text:
As the Senate gears up to consider an energy-climate bill, an ad campaign financed by an oil executive is saying "carbon dioxide is green."
The CO2 is Green group ran a half-page ad in today's Washington Post that tells readers to write their senators in opposition to President Obama's "cap-and-trade" bill, being crafted by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
"The bill is based on the false premise that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change," the ad says. "Real, empirical evidence indicates it is not." The ad does not say what that evidence is but argues the bill will increase "your cost of living and not change the climate."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared in its landmark 2007 report that evidence of global warming is "unequivocal" and due mostly to human activities.
The ad campaign, which has included TV spots aired in New Mexico and elsewhere, is funded by H. Leighton Steward, a retired oil industry executive and co-author of the Sugar Busters! dieting books, reports The Post.
It's part of a larger lobbying campaign to defeat Obama's push for an energy-climate bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Last month in his first Oval Office address, Obama said the Gulf oil spill shows how much the nation needs to reduce its dependence on polluting fossil fuels.
The Senate plans to unveil a scaled-back bill as early as next week that will likely include renewable energy tax credits, tougher fuel-efficiency requirements, incentives for electric vehicles and new oil drilling rules, reports USA TODAY colleague Richard Wolf. Last year, the House of Representatives passed a more comprehensive bill, including a price on carbon pollution.
Wendy Koch has been a reporter and editor at USA TODAY since 1998, covering politics and social issues. She's begun a quest to build the most eco-friendly home her budget allows. She'll share her experience and give you tips for greening your home. More about Wendy


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Speed limits on many rural roads are expected to be cut to 40mph following the announcement of updated speed limit guidance for local authorities on Friday.
The guidance, which was published by the government for consultation, is aimed at creating greater consistency of speed limits on local roads across England and incorporates recent changes that have also increased flexibility for councils to implement 20mph limits.
The road safety minister, Mike Penning, said the guidance does not propose a blanket change to rural road speed limits. But he added: "40mph limits should be considered for sections of rural roads where there are many bends, junctions or accesses, and speeds are already at 40mph or below. Any changes to a speed limit would be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis."
Penning added: "It is vital that speed limits are suitable for local conditions and councils are best placed to determine what these limits are, based on local knowledge and the views of the community."
More than two-thirds of all road deaths take place on rural roads, which have proved to be consistently more dangerous than urban ones.
Details of a new speed limit appraisal web tool designed to help authorities assess the impact of any change to a speed limit in their area were also provided. It will be launched later this year.
Recent figures show the first annual rise in road deaths in 17 years.

subset: commoncrawl


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Coping with Appearance Changes
For many people, the side-effects of cancer treatment include appearance changes that can be difficult to deal with. Some of these changes usually temporary, such as weight loss or gain, swelling of the face, skin irritation or redness, and hair loss. Permanent physical changes, such as loss of a breast or organ, surgical scarring, and swelling due to lymphatic obstructions present even greater challenges.
Chemotherapy drugs are powerful medications that aggressively attack rapidly growing cancer cells. They can also damage healthy cells, such as in the roots of your hair. The resulting hair loss is usually temporary, lasting until several weeks after treatment is completed. The type and dose of chemotherapy you receive will determine whether or not you have hair loss, and some patients will not lose hair at all.
Radiation therapy can also cause hair loss, but only in the area that is being treated. For example, radiation to your head may cause you to lose some or all of the hair on your head, even eyebrows and lashes. But radiation to your breast will not cause hair loss. Your doctor or nurse will be able to tell you what you can expect from your particular treatment.
While hair loss can be a blow to your self-esteem, it will help to have a positive attitude and the support of your friends and family. Many patients gain a sense of control by cutting their hair very short, or even shaving their heads, before the hair loss begins. If you opt to purchase a wig, it is best to do it while you still have all your own hair. That way, you can match your current color and style. Wigs are available in a variety of materials and styles and at all price ranges.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments may also cause changes to the appearance and texture of your skin, including redness, dryness and irritation. By making adjustments to your regular skincare regimen, you can lessen the effects of these treatments.
Radiation therapy or the surgical removal of lymph glands can cause lymphedema, a build-up of fluids in your body that make an arm or leg to swell and become painful. Symptoms may begin six to eight weeks after surgery or after radiation treatment for cancer, or they can take years to develop. Lymphedema is a lifelong condition, but there are many things you can do to helpkeep it under control.
Whatever physical changes you are dealing with related to your cancer and treatment, remember that your feelings and concerns are perfectly normal. You are not being vain to care about your appearance.
To help you boost your self image during this vulnerable time, it is especially important to surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Ask for help when you need it, and accept help when it is offered. It may be beneficial to talk with others who are facing similar challenges. Ask your health care provider or an Henry Ford Allegiance Health Patient Navigator at (517) 205-7388 for local or online support groups you can join.
Henry Ford Allegiance Health offers a free makeover and grooming class for women who are dealing with cancer through the nonprofit organization Look Good … Feel Better. The class includes hands-on instruction on makeup, skin care and nail care and offers suggestions for using wigs, turbans and scarves. Led by licensed cosmetologists who are American Cancer Society volunteers, the class is offered on the third Thursday of every month from 2-4 p.m. at Henry Ford Allegiance Health Radiation Oncology—Tejada Center. Each participant receives a free makeup kit valued at more than $250. Call (800) 227-2345 to reserve your spot. Receive a free beauty guide, without the class.


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Big Ten Announces Rowing Individual Award Winners
May 21, 2014
Rosemont, Ill. -
The Big Ten Conference office announced on Wednesday the rowing individual award winners, as chosen by the conference coaches. Ohio State's Catherine Shields was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year, while Indiana's Alice Wright was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Buckeye head coach Andy Teitelbaum earned Coach of the Year honors.
Shields becomes the second consecutive Buckeye to win Athlete of the Year and fourth overall. The sophomore from Rangiora, New Zealand sat in the No. 6 seat for the Buckeyes as they emerged victorious in the first varsity eight race last weekend and remained undefeated on the year (9-0). She helped Ohio State claim its second straight Big Ten title and third in the last four years. Shields was named Freshman of the Year last season and becomes the first student-athlete to win Freshman and Athlete of the Year in consecutive years. She joins Michigan State's Anne Cowan (2005, 2008) and Laura Cowal (2008, 2011) as winners of both awards.
Wright becomes the first Hoosier to win an individual rowing award, as she helped Indiana record its best season in program history and earn its first trip to the NCAA Championships. The Varsity Wellington, New Zealand native sat in the stroke seat in Indiana's first varsity eight boat that medaled at the Big Ten Championships last weekend for the first time in program history. The boat posted a third-place effort to help the Hoosiers claim their highest team finish at the event. The newcomer was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
Teitelbaum takes home Big Ten Coach of the Year laurels for the second straight season, the third time in the last four years and a conference-record fifth time overall. He guided the Buckeyes to their record-tying fifth Big Ten Championship on the strength of five first-place finishes for a total of 164 points, a championships record. Teitelbaum helped Ohio State to its 15th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships. He looks to lead the Buckeyes to back-to-back national championships after earning the conference's first national rowing title last season.
The Big Ten announced the members of the All-Big Ten teams following the conclusion of the championships last Sunday. Five Ohio State rowers were named to the All-Conference teams. Michigan had four selections, while Indiana claimed three honorees.
The conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The seven student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. These student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
The complete list of All-Big Ten teams, individual award winners and sportsmanship honorees can be found below.
Athlete of the Year:
Freshman of the Year:
Coach of the Year:
Second Team
Schools Illinois Indiana Iowa Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Ohio State Penn State Purdue Rutgers Wisconsin
Men's Sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Gymnastics Hockey Indoor Track & Field Lacrosse Soccer Swimming & Diving Tennis Outdoor Track & Field Wrestling
Women's Sports Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey Golf Gymnastics Indoor Track & Field Lacrosse Rowing Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving Tennis Outdoor Track & Field Volleyball


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WASHINGTON (Feb. 3)
The Senate, engaged for the first time ever in debate on the international treaty against genocide, is more than likely to either filibuster it to death or vote it down. Mail against the treaty is running about 200-1. Although literally hundreds of American organizations have endorsed it during the 25 years since the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously adopted it in Paris in Dec. 1948, hardly any organization is now encouraging those Senators now backing it. The opposition, however, has not been lackadaisical. The ultra right-wing Liberty Lobby is campaigning hard for its defeat, urging letters to editors, calls to radio talk shows and contacts with Senators to vote against the "convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide."
Opening the debate for the treaty's proponents, Sen. William Proxmire (D.Wis.) told of letters "from my constituents and other people from all over the country vehemently protesting this treaty." While "many Senators" have been "swamped in the past few days" from opponents "very few letters have come in on the other side," he said. Proxmire, who has not failed on any Senate business day in seven years to register his approval of the treaty by word or letter, said he was impressed on how far the opposition mail had departed from the treaty's real meaning.
"The real argument for the genocide treaty" Proxmire declared, "was put by a little teenage Jewish girl. She was a victim of Hitler's genocide. She was one of six million Jews deliberately destroyed in the Nazis' planned extermination of European Jews during World War II. Genocide is the planned, premeditated extermination of an entire people or race. The treaty we debate today would make such an action an international crime. Anyone who has any real doubt whether he should vote yea or nay should listen not only to the voices of Senators and constitutional authorities but also to the voice of murdered Anne Frank, that child of joy amid the terror, the hatred and death from Nazi persecution. Across the 29 years since Anne Frank died in the Nazi concentration camp at Belsen, that voice rings out–calling on us to dedicate this country to the end of the terrible crime of genocide."
Paradoxically, the opposition's chief spokesman is Sen. Sam J. Ervin (D.N.C.) who has been hailed by liberals as "uncle Sam" for his steadfastness to constitutionalism in his chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee examining the Watergate affair. The Liberty Lobby's chairman is Curtis B. Dall, once the son-in-law of the great liberal President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Paradoxically, too, the U.S. government itself proposed, fought for and succeeded in winning the treaty's adoption by the UN. Every President from Truman to Nixon has supported it. Yet it was a quarter of a century before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee finally approved it last March 10 for the first time. Now the debate has begun and promises to be long drawn out. "My guess is that there will be lengthy speeches," a spokesman for an opposing Senator told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He was certain that if the filibuster did not work there would be more than enough Senators on hand to block the 2/3 vote required from among the Senators present and voting to enact the treaty.


text: Catch some rays on the water when you bring the INTEX™ Tote 'N Float Wave Mat to the pool. This float is constructed of vinyl material for durability and features a wave design and a built-in pillow chamber to provide comfortable use. The float is designed to roll up for easy toting. Inflatable.


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Ashly Raju
Eternal Love - Poem by Ashly Raju
Dazzled by the sizzling beauty
Of butterflies
I plodded through
Th saloon of the flowers and flies.
I reached a
Narrow dusty path.
Now the garden
Is an unclear dot behind me.
Its trying to attract me
To its inclosure of magic
But I cannot enjoy
These flickering happiness
Which lasts half a second.
I have to reach the love
Which is lullubies for me
I have to reach my grandmom
Who waits for me
With her affectional eyes.
I have to be in her caring hand
Where I find relief.
Its dark around me.
The sky turned fearful black.
My vicinity grown
Into a dreadful ebony.
The terror in me
Set its music.
The tears in myeyes
That aimed at the ground
Began to outflow.
I shrank to the edge
Of the track.
Suddenly the lilt
Of sorrow and pain
Was removed by the new music.
That' s the flying sound of butterflies.
Those seem to be
The footsteps of my love granny.
That sound is nearing me.
The soft hands of grandmommy
Clutched me to her
And her guarding hand
Wiped my tears.
I am in my destination
I am in the ardour
For which I waited.
Comments about Eternal Love by Ashly Raju
Valsa George (8/27/2013 4:21:00 AM)
The love of a grand daughter for her grandmother is beautifully expressed here! In her sweet hug all your fears melt away! ! A lovely poem! ! (Report) Reply
Heather Wilkins (8/26/2013 3:04:00 PM)
what could be sweeter than the sound of love granny nearing. sweet and gentle is her touch lovely write (Report) Reply
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Ashly Raju's Other Poems
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Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
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The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
If You Forget Me
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Caged Bird
Maya Angelou
Rudyard Kipling
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
A Dream Within A Dream
Edgar Allan Poe


text:
Brad Garlinghouse
Brad Garlinghouse has held senior positions at some of the nation's most well-known tech companies, including AOL and Yahoo. He is currently chief operating officer of Ripple, an online payment and exchange network. He has many years of experience working with startup companies and was CEO of Hightail, a file-sharing site. He's also known in the industry for authoring the "Peanut Butter Manifesto," a philosophy of efficiency he wrote during his tenure at Yahoo that he has since brought to other companies. Garlinghouse received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1994 from KU.


text:
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 22:29:06 -0400
"Jimmy Bones (Omega)" <mhottie at gmail dot com> wrote:
> /kernel: arp: 00:0x:xx:xx:xx:xx is using my ip address 0.0.0.0<http://0.0.0.0>
Make sure you don't have any two m0n0wall interfaces connected to
the same physical network. In other words, WAN and LAN cannot be connected
to the same switch.
- Steve Yates
- ITS, Inc.
- It's tourist season in Florida, bag limit two.
~ Taglines by Taglinator - www.srtware.com ~


text:
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text:
Lambert's Cafe I
Sikeston, MO
Sikeston, Missouri is the location of LAMBERT'S CAFE I and of the original cafe which opened in March 1942. The cafe standing right now is the fourth one to be located in Sikeston. Each move from the original LAMBERT'S came as popularity of the cafe increased and more space was needed. In 1976, Norman Lambert, son of the founders and original owners, Earl and Agnes Lambert, threw the first roll. At the original location, he would walk around and hand out the rolls. One day it was really busy and when Norman couldn't get through the crowd, one of the customers yelled to him " Throw the D*** thing!". And with that the only HOME OF THROWED ROLLS was born.
You can drag this map with your mouse, or double-click to center. The red icon represents the location of Lambert's Cafe. You can click on that icon to obtain driving directions.


text:
The anti-Ségolène Royal tweet during the legislative elections was, in image terms, a devastating episode.
Is there room in the legislative agenda for Employee Free-Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions?
In this short-lived microrepublic, all the men were members of the legislative General Assembly and had a vote on what was law.
In the new leadership makeup, the status of the Central Political and legislative Commission was downgraded.
If he can get that deal and claim a legislative victory, I think it will make 2009 not seem like a waste.
Such an Act is not a legislative phenomenon but a psychopathic one.
Nevertheless, the bill was rejected by the legislative Council.
The people shall exercise the legislative power through their representatives.
The Diet has no executive power; only legislative authority.
But superiority is not rationally endowed with legislative power over others.


text:
Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) improves the health of British Columbians by seeking province-wide solutions to specialized health care needs in collaboration with BC health authorities and other partners.
Telehealth is the use of live videoconferencing over a secure, high speed provincial network to facilitate
Telehealth services are particularly effective in remote and underserviced areas.
Telehealth's network consists of over 900 videoconferencing locations at 270 clinical and non-clinical sites.
Specialists from nearly 30 clinical areas (and growing) can connect with patients in 117 remote and distant communities across British Columbia and the Yukon, including First Nations communities.
Similar to the convenience and ease of using popular video calling programs, specialists can use videoconferencing software on their office computers or room-based equipment to
Videoconferencing, scheduling, clinical coordination, recording, and technical support services are all provided to you free of charge.
"Telehealth in some shape or form is the only way we can hope to provide specialized (and primary) care to patients who live outside of urban areas." - Annemarie Kaan, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute & Chronic Heart Failure, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver
"Telehealth allows my patients to be seen within days or weeks, rather than months and sometimes years... It allows patients to be on a level playing field, when it comes to accessing healthcare." - Matthew Chow, MD, Medical Director, E-Mental Health Services & Strategy, BC Children's & Women's, Vancouver
Copyright ©
Provincial Health Services Authority. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Greg Davies's favourite childhood activities
The star of BBC's 'Cuckoo' shares some of his favourite boyhood larks
Adulthood is the central theme of comedy giant Greg Davies's new show. But Ben Williams discovers he hasn't lost his silly side as he shares some of his favourite childhook activities.
He may be taller than several children standing on top of each other, but Greg Davies is a childish man. He revels in retelling ridiculously silly stories on stage of his family's eccentric behaviour and his schoolteaching days, relishing life's silliest moments.
But in the 44-year-old stand-up's latest show, which makes its way to London next week, his key themes are growing up and being more responsible. Has the master of silly ceremonies gone all serious on us? Luckily not, I find out, as the star of BBC comedy 'Cuckoo' tells me about the unconventional games he'd play growing up in '80s Shropshire.
'The county's activities for children have since vastly improved,' he does wish to stress…
1. Dogsled
'Myself and some kids on our estate became obsessed with the creation of the ultimate go-kart. This ambition culminated in the creation of a six-man super-cart, which was essentially a plank of wood with four wheels, and a failed attempt to jump a tributary of the River Severn powered only by Rex, our dog.'
2. The Rex Fashion Show
'Speaking of Rex, for a laugh my sister and I would dress him up in our dad's underpants and socks. This always ended with Rex protesting in the only way he knew how and us attempting to get soiled clothing into a bin before our dad noticed.'
3. Danger: Unexploded Cow Pat
'I once bought some enormous fireworks that were literally the size of sticks of dynamite. We would go into the field behind our house, slide them into the biggest cow pats we could find and blow them sky high. It was exhilarating, and, for the cows, incredibly confusing.'
4. Mad Helmet Murderer
'My sister and I would take it in turns to wear an old motorbike helmet that was gathering dust in our garage. One person would hide in a bush while the other popped the helmet on, closed their eyes and counted to a hundred, and then came looking. This game would always end in the same way: with a child being smashed over the head with a cricket bat.'
5. Get Mum
'This was my favourite childhood game. I would spend a lot of time setting up an accident scene where it appeared that I had seriously hurt myself – hedge-cutter, ketchup, that sort of thing. When my sister happened upon the scene of horror I would lift my head and pathetically plead for her to "get mum". No matter what she might tell you today, my sister fell for this 100 percent of the time.'
Latest comedy interviews
Judith Lucy interview
The Time Out Melbourne team speak to the Aussie superstar stand-up.
Read the Judith Lucy interview
Susan Calman interview
'News Quiz' regular Susan Calman talks to Time Out about getting political.
Read the Susan Calman interview
Doctor Brown interview
The Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award winner speaks dark clowning and embracing the 'shit'.
Read the Doctor Brown interview


text:
Great Summer Zoofari: A LEGO Wildlife Expedition - Bronx Zoo
Hours: 10-5
Ages: ALL
Price: $16
2300 Southern Boulevard - 718-220-5100
Bronx, NY 10460
Description: The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo is discounting Total Experience Tickets purchased online by 20 percent to celebrate the end of summer and provide savings for an exciting line-up of events for the fall. With the cooler temperatures and hint of autumn in the air, now is the perfect time to visit the Bronx Zoo's Great Summer Safari – A LEGO Wildlife Expedition, which runs through Sept. 30. Check out our LEGO sculptures of tigers, spray toads, flamingos, gorillas, penguins, and other exotic wildlife, created by LEGO's talented team of expert builders. Each display includes information on the featured animal and how the Wildlife Conservation Society is working to save it in the wild. Journey around the park with a Zoofari passport and enjoy special LEGO building activities and displays, with guidance from LEGO Master Builders on select weekends. Wildlife Theater shows, crafts activities with the Museum for African Art, and conservation learning stations will keep the whole family busy. Smart shoppers can purchase and save on tickets for this year's Boo at the Zoo, weekends in October. This season the Bronx Zoo will be the destination for a creepy crawly Halloween. Activities range from a Haunted Safari; Expedition Planet Earth with zany Dr. D. Zaster to a spooky behind the scenes hayride, to a fantastic Halloween costume parade, music, magic, and much more. Catch our bat chats and other fascinating animal enrichment activities. Best of all, children in costume get in free! The 20 percent discount applies to all online purchases of the zoo's "Total Experience Tickets" from Sept. 1 through Sept. 18. The Total Experience Ticket represents the best zoo-going value and includes admission to the zoo as well as unlimited access to all rides and attractions including Congo Gorilla Forest, JungleWorld, Zoo Shuttle, Bug Carousel, Children's Zoo, Butterfly Garden, Wild Asia Monorail, and Dora and Diego's 4-D Adventure. Please note: Total Experience tickets do not include Camel Rides. Some attractions are weather dependent, and Zoo Shuttle is closed in October. By buying Total Experience Tickets online, guests will save money and time. Tickets purchased and printed at home allow visitors to skip the line at the gate and can be used any day through November 6. For more information or to purchase the Total Experience Tickets at 20 percent off, visit www.bronxzoo.com.


text:
Royal Irish Automobile Club, Dublin 2
The Irish Automobile Club - as it was then known - was formed at a
meeting on the night of January 22nd 1901, and is one of the oldest
motor clubs in the world. Set up to further and promote the interests of
automobilism in Ireland, its first general meeting took place in the
Metropole Hotel in Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street), Dublin on
March 12th 1901.
The RIAC's current clubhouse in Dawson Street also saw the formation of the Irish Aero Club in 1909.
The club was awarded the 'Royal' prefix to its title in recognition of the humanitarian work carried out by its members during the Great War when many Irish men, returning injured from the front, were transported to convalescent homes on members' vehicles that were converted into ambulances for this pupose.
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K. Duffy
Over the past 10 years I spend an average of 190 nights per annum in hotels throughout Europe and the USA, and the Trinity is my favourite hotel of all! The friendly staff and the accommodation make for an enjoyable stay.
Really nice hotel, staff very helpful. Bed very comfy and rooms nice and warm, would recommend it to all.


text:
* Prices may differ from that shown
I bought this laptop to replace my old trusty Sony Vaio which had seen better days after running flawlessly for nearly 6 years.
I regularly recommend laptops for friends/family and also at work. The main things I was looking for when I was looking for a new laptop were:
Processor Type and Speed - I'd recommend Intel Core 2 Duo (not the celerons) - the faster and more L2 cache memory on the processor the better. This one has a Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2GHz 3Mb L2 Cache.
Screen - I watch a lot of movies and play online games so it had to be a widescreen with high resolution display - 1600 x 900 superbright LED on this one (not older LCD technology).
Graphics - Again, as a gamer and movie watcher onboard graphics is not going to cut it, a dedicated separate graphics card is a must have. This laptop has an ATI mobility HD4330 with an impressive 512Mb of dedicated memory.
Sound - if you are interested in using the laptop for playing music or watching movies this is more important than you might first think, often cheaper laptops can sound quite tinny or rattle when at higher volume - this laptop has decent speakers built in with a large Power Base Sub Woofer on the underside, to date its worked fine, I've never really seen a laptop with great speakers - output is 4 Watts.
Memory - The more memory and faster speed the memory runs at the better - but bear in mind if you are running a 32-bit version of windows (or any other operating system) you will only be able to actually use just over 3Gb of the memory, a 64-bit OS is needed to fully use it all - This laptop comes equiped with 4Gb (2 x 2GB) that runs at 800MHz (which is good for a laptop).
Hard drive - 320Gb of space to save your files, a good size and more than most will need.
DVDRW - BD ROM - can play DVD, CD and Blue-Ray, can burn DVD and CDs.
Ethernet - 10Mb/100Mb/1000Mb
Wireless - standard 802.11b/g allows you to connect to older wireless access points or newer G spec.
Bluetooth - note, not installed in this laptop, a bit disappointed with this as I used to bluetooth a lot between my phone and laptop.
Webcam - built in 1.3Mb camera, not something I will use much, quality is ok but no where near as good as the apple iSight web camera (see my seperate review of that)
Card Reader - handy for retrieving photos etc from camera memory cards, supported formats are SD, SDHC and MMC
Connections - 1 x HDMI, 3 USB (not 4 as advertised) , 1 x eSATA, Car Reader, Mic, Headphones, VGA and Ethernet
---Windows Vista or Windows 7---
Now...here's one bone of contention I have. When I bought this I was told that I would get a "free" upgrade to Windows 7 as it was shipped with Vista. On the first of December I could log on to Samsungs site and claim my free upgrade - turns out the "free" upgrade costs £17 (shipping and handling) which I think is pretty rediculous as the laptop cost £800 when I bought it and Windows 7 was on public release - one to watch out for, if you can get it shipped with Windows 7 go for it.
---Windows Experience Index Results---
Processor: Calculations per second = 5.5
Memory (RAM): Memory Operations per second = 5.8
Graphics: Desktop performance for Windows Aero = 4.5
Gaming Graphics: 3D Business and gaming graphics = 5.9
Primary hard disk: Disk data transfer rate = 5.5
---Battery Life---
I have ran from fully charged for almost 5 hours on a single charge, this will depend on what you are doing though. There is also a very handy battery indicator on the underside of the laptop that when pressed lets you know how much charge is left without having to switch on the laptop.
---Pre-installed programs---
Not much to talk about here, you get a some trial software and some Samsung stuff thats really not worth mentioning.
Overall I am extremely impressed with this laptop, I have been using it now for a month and have upgraded to Windows 7 which runs a treat and is so much faster to boot up and load programs than Vista.
The first thing that I have to comment on is the screen, at just over 17 inches this display is pretty big for a laptop and its the best I have seen(and I work in IT so I've seen a few). The picture quality is simply stunning, its very sharp and the colours are very well defined. This is an LED not LCD display, the maximum (and recommended) resolution is 1600 x 900 - this allows you to watch HD movies at full screen and it also comes fitted with a Blu-Ray playing drive which is also a DVD writer.
The graphics card is a pretty good one for a laptop, it is capable of running most recent games and has 512Mb of memory built into the card.
The laptop if very sleek looking with a shiney Piano Black finish, one thing that I love about it is the keyboard which often gets overlooked on many reviews. This laptop boasts a full size keyboard with numberpad just like a desktop keyboard, the touchpad is also a good size and has a scrool function which I find useful when browsing up and down through documents.
This machine is very good for a laptop but I'd also recommend it to anyone thinking of replacing their desktop for a laptop - its simply that good.
Well I am not a big fan of Samsung atleast on the laptop arena but this new release in the newly formed R-Series is a great laptop to say the least. The best part I enjoyed about this one is the amazing LED display it has which has a very good anti-glare unlike the lower models in the R series. Also, a unique feature is providing absolute 16:9 ratio which actually means that you can watch a movie or play a game on the full screen, without any loss of detail or resolution. The laptop is available in different configurations for the different price ranges, but paying 750$ for a 4GB Ram for a sleek good looking laptop with a Core2Duo processor is a good buy. Its not an always carry around lap, with its size -17.3 inch screen makes it slightly cumbersome- its boon is also its bane but for once I do not have any complaints as the performance, atleast for the initial period has been far better than its predecessors as well as most competitors.