2011年12月30日星期五

Skywatcher Captures Image of Troubled Russian Mars Probe

Russia's Mars probe, Phobos-Grunt, is cornered in low-Earth orbit, losing more detailed and better its dangerous experience with the global environment next 30 days.Thanks to the abilities of Ralf Vandebergh, an astrophotographer and expert tv television spotter from the Holland, the stressed spacecraft has been recently imaged in something of a skywatcher's swan tune. Canada Goose Chilliwack Vandebergh informed SPACE.com that on November 28, after a any period of time of dark climate, he lastly got a new photo of Phobos-Grunt as it traveled the world over The european union."In the monitoring opportunity of my device, a 10-inch Newtonian telescope, Phobos-Grunt revealed a kind of red coloring," coming from the older aluminum foil that encompasses the spacecraft, he said. Vandebergh had broke pictures of the cornered Mars car nearly monthly previously. This newest image has better quality, he said, thanks to a higher complete of the European spacecraft. Different components of the probe can clearly be seen, such as the space component, its Phobos lander and the car's solar power sections. "For me, it checked actually amazingly constant, which I had not predicted after several reviews of eroding … boasting," Vandebergh said. "But as the photo reveals, there are always modest flames, like the one on top," he included, which seems to be a sun sparkle on the entrance exterior of the probe’s Soil come back car.

2011年12月29日星期四

Alumni Game to kick off Winter Classic

Discuss awesome beginning functions, how about Saturday's Graduates Activity to get lovers in the feelings for Monday's fifth yearly Winter weather Classic?Every several decades of Brochures historical past but the present one will be showed in the sport against the New You are able to Rangers' old-timers at People Lender Playground (1 p.m.).The NHL is anticipating a complete home in unwanted of 44,000 lovers for the Graduates occurrence. A lot of them might be there just to see if Area of Famer Bob Clarke and '90s excellent Eric Lindros can exist together on the same list."It gives me excellent satisfaction to see so many of our excellent alumni come rear to engage in in this ancient game at People Debris Playground," said Brochures operator Ed Snider."It truly is a awesome collecting of many of the biggest gamers to ever dress in the red and dark-colored. Canada Goose It will be a enjoyment for all of us to see these best rear on the ice one a longer period. I can't delay.''The list features ahead Expenses Barber, Lindros, Keith Primeau, Bob LeClair, Clarke, Reggie Leach, Orest Kindrachuk, Ken Linseman, Lady Poulin, Jim Dowd, Jeremy Roenick, Al Slope, Lady Schultz, Bob Kelly felix, Don Saleski, Level Propp and Bob Tocchet; defensemen Level Howe, Eric Desjardins, Terry Carkner, Kaira Marsh, Kjell Samuelsson, Bob Therien, Ray Goodenough, Joe Watson and Derian Hatcher; goalies Bernie Parent or guardian and Ron Hextall.The go instructor is Pat Quinn."This game will be a special event of more than 45 decades of Philly Brochures basketball, as this alumni group symbolizes nearly every significant success in our historical past," said Brochures chief executive Chris Luukko. "It is a fantasy come real for Brochures lovers everywhere to see many of our biggest gamers constructed for this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence."Former Brochures instructor Robert Keenan will instructor the Ranger alumni, which will have Area of Famer Level Leetch on immunity.

2011年12月28日星期三

"ILL PREPARED"

One section associate, Boyd Burkhardt, a doctor from Az, said the organization's information was imperfect, and he discovered it challenging to comprehend why the organization was "as ill ready as you appear to be" to be able to match regulating expectations."Like it or not, we have a regulating patience which is probably greater or at least different than it is elsewhere on the planet, and I think to be able to get your products or service accepted, you're just going to have to attack your language and match that patience," Cheap Ugg Boots Burkhardt informed the organization, according to a records from the panel's getting together with available on the FDA's web page.Asked to thoughts on the PIP debate, Burkhardt, in a brief appointment, said that he is by the before feedback he created to the FDA.It was not instantly clear why after the panel's denial the FDA then done an assessment of the PIP place in May 2000.PIP said it ceased promoting its saline improvements in the U. s. Declares that same 30 days, according to an SEC processing.

2011年12月27日星期二

Police to Release IDs of Christmas Day Shooting Victims

GRAPEVINE, Tex – Investigators are trying to piece together a family history after a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit apparently shot six relatives in a Texas apartment before turning the gun on himself Christmas Day.Police in Grapevine, a quiet suburb of Fort Worth, say the identities of the victims would likely be released Tuesday.Grapevine police spokesman Sgt. Robert Eberling said the shooter showed up in the Santa outfit shortly before gunfire erupted and was a member of the family. Police went to the apartment midday Sunday after receiving a 911 call in which no one was on the other line. They found four women and three men, aged 18 to 60, dead. A motive for the shootings remains unclear.Investigators worked overnight, meticulously searching the apartment, along with three vehicles parked outside."It appears they had just celebrated Christmas. They had opened their gifts," Grapevine Police Sgt. Robert Eberling said Sunday, adding that the apartment was decorated for the holiday, including a tree.Two handguns were found near the bodies, and it appears all died of gunshot wounds, he said.Grapevine Police Lt. Todd Dearing said investigators believe that the victims were related, though some were visiting and didn't live in the apartment. He said police are looking for other relatives to inform of the deaths."Seven people in one setting in Grapevine, that's never happened before. Ever," Dearing said.Police and firefighters first rushed to the Lincoln Vineyards complex after receiving the open-ended 911 call at about 11:30 a.m., Eberling said."There was an open line. No one was saying anything," he explained.So police went into the apartment, located in the middle-class neighborhood of Grapevine, not far from the upscale Fort Worth suburb of Colleyville. UGG Boots Australia The apartment was at the back of the complex, overlooking the athletic fields of Colleyville Heritage High School.Many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbors reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.Jose Fernandez, a 35-year-old heavy equipment mechanic who moved to the complex with his family about six months ago, said he always felt safe in the area, but is now afraid to let his 10-year-old son play freely outside."This is really outrageous especially on Christmas," said Fernandez, who was visiting family for the holiday and returned to find several police cars parked outside his home."This has shocked everybody. It has scared everybody. I guess something like this can happen anywhere, but seven people dead. It's just very scary," he added.Eberling agreed the area is fairly quiet, saying the shootings involved the first homicides in Grapevine since 2010.Christy Posch, a flight attendant who moved to the complex about six months ago so her son could attend the high school, said she lives a few buildings away and did not hear any gunshots."It's all families. That's why I moved here. No burglaries, no nothing," Posch said.

2011年12月26日星期一

Authorities offer $30,000 reward in case of missing Maine toddler

Specialists in Waterville, Maine, on Wednesday provided a $30,000 compensate for details that would lead detectives to discover 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds.The young lady was last revealed seen more than a week ago, and police officers are now assured that someone was involved in taking Ayla from her house, said Waterville Police Primary John Massey."This is the greatest compensate that I can remember for a missing-person situation in Maine's history," he told journalists. UGG Classic Cardy Boots "I'm very optimistic that this will motivate anyone that has any details to call the Waterville police officers."Father has 'no idea' what occurred to herAyla is described as having red hair, being about 2 toes, 9 in. high, and considering 30 pounds. She was last seen sporting green sleepwear with white polka facts and the words "Daddy's Princess" across the front. When she vanished, the young lady had her arm in a soft toss.Ayla's family is family interaction, and police officers do not have anyone attached to the situation in child legal care. Specialists have performed many queries so far, including government and police officers.Work to discover the losing young lady ongoing over the past few days with police officers searching through prospects, said Massey."Like in most losing individual cases, it issues us as time goes on," the police officers chief said.

2011年12月25日星期日

Man questioned in slayings outside West Side nightclub

Chicago police are questioning a man who had been kicked out of a West Side nightclub early this morning before two men were shot dead and another wounded there.Officers saw the man walking on the West Side about 3:30 a.m. and found he matched the description of the gunman, down to the gray “jumpsuit” or tracksuit he was wearing, police said. The man began running when officers tried to question him, but was apprehended after a short foot chase. He has not yet been charged, but police said they found physical evidence that linked him to the killings.Shortly before the 1:30 a.m. attack in the 300 block of North Sangamon Street, the man now being questioned had been asked to leave the Victor Hotel nightclub, although the reason for that was not clear. UGG Boots Australia A disturbance then erupted outside the nightclub because the man was upset he had been asked to leave. That ended with the lone assailant pulling a gun and shooting Robert Warren, 34, and Jose Duckins, 30 to death. A third man was wounded and survived.Warren, of the 7300 block of North Damen Avenue, and Duckins, of the 3600 block of West Franklin Boulevard, were both pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.Warren and Duckins suffered gunshot wounds to the chest, said police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.A 21-year-old man shot at the scene arrived at Rush Hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm,said Greer. Greer said he was reported in good condition.

2011年12月23日星期五

West Coast bird makes rare detour to city

While light weather may be keeping some migratory creatures away this season, one run guest is establishing the spirits of city bird watchers aflutter.Binocular-toting chicken fans have been ogling a seldom seen Western side Seacoast hummingbird that was first identified the other day eating on blossoms on the argument of the Art gallery of Natural History.Ornithologist Bob Lovely thinks the types is the Rufous hummingbird, whose reproduction range expands through the Hawaiian North west from Ak to southern Florida.The vagrant chicken likely got tossed off its migratory path — or took a wrong turn — while traveling by air from Ak down to its wintering argument in Southern region america, he said.“It’s a amazing happening that these creatures come from so far away,” said Lovely, who manages the museum’s ornithology selections.This design of “vagrancy” is a unusual happening in many types of migratory creatures at this season.Hummingbirds are the smallest creatures on the earth — most think about only a few h — but can fly thousands, or even thousands, of distance motivated by the nectar from blossoming blossoms.But falling heat will soon cut off the run bird’s food and leave it with little chance for success. Canada Goose DanmarkWhile Lovely said most bird watchers believe it’s best to let dynamics take its course, creatures rehabilitator Ritamary McMahon, co-founder of the Outrageous Bird Account, on the higher Western side Side, said she wants the chicken be found and developed through winter season.Both camp remain at possibilities over the wonderful hummingbird’s success.Meanwhile, a Baltimore oriole and an orange-crowned warbler were among other popular creatures identified during the 112th yearly Xmas Bird Depend, used last week break in New york, A queen, Brooklyn and Staten Location.This season's Central Playground count number found 3,288 creatures of 54 types. That number is down from the more than 6,000 creatures that were identified last season.The low numbers could be due to both the rapid start cold, and the hotter heat in the area major up to the count number, said Bob Rowden, affiliate manager for person research at NYC Audubon.And some creatures, like the seldom seen yellow-breasted talk, identified Saturday in Dez bryant Playground — just didn't seem to want to move on.The citywide Xmas Bird Depend is part of an effort to stock all of the creatures in the five boroughs. The Nationwide Audubon World will perform number throughout the month at more than 1,800 places nationally.On Wednesday, volunteers can help count creatures in the Bronx and Westchester Nation. There is a $5 engagement fee for field experts to help counteract the cost of the count number and its data.Contact Robert Bochnik, Hudson Stream Audubon World of Westchester, at (914) 237-9331 or bochnikm@cs.com.Meanwhile, the vagrant hummingbird is certainly not the only one whose migratory design is off.Earlier this weeks time, two wounded creatures that skipped their migration window used professional wings to fly them southern for winter season. On Thursday, a warbler that had been found in a adhesive entice and a Va track restoring from a contamination were traveled onboard a USAirways professional trip to Las vegas.The trip was organized by Outrageous Bird Account and pleasantness of USAirways,“It’s the big creatures helping the little creatures,” said a USAirways representative.

2011年12月22日星期四

Axl Rose's appetite is for today's Guns N' Roses

Reporting from Seattle— Axl Increased is sporting a bright natural cotton gown and bright pipe footwear, comforting on a chair behind the scenes Exclusive night after a three-hour display at Seattle's Key Area, where he would snaked his way through 34 audio with a edition of the group he co-founded a quarter-century ago, Weapons N' Flowers. It's 3 a.m., and the musician, the single other unique associate, has reduce the bad-ass shades and flat-brimmed Stetson-style hat he used onstage, ripped off the snakeskin footwear and improved out of his passed gong feet.It's been a flutter season for the infamously unforeseen and polarizing Increased. The Mountain and Throw Area of Reputation lately declared Weapons N' Roses' induction, 25 decades after he and former primary associates Decrease, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler set the Sundown Remove, and then the community, on fireplace. The statement encouraged rumours that at the May 14 rock and roll hall wedding in Cleveland, the unique "Appetite for Destruction" collection — a typically acrimonious lot with the opinionated Increased at the middle — might execute together for initially in two generations.But this good ray comes amongst a raining 2011 that has seen Increased, 49, fireplace two professionals in the last season, the most latest of which, Chris Katsis, was let go in beginning November. Since the dissolution of that first collection, the well-known musician has published just one project, "Chinese Democracy," which he used 13 decades and money generating. And his present vacation is aspect of a arrangement contract with former GNR administrator Irving Azoff that determined the group do a variety of actions with Stay Land as the advocate, and Increased is concerned that it's not being effectively promoted. He and Weapons N' Flowers carry this vacation to the Message board on Thursday night.It's the type of adverse power that can sap a individuals imagination, says Increased, having on a alcohol, his auburn locks holding over his shoulder muscles very much the same way it did in the old times, a horseshoe-shaped red mustache matching it. " UGG Boots OutletOnce I get the next elements categorized out with the brand, then I experience I can get to that innovative location that I've been dealing with to get to, and to use Weapons N' Flowers to do so," he says.The issue is that while he considers that he and his GNR — some of whom, like bassist Tommy Stinson and musician Rich Fortus, have been with him for more than a several years — is reaching on all cylinders now, prospective lovers are looking at other aspects. "Every administrator comes in and wants me to create elements lesser," says Increased. Weapons N' Flowers, for example, needs twice as many vacation vehicles as the funds needs, he says. Why no one else can comprehend the group's needs is an apparent aggravation for Increased.More essential, he contributes, most professionals want the same element that nearly every rock and roll 'n' roll fan of the last quarter-century wants, and the one element he stubbornly will not do: reconcile with Decrease, Izzy, Duff and the relax of the vintage GNR group for a vacation. The continuous concern is an albatross and actually leaves Increased not only worn out but cautious anyone in the enterprise looking to function with him. "All these professionals, they all believe in one thing: provide a gathering vacation and get their commission payment rate. It's just a vacation. It's a 50 % a daily … function, or however extensive they want to keep the businesses war going. They get their commission payment rate and they don't care if it drops on its experience."This doubt is partly the purpose why Rose's present control group is more loved ones than enterprise lover. It's going by Try out Lebeis, a B razil lady Increased met when she was his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour's assistant; she began operating for him after his tempestuous connection with Seymour led to 1993. Lebeis' two mature kids, Fernando and Vanessa, game out the control group. Lebeis says that this contract is caused by an ultimatum she provided Increased after Weapons N' Roses' most latest administrator, Katsis, eventually left the flip after less than monthly on the job."We determined, 'No more professionals,'" said Lebeis a few times after the Washington display. "Between me and Fernando and my kid, we're interacting with the control." Lebeis included that she characterizes Increased as "more than a son to me," and that after Katsis' travel, "I informed [Rose] if he employees another administrator, I stop." One of the Lebeis three is almost always at Rose's aspect, be it in press photographers photographs or aspect point during events, near the little make shift attire space that Increased regularly events into during instrument solos, or on that unusual situation when he actually rests down with a writer.As time makes toward 4 a.m., Rose's develop has transferred. He still has to do his frequent hour-long oral workouts before going for the night, and the venom of previously at night he would focused against various gamers in the popular music enterprise seems to have eventually left his program.Asked if popular music was still the generating element in his lifestyle that it once was, Increased breaks. "Well, it wasn't for decades. It was challenging to create myself want to do the old audio again. It was like, I wasn't going around my home moving to 'Jungle.' To even decide how to even create myself switch to those audio — and how I was going to switch to them — that was a big element to decide in '06."Based on the display previously at night, he's thought it out. Increased is very pleased of the big rock and roll display he and his group have designed. Over the three a long time, Increased, transferred easily and deftly, running from point eventually left to point right, yowling with pleasure during "Shackler's Revenge" and "Sweet Child O' My own," seated at the instrument for "November Water." He provided vintage deal with variations of audio by AC/DC, John McCartney and Bob Dylan, and a single instrument efficiency of "Goodbye Yellow-colored Components Street." And at details, he flipped the point over to his group associates for solos and prolonged licks. If his develop of speech taken less acceptance and more weight at 49 than when he was sliding through the release to "Civil War" two generations ago, he created up for it with large resolve.The passion he seems for this group is apparent on his experience, which lighting up when dealing with utilizing former Alternatives bassist Stinson, musicians Fortus, DJ Ashba, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and the relax of the '11 Flowers.It's a far comparison to his conduct when Slash's name comes up. Despite needs from Rose's publicist that he not be requested concerns about the former GNR musician, Increased himself says his ex-bandmate's name mins into the discussion and locks onto the topic.Slash was a overdue introduction into the Weapons N' Flowers flip, Increased likes showing individuals, and apart from a few key licks, says Increased, the musician was much less engaged in the audio than Increased and Stradlin."It was really a combat with me and Decrease," says Increased of the makes that took down the group. "Izzy was doing the same element, but the combat with me and Decrease began the day I met him. He came in, jumped my record out and put his in and desired me in his group. And I didn't want to become a associate of his group. UGG Classic Short We've had that war since Day 1."When he's requested the predictable concern — who will execute onstage as Weapons N' Flowers at the Mountain and Throw Area of Reputation induction ceremony? — Increased is careful. These types of awards, while unique to him, are also challenging. "I've got combined emotional baggage about what the Mountain and Throw Area of Reputation actually really is, but as well, there's a lot of individuals — the followers — that it just indicates something to them, and they're delighted. It's like you won the Heisman or something."The last element Increased wants to do, he pressures, is damage it for others. He represents Marlon Brando mailing an National Native indian capitalist to take his Oscar and offer a demonstrate presentation "and everybody getting … off, or when Erina Moore got up at the School Prizes and said whatever about Henry Shrub. People do not want that associated with their awards displays, even if you have a big visitors. In one way it might be right, but it usually backfires on whoever does it. So I really don't want to indulge it for everybody else — or take the defeating."Then he said curtly of the induction performance: "There is no strategy yet. There really is no strategy. We're still fast paced with this collection. We're want to be fast paced — we're want to be fast paced all next season. We'll be placing out new products as soon as we can decide what our cope is with brands, blah blah blah."As to whether he seems that he holds any liability for the condition of limbo he's in, Increased says: "You can say it's my mistake, but to me it's like if you're on a aircraft and somebody visits you and the air marshal busts you for decreasing — like it's my mistake for enabling somebody to vacation me?"

2011年12月21日星期三

MODEST FINE?

"We already have a discount following the launch of the NMA investigation," ING analyst Jeffrey Vonk said."OPTA will be looking at all the actions. That process will take a lot of time. The fine could be very modest," Vonk added, referring to an earlier instance when OPTA fined KPN.OPTA's statement on Wednesday also cited the previous instance, dating from 2005, when it fined KPN 17 million euros over its use of "improper" discounts in the commercial market for fixed telephony and leased lines.Earlier this month, the competition authority NMA raided the offices of mobile operators KPN, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom's T-mobile as part of a price-fixing investigation.NMA said at the time that it was investigating whether mobile telecoms operators in the Netherlands engaged in cartel practices including price fixing and the sharing of market information. UGG Classic CardyThe competition authority did not name any of the companies under investigation, but KPN, Vodafone, and T-Mobile each issued separate statements saying that NMA officials had been to their offices and that they were all fully cooperating with the authority's cartel probe.KPN said at the time that its headquarters in The Hague were raided and that five employees were being questioned by the competition authority.It said the competition authority was specifically investigating collaborative practices for consumer mobile telecommunications packages as well as KPN's sales channels.

2011年12月20日星期二

Jindal lends Perry a hand in Iowa

DEWITT, Iowa -- Sauntering through snowy streets with a dozen cameras in tow, two sitting United States governors on Tuesday talked haircuts and football with the residents of an eastern Iowa town, population about 5,000. Must be caucus season. Gov. Rick Perry, accompanied by endorser Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, stopped in DeWitt for a tour with the mayor as part of Perry's last-ditch-effort bus tour of over 40 cities in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Perry signed an NFL jersey, played with an infant, and even mimed giving a customer at Art's barbershop a haircut as he made his way through town, insisting on shaking the hand or slapping the back of everyone he met -- even a bystander absorbed in a frosted danish. “Two things you don’t want from me: Singing to you and giving you a haircut," Perry joked with haircut-recipient Leroy Claussen, moments after holding the barber's tools inches from Claussen's head. It's the retail campaigning for which Perry is known, and which his campaign team hopes will vault him above his conservative rivals to a better-than-expected finish in the Jan. 3 contest. Jindal, who endorsed Perry in September, joined him on the road Tuesday for two days of the bus tour. UGG Classic Short At the first stop of the day, Jindal introduced his neighboring chief executive with a specific focus on Perry's leadership. "I've seen Rick Perry lead," he said in his introduction speech at the Decker Hotel in Maquoketa. "I have seen first hand the difference between a man who's been governor of a state for 11 years and another man who gives a great speech, was a senator for a couple of years and then ran for president of the United States." The Louisiana Republican's steady and deliberate delivery of five reasons he's supporting Perry came with a fluidity that often escapes the candidate that he's endorsed. At one point, Jindal even came to his rescue after Perry flubbed one of the details of his own tax plan. "Thank you for correcting me on that governor," Perry replied when Jindal gently chimed in with the facts about deductions under Perry's flat tax proposal. "Not that I ever make a mistake. It's always good to have Bobby here to correct me."With Jindal at his side, Perry largely avoided his usual daily attacks on rivals in front of Iowa audiences. But he told reporters that his "outsider" status differentiates him from Romney and Gingrich, both of whom formerly supported the individual health insurance mandate much-reviled by conservatives. "[Romney] has a real problem with this issue of being consistent on this Obamacare/Romneycare issue," he said at a brief press conference outside his bus as snow flurries swirled above. "Newt's an insider. So the issue's going to be do you want an insider - whether it's Wall Street or whether it's Washington - or do you want an outsider like myself." Perry, unlike Gingrich, has not called for a ceasefire of inter-candidate punches, and he said Tuesday that such contrasts are fair rather than wholly "negative." "As long as no one's misstating the facts then I don't consider that to be negative," he said. "I think it's always in the eye of the beholder."

2011年12月19日星期一

FDA Approves Berlin Heart for Kids

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Berlin Heart for pediatric patients waiting for heart transplants. The ventricular assist device is similar to the one worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney but scaled down for children and babies.
"Without that device I wouldn't have my son," said Traci Shaffer, whose 9-year-old son Lane survived 16 months on the Ohio transplant waiting list because of the Berlin Heart. UGG Ultra Short Boots
Lane was born with a defect that caused his heart to swell and eventually fail. With no donor heart on the horizon, Lane needed a Berlin Heart. But because it was still unapproved in the U.S., it was hard to get.
"The doctors said, 'This is experimental, it's not FDA-approved, and here's the thing: You might not even get it in time,'" said Shaffer, who lives in Philadelphia, Ohio.
Lane's doctors had to ask the FDA for emergency access to the Berlin Heart under a provision called compassionate use. Only after approval could they order the device from Germany, bringing the wait time up to seven days.
"The child has to be on death's door before you can even apply for it," said Shaffer, adding that Lane was given seven-to-10 days to live when they started the process. "We've seen kids that couldn't wait seven days. It's very scary."
Lane weighed 35 pounds when his Berlin Heart arrived at the Cleveland Clinic in May 2010 -- his ribs visible through pale skin as he lay curled up in the fetal position. But after the nine-hour procedure to implant the device, Lane started to improve. UGG Classic Short
"Immediately after the surgery I could see the color of his skin had changed," said Shaffer. "His feet were no longer white and cold; they were pink and warm. His cheeks were rosy. That was the moment when you say, 'This is working.'"
The FDA's decision to approve the Berlin Heart means hospitals can stock the device in a range of sizes -- from walnut-size pumps for babies to fist-size pumps for teens.
"I will sleep better knowing there's a Berlin Heart sitting here in the Cleveland Clinic," said Dr. Gerard Boyle, a pediatric cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. "In the middle of the night, if we have a device here we can support the patient immediately."
The Berlin Heart is a temporary fix, though. Like Lane, kids who receive it will ultimately need a heart transplant.
"For families with a child who needs a heart transplant -- and there are enough of those -- we can say, 'We'll try to get a heart, but while we wait we have a plan,'" said Boyle. "This device gives us confidence that the number of patients who die waiting will decline dramatically." Ugg Boots Sale
Lane used the Berlin Heart until December 2010, when his parents got the call that his new heart had been donated.
Now Lane weighs 75 pounds, loves sports and motorcycles and is "eating his family out of house and home," according to his mom. But he's not out of the woods yet. He'll have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life, and he might eventually need another heart transplant.
But Lane, the boy with the "biggest blue eyes and smile you have ever seen," is staying positive and living life to the fullest, Shaffer said.
"I couldn't wait to tell him about the FDA approval because it's something he's been praying for and wanted since day one," said Shaffer, describing her phone call to Lane when she heard the news. "He screamed in my ear and said, 'You're kidding me! No more kids have to die, mom!'"

2011年12月18日星期日

UN's Ban condemns increased energy in Egypt

UN secretary-general says he's "highly alarmed" by energy used by protection makes, needs gov't to prepare people privileges. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ruined increased use of energy by Egypt's protection makes after three times of challenges with demonstrators strenuous an end to army concept added since Hosni Mubarak was toppled in March.Cairo's Tahrir block - hub of the rebellion that ousted Mubarak - has again been convulsed by assault as demonstrators need the generals who took charge in March stop energy. At least 10 people have passed away in the past three times. UGG Boots Outlet"Down with Tantawi," about 1,000 demonstrators chanted overdue on Saturday, mentioning Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi who minds the army government and who was Mubarak's immunity reverend.Some youths had previously thrown rubble and gas weapons at lines of protection makes. Huge range law enforcement came to have transferred to the front line instead of soldiers. The UN Secretary-General "is extremely frightened by the increased use of energy employed by the protection makes against demonstrators, and needs the transition specialists to act with discipline and prepare people privileges, such as the right to relaxing demonstrate," Ban's office said in a report.Troops in riot products have been shot in latest times defeating demonstrators with long stays even after they had decreased to the earth. A Reuter image revealed two soldiers pulling a lady relaxing on the earth by her clothing, revealing her lingerie.The assault has overshadowed a staggered parliamentary political election, the first free political election most Egyptians can remember, that is set to give Islamists the greatest bloc. UGG Classic Tall BootsSome Egyptians are furious by the army's conduct. Others want to pay attention to voting, not road direct orders. The judgment Substantial Council of the Equipped Forces will maintain energy even after the lower house political election is accomplished in The month of january, but has promised to hand over to an selected chief executive by September.Hundreds of demonstrators were in Tahrir on Saturday, although traffic was streaming through the block coming from roads not clogged and away from the assault. Most of the situations have been in roads major off the block.

2011年12月16日星期五

Lovette has requested for forgiveness not accountable.

His protection group retains there is no forensic proof to weblink him to the hard.They deal that key witnesses for the justice - associates who informed detectives they observed Lovette dealing with the UNC-CH college scholar leader's chaotic loss of life or were with him when he removed a hand gun - had "motive" and "bias" for implicating their customer.Scott Jackson, an SBI adviser and forensic weapons examiner, claimed Friday that supports and principal points retrieved from Carson's system at the junction where she was discovered go with bits of a hand gun retrieved in Durham.Atwater's sweetheart claimed the other day that she was with Lovette when he cast out bits of the broken-up hand gun in three locations in Durham.Investigators discovered two of those bits, but Jackson had to re-create aspect of the gun so he could fireplace it and monitor the velocity of a topic. UGG Boots Outlet Prosecutors deal Lovette and Atwater kidnapped Carson from her house about 3:30 a.m. Goal 5, 2008.They dispute that the couple took her against her will to two Traditional bank of The united states ATMs and withdrew money from her profile in School Slope and Durham before firing her to loss of life in a basic School Slope community about a kilometer from her house.The DNA proof is the only forensic proof offered in the six instances of statement that immediately links Lovette to Carson.SBI experts claimed they discovered no remnants of finger prints, hair or fiber content linking him.In his corner evaluation of McMillan, protection lawyer Kevin Bradley centered on proof of DNA from an mysterious using its discovered in Carson's Highlander.Investigators gathered DNA examples from Lovette, Atwater and a half-brother of Atwater who was not energized in the situation.None of Carson's housemates or buddies, who often rode in her Highlander, was requested to offer DNA for examining.Prosecutors deal other proof such as ATM security pictures, the weapons assessments and experience statement put Lovette at the criminal offense world.

2011年12月14日星期三

Bernanke Alerts Fed Ready to Convenience on EU Risk

Federal Arrange Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled he’s worried Europe’s problems will hobble a 2 1/2-year U.S. growth that may need another increase from the middle financial institution.The Fed’s policy-setting section, which met in Oregon last night, said the financial climate “has been broadening slightly,” compared with the Nov. 2 evaluation that development “strengthened somewhat.” As well, the middle financial institution added a referral to “apparent reducing in international development,” and said that “strains in international areas continue to position considerable disadvantage dangers to the financial mindset.” UGG Ultra Short Boots Bernanke and his fellow workers may be considering more methods to aid development and improve public comprehension of Fed insurance insurance plan, which could be revealed as soon as their next convention developing Jan. 25-26, said Julia Coronado, primary South The united states economist at BNP Paribas. The Fed reiterated that it needs lack of employment to decrease “only progressively.”“They still see disadvantage dangers, so I still think they are moved toward reducing,” said Coronado, a former Fed specialist who is centered in New You are able to. She said she needs a new game of property buys in the second one fourth, or as soon as the The 30 days of january or Goal events should the financial climate decline quicker.The “recent energy in data” allows Fed authorities to “be a little more individual than they otherwise might be,” Coronado said.Consumer ConfidenceImprovement in some U.S. research indicates development may be increasing. The catalog of major financial symptoms increased 0.9 % in July, the most since March. A customer assurance catalog from the Conference Board increased in Nov to the best since September. Developing enhanced in Nov at the quickest speed in five months, according to the Company for Supply Management’s manufacturer catalog. UGG Boots Australia The Authorities Open Market location Screen, in its report last night after a one-day convention, reiterated that rates would stay near zero through at least mid-2013 and taken care of its $400 thousand selection switch toward longer-term Treasuries, the July methods named Function Distort. Chicago, Illinois Fed Leader Charles Evans dissented for the second immediately convention, choosing added reducing.Policy designers recognized “some development in overall work market conditions” after the lack of employment amount all of a sudden decreased by 0.4 amount stage in Nov to 8.6 %. That level is still “elevated,” while business resolved financial commitment decision “appears to be increasing less rapidly” and the houses industry “remains frustrated,” the FOMC said.

2011年12月13日星期二

Down the garden path
It's a wild night outside Southdown Cottage but inside, it couldn't be more peaceful. There's Miles Davis in the air, a bottle of red on the table and a pile of gardening magazines to work away at. Yep, I'm embracing my inner old git and loving every minute of it.Southdown Cottage in the Southern Highlands encourages this sort of behaviour. It's everything a country cottage ought to be without being overly chintzy or pretentious. The words "snug" and "cute" could have been coined for this place. Cheap Ugg Boots We arrive to find someone has kindly turned on the lights, adjusted the temperature and even slipped a Beethoven disc into the CD player and left a generous selection of breakfast produce in the kitchen.The cottage is tiny, comprising a downstairs living room-kitchen and children's bedroom and a double bedroom and ensuite above, reached by a steep staircase. This main bedroom is built into the eaves and is almost unreasonably cute. The small bedroom downstairs has double bunks and another bathroom beyond.Whatever the opposite of minimalism is, this is it. On virtually every surface there are books, cushions, pictures, magazines, knick-knacks and gewgaws. It is shabbily chic before that "style" was appropriated by pretentious, overpriced boutiques and it reminds me pleasantly of an aunt's cottage in North Yorkshire.The princesses, aged seven and nine, are thrilled by the idea of spending the weekend in a real fairytale cottage. Literal-minded as ever, they both lick the walls experimentally when I suggest it could just be made of gingerbread. In fact, the cottage is the original caretaker's house on the 2.4-hectare Southdown Estate - there are two other homes on the property available for rental.In the morning, we unleash the princesses to explore their new domain while we finish our coffee, then set off for a leisurely stroll to track them down. UGG Classic Tall 5815 The gardens are quite extraordinary for their size and variety. Topiary and statues abound. There are rose gardens, bridges and ponds and perfect "outdoor rooms". Each time you turn a corner, there is something new to discover and enjoy.Exploring the place is a delight and we spend a couple of hours doing just that, until I self-indulgently drag the family away to see Bowral's Bradman Museum of Cricket, a place of which I never tire.As ever, the museum doesn't disappoint and I even manage to pick up a ceramic replica of the Ashes with which to goad my Australian-born friends in the time-honoured fashion.After the museum, there's time for a mooch around the Berkelouw Books barn in Berrima and to check Harper's Mansion in the village. The mansion, a fine country house built in the 1830s, has been restored by local volunteers. It's still a work in progress and doesn't detain us too long. We're really here for the maze in the mansion's garden. It was planted about 10 years ago and the hedges have now filled out to make it quite a challenge.We emerge after 10 minutes of wandering into dead ends and each other. After being told their dad has hidden 50 cents in the centre of the maze, the princesses again plunge in, with squeals of excitement. UGG Classic Cardy I suggest to their mother that we could probably slope off to the White Horse Inn for a quick gin and tonic before they emerge but, strangely, she thinks I'm joking, so we hang around until the breathless pair emerge grasping their booty.It's beginning to get dark so it's back to the fairy-tale cottage, where more red wine, board games and Miles Davis await. Sunday dawns and we make our full English breakfast last as long as possible. We must return to the real world soon, where hedges don't come in geometric shapes and gardens aren't magically weed-free.

Lifestyles of the skint

Maths has never been my strong suit. I do the conversion in my head and I think I have the exchange rate from Australian dollars to Uruguayan pesos all worked out. I suck the last olive from my martini and take a seat at the blackjack table. I am in the self-proclaimed Las Vegas of South America at 2am on a Tuesday. Two hundred pesos to $1 is great value. I push all my chips towards the dealer and he flicks out the cards.A 10 and a 5 land in front of me. Perfect.For his own cards, the dealer puts down a 10 and an ace. UGG Argyle Knit BootsI'm out. And only then do I realise my mistake: 20 pesos equals $1. Bugger. The dealer scoops away my entire gambling budget for the week and smiles at me before saying "sorry" in perfect English.The trills of the gambling machines are at odds with the empty corridors filled with a handful of old ladies still coaxing the pokies to reward their commitment. I wander back to my room to await the hangover and chastisement from my girlfriend.Punta del Este on the Atlantic Coast of Uruguay is marketed as a beach resort and playground for celebrities. During the peak period of December and January, it is also said to be one of the most expensive places in South America.Our budget for a week of high-class living has sprung a leak, so we set out the next morning to explore the area on the cheap, hopeful that we can survive without having to dive into the dumpsters for food. Walking to town along La Brava beach, it is deserted; there is no one for kilometres, apart from the fishermen standing in wet sand waiting for a twitch on their lines.At the far end of the beach it looks as if we have stumbled across the tip of a buried city. A colossal hand claws through the sand, the blue-grey sculpture reaches towards the sky stretching for something eternally out of reach. La Mano is the work of Chilean artist Mario Irarrazabal; this searching hand is one of the most recognisable symbols in Uruguay. UGG Classic Short From La Mano we continue along Avenida Gorlero, taking a wide berth around the boutique stores selling big hats and holiday jewellery in US dollars rather than pesos. Behind us, downtown Punta del Este is littered with row upon row of skyscrapers - 30-storey sentinels that are populated by no one but the gardeners and live-in maids who keep the damp away in preparation for the summertime rush.We continue exploring the streets and it seems as if we are the survivors of an apocalypse: doors are closed and windows boarded. A tourism representative, Mariana, later tells me that for 11 months of the year Punta likes a fishing village - and how most of the year-round population of about 8000 prefer it.With lunchtime approaching, we are expecting the inflated prices of summer but are surprised at the options available in the side streets around town. I find a chivito for 95 pesos. The chivito is the national sandwich of Uruguay and it resembles a Frankenstein version of a steak sandwich. Complete with steak, lettuce, tomato, egg, bacon, cheese, mashed potato, chips, mayonnaise and olives on a roll, it is enough for a hungry lumberjack. Washed down with a local Zillertal beer, it is the perfect prelude to a South American siesta, another national passion.Continuing the bargain-hunting on Avenida Francia, we find "La Tucumanita" and order a pile of $1.50 empanadas to enjoy. Cheap Ugg Boots My girlfriend is from Argentina, the home of the empanada, so it is with careful consideration that she pronounces these to be the best she's ever eaten.With Punta abandoned and windswept, we decide to venture from the town. Across from the Casa del Padre Pio church we find a car-hire special and get a four-door Hyundai for $35 a day with which to explore the area.Ten kilometres south of the city is the living museum-hotel Casa Pueblo, which resembles a set from Star Wars. Built on Punta Ballena by renowned artist Carlos Paez Vilaro during the 1960s to resemble the nest of a Hornero bird, it is a honeycomb of rooms and staircases displaying the artist's various abstract paintings and sculptures. The upper level has a bar and balcony looking out to the ocean. We take a seat near the railing at sunset just as the speakers kick to life and a recording of Vilaro's Ceremony of the Sun poem is played to visitors. Argyle Knit UGG Boots The crowd is silent and solemn as the homage to the setting sun is read aloud while the last orange strands disappear behind storm clouds over the Atlantic.Vilaro completed his Casa Pueblo vision in honour of his son, who made headlines around the world in 1972 as one of the 16 survivors of the infamous flight-571 plane crash in the Andes. Vilaro's son, Carlitos, was a member of the Uruguayan rugby team who had to survive on human remains for two months until rescued. This was later immortalised in the book and subsequent film, Alive.From Casa Pueblo we cut across the edges of the Laguna del Sauce to Las Cumbres. Las Cumbres is a collection of 19 luxury suites hidden in the forest. Star Service named it as one of the top 100 hotels in the world. Wanting to treat ourselves to an affordable luxury, we have afternoon tea on the deck. While I initially baulk at the $22 cost, it is a bargain when the spread is put out before us. I gorge on apple strudel, chocolate cream cake with dulce de leche, champagne, pots of Darjeeling and jasmine tea, fresh croissants, sandwiches and mini pizzas.Still strained from the Olympic-size afternoon tea, we head along Route 10 through farming country to La Paloma to explore the beaches. This village is at complete odds with Punta; it is a collection of pastel-painted huts in the trees, with little development. At the single-screen cinema on the main street, I notice Hugh Jackman on the poster for Australia, which is getting its first run.On the edge of town, a guard at the Faro Cabo lighthouse seems glad of our company and tells us all the beaches are completely public here, so the high-rises and beach parties are avoided. For the $3 entrance fee he takes us up the 143 stairs to the top of the lighthouse, showing us the view south to our next destination, La Barra.This is the epicentre of the January transformation, when a plethora of nightclubbers and beach partygoers descends on the town. We walk past designer-dress stores next to Quiksilver outlets and various overpriced seafood and steak restaurants, many of which display their prices in US dollars and euros instead of pesos. UGG Classic Mini 5854 There are still budget options available, though, and after making our own gourmet gouda cheese and prosciutto rolls for less than $3, we find the Museo del Mar, an odd collection of skeletons, pygmy whale foetuses and shipwreck regalia that could easily feature in the wardrobe of The Pirates of Penzance.As we head back into Punta del Este at twilight, I check my pocket and find a wad of pesos. We have survived our week on the cheap with flying colours. The flickering lights of the Conrad's casino are in the distance. I smile at my girlfriend and wonder if she'd fancy a hand or two of blackjack with our leftovers.

Virginia Woman Fakes She is Suffering from Cancer For Money

This Virginian woman who is now 42 years old used to fake about her cancer since the time she was in her twenties. She has been held by Hanover County officers, who have levied two charges on her. Both the charges are for taking money from people by faking about her disease. Martha Nicholas from Mechanicsville has to appear in Hanover County General District Court on December 16 for case hearing. She is a mother of two and even her kids did not have any idea about her pretense. She used to go to public places and used to meet help groups and told to them that she has stage 4 ovarian cancer since she was in her twenties and used fake tears as her weapon to get money from people. UGG Boots Australia Emotions were her biggest strength as where ever she went she used to affirm that every night that passes makes her feel that it would be her last night on the earth. Hospitals and other clinics which she used to mention were also wrong as she has never been to any of the hospitals, said Capt. Michael J. Trice of the Hanover County Sheriff's Office. He further affirmed that they have investigated each and every medical place but there is no place which could confirm that she has ever been to any of them for her cancer treatment. Trice said, "Our investigation revealed no evidence of any cancer treatment at any medical facility that had been publicly identified by Martha Nicholas during her many public appearances and testimonials”. It is also said that those who have given her money without confirming her details would also be charged. One of the supports who raised $500 for her was shocked to know that she lied to her. She could not believe that all her tears were nothing but a drama.

2011年12月11日星期日

Central casting

In the lift is a pair of skateboarders whose red cheeks and windblown hair attest to a busy day on the town. The Geelong fans clutch their scarves as if they were good-luck medallions before heading to the game for the opening bounce.Dressed-up couples doused in perfume and aftershave plot their journey to Crown Casino via various watering holes. It's Friday night in Melbourne, though for this weekend city camper, takeaway dinner marks the end of the working week, as it usually does.Citadines Melbourne on Bourke, an ''apart'hotel'' of serviced studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, has been open since July. It looks new and there's a freshness about the place. Check-in is friendly and thankfully free of the stuffy deference that some hotel staff believe to be part of the service customers pay for.The lobby, up a ramp from Bourke Street, is spacious and airy with large armchairs, computers for the use of guests, newspapers, magazines and tourist information.Our one-bedroom executive apartment on the 23rd floor is at the far end of the long and skinny building high above Little Collins Street. UGG Boots It has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides and panoramic, Manhattan-type views over office buildings and apartment conversions from Fitzroy Gardens to the bay and western suburbs.The apartments are certainly on the compact side, though smart design and a sensible use of space ensure it's not to the detriment of comfort. The kitchenette contains a hob, oven, fridge and dishwasher and enough pots and pans for a basic cook-up, though given the range of cafes, restaurants and take-away offerings within a stone's throw of here it's unlikely one is going to bother.Opposite the comfortable couch is a large television, while a desk and two chairs double as a dining table and computer work-space. A sliding door off the living room opens into the bedroom, not exactly tennis court-sized but adequate for two even with a portacot. Another door off the living-room opens to a decent-sized bathroom from which the bedroom can also be accessed.The furnishings are sleek and minimalist and, despite the limited floor space, it doesn't feel cluttered or cramped.For an ''apart'hotel'', the service and facilities are more in line with the former than the latter. There's neither room service nor a stocked bar fridge but in the apartment is a folder filled with menus of nearby eateries that deliver.A gym, pool and sauna are at guests' disposal and there are limited car-spaces in the basement and it apparently fills up quickly on weekends.Citadines is a well-established chain in Europe and, more recently, Asia. Designed by Woods Bagot, this is the first Citadines in Australia.The crowd is a lively and mixed bunch; twentysomethings visiting from interstate, local sport and theatre-goers making a weekend of it and, on this particularly busy August weekend, guests of the Melbourne International Film Festival and design mavens participating in a weekend trade fair. It feels more like a base for holiday-makers than one for business travellers.A big attraction is the location. Within a radius of several hundred metres are Chinatown, cinemas, theatres, cafes, restaurants and late-opening shops, all of which attest to the revitalisation of what was until relatively recently a seedier stretch of the CBD.Our weekend stay is a treat full of visits to the film festival, a spa treatment, a swim, shopping, dinner out and invigorating winter walks through Fitzroy Gardens. As an advertisement for the merits of city living, Citadines has done a good sell on this visitor.

2011年12月9日星期五

Among the lily pads

An agile wallaby is one of the cutest marsupials you're likely to see. These little bounders with wide-open eyes and a curious gaze are gathering around my verandah as I try to sleep. The frogs are croaking and the dingoes are baying.This is Wildman Wilderness Lodge, a collection of luxury African-style tents and cabins with a central lodge and infinity swimming pool that has opened recently on the edge of the Mary River wetlands between Darwin and Kakadu National Park.In the wetlands, irritable buffalo and pigs are wallowing in the mud. These feral beasts are in the cross-hairs of a shoot-to-kill eradication program aimed at protecting this 8000-square-kilometre flood plain. They trample among lily pads in ankle-deep water that has the largest concentration of crocodiles in Australia and teems with jabiru, magpie geese and loud, screeching black cockatoos. Cheap Ugg BootsOne of the crocs here is a five-metre salty named Big Arse, who might be aged 40 years to 60 years and lives in Wildman's home billabong. Just in case you don't see him during a resort boat cruise, he is captured in a photo hanging in the main lodge.I have my tent zipped up tight, not to keep out these wild things but as protection from the mosquitoes, which leave bites like sherbet bombs of itchiness, ready to explode when touched.Wildman's tents have polished blackbutt floors, king-size beds loaded with soft pillows and ceiling fans over the beds to stir the hot air. The tents have chic corrugated-tin bathrooms and flushing toilets and each has a writing desk, a mini bar and verandah chairs. Each tent costs about $100,000 to assemble and is finely finished and draped in the best African canvas. They are also equipped with a "survival kit" that includes a wind-up torch, hairdryer, sunscreen and insect repellent, but this is where my troubles start.I'm too slow to apply the Wildman-issued Aeroguard during an afternoon bush amble with indigenous guide Neddy Tambling and the mosquito bites are now driving me crazy as I lie under the ceiling fan, listening to the creatures and eyeballing the agile wallabies under the outback stars.During the walk, Tambling takes us to the soggy edges of the wetlands where termite fields, pandanus and paperbark give way to near impenetrable pools, channels, billabongs and rivers. UGG Classic Tall 5815 Tambling has us tasting rosella flowers and smelling eucalyptus plants used as bush medicine. He shows us trees used for making spears and tells of hunting file snakes and turtles. He keeps an eye out for crocodiles and, half-jokingly, advises: "Run for a tree if you see a buffalo."On a routine day, Tambling sees more buffalo than people. "I went to the footy in Melbourne last year to watch my nephew play and I'd never seen so many people together in one place," he says.Walking to the edges isn't the only way to explore the wetlands. We also hop in a helicopter and take a scenic flight, scooting low across the water as buffalo and pigs scurry off.Our pilot, Phil O'Driscoll, tells of catching a crocodile recently to relocate it somewhere safer. "We were dragging it up the river bank with a rope but it was so muddy, we were all slipping down towards it," he says. "We finally tied the rope to a bullbar on the four-wheel-drive and pulled it out that way."Crocodile stories are all around. O'Driscoll drops us in the wetlands at a waiting airboat driven by Robert Townsend. There's mud between our toes as we scramble aboard for a joy ride, powered by a Chevy V8 that drives a big aeroplane-like propeller at the rear.As we skim across the water's surface at high speed, small freshwater crocodiles thrash out of the way. The big saltwater crocodiles keep their cool and submerge, leaving only a trace of bubbles. We come across some horses on high ground and Townsend tells of mustering a stranded herd of eight last season with the airboat when a crocodile attacked. "They were swimming in a tight pack and the croc jumped on the back of four of them and started to bite into them but it was too small to take them down. UGG Classic Cardy I spent the next few days stitching up horses."The helicopter and airboats are in the repertoire of activities at Wildman, owned by Indigenous Business Australia and managed by tourism entrepreneur Grant Hunt, whose Anthology group also has Wilpena Pound Resort, Cradle Mountain Huts and Bay of Fires Lodge.At a more gentle pace than the chopper and airboat, Wildman's executive chef, Aaron Lee, provides cooking demonstrations over the outdoor fire-pit, where he cooks butter scallops and baby ocean trout with lemon myrtle, rosemary and lime."I've wrapped the fish in foil today but if we were out camping, then I'd use paperbark," he says.The open fire is a focus at the lodge and is surrounded by wraparound, sofa-style seating perfect for sunset with drinks.To the right of us are the tents and to the left are cabins called "habitats". They have been relocated from the defunct luxury Wrotham Park Station, 2800 kilometres away in Queensland, and provide airconditioned comfort.As we watch the sun dip and the frogs and cicadas start their cacophony, the mosquito activity increases and I know it's time to move inside.

2011年12月8日星期四

Inner-city style on a budget

You wouldn't think by looking at it, but one of Sydney's most infamous nightclubs once operated beneath the Altamont Hotel. The Cauldron was one of Sydney's hottest clubs in the late 1970s and early '80s; people lined up around the block to get in. Apparently Madonna and the Rolling Stones once used the hotel's Loft Room as a changing room, before using its secret staircase to visit the Cauldron below.Today the club is closed - all that remains is a big empty space - but the hotel survives as part of the 8Hotels boutique collection.From the Altamont's Darlinghurst location it is just a hop, skip and a jump to several of Sydney's bustling entertainment areas. The Coke sign of Kings Cross is only a few hundred metres away. A short walk in the other direction are the best of Darlinghurst's pubs, clubs and restaurants. Take a longer walk towards the city and you'll end up on George Street.The hotel pitches itself as "budget boutique", aiming at the cash-conscious consumer who wants a touch of class. UGG Boots Step through the hotel's front doors - former cell doors from Melbourne's Pentridge prison - and you enter the stylish front section of the hotel, with a pool table, a lounge, tables where patrons have breakfast and the reception desk. The front of the hotel used to be an upmarket restaurant more than a decade ago and hints of grandeur remain. Upstairs is a "Tuscan"-style courtyard.We park in one of the Altamont's off-street parking spots and take our bags to our room. My wife and I had tried to secure a courtyard room but have to settle for a standard room with a king-size bed. Unfortunately it seems to be the one nearest to the alley outside.Inside, the room has a simple yet stylish fit-out, with chic furniture, shuttered windows, appealing art on the walls and a minimalist vibe. There is cable TV, coffee and tea-making facilities and a small bar fridge (BYO). The bathroom also has a funky look. Overall it's stylish, comfortable and clean, a fine HQ for a sojourn in Darlinghurst's entertainment quarter.There are two sociable dogs wagging their tails in the lobby, when we ask the hotel owner at the front desk for dining recommendations. He's polite and knowledgeable, and recommends a few venues, including the highly regarded Onde restaurant. Are we well-dressed enough to get in? "In Sydney, all you need is money," the owner laughs. Too true.We follow his directions and take a shortcut through a church courtyard to the Victoria Room. We order cocktails and calamari and lounge in the room's British-Raj opulence, then pop in to the Green Point Pub for a drink or two before braving Onde. Unfortunately it's packed and there's a 45-minute wait for a table. It's tempting but instead we stroll back up Victoria Street and settle in at the one-hatted A Tavola. UGG Roxy Tall 5818 The squid-ink pasta and salmon pasta are superb. We consider stopping for a cocktail at the Kirketon Hotel on Darlinghurst Road - as recommended by the Altamont's owner - but we're already well fortified. While close proximity to Darlinghurst's buzzing nightlife is a boon when you're out on the town, we cop a bit of an earful of it during the night. Groups troop through the alley, talking loudly about their exploits. I'm woken several times, and I toss and turn on inadequate pillows - there are several of them, but none that are nicely plump and firm. We suspect the other rooms would be quieter, especially the ones on the other side of the building. Still, you don't stay in Darlinghurst on a Saturday night unless you want to sample the area in all its glory. In the morning the soundscape changes and we listen to the delightful ringing of church bells. I take advantage of the late checkout and sleep in, then we tuck in to the continental breakfast, which is included in the tariff. It's a genteel way to end a pleasant stay - if only there was a way to hit the mute button on late-night revellers.

2011年12月7日星期三

Cannabis, methamphetamine use ups risk of schizophrenia

Cannabis and heavy methamphetamine users might have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, according to Canadian scientists.This finding by scientists from Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) was based on a large study comparing the risk among methamphetamine users not only to a group that did not use drugs, but also to heavy users of other drugs.Methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most common type of illicit drug used worldwide.“We found that people hospitalised for methamphetamine dependence who did not have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychotic symptoms at the start of our study period had an approximately 1.5 to 3.0-fold risk of subsequently being diagnosed with schizophrenia, compared with groups of patients who used cocaine, alcohol or opioid drugs,” said Dr. Russ Callaghan, the CAMH scientist who led the study.Dr. Callaghan also found that the increased risk of schizophrenia in methamphetamine users was similar to that of heavy users of cannabis. UGG Classic Cardy Boots “We really do not understand how these drugs might increase schizophrenia risk,” Dr. Stephen Kish, senior scientist and head of CAMH’s Human Brain Laboratory.“Perhaps repeated use of methamphetamine and cannabis in some susceptible individuals can trigger latent schizophrenia by sensitising the brain to dopamine, a brain chemical thought to be associated with psychosis,” he added.Dr. Kish also cautions that the findings do not apply to patients who take much lower and controlled doses of amphetamines or cannabis for medical purposes.Since this is the first such study showing this potential link, the researchers emphasize that the results need to be confirmed in additional research involving long-term follow-up studies of methamphetamine users.The finding has been published online at AJP in Advance, the advance edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

2011年12月6日星期二

Good to feel muscles burn after exercise

Want to improve your mood as well as your fitness? Then, you need to work out a little harder in the gym, scientists say. Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK found that strenuous exercise is better at boosting a positive mood than moderate activity. Lead researcher Nickolas Smith said the results of their study could have implications for the type of exercise recommended to produce the so-called "feel good factor". "There are also implications regarding how people new to regular exercise should expect to feel during the exercise itself if they are to experience post-exercise mood benefits," Smith was quoted as saying. For their study, the researchers looked at 11 people, who were asked to take part in two 20-minute long work-outs, one moderately intensive and one highly intensive. The mood of the participants was measured before, during, immediately after and 20 minutes after each work out. UGG Classic Cardy They found volunteers exhibited no mood improvements after moderate exercise. However, 20 minutes after the end of the strenuous work-out -- which got them breathing heavily and their muscles burning -- the participants reported feeling more positive. Psychiatrists believe that mood improves after vigorous exercise -- a phenomenon known as the "runner`s high" -- because it triggers the release of endorphins, a type of neurotransmitter in the brain that help combat pain. The findings were presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Glasgow.

Physical activity can help improve quality of sleep

Exercising at least 150 minutes a week can help people sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day, a new study has suggested.A survey conducted on more than 2,600 men and women, between ages 18 to 85, found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week, provided a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality.People also said that they felt less sleepy during the day, compared to those with less physical activity. UGG Classic Mini 5854
The study, lends more evidence to mounting research showing the importance of exercise to a number of health factors.Among adults in the United States, about 35 to 40 percent of the population had problems with falling asleep or with daytime sleepiness.“We were using the physical activity guidelines set forth for cardiovascular health, but it appears that those guidelines might have a spillover effect to other areas of health,” Brad Cardinal, a professor of exercise science at Oregon State University and one of the study’s authors said.“Increasingly, the scientific evidence is encouraging as regular physical activity may serve as a non-pharmaceutical alternative to improve sleep.After controlling for age, BMI (Body Mass Index), health status, smoking status, and depression, the relative risk of often feeling overly sleepy during the day compared to never feeling overly sleepy during the day decreased by 65 percent for participants meeting physical activity guidelines.Similar results were also found for having leg cramps while sleeping (68 percent less likely) and having difficulty concentrating when tired (45 percent decrease).Paul Loprinzi, an assistant professor at Bellarmine University and lead author of the study said that it is the first study to examine the relationship between accelerometer-measured physical activity and sleep while utilizing a nationally representative sample of adults of all ages.“Our findings demonstrate a link between regular physical activity and perceptions of sleepiness during the day, which suggests that participation in physical activity on a regular basis may positively influence an individual’s productivity at work, or in the case of a student, influence their ability to pay attention in class,” Loprinzi said. Cardinal said that past studies linking physical activity and sleep used only self-reports of exercise.He said that the danger with this is that many people tend to overestimate the amount of activity they do.He added that the take-away for consumers is to remember that exercise has a number of health benefits, and that can include helping feel alert and awake.The study was out in the December issue of the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity.

2011年12月5日星期一

Sex addict drama 'Shame' has solid debut despite NC-17 rating

Despite its restrictive NC-17 rating, "Shame" had a solid debut at the box office this weekend. The drama, which stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict, grossed $361,181, according to an estimate from distributor Fox Searchlight. Its per-theater average of $36,118 is the third-highest for an NC-17 film in limited debut, behind Pedro Almodovar's "Bad Education" and Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution." “NC-17 films always create a challenge, but the late shows were very strong,” said Sheila DeLoach, the studio’s executive vice president. UGG Classic Cardy Boots “With the midnight shows being sold out, it’s encouraging that we’ll do well with a young, edgy audience.” Searchlight is planning to expand the film from 10 to 19 theaters next weekend, but it remains to be seen how wide of a reach the picture will have. Cinemark, the nation's No. 3 theater chain, has a policy against showing NC-17 rated movies. The No. 4 chain, Carmike, has yet to book "Shame." But exhibitor policies don't worry DeLoach, she said: “I don’t think that’s really going to impact the box office of the film.” "Shame" is the first NC-17 film to be released nationally since 2007's "Lust, Caution," which ended up grossing $4.6 million. The top-grossing NC-17 film of all time is "Showgirls," about a dancer in Las Vegas, which collected $20.4 million in 1995.

2011年12月2日星期五

FISCAL DRAG

So far, data ranging from manufacturing to retail sales suggest the U.S. economy's growth pace could top 3 percent in the fourth quarter, a sharp step up from the second quarter's 2 percent annual rate. In contrast, much of the rest of the world is slowing and the euro zone appears to have already fallen into recession.But economists worry the European debt crisis and upcoming fiscal tightening at home could slow U.S. growth next year. Obama, whose economic stewardship will face the judgment of voters next November, used the data to press Congress to extend a payroll tax cut which expires at the end of this month. "Now is not the time to slam the brakes on the recovery. Right now its time to step on the gas," he said. UGG Classic Mini 5854 Stocks on Wall Street surged early in the session on both the employment report and growing optimism of a solution to the European debt crisis, but ended flat as investors took profits from this week's big rally. Prices for U.S. government debt rose and the dollar firmed against a basket of currencies. Although the economy resumed growth two years ago, about 24.4 million Americans are either out of work or underemployed and employment remains 6.3 million below its level in December 2007 when the recession started. Still, the labor market is improving. While the government's survey of employers has shown a still-tepid pace of job growth, its separate poll of households has shown a total of 1.28 million jobs created over the last four months.

2011年12月1日星期四

Ranbaxy’s Lipitor Content Intends Pfizer Sales

Ranbaxy Labs Ltd. (RBXY)’s copy of the $10.7 million Lipitor trans fat tablet was launched in the U.S., giving its stocks up and terrifying Pfizer Inc. (PFE)’s revenue.Ranbaxy, India’s greatest drugmaker, won acceptance last night from the Foods and Medication Current administration to provide commonly used variations of the globe's top-selling medication. The business, centered near New Delhi, will talk about revenue on the first six months’ revenue with Israel’s teva Drug Businesses Ltd. (TEVA), Ranbaxy said these days, including that conditions of the cope will not be revealed. UGG Boots Ranbaxy, 64 percent-owned by Daiichi Sankyo Co., desired to persuade the FDA that its reports are similar to the unique and that acceptance should not be turned away by an continuous argument about place offenses in Indian. The FDA acceptance was for items created at a place in New Jacket which may have been it all depends on a handle Teva, said Bino Pathiparampil, an professional at IIFL Ltd. in Mumbai.“It could well be that the Lipitor substances could come from Teva,” Pathiparampil said in an appointment. In that situation, “Ranbaxy will set up the drug at their manufacturer in New Jacket.”Spokesmen at Ranbaxy and Teva dropped to fancy on the present report.

Ranbaxy’s Lipitor Content Intends Pfizer Sales

Ranbaxy Labs Ltd. (RBXY)’s copy of the $10.7 million Lipitor trans fat tablet was launched in the U.S., giving its stocks up and terrifying Pfizer Inc. (PFE)’s revenue.Ranbaxy, India’s greatest drugmaker, won acceptance last night from the Foods and Medication Current administration to provide commonly used variations of the globe's top-selling medication. The business, centered near New Delhi, will talk about revenue on the first six months’ revenue with Israel’s teva Drug Businesses Ltd. (TEVA), Ranbaxy said these days, including that conditions of the cope will not be revealed. Ranbaxy, 64 percent-owned by Daiichi Sankyo Co., desired to persuade the FDA that its reports are similar to the unique and that acceptance should not be turned away by an continuous argument about place offenses in Indian. The FDA acceptance was for items created at a place in New Jacket which may have been it all depends on a handle Teva, said Bino Pathiparampil, an professional at IIFL Ltd. in Mumbai.“It could well be that the Lipitor substances could come from Teva,” Pathiparampil said in an appointment. In that situation, “Ranbaxy will set up the drug at their manufacturer in New Jacket.”Spokesmen at Ranbaxy and Teva dropped to fancy on the present report.