Sports Dispatch


Hieron Agrees to Face Fickett in Affliction, But Will It Actually Happen?

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 7th, 2008

Hieron Agrees to Face Fickett in Affliction, But Will It Actually Happen?
Former IFL welterweight champ Jay Hieron has reportedly verbally agreed to face Drew Fickett at the next Affliction event in Las Vegas on October 11. The real question is, will Fickett find some clever new way to screw it up? Fickett’s manager, Alexander Oxendine, seems open to that possibility: “We’re in discussion with a […]

Strife over shots: Should our kids play together?

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 6th, 2008

Strife over shots: Should our kids play together?

Should parents inquire about vaccination status before a play date? Some say that’s taking things too far. The heated vaccine debate has parents on both sides of the fence discussing the issues more and sometimes finding themselves in awkward or even acrimonious social situations.


Climate change leadership baton passes to new hands
The latest round of UN climate talks in Ghana saw strategies shaping up to reduce CO2 emissions from the destruction of forests, while talks about financing deep emission cuts and adaptation to climate impacts gained clarity<br />© WWF-Canon / Adam Oswell” border=”0″ align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ /></a>WWF has welcomed the initiative taken by a new group of countries in showing the way forward as the latest round of UN climate talks drew to a close in Accra, Ghana today.</p>
<p> Confirming trends observed at previous talks, according to the WWF climate team Accra again demonstrated that the EU is losing its role as a climate leader to a range of developing countries and creative players such as Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea and India as well as the tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu.</p>
<p> By improving old proposals or fleshing out new ones, the global conservation agency sees these countries becoming reliable agents of progress. Together with big emerging economies they form the new engine of the talks, highlighted by South Korea’s pledge in Accra to set emission reduction targets and boost renewable energies.</p>
<p> While the mandate to agree a new global climate treaty by 2009 remains a gigantic challenge, Accra showed that overcoming the muddle of conflicting views and crafting an effective deal to tackle climate change is possible and depends on the political will to show leadership.</p>
<p> “Currently the glory in the global fight against climate change is reserved for those progressive governments which are getting the debate further down to the essentials,” says Kim Carstensen, Director WWF Global Climate Initiative. </p>
<p> “The cumbersome talks in Accra did not stop a first group of determined negotiators from working towards a critical shift in the debate, but a success at the next climate talks in Poznan is far from secured and we need to see more countries engage seriously in lifting the political ambitions.”</p>
<p> According to WWF governments managed to push their critical discussions closer to conclusions on some key issues: strategies are shaping up to reduce CO2 emissions from the destruction of forests, while talks about financing deep emission cuts and adaptation to climate impacts have gained clarity. However, other tracks of the complex negotiations failed to progress in Accra and are falling dangerously behind schedule.</p>
<p> “Smoke grenades thrown by backward parties and an overdose of procedural discussions have paralyzed the climate talks and overwhelmed negotiators for too long,” said Kathrin Gutmann, Policy Coordinator WWF Global Climate Initiative. “In Accra we start seeing the first positive examples of constructive dialogue led by innovative parties, which should become a solid trend in Poznan in December.”</p>
<p> “The EU disappointed in Accra, just like it disappointed at previous talks in Bonn, expressing regret for coming to the negotiation table with empty hands,” said Diane McFadzien, Programme Coordinator WWF Global Climate Initiative. “Poznan should be a home match for the Europeans and a perfect opportunity to live up to their full potential - in order to avoid matching Canada, Russia, Japan, Australia and the US in their lack of ambition.”</p>
<p> For further information please see press release <a rel=here

Proof that Apple Marketed Cheap MacBook Displays as Quality
The controversy surrounding Apple&#8217;s sale of lame LCD displays is heating up. It&#8217;s a hot topic of discussion on the MacWeb and various websites are popping up about the problem. ColorBlindMac.com is one of the more interesting, not only does it point out Apple&#8217;s marketing efforts of bragging about the millions of colors on […]

% Ultramarathon Man

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 5th, 2008

% Ultramarathon Man
The inspirational film UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons • 50 States • 50 Days, features renowned endurance athlete and best selling author Dean Karnazes, in his attempt to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days to raise awareness for youth obesity and to get America active.

Knuckle Cracking and Arthritis
An informational discussion on the potential issues with Knuckle Cracking related to Arthritis

Strife over shots: Should our kids play together?

Should parents inquire about vaccination status before a play date? Some say that’s taking things too far. The heated vaccine debate has parents on both sides of the fence discussing the issues more and sometimes finding themselves in awkward or even acrimonious social situations.



SEC Opens Debate on Adopting International Accounting Rules

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 4th, 2008

SEC Opens Debate on Adopting International Accounting Rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously yesterday to open public discussion on a proposal to mandate that all U.S. companies file financial disclosure statements using international accounting standards starting in 2014, instead of those traditionally used in the United States.

Definition of Green Broke
The meaning of the phrase green broke or the word green as used when discussing horses or ponies.

Electromyography for Assessment of Pain in Low Back Muscles

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 3rd, 2008

Electromyography for Assessment of Pain in Low Back Muscles

Background and Purpose: Pain is currently evaluated with “subjective” methods (eg, patient self-report). This study aimed to test whether fatigue indexes are able to accurately discriminate between subjects with and subjects without low back pain.

Subjects: Sixty subjects separated into 2 groups—a group with low back pain (n=30) and a group without low back pain (n=30)—participated in this study.

Methods: Electromyographic (EMG) and force data were obtained during a muscle fatigue test. The same test was repeated to monitor recovery. Linear regression analysis was used to obtain fatigue indexes.

Results: Subjects with pain produced significantly lower force values than those without pain. The use of fatigue indexes and force values permitted accurate classification in 89.5% of cases.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results confirm that subjects with pain show early myoelectrical manifestations of muscle fatigue and that EMG can be a useful tool in the evaluation of low back pain.


Miner Mania Hits UTEP Campus

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 2nd, 2008

Miner Mania Hits UTEP Campus
On Thursday, the UTEP Miners football team had their first game of the year against the Buffalo Bulls, and despite being a road game, students still showed their spirit. Daniel Novick Reports: Miner Fans Head Out To Watch First Game Discussion: UTEP Miner Talk Schedule: UTEP Miner Football

Changes in Functional Walking Distance and Health-Related Quality of Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Background and Purpose: Early physical functional changes after gastric bypass surgery (GBS) are unclear, and the relationship between these changes and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) has not been reported. We measured distances from a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and scores on the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) before and after GBS.

Subjects and Methods: Twenty-five people undergoing GBS completed the SF-36 and 6MWT presurgically and at the 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during 6MWTs.

Results: Presurgical walking distance (X±SD; 414.1±103.7 m) was 55%±14% of normative values. Distances increased significantly at 3 months (505.2±98.0 m) and at 6 months (551.5±101.2 m). Final RPEs decreased significantly, and HR-QOL improved significantly. Both physical and mental health components of the SF-36 improved significantly. Distance was inversely correlated with body mass throughout the study and positively correlated with the SF-36 Physical Component Summary change from 3 to 6 months.

Discussion and Conclusions: Improved functional capacity was associated with enhanced HR-QOL. At 6 months, walking distances remained 75% of those for age-matched peers who had normal weight.

Check it out!
As you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of a certain esoteric group of electronics, I made this website to celebrate and discuss this small group electronics, I hope to have other contributors as well and hopefully give the small community of listeners of these electronics a new resource on the […]

GPS Maniac.com Featuring GPS Consumer Products and Services, Debuts

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the September 1st, 2008

GPS Maniac.com Featuring GPS Consumer Products and Services, Debuts
Questex Media Group today announced the launch of GPS Maniac (at www.gpsmaniac.com), a new website for consumers and GPS enthusiasts that features price comparisons for GPS devices, plus daily news, discussion forums and videos.

12 Monochrome Laser Printers

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the August 31st, 2008

12 Monochrome Laser Printers
12 Monochrome Laser PrintersWe look at a dozen of the most popular black-and-white laser printers, discussing a wide range of options, as well as printer and toner cartridge pricing.

Dremel 300 Rotary Tool
Not all woodworking power tools are large machines confined to the wood shop. Some woodworking tools are extremely portable and versatile, in that they can be used for literally thousands of other uses in addition to helping to complete woodworking plans. In this woodworking tool review, we put the Dremel 300 Series Rotary Tool to the test, and discuss how it can be used in woodworking projects.

Special Alltel Racing Feature - Rear-Tire Changer Joe Piette Jr. Eyes Up an Unusual Situation
Rear-Tire Changer of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Joe Piette Jr. and XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang discuss an unusual experience that occurred during the NASCAR Cup race at California Speedway, as well as how the team banded together to overcome this obstacle.

Baltic states failing to protect most damaged sea

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the August 30th, 2008

Baltic states failing to protect most damaged sea
The poor state of the Baltic Sea environment has received attention this summer because of the extensive algal blooms caused by eutrophication and for recent scientific reports on the vast “dead zones” on the sea bottom<br />© Ola Jennersten” border=”0″ align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ /></a>Nine Baltic sea states all scored failing grades in an annual WWF evaluation of their performance in protecting and restoring the world’s most damaged sea.</p>
<p> The assessment, presented today at the Baltic Sea Festival, graded the countries on how well they are doing in six separate areas - biodiversity, fisheries, hazardous substances, marine transport and eutrophication - and on how they have succeeded in developing an integrated sea-use management system. </p>
<p> The best grade (an F for just 46 per cent) was received by Germany, followed by Denmark (41 per cent) and the worst were Poland (25 per cent) and Russia (26 per cent).</p>
<p> “It is a shame no country could be given a satisfactory total score,” said Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of WWF Sweden. “The Baltic Sea is influenced by a multitude of human activities, regulated by a patchwork of international and national regulations and authorities. </p>
<p> “What the Baltic Sea needs now is political leadership that can look beyond national or sectoral interests and take an integrated approach to solving the problems.”</p>
<p> Behind the bad overall scores there were some rays of hope. Germany received an A on the biodiversity score for their protection of marine areas with around 40 per cent of the country’s sea areas protected. </p>
<p> Latvia and Lithuania have taken measures to combat illegal fishing of cod, partly by giving inspectors the mandate to impose sanctions on site. Estonia has a narrow lead in lowering the impact of hazardous substances.</p>
<p> Also at the festival WWF awarded Tarja Halonen, president of the Republic of Finland, with the Baltic Sea Leadership Award for “her persistent efforts to unite groups and encourage cross-border discussions on the future of the Baltic Sea”.</p>
<p> Finland is the only country in the region that has developed a cross-sectoral marine policy and several other countries are now taking steps to review their marine management. </p>
<p> “We now have an opportunity in the area of sea-use management with two current processes on the European level,” said Vicki Lee Wallgren, programme manager for WWF’s Baltic Ecoregion Programme.</p>
<p> She said initiatives such as the EU’s  Maritime Policy and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy meant that “there is hope for the Baltic Sea”.</p>
<p> The poor state of the Baltic Sea environment has received attention this summer because of the extensive algal blooms caused by eutrophication and for recent scientific reports on the vast “dead zones” on the sea bottom. Seven of the world’s 10 biggest dead zones, where nothing can survive due to lack of oxygen, are found in the Baltic Sea.</p>
<p><a rel=Saltwater Aquarium
Your About Guides to Saltwater Aquariums discuss the first step in setting up an aquarium - deciding on a location for the aquarium and choosing a tank size, material and style.

% Ultramarathon Man
The inspirational film UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons • 50 States • 50 Days, features renowned endurance athlete and best selling author Dean Karnazes, in his attempt to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days to raise awareness for youth obesity and to get America active.

Hedge Plants

Posted in Track and Field by duke on the August 29th, 2008

Hedge Plants
Hedge plants may serve the practical function of affording a property some security, or be purely decorative. Examples of hedge plants are discussed and photos provided.

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