Category: News

Fart machines have struck again! Juvenile? Yes…but you can’t help but laugh. Everyone seems to agree that the best reaction comes about 42 seconds in. [Digg]

Not all new products are debuting at the CES this week, as is the case with the new Fujitsu Lifebook UH900. This little handheld clamshell has a 5.6-inch screen and runs Windows 7. The little computer has Atom inside along with a 62 GB SSD to keep things hopping.

UPDATE: I finally found this little jewel in stealth mode at the Microsoft booth. I couldn’t play with it very much but got a good photo of it below. I’m certainly going to try and track down a hands-on session with this little clamshell

The little beast only weighs 1.1 pounds, and the display is actually multitouch capable. This could be one of the smallest “slates” capable of multitouch. The little Lifebook will be sold by Fujitsu in Asia for $999. It’s not cheap but it does pack a wallop.

(via Akihabara News)

My high school physical education teacher had a nickname for everyone. (Mine was “Little One” because I was the runt of the class. Better than “Chicken Bones,” as one scrawny boy was dubbed.) It didn’t bother me, but according to research recently published in Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, I dodged a bullet–or maybe the dodgeball.

Billy Strean, a professor at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, says “a negative lifelong attitude towards physical activity can be determined by either a good or a bad experience, based on the personal characteristics of the coach or instructor. For example, negative experiences may come from a teacher who has low energy, is unfair and/or someone who embarrasses students.”

One person in Strean’s study shared this: “I am a 51-year-old-woman whose childhood experiences with sports, particularly as handled in school, were so negative that even as I write this my hands are sweating and I feel on the verge of tears. I have never experienced the humiliation nor felt the antipathy toward any other aspect of life as I do toward sports.”

To help combat the obesity epidemic and give people a healthier attitude towards exercise, Strean suggests coaches and teachers emphasize fun and, until kids are in their teens, consider not keeping scores.

Not sure how my high school classmate “Ace” would have felt about that….

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80beats: Despite Exercise, Zero-G Makes Astronauts as Wimpy as 80-Year-Olds
80beats: All Gain, No Pain: New Drugs Could Mimic the Effects of Exercise

Image: iStockphoto

We were troubled last month by reports that SOCAN, a music collection society up in Canada, was looking to get buskers (street performers) to pay performance fees. Now more details are coming out on this story. It really involves TransLink, the Vancouver-area transit authority, and SOCAN, with SOCAN demanding a lot more money from TransLink. Apparently, TransLink quickly caved and agreed to a massive increase in fees, which it is immediately dumping on the buskers themselves — even though most “venues” cover any such fees themselves. It turns out that Buskers in TransLink stations already had to pay $75/year — but now if they want to play during the Olympics, that will be a separate $50 fee just for the Olympics, and the new annual fee will probably be around $300. For busking. I wonder what they want to charge you for humming or singing along?

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podcast promotion ceremony

Thursday January 7, 2010 – Stars and Bars are what were shining this afternoon as the new rank and file accepted their new positions as Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Commander and Captain of the Los Angeles Police Department.  The newly appointed command staff was sworn into their new assignments and proudly accepted their shining badges presented to them by Chief Charlie Beck.  Their friends and family joined them on stage to celebrate this very special occasion.

Chief Beck congratulated and individually introduced his new command staff with a heartfelt personal introduction stating, “Not only do I trust them, I put my faith in them, I am absolutely sure these are the right people.”

The following command staff was promoted; Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur, Assistant Chief Michel Moore, Deputy Chief Debra McCarthy, Deputy Chief Patrick Gannon, Commander Blake Chow, Commander Michael Moriarty, Commander Robert Green, Captain Melissa Zak and Captain Gina Sanders.  The ceremony was held at the new Police Administration Building, Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium.

By Covered Bond Investor™ Staff

So far, 2010 is a happy new year for covered bonds, as financial news outlets are reporting with enthusiasm:

• In a column titled “Covered Bonds Set to Roar?” Richard Kemmish of the Wall Street Journal wrote (Dec. 8): “If 2009 was the year of the European corporate bond market, perhaps 2010 will be the year of the European covered bond market.”

• A news story from Dow Jones’ Mark Brown and Michael Wilson struck a similar note: “The market for covered bonds … is off to a roaring start in 2010.”

• Meanwhile, the headline of a Bloomberg article by Sonja Cheung and Caroline Hyde trumpeted: “Covered Bond Sales Soar to 3-Month High, Lead European Issuance.”

Bloomberg pegged covered bond sales so far this year [as of January 8] at €12 billion (more than USD $17 billion) – about 30 times the volume over the same period in 2009. READ MORE>>

http://www.coveredbondinvestor.com/news/covered-bonds-soar-and-roar-new-year

In case you missed it, we’ve got the full details on the the six new Lumix point-and-shoots Panasonic introduced at CES this week. Ultraslim, video, touchscreens, oh my!

PANASONIC INTRODUCES LUMIX FH-SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS, PACKED WITH WIDE-ANGLE LENSES AND POWERFUL ZOOMS

Panasonic LUMIX FH20 Ideal for Sophisticated Users Looking for Compact Digital Camera Capable of HD-Quality Photos and Video & Powerful 8x Optical Zoom

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 6, 2010) – Panasonic today introduced the new FH-Series to its 2010 line of LUMIX digital cameras, which includes the LUMIX DMC-FH20 (14.1-megapixels), LUMIX FH3 (14.1-megapixels) and LUMIX FH1 (12.1-megapixels). The LUMIX FH-Series are slim, pocketable models that pack a 28mm wide-angle lens with 8x optical zoom for the FH20 and 5x optical zoom for the FH3/FH1. All models can record High Definition video and thanks to iA (Intelligent Auto) – are extremely easy to use.

“With the new Panasonic LUMIX FH-Series, consumers will be thrilled to see small, easy-to-use digital cameras that do not compromise quality or advanced features. Though there are similarities within the family, we expect slightly different users for each model. The step-up FH20 will be attractive for sophisticated digital camera users who want a longer zoom, perhaps to take photos of their kids playing sports,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Meanwhile, for the LUMIX FH3/1, we expect first-time buyers who may not be as concerned with a long zoom, but who still demand high performance and ease-of-use will be drawn to these models.”

The LUMIX FH-Series features High Definition (HD) 720p motion jpeg video recording capabilities. By recording 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480), the LUMIX FH-Series makes it easy to view videos on a PC or upload it seamlessly to YouTube*1 with the bundled PHOTOfunSTUDIO version 5.0 software. All models are compatible with Windows® 7*2 and can take HD-quality still photos that fill a 16:9 HDTV. Users with a Panasonic VIERA® HDTV can enjoy a slideshow of photos simply by inserting an SD Memory Card into the HDTV’s SD Memory Card Image Viewer slot.

Panasonic’s popular iA mode, a suite of technologies that engage automatically – with no setting changes needed by the user – makes it easy for anyone to take beautiful photos. Panasonic iA includes the following: MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) to help reduce blurry photos due to hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control to help reduce blur when the subject is moving; Face Detection to ensure registered faces are captured in focus with appropriate exposure and unwanted red eyes are digitally corrected; and Intelligent Scene Selector which selects the best option from: Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and newly-added Sunset. There is even a dedicated iA button, letting users engage easily with one click. The three models also have a 2.7″ 230,000-dot Intelligent LCD, meaning the LCD detects the lighting conditions and controls the brightness level in 11 fine steps, to display with the most appropriate setting.

The Panasonic LUMIX FH-Series includes the Venus Engine IV image processor, which features advanced signal processing technology to produce a fast response time. The shutter release time lag on the FH20 and FH3 is approximately 0.006 second; and approximately 0.007 second for the FH1. The Auto Focus on the three models can lock on the subject in minimum 0.35 second*3.

Other features of the Panasonic LUMIX FH-Series digital cameras include:

* Quick Setting – Allows the users’ most frequently-used settings, such as O.I.S., consecutive shooting, Auto Focus Point, White Balance – to be easily accessed through the “Quick Menu” button. There’s no need to open several menu screens to adjust them – the user simply selects convenient icons displayed on the menu.
* Scene Modes: Baby, Pet and Sports modes let the user choose the setting and the camera does the rest. Users can also record the name/birthday of a child or pet and embed the information in the photo and have it printed if desired.
* Photo Frame: Put attractive borders around the photo and when printed, the photos look like postcards in picture frames.
* My Scene – Lets the user customize specific Scene modes that they like best, so they can quickly and conveniently switch instantly to the mode
* Macro Zoom – Pulls subjects even closer by using 3x digital zoom, and captures even more dramatic close-ups.
* SDXC Computability – Compatible with SDXC Memory Cards, including Panasonic’s newly announced 48 GB*4 and 64 GB SDXC Memory Cards – to enable high capacity content storage and fast data transfer speeds.
* Battery Life – The FH20 can take up to 300 images and the FH3/FH1 can take up to 310 images on a single battery charge*5.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic LUMIX FH20, LUMIX DMC-FH3 and LUMIX DMC-FH1 will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. Encased in a brushed metal-finished panel, the FH20 will be available in silver, black, red and violet models. The LUMIX FH3 and FH1 will be available in silver and black.

PANASONIC’S NEW LUMIX FP-SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS FEATURE SLEEK DESIGN AND ULTRA-SLIM PROFILE FOR USERS WITH STYLE

Panasonic LUMIX FP3 Digital Camera, Complete with Folded Optics Design, Features 3.0″ Touch-Screen LCD and Ultra-Slim Profile for Easy Carry

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 6, 2010) – Panasonic today announces new LUMIX digital cameras for the 2010 line with the additions to the ultra-slim FP-Series, the LUMIX DMC-FP3 and FP1. Both FP-Series models have a 4x optical zoom with a folded optics design so the front has a flat and stylish design, featuring a newly-adopted lens cover that protects the lens, and also serves as the camera’s power switch. The Panasonic LUMIX FP3 also features an intuitive 3.0″ touch-screen LCD for an easy-to-use operation combined with buttons.

The LUMIX FP3 (14.1-megapixel) features a 3.0″ touch-screen LCD, while the LUMIX FP1 has 12.1-megapixels and a 2.7″ 230,000-dot LCD. The newly adopted, 3.0-inch touch screen LCD on the LUMIX FP3 provides an intuitive control thanks to a hybrid operation combined with the four major operation buttons. The touch-screen operation is fluid and smooth – whether in record or playback mode. While recording, once the frame is composed, users can simply touch the area they want focused before pressing the shutter button. In playback mode, users can drag the image across the screen with their finger to browse the collection of photos, as though it is a page in a book. Both models include Intelligent LCD, which detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD in 11 fine steps, to offer a display with the most appropriate clarity in any situation.

“Panasonic’s new LUMIX FP-Series models are designed to be sleek in appearance and easy-to-use, perfect for a user who is concerned with the look and style of their digital camera, but does not want to compromise performance,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Starting with how the camera is turned on – simply by sliding the lens cover, the FP-Series is innovative and uniquely designed. Add our Intelligent Auto Mode, making it easy for consumers to take High Definition-quality photos, plus an intuitive touch-screen, and we are confident the LUMIX FP3 will be a standout this year.”

Panasonic’s popular iA (intelligent auto) mode, a suite of technologies that engage automatically – no setting changes needed by the user – makes it easy for anyone to take beautiful photos. The LUMIX FP3 and FP1 include iA with the following technologies: MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) to help reduce blurry photos due to hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control to help reduce blur when the subject is moving; Face Detection to ensure registered faces are captured in focus with appropriate exposure and unwanted red eyes are digitally corrected; and Intelligent Scene Selector which automatically selects the best option from six popular Scene modes: Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and newly added Sunset. To make it even easier, the new FP-Series models feature the dedicated iA button, which lets the user engage iA easily with a click of the button.

New to the FP-Series is High Definition (HD) video recording capability at 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480). The FP-Series models are compatible with Windows® 7*. Also, the new FP-Series models include the Venus Engine IV processing engine, which supports a fast response time. The shutter release time lag is approximately 0.006 second for FP3 and 0.007 second for the FP1. With fast shutter speeds, the Panasonic FP-Series makes it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities. Both LUMIX FP-models also have a start-up time of approximately 0.97 second.

Other features of the Panasonic LUMIX FP3 and FP1 include:

· Quick Setting – Allows the users’ most frequently-used settings, such as O.I.S., consecutive shooting, Auto Focus Point, White Balance – to be easily accessed through the “Quick Menu” button. There’s no need to open several menu screens to adjust them – the user simply selects convenient icons displayed on the menu.
· Scene Modes: Variety of options, such as Baby, Pet and Sports – lets the user set in this Mode and the camera does the rest. Users can also record the name/birthday of a child or pet and embed the information in the photo and have it printed if desired.
· Photo Frame: Put attractive borders around the photo and when printed, the photos look like postcards in picture frames.
· My Scene – Lets the user customize specific Scene modes that they like best, so they can quickly and conveniently switch instantly to the mode.
· Macro Zoom – Pulls subjects even closer by using 3x digital zoom, and captures even more dramatic close-ups.
· SDXC Computability – Compatible with SDXC Memory Cards, including Panasonic’s newly announced 64 GB** and 48 GB SDXC Memory Cards – to enable high capacity content storage and fast data transfer speeds.
· Battery Life – Can take up to 300 images on a single battery charge***.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic LUMIX FP3 and FP1 will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. Both models are built of solid, high-quality aluminum, and will be available in the following colors: silver, black and navy for the LUMIX FP3; silver, black, red, blue and pink for LUMIX FP1. For more information on these Panasonic LUMIX digital camera models, please visit www.panasonic.com/ces2010.

PANASONIC’S NEW LUMIX DMC-F3 DIGITAL CAMERA DELIVERS ON STYLE AND CONVENIENCE FOR ENTRY-LEVEL USER

New LUMIX F3 Digital Camera is Compact with 4x Optical Zoom and High Definition Video Recording Capabilities

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 6, 2010) – Panasonic today introduces a new entry-level digital camera, the LUMIX DMC-F3, which has been designed with simplicity in mind, without overlooking the importance of style and performance. The 12.1-Megapixel LUMIX DMC-F3 has an impressive 4x optical zoom, considering its small size, as well as Panasonic’s shooting-assistant, Auto Scene Mode. The LUMIX F3 also records dynamic High Definition video in 1280 x 720p, at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480). The LUMIX F3 is equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens, a high-sensitivity CCD, and an Extra Optical Zoom function which extends zoom power to 7.8x, plus a 2.7″ 230,000-dot resolution LCD designed so the user can clearly see it while shooting still photos and videos.

“The Panasonic LUMIX F3 was designed for the casual and frequent user who wants a digital camera that is not only small and stylish in design, but that has sophisticated features to help enrich the photo-taking experience,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronic Company. “With extended zoom and Auto Scene Mode, the Panasonic LUMIX F3 can take high-quality photos and videos, while still being easy-to-use and small enough to fit in your pocket.”

Other features include, Auto Scene Mode, which when activated, includes the following three shooting-assist functions:

· Intelligent ISO Control prevents the blurring of a moving subject by optimizing shutter speed and ISO settings to render sharp, clear images. On the LUMIX F3, unwanted red-eyes are digitally corrected and backlight compensation automatically activates.

· Face Detection helps to clearly capture registered faces and focus on faces with the appropriate exposure. This is helpful when trying to focus on one person within a group.

· Intelligent Scene Selector automatically selects one of six scene modes that best suits the shooting situation – Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery.

Additionally, the Panasonic LUMIX F3 also has a Digital Image Stabilizer which helps suppress hand-shake and prevent blurry photos. The Panasonic LUMIX F3 has an auto power LCD function which detects light conditions and automatically boosts the LCD backlighting by a maximum of 40% when shooting outdoors to secure clarity and visibility of the screen. In addition to supporting conventional SD/SDHC Memory Cards, the LUMIX F3 is compatible with SDXC Memory Cards, including Panasonic’s newly announced 48 GB* and 64 GB SDXC Memory Cards – to enable high capacity content storage and fast data transfer speeds. The LUMIX F3 is compatible with Windows 7**.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-F3 will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. The Panasonic LUMIX F3 will come in silver and black models. For more information on these LUMIX models, please visit: www.panasonic.com/ces2010.

Cooperative associations are not common in Connecticut, and the difference between condominiums and cooperatives escapes many.  Both are forms of living in a community, be it in apartment-style buildings, townhouse-style buildings, or some other form of construction.  Both can offer very similar benefits and privileges.  But the legal set-up of the associations and land which lay behind these developments is significantly different.  In this blog, we will discuss primarily cooperative living arrangements, also known as “co-op’s,” whose setup is governed primarily by Chapter 828 of the Connecticut General Statutes, also known as the Common Interest Ownership Act (“CIOA”).

By its very nature, and contrary to the thinking of most, the individual units of a co-op are not real estate.  One corporation (or other legal entity), usually titled something like “XYZ Cooperative Association,” owns the land and all property upon it, including the individual units.  This is the only real estate that truly exists – the unit “owners” do not own any real estate.  There is then propriety leases signed between the unit owners and the association.  This is the way it was, at least, until CIOA.

Not owning actual real estate has certain serious implications.  For example, ownership of the unit would not be recorded in the land records of your town (or county).  There would therefore be no way to record a lien against only one unit.  This means that, for instance, a loan could not be secured by a mortgage deed against only one unit.  To be clear, the association could still mortgage property and have liens filed against it, but the unit owners could not.  It also means that real estate taxes could not be levied against the property.

CIOA changes some of this.  In exchange following certain formalities, which a good real estate attorney could handle, co-ops (and their individual unit owners) can now treat everything as individual real estate.  Transfers are now accomplished by deed, rather than simply corporate records.  Therefore mortgages and others liens can be recorded against the individual units.  But still, real estate taxes are levied against the corporation and not against the individual.  This means that your association fees still pay your taxes, and that you get no separate tax bill.

In addition to the benefits inherent in organizing as a co-op rather than a condominium association, such as the bundling of taxes, co-ops are supposed to offer a form of living where the owners more closely work together.  Co-ops may bundle other fees, such as heat, sharing furnaces and the like, rather than requiring each other to buy and maintain their own furnace.

In the end, it’s up to each individual association to decide both how to organize, and what to allow.  A co-op can act basically as a condominium association, or can be quite different.  There is a great deal of choice in the matter.

Teen Queen Miley Cyrus is saying goodbye to the Disney Channel Original series that shot her to tween superstardom.

The upcoming fourth season of Hannah Montana will be its last, The New York Post said Friday.

“You never know in this business… but right now we’re scheduled to wrap [forever] after shooting this new batch of episodes,” Disney Channel Worldwide’s senior VP/programming Adam Bonnett tells The Post.

Production on the fourth season is scheduled to begin Jan. 18 and end this summer.

The plot of the final season will reportedly mirror Miley’s own life, as her character must decided if she is going to trade her secret double life as a pop star in for the life of a normal American teen.

The network does not know how many episodes it will shoot or when it would wrap it’s season, but noted there are enough new episodes to air through 2011.

Are you vegan or vegetarian and looking to lose weight and sculpt your body without meat? Have you been told that it’s next to impossible to get enough protein while living the Vegetarian Lifestyle?

If so, then keep reading as you are about to discover 10 high protein vegan foods that you can easily incorporate into your diet that will help in your quest to gain muscle.

A Surprising High Protein Food

Yes, You Get to Eat Pasta!

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For great info on vegan vitamins, vegetarian supplements and nutrition, visit www.vegetarianvitaminsguide.com today!

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10 High Protein Vegan Foods For Your Musc is a post from the Vegetarian Vitamins Guide blog where you can find suggestions and advice from vegetarians and vegans on vegetarian diets, supplements, vitamins and overall nutrition.

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The Drudge Report has an image of a woman from an airport scanner up right now. It’s scandalous enough as is, but it’s shockingly easy to make it look even more like a normal nude photograph.

Reader Sigfried discovered that by simply inverting the image in Photoshop, you restore the photo to a more realistic tint. Of course, we’re not sure where this image came from or if it’s an accurate example of what these machines produce. But if so, let me just deliver a message to all you airport security workers out there: I just got out of a cold pool, I swear.

Earlier, Megan revisited the topic of her column in January’s edition of The Atlantic and pondered why everyone apparently “got stupid at once” during the real estate boom. I’d like to suggest an answer: commercial real estate might not have had any choice. I’d suggest that the boom began in residential real estate, and economics dictates that commercial real estate was doomed to follow its path.

Let’s start with the chart Megan mentions from Krugman:

I interpret this graph as showing that the party got started in the residential sector. It wasn’t until the end of 2002 that commercial real estate started showing significant appreciation, exceeding its pre 2001-2 recession level. The way I see it, the commercial real estate boom lagged the residential boom. If you move the red graph back about 8-12 months, it would practically sit on top of the blue one.

Let’s think about the two kinds of commercial real estate, that leased to residents and that utilized by businesses. I think both roads lead to the same result: unavoidable irrational appreciation thanks to the residential market.

Scenario 1: Commercial Real Estate Based On Rental Units

Home prices begin to increase. Since homes and residential rentals are substitute economic goods, when the price for one increases, the demand of the other increases, leading to its price rising as well. Thus, rental prices began to rise with housing prices. That would have led to (fully rational) appraisals of these commercial real estate properties rising, since the associated rental cash flows would be higher.

What if landlords had balked at the appreciation of their rentals? First, they wouldn’t. If you can get a higher rent price as a landlord, then that’s what you do. It would be stupid not to. And as rental prices rose, demand for housing probably began to increase further. A delightful little vicious cycle ensues, as demand for homes and demand for rentals seesaw, leading to higher and higher prices for each.

Scenario 2: Commercial Real Estate Based On Business Inhabitants

So you’ve got home prices increasing. You’ve also got residential rents increasing. On some level, real estate is real estate. What’s to stop commercial developers from abandoning office buildings and constructing more apartment buildings if that space becomes more valuable? Very little.

Indeed, the building where I rent my apartment is managed by a commercial real estate developer that had traditionally specialized in creating office space for companies, but got into the residential game when it thought it could be more lucrative a few years ago. My building remains its only residential property, as the party was over by the time its foray into the space was completed. Of course, in cities you also saw old factories and office space commonly converted into residences.

So commercial builders had two options: charge office tenants more or focus on residences instead. Again, these turn out to be substitute goods from the developer standpoint. The increase in the price of office space per square foot should follow any increase in the price of residential space per square foot. As the profit potential in the residential space increases, the supply begins to fall behind demand in the office/factory space sector, eventually leading to its price appreciating as well and more construction.

Moreover, the economy was roaring on all cylinders during this time period, so businesses could stomach increased commercial real estate prices. As banks got used to relaxing standards for residential real estate, they did the same for commercial real estate. And unlike in the residential space, banks and investors wouldn’t needed to be worried about businesses speculating on commercial real estate or trying to flip their factories or office headquarters like with residential real estate.

Like Megan, I think a whole lot of irrational expectations were a big part of the equation. But I can still kind of see an argument for commercial real estate having been a sort of casualty of the residential real estate boom. I don’t think you can make economic sense of a world where there’s an incredible boom in residential real estate but not in commercial real estate. And the graph above indicates that housing is, indeed, where the growth began. Commercial real estate was forced to follow, and I can’t see how it could have escaped that fate — no matter how rational commercial mortgage originators or borrowers might have been. This, by the way, makes it a little harder to dismiss the theory that that Fannie/Freddie/CRA started the runaway real estate train.

Just in time for National Influenza Week (January 10-16), the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has expanded H1N1 vaccine availability to the general public. Until recently, the vaccine has been available only to high risk populations. Now, anyone interested in receiving the H1N1 vaccine may contact his or her healthcare provider, or any provider listed on the H1N1 flu shot locator at www.fighttheflula.com.

Friday’s jobs report damped expectations in financial markets that the Federal Reserve will raise its benchmark federal funds rate by midyear. By the close of trading Friday, futures contracts implied there was just a 22% chance of a rate hike by June.

Fed officials are expecting a recovery that produces spotty job growth in its early stages. The latest report is in keeping with that view and is likely to leave Fed officials committed to their pledge that interest rates will stay low for “an extended period” as they prepare for a policy meeting later this month.

“The employment picture overall has improved, and the outlook is certainly much brighter than one year ago,” Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said in a speech Friday. But he warned that while layoffs are abating, “many firms are not yet ready to do new permanent hiring.” Spotty job growth means downward pressure on wages and inflation and gives the Fed room to keep monetary policy very easy.