Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is an American federal observance that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787. Australia also observes a Citizenship Day on this date.
Sep 17, 2010
Dancing With The Stars
The amount each star makes for agreeing to be on the show and dancing in the first two episodes is $125,000.00. Stars then earn $10,000 each for weeks three and four and $50,000 each for the final two episodes. Not bad for a little pitter patter.
Lights Out
The last major GE factory making incandescent light bulbs in the United States is turning out the lights, literally. It is closing this month, marking an exit for a product that began in the 1870s.
It is the result of a 2007 energy conservation measure passed by Congress that set standards essentially banning ordinary incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012. Other countries are doing the same. Some stores have announced phasing out incandescents as early as the end of 2010.
Much controversy remains as to whether the high cost of replacement bulbs is really offset by the savings in electricity. Of course, the US does not produce the replacement bulbs, they all come from overseas, so US jobs are leaving with the bulbs. My bet is that LEDs will emerge as the winner over all the others. If you love your ordinary bulbs, stock up, because they will cost more as they become less available.
It is the result of a 2007 energy conservation measure passed by Congress that set standards essentially banning ordinary incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012. Other countries are doing the same. Some stores have announced phasing out incandescents as early as the end of 2010.
Much controversy remains as to whether the high cost of replacement bulbs is really offset by the savings in electricity. Of course, the US does not produce the replacement bulbs, they all come from overseas, so US jobs are leaving with the bulbs. My bet is that LEDs will emerge as the winner over all the others. If you love your ordinary bulbs, stock up, because they will cost more as they become less available.
Unions
Seems unions are suffering based on labor figures by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The overall unionization rate in the US was 12.1 percent, down from 12.4 percent the previous year.
The private sector, for the first time ever, employed fewer union members than the public sector. The number of union workers employed in the private sector fell from approximately 7.91 million in 2008 to 7.19 million in 2009, while the number of public-sector union workers dropped from 7.86 million to 7.76 million.
In California, the highest unionized state, unionization rates were down across a range of groupings, with the most significant losses in:
* Transportation and utilities fell from 41.7 percent to 36.4 percent
* Public administration fell from 58.1 percent to 52.1 percent
The private sector, for the first time ever, employed fewer union members than the public sector. The number of union workers employed in the private sector fell from approximately 7.91 million in 2008 to 7.19 million in 2009, while the number of public-sector union workers dropped from 7.86 million to 7.76 million.
In California, the highest unionized state, unionization rates were down across a range of groupings, with the most significant losses in:
* Transportation and utilities fell from 41.7 percent to 36.4 percent
* Public administration fell from 58.1 percent to 52.1 percent
Hogan's Heros
September 17, 1965 - CBS television premieres Hogan's Heroes, the first and perhaps only sitcom based in a German prisoner-of-war camp. It ran until 1971, but reruns are still seen on many TV channels.
Septembers Past
September 4, 1888 -
George Eastman patented his first rollfilm camera and registers "Kodak" in September 1888. Also in September, Ford introduce the Edsel in 1957.
George Eastman patented his first rollfilm camera and registers "Kodak" in September 1888. Also in September, Ford introduce the Edsel in 1957.
Sep 14, 2010
2001 A Space Odyssey
Love this picture from 1968, where the guys had iPad devices on the breakfast table, long before PCs were invented. Nice that reality has caught up to the past.
Still waiting for the space elevator to be completed. . .
Still waiting for the space elevator to be completed. . .
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys, who began play in the NFL in 1960, were originally nicknamed the Steers. The team’s general manager, Texas E. Schramm, decided that having a castrated ox as a mascot might subject the team to ridicule, so he changed the name to Rangers. Then he feared that people would confuse the football team with the local minor league baseball team nicknamed the Rangers and finally changed the nickname to Cowboys shortly before the season began.
Greenland Ice Loss - Not So Bad
Estimates of the rate of ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica, should be halved, according to Dutch and US scientists.
Several teams have estimated Greenland and West Antarctica are shedding billions of tons of ice per year. However, according to the new study, published in the September issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, those ice estimates fail to correct for a phenomenon known as glacial isostatic adjustment.
"We have concluded that the Greenland and West Antarctica ice caps are melting at approximately half the speed originally predicted. If the figures for overall sea level rise are accurate, icesheet loss would be contribute about 30 percent, rather than roughly half." The rest would come mainly from thermal expansion, meaning that as the sea warms it rises. Darn, now we have to wait another few hundred years to swim in the Los Angeles Basin.
Several teams have estimated Greenland and West Antarctica are shedding billions of tons of ice per year. However, according to the new study, published in the September issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, those ice estimates fail to correct for a phenomenon known as glacial isostatic adjustment.
"We have concluded that the Greenland and West Antarctica ice caps are melting at approximately half the speed originally predicted. If the figures for overall sea level rise are accurate, icesheet loss would be contribute about 30 percent, rather than roughly half." The rest would come mainly from thermal expansion, meaning that as the sea warms it rises. Darn, now we have to wait another few hundred years to swim in the Los Angeles Basin.
Book Sizes
I know everyone sits up at night wondering why books are the size they are. Well, I went looking to find out. Books are as big as they are because medieval sheep were as big as they were. 
Medieval books were constructed of parchment, mainly sheep skin. If you take an average sheep and skin it and trim off the odd parts, like legs, etc., you get one gigantic sheet of parchment. When it is folded in half, it makes two pages of an old book. Fold it in half again and you get the size of an encyclopedia. In half again and you get the current hardback book size.
Next time you're squinting at your copy one of my books (you do have one, don't you), wishing the pages were just a bit bigger, blame the medievals for not having bigger sheep. Kind of reminds me about the width of railroad tracks and horses behinds, but that is for another day.
Medieval books were constructed of parchment, mainly sheep skin. If you take an average sheep and skin it and trim off the odd parts, like legs, etc., you get one gigantic sheet of parchment. When it is folded in half, it makes two pages of an old book. Fold it in half again and you get the size of an encyclopedia. In half again and you get the current hardback book size.
Next time you're squinting at your copy one of my books (you do have one, don't you), wishing the pages were just a bit bigger, blame the medievals for not having bigger sheep. Kind of reminds me about the width of railroad tracks and horses behinds, but that is for another day.
Sep 10, 2010
Cyberchondriacs
They have increased from 50 million in 1998 to 175 million today, according to market research firm Harris Interactive. And they are also getting more active. 32% of all adults who look for health information 'often', is up from 22% last year.
A cyberchondriac is a person who looks for healthcare information online. The net is replete with medical information (and anything else you can possibly imagine). Just as with wikipedia, it is all not good information, but the masses of contributors level it out, so the good overcomes the bad.
People in record numbers use the web to look up information about a condition, treatment, a physician's credentials, or alternative forms of treatment, along with successes and failures of each.
PS - Some doctors do not like being questioned, so tread lightly with your new found information and questions. It is never a good idea to upset a waiter or a doctor.
A cyberchondriac is a person who looks for healthcare information online. The net is replete with medical information (and anything else you can possibly imagine). Just as with wikipedia, it is all not good information, but the masses of contributors level it out, so the good overcomes the bad.
People in record numbers use the web to look up information about a condition, treatment, a physician's credentials, or alternative forms of treatment, along with successes and failures of each.
PS - Some doctors do not like being questioned, so tread lightly with your new found information and questions. It is never a good idea to upset a waiter or a doctor.
Windows Top Tip
This works with almost any program you are working in. When you think you have made a mistake, or deleted a file, or forget what you last did, or screwed something up, just hold down the 'Ctrl' (control) key and hit the letter Z. The ctrl keys are on the bottom left and bottom right of most keyboards. It will undo the last action you took. It is the universal undo command for Windows computers.
Personal Kleenex
Here is an interesting gift for the hypochondriac in the family. My Kleenex provides users with the opportunity to get their favorite unlicensed photo or drawing printed on their Kleenex box. Customers can create their own designs and styles, can choose from dozens of backgrounds, add their own personal digital photo, and then generate a 3D preview to see what the box will look like.
The boxes are $4.99 each. Think of the many occasions you could use this. 'I heard you been cryin, because I been lyin, Cheer up. . .' 'Heard you are getting married, divorced, having a baby, etc.' 'The next time you sneeze, think of meez.' I'm sorry, I'll quit now.
The boxes are $4.99 each. Think of the many occasions you could use this. 'I heard you been cryin, because I been lyin, Cheer up. . .' 'Heard you are getting married, divorced, having a baby, etc.' 'The next time you sneeze, think of meez.' I'm sorry, I'll quit now.
Electronic Medical Records
Only a small number of hospitals in the United States have comprehensive electronic health record systems currently in place. The biggest obstacle to adopting such systems are costs, which can run as high as $20 million to $100 million, plus the reluctance of doctors to change their ways. The report is published in the March online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers questioned 3,049 US hospitals about their electronic health record systems. They found that only 1.5 percent had comprehensive systems. A comprehensive system was defined as hospital-wide clinical documentation of cases, test results, prescription and test ordering, plus support for decision-making that included treatment guidelines.
Eight percent of hospitals have electronic records that include physician and nursing notes, but these systems do not have decision support.
The new healthcare bill aims to change all that within the next five years, by offering incentives for implementing electronic medical records systems. Some see difficulties remaining, with the incentives falling way short of costs. In addition, it can take multiple years to implement a comprehensive system.
Researchers questioned 3,049 US hospitals about their electronic health record systems. They found that only 1.5 percent had comprehensive systems. A comprehensive system was defined as hospital-wide clinical documentation of cases, test results, prescription and test ordering, plus support for decision-making that included treatment guidelines.
Eight percent of hospitals have electronic records that include physician and nursing notes, but these systems do not have decision support.
The new healthcare bill aims to change all that within the next five years, by offering incentives for implementing electronic medical records systems. Some see difficulties remaining, with the incentives falling way short of costs. In addition, it can take multiple years to implement a comprehensive system.
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