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From the time that I was very young my family and I have been attending a summer camp in southern Michigan. Camp has always been a big part of my life, so when I became a counselor for the camp three years ago, I made it a goal of mine to give my campers the same, positive, experience my counselors gave to me. However, I knew there was one aspect of being a counselor that I wanted to improve on from the counselors of the past.

As a camper I always got sick as summer camp is a place for kids to play around in dirt, the lake, and be in close quarters with one another. I realized that there were little things that not only I, but other counselors and kids could do to prevent sickness. Campers and counselors were required to wash and sanitize their hands before every meal, shower at scheduled times, change out of wet clothing and swimsuits when not in the water, and clean the cabins daily. I knew these practices were helping the campers’ health as I noticed both my campers and I were getting sick less often.

Two summers ago a large storm swept through the camp, causing many of the cabins to flood. Limited space required the counselors and campers to stay in the water-ridden cabins. I realized quickly that this was not good for our health. My fellow counselors and I asked to be moved out of the cabin, explaining that we thought our kids were getting sick because of the forming mold. We were moved to different cabins that had some room and immediately saw our campers becoming healthier.

After the flood, action was taken immediately to solve the flooding problem. Erosion, due to campers walking off paths, and general rainfall was a main cause of the floods. Construction was done to help move run-off water away from the cabins.

Although children are usually at summer camp for a relatively small amount of time, it is important that they stay healthy while having fun! Summer camp provides a fun “getaway” from daily living, but also provides a chance for kids to learn a variety of life values, including independence. It is not only up to the counselors, but the campers to achieve healthy practices. While the counselors must teach, the campers must perform.

About the author: Nicole Reising is an intern at the Office of Children’s Health Protection. She is a sophomore studying non-profit management at Indiana University.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just published a study showing that bikes equipped with ABS are 37% less likely to be involved in fatal crashes, and have 22% fewer claims for damage than non-ABS equipped motorcycles. Why? Because new or returning riders generally aren’t proficient at accident avoidance, and ABS helps to compensate for this. The most common new rider mistake in a panic stop is locking the rear brakes while avoiding the front brakes altogether. This is a bad move for several reasons: first, under braking or deceleration, a motorcycle shifts weight from the rear wheel to the front, reducing the traction available at the rear tire. Second, when the rear tire starts to slide, retaining directional control for novice riders is nearly impossible. By preventing wheel lockup, motorcycle ABS generally allows riders to retain control, especially in sudden, panic-inducing situations.

ABS on bikes isn’t infallible, and stomping the binders while at an extreme lean angle in a corner will still result in a low side crash. I’ve had two ABS equipped bikes, and I’ve got to say that I’m personally not a fan. ABS makes the braking systems harder to maintain and bleed, and gets costly when parts do fail. It’s not a substitute for proper rider training, as it won’t save your bacon in every case. If it were up to me, I’d suggest you spend the money saved on ABS brakes on a few track days; you’ll learn riding skills that will help in every situation, not just a few.

Source: IIHS

It is obviously just a cloud, isn’ it? Actually, no, it’s not just any cloud. Updated. More »

After the director of the Republican National Committee’s Young Eagles program was fired last week following the bondage club spending scandal, some suggested that the RNC was moving on. Apparently not.

The committee’s chief of staff, Ken McKay, resigned last night and his departure apparently prompted senior adviser Curt Anderson to also call it quits. Now the focus turns back to chairman Michael Steele.

Steele maintains he’s not going anywhere, but the possibility of an exit is the talk of the blogs, the MSM and even some Republicans this morning. And Steele’s actions in the wake of the scandal haven’t exactly bolstered his standing. Since the scandal broke, Steele hired Neil Alpert to handle RNC finances (Alpert was charged with campaign finance improprieties when he chaired two D.C. baseball associations) and commented on national television that “he and President Obama have a slimmer margin of error because of their race,” a remark that drew a rebuke from the White House.

Perhaps Steele should re-read the email he circulated last night.

“Every minute spent on distractions is an unacceptable missed opportunity to do what you do best – taking back our country for the American people.”

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Europe, Aston Martin, Racing

Round-the-clock endurance races typically demand the participation of three or even four-man teams, taking shifts as the sun rises and falls on the circuit. The car they’re driving, though, doesn’t usually have the capacity to carry the entire team. But as if to emphasize once again the true sporting nature of its latest product, Aston Martin will be taking on the competition this year at the Nürburgring 24 in a damn-near-bone-stock Rapide.

In addition to its innumerable victories in Le Mans-class racing, Aston has had great success at the ‘Ring in the SP8 category, which it has won the past two years running. In fact last year, a V12 Vantage took the class win and placed 21st overall in the race, outshining a wide array of dedicated race machinery.

Like the V12 Vantage (which will also run this year’s event) the Rapide endurance racer will run with very few modifications, limited largely to the removal of interior trim, the addition of some mandatory safety equipment, and racing slicks mounted to a readjusted suspension. That’s about it. Aston chief Dr. Ulrich Bez will once again lead the team of factory drivers, and we’ll be watching on May 15-16 to see if the four-door can make it three-for-three. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Aston Martin to field near-stock Rapide at Nürburgring 24

Aston Martin to field near-stock Rapide at Nürburgring 24 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over the weekend I received an email from Jack E. where he proposes a unique method of distributing hydrogen fuel along a nationwide hydrogen highway network. I thought I would share his thoughts with you today:

Jack E.: “I really support your effort to get the use of hydrogen going. I am going to be 75 this month and I would like to see hydrogen in use before I depart this life. I started out my work career as a car development engineer at Buick in Flint Mich. I worked in the noise and vibration group then as a senior chassis design engineer. This was in the late 50s and early 60s. I drive a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban. What a great car. I would like to see the day when they offer a Suburban with a hydrogen fuel cell.

“For a split second on Friday I thought that a miracle had happened. But, alas, it was only a joke. But think about this. If hydrogen fueling stations were to be installed at strategic truck stop locations across the nation, maybe it would only require maybe 5000 stations. Your report on the Vision Motor Co Tyrano class 8 heavy duty truck tractor really got me excited. This could be the answer. The money needed to kick start such a program would be much lower than concentrating on automobiles only. By setting up truck stops, cars could also use the stations.

“The truck stops could be setup using a mobile, medium or large 10,000 psi hydrogen tube trailers that could be hauled into location, swapped with an empty trailer and hooked up to a quick connect station installed by Air Products Inc. No large cost to install a storage tank. Rotate tube trailers. This could be done in a much shorter time than constructing permanent tanks. Such tanks could come at a later date.

“Remember how the truck drivers suffered during the time that gas was selling for over $4.00 per gal. Vision Motors reports that the cost per mile for hydrogen would be approximately $0.39 per mil , while diesel costs $0.71 per mile and LNG costs $0.79 per mile. Truck conversion from diesel to hydrogen could be a major business opportunity. T. Boon Pikens wants the truck fleets to go LNG. He has a big investment in natural gas.

“How about locating hydrogen fueling stations at Sam’s Clubs. Delivery trucks for WalMart / Sam’s Club could refuel at these stations and members could also refuel their cars.

“Maybe you could start a new web page that could concentrate on trucks/hydrogen. Every day that I go on line I look for info on Vision Motors project with the California Port Authority.

“The main reason that I like the truck angle is because it demonstrates the fact that hydrogen fuel cells are scalable. They are not only for the small tinker toy cars that are in all of the reports. I drive a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. I would not trade it for a electric small car. My wife and I spend the winter in Florida for 6 months. We love the Suburban because of the need to carry our needs for the stay in Florida. We pass many truck stops on our trip.”

Many thanks Jack for your thoughts on this subject.

The world is reacting with horror to the news that at least 25 people have died in an explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. It is the worst U.S. mining accident since 1984.

Meredith Bandy, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note that the ultimate impact on Massey is unclear.

"Putting aside the terrible loss of life, at this stage it is not possible to quantify the earnings impact for [Massey] for this year, nor the impact of possible private litigation or government action against the company," Ms. Bandy wrote in a note to clients.

She also noted that no estimates have been provided on how long the mine will remain closed and how much that will cost the company.

Ms. Bandy did say that the accident is unlikely to affect the seaborne coking coal market. The market is about 200 million tonnes a year in size, and she wrote that it is unlikely that all of the output from the Upper Big Branch mine, which produces about 1.2 million tonnes a year, would have been sold into the seaborne market.

Peter Koven

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How would you like to be a blogging rockstar for a music icon? “Unthinkable” songbird Alicia Keys appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday where she announced that she is teaming up with Monster.com and launching an online search for a talented blogger to maintain her forthcoming website IAmASuperwoman.com, which Alicia describes as a “fun, inspiring online neighborhood for super women to check in with what other super women are thinking, doing, feeling, working on, eating, buying, wearing and laughing about, and to prompt discussions on things the modern super woman cares about.”

“With IAAS.com, I’ll be displaying my ‘voice’ in a different way and need just the right person to help me express a point of view that I don’t think exists yet in the blog world,” the multiplatinum-selling singer said in a statement.

Monster says: “We help match great people with great jobs every day and Alicia has given us the opportunity to help a talented blogger get the coolest job in social media. Most employers are swamped with resumes so imagine Alicia’s challenge with this job. Fortunately our precision search technology will help match the best candidates from the thousands that will apply.”

Finalists will be flown to New York City for an interview with Ms. Keys herself in May, the Top 3 candidates will then be flown to the UK to cover Alicia’s May 27 Black Ball, which benefits her Keep A Child Alive charity. The blogging star who pens the most interesting account of the event wins!

CLICK HERE To Find Out How You Can Apply To Become The Next IAAS.com Blogger — But Hurry, The Contest Ends May 3……

El fin del plan 2000E, la inminente subida del IVA… dicen que es la mejor fecha para comprar un coche y en eso hemos estado los últimos meses. Como no podía ser de otra forma en mi caso, en todo el proceso de compra del coche, internet ha tenido el mayor protagonismo, sustituyendo por completo las vías que utilicé la última vez, allá por el 2004. En una serie de artículos quería compartir lo que, a mi entender, está cambiando internet el negocio de compra venta de coches y lo que podría suponer en el futuro. Para empezar, hablaría no ya de la compra, sino de dónde y cómo se produce esta decisión.

La mayoría de estudios sitúan las recomendaciones de amigos como primer criterio en influencia en decisiones de compra, algo que permanece inamovible también en la era de la red. Sin embargo, en segundo lugar se han venido situando las opiniones en internet, recogidas por blogs, sitios de opiniones de usuario, foros… por encima incluso de los medios especializados. Y es que además del “influenciador offline” (en mi caso en 2003 fue un compañero de trabajo que leía tres revistas sobre coches al mes), aparecen los nuevos “influenciadores online”, capaces de ser expertos para mucha más gente que la de su círculo cercano, lo que les confiere un especial interés.

En mi caso, mi decisión de compra se ha jugado en tres tipos de escenarios:

• Contactos online que saben de coches. Está claro que teniendo compañeros que lideran el blog de coches más leído en castellano… no podía dejar de escapar la ocasión de abusar un poco de su paciencia.
• En segundo lugar los medios especializados en coches en internet. Principalmente dos, Motorpasion (Disclaimer: creado por Weblogssl, empresa de la que soy socio y director de estrategia online) y Km77. Mi aproximación a Motorpasión no era tanto en cuanto a “blog” sino como medio especializado que tiene tres valores para mí capitales: actualidad con las últimas noticias, revisiones a fondo de coches (entre ellos algunos de mis candidatos) y una comunidad de usuarios que aportan mucho valor en los comentarios. Km77 es una referencia que prefiero a la mayoría de revistas que han sacado versión digital, sus fichas con datos funcionan muy bien y además tienen muchos análisis propios.
• Una vez localizado un candidato, buscar el foro o club de referencia en España. Esto es interesante porque te da acceso a decenas de experiencias personales, de gente que se ha planteado necesidades y de muchos que están dispuesto a responder a tus preguntas. Por muy modernos que queramos ser, en ocasiones los foros dan una patada a Twitter, Facebook y cualquier plataforma “2.0”.

Comprendo que para otro perfil de usuario, Google hubiese podido jugar un papel destacado como intermediario para acceder a los análisis y a los especialistas. Tal como está ahora el mundo del SEO, la mayoría de las búsquedas están copadas no por páginas con contenidos editoriales sino por fichas automáticas de webs-escaparate, que juegan un papel importante en el proceso de compra de un coche nuevo como veremos, pero no en el de la decisión de qué coche comprar.

El resultado de todo ello me lleva a seguir sospechando que el fin del cliente cautivo en el comercio “no electrónico” seguirá acercándose también en el sector del automóvil. El papel de internet, sus medios y sus páginas con opiniones va a desplazar mucho al rol del “vendedor del concesionario”, como muchas veces me ha insistido Dani Seijo. Cuando llegué al concesionario sabía qué modelo quería, con qué extras, en qué condiciones y qué tipo de negociación iba a tener con el vendedor… que en estos casos pasa a tener un rol de mero distribuidor y ya casi nada de prescriptor.

Relacionado: Internet en el coche, tendencia 2010 y….

Three major figures in the Arellano-Felix narcotics cartel that used violence and bribery in its cocaine and marijuana empire have been given lengthy prison sentences in San Diego federal court, officials said.

On Monday, Jesus Labra-Aviles was sentenced to 40 years and Armando Martinez-Duarte to 18 years and four months. Last week, Jorge Aureliano Felix was sentenced to 30 years in prison. All had pleaded guilty to a variety of conspiracy and drug charges.

A fourth defendant in the case is set to be sentenced next month. The reputed gangsters were extradited to the U.S. in December 2008.

The cartel operates from the Tijuana-Mexicali region to smuggle drugs into the U.S., bribing Mexican officials and murdering rivals, according to court documents.

— Tony Perry in Calexico, Calif.

Malema salutes President’s stance against West

Herald Reporter

ANC Youth League president Cde Julius Malema has lauded President Mugabe as one of the few African leaders with guts to stand against the wishes of the West.

Cde Mugabe, he said, has a strong history as a peace-loving leader who does not encourage political violence.

Addressing journalists at State House yesterday after meeting with the President, Cde Malema said some African leaders were even afraid of the unborn children of imperialists.

Earlier, President Mugabe had appraised Cde Malema and his delegation on the history of the liberation struggle and the relationship between Zanu-PF and the ANC.

He advised Cde Malema that he should never sacrifice ANC principles on the altar of expediency. He said Zanu-PF and the ANC shared the trenches during the liberation struggle and continue to do so as they fight to empower their people.

He said when the imperialists colonised Africans they turned the people into semi-slaves and changed their way of living while at the same time denying them education because they feared that once enlightened the people would fight.

“Do not sacrifice principles on the altar of expediency. Do not be opportunistic. Principles should be principles. They should never be sacrificed,” he said.

Cde Mugabe said when Zanu-PF and the ANC took up arms to fight they had realised that whites were only here to amass wealth and were not committed to the welfare of indigenous people.

He said at independence, Zanu-PF espoused the policy of reconciliation because the struggle was not against individuals but policies that they advanced.

“When we got independence we did not see the reason to punish anyone. We said let bygones be bygones. We forgive but do not forget,” he said.

Cde Mugabe chronicled the history of the land reform programme and how Britain and America reneged on their promises to finance land reforms. He said some white former farmers had tried to fight the land reform programme through the Sadc Tribunal adding that the tribunal “does not have power over us”.

Cde Mugabe attacked some black elites for thinking the economy should remain in the hands of whites simply because some of them are chief executives.

Soon after his closed-door meeting with the President, Cde Malema said many people draw inspiration from President Mugabe’s leadership.

“President Mugabe is amongst very few African leaders who can say no. Many leaders are scared of children of imperialists and their grandchildren and even the unborn children of imperialists,” he said.

Earlier Cde Mugabe said founders of the Organisation of African Unity, now African Union, must be shaking in their graves because many African leaders are agreeing to the divisive politics of the West.

Cde Malema said whites will never abandon Zimbabwe because of the land reform programme because there is nowhere in the world they would own so much land.

“All capitalists are now accepting the land reform as a policy of Government and are beginning to co-operate. They are not talking of going away. They will never own the hectares they have here if they leave. They have nowhere to run to,” he said.

Cde Malema said his delegation had learnt a number of valuable lessons in Zimbabwe with regard to the land reform and empowerment of the indigenous people. The ANC Youth League, he said, had copied some of the lessons for implementation in South Africa.

“President Mugabe, like President Mandela, fought for us to gain political freedom. It is up to us to take it further. We are going to strengthen youth movements in Southern Africa and progressive countries in Latin America,” he said.

He defended the singing of the liberation war song Dubula Ibhunu (Kill the Boer) saying he was much younger than the song. He said liberation luminaries such as Chris Hani, Oliver Tambo among others, sang the song.

He dismissed allegations that the recent killing of the Afrikaner supremacist, Eugene Terre’blanche, was linked to the song.

He said he would continue singing the song because it forms part of the liberation history.

“We feel very proud when we sing the song. I will continue singing the song. If anybody wants to assassinate me they will find me ready. If they kill me they will not eat me,” he said.

He said the ANC Youth League had invited Zanu-PF to send a team to understudy how the ANC campaigns and woos the people.

Responding to a question on his attack of the MDC-T, Cde Malema said the party had started the fight and should not force him to visit them.

“The MDC-T was the first to insult us. Unprovoked they held a Press conference in Sandton and insulted us. Then you expect us to be nice. We are visiting our friend. You cannot force us to visit you,” he said.

They are not ready to replace Kevlar yet, but scientists are working on armored cotton t-shirts that are light and flexible but acquire the properties of boron carbide, the third hardest materials on the planet, according to researcher Xiaodong Li: More »

I just got back from a quick trip to the island of Kauai. The trip was a little bit last minute, but there is no such thing as a bad time for a trip to Hawaii as far as I’m concerned. I didn’t do any posting about the trip while I was away. I did, however, do a lot of relaxing, sightseeing and – of course – eating while I was out there and have plenty of posts on some great foodie spots on the island to catch up on in the next couple of days. First, however, I can’t resist sharing a couple of snapshots of the island first.

The above photo is of Hanalei Bay, on the North side of Kauai. Definitely a great photo spot and place to spend a relaxing afternoon watching people fish on the pier.

It’s impossible not to look at these blue waters and wish you were right there on the beach – especially since the water is warm all year round. This is a shot from Poipu Beach, on the South side of the island.

(more…)

Edward turns a pile of as-is wood into kitchen storage.

“I recognized a pile of wood in the scratch and dent area as a cupboard, which I think was from the Akurum series. Our tiny kitchen was desperate for some extra space, so I bought the wood, for I think $5, a set of Vika legs, which were easily shortened with a hack saw, and turned the cabinet on its side, re-cutting the original long horizontal cross shelf into shorter lengths for the new orientation. A little paper inside the glass doors hid the brick-a-brack and it was done.”

By Carmi Levy, Betanews

Do you ever get the impression your wallet is being relentlessly sucked dry? Or that consumers are being expected to pay for an ever growing list of subscription-based services that, in a less profit-mad world, would likely be free?

Apple’s gotten quite enough publicity from me and my colleagues over the last little while. So while I hate to harp on the iPad yet again this week, I can’t let go of the fact that this particular introduction represents yet another step toward the deepening fiscal enslavement of consumers.

Information never wanted to be free

As an example, let’s consider the price we pay to connect to the Internet. In the very beginning, we dialed the Internet by phone on a 1200 baud connection. (Anyone remember Telenet? Paying by the minute?) A long time later, in the Mosaic era, outside of community-funded Freenets or gamey-looking PCs at the local library, we paid ISPs to go online. Cost-per-minute rate plans soon gave way to unlimited access, of course, but we were still paying every month for the privilege of sucking the Internet through the data equivalent of a straw. Information superhighway, my eye.

Soon enough, DSL and cable-based high-speed connectivity shoved dial-up to the side, but that monthly subscription of around $20 to $30 nearly doubled in most cases. For some consumers, ISPs added insult to injury by charging extra for modem rental; in some European countries, governments charged license fees for using modems.

As the world mobilized and cell phones became mainstream consumer offerings, our monthly budgets made room for yet another bill. As cell phones morphed into smartphones, the voice-only invoice became a voice-and-data plan. In many cases (mine included) we were paying two amounts to the same service provider/carrier to be online at home and on the go.

Another device, another bill

In its higher-end 3G form, Apple’s iPad threatens to add to the budgetary hurt by requiring yet another payment to access the very same Internet we’ve been paying for (twice) all along. Now, in fairness, we should thank AT&T for busting some of the old, consumer-unfriendly paradigms of the carrier biz. Its rate structure — $15 a month for 250 MB of data and $30 for unlimited — is a paradigm shift from the typically far more expensive smartphone-based plans. That it doesn’t require a contract is an even more radical change from the traditional lock-in strategy that’s hosed us all since this entire industry was first formed.

So as much as I want to congratulate AT&T for dropping the price and making it easier for us to opt in and opt out whenever we choose, I still think it’s a crock. Thanks to Apple and its US carrier partner-in-crime, anyone who chooses to buy a 3G-capable iPad now faces a third monthly bill for the one Internet that his/her tax dollars funded oh-so-long-ago.

Am I the only one who thinks we should be paying once no matter how we connect? It can’t be that radical a concept, can it?

Like television before it

In many respects, increasingly fee-based Internet access follows the broadcast television model. In the beginning, we picked signals out of the air for free. While the resulting experience was anything but home theater-like, it reflected the then-state-of-the-art, and was generally considered acceptable for its time. The arrival of cable distribution of those formerly free signals meant we no longer missed our favorite shows because an intense rainstorm blew the rooftop antenna out of alignment.

The relentless march of cable/satellite bills has far outstripped the rate of inflation in both Canada and the US for the past decade. It has also given pause to consumers who have grown weary of getting their pockets picked at every turn. Keep in mind the public technically owns the frequencies over which radio and television have traditionally been broadcast.

Fair is not free

I’m not saying AT&T should suddenly offer its 3G service for iPads, smartphones, netbooks or any other device for free. I’m also not suggesting that a carrier that builds out separate infrastructure for terrestrial and mobile data access shouldn’t be able to define and manage separate revenue streams for each. Although we may not always have the most peaceful relationships with our carriers, we should show them a little love for choosing to do business in a very difficult sector. They make multi-billion-dollar bets on what technologies will be hot, and they deserve the opportunity to generate reasonable profits from those investments.

The key words here are “fair,” “reasonable,” and “balanced.” Which is my politically correct way of saying that the profit motive should not be an excuse for companies to thinly slice nearly similar services, and then resell them to us as though they were unique. They are not, and despite the very different kinds of infrastructure that support terrestrial and mobile Internet users, at some point, pipes are pipes are pipes.

We expect greater value

If the still-with-us recession has taught us anything, it’s to question the value of the things we purchase and consume. And if we don’t feel we’re receiving value for our investment, the recession has further emboldened us to challenge the status quo and push for something better. AT&T’s iPad data pricing model may look like a great deal when compared to existing smartphone plans, but to an existing AT&T customer, it seems like an unnecessary cash grab. It’s entirely fair to ask why one customer can’t tap into one wireless account with more than one device, especially if at least one of those devices was purchased outright rather than with an up-front subsidy and a two- or three-year contract commitment.

I know I’m likely screaming in the wind here. I get that entire business models of market-dominating carriers are based on prodding the same people to spend more and more for month after month. I get that shareholders love this kind of thing and will spank growth-driven companies if they deviate from this model.

But the idealist in me likes to think that 2010 will be the year when the average consumer maxes out the average number of individual subscriptions for technology-related services, and that the amount we spend on things that should be either free, less expensive, or combined into simpler packages will ultimately begin to drop.

In this context, paying once again for 3G service on an iPad could be the biggest sucker’s bet yet. Apple could end up changing the landscape again, only not in a way it had initially intended.

Carmi Levy is a Canadian-based independent technology analyst and journalist still trying to live down his past life leading help desks and managing projects for large financial services organizations. He comments extensively in a wide range of media, and works closely with clients to help them leverage technology and social media tools and processes to drive their business.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Federal regulators have approved a new tamper-resistant pill that they hope will reduce the risk of OxyContin overdose and drug abuse. 

The FDA issued a news release on Monday announcing approval of a new formulation of the OxyContin pill that makes it difficult to override the controlled release of the drugs into the body. The new design is resistant to efforts to cut, chew, crush or dissolve the pill in order to defeat the slow drug release design.

OxyContin is a form of the narcotic oxycodone that is designed to release the painkilling medication into the bloodstream gradually over a 12-hour period. Approved by the FDA in 1996, drug abusers quickly discovered that the pill could be crushed and snorted or inhaled for an instant high. Often referred to on the street as “Hillbilly Heroin” or “Killers,” the drug has been linked to hundreds of drug overdoses and deaths.

The pill is the best-selling prescription pain medication in the United States, with more than $2 billion in annual sales.

In 2007, Purdue Pharma executives plead guilty to criminal charges that they made false and misleading statements downplaying the risk of Oxycontin addiction to doctors. Sales representatives were told to tell doctors that the drug did not cause euphoric highs and was not as addictive as other pain medications. They also told doctors the drug did not cause withdrawal symptoms.

Company executives agreed to pay $600 million in fines for their actions, and made a number of settlements on individual Oxycontin lawsuits filed against the company on behalf of people who had become addicted to the drug and suffered injuries, financial losses, overdoses or death.

The FDA will require OxyContin’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, L.P., to conduct a postmarket study to see how the new pill design affects the rates of OxyContin abuse and misuse. FDA officials say the improvements are much needed, but anticipate that they will have an “incremental” effect on OxyContin misuse.

In 2008, about half a million people used OxyContin for non-medical reasons for the first time, according to data collected by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

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AAPL Ends The Day Strong On iPad Sales News
AAPL shares closed up Monday despite opening weekend iPad sales falling short of most analysts’ expectations. The stock ended the trading session at $238.49 (20x estimated fiscal-year 2010 EPS and 19x Enterprise Value / Trailing Twelve Months Free Cash Flow). Upcoming catalysts include details regarding the iPhone OS 4 on Thursday; March quarter results (likely the third week in April); March NPD data on Mac unit sales; physical launch of the next generation iPhone this summer; and the CDMA (Verizon) iPhone launch anticipated later this year.

Cramer Says Keep Buying Apple (CNBC)
Mad Money’s Jim Cramer is telling investors to “pull the trigger on Apple” because, love it or hate it, the “iPad is addictive as Oxycontin.” That said, he’s dolling out dual advice. “If you’re a trader, take some off the table. If you’re an investor, forget it, the stock is going to $300.” As much as I hate to agree with him, he’s probably right.

iPad’s Uptake Hinges On Technical Performance (Nomura Securities)
After using the iPad, Manabu Akizuki at Nomura Securities expects the “uptake of the iPad to hinge on the effectiveness of Apple’s in-house A4 processor [low power consumption and high performance] and broadening the range of dedicated applications.” He sees rapid growth in content partners as well as “grass-roots applications.”

The iPad Won’t Cannibalize Laptop Sales (Seeking Alpha)
There has been much speculation as to where the iPad sits in the computing ecosystem. Does it exist in between the PC / laptop and the mobile phone, or does it cannibalize the former, replacing that “legacy” system all together? Seeking Alpha contributor Mark Riddix believes that the iPad is revolutionary, but we will still use our traditional computer for multi-tasking and content creation. If that assumption is true, it’s good news for Apple, which is rumored to be refreshing it’s notebook line this month.

Apple To Remain In The Limelight, Announcing iPhone OS 4 Details Thursday (PC World)
Apple continues to capture the media’s attention (and subsequent attention of investors). On Thursday April 8, the company will reveal details about its next-generation iPhone operating system, iPhone OS 4. Some of the top expected features include the support of multi-tasking third-party applications, a unified mailbox, GPS navigation and Apple’s new mobile ad product, iAd.

What’s The Impact Of the iPad and App Pricing On Apple Stock? (Trefis)
According to Trefis, an online financial and analytical tool, the Apps business represents 6% of the company’s $267 Apple stock target price, while the iPad accounts for 4%. By adjusting the top variables for the iPad (pricing, unit sales and gross margin) and the Apps business (song pricing, song unit sales, average pricing, downloads, paid percentage, gross margin) on the interactive model, investors can estimate the impact to the stock price.

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See Also:

• Apple Investor: Wall Street Went Wild With Weekend iPad Predictions, But Mostly Came Up Short
• Apple Investor: Wall Street Sees Up To 400K iPads Sold This Weekend
• Apple Investor: Apple Will Be Counting The Cash As Verizon & ATT Duke It Out

Colorado State

The Rams hit Sonny Lubick field for their 6th spring practice.

Colorado

Nick Hirschman is settling in with the Buffs.

Nevada

Nevada closes with their annual Silver and Blue game.

Miami(OH)

Miami is getting started with their spring practices.

Idaho

Vandal Nation does a nice preview about what Idaho is looking forward to this year.