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(Cupertino, CA) Apple Corporation has finally declared all out war on Microsoft and the ubiquitous Microsoft Windows. Using what many are calling the most clever and devastating virus to have ever been used, the new iTunes 8 virus is quickly spreading and affecting Microsoft Windows Vista machines.

The iTunes 8 virus attacks machines installed with Microsoft Windows Vista. After a machine is infected, every time users connect an iPhone or iPod to their machines they’re getting Microsoft’s dreaded “blue screen of death,” the mystifying error message that signifies a PC meltdown. Some computers abruptly shut down and restart.

McAfee, Inc. makers of the popular line of antivirus solutions have activated their emergency response team to diagnose how the iTunes 8 virus replicates and infects machines. As of this moment, they have been unsuccessful in removing or disabling the virus. David DeWalt, Chief Executive Officer and President of McAfee admitted surprise in the bold attack by Apple Corporation. He said,

“Well it finally looks like Steve Jobs has acted on his threat of revenge against Microsoft Corporation. His hatred of Bill Gates and the company he founded has never been a secret, but most of us in the industry never thought he would make good on his promise to punish Bill. Steve patiently waited until Bill’s retirement and then launched the virus.

It’s very clear that Steve has been planning this for some time. The sophistication of the virus and the elegant way it spreads shows that the virus has been under development for years. We are especially stumped by how the virus encompasses several levels, because not only does it require infecting a Windows Vista machine but it also disables their iPhone or iPod. Which is like everyone right? It’s clear that Apple has declared war on Microsoft Vista users.”

In an uncharacteristic appearance, Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc, released a brief statement.

“Essentially, we’re sick of Microsoft and all their Microsoft Windows bullshit. As we continue to try to emphasize the importance of design and the crucial role aesthetics play in public appeal, they continue to produce crappy software that is just a plain annoyance. It seems that the farther forward we push the development of products that are both functional and elegant they respond with products that are barely functional and retarded.

Now that we’ve made everyone dependent on either the iPhone or iPod, we just refuse to allow them to work with Microsoft Windows Vista. This is war, either find a Macintosh to get your iPhone or iPod to work or by all means go out and get a Zune. Man every time we look at that piece of shit it makes us puke and then fall down laughing so hard that we are rolling in our own puke.

And to all you antivirus experts out there. Good luck cracking the iTunes 8 virus. We’ve incorporated some very advanced artificial intelligence that will make the virus mutate randomly, basically making it impossible to remove. Only your complete and utter surrender and adoption of Macintosh will stop the iTunes 8 virus. And to think, just a couple of weeks I was reported dead. Now I’m finally on the top of the world!”

source: fakenews.today.com

It is rumored that Omer Bhatti is Michael Jackson’s 25 year old son. But why doesn’t he appear in his will? Did Michael Jackson not know he had a 25 year old son?

Omer Bhatti is said to the the love child of Michael Jackson and Pia Bhatti. Omer was given a front row seat with the Jackson family during the Michael Jackson Memorial Service. He was born in Norwegia, but despite reports of him being Michael Jackson’s secret child, Omer is getting DNA test to confirm this.

But why now? Why didn’t he get a DNA test before MJ’s death? Why isn’t he included in the will?

Trillium Lake is a man-made lake that is popular for fishing. In winter, the area is used for Nordic skiing.
The area of the lake used to be part of the Barlow Road, which was part of the Oregon Trail in later days. Barlow Road was a log toll road across the marshes that were in this area.
On the road to Trillium Lake, we saw numerous tall, white flowers that looked like snowballs called bear grass. The leaves look like clumps of grass, but bear grass is actually in the lily family. The photo below shows bear grass in bloom.
From Trillium Lake, we drove up the south face of Mount Hood to Timberline Lodge, which is one of only a few year-round skiing locations in the United States. On the way up to the ski area, we got great views of the peak.
The lodge itself sits at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. The lodge was built from 1936 to 1938 as a WPA project during the Depression. The lodge sits just below Palmer Glacier, which is one of Mount Hood's twelve named glaciers.
The parking area was filled with skiers. Some, like the one in the photo below, were clomping across the parking lot in their ski boots.

One of the first things we saw as we exited the interstate when we arrived in the Portland area was Mount Hood off in the distance. Mount Hood is located about 45 miles east of Portland and only about 30 or 35 miles east of where we were staying in Barton Park. We saw Mount Hood from the Japanese Garden and caught glimpses of it just about every time we headed back to the campground.

At a height of 11,249 feet, Mount Hood is the highest mountain in Oregon and the fourth highest mountain in the Cascade Range. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano, and the last eruption was in 1907.

We decided to take a closer look at Mount Hood, so we drove to Trillium Lake located a few miles south of Mount Hood. The photo below is looking across Trillium Lake toward Mount Hood.

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are an emerging therapy for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Foot and ankle conditions that may benefit from this therapy include plantar fasciosis (chronic plantar fasciitis) and Achilles tendinosis (chronic Achilles tendonitis). Plantar fasciitis is the tearing and inflammation of the ligament in the arch of the foot. Initially the pain is sharp and stabbing and the heel can become swollen and very tender. Pain is common at the first step in the morning, upon rising and placing the feet down. As this conditions progresses, the pain becomes dull and the swelling diminishes, but the area remains sore. The plantar fascia (the arch ligament) starts to thicken and degenerate and the condition progresses to plantar fasciosis.

At this stage, the condition becomes more difficult to treat. Achilles tendonitis is the tearing and inflammation of the tendon in the back of the heel. The pain is generally sharp and stabbing with walking and is particularly sore when going up and down hills or stairs. As the condition progresses, the pain and swelling lessen and a nodule may appear at the back of the tendon as it thickens. The tendon may start to degenerate and this is the progression to Achilles tendinosis. Redness, swelling and pain are a normal part of a repetitive injury. The body is sending more blood to the injured area, carrying important cells to clean up damaged tissue and start the healing process. But, some conditions will progress to a degenerative process where the inflammatory response is suppressed and the normal repair process is either reduced or has halted. The goal of platelet rich plasma injections is stimulate the inflammatory response and jump start the healing process.

Platelets are used because they contain bioactive proteins and growth factors which are important for tissue repair and healing. A small amount of blood is drawn and then placed in a centrifuge to prepare it for the injection. The centrifuge separates the platelets from the remainder of the blood. The end product is a high concentration of platelets and growth factors ready for injection. The injection is given at the point of pain. For plantar fasciosis, the injection is usually at the inside and bottom of the heel. For Achilles tendinosis, the injection is at the back of the heel. Some physicians, but not all, perform ultrasound guided injections. There is generally some pain and discomfort in the area of the injection for up to a week. In some cases, patients are placed in a walking boot with a heel lift for two weeks after the injection. Stretching therapy is usually resumed as soon as a patient can tolerate the therapy.

Forensic psychologists and neuropsychologists regularly give expert opinions about a person’s mental capacity in the criminal, family law and civil courts. The evaluative process involves clinical interviews, psychological/neuropsychological testing, review of the records and interviews with individuals who have personal knowledge of the defendant’s behavior and cognition.
However, when the case calls for an opinion regarding the mental capacity of a deceased person, the forensic psychologist/neuropsychologist cannot administer psychological tests or conduct a clinical interview. Consequently, the expert retained on a contested Will or Trust matter has to assemble information that yields a true picture of the pre-morbid personality and cognitive function of the decedent.
Information is gathered about the decedent’s cognitive, behavioral and decision-making behavior just prior to death, in the recent and distant past. Materials reviewed can include depositions as well as clinical, financial and medical records. Not surprisingly, nurse’s note can often contain very valuable information relating to a person’s emotional and mental states.
This information assists the expert in determining whether the caretaker or significant other unduly influenced the decedent when writing the Will and/or Trust, signing signature cards at a financial institution or requesting specific medical care such as Advanced Directives.
Comparing historical information with recent findings can yield a detailed picture of similarities and discrepancies in the decedent’s mental capacity over time. It can illuminate changes in habits, psychological and physical well-being, friendships, belief systems, self care and financial management. Noting the variation in these factors on a time line gives the forensic psychologist/neuropsychologist a method to determine if and when changes occurred in the decedent’s lifestyle and if any specific factors or people unduly influenced the decedent.

What is an Ergonomic Workstation? What are its advantages as well as its disadvantages? And, is it cost efficient? These are some of the questions that may pop in the minds of office workers, business owners and Entrepreneurs. First let us answer the question what is Ergonomics? The thesaurus.com answers this as comfort design, user friendly systems and workplace efficiency. On the other hand the Wikipedia answers this as the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. In workstations such as offices or even manual labor workplaces, the chair is the single most common furniture that can be found. And the merge of Ergonomics to this humble Everyday furniture will make a big difference. It will benefit both the user in the aspects of performance and physical well being. In the aspect of Physical well-being, a comfortable workplace has comfortable ergonomic office chair that provide comfort and relaxation to the worker. A worker will definitely know if he/she is comfortable in his/her chair as soon as the worker sits on it.
A good ergonomically designed chaise lounge will provide lumbar support for lower backs as well as allow effortless movements for the legs. The lounge will also include soft back pillows for air circulations to flow. Adjustability, Stability and Easy Mobility- This ergonomic office furniture must also be Stable, Adjustable and easy to move. This will qualify it as an Ergonomic office chair. Good ergonomic office chairs should include an adjustable vertical feature which is beneficial for comfort as it permits the user to lean well in the desired position. Backrest-This should be the most important feature. It is the most critical element of the lounge.
Why? Because the said feature should offer good support to both the middle and the lower back. With regards to the physical wellbeing, a good Ergonomic Office Chair aims to reduce health problems due to the lack of salient features necessary for the wellness of the user. An improper chaise lounge can reduce the risk of back pains and neck pains. These problems can affect the productivity and efficiency of your personnel. In the case of performance, the said subject also helps in the staff's efficiency of work. Here are top picks for those who would like to buy a Good Ergonomic office chair. Neutral Posture High Back Task Chairs 6600. Any person would feel comfortable in this butt rest, thus it is one of its amazing features. This also is one, ergonomic office chair that can stand the test of durability.
Human scale Freedom Chairs with Headrest. This ergonomic office chair can be modified in ways you want. Bottom line is this is one chair you will ever want. So the next time you buy a seat for your staff, consider these ergonomic chairs in your working area, they are cost effective because your staff won't be complaining of their discomfort, and the comfort of these seats are best for the productivity and efficiency of your staff's performance. This ergonomic office chair is Beneficial.

Technology has been a great help to people. By setting alarms and reminders, we can release constant thoughts of the when and where of many tasks. You need to start the computer, but you don't want get out of the chair and squat down. You bend forward and twist down enough to reach the switch on the computer tower. This movement puts the discs in the low back at their weakest and most vulnerable point. Think about the stress on the low back if you do that movement often.
Most people look at the keyboard when they are typing. That bends your head and neck forward. This is the opposite direction that your neck curve is designed to be in. Then what I call "the black hole" develops.
After a short time people actually look like they are getting sucked into the computer screen. The shoulders begin to slump and the head moves forward towards the monitor or screen. For every inch that your head moves forward, there is 25 pounds of additional stress placed on the neck and spine.
The stress now increases because you may stay in this position for hours. In addition to this most people who use computers will do this on a regular basis. We also need to add in the motion of the chair. Now that almost all office chairs have wheels, people don't actually get out of the chair when bending and twisting.
The printer is often positioned off to the side, so the user will just rotate the chair to the side and reach. Again this is places the stress on the low back. When going from sitting to standing, the computer user will rotate the chair and step out instead of backing the chair out and standing straight up. Does this scenario sound familiar to you? The monitor should be at eye level and directly in front of the keyboard. Rotate the position of your printer periodically if you can. A great alternative to rolling your chair is to back your chair out from the desk and stand up straight. Just performing this task will eliminate a lot of stress on your body.
Be observant of your elbow and hand position. It's best to use a chair with no armrests. A good hand rest for your wrists is a great idea. It is also important that your thighs be parallel with the floor when adjusting the height of the chair.
Just getting out of the chair and stretching or walking around will allow your body extension time. All computer work is bending forward. This is called flexion. By standing, your are extending your body and releasing tension.

Basehor, KS: Ethanex Energy is seeking bankruptcy protection after failing to raise interim financing in the amount of $1.5 million, according to a March 24, 2008 posting with security regulators.

The ethanol company out of Basehor, Kansas had at one time announced their plans to build three plants, but had ceased such actions and also put an end to an agreement in which they were to buy a small plant located in Nebraska. The officials that are still with the company are CEO Albert Knapp, Lisa Hallier, and CFO David McKittrick. The officials that were dismissed are co-chief operating officers Bryan Sherbacow and Randall Rahm and executive chairman Robert Walther.
Ethanex outlined its financial problems and discussed bankruptcy as a possibility on March 12, 2008. The company had made plans that involved building three plants. Each new plant would have been able to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol annually. Organizers had raised $20 million in a 2006 private stock offering and then made the shares available for public trading.

In January 2008, the company held a reverse stock split in which shareholders were reduced to 1 share for every 10 shares that they owned. In October, shares were trading as high as $48 per share, but as of March 24, 2008 shares had dropped 9.1 cents in OTC markets to 17 cents per share.

In November, Ethanex had changed their strategy regarding the building of three plants and decided it would be more feasible to buy a Nebraska plant that already produced 26 million gallons of ethanol a year. Their hopes were that the Nebraska plant would showcase the corn fractionation process that Ethanex said was a way to make ethanol more efficiently. In the middle of 2006, it was cheaper to build a facility than buy one, but when ethanol prices dropped, it became cheaper to buy than build.

The acquisition of the Nebraska plant involved a $50 million purchase, which would then be followed by two more transactions as Ethanex would expand the plant. The total amount for the acquisition and the expansion would total $170 million in cash and enough in shares to make the transaction amount total $220 million.

By Ginger Gillenwater

Wilmington, DE: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) filed an antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corp., causing stock shares for AMD to soar after news that the company may be close to changing and improving its manufacturing practices.

On May 5, 2008, AMD confirmed that they had filed an antitrust suit against Intel Corp. that alleges Intel of using unfair business practices to prevent AMD from winning contracts with major computer manufacturers. AMD manufactures microprocessors that are used in computers and the allegations state that Intel took various actions to keep AMD from being able to distribute these microprocessors.
AMD says in the lawsuit that Intel paid large computer manufacturers such as Dell and HP to not buy microprocessors from AMD. As a result of the filing, Intel has delivered 150 million pages of documentation to AMD. Both of the companies have been discussing how to handle the case and Intel has requested 75 depositions per side. However, AMD is asking for 486 depositions.

Intel has denied the allegations against them, claiming that the only reason why the beat AMD is because their products are better. AMD says that Intel shut them off from various sectors, especially if Intel couldn't buy into companies that would use them specifically. Furthermore, AMD alleges that Intel paid off customers to abandon development of computer models using AMD. AMD says that this was done through a discount scheme that made it uneconomic for AMD to compete for business.

Doug Freedman, an American Technology Research analyst, said that AMD may be due a large cash payment if Intel decides to settle the lawsuit.

In the meantime, the stock market is awaiting the "asset light" program that AMD will be launching soon. AMD plans to contract out its manufacturing to other companies. Because of the delays, AMD had experienced sharp declines in their share price in 2007.

"AMD is properly known as Advanced Micro Devices, but is commonly known as AMD. Any owner of a PC containing the AMD chip would be familiar with the AMD logo.

However, users of PCs containing the AMD chip are in the minority, as AMD commands only about 20 percent of the global chip market, according to sources. The remainder belongs to Intel, which enjoys a whopping 80 percent of the chip market and runaway dominance in the integral computer chip arena.

Eighty percent was just enough for Intel, it seems—as the company was accused of various efforts and practices to ensure that rival AMD did not advance beyond its meager 20 percent share of the market.

Those strategies are said to include offering rebates to computer manufacturers. Such rebates says Neelie Kroes, European Union Competition Commissioner, served to keep Intel clients with Intel and in so doing preventing AMD from advancing its share of the market beyond 20 percent.

Intel, "used illegal anticompetitive practices to exclude its only competitor and reduce consumers’ choice," said Kroes, "and the whole story is about consumers." She added that Intel’s practices "undermined innovation."

According to Kroes Intel's primary strategy was to utilize its huge financial clout to entice computer manufacturers and retailers with cash to bail on AMD—either through the postponement of AMD orders, cancellation or complete avoidance of Intel's rival.

Kroes ordered Intel to immediately stop the issuance of rebates.

As big as the fine was, it could have been bigger. The European Commission has the right to levy fines up to a maximum 10 percent of a firm's annual, global sales. Intel is expected to appeal, although the company offered no comment. The New York Times reported this morning that the fine could be held in a bank account until the appeals process, if it occurs, runs its course. However it was not reported who would control the bank account—Intel, or the European Commission. The US Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into Intel last year, which is ongoing. Many smaller companies went to the European Commission instead.

Intel was accused, through two sets of charges in 2007 and 2008, of abusing its substantial market dominance over AMD by issuing large rebates to manufacturers, making payments in exchange for the delay, or cancellation of rival product lines, together with the offering of chips to manufacturers of servers at prices below cost.

Giuliano Meroni, the president of AMD’s operations in Europe, said the decision would "shift the power from an abusive monopolist to computer makers, retailers and above all PC consumers."

The Intel fine was the largest levied by the European Commission (EC) since 2004, when it tagged Microsoft for $677 million (2009 dollars) for antitrust activity that involved the blocking of markets for servers and software.

It was in 2000 that AMD first filed a complaint with the European Commission against Intel. EC regulators began investigating Intel a year later.

New Haven, CT: As the Internet continues to evolve as an integral marketing tool for business, the ability to connect with clients and potential customers searching for your firm name is pretty much a no-brainer. So imagine the surprise of a firm doing a cursory Google search of their firm name, only to have it come up second in the stack on the page. It's impetus for a Google lawsuit.
Above it, a sponsored advertisement for a competitor.

That's what happened to New Haven personal injury lawyers Michael Stratton and Joel Faxon—and that's why they've filed suit against Google in New Haven Superior court, alleging that the search engine giant improperly sold advertising rights to the Stratton Faxon name, to a competitor.

Other firms have found that when doing a Google search on their proper company, business or marketing name, a competitor's name is placed at the top of the stack above the searched name, as a sponsored ad. According to a May 27th report in the Connecticut LawTribune, gold-plated firms such as American Airlines and Geico have filed similar legal grievances with Google before ultimately settling them.

It was also established that, according to the unidentified marketing enterprise, the Stratton Faxon law firm was included in a series of keywords used in the online marketing strategy of personal injury firm Silver, Golub and Teitell (SGT).

In fact, according to an email from Richard Silver that appeared in the May 27th edition of LawTribune, other law firms besides Stratton Faxon were listed amongst the hundreds of keywords used on behalf of his law firm by their marketing consultants. "Our provider advised us at that time that it is customary to include names of other law firms in a Google Adwords campaign. However, I have instructed our provider to remove all references to any other law firms."

According to the Law Tribune report the alleged adword purchase linked to SGT from a Stratton Faxon search had been removed later the same day Stratton Faxon's lawsuit was filed.

In the lawsuit filed against Google, Stratton Faxon alleges that "after contacting Google, it became clear that SGT was purchasing the Stratton Faxon name from Google to have their ads appear whenever a customer entered 'Stratton Faxon.'"

Stratton said his firm does no direct-to-consumer advertising because it receives 95 percent of its business from law firm referrals. Stratton indicated that in addition to suing Google, his firm was planning to ask the Connecticut Bar Association for an ethics opinion.

Richard Silver went on to say in the Law Tribune report that had Stratton Faxon contacted their law firm directly, the situation would have been rectified immediately.

It should be noted that SGT was not named as a defendant in the Stratton Faxon lawsuit, which asks for a $50,000 pre-judgment lien against Google. It’s also pursuing an injunction to prevent Google from selling Connecticut law firm names as so-called adwords.

When performing a Google search for either Stratton Faxon or RisCassi & Davis, those firms' websites always came up in the second position. Smaller type showed the URL www.SGTlaw.com, which belongs Silver, Golub & Teitell.

Michael Stratton was not amused.

"I don't think Google should make money selling my law firm's name," he said.

Stratton & Faxon, a personal injury firm in New Haven, Connecticut is more than a little perturbed about Google selling its hard-earned firm name to one of its competitors.

“Basically every time someone searched our firm name they would see a misleading unidentified paid ad from our competitor right above our search results,” says attorney Joel Faxon. “It would certainly mislead clients.”

So aggrieved is Stratton & Faxon that the firm has filed for what is known in Connecticut as a prejudgment remedy—what lawyers refer to as PJR. “It is the equivalent of a lawsuit, but it is filed if you need immediate relief,” says Faxon. The advertising rules for lawyers are quite restrictive and an online presence for lawyers has been become a critically important way for lawyers to advise potential clients about the services available and the attorneys that provide them.
“Google basically sold our name to a competitor,” argues Faxon. “It is unfortunate it is allowed to go on, particularly when there are very, very stringent rules about lawyer advertising. Shunting people to a competitor’s website Faxon believes not only is a violation of the law and ethical rules of the profession, it is also a disaster for clients.

“We deal with catastrophic injury cases. We have brain injured people, we have people who have been involved in serious tragedies very recently and I can understand how our clients would be negatively impacted by this,” says Faxon. The firm that was connected to Stratton & Faxon through Google’s ad words strategy has voluntarily asked that the situation be rectified. However, Stratton and Faxon will press on with their court action against Google. “Our current PJR filing is tailored in a very narrow way,” says Faxon. “This is America and free enterprise is the general rule, but with respect to legal advertising, we are constrained by ethical rules and so it is not the same with lawyers as it with virtually every other area of industry.”

“What we are interested in doing with Google is not stopping the practice across the board but certainly constraining it as it relates to the practice of law where there are unique rules regarding advertising that do not apply to other sectors of the economy.”

Faxon sees the situation as it applies to law practices as an unfair competition lawsuit with some possible copyright violations and more. “What we are alleging right now though is unfair competition on the part of Google.”

Joel Faxon is co-founder of Stratton Faxon Law Firm, handles catastrophic personal injury and death cases, professional malpractice, birth trauma, commercial truck crashes, aviation disasters, and bad faith insurance litigation. Highlights of his practice include $44 million in lifetime benefits obtained against a Connecticut hospital for a birth trauma case resulting in a child's permanent cerebral palsy.

source: lawyersandsettlements

The country club near my house has fireworks every year, usually the day before July 4th. An impressive, professional show. We can see them from our deck.

There's something that always gets to me about this show, though. What it sounds like.

The colored lights of fireworks are pretty, they always have been and always will be. But the thing about the way this show sounds is that it's the closest thing to some weird, I dunno... memories? Psychic foo? I am not sure I even have a word for how and why I know the stuff I do about it. My grandfather? My spirit guides from Germany? I have no idea.

Where I live is very hilly. The area was once all referred to by the Native American name Matenicock, which means "very hilly place". It also looks a hell of a lot like where I was stationed in Germany.

Most fireworks shows on Long Island are shot off over either the ocean or LI Sound, so the water absorbs the noise. This one echoes off the hilly land. The echoes are what freak me out.

I realize from the pretty colors that what I'm hearing is not what I'm seeing, but... there's a part of me that hears it and REMEMBERS... something else. I find myself remembering the foxhole that I tripped and fell into behind my house in Kaiserslautern, cutting my hand on barbed wire that had been wrapped around a sapling (now a tree) 50 years before. The tree had grown AROUND the barbed wire. They were now forever one thing.