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Merrick Alpert spoke to The Courant’s Rinker Buck on Friday night at the Democratic Party convention.

Alpert said, “They cut every backroom deal possible to deny me the nomination. They don’t want a primary because it’s easier for Dick Blumenthal to run unimpeded by opposition within his own party. But the fact is that if we held the general election today, the party wouldn’t be strong enough to prevail. I went to Nancy DiNardo and said, ‘Why are you blocking me?’ Allow me to speak at the convention. She said she couldn’t tell the rules committee what to do. But it was her rules that they were enforcing.”

      Alpert’s campaign treasurer, Patrick Terrell of Mystic, said that Alpert’s exclusion from the state convention is simply a policy that was practiced all year by the Democrats. At many Democratic Town Committee meetings, where candidates go months before the convention to try and line up delegates, Alpert was denied entry and wasn’t allowed to speak to the delegates, Terrell said.

       “It’s wholly undemocratic,” Terrell said. “We’ve been blocked out. This is our one chance to talk to the delegates of a Democratic convention. But we are the opposition they never wanted to take seriously. In theory, this is a party that celebrates inclusiveness. But there was no inclusiveness tonight.”

           The Blumenthal and DiNardio strategy was clear–deny Alpert the 15 percent of votes that would have allowed him to get on the ballot for a primary and thus avoid an expensive extra fight at a time when Blumenthal prefers to take on his likely GOP opponent–Linda McMahon–right away.

          But not all Blumenthal delegates at the convention agreed with this shutout strategy, and its implications for the image of the Democratic party in the state. Tim Bowles is a delegate from Preston and a strong Blumenthal supporter with Blumenthal stick-on badge pasted to his shirt. He is a member of the Democratic  Town Committee from Preston.

          “I think the party should be inclusive. I’m on the town committee in Preston and we had Alpert come to speak to us a few months ago and I thought he was very impressive. He’s not ready yet for the office he is seeking, but he’s quite an impressive guy. I would like to have seen a more open and democratic process.”

Democrats Late In …

Nancy DiNardo, Democratic Party chairwoman, gaveled the convention open about 6:15 p.m. Friday. It took awhile to gain control, though. She called for order several times but couldn’t corral more than 1,800 distracted activists. The sergeant at arms then took the podium, also several times, to gain order, asking the assistant sergeants at arms to clear the aisles.

… Early Out

During Richard Blumenthal’s speech, diehard supporters clapped at all the right points, but before it was over the majority of delegates were heading for the exits or visiting with friends. Many were reading newspapers, checking their Blackberries, or buying drinks for their friends in the back. The parking lot was filling with exiting delegates, most of them headed for the Lamont/Glassman or Malloy/Wyman hospitality tents. While Blumenthal was still speaking inside, there were long lines at the tent bars. “It’s a mass exodus — it’s all over,” said Kyle Anderson, a Hartford delegate. “There’s nothing more to watch. As soon as Merrick Alpert gave his concession speech, there was no point to be in the convention hall.”

Eddie Shows Up

A tough week in court couldn’t keep Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez away from the Democratic Convention, where he was mingling and looking relaxed.

Lambasting Linda

Merrick Alpert bashed wrestling entrepreneur Linda McMahon, who was across town battling for the Republican nomination against former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons of Stonington and investor Peter Schiff of Weston.

“I am running because I cannot stand the thought that Linda McMahon from World Wrestling can buy it, and you can’t tolerate that, either,” Alpert said. He added, “We all know that the highly effective attack in Tuesday’s New York Times was hatched in Linda McMahon’s office. If we settle on our nominee tonight, that exceedingly well-funded and vicious machine, created by Karl Rove but now housed at World Wrestling, will be gifted three additional months to ruin our candidate.”

Working The Room

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont was shaking hands and chatting, with a staffer following him around with a video camera. … Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, expected to win the party’s endorsement for governor, came through the press area, shaking hands as he moved along.

aka Merrick Alpert

Merrick Alpert couldn’t give his own speech, but the essence of it was delivered anyway — about 7 p.m., by Gregory Schulte in his nomination.

 “The rules committee changed the rules today, and he will not be permitted to speak to you,” Schulte said from the podium. Then he pretty much read Alpert’s four-page speech. The seconding speech was scheduled to be delivered by Shawn Asselin. Alpert and his wife, Alex, stood in the center of the hall and applauded.

 

Well, this is fun. A tech company in Germany is claiming that movie studio Warner Bros. has “pirated” its “anti-piracy” technology. No, seriously. You can read the full complaint (pdf) below:

It’s actually a patent infringement lawsuit, but unlike most patent infringement lawsuits, the company suing, Medien Patent Verwaltung (MPV), claims that it actually met with Warner Bros. and “disclosed the technology” to the company. While I have to admit that I find it quite amusing to see Warner Bros. accused of “pirating” its “anti-piracy” technology, when you look at the details, it seems like a typically ridiculous patent scenario, with some random company suing for patent infringement over something another company came up with independently.

Making things even more amusing? In the lawsuit, MPV mis-identifies its own patent, incorrectly using the title of a patent.. held by Warner Bros! MPV’s patent 7,187,633 is titled “Marking of a data medium material for information intended for reproduction.” Warner Bros., though, has a different patent, 7,206,409, titled “Motion picture anti-piracy coding.” But in the filing… MPV refers to the title of its own patent as “Motion picture anti-piracy coding” and never mentions Warner’s actual patent by that name. Ooooops. Oh, and the WB patent? Filed before MPVs…

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Babies do a lot of sleeping—sometimes up to 18 hours a day. And with the remaining six hours dedicated to pooping and crying, you have to wonder when these tater tots are actually learning. The answer: sleep multitasking. More »










Health – Medicine – Neurology – Medical Specialties – Conditions and Diseases

Sex is more likely to be avoided by those who had just suffered from heart attack as revealed by researchers in the U.S.

More and more heart attack survivors fear of having sex because the activity might kill them. However, a new study shows that doctors of these patients play a key role in giving advice about sex. If the doctor fails to talk to the patient about continuing their sex life, the more the patient would fear that he/she might die while having sex. Giving information is necessary for a doctor since they play a big role in their patient’s life.

The chance of death while having sex is really small as doctors would say. This was also proved by Dr Stacy Tessler Lindau, a gynecologist and sexuality researcher at the University of Chicago, as she stated the chance of dying during sex was “really small”. In fact, if you can perform walking or even your daily activities, you can already have sex. Sex is safe for heart attack survivors as experts say.

The study involved 1,184 male and 576 female heart attack survivors, where the average age was 60. The results of the study revealed that less than half of the men and only one third of the women were advised before leaving the hospital that they can resume sex. A year after, more than two thirds of the men and 40 percent of the women reported that they had sex. Men were more active in sex, how ever, Lindau said if they experienced chest pains while having sex, it is better for them to stop and consult their doctor.

Dr. Edward Havranek, a cardiologist at Denver Health Medical Center and leader of the Heart Association conference, said “A heart attack should not keep people from enjoying sex”

Related posts:

1. Eat Chocolates to reduce Heart Risk
2. Important Information About Amitriptyline
3. Yoga Helps Cancer Survivors Sleep Better and Increase their Energy

A Ford anunciou nessa semana o crossover Titanium na sua gama de veículos para 2011. O modelo não deverá ser um dos mais caro da gama, mas com certeza será um dos mais procurados.

No seu interior o modelo conta com bancos de couro com detalhes de camurça, além de volante todo feito em couro perfurado, para melhor a aderência das mãos.

De baixo do capô, o modelo conta com duas opções de motores. A primeira opção é um motor de 3.5 litros que rende 262 hp, a segunda versão é de 3.5 litros que rende 335 hp, ambos os motores são EcoBoost menos poluente.

Ainda tem alguns detalhes que a marca ainda não revelou, como seus equipamentos de série. Seu preço deve ser $ 40.340.

Fonte: World Car Fans

Filed under: Videos, Middle East

If Dubai ever needed a theme song, C&C Music Factory’s “Things That Make You Go Hmmm” would fit the bill. Perhaps the only country in the world where you’re driving down the highway, in traffic, and this happens. If you want to know what this is, follow the jump for the video – as with so many other things that come out of Dubai, ya just gotta see it.

[Source: YouTube via Clutch’d]

Continue reading Video: Just another day in Dubai traffic

Video: Just another day in Dubai traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 May 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electric submersible pumps designed for raising drainage water. Thanks to their amenity and sturdiness they are used for draining out excavations even under the harshest working conditions. Ideal for conveying clean or dirty water containing mud and sand, draining tanks and reservoirs, irrigating gardens and allotments.

Oil-free diaphragm pumps are nowadays the number one choice amongst the established vacuum pump technologies for generating vacuum in laboratories. However, even with known process parameters concerning ultimate vacuum, pumping speed and chemical resistance, the choice of suitable diaphragm pump is still often difficult. In this case it is important to take a detailed look at the technology within the pumps themselves and into the technical data which holds the key to the true performance and economic efficiency of the diaphragm pump.
Closer inspection of the New Technology behind the diaphragm pumps of the “NT” series from VACUUBRAND provide a very revealing insight. The unique “floating motor drive“ for example, is a patented new drive system which provides for extra quiet and low-vibration running of the pump and contributes to greater energy efficiency. New internal hose connections mean that the heat emission of the pump is used to reduce the condensation effect. Also, a patented new valve mounting system simplifies servicing and allows for independent changing of the diaphragms and valves. The culmination of these improvements has meant that VACUUBRAND has increased the benchmark vacuum performance yet again. So now with all “NT” products higher pumping speed and better ultimate vacuum can be achieved.
Add to this the proven VACUUBRAND technology for the gas contacting parts e.g. PTFE sandwich diaphragm, stability core system for the head cover and clamping disc and altogether it is easy to see how the “NT” diaphragm pumps provide an outstanding chemical resistance and superior vapour tolerance coupled with a market leading diaphragm life time.
To summarize, the “NT” product portfolio offers a broad range covering all of the diverse applications in the vacuum range from 0.3 to 70 mbar: for corrosive or non-corrosive gases and vapours, with fixed or frequency controlled pumping speed, as stand-alone diaphragm pumps or as complete, ready for use systems equipped with components for efficient solvent recovery and vacuum regulation.

When the single-row angular contact ball bearing is carrying the radial load, there will be a component of force in the axial direction. Therefore it is suggested that two of therse bearings be applied in back-to-back or face-to-face arrangements.

These bearings have contact angles between the rings and balls.The standard angles are 15‹A25‹ and 40‹.The greater the angle, the higher the axial load carrying capacityof the bearing.However, the smaller the contact angle,the higher the rotating speed.

PowerWave 33: two new additional power ratings available

Newave announces the launch of the upper ranges 250 kVA and 300 kVA of PowerWave 33, the newest addition to the successful family of PowerWave 33 series, designed to meet the growing power protection demands of a wide area of mission critical applications in the IT industry, telecommunications, manufacturing process control, transportation, traffic control, automotive control, financial services, health care and other sectors.

PowerWave 33 Key Points:

With its small footprint (0.825 m2 for a 300 KVA) the PW33 reaches the highest power density up to 363 KVA/m² in the UPS industry.

Rated with an output power factor of 0.9 leading, the PW33 series delivers full active power without derating from 0.9 lagging to 0.9 leading.

If equipped with e 44 battery blocks the entire PW 33 series* is able to provide 100% active power (i.e.: a 300kVA become a 300kW) delivering 25% more active power if compared to similar UPS rated only at PF=0.8.

Very high efficiency also at low load conditions allows substantial TCO reduction

The PW33 series* offers a flexible number of battery blocks (from 40 to 50) which allows a precise battery autonomy configuration optimising the overall price

SIPOS Aktorik has successfully managed a comprehensive actuator retrofit for E.ON’s German power plant, Franken 1. The extensive service provided included 80 valves cut out of the pipeline and replaced, 120 old actuators removed and 200 new SIPOS Flash 5 actuators mounted and put into operation. In addition, on-site assistance has been provided which reinforces SIPOS’ growing reputation for partnership support.

The installation at the Nuremberg-Gebersdorf plant, which was completed in just over two weeks, also confirms the actuator supplier’s capabilities of responding to the power industry’s most demanding timescales.

The 790 MW power plant’s control system is managed by Siemens: SIPOS collaborated closely in the commissioning of complete units, demonstrating its ability to provide a total support service.

SIPOS is a global supplier of specialist actuator solutions with an expanding installation base in the power sector. The variable speed capability of the actuators, which are used for valve control, has particular appeal for power industry applications: an ability to slow down before reaching its end position extends the life of both the valve and its seat.

German customer Audi entrusted TGW Systems Integration with the overall support of the intra-logistics system that is currently installed in Neckarsulm, Germany, to guarantee maximum availability of the system.

TGW is currently implementing an intra-logistics solution for material supply at Audi’s Neckarsulm site, which will go live in autumn 2010 and continuously be operated for more than 100 hours a week.

In order to ensure this continuous operation Audi trusts in TGW Systems Integration’s support service, having placed a full service contract with the Austrian general contractor who will thus assume the overall technical support of the system. TGW’s scope of service includes operative support of the control centre, control system and software as well as on-site maintenance and servicing of the entire electro-mechanical equipment.

This comprehensive system support will ensure maximum availability of the intra-logistics system, increasing the company’s planning reliability.

The Secretary of State in the USA, Hillary Clinton urged yesterday in Tokyo a forceful international response to the recent “act of aggression” by North Korea against South Korea, which could mean more isolation for the communist regime.

Washington and Tokyo were yesterday as a united front to Pyongyang at the beginning of Clinton’s tour of Asia, which coincides with increased tension on the Korean Peninsula and an increased response at the Japan island of Okinawa against U.S. troops.

An international investigation concluded yesterday in Seoul that the sinking of a South Korean frigate in late March, which caused 46 deaths, was the work of a North Korean torpedo.

Clinton, who then traveled to China and next week will make to South Korea, said at a news conference that the North Korean regime should know that such “aggression” in Seoul, which she considered proved, can not go unpunished and requires a response.

However, would not advance what should be the “strong international response” before consulting with Beijing, which sees it as a problem between the two Koreas, and Seoul, which seems inclined to bring the conflict to the Security Council of the UN.

“The evidence is compelling. The torpedo that sank the Cheonan ship””and took the lives of 46 sailors was fired by a North Korean submarine and the U.S. strongly condemns this act of aggression,” said Clinton in a brief appearance with his Japan colleague, Katsuya Okada, before meeting Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

In relation to the “response” mentioned by Clinton, it was learned yesterday that the governments of South Korea and United States raised the alert level on North Korea. ”It is carrying out an investigation into the possible increase in the level of surveillance on North Korea,” said a high-ranking military agency Yonhap.

In this sense, the heads of diplomatic missions in Japan and the U.S. agreed that the North Korean threat clearly demonstrate the security challenges that exist in East Asia, considered as key U.S. military presence in Japan.

U.S. keeps about 50,000 troops in Japan, nearly half on the Okinawa bases, which are very unpopular, while South Korea has another 28,000 troops.

Related posts:

1. South Korea Accused North Korea for Firing Torpedo that Killed 46
2. South Korea Blames North Korea for Sinking Cheonan
3. South Korea’s Underwater Search Suspended

A draft United Nations resolution aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear program would severely restrict the sale of heavy weapons to the Islamist government in Iran, but critics say a loophole in the document could allow Tehran to obtain a deadly weapon.

Ever since Moscow and Tehran cut a deal for the sale of S-300 surface-to-air system, Israel and the United States have worried about the deployment of the hi-tech weapon in Iran, where it could be used to guard its nuclear program from air strikes. Russia has so far held off from shipping the weapon to Iran, but concerns are mounting that the latest Security Council sanctions resolution under negotiation leaves open the possibility of Iran getting hold of the missile system that was originally to be delivered in March 2009.

A key element in the resolution introduced into the Security Council on Tuesday by U.S Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice calls upon countries to block sales and transfer of tanks, combat aircraft, warships and “missiles or missile systems as defined for the purpose of the United Nations Register of Conventional arms.”

Fox News checked the U.N Register and discovered that the section pertaining to missiles “does not include ground-to-air missiles.” This means that Iran would be allowed to complete its purchase of Russia’s S-300.  The truck-mounted S-300 ground-to-air system has a 90-mile range and can shoot down U.S. made cruise missiles and fighter jets.

According to former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, “once this system is deployed and operational in Iran it will effectively preclude an Israeli military option against Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and that’s something that could affect the United States, too. If we at some point were threatened and we needed to attack Iranian air bases, those systems would be there to defend against us.”

The Russian Mission to the U.N. confirmed the resolution does not prohibit the sale of the S-300. A Western U.N. diplomat says that loopholes such as this one in the draft resolution was likely required to prevent a Russian or Chinese veto when the text comes up for a Security Council vote.

Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, an Illinois Republican running for the Senate, has circulated a letter calling on President Obama to close the S-300 loophole.

After many months of negotiations with Iran’s economic partners China and Russia, it is unlikely the loophole will be closed. U.N. experts are now working on an annex to the resolution that calls for asset freezes and travel restrictions of certain Iranians tied to the controversial nuclear program. A Security Council vote on the final draft of the resolution is expected in June.

O pequeno modelo da Ford, que ganhou a confiança e o gosto brasileiro, agora terá que passar por um recall para a inspeção e modificação no chicote elétrico.

Segundo a marca, o chicote está sendo desgastado em um tempo muito pequeno, e um desgaste excessivo pode ocasionar em incêndio.

Estarão incluídos todos os modelos desde 2008 até o 2010 com Chassis “AB203702”.

Veja o comunicado:

A Ford Motor Company Brasil Ltda. no interesse da segurança dos seus consumidores, vem a público anunciar sua decisão de iniciar a campanha de recall para os veículos de chassi com finais acima relacionados.

Fonte: Carplace

The blog reviewed here is ‘Bio Data Blogs‘ which is by the company BioData and focuses in particular on their research management software product BioKM. I thought this blog might be interesting to look at the blog contains various reference to web 2.0.

Appearance and Design

The blog features a grey-striped background with a central graded beige lined background for the articles. The title pane is not demarcated but features a number of social media subscription options. There is a rectangular graded brown pane beneath the title containing a search box.  The reader is able to navigate the blog using links on the right side of the central pane. The links are to recent posts as well as posts archived by month. There are also external blog links. The posts are dated, comment enabled with author details and tweet enabled with tweet counts. Posts are generously illustrated.

Content

The welcome post gives a background to the blog. I found a number of the insights in this post quite interesting – researchers apparently hanging onto 15 year old samples. There are a number of news round-ups which are quite useful including this one which looks at research on how the structure of mitochondria is attained or this one which looks at evolutionary research on guppies showing that they can adapt to their new environment in just 10 years. The blog also features interviews with scientists. There is also a link to the BioKM YouTube Channel which gives insights into the research software. There are also a number of posts of general scientific interest. This one for instance is a very impressive post linking to video sites that share research protocols – something that I’ve suggested after finding difficulty in understanding the methodologies of specific papers.  Following on from this is an interview with the founder of one such site here.  There’s a look at an article on how to organise a motivated research group here. A number of the posts feature links to interesting videos (including the above). This one for instance is a solution for the financing of research groups.

Conclusions

I found this to be an informative blog. While there is a focus on educating the reader about the company’s software product, there are a number of instructive articles of general scientific interest also.

Acknowledgements

Call for Authors: If you are interested in writing an article or series of articles for this blog please write to the e-mail address below. Copyright can be retained. Index: An index of the site can be found here. The page contains links to all of the articles in the blog in chronological order. Twitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail [email protected]. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.

It’s got to be “Schiff Happens.”

At first, I thought this would be a bad idea. But having watched this video, I kind of want to stick velcro all over my apartment. [DV Culture] More »










Velcro – Arts – United States – Nerf – Maker Shed

Guys. Seriously. This is a nice phone. This is like the HTC HD2 with a future and it has some amazing speed, screen size, and network capabilities. If you’re up in the air about the Droid and aren’t tied to a carrier, get this.

I’ll do a full review next week.

Music by Closely Watched Trains