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Flat-Out Lie or Scandalous Incompetence?
July 13, 2011 Leave a comment
Fred Upton (Chair of House Energy & Commerce Committee) continued his campaign to gut the EPA with a particular attack that we hope was an intentional lie and act of grotesque political demagoguery. Because the prospect of it being an honest mistake is even scarier, indicating a scandalous level of incompetence coming from someone who heads such a huge (54 members) and hugely important legislative committee.
The short version: Upton and the chairs of three subcommittees issued a report blasting the Obama administration for EPA grants to foreign governments and organizations, claiming that millions of dollars are being wasted as the EPA has ramped up overseas handouts since the 2009 stimulus package.
The Upton report and the accompanying press release asserts that the EPA has awarded $27 million to other countries in 2009-2010. The truth turns out to be that $21 million of that $27 million was initiated under the Bush administration. Could it be that one of the most powerful committees in Congress (its staff, its members, etc.) are unable to read a budget sheet and understand when agency grants are awarded and renewed (as in, who was President, who was EPA Administrator, etc.?).
In a letter from ranking democrat Henry Waxman to Upton on Monday (July 11), the details are explained, and a retraction of the report is requested. Some excerpts:
"Your report concludes that EPA has "intensified its foreign grants program, doling out over $27 million overseas" since February 17, 2009, which is the day the stimulus was signed into law" [Memorandum to Members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce from Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Majority Staff (June 27, 2011) (online at http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/Media/file/PDFs/062711MajMem…].
"In a press release accompanying the release of the report, you state that EPA has "ramped up" foreign grants and done so "at an alarming rate." [Committee on Energy and Commerce, Report Reveals EPA has Ramped Up Foreign Handouts, Sending Millions to China, Russia, and the United Nations Despite Record Deficits, Looming Debt Ceiling, and Soaring Unemployment (June 27, 2011)].
"Your report asserts that EPA awarded $27 million in 65 foreign grants in 2009 and 2010. In fact, the 38 grants initiated under the Bush administration account for $21 million of the $27 million obligated for these 65 grants."
"Far from "ramping up" grants to foreign governments, the Obama administration in most cases appears to be fulfilling grant commitments originally made during the previous administration. "
A sign of how congress is working: The website of the official Committee on Energy and Commerce has been run in such a partisan manner by the GOP majority, it has led the democrats to launch their own, parallel website. Click here to visit it.
Compare this to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, run by the democratic majority.
In this earlier FOX News coverage of "EPA's Shady Foreign Grants" during the past 10 years, no mention is made of who was President for (and therefore appointed the Administrator of the EPA, or which party controlled the congressional purse strings at which points):


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When it comes to food seasons, summer and spring get all the glory. You know, the first asparagus of May, the tomatoes-eggplant-corn surplus of August. But fall is when I get most energized in the kitchen. The eggplant and peppers are still around, but the heartier winter squash starts coming into farmers markets, too.
In other words, this is the true bounty, when I have more options than ever. Just as fall brings jackets and light sweaters and breathable scarves, it's also when I'm compelled to layer lighter and heavier ingredients in my cooking.
Take cinnamon. Perhaps it's my Middle Eastern heritage, but although I shy away from sweets that depend on the spice too heavily, I adore using it in savory cooking, and now's when that strategy seems to fit the calendar best.
So when I recently started making an off-the-cuff pasta dish the way I usually do (sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil), I also sprinkled in some cinnamon (along with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes) for warmth. I let the spices bloom, then cooked thinly sliced red peppers and cubed acorn squash with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes just until the vegetables softened, and tossed it all with a pound of bow-tie pasta. Somehow cheese didn't seem to belong, but walnuts did.
Besides that deep cinnamon, which ingredients were the light ones and which the heavy? Honestly, it's hard to say. The lines blurred, the way they do every fall.
6 servings
MAKE AHEAD: The vegetables can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months. Reheat them in a saucepan (defrosting first if frozen) before tossing with the pasta. From Washington Post Food editor Joe Yonan, author of 'Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook' (Ten Speed Press, 2013).
Sea salt
1 pound dried farfalle pasta (may use whole-wheat farfalle)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 pound acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
15 ounces canned, no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glen brand, plus their juices
1 cup toasted walnut pieces, for garnish (see NOTE)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, leaving the farfalle slightly undercooked. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, pour the oil into a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, crushed pepper flakes and cinnamon, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the vegetables have softened, 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium; add the bell peppers, squash, tomatoes and their juices. Cover and cook until the peppers and squash are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Turn off the heat; cover the saucepan to keep the vegetables warm.
Toss the drained pasta into the vegetables, along with as much of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to create a sauce. Stir to coat.
Divide among individual wide, shallow bowls. Top each portion with the walnuts.
NOTE: Toast the walnuts in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat until they are fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan as needed to prevent scorching. Cool before using.
NUTRITION Per serving: 370 calories, 11 g protein, 72 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar

subset: commoncrawl


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|46 × 46 × 31 cm
Create a sense of elegance to your dining experience with this Fabric food cover (tudung saji). Handmade from nylon and cotton fabric, this food cover is perfect for family style dining, keeping for dishes safe and clean.
Jenggala has qualified and maintains the strict ISO Quality Assurance System as well as certification of Standard National Indonesia for Food Safe and Chip Resistant quality ceramic tableware.


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Buy Batman Arkham Origins Initiation DLC
If you own the Batman™: Arkham Origins Season Pass, DO NOT purchase this content here as you will be charged again.
Travel back to the days before there was a Batman™ and take control of a young Bruce Wayne as he completes his martial arts training. Experience exotic locales including a bamboo forest and mountain-top monastery. This pack contains Bruce Wayne and Vigilante skins, four challenge maps, and a challenge campaign.


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A computer problem that crashed the Obamacare website overnight was only partially resolved Wednesday, blocking users of the federal insurance site from logging in and submitting new applications.
"The system is still down," read a banner on HealthCare.gov.
An official with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that work on the site would continue overnight on Wednesday.
Services were back online -- but working slowly -- for the 14 states and the District of Columbia that operate their own sites. They rely on a federal data hub, also used by the federal site, to verify applicants' income, citizenship and eligibility.
The outage stretched on as Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was grilled over the site issues by members of a House committee.
"Hold me accountable for the debacle," she told them. She called using the site a "miserably frustrating" experience.
Related: Sebelius questioned about site security
The latest crash began Tuesday.
The site crashed while Terremark, a Verizon subsidiary contracted to provide technology behind the site, was attempting to fix issues that caused the site to crash on Sunday, said Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the government agency overseeing the site.
The crashes appear related but the root cause has not yet been determined, she said.
Verizon said federal officials asked the company to provide additional computing and storage ability. Spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said Tuesday the work would be completed overnight.
Bataille, the federal spokeswoman, said the technology was working, but slow, for state-based websites at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Related: The government's innovation problem
Connecticut first reported the outage around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and said it was preventing users from completing the full registration process.
At the hearing, Sebelius said tech teams regularly update the site's code overnight and changes are tested at the time it goes online.
Pieces of the site were built separately by different contractors. She said the pieces work independently, but did not work together when plugged into the larger system. "Clearly, the testing should have been longer, should have been more sufficient," she allowed.
Mike Rogers, a Republican lawmaker, said the government's standards for testing and information security would not fly in the business world. "Amazon would never do this. Pro Flowers would never do this. Kayak would never do this. This is completely an unacceptable level of security," he said.
The Sunday outage left customers unable to apply for coverage and traced back to Verizon, officials said. The snafu affected the federally-run HealthCare.gov and more a dozen state-run sites.
Since going live on Oct. 1, major issues with HealthCare.gov have prevented people from registering and applying for coverage.
Sebelius said that by "the end of November, we are committed that the vast majority of users will be able to review their options, shop for plans, enroll in coverage without the problems way too many have been experiencing."
--CNN's Caleb Hellerman contributed to this article.


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The "French Explorer" Jacket from "vintage style" retailer J. Peterman (recently discussed here), described thusly: "Remember Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, considered by many to be France's greatest explorer? Some think it was his unique brand of Colonialism…. But I think the secret to his empire-building was this jacket, which he often wore to meetings with tribal chieftans. Historians agree with me."
The problem of patina, which McCracken has recently proposed as a general term to deal with that property of goods in which their age becomes a key index of their high status, disguises a deeper dilemma, the dilemma of distinguishing wear from tear. That is, while is many cases, wear is a sign of the right sort of duration in the social life of things, sheer disrepair or decrepitude is not….
Objects with patina are perpetual reminders of the passage of time as a double-edged sword, which credentials the "right" people, just as it threatens the way they lived. Whenever aristocratic lifestyles are threatened, patina acquires a double meaning, indexing both the special status of its owner and the owner's special relationship to a way of life that is no longer available. The latter is what makes patina a truly scarce resource, for it always indicates the fact that a way of living is now gone forever. Yet, this very fact is a guarantee against the newly arrived, for they can acquire objects with patina, but never the subtly embodied anguish of those who can legitimately bemoan the loss of a way of life. Naturally, good imposters may seek to mimic this nostalgic posture as well. but here both performances and reviews are a more tightly regulated affair. It is harder to pretend to have lost something than it is to actually do so, or to claim to have found it. Here material wear cannot disguise social rupture.
— Arjun Appadurai, 1993, "Consumption, Duration, and History," in Streams of Cultural Capital, D. Palumbo-Liu and H. U. Gumbrecht (eds.), Stanford: Stanford University Press.


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The iPhone Dev Team, responsible for much of the work behind iPhone jailbreaks, is working on a new project using the iPhone SDK. The "Pwnage project" is designed to fully unlock an iPhone, allowing unsigned applications to be installed and allowing it to work with any cellular network.
The new exploit works by taking advantage of the boot loading process on the iPhone, using the AppleImage2NorAccess extension to load a custom firmware to the device in the same way that the standard restore process works. After the patched firmware has been written to the device and restarted, any unsigned app can be loaded and run.
Here is a video uploaded to YouTube demonstrating the concept; you'll note the device is using T-mobile and loading firmware directly from iTunes:
The team is working on two tools. iPwner will make your iPhone "pwned," and IPSW Builder will allow you to modify the .ipsw filesystem to create custom installations. According to the project page, "both tools are undergoing intensive developing and soon will be ready for public consumption." Apple has done little to block jailbreaking attempts so far, so it seems unlikely that the company will do anything to block this hack before release of the official iPhone 2.0 firmware in June without radically altering the bootloading process.


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Plus -2 More
Free DeliveryOver £50
The best poly cutter. There's nothing else to say.
We have a 30-day return policy, so if you don't like the item after receiving it and are within the time limit to request a refund then that's what we'll do. You can contact us at email@example.com for instructions on how best send your package back before sending off another one!
If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label, as well as instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.See our full returns/refund policy here


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Welcome! Login
This BetaCoin and Guatemalan Quetzal convertor is up to date with exchange rates from March 30, 2023.
Enter the amount to be converted in the box to the left of BetaCoin. Use "Swap currencies" to make Guatemalan Quetzal the default currency. Click on Guatemalan Quetzales or BetaCoins to convert between that currency and all other currencies.
The BetaCoin is the currency in no countries. The Guatemalan Quetzal is the currency in Guatemala (GT, GTM). The Guatemalan Quetzal is also known as Quetzals. The symbol for BET can be written BET. The symbol for GTQ can be written Q. The Guatemalan Quetzal is divided into 100 centavos. The exchange rate for the BetaCoin was last updated on May 6, 2020 from coinmarketcap.com. The exchange rate for the Guatemalan Quetzal was last updated on March 30, 2023 from Yahoo Finance. The BET conversion factor has 12 significant digits. The GTQ conversion factor has 4 significant digits.
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Yearbook Photos: Rock Stars [Watch]
Over the years, we've shown yearbook photos and have asked readers to guess which rock stars they turned out to be. Some of these musicians' looks changed dramatically since their school days, while others are more instantly recognizable.
Here we present a number of these yearbook pics in one video montage. You'll see the yearbook photos of Kurt Cobain, Tommy Lee, Axl Rose, Nikki Sixx and many more.
Check out the yearbook pics of 15 rock stars in the video above.


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In my Introduction to Library Science class, we were told that a primary goal of the class was to start the process of professionalization. Wikipedia describes professionalization as,
"Professionalization is the social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true "profession of the highest integrity and competence."[1] This process tends to involve establishing acceptable qualifications, a professional body or association to oversee the conduct of members of the profession and some degree of demarcation of the qualified from unqualified amateurs."
Obviously the class included a sketch of the history of libraries, a snapshot of the state for the profession, and a cursory exploration of issues and values with in the profession. But I left the class feeling particularly uninspired in large part because I felt like we had just skipped over the librarians. Even when we dealt with the history of libraries the librarians themselves were a largely absent. There were a few exceptions of course, a discussion of Dewey and the creation of a professional librarian class, but from my extra-circular readings I knew there were librarians behind the stories we were reading.
Part of any culture, including professional cultures are the myths we tell amongst ourselves. Central to these myths is the hero(ine). In many fields these take the place of those who change practices and publicize their accomplishments. Or practitioners who are exceptionally good (ie: Louis Brandice or Howard Zinn).
Librarians need heroes too. Not just Melville Dewey, but a whole host of library Allstars to look up to. Finding them can be difficult especially if you're in a distance program, or the MLIS department at your school has weak roots in the community. Learning about people in the area who can serve as heroes or even role models can be difficult. Nonetheless, finding heroes within our profession is key to our cultural development. I have a few heroes and heroines myself. Some of them I know personally, others, like Sandford Berman, I learned about by reading books like Revolting Librarians Redux; you can find a plethora of good role models on the web. Regardless of where, and how we find them Heroes and Heroines should be instrumental in shaping our own practice of librarianship.
We should always be watching the librarians around us, finding those who represent the best in us, and copying their best practices. When the time comes ultimately we have to buckle down, or stand up for our patrons learning from the triumphs of others can be key to building character within ourselves. Having a good hero(ine) can make upholding such burdens a bit easier, even if the extent of those burdens is monotony.
Who is your library hero(ine)? Why? What are the qualities of a library hero(ine)?
Categories: Heroes


text: Quite simply, the Smoke Turret is the most dangerous-looking fog machine on the market. Five feet tall and swiveling 180-degrees on its tripod base, the turret's six barrels utilize a 90psi air compressor to fire smoke for up to 15 feet. On top of that, a strobe light is concealed in the gun sight for a little extra firepower to get the party started. Still, what's the $2,400 Smoke Turret do that a normal fog machine can't? It makes you look like a total badass, that's what. [Fright Catalog via Nerd Approved]


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Getting Started
How To Profit From Your Own Personal Brand
Discover how much more you can make with your personal brand.
Creating Your Own Brand
How To Create A Top Marketing Slogan
Use this simple formula to craft your own top slogan and see which are the top 90 advertising slogans of all time.
The Secret To Profiting From Your Personal Brand
Peter Montoya explains how you can power up your marketing with these personal branding strategies.
Creating Your Own Winning Brand
Al Ries, author of at least a dozen books on marketing, including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind, normally charges $30,000 a day but Charlie persuaded him to share his top branding secrets with you. Discover the key to creating your own winning brand.
How To Build Your Brand In 4 Steps
Discover the 4 key steps to building your own brand identity.


text:
The new standard for flashlights, energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are durable and long-lasting. We pushed a trio of LED minilights from different price points to their limits, testing for battery life, light quality and the ability to handle falls on concrete.
Test Criteria
* Battery Life: We ran fresh batteries through each light until they completely ran out of juice.
* Durability: We dropped the lights onto concrete from as high as 20 ft. Surprisingly, all three survived all falls with only cosmetic damage.
More From Popular Mechanics
* Light Quality: We turned these lights on a wall-mounted map to test readability from 10 ft. and 5 ft. away.
Battery Life
Claim: 1, 4 or 36 hours, for each of three brightness settings, respectively.
Reality: 2, 6 and 36.5 hours.
Other than a few scrapes, the aluminum case survived intact.
Light Quality
Even on low power, the beam was consistently bright--up close and from a distance.
Battery Life
Claim: 16 hours.
Reality: 35 hours of bright light, with a dim glow lasting close to 100.
The rubberized case shrugged off falls up to 15 ft. Higher drops caused parts to pop off.
Light Quality
Its diffuse beam made maps highly readable up close, but its light disappears at a distance.
Battery Life
Claim: 1.3 hours on high, 37 hours on low.
Reality: 2.15 hours on high, 37 hours on low.
The aluminum case took the most dings, but nothing near fatal.
Light Quality
The brightest on high power, but on low, its beam trails the Leatherman slightly.


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Welcome To AlbumLinerNotes.com
"The #1 Archive of Liner Notes in the World!"
Your Subtitle text
Home Page
Artist List
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Biography by Richie Unterberger & Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Apart from the Byrds, no other American band had as great an impact on folk-rock and country-rock -- really, the entire Californian rock sound -- than Buffalo Springfield. The group's formation is the stuff of legend: driving on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay spotted a hearse that Stills was sure belonged to Neil Young, a Canadian he had crossed paths with earlier. Indeed it was, and with the addition of fellow hearse passenger and Canadian Bruce Palmer on bass and ex-Dillard Dewey Martin on drums, the cluster of ex-folkys determined, as the Byrds had just done, to become a rock & roll band.
Buffalo Springfield wasn't together long -- they were an active outfit for just over two years, between 1967 and 1968 --but every one of their three albums was noteworthy. Their debut, including their sole big hit (Stills' "For What It's Worth"), established them as the best folk-rock band in the land barring the Byrds, though Springfield was a bit more folk and country oriented. Again, their second album found the group expanding their folk-rock base into tough hard rock and psychedelic orchestration, resulting in their best record. The group was blessed with three idiosyncratic, talented songwriters in Stills, Young, and Furay (the last of whom didn't begin writing until the second LP) yet they also had strong and often conflicting egos, particularly Stills and Young. The group, who held almost infinite promise, rearranged their lineup several times, Young leaving the group for periods and Palmer fighting deportation, until disbanding in 1968. Their final album clearly shows the group fragmenting into solo directions.
Eventually, the inter-personal tensions and creative battles led to a perhaps inevitable split, starting with Young's departure for a solo career. He would later reunite with Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills, & Nash, joining the trio once a decade for various projects. In addition to CSN, Stills released solo albums and worked with a nother band, Manassas. Initially, Jim Messina and Richie Furay stayed together, forming the country-rock group Poco, but Messina left after three albums to team up in a duo with Kenny Loggins. Furay himself left Poco and teamed with Chris Hillman and JD Souther in the Souther Hillman Furay Band before pursuing a solo career. Rumors of a Buffalo Springfield reunion circulated for years -- Young even hinted at it with the song "Buffalo Springfield Again" -- but it never materialized.
Content provided All Music Guide. Copyright 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.


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If you're hoping to pick up a Sony or Samsung TV in the sales sometime in the future, you're out of luck. The Wall Street Journal reports that both companies are fed up of third-parties slashing the price of their products—so, they're now enforcing minimum pricing on their TVs.
It was rumored that Sony was going to adopt a policy along these lines back in March, but the Journal reports that both companies have now started instigating the rules. From the report:
"Sony and Samsung confirmed that they began enforcing the new policy last month, but declined to say what they would do to merchants that didn't follow their rules. People close to the industry predicted the TV makers would cut off financing they typically provide retailers to help market new products, and possibly even stop shipping TVs to offending retailers."
For Sony, at least, it's no doubt an attempt to claw back earnings, given its dismal performance of recent times. Samsung's motivations seems less clear, because it's currently doing rather well for itself.
While the policy will ruffle some feathers amongst consumers, it's not difficult to imagine it becoming an industry-wide trend we just have to get used to. After all, Apple runs an equally tight ship when it comes to pricing, and it shows no signs of struggling. [Wall Street Journal via The Verge]


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MultiCell Technologies Updates Preclinical Results for MCT-465 and MCT-485 in Primary Liver Cancer in vitro Models
Aug 10, 2012, 08:00 ET
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MCET) is pleased to announce the updated preclinical research results for MCT-465 and MCT-485. MCT-485 showed in vitro dose-effect cytotoxicity on several human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. MCT-485 induced robust TNFalpha and some IL-6 expression. In contrast, MCT-465 showed no cytotoxicity or anti-proliferative effect. The research results support further mechanistic and in vivo studies exploring the safety, effectiveness and utility of MCT-465 and MCT-485 as novel therapeutic agents as a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer and a leading cause of cancer death. Current pharmacological approaches for the treatment of human HCC are very limited in their efficacy. A potential role for noncoding double stranded RNAs such as MCT-465 and MCT-485 in the control of tumors has recently emerged in a variety of models with recognition of their ability to stimulate an immune response or directly affect cell death.
According to the National Cancer Institute, annually in the United States there are approximately 21,400 new cases of primary liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and approximately 18,400 of those cases resulted in death. Primary liver cancer, resulting from Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infection, is the most common cancer in some parts of the world with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed each year. Primary liver cancer is rarely discovered early, and often does not respond to current treatment.
About MCT-465 and MCT-485
MCT-465 and MCT-485 are the first of a family of prospective cancer therapeutics based on the use of our patented TLR3 signaling technology. MCT-465 and MCT-485 are in preclinical development, and are being investigated as prospective treatments for primary liver cancer and triple negative breast cancer. MultiCell owns rights to several issued U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications related to MCT-465 and MCT-485.
MCT-465 is a high molecular weight synthetic dsRNA (polyA:polyU, of 70bps) with immune enhancing properties. The mechanism of action of MCT-465 is pleiotropic and mediated by RNA sensors – such as TLR3, 7/8, MDA-5 and RIG-I - expressed by antigen presenting cells and select cases, by tumor cells:
- Induction of pro-inflammatory, immune enhancing cytokines locally and systemically;
- Anti-angiogenic effects through a local exposure to IL-12 / IFNgamma;
- In select cases, direct pro-apoptotic anti-tumoral effect.
MCT-485 is a low molecular weight synthetic dsRNA (polyA:polyU of 5bps) with direct tumor cytolytic properties. The mechanism of action of MCT-485 is pleiotropic yet distinct from that of MCT-465:
- Induction of tumor cell death upon direct exposure, while normal cells are minimally affected.
- Production of TNFalpha by cancer cells resulting in amplified tumor cell death and a localized immune reaction that has the potential to generalize and curb progression of metastatic cancer.
About MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
MultiCell Technologies, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics and discovery tools that address unmet medical needs for the treatment of neurological disorders, hepatic disease and cancer. For more information about MultiCell Technologies, please visit http://www.multicelltech.com.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about MultiCell's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "could", and "would". MultiCell bases these forward- looking statements on current expectations about future events. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections in the forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to, the risk that we might not achieve our anticipated clinical development milestones, receive regulatory approval, or successfully commercialize our products as expected, the market for our products will not grow as expected, and the risk that our products will not achieve expectations. For additional information about risks and uncertainties MultiCell faces, see documents that MultiCell files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including MultiCell's report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2011, and all of MultiCell's quarterly and other periodic SEC filings. MultiCell claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Act and assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent events.
SOURCE MultiCell Technologies, Inc.


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Argument recap: Imputing eligibility for relief from removal
on Jan 20, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Jill E. Family is an Associate Professor and Associate Director, Law & Government Institute, Widener University School of Law.
At oral argument on January 18, the Court questioned the attorneys in Holder v. Gutierrez and Holder v. Sawyers about calculating relief from removal. At issue in these consolidated cases is whether a parent's immigration status and residency in the United States may be imputed to a minor child to calculate eligibility for relief from removal. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) said no; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said yes.
The statutory eligibility requirements for cancellation of removal implicated in these cases are found in 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(a):
The Attorney General may cancel removal in the case of an alien who is inadmissible or deportable from the United States if the alien–
(1) has been an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence for not less than 5 years,
(2) has resided in the United States continuously for 7 years after having been admitted in any status, and
(3) has not been convicted of any aggravated felony.
Cancellation of removal is a form of relief that abandons removal (deportation) if the eligibility requirements are met and if the government favorably exercises its discretion. Two of the eligibility requirements are at issue in these consolidated cases: the status requirement (lawful permanent resident for at least five years) and the residence requirement (continuous residence for at least seven years after admission in any status).
Congress created cancellation of removal in 1996 to replace Section 212(c) relief. Under Section 212(c), deportation could be suspended for lawful permanent residents with "a lawful unrelinquished domicile of seven consecutive years."
The 1996 law that created cancellation of removal also broadened the grounds of removability. As the grounds of removability widen, the availability of relief from removal becomes even more important.
These consolidated cases involve lawful permanent residents connected to the United States since childhood. Both Martinez Gutierrez and Sawyers need imputation to meet the eligibility requirements for cancellation of removal. In Gutierrez, the immigration judge imputed Martinez Gutierrez's father's immigration status and continuous residence to compute his eligibility. The BIA reversed. The Ninth Circuit remanded to the BIA. In Sawyers, both the immigration judge and the BIA refused to impute Sawyers' mother's continuous residence to him. The Ninth Circuit reversed.
Assistant to the Solicitor General Leondra R. Kruger appeared for the government at oral argument. On the other side, Stephen B. Kinnaird appeared for Martinez Gutierrez, while Charles A. Rothfeld argued on behalf of Sawyers.
Four main themes emerged during the oral argument: (1) whether the cancellation of removal statute is ambiguous regarding imputation; (2) whether the BIA articulated a rationale to support its decision to forbid imputation or whether it was motivated by a clear statutory mandate; (3) the significance of the statutory language change from "domicile" in Section 212(c) to "residence" in cancellation of removal; and (4) concern about the practical effects that may stem from the respondents' positions, coupled with apprehension about the potential effects of the government's interpretation of the statute.
Kruger opened by restating a main argument of the government's brief. Kruger explained that the statute clearly instructs the immigration judge to look to the applicant only, and no one else, to calculate eligibility. Even if the statute is ambiguous, Kruger argued, the BIA's interpretation of the statute to forbid imputation is reasonable.
Justice Sotomayor led off with the first question, asking Kruger whether the BIA decided to forbid imputation based on a clear mandate from the statute or whether it did so as an exercise of discretion. Justice Sotomayor stated that her reading of the BIA's decision is that the BIA "felt that it had to come to that conclusion as a matter of law," and asked Kruger where the BIA explained its policy rationale. Kruger responded that the BIA did believe the statute to be clear, but that it also rested its decision on its expertise, including a determination that an imputation rule would not comport with the statute as a whole.
Chief Justice Roberts turned the argument to the ambiguity of the statute. He pointed out that the statute does not mention imputation, and Kruger responded that a statute need not address "every conceivable possibility" to not be ambiguous. Later, Justice Kagan questioned Kruger about the statute's ambiguity, suggesting that the BIA's varying treatment of imputation in immigration law reflects ambiguity. Kruger explained that other instances of imputation involve different statutory provisions and that the BIA has limited its allowance of imputation to scenarios where intent is at issue. There was some questioning as to the strength of the argument that the BIA has allowed imputation only where intent is at issue.
Justice Ginsburg questioned Kruger about the change in statutory language from "domicile" to "residence." Kruger explained that this change is very significant. According to the government, the change in language eliminates the need to consider the child's intent; that a child is able to establish a residence independent of his or her parents. Justice Kennedy later remarked that it is "a little odd" that Congress would ease the relief eligibility requirements in other respects through the change to cancellation of removal, but at the same time would take away imputation, which makes the requirements harsher. Justice Breyer questioned Kruger about whether residence had been imputed under circuit case law developed before the statutory language change.
The Justices engaged Kruger in a fairly lengthy conversation that revealed hesitation about the effects of the government's characterization of the statute. Led by Justice Kennedy, the Justices questioned Kruger about the potentially different treatment of two children based on their parent's actions. For example, if there is no imputation, a child's eligibility for relief may hinge on when his or her parents filed paperwork for the child. Justice Sotomayor wondered how the government's interpretation advances the goal of the cancellation of removal statute, which is to give individuals with long-standing ties to the United States an opportunity to stay. Kruger brought the Justices back to the plain meaning of the statute, which the government views as requiring each individual, even children, to meet the eligibility requirements on his or her own. Kruger also mentioned that the government has discretion with regard to the initial decision of whether to begin removal proceedings at all, and that age is a factor in deciding whether to exercise prosecutorial discretion.
Kinnaird's portion of the argument led off with further discussion about the ambiguity of the statute. Chief Justice Roberts questioned whether the statute is ambiguous if it simply does not address imputation. Kinnaird replied that the statute is ambiguous as applied.
From there, the discussion shifted to the significance of the statutory language change from "domicile" to "residence." Justice Scalia asked Kinnaird for an example of when status is imputed, but not intent. Kinnaird explained that under the old Section 212(c) regime, lawfulness of status necessarily was imputed along with intent.
Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kagan brought the argument back to ambiguity. Justice Kagan asked what the BIA needs to do differently if the statute is ambiguous. Kinnaird replied that the BIA has not recognized the ambiguity and explained a rationale for the decision to forbid imputation. Chief Justice Roberts questioned whether the BIA is obligated to do what Kinnaird described if the imputation issue is not addressed in the statute.
The Justices questioned Kinnaird about the practical effects of Martinez Gutierrez's position. Justice Ginsburg asked Kinnaird if a child who had never become a lawful permanent resident on his or her own could obtain cancellation of removal through imputation. Kinnaird answered that the child must have his or her own lawful permanent resident status to seek cancellation of removal, but that imputation is permissible to meet the durational requirements. Justice Kennedy inquired whether imputation would be permissible to a child who lives outside of the United States.
Kinnaird's portion of the argument ended with a discussion of the reasonableness of the BIA's decision. Kinnaird asserted that the BIA's interpretation contradicts the statutory purpose. Justice Scalia questioned why the statutory language change from "domicile" to "residence" is not a valid reason for the BIA's interpretation. Justice Sotomayor explained that she sees imputation as an equitable doctrine; if it is equitable, she continued, is the BIA required to do more? Justice Kennedy asked whether Martinez Gutierrez's position is that forbidding imputation is unreasonable per se, or whether the problem is that the BIA did not explain itself. Kinnaird answered that Martinez Gutierrez advances both arguments.
At the beginning of Rothfeld's argument, Chief Justice Roberts again addressed the statute's ambiguity. Rothfeld explained that the statute's requirement of continuous residence includes the concept of imputation. Later in the argument, Rothfeld explained that Congress would have thought that continuous residence includes imputation because residence is imputable generally and because residence is an element of domicile. Sawyers's position is that the statute is not ambiguous; it clearly permits imputation.
In response, Justice Alito asked Rothfeld what different statutory language Congress would need to use to forbid imputation. Rothfeld responded that "Congress would have had to indicate affirmatively that imputation was impermissible." Also, Justice Sotomayor questioned Rothfeld's underlying assumption that Congress was aware of the ongoing circuit-level judicial conversation about domicile and imputation when it changed the statutory language to "residence."
The Justices also questioned Rothfeld about the practical effect of Sawyers's take on the statute. Justice Ginsburg and Justice Alito pointed out difficulties that would arise in applying an imputation rule, for example, when children are living abroad. Justice Kennedy asked whether Sawyers's position would take away the incentive for parents to seek lawful status for their children.
During rebuttal argument, Justice Kennedy asked Kruger to elaborate on whether the BIA articulated policy reasons to support its decision to forbid imputation. Kruger acknowledged that the BIA was "heavily" influenced by the statute's clear language, but that it also looked to the history of imputation. Chief Justice Roberts asked Kruger whether looking to historical treatment is the same as articulating a policy. Kruger responded that the BIA also looked to the consequences of allowing imputation. Justice Scalia asked Kruger to respond to the argument that lawfulness of status was imputed under Section 212(c). Kruger disagreed with that perspective, arguing that intent was imputed, and not status. Also, Kruger disagreed with Sawyers's assertion that courts imputed residence when imputing domicile.


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Raising, processing and selling your own pork to supermarkets and restaurants can be a recipe for success in the pork industry.
Large, vertically integrated producers like Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods prove it every day.
With a bit of innovation and a lot of hard work, direct marketing can be a successful strategy for small and mid-sized producers, too.
With production from their 4,000-head finishing operation in Perth County, Ontario, Fred and Ingrid de Martines have proven direct marketing can be successful.
Every week, the de Martines ship 70-80 market hogs to Quality Meats' processing plant in Toronto. But, unlike the 25,000 other hogs received at the plant, the de Martines' hogs are segregated every step of the way from the time they are unloaded.
With a country-of-origin labeling (COOL) system already in place for the Japanese market, Quality Meats is able to hold de Martines' pigs separately and then track them through processing.
The de Martines buy back the primal cuts and deliver them to local butcher shops for further processing into specific cuts, which Fred de Martines needs to fill his weekly orders. "For instance, if you take a whole loin and take the backbone off before you sell it to a restaurant, it's a simple way to move a fresh loin and get a much better price," de Martines explains.
Some of his pork is sold to small supermarkets, but restaurants and hotels in cities across southern Ontario purchase most of it.
His customers like to know where their food is coming from, so being able to offer pork raised on his farm is a big selling feature.
Most orders are received on Mondays and Tuesdays, then delivered on Thursdays, he explains. "Once you get to know your customers, the orders don't change that much. Menus don't change often, but when they do, I talk it over with the chefs to make sure we know what changes are coming."
All About Control
For de Martines, the advantage to direct marketing boils down to just one word — control.
"Having control over pricing makes all the difference; it's what makes this fun," he says. "I'm not just hoping to get a price from the market. I set my own margins. My chefs expect me to be making a profit. From time to time they ask me, 'Are you getting your margins?' They want to make sure that we are, because they don't want to worry about finding a new supplier. We're not used to that in farming.
"If you can't get the right price for all the different cuts, you're better off to just sell them to the packing plant," he continues.
Direct marketing is often touted as a way for very small producers, those with a couple hundred hogs or less, to make a few extra dollars. In Canada, those hogs are slaughtered at smaller, provincially-inspected slaughter facilities, with the pork sold through farmers' markets or farm stores.
De Martines tried that, too, but quickly ran into bottlenecks.
"We started off with whole hogs at small abattoirs," he explains. "But, it is virtually impossible to get any volume doing whole hogs, because you end up with a lot of cuts that don't move at certain times of the year. Being able to buy back primal cuts alleviates that completely, because I don't have the problem of a high inventory of hocks and jowls, or having too many hams that end up being ground into sausage. There is just no money in inventory. It's too expensive."
It seems that de Martines has found a way to have the best of both worlds. He has enough volume to sell into the commercial pork market, but he's adding value to a big chunk of his pork by selling into the wholesale and industrial market.
Not Rocket Science
"Developing markets is not rocket science," says Bert Dening, a business development officer with the Alberta government. "Some producers who are direct marketing their animals have their own customers and deliver. Others sell through farmers' markets. Only one's imagination limits what a person can do."
Fred de Martines finds his customers by asking to talk to a restaurant's executive chef. After introducing himself and describing his products, he finds most are quite interested.
"I am selling them the same product they can get from their current supplier, at a competitive price, but with better service," he says.
As an example, de Martines says he can outshine any large company with his tight turnaround. "We've had calls on a Saturday night saying, 'Could you please bring out some more product?' because they didn't have anything for Sunday brunch. That's where we can make a difference and create some markets."
De Martines' also offers perks to his customers. Not only has he turned his identity preserved (IP) product into a great selling feature, he has also turned his farm into a tourist destination. Brochures describing his farm and operation are available at the hotels he supplies. The brochures invite guests to take part in a farm tour, free of charge, in return for loyal patronage.
"It's a niche market, and you've got to play on the things that the competition can't do," he adds.
Social Skills Required
Thinking of direct marketing for your operation? Better brush up on your social skills. To make an extra $34-$42/animal requires dealing with the public, which in itself is a separate skill set, says Dening.
"You're not just producing pigs anymore," he says. "Now you're on the phone and have to deal with the abattoir, the customers and money. It's a different world than just shipping pigs to a big plant and getting a check every week. If you don't like people and just want to work in the barn, then you better forget direct marketing."
And, de Martines adds, "If you don't like to be busy, don't do this, because it can sometimes cut into your social life. You've got to be available almost seven days a week. It's quiet in January and February. We enjoy that time of year and like to go on holidays. But we don't go on holidays in the summertime, because that's our busy time."
Direct-marketed meat in the province of Alberta alone was a $30-million industry in 2004. The lion's share was in beef sales, but direct-marketed pork sales accounted for $4.2 million. While small compared to the dollar value of the commodity industry, Dening believes it will easily double to $60 million as smaller hog farms struggle to find viable options.
De Martines loves the contact he gets with his customers through direct selling. "By talking with people who are using our products, we find out what their needs are," he says.
"I've told so many producers that if they would just do that, they would gain a much better understanding of their own industry. The vast majority say they'd much rather milk an extra cow or feed an extra sow than have to do what we're doing. They like to load their hogs and watch the back end of the truck as it drives down the lane. That's fine, and not everybody can do what we're doing, but I would certainly love to see more people try."
Editor's note: all values expressed in U.S. dollars.
By Lorne McClinton
The Newfoundland hog producers association could hold its convention in a phone booth. Roosevelt Thompson, a pork producer from Point Leamington, operates the only remaining hog farm on the island of Newfoundland, Canada's most eastern province.
Until 1992, when the provincial government decided to close the island's last remaining hog slaughtering plant, there were dozens of farms. With no slaughter facilities, everyone took a government buyout and left the business. Everyone, that is, except Thompson.
Thompson expanded. Today he runs a thriving hog operation, and credits his success to his daughter's Cabbage Patch doll.
"When all the hog producers in Newfoundland went out of business, I was caught wondering what I was going to do," he says. "My daughter had a cabbage patch doll that (as part of its marketing campaign) had adoption papers with it. This gave me the idea that perhaps we could start an adopt-a-pig (program)."
Thompson's adopt-a-pig concept was simple. Customers paid a C$50 ($42.50 US) down payment on a month-old pig, and Thompson raised it. When the pig reached market weight four months later, the customer paid an additional C$200 ($170 US) and received their live pig.
Customers could pay an additional fee to have the animal processed into pork chops, bacon, ham and sausage. Most paid it.
By the time all the extra fees are in, a pig can sell for as much as C$300 ($255 US), but the average is C$265 ($225.25 US).
Thompson made up adoption papers like flyers, then posted them in a town two hours away.
"After I put out that flyer, I really couldn't keep up with the business," he says. "I had to stop putting the flyer out because I was getting swamped with orders. It's now almost 15 years later, and we're still getting orders coming in to adopt-a-pig."
In 1992, he had about 75 sows. Today he has 150. "We're still expanding slightly, but mainly concentrating on processing," he says.
A big advantage to Thompson's adopt-a-pig program is it lets him know in advance how many pigs he will need to market four months later. Of course, there's also the added cash flow advantage of having the pigs paid for in advance.
"If you multiply a thousand pigs by $50, it gives you a cash flow," Thompson says. "Some will pay the $50 down payment and then make monthly $25 payments. By the time the pig is 5 months old, it is almost completely paid for. I've got money in the bank before the pig has left the barn."
It's also a big advantage to know in advance how much each pig will return. On average, Thompson estimates he gets $1.75/lb. ($1.49/lb. US) for his hogs.
Since he is dealing directly with the consumer, not with a processor, he can set his own prices, which he's raised gradually over the years.
"Usually, the customer pays $2/lb. for pork chops in the store," Thompson says. "If the price of pork the producer gets goes down to 35¢, pork chops are still going to be $2/lb. in the store. The store makes the money. Consumers don't really see the benefit of those low prices when the price goes down for the producers."
Any excess pork is featured in truckload sales. Thompson sends out flyers noting when his refrigerated truck will be in an area. Fresh pork is available by the side, and cut, packaged and ready for the freezer, he says. The flyer features a diagram of a side of pork broken down into its various cuts. Smoked and cured bacon and ham costs extra.


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KSA excise law approved by Shurah council has been saved
KSA excise law approved by Shurah council
Another milestone along the journey to VAT implementation
Approval of draft excise duty legislation
The Shurah Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has today approved its national draft excise law. It is understood that the draft excise law is yet to be approved by the KSA cabinet.
In line with the GCC excise treaty, GCC member states are to implement national excise legislation with the aim of decreasing the consumption of harmful products, including tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks.
The full text of the published KSA draft legislation can be found on the website of the General Authority of Zakat and Tax here. This may differ from the text of the approved draft law.
Next Steps
All affected businesses should review the details of the draft legislation to assess the impact.


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Wagner-Jauregg, Julius
Wagner-Jauregg, Julius yo͞o´lyo͝os väg´nər-you´rĕk [key], 1857–1940, Austrian neurologist and pioneer in fever therapy. He was professor at the Univ. of Vienna from 1893 to 1928. He introduced the treatment of paresis by inoculation with the organisms causing malaria, attributing the success of the procedure to the induced malarial fever. For this work he received the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


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As an opt-in email marketer, it's critical to stay on track and to respect, protect and engage subscribers at every turn. The Code of Email Marketing provides a set of simple yet essential best practices to keep your relationship with your subscribers – the very heart of email marketing – in perfect view at all times.
1. Build your email lists with explicit prior permission
2. Ensure that subscribers know what to expect before they subscribe – and deliver it
3. Never spam
4. Protect the privacy and data of your subscribers
5. Never purchase, trade, share or sell email addresses
6. Avoid misleading subject lines and false headers
7. Provide value and relevancy and inspire action with every message
8. Include one-click unsubscribe instructions in every message
9. Honor unsubscribe requests promptly
10. Remember that email marketing is about building relationships with subscribers
LISTSERV is a registered trademark licensed to L-Soft international, Inc.
See Guidelines for Proper Usage of the LISTSERV Trademark for more details.
All other trademarks, both marked and unmarked, are the property of their respective owners.


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Milan runways offer constructed winter silhouette
MILAN (AP) — Menswear looks for next winter have a simple silhouette that is accentuated by stiff, structured outerwear.
Whether a hooded jacket or a military overcoat or a prosaic vest, designers are experimenting with textile technology to produce constructed looks. And a bonus of the workmanship is the new feel of the fabrics.
Everything from fur, leather and cashmere are getting worked over. The techniques allow more mixing of materials to create new fabrics.
The structured silhouette included high and doubled-up collars, shaped hoods and lots of static volume. This graphic look invites oversized accents, such as big exterior pockets, bold buttons and prominent clasps.
Since often-times the looks are substantial, colors stay conservative and monochromatic. Besides the traditional winter black, gray and navy, there is mustard yellow, baby blue and emerald green to brighten the short winter days.
"Modern with a romantic soul," is how Gucci designer Frida Giannini describes the man she has in mind for next winter.
The new collection presented Monday in a downtown Milan hotel was marked by a return to classic styles from the 1960s, contemporized by a sleek silhouette and techno fabrics. A simple silk kerchief tied around the neck becomes the hip theme of the season.
The latest Gucci suit comes in oversized Prince of Wales tweed, with a tailored jacket and comfortable trousers. As in most shows seen on the current Milan runway, pullovers abound. Whether crewneck or turtleneck, bulky is what makes the difference.
For next winter, Gucci brings back an all-time favorite, the military redingote, complete with metal buttons and belted back. For the super romantics, the coat comes with a furry collar just like the one Omar Sharif wore as "Doctor Zhivago."
By night, the Gucci man shies away from traditional garb, sporting a tuxedo jacket with a lavish black silk lapel, but fashioned out of refined daytime fabrics. Another evening outfit combines silk printed pants with a light wool black jacket, or reverses the order: printed jacket over black pants.
The winter palette is one of the brightest seen during the current menswear fashion week, adding ochre, orange, red and green to the staple black, blue and gray.
The Emporio Armani menswear collection for next winter is upbeat. More than for the young, the second line collection is in itself young.
The boyish models looked happy and relaxed as they sauntered down the runway in a beige caban, or a velvet dinner jacket over a pair of the latest Armani pants, slim-fitting and cropped at the ankle.
The winter style is "very, very Armani," the designer told reporters after the show held in his modern downtown Milan headquarters.
The collection's trump card is selecting iconic styles from the male wardrobe — an overcoat, a pea jacket, or a tuxedo — and refashioning them in the latest high-tech materials. Volume and stiffness are achieved by mixing different fabrics on a rubber neoprene frame, or by coating bulky yarns.
The Armani winter color palette sticks to urban shades of blue and asphalt, with flashes of yellow, orange, emerald green and purple.
More than a fashion show, the Fendi winter menswear presentation was a fashion happening.
Dressed in the latest cold weather styles from cozy fur capes to sporty parkas, a bevy of Fendi models marched up and down a makeshift scaffolding to an obsessive disco beat. The fashion parade went on for an hour while the fashion crowd stood around sipping exotic Nordic drinks and tasting bean bread and frozen nuts.
The repetitive show presented in a contemporary art gallery also gave the fashion experts time to take in the collection and pick up the details.
The Fendi winter menswear wardrobe is made up of generous coats in fur, wool or leather, an array of hooded sport jackets ranging from parkas to pea jackets, shirts combined with bulky knitwear, light wool daytime suits, and for evening a tuxedo made out of daytime fabric but with a distinguishing satin lapel.
Accessories included heavy soled moccasin lace-ups, fur boots, muffs and the latest Fendi bag — an oversized fanny pack in long-haired fur.


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Laxco stereo zoom microscopes are among the most common instruments found for general laboratory use. They combine excellent stereoscopic zoom capabilities, with small-footprint stands, and built-in illumination from above and below the sample. These traditional optical stereo microscopes are research-grade, with top level performance, and a wide choice of zoom magnification ranges.
Each unit goes through extensive quality control checks to verify critical optical performance in parfocality, parcentricity, optical alignment and optical flatness of field of view. Mechanical and electrical performances are checked to ensure optimal performance at every point, which makes Laxco's stereo zoom microscopes the best in its class.
The MS Series utilizes a fixed magnification optical system, which makes switching between magnification quick and easy. It's all metal construction gives the stand the ruggedness, while its precision optics, and delivers crisp clear images. Independently controlled, dual halogen Illumination shines homogenized light from above and below the sample and the over sized dual focus knobs allows for both left and right hand operation.


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A 47-year-old Michigan woman developed a bone disease rarely seen in the U.S. after she drank a pitcher of tea made from at least 100 tea bags daily, for 17 years, researchers report.
The Detroit woman visited the doctor after experiencing pain in her lower back, arms, legs and hips for five years.
X-rays revealed areas of very dense bone on the spinal vertebrae and calcifications of ligaments in her arm, said study researcher Dr. Sudhaker D. Rao, a physician at Henry Ford Hospital who specializes in endocrinology and bone and mineral metabolism.
The researchers suspected the woman had skeletal fluorosis, a bone disease caused by consuming too much fluoride (a mineral found in tea as well as drinking water).
The patient's blood levels of fluoride were four times higher than what would be considered normal, the researchers said.
Skeletal fluorosis is endemic in regions of the world with naturally high levels of fluoride in drinking water, including some parts of India and China, but is rare in Europe and North America. (Low levels of fluoride are added to drinking water in the United States to prevent cavities, but aren't high enough to cause fluorosis.)
Rao said the patient was originally referred to him because her doctors suspected she had cancer, which can also show up on an X-ray as areas of dense bone. But because Rao had seen cases of skeletal fluorosis in his native India, "I was able to recognize it immediately," he said.
Excess fluoride is typically eliminated from the body by the kidneys, Rao said. But if one consumes a lot of it, as this patient did through tea drinking, over time, the fluoride forms crystal deposits on bone, Rao said.
A few other cases of skeletal fluorosis caused by tea drinking have been reported in the United States. In these cases, patients typically drank a gallon of tea a day, Rao said. Rao and colleagues instructed their patient to stop drinking tea, after which she experienced an improvement in symptoms. The fluoride deposits will gradually go away as the bone remodels (or repairs) itself, a process that occurs frequently in the body, Rao said.
A description of the case will be published tomorrow (March 21) in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Pass it on: A 47-year-old U.S. woman developed a bone disease after drinking a pitcher of tea a day for 17 years.
This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND, Facebook & Google+.


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Homefix: Low wiring to the garage is dangerous
Q: The sale of my home recently fell through because the home inspector's report stated, "the electric service to the garage was too low." No other explanation came with the report. When I tried to talk to the inspector he referred me back to the buyer. Maybe you can help. What do you think he's talking about?
A: If you had a contract with the purchaser, you more than likely would have the opportunity to repair the service wire and complete the sale of the home. If you were selling the home yourself, without the assistance of a real estate agent, your contract may not include this language and the buyer might be allowed to walk away from the deal.
Your question implies that the garage is detached from the home.
Residential wiring is normally 240 volts and all residential overhead wiring must be a minimum of 10 feet from the lowest section of the wiring to the ground or to a sidewalk, deck, porch etc. If the lowest section of the wiring passes over a driveway, it must be a minimum of 12 feet high. A typical rental truck or service truck is approximately 11 feet from the ground to the top of the truck.
If the wiring was lower and the truck's body came into contact with the wiring, you could be electrocuted the instant you stepped out of the truck. I have also seen older homes that may have originally had the proper clearances from the home to the garage, but over time, changes were made which lowered the clearances. A room addition to the home or a carport addition to the garage can alter the clearances to the overhead wiring.
When the wiring passes over a low-sloped or flat roof, the clearances to the wiring are now increased to eight feet from the roof, whereas only three feet were required above the original pitched roof. As you can see there are many variations that are required for safety, and I would strongly recommend you hire a licensed and experienced electrician to review your problem.
Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector. Contact him at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Every morning I go for a brisk hourlong walk. Recently, a neighbor asked if she could join me. Wanting to encourage her, I agreed. However, she's new to exercise and she's slowing me down. How do I tell her that our arrangement isn't working without making her feel bad?
BETH SAYS: Though it was very nice of you to offer, you also have to do what's best for both of you. And even though she'd like your company, she also has to work smart, and a beginner jumping into the deep end of the pool is bound to struggle. You could tell her something like this: "I'm so happy that you want to join me and I love our talks, but it took me a long time to build up the stamina to walk quickly. If you want to get healthy, you need to work up to it gradually, too. What if we walk together once a week? The rest of the time, you go at your own pace and I'll go at mine. Then as you get stronger, we can add in another 'together day.'"
We've had an empty nest for five years—but our 20-something son has just moved back in. How do we keep our privacy, not to mention relate to him as an adult, not as a kid?
BETH SAYS: While you surely love your son, this will be an adjustment for all of you. He may not realize that this won't be easy for you, whom he sees as good ol' Mom and Dad rather than a couple who has moved on with their lives.
Spell it out ahead of time: what you expect in the way of chores, responsibilities and financial contributions. Do you prefer he not pick up your phone messages, use your computer, etc.? Discuss time limits: Is this an open-ended invitation? And be direct about the embarrassing stuff, such as how you feel about "overnight guests." On his end, he'll probably have some reasonable adult requests of his own that you need to honor, such as privacy (no peeking at emails) and the right to make his own decisions about things like staying out late and having friends over.
Hardest of all: Avoid falling back into old parent-kid patterns. If he fails to live up to agreements, don't nag, cajole or argue. Just make it clear that he can always live somewhere else more to his liking.
My mother talks so much that people have begun to exclude her from social functions. Yesterday, I actually saw an acquaintance do a U-turn in the supermarket rather than run into her. Help!
BETH SAYS: The next time you're talking to your mom and she begins to take off, gently break into her monologues with, "Mom, I love you, but when you talk that much, it's too much to take in. Can you summarize? I have things I'd like to share with you, too." This probably won't be the first time she's been told this, but perhaps if you tell her in a loving way, she might actually hear it.
When you two are with other people, be her role model. Break in and say, "That's really interesting, but I think Susan has something she'd like to say." If your mother is upset about being left out when friends get together, talk frankly about the fact that the best way to make friends is to listen to them.
Also consider this: "Compulsive talking can be a sign of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] if combined with other symptoms that interfere with daily life—always being late, disorganized and forgetful, and losing things," says Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, director, Chesapeake ADHD Center of Maryland. If that's the case, do a little research and broach the possibility with her. Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD.org) has lots of good information, including help on finding a qualified clinician.
Have a sticky relationship problem?
Send Beth your questions at email@example.com. (Type "Relationship" on the subject line.)
Beth Levine is a psychology/health writer who wishes she'd take her own advice more often.


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Happy World Toilet day. As a dear friend reminded me today, it is the day the World Toilet Organization has earmarked for spreading awareness about the lack of proper sanitation and potable water which is killing a large number of people (someone on a poster contended the number was 1600!) everyday the world over.
The activist-information site Water.org contends that, the world over, women spend 200 million hours in collecting drinking water for their families, which may not even be of potable quality in all cases. Having seen an inkling of the water crisis in Delhi this year at the peak pf summer in May-June-July, I am sure the situation can be horrifying in the arid areas of Africa and arid, rural India. Click on the image below to read more about this issue from the water.org site itself.
Approximately 2.6 billion people all over the world do not have access to safe sanitation systems. This leads to improper defecation and disposal of the feces in water bodies from where drinking water and water for other household activities are eventually collected. This leads to a serious problem where a vicious cycle is set up. Indeed, the only way to disconnect this cycle from turning over continuously is to find a way to introduce proper sanitation systems globally.
For a nation that seems to be obsessed about its bowel movements (the number of people we see at the urban health care centers with various complaints about this issue is staggering) India has done remarkably badly with respect to implementation of proper sanitation, especially in the rural areas. In fact, I remember hearing the story from someone that in certain villages, the habit of "going to the fields" is so entrenched, that despite the erection of a public sanitation building in the village, the people would still choose to answer nature's calls out in the open. Anecdotal though it is, one may argue that it is not too much of a stretch, considering the cultural heterogeneity of our country.
Some of my colleagues found it really very funny when I, in all seriousness, informed them that today was World Toilet Day. Thanks to our occidental proclivities, we have a certain disconnect with the ground realities that challenge public health at the very grassroots and I firmly believe that poor sanitation is one of them. The fact that physicians at one of the best institutes of the nation, some of whom are slated to become public health professionals in the future, take such a merry approach to such an inglorious yet troublesome problem.
The problem in India is further amplified by the huge population. The sheer pressure of numbers is mind-numbing. The water.org site contends that there are 839 million people with no access to sanitation services, and 128 million with poor access to safe drinking water. They quote World Bank statistics that 21% of the infectious disease burden in India can be ascribed to unsafe water. And it may not just be an access issue. People need to be made aware of the need to drink safe, clean water. And for us, well, I can most certainly say that charity begins at home. Most often, when we find diarrhea cases in our health center, we provide them adequate care and advise them about the need for safe drinking practices, in addition to drinking safe water. Often, I find that they do not take care of the small things. Keeping the drinking water covered. Using a designated pot-with-handle to dispense drinking water. Cleaning the vessels. Using proper decontamination techniques when the water quality is suspect. Treating the disease is good, but uprooting the ignorance at the root of the disease is more important.
So, crack a poop joke or two, and then get involved. The change can come from us. If we take care of the small things, the larger ones, even if they do not take care of themselves, will become less of a challenge.
And finally, I leave you with this question: