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Renewable power is generating increased interest in Michigan. A new report from the Michigan Public Service Commission shows that the number of net metering customers … The PSC says the number of net metering customers statewide increased from 53 …

Women planning on getting pregnant may be wise to maintain a healthful weight prior to conception, say authors of a new article published in Nursing for Women’s Health.

The authors, Merrie Rebecca Walters, RN and Julie Smith Taylor, PhD, RNC, WHNP-BC, reviewed the potential consequences of maternal obesity. They say that maintaining a healthy weight prior to conception may minimize health risks to both mothers and infants.

The authors concluded that obese women are more likely than women with a normal BMI to have an infant with a neural tube defect, heart defects or multiple anomalies. Obese pregnant women are also at higher risk of the following pregnancy complications:

• gestational diabetes
• hypertension
• preeclampsia
• induction of labor
• cesarean delivery
• postpartum hemorrhage

The authors note that obesity among pregnant mothers is associated later childhood obesity in their kids. According to the authors, obesity during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of obesity in kids ages 2-4. That risk may also extend into adolescence and adulthood.

Walters and Taylor emphasize the importance of moms-to-be consulting with their doctors about their ideal pre-conception weight. They noted that breastfeeding may be an important strategy for potentially breaking the cycle of obesity. The authors note that women who breastfeed have much higher weight loss than moms who formula feed from one to 12 months after giving birth. They say that breastfeeding may also be beneficial in reducing excessive weight gain in infants, which would also reduce risk of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Have you considered your weight when planning pregnancy?

(Image via flickr.goodcatmum)

Post from: Blisstree

Get to Your Ideal Weight Before Conception

As a long-time e-book reader, the report that has recently surfaced that mentions that owners of e-book readers buy more books than others does not surprise me in the least. While the report used a survey of book buyers to draw the conclusion that reader owners read more books than ever, I could have told them that based on my own experience.

I have been reading e-books for a decade. Take a step back and read that sentence again. While it seems that these readers have only been around for a short while, and that’s true, the fact is e-books have been around for a lot longer. I started reading e-books back in the old Palm Pilot days. Sure the screen was a lot smaller than say a Kindle screen, but it had its advantages. That advantage is one of the three reasons that e-book reader owners buy (and read) more books than the old-school book readers.

1. The buying experience. It’s easy to see a book in many stores and leaf through it. Maybe the cover graphic draws us in, or maybe it’s a book by a favorite author. What could be easier than carrying the book to the checkout counter and buying it? Easy, buying an e-book online. Amazon has done a great job making it as easy as possible to buy an e-book for the Kindle. Let’s face it, one-click buying is the ultimate in impulse buying technology, and that’s what many Kindle owners do. Other retailers like Barnes & Noble make buying almost as easy. The prospective book reader can either buy a book from the electronic reader, or from any computer. See the book, click the button, and the book is pushed to the e-book reader. It couldn’t be easier, and that leads to buying more books.

2. Price. I don’t have statistics, but based on the way booksellers operate it’s no secret that new releases are a big piece of the book selling business. Consumers anxiously wait for the next big book from a favorite author, as the sale of hardcover books demonstrates. These hardcover books can easily cost $25 or more, and readers snap them up. It’s no surprise then that with Amazon and Barnes & Noble selling new releases and bestsellers for $9.99 or less, shoppers are quick to snap them up. There’s no more waiting for the cheaper paperback edition to appear; just click the buy button and in 30 seconds you are reading that bestseller.

3. Alternate readers. I mentioned I started reading e-books on the Palm Pilot, and both Amazon and B&N are savvy enough to recognize that still has appeal. Both retailers were quick to release iPhone (and other phone) versions of their readers to handle those e-books on the run. While a Kindle might give a more enjoyable reading experience than an iPhone, the iPhone (or other device) is always with the owner. I can attest that using a phone to read e-books allows me to capture far more unexpected reading time while on the go than most would realize. I can spend that free time reading a good e-book, and I believe I am not alone in this practice. Amazon’s WhisperNet technology leverages that to maximum benefit, as all the different devices I use to read Kindle books talk to each other. No matter which gadget I have in hand to read, it automatically takes me to the exact spot I left off in the book, regardless of the device I used last for reading.

These three simple reasons have a direct impact on both the amount of time that consumers have to spend reading, and on the number of books purchased. Compared to paper books, e-books are more portable and in the case of best sellers, are much cheaper.

Related GigaOM Pro Research: Evolution of the e-Book Market

So a whole bunch of you submitted the story last week about a “study” claiming that unauthorized downloads of books was “costing” the publishing industry $3 billion per year. I avoided the study for a variety of reasons. Mainly, the reason I ignored it was because it was done by a company selling “solutions” to the (non) “problem,” Attributor is a company that has a very long history of putting out totally ridiculous studies like this to try to sell more of its pointless service. And, of course, if you looked at the details of the study, you realized how ridiculous it was — designed solely to generate headlines. So we ignored it.

However… we feel compelled to mention it now because Slashdot points us to an absolutely brilliant response by a blogger who used the same basic methodology to point out that, according to this line of thinking, libraries are costing publishers $100 billion per year:

Hot on the heels of the story in Publisher’s Weekly that “publishers could be losing out on as much $3 billion to online book piracy” comes a sudden realization of a much larger threat to the viability of the book industry. Apparently, over 2 billion books were “loaned” last year by a cabal of organizations found in nearly every American city and town. Using the same advanced projective mathematics used in the study cited by Publishers Weekly, Go To Hellman has computed that publishers could be losing sales opportunities totaling over $100 Billion per year, losses which extend back to at least the year 2000. These lost sales dwarf the online piracy reported yesterday, and indeed, even the global book publishing business itself.

From what we’ve been able to piece together, the book “lending” takes place in “libraries”. On entering one of these dens, patrons may view a dazzling array of books, periodicals, even CDs and DVDs, all available to anyone willing to disclose valuable personal information in exchange for a “card”. But there is an ominous silence pervading these ersatz sanctuaries, enforced by the stern demeanor of staff and the glares of other patrons. Although there’s no admission charge and it doesn’t cost anything to borrow a book, there’s always the threat of an onerous overdue bill for the hapless borrower who forgets to continue the cycle of not paying for copyrighted material.

Good stuff. The blog post goes on to discuss a shifty “meeting” of so-called “librarians” set out to destroy the publishing industry. Satire at its finest. Of course will the mainstream press remember this the next time Attributor puts out some silly report? Probably not…

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Article Tags: Himalayan Glacier Data

(CNN) — The U.N.’s leading panel on climate change has apologized for misleading data published in a 2007 report that warned Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said estimates relating to the rate of recession of the Himalayan glaciers in its Fourth Assessment Report were “poorly substantiated” adding that “well-established standards of evidence were not applied properly.”

Despite the admission, the IPCC reiterated its concern about the dangers melting glaciers present in a region that is home to more than one-sixth of the world’s population.

“Widespread mass losses from glaciers and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability, hydropower potential, and changing seasonality of flows in regions supplied by meltwater from major mountain ranges (e.g. Hindu-Kush, Himalaya, Andes)…”

“The chair, vice-chairs, and co-chairs of the IPCC,” the statement continued, “regrets the poor application of IPCC procedures…”

Click source to read FULL article

Source: cnn.com

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Filed under: Etc.

There will always be a great deal of debate surrounding the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Really, it is worded very odd. No matter what your opinion on gun ownership is, we’ll think you’ll agree that the Founding Fathers never intended this: a California man drove off a bridge, sank six feet under water and shot his way out of his car.

The 28-year-old man is a security guard at a Sacramento area casino who happened to have his handgun with him. The unnamed man claims that his cell phone rang, startled him and then he lost control of his Ford Focus, breaking through a guard rail and plunging into a river. We don’t buy the cell phone story, as it rings about as truthful as the pelican putting a Bugatti Veyron into a Texas pond.

No matter the reason, being trapped underwater is surely horrible. Good thing he had the gun. Why didn’t he try the door? He probably did and it wouldn’t open. Also, we’ve never been trapped underwater so it’s hard to say how the brain processes the situation. The upside is that the driver escaped with only minor injuries. Hat tip to Shaun!

[Source: cbs13.com]

NRA stoked as man shoots way out of submerged car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WASHINGTON — Saying childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, first lady Michelle Obama asked the nation’s mayors to help her battle an epidemic that could see today’s kids lead shorter lives than their parents.

Obama, in prepared remarks for her address this afternoon to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said no matter how much she’d read and thought about the problem of obesity among young people, the pertinent statistics “never fail to take my breath away.”

She said nearly one-third of U.S. children now are overweight or obese. She said one-third of today’s children eventually will suffer from diabetes, and, in the African American and Latino communities, the proportion will be almost half.

Obesity, she said, “could now be an even greater threat to America’s health than smoking.” And if the nation stays on its current path, nearly 50 percent of all Americans will be obese in 10 years — “not just overweight, but obese.”

“This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved in one year, or even one administration,” according to Obama, who is expected to unveil an anti-obesity initiative next month. “But make no mistake about it, this problem can be solved.”

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, for whom Obama once worked, is among about 220 mayors attending the conference.

Obama said a host of factors were contributing to the problem, from time-pressed parents with less time to prepare home-cooked meals to kids sitting for hours in front of televisions or playing video games.

She said as a busy working mom she turned too often to pizza or to a drive-through for food, until a nudge from her daughters’ pediatrician, who suggested she modify their diets.

Obama heralded what mayors across the country already are doing to fight fat and promote fitness.

She singled out Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, who challenged residents to lose a million pounds and created a Web site, thiscityisgoingonadiet.com, for people to track their progress and share tips.

“So far, 40,000 people have signed up — and together, they’ve lost more than half a million pounds,” she said. Forty of those pounds lost were Cornett’s, she noted.

Obama said the Arlington, Texas, mayor, who is a physician, gave children pedometers at the end of the school year; in Columbia, Mo., the mayor is building walkways and bikeways; in Bowling Green, Ky., the mayor launched a Web site to encourage exercise, find parks and trail maps and learn about upcoming races; and in Minneapolis, the mayor brought in farmers’ markets to bring fresh produce to underserved areas.

The conference, meeting in the Capital Hilton, runs through Friday.

– Katherine Skiba

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Speaking of Heidi Montag, while Blondie may be taking heat in the Court of Public Opinion for going under the knife for 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day – Heidi’s new look comes as no surprise to fellow Noodle Noggin Jessica Simpson, who recently traveled the globe researching how women in other cultures define beauty for her new VH1 reality series.

“I went to Brazil, so I saw many more women with a lot more surgeries….” Jessica told Access Hollywood at the Extraordinary Measures premiere on Tuesday.

On Nov. 20, Heidi underwent procedures that included a mini brow lift, Botox in the forehead, nose job revision, fat injections in cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, ears pinned back, breast augmentation revision, liposuction on her waist and thighs, and a butt lift.

Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty premieres March 15 on VH1.

Creative Global Investments analyst Sabine Blumel says that strong sales of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the fourth quarter will increase Daimler AG’s earnings for the quarter and hint at an earnings recovery for the automaker.

“The sales improvement at the Mercedes-Benz brand throughout last year was attributable to a rapidly improving model momentum, reflecting the roll-out of the new E-Class family,” Blumel said.

She said that Mercedes-Benz is set to post higher profits on a moderate increase in sales in the fourth quarter, a trend she says will continue in 2010.

Mercedes-Benz ended December 2009 in the United States selling 20,025 vehicles, up 8 percent from December 2008. Most of that increase came from the E-Class, which saw sales go up 57 percent from December to December.

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: AutoObserver

A dispute over who was next in the deli line at a Buffalo Grove Jewel-Osco has resulted in disorderly conduct charges against a Lincolnshire man.

Police say John F. Billis, 61, of the 20000 Block of North Horatio Boulevard, was arrested at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday in the grocery store parking lot at 79 North McHenry Road.

Witnesses told police he shoved a 65-year-old Buffalo Grove man, causing him to stumble backwards, authorities said.

“The clerk asked for the next customer to order, and Billis identified himself as the next in line,” Cmdr. Steve Husak said.

“The victim said that someone else was next in line.”

– Andrea Brown

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

An undercover investigation resulted in the arrest of a 63-year-old woman on prostitution charges at a Buffalo Grove spa.

Police said Myeong Hi Lim, of the 2600 block of South Cedar Glen Drive in Arlington Heights, was charged last week with prostitution and violating Buffalo Grove’s massage ordinance.

Police received a complaint of illicit activity at a strip mall on the 1100 block of Weiland Road, Sgt. Michael Szos said.

Lim is due in Lake County Circuit Court on Feb. 2 on the prostitution charge.

– Andrea L. Brown

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Engadget have published another hands-on video of Strantum’s resistive multi-touch screen in action. Their design combines the precision of resistive screens with the sensitivity and multi-touch capability of capacitive screens.

While Engadget was pretty happy with the performance of the device, they warn that it seems Strantum is still to find a customer for their technology, which I am sure many of our readers will be quite disappointed about.

Read more of Engadget’s impressions here.