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20 years after Nintendo launched the Game Boy, the immensely popular portable gaming device has now been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame,…

It’s confirmed, According to Chris Sigaty in his presentation in IgroMir 2009, Starcraft 2 Beta’s release date will be pushed back to 2010. More info about the delay here : http://sclegacy.com/news/23-sc2/529-igromir-2009-starcraft-ii-coverage-day-1

Looks like those who are hoping to get Starcraft 2 Beta as their chrismas gift will be dismayed (lol a beta game as christmas gift sounds stupid? but hey, this is Starcraft 2 beta we’re talking about?)

Personally, I’ve gotten used to Blizzard delaying the Starcraft 2 beta as long as it doesn’t end up like Duke Nukem Forever.

Related posts:

1. Starcraft 2 release date delayed to first half of 2010. It’s official guys… No Starcraft 2 this year. In a…
2. Starcraft 2 Closed Beta testing begins! update : we have been trolled D: Xordiah (SC2…
3. Starcraft 2 Beta will be released this year – Mike Morhaime Updates from the Blizzcon 2009 livestream: During an interview with…

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Only two more days left to vote for the finalists in the Best Blurb Books Contest! Voting ends at midnight PDT on November 9. Here are some of my favorite cat books from the pet category:

Faces of Felines Inc. by Ingrid from 9 Lives Photography
This beautiful book features photos of cats from Felines Inc., a no-kill cageless cat shelter in Chicago. Stay tuned for another pet photography Q&A with Ingrid later this week!

Popular by Jen Petit
More beautiful photos of shelter cats.

The Soul of Me by Cully Miller
Featuring some very handsome black cats!

Sylvester by Wet Nose Fotos
Spectacular photos of a gorgeous tuxedo-man.

Monsieur Bruce by Mayuko Wong
Monsieur Bruce is an adorable orange Scottish Fold who is, without question, a true Moderncat!

Bob Meowzer’s Stray Tales by Bob “MicBob” Meowzer
Tales of how Bob went from life as a stray to living the good life.

She’s Mine Now by Lydia B. Fiedler
This one’s a tear-jerker!

Nine Cats by A.M. Rousseau
Vintage photographs and drawings of nine cats.

Because You Love Me by Chelle
Chelle was one of the winners of the free bookmaking code in the giveaway here on Moderncat!

Holiday Cats by Alex Baranda
Wonderful photos of cats dressed-up in holiday attire. Includes photos for the major holidays plus National Aviation Day, Mardi Gras, the summer solstice and autumnal equinox, graduation, and Cinco do Mayo. Hilarious!

(NaturalNews) The health care reform bill just passed by the US House of Representatives is a walloping 1,990 pages weighing 19.6 pounds. As NaturalNews previously reported (http://www.naturalnews.com/027427_health_care_paper.html), it required the destruction of 319 trees just to print the 1,335 copies produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office for members of Congress.

Sadly, this bill is a complete waste of trees. Rather than reforming a sick care system into a true health care system, it simply makes sick care mandatory so that everyone has to pay money to the very industries (Big Pharma in particular) that are keeping the American people diseased and bankrupt.

But the health care reform bill isn’t completely useless. There are at least a dozen other uses for these 1,990 pages. Here are the top twelve:

#1) Place the 1,990 pages in the waiting room of your local doctor’s office for the reading enjoyment of all the patients waiting to be diagnosed with fictitious psychiatric disorders.

#2) Stuff them into the Large Hadron Collider to see if the sheer mass of all these pages might have the ability to open a portal to an alternate universe where health care isn’t run by crooks and idiots.

#3) Tie the mass of pages above the front door to your house, setting a trap that will knock an intruder unconscious (and send him to the hospital where he will be denied emergency treatment because he has no health insurance…)

#4) Place the 1,990 pages in a large steel vat, then add some bacteria to turn the wood pulp into ethanol to fuel the private jets chartered by pharmaceutical company CEOs.

#5) Get the U.S. government to air drop the papers from planes flying over Iraq, then have President Obama explain they’re “peacekeeping pamphlets.” (Because who can fight when they’re sick and diseased anyway?)

#6) Recycle the paper fibers into the manufacture of a large number of composting toilets, then ship them to Congress to send a message that legislators are full of something and need some place to put it.

#7) Give away one copy of the 1,990-page bill with each H1N1 vaccine shot. That way, when people still get sick from influenza because the vaccine doesn’t work, they have something to read while they’re spending $1,000 a day for a hospital bed.

#8) Grind up the pages, mix with chicken poop and feed them to cattle. Chicken poop is already fed to cattle, so a little printed paper could hardly be any worse, right? (http://www.naturalnews.com/027414_disease_cows_mad_cow.html) Or better, grind them up and sprinkle the bits into the food at the Congressional cafeteria in order to make these lawmakers literally eat their own words!

#9) Have all the paper pressed into cards, then have the cards delivered back to the US House of Representatives, thereby making it a House of Cards.

#10) Require any legislator who wants to vote for the bill to first try to lift it over their heads and hold it there for 60 seconds. If they can carry the bill, then the bill carries.

#11) Recycle all the pages into consumer toilet paper — but don’t bleach out the words. This way, consumers who buy the “green” recycled Congressional toilet paper product can notice the printed words and see exactly where their tax dollars are going.

#12) Dye all the paper green, cut the pages into the size of dollar bills, and send them to the Federal Reserve to pay for the $1 trillion cost for the new health care bill. The U.S. government is going to pay using counterfeit money anyway. Why not make the dollar bills out of the legislative bills?

The bottom line: Universal health care is a noble goal, and it’s one that NaturalNews supports, but universal sick care is a disastrous concept. Rather than reforming America’s health care system, the bill that just passed the House will only mandate participation in a failed, monopolistic health care scam that fleeces the People of their hard-earned money while simultaneously preventing them from learning the truth about natural remedies.

This health care bill will only accelerate the financial demise of the United States of America. And even while spending a trillion dollars over the next ten years, it will create no net improvement in the health of the American people.

Spend more money, get less in return. It’s business as usual in an economic increasingly run by Big Government.

(NaturalNews) As we near the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, once again our country has been awash from shore to shore in a sea of pink – from pink ribbons and donation boxes to pink products, charity promotions, celebrities by the score and even pink cleats on NFL players. Tragically, most people are unaware of the dark history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) and of the players past and present who have misused it to direct people and funds away from finding a true cure, while covering up their own roles in causing and profiting from cancer.

In this installment of the series, we will examine the dangers of over-screening for cancer and the lack of progress in breast cancer prevention and cures.

The Dangers of Over-Screening for Cancer

A new analysis published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that screening for both breast and prostate cancer both have a problem that runs counter to everything people have been told about cancer: The screenings are resulting in finding cancers that do not need to be found because they would never spread and kill or even be noticed if left alone. That has in turn led to a huge increase in diagnoses of innocuous cancers that would have otherwise gone undetected.

At the same time, the analysis, “Rethinking Screening for Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer” also found that both screening tests are not making much of a dent in the number of cancers that actually are of a deadly variety. In the instance of breast cancer, that could be because many lethal breast cancers gain a foothold and spread rapidly between mammograms. The dilemma for breast and prostate screening is that it is not usually clear which tumors need aggressive treatment. Many believe that a major reason that is not clear is because studying it has not been much of a priority.

“The issue here is, as we look at cancer medicine over the last 35 or 40 years, we have always worked to treat cancer or to find cancer early,” Dr. Barnett Kramer, associate director for disease prevention at the National Institutes of Health, said. “And we never sat back and actually thought, `Are we treating the cancers that need to be treated?` “

Finding insignificant cancers is the reason the breast and prostate cancer rates soared when screening was introduced, Dr. Kramer said. And those cancers, he said, are the reason screening has the problem called overdiagnosis – labeling innocuous tumors cancer and treating them as though they could be lethal when in fact they are not dangerous.

“Overdiagnosis is pure, unadulterated harm,” he said.

Dr. Peter Albertsen, chief and program director of the urology division at the University of Connecticut Health Center, said this has not been an easy message to get across. “Politically, it`s almost unacceptable,” Dr. Albertsen said. “If you question overdiagnosis in breast cancer, you are against women. If you question overdiagnosis in prostate cancer, you are against men.”

The Lack of Progress behind the Pink Curtain

There has been quite a bit of publicity in the mainstream medicine and mainstream media in recent years over what has been announced as a slight downward trend in the occurrence of breast cancers and annual breast cancer deaths (though black women, whose cancer rates and deaths continue to climb, likely find little solace in the announced trend). When one peels back the veil of so-called progress, little credit can be given to increased screenings and mammograms. Instead, most of the credit is likely due to the decreased use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

Further, when one subtracts the figures for DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ), the much touted successes against breast cancer take on a complete different perspective. DCIS, is categorized as a stage 0 cancer, and has a cure rate of almost 100%. At one time, DCIS was considered a pre-cancerous condition and was not included in cancer survival statistics.

Today, when we see 5 year survival figures of 96% quoted for localized breast cancers, those figures actually fall precipitously when one figures in the 60,000 annual DCIS diagnoses. A truer look at cancer survival rates would be the 77% five year survival for women whose cancer has spread locally and the dismal 5-10% five year survival rates for those whose cancers have metastasized beyond the original region.

Source: http://www.pdrhealth.com/disease/disease-mono.aspx?contentFileName=BHG01ON01.xml&contentName=Breast+Cancer&contentId=17

Though often equated as “cures”, survival of five years does not indicate that anyone has beaten cancer and will live a cancer free normal lifespan. In fact, those who survive for five years frequently still have cancer and most of those who are cancer free can expect a return of cancer at some point in time. The average overall survival time for women with breast cancer beyond five years is a mere 26 months.

Regardless of the figures quoted, breast cancer remains the number one cancer killer for Hispanic women and the number two cancer killer for Black and Anglo women.

In the final installment of this series, we will take a look at true breast cancer prevention and cures and some alternative charities and organizations that have no cozy relationship with those who profit from cancer and contribute to its causes.

Other sources for this series included:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/research-funding
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/05/16/mastectomies-on-the-increase.html
http://www.prn2.usm.my/mainsite/headline/health/nov2002.html
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/c.kwKXLdPaE/b.206137/k.9E15/State_of_the_Evidence_2008_Breast_Cancer_and_the_Environment.htm
http://www.corporations.org/cancer/boycottacs.html
http://www.safe2use.com/drsherman/life/15.htm
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/2-chemical-corporations-profit-off-breast-cancer
http://www.whale.to/cancer/breast6.html
http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/med_avoid/nbcam.htm
http://www.preventcancer.org/donate3c.aspx?id=3800
http://ww5.komen.org/Default.aspx
http://www.preventcancer.com/publications/pdf/Con_of_Int_030404.pdf
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/AA/content/AA_1_7_2008_Combined_Financial_Statements.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/health/21cancer.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13462020/JAMA_10_21

About the author
Tony Isaacs, is a natural health advocate and researcher and the author of books and articles about natural health including “Cancer’s Natural Enemy” and “Collected Remedies“as well as song lyrics and humorous anecdotal stories. Mr. Isaacs also has The Best Years in Life website for baby boomers and others wishing to avoid prescription drugs and mainstream managed illness and live longer, healthier and happier lives naturally. He is currently residing in the scenic Texas hill country near Utopia, Texas where he serves as a consultant to the Utopia Silver colloidal silver and supplement company and where he is working on a major book project due for publication later this year. Mr. Isaacs also hosts the CureZone “Ask Tony Isaacs” forum as well as the Yahoo Health Group “Oleander Soup“

(NaturalNews) If you want to save the world’s forests, don’t print out the health care legislation just passed by the US House of Representatives: It’s 1,990 pages long and weighs 19.6 pounds, reports the Wall Street Journal, making it longer than the King James Bible.

The U.S. Government Printing Office, has reportedly printed 1,335 copies of the bill, totaling 2.6 million pages of paper. This massive volume of paper required nearly 319 trees to produce. (Source: Conservatree.org) And this doesn’t even include all the paper used by citizens, lawyers, and health-related companies who are printing the bill themselves, on their own inkjet or laser printers.

It’s not unreasonable to estimate that many thousands of trees have been destroyed just for the purpose of printing out this monstrous, virtually unreadable health care bill.

And the carbon footprint of cutting the trees, producing the paper, printing the 1,990-page bill and distributing it to members of Congress must be enormous.

The bill is so large, one Congressman says that when he left his copy unattended on the House floor, it triggered a security alert after someone reported the bag containing the mass of papers, calling it a “suspicious object.”

It is suspicious object, indeed. Because what it contains are words describing a disastrous new medical tyranny that would force bankrupt Americans to buy into a pharmaceutical-centric health insurance scam or be arrested and sent to prison for up to five years. The bill is absolutely full of handouts to pharmaceutical companies, the mental health industry, and dishonest “sick care” practices. Its 1,990 pages describe the most bloated, doomed-to-fail “sick care” train wreck any nation has ever had the misfortune to suffer under.

I’m not saying the current system is any better — it isn’t. But replacing one failed system with another failed system (while calling it a success) is ridiculous.

If you happen to have hundreds of spare hours readily available, and you really enjoy listening to the language of legislative obfuscators pretending to be lawmakers, you can download audio files read by professional voice actors who have miraculously managed to read the virtually unintelligible health care bill into free audio recordings. Give them a listen, if you dare, at www.HearTheBill.org

If the bill gets any longer and needs to be printed again, we may need to take emergency action to prevent further deforestation of the planet. Should the bill be reconciled with the Senate and signed into law by the President, we’ll see yet more deforestation from all the senseless paperwork created by this new government bureaucracy.

All the basic principles of health can be described in just one page. That means this bill is 1,989 pages of bureaucratic doublespeak and Big Pharma protectionism.

Sources for this story include:
http://www.conservatree.org/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml

After months of intense debate and negotiations, the House of Representatives approved an ambitious effort to change the country’s health care system, with 219 Democrats and one Republican voting for the bill and 39 Democrats voting against the bill. Democrats in the chamber cheered the final tally.

The Associated Press: “In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed landmark health care legislation Saturday night to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous. The 220-215 vote cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress. A triumphant Speaker Nancy Pelosi likened the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later. … Democrats said it marked the culmination of a campaign that Harry Truman began when he sat in the White House 60 years ago” (Espo, 11/7).

Politico reports that the Republican who supported the bill was Rep. Joseph Cao, R-La., and adds: “The bill has a steep cost – both in dollars, $1.2 trillion, and political capital – but Democrats hailed its passage as the next chapter in a governing legacy that produced Medicare and Social Security. ‘Today, as we all know, is an historic moment for our nation and for American families,’ Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor hours before the vote. (O’Connor, 11/7).

The Washington Post: “The bill would for the first time require every individual to obtain insurance and would try to make it affordable by vastly expanding Medicaid and creating a marketplace where people could receive federal subsidies to buy coverage from private companies or from a new government-run insurance plan. Though some people would not benefit — including about 6 million illegal immigrants, by congressional estimates — the measure would virtually close the coverage gap for people who do not have access to insurance through an employer” (Montgomery and Murray, 11/7). 

Roll Call reports that proponents hailed “the plan to expand affordable care” while opponents warned “against a massive government takeover of health care.” One after another, Republicans lined up to bash the bill for mimicking expensive, government-run health care systems. ‘We should never support a children-bankrupting, health-care-rationing, freedom-crushing, $1 trillion government takeover of our health care system,’ said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas).

“Democrats, meanwhile, leaned on personal experiences to highlight the need for a health care system overhaul. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a breast cancer survivor, said if she were to lose her job today, ‘I could not buy health insurance coverage tomorrow because I have a pre-existing condition’” (Bendery, 11/7).

Reuters: “The battle over Obama’s top domestic priority now moves to the U.S. Senate, where work on its own version has stalled for weeks as Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid searches for an approach that can win the 60 votes he needs. Any differences between the Senate and House bills ultimately will have to be reconciled, and a final bill passed again by both before going to Obama for his signature. … The vote followed days of heavy lobbying of undecided Democrats by Obama, his top aides and House leaders, and a deal designed to mollify about 40 moderate Democrats who are foes of abortion rights” (Whitesides and Smith, 11/7).

CNN reports on the anti-abortion amendment to the bill that got support from members of both parties, one that “prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the so-called insurance ‘exchange’ the bill would create. The vote passed 240-194. The amendment was introduced by anti-abortion Democrats. Its consideration was considered a big win for them and for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power — especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts — to help force other Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose. The prohibition, introduced by (members including) Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Indiana, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michigan, would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger” (11/7).

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama visited Capitol Hill just before debate started: “According to an aide, the president told the closed-door meeting of lawmakers; ‘It’s tempting to say, ‘I’m tired, it’s hard, I’m getting beat up back in the district, it’s just not worth it.’ ‘ But he called on them to reject that view, saying Democrats would be seen as failures if they don’t pass the measure. ‘I am absolutely confident that when I sign this bill in the Rose Garden, each and every one of you will be able to look back and say, ‘This was my finest moment in politics,’ ‘ the president was quoted as saying” (Yoest and Adamy, 7/11).

McClatchy lists 10 ways the House bill would change health insurance, including creation of health insurance “exchanges or marketplaces,” barring insurers from “denying or limiting coverage because of pre-existing conditions,” an expansion of Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor and the requirement, by 2013, that nearly everybody have health insurance.  (Lightman, 11/7).

Roll Call in a separate story: “The House Saturday evening rejected a Republican alternative health care reform bill on a largely party line vote, 176-258. One Republican, Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.), joined 257 Democrats in opposing the GOP legislation. House Republicans released their 219-page bill on Wednesday after weeks of criticism from Democrats for assailing the majority’s health care reform bill without releasing a plan of their own” (Kucinich, 11/7). 

The Hill made note of protests: “The visitors gallery in the House chamber remained packed on Saturday evening as lawmakers on both sides of the healthcare debate pleaded their case on the floor below.  … Many visitors had participated in a rally against the healthcare bill earlier Saturday afternoon, called at the last minute by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). … King seized on the energy generated from protesters who traveled to the Capitol on Thursday and held a mini-sequel on Saturday afternoon. Though half as many people showed up at King’s rally, on the East front of the Capitol, the outrage and frustration was equally as intense.” (Hooper, 11/7). 

 

With the games release date just around the corner, Ubisoft has unvelied a brand new developer diary of Assassin’s Creed 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) entitle…

News outlets have been closely watching the House of Representatives’s consideration of a sweeping health reform bill.  

CNN: “The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed an amendment to pending health care legislation that prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the so-called insurance ‘exchange’ the bill would create. The vote passed 240-194. The amendment was introduced by anti-abortion Democrats. Its consideration was considered a big win for them and for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power — especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts — to help force other Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose. The prohibition, introduced by Democratic members, including Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Indiana, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michigan, would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger” (11/7).

Roll Call: “The House is winding down its four-hour debate on the Democratic health care bill and preparing for a final vote after 9:30 p.m. Veteran Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who proceeded over the beginning of the debate, is set to close for the Democrats, who are convinced they now have the votes to pass the bill. ….  

GOP leaders are also keeping a running tally of Democrats planning to oppose the bill. Their latest e-mail lists 33 Democrats who have ‘joined Republicans in a bipartisan fashion to oppose Speaker Pelosi’s trillion dollar plus overhaul of the nation’s health care system’” (Bendery, 11/7).

The Washington Post: “In the first hours of debate, House Democrats saw a handful of key lawmakers who had been wavering come out in support of Obama’s most important domestic policy initiative, even as the number of Democrats vowing to vote ‘no’ also mounted. … Debate began about 2 p.m., after House Democrats received a pep talk from President Obama and the House voted 242 to 192 to approve the rules of the health-care debate, a vote that officially permitted the chamber to proceed to the substantive merits of the legislation” (Kane, Montgomery and Murray, 11/7).

The New York Times: “Congressional Democrats joined with Mr. Obama in equating approval of the legislation to the push to create Social Security in the 1930s and Medicare in the 1960s, two social programs that serve as party landmarks. ‘We are on the cusp of making a historical decision on behalf of the American people,’ said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House.”

“Republicans were united in their withering criticism of the proposal, which they portrayed as a government takeover of medical care that would damage a struggling economy, lead to job loss and result in the rationing of health care. ‘This bill will shackle the American people while empowering the federal government,’ said Representative Cynthia M. Lummis, Republican of Wyoming, one of scores of lawmakers from both parties to speak during a marathon Saturday session of the House” (Hulse and Pear, 11/7).

The Associated Press: “The bill would cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade. It would provide health coverage to tens of millions of Americans who don’t have it now, require most employers to offer it to their workers and prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on a person’s medical history” (Werner, 11/7).

The Hill: “No Congress has ever come this close to the goal – first proposed by President Theodore Roosevelt – of providing universal health insurance. But the healthcare waters are as perilous as they’ve ever been for the current group of Democratic leaders. Even on the day that many Democrats have been waiting decades for, and that some have based their entire careers around, a majority of votes for legislation to extend health insurance coverage to 36 million uncovered Americans remained elusive.” (Allen and Hooper, 11/7).

The Wall Street Journal: “Democrats predicted a close vote. ‘We’re looking for 218,’ one aide said. ‘We’re not looking for 220.’ … Some centrist ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats worried about the bill’s cost and reach. The party was strikingly successful at winning seats in conservative districts the past two elections, but as a result many of Democratic members now resist the leadership’s more far-reaching goals” (Vaughan and Bendavid, 11/7).

Politico: The phrase ‘herding cats’ may be a cliché, but it is also a pretty good description of what it takes to secure the votes needed to pass or oppose a difficult bill. Whips and staffers say members may hold out for many reasons, from principles to personality flaws. And even when the numbers look good, a small change in the bill itself, the political climate, or even in a member’s mood can upset the balance; a CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) member chokes on a bone thrown to a Blue Dog; a ‘leaning yes’ turns out to be an ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell you no’; a freeze-out begins to thaw when the heat’s turned up back home; and suddenly it’s back to the game board” (Coller, 11/7).

C-SPAN has video of the debate and links to the legislation.

The New York Times in a separate story: “As the House began debate on President Obama’s top-priority initiative to overhaul the health care system, protesters outside the Capitol occasionally yelled or waved signs that said, ‘Have you heard us yet?’”

“An elderly man held a sign that said, ‘Hands Off My Health Care.’ Other handmade signs simply said, ‘Kill the bill.’ Representative John Shadegg, a Republican from Arizona, took a foot-high copy of the House bill to the podium when he spoke. ‘This bill steals freedom, and those of us that believe in freedom have contempt for those who would steal our freedom and contempt for this bill,’ he said in a shout, heaving the papers to the ground below the low stage” (Calmes, 11/7). 

I’m over here watching the Strikeforce show on CBS and there’s ads for EA Sports MMA all over the place. So I’m like, “hmm, maybe EA Sports has posted the trailer to its Web site yet?”

Yes. Yes it has.

Let the record show that I beat Sherdog and all the gaming sites I usually visit to this news. Go me~!

Around noon yesterday, I made my way over to the farm to pick up my share…

This is the driveway/walk to the farm. Along the fence are the cutest little wooden plaques painted with different sayings, etc. I wish I would have took a picture. Next time.

We could pick up our shares from 12-4pm. And since I arrived pretty much at 12, there were not that many people. I met the farmer’s wife, Pamela, and she was very welcoming. She had us sign in and then gave us a paper with the list of vegetables we’d receive that day. I found this extremely helpful because it has the name of the veggie and an explanation of how it looks, how it tastes, and how it grows, etc. They kept kind of apologizing for the harvest this week, how it will be much more in the future (there were floodings, see previous post), but to me, it was just the perfect amount! No complaints from me, I was excited.

After I packed all of my veggies into the bag, I went for a walk and wandered around, snapping a few photos:

I also took a video on my way back. It is a bit shaky and you might not be able to hear me, but…

More pictures:

Stay tuned later for more pictures of the awesome vegetables and what I received!!!!

Cold, miserable winters are about the best time to create some heat with a loved one… or yourself. If you’re picturing a bear skin rug and roaring fire, well, things have come a long way. We’re talking about couples toys and technology to keep things spicy, even in the coldest weather.

Warm Up
Everyone knows that sex is all about foreplay. (Guys, we know this, right?) Rather than going zero to 60 in ten minutes, incorporate some fun winter toys to get you and your partner in the mood.

Massage Oil Heater
Channel your inner 70’s porn star with the Pure Gel Bottle Warmer and avoid a “this is going to be cold” Dr.’s office moment. This baby even warms multiple bottles so you can bust out different flavored lubes or massage oils based on your beau’s preferences.

Philips Warm Sensual Massager
If your date didn’t run screaming when he or she saw the heated oil contraption, it’s fair game to whip out the Philips Warm Sensual Massager for him or her. Even if it seems lame, there’s nothing that gets you in the mood more than a massage. Hands down. What makes this vibrating massager different is the fact that it heats up and is specifically designed for couples use. It even comes with some cheesetastic LED candles for “setting the mood.” Hot.

The Main Event
When you’re ready for the main event, trust these toys to keep your session extra hot.

Durex Play Warming Lube
The winter is the perfect time for some heated lube. Durex Play Warming Lube is designed to heat up with your own body temperature and get hotter with contact to heighten sensation. This lube is something that your lady will primarily feel, but don’t worry guys you will feel it too, like warm apple pie. Thankfully, it’s completely edible and the heat intensifies when you blow on it. Some people may complain that it’s too hot, but I say if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen!

The Hot Rod Heated Vibrator
No matter how realistic your vibrator may be, the one thing that’s always missing is the sensation of body heat that you get from a partner –Sigh- Thank you Hot Rod Heated Vibrator for providing us with a heated vibrator complete with realistic skin sleeve that makes using it comparable to the real thing. You really never need a date again.

Vibrating Heated Nipple Clamps
For the truly daring, give these Vibrating Heated Nipples Clamps a try. Apparently nipple clamps are designed for men or women to stimulate your nipples, leaving your hands free to do other things. Will the vibration and sensation be enough to keep your headlights beaming and warm?! Give it a try and see.

Cool Down & Clean Up
If the pre-show and main event left you feeling dirty, jump in the shower for some post game clean up. Because what’s better than a warm hot shower on a cold winter day…

Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs
These Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs offer couples that dominatrix moment in the tub or shower. The cuffs are made of sturdy neoprene and Velcro with industrial strength suction cups that can easily adhere to a shower door or wall tiles. What flat surface you attach them to out of the shower is none of our business.

Vibrating Sponge
Because obviously a regular loofa isn’t going to suffice this winter, grab a vibrating sponge to surprise your extra dirty lover. This vibrating sponge looks and feels like a normal sponge, but is sooo much more. Waterproof with a bullet vibrator hidden deep within, the sponge even has a hand strap for maximum control. Soap up and get dirty! This device is also a great if your love making session didn’t quite do it and you need to step away for some much needed alone time.

For more about the latest sex toys and technology, check out 69adget.com

We know what you’re thinking, the DROID and CLIQ are just too cool, I need something more lame. Well, Motorola has got you covered. Say hello the the MOTO Klassic. This new hotness oddness lameness clamshell will only be available in Korea for the time being but the specs are pretty mind blowing: blazing 2G connectivity, a 5 megapixel camera, external touch screen, and (brace yourself) an “espresso color keypad.” Truth be told, we weren’t completely sold on this one until we read about the espresso colored keypad. So put down those wallets DROID fans, you might want to just wait and see if this hot little number is coming to the good old U.S.A.

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Today the House reaches another major milestone in the effort to pass health insurance reform, and effort decades in the making. 

Predictably, opponents of reform are taking their misleading claims to new heights.  For example, they claim that CEA Chair Christina Romer has said that reform would cost millions of jobs.  This is flatly false, as demonstrated by the independent watchdog Politifact and Romer’s own statement.

Opponents of reform have also manufactured a chart attempting to depict reform as some sort of maze of bureaucracy.  This is also false.  Here is a chart that accurately reflects the President’s plan:

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Sometimes, the medium is the message. In this case, the medium is Rubiks Cubes. The message is that there’s an Irish guy named John Quigley who has too much free time. I mean, I suppose you could say the same of many artists, but this is some seriously time-consuming stuff. And while it’s impressive, it seems rather… algorithmic, doesn’t it? I notice there are no original compositions.

I guess it’s a hobby. Better than mine, anyway (crying and punching my pillow, if you’re wondering).

[via Technabob]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dollar General (DG.N) is set to go public next week, but the discount retailer could see mixed results in its closely watched initial public offering as its private equity backers have valued the company richly.

The $750 million offering of the retailer controlled by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co [KKR.UL] is expected to price on Thursday and begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange next Friday.

Dollar General, which has 8,700 stores across the United States, plans to sell 34.1 million shares for between $21 and $23 a share. At those prices, Dollar General would be valuing itself more richly than competitors like Target Corp (TGT.N), Wal-Mart (WMT.N) and Dollar Tree .

“The valuation doesn’t look great,” said Nick Einhorn, research analyst with Renaissance Capital in Connecticut. “I wouldn’t expect it to be a home run.”

“It wouldn’t shock me if it ended up being similar to a Dole Food (DOLE.N) which ended up trading down” in its first day of trading last month, he said.

At the midpoint of its pricing range, Dollar General would be valued at roughly 19.4 times 2009 earnings, according to IPOdesktop.com. That compares to valuations of 14.8 times earnings at Wal-Mart and 18.3 times earnings at both Target and Dollar Tree. (DLTR.O)

Still, Dollar General has done a good job improving its earnings potential in recent years, improving store layouts and tweaking the discounter’s brand, analysts said.

“The stores look better. They’re operating them better. It also doesn’t hurt to be a dollar store in the worst recession we’ve had since the ’30s,” said Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman, who believes the company has earned the higer valuation.

“It’s above its peers, but it’s a more nimble company. It’s done a little bit better on a consistent basis during the recession,” said Francis Gaskins, president of IPOdesktop.com.

“It’ll probably trade within the range” of $21 to $23 a share after debuting on Friday, he said.

PE WORRIES

Dollar General was acquired by KKR in 2007. Private equity companies have been looking to take advantage of the resurgent stock market in order to unload portfolio companies.

There have been some notable successes, but also some high-profile disappointments, like Fortress Investment Group’s RailAmerica (RA.N). Analysts said that the heavy debt-load of some of these companies has hurt their performance.

Another possible problem for the IPO is a $239.3 million special dividend it paid to its existing owners — which also include underwriters Citigroup (C.N) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) — in September.

“Investors are always a little wary of things like that,” said Renaissance Capital’s Einhorn. “You want to feel that an IPO is not just being done to line the sponsor’s pockets. That could be a source of resistance.”

Dollar General is one of two IPOs scheduled for next week, with the other being specialty apparel retailer rue21.

Retailers have shied away from IPOs in recent years. Vitamin Shop Inc (VSI.N) had its IPO in late October, becoming the first brick-and-mortar retailer to go public after 2 years on the sidelines.

That company’s shares priced at $17, above their initial range, and have traded up more than 14 percent since the pricing. (Reporting by Michael Erman; editing by Carol Bishopric)

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It’s not that we want to rush Nintendo in the creation of their next opus, but it might have been nice to have it in 2010. Perhaps the biggest of the “big three” Nintendo franchise games in the works (along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M) is “tracking” for 2010 but Nintendo isn’t committed to the year. I’m guessing they’re not going to push for a holiday 2010 release, but may have preorders available then so they can get in on the season.

The good news is that Mario and Metroid are on schedule for 2010 releases. Is this the year I buy a Wii? I don’t know, with these crazy 360 deals and the PS3 Slim out there, it’s still a real toss-up for me.

Plus, I’m very, very poor.