By general consensus, Herbert von Karajan’s first (1963) Beethoven cycle for Deutsche Grammophon is the best of the four (!) that he recorded. The Berlin Philharmonic was in top form, and they had not yet made an artistic fetish out of the bland smoothness that typified the conductor’s later recordings of this music (and just about everything else). Karajan’s squeaky clean, emotionally cool Beethoven will always be something of an acquired taste, but this set makes the best possible case for it. –David Hurwitz

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Long regarded as the quintessential interpretation of the most popular and best-loved symphony ever written, this performance of the Fifth has everything: passion, precision, drama, lyric beauty, and a coiled fury in the first movement that sets your pulse racing from the very first note. Carlos Kleiber has made very few recordings in his distinguished career, but almost all are special. If you own no other copy of this symphony, this is the one to get. It comes with an exceptional performance of the Seventh–not quite as gripping as the Fifth, but definitely one of the great ones. There is classical music, and there are classic recordings of classical music. This one’s a classic. — David Hurwitz

Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 Price: $8.97

People differ in the ability to grasp and use math and probability concepts, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. To help people better comprehend numbers and assess certain risks, presentation may be vital, Peters said. The National Adult Literacy Survey, she noted, found that 47 percent of Americans don’t have minimal math skills necessary to use numbers imbedded in printed materials.

“It’s not that low numerate people are stupid,” Peters said. “It’s just that high numerate people transform numbers better. A lot of decisions involve numbers. It turns out that how good you are with numbers influences not only whether you understand them, which is how we traditionally think about math abilities, but it influences how we process the information into decisions.”

“Numeracy and format interact in comprehension,” Peters said. “With adjuvant, people with lower numeracy understand much less of the information, but even people high in ability didn’t do that great. With the improved format, everybody got better in comprehension almost equally, which means the low numerate subjects were helped the most.”

Source: ScienceDaily

In South Florida a cold day means you may have to actually wear shoes, or even worse, socks. For the rest of the Northern Hemisphere cold day means something else. The uncommonly good Warmbat Sheepskin boot has a removable, washable sheepskin lining and a memory foam cushion footbed that molds to your foot — plus it comes with a bottle of Sheepskin Water and Stain Repellent to provide a breathable layer of protection against water, snow dirt and stains.

Based on some first hand reports and the customer reviews people love UGG boots and especially these Warmbat Sheepskin things.

More about exceptional shoe brands.

Named best overall seating by Wall Street Journal. 10-year warranty. The 2006 Leap Chair by Steelcase retains all the patented features of the original, plus some significant advancements: its seat back is higher, the seat edge angle has become intuitive and the arms adjust fluidly in four directions. Visually, this sleeker profile Leap Chair offers smooth, tightly woven upholstery, an updated color palate and a polished aluminum frame finish. FREE FedEx shipping on most products and we do not charge sales tax on any item we sell.

One customer review and it is a good one:

“I have tried a dozen chairs searching for one that would feel like sitting in the palm of God’s hand. Properly adjusted, the Steelcase Leap chair come very close to my concept of perfection.”

If you do not have well designed chair yet, here is a site on Back Pain.

If you spend your day sitting in front of a computer screen you are increasing the probability of gaining unwanted and unhealthy body fat, and doing injustice to your heart. The Phoenix® 516 Easy-Up manual treadmill is an economical yet reliable walking treadmill with smooth, quiet operation. Achieve the maximum intensity of your workout because you power the belt, not the motor. This also allows you to select your own pace and alter it at any time.

The Phoenix manual treadmill costs $100 and weighs only 50 pounds. It won’t hurt your wallet or your back. Here is a specific plan for an effective manual treadmill cardio fitness and weight loss program that provides you with the specific information you need to know about “how much” and “how hard” you have to exercise to get a gym quality workout.

The French Press style coffee maker is ultra easy to use - even a CEO could handle it. Bodum has many sizes and styles but the one that caught my interest is the Bodum 3 cup French Press coffee maker.

If you are male and over 50 you really need to be having regular PSA tests. The prostate enlarges as you age and the urinary symptoms for mild infection to prostate cancer are very similar.

There are herbal remedies for prostate problems. Diet can help too. A new study showed that after 22 weeks a tomato/broccoli combo outperformed all other diets in shrinking prostate tumors. Biopsies of tumors were evaluated at The Ohio State University, confirming that tumor cells in the tomato/broccoli-fed rats were not proliferating as rapidly. The only treatment that approached the tomato/broccoli diet’s level of effectiveness was castration (not a good choice).

Good mental and physical health is esential to successful trading. Men’s and Women’s Health Today is a contemporary health blog with newsfeeds and comments on today’s most pressing health issues for men and women.

Voila! Facing empty shelves, homeowners are skipping the collecting in favor of paying consultants for a quickly stocked cellar. Plus, a look at some of the services available to oenophiles.

ADMIN: The DIY oenophile stocks his wine cellar with homemade wine.