Jeff Danziger: You Gotta Know When to Hold 'em, Know When to Fold 'em...

Mine Safety Agency Was "Negligent" In Protecting Utah Miners

The Labor Department's Inspector General said Monday that the federal agency responsible for ensuring the safety of the nation's coal miners was "negligent" in protecting the workers at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

The Mine Safety and Health Agency also could not ensure that its approval of the mining plan at the Utah mine was free of undue influence by the mine's operator, Murray Energy, the Inspector General says in a report issued Monday.

MSHA responded to the report that the word "negligent" was misleading and expressed concern that the independent investigating arm of the Labor Department was implying its decisions were affected by undue influence.

But the Inspector General says its findings "remain unchanged."

The report found that:

MSHA was negligent in carrying out its responsibilities to protect the safety of miners. Specifically, MSHA could not show that it made the right decision in approving the Crandall Canyon Mine roof control plan or that the process was free from undue influence by the mine operator. MSHA did not have a rigorous, transparent review and approval process for roof control plans consisting of explicit criteria and plan evaluation factors, appropriate documentation, and active oversight and supervision by Headquarters and District 9 management. Further, MSHA did not ensure that subsequent inspections assessed compliance with, and the effectiveness of, approved plans in continuing to protect miners. MSHA and mine operator officials worked together to develop rescue plans related to the August 2007 tragedy, with MSHA exercising final approval authority over all activities. MSHA, however, lacked guidance on appropriate non-rescue activities.

United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts released a statement saying:

We've argued for years that many at the upper levels of MSHA are more interested in helping mine operators increase production than they are in helping miners stay safe. The Kennedy report and the OIG report both blow the lid off the internal workings of the agency, exposing for all to see what actually happens and confirming what we've said.

[FatWallet] PANASONIC 1080p 42" Plasma $1,098.00 FRYS + SHIPPING

Rating: 0 Posted By: vrundmc Views: 3 Replies: 0 RIPPED FROM SD!LINK!Shipping should only be about 105$this model comes with a pedestal stand which is worth 250$, the 750 U which has 1 more HDMI port does not have the stand and its more money. Same tube, same anti glare coating.PANASONIC TH-42PZ700UPANASONIC:FRYS.com #: 52903271080p High-Def Resolution for Crisp, Lifelike Details The extremely high 1920 x 1080 pixel count of this plasma TV allows for its incredible 1080p HD display capability, which provides twice the number of pixels as 720p HDTV displays for superior detail and extraordinary HDTV reproduction.this is better than the Costco version of this deal at 1150 as there is no tax if there is no frys in your state.#1 rated 1080 set in 42" plasma category According to CRretails 1,900- 2500 when new, now discontinued for more expensive but identical model. Why buy a plasma TV?To get more screen for your money. Inch for inch, plasma offers more bang for the buck than an LCD TV, so the same budget can buy you a bigger screen. 1080p screens might be an exception; plasma sets with "full HD" resolution tend to be priced similarly to LCD models.To enjoy a movie-theater experience. A good plasma TV's deep black levels and high contrast can do justice to almost anything you watch, including movies and TV programs with dark scenes. The strong contrast and realistic, accurate colors can result in rich, natural-looking images, especially in dim lighting. Most LCD sets have trouble displaying the same strong, dark blacks as plasma sets. On certain LCD sets, uneven brightness from the backlight can create cloudy areas that can be distracting in dark scenes.For a wide viewing angle. With a plasma TV, as with the familiar picture-tube set, the images onscreen look the same from almost any angle. That's a big plus if a TV will be watched by a number of people sitting around a room.It's a different story with LCD TVs. Most LCDs still look their best only from a limited sweet spot in front of the screen. A few new models have successfully addressed this, and they have a wider viewing angle than the typical LCD. (See: Why buy an LCD TV?)Generally, as you move off to the side, the picture quality on an LCD screen deteriorates, appearing increasingly washed out or dim. Vertical position also matterssay, if you're sitting on the floor or watching an LCD set that's mounted above a mantelpiece. On some TV sets, those problems can be obvious, especially with indoor scenes and flesh tones. The degradation is less noticeable with bright images and vivid colors such as those you'd see in a football game.Because TVs in retail showrooms often display sporting events, you might not notice a problem with viewing angle when looking at a TV in a store. Picture settings also minimize the effect of viewing angle on picture quality. TVs are usually set to vivid or dynamic mode, which pumps up brightness and color to a level that looks great under fluorescent lights but unnatural in a typical home. Ask a salesperson to reset a TV to normal or standard mode and tune in nonsports programming to get a better idea of how a TV might look at home, especially from an angle.More Online Coupons from Fatwallet.com.

[FatWallet] Samsung 50" DLP LED 1080P TV - $1000 at Buy.com w/Free Shipping! (HLT5087S)

Rating: 0 Posted By: PacoDeth Views: 4 Replies: 0 Sorry if a repost, couldn't find anywhere.Seems like a pretty hot deal for a large sized 1080p TV without spending too much. !!!Linky!!!Be aware there is really no Return Policy from Buy.com on this though!Specs:Display Performance Video display rate: 120 Hz Response time: 16 micro seconds Video Display device: Single digital micro mirror device Pixel count: 1920 horizontal x 1080 vertical Resolution: 1080p Contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Channel coverage: VHF 2-13, UHF 14-69, CATV 1-125 (up to 181 Audio Output power: 10Wx2 Speakers: 2 Sound effect system: TruSurround XT MTS stereo Hidden speaker system (DACS) 1080p input support Power Voltage, Line frequency: 100-120V 60Hz Power consumption: 230 Watts Standby power consumption: 0.8 Watt Connections HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface): 3 DVI Audio In: 1 (For HDMI port 3) Component video input (Y,Pb,Pr): 2 S-Video input: 2 Composite input: 2 (RCA) RF input: 2 Video Output: 1 (RCA) Audio out: 2 (RCA L/R + Optical) USB: 1 PC Input: 1 (Mini Jack) Quality Warranty: 1 year parts and labor warranty, including lamp, with in-home service backed by Samsung toll-free support. 1-800-SAMSUNG Energy Star Compliant reduces energy consumption by up to 25% compared with standard TVs. Accessories Universal Remote Control, User Manual, Power Cord Net dimensions and weight TV (w/o foot): 45.2" x 31.8" x 12.8" TV weight: 61.3 lbs. TV (w/ foot): 45.2" x 31.8" x 13.4" Manufacturer Part Number: HLT5087SX/XAA UPC: 036725250895 Compare at $1599 currently on sale at Circuit CityMore Online Coupons from Fatwallet.com.

couch_to_5k @ 2008-04-30T16:20:00

Hi! I'm Lauren and I'm new to both this community and Couch to 5K. I'm on W2D2 after starting out very slowly (I did W1 for 3 weeks). I was never someone who exercised or ever even thought about exercise so I wanted to make sure I was absolutely ready to move on before I attempted W2. I'm happy to say that it went great! I've always imagined myself saying, "I'm a runner" and maybe it will eventually be true. The more I do this, the more I look forward to it. I have a few questions for you more seasoned runners, though.

1. When I tell people (family, friends) that I plan to make running a part of my life, I'm met with negativity sometimes. I've heard that it's especially tough on the body and that walking long distances is better. I get bored with walking and I find jogging/running to be much more enjoyable. What do you think about walking vs. running being hard on the body?

2. I've been experiencing shin splints. I've googled this quite a bit and I think it's either my shoes, my form or both. The shoes I plan to take care of very soon. I want to get a new, properly fitted pair. But the form I'm having some trouble with. I've read conflicting things about how to land on the foot. Some say land on the heel while others say that you should land on the middle or ball of the foot and then push off with the toes. I find the shin splints are much worse when I run heel to toe. Do you know any decent websites that illustrate good form?

Thanks for any help!

W4D1 Woot!

I am SO relieved at how today's run went.

I didn't post in this community or my personal journal regarding W3D3 because I was so annoyed with the end result of that run. Let me recap. It started off great, and showed such promise. I was in the last run segment and still had no ankle pain to speak of. I was already anticipating posting here about the fabulous achievement of having 3 pain-free runs in a row. And then...my downfall. I was coming up on the last minute of the last run segment and this dude came up running behind me and basically flew by me, which I didn't mind. But I though of the way some of you mention sprinting full-out for the last minute, and I decided to give it a go. My legs were not prepared for this and I had a hard time getting them to speed up, but I did it and felt accomplished. Until...bam! There was the ankle pain I had been so carefully and painstakingly keeping at bay by slowing my pace down. As soon as I started walking for my cool-down my ankle started up with that familiar twinge. So that basically continued to varying degrees of severity for the entire .7 mile cool-down and my walk home. I was PISSED. So annoyed with myself for not sticking to the slower pace and putting my progress in jeopardy like that.

Anyway, that was Saturday and both ankles felt tired and slightly achey for the next few days. I should have done W4D1 Monday or Tuesday but I put it off to today to give my ankle some extra time to chill out and recover. I was so apprehensive that today would be a disaster and that the pain would be back in full force. During my 5 minute warm-up walk to the loch I kept telling myself "It's really OK if you have to stop today. It is NOT a disaster. You just need to listen to your body and not allow your ego to take control." So with much trepidation, I did my stretches and started out.

And it was fabulous! Did almost all of the running on the grass and walked on the pavement. A little bit of tiredness in the ankle but no pain and it didn't even hurt on the walk home. I am so happy and relieved! I didn't want a serious set back. Of course, there's still two more days this week and week five is where I encountered real problems with that ankle last time but still. Today was a success and I'm gonna celebrate!

Oh, and today was the 10th Vibram Fivefingers run. I'm liking running in them more and more. And I got my first audible comment on them today (surprised it hasn't happened before). I passed a couple of teenage girls and one of them went "Look at her shoes! Her toes!" It made me laugh. :)

Mother of God..

After a long weekend of relaxed walks,
I was ready for C25K - Week 2.. or at least my version of it.

I noticed I was very tender around my knees but it wasn't until I moved from walking to running that the whole business became apparent.  Serious pain.  I think I got 6 steps into a jog & literally had to stop.  Yeeow!

I've already been on Cal/Mag.. but now I decided to go for some Chondroitan/Glucosamine.

When I got home today, I started doing some stretches & massaging my knees & realized it's the Insertion of my Sartorious (just below the knee).  *pain hummmmm*



Fortunately the Origin at my hip is just fine!

Looks like I'll be playin' rehab while continuing my daily 1 hour walks.

After that.. either C25K Week 1 again or my Version of such.
I'll keep ya posted!  =)

LinuxByExamples: a stupid way of internet sharing between two laptops

I always want to find an easy way to do an internet sharing between my two laptops. Well I figure out a way, which is really stupid! but well, for some extend, it works. I know there should be a proper ways to do that, but with the limited knowledge of networking, this is only what I can come out for the moment.

If you are a super linux admin user and reading this, try not to think in the perspective of admins, but try to put yourself as a layman, as I doesn’t know much about hard core network stuff, but I know ifconfig and ssh, which is some how efficient to make a “fake” internet sharing works.

Okay! lets look at the scenario I have. I have a new laptop (L1) that have wireless capabilities as well as wired installed with fedora 8. And another old laptop (L2) which only have LAN port installed with kubuntu. Obviously I want to share my internet connection from L1 to L2, well is a bit easy for me, because both of them are running linux.

I use wlassistant to connect myself to wireless LAN because fedora 8 Network Manager is so “intelligently” switch to wired when i plug in my LAN cable. After L1 is hook up to the internet wirelessly, i setup my eth0 with root privilege.

ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 up

Okay L1, is done, lets look at L2, same way i setup my eth0 at L2.

ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 up

Connect both LAN ports with LAN cable, and then do ping from L2!

ping 192.168.1.1

Okay! Now let me reveal the stupid but working way using ssh. I do this at L2.

ssh -Y mysurface@192.168.1.1 konqueror

Haha! konqueror start up and now you can surf the net from L2!

Eh! wait what is -Y option of ssh? and Why it works?
If you read up the ssh manpage, you will get this line

-Y Enables trusted X11 forwarding.

Yeah, I am loading L1’s browser and run it at L2, you can try to save a files from the internet. It will save it in L1 instead of L2, therefore this is not a real Internet sharing!

Well, I still figuring how to do an internet sharing across the LAN cable.

Do a bridging at L1 between wireless and wired interface? Then do a dynamic tunneling from L2? I tried and it doesn’t seems to be working.

Play some trick in iptables to do ip forwarding? emm may be I should try this out.

Dear Admin, do you have any suggestion?

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FunnyCoolStuff: Sweater tree, anyone?

Scientists are excited about a unique opportunity to study human anthropomorphism in action (i.e. the human tendency to personify the ‘darnest’ objects). Next to the discovery of the “crazy cat syndrome”, this revelation could rock the scientific world as we know it… or not. Just extra gossip to throw around the water cooler.

The event in question is the joint effort of a whole community to provide woolen warmth to an unassuming pear tree. That’s right! Residents somewhere in Ohio decided to do their bit for those suffering out there in the cold winter’s night and so knitted bits of yarn to make a tree-sweater… for a tree.

Cynics have quipped that, although the sturdy fellow has withstood harsh elements, test of time and numerous itchy squirrel bites, the clickety click of knitting needles weaving sweater bits for it just might be its undoing.

Tree-huggers are in two minds about this; sure, they’re kicking themselves for not coming up with this in the first place but some of the more steadfast followers are thinking of anti-sheep shearing slogans.

WingLoon: Setup Smart Relay Host Port in Sendmail

Does your ISP block outgoing SMTP port 25? Your mail hosting provider is giving you an alternative to relay email using a different port 2525 at their mail server and their mail server supports SMTP authentication. You may follow the simple Sendmail setup below: -

1. Find “DS” in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf and add your mail server name as below: -

DSmail.example.com

2. Find “Mrelay” in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf and add “2525″ to “A=TCP $h” as below: -

A=TCP $h 2525

3. Add the following line below in /etc/mail/access file in one line: -

AuthInfo:mail.example.com "U:user@example.com" "I:user@example.com" "P:password" "R:example.com" "M:LOGIN PLAIN"

4. Then, restart your Sendmail service as below: -

service sendmail restart

4. Finally, you can monitor your maillog using the command below: -

tail -f /var/log/maillog

If you found these helpful, please contribute to help:

WestOfTheBorder: 晟曦

行到水穷处，坐看云起时

BobbyToat: $100 Dollar Mini Contest

Juggler at The WWW Observer is running a mini contest and giving away $100 dollars to 1 lucky winner (payable via PayPal). It is very easy to participate in this contest, you can either blog about this contest and link to the contest page, or subscribe to The WWW Observer feeds via e-mail (don't forget to confirm your subscription!). If you do both, you get one contest entry for each task and also 1 bonus entry, which adds up to total 3 entries for higher chance to win the 100USD!

This mini contest will run from 5th April to 20th April, 2008. The draw for the winner will be done after the contest has ended and result shall be announced on the 21st April, 2008.

Oh yeah, the main purpose of this contest is to gain more email subscribers, because Juggler is planning to have a bigger contest in May, so with the exposure gained from this mini contest, his contest in May will get the attention it deserved. By the way, browse around The WWW Observer, it has pretty good content with a personal touch from Juggler himself and don't forget to subscribe to his feeds by email if you like the site.

I am feeling lucky after winning 3 contests, and since this contest is easy to participate, I figure why not join in the fun and let my readers know about this contest as well? You have a chance to win this prize too, why not give it a try? Good luck everyone!

ChewXY: Kane

I have been playing Command and Conquer 3 these few days to let off steam (exam’s next week, thanks Tou for reminding me.. yikes). And yes, I know, this game was released last year. But remember last year I had some issues with my hard drive...

-This is just a summary. Visit blog.chewxy.com for more!-