Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Copyright, Trademark Claims Lurk Where Filmmakers Least Expect ...

Moviegoers may not have been surprised by the storyline in "The Hangover, Part II," but Warner Bros. was certainly caught off guard by two lawsuits filed in its wake.

The first considered whether the use of a well-known face tattoo is a copyright violation and the second introduced a novel theory about the trademark implications of using a knock-off product as a prop. Studying these cases can help avoid headaches the morning after a film's release.?

Tyson's Tattoo and Copyright Law

In the sequel, Stu, the timid dentist, wakes up in a seedy apartment in Thailand only to find that his face inexplicably bears the tribal tattoo made famous by boxer Mike Tyson.? While the juxtaposition is undeniably funny, Victor Whitmill, the artist responsible for Tyson's tattoo, wasn't laughing.??

Copyright owners have the exclusive right to make copies and derivative works, with some limited exceptions designed to avoid stifling artistic creativity. One such exception is fair use, a commonly asserted but murky defense. Whether a use is fair is determined after considering four factors -- the nature of the copyrighted work, the purpose of the use, the amount and substantiality of the use, and the effect on the potential market. Case law teaches that even fleeting appearances of props and set dressing (such as a nursery mobile or a church-themed quilt) can amount to copyright infringement.

Since the entire tattoo was prominently featured, Warners focused on the purpose of the use, asserting the transformative use is parody. To get the joke, you only need to see the promotional poster featuring the tattooed Stu pursing his lips to avoid sobbing. During the movie, Tyson himself appears, and Stu ultimately embraces the tattoo as he transforms into a tough guy.? Yet, the court summarily dismissed the defense as "just silly."

Fortunately for Warners, the court did not enjoin the release due to the hardships that would result.??

As courts are given great leeway in the doctrine's application, one cannot know beforehand whether a given use is fair. We won't know for sure in this case either. After threatening to digitally remove the tattoo from the DVD release, Warners settled the case.???

The Louis Vuitton Knock-off and Trademark Law

The second action arose out of the scene at LAX in which "socially inept and comically misinformed" Alan clutches what appears to be a Louis Vuitton bag, which is visible for only about 25 seconds, and tersely cautions another character to be careful around his "Lewis Vuitton."? As it turns out, the bag is not authentic, but rather a knock-off by Diophy.?

To establish a traditional trademark claim under the Lanham Act, LV would need to establish that the use of the bag was likely to cause confusion among ordinary prudent purchasers as to whether or not LV sponsored or was affiliated with the film. Apparently conceding that it has no such claim and cannot stop the filmmakers' limited use and reference to its marks, LV concocted a novel theory, alleging Warners confused the public by passing off the fake as authentic and implying LV's sponsorship or approval of it.????

The court quickly disposed of LV's claims relying upon the landmark case of Rogers v. Grimaldi, 875 F.2d 994 (2d Cir. 1989). In that case, Ginger Rogers brought Lanham Act claims against the makers of the film entitled "Ginger and Fred" about two fictional performers who made their careers imitating Rogers and Fred Astaire. The court rejected Rogers' contention that the film confused consumers into thinking the film was about, and endorsed by, her. More specifically, it held that the Act does not prohibit "artistic works" like the film, unless the material has no artistic relevance, or the work explicitly misleads the public about its source or content.?

Applying Rogers, the court held that Warners met the very low standard of "artistic relevance," essentially because the scene was funny. The court further held there was no risk that consumers would believe that the knock-off was a real LV bag, or LV approved of its use in the film. The court further commented that even if LV established actual confusion, the claim would fail because LV could not meet the heightened "particularly compelling" standard applied to expressive works.? LV has appealed.?

Conclusion

The Whitmill case reminds us that use of another's copyrighted work is prohibited unless the user can establish one of the limited defenses, such as fair use and parody. Louis Vuitton's lawsuit reconfirms that when it comes to trademarks, the key is avoiding consumer confusion.

In either case, the best practice is to clear all copyrighted and trademarked materials so as to avoid leaving such determinations in the hands of someone who may not share your sense of humor.

Mr. Garfinkel acknowledges and thanks Catherine Grech, a summer associate with Perkins Coie, for her contribution to this article.
?

Source: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/blog-post/copyright-claims-lurk-where-filmmakers-least-expect-them-49976

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Source: http://rodelscuebe.posterous.com/copyright-trademark-claims-lurk-where-filmmak

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Source: http://twitter.com/KevMio/statuses/229763218782949376

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Colo. theater lacked security, unlike some peers

Mike Campbell, from Aurora, shows his ticket from Century 16 theater Saturday, July 28, 2012, in Aurora, Colo. Campbell was in the theater when 12 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in a shooting attack early Friday, July 20, at the theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mike Campbell, from Aurora, shows his ticket from Century 16 theater Saturday, July 28, 2012, in Aurora, Colo. Campbell was in the theater when 12 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in a shooting attack early Friday, July 20, at the theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Police continue to monitor the area around the Century 16 theater, Saturday, July 28, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. Twelve people were killed and over 50 wounded in a shooting attack on July 20, at the packed theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

(AP) ? The Colorado movie theater complex that was the scene of a gunman's massacre this month didn't have any uniformed security guards on duty the night of the shooting, even though other theaters operated by the same company did provide such protection for the busy premiere of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises."

It's impossible to know whether guards ? often off-duty police officers ? at the Aurora Century 16 would have spotted the suspected gunman, James Holmes, and thwarted the attack that left 12 moviegoers dead and dozens wounded on July 20.

Officers hired as guards are generally armed and usually spend their time roaming the complex, checking bags or dealing with minor disputes.

Cinemark provided off-duty police guards at the Aurora theater on busy Friday and Saturday nights. As for other nights of the week, theater operators decide on a case-by-case basis whether to hire security, depending on the likelihood of trouble. The attack came early Friday, shortly after the midnight screening of the Batman film began.

Larry Lowak, whose son Brent was among the wounded, said security personnel on the scene possibly could have stopped the gunman, and he was dismayed to learn that guards weren't on hand.

"If you bring in security on Friday or Saturday, you sure as hell want to bring it in for this particular function," Lowak said.

Plano, Texas-based Cinemark, which operates the Aurora theater, declined to explain why guards weren't provided in Aurora that night and declined to discuss safety policies in general.

Through interviews with police officers and officials outside the theater company, The Associated Press was able to identify places around the country that did use armed security workers for the July 19-20 Batman showings ? including places like Beaumont, Texas; Lake Charles, La., and Tupelo, Miss.

Some other locations, including a Cinema Century 16 theater in the western Denver suburb of Lakewood, did not have security.

Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates has said that the Cinemark in Aurora normally uses off-duty officers to provide security on weekend nights but did not have any working for the July 19 showings that went into the next morning. The theater does not have an unusually high record of complaints or crimes, police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson said.

In Moosic, Pa., Cinemark has worked for years with off-duty officers from the local police department ? typically on Fridays and Saturdays ? and authorities said they were asked to provide two officers on July 19 because the midnight showing was likely to be a major event.

"If they're expecting large crowds, they call our department for additional police presence," said Moosic Borough Police Officer James Giehl.

Two major multiplexes in Amarillo, Texas, including one Cinemark facility, also ensured that off-duty uniformed police officers were present for the first screenings of the Batman film. Amarillo Police Cpl. Jerry Neufeld said that the off-duty officers work in pairs; the town's theaters made a point of asking for them on the busy opening night.

There were no incidents at the screenings, and Neufeld said he heard that people were, as always, happy to see people there to deal with any dangers.

"When they're there, they're visible, people see them and people come in and say, 'hey man, we're glad you're here,'" Neufeld said. "It gives people a sense of calm."

The Aurora shooting has stirred discussion about appropriate security precautions at gathering places commonly considered safe from the cares and worries of the outside world. Experts say that security at public venues has increased substantially over the past decade, but they also note that it's impossible to maintain perfect safety at all times.

Officials have said the Aurora shooting suspect bought a ticket to the midnight showing and went into the theater as part of the crowd. A federal law enforcement official said suspect Holmes is believed to have propped open an exit door in the theater as the movie was playing, donned protective ballistic gear, re-entered about a half-hour into the film and opened fire.

Aurora police said the suspect tossed two gas canisters into the crowd and had an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and two .40-caliber Glock handguns.

Some theaters have added security guards for all nights of the week since the shooting, and police departments around the country have also conducted extra patrols that focus to movie theaters, though it's not clear if those shifts will be permanent. AMC Theatres has barred people from wearing masks or bringing fake weapons inside its buildings.

Many theaters, including the Cinemark in Aurora, prohibit patrons from bringing in their concealed weapons they use for personal protection.

That irks people like Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, who said that he has refused to go to Aurora theater because of that ban.

"What could have stopped this is law-abiding citizens being allowed to carry," Brown insisted.

Lowak, the father of the shooting survivor, also said he believes people carrying concealed weapons might have helped limit the bloodshed.

But Hubert Williams, former head of the Newark police department and president of the Police Foundation, said that the idea that average citizens with guns could keep a theater safe only makes sense "on a piece of paper."

"Reality is much more complicated. What if you pull a gun out, take aim and someone else thinks you're the shooter?" he asked. "Would you stand up against an AR-15, AK-47 military-style assault weapon? Give me a break."

___

Associated Press writer Mike Baker can be reached on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/HiPpEV

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-29-Colorado%20Shooting-Theater%20Security/id-f0dbc41d720e492eabb48d662cfd0910

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Despite Global Woes, Macquarie Still Likes Oil

Macquarie holds an "Outperform" rating on Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group. Despite geopolitical uncertainty, Jason Gammel, head of European oil and gas research at Macquarie, said that these oil stocks are ripe for investment as winter approaches.

Franz Aberham | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images


With tensions in Syria on the rise, the outlook for oil prices may look unstable. ?We?re looking for about $105 through the end of the year and probably into next year,? Gammel said. ?The oil market has essentially moved to the level of equilibrium right now.?

Beyond uncertainty in the Middle East, Gammel said the overarching concern in the sector is weak growth in China. He explained that Chinese demand for energy, the overall driver of the big bull market in oil prices, has significantly slowed over the past six months. ?We need to see Chinese demand numbers come back into the market,? he said.

While a significant increase remains to be seen, Macquarie expects Chinese oil demand to improve later in 2012. If this is the case, select oil stocks may be in a position to pop.

Gammel called BG [BG.-GB? Loading...? ? ? () ? ] the ?premier growth company? within Europe. Macquarie expects the stock to grow by 14 percent in 2013. It is anticipating an additional 8 percent growth per year through 2020. Macquarie has a $19.50 price target on the stock.

Royal Dutch Shell [RDS.A? Loading...? ? ? () ? ] is another European oil stock favored by Macquarie. ?Shell is a company that benefits from the oil price environment,? he said. ?They have good growth in the near term and very strong free cash flow yields.? Macquarie expects Shell to outperform with a 12-month price target of $25.50.

Gammel?s confidence in Shell may come as a surprise to investors. The oil company recently reported disappointing Q2 earnings of $5.7 billion. The miss was attributed to maintenance costs and shutdowns in the U.S. Gulf and in Australian Liquefied Natural Gas.

Earlier in the month, Shell also abandoned its bid for Cove Energy [COV-GB? Loading...? ? ? () ? ]which holds a promising stake in east African gas.

While these setbacks may signal weakness, Gammel remains confident in the stock and the management.

?I think on the missed M&A, that was actually an exercise in good capital stewardship on the management?s part,? Gammel said. He explained that Shell was getting into a bidding war that had reached a level that looked a bit too high for Cove. ?Backing away is good for the investor,? he added.

Gammel is expecting European gas producers to do well moving into the winter. ?We expect that the MMB can trade around the equivalent of $10 per MMBTU which is a pretty strong market,? he said.

Additional News: Chevron Earnings Top Views, Despite Lower Oil Prices

Additional Views: Global Oil Demand Not ?Collapsing,? Says Shell CEO

______________________________

CNBC Data Pages:

______________________________
Disclosures:

Jason Gammel does not have a position in Shell or BG Group.

Disclaimer

? 2012 CNBC.com

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/48404731?__source=RSS*tag*&par=RSS

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Troops, students, teachers to fill Olympic seats

LONDON ? Troops, teachers and students are getting free tickets to fill prime seats that were empty at some Olympic venues on the first full day of competition.

Organizing chief Sebastian Coe answered widespread criticism Sunday by predicting that seats left unused, largely by Olympic and sports officials, will not be an issue as the games proceed.

?It is obvious, some of those seats are not being used in the early rounds,? he said at a briefing.

He declined to blame Olympic sponsors, whom he had earlier promised to ?name and shame? if they did not use their allocations. Sponsors, including Coca-Cola and Visa, defended their use of allotted tickets ? 8 percent of the 8.8 million available tickets.

The issue is sensitive for Olympic organizers and British sports fans after hundreds of thousands of people failed to get tickets in an initial public ballot.

?There is not a single person who thinks it is shambolic,? Coe insisted, adding no one would object to free tickets for military personnel who ?stepped up to the mark? this month to help solve a security staffing crisis at venues.

Coe?s organizing team has long promised to fill venues and avoid a similar problem from the Beijing Olympics.

He said he was ?jammed in shoulder to shoulder? with Olympic officials to see swimming finals ? including the first Ryan Lochte-Michael Phelps duel ? on Saturday evening. He also pointed to record crowds lining the men?s road race route, and for rowing events at Eton Dorney.

?Those venues are stuffed to the gunnels. The public are in there,? Coe said.

Yet broadcast images of signature Olympic events, such as gymnastics and swimming, revealed rows of empty seats for qualifying rounds Saturday. Tennis at Wimbledon?s Centre Court was sparsely attended just weeks after the Grand Slam event sold out.

Army personnel attended gymnastics sessions Sunday morning at North Greenwich Arena during down time from security duties.

?There are a whole bunch of the military actually sitting in those seats at the moment. We can and we have moved them in there,? Coe said.

Students and teachers from east London neighborhoods also would get late calls for free tickets, having already been accredited in a planned reallocation program. Some ticket holders will get upgrades inside venues, Coe said.

Some blame for the opening day embarrassment was falling on ?accredited people,? including the Olympic family, athletes, and some sponsors and media, organizers said.

Coe said it was typical at Olympics for sports and national team officials to be ?dragged to any number of venues,? and be too busy to attend events in the opening days. ?I don?t think you will be seeing this as an issue long term during the games.?

He went on to defend sponsors, whose legal rights to protect their brand at the Olympics often fuel criticism.

Source: http://www.theeagle.com/article/20120730/BC0107/120739990/-1/BC&source=RSS

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Bo wife murder charge vexes skeptical Chinese

BEIJING, China (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party might insist that the murder charge against Gu Kailai, the wife of ousted Politburo member Bo Xilai, is a simple case of all being equal before the law, but winning over the jury of public opinion is proving tough.

Since China's last big political scandal -- the purge of Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu in 2007 -- its citizens have flocked to sign up to the Twitter-like microblogging site Sina Weibo, ensuring this time there will be lively public debate about the case against Bo and Gu, despite tight censorship.

In its first official statement on Gu's case since April, state news agency Xinhua ran a brief report last week saying China will try Gu on charges of murdering a British businessman. The news spread rapidly on Weibo.

While state media generally stuck to reprinting that story, the influential tabloid the Global Times on Friday wrote an editorial warning nobody was above the law.

But that is a line the party is going to have a hard time convincing people is true, as suspicion swirls that populist politician Bo and his wife Gu are victims of a power struggle -- and no more corrupt than other Chinese leaders.

People already have little faith in government statements despite repeated pledges to be transparent, after the SARS cover-up in 2003, among others, and refusal to discuss events such as the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing.

"Who on earth could believe this?" wrote one microblogger, of the Global Times editorial. "Bo has just lost his personal battle; this case has never had anything to do with the rule of law."

Others thought Xinhua's wording that "the crimes are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial" ruled out any pretence at Gu getting a fair trial.

"It looks like the court is just going to be reading out the Xinhua piece ... What a shameless society without governance. I hope it collapses."

Bo, 62, was widely seen as pushing for a spot in China's new leadership until he was felled by the scandal brought to light by his former police chief, Wang Lijun.

Bo has not been named as a suspect in the murder case, but he has separately been accused of violating party discipline, sometimes code for corruption and abuses of power, and he could face trial at a later time.

NOT A SIMPLE CASE

Gu has been in police custody for months on suspicion of involvement in Heywood's murder, though few details of the motive or the crime itself have been publicly released. State media said previously that he was killed after a financial dispute.

Xinhua said that the economic dispute between Gu and Heywood involved her son, Bo Guagua, who graduated from Harvard University this year and is still believed to be in the United States. It reported Gu believed Heywood was threatening her son.

Waiting for a meeting in a glass office tower in Shanghai's financial district, Lu Zida, a telecommunications specialist in his 30s, said that as a parent he could relate to Gu's maternal urge to protect her child.

He was, however, under no illusions that the case was as simple or straightforward as it appeared in state media reports.

"This is certainly not a simple criminal case. It's very complex -- money, power and politics," Lu said. "A mother must protect her children. If I was in her position I would do the same if someone was threatening my child. There's no reason not to."

In the steamy southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, once Bo and Gu's stomping ground, a group of five 20-something rural migrant workers said Bo was well-liked for improving the city and cracking down on organized crime.

"He was a political star," said one of the young men, who said he and his friends came from Fengdu, a rural part of Chongqing.

"He's done for now, but the ordinary people still have fond memories of him," said the young man, who declined to give his name. "His wife was the one who caused him this trouble."

Yu Kun, a Chongqing billboard advertising salesman, said he felt for Bo.

"We all love Bo Xilai. We feel that it's about a political struggle," Yu said. He pointed to the unfinished, ultra-modern opera house and science museum jutting out on the other side of the river as evidence of Bo's ability and large ambition.

"Of course, there's corruption," Yu said, when pressed over the allegations against Gu. "In China, everything, everyone has to be corrupt. It's all about the hidden rules. They were no different, but they didn't stand out from the rest either."

(Additional reporting by John Ruwitch in Shanghai and Chris Buckley in Chongqing; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bo-wife-murder-charge-vexes-skeptical-chinese-005536702.html

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Business Entrepreneurialism Article Category - blog*spot

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It is obvious that Nike + is successful with over 444,504,500 (and increasing every second) miles ran together. That equals 17,880 laps around the world and 17,213,559 pounds burned (these statistics, help a Nike + users feel the epic scale of the game, making them feel like they are a part of something bigger). Anyway, long story short, he said, Congratulations.

You?re going to do a great job. Then there was a pause. A few minutes later on that Sunday I received an email from Steve with the subject Icon Ambulance. CEOs should care about details.

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Source: http://bhfrubinewg.phacker.org/2012/07/27/business-entrepreneurialism-article-category/

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Anti-nuclear protesters surround Japan parliament

Thousands of demonstrators holding aloft candles and lights formed a human chain around Japan's parliament on Sunday in a new protest against nuclear power after last year's Fukushima atomic crisis.

The sea of people illuminated the evening gloom as they surrounded the legislature in Tokyo, the latest development in a snowballing protest movement of the type not seen in sedate Japan for decades.

The protesters are demanding that Japan abandon nuclear power and their movement has been galvanised by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's recent decision to resume using atomic energy after a total shutdown.

Organisers put the number of protesters at 200,000, but police told local media that there were between 10,000 and 20,000 people.

With many clad in gas masks and white protective suits similar to those used in decontamination work at the crippled Fukushima plant, the demonstrators earlier took part in a noisy march through the capital to the parliament.

To the noise of drumming on yellow barrels emblazoned with atomic waste warning symbols, they chanted "we don't need nuclear power" and "stop operating nuclear plants".

"After the Fukushima disaster, I thought that the government and vested interests were telling us lies about nuclear power being safe," said protester Miho Igarashi, 46, an architect from Ibaraki prefecture south of Fukushima.

"We have to raise our voices against" the danger of atomic power, she told AFP.

The rally is the latest in a string of protests in Japan, which has seen a rising tide of anti-nuclear sentiment since Noda in June ordered the restart of two reactors.

Noda defended the move citing looming power shortages after Japan switched off its 50 nuclear reactors -- which provided the resource-poor country with a third of its energy -- in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.

Weekly demonstrations outside the prime minister's residence have drawn tens of thousands of people and a rally in west Tokyo earlier this month saw a crowd that organisers claimed was about 170,000-strong.

The march earlier Sunday took place in high temperatures under a blazing sun, and the crowd included families with small children.

"I decided to join the protest because nuclear reactors are resuming even though their safety is not guaranteed," said Sayaka Suzuki, 28, who was with her three-year-old daughter.

The latest rally comes less than a week after a damning government-backed report on last year's crisis said Japanese officials and Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), operator of the crippled Fukushima plant, ignored the risk of an atomic accident because they believed in the "myth of nuclear safety".

A separate parliamentary report said the worst nuclear accident in a generation was a man-made disaster, marked by a lack of oversight and collusion between TEPCO, the government and regulators.

The giant utility largely cleared itself of blame, saying the size of last year's earthquake and tsunami was beyond all expectations and could not have reasonably been foreseen.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, crippled cooling equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, triggering meltdowns that spewed radioactivity and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee.

The rising anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan has also led to the launch of Greens Japan, a political organisation aiming to field candidates with an environmental agenda in parliamentary elections.

"A party that strongly pursues environmental policies is needed," Akira Miyabe, the group's 59-year-old deputy head, was quoted by Kyodo News as saying at an inaugural meeting on Saturday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anti-nuclear-human-chain-surround-japan-parliament-211351001.html

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Effective Way Of Ensuring Your Company And Your Clients ...

Effective Way Of Ensuring Your Company And Your Clients Protection

I opened a small diner in town a couple
of years back. Three months back the
music store beside my restaurant was
robbed. All of the cash was taken
together with a number of CDs and
music accessories that the shop carried.
It was a great thing though that the three
employees on that particular time and
also the clients at the time were not hurt.

The robbery made me realize the
significance of having tight security not
only for your own business but also for your customers and also employees. So I went online to
look for an excellent dome spy hidden camera for my diner.

A dome camera is a board camera inside a dome housing. Just like surveillance cameras it keeps
tabs on people or a business even when you are not presently there.

The World Wide Web offered a number of dome cameras to select from. There was a speed dome
camera housed inside a water-resistant casing. It has pan tilt and also zoom controls that help in
the thorough surveillance of the area where this particular security camera is installed in.

An indoor day/night monitoring dome camera meanwhile is sensitive to light and thus ideal in dimly
lit locations. It features a high-resolution chip that allows its video recordings to be of high quality.

I further stumbled on a day/night infrared dome monitoring camera. When there is ample
illumination the spy camera records colored videos. In places with low light it switches to taking
black and white videos. It is equipped with LED for better low-light video recording and it can take
videos in complete darkness from a range of 20 feet.

I decided to get the third surveillance spy hidden cameras as it would be of good use whenever
the white lights are used in the morning and still take quality videos as soon as I switch on the
yellow lights for the evening. Also even when I close shop for the evening it could still monitor the
entire area.

My selected dome camera ensures the security of my business even without me there at all times
watching over it.



Source: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/effective-way-of-ensuring-your-company-and-your-clients-protection

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Management shake-up at JPMorgan; Zames is COO

NEW YORK (AP) ? JPMorgan Chase, which is reeling from the fallout of a big trading loss at one of its divisions, announced a broad reshuffling of its top management on Friday.

It was the second round of management reorganization at the nation's largest bank since it revealed the loss that has ballooned to up to $5.8 billion from an initial estimate of $2 billion. The loss has prompted two congressional hearings and led to investigations from international regulators.

The loss has also come to represent the risky bets taken at large banks that can jeopardize the global financial system, barely four years after the financial crisis that hurtled the country into the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

It was also viewed as a glaring example of how difficult it is to run a large bank with large far flung businesses. It has led to calls to break up the big banks and also for the resignation of CEO Jamie Dimon, who up until then had built a reputation as a steady leader. Dimon initially called the trade a "tempest in a teapot," before backtracking and revealing the scope of losses and apologizing several times for his mischaracterization.

The management announcements on Friday appear to be the bank's attempt to restore the investors' trust in the bank.

"Today's appointments are a natural step in aligning our businesses more closely to make our company even stronger," said Dimon in a statement.

Its stock rose 4 cents to $36.85 in morning trading on Friday. They are still down 21 percent from their 52-week high of $46.49 in late March.

Among the appointments announced Friday, the biggest promotion went to Matt Zames who takes on the title of chief operating officer. It is being read on Wall Street as the clearest sign yet that he is being groomed to succeed Dimon.

Zames' career has recently been on an upward trajectory. Until the trading loss was announced on May 10, 41-year-old Zames was co-head of global fixed income at the investment bank. He was promoted soon after to replace Ina Drew, the chief investment officer who oversaw the division where the loss occurred. Drew resigned in the days after the loss was revealed.

Zames will share the role with Frank Bisignano who is also chief administrative officer at the firm. Bisignano was tapped last year to lead the beleaguered mortgage banking business, which had contributed to major losses for the bank and also embarrassments when it was found out that that division had unlawfully foreclosed on homes of service members while on active duty.

Among other appointments were:

? Todd Maclin, head of the retail bank, and Gordon Smith who heads up credit cards, will become co-CEOs of Consumer & Community Banking.

? Jes Staley, CEO of the investment bank, has been named to the newly-created position of chairman of JPMorgan's corporate & investment bank.

? Mike Cavanagh and Daniel Pinto have been named to be co-CEOs of the corporate & investment bank.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-27-JPMorgan%20Chase-Personnel/id-4b2a14c69f474f9fa57eb552dc75db36

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Employment Services at Milton Public Library ? Main Branch | The ...

Milton: The Centre for Skills Development & Training is pleased to partner with the Milton Public Library to provide free employment services at the library?s Main Branch at 1010 Main Street East.

?

Starting August 9, 2012, an employment advisor will be at the Main Branch on the second Thursday of every month, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The employment advisor can help job-seekers with resumes, cover letters, job-search techniques, interview skills and much more. These Employment Ontario services are funded in part by the Government of Canada.

?

For more information or to book an appointment, please call 905-693-8458 x101.

?

View and share the flyer.

?

About The Centre: The Centre for Skills Development & Training is a not-for-profit incorporated affiliate of the Halton District School Board with seven locations in Halton and Mississauga. The Centre helps people at all stages of life get on a path to career success?from youth just starting out, to older workers who have been laid off; from newcomers to Canada who need to improve their workplace English, to people interested in the trades who need to build their technical skills; and from small business owners looking to hire staff, to large companies who need help developing and transitioning their workforce. Learn more at www.thecentre.on.ca.

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-30-

?
Contact:?
?
The Centre for Skills Development & Training
Jenna Northover, Coordinator, Employment Services, Milton

550 Ontario Street South, Suite 208, Milton, Ontario L9T 5E4

Tel: 905-693-8458 x102
905-333-3499, ext. 110? |? nothoverj@thecentre.on.ca
www.thecentre.on.ca
Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.

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Source: http://thecentre.on.ca/employment-services-at-milton-public-library-main-branch

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Friday, July 27, 2012

THE RACE: Economic report unwelcome news for Obama

President Barack Obama speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 27, 2012, where he signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 27, 2012, where he signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Avoiding a traffic jam, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney walks down Grosvenor Place in London to meet Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the Embassy of Ireland in London, Friday, July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama poses with members of the U.S. athletics team during a 'Let's Move!' event for about 1,000 American military children and American and British students at the U.S. ambassador's residence in London, ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

President Barack Obama's campaign team hoped that by now, the lethargic U.S. economy would be perking up as it had for President Ronald Reagan in the summer of 1984, setting the stage for Reagan's re-election rout.

But it is not to be.

New government figures show economic growth is slowing, not picking up speed ? meaning Obama will continue to face economic headwinds.

The economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.5 percent from April through June, down from 2.0 percent the previous three months. While that showed it was still growing, if slowly, and not tottering back into recession, there was scarce other good news in the report for Obama ? and plenty of ammunition for Republicans.

They piled on at once.

"It's a picture of a decelerating economy," said Glen Hubbard, economic adviser to GOP challenger Mitt Romney. House Speaker John Boehner saw "a troubling sign for the future of our economy."

"Clearly there's a lot more work that has to be done," acknowledged White House economist Alan Krueger.

Both sides know the statistics: Growth below 2 percent won't lower an unemployment rate now hanging at 8.2 percent, and no president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has been re-elected with the jobless rate over 8 percent.

Romney held more meetings in London on Friday and was attending opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. "It looks to me like London is ready," he proclaimed on NBC's "Today" as he sought to defuse a flap over his earlier comments questioning the city's preparations.

He goes next to Israel, an ally he accuses Obama of offending.

In what was hardly a coincidence, Obama on Friday released an additional $70 million for Israel as ? with some fanfare ? he signed a bill expanding US-Israeli ties. Later, he had fundraisers in town and in suburban Virginia.

__

Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum. For more AP political coverage, look for the 2012 Presidential Race in AP Mobile's Big Stories section. Also follow https://twitter.com/APCampaign and AP journalists covering the campaign: https://twitter.com/AP/ap-campaign-2012

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-27-The%20Race/id-443fef0e5bf9468586d234ee65c4d626

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The Bonaire Insider - News Item: Bonaire to Honor U.S. Military ...

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Bonaire will welcome a group of Wounded Warriors next month. The group will be scuba diving for rehabilitation and recreation from August 18-25, 2012. This is the seventh consecutive year that Bonaire will host a group of U.S. military veterans.

During this week, severely wounded soldiers and their significant others will travel to the island to complete the final step in the process of obtaining their dive certifications. Representatives of the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association?s (DEMA?s) Be A Diver Program, the North American office of Tourism Corporation Bonaire and the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA) will also be on-site in Bonaire. All accommodations and diving will be provided courtesy of Captain Don?s Habitat Bonaire. Each year, the people of Bonaire warmly welcome this group and show them not only the natural beauty and pristine waters of the island, but also the friendliness and genuine hospitality of the Bonairean people.

This year?s contingent of ten Wounded Warriors has suffered life-changing physical injuries received in combat while stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They and their partners will be kept busy with a variety of activities beginning with the completion of their PADI and HSA dive certifications, which will take place on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Once certified, they will continue diving throughout the week, both from the dock of Captain Don?s Habitat and via boat dives to Klein Bonaire and other famous Bonaire dive sites. The group will also enjoy sightseeing, shopping, dining, a beach BBQ and an authentic Texas-style BBQ. The highlight of the week will take place when the Bonaire community gathers to meet these extraordinary troops and their companions at a reception held in their honor with Bonaire?s Lt. Governor, the Honorable Lydia Emerencia.

Sponsors to date of the 7th Bonaire-Be A Diver-Wounded Warrior Scuba Certification trip are: 9Line LLC, Adams Unlimited Public Relations & Marketing, Bikers Bonaire, Bonaire KFC, BonPhoto, BonaireTalk.com, Bonaire Quad Tours, Bonaire Guided Motorcycle Tours, Bonaire Restaurant Association, Bonaire Tours & Vacations, Budget Rent A Car Bonaire, Captain Don?s Habitat, Caradonna Dive Adventures, Inc., Care Coalition, Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine, Chat & Browse Bonaire, Casablanca Restaurant, Destinations Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine, Disabled Sports USA, DEMA/Be a Diver, Dive Training Magazine, Henderson, H.S.A. International Training Center of New Jersey, Innovative Scuba Concepts, Inc., Iron Order Motorcycle Club Bonaire (Caribbean Pirates Crew), Islands Magazine, It Rains Fishes, Jack Chalk, Jewel Of Bonaire, NetTech, N.V., OCEANIC, PADI, Paradise Moon Bar & Restaurant, Pasa Bon Pizza, Princeton Tec, Rum Runners, Scuba Diving Magazine, Spice Beach Club, Sport Diver Magazine, Tourism Corporation Bonaire, XS Scuba, Wounded Warrior Project.? (Source:? TCB-NY)

Posted by Susan Davis on July 26, 2012 at 9:09am AST
Events ? Scuba Diving ? Water Sports ? Permalink

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Page 1 of 1 pages

Source: http://www.bonaireinsider.com/index.php/bonaireinsider/bonaire_to_honor_us_military_veterans_with_a_visit_from_the_wounded_warrior/

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The Differences Of Trading In Stocks And The Currency Market ...

Forex Trading

The Internet has opened doors for people around the world to trade and invest in a convenient manner in a growing variety of markets. Case in point, you can already do Forex online trading. Some people find that trading in the currency market is better than trading in stocks. Others feel otherwise. In this article, we will compare investing or trading in the Forex market to buying stocks.

One of the differences between the two markets is that Forex is much larger. Just last year, the average traded value for the currency market was around $4 trillion daily. The size of the currency market is probably because many people are attracted to its convenience, high-liquidity, 24-hour trading, and the amount of leverage available. Online Forex trading is convenient in the sense that you only have to focus your efforts on seven major currency pairs. If you trade in stocks, you would have to choose among 10,000 options to find one with the best earning potential.

Unlike in the stock market, you can take a short position in the Forex market even if the transaction is not at a price above the previous transaction. This makes the currency market very liquid. The market also remains active round-the-clock from 5PM EST Sunday, to 5PM EST Friday. In addition, Forex trading sessions overlap among different time zones and key trading centers, so it is possible to trade in different markets during the same session which makes it a great opportunity to earn additional income aside from what you make from your regular job.

As pointed out earlier, Forex trading online you can get a much higher leverage. In the United States, the leverage you can get when trading currencies can reach up to 50:1, which is substantially higher compared to the 2:1 leverage available for those trading in stocks. The high leverage available in Forex is also due to the high liquidity of the currency market. For more information about online Forex Trading please go here.

However, if you want to trade in the currency market, you have to be prepared for the market?s volatility. The price of currencies and their exchange rates are very sensitive to socioeconomic and political news. Currency pairs can also be affected by natural calamities like tsunamis and earthquakes. Traders with low risk tolerance may find trading in stocks better suited for them. Just the same, stock markets is more susceptible to trading volume and activity shrinkages than Forex. As a result, there may be instances when taking a short or long position is particularly challenging. Although Forex has higher volatility, one can still earn even if during declining markets.

Source: http://freefinancearticles.info/the-differences-of-trading-in-stocks-and-the-currency-market

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

It Is All About The Standards, Really. | Legal Shield | Pre-Paid Legal ...

It?s Really All About
Standards

To piggyback off of one of last week?s blogs, I wanted to comment on the
Process Serving Standards Summit, an executive committee of process servers who
work for collection agencies and attorneys, that convene this week to set some
standards for self-regulation this week in Denver. As a preemptive measure, the
committee hopes to create voluntary guidelines for process serving companies in
an effort to avoid violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
(?FDCPA?).

proposed guidelines/a which, while not fail-proof, will potentially keep them,br /
and their legal counterparts, out of hot water with the FTC. In response to anbr /
increasing amount of debt, consumer defending attorneys are cracking down onbr /
violations of the FDCPA, subjecting not only the process serving companies, butbr /
collection agencies and attorneys to harsh consequences if violated. Evenbr /
though these companies are generally independent contractors, as agents workingbr /
on behalf of the collector, all parties involved can be dinged./pbr /
br /
p class="MsoNormal" margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The committee discussed streamlining the process, what
practices could go beyond the limits of the FDCPA, and even how developing
technology could aid in more accurate process serving (discussed last week).
The committee listened to comments after the session held today, and will vote
tomorrow, each major company present having one vote per proposed standard.

No related posts.

Source: http://safeguardfreedom.com/blog/?p=6919

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DuPont grows second quarter earnings 8 percent to $1.48 ex-items ...

PRLog (Press Release) - Jul 25, 2012 -
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 25th 2012 ? Second-quarter 2012 earnings were $1.48 per share versus $1.37 per share in the prior year, excluding significant items from both periods. Reported second-quarter earnings were $1.25 per share versus $1.29 per share in the prior year. Sales increased 7 percent to $11.0 billion reflecting 6 percent higher local prices and a 5 percent increase from portfolio changes, partially offset by a 3 percent reduction from currency and 1 percent lower sales volume. Sales in developing markets grew 11 percent. Segment pre-tax operating income, excluding pharmaceuticals and significant items, increased 13 percent, principally attributable to higher earnings from Agriculture and Performance Materials and a prior-year acquisition benefiting Nutrition & Health and Industrial Biosciences. For the first half of 2012, Agriculture delivered 15 percent sales growth and 16 percent higher pre-tax operating income excluding significant items, reflecting strong northern-hemisphere business performance across both seed and crop protection product lines. The company is on track versus its full-year 2012 productivity targets for fixed costs and working capital. Year-to-date fixed cost productivity totals $190 million. DuPont expects full-year earnings to be toward the lower end of its existing outlook range of $4.20 to $4.40 per share, excluding significant items, due to uncertainties associated with macros and currency as well as a higher tax rate related to earnings mix. Prior year earnings were $3.93 per share on a comparable basis.

Second-quarter 2012 consolidated net sales of $11.0 billion were 7 percent higher than the prior year reflecting 6 percent higher local prices and a 5 percent net increase from portfolio changes, partly offset by a 3 percent negative currency impact and 1 percent lower volume.

?Our agriculture, food and bioscience businesses are performing exceptionally well globally, and our advanced materials businesses are achieving solid results despite slower growth in some key markets and continued weakness in Europe,? said DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman. ?Our global teams continue to execute well in a dynamic environment, while investing for growth driven by science-powered innovation and collaboration.?

Source: http://www.prlog.org/11933475-dupont-grows-second-quarter-earnings-8-percent-to-148-ex-items.html

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A Look Into Mike And Troy's Top Marketing Strategies | SEO, Traffic ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]It doesn't matter what kind of online business you operate, if you don't make use of online marketing strategies that have been proven, your business won't succeed. Given this, it is in the best interest of an online entrepreneur to find online marketing services that offer a good returns on their ... Home · About · Privacy Policy · RSS · SEO, Traffic and Internet Marketing · SEO, Traffic and Internet Marketing ? earn money online. ? Why Web Copy Is Important In SEO ...

Source: http://www.paulreverebrigade.com/a-look-into-mike-and-troys-top-marketing-strategies/

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Sirolimus and Secondary Skin-Cancer Prevention in ... - blog*spot

Background : Transplant recipients in whom cutaneous squamous-cell carcinomas develop are at high risk for multiple subsequent skin cancers. Whether sirolimus is useful in the prevention of secondary skin cancer has not been assessed.
Methods : In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned transplant recipients who were taking calcineurin inhibitors and had at least one cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma either to receive sirolimus as a substitute for calcineurin inhibitors (in 64 patients) or to maintain their initial treatment (in 56). The primary end point was survival free of squamous-cell carcinoma at 2 years. Secondary end points included the time until the onset of new squamous-cell carcinomas, occurrence of other skin tumors, graft function, and problems with sirolimus.
Results: Survival free of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma was significantly longer in the sirolimus group than in the calcineurin-inhibitor group. Overall, new squamous-cell carcinomas developed in 14 patients (22%) in the sirolimus group (6 after withdrawal of sirolimus) and in 22 (39%) in the calcineurin-inhibitor group (median time until onset, 15 vs. 7 months; P=0.02), with a relative risk in the sirolimus group of 0.56 (95% confidence interval, 0.32 to 0.98). There were 60 serious adverse events in the sirolimus group, as compared with 14 such events in the calcineurin-inhibitor group (average, 0.938 vs. 0.250). There were twice as many serious adverse events in patients who had been converted to sirolimus with rapid protocols as in those with progressive protocols. In the sirolimus group, 23% of patients discontinued the drug because of adverse events. Graft function remained stable in the two study groups.
Conclusions : Switching from calcineurin inhibitors to sirolimus had an antitumoral effect among kidney-transplant recipients with previous squamous-cell carcinoma. These observations may have implications concerning immunosuppressive treatment of patients with cutaneous squamous-cell carcinomas. (Funded by Hospices Civils de Lyon and others; TUMORAPA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00133887) (read more) Print this post

Source: http://immunogenetics.blogspot.com/2012/07/sirolimus-and-secondary-skin-cancer.html

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Female space shuttle commanders remember Sally Ride (+video)

Two women who became space shuttle commanders after seeing Sally Ride's historic flight in 1983, reflect on the legacy of the first American woman in space.

By Clara Moskowitz,?Space.com / July 24, 2012

This undated file photo astronaut Sally Ride. Ride, the first American woman in space, died Monday, July 23, 2012. Ride flew twice in space, both times aboard the Challenger shuttle.

(AP Photo/NASA, File)

Enlarge

The news of Sally Ride's death yesterday (July 23) has impacted many around the globe, most especially those who traveled directly in her footsteps.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // --> Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut in space, died at the age of 61 of cancer in her home in California. Seth Doane takes a look back at her remarkable life and legacy.

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. Since then, dozens of U.S. females have made spaceflights. Two of them, Eileen Collins and Pamela Melroy, achieved another historic milestone, becoming the only women to command a space shuttle mission.

"I knew I wanted to be an astronaut from watching the Apollo astronauts land on the moon, but Sally cemented the belief inside me that I could do it," Melroy wrote in an email to SPACE.com. "She paved the way for women to work in space and made it so much easier for other women to follow where she led."

Collins became the first female space shuttle commander when she led the STS-93 flight of the shuttle Columbia in July 1999, just 16 years after Ride's first flight. Melroy then commanded the space shuttle Discovery in 2007, becoming the last woman to command a shuttle before the fleet retired in 2011. [Sally Ride: 1st American Woman in Space (Pictures)]

"I am surprised and saddened by the news of Sally Ride?s passing," Collins wrote in an email yesterday.?"She was such a wonderful role model and source of inspiration to me.? People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA.? She mentored me several times during my astronaut career, leaving me with many cherished memories."

Collins, who retired from NASA in 2006, said Ride inspired by example.

"She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job," Collins said.?"Her 'Sally Ride Science' programs have reached thousands of middle school girls, giving them the confidence to stay focused on math and science, even when the mass media message was otherwise. She also played a notable role in both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations.? Sally left us too soon. God Speed Sally, you will be greatly missed."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/RN3VtFDvXjM/Female-space-shuttle-commanders-remember-Sally-Ride-video

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Knee stress studied at tissue, cellular levels

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) ? A Cleveland Clinic research team is developing virtual models of human knee joints to better understand how tissues and their individual cells react to heavy loads -- virtual models that someday can be used to understand damage mechanisms caused by the aging process or debilitating diseases, such as osteoarthritis.

Led by Ahmet Erdemir, Ph.D., the team is leveraging the powerful computing systems of the Ohio Supercomputer Center to develop state-of-the-art computational representations of the human body to understand how movement patterns and loads on the joints deform the surrounding tissues and cells. Erdemir is the director of the Computational Biomodeling Core (CoBi) and a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Lerner Research Institute (LRI) in Cleveland, Ohio.

"The aging process and debilitating diseases affect many aspects of the mechanical function of the human body: from the way we move to how our muscles, joints, tissues, and cells accommodate the loading exerted on the body during daily activities," Erdemir explained. "Computational modeling techniques provide an avenue to obtain additional insights about mechanics at various spatial scales."

Many macro-scale studies have looked at how the various components of a knee joint -- cartilage, menisci, ligaments and bone -- respond to weight and other external loads. However, Erdemir and colleague Scott C. Sibole wanted to better understand how those large mechanical forces correspond to the related deformation of individual cartilage cells -- or chondrocytes -- within the knee. Previous micro-scale studies of cartilage have not commonly been based on data from body-level scales, in particular, by the musculoskeletal mechanics of the knee joint.

In addition, calculated deformations typically have been for a single cell at the center of a 100-cubic-micrometer block of simulated tissue; Erdemir used an anatomically based representation that calculated deformations for 11 cells distributed within the same volume.

"In both micro-scale approaches, the cartilage cells experienced amplified deformations compared to those at the macro-scale, predicted by simulating the compression of tissues in the knee joint under the weight of the body," Erdemir found. "In the 11-cell case, all cells experienced less deformation than the single cell case, and also exhibited a larger variance in deformation compared to other cells residing in the same block."

Erdemir's method proved to be highly scalable because of micro-scale model independence that allowed exploitation of distributed memory computing architecture. As a result, Sibole, a research engineer at LRI, was able to leverage the computational muscle of OSC's IBM 1350 Glenn Cluster. At the time, the 9,500 nodes of the Glenn Cluster provided 75 teraflops of computing power, tech-speak for 75 trillion calculations per second. Recently, the Glenn Cluster was partially decommissioned when engineers deployed the center's more powerful HP-Intel Xeon Oakley Cluster.

"Both of OSC's two most recent flagship computing systems were specifically designed to support biomedical applications, such as those employed by Dr. Erdemir and Mr. Sibole," said Ashok Krishnamurthy, OSC interim co-executive director. "Researchers working at Ohio's various respected medical centers are conducting an ever-increasing load of computational studies and analyses, and they now represent a significant share of our user community."

An article authored by Erdemir and Sibole, "Chondrocyte Deformations as a Function of Tibiofemoral Joint Loading Predicted by a Generalized High-Throughput Pipeline of Multi-Scale Simulations," was recently published in PLoS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online journal. Grant funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health supported the study.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio Supercomputer Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Scott C. Sibole, Ahmet Erdemir. Chondrocyte Deformations as a Function of Tibiofemoral Joint Loading Predicted by a Generalized High-Throughput Pipeline of Multi-Scale Simulations. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (5): e37538 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037538

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120724161012.htm

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Best How To Advice In Home Improvement | ApostolicCM.com ...

An easy home improvement idea that will help you to conserving energy is to install one or many motion detectors on the exterior of your home. Motion sensors in addition to lighting timers keep the areas you want lit at night but also save you money on your electric bill.

To prevent animals like birds or squirrels from nesting in your chimney, install a chimney cap. These devices feature mesh sides that allow smoke to escape, but the solid top prevents animals from entering your chimney to build nests, which can ignite and cause a chimney fire when you use the fireplace.

Put a ring on your power tool plugs! To keep small children from plugging these potentially dangerous tools into a power outlet, just slip a key ring through the holes on the tips of the plug prongs. For bigger plugs you can even use s small padlock to safeguard the tools against potentially hazardous use.

Having a plan in place before you start your home improvement projects is very important. Even if you won?t be getting to those other rooms or projects for a long time, have a vision for what you want your overall home to look like. This will keep the flow of your home consistent when you are finished.

When it comes to home improvement, have a plan from the start through the finish of your intended improvement. This will ensure that you stay within your budget and that you complete your intended project without the emotional factors being involved. It can be obvious both to a potential buyer and to your pocketbook if a home improvement project is made up as you go.

Make sure to assess your needs for equipment and supplies, getting all that you need before you start your home improvement project. The last thing you want to do is get to the middle of a project only to find that you need to stop and get more supplies or equipment to finish appropriately.

Spice up the look of your rooms by using patterned wallpaper on your walls and hanging a conversation piece of artwork. Pick something interesting with many textures or images to look at. Don?t be afraid to go bold and interesting to show a sense of personality through your choices. You can even paint something yourself and hang it up to match your wallpaper.

Improving your home?s curb appeal can be as easy as replacing a mailbox. A new, more modern mailbox can make your home feel upgraded. The project can often be completed in less than two hours. Just be sure to follow any Home Owners? Association guidelines when picking your mailbox out.

Remember that updating your home is going to increase its value a great deal. If you are trying to decide on a home improvement project, you want to choose updates that are needed and those that are most common. This will increase the value of your home, helping you to sell it much faster if you decide to do so in the future.

If you want to do a simple home improvement that will add value to your bathrooms, consider stripping off the old wallpaper. Wallpaper is a dated wall covering and many times when a new home buyer sees it, it is a turn off. Strip it off and paint a neutral color.

The land surrounding a house should slope away from it to encourage water not to accumulate at the bases of walls. Water flowing towards a house?s walls is easily the most serious possible drainage problem. Such water build-up can cause rapid and severe damage to walls and foundations. This can turn a minor drainage defect into a serious structural threat.

Beware custom made items. Custom is great for cabinets, but it can get costly when it comes to most items. Save money by figuring out how to modify store-bought items, or how to modify your home itself to fit around the item you purchase. This will typically end up saving you money.

If the caulking surrounding your tub is stained or mildewed, consider replacing it. With less than an hour of work, your bathroom will look much nicer. Use a screwdriver or other tool to remove the old caulking, and ensure that the surface is dry before applying the new caulking. Look for a variety specifically meant for bathrooms; many of these also resist mildew growth.

Home improvement can be very rewarding, but it can also be a lot of work. Regardless, if you know what to do and how to properly and safely improve your home, you can create the house of your dreams. So, do yourself a favor by doing your research and applying the above tips to your home improvement.

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Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/07/the-best-how-to-advice-in-home-improvement-3/

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Report: Cancer, smoking rates higher upstate | Albany Watch

A new American Cancer Society report shows significantly higher rates of cancer, particularly lung cancer, in upstate New York compared with New York City.

The organization?s officials point to New York City?s higher taxes on cigarettes and more aggressive anti-tobacco media campaigns as evidence for lower cancer incidence and mortality.

?Our analysis shows a ?tale of two states,?? said Blair Horner, vice president for advocacy for the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey, in a statement.

Horner and Russ Sciandra, the state director for advocacy, presented the findings of the report at a news conference in Albany Monday morning.

?We hope this report will jump start a statewide discussion on how to reduce cancer incidence, identify cancers earlier and to assist those in treatment,? Horner said in the statement.

According to American Cancer Society data, in 2011, 107,260 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in New York, and 34,350 people died of cancer. Nearly 15 percent of new cases were prostate cancer, and a quarter of deaths were a result of lung cancer.

A different data set shows that the largest disparity between upstate and New York City rates was in lung cancer. Downstate, 65.8 men per 100,000 and 41 women per 100,000 have lung or bronchus cancer, compared with 84.3 men and 64.2 women outside New York City, according to state Department of Health data from 2004 to 2008. Nationally, the rates are 75.2 and 52.3 ? so downstaters are falling below that and upstaters are falling above it.

The lobbyists? main recommendations for state lawmakers: Increase funding to anti-tobacco programs, and enhance early detection of cancer by funding programs that provide those services free to individuals without insurance.

The report includes a county-by-county breakdown of cancer statistics in 2011, using data and estimates from the New York State Cancer Registry. The researchers warned against comparing one county to another or comparing one county to statewide averages, as some counties? small populations yield a high margin of error. But statistics listed for each county are valid, Horner and Sciandra said.

Thumb through the full report here.

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Source: http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2012/07/23/report-cancer-smoking-rates-higher-upstate/

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