Healthbolt

---

An innovative CPR mattress Posted: 11 Jul 2009 05:26 PM PDT Hospital mattresses are soft and pliable. Great for the patient who wants to be comfortable. But not so great for medical staff if they have to perform CPR. Michigan Technology University Performing compressions on someone lying in a soft and pliable mattress will only result in the force going into the mattress and not the body. The standard answer is to get the patient on a crash board first but that requires extra time to roll the patient and position the board. Extra time that is often critical. But a group of innovative students at Michigan Tech may just have the answer. They have been developing a mattress that will allow faster and more effective cardiopulmonary resusciation (CPR). The idea: Suck the air out of the foam in the mattress and make it firm The means: some tubing, a little motor, and a vacuum pump. The results: the CPR load (or force) that is applied to the heart increases to 81 percent with the Tech students mattress (as compared to 43 percent for standard mattress and 52 percent for standard mattress and crash board) It's a design that could save lives in a heartbeat. (image source) Post from: Healthbolt

You are subscribed to email updates from Healthbolt To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full?
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kiven - Codamon.com - Babes and Gaming

---

• Torchlight MMO
• Command and Conquer 4 – first screen
• Download The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall for FREE
• Battlefield Heroes Reviews

Torchlight MMO Posted: 11 Jul 2009 03:52 AM PDT Torchlight is both a single player game and a MMO from Runic Games, whch is made up of former Flasghip Studios employees who worked on the enjoyable yet doomed fantasy MMORPG Mythos (yes, it was much more enjoyable than Hellgate).   If it anywhere near as enjoyable as Mythos, sign me up. Just no region locking bullshit, please.

Command and Conquer 4 – first screen Posted: 11 Jul 2009 12:42 AM PDT Check out the first screenshot of Command and Conquer 4 by EA. I hope it doesn’t suck.

Download The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall for FREE Posted: 11 Jul 2009 12:34 AM PDT Bethesda Softworks is giving back to fans by making the second game in the Elder Scrolls series FREE for download via its web site. Total file size is around 150MB (remember when this size was HUGE) and you need the DOSBox emulator to play it. Remember to remove your GPU accelerated mindset before you play this game or you’ll go blind. Link after the jump. Download The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall for FREE via Bethesda

Battlefield Heroes Reviews Posted: 11 Jul 2009 12:30 AM PDT Check out some reviews of EA’s free to play cartoony World War 2 browser based shooter. What a mouthful… 1UP Heroes isn’t a crap game. In fact, it’s pretty damn spiffy. It’s easily worth putting some time into, and it’s more than worth the $0 price of admission. It may even be worth dropping a couple bucks on a trucker hat and blue face paint if you want to rock the redneck Braveheart look while getting blown up. In fact, the meanest thing I can say about it is that the game’s theme song is one of the most annoying earworms ever inflicted on me by a videogame. Kotaku There’s just something about the mix of clean, cartoon visuals and refined multiplayer mechanics that make Battlefield Heroes an absolute blast. The fact you can play it effectively without paying a cent probably helps. Series purists may turn their noses up at the new visual style and slightly more “arcade” feel of the game, but that’s fine. For those people, there’s alway other Battlefield games. That they have to pay for. For everyone else, though, Battlefield Heroes is a fun, accessible shooter that retains the best strategic elements of the series while making the game appealing to a broader range of people. If EA can add a few more matchmaking/server options to the game, Battlefield Heroes could be one of the sleeper hits of the year on PC.

You are subscribed to email updates from Pinoy Gaming, Babes & Anime Blog Philippines by Kiven To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Liberal Values

---

• The 2008 Attacks Each Campaign Regrets
• Inspectors General Report on Warrantless Wiretaps
• ACLU Seeks To End Censorship Of Religious Material
• Medical Inflation and Comparative Effectiveness
• Conservatives Against Palin
• Ann Althouse Returns To Warped Commentary On Female Body Parts

The 2008 Attacks Each Campaign Regrets Posted: 11 Jul 2009 12:13 AM PDT It is common for both sides to in a political campaign to go further in the heat of battle than they might if they took the time to reflect on their tactics. Marc Ambinder reviewed an advance copy of The Battle for America, a book on the 2008 election by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson and mentioned a few attacks which were regretted by both campaigns. The major attack discussed is the McCarthyite charge that Obama “pals around with terrorists.” Contrary to earlier reports that Palin was going “rogue” in making the attack, probably motivated by a desire in the McCain campaign to distance themselves from such a dishonest attack, the book reports that the McCain fed the attack to Palin virtually word for word. Ambinder mentioned a couple of other attacks which campaign operatives reported they regretted at a post-campaign discussion a few months ago. The McCain campaign regretted the decision to bring up Ayers along with an ad which gave false information on a sex-ed program backed by Obama. The Obama campaign expressed regret about the ad which implied that McCain was too old or out of touch to use the internet.

Inspectors General Report on Warrantless Wiretaps Posted: 10 Jul 2009 11:43 PM PDT A report on the warrantless wiretap program of the Bush administration showed it was of little value: “Extraordinary and inappropriate” secrecy about a warrantless eavesdropping program undermined its effectiveness as a terrorism-fighting tool, government watchdogs have concluded in the first examination of one of the most contentious episodes of the Bush administration. A report by inspectors general from five intelligence agencies said the administration’s tight control over who learned of the program also contributed to flawed legal arguments that nearly prompted mass resignations in the Justice Department five years ago. The program “may have” contributed to successful counterterrorism efforts, some intelligence officials told the investigators. But too few CIA personnel knew of the highly classified program to use it for intelligence work, the report stated, while at the FBI, the program “played a limited role,” with “most . . . leads . . . determined not to have any connection to terrorism.” The surveillance program, which intercepted domestic communications linked to people with suspected ties to al-Qaeda, was one of the Bush administration’s most secretive and, eventually, controversial intelligence efforts. After the New York Times disclosed its existence in December 2005, the program became a symbol of the administration’s expansive view of executive authority, especially regarding national security… The release yesterday of the inspectors general’s summary findings renewed questions about the effectiveness of congressional oversight of intelligence activities, after a week of back-and-forth between House members and the CIA over an unrelated classified program that has been squashed by the new administration. The IGs reported that lawmakers received 49 briefings on the surveillance program between October 2001 and January 2007. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said: “The legal analysis under which the program operated for years ‘entailed ignoring an act of Congress, and doing so without full congressional notification.’ No president should be able to operate outside the law.” This report that the program was conducted without full congressional notification follows a recent report that the CIA concealed their actions from Congress prompting a review of the process for briefing Congress. Besides concealing information from Congress regarding the warrantless wiretaps, the report also demonstrates secrecy within the executive branch: For the first few years, then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and two senior aides — Office of Legal Counsel lawyer John C. Yoo and intelligence policy lawyer James Baker — were the only Justice Department officials made aware of the initiative, bypassing many of the latter men’s superiors, the unclassified summary reported for the first time.

ACLU Seeks To End Censorship Of Religious Material Posted: 10 Jul 2009 06:00 PM PDT It has become common for the many on the right to attack the American Civil Liberties Union and to mistake liberal support for freedom of religion as somehow being anti-religion. Here is a case which contradicts the conservative meme as the ACLU has protested censorship of biblical passages. From their press release: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Virginia today demanded that officials at the Rappahannock Regional Jail immediately end their illegal practice of censoring religious material sent to detainees. In a letter sent today to the jail’s superintendent, Joseph Higgs, Jr., the ACLU asks for jail officials to guarantee in writing that the jail will no longer censor biblical passages from letters written to detainees and to revise the jail’s written inmate mail policy to state that letters will not be censored simply because they contain religious material. “It is nothing short of stunning that a jail would think it okay to censor the Bible and other religious material for no reason other than its religious nature,” said David Shapiro, staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project. “Such censorship violates both the rights of detainees to practice religion freely and the free speech rights of those wanting to communicate with detainees.” The letter was prompted by a complaint brought to the ACLU by Anna Williams, a devout Christian whose son was detained at Rappahannock beginning in June of 2008 until his transfer earlier this year. Williams wanted to send her son religious material, including passages from the Bible, to support him spiritually during his confinement. But rather than deliver Williams’ letters to her son in full, jail officials removed any and all religious material, destroying the religious messages Williams sought to convey to her son. For example, after jail officials excised biblical passages, a three-page letter sent by Williams to her son was reduced to nothing more than the salutation, the first paragraph of the letter and the closing, “Love, Mom.” Jail officials banned additional material from other letters Williams attempted to send her son, including passages from the Book of Proverbs, the Book of James, the Book of Matthew and an article that contained Christian perspectives on confronting isolation while in jail. Jail officials have variously cited prohibitions on “Internet pages” and “religious material sent from home” as reasons for the censorship. “It is essential that jail officials abide by the law and the requirements of the U.S. Constitution,” said Daniel Mach, Director of Litigation for the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “People do not lose their right to religious worship simply because they are incarcerated.” The ACLU’s letter also asks jail officials to revise the jail’s inmate mail policy to state that letters will not be censored merely because they contain material printed from the Internet or copied from the Internet and inserted into a letter using a word processor’s “cut and paste” feature. “Arbitrarily banning religious material is in direct odds with our nation’s constitutional values,” said Rebecca Glenberg, Legal Director for the ACLU of Virginia. “Americans are free to practice the religion of their choice, or no religion at all, without interference from any government official.” Other signatories to the ACLU’s letter are the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the Rutherford Institute, Prison Fellowship, the Friends Committee on National Legislation and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. A copy of the ACLU’s letter is available online at: www.aclu.org/prison/restrict/40257res20090709.html Additional information about the ACLU National Prison Project is available online at: www.aclu.org/prison Additional information about the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief at: www.aclu.org/religion

Medical Inflation and Comparative Effectiveness Posted: 10 Jul 2009 02:06 PM PDT Back in the 1970’s Gerald Ford tried to fight inflation by having people wear WIN badges, standing for Whip Inflation Now. David Brooks (or possibly an editor at The New York Times) has applied the slogan to a column on  health care costs without even giving Ford credit. Brooks is generally correct that little that is being proposed will significantly lower health care costs, but there is one point where I disagree with his evaluation: There are several ideas floating around that could reduce inflation, but they are neutered in the current bills. For example, many people believe that comparative effectiveness research would bend the cost curve. The current bills would pay for that research but negate the effects by allowing everybody to ignore the findings. I know this sounds a bit strange, but paying for research on comparative effectiveness but leaving the ultimate judgement as to treatment up to the physician is exactly the right way to handle this. There are many areas where we have very poor data as to which treatments work best, such as with prostate cancer, despite tremendous differences in cost between various methods. If we had good data (which does not come from the pharmaceutical companies with a stake in the decision) such results would not be ignored. Doctors would be more likely to recommend the best treatment given the evidence. If doctors did not, plenty of patients would come in with data from the internet. Such findings should not be mandatory. Practice guidelines which are relevant to most patients with a single disorder might not apply to patients with multiple disorders. Even studies which show that one treatment is generally best might find some exceptions. The preferences of the patient also need to be considered. In situations where there is a choice between long term medications and surgery, some patients might be reluctant to take time off from work, or be terrified by surgery. Other patients might be poorly compliant with medications, or have problems taking the medications, making a quick surgical intervention a better choice for them. Comparative effectiveness studies would be considered in making medical decisions, but they cannot provide the final answer.

Conservatives Against Palin Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:57 AM PDT While there is no doubt that Sarah Palin has many fans on the far right, many more serious Republicans are happy to see her go. The Hill reports that “Republicans facing tough elections in 2010 don't want Sarah Palin campaigning with them.” Peggy Noonan sums up her problems: She was hungry, loved politics, had charm and energy, loved walking onto the stage, waving and doing the stump speech. All good. But she was not thoughtful. She was a gifted retail politician who displayed the disadvantages of being born into a point of view (in her case a form of conservatism; elsewhere and in other circumstances, it could have been a form of liberalism) and swallowing it whole: She never learned how the other sides think, or why. In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn’t say what she read because she didn’t read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn’t thoughtful enough to know she wasn’t thoughtful enough. Her presentation up to the end has been scattered, illogical, manipulative and self-referential to the point of self-reverence. “I’m not wired that way,” “I’m not a quitter,” “I’m standing up for our values.” I’m, I’m, I’m. In another age it might not have been terrible, but here and now it was actually rather horrifying. Then there’s another view from the far right in an article by Olivia St. John at WorldNetDaily. She warns that “Palin is an avowed feminist”  and urges conservatives not to fall for appearances that she is one of them: Palin’s history over the past 17 years tells another story. Three years after the birth of the first of her five children, she entered the rough-and-tumble world of Alaska (and eventually national) politics and has never looked back. Has America become so emasculated that our only hope of getting another Ronald Reagan into the Oval Office is to idolize Palin as a political Madonna? Hardly. Do we have no men who can match her intelligence, charisma and leadership skills? To the contrary, we have better. Have conservatives become so desperate for a passionate leader that they forsake their most basic values of home and hearth? Yes, but it’s more than that. Sarah Palin represents the empirical self of millions of women working outside the home. They live vicariously through her supposed success. Seeing such a woman extolled gives credibility to their frantic lifestyle juggling job, children, husband, church, and housework. It has been said that part of Palin’s appeal is that her family is like so many other families. She is today’s American woman, who works outside the home and does it all. Whose daughters get pregnant out-of-wedlock. Whose husbands wear the aprons. Have we gone insane? Is this something to celebrate? The message is clear that she believes a woman’s place is in the home. If there is any doubt that this is her message, she again makes it clear in the conclusion: As conservatives continue chanting Sarah Palin for president, are they disenfranchising the men capable of stepping up to the plate in 2012? There are many strong conservative men better qualified to lead the greatest nation in the world. I pray these men rise to the fore and that Sarah Palin begins to turn her heart toward her home. I pray America wakes up to realize once again that the hand that rocks the cradle truly rules the world. That is a mother’s highest calling. That is Sarah Palin’s calling.

Ann Althouse Returns To Warped Commentary On Female Body Parts Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:36 AM PDT Several blogs have posted the above picture. Ann Althouse gives  her impressions. Ever since her bizarre comments on a female blogger’s breasts in a photo with Bill Clinton I have known to be wary of her views related to female body parts. Checking out the video of the event provides a totally different interpretation than the one given by Althouse (or the initial assumptions of others who have glanced at the above picture): After viewing the video, Obama looks innocent but I’m not so sure about Sarkozy.

You are subscribed to email updates from Liberal Values To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

The Marketing Minute

---

Five ways to manage customer loyalty (Timothy Keiningham & Lerzan Aksoy) Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:15 AM PDT Drew's Note:  As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post.  Meet two thought leaders who shares their insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado...Timothy Keiningham and Lerzan Aksoy.  Again. Enjoy! Managers are typically taught to things that can be easily quantified and reported on a balance sheet. Stop for a moment to answer this fundamental question: "What is the purpose of any business?" On the face of it, this question seems pretty easy to answer. Most managers would answer: "To make a profit." But that's the wrong answer. Profits are an outcome. They only tell us if our business strategy and execution are viable. Peter Drucker, widely considered the father of modern management, argued that the common belief that creating profits was purpose of a business was not only wrong, but harmful. It causes us to make bad business decisions and lose sight of those things that delight customers. He summed up the actual purpose of business this way: "There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer." The mark of success for a firm, and therefore the ultimate objective of its strategy, is to satisfy customer needs and wants at a sustainable profit. Whatever strategy and tactics we employ to gain competitive advantage must ultimately be based upon our profitably providing a better solution for customers. Managing Customers as Assets Customers are the ultimate asset for all profit-making organizations. They provide all of a company's real value. Paradoxically, customers are one of the few aspects of a business that are not managed as an investment. This oversight negatively impacts profits in multiple ways, including inefficient resource allocation (via suboptimal company-customer interactions); product design and launch failures (via poor fit with customer needs); and unstable cash flows (via increased customer defections and price sensitivity). Therefore, if customers are the primary asset, the ultimate aim of any business strategy should be to maximize the net present value (NPV) of customers to the firm. While on its face such a statement may seem academic, this is much more than a theoretical maxim. Researchers consistently find firms that adopt a customer lifetime value framework for customer selection and resource allocation strategy significantly outperform their competitors in profits and shareholder value. But this doesn't just happen. It requires the successful integration of all areas of management -- accounting, finance, marketing, operations, and human resources -- in profitably addressing the needs of customers. Below is a good place for us to begin. Accounting. Analyze the profitability of your customers. Research conducted by the Harvard Business School finds that most customers for most firms do not produce an acceptable rate of return (i.e., they are not profitable). In fact, for most companies, the top 20 percent of customers in terms of profitability produce all of a company's profits, the middle 60 percent break even, and the bottom 20 percent lose the company money. Paradoxically, revenue is a terrible predictor of customer profitability. The highest revenue customers tend to be the most profitable or the least profitable. Managers need this information to effectively run their businesses. They need to know who their profitable customers are and what behaviors are associated with profitability. Finance. Incorporate customer metrics in your financial models when making investment decisions. When prioritizing investment decisions, pay attention to the projected impact on the future value of customers to the business. Analysts cannot consistently beat (or even meet) the market -- in the language of finance, they don't add alpha. Research finds that this is because intangibles that reflect the strength of the company-customer relationship are excluded. For example, analysts are generally skeptical of the impact that customer satisfaction has on a company's market value. Analysts tend to view customer satisfaction information as "soft" data because they don't understand how satisfaction data links to a company's bottom line. Because it is intangible, they frequently regard it as a money drain. Our own research found that incorporating customer satisfaction into standard models used in investment finance significantly improved the ability to pick winners versus losers. And the winners dramatically outperformed the market by 2 to 1. Marketing. Put more focus on current customers. Marketing activity has largely focused on persuasion -- the ability of the company to change someone's attitudes or behavior. And while that is a critical role of marketing, too often this gets translated into simply persuading someone to try something for the first time. An old saying goes, "A good salesman can sell anything once. The trick is getting them to buy again." But it is not as simple as focusing on customer retention either (i.e., getting them to come back). Today, customers buy competing products from multiple companies with seemingly no real loyalty. In other words, customers divide their wallets among competitors. Consequently, one of the most important elements in improving financial performance is getting customers to allocate a larger share of their wallets to the firm. A McKinsey study found that focusing on share of wallet had a 10 times greater impact than focusing on retention alone. Research demonstrates that the strongest driver of share of wallet is customer loyalty. Therefore, the primary goal of marketing must be the creation of loyal, long-term customers out of first-time or occasional buyers. Accomplishing this requires a clear understanding of what makes customers want to be loyal. Gathering and understanding customer needs is the job of marketing. Operations. Make certain that company-defined quality and customer-perceived quality are aligned. Because operations are often focused on the creation and distribution of products and services, there is a natural tendency for managers to focus on meeting technical specifications. While the quality movement of the 1980s has done a great deal to establish standards of technical excellence, we have a long way to go to achieve user-defined excellence. It matters little if a firm is meeting its internal guidelines if these are disconnected from the customer. We must always remember that the customer did not design the process, and they don't care that the system we have designed makes our lives easier. It needs to make customers' lives easier. So when designing and implementing any process, we need to experience the offering as customers do (i.e., shop our own stores). Human Resources. Establish a climate for service in the organization. By service climate, we mean the procedures and behaviors that get rewarded and supported within the company with regard to customer service. Research consistently demonstrates that service climate is positively linked with lower turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and improved financial performance. While we all pay lip service to the importance of employees in serving customers, too often we manage in terms of their operational productivity at the exclusion of all else. How many employee evaluations actually include customer metrics as part of the formal criteria? The reality is that most employees are rewarded for completing tasks. Few, however, are rewarded for making customers happy. A Holistic Strategy Too often we as managers think about strategy in terms of our own functional area: marketing strategy, operations strategy, finance strategy, etc. But each of these strategies should exist as part of a holistic company strategy. A winning strategy focuses everyone in the organization to come together for one cause: to profitably create and keep a customer. Timothy Keiningham is a world-renowned authority in the field of loyalty measurement and management, and Global Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Ipsos Loyalty, one of the world's largest business research organizations. Lerzan Aksoy is an acclaimed expert in the science of loyal management, and Associate Professor of Marketing at Fordham University. They are coauthors of a new book, with Luke Williams, entitled Why Loyalty Matters and creators of LoyaltyAdvisor, a web-based tool that analyzes your loyalty across multiple dimensions proven to link to your success. LoyaltyAdvisor is the product of a global effort, the most comprehensive study of loyalty ever conducted. Every Friday is "grab the mic" day.  Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute?  Shoot me an e-mail. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

You are subscribed to email updates from The Marketing Minute To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Latest Posts from the GoMediaZine

---

Quick Tip: Find Files On Your PC Fast With FileBox Extender Posted: 10 Jul 2009 12:00 PM PDT One little app that I couldn't live without is FileBox Extender for Windows. Fellow Go Media designer @Adam_Wagner originally introduced it to me last year. It's a free, lightweight app for Windows that I use to quickly access frequently used directories. The description on their site says: FileBox enhances Windows by adding several advanced functions to the standard Open File and Save File dialog boxes. (Note that if a program uses its own “private” dialog boxes for these functions, you won’t see our FileBox buttons, sorry.) So for instance, if I'm always going into our Vector Packs folder while working on a project, it can get tedious having to navigate through all of Go Media's folder structures on our server. And when I've had some coffee, my mouse clicking is a little erratic and often find myself glazing over as I scan the hundreds of folders in our client directory. Another quick tip is to simply start typing the first few letters of the folder you're looking for and it should snap you right to it. I've watched people hunt and hunt for folders for at least 10-20 seconds of "dead air" time and it's painful to watch. One annoying thing with FileBox is that it doesn't really work well when saving attachments from Outlook. I will go to save some attachment from my email, and use FileBox to select a favorite folder and *poof* my window disappears as it immediately saved it right to the first folder I selected with FileBox. That is mostly just an annoyance with Outlook though, as it's the only program that seems to have problems with it. FileBox is cool, but maybe there is something out there that does the same thing but better? Advertisement: Go Media Freebies! Download a bunch of free vectors, textures, and sample motion packs.

You are subscribed to email updates from GoMediaZine To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Sentinel School Zone

---

• UCF backs away from one of six planned program closures
• Gov. Crist congratulates teachers
• Lake school officials plan line-item review of budget
• Local officials dance to raise money for Lake County schools
• Is Florida Virtual School all fun and games?

UCF backs away from one of six planned program closures Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:45 PM PDT UCF will allow the statistics program it had targeted for closure to stay open, leaving four others still on the chopping block. Trustees are scheduled to meet July 23 to vote on the proposed closures, which are designed to cut...

Gov. Crist congratulates teachers Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:33 PM PDT As an afterward to last night's Florida Teacher of the Year ceremonies, Gov. Charlie Crist has just sent out a video congratulating all Florida teachers for their hard work. He says what they have achieved is evident by improved FCAT...

Lake school officials plan line-item review of budget Posted: 10 Jul 2009 12:51 PM PDT Lake County School Board members on Monday will begin a line-by-line review of the school district's budget for the new school year — a tedious, time-consuming task that helped them pare down spending when they tried it last year. The...

Local officials dance to raise money for Lake County schools Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:42 AM PDT The mayor of Minneola, the woman who oversees testing in Lake County schools and an associate vice president of the Central Florida Health Alliance will dance their pants off in a local version of "Dancing With the Stars" later this...

Is Florida Virtual School all fun and games? Posted: 10 Jul 2009 07:23 AM PDT Some folks still raise their eyebrows when they hear kids are taking online high school courses. Can these things be worthwhile? Are kids really learning what they need to know? How about interaction with a teacher? Like when you hear...

You are subscribed to email updates from Sentinel School Zone To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Idol Stalker - Watching American Idol

---

• Paula Abdul Can Stay on American Idol “However Long It Lasts”
• Ex-girlfriend Sinitta Calls Simon Cowell a Cheater
• Ryan Seacrest Could Get Megadeal, Expand Role

Paula Abdul Can Stay on American Idol “However Long It Lasts” Posted: 11 Jul 2009 12:29 AM PDT American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, has been invited to stay on the show.  According to People.com, Abdul said:  "I've been invited to stay the duration of the show, however long it lasts." She described their little group as a "dysfunctional family of sorts" and added that she is "the nurturing mom, Simon [Cowell]'s the disapproving dad, and Randy [Jackson]'s the cool brother.  It's been an interesting journey. It's something that I'll always would want to be a part of." While details about an actually renewed contract have yet to emerge, I do think this is a positive sign that the judging panel will not be too different from last year.   I think that Paula should remain with this show until it's pulled off the air.  I don't know if I would watch it if the judges were different. You might have noticed that in her statement, Paula didn't mention the newest judge, Kara DioGuardi.  I don't know if that is just because Kara is so new or if Paula doesn't think the other woman on the panel belongs in their "dysfunctional family."  Either way, I hope Kara gets to come back.  One season wasn't enough and I'm sure it was tough for her to be the "new kid."  Hopefully, she will have more confidence and will feel more comfortable coming up with her own critiques. Then again, maybe it's better with three since there's a good, bad and middle?  It's hard to say because I also have watched the Canadian, British and French versions and they all work just fine with four judges.  It's lame that these four couldn't find a way to make it work. image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: FOX Post from: Idol Stalker

Ex-girlfriend Sinitta Calls Simon Cowell a Cheater Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:37 AM PDT British singer, Sinitta, dated American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, on and off for 16 years.  The Sun is reporting that she revealed that she met him when she was just 14 years old and he was interested in her friend. She explained how things turned from an amicable relationship (he was initially her producer and chaperone) to a romantic one: “I had a huge crush on him, but he actually liked a friend of mine who was triple-timing him. One day he just said: ‘You know what I don’t really like her. It’s you I like.’ You know when you don’t kind of believe it, because we were such buddies? But it was fantastic, because I thought he was really cute.” image: Zuma Press Unfortunately, it wasn't the easiest relationship since he seems to have had a wandering eye.  She says that they dated “on and off, because Simon was a horrible cheat! He was a horrible cheat. He was always disappearing and stuff, you know, and I’d have to work and he’d almost be laughing as he waved me off on a plane to Japan, like: ‘Great, I’m going to have a really good time while you’re away’.” I know it's hard to say what I would truly do in that situation but I would think that a mature woman might cut ties with a man who continues to cheat and refuses to settle down and marry (or commit) over 16 years.  To make matters worse, Sinitta said that he even tried to put the moves on her sister and best friend!  That's unforgiveable! She had one final thing to say about it: “crying over Simon Cowell - it’s so bad isn’t it? So bad. We’d break up because he’d do something awful and I’d go off and find somebody else. Then he’d see me with the somebody else and not like that and wait for it to fall apart.  He reckons that I broke his [heart], but he definitely broke mine.” They must be friendly still, however, since he's her children's godfather! Post from: Idol Stalker

Ryan Seacrest Could Get Megadeal, Expand Role Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:21 AM PDT While the rest of the world seems to be getting poorer and poorer by the day, stars like Ryan Seacrest are in negotiations to secure a "megadeal" when he signs his contract extension with 19 Entertainment. The Hollywood Reporter claims that he will get a raise from his $5 million pay check he got last season (it's about $100,000 per episode). I think that Ryan does a great job on Idol so this news doesn't bother me *too* much.  I think it's hard to keep a live show running smoothly and he's a really big part of that. Seacrest, who has produced unscripted shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Denise Richards: It's Complicated and the now-cancelled, Momma's Boys, is also supposedly in talks to expand his role within 19 Entertainment and could create a series with Idol creator, Simon Fuller.  I'd be interested in seeing what they come up with! image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Craig Blankenhorn/FOX Post from: Idol Stalker

You are subscribed to email updates from Idol Stalker To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Funtasticus.com

---

• Funtasticus Links
• Friday Wild Girls
• Daily Cool Pics
• Dominique Swain grew up nice

Funtasticus Links Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:05 AM PDT Heather Nichols made famous by a Rampage dry hump [Busted Coverage] [Hottest Girls of MySpace] Kourtney Kardashian is the hottest sister  [Holy Taco] Obama has a wandering eye  [Celebrity Odor] Katy Perry sure can fill out a bikini [NS4W] Mega Fox and her striking sex doll resemblance  [on205th] The amazing asses of Entourage [COED] Nothing like thongs underwater against glass  [College Humor] Ladies of Entourage bust out the cleavage   [Celebridiot] Amanda Pogrell is too sexy not to admire [Gorilla Mask] Why Ricky Gervais is awesome  [Film Drunk] 10 of the bustiest female athletes in the world [Uncoached] Fergie is looking nice and busty the days [Use My Computer] Hey Lebron watch Jordan and learn how to man up  [The Hoop Doctors] Most retarded headline of all-time? [I Am Bored]

Friday Wild Girls Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:57 AM PDT Friday Wild Girls are always sexier whey they are shoving their tongue into the mouth of another wild girl.  How do you make that even sexier you ask? Add in some hair pulling! More Daily Hotness @ FuntasticusNSFW.com!

Daily Cool Pics Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:56 AM PDT Never underestimate a man’s need for basic essentials in some of the worst environments in the world.  I mean when you think about survival what comes to mind?  Water, food, shelter…….and nudie mags!

Dominique Swain grew up nice Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:55 AM PDT I know what you are thinking – who he hell is Dominique Swain.  Well you will have to think back to 1997 to truly recall this sexy 28 year old actress.  She was the sexy rebellious daughter in the Cage/Travolta classic Face/Off.  She played the role of Travolta’s naught little daughter Jamie Archer.  Back then she was just turning 18 so it was wrong to appreciate her, but now feel free to enjoy.

You are subscribed to email updates from Funtasticus.com Humor & Fun Blog To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

A Hearty Life

---

• Many Medications Cause Dry Mouth
• Proper Walker Fit Helps Fewer Seniors Fall
• Smoking Cessation Patch Before Quitting
• Health Benefits Keep Employees

Many Medications Cause Dry Mouth Posted: 11 Jul 2009 02:04 AM PDT Dry mouth is a fairly common side effect of many medications, so you need to be aware of which medications cause this problem. It could be that two or more of your prescriptions fall into this category, raising your risk of having dry mouth. According to this news release, issued by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) (Dry Mouth Linked to Prescription and Over the Counter Drugs): There are more than 400 prescription and non-prescription drugs associated with xerostomia, according to Raymond K. Martin, DDS, MAGD. "Anti-depressants, painkillers, diuretics, antihistamines, tranquilizers and anti-hypersensitives can all contribute to dry mouth," said Dr. Martin. "People who take several of these medications are more susceptible." Having a dry mouth can be annoying, but for most people, it doesn’t get beyond that. Some people, however, end up with severe problems in their mouth because of this, which can lead to dental problems and other health issues. I wrote about this in August 2008. Actually, my friend wrote about it because she lives with what she calls “Sahara Mouth,” as a result of the medications she takes (Painful dry mouth from medications). This problem is addressed this month again by the  AGD. Xerostomia, the official name for dry mouth, is caused by not having enough saliva and, according to a survey sent out to dentists, it’s happening more often as our population ages and more people are taking more medications. As indicated by the AGD survey, the most common symptoms reported by patients include constant thirst and difficulty eating, swallowing, or speaking. Foamy or stringy saliva, irritation of the tongue, burning of the tissues inside the mouth, painful ulcerations and dentin hypersensitivity (extreme sensitivity in one or more teeth) are also dry mouth symptoms. Over time, xerostomia sufferers may experience extensive tooth decay, tooth loss or gingivitis (gum disease) due to the lack of saliva. There are some good tips to help with dry mouth in the article linked in the first paragraph and here is what the AGD recommends: *  Brush and floss twice a day * Chew sugarless gum or suck on non-citrus flavored or sour sugarless candy * Drink plenty of water * Brush with a fluoride toothpaste to protect your teeth * Use over-the-counter saliva substitutes * Avoid alcohol and caffeine * Avoid smoking * Avoid overly salty foods * Avoid citrus juices (e.g., orange, grapefruit, tomato) * Avoid dry foods (e.g., toast, crackers) * Breathe through your nose instead of your mouth as often as possible * Use moisturizer regularly on your lips * Sleep with a humidifier in your room to add moisture to the air * Visit your dentist regularly ~~~ Images courtesy of PhotoXpress.com and iStock.com Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Many Medications Cause Dry Mouth

Proper Walker Fit Helps Fewer Seniors Fall Posted: 10 Jul 2009 03:34 PM PDT Seniors who need canes or walkers are best served if those walking aids are fit properly by physical therapists. Physical therapists are medical professionals who “help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease. They restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health. Their patients include accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.” (United States Department of Labor). A study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that 47,000 senior citizens are injured and need emergency room care from improper use and fit of walkers and canes. Although it may not seem so, the canes and walkers need to be at a certain height for each person and they should be assessed to be sure they are the proper walking aid. Physical therapists also can assess if you use your walking aid properly and help you if you don’t. According to the American Physical Therapist Association: * The walker or cane should be about the height of your wrists when your arms are at your sides. * When using a walker, your arms should be slightly bent when holding on, but you shouldn’t have to bend forward at the waist to reach it. * Periodically check the rubber tips at the bottom of the cane or walker. Be sure to replace them if they are uneven or worn through. ~~~~ Image: Newscom.com Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Proper Walker Fit Helps Fewer Seniors Fall

Smoking Cessation Patch Before Quitting Posted: 10 Jul 2009 02:55 PM PDT All medications, including nicotine patches, carry warnings to help you avoid overdoses and complications. One of the warnings on the nicotine replacement patch is that it shouldn’t be used if you’re still smoking for fear of nicotine overdose. However, doctors have found that if you start using the nicotine patch before your quit date, you may have a better chance of being successful when you do quit. A quit date is the target date you choose, which is when you’ll stop smoking. Part of the success of the nicotine as a “pre-quitting” strategy involves using the patch regularly, providing a steady dose of nicotine. Because of that steady dose, the smoker begins to cut back on cigarettes because the craving or need for nicotine isn’t as strong. So, the result is when the smoker does reach the quit date, he or she isn’t smoking as many cigarettes as before, making it easier to quit. This was the finding of a study of 400 male smokers, published recently in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The group was divided into four subgroups before the quit date: those who used nicotine or placebo patches and those who used their regular brand of cigarettes or low-tar and nicotine cigarettes. After the quit date, all men were given reduced doses of nicotine patches. This went on for 10 weeks. The researchers found that the quit rate for at least 10 weeks among those who had the nicotine patches before the quit date was double (22%) that of those who had the placebo patches (11%). Although there was little difference in the quit rates among those who smoked their regular cigarettes and those who used the low-tar and nicotine cigarettes, the researchers stated that this may be a good approach for some smokers who could end up with too much nicotine in their system if they were to smoke their regular cigarettes while using the pre-cessation patches. ~~~~ Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Smoking Cessation Patch Before Quitting

Health Benefits Keep Employees Posted: 10 Jul 2009 02:52 PM PDT With the economy and healthcare system in the state it is right now, many workers are sticking with jobs that offer health insurance. I can say that this has always been the case for me. I had jobs I absolutely despised, but with Type 1 diabetes I have needed health insurance since I was very young. So if I didn’t like a job or worked under poor conditions, I had to either stay there or stick it out until I could find something else. Now, with the economy, it’s hard to find something else. So many workers are simply sticking with a job for the health benefits alone. So many employers off poor health insurance, that if you’ve got a job with decent benefits you’re more apt to stay. What do you think? Have you stayed with a job just because of its health benefits? Image: sxc.hu. Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Health Benefits Keep Employees

You are subscribed to email updates from Blisstree » Diseases & Conditions To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

The Latest from Cafe Hayek

---

• Who's the Materialist? (by Don Boudreaux)
• Why are poor nations poor (by Russell Roberts)
• Driving the debt car (by Russell Roberts)
• Gregg Easterbrook on the GM Bailout (by Russell Roberts)

Who's the Materialist? (by Don Boudreaux) Posted: 11 Jul 2009 01:06 AM PDT Here's a letter that I sent recently to the Washington Post: E.J. Dionne describes capitalism as "a system rooted in materialist values" ("To the Right of the Pope," July 9).  "Materialist values" is a vague term, but if - as seems to be the case - Mr. Dionne thinks the chief justification for capitalism is that it generates lots of stuff for consumers, he's mistaken. While capitalism emphatically does improve material living standards, all the great champions of economic freedom (aka capitalism) ultimately justify this system because only it affords true dignity to individuals - the dignity that is denied by interventionist systems which arbitrarily diminish each person's freedom to choose.  For "Progressives" such as Mr. Dionne not to share the value of freedom is fine.  But it's rather cheeky to accuse, with one breath, proponents of capitalism of being unduly focused on material goods, and with the next breath to insist that a major problem with capitalism is that some people get fewer material goods than do other people. Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux .......................................... "I want to keep what I earn" is regarded as greedy and unenlightened. "I want to take what you earn" is regarded as selfless and progressive.

Why are poor nations poor (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:22 PM PDT From Planet Money: The planet's rich nations met this week to discuss, among other issues, ways to help the planet's poor nations. But those poor (and developing) nations have their own group. It's called the anti-G20, in a nod to the G20 collection of industrialized states. The anti-G20 met at the U.N. last month, where Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Martin Khor explained what keeps impoverished countries down. Answer: Their debt to the IMF and wealthier nations. There are plenty of things rich countries do to make poor countries poor. Refuse to trade with them. Give the thugs who run the country money. But this IMF argument has always struck me as strange. The poor countries are poor because they IMF expects them to pay back the money that the poor countries borrowed? How do the loans get made in the first place? Don't the thugs who borrow the money bear some of the responsibility? How would forgiving those loans solve the problem?

Driving the debt car (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:41 PM PDT This is extremely clever. (HT: Vicki Boykis) Don't know if the numbers are right. But it sure is well-executed. I didn't think it was going to work but he pulls it off beautifully.

Gregg Easterbrook on the GM Bailout (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 10 Jul 2009 12:06 PM PDT Go here and scroll down to near the bottom. It's all good. But this part is the punchline, where he imagines Nancy Pelosi negotiating a car purchase. The picture is good, too: DEALER: Yes sirree, I can let you have this cherry-red baby for $19,999.99! Plus undercoating and dealer prep. PELOSI: I'll pay $50,000. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais"Children, this is where we give away your future." DEALER: For a limited time only, I can throw in remote-controlled eight-way power cupholders, for another $999.99. PELOSI: I'll buy them at $75,000. DEALER: Do you want the extended warranty? PELOSI: No. But I'll pay another $25,000 for it. DEALER: Aren't you worried something will go wrong? PELOSI: If it does, I'll just send the bill to the taxpayer. DEALER: So you are willing to pay $150,000 for a $20,000 car? I'll have to go ask my manager! (Disappears into back, pretends to talk to manager, returns.) Lady, you drive a hard bargain. He says that for $31 billion, we will give you absolutely nothing at all. PELOSI: Sold.

You are subscribed to email updates from Cafe Hayek To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Healthbolt

---

Hospital Care Varies Across Nation Posted: 10 Jul 2009 02:14 PM PDT No two hospitals are the same - in architecture, in decor, or even in ability to treat various diseases and illnesses. But one would assume that acute care of heart attacks and heart failure would be the same across the board. Not so, according to a new study recently published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. In this study, researchers reviewed three years of experience (July 2005 to June 2008) of Medicare fee-for-service patients with heart failure and heart attack at almost 5,000 hospitals across the nation. Examining the records of nearly 600,000 heart attack admissions and more than 1 million heart failure admissions, they calculated the 30-day death and readmission rates and found: The average 30-day death rate for heart attack was 16.6 percent and the average rate of heart attack readmission was 19.9 percent. The average 30-day death rate for heart failure was 11.1 percent and 24.4 percent for readmission.   Heart failure death rate ranged from 6.6 percent to 19.8 percent. Readmission for heart attack ranged from 15.3 percent to 29.4 percent. Readmission for heart failure ranged from 15.9 percent to 34.4 percent. What’s it all mean? Well, according to Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., the study’s lead author and professor of medicine and outcomes researcher at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn,  the results  “suggests that patients’ outcomes are dependent, at least in part, on the hospital that provides their care.”  The US Dept of Health and Services has correlated the data from this study and put it online at  Hospital Compare so that anyone can see how different hospitals compare to each other on everything from blood clot treatments to nursing care. The site also offers hospitals the opportunity to see how they measure up to their competitors. (image source)   Post from: Healthbolt

You are subscribed to email updates from Healthbolt To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full?
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kiven - Codamon.com - Babes and Gaming

---

Final Fantasy Gaiden DS Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:59 PM PDT In Final Fantasy Gaiden DS, you play as (no, not a ninja) Brand, a character who’s just come of age and heads off to the castle to meet the king. Brand then learns that the king’s daughter has been kidnapped by the Witch of the North, and he’s tasked with saving her. Famitsu has revealed that Brand’s big birthday is his 14th one, meaning the cast of FF Gaiden will most likely be youngsters. Talk about cliches… C’mon Square ENix show us some really amazing original RPGs…. IGN Preview of Final Fantasy Gaiden DS Going further in depth on the story, the magazine also got commentary from director Takashi Tokita, who said that the game’s theme is about the travels of an adventure. He also said to expect dragons (which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the huge dragon at the official site) and crystals to play a major part in the story. The magazine scored a few additional details on the gameplay side of things. The game makes use of a turn-based battle system, requiring that players simply select a command with the stylus (it’s unclear if the game is exclusively stylus-based). Regarding the game’s Crown System, said to resemble the FF series’ Job System, this allows you to set abilities with your characters, which then appear as panels in a command panel area of the bottom screen. To execute cure and other spells, you simply touch one of these panels. The overall goal for the game appears to be to fuse classic RPG gaming with the more modern tech offered by the DS. AS one would expect of a classic RPG experience, this means random battles, so if you prefer seeing your enemies in advance, you’re out of luck. Missing from the Famitsu story, despite four full pages of coverage, is any mention of the game’s multiplayer support. Square Enix has confirmed that the game will offer Wireless Play support for up to four players, but hasn’t specified how this will be used.

You are subscribed to email updates from Pinoy Gaming, Babes & Anime Blog Philippines by Kiven To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Band Weblogs

---

• 10th annual moe.down 2009 – September 4 – 6 @ Snow Ridge, Turin, NY
• Win New Music and Signed Gear In A Shwayze Scavenger Hunt
• Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season release Strict Joy + watch video
• Music News: Rufus Wainwright and Paolo Nutini on Jonathan Ross + Madonna, The Pretenders
• Pearl Jam – ‘Backspacer’ album + “The Fixer” single, tour
• Eclectica (Tracy Silverman, Kyle Whalum, Roy Wooten) – ‘Streaming Video Soul’
• Matt Duke – Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP, 2009 tour dates

10th annual moe.down 2009 – September 4 – 6 @ Snow Ridge, Turin, NY Posted: 10 Jul 2009 10:16 AM PDT MOE. HOSTS THE TENTH ANNUAL MOE.DOWN SEPTEMBER 4-6 MOE. FINALIZES LINE-UP INCLUDING CAKE, UMPHREY’S MCGEE, METHOD MAN AND REDMAN, ANI DIFRANCO, MATTHEW SWEET, AND MORE The Tenth Annual moe.down 2009 will be held September 4, 5 and 6 at the Snow Ridge Ski area in Turin, NY. moe.down has become known as Upstate NY’s most musically diverse festival. moe. will perform a total of six sets throughout the weekend. A limited number of tickets are available at $105 until they are sold out or until July 17, 2009. Please visit www.moedown.com for up-to-the-minute information and to purchase tickets. moe. has finalized this year’s line-up: moe., CAKE, Umphrey’s McGee, Method Man and Redman, Ani DiFranco, Matthew Sweet, Sam Bush, The New Mastersounds, Ominous Seapods, The Heavy Pets, Okemah, Nate Wilson Group, Family Groove Company, Lynch, My Dear Disco and The London Souls. Over the past nine years, more than one hundred bands have performed at moe.down, including The Flaming Lips, Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party, The Roots, The Levon Helm Band, They Might Be Giants, Meat Puppets, Medeski Martin & Wood, Matisyahu, Blues Traveler, The Presidents of the United States of America, Fishbone, Leo Kottke, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Nellie McKay, Cracker Van Beethoven, David Grisman, and Les Claypool. The moe.down festival promises three days of music, camping and fun at the Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. The site is about an hour northeast of Syracuse, at the edge of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. Ski lifts will be open, so bring your mountain bikes! For the last eight years, members of the band have hit the greens with friends and fans for the annual moe.down Charity Golf Outing. The event takes place at the Turin Highlands golf course and has raised almost $25,000 for various charities. moe.down will also feature a Kids’ Tent on Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 4 that promises to entertain even the toughest critics! This year’s Kids’ tent theme is “Mexico” in honor of the moe. song. There will be parades, crafts and activities for the youngest moe.rons and their caregivers. Buy Music: moe. on amazon.com About moe. Formed in Buffalo, New York in 1991, moe. is one of the finest groups in the jamband movement today. Their tours have taken them from Woodstock ‘99 to New York’s Central Park, as well as to Japan and Europe. moe. has toured with legendary acts such as The Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, and most recently, The Who. The band is also critically acclaimed for its songwriting and studio work; the group’s 2001 studio album, DITHER, was awarded four stars by Rolling Stone. 2003’s WORMWOOD received four stars by Blender Magazine. THE CONCH received rave reviews including Rolling Stone, Paste, Blender and many more. moe. is currently on tour supporting its latest studio effort, STICKS & STONES, again a highly admired album. In addition to moe.down, moe. also hosts Summer Camp each Memorial Day Weekend in Chillicothe, IL. moe. is also becoming recognized for its charitable work: the band hosted a Tsunami Benefit concert at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on February 10, 2005 and raised $150,000 for Tsunami survivors. The concert earned moe. its second Live Performance of the Year Jammy Award. moe. also raised over $100,000 for various charities, including the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina survivors and for the music department at Bradley Elementary in Utica, NY, to help keep music in children’s lives. Photo Left to Right: Chuck Garvey, Vinnie Amico, Al Schnier, Jim Loughlin, Rob Derhak. Photo credit: Danny Clinch. Photo courtesy of moe.org. For the latest information, music and more, go to: moe. Official Website

Win New Music and Signed Gear In A Shwayze Scavenger Hunt Posted: 10 Jul 2009 09:46 AM PDT A BIG Shwayze scavenger hunt is headed to 5 cities (NY, LA, SF, Boston, Chicago) THIS Saturday (7/11/2009). At 4pm EST / 1pm PST a Shwayze prize pack will be hidden in each city and clues will be given out via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and email so stay tuned and you could be the FIRST to hear a MegaMix created by Cisco of 4 never-released songs on the new album and other fun prizes. The 5 winners of the Shwayze prize packs will also be eligible to create and enter an original YouTube video using the MegaMix to win a VIP pass to a show the next time Shwayze plays in a city near you! Stay posted to Shwayze.com, sign up for the mailing list, and follow Shwayze and Cisco on Twitter to make sure you're the first to hear news of the prize locations! Facebook MySpace Shwayze Official Website Shwayze on Twitter Cisco Adler on Twitter

Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season release Strict Joy + watch video Posted: 10 Jul 2009 06:10 AM PDT The Swell Season, the Oscar-winning duo of Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, are putting the finishing touches on ‘Strict Joy,’ (Sept 29, 2009 / Anti- Records), the follow-up to their beloved, surprise hit 2007 film and gold-certified soundtrack ‘Once.’ The twelve new, original songs on ‘Strict Joy’ were recorded last year and document a time of great change and tumult. Buy Music: The Swell Season on amazon.com ‘Strict Joy,’ which borrows its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, was co-produced by Hansard and Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), and recorded mostly at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. In addition to Hansard and Irglova, the album features Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass), Rob Bochnik (guitar), plus guitarist Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussionist Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm’s band, and others. The Swell Season generated a wave of acclaim during the 2008 awards season including two Grammy nominations and an Oscar win for Best Original Song, for their hit single “Falling Slowly.” Watch video: The Swell Season – Live from the Artists Den (OvationTV): The duo performed the song on the Oscars telecast, and Irglova provided one of the most memorable and poignant moments of the evening when host Jon Stewart called her back to the stage after a commercial break to give her acceptance speech. The success of ‘Once’ also led to a sold out world tour for The Swell Season which was captured for an upcoming documentary. Hansard and Irglova will tour the U.S. extensively again this fall with dates to be announced soon. ‘STRICT JOY’ TRACK LISTING 1. Low Rising 2. Feeling the Pull 3. In These Arms 4. The Rain 5. Fantasy Man 6. Paper Cup 7. High Horses 8. The Verb 9. I Have Loved You Wrong 10. Love That Conquers 11. Two Tongues 12. Back Broke The Swell Season Official Website

Music News: Rufus Wainwright and Paolo Nutini on Jonathan Ross + Madonna, The Pretenders Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:30 AM PDT Photo: Paolo Nutini Kasabian played the first of three massive sold out shows at Wembley Stadium last night, with the other two performances taking place over the weekend. They're billed as the gigs of the decade and Serge Pizzorno pinpoints the trio of dates as the focal point of the summer. Their epic new single 'Where Did All The Love Go?' comes out August 17, 2009. Wait until you see the video! — Rufus Wainwright's eagerly anticipated debut opera 'Prima Donna' premieres at the Palace Theatre for Manchester's International Festival, which runs from July 10th – July 19th, a total of five performances. He releases his live CD/DVD 'Milwaukee At Last!!!', September 7th, taken from his acclaimed and celebrated 2007 'Release The Stars' tour. Check out Rufus on the Jonathan Ross show tonight, 10.30pm, BBC1. His interview on Jonathan Ross' Radio 2 show last week was hugely entertaining and very funny – expect more of the same tonight. — Paolo Nutini provides the music for the Jonathan Ross show tonight. He performs his infectious new single 'Coming Up Easy' out August 10th from his No.1 album 'Sunny Side Up'. Paolo plays the iTunes festival tonight at the Roundhouse – 20,000 fans applied for tickets to this gig, it's set to be a cracker, after which he travels up to Scotland to play T in the Park and then Oxegen in Ireland. What a weekend! There is an excellent piece on Paolo Nutini in this month's issue of Word magazine. Check it out! — The Duckworth Lewis Method strolled out to their Times sponsored showcase at The Oval on Tuesday, fully adorned in cricket regalia and Merv Hughes-esque facial hair. They opened up with their first single 'Age Of Revolution', which was suitably pitch perfect. The duo, who were fully complemented by the Divine Comedy backing band were in great form throughout – they had the packed out England Suite bowled over with songs from their eponymous maiden album (out this week) and creasing up at their pre-song wibblings. It was a joy to watch! — Madonna left the UK for Europe this week following her triumphant shows at London's O2 last weekend and Manchester's MEN on Tuesday. The reviews were stunning including a 5* review in the Evening Standard. — Just Jack plays Somerset House tomorrow with Lily Allen. He will be performing tracks from his impressive new album 'All Night Cinema' August 24th. Look out for his stunning new single 'The Day I Died', (August 17th) already an album highlight it has now been completely transformed with multi-layered sounds, strings and a choir. It sounded great when Jo Whiley played it on her show this week. — Jersey Budd also plays Somerset House, he's special guests to The Enemy tonight. His new single, 'She Came Back', which features backing vocals from Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan is released through iTunes on Monday. — The Pretenders embark on five UK dates in six days starting at Cornbury Festival on Sunday, after which they play two special performances at Glasgow's ABC (Tuesday) and the Shepherd's Bush Empire (Wednesday). They round up their assault on the UK with a show with Squeeze in Liverpool (Thursday) and a performance at Latitude Festival (Friday). — Lightning Seeds have a busy weekend on the festival circuit. They play Guilfest tomorrow and Cornbury Festival plus Liverpool Pops Festival on Sunday. Their new single 'Don't Walk On By' (August 3rd) is featured on the Radio 2 playlist. — Tom Hickox's infectious new single 'The Pretty Pride Of Russia' had its first play on BBC6 Music on Wednesday. Chris Hawkins played the track standing in for Steve Lamacq. Photo Credit: Kevin Westenberg

Pearl Jam – ‘Backspacer’ album + “The Fixer” single, tour Posted: 10 Jul 2009 04:44 AM PDT In what is set to be one of the highlights of the year, Pearl Jam release their eagerly anticipated new studio album 'Backspacer', September 21, 2009 (UK release date), produced by Brendan O'Brien. Their highly charged new single “The Fixer” is out September 7th and released digitally August 24th. Pearl Jam are a band reborn with their ninth studio album 'Backspacer', their first release with Universal/Island records. The band reunited with producer Brendan O'Brien for 'Backspacer' who produced four of Pearl Jam's earlier albums and the re-master of their seminal debut 'Ten', which was released in March. The band recently premiered “Got Some”, one of the many highlights from their new 11-track record on the debut of US chat show, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, June 1st. Their performance gained an unprecedented amount of views on YouTube and received the biggest US chat show audience figures in 5 years. In the US 'Backspacer' will be self-released by the band for the first time, following the end of their deal with Sony. Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar) Matt Cameron (drums) and Mike McCready (guitar) play four European dates including two UK shows before touring the US in September 2009. Buy Music: Pearl Jam on amazon.com Pearl Jam on amazon.co.uk Pearl Jam's 2009 European Dates are: (Dates and information subject to change.) August Thu 13th ROTTERDAM, Sportspaleis Ahoy Sat 15th BERLIN, Wuhlheide Mon 17th MANCHESTER, MEN Arena Tue 18th LONDON, O2 Arena For the latest tour dates, music and more, go to: Pearl Jam Official Website MySpace

Eclectica (Tracy Silverman, Kyle Whalum, Roy Wooten) – ‘Streaming Video Soul’ Posted: 10 Jul 2009 04:25 AM PDT Super-funky, remarkably flexible and wide open to the moment, the aptly named Eclectica captures magic on the fly on ‘Streaming Video Soul’, its adventurous ArtistShare debut. Comprised of electric 6-string violinist-vocalist Tracy Silverman, promising young electric bassist Kyle Whalum (son of renowned jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum) and 5–time Grammy Award winning drummer, inventor and visionary Roy "Futureman" Wooten (a charter member of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones) and Steve Forrest, currently playing bass with the band on tour, the rock-fueled Eclectica is the thinking man's jam band. Through their album, ‘Streaming Video Soul’, they bring their individual skills to present a unique and genuinely eclectic sound that leaves the listener in a feel good state of mind. Watch Eclectica promo video – EPK: Few other groups on the jam band scene have the chops and musical depth to quote so freely from Stravinsky one moment to John Coltrane the next, with sly references to the music of The Doobie Brothers, James Brown, Martha & The Vandellas, and Bobbie Gentry while name-dropping the likes of Jimmy Page, Gus Van Zant and Vincent Van Gogh along the way. And while groove is at the heart of this appealing collection, Eclectica walks a fine line between structure and wild, improvisational abandon on these six scintillating tracks. As Wooten puts it, “It’s very organic, and the intuitive feeling is strong. We’re creating on the spot so it’s definitely in the jazz tradition, but it has a little bit of that Band of Gypsies feeling too. So I get to bring a little of that Mitch Mitchell/Buddy Miles vibe to it. And what Tracy does with that kind of Jimi Hendrix sound on the violin is something else. You better watch out for that because you might not be ready for that kind of approach.” Buy Music: Eclectica on amazon.com Tracy Silverman press: "The greatest living exponent of the electric violin." – BBC Radio "Inspiring. Silverman is in a class of his own" – Mark Swed, LA Times “… fleet agility and tangy expressivity with wailing hints of Jimi Hendrix.” – Anthony Tommasini, New York Times Eclectica Official Website MySpace Eclectica on Twitter

Matt Duke – Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP, 2009 tour dates Posted: 10 Jul 2009 03:39 AM PDT "When I first started out, I didn't know what style I was," says Matt Duke, a South Jersey-born, Philly-based, 24-year-old singer-songwriter. "I still don't and probably never will." Matt stands out in an industry that loves to categorize. His second full-length album and first for Ryko, ‘Kingdom Underground’, came out in 2008 and rocked a fairly big sound. However, Matt tours primarily as a solo acoustic singer-songwriter, so his fans have come to expect a slightly quieter fare from him, which is how the ‘Acoustic Kingdom Underground’ EP came about. "It's a nice complement to the album," says Matt. "I'm used to going out and touring solo acoustic and the fans often say, 'We like the record but we like what your shows sound like too,' so this is for them. Regarding his Philly-and-beyond fanbase, Matt says: "I have seen blue-hairs, 14 to 18-year-old girls and college kids at my shows. And Myspace has helped exponentially." Some websites have lumped him in with other artists such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz, which is okay with him. Matt looks super-young – almost teenage – in photographs, but the sound of his voice and the gravity of his lyrical content make you believe he is an old soul who has been through a lot. "That's exactly the image I am hoping to project," says Matt, who incorporates pop, folk, jazz and rock into his repertoire. His stadium-ready Vedderesque voice may have mass appeal, but for now you are more likely to see him in a coffeehouse setting, following in the footsteps of some of his heroes, such as Ani DiFranco and Conor Oberst. The Acoustic EP features six tracks that were largely inspired by Matt's literary experiences. Although he dropped out of college after "15 minutes," he has used many great novels as a jumping-off point for many of his finest tunes. SIDEBAR on the Acoustic EP tracks: "Kingdom Underground" is the title track from Matt's 2008 album. The vocals dominate – they are mixed loud over the quiet accompaniment, which adds to the bombastic, overwrought, intense feel to the song. His vocals are beyond emo here; they're wound so tightly it seems he might break. Matt says: "This is the end result of me trying to be creative. I wanted to do a concept album based on Milton's Paradise Lost, and this song is a re-telling of the creationist story of Adam and Eve, told from the perspective of Satan. It didn't really fit on the album [Kingdom Underground] but we snuck it on there as a hidden track at the start." "The Father, The Son and the Harlot's Ghost" is a melodic should-be, would-be, could-be hit. Again, the trembling vocals are prominent in the mix, the guitar is quiet and gentle and the lyrics are all heaven and hell. Matt says: "This one is loosely based on a really, really great book called Trinity by Leon Uris. I grew up Roman Irish Catholic and in this book, the protagonist is going through some spiritual unrest and questioning his faith." "Walk It Off" is an angry and tuneful number chronicling a lovers' spat. With such raunchy lyrics as "Excitable bitch / You're screaming!" the song is with fraught with emotions found in actual relationships. Matt says: "This one is based on my experiences and those of my friends. [The original version] was kind of abrasive and up-tempo, so we made it more somber for the acoustic EP. The guy is still pretty pissed, but he's deflated and despondent. I hardly ever write break-up songs, but this one ended up being dialogue — the incoherent rambling of two people." "Sex and Reruns" is an ode to escapism and self-medication via media such as TV and the web – a mighty timely and relevant topic. Matt says: "I wrote this the day before I left L.A. Partly inspired by Don DeLillo's White Noise, it centers around being susceptible to choosing short-term solutions for our long-standing issues. I was thinking about how we avoid the human touch and find comfort in all the wrong things." "Ash Like Snow" is a serious and earnest track that was originally Matt's attempt at a holiday tune! (Holidays can be very sad indeed.) Matt says: "I was stuck in the Nashville airport for 25 hours and I read Ayn Rand's We the Living, and this song is based on that. Two people lamenting over their city – it's changing for the worse – and they feel completely helpless. It passed as a holiday song once I likened the embers of crashing buildings to falling snow. That was a creative leap." "Rabbit" is based on the Harry Angstrom character from John Updike's Rabbit series, Rabbit Run in particular. Matt says: "But it's also based on my personal experiences and how I felt years ago. Harry Angstrom is a total jerk, but you do empathize with him in a perverse way." – Gail O'Hara "Duke makes intimate folk-pop music that radiates honesty and clarity…His gentle voice subtly weaves into the sounds of his well-executed acoustic guitar-playing, keeping a steady and precise rhythm…" – MSN Buy Music: Matt Duke on amazon.com Matt Duke 2009 tour dates with Jay Nash & Tony Lucca – MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED (Dates and information subject to change.) 08/25/09 San Francisco CA Hotel Utah 08/28/09 Spokane WA The BLVD 09/01/09 Salt Lake City UT Urban Lounge 09/04/09 Denver CO Soiled Dove 09/08/09 Chicago IL Martyr’s 09/10/09 Indianapolis IN Birdy’s 09/12/09 Pittsburgh PA Club Café Live 09/16/09 Boston MA Middle East 09/19/09 Easton MD Night Cat 09/22/09 Nashville TN 3rd and Lindsley 09/23/09 Atlanta GA Smith’s Old Bar 09/25/09 Isle of Palms SC Hotel California 09/26/09 Isle of Palms SC Hotel California For the latest tour dates, music and information, please visit: MySpace Matt Duke Official Website

You are subscribed to email updates from Band Weblogs To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Liberal Values

---

• Quitters Hall of Fame
• Quote of the Day
• Michael Moore’s Next Movie
• A Prediction On Capitation
• Republicans and States’ Rights
• Which Deniers Of Science Are Worse?
• Scientists Reject Republicans

Quitters Hall of Fame Posted: 09 Jul 2009 08:02 PM PDT Mudflats checked out how many other first term governors pulled a Palin and quit: On a hunch, I reviewed online lists of all the men and women who've been elected governor of their state since the year 1900. Pored over them for a few hours. Over 1200 politicians have taken that first-term oath of office. Some soon died in office. Many resigned to accept other positions in government, including Spiro Agnew who was "tapped" by Nixon after being the Governor of Maryland for about five minutes. On a handful of occasions, a first-termer was dragged off to the slammer or impeached. One was incapacitated by a nervous breakdown and one left just as impeachment came knocking on his door. So—how many out of over 1200 just up and quit before the end of their term? Three: Jim McGreevy, Eliot Spitzer and Sarah Palin.

Quote of the Day Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:20 PM PDT “Wait: Michael Jackson died? How come nobody covered that?” –Matthew Yglesias

Michael Moore’s Next Movie Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:15 PM PDT Variety has reported on Michael Moore’s next documentary: Michael Moore’s opting to spoof romantic conventions in titling his upcoming documentary “Capitalism: A Love Story,” which addresses the causes of the global economic meltdown. “It will be the perfect date movie,” Moore said in an announcement Wednesday. “It’s got it all — lust, passion, romance and 14,000 jobs being eliminated every day. It’s a forbidden love, one that dare not speak its name. Heck, let’s just say it: It’s capitalism.” Moore and Overture Films had announced previously that the film would be released domestically on Oct. 2 — a year and a day after the U.S. Senate voted to approve a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. Paramount Vantage will handle international distribution. The film is described as focusing on “the disastrous impact that corporate dominance and out-of-control profit motives have on the lives of Americans and citizens of the world.” I’ll have to wait and see what I think of this one. While there are certainly problems with the capitalist system which are responsible for the economic collapse (as even conservatives such as Richard Posner have argued) my suspicion is that Moore will over-emphasize the bad while failing to appreciate all the benefits of capitalism. I’ve found Moore’s work to be quite mixed in the past. Fahrenheit 9/11 was an easy one as the case against Bush was so strong. Sicko showed both the good and the bad sides of Moore. He did an excellent job of showing the problems faced by many in hour health care system (as long as you realize that millions of other people are also satisfied with the system). On the other hand he white-washed problems in foreign systems. For example, he showed Americans receiving health care at a clinic in Cuba suggesting that this is the type of free health care which is available in Cuba. Actually he went to a clinic which treats foreigners only and which is not representative of Cuban health care. He showed the positive aspects while ignoring problems in countries such as Great Britain. While France does have an excellent system, Moore even exaggerated the benefits available there. I fear that a documentary on capitalism will emphasize the worst of Michael Moore’s views.

A Prediction On Capitation Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:05 PM PDT There are many possible ways to pay doctors. If for some bizarre reason I wanted health care reform to fail after enacted I would choose capitation. This is the way most likely to screw both physicians and patients and make everyone want to abandon the system. We’ve already seen that mistake under HMO’s, and we know how most people feel about them. While there is certainly a problem with doctors being motivated to  perform more expensive care with payment by fee for service, capitation provides motivation to do as little as possible as doctors are paid a flat mouthy amount regardless of what they do. We really don’t have a problem with too much being done in health care in this country overall. The problem is that some people receive more expensive services than needed while millions don’t receive the health care they need. What is needed is to reform the system so that care is available for all, which will keep doctors so busy providing necessary care that we should not need incentives not to work as occurs under capitation. I’ve found it disturbing that many bloggers who are supporting health care reform are also naive supporters of capitation. Undoubtedly most of them are too young to require very much medical care and have never experienced the problems under capitation. There is a tremendous difference between reading and blogging about health care and actually having experience in the field (as is seen with the misconceptions among many liberal bloggers over care from the VA). At least I felt a little better after reading this post from Ezra Klein. Ezra supports capitation but I was happy to see he concluded by writing, “I’m actually a big fan of this model, but I rather doubt it will be adopted here.” In this case I hope that his ability to predict political outcomes is superior to his understanding of health care in the real world as opposed to theoretical blogging.

Republicans and States’ Rights Posted: 09 Jul 2009 04:35 PM PDT I’ve noted in previous posts that Republicans have failed to uphold their stated belief in states’ rights by supporting the DEA raids on those dispensing medicinal marijuana in states where it is legal. Here is another situation where I fear Republicans will not support states’ rights: Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states. The suit filed in US District Court in Boston claims that Congress, in enacting the Defense of Marriage Act, “overstepped its authority, undermined states’ efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people.” Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposes gay marriage, said, “We believe the suit will have no credibility in the federal courts. The federal courts have already ruled that the DOMA is constitutional.”

Which Deniers Of Science Are Worse? Posted: 09 Jul 2009 03:50 PM PDT Following the last post on science and political views, The Secular Outpost asks a related question:  Are Climate-Change Deniers as bad as Creationists? Predictably, whenever the Chronicle prints a statement of the fact of human-caused climate change, as it did with the publication of Paul Krugman's excellent editorial, "This close to betraying planet" on Tuesday, June 30, there is always a backlash of ignorant outrage. These tirades sound eerily familiar in tone. They sound exactly like the antievolutionary screeds of creationists. In fact, there is probably considerable overlap between the climate-change deniers and creationists; once you start rejecting inconvenient science, it easily becomes a habit. Climate-change deniers and creationists indulge in the same kind of rhetoric and employ the same sorts of tricks. Unable to win on the basis of evidence and logic, they resort to name-calling. Creationists characterize evolutionists as "atheists" who promote "the religion of secular humanism." Climate-change deniers call their opponents "pathological romantics" or "eco-zealots." While engaging in ad hominem argument, it also helps to mischaracterize opposing positions. Evolutionary theory as depicted by creationists bears scant resemblance to the real thing. Similarly, deniers of climate change fatuously say that their opponents want to reverse the industrial revolution or go back to transportation by ox cart. In fact, those leading the charge in warning against climate change, like Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize winning physicist Steven Chu, are the most active proponents of new science and new technology. Another tactic common to both the creationists and the climate-change deniers is to present a skewed version of the facts. Young earth creationists falsely claim that there are no transitional fossils. Climate-change deniers laughably tout the balmy climate that global warming will supposedly bring to New England (the real effects will be devastating). It is little wonder that creationists and climate-change deniers are so much alike. Both groups are motivated by a fundamentalist ideology: theological fundamentalism in the one case, and economic fundamentalism on the other. Ignorance is always dangerous, and doubly so when it is intentional. The post doesn’t really answer the question of who is worse, but some of those commenting do suggest answers. The best answer might be a commenter who says, “In my personal experience they’ve been one in the same.” That is often, but not always true.

Scientists Reject Republicans Posted: 09 Jul 2009 10:54 AM PDT With old divisions between left and right over matters such as economics and size of government breaking down, the primary difference between liberals and conservatives have come down to holding a reality-based world view versus one based upon superstition and the misinformation commonly spread by the right wing noise machine. With the Republican Party being dominated by the religious right it comes as no surprise to find that scientists are overwhelmingly backing the Democrats over Republicans. A Pew Research Center survey of scientists found: Slightly more than half of scientists (52%) describe their own political views as liberal, including 14% who describe themselves as very liberal. Among the general public, 20% describe themselves as liberal, with just 5% calling themselves very liberal. Most scientists identify as Democrats (55%), while 32% identify as independents and just 6% say they are Republicans. When the leanings of independents are considered, fully 81% identify as Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 12% who either identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP. Among the public, there are far fewer self-described Democrats (35%) and far more Republicans (23%). Overall, 52% of the public identifies as Democratic or leans Democratic, while 35% identifies as Republican or leans Republican. The survey also compared views on scientific issues with those of the general public. You have to take such questions with a grain of salt as a survey which gives a choice of agreeing or disagreeing could obtain different results with changes in wording. The survey found far greater belief in evolution among scientists than the general public: Scientists were also more likely to believe in a human role in global warming and see this as an important problem: A large majority (85%) of Americans says that the earth is warming, but they are more divided on the cause of climate change than are scientists. About half of the general public (49%) says the earth is getting warmer "mostly because of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels," while 36% say warming is occurring "mostly because of natural changes in the atmosphere." About one-in-ten (11%) say "there is no solid evidence that the earth is getting warmer." By contrast, 84% of scientists say the earth is warming because of human activity. Scientists also are far more likely than the public to regard global warming as a very serious problem: 70% express this view, compared with 47% of the public. Public attitudes about whether global warming represents a serious problem have changed little in recent years. It would also be helpful to have a break down by field. Typically when conservatives quote scientists who disagree with the scientific consensus on climate change such views are from scientists in other fields while there is a high degree of agreement among those actually in the field. Differences in opinion in the general population were strongly related to political affiliation: The strongest correlate of opinion on climate change is partisan affiliation. Two-thirds of Republicans (67%) say either that the earth is getting warmer mostly because of natural changes in the atmosphere (43%) or that there is no solid evidence the earth is getting warmer (24%). By contrast, most Democrats (64%) say the earth is getting warmer mostly because of human activity. Nearly half of independents (49%) say human activity is causing the earth to warm, while 47% say either that the earth is getting warmer due to natural atmospheric changes (38%) or that there is no solid evidence that the earth is warming (9%). The divide is even larger when party and ideology are both taken into consideration. Just 21% of conservative Republicans say the earth is warming due to human activity, compared with nearly three-quarters (74%) of liberal Democrats. There also are significant differences in views about climate change by education. More than half of college graduates (58%) say climate change is occurring and caused by human activity while those with no more than a high school education are more divided in their opinions; 45% say the earth is warming because of human activity and 40% say it is due to natural changes in the atmosphere. Scientists were more likely than the general public to be concerned about the suppression of scientific findings by the Bush administration: Most scientists had heard at least a little about claims that government scientists were not allowed to report research findings that conflicted with the Bush administration's point of view. And the vast majority (77%) says that these claims are true. By contrast, these claims barely registered with the public – more than half heard nothing at all about this issue. Only about a quarter of the public (28%) said they thought the claims were true.

You are subscribed to email updates from Liberal Values To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

The Marketing Minute

---

Tired of hearing about Zappos? Too bad. Posted: 09 Jul 2009 12:25 PM PDT As long as they keep surprising and delighting us....and becoming the poster child for exceptional customer service...you're going to keep hearing about them. Take a minute to read about my marketing cohort Jay Heyman's experience with Zappos and learn.  (e-mail subscribers...click on Jay's name.) What's so memorable and talk-worthy about Jay's story is that one employee, not a corporate policy or CEO but one customer service rep who had clearly drank the brand's kool-aid took an extra five minutes and did something remarkable. I think it's noteworthy that Eric's (the customer service rep) gesture was remarkable because it was personal. After reading Jay's post, as a business owner, I found myself wondering these three questions.  I'm thinking you should be asking them too. Would every one of my employees recognize an opportunity to deliver a remarkable and personal moment? Would every one of my employees choose to seize that opportunity? If I can't answer yes to the first two questions...what am I doing wrong...or do I have the wrong employee?

You are subscribed to email updates from The Marketing Minute To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Funtasticus.com

---

• Colorado River Bridge
• Daily Funny Videos
• What a wife will do for her husband
• Tech Toy Deals of the Day
• Funtasticus Links
• Tata Thursday
• Daily Cool Pics

Colorado River Bridge Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:01 AM PDT The Colorado River Bridge is being constructed over the Hoover Dam and should open 2010.  This massive engineering accomplishment will measure 579 meters in length and rise 256 meters above the Colorado River.   The bridge will be open to both auto and pedestrian traffic creating a massive new tourist attraction to the already popular Hoover Dam.

Daily Funny Videos Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:01 AM PDT Scary Cycling Crash Over Guardrail – Watch more Funny Videos See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor. More funny videos like the “Yoga Ball Flip Trick” at Heavy.com

What a wife will do for her husband Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:00 AM PDT Sam and Becky are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Sam says to Becky, "Becky, I was wondering – have you ever cheated on me?" Becky replies, "Oh Sam, why would you ask such a question now? You don't want to ask that question…" "Yes, Becky, I really want to know. Please…" "Well, all right. Yes, 3 times…" "Three? Well, when were they?" he asked. "Well, Sam, remember when you were 35 years old and you really wanted to start the business on your own and no bank would give you a loan? Remember, then one day the bank president himself came over the house and signed the loan papers, no questions asked?” "Oh, Becky, you did that for me! I respect you even more than ever, to do such a thing for me. So, when was number 2?" "Well, Sam, remember when you had that last heart attack and you were needing that very tricky operation, and no surgeon would touch you? Then remember how Dr. DeBakey came all the way up here, to do the surgery himself, and then you were in good shape again?" "I can't believe it! Becky, you should do such a thing for me, to save my life. I couldn't have a more wonderful wife. To do such a thing, you must really love me darling. I couldn't be more moved. So, all right then, when was number 3?" "Well, Sam, remember a few years ago, when you really wanted to be president of the golf club and you were 17 votes short..?"

Tech Toy Deals of the Day Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:27 PM PDT Now usually I’ll suggest a toy that I already own or have used that I think you folks would enjoy, but today I received some e-mails abut some solid sales going on that you might not want to miss out on so I thought I would throw them up here for you. The Amazon 6″ Kindle has dropped it’s price to only $299 “Rigged” by Ben Mexrich which I am currently reading – a must have!! Nikon Coolpix S230 10MP Digital Camera with $30 Rebate!

Funtasticus Links Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:46 AM PDT Abigail Clancy is busting out in Ibiza [NS4W] Anna Kournikova makes children’s dreams come true [Busted Coverage] Patriotic bikinis make you salute [Hottest Girls of MySpace] Jamie Lynn fills out very little very nicely [Holy Taco] Mena Suvari does the bikini thing again[Celebrity Odor] 10 Hysterical Videos of People Falling Down Stairs [Epic Carnival] Hot women on bicycles[COED] Sarah is a college hottie that likes facials [College Humor] Lindsay Lohan in some short shorts [Celebridiot] Gemma Atkinson is busty to the max [Cameltap] Oh Topanga is still sexy [Warming Glow] Camilla Alves bikini pics will make you smile [Lax Time] 15 Hilarious Google Suggestions Screenshots [Next Round] Blake Lively saves a boob slip in New York [The Grumpiest]

Tata Thursday Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:05 AM PDT Tata Thursday is filled with beautiful ladies, sexy eyes, naughty poses, and hands just big enough to keep some mystery live.  What makes this Thursday even better is that it is payday and what goes better with some money in the bank than big tatas? More Daily Hotness @ FuntasticusNSFW.com!

Daily Cool Pics Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:05 AM PDT All you have to do is jog on the beach and you will be gently lifted up into the air like you were a feather in the breeze.  Umm you are sure about that because I am a big guy and I don’t run all that fast.  Sure man trust me I have done this thousands of times.  OK everyone watch me fly!!!

You are subscribed to email updates from Funtasticus.com Humor & Fun Blog To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Idol Stalker - Watching American Idol

---

Gordon Ramsay Blames Simon Cowell For Botox Treatments Posted: 09 Jul 2009 03:53 PM PDT You might know Gordon Ramsay best as the foul-mouthed chef who tortures contestants on Hell's Kitchen.  I know that some people think he's exceedingly cruel but I actually kinda like him.  I even think he's attractive and sexy in his own way.  I was disappointed to learn that he had given in to the trend in Hollywood and had had Botox injections.  I wasn't surprised, however, when he explained how he came to arrive at that decision. According to The Insider, 42-year-old Ramsay said:  "It's Simon's fault. He leaned over and prodded my chin saying: 'Mate, you've got to do something.'  I was like: 'F*** off!' I've always looked like Freddy Krueger [the serial killer from A Nightmare On Elm Street], but more people were commenting, so I did it – Botox. And no one has f****** noticed." It's no shocker that Simon said.  He told Us magazine the following: "Yes, I’ve had Botox, but not in an obsessive way. Then again, every guy I know who works in the city has had it now." That's the worst – when you give in to peer pressure and feel like you are making a change for the better and then no one even notices the difference.  It's a good lesson for doing what you feel is right and now what other people think you should do. image: Zuma Press Post from: Idol Stalker

You are subscribed to email updates from Idol Stalker To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

A Hearty Life

---

Identical Twins & Breast Cancer, Same Time Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:00 PM PDT Identical twins share many things but the last thing they likely expect to share is a diagnosis of breast cancer. But that’s what happened to Leigh Baker and her sister Nicola, now 27 years old. Leigh was the first twin to be diagnosed, at 25, with breast cancer. Weeks later, Nicola received the same news. Studies have been done of twins and health. It’s particularly interesting if researchers find twins who grew up separately but ended up developing similar illnesses. To read more about Leigh and Nicola, you can go to the article, Identical Twins Who Got Breast Cancer At The Same Time . ~~~~~ Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Identical Twins & Breast Cancer, Same Time

Night Owls Are a Real Thing Posted: 09 Jul 2009 04:40 PM PDT Science proves what many of you may already know: some people are just not cut out to be morning folks. There is a definite set of the population that can be classified as “night owls.” And it isn’t because we’re lazy. (Notice I say “we.” Yes, I’m a night owl, too!) Being a night owl works out fine for the job I currently have. But when I worked in a traditional 9-5 office setting, it wasn’t always so. That’s not unusual, because morning people have the distinct advantage when it comes to work today. Research shows that, in terms of physical strength, morning people “remain constant throughout the day, but night owls have peak performance in the evening” because they had “maximal central nervous system drive” at about 9:00 p.m. So if you’ve ever had a burst of energy at 9:00 p.m., now you know why. The interesting thing is that while night owls had this burst of energy, morning people didn’t. Their brains and bodies worked best at 9:00 a.m. but then went down throughout the day from there. Image: sxc.hu. Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Night Owls Are a Real Thing

You are subscribed to email updates from Blisstree » Diseases & Conditions To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Teacher Magazine's Web Watch

---

Michael Jackson’s School Days Posted: 09 Jul 2009 02:19 PM PDT While Michael Jackson will be remembered as the "King of Pop" to millions, few people will recall Jackson's early school days as well as Felicia Childress, his Garrett Elementary kindergarten teacher in Gary, Ind. Childress recounted some of her fond memories of Jackson's youth in an ABC 7 News video. The 92-year old teacher said that she remembers Jackson as a happy kindergartener who—presaging his later life— was often the center of attention in the classroom. She also noted that young Jackson had a slight speech impediment, common among many children. "Michael had this stammer, but when he sang he would not miss a note and his pitch was perfect. He must have had an excellent ear because his little voice was just right on tune," Childress said. Childress said that, unlike other people in Jackson's life, as his teacher, she was sad when he reached super-stardom because she thought he missed out on important developmental stages of his childhood. "He didn't have time to be a child. He just had to leave all of that behind and go to the serious part of life. That really bothered me because I felt that that's the way you learn about your relationships—[it's] how you play," she recalled.

You are subscribed to email updates from Web Watch To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Sentinel School Zone

---

• Florida Teacher of the Year finalist heading to Dominican Republic
• Tampa educator is Florida Teacher of the Year
• Volusia school official running for state office
• Sublette proceeds with Orange school chair campaign
• Seminole superintendent gets thumbs up in annual review
• FAU President Brogan making bid for chancellor's job

Florida Teacher of the Year finalist heading to Dominican Republic Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:55 PM PDT Apopka High English teacher Melissa Reiker wasn't picked tonight to travel the country as Florida's Teacher of the Year. But the writer-turned-educator is still hitting the road to share what she knows with other instructors. This weekend, Reiker, who had...

Tampa educator is Florida Teacher of the Year Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:35 PM PDT A fourth-grade teacher in Tampa who sings rap, dances and sometimes wears angel wings to school was named Florida Teacher of the Year at a big event here in Orlando tonight. I met with this energetic young woman after the...

Volusia school official running for state office Posted: 09 Jul 2009 02:18 PM PDT The 2010 election already is heating up, although it is a year away. Tim Huth, deputy superintendent of Volusia County schools, just called to say he is running for the District 26 state House seat being vacated next year by...

Sublette proceeds with Orange school chair campaign Posted: 09 Jul 2009 01:32 PM PDT Bill Sublette is moving ahead in his campaign to be Orange County's first elected chairman of the School Board. According to a press release just sent our way, Sublette has raised $44,000 toward the campaign. That's a pretty good head...

Seminole superintendent gets thumbs up in annual review Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:40 AM PDT Superintendent Bill Vogel recently got his annual evaluation from the Seminole School Board and it's pretty much all smiley faces. Vogel, who just wrapped up his sixth year on the job, gets high marks from board members in all 16...

FAU President Brogan making bid for chancellor's job Posted: 09 Jul 2009 09:52 AM PDT Frank Brogan, president of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and lieutenant governor under Jeb Bush, confirmed today that he will apply to become chancellor of the state's public university system, the Sun Sentinel reports. He announced his plans in...

You are subscribed to email updates from Sentinel School Zone To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

The Latest from Cafe Hayek

---

• Paul Graham, hacker (by Russell Roberts)
• Economics is hard (by Russell Roberts)
• Whitman on Thaler (by Russell Roberts)
• Oily Speculations (by Don Boudreaux)

Paul Graham, hacker (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:41 PM PDT Does anyone have contact info for Paul Graham, author of Hackers and Painters?

Economics is hard (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 09 Jul 2009 04:28 PM PDT You could teach on course on the errors in this poster (HT: michelediane). Assuming it is real and that someone or some group in 1943 thought this made sense or that people would think that it did, is a testament to how hard economics is.

Whitman on Thaler (by Russell Roberts) Posted: 09 Jul 2009 01:21 PM PDT Glen gets it right. (HT: Seth Goldin)

Oily Speculations (by Don Boudreaux) Posted: 09 Jul 2009 04:41 AM PDT Here's a letter that I sent yesterday to WTOP radio (103.5 and 107.7 on your FM dial in and near DC): News Editor, WTOP Radio Washington, DC Dear Sir or Madam: This morning your anchors interviewed University of Maryland law professor Michael Greenberger on President Obama's plan to reduce speculation in oil markets.  Mr. Greenberger's answers revealed his own confusion. Most obviously, Mr. Greenberger repeatedly objected to persons investing in oil futures "passively" - as he said, "with no interest in actively controlling these assets, just hoping to make a buck when their prices rise."  Ummm.... Does Mr. Greenberger own stocks only in companies that he actively manages?  If not, why is it okay for him passively (and speculatively!) to buy, say, a few dozen shares of Microsoft "hoping to make a buck when their prices rise" but not okay for other persons to speculate in oil for the very same reason? Second, Mr. Greenberger presumes that all speculators speculate long and that doing so is a sure thing.  Neither presumption is valid.  It's just as easy to speculate short as it is to speculate long.  And if speculation were as risklessly profitable as Mr. Greenberger presumes it to be, then high gasoline prices would pose no problem because everyone and their grandmothers would be raking in riches by speculating in oil markets. Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux

You are subscribed to email updates from Cafe Hayek To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

ETC Blog Email Subscription

---

Featured In FNIF Broadcast Regarding AIDS And Substance Abuse In the Gay Community Posted: 09 Jul 2009 09:53 AM PDT Today Family News in Focus (FNIF … part of Focus On The Family) is airing a story in which I took part in regarding NARTH’s exposure of unhealthy behavior within the gay community at large. As with every interview, I had a great conversation with the interviewer (Steve Jordahl in this case.) Actually … not every [...] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

You are subscribed to email updates from Everyday Thoughts Collected To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Healthbolt

---

Are you living in a “fat’ state? Posted: 08 Jul 2009 05:49 PM PDT Have you seen the new CDC report on the nation's waistline? Apparently, it show that when it comes to weight, there is no shrinkage. Some state may be holding steady but the major seem to be growing. For the report,  400,000 American adults provided information about their height and weight which was used to calculate their body mass index (BMI). Weighing up all the information, the CDC has determined that 'the proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008 compared to 25.6 percent in 2007.' According to the CDC press release  "In six states – Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia – adult obesity prevalence was 30 percent or more. Thirty-two states, including those six, had obesity prevalence of 25 percent or more. Only one state, Colorado, had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. But no state showed a significant decrease in obesity prevalence from 2007 to 2008." As for the 'fattest state', this dubious honor goes to Mississippi. Here are the percentages of obese adults in U.S. states and Washington, D.C., according to the new CDC data: Mississippi: 32.8% Alabama: 31.4% West Virginia: 31.2% Tennessee: 30.6% Oklahoma: 30.3% South Carolina: 30.1% Kentucky: 29.8% North Carolina: 29% Michigan: 28.9% Arkansas and Ohio: 28 (source: WebMD)   Post from: Healthbolt

You are subscribed to email updates from Healthbolt To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full?
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kiven - Codamon.com - Babes and Gaming

---

• Neosteam at Anime Expo 2009
• Stargate Universe
• Google Chrome OS

Neosteam at Anime Expo 2009 Posted: 09 Jul 2009 03:46 PM PDT Atlus brings Neosteam, Shin Megami Tensei, Demon Souls and the rest of the Atlus portfolio to Anime Expo 2009. Wishing i got a Neosteam or Shin Megami Tensei shirt plus those Persona 4 Photobooks look good too..i want those! Check out photos below:    Neosteam is Atlus’ first MMORPG game and is set in a steampunk mmo [...]

Stargate Universe Posted: 09 Jul 2009 01:22 AM PDT

Google Chrome OS Posted: 08 Jul 2009 09:01 PM PDT

You are subscribed to email updates from Pinoy Gaming, Babes & Anime Blog Philippines by Kiven To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Band Weblogs

---

• Win Marc Carroll signed CDs of his new album Dust of Rumour
• Third Eye Blind on Good Morning America July 17th + ‘Ursa Major’ album
• Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons ft members of The Raconteurs + FREE MP3
• The Duke & The King release ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ + FREE MP3
• NPR Music presents The Phenomenal Handclap Band @ Joe’s Pub + FREE download
• Lollapalooza Giveaway – contest – win a pair of tickets!!
• Josh Ritter – September UK tour dates – 8 shows guest to Ray LaMontagne
• Super 400 – “Flashlight” single + Sweet Fist album
• Ben Harper and Relentless7 – “Fly One Time” video + Conan, Austin City Limits
• The Damned / Naz Nomad And The Nightmares review – watch videos
• B.B. King – “Lucille” story

Win Marc Carroll signed CDs of his new album Dust of Rumour Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:32 AM PDT Acclaimed Dublin born and LA based singer and multi instrumentalist Marc Carroll releases a new single, “Always”, on High Noon Recordings, Monday 13th July, 2009. “Always”, with its haunting melody and heartbreaking lyrics is the lead single from Marc’s new album ‘Dust of Rumour’, released 6th July. Its uplifting refrains and beautiful repetition are reminiscent of pioneering Krautrock band Neu and Marc plays all the instruments on the track. The new album, ‘Dust of Rumour’ is set to continue the critical acclaim that flowed following the release of Marc’s previous two albums, ‘Ten Of Swords’ (2003) and ‘World On A Wire’ (2005) and songs such as the exquisite “Against My Will” and the sun-drenched “You Just Might Be What I’ve Been Waiting For” show Marc’s timeless west-coast influenced songwriting. MUZU.TV has teamed up with Marc Carroll to give you the chance to win 5 signed copies of the new album. Competition closes 14th July, 2009. For full competition details just go to Marc Carroll TV on MUZU.TV Buy Music: Marc Carroll on amazon.com amazon.co.uk Marc Carroll Official Website

Third Eye Blind on Good Morning America July 17th + ‘Ursa Major’ album Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:10 AM PDT Start lining up at 6AM for the chance to hear new songs off of Third Eye Blind’s NEW album ‘Ursa Major’. Third Eye Blind will be performing at 8:30 AM at Rumsfield Park in Central Park, NYC LIVE on Good Morning America on Friday July 17, 2009. For directions and questions about where to lineup and details please visit ABC News – GMA Central Park Summer Concerts for more information. This exclusive LIVE performance is open to fans of all ages. For those of you tuning in at home this performance is set to air LIVE at 8 AM via your local ABC Channel. ‘Ursa Major’ IN STORES EVERYWHERE AUGUST 18th Buy Music: Third Eye Blind on amazon.com Third Eye Blind’s new single “DON’T BELIEVE A WORD” available now on iTunes Pre-order Ursa Major on Amazon For more information on Third Eye Blind, please visit: Third Eye Blind Official Website MySpace Stephan Jenkins on Twitter Third Eye Blind on Twitter

Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons ft members of The Raconteurs + FREE MP3 Posted: 09 Jul 2009 10:30 AM PDT After much critical praise of his EP ‘Cabin Ghosts’, Cory Chisel is back with his band The Wandering Sons on the new single, "Born Again." FREE download: “Born Again” MP3 Watch some behind-the-scenes studio moments during the recording of "Born Again": Watch Born Again video Also joining Cory on this rocking new song are Brendan Benson and Patrick Keeler of The Raconteurs. "Born Again" is the lead single off Cory's debut full-length ‘Death Won't Send a Letter’, set for release on September 29, 2009. Buy Music: Cory Chisel on amazon.com amazon.co.uk Cory Chisel Official Website

The Duke & The King release ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ + FREE MP3 Posted: 09 Jul 2009 10:01 AM PDT On August 4, 2009, Ramseur Records will release ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ by The Duke & The King, an album recorded in the the coldest Catskill winter, that shimmers with the light of memory and hope. ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ features ten new songs, all co-written by The Duke (Simone Felice of The Felice Brothers) and The King (Robert Chicken Burke), and was recorded on a two-inch tape machine in Burke’s one-room, woodstove-heated cabin – affectionately known as The Chapel – in Woodstock, NY. FREE download: “The Morning That I Get To Hell” MP3 The Duke & The King grew out of Simone Felice’s decision to take an extended break from The Felice Brothers at the end of 2008, after three years of non-stop touring. He set to work on his third book, and began writing and recording with his longtime friend Burke, himself on leave from recent stints with George Clinton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and film scoring work for acclaimed french director Cedric Klapisch. The two holed up in splendid isolation at The Chapel with a cache of vintage instruments, and emerged with an album of inspired contradictions. Made in the depths of winter, ‘Gold’ feels sun-faded and warm. It emits a bucolic calm, yet was mixed and mastered in Brooklyn by hip hop legend Bassy Bob Brockmann (Notorious B.I.G.). Fusing unlikely elements of blue-eyed soul, Topanga Canyon cool, and Marc Bolan-esque acoustic reverie, The Duke & The King sing of a time and place they can never return to, but will never forget. The Duke & The King will tour extensively this summer and fall. Stay tuned for updates. Buy Music: The Duke & The King on amazon.com The Duke & The King on amazon.co.uk Photo Credit: Dave Herron The Duke & The King MySpace This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

NPR Music presents The Phenomenal Handclap Band @ Joe’s Pub + FREE download Posted: 09 Jul 2009 09:38 AM PDT Pictured: The Phenomenal Handclap Band NPR Music presents soul singer Lee Fields & The Expressions, New York-based indie collective The Phenomenal Handclap Band, and nine-piece jazz ensemble Fight the Big Bull, joined by Steven Bernstein at Joe’s Pub, NYC Tuesday July 21, 2009 @ 9:30pm. Tickets are $18, and are on sale now at www.joespub.com and (212) 967-7555. The entire concert will be added later to NPR Music's library of webcasts and free downloadable podcasts as part of the "Live in Concert from All Songs Considered" series at www.npr.org/music. FREE download: “You’ll Disappear” MP3 The concert at Joe's Pub will be a dynamic, if unexpected, mix of three diverse groups and sounds – inspired by the eclectic curatorial vision represented by NPR Music. Buy Music: The Phenomenal Handclap Band on amazon.com The Phenomenal Handclap Band on amazon.co.uk NPR Music The Phenomenal Handclap Band Official Website This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Lollapalooza Giveaway – contest – win a pair of tickets!! Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:51 AM PDT To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Island Records is teaming up with Band Weblogs to give you a chance to win a pair of tickets to the annual Lollapalooza festival, 2009 in Grant Park, Chicago and a $100 gas card to help get you there! Enter to win tickets: Lollapalooza Giveaway! If a weekend full of live music with mega-stars The Killers, Beasties Boys and Tool (to name a few) wasn't quite enough then you're in luck because Island Records is also hooking up the Grand Prize winner with the entire Killers' catalog, as well as albums from Noisettes, Airborne Toxic Event, and Ida Maria. The prizing isn't over yet… Island Records is also giving away custom Zippo lighters and music download cards with the top 50 Island songs from the past 50 years to 25 runners up! Don't pass up your chance to get in on the action! Lollapalooza festival – August 7 – 9, 2009 For more information on the festival lineup and stage locations visit the Official Lollapalooza Website. Island Records Official Website To sign-up, for contest rules and terms, go to: Lollapalooza Giveaway!

Josh Ritter – September UK tour dates – 8 shows guest to Ray LaMontagne Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:08 AM PDT Acclaimed singer songwriter Josh Ritter returns to the UK for the first time since his incredibly intimate acoustic show at the Barnabus Chapel in London last year. Josh is heading out on a short tour consisting of three headline performances and eight shows in the UK's most prestigious music halls as a special guest to Ray LaMontagne. Josh will be showcasing tracks from his highly anticipated new studio album set for release on Mercury Records early next year, which is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2007 LP 'The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter'. Josh Ritter UK tour dates: (Dates and information subject to change.) September 2009 Mon 7th LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club Headline Show Tue 8th EDINBURGH, Usher Hall Wed 9th NEWCASTLE, City Hall Thu 10th WOLVERHAMPTON, Civic Hall Sat 12th SHEFFIELD, City Hall Sun 13th MANCHESTER, Bridgewater Hall Mon 14th PORTSMOUTH, Guildhall Tue 15th BRIGHTON, Hanbury Club Headline Show Wed 16th LONDON, Royal Albert Hall Thu 17th LONDON, Royal Albert Hall Fri 18th OXFORD, Academy Headline Show Josh Ritter is currently on an extensive summer tour of the US and recently played two sublime shows fully complemented with a 24 piece orchestra in New York's Central Park (June 12th) and The Marquee in Cork (July 4th). Buy Music: Josh Ritter on amazon.co.uk Josh Ritter on amazon.com For the latest tour dates, music and information, go to: Josh Ritter Official Website

Super 400 – “Flashlight” single + Sweet Fist album Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:32 AM PDT Super 400 is slated to hit the airwaves this month with their new single “Flashlight” from their forthcoming junior album. Denver, Colorado based Response Records is releasing the album in the September 15, 2009. ‘Sweet Fist’ will be manufactured and distributed through Rock Ridge Music with an exclusive license. “We’re thrilled to be working with Response Records to distribute and promote Super 400″ , says Jason Spiewak, Rock Ridge Music. He goes on to say, “Sweet Fist” is a tremendous rock record, one that will please the band’s current fan base and surely make them new ones.” Lifelong fans of the influential Memphis sounds of Stax Records and Big Star, Super 400 chose the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee to record their third album, ‘Sweet Fist’. As much history museum as functioning studio, Ardent has captured the essence of such greats as Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Isaac Hayes and Big Star, to name a few. As the legends before them, they recorded the album entirely on tape, capturing most final cuts on the first take. Hall of fame mastering guru Larry Nix, along with son Kevin, refurbished the one and only Stax Record Lathe that before being moved to Ardent, created the first copy and master for every Stax Record and later classic albums such as Led Zeppelin: III, Stevie Ray Vaughn: The Sky Is Crying and ZZ Top: Afterburner. Months of valuable time and unmentionable resources were spent to insure that the historical lathe made its’ return debut to cut the new Super 400 album. It can humbly be said that history has been made. Adam Anderson, Response Records states, “The new album Sweet Fist marks a magnificent pinnacle in the sonic evolution of Super 400. Both powerful and soulful, the band took the analog Memphis sound and gave it a shot of adrenaline on this record.” The band has become one of the most loyally followed rock bands in the Northeast, and the fan base is growing; last year’s national tours started a chain of bootleg recordings that have been traded and coveted around the world. Back home, the Mayor of Troy, NY gave Super 400 their own official holiday, ‘Super 400 Day’, to recognize the band’s musical achievements as well as the love and support the city has shown for them. Each of their completely unique performances evokes the raw, euphoric essence of Rock and Roll. Their upcoming release, ‘Sweet Fist’, truly reflects the light and dark of this new millennium; it unravels the tales of this modern world with an analog tongue rarely heard in the digital age. It represents both homage to their influences and an insightful progression of the dynamic power of Super 400. Buy Music: Super 400 on amazon.com For more info visit: Response Records Official Website Super 400 Official Website

Ben Harper and Relentless7 – “Fly One Time” video + Conan, Austin City Limits Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:49 AM PDT The new video for Ben Harper and Relentless7’s track “Fly One Time” debuted July 8th on AOL Music’s homepage and AOL’s Spinner.com. The video features clips of amazing footage depicting the highs and lows of life through the eyes of incredible athletes and humanitarians. Professional Cyclist Lance Armstrong, Pro-Big Wave Surfers Laird Hamilton and Dave Kallama, Pro-Skater Christian Hosoi, Sport Climber Lynn Hill, Tightrope Walker Nick Wallenda, Olympian Jesse Owens and spiritual leader, the Dalai Llama are all featured. The video for “Fly One Time” also premiered internationally in Italy on MTV on July 8th and on Sympatico/MSN in Canada on July 20th. MSN in France and AOL.de in Germany will premiere the video in the coming weeks. Ben Harper and Relentless7 will also perform the new single on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Friday, July 31, 2009. Ben Harper and Relentless7 are in the midst of a world tour supporting their new album ‘White Lies For Dark Times’, which was released on May 5th and debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart. Buy Music: Ben Harper on amazon.com Ben Harper on amazon.co.uk This marks Ben Harper’s 3rd consecutive Top 10 Billboard debut. In addition, the album reached the top 10 charts in France (#6), Italy (#7) and Switzerland (#7). The press is raving about the new album: The Associated Press gives the album an “A,” calling it “another superb collection” while USA Today says “Harper revisits his blues-rock roots with renewed energy.” ‘White Lies For Dark Times’ is a “Critics Choice” at People Magazine and Spin dubbed it “an impressive array of American music, ranging from muddy blues to eerie folk to Hendrixian wah-wah.” Ben Harper and Relentless7’s energetic live performance is the heart of the band. On April 22nd, they performed to over 100,000 fans at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy for the Nat Geo Earth Day Festival. The entire set also aired live on the internet for fans across the globe to watch. The band brought the same energy to Manchester, Tennessee in June where they rocked an overflowing tent with an explosive set at Bonnaroo 2009. The band is scheduled to perform at festivals across the country and abroad including Mile High, Fuji Rock, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Fans can also look forward to a legendary Austin City Limits television performance to air in October on PBS. Ben Harper 2009 Festival tour dates: (Dates and information subject to change.) July 9 Ottawa, ON CAN Cicsco Ottawa Bluesfest July 11 Masontown, WV All Good Festival July 12 Montreal, QC CAN Montreal Jazz Festival July 18 Commerce City, CO Mile High Music Festival July 25 Niigata, JPN Fuji Rock Festival July 26 Burnaby, BC CAN Virgin Festival Aug 8 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza Sept 20 Tempe, AZ Fall Frenzy Oct 4 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival Photo credit: Danny Clinch “Fly One Time” video on Spinner.com For the latest tour dates, music and more, go to: Ben Harper and Relentless7 Official Website

The Damned / Naz Nomad And The Nightmares review – watch videos Posted: 09 Jul 2009 05:15 AM PDT Did you hear the one about the band who was actually two bands? Yeah, now I’ve been a Damned fan ever since I could spell my own name. Yes, I can remember the arguments about “New Rose” being the first ever punk single – or not – and when they split up and reformed. All this and it still wasn’t even the 80’s yet. I can recall seeing The Damned in many different places with various different members. Then it was 1984 and I was sifting through the albums in Subway Records in Portsmouth underneath The Tricorn and I found this album. It was like a 1960’s soundtrack to some B movie, on the sleeve it said Naz Nomad And The Nightmares – ‘Give Daddy The Knife Cindy’. Well at that time in my life I was buying albums just out of interest, I mean if the cover looked good I would buy it and if I didn’t like it I could always take it back and change it. But this album grabbed my imagination, so I bought it and took it home. After one play of the first track (”Nobody But Me” a Human Beinz cover) I knew straight away that this was The Damned being a bit cheeky again. Yes, this album sparked a lot of conversation over late night beers around the country. You see on the actual record sleeve there was no mention of the band, Mr. Vanian or Mr. Scabbies or indeed Roman Jugg. They all had aliases. Like Dave was Naz Nomad and Roman Jugg was Sphinx Svenson etc. You could tell that this was The Damned by Dave Vanian’s trademark voice straight away, but it didn’t stop the arguments as to if it was just some session musicians who could sound like The Damned and where was Captain Sensible in all of this? I Can’t Stand This Love Goodbye clip: They even took this out on to the road and toured Naz Nomad & The Nightmares around the country starting on Saturday 30th April at The Greyhound in Fulham. I am gutted that I missed their live shows but here is a clip of them playing “Action Woman” back in 1989: Action Woman video: Buy Music: The Damned on amazon.co.uk The Damned Official Website By: Dave Tommo

B.B. King – “Lucille” story Posted: 09 Jul 2009 04:52 AM PDT There are a lot of rock/folk stories out there and one that I’m a fan of is how B.B. King got to call his Gibson ES-335 Lucille. It was the winter of 1949 in Twist, Arkansas. B.B. King had just rolled into town to play a gig at this old music hall. Now it was cold outside, and so the best and cheapest way to keep a building warm in those days was to use kerosene. Yeah a barrel and a half would do it. So people were partying, having a laugh and dancing when a fight broke out between two men. This scuffle knocked over the barrel of kerosene and the whole building went up. People were running for their lives as the building rapidly burnt to the ground. The only thing on B.B’s mind was his guitar. This was the tool of his trade, the only way he had of making a living. So he braved the flames and ran back into the burning building to rescue his guitar. The next day Mr. King was to hear that two people had died in the fire that night and that a woman named Lucille was the reason for the fight that started the fire which ended their lives. B.B. King then named his Gibson and every other guitar after that “Lucille” just to remind himself not to ever do stupid things like running into burning buildings or fighting over women. Listen to: B.B. King – Lucille on Youtube Buy Music: B.B. King on amazon.com B.B. King on amazon.co.uk B.B. King Official Website

You are subscribed to email updates from Band Weblogs To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Liberal Values

---

Not A Helpful Argument Posted: 08 Jul 2009 07:08 PM PDT I’ve frequently noted that it is counterproductive for advocates of health care reform to use the VA as a model. Their arguments in support of the VA system is based upon faulty data, many who have experienced care through the VA would not see it as a good model for health care reform, and a government run program of this nature is not even on the table. If using the VA as an example is counterproductive, Matthew Yglesias comes up with one that is even worse. You will never win an argument which tires to use the U.S.S.R.  as in any way a positive example.

Not Only Women Are Subjected To Unfair Attacks Posted: 08 Jul 2009 12:27 PM PDT Peter Daou compares Palin-bashing to Hillary-bashing at Huffington Post. His message seems to be that both Palin and Hillary Clinton were treated unfairly as they were women. Both were subjected to some unfair criticism, and some of this was related to their gender, but both were also subjects of attack for reasons independent of this. While it is strange to lump both Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton together because their views are so different, both of them have views which I (and many others) find objectionable, both have demonstrated a lack of integrity when pushing their agendas, and both tend to display poor judgment in matters of public policy. If Peter simply wants to separate such differences of opinion on public policy from personal attacks I totally agree with this. While I would be reluctant to vote for a ticket containing either a Palin or a Clinton, there are many grounds to criticize them without resorting to many of the attacks which they have been subjected to. I not only agree with Peter in criticizing the comments claiming Hillary Clinton was pimping her daughter, I wrote a post defending Clinton on this while opposing her candidacy. When posting about the many lies of Sarah Palin I noted regret that personal issues were mixed in. What bugs me about the way that Peter lumps together the attacks on both Palin and Clinton in such a manner is that it implies that only female politicians are treated this way. Gender differences do make it inevitable that there will be some differences in the nature of the attacks, but plenty of male politicians have also been treated quite unfairly. One example from each party in a presidential campaign quickly comes to mind–the attacks of the Swift Boat Liars on the honor of a war hero in their false claims about John Kerry in 2004 and the Daisy Ad used by Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater in 1964. Unfair treatment is a fact of life in politics. It would be great if it could be eliminated but it cannot. Most politicians take their lumps and continue. They do not run away and hide like Sarah Palin.

You are subscribed to email updates from Liberal Values To stop receiving these emails, you may