Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 Thousands rally to demand Algerian leader quits

AFP

1 hr 16 mins ago

2 Protesters force police cordon in Algiers demo

by Beatrice Khadige, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 6:53 am ET

3 Egypt military vows democracy after Mubarak’s fall

by Joseph Krauss, AFP

40 mins ago

4 Mubarak falls as a million Egyptians march

by Mona Salem, AFP

Fri Feb 11, 7:56 pm ET

5 A hopeful Egypt looks ahead after Mubarak’s fall

by Rana Moussaoui, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 7:53 am ET

6 Western leaders hail Mubarak resignation

AFP

Sat Feb 12, 3:47 am ET

7 New dawn for Egypt as Mubarak toppled

by Rana Moussaoui, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 3:51 am ET

8 Pakistan court issues arrest warrant for Musharraf

by Khurram Shahzad, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 6:48 am ET

9 Taliban targets police in Afghan city killing 19

by Nasrat Shoaib, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 10:35 am ET

10 Greece slams ‘unacceptable’ EU-IMF asset sale call

41 mins ago

11 Wales beat Scotland in Six Nations rugby

by Luke Phillips, AFP

1 hr 47 mins ago

12 England beat Italy 59-13 in Six Nations rugby

by Rob Woollard, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 12:36 pm ET

13 For Colombia growers, Valentine’s coming up roses

by Nina Negron, AFP

2 hrs 15 mins ago

14 Obama’s high-speed rail faces political challenge

by Paul Handley, AFP

Sat Feb 12, 2:28 am ET

I have some errands so this is all for now.  I expect to be back later with more.

Turn Left Racing.  Hairspray (not the good 1988 version).  Austin City Limits has Pearl Jam.  Also the best movie about politics ever (and it’s not Snow White).

My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.

Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don’t have men killed.

Oh?  Who’s being naive, Kay?

• ABC Family– Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Enchanted
• AMC– The Godfather x 2
• Animal Planet– Must Love Cats, Pit Boss (premiers)
• Bravo– House marathon
• Comedy– Wedding Crashers, The 40 Year Old Virgin
• Disney– Phineas and Ferb Rollercoaster: The Musical, Fish Hooks x 2 (premiers)
• Discovery– Flying Wild marathon
• E!– Pride & Prejudice
• ESPN– College Hoopies, Pittsburgh @ Villanova
• ESPN2– College Hoopies, Detroit Mercy @ Butler, Wichita State @ Northern Iowa
• Food– Cupcake Wars marathon
• FX– Step Brothers
• History– Bigfoot!
• Lifetime– Because I Said So, Nights in Rodanthe
• MTV– Baby Boy
• Nick– iCarly, True Jackson VP
• Oxygen– The Notebook x 2
• Sci Fi– Eyeborgs, Iron Invader x 2
• Spike– On Deadly Ground, Under Siege
• TBS– Get Smart
• Turner Classic– The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind
• TNT– Shooter (again), Fight Club
• Toon– Hoodwinked, God, the Devil and Bob
• USA– Sex and the City, The Break-Up
• Vs.– Bullriding
• VH1– Hustle & Flow x 2, Take the Lead

Give this job to Clemenza.  I want reliable people, people who aren’t going to be carried away.  I mean, we’re not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker thinks…

Later-

I went to the Police like a good American.  These two boys were arrested and brought to trial.  The judge sentenced them to three years in prison, and suspended the sentence.  Suspended sentence!  They went free that very day.  I stood in the courtroom like a fool, and those bastards, they smiled at me.  Then I said to my wife, for Justice, we must go to The Godfather.

Bonasera, we know each other for years, but this is the first time you come to me for help.  I don’t remember the last time you invited me to your house for coffee… even though our wives are friends.

• Comedy– Employee of the Month, American Pie
• FX– Mission: Impossible 2
• Sci Fi– Triassic Attack
• Spike– Kill Switch
• TBS– Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Road Trip
• TNT– Unleashed, Rumble in the Bronx
• USA– Burn Notice x 2
• Vs.– D-League Hoopies, Wizards @ Energy

SNL– Russell Brand and Chris Brown.

Boondocks– Wingmen, The Venture Brothers– Past Tense

You never think to protect yourself with real friends.  You think it’s enough to be an American.  All right, the Police protects you, there are Courts of Law, so you don’t need a friend like me.  But now you come to me and say Don Corleone, you must give me justice.  And you don’t ask in respect or friendship.  And you don’t think to call me Godfather; instead you come to my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do murder…for money.

America has been good to me…

Then take the justice from the judge, the bitter with the sweet, Bonasera.  But if you come to me with your friendship, your loyalty, then your enemies become my enemies, and then, believe me, they would fear you…

Regular Daily Features:

• News at Six in the Morning from mishima
• Psycho is in the spotlight in Fridays Late Night Karaoke
• Journey is in the spotlight in Saturdays Late Night Karaoke, mishima DJs both nights

Essays Featured Friday, February 11^th:

• Friday Open Thoughts, Digitus Impudicus~ where slksfca says Pluck Yew
• Firefly Memories 1.0 is where Alma takes a look back at some of the Brilliant essays of our first years posts, highlighting those which exemplify our firefly-dreaming spirit and mission.  Today:Need vs. Want  

Essays Featured Saturday, February 12^th:

• Alma hosts Saturday Open Thoughts with a photo essay showing happy people.
• Brand New Saturday Art! from mishima!!
• Photography: Contrast from new member stevej
• Firefly Memories 1.0 is where Alma takes a look back at some of the Brilliant essays of our first years posts, highlighting those which exemplify our firefly-dreaming spirit and mission.  Today:out of whack  

**NOTE**

firefly-dreaming is hosting WYFP tonight at 8PM as dkos is down.

please come by whether WYFP is one of your regular stops

or you always wanted to stop by…

NOW is a good chance to join in!

come firefly-dreaming with me….

KIDS THESE DAYS

A 22-year-old Kanazawa University student who called the cops and claimed he’d been stabbed later admitted he had knifed himself in a failed suicide attempt because he didn’t have enough credits to graduate.

A couple of 10-year-old girls-Miu Hirano and Mima Ito-broke table-tennis prodigy Ai Fukuhara’s record as the youngest players to win a singles match at the national championships. Ai-chan was 11 when she won two matches at the 1999 ping-pong nationals.

At the other end of the age spectrum, 40-year-old tennis player Kimiko Date-Krumm was reduced to tears after blowing a 4-1 lead in the third set of her match against 21-year-old Pole Agnieszka Radwanska at the Australian Open.

A nasty monkey named Lucky, who bit more than 100 folks in Shizuoka last fall, escaped house arrest at a park in Mishima, causing officials to warn local residents to stay inside and keep their doors locked. The rampaging primate was caught a day after ditching his cage.

In an awesomely named place called Bungo-Ono in Oita Prefecture, the local government is planning to let wolves loose in an effort “to control wild animals that destroy agricultural crops.” Can’t wait for the reaction when a wolf chows down on a local farmer instead.

Five middle-aged men in Tohoku filed a fraud suit against three international marriage brokers in a Sendai court, claiming they got unexpected home visits from South Korean women accompanied by the brokers, who convinced the lonely dudes to let the women “homestay” with them for a week or so.

Stats

35

Percent of Japanese TVs tuned into the Asian Cup semifinal between Japan and South Korea on January 25

4,418

Cases of so-called “It’s me” fraud recorded by the National Police Agency in 2010, up 44.5 percent from a year earlier

44.6

Percent of 50-84-year-old men in Hachioji who have “close friends living nearby,” according to a survey by a local think tank

34.9

Percent of men who said they had no friends at all

THE MOTHER OF ALL SUMO SCANDALS

A 63-year-old woman who was arrested for her role in a betting ring involving sumo wrestlers said she took part in the affair because she had incurred “massive debts.” Her son, a wrestler, was also busted.

Kokkai and Gagamaru, a pair of sumo wrestlers from Georgia, got into a drunken brawl with one another in the early hours at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo, smashing a glass partition in the process. Save it for the dohyo, boys.

Hard-throwing closer Marc Kroon is switching Giants, jumping from Yomiuri to San Fran after the Tokyo team cut him loose in the offseason. The 37-year-old reliever signed a minor-league contract with the World Series champs and gets an invite to spring training.

Tatsuya Ichihashi, the guy charged with murdering Lindsay Ann Hawker in 2007, admits in a new book that he spent some of his 2-plus years on the lam on a small island in Okinawa, where he lived in a hut and “caught fish to survive.”

Thanks For The Crash  

Now How About Some Cash?  

We’re Not That Popular  

Better Get Out The Recruitment Posters  

I’m Not On Drugs

I’m Just “Acting” Like It  

Ginza hostesses battle back against predatory work rules



TOKYO  

“With all the fines and my having to make good on the unpaid bills run up by customers, I didn’t receive any salary at all for half a year. But I accepted 3 million yen in advance wages when I started working there, so I can’t quit.”

The speaker, identified only as Ms A, talked to Friday (Feb 18) after the first session of a labor tribunal held at Tokyo District Court on Jan 18. She and two other hostesses had taken their case to the court after claiming their employer, a Ginza club referred to only by its first letter, Q, owed them a total of 4.3 million yen in unpaid wages.

Ms A took action after consulting the Cabaret Club Union, an affiliate of the Part-Timer, Arbiter, Free Timer and Foreign Worker Union (PAFF) based in Nishi-Shinjuku.

(midnight. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Unlike Stupid Bowl 2010, an occasion on which your bloguero’s use of various intoxicating liquids led to an uncharacteristically  spectacular flame out and a gigantic, public crash, in which the biggest injury was self-inflicted embarrassment that would persist unabated for a full calendar year, Stupid Bowl 2011 was mild.  It ended in relative quiet and probity, and was quickly eclipsed by the excitement of AOL’s buying Hufflepuffle and, much more important, Egypt’s Televised Revolution.

As usual, your bloguero had no idea what the week would bring.  Self absorbed, he was thrilled that he would not spend the year until Stupid Bowl 2012 in penance and vain attempts to apologize for his unfathomable folly and excuse his bad behavior.  No.  He would be able to move on.  What a relief.  But he admits it: his having committed to writing this Digest did cause him some slight concern.  What, he asked, would happen if he couldn’t bring himself to write anything this week?  What if the writing muse were on vacation and the story warehouse were padlocked? Maybe he could avoid this potential problem be being abducted to someplace in the Caribbean  with coco palms and warm beaches and, best of all, lacking all Internet and/or electricity.  Alas and alack.  No such luck.  No space ships.  No armed kidnappers.  Not even an invitation to escape. Nada.

If you look at the last week in The Dream Antilles you will find:

A Haiku about snow.  Because of ice and sleet, my dog friend was finally able to walk on top of our deep snow cover.  A brief reflection on the canine world.

Huffpo Bought By AOL. The news that the beleaguered, dinosaur of dial up, AOL, bought Huffington Post and made the doyenne of coy self promotion, Ariana, even richer.  A $315,000,000 deal built at least in part on the backs of those who blogged and wrote for free, who were, of course, screwed in the deal.

Sorry, Ariana and Markos, No More Free Content For You.  I didn’t write anything at Hufflepuffle, but I was sure that when dailyKos was eventually sold to a group of investment bankers and venture capitalists-I think this is now likely– I wouldn’t be paid for all of the writing I posted there, that Markos would argue that I got the “exposure” I deserved and that nothing further not even a propina piquena was required.  So, though I think the GBCW genre has fallen on bad times since ErrinF penned her immortal screed, I waved my middle digit in the rear view mirror and rode away on a cloud indignation.  This was surprisingly easy.

Skewering Spiderman.  How often can you find a review that says this?  “Spider-Man” is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway; it may also rank among the worst.”  Ouch.

Brian Jacques, RIP.  A children’s author I really loved to read to my kids passed on.  In his stories good always triumphed.  He will be sorely missed, though I’m sure that for generations to come parents will enjoy reading his works to their kids.

Mubarak To The World: I Fart In Your General Direction.  No Nixonian adieu for the perennial tyrant.  No.  Instead, defiance and indignation even as he was secretly packing his bags and moving his money around getting ready to do the Mobutu.  

A Haiku about a subzero night sky.

A Haiku about Haiku.

And Now Algeria? wonders whether the demonstrations we saw on Saturday in Algiers and elsewhere are the starting bell for events like Tunisia and Egypt.

A Piece Of Internet History marks the end of dKos as we know it, and the transformation into what I think amouts to “Left Coast Facebook^TM.”  

This essay about what is on The Dream Antilles. It’s supposed to be a  weekly Sunday morning very early digest for the Writers Port Alliance. As you can see, today is Saturday.  I’m putting this up now, because I won’t be able to on Sunday. See you next week, if the creek don’t rise.  On Sunday early.

   

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.

Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.

You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.

At the recent Worlds of Healthy Flavors conference, sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America, two prominent researchers called for an end to the use of the term “low-fat.”

Dr. Ronald Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, have been involved in numerous studies measuring the effects of dietary habits on health. Few of those studies, they noted, have turned up reliable associations between one’s total intake of dietary fat and such diseases as cancer and heart disease. Nor have they turned up meaningful associations between total fat intake and obesity.

As most of us now know, it is the type of fat that matters most to health. A diet in which saturated fats are replaced by polyunsaturated fats, found mostly in plants, nuts and seafood, and monounsaturated fats, present in olive oil, may help protect against heart disease.

On the other hand, trans fats, created during the hydrogenation process, seem to increase heart disease risk. And saturated fats – found mostly in meat and dairy products, and in coconut and palm oils – raise blood levels of L.D.L., or “bad” cholesterol, also a risk factor for heart disease.

Robots May Help Patients Recover From Stroke

Study Shows Robotic Therapy May Have Advantages Over Treatment by Human Physical Therapists

Feb. 11, 2011 (Los Angeles) — Robot-assisted therapy can help improve arm and shoulder mobility in people left paralyzed after a stroke.

In a study of 56 stroke survivors with paralysis on one side of the body, those who underwent robotic therapy improved more on a test of arm and shoulder motor function than those who received more standard rehab.

Many Patients Don’t Take Part in Cancer Studies

Study Shows Doctors Often Fail to Tell Patients About Ongoing Clinical Trials

Feb. 11, 2011 — Just an estimated 2% to 4% of adults who are newly diagnosed with cancer participate in clinical trials even though there are more than 8,000 such trials that are actively recruiting. One reason is that they may not know about these trials because their doctors may not tell them, suggests a new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

New Adhesive Tape Test for Melanoma

Study Shows Test Using Special Tape to Collect Cells Can Spot Early Melanoma

Feb. 11, 2011 — An experimental, noninvasive test that relies on a special adhesive tape to collect cells from suspicious skin lesions can accurately identify both early and advanced melanomas, researchers say.

The test identified localized and invasive melanomas 100% of the time, with a 12% rate of false-positives, in a study performed at 18 sites across the U.S.

Melanoma is a treatable cancer if caught early but can be deadly once cancer cells have spread beyond the skin.

Its incidence has doubled over the last two decades, and in the U.S., the increase has been especially dramatic among young women and older men.

New Drug Helps Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Study Shows Apixaban Prevents Strokes in Patients With Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Feb. 10, 2011 (Los Angeles) — The experimental anti-clotting drug apixaban beat aspirin at preventing dangerous blood clots or strokes in people with the abnormal heart rhythm atrial fibrillation, according to final results of the so-called AVERROES trial.

The late-stage phase III study was stopped early after apixaban’s advantages became clear, and early results were first reported in September 2010.

Today, the final results were presented at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference 2011 and simultaneously published online in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Warming Anesthetics Reduces Pain of Injections

Warming Injections to Body Temperature Eases Pain of Getting a Shot, Study Finds

Feb. 10, 2011 — Warming local anesthetics may reduce the pain experienced during injections, a new study finds.

“Warming an injection is a cost-free step that emergency physicians can take to reduce pain from a shot,” study author Anna Taddio, MD, of the University of Toronto, says in a news release.

Stroke Rates Are Rising for Young Americans

But Study Also Shows Strokes Are Decreasing Among Those Age 45 and Older

Feb. 9, 2011 (Los Angeles) — Stroke rates are rising sharply among children and younger adults while dropping in those aged 45 and older, suggests a nationwide snapshot of stroke hospitalizations.

Doctors who heard the new figures at an American Stroke Association meeting here say they point to the need to turn the tide on the epidemic of obesity and diabetes among Americans, particularly younger ones.

Wireless Sensor Monitors Heart Failure Patients

Study Suggests Experimental Device May Cut Hospitalization Rate for People With Heat Failure

Feb. 9, 2011 — An implanted wireless monitoring device about the size of a paper clip reduced hospitalizations among heart failure patients by 39%, a study shows.

The experimental implant is designed to measure pressure in a pulmonary artery, which is a leading indicator of how well a patient’s heart failure is being managed with drugs.

The study is published in The Lancet.

Pollution May Aggravate Skin Damage From Sun

Study Shows Extreme Weather May Also Worsen Skin Damage From Ultraviolet Radiation

Feb. 8, 2011 (New Orleans) — Exposure to amounts of pollution typically found in urban environments may more than double skin damage from the sun, preliminary research suggests.

Extreme weather and smoking may also increase the skin damage associated with ultraviolent (UV) radiation, the study suggests.

Michelle Garay, MS, of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies in Skillman, N.J., and colleagues presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Infant Deaths Spur Video Baby Monitor Recall

Cords Too Close to Cribs Blamed for 7 Baby Deaths

Feb. 11, 2011 — Two infant strangulation deaths and one close call have led to the recall of 1.7 million Summer Infant video baby monitors.

Various monitor brands caused the deaths of seven babies when cords were left too close to kids. This spurred an October 2010 warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Leprosy, Plague and Other Visitors to New York

When New York City’s health department revealed last weekend that three people had contracted cholera, it was a reminder that the city is not just a world capital of arts, business and the like – but also of exotic diseases.

If a disease has cropped up in the world, there is a good chance it will eventually find its way to New York City through the diverse travelers who cross the city’s borders.

For instance, several people every year are found to have a biblical disease, leprosy, though health officials say no one has to fear catching it in the subway. In 2002, bubonic plague, more commonly associated with the 14th century, found its way to New York City through two travelers who came from a ranch in New Mexico, where the disease is endemic in flea-bitten wild animals like prairie dogs.

Lymph Node Removal Not Needed for Breast Cancer Patients

Study Shows Breast Cancer Patients Do Well Without Surgery to Remove Lymph Nodes Under the Arm

Feb. 8, 2011 — Many women being treated for early breast cancer can keep the lymph nodes under their arms without fear that it will hurt their chances of survival or the increase the odds that their cancer will return, experts say.

A new study shows that about 92% of women with early-stage breast cancers that have spread to a nearby lymph node who have lumpectomies and radiation to treat their tumors will be alive five years later, whether or not they have multiple lymph nodes removed from under their arms, a procedure called an axillary lymph node dissection.

The study is published in the Feb. 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association

New Drug Lowers Preterm Birth Risk

FDA Approves Makena to Reduce Risk in Women With History of Premature Delivery

Feb. 8, 2011 — The FDA has approved an injectable drug called Makena to reduce the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks in pregnant women who have had at least one premature birth.

Makena, or hydroxyprogesterone caproate, was approved under the federal agency’s accelerated approval regulations, which allows drugs that show promise to get to the marketplace quickly.

FDA says in a news release that Makena is not meant to be used in women with a multiple pregnancy, such as a twin pregnancy, or other risk factors for preterm birth.

Heart Failure Treatment Works Better in Women

Study Shows Women Respond Better to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Than Men

Feb. 7, 2011 — An implantable device that packs a one-two punch against heart failure seems to be more effective in women than men, according to a new study.

Once reserved only for the sickest heart failure patients, cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator consists of a device with two functions.

Fetal Surgery: Better Odds for Spina Bifida Kids

Better Chances but No Guarantees With Pre-birth Surgery for Spina Bifida

Feb. 10, 2011 — Children’s odds of a good outcome from spina bifida surgery are better if the operation is done before birth, a major clinical trial shows.

But fetal surgery carries risks for the mother, and not all outcomes are good.

The findings come from an eight-year study led by Diana Farmer, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco. The study was halted early when it became clear that kids tended to do better with fetal surgery than with surgery after birth.

Earlier Onset of Schizophrenia Linked to Pot

Study Shows Smoking Marijuana May Be Tied to Earlier Development of Psychotic Illness

Feb. 7, 2011 — People who smoke pot are more likely to develop a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia earlier than those who do not use marijuana, according to a new analysis.

The results are published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Genetic Link Between Stress and Depression

Study Shows People With a Genetic Mutation May Be More Likely to Develop Depression

Feb. 7, 2011 — A gene that influences how the brain responds to stress may also play a key role in depression.

A new study shows people with a certain genetic mutation that causes them to produce less of the brain chemical neuropeptide Y (NPY) have a more intense negative emotional response to stress and may be more likely to develop depression than others.

Researchers found low levels of neuropeptide Y caused a stronger emotional response to negative stimuli and physiological response to pain in the brain, which may make people less resilient in the face of stress and more prone to depression.

Kids With ADHD Often Have Other Problems

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Often Complicated by Learning Disabilities, Behavioral Problems, Depression, and Anxiety

Feb. 7, 2011 — Unfocused, hyperactive children are often dealing with a host of other problems that hinder their progress in school and hurt their relationships, a new study finds.

The research, published in the March issue of Pediatrics, finds that nearly 70% of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, have at least one other mental or physical problem, like a learning disability, conduct disorder, depression, anxiety, or difficulty with hearing or speech.

Is Chocolate the Next Super Food?

Study Highlights High Antioxidant Content in Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder

Feb. 7, 2011 — Giving your sweetie chocolate for Valentine’s Day may show you care for their health as well as their heart.

A new study suggests that dark chocolate and cocoa powder may be the next “super foods” thanks to their high antioxidant content.

Researchers found the antioxidant activity of dark chocolate and cocoa powder was equivalent to or higher than that found in some other so-called “super fruit” powders or juices, including acai berry, blueberry, cranberry, and pomegranate.

Hula Hoop Workouts Burn Calories

Study: Exercise With a Weighted Hoop About as Intense as Boot Camp, Step Aerobics

Feb. 11, 2011 — Working out with a hula hoop burns about as many calories per minute as step aerobics, boot camp, or very brisk walking, a new study shows.

For the study, researchers recruited 16 women between the ages of 16 and 59 and had them learn a 30-minute aerobics routine that uses weighted hula hoops twirled around the waist, arms, and legs.

After two practice sessions to get familiar with the moves, volunteers wore portable oxygen analyzers and heart rate monitors to record their exertion.

Does Chocolate Make Acne Worse?

Study Suggests Pure Chocolate May Aggravate Acne in Young Men

Feb. 8, 2011 (New Orleans) — What your mother always told you may be true after all: Chocolate may make acne worse, a small preliminary study suggests.

Young men who ate up to 8 ounces of chocolate saw their average number of pimples skyrocket from fewer than four to as many as 70.

And the more chocolate they ate, the more they broke out — a finding that further supports the idea that the worsening of acne was due to eating the chocolate, says study researcher Samantha Block, a second-year medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Still, the study doesn’t prove cause and effect.

Salty Diet Linked to Stroke Risk

Study Puts New Focus on Health Risks of Getting Too Much Salt

Feb. 9, 2011 (Los Angeles) — Fewer than 2 teaspoons of salt a day may raise your risk of stroke.

In a study of over 2,600 people, those who got more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day were about two-and-one-half times more likely to have a stroke than those who got less than 1,500 milligrams a day.

One teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium.

Interestingly, the results held true regardless of whether a person had high blood pressure, says study researcher Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Salty diets have been linked to high blood pressure, a major stroke risk factor.

The findings were presented at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference (ISC).

Is Diet Soda Linked to Heart, Stroke Risk?

Study Suggests Connection Between Drinking Diet Soda and Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Feb. 9, 2011 (Los Angeles) — You may feel less guilty if you opt for diet sodas over sugary beverages, but drinking them regularly may raise your risk of heart attack and stroke, a study suggests.

In a nine-year study of more than 2,500 people, those who drank diet soda daily were 48% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from those events, compared with those who rarely or never drank soda.

There was no increased risk of cardiovascular disorders among daily drinkers of regular soda, says study researcher Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Less Cholesterol in Eggs, USDA Says

New Analysis Finds 14% Less Cholesterol in Eggs, 64% More Vitamin D

Feb. 8, 2011 — Cholesterol in eggs has dropped in the past decade, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Eggs, on average, have 14% less cholesterol and 64% more vitamin D than the last time they were analyzed by the government in 2002.

For the recent analysis, regular large-shell eggs were picked up from 12 locations across the country and then sent off to an independent lab at Virginia Tech University for evaluation.

Toddlers’ Diet May Affect IQ at Age 8

Study Shows Diet High in Processed Foods May Be Tied to Lower IQ Scores

Feb. 7, 2011 — Three-year-olds who eat diets rich in fat- and sugar-laden processed foods may have slightly lower IQ scores at age 8 than their peers with healthier eating habits, a new study shows.

The small, but measurable, difference in IQ scores detected in the study between kids who ate the most processed foods at age 3 and kids who ate the least suggests that optimizing a young child’s diet may do more than help prevent obesity; it may also give kids a lasting brain boost.

Starting Solid Food Too Soon Tied to Childhood Obesity

Starting Infants on Solids Before 4 Months Raises Childhood Obesity Risk

Feb. 7, 2011 — Starting infants on solid foods before the age of 4 months may dramatically increase the risk of childhood obesity.

A new study shows that formula-fed infants or infants who stopped breastfeeding before 4 months and started eating solid foods before 4 months of age were six times more likely to be obese by age 3 than infants who started solid foods later.

However, the timing of introducing solid foods was not linked to obesity risk among infants who were breastfed for at least four months.

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”

John Nichols: Kucinich Says Obama Should Face 2012 Democratic Primary Challenge From the Left

Congressman Dennis Kucinich will not challenge President Obama for in the 2012 Democratic primaries-“I’m focusing on being re-elected to the House of Representatives”-but he thinks Obama should face a foe for the presidential nomination.

“I think primaries can have the opportunity of raising the issues and make the Democratic candidate a stronger candidate,” Kucinich, who sought the party nod in 2004 and 2008, said Thursday. “I think it’s safe to predict that President Obama will continue to be the nominee of the Democratic primary, but he can be a stronger nominee if he receives a strong challenge in a primary.”

Nicholas D. Kristof: Avoiding a New Pharaoh

But the game isn’t over, and now a word of caution. I worry that senior generals may want to keep (with some changes) a Mubarak-style government without Mubarak. In essence the regime may have decided that Mubarak had become a liability and thrown him overboard – without any intention of instituting the kind of broad, meaningful democracy that the public wants. Senior generals have enriched themselves and have a stake in a political and economic structure that is profoundly unfair and oppressive. And remember that the military running things directly really isn’t that different from what has been happening: Mubarak’s government was a largely military regime (in civilian clothes) even before this. Mubarak, Vice President Suleiman and so many others – including nearly all the governors – are career military men. So if the military now takes over, how different is it?

Bob Herbert: When Democracy Weakens

As the throngs celebrated in Cairo, I couldn’t help wondering about what is happening to democracy here in the United States. I think it’s on the ropes. We’re in serious danger of becoming a democracy in name only.

While millions of ordinary Americans are struggling with unemployment and declining standards of living, the levers of real power have been all but completely commandeered by the financial and corporate elite. It doesn’t really matter what ordinary people want. The wealthy call the tune, and the politicians dance.

Charles Blow: Repeal, Restrict and Repress

Republican state lawmakers, emboldened by their swollen ranks, have a message for minorities, women, immigrants and the poor: It’s on!

In the first month of the new legislative season, they have introduced a dizzying number of measures on hot-button issues in statehouses around the country as part of what amounts to a full-throttle mission to repeal, restrict and repress.

Kristen Breitweiser: Rooting for Egypt

Today’s victory of the peaceful Egyptian protesters torpedoes the notion that the only effective means to an end in the Middle East must center on violence.

For two weeks now, the news covering the Egyptian Revolution has been split between two very clear groups: those who supported authentic democracy in the streets; and others who locked into their own fear or hypocrisy saw the protestors as a grave threat to our “security.”

Indeed warnings were whispered about the terrible things that could happen if the “wrong” people were put into power in Egypt. Radical Islamic leaders could step up to power and destroy the region; Egyptians are incapable of achieving their own democracy: WWIII is on its way; and of course, the sky was also falling.

Mike Lux: The Big Banks’ Battle Against Consumers and Homeowners

There is a battle going on — a big one — and big battles have a lot of fronts. The big banks are doing whatever they can to fight back against consumers and homeowners who are desperately trying to curb the bankers’ abuses. The number of different fronts that have been opened up keeps growing. Here are just a few of the most important ones:

1. In D.C., the biggest battle is over the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. . . . .

2. The mega-death battle being waged in courtrooms all over the country, in the state AGs’ negotiations with bankers, in demonstrations and corporate campaigns and city council resolutions against JPMorgan Chase, and inside the Obama administration is the battle over mortgage modifications. . . . . .

3. The banks are doing everything in their power to squeeze every penny they can from consumers and small businesses without the market power to fight back . . . . .

4. All over the country, as part of national organizing efforts or just on their own, activists and local elected officials are taking on the six biggest Wall Street banks (who own assets equaling 64 percent of the USA’s GDP).

James Kwak: Paul Ryan Criticizes Bernanke for Failing to Contain Tooth Fairy

In a Congressional hearing today, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), chair of the House Budget Committee, strongly criticized Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke for failing to contain the severe inflation threat posed by the Tooth Fairy.

Ryan pointed to numerous studies showing that, despite ongoing economic sluggishness, the Tooth Fairy is paying much more for children’s baby teeth than in past years. In neighborhoods such as Winnetka, Cleveland Park, the Upper East Side, and Palo Alto, children can receive more than $20 per tooth – a dramatic increase from the 25-50 cents that the Tooth Fairy paid only a decade or two ago. In the Hamptons, summertime prices for teeth can easily exceed $100, according to a survey commissioned by the American Enterprise Institute.* Because the Tooth Fairy is able to create money magically, her purchases of unused teeth (with no apparent economic value**) increase the money supply, fueling inflation. Without explicitly accusing Bernanke of participation in the Tooth Fairy’s scheme, Ryan implied that the Tooth Fairy’s higher payouts may be part of the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing scheme.

Michael Winsap: An Egyptian Voice of Democracy Says, Tell Old Pharaoh, Go

“The culture of democracy is still far away.”

That’s what Egypt’s Vice President Omar Suleiman told a group of the country’s newspaper editors on Tuesday. It was just two days before President Hosni Mubarak reconfirmed that he had no intention of resigning until September. But on Friday, Mubarak was gone.

Like Robinson Caruso (it’s primitive as can be), The Whale is kinda sorta based on a real life incident, the sinking of the Essex by a Sperm Whale.

Now if you think this dense symbolist tome is grim (and long and boring too), you may be grateful that Melville spared you the rest of the tale.  Far from “And I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”, in fact there were several survivors including Captain George Pollard Jr. who seems remarkably un-Ahab like to me.

In terms of length they drifted through the Pacific for three months (“Still no sight of land, how long is it?”  “That’s a rather personal question, sir.”) and, in desperation, ate the Captain’s cousin (“I’d rather eat Johnson, sir!”).

Well, it wasn’t the Royal Navy–

Dear Sir, I am glad to hear that your studio audience disapproves of the last skit as strongly as I. As a naval officer I abhor the implication that the Royal Navy is a haven for cannibalism. It is well known that we now have the problem relatively under control, and that it is the RAF who now suffer the largest casualties in this area.

Now you might think after an experience like that you’d be as reluctant as John Harrison (who got terribly sea sick during his trip to Lisbon testing the H1 and never sailed again) to return to whaling, but Captain Pollard got another command, the Two Brothers.

Which promptly sank off French Frigate Shoals near Hawaii.

After that crews were understandably reluctant to sail with him and he ended his life as a night watchman on Nantucket where he met Melville (who was a customs inspector, you can’t make any money writing) after the book’s publication.  It’s said they got along quite well.

While the Essex is as lost as the Pequod, marine archaeologists have recently found the wreck of the Two Brothers and there’s an interesting article in The New York Times about it.

No ‘Moby-Dick’: A Real Captain, Twice Doomed

By JESSE McKINLEY, The New York Times

Published: February 11, 2011

On Friday, in a discovery that might bring a measure of peace to Captain Pollard, who survived his second wreck (though his career did not), researchers announced that they have found the remains of the Two Brothers. The whaler went down exactly 188 years ago after hitting a reef at the French Frigate Shoals, a treacherous atoll about 600 miles northwest of here. The trove includes dozens of artifacts: harpoon tips, whaling lances and three intact anchors.

The discovery is believed to be the first of a Nantucket whaler, one of an armada of ships that set sail during the early 19th century when the small Massachusetts island was an international capital of whaling. It was a risky pursuit that led sailors halfway across the world – and sometimes to the bottom of the sea.

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 322 days remaining until the end of the year (323 in leap years).

On this day in 1924, Rhapsody In Blue, by George Gershwin, performed for first time

Rhapsody in Blue premiered in an afternoon concert on February 12, 1924, held by Paul Whiteman and his band Palais Royal Orchestra, entitled An Experiment in Modern Music, which took place in Aeolian Hall in New York City. Many important and influential composers of the time such as John Phillip Sousa and Sergei Rachmaninoff were present. The event has since become historic specifically because of its premiere of the Rhapsody.

The purpose of the experiment, as told by Whiteman in a pre-concert lecture in front of many classical music critics and highbrows, was “to be purely educational.” It would “at least provide a stepping stone which will make it very simple for the masses to understand, and therefore, enjoy symphony and opera.” The program was long, including 26 separate musical movements, divided into 2 parts and 11 sections, bearing titles such as “True form of jazz” and “Contrast: legitimate scoring vs. jazzing”. Gershwin’s latest composition was the second to last piece (before Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1). Many of the numbers sounded similar and the ventilation system in the concert hall was broken. People in the audience were losing their patience, until the clarinet glissando that opened Rhapsody in Blue was heard. The piece was a huge success, and remains popular to this day.

The Rhapsody was performed by Whiteman’s band, with an added section of string players, and George Gershwin on piano. Gershwin decided to keep his options open as to when Whiteman would bring in the orchestra and he did not write out one of the pages for solo piano, with only the words “Wait for nod” scrawled by Grofe on the band score. Gershwin improvised some of what he was playing. As he did not write out the piano part until after the performance, we do not know exactly how the original Rhapsody sounded.

The opening clarinet glissando came into being during rehearsal when; “…as a joke on Gershwin, [Ross] Gorman (Whiteman’s virtuoso clarinettist) played the opening measure with a noticeable glissando, adding what he considered a humorous touch to the passage. Reacting favourably to Gorman’s whimsy, Gershwin asked him to perform the opening measure that way at the concert and to add as much of a ‘wail’ as possible.”

 881 – Pope John VIII crowns Charles the Fat, the King of Italy: Emperor

1429 – English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Comte de Clermont and Sir John Stewart of Darnley in the Battle of Rouvray (also known as the Battle of the Herrings).

1502 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India.

1541 – Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.

1554 – A year after claiming the throne of England for nine days, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason.

1593 – Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.

1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.

1733 – Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, and its first city at Savannah (known as Georgia Day).

1771 – Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden.

1809 – Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, former legal holiday in the United States

1816 – The Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is destroyed by fire.

1817 – An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops on the Battle of Chacabuco.

1818 – Bernardo O’Higgins formally approved the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepcion, Chile.

1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.

1832 – Ecuador annexes the Galapagos Islands.

1851 – Edward Hargraves announces that he has found gold in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, starting the Australian gold rush.

1855 – Michigan State University is established.

1894 – Anarchist Emile Henry hurls a bomb into Paris’s Cafe Terminus, killing one and wounding 20.

1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.

1909 – New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.

1912 – The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.

1914 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.

1934 – The Austrian Civil War begins.

1934 – In Spain the national council of Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista decides to merge the movement with the Falange Espanola.

1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.

1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.

1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the Civil Rights Movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.

1947 – A meteor creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.

1961 – U.S.S.R. launches Venera 1 towards Venus.

1968 – Phong Nhi and Phong Nhat massacre.

1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.

1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.

1992 – The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect.

1994 – Four men break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edward Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.

1999 – President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.

2002 – The trial of former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He dies four years later before its conclusion.

2002 – An Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.

2004 – The city of San Francisco, California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.

2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.

Holidays and observances

   * Christian Feast Day:

         o Damian of Alexandria

         o Julian the Hospitaller

         o February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

   * Darwin Day (International)

   * Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))

   * Lincoln’s Birthday(United States)

   * National Freedom to Marry Day, unofficial (United States)

   * Red Hand Day (United Nations)

   * Union Day (Myanmar)

Stupid, Defiant and Bitter Till The Very End

In Mubarak’s final hours, defiance surprises U.S. and threatens to unleash chaos

After a week of crossed signals and strained conversations, the Obama administration finally had good news: Late Wednesday, CIA and Pentagon officials learned of the Egyptian military’s plan to relieve President Hosni Mubarak of his primary powers immediately and end the unrest that had convulsed the country for more than two weeks.  

The scheme would unfold Thursday, with the only uncertainty being Mubarak’s fate. “There were two scenarios: He would either leave office, or he would transfer power,” said a U.S. government official who was briefed on the plan. “These were not speculative scenarios. There was solid information” and a carefully crafted script.

Shot By An American Naturally It’s Pakistan’s  Fault

Veiled threats over US aid as court accuses consulate adviser of cold-blooded murder

How Pakistan could be made to pay for an American killer  

Pakistani police believe an American official who shot dead two men in the city of Lahore committed “cold-blooded murder” and have rejected his claim that he was acting in self-defence.

A judge has ordered that he be detained in custody for a further 14 days.In the latest development in an incident that is rapidly turning into a diplomatic stand-off between Washington and its regional ally, the police chief in Lahore, Aslam Tareen, said his team’s inquiries had led them to reject Raymond Davis’s claim that his life had been in danger.

“His plea has been rejected by police investigators. He gave no chance to them to survive. That is why we consider it was not self-defence,” said Mr Tareen. “We have proof it was not self-defence. It was cold-blooded murder.”

From The Dictator Handbook: Rob Country Blind On The Way Out  

Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, could have as much as $400 million hidden away out of reach of prosecutors, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

WikiLeaks: Charles Taylor may have $400 million out of reach

US officials were told that if Mr Taylor is found guilty of war crimes, the international court in The Hague might only be able to recover a fraction of his wealth.

On Friday judges in The Hague adjourned indefinitely the three-year-old trial of Mr Taylor on charges of arming rebels who killed and maimed Sierra Leone citizens.

Instead of closing it, as scheduled, Mr Taylor’s lawyers were granted leave to appeal an earlier decision refusing the late filing of a defence document.

Melodramatic Language That Teaches?  

In South Africa, soap operas have helped eliminate the linguistic boundaries between English and the 11 other languages adopted at the end of apartheid.

Soap operas bring linguistic democracy to South Africa  

The writers of the South African Constitution probably did not imagine soap operas as a way to achieve linguistic democracy, but they are practicing just that.

Television came to South Africa in 1976, with English and Afrikaans dominating programming throughout the apartheid era. With democracy in the 1990s came a new Constitution that named 11 official languages, as well as a mandate for the state to “elevate the status and advance the use of these languages.” Enter “soapies,” as the locals call them.

Freedom Of Assembly Doesn’t Come To Algeria  

Algeria police deployed ahead of banned democracy rally



The government has banned the protest, but opposition and rights groups say they intend to go ahead with the march.

Algeria – like other countries in the region – has recently witnessed demonstrations for greater freedoms.

On Friday, police stopped people from gathering to celebrate the fall of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.

They’re Red They’re Not Communists And They Are Back  



Anti-government Red Shirts to hold Bangkok rally

THAILAND’S ANTI-GOVERNMENT Red Shirts are planning a major rally tomorrow at Bangkok’s criminal court to demand the release of their detained leaders, highlighting how tensions continue to dog political life in the country.

Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said there will be elections in the first half of this year if there is no fresh political violence.

The election will be a watershed event for Thailand as it will give the first opportunity for the divided country to decide who it wants as ruler after years of polarising violence and political uncertainty.