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Reinhold Vieth is frustrated. A thin, bald professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Patho-biology, Vieth is among the most knowledgeable people in the world on the subject of vitamin D. He began studying it as a graduate student in 1974 and hasn’t changed his focus since. “I stick with vitamin D and follow it where it goes,” he says.

In recent years, vitamin D has been going to some exciting places. Reports of new and promising studies seem to emerge almost weekly. A 2007 analysis of vitamin D studies found that individuals with higher vitamin D levels are significantly – as much as 50 per cent – less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Another 2007 study found that women who took 1,100 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day together with a calcium supplement reduced their overall cancer risk by 60 per cent. And the excitement is not only about cancer prevention. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, depression and rheumatoid arthritis, among other diseases. Perhaps not surprisingly, in light of the other studies, one recent review of the health records of more than 13,000 Americans found that individuals with the lowest vitamin D levels were 26 per cent more likely, in an eight-year period, to die than those with the highest levels.

So why is Dr Vieth so frustrated? You might think he’d have cause for celebration. But for him and other vitamin D researchers around the world, the good news comes with a bitter aftertaste. They believe they can prove vitamin D could help millions live longer and be healthier and yet they have not been able to convince their own governments.

In the US and Canada, official vitamin D policy is set by the Institute of Medicine. And in the opinion of Vieth, the current recommendations – 200 International Units per day for people under 50, 400 for people aged 51-70, and 600 for those 71 and older – are outrageously low. Bruce Hollis, professor of paediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, calls 400 IU a day “a joke”. That’s because the best research suggests that to achieve the higher vitamin D blood levels associated with disease prevention, most adults in the US would need to take 1,000-2,000 IU a day: five to 10 times more than the current official recommendation for adults.

In the UK, the government’s Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy has declined to set a “Reference Nutrient Intake” value for people “leading a normal lifestyle”, arguing that you can get the vitamin D you need from food and sunlight. But they fall in line with the Americans where they do make recommendations: for people confined indoors, the elderly and pregnant women, they suggest a daily intake of 10 micrograms a day. That’s equal to 400 IU. Read more…

We’ve been fostering kittens for just over a month now, and just this past weekend three of the four kittens were adopted. I took the one remaining kitten into the vet this morning for boosters and got to meet the adopted “parents” of the other three kittens, who were also there for boosters.

Unfortunately, the kittens all have a mild case of ringworm, which I noticed on one ear this past Sunday. The vet said it’s likely that since they’re all from the same litter that they contracted it from their mother, but that the only bad thing about it is that it’s just an irritation and won’t cause any permanent harm. We’ll be keeping the remaining foster in the “kitten room,” as we call, it for a while longer and for now all four of them are on a liquid oral medication to take care of the infection.

We each got a small, skinny syringe to use for dosing, and contrary to what you might think, it’s actually pretty easy to give liquid medication to a cat. The easiest way I’ve found over the years, with my own cats, is:

1. Hold the cat up firmly by the scruff with their back legs resting on your lap.
2. Insert the syringe into the cat’s mouth, resting along the cheek and toward the throat.
3. Gently (and not too quickly), press the plunger of the syringe to release the medication. The cat will start licking as the medication goes down its throat.

That’s it! They won’t be too happy about it at first, but this is the quickest and non-messiest way we’ve found when it comes to giving liquid medication. Pills, on the other hand…

Post from: Blisstree

How to Give a Cat Liquid Oral Medication

PRESS RELEASE
December 15, 2009                                                     Contact:  Dawn Alford, 542-5524

Wed., Dec. 16, 2009
CBC Thornton Center Atrium
9:30 AM

Second-graders are set to release their butterflies in the Columbia Basin College Thornton Center Atrium on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.  Approximately 120 Whittier Elementary students will let their painted lady butterflies go free, then spend time touring the CBC campus and learning about college. 

The butterflies were raised by the students as part of the class’ month-long science curriculum.  The field trip will provide these youth early exposure to the college environment; with hopes of stimulating their desire to one day obtain a higher education.  Potentially, these very students could be released onto college campuses in a decade to pursue degrees.

Note regarding butterfly release:  With climate control, water features, and abundant plant life the Thornton Atrium is a natural choice in which to set the butterflies free, especially this time of year.

City Year for Kids is a fun, and educational week-long vacation camp that City Year Boston runs during the winter and spring school vacations. We provide a safe, engaging place for children to go who may not otherwise have adult supervision when school is out. The camps are located at four sites throughout Boston, serving roughly 700 children. During the camps, pairs of corps members and volunteers lead teams of 10-12 elementary school children.

This year’s winter program, runs from Monday February 15th through Friday February 19th, and would be an excellent volunteer opportunity for your organization. Volunteers are welcome to volunteer for just one day or all four. Volunteers will also be required to attend one training prior to the camp.

Kynikos Associates founder Jim Chanos stopped by the Fast Money set for an interview with CNBC’s Melissa Lee this afternoon.

A few highlights from the video:

• He’s not short the financial sector right now, although he thinks there may be another shoe to drop and more losses. He is short some select financial names but not the sector.
• There are opportunities for shorting individual companies in this market but he would recommend shorting the market as a whole.
• He’s shorting autos again, after covering in late 2008 and 2009. He said he is short manufacturres. Which ones? “I wouldn’t be long Fiat and Ford, the F brothers, right now,” he said.
• China is Dubai times 1000. The government has too much control of the economy. The GDP numbers are not credible.
• Because China bans short-selling, you have to short derivative plays. Short commodities and people shipping raw material into China. Not gold but those commodities involved in the China construction boom. Copper. Cement. Iron Ore.
• “We’re often early. You never get the top tick. You never get the bottom tick. And anyone who says they do is probably…doing the Chinese GDP reports.”

One thing Chanos hints at but doesn’t quite explain is that his fund is always net short but long the market. How can that be? The positions of the fund are always tipped toward short selling. But the returns on those shorts are bench marked against the market. This means that in a bear market, Chanos’s shorts must out-perform to the downside for the firm to make its perfomance targets. In a bull market, things are a bit easier.

Here’s the video:

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See Also:

• Jim Chanos: China Is Headed For A Huge Crash
• Jim Chanos: 10 Lessons From The Financial Crisis That Investors Have Already Forgotten
• Jim Chanos: Short Big Pharma

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the shoulder. Osteoarthritis of the shoulder can affect the two joints in the shoulder area — the acromioclavicular joint and the glenohumeral joint. Early diagnosis and treatment help people with osteoarthritis of the shoulder manage their symptoms.

Cause of Shoulder Osteoarthritis

The shoulder is considered the most movable joint in the body, but because of its range of motion the shoulder is more unstable than other joints. The shoulder is a common site of injury. The ball of the upper arm is actually larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. To remain stable, the shoulder is supported by muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

The degenerative process associated with osteoarthritis can affect the shoulder, though it is less common than in other joints. When osteoarthritis develops in the glenohumeral joint, it is usually the result of a previous injury. Osteoarthritis in the acromioclavicular joint can be painful and cause problems when using the joint for everyday tasks. Read more…

John Aravosis says it better than I ever could.

Ahoy there, mateys! Get ready to weigh anchor, hoist the mainsail and all eyepatched and peglegged pirate jazz. LittleBigPlanet’s finally getting some water next week via the piratey Pirates of the Caribbean pack.

What’s the nation’s No. 1 killer of women? Heart disease. It causes one death every 35 seconds. Janet Bond Brill, a registered dietitian and author of Cholesterol Down (Three Rivers Press), shares 10 tips to reduce the bad stuff. Plus, test your heart-health IQ with our quiz…

Cholesterol and Heart Disease
In the annual physical, your doctor checks your cholesterol levels. But what is it? And what do the numbers say about your health?

Cholesterol is a type of lipid or fat. In our bodies, it travels through our blood stream in particles called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are bad because they can lead to a buildup of plaque in arteries.

A mass of plaque can narrow your arteries and restrict blood flow – much like trying to sip juice through a clogged straw. Eventually, the plaque ruptures and a blood clot forms, cutting off the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain.

Hello, heart attack and stroke! Read more…

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Design/Style

The upper echelon at Lotus continues to evolve, with today’s announcement that Donato Coco has been appointed as the new director of design at the UK sports car maker and engineering consultancy. The Italian designer is moving to Hethel from Ferrari headquarters in Maranello where Coco worked on recent products like the F430 Scuderia coupe, Spider 16M, California, 599XX and the new F458 Italia. Prior to his Ferrari tenure, Coco was the chief designer at Citroen.

With Coco’s hiring, Lotus hopes to bring its design expertise up to par with its engineering work for other automakers. Coco will also oversee the design of the upcoming Lotus product range which will continue to be led by current design head Russell Carr. With Coco and Carr, Lotus will be producing an Evora convertible, an all new Esprit and eventually a new Elise and Exige in the coming years.

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Lotus appoints Ferrari designer Donato Coco as new design director

Lotus appoints Ferrari designer Donato Coco as new design director originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Advertising experts from all over have recently gathered and selected the best ads over the last ten years, and Adweek has just released the results. The elite list is made up of commercials for some of the

The Democrats desperately want to pass a health care bill through the Senate before Christmas, so that it can go through conference and be voted in early next year.  The Senate is saying they can do this.  Here’s what I don’t get:  what about the CBO score?

Unless they actually just strip the bill back to the last version to get a full score, then they’ll be voting blind.  Maybe if that’s what Lieberman asks for, you can tack on something Stupak-like and get to 60 with an essentially unchanged score (for all the heat of the debate, the amount of money involved is trivial). 

But is that exactly what Lieberman and Nelson are asking for?  We still don’t know what’s in this mythical deal.  If there are any material changes, it will simply not be possible to push this thing through the Senate before Christmas, at least not if you want to know what it’s going to cost.  Essentially, the amount of time it takes to work through a cloture vote means that they need to call for cloture on Thursday.  And while the CBO is a marvelously efficient organization, it does not actually whip through its work faster than a speeding bullet.  Estimating the effect of any changes is simply going to take time.

Is the Senate willing to vote without a score?  As someone recently remarked to me, “Kent Conrad doesn’t go to the bathroom without a CBO score”.  Claire McCaskill has indicated she’s unwilling to vote until she sees a good score.  And I don’t think they’re the only ones.  The CBO just wasted five days scoring The Deal that Wasn’t. 

If that’s the case, I just don’t see how you get to a cloture motion by Thursday.  They’re still debating amendments.  And if I were a moderate Senator who doesn’t really want to face voters having voted for this thing, I think the one thing I’d be asking for right now is some material changes from Baucus Lite, to slow it down and hope it dies of terminally bad poll numbers and progressive outrage in the New Year.

Of course, Reid has pulled off difficult votes before.  On the other hand, he’s also slipped a lot of deadlines.  I suppose we’ll find out soon, either way.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Poll That Shows Why Healthcare Reform Has No Chance Of Passing
• Harry Reid Caves To Lieberman On Healthcare Reform
• Desperate White House Tells Harry Reid To Cut Healthcare Deal With Holdout Lieberman

GCC, a global forefront equipment-manufacturing provider in the visual communication industry, is delighted to announce the availability of our special GCC 20th Anniversary signature model, Expert 24*.

In celebration of the GCC 20th Anniversary, we are proud to introduce the Expert 24 model which comes with a trendy and colorful appearance. The new Expert 24 features 250 grams of cutting force and up to 24 IPS cutting speed, providing precise cutting quality and superior tracking capability to meet the demands of entry-level sign makers. GCC uses the same professional cutter components from our pro machines in the Expert 24 model to keep the cutting quality and reliability at an affordable price.

Features of the Expert 24 include but are not limited to the following:

Guaranteed 3 meter tracking
GCC Expert 24 consists of the best components that stable drum guarantees
3 meter tracking to ensure quality outputs and save you a lot of material and cost.

Dual-port connectivity
GCC Expert 24 supports dual-port connectivity with USB and serial ports. The USB port provides faster data transmission and dual-port connectivity provides sign makers with great flexibility for data transmission.

Software compatibility
GCC Expert 24 supports several application programs including CorelDraw, Illustrator, AutoCAD and SignPal etc, gives users faster adaptability and no extra learning.

User-friendly interface
The easy-to-use control panel is along with the special VLCD software, offering users a simple and intuitive workflow.

* Note: GCC Expert 24 is only available in selected areas. Please contact your local GCC sales representatives for product availability.

About GCC
GCC, a global leader in professional large format UV curable inkjet printer, laser engraving/cutting/marking systems, vinyl cutting equipment, provides businesses, governments, and consumers with innovative and reliable solutions. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, GCC has branch offices in Walnut, CA and Capelle a/d IJssel, Netherlands. With over 100 current and pending worldwide product patents and trademarks, GCC has earned a worldwide reputation for innovation, quality and reliability in the awards & recognition, sign, personalization and manufacturing industries.

For more product information, please visit our website at www.gccworld.com or contact local GCC sales representatives in your area.

This week, Sierra Instruments introduced a line of mass flow meters Certified by Sierra for Green House Gas (GHG) reporting. All Sierra GHG meters now conform to the new EPA rule (40 CFR Part 98), which mandates that as of January 2, 2010, companies in the United States that emit more than 25,000 tons/year of CO2 equivalent must report GHG emissions. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 of the country’s largest businesses will be affected.

Sierra’s GHG Certified mass flow meters provide an economical way to totalize methane or natural gas burned, enabling the calculation of CO2 equivalent emissions. Sierra has extensive experience in producing highly accurate and repeatable mass flow meters for methane (CH4) as well as N20, SF6, HFC’s, PFC’s and CO2 as called out in the EPA mandate.

“This is really our strong suit,” says Matthew J. Olin, President of Sierra. “Our customers saw the environmental writing on the wall some time ago and we have been steadfastly pursuing both sustainable and profitable industry flow measurement solutions ever since. To make it easier for our customers facing this measurement challenge to find the meter they need, we’ve established a dedicated webpage www.sierrainstruments.com/greenhouse.html that features our three most popular GHG Certified mass flow meters. We’ve also trained our team of flow application and service engineers in the EPA Greenhouse Gas reporting rule so they can answer customer questions.”

The three GHG Certified thermal mass flow meters on Sierra’s GHG webpage are the Boiler-Trak™, Model 640S and Model 780S. Sierra’s Boiler-Trak™ is a thermal mass flow meter designed for stationary combustion applications (commercial boilers, kilns and heaters), which are among the largest emitters of CO2. To date, over 15,000 units have been successfully installed. Sierra’s Model 640S has been optimized for landfill gas, the second largest source of CO2. Landfill gas is very humid, at low pressure (20-40 mBarg) and about 40°-60°C (100°F) when it leaves the landfill. Given that the 640S has 100:1 turndown, no moving parts, and generates nominal pressure drop across the immersible sensor probe, it is ideal for this application. The Sierra Model 780S was designed for gas and electricity producers, the third largest category of CO2 emitters. This flow meter is routinely used by gas and power plants to measure methane to compressors, pre-heaters, boilers and other process equipment.

The Jenoptik Optical Systems division focuses its scope of service in the field of optoelectronics on the ever-increasing demands of the market for devices and testing procedures in rapid diagnostics. Sensitivity and specificity of Jenoptik’s semiconductor and optical components meet the full range of current and future assays and markers as well as the diversity of detection methods.

In this field we have been a reliable development partner and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for leading diagnostic companies for more than ten years.

We can draw upon great experience in development and production of more than 100 million detection modules and components, which operate extremely narrowband at wavelengths specifically required in the range between UV 350 nm and NIR 1750 nm.

The optimum balance of energy input into the sample on the one hand and signal detection on the other hand is achieved by using optical components, such as lenses and filters, especially adapted to the needs of rapid diagnostics.

We are a prime partner in industrializing and manufacturing of customized optoelectronic single or system components for rapid diagnostics. This includes demanding chip technology, as well as precision assembly and housing according to customer requirements.

Together with EPIGAP Optoelektronik GmbH, which was acquired in 2008 and now is fully integrated, Jenoptik offers, as one of only a few manufacturers in the world, the entire value chain – from the chip to the reader housing – consolidated within one company. The reduction of interfaces avoids common sources of error and leads to gain of quality and time.

Jenoptik combines the core competencies and technologie:

– Optics and system design
– Chip development and production, board layout
– Precision tooling
– Injection molding technologies (2-component, macro and micro)
– Surface technology
– High precision assembly and packaging technologies

and thus covers the complete value chain from the sample detection to the output of a digital signal. Already today optoelectronic arrays can be configured for excitation and detection in multi-parameter analytics which are increasingly powerful, smaller and highly cost-efficient.

Consequently, Jenoptik’s scope of service meets even the highest requirements of the industry in rapid diagnostics and personalized medicine.

GCC, a global forefront manufacturer in the visual communications industry, is proud to announce that GCC received the Industrial Technology Award – Corporate Excellent Innovations Award, symbolizing the Oscar Academy Award in high-tech industry, conferred by Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

After the honor of “SMEs Rising Star Award”, “National SME Award”, and continuously a winner of “Taiwan Excellence Awards” for many years, GCC won the 17th Excellent Corporate Innovation Award under Industrial Technology Advancement Award, conferred by MOEA. This year is also the 20th anniversary since the founding of GCC. This honor not only proved the R&D ability of GCC, it also means the innovation of company’s technique, products, manufacturing process, organization, and strategies are highly approved by the government.

“GCC is not a mainstream manufacturer in Taiwan. Many people are even unfamiliar with GCC’s niche products, such as its vinyl cutter, laser engravers, laser markers, laser cutters, and the Inkjet printers,” says Dr. Leonard Shih, the CEO of GCC. “However, with our profound and solid technical property, we have won our own place in global visual communications related industries and become an internationally well-known design and manufacturing supplier of professional equipments.”

With its persistence on high product quality, GCC thoroughly implements customer-oriented product R&D and innovation, from the initial design proposal to the final manufacturing process, and even to brand marketing and customer services. Moreover, GCC dedicates to nurture R&D manpower and pass down R&D spirit that qualifies international standards.

“Even though innovative research & development are frequently mentioned in Taiwan; however, schools, our society, and even most people only have a superficial understanding about it. It is not profoundly understood and not thoroughly executed. I think real innovative R&D should be able to endure trial. Speaking more precisely, it should be able to pass the test of international markets, because our competitors come from all over the world. Only the most innovative R&D that meets global standard can compete with international brands side by side and even surpass them. R&D engineers nurtured by GCC not only focus on technical and quality perspective, they also have sophisticated standard R&D spirit and cultivation, making their design qualifying global R&D standards. ” says Dr. Leonard Shih.

About Industrial Technology Advancement Award
Established in 1992 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the “Industrial Technology Advancement Awards” aims to drive industrial innovation and transformation by honoring select corporations and individuals with outstanding innovation achievements. In the past 17 years, up to 1300 corporate participants took part in the Award, with 273 corporations awarded for their extraordinary technology advancements, as well as 41 individuals with breakthrough innovative developments. These winners all attained excellent performance and reputation. Many corporate leaders even see the award as a key performance indicator. Previous award events had not only won enthusiastic responses from the domestic industry, but also boosted R&D advancements in other trades through exchanges with the award winners.

About GCC
GCC, a global leader in supplying professional large format UV curable inkjet printer, laser engraving/cutting/marking systems, vinyl cutting equipment, provides businesses, governments, and consumers with innovative and reliable solutions. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, GCC has branch offices in Walnut, CA and Capelle a/d IJssel, Netherlands. With over 100 current and pending worldwide product patents and trademarks, GCC has earned a worldwide reputation for innovation, quality and reliability in the awards & recognition, sign, personalization and manufacturing industries.

Optida Co. design and produce various configuration optical components with require coatings upon your request:

High-Reflection Mirrors, Windows, Prisms, Lenses, Polarizer’s, Beamsplitters, Partial Reflectors, Interference filters, Astronomical filters, etc.

Optida Co Ltd was established in 1997. Since the beginning we were continuously accumulating valuable coating production experience, expanding human, hardware resources, range and quality of our optical coatings.

Today our skilled and experienced technicians and engineers make the company very flexible and competitive. We offer a broad range of typical optical coatings as well as custom coatings, suitable for various needs and applications.

Vice President Joe Biden has long been known to be a supporter of Hollywood when it comes to making copyright laws more draconian (and, not surprisingly, Hollywood has been a strong monetary supporter of Biden campaigns). He doesn’t even try to hide that he’s willing to do Hollywood’s bidding on copyright law. And, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Biden ever publicly recognize concepts like fair use or the rights of individuals. Unfortunately, it looks like the Obama White House has given Biden control over IP issues, which is why a bunch of former “anti-piracy” lawyers — including a former Biden staffer — are now in the Justice Department. So, I guess it should come as no surprise that Biden is convening a “piracy summit” at the White House (via Michael Geist) and the guest list appears to be entirely one-sided:

Among those expected are Sony’s Michael Lynton, Warner Bros.’ Barry Meyer, Viacom’s Philippe Dauman, NBC Universal’s Jeffrey Zucker, Warner Music Group’s Edgar Bronfman, Harper Collins CEO Brian Murray, Universal Music Group’s Zachary Horowitz, the MPAA’s Dan Glickman, the RIAA’s Mitch Bainwol, IATSE’s international president Matthew Leob, AFTRA’S Kim Roberts Hedgepeth, DGA president Taylor Hackford, DGA exec director Jay Roth and SAG’s David White.

Notice that there aren’t any consumer rights representatives. No one from technology companies. No one representing a viewpoint from outside of these industries of how they might be abusing claims of “piracy” to prop up obsolete business models. Instead, it’s just the echo chamber. The same folks who have been misleading politicians for ages. And, of course, whenever you get a summit like this, expect some sort of misguided “action” to follow. Update: Public Knowledge has put out a statement, noting how one-sided this gathering is, and questioning why politicians are attending what appears to be an industry gathering on how to prop up a business model. Update 2: In the press release (pdf) about this, Biden’s office has the gall to claim this “will bring together all of the
stakeholders.” Ha! It’s 100% entertainment industry interests. No tech. No consumer advocates. No ISPs. This is a complete joke. Update 3: This just gets more and more ridiculous. Reporter Ryan Reilly was covering the “summit,” posting the seating chart and quoting Biden as saying that “piracy” is “flat unadulterated theft” but it looks like Reilly has now been kicked out of the summit. Openness and transparency apparently doesn’t apply when it involves propping up one small industry’s obsolete business model.

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