End of Year Flickr

I've added some pictures from the past couple of months to my flickr account. Check out the November & December albums for all of them. There are plenty of odd punting shots. They look awkward.

Wii Blamed for Ridiculous Injuries

Up to ten people a week are being hospitalized with injuries caused by playing Nintendo Wii games, prompting doctors in Britain to issue warnings of the dangers associated with the video game system.

"There has been a 100% increase in patients complaining of Wii-itis," Dr. Dev Mukerjee of Broomfield Hospital, Essex, told The Sun newspaper. Most patients are admitted after playing tennis or running games which involve sudden movements, resulting in tendon stretching or tearing.

"It's possible Wii-itis may lead to rheumatism or arthritis later in life. Patients often have inflamation of the shoulder or wrist," said Dr. Mukerjee. Another common injury is dubbed Wii-knee, blamed on the bending of the knee from the Wii-Fit game. This involves a special platform and a series of movements ranging from yoga to strength-training moves.

In extreme cases, the kneecap can be dislocated or pop out of joint.

Doctors treat Wii-knee with cortisone injections, icing, and anti-inflammatory painkillers. Treatment can last for three months.

So, what to do? As with any exercise program, doctors advise stretching exercises before play.

The Renewed Mind is the Key...just not this please!

Talk about ridiculous...This video is not an old video, despite what you might think. Enjoy and laugh along.

A Week Away

I'll be out of town for the next entire week until the 19th...will be in Cleveland, OH on company related stuff. Everyone be safe and stay away from the dangerous malls or at least away from the out of control under-aged and overstimulated drivers.

Geriatric Rap Choir

Please enjoy...wrong on so many levels:

Duke Down Early, loses head

Reading the headlines on ESPN is fun to kill some time. Reading a headline pointing out that Duke has already lost a game is even better. I believe the picture of little Coach K about sums up the good mood all anti-Duke fans are feeling...and it's a good one. Read the game recap on ESPN...

Simpson's Prison Sentence at Least 15 Years

Las Vegas - O.J. Simpson was sentenced today to a minimum of 15 years in prison for the gunpoint robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers. Simpson, 61, will not be eligible for parole for five years.

A jury on Oct. 3 convicted Simpson and Clarence "C.J" Stewart of a multitude of charges against them in the Sept. 13, 2007, confrontation with the dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel room.

In handing down her decision, Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass said the evidence against Simpson - all of which was presented on tape to a jury - was "overwhelming."

Simpson, his voice quivering at times, apologized to the court prior to his sentencing and said his only intention that night was to retrieve personal items, family photos and sports mementos that he said had been stolen from him years earlier.

"I didn't mean to steal from everybody," Simpson said.

Beware of The Doghouse!

Check out Beware of The Doghouse. It's for those idiots that believe only jewelry can make a girl happy and even for those girls blinded by the same. The video is good for the humor from the actors, but fails to make a decent stand for guys outside of buying jewelry as the only choice of gifts. Girls who actually act this way...be ashamed.

Long Island Wal-Mart Worker Dies on Black Friday

There is nothing wrong with shopping on Friday...nothing at all, but this is just ridiculous! It really irritates me. Careless people more concerned with saving a few dollars over someone's life. The people around the death or directly involved should really wake up.

A Wal-Mart worker died early Friday after an "out-of-control" mob of frenzied shoppers smashed through the Long Island store's front doors and trampled him, police said.

The Black Friday stampede plunged the Valley Stream outlet into chaos, knocking several employees to the ground and sending others scurrying atop vending machines to avoid the horde.

When the madness ended, 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour was dead and four shoppers, including a woman eight months pregnant, were injured.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Wal-Mart worker Jimmy Overby. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. "They took me down, too ... I didn't know if I was going to live through it. I literally had to fight people off my back," Overby said.

Damour, a temporary maintenance worker from Jamaica, Queens, was gasping for air as shoppers continued to surge into the store after its 5 a.m. opening, witnesses said. Even officers who arrived to perform CPR on the trampled worker were stepped on by wild-eyed shoppers streaming inside, a cop at the scene said.

"They pushed him down and walked all over him," Damour's sobbing sister, Danielle, 41, said. "How could these people do that? "He was such a young man with a good heart, full of life. He didn't deserve that." Damour's sister said doctors told the family he died of a heart attack.

His cousin, Ernst Damour, called the circumstances "completely unacceptable." "His body was a stepping bag with so much disregard for human life," Ernst Damour, 37, said. "There has to be some accountability." Roughly 2,000 people gathered outside the Wal-Mart's doors in the predawn darkness.

Chanting "push the doors in," the crowd pressed against the glass as the clock ticked down to the 5 a.m. opening. Sensing catastrophe, nervous employees formed a human chain inside the entrance to slow down the mass of shoppers.

It didn't work. The mob barreled in and overwhelmed workers.

"They were jumping over the barricades and breaking down the door," said Pat Alexander, 53, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. "Everyone was screaming. You just had to keep walking on your toes to keep from falling over." After the throng toppled Damour, his fellow employees had to fight through the crowd to help him, police said.

Witness Kimberly Cribbs said shoppers acted like "savages." "When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, 'I've been on line since Friday morning!'" Cribbs said. "They kept shopping."

When paramedics arrived, Damour's condition was grave. "They were pumping his chest, trying to bring him back, and there was nothing," said Dennis Smokes, 36, a Wal-Mart worker. Damour was taken to Franklin Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m.

Hank Mullany, president of Wal-Mart's northeast division, said the company took extraordinary safety precautions. "We expected a large crowd this morning and added additional internal security, additional third-party security, additional store associates and we worked closely with the Nassau County police," he said in a statement. "We also erected barricades. Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred."

The 28-year-old pregnant woman and three other shoppers were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, police said. In a news conference after the incident, Nassau County police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming described the crowd as "out of control" and the scene as "utter chaos." He said Wal-Mart did not have enough security onhand.

Fleming said criminal charges were possible but that it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers in surveillance videos. Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28 and Men's Wrangler Tough Jeans for $8. The Long Island store reopened at 1 p.m. and was packed within minutes.

"I look at these people's faces and I keep thinking one of them could have stepped on him," said one employee. "How could you take a man's life to save $20 on a TV?"

New Shiny Urine Recycling Center...Wanna Try?

So would you be the first person to try this out? Imaging your own sweat, bodily excrement, etc. being pumped through a machine so you could drink it again. Still thirsty?

After five days of ill-fated attempts, International Space Station astronauts today ran two successful tests of equipment on board designed to turn urine, sweat and moisture from the air into drinking water, NASA.gov reports. NASA now must decide whether the contraption, deemed essential for hydration of future astronauts traveling farther out into space, should return with the space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday or remain on the ISS for further testing.

After some tinkering by station commander Mike Fincke and shuttle mission specialist Don Pettit, the Urine Processor Assembly, successfully finished a full five-hour run. The astronauts successfully operated the system again three hours later after it cooled down. The $154 million water recycling system is part of a $250 million regenerative life support system designed to sustain larger space station crews with fewer supply drop-offs from visiting spacecraft; the first six-person crew is due to arrive at the orbiting lab next May.

The space agency even added a 16th day to the astronauts' mission in the hope they could get the urine processor flowing smoothly. Last week, the water-and-urine recycling system malfunctioned during four tests, including one in which the processor shut itself down after running for only two hours and another in which it triggered an alarm on the space station.

Crew members today are transferring materials set to return to Earth from the station to the Endeavour. If all goes well, water made from recycled urine will be added to the menu during extended space missions, alongside astronaut cuisine cooked up by food scientists in the Space Food Systems Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, who have been trying to spice up space fare.

Can't Pay the Bills...Try Some Different Methods

If only this or similar ways worked:

Cell Phone Stops Bullet...but Fees Don't Stop

While riding on his John Deere, Richard suddenly felt a “hard punch” hit him in the chest just over his heart. The Tammany News reported that when he grabbed his sweater to find out what the heck slammed into him a .45-caliber slug fell on the ground. What was going through his mind?

The bullet struck the cell phone that was in his chest pocket, tore it in two, and slowed the bullet just enough to keep it from entering his chest and piercing his heart. It is unknown, as of the writing of the article review, where the bullet came from but officials believe that it came from nearby hunters.

Not only did this incident make Ronald appreciate his life more, I’m assuming, but it also motivates him to be more active for stricter restriction of firing guns in the area. The Richards already sent a letter to Chris Cooper, the St. Tammany Parish District 2 Councilman, in attempt to compel him to do what he can to pass more strict ordinances concerning firearms. Now that this story has worldwide attention, I assume changes will soon be made.

I wonder what he’s going to be doing with the bullet. Who needs a bullet proof vest when you’ve got a cell phone?

DPS Portrait Contest Over

Thanks to everyone who voted and gave support on the portrait contest I entered last month. There were almost 2000 photos entered in the contest and I ended in the top 25.

Would You Use This Toilet?

This toilet is located in an extremely busy intersection of some city. From the inside you can see everything that passes by. From the outside, no one can see you. So, would you still use this toilet?

note: I just realized that the last two posts have involved toilets. This possibly because of the political mess and slander that has been "dumped" on us without limitation in the past several months?

Man Gets Arm Stuck in Train Toilet

This is pure genius...who is really attached to their phone this bad? If you are, please let know so I can hang around just to knock your phone down something just as disgusting. It's all for a good laugh, you'll see. Enjoy the read...

Here's something you don't read about happening every day. The BBC has this story about a man traveling on the TGV in France Sunday who got his hand sucked down the train's toilet.

Apparently the man's cell phone had fallen in and he was trying to retrieve it.

The train had to stop for two hours while rescue crews responded, cutting through the train's plumbing to free...the toilet [and the retard that was attached to it].

That's right: The man was taken off the train with the toilet still attached to his hand (or, his hand still stuck in the toilet). A witness tells the BBC that emergency responders had to saw the toilet in half to free the man's hand.

Probably a good thing this happened on the TGV, whose toilets are typically in a little better shape than, say, the toilets on an overnight train in Ukraine.

Sunlight Melting Hotdogs & Steel?

Using just the power of the sun a fancy setup, you can cook whatever you want in about 3 seconds. Don't try this at home...

British Columbia Man Paralyzed after Flu Shot

A New Westminster man is raising a warning flag after he contracted a rare and debilitating condition linked to the flu shot that left him paralyzed for almost five months. Every fall, health care workers across Canada distribute 10 million influenza vaccinations, and for the vast majority of people, the flu shot causes no major problems.

Within two weeks of getting his annual flu shot in 2007, however, Richard Ryan, 44, went from being happy and healthy to being in excruciating pain. At first, Ryan thought he had injured his back, and he checked into the local hospital emergency room, he told CBC News on Wednesday.

But Ryan was also suffering some numbness, and when a neurologist tested his reflexes, he found Ryan had none, he said. "The doctor asked me what was going on in my life. And as soon as I said I was feeling ill after getting a flu shot, he said, 'Stop right there, I know what you have,'" Ryan said.

The neurologist diagnosed Ryan with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, the chance of developing that particular disease from a flu shot is one in a million.

But as Ryan learned the consequences can be severe. By the time the emergency room exam was over, he was unable to get up. He spent the next 10 weeks recovering in hospital, including three weeks in intensive care, barely able to breathe or eat for himself. "My face was paralyzed. I had no feeling inside my mouth. I couldn't feel my tongue. My left eye wouldn't close so it had to be taped shut to sleep," he said.

The illness progressed into a lifelong condition known as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and a year later he remains heavily medicated, unable to work, and has memory problems. Although the disease is in remission, he is not expected to make a full recovery, and the chronic condition could return at any point in the future.
Worth the risk?

Now Ryan say he is concerned that public health officials are promoting the flu vaccine while most people are not fully aware of the risks. However, Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an epidemiologist at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, says the benefits of the flu vaccine still outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people.

"Nothing is completely risk-free," she told CBC News. "It is always a matter of weighing the benefits and the risks." Medical information provided with flu shots does mention the one-in-a-million chance of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome.

But it is especially important for people with heart and lung problems, the elderly and the chronically ill, to get the influenza vaccine because it could save their lives, Skowronski said. "Influenza itself can be life threatening, and it's those groups that we want to make sure are not put off from receiving influenza vaccine unnecessarily," said Skowronski.

There are more than 2000 flu-related deaths in Canada every year. Seniors, people with weak immune systems and some children are at highest risk. More common possible side-effects of vaccinations can include fever, muscle pain and weakness.

For his part, Ryan maintains that he's a good example of the fact that the benefits of the vaccination don't always outweigh the risks. "I think if people knew how serious the illness is, they would think twice about the flu shot," he said.

Oh by the way, I just got my shot this morning. Slight chance of risk...take the risk already!

The Daily 11

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

Social Oddity Networks

I ran across a list of some of the weirdest online social networks, nothing like the mainstream ones(myspace, facebook, and so on). Here are a few I picked to place on here that could be interesting to some or a good opportunity for laughter. They are as follows: Hamsterster.com, FamersOnly.com, StachePassions.com, and Spot-a-Potty. You pick!

Portrait Contest by DPS

If you have time to click the link below, vote for my portrait entry for the Digital Photography School Contest, hosted by Photrade. The contest is running for the full month of October. Thanks for helping out!
Vote for my entry!

Vote!

Shocking Smokers

This is some news from the UK(Mail Online UK). I rather like the idea and wish the United States would also do away with the lame surgeon general's warning and put something truly scary for some real convincing. Read on:
Shocking pictures of throat cancer and rotting teeth are to appear on cigarette packets from today to illustrate the health risks of smoking. Among the other images smokers will see are rotting lungs, a corpse in a morgue and a body cut open during surgery. The photos will appear on the back of packets accompanied by a written health warning.

New figures showed written warnings had motivated more than 90,000 smokers to call the NHS Smoking Helpline, the Department of Health said. However, smoking is still the biggest killer in England where it causes the premature death of more than 87,000 people each year.The photos are expected to be more effective than text, and research suggested that warnings should be changed periodically to maintain their effectiveness, the DoH said.

Canada was the first country to introduce picture warnings in 2001. Research a year later found 31 per cent of ex-smokers said the images had motivated them to quit the habit while 27 per cent said they had helped them to remain non-smokers, according to the DoH. Graphic images are now used on tobacco products sold in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Venezuela, Thailand and Uruguay.

The smokers' lobby group Forest criticized the new warnings as 'unnecessarily intrusive' and 'gratuitously offensive'. Forest director Simon Clark said: 'We support measures that educate people about the health risks of smoking, but these pictures are designed not just to educate but to shock and coerce people to give up a legal product.

Insanity & Human Wings

These guys are crazy, but they have "mastered" their love for flying("gliding") by coming within a couple feet of rocks, trees, and that huge mountain they are tempting to meet. All I know, they have drawn a very thin line between 100% pure adrenaline & a quick death wish.

Google Time Machine?

In celebration of their 10 year anniversary as a search engine, google is going retro! They've launched a period accurate recreation of 2001 in the form of a search engine. Featuring the ability to "Search 1,326,920,000 web pages!" retro-google will take you back to the days when Ipod meant "The Image Proof of Deposit Document Processing System." Can an actual Google time machine be far behind? We will have thought not.

Stop Paying: 15 Free Services

With rising prices for services or for the need to save money, here are some helpful resources to cut back at monthly costs. Everyone needs to spend less, period.
-------------------------------------
Free Television
Cut that cable bill and use Hulu.com for your movie and television viewing pleasure. Hulu offers full episodes of your favorite current and classic TV shows, full-length movies and thousands of clips– all for free!

Free College Fund
Upromise offers a great way to beef up Junior’s college fund without costing you a penny. Upromise puts a percentage of the money you spend on every day purchases into a special 529 Plan. It’s completely free.

Free Kids Meals
Want to go out to eat at a restaurant that doesn’t charge you for your little one’s meal? Simply plug in your zip code at KidsMealDeals.com and you’ll get a list of nearby eateries offering free food for youngsters.

Free Invoicing
Here’s a tip for small business owners. Check out BillingBoss.com for an easy (and completely free) way to create, send and track invoices.

Free Business Cards
Snag lots of free stuff at VistaPrint.com. We’re talking business cards, address labels, sticky notes and much more for free.

Free Computer Software
If you need software for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, and presentations, check out OpenOffice.org. It’s a completely free download for anybody.

Free Directory Assistance
Need a number? Rather than tacking on more to your phone bill, try 1-800-Free-411. Get the digits you desire without spending a dime. You may have to listen to a short advertisement but, hey, it’s free.

Free Photo Processing
At Snapfish.com you won’t pay for prints– at least not right away. The first 50 are completely free when you register on the site. After that they're $.09 each.

Free Recipes
Rather than pay for a cookbook, find free recipes on the Internet with sites like Epicurious.com and AllRecipes.com.

Free Landscaping
Need to spruce up your garden? Order some free trees at FreeTreesandPlants.com . It’s a non-profit charity that utilizes the help of disabled employees to process orders.

Free Credit Report
Once a year you are allowed free access to your credit report. Check out AnnualCreditReport.com to check your credit and stop identity theft.

Free Diet Help
Can’t afford a personal trainer or a dietician to help you stay healthy? Try visiting SparkPeople.com for free meal plans, fitness tracking and exercise demos. You can also download a free printable tape measure to measure your success.

Free DVD Rentals
Rather than subscribing to a movie rental service or visiting your neighborhood video store every Friday night, try visiting your local library. Their selection of DVD’s might surprise you, but it won’t come as a surprise that it’s completely free. After all, it is the library.

Free Music
Save money on your music fix by trying out free online streaming radio. Sites like Pandora.com and Free Napster let you decide exactly what you want to listen to. Hear the latest hits or your old favorites for free.

Free Lodging
Hotel stays can cost big bucks, but thanks to CouchSurfing.com you can find a couch to crash on in just about every city for free.

Room to Move

This past week was the first to be in my new house. So far, things have went fairly smoothly. Some new furniture will be here this week hopefully, and maybe some time will be there to make it look more like a place. I do want to thank everyone who helped me out with the short move, the heavy lifting, cleaning, house-sitting, etc. It is all greatly appreciated. And yes, I will get some pictures up after the furniture arrives. Then, the visiting starts!

Renting Finished!

As of yesterday, the renting has stopped. I am now in my own home...pictures may come later, depending on when I get everything unpacked.

Google's Android Operating System

Finally, something to give Apple iPhone's OS some competition and functionality...Google can of course handle this with its wide variety of powerful applications that love to sync on multiple devices. Maybe in the future they will bring it to AT&T for the rest of us.

Dog Dials 911 When Owner Has Seizure

Phoenix — "Man's best friend" doesn't go far enough for Buddy, a German shepherd who remembered his training and saved his owner's life by calling 911 when the man had a seizure.

And it's not the first time Buddy has been there for owner Joe Stalnaker, a police officer said Sunday. On a recording of the 911 call Wednesday, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the dispatcher answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.

"Hello, this is 911. Hello ... Can you hear me? Is there somebody there you can give the phone to," says the dispatcher, Chris Trott. Police were sent to Stalnaker's home, and after about three minutes Buddy is heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.

Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure. "It's pretty incredible," Clark said. "Even the veteran dispatchers _ they haven't heard of anything like this."

Clark said police are dispatched whenever 911 is called, but that Stalnaker's address was flagged in Scottsdale's system with a notification that a trained assistance dog could call 911 when the owner was incapacitated. Clark said Stalnaker adopted Buddy at the age of 8 weeks from Michigan-based Paws with a Cause, which trains assistance dogs, and trained him to get the phone if he began to have seizure symptoms. Buddy, now 18 months old, is able press programmed buttons until a 911 operator is on the line, Clark said.

Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Stalnaker was having seizures. He said Stalnaker's seizures are the result of a head injury he suffered about 10 years ago during a military training exercise. Stalnaker was not listed in the phone book, and he did not immediately respond to a request through police for an interview.

Mythbusters - Helium and Sulfur Hexafluoride

This is great...one tank on order please.

Out of The Hill Country

Back from Sylva & the backwoods part of NC...got back in Fayetteville just in time for Hanna to dump plenty of rain around here. While up in the mountains, there were plenty of things to take pictures of. Check out the September Album or The Nifty HDR additions from the old paper mill near downtown Sylva. Time is flying by towards the house closing...very exciting!

Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers

Yes, America has done it once again. This nasty entree was served for lunch at Google NYC’s cafeteria to celebrate the birthday of the head of the cafe staff. Yuck! Who's up for one?

Why Soft Drinks Contribute to Obesity - Pt2

Sugars in solid versus liquid form - does it matter?

To answer this question, 15 men and women were recruited for a short cross-over trial designed to compare the effects of equicaloric liquid and solid carbohydrate sweeteners on food intake. All participants were in their twenties and in the healthy weight range.

The trial consisted of two four-week interventions, separated by a four-week washout period and cross-over. Once a week during the two trial phases the participants presented themselves to the investigators to be weighed and supplied with weekly rations of their daily 450 kcal sweeteners. The solid load consisted of sucrose-sweetened jelly beans, and the liquid load of HFCS-sweetened soda.The
participants were free to decide when to take their daily loads, and when and what to eat. Calorie intake was estimated from self-assessments of food consumption.

Analysis of the food questionnaires indicated that during their solid phase the subjects fully compensated for the energy content of their preload; the total calorie intake from food plus test sweetener was equal to the pre-trial food energy intake. This was not the case, however, during their liquid trial phase, where food intake remained unchanged, i.e. the sweetened drink added to the total calories.

While conclusions based on self-reporting of food eaten are always questionable, these were within-subject comparisons, i.e. the same bias was likely present in their estimate of food intake after liquid and after solid preloading. Furthermore, the estimated energy intakes were consistent with measured changes in body weight. The participants experienced significant weight gains during the liquid trial phase, but not during the solid trial phase, consistent with an excess energy intake in the liquid phase.

It appears therefore that caloric sweeteners contribute to weight gain if consumed in drinks, but not in solid food.

Fructose and glucose affect appetite and food intake differently

Two hormones, insulin and leptin, act as satiety signals in the brain and thus are critical to energy homeostasis. Both insulin and leptin circulate in the blood at levels proportional to body fat content, and enter the central nervous system in proportion to their plasma levels. Low hormone levels increase appetite, and high levels act to reduce energy intake.

Insulin levels rise in response to blood glucose. Insulin-mediated entry of glucose into adipocytes (fat cells) in turn causes the release of leptin. In other words, both insulin and leptin levels react to glucose concentrations. Fructose, on the other hand, does not trigger insulin release. This in turn means that fructose doesn′t affect leptin levels either. Since it increases neither insulin nor leptin levels, fructose consumption does not generate the same satiety signals as glucose. The result is overeating and weight gain.

Summary

To summarize, the rise in obesity rates with increasing HFCS consumption was no coincidence. The increased popularity of soft drinks and HFCS-sweetened convenience foods led to a rapid increase in fructose consumption. It was this excessive fructose intake that fuelled the rapid weight gain, since fructose does not generate the same satiety signals as glucose. It is likely that sweetened drinks are worse than sweet solid foods, and that sucrose has the same effect as high fructose corn syrup.

Most studies of the effects of calorically sweetened liquids on appetite and weight gain looked at soft drinks. However, fruit juices and drinks also contain added sweeteners, typically HFCS, i.e. they pose the same obesity risk. Switching to noncalorically sweetened soft drinks isn′t the answer either, since artificial sweeteners like aspartame come with problems of their own.

Of course fruit also contains fructose ("fruit sugar"), but this obviously doesn′t mean that one should stop eating fruit. It doesn′t contain nearly as much fructose as sweetened drinks and it is a valuable source of phytonutrients and fiber, whereas soft drinks provide little more than empty calories.

Clearly, one of the best things we can do for our health is to stop drinking soft drinks. -- from naturalnews.com

Why Soft Drinks Contribute to Obesity - Pt1

The introduction of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the seventies coincided with a marked rise in obesity in the U.S., leading to speculations that there might be a causal connection between HFCS consumption and weight gain. This seemed all the more plausible since HFCS consumption grew much faster than any other food intake.

On the other hand, obesity rates also increased in Europe and other parts of the world where sucrose (table sugar) remained the major caloric sweetener. This seemed to argue against a connection between HFCS and weight gain, particularly since the fructose/glucose ratios of high fructose corn syrup and sucrose are quite similar.

What sucrose and high fructose corn syrup have in common, and what distinguishes them from dietary carbohydrates such as starch, is their fructose content. Fructose contributes the same amount of energy as glucose, but it doesn′t trigger the same satiety signals. The sharp rise in the consumption of soft drinks and processed foods sweetened with HFCS and sucrose led to a dramatic increase in fructose intake, a source of energy that goes essentially unnoticed.

What is high fructose corn syrup?

High fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch, a glucose polymer. First, enzymatic starch breakdown yields corn syrup which is essentially free glucose. The glucose is then further converted to fructose. After various purification steps, a mixture of 90% fructose and 10% glucose (HFCS-90) is obtained. HFCS-90 is mixed with appropriate amounts of corn syrup to make either HFCS-55 or HFCS-42, mixtures with 55% and 42% fructose, respectively. HFCS-55 is mainly used for soft drinks, whereas HFCS-42 is primarily used to sweeten baked goods.

Not only are sucrose and high fructose corn syrup similar in their fructose/glucose ratios, but soft drinks are acidic enough to hydrolyze sucrose. An analysis of sucrose-sweetened soft drinks showed that ten days after manufacture only 50% of the sucrose was still intact. After three months 90% of the sucrose was hydrolyzed, i.e. even sucrose-sweetened soft drinks contain mostly free fructose and glucose.

HFCS has largely replaced sucrose in commercial foods in North America. It is cheaper than sucrose, partly because of import tariffs on sucrose and agricultural subsidies to corn producers.

HFCS versus sucrose in drinks - is there a difference?

37 men and women in their twenties and in the healthy weight range were recruited to compare the effects of soft drinks sweetened with sucrose and HFCS on subsequent food intake At mid-morning the participants were given one of six preloads: 215 kcal from sodas sweetened with sucrose, HFCS-42, or HFCS-55, 215 kcal from 1% milk, 4 kcal from aspartame-sweetened diet soda, or no drink at all. Later all subjects were given the same lunch and they were free to eat as much as they wanted. Leftover food was weighed, giving the investigators an accurate measure of energy intake. Averaged over six lunches, the following total calorie intakes (in kcal) from preload plus lunch were found: HFCS-42 1193, HFCS-55 1182, sucrose 1170, 1% milk 1129, aspartame 1011, and no drink 1008.

Clearly, there was no significant difference between the sodas sweetened with sucrose and those with HFCS. In addition, the subjects drinking caloric preloads clearly took in more total calories than those drinking the low-cal soda or nothing at all. In other words, those who had caloric drinks before lunch did not reduce their food intake sufficiently to compensate for the preload. -- from naturalnews.com

August Over...Bring on Cooler Weather

Tomorrow morning I am heading back to China Grove for a couple hours, passing through, then on to the mountains...and will be there the rest of the week working at the tiny hospital in Sylva. September is just a couple hours away, and in less than three weeks I'll be in my first house(here in Fayettenam).
Oh, I posted a ton of photos from Cat & Saul's wedding shoot three weeks ago, a fun night downtown with the family, and the walk around the Botanical Gardens of Fayetteville. Check them out if you want to. The slideshows are the best.

What You Didn't See At The Olympics

Mountain Work

Next week I have the pleasure of heading to the Great Smokey Mountains to work up at another account. I'll be in tiny Sylva, the small place to the right. Maybe the good views will be a plus to the slow moving town...and hopefully back in time for the big wedding in Pinehurst. Weddings = Food, so priority #1 takes into effect.

The Guinea Pig Olympics

As with the human Olympics, guinea athletes are held in great esteem among their fans, admired for their stamina, prowess and incredible feats. Enjoy two of the 12 images from the awesome article.

Homeowner, almost!

This past weekend, I took the final look at three houses that made it past all other listings. Afterwords, I made an offer on the house, we agreed on some terms, and now the process starts with an overabundance of paperwork. So, hopefully in just four weeks I'll be done with renting and living in a house that I can tear up, fix, and do whatever. It's nifty.

The Strangest Clip Ever Made

A while ago, Nokia launched a site that featured a strange box that could be unlocked by solving various puzzles. When opened, the box promised to present "The Weirdest Clip Ever Made." The mysterious clip has just been released to the public, and it may really be one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

New HDR Editions

Went out last night and took mainly some HDR(def) shots around downtown Fayetteville. Since it was overcast, the outside shots didn't come out the best. Anyway, Feel free to check out the slideshow of the HDR collection.

Man Calls 911 Over Incorrect Sandwich

This man below in the story...just idiotic:

Jacksonville, FL -- An unhappy Subway customer called 911 not once, but twice to complain to police that his sandwich was not made to his liking. Reginald Peterson called the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office in hopes that police could have his sandwich made to his satisfaction.

A short time later, Peterson contacted JSO again to complain that police still had not shown up.

When police did arrive Peterson told the officer he had ordered two sandwiches, checked out, and then walked outside to find the subs did not have "everything" he ordered. He told police he became "very upset" and "belligerent" because the employee making the sandwich was not doing it correctly.

Witnesses inside the store say Peterson eventually started screaming at everyone inside. When Peterson went outside to call police. Employees closed the store and locked the door to keep him from returning. According to the report, the officer tried to calm Peterson and explain to him the proper way to use 911, but he would not cooperate.

Peterson was arrested and at his request the sandwiches were thrown away.

Cellphone vs. The Bible

Dad, thanks for sending this...

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone.

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go...."Hmm, where is my Bible?"

So remember this...
You'll never have dropped calls and unlike our cell phone, we don't have
to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid
the bill.

But most important of all...you'll never have to ask Him, "Can you hear me now?"

Makes you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?"

Vacation Over, Pictures Explain

So finally, I got away from work & took a needed vacation. Here below are some of the moments that were captured. Check out the album here or watch the slideshow. Here are just a few pictures from the album.

Microsoft's Sphere Preview

This is the same multi-touch technology used in Microsoft Surface, but it is mapped across a multi-touch sphere, allowing users on all sides to use the device and send data to other users interacting with it. Hopefully they will invent some useful programs for everyday consumers so the technology won't be held back to convention type gatherings.

World’s Largest Homemade Waterslide

I want to try this one out!

Balance Bike Queen

This is pretty awesome. Have a great weekend, but don't try this at home.

Busy All Day, Everyday!

Lately I have been quite busy all day from sun-up to sundown. With work, on-call, house-hunting, church, and other stuff, it's been flying by quickly. On the plus side, the weeks have been moving so fast that a needed vacation is coming up next week. So most of next week I will be out near Carolina Beach with my three favorite ladies, Mom, Abby, and Sarah. See ya!

Octopus escaping through a 1 inch hole

Location: Whalebone Bay, St. George’s, Bermuda



Octopuses have an amazing ability to squeeze through tiny crevices, cracks and holes. This investigation by Raymond Deckel studied just how small a hole Octopus macropus could fit through as well as how long it took them to squeeze through different sizes of holes. Ray timed its escape through a 1 inch hole while the camera shot video clips for later analysis.

Photos a'Plenty

Just a couple of days past Independence Day & getting some time to head downtown to try out some new things...and this is what happens. Check out my HDR Gallery that has been started on flickr as well as July 4th shots & the rest of downtown mess of Fayetteville. The new lens addition(EF 17-85mm IS USM) is my favorite so far. There wasn't enough time to get into some night-time lapse shots, but that'll come soon.

Still a Reason for SUV sales?

The article below should not have been a wake up call to those driving SUVs still...well unless there are legitimate reasons for doing so(work, too many kids to count, etc).

"For people who love their big vehicles, the pain is acute." - This statement pulled from below is just people shooting themselves in the foot then whining about it for no good reason.

Seriously, if you have joined the triple-digit club for gas already, it's a good idea to get out early. Now if you enjoy throwing money away, continue driving the Hummers & Land Rovers.
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At $100 for Tank of Gas, Some Choke on ‘Fill It’ from the New York Times

With gasoline prices high and rising, a new financial milestone has arrived: the $100 tank of gas.

Bryan Carisone, a heating and air-conditioning contractor in Raritan, N.J., “absolutely loves” his new GMC Denali XL, an extra-large sport utility vehicle with televisions built into the leather seats. But in June, one week after he bought it, he pulled into a station on a near-empty tank and watched the total climb higher and higher — to $109.

“It just about killed me,” Mr. Carisone said.

For decades, the $100 barrel stood as a hypothetical outlier in doom-and-gloom conversations about future oil prices. And nobody could even imagine an American family paying $100 to fill the tank.

But the future is here. Oil passed $100 a barrel in January and now seems headed toward $150 a barrel. Gasoline prices surpassed $4 a gallon on June 8, stalled for a while, and have been rising again in recent days, setting a record Saturday.

By late spring, owners of pickups and sport utility vehicles with 30-gallon tanks, like the Cadillac Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Suburban, started paying $100 or more to fill a near-empty tank. As gas prices continue to rise — the national average stood at about $4.10 a gallon Saturday — membership in the triple-digit club is growing. Now, even not-so-gargantuan Toyota Land Cruisers and GMC Yukons can cost $100 to fill up.

Data on exactly how often people pay $100 for a tank of gas are scarce, given price variations from market to market and day to day. But during the first five months of 2008, about 11 percent of American drivers said they bought 24 gallons or more at their last fill-up, according to a survey of 81,000 drivers by the NPD Group, a market research firm — which at today’s prices would place many of them at or around $100.

For people who love their big vehicles, the pain is acute.

Members of the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club of North America prize the Avalanche, a large sport utility vehicle, for its versatility, including a rear cab wall that slides forward for a larger pickup bed or backward for more passenger room.

But the Avalanche also has a 31-gallon tank, which would cost $127 to fill at Saturday’s national average price. Even the truck’s most dedicated fans find that galling. David H. Obelcz, who founded the club in 2002 and is still a member of the board, sold his Avalanche because he could not afford gasoline for it.

Thirty members of the fan club’s Arizona chapter used to attend off-roading and other events three times a month. But now that Avalanche owners pay more than $100 per tank, the club is lucky to attract 10 members once every two months, said Eric Tolliver, a chapter leader.

“Everybody’s trying to save money on gas, so now we mostly chat online instead of driving,” Mr. Tolliver said.

Eric Laugen, a firefighter in Seattle, is administrator of the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club of North America. For a trip to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, he wanted to drive his truck because it has enough room for his fishing and camera gear, as well as space in the back to sleep. But he rode his motorcycle instead. That means pitching a tent every night, and no fishing.

“Motorcycle touring is a pain,” said Mr. Laugen, talking on his cellphone from a park in Alaska. “But then I looked at how much gas would cost in the Avalanche. It just doesn’t make sense anymore.”

Hummer clubs are hurting, too. In Nebraska, Ric Hines of the Omaha Hummer Owner Group — known as Omahog — stopped doing off-road trips this summer and started riding his recumbent bicycle instead. “I get to camp either way, and biking pushes me to save a few hundred dollars on gas,” Mr. Hines said.

Mark R. Price, founder of the Illiana Hummer Club in the Chicago area, owns three Hummer H1s, which get about eight miles per gallon. “A lot of our members won’t travel 70 miles just to support a parade anymore,” Mr. Price said. “People wait for something a little closer.”

Families that were accustomed to the convenience of sport utility vehicles are having to cut back as well. Colleen Hammond of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, loves packing her three kids and all their soccer gear into her 2000 GMC Yukon XL. But she hates paying $160 to fill the 38.5-gallon tank. Last month, she parked the Yukon in her driveway and borrowed her friend’s Toyota Land Cruiser.

“I don’t know if it gets better gas mileage, but I like her car because it costs $100 to fill it,” said Ms. Hammond, 40. “I think $100 for a tank of gas is cheap now.”

Steve Burtch bought a Dodge Ram truck last year, when gas cost $3.75, because he thought gas prices had peaked and would start coming down. Instead, he pumped his first $100 tank in June. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to keep this up,” said Mr. Burtch, 43, who lives in Marion, Ohio.

It seems that plenty of other drivers are sharing his dismay. An automotive information Web site and market research firm, Edmunds.com, compiled sales data showing that in the last seven model years, Americans have bought 25.4 million vehicles with tanks 24 gallons or larger — the point at which three figures is now a real possibility. A few big trucks and sport utility vehicles have tanks exceeding 30 gallons.

But people who try to pump $100 worth of gas often find that they cannot, since most pumps that take credit cards shut off at $75 to prevent someone with insufficient funds or a stolen credit card from running off with gas. In addition, some older pumps still are not capable of registering triple-digit bills.

“It’s a huge inconvenience,” said Dr. Walter Bahr, a chiropractor in Cape Coral, Fla., who drives a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup and pays $130 per tank. Many consumers whose tanks would easily swallow $100 worth of gas refuse to pump that much at once, just to avoid the trauma.

“Usually I don’t let it get real empty so that I don’t have to see that $100 on the pump,” said Bob Hammond, 61, of Chesterland, Ohio, who drives an Avalanche. “It’s a mental thing.”

Gary Chamberlain always pays cash for gasoline, so the pump kept right on spinning two weeks ago when he made his first triple-digit fill-up of his Ford conversion van.

“The bill was $104.98, which was a real shock,” said Mr. Chamberlain, 71, of Marion, Ohio. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Dancing around the world

WALL•E

Just go see it!
IMDb info

Giraffe helps animals escape from circus

Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a traveling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage.

Police spokesman Arnout Aben says the animals wandered in a group through a nearby neighborhood for several hours after their 5:30 a.m. breakout.

The animals were back at the circus later Monday after being rounded up by police and circus workers with the assistance of dogs. Aben says neighbors fed some of the animals - which he said was a bad idea - but they were tame and nobody was hurt.
Says Aben: "You have to imagine somebody rubbing his eyes first thing in the morning and saying, 'Am I seeing things or is that 15 camels walking past?'"

Thanks Dave for sending me the story.

Back to Honda Civic

Yep, the Mustang is gone but extremely missed. However, due to lame government happenings & the useless preventing of that free oil up in northern ice country, our gas prices aren't coming down soon. So...no issues here with the new Civic, especially if I get a chance to head near the coast.

8 Online Resources For Learning New Languages

First off, all of these are completely free. If you're really interesting in learning a new dialect and don't have the money to spend on the classes, then check out the sites below for more information. Remember, just because you don't pay for it doesn't mean it's worthless. Most good information you get for free is good or better than paid for information.

BBC Languages - Comprehensive online courses for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Greek, with slightly briefer introductions to several other languages. This is the best option for starting a new language from the beginning as the curricula are well designed, very complete, and have features of a self-study program.

MIT OpenCourseWare - The Languages and Literatures department features courses in languages such as Chinese, Japanese, French, German and Spanish in addition to culture topics. They all include a detailed study plan to aid the self-learner in structuring a home course.

Internet Polyglot - The Internet Polyglot provides study materials for twenty-one languages. The unit-based materials available are ideal for a student already familiar with the basics of the language and interested in practicing specific areas and applications.

The Open University LeaningSpace - Similar to the Internet Polyglot, the LearingSpace provides unit-based study materials with a primary emphasis in French and Spanish.

Language Learning Podcasts - To find podcasts, iTunes users can navigate to the “education” category of the iTunes Music Store. Other listeners can browse popular podcast databases like Odeo or The Podcast Directory. A highlight of some of the more popular language podcasts includes Learn Greek, The French Podcast, ChinesePod, A Taste of Russian, and the Cherokee Language Podcast.

Madinah Arabic Language Course - Focusing on both spoken and written Arabic, this course takes the student from the first introductions through the advanced beginner level.

Livemocha - Livemocha is a social networking community focused on learning foreign languages. It provides free online courses in German, Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Hindi with plans to expand to other languages in the future. In addition to the online courses, available from introductory to intermediate levels, Livemocha provides an active community of language learners and native speakers willing to work with you and give help when needed. This community based approach makes Livemocha one of the most useful tools for the self-study of language.

Something Completely Different - Travelers interested in learning a more obscure, or even endangered language, should begin their research at the Ethnologue, an online database of all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages.

Double the weekend!

The day is Wednesday & the workweek is done for me. Tomorrow, I am doing a little house hunting around the area then maybe having some relaxing time around the pool in Raleigh or elsewhere.

I also added some of the pictures that I took at the wedding this past weekend and some from the weekend before, near a relatives house. Check'em out.

Bugs that eat waste & make us gas?

Exactly, now scientists in Silicon Valley have genetically altered bacteria in order to possibly help out with our huge energy crisis on gas. The idea, simply, for "bugs" to eat waste & give us fuel in return. Instead of barrels of oil climbing to even higher prices, we will depend on this research for a better alternative. Better yet, the fuel acquired by these bugs would be carbon negative, or cleaner than the air outside the car. Click the fuel to read the article.

"...the bugs excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready."

Varying Impact of Gas Prices

Click the map to look at three different impacts from the fast rise in gas prices throughout the county...from percent of income on gas, to gas average prices, to median income. How about all those new shiny electric vehicles coming sooner?

National Doughnut Day

Being the fattest country in the world carries its retarded holidays. Enjoy this one, brought to us by Krispy Kreme.

Even better, save your gas, walk or run to your local KK and pass on the doughnut altogether to combat this top honor of being the world's "biggest" country.