• Dentistry

    Video: Will A Cavity-Filling Fluid Replace the Dental Drill?

    Well, perhaps, some day.

    Perhaps someday, the bi-annual trip to the dentist may become much less intimidating, thanks to researchers at Leeds University in the UK who have developed a completely pain-free way to fill cavities.

    Taking inspiration from the principles of regenerative medicine, the process involves a special peptide-based fluid. Suspended in water, the peptide fluid, known as P 11-4 is clear and has a similar viscosity as water. Under certain conditions, namely when placed in contact with saliva that surrounds a tooth, the fluid forms a gel scaffold that fills the microscopic holes that are cavities. The scaffold, which mimics proteins that are found in growing teeth, attracts hydroxyapatite and other minerals to regenerate actual tooth enamel within weeks.

    You can read more here.

    Dentistry has been awaiting a “Magic Mouthwash” to treat caries and periodontal disease for decades.

    Has the future arrived?

  • Abortion,  President 2012,  Rick Perry,  Rudy Giuliani

    President 2012: Rick Perry Will Have to Explain Why Rudy Giuliani Cannot Be His Attorney General

    In 2008 Texas Governor Rick Perry endorses Rudy Giuliani

    I am pro-life but like and supported Rudy Giuliani in 2008. You don’t always agree with a POL on all issues.

    Now, Jen Rubin points out a contradiction for the now front-running GOP Presidential candidate Texas Governor Rick Perry. 

    As other Republican contenders did before him, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed the Susan B. Anthony List’s antiabortion pledge. That pledge includes this: “Select pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health & Human Services.” This would exclude people such as Rudy Giuliani as attorney general. That might be fine for some Republicans, but Perry endorsed Giuliani for president in 2008. Good enough for the Oval Office but not the Justice Department? I asked the Perry campaign to explain but no answer was forthcoming.

    What say you Governor?

  • Michele Bachmann,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012,  Rick Perry,  Rudy Giuliani,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Perry 29% Vs. Romney 17% Paul 13% Bachmann 10% – Perry Now the Front-Runner



    According to the latest Gallup Poll.

    Shortly after announcing his official candidacy, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has emerged as rank-and-file Republicans’ current favorite for their party’s 2012 presidential nomination. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents nationwide say they are most likely to support Perry, with Mitt Romney next, at 17%.

    These results are based on an Aug. 17-21 Gallup poll, the first conducted after several important events in the Republican nomination campaign, including the second candidate debate, the Iowa Straw Poll, and Perry’s official entry into the race after months of speculation.

    Romney and Perry essentially tied for the lead in late July, based on re-computed preferences that include the current field of announced candidates. Gallup’s official July report, based on the announced field at the time and thus excluding Perry, showed Romney with a 27% to 18% lead over Michele Bachmann. Romney enjoyed an even wider, 17-point lead in June over Herman Cain among the field of announced candidates (Gallup did not include Perry among the nominee choices before July).

    Perry’s official announcement may have overshadowed the Aug. 13 Iowa Straw Poll, which Bachmann won narrowly over Ron Paul. Neither candidate appears to have gotten a big boost from the straw poll results; Paul’s support was up slightly from July and Bachmann’s down slightly.

    What about the GOP demographics?

    Perry is a strong contender among key Republican subgroups. Older Republicans and those living in the South show especially strong support for him, at or near 40%. Conservative Republicans strongly favor Perry over Romney, but liberal and moderate Republicans support the two about equally. Perry’s support is also above average among religious Republicans.

    The chart:

    What is most interesting to me is the weakness of Perry and Romney in the East. Is there room in the field for an Eastern based candidate like former New York Governor George Pataki or former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani? And, who would that hurt the most?

    While the eight announced candidates continue to campaign in key early primary and caucus states, Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani are two prominent Republican politicians who have indicated they are still contemplating getting into the race. Palin and Giuliani each receive about 10% of the vote when included in the nomination preference question, with Perry still holding a significant lead over Romney, 25% to 14%, on this measure.

    With them in the race, Perry jumps to an 11 point lead over Romney. Also, remember that Rudy was endorsed by Perry in 2008 and that they are friends.

    The chart:

    So, what does this all mean?

    Texas Governor Rick Perry has vaulted into being the front-runner for the GOP Presidential nomination.

  • George Pataki,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012,  Rudy Giuliani,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012: President George Pataki?

    New York Governor George Pataki addresses the final night of the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York, September 2, 2004

    GOP Operative/pundit Mike Murphy discusses the possible path to the Presidency for former New York Governor George Pataki.

    While most of the media have gone ridiculously aflutter over Sarah Palin’s latest diesel-powered tourist outing slash fan dance, a far more interesting caper is quietly unfolding in New Hampshire. Former New York governor George Pataki is airing a new ad on a Granite State TV station, WMUR. The ad comes from a Pataki-sponsored group called No American Debt and is perfectly attuned to New Hampshire’s flinty primary electorate. So while others are playing cat and mouse with reporters, inspecting farms in Iowa with more hogs than people and pleading with legions of self-appointed Tea Party generalissimos, Pataki is running a very effective spot in New Hampshire.

    I saw it and had to smile. My bet? Pataki is going to try to steal the New Hampshire primary: First, ignore all the silly inside games and get on television pronto with a good message. Move up quietly in the polls — with Mitt Romney sitting at a third of the vote, Palin unelectable and Tim Pawlenty drifting near the margin of error, Pataki could televise his way into second or third place in Granite State polls by midsummer. Then let the national media discover the Pataki surge and get bonkers about it. With that national attention, reboot the once massive Pataki money machine in New York State and start attracting more national money and support. Light the right match, and if it combusts correctly, stand back and watch the fire grow.

    If Pataki generates real heat in New Hampshire, it will create an enormous headache for Romney. The last thing Romney needs is another can-do Northeastern governor in the race. It’s even worse for the ideologically murky Jon Huntsman, who is banking on a very similar formula of independents and mainline Republicans to sore his own New Hampshire upset. In a final Shakespearean twist, Pataki’s old home-state rival Rudy Giuliani will be watching all this carefully and thinking dark thoughts about the idea of President Pataki. He too is hinting at a possible run.

    I think Rudy Giuliani is waiting for Sarah Palin and will run if she gets in. Maybe Pataki has done the same political calculus.

    But, there is room for only one of them and Pataki is already running ads and has no debt like Rudy.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 24th on 09:50

    These are my links for August 24th from 09:50 to 09:54:

    • Sprint to Get Apple iPhone 5 – Finally! – Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the new version of the Apple iPhone in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, filling a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier's lineup and giving Apple Inc. another sales channel for its popular gadget.

      The timing, however, indicates Apple's new iPhone, which is expected to be called iPhone 5, will hit the market later than expected and too late to contribute to sales in Apple's fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in September. Most observers had expected the device to arrive next month.

      The deal could help prop up the nation's third-largest carrier and give AT&T Inc. more ammunition in its attempt to win regulatory approval for its proposed acquisition of No. 4 U.S. carrier T-Mobile USA Inc.

      Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the two largest wireless carriers, measured by subscribers, will begin selling the phone in mid-October as well, according to two people familiar with the matter.

      Sprint had more than 52 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter, compared with 106 million for Verizon and nearly 99 million for AT&T.

      =====

      I love my HTC EVO 3D but the wife…..

    • Help Shape Obama’s (Tech) Campaign – Obama Hiring Social Media Writers – Obama for America is looking for talented social media copywriters and
      strategists to join our digital team at our Chicago headquarters.

      We’re going to run the most effective, creative, and innovative
      digital campaign in the history of politics, and our digital team will
      be core to achieving the communications, fundraising, and organizing
      goals of the cause.

      Our social media team will help tell the story of the campaign and
      move people to take action over Facebook, Twitter, and other social
      networks.

      We’re looking for writers who can tell stories in 140 characters or
      less, put complex policy into Facebook-friendly terms, and help plan
      and create original content that people will be compelled to share
      with their friends.

      A great candidate will be able to formulate a social media plan for
      specific goals and audiences, write content for it with a clear,
      consistent voice, and analyze outcomes to make the next campaign even
      better. You should have a head for politics, a sense of humor, and
      buckets of common sense.

      We’ll be hiring people at all levels, from social media experts to
      junior staffers. So whether you’re a seasoned digital veteran or are
      new to the field but hoping to apply your skills to a worthy cause, we
      hope to hear from you.

      If you’re right for this team, the following should all be familiar to
      you:

      + Copywriting for social media
      + Online campaigning
      + Project management
      + Twitter, Facebook, and emerging social networks
      + Social media management and analytics tools

      Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications; we
      also offer a benefits plan.

      To apply, please email your resume and a note explaining why you’d be
      a good fit for our team to digitaljobs@barackobama.com.

      =======

      No thanks!

      But, I have a feeling I will be writing for the GOP.

  • Animals

    President 2012 Poll Watch: Obama 43% Vs. Perry 40%

    According to the latest Rasmussen Poll.

    President Obama continues to lead all named Republicans in early polling on the 2012 race for the White House, but the numbers suggest a competitive race may be possible.

    A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows the President earning 43% of the vote if Texas Governor Rick Perry is the GOP nominee. Perry attracts support from 40%. Ten percent (10%) say they’d prefer some other candidate while seven percent (7%) are not sure.

    If Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is the GOP candidate, the president leads 43% to 39%. In that match-up, 12% would prefer some other candidate and seven percent (7%) are not sure.

    With former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as his opponent, the president leads 46% to 38%. In an Obama-Romney contest, eight percent (8%) would look for a third party option while nine percent (9%) are not sure.

    Well, this is a different poll from yesterday where Romney was the best against Obama. But, until the debates start and the GOP field starts to winnow itself out, we will probably see some variance.

    One thing is positive: GOP candidates will be competitive with Obama in 2012.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 23rd through August 24th

    These are my links for August 23rd through August 24th:

    • AFL-CIO Orchestrates effort to Counter Public Opposition to NLRB’s "Quickie Election" Rules – On Monday the AFL-CIO submitted more than 21,000 comments on behalf of Americans who favor a new National Labor Relations Board-proposed “quickie election” rule change.

      If the NLRB finalizes its proposed rule, the time between when union organizers file a petition and when an election takes place would be shortened to just 7–10 days. Traditionally, unionizing elections are held up to six weeks after organizers meet the petition requirements.

      Union spokesman Josh Goldstein told The Daily Caller that the 21,000 comments submitted right before Monday’s deadline “were organized by the AFL-CIO, primarily through our online tools that allow the public to be engaged in these types of opportunities to have their voices heard.”

      “These are separate from many other comments in support submitted to the NLRB not through the AFL-CIO,” Goldstein said in an email.

      =======

      Read it all

    • How Democrats Hurt Job Creation – The airplane’s aft section arrived early Monday morning. That’s what they’d been waiting for at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. They already had the wings, the nose, the tail — all the other major sections of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner. With the arrival of the aft, the 5,000 nonunion workers in the plant can finally begin to assemble their first aircraft — a plane three years behind schedule and critical to Boeing’s future.

      The Dreamliner is important to America’s future, too. As companies have moved manufacturing offshore, Boeing has remained steadfast in maintaining a large manufacturing presence in America. It is America’s biggest exporter of manufactured products. Indeed, despite the delays, Boeing still has 827 Dreamliners on order, worth a staggering $162 billion.

      Boeing’s aircraft assembly has long been done by its unionized labor force in Puget Sound, Wash. Most of the new Dreamliners will be built in Puget Sound as well. But with the plane so far behind schedule, Boeing decided to spend $750 million to open the South Carolina facility. Between the two plants, the company hopes to build 10 Dreamliners a month.

      That’s the plan, at least. The Obama administration, however, has a different plan. In April, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Boeing, accusing it of opening the South Carolina plant to retaliate against the union, which has a history of striking at contract time. The N.L.R.B.’s proposed solution, believe it or not, is to move all the Dreamliner production back to Puget Sound, leaving those 5,000 workers in South Carolina twiddling their thumbs.

      Seriously, when has a government agency ever tried to dictate where a company makes its products? I can’t ever remember it happening. Neither can Boeing, which is fighting the complaint. J. Michael Luttig, Boeing’s general counsel, has described the action as “unprecedented.” He has also said that it was a disservice to a country that is “in desperate need of economic growth and the concomitant job creation.” He’s right.

      =======

      Read it all…..

    • Nearly All Regulations Survive Obama ‘Reforms’ – The Obama administration announced regulatory reform proposals Tuesday that it claims would eliminate red tape and save taxpayers an estimated $4 billion over five years. What these reforms don't do much of is actually eliminate regulations.

      An IBD review of the proposed reforms by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury found scant proposals of doing away with regulations. In nearly all cases they called for streamlining or other efforts to make them more efficient.

      These efforts come amid an overall rapid expansion of federal regulatory agencies under President Obama. Their budgets have grown 16% since 2008, or about $54 billion, according to a recent report by George Washington University and Washington University in St. Louis.

      Cass Sunstein, White House administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, stressed in an Op-Ed that the reforms are not a fundamental overhaul: They "complement but do not displace" rules to protect public safety and the environment.

      Tuesday's reform proposals by the HHS include updating communications technology, streamlining record keeping, revising health insurance portability rules, speeding grant application processes and giving states more flexibility on federal mandates.

      No Scrap Heap For Rules

      But few regulations will be scrapped. A rare HHS example is the end of "actuarial reporting for hospital pension costs."

      Similarly, Labor proposes standardizing, revising, amending and even "harmonizing" rules and regulations. But no sign of scrapping any could be found.

      =======

      Not really a surprise.

      It is Obama symbolism over substance.

    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-24 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-24 #tcot #catcot
    • R.I.P. John R. Hubbard – Former President of the University of Southern California » Flap’s California Blog – R.I.P. John R. Hubbard – Former President of the University of Southern California
    • President 2012: Is Sarah Palin Willing to Roll the Dice? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Is Sarah Palin Willing to Roll the Dice? #tcot #catcot
    • CA-30 Poll Watch: Rep. Brad Sherman Leading Rep. Howard Berman » Flap’s California Blog – CA-30 Poll Watch: Rep. Brad Sherman Leading Rep. Howard Berman
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    @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-24

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