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  • Lady Gaga Collapse Forces Indiana Concert Cancellation

    Pop sensation Lady Gaga was forced to cancel a concert on her sold-out “Fame Monster Tour” after she collapsed just before taking the stage in Indiana on Thursday night.

    The Bad Romance hitmaker was scheduled to perform at Purdue University in Indiana but pulled out at the last minute after paramedics discovered her heart was beating irregularly.

    “Due to exhaustion and dehydration, Lady Gaga collapsed and passed out before her show tonight in West Lafayette, IN. Her physician has advised her to take a few days off to rest,” a rep for the singer told The Insider.

    With some bed rest, Gaga is expected to make a speedy recovery. She will makeup the cancelled gig on Jan. 26.

    “I hope you can forgive me. I love my little monsters more than anything, you are everything to me…..” the Grammy-nominated singer sadly apologized in a Tweet to fans.


  • Skype to FCC: Keep the Internet Open & Neutral

    Skype, a big proponent of open networks and net neutrality, in a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission argued that net neutrality was “about growing the broadband ecosystem and preserving a borderless, open Internet” and said it would “promote investment, jobs and innovation.”

    The company said that it “welcomes the Commission’s focus on preserving an open Internet and strongly supports the proposed six principles described in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM.)” Earlier, the FCC had come up with a framework pertaining to broadband and wireless networks and issues of network neutrality. The FCC has been seeking responses on sensitive and divisive issues such as reasonable network management.

    Skype’s stance makes sense given that the company needs net neutrality to keep going and growing. In its filing (embedded at the end of the post), Skype argued:

    Evidence suggests that carriers have the incentive and ability to harm innovation in the real-time communications application market, such as that made possible by Skype, either by outright blocking or more subtle forms of discrimination. Because these applications offer consumers additional choice and savings, they should not be delayed, obstructed or throttled by broadband access providers.

    The filing didn’t say anything surprising. We all know that services such as Skype, YouTube and Twitter are the reasons people subscribe to broadband connections, and in order to keep the demand for faster (and more expensive) broadband connections, the technology industry needs to keep creating such applications.

    Interestingly, Skype wants the FCC to keep the mobile broadband networks open, much like fixed-line broadband networks, but it understands the need for some sort of network management when it comes to wireless networks. The company wants the FCC to make sure that VoIP providers like it are allowed to offer their services over all kinds of networks.

    Skype believes that it should never be reasonable for any network operator, including wireless network operators, to block, throttle or degrade particular applications without regard to the network capacity such applications actually are consuming. Not all video applications, or peer-to-peer or VoIP applications, consume the same amount of bandwidth or place the same demands on network capacity. Skype, for example, optimizes its software application to adapt to network congestion and consume very few network resources — between 6 kbps and 40 kbps for a voice call depending on the level of network congestion, which is less than traditional POTS or other popular voice protocols.

    Thus, simply blocking all VoIP applications in response to network congestion is an over broad practice not based on fact and should be viewed as unreasonable. In addition, blocking practices or network management practices that use categories such as “P2P” or “VoIP” are both over- and under-inclusive. Some P2P applications might consume large amounts of network resources, while others, such as Skype, do not. Some VoIP applications include video communications capabilities, while others do not.

    Skype is but one example of a P2P application that both transcends the ‘voice’ category but is respectful of network resource issues and does not consume large amounts of bandwidth. The Commission should therefore reject network management practices that rely on these broad application descriptions because they do not bear any close relationship to actual demands placed on broadband networks.

    In a post earlier this week, Stacey pointed to research by The Public Policy Institute of California that said broadband can boost economic development, but only up to a point. “Whatever positive effects broadband may have on employment growth, it did not result in either higher employment rates or higher pay for residents in areas where broadband expanded in the 1999–2006 period,” the study found.

  • Botanical Gardens » Blog Archive » What To Konw About Ethanol …

    [49] If all bioethanol-production energy came from non-fossil sources the use of bioethanol as a fuel would add no greenhouse gas.[50] [edit] Manufacture In 2002 , monitoring of ethanol plants revealed that they released VOCs (volatile …


  • Buy And Sell Proprietary Knowledge Through GenApple

    bluePeople are continually looking for new pieces of information. We go to school, read articles on a variety of subjects, have free websites such as Wikipedia, and use search answer engines such as Aardvark and Quora for the sole purpose of quenching our never-ending thirst for knowledge. But how do you find and access wanted information which people are unwilling to divulge, at least for free, except to their closest confidants? Enter GenApple, an information brokerage company who hopes that their website will help to facilitate the exchange of such knowledge. By creating a marketplace for information, GenApple, just entering public beta, hopes that those who would normally withhold certain privy information will be more reticent to disclose it when monetarily incentivized.

    Those with information to sell can create a listing similar to one you would find on any classifieds page. Postings are listed on the website immediately after submission. When creating a listing, the seller has the ability to hide any or all of his personal information which he used during sign-up: all that will show is the username. Conversely, he can show all of his information if he thinks it will aid in the process of a buyer purchasing his information. Potential buyers are able to post listings as well in the “I want to know” section. Here, buyers can state the kind of information they want, along with how much they are willing to pay for said information. GenApple also allows people to create free listings, where users can give away specialized knowledge for free. The knowledge is entered into an information vault for future use and can be any type of text entry or data file. GenApple creates their revenue by taking a commission on the final sale price.

    The anonymity of sellers, coupled with the fear of fraud may be an issue for some, and as such, GenApple provides a slew of buyer protection features. They have a standard feedback system where users can rate a seller, and also have a feature where sellers can put forth a veracity statement. GenApple operates under a brokerage business model (they host the listings and process payments) in order to instill trust in the listings being offered. In doing so, GenApple has the ability to hold payment to the seller if the buyer is not satisfied. If a buyer is not fully satisfied with the purchase, they can submit a ticket to GenApple who will then make a final decision as to whether fraud was committed or not and will act accordingly.

    Given the nature of this idea, GenApple will surely run into a couple of roadblocks down the road. The most obvious one, is that of insider trading. GenApple explicitly states in the terms of service that the exchange of insider information is illegal, but when has that stopped anybody? To counter this, GenApple has the authority to delete any suspicious postings and will cooperate fully with any government officials if the problem does come about. Additionally, only two employees at GenApple monitor listings. As they reach critical mass, they may find that personally overlooking the listings will be too great a burden for humans to do no matter the number of staff. To help with this, users are able to flag postings, but they will surely need a better system when they grow.

    GenApple’s idea is novel and shows promise. If they are able to continually protect buyers as the company grows then they could be successful. We’d give them some more pointers, but why give away such valuable information for free?

    The company is self-funded and operates out of an office in Minnesota.

    Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

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  • Kolelinia concept bicycle lane to let you ride safe in the sky

    kolelinia_1

    Eco Factor: Bicycle lane designed to let you ride above traffic.

    Kolelinia is a concept bike lane designed by Bulgarian architect Martin Angelov, that will allow bikers to soar about traffic on a mini-highway designed in the sky. The lane will feature a series of towers connected by steel wires with a U-shaped rim.

    (more…)

  • DMCI Homes Fairview Project

    January 13, 2010
    Superb living assured in DMCI Homes’ upcoming Fairview Project

    In early 2010, renowned property developer DMCI Homes will be launching the Fairview Project, a mid-rise condominium situated right across a popular mall in Fairview. Situated at a location with many conveniences, this new project is slated to become a comfortable living space that offers sublime amenities and exceptionally planned home environments for numerous denizens of the metropolis. The project is also near schools, business districts and churches in the Lagro and Novaliches areas.

    The prime location allows the Fairview Project access through various routes, so getting to where you need to go needn’t be a problem. By 2013, Fairview will be more accessible than ever due to the expected completion of MRT 7, the transit line of which will pass through Regalado Highway and Quirino Highway, and will end at San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan. This development will make the Fairview the gateway to Northern Metro Manila.
    DMCI Homes’ Fairview Project will be comprised of 500 quality units, designed with the needs of different lifestyles in mind. The architecture will be uniquely Neo-Asian, described as the modern interpretation of traditional Asian elements. The aesthetics will extend to the greens and outdoor components of the property. This is a distinct design in Fairview, as no other residential development features this type of architecture. It will definitely stand out in the Quezon City landscape.
    Because it’s a DMCI Homes endeavor, the upcoming Fairview Project already assures buyers of high-quality homes. The developer’s 55-year construction heritage from DMCI, as a builder of the country’s numerous landmarks, speaks of unparalleled commitment. The Fairview Project will undoubtedly be a good investment; buyers will enjoy fast real estate value appreciation because of excellent maintenance by the property management team. And since the project is in a good location, the buyer can also lease the unit out to the interested renters.
    The Fairview Project will be offering bigger condo unit sizes. The unit offerings are 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units ranging from 50 to 65 square meters. This is a far cry from what the competition offers, which is only an average of 31 square meters. There will be better and more amenities as well. While other developers offer basic condominium amenities, they are not as complete and well-designed as DMCI developments’. Future residents can expect better building features like landscaped atriums with natural lighting and ventilation, single-loaded corridors and balconies in all units.
    Future unit owners of the Fairview Project will be guaranteed maximum living space, as the structure only has a density of about 250 units per hectare, half that of the competitor average. As with other DMCI Homes projects, different payment schemes will allow owners the utmost convenience and ease. And future unit owners of the Fairview Project can look forward to their dream living environment and its world-class amenities, as DMCI Homes will realize them as planned.
    DMCI Homes is the country’s premier triple A builder-developer that brings serviced, themed communities within reach of urban families who once had limited residential options, but still aspire to achieve a comfortable, enriching quality of life proximate to their place of work. For more information on DMCI Homes projects call (02) 324-8888 or check their website: www.dmcihomes.com

  • Anyone here with diabetes that are not taking meds for it?

    ???

    Curious to know if anyone here just uses diet and exercise instead of pills, or medicine..?

  • Moderncat Etsy Find: Cute Kitty Skirts and Shirts from Zoe Chen

    ZoeChen1

    San Francisco-based illustrator and graphic designer Zoe Chen was inspired by her cat, Queenie, to create these whimsical kitty graphics for a very cool line of clothing. Designs are screen printed and sewn onto beautiful linen and cotton skirts and tops. Just the right designer kitty touch.

    Zoe Chen’s kitty wear is available from her Etsy shop.

    ZoeChen2


    BISSELL Homecare, Inc.

  • Turner Classic Movies App Coming to Android in February

    For those of you who like to watch Turner Classic Movies (TCM), you’ll be happy to learn that a new Android app will be arriving in the Android Market next month.  The app will provides fans with advanced schedules, historical information on hundreds of films, fan commentary, photo galleries, original posters, artwork, and whole host of other features.  The price for the TCM application is not yet known but an iPhone version was released today for $2.99 in iTunes.

    The app is expected to see daily content updates with future releases to include access to “more video and photos, complete access to TCM’s entire movie database, photo utilities, added schedule features and access to TCM Fan Community content.”

    Features according to the Turner Newsroom“

    • A complete schedule of movies playing on TCM, with full-month views up to two months in advance, personalized to each fan’s time zone.
    • An optimized version of the TCM Movie Database, complete with synopses, credits, trivia, detailed background information from the American Film Institute film catalog and fan comments.
    • Rich video content, including hundreds of movie clips, trailers and TCM promos, all presented in their original aspect ratios, including widescreen content that maximizes the landscape-view option found on some devices, such as the iPhone and iTouch.
    • Photo galleries for films playing on TCM, including such compelling assets as original lobby card sets, behind-the-scenes production stills, publicity stills, original poster art and more.
    • An optimized version of TCM’s critically acclaimed MovieMorlocks movie blog.
    • In-depth articles by TCM staff members writing about the history and making of nearly every film on TCM.

  • PSA Peugeot Citroën contrata 700 novos funcionários para a fábrica de Porto Real

    Fabrica Peugeot Citroen
    A PSA Peugeot Citroën se prepara para ampliar a produção de veículos e motores no Centro de Produção de Porto Real, na região sul do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, e, para isso, está contratando 700 novos funcionários. Todos serão integrados ao terceiro turno da unidade industrial, que será ativado em fevereiro.

    “A adoção do terceiro turno reforça a capacidade de produção da fábrica para atender a demanda do mercado e ao lançamento, este ano, de dois novos carros nacionais das marcas do Grupo PSA. Serão modelos inéditos em todo o mundo, que foram desenvolvidos no Brasil para atender ao gosto do consumidor local”, afirma Vincent Rambaud, Presidente para o Brasil e a América Latina da PSA Peugeot Citroën.

    A contratação dos 700 novos funcionários efetivos faz a equipe da área de produção da unidade industrial brasileira passar de 2.200 para 2.900 colaboradores, um crescimento de 32%. A formação dos novos contratados é baseada nos conceitos do Sistema de Produção PSA (SPP), que tem como objetivo desenvolver um processo de trabalho simples, eficiente e que tem na qualidade dos veículos e motores produzidos o eixo primordial de funcionamento. O aumento da equipe de produção faz o Grupo PSA passar a ter cerca de 4.500 funcionários no Brasil.

    Com a nova equipe e também a adoção de métodos de melhoria contínua da produtividade, a fábrica de veículos passará a ter capacidade para produzir 160 mil carros por ano, um incremento de aproximadamente 55 mil unidades/ano. A unidade de motores também terá uma forte elevação de capacidade, passando de 170 mil unidades/ano, em dois turnos, para 220 mil
    motores/ano, em três turnos.

    Fonte: PSA Peugeot Citroen


  • Can Molecular Medicine Survive Its Teenage Years, and Reach its Potential This Decade?

    Matthew O’Donnell wrote:

    As the 21st century approaches its teenage years, so too does molecular medicine. Discovery of the structure of DNA more than 50 years ago launched the field of molecular biology. During the last decade, we have seen the first translation of some fundamental discoveries in this field into medical tools. Clearly, however, we are early in their development for routine clinical use.

    The biggest question for the next decade is whether molecular medicine can survive its teenage years, moving from first discoveries to mature approaches enabling inexpensive, practical, and reliable clinical tools.

    Healthcare spending now represents more than 16 percent of the United States gross domestic product and is growing rapidly. The traditional approach to treating disease is reactive: we typically wait until someone is sick before treatment. As many health care professionals realize, a radical departure from this approach is required to contain healthcare costs. The key is to shift from diagnosing patients when they already have symptoms to detecting disease much earlier, before symptoms appear. This is the potential that molecular medicine brings to personalized healthcare delivery. Personalized healthcare will be predictive and preventive, probing an individual’s unique biology to assess disease probability and then designing appropriate treatments, even before symptoms. Many healthcare professionals believe this transformation will shift how the nation’s healthcare dollar will be used over the next decade, dramatically reducing the amount spent on today’s reactive treatments, while increasing the amount spent on prediction and diagnosis to almost a third of all expenditures.

    Most work to date in molecular diagnostics has focused on identifying disease biomarkers in the blood or other easily obtainable bodily fluids. Developing comprehensive yet personalized assays for diverse populations, however, is highly complex and expensive.

    Another approach is to focus on molecular screening in which tests based on blood-borne biomarkers are tuned for high sensitivity (which means you never let a patient with the disease go undetected) but relatively low specificity (which means you may predict a number of healthy people have the disease – i.e., significant false positives). Typical diagnostic tests today must balance between sensitivity and specificity because of the high cost usually associated with false positives.odonnelldiagram

    Under the new model, depicted in the figure, molecular screening first identifies a high risk individual. Screening results are augmented by highly specific molecular imaging tests to confirm disease onset, characterize the disease, and determine location.

    Finally, molecular therapies can be delivered noninvasively, and molecular imaging can be used to both guide procedures and assess treatment efficacy. This integrated approach, including several feedback loops specific to the patient, will be more affordable and reliable, as highly specific imaging can greatly reduce false positives that create unnecessary expenses and anxiety today. Overall, it will help translate molecular medicine into a robust personalized tool.

    This model of molecularly-enabled, personalized medicine will become a reality in the next decade only if the following five questions can be successfully answered:

    Will molecular screening technologies based on genomics and proteomics be able to detect the early onset of complex diseases such as diabetes and cancer?

    Molecular screening has made tremendous progress in the last decade. This progress, however, has produced new challenges. For example, the volume of data …Next Page »

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  • Onde Tudo Começou

    Forte do Presépio, onde sob seus alicerces em 12 de janeiro de 1616, Belém foi fundada…..

    ***

  • Venture Investors Spread Holiday Cheer to Mass. Startups in December: Companies Wrap Up $224 Million in Funding

    Erin Kutz wrote:

    Santa was good to the Massachusetts high-tech economy in December. Very good. Roughly $224 million poured into the state’s startups in 36 equity deals, representing 20 percent more money and more than 50 percent more deals than Bay State startup companies saw in November.

    And November venture funding-22 deals worth $186 million-was nothing to scoff at. It’s now the fourth-highest dollars and deals totals since Xconomy started tracking monthly venture figures in June, with data supplied by our New York-based partner ChubbyBrain, an information services company with tools for investors, startups, and hopeful entrepreneurs.

    The money Massachusetts startups raked in during December-the second-highest dollar total and highest number of deals tracked by Xconomy so far-suggests that the growth regained in November after a brief fall slump is continuing. Venture funding in October had shrunk to $169 million across 19 deals, compared to September’s $228 million in 25 deals, currently the best month in dollar terms to date.

    Venture deals were a bit more egalitarian in December than they were in the previous month. The top five November deals were worth $21 million or more, the highest one ringing in at $31.3 million. The sixth-biggest round, however, dropped sharply to $6.7 million. December deals didn’t display the same staggering gaps in dollar values, though. The biggest disparity was the $4 million difference between No. 1 Afferent Pharmaceuticals and runner up Pixtronix. The deals that followed all trailed each other’s heels much more closely.

    The top deals in December were also more diverse in the sectors they represent when compared to the month before. Five out of the top six November deals were in healthcare (a software company captured the month’s No. 1 slot). In December, by contrast, the top six included companies from healthcare, software, electronics, Internet, and mobile and telecommunications.


    Massachusetts December Venture Capital Deals

    The aforementioned Afferent, a Boston-based company working on developing treatments to chronic pain, topped our December list with $23 million in Series A funding. Mobile display maker Pixtronix, based out of Andover, MA, came in second with …Next Page »

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  • FDA alters stance, has ‘some concern’ about chemical BPA

    FDA alters stance, has ‘some concern’ about chemical BPA

    By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
    The Food and Drug Administration today said it has &quot some concern&quot about a ubiquitous, estrogen-like chemical called BPA, used in consumer products ranging from baby bottles to dental sealants and the linings of metal cans, but the agency didn’t call for a ban of the chemical or a change in consumer behavior.
    That’s a subtle, but significant change from the agency’s 2008 position, in which the FDA said that BPA is safe.

    BISPHENOL A: What to know about ‘everywhere chemical’

    Although the FDA stopped short of telling parents to change formulas or throw out old bottles, officials said they are encouraging manufacturers to stop making baby feeding products containing BPA. The agency also wants to help manufacturers to find safer materials to line metal cans of liquid baby formula.

    The agency also is looking into ways to expand its authority to regulate BPA, in case scientists do find definitive evidence of harm, says Joshua Sharfstein, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner.

    Federal officials say they will continue studying the issue. The National Institutes of Health is investing $30 million in BPA research, whose results should be available within two years. Meanwhile, officials offered suggestions for reducing exposure to BPA, such as not pouring boiling water in plastic bottles, which can cause BPA to leach out.

    Yet some environmentalists were frustrated by the FDA announcement, saying that it gives parents mixed messages.

    Sarah Janssen, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says the FDA should have given parents clear instructions to avoid BPA in food packaging, even as scientists conduct more research. By expressing concern but not banning the chemical, the FDA is likely to confuse parents about the best way to protect their children, she says.

    The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, agreed that the FDA announcement may confuse consumers.

    While the announcement confirms that &quot exposure to BPA in food contact products has not been proven harmful to children or adults,&quot the council says it is &quot disappointed that some of the recommendations are likely to worry consumers and are not well-founded.&quot

    Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles, a move that led the six largest manufacturers &mdash which make more than 90% of the baby bottles in the USA &mdash to stop using the chemical, says Sharfstein.

    Vist wwww.infinitehealthresources.com for more information on the healthy lifestyle.

  • Organic Consumers Association Newsletter #208

    Toxins in Your &quot Organic&quot Health and Beauty Products

    #208, January 15, 2010

    Hello Viewers,

    Health, Justice and Sustainability News
    from the Organic Consumers Association

    Edited by Alexis Baden-Mayer and Ronnie Cummins

    Connect with us:

    Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Donate

    Special Alert: Haiti

    How US Agriculture Policies Impoverished Haiti – How You Can Help Provide Relief in the Wake of the Earthquake

    Haiti, hit January 12 by a devastating earthquake, is the poorest country in the hemisphere.

    The first priority is to get aid to Haiti. Please donate. The Organic Consumers Association recommends the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, which is focusing its resources on helping Haiti’s grassroots organizers – including those involved in sustainable agriculture projects – survive the crisis and rebuild. (Facebook users: donate through Causes and spread the word).

    But, it is also important to understand why Haiti is so poor, and that Haiti did not become poor by accident, but as the result of actions of the US government – including support for violent coups – and US complicity in trade and lending policies that have destroyed civil society, crushed democracy, crashed the economy and turned a food exporting country into a food importing country, one where few have money to eat. Democracy Now has covered the effect of US action on Haiti for over a decade.

    Go here to learn more about the disaster, the United States’ history of &quot involvement&quot with Haiti, and to donate to help the victims.

    Toxins in Your So-Called &quot Organic&quot Health and Beauty Products

    Do you use Jason Pure, Natural and Organic, Avalon Organics, Kiss My Face ObsessivelyOrganic, Nature’s Gate Organics, Stella McCartney 100% Organic, Giovanni Organic, Head Organics, Eminence Organic, Physicians Formula Organic Wear, Good Stuff Organics, Desert Essence Organics, or any &quot organic cosmetic&quot certified by Ecocert?

    Hate to break it to you, but these so-called &quot organic&quot personal care products aren’t really organic and actually contain hazardous ingredients that would never be allowed in products certified to USDA organic standards.

    Yesterday, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), along with certified organic personal care brands Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Intelligent Nutrients, and Organic Essence, filed a complaint with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), requesting an investigation into the widespread and blatantly deceptive labeling practices of leading so-called &quot Organic&quot personal care brands, in violation of USDA NOP regulations.

    The complaint, filed on behalf of the estimated 50 million regular consumers of organic products, argues that products such as liquid soaps, body washes, facial cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizing lotions, lip balms, make-up and other cosmetic products produced by 12 different corporations have been advertised, labeled and marketed as &quot Organic&quot or &quot Organics&quot when, in fact, the products are not &quot Organic&quot as understood by the average health and environmental-minded organic consumer.

    Read the complaint

    In addition to the complaint, Organic Consumers Association’s Coming Clean campaign has launched a boycott of cosmetics that claim to be organic, but aren’t certified to organic standards as required by law.

    Read more

    We’re encouraging our members to switch to USDA certified organic body care and cosmetics products, as part of a New Year’s Resolution to &quot be more organic&quot in 2010.

    Switching to organic health and beauty products is easy and affordable. The simplest personal care regime involves shaving with an organic shikakai shaving gel, washing your body and hair with organic soap, following that with an organic hair rinse, and then using a baking-soda-based organic deodorant and finally moisturizing with an organic lotion or balm make of vegetable oils.

    On our body care page, we’ve listed 26 different health and beauty brands where every single item under the brand name is certified to USDA organic standards.

    Learn more

    We need your help to get the USDA to take enforcement action based upon our legal complaint. Please write to the USDA today.

    We’re also collecting the stories of consumers who have been defrauded by fake organic health and beauty care companies. Do you feel shammed? Please share your story with us.

    Read more and take action

    Organic Empowerment 2010: Taking Action Locally

    Strategic Local Campaign of the Week: #4 – Organic, Fair Trade and Union Made Procurement

    We need to shift government purchasing power away from sweatshops to organic, fair trade and union made procurement. Local governments can lead the way by making sure that their contracts for goods and services prioritize organic, fair trade and union made products.

    10 Local Causes to Work for in 2010

    Preview: Next Week’s Special Monsanto Issue

    Senator Puts a Hold on Obama’s Pro-Pesticide Nominee Siddiqui: Islam Siddiqui, nominated by President Obama to be the US Trade Representative’s Chief Agriculture Negotiator, is currently Vice President of CropLife America, the notorious lobbying group that represents pesticide and genetic engineering companies, including the six multinational corporations that control 75% of the global agrichemical market: Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow and DuPont.

    Nearly 9,000 OCA Members Tell DOJ to Break Monsanto’s Monopoly: After years of complaints from the Organic Consumers Association and our allies, the Department of Justice is investigating how big biotech and food corporations, including Monsanto, are monopolizing and controlling our seeds, food and farming.

    Pro-Monsanto Rajiv Shah Confirmed as USAID Director: &quot Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed overwhelming praise and relief before swearing in Shah.&quot

    PLEASE DONATE!

    Donate to OCA and Receive Access to Yoga, Fitness and Meditation Videos Online

    The Organic Consumers Association is partnering with My Yoga Online to provide OCA donors with a month’s worth of instructional web fitness videos at no cost with any size donation. Your donations help us continue to do the important work that you read about each week in Organic Bytes and each day on our website. Just put &quot yoga offer&quot in the comments of your donation!

    PLEASE DONATE

    LOCAL NY NEWS OF THE WEEK

    NY – Get Involved Locally

    • Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in NY here.
    • Join NY discussion groups in our forum.
    • Post events in NY on our community calendar.

    Message from our Sponsors

    USDA Certified Organic Household Cleaners are Finally Here! Greenology Products Has Made History

    The word &quot natural&quot continues to remain undefined and is often confusing to consumers. Many manufacturers push the boundaries of what is truly considered natural. Because of this, Greenology Products spent 18 months developing a line of organic All-Purpose, Bathroom, Glass and Kitchen Cleaners that met NOP (National Organic Program) requirements and are certified by the USDA. We have recently won approval for the worlds first and only certified organic Laundry Detergent as well. It wasn’t easy, but we were on a mission to change the way cleaning products are produced and used by families and businesses. Wanting to significantly raise the standards bar in cleaning was easy motivation for us because so much evidence points to chemical related health symptoms and poor indoor air quality at home, school and work.

    As for performance, our Glass cleaner was given a &quot BEST&quot rating by the NY Times in a May 14th, 2009 review against 19 other national brand Glass cleaners. Not only are we certified organic, but the product works extremely well and is competitively priced against the national brands. It’s a win for consumers and families.

    Learn More

    Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites,
    print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!
    Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association
    6771 South Silver Hill Drive – Finland, MN 55603 – Phone: 218-226-4164 – Fax: 218-353-7652

  • 45-MW Rothes Wind Expansion Moving Forward

    The Scottish Government this week gave the go-ahead to an expansion of the Rothes wind farm near Elgin in Moray. The proposed 45-megawatt (MW) wind farm consists of 18 wind turbines and is an extension to the existing 50.6 MW Rothes wind farm.


  • ARTICLE: What up, Droid? 01/14/10

    I was at CES on Thursday, the 7th, and missed an installment of What Up, Droid? Still, the point of these usually-weekly posts is to deliver a 7-day summary of Droid news real short and sweet like, so I’m just going to pick back up with the news starting on the 8th and carry on as usual. But speaking of CES, check out the PD videos of LG’s GW620 and GT540. I also got some hands-on time with Sony Ericsson’s X10, and caught a demo of the Nexus One speech-to-text feature.

    Nexus One

    Of course there was a lot of Nexus-related news this week. And I went ahead and grabbed one of those bad boys for myself… for the purpose of reviewing. I didn’t get a loaner and wasn’t eligible for subsidy so I had to go all out retail. Good thing T-Mobile finally decided to offer insurance for the Nexus One at $4.79 a month. It’s not the kind of phone you want to be risky with. Not when you purchase it at full price, anyway.

    Hackers are already working the phone, offering up tutorials on rooting/unlocking and fixes for known problems. Sales have started off slow, but I think we’re going to see a huge bump within the next few months when the Nexus hits some other carriers. Be sure to check out Andrew’s comparison between the MT3G and N1.

    Updates

    There was quite a bit of news about Android uptades as of late, starting with the CES announcement that Backflip and Cliq would both be catching 2.1, with a possible 2.0.1 bump during the wait. Eris is looking at another exclusive update and 2.1 is headed for the Milestone. European Heroes and American MT3Gs can expect the update as well.

    New Phones

    Speaking of the myTouch 3G, that limited edition Fender phone is finally on deck. Looks like we’ll be seeing it on January 20th. I’m most looking forward to the HTC Bravo, which shares a good deal of Nexus One specs but carries the OEM’s custom version of Android + UI, Sense. That one might be turning up in March. Also on the horizon are the Canadian Milestone and probably further out, the Inbrics M1. (I just wanted to link to that cool video of the M1.)

    E-readers and tablets

    Before I get too far removed from CES, I should point out that e-readers and tablets are all the Android rage right now. The Entourage Edge and Spring Design Alex and the Adam e-ink reader are probably the most significant announcements of the former, while the ICD Ultra and Compal Tegra are fine examples of the latter.

    Those are most of the bigger stories from the last week, folks. As always, check out DroidDog.com for all kinds of news on Android apps, phones, hacks, and more.


  • VIDEO: LG Lotus Elite (Sprint) – Unboxing

    Noah gets the new Lotus Elite out of the box and into his unfashionable hands. Imagine the LG Lotus with a touchscreen on its front. That’s Lotus Elite!


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  • Vietnam Phoenix Tour