Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/happy-12th-birthday-willow-smith/
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Proportions Content Submission: Jogging a strong Articles ...
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Faith and Fitness: Does your Spirituality Play a Role in Your Desire ...
In the bible the scripture 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, ?Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.?
Throughout the bible, there are countless references to the human body as a temple ? a place where the spirit of God dwells. In theory, if God lives within us, we are to treat our bodies as though they are holy representations of God himself. By honoring a higher power with our bodies, we are careful to eat with honor, live with honor, act with honor and protect and strengthen our temples as a complete sacrifice.
Religion ? or faith if you will ? is often a driver in connecting us on a deeper level, giving many of us just-cause to see the way that we take care of our bodies much more than simply a fitness routine.
The practice of Yoga, for instance, has seen a dramatic rise in participants throughout America as students learn to use the values of meditation, stretching and balance to promote inner well-being, physical fitness, stress-reduction and spiritual awareness. Yoga is even being taught to children with attention deficit disorders assisting them with increased focus and anxiety management.
?You can?t really consider yourself in good health if all parts of your being are not healthy ? your body, your mind and your soul. It?s a complete package,? Tayyibah Taylor, publisher of the Muslim women?s magazine Azizah told The New York Times in an article on Muslim women and fitness.
There are even instances where working out was fueled by faith-based practices such as combining faith-based activities (like prayer) with physical activity became a key motivator for fitness in people that were not active otherwise in their daily life. In 2010, UCLA released a research study involving 62 African-American women from a variety of Christian and Catholic denominations. These women were asked to participate in faith-based exercise programs for a period of time and by the end of the study had increased their activity by three miles per week or 78 percent.
Whether you identify as a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Bahai, Hindu, Pagan, or any other spiritual belief system you may follow, how often do you look to your spiritual life as a motivator in the way you conduct and maintain your physical lifestyle?
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Auto-tune this! Research team restores 134 year-old audio recording (update: audio links)
A Berkeley Lab research team in California has successfully restored a 134 year-old audio recording. The historic audio was originally captured in 1878 by a phonograph designed by Thomas Edison, which consisted of a cylinder wrapped in tinfoil that used a stylus to record sound on the surface of the material. Due to the foil's frailty, recordings were only good for a few playbacks on Edison's phonograph. To restore this century-old mixtape, the research team created a 3D model of the grooves in the foil and ran it through a software that recreated the original audio track. As for the great mystery of the recording's contents, it's a 23-second horn instrumental followed by what is believed to be political writer Thomas Mason reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb and Old Mother Hubbard. Using modern technology for playback, the restored recording is set to have a listening party this week at the Museum of Innovation and Science in New York.
Update: For audio samples from the project, hit the coverage link below.
[Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Brady-Handy Photograph Collection]
Filed under: Misc, Science, Alt
Auto-tune this! Research team restores 134 year-old audio recording (update: audio links) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Friday, October 26, 2012
Riding Tall in the Saddle | The Two River Times
By Michele J. Kuhn
MIDDLETOWN ? The Sunnyside Eques?tri?an Center is a place of great calm punctuated with moments of pure joy and accomplishment.
Taking a SPUR riding lesson at the Sunnyside Equestrian Center on Pacha is Olivia Stack. Volunteer Emily Socha is sidewalking on the left, and instructor Stephanie Hunt is on the right.
The center, located in the Monmouth County Park System?s Sunnyside Recrea?tion Area on Middletown-Lincroft Road, is the home of SPUR. The program ? Special People United to Ride ? gives those with a variety of disabilities the opportunity to ride horses. The spotless facility includes paddocks, a few short trails, a stable, large indoor riding ring overlooked by a waiting room with large windows plus classroom space and ancillary space.
While the staff emphasizes the program is for recreation, not therapy, those who have participated seemed to have reaped many?benefits.
Take 6-year-old Olivia Stack. During a recent session, Olivia sat on Pacha and rode not only sitting frontward looking over the horse?s head, but backward ? looking over the back end ? with a big smile on her face that was a mix of pride, determination and happiness.
Taryn Stack, Olivia?s mother has been bringing her daughter to the equestrian center for the past 2? years. ?Never in a million years did I expect my daughter to get up on a horse and ride like this,? she said.
Olivia, who is nonverbal and has issues with her core strength and fine motor skills, has made ?tremendous strides? through her participation in the SPUR program. One of the things her instructors currently are working on is helping her learn how to say the ?O? sound so she can tell the horse to ?go.?
?I think it?s amazing to see the connection between a horse and a human being and see that connection between a horse and a person who doesn?t have a voice,? said her mother.
In addition to riding, Olivia ? and most participants ? also is learning about how to help care for the graceful, gentle horses.
Like Stack, Gina McCormick, whose 7-year-old son Luke is another SPUR rider, has high praise for the program, its instructors and volunteers and the camaraderie that has developed among the families involved.
?I can?t say enough?about this program,? said McCormick of Fair Haven.
The sessions, which are a half-hour each for eight weeks, are both fun and challenging for the riders who have ranged in age from 4 to 82. While the program is year-round, the most popular times are spring and fall, when the weather is at its best. During those times the number of students involved is about?90 per eight-week session. During winter and summer, about 60 students take part in the program.
The benefits for the students are as varied as the students themselves.
For Luke, he just loves riding. ?He feels confident and happy here,? his mother said. ?He loves the outdoors and hiking ? and this addresses his core strength issues.
?When they trot, he smiles so much you think his face will crack,? McCormick said. ?It?s calming and energizing at the same time.?
While SPUR allows participants to do a recreational activity that is available to typical children, McCormick said Luke gets special pleasure knowing that he is the only one in his class at school taking riding lessons. He will be having his next birthday party at the Sunnyside Equestrian Center.
Team members from the Sunnyside Equestrian Center?s SPUR program: from left, stable manager Cindy Ross; head instructor Liz Huntington, Karen Jarmusz, assistant superintendent of the Monmouth County Park System; and volunteer and board member Barbara Duggan.
Spur was founded in late 1970s when a group of county residents expressed an interest in having a therapeutic riding program in Monmouth County. They approached the park system and the program found a home in Thompson Park in 1981. It then moved to Huber Woods Park and finally in 2002 was located at Sunnyside Recreation Area when SPUR raised the funds to begin building its present home.
?The mission of the program is to provide people with disabilities with the opportunity to achieve goals,? said Cindy Ross, the stable manager.
Those goals are individualized because of the abilities of the riders, who have a variety of physical and cognitive issues. Many are autistic.
While some come to gain strength and balance, others come for the purely social aspect or to have some fun. Some are independent enough that lessons involve just themselves and an instructor; others need more assistance from the trained volunteers.
?Some come just looking for something their students can do,? said Liz Huntington, the park system?s equestrian division head instructor.
The stable holds 18 horses that are used for all the park system?s equestrian programs, not just SPUR.
Barbara Duggan of Holmdel is a SPUR volunteer and a member of its board of directors. She taught school for 32 years and when she retired, she took the year off and then found she was bored. She missed working with children and decided?to couple that with her love of horses.
?I get the chance to get out with the horses and make good use of my time,? she said. ?It gives you a sense of doing good.?
Duggan enjoys seeing the transformation that can happen when a student, who might be having a difficult day, gets up on a horse and begins to ride. The problems that were seen for some just melt away; they suddenly relax and enjoy their time on the horse.
The former educator, who comes to the equestrian center three times a week, was trained as all volunteers are during the course of a day. The organization requires that volunteers get trained and can give their time at least one day a week during a session. No experience with horses is necessary.
?Our students often look forward to seeing their volunteer,? Huntington said.
The horses, some who are senior citizens in the equine world, each have their own stalls and go ?barefoot,? without horseshoes.
Riders use a variety of saddles from western to English; most use bareback pads to get a better feel for movement of the horse under them. That way, the students ?can have a conversation with their horses,? Huntington said. ?Horses are good teachers.?
The fee for a SPUR session of eight-week lessons is $336 per rider. Scholarships are available and are granted based on need.
Additional information is available by calling 732-224-1376 or visiting www.monmouthcountyparks.com.
Source: http://trtnj.com/news/riding-tall-in-the-saddle/
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Keeping Your Feet Happy | Fitness Town Health and Fitness Blog
We all know how to keep our biceps in shape, but few of us know how to keep our toes in good condition. They take significant abuse from the hours we spend on our feet each day, especially in high-heel shoes.
The foot contains three main sections or functional units: the rear foot, mid foot, and fore foot. These three units work together to allow the foot to be flexible (such as accommodating an uneven surface) or to be fairly rigid (such as keeping the body upright as we go through the normal walking cycle).
Each foot contains 26 bones: 7 tarsals (ankle bones), 5 metatarsals (instep bones), and 14 phalanges (toe bones). The main arch of the foot is called the plantar arch. It runs lengthwise and touches the ground only at the heel bone and at the ball of the foot. The plantar arch is thickly padded at both ends. There is also a thick pad of fat under the heel of the foot to absorb shock. In addition to the plantar arch, the foot has two other arches: the metatarsal arch, which runs crosswise under the instep, and the lateral arch, which runs lengthwise along the outside of the foot.
The bones and joints of the foot and ankle are held together by a strong network of muscles and ligaments. The foot is connected to the ankle where one of the tarsal bones, called the talus ,meets the lower leg bones, called the tibia and the fibula.
The ankle joint is called upon to provide both great stability (keeping us standing up) and great mobility (walking, running, jumping). These two functions need to be kept in balance if we?re to keep our feet healthy and functioning.
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Critique of MCC Health Sciences-Fitness Center Finds, Suit ...
A statement for the McHenry County College Board from Stephen Willson is found below.? Willson is the man who punched holes big enough to drive a bulldozer through the billion dollar (with interest) proposal to completely revamp the MCC campus over the next forty years.
As one of the ?Founders? of MCC, I?m still wondering why McHenry County College?s Board stopped using the Woodstock North High School culinary facility and built its own in Crystal Lake. The prior arrangement seemed like wonderful synergy.
He pointed out that there are fewer third graders in McHenry County schools than seniors, which means the 3% annual growth rate assumed by college officials was apparently picked out of thin air.
Now Willson analyses the plan to build was appears to be mainly a nursing training facility, plus occupational, physical and respiratory therapy,? And, oh, yes.? Twenty-eight percent of the building will be for a fitness center to compete with private enterprise.
Remarks concerning the MCC Health Sciences Facility
Northwest Herald, October 17, 2012, ?MCC envisions partners for health sciences facility?
?McHenry County College is looking to expand its health and wellness programs with a $42 million building and is looking to private-sector partners to help pay for it.?
The college?s board of trustees will vote on a second-phase feasibility study Oct. 25. The study, if approved, will examine whether a public-private partnership will work to create a health sciences facility. It will look into possible sites for a building and identify potential financial partners and funding sources.
College officials maintain that a public-private partnership ? specifically partnerships with those in the health care field ? would pay for the project without going to voters or raising tuition.
?I?m not saying we would never, but none of the discussions this far have addressed [a tuition increase], as well as a referendum,? said Laura Brown, the college?s vice president of institutional advancement. ?We are not going to a referendum.?
?Any private entity has to augment or supplement our educational focus,? Brown said.
For the college?s share of the partnership, it could leverage debt or employ alternative revenue bonds to be repaid with revenues generated by the project ? namely from tuition from an estimated 1,400 new students and 25,000 incremental credit hours each year.
Additionally, students taking health sciences programs likely would see additional classroom fees.
A phase one study concluded that expanding those programs ? specifically occupational, physical and respiratory therapy, and other health and wellness curriculum ? would require a 120,000-square-foot building, 67 percent of which would be used for classroom spaces and 28 percent for a fitness center.
If the board approves the phase two study, it will hire Addison-based firm Power Wellness for $50,000. The board asked Power Wellness also to explore existing buildings and facilities in the county as potential sites for the expansion.
Fact 1.? There is no demand for a program of this size.
Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that there are approximately 350 job openings annually in the ?health care and social assistance? sector in McHenry County.
This includes jobs that require an advance degree, such as doctors and registered nurses, and jobs that do not require any degree, and jobs in the ?social assistance? subsector.
So the annual number of job openings in the health care field in McHenry County that will require a two-year degree is probably half of this, or about 175.
As it is possible to obtain a two-year degree at other institutions in the area and as the job force is fairly mobile, the number of annual job openings available to graduates of the proposed program is probably no more than 100.
Yet MCC projects that they will have 1,400 students in this program, or 700 graduating per year.
If they are correct, then this program is a cruel hoax on the students who enroll expecting to be able to find jobs in health care in McHenry County, as only perhaps one in seven will find a job.
Fact 2. The program cannot be self-supporting.
Assume the College is correct and the program generates 25,000 incremental credit hours. At the current tuition rate of $90 per credit hour, the gross annual revenue would be $2.25 million.
But the annual mortgage payment on a $42 million is $2.7 million or 120% of the projected tuition. This is before one teacher is hired or the electric bill is paid.
MCC, like most schools, spends about 67% of its budget on personnel and less than 10% on mortgage payments. Thus, less than 20% of tuition money, or perhaps $450,000, would be available to pay the $2.7 million mortgage payment.
Fact 3.? 28% of the building is for a health club.
There are more than 20 health clubs in McHenry County now. It does not make sense for MCC to build yet another taxpayer subsidized competitor for local private businesses.
Fact 4.? $42 million divided by 120,000 square feet is $350 per square foot.
This makes MCC twice as fiscally responsible as the Crystal Lake Library, but this is still more than three times the going rate for finished commercial space.
Fact 5. MCC plans to use ?alternate revenue bonds? in order to avoid a referendum.
This law was written so that municipalities could obtain lower interest rates on borrowings for utilities with proven track records, such as water and sewer systems, NOT speculative projects such as this.
I know because I was on the advisory committee that helped to write this legislation.
If MCC seeks to use a loophole to do an end run around the voters and burden the taxpayers, I personally will lead the effort to put the bond issue on the ballot.
Further, I will personally fund a class action suit on behalf of the taxpayers alleging fraud in the issuance of such bonds because there is no institution, no corporation, that will be willing to enter into a 30 year contract to guarantee revenues sufficient to pay for this building.
I will sue MCC?s attorney if he issues an opinion that such bonds are legally issued.
I will sue bond counsel for concurring in such an opinion.
I will sue the financial advisor, the feasibility consultant, and the underwriter.
So, in conclusion, I urge the Board NOT to waste more taxpayer money by giving $50,000 to yet another consultant who is hired to deliver
- a pre-determined,
- made-as-instructed,
endorsement of this speculative white elephant.
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Greek Finance Minister Says Bailout Extension Granted, Then ...
Earlier today Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras said that a bailout extension had been negotiated with international lenders. This was news to European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who claimed to be unaware that an extension had been agreed:
From the BBC:
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Mr Draghi said: "The [latest Greek] review is not yet finished.
"I understand progress has been made, but some parts need to be defined, and I don't know anything more than that."
Stournaras had told CNN that the negotiations were ?to a large extent finalized.?
However, Stournaras has now had to go back on his earlier comments after German Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch?uble said that a deal would not be possible without a final report from the troika (European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank).
Greek officials have been in discussions with the troika for weeks in an effort to finalize a spending and privatization program for the next bailout installment. Whatever gets approved will have to go before the Greek Parliament for approval.
The troika has been insisting on unpopular reforms. An unnamed Greek official spoke to The Guardian about the proposed reforms, the effect they could have on the U.S. election, and how politically difficult reforms would be to implement:
"Even if the troika give us a negative report, what are they going to do? Are they really going to not give us the instalment [to keep Greece's economy afloat] two weeks before the US elections, with everything that entails ? default, bankruptcy, global market turmoil?" he asked.
"These labour reforms will turn our country into Bangladesh. They have no fiscal benefit and will actually derail the adjustment programme. The political system will collapse if we impose them.
"The troika is demanding that we commit suicide, which is why we believe this is a matter that should be solved on a political level by the prime minister and not with the troika."
Such sentiments are what are standing in the way of the reforms that are necessary to address the situation in Greece. Unfortunately, it looks like some Greek politicians are struggling to get their stories straight, let alone do what is necessary.
Source: http://reason.com/blog/2012/10/24/greek-finance-minister-says-bailout-exte
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Americans use more efficient and renewable energy technologies
ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? Americans used less energy in 2011 than in the previous year due mainly to a shift to higher-efficiency energy technologies in the transportation and residential sectors. Meanwhile, less coal was used but more natural gas was consumed according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Wind power saw the biggest jump from .92 quadrillion BTU, or quads, in 2010 up to 1.17 quads in 2011. (BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules).
"Wind energy jumped significantly because, as in previous years, many new wind farms came online," said A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst who develops the flow charts using data provided by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. "This is the result of sustained investment in wind power."
Hydroelectricity also saw an increase going from 2.51 quads in 2010 up to 3.17 quads in 2011.
Hydroelectricity jumped significantly in 2011 because 2011 saw large amounts of precipitation in the Western U.S. Hydroelectric dams were able to produce at their maximum levels while keeping reservoirs full. Similar levels of hydroelectric production were seen in 1997, 1998 and 1999 due to wet years.
Overall, U.S. energy use in 2011 equaled 97.3 quads compared to the 98 quads used in 2010. Most of the energy was tied to coal, natural gas and petroleum.
From 2010 to 2011, use of coal fell dramatically, use of oil (petroleum) fell slightly and use of natural gas increased slightly from 24.65 quads in 2010 to 26.9 quads in 2011.
"Sustained low natural gas prices have prompted a shift from coal to gas in the electricity generating sector," Simon said. "Sustained high oil prices have likely driven the decline in oil use over the past 5 years as people choose to drive less and purchase automobiles that get more miles per gallon."
The majority of energy use in 2011 was used for electricity generation (39.2 quads), followed by transportation, industrial, commercial and residential consumption. However, energy use in the residential, commercial and transportation sectors decreased while industrial energy use increased if only slightly.
"With the advent of shale gas, it appears that natural gas prices in the United States may remain lower than their historical averages for many years into the future," Simon said. "This has prompted many gas users in the industrial and electricity generating sector to switch from coal or oil to natural gas when it is technically possible, but might not have been economical at higher gas prices."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
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Sunday, October 14, 2012
Fly genomes show natural selection and return to Africa
Saturday, October 13, 2012
When ancestral humans walked out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies came along with them. Now the fruit flies, widely used for genetics research, are returning to Africa and establishing new populations alongside flies that never left ? offering new insights into the forces that shape genetic variation.
That's one of the findings from two new papers published this month by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and their colleagues that describe the genomes of almost 200 strains of the tiny flies.
The work reveals strong evidence of pervasive natural selection throughout the D. melanogaster genome, said Charles Langley, professor of genetics in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis and an author on both papers. That is in striking contrast with what is known of the human genome, which shows comparatively little evidence of adaptation over the last 100,000 years.
The overall aim of the research is to better understand the forces that shape genetic variation, Langley said. Human geneticists are working to sequence a thousand human genomes to get at the same issue. The knowledge from studying fly genetics has and will help in that effort, he said.
"Most of the theory and statistical methods in human genetics were originally motivated by studies of flies, because they're easier and faster to work with," Langley said. "Model organisms like these play a critical role in developing tools and ideas."
The first paper, published Oct. 1 in the journal Genetics, reports the genomes of 37 strains of Drosophila collected in Raleigh, N.C., and six strains from the sub-Saharan nation of Malawi. The other paper, to be published in Public Library of Science Genetics and currently available online as a preprint, describes the genomes of 139 fly strains covering 22 African and one European population.
Drosophila melanogaster, like humans, originated in Africa, and that's where they show the most genetic diversity ? just as humans do. The flies are thought to have appeared in Europe about 50,000 years ago, along with modern humans. On the way, both humans and flies squeezed through genetic bottlenecks that reduced the diversity in the population. Over generations, different fly strains evolved quite specialized niches ? such as a fondness for colonizing breweries, for example.
But the African fly genomes show that just in the past couple of decades, flies similar to those found in Europe or the U.S. have established populations back in Africa, often in new environments such as urban and industrial developments. For example, where modern breweries and bottled beer have displaced traditional African brewing, "Europeanized" brewery flies have followed.
The spread of those "European" genes is more rapid than if it were occurring by random processes, the researchers write.
"It may be that urbanization and development favor the more 'European' flies," Langley said.
###
University of California - Davis: http://www.ucdavis.edu
Thanks to University of California - Davis for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124447/Fly_genomes_show_natural_selection_and_return_to_Africa
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Check Out These Great Tips On Quitting Smoking iWebdeveloper ...
You should create new routines when you are trying to quit smoking. If you tend to smoke when you are having your first cup of coffee, try reading the news on your phone, instead. These daily habits will quickly become ingrained if you are consistent, making quitting easier in the long run.
For help kicking the habit, visit a counselor or therapist. Having someone with whom to talk and discuss your problems, stresses, and smoking with can help you find healthy ways of coping with life as a non-smoker. Research has proven that person-to-person treatments during quit attempts can help smokers be more successful in quitting.
Keep your hands and mouth busy when you are quitting smoking by eating lots of fruits and veggies. You are going to be in the habit of holding something in your hand and putting something in your mouth after years of smoking. If you keep these healthy snacks handy, you can reach for them instead of a cigarette every time that urge strikes.
Don?t allow yourself ?just one puff?. The mind can sometimes play tricks on you, especially when you?re trying to give up a habit that you have had for years. Don?t allow yourself to give in to the idea that just one cigarette won?t hurt. It will hurt, and it might just keep you from being able to quit at all.
Start exercising! If you are active it can help to reduce symptoms of withdrawal and nicotine cravings. Rather than reaching for a cigarette, get off the couch and exercise, or go for a walk. This will really help to take off your mind of smoking, and is also a great way to improve your physical fitness.
Find out specifics on how quitting smoking will improve your health. There are many statistics out there about how dramatically different your odds of contracting diseases are if you don?t smoke. Find out too how soon you can expect to experience other small perks like improved breathing and sense of taste.
Take the time to really sit down and think about how quitting smoking will improve your life. This is especially effective if you already have serious health conditions that smoking can exacerbate, like asthma or diabetes. If your family has a predisposition for cancer, then it can also be very powerful for you to acknowledge that quitting now could actually save your life.
Cigarette cravings are unpleasant, but you can push yourself out of one with enough willpower. Next time you crave a cigarette, try this tip: Focus on your favorite place, right down to the very last detail. This can be anything, so really use your imagination. By the time you have finished painting this portrait in your mind, you will have pushed past your craving.
Carry a water bottle with you once you decide to quit. Drinking a lot of water helps remove nicotine and other toxins from your system. Carrying water and drinking it often can help ease nicotine withdrawal pains. In addition, drinking water can help reduce the intensity of your tobacco cravings.
Take up exercise to help you quit smoking. Exercising is wonderful for both your body and mind. It can help you to focus on the positive things in life, and keep you from thinking about that cigarette that you so dearly want. It is also a wonderful way to meet healthy people. When you?re around healthy people, it might just make you want to stay healthy too.
To stay motivated to quit cigarettes for good, use the money you save to reward yourself. Figure out how much money you will save by quitting in advance, and put the money you would spend on cigarettes into a special place. Every time you reach a minor goal, use that money to reward yourself with something nice.
If you have friends or family that are also smokers, then have a sincere talk with them about your wanting to quit. Don?t patronize them or push them to quit, but explain how you need their cooperation and help to quit for good. Tell them specifically why you want to quit, and make fair but firm demands about how and when they smoke around you.
While quitting smoking is difficult, it is well within your reach with the help of knowledge and determination. The fact is that quitting smoking will provide you immeasurable benefits, so it would behoove you to stop this habit as soon as possible. Using the above advice, create a quit plan and commit to it today!
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Source: http://iwebdeveloper.co.uk/2012/10/14/check-out-these-great-tips-on-quitting-smoking/
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Email Marketing and Opt In List Building: On Keeping Online ...
Since the advent of the information technology, the Internet had been a valuable commodity to most people. Here, they find ways on how to earn more money even without having to spend more capital on building a business.
Nowadays, many business people are realizing the importance of email marketing. Through emails, an online business can market their product directly through their customers.
Generally, the main purpose of email marketing is to reach their target audience as quickly and as direct as possible. They need to reach their target market so as to promote their products and services that would benefit their customers.
However, some businesses use email marketing in order to maintain their contact and relationship with their customers.
The reason why email marketing has grown in such unprecedented rate is based on the fact that people in the virtual community are always hungry for information. They subscribe to information that they are interested in.
On the other hand, not all people are willing to subscribe to such information. They may be interested on your products once but may no longer be interested to buy again. Moreover, when you continue to send those emails that do not have their permissions, you can be accused of spamming.
Today, spamming is a serious offense especially in the world of information technology. Because the Internet is such a wild place, most authorities regard the privacy of each person as valuable and they continue to uphold this thinking even on the Internet.
With this, the creation of opt in list had gained tremendous acceptance. Because of its viability and feasibility to most online businesses, a lot of people have realized how important opt in lists are in email marketing.
Basically, opt in list refers to the list of email addresses of people who have agreed to subscribe to your mailing list. In this way, you can freely send emails that entail promotions, brochures, new product announcements, and every aspect of your marketing campaign.
When you build an opt in list, you do not only increase the probability of being successful in email marketing but also boost your sales and profits as well. This is because building an opt in list will give you the chance to stay in contact with your customers by getting their email address.
In this manner, you can continue to promote your products and services in which they are interested in because they have opted to subscribe in your mailing list. Hence, whatever it is that you feed them, chances are, they will most likely respond positively.
In reality, building an opt in list is actually letting the people realize the charisma and magic of email marketing. In this way, spams will be avoided, if not eliminated, and will not ruin the positive image of email marketing.
With spamming, email marketing becomes a disgraceful activity in the Internet. But with opt in list, online businesses can continue to boost their businesses through email marketing without having to worry about being accused of spamming.
In building opt in list, there are two types to be considered. The first one is the single opt-in and the other one is the double opt-in or the confirmed opt-in.
In building single opt-in list, online businesses would simply use a ?sign-up tag? in their web sites so that every time a person visits their website, he or she can opt to subscribe in the business? email list.
On the other hand, a confirmed opt-in list or double opt-in entails a confirmation message after the customer had subscribed to the particular web site?s email list.
Usually, the confirmation takes place by replying on a system-generated message that asks for a confirmation of the subscription or by clicking on a link that entails the confirmation of the customer.
Whatever type of opt in list you would prefer, each has its own pros and cons when it comes to email marketing. But nevertheless, both are designed to give your online business the best solution possible in order to generate emails and permissions without having to get into trouble.
Indeed, email marketing is such a profitable business in the Internet. But it would not be complete and will never succeed without the help of the opt-in lists. These two must always go hand-in-hand in order to be successful in the virtual world of Internet marketing.
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Canada PM says "very different" China system a Nexen concern
DAKAR (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday that China's "very different" political and economic systems are a concern as his government decides whether to approve CNOOC Ltd's $15.1 billion bid for oil producer Nexen Inc.
The comments were some of the most revealing Harper has made in connection with the landmark CNOOC deal, which has raised fears over Chinese state-owned enterprises buying up Canadian energy assets.
Some members of Canada's governing Conservative Party are wary of the CNOOC bid, in part because of what they say are unfair Chinese business practices.
Harper - speaking to reporters in Dakar, Senegal - said Canada wants a growing relationship with China, but added that Chinese investments must be scrutinized from a national security perspective.
This week Ottawa hinted strongly that it would exclude Chinese telecommunication equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from participating in the construction of a secure Canadian government communications network because of security risks.
Harper, asked about Huawei and the CNOOC takeover, began his answer by saying he would not comment on any particular transaction. But in his subsequent remarks he clearly touched upon both cases.
"The relationship with China is important. At the same time it's complex. It's complex because the Chinese obviously have very different systems than we do, economic and political systems, and that's why obviously some of these particular transactions raise concerns," he told reporters in Senegal.
The Conservatives need to balance concerns over security and an increased Chinese presence in Canada with their push to attract more foreign investment for the Canadian resource sector.
Ottawa says the oil and gas industry needs $650 billion ($663 billion) to fund new projects over the next decade alone, and concedes that much of the money will have to come from abroad.
The Canadian government this week extended its review of CNOOC's bid for Nexen by 30 days, to November 11. Earlier it had invoked a national security exemption that would allow it to block Huawei from participation in its new telecoms network.
The extension, while expected, comes amid a growing furor over alleged Chinese espionage in North America. Some Canadians also fear that a successful CNOOC bid for Nexen could spark a wave of mega takeovers of Canadian energy producers by foreign enterprises.
"We will ensure as a government that we have not only a growing relationship with China but a relationship with China that is in Canada's best interests," Harper said.
"And of course ... there's a national security dimension to this relationship, in fact to all our activities, that we take very seriously," he added.
Ottawa says that at about the same time it announces a verdict on the CNOOC bid, it will also unveil clearer guidelines indicating the kind of foreign investment Canada wants.
The oil sands of the Western Canadian province of Alberta are the world's third-largest oil deposit, and Nexen's portfolio includes operations in the oil sands as well as shale assets in the province of British Columbia and projects in other parts of the world.
If approved, the CNOOC bid will be the biggest Chinese takeover of a foreign company. The deal is being reviewed under the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to examine whether a transaction is of "net benefit" to the country.
The government last blocked a foreign takeover deal in 2010 when it stunned markets by preventing Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd from buying fertilizer maker Potash Corp.
($1=$0.98 Canadian)
(Reporting by Joe Penney in Dakar and Euan Rocha in Toronto; Writing by Richard Valdmanis and David Ljunggren; Editing by David Lewis, Vicki Allen and Peter Galloway)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canadas-harper-says-must-weigh-national-security-china-114708640--sector.html
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Million-dollar question: What's your major?
U.S. Census Bureau
Your chioce of college major can have major financial implications.
?
By Allison Linn, TODAY
Think carefully about your college major: A bad decision could cost you $1 million.
A new Census Bureau report finds that engineering majors can make over $1 million more in the course of a lifetime than those who major in fields like psychology and education.
The median, or midpoint, of earnings for engineering majors who work full-time, year-round, was $91,611 per year, the report found. Education majors had the lowest median earnings among the degree categories included in the survey, at $50,902 per year.
Business majors fell somewhere in the middle, with median full-time earnings of $66,605.
Men had higher earnings than women in every degree category. Those who worked in the private sector also tended to make more than those who work in government. Many education majors work for the government as public school teachers.
The report is based on 2011 American Community Survey, an annual sample of more than 3 million American households, and looked at people ages 25 and over with a bachelor?s degree or higher.
It comes as many Americans are heading to college ? or back to college ? in the hopes of improving their job prospects amid a tight job market.
In general, experts say that?s a smart move: A college degree usually puts you on the path to higher earnings and more job security over the course of a lifetime.
Still, in recent years it?s also left many Americans burdened with debt. That?s why experts say it?s more important than ever to make sure you choose a field of study that is likely to lead to a good job.
Of course, not everyone has a passion for, or ability to do, work in the more lucrative fields of science and engineering.
For those with a passion for education, there may be a silver lining. A separate report released this year by Georgetown University?s Center on Education and the Workforce found that education majors enjoyed among the strongest job prospects because the unemployment rate is low in the teaching profession.
Are you happy with your choice of college major?
Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/10/11/14373599-million-dollar-question-whats-your-major?lite
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
watch Racing Metro vs Munster Live streaming Free Rugby online ...
Source: http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=180624
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Friday, October 12, 2012
Video: Did Biden blunt the Republican momentum?
>> and going into this joe biden needed to steady the ship and calm the democratic side. did he accomplish that?
>> democrats are psyched that he had such a good night. you said at the throb was no clear winner, and it may be, but it was very important for the democrats paul ryan not be the clear winner. most democrats, i don't know about independent winners, probably think that joe biden clearly won
>> i think the analysis there's no clear winner is because of joe biden 's style, his demeanor, and if we've learned anything from these debates those things matter as much as substance, occasionally more. do you think that biden was over amped and overly aggressive and that detracted from his performance?
>> seemed like aggression and not like a cool distancing from the proceedings which was the problem with the president's performance in terms of his style the first time around. biden 's aggression i think is both expected from him, and the laughing thing was essentially implicit messaging, don't believe what this guy is saying, i can't believe this guy. it actually had sort of a messaging function rather than just being a display of his emotion.
>> on the subject of what you can believe from paul ryan , his calling card, a number guy so on jobs, spending, taxes, how did he do this.
>> had a couple of problems on basic number issues. when he tried to make the case when the unemployment rate is going up, scranton versus janesville, it was stylistically interesting because biden jumped in so aggressively to shut him down, but it's true the unemployment rate is below 8% and being unwilling to admit that i think put him on maybe sort of shaky ground . obviously he's very comfortable talking about these issues. the fact that the debate focused so much on foreign policy was not paul ryan 's wheelhouse and i think that spoke to mr. biden 's strength, but, you know, those issues they both feel confident talking about the middle class . it's a question of whether or not it resonates.
>> we know joe biden , americans know him. watched him in the senate and watched him now for almost four years as vice president. not as many people know paul ryan . this was his first major test on a stage like this. did we learn anything about paul ryan last night that will impact the election?
>> yes, and that's what i think is so exciting about this debate. whoever you want to win, what was exciting about it is all this new ground was covered mostly by joe biden pinning paul ryan down on stuff that we weren't sure if the romney/ryan ticket is going to stick with. he is in favor of privatizing social security and overturning "roe v. wade" and making abortion criminal. on afghanistan, nobody has pressed them on afghanistan. now we know they are going to stick to the 2014 deadline but they also think that deadline is dangerous and a bad idea. that's the sign of a campaign that hasn't been pressed very much on that issue, that it made so little sense when they had to.
>> very quickly, you obviously think biden won, but would you acknowledge that ryan passed the threshold test proving he was a plausible president and vice president if the need arose?
>> on everything except foreign policy . i think paul ryan was out of his depth on foreign policy . maybe it wasn't fair to have him with a foreign correspondent moderator and former chair of the senate foreign relations committee there talking about foreign policy . there he bottomed out, and other than that he did just fine.
>> we'll see you tonight on msnbc.
Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49386492/
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Report: U.S. Broadband Providers' Pay-TV Focus May Be Killing The ...
The U.S. risks falling behind on online product innovation because it isn?t gaining a critical mass of subscribers to superfast broadband services (of 25Mbps+). That?s the scenario being painted by the Broadband Stakeholder Group, an advisory group to the U.K. government, writing in a new report examining global demand for superfast broadband services.
In a section on services, the report notes that in order to develop a new generation of internet services that utilise superfast broadband speeds Internet companies need a critical mass of subscribers in place before they can launch services ? in the same way that demand for first generation broadband prefigured the creation of successive waves of online companies
The problem facing the next wave of U.S. Internet innovators is that uptake of superfast broadband is relatively low ? the BSG calculates it?s less than three percent of total U.S. households ? meaning it?s a long way from reaching the necessary critical mass of users. Why is demand so low??According to the report,?the incentive for U.S. broadband providers to compete on speed grounds ? and thereby drive demand for superfast services ? is being suppressed by a focus on selling bundled pay-TV services, rather than standalone superfast broadband.
The report notes
Despite widespread availability [in the U.S.] over the last few years, superfast broadband has not yet taken off.?This can likely be explained by two factors. The first is that both cable operators and copper?incumbents are focusing on selling their TV services first, with broadband part of the bundle?with that service. Although this has usually been the approach for cable TV providers in most?markets, in the US the focus on Pay-TV services by the copper incumbents above the?broadband service is unique.
The BSG notes that neither Verizon nor AT&T are heavily promoting superfast broadband services ? and suggests the commercial threat from?online video services such as Netflix is likely far more front of mind for the companies than ?the limited competition on broadband that is?restricted by the existence of the territorial duopolies?.??This has meant that operators have?not competed on broadband speed in the same way that they have in other markets,?particularly in Europe,? the report adds.
It continues
The US was the home to online service innovation for the first generation of broadband. A number of these companies have become global giants. Whether such innovation will occur in the US this time, for next generation broadband, is perhaps a more open question. We have already seen that the US has a very low number of subscribers on genuinely superfast services, even counting those cable subscribers that have been uplifted. With the relative lack of competition in the US market, there is less of an incentive to compete on broadband speeds
when the dominant product in the bundle is the Pay-TV service ? this applies as much to the cable operators as it does to the copper-line incumbents.If this is to continue for any period of time, then the US will not reach a critical mass of superfast subscribers, and so will not reach the type of addressable market size that encouraged the early broadband innovators to develop new services ? we have previously noted Google?s foray in to FTTH buildout in Kansas City as perhaps a sign that they do not perceive the US?s broadband to be developing as they would wish.
The report goes on to suggest that if the U.S. does not act to accelerate superfast broadband adoption there is a potential opportunity for Europe to leverage faster uptake of superfast broadband to become the playground for the next wave of web innovation.
?If an addressable market of superfast broadband users can be created in Europe then it may become the new test-bed for online service innovators,? the report adds ? although it also notes that just having the users is not in itself a guarantee of anything, pointing to?high levels of superfast broadband uptake in Asian markets that have nonetheless failed to result in the development of ?an innovative online service environment based on superfast broadband?.
?There remains an open question as to where the next wave of innovation?will come from,? the report adds.
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Oil prices up amid escalating Turkey-Syria tension
BANGKOK (AP) ? Oil prices rose Thursday as growing tensions between Turkey and Syria caused worries about the reliability of Middle East crude supplies.
Benchmark oil for November delivery was up 36 cents to $91.61 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.14 to finish at $91.25 per barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday after some mixed economic signals.
Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 57 cents to $113.75 on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.
Turkish jets on Wednesday forced a Syrian passenger plane to land at Ankara airport on suspicion that it might be carrying weapons or other military equipment to support the regime of President Bashar Assad in its civil war against Syrian rebels.
Escalating tensions between the two former allies are "one of the things that are keeping oil prices somewhat firm to stronger," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney.
Many observers fear the civil war in Syria could grow into a wider regional conflict that could threaten oil supplies from Middle East producers. The Middle East and North Africa account for about a third of global oil production.
In other energy trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:
? Heating oil rose 0.8 cent to $3.22 per gallon
? Wholesale gasoline was almost unchanged at $2.96 a gallon.
? Natural gas rose 0.9 cent to $3.484 per 1,000 cubic feet.
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With wife expecting, Stephan Bonnar ready to jump on private jet after UFC 153
Though Stephan Bonnar has UFC 153 and Anderson Silva on his mind, he has another concern when he's in Brazil this week. Bonnar's wife Andrea is pregnant and due at the end of the month. Since babies are born on their own schedule and not the UFC's, Bonnar has a contingency plan ready to go for the event Andrea goes into labor earlier than expected.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, UFC president Dana White has offered to fly Bonnar back to his home in Las Vegas immediately after the fight with Silva in his private jet.
Bonnar took White up on his offer, but the Bonnars still have another plan in place, according to TMZ.
Andrea says Stephan?plans to video conference in to his wife's birth if he can't make it in time -- but she adds, "We're trying to avoid even thinking about that."
Their son's birth will be forever connected to Bonnar's last-minute fight with Silva. After featherweight champion Jose Aldo's injury threatened UFC 153, Bonnar stepped up to fight Silva, the middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king at light heavyweight.
There is a chance their son will be connected to Bonnar's most famous fight, as well. As Iole also mentioned, Stephan and Andrea are considering naming their son Griffin Bonnar in honor of the Bonnar-Forrest Griffin bout at the first "Ultimate Fighter" finale.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Swimming with hormones: Researchers unravel ancient urges that drive the social decisions of fish
Swimming with hormones: Researchers unravel ancient urges that drive the social decisions of fish
Wednesday, October 10, 2012Researchers have discovered that a form of oxytocin?the hormone responsible for making humans fall in love?has a similar effect on fish, suggesting it is a key regulator of social behaviour that has evolved and endured since ancient times.
The findings, published in the latest edition of the journal Animal Behaviour, help answer an important evolutionary question: why do some species develop complex social behaviours while others spend much of their lives alone?
"We know how this hormone affects humans," explains Adam Reddon, lead researcher and a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. "It is related to love, monogamy, even risky behaviour, but much less is known about its effects on fish."
Specifically, researchers examined the cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher, a highly social species found in Lake Tanganyika in Africa.
These cichlids are unusual because they form permanent hierarchical social groups made up of a dominant breeding pair and many helpers that look after the young and defend their territory.
For the experiments, researchers injected the cichlids with either isotocin?a "fish version" of oxytocin?or a control saline solution.
When placed in a simulated territorial competition with a single perceived rival, the isotocin-treated fish were more aggressive towards large opponents, regardless of their own size.
When placed in a larger group situation, isotocin-treated fish became more submissive when faced with aggression from more dominant group members. Such signals are important in this species because they placate the dominant members of the group, say researchers.
"The hormone increases responsiveness to social information and may act as an important social glue," says Reddon. "It ensures the fish handle conflict well and remain a cohesive group because they will have shorter, less costly fights."
"We already knew that this class of neuropeptides are ancient and are found in nearly all vertebrate groups," says Sigal Balshine, a professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. "What is especially exciting about these findings, is that they bolster the idea that function of these hormones, as modulators of social behaviour, has also been conserved."
###
McMaster University: http://www.mcmaster.ca
Thanks to McMaster University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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High Street vs Online - the impact of internet retailers | Games - MCV
Kantar World Panel analyst Laurie Krohn discusses the changing face of retail and why it?s important to support the High Street retailer...
The face of British retail is changing ? and it has been for some time. The growing popularity of online shopping has brought a number of new challenges for physical retailers and in particular specialist stores. Although this has prompted fears over the death of the High Street, specialists are still crucial players in the games market.
The challenges faced more widely by the retail sector have taken their toll on the physical entertainment market: annual sales through the High Street have fallen by a fifth (19 per cent) since August 2010. And High Street retail of boxed games has been hit particularly hard, seeing its sales value decline by over 30 per cent.?
The immediate reason for this is a decline in buyer numbers.? In the year to August 2012, games retail on the High Street saw 2.5m fewer buyers than it did during the same period two years ago. This is equal to a quarter of all former shoppers and represents ?140m in lost revenue.? There are a number of reasons for this staggering drop in consumers that affect the boxed games market as a whole rather than just the High Street ? including the recession, the rise of digital and the decline of the Wii.?
However, boxed games sold online are declining at 11 per cent ? less than half the rate of the total market decline (26 per cent) ? meaning that internet retailers have substantially increased their share of the market, which has grown from 24 per cent to 29 per cent since 2010.
The popularity of online channels is taking its toll on specialist stores in the UK. The UK has a particularly high internet penetration compared with the rest of Europe ? Internet World Stats shows that as of 2012, it had penetration of 84.1 per cent compared with the European average of 61.3 per cent. It also has a more mature online retail base than elsewhere on the continent with consumers more geared towards online purchases for all sorts of products.
Online stores are also stealing share from mail order retailers such as Argos, which are almost non-existent in the games market now, having fallen from 1.2 per cent of boxed games value share in the year to August 2010 to 0.1 per cent in the year to August 2012.? Essentially, online firms now fulfil the same function that mail order retailers did in the past ? offering infinite shelf space and performing well in gifting and planned purchases, with 71 per cent of games sold through internet retailers being planned with a particular title in mind (compared with the market average of 58?per cent).
The analysis above looks at the retail landscape in reference to boxed games, but when digital purchases are included the picture becomes even starker. Internet retailers took 35 per cent of total (physical and digital) games value in the past year and are now very close to overtaking the High Street, which took 39 per cent.
Online retailers are expected to continue to consolidate their position and this is likely to have an effect on the number of specialist retailers on the High Street. But what are the implications for the games market?
In the short-to-medium term at least, we would expect a negative impact on overall market value. This is because internet retailers are not as accessible as High Street stores for older shoppers ? and these shoppers are particularly important to the market as they are the most likely consumer group to buy games as gifts or for family use. While it?s easy to underestimate the value of games purchased for these two reasons, they have actually made up the majority of boxed games sales volume over the past year.
With fewer High Street stores, the older demographic will be less likely to encounter outlets selling games including the awareness of games and making it more likely that they will not be top-of-mind for?the shopper.?
Losing the browsability of High Street stores would also contribute to the decline of boxed games, of which 53 per cent are purchased in specialist stores, making ?96m of sales over the past year. These are bought where a consumer either didn?t plan to buy a game or wanted a game but didn?t have a particular title in mind. In contrast, for the internet, this figure is only 29 per cent.
Despite the troubled times specialist retailers face, they still play an important role for the games industry. Publishers would therefore be wise to support their High Street base. The recent move to extend the time period for big games releases in the second half of this year is a step in the right direction.
Source: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/high-street-vs-online-the-impact-of-internet-retailers/0104280
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