Author: Serkadis

An overnight snowstorm has sent plows scrambling to clear the roads before the Monday morning rush. Numerous weather-related spinout crashes have already been reported.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until noon for Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee and Will counties, according to the National Weather Services Web site. A more severe winter storm warning remains in effect until noon for DeKalb, Lake and McHenry counties.

The weather service said motorists should be prepared for hazardous driving conditions and use caution while traveling.

Illinois State Police reported an increase in spinout accidents early Monday. No serious injuries have been reported. Chicago Police reported no serious weather-related accidents early Monday.

The Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation deployed 175 snow-fighting trucks about 7 p.m. Sunday. The trucks will patrol the citys main streets and Lake Shore Drive, according to a Department of Streets & Sanitation statement.

The departments goal is to have arterial streets in as good shape as possible for the morning rush, according to the statement.

The weather service said the snow is expected to continue through Monday morning. The snow during the morning rush will slow traffic and could reduce visibility, according to the statement.

The storm is expected to drop between three and six inches of snow on the Chicago area by noon, the weather service said. Six to eight inches are expected in the northern and western suburbs.

The weather service is predicting a possibility of snow through Wednesday night, and temperatures are expected to mainly stay below freezing during that time.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Last July, Toyota executives boasted the company saving $100 million by negotiating a limited recall for the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES over a problem that could cause unintended acceleration.

In an internal Toyota document that was used during a presentation on its government relations, dated July 6, 2009, it says: “Negotiated ‘equipment’ recall on Camry/ES re: [sudden acceleration], saved $100 million+ with no defect found.”

“Equipment” recall is a type of a limited recall that is often used to repair an accessory or non-essential part of the car. The presentation was given by Yoshi Inaba, Toyota’s top North American executive.

A month after Inaba’s presentation, in which he boasted Toyota saving $100 million over a full recall, a family of four were killed in a Lexus involving a stuck gas pedal under a floor mat. In November 2009, Toyota eventually issued a full recall on the issue to prevent further incidents.

In a statement released by Toyota regarding the documents it recently shared with Congressional Committees, Toyota said:

“Our first priority is the safety of our customers and to conclude otherwise on the basis of one internal presentation is wrong. Our values have always been to put the customer first and ensure the highest levels of safety and quality. Our recently announced top-to-bottom quality review of all company operations, along with new quality initiatives and a renewed commitment to transparency are all designed to reaffirm these values.”

You can check out a video of the Lexus family’s 911 call after the jump.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: CNN

This is a guest post by Joseph Matthews from Art of Approaching, a hands-on guide to picking up any woman.

Back when I was a kid, I was in the Boy Scouts. Now, anyone who knows anything about the Boy Scouts will know that tried and true motto: Always Be Prepared. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and most importantly – it’s damn effective!

In life, this motto will help you achieve any goal you want. Being prepared for what you want is the best way to receive it. The universe will always give you that which you are after, but only if you are ready for it!

So the first thing you should do before you even step foot outside the house is to know what you want.

Seriously. It amazes me how few guys know what it is they want. Here’s a little secret for you: If you don’t know what you want, you’ll never get it!

Do you want a one night stand? Do you want a girlfriend? Do you want a wife? Do you want a blonde, brunette, or redhead? Do you want a woman with big boobs? Do you want a highly educated woman? Do you want a woman who is independent? Do you want a woman who smokes? Do you want a single mom? Do you want a woman who loves giving blowjobs? Do you want a woman who is white, black, latin, or asian?

The list can go on and on. The fact is, knowing what you want will help you to get it! Why? Because you eliminate all the other distractions that could keep you from getting what you want or prolong your search.

For instance, let’s say you want to settle down and you’re looking for a woman to get married to. Are you going to waste your time picking up party girls who want to go out every night, dress sexy so other guys can oogle them, and never stay at home except maybe to shower and change clothes?

Of course not!

You’re going to go after women who have settled down and are looking for stability. So this means you have to forget about those nightclubs all your buddies are going to, and look for venues where you can find the type of women you want.

So remember: Always know what you want! To the most minute detail. And don’t be afraid to walk away should one of your requirements not be met.

Download a copy of Art of Approaching here.

photo credit: jessica.garro

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New operating system helps operators achieve optimized precision cutting

Kent, Washington, February 9, 2010 – OMAX Corporation’s new PC-based controllers now come standard with a Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 desktop computer that features the latest business-class release of Windows 7 Ultimate. The operating system supports OMAX’s industry-leading Intelli-MAX® Premium Software, a patented “Compute First – Move Later” motion control system for the JetMachining Center product line.

OMAX software engineers tested pre-release developer versions of Windows 7 Ultimate for nearly two years before incorporating it into the company’s abrasive waterjet technology. Widely regarded as the most reliable and secure version of Windows® to date, the operating system includes 10 language packs and helps operators optimize precision cutting performance.

OMAX is committed to developing cutting-edge technology and innovative software to ensure that each customer enjoys the benefits of the industry’s most technologically advanced abrasive waterjet machines and accessories. As a result, each OMAX product comes with the OMAX Technology Guarantee, which provides software upgrades for all existing customers at no additional charge.

About OMAX
Headquartered in Kent, Washington, OMAX® Corporation is the leading manufacturer of precision abrasive waterjet systems. Each OMAX JetMachining® system is powered by the company’s innovative control software, bringing affordable abrasivejet technology to an expanding and diverse group of industries.

This is what our clients are saying:

Samuel Admas: Application: Replacement of an oxygen sensor in a package analyzer from the competitor’s model.
“Nirva’s sensors work well, hold calibration and are easier to work with when changing the membrane than the competitors brand.” John K.

Diageo: Application: Oxygen in Food & Beverage WATER process.
“I’m testing a probe and I have found it to have an excellent response time and accuracy compared to the (competition).” Nick R.

These new generation sensors are proving to be faster, more reliable and precise whilst reducing the traditional EC maintenance process.
Contact us at : [email protected] / www.nirva.ch

The ultimate tool for package analysis.
The Package Analyzer is the ultimate tool for analysis of beer and soft drinks in glass bottles, PET containers and cans. The instrument is based on the popular Mecsens piercer but its control, operation and data management are handled by a high performance touch screen PC. The ultra sophisticated miniature channel flow chamber allows accurate headspace analysis and is example of Mecsens engineering and its Swiss precision manufacturing capability.

True TPO : no shaking of samples, no temperature preparation, no calculated values.

Low trace level readings: the package incorporates two trace level oxygen sensors ingeniously connected to an ultra sophisticated miniature channel flow chamber for measuring headspace volume, temperature and oxygen levels in headspace and the liquid. The Mecsens CO2 sensor allows the measurement of CO2 levels in liquid.

The ultimate packaging line measurement
Competitive pressures and the drive for high quality premium products have lead to the development and use of high speed packaging lines in breweries and soft drink manufacturing plants. Reliable, fast and precise quality control instruments must ensure that essential data are easily and quickly obtained, stored and analyzed to avoid production of waste. Whereas analysis before could be done off-line in laboratories, the resulting control cycle time could result in production of thousand of bottles of off spec product on these high speed packaging lines. The Package Analyzer is designed to quickly and automatically measure the essential parameters of a packaging to avoid production of high wastes. Its sturdy construction allows installation very close to the packaging line and its automated cycle reliably produced the measurements necessary for analysis and process control.

Client references proven technology.

FAULHABER expands its encoder product line with the addition of its PA2-50 and PA2-100. Leading the way again in miniature motor feedback development, FAULHABER now provides high-resolution, low current-draw optical encoders in different diameters from 6 up to 12 mm. Continuing to set the industry standard for feedback of DC-Micromotors, FAULHABER now packs 50 lines per revolution into a 6 mm and 100 lines per revolution into an 8 up to 12 mm diameter package.

Blending the best technologies, the new encoders expand possibilities for applications requiring miniature motors with encoders. By incorporating the “world’s smallest optical encoder”, Avago’s AEDR 8400 pro-vides consistent, accurate, and high resolution not to be matched by magnetic encoders. Optimized for the AEDR 8400, a custom-designed codewheel maximizes the reflected light increasing the system’s efficiency and signal reliability.

The PA2-xx raise expectations by using leading-edge technologies. Moving beyond magnetic technology, the PA2-xx provide an impressive 50 / 100 lines per revolution before quadrature utilizing optical technol-ogy. Operating between 2.7 to 3.3V DC, low-voltage battery applications continue running longer with more robust feedback signal reliability. Improved battery life comes from a low-inertia codewheel and a battery-friendly current draw of 8 / 8.5 mA.

Hoods and covers of material flow containers and transport boxes must allow easy and fast operation. Wherever series production or supplier parts with a high added value have to pass logistics processes safely and without time losses, easy operation of cargo containers is essential. Hydropneumatic LIFT-O-MAT gas springs from STABILUS have stood the test of time in the design of such logistics structures. The patented Bonfire gas spring from this product line is considered a specialty product for transportation systems with extreme safety requirements. It is the ideal solution in hazmat containers and cargo containers for hazardous goods. For example, it is installed in enclosed transportation racks used in the automotive industry to handle finished airbags or other safety-relevant components.
What is special about this STABILUS Bonfire gas spring is its behavior in a fire. The LIFT-O-MAT BF – which is the proper designation of this gas spring – will respond to a temperature increase and the corresponding pressure rise by automatically lowering the pressure. In case of fire, the gas required for normal operation will be released and can “escape” promptly from the gas spring, eliminating another potential hazard – and that’s crucial.
The LIFT-O-MAT BF has proven its automatic degassing function in these cases in the customary external fire test according to UN-Test 6 (c), also called the “bonfire test” by safety experts. The purpose of this test is to protect human life and health, as well as de-escalation. The bonfire test stipulates that in a fire, the components of a container structure must not diffuse in an uncontrolled manner. To ensure this, the fire performance of components and materials used in the construction of hazmat storage containers is simulated in an external fire test.
In addition to its superior safety standard, the LIFT-O-MAT BF from STABILUS will also allow implementing ergonomic aspects in the construction of hazmat containers. Wherever heavy covers and lids need to be lifted, lowered or positioned, these non-locking gas springs from the LIFT-O-MAT product line will lend some “muscle” for convenient force assist.
Gas springs from STABILUS are manufactured according to the specifications of DIN EN ISO 9001 and the global standard ISO/TS 16949.

Cooling ceilings, critical areas in HVAC and technical installations, which are operating close to the dewpoint temperature, need an early alarm system against the forming of moisture, because of the potential danger of condensation.

The new condensation monitor EE46 from E+E Elektronik is specially designed for such applications and can be installed in a few seconds on pipelines, walls, and ceilings.

The early detection of “danger of condensation” and as a result the immediate start of counter measures renders this product as very significant.

A special coating protects the sensor and electronics against dirt and dust – a guarantee for a longstanding, stable and above all maintenance free operation.

The fast response, high accurate E+E humidity sensor is exposed to the temperature of the surface of the object by means of a thermal conducting foil. Therefore, the humidity sensor measures the same relative humidity as is present at the surface of the object to be monitored.

If the preset set point of 90 %RH is exceeded the EE46 switches a potential free contact and provides a signal enabling to take early counter measures, e.g. to increase the temperature of the water in the pipe, to decrease the cooling power or to turn on the heat. In addition, a LED on the enclosure indicates the actual status.

The condensation monitor of the Series EE46 is designed to be powered by 24 V ac/dc and is the ideal solution for the early detection of condensation – another innovative member of the E+E HVAC assortment.

In 2007, Cynthia Castillo was involved in a freeway accident that left her a quadriplegic. Castillo apparently lost control of her 1997 Ford Explorer when the tread separated from her left-rear tire as she was driving, resulting in the SUV to veer off the freeway, rolling three times down an embankment and leaving her legs and most of her body paralyzed.

A California jury last week awarded Castillo $23.4 million in a civil judgment against FoMoCo.

Castillo’s attorney, Brian Brandy, says that there is a flaw in the 1997 Explorer’s design that caused it to lose control.

A FoMoCo attorney says that the accident was caused by a work-out tire.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Detroit News

Lockport Township High School District 205 is considering working with a not-for-profit educational group to develop long-term goals and ways to monitor progress toward reaching those goals.

The district last year had the Consortium for Educational Change evaluate the district through a series of interviews with school officials, board members, teachers, students and parents.

The school board now has the option of working with the consortium to develop goals based on the evaluation at a cost of $19,200.

The consortium is based in Lombard and is composed of a network of Illinois school districts.

If approved, the consortium would work again with school leaders, teachers, students and parents to determine what needs should be met and how the district can get to where it wants to be, according to Perry Soldwedel, the consortium’s core service director for strategic visioning.

In the consortium’s initial findings, which were released in December, the district’s overcrowding was reported as the top concern and cited as a contributor to low morale, anxiety and greater stress among teachers, students and parents, especially at the East campus.

The district’s schools are about 300 students above capacity and are on a staggered shift schedule to reduce hallway and classroom congestion.

In addition to addressing the spatial issue, the district also needs to do a better job helping Hispanic students, special education students and economically disadvantaged students meet educational standards, the consortium found.

In the consortium’s next step, a planning team of 25 to 45 people would form and study ways for the district to improve.

The team would share this information with the rest of the school community, which could offer feedback that would be used in forming the goals, Soldwedel said.

Having two-way communication is useful when forming a long-term plan, Soldwedel said.

“Your greatest asset is the people,” he said. “You have a lot of talented people.”

A new set of long-term goals would be brought to the school board for approval by May or June, Soldwedel said.

Once the board approves the new set of goals, the consortium would then help the district create ways to reach the goals and then a grading system to measure how they are or are not working, he said.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

A typical men’s wallet is pretty forgettable. but not the new ‘Manga Print’ series from Comme Des Garcons. These wallets bring a crazy doodler sensibility to your pocket.

The ‘Manga Print’ series comes in three styles and colors. You can buy them at Dover Street Market for 100 pounds (about $158).

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Every day it seems the US markets get knocked around due to some events happening overseas.

China and Europe have been trading places as the tail wagging our dog, though last week was mercifully light on China news due to the New Year.

And seeing as they’ve just finished a round of delivering fresh economic news and a rate hike, we might expect things to be somewhat quiet out of Beijing in the near-term. The situation in Europe remains anyone’s guess.

So now the focus turns back to America, and our own unique set of issues.

Two big themes both relating to interest rates will dominate the discussion. First there’s Bernanke’s fiddling with the uber-short end of the curve (so short, even, it doesn’t actually show up). And then there’s the fresh focus on long-term yields.

That’s where the battle is going to take place.

Treasury bears have been out in force for awhile, but they smell blood right now, in part helped by some recent very-weak bond auctions.

Here’s a quick recap of some posts on the subject:

• The one chart that screams higher interest rates
• If you thought the yield curve was steep now, you haven’t seen anything yet
• The much-anticipated Treasury selloff is no long a matter of “if”
• CHART: Wall Street’s gravy train is about to smash into a brick wall

So there you go. The below chart from Waverly Advisors, which we’ve run before, is a nice quick way of visualizing the changing curve year over year.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The One Chart That Scares Richard Russell And Screams Higher Interest Rates
• How Long Before The European Central-Bank Starts Cutting Interest Rates Wildly Again?
• If You Thought The Yield Curve Was Steep Now, Then You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet

Will County’s public safety agencies hope to build the second-largest communications center in Illinois – a $43 million command center in Crest Hill that others consider a “huge waste of money.”

The project some thought was dead is still alive and well and was recently presented to Will County officials.

Leading the charge is the county’s Emergency Telephone System Board, which has collected a 75-cent monthly surcharge per land line since 1989 to provide 9-1-1 emergency dispatch services.

While this joint effort is “not on the fast track,” ETSB administrator Steve Figved said the board has taken the first step to make this vision a reality. On Thursday, the board will discuss three appraisals averaging $35,000 per acre to purchase a 20-acre site owned by the Illinois Department of Corrections on Caton Farm Road. The board already spent $1 million on preconstruction design and development costs.

The proposed two-story, 87,000- square-foot facility could house the ETSB and 9-1-1 administrative staff, the Western Will County dispatch center (WESCOM), the Will County Sheriff’s dispatch center, the county coroner’s office, the county Emergency Operations Center and the Emergency Management Agency’s radio system.

The facility is designed to enhance emergency services, ensure uninterrupted operations during an emergency, meet the growth of Will County and reduce the overall costs of providing emergency services, Figved said.

Each agency would pay its “fair share,” he said. ETSB and 9-1-1 would occupy the most space and pay $11.4 million. WESCOM would pay $4.3 million and the five Will County agencies would bear the remaining two-thirds of the cost. County officials now must decide how they want to proceed.

But like any massive project, it is not without opposition.

The Lincoln-Way Communications Center board has always fought plans for a consolidated center and voted last week to oppose this project.

“We are opposed to spending $11 million of our money,” center chairman Don Labriola said.

Two years ago, Labriola, a Mokena village trustee, headed a task force urging the ETSB to give back some of the money it collected from the telephone tax surcharge to fund local dispatch centers. While some money has been returned, Labriola said Mokena, New Lenox and Frankfort still pay about $350,000 each year to operate their center.

“That surcharge is to make sure we can dispatch police and fire calls. It is not to build a building,” he said. The land should be leased from or donated by the state, he said.

“I thought the project was dead, but someone kept it on life support,” Crete Mayor Mike Einhorn said.

Einhorn, who also heads the Eastern Will County Communications Center (EASTCOM), said it is illegal to spend those funds on a building. The $43 million structure is “too extravagant” and “a huge waste of money,” he said. “How does this help people in eastern Will County?”

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

It turns out the joke just may be on Tinley Park High School band director Vincent Aiello.

Aiello hid a tape recorder in the band’s practice room. When the honors jazz ensemble rehearsed, the 44-year-old director pressed play.

He recorded the group for several days. Then, he compiled the best of the rehearsals on a disc and submitted it to the Jazz Educators Network Conference. Aiello said he thought he would just get some feedback on how the group could improve, not a congratulatory letter inviting them to the conference.

“I said, ‘This should be fun to see how we do,’ and then I get this big congratulations letter, and I’m like, ‘wow,’ ” Aiello said.

He said the group, made up of 23 students, will perform with other high school, college and professional jazz bands at the three-day conference in late May in St. Louis.

The mostly upperclassman ensemble will perform about six to nine songs for an hour, Aiello said.

When the students heard of his “deceit” they were far from angry.

“I thought it was funny,” senior trombone player Terry Pallanti said. “I definitely didn’t think we sounded that good during rehearsal (to make the conference).”

Pallanti, who has been with the group for four years, said he isn’t worried about the other schools and is confident the Tinley Park ensemble will hold its own.

“We’re going to go out there and show what we got,” he said.

Senior Chris Taylor also has been with the band for four years. The drummer, who has been playing since fifth grade, started by practicing on pots and pans.

“We work extremely hard, and for me, it proved that our hard work pays off,” he said.

Aiello said the trip will cost about $150 per student, and to raise the funds, the band will host the fourth annual Jazz Cafe. The all-day event will be in March.

Despite knowing how hard they’ve worked, Taylor said being invited to the conference doesn’t mean they get to relax.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

IF YOU GO …

What: Jazz Cafe

When: 2 p.m. March 28

Where: Tinley Park High School cafeteria

Cost: $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Pat Hayes, a longtime volunteer with the Orland Grassland, has toiled for years to return the 960-acre preserve to its historic and natural glory.

So it makes sense that the Orland Park resident and her crew of volunteers are protective of the preserve and the wildlife that inhabits it.

As a result, a four-mile bike path planned for the perimeter of the preserve has the volunteers in a bit of a quandary.

“We want people to have the opportunity to experience what’s out there,” Hayes said. “The downside is people have to stay on the path. If people go off the trail it’s devastating to us.”

She worries the most about cyclists damaging the flora and terrorizing or killing the fauna as they ride through, instead of around, the grassland.

The preserve owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve District is a breeding ground for grassland birds whose numbers are declining. The birds nest on the ground.

“If we could find signage to let people know wheels don’t belong out there that would be good,” Hayes said.

The Cook County Board recently approved hiring a consultant, Chicago-based Baxter and Woodman, for $366,935 to work on a handful of bike trails including the trail at the grassland, said Dave Kircher, chief landscape architect for the district.

The grassland trail is expected to cost about $1 million, but the funding is not available for the asphalt trail that would be about 10 feet wide, Kircher said.

“This one will slide down in terms of priority because there are no funds,” he said.

Once the trail is completed, it will serve a recreational use, and Orland Park officials hope it will be a part of the village’s main trail system that will stretch across the village and connect to the Tinley Creek Preserve and Trail System. The village’s 10-mile trail system remains under construction.

“It’ll be really popular based on other trails of a similar length,” Kircher said.

Kircher said he understands the volunteers’ concern. But he thinks the trail will be a benefit.

“People tend to stick to a paved trail,” he said. “There’s been a lot of work put into that site. We don’t want to see that compromised.”

Bob Sullivan, Orland Park’s community development director, agreed. People feel invested in a beautiful place, he said.

“Right now the volunteers are the main eyes and ears. If you introduce a trail to an area you can have people coming through all the time, which helps prevent illicit activity on the property,” he said.

In the meantime, Hayes said, the volunteers plan to work closely with the forest preserve district on the trail plans.

“It’s so good for the community to be able to enjoy it,” she said.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

This week, Oak Lawn’s quest to have the federal government designate a railroad quiet zone in the village was supposed to finally come to an end.

Actually establishing a quiet zone doesn’t take much work – if you’re talking about manual labor. The plans called for building a median on Cicero Avenue, installing a few lights and signs and creating a pedestrian crosswalk over some railroad tracks at Cook Avenue.

In fact, that work already is done. Except posting the “Quiet Zone” signs.

That’s because two years in the making, there is no quiet zone yet.

Let there be quiet

In 1994, Congress created a law that required train engineers to blast their locomotive horns at virtually all crossings where train tracks intersect roadways, ostensibly for safety reasons.

Federal lawmakers provided for an exception in “quiet zones,” residential areas where train horns are silenced as the locomotives plow through the communities.

Exceptions for quiet zones are made for emergency situations and are spelled out in a 55-page Federal Railroad Administration document.

Across the county, 375 quiet zones exist in one form or another. Illinois has 20.

Oak Lawn, whose residents and village officials had pressed to create a quiet zone along portions of Metra’s popular SouthWest Service Line, had positioned itself to be among the next in line.

“For the people residing along the SouthWest line, this quiet zone will bring the most welcome sound of all – the sound of silence,” U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) said in a news release.

To make it happen, Oak Lawn had to get the Illinois Department of Transportation to construct a new median along Cicero Avenue and convert a railroad crossing at Cook Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly walkway, complete with new lights and crossing arms.

Those plans were hatched two years ago, and work recently was completed on both.

But there’s still no quiet zone.

Not out of the woods yet

Just this month, while officials in Oak Lawn were finishing the paperwork that would pave the way for the Feb. 17 quiet zone debut, the Railroad Administration found a problem with the median.

It wasn’t a problem with the height, width or integrity of the new median.

Instead, federal officials took issue with the complex safety formula used to see if Oak Lawn was eligible for a quiet zone in the first place.

Oak Lawn received fewer points in the eligibility formula because of the way the median was constructed in 1960.

A Railroad Administration spokesman said Oak Lawn might not qualify for a quiet zone because the median, which would prevent cars from crossing the center of the road to beat trains, was too short and therefore too risky.

Oak Lawn officials contend that the old median always has been the same height, but road construction projects have changed the makeup of the road, not the median.

Plus, they say they weren’t told of the discrepancy until after the quiet zone plans went forward.

Oak Lawn officials wanted to plead their case with the Railroad Administration earlier, but a massive blizzard struck the East Coast, halting communication between Oak Lawn and legislators in Washington, D.C.

Both sides finally were able to meet last week to argue their viewpoints, and a federal ruling is expected within weeks.

It’s unclear how the new median will factor into the conversation between the government entities, but there is a chance Oak Lawn may have to start the application process all over again.

All of which amounts to a delay in silencing the horns of passenger trains that rumble through the village.

And still no quiet zone.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: bacon is good. Really, really good. But better than sex? A whopping 43% of Canadians surveyed by Maple Leaf Foods said that they would rather have bacon than sex.

Granted, the survey was conducted by a bacon manufacturer, so one has to take these results with a grain of salt. Or grease.

But some other surprising findings were that 23% of men said bacon was their number one favorite fragrance. And almost one in four people surveyed wondered if their partner loves bacon more then them.

This information comes to you from none other than Bacon Today whose tag line is “daily updates on the world of sweet, sweet bacon.”

photo credit: Sappymoosetree

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With the old healthcare reform ideas no long having any reasonable hope of passing in Congress, Barack Obama is adopting plan B: price controls.

According to the NYT, the President will propose today a scheme whereby the Federal government has the right to block any health insurance premium hikes it deems “excessive.”

How high a hike is excessive? It’s not clear. We suspect it’s like pornography in that you know it when you see it. As noted in the article, recent premium hikes in California announced by Anthem Blue Cross of 39%, would probably be deemed excessive.

A new seven-member Health Insurance Rate Authority would be tasked with making the decision.

Meanwhile, Obama will publicly debate Republicans on healthcare on Thursday, and the debate will be televised meaning lots of canned one-liners and little actual debate.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Krugman: California Is In A Death Spiral And Illustrates Perfectly Why We Need To Keep Talking About Healthcare
• Premium Health Insurance Is Overrated, And Most Folks Would Be Fine Just Paying For Healthcare Out Of Pocket
• The Democrats Are Pushing For Healthcare Again, But Here’s 6 Reasons They’ll Get Creamed For It