Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to hold together members of his caucus to vote for a government-run public option for health insurance that would allow states to opt-out of the plan — a plan that is getting an icy reception, even among Democrats, Bloomberg reports. Reid’s “version … probably won’t require employers to cover workers and will be funded through a tax on high-end insurance plans, which would put him at odds with House Democrats. … He also hasn’t won over the two Republicans most likely to back the bill, Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins” (Jensen and Litvan, 11/16).

Reid remains at least three votes shy of passing a bill with that provision, The New York Times reports. “The three Democratic holdouts, Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, have all expressed reservations about the public plan” (Herszenhorn, 11/16).

Meanwhile, “A clutch of Senate liberals pressed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to stand firm behind a public insurance option Monday afternoon in the face of filibuster threats from Republicans and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.),” Roll Call reports. The liberals would not say whether they spoke to Reid about using the “filibuster-busting budget reconciliation” maneuver to pass the bill, but some lawmakers had pushed for that move earlier (Dennis and Pierce, 11/16).

“Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who requested the meeting with Reid, said progressives believe they have compromised enough on the public option – from a Medicare-for-all proposal to Reid’s proposal to create a national government plan with a provision for states to opt-out,” Politico reports. A Senate aide said the lawmakers had planned to discuss the reconciliation tactic. Brown said, “[W]e’re confident that over time, as the debate unfolds and we take amendment after amendment after amendment, that we can get 60 votes” (Brown, 11/16).

Meanwhile, The Los Angeles Times reports that Reid’s proposal to raise the Medicare payroll tax on high earners “is meeting resistance from centrist Democrats who believe (a different) tax on expensive insurance plans could rein in the growth of health costs overall, while a payroll tax hike would not.” The idea started after criticism of a proposal championed by the Senate Finance Committee to tax insurance companies that offer expensive health care plans. “The competing tax proposals pose the most momentous decision facing Reid as he writes the version of the health bill that he will take to the Senate floor.” Some worry the Medicare tax wouldn’t rein in health care costs as well as a tax on so-called “Cadillac” health insurance plans, which some say would discourage insurers from offering such plans (Hook, 11/17).

Also in play is the possibility that the Senate bill might not require employers to offer insurance to their workers, The Miami Herald/McClatchy Newspapers reports. “Instead, larger employers would have to pay fees of as much as $750 per worker to help any employee who needed government help to purchase a policy. Most individuals would have to buy coverage, and if they didn’t, they too would face penalties.” The argument for or against the proposal to make employers offer coverage is likely to be one over government involvement in the private sector (Lightman, 11/16).

WLBT: “The White House Office of National AIDS Policy chose Jackson [Mississipppi] to host an HIV/AIDS town hall meeting Monday night. The community discussion allowed Mississippians to give feedback that will be included in a national strategy to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. … Many asked for sex and STD education in the schools, more doctors and transportation funding in rural areas and health insurance” (Anderson, 11/17).

The Associated Press: “Activists and the health care providers cite a need for more federal and state funding for outreach and drug assistance programs, as well as transportation for patients who have to travel from small towns to get care.” The meeting was with Jeffrey Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. According to advocacy group the Southern AIDS Coalition, the “South leads the nation in the percentage of AIDS-related deaths. Yet, the region ranks last when it comes to overall federal dollars spent on an HIV-infected person at $6,565 a year, according to the coalition.” Activists say the recent $2.2 billion Ryan White HIV/AIDS extension last month won’t provide enough money for the south to keep pace with new cases (Byrd, 11/16).

A Michigan man who spent five months in the Washtenaw County Jail in 2008 has been posting about his experiences in installments on the Ann Arbor Chronicle site. It’s a moving and detailed account of life on the inside, and well worth a look.

The journal started as a twitter feed, doling out jail experience 140 characters at a time. It grew into well-written chapters, covering day-to-day life in a local jail — the challenges, the characters, the slang, the work-arounds, the danger.

Here’s an excerpt:

The holding cell is so crowded now, there is no room for anybody to lay down. Some inmates tuck their arms into their uniforms and curl up.

I’ve been in a holding cell for about three hours, added to 56 hours in “suicide watch.” Now, I’m waiting for a vacancy in the overcrowded jail.

At last my name is called. After spending 60 hours in three holding cells a few feet away from the entrance, I am now going to see the jail. As I pass by Bam Bam, Frank smiles and gives me a thumbs-up. It’s an ending, of sorts. Phase I of jail ends.

But it’s all really beginning.

Read his first three chapters at the Ann Arbor Chronicle.

(more…)

Bereits vor einigen Tagen wir über den Löwenzahn, auch bekannt als Pusteblume oder auch Soiblume, als Naturheilpflanze. Gerne möchten wir hier eine weitere Naturheilpflanze vorstellen:

Der Safran
Safran ist bekannt als das teuerste Gewürz der Welt. Für 1 Kg Safran müssen etwa 150′000 Blüten von Hand gepflückt werden. Besonders im Oktober und November werden diese wertvollen Pflanzen im schweizerischen Dorf Mund im Wallis geerntet. Von dort kommt die weltweit beste Qualität an Safran. Der Safran ist bzw. war so wertvoll, dass sogar die Habsburger im 14 Jahrhundert einen Safranzoll in Aarau verlangt haben. Nicht nur beim Kochen und Backen ist Safran so wertvoll. Studien haben nun herausgefunden, dass die Inhaltsstoffe im Safran gegen bestimmte Augenkrankheiten speziell die Makuladegeneration, grünen Star und vor zu grellem Sonnenlicht helfen. Leider konnte die Wirkungsweise in den Studien noch nicht eindeutig entziffert werden, aber die Forscher sind daran die Wirkung des Genussmittels Safran zu entschlüsseln. Auf jeden Fall wird der Safran auch weiterhin nicht nur als Färbemittel für den Risotto verwendet.

While the app has been in App World for some time now, I got a chance to sit down with the folks at Verisign at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, and they showed me their VIP Access app. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a free download that provides you with an additional layer of security for your online profiles.

Once you register your VIP Acccess app, you get a new One Time Password every 30 seconds, which is securely stored on your BlackBerry. If your username or password is hacked, you still have an additional layer of security.

So if you have an account with eBay, PayPal, AOL or GEICO, this is worth the free download.

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

AOL is approaching its final moments at Time Warner, as the companies are heading towards the spin off revealed earlier this year. Time Warner has now officially put a date on when this is going to happen and as of December 10, 2009 AOL will begin to trade as an independent company on the stock market. The spin off comes nine years after what is regarded as one of the most disastrous mergers in history.

“The Time Warner board of directors has approved the final distribution ratio and declared a pro rata dividend of the shares of AOL common stock owned by Time Warner that will result in the complete legal and structural separation of the two companies,” Time Warner said in a statement.

“On the distribution date of December 9, 2009, Time Warner stockholders of record as of 5 p.m. on November 27, 2009, the record date for the distribution, will receive one share of AOL common stock for every eleven shares of Time Warner common stock they hold,” the company added.

What it boils down to is: Time Warner shareholders will get one share in the newly formed AOL for every 11 Time Warner shares they own. For any fractional share they may be entitled to they will receive a cash payment. Based on the $32 per share closing price and Time Warner’s market cap of $37.8 bi… (read more)

Whatever you might think of Gartner’s research and its silly “magic quadrant” system, I don’t think anyone could reasonably question that it was just Gartner’s opinion. Yet, a few months ago, we wrote about a company, ZL, that was so upset that Gartner put it in its niche quadrant, rather than the desired “magic quadrant,” that it sued. We didn’t expect the lawsuit to get very far (similar lawsuits over how Google ranks companies have been tossed pretty quickly). And, indeed, a judge appears to have found little worthwhile in ZL’s lawsuit, quickly dismissing all of the arguments, and noting that Gartner is free to have its own damn opinion, no matter how much others (or the subjects of that opinion) might disagree:

“Finally, ZL argues that Gartner’s representation that it provides ‘highly discerning research that is objective, defensible, and credible to help [customers] do their job better’ implies that its Reports contain objective assertions of fact. Gartner notes that this language appears not in the MQ Report but on its website and that the language describes Gartner’s research services generally rather than the MQ Report in particular…. More to the point, the terms ‘objective, defensible, and credible’ do not imply the assertion of factual information. Gartner argues convincingly that even if its self-description did refer to the statements within the MQ Report, its ‘sophisticated readers’ — corporate and government executives and professionals — would not infer that Gartner’s rankings were anything other than opinion.”

Still, the judge gave ZL an opportunity to amend the complaint, and the statement from the company indicates that it’s planning to try to come up with some other ridiculous argument against Gartner. Maybe it should just focus on satisfying what its customers want, and stop worrying about what some analyst at Gartner has to say.

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Based on today’s headlines, all eyes continue to be focused on the Senate — where Democratic leaders are still waiting for the revised Congressional Budget Office analysis of their health bill and plotting about when to hold the first procedural vote on the measure.

New Technology Helps Elderly Stay Healthy At Home
Every morning at 10 a.m. sharp, Juanita Wood, 87, taps “okay” on a screen to start up a device that takes her blood pressure and transmits the information to her medical clinic. At 10:30 a.m., her husband, Arthur, 91, touch-starts his own device, neatly lined up next to hers. The machine calculates his blood pressure and weight and sends them off, along with a blood sugar count that he enters by hand (Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post).

Analyzing Democrats’ Word Shift On Health Care
When President Obama and congressional Democrats began their drive this year to revamp health policies, they promised to expand health care coverage and to make it more affordable (NPR).

Deep Divisions Linger On Health Care
As the Senate prepares to take up legislation aimed at overhauling the nation’s health-care system, President Obama and the Democrats are still struggling to win the battle for public opinion. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead (The Washington Post).

Time Crunch Looms For Health Bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pressing to advance his version of health-care legislation past a key juncture this week in a bid to avoid a timing crunch that could otherwise kick the proposed revamp into next year (The Wall Street Journal).

Test Vote May Come Before Holiday
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has yet to introduce a health care reform bill, but he is still aiming to schedule a key test vote by the end of the week, Senate aides said Monday (Politico).

Reid Can’t Afford Any Defections
A number of centrist Democrats in the Senate are turning what normally is a simple procedural vote into a cliffhanger (The Hill).

A Centrist In Health-Care Debate, Lincoln Hears It From All Sides
When the Senate begins floor debate on a health-care reform package this week, the outcome is almost certain to rest on decisions made by a handful of moderate Democrats. None of those Democrats is feeling the heat as intensely as Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), who has become emblematic of the improbable distance that health-care reform has traveled, and how far it still must go before becoming law (The Washington Post).

When The Budget Director Talks, People Will Listen
Most people have never heard of Douglas W. Elmendorf. But all of official Washington is waiting to hear what he has to say. Mr. Elmendorf, a mild-mannered economist with a Harvard Ph.D., runs the Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan agency charged with assessing how legislation, like President Obama’s proposed health overhaul, would affect the federal budget (The New York Times).

White House Healthcare Accord With Drug Industry May Be Going Sour
Reporting from Washington – Congressional Democrats’ intensifying efforts to pay for their healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of Washington’s most powerful lobbies against the legislation (Los Angeles Times).

Limited Effect Seen In Abortion Clause
Restrictions on abortion coverage approved in the House version of the health-care bill likely will affect the affordability of the procedure for only a small minority of women (The Wall Street Journal).

Bishops Reprise Old Abortion Fight With Higher Stakes
Thirty-three years ago this fall, a bitter, race-tinged fight over abortion matched Roman Catholic bishops and the House against the nation’s first popularly elected black senator, Republican Ed Brooke of Massachusetts (Politico).

Business Foes Of Health Care Revamp Ramp Up Effort
Business foes of health care overhaul legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for TV ads as they grow increasingly nervous over a final bill (The Associated Press).

Permanent ‘Doc Fix’ Unlikely
The American Medical Association gave Speaker Nancy Pelosi a huge boost earlier this month by endorsing her health care bill just days before the big vote. But it doesn’t look as if she’ll be able to return the favor (Politico).

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Globally speaking, there is one clear leader in the LCD TV business: Samsung. The company commands a 23.2% share in this segment, with Sony (13.7%) and Sharp (7%) almost hopelessly behind (according to DisplaySearch). So in June this year already, Sony and Sharp inked a joint venture deal to produce LCD TVs together. And today, the Nikkei (Japan’s biggest business publication), reports that the two former arch rivals decided to further expand their alliance.

The newspaper says Sharp plans to deliver LED backlights to Sony for their LCD TVs as early as next month. Sharp has said it will start producing more LED-based products earlier this year, but the Sony deal is the first time another company is supplied with LED backlights. Backlights account for nearly 20% of overall costs in manufacturing an LCD TV. DisplaySearch projects that by 2013, roughly 40% of all LCD TVs on the market will have LED backlights.

Sharp and Sony will also join forces in R&D for next-generation backlights, the Nikkei learned. The goals are to cut costs and develop TVs with better picture quality and efficient power consumption. Both companies already started operating a Sharp LCD panel production plant in Osaka last month and suffer from losses in their LCD TV divisions.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Dave Girouard, the president of Google’s enterprise division, made an interesting admission earlier today, acknowledging that Google Docs isn’t right for the average person.  But Girouard also made an interesting prediction, putting Google Docs about a year away from seriously challenging Microsoft Office.

Let’s look at the current state of things first.  According to Victoria Ho, Girouard said that Google Docs is "much less mature" than other Google products, and he later continued, "We wouldn’t ask people to get rid of Microsoft Office and use Google Docs because it is not mature yet."

You can almost imagine a marketing team trying to tackle Girouard right then; such honesty probably won’t do Google Docs much good in the short term.

Still, the fact that Girouard (who’s spent almost six years with Google) was willing to face reality makes his forecast more noteworthy.  And Girouard indicated that a number of Google Docs updates will land next year, at which point businesses should be able to "get rid of Office if they chose to."

That’s more the sort of message Google’s marketing team could (and quite possibly will) get behind.

Related Articles:

> Google Adds Google Docs Previews To Gmail

> Google Docs Gets New And Old Features

> Google To Start Crawling Google Docs Documents

Jill Blakeway, M.Sc, L.Ac.–

Whilst moderate exercise helps relieve stress and prepare a body for a healthy pregnancy, spending too much time in the gym can impair a woman’s fertility, according to a new study of 3,000 women published in last month’s edition of Human Reproduction.

In our book, Making Babies, we suggest that women who are trying to conceive do enough exercise to maintain a normal level of fitness and but that they do it in a way that makes them feel good physically and mentally, not drained or exhausted.  This advice is seconded by Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir, who led the study, ”We found two groups who experienced an increased risk of infertility. There were those who trained almost every day, and there were those who trained until they were completely exhausted. Those who did both had the highest risk of infertility.”

The researchers believe that high levels of physical activity consume so much energy that the body experiences short periods of time where there simply is not enough energy to maintain all the necessary hormonal mechanisms that make fertilization possible.

This correlates with the way traditional Chinese medicine sees the effects of too much exercise on qi. Qi is the word used to describe the body’s ability to warm, move and make transformations. For thousands of years Chinese doctors have cautioned their patients not to deplete their qi, if they are trying to conceive, because weak qi can lead to failure to ovulate or affect the embryo’s ability to implant.

The key is moderation. Too much exercise depletes qi whilst moderate exercise can help build qi. This is supported by previous research which has shown that moderate physical activity gives women better insulin function and an improved hormonal profile. In this recent study there is no evidence of impaired fertility through moderate amounts of exercise. Gudmundsdottir advises that women who want to conceive should still maintain their fitness but avoid extremes.

“We believe it is likely that physical activity at a very high or very low level has a negative effect on fertility, while moderate activity is beneficial.” she said.

Jill Blakeway is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Board Certified Herbalist. A former Professor of Traditional Asian Medicine she is the coauthor of Making Babies: A Proven Three Month Program for Maximum Fertility and The Fertility Plan. She is the Clinic Director at the YinOva Center in New York City, which is a complementary medical center for women and children. www.yinovacenter.com

Book Review: Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility

Chinese Medicine Brings Back The Libido

1 In 5 Women Suffer Pelvic Pain In Pregnancy: Ear Acupuncture Safe Therapy

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved

 

Google is going all-out in the enterprise front, constantly updating and adding new features to the Google Apps suite it offers businesses. Now it’s launching a new template gallery for Google Sites, the service which allows users to easily create and maintain a website. Anyone can install and use themes available in the public gallery, but businesses can also set up a private section to share templates at the workplace.

“The rate that businesses are adopting Google Sites has surpassed our expectations, and templates will make Sites even more useful by dramatically reducing the time it takes to set up collaborative workspaces like employee intranets, project tracking sites, team sites and employee profile pages. Templates let you quickly start a new site with pre-built content, embedded gadgets, page layouts, navigation links, theming and more,” Scott Johnston, Google Sites product manager, wrote.

The company launched Google Sites a couple of years ago to enable users with no technical know-how to build their own websites. Anyone can use the stand-alone service, but the real target here is businesses that get it as part of the Google Apps suite. This allows them to deploy internal website or wiki for various tasks and also allows individual employees to create their own sites if they need to…. (read more)

Twitter may be slowing down in the US, but it’s showing no signs of stopping elsewhere. One feature, which seems to drive growth as much as anything else, is its mobility. Since its inception, users have been able to send tweets via SMS, but Twitter is now taking it to the next level with the announcement of a brand new feature, tweets, and photosharing via MMS in partnership with Orange UK.

“Today, not only has Orange UK turned on Twitter SMS, but it has added a first-of-its-kind special enhancement. Orange UK users can also send picture messages (MMS) to 86444 in addition to text messages because of a site that Orange UK has created called Snapshot,” Kevin Thau, the head of Twitter’s mobile department, writes. “Twitter does not charge for this service. It’s just like sending and receiving messages with your friends — your carrier’s standard messaging rates apply.”

Although, at one point, it looked like Twitter was ditching the SMS feature for good, texting tweets is making a comeback thanks to a number of new deals with carriers around the world. In the UK, users could already send tweets via SMS with Vodafone and O2, by sending a text message to 86444. Now, Twitter has also added Orange to the list and the feature is available through the same shortcode.

But the second part of the new partnership is a world first,… (read more)

There are many books or series that have caused a stir due to the themes contained within them. Here are a selection of the most controversial:

The Chocolate War

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“The Chocolate War” was written by Robert Cormier and was published in the 1970s. It is aimed at young adults. The novel explores protagonist Jerry Renault’s life at Trinity High School. Certain elements of the book’s plot, such as sexual content and violence have resulted in it being banned in a number of libraries.

Despite the book’s controversial themes, it is said to be one of the best young adult novels ever to be written. A film adaptation was released in 1988, with several scenes from the book being changed.

A sequel to the book was released in 1985, eleven years after the release of the original novel.

Lord of the Flies

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“Lord of the Flies” is a highly controversial novel by William Golding. It was published in 1954. The book tells the story of a group of British schoolboys who end up stranded on an island after their plane crashes. There are no adults present, which forces them to work together in order to survive. Their struggles and experiences on the island cause them to realise how dark human nature can be, which emphases the book’s allegorical meaning. The book is extremely violent in places, which has resulted in it being highly controversial.

The boys originally work together in an attempt to survive on the island, but their relationships are tested when the boys begin to form their own tribes. The metaphorical title, “The Lord of the Flies”, is another name for the demon “Beelzebub” and is presented in the form of a pig’s head surrounded by flies in the novel. Throughout the story, it is thought that the pig’s head is “The Beast”, but it later becomes clear that the boy’s actions have caused them to create “The Beast” themselves and it lies within them.

The book has been adapted to film twice. The first adaptation was released in 1963 and many changes were made from the novel, with some scenes being less violent in the film. The second adaptation was released in 1990 and again was less violent than the book, though more profanity was used in this adaptation.

The Harry Potter series

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The “Harry Potter” series is one of the most popular children’s book series of all time. The first instalment, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was released in 1997. As the other instalments followed, the series quickly became a phenomenon and by the time the fourth book “Goblet of Fire” was released in 2000, the series had become one of the most successful children’s series of all time.

The series is loved by millions of people all over the world, both adults and children alike. A successful film franchise has followed as well as merchandise and even a theme park,. The series, which consists of seven book sin total, has won dozens of awards and has had a huge impact on the public. Midnight launch events were held for the release of the novels, during which fans would queue for hours to receive their copy. The success of the series has made its creator JK Rowling one of the richest authors of all time.

Despite the millions of fans though, the series has also caused much controversy, mainly due to the fact that it contains witchcraft. Many religious groups believe that the series promotes witchcraft and many people, most notably Laura Mallory have attempted to have the books banned. Mallory made several attempts for the books to be banned in the children’s school library as she believed that the series promoted taught and promoted witchcraft. Despite all her opinions on the series, Mallory has not read any of the books, stating that they are “too long”. After she failed to get the books banned, she made several appeals, but was rejected.

Rowling has also be accused of plagiarism several times, the most famous being the Nancy Stouffer case, in which Rowling was accused of stealing ideas from Stouffer’s “The Legend of Rah and the Muggles”.

The inclusion of Rowling’s fictional band “The Weird Sisters” in the film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” also caused a stir when a band with the same named filed a lawsuit for not being credited in the film. The case caused many Harry Potter fans to react angrily and Jarvis Cocker, who appeared in the film as a member of the band and wrote several of the songs used in the film, was forced to drop a planned “Weird Sisters” album due to the lawsuit.

The Catcher in the Rye

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“The Catcher in the Rye” is a popular novel originally aimed at adults. Written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951, the book has now become popular amongst young adults. The book follows the life of fictional protagonist Holden Caulfield, who is expelled from preparatory school.

Sexual references, profanity and drug and alcohol use have made the novel one of the most controversial books of all time. The novel was famously linked to the murder of John Lennon due to his killer, Mark Chapman, idolising the fictional Holden Caulfield. The character has also said to have influenced other murderers.

No film adaptation has been yet been made as a result of J.D. Salinger not wishing to have his novel made into a film. However, the book has been referenced in a wide variety of films and the popularity of Holden Caulfield has caused many characters in films to be loosely based on him. One of the most obvious references is “Chasing Holden”, a 2001 film where the protagonist, who compares his life to Holden’s, seeks out J.D. Salinger in an attempt to murder him. The book’s huge cultural impact has also led to it being mentioned in a wide variety of television programs and even in other novels and in various songs.

American Psycho

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“American Psycho” was written by Bret Eastern Ellis and was published in 1991. The story focuses on Patrick Bateman, who is a serial killer. Patrick is the brother of Sean Bateman, who was the protagonist in Ellis’s earlier novel “The Rules of Attraction”. Patrick is a serial killer and the book explores his life, which consists of torturing and brutally killing a string of women, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.

The novel became highly controversial as a result of the sadistic acts carried out by the protagonist, which included cannibalism, sexual abuse and necrophilia. . The murders are described in graphic detail and the book is banned in some countries. In some countries, the book is only allowed to be sold to those aged 18 or over. The book was also criticised for the amount of violence inflicted on females.

A film adaptation was released in 2000 and has since become a cult classic. Ellis’s earlier novel, “The Rules of Attraction” was also adapted to film in 2002. Patrick Bateman’s role in “The Rules of Attraction” was less pronounced and the story instead focused on his brother Sean, who although is not as sadistic as Patrick, struggles to show his emotions and is a very cynical character. “The Rules of Attraction” film adaptation was more satirical than “American Psycho”, though the film often contained very dark scenes, including the famous suicide scene.

Of Mice and Men

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“Of Mice and Men” is a very popular story that was written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937. This novella tells the story of two men, George and Lenny who are ranch workers. The men are best friends but are complete opposites. George is intelligent whilst Lennie has difficulties mentally. Lennie has incredible strength, which often causes problems and eventually leads to him accidentally killing a woman, resulting in a tragic end for the two men.

The story has become extremely popular and there have been several film and theatre adaptations. The story was banned from a number of libraries due to the use of profanity and racism, as well as the subject of euthanasia.

Lady Chatterly’s Lover

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“Lady Chatterly’s Lover” is a popular novel written by D.H. Lawrence. It was originally published in 1928. The story focuses on Constance Chatterly, who begins an affair with Oliver Mellors as a result of marriage difficulties.

The book caused much controversy due to its explicit sexual content, as well as the use of profanity and it was banned in several countries, including Australia. When the book was published in 1961 in Britain, a trial was held as a result of the obscene words used. The publishers of the book were put on trial under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. The book eventually became available to the British public in a second edition, which was published in 1961.

There have been several adaptations of the novel, including films and television movies.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a highly controversial novel written by Mark Twain. It was published in 1884. It is a sequel to “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.  “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” focuses on the continued adventures of two young boys, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. The book caused controversy due to the amount racism used. It has been banned in several libraries.

Despite the controversy, the book has been adapted to film many times, including a 1974 musical and a 1976 Japanese anime series.

Other sequels in the series include “Tom Sawyer Abroad” and “Tom Sawyer, Detective”.

With the web reaching more people in more countries everyday translations are becoming even more important. There are a number of translation services online and one of the best just got a big update. Google Translate was already impressive with support for 51 languages and some interesting features, but Google took it to the next level with a completely overhauled interface. The biggest feature and the most useful one is the new real-time translation, allowing you to get the results instantly.

“Today, we’ve launched three new features as well as a new look and feel for Google Translate — a service that helps people access information throughout the world by enabling them to automatically translate text and and web pages into their own language. Google Translate offers 51 languages, representing over 98% of Internet users today,” Awaneesh Verma, product manager for Google Translate, wrote. “Along with our shiny new layout, these new features should make it faster and easier for you to translate text between our 2550 language pairs.”

The new interface is simplicity at its best, typical Google, with all of the features you need and almost nothing else. There’s a text box, drop-down menus to choose the languages and a somewhat redundant “Translate” butto… (read more)

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a fitting end (if it is really the end, hard to know when it comes to such a long running and interesting series) to the adventures of the very unusual duo of a Lombax and a sentient robot.

The first installment in the series arrived in November 2002 and just seven years later, there are five games in the original series, including a ground breaking one on the PlayStation Portable, three videogames in the Future series, featuring the one reviewed here and another spinoff on the PSP, which puts Clank in the spotlight. It’s been a good few years of Ratchet and his partner, and Sony platforms have benefited from the exclusive nature of the franchise.

Right from the onset, it must be said that Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a refinement of the gameplay elements found in Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty and not a leap from the designs used there. There’s nothing mind-blowing innovative here but the people at Insomniac do not need to inject anything new into the series at this point, as almost all aspects are solid and coherent, providing challenges while not inducing frustration.

This is not Halo where each new release needs to introduce fresh tactics and shooting mechanics in order to allow for enjoyment on the part of gamers. This is Ratchet… (read more)

Adobe is making a big push today with new versions of its popular media platforms Adobe Flash and Adobe AIR. With Flash Player 10.1 prerelease (a cross between a beta and a release candidate), Adobe actually brings a lot more features than the small .1 update in the version number would have you believe, including support for multi-touch and other media capabilities. More exciting though is the new AIR 2.0 beta, a hefty release with a bunch of new features and updates.

The biggest new feature in Adobe Flash Player 10.1 pre-release is multi-touch and gesture support. Obviously, you need a device with a touch screen, but the technology is becoming increasingly popular, especially in mobile devices and also in desktops and laptops, now that Windows 7 has shipped with full multi-touch support. Moreover, the runtime can take advantage of the hardware decoding capabilities, available in most of today’s devices, to render H.264 encoded videos. Adobe says this saves energy, improving battery life, and also uses up less resources.

The latest Flash Player is the first step towards realizing the goals of the Open Screen Project, with which Adobe aims to enable developers create a single app that would work on any device, mobile or desktop, without the need to be specially designed for smaller scr… (read more)