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3/31/2011

Keep Your Dell Laptop Battery Running at Optimal Performance

Your Dell laptop needs a top-notch Dell laptop battery replacement that offers you access to the optimum quality mobile power available to boost the run-time. Run-time is basically how long your charge lasts. Every laptop battery manufacturer is using the different quality and standards. Generally speaking, a battery pack is a storage container for power that you can use in the mobile environment and enjoy being free! If you take care of it and follow the helpful tips provided below, you won’t find yourself being frustrated like many other people are.
A major element in protecting your dell inspiron 1545 ac adapter is temperature. Never ever use or keep the laptop battery in excessive conditions. For example, you should avoid leaving it in hot places like your car. On nearly all laptop computers the vents where air can move across to keep it from heating up. If you are working on your computer on a soft surface such as carpet or a bed, air is unable to pass through and you may hear the vents turn on and your fans will be running all day drawing precious power from the cheap laptop chargers battery. If you want to squeeze the most juice out of your laptop’s discount laptop ac adapter battery, find a hard, flat surface to use your computer to keep the fans running at a minimum.
While purchasing a Dell notebook computer that you anticipated just the best. But what makes a good battery pack?
The good battery back uses the highest quality cells from the leading cell manufacturers to guarantee maximum capacity and service life. The protection circuit module is added to protect against over-charge, over-discharge and short circuit.
Find sony laptop battery in a reputable store like Exceldigital.org.uk . In many cases you may find that the good battery will out last the original that came with your computer because of the highest capacity cells, of course, at a much affordable price.
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next blog: How to get more battery life from your digital camera

3/28/2011

Howto get more battery life from your digital camera

Like other portable consumer electronic devices digital cameras batteries as their power source. All batteries have one major drawback: they only last for a limited time. In this article we will explain what camera features consume the most energy and how you can squeeze more life time out of your digital camera battery.

There are many types of battery. Your digital camera might be using disposable batteries or maybe it uses rechargeable ones. Rechargeable batteries use a variety of technologies such as nickel cadmium, lithium ion or lithium polymer. Battery technology has advanced in the last years but batteries life time is still considerably short. It is very frustrating to come across a great photo opportunity just to find out that you have run out of  Canon powershot sd1000 battery.

When it comes to power consumption not all digital camera features are equal. Some of the digital camera greatest features are high energy consumers. By knowing which features consume the most energy you will be able to avoid or minimize using those features save energy and get more life time from your Canon PowerShot SD200 Battery.

The biggest energy consumers in a digital camera are the LCD screen and the motors that move the mechanical components of the camera such as the lenses when focusing or zooming. Digital cameras allow viewing of photos that were just taken on a small LCD screen. Some of them also allow shooting photos using the LCD instead of the traditional viewfinder. An LCD screen consumes relatively a lot of energy. This is the reason why all digital cameras turn off the LCD after a certain amount of time of no usage.

The other big energy consumers are the motors. Digital cameras have motors the move the lenses either to change the zoom or to focus. Motors consume relatively a lot of energy when moving the digital camera optical components. And finally the flash is a big energy consumer too. Shooting photos using the flash consumes more energy that shooting photos without flash.

So what can you do in order to minimize power consumption and get more life time from your Canon PowerShot SD750 Battery ?


  • Turn off the LCD and use the viewfinder: Use the optical viewfinder instead of the LCD for composing your photos. Using the camera menus disable the LCD by turning it off. Since the LCD consumes a lot of energy every time you are using it to take a photo or to look at your objects and compose a photo you are wasting energy. Only use the LCD when you must for example when taking an overhead photo when the optical viewfinder is not usable.

  • Minimize photo previewing: The LCD consumes a lot of energy. When you preview photos on the LCD you are wasting Canon POWERSHOT SD400 Battery. Only use the LCD to view photos when you need to do so for the benefit of the next photos shooting ?for example to check if a composition was right or if the lighting was good. Do not use the LCD to view photos for fun or to show photos to others. Wait until you are on your computer or in your office or home to do that.

  • Do not use continuous focus when not necessary: Every time your camera focuses it consumers energy. The motors that move the optical components in order to focus consume a lot of energy. (CANON Digital IXUS 65 battery )You can not avoid focusing of course but you can avoid focusing that is not necessary. For example your digital camera can be set to continuous or single focus. For moving objects such as in sport events continuous focus is used so your can stay focused on the object until you are ready to take the photo. In those cases as long as you press the shutter button half way down the camera will continue to focusing on the object. To save energy minimize that time to the minimum necessary. For example if you plan to shoot a photo of a runner at point A only press the shutter when he gets close to that point. Holding the shutter button down and following the runner for a longer time than needed to capture him at point A wastes a lot of energy.

  • Do not press the shutter button half way down for no reason: Every time you press the shutter button half way down and do not take a photo you waste energy. When pressing the shutter button half way down the camera goes through a series of processes getting ready to shoot a photo. It focuses the lenses it wakes up electronic components and gets the flash ready if needed. Avoid pressing the shutter half way down when you do not plan to shoot a photo.

  • Carry another canon battery: Two batteries have twice the energy as one. Carry an extra battery if you are planning for a long shooting session or if you are not sure how many photos you will shoot and how long you will be away from your charger. Some photographers always carry an extra battery with them ?batteries are very small and light and carrying an extra one is really not a burden. One thing to remember when carrying an extra Canon DIGITAL IXUS 50 Battery is to always make sure that you are carrying an extra battery that is fully charged there is no use in carrying an empty battery. Batteries tend to lose their charge even if they are not used so if you are carrying an extra battery for a few days or more remember to recharge it even if you did not use it.

  • Recharge whenever you can: Charge your  Canon DIGITAL IXUS 70 Battery (or batteries if you carry an extra one) at least once a day or whenever you are back to your office, home or hotel. Even if you did not take many photos and you think the batteries have enough power in them it is better to make sure by fully charging them rather than to take the risk. You never know how long your next photo shooting session will be and when will your next recharge opportunity will be. Batteries slowly lose their charge even when not used so always recharge your extra Canon DIGITAL IXUS 50 Battery too even if it was not used.

  • Plan for battery consumption: The most important thing is to plan for battery consumption. For example if you are leaving your office for a short photo shooting session of an hour you are not going to have any battery issues. In such cases you can ignore all the guidelines and just shoot photos freely in the way that is most convenient to you. If you are going out for a long day of photo shooting in scenarios that require flash and maybe continuous focusing (just as shooting a sports event) ?plan ahead for power consumption take an extra CANON DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS Battery or maybe two refrain from using features that are not necessary for your session such as previewing photos on the LCD or using the LCD as a viewfinder.

  • In conclusion until battery technologies improve to the extent that battery life is so long that it practically lasts forever you will have to be conscious about how you use your digital camera in respect to power consumption. Following a few simple guidelines can significantly improve power consumption and make your


     

    3/24/2011

    Japan Earthquake and Tsunami camera industry update

    Staff survive, but factories remain shut

    Fuel shortages, component supply problems and power blackouts are threatening the return to full-capacity manufacturing in Japan rather than the direct impact of the 11 March earthquake and the following tsunami. Reports from the headquarters of camera and lens brands across the country repeatedly state that while some minor damage has occurred to factories and offices, operations remain suspended in many areas and dates have yet to be set for a resumption of production. (NIKON EN-EL14 Battery)Only Nikon has confirmed the death of an employee, from its Sendai plant in the heart of the affected area, while almost all other photo companies have reported minimal injury levels. Nikon has also reported severe damage to its Tochigi plant, said by Nikon to be involved in the 'manufacture of devices and lenses for IC/LCD steppers and scanners', but it is expecting the facility to be ready for operation by the end of this month (March). (Olympus blm-1 battery)

    Sigma UK's Graham Armitage told AP that the company's factory in Aizu Wakamatsu, in the Fukushima prefecture, was severely shaken but avoided serious structural damage. (SONY np-ft1 battery)'All our employees and their direct families were lucky to avoid death and injury, but the same cannot be said for Sigma's network of suppliers and subcontractors resident in the Fukushima district.' Mr Armitage explained that, like other photographic brands, Sigma would be hit hardest by the shortage of components. ( Konica Minolta Np-400 battery)'If you buy brass washers from a company based close to the shoreline that has been washed away, and you need a brass washer for every lens you make, you can't go on making lenses until you find another supplier,' he explained. Sigma UK kick-started AP's Japanese Disaster appeal with a donation of £10,000 worth of equipment. ( JVC BN-VF714 battery)

    Canon's camera manufacturing facilities are based in the south of the country, on the island of Kyushu, and have escaped the worst of the impact. However, the company reports that staff are having trouble getting to work as train services from the mainland are disrupted and there are fuel shortages. (KONICA DR-LB4 battery)The company's EF lens factory sits in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, south of Fukushima, where operations are suspended with no start date decided. The company says 15 employees were injured there, while the inkjet printer plant in Fukushima reported no injuries, but remains closed until further notice. Sony has four plants in Fukushima, some of which produce rechargeable lithium ion battery cells of the type used in the digital cameras of many other brands.(Olympus LI-12B Battery ) These facilities have also remained closed which may, in the short term at least, lead to delays in the shipment of a wide variety of electronic goods from Japan. Sony's factories further south, at Aichi and Gifu prefectures, which are responsible for digital camera and DSLR lens production are due to remain closed until at least the end of the month. While not damaged, neither plant has sufficient raw materials or components to continue. ( Nikon en-el15 Battery)

    UK distributor Alpha Digital Services has told AP that Ricoh's Hanamaki plant, in the northern area of Iwate, was largely undamaged, but that operations have been suspended for now. (olympus li-40b battery )The head office in Toyko is working as normal. ADS also said that a second earthquake on Saturday, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, shook the Kyocera factory in Nagano responsible for Contax spares and repairs. In between electricity shut downs, the plant is said to be operating as usual. (casio np-20 battery)

    Olympus reports that damage to its Shirakawa factory, and unreliable power supplies, have kept it closed, and has given no restart date.(kodak klic-7001 battery) The company has given no news of its Tatsuno factory, that makes the E-system products, but we should probably assume that it too is closed.

    The events of the past two weeks have had quite an impact on the share prices of photographic companies, with both Nikon and Canon suffering steep declines in their value. Between 4 February and 15 March Nikon's share price dropped by 30%, while Canon lost 17% over approximately the same period. (OLYMPUS LI-30B battery)

    Due to the destruction of key plants we will see a slow and unpredictable recovery in this area and we should expect to see shortages of many photo products in the months ahead. (Sony NP-BG1 Battery)A shortage of LCD screens, semi-conductors, imaging sensors, optical lens and flash memory may influence the development of new products. (SONY NP-BG1 camera battery )Many companies have stated that should delays continue production facilities could be moved abroad, which may also have a more lasting impact on the Japanese industry. Many firms, such as Nikon and Olympus, already manufacture in countries such as China and Thailand, but even these plants may suffer shortages of key materials.
    next blog: Fast-Growing Oil and Gas Camera

    3/22/2011

    Fast-Growing Oil and Gas Camera

    Rapidly-emerging oil and gas remote downhole and wellbore camera specialists EV has secured more than £6 million investment in order to fast track its growth. (olympus li-40b battery)The company will use the investment to commercialise new camera technology and rapidly grow its business on a global basis.
    (PRWeb UK) March 22, 2011
    Rapidly-emerging oil and gas remote downhole and wellbore camera specialists EV has secured more than £6 million investment in order to fast track its growth. The company will use the investment to commercialise new camera technology and rapidly grow its business on a global basis. ( casio np-20 battery )
    Norwich and Aberdeen based EV has developed ground-breaking wellbore and downhole camera and video technology that allows pictures to be taken in remote and challenging environments such as down oil and gas wells and on the seabed.( kodak klic-7001 battery) It secured the investment from leading energy-focused private equity firm Lime Rock Partners.
    EV has already experienced rapid expansion over the last year during which the company has opened new premises in Aberdeen and Louisiana, USA, as well as created more than 50% new jobs, bringing the number of employees to more than 30.( OLYMPUS LI-30B battery )
    Francis Neill, chief executive officer of EV, said: “To secure investment from an equity company the calibre of Lime Rock demonstrates the confidence that they have in EV's proprietary technology and the business's potential to significantly grow its international footprint in the camera and video sector.
    “Having identified a niche sector in the market, EV has capitalised on more than 30 years' experience in TV and communications technology by successfully transferring state-of-the-art imaging technology into the oil and gas industry. ( olympus li-12b battery)
    “Our innovative technology and service lets customers see what is going on in wellbores and on offshore installations down to the seabed. This helps identify problems in less time and lowers the risk of interventions.”(Sony NP-BG1 Battery)
    Trevor Burgess, managing director of Lime Rock Partners in Aberdeen, said: “EV has cost effective technology for the “You-Tube” generation in the oilfield, and a great management team with a vision for the future. Video pictures will eliminate most of the risk in problem diagnosis in wells and they have the potential for replacing a number of widely used services that rely on mechanical and electrical measurements today. ”(casio NP-30 battery )
    EV's specialist remote downhole & wellbore camera and video technology includes its state-of-the-art suite of Optis™ wellbore tools which include drill-pipe, coil tubing, electric line and slickline deployment capability. EV also provides range of products and bespoke solutions for riser and pipeline inspection, leak monitoring, construction and decommissioning. (NIKON EN-EL14 Battery )
    EV provides not only the technology but also the experience and expertise to ensure that a picture is achieved however demanding the environment. ( digital camera battery)For example, the company's innovative Slickline memory camera is to be deployed on project in Tunisia involving a HP/HT well with temperatures of up to 170º Celsius.
    With a rapidly expanding global footprint, EV's technologies and personnel can also be mobilised at short notice to any location.( Olympus blm-1 battery )
    Picture caption: Francis Neill, chief executive officer of fast-growing company EV
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    next blog: Nike Plans to Raise Prices

    3/18/2011

    Nike Plans to Raise Prices

    The athletic apparel maker, which posted a 5.2% increase in its fiscal third-quarter earnings, said because of rising oil, cotton, labor and air-freight costs, its gross margins will continue to lag in the near team. (casio CNP-110 battery )Nike executives, on a Thursday conference call, said the price increases won't begin to mitigate that margin pressure until next fiscal year.
    Nike, which reported after the close, had been engaging in "surgical" price increases that targeted specific products and markets, but coming price increases will be "across the board," the company said.
    Nike shares fell 6.5% to $80.50 apiece in after-hours trading, after rising 59 cents to $85.41 in 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (casio NP-20 battery )
    Nike, one of the world's largest sporting goods makers, said gross margin in the latest quarter fell to 45.8% from 46.9% on higher costs combined with less license revenue.
    On the conference call, Chief Executive Mark Parker said the U.S. consumer remains under pressure from high unemployment and inflation risks.
    Positive currency changes helped propel Nike sales in China, Japan and emerging markets up nearly 15% to $1.39 billion, even with revenue in Japan falling 8% versus last year. (casio NP-30 battery )Japan sales in the latest quarter were down 16%, excluding currency changes.
    Nike said all of its employees in Japan were accounted for and safe, following last week's earthquake and tsunami.
    Japan had been a "challenging" market even before the tragedy, Nike said, and it expects the disaster will have a negative impact on both its revenue and profit in the country.(casio NP-40 battery ) Executives said, however, said it is still too early to determine the extent of that effect.
    Currency changes caused European Nike sales for the quarter to slip $10 million to about $1.16 billion, most notably turning 6% revenue growth in Western Europe absent currency adjustment to a 2% sales decline.
    World-wide future orders, an indicator of growth based on estimates of product orders, increased 11% to $7.9 billion. Excluding currency changes, those orders grew 9%.(casio NP-60 battery )
    For the latest quarter ended Feb. 28, Nike posted a profit of $523 million, or $1.08 a share, up from $497 million, or $1.01 a share, a year earlier.(fujifilm NP-100 battery ) Revenue rose 7.3% to $5.08 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters predicted earnings of $1.12 a share on revenue of $5.18 billion.
    In North America, Nike's largest market, sales were up 9% to $1.84 billion. On the call, Nike said North America and China are crucial to the footwear giant's future success.(fujifilm NP-120 battery )
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    next blog: Radiation fears after Japan blast

    3/14/2011

    Radiation fears after Japan blast

    Explosions at a Japanese quake-stricken nuclear plant have led to radiation levels that can affect human health, a senior Japanese official has said.(CANON Battery)
    Prime Minister Naoto Kan has urged those living within 30km (18 miles) of the plant to stay indoors.
    Earlier, reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was hit by a blast - the third reactor to explode in four days - leading to fears of a meltdown.
    The crisis was sparked by a 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami on Friday.
    Thousands of people are believed to have died.(CASIO Battery)
    Exclusion zone
    A fresh explosion rocked reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - 250km (155 miles) north-east of Tokyo - in the early hours of Tuesday.
    Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said, "Now we are talking about levels that can impact human health."(NIKON Battery)

    JAPAN NUCLEAR EMERGENCY

    • Explosions in three reactors at Fukushima plant
    • Fourth reactor on fire
    • Containment chamber damaged at reactor 2
    • Radiation levels at plant rise more than four fold
    • 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone
    • People living within 30km to stay indoors
    He stressed that such levels were recorded at the plant and that the "further away you get from the power plant or reactor, the value should go down".(Dell laptop battery)
    In his televised address, Prime Minister Kan said: "There is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out."
    He added that the last remaining people within a 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant had to leave, and that those living between 20km and 30km from the site should remain indoors.
    Radiation levels around Fukushima for one hour's exposure rose to eight times the legal limit for exposure in one year, said the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco).
    The radiation reading at 0831 local time (2331 GMT) climbed to 8,217 microsieverts an hour from 1,941 about 40 minutes earlier, Tepco said. The annual legal limit is 1,000 microsieverts.
    Japan's PM says there is a 'very high' risk of further radiation leaks( fujitsu battery )
    Higher radiation levels were recorded on Tuesday south of Fukushima, Kyodo news agency reported.
    The French embassy said low-level radioactive wind could reach Tokyo within hours.
    Mr Kan also said a fire had broken out at the plant's reactor 4. It now appears to have been put out.
    The high radiation levels prompted the BBC and a number of other international news organisations to withdraw staff from the quake area.(Laptop AC Adapter)
    Shares on the Tokyo stock exchange have fallen more than 12%.
    On Monday, a hydrogen blast at the Fukushima plant's reactor 3 was felt 40km (25 miles) away. It followed a blast at reactor 1 on Saturday.
    Map showing effects of Japanese earthquake
    All explosions have been preceded by cooling system breakdowns. Engineers are trying to prevent meltdowns by flooding the chambers of the nuclear reactors with sea water.
    After the third explosion, officials said the containment vessel around reactor 2 had been damaged.
    Complete devastation
    Meanwhile, five days after the tsunami triggered by the earthquake, the relief operation is continuing.
    The latest official death toll stands at about 2,400 - but some estimates suggest 10,000 may have been killed.
    One of the worst-hit towns, Minamisanriku, is now just a scene of complete devastation, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey. ( hp battery )
    Everything was flattened by the force of the tsunami, with only the town's hospital and a government building remaining, our correspondent says.
    Thousands are still unaccounted for - including hundreds of tourists - while many remote towns and villages have not been reached.
    The government has deployed 100,000 troops to lead the aid effort.(laptop battery )
    The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to warn against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and north-eastern Japan. British nationals and friends and relatives of those in Japan can contact the Foreign Office on +44(0) 20 7008 0000.(digital camera battery )
    next blog:In Wisconsin Battle on Unions, State Democrats See a Gift

    3/10/2011

    In Wisconsin Battle on Unions, State Democrats See a Gift

    MADISON, Wis. — After nearly a month of angry demonstrations and procedural maneuvering in the State Capitol here, Gov. Scott Walker won his battle on Thursday to cut bargaining rights for most government workers in Wisconsin. (buy laptop battery)

    Morry Gash/Associated Press
    Demonstrators protested outside the Assembly Chamber at the state Capitol on Thursday in Madison, Wis. More Photos »(CANON camera Battery)
    Multimedia Slide Show
    Protests as Wisconsin G.O.P. Ends Stalemate Graphic
    Are State and Local Government Employees Paid Too Much? The Caucus Podcast: Protests in Wisconsin and More
    Narayan Mahon for The New York Times
    Peter Barca, the Democratic leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly, said: “Our democracy is out of control in Wisconsin. And you all know it — you can feel it.” More Photos »(CASIO Battery)But his victory, after the State Assembly passed the bill, also carries risks for the state’s Republicans who swept into power last November.
    Democratic-leaning voters appeared energized by the battle over collective bargaining on a national stage. The fight has already spurred a list of potential recall elections for state lawmakers this spring. Protesters are planning more large demonstrations this weekend. (FUJIFILM Battery)
    “From a policy perspective, this is terrible,” said Mike Tate, the leader of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
    “But from a political perspective, he could not have handed us a bigger gift,” Mr. Tate said of the governor.
    In the last 24 hours, he added, the state party had received $360,000 in contributions and volunteers have streamed into offices where signatures were being collected for recall bids.(Dell Inspiron 6400 Battery )
    The Republican-dominated Assembly voted mainly along party lines, 53 to 42 in favor of the bill, during a tense and bitter proceeding punctuated by shouts of “No!” from angry lawmakers, cries of “Shame, shame!” from protesters in the gallery, and chants from thousands outside the locked-down chamber.
    The vote had been delayed after law enforcement completely closed the Capitol for a time, when protesters filled a section near the Assembly hall and refused to leave. Some demonstrators were carried out.
    Some lawmakers were locked out, and the police ignored their pleas to let them in so they could vote. They resorted to climbing in through first-floor windows. (KODAK Battery)
    The tenor of the debate took an angrier edge this week because of the legislative brinkmanship that helped get the bill passed.
    Republicans complained that Senate Democrats had brought state business to a halt for nearly three weeks by fleeing the state and preventing a quorum.
    The Democrats fumed that the Republicans had ended the episode in less than a day, with the Democrats still out of town, by forcing a rewritten bill that needed no quorum through the Senate on Wednesday night and the Assembly on Thursday. Though the outcome of the vote was all but certain, each side made its case one more time in the final hours of debate.
    On the floor of the Assembly, Jeff Fitzgerald, the Republican speaker, said the state’s finances were on a “crash course” if collective bargaining remained the status quo. “We ran on this,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We were going to get the fiscal place in order. (Dell Inspiron 1545 Battery )This is the first piece of the puzzle. We’re broke.”
    Democrats, who noted that public-sector union leaders had already agreed to pay more for their pensions and health care costs, argued that slashing collective bargaining rights was no budget-saving measure, but a way to break unions in a state with deep labor roots. (NIKON Battery)
    Peter Barca, the Democrats’ Assembly leader, railed against the Republicans’ tactics. “Our democracy is out of control in Wisconsin,” Mr. Barca said. “And you all know it — you can feel it.”
    Political analysts said they would watch for the fallout of the Wisconsin vote, and whether it would affect similar battles now playing out over collective bargaining issues in statehouses elsewhere, including Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana.
    Republicans here, including Governor Walker, contend that Wisconsin residents were seeking change in the election last fall — when the state made one of the starkest flips in the nation from blue to red — and that this was just the sort of bold move they would ultimately embrace. (Dell Studio 1735 Battery )
    Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the state Republican Party, said he felt Democrats had been particularly loud in their protests to send a warning shot to the other states considering such measures.
    But Democrats say the collective bargaining fight may lead to a political shakeup in the Capitol, where more than a dozen senators, Republicans and Democrats, are now the subjects of heated recall efforts. That in turn could shift political equations, since Wisconsin has long been a presidential battleground, for the 2012 election.
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    next blog: Charlie Sheen may not take 'Men' down with him

    3/09/2011

    Charlie Sheen may not take 'Men' down with him

    Can Men survive with its main man gone?

    By Greg Gayne, Warner Bros.
    Charlie Sheen, right, used to carry the bulk of Two and a Half Men's comedic weight, but now, Jon Cryer is sharing the load.(Casio NP-20 Battery)
    EnlargeCloseBy Greg Gayne, Warner Bros.
    Charlie Sheen, right, used to carry the bulk of Two and a Half Men's comedic weight, but now, Jon Cryer is sharing the load.
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    As a practical matter, the answer is "probably yes." Nothing is decided and nothing is certain, aside from the certainty that star Charlie Sheen will not be back, absent some near-miraculous rehab/reconciliation.(Nikon EN-EL14 Battery)
    But even without him, there are huge financial incentives for keeping Two and a Half Menalive for CBS and the show's studio, Warner Bros., which has already sold the now-threatened ninth season in syndication.
    Many factors are no doubt being weighed as CBS decides whether it wants a revamped, probably recast Men, but it does seem that the network has increasingly less call to worry about any pro-Sheen viewer backlash. Some may find the star's current behavior amusing, and some exhausting. (Fujifilm NP-40 Battery) But surely most people can see that you can't head up a CBS sitcom that's popular in Middle America when you call that sitcom's jokes "juvenile and gross" on CNN, mock Middle America on ABC, and label your co-star Jon Cryer a "troll" on E! News.
    If need be, CBS can take comfort in the fact that sitcoms have replaced stars and extended their runs before, albeit some had better artistic results than others.Cheers lost Shelley Long; Designing Women, Delta Burke; Spin City, Michael J. (Olympus Li-70B Battery)Fox (who was replaced by Sheen); M*A*S*M*A*S*H, Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson in the same season. Valerie even lost its Valerie,Valerie Harper, which was really a stretch.
    There is, however, one big difference between Men and those shows: age. Long and Burke left after five years, the others even earlier. Men is going into its ninth year, a time when shows and audience desires tend to calcify.(Nikon EN-EL3E Battery)
    A few years ago, you might also have said that Sheen was more central to his show than those other actors were, but that's no longer true. Over the past season, his role as the show's comic driving force has diminished, with far more of that weight being carried by Cryer, who was always the better actor. (It's worth noting that while Sheen has been nominated for an Emmy multiple times, the only acting win belongs to Cryer.) Sheen is clearly important, but at this point in the run, it's far easier to imagine Men without Sheen than it is to imagine, say, The Big Bang Theorywithout Jim Parsons.(SONY NP-F960 Battery)
    It's even possible a switch could give the show a late-run creative boost, particularly if Men brings the right actor and character into the mix. And that does mean adding a new character, as there's no way viewers would buy John Stamos or Rob Lowe (who apparently is contractually stuck in Parks and Recreation anyway) — or anyone other than Sheen — as Charlie Harper.
    Truth is, Men has fallen into the same rut as many long-running sitcoms: characters stagnate, plots and jokes repeat, performances get bigger and cruder. (Nikon EN-EL5 Battery)Losing Charlie, with his broads-and-booze jokes and his fraternal antagonism, could let Men take its comedy in a new direction.
    If done right, surely a show like that could survive. And imagine the revenge factor if it thrives.
    next blog: Wisconsin governor tells absent senators: Return or 1,500 get laid off

    3/03/2011

    Wisconsin governor tells absent senators: Return or 1,500 get laid off

    (CNN) -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday warned 14 absent lawmakers trying to stall his controversial budget bill to return to the state Capitol immediately to vote on the measure, or layoff notices will be sent to 1,500 public employees before the weekend.
    "Unfortunately, if we don't have action by tomorrow we have a legal and moral obligation to start forewarning people," Walker said a Thursday night press conference.
    The layoffs would take effect April 1, the governor said.(SONY NP-FW50 Battery)
    Walker's threat to start laying off workers capped the third week of a high-stakes drama playing out in Wisconsin.
    Meanwhile, a Dane County judge on Thursday issued an order barring demonstrators from the state Capitol after business hours. During protests, some demonstrators have been sleeping inside the building. The order from Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge John Albert gave the state Department of Administration the authority to forcibly remove anyone who refuses.
    Most of the protesters remaining at the Capitol Thursday evening appeared to abide by the judge's order. Some initially balked at the demand they leave the Capitol by the building's regular 6 p.m. closing time. (fujifilm np-40 Battery) However, a long line of demonstrators later filed out of the building chanting slogans, carrying bedrolls and banging homemade plastic drums.
    Wisconsin budget battle continues
    Concerns about safety risks arising from the nonstop presence of demonstrators at the Capitol were heightened Thursday with the discovery of 41 rounds of hollow-point rifle ammunition found outside the building.(SONY NP-BG1 Battery)
    Police continued their search for more ammunition, and the person to which it belongs, amid a contentious budget showdown over a measure that would -- among other things -- curb the collective bargaining rights of most state workers.
    Walker has repeatedly said the collective bargaining provisions of his bill are not negotiable. The governor showed little sign of backing down from that stance Thursday night.
    Instead, Walker repeatedly said he was "frustrated" by the intransigence of the 14 Democratic senators trying to stymie the bill by not showing up to vote. He blamed a core group of "extreme" dissenters for standing in the way of compromise.
    "What's probably the most frustrating is I keep getting the sense that many of these responsible senators are seeking a pathway home, however some of the more extreme members of that caucus are putting up a barrier to them," Walker said.
    Walker refused to name any of the senators he believes are blocking negotiations.(OLYMPUS LI-10B Battery) The governor said he and Republican House Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald have been trying to negotiate with some Democrats. Walker refused to talk about what "specifics are on the table."
    Weeks of demonstrations in protest of Gov. Scott Walker's proposal have drawn massive crowds to the state legislature since mid-February, contributing to $6.5 million in damages and other costs, state Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said during a hearing Thursday. The hearing examined the question of public access to the building.
    Meanwhile, the state Senate approved a resolution that would hold absentee Democratic lawmakers "in contempt of the Senate" should they not return to the Capitol by late afternoon. ( canon bp-511 Battery )The missing lawmakers -- who left February 17 -- had still not returned by Thursday night.
    The contempt measure allows state law enforcement to detain and return the 14 Senate Democrats to Wisconsin, according to Senate Majority Leader spokesman Andrew Welhouse.
    Walker said he would prefer that the absent senators return of their own accord.
    "I personally am going to ... try and compel these senators to come back in terms of making an offer," Walker said.
    The lawmakers fled to Illinois to prevent a quorum for voting on the state's budget repair bill, which would limit collective bargaining to wages and require public workers, with the exception of police and firefighters, to cover more of their retirement plans and health care premiums.(OLYMPUS LI-40B Battery)
    But whether the contempt measure is constitutional remains unclear. The state Constitution prohibits the arrest of lawmakers while the legislature is in session, except for "treason, felony and breach of the peace."
    Whether Wisconsin law enforcement would be permitted jurisdiction in Illinois to detain the missing Democrats is also unclear.
    The stalemate has proven increasingly contentious in recent days as Senate lawmakers adopted a resolution on Wednesday that would fine absentee lawmakers $100 every day they remain missing.
    A similar resolution passed a day later in Indiana, where House Republicans imposed a $250-a-day fine against AWOL Democrats who -- like their Wisconsin counterparts -- fled to Illinois in protest of a labor bill.
    In Wisconsin, Republicans need a single Democrat to cross party lines and rejoin the 33-member legislature to meet the quorum of 20 lawmakers required in a vote on state fiscal matters. (SONY NP-FW50 Battery)Only 17 lawmakers are required for most other issues.
    Union leaders have agreed to pay more for benefits, but view restricting bargaining rights as an assault on workers' rights.
    Gov. Walker took to the airwaves Wednesday in support of his belt-tightening measure.
    "Every day we fail to act on this just adds more and more to the cost," he told reporters, defending the curtailing of collective bargaining as an integral part of fiscal reform.
    Wisconsin is confronted with a looming $137 million shortfall at the end of the fiscal year, June 30. The state faces a $3.6 billion budget gap by 2013.