Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Stevie Wonder - Love Light in Flight
"Love Light In Flight"
Make me feel like paradise
Give me what I'm missing
Send me to the highest heights
Take me up and away
I've tasted love so many times
With something always missing
But I know that you got the kind
To take me up and away
I know that our journey
Will be filled with passion, love and pleasure
Touching down where only
Satisfaction’s guaranteed
We won't let our feelings
Auto pilot perfect navigation
Sending us to love bliss
Like no one ever knew could be
Make me feel like paradise
Fill me with your kisses
Make the moment feel just right
Take me up and away
'Cause I have waited all my life / Flying high
For the one worth giving / Love sky high
And I don't have to it think twice / Flying high
Let's go up and away
[Background]
Love light in flight
Fuel injection passion
[Repeat 1 time]
[Background] - Flying high, love sky high
We need just to feel it
To know that our loving has the power
Showing that these feelings
Emanate from you and me
With love high aviation
We will fly forever and one hour
Giving us the always
To live out all our fantasies
Make me feel like paradise
Give me what I'm missing
Send me to the highest heights
Take me up and away
I've tasted love so many times / Flying high
With something always missing / Love sky high
But I know that you got the kind / Flying high
To take me up and away
[Repeat along with all backgrounds]
Stevie Wonder - That Girl
"That Girl"
That girl thinks that she's so fine
That soon she'll have my mind
That girl thinks that she's so smart
That soon she'll have my heart
She thinks in no time flat
That she'll be free and clear to start
With her emotional rescue of love that you'll leave torn apart
That girl thinks that she's so bad
She'll change my tears to joy from sad
She says she keeps the upper hand
'Cause she can please her man
She doesn't use her love to make him weak
She uses love to keep him strong
And inside me there's no room for doubt
That it won't be too long
Before I tell her that I love her
That I want her
That my mind, soul and body needs her
Tell her that I'd love to, that I want to
That I need to do all that I have to
To be in her love
I've been hurting for a long time
And you've been playing for a long time
You know it's true
I've been holding for a long time
And you've been running for a long time
It's time to do what we have to do
That girl, That girl
That girl knows every single man
Would ask her for her hand
But she says her love is much too deep
For them to understand
She says her love has been crying out
But her lover hasn't heard
But what she doesn't realize is that I've listened to every word
That's why I know I'll tell that I love her
That I want her
That my mind, soul and body needs her
Tell her that I'd love to, that I want to
That I need to do all that I have to
To be in her love
Tell her I love her
That I want her
That my mind and soul and body needs her
Tell her that I'd love to, that I want to
That I need to do all that I have to
To be in her love
That I love her
That I want her
That my mind and soul and body needs her
Tell her that I'd love to, that I want to
That I need to do all that I have to...
Tell her that I love her
That I want her
That my mind and soul and body needs her
Tell her that I'd love to, that I want to
That I need to do all that I have to
To be in her...
That girl, that girl, that girl,
Oh, That girl, that girl, that girl, that girl...
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The Crystal Method - Busy Child
Dedicated to the Fall 2011 Quarter
Classes started last Monday 1 week down, 15 weeks left.. Back to the grind
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Upgrade Your Life: Revive a dying laptop battery
Laptop battery wearing down? In this week's episode of Upgrade Your Life, Yahoo! News' Becky Worley shows us how to help batteries last longer ... and what to do when they run out!
First, the basics
Most laptops use batteries that can last for 3-5 years, or about 1000 charges. (A premium laptop's battery might last longer.) Every time you charge your battery, the total capacity of the battery is diminished. Originally it may have had a run time of 3.5 hours, but after a year it'll run out of juice at 3 hours, even on a full charge.
If your battery capacity has diminished, there are a few things you can do about it. First, you have to correctly gauge how much capacity has been lost. There are free downloads to do this job, like Battery Eater (for Windows PCs) or Coconut Battery (for Macs). These will compare your battery's current maximum capacity to how long it lasted when it was new.
Calibrating your Battery
You can't miraculously reconstitute your battery's capacity. It loses power over time due to chemical reactions taking place in the battery, as it chugs along powering your laptop. You can't undo those changes, but there is one common battery issue you can fix: In many laptops, the operating system's battery meter gets out of sync with how much juice the battery actually has.
Imagine if the gas gauge on your car dashboard was misreading how
much gas you actually had in the tank. You'd either run out of gas when
you thought you had a quarter of a tank left, or you'd be filling up
too frequently. In your laptop, this can mean your laptop shuts down
abruptly when the meter says you have 30 minutes left. Or else the meter
might warn that you only have 2 minutes of battery life left and shut
your laptop down, when it really has another 20 minutes remaining.Recalibrating gets the battery meter to correctly read the current state of the battery, so you and the operating system know where you stand with existing battery life.
How to recalibrate
First, charge your laptop's battery to full, and leave it that way for at least two hours. Then unplug your laptop, and set its power management settings to never turn off or lower the monitor brightness. (HP has instructions for how do to this on Windows 7 and Vista, as well as Windows XP, while Apple has instructions for Mac laptops on their site.)
You want to drain the battery completely, then let your laptop sit for at least five hours this way -- like, say, overnight. (Just be careful and mute the volume, since some laptops make a warning sound when they're about to run out.) Afterwards, charge it up again, and you should notice a more accurate portrayal of your battery capacity. In some cases, you may even get more life out of it.
Best practices to maintain battery life
You'd think that the best way to keep your laptop's battery from wearing out is to not use it. Right?
As it turns out, batteries are like muscles; they need to be worked out regularly to stay healthy. Ideally, you'd use your laptop unplugged at least once a day, like on a train or bus commute or on the couch in front of the TV. If you're not going to use it, constantly charging your battery is a bad idea; HP recommends on their website that if you're going to leave your laptop plugged in or put up in storage for more than two weeks, you should take the battery out of your laptop.
Past the expiration date
So when is it time to throw out that old battery? The answer, surprisingly, is "never." Laptop batteries contain lots of toxic chemicals, and should never end up in landfills. Fortunately, e-stewards.org has a list of environmentally responsible recyclers that will take your old battery with no fuss.
When is it time to replace your battery, then? Use the free utility apps Becky mentioned, and when they say that your battery can only hold around 25% of its original capacity it's probably time for a new one. You can buy a replacement battery from the original laptop manufacturer, and there are plenty of places online that sell discounted PC laptop batteries, like Laptops for Less and Batteries.com. Owners of newer Mac laptops can get their laptop's non-removable battery swapped out at any Apple store, with a scheduled appointment.
By Jared Spurbeck
Friday, August 19, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Inside the glacier: Astonishing underwater pictures from a maze carved in the ice
These breath-taking images were taken of an underwater maze inside a glacier by an intrepid explorer.
Photographer Franco Banfi braved sub-zero temperatures to dive under thick ice and capture these remarkable pictures at Sassolo Lake, Switzerland, at considerable risk to his life.
The glaciers create extraordinary underwater caves and passages due to changes in temperature between the summer and winter months.
Photographer Franco Banfi braved sub-zero temperatures to dive under thick ice and capture these remarkable pictures at Sassolo Lake, Switzerland, at considerable risk to his life.
The glaciers create extraordinary underwater caves and passages due to changes in temperature between the summer and winter months.
Friday, August 5, 2011
"Riesen-Nixe" (grand mermaid) or "Badenixe" (bathing beauty)
A 'mermaid' sculpture created by Oliver Voss is seen in the late evening hours on Alster lake in Hamburg August 3, 2011. The four-metre-high sculpture dubbed "Riesen-Nixe" (grand mermaid) or "Badenixe" (bathing beauty) will be on display until August 12.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Two photos, thirty years apart
Thirty years ago, the first space shuttle launched into the stratosphere. Chris Bray and his father Kenneth watched -- and took a picture. Then last Friday, the shuttle Atlantis took its final trip. Again, the Bray men were there. And again, the two snapped a photo to capture the moment.
The side-by-side photos, which are up on Chris Bray's Flickr photostream, immediately went viral on the Web.
The first shot shows 13-year-old Chris with then 39-year-old dad looking through binoculars at the space shuttle Columbia's first launch on April 12, 1981, from the Kennedy Space Center.
The second snap comes three decades later and recreates the same moment at the last shuttle voyage. The young son is now an adult. His father is now gray-haired.
Chris Bray wrote on his Flickr page of the side-by-side images: "The picture we waited 30 years to complete."
The younger Bray told the Washington Post, "We've always loved that first photo. Taking a similar one for the last launch seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate the shuttle program and our relationship by putting the time passed in perspective, celebrating the interests we share, and illustrating the father/son bond we've maintained over the years."
The Brays' photo touched a chord of nostalgia in many rocket enthusiasts, and the pic has been viewed on Flickr an astronomical 510,000 times.
Comments on the pictures commend the melding of the personal with the historical. Says one: "Epic. To be able to share in something so wonderful with your dad, both beginning and end. I am jealous -- both that you watched not only the first but also the last mission -- but also that you did it with your father."
Another fan of the photo who used to work on the space program wrote in, "Everyone I used to work [with in the shuttle program] thinks it's so cool, [they] get chills."
Chris Bray responded in an email that he was overwhelmed by the response: "I was surprised. The picture had a lot of significance for me and my father, but we didn't expect that the photo would touch so many other people." He added, " The moment has stayed with me since that day, and is one of my fondest memories and childhood experiences."
By Claudine Zap
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Most Versatile Degree
By Chris Kyle
Forget about skinny jeans. The most popular accessory in school these days is a business degree.
Over 300,000 students graduated with a bachelor's in business in 2008, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That's more degrees than social sciences, history and health sciences, combined, according to the "Digest of Education
Business is a popular degree with employers too.
"In general, the average employer views business majors as very solid job candidates, thanks to their broad-based education and business know-how," writes Kate Walsh in her book "What Can You Do With A Major In Business: Real People. Real Jobs. Real Rewards."
Wondering what you could do with a business degree? Keep reading for six increasingly popular business career choices that could offer great earning potential and opportunity.
#1 - Eco-Investor
Many experts believe green energy - and environmental investment - is America's next big bubble, and eco-investors will help sway what companies and sustainable practices take off. Like any kind of investing, eco-investing requires informed decisions, based on solid business practices taught in school.
"Eco-investors have diverse educational backgrounds," writes Pamela Fehl in "Green Careers: Business & Construction", "but most people in this field have a bachelor's degree in business."
Average Salary: $83,000*
Related Degree: Business Administration
#2 - Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is all the rage these days, with 4 out of 10 young people having already started or would like to start their own business, according to an August 2010 Harris Interactive survey.
In business school, you could benefit by reading case studies of famous startups. You'll also likely network with other entrepreneurially-minded students while learning how to build and sustain a business.
Average Salary: $111,000*
Related Degree: Business Administration
#3 - Pharmaceutical Sales
Pharmaceutical sales leapt from $40 billion in 1990 to $234 billion in 2008. Since commission can often factor heavily into sales salaries, the sky could be the limit for your earning potential.
Closing, forecasting, prospecting, networking, and management techniques are all sales topics you are likely to study in business school.
Average Salary: $88,150*
Related Degree: Marketing/Communications
#4 - Social Media Analyst
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is largely responsible for the social media boom that is upon us. Yet his company is just one of many social media companies that are attracting eyeballs and equity these days.
Go to business school, and you'll likely study social media buzz words like search engine optimization and the long tail concept.
Average Salary: $31,000-$51,000*
Related Degree: Marketing/Communications
#5 - Human Resources Specialist
Human resources are a key part of any business, regardless of the industry. As companies look to streamline budgets, HR departments are looking for employees who can contribute from day one. This goes for human resources specialists as well, so studying HR in a business school program could help get your career rolling.
Average Salary: $59,070*
Related Degree: Human Resources
#6 - Accountant
Some of the newer industries already mentioned - like green technology and social media - share the same dollars and cents approach that forms the bedrock of any business. Accountants help all types of companies turn a profit by paying their bills and taxes on time and performing budget analyses.
Accounting may also be one of the more valuable business degrees you can earn, since the U.S. Department of Labor forecasts a 22 percent jump in employment opportunities for accountants and auditors through 2018.
Average Salary: $67,430*
Related Degree: Accounting/Finance
*Average salary comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, using 2009 median salary information, except Eco-Investor and Entrepreneur, which come from January 2011 salary data from SimplyHired.com, and Social Media Analyst, which is courtesy of PayScale.com.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
SNL = Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)
I love this SNL digital short!! For all you "Pirate of the Caribbean" fans enjoy!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Happy June
Hello everyone:
This month will be a busy one. I have finals and I am excited about the two weeks off I will have from spring to the summer semester. I am venturing out next week to VEGAS. A little fun in the sun never hurt anyone.
This trip will be pamperville for yours truly. Spa, sun, sight seeing, and after dark.. sin city.
More to come.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
World's Prettiest Places
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Croatia
Our next selection is largely unknown to tourists from the United States, and perhaps that makes it even more precious. The limestone caves of the Plitvice Lakes National Park make the water of its 16 lakes and a handful of waterfalls shimmer brilliant shades of turquoise, silver and green. And to get a better view the lakes' beauty, you'll find a web of wooden plank walkways scattered throughout. But note that there is no true best or worst season to stop by this site in central Croatia. Snow and ice transforms the area into a winter wonderland; in summer the surrounding trees further enhance the hues of the lake water. If at all possible, though, avoid the onslaught of local tourists in July and August.
Taj Mahal
India
Molded out of red sandstone and white marble, and sparkling with the glint of semi-precious stones, this mausoleum of northeastern India needs no justification to appear on our list. Frommer's says, "It's not just the perfect symmetry, the ethereal luminescence, the wonderful proportions, or the sheer scale," that makes us revere the Taj Mahal. It's also "the exquisite detailing covering every inch of marble that justifies it as a wonder of the world." Its amorous background also feeds our admiration: It was commissioned by a 17th century Mughal emperor to honor the memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Consider planning a trip for sometime between October and March to behold Taj's majestic domes, chambers and minarets; that way the weather will be somewhat cooler for walking around. If you have time, stay from the early morning until the late night, as "the radiance of the Taj under the moonlight is beyond any explanation," notes TajMahal.org.uk.
The Great Barrier Reef
Australia
Australia's luscious islands, cays and coral reef system of the Great Barrier Reef are awesome in scope and visuals -- in fact, this reef covers more of the world than any other entry on our list (approximately 135,000 square miles; the only living thing visible from outer space). All who encounter even a small portion of this gorgeous giant are dazzled by its aquamarine waters and honeycomb beaches. Even more beauty awaits you below the water surface: a maze of more than 2,900 spectacular coral reefs and countless marine life. Come to this area just off the coast of Queensland between June and October, so you can avoid the worst of Australia's oppressive heat.
Borobudur
Indonesia
The true origins of this impressive Buddhist monument, located in central Java, are somewhat disputed. According to the UNESCO World Heritage website, the Borobudur temple was founded by a Saliendra dynasty king sometime between 750 and 842 A.D. Still, you don't need a definitive history lesson to fully appreciate its grandeur. Just feast your eyes on its intricately sculpted gray-stone relief panels (slats of stone carved with artwork to depict the life of Buddha) and the perfectly symmetrical stupas (mound-shaped structures containing Buddhist relics). They're even more precious due to their resilience: Borobudur is still gorgeous despite nearby bombings and volcanic eruptions. Try to visit in May; that's when the air is supposedly the cleanest in Java. And plan your trek at sunrise or sunset to witness how the light catches the stupas' perforations.
Grand Canyon
USA
We have to root a little for the home team. And here in the United States, the astonishing depths and incredible sunsets of the Grand Canyon make it a shoe-in on this list. Plus you can enjoy the scenery while you work up a sweat, hiking the rigorous Bright Angel Trail or rafting the Colorado River. As President Theodore Roosevelt famously noted, this park is "one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, must see." Many take Teddy up on his word -- so if you want to explore this northern Arizona park, we suggest you avoid the staggering crowds of the summer. Consider visiting between March and May or September and November, when the weather is pleasant and the lodging rates are reasonable.
The Palace of Versailles
France
The Palace of Versailles might have had humble beginnings, but times have changed. Now, this ain't no simple hunting lodge, but rather an opulent tribute to the former French monarchy. Highlights include the reflective Hall of Mirrors, where world leaders met to sign the 1919 treaty that ended World War I; the manicured French-style gardens, which prominently feature the iconic Bassin d'Apollon (fountain) and the verdant Orangerie garden; and the Petit Trianon, a smaller chateau gifted to the infamous Marie Antoinette by her husband, King Louis XVI. Early summer is idyllic in the Île-de-France region, so plan your sojourn for that season. That's also when you'll find a few music concerts and special events taking place in the Versailles gardens.
Machu Picchu
Peru
Machu Picchu's 12 acres of mysterious temples and exquisite terraces are perpetually shrouded in cloud tufts, proving that this ancient site of Peru's Urubamba Valley still lives up to its reputation as the “Lost City of the Incas.” Or at least it seems like it from the pictures. In reality, this ancient city is always overrun with hikers exploring the Inca Trail or catching the view from the Temple of the Sun. So come with plenty of camera film and patience. For fewer crowds -- though not by much -- visit between October and April.
The Great Temple of Ramses II
Egypt
During his 67-year reign, Pharaoh Ramses II left many visual reminders of his greatness. Perhaps the best known are the four larger-than-life statues carved into a mountainside of southern Egypt. Many don't realize there's more to this site -- sometimes called Abu Simbel for the town you'll find it in -- than those seated statues seated on the facade. Pass through them and you'll find more detailed statues and intricate hieroglyphs depicting the Egyptian army's victory over ancient Libya, Syria and Nubia. Next door is the smaller Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to the Pharaoh's favorite wife. If you truly want to be wowed, you should swing by Abu Simbel around Feb. 20 or Oct. 20. Twice a year around those days the sun's rays shine directly into the larger temple to illuminate the artwork and statues within.
The Great Wall
China
Fiction: The Great Wall of China can be seen from outer space (with the naked eye). Fact: it is pretty fantastic to view up close and personal. It sweeps through approximately 4,000 miles of northern China, and different sections guarantee different tourist experiences: The jungly sections of Simatai and Jinshanling are good for hiking; the arresting and gorgeous Mutianyu stretch is good for snapping photos; and the crowded Badaling portion is good for convenience (it's only an hour away from exciting Beijing). Plan your trip for anytime (just imagine the contrast of the Great Wall with the white snow of winter, the red leaves of fall and the green grass of spring and summer), but do try to bypass the hordes of tourists that visit on the weekends year-round.
The Northern Lights
Arctic Circle
This scientific phenomenon occurs when charged solar particles collide in the earth's geomagnetic field and create a colorful, magnificent glow in the sky's upper atmosphere. According to the Huffington Post, "ideal viewing conditions are crisp, cold, clear and cloudless skies with little light." And though it is possible to see the Northern Lights in other parts of the globe, this phenomenon is most prevalent in the world's polar regions; the name Aurora Borealis refers to the lights as seen from northern latitudes (Aurora Australis is the name for the lesser-known Southern Lights of the South Pole). For the best viewing, Fodor's recommends visiting Anchorage, Alaska or Calgary, Alberta. You can also see the Northern Lights in parts of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Russia, among other countries.
We want to see who Arnold was banging!!
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's whopping breach of marital ethics has touched off a curious ethical dilemma in the media world: In reporting the ongoing fallout from Schwarzenegger's affair with the former housekeeper who gave birth to his child, has the press unduly invaded the privacy of Schwarzenegger's one-time paramour?
Some major news organizations have exercised restraint, declining to publish the names, photos or any other revealing details about the housekeeper and her son. Others have confirmed the woman's identity, described her home, and splashed her image across TV screens, front pages and web browsers. At its most lurid, the coverage seems akin to stealing an intimate family photo album and scattering its contents around world.
Has the press gone too far?
Some critics think so: "The housekeeper, who was recently let go by the former California governor, did not ask to be at the center of a white-hot political scandal," writes Howard Kurtz of the Daily Beast, which decided not to identify her. "She has made no statement, filed no lawsuit, trotted out no publicist, sold nothing to the tabloids, made no appearance on 'Oprah.' She had an affair with her boss and got pregnant, but she is as far from a public figure as you can imagine. What gives the media the right to obliterate her privacy?"
Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, which published the woman's name on Wednesday, has an answer.
"Our basic job is to inform readers about news events, so we need a pretty compelling reason NOT to give readers information we think they care about," Keller told the Los Angeles Times' James Rainey. "We're sensitive to privacy issues, but in this case we don't see that compelling reason to keep our readers in the dark ... There's nothing to suggest that reliving the earlier experience is likely to be traumatizing in the sense rape victims describe (she's lived with it--and worked for him--for 10 or 15 years). And the reality is, there is not much privacy left for us to protect."
Russ Stanton, editor of the Los Angeles Times, which broke the Schwarzenegger scandal late Monday night, sees things differently.
"In some circumstances, it might be necessary or appropriate to reveal the identity of a politician's mistress," he told Rainey. "In this situation, we thought it was not. We hewed to the principle of protecting the identify of an innocent child. To have identified the mother would, in effect, have been to identify the child. Different media companies have different standards. We will stick by ours, regardless of what others do."
But the Los Angeles Times appears to be in the minority. CNN made the call to run with the woman's name--Mildred Baena, for the record, as well as her photo following the New York Times report. (Earlier, when the network had TMZ editor Harvey Levin on as a guest, a producer asked him not to identify her, according to Levin.) Other television outlets, including ABC News, CBS News and Fox News, also put Baena on display Wednesday and Thursday, as did various online sources, including the Huffington Post and Yahoo!.
The Associated Press published Baena's name only after it had been floated by multiple news outlets. "The AP has not independently verified that she is the mother of Schwarzenegger's child," the wire noted in a report Thursday.
"We decided to use the name because the story did not involve a sex crime but what appears to be a voluntary relationship with a public figure," AP managing editor Lou Ferrara told The Cutline. "The name is an important fact worthy of knowing."
The Cutline's decision to name Baena also was based on the volume of reports that had already done so. As of the time of this posting, several hours after first contacting seven mainstream news outlets for comment, we were still awaiting statements from ABC, CBS, CNN, the Huffington Post, and the Washington Post.
This is all to say nothing of celebrity gossip sites like Radar Online and TMZ, which were among the first to have a field day with Baena's MySpace photos. (Radar was the first to report her name, according to the AP.) And then, of course, there are the ever-yellow New York tabloids, both of which featured Baena on their Thursday covers.
"The cover of today's Post is lurid and mean-spirited," wrote Capital New York's Tom McGeveran today in his daily dissection of the rival tabs. "A candid photo of Baena, who is not pictured in full makeup at an Oprah Winfrey goodbye-special taping the way Maria Shriver was, but who's instead cutting the cake at a baby shower in a floral dress, with a wide, kind smile across her face, holding a blue balloon, is paired with a large red callout box with giant knockout-white type that reads 'ARNIE LOVE CHILD.' An arrow actually points to Baena's abdomen."
That child, who is now said to be around 14, remains shielded from the public eye--in the coverage of his mother, the adolescent's face has been appropriately obscured.
"We don't publish names of minors and we don't show their pictures either, without being blurred. These are children who deserve to be protected, even if others don't," said Fox News VP Michael Clemente. (As for the network's guidelines on Baena, Clemente concurred with the Times' Keller: "In this case, what happened many years ago does not seem to be something anyone is hiding from now.")
But Poynter's Julie Moos questions whether the story has nevertheless veered into too-much-information territory. Do we really need to know that neighbors describe the child as a well-mannered and handsome young man who likes sports and martial arts? Or that Baena's house cost $268,000?
"As journalists, once we moved beyond the woman's name, we compensated for starving readers of details by serving them an all-you-can-eat buffet," Moos writes. "Surely there are options between famine and feast."
(Nick Ut/AP)
The Rays' Evan Longoria makes the catch of a lifetime, but is it real?
The video, of course, is about as real as Longoria hanging from a helicopter while looking for his lost cap last year. Looking at the banners in the background, it's not hard to decipher which of Longoria's sponsored companies coughed up for the CGI either. The subliminal message sent by Gillette here? Smooth move.
Still, it's a pretty slickly produced spot and one that's fun to watch and replay, so no problem here with passing it along. Maybe the next installment can feature Longo shooting the ball out of the air with his lost AK-47?
PS — The ballpark used for the shoot looks like Bradenton's McKechnie Field, spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and about a 30-minute drive over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. Super convenient for Longoria.
By 'Duk
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Farmed or wild: What’s the best salmon to buy?
By Carina Storrs
Most everyone loves salmon. It’s rich in protein and healthy fats, it’s good for your health, and it tastes delicious.
But sometimes it seems like you need a marine biology degree before you hit the market. Should you choose Atlantic, Alaskan, or sockeye? Which has more heart-healthy omega-3s and fewer toxins—farmed or wild salmon?
And in addition to your own health, how does your choice—whether wild salmon from Alaska or farmed salmon from Chile— affect the environment?
Here are a few things to keep in mind the next time you’re stumped in the seafood aisle.
U.S. Atlantic salmon
Other names: U.S. farmed salmon
Should you buy it? Yes
It wasn’t long ago that buying U.S. Atlantic salmon was out of the question. Although wild populations are still nearly extinct, farms off the coast of Maine that grow U.S. Atlantic salmon are expanding.
Nutritionally, they are just as good as wild. "I lump wild and farmed salmon together," says Charles Santerre, PhD, a professor of food toxicology at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind.
Farmed Atlantic salmon often contain at least as many omega-3s as wild salmon because they're raised on a diet of other omega-3-rich fish.
Imported Atlantic salmon
Other names: Farmed salmon
Should you buy it? It depends
Most Atlantic salmon come from farms in Chile, Norway, and Canada, and they have elicited a litany of environmental complaints.
Chilean farms, in particular, pollute the waters where fish are raised with antibiotics and waste. On the other hand, farms in Maine and Eastern Canada are government regulated to keep their impact low, says Barry Costa-Pierce, PhD, professor of fisheries and aquaculture at the University of Rhode Island, in Narragansett.
Supermarkets in the U.S. are required by law to label the country of origin of many foods, including seafood.
Alaskan or wild salmon
Other names: Chum, keta, king, pink, red, sockeye, sake
Should you buy it? Yes
Wild salmon are caught off the coast of Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. If you have the choice between those two areas, opt for Alaskan salmon because the populations are not as depleted, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Either way, Costa-Pierce says U.S. salmon fisheries are kept in close check so they don’t take too many fish from the ocean.
By going wild, you’ll get a firmer, less fatty fish. While it is still just as healthy as farmed, Santerre says the wild variety is a slightly gamier-tasting fish.
Coho salmon
Other names: Silver salmon
Should you buy it? Yes
You may not know if your store has coho because, like other species of wild salmon, it’s just labeled wild.
Coho are smaller and eat less than other salmon, resulting in fewer polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which may cause cancer. (Mercury is not a concern in either wild or farmed salmon.)
Many experts say the risk posed by PCBs is outweighed by salmon’s omega-3 benefits. But David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at University at Albany, in New York, says people should have only one meal a month of most salmon. But with coho, he says, you can have an "almost unlimited consumption."
Canned salmon
Brand names: Bumble Bee, Wildcatch, Chicken of the Sea
Should you buy it? Yes
What happens if you can’t find environmentally friendly farmed salmon where you shop? And wild salmon costs about twice as much, plus it isn’t always available between October and May. Then what?
Canned salmon is a good way to get wild salmon cheaper and year-round (most brands use wild Alaskan salmon), along with all the same nutritional benefits of salmon, Santerre says.
But you might have to taste-test a few brands to find the flavor and texture you like best.
Genetically modified salmon
Other names: AquaBounty salmon
Should you buy it? Not yet
If the FDA approves genetically modified salmon, you could see a new type of farmed salmon within several years. (The genetic change doubles the growth rate.)
Its nutritional benefits, such as omega-3 levels, are similar to Atlantic salmon’s, but some people say we don’t know enough about its healthfulness.
There are more debates on the environmental side; some say that AquaBounty’s salmon would be an improvement (the fish grow faster and consume fewer resources) and others say the farming in inland tanks would be hard to manage.
Arctic char
Other names: Alpine char
Should you buy it? Yes
Americans should eat 8 ounces of seafood a week, according to USDA Dietary Guidelines.
"But it shouldn’t be just salmon," says David Love, PhD, from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. "People should look at all oily fish."
A member of the salmon family, arctic char is a good substitute with a flavor and omega-3 content similar to salmon. Most of it comes from clean, sustainable farms, says the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Small, oily fish like sardines, Atlantic mackerel, and herring are also good options; they are caught wild from an ocean full of them, and they're just as healthy as salmon, Love says.
While salmon and other oily fish are super healthy, keep in mind that there can be too much of a good thing.
Santerre and his colleagues created an iPhone app available through Fish4Health to help you track how much seafood you should eat.
To make the best choices for the environment, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program offers a rating of the impact of different seafood industries.
You can also ensure you’re getting the best by buying farmed salmon that is Ecolabel certified, and wild salmon with a Marine Stewardship Council–certified label.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cancer in the 1800s
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| Hypertrophic tumor The unfortunate man shown in this 1870 photograph was suffering from a "hypertrophic" tumor of the head caused by neurofibromatosis - the same genetic disorder that affected John Merrick, the "Elephant Man." What had started off at birth as a small bump on the temple had grown to obscure much of the right side of the man's face by the time he turned 30. What treatment did his ophthalmologist recommend? None at all. |
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| By the time the unfortunate man shown in this 1872 photo sought treatment, the tumor on the left side of his head had been growing for about a decade. Fearing that cutting the parotid tumor away with a scalpel might cause severe bleeding, the surgeon decided to burn it away using a "large hot iron cautery." |
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| Parotid tumor before treatment and afterThe operation proved a big success. The man's face remained paralyzed, the surgeon noted, but his left eyelid worked well. |
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| Vascular nevus Doctors often declined to treat pigmented vascular lesions like the one shown in this 1869 photograph because they could bleed extensively. Less extensive lesions of this sort - known then as noevus vasculaire - sometimes were treated, with uneven results, with caustic agents and other remedies. Today such lesions can often be removed with a laser - though this one might be too big to yield perfect results. This photo was hand-tinted to add realism to the black-and-white photo. |
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| Asphyxiated by tumors In the 19th Century, doctors were reluctant to operate on thyroid tumors like the ones shown in this 1875 photograph. That's because the gland was so full of blood vessels that serious bleeding was a real risk. That meant some patients, like this man, faced the threat of slow asphyxiation. |
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| Rodent cancer before surgery and after Today basal cell carcinoma is considered a relatively benign form of skin cancer - doctors can easily remove the lesions. But in the 1800s, the cancer often went unchecked until it produced horrific injuries, like the one captured by a photographer in London in 1864. The condition was known as "rodent cancer" - and no wonder. Patients looked as if their skin had been gnawed by hungry rats. The patient actually fared reasonably well after surgery, ultimately succumbing not to the cancer but to a fatty heart - caused, apparently, by the poor diet he had been forced to eat as a result of the loss of most of his mouth. |
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| Until the mid-1800s, there was no anesthesia. Patients endured horrific pain, and surgeons' reputations depended upon the speed with which they could perform operations. The best could amputate an arm in one minute, a leg in three. For the photograph shown here, taken in the winter of 1846, doctors gathered at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to demonstrate the first surgical procedure involving the anesthetic sulfuric ether.
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Visakha Bucha Day
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| Credit: AP Photo/David Longstreath |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Art of Negotiation - Pawn Stars
This clip is from the History Channel's reality TV Show, "Pawn Stars." Watch the clip as he gives a rookie a shot at the age o'l art of negotiation.
http://tv.yahoo.com/daytime/video/gma-the-art-of-negotiation/25042878/
http://tv.yahoo.com/daytime/video/gma-the-art-of-negotiation/25042878/
Monday, May 16, 2011
Name Change Dilemma - For Women
More women are taking their new husbands' names after marriage, research shows. But the decision continues to spark debate and confusion.
The trend toward women keeping their maiden names after marriage peaked in the 1990s, when about 23% of women did so, then eased gradually to about 18% in the 2000s, says a 35-year-study published in 2009 in the journal Social Behavior and Personality. And increasingly, studies show women's decisions on the issue are guided by factors other than political or religious ideas about women's rights or marital roles, as often believed.
Well-educated women in high-earning occupations are significantly more likely to keep their maiden names, the study shows. Brides in professional fields such as medicine, the arts or entertainment are the most likely of all to do so. Age makes a big difference too, according to a 2010 study in a scholarly journal entitled "Names: A Journal of Onomastics." Women who married when they were 35 to 39 years old were 6.4 times more likely to keep their names than women who married between the ages of 20 and 24.
In fact, the idea that women who keep their maiden names are better breadwinners is becoming a stereotype that some people use as a basis for judging women's ability. In a Dutch study published last year in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology, researchers had 90 students compare hypothetical women they had met at a party based on whether they took their husband's names. Those who did were judged as more caring, dependent and emotional, while those who kept their names were seen as smarter and more ambitious.
Researchers also asked 50 students to screen e-mails containing hypothetical job applications from women. The candidates who had kept their maiden names were more likely to be hired and were offered salaries averaging 40% higher than their name-changing peers. (Among limitations of the study, the sample was made up of students who probably lacked much job experience or other criteria upon which to base their judgments.)
Either way, picking a last name can be fraught with complications. Some women lie awake nights before their weddings trying to decide what to do. For women who change their minds later, some vendors even offer "name change kits." Still, changing your name mid-career, as some of my colleagues have done, can lead to confusion among co-workers, clients or in my profession, readers and sources.
Splitting the difference by keeping both names, as many women do, "is a recipe for confusion," one woman writes in an email. She kept her maiden name professionally but uses her married name sometimes outside work. Now, "I never know how to introduce myself," she says. Her driver's license bears one name and her voter registration the other, and she receives summonses for jury duty in both names.
My Juggle colleague Rachel also uses two different names -- her maiden name professionally and her married name personally and officially -- which can lead to lots of mixups, she says. "Readers and colleagues know me by one name and the HR department, friends and the IRS know me by another," she tells me. "I didn't want to give up my byline, which I've had for many years. But changing my name was important to my husband for a lot of reasons, and ultimately we wanted our family members to all have the same name."
Readers, how have you handled this decision in your marriage? What kind of reactions to your decision have you received from other people? Has keeping your maiden name or changing your name been a hassle for you? Have any of you changed your names mid-career?
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