Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/southkoreanews/posts/511011805596293
rand paul mark kirk florida gop debate freddie mac kristin cavallari oscar nominations rough riders
সোমবার, ৩১ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
রবিবার, ৩০ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Donohue: Chewing tobacco is not without its own cancer risks
Dr. Paul Donohue
Dear Dr. Donohue: I was washing the clothes of my 17-year-old son when I found a tin of chewing tobacco. Needless to say, I was very upset. I confronted my son about it after school. He told me that a lot of his friends use it and that it is ?no big deal ? at least I?m not smoking!? I told him it is a big deal because it is just as dangerous as cigarettes and I reminded him of our family?s history of cancer. My father, his two brothers and two of his sisters all died of different cancers.
Can you please try to explain to my teenage son the danger of chewing tobacco? Thank you. ? A.M.
As the parent of three teenagers, I empathize with your frustration. Trying to explain the increased risks of disease to someone who knows perfectly well what it means but doesn?t really believe that it could ever happen to him is nearly impossible. But I will try, since there is a belief that smokeless tobacco is safe. It isn?t.
The major risk of smokeless tobacco is in head and neck cancers ? lip, mouth, tongue, throat. Having taken care of many of these patients, I can attest to the terrible pain and disfigurement that come from the disease and its treatment. But your best bet may be to talk about your son?s family members who died from cancer. Discussing real people who have been through it may get through better than statistics about increased risks. A family member with esophageal or pancreatic cancer also would be important, since there is incontrovertible evidence that chewing tobacco causes these as well.
Is it safer than smoking? Yes. But playing Russian roulette with one bullet in the chamber is safer than playing Russian roulette with two.
Dear Dr. Donohue: My mother was 82 when she died. She had Alzheimer?s disease. My brother, who is 68, is beginning to show the same symptoms that my mother had at about the same age. I am 14 months younger than my brother, and I am wondering what, if anything, my brother and I can do to slow the possible onset of Alzheimer?s. I understand that genetics plays an important role in the odds of us having this terrible illness. ? L.F.
This turns out to be a very difficult question to answer. The risk of having Alzheimer?s disease at age 65 is about 13 percent overall. However, if both of your parents had Alzheimer?s, your risk at age 65 is about 36 percent. Having a parent (or sibling) clearly increases the risk. The risk goes even higher as we get older.
There are blood tests that claim to predict risk of Alzheimer?s disease; none of them is perfect.
There currently is no proven method of prevention that is generally accepted; however, most authorities believe that reducing risk of vascular disease, by controlling those risk factors, also can reduce risk of Alzheimer?s. These include not smoking and controlling blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar. Some evidence also suggests that keeping an active mind throughout adulthood may be important. There are promising treatments on the horizon for early Alzheimer?s disease as well.
DR. PAUL DONOHUE is a syndicated columnist with North America Syndicate Inc., P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
Source: http://lubbockonline.com/health/2012-12-28/donohue-chewing-tobacco-not-without-its-own-cancer-risks
nhl all star draft seal team 6 touch nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo arizona governor patrick witt
শনিবার, ২৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
"In India, one woman's death may mark a sea change against sexual harrassment an...
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
baylor april 9 albatross louis oosthuizen phil mickelson 10 year old gives birth c. difficile
Stocks extend losses ahead of 'fiscal cliff' talks
1 day
Stocks took another beating for the fifth-consecutive session Friday, with the Dow logging its worst weekly drop in six, after a report that President Barack Obama said he is not going to make a new budget offer during the "fiscal cliff" summit at the White House.
Instead, Obama plans to lay out what is clear can pass with a majority in both the House and Senate and what most American people support, which includes protecting everyone making $250,000 and less from seeing their taxes go up.
The?Dow Jones Industrial Average?dropped 158.20 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 12.938.11, dragged down?by?Hewlett-Packard?and?ExxonMobil.
The?S&P 500?slumped 15.67 points, or 1.11 percent, to end at 1,402.43. The?Nasdaq?declined 25.60 points, or 0.86 percent, to finish at 2,960.31. The?CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, spiked to close above 22 for the first time since June.
For the week, the?Dow?tumbled 1.92 percent, the?S&P 500?fell 1.94 percent, and the?Nasdaq?dropped 2.01 percent. Most Dow components ended in the red for the week, dragged by?Hewlett-Packard?and?Microsoft, while?Bank of America?squeezed out a small gain.
"Traders are so cautious and investors are also worried," said Stephen Guilfoyle of Meridian Equity Partners.?
President Barack Obama?met with a bi-partisan group of congressional leaders?at the White House, just days before the deadline to reach a deal or see the a series of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes come into force. If a deal is not possible, Obama and the leaders would leave the resolution to the next Congress to address in January.
Earlier, stocks came off their lows as investors latched onto a glimmer of hope amid reports of?progress toward a potential deal. According to sources, negotiations revolved around permitting taxes to rise to Clinton-era levels on incomes above $400,000, the level in Obama's last offer to Republican House Speaker John Boehner before their negotiations fell apart earlier this month.
Hewlett-Packard?confirmed that the Justice Department is looking into its allegations that?Autonomy?engaged in accounting fraud prior to its acquisition by HP last year.
Apple?dipped after a Chinese court fined the iPhone maker $160,000 for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, Xinhua news agency said. Apple shares have declined nearly 25 percent in the last three months. The stock hit an all-time high of $705 in mid-September.
Barnes & Noble?jumped after British publisher?Pearson?said it will buy a 5 percent stake in the bookstore chain's digital Nook and college bookstore businesses for $89.5 million. Separately, Barnes & Noble said it expects holiday sales to be below forecasts and that its Nook business will not meet prior full-year 2013 projections.
Among airlines, Raymond James raised its price target on?Delta Airlines,?Southwest Airlines,?U.S. Airways,?Spirit Airlines?and?Alaska Air.
On the economic front, pending home sales rose to the highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, climbing 1.7 percent in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.?
And the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said its index of Midwest business activity rose to 51.6 in December from 50.4 in November, edging past expectations for 51.0.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wall-street-extends-losses-week-1C7753031
kate gosselin helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo resolute national enquirer whitney houston casket photo jk rowling
Nowhere to use Japan's growing plutonium stockpile
ROKKASHO, Japan (AP) ? How is an atomic-powered island nation riddled with fault lines supposed to handle its nuclear waste? Part of the answer was supposed to come from this windswept village along Japan's northern coast.
By hosting a high-tech facility that would convert spent fuel into a plutonium-uranium mix designed for the next generation of reactors, Rokkasho was supposed to provide fuel while minimizing nuclear waste storage problems. Those ambitions are falling apart because years of attempts to build a "fast breeder" reactor, which would use the reprocessed fuel, appear to be ending in failure.
But Japan still intends to reprocess spent fuel at Rokkasho. It sees few other options, even though it will be extracting plutonium that could be used to make nuclear weapons.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nowhere-japans-growing-plutonium-stockpile-064038796.html
বুধবার, ২৬ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
jonfinchy: medicate sophi: charlesmurra8: Speed reading apps for ...
23 Dec
I installed some speed reading apps and tested them. I?ve so far notices a few ?categories? or groups of equals:
- One kind exists mostly from showing a text word by word in the middle of the screen. Showing each word a very short time and so you can read at a high wpm because you never need to move your eyes.
- Another kind is merely a speed reading article disguised as app.
- Another kind is no speed reading app but just a reading app with a fancy name.
- Yet another kind is training in the form of news/actually.
- And the last kind is a training app, not for your own stuff but purely for training.
I only tested them quickly and unions talked the non-interesting. But they aren?t quite what I?m looking for. Maybe I should write one myself for training and guided reading.
This entry was posted in Other and tagged Android, Self Improvement, Speed Reading. Bookmark the permalink.
Source: http://www.tjenwellens.eu/other/speed-reading-apps-for-android/
oscars red carpet jennifer lopez wardrobe malfunction hugo hugo nfl combine 84th annual academy awards beginners
Like this:
Be the first to like this.
Source: http://pygytafac.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/speed-reading-apps-for-android-tjen-wellens/
portland trailblazers will kopelman dakota fanning casey anthony video diary lamarcus aldridge justin timberlake engaged bluefin tuna
Source: http://charlesmurra8.blogspot.com/2012/12/speed-reading-apps-for-android-tjen.html
SEC Championship Game 2012 kansas city chiefs Javon Belcher express kindle fire Jenny Johnson olivier martinez
Source: http://medicate-sophi.blogspot.com/2012/12/charlesmurra8-speed-reading-apps-for.html
boardwalk empire iOS 6 Release Date Canelo Alvarez Chavez vs Martinez Yunel Escobar Irish Daily Star seth macfarlane
Source: http://jonfinchy.blogspot.com/2012/12/medicate-sophi-charlesmurra8-speed.html
chicago weather forecast narcolepsy narcolepsy weather st louis faceoff kings island red hot chili peppers tour
Provigil denver post dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer Jon Lord weather.com
U.S. urges Egyptians to bridge divisions after constitutional vote
This holiday season is not awesome for Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a Republican member of the "Gang of Eight" and a Mormon bishop, after police caught him driving drunk in Virginia. This is what happens when you slug down too many egg nogs, hop in your car, run a red light in front of a police cruiser at 12:45 a.m. and then fail "several" sobriety tests. Police took the senator into custody, charged him with a DUI and released him on a $1,000 bail. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-urges-egyptians-bridge-divisions-constitutional-vote-201816648.html
danielle fishel aaron rodgers FedEx Gabriel Aubry halle berry notre dame notre dame football
মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Tis the Season to Find a New Relationship - Huffington Post
It's that time of the year again. The days are short. The nights are cold. And warm family events and holiday parties can provoke longings in divorced people to once again have an enriching and meaningful relationship. Online dating companies pick up on this collective yearning and bombard customers with invitations to step up and join the hordes of people online looking for love.
But online dating is not for the fainthearted. Meeting and talking to complete strangers, while sometimes interesting, can also be discouraging and downright depressing. As one of my clients put it, "I've been doing it for a long time and haven't found anyone. It depresses me and who wants to go out with a depressed person?"
My suggestion to clients is to approach online dating like they are walking into a giant garage sale. It's a huge pool of people from all walks of life and with a myriad of motivations for being there. Like in a garage sale, they'll likely find lots of stuff that is of no interest at all. They might find something that is intriguing or entertaining, even just for a moment. Very very occasionally they might stumble on a breathtaking treasure, the human equivalent of finding a perfectly fitting Donna Karen dress with the tags still attached or a beautiful antique necklace buried in a pile of junk. It does happen, though it can take months or even years.
Here are some tips on how to survive online dating and find success.
1. Keep a sense of humor. Anyone who dates online can tell you war stories -- horrible dates that could have sent them fleeing offline forever. I heard a good one the other day about a guy who went to pick up his online date and found that she wanted to stay home and cook dinner for him. Why? She was wearing an ankle monitor and would be arrested if she went out. Try to laugh off even the most absurd conversations or situations, even if you're running for your car while you're laughing. Having a buddy to share tales with can be helpful too. Go home and call him or her and relay what happened with humor. It'll help you get past it.
2. Have a steel spine. If your date walks into the coffee shop or bar and his or her face visibly falls with disappointment, try your hardest not to take it personally. You're just not their cup of tea, that's all. Carry on. There'll be someone else out there who'll think you're the best thing ever.
3. Listen hard. Pay close attention to what your date says, not what he or she writes. A lot of people spin a fine tale in their profiles about their romantic aspirations. When you actually meet face to face, keep your antenna finely tuned. Ask questions and listen. In most cases, the way people talk about their past relationships can be a good gauge of how they will act in relationship with you.
4. Don't settle. Be clear with yourself about what you're looking for. Otherwise you'll get sidetracked and waste time. It's easy to find fragments of the person you ultimately want to be with. Hold out for the whole package.
5. Don't waste time. There are people online who don't want to really connect, but want to alleviate their loneliness by becoming pen pals. If you see this happening, move on fast.
6. Don't give up. It's a numbers game. Some are lucky enough to find their partner quickly. Others will look for a long time before they find their mate. Keep on rummaging. You'll find your treasure.
Please share below any thoughts you have about this topic. What is your experience with online dating?
?
"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-gallagher/tis-the-season-to-find-a-_b_2258804.html
rachel maddow gia la riots new jersey devils torn acl derrick rose injury st louis news
Sara Errani's notable 2012 year ? Tennis News | bettor.com
Sara Errani?s notable 2012 year ? Tennis News
Italian number one, Sara Errani, had the most successful tenure in the year 2012 and has a fair chance to face the challenges for the upcoming year. She is one of the finest players ready to improve her world ranking and bring laurels to her homeland.
The right-hander Italian professional started her year with a decent performance and made it to the quarter-finals of ASB Classic held at the hard courts of Auckland. She made it until the quarter-finals of Australian Open held in the Melbourne Park. She rallied past all her challengers in straight sets but in the end, faced a loss at the hands of higher ranked Petra Kvitova.
At the Whirlpool Monterrey Open held at the hard courts of Mexico, she suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of Timea Babos. She picked pace at the Abierto Mexicano and bagged home victory in three sets against the higher ranked Flavia Pennetta.
The world number six, Errani, performance enhanced her calibre at the clay courts of Barcelona Ladies Open. She outmuscled the higher ranked German, Julia Goerges and eventually consolidated a win against Dominika Cibulkova in the title match of the tournament. At the Budapest Grand Prix, she was the top seeded challenger, skilfully making to the final round.
At the French Open, she manifested an outstanding transcend and nudged past several higher ranked professionals, including Angelique Kerber and Samantha Stosur. In the final round, she was paired with the Russian beauty Maria Sharapova but suffered a heavy loss at the hands of second seeded opponent. At the Wimbledon Championships, she made it until the third round and encountered an unexpected defeat at the hands of the Yaroslava Shvedova.
She exhibited an average performance at the hard court tournaments, as she was unable to make it to the later rounds. She made it until the New Haven Open at Yale and was bestowed with a straight-sets defeat at the hands of the Czech rival, Petra Kvitova.
The 25-year-old constructed her focus in the US Open held at New York. As a result, she improved her rank to a considerable extent with some brilliant performances. She was the semi-finalist at the US Open Grand Slam and forcefully defeated the German number one, Kerber, but was unable to face the might of the American challenger, Serena Williams, in the end.
The Italian professional has a fair chance to take the lead and become the top-five professional. In the doubles category, she has shown a proactive game plan with her compatriot, Roberta Vinci. She has a lot more potential than most of the players at her age and posses great abilities to take on any top rated tennis star.?
Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Sara-Erranis-notable-2012-year-Tennis-News-a210859
maurice jones drew Yash Chopra George McGovern braxton miller braxton miller Whitney Heichel Tippi Hedren
রবিবার, ২৩ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Christopherson Business Travel ? Why Small and Mid-Size ...
In tough economic times, businesses are always seeking new ways to reduce costs. One way to both save money and improve business traveler satisfaction is by adopting a corporate travel management program.
While most large corporations have such programs in place, many smaller companies do not and could definitely benefit from implementing one. Additionally, a well-managed corporate travel policy ensures better corporate compliance and traveler satisfaction.
- Make a plan and keep it comprehensible: Work with the finance department to make a simple, easy to understand program, putting policies and procedures in place.
- Get ?buy-in? from upper management: Develop a financial proposal detailing the projected cost savings through a managed travel program. Market internally to gain support from both upper management and employees.
- Find a travel management company: Develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) to evaluate each travel management company. (Of course, we would love to be considered.)
- Communicate effectively: A travel portal is a key component for communication. Portals hold all pertinent travel program data and are available to travelers 24/7.
- Train your travelers: Let your travelers know why your company implemented the new program and how to book through the new system. If the traveler is not educated, the program is ineffective.
- Show results: Let the travelers know how they?re doing and show upper management the cost savings resulting from the new program.
A successful managed travel program can significantly reduce costs while increasing traveler satisfaction.
Source: http://blog.cbtravel.com/?p=7713
creutzfeldt jakob disease the lone ranger yu darvish mad cow pennsylvania primary jerome simpson hand sanitizer
শনিবার, ২২ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
HP Envy 23-d060qd TouchSmart
The HP Envy 23-d060qd TouchSmart ($1,720 direct) is HP's latest evolution of its veteran all-in-one PC line. Filled to the brim with technology, the ENVY 23-060qd TouchSmart is a built-to-order system with a speedy quad-core processor, upgraded 3D graphics, loads of system memory, a huge hard drive, and that 1080p 10-finger touch screen. It has all the specs to keep a speeds-and-feeds nut drooling, but it also has the touch interface to take advantage of Windows 8 on a desktop. Competitors have narrowed the once vast lead HP had with its TouchSmart PCs, but HP shows that it can still produce very good touch PCs when you are willing to spend some of your hard-earned cash.
Design and Features
Sporting a design evolving from the older HP Omni 27-1015t, the ENVY 23-d060qd TouchSmart hops to the next logical step. Since Windows 8 on the desktop really only comes alive when paired with a touch screen, the ENVY 23-d060qd comes with a full 10-finger capacitive touch screen that's quick, responsive, and has a full edge-to-edge flush glass surface. This is an improvement over older optical touch screens like the one on the HP TouchSmart 620-1080 3D. That screen comes in with 1080p full HD 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, giving you the full screen you need when viewing HD videos online or using the included Blu-ray player. The screen can also be used with a game console like an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3
using the included HDMI-in port.
The screen tilts back a decent amount, enough to make it easy to touch the screen from a seated or standing position, though it doesn't tilt back far enough for full time use. The older, more complex design on the HP 620-3D lets you use the touch screen full time. That said, the Envy 23-060qd does tilt back further than the Editors' Choice Asus ET2701INKI-B046C. Alleviating the Envy 23-d060qd's shorter tilt are the included wireless keyboard and mouse. You can use the mouse for precision tasks (like selecting text) and use the touch screen for broad navigation and Windows 8 gestures. The Envy 23-060qd's screen is rock steady while using the touch screen, something that can't be said for some laptops and desktops with touch screens.
In addition to the HDMI-in port and slot-loading Blu-ray drive on the right, the Envy 23-d060qd comes with a pair of USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, and a SD card reader on the left. The system's four USB 2.0 ports, power, and Ethernet are on the system's back panel. The system uses an external power brick, so make sure you have space for it. We'd have preferred the four USB ports in the back to be USB 3.0 as well to alleviate confusion, but that said, having the USB 3.0 ports on the side are more convenient for connecting portable drives and USB memory keys. The headphone jack and speakers are Beats Audio branded, and sound from the speakers was sufficient for home office or den use. The system comes with a subwoofer-out port, which can be used with a third party subwoofer or HP's Pulse subwoofer ($130 list). In our testing, the HP Pulse subwoofer helps, but we'd deem it necessary only if you're using the Envy 23-d060qd as your primary entertainment source, like in a teen's bedroom, college dorm, or small apartment.
The system comes with a few added programs, including eBay, Snapfish (HP Connected Photo), and the like. They are mostly relegated to tiles in the Windows 8 interface, where they help populate that screen to make it less empty than a stock Win 8 system. There are a couple of icons on the desktop mode, but they are easily tossed in the recycle bin. Gone is HP's former TouchSmart mode, but new users probably won't miss that screen, as it was an added interface to make Windows Vista and Windows 7 more touch-friendly.
Performance
The Envy 23-d060qd comes with 12GB of DDR3 system memory (upgradable to 16GB), a 3TB 7,200rpm SATA hard drive, a quad core Intel Core i7-3770S processor, and 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics. Though upgradable to 16GB of memory, you probably will never have to upgrade, as 12GB is certainly enough for home and enthusiast use for the 5 to 7 years you plan on keeping the Envy 23-d060qd. Likewise 3TB is enough to keep a family's photos, videos, and music together, any more and we'd suggest buying a NAS (network attached storage) drive to share your digital life with the family. The HP ENVY 23-d060qd's benchmark scores were decent, though they lagged slightly behind the former high-end Editors' Choice Dell XPS One 27
and the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C on the general PCMark 7 test, which tests day-to-day scenarios. The HP Envy was competitive with the current high-end Editors' Choice Apple iMac 27-inch (Late 2012) on the multimedia benchmark tests. The Envy 23-060qd should feel fast enough for most of its usable life.
The HP Envy 23-060qd TouchSmart comes in with most of the features that you'd want on a high end all-in-one desktop: a large 1080p HD screen, 10 finger touch, a large hard drive and lots of system memory that you won't have to upgrade anytime soon, wireless everything, and even a Blu-ray player for your movies. The USB 3.0 ports are convenient, and the screen is rock solid when used as a touch screen. However, systems that lean back closer to a flat angle like the older TouchSmart 620 3D are more comfortable for touch screen use full time. Plus, with the advent of Windows 8, other systems like the Asus Aspire 7600U (A7600U-UR308) are competitive on a usability basis, though the HP outclasses the Asus on the system memory, processor, and hard drive capacity fronts.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Envy 23-d060qd TouchSmart with several other desktops side by side.
More desktop reviews:
??? HP Envy 23-d060qd TouchSmart
??? Apple iMac 21.5-Inch (Late 2012)
??? Apple iMac 27-Inch (Late 2012)
??? Lenovo IdeaCentre K430
??? Acer Aspire 7600U (A7600U-UR308)
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/dZjwJW7_DDo/0,2817,2413458,00.asp
tesla model s act Black Ops 2 Secede ben roethlisberger Diwali elmo
বৃহস্পতিবার, ২০ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
STV showbiz reporter Laura Boyd reflects on Christmas with cancer
Christmas is always a time for reflection and when I look back on 2012, I can do so with a smile, as I have had a pretty fun-filled and exciting year.
More than anything, I have remained relatively healthy ? healthier than I ever have been since being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009.
Now, my boss has warned me before not to get overly schmaltzy in my blog postings, but A. I am a pretty schmaltzy person, B. It?s Christmas, and C. I?m alive! So this could get gushy?
I filmed my final blog of 2012 at Maggie?s Centre, a place that has become very special to me over the past few years.
I am now an ambassador for the charity and last week saw them host their annual Christmas party, which I attended, along with my parents.
I even managed to persuade my old singing teacher from school, Hilary Dickie, to come along and play some Christmas tunes at the event.
It was a lovely day and so nice to see many visitors, who aren?t going through the best of times, smiling, relaxed and soaking up the festive atmosphere.
I was roped in to a bit of a sing-song (it doesn?t take much) and it was lovely for me to see my so many people, including my mum and dad, singing along.
For this blog, I even managed to get my dad on camera (again, it didn?t take much) to showcase how much Maggie?s means, not only to those going through cancer, but also those closest to people living with the disease.
For my friends who watch and regularly read my features ? yes, Jim the legend is finally on film!
I can?t wait for Christmas as I love everything about it and it?s a chance to put the big C behind me and focus on fun times.
I know others aren?t so lucky. My thoughts are with Peter Andre, whose brother Andrew lost his battle with kidney cancer on Sunday.
Things like that put life into perspective: as clich?d as it sounds, life it really is for living.
In 2013, that?s what I fully intend to do. Following on from my sold out Soul Foundation charity night last January, I am putting the gig on again on January 26, in Sloans ballroom, to raise funds for the Paul O?Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre.
I hope to carry on my work with Maggie?s and really get my teeth sunk into helping raise funds and awareness for Rainbow Valley ? a charity I am on the board of Trustees for.
I also plan to climb Ben Nevis with John Hartson, so I am definitely adding attending the gym to my list of New Year?s resolutions.
I have my sister?s wedding to look forward to in March? and weddings practically every month, as many of my friends tie the knot.
It would be nice if one day it was me, but, c?est la vie. I have plenty to look forward to and above all, I hope to continue to kick cancer?s butt!
Thank you so much for watching in 2012 and I look forward to bringing you more blog posts in 2013. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, and healthy, New Year xx
Related articles
alicia keys Susan Rice American Airlines the Who jon bon jovi jon bon jovi Kliff Kingsbury
Gap between rich and poor widens in Mass.
7 hrs.
"Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of the conditions of men ? the balance wheel of the social machinery."
-- Horace Mann, pioneering American educator, 1848
"In America, education is still the great equalizer."
-- Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, 2011
When Puritan settlers established America's first public school here in 1635, they planted the seed of a national ideal: that education should serve as the country's "great equalizer."
Americans came to believe over time that education could ensure that all children of any class had a shot at success. And if any state should be able to make that belief a reality, it was Massachusetts.
The Bay State is home to America's oldest school, Boston Latin, and its oldest college, Harvard. It was the first state to appoint an education secretary, Horace Mann, who penned the "equalizer" motto in 1848. Today, Massachusetts has the country's greatest concentration of elite private colleges, and its students place first in nationwide Department of Education rankings.
Yet over the past 20 years, America's best-educated state also has experienced the country's second-biggest increase in income inequality, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. Census data. As the gap between rich and poor widens in the world's richest nation, America's best-educated state is among those leading the way.
Between 1989 and 2011, the average income of the state's top fifth of households jumped 17 percent. The middle fifth's income dropped 2 percent, and the bottom fifth's fell 9 percent. Massachusetts now has one of the widest chasms between rich and poor in America: It is the seventh-most unequal of the 50 states, according to a Reuters ranking of income inequality. Two decades ago, it placed 23rd.
If the great equalizer's ability to equalize America is dwindling, it's not because education is growing less important in the modern economy. Paradoxically, it's precisely because schooling is now even more important.
One force behind rising inequality, in both America and other advanced economies, is well-known. The decline of manufacturing and the replacement of clerks and secretaries with software mean there are fewer high-paying jobs for low-skilled workers.
The good jobs that do exist increasingly require higher education: Since the recession started in the U.S. in 2007, the number of jobs needing a college degree has risen by 2.2 million, according to a recent Georgetown University study. The number of jobs for mere high-school graduates fell by 5.8 million.
'Achievement gap'
Just to stay even, poorer Americans need to obtain better credentials. But that points to another rich-poor divide in the United States. Educators call it the scholastic "achievement gap." It has been around forever, but it's getting wider. Lower-class children are getting better educations than before. But richer kids are outpacing their gains, which in turn is stoking the widening income gap.
Across the country, a Stanford University study found last year, the achievement gap between rich and poor? students on standardized tests is 30 to 40 percent wider than it was a quarter-century ago. Because excellent students are more likely to grow rich, the authors argued, income inequality risks becoming more entrenched.
"Now, we're in a situation where we need to educate everyone at the level of the elite in the past," said Paul Reville, Massachusetts secretary of education. "We don't have a system to do that."
It's an academic arms race, and it can be seen in the sharply contrasting fortunes of Weston, a booming Boston suburb, and the blue-collar community of Gardner, where a 20-foot-tall chair sits on Elm Street as a monument to the town's past as a furniture-manufacturing hub.
The percentage of Gardner children bound for four-year colleges has held steady at about half in the past decade, and median incomes have tumbled as furniture makers headed south or overseas. Gardner High School graduate Curtis Dorval dropped out of the University of Massachusetts this year after his father, a Walmart worker, ran short of money. He's working at a Walmart now, too, and then heading off to the military.
In Weston, hedge-fund managers are tearing down modest homes to build mansions. Per-capita incomes have leaped 161 percent in the past two decades, and the high school is sending 96 percent of its graduates to universities.
Tanner Skenderian, president of the class of 2012, is now at Harvard; in her graduation speech, she told her classmates to "reach for the moon."
Viscious cycle?
This correlation between educational attainment and financial fortune is clear statewide. In the bottom fifth of Massachusetts households, the average income dropped 9 percent in the past 20 years to $12,000. They fared worse despite a sizable gain in educational attainment: The share of people 25 and older in the group with a bachelor's degree rose to 18.5 percent from 11 percent.
The same thing happened to the middle fifth. Their average income slipped 2 percent to $63,000. The share of adults with a bachelor's rose to 43 percent from 29 percent.
But the top fifth saw their average income leap 17 percent, to $217,000, as their education levels soared far? higher. Three-quarters had a bachelor's, up from half. Fully 50 percent had a post-graduate degree, up from a quarter.
Some Massachusetts officials say they fear a vicious cycle is taking hold, in which income inequality and educational inequality feed off each other. Democrats and Republicans agree that the increased disparity is a threat to economic mobility in the state. But as in much of the rest of the United States, they disagree over what to do about it. Democrats argue the solution is more -- and earlier -- schooling. Republicans believe traditional public schools are part of the problem.
The education gap is just one factor behind growing inequality. The U.S. economy has been so weak that large numbers of graduates are underemployed: In 2010, according to Andy Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, only 59 percent of Massachusetts adults with a bachelor's degree were in jobs that actually required one.
Long-term changes in marriage patterns matter, too, because they are stoking the educational-attainment gap that in turn feeds the income chasm.
People are increasingly more likely to marry their educational equal, Sum's research finds, creating well-paid two-income couples at the top. At the bottom fifth, the number of single-parent families has risen 15 percent since 1990. Those parents have lower incomes and less time to devote to their children's schooling. In a pattern echoed nationwide, 70 percent of Massachusetts families with children in the bottom fifth are headed by a single parent -- compared with 7 percent in the top fifth.
"All the evidence shows that children born to two highly educated, high-income people tend to obtain the highest level of academic achievement," said Sum. "At the bottom, where the mom is not that well-educated and tends to have lower income, children tend to do worse."
Educated but mediocre
A brainier workforce alone isn't sufficient to drive growth, though. Even as education levels in the Bay State have risen lately, faster growth hasn't followed. Between 2000 and 2010, Sum found, Massachusetts ranked just 37th in job creation. In fact, none of the 10 states with the top students placed in the top 10 on payroll growth.
"The best educated states were overwhelmingly mediocre in job creation," he wrote in a study last year. He urges states to complement education with such steps as tax credits, infrastructure spending and on-the-job training.
Seventy miles northwest of Boston, Gardner once touted itself as the "chair-making capital of the world." The factories employed thousands of workers who supported large families on single incomes. The first workplace time-recorder was invented here, too; as a result of its adoption, "punching the clock" became part of the vernacular.
Today, the factories have gone south or closed. Gardner still calls itself the furniture capital of New England but because of its outlet stores, not its factories. The biggest employers are a hospital and a community college. Retail jobs at Walmart and other chains have replaced better-paying factory work. Between 1989 and 2009, the town's per capita income slipped 19 percent to $18,000.
A town of some 20,000 people, Gardner has roughly twice the population of wealthy Weston, but spends just 60 percent as much on education. The town's high school has had six principals in the past eight years.
Even kids who excel at Gardner High School increasingly face financial hurdles after they graduate, say teachers and students. Mayor Mark Hawke said cost routinely prices high-achieving students out of elite private colleges. "It happens every day," he said.
David Dorval, 47, was laid off in 2009 after working at an area hospital registering patients for 16 years. Dorval, who has an associate's degree, struggled to find work, and he and his wife divorced. Today he takes home $1,000 a month at Walmart in Gardner and pays half of his earnings to his ex-wife in child support. He goes to his 79-year-old mother's house for lunch each day.
"I don't feel like I am able to do what my parents were able to do," he said. "My parents were able to support eight kids."
Priced out
His son, Curtis Dorval, works at Walmart as well. When he was a senior at Gardner High School, Curtis was class president. He was accepted by Northeastern University, a private school in Boston.
But Northeastern cost $50,000 a year, which Curtis, then 17, felt he couldn't afford. Instead, he enrolled last year at the state-run University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying mechanical engineering. With the help of a scholarship for graduating in the top quarter of his class, Curtis paid $10,200 a year.
He got some help from his father, who had saved up $10,000 in stocks and bonds from his days in the hospital job. This summer, that money ran out and Curtis left UMass to enlist in the Air Force. He will serve as an airman -- and hopes to use military benefits to pay for part-time university classes.
"The main reason was I needed a way to pay for college," he said.
That is the flip side of New England's excellent universities: They are the most expensive in the country, according to a study by the College Board. A four-year education at a public or private university costs nearly one-fourth more than the national average.
Sticker shock is forcing those who do stay in college to pass up elite private schools for cheaper state ones. That's also happening in the middle-class town of Leominster, a former plastics-manufacturing center 15 miles east of Gardner.
Among last year's top students was Eric Marcoux, co-leader of the robotics team and member of the National Honor Society. He was accepted to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a top private engineering university. WPI offered him a $20,000 annual scholarship -- but he and his family still faced taking on roughly $30,000 a year in debt. Marcoux chose the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he'll have to borrow only half as much.
"It was a lot of going back and forth," said Marcoux, whose dream is to work for Google. "It was a hard decision but I think it was the right one."
Trading down can carry a stiff cost: A Harvard study published this year found that students who go to Massachusetts state colleges are less likely to graduate than those who attend Massachusetts private colleges.
The state has tried to help poorer kids. In the early 1990s, Massachusetts sharply increased state funding of local elementary and secondary schools and mandated comprehensive testing. The overhaul was designed? to improve student performance and eradicate the achievement gap.
The SAT divide
Twenty years later, Massachusetts spends $4.8 billion a year on its public schools, up 83 percent from 1990. Children from lower income families have improved their scores on tests, but their results still lag, as a look at results from the Scholastic Aptitude Tests makes clear.
In the state's five wealthiest school districts, students had average scores ranging from 594 to 621 on the 800-point college-admissions test in 2009-2010. In the five poorest districts for which data are available, the SAT scores averaged from 403 to 469.
Reville, the education secretary, wants a redoubled push on childhood education: The 1990s reforms were good but didn't go far enough. "There is no way for someone who is poorly educated to be self-sufficient," he said. "It's in our national interest to do something that we should have done morally anyway."
What he proposes is sweeping change.
Income depends on educational achievement, and the single best predictor of a child's likelihood of academic success remains in turn the socio-economic status of his or her mother, said Reville. The solution to erasing the achievement gap involves, in essence, providing low-income students with the advantages their wealthier peers enjoy: pre-school at the age of three, tutors, summer camps, and after-school activities like sports and music lessons. Schools could contract with outside organizations to provide those activities, or lengthen their school day or school year by one-third.
Asked how much such an initiative might cost, Reville responded, "How much would it cost to give every child an upper-middle-class life?"
Such talk makes Massachusetts Republicans blanch. They say they care about income disparities that harm people's ability to move up the income ladder. Americans are now less likely to move to a higher economic class in their lifetime than Western Europeans or Canadians, according to a number of recent studies.
Republicans argue that the problem is not resources in the public schools: Massachusetts already ranks No. 8 in the amount of money states spend per student, according to the Census Bureau.
Choices and charter schools
"What Reville is suggesting is wraparound social services," said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a conservative think tank in Boston. "We think decentralized decision-making in the schools makes more sense."
Instead of spending more, Stergios said, give parents greater choice over which schools their children attend. Expand the use of charter schools, financed by the public but managed independently. Make cities strictly follow the course of study set out by the state. Increase the accountability of teachers by linking pay to student test scores.
"We haven't closed the (achievement) gap because the Massachusetts curriculum isn't being taught rigorously enough in the urban areas, principals don't have enough power and independence, and there's a cap on charter schools," said Stergios. "That's why we haven't seen the great equalizer working as it should."?
Adding to the complexity of addressing the income and educational gaps is a widening geographical divide in the state.
In Massachusetts, some 230,000 people were unemployed in October, Conference Board data show, and roughly 140,000 unfilled jobs were advertised online. Skilled professions, including software engineers and web developers, topped the list. Nearly seven out of 10 vacancies were in the Boston area.
Harvard economist Ed Glaeser calls this the new reality of a knowledge-based global economy. More than ever, innovation, growth and opportunity are clustered in large cities such as Boston. Let decaying factory towns become ghost towns. Instead of building better transportation links, Glaeser believes their inhabitants should be encouraged to move to the closest economic hub.
"In 1940, you wanted to be in an area with resources for your mill," he said. "In 2012, you want to be in a cluster of smart people."
Class clusters
Weston, where Glaeser himself lives, is such a cluster. But it isn't for everyone. Its house prices and real estate taxes put it out of reach for most Massachusetts residents, which points up a conundrum.
As those who can afford to do so head for the clusters, inequality grows. Across the state, communities are becoming more homogenous by income group, said Ben Forman, research director at think tank MassInc.
"There are definitely more Westons now than there were a couple of decades ago," Forman said. "What the? research shows is that more economic segregation leads to high-income children performing better and better and lower-income children falling behind."
The Boston suburbs where Weston is located are home to the most-educated workforce in the nation's best-educated state, according to the Boston Federal Reserve.
A Reuters analysis of Census and American Community Survey data found that two-thirds of working-age adults in Weston and surrounding towns had at least a bachelor's degree in 2010. That's more than double the national average of 28 percent. Just 23 percent of their peers in Gardner and its neighbors had a bachelor's or better. As earnings fell in Gardner they soared in Weston. In 1990, Weston residents made 3.5 times more than Gardnerites. By 2009, it was 12 to 1.
On a summer Tuesday afternoon, a man was reading a copy of "Horseback Riding for Dummies" outside Bruegger's Bagels, the sole fast-food chain that Weston has allowed to open as it tries, with mixed success, to preserve its historic character.
One hedge-fund manager built a 22-room mansion with a basketball court, pool and 10-car garage. Another tore down two homes to build a private equestrian center for his wife and daughter with an indoor riding ring.
Weston's advantages
Town leaders say they are struggling to keep the town from becoming even wealthier. "We have three selectmen who are trying to find ways to diversify our population with affordable housing," said Michael Harrity, chairman of the board of selectmen. "It's difficult when lots are selling for $700,000 for teardowns."?
One area where development is warmly welcome is education. This fall, the town opened a new $13 million science wing for Weston High School that includes nine state-of-the art labs and a multimedia conference center.
Weston High is one of the finest public schools in the country. In 2011, 96 percent of its graduates planned to go on to four-year degree programs. In Gardner, only about half did. Nationally, a 2011 University of Michigan study found that the gap in college-completion rates between rich and poor students has grown by about half since the late 1980s.
Those differentials have a long-term impact. An American with a bachelor's degree earns on average about $1 million more over a lifetime than one with just some college, according to recent studies.
Another advantage Weston kids have is their involved and demanding parents.
Gardner High has no parent-teacher organization. In Weston, parents raised $300,000 last year for additional after-school activities in the public schools. Top scientists living in Weston help with school science fairs. Parental involvement is so intense that three parents sit on the interview panel for every prospective new teacher. Stay-at-home Weston mothers attend meetings of student-body leaders and help students organize events. They're known as "Grade Moms."
'Very fortunate'
Liz Hochberger, a recent president of the Weston Parent-Teacher Organization, said the town's excellent public schools had become a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Professors from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with the wealthy, move to Weston for its public schools, which further improves test scores and college acceptance rates. "Whenever someone is moving to this area and they research the schools," Hochberger said, "this is always on the list."
Tanner Skenderian, president of this year's Weston High graduating class, joked in a speech about her town's hyper-competitive students. "Welcome to Weston, where third graders take AP Physics, middle-school students sleep for 42 minutes a night, and the most competitive race run by the 2012 boys state champion track team was the race to get the cookies in the cafeteria," she said.
Competition in high school was fierce. In one advanced placement physics class, she said, six of the 12 students were the children of professors at MIT, America's premier science university.
But Tanner thrived there. She also found school to be a source of support after her father died while she was in middle school. This fall, she headed to Harvard, after spending the summer interning at the governor's office. Given the job market, she said she may apply to business or law school after graduating.
Weston, in short, gave her an education that raises her odds of joining her mother - who owns a marketing and event-planning company - at the top of America's economic ladder.
"We're very fortunate that we're rather affluent," she said. "We have more opportunities, more technology, more classes and more teachers."
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/end-great-equalizer-massachusetts-1C7660237
2012 westminster dog show abe lincoln vampire hunter xi jinping matt bomer westminster kennel club dog show jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries
Arbitrator: Beauty queen defamed pageant, owes organization $5 million
NEW YORK (AP) ? A beauty queen who claimed this year's Miss USA contest was fixed has been ordered to pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation.
In a decision signed last week, an arbitrator found that the comments from Miss Pennsylvania USA Sheena Monnin were false, harmful and malicious. Monnin had alleged that the five finalists had been selected in advance of the pageant's live telecast.
The arbitrator, Theodore Katz, said Monnin had two motives: "She was a disgruntled contestant who failed to make it past the preliminary competition" and she objected to the pageant's decision to allow transgender contestants. He wrote that the way the contest is judged "precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged."
Monnin, of Cranberry, Pa., resigned her state title after the pageant. Her allegations on Facebook and NBC's "Today" show cost the pageant a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor, Katz said.
Monnin's lawyer, Richard Klineburger III, had no comment on the decision, his office said.
Katz said Monnin agreed to arbitrate any disputes when she became a Miss USA contestant, but he wrote in his decision that she and her lawyer didn't participate in the process and claimed they were not required to do so.
The winner of the Miss USA pageant, Olivia Culpo of Rhode Island, competes Wednesday in the Miss Universe pageant.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arbitrator-beauty-queen-defamed-pageant-owes-5m-210218169.html
tornadoes mitch hedberg secret service scandal shea weber greystone sidney crosby at the drive in
বুধবার, ১৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Home Improvement Suggestions You'll Be Dying To Try
Even a little bit of good home improvement advice can put you on the track to completing many useful projects to make your home more livable. There are lots of tips in this article that will aid you in making your projects possible. Read on and soak up a bit of savvy home improvement advice.
Don't stray from your neighborhood's character when making improvements to the exterior of your home. If your property sticks out in a bad way, your neighbors won't like it and it will also be more difficult to sell.
Enjoying the project is important to any successful home improvement project. If you are willing to do careful work and spend your valuable time, you should also be doing something that you fell good about. You may mess up if you aren't enjoying yourself. If you feel this is a problem for you, think about hiring a professional to do the work.
A wonderful home improvement project to increase your home's value is some kind of water filtration system. This is something that is a simple and effective upgrade. Some models fit right underneath your kitchen sink and provide your family with great tasting, healthy drinking water.
Crown molding is a simple addition that makes a huge difference in the appearance of your home. If your walls are plain, crown molding adds a little zest and flavor to them instead of them being flat and boring. It is not hard or expensive to install crown molding.
Before you perform any major repairs, run your plans by a professional. Advice from a professional can ultimately save you thousands of dollars and hours of frustration. If you do not consult with a contractor, you could make costly mistakes.
Replacing your old windows with energy efficient windows is a very wise investment. They will quickly pay for themselves in the form of savings on your utility bills. Most homeowners are very satisfied with their decision to purchase new windows.
If your home has built-in niches or alcoves, set them off from the surrounding walls by painting the back of the niche with an accent color or adding pretty wallpaper. Smaller areas can be covered with sample-sized paint containers so you won't have to buy a gallon.
Every spring, inspect your roof for necessary repairs. Keep an eye out for curling or blistering of the shingles, then replace them if they are damaged. Resolving minor issues as they occur will prevent your from having any major issues later.
You kitchen is a great place to start improving your home. Begin by addressing the wall space, and if you have grease spots, use a water-based solution to clean them. This will spiff them up and have them quickly ready for repainting. Re-paint your kitchen in a color you love; you'll be shocked how great the heart of your home looks when you've finished.
Don't forget to check the condition of the caulk in your bathroom from time to time. Check any caulking around your sink or bathtub periodically. If water leaks into the walls, mold will grow. This can cause problems for people with asthma and other medical issues. With enough water seepage, via damaged caulking, rot can set in on the floor below. Make sure to get rid of all the old caulk and clean the surface before reapplying the new caulking. This ensures that the replacement caulk bonds properly. This is essential for forming a water-resistant seal.
No home improvement benefits the outside of your home better than a new coat of paint. Paint not only adds curb appeal to your home, but it also protects your home from the elements. Choosing colors wisely is the key to make this a home project that works.
Construction adhesive is great for stopping floor squeaks. Even if you have to work out of the basement or crawl under the house, it will be worth the while. Run a caulking gun to apply glue down the sides of the floor joists so they are all secure.
Keep a drain snake on hand to save yourself money. This will reduce the need for buying drain cleaners. At first, you might need to have a pro show you the right way to use the snake; they aren't for complete novices. Snakes come in different sizes, so it's important to know your drain size and buy the right one. Otherwise you may damage your drain.
Be aware of the weather. If it rains a lot in your area, installing a patio outdoors may not be the best investment. Patio covering and equipment to break the wind might help, but if you don't want the extras it might be wise to skip that thought.
New carpeting can make a huge difference to the ambiance of your home. Make sure to shop for the perfect color, style and type of carpet. Stores sometimes provide samples for take home comparison.
Turn off water if you are doing kitchen or bathroom home improvement projects. Whenever you are dealing with pipes, fittings, or fixtures, finding and turning the shutoff valve should be step number one. This will ensure a flood does not happen.
The information you have learned here should help you get started on all those projects that you can do at home. Completing even the smallest project will not only improve your house, but it will make you feel great when you complete the project that you started. Step back and look at all that you have accomplished.
Source: http://ivybotreviews.net/?p=40
sat cheating scandal hangover cure lebron james engaged auld lang syne end of the world 2012 pink martini times square
Today on New Scientist: 17 December 2012
You have arrived at this page because there is no page at the link you entered. If you followed a link from another site, please inform the webmaster of that site. If you followed a link from somewhere else on New Scientist, please let us know.
To find what you were looking for, you can search for the page, return to the New Scientist home page or choose from the options below.
??Copyright?Reed?Business?Information?Ltd.
NBA jfk airport faith hill metro north taco bell taco bell Breezy Point
The Benefits of Receiving Personal Training - Healthy Living
by Richard A Haynes
Whether you are first starting out to improve your fitness levels or, are looking for a change of pace with your fitness training, than hiring a certified personal trainer is something you will want to strongly consider. It has been said that you will not live long enough to learn it all, so why not seek expert advice during your introduction to the world of fitness by obtaining a personal trainer. There is a multitude of benefits to hiring a trainer however, I have listed three reasons why personal training is the smart thing to do if you need help and guidance in getting started the right way in improving your overall health and fitness.
1. You Receive One On One Training. Today personal training has become at times not so personal. Many trainers have changed their training methods by starting boot camps and group training. If you are just starting out you will benefit from the one on one approach. The benefit here is that you get the concentrated attention you need in setting up the proper program and training advice right from the start. It also gives you time to talk and discuss what your personal goals are and become better acquainted with your trainer.
2. You Get Personal Instruction On Exercise Technique. this is an area that everyone who is just getting started in fitness needs to pay close attention to. I see in my gym countless members using poor lifting technique that can cause serious injury if not brought to their attention. Many people feel that they can cut the costs of a competent trainer by learning the lifts on their own or, getting someone to take a few moments to show them themselves. In this case you are taking a chance that the person you asks hopefully knows what they are doing.
The benefit of hiring a personal trainer is getting the proper lifting technique demonstrated to you in the first place. By not lifting correctly you either can suffer an injury or, you do not benefit from the exercises due to incorrect technique.
3. Personal Trainers Add Motivation And Discipline To Your Workouts. The problem with many of us is that we start an exercise program and if there is not someone we are accountable to, we tend to fall off the fitness wagon. Having a personal trainer as part of your fitness team, you now become accountable to them and responsible for following through until your goals are met. A good personal trainer keeps you wanting to come back for more and explains to you why it is important to continue with the program and that quitting is not an option.
The Benefits of personal training far outweigh the costs. If you are serious about improving your health or need a refresher course in your fitness training, I recommend you seriously consider the benefits of having a trainer to help you reach fitness goals.
Richard is the owner of Total Joint Fitness LLC located in Punta Gorda, Florida. Richard is also a physical therapist assistant and personal trainer for older adult fitness and rehabilitation. For more information regarding fitness prior to or, after surgery or, if you want to get healthier and work on prevention to maintain a healthier lifestyle, contact Richard at http://www.richardhaynes.com
Source: http://www.zc-ic.net/?p=3522
jonbenet ramsey jason campbell doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston golden state warriors free agents nfl 2012
রবিবার, ১৬ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
শনিবার, ১৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
No ruff life for dogs at L'Auberge de Sedona | The Jet Set Pets
Pampered pooches will find that life is not so rough at L?Auberge de Sedona. The boutique resort with a French country feels offers a ?Red Rocks and Ruff? package sure to please discerning four-legged guests.
The Jet Set Pets recently toured L?Auberge de Sedona in Arizona?s famed Red Rock country and found the setting delightful, the food fabulous and the Cain & Able doggy bathrobe utterly adorable. Paws up to L?Auberge de Sedona!
The Red Rocks and Ruff package includes:
- One night stay in a Garden Cottage
- $50 credit towards L?Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek
- Doggie bed and food bowls in room
- Gift Bag of ?Pet Pawducts? (includes toys and treats) from Whiskers Barkery
- Cain & Able dog robe
- Pet fee included
Rates for the Red Rocks and Ruff package start at $374 per night, plus 10% service fee, $15 parking and tax. L?Auberge de Sedona only allows dogs on property and there are no weight restrictions if you book this package. (Without the package, the rate is $35 per night per pet or $50 depending on the size of the animal.) No more than two dogs are per room are requested.
Dogs are welcome at the outdoor portion of the Veranda Bar, where fire pits keep guests warm, and the award-winning, AAA Four Diamond L?Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek, named??One of the Top Ten Restaurants in the Southwest? by Cond? Nast Traveler. Water bowls are available at both and don?t be surprised if the chef sends your four-legged pal something special from the kitchen. The Veranda Bar was part of L?Auberge de Sedona?s recently-completed $25 million renovation that also includes an extensive redesign to the guestrooms and spa and the addition of 30 luxury cottages and the property?s first pool.
?
- Lucy relaxes at L?Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek in Sedona.
Source: http://thejetsetpets.com/no-ruff-life-dogs-lauberge-de-sedona/
Bacon Number Kate Middleton photos Chi Magazine Kate Middleton Nude Photos glee glee boxing news
'Liquid that thinks:' Swarm of ping-pong-ball-sized robots created
Dec. 14, 2012 ? University of Colorado Boulder Assistant Professor Nikolaus Correll likes to think in multiples. If one robot can accomplish a singular task, think how much more could be accomplished if you had hundreds of them.
Correll and his computer science research team, including research associate Dustin Reishus and professional research assistant Nick Farrow, have developed a basic robotic building block, which he hopes to reproduce in large quantities to develop increasingly complex systems.
Recently the team created a swarm of 20 robots, each the size of a Ping Pong ball, which they call "droplets." When the droplets swarm together, Correll said, they form a "liquid that thinks."
To accelerate the pace of innovation, he has created a lab where students can explore and develop new applications of robotics with basic, inexpensive tools.
Similar to the fictional "nanomorphs" depicted in the "Terminator" films, large swarms of intelligent robotic devices could be used for a range of tasks. Swarms of robots could be unleashed to contain an oil spill or to self-assemble into a piece of hardware after being launched separately into space, Correll said.
Correll plans to use the droplets to demonstrate self-assembly and swarm-intelligent behaviors such as pattern recognition, sensor-based motion and adaptive shape change. These behaviors could then be transferred to large swarms for water- or air-based tasks.
Correll hopes to create a design methodology for aggregating the droplets into more complex behaviors such as assembling parts of a large space telescope or an aircraft.
In the fall, Correll received the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development award known as "CAREER." In addition, he has received support from NSF's Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research program, as well as NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
He also is continuing work on robotic garden technology he developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009. Correll has been working with Joseph Tanner in CU-Boulder's aerospace engineering sciences department to further develop the technology, involving autonomous sensors and robots that can tend gardens, in conjunction with a model of a long-term space habitat being built by students.
Correll says there is virtually no limit to what might be created through distributed intelligence systems.
"Every living organism is made from a swarm of collaborating cells," he said. "Perhaps some day, our swarms will colonize space where they will assemble habitats and lush gardens for future space explorers."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/bBQP7_qMkkk/121214143027.htm
lawrence of arabia denver nuggets correspondents dinner i am legend san antonio spurs greta van susteren tony parker
শুক্রবার, ১৪ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Rock legends hit the right notes in Sandy benefit concert
From Paul McCartney to Alicia Keys, the "12-12-12" benefit concert in Madison Square Garden for victims of superstorm Sandy was a night of great performances.?
Jon Bon Jovi joins Bruce Springsteen (r.) on stage during the "12-12-12" benefit concert for victims of superstorm Sandy at Madison Square Garden in New York December 12.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
EnlargeBruce Springsteen?and the E Street Band opened an all-star benefit concert for victims of Superstorm Sandy on Wednesday, in what producers promised was "the greatest line-up of legends ever assembled on a stage."
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
The "12-12-12" concert at?New York's?Madison Square Garden?features a who's who of rock and pop, including The Rolling Stones,?Alicia Keys,?Chris Martin,?Billy Joel,?Eric Clapton,?Kanye West?and Bon Jovi.
"How do I begin again? My city's in ruins?" Springsteen sang. He was joined by?Jon Bon Jovi?for "Born to Run," ushering in what was to be a night of musical duets.
Next up,?Roger Waters?performed alongside?Eddie Vedder, and later in the evening?Paul McCartney?was due to jam with Dave Grohl.
Comedian?Adam Sandler?took the stage for a Sandy-themed spoof on?Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," rhyming the title with "Sandy, Screw Ya!"
Backstage, actress?Susan Sarandon?recounted losing power in her?New York?home but said that was a small hardship compared to the real victims who lost their homes.
Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of the E Street Band, scolded "the oil companies" and "Wall Street guys" for not doing more to help.
"Even with the music business not what it used to be... we are proud to be here," he said.
Producer?John Sykes?said Waters, McCartney and?Chris Martin?of Coldplay had reached out to "other legends to join them on stage and create once-in-a-lifetime moments."
Before the concert, Sykes said $32 million had already been raised from ticket sales and sponsorships. With the concert's potential to reach 2 billion people through broadcast and digital platforms, organizers are hoping to raise tens of millions more.
To help with the fundraising, celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio,?Kristen Stewart,?Jake Gyllenhaal,?Chelsea Clinton?and?Billy Crystal?are taking part in a telethon during the concert, which is expected to last between four and five hours.
It is being broadcast live on television, radio, movie theaters, on Facebook and iHeartRadio, and streamed on digital billboards in?New York's Times Square,?London?and?Paris.
More than 130 people were killed when Sandy pummeled the?East Coast?of the?United States?in October. Thousands more were left homeless as the storm tore through areas of?New York, New Jersey and?Connecticut, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Sykes said personal stories of neighborhoods and people severely affected by Sandy will be showcased during the concert.
Sykes was also involved with "The Concert for?New York?City" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which raised more than $30 million for charity.
He said technological advances over the past decade have exponentially changed the reach of fundraising.
"We have both traditional and new media behind us in a way that we've never had before, and that is really going to be the 'x-factor' on how much money we can raise for the victims."
Donations raised from the one-night concert produced by?Clear Channel Entertainment?and?The Weinstein Company, will go to the?Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will provide money and materials to groups helping people hardest hit by the storm.
Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant, Patricia Reaney and Eric Beech
dst friends with kids pacific standard time northern mariana islands summer time coolio ricky rubio
Deeper Voiced Women Have Election Advantage
In mock elections between female candidates, the deeper-voice carried the vast majority of the votes. Christopher Intagliata reports.
More 60-Second Science
Subscribe via iTunes
You vote for politicians based on their views, right? That's how it works in theory. But other factors can sway your vote. Like a politician's voice. Because studies show that the deeper the voice, the more electable the candidate. And not just for men. Deeper voiced women have an advantage over other women, even when they're running for positions traditionally held by women, like the school board or PTA president. So says a study in the journal PLoS ONE. [Rindy C. Anderson and Casey A. Klofstad, Preference for Leaders with Masculine Voices Holds in the Case of Feminine Leadership Roles]
Researchers played undergrads recordings like this. [Women?s voices.] Then they asked the students to vote for one of them for the school board or the PTA. In each mock election, the deeper voiced woman snagged about 70 percent of the votes.
Women's voices naturally deepen with age, so the researchers say we might be biased to select older women as leaders. And previous studies have shown that women with deeper voices are seen as more competent, trustworthy and strong. Margaret Thatcher used that to her advantage?she was famously coached to deepen her voice. Other politicians might do well to follow her lead, when they make their pitch to voters.
?Christopher Intagliata
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=118a8116e87164212074b11f90471001
dwyane wade the night they drove old dixie down levon oklahoma city bombing robbie robertson the curious case of benjamin button secret service prostitute
Video: Portfolio Strategies & Cliff Concerns
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50191035/
atlanta hawks flyers 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump bernard hopkins nfl draft grades devils
In challenge to personalized cancer care, DNA isn't all-powerful
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The cancer cells were not behaving the way the textbooks say they should. Some of the cells in colonies that were started with colorectal tumor cells were propagating like mad; others were hardly multiplying. Some were dropping dead from chemotherapy and others were no more slowed by the drug than is a tsunami by a tissue. Yet the cells in each "clone" all had identical genomes, supposedly the all-powerful determinant of how cancer cells behave.
That finding, published online Thursday in Science, could explain why almost none of the new generation of "personalized" cancer drugs is a true cure, and suggests that drugs based on genetics alone will never achieve that holy grail.
Scientists not involved in the study praised it for correcting what Dr. Charis Eng, an oncologist and geneticist who leads the Genomic Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, called "the simple-minded" idea that tumor genomes alone explain cancer.
Calling the study "very exciting," she said the finding underlines that a tumor's behavior and, most important, its Achilles heel depend on something other than its DNA. Her own work, for instance, has shown that patients with identical mutations can have different cancers.
The core premise of the leading model of cancer therapy is that cells become malignant when they develop mutations that make them proliferate uncontrolled. Find a molecule that targets the "driver" mutation, and a pharmaceutical company will have a winner and patients will be cancer-free.
That's the basis for "molecularly targeted" drugs such as Pfizer's Xalkori for some lung cancers and Novartis's Gleevec for chronic myeloid leukemia. When those drugs stop working, the dogma says, it is because cells have developed new cancer-causing mutations that the drugs don't target.
In the new study, however, scientists found that despite having identical genetic mutations, colorectal cancer cells behaved as differently as if they were genetic strangers. The findings challenge the prevailing view that genes determine how individual cells in a solid tumor behave, including how they respond to chemotherapy and how actively they propagate.
If DNA is not the sole driver of tumors' behavior, said molecular geneticist John Dick of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, who led the study, it suggests that, to vanquish a cancer entirely, drugs will have to target their non-genetic traits too, something few drug-discovery teams are doing.
Genomes are what cutting-edge clinics test for when they try to match a patient's tumor to the therapy most likely to squelch it.
For their study, Antonija Kreso, Catherine O'Brien and other scientists under Dick's direction took colorectal cancer cells from 10 patients and transplanted them into mice. They infected the cells with a special virus that let them track each cell, even after it divided and multiplied and was transplanted into another mouse, then another and another, through as many as five such "passages."
Only one in 10,000 tumor cells was responsible for keeping the cancer growing, the scientists found - in some cases for 500 days of repeated transplantation from one mouse to the next. Genetically-identical tumor cells stopped dividing within 100 days even without treatment.
Tumor cells that were not killed by chemotherapy - the scientists used oxaliplatin, a colon-cancer drug sold by Sanofi as Eloxatin - had the same mutations as cells that were. The survivors tended to be dormant, non-proliferating ones that suddenly became activated, causing the tumor to grow again. Yet the cells - dormant or active, invulnerable to chemo or susceptible - had identical genomes.
"I thought we'd be able to look at the genetics that let some cells propagate, or not be susceptible to chemotherapy, but lo and behold there was no genetic difference," said Dick. "That goes against a main dogma of the cancer enterprise: that if a tumor comes back after treatment it's because some cells acquired mutations that made them resistant."
That's true in some cases, he said, "but what our data are saying is, there are other biological properties that matter. Gene sequencing of tumors is definitely not the whole story when it comes to identifying which therapies will work."
The results were surprising enough, Dick said, that experts reviewing the paper for Science asked him to run additional tests to make sure the cells that behaved so differently were in fact genetic twins. He did, they were, and Science accepted the paper.
Other experts also praised the work, saying it supported the growing suspicion in the field that personalized cancer therapy is oversimplistic, at least in how it's sold to the public.
"It's not as simple as just sequencing mutations to tailor therapies to each tumor," said surgical oncologist Dr. Steven Libutti of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care in New York City. "In my mind, the findings are not unexpected. Other things besides genes matter: the environment in which a tumor is growing, for instance, plays an important role in whether therapy will be effective."
Rather than targeting DNA alone, the Toronto scientists suspect, effective therapies would also take aim at what phase of its cycle a cell is in (dormant, growing or dividing, for example), which of its genes are activated, whether it sits in a region of the tumor that is starved of oxygen, and other non-genetic properties.
Nudging tumor cells out of their dormant phase and into their growth cycles, for instance, could make them more susceptible to chemotherapy, which generally targets rapidly dividing cells.
"Our findings raise questions about the resources put into sequence, sequence, sequence," said Dick. "That has led to one kind of therapeutic" - molecularly-targeted drugs - "but not the cures the public is being promised."
(Reporting by Sharon Begley; editing by Claudia Parsons)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/challenge-personalized-cancer-care-dna-isnt-powerful-190146032--finance.html
martin luther king jr i have a dream speech packers score ricky gervais napoleon dynamite michelle williams the descendants the descendants
এতে সদস্যতা:
পোস্টগুলি (Atom)