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Are you fond of listening to Jazz? Or may be you have heard of “Bop Redux”, “I Remember You” or even “Steal Away”? These were some of the great music of the legendary Jazz pianist, Hank Jones.

However, the legend died only this Sunday, at the age of 91. Jones, the eldest and sole surviving brother of the three Jones boys of Pontiac died in a New York hospital after a short illness. Jones, who was admired by most his peers was truly a perfect pianist.

Hank Jones truly is a Legend. He has contributed to music a lot especially to Jazz. According to Hank, “when you listen to a pianist, each note should have an identity, each note should have a soul of its own.” We can see here that he gives meaning to music because he gives meaning to every note. He takes his music in to his heart thus he played all his compositions by heart. He has a unique style in playing as you can hear his music.

Let’s have short biography of Hank Jones. He was born on July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, Miss., and he grew up in Pontiac, Michigan in a family rich with musical talent. His parents were the one that encouraged him and his brothers to play music. Do you know who Hank’s earliest influence is? It was pianist Fats Waller who played in the bouncy ragtime stride piano style. Jones used to listen to Fats Waller records on the radio before he left for school during high school. Jones also idolized Earl “Fatha” Hines and the great Teddy Wilson, spinning their sides as a teenager, emulating their styles. How ever, Jones’ greatest influence was the legendary Art Tatum. Hank was in awe of Tatum’s energy, creativity, and flawless technique.

Hank Jones was a very big influence in the music for many decades. He has also won only last year the Lifetime Achievement Grammy and had many nominated music through out the century.

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An Afghan plane operated by Pamir Airways, vanished with its 44 passengers as it was somewhere in the Hindu Kush mountains, northern Afghanistan. The plane was on its way to Kabul, its capital. Myar Rasooli, the head of the Kabul airport, stated that there was no distress call. The missing plane is a 37-year old Soviet-made Antonov 24 twin turboprop that Pamir Airways had bought about three months ago. Zemari Bashary, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry had sought the help of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s International Security Assistance Force (NATO ISAF) for a search and rescue mission.

There were six foreigners reported aboard the plane, one of which was an American and three were British nationals. The rest that were aboard including the crew were Afghans, said the Deputy Transportation Minister Raz Mohammad Alami.

Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman stated the US and international involvement where he said, “ISAF is providing some search and rescue (capability) now for that, in terms of helicopter support, rotary aircraft, as well as, early on, some help in identifying the location that it went down.”

The search for survivors was suspended after dark but is to resume Tuesday. The western military stated that it had dispatched a fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters to the area but had to call off the search after darkness and fog closed in.

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Might We Suggest…

• Google adds Universal Search to Suggest to Mobile Platforms
  On their official blog, Google is announcing that they have rolled out Universal Search to their Suggest functionality for mobile platforms.  This feature has been enabled for users on the Google home…

For years, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has attended events for veterans and has often talked about his service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

Those ceremonies have occurred at the state Capitol, where Blumenthal is a constant attendee, and at events around the state. Blumenthal pointedly mentions that he served in the military and often praises the older veterans in the audience by noting that they had attained a higher rank than he had in his service. 

But a story in The New York Times is now raising questions about Blumenthal’s military record and his service during the Vietnam War.

In a detailed story, reporter Raymond Hernandez mentions that Blumenthal spoke to a group in Norwalk in March 2008 at a ceremony that praised both veterans and senior citizens.

“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Blumenthal was quoted as saying. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

The Times story then stated, “There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.”

Read the NYTimes.com story here.

Late last year, we wrote about the latest in an unfortunately long line of overreaching trademark lawsuits filed by Intel. Intel tends to act as if no one else can use the word Intel at all, leading it to get involved in legal disputes with companies in industries about as far away from Intel’s business as can be — including a travel agency and a maker of jeans. The dispute last year, was focused on the small producer of a newsletter about Latin America, which used the domain name LatinIntel.com. There was no way anyone would be confused by this site or think that it was somehow associated with Intel, even using my favorite “moron in a hurry” test.

So, we were happy, earlier this year, to get a report that Intel had dropped the lawsuit. Except… that turned out to not be exactly true. Intel got in touch quickly to insist that they had only dropped it because they planned to refile the lawsuit with much more detail to make their case. What Intel left out was the pretty serious skepticism the judge had expressed concerning their original filing:

The key lines here being:

It really is lacking in enough specificity which
would demonstrate that there was confusion or that you’re even
addressing the same markets. I mean, my understanding is that
there may be no customer overlap at all in connection with
this.

Intel, of course, shot back with the claim that this has nothing to do with likelihood of confusion, but it was really about dilution. Dilution is a more recent element of trademark law, which was not considered applicable for quite some time, but today has become more widely accepted, and keeps expanding in dangerous ways. It simply goes against the basic concept of trademark law — which is supposed to be about protecting consumers from buying a product that is falsely labeled. That’s why trademark law is limited to the areas where your trademark is actually being used in commerce. The judge’s point that there is no customer overlap should be all that matters here. At that point there is no trademark issue. At all.

But Intel has, in fact, now refiled the lawsuit, and tries to get around this claim by pointing out that both Intel and this newsletter have customers that are Fortune 500 companies. Seriously. And then it still claims there is customer confusion, despite the judge making it pretty clear that he didn’t believe there was any customer confusion at all:

I asked the spokesperson from Intel who had contacted us about the last post if he could offer an explanation of why it made sense for Intel to continue to pursue this lawsuit, and I got back the basic explanation for why dilution is considered trademark infringement — which didn’t answer the question I was asking. But it appears that Intel’s definition of dilution goes way beyond even the current (already troubling) concept of dilution in trademark law. The way Intel sets it up, no one can use the word “intel” even if it’s already a widely generic term in a totally different industry (as is the case with the newsletter). That makes no sense.

While I’m sure Intel’s lawyers would claim that they have to defend their trademark to avoid it being declared generic, that’s also a misrepresentation of trademark law. You do have to defend, but only in cases where there’s actual confusion or actual risk of dilution. Someone doing business with a term that is generic in that industry, which is about as far away from Intel’s industry as is possible, is not doing any harm, whatsoever, to Intel’s mark. Intel should have just dropped the case and left it alone.

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Yikes. While the amounts are only tiny fractions of their revenues, major tech companies are spending quite a bit of money on lobbying. Hell, apparently “Google’s lobbying is half what it spends on advertising.” [BI] More »










Google – Searching – Search Engines – Lobbying – Business

“The Blumenthal Bombshell comes at the end of more than 2 months of deep, persistent research by Republican Linda McMahon’s Senate campaign,” Rennie writes. “It gave the explosive Norwalk video recording to The Times.”

Didn’t spend enough time on the internet today for a Daily Data Dump. But,

1) ResearchBlogCast #6, sans Kevin Zelnio.

2) Noah Millman is on Bloggingheads.tv.

Filed under: Happiness, Health, Healthy Eating, How to Be Happy

In Naomi Wolf’s 1991 controversial and international bestseller, The Beauty Myth, the author argued that “beauty” is a socially-constructed idea and standard that no woman can actually live up to.

I would like to posit an offshoot to this theory – … Read more

 

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An interesting new report has been posted by Engadget giving a plethora of hints as to the drama leading up to last month’s Palm acquisition news courtesy of the recent SEC filing. HP is the only company named but anyone with a bit of imagination and familiarity with recent Palm history can likely surmise most of the other suitors.

Some of the highlights from the story include a rather abrupt timeframe leading up to the close of the deal. Likely spurred on by the upcoming grim earnings announcement and the dismal Verizon webOS launch, Palm commenced efforts in early February to investigate strategic partnerships, webOS licensing, and an outright sale of the company. By early March, the ironic 10-year anniversary of Palm’s hotly-anticipated IPO a decade ago, Palm’s board determined that a sale of the company was the most favorable move, despite CEO Jon Rubinstein’s proclamations otherwise as recently as less than a week prior to the HP acquisition.

Filed under: Friends & Family, Advice, Health, Healthy Eating

There are few battles as epic as the daily one you have with your children to get them to eat healthier foods like fruit. And it’s not just you — parents around the world have the same problem. Luckily, recent research has shed some light on just … Read more

 

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Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.

Imagine learning you have a serious disease. You doctor decides to treat you with a drug, noting it could have some bad side effects. He also plans to inject you with the drug, even though it’s only been used orally before now. That makes you nervous enough to ask for the name of the drug. “Sorry, I can’t tell you,” he says. “It’s proprietary.” Even if you trust your doctor, you’re now left with no way to investigate the risks and tradeoffs you’re facing.

Imagine how mad you’d be if you learned your doctor hadn’t told you there were other drugs that not only had fewer side effects, but were more effective in treating your condition. And then you learn he’s on the Board of Directors of the company that makes the drug he prescribed.

Now consider that the patient is the Gulf of Mexico, the doctor is BP, and the drug is the oil dispersants, sold by Nalco under the trade name Corexit®, more than 500,000 gallons of which have been applied to date, with no end in sight. The known side effects include short-term aquatic toxicity, but the potential for long-term effects has never been studied. Nor have the effects of injecting it into deep water, an “unprecedented” method just been approved by NOAA and EPA after hastily arranged tests conducted over the last few days. (Elizabeth Grossman has posted an excellent piece exploring the potential for adverse health effects among spill responders from both the oil and the dispersants.)

The information being withheld (in this case from the public) is the identity of the main active ingredient in the dispersants – listed only as an “organic sulfonic acid salt” on Nalco’s material safety data sheets – which comprises 10-30% of the dispersant formula. (One observer maintains the unidentified ingredient is actually described in this 2001 patent, though its composition is quite variable.)

As part of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, EPA has tested 18 different dispersants for short-term toxicity to fish and shrimp. EPA has also tested the effectiveness of surface spraying in dispersing South Louisiana crude oil. How do the two Corexit® dispersants stack up against the competition? Not very well, it turns out. They rank 13^th and 16^th in effectiveness, 15^th and 18^th in fish toxicity, and 7^th and 10^th in shrimp toxicity. At least six dispersants are both more effective and less toxic than the Corexit® dispersants.

There’s no question the ongoing spill at Deepwater Horizon is a life-threatening condition, and emergency measures are in order. And BP has said it chose Corexit® because of the large stockpile, though its cozy relationship with Nalco has been invoked as a factor as well.

Considering the massive public costs of this unfolding environmental disaster in the Gulf, we should seriously question why, despite the clear opportunity for foresight via the contingency plan, BP is being allowed to use dispersants that are neither the most effective nor the safest.

And we should also question why EPA hasn’t used its emergency powers to force disclosure of all of the components of the Corexit® dispersants. There couldn’t be a clearer case of the need for EPA to exercise its mandate to disclose proprietary information when necessary to protect public health and the environment.

Given not only the scale but the experimental nature of the use of dispersants at Deepwater Horizon, responders and the public have a right to know to what chemicals they and the environment are being exposed. And those who will have to monitor and assess the health and ecological damages also need to know.

Both of these problems – a failure to drive the use of safer chemicals, and excessive allowances for trade secret protections – can be traced to underlying flaws in the main U.S. law governing chemical safety, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Among TSCA’s many flaws, documented by the Government Accountability Office and many others, it denies EPA the authority to develop even basic safety information for chemicals entering or already on the market, or to require the replacement of those shown to be dangerous. And it bars EPA from sharing most data it does obtain, not only with the public but even with state and local governments.

Happily, change is on the horizon. Environmental Defense Fund and more than 200 other health and environmental organizations are part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, which is supporting and seeking to further strengthen the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, S. 3209, introduced on April 15 by Senator Lautenberg. Join us.

One of London’s most famous icons got retired in 2005 to international dismay—the Routemaster bus. Seen on the roads since 1956, they were replaced by bendy-buses that almost everyone despises. Until now! Meet the new Routemaster. More »










London – Routemaster – Boris Johnson – Bus – Transport

Everyone knows that when certain bacteria are present in an environment, they can cause infections. These infections can take the form of diseases such as bubonic plague, cholera, leprosy, and tuberculosis. The problem isn’t simply that the bacteria are present, however, it’s that they communicate with one another – essentially coming up with a battle plan. This signaling process, called quorum sensing, has now successfully been blocked by British scientists. They did it using plastics similar those used by dentists for repairing teeth…
Continue Reading Nasty bacteria get gagged with plastic

Tags: Antibiotic,
Bacteria,
Plastics,
Polymer

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Verizon Wireless’ support staff have Tweeted that a fix for the aggravating AGPS bug that afflicts only the Verizon version of the Palm Pre Plus is indeed in the works. The exact Twwet said:

“Yes there is [a fix in the works], right now there is no ETA. The steps I gave you are a temp fix.”

While the VZW Navigator app works fine, other location-aware 3rd party apps such as Google Maps have issues determining a precise address or suffer from lengthy delays when establishing the user’s location. The Verizon Pre Plus is the only current WebOS model to suffer this issue, as it does not afflict Verizon’s Pixi Plus or any of the other WebOS devices currently on the market.

After a seemingly endless wait, the AT&T version of the Palm Pre Plus is now officially available in the USA, cementing webOS’ availability on the three leading domestic wireless carriers. Fortunately, AT&T’s offer of a free Touchstone charger is indeed valid and applicable to both retail and online orders.

A few questions were lingering about the status of its little sibling the Pixi Plus and whether or not it was even coming to AT&T. Thankfully, AT&T has just confirmed the Pixi’s release date as June 6th. It is still being depicted with the nifty blue Touchstone cover we discussed in March. The Pixi’s pricing will go for $49.95 with a 2-year contract, a bit higher than the current “free” Sprint Pixi or Verizon’s $29.99 Pixi Plus.

Summer is right around the corner. And while that’s exciting, it’s also true that spending so much time outside can be hard on your skin.  

Don’t let sunburn, bug bites, or poison ivy spoil your summer fun. Mother Nature can soothe your pain without hurting your wallet or the planet. Below are five inexpensive and easy-to-find first-aid essentials you’ll turn to again and again. 

 

(Photo: AzDew/Flickr)

Aloe vera

The gel from the meaty leaves of this spectacular succulent is a topical wonder. Rub it on the skin after sitting in the sun for too long or after being attacked by bite-happy bugs and it will cool, moisturize and promote healing. Chaffin’ like crazy after a long, sweaty hike in the woods? Apply a lil aloe gel to irritated skin and experience sweet relief courtesy of Mamma Nature. If you have space and want to go straight to the source, buy an entire aloe plant. Or just pick up a couple tubes of commercially available aloe gel — many brands are organic — at your local health food or drug store.

 

(Photo: hn/Flickr)

Citronella oil

During the summer, folks burn citronella-infused candles outdoors for a good reason: It’s nature’s way of keeping pesky bugs at bay. Dabbing diluted citronella oil — the oil comes from the leaves and stems of Cymbopogon plants — over exposed body parts is also an effective way to repel mosquitoes when candles aren’t an option. You may have to apply citronella oil more frequently than conventional, chem-based bug repellents, but it’s well worth it since using stinky, synthetic anti-bug remedies creates a noxious force field around you that not only repels pests, but people, too.

 

(Photo: algo/Flickr)

Witch hazel

Never mind the spooky name — products containing essential oils from the witch hazel shrub should be in everyone’s medicine cabinet, first-aid kit and camping backpack. Witch hazel is a powerful, tannin-filled natural astringent ideal for healing summertime blisters, bug bites and bruises. It also helps clear pimples and hemorrhoids. And no, you needn’t search for witch hazel at your local wiccan supply store, herbalist or dealer of esoterica — preparations are available at your local pharmacy or drugstore.

 

(Photo: Marco0047/Flickr)

Baking soda

Its no secret that baking soda is one of the most versatile and useful (not to mention inexpensive) household items. In addition to cleaning and absorbing odors, baking soda is also useful for a particular summertime malady: bee stings. After you’ve cleaned the wound and removed the stinger, apply a water/baking soda paste to the affected area to soothe the pain. And if you’re feeling the unbearable sting of plants like poison ivy, oak or sumac, or a prickly heat rash, a baking-soda paste (or bath) is a recommended treatment.

 

(Photo: Roadsidepictures/Flickr)

Oatmeal

Feeling irritated after a long day in the sun? Draw a lukewarm bath, fill ‘er up with plain colloidal (finely ground) oatmeal, and take a relaxing soak to soothe scorched skin and prevent blistering and peeling. Or, like baking soda, oatmeal can be whipped up into a paste and applied topically. In addition to sunburn, oatmeal also works magic on poison ivy rashes, heat rash and mosquito bites.

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