Superdelegates May Decide

Chic, stylish, boutique–blah, blah, blah. What we want in a hotel is that unique mix of warmth and personality. In other words, we want it to be totally charming. Here are some picks, from Argentina to Vietnam.

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The close race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continues to place the superdelegates in a pivotal position to determine the Democratic nominee. Two weeks ago, Capital Eye reported a connection that superdelegates (Republicans don’t have superdelegates) have to the candidates that voters and pledged delegates don’t—nearly $1 million in campaign contributions. As the uncommitted superdelegates have been deciding which candidate to support at this summer’s nominating convention, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has identified an additional $42,800 that flowed in the last three years from Clinton or Obama’s coffers into the hands of superdelegates with campaign accounts, bringing the total to $947,000.

For those elected officials who had endorsed a candidate as of Feb. 25, the presidential candidate who gave more money to the superdelegate received the endorsement 82 percent of the time. In cases where Obama had made a contribution since 2005 but Clinton had given the superdelegate nothing, Obama got the superdelegate’s support 85 percent of the time. And Clinton got the support of 75 percent of superdelegates who got money from her but not from Obama. For this update to the Feb. 14 study the Center combined contribution data with a list of superdelegates and their endorsements compiled by The Politico as of Feb. 25.

Against this backdrop, findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) made headlines when supplements of calcium plus Vitamin D failed to protect postmenopausal women against fractures. However, women over 60 did benefit, but only if the bone supplements of were taken faithfully. In another study, researchers monitored 445 people age 65 years or older who took supplements of calcium (500 milligrams) and vitamin D (700 IU). Those who took the supplements were 46 percent to 65 percent less likely to fall than those getting placebo, with less active women benefiting the most, probably because they had the most to gain.

pleiad • \PLEE-ad\ • noun

: a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things

Example Sentence:
During Wolfgang’s brief time at the spa, he met a pleiad of writers and intellectuals who also were there to "take the cure," as they say.

Did you know?
In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione who were changed into a conspicuous cluster of seven stars in the constellation Taurus. During the Renaissance, French speakers used "Pléiade" (from the singular form of "Pleiades") as the name for an eminent group of seven tragic poets of ancient Alexandria. Later, the French word was also used as a sobriquet for a group of 16th-century French poets led by Pierre de Ronsard. "Pleiad" has been shining its light in English since about 1839.

Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways.

Credit card fraud:

• They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report.
• They may change the billing address on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there’s a problem.

Phone or utilities fraud:

• They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account.
• They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV.

Bank/finance fraud:

• They may create counterfeit checks using your name or account number.
• They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks.
• They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals in your name, draining your accounts.
• They may take out a loan in your name.

Government documents fraud:

• They may get a driver’s license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture.
• They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits.
• They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information.

Other fraud:

• They may get a job using your Social Security number.
• They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.
• They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don’t show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

• Dmitri Mendeleev Presents First Periodic Table (1869)
  The periodic table is a tabular display of all known chemical elements, and is arranged according to the periodic law discovered by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. The elements are arranged in columns and rows according to increasing atomic number, which is defined as the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. The table summarizes the major properties of the elements and enables predictions to be made about their behavior.