Author: Serkadis

Licensed acupuncturist, massage therapist, board-certified herbalist and author of groundbreaking weight-loss study brings 25 years of experience to post

As any doctor of acupuncture will tell you, location of points is crucial to treatment. And to acupuncturist Dr. Edward Lamadrid, location is also crucial to his career – which is why he recently relocated from New York to Chicago to take the helm of a prestigious medical school.

Lamadrid has been appointed chief operating officer and campus director at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago. He also is a member of the teaching faculty.

“As an alumnus of Pacific College,” said Lamadrid, “I am both honored and thrilled to be leading the school into the next decade and beyond. American medicine is embracing Oriental techniques more than ever, so now is an exciting time to be part of this institution and the innovative programs it offers.”

Pacific College offers programs in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, integrative medicine and massage. Specialties include shiatsu, tui na, Thai massage, qi gong, tai ji, meditation and natural nutrition.

The college offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as certificate programs and continuing education for practitioners.

A licensed acupuncturist, massage therapist and board-certified herbalist, Lamadrid has more than 25 years of bodywork experience. He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in acupuncture and herbal medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

Lamadrid is the founder of the Integrative Health Studio in New York’s Upper West Side and specializes in the treatment of sports injuries, musculoskeletal pain, fertility, and weight management.

He offers acupuncture, medical massage, and kinesio-taping as well as provides consultations on feng shui. The overall mission of Lamadrid’s practice is to employ healing arts to transform the roots of emotional consciousness, heal the physical body, and awaken the spirit.

Moreover, Lamadrid is the developer of an acupuncture-based weight-loss treatment program. In 2008, he conducted a study on the treatment program in New York City and is preparing the study results for publication.

“Doctors, researchers, scientists, insurance companies, and patients are all coming to the same conclusion,” said Lamadrid. “Oriental medicine is effective tool in treating illness.”

For more information on Lamadrid, visit integrativehealthstudio.com and edlamadrid.com.

For more information about the college, visit pacificcollege.edu.

About Pacific College of Oriental Medicine

Founded in 1986, Pacific currently has more than 1,100 students attending its campuses in San Diego, New York and Chicago. In 1999, the Illinois Board of Higher Education approved Pacific College as the first graduate program in Oriental medicine in the state.

All campuses house large professional acupuncture and massage clinics with herbal pharmacies for student training.

SPX Corporation, a service provider for Ford Motor Company has announced that it will donate a Ford Mustang FR500S Challenge Race carrying the autographs of multiple race drivers to raise funds for ST. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The vehicle will be auctioned Friday, January 22 at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event can be viewed live on the Speed Channel at approximately 6 p.m. Mountain time, 8 p.m. Eastern time.

SPX is proud to again partici… (read more)

Baby boomers constitute the majority of Hepatitis C infections in the United States. Unfortunately, they are also less responsive to conventional therapy.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

As individuals born between the years 1946 and 1964, baby boomers are currently between the ages of 46 and 64. Constituting a majority of documented Hepatitis C infections, a recent study has found that this generation is less likely to triumph over Hepatitis C than younger generations. Despite the scientific data that implies an uphill battle for baby boomers with Hepatitis C, most experts believe that there are ways to achieve a positive outcome. Healthcare practitioners have the liberty of being hopeful because they know that a myriad of strategies can effectively boost Hep C treatment success, regardless of a person’s age bracket.

Described as those who were born soon after World War II, there are an estimated 75 million baby boomers in the United States, or about 29 percent of America’s total population. It is inevitable that this large proportion of the workforce is approaching the age where health issues typically escalate. Unfortunately, boomers with Hepatitis C face an additional challenge; a new study claims that they are less responsive than younger generations to antiviral treatment.

According to a report prepared by the actuarial firm Milliman, Inc., baby boomers account for two out of every three cases of chronic Hepatitis C. Thus, a significant proportion of people with Hepatitis C are close to or over 50-years old. Based on a study published in the October 2009 edition of Journal of Viral Hepatitis, individuals with genotype 1 chronic Hepatitis C who are older than 50 have a lower rate of treatment success with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, compared to patients under age 50.

In this study, data was evaluated from over 550 patients with genotypye 1 chronic Hepatitis C taking pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys) and weight-based dosing of ribavirin for 12 months. Known as a sustained virologic response (SVR), successful treatment is assumed if a person has no detectable Hepatitis C viral load six months after the completion of therapy. Upon looking at SVR, the researchers found the following:

· 52 percent of patients aged 50 or younger achieved SVR.
· 39 percent of patients over 50 achieved SVR.
· 41 percent of patients over 50 relapsed.
· 25 percent of patients aged 50 or younger relapsed.

Even though this data shows a statistical advantage for those under age 50 in fighting Hepatitis
C, the researchers also found these variables improved SVR in those over age 50:

· Lower baseline viral load
· Absence of cirrhosis

In addition, SVR rates were high among patients over 50 without liver cirrhosis who were able to maintain adequate drug dosage levels.

Based on this information, it is especially important for baby boomers with Hepatitis C to employ strategies for lowering viral load and preventing cirrhosis so they can better tolerate interferon/ribavirin therapy at full dosage. Improving the liver’s strength so that it can better fight the Hepatitis C virus and tolerate antiviral therapy can be accomplished via:

· Supplementing with high quality milk thistle – Because this herb strengthens liver cell walls, it protects the liver from increased scarring that could lead to cirrhosis.

· Boycotting alcohol – Since those over 50 have a greater chance of achieving SVR if their baseline viral load is low, alcohol must be avoided. This is because alcohol not only increases scarring of the liver, but it also fosters viral replication – which magnifies Hepatitis C viral load.

· Choosing your food carefully – Eating nutritious foods loaded with fiber, antioxidants and protein while reducing potentially harmful foods (those containing refined sugar, fat and chemicals) reduces unnecessary drag on liver function. By eliminating this burden, the liver’s health is supported.

· Exercising regularly – While exercise does not cure Hepatitis C, it does help maintain adequate circulation through the liver. By stimulating blood to flow in the liver, there is less of an opportunity for toxins to stagnate and further damage liver cells.

Even though research demonstrates that baby boomers have a lower chance of achieving SVR, those in this age bracket needn’t be discouraged. Anyone diagnosed with Hepatitis C can improve his or her chances of successfully beating the virus by taking milk thistle, eating well, exercising and avoiding alcohol. Baby boomers are particularly encouraged to employ these strategies for reducing their viral load and preventing cirrhosis so that their age will no longer hinder their chance of a successful treatment outcome.

References:

http://www.bbhq.com/whatsabm.htm, So What’s a Boomer, Anyhow?, Retrieved December 8, 2009, Baby Boomer Headquarters, 2009.

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/HepC%20Baby%20Boomers%202009.html, New Report Forecasts Hepatitis C Virus Epidemic Among Baby Boomers; Untreated HCV Progressing to Severe Liver Disease Seen Driving U.S. Costs to $85 Billion, Retrieved December 8, 2009, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2009.

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2009/120109_b.html, Hepatitis C Patients over Age 50 Are Less Likely to Achieve Sustained Treatment Response, Liz Highleyman, Retrieved December 8, 2009, hivandhepatitis.com, 2009.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122279540/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0, Peginterferon alfa-2a (40kDa) and ribavirin: comparable rates of sustained virological response in sub-sets of older and younger HCV genotype 1 patients, K. R. Reddy, et al, Retrieved December 8, 2009, Journal of Viral Hepatitis, March 2009.

Kelly Taylor is heading to a new zip code: Jennie Garth is leaving The CW’s 90210 to spend more time with her husband and three daughters.

The actress, who appeared in the original Beverly Hills, 90210, reprised her role as ’90s “It Girl” Kelly Taylor for the new show. Fans of the FOX primetime soap found Kelly as a single mother and guidance counselor at alma mater West Beverly in The CW’s revival spinoff.

Jennie initially intended to appear in just a few episodes of the remake, but ended up staying on the series for more than a year. Now the celeb wants to devote herself to life at home with children Luca Bella, 12, Lola Ray, seven, and three-year-old Fiona Eve

“I’m not really doing it anymore,” Jennie told a reporter during a visit to the Golden Globes gifting lounge on Saturday. “[Not for] a while.”

Instead, the actress says she has some a few other projects coming up.

“I’m doing a children’s book,” she said, adding that she’s developing a film with her husband, Twilight Saga star Peter Facinelli.

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ST. LOUIS — In his first public appearance following his admission of steroid use, Mark McGwire received a loud and long standing ovation Sunday.

Of course, the setting was the Winter Warm-Up, the Cardinals’ version of the Cubs Convention and SoxFest, and McGwire certainly must have felt warmed — until he met with media a short time later.

That reception was much more winter-like. It was cut short after six minutes of a testy give-and-take during which McGwire said steroids use “was the biggest regret of my life.”

The new Cardinal hitting coach said while answering questions on stage in front of a rabid 1,500-plus fans it is “yet to be determined” what reaction he will find when the Cardinals go on the road, including to Wrigley Field May 28-30 and U.S. Cellular Field June 11-13.

“It’s something I have to deal with,” he told fans. “It might bring more fans to the ballpark to watch the Cardinals.”

McGwire was asked by media about allegations from former Oakland teammate Jose Canseco that he wasn’t telling the full truth and whether McGwire was familiar with specific names of steroids.

“Those names, yeah, I’m familiar with them but, like I said, I’m not going to go down that road with Jose,” he said. “I’ll take the high road with Jose.”

He also was asked whether he really never had told Tony La Russa of his drug use. La Russa, his manager in Oakland and St. Louis, had said he believed McGwire was clean.

“Absolutely. Tony La Russa? I kept this to myself,” he said. “You now what? I spoke from my heart and I spoke honestly [Monday night on TV with Bob Costas]. That’s me.

“And I hope you all can accept this and let’s all move on from this. Baseball is great right now, baseball is better and let’s just all move on.”

And with that, he ended his short informal press conference and departed the Hyatt Hotel for new Busch Stadium to work with his proteges.

Mark McGwire speaks to fans at the team’s annual Winter Warm-Up. (AP / Jeff Roberson)

By Dave van Dyck

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

 
 Facebook is posting warning messages on its site.

Fake fundraising efforts for the Haiti disaster are spreading like wildfire on Facebook. Dozens of fan pages have been set up, urging users to join and promising a $1 donation for each member. One group this weekend attracted 1.5 million members before it was disabled.

Meanwhile, during the weekend, Facebook officials had to beat back a rumor that the firm had promised a $1 donation for every member that changed their status to include a message about Haiti.

"This status is being tracked, the owners of facebook have confirmed they will send $1 to the rescue fund for the Haiti earthquake disaster for everytime this is cut and paste as a status," read one form of the bogus claim. "You only have to leave it for a minimum of 1 hour. Lets all do our bit to help."

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said the firm took aggressive steps to quell the rumor.  It posted a note on its blog on Saturday warning about the bogus message.

"Beware of scams and hoaxes and ensure that your donations for Haiti get to the right places," the social networking company wrote on its blog.   Contrary to a current meme, Facebook is not donating $1 for statuses, however we are sharing reputable resources via the "Other Pages" tab on the Global Disaster Relief on Facebook Page."

Later, Facebook began outright blocking the status update. When users come upon a page with the bogus update, a warning message pops up which says, "This message is fraudulent. For legitimate ways to help those in Haiti, please visit the disaster relief page."

The fake fan page fund-raisers had spread, seemingly, to all parts of the globe. Examples could be found claiming to be based in the United Kingdom, and in multiple languages. One Spanish group currently has 215,000 fans, for example.

"We'll look into the groups now," Schnitt said in response to an e-mail inquiry from msnbc.com.

It's not clear why a Facebook user would create the fake fan pages. It could be a mere prank designed to attract the maximum number of users — Facebook is full of such efforts, like the "I bet Massachusetts can get 1 million fans before any other state does" page. 

But such groups could easily be turned to more nefarious uses.  A spammer or hacker could harness  a large fan group to commit other scams.  Fan page administrators are able to contact each fan through status updates, providing a perfect platform for phishing or virus attacks.

The administrator of a group named "EVERY PERSON THAT JOINS WE WILL DONATE £1 TO HELP PEOPLE IN HAITI!" was a woman who identified herself as a college student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. The group had about 5,000 fans on Monday morning. When asked why she started the group, the woman said she hadn't, and initially denied being an admin. She said she signed up for the fan page "hoping that I can contribute or do something to help the people of Haiti." Shown the admin page for the group, she offered a different explanation.

"Just check(ed) and you're right. I don't even (know) how I became and admin. Honestly, I did not create this or monitor this," she wrote.

Computer security experts have long warned about what’s now called “promiscuous friending” – the habit of many Facebook users to simply accept all friend requests. That opens the door for computer criminals to take advantage of trust relationships formed on the site. Hackers with friend access can post links to viruses on victims’ walls, for example, or directly message the friends with Trojan horse e-mails.  Fan page administrators have slightly fewer capabilities, but it’s still a bad idea to accept any unexpected fan, group, or friend requests.

Concerned users can easily donate money directly to the Red Cross at http://RedCross.org

 

Become a Red Tape Chronicles Facebook fan or follow me at http://twitter.com/RedTapeChron

This is a very, very bad thing Lexicon did. And thanks to the super sleuths at Audioholics, they got very, very caught.

The Lexicon BD-30 is a $3500 (!!!), THX-Certified Blu-ray player. Unfortunately, aside from some slight re-branding, it’s also a $500 Oppo BDP-83, chassis and all. From the review:

“When we received the player the first thing we did was open it up to get a look at the inside. Imagine my surprise when I found that not only did the Lexicon share the same boards and transport as the Oppo – it was in fact AN OPPO BDP-83 PLAYER, CHASSIS AND ALL, SHOVED INSIDE AN ALUMINUM LEXICON WRAPPER. As far as we could determine, Lexicon didn’t change a single thing in terms of the hardware. Heck, they didn’t even lift the boards out of the chassis, opting instead to cut out the bottom of their own chassis to accommodate the venting locations, and putting a darker blue filter over the Oppo’s VFD display to give it a slightly deeper hue.”

The entire thing is so galling that it’s actually kind of hilarious… unless you’re someone who just found out you paid a 700% premium on a Blu-ray player. Then again, why on earth were you shelling out that kind of money in the first place? [Audioholics via Consumerist]

The ISRA-PVF board of directors is pleased to announce the organization’s candidate endorsements and preferences for the 2010 Illinois Primary Election.

Endorsement and preference decisions were made by the board of directors after a careful review of candidate qualifications, voting records, candidate survey responses, and other pertinent factors that gauge the candidates’ suitability.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF has endorsed the candidacy of Kirk Dillard.

The board found this a very difficult decision in light of the fact that the crowded field of candidates included long-time friend Sen. Bill Brady and exciting newcomer, Adam Andrzejewski.

In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed a preference for candidate Pat Quinn over his opponent, Dan Hynes.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Jason Plummer.

In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Art Turner.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois State Treasurer, the ISRA-PVF has endorsed candidate Dan Rutherford.

A full list of endorsements and candidate preferences may be found at the ISRA-PVF Web site: isra-pvf.com

About the ISRA-PVF

The ISRA-PVF is a political action committee affiliated with the Illinois State Rifle Association.

A copy of our report is available from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.

Credit Suisse sees far too many reasons to short the yen these days, in a global equity strategy report from January 11th. First of all, they find the Yen nearly 25% over-valued on purchasing-power-parity basis (PPP) vs. the U.S. dollar. Secondly, they point to Japan's even more rapidly deteriorating government debt situation. Thirdly, they highlight recent political pressures to weaken the yen in a bid to help exports. It would also be a 'stealth default' on government debt obligations.

Then fourthly, they show the chart below. The credit default swap (CDS) market has lost a lot of confidence in Japan. Note how the credit default swap spread for Japanese sovereign debt has doubled since mid-2009, meaning the cost to insure Japanese government debt against potential default has soared.

Credit Suisse: The fiscal position is extremely poor: With gross government debt to GDP of 197% (net government debt is 105% of GDP) and real rates almost two percentage points above the trend real GDP growth rate (2.4% versus 0.5%), a primary budget surplus of about 3% of GDP is required in order for the country to avoid being on an explosive debt path. However, the government runs a cyclically-adjusted budget deficit of 5.4% of GDP. This implies that fiscal tightening of more than 8% of GDP is required to avoid being on an explosive debt path.

(Via Credit Suisse, Global Equity Strategy, Currency and equity investment implications, 11 January 2010)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Japan's New Kamikaze Finance Minister Is On A Mission To Blow Up The Yen, And Finally Let The Nikkei Surge
• Morgan Stanley: Yen Intervention Risk Rising
• Japanese Yen On A Tear

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has begun assembling the first A-10 Thunderbolt replacement-wing set at its Macon facility.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing the contract, worth up to $2 billion, in June 2007 to provide as many as 242 A-10 replacement-wing sets through 2018.

“This is a phenomenal accomplishment for this Boeing Macon team and a real tribute to the partnership between Boeing and the Air Force to keep these vital aircraft flying in support of U.S. military men and women,” said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and CEO.

“We are honored to help extend the life of these storied planes as they serve our warfighters in their essential close-air support missions.

This is also an important milestone in Boeing’s drive to offer our customers maintenance and modification support on a wide range of aircraft, regardless of the plane’s original manufacturer.”

Boeing will deliver the replacement wing sets to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in four parts: three wing sections and an installation kit. Air Force personnel will install the wings.

Boeing is scheduled to deliver the first wing set in September and up to 50 wing sets a year at peak production.

The A-10 Thunderbolt, also known as the Warthog, is a twin-engine jet aircraft designed for close-air support of ground forces. More than 350 aircraft are currently in the U.S. fleet participating in both Iraq and Afghanistan operations.

About Boeing Defense, Space & Security

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Deborah VanNierop, 210-932-6640
Global Services & Support – San Antonio
[email protected]

Confirming a date first reported by Digital Daily, Apple (AAPL) this morning announced an invitation-only special event to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on January 27 — a Wednesday. “Come see our latest creation,” the invitation reads.

Hmm. Wonder what that might be?

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Okay, gang, Apple has finally sent those press invitations out to an event they are holding on January 27th, and if there is one thing we can surmise from this one, it’s that we will be seeing the release of a new product. Whether you want to call it the iSlate, iPad, Apple Tablet, MacBook touch, or whatever else, we’re putting all our money on a brand new multitouch tablet device, with Apple aiming to change the world yet again. Oh, and updated MacBook Pros as well.

The event starts at 10:00AM Pacific time and comes to you from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Join us then, because we’ll be hitting you with the news as it happens.

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The developers behind the OAuth protocol have developed a new variant called OAuth WRAP that is simpler and easier to implement. It’s a stop-gap solution that will enable broader OAuth adoption while OAuth 2.0, the next generation of the specification, is devised by a working group that is collaborating through the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Understanding the password anti-pattern

Many popular Web applications allow third-party software to access their underlying services through open APIs. This enables the development of Web mashups and mobile and desktop client applications. Although these open APIs bring a lot of value to the Web and make it possible for various services to interoperate in important ways, it can be difficult to make this functionality available in a manner that safeguards the security of end users.

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RICHMOND, Va. — The Food and Drug Administration is working to lift the smokescreen clouding the ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products.

In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drugmakers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they’ve done on the effects of the ingredients.

It’s an early step for an agency just starting to flex muscles granted by a new law that took effect last June that gives it broad power to regulate tobacco far beyond the warnings on packs, but short of banning it outright.

Companies have long acknowledged using cocoa, coffee, menthol and other additives to make tobacco taste better. The new information will help the FDA determine which ingredients might also make tobacco more harmful or addictive.

It will also use the data to develop standards for tobacco products and could ban some ingredients or combinations.

“Tobacco products today are really the only human-consumed product that we don’t know what’s in them,” Lawrence R. Deyton, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s new Center for Tobacco Products and a physician, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

While the FDA must keep much of the data confidential under trade-secret laws, it will publish a list of harmful and potentially harmful ingredients by June 2011. Under the law, it must be listed by quantity in each brand.

Some tobacco companies have voluntarily listed product ingredients online in recent years but never with the specificity they must give the FDA, said Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

For example, Altria Group Inc., based in Richmond and the parent company of the nation’s largest tobacco maker, Philip Morris USA, has posted general ingredients on its Web site since at least 1999.

Cigarette makers say their products include contain tobacco, water, sugar and flavorings, along with chemicals like diammonium phosphate, a chemical used to improve burn rate and taste, and ammonium hydroxide, used to improve the taste.

Scientific studies suggest those chemicals also could make the body more easily absorb nicotine, the active and addictive component of tobacco.

“Until now, the tobacco companies were free to manipulate their product in ways to maximize sales, no matter the impact on the number of people who died or became addicted,” Myers said.

“The manner of disclosure previously made it impossible for the government to make any meaningful assessments.”

About 46 million people, or 20.6 percent of U.S. adult smoke cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, down from about 24 percent 10 years ago. It also estimates that about 443,000 people in the U.S. die each year from diseases linked to smoking.

Tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma continue to cut into the number of cigarettes sold, which were estimated to be down about 12.6 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year.

Cigarettes and their smoke contain more than 4,000 chemicals; among them are more than 60 known carcinogens, according to the American Cancer Society. But scientists say they can’t yet tell all they’ll learn from the new data because so little is known about how the chemicals combine to affect people.

“The reality is that we have known so little over time that it’s difficult to know with much accuracy what getting a good look is going to tell us about what we could do in the future,” said Dr. David Burns of the University of California- San Diego, scientific editor of several surgeon general reports on tobacco.

The real test is whether the FDA acts on the information it receives, said David Sweanor, a Canadian law professor and tobacco expert. Canadian authorities are collecting similar data, but they haven’t taken much action based on it, which is critical, he said. The European Union also has similar submission requirements.

Myers warned that a list of ingredients or an unexplained product label is “just as likely to mislead as it is to inform” if consumers don’t know about the relative effects of ingredients.

Altria has supported what it has called “tough but fair regulation.”

But its chief rivals — No. 2 Reynolds American Inc., parent company of R.J. Reynolds, and No. 3 Lorillard, both based in North Carolina — opposed the law. They said it would lock in Altria’s share of the market because its size gives it more resources to comply with regulations and future limits on marketing under the law.

Altria’s brands include Marlboro, which held a 41.9 percent share of the U.S. cigarette market in the third quarter, according to Information Resources Inc.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

To misquote Ecclesiastes (Kohelet): ‘For everything there is a season and a time for everything under the sun… a time to think about tomorrow, and a time to think about today.’

Those of you who know this blog know that I try to keep it updated every 7-10 days with real content I have personally written. But this last week I have held back my posts. In the wake of the truly humbling loss of life and human calamity we have seen, somehow no futures posting seemed quite right.

In a foresight community we are, I think, rightly vociferous in getting decision makers to see the benefits of taking a long-term view, despite the systemic short-termism of incentive cycles (annual reports, political elections, and – dare I say it – banking bonuses) that most organizations and human systems use as basis of reward. But at times like this, similar to post-Katrina, post-the 2004 tsunami, and previous epic-scale natural and human disasters, we should not bury our heads in the sand of tomorrow. For now it is the present that counts: focusing on what matters to save lives and give food, shelter, and a modicum of respect to those with shattered lives.

The ’social’ side of disasters

When the dust does finally settle, and there is time to draw some lessons, there are two future-anticipating principles that apply strongly in the Haiti disaster. The first is that fragile systems are always more likely to have ‘a collapse in their future.’ I’ve been reading Flirting with Disaster by Marc Gerstein, and one of its points (not new, but well described) is the role that human organization plays in facilitating or magnifying a ‘natural’ disaster. Yes, an earthquake can’t be controlled, or even forecast, but what its actual total impact is (the future we should have anticipated) has significantly to do with the efficacy of human organization, including preparedness, robustness, early-warning, and mitigation systems. Where these are in place and working well we should expect a different future.

Put another way: since man has had any say over his domain there have been no purely ‘natural’ disasters, and there will not be any in the future. Every future disaster will likewise be the product of natural forces meeting social organization.

Opportunity jolts

The second principle is that change often happens by jolts, that is, via the application of a sudden and overwhelming force rather than via gradualism. Particularly, a shock from the outside can ‘free up’ a situation and be the catalysing event that sets off wider and ultimately fundamental change. This is (best case interpretation) what the toppling of Saddam was about. Freeing the system. ‘Black Swan –ing’ the system, perhaps.

It the case of Haiti we have, by all accounts, a nation mired in poverty and corruption. What it is going to get from the events of the last week and the weeks to come, is like a punch in the jaw followed by a lot of world attention, solace, and aid. Add them together and it could be a system-busting event, a real opportunity to break out of existing governance cultures and existing global relations. History suggests Haiti won’t grasp the opportunity, but the window will be open for a while, and good foresight would keep this potential upside scenario in mind and even work to facilitate it.

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Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Nissan, Reviews

The Nissan Sentra has long been the bridesmaid of America’s C-segment. Few consider it to be best-in-class, yet it would be a stretch to call Nissan’s second-smallest sedan the category’s cellar dweller. In the past, the Sentra hasn’t been the fastest, it hasn’t been the prettiest and it certainly hasn’t offered the best interior, but the affordable sedan has quietly continued to sell well enough to keep Nissan in the picture.

Unlike some of its more popular competitors, the Sentra is offered exclusively as a sedan, while other automakers offer coupes or hatchbacks. Nissan makes up for this deficiency in part by offering six different variants of the Sentra, ranging from a base 2.0 model to the 200-horsepower SE-R Spec V. We had the chance to spend a week in the mildly refreshed 2010 SE-R model that slots in just below the Spec V, and with 177 horsepower on tap and quite a few high-end options, we wanted to find out if this upper-middle child could hold its own in what has fast become one of the most interesting and competitive segments in the market.

Photos by Chris Shunk / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R is a tall order

Review: 2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R is a tall order originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that awesome iPhone credit card processing device from Square that we told you about a few weeks ago? Well, Kevin Rose just put up a video showing the Square app and iPhone hardware in action. Give the video above a look, as it’s definitely pretty slick. However, we’d love to see them make that credit card dongle a bit more stable before launch. The product is still in beta, but we can’t wait to see this go mainstream.

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Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, BMW, Luxury

The BMW 3 Series coupe and convertible rank among the hottest sellers not only for BMW, but also in their respective segments. They’re the benchmark against which rivals compare themselves and the target for both driving dynamics and sales figures. So when Munich unveils an update for both, you can expect to see them in short order in every parking lot and on every street corner and stretch of highway. But since the veil was lifted on the updated two-door Threes just yesterday, we’re glad to oblige with one big gallery of images to hold you over in the meantime.

For a quick refresher, BMW has given the 3 Series coupe and convertible a minor facelift for the new model year, comprised principally of a revised front end with new headlights and wider twin-kidney grilles, new taillights, refreshed side mirror housings and restyled bumpers front and rear. Inside the convertible gets a solar reflective leather treatment aimed at keeping surfaces cooler in direct sunlight, and for the first time ever, BMW will be offering its xDrive all-wheel-drive system on the coupe, dropping a coupe of milliseconds off the acceleration times.

The big news, though, is the new N55 engine, a direct-injection, twin-scroll single-turbocharged inline-six that replaces the twin-turbo engine in the 335i with identical (but, crucially, more accessible) output figures. Check out the coupe, convertible and new engine in our high-res image gallery below.

[Source: BMW]

Pics Aplenty: 2011 BMW 335i coupe & convertible go snap-happy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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