text:
Charles A. Koppelman, chairman and CEO of EMI Records Group North America, rises from his mammoth, semicircular, blond wooden desk in his ultramodern mid-Manhattan office. He glances out his 42nd-floor comer window at all of Central Park spread before him in a green-and-blue aerial view, which makes it seem more a feature of a highly detailed, multicolored map than a living expanse of nature and humanity. Then he slowly lifts the cover of his stark black Davidoff humidor, surveys the hand-rolled splendors that lie within, and reaches for an elegantly long Cohiba Esplendido.
"I'm very lucky," he says, pausing to light his Cuban cigar and take the first aromatic puff of the day. "I really love what I do. I'm someone who looks forward to Mondays."
And well he should, for at 53, Koppelman is a giant of the American music business. As chairman and CEO, he is responsible for the record companies within the North American division of the British conglomerate Thorn EMI: Capitol Records, the legendary label of the Beatles, Nat "King" Cole, and the young Frank Sinatra; Liberty Records, the country-music home of Garth Brooks and Tanya Tucker; EMI Records Group, which comprises the contemporary labels Chrysalis and SBK Records; Angel Records, which specializes in classical music and Broadway cast albums; EMI Latin, and EMI Canada.
In his 30 years in the music world, he has discovered or worked with some of the most famous and popular recording stars of the era. The first artists he signed were the Lovin' Spoonful in 1965. He persuaded Bobby Darin to record the song "If I Were a Carpenter" and coproduced the record. In 1973, while working for Columbia Records as head of artists and recordings, he signed Janis Ian. After 1975, when he got together with builder Samuel Lefrak to form the Entertainment Company, he produced and found songs for Glen Campbell ("Southern Nights"), Dolly Parton ("Here You Come Again"), Paul Anka, Cher, Eddie Murphy, The Four Tops, and Barbra Streisand (five albums, from "Songbird" to "Guilty," including her smash-hit pairings with Donna Summer and Barry Gibb).
Koppelman produced the music for the television show "Fame." In the mid-1980s, his son Brian, then a student at Tufts University in Boston, discovered a brilliant young performer named Tracy Chapman and brought her to his father. Then came rapper Vanilla Ice, whose first album, "To the Extreme," was No. 1 for six weeks and sold more than 7 million copies, and the vocal group Wilson Phillips, whose debut album sold more than 5 million copies. And then his most recent successes: Arrested Development, which won two Grammys this year, for best new artist and best rap performance by a duo or group, and Jon Secada, the composer and singer who garnered a Grammy for best Latin pop album.
"I've spent the last 30 years finding, working with, and developing talent," Koppelman says, in a voice that gently betrays his New York City roots (he was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Laurelton, Queens) and that, despite its calm tone, reveals at least a hint of the precision, determination, and toughness necessary to compete in what can often be the cutthroat competition of his profession. He describes his work as "listening to songs, hearing a song and feeling it would be right for a particular artist to sing, and convincing that artist that he or she should sing it. And then finding a producer to produce it, making sure the music comes out in a way that matches my original vision, the way I imagined it when I first heard it. It's incredibly simple, and it's incredibly difficult."
Clearly, for Koppelman, it is incredibly simple. With his thinning gray hair, roundish open face, and confident self-assured demeanor, he certainly looks the role of CEO. And he dresses it, too, from the crisp white shirt to the blue-and-gold striped tie to the colorful wide suspenders illustrated with scenes from his favorite sports passion: golf. His business surroundings, too, are appropriate for his position. Music and video equipment of every kind populates his spacious realm: cassette and compact-disc players, turntable, amplifier, and VCR, all presided over by four huge gray-and-black Tandy speakers suspended from on high, one in each corner of the kingdom. Awards, plaques, and memorabilia are everywhere: a platinum record for Streisand's "Guilty," Chapman on the cover of Rolling Stone, Arrested Development on the cover of Spin, "Record Company CEO of the Year" in 1990, the 1991 Humanitarian Award from the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research. Along a shelf by one set of windows sits a group of modern sculptures, among them a giant papier-mâché rendering of his ear: a gift from a partner, with a dedication: "To my friend Charles, whose ears are exceeded only by his heart."
It is an appropriate artistic gesture, for Koppelman's ears have certainly been a prime factor in his career: ears that have the ability to know, on first hearing, whether a song or performer has that indefinable something--or doesn't. It is, says Koppelman, a matter of taste: "Whether it's taste in music or taste in cigars or taste in clothes." (And indeed, he has just come from his personal tailor, where he was delayed for 20 minutes over a problem with a button.) "You have to know what is the best in order to have the best. My wife has a great expression: 'The best will do just fine.' And I think taste is what does it. You're either born with it or you acquire it."
Koppelman's ears work in a very basic way: "I'm a fan. I can't sing. I can't write music. I just think that if I'm attracted to something, everybody's going to be attracted to it. When I listen to a singer, one of the things I focus on is whether I believe that singer. Do I believe the words they're singing? Is their voice distinctive? Will I recognize that voice any time I hear it? When I listen to a song, is it really organic? Do I feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I hear it? Does it make me smile? Things of that nature that I think are the same things the audience hears and responds to. Maybe it's some sort of common--and I underline common--denominator that I have within me, because more of what I like, everybody ends up liking."
Despite his apparent instinctive ability to recognize the music that makes him dance, the art of melody did not consume much of his childhood. "All I did when I was growing up was play stickball, base- ball, and basketball," Koppelman says. "If stickball was the national pastime, I think I would have been Ty Cobb." He attended Adelphi College and Long Island University, earning a degree in physical education, and an early goal was to coach or manage in baseball.
But he had a next-door neighbor "who sang all the time," and while in college he met someone else who also sang and played the guitar. "And the three of us would hang around and sometimes create some music," he says. "I didn't create the music. I was kind of hanging around. And if they were singing songs, maybe I'd try to sing on one of the notes that everyone else was singing. So there might have been three people but there was only two-part harmony."
Coincidentally, another neighbor was the editor of Cash Box, a music trade publication, and, Koppelman says, "from about age 14 to 18, I was exposed to reading old Cash Box magazines, so I some- how learned there was a business of music."
Meanwhile, his friends were still singing. "I realized that if we sang at different college events, it would be a great way to attract girls." One Easter week, he suggested that the group go into Manhattan to see whether they could get a recording contract. "We went in and knocked on doors," he says. "I had the names of all these different record companies from reading Cash Box. And as luck would have it, we were signed by a small record company owned by a dentist from New Jersey. It was called Shell Records. Their logo was a big seashell."
The group took the name the Ivy Three. And this unlikely creation would lead to a surprising musical hit and, for Koppelman (and another trio member, Don Rubin, who would become a long-time associate), a lifetime career.
One day, Koppelman says, while working part time in the boys' department of Gimbels, he had another idea: Why not a song about Yogi Bear? After all, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character was the rage on college campuses. So he found a pair of songwriters and wound up working with them; the song "Yogi" was born and, wonder of wonders, became a hit. "We went on tour," Koppelman recalls. "We sang in the Midwest. We sang on the Dick Clark television show, American Bandstand. And that got me interested in the music business." Sports was out, and music was in.
The Ivy Three had no other hits and soon disbanded. But Koppelman and Rubin got jobs writing songs for Alden Music, which was co-owned by music publisher Don Kirschner, whom Koppelman had met when the Ivy Three performed at Grossinger's in the Catskills. Alden's stable of writers included Carole King and Neil Sedaka, and it soon became clear that Koppelman was not in their league. But he had not really wanted to be a songwriter; he had just wanted an entree to the business. "So after about two years of unsuccessfully writing songs, Don Kirschner hired me to be the director of his music publishing company," he says. "It was just about the time he sold it to Columbia Pictures, so my first real job was as director of Screen Gems-Columbia Music. That was in 1963."
Two years later, he and Rubin went into business on their own. In 1970, they sold their company, and Koppelman went to work for Columbia Records, first running their publishing company and then as head of artists and recordings. Then, in 1975, he and Lefrak formed the Entertainment Company, which was both a music-publishing and record-production concern. "And," says Koppelman, "it just evolved from there."
In 1986, he and two colleagues, Stephen C. Swid and Martin N. Bandier, the latter of whom had been general counsel for the Lefrak Organization and who had worked with Koppelman since the start of the Entertainment Company, got together to buy CBS Songs for a reported $125 million. CBS Songs was the music-publishing division of CBS Records; its holdings included the MGM-United Artists copyright catalog, including such songs as "Over the Rainbow," "Singin' in the Rain," "New York, New York," and the music from the James Bond movies. Three years later, the partners sold their company to Thorn EMI, reportedly for more than $300 million, and Koppelman moved to EMI Records Group North America (as did Bandier).
"It's a daily challenge," Koppelman says, slowly taking another puff of his Cohiba. For with the change of positions has come a slight change in his role. "It's as meaningful to me these days to discover a terrific young executive and nurture that person as it is to find a great young artist," he says. "Being in this business, I'm surrounded by young people who have great energy, and what I hope is to give them focus. If you can give someone who's young, whether it's your child or an employee or a partner, the guidance and the focus to harness their talent, that's something you can really enjoy."
Something else that Koppelman clearly enjoys is his cigars. And he has delighted in them for many years. "I never smoked cigarettes," he says. "When I was 23 or 24, I saw somebody smoking a Tiparillo. So I started by smoking a couple of Tiparillos, and from there I kept moving up. I spent a lot of time smoking Cream of Jamaica. Then I tried Temple Hall Claros for a long period of time. And ultimately I ended up with Davidoff Cuban No. 1's, and Montecrisro Especiales, and now Cohiba Esplendidos."
"I can't tell you that I'm a cigar aficionado," he continues, perhaps ignoring the fact that he has not one but two humidors on the window sill behind his desk (the other, in brown and blond wood, is from Dunhill and contains under its lid a plaque from the Connoisseur's Humidor Society). "But I can tell you that I love to smoke cigars. It's incredibly relaxing. And I like the taste."
He has from time to time tried other cigars, he says. "I'm not a Cuban snob. I'll try a Dominican cigar. But I just keep gravitating back to the Cohibas. To me they're the best."
Another of his loves, as his suspenders suggest, is golf--in part because it recalls the sporting life of his childhood. "I've been playing about seven or eight years," he says, "but I've only been serious about it for the past two or three. In the beginning, I played infrequently, no more than ten times a year. Now I play every chance I get. Yesterday I had the best score I've ever made. I shot an 87. So I'm making real progress."
What he loves most about the game, he says, is the competition--the inner contest. "I'm very competitive," he says, "and golf is a terrific way to be competitive within yourself. It's a great feeling to hit a pure shot. I loved to play basketball and to shoot the ball, and the skills in putting the ball in the hoop or putting the ball in the cup are not that dissimilar. I also used to love batting in stickball, making contact with the ball and being able to put it where I wanted to put it. Golf really combines so many of the sports I enjoyed when I was a kid."
Koppelman lives in Roslyn Harbor, Long Island. He and his wife, Bunny, have three children. "Two of them are married," he says. "And all three are now in law school."
His corporate life is quintessentially bicoastal. He spends a week or so every month presiding over the company's Hollywood office in the Capitol Tower on the legendary corner of Hollywood and Vine. Commuting is accomplished by means of a chartered private jet. He stays in the presidential suite at either the Hotel Bel-Air or the Peninsula Hotel, and as is only fitting for a chief executive, he has the services of a Bentley and a driver on the shores of both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
Because he has achieved so much in his career, it is natural to wonder whether anything is missing: Is there something he wants to do that he has not yet done?
He reflects for a moment. "I don't think so," he says, sounding like a prototypically superconfident and accomplished CEO.
Is he absolutely sure?
He ponders again. He glances quickly at his suspenders, and then toward the shelf that holds a newspaper reproduction of a portrait of him at golf, painted by sports artist LeRoy Neiman. He smiles.
"I guess," he says, "I'd really like to shoot an 86."
Mervyn Rothstein covers theater, film, and literature for The New York Times.


text:
Speaking from the radical flaming atheist end of the spectrum, I have to oppose certain labels that are flying around. Greg Epstein likes the idea of "interfaith", this movement where atheists join hands with religious groups to carry out good works. The good works part, fine; the bit where we do it under the umbrella of "interfaith", not so good. Atheism is not a faith position, so it's false advertising and promotes "faith" as the unifying principle. Ick.
Now Ed Clint responds with a new label, "transfaith". He changed the prefix, which is a step forward, but kept the suffix! He changed the wrong part of the word! His idea is generally good, and I think it's fine to engage and cooperate with the opposition, but "faith" is the problem.
Faith is the enemy, and I think we have to be clear about that. Belief without evidence, uncritical acceptance of authority, giving even a shred of credibility to dogma is simply not something I can do, ever, and it distresses me to see people blithely accepting "faith" as a common denominator. Work with people of faith, but not for faith — we can cooperate for real-world effectiveness, but not to whitewash superstitious bullshit.
I will not work with anyone under the banner of "xxxxFaith", no matter what the prefix.
Except, maybe, "anti".

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Arctic nightmare Russian authorities don't want you to see
26 August 2013
Posted by Christy Ferguson - 24 August 2013 I'm on board the Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise, about to cross into an area of the Arctic that Russian authorities don't want us to see.
They've contravened international law by denying our ship access to an important sea route and tried to shut us out – tried to shut you out. But with the world watching and millions of Arctic Defenders at our sides, we are defying the Russian authorities, claiming our rights to bear witness and to protest, and entering the Kara Sea.We know roughly what's behind the curtain:
Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft: A company few people outside Russia have heard of, but which is now one of the world's largest oil companies and one of the world's largest creators of oil spills on land
American oil giant Exxon: Famous for the devastating Exxon Valdez spill. This profit hungry monster has partnered with Rosneft to take advantage of weak legislation and a lack of accountability in Russian waters
The Russian Arctic National Park: A critical habitat for narwhals, bowhead whales, polar bears, and walruses, and now also the site of an illegal drilling lease held by Rosneft and jointly explored with Exxon.
Vessels carrying out preparations for these companies, mapping oil deposits with sound blasts loud enough to kill a whale, and testing the seabed by driving heavy metal cylinders into the ocean floor.
It's a nightmare, and if things don't change it can only get worse.
But there's a difference between knowing something's happening and seeing it with your own eyes. The Russian government and the oil companies know that just as well as we do; and we believe that's why they're trying to keep us out.
Yesterday as we approached Novaya Zemlya, the high north archipelago that separates the Barents Sea from the Kara Sea, schools of white-beaked dolphins swam and played in the bow-wave of our ship against a backdrop of rainbows and snow-capped mountains. We saw whales surfacing in the distance, puffins and gulls flying overhead, and a spectacular Arctic sunrise. If this is the outskirts, I can only imagine what magic awaits within the bounds of the Arctic National Park. What magic and what darkness.
Within that park, formally recognised by the Russian government as ecologically sensitive and in need of protection, are narwhals, bowhead whales, dolphins, polar bears, walruses, and countless other Arctic species. If an oil spill happens in this area – that supposed sanctuary for creatures that cannot withstand an onslaught of industrial activity – it will devastate this place in an instant. Despite Russian laws prohibiting industrial activity in this area, the government has granted illegal drilling licenses to Rosneft and Exxon that overlap with the park's boundaries; and those companies haven't hesitated one bit to take up those licenses and begin making preparations to drill.
Oil companies think they can operate in remote places like the Russian Arctic without scrutiny. They think they can gamble with the future of places like this one and condemn every person on the planet to dangerous climate change without obstacle or consequence. And if we remained silent, they'd be right. But three and a half million people are refusing to remain silent. The Arctic Sunrise will cross into the Kara sea despite the Russian government's attempts to keep us out. And alongside activists and supporters around the world, we will continue to confront reckless Arctic oil operations wherever we find them.
Join the movement to protect the Arctic from oil drillers like Exxon and Rosneft.


text:
'We'll miss Curtis': Man killed in fast-food drive-thru during freak accident
A single ice cream sundae sits in the spot at an Iowa fast-food restaurant where earlier a tragedy occurred that no one could have predicted.
Curtis Shantz was in the drive-thru of a Dairy Queen in Alburnett, Iowa when he started having truck issues. He jumped out to fix the issues and, according to authorities, the truck began to roll and he was crushed by the weight of his vehicle before he could move out of the way.
In a small town such as Alburnett, the loss of a beloved member of the community hardly goes unnoticed.
"He's kind, he's dedicated to church, his family, the community. And he's giving -- just anything that anybody needs, he was there with a helping hand," said Ron Hoover, former Alburnett fire chief.
Hoover worked with Shantz during his 33 years with the department. According to him, Shantz played an important role as a mentor and seasoned veteran.
Some believe that Shantz's experience with machinery could have led him to believe that his truck stalling would be a quick fix.
As the town grapples with the loss of a friend, his son decided to put an ice cream sundae at the spot where the incident occurred, to remember his father.
"Everybody is friends, and we're all just kind of expanded family. We'll miss Curtis showing up for breakfast, and meeting people for coffee and telling stories; he was a good storyteller," said Hoover.


text:
Tweet tonight from Transform Rockford summit
Tweet your comments regarding tonight's Transform Rockford meeting at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. It will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
I'll be tweeting @GeorgetteBraun, and we call all join the conversation by using the #TransformRockford hashtag.
Tonight, Tom Gendron, chairman and CEO of Woodward Inc. who is leading the effort, will make remarks. So will other business and civic officials. They'll tell what they think Rockford's big problems are.
The audience will be able to comment. The aim is to come up with a vision and strategies long term to make Rockford a desirable place to live, work and play.
Local television substations also will air the meeting: WREX (Channel 13.2); WTVO (17.2); WIFR (23.2). And go online for streaming to wrex.com and wifr.com.


text:
First I have to apologize for the tutorial photos. It was a rainy day, Jilly had just woken up from a nap and I was rushing to make the fairy before she started crying. So the pictures are badly lit and somewhat blurry, but you can still see what I'm doing, so I'm just going to go with it!
Pipe cleaners, faux flowers, embroidery floss, scissors (My scissors are from Cutco so they're really sturdy. You may want to grab some wire snips if you don't think your scissors are up to the job.), tulle, thread, fine-tip sharpie marker, wood beads (mine came in an assortment pack from Walmart and had just the perfect bead for the head!) bells (optional), hot glue gun, and embellishments. I used buttons, sequins, multi-colored rhinestones and some little papery flowers that came in a scrapbook kit.
Choose a pipe cleaner for the body. Cut a third of it off the end. (that will be the arms) Bend the remaining piece in half, that will be the body and legs.
Wrap a length of embroidery floss around your fingers and snip the end off. Six or seven times should do it. I really loved how the variegated thread looks.
Take a length of tulle (mine were in strips from another project and worked just right for this.) about 2 inches wide and 20 inches long. Fold it in half, then in half again.
Thread your needle and tie a knot in the end of the thread. Run it through the middle of the folded tulle.Pull the thread tight, run the needle back through the other way, and tie a knot to secure.
Trim the excess off the ends and pull the layers apart a bit. Wings!
Strip the petals off a faux flower.
Assemble all your bits and pieces for the fairy.
Place the loops of embroidery floss in the fold of the body portion of pipe cleaner.
Push a wooden bead up the legs so it is up pinching the hair into place. It's fine if the hair stands straight up, we'll 'style' it later. If your bead is a tad too big just use a bit of hot glue to hold it in place under the hair.
Place the arms behind the body and twist each side 360 degrees around the body.
Pinch the ends up, then fold them in again to make hands that don't have a sharp edge.
Thread the petals of the flower up onto the fairy. Make sure to alternate the petal spacing a bit so your fairy is decently clothed.
Thread two small bells, or 1 big one, up the fairy's legs right up to the petals. This will help hold the petals in place, otherwise they have a tendency to fall back down. I also used some of the other wooden beads in my assortment when I ran out of bells. Then fold her feet up the same way you did the hands. No sharp edges, please!
Pinch the petals of the skirt down and out of the way and put a dab of glue on her back to attach the wings to.
After you attach the wings you can add a little embellishment, I used a sequin.
Flip your fairy over and add some embellishment to her 'bodice', I used a large rhinestone.
Use your scissors to snip the loops of her hair in half.
Hold her wings out of the way and run some hot glue around the base of her hair. Carefully push her hair down over the glue to secure.
Repeat with the sides of her head.
Use your sharpie to give her some eyes and a mouth. Be careful not to touch her face after this. The sharpie will set after about an hour, but I'd wait at least 24 before giving her to a small child who might be heartbroken if her fairy's face gets smudged!
Use some embellishments to create a little hat. I used a paper flower, button and a sequin.
Fluff her wings back up and adjust her skirt if you need to, and voila! A beautiful, little flower fairy!
Then go crazy and create a flock of fairies! I really loved the ones made from hydrangea petals! They look like little blue tutus! And don't forget to make use of the greenery that comes on the stem, and the plastic whatchamacallit at the base of the flower petals. (I'm sure it has a name, I just don't know what it is and am too lazy to go look it up.)
For our Fairy fun headquarters, click here!


text:
Buy Abirapro Abiraterone 250 Mg Tablets Online
Buy Abirapro Abiraterone 250 Mg Tablets Online from your trusted pharmacy .
What is Abirapro 250 mg Tablet ?
Abirapro belongs to a group of medications called antineoplastics, or anti-cancer medications. It contains a medicine called Abiraterone Acetate. It is a prescription medicine that can be purchased by a patient only against a valid prescription of a healthcare professional. Do not share this cancer medicine with others because it can cause serious side effects to people until the condition is not monitored by a pharmacist.
Abirapro 250 mg Tablets Uses :
Abirapro (Abiraterone Acetate) is indicated for use in combination with other medicine for the treatment of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Abirapro (Abiraterone) 250 mg Tablet Work :
Abiraterone is known as an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor. Androgens stimulate prostate cancer cells to grow. The main androgens in the body are testosterone. Almost all testosterone in men is made by the testicles. A very small amount is made by the adrenal glands, which sit above the kidneys. Abiraterone reduces the amount of testosterone made by your body. This reduces testosterone levels and may shrink the prostate cancer or stop it growing.
Abirapro 250 mg Side – Effects :
When you take Abirapro cancer medicine, it's important to be aware of changes in your body and how you feel. This medicine can cause some side effects. Side effects can range from mild to severe and the risk of getting side effects varies from person to person. The following is a list of possible side-effects that may occur :
Common Side Effects : Swelling ; Vomiting ; Diarrhea ; Fatigue ; Painful or difficult urination ; Heartburn ; Nausea ; Hot flushes; Muscle pain ; Vomiting ; Skin rash ; Weight gain etc.
Serious Side Effects : Dizziness ; Loss of appetite ; Increased blood pressure ; Signs of heart problems (e.g., fast, irregular heartbeat or pulse, chest pain, difficulty breathing) ; Yellowing of the skin or eyes ; Unusual bruising or bleeding ; Increased cholesterol levels ; Blood in urine etc.
These are not all the side effects with Abirapro Abiraterone 250mg. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
Abirapro 250 mg – Storage Details :
Patients must properly store the drug to retain its quality and efficacy. Following storage instructions will be helpful in storing the drug in the best of manner.
- Store Abiraterone at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F); excursions are permitted between 15°C and 30°C (59°F and 86°F).
- Store it in a cool, dry place, protected from light and refrigerated when necessary. Improper storage can affect the effectiveness and shelf life of your medicine.
- Consider storing your medications separately from your other family members. You can put them on a different shelf, or in a different cabinet or drawer.
- If you're driving, you may want to have certain medicines at hand, but don't store them in the glove compartment, where they could be damaged from the heat, cold, or rain outside or from the car's heater or air conditioner.
- Always remember to store your medication out of sight and reach of children and pets, to prevent accidental ingestion.
The information provided here is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or pharmaceutical advice which should be sought from qualified medical and pharmaceutical advisers.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children and away from pets, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.


text:
"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came," said President John F. Kennedy, who spent summers at his family's waterfront property in Cape Cod, Mass.
Though few people have a seaside home like the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, there are many gorgeous seaside inns and hotels throughout America. From Los Angeles's Venice Beach to the Jersey Shore, the new wave of beach hotels is also putting an emphasis on amazing food.
Slideshow: See the American seaside escapes
The Ocean House in Watch Hill, R.I., a grand Victorian hotel completed a $140 million renovation in 2010. In addition to building a 12,000-square-foot spa, the property employs a full-time forager who works with 40 area farms to supply produce for the hotel's six restaurants.
"Elegant, confident and bold dishes — layered foie gras terrine with banana-walnut bread and rhubarb gelée, hot-and-sour consommé with carrot 'flowers' — are both pretty delicious and very pretty," Food & Wine Editor in Chief Dana Cowin wrote of the hotel's Seasons restaurant.
A less luxe but still enviable seaside escape is Postcard Inn at St. Pete Beach in Florida. Steve Hanson, founder of B.R. Guest Restaurants, turned a 1950s Colonial Gateway Inn into this retro-style hotel with vintage surfboards in many of the rooms and a photo booth in the lobby.
An outpost of his Wildwood BBQ & Burger called Beachwood Bar & Burger serves mahimahi tacos alongside ribs and brisket. The inn's PCI Beach Bar & Snack Shack supplies beachy foods all day long, like beer-battered shrimp, nachos topped with chili and award-winning, house-made BBQ pit chips, as well as a beach essential: ice-cold beer.
More from Food & Wine


text:
Bill to end daylight saving time in Tenn. fails
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – An effort to exempt Tennessee from daylight saving time has failed by one vote in the state House.
The House State Government Committee on Tuesday voted 6-5 against the measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Curry Todd of Collierville.
Several lawmakers from the part of the state in the eastern time zone raised concerns that the measure would have caused their region's time to be mismatched with neighboring states like Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia during part of the year.
Todd amended the bill to exempt East Tennessee from the bill, which caused other lawmakers to raise concerns about possible confusion over only part of the state adhering to daylight saving time.


text:
Harry Potter has cast his biggest spell yet with a record-breaking first day at the box office for his final film.
Distributor Warner Bros. reports that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" summoned up $92.1 million domestically on opening day Friday.
That's nearly $20 million more than the previous record-holder, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which took in $72.7 million in its first day two years ago.
The film added $75 million in 57 overseas countries Friday, raising its international total to $157.5 million since it began rolling out Wednesday. That gives the film a worldwide total of about $250 million.
Among its first-day totals Friday was $14.8 million in Great Britain, which Warner Bros. reported was the biggest single day ever for a movie.
The first 3-D film in the series, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" benefited from the higher price theaters charge for 3-D tickets, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D.
In a single day, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" took in more money than four of the previous seven "Harry Potter" films did over their entire opening weekends.
The finale of the "Harry Potter" saga also set a record for midnight screenings with $43.5 million. That topped "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which pulled in about $30 million in its first midnight shows last year.
Box-office tracker Hollywood.com projected Saturday that "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" also could break the opening-weekend record of $158.4 million domestically held by "The Dark Knight."


text:
Captures d'écran
Please note: it takes several minutes before the chat widget is visible.
- Increase customer engagement by allowing them to chat with you in realtime
- No technical knowledge required, installed directly into your webshop
- Enhance your customer service and increase productivity by quickly resolving customer questions
"More than 100.000 companies worldwide use tawk.to and lower their costs of service while increasing productivity and customer satisfaction."
Why use tawk.to?
tawk.to is a cloud-based live chat module which has now been integrated with Lightspeed! More than 100.000 companies worldwide use tawk.to and lower their costs of service while increasing productivity and customer satisfaction.
How it works
Quickly solve customer questions by having realtime access to relevant customer data. This app pushes order information and the current cart contents to your tawk.to the chat page. If the user is logged on to your webshop you'll also see his name and emailaddress.
If you like to have a virtual assistant in your webshop and close more deals than ever before, then start using tawk.to live chat now!
Please note: after installation it takes several minutes before the chat widget is visible in your shop.
What more does this app do for me?
- Fully automatic installation in your Lightspeed webshop.
- Recent clickable orders history and current shopping cart contents will be shown in the tawk.to dashboard. This way you can focus your sales effort and increase conversion.
- Every page the user visits in your webshop is pushed to the chat module. This way you know exactly which page the customer wants to ask a question about.
- Manage multiple websites from a single tawk.to dashboard.
- User friendly dashboard with valuable statistics (vistior numbers, missed chats, history).
OK, what does it cost me?
This tawk.to app is only €4,95 a month. For this amount we seamlessly integrate tawk.to in your webshop and enrich your tawk.to chats with relevant customer data. A tawk.to account itself is free.
About Combidesk
This tawk.to integration is powered by Combidesk. Please also consider our other apps: Zendesk, iDEAL add-on, MoneyBird
Terms and Conditions
By installing this app you agree with our Terms and Conditions (only available in Dutch at the moment, sorry).
We love feedback! If you have any questions about this tawk.to app, please contact our partner Combidesk at [email protected].


text:
Wisconsin student aims for food collection record
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — A 16-year-old Fond du Lac student is leading an effort to break a world record for the most food donations in 24 hours.
Food for Freedom project members want to break the current record of nearly 559,000 pounds of food held by the North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics. The food collection event is set for Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, May 26 — Memorial Day weekend at Fond du Lac High School.
Junior Daniel Loomans says there are a number of ways residents, businesses, group and schools can get involved, including hosting their own food drives. The Reporter says food pantries in Brown, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Sheboygan and Winnebago counties will benefit.
Nearly 1,200 volunteers will be needed to cover the 24-hour collection effort.


text:
Flow Rider Jesse Nelson sent in this smokin' shot!
Photo Credit: James Greeley Photography
Check out the live web cast of Slaughter At The Opera starting tonight, Friday, February 29th @ 7:00pm P.S.T.
Adam Dyet defends his $30,000 win from last year.
We proudly welcome Adam Dyet to the Dekline Family!
August Benzien, co-founder of Dekline, has an in-depth interview in this weeks issue of San Diego City Beat.
Pick up a copy today or Read it now !!
Check out Birdhouse's web exclusive interview with our very own Matt Ball.
6 pages of indepth reporting!
don't be left in the dark, pick up an issue today!
We are proud to announce that Stereo Skateboards Olly Todd has joined the Dekline team.
Check out our own Patrick Melcher on the cover of Automatic Magazine, then check out the sequence in the contents page!
Make sure to pick up a copy and check it out.
Today Zarosh sent us a painting. I had to post it! His characters rule!...Bird Shark?....He is still pouring a skate spot that will be a place for all skateboard nomads to hit up for years to come. Find Zaeosh and you will find the spot.
Gargamel x Bwana Cosmos Smogon $60 if you get on it Quick. release today on grass hut.


text: Back Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 1.3 million Americans. Treatment programs are tailored to meet each individual's needs, taking into account the severity of the condition, other medical problems, and the person's lifestyle. Managing rheumatoid arthritis The symptoms of RA include pain, stiffness, warmth, redness, and swelling of the affected joints. The symptoms can come and go. The treatment goals include reducing joint swelling, relieving stiffness, preventing joint damage, and maintaining joint function. There is no cure for RA, but many drugs are available to manage the pain and slow the progression of this disease. New medications may help prevent damage to the joints by reducing inflammation. Most people with RA take several medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids to help reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Other medications often prescribed, like methotrexate, are called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, which slow the progression of RA. Also, drugs called biologic response modifiers (or "biologics"), which block inflammation, may be prescribed. These include abatacept, adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, golimumab, and rituximab. Treatment also includes a combination of exercise, rest, stress reduction, joint protection, hot/cold therapy, and physical and occupational therapy. Surgery, including joint replacement, can also reduce pain and improve the function of damaged joints. Being proactive The following guidelines from the Arthritis Foundation can help you work with your doctor to find the best treatment: Folic acid. If you take methotrexate, your doctor also should prescribe a folate supplement to help reduce the drug's side effects. Calcium and vitamin D supplements. RA can cause a generalized bone loss that may lead to osteoporosis, particularly if you take corticosteroids. Exercise. If you can work out, your doctor should prescribe a supervised muscle-strengthening or aerobic exercise program and should review it with you at least once a year. Assistive devices. If you're having difficulty walking, your doctor should evaluate you to determine whether you need any assistive devices, such as a cane, insoles, or orthotics. Likewise, if you're having difficulty with daily living tasks, such as brushing your teeth or dressing, your doctor or a therapist should evaluate you to determine whether you need assistive devices to help with the tasks, or splints for your hands or wrists. Vaccines. If you're taking immunosuppressant therapy and/or steroid therapy, you should not receive vaccines containing live viruses or bacteria. Most other vaccines are safe to get, including an annual influenza (flu) vaccine. TB. If your doctor has discussed giving you one of the new biologic response modifiers such as infliximab, you should be tested for tuberculosis (TB), which may include getting a chest X-ray before starting treatment. If you had a positive TB test in the past, let your doctor know. Alcohol. Many of the drugs used to treat RA can affect the liver. Drinking alcoholic beverages increases the likelihood of liver damage. Check with your doctor to see what amount of drinking, if any, is safe.


text:
It occurred to me recently, under conditions that I leave to your ample and likely sordid imagination (how dare you), that the very concept of "premature ejaculation" in human males is a strange one, at least from an evolutionary theoretical perspective.
After all, the function of ejaculation isn't really a mysterious biological occurrence…it's an evolved mechanism designed by nature to launch semen, and therefore sperm cells, as far into the dark, labyrinthine abyss of the female reproductive tract as possible. And once one of these skyrocketed male gametes, in a vigorous race against millions of other single-tasked cells, finds and penetrates a fertile ovum, and—miracle of miracles—successful conception occurs, well then natural selection can congratulate itself on a job well done.
So given these basic biological facts, and assuming that ejaculation is not so premature that it occurs prior to intromission and sperm cells find themselves awkwardly outside of a woman's reproductive tract flopping about like fish out of water, what, exactly, is so "premature" about premature ejaculation? In fact, all else being equal, in the ancestral past, wouldn't there likely have been some reproductive advantages to ejaculating as quickly as possible during intravaginal intercourse—such as, oh, I don't know, inseminating as many females as possible in as short a time frame as possible? or allowing our ancestors to focus on other adaptive behaviors aside from sex? or perhaps, under surreptitious mating conditions, doing the deed quickly and expeditiously without causing a big scene?
Like so many things before, it turns out that this insight of mine was actually several decades behind the curve, because in 1984, when, at nine years of age I was still anything but a premature ejaculator, a sociologist from California State University named Lawrence Hong published in the Journal of Sex Research a highly speculative, but very original, paper along these same lines, fittingly titled "Survival of the Fastest: On the Origin of Premature Ejaculation." In this article, Hong—whose most recent work, so far as I can tell, has been on the global phenomenon of cabaret transgenderism—posited that, during the long course of human evolutionary history, "an expeditious partner who mounted quickly, ejaculated immediately, and dismounted forthwith might [have been] the best for the female."
The empirical centerpiece of Hong's arriving at this conclusion is the fact that, on average, human males achieve orgasm by ejaculating around just two minutes after vaginal penetration, whereas it takes the owners of these vaginas, on average, at least twice that long to do the same once a penis is inside of them — if they achieve orgasm at all, that is. This obvious gender mismatch between orgasm latencies can be understood, Hong reasons, only once we acknowledge the fact that sex evolved for reproductive rather than recreational purposes; don't forget, he reminds us, that sex for sex's sake is a relatively recent technological innovation enabled by prophylactics and other modern contraceptive inventions.
The author compares the mating habits of human beings to other rapid—and not-so-rapid—ejaculators in the primate family, noting that the faster a primate species is in the coital realm, the less aggressive it is when it comes to mating-related behaviors. He calls this the "slow speed — high aggressiveness hypothesis." For example, male rhesus macaque monkeys often engage in marathon mounting sessions, where sex with a female can be drawn out for over an hour at a time (including many breaks and therefore non-continuous thrusting). That may sound great, but libidinous anthropomorphizers beware: macaque sex is a chaotic and violent affair, largely because the duration of the act often draws hostile attention from other competitive males. By contrast, primate species whose males evolved to ejaculate rapidly would have largely avoided such internecine violence, or at least minimized it to a considerable degree.
Key to Hong's analysis therefore is the idea that intravaginal ejaculation latencies in males is heritable—there was initially greater within-population level variation in the male ancestral population, he surmises, but over time, "the ancestry of Homo sapiens became overpopulated with rapid ejaculators." This is because, according to Hong, young reproductive-aged males who ejaculated faster (i.e., had more sensitive penises) avoided injury, lived longer and therefore had a greater chance of attaining high status and acquiring the most desirable females.
Hong's reasoning on these heritability grounds has in fact received very recent support. You may have missed this in your monthly periodical readings, but in a 2009 article from the International Journal of Impotence Research, a team of Finnish psychologists led by Patrick Jern of Åbo Akademi University reports evidence from a large-scale twin study showing that premature ejaculation is determined significantly by genetic factors. So just as Hong surmised in 1984, this is indeed a heritable trait—if you doubt it, go on, have that awkward conversation with your fathers, boys. In fact, since Jern and his colleagues found that delayed ejaculation—the other extreme end of the ejaculation latency continuum—revealed no such genetic contributions, these authors generally agree with Hong, postulating that "premature" ejaculation may be a product of natural selection whereas delayed ejaculation "would be completely maladaptive." Delayed ejaculators are considerably rarer, with a prevalence rate as low as 0.15% in the male population compared to as high as 30% with premature ejaculators, and their condition is usually owed to lifelong medical conditions or the recent use of antiadrenergics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), neuroepileptics, or other modern-day drugs that, I say blushingly from personal experience, are often associated with anorgasmia as a miserably unfortunate side-effect.
Adding additional credence to the evolutionary model is a separate set of self-report data published by Jern and his colleagues last year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, in which ejaculation latencies were shown to be significantly shorter when men achieve orgasm through vaginal penetration than when doing so in the course of other activities, such as anal, oral, or manual sex. In fact, in light of these differential ejaculation latencies, the authors argue that the very construct of such male orgasmic "timing" is best carved up by discrete sexual behaviors rather than treated as a more general clinical phenomenon. And they offer several helpful acronyms for these ejaculation latency subtypes, too, such as "OELT" for "oral ejaculation latency time" and, conveniently, "MELT" for "masturbation ejaculation latency time."
I have the niggling, faraway sense that we've left something out of the evolutionary equation regarding the variation in male ejaculation latencies. What, oh what, can that possibly, conceivably be? Ah, right—women's sexual satisfaction. Oh come now. Actually, Hong didn't leave female orgasms out of his rather viscous analysis altogether; he just didn't see it as being central to selective pressures. Presumably, like other theorists of that time writing about the biological reasons for female orgasms (such as Stephen Jay Gould, who thought that female orgasms were much like male nipples, a happy leftover of the human embryological bauplan) he saw women's sexual pleasure as being a nice, but neither here nor there, feature of human sex that nature had thrown into the mix. And, anyway, writes Hong, for women, as a general rule, "genital sex is better with digital sex":
The tender touch, the passionate caress, the gentle rub, the titillating probe, and all those other infinite maneuvers that humans, as the most sophisticated bipedal primate, are best equipped to do, can be much more satisfying to women than simply a longer time span between intromission and ejaculation.
Hong acknowledges—with great humility and humor, in fact—that his ideas on the evolutionary origins of premature ejaculation in human males are highly speculative. And his ideas were critiqued soundly by University of Louisville psychologist Ray Bixler in his very good 1986 review of Hong's theory in The Journal of Sex Research. Among many faults that Bixler finds in Hong's "survival of the fastest" theory, the basic logic just doesn't mesh with the obvious female pursuit of sexual intercourse. In chimpanzees, for instance—a species for which male ejaculation latencies are measured in seconds, not minutes—it is often females that initiate mating behaviors. And then there's the "ouch" factor of having a sexually recalcitrant female partner whose dry genitals aren't terribly inviting. If Hong's model were correct, says Bixler:
There would be little or no proximal cause, other than coercion, for female cooperation-and it should be very clear that she would have to cooperate if voluntary mating were to be speedy! If she were not lubricated he would have "to rasp it in," a painful experience for the woman, and … "no pleasure" for him either.
Disappointingly, this is more or less where the evolutionary thinking stops. Apparently no other theorist—at least, no experimentally inclined evolutionary theorist—has picked up Hong's lead in trying to tease apart competing adaptationist arguments regarding male ejaculation latencies. Pieces of the puzzle are floating about out there, I suspect, such as the Finnish research showing that vaginal sex leads to faster ejaculations compared to other sexual behaviors; but Hong's article was before its time—premature itself, in light of today's more informed evolutionary biology, which is now poised to construct a more nuanced empirical model about this evolutionary legacy that is behind so many of us being fast finishers.
Another big piece of the puzzle can probably be traced to our species' specially evolved social cognitive abilities, which enabled us-possibly only tens of thousands of years ago, just a splinter of a splinter's time in the long course of our primate history—to experience empathy with our sexual partners during intercourse. A male concerned about bringing his female reproductive partner pleasure during sex, and thus deliberately prolonging the act of coitus to delay his own orgasm for her sake, couldn't possibly have been selected for in an ancestral species that more than likely saw others' bodies as pieces of mindless meat.
The subject may not appeal to everyone, of course, but given the unpleasant stigma attached to premature ejaculation, I really do believe that an evolutionary approach to the "problem" can greatly inform clinical treatments, a (not surprisingly) high-grossing therapeutic area of which there is no shortage of work being done. But in any event, Hong's seminal Reagan-era ideas should give us all pause in labeling any particular intravaginal ejaculation "premature"-Mother Nature, arguably the only lover that really matters, after all, may very well have had a thing for our one-minute ancestors.
Jesse Bering is the author of Why is the Penis Shaped Like That?: And Other Reflections on Being Human. A research psychologist and former director of The Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen's University, Bering is a regular contributor to Scientific American, Slate, and Das Magazin (Switzerland). His writing has also been featured in many other sources, including New York Magazine, The Guardian, Discover, The New Republic, NPR, and the BBC. For more, visit his website, or follow him on Twitter.
This post originally appeared at Scientific American's Bering in Mind. It has been reprinted here with permission.


text:
This is Titanic week, as all of you who don't live in tunnels like prairie dogs must know. It has been a century since the sinking of the Great Unsinkable, with the deaths of 1500 souls including some of the great artistic, financial and industrial greats of the era. James Cameron's 1997 film is also returning this week in 3-D, which means that the misconceptions, false accounts and outright misrepresentations the film drove into the public consciousness and popular culture will be strengthened once again. I think it would be ethical, on this centennial of the tragedy, for those in a position to do so to make a concerted effort to honor the victims and their families by honoring the truth. Thanks to Cameron, this is impossible.
I should state at the outset that I detest the movie, and its astounding arrogance. There have been few historical events with more fascinating and intrinsically dramatic facts than the ship's sinking, and even fewer with such an abundance of remarkable individuals in the thick of them. There are so many documented episodes and events worthy of dramatic re-creation during the voyage and demise of the liner, including the thrilling and courageous rescue effort undertaken by the S.S. Carpathia, that any one film attempting to do justice to them all would be several days long. Nevertheless, this was not enough for director Cameron, who devoted the bulk of his film chronicling a fictional romance between non-existent passengers. Most absurd of all, in the chaos before the ship went down, which in real life contained astounding acts of heroism, desperation, cowardice and love, Cameron decided that things weren't exciting enough and focused his camera on Billy Zane's fictional and despicable First Class snob running through the flooding vessel, firing pistol shots at Leonardo DiCaprio.
"Titanic" joins "JFK" in my special Hell reserved for films that mix fact, supposition and fiction so irresponsibly that they actively confuse and misinform. Cameron is a well-publicized Titanic buff; he spared no expense making certain that every detail of the ship—its china pattern, its furnishings, its architecture—was accurate, and then recklessly altered events or chose controversial and dubious versions of them for his own purposes, and history be damned. On the way, he marred the reputations of participants who earned and deserved a better legacy. For example, Cameron shows First Officer William Murdoch taking a bribe to let Zane on a lifeboat, shooting a passenger, and committing suicide. Of the bribe, there is no evidence whatsoever. Regarding the passenger being shot, it is unclear whether this happened, and there is no credible evidence that Murdoch was the shooter if it did. As for his supposed suicide, the inquest had two witnesses on the matter, a passenger who says he saw it, and a Titanic officer, the heroic and credible Charles Lightholler, who emphatically swore he saw Murdoch at his post after the lifeboats had launched. This is a real human being and probable hero whose reputation is at stake, with the bulk of evidence supporting accounts that he performed his duties bravely and well. As an artist, Cameron can portray Murdoch as a German spy or a cross-dresser if he chooses to, but his slander here is doubly unethical: it is unfair to a dead man who cannot defend himself, and a misuse of the credibility James Cameron has with audiences due to his status as a Titanic expert.
Similarly, though less outrageously, Cameron chose to diminish the reputation of Margaret Brown, known to us today as Molly Brown, a middle-aged Denver millionairess who survived the disaster with brio. By many eye-witness accounts, she was one of the most heroic passengers, helping others to board the lifeboats, stilling the panic, and once onboard a lifeboat herself, picking up an oar and rowing. Others in her boat reported that she argued with the officer in charge to force him to return to the scene of the sinking and pick up survivors, and according to some sources, she was successful. Cameron, however, shows her making one ineffective objection and meekly submitting when rebuked by the officer. Why did Brown become a legend as a result of her conduct on board the ship and the lifeboat, if this was the extent of her boldness? Cameron had the historical memories of real people in his hands, and treated them as disposable playthings for his own amusement.
My particular annoyance, however, was with Cameron's decision to depict the Titanic as snapping in two at a high angle. It was undoubtedly a spectacular effect, and I'm sure it will be boffo in 3-D, but even in 1997, it should have been clear that this didn't happen. Thanks to Cameron, however, most of the American public thinks it did.
Hundreds of people witnessed the sinking of the Titanic, and many of them delivered extensive testimony about what occurred on that tragic night at the official inquest. Some were even on board the ship when it split in half; we know it did split, the question is how, where, and when. None of them reported seeing, in 3-D, a horrifying sight approximately as big and unforgettable as the explosion of the Hindenburg, though all reported that they heard a very loud noise as the ship went down. (Yes, that was the ship breaking apart.) But after the Titanic was discovered on the ocean floor in two pieces, some computer simulations concluded that the ship must have split as Cameron portrayed it. Anyone with respect for the sworn statements of the survivors in 1912 would have made the logical conclusion that this couldn't be right, because nobody saw it. Instead, researchers tracked down some of the aged survivors of the disaster still living in 1991, who were grilled regarding the new version of events and conceded in their dotage that the huge ship might have broken apart at a high angle and above the surface. The youngest of these survivors was 84, and five-years old in 1912, while the oldest survivor, who was a teenager at the time of the sinking, was well into her 90s. This was still enough for Cameron to stage his spectacle, which, if it was an accurate portrayal, would mean that all the surviving passengers who testified in 1912 were blind, stupid, or lying.
We now know, due to better simulations and closer examination of the wreckage, that the passengers were right, and the technicians who Cameron chose to believe instead were missing a few crucial pieces of evidence. In 2006, a new theory emerged that reconciled the eyewitness accounts with the wreckage, metallurgy and physics. Titanic broke apart, all right, but at a low angle, with the split coming just below the surface. A History Channel documentary does a good job explaining the science involved; you can probably catch it this week.
I don't blame Cameron for not basing his portrayal on evidence that only was clarified years after his film. I fault him for discounting the testimony of survivors, and misinforming the public by plastering a false version on a giant screen for millions to see, knowing that they would trust that a man who would insist that the doomed ship's china pattern was accurate surely wouldn't fudge the most eye-popping incident in the film. Yet that's what James Cameron did.
Now the film is back, bigger than ever, and false representations of Officer Murdock, "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, the sinking itself, and other aspects of the iconic event will be imbedded even deeper into our historical understanding. It didn't have to be that way, and it is wrong that it is. History, the public, and the 1500 who died that night in 1912 deserve better.


text:
Several years ago, after a night out at the London club Pangaea, Prince Harry lunged at a paparazzo, leaving him with a cut lip. The next day, the Sun reported, in an article headlined "HARRY POTTY," that a "senior Clarence House source" had explained the Prince's behavior by saying, "He'd been drinking and was tired and emotional." The Clarence House official may not have known that "tired and emotional" as a euphemism was coined, in 1967, by the British satirical magazine Private Eye, to poke fun at sozzled public figures, but the several hundred guests who had gathered in London's Guildhall recently to celebrate the magazine's fiftieth anniversary did. They were the people who had come up with it, along with the phrases "talking about Uganda" (having sex), "lighting an exotic cheroot" (smoking a joint), and Sue, Grabbit & Runne (a fictitious law firm). Trumpets blasted an ironical fanfare as Ian Hislop, the magazine's editor, mounted the stage. Corks popped. Hislop said, "Tonight is a chance to take a dispassionate look back at how marvellous we are."
Private Eye was founded, in 1961, by a group of graduates of Shrewsbury School, a boarding school in Shropshire, where they had edited the campus magazine, The Salopian. The magazine still has the gluepot-ish look of its early issues, several of which were compiled in the childhood bedroom of Willie Rushton, one of the founders. (Private Eye No. 5 noted, "Thanks for help are also due to Mrs Rushton," who delivered trays of tomato soup and beer.) At the party, life-size cutouts of Private Eye's favorite targets—Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch in a jogging suit—looked down from a balcony. Paper cones of fish-and-chips circulated. This was a party with good food, red balloons, and copious use of the conditional tense. You could imagine the correspondents for Pedantry Corner—Private Eye's fractious corrections department—grumbling, upon the fifth hearing of the words "I'd like to thank," "Well, bloody thank him, then!"
A statue of the Duke of Wellington presided over the room. It had been decorated with a thought bubble that read, "Publish and be damned." In 1989, when Private Eye lost a libel case to the wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, Hislop told reporters, "If this is justice, I'm a banana." (The press baron Robert Maxwell once celebrated a fifty-five-thousand-pound libel award by publishing six hundred thousand copies of a spoof called Not Private Eye.) The magazine's talent for antagonism is such that many of its columns are written pseudonymously. Whistle-blowers, or shit-stirrers, pass on tips. In his toast, Hislop paid tribute to past employees, current staff, and "contributors who haven't told their employers." The affair had the feeling of a masked ball.
"That's the guy who tried to bring down the National Health Service," someone said, pointing at a man in a suit on the dance floor, who, at that moment, happened to be mouthing the "I love you baaaaaaaby" part of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You."
To commemorate the anniversary, Private Eye has published a book, "Private Eye: The First 50 Years." (Its jacket includes a quote from Piers Morgan, known in the magazine's pages as Piers Moron: "It's run by rather bitter, mainly drunken, sad, twisted, ex-public-schoolboys who actively enjoy being very unpleasant about people.") The Victoria & Albert Museum is hosting an exhibition of the magazine's covers; the National Portrait Gallery has a show of its photographs. The hubbub, the London Times wrote, makes "the Diamond Jubilee look like a small children's party."
It would have been easy to satirize the fact of a satirical magazine's being as self-celebratory as some of its subjects, but Private Eye had inoculated itself. The headline of the fiftieth-anniversary issue reads, "HOW SATIRE MAKES A DIFFERENCE." The left side of the cover features a picture of Harold Macmillan, with the caption "1961: Magazine pokes fun at Old Etonian Prime Minister surrounded by cronies making a hash of running the country." The adjacent photograph shows David Cameron. The caption reads, "2011: Er . . ."
The writer Craig Brown, famed for his entries from the made-up diaries of such figures as Karl Lagerfeld ("Don't eat. Eating is so seventies, and this is today"), was standing near the bar. "I once heard of a cartoonist who found out that one of his cartoons was on the wall of a loo at Downing Street," Brown said. "He committed suicide, because satire changes nothing. But it doesn't make me despair. I always knew it."
Across the room, a champagne flute shattered. A man approached Ian Hislop and asked about his strategy for the digital era.
"I don't care about digital," Hislop said. "I don't give a fuck." ♦


text:
Order Products
Pore Size
0.45 µm
Sterile Filtration
Sterile Filtration and Clarification
75 pkg
13 mm
Product Use
Sterile Filtration and Clarification
Pall supplies a comprehensive family of syringe filters offering a full range of sizes, volumes, and flow rates.
Sterile syringe filters are typically used in life science applications to sterilize solutions or for clarification. Non-sterile syringe filters are used across a range of filtration and sample preparation applications. They are widely used in analytical chemistry for sample preparation, protecting analytical equipment from particle contamination.
With over 70 years of membrane development expertise, Pall's proprietary technology drives the performance of the syringe filter range, offering high throughput, excellent capacity, and great membrane compatibility. The products feature low leachables, extractables, and protein binding. The superior performance of Pall's syringe filters protects your laboratory samples without adding contaminants or interfering with your analytes, proteins or cell cultures.
Pore Size
0.45 µm
Sterile Filtration
Sterile Filtration and Clarification
75 pkg
13 mm
Product Use
Sterile Filtration and Clarification
Syringe filters are single use, self contained, filtration devices that are typically used to remove contaminating particulate from liquids or gasses.
When selecting the correct syringe filter for an application there are a number of factors to consider, these include:
In 1974 Pall revolutionized sample preparation with the development of the Acrodisc syringe filter. Pall has continued to drive innovation within the syringe filter market, introducing novel and unique products:
Pall supplies both sterile and non-sterile syringe filters that can be used across a range of laboratory methods. The comprehensive family of Acrodisc syringe filter products that Pall supplies gives laboratory scientists a wide selection to choose from, helping customers obtain the best possible results for their demanding applications.
Syringe filters are available in a range of sizes with different effective filtration areas (EFA). EFA is the filter area that is available for filtration. For a given membrane, the larger the filter area, the higher the flow rate and greater the throughput. Throughput is the amount of fluid able to pass through a filter prior to plugging.
The diameter of a syringe filter can be a good indicator of the EFA of the product, however due to advances in design and molding technologies the EFA of two syringe filters of the same diameter can be significantly different. For example, Pall supply both a traditional ring molded 25 mm syringe filter and the Premium Syringe Filter (PSF) 25 mm syringe filter. The PSF syringe filter has a much larger effective filtration area compared with the older traditional model, 3.9 cm2 compared to 2.8 cm2. Therefore, this gives the PSF syringe filter a much improved throughput and flow rate.
For difficult to filter samples that may contain a high particulate load Pall supplies Acrodisc syringe filters with an integrated prefilter configuration.
A dual layer filter combines different membranes of different pore sizes (larger layered over smaller), or combines depth media and a membrane filter, essentially combining a prefilter and a final filter to create self-contained serial filter units. This configuration leads to a much more efficient filtration, increasing both throughput and flow rate.
Syringe filters which contain a combination filter design can offer an economical alternative to using an individual prefilter and a final filter. They also offer greater ease of handling and reduced waste.
When selecting a syringe filter an important consideration is the type of material that both the filter and housing are made from. A syringe filter should be chemically compatible with the sample to be filtered.
Chemical compatibility is defined as the ability of a filter's materials of construction to resist chemicals so that the filter's function is not adversely affected. The filter material should not shed particles or fibers, or add extractables to the sample being filtered .
Extractables are substances that may leach or otherwise come off a syringe filter and into the fluid being filtered. These contaminants may include wetting agents in the filter media, manufacturing debris, chemical residue from sterilizing the filter, adhesives, or components of the filter materials of construction. The type and amount of extractables will vary with the type of liquid being filtered. Extractables can be minimized by flushing the filter with either water or a process-compatible solvent before using it. Careful manufacturing procedures can eliminate the need to flush filters.
Extractables can affect filtration in almost every application:
Another consideration when selecting a filter is binding. This is the tendency of certain substances to "stick" to the filter medium (or other filter components) and be removed from the fluid. This is usually based on charge.
Binding can sometimes be a desirable characteristic, for example, when using a syringe filter with a chromatography membrane, that could either be a strong anion or cation exchanger. However, binding can also be an undesirable characteristic, as in the case of protein binding during filtration, which can lead to the loss of valuable products. Binding can also be an issue when performing analytical sample preparation, potentially reducing detectable levels of a compound of interest in a sample.
Membranes can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic in nature. Hydrophilic filters can be wetted with virtually any liquid and are the preferred filters for aqueous solutions, if chemically compatible. Hydrophobic filters will not wet in water but will wet in low surface tension liquids, for example, organic solvents such as alcohols. Hydrophobic filters are best suited for gas filtration, low surface tension solvents, and venting.
Pore size rating is the pore size of the filter determined by the diameter of the particle that it can be expected to retain with a defined, high degree of efficiency under specific conditions. Pore size ratings are usually stated in Micrometers (μm).
Syringe filters with different pore size ratings are suitable for different applications. For example, syringe filters containing 0.45 μm are typically used for HPLC sample preparation and 0.2 μm is used for UHPLC. In life science applications 0.1 and 0.2 µm pore sizes provide sterilization of buffers, culture media, and additives. Larger 0.45, 0.8, 1.2 and 5 µm membrane pore sizes can be used for prefiltration and/or clarification.
Another aspect of choosing the right filter size is the hold-up volume. This is the volume of liquid remaining in the filter after use. A filter with a low hold-up volume is recommended for use with expensive fluids or those with limited availability.
Here are examples of the hold-up volumes of Pall's non-sterile syringe filter range:
Volume to be filtered
Acrodisc syringe filter type
Typical hold-up volume
< 2 mL
4 mm Acrodisc Syringe Filter
< 10 μL
< 10 mL
13 mm Acrodisc Syringe Filter (Minispike)
< 14 μL
< 10 mL
13 mm Acrodisc Syringe Filter
< 30 μL
< 125 mL
25 mm Acrodisc PSF Syringe Filters
< 200 μL


text:
At Sony's Gamescom press conference, we got a look at a new montage of gameplay footage from the fall's Vita exclusive Assassin's Creed III Liberation. In the video, Liberation protagonist Aveline broke out some new tricks, from a guard-dropping blowgun to a bullwhip to some heavy alligator wrestling.
These Great Fortnite Creative Maps Show Us What's Possible
Last week, I saw more of the game at Ubisoft in San Francisco; I'll have more on Kotakuabout Assassin's Creed III Liberation very soon.


text:
Hearing Dylan Andrews tell the story of how he started training in MMA, you wonder whether a divine hand was at work.
Whether it was, or the 32-year-old fighter is just one lucky guy, his life changed forever when he walked into a video store for a UFC DVD.
Andrews (15-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) had recently moved from his native New Zealand to Australia in search of better life and better weather. That day, he was searching for more UFC DVDs.
He was examining a box for UFC 40 featuring Ken Shamrock when dust from the ceiling began coating it. Walking outside to investigate, he saw a sign on the glass next door: Lion's Den, Shamrock's famed MMA team.
"I'm like, 'What the f—?' Andrews told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Andrews marched in to see a room full of people training in boxing and wrestling. He left with his first MMA coach.
Never before had the stars aligned so perfectly. New Zealand was far from being an MMA hotbed when he grew up. He was 21 when he rented what was perhaps the country's only copy of UFC 1 and saw Gerard Gordeau boot Teila Tuli's tooth across the octagon.
"It wasn't gross, but I had never seen anything like it," he said. "It was an addiction."
Finding little to feed his habit, he bought the first UFC video game and skipped out on partying to play it with friends. He tried out moves in his backyard.
"We learned…," Andrews said. "We didn't learn s—."
In other words, he wasn't going to become a professional fighter any time soon.
How much he didn't know became abundantly clear when he started training in Australia. It would be a year-and-a-half of competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments and bugging his first coach before he got his first fight. Winning impressively, he started to think about a career in MMA.
But after several years on the local circuit, it looked like forces were aligned against him. He flew halfway around the world to audition for the 13th and 15th installments of "The Ultimate Fighter" and was rejected both times. He tried out for "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Australia vs. Team U.K." but didn't perform well as a welterweight.
Andrews hadn't been keeping tabs on auditions when a friend tipped him off about Las Vegas tryouts for "The Ultimate Fighter 17."
He had already failed three times, and now had a family to support. He took a half-hour to think about it, then plunked down $3,500 for a plane ticket and accommodations.
"Was I ever going to give up on this? This was going to be my fourth time I try," Andrew said. "How long can I keep going? As much as I don't want to put it on my head that maybe it's just not going to happen, those thoughts started coming into my head.
"And it happened."
Check out our other "TUF 17" cast profiles:
- Meet 'The Ultimate Fighter 17' cast: Swedish risk-taker Tor Troeng
- Meet 'The Ultimate Fighter 17' cast: Kevin Casey, a humbled 'King'
- Meet 'The Ultimate Fighter 17' cast: Uriah Hall, Van Damme and 'Tekken' pupil
MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter 17" preliminary-round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of "TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen." Two new interviews will be released each day until the season's second episode airs on Jan. 29.


text:
About Us
About Us
Company Spirit
Taisys Milestone
Patent & Technology
Products Case
slimduet® Platform
Financial Technology
SIMoME® Java Card
International Traveler
IoT Network
Smart Socket
IoT Module
Security Solution
Secure message on SNS
Latest News
Become a Partner
Contact Us
Flexible, Simple, Secure,and Reliable
Taisys has decoupled multiple Value-Added Services to enable financial institutions,
transport operators, and MNOs/MVNOs t with innovative solutions
News & Events
TAISYS introduces the smallest hardware wallet in the world for Crypto
Taipei, Taiwan 2 FebruaryTAISYS introduces the smallest hardware wallet in the world for CryptoTAISYS announced SIMGap® mobile hardware wallet, a SIM-sized and open source hardware wallet with NIST FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification. With the SIM being the universal standard form factor that is compatible with billions of mobile devices, and SDK for Android available for developers and wallet companies, SIMGap® significantly reduces the cost of security to web3 adopters."We specialize in security for mobility. SIMGap® will help o...
Read More
Share :
Taisys SIMoverlay Completes RBI Sandbox, Prepares For Massive Adoption In India
DELHI/TAIPEI Sep 17th, 2021--Taisys affiliate Eroute Technologies Private Limited receives Sandbox approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The solution uses the SIM overlay technology powered by Taisys to facilitate P2P (Person to Person) and P2M (Person to Merchant) transactions through encrypted SMS and SIM Tool Kit (STK) menu user interface for non-internet connected feature phone users.According to McKinsey Global Institute report in 2019, "There are around 900 million unique subscribers in India, with around 350 million smartphon...
Read More
Share :
Taisys and JCI established a joint-venture for Fintech and Digital ID in Japan
TAIPEI/TOKYO, July 22nd, 2020 --- Taisys Technologies announced, Secure ID Inc.( Japanese registered name : セキュアID株式会社), the JV with Japan Communications Inc. (JCI, Securities Code: 9424). Secure ID will bring together the patented technologies and joint force from both companies to develop and deliver FPOS (Fintech Platform Over SIM) and sub-SIM based solutions for the Japanese market. With the support of the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan, FPoS was evaluated under FSA's Fintech Proof of Concept Hub and received a very high app...
Read More
Share :
Taisys SIMoME FIDO2 Achieved FIDO2 Certification
TAIPEI, July 7th, 2020 Global mobile security solutions provider Taisys Technologies announces acquiring FIDO2 Certification for its SIMoME FIDO2 product. This is the first FIDO2 certified product in a SIM card form factor, which can easily transform smart phones into FIDO2 authenticators with security at a FIPS-certified level1.According to FIDO Alliance statistics, 52% of consumer use 5 or fewer passwords for all websites, only 5% of users have unique passwords for each website, and 69% of users want to utilize Biometric verification when on ...
Read More
Share :
Taisys Technologies joined FIDO Alliance
TAIPEI, January 9th , 2020 Global mobile security solution provider Taisys Technologies announced it has joined FIDO Alliance and became an official member.The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, www.fidoalliance.org, was formed in July 2012.It is an open industry association with focus to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication technologies, and remedy the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. The FIDO Alliance is changing the nature of authentication with standards for ...
Read More
Share :


text:
Jim Holden and Ryan Kubacki are CEO and President of Holden International, a global sales training and advisory firm. Their latest book, The New Power Base Selling: Lessons from 28,000 Sellers and 50,000 Deals, will be released May 1st. You can download Chapter 1 here. You can contact Ryan at email@example.com and (312) 476-8704.
Having been in the sales training business for more than 30 years, we have seen all manner of sellers; strong performers, average sellers, and those who just don't make the grade. But behind all of this has always been the debate as to whether sales is an art or a science, almost to suggest that for some, sellers are born and not made.
Let's look at what we mean by "art." For us, art is an expression of one's imagination and talent. It may result in a painting or sculpture, or it could be a wonderfully designed building, or something as intangible as an ingenious strategy to defeat a competitor, in order to win an important deal. Or is it?
Artistic ability is generally considered to be innate; coming from within an individual. A person is simply born with it, suggesting that if you've not been born with it, don't expect to paint like a Picasso. In addition, such talent is difficult to understand and explain -- we see the result of talent, but not the talent itself. Who can say what was in Picasso's mind when he revolutionized European painting and sculpture with something like Analytical Cubism, an example of which is the following.
Science, on the other hand, is quite different. It seeks to systemically organize knowledge in a very reliable way that can be repeated and predicted. So, if you hold a tall glass of beer above your head and let go, the result is predictable, not to mention, tragic. As such, science seeks to eliminate all unknowns, precisely explaining cause and effect relationships in the natural world. But, the laws of physics do not apply so neatly to people, their abilities, and actions. And so, we must rule out sales as a pure science. At the same time, if you are able to define the intangibles of selling, the stuff that people generally don't see, but know exist, perhaps we can move away from the view that selling is totally innate in nature.
For example, let's take into account How to Run a Successful Customer Meeting. There are two aspects to conducting a successful customer meeting, the tangible and the intangible. On the tangible side, we know that a successful meeting requires the right process, which is shown in the following checklist:
On the intangible side, a successful meeting is as much about managing emotions, as it is about implementing good process and conveying information. High performing sellers know that productive conversations are actually less about what they say or what they think the customer individual has heard, as they are about how the executive feels at the end of the meeting. Will he or she support the seller and a particular solution with enthusiasm? Will the executive be indifferent or perhaps feel challenged? Sensing emotional reactions, reading them correctly, and responding appropriately in real time are essential to executive meetings. To accomplish this, sellers are trained to observe carefully, ask the right questions, and excel at listening. The same could be said for giving presentations that are both informational and powerful. Sellers don't need to understand the psychology that drives emotional response, but instead need to know what to look for and how to respond to what they see. So, in this example, selling, while not pure science, is also not entirely innate, as in an art. But where does that leave us? The answer lies with a new perspective on selling, which views it as a management science. This viewpoint is presented in depth in our book, The New Power Base Selling, which is published by John Wiley & Sons and is scheduled to hit bookstores in early May 2012.
Holden has also developed a Four Stage Model that addresses key factors (intent, focus, relationship, value and knowledge) within a context that describes the customer and competitive environments. True to any management science, it enables sales proficiency to be documented, measured, understood, and managed. This in turn, increases sales proficiency, consistency of performance, and scalability within sales organizations. Success is based on both tangible and intangible factors. These factors approach art and science, sales as a management science conceptually sits in between them bridging the gap.


text:
Changing Rooms
- Kumfi Step matting is designed for swimming pool surrounds and changing area use, with its broad top profile giving excellent comfort and safety in wet areas. Made from anti-bacterial treated polyethylene, the mat prevents the growth of fungi and bacteria. Water grooves on the top surface allow moisture to run off the mat providing extra grip and safety while maintaining comfort for bare foot applications.
- Interflex Splash is a highly slip resistant and hygienic mat designed for use in wet areas such as swimming pools, changing and locker rooms and various other health facilities. The strong non-porous PVC duckboard construction, keeps the surface of the matting free from puddling water and helps maintain a safe and comfortable floor area. Interflex Splash is resistant to bacterial and fungal growth, and can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments.
- Interflex Style is a durable, impact resistant, slatted duckboard mat with a unique cross-ribbed design for extra barefoot comfort. Constructed from a high-grade unplasticized PVC, Interflex Style is resistant to bacterial and fungal growth. The matting has a free draining surface which makes it ideal for wet areas, such as pools, baths and saunas. The top profiles are organised across the walking direction to give additional comfort and stability.


text:
Are you looking for Is Aura Glow Teeth Whitening Safe?
It can be difficult to choose the right teeth whitening product for you. However, it is possible to choose from among the many products on the market. This article will highlight the top-rated kits such as Philips' 3D White Strips and Colgate's Optic White At Home Teeth Whitening Kit. These products are available for purchase or you may be curious.
The Crest 3D Whitestrips Glamorous White Teeth Whitening Kit contains fourteen upper and lower whitening strips.
Table of Contents
Crest's 3D White Strips
The Crest 3D White Strips Professional Effects will erase up to 14 years of teeth stains in just three days. It's like a tooth eraser! In three days you will see results, and in 20 days you will have complete results. The no-slip grip of the whitening strips makes them stay on until you remove them, making them easy to wear for up to three hours per day and still able to speak while they work.
The teeth whitening strips contain a whitening gel. The strips should be used to clean your teeth. They are not meant to be worn immediately. To adhere, simply align them with your gum line and press lightly. Once the strips are in place, carefully peel them off, and brush away any excess gel. The difference will be amazing! You won't feel any sensitivity, as most whitening strips contain an antibacterial agent to prevent irritation of the gums.
The teeth whitening strips are safe for occasional use but should be used in conjunction with regular dental care. Sodium hydroxide can cause damage to the teeth and gums. You will need to see your dentist if you want to whiten your smile. It's also safe to use the Crest 3D Glamorous Whitestrips on a limited basis and as directed. They are temporary, it is important to remember.
Crest 3D Whitestrips Glamorous White Teeth Whitening Kit includes fourteen upper and lower whitening strip. Each strip contains a hydrogen peroxide-gel that causes a chemical reaction that whitens the teeth. According to studies, the strips can remove up to 10 years of stains! The strips can be used up to twice daily for a few days to get results. Is Aura Glow Teeth Whitening Safe.
Colgate's Optic White At-Home Teeth Whitening Kit
Crest Whitestrips are another option for at-home teeth whitening. These strips contain a 9% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel, as well as potassium nitrate and fluoride, for a whitening effect similar to that of 30% carbamide peroxide. They're an effective way to whiten your teeth in less than an hour. To ensure safety, make sure you read the instructions before you purchase Crest Whitestrips.
Colgate Optic White Pro Light is a professional-level whitening kit. The kit includes a whitening pen, charging case, and USB cord. Since this is a rechargeable device, it doesn't cause tooth sensitivity. The Optic White Pro Light is not recommended for pregnant women or nursing mothers, as it is not compatible with other at-home teeth bleaching kits. The Colgate Optic White Professional Whitening kit should be used a few weeks before you plan on getting veneers or crowns.
Another Colgate at-home teeth whitening kit is the Colgate Optic White Advanced LED Teeth Whitening Kit. This device uses a breakthrough LED blue-light to activate hydrogen peroxide. With this treatment, you can remove up to 10 years' worth of stains in just 10 minutes. However, the Colgate Optic White at-home teeth whitening kit should only be used for natural, healthy teeth. It won't work well if your teeth are damaged or have had any dental work done.
Another at-home teeth whitening system includes the Colgate Optic White Advanced Toothpaste. It contains two percent hydrogen peroxide and aims to whiten teeth from the inside out. For best results, you should use this whitening solution at least twice daily for four weeks. To reap the maximum benefits, it is important to brush your teeth daily. A daily application of the Colgate Optic White Advanced Toothpaste will result in a brighter smile in as little as three days.
Solimo's Coconut Oil Teeth whitening Kit
Solimo's Coconut Oil Teeth Whitening Kit can make your pearly whites appear like they just came out the dentist's. This natural tooth whitener combines a special blend of coconut oil and hydrogen peroxide to remove stains on the surface of your teeth. It is gentle on teeth and gums and works to brighten pearly whites gradually. The kit also includes a charcoal tooth powder, which is suitable for sensitive teeth.
A solimo's coconut oil tooth whitener is one of the best teeth whiteners on the market. These kits are very effective in whitening your teeth and maintaining your gum health. However, the process is not without its risks. You should combine the whitening process and proper dental care to get a better result. Dr. Jennifer Haddad, Beverly Hills cosmetic dentists, and Dr. Matt Nejad recommend that you first treat any cavities before you whiten your teeth. This is because a whitener can cause damage to your gums if it comes in contact with a cavity.
Is Aura Glow Teeth Whitening Safe
Solimo's Coconut Oil Teeth whitener also works to whiten your teeth naturally. It contains natural ingredients such as coconut oil, aloe vera, and activated charcoal that help remove stains and improve oral hygiene. It is safe for everyone, even children. And the best part is that it is made with organic coconut oil. Solimo's Coconut Oil Teeth Whitening Kit is an excellent choice for those who want a bright smile, fresh breath, and healthy teeth.
The Solimo 10 day whitening strips are safe for sensitive teeth and easy to use. Each strip features a special seal technology that allows for you to speak to your dentist while the whitener is working on your teeth. With the use of the whitened strips, your teeth will be up to eight shades whiter in just one week! The strips come with a bamboo brush for easy removal.
Philips' 3D White Strips
The Philips' 3D White Strips teeth-whitening kit includes two separate steps. The first step involves applying whitening gel. The second step involves removing the gel-coated strips and placing them back into the tray. The package is even more value for money because it contains whitening gel. During testing, the tester used a tray-style kit to make impressions of his teeth. He used the trays about two or three times to get a proper fit.
The Philips 3D White Strips teeth-whitening kits use hydrogen peroxide, which is a faster agent than carbamide. This compound is not approved for home usage. This ingredient also reportedly dries the enamel. This kit is fast and costs half of hyper-bleach. Philips' 3D White Strips teeth whitening kit includes fancy additives that can be used to save you the cost of a visit to the dentist.
Crest 3D White Strips is another at-home tooth-whitening product. These strips contain the exact same active ingredients as Crest – 3D White strips. The kit can be used for up to 30 minutes per day for three to four week. The strips are easy to trim, and don't cost a fortune. The strips are also more affordable than many of their competitors. But you still should consult a dentist to get the best results.
There are also a variety of whitening gels available in the market. Philips makes Zoom Whitening gel that can be used at home as a self care kit. It costs $3.87 per treatment, and comes with separate trays and a sensitivity treatment. Its prices are comparable to those of other products in the market. A good whitening kit will not break your bank, but you should consider the cost if you decide to go for it. Is Aura Glow Teeth Whitening Safe.
Snow LED Kit
Snow LED Teeth Whitening can be a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth at-home. Snow teeth serum contains powerful ingredients to fight deep stains and discoloration. The LED mouthpiece activates the bleaching agent. LED teeth whitening is not like traditional methods. It does not require exposure to ultraviolet radiation or other harmful radiation. It also does not affect the growth of mutation cells in the mouth or contribute to cancer.
The Snow LED Kit is easy to use and user-friendly. All you have to do is place the LED mouthpiece in your mouth, apply the teeth serum, and wait for a certain time. You should only apply the serum to your teeth. It is safe for people who have dental fillings or other oral health problems. You can choose from a basic or extra-strong formula. After one treatment, you should notice a change in your teeth's color. If you're not satisfied with the results of your first treatment, you can inquire about payment plans.
The Snow LED kit for teeth whitening is a more cost-effective and convenient option than traditional methods. It combines both red and blue LED light to provide a complete effect on your teeth and gums. The blue light is used to whiten teeth. While the red light helps maintain gum health, the blue light helps with teeth whitening. You'll be amazed at the speed you can achieve whiter teeth.
The Snow Teeth Whitening System is one of the best-selling whitening products today, and is popular with dentists and A-list stars. Unlike other whitening systems, the Snow LED Kit is easy to use and effective. Dual light therapy is both effective and affordable. It even supports gum health. The mouthpiece is water-resistant and recharges automatically. It also comes with a charger and a battery.


text:
Story highlights
Spotify to team up with Ford to give European drivers access to the music streaming service
US telecoms firm AT&T to provide mobile broadband to General Motors vehicles
AT&T: 'We see the car as another wireless device, like a (big) smartphone."
Ford: first car to use new technology in Europe would be EcoSport, on sale this year
The ubiquity of the mobile internet has been thrown in to sharp relief at the Mobile World Congress trade show by two deals between US carmakers and digital and online service providers.
Spotify on Monday teamed up with Ford to give European drivers of Ford vehicles access to the music streaming service via voice and in-car controls.
Meanwhile AT&T, the US telecoms operator, said it would bring superfast mobile broadband to General Motor's vehicles from mid-2014.
Together, the deals represent a significant step towards building the next generation of "connected cars". The AT&T deal, in particular, marks the first large-scale deployment of the latest 4G mobile internet technology in vehicles, which have traditionally employed older technology when compared to consumer electronics.
"We see the car as another wireless device, like a (big) smartphone," Glen Laurie, president of AT&T's emerging devices division, said. "Our goal is to take the car to the next level."
The moves allow carmakers to make online entertainment a selling point. Douglas R. VanDagens, global director of connected services for Ford, said the carmaker had been trying to partner with Spotify for a year and a half.
"They are the most successful streaming music supplier in Europe . . . it's just a perfect relationship for us."
For Spotify, the deal is the first collaboration with a carmaker and will be seen as a win for backers of the multi-platform subscription model. Ford said the first car to use the new technology in Europe would be the EcoSport, a compact SUV expected to go on sale this year.
Connecting cars to the internet, however, also opens up the possibility for services such as navigation and remote diagnostic capabilities. Some car insurers, such as Progressive Insurance in the US, already use sensors that report back on how abruptly drivers brake or whether they are heavy on the accelerator to help it set insurance premiums.
"In addition to allowing consumers to bring in and connect to personal mobile devices, the vehicle will also act as its own mobile device, enabling embedded vehicle capabilities," said Mary Chan, president, global connected consumer, General Motors.
Mr Laurie said AT&T believed telematics would ultimately grow to be a $1bn-a-year business. AT&T already has wireless deals with carmakers including Ford Motor and Nissan Motor, but the GM agreement is its biggest deal so far.
Industry analysts say vehicles will be one of the next big growth areas for mobile operators which, at least in the US, have seen subscriber growth slow markedly in recent years.