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Jolly Ol’ St. Nick and wife, Mrs. Claus, helped Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann of the North
Dakota National Guard deliver a special holiday message back to North Dakota to
families of Kosovo Forces (KFOR) Soldiers serving here Dec. 13…

Members of Task Force 38, with the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade of the Indiana
National Guard put their own spin on the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” addressing
suicide while making their audience laugh Dec. 4 here at the Freedom
Chapel…

Dressed in Army combat uniforms, red and white hats, elf ears, red elf shoes adorned with bells and sunglasses, two Task Force 38 Soldiers accompanied the cotton ball-bearded, sunglass-wearing “Santa Wootten” as they walked from office to office distributing holiday cheer here, Dec. 4…

Application spam is a very real issue that’s been plaguing online application stores (Apple’s in particular) for some time now. Some development houses resort to seeding these virtual shelves with hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of the same application with a slight twist or variation in hopes of  improving the chances of getting their applications seen.  This approach works for a handful of developers, but it is endemic to one of the more unpleasant aspects of Apple’s App Store, causing the overall user experience to suffer.

This issue has been discussed and acknowledged by Palm’s own Co-Directors of Developer Relations in various presentations and interviews in the past (including a recent keynote presentation delivered at Sprint’s 2009 Open Developers Conference), and it appears that Palm’s own App Catalog is beginning to see this phenomenon. Anyone who has been monitoring the recent growth of the beta App Catalog are starting to get a better feel for how this works.  The business model at issue: build a rudimentary application, make x number variants for it, where x is as large a number as possible.

These developments have lead to some interesting discussion over at the Palm Developer Network forums.  Some have been suggesting an outright ban for some of these applications, suggesting that Palm expand its role as the gatekeeper to deem which wares (beyond the already established guidelines of usability and performance) are acceptable for sale and which ones aren’t.  Others, such as Palm’s very own Chuq Von Rospach, have a much more practical outlook.

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Could Homer Simpson derail the nuclear renaissance?

Don’t laugh—the idea has some currency in Canada. Homer’s bumbling nature—you’ve seen him at work inside the Springfield nuclear power plant—simply reinforces public worries about the safety of nuclear power. Mr. Burns doesn’t much help the industry’s image. Three-eyed fish don’t help, either. And Lisa Simpson’s eco-activism is the icing on the cake.

That’s from philosophy professor Bill Irwin, who’s been making the rounds on Canadian radio in the wake of the decision by the province of Saskatchewan to nix plans for a new nuclear reactor. Dr. Irwin wrote “The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer,” one of his several books on the confluence of TV and philosophy. (Wait for Tony Soprano on cap-and-trade.)

The idea that the Simpsons could influence public attitudes toward nuclear energy isn’t so far-fetched: As much as we harp on mundane issues such as economics, lead times, supply chains, and the waste issue, it’s entirely possible that Homer has a bigger audience than MIT reports.

Indeed, public-opinion surveys show that nuclear-plant safety is at the top of the list of concerns among folks still leery of nuclear energy.

Still, it seems that Saskatchewan’s decision to hold off for now on the construction of a new nuclear plant has more to do with economics than with Homer or plant safety.

Simply put, nuclear power plants today are an expensive proposition. Without a hefty price for carbon emissions that makes traditional power sources less appealing, nuclear reactors are hard to justify—even if, in the U.S., nuclear power accounts for 70% of clean electricity.

In any event, to make nuclear power a bigger part of the energy mix, policy makers and the public will have to grapple with issues a lot weightier even than Homer. The big question is what weighs more in the balance: A few radioactive rods bouncing through a title sequence, or the need to shift the world’s energy mix away from carbon-intensive power sources.

Every year for the past few, Google has rewarded its AdSense and AdWords customers with all sorts of gifts ranging from memory cards to coffee mugs. In the early days, the company would get pretty generous with its gifts but this year, it remained quiet for a while, leading many to ask whether the economy hadn’t gotten the better of Google’s generosity.

It turns out that the economy did have something to do with the missing gifts but the reason wasn’t the obvious one. The search giant has decided to give the money it normally used for gifts, not an insignificant sum, to charities, which have had one of the worst years in history.

The publishers who would have received the swag got an email instead directing them to a special site set up for the campaign. It reads, “This gift is for someone very special: Everyone. Because charities are experiencing their toughest year in decades, we have committed $20 million to helping those who help us all. Our gift to you is a gift to them. Happy Holidays.”

That’s pretty much all the information on the site except for a list of the charities that have received donations from Google from these funds so far. The charities are broad in scope, from humanitarian aid organizations to free-speech and environmental advocates. Among the 25 charities that have … (read more)

Every day from Monday 7th December to a special closing edition on Saturday 19th December IPS published an online TerraViva from Copenhagen. You can find them all available for download.

The international IPS team did a tremendous work in less than ideal circumstances, led by one of our new Editors-in-Chief, Diana Cariboni. Managed by IPS Latin America with the largest contingent of reporters coming from IPS Africa, and Darryl D’Monte president of our partner IFEJ strengthening the Asian dimension, the team was South-South co-operation in action, with colleagues from Canada and Romania adding their expertise too.

Kumi Naidoo, Kerry Kennedy, Mohan Munasinghe, Ashok Khosla, Saleemul Huq, Laura Tuck, Bill McKibben and Nnimmo Bassey are just a few of the experts who contributed opinion pieces or granted interviews to TerraViva.

New and old partnerships helped IPS to get stronger visibility for our Copenhagen coverage. The Guardian picked up our stories on biofuels and indigenous peoples. The Media Consortium featured TerraViva regularly in their blog, syndicated across the progressive media of North America, with their latest edition picking up our story about civil society preparations for Mexico 2010. Thomson Reuters AlertNet Climate Change portal picked up every story we wired. AllAfrica focused especially on IPS coverage of adaptation and on the African negotiating position. The Stakeholders Forum newsletter used our copy in Spanish, and one of our special features on the gender dimensions of climate change.

Through our own newsletter lists we sent tens of thousands of special newsletters to keep our constituencies updated on our ongoing coverage. Copenhagen-focused editions of Tierramerica ensured that our Latin American audiences were in the picture. Translated stories in the 24 languages of IPS found their way to printed and online media in many countries, strengthening our profile and image.

All the coverage, including stories, picture galleries, videos and podcasts are at the TerraViva COP 15.

The work in Copenhagen was supported by COM+, FANRPAN, the Dutch MDG3 Fund and Tierramerica.

Tim K alerts us to the news that phone maker HTC has sent a cease & desist nastygram to the developers of an Android widget that certainly had a similar look and feel to HTC’s own Sense UI. Except, many people claim that this newer widget, from LevelUp Studios, was actually better. LevelUp apparently has no interest in fighting this, and are ditching the widget, but it seems that they could have a decent argument here. The bigger question, though, is why HTC is bothering? I’m actually a big HTC fan. My last two mobile phones have both been from HTC, and I had been expecting my next one to be from HTC as well. But this sort of bullying for no good reason makes me wonder why I’d want to support a company like that. Honestly, what was HTC “losing” by letting this widget be created? This seems like bullying just for the sake of bullying.

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This Tennessean editorial on promoting teaching as a career refers to the recent UT Center for Business and Economic Research study on the growing teacher gap in Tennessee, and quotes UT economics professor Bill Fox.

Taptu, the mobile search engine, announced a partnership with OneRiot last month to provide real time search results in their mobile-friendly web site. This worked from any mobile client, not just the iPhone. But one of the points of using a smartphone is the use of native applications. Today Taptu announced that they’ve rolled the real-time search results into their iPhone app.

With the new version, we have added integration with OneRiot, including:

• Real-time hot topics right on the home page
• Real-time search results that appear alongside other search results
• Filter for Real-time results

In addition to OneRiot integration, we added a few other things in to this 1.6 update :

• Thousands of new Touch-friendly sites
• Re-tuned the engine to improve relevancy including one-tap access to the most popular site
• Super fast pre-loading of source sides while connected via Wi-Fi
• Bug fixes & memory leak fix

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Honda

A couple of weeks back, the world got a look at some leaked Honda CR-Z brochure images. Today is more of the same, although these images are bigger and clearly. We also get some interior shots that were absent from the first brochure leak go-round. Not a bad looking place to spend some economical time.

To recap, the Honda CR-Z is the much-anticipated CRX spiritual successor from Honda. The leaked brochure states the power will be 112 horsepower from the gas engine, plus an additional 12 ponies from the electric assist motor. There will also be 107 pound-feet of torque from the 1.5-liter gas engine coupled to 57 electric lb-ft. of the stuff. You might be scoffing, but remember that the original CRX made around 60 hp and was much loved by enthusiasts.

Why? Weight. As in, the CRX didn’t have any. In fact, when introduced in 1984, it weighed less than a Lotus Elise does today – about 1,800 pounds. Meaning it’s freakishly light. Sadly, this new batch of images gives us no indication of the CR-Z’s curb weight. Odds are the CR-Z will get a bit more beef when it comes here to the States.

And hey… let’s not overlook the very good possibility of an Si or Type-R version at some point down the road.

[Source: Temple of VTEC]

Even more Honda CR-Z leakage, this time with interior shots originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Ken Ward

The Jamaica Plain Green House today released its second annual list of “Top 10 Worst Christmas Gifts.”  The list ranges from $2 stocking stuffers to baubles of the super-rich.  JP Green House co-founder Ken Ward said, “These ten items achieved high scores on each of three criteria—profligate, unnecessary, and tasteless energy use—in our rigorous testing protocol.” Ward described the gift ranking methodology as “half an hour of random Googling around.”

1. Greenland Glacier Cruise, $5,247 for ocean view cabin
“Greenland’s west coast has dozens of long, deep fjords, many with glaciers fed by the ice cap that covers most of the country … we meander through the ice packed waters heading towards the bulk of the magnificent Eqip Sermia Glacier. Whilst here, we may have the distinctive opportunity to experience the raw power of nature’s phenomena known as calving.”
Comment: Last year’s booming market in climate change impact tourism has withered, but enterprising cruise lines have lost no time in repackaging Greenland glacier collapse.

2. Plastic Bag of Coal, $1.99
“Embroidered draw strip pouch and 3 lumps of realistic coal! The Perfect Gift for that Naughty Someone! For Ages 7 and up. This is a decoration, not a toy.”
Comment: The most inexpensive gift on the list, which we found for a discounted $1.99 at our local CVS, the plastic bag of coal might well have the worst life-cycle energy cost/retail price ratio on the list.

3. Automatic Twirling Spaghetti Fork, $17.95
“Enjoy your spaghetti in style with this automatically rotating spaghetti fork. Press down to automatically wind up the pasta onto the end of your fork. Less mess and more fun!”
Comment: Cost is $2 more than last year’s winner, Spinmallow, the automatic marshmallow turner.

4. Barbie Jammin’ Jeep, $268
“Music-filled
fun and real driving adventure for girls on the go! Realistic details
inside and out like a real-working FM radio, doors that really open and
close and a rear storage area to carry all her gear. Drives two speeds
forward (2.5 & 5 mph max.) and one speed reverse, on hard surfaces
and grass.”
Comment: What can we say about a toy designed to
spare three- to seven-year-olds the bother of pedaling? Plus, we’ve
just had it up to here with purple and pink.

5. Monaco Grand Prix with Supercar, $1.5 million
Comment: Choosing the worst automobile gift suggestion was a tough choice, and we were sorely tempted by both the Mercedes Maybach, a $350,000 (base price) luxury sedan getting 10 city/17 highway mph, and the Bentley Continental GTC, also at 10/17, but classified as a “sub-compact.” But in the end, we had to go with the hand built Dutch Spyker C8, with a modestly bad 13 city/18 highway, because it is offered as a stocking stuffer in the Monaco gift package.

6. The Most Expensive Blackberry Case, $20,000
“The forty-two diamonds that went into the creation of this case weigh in at 3.5 carats and are set in 18-karat gold … Even the carbon fiber leather, specially developed for the case, is gold. Of course, the case is as protective as it is luxurious—the plastic is impact resistant and the screen is entirely protected.”
Comment: We’d sure like to see the steer from which the gold carbon fiber leather comes.

7. Personalized Propane Steak Branding Iron, $32.20
“Safe,
reliable and easy to use, the personalized steak branding iron is also
practical. Chicken, vegetables and even bread can be branded as well.”
Comment: No comment.

8. Just-cut, Pre-lit Douglas Fir Christmas Tree, $199
“Everyone has his own idea of how to best decorate a Christmas tree. Some people just want a tree that is simple, others something Martha Stewart might make. Then there [are] the folks who might be curious about getting a prelit Christmas tree. This is a great time saver and less hassle too.”
Comment: Every year, Andrée and I complain about how much time we waste decorating the Christmas tree, and what a hassle too.

9. Diamond G-String, $134,000 (may no longer be available)
“The Triumph Luxurious Diamond Thong has 518 brilliant-cut diamonds studded into the front of a black lace thong in a floral pattern. Danielle Luminita, a model from Romania, was carried down the runway on the shoulders of two male models, wearing only the diamond thong.  A spokeswoman for Triumph International, the lingerie company that commissioned the thong, said that the thong would be dry cleaned before going on display.”
Comment: OK, this one is from 2008, but we couldn’t resist. If it looks this good on a model, just imagine how it’ll look on your loved one!

10. Cupcake Car, $25,000
“Dallas-based Neiman Marcus said it made a conscious effort to offer more affordable options while not disappointing loyal luxury shoppers…”
Comment: And, indeed, we are not disappointed.

Related Links:

Copenhagen coal in the stocking?

The top green stories of the ‘00s

On first anniversary of massive spill, coal ash remains unregulated

Verizon Wireless today announced that it has revised the specifications for devices on its Long Term Evolution network in the 700MHz band.  Per the press release, the new specs address network access, SMS requirements, data retry test plans, new information about lab and signaling conformance, and details on the open development device approval and introduction process.  The information will help developers in bringing LTE devices to market.  A webcast will be hosted on January 20, 2010 to discuss the updated specifications. 

Verizon plans to launch the 4G LTE wireless network in 25-30 trial markets next year, and cover most of its existing 3G footprint by 2013.  For more information, the full press release can be found below.

VERIZON WIRELESS UPDATES SPECIFICATIONS FOR 4G LTE 700 MHz DEVICES
 
Jan. 20, 2010, Webcast for Developers will Review Specifications and Answer Developer Questions
 
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced it will host a webcast on Jan. 20, 2010, to review updated specifications for wireless devices that will run on the nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network it is building on the Upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum.  Released today, the updated specifications address network access and SMS requirements and data retry test plans, as well as include new information about lab and signaling conformance, the open development device approval and introduction process and more.  These documents will help guide developers into the next phase of bringing their LTE devices to the Verizon Wireless network.
 
Verizon Wireless plans to launch its 4G LTE wireless network in 25 to 30 markets next year and cover virtually all of its current nationwide 3G footprint with the next-generation network by the end of 2013.  The company’s 4G LTE network will ultimately connect a full range of electronics devices and machines.
 
The webcast will begin at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010.  Registration for the webcast is available now at www.verizonwebcasts.com/vzw/10027/registration.html.  Developers can access the Verizon Wireless 700 MHz LTE Specification updates from the open development Web site at www.verizonwireless-opendevelopment.com.  To view which sections of the specifications have been updated, developers can check the Revision History.  Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE wireless network.  
 
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NASDAQ and LSE: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
 

by Geoffrey Lean

So where do we go from here? How do we get from the disorganized, disappointing, dispiriting debacle of Copenhagen to a new and worthwhile climate treaty?

The world needs solid directions for getting to a real climate deal in Mexico next year.Asking the question recalls the famous joke about the Irishman who, when asked by a motorist to give directions to his destination, replied: “If I wanted to get there, I would not be starting from here.” Indeed, it is rather worse than that—for we never expected to be starting from this point at all.

“When negotiations were launched two years ago in Bali, I was firmly convinced that we would be arriving in Copenhagen to adopt a legally binding document,” Yvo de Boer, the top UN official in charge of the talks, ruefully recalled as the summit ended. Even when the slowness of this year’s negotiating process made it clear by the autumn that this would not be possible, he went on, he thought that it would make decisions that could soon be translated into a treaty.

Indeed, even as the conference opened optimism was running high. All the major emitting countries, developed and developing, had announced targets for controlling their pollution by 2020. The pledges varied, with the most aggressive dependent on others taking similar action, but when the best offers were totted up they fell only slightly short of the lower end of the 25 to 40 percent that scientists say will be needed to avert dangerous climate change. Hopes were high that these emissions pledges would be improved.

There was also growing acceptance that a $10 billion annual emergency fund would be needed to help the poorest countries cope. A series of preliminary meetings between the major players had made enough progress for participants to see how an agreement could be concluded. And in the last weeks ahead of the conference, world leaders had rushed to register their attendance, confident of sharing in success.

Rarely have such high hopes been dashed so swiftly. From the start it proved virtually impossible to get negotiations going, as a constant stream of procedural motions and points of order—led by China—slowed efforts to move the talks out of the unwieldy 192-nation plenary and into the smaller group meetings where progress is traditionally made.

The summit was only saved from total disaster by unprecedented negotiations between the leaders themselves. Though the Copenhagen Accord announced late Friday stipulates that global warming must not exceed two degrees centigrade, it fails to set out how this will be ensured. It contains no emissions targets, merely encouraging signatories to register their own goals by the end of January. While it does endorse $10 billion a year in immediate financing for poor nations (rising to $100 billion by 2020), it does not even mention the possibility of a new treaty.

Furthermore, even this accord was not formally adopted by the conference, partly because it had not formally set up the leaders’ meeting where it was drafted. The conference almost rejected the deal altogether, but eventually “noted” it. Countries are invited to sign up to it—and will have to do so if they are to receive any of the adaptation funding.

So where, given this unexpected and unexciting starting point, do we go from here? Here are seven suggested steps, not to heaven, but perhaps to salvation:

First, work must be done to soothe feelings ruffled by the dramatic events of the final hours in Copenhagen. Many countries are upset that the deal was done by a relatively small, unauthorized group of leaders behind closed doors, with their agreement presented to the rest of the world as a fait accompli. They also dislike being forced to endorse it in order to receive any money. Unless dealt with, these feelings could erupt at the next meeting, in Bonn in the summer, bogging it down too.

Second, countries must be persuaded to pledge a significant amount of greenhouse gas reductions. The European Union is central to this. It has so far held back from increasing its emission reductions from 20 to 30 percent by 2020, which it said it would do if others took similar action. It must now do so, to encourage others to be more ambitious.

Third, the U.S. Senate needs to pass its energy and climate bill. Opinions differ on whether the outcome of Copenhagen will make this more or less likely, but it is clear there can be no real progress without it.

Fourth, the UN negotiating system needs reform. Smaller representative groups will need to hammer out compromises, but they will have to be properly authorized by plenaries. Ministers should get involved earlier; it was only when politicians arrived in the Danish capital in the second week of the gathering that movement occurred.

Fifth, the pledged money needs, as indicated in the accord, to be additional to existing aid programs. A nd it should start being disbursed very soon, building confidence.

Sixth, the question of the form of an eventual treaty needs solving. Developing countries, it became clear in Copenhagen, will not let the Kyoto Protocol be replaced. Just as clear is that the United States will not join it at any price. The answer is probably to keep it, with a separate linked treaty to cover the U.S. and developing countries.

And seventh, China must be persuaded that a treaty is in its interests. It seems China’s leaders turned against the idea in the weeks immediately before Copenhagen, fearing that their country’s formidable growth may soon classify it as a developed country and so subject it to much greater emissions controls. But as a leading developer and exporter of green technology, China has much to gain from a worldwide move to a low carbon economy.

Related Links:

What Happens Now for the Forests?

Copenhagen coal in the stocking?

What you need to know following the Copenhagen climate summit

the poster is developed using foil stamped and embossed to create alphabets taken from famous and infamous logos of all time. this thing can be yours for $50. each poster comes with autograph and limited run-number. although i cannot say that i recognize all of these so-called famous logos.

Before we get to today’s actual post, I have a challenge. At the risk of sounding like a carny barker, guess my body fat and win a Damage Control Master Formula. The winner will be the one who, before tomorrow’s post, guesses what the “gold standard” hydrostatic test showed my body fat percentage to be – to the nearest tenth of a percent without going over. (Submit your best guess in the comment board.) If several people guess the same number, we will draw a winner from that group. Malibu gym members are specifically excluded from this competition (’cause that’s where I had the test done). This photo was taken around the same time.

UPDATE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts Delivered to Your Inbox

Related posts:

1. 10 Primal Plyos for the Upper Body
2. Dear Mark: Body Composition Through the Years
3. Dear Mark: Healthy Body Weight?

For people with a chronic health concern, claims of coffee’s benefits and dangers have essentially canceled each other out. However, new research on coffee and Hepatitis C tips the scale for those with this illness.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

Besides water, coffee is the world’s most popular beverage. While at least half of Americans drink one cup or more per day, we are still uncertain if drinking coffee is a boon or peril to our health. Since the liver must process everything we eat or drink, those with advanced liver disease from chronic Hepatitis C are especially wary of any type of habitual consumption. However, new research demonstrates that those with chronic Hepatitis C have a lot to gain from a several cup per day coffee habit.

The Bitter Beverage
When a cup of black, relatively strong coffee is consumed, there is no doubt that bitterness dominates its flavor profile. Even though many people don’t care for bitterness overwhelming their palate, the chemical compounds responsible for a bitter flavor are often beneficial to the liver. Bitter substances are known to aid a liver with chronic Hepatitis C, because they help keep the gallbladder and liver free from unnecessary obstruction by:

· Stimulating the gallbladder to release bile for fat digestion
· Stimulating detoxification activity in the liver

Thus, many liver supportive foods, medications and herbs are bitter. Chemists in Germany and the U.S. believe they have identified the chemicals that are largely responsible for coffee’s bitterness. In their collaborative study, researchers found that two main classes of compounds produced during the roasting process, chlorogenic acid lactones and phenylindanes are responsible for coffee’s bitterness. Both compounds are antioxidants and are not present in green, unroasted coffee beans.

New Research
Over the past several years, population studies have demonstrated that high levels of coffee consumption are associated with a decreased incidence of liver disease. However, the recipients of coffee’s benefits now specifically include those with Hepatitis C.

Research released by Neal Freedman and colleagues from the National Cancer Institute examined the relationship between coffee consumption and liver disease progression in those with Hepatitis C. In 766 individuals who had Hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis (as determined by liver biopsy), and who did not respond to antiviral therapy, the following was found:

· Compared with non-coffee drinkers, people who drank more coffee had significantly healthier livers as seen by several standard liver tests.

· Study participants who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had up to a 53 percent reduction in risk for liver disease progression.

· The liver protective effect exerted by daily coffee consumption was reduced as the number of cups per day decreased.

According to Freedman, “Given the large number of people affected by HCV (Hepatitis C), it is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the progression of liver disease. Although we cannot rule out a possible role for other factors that go along with drinking coffee, results from our study suggest that patients with high coffee intake had a lower risk of disease progression.”

Cause for Coffee Caution
Based on Freedman’s research, it might seem logical for those with Hepatitis C to double their coffee intake. However, coffee does have some caveats that are worth reviewing first:

· Caffeine, coffee’s main ingredient, is a mildly addictive stimulant with cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and occasional irregular heartbeat.

· Coffee is believed to aggravate previously existing gastritis or gastrointestinal ulcers.

· The caffeine in coffee can cause nervousness, rapid heartbeat, palpitations, sleeplessness and irritability.

· While not considered a significant risk factor for osteoporosis, high doses of coffee can impair calcium absorption, which weakens bone strength.

Besides the possible side effects listed above, the greater risk of coffee consumption lies with the ingredients typically added to it. To reduce coffee’s bitterness, creating a light and sweet drink carries an entirely separate set of hazards. Because they add calories, fat and/or manmade chemicals, whipped cream, flavored syrups, half-and-half, sugar, sucralose and aspartame all contribute to health conditions that will worsen Hepatitis C.

Individuals with Hepatitis C have become accustomed to learning what they should avoid because it can damage their liver. Thus, it is a welcome change for Hepatitis C sufferers to discover that multiple, daily cups of coffee can actually prevent liver disease progression. Besides the health conditions that could be aggravated by coffee and the additives that reduce its bitterness, a majority of people with Hepatitis C have every reason to indulge in their favorite hot morning beverage.

References:

http://www.ehow.com/about_4572236_how-many-americans-drink-coffee.html, How Many Americans Drink Coffee?, Shelley Moore, Retrieved October 31, 2009, eHow, Inc., 2009.

http://www.haltctrial.org/overview.html, HALT-C Overview, Retrieved October 30, 2009, National Institutes of Health, 2009.

http://www.highlighthealth.com/food-and-nutrition/bitter-coffee-better-health/, Bitter Coffee, Better Health, Walter Jessen, Retrieved October 30, 2009, Highlihght Health, 2009.

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2009/102309_a.html, Coffee Slows Progression of Liver Disease in Hepatitis C Patients with Advanced Fibrosis or Cirrhosis, Retrieved October 30, 2009, hivandhepatitis.com, October 2009.

http://www.liversupport.com/wordpress/2006/06/coffees-liver-benefits/, Coffee’s Liver Benefits, Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., Retrieved October 30, 2009, Natural Wellness, 2009.

http://www.prodigalgardens.info/bitter%20herbs.htm, Bitter Herbs, Retrieved October 30, 2009, Prodigal Gardens, 2009.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122511224/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0, Coffee intake is associated with lower rates of liver disease progression in chronic hepatitis C, Neal D. Freeman, et al, Retrieved October 30, 2009, Hepatology, July 2009.

A pharma company wants to sell a prescription drug to fight jet lag; the FDA isn’t quite ready to make the call.

Cephalon applied for the approval earlier this year for its drug Nuvigil. The company said a study of 427 people who flew from the Eastern U.S. to France showed that those who took the drug had less jet lag than those who took placebo.

A decision from the FDA was expected this month, but the company said yesterday that the FDA had pushed back the decision deadline by a few months.

Nuvigil and another Cephalon drug, Provigil, are both approved to “improve wakefulness” in people with certain sleep problems. The drugs work in a similar way, though Nuvigil has longer-lasting effects. Cephalon has been raising the price of Provigil — which could face generic competition in 2012 — in what looks like an effort to get people to switch to Nuvigil, which has patent protection through 2023.

The company raised the wholesale price of Provigil by 29% in late November, to $13.62 per pill, Dow Jones Newswires reported this morning. Five years ago, Provigil cost $5.53 per pill. Nuvigil costs $8.98 per pill, according to DJ Newswires.