Category: News

With the games release date just around the corner, Ubisoft has unvelied a brand new developer diary of Assassin’s Creed 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) entitle…

News outlets have been closely watching the House of Representatives’s consideration of a sweeping health reform bill.  

CNN: “The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed an amendment to pending health care legislation that prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the so-called insurance ‘exchange’ the bill would create. The vote passed 240-194. The amendment was introduced by anti-abortion Democrats. Its consideration was considered a big win for them and for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power — especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts — to help force other Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose. The prohibition, introduced by Democratic members, including Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Indiana, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michigan, would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger” (11/7).

Roll Call: “The House is winding down its four-hour debate on the Democratic health care bill and preparing for a final vote after 9:30 p.m. Veteran Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who proceeded over the beginning of the debate, is set to close for the Democrats, who are convinced they now have the votes to pass the bill. ….  

GOP leaders are also keeping a running tally of Democrats planning to oppose the bill. Their latest e-mail lists 33 Democrats who have ‘joined Republicans in a bipartisan fashion to oppose Speaker Pelosi’s trillion dollar plus overhaul of the nation’s health care system’” (Bendery, 11/7).

The Washington Post: “In the first hours of debate, House Democrats saw a handful of key lawmakers who had been wavering come out in support of Obama’s most important domestic policy initiative, even as the number of Democrats vowing to vote ‘no’ also mounted. … Debate began about 2 p.m., after House Democrats received a pep talk from President Obama and the House voted 242 to 192 to approve the rules of the health-care debate, a vote that officially permitted the chamber to proceed to the substantive merits of the legislation” (Kane, Montgomery and Murray, 11/7).

The New York Times: “Congressional Democrats joined with Mr. Obama in equating approval of the legislation to the push to create Social Security in the 1930s and Medicare in the 1960s, two social programs that serve as party landmarks. ‘We are on the cusp of making a historical decision on behalf of the American people,’ said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House.”

“Republicans were united in their withering criticism of the proposal, which they portrayed as a government takeover of medical care that would damage a struggling economy, lead to job loss and result in the rationing of health care. ‘This bill will shackle the American people while empowering the federal government,’ said Representative Cynthia M. Lummis, Republican of Wyoming, one of scores of lawmakers from both parties to speak during a marathon Saturday session of the House” (Hulse and Pear, 11/7).

The Associated Press: “The bill would cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade. It would provide health coverage to tens of millions of Americans who don’t have it now, require most employers to offer it to their workers and prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on a person’s medical history” (Werner, 11/7).

The Hill: “No Congress has ever come this close to the goal – first proposed by President Theodore Roosevelt – of providing universal health insurance. But the healthcare waters are as perilous as they’ve ever been for the current group of Democratic leaders. Even on the day that many Democrats have been waiting decades for, and that some have based their entire careers around, a majority of votes for legislation to extend health insurance coverage to 36 million uncovered Americans remained elusive.” (Allen and Hooper, 11/7).

The Wall Street Journal: “Democrats predicted a close vote. ‘We’re looking for 218,’ one aide said. ‘We’re not looking for 220.’ … Some centrist ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats worried about the bill’s cost and reach. The party was strikingly successful at winning seats in conservative districts the past two elections, but as a result many of Democratic members now resist the leadership’s more far-reaching goals” (Vaughan and Bendavid, 11/7).

Politico: The phrase ‘herding cats’ may be a cliché, but it is also a pretty good description of what it takes to secure the votes needed to pass or oppose a difficult bill. Whips and staffers say members may hold out for many reasons, from principles to personality flaws. And even when the numbers look good, a small change in the bill itself, the political climate, or even in a member’s mood can upset the balance; a CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) member chokes on a bone thrown to a Blue Dog; a ‘leaning yes’ turns out to be an ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell you no’; a freeze-out begins to thaw when the heat’s turned up back home; and suddenly it’s back to the game board” (Coller, 11/7).

C-SPAN has video of the debate and links to the legislation.

The New York Times in a separate story: “As the House began debate on President Obama’s top-priority initiative to overhaul the health care system, protesters outside the Capitol occasionally yelled or waved signs that said, ‘Have you heard us yet?’”

“An elderly man held a sign that said, ‘Hands Off My Health Care.’ Other handmade signs simply said, ‘Kill the bill.’ Representative John Shadegg, a Republican from Arizona, took a foot-high copy of the House bill to the podium when he spoke. ‘This bill steals freedom, and those of us that believe in freedom have contempt for those who would steal our freedom and contempt for this bill,’ he said in a shout, heaving the papers to the ground below the low stage” (Calmes, 11/7). 

I’m over here watching the Strikeforce show on CBS and there’s ads for EA Sports MMA all over the place. So I’m like, “hmm, maybe EA Sports has posted the trailer to its Web site yet?”

Yes. Yes it has.

Let the record show that I beat Sherdog and all the gaming sites I usually visit to this news. Go me~!

Around noon yesterday, I made my way over to the farm to pick up my share…

This is the driveway/walk to the farm. Along the fence are the cutest little wooden plaques painted with different sayings, etc. I wish I would have took a picture. Next time.

We could pick up our shares from 12-4pm. And since I arrived pretty much at 12, there were not that many people. I met the farmer’s wife, Pamela, and she was very welcoming. She had us sign in and then gave us a paper with the list of vegetables we’d receive that day. I found this extremely helpful because it has the name of the veggie and an explanation of how it looks, how it tastes, and how it grows, etc. They kept kind of apologizing for the harvest this week, how it will be much more in the future (there were floodings, see previous post), but to me, it was just the perfect amount! No complaints from me, I was excited.

After I packed all of my veggies into the bag, I went for a walk and wandered around, snapping a few photos:

I also took a video on my way back. It is a bit shaky and you might not be able to hear me, but…

More pictures:

Stay tuned later for more pictures of the awesome vegetables and what I received!!!!

Cold, miserable winters are about the best time to create some heat with a loved one… or yourself. If you’re picturing a bear skin rug and roaring fire, well, things have come a long way. We’re talking about couples toys and technology to keep things spicy, even in the coldest weather.

Warm Up
Everyone knows that sex is all about foreplay. (Guys, we know this, right?) Rather than going zero to 60 in ten minutes, incorporate some fun winter toys to get you and your partner in the mood.

Massage Oil Heater
Channel your inner 70’s porn star with the Pure Gel Bottle Warmer and avoid a “this is going to be cold” Dr.’s office moment. This baby even warms multiple bottles so you can bust out different flavored lubes or massage oils based on your beau’s preferences.

Philips Warm Sensual Massager
If your date didn’t run screaming when he or she saw the heated oil contraption, it’s fair game to whip out the Philips Warm Sensual Massager for him or her. Even if it seems lame, there’s nothing that gets you in the mood more than a massage. Hands down. What makes this vibrating massager different is the fact that it heats up and is specifically designed for couples use. It even comes with some cheesetastic LED candles for “setting the mood.” Hot.

The Main Event
When you’re ready for the main event, trust these toys to keep your session extra hot.

Durex Play Warming Lube
The winter is the perfect time for some heated lube. Durex Play Warming Lube is designed to heat up with your own body temperature and get hotter with contact to heighten sensation. This lube is something that your lady will primarily feel, but don’t worry guys you will feel it too, like warm apple pie. Thankfully, it’s completely edible and the heat intensifies when you blow on it. Some people may complain that it’s too hot, but I say if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen!

The Hot Rod Heated Vibrator
No matter how realistic your vibrator may be, the one thing that’s always missing is the sensation of body heat that you get from a partner –Sigh- Thank you Hot Rod Heated Vibrator for providing us with a heated vibrator complete with realistic skin sleeve that makes using it comparable to the real thing. You really never need a date again.

Vibrating Heated Nipple Clamps
For the truly daring, give these Vibrating Heated Nipples Clamps a try. Apparently nipple clamps are designed for men or women to stimulate your nipples, leaving your hands free to do other things. Will the vibration and sensation be enough to keep your headlights beaming and warm?! Give it a try and see.

Cool Down & Clean Up
If the pre-show and main event left you feeling dirty, jump in the shower for some post game clean up. Because what’s better than a warm hot shower on a cold winter day…

Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs
These Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs offer couples that dominatrix moment in the tub or shower. The cuffs are made of sturdy neoprene and Velcro with industrial strength suction cups that can easily adhere to a shower door or wall tiles. What flat surface you attach them to out of the shower is none of our business.

Vibrating Sponge
Because obviously a regular loofa isn’t going to suffice this winter, grab a vibrating sponge to surprise your extra dirty lover. This vibrating sponge looks and feels like a normal sponge, but is sooo much more. Waterproof with a bullet vibrator hidden deep within, the sponge even has a hand strap for maximum control. Soap up and get dirty! This device is also a great if your love making session didn’t quite do it and you need to step away for some much needed alone time.

For more about the latest sex toys and technology, check out 69adget.com

We know what you’re thinking, the DROID and CLIQ are just too cool, I need something more lame. Well, Motorola has got you covered. Say hello the the MOTO Klassic. This new hotness oddness lameness clamshell will only be available in Korea for the time being but the specs are pretty mind blowing: blazing 2G connectivity, a 5 megapixel camera, external touch screen, and (brace yourself) an “espresso color keypad.” Truth be told, we weren’t completely sold on this one until we read about the espresso colored keypad. So put down those wallets DROID fans, you might want to just wait and see if this hot little number is coming to the good old U.S.A.

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Click here to see the video.

Today the House reaches another major milestone in the effort to pass health insurance reform, and effort decades in the making. 

Predictably, opponents of reform are taking their misleading claims to new heights.  For example, they claim that CEA Chair Christina Romer has said that reform would cost millions of jobs.  This is flatly false, as demonstrated by the independent watchdog Politifact and Romer’s own statement.

Opponents of reform have also manufactured a chart attempting to depict reform as some sort of maze of bureaucracy.  This is also false.  Here is a chart that accurately reflects the President’s plan:

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Sometimes, the medium is the message. In this case, the medium is Rubiks Cubes. The message is that there’s an Irish guy named John Quigley who has too much free time. I mean, I suppose you could say the same of many artists, but this is some seriously time-consuming stuff. And while it’s impressive, it seems rather… algorithmic, doesn’t it? I notice there are no original compositions.

I guess it’s a hobby. Better than mine, anyway (crying and punching my pillow, if you’re wondering).

[via Technabob]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dollar General (DG.N) is set to go public next week, but the discount retailer could see mixed results in its closely watched initial public offering as its private equity backers have valued the company richly.

The $750 million offering of the retailer controlled by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co [KKR.UL] is expected to price on Thursday and begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange next Friday.

Dollar General, which has 8,700 stores across the United States, plans to sell 34.1 million shares for between $21 and $23 a share. At those prices, Dollar General would be valuing itself more richly than competitors like Target Corp (TGT.N), Wal-Mart (WMT.N) and Dollar Tree .

“The valuation doesn’t look great,” said Nick Einhorn, research analyst with Renaissance Capital in Connecticut. “I wouldn’t expect it to be a home run.”

“It wouldn’t shock me if it ended up being similar to a Dole Food (DOLE.N) which ended up trading down” in its first day of trading last month, he said.

At the midpoint of its pricing range, Dollar General would be valued at roughly 19.4 times 2009 earnings, according to IPOdesktop.com. That compares to valuations of 14.8 times earnings at Wal-Mart and 18.3 times earnings at both Target and Dollar Tree. (DLTR.O)

Still, Dollar General has done a good job improving its earnings potential in recent years, improving store layouts and tweaking the discounter’s brand, analysts said.

“The stores look better. They’re operating them better. It also doesn’t hurt to be a dollar store in the worst recession we’ve had since the ’30s,” said Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman, who believes the company has earned the higer valuation.

“It’s above its peers, but it’s a more nimble company. It’s done a little bit better on a consistent basis during the recession,” said Francis Gaskins, president of IPOdesktop.com.

“It’ll probably trade within the range” of $21 to $23 a share after debuting on Friday, he said.

PE WORRIES

Dollar General was acquired by KKR in 2007. Private equity companies have been looking to take advantage of the resurgent stock market in order to unload portfolio companies.

There have been some notable successes, but also some high-profile disappointments, like Fortress Investment Group’s RailAmerica (RA.N). Analysts said that the heavy debt-load of some of these companies has hurt their performance.

Another possible problem for the IPO is a $239.3 million special dividend it paid to its existing owners — which also include underwriters Citigroup (C.N) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) — in September.

“Investors are always a little wary of things like that,” said Renaissance Capital’s Einhorn. “You want to feel that an IPO is not just being done to line the sponsor’s pockets. That could be a source of resistance.”

Dollar General is one of two IPOs scheduled for next week, with the other being specialty apparel retailer rue21.

Retailers have shied away from IPOs in recent years. Vitamin Shop Inc (VSI.N) had its IPO in late October, becoming the first brick-and-mortar retailer to go public after 2 years on the sidelines.

That company’s shares priced at $17, above their initial range, and have traded up more than 14 percent since the pricing. (Reporting by Michael Erman; editing by Carol Bishopric)

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It’s not that we want to rush Nintendo in the creation of their next opus, but it might have been nice to have it in 2010. Perhaps the biggest of the “big three” Nintendo franchise games in the works (along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M) is “tracking” for 2010 but Nintendo isn’t committed to the year. I’m guessing they’re not going to push for a holiday 2010 release, but may have preorders available then so they can get in on the season.

The good news is that Mario and Metroid are on schedule for 2010 releases. Is this the year I buy a Wii? I don’t know, with these crazy 360 deals and the PS3 Slim out there, it’s still a real toss-up for me.

Plus, I’m very, very poor.

Sequels, sequels, sequels. Lots of talk about those this week. While most other companies are busy making sure they get to release a big-name game wit…

I was working with a medical intern in clinic this past week who is potentially interested in ID. After seeing our 3rd consecutive stable HIV patient, he asked me what I thought the next big challenge would be in our field — especially since HIV treatment has been “solved.”

“Solved” might be stating it a bit strongly — after all, we still have no cure, the drugs aren’t perfect, not everyone can get them, there’s no vaccine,  etc — but he had a point.  Many of the research questions on HIV treatment are now about moving things forward incrementally, and it’s hard to imagine an advance anytime soon along the lines of combination therapy in the mid 1990s, or even the second wave of newer treatments that become available in 2006-8.

So what’s the answer to his question?  I compiled a brief list, shown below in no particular order:

• Highly drug-resistant bacteria — MRSA, carbapenemase-producing gram negatives, etc.
• Influenza, obviously, plus other SARS-like respiratory viruses
• Hepatitis C, though we’ll have to take this back from the hepatologists — I doubt they’ll mind — with nearly a hundred novel treatments in development
• Infections associated with therapeutic immunosuppression — TNF blockers, other biologics
• Food safety
• Device-related infections
• Novel diagnostics — PCR, other amplification techniques, direct antigen detection methods, etc
• Finding the next infectious cause of some idiopathic or autoimmune disease — some helicobacter-like discovery regarding Crohn’s, or multiple sclerosis, or sarcoid

(Not on my list are issues specifically related to ID in resource-limited settings, because that’s not what I do.)

I’m sure I’m missing something, but it’s a start.

President Barack Obama visited Capitol Hill and made a brief televised statement this afternoon to press the House to pass the Democratic health reform bill.

USA Today: “On this college football Saturday, President Obama gave a Knute Rockne-like pep talk to House Democrats as they prepare for a big vote in the health care debate. Later, at the White House, Obama told reporters that the nation is ‘closer than we have ever been’ to a ‘once-in-a-generation’ overhaul of the health care system. ‘Now is the time to finish the job,’ Obama said, citing endorsements of the bill from the AARP and medical groups and urging members of Congress to ‘rise to this moment.” (Jackson, 11/7).

The New York Times: “President Obama has met with House Democrats in the Cannon Office Building and given all the applause, it might be hard to remember that the president is on Capitol Hill to twist the arms of undecided lawmakers, and push some to cast a risky vote. Democrats said that Mr. Obama’s visit was part last-minute pitch for votes and part pep rally. … Mr. Obama said he recognized that lawmakers were weary. ‘It’s tempting to say, ‘I’m tired, it’s hard, I’m getting beat up back in the district, it’s just not worth it,’’ he said. But he told Democrats that they must act now. ‘On a policy basis, if we do not get it done this year, we will not get it done anytime soon,’ he said” (Herszenhorn, 11/7). 

Reuters: “Democrats said Obama emphasized the urgent and historic need for a healthcare bill that reins in costs, expands coverage to millions of uninsured and bars insurance practices such as denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. ‘We expect the energy he brought to the debate to be helpful to us on the floor,’ Representative James Clyburn said” (Whitesides and Smith, 11/7).

In its blog, 44, Politico reported on the president’s national remarks: “President Obama cast the House’s health care reform vote, expected to happen later today, in historic terms: ‘This is our moment to live up to the trust the American people have placed in us… this is our moment to deliver… I urge Congress to answer the call of the American people’” (11/7). 

Related: House Democrats Debating Historic Health Reform Legislation

Consider this a friendly reminder. Tonight at 9pm ET on CBS (in the U.S.; I’m sure there will be plenty of streams, though, which you can find on your own) two of the big stars from EA’s upcoming EA Sports MMA video game will hit each other very hard. Fedor Emelianenko, the big Russian guy who could well be the best MMA fighter of all time (or is that Sakuraba?), will fight Brett Rogers, of whom I know nothing.

There’s actual a reasonably interesting story vis-à–vis video games and mixed martial arts. A few years ago, UFC approached EA with the idea of making a video game. UFC declined, saying that it didn’t consider MMA to be a real sport, which, let’s just say, really upset UFC president Dana White.

UFC later signed a deal with THQ to make the video game, which has been both a critical and commercial success.

The success of THQ’s game is said to have sparked EA’s interest in making its own MMA game. EA then started signing fighters to a deal, before announcing that Strikeforce would be the game’s main promotion.

So yeah, I’ll be watching Fedor tear apart Rogers tonight. If only it were easier to place bets online from the U.S!

I am spending the day watching old Fedor fights, courtesy of alt.binaries.mma. Hopefully Mr. Emelianenko comes out to that Era song again, and not some generic rock nonsense.

The beauty of this post is that maybe six of you have any idea of what I’m talking about.

We all knew that the iPhone was going to start hitting more third-party retailers at some point, but we just didn’t think it would be this soon. RadioShack, or The Shack, has announced that it will be carrying the iPhone 3G and 3GS in select stores in Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City at the end of this month. The company expects to have the iPhone available nationwide in 2010. So, for now, you’ll have to settle with Apple Stores, AT&T retail locations, Wal-Mart or Best Buy if you want to nab one. Come to think of it, there really is no shortage of suppliers so if you’re finally going to be eligible to upgrade or you want to pick one up on a whim, you can add another to the list of iPhone retailers to choose from. But just remember where all this Shack nonsense started, ok?

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Own a Zune HD like Devin and I, the two hippest cats here at CrunchGear? Best to connect it to your PC right now so you can upgrade its firmware to version 4.3. Go, now!

Straight from the Zune message board:

Zune HD firmware update: Today we released the v4.3 firmware update for Zune HD players; this update adds support for upcoming 3d games and applications, as well as an auto-suggest feature for better text input, and other minor improvements. Enjoy!

Let it be known that I have installed zero applications on my Zune HD. I didn’t even know applications existed for the thing until a colleague over at Laptop Magazine pointed it out to me at a meeting several weeks ago. Simple apps, like Weather and whatnot.

I think a hands-on would be appropriate when Microsoft launches, I don’t know, a Twitter or Facebook app, if it ever does.

Flickr

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to fallen members of the Armed Forces on Remembrance Sunday.

Gordon Brown laid a wreath at the Cenotaph this morning, to pay his respects to British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world.

• PM’s podcast on Remembrance Day

Mr Brown joined the Queen, High Commissioners and other politicians for the Remembrance Day service.

Last night the Prime Minister and Sarah Brown attended the annual Festival of Remembrance, held in the Royal Albert Hall. The festival, organised by The Royal British Legion, commemorates and honours all those who have given their lives in the service of their country.

In a podcast released to mark Remembrance Sunday, Gordon Brown said this year’s events would be particularly poignant after the passing of the last Tommy, Harry Patch, earlier this year.

“With his death, an entire generation has fallen silent and we have lost our living link with the momentous events which did so much to shape our nation.

“And so this Armistice Day, we must make anew our promise to Harry and his comrades: that although they are gone, we will never, never forget.

Gordon Brown also thanked all the men and women of the Armed Forces, “serving with such distinction at home and overseas”, and their families and communities.

Speeches and transcripts: PM’s podcast for Remembrance Sunday