Posts tagged "conservative thinkers"

Despite ‘exceptional’ Credit Metrics, S&p Worries About Bhp’s Liquidity Buffer

Despite ‘exceptional’ credit metrics, S&P worries about BHP’s liquidity buffer

The outlook on BHP Billiton has been revised to stable from negative after Standard & Poor’s review of management’s strategic direction following the abandonment of its all-share takeover offer for Rio Tinto.

Describing BHP Billiton’s credit metrics as “exceptional” while praising the company’s “solid prudential framework,” Standard & Poor’s analysts, nevertheless, said, “We remained focused on management’s ability to retain a sizeable liquidity buffer to allow the successful completion of its near-term strategic aspirations.”

Primary Credit Analyst Craig Parker and Secondary Credit Analyst Anthony Flintoff said  BHP’s ‘A+/A-1’ ratings “reflect the group’s excellent market position, substantial portfolio diversification, strong cost profile, conservative financial policies, and successful track record of positive development.”

However, the analysts added, “Partly offsetting these credit positives are BHP Billiton’s exposure to volatile commodity prices, an uncertain near-term demand outlook for its raw materials and a measured exposure to higher risk emerging markets.”

Parker and Flintoff also warned “…we will closely monitor the group’s capital-expenditure needs and its ability to continue its organic growth in light of near-term softening demand for its commodities.”

At the end of June, the group’s funds from operations (FFO)-to-debt ratio was 107% and its free-operating cash flow (FOC)-to-debt ratio was 47%. Nevertheless, the analysts noted, “While these credit metrics are superior, they also reflect the peak of the commodity price cycle.”

S&P gave BHP Billiton an ‘A-1’ short-term rating due to the group’s “strong liquidity, sizeable cash holdings, and undrawn committed bank facility” that “minimizes any potential for financial stress in the near term.” As of the end of June, BHP had US$4.2 billion in cash and $3.5 billion of short-term debt maturing during fiscal 2009. The company also has access to a US$3 billion committed revolving credit facility.”

BHP’s outlook has been upgraded from “negative” to “stable”, assuming that the company’s FOC after dividend payments will stay positive year-on-year. Parker and Flintoff said the rating could be raised “if the company were to implement more conservative financial policies and derive a greater proportion of cash flow from contracted bulk commodities rather than spot-priced commodities.”

S&P would lower its rating “if the company were to operate outside of its financial policy ranges for a prolonged period of time, either due to a major acquisition, aggressive capital expenditure, weaknesses in operating performance, significantly greater exposure to higher sovereign risk, or a persistently weak commodity price cycle,” the analysts concluded.

tristass
http://www.articlesbase.com/international-business-articles/despite-exceptional-credit-metrics-sp-worries-about-bhps-liquidity-buffer-685415.html

The Many Different Kinds of Carpal Tunnel Procedures

When the patient’s disorder in the hand is already heavily damaged, there is a need to undergo surgery. Carpal tunnel procedure is a major operation that is known as “release.” Procedure is of two kinds namely, carpal tunnel open release and carpal tunnel endoscopic release.

Carpal tunnel open release is the traditional procedure used to correct carpal tunnel syndrome. It consists of making an incision up to two inches in the wrist and then cutting the carpal ligament to enlarge the carpal tunnel. This type of carpal tunnel procedure is generally done under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis, unless there are unusual medical considerations.

On the otherhand, carpal tunnel endoscopic release may allow faster functional recovery and less postoperative discomfort. The surgeon makes two incisions (about 1/2″ each) in the wrist and palm, inserts a camera attached to a tube, observes the tissue on a screen and cuts the carpal ligament. This kind of carpal tunnel procedure is two-portal where it is generally performed under local anesthesia. It is effective and minimizes scarring even scar tenderness, if there is any.

Over 200, 000 cases in the United States have been documented going through carpal tunnel procedure; thus, making it among the most common surgery of the hand.

Until now, the decision whether to have either of the carpal tunnel procedures to correct the syndrome has been puzzling a lot of patients. Electrodiagnostic tests for nerve conduction, ultrasound examination and magnetic resonance imaging scans are used to determine severity. However, there are no tests that can fully determine which patients will benefit most from which of the carpal tunnel procedure.

Here are the findings of candidates that are less likely to respond to conservative therapy and might end up benefiting more from the carpal tunnel procedure Older than 50 years.Symptoms have lasted 10 months or longer. Continual numbness. The muscles in the base of the palm have begun to atrophy (shrink). Symptoms occur within 30 seconds during a Phalen’s test.

A study conducted in 2002 revealed that if one of those factors mentioned above are present, then conservative therapy, such as wearing wrist splints and taking anti- inflammatory agents, are effective in about two- thirds of the candidates. It was also found that the traditional approach was not proven effective in some of 60 patients if only one of those said factors were present.

Not only those with carpal tunnel syndrome need to know but also the general public that carpal tunnel procedure does not totally cure the syndrome. There is the notion that because the carpal ligament is permanently cut, some wrist strength is lost. A lot of orthopedic specialists suggest aggressive conventional treatment before choosing the more invasive option.

Jada Slover
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/the-many-different-kinds-of-carpal-tunnel-procedures-734706.html

Method of Proposal of Wireless Power Transmission System

Early Theories of Electromagnetic Propagation

      In  pre-World  War  I  physics, scientists  postulated  a  number  of
    theories  to explain the propagation of electromagnetic energy  through
    the ether.  There were three popular theories present in the literature
    of the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.  They were:
     1. Transmission through or along the Earth,
     2. Propagation as a result of terrestrial resonances,
     3. Coupling to the ionosphere using propagation through
        electrified gases.

      We  shall  concern  our examination at this time to  the  latter  two
    theories  as  they  were both used by Dr. Tesla  at  various  times  to
    explain  his  system of wireless transmission of power.  It  should  be
    noted,   however,  that  the  first  theory  was  supported  by   Fritz
    Lowenstein,  the  first  vice-president  of  the  Institute  of   Radio
    Engineers, a man who had the enviable experience of assisting Dr. Tesla
    during the Colorado Springs experiments of 1899.  Lowenstein  presented
    what  came to be known as the “gliding wave” theory of  electromagnetic
    radiation  and  propagation during a lecture before the  IRE  in  1915.
    (Fig. 1)

      Dr.   Tesla   delivered  lectures  to  the  Franklin   Institute   at
    Philadelphia,  in  February, 1983, and to the National  Electric  Light
    Association  in St. Louis, in March, 1983,  concerning  electromagnetic
    wave propagation.  The theory presented in those lectures proposed that
    the Earth could be considered as a conducting sphere and that it  could
    support  a large electrical charge.  Dr. Tesla proposed to disturb  the
    charge  distribution on the surface of the Earth and record the  period
    of  the resulting oscillations as the charge returned to its  state  of
    equilibrium.  The problem of a single charged sphere had been  analyzed
    at  that time by J.J. Thompson and A.G. Webster in a treatise  entitled
    “The  Spherical Oscillator.”  This was the beginning of an  examination
    of what we may call the science of terrestrial resonances,  culminating
    in  the 1950′s and 60′s with the engineering of VLF radio  systems  and
Š    the research and discoveries of W.O. Schumann and J.R. Waite.

      The  second  method of energy propagation proposed by Dr.  Tesla  was
    that of the propagation of electrical energy through electrified gases.
    Dr.  Tesla experimented with the use of high frequency RF  currents  to
    examine the properties of gases over a wide range of pressures.  It was
    determined  by Dr. Tesla that air under a partial vacuum could  conduct
    high frequency electrical currents as well or better than copper wires.
    If  a transmitter could be elevated to a level where the  air  pressure
    was on the order of 75 to 130 millimeters in pressure and an excitation
    of megavolts was applied, it was theorized that;

     “…the  air will serve as a conductor for the current  produced,  and
    the  latter will be transmitted through the air with, it may  be,  even
    less resistance than through an ordinary copper wire”.2 (Fig. 2)
    Resonating Planet Earth

      Dr. James T. Corum and Kenneth L. Corum, in chapter two of their soon
    to be published book, A Tesla Primer, point out a number of  statements
    made by Dr. Tesla which indicate that he was using resonator fields and
    transmission line modes.

    1.  When  he speaks of tuning his apparatus until  Hertzian  radiations
    have been eliminated, he is referring to using ELF vibrations:  “…the
    Hertzian  effect  has gradually been reduced through  the  lowering  of
    frequency.”3

    2.  “…the  energy received does not diminish with the square  of  the
    distance,  as it should, since the Hertzian radiation propagates  in  a
    hemisphere.”3

    3.  He  apparently detected resonator or standing  wave  modes:  “…my
    discovery  of the wonderful law governing the movement  of  electricity
    through  the globe…the projection of the wavelengths (measured  along
    the  surface)  on the earth’s diameter or axis  of  symmetry…are  all
    equal.”3

    4.  “We are living on a conducting globe surrounded by a thin layer  of
    insulating   air,   above   which  is   a   rarefied   and   conducting
    atmosphere…The  Hertz  waves represent energy which is  radiated  and
    unrecoverable.  The current energy, on the other hand, is preserved and
    can be recovered, theoretically at least, in its entirety.”4

      As  Dr. Corum points out, “The last sentence seems to  indicate  that
    Tesla’s  Colorado Springs experiments could be properly interpreted  as
    characteristic of a wave-guide probe in a cavity resonator.”5  This was
    in fact what led Dr. Tesla to report a measurement which to this day is
    not  understood  and  has led many to erroneously assume  that  he  was
    dealing with faster than light velocities.

    The Controversial Measurement;

    It does not indicate faster than light velocity

      The  mathematical models and experimental data used by  Schumann  and
    Waite  to  describe ELF transmission and propagation  are  complex  and
    beyond  the scope of this paper.  Dr. James F. Corum, Kenneth L.  Corum
    and  Dr.  A-Hamid  Aidinejad  have, however,  in  a  series  of  papers
    presented  at  the  1984  Tesla  Centennial  Symposium  and  the   1986
    International Tesla Symposium, applied the experimental values obtained
    by Dr. Tesla during his Colorado Springs experiments to the models  and
    equations  used  by Schumann and Waite.  The results of  this  exercise
    have  proved that the Earth and the surrounding atmosphere can be  used
    as  a  cavity  resonator for the wireless  transmission  of  electrical
    power. (Fig. 3)

      Dr.  Tesla  reported that .08484 seconds was the time  that  a  pulse
    emitted  from his laboratory took to propagate to the opposite side  of
    the  planet and to return.  From this statement many have assumed  that
Š    his  transmissions  exceeded the speed of light and many  esoteric  and
    fallacious theories and publications have been generated.  As Corum and
    Aidinejad point out, in their 1986 paper, “The Transient Propagation of
    ELF Pulses in the Earth Ionosphere Cavity”, this measurement represents
    the coherence time of the Earth cavity resonator system.  This is  also
    known  to  students of radar systems as a determination  of  the  range
    dependent  parameter.   The  accompanying  diagrams  from  Corum’s  and
    Aidinejad’s paper graphically illustrate the point. (Fig. 3 & Fig. 4)

      We  now turn to a description of the methods to be used to build,  as
    Dr. Tesla did in 1899, a cavity resonator for the wireless transmission
    of electrical power.

    PROJECT TESLA:

    The Wireless Transmission of Electrical Energy Using Schumann Resonance

      It  has been proven that electrical energy can be  propagated  around
    the  world  between  the surface of the Earth  and  the  ionosphere  at
    extreme  low frequencies in what is known as the Schumann Cavity.   The
    Schumann  cavity surrounds the Earth between ground level  and  extends
    upward to a maximum 80 kilometers.  Experiments to date have shown that
    electromagnetic waves of extreme low frequencies in the range of 8  Hz,
    the  fundamental  Schumann Resonance frequency, propagate  with  little
    attenuation around the planet within the Schumann Cavity.

      Knowing  that a resonant cavity can be excited and that power can  be
    delivered to that cavity similar to the methods used in microwave ovens
    for  home use, it should be possible to resonate and deliver power  via
    the  Schumann  Cavity  to  any point on Earth.   This  will  result  in
    practical wireless transmission of electrical power.

    Background

      Although  it was not until 1954-1959 when  experimental  measurements
    were  made of the frequency that is propagated in the  resonant  cavity
    surrounding  the Earth, recent analysis shows that it was Nikola  Tesla
    who,  in 1899, first noticed the existence of stationary waves  in  the
    Schumann cavity.  Tesla’s experimental measurements of the wave  length
    and   frequency   involved   closely   match   Schumann’s   theoretical
    calculations.  Some of these observations were made in 1899 while Tesla
    was   monitoring  the  electromagnetic  radiations  due  to   lightning
    discharges  in  a thunderstorm which passed over his  Colorado  Springs
    laboratory  and  then  moved more than 200 miles  eastward  across  the
    plains.   In  his  Colorado  Springs  Notes,  Tesla  noted  that  these
    stationary waves “… can be produced with an oscillator,” and added in
    parenthesis,  “This is of immense importance.”6  The importance of  his
    observations is due to the support they lend to the prime objective  of
    the Colorado Springs laboratory.  The intent of the experiments and the
    laboratory   Tesla   had  constructed  was  to  prove   that   wireless
    transmission of electrical power was possible.

      Schumann Resonance is analogous to pushing a pendulum.  The intent of
    Project Tesla is to create pulses or electrical disturbances that would
    travel in all directions around the Earth in the thin membrane of  non-
    conductive  air between the ground and the ionosphere.  The  pulses  or
    waves would follow the surface of the Earth in all directions expanding
    outward  to  the  maximum circumference of the  Earth  and  contracting
    inward  until meeting at a point opposite to that of  the  transmitter.
    This  point  is  called the anti-pode.  The traveling  waves  would  be
    reflected  back from the anti-pode to the transmitter to be  reinforced
    and sent out again.
Š
      At  the  time of his measurements Tesla was  experimenting  with  and
    researching  methods  for “…power transmission  and  transmission  of
    intelligible  messages to any point on the globe.”  Although Tesla  was
    not  able to commercially market a system to transmit power around  the
    globe,  modern scientific theory and mathematical calculations  support
    his  contention  that the wireless propagation of electrical  power  is
    possible and a feasible alternative to the extensive and costly grid of
    electrical   transmission  lines  used  today  for   electrical   power
    distribution.

    The Need for a Wireless System of Energy Transmission

      A  great concern has been voiced in recent years over  the  extensive
    use  of energy, the limited supply of resources, and the  pollution  of
    the  environment  from the use of present  energy  conversion  systems.
    Electrical power accounts for much of the energy consumed. Much of this
    power is wasted during transmission from power plant generators to  the
    consumer.   The  resistance  of the wire used in  the  electrical  grid
    distribution  system causes a loss of 26-30% of the  energy  generated.
    This loss implies that our present system of electrical distribution is
    only 70-74% efficient.

      A system of power distribution with little or no loss would  conserve
    energy. It would reduce pollution and expenses resulting from the  need
    to generate power to overcome and compensate for losses in the  present
    grid system.

      The   proposed   project  would  demonstrate  a  method   of   energy
    distribution   calculated  to  be  90-94%  efficient.   An   electrical
    distribution system, based on this method would eliminate the need  for
    an  inefficient, costly, and capital intensive grid of cables,  towers,
    and substations.  The system would reduce the cost of electrical energy
    used  by  the  consumer and rid the landscape  of  wires,  cables,  and
    transmission towers.

      There  are  areas of the world where the need  for  electrical  power
    exists, yet there is no method for delivering power.  Africa is in need
    of power to run pumps to tap into the vast resources of water under the
    Sahara  Desert.   Rural  areas, such as those  in  China,  require  the
    electrical  power necessary to bring them into the 20th century and  to
    equal standing with western nations.

      As  first  proposed by Buckminster Fuller, wireless  transmission  of
    power would enable world wide distribution of off peak demand capacity.
    This  concept  is based on the fact that some nations,  especially  the
    United  States, have the capacity to generate much more power  than  is
    needed.   This situation is accentuated at night.  The greatest  amount
    of  power  used, the peak demand, is during the day.  The  extra  power
    available  during  the night could be sold to the side  of  the  planet
    where it is day time.  Considering the huge capacity of power plants in
    the  United States, this system would provide a saleable product  which
    could do much to aid our balance of payments.

    MARKET ANALYSIS

      Of  the  56  billion  dollars  spent for  research  by  the  the  U.S
    government in 1987, 64% was for military purposes, only 8% was spent on
    energy  related research.  More efficient energy  distribution  systems
    and  sources are needed by both developed and under developed  nations.
    In regards to Project Tesla, the market for wireless power transmission
    systems  is enormous.  It has the potential to become  a  multi-billion
    dollar per year market.
Š

    Market Size

       The increasing demand for electrical energy in industrial nations is
    well  documented.   If we include the demand of  third  world  nations,
    pushed  by  their increasing rate of growth, we could  expect  an  even
    faster rise in the demand for electrical power in the near future.

      In 1971, nine industrialized nations, (with 25 percent of the world’s
    population),  used  690  million kilowatts, 76  percent  of  all  power
    generated.  The rest of the world used only 218 million kilowatts.   By
    comparison,  China  generated  only  17  million  kilowatts  and  India
    generated only 15 million kilowatts (less than two percent each).7   If
    a conservative assumption was made that the three-quarters of the world
    which is only using one-quarter of the current power production were to
    eventually consume as much as the first quarter, then an additional 908
    million kilowatts will be needed.  The demand for electrical power will
    continue to increase with the industrialization of the world.

    Market Projections

    The  Energy  Information  Agency  (EIA),  based  in  Washington,  D.C.,
    reported the 1985 net generation of electric power to be 2,489  billion
    kilowatt hours.  At a conservative sale price of $.04 per kilowatt hour
    that  results in a yearly income of 100 billion dollars.  The EIA  also
    reported  that the 1985 capacity according to generator name plates  to
    be  656,118  million watts.  This would result in a  yearly  output  of
    5,740  billion kilowatt hours at 100% utilization.  What this means  is
    that  we  use only about 40% of the power we can  generate  (an  excess
    capability of 3,251 billion kilowatt hours).

    Allowing for down time and maintenance and the fact that the night time
    off  peak  load is available, it is possible that half  of  the  excess
    power  generation  capability  could be  utilized.   If  1,625  billion
    kilowatt  hours were sold yearly at $.06/kilowatt, income  would  total
    9.7 billion dollars.

    Project Tesla: Objectives

      The  objectives  of  Project Tesla are divided into  three  areas  of
    investigation.

      1. Demonstration that the Schumann Cavity can be resonated with an
         open air, vertical dipole antenna;
      2. Measurement of power insertion losses;
      3. Measurement of power retrieval losses, locally and at a distance.

    Methods

      A  full size, 51 foot diameter, air core, radio frequency  resonating
    coil and a unique 130 foot tower, insulated 30 feet above ground,  have
    been  constructed and are operational at an elevation of  approximately
    11,000 feet.  This system was originally built by Robert Golka in 1973-
    1974 and used until 1982 by the United States Air Force at Wendover AFB
    in  Wendover,  Utah.   The USAF used the coil  for  simulating  natural
    lightning for testing and hardening fighter aircraft.  The system has a
    capacity  of over 600  kilowatts.  The coil, which is the largest  part
    of the system, has already been built, tested, and is operational.

      A location at a high altitude is initially advantageous for  reducing
    atmospheric  losses  which work against an efficient  coupling  to  the
    Schumann  Cavity.  The high frequency, high voltage output of the  coil
    will be half wave rectified using a uniquely designed single  electrode
    X-ray  tube.   The X-ray tube will be used to charge a  130  ft.  tall,
Š    vertical  tower  which  will function to  provide  a  vertical  current
    moment.   The mast is topped by a metal sphere 30 inches  in  diameter.
    X-rays  emitted  from the tube will ionize the atmosphere  between  the
    Tesla  coil and the tower.  This will result in a low  resistance  path
    causing  all  discharges  to  flow  from the  coil  to  the  tower.   A
    circulating  current  of  1,000 amperes in the system  will  create  an
    ionization and corona causing a large virtual electrical capacitance in
    the  medium surrounding the sphere.  The total charge around the  tower
    will  be  in the range of between 200-600  coulombs.   Discharging  the
    tower  7-8  times per second through a fixed or rotary spark  gap  will
    create  electrical  disturbances,  which  will  resonantly  excite  the
    Schumann Cavity, and propagate around the entire Earth.

      The propagated wave front will be reflected from the antipode back to
    the transmitter site.  The reflected wave will be reinforced and  again
    radiated  when  it  returns  to  the  transmitter.   As  a  result,  an
    oscillation will be established and maintained in the Schumann  Cavity.
    The  loss of power in the cavity has been estimated to be about 6%  per
    round trip.  If the same amount of  power is delivered to the cavity on
    each  cycle  of  oscillation of the transmitter, there will  be  a  net
    energy gain which will result in a net voltage, or amplitude  increase.
    This will result in reactive energy storage in the cavity.  As long  as
    energy is delivered to the cavity, the process will continue until  the
    energy  is removed by heating, lightning discharges, or as is  proposed
    by  this  project, loading by tuned circuits at distant  locations  for
    power distribution.

      The resonating cavity field will be detected by stations both in  the
    United  States  and overseas. These will be staffed  by  engineers  and
    scientists who have agreed to participate in the experiment.

      Measurement  of power insertion and retrieval losses will be made  at
    the  transmitter  site and at distant receiving  locations.   Equipment
    constructed especially for measurement of low frequency electromagnetic
    waves  will  be  employed to measure the  effectiveness  of  using  the
    Schumann  Cavity  as  a means of electrical  power  distribution.   The
    detection equipment used by project personnel will consist of a pick up
    coil and industry standard low noise, high gain operational  amplifiers
    and active band pass filters.

      In  addition  to  project detection there will be  a  record  of  the
    experiment recorded by a network of monitoring stations that have  been
    set up specifically to monitor electromagnetic activity in the Schumann
    Cavity. 

    Evaluation Procedure

      The project will be evaluated by an analysis of the data provided  by
    local and distant measurement stations.  The output of the  transmitter
    will produce a 7-8 Hz sine wave as a result of the discharges from  the
    antenna.   The  recordings  made  by  distant  stations  will  be  time
    synchronized  to  ensure  that the data received is  a  result  of  the
    operation of the transmitter.

      Power  insertion  and  retrieval losses will be  analyzed  after  the
    measurements taken during the transmission are recorded.   Attenuation,
    field  strength,  and cavity Q will be calculated using  the  equations
    presented  in  Dr.  Corum’s  papers.  These papers  are  noted  in  the
    references.   If  recorded results indicate power  can  be  efficiently
    coupled  into or transmitted in the Schumann Cavity, a second phase  of
    research involving power reception will be initiated.

    Environmental Considerations

      The  extreme low frequencies (ELF), present in the  environment  have
    several origins.  The time varying magnetic fields produced as a result
    of solar and lunar influences on ionospheric currents are on the  order
    of 30 nanoteslas.  The largest time varying fields are those  generated
    by  solar  activity and thunderstorms.  These magnetic fields  reach  a
    maximum  of  0.5 microteslas (uT)  The magnetic fields  produced  as  a
    result of lightning discharges in the Schumann Cavity peak at 7, 14, 20
    and 26 Hz.  The magnetic flux densities associated with these  resonant
    frequencies   vary  from  0.25  to  3.6  picoteslas.  per  root   hertz
    (pT/Hz1/2).

      Exposure  to  man made sources of ELF can be up to  1  billion  (1000
    million  or  1 x 109) times stronger than that of  naturally  occurring
    fields.   Household appliances operated at 60 Hz can produce fields  as
    high as 2.5 mT.  The field under a 765 kV, 60 Hz power line carrying  1
    amp  per  phase  is  15 uT.  ELF antennae systems  that  are  used  for
    submarine  communication  produce  fields  of  20  uT.   Video  display
    terminals  produce fields of 2 uT, 1,000,000 times the strength of  the
    Schumann Resonance frequencies.9

      Project  Tesla  will use a 150 kw generator to  excite  the  Schumann
    cavity.   Calculations  predict  that the field strength  due  to  this
    excitation at 7.8 Hz will be on the order of 46 picoteslas.

s.sankar
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/method-of-proposal-of-wireless-power-transmission-system-685756.html

900 Numbers for Television

When most people think about 900 numbers for television, they usually think about those ads with girls in hot tubs that have been seen on American television since 1987. This is true despite the fact that AT&T and MCI have not allowed adult entertainment on 900 numbers for many years.

The fact is it was television that actually made 900 numbers a reality in the first place. 900 numbers were first used on television when ABC wanted a way to gauge public opinion of who won the 1980 presidential debate between President Jimmy Carter and then Governor Ronald Reagan. Viewers chose the Californian and both a new presidency and a new technology were launched.

Years later, those zanies from Saturday Night Live got in the television 900 number act as well. Host Eddie Murphy polled the viewing audience on whether to boil Larry the Lobster or spare its life. The sympathetic viewers chose to spare the crustacean, but Murphy boiled Larry anyway.

Today, interactive text messaging is the newest rage for polling television audiences. It’s quick, easy, and the viewer doesn’t even have to get up from the couch to dial like in the 900 number days. Moreover, text messaging can be either standard rate (free to the television viewer) or premium rate (where the viewer pays a fee to participate). Hence, text messaging can be become a new profit center for the television station.

But, clearly there’s still a place for the use of a 900 number in conjunction with a television audience participation event. If the December ABC’s Wide World of Sports is any indication, television viewers still like the ease of participating via a 900 number.

ABC’s Marshall’s Figure Skating Challenge allowed viewers a chance to vote for the best male and female figure skater during the two hour show. Viewers were permitted to vote for free online or pay 75 cents to vote via a 900 number or via text message.

Viewers cast over 105,000 votes during the event. The free online version garnered the most votes, but only slightly ahead of the 900 number. Text messaging was a distant third.

“We were surprised the 900 number did so well, quite frankly,” said Brad Bierman, of Advanced Telecom Services–the service bureau that handled the 900 number voting application. “It shows television audiences still like the convenience of participating by 900 numbers. The amazing thing is that the 900 number got almost as many votes as the free online voting did.”

Clearly, the successful use of the 900 number in the figure skating challenge emphasizes that 900 numbers still have a place in television broadcasts. It makes one wonder why television doesn’t use 900 numbers more often.

Maybe it’s those girls in hot tubs that still linger in the minds of television executives.

Robert Bentz
http://www.articlesbase.com/cable-and-satellite-tv-articles/900-numbers-for-television-91108.html

Are liberals intentionally trying to buy the William Long murder just like the Christian-Newsom murders?

Black thug kills white person and there is very little, if any, media coverage. The only times you even read a word about such cases is if you go on conservative blogs like that of Michelle Malkin.
h j. The media covered the Tiller murder nonstop. And you’re the nutcase for supporting black Muslim thugs.

they are putting the 0bama spin on it

Hair Transplant – Do it Now or Later?

Especially young men are deeply concerned, when they realize that hair loss is changing their appearance in dramatic speed. Looking in the mirror every morning usually enhances the misfeelings. The risk to become bald soon comes closer every day. If regularly more than 100 hairs daily are lost, there is a definite risk of becoming bald in the near future.

The first step is usually a conservative treatment with a drug like finasterid. But some things are important to know: Not everyone is recovering the original hair – in fact hair regrowth is only seen in a fraction of users, but stopping alone is worthwhile to take the drug. And also bald areas stay in most cases. So you do have some options you can consider. Beside this conservative medial treatment an additional option is a hair transplant surgery. Since their start hair transplant operations have improvemed and today surgeons can create a full, natural looking head of hair. The important thing to know is that the hair will keep their capability to have a long life – so it will stay there for many many years.

Usually the hair transplant surgery is performed to fill the bald areas hair at the crown and temple of the head. Hair follicles are taken from the donor site at the back of the head where hair tends to grow for many years also when becoming older. The surgeon will take out hairs either by cutting out a piece of skin (called strip) or by harvesting one hair at a time. The critical point is the implantation, the hair is implanted in the area of thinning or baldness either in single hairs, grafts (groups of 2-4 hairs) or in larger pieces.
The operation is taking its time and money, but in most cases the results are truly convincing. Also hair transplant surgery continues to develop and get even better techniques.

So, what are the points to consider?

First of all, its a matter of looking into a future. The hair will continue to receed, sooner or later, but in any case more hair will be lost over the years. So the nice hairy area one day will be surrounded with bald spots, requiring further surgery.

Second point is cost. The larger the area is, the bigger the cost. It is no problem to spend $ 10.000 on such a surgery.

Third, try other therapies before. In many cases good results are achieved with drug treatment alone, leaving out the necessaty of such a surgery.

And finally take your time to make a good decision on the doctor. There are many surgeons, but not all of them do a real good job. Speak with other patients, let you show good and bad results, and you will get a good idea about realistic expectations for your own surgery.

Already now a hair transplant is an intersting option. The future of hair surgery looks even brighter, people a working on technologies to grow and harvest hair in-vitro,which would give the opportunity to have as many hair as wanted.

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