Technology

Bitdefender Total Security Guide: A Look at New Tools, Enhanced Features, and Many of Your Options

How much security does your PC need? What about your other devices? Bitdefender Total Security offers all the security and protection you need against all types of cyber threats. The latest edition also offers protection for iOS devices.

When it comes to comprehensive security solutions, this is one of the best. With a subscription, you can install the suite on five different devices. It is compatible with Windows, Android and macOS. Any of the iOS installations does not count towards the total. You can also get an unlimited number of licenses with the family pack.

The iOS installation includes the following:

• Protection

• Account privacy

• Parental advisor role

For Windows and other operating systems, you get tons of other great features to not only improve privacy and protection, but performance as well.

Performance features for Windows with Bitdefender Total Security include:

• Battery mode

• Bitdefender AutopilotTM

• PhotonTM

• Global protection network

• Game, work and movie modes

Game / Work / Movie modes are very useful for those who enjoy entertainment and work on the same devices. Total Security 2018 detects every time you are watching a movie, playing a game or busy with work and will not bother you with unnecessary requests. Things like pop-ups and unimportant background activities temporarily stop when you’re in one of the modes.

Other benefits of Bitdefender Total Security

On your laptops, MacBooks, and Android devices, this package offers everything from anti-theft protection to VPN and secure online banking.

Some of the new features, like Advanced Threat Defense, are new. This includes “application monitoring”, which uses “behavior detection” to monitor all your active applications very closely. If anything suspicious is detected, instant action is taken to protect the device from infection. The new Safe Files feature prevents unauthorized changes to crucial files. All you have to do is add the folders to the “watch list” and their content is protected against malware and ransom-ware.

Many of the features and tools of previous Bitdefender products have been improved. Privacy Firewall provides powerful network protection and Password Manager keeps your passwords, confidential data, credit card details, etc. in a secure vault for easy access when YOU need them. There is also an option to auto-fill forms online.

For Android devices, the Anti-Theft feature can be used to remotely locate, lock or even wipe data in case your tablet or smartphone is stolen or found. If someone tries to tamper with you when you are not around, the camera phone takes a “mugshot” of the person and e-mails it to you.

This is just a small overview of all the great things Bitdefender Total Security is capable of. There are several purchase / subscription solutions to choose from, all of them affordable.

This Romania-based antivirus software company really does offer great products at an affordable price. Before placing your order online, be sure to check out Bitdefender Total Security coupons and other promotional offers to help you save on the subscription of your choice.

Business

Window Film Energy Savings – Calculating Payback Periods

One of the most effective ways for property managers and energy engineers to improve the energy efficiency of a building envelope is to install window film. Window film makes glass more energy efficient, at a much more affordable cost than new windows or other glazing improvements.

Of course, there are a wide variety of energy efficiency upgrades to choose from, from solar photovoltaic systems to building insulation. One of the best ways, from a financial perspective, to evaluate a particular energy saving technology is to determine the payback period.

The estimated recovery calculation is an excellent decision-making tool for evaluating competing energy-saving technologies. It’s pretty basic: it indicates how quickly the money spent is paid back.

How to calculate recovery

There are several ways to calculate the ROI for your energy improvements, from the simplest to the relatively complex. The main difference between them is the assumptions built into the calculations. Adding assumptions and variables makes calculations more complex, but sometimes an accurate estimate is necessary. The two most useful ways to determine the payback period …

1. Simple amortization

2. Cash flow analysis

Both methods provide a reasonable estimate of return on investment without becoming overly complex.

Simple payback analysis

The main benefit of simple payback analysis is that it is simple and provides useful information at the same time. To calculate simple payback, simply divide the cost of the upgrade by the estimated savings to get the payback period. For example, if you spend $ 500 to install energy-saving measures that save $ 150 / year, the payback is a little over three years, $ 500 / $ 150 = 3.33. The energy savings after this period is pure profit.

Of course, this omits many variables that can affect the actual savings made. Variables such as maintenance costs, energy cost increases, and inflation are not taken into account, but the method has the advantage of being quick, simple, and easy to understand.

Cash flow analysis

Cash flow analysis is the next step in terms of complexity. By taking more variables into account – things like maintenance, energy cost increases, and inflation – cash flow analysis provides a more realistic picture of payback, especially when these costs are high. This type of analysis is best done with a spreadsheet program to simplify calculations.

To determine the return on investment using the cash flow analysis, the initial cost of the improvement is combined with the estimated maintenance costs, including an estimate of any increase in costs over the expected useful life of the improvement, as well as with an estimate of energy cost increases over the same period.

For example, when examining the costs associated with replacing an HVAC system with a newer, more energy efficient system, it would not be enough to use a simple recovery, as HVAC systems involve regular maintenance that is necessary to guarantee life. useful of the system. Because maintenance is critical and subject to cost increases over time, this should be factored into the payback calculation to provide a true picture of potential savings, or lack thereof.

Now let’s look at an example using window film, an energy efficiency improvement that has virtually no associated maintenance costs. Assume a window film installation that requires an investment of $ 385,000 that generates annual savings of $ 168,000. With a simple payback equivalent to 2.29 years and virtually no maintenance costs, there are very few things that significantly impact the payback period. Energy costs will increase over the life of the window film, but they will tend to decrease the payback period, as the savings achieved will be greater than the initial estimate.

When it comes to maintenance, the window film does not require any, but its lifetime will require replacement due to damaged window film and for updates associated with tenant improvements. The cost of these replacements should never exceed 0.5% – 1% of the total number of windows in a building. Again, the impact of this on the savings made is negligible.

Here is a story that will illustrate the practicality of using these two methods to calculate the payback period versus other more complex methods.

A bag of gold was placed on a table in a room. Two people, an engineer and a scientist, were told to enter the room and try to get the gold. The only rule was that each time they moved towards the gold, they could only travel half the remaining distance between themselves and the gold. The scientist decided to leave, declaring that “if you can only get close to half the remaining distance, you will never get there. It is impossible.” The engineer, on the other hand, just took two steps, said, “Close enough for an engineering approach,” grabbed the gold and left.

The payback calculations look a lot like the example from history. You can make more and more refinements and assumptions, but in the end most of the time you can determine a viable recovery using the simple recovery method, which can be done on the back of an envelope. However, if you can, and especially when there are large variable costs, use the cash flow analysis method to include some of these costs.

The conclusion

We live in a world of financial constraints, requiring sound financial reasoning to make a particular investment, so we need to do some basic math to make sure we were smart about how we spent our money. For maximum efficiency and effectiveness, the focus should be on investments that offer rapid payback, which can usually be adequately determined with the simple payback method or, when maintenance costs are high, with cash flow analysis. a little more complex. Both methods are useful tools for the power manager.

Home Kitchen

How to Create a Cottage Kitchen Design

The country house style of kitchen design is characterized by a colorful and comfortable feel that is created with painted or decorated furniture, baskets, wooden walls and natural fiber rugs, and worn surface finishes, as well as the colors that one would expect to find in a garden.

The cottage style kitchen can have many accessories, but you need to avoid overdoing it to prevent clutter from becoming a distraction. The farmhouse style of kitchen design is also known for floors that are bare, with the exception of an occasional rug.

The country house style of the kitchen design evokes images of a light and airy room, charming and informal. The breezy and simple feeling one finds in a summer cabin. The cabins evoke a vacation by the sea, a place in the country or a cabin in the mountains. The mood is always relaxed, straightforward and casual. Simplification is the outstanding feature of the country house style of the kitchen design.

Due to the fact that cottage-style kitchens are small, they typically have a fresh, open floor plan, which can easily function as well as being a place to entertain yourself.

In order to create the cottage feel for your kitchen, you should look for accessories like household items, bedding, and furniture that you choose for your kitchen. Examples are the use of worn, stained, and butcher block white surfaces around the kitchen, antique striped towels and dishcloths, an antique kitchen clock, or displaying dishes on open shelves above a window or doorway. Other accessories may include stoneware pots, glazed earthenware, and mason jars. You can also place a jug of fresh cut flowers to create more cabin charm.

It takes time to create a cottage style for your kitchen. You can’t just find the farmhouse style all at the same time and in one store. The kitchen should look like it is slowly taking on this look over a period of time to achieve a more collected look.

Furniture in a cottage-style kitchen can include furniture made from pine or maple. Furniture details are an important element of the cottage style. Furniture can be painted white or lacquered, it can also include features such as curved legs on base cabinets and dated trim around cabinets and tables. Or a large work table that can also be a dining space for the family. Pieces may include a farmhouse kitchen table with beech shaft style chairs.

A cottage-style kitchen stove, with a decorative wood range hood, as well as a large single-bowl ceramic sink or apron agricultural sink can be used.

Knobs feature prominently as the hardware of choice for cottage-style kitchen design. Design elements include raised porcelain and stoneware, semi-gloss periwinkle blues, creams, and whites that work well. Also check for wire or bamboo woven designs.
Paint can be used to create a cottage-style kitchen design. The wooden floor can be painted in a striking color. Walls can be painted warm yellows or blues that can be coordinated with the tones and colors of kitchen cabinets, wall tiles, window treatments, and other accents in the kitchen.

Auto

Evaluating the MG 29, a versatile fighter

Aviation has been in my blood and having spent two decades in the Air Force, I would say that my first love is fighter jets. In the 70s and 80s, the Americans had launched the F15 / 16 and the Russians were looking for a comparative aircraft. The Russians produced the MIG 29. The cold war was a reality and produced two fighters who never actually participated in a direct confrontation.

What was the best plane? It is a question that is not easy to answer. Is it the more sophisticated F 16 or the old badass Soviet MIG-29? The comparison is of great interest and we find 2 different aircraft. The F16 was always designed as a lightweight and cost-effective multi-purpose jet for the more expensive F-15. In contrast, we have the MIG 29, which was a typical air superiority fighter that didn’t care much about avionics.

In the West, the 29th appeared with an outstanding performance and with much mystery. No one at the time knew about the aircraft’s capabilities and many wondered if the 29 was really that good.

The Cold War was in full swing, and while American and Russian planes never engaged in combat with each other, they took advantage of the minds of both nations. It was a matter of ego and both nations had the concept that my aircraft or my weapons systems should be bigger and better and this led to a tremendous arms race. In the 50s and 60s the race between the two nations began and the Russians had the MIG-15 to the American F 86. Both planes entered combat in the Korean War and at that time the Americans had a slight advantage.

The Russians brought improvements and soon they had the MIG21 and 23. The Americans brought the Phantom F4 and very soon the F15 appeared on the scene and this time the Russians did not have a comparison plane because the 23 was less than the 15 and the 16.

Lots of research and the MIG 29 came on the scene. Americans didn’t know much about this plane at the time it appeared on the scene in 1980, three years after Americans 15 and 16 were operational.

As was the practice, NATO gave it the name Fulcrum and the Russians called it MIG 29. The MiG 29 came in two versions A and B. Version A could carry the nuclear bomb and was kept by the Soviet Air Force. The second version was exported to 29 countries from Poland to Burma. More than 629 of these aircraft were built and, to date, about 793 aircraft are still in service. India was one of the first nations to purchase the MiG 29 and it is still in service. The Kargil conflict in 1998 was used to lethal effect.

Even now, with the growing tension with China, the Indian Air Force has reordered a substantial number of 29 aircraft from Russia and they are on their way.

But in numbers, 29 is far behind 15/16. To date, more than 3,000 F 15/16s are in operation around the world, showing that the US aircraft has a larger market.

The MIG 29 is a simple air superiority fighter but at $ 23.7 million it is $ 12 million cheaper than the American aircraft. A comparison between the two planes is very interesting. The 29 has a range of about 1,100 miles compared to the 15/16, which is over 4,000, but the 29 was never designed for long-range action. It’s a force when it comes to climb speed though, because it has two engines compared to the single engine on the 15/16. The Russian aircraft has a speed of 2.25 Mach versus the American 2.05 aircraft, so there is not much difference there.

The MIG has a 18,000m higher ceiling than 15,000 US aircraft but in terms of sophistication with ECM and ECCM, the US aircraft is superior. The maneuverability of the MIG 29 is absolutely fantastic and you can perform amazing aerobatics and there is something called a Cobra maneuver that the MIG can perform with ease. This is one of the most dazzling maneuvers of the 29 and I can guarantee it.

It is a maneuver in which an aircraft flying at moderate speed suddenly raises the nose momentarily to the vertical position and slightly beyond, momentarily stopping the aircraft and turning it into a full-body air brake, before dropping it back to normal, during which the aircraft does not change the effective altitude.

Last word

People will generally have the feeling that the MIG 29 scores over the F-16, but there is a catch and that concerns serviceability. It needs an overhaul every 2,500 hours compared to 6,000 for the American plane and, as I have already noted in terms of radar and ECM, the F-15/16 is way ahead of the Russian plane.

The MIG 29 comes with a single GSH 3130 MM cannon and four pylons to carry rockets and missiles. The Russian MiG 29A that was not exported can carry a single nuclear bomb.

The Americans were eager to get their hands on a MIG 29 and they got it in a very strange way. They bought 21 MIG 29 in flight condition from Moldovia. Russia was unable to stop the sale and all 29 made their way to America and were used by the US Air Force, they dismantled the planes and got all the technical data. The Americans staged a coup by getting these planes. These are now scattered in American museums throughout the United States.

MIG 29 has had a lot of combat experience outside of Russia. India bought 66 planes and they were used in the Kargil war and Yugoslavia used them in the Kosovo war. They were used in the Iraq-Iran war and then eventually went into combat against the same aircraft that was supposed to coincide in the Iraq war with the F-16. The Americans claimed to have shot down 6 MIG 29s, but the Russians also claimed several kills that were denied, but that’s part of the game. Never accept your losses and exaggerate the loss of the enemy. The Indians did not lose a single plane in the Kargil conflict.

On a personal level, I have a lot of love for the MiG 29. It is a wonderful aircraft and you can do wonderful aerobatics with it. It is a simple air superiority fighter. I only wrote this article for the fun of it because in the recent conflict with China, the Indian government has asked for more MIG 29s and they are on the way.

Relationship

A Review of Monster Cocks Tube and How it Can Help You Satisfy the Woman of Your Dreams

Review of Monster Cocks Tube

Monster cocks is a horny and exciting adult toy for men that will allow you to experience some extreme fun in the bedroom. This vibrator is designed to give your penis extra stimulation during sex making it harder, and much better at giving head. It’s like an amazing massager that can really help you get into the mood for sex tonight. With regular masturbation and sex toys not working as well, this is an excellent way to spice things up. Here is what you need to know about this amazing toy.

https://xmonstercock.com/

Longer: A long toy is great for men who have problems reaching climax. When you stimulate a long cock, you are going to feel more pleasure, and have more control over your orgasms and ejaculations. This is one of the most important aspects of good sex. This is why people are always talking about how long your penis must be erect for good sex.

Longer: A monster condom is really just a normal condom, but with a little twist. You will be able to insert your finger and feel the base of your manhood as if you were really inside a big penis. When you get ready for sex, the tip of your penis will be so sensitive that it will want to get a little harder. With your finger, you can stretch your penis and get it really nice and hard so that it is ready for sex.

A Review of Monster Cocks Tube and How it Can Help You Satisfy the Woman of Your Dreams

Extra sensitivity: Even though you may have a hard penis, the tip is still extremely sensitive. With the help of this amazing product, you will be able to put stress on this part of your body and use it to its fullest potential. This is a great way to keep yourself satisfied and to get the most pleasure possible from every sexual experience you have. When you are pumping your monster cocks, it will be so much easier to reach orgasm, and you will love the extra sensitivity this toy provides.

Variety: Your manhood is just one section of your body. You should experience the best sex that you can get by using all parts of your body at the same time. With the VSTs in the VigRX Plus, you will have more than one option at any given time to please yourself with different kinds of sexual stimulation. This is the perfect way to make sure that you never become bored with your partner or with your own sex toys.

Bigger effects: When you pump up your penis through the VigRX Plus, you are going to notice a noticeable change in the girth and length of your manhood. If you didn’t know that your penis could grow, then you would never have known how great this product can be. While you are having sex, the extra blood will stretch out your penis more than it has before. As long as you are using this product regularly, you will see an increase in the size of your manhood, and this can even result in a few more inches being added on!

Relationship

Earn cash and earn money online every day

You can earn cash and earn money online every day. The good news is that there are many companies that have multiple opportunities to make an unlimited amount of cash. Actually making cash online every day can be challenging. However, in this article you will find information that will help you know how to earn big cash online. The first thing that is essential when making money on the Internet is access to the Internet. You must have reliable internet connectivity that is fast.

To earn cash online every day, you need to create a website. Make sure you create a website that has a unique design that attracts a lot of visitors. You must use this website to sell products and services. Another way you can use your website is for the purpose of posting information. You can earn money from the information and advertisements found on your site. You can sign up for a service provided by Google so that every time a visitor clicks on your ads, you earn cash. The good thing is that there are several free online websites that you can use to earn money.

Another method that you can use to earn cash online every day is to start your own blog. You must use other services that will allow you to earn cash every time a visitor clicks on your ads. Make sure to post your blog on sites that have a lot of traffic. You should have your blog on some of the most popular blogging sites. One thing that is important to making money online is that you must find a niche that works well for you.

There are different online sites where you can register. Registering with some of these sites will help you earn cash and online. Earning money online depends on your creativity. There are some sites that require you to post a tip, and when approved, you can be sure that you will earn money every day. Other sites may require you to post your opinion on various things. If your review meets the requirements of the sites, you can earn quite a bit of money from this type of service. With this information there is no reason why you should stay home without a job. You can earn a lot of money while enjoying the comfort that your home brings you.

Gaming

2001 Maniacs; Movie review

Cast: Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews, Jay Gillespie, Marla Malcolm, Matthew Carey, Dylan Edrington, Mushond Lee, Bianca Smith, Brian Gross, Gina Marie Heekin, Adam Robitel, Brendan McCarthy, Christa Campbell, Wendy Kremer, Kane Hodder .

My thoughts: predictable

Review: “2001 Maniacs” is supposed to be a remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis’s “Two Thousand Maniacs”. Although I have never seen that movie, the problem with “2001 Maniacs” is that it is too predictable. .

The story follows 2 separate groups of young people heading to Daytona Beach Fl. For spring break. Unfortunately, they come across a detour sign on the road, and as any good horror fan knows, “detour” signs always mean “danger” in a horror movie. Before they know it, both groups of teens have stumbled upon a small town called “Pleasant Valley” where the people, while strange as hell, seem friendly enough. Soon, another handful of young men arrive in town, a black boy named Malcolm and his Asian girlfriend Kat.

The citizens of Pleasant Valley make all the young people of the north their guests of honor and waste no time showing a little southern hospitality. But soon some of the young travelers from the north start to disappear, and it becomes clear that all may not be as it seems with the so-called good folks of Pleasant Valley who, behind the back of unsuspecting Northerners, are planning a big “Party.” … literally. “2001 Maniacs” offers a good subplot that explains the sudden appearance of the city out of nowhere. It appears that, during the civil war, a group of renegade soldiers from the north wiped out the entire town of Pleasant Valley, indeed all of its citizens in 2001.

Now they have returned to exact revenge on the north, the same day their city was desecrated all those years ago, no less, and from the beginning it became clear that these travelers from the north are going through a bad time. However … it takes a while for travelers to realize this and the question is: will they be able to put 2 and 2 together before it’s too late? While “2001 Maniacs” certainly delivers in the gore, gore and spatter department in general … the movie lacks an hour of mystery and is telegraphed way too early. Everything happens as one would expect until the end, where a bit of creativity is shown when the last two survivors launch themselves to fight for their lives. The deaths are pretty creative, but you can figure out who’s going to die and in what order, further enhancing the predictable nature of this movie. The people of Pleasant Valley themselves are an annoying bunch, even the very attractive girls in town are painful to watch when they start talking.

Southern stereotypes of bestiality jokes, incest jokes, and generally Southerners in general are eerily weird jokes are everywhere in this movie. And that’s what kills most of the fun. It would have been a nice change of pace for the people of Pleasant Valley to differ in personality rather than each acting the same as the other. The teenagers in the movie are portrayed a little better. While we did take out the usual group of guys for a fuck, we also have a guy with two friends who has a great twist applied to his character later in the movie. You’ll have to see for yourself, but trust me, it’s pretty fun, and we have the interracial couple where the black guy is a biker and adores Led Zepplin … which is pretty much the latest in creating an exterior. the character of the box.

Robert Englund puts in a good performance as Mayor Buckman of Pleasant Valley, rivaled only by Lin Shaye as Granny Boone. But even the two of them can’t fully make up for the rest of the actors who played the citizens of Pleasant Valley in a very unsatisfying way. “2001 Maniacs” has its good points too, and director Tim Sullivan, who also co-wrote the movie with writer Chris Kobin, really knew how to make this a “horror movie.” No annoying cuts or shortening of scenes to avoid showing too much blood on the screen. No, we get the full deal here, including body crushing, mutilations, eyeballs popping out of their sockets, death from acid, and two other deaths that are even more twisted than the ones I just mentioned. I just wish they had surrounded all this great blood, gore, and mayhem with some better villains.

While I thought Englund was a great villain as Mayor Buckman, the other baddies were either played by bad actors or were just too annoying to be great villains. Now you could say that because I’m a Northern boy I don’t connect with the whole Southern personality thing, so I didn’t care about most of the villainous characters. But on the other hand, I thought that the Firefly clan in “House of 1000 Corpses”, which was another southern psycho movie, were incredible villains. But they were much tougher than the folks in Pleasant Valley, who struck me as a little too dumb and not serious enough to make good villains.

Pros: creative assassinations, abundance of blood and gore, travelers from the north were pleasant for the most part. The final act of the film, which includes a showdown between the two survivors and Mayor Buckman and the citizens of Pleasant Valley, was incredible. Lin Shaye gives a good performance as Granny Boone despite the limited screen time.

Cons: With the exception of Robert Englund as Mayor Buckman, the villains weren’t badass enough and, as I said in the review, everything is explained to the viewer too quickly about what will happen to these kids and how. I also didn’t like the ending and the chain of events leading up to the end of the movie left me shaking my head.

Overall – Average horror movie that has a few elements that keep it from being a total waste of time. It’s worth renting when it hits DVD on March 28.

Health Fitness

How to lose weight without pain?

Is it possible to lose weight without diet and exercise? Is there a magic pill that can help you lose weight without any effort?

You know the answer. It’s not possible. When it comes to talking about weight loss, there is always effort involved. The first thing that comes to mind is dieting. If I want to lose weight, I must control my cravings. I must diet. I must eliminate desserts, chocolates and cold drinks from my life. I should exercise and all that.

It seems like too much hard work. It’s tough and tough. But there is still another way. You can’t lose weight without exercise or proper diet plans, but you can easily do it.

How?

You can’t stick with a program long enough if you don’t enjoy it. To do any exercise, you have to have fun doing it. Fun makes it easier. Happiness is the second factor that makes life better and easier.

First, step to lose weight easily

Don’t check your weight every day. Put your scale aside and forget about your weight for a few days. Take a picture of your slim body and hang it somewhere where you can see it night and tomorrow. Forget about losing weight or exercising or any other health problems.

Second step

Exercise is important, so let’s do it. At first, don’t stress yourself out. We don’t want to do cardio on the first day. Stay still and start dancing to the music. Move your right arm up and then move it down. Do it a few times. Exercise lightly and effortlessly. Try to have fun during your exercise time.

Third step

Get started with MS Excel. On your spreadsheet, write down your goals and write them down. Your first goal should be to drink 8 glasses of water a day. The second goal may be to walk 20 minutes a day. The third goal can be to dance for 15 minutes. In this way, you can fill the entire table. Now go behind your goals. When you have finished drinking 8 glasses of water, reduce the first column of your spreadsheet. This way you can get to the end of your table where you will be slim and smart.

These steps will give you freedom and relief.

If you don’t like exercise, look for some alternatives. You can play a game. You can join a gym or weight loss center. You can do yoga. Yoga is fun for most people and yoga burns 3 calories per minute. Joining a gym is also a good option for many people.

Forget about the diet. Think about having a healthy meal. It is about a healthy lifestyle. Make a variable diet plan and enjoy your healthy meals.

Best of luck!

Legal Law

If that’s the law then

The 19th century British author, Charles Dickens, once worked as a clerk at a law firm, and many of the characters in his novels were derived from clients he met while working at the firm. In one of his novels from the 1840s, I don’t remember which Dickens novel was, there was a colloquium between two of the characters. The first character explains the operation of a new British law that had just come into effect for the second character. Upon learning of the new law, the second character responds in disbelief: “Sir, if that’s the law, then the law is an ass!” Since reading the Dickens novel whose title I do remember, I have often read about new laws or legal rulings that remind me that Dickens’s character was right in describing the “law as an ass.” Here’s a case that I remember writing about at the time.

In 2008, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit struck down a recently enacted New York law that required airlines to provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers trapped in delayed planes. The law was struck down by the court, which noted that while the move was well-intentioned, it violated federal authority.

The law was passed after thousands of passengers were stranded for up to 10 hours on multiple JetBlue Airways flights at Kennedy International Airport on Valentine’s Day in 2007. Passengers complained that they were deprived of food and water and that the bathrooms overflowed. A month later, passengers from other airlines were stranded aboard other airlines at Kennedy after an ice storm.

The law was challenged by the Air Transportation Association of America, the industry trade group that represents major American airlines. Strange that this trade group appears to be advocating for passengers to be deprived of food, water and clean toilets on stranded commercial airliners.

The Second Circuit held that while the objectives of the law were “laudable” and the circumstances that led to its adoption “deplorable,” only the federal government has the authority to pass such regulations. The doctrine of preference establishes that, under the Commerce Clause, federal rules that protect the health, safety, and well-being of people traveling to our country must take precedence and prevail or override any statute of state law that is refer to the same topic. Certainly, we can understand the doctrine of federal preference; however, in this case we should say, “Lord, if that’s the law, then the law is an ass!”

See: Air Transport Ass’n of America, Inc. v. Cuomo, No. 07-5771-cv, slip op (2d Cir. March 25, 2008). 2008 US Application Lexis 6130

Lifestyle Fashion

Easy Chinese food recipes

Looking for that great flavor you find in Chinese recipes, but just don’t know where to start? Or maybe you think it is too difficult or too time consuming. Well, you don’t have to be a professional cook to make great, quick and easy meals for the whole family. I’ll help you bring home the flavor of the restaurant with some quick recipes.

Spicy Beef, Shrimp, and Bok Choy

* 1/4 cup Shao Hsing rice wine

* 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce

* 2 teaspoons cornstarch

* 4 teaspoons canola oil

* 3/4 ​​pound sirloin

* 1 / 4-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

* 10 raw shrimp

* 1 pound bok choy

Instructions:

1. Whisk the rice wine, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the meat and the crushed red pepper. continue cooking, stirring, until meat begins to brown. That should take about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and continue cooking, stirring, until shrimp are opaque and pink. Again, this should take about 2 minutes. Transfer the food to a plate.

3. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat in the same skillet. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt. That should be about 3 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return the meat and shrimp mixture (from step 2) to the skillet and cook and stir. Continue like this until heat penetrates completely and sauce thickens; it should take about 1 minute.

Prawns with Salt and Pepper

* 1/4 cup lime juice

* 4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

* 4 teaspoons sesame oil

* 1 teaspoon sugar

* 6 cups of cabbage

* 2 small red or orange bell peppers

* 1/4 cup of rice flour

* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

* 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

* 1 teaspoon five-spice powder

* 1 1/3 pounds raw shrimp

* 2 tablespoons canola oil

* 2 jalapeno peppers

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the cabbage and bell peppers. Stir.

2. Combine rice flour, salt, pepper, and 5-spice powder in medium bowl. Add and coat the shrimp in the mixture. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, making sure to stir. It should take 4 minutes, until the shrimp are pink. Add the jalapeños and cook until the shrimp are cooked through. This should take another minute. Serve in combination with the salad from step 1.

As you can see, Chinese cuisine doesn’t have to be complicated. Have fun!