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Arc4life ships its pain relief products all over the world. Beautiful destinations like India, Thailand, even Kenya. Recently we received feedback from a husband that purchased the cervical linear traction neck pillow for his wife. They live in Margoa, Goa India:

“My wife suffers from degeneration of the C 5,6,& 7 discs and was in constant pain.One night she gasped and said “I rather die than have such pain”. The Cervical Linear Traction pillow is a miracle cure. It took just 30 minutes for the pain to dissipate.My wife asked me to post this as a token of her appreciation for the product and the relief it brought. We are forever indebted to Arc4life.”

– Edgar & Emma Soares – Margao – Goa – India


Additional Reading Resources

• Neck Pain Resulting from A C5, C6, C7, or C8 Radiculopathy
• The Right Pillow For A Herniated Disc in the Neck
• How to Choose the Best Pillow for your Needs
• Need a Pain-in-the-Neck Cure? Arc 4 Life’s Soft-Yet-Effective, Polyester-Filled (Non-Memory-Foam), Cervical Linear Traction Pillow
  

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief.

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Dave Allen, who is both a successful musician (founding member of Gang of Four) and a successful digital marketer and strategist for music business models, is preparing for next week’s SFMusicTech event (reminder: Techdirt readers can get a discount) with a brilliant new manifesto of sorts, pointing out that it’s time for musicians to stop blaming others and take charge: Dear Musicians: Please Be Brilliant or Get Out of The Way.

It has been more than a decade since I was last fully immersed in the recorded music business [and then only peripherally as GM of eMusic.com,] and I have long held out hope that musicians would ditch the old media model, both the business and the manufacturing sides, and fully embrace the huge possibilities that the unfettered social web allows them — asymmetrical distribution as opposed to old media distribution silos, two-way communication with music fans as opposed to old media PR, and marketing tactics and an unparalleled universal sandbox in which to experiment.

I am still waiting. Unfortunately my patience is now wearing thin. And my impatience is no longer with the record labels, it’s with the musicians. Despite all the data and untold amounts of writing about the decline in music sales, mainly the fall off of CD sales, musicians appear to be sitting on their hands. The reason I am no longer impatient with record labels is because their business model is transparent — they exist to make money from musicians. On the other hand, musicians are [or ought to be] immersed in their art; no one guarantees a living from the arts, but talk to the average musician about internet music distribution and you will often hear the same refrain — “downloading and file-sharing is killing music and denying me a living..”

That sort of “woe is me, I’m a victim” situation is certainly getting tiresome, especially as we see more and more and more bands take charge of their own future and implement smarter and smater business models that are working wonders for those who embrace them. So, Allen points out, it’s time to stop waiting for others to solve the business model issue, and take charge yourself (or, at the very least, partner with someone who can take charge for you):

Now that the internet has provided disrupting producers with all the tools they need to bypass the existing recorded music system, there should be no excuse for musicians to not go it alone. Yet, the producers — the musicians themselves, remain the problem. I believe that the safety and comfort offered to them in the past — record label deals, publishing deals, old media distribution, plus MTV and commercial radio for the most successful — created a diabolical music Nanny state, an addictive teat at which to suck that they are now having trouble weaning themselves off. I know there are many examples of musicians embracing the web but they have taken only baby steps and are in the minority — the majority are still staring into the headlights. [I purposefully won’t discuss Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails here as much has been written about their successful use of the social web and I consider them special cases.]

The Nanny state reduced risk taking and danger in popular music. The very founding spirit of rock and roll was danger. Danger as perceived by those who didn’t understand the outburst of energy and excitement that this early musical form drew out of teenagers. Parents and adults in authority voiced their concerns and this led to ridiculous moments in musical history such as TV cameramen being told to only film Elvis Presley from the waist up.. If we fast forward to 1975 in the UK, we find that rock and roll, a mere 20 or so years later, with only a few exceptions, had become commercial, flabby, conservative and mostly dull. Then along came a new genre of music delivered by bands like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxie and the Banshees who injected rock with some street smarts and and sprinkled it with just a soupcon of danger. It was known as Punk Rock.

I bring up punk rock here as it defines a moment in rock music history that was as disruptive in 1976 as online music distribution became in the late 1990’s. Punk rock challenged people’s assumptions that popular music would always be, and could only be, controlled by large, well-capitalized, business organizations. Punk rock drove down production values and just like the Internet, became disruptive and leveled the playing field. Punk bands formed quickly, releasing records as 7″ vinyl singles on their own equally quickly formed record labels. A long term career in music was not the point of this enterprise, many bands flamed out within six months of their existence. Small independent labels sprang up to cater to this avalanche of bands, offering more favorable contracts than the majors had in the past. Business is business though, and the small label owners had plans for growth that ultimately led to punk rock’s demise. Soon enough punk rock was commoditized and, after a brief fling with Post-Punk, quickly fizzled leaving the stage for the New Romantics and their ilk. It wasn’t long until it was business as usual for the record labels — five years of promise had passed very quickly.

So I have to ask – why is there no online music equivalent of punk rock? Why is there no real and passionate embrace of the new?

It’s a great manifesto (this is only a snippet — the full thing is worth reading), and it’s going to make Dave’s session at SFMusicTech next week one not to miss (I just hope he’s not on at the same time I am!).

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Retail Forward, ICSC and Retail Metrics have all done their monthly numbers crunching. The verdict is not very good. November same-store sales disappointed. According to ICSC sales were down. Retail Metrics and Retail Forward, however, reported that there was a slight year-over-year raise. What’s interesting is that there usually is not this much divergence between the three sources.

According to Retail Forward, sales-weighted same-store sales excluding Walmart increased 0.9 percent in November for the approximately 31 retailers that reported numbers. (A pdf with each retailer’s results can be downloaded here.) Frank Badillo, senior economist at Retail Forward, said in a statement, “Shoppers continue to give signs that they are ready to loosen the grip on their spending plans, but at the same time remain very cautious and deal-focused in their spending.”

ICSC’s tally of 32 retailers is that same-store sales fell 0.3 percent in November in comparison with last year after rising in both September and October. Here are ICSC’s results going back to 1993. According to its report, “These data suggested that the holiday season got off to a weak start in November for retailers–though the tail-end of the month saw relatively strong sales for electronics and online spending, but that seemed to be at the expense of some in-store performance and apparel demand, in particular.”

Retail Metrics, meanwhile, reported that same-store sales increased 0.9 percent–results the firmed called “a giant miss”. Retail Metrics’ numbers include 37 retailers. Of those, 14 posted gains, two had flat sales and 21 posted same-store sales declines.

The bottom line is that comp store sales VERY disappointing ahead of the critical December Holiday shopping season. Facing the easiest monthly comparison this decade, retailers managed to eek out a very soft 0.7% increase. This despite increased ad spending and earlier sales events. The standard line from any retailers was a stronger YOY Black Friday weekend was not enough to offset very weak sales throughout most of the month.

(This post originally appeared at TrafficCourt)

(Copyright ©2009 Penton Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.)

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See Also:

• Retail Sales Already HOT In November
• October Retail Sales Beat Expectations, But All Growth Was Just Autos
• Recovery? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? US Consumer Is A Disaster

Please, step into my gentleman’s library. I don’t leave its leather-bound confines these days, and to receive a visitor is a rare treat indeed. Please, please, don’t be shy. Wipe your boots on the sable fur mat, set your cane in the well and cross the threshold to my kingdom.

Pray, sit down. Make yourself at home. Hang your hat on the elk antlers, the bronzed rhino horn, wherever you like. My gentleman’s library is your gentleman’s library. Only I must ask that you not remove the laminate on the sofa. We’ve been told it’s not gentlemanly. Don’t mind that shriveled woman there. She’s sound asleep. Simply pretend she’s not there. Instead, turn your gaze upon the marvels of my collection. What you see before you are the spoils of lifelong travel and the learned discernments of a private scholar. These mounted heads are trophies from my big game hunts on the Dark Continent. That folio there is the erotic diary of a 17th-century courtesan in the sultan of Brunei’s harem, a gift from the sultan himself. And here, adjacent to the wonder cabinet, betwixt my astrolabe and the collected works of Hume, is an original medical prescription written for John Milton’s gout.

For these treasures, I entangled myself in innumerable romances and intrigues round the globe. But I eventually grew weary of the world of men and retreated to the sanctuary of this library. Like the immortal Montaigne, I have consecrated the rest of my days to a life of the mind. If you look at the mantel, above the busts of Plutarch and Carlyle, you’ll see that I have inscribed for all posterity my vow to pursue knowledge strictly within these hallowed walls.

This vow has been notarized and carries with it the authority of the state of Indiana. Impressive, you say? Well, not only did the local government endorse my scholarly reclusion, they even honored me with a flashing jeweled bracelet to commemorate the deed. I have been instructed to wear it here, just below my sock garter and directly above my spats, and never to remove it. Fetching, isn’t it?

Behold, next to the fireplace, a complete collection of all knowledge, bound in gilded leather, befitting of a man of my station. Every luminous pearl of wisdom from Heraclitus to Hegel–oh, forgive me. How rude I have been. I entirely forgot to offer you a beverage. And you must be terribly thirsty. I believe we have some claret in the cellar. Just a moment.

“Grandma, wake up! He-llo, Grandma! Up and at ‘em! Can’t you see I have a guest and that we’re both beyond parched? Be a dear and fetch us some claret from the cellar.”

“Now, Clarence, you know you’re not supposed to have visitors. The judge was very clear about that.”

“Grandma, please don’t tell me what to do when you’re in my gentleman’s library. That’s one of the rules.”

“Well, I thought we also agreed you weren’t going to fuss with my Reader’s Digests. Please put them back next to the fireplace before they get bent. Also, what did I tell you about putting your rocks in the linen closet?”

“You mean the wonder cabinet.”

“Sure. And, for the last time, stop writing ‘Collected Works of Hume’ on my Dan Koontz books.”

“Grandma! Just fetch the claret, would you?”

I’m sorry. She’s totally senile. I tried barricading her in the bedroom, but then I realized there would be no one to cook and tend to the scullery. After all, a gentleman must have his victuals. Now let me show you my volumes of Voltaire.

“Clarence, I didn’t see any drink called claret in the fridge. Just your usual Grape Tang. Now, make sure your friend doesn’t spill any on the sofa. That laminate is hard to clean.”

“I know, Grandma! Now would you mind–we’re trying to have an intellectual conversation about Voltaire.”

“Clarence, you know what the psychiatrist said. That Voltaire is what got you into all this mess in the first place.”

“I was just fighting for enlightenment against the blackguard clergy.”

“You exposed yourself to a nun, while shouting lewdly in French.”

“There’s nothing lewd about ‘ecrasez l’infame,’ Grandma.”

“There is when your wiener is hanging out.”

“Grandma, go to your room! You’re embarrassing me in my gentleman’s library!”

“You and your friend can visit until four, Clarence. Then my programs come on. Make sure you un-tape those cardboard animal heads from the TV by then.”

“Fine, Grandma, whatever. Just leave us alone.”

“Oh, one more thing, Clarence. Have you seen my gout prescription from Dr. Milton? I can’t find it anywhere.”

“I have no idea where it is, Grandma.”

I really must apologize. She’s quite the philistine. What’s that? You have to go? What a shame. Now, what was that you mentioned at the door about selling cookies? Never mind? Oh well, you can tell me about it next time.

There’s no doubt that Dragon Quest IX is a huge title. In fact, so big that its European release is not getting one, not two, but five trademarks. Siliconera went trademark-spotting again and found that the Japanese

I waited in line for over 30 minutes at Walmart to return “room darkening curtains” that did not block out the light, go figure. Anyway, two people are in front of me and they announce that the first 5 people who have returns can move to line 1, so we go over there and the person behind me…again, another middle aged woman begins like almost running to the register. Me and another girl just look at each other like…um, no. She gets in front of us and we both shimmy our way in. I’m like inches from her and I said, “um, yeah, we were both in front of you” and throw my things on the check out counter. She says, “OOH LIKE I AM EVEN PAYING ATTENTION!!” I said, “oh really, that’s why you hauled ass to the line.”
freakin’ dumb-ass woman. you’ve been standing behind me in line for 30 minutes STARING AT THE BACK OF MY HEAD and then you’re going to pretend that you didn’t know.
After last week’s incident, I
am not taking shit from anybody.

ALSO, I am not going to Walmart until after Dec and January.

Sorry for such negative posts. I’ve just been disgusted with people’s behavior lately.

Has anyone else experienced the rudeness that comes along with the holiday season this year? please share!

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Government/Legal, Lotus

We had a chance to chat with Lotus USA spokesman Kevin Smith at the LA Auto Show and he shared a bit of news with us. He confirmed that while we unfortunately won’t be getting the limited edition Exige Scura/Stealth that debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show, we will will get something close. The problem is the special matte black paint on the Scura. We reported on the rubberized finish at the time after talking with Lotus vehicle engineering director Roger Becker. The matte finish can be marked up, and because of process used to apply it, it’s not possible to do spot repairs on the affected area.

Because of the litigious nature of America when it comes to product liability, Lotus has apparently opted not to offer the special paint job. We will, however, get essentially the rest of the car including the new wheel design that debuted on the Scura. The rest of the mechanical bits are largely the same as the Exige 260 S that we had so much fun with a few months ago. Lotus is still finalizing the spec of the new limited edition model but Smith tells us that it will be available in four colors including Phantom Black. Approximately 20-30 units will be built for the U.S. market in two-to-three months with availability in early spring.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid, Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Lotus]

LA 2009: Lawsuit-happy U.S. kills chances for Lotus Exige Scura, but we’ll get something similar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The U.S. services sector is once again contracting according to the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Non-Manufacturing Index.

The latest November index value came in at 48.7, surprising consensus economists who expected it to be 51.5. Any value below 50 indicates a contraction of activity, according to the ISM.

This makes it very clear that the services sector improvement we’ve seen all year has suddenly reversed, after only briefly breaking above the key 50-level. See detailed tables about the latest November report here.

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See Also:

• Surprise! The U.S. Services Sector Is Contracting Again
• The ISM Services Index Stops Rebounding, Missing Expectations
• Postal Services Around The World Need A Bailout

Some commentary [Ed note: from Goldman’s 2010 commodity outlook]:

As we start a new decade with the global economy emerging from the worst recession of the post-war era, we expect the commodity supply-side constraints of the past decade to once again reemerge, reinforcing the sustainability of higher long-term commodity prices – a theme we first began discussing at the turn of the current decade. However, the inability to grow supply after a decade of sharply higher prices turns the question of the sustainability of higher long-term commodity prices into one of the sustainability of higher long-term growth. Anemic supply growth of energy and basic materials runs head-on into the ongoing revolution in emerging markets generated by more than a billion people rising into the ranks of the middle class over the next decade.

We maintain that this undesirable outcome is not the inevitable result of dismal Malthusian logic, but rather the result of deliberate choices as expressed through policy. At the beginning of the current decade, we argued that decades of inadequate investment in commodity productive infrastructure were leading to a “Revenge of the Old Economy”, where a constrained supply base would sustain higher commodity prices. Toward the end of the current decade we argued that the “Revenge of the Old Economy” had turned into the “Revenge of the Old ‘Political’ Economy” where significant policy constraints on the free flow of capital, labor and technology were substantially constraining supply growth for many commodities, regardless of price or expected return. Furthermore, these protectionist policies caused capital not to flow to the most efficient commodity investment but rather to the most freely accessible one that was usually inefficient, extremely high cost/tax with poor rates of return, which put more upward pressure on prices, or in some cases the capital did not flow at all, creating outright physical shortages.

Read the whole thing at Zero Hedge >>

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See Also:

• Amazing: John Paulson Makes $50 Million In Five Weeks On A Gold Trade (DGC)
• Here’s The Real Peak In Gold
• Here’s Why The Mint Is Running Out Of Gold Coins

Sony Corporation and FIFA have announced an agreement for selected media rights of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in 3D. FIFA is to produce the world’s first FIFA World Cup in 3D. Up to 25 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa matches will be produced using Sony’s 3D professional cameras, which will provide coverage of the action that is unprecedented in depth, vividness and excitement to people around the world.

FIFA will utilize Sony’s experience and know-how of 3D content production to spread the passion inside the stadiums at the greatest sport event in the world to more people than ever before.

From 2010, Sony will be incorporating 3D compatibility into a wide range of consumer products such as “BRAVIA” LCD TV, Blu-ray Disc recorders and players, VAIO and PlayStation 3, to provide a multitude of ways in which 3D content – from 3D movies to stereoscopic 3D games – can be enjoyed in the home. By having viewers around the world experience sensational 3D content from the World Cup tournament, Sony aims to accelerate the expansion of 3D from professionals to consumers in 2010 and beyond.

“The transition to 3D is underway, and, we, at Sony, intend to be leaders in every aspect. Our sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup allows us to leverage our cutting-edge 3D technology and premier products with dazzling content to produce a unique and totally compelling viewing experience. 3D viewers around the world will feel as though they are inside the stadiums in South Africa, watching the games in person,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation.

“This propels the football fan into a whole new viewing dimension and marks the dawning of a new era in the broadcasting of sport,” said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke. “We are proud that the FIFA World Cup can serve as a platform for advancing technology and the viewing experience, and are truly fortunate to have Sony as a partner in this endeavour.”

Viewers will be able to enjoy 3D experiences at the following locations:

• During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, FIFA will host the “International FIFA Fan Fest” public viewing events in 7 cities around the world (Berlin, London, Mexico City, Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Rome, and Sydney). At Sony’s commercial displays located within the “Fan Fest,” people will be able to enjoy and experience promotional highlight trailers of the FIFA World Cup in 3D.
• In anticipation of the Official 3D Film, viewers will be able to watch promotional trailers for the film of the World Cup in 3D at retail outlets(including Sony stores) that sell Sony products around the world.
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment plans to produce and distribute the Official 3D Film on the Blu-ray Disc and other formats.

By combining the excitement of the FIFA World Cup with 3D images generated using Sony’s technology and products, Sony and FIFA will seek to deliver 3D images that convey the action and emotion of the World Cup to viewers around the world, and a viewing experience as if they were in the stadium itself.

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Technology, Lexus

Wow. Lexus brought their new LFA supercar to the LA Auto Show this year. That might not seem particularly wow-worthy, but it definitely becomes more surprising when you hear that they actually brought an LFA and a half. While a white LFA was happily humming along, spinning slowly on a rotating platform in the middle of the booth, another LFA-like creature lay motionless a few feet away.

It seems Lexus had an extra drivetrain they wanted to display, but instead of just parking the engine, transaxle and other mechanical bits on a stand, they decided to make it something of a cutaway. Rather than chopping up one of those exquisitely woven carbon fiber bodies, thankfully, they supported the running gear in a wireframe cutaway of sorts that mimics the overall shape of the production car. It was even done up in white just like the real thing on the other side of the stand. While some saw it as a novel way to display the internals, we think this might be a sneak peek at the cheaper, simpler Lexus LFA we had hoped for. Or, you know, not.

Check out the gallery below, and do yourself a favor – Take a few extra seconds to ogle that engine.

LA 2009: Lexus LFA wireframe cutaway wows us originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time again for the weekly European PlayStation Store update. Lots of special offers for both PS3 and PSP content this week. European gamers with the exception of those living in Germany are also getting the

Candied bacon fudge! What a mix! This plus simple ways to improve your cooking, some budget (yet still luxurious) gifts for cooks, and the easiest pasta ever. Read on for the top ten posts published this past week!

15. How Should I Adjust Recipes to Allow for Salted Butter?
14. December Cooking: What Do You Want to Eat Right Now?
13. A Fresh Kitchen Makeover for Only $400
12. Food Gift We’d Love to Receive: Whipped Brandy Butter
11. Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Kitchen Basics Under $25

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Ciara Felder of Mars Hill College received the fourth annual North Carolina Campus Compact Community Impact Student Award during the Compact’s Student Conference held at Western Carolina University Saturday…

According to a new study, women who consume sugary soft drinks prior to conception face an increased risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. The study, which monitored thousands of women over the course of ten years, also found that that their children also face an increased risk of early onset diabetes, childhood obesity and glucose intolerance. Read why.  Photo from: Comstock

SACRAMENTO — The Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) today praised the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals November 27 ruling that “holding name brand manufacturers liable for harm caused by generic manufacturers ‘stretch[es] the concept of foreseeability too far.’”

The decision is in stark contrast to a November 2008 California court of appeal decision that found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals liable for the plaintiff’s negative reaction to a medication used to treat stomach conditions — which Wyeth pioneered but no longer produced. The plaintiff in that case took a generic drug, manufactured and sold by a generic drug manufacturer, but sued Wyeth for failure to warn of risks associated with the drug.

Of the present case, CJAC President John H. Sullivan said, “the court got it right, showing a refreshing abundance of common sense in telling us that ‘Traditional products liability requires a plaintiff to show that she actually consumed the defendant’s product.’”

The 8th Circuit Court, in ruling the former name brand manufacturer could not be held liable for injuries caused by a generic competitor’s version of the drug, considered and rejected the appellate court’s holding in the California case (which the California Supreme Court refused to review).

“It makes no sense to tie a company’s product liability to a drug that it invented but has lost patent protection — and which the plaintiff was not taking when the injury occurred,” Sullivan said.

Read the opinion in Mensing v. Wyeth by clicking here. (Click the link and search for case number 08-3850.)

Contact: John H. Sullivan
916-443-4900

What’s cooking this weekend? We are thinking about warm and comforting casseroles, as well as holiday parties! Cheese boards (see above), sparkling wines, and delicious nibbles all sound very good. What about you? What are you cooking? Here are a few ideas from The Kitchn’s past week.

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We have been big fans of Ashley Ann’s photography and charming design sense for a while now. So when we saw that she was remodeling her kitchen we had to get a sneak peek. She graciously shared some photos and the story. Here’s a look at how she and her husband remodeled their kitchen for under $500, along with some of the cost-saving tips that let them do it for so little.

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