator of the Henri Le Chat Noir vids), started the Internet Cat Video Festival three years ago in the middle of Minneapolis's Walker Arts Center Open Field and, to Braden's surprise, fans leapt at the opportunity to rub shoulders with fellow feline friendly film fans. The festival now tours the world, and is coming back to Hollywood Theatre for the second year in a row.
Internet Cat Video Festival 2014
Hollywood Theatre
June 13 and 14 at 7 pm and 9:30 pm
Braden won the first ever Golden Kitty Award (as well as Roger Ebert's praise) for his sardonic, French-subtitled, black-and-white (the film too) cat video, Paw de Deux. This year's lineup will include more from Braden, and all those other kittehs that have plugged social media as they've made the upward spiral from iPhone, to YouTube, and boomeranged into meme superstardom.
What are your favorite cat videos? Post them in the comments. Here are our top 5:
Simon's Cat in "Cat Man Do."
The animated series that has made Simon and his cat infamous, this is the one that started it all.
The Pattycake Cats
Talk about an internet sensation! These two padding cats would still be pawing at each other in obscurity without the collaborative efforts of two humans providing voiceover for their thoughts.
If you've never heard of Japan's most infamous cat, here's an introduction:
Cat vs Printer
This one's still making the rounds even after five years. It's been dubbed with sound effects added, but we think the original is purrrr-fect as is. No human intervention required.
Will Braden's Henri Le Chat Noir in Paw de Deux
Finally, the Golden Kitty Award winner itself. Roger Ebert said this is "the best internet cat video ever made." Bien sûr!


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Dark, based on simple typography. It's pleasant to browse. Technicaly valid, jQuery and AJAX powered.
CssLeak is a gallery that feature the best design website around the world.
The designs are ordered by web design trends and by popularity.
© Copyright 2023 CssLeak all rights reserved. Designed & developed by Thomas Béal


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Last week, AAA predicted that travel will be up about 5 percent this Memorial Day break from last year — and 28 million people will drive to their weekend getaway. While gas prices are down about eight cents per gallon over the last two weeks, consider these tips before hitting the road:
- Compare fuel costs. Visit gasbuddy.com before you go to calculate how much the trip will cost and find the best pump prices along the way.
- Slow down! Going 65 mph uses 15 percent more fuel than going 55 mpg — that's like adding 40+ cents per gallon to the price of gas!
- Check your tire pressure before you leave. Low pressure can slow you down, to the tune of an additional three percent or so in gas mileage. Look to the sticker on the driver-side door for your car's correct tire pressure.
If a new GPS navigator is on your "to-buy" list, check out our reviews, or learn how your cell phone can show you the way with "Mobile Phone GPS."
For some great ideas on where to go on your next road trip, read about "Driving Vacations That Won't Drive You Crazy."


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Contra this time last year, I can sleep quite well, actually. Thanks for asking. Too well, in fact.
An appointment with the doctor has it that the source of a persistent narcolescence is likely something other than my medication. Apparently my SSRI of choice doesn't do that.
To test the hypothesis, my dosage is being dropped by half.
Gym has been suspended, and then given the green light, owning to the need for an opinion on an umbilical hernia I likely first obtained when body surfing across Gawler Place. It was either that or a taxi would have ground me into road pizza. I'll take the hernia, thanks.
As it turns out, it's not so serious, and it would have been better (with the benefit of hindsight) had I stayed at gym. Gym helps with my depression. It also makes me sleepy.
Now I've been away from the blogosphere quite a bit this year, but don't you think that means I've been doing nothing.
In my spare time, when not twiddling my thumbs, I've been trying to organise the drafting of a harassment policy for the Humanist Society of South Australia (HSSA). We're going to do this democratically, or not at all, so that takes a little more time, work, and patience than if we were to opt the route of executive power. I like to think that discussion both makes for a better policy, and keeps the membership aware of why the policy is there.
In dribs and drabs of I've-got-to-get-it-finished-soon (although it really leads into an event in May), I've been working on an article I started in December of last year. Suffice to say, the fact checking, verification and investigation took longer than I thought, and I now know a bunch of stuff related both tangentially and directly to the subject, than I ever knew before.
Some of it I wish I didn't. Some of it agitates my clinical depression.
I'm forced to ask myself; which is more depressing, the knowledge that a problem exists, or inaction on said problem? Because if inaction is more depressing, then being depressed into inaction is going to cause feedback.
Problem; Inaction; Depression; Inaction; More depression; More inaction.
It'd be a lie to say that I've been inactive, generally, but by fuck (which is sacred around here), I can't half feel the blanket pressing down on me.
Which I guess is an improvement over the last twenty years. The blanket always did press down on me to some extent, only for the most part, I wasn't aware of it. I guess the meds have been doing their work.
I guess the crux of it is that the blanket doesn't give me room for a good swing and hit. The alternative is struggling?
I'll labour on. I mean, you do that when you're depressed anyway, as best you can. The trick though, is to find the things that motivate you, which contrary to the cliché, are not necessarily the things you love.
Burning moral outrage doesn't burn in me like it used to, which has had the twin effect of helping me see things clearer, and investigate further instead of getting my jocks in a twist. But a little more impulsiveness along these lines would at least help me get my volume of writing up.
Of course, I don't burn out, either, being as I am at the moment.
I can't even act out anger for the rhetoric of the rant anymore. Or at least, not for an extended period.
Poetry, or at least poetic prose is starting to flow more freely, and with humanistic intents. One of the themes emerging the HSSA has been religion's monopoly on hope, and it seems to me that a godless literary tradition could offer competition.
Short of the suspended critical thinking of some of the transhumanists, the selfishness (and self-serving readings) of the Randroids, or the totalitarianism of some of the worst of the 20th century's godless dogmas, that is. A literary tradition that speaks to what good humans can do, without getting all bleary-eyed about it.
The thing is, human folly notwithstanding, there's still reason for hope without recourse to divine intervention, or secular fictions. Denmark does it pretty well, and largely without recourse to deities.
I have selfish reasons for wanting to see these hopes recognised in my own time, and my own circle, if only to motivate me through my own depression. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't this side to it.
That being said, I'd like to think that this would be a good way to get out there, if not quite swinging. I'd like to think that it'd be a good way to help others, and to fulfil an ethos of contribution.
But more on that, hopefully soon enough.
I have things planned and in the works. We'll touch base again, and hopefully (I'm not ashamed to use the word) I'll have a little more to show for my efforts.
~ Bruce


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Money as Language is a set of arbitrary words/ values imposed onto reality. This 'social agreement' was never based in the consideration of what's best for all life, not everyone was counted in. We 'agreed' to separate ourselves as word. There is No physicality whatsoever that can back up the reason behind a particular word or physical value adjudicated to money itself.
Hence, because there are No Fundaments upon money itself/ words, changing their current functioning and value. Whatever we have agreed as an arbitrary group of signs to communicate – words and money are equally forms of communication – we are determined and bound to such rules in such arbitrary arrangement. This is the foundation of our 'Rational World.' What have we done with 'Rationality'? We have pondered it as our greatest 'asset' as species – really? Are we or are we Not bound to the language we speak as the meaning of the words being the actual creators and definers of our reality? Isn't money currently the greatest headache in every human being's mind – including those 'wealthy ones' that are also now fearing to lose it all? How is it that our 'Rationality' became our greatest demise? We stopped questioning WHY and HOW we created a mind-made arbitrary and absolutely planned system that could only benefit some at the expense of others and call it success, power, 'achievements.' Really?
The only way that we will be able to CHANGE this current system is through Words – Money is a Sign/ Word in linguistic terms wherein its 'Holiness' can only stem from an imposed set of premises as 'rules' and 'regulations' that we simply accepted 'as is' – just like we come into this world and learn that the word 'Mama' represents the person that brought you into this world. This is the level to which Mind Control should be debunked.
Money as a Sign
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to see Money as a concept equitable to God wherein Money gives the ability to get/ obtain that which we require to live, which should be unconditionally given to All in Equality, but we have a.greed to create a system based on holy-laws and holy-values that are seemingly 'untouchable' and 'unquestionable' as if it was the primordial master-piece of God's creation that cannot be change and re-assessed, which is equal to how we came to believe the concept of God to be in any way 'real' in our reality – equally intangible as money does Not represent Life in Equality in any way – hence it is a false-god and as such equal to any other concept of God used to control and subdue the masses in means of 'power over life.'
Any god stands in the way of Equality as Life.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that money is a medium and a tool for exchange of goods and services, without ever pondering if such 'tool' was available equally for all within the common sensical realization that: every single human being requires 'goods/ services' to live – hence, within the acceptance of this 'tool' not being readily available/ given to All human beings in Equality = I accepted and allowed Money as a Weapon to dominate, control and have power over others through denying unconditional support for them, and only placing Money as a reward for work, which became a synonym of survival and not Physical work to sustain ourselves and a community to live from and of what the Earth gives unconditionally.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed Money to be the sign and symbol of power as if it represented any real-physical tangible piece of reality in itself, without realizing that Money as a Word/ Concept/ Signified contains only an image/signifier based on paper, metals, bank notes, plastic cards, chips that in no way hold a physical tangible part of reality that is 'worth as life,' but instead it is worth according to a 'language' with its own Logic called economics and finances as the monetary system's self-created rules and regulations that we came to accept 'as is' without ever questioning if such values in any way represented Reality as Life, and its existence for all beings in Equality as a basic foundation of such Logical System of Values created by man himself.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed Money as a 'social product' of agreements and premises that in no way were based on making of money an actual communication tool in Equality for all beings, as the giving and receiving of what is of and from the Earth that is unconditionally provided for all to live and have a dignified life in this world. Instead, I allowed a system that would disable a great part of humanity from being able to be part of a symbiotic relationship with the environment, placing them into a 'lacking position' as in having no-money wherein those that 'do' have money can exert rules and regulations wherein those with no-money can be exploited in means of their own survival/ calling it 'work,' which is only a premise that we accepted as 'Real' and 'Rational' according to the imposed logics behind language and the concept of money itself.
I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to realize that Money as a concept exists in separation of myself as one and equal, for it signifies the very separation of Equality through the creation in itself of arbitrary values imposed on reality that I never questioned because 'it was already here/ it came from the past' – hence accepting money as 'tradition' in our human culture, only arriving in this world to learn how it functions, adopt such conceptual values in separation of myself as 'real' and comply to the system, never questioning it further because, just as language, we have place it in a holy-position as if it can't just be questioned, altered or changed due to its 'godly-forces' behind it, wherein we simply accepted the Monetary Belief-System as 'real.'
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed Economy as the rules and set of guidelines that dictate the way money exists as a Monetary-System that is flawed in its roots by deliberately negating the physical relationship that should exist behind money and physical reality, which is what has lead us to our current demise wherein Money as that symbol of power and abuse over Life, its taking its toll on the actual physical resources that are Not able to be replenished/ renewed – including animals and human lives as well – which means that we are walking the consequences of accepting and allowing the Money Belief-System as the almighty power over Life/ God which is now leading us all to an imminent destruction if we don't Stop complying to this belief system and actually Change its rules/ order in a way that it considers All Beings Equal as Life, and using Money as a symbol of redemption wherein we learn how to Give and Receive as Equals as Life.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to make of Money the center of Human Affairs wherein the very words that I speak entail money-value-worth in separation of myself as Life.
I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to realize that I as a human being created the rules of association between money and reality, which were Not Equal as Life from the very beginning, which means that the system was doomed to fail, because nothing that abuses Life can remain and continue existing as is in this reality any longer.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to make of Money an external aspect of my existence, seeing it as this object that has 'power over me/ power over life' and dictates the lives of individuals within a particular community that has its own 'monetary language' as economy based on other 'greater contexts' that we as individuals often believe ourselves to be only 'victims-of' without realizing that we are the very ones that accepted the Money-God concept as 'real' in our reality by following its rules and regulations.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to tacitly agree to use money as a means of giving and receiving what is here from and of the Earth, worked/ produced/ transformed by the human without ever questioning why its existence was not then readily given to all beings as All beings require to live and survive in this world – within this, realizing that Money was Not covering all individual needs and that it was then, inherently flawed with an Evil aim, which was that of the illusion of power/ control as the outflow of greed existent in every human being that could fathom there being something 'more' than itself, 'more' than life and in that, deliberately blinding ourselves to realize that the only thing we were abusing in the name of power is Life itself as ourselves, as fellow human beings, as the animal kingdom and the Earth's resources that we are now seeing/ realizing is becoming our own demise as humanity.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to trust words as knowledge and information wherein the Money concept was equally adopted just as any other 'social convention' in the name of having power over another aspect of reality in separation of who we are as life.
I commit myself to continue debunking the concept/ word and associations of Money in this world as a means to make it part of our language, as if it was an actual agreement in means of equal-and-one communication, which is clearly Not and it is a primary word and existence in itself as a concept that is currently equated as God, as 'holy' and untouchable/ unquestionable, which is why we have to become aware of the words we speak and the value we have given to words in separation of ourselves.
I commit myself to explain How in order to establish the Equal Money System, we require to walk an individual process of understanding Words as Ourselves and Who We Are/ Who we have accepted and allowed ourselves to be/ become/ perpetuate and create in separation of ourselves as Life.
I commit myself to walk my own process of taking off the veil that I have accepted and allowed as 'Money' in my world, wherein all values, worth and perceived 'power' embedded in money, is self-forgiven and self-directed in a way that I ensure I can use that word as a New Sign/ Symbol of Life in Equality – which means that who we are as money in this world must be corrected through the realization that it is the current Concept of Money which is the basic problem and weapon of Mind Control to accept is current meaning 'as is' without any question, which is obviously leading to absolute abuse and neglect of Life itself.
I commit myself to make of Money an actual sign in function of Life in Equality, as a tool that is able to be given to all as a Living-Right by mere consideration of who we are as Equals in this world and reality, which means that I must first walk all the relationships in separation of myself as life that I created through the belief-system of money first as myself and how I built my own reality around it, as that is the only way to see how I separated myself from Life as who and what I really am.
This will continue…
What have I done? (2008)
Suggested Read:
Day 65: The Glamour of Enlightenment
- Femininity and Masculinity: DAY 65
Day 31: Self Forgiveness Statements on the design of Desire _ This blog in a continuation to: Day 30: The design of desire
Soul of Money Series


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/ Source: The Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is asking MTV to cancel the West Virginia-based reality show "Buck Wild" that's set to air next year.
Manchin's office said Friday that he sent a letter to the president of the network saying the show profits off of "poor decisions of our youth."
The senator also said the show set to begin airing Jan. 3 plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes about the people of his home state.
The network ordered 12 episodes of the show last fall, and a trailer shows the cast drinking and swearing, four-wheeling and fighting, even filling a dump truck with water and using it as a swimming pool. It was shot in Sissonville and Charleston.
MTV declined comment Friday through a spokeswoman.


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App That Monitors Driving
The App We Would've Feared as New Drivers
Think back to what would have been your worst nightmare as a newly licensed 16-year-old driver. Would it have been your parents seeing exactly how far and how fast you're driving even though you've pinkie sworn to be responsible? Through the power of technology, new drivers now leave the house with the knowledge that their parents are tracking every part of their driving with the Lexus Enform Remote App. Basically, it's what every parent worries about when it comes to their kids' distracted and novice driving needs.
This iPhone and Android app allows concerned moms and dads to watch over driving speeds without having to be there at all. Parents can create profiles for different drivers like "hubby" or "kids" and set limits on different parameters, including speed limits! The app communicates with the car to activate the limits you set, and it'll send you a push notification if those limits are not respected.
The available parental controls include:
- Speed — cap car speeds at your desired miles per hour.
- Curfew — if the car's out past curfew, you'll get a phone notification.
- Distance — limit the vehicle to travel a certain amount of miles.
- Area — create a radius boundary for a particular city or neighborhood.
- Time — this restriction is based on hours and minutes out, rather than how far the car has gone.
Another handy feature is the vehicle finder, which pinpoints the car's last known parked location on a map. You can even lock and unlock doors remotely, as well as check the status of the trunk, hood, moonroof, windows, doors, and, if it applies, the convertible top.
But this peace of mind doesn't come for free. The first year of Lexus Enform Remote is complimentary — then $80 per year after that. How much would you pay to be able to monitor your teen's driving?
The app will be available soon in select 2015 Lexus models throughout North America (excluded models include the CT, IS C, GX, LX, and RX). One vehicle you will find it in is the brand-new Lexus NX crossover SUV, which we had an opportunity to test drive before its December 2014 release (stay tuned for a full review).
Source: Lexus


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Guest editorial: A desperate move for USPS
Doctors don't normally treat ugly lacerations with one of those tiny, circular adhesive bandages, so why is the Postal Regulatory Commission trying that approach with the U.S. Postal Service?
The commission on Wednesday, by a 2-1 vote, approved a 6 percent increase in the Postal Service's first-class, bulk mail, periodical and package service rates, effective Jan. 26.
That means the cost of first-class stamps will rise from 46 cents to 49 cents. The increase, which is above the rate of inflation (commission approval is required for that), is for no more than two years. Its specific intention is to allow the Postal Service to make up $2.8 billion in losses between 2008 and 2011 that the commission said can be attributed to the Great Recession.
There's one problem. The Postal Service during the period in question lost $20.2 billion. It lost $15.9 billion in 2012. The fact that it lost just $5 billion in 2013 is being treated as good news in some quarters.
We're loath to write off $2.8 billion as small change, but it really is when you're talking about that much red ink.
The Postal Service says it's in a desperate situation because of congressional inaction on proposals such as ending Saturday mail delivery and reducing payments on retiree health benefits. A bill passed in 2006, with bipartisan congressional support, required it to pre-fund those benefits for the next 75 years through regular payments of $5.5 billion to the U.S. Treasury over 10 years. It's defaulted on the last three installments.
Conspiracy theorists think the requirement is a deliberate attempt to wreck the Postal Service and its unions, and point out the agency was profitable before it was enacted. Supporters of the requirement claim those profitability numbers were hollow because they didn't reflect the agency's retiree benefit liabilities, and say the pre-funding is necessary to ensure those debts will be paid off.
We've previously said that requirement might need to be revisited, but even if it vanished, the Postal Service still would be in a tenuous situation as far as profitability because of the decline in what's always been its most profitable product, First-Class Mail, as more people communicate electronically than through pen or pencil on paper.
Since 2011, First-Class Mail volume has declined 9.4 percent and revenues have declined by 6.3 percent. That trend is unstoppable.
The Postal Service has seen growth in Standard Mail (bulk rate) and package delivery, and common sense would indicate a greater emphasis there. But those industries are screaming about the rate hike and think it ultimately cost the agency customers.
It's hard to find a good answer (or answers) for this dilemma, but there eventually needs to be a consensus — between the agency's customers, employees and overseers — on what form the Postal Service will take in 2014 and moving forward.
That form may not be remotely close to the old Post Office of bygone generations. Will people accept that and buy in?
— Gadsden Times


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Hard Drive Shortage in Thailand Affecting Supply Chain for Resellers, Consumers
Hardware suppliers and resellers around the world are still reeling in the wake of the destructive flooding in Thailand and its growing impact on the technology and consumer markets. While flooding is hardly uncommon in Thailand, the waters that swept through the country beginning in July are the worst on record and continue to wreak havoc. More than 500 people have lost their lives as a result of the devastation, and thousands of manufacturing factories have been forced to shut down due to lost inventory and irreparable damage.
The Situation
In recent years, Thailand has emerged as one of the major manufacturing hubs around the world and is responsible for supplying a significant percentage (some argue as much as 70%) of the world's demand for hard disk drives (HDD). As far as the technology industry is concerned, the current shortage of these hard drives has left major manufacturers crippled and hardware resellers concerned for the future. Notably, the shortage is affecting several of the top HDD producers, including Western Digital, Toshiba and Seagate Technology. And while these producers attempt to shift production to factories in other locations until the water recedes and factories can be rebuilt, the effects of the shortage are already being felt worldwide.
The Impact
The reality is that while we are already starting the see the short-term impact of this devastation, no one can know for sure what the long-term effects will be. Currently, manufacturer hard drive prices are already starting to rise. While some distributors are holding on onto their inventory as they play a "wait and see" game and attempt to determine next steps, others are already increasing prices by 10 to 20 percent, and the expectation is that that figure will continue to steadily increase over the next quarter, potentially upwards of 30 to 50 percent.
In the short term, expectations are that many distributors and resellers will (hopefully) have enough inventory to meet demand through the end of the year. Come 2012, however, no one truly knows. Much of the long term outlook will depend on when the floods finally recede in Thailand and manufacturers can begin to assess the damage and take measures to renovate and rebuild.
For distributors who may be faced with a shortage of inventory, the challenge becomes more difficult. Existing manufacturers' hard drives will likely be distributed first to the government and secondarily to larger distributors. This leaves smaller value-added resellers (VARs) to fight their way up the food chain and hope they win the lottery, so to speak.
As we get closer to Q1 and the realization that many distributors and resellers will not have stock to meet their clients' demands, we will start to see more significant effects coming into play. Lead times for new hard drives could reach upwards of 2 to 3 months. Servers, workstations, and other hardware could start to experience delays and price increases (Extended lead times on servers are already being pushed, with a normal 5-7 day lead time stretching to 20 days). Some analysts are predicting the consumer PC market will be hit hard in Q1 and Q2, with a potential reduction in sales by as much as $7 million.
And while the first thought may be to move infrastructures to the cloud, cloud providers may also be affected and become unable to meet the demand for space. Resolve is unlikely to come until well into 2012, and indications are that manufacturers like Western Digital and Toshiba won't operate at pre-flood levels for 9-12 months.
Consumers and business who rely on distributors and resellers for hardware should speak directly to their vendors about preparations for the remainder of the year as well as for early 2012.
At Eze Castle Integration we are monitoring this situation closely and have contingency plans in place to support our clients. If you are an Eze Castle Integration client and have questions about inventory and hardware accessibility, please contact your Client Relationship Manager.


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Greetings dragonfly enthusiasts!
Welcome to the Dragonfly Swarm Project! If you've already participated in the project and would like to report a swarm, please visit the Report a Dragonfly Swarm page. If you haven't participated in the past, here's some information about the project for your reading pleasure.
I am an aquatic entomologist. Though most of my research so far has focused on giant water bugs, I am passionate about dragonflies. I love watching them and I can't get enough! A few years ago, a friend and I happened upon a glorious scene: hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies of multiple species swarming over a grassy hill next to a lake where we worked. I wrote a blog post about it to share what I'd seen with others. I was simply stunned by this behavior and spent a good part of the next week going back out to the lake to watch the swarm. Then the dragonflies vanished! I found this behavior more interesting than any other insect behavior I'd ever seen, so I knew I had to learn more about it.
To my surprise, there was very little information about this behavior in the scientific literature and next to nothing online. Dragonfly researchers know that dragonflies swarm. They also know that there are two different kinds of swarms, static feeding swarms (the dragonflies fly repeatedly over a well-defined area and fairly close to the ground, usually feeding on clouds of small insects) and migratory swarms (hundreds to millions of dragonflies flying in a single direction in massive groups, often 50-100 feet above the ground). However, these swarms are very difficult to study because they are incredibly ephemeral events. You have to be in the right place at the right time to see one and many people will go their entire lives without ever witnessing a swarm. So, although I could find some information about these swarms in the scientific literature, I was still left with a lot of questions.
In the meantime, people started leaving comments on my blog posts saying that they'd seen similar events in their yards or in their cities or while driving from one rural area to another. There were a lot of people, and a lot of people who didn't normally read my blog, so I wondered where all of these people were coming from. Sure enough, when I searched for dragonfly swarm online, my blog entries were popping up at the top of the search. I apparently had one of the only online resources for information about an insect behavior that a lot of people were curious about – and that meant that a lot of people were seeing these swarms all over the U.S. and sometimes in other countries. Though it was difficult for any one person to see many swarms, the behaviors were actually pretty common.
So, I wanted to learn more about this behavior. I also had people visiting my blog by the thousands to figure out why there were suddenly so many dragonflies in their yards. It occurred to me that I might be able to both satisfy my own curiosity about the swarms and start collecting scientific data to explain this fascinating behavior if I requested information from the thousands of people visiting my blog looking for information. Perhaps I could turn this into a symbiotic relationship: in exchange for providing information about dragonfly swarms to my blog visitors, they might provide the data I wanted. It was just crazy enough to work!
Thus, the Dragonfly Swarm Project was born. I started asking people to submit reports of dragonfly swarms on my blog or via my contact form in 2010. And people responded! Lots of people! The first summer I received about 650 reports from across North America, about three times what I had hoped to get. In 2011, I began collecting data via an online form and received over 1100 reports! I am thus successfully collecting scientific data via my blog and have turned my quest for knowledge about swarming dragonflies into a online citizen science project.
Because the success of this project depends entirely on the kind contributions of Dragonfly Swarm Project participants, I like to give something back. In addition to the dragonfly swarm information that I've posted on my blog (I've gathered all my posts together on a single page here), I provide reports so that everyone can see what I'm doing and how the project is progressing. I post yearly reports on my blog at the end of the swarming season. As of 2011, I post weekly reports during the swarming season that contain the location of all swarms reported for the previous week and links to other online dragonfly swarm news and information. I also intend to publish at least two scientific papers after 5 years of data collection, though I plan to collect data for many years beyond to generate a long-term data set.
With the help of my readers, I have been able to do what I never thought possible: I've collected data on thousands of swarms throughout the world. What is normally an ephemeral event that any one person might be lucky to see once in their lifetime becomes downright common when you have thousands of people sharing information together. Project participants are turning an epic data collection task into a project that is easily managed by one person. I can't imagine any greater reward than seeing this little idea of mine explode into the project it has become! If I spent an entire lifetime studying this behavior on my own, I couldn't hope to collect more than a tiny fraction of the information that I've accumulated through the project already. I am unbelievably happy that this project has been so successful, and I believe my participants are having a positive experience as well.
Thank you for your interest in my project! If you would like to participate, consider reading more about dragonfly swarms on the Dragonfly Swarm Information page. Then, keep an eye out for swarms between May and October! If you see one, I hope you'll come back and share what you've seen by filling out a dragonfly swarm report. With your help, I will be able to collect enough data to tell a really great science story about dragonfly swarms!
Have you seen a dragonfly swarm?
I am tracking swarms so I can learn more about this interesting behavior. If you see one, I'd love to hear from you! Please visit my Report a Dragonfly Swarm page to fill out the official report form. It only takes a few minutes!
Want more information?
Visit my dragonfly swarm information page for my entire collection of posts about dragonfly swarms!
Like this citizen science project and wish to share it with others? Consider using the official Dragonfly Swarm Project brochure to help spread the word! The brochure is in a standard tri-fold, 8 1/2 x 11 format in black and white. If you'd like to hand one or more out, just print the two pages of the PDF file back to back (make sure "Shrink to Printable Area" isn't selected – it has to be printed full size with the 1/4 inch margins to fold properly), fold, and pass along! There's space on the back for a mailing label if you want to send one in the mail too. Just make sure you tape all three sides shut before mailing.
In order to maintain documentation (this can be important when writing grant proposals and what not), I need to keep track of how many of the brochures are made available when and where. If you'd like to promote The Dragonfly Swarm Project using the brochure I am more than happy for you to do so! Just send me a message and I will send you the link to the PDF, usually within 24 hours. Please note that I am unable to send printed copies of the brochure at this time.
Unless otherwise stated, all text, images, and video are copyright © TheDragonflyWoman.com


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Monday, 18 January 2010 04:03 PM EST
Senate banking negotiators are discussing plans that could significantly weaken — or even jettison — President Barack Obama's proposed independent consumer finance agency.
The plans are not final and are part of a broader attempt by Senate Banking committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-CT., to find a bipartisan compromise on how to regulate Wall Street in the wake of the worst crisis since the Great Depression.
One idea would create a consumer entity with its own powers inside an existing regulatory agency or within a new super regulator. The negotiations, still in the early stages, are attempting to find common ground between Dodd's desire for an independent agency and adamant objections to the idea from Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the banking committee.
Republicans have so far refused to consider supporting the independent consumer agency. Democrats are willing to discuss alternatives as long as the plan creates meaningful protections against predatory lending and other abuses that contributed to the financial crisis.
Among the options is letting state regulators set their own, higher standards for lending. Big banks currently enjoy protection from tougher state law, and strongly oppose the change.
The internal discussions, described Friday by a number of people familiar with the talks, cover a range of regulatory topics, including who should be assigned the job of monitoring the financial markets for potential threats to the nation's system.
Negotiators have debated the merits of making the Federal Reserve or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. the lead agency in such an effort, or whether to create a single, all-seeing regulator for the task. They have also discussed giving greater powers to the FDIC, including the ability to oversee bank holding companies, a task currently carried out by the Federal Reserve.
The talks have also centered on how to best dismantle large, interconnected firms without resorting to a taxpayer bailout. Though Obama would prefer a system under the authority of Treasury and the FDIC, the Senate is looking at a special bankruptcy court, with a separate executive branch authority used only as a last resort.
The Obama administration has given Dodd wide latitude to negotiate with Shelby, though officials say they ultimately don't want to give away key principles. Meanwhile, Dodd's announcement last week that he was not seeking re-election appears to have given Republicans a greater willingness to negotiate with him.
The consumer finance agency is one of the major sticking points. Anything short of an independent consumer agency would be a blow to Obama and consumer advocates who argue current banking regulators failed to monitor lending practices.
"We've been clear on the things that are important to the president: That there be a strong set of consumer protections with a strong new capacity to enforce those protections," said Lawrence Summers, director of the White House National Economic Council.
"Leaving consumer protections in the hands of regulators who failed to protect consumers before is a recipe for continued problems," added Travis Plunkett, legislative director for the Consumer Federation of America.
Banks and their advocacy groups have fiercely fought an independent agency and almost managed to strip it from a House version of the regulatory bill late last year. The agency ultimately survived a close vote. The House bill contains many of the goals proposed by the Obama administration.
The Senate bill is likely to be significantly different if Dodd succeeds in his efforts at a bipartisan bill. But that would mean Obama would not get everything he wants.
Overall, the legislation aims to create a system to monitor the financial markets for potential threats to nation's system and identify firms and activities that should be subject to heightened standards. It also seeks to provide a mechanism to dismantle large failing firms without massive taxpayer bailouts and it would bring previously unregulated, complex transactions under greater scrutiny.
Associated Press Writer Daniel Wagner contributed to this article.
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With the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, elite colleges now have a chance to make good on their promises and bring the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) back to campus.
For the past four decades, ROTC has been barred from some of the nation's most prestigious schools, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford. The program was first pushed off campus in the 1960s and '70s in protest of the Vietnam war, and has been kept off campuses in protest of government policy excluding men and women who are openly homosexual from serving in the military. With Congress having now overturned that policy, ROTC's return to these campuses has become a real possibility. "I look forward to pursuing discussions with military officials and others to achieve Harvard's full and formal recognition of ROTC," Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust said in a statement. Columbia's Lee Bollinger likewise celebrated the legislation: "We now have the opportunity for a new era in the relationship between universities and our military services."
Achieving formal recognition for ROTC on elite campuses will be an important victory. Not only will it reduce many of the administrative hurdles that cadets on these campuses currently have to navigate, it will also eliminate some of the more backhanded arrangements the various universities created to justify their acceptance of ROTC dollars. For example, Harvard's practice has been to "allow" patriotic alumni to pay cadets' ROTC fees through a private trust fund—a fund established in good measure to give the university "plausible deniability" that it was endorsing ROTC.
As welcome as these changes will be, however, the lifting of the ban against ROTC will be a lost opportunity unless advocates press both universities and the military for more substantive changes, and ensure that words of support are followed by concrete action. Absent such a push, the universities and the military likely will stick with something very close to the status quo, in which token, light-footprint programs continue to operate largely on neighboring campuses.
The chief hurdle is that bringing ROTC to campus is expensive. Several liberal commentators and faculty have recently observed—with more than a touch of triumph—that a money-strapped Pentagon is unlikely to establish new units where there has been such limited student interest. The universities will open the doors, these commentators argue, but the military will say no.
At the same time, however, top military leadership has become increasingly aware of—and vocal about—the social costs associated with current policy. In a speech at Duke University last September, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates noted that the military's limited presence in the Northeast and urban areas has left large swaths of the country "void of relationships and understanding of the armed forces." Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has likewise expressed his interest in "exploring a greater ROTC presence across the country, but particularly in those places where we are underrepresented demographically." If the Pentagon is serious about these "costs," it will have to push its own manpower bureaucracy to invest in a more balanced officer corps.
Elite universities, in turn, clearly have an important role to play in redressing the growing social and geographic imbalances within the military. While the Pentagon must be willing to step forward, universities can also shoulder some of the costs involved in renewing their ROTC programs. With their considerable resources, elite universities certainly could offer incentives on par with, or even better than, those provided by other schools: office and training space, financial aid supplements for ROTC scholarships, room and board for cadets, and so on.
Faculty can help bring ROTC into mainstream campus life by offering appropriate academic credit for ROTC coursework, particularly in advanced subject areas. The common objection among faculty is that the ROTC curriculum is too vocational. This objection merits revisiting, however, as universities have increasingly allowed credit for professional or vocational courses. At Stanford, students can receive credit for internships; at Yale for teacher certification programs; at Columbia, with its new finance major, for accounting classes. Furthermore, there's no reason faculty cannot work with the military to enhance the ROTC curriculum and develop rigorous offerings in such relevant fields as political science, anthropology, or economics. Universities could put this opportunity to even greater use by strengthening their course offerings in weak subject areas, such as military and diplomatic history.
Top-tier schools should aim to have top-tier ROTC programs. In so doing, they would help ensure that the American officer corps reflects America as a whole—thereby allowing ROTC to fulfill its original purpose. No less important, returning ROTC to elite university campuses will restore a proud tradition of military service. When the first ROTC units were established at the land grant colleges, students at Harvard, Yale, and other prominent schools petitioned for their own programs so they too might have the chance to demonstrate their patriotism. And serve they did. Yale's Memorial Hall is covered from floor to ceiling with the names of students and faculty who fought from World War I through the Vietnam war, while Harvard boasts the highest number of Medal of Honor recipients outside the service academies.
Not everyone agrees with the decision to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But its repeal does provide an opening for repairing relations between some of the nation's top universities and the military services—a rift that has been unhealthy for universities, their students, and the armed forces. It's an opportunity that shouldn't go to waste.
—Gary Schmitt & Cheryl Miller


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The debate over whether our children are maturing too quickly was reignited last week when the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study which suggests boys are reaching puberty earlier than before. Taking evidence from over 4,000 boys in 41 states, the findings suggested that boys are showing signs of puberty between six months and two years earlier than in past studies. Back in 2010, a similar study of girls in the Journal of Pediatrics revealed that they are also showing signs of puberty earlier than they did in the past – some as young as seven years old.
While these studies are finding evidence that children are maturing faster physically, they are less certain on the causes. While factors like higher caloric intake definitely come into play, there's also a popular conception that technology may play some roles as children are bombarded with graphic sexual images and violence through TV, video games, and the Internet.
But are kids really growing up faster in the glow of omnipresent ultra-connected screens, or has paranoia led us to blame what might be one of the greatest assets to our children?
The sedentary lifestyle
Perhaps the most well documented, and seemingly obvious, negative impact of technology on our kids is the growing obesity problem. In the last 50 years, the childhood obesity rate in the U.S. has soared, and according to the American Heart Association, one third of American kids are overweight or obese. A combination of diet and lack of physical exercise is to blame and technology is seen as a major reason why kids are sitting for long periods of time and generally exercising less than their parents and grandparents did.
There are two ways to look at that. You can blame the technology itself, or you can acknowledge that it is actually people – kids and their parents – who decide not to exercise because they would rather play a video game or watch TV. With kids, there is also peer pressure to engage in tech on various levels, and there are other reasons that parents may be comfortable with kids playing video games in the house rather than going out to play sports. Fear of injury or "stranger danger" seems to be far more common nowadays than it was in the past, when children were often given a great deal of freedom to explore the great outdoors.
Social media and cyberbullying
According to a recent study commissioned by Care.com, there is another technology-related concern that looms even larger in most parent's minds, and that's cyberbullying. It found that 62 percent of parents thought "that increased use of texting, social media activity and the playing of more violent video games are resulting in meaner behavior among kids," and 30 percent of parents of children between 12 and 17 years-old "fear bullying and cyberbullying over kidnapping, domestic terrorism, car accidents, suicide or any other incident."
Is it a legitimate fear? Is social media necessarily negative? We consulted Dr. Larry Rosen, Professor and past Chair of Psychology at California State University, and an international expert in the psychology of technology.
"I do believe that with social media now reaching younger and younger kids they are getting more practice communicating with others and this can be a good thing," Rosen says. "On the other hand, they are getting less practice communicating face to face and are missing out on learning how to interpret all of those critical nonverbal cues that make us understand language and conversation."
He pointed out that young kids "are also being exposed to situations that are not necessarily appropriate for their developmental level, and that is important as they will react from a younger place compared to facing the same situation later in their preteen or teen years when they have passed more developmental milestones."
Social media is a two-way street. A Pew Research Center report found that 77 percent of teens (aged 12 to 17) use social media and while 69 percent of them say "people are mostly kind," 88 percent have witnessed people being "mean or cruel."
Research on the long-term effects of learning social skills online is still coming in, but Rosen doesn't believe it has to be a bad influence. "Teens who spend more time on social media can learn how to be more empathic by practicing empathy online and then transferring it to situations offline," Rosen says. "That is a good thing! Yet there are still other situations that may lead to negative behaviors such as being rude and mean online and transferring this to the real world."
Technology in education
You won't find a true consensus on many issues when it comes to technology and children, but the impact on education is generally seen as positive. Besides bringing interactivity into the classroom, you simply cannot argue with the benefits of assistive technology for children with all kinds of disabilities. The efficacy has been well-established by a number of studies over the last few years.
You'll also find a wealth of interesting studies, such as those at the Center for Children & Technology, that reveal the potential benefits of using technology in education to engage children. Rosen concurs. "As far as learning goes, I think technology actually can aid their learning and allow them to be engaged by the technology and develop their own style and pace."
Is parental responsibility enough?
One of the major issues with children and technology revolves around their potential exposure to inappropriate material. Unfettered access to the Internet cannot be good for any child. Trying to emulate pop stars in music videos or being exposed to sexually suggestive adverts on TV is enough to worry many parents. Beyond that there's Internet porn and clear battle lines between those who favor some form of mandatory censorship, and campaigners for Internet freedom.
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said back in 2007, "If I am President, I will work to make sure that every computer sold into the home has an easy to engage pornography filter so that every parent can protect their child from unwanted filth." In the UK, the government recently completed a consultation on porn blocking and some people are pushing for an "opt-in" system, whereby you would have access blocked by default and have to contact your ISP to ask them for access to adult content. Is legislation really the answer though?
There are lots of parental filters available, and some ISPs will even offer solutions, so parents have no excuse for not filtering what their kids can access at home and on their mobile devices. What they can't control is what their kids are accessing elsewhere. The concern isn't confined to pornography either – there's also the risk of content promoting suicide and self-harm or exposing children to extreme violence.
The ultimate responsibility for what kids are being exposed to has to rest with parents. Speaking to the Telegraph on this issue, a Google spokesperson put it like this, "Laws alone can't teach kids to cross the road. The same is true of learning to be safe online. We work with government and child safety organizations to promote sensible legislation and have developed technology, including Google Safe Search and the Family Safety Centre, that parents can use to protect their children online."
No easy answer
As a tech writer I'm an evangelist for new devices and services ,and I'm convinced they can be good for our children. As a parent I'm concerned about what my kids will be exposed to, especially beyond the family home where I can't exert as much control. Ultimately I see tech as a set of tools; it cannot be to blame simply because it is possible to misuse it. It's our responsibility to encourage our kids to exercise, to support their education, and to talk to them about the dangers of the wider world.
It's tough for a generation getting used to tech and constant Internet access to imagine what it's like for children growing up in a world where these devices and services are ubiquitous. One of the nicest ways to look at it, and one of the most encouraging, is to listen to children themselves. There's a series of great studies at Latitude about how kids are reacting to and learning about technology. Like it or not, technology is a fully integrated part of most kid's lives nowadays, and it's not going away.
Kids are overwhelmingly positive. They are less jaded and cynical than many adults, and they don't see barriers to solutions in the same way we do. Maybe a truly useful debate on this topic should include them. They may have more to contribute than we realize.
Where do you stand on the topic? Whether you're a parent, adult or child – post a comment and weigh in.
[Image credit: Child with iPad: Canada.com; Children using a tablet: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock; Cyberbullying: NLshop/Shutterstock; Computer padlock: Paul Fleet/Shutterstock]
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