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Here’s a stark warning to Barack Obama and Tim Geithner, courtesy of Zhu Min, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China.

ShanghaiDaily: IT is getting harder for governments to buy United States Treasuries because the US’s shrinking current-account gap is reducing supply of dollars overseas, a Chinese central bank official said yesterday.

The comments by Zhu Min, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, referred to the overall situation globally, not specifically to China, the biggest foreign holder of US government bonds.

Strictly speaking, this shouldn’t be a problem. Foreigners don’t technically fund our Federal deficit — what they fund is our current accounts deficit, and if that’s shrinking then the need to fund that debt diminishes.

Still, the message Min is trying to get across is clear.

In a discussion on the global role of the dollar, Zhu told an academic audience that it was inevitable that the dollar would continue to fall in value because Washington continued to issue more Treasuries to finance its deficit spending.

He then addressed where demand for that debt would come from.

“The United States cannot force foreign governments to increase their holdings of Treasuries,” Zhu said, according to an audio recording of his remarks. “Double the holdings? It is definitely impossible.”

And don’t miss: How China is already dumping the dollar >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• China Hires Pimco’s Changhong Zhu To Manage Country’s Giant Forex Reserves
• Don’t Worry About Government Debt, America Knows Exactly How To Deal With It
• China’s Dumping Of The Dollar Has Begun

People slip and fall constantly in their homes. Some falls can be prevented. Some can’t. Making sure you take the proper precautions to reduce the chance of someone falling and injuring him or herself in your home is a smart idea and fairly easy to do.

One of the simplest ways to cut down on accidents is to make sure that cable, phone and extension cords are all neatly tucked out of the way. Most companies require technicians to run cords around the edges of a room or under a rug. If you decide to add another tv set to your home, make sure you do the same thing. If you don’t have a rug and want to run a cable straight across a room, make sure you tape it securely down so it isn’t so easy for people to catch a foot in.

Another way to stay safe at home is to add slip proof decals to your tub or shower bottom. Outside the shower or tub, make sure you have a rug with a slip proof backing. (I know. You’ve heard that piece of advice a thousand times before. But do you have slip proof decals in the bottom of your tub?)

Get a claw tool and use it to reach things that are too high for you to get to easily. Standing on your toes on a swivel stool to try to reach something? Not safe. Standing on the ground and using a claw to firmly grasp and move the item? A lot safer.

Use step stools or step ladders properly. Make sure they are fully opened and level. Don’t stand on top of a step ladder to reach another inch or so. Have someone nearby to steady your ladder.

Use tape or treads on stairs to lessen the chance that someone will slip on the stairs. Make sure that all toys and other belongings are kept off the stairs.

Do you have any tips for minimizing slip and fall problems?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Home Safety – Minimizing Slip and Fall Problems

Carrying around hurt and anger is harmful in many ways — spiritually, physically and mentally. Who exactly should you forgive, and how do you go about it?

Connie Domino, author of The Law of Forgiveness, says you should forgive everyone. She offers some tips on forgiveness, including a visualization technique, in her article, “Ten People You Need to Forgive Now,” which she has shared for you below. Forgiveness can be more simple and easier than you have imagined, and the rewards of forgiveness can be great.

Connie’s article serves to remind us that perhaps we’re making forgiveness more complicated than it needs to be. Plus, she reminds us that forgiveness isn’t the same as a pardon, and it’s the person who forgives who benefits.

Ten People You Need to Forgive Now
By Connie Domino, MPH, RN,
Author of The Law of Forgiveness: Tap into the Positive Power of Forgiveness — And Attract Good Things to Your Life

It’s that time of year when people begin thinking about making their New Year’s resolutions. For those who make resolutions year after year but never succeed, there is good news. This year you can take a whole new approach to making your dreams come true. By using a simple forgiveness technique, you can more easily and quickly meet your goals. Many of you may be surprised to see the words “forgiving” and “meeting goals” in the same sentence. I felt the same way until I began teaching a goal setting workshop for spiritually minded people in 2001. I found that lack of forgiveness was blocking them from meeting goals in every area of life.

One of the first things my workshop participants wanted to know is who they should forgive and how to know when they need to forgive. You may be wondering the same thing. You should forgive everyone you feel anger or resentment for from the sandbox right up until today. Then say one more forgiveness affirmation for anyone you may have forgotten. You do not need to contact anyone. You can forgive right in the privacy of your own home.

Bring each of the people listed below into your mind’s eye one at a time. Visualize them looking happy and peaceful. Then repeat an affirmation of forgiveness to them, something like this. “I forgive you completely and freely. I release you and let you go. The incident that happened between us is finished forever. I wish for you your highest good and I hold you in the light. All again is straight between us and peace be with you.” Then visualize them accepting your forgiveness and walking off a stage or out the door.

Here are ten people you need to forgive now:

Parents

Parents are usually on the top of the forgiveness list for many people. They blame their bad childhood for everything that has gone wrong. Most parents did the best they could with what they had to work with. However, even if they didn’t, you can tie up most of the energy you need to meet dreams and goals in your life by continuing to harbor anger and resentment towards your parents. Forgiveness is not something you do for undeserving people. It does not mean they were correct in their actions that hurt you. Forgiveness is something you do for yourself. It releases the hold the past has on your life, allowing you to meet your dreams and goals.

Spouses/Significant Others

This one is a hot topic in my goal setting and forgiveness workshops. It’s all about Ex’s and money and money and Ex’s — which I found do not make for a good combination. Through romantic novels, movies, and TV some of us may have come to expect more from that one special person in our lives than they can possible deliver. Sociologists who study the history of romance and marriage tell us that there are at least two primary reasons so many of our marriages fail. One is that modern Americans are one of the most marrying societies in written history. We have more marriages than ever recorded leading to more divorces than in the past. In addition, marriage has been so romanticized, we expect our spouses to meet more of our needs as opposed to married or dating people of past generations. The higher your expectations for your spouse or significant other, the greater the chance they will disappoint you. This unique situation requires more communication, more patience and more forgiveness than ever before.

Siblings, and other relatives

Most siblings (especially those born close together) experience some type of rivalry. These verbal and sometimes physical fights as children can take their toll. As adults we may need some professional assistance to discern if the line was crossed between kids having a normal amount of rivalry and whether the relationship was actually abusive. It’s easy for one child to be picked on more than others and parents may not realize the damage this produces if they chalk it up to normal sibling rousting. Forgiveness can provide great healing for anyone who has experienced an abusive relationship with one or more siblings. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting, it means viewing the situation with new eyes. Often adults who didn’t get along with their siblings as children find they can develop loving and supportive relationships as adults. However, it is important to know that you can forgive without reconciling the relationship. It may not even be appropriate to reconcile certain relationships. Forgiveness will still work whether you reconcile or not. You may need to forgive other relatives too. Maybe your children made you angry, didn’t meet your expectations or never call or come to visit. Forgive your children. Life is much too short and they are much too special.

Friends

It can be especially painful when you have been hurt by a friend. Friends are people you have made a conscious decision to be in relationship with. The special relationship we develop with friends usually involves mutual trust. When we are betrayed by a friend, we may begin to question our ability to recognize qualities we hold dear such as loyalty and honesty. We may wonder if we possess some sort of character flaw that makes us susceptible to attracting people who take advantage of our good nature.

Forgiveness is especially important to heal when we are hurt by a friend.

Supervisor/Boss

People who work full time may spend more waking hours at work than at home. When at home, most people have some authority over their routine, but at work, the boss is in control. Those of us fortunate enough to have a supportive, flexible and understanding supervisor are truly blessed. When most people join the working world, it doesn’t take long to discover that a significant number of people in supervisory positions are not cut out for the job. Forgiveness, even on a daily basis, can become an important strategy for making peace with the boss.

Coworkers

If making an effort to get along with your supervisor isn’t enough to spice up your work life, there’s always co-workers to make things even more interesting. There may be days you feel more like you are in junior high school rather than work. By the time most people are adults, they have developed set patterns for establishing their place in the tribal society we call “the workplace.” While many co-workers are actually helpful and supportive, there always seems to be at least one or two who are bent on taking the “fun” out of dysfunctional. If your work environment has become emotionally toxic, forgiveness can provide the scrubbing bubbles needed to clean it up.

Governments/public agencies and organizations

It’s very easy to get mad at a non-personal entity such as a government or other public agency. It has become obvious that too many elected officials seem to have forgotten that it is the people who elected them they represent and not lobbyists and their generous donors. Also, big bureaucracies can seem cold and uncaring. Those trying to receive their services may feel like another number or just a statistic. When forgiving a government or public agency it is important to remember that it is still people who make up the agency. It is still people who need to be forgiven.

Private businesses/agencies/organizations

Many people who lost trust in governments to help solve their problems turned to the private sector and the business world. As baby boomers we were taught by our parents that if we were good, loyal, hardworking employees hired by a reputable company that we could expect to be taken care of by that company with frequent raises, benefits and a nice retirement package. When we were first married, my husband worked for a company that we thought met this description. He had faithfully worked there for 25 years when the company’s leadership announced they were sending his job and others overseas to a contracting company where they could hire cheap labor. Along with many other American workers, we felt betrayed. It took my husband several years of searching to land a job with a similar company. We had both forgiven all the people we could think of from our past and present, but had not thought of forgiving a company. When we fully forgave my husband’s company, the job he wanted hired him within two weeks. Forgiveness works when directed at individuals and just as well when directed at businesses.

God/Higher Power/Religions

I am always surprised by the people who claim to be angry with God or their higher power. They believe that God should intervene constantly in human events, preventing bad things from happening to good people. They may be forgetting that it is free will that makes us distinctly human. This includes the free will to do good or the free will to get into trouble. If given the choice, I believe most people would refuse to relinquish their free will, even if it came with a guarantee of a robotic but more peaceful existence. With any type of freedom comes responsibility. Instead of blaming God, this means accepting responsibility for our actions and holding others accountable for their actions. Forgiveness is not the same thing as pardon, but it does unbind the hold another person may have on your life. It releases the past to make way for a more positive future.

Yourself

Some people have a more difficult time forgiving themselves as opposed to others. They feel guilt and shame for events that have long past. They blame themselves and become their own worst enemy. When you begin working on your forgiveness list, don’t forget to place yourself at the top. Forgiving yourself will lighten your burden and make it so much easier to forgive others.

©2009 Connie Domino, MPH, RN, author of The Law of Forgiveness: Tap into the Positive Power of Forgiveness — And Attract Good Things to Your Life

Author Bio
Connie Domino, MPH, RN, author of The Law of Forgiveness: Tap into the Positive Power of Forgiveness — And Attract Good Things to Your Life, is a nationally acclaimed life coach, trainer, registered nurse, support group facilitator, motivational speaker, and educational counselor who teaches public health nursing at the University of North Carolina.

You can read more about Connie’s forgiveness book at thelawofforgiveness.com.

(Image via Berkley Trade)

Post from: Blisstree

Forgiveness for the New Year

Filed under: Etc., Europe, UK

When Automobile magazine put together a list of potential all-star cars, 39 new models made the initial cut from the Audi A3 and (Euro-edition) Honda Civic to the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano and Tesla Roadster. From that selection, only ten cars ascended to the winner’s circle.

Each of the 39 finalists makes a solid case for being included, although a few did raise an eyebrow — we really enjoy the Malibu and love the G-Class, for instance, but didn’t expect to see them here. The ten that took honors are all worthy to a wheel, but again, an eyebrow or two did take note — neither the aforementioned Ferrari nor the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG made it, but the Camaro and BMW Z4 did.

Don’t let that take anything away though; these things are subjective, and every winner deserved it. Even the Dodge Ram 1500. Click here for the full list of winners and reasons.

[Source: Automobile]

Automobile announces 2010 All-Stars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look ahead to Week 9 of the fantasy basketball season.

Schedule Breakdown

Four-game teams: CLE, HOU, IND, LAC, PHO, SAS

Three-game teams: ATL, BOS, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, OKC, ORL, POR, SAC, UTH, WAS

Two-game teams: CHA, MEM, NJN, NOR, PHI, TOR

Also see: Basketball Monster’s ease rankings and Rotowire’s value meter

Pickups/Plug-ins – players owned in less than 40% of Yahoo! leagues

• Omri Casspi – Casspi has averaged 18 points, 1.3 threes, 86-percent
foul shooting, 3.7 boards, 1 block, and 1 steal in 34 minutes in three
games since joining the Kings’ starting lineup. The move should stick,
giving Casspi some long-term potential – looking ahead, I’d anticipate
Andres Nocioni hitting the bench once Kevin Martin makes his eventual
return. Week 9: @CHI, CLE, LAL

• Marreese Speights – Speights has picked up right where he left off,
and then some. In three games since returning from a partially torn
MCL, he’s averaged 19.7 points on 47-percent shooting and 7.7 boards in
27 minutes. While it’s hard to envision consistency for any of Eddie
Jordan’s bigs, Speights’ numbers should continue to be solid overall. Week 9: @WAS, @UTH

• Joel Przybilla – need a center? Przybilla has double-digit rebounds in five straight games and has averages of 5.7 points on 57-percent shooting, 9.8 boards, and 2.2 blocks over the past six games. Week 9: @DAL, @SAS, DEN

• C.J. Watson – Watson continues to play plenty for the short-handed
Warriors, and he’s produced averages of 12.5 points on 51-percent
shooting, 1.1 threes, 4 boards, 3.1 assists, 1.3 turnovers, and 2
steals over the past 11 games. Week 9: @MEM, @NOR, PHO

• Jarrett Jack – Jack has been up and down as the starter but solid overall (12 points, 51% FG, 0.6 threes, 3.9 boards, 5.7 assists, 3 turnovers, 1.3 steals) and Jose Calderon remains out. The downside here is that the Raptors only play twice in Week 9 (@DET, DET).

• DeJuan Blair – Matt Bonner’s broken hand will keep him out for at least a month,
meaning an expanded role for Blair in the interim, who saw 20 minutes
of playing time himself for just the second time in a month Saturday (8
boards, 1 steal). Blair’s per-25 minute averages on the season include
10.7 points, 9.3 boards, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 steals-plus-blocks. Week 9: LAC, POR, @MIL, @NYK

• Jerryd Bayless – Bayless has been earning more playing time for the short-handed Blazers, setting season-highs in minutes in three consecutive games. His production is almost completely limited to offense, but the offense should be there as long as the minutes are. In the five games where he’s seen at least 20 minutes of playing time, he’s averaged 16 points on 47-percent shooting, 0.4 threes, and 8.6 free throw attempts. Week 9: @DAL, @SAS, DEN

• Dorell Wright – Quentin Richardson’s injury gave Wright an opportunity to rejoin the Heat rotation, and he’s played well enough in recent games to keep a solid role now that Richardson has returned. Over the past five games, Wright has averaged 13.2 points on 58-percent shooting, 1 three, 5 boards, 2.2 assists, 0.4 turnovers, and 1.4 steals-plus-blocks, and Q-Rich’s availability is always tenuous at best. Week 9: UTH, @NYK, IND

Status Updates

• Leandro Barbosa – Barbosa will step up his practice activities Sunday with the hopes of fully practicing with the team Wednesday and then returning to the active roster Friday.

• Andris Biedrins – Biedrins has begun light workouts and may fully practice with the team in advance of their back-to-backs on Tuesday/Wednesday. The San Francisco Chronicle’s beat reporter goes as far as to speculate that Biedrins "could return" for the two-game road trip, but that may be overly-optimistic.

• Chauncey Billups –  Billups is not expected to be in the lineup Sunday, instead giving his injured groin a few extra days to heal before returning on Wednesday.

• Jose Calderon – The Raptors have yet to provide any official update on Calderon’s hip flexor, so the best I can offer is speculation from the Toronto Star‘s Raptors beat reporter:

"No one’s got a timetable but if I had to guess, I’d say the 30th here would be when we see him back. Just a guess though."

• Chris Douglas-Roberts – CDR suffered a grade 1 ankle sprain Saturday and his status for Wednesday’s game is up in the air at this point.

• Rudy Fernandez – Rudy underwent a microdiscectomy on December 8 and is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-January.

• Ryan Gomes
– Gomes has yet to return to practice and is probably a week or more away from playing because of a high ankle sprain.

• Ben Gordon – Gordon’s sprained ankle has progressed to the point that he will be a game-time decision Sunday.

• Danny Granger – Granger’s torn right plantar fascia is expected to keep him sidelined until sometime in mid-January.

• Blake Griffin – Griffin remains sidelined by a stress fracture on his left kneecap and isn’t expected to return until sometime after January 1. He’ll undergo a series of tests sometime in the coming days, and a more exact timeline should emerge after they take place.

• Richard Hamilton – Hamilton will miss his third straight game Sunday due to a strained right hamstring, and is considered day-to-day.

• Allen Iverson
– AI has missed the past two games because of a collection of issues (left knee arthritis, right leg stress reaction, left shoulder bruise), and he’s also scheduled to sit out Philly’s game on Tuesday. According to Eddie Jordan, he "might" be back in the lineup on Saturday.

• Yi Jianlian – barring another unforeseen circumstance, Yi is set to rejoin the Nets at practice Monday and is likely to be on the team’s active roster Wednesday.

• Carl Landry – Landry underwent nearly five hours of dental procedures Saturday to repair damage to five teeth, suffered when he collided with Dirk Nowitzki during Friday’s game. Rick Adelman said that doctors thought "by next week he should be fine," but go on the assumption that he’ll be a game-time decision Tuesday.

• Kevin Martin – Martin had surgery on his broken left wrist on November 9 and is expected to return sometime in mid-January. 

• Mike Miller
– Miller is progressing and expected to resume running this week.

• Jameer Nelson – Nelson is set to go through his first full practice Sunday, and the team’s medical staff has designated Wednesday’s game as the earliest possible return to the active roster.

• Dirk Nowitzki – Dirkdid not practice Saturday and is questionable for Sunday’s game in the wake of his elbow-to-mouth collision with Carl Landry.

• Tayshaun Prince – Prince remains, in a word, out, and there continues to be a lack of substantive updates in terms of his specific level of readiness.

• Tyrus Thomas
– Thomas will participate in a full-contact practice Sunday and, if he has no setbacks, the team is targeting Saturday’s matchup with the Hornets as a possible return date.

• Dwyane Wade – Add back spasms to Wade’s list of recent ailments, but he’s not expected to miss any game action due to the injury, just like with the others.

—

Photos via Getty Images

There are just a few days left to submit your holiday cupcake photos to the Holiday Cupcake Contest Flickr pool and enter for a chance to win a great baking gift basket! Baking pans, chocolate and other goodies are going into two prize packages for one Grand Prize winner and one Runner-Up!

If you haven’t posted your entry for the contest, you still have time. Simply take a photo of a holiday cupcake – one you made or one that you saw/ate/bought somewhere else – and upload it to the Flickr photo pool. Entries are due by December 23rd at midnight to maximize your chances of encountering a great holiday cupcake. Check out the current entries for some baking inspiration, and try one of these cupcake recipes if you want to bake your own:

• Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
• Candy Cane Cupcakes
• Gingersnap Cupcakes
• Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

HTC’s new generation of upcoming Windows Mobile handsets, the HTC Trophy, HTC Tera and HTC Photon are all powered by the 600 Mhz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor. Disappointingly these are not part of Qualcomm’s next generation Snapdragon family, but rather just the next in the MSM72xx series.

Of course the advantage to HTC of these processors are that they are the same size as the older generation, near pin compatible, and software compatible with the older MSM7225 processor, meaning time to market was faster.

The processor is also a real upgrade to the older generation, with an integrated Floating Point Unit (whether the OS will make use of it is another question) and a Level 2 cache, which should again significantly increase speed.  The processor also uses less power than the MSM7225, meaning either longer battery life, or more likely for the next-gen of Windows Mobile handsets, smaller form factors.

I have collated the information available about the 3 tiers of chipsets below.  There are some gaps obviously, but I believe our very intelligent readers will not mind helping to fill these in, and possibly suggest a few more rows.

The conclusion however is that while the MS7227 processor is not ground breaking, it should not be as much of a slouch as the original MSM 7200 HTC Tilt was.

The highly anticipated Nexus One and Apple iPhone made an appearance on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, with a bit of humor attached.  Happy Holidays, everyone.

Via: Engadget Mobile

Eagle-eyed Street Fighter fans who tuned in to Capcom and Famitsu’s live stream demo of Super Street Fighter IV late this week have unearthed an interesting rumor nugget from the game’s character select menu: there will be ten

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Jaguar, Land Rover, Design/Style

For the past couple of years, Car magazine has gathered renderings from designers envisioning Kris Kringle’s sleigh. Last year it was Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Ford, and Nissan. This year, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Audi, Land Rover, and Jaguar submitted their Santa-ships, and the results are predictably outrageous.

The Jag and Land Rover cruisers might make you think they got their sexy back. Jag’s design features the unlikely addition of twin, rear-mounted propellers (which might make rooftop landings a little difficult — and noisy) and a painted mascot on its forward flanks that is definitely not Mrs. Claus. The Land Rover snowspeeder-thingy has particle accelerators, and those are always sexy, and we dig Santa’s pose with that cigar, looking straight out of a Hugh Hefner photo shoot. We have a feeling that Hef, however, wouldn’t have a reindeer in that front seat…

Speaking of which, we’d be interested in finding out why some car designers think Santa wants to tackle his annual delivery route with one single reindeer riding shotgun. You can have a look at the JLR sleighs below, and click here to check out the rest at Car.

[Source: CAR]

Jaguar and Land Rover design sleighs for Santa part of Car‘s annual design entries originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Option’s markets could be expecting a major rally in stocks going forward, according to Trader’s Narrative.

Trader’s Narrative: …measures of mood in the options market, like the CBOE (equity only) put call ratio as well as the ROBO put/call ratio are showing an eye popping amount of speculative call buying. There is no question that right now, option traders are throwing caution to the wind and positioning themselves for a major rally. History as a guide tells us they will be sorely disappointed.

Still, this other measure of options sentiment, also highlighted by Trader’s Narrative, remains far from extreme levels.

Also, if we then build our own Put/Call Ratio chart, we don’t quite see what Trader’s Narrative is worrying about in the first excerpt above. In fact it seems that Put volume has spiked relative to Call volume. One would argue that investors are increasingly buying hedges. If speculative buying has popped in any direction, it’s more in regards to bearish bets rather than bullish ones.

The data is very volatile in the short-term, thus Trader’s Narrative may not have seen the most recent CBOE data point. At the very least, from a broader perspective the chart below doesn’t show any kind of extreme when compared to the last past year. So sentiment actually still appears pretty tame by this measure, though feel free to prove us wrong.

Regardless, there’s a lot more detail on other sentiment indicators over at Trader’s Narrative. It’s worth a look.

(Tip via Abnormal Returns)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• German Manufacturing Sentiment Soars, Signals V-Shaped Recovery
• Citi: Sentiment Slips Into Panic Mode
• CHART OF THE DAY: Investor Sentiment Rebound Could Be A Bearish Sign

ok, so this is going to sound totallllllly stupid!

But, yeah, I totally saved my patient last night….hahah not.
Anyway, she had major abdominal surgery; was completely necrosed inside/ major sepsis from a perforated bowel from extreme IBS and narcotic use for the pain. So, yesterday she had some serious blood pressure issues. They couldn’t keep her MAP about 65, etc. and received like four 250ml bolus’. When I came on, she was holding steady, but then at like 1 in the morning, her pressure started to drop. 99/50 to 88 to 78.. I’m like…c’mon dude! So I bolus her once. I know it sounds insignificant and I will laugh about this later in life, but I felt proud that I just went ahead and did something rather than ask someone; mostly because this was only my second night off orientation and usually I have someone looking over my shoulder and when something goes wrong, they know about it, ask me what I would do, or tell me what to do.
Also, I am still getting used to the extreme autonomy I have as a nurse in the unit. I would never be able to just give someone fluids without talking to the MD first on the floor. Granted, we have standing orders/early goal direct therapy, but still…

So the point…I’m bolusing her, blablabla, still not coming up. And then I woke her up while fiddling with her lines (effing DUH) and her pressure went right back to 120-140!!!

I’m like…ok, note to self: whenever someone starts dropping their pressure, freakin’ wake them up. Nursing 101 people, i have mastered it. For the rest of the night, whenever she started to look like she might drop her pressure, I just went in there and like slammed something or called her name and her pressure would shoot right back up, ahhahaha. I crack myself up.

I guess I didn’t think to wake her up because she was in such intense pain and everytime she was awake she would moan out. I figured, sleeping and not moaning=no pain=happy patient and happy nurse.

I’m a total hero and genius, I know…hold your applause!

The Prairie Island nuclear plant at Red Wing, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River.  Nuclear power advocates want to repeal the state’s 15-year-old ban on new nuclear plants.

The state that enacted one of the nation’s most farsighted clean energy laws in 2007 may be a battleground over nuclear power in 2010.  A coalition of interest groups wants to repeal Minnesota’s 15-year-old moratorium on new nuclear plants. Like pro-nuke interests elsewhere, the Minnesota coalition is arguing that nuclear power is a clean solution to climate change problems.

The 2007 Next Generation Energy Act mandates that Minnesota generate 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.  It also sets a state goal to reduce electric demand 1.5% per year through efficiency and conservation programs. The law defines renewable sources as solar, wind, small hydro, hydrogen and biomass.

But nuclear power advocates want to add nuclear energy to the mix. The so-called Sensible Energy Solutions for Minnesota says it includes business, labor and environmental leaders, although no organized environmental groups support the repeal. A board member of SESM says calls nuclear “the most sensible and carbon-free base-load electricity source in existence.”

Read more of this story »

Here’s something to pique your curiosity. Sony has gone and filed a US trademark for something called “Qriosity.” In keeping with the strange spellings and pronunciations of the Xross Media Bar and Qore, that’s pronounced “curiosity.” They’ve

Here is a Q&A on some of the most important legal questions surrounding the Copenhagen Accord.

As the dust settles after a decidedly unconventional climate convention, delegates and experts are turning their attention to the outcome, and what it means for the future of international climate change efforts. Previous COPs typically end with a series of “decisions” that are accepted by unanimous consensus of the delegates (majority vote does not apply to the climate convention), which sets a high hurdle for what can be accomplished.

But this time, history didn’t play out in exactly the same way. Here are some early thoughts on what actually happened at COP-15 in Copenhagen, and what it means from a legal perspective:

Is the Copenhagen Accord a binding document?

Not in a legal sense. In fact, the words “legally binding” were conspicuously removed from earlier drafts of the Accord by delegations that aren’t yet ready to enter into a legally binding instrument. But the Accord is “politically binding” on those countries that choose to sign up to it. A number of delegations publically expressed their approval of it during the final Conference of Parties (COP) plenary session. And the Convention Secretariat is setting up a process for governments to associate themselves with the Accord, and the names of their countries will be formally listed alongside the text.

But “politically binding” is not the same as “legally binding.” Politically binding—if anything—means that political consequences will flow from its breach—diplomatic responses, efforts at public shaming, withholding of discretionary funding, etc. In this sense, the Accord can be considered a strong, high level commitment by the countries that have adhered to it, and many groups are choosing to interpret it in this sense.

But didn’t the COP “adopt” the Copenhagen Accord at COP-15?

No. The COP “took note” of the Copenhagen Accord. Decisions by the COP require a consensus (if any Party present formally objects to a decision, it can block its adoption). That level of consensus was not possible in this case, and the COP rules don’t enable voting. While the 25 or so countries that were asked by the COP President to participate in a high level meeting of the “friends of the President” eventually accepted the Accord, at least four Parties spoke out against it (Tuvalu, Sudan, Bolivia, and Venezuela). In any event, COP decisions—even those agreed to by all parties—cannot by themselves legally bind Parties.

What does it mean for the UNFCCC to “take note” of the Copenhagen Accord?

“Taking note” of the Accord is a way for UNFCCC parties to formally acknowledge its existence. To quote UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, it “is a way of recognizing that something is there, but not going so far as to associate yourself with it.”

However, the decision to “take note” of the Copenhagen Accord does not change the nature of the Agreement; it does not, for example, give it the significance of a COP decision. However, it may give it greater significance than documents that parties submit during COP proceedings, such as those categorized as “miscellaneous” or “informational” (MISC or INF) documents.

During the Plenary, a number of governments in support of the Accord called upon the COP, under Art 7.2(c) of the Convention to:

Facilitate, at the request of two or more Parties, the coordination of measures adopted by them to address climate change and its effects, taking into account the differing circumstances, responsibilities and capabilities of the Parties and their respective commitments under the Convention.

This should give the COP a mandate to follow up on the implementation of the Accord.

I thought I heard officials say the Copenhagen Accord be made “immediately operational.” How is that possible?

The Accord describes itself as “immediately operational.” Participating countries can, however, only immediately operationalize those parts of the Accord that do not require a COP decision.

For example, the Accord provides that governments will submit more specific country-level commitments and actions in the Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 sections of the Accord. Appendix 1 is intended for “economy-wide emissions targets” for 2020 for Annex-I countries; Appendix 2 for “mitigation actions” by non-Annex I countries. These commitments, which must be submitted by January 31st, 2010, will constitute more specific and significant commitments on the part of the submitting countries. These commitments can become operational immediately.

However, the Accord also “decides” to establish a new “Copenhagen Green Climate Fund” to manage the billions of dollars pledged in Copenhagen. It provides that the Fund will be part of the Convention’s Financial Mechanism. This isn’t possible without a COP decision. Unless the all Parties can agree, at the next COP or later, money raised under the Accord will have to be managed outside the Convention.

A plausible argument could be made that since the Accord was adopted as a package, even those aspects of the Accord that would otherwise be immediately operational (such as the 31 Jan 10 deadline) won’t take effect until the other aspects, such as the establishment of the fund, also take effect.