Author: Serkadis

Dirk the Daring leads this week’s batch of DSiWare releases as Dragon’s Lair hits the Nintendo DSi handheld’s download service. Backing Dirk up are a bunch of cards and a notebook. Hmmm.

Korenix brings intelligence to your network systems by releasing JetView Pro, the new Korenix patented Industrial Innovation Network Management System. The new management software provides a comprehensive platform for monitoring, configuring and maintaining mission-critical IP-based communication networks, such as IP surveillance, factory automation, mining, substations, maritime and military applications,etc. The user-friendly software allows administrators to discover devices automatically and efficiently manage the performance of the industrial network.

– Fast Network Discovery and Auto Topology Layout
Korenix JetView Pro easily discovers from 128 to 1024 IP-enabled devices in the industrial network. All the detailed data, including multiple subnets, device information, link & port status are simply being visualized on the topology map in different formats. In addition, distinguished icons are being implemented to help administrators easily manage and troubleshoot the network.

– Excellent Performance & Event Management
To analyze the avalanche of available data, JetView Pro periodically monitors and reports selected nodes and interface statistics. Furthermore, it incorporates SNMP gatherer function, which allows reviewing gathered data performance without a need of additional device. Korenix i2-NMS can be centrally or remotely deployed to reduce the network traffic. With the event management capability of JetView Pro, engineers can define all the events, such as link failure, power failure, device availability, etc. occurred in the network through notifications received via email, application programs, SNMP trap, XMPP, SMS, and MSN Messenger in a real-time basis.

– Easy Configuration
To ensure the high-quality of the network, Korenix JetView Pro helps easily configure devices through Web, Telnet, SSH and SNMP. With JetView Pro, users can manage the devices one by one or in group to upgrade firmware and boot loader, restore and backup configuration files, assign or modify IP addresses, configure MSR redundant rings, etc. greatly increasing the network performance.

Administrators can benefit from the easy-to-use, powerful Korenix network management software to ensure the network running smoothly and to enhance the performance while continuously monitoring and controlling communication devices in the industrial network.

For a free trial of JetView Pro, please visit www.korenix.com,

Korenix Technology
www.korenix.com
+886-2-8911-1000
[email protected]

Builtrite by Northshore has just introduced a new line of orange peel grapples with several key enhancements, including:

1] Bolt-on cylinder guards, allowing easy access to the cylinders. An access hole has also been designed into the sides of the grapple, allowing for access underneath the cylinders.
2] High torque rotation motors that do not require a case drain line.
3] A re-designed rotation head which allows all the hoses to be directed over the top of the grapple, not the sides, preventing hoses from getting snagged on materials.
4] More AR 500 wear resistant plate on the tines, making for less maintenance and longer life.

For more information, please call 218-834-5555 or go to www.builtritehandlers.com. Thank you.

Textbook Rentals

Harper College students next semester will have the new option of renting their textbooks – an alternative that could save them more than 50 percent on the texts they need for class. The pilot rental program, Harper’s latest effort to keep student book prices down, comes on the heels of the bookstore’s launch of e-books – textbook titles that can be downloaded to a desktop computer or browsed from the Web. “This is really a reflection of us listening to what our students want,” says Richard Seiler, Manager of Retail Services. “We want to give them lower prices whenever we can, and provide them with as many options as possible right here on campus.” Beginning Monday, January 4, Harper’s bookstore will offer more than 50 titles for rent, representing nearly 200 sections of College courses. Students will pay an average of $50 for the rented books, Seiler says, compared with average costs of $110 or more for new purchased texts. Harper’s program requires no deposit; students pay only the book’s rental fee.  Students also still have the option of purchasing used texts and reselling their books at the term’s end. Textbook rentals are a growing trend nationwide, with colleges across the United States signing on.

Media Note: Photographers and reporters are welcome to stop by Harper College’s bookstore beginning Monday, January 4, to talk with students about the new book rental program. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159 or [email protected], to arrange a visit.

Finding a Career

Free workshops aimed at identifying your career interests – and showing you how to get there – will be offered in January through Harper College’s Career Center. The workshops, targeting those who are dissatisfied with their current job or looking to reenter the workforce, are from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, January 7 and Monday, January 11 in Room A 242 in Building A. Attendees will complete an assessment matching interests to career areas and educational opportunities; information on specific industries, employment trends and other resources also will be provided. “Particularly with the down economy, it’s easy to get discouraged with the job you’re in or the jobs you can’t seem to find,” says Kathleen Canfield, Director of Harper’s Career Center. “We’re here to help identify what might really work, and to help point you to new career possibilities you never before considered.” Seats are limited. To RSVP, call 847.925.6220.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Award-Winning Professor

Before he joined Harper College, Assistant Professor Wayne Johnson served 25 years with the Chicago Police Department, spent five years as Chief Investigator for the Chicago Crime Commission and logged time as a suburban police chief, racking up numerous accolades along the way. Now he has another honor to add to the list. Johnson, who oversees Harper’s Law Enforcement programs, is a recipient of an Award of Excellence from the Illinois Security Chiefs Association. The group annually toasts those who have shown outstanding achievement and courage in the area of public safety. “It is a true honor to be given an award for doing work that you love,” Johnson says. “I’ve enjoyed every step of my career, in large part thanks to my family, my hardworking peers and, now, my students.” Johnson also is a recent recipient of a Most Inspirational Teacher Award from Western Illinois University. He  earned his doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University. His expertise in the area of law enforcement has been tapped for numerous articles and interviews; this month, he appeared on the Biography Channel for a segment on Chicago mobster Tony Accardo. At Harper, Johnson teaches and coordinates law enforcement and forensics courses, and is involved in planning a new bachelor’s degree in public safety being offered through a partnership with Northern Illinois University.

Media Note: A photo of Assistant Professor Wayne Johnson is available. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159 or [email protected].

Creating Computer Confidence

It’s easy to take computers – and the ability to use them – for granted. But officials with the Rita and John Canning Women’s Program at Harper College noticed something troubling in their daily interactions with displaced homemakers: many didn’t know a thing about modern technology. Harper’s answer is a free course that fills in the gaps for Women’s Program participants, teaching them the basics of using word processing programs and navigating the internet. Participants go home with a free computer, software and the confidence that comes with breaking down the technology barrier. The Computer Skills JumpStart initiative, funded through a grant from the Harper College Educational Foundation, will be offered again beginning Monday, January 4. “Many of the women in our program did not have computer training in high school. Several stayed at home to raise their children, and did not keep up with technology,” says Kathleen Canfield, Women’s Program director. “This course enhances their self-esteem.” More than a dozen women already have signed up for the winter edition. Harper’s Women’s Program provides education, career planning, life skills and support to displaced homemakers, single parents, those with limited English skills and others. Most are domestic abuse victims. The free computer course is available only to those who meet Women’s Program requirements. For more on the class or the Women’s Program, call 847.925.6558 or visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Media Note: Even in a tech-savvy age that is so dependent on computer literacy, some in the suburbs lack even basic technology fundamentals. Reporters and photographers are invited to visit Harper’s computer course as instructors guide participants through the eye-opening process of using computers for the first time. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159 or [email protected] for potential for dates and times.

Press Contacts: Kathleen Canfield, Women’s Program Director, 847.925.6437, [email protected]; Martha Karavitis, Continuing Education Computer Training Coordinator, 847.925.6078, [email protected]; Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Small Business Help

Planning for a potential disaster that might not even happen isn’t typically at the top of a small business’ priority list – but “a disaster can put you out of business faster than any recession,” warns Bonnie Richter, Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College. With an eye on the potential risks facing businesses that are ill-prepared, Harper is hosting a series of free “Survive and Thrive” workshops aimed at teaching owners, managers and entrepreneurs how to assess the likelihood of disasters, determine the potential impact and lessen the negative effects. The next workshop is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 20 in the Small Business Development Center Office at the Harper Professional Center, 650 E. Higgins Road in Schaumburg. The College also is offering one-on-one disaster preparedness advising for entrepreneurs seeking help through Harper’s Small Business Development Center. “Most small business owners don’t want to deal with this, and most small businesses don’t have a plan in place,” Richter says. “We really want them to have one – particularly as winter, and the threat of storms, again approaches – and we’re here to help them in that capacity.” Business owners need to know, she says, what they’ll do if they lose power, how they’ll get in touch with employees in the case of an emergency, and where they’ll operate from if their office is unavailable. Statistics show that one-quarter of businesses that close because of a disaster never reopen, and 80 percent of those that don’t recover within a month are likely to out of business. Harper’s disaster preparedness workshops and advising are being funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. To register for the workshop, call 847.925.6520 or send an email to [email protected]. Space is limited. For an advising appointment, call 847.925.6520.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Kaden writes in to let us know that celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is facing some legal threats from The Village People for dressing up like them in a promotion for Oliver’s new TV show. Apparently a lawyer representing the band said that they’ve trademarked their costumes, and if you want to dress up like them for a commercial purpose, you need to pay up. However, Oliver’s people are noting that they don’t think he violated any trademark, and they doubt that the lawyer member of The Village People (the one in the suit) will actually go through with the lawsuit…

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The Moody’s commercial property index shows no signs of green shoots, as the index has fallen to its lowest level since August, 2002. Sequentially, prices were down 1.5% in October, and year over year they were down 36%.

The chart, courtesy of Calculated Risk, tells the story pretty clearly. The index, as noted by CR, uses the same like-for-like methodology as the Case-Shiller, hence the comparison here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Idiotic Senate Bill Would Subsidize MORE Commercial Real Estate And Office Parks
• Mort Zuckerman: Big City Commercial Real Estate Is Holding Up, Small Cities Are Toast
• Bill Ackman Shows How To Solve The Commercial Real Estate Crisis

Filed under: Videos, Fiat

Click above to watch the video after the jump

We hope so. But we doubt it. Why? The post-jump video of a bunch of women in bikinis was shot in Amsterdam — they’re a liberal group. But while we probably won’t have throngs of thongs crowding the streets of downtown Chicago or in New York City, at least we can enjoy (via-video) what our Dutch-speaking friends across the pond get to see in person.

Hit the jump to see the guerilla/viral/euro-style marketing effort for the Fiat 500 Cabrio. It’s edgy, it’s fun and it’s full of women in bikinis – in freezing temperatures. We’re not going to say another word because we know you’re already past the break watching the video.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Is this the marketing we can expect for the Fiat 500 in the U.S.?

VIDEO: Is this the marketing we can expect for the Fiat 500 in the U.S.? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As you may have heard by now, one of the biggest problems with Facebook’s recent privacy overhaul was that it removed users’ ability to hide their friend lists from the world. This was one of several changes that were met with substantial criticism and anger from the media and from Facebook users. The significance of the changes was eloquently explained by Joseph Bonneau, a researcher with the Cambridge University Security Group:

[T]here have been many research papers, including a few by me and colleagues in Cambridge, concluding that the social graph is actually the most important information to keep private. The threats here are more fundamental and dangerous-unexpected inference of sensitive information, cross-network de-anonymisation, socially targeted phishing and scams.

It’s incredibly disappointing to see Facebook ignoring a growing body of scientific evidence and putting its social graph up for grabs. It will likely be completely crawled fairly soon by professional data aggregators, and probably by enterprising researchers soon after. The social graph is powerful view into who we are—Mark Zuckerberg said so himself—and it’s a sad day to see Facebook cynically telling us we can’t decide for ourselves whether or not to share it.

Another aspect of the friend list controversy has been its impact on political activism in oppressive regimes. In an interview with PC World, Facebook seemed to claim that the new friend list policy would somehow aid dissident movements. A spokesperson said, “We believe that Facebook, as demonstrated during the Iran elections and events in multiple other countries since our inception, plays a critical role in allowing people to communicate, organize and stand up against oppressive regimes and there is real value of connecting and sharing, which is what we’re trying to facilitate.”

However, an anonymous ZDNet commenter offered an altogether different perspective:

A number of my friends in Iran are active student protesters of the government. They use Facebook extensively to organize protests and meetings, but they had no choice but to delete their facebook accounts today. They are terrified that their once private lists of friends are now available to “everyone” that wants to know. When that “everyone” happens to include the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and members of the Basij militia, willing to kidnap, arrest, or murder to stifle dissent, the consequences seem just a bit more serious than those faced from silly pictures and status updates.

Facebook, to its credit, responded to these criticisms by partially restoring users’ previous control. Although their effort had a few false starts, users are now able to make use of a new checkbox:

By un-checking this, users can prevent most people from viewing their friend lists. (For a clear step-by-step guide, check out CNet’s excellent tutorial.)

This is certainly an improvement, but it still falls short of the level of control that users had prior to the overhaul. Users are still unable to hide their friend lists from some or all of their friends, or from third-party Facebook applications which their friends install. In addition, the checkbox is in a counterintuitive and difficult to find location, entirely separate from most user privacy settings.

Facebook’s ostensible goal in this overhaul was to give users more clarity, flexibility and control. But, with friend lists, they’ve accomplished exactly the opposite.

However much it infuriates people like Paul Krugman to hear analysts warn about inflation while the economy is still sputtering along joblessly, there is good reason to worry about the ability of the Federal Reserve to prevent the massive build up of the monetary base from resulting in out of control inflation.

One of the sources of the growth of the monetary base has been the $1 trillion of purchases of mortgage backed securities by the Fed. Much of that hasn’t yet made its way into the broader economy, and instead sits on bank balance sheets. Actually, much of it is on deposit with the Fed itself, where banks can earn risk-free interest instead of lending it to home buyers at risk of losing their jobs or businesses still suffering from diminished consumer demand.

When the economy begins to recover, the Fed will need to reduce the monetary base to prevent all those dollars from flooding the market and triggering hyper-inflation. For some sources of monetary expansion this is relatively straight forward—the Fed can simply shut down various monetary easing facilities that operate like loans to banks. Banks will have to hand dollars over in exchange for the collateral they posted to participate in the lending facilities.

But things are not as easy when it comes to the mortgage backed securities the Fed purchased this year. These purchases increased the monetary base, which means they will have an inflationary effect when bank lending loosens. In order for the Fed to start sucking back these funds, it will have to sell these into the market. Unlike the repo and lending programs, however, the Fed cannot simply order the banks to repurchase the mortgage backed securities. It will have to sell them at market prices.

The market’s knowledge that the Fed has become a seller rather than a buyer for mortgage backed securities will likely result in the pricing of these securities falling. In order to bring the yield of these securities up to a level acceptable to the market, they will have to be sold at a discount. This discounting means that the Fed will not be able to withdraw as much liquidity as it added, leaving some portion of that $1 trillion (plus its multiplier effect) in the economy to create inflation.

Think of it this way. If the Fed bought a mortgage backed security for $100 but can only sell it for $90, there’s a 10% inflationary discount occurring. Which is to say, the Fed’s MBS has inflation built right into it. There’s no way out.

Notice, also, that there are also losses for the Fed built into this. The Fed has said that it does not anticipate losses from the program because the securities are backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. If it held them to maturity, losses would be unlikely. However, the Fed may not have this luxury if it needs to withdraw money from the economy to fight inflation. So its very possible the Fed could lose money on its mortgage market investments.

Ironically, the Fed’s losses might be made worse if the Fed tries to fight inflation by paying higher interest rates on bank deposits at the Fed. This is a new and powerful tool that the Fed can use to soak up excess bank funds—basically, paying interest rates high enough that banks prefer to keep money with the Fed rather than lend it out to non-risk free borrowers. Right now the Fed gets away with paying very little interest, since demand for loans is low and lending risks are still perceived as high.  But as opportunities in the economy grow, the Fed will have to increase the interest rates to prevent inflationary lending.

The higher rates from the Fed, of course, will cause political outrage. Essentially, bankers will be able to make handsome returns by not lending to businesses and consumers. It will be perceived—rightfully so—as a super-perverse subsidy.

And those higher rates will make it harder to sell the mortgage backed securities. The Fed will have to sell at even greater discounts, since bankers would rather just earn interest from the Fed unless the discount on the MBS—and therefore the yield—grows high enough. And, of course, each discount makes the inflation-fighting impact of the mortgage-backed-security sale less effective.

This promises to be a costly situation for the Fed—fighting inflation by paying high interest rates on deposits while selling mortgage backed securities at ever steeper losses. And there is no escaping the built-in inflation from the mortgage security purchase program.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Just Accept The Giant Federal Reserve Lie And Make Money From It
• Why Is The Fed Happy Buying All Those Mortgages? Because You’re Guaranteeing Them!
• Volcker: There’s No Growth Other Than What The Fed’s Pouring Into The Economy

Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Ford

So you’re ready to be your own 2011 Ford Fiesta agent, but you’ll actually be paying for yours instead of the company giving you one to drive for free. If you want one that’s got all the doodads, this is what you need to do: bring money. A base Fiesta sedan starts at $13,320, but go for the pricier hatch and check a few boxes and you’ll hopscotch your way past the $23,000 line — and there will still be options left.

Ford doesn’t see this car as just a small American hatchback for people who want a smaller footprint but all the style and utility. The base and lower end models fit the bill for that, but on the other end, Ford officials tell Automotive News that it sees the Fiesta as an aspirational, high tech hatch that can command attention and commensurately elevated prices. Said Ford’s Jim Farley, “Americans have shown us if we bring out aspirational products, not only will they pay the base price, but go up.”

We played with the Fiesta configurator and wound up at $22,970. Yes, it’s easy to do, but that does give you just about everything — we skipped the graphics packages, the smoker’s kit, and a couple of other accessories. But of that $9,650 difference between the sedan’s base and our wishlist hatch, about half of the cost is loaded on the front end: the SES starts at $17,120 before you do anything to it, and that goes to $18,190 if you go for the automatic. Ford’s getting premium prices in Australia for the Fiesta, and it believes it can do the same here. If you think so – or don’t – let us know in Comments.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

REPORT: Ford believes it can get premium dollars for Fiesta… what do you think? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We didn’t see this one coming at all – the Kardashian sisters taking on Beyonce’s lauded video ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’. Talking with PEOPLE for its year end issue, the Kardashian sisters don black leotards, as seen in the music video, and similar hair.

It’s with great honor that we’re announcing our latest addition to the programming team at 37signals: Pratik Naik. I’ve worked with Pratik through the Ruby on Rails core team for almost two years. He’s been a top contributor with about 400 commits since 2007.

We first started working with Pratik as a contractor on Haystack, which he built the backend for. He has also worked on the new Campfire API that was rolled out recently. All great work. A perfect manager-of-one example. We can’t wait to put him to work on all the awesome things we’ll be bringing to light in 2010.

Pratik will be starting full time on February 1st. He will be the 17th signal. The second currently residing in Europe (Pratik is in London, Joshua Sierles in Spain).

Alexandra Burke is hoping that big name chums Beyonce and Ne-Yo will help her launch her career in America. The former X Factor winner is planning to hit the States next year by releasing an updated version of debut album ‘Overcome’, but she hopes to get a helping hand from the stars. ‘I’m keeping my fingers tightly crossed to see whether Beyoncé will let me take up her offer of help next year,’ Alex told the Daily Star.

‘She invited me to party with her when she performed in London last month. But I had my first live 45-minute concert the next day and didn’t want to do badly so I couldn’t go. I need to look into what to get her for Christmas. For her birthday I sent her flowers along with a video message.’

As for Ne-Yo’s help, Burke worked with the ‘Miss Independent’ singer on her song ‘Good Night, Good Morning’. Now she hopes he’ll also chip in for her bid to crack the U.S. ‘We did swap numbers when we met a couple of weeks ago but I think it was just fun and games,’ Alexandra added. ‘It’s too early to say if artists like Ne-Yo will help me out. For Ne-Yo to do that, it would make my day.’

Late last month we found out that Sony is moving forward to offer a new tier of premium subscriptions for Playstation Network consumers. Kotaku has followed up with this information by detailing a new, credible looking survey outlining the details of this service, and if they are true it would be a huge boost to the Playstation experience. We’re talking about cloud storage for games and game saves, Hulu, music services, and so much more. The pricing would be very comparable to the industry standard at “$20 to $60 a year, or alternatively $6 to $9 a month.” I would pay that for some of these features (courtesy of Engadget):

Customer Service Priority Access
Priority access to PlayStation’s customer service both online and via phone should you need technical help or have questions about your products. This feature gives you support with little to no waiting.

Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands
Get member-only access to attend exclusive Sony events and experiences throughout the year, including those offered by PlayStation, Sony Pictures, and Sony Music.

Extended Console Warranty 3 Years
Get your PS3 warranty extended to 3 years as part of your overall subscription (requires you to keep your subscription active). The standard warranty on your PS3 is 1 year.

Access to Beta Games
Get access to Betas of popular games not yet released at retail (Betas offer bigger experiences than typical game demos). You will have the ability to play these games before others do.

Early Access to All Store Content
Get early access to select free and purchasable game related content on the PlayStation Store before it’s available to everyone else. This includes games, add-ons, themes, avatars, as well as free game demos.

Member Demo Sharing of Full Game
Share a level of a game that you just purchased for your PS3 with a subscriber who doesn’t own the game. Your friends could do the same. This would be an exclusive demo not available otherwise to those who haven’t purchased the game.

Cross-game Voice Chat Access
Get exclusive member-only access to cross-game voice chat. This is the ability to use your headset to voice chat with friends on your PS3 regardless of what they are doing on the PS3.

Full Title Trial – 1st Hour Is Free
Download full versions of select Blu-ray and PSN game titles and have the chance to play the entire game (single or multiplayer) for free for the first hour. After that time you will have the option of purchasing the game to continue playing.

Token Wagering
Get a fixed number of tokens per month you can wager with other players in competitive online games. These tokens could then be built up and redeemed for free PlayStation Network games and other content.

User-to-user Challenges
Unlock developer-created challenges while playing games. Compete with your friends to see who can be the first to complete these challenges. The PS3 will automatically offer and track challenges and winners and would post results. An example of a challenge is ‘first to get 10 trophies’ in a particular game.

Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes
Get a fixed number of PSOne Classic games, PSP Minis (bite-sized games), and PS3/PSP themes per month to keep for free for as long as you are a subscriber. The PlayStation Store offers these types of content for $2-6 each.

Discounts on Store Content
Get weekly member-exclusive discounts on specific games, game add-ons and themes on the PlayStation Store. Discounts may range from 20-50% off regular retail prices.

Member Only In-game Content
Get exclusive member-only in-game content for your PS3 or PSP such as new game play options, unlocked in-game weapons or player slots, exclusive levels, costumes/skins, and PlayStation Home spaces.

Trophy Alerts
Get automated alerts on your PlayStation XrossMedia Bar, PlayStation.com, and via text message (if you so choose) that alert you when your friends get any trophy or a specific one. This feature is customizable – you can choose which friends to receive alerts from and what kinds of alerts.

Cloud Storage Space for Games
Store your game saves on a virtual secure saver. This would allow you to access your game saves at any point in time, and from any PlayStation 3 or PSP console you are logged in on.

Online Music Service
Get a streaming music service that allows you to choose your channel based on music style, artist type, etc. and listen to an unlimited number of tracks. This service would be for use outside of playing a game and similar to Pandora or a Last.fm.

Online Music Video Service
Get a streaming music video service on your PlayStation 3 that lets you stream music videos from a continuously growing catalog of music and allows you to create a custom playlist to play back.

Automatic Downloads and Updates
Customize the types of updates you want your PS3 to download automatically. These include game updates (patches) for games that you own, firmware updates, and game demos downloaded on your PS3 without manually having to select them and wait for them to finish downloading. Your PS3 can be set to automatically turn on for updates and turn off after completion.

Loyalty Program Rewards
Get rewards the longer you are a subscriber and also earn rewards by engaging with PlayStation such as buying games, downloading movies, and rating products. Rewards can include full versions of PlayStation Network games and digital movie rentals from the PlayStation Store.

Facebook Connectivity
Access to member-exclusive Facebook features on your PlayStation 3, such as viewing and linking your Facebook accounts with their PSN ID’s, updating your status, editing, uploading and sharing photos, and viewing photo albums of your friends on your TV.

Catch-up TV
Get access to popular TV shows and movies through service providers such as Hulu, simply by clicking an icon on your PS3 XrossMedia navigation bar.

Netflix Access Without Disc
Access the Netflix video streaming service on your PS3 without the need to insert a special disc into the drive each time to access the service. A separate Netflix subscription would also be needed to enjoy the service. Netflix offers over 17000 popular movies and TV shows for streaming on your laptop or a supported device such as a PS3.

There are several reasons why people with Hepatitis C might be discriminated against at work. However, delving deeper into these reasons clearly demonstrates that such discrimination is unacceptable.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

Mostly fueled by ignorance about Hepatitis C infection, many with this illness are subject to discrimination. Unfortunately, unfair discrimination can lead to seemingly devastating consequences to a person’s employment status. Thus, those with Hepatitis C may find themselves engaged in a campaign to educate fellow workers and employers about their disease and their capacity for productivity.

Considering how many companies are currently cost-cutting, downsizing and laying off employees, job security is the source of tremendous stress for a majority of Americans. For the four to five million Americans with the disease, discrimination based on Hepatitis C can be especially worrisome in the workplace. Understanding why Hepatitis C could be discriminated against can help those with this disease decide with whom – and how – they discuss their health status.

The Basis of Discrimination
Two primary reasons for discrimination are fear and ignorance. Based on these qualifiers, Hepatitis C is a prime candidate for discrimination because of:

1. Transmission – Because there is no Hepatitis C vaccine and no guaranteed cure, people are afraid of getting it. Many do not know that Hepatitis C is only transmitted via blood- to-blood contact. Such ignorance about its transmission can make some fearful about casual contact (as happens in most work environments) with a person who has Hepatitis C.

2. Fear of Illness – Some individuals are uncomfortable being around others who are sick. Being uncomfortable around others with an illness is how certain people protect themselves from their personal fear of disease. A self-serving, coping mechanism, this discomfort may cause social rejection of people with disease to spare risking emotional exposure to suffering and/or death.

Justification for Discrimination
For the most part, receiving different treatment for Hepatitis C status is not just unfair, but it is against the law. However, some employers may feel justified in their discriminatory stance against employees with this illness. Business owners concerned about employee attendance and productivity may assume that someone with Hepatitis C would perform poorly in these areas. This is due to an assumption that those with Hepatitis C are subject to repeated doctor’s appointments or feeling fatigued or sick often.

According to “The Hepatitis C Survey: Bridging the Gaps in HCV Understanding and Treatment” – conducted by TNS and Synovate and sponsored by Novartis and Human Genome Sciences – one area in which this disease exerts a toll on patients is in employment. In this survey, Hepatitis C patients described missing days at work, decreases in productivity and lost income. The following statistics were deciphered:

1. 44 percent of respondents reported taking time off from work

2. 36 percent of respondents reported reduced productivity

These statistics could be of concern to employers who are forced to maximize their employees’ efficiency. However, these statistics must be put into context. Without a reliable comparison of how many people without Hepatitis C take time off from work and how many without Hepatitis C experience reduced work productivity, chances are it would not be that far from those surveyed. This is because, at some time or another, everybody must contend with illness and not feeling up to par.

From another perspective, today’s employment hardships intensify the competition for workers to keep their jobs. While such competition can prevent people from taking time off from work, it certainly diminishes their productivity. According to an article published in the October 2009 edition of the Harvard Business Review, making workaholics take time off improved their work performance.

Unless a person with Hepatitis C is exhibiting a behavior or pattern that would be problematic for other employees, their job security should not be threatened. To do so is discrimination, an unlawful incarnation of fear and ignorance. As more people learn to cope with their own fears around illness, that casual contact does not transmit Hepatitis C and that a person with Hepatitis C is no more apt to miss work or have diminished productivity compared to others, discriminating against this disease in the workplace will no longer be tolerated.

References:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/Rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.60.172, Unfair practices with respect to HIV or hepatitis C infection, Retrieved November 4, 2009, Washington State Legislature, 2009.

http://drugstorenews.com/%28S%281ednfv453jha1c45rnnwft45%29%29/story.aspx?id=120727&menuid=335, Survey finds hepatitis C patients adversely affected by medications, Alaric DeArment, Retrieved November 4, 2009, Drug Store News, October 2009.

http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/10/making-time-off-predictable-and-required/ar/1, Making Time Off Predictable–and Required, Leslie A. Perlow, Jessica L. Porter, Retrieved November 5, 2009, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Publishing, October 2009.

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2007/08/breaking_the_he.html, Breaking the Hepatitis C Social Stigma, Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., Retrieved November 5, 2009, Natural Wellness, 2009.

http://www.hepeducation.org/supportgroups/documents/DISCLOSURE.pdf, Hepatitis C Disclosure, Alan Franciscus, Retrieved November, 4, 2009, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2009.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/question-28290.html, I was fired because of my hepatitis C: Was this legal?, Retrieved November 4, 2009, Nolo, 2009.

Wow, look at the spike the big healthcare stocks made the morning after the big late night “reform” vote.

The gains have moderated a bit, but it kinda tells you all you need to know, doesn’t it? (via @tpcarney)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Sorry, Haters, The Healthcare Bill Actually WILL Reduce Costs
• Senate And House Healthcare Bills May Be On Impossible Collision Course
• Healthcare Stocks On Fire As Investors Wake Up And Realize Healthcare "Reform" Is A Giant Sellout

Filed under: Europe, GM, Saab, Earnings/Financials, Spyker

Here’s the skinny: Saab isn’t totally dead yet. As the weekend showed, there’s (a little) hope for both Saab and its Dutch suitor, Spyker. As our man Ramsey laid out yesterday, Spyker submitted a renewed eleven-point plan to General Motors that they (Spyker) hopes will allow them to take ownership of the deeply troubled brand. And yes, being pronounced dead four days ago counts as “deeply troubled.” As Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt pointed out, all this dead/not dead uncertainty has been throwing Saab employees, “between hope and despair.”

Meanwhile, a (perhaps) unintended consequence of Spyker’s eleventh hour rebid is that their stock has soared up 23.5 percent. Now, as some of you well know, Spyker isn’t very big. They sold just forty-three cars last year and their market cap was just 26.6 million euros before the stock shot up. Still, if Spyker plays their cards right, this spike in value could have long term benefits, but only if they secure a deal for Saab.

Says one anonymous analyst to Reuters, “The stock’s value is close to nothing but if they succeed to buy Saab, invest, and turn the company around then the shares can become valuable.” Trouble is, GM only has until 5:00 pm EST today to sell Saab. For we’re not sure why, but Spyker is making this a very limited time offer. If we had to guess, it’s in order to force a deal. For its part, General Motors is “reviewing several new expressions of interest” for Saab, one of which according to Saabs United is Merbanco.

Should the Spyker deal (and all other deals) fall through, 3,400 Swedish workers will lose their jobs, and the 1,100 Saab dealerships worldwide will be forced to shutter. The Swedish government is in crisis talks with Saab officials right now should such a worst case scenario transpire. As for now, the Saab remains the same – i.e. mostly dead. One last thing, here’s an interesting reflection on the demise of Saab by AB pal Jack Baruth.

[Sources: Reuters; Saabs United; Speed:Sport:Life | Image: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty]

REPORT: Spyker stock soars on word of Saab sale reconsideration originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Codemasters is letting everyone know that a new Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC pack is going live on the Marketplace today. PS3 and PC gamers will have to wait a bit. Details past the jump.