Authoritative western biznes-zhurnal Forbes, known mainly by their ratings of the richest people in the world, suddenly decided to step back from the boring economic surveys. Fresh weekly number pleased readers detailed story about the benefits of an active sex life. Journalists pooled results of the ten independent research in this area and to prepare a recipe sexual well-being. How useful is it sex? 1. Life expectancy. Specialists Queen’s University in Belfast, a study in which they traced dependence overall health of the frequency of sexual contact. The researchers analysed data on the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over a period of ten years. It was found that among the men who had the greatest orgasm, mortality was half that of those who have not had sex. 2. Improved sense of smell. After increasing production of sex hormone prolactin. This, in turn, prompts stem cells in the brain to form new neurons in the olfactory center. 3. Decreased risk of heart disease. After Queen’s University research scientists in 2001 focused on the cardiovascular system. They found that men who do have sex three times a week or more, the likelihood of heart attack and stroke is reduced by half. 4. Losing weight, improving overall. Sex is also a physical activity. One passionate sex burns 200 calories, as many as fifteen-minute running on the race track or the party in the back. The sexually opened rights pulse frequency increased from 70 to 150 times per minute, as well as the athlete, who has made a maximum effort. In addition, the muscles during sexual intercourse developing hips, thighs, buttocks, arms and chest. Classes sex also increase production of testosterone, which leads to strengthen bones and muscles. Men’s Health magazine called the bed, the best sports projectile, ever invented. ” 5. Decreased depression. This is a result of a study conducted in 2002 among 293 women. American psychologist Gordon Gallup found that sexually active women whose partners during sexual acts did not use condoms were less subject to depression than those women whose partners use condoms. One possible explanation of such a relationship is that prostoglandin, hormone, which is found in semen, enters the female genital tract, thus controlling the production of female hormones. 6. Anesthesia. Immediately before orgasm hormone oxytocin levels increased five times compared to its normal level. This, in turn, leads to the formation of nervous, which have an analgesic effect in any kind of pain, from headaches to arthritis and pain to even migraines. For women, sex also lead to the production of estrogen, which can suppress pain associated with pre period. 7. Decreased likelihood of influenza and colds. The University of Pennsylvania study was carried out, according to people who do have sex once or twice a week, the number of antibody called immunoglobulin A 30% higher than for those who commit less. These antibodies known to be the immune system. 8. Improving the state of the bladder. Have you heard of Dr. Kegelya exercises for the muscles of the reproductive organs? We are doing it without even realizing it, every time stop urinating. So, the same muscles working and during sexual intercourse. 9. Improving the state of their teeth. In spermoplazme contains zinc, calcium and other minerals that have been shown to slow the destruction of the teeth. Thinking of the children would not specify how those minerals are short of the target. Suffice it to say that such a method might be more effective and, above all, more fun than traditional squeezing toothpaste from a tube. Incidentally, the scientists found that hygiene rules require brushing teeth before and after sexual intercourse, which in itself contributes to healthy teeth. 10. Healthy predstatelnaya iron? Some urologists believe there is a correlation between the incidence of adolescent development and prostate cancer. The arguments are as follows : for the production of semen predstatelnaya iron and seed bubbles are removed from blood products such as zinc, lemon acid, potassium and then increase their concentration up to 600 times. Carcinogenicity, also present in the blood, too concentrated. Rather than keep these concentrated carcinogens in the body, better to be rid of them. This can be done through good old sex. But if your goal is simply cleansing prostate, it will be better to masturbation, especially if you have multiple partners, as sex with multiple partners, in itself, may increase the risk of cancer by 40%.

With Miami Beach just minutes away, it’’s hard to ignore the stunning views from Essex House Hotel and Suites. A Collins Avenue legend, the hotel is designed in a rich art deco style, courting guests from around the world to enjoy some of Miami’s best. Built in 1938, The Essex House stands today as one of the area’s finest in design and comfort. 60 elegant guest rooms can be found in the four-storey main building, with an additional 14 luxury suites in the tropical courtyard.
You can’t miss this boutique hotel on the edge of Collins Ave, lighting up the street with a modern twist and open foyer that fills up nightly with visitors and the Miami crowd. A hand-painted Everglades mural in the lobby is just one of the original pieces of artwork adorning its walls. Each room is flawlessly decorated with art deco prints, a queen sized bed, and plush furniture. Or, choose the courtyard suite for a king size bed and Jacuzzi tub. Large windows in each room offer an attractive view of the bustling Miami downtown scene below.
Head to the hotel’s House Lounge for exceptional service; each night, the venue opens up with an inviting cocktail reception, but you can also get comfortable on the chaise loungers near the pool to sip a martini. A popular spot for an after-party cocktail, the sophisticated and comfortable area is also perfect for enjoying a drink before a night on the town. Expect to wake up with a delicious spread of fresh fruit, pastries, cereal, and coffee; the courtyard and patio offers a nice spot to enjoy a gourmet continental breakfast the next day.
Fashion News Live rarely turns down the opportunity to book a room here; this classy and modern addition to the South Beach scene gives us plenty of time to enjoy a stylish and comfortable stay in Miami. Rocco G, host of Fashion News Live, recently stayed at the hotel for an FNL Launch Party at The Fifth.

From the LA Times today comes an article titled Iraq strategy geared to U.S. pullout. The recent offensive, Operation Phantom Thunder, is directed against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group responsible for the vast majority of suicide bombings. US forces are less engaged with Shiite militias, hoping that dealing with AQI will give the Mahdi army and splinter groups fewer reasons to create problems. Al Sadr is playing good cop for the moment, but eventually the central government is going to have to absorb or crush these groups — however, we’ve essentially decided that’s their problem, not ours. We’ll deal with the immediate violence and the Iraqis can deal with hammering out a Sunni/Shiite/Kurd power-sharing arrangement.

On the surface, this offensive sounds like the same old whack-a-mole tactics that have failed for several years, with US forces chasing insurgents in circles. It’s not. We’re finally holding areas as we clear them and working with both Shiite and Sunni leaders to isolate the insurgents and remove their support base. We’ve given up on trying to apply the quick-strike Rumsfeld doctrine to fighting a guerrilla war and are doing the job slowly, block by block, with boots on the ground. Where AQI has dug in, US forces are stepping through mines and bombs to get to them, and in a face-to-face fight we win. Where AQI manages to run, we leave enough force to prevent their return, and we work with the populace to create an environment hostile to AQI.

Petraeus and his chain of command are showing some welcome realism in assessing the situation in Iraq:

The point of the current mission, said David Kilcullen, Petraeus’ top counterinsurgency advisor, is not to help Iraq “turn a corner” that would allow the U.S. to leave the country in a state of peace. Instead, U.S. strategists hope to beat back militant groups enough to give Iraq’s Shiite-led government a chance to achieve some measure of stability. [...] “We haven’t turned the tide. We haven’t turned the corner, there isn’t light at the end of the tunnel. But what we have done is take a failing enterprise and put it on a sound long-term footing.”

We’ve learned from bitter experience that it is essential to retain control of areas after they are pacified:

The United States must not rush to withdraw forces from Iraq’s volatile Diyala province and other areas targeted in the latest American military offensive, a U.S. general said on Monday. Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard, the head of a U.S. military unit supporting Iraqi forces, said U.S. troops had withdrawn too quickly from Diyala in the past and violence then flared up. He said U.S. commanders had to be sure that Iraqi forces would be able to maintain security in Diyala, a region with substantial Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim populations, and other areas before handing over security operations to them.

This is part of a multi-pronged strategy that includes diplomatic as well as military efforts:

From the LA Times: If the U.S. can show dramatic progress against Al Qaeda, other pieces of the Iraqi puzzle may fall into place, Petraeus said. For example, Petraeus predicted that pushing back Al Qaeda would help advance what he sees as the most promising development of recent months, the decision by some Sunni tribal leaders to turn against Al Qaeda militants.From Michael Yon: our current leadership under Petraeus is adroitly pushing political buttons behind the curtains. Based on things I saw, heard, and even videotaped while out among Iraqi tribal leaders in Anbar, unseen hands are reaching out and finding peace with tribes where others found war. Based on what I see all around Iraq, and not just in Anbar, I believe intuitively that most of this war can be ended through smart politics.

It’s not going to be easy. AQI isn’t going to just roll over and die. But they’re becoming increasingly isolated and facing intense military pressure. The bombings that were once intended to inflame sectarian tensions are now aimed indiscriminately at Sunni and Shiite alike: A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a busy central Baghdad hotel, killing at least 12 people — most of them Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders meeting as part of Iraq’s reconciliation effort — Iraqi officials said. A horrible attack, and there will be more to come, with those Iraqis brave enough to stand for peace and stability being the primary targets. But also a sign that the Iraqis will not be played against each other by groups with outside interests and agendas.

There are significant obstacles to long-term stability in Iraq. There will be squabbles as each group tries to maximize its own power. The al Maliki government must find a way to control extremist Shiite elements. There are refugees who need safe homes, there are too many people without jobs, the Iraqi security forces are not sufficiently effective (or neutral). Americans don’t see those problems are ours to deal with; we’re all tired of the war, tired of the seemingly senseless deaths, tired of the mistakes.However, we’re finally pursuing the correct strategy in Iraq: stop the violence, clear and hold insurgent strongholds, and get the local populace working against AQI. If this works we should be able to draw-down troops while still retaining a force to back up the Iraqis if necessary, and this decrease in our presence will hopefully reduce anti-American tensions that are contributing to the current violence. We don’t have to fix everything in Iraq, and we’re not trying to. But we do have to give this new strategy a chance to succeed so we can leave behind a stable country.

Ok, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about the latest crime to become a media circus.  I’m sure by now most of you have heard about the murder of Jessie Davis, who was almost 9 months pregnant and was likely killed in front of her two year old child by the child’s father.  Since Davis and Cutts were a black/white couple and I am someone who studies black/white interracial relationships and who is in a black/white interracial relationship, I know many people are wondering what I think about this case.  I’m not here to offer any opinions on the particulars of the case¹ , but I do want to talk about the media coverage of the case.

I went around to a few blogs, and I visited AOL Blackvoices and a couple white supremacist message boards to see what they were saying, and quite frankly it was horrible.  Many people were saying that the victim deserved it; that she was “white trash;” that her child was ugly; and that she was a sleazy, homewrecking whore.  Not surprisingly, the accused murderer, who is the poster boy for anti-black stereotypes, was also being trashed as a violent womanizer who lusted after white women.  I can’t tell you how many racist and misogynistic comments I read; and not surprisingly the white supremacists were giddy over this case.² 

Terrence Says has a reasonable post, which anonymous bigots tried to take over in the comment thread, and in his post, Terrence engages with the question that many folks are thinking–is the media circus surrounding this case about race? Terrence cites a recent case of a white man who killed his white wife and three children:

Today, like Bobby Cutts, Jr. who was arrested in Ohio, Christopher Vaughn was also arrested. Christopher Vaughn was arrested two hours prior to the funeral of his family in St. Charles County, Missouri (suburban St. Louis) where the family originated; yet, so far, there has not been a mention of Vaughn’s arrest that I have been able to observe on the weekend news shows.

As sad and tragic as the Jessie Davis story is, I can’t help but wonder if this story had involved a missing pregnant black or Latina woman if it would have the same media traction.

Well several of the anonymous commenters went crazy, saying that the case received so much attention because Davis was pregnant, because Cutts was a cop, because the child was left in the house alone, and everything but race.  I certainly agree that all of those things make the story more sensational, but I really can’t fathom that it is much more sensational than the Vaugh family case mentioned above.  However, I find myself having a slight disagreement with Terrence.  I agree that white women victims get much more attention than Black, Asian, Latino, and American Indian women, and I agree that race is a big factor in the media attention the case has gotten, but I would be more specific than Terrence.

It’s about interracial sex.  Interracial crimes make big sensational news stories, but crimes that involve interracial sexuality arouse the deepest passions of American bigotry.  The OJ Simpson case, the Duke Rape, the Kobe Bryant rape case, and now this one–they all have tremendous sexual overtones.  For a long time, I was surprised at how much attention the Duke case received, because I was focused on the fact that the accuser in the case was black, but I missed the mark.  It’s more than the races of the people involved; if the crime is perceived as involving interracial sex, something snaps in people, suddenly they perk up.

The truth of the matter is that the US is a culture obsessed with interracial sex, but nobody will say this in polite company.  During the slave era and the Jim Crow era, white people spoke with repulsion and disgust at interracial sex even though many white men were routinely engaging in sexual encounters with black women. In the colorblind era, people are still obsessed with interracial sex.  However, they do not publicly say, “Wow, interracial sex is: bizarre, disgusting, exciting, adventurous, morally repugnant,” and so on.  That’s part of the reason nobody in the mainstream polite media is going to openly say–”Damn that negro had two white baby mama’s.  He must have really been packing some heat below the belt.  Why else would those white women be interested in him?” ³  Nobody is going to say, “Those white women are white trash, whores for sleeping with this black guy.  They probably only did it for his big dick.”  Nobody is going to say, “Why can’t these black men just take care of their kids and stopping hopping from bed to bed.  Only a white women with no self esteem will get with a guy like that.”  They are not saying these dispargaing comments publicly, but when they get home to their families and friends, they are saying it.  When they go on line to search for interracial porn, they are thinking it.  When they can leave anonymous comments on blogs, they are expressing it.

I think my traffic at this site is evidence for the American obsession with race and sex.  Within the last week here are a select few searches I have received:

• black men impregnating white women stories
• savages on blondes
• Biracial family pictures black and white
• BLACK ATHLETE MARRYING WHITE WOMEN
• Black men breeding white girls
• black negro slave woman naked pictures
• black women with white men in adult movies
• differences between white and black women’s breasts
• blacks in bed sexing
• george lucas in love black women
• how do you feel about interracial relationship

And this was a really slow week, I’ve gotten at least 100 searches over the past few months for “savages on blondes,” which was a popular racist pornographic website featuring black men who act like “savages” who want to have sex with white women.  I mentioned that site exactly one time on this blog, and I still get people looking for it. 

For some reason, people think interracial sex is exotic and daring, particularly when it involves Black men and white women and Asian women and white men.  Numerous people, who clearly have no random sample to draw from believe that race is correlated with penis size.  They believe race is correlated with a person’s level of sexual desire.  They believe people who engage in interracial sex are deviant, rebellious, daring, gross, odd, oversexed, and ugly. But, most of them will not admit it publicly.  Instead they go home and post horrible messages discussion boards. (Probably while masturbating to interracial porn.)  They try their best to hide their discomfort, but most interracial couples can see how the stares they get in public often belie the facade of tolerance.

When it comes to interracial sexuality, the US is still not ready to come to grips with our racism, and the discomfort with the intersection of race and sexuality fuels the public obession with many interracial crimes.

NOTE TO READERS: I know this thread is going to be an ultra-sensitive subject, and white supremacist trolls will likely be coming out of the woodwork, so I am limiting this thread to anti-racists and racial abolitionists only.  Moreover, this is not a thread to debate the merits of any of the cases mentioned in the text, so let’s focus on the larger issues.  Finally, anyone who leaves bigoted white supremacist comments will be banned immediately.

Amending The Note To Readers to include feminist posters as well.  So the thread is opened to anti-racists (or racial abolitionists) and feminists only.

1. I also want to say that my heart goes out to the family of Jessie Davis and her child.  I hope they are able to get justice in this case.
2. I have a policy of not linking to organized white supremacist sites, but you can check out the big ones to see what they are saying.
3. I don’t know if his wife is white or not, so I can’t comment on the third “baby mama.”

An Apple iPhone FAQ confirms an earlier rumor that VPN will be supported on the iPhone:

For secure Internet access, iPhone supports industry-standard Wi-Fi security and virtual private networking (VPN).

The FAQ also reveals some other answers, such as:

- 4 Digit Password can be used to protect iPhone
- Windows 2000 (SP4), Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Windows Vista.
- Photo of the iPhone Dock with bluetooth headset charger pictured

Finally the iPhone’s specs page is updated with more detailed capabilities:

Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
What comes in the box:

- iPhone
- Stereo Headset
- Dock
- Dock Connector to USB Cable
- USB Power Adapter
- Documentation
- Cleaning/polishing cloth

iTunes 7.3 (not yet released) is required for the iPhone.

New National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza is in hot water for his outspoken criticism of his bosses, according to Miami Herald stories published in the past few days. The acting head of the National Weather Service, Mary Glackin, visited his office in Miami Friday and handed him a three-page letter of reprimand. Proenza shared the contents of the letter with his staff and the media, a pretty gutsy move for a guy just appointed to the job. However, Proenza’s boss, Ms. Glackin, is on the job for just a few more months–on September 2, Jack Hayes takes over as boss of the National Weather Service. Proenza can probably get away with his criticism of his bosses while there a major shake up at the top. See the View From the Surface blog this week for further speculations, and for any follow-up articles that might be published on this topic.

Figure 1. The NASA QuikSCAT satellite. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory.

Replacement for the aging QuikSCAT satellite?
Proenza has been particularly outspoken in his desire to see a replacement for the aging QuikSCAT satellite, which measures surface winds over remote ocean areas, and has been credited with improving 72-hour hurricane track forecasts by 16%. His comments may be having an effect. On May 24, the improved Hurricane Tracking and Forecasting Act of 2007 (Senate Bill S. 1509) was introduced before the Senate. The bill, introduced by Sen. Landrieu, D-LA, and co-sponsored by John Kerry and Florida’s two senators, asks for $375 million to build a replacement for the QuikSCAT satellite. Bravo to Mr. Proenza for speaking out on this important issue! Some excepts from the bill:

(5) The QuikSCAT satellite was built in just 12 months and was launched with a 3-year design life, but continues to perform per specifications, with its backup transmitter, as it enters into its 8th year–5 years past its projected lifespan.

(B) greater inaccuracy of this type would lead to more `false alarm’ evacuations along the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast and decrease the possibility of impacted populations sufficiently heeding mandatory evacuations.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and awaits consideration there. The Chair of that committee is Senator Inouye from hurricane-prone Hawaii, so the bill has a decent chance of making it out of committee to the Senate floor. If your senator is on the committee, please write them to let them know what you think about the bill:

Democrats:
Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Thomas Carper (DE)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)

Republicans:
Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (AK)
John McCain (AZ)
Trent Lott (MS)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
Gordon H. Smith (OR)
John Ensign (NV)
John E. Sununu (NH)
Jim DeMint (SC)
David Vitter (LA)
John Thune (SD)

There is no activity in the tropical Atlantic worth mentioning, and none of the computer models are forecasting any development over the coming week. I’ll have a new blog on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A divided Supreme Court on Monday curtailed free-speech rights for students, ruling against a teenager who unfurled a banner saying “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” because the message could be interpreted as promoting drug use.

In its first major decision on student free-speech rights in nearly 20 years, the high court’s conservative majority ruled that a high school principal did not violate the student’s rights by confiscating the banner and suspending him.

The decision marked a continuing shift to the right by the court since President George W. Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. The court has issued a series of narrow 5-4 decisions on divisive social issues like abortion and the death penalty.

In another decision on Monday by the same 5-4 vote, the court ruled taxpayers cannot challenge Bush’s use of government funds to finance social programs operated by religious groups.

“Both of these First Amendment cases reflect the clear right-wing trend of the Roberts court. Unmistakably. Both are clearly wrong,” said Abner Greene, a Fordham University law professor.

In the school case, student Joseph Frederick said the banner’s language was meant to be nonsensical and funny, a prank to get on television as the Winter Olympic torch relay passed by the school in January 2002 in Juneau, Alaska.

But school officials say the phrase “bong hits” refers to smoking marijuana. Principal Deborah Morse suspended Frederick for 10 days because she said the banner advocated or promoted illegal drug use in violation of school policy.

The majority opinion written by Roberts agreed with Morse. He said a principal may restrict student speech at a school event when it is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use.

YOUTH DRUG ABUSE ‘SERIOUS’ PROBLEM

Drug abuse by the nation’s youth is a serious problem, Roberts said.

Liberal Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented on the free-speech issue.

“Although this case began with a silly nonsensical banner, it ends with the court inventing out of whole cloth a special First Amendment rule permitting the censorship of any student speech that mentions drugs,” Stevens wrote.

Justice Stephen Breyer said he would have decided the case without reaching the free-speech issue by ruling the principal cannot be held liable for damages.

The Bush administration supported Morse and argued that public schools do not have to tolerate a message inconsistent with its basic educational mission.

Kenneth Starr, the former special prosecutor who investigated former President Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, argued the case for Morse and said the ruling has implications for public school districts nationwide.

Morse said, “I am gratified that the Supreme Court has upheld the application of our common sense policies.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Frederick, criticized the ruling for allowing censorship of student speech without any evidence that school activities had been disrupted.

“The court’s ruling imposes new restrictions on student speech rights and creates a drug exception to the First Amendment,” said Steven Shapiro, its national legal director.

HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) – It feels like a cigarette, looks like a cigarette but it isn’t bad for your health.

A Chinese company marketing the world’s first “electronic” cigarette hopes to double sales this year as it expands overseas and as some of China’s legions of smokers try to quit.

Golden Dragon Group Ltd’s Ruyan cigarettes are battery-powered, cigarette-shaped devices that deliver nicotine to inhalers in a bid to emulate actual smoking.

“The nicotine is delivered to the lungs within 7 to 10 seconds,” said Scott Fraser, Vice President of SBT Co. Ltd., the Beijing-based firm that first developed the electronic cigarette technology in 2003 and which is now controlled by Golden Dragon.

“It feels like a cigarette, looks like a cigarette, it even emits vapor. In many ways, it is like an actual smoking experience, and that’s what makes us different,” he told Reuters.

The cigarettes sell for around 1,600 yuan ($208) apiece and are already available in China, Israel, Turkey, and a number of European countries, but not yet the United States.

Golden Dragon’s competitors include global giants Pfizer and Novartis AG, which sell more familiar nicotine replacement products such as chewing gum, patches, and inhalers.

But Golden Dragon’s financial results show it might be onto a good thing. Sales more than doubled to HK$286.1 million in 2006, after surging more than ten-fold to HK$135.6 million in 2005, a year after the technology was perfected.

China — home to 400 million smokers and a roughly $160 billion dollar tobacco industry — accounts for 65 percent of Ruyan sales. The firm estimates around 10 percent of China’s smokers are attempting to quit, and averaging a 2 percent success rate.

Perhaps due to the raging insecurities of playing catchup to Hitachi’s 1TB disk, Seagate just announced a couple more 1TB drives in what has quickly become a confusing HDD line-up. Joining their previously announced 1TB Barracuda 7200.10 are the SATA-equipped Barracuda 7200.11 for consumers and business class Barracuda ES.2 with SAS interface. This time however, Seagate had the good manners to at least provide a date and price: Q3 and $399.99. Right, exactly the same price as Hitachi’s 7K1000.

Update: Seagate just gave us some clarification on the 7200.10 vs. 7200.11: “The 7200.10 that was announced was a 250GB single-platter design; the purpose of it was to leverage the new areal densities we achieved and put it into the current 7200.10 chassis with the core electronics. It is shipping today. The 7200.11 and ES.2 use the same areal densities but are a new generation design with updated electronics, etc.” So there you have it.