Mercredi soir, Valentine Chevalier deviendra votre secrétaire particulière… Très particulière même, à en croire ces quelques photos ! Voila son message : Bonjour à tous, je vous invite à me rejoindre, pour ce show “secrétaire sexy”, pour une soirée dont vous serez les acteurs. je vous attends avec impatience… bisous, Valentine 

  

A lovely opinion piece in The Australian by a law professor on why it's not really bad manners to point out to someone over dinner that believing in some of the ghastly claims of homeopathy, magentic resonance or even astrology, even if they are a local member of mensa.

There is absolutely nothing close-minded or even killjoy about saying homeopathy and crystal healing are crappity crap based on crap only designed to take your crap. There is no vast conspiracy.

And a lot of the people who swallow the nonsense are people who should know better; like atheists, scientists and nurses. This is how we can get nonsense acupuncture heals breast cancer studies in the press...  *siiiigh*

On a side note. Those of you interested in rationality might be interested in this WEBPAGE. When someone denies evolution you can just go FOSSIL! and be done with it. All thanks to Dave the "happy" singer

(Click en la imagen para ampliar)

Yo, si en el fondo, entiendo a El País. O mejor dicho, entiendo las relaciones tan afectuosas que hay entre Ferraz y la redacción del periódico El País. El objetivo una vez más ha sido el ejecutivo de Esperanza Aguirre. Dicen por ahí que es fruto de la rabia incontenida de que Güemes, con todo lo que ha sufrido estas últimas semanas, no haya sido aplastado en ningún instante, al revés, que haya salido más airoso de todo lo ocurrido.

Cadena SER, Cuatro, El País, hacen una magnífica acción progubernamental de echar tierra encima a lo que nos interesa. O hurgar para hacer daño al PP, en el caso de Madrid, en Sanidad, especialmente.  Si no fue escandaloso, (como dirían otra vez por allí, escandalazo) la supuesta presencia en los comités de ética de los hospitales de miembros religiosos, esta vez, El País, nos deleita una vez más con la manipulación, y con una foto de un artículo hablando sobre el Hospital de Hierro.

La fotografía, realizada en el Hospital, estando en mudanzas, por el cierre del Hospital, fechada hace aproximadamente 12 días, El País, da a entender, con la siguiente frase, que el hospital se encuentra en un estado lamentable, en la fecha de Ayer, cuando ya ni siquiera está en activo:

“aspecto del laboratorio de inmunología del Puerta de Hierro ayer”.

Eso sí, los testimonios dramáticos (serán sindicalistas con bata blanca seguramente).No dejan de ocupar un lugar privilegiado en la noticia.

La CAM, ya ha tomado las medidas oportunas.

(Fuente y Foto: El País)

Un Saludo

Hat einer mit ner versteckten Kamera aufgenommen : ) Sieht ganz okay aus, dafür das es erst am 25.02.2010 kommen soll.

Alright, so to begin my first full review of helmet cams, I will be comparing the ATC3K (or ATC 3000) from Oregon Scientific and the newly-released Tachyon XC.

Construction and Dimensions
At first sight, we can see the big difference in shape and construction. Many of today's helmet cams are constructed in a cylindrical lipstick shape just like the 3K, while Tachyon's new product has a completely different exterior casing that is actually a little bit boxier and slightly lighter. As I noticed, the ATC3K was identical to my old ATC2K in terms of size, shape, weight, etc. After some measurements and weigh-ins, the XC is about one ounce lighter without batteries. When measured for size, the XC was three quarters of an inch smaller in length. The exact measurements put the ATC3K at 4.75'' (12cm) and the Tachyon XC at 4'' (10.16cm).

Buttons
On the top of each camera, there is a series of buttons. Both cameras are standardized and provide a power button, a record button, and a menu button. Although the controls perform the same function, the 3K's controls do prove a little more difficult to press than the XC's bigger buttons. Both cameras provide a beeping sound to identify when buttons are being pressed, and when recording has commenced. On the front of the Tachyon XC, there are two small LEDs to help indicate status of power on and of recording.

Casing
Just like the ATC2K, the ATC3K offers a twist off cap to reveal its interior workings: battery compartment, SDHC card slot, and TV and USB plugs. Its battery casing is a simple slide-out tab that makes battery placement easy, but then again, maybe it’s too easy. One of the leading problems with helmet cameras comes from battery movement within the camera while you are recording. This leads to camera shutdown and lost content. Along with several complaints I have seen online and with friends, I did have a problem with occasional shutdowns and losing video with my ATC2K, so I’d hope the 3K does not suffer the same problem.

The XC goes with a locking door rather than a twist-off cap, similar to the design of professional waterproof camera cases. It offers an O-Ring clamp with some padding on the door that pushes up against the battery cartridge and the SDHC card, locking them in tight. The cartridge and the padding really seem to keep things tight. I haven’t had any shutdowns yet.

Waterproofing
One of the first great features of each of these cameras is full waterproofing. According to the manuals, the ATC3K is intended to work up to a full 10 feet (or 3 meters), while the Tachyon XC is assured to work well up to 28 feet of water (or 8.5 meters). The maximum time for both is listed as 30 minutes. I didn't exactly jump in the full pool to test these claims, but I did allow both cameras to get wet with no problems. The ATC3K requires you to do a bit more than the XC does to keep your camera waterproof. You need to take care of your O-ring (rubber seal) with silicon grease. And I have to wonder what the constant screwing and unscrewing of the cap will do to the O-ring over the long run. The XC, on the other hand, needs no attention. Just close the door and you’re sealed tight.

Stills and Secrecy
One of the new features for these types of cameras is the option to take still photos. The Tachyon XC can do this, while the ATC3K cannot. The photos are straightforward and are taken in the same VGA resolution as the video. Is this really useful? In action situations, probably not. Your hands will be too busy to be pressing buttons anyway. But if you want to go out with just one camera instead of two, it might do the job.

Both of these cameras come with a ‘secrecy mode’ for shooting hidden cam shots. The beeping sounds that both cameras make are silenced when in this mode. As are the red and green LEDs that the Tachyon XC uses to show when your power is on and when you are recording.
So if you want to sneak some video of your friends or family, either one of these cameras could do the job.

Remote Control
Something that might be very useful with the secrecy mode is the XC’s remote control that can start and stop your recordings from a distance. This could also be useful for certain sports where the buttons are not easily reachable, such as when the camera is mounted on the top of your skiing helmet.

Mounts
Both cameras have included standard mounts so that you don’t have to go out and build them from scratch. Both camera’s mounts can easily slip on and off of the camera and have loops for attaching straps. The “swivel” mount of the XC can attach to a standard tripod and will rotate in a complete circle. It also attaches to their optional handlebar mount.The ATC3K comes with a simple handlebar mount – not as substantial looking as the XC’s. Both cameras come with straps, pads and Velcro, but the XC gives you a lot more of the pads and Velcro than the 3K does.

TV Modes
The Tachyon XC is a multi-TV system that can work on TVs anywhere in the world, while the ATC3K will work on either NTSC or PAL systems, but not both. So you need to be careful where you buy the ATC3K. If you live in Europe, don’t buy from the US, or vice-versa.

Video Recording and FPS
We now move on to the most important factor in this review and that is how well these cameras can record. To begin my test, I held both cameras in my hands while riding my skateboard. I set each camera to their highest setting, along with using the same SDHC card. Although both cameras worked well, I did notice a difference in overall quality. As you can see in the video, the 3K’s video appeared lighter, less saturated, and a bit jerky, while the XC stayed truer to natural colors and was a bit more smooth.

The XC advertises 30, 26, and 15fps, depending on the settings you choose. The two highest modes are at 26, the medium mode at 30 and the surveillance mode at 15. I found these to be accurate. The ATC3K goes with two shooting modes, both at a claimed 30fps. This claim doesn’t hold up, however. I found the true frame rate to be 26fps. To get an accurate frame rate for each setting, I imported the videos into Photoshop as frames and divided the number of frames by the time. As for Field of View on both cameras, the XC is labeled at 50 degrees compared to the 3Ks 48 degrees. Though for the common video viewer, there really isn’t any distinctive difference.

Shock proofing
The ATC3K claims to be shock resistant, while the XC claims to be shock proof. One of the leading problems with many helmet cameras has always come from battery movement within recordings, which has led to shut downs and loss of video. As I mentioned earlier, the ATC3K is pretty much identical to it’s predecessor ATC2K which claims in its manual that it is not shock proof and that you should not to drop it! Along with several complaints I have read online and heard from friends, I myself did have problems with occasional shutdowns and lost video on the 2K. Because of this problem, I hope the 3K does not suffer the same flaw. Tachyon claims a patented shock-proof design that is intended to eliminate this common problem suffered by the 2K and other action cameras. During my earlier test, which was admittedly not very rough, I did not have a problem with either camera turning off on me.

Memory and Recording Times
Secure Digital cards (SD cards) are an important element of both these cameras, as they provide the only way to store content. While the ATC3K’s manual lists its camera of being compatible with up to a 4GB card, the Tachyon XC’s manual shows a capability of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB SDHC cards, and is marketing itself as the only helmet cam in the industry capable of using SDHC cards above 4GB. According to the manuals the 3K’s recording times with a 4GB card can range from 2 to 3.5 hours (depending on mode). The XC’s manual says a 4GB card will give you 1 hour at its superior setting to 8 hours at its lowest setting. For best performance, Tachyon suggests that customers use SDHC (High Capacity) cards of a Class 4 (10MB) and up. They also encourage the use of Lithium powered batteries to record up to 11.5 hours, and especially for use in cold weather. The ATC3K also encourages lithium batteries for cold weather.

Sound Quality
Now, to talk a little about sound quality. As you should know, many helmet cameras are not meant to have high-quality sound recording because waterproof casings make that pretty much impossible. But I decided to test them both out anyway. I sat both of the cameras down a foot away from my mouth and set both to the highest settings to test. The XC in fact soared over the 3K in relative audio quality. Both cameras provided audible sound but the XC had a touch more gain and a less tinny quality to its sound. The traditional helmet cam is not going to give you superior audio either way, so your decision could depend on how important audio is on such types of cameras.

Pricing
Just to also give you some pricing tips, the Tachyon XC sells worldwide, from its website, for $149. The price for the ATC3K varies depending on where it is sold. It ranges from $149 in the US, to €199 in Europe. For further information on pricing, please see the video above.

Conclusion
From a quick reaction, I would have to give the edge to the Tachyon XC for overall use and performance. There were of course things I liked about each camera. The 3K offered me a more standard shape and style for a helmet camera, while the XC gave me a mini-camcorder feel with a completely new design from standard helmet cameras. For another, I felt that accessing the batteries in the 3K was a bit easier, but then as I mentioned above, this might come at a price. Both gave me a simple, user-friendly design that can work for any age of user. Besides the fact that the XC gave me better video and audio quality, it just overall had a lot more features to go with its whole package. Overall, I can see how some people may prefer the standard look of the ATC3K, but in my opinion, there is no reason to compromise on the security and quality of your video in a strong, secure helmet cam, like the Tachyon XC.

You don't have to take my word though to compare and choose one of these cameras; if you go check out YouTube or any other video hosting websites, you can search and find tons of user videos with these two cameras in action to see for yourself. All you have to do is hop on YouTube and search Tachyon XC or ATC3K

For other information on each of these cameras you can check out
Oregon Scientific for the ATC3K or Tachyon Inc. for the Tachyon XC

In evaluating the treatment of DPNP physicians are faced with many treatment options including non-pharmacological choices such as acupuncture. As you read in the following excerpt acupuncture was shown to be effective for the management of DPNP. Out of the group of patients receiving acupuncture treatment, 77% reported significant relief. 21% reported complete resolution of symptoms, and at the time of follow-up a full 66% of those patients reported continued relief of symptoms. These are very impressive results.

“Acupuncture probably falls somewhere between these 2 groups; it has minimal but not insignificant risks but also some evidence of analgesic efficacy in chronic pain and DPNP. It was evaluated in 46 patients with DPNP, 29 of whom were receiving drug treatment.

53 Patients received 6 sessions of traditional Chinese acupuncture throughout 10 weeks. Thirty-four (77%) reported significant improvement in symptoms (P<.01), including 7 (21%) who reported complete resolution of symptoms. Patients who completed the study (n=44) were then followed up for 18 to 52 weeks.

During the follow-up period, 66% of patients reported they could stop or reduce pain medications. Only 8 required additional acupuncture. No adverse events related to the acupuncture were reported, and there were no changes in peripheral neurologic examination scores or hemoglobin A1c levels. Acupuncture may relieve pain and/or reduce the need for pain medications in selected patients with DPNP.”

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine: Mayo Clinic Proceedings Supplement April 2006, Volume 81, Number 4, Page S22

For more information about this topic, or how acupuncture and integrative healthcare and improve your health please visit www.drscottdenny.com or www.multicareclinic.org. To speak with our office staff please call 888-840-4325.

1. wow... I so love him.  He's... he's one of a kind.  I love his outlook, the way he thinks about things... the way he takes control of me.  I love how comfortable I feel just talking to him, having chats, and how easily we can be both friends and master/pet. Of course, it makes me adore him more, seeing as I'm not locked into one role, that he likes me, all of me.

2. I feel comfotable with him, along with whomever else.  I don't think... well it's more that I've finally realized it really doesn't have anything to do with anyone else, what we have.  Which... I'm still not clear exactly... but I know we're friends.  I know he cares about me, and I know how i feel about him.  

3. I feel my worth to him.  He knows that I'm loyal to him, and will try to do what's best for him.

He also didn't cringe at me sans clothes.  That in itself is wonderful-- I was SOO afraid!  Like... terrified... I actually felt rather nauseaus.  I'm really not an attractive girl, so just showing my face was tough.  Then when we moved down... *shivers and sighs* between recent jerks and a horribly abusive ex, I'm incredibly sensitive about my bits.  I can't say he liked what he saw but at least he didn't cringe or say anything mean about me.  It'll get easier as my workouts continue, I think. 

Also... I find it incredibly erotic and making me want him that he's so rugged, and manly, and how he's able to defend himself, and others, in rl.  I love his matter of factness, his easy awareness of himself. I like feeling like he's more than capable of handling me.

Yep. I'm in love.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.710554&w=425&h=350&fv=videoId%3D186477]

Went out in the morning to play with Hanshen. Stoned for the first 1/2h like some rock sorry. But yeah got more alive after dousing my head below the tap :D

Met up with Kai at j8. Also caught up with Syl and Carissa :) Had lunch at Yoshi. The portion damn pathetic zzz, still felt damn hungry. Made a trip to Royal Sporting House to get Kh a new bat before going to the sports complex. Paid for the table and rented the net. Deborne came later coz we started early. I look like a retard though ha. But its pretty fun owning and getting owned :)

Caught Eagle Eye at 4 after finishing table tennis. We changed at the j8 cinema toilet and bought tix. Also got some stuff at NTUC and Taiwan Shilin to sneak into the cinema :B Kai, your 1.5L lemon tea a bit spam uh. Held up at the GV entrance though.

Went to Novena to get my race pack for NBRR, supposed to meet up with Yiyuan and Chuning but parents rushed me so dad picked me up. Had dinner at grandma's place.

Probably playing at YCK next week on wed. With peiwen, keefe, jelly, yiyuan, chuning? Pw and her icecream -.= And yy maybe bringing more people along. Going out with syl and carissa next thu to FEP to shop :) That's gonna be damn fun. Training resumes next week though. Season's gonna start really soon...

K gonna bathe now.

One thing I find interesting in this is the need Sabbah felt to claim that the medical community were causing 90% of all illness. Simply trying to heal people (however misguidedly) wasn't enough for Sabbah - he also had to malign health professionals who were genuinely healing people. Another classic example of this need to denigrate orthodox medical professionals can be found here [er, the title is about "child abuse" committed by conventional medicine practitioners so maybe not one to read if you're at work], where Joseph Mercola's site has a comment up about the "the allopathic murder-medicine model". That's right - conventional medicine is some kind of legalised murder. Who are these conspiracy theorists and what feeds their fantasies? Is it just down to reading the Constant Gardener and reading the figures on how many deaths are attributable to side-effects of medicines? What makes people think unregulated Alternative therapies will be better or safer? What makes them think that deaths attributed to Conventional medical care are part of some vast conspiracy? It is acknowledged by all that people die at the hands of doctors, but there is no reason to assume that this is deliberate - in fact, I find the suggestion bizarre. As Dr Ben puts it:

Like many professions who kill people with some regularity, doctors have elaborate systems for seeing what went wrong afterwards, and the answer is rarely “Brian did it”.

A few links may be in order here. Here's a report on health inspectors ordering an inquiry into 20 deaths from C Diff. A heart surgery unit under investigation for the high death rate there. A report of a clinical study into whether Avandia was to blame for patient deaths. On a slightly different tack, here's a report of a coroner's investigation into deaths by morphine overdose. Orthodox, conventional, evidence-based medicine has some pretty good tools to help find out whether treatments are killing or curing too -

Ideas like cumulative meta-analysis from the world of evidence have saved countless lives, and they could save many more. They are clever and they are fascinating. They are the same tools you hear rubbished by big pharma, by homeopaths, and by lobbyists from the $56bn food supplement industry. But you will never find them celebrated, anywhere, in popular culture.

The AltMed industries don't use these clever tools, they don't have proper regulation and they aren't safe. But people (for whatever reason) seem to assume they are. Alternative=natural=safe=healthy. Apparently. I wonder if people are reacting to cues offered by medicine practitioners and, not having the ability to evaluate what is being put forth by either conventional or alternative medicine advocates, are making poor choices. Their inability to understand medicine and health means they are unable to evaluate the quality of the advice they are given or the competence of practitioners such as Dr Claude Sabbah who wants you to think yourself well if you have AIDS or cancer. I'm not sure of the best solution to this problem, but it seems to me that having a public better informed as to the nature of evidence-based medicine would be a good start.

*By the by, this last bit is tenuously related to the paper by Justin Kruger and David Dunning Unskilled and Unaware of It (heh - any excuse to link to this pdf. It's my new favourite hobby horse).

•  Explore complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science. 
• Train complementary and alternative medicine researchers.
• Disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. 

Si el anterior gobierno de Esperanza Aguirre –en lo que a Sanidad se refiere- estuvo marcado por el caso del Dr. Montes y la vergonzosa actuación del Consejero de Sanidad, el Sr. Lamela, ahora nos encontramos con su heredero: el Sr. Güemes. El yermísimo de Fabra (Fabrone), que últimamente parece estar en racha (desafortunadamente).

Os imagino conocedores de los episodios más recientes como la manifestación silenciosa con mascarillas de ayer, en alusión a su anterior visita al Hospital Clínico San Carlos, cuando las protestas terminaron con la detención de tres personas por la policía. Sin olvidarnos del caos del Puerta de Hierro y las denuncias de pacientes y profesionales.

Ayer por la noche recibí un email, de una cadena, que me había mandado Alex de la Nuez, y que reproduzco por su indudable interés:

Hola a todos/as:

Por favor, enviadlo al mayor número de personas posible. Como no luchemos ahora este gobierno de la Comunidad de Madrid acaba con todo y más básico, EDUCACIÓN y SANIDAD.

Tómate 1 minuto para firmar la solicitud de derogación de la Ley /15/97 que permite la privatización de la Sanidad pública. Entre todas y todos tenemos que aportar lo que podamos para frenar este despropósito en el que se están convirtiendo nuestros servicios públicos.

Aparte de la privatización de los nuevos hospitales, el gobierno de Esperanza Aguirre ha iniciado la privatización de la Atención Primaria, existiendo centros de salud que ya tienen algunas plantas privadas, con consultas privadas y médicos contratados de manera privada!!

En 2 o 3 años el sistema nacional de salud no será más que un conglomerado de empresas privadas, que dejarán de pautar ciertos tratamientos o no realizarán intervenciones quirúrgicas si el gasto no les conviene.

Este hecho se está constatando ya en el Hospital del Sureste, donde a enfermos con un tratamiento caro se les está negando el mismo.

Los nuevos hospitales, como ya sabéis están funcionando con el mínimo de personal, en algunos casos esto repercute tanto en la calidad de los cuidados que se están dando situaciones en las que se pone en peligro la vida de los pacientes, ¿quieres quedarte a un lado?

Firma en: http://www.casmadrid.org

Te pido que lo envíes al mayor número de contactos posibles.

Además puedes descargarte la hoja de firmas en la misma página.

HELLO ♥CATCAT :) Don't die on instant noodles yo \m/ Good luck for exams!

---

Yup went to sch today to get results. So far a1 for lit, infocomm, chem and geog. a2 overall for math. failed physics :)

Played a bit of table tennis in sch, and went to jc side to play tennis with elwin and zhengjie. Thanks elwin for treating us drinks :D

Went to toa payoh cc to play table tennis with hongpei, peiwen and keefe. Got trashed haha. But there was one very memorable scrape forehand dtl smash that I bet Wang Hao can't take. Kidding :) Keefe came with his friend Joshua. Yeah so me and keefe both died at merciless peiwen's hands so we shared cost for B&J icecream for peiwen. S'mores is incredibly sweet. Went to tpy hub to get the icecream and camped at Macs. Got quite some pix to upload. The group pixs are with keefe and he's going overseas, so yeah. Bon voyage :)

Keefe threw the icecream onto Jeramyn's notes and somehow the icecream got splattered onto the floor and the walls around us. And Jeramyn was covered in spots of S'mores. Jelly got pissed and poured water onto Keefe rofl. And we were dunking my phone into the water and throwing it around cause its drop and water resistant. And my phone survived :) Cause we were sitting under a sign that said something along the lines of no outside food and drinks, we asked for a tray to fake that we had already eaten.

*Cleaner walks by carrying a tray with some trash*
Keefe: *Gestures* Hey, can I have that tray?
*Cleaner gives shocked and puzzled look*
Cleaner: Okay.. *Hands the tray over*

And we all started laughing like some retards :) And we asked for loads of water like cheapskates rofl.

But it was a fun day thx :D

Good luck to sylvia and yiyuan and jelly taking papers tmrw.
Good luck to cheah jing and hilda starting eoys tmrw.
Good luck to peiwen getting results tmrw.

K, bye.

This is from the Meteor Cam Archive, Adam & Donna's new site, Twin Skies!

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