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More than a third of U.S. adults are obese. But at least the climb in the country’s obesity rate seems to be slowing.

Figures from the National Center for Health Statistics showed 34% of Americans age 20 and older were obese in 2007-08, according to a study of CDC data published in JAMA today. Add in people who are overweight and the total goes to 68%. Seventeen percent of children ages 2 through 19 were obese and 32% were overweight, another JAMA study said.

Sounds grim. But CDC statisticians said the rapid obesity growth rates of the ‘80s and ‘90s were slowing for women and, more recently, for men as well. The obesity rate for men rose to 32% in 2007-08 from 27% in 1999-2000, but most of the increase was in the early years of that period.

“I see this as relatively good news,” the director of the CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity told Dow Jones Newswires. “It suggests we’ve halted the progression of the epidemic.”

The obesity rates were based on survey data of the height and weight of 5,555 adults and nearly 4,000 children who are considered representative of the U.S. population. For adults, overweight was defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9. Obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. (Calculate your BMI here.)

One exception to the promising trends was heavyweight boys, whose obesity rates continued to rise. “The heaviest boys may be getting even heavier,” researchers said.

While the Storm, Tour, Pearl, Bold, and Curve 8300 series have either seen enhancements to their product line or are in the process of receiving them, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is one of the few RIM family members that has been relatively quiet over the past few months.

Days ago, UnwiredView reported that a “Curve 8910” had received Bluetooth SIG certification (see picture above), though no pictures were available at the time.  Shortly thereafter, a picture emerged (see below).  When it comes to detecting fake pictures, I’m no expert, but it looks like it has everything that would be expected out of an updated Curve 8900 – RIM’s new trackpad, a revised keyboard, new call icons, and OS 5.0.

More information to come as we get it.

Via UnwiredView, Engadget

Damian Dovarganes / AP

Click for video: Morgan Page, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, shows a map of seismic activity in Haiti. Click on the image for a video about quake science from NBC Nightly News.

Several factors came together to make Haiti’s earthquake the most devastating seismic shock to hit the country in two centuries – ranging from sheer magnitude to sheer poverty. In purely scientific terms, the best comparison was the Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series. But the tragedy in Haiti isn’t purely scientific.

For some of us, video games have become an extension of ourselves. It is only natural that we would want be able to experience the holiday season as our virtual selves as well.  Sony Online Entertainment agrees with this sentiment and has launched an online wide winter wonderland within their games including activities, special quests and treats.  The games taking part are: EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Free Realms™, Legends of Norrath®, Pirates of the Burning Sea™, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard Saga of Heroes®.

Interested in part-taking on winter celebration? Find out all the activities available after the jump.

Continue reading Have a Jolly Winter Wonderland with Sony Online Entertainment

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The sale was cleared by U.S. regulators, but the Chinese agencies on the other end have yet to complete their side of the

After watching helplessly for months while product demand fell to a quarter of capacity, GM has decided to halt production of all Hummer products until the sale to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corporation is complete, Jalopnik reports.

Staring January 19th, Hummer will halt all production, including the contract manufacturing at AM General for the Hummer H2 and production at GM’s Louisiana plant where Hummer H3 and H3T’s are built.

The drop in Hummer sales is attributed to a “zero ad budget,” the trend among consumers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles, and the stigma of buying products with a tainted image and an questionable future.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Hummer Is The Ultimate Chinese Car
• GM Sells The Hummer*
• Hummer Goes To China

New gadgets are the stars of CES, but there was a ton of gear behind the scenes that was instrumental to our coverage of the event. Here’s what kept us alive in Vegas.

Let’s get this out of the way: MacBooks. We all use them. Except for Rosa.* It hasn’t always been this way—a few of us are recent converts—but the fact of the matter is that Windows Vista couldn’t handle the multitask demands of the field—running 3G while switching from Photoshop to a video editor to 15 different open tabs in Firefox, dealing with God knows what Web 2.0-related antics all the while. Maybe Windows 7 can be a great field-reporting platform, but at this point, it’s all Mac.

We carried a healthy mix of Canon and Nikon (though admittedly on the high end, Nikon reigned) including the Canon 7D, Canon T1i, Nikon D3S, and a Nikon D700.

We used some great lenses too, from BorrowLenses.com, including one of our two Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 vrii, a Canon 35mm f1.8. The wide aperture lenses helped us shoot in low-light situations, and the zoom was great for picking up far-off demos, like Ballmer’s unveiling of the HP slate. The video we shot with these DSLRs surprised us with its uniformly high quality, and we needed a tripod, the Manfrotto 785 Modo Maxi proved to be a videographer’s dream.

When DSLRs weren’t around, we toted two Canon PowerShot S90s and one PowerShot G11, all of which packed some serious punch for point and shoots.

You’d think that internet connectivity would be a given at a convention with over 100,000 gadget-lovers, but bandwidth was anything but guaranteed at this year’s CES. To connect, we used a variety of 3G cards from Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, the last two of which were the most dependable of the bunch.

We also dipped our toes into the pleasant pool of 4G, first with the Clear Spot hotspot and then, briefly, with the Overdrive hotspot, both of which let several of us connect to WiMax at once. The connection cut out here and there, but when it did work, we were able to tether five machines all running at nearly 4 Mbps, with (mostly) no trouble. Clear’s USB WiMax modem doesn’t have drivers for Mac yet, so all of us except for the lone PC user were left to access the hotspots wirelessly.

For the most part, the Gizmodo team wielded iPhones, though AT&T’s coverage was often frustrating and we had to switch to EDGE to receive calls with any reliability. This made the two newly-minted Nexus Ones and the pair of Droids in the mix all the more covetable. One of those Droids tethered like a champion all week long.

We operate under the notion that every person on the team should be able to publish a story at any time, and because of this, we just can’t be waiting for the press room’s connections, or someone else’s camera, or a public computer to free up. All of this gear enabled us to capture the best moments of CES and to report them on a moment’s notice. We don’t know what we’d do without it.

Special thanks to BorrowLenses.com and also Canon and Nikon, for providing us with our camera gear; thanks to Clear for the WiMax Clear Spot, and also Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon for the 3G connections.

*while writing this, Rosa e-mailed everyone to ask what applications she should download. On her new MacBook Pro.

While we were certainly in our automotive glory these past two days at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, we can’t say that we weren’t a bit distracted by the beautiful ladies adorning some of the exhibits. Many of the higher-end luxury models such as BMW, Audi, and Maserati had gorgeous models accompanying their display vehicles, and we must thank them, as this provided for a bit of visual distraction from all the cars.

Hit the jump for the high-res image gallery from Detroit.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: The beautiful lionesses of Detroit:

All Photos Copyright © 2009 Stephen Calogera – egmCarTech.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Canadian government orders biofuels studyEthanol Producer MagazineThe Canadian government wants a study on the environmental implications of biofuel production in that country. …Feds take tougher look at ethanol productionCollingwood Enterprise Bulle…

After recently discovering that I had Male Pattern Baldness, I decided to take the initiative and do something about it. After researching many medications an alternative methods to hair growth, I came across Propecia. After obtaining a prescription to propecia, I began taking it immediately in order to slow the process of MPB. After being on it for about 2 weeks I have noticed a significant increase in shedding. Is this normal and if so how long does the shedding phase normally last? Thanks in Advance.

If you are one of those men who have a foreboding feeling that you would soon be bald (because your father or grandfather was bald), perhaps it would be helpful for you to know that there are ways to prevent possible hair loss. It really pays to do the necessary preventive measures now rather than wait for the baldness to begin.

Here are some of the most natural ways of preventing hair loss:

1. Eat Foods That Are Rich In Sulfur

Sulfur is an element that is mainly found on nails and skin. This beauty mineral is able to promote hair growth because it improves the circulation of blood and it also has the capacity to decrease inflammation. Foods that are rich in sulfur are protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes, vegetables (most especially onions). It has also been observed that sulfur creams greatly increase the chances of growing back lost hair.

2. Try The So-Called Indian Head Massage

This treatment dates as far back as 4,000 years ago and Indians are still practicing it. This massage is done to combat poor blood circulation, hypertension, and even some serious illnesses. Men and women from India would regularly have this massage as part of their health and grooming regimen. The massage oil that is used contains either of these vegetable oils – almond, olive, coconut, or sesame. Most local Indian barbers give this type of massage to male clients after a hair cut to promote hair growth and general well-being.

3. Eat Foods That Are Abundant In Vitamins And Minerals

The vitamins that are often associated with hair growth are: Vitamin A (has antioxidants to reduce oil in scalp); Vitamin C (also has antioxidants that keep hair and skin healthy); Vitamin E (enhances blood circulation on the scalp); Inositol (maintains healthy hair follicles); Biotin (helps in producing Keratin which is essential in preventing hair loss); Vitamin B3 (enhances circulation on scalp); Vitamin B5 (necessary in preventing hair loss and graying of hair); Vitamin B6 (aids in the creation of melanin which produces natural hair color and also prevents losing hair); and Vitamin B12 which makes skin and hair healthy.

4. There Is Also A Chinese Beverage That Is Believed To Cure Hair Loss – The Detox Tea

Chinese people believe that when the kidneys are detoxified, having healthy hair would also follow. This may be true as kidneys aid in good blood circulation. It is advisable to drink a cup of this tea for at least 3 times each (for about 7-10 days). After the 10-day period, only a cup is necessary to maintain healthy kidneys (and hair!). The ingredients are the following and they need to be boiled in a non-aluminum aluminum pot:

- 1/2 tbsp. of burdock root
- 1/2 tbsp. dandelion root
- 1/2 tsp. licorice
- 1 1/2 cups purified water

5. Aromatherapy Is Now More Than Just A Form Of Relaxation

It is believed that it can also stimulate well-being and hair growth. A hair oil solution has the following ingredients:

- 3 drops each of the essential oils of lavender, thyme, rosemary and cedarwood
- 1/8 cup of jojoba oil
- 1/8 cup of grapeseed oil

Constant use of this mixture resulted into 44% of hair growth among some individuals that submitted themselves for a certain hair loss study.

The following treatments and practices are all-natural and are found to have no side effects. ‘No need to wait for your hair to start falling – act on it now’.

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Does your thinning hair annoy you? Are you turning bald in your thirties? Over the years, baldness has turned out to be a very common phenomenon. At times, it’s genetic also.

But normally, baldness starts from the thinning of hair, which is promoted by the release of a chemical hormone called DHT in the scalp. Due to the functioning of this hormone, the thinning hair finds it hard to grow in its normal way and thus dies.

It commences from the temples and accordingly spreads to the entire head. This pattern is found to be quiet common in all men. The reason behind this commonality is not known so far. On the other hand, some males also suffer from bald patches. There can be many reasons behind the occurrence of these patches like the fungal infection or anemia.

Whatever the reasons of baldness may be it is not only a disease but also a threat to your self-esteem. It does hamper your charming personality. And anyways, who would want to grow bald at his middle age or for that matter any age? You might have tried different therapies to sure it but would have been disappointed by the results.

In spite of their promising advertisements, the medicines hardly work and have strong side effects. So it’s high time, you should believe in natural and herbal products. To start with Saw Palmetto is one of the useful herbal products that you can easily find in any nutritional centre. This product works against the various reasons that cause baldness and also helps in thickening of your hair. Secondly, Biotin also helps in growing healthy hair and skin. It’s basically vitamin B and can be easily purchased from any medical shop. Both of these products don’t have side effects.

You know that Apple event that focuses on mobility products that is rumored to be happening at the end of the month? Looks like it won’t be just related to the Apple tablet iSlate iPad super iPhone. With the new Intel Core i5 and i7 chips having just launched, we figured they’d make their way into the MacBook Pro line soon enough. In fact, Intel seems pretty confident here too, being that they are running giveaways where you could win a Core i5-powered MacBook Pro, despite the fact that they technically don’t exist. Yet. We bet that’ll change before the month is over.

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slates,
tablets,

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM

General Motors had a tough 2009, but one very bright spot was the success of some of its newest models. GM North America President Mark Reuss has informed reporters at the Detroit Auto Show that the plants that build the Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and Buick LaCrosse are already at full capacity and The General simply cannot meet demand. That’s a good problem to have, and GM is working on a backup plan in the event demand for cars and trucks exceeds its current capacity.

The Associated Press reports that Reuss told the media that the solution to too much demand could be to reopen one of the General’s shuttered plants. Reuss specifically pointed to the company’s Spring Hill facility in Tennessee as a factory that could reopen to augment production, which makes sense in light of the fact that GM recently spent many millions of dollars to upgrade the plant to build the Chevrolet Traverse. Assuming GM can relight the fires at Spring Hill, that money would appear to be well spent, as Reuss reminded reporters that Spring Hill is flexible enough to build several different models.

GM has placed its Janesville, Wisconsin and Spring Hill plants on standby in the event that it needs more capacity when the U.S. auto industry begins to improve. Considering that new plants can cost over a billion dollars, we’re thinking that’s a pretty good idea.

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: The Associated Press via Yahoo]

Report: GM may reopen factories to keep up with high demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve had a whole string of stories in the last few months about communication problems from Google — from users getting locked out of their documents to advertisers banned with no explanation or recourse to a blogger who went six months trying to get Google to turn back on a blog that it had shut down. I’ve heard from a few Google folks, noting that they recognize it’s an issue, and it’s something that some people within Google are trying to deal with. But given all of these problems on “smaller” issues, perhaps it’s no surprise that there’s been an outcry over the poor customer service people are receiving after purchasing Nexus One phones from the company.

Google does lots of things really well. But, clearly, customer service is not one of them. And while its massive success can hide (or at least minimize) the impact of such poor customer service, at some point it’s really going to begin to hurt, unless Google finally wakes up to the fact that when people have problems, they want to be able to reach out to a human being who will listen to them, hear what they have to say and (hopefully) help. Some have claimed that this is just not Google’s culture — and perhaps that’s the case, but at some point that cultural flaw may cause much larger headaches.

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• Made with 100% natural ingredients
• Helps prevent the fall of hair by controlling the oil in the scalp
• To be used once or twice a week in combination with your regular Shampoo.

HR’s Cacahuananche Vegetal Soap 90gr – Jabon Vegetal de Cacahunanche 3.5oz

My thanks to everyone for their thoughtful comments on my recent SPE – PAP/Award Task Force Blog. The responses touched a number of important themes that I would like to address. First, I want to point out that the SPE PAP – Award Task Force is part of a larger, overarching effort to revamp the performance plans of all managers including Technology Center Directors, Deputy Commissioners, and Commissioners. Their performance plans will be revised to reflect a leadership culture of increased employee development responsibility, cooperation, collaboration, transparency and responsiveness that we are working to establish at the USPTO.

I agree with the perspective of a number of posts that training for supervisors – both new managers as well as experienced managers – is a critical investment for the USPTO.  It is true that many individuals join the ranks of management with little or no direct management experience and on –the- job training is essential. It is also true that formal management training can provide needed insights and perspectives that would otherwise take years to acquire. This is one reason we are moving ahead with a Leadership Development Program that will strengthen the management skill set we develop in all our managers.

The importance of employee retention was also noted.  I couldn’t agree more. Our employees are by far the most important asset of our Agency — they literally make the USPTO work. We invest a large amount of time and effort in the training of our examiners to provide them the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career. We want our solid performers to stay, contribute, and add value at the USPTO. So it is important to me that all managers work with employees to assist them in developing their careers to the greatest extent possible. We have added the critical element of Coaching/Mentoring to the SPE PAP to reflect the important role supervisors play in our employees’ career development. The SPE who is adept at the roles of coach and mentor can make all the difference in an examiner’s choice to make the USPTO a full-career employer.

There were several suggestions that some component of SPE performance include examiners’ input. Others mentioned peer input as a useful information source for SPE development. I think both of these suggestions have merit. I will ask the SPE Task Force to explore these concepts and develop assessment tools that offer examiners and peers the opportunity for constructive feedback.
The SPE PAP – Award Task Force is reviewing feedback from external stakeholders, POPA, and my Blog. If you have any other suggestions, please submit them soon; the FY 2010 SPE PAP will be finalized in early February.
Thank you.

Here are a few sketches that were inspired by the Burkman Bros. Spring 2010 collection. Hand drawn in pencil and carefully traced by micro pen, Ian Clark rendered the colors for his Burkman figures with makers and colored pencils. It’s fascinating to see the colors for the collection in the drawing. The figures really give you a sense of what the designers are trying to convey in their upcoming collection. You’ll notice some of the outfits in these sketches from our recent preview of the Burkman Bros. Spring 2010 line.

Continue reading for more images.

Source: The Malcolm