Thursday, January 31, 2013

In-brain monitoring shows memory network

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have shown for the first time that areas of the brain work together at the same time to recall memories. The unique approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.

"Previous work has focused on one region of the brain at a time," said Arne Ekstrom, assistant professor at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience. "Our results show that memory recall involves simultaneous activity across brain regions." Ekstrom is senior author of a paper describing the work published Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Ekstrom and UC Davis graduate student Andrew Watrous worked with patients being treated for a severe seizure condition by neurosurgeon Dr. Nitin Tandon and his UTHealth colleagues.

To pinpoint the origin of the seizures in these patients, Tandon and his team place electrodes on the patient's brain inside the skull. The electrodes remain in place for one to two weeks for monitoring.

Six such patients volunteered for Ekstrom and Watrous' study while the electrodes were in place. Using a laptop computer, the patients learned to navigate a route through a virtual streetscape, picking up passengers and taking them to specific places. Later, they were asked to recall the routes from memory.

Correct memory recall was associated with increased activity across multiple connected brain regions at the same time, Ekstrom said, rather than activity in one region followed by another.

However, the analysis did show that the medial temporal lobe is an important hub of the memory network, confirming earlier studies, he said.

Intriguingly, memories of time and of place were associated with different frequencies of brain activity across the network. For example, recalling, "What shop is next to the donut shop?" set off a different frequency of activity from recalling "Where was I at 11 a.m.?"

Using different frequencies could explain how the brain codes and recalls elements of past events such as time and location at the same time, Ekstrom said.

"Just as cell phones and wireless devices work at different radio frequencies for different information, the brain resonates at different frequencies for spatial and temporal information," he said.

The researchers hope to explore further how the brain codes information in future work.

The neuroscientists analyzed their results with graph theory, a new technique that is being used for studying networks, ranging from social media connections to airline schedules.

"Previously, we didn't have enough data from different brain regions to use graph theory. This combination of multiple readings during memory retrieval and graph theory is unique," Ekstrom said.

Placing electrodes inside the skull provides clearer resolution of electrical signals than external electrodes, making the data invaluable for the study of cognitive functions, Tandon said. "This work has yielded important insights into the normal mechanisms underpinning recall, and provides us with a framework for the study of memory dysfunction in the future."

###

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.

This press release has been viewed 37 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126534/In_brain_monitoring_shows_memory_network

florida lotto dancing with the stars sean taylor Lisa Robin Kelly Nexus 4 Girl Meets World Jason Babin

Would You Believe This Common Household Pet Is the Cold ...

Owners of domesticated cats might have received a dead bird offering (or two) at their doorstep as a ?gift.? But would you believe the seemingly cuddly felines are actually contributing to the death of billions (yes, billions) of birds and mammals each year.

Turns out pet cats are cold blooded killers. A study published in the journal ?Nature Communications? found ?free-ranging? domesticated cats kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds and between 6.9 and 20.7 billion small mammals each year.

Free Ranging Cats Kill Up to 3.7 Billion Birds and up to 20.7 Billion Mammals Each Year

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

Live Science reported this to be 15 percent of the total bird population?in the United States, according to?Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute ecologist and study co-author?Pete Marra.

Here?s more from Live Science on the study:

For this broader analysis, the team first looked at all prior studies on bird deaths and estimated that around 84 million owned-cats live in the country, many of which are allowed outdoors.

?A lot of these cats may go outside and go to 10 different houses, but they go back to their house and cuddle up on Mr. Smith?s lap at night,? Marra said.

Based on an analysis of past studies, the researchers estimated that each of those felines killed between four and 18 birds a year, and between eight and 21 small mammals per year.

Granted, its the ownerless, feral cats that cause the most bloodshed, according to the study.

And if you brought a cat into your home to keep mice at bay, the study also found the felines seem to prefer native species like voles and chipmunks, Live Science reported.

Given the effect of cats on native wildlife, one man in New Zealand has recently been advocating a complete cat ban. Mashable reported last week about businessman and philanthropist Gareth Morgan?s?#catstogo?campaign on Twitter.

Here?s an infographic from Morgan?s campaign:

Infographic Damage cats do in New Zealand

The Smithsonian researchers suggest, first and foremost, keeping domesticated cats inside to help curb the killings. But, as Live Science pointed out, the larger issue are roaming kitties with no owner.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/30/would-you-believe-this-common-household-pet-is-the-cold-blooded-killer-of-15-of-the-bird-population/

d rose iman shumpert mayweather vs cotto shumpert hopkins hopkins dear john

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Destiny's Child Love Songs: Four Key Tracks!

With the trio rumored to be reuniting at Sunday's Super Bowl, the brand-new 14-track compilation comes just in time.
By Rebecca Thomas


Destiny's Child Love Songs album cover
Photo: Music World Entertainment/Columbia Records/Legacy

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700950/destinys-child-love-songs-key-tracks.jhtml

Candy Crowley binders of women Alexis Wright presidential debates Felix Baumgartner Little Nemo gawker

Keyboard Shortcuts: Excel (Function Key) ? Business Management ...

F8?Select a large range of cells without holding down that mouse button by clicking your starting cell, pressing F8 and clicking the ending cell. Range selected! Esc turns off the feature.

F9?See the resulting value of a formula in edit mode by pressing F9. Press Enter to effect a ?past values.? It will convert your formula to its result. Undo or Ctrl+Z will get your formula back.

F11?Choose any chartable range and press F11. Excel will insert a new work sheet with this data charted in the default chart format. The Change Chart Type button will let you choose a different chart type.

Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!

Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...

We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.

" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34250/keyboard-shortcuts-excel-function-key "

Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34250/keyboard-shortcuts-excel-function-key

andrew luck pro day josh johnson kim kardashian flour matt forte jeremy shockey new orleans saints ireland

Report: States force jobless to pay needless fees

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Jobless Americans are paying millions in unnecessary fees to collect unemployment benefits because of state policies encouraging them to get the money through bank-issued payment cards, according to a new report from a consumer group.

People are using the fee-heavy cards instead of getting their payments deposited directly to their bank accounts. That's because states issue bank cards automatically, require complicated paperwork or phone calls to set up direct deposit and fail to explain the card fees, according to a report issued Tuesday by the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit group that seeks to protect low-income Americans from unfair financial-services products. An early copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press.

Until the past decade, states distributed unemployment compensation by mailing out paper checks. Some also allowed direct deposit. The system worked well for people who had bank accounts and could deposit the check without paying a fee.

It also cost states millions of dollars each year to print and mail the checks.

Banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America Corp. seized on government payments as a business opportunity. They pitched card programs to states as a win-win: States would save millions in overhead costs because the cards would be issued for free. And people without bank accounts would avoid the big fees charged by storefront check cashers.

However, most of the people being hit with fees already have bank accounts. The bank-state partnerships effectively shifted the cost of distributing payments from governments to individuals. The money needed to cover those costs is deducted from people's unemployment benefits in the form of fees.

Consumer advocates like NCLC are focused on ensuring access to the direct-deposit option so that people can avoid the card fees.

The trouble, the new report says, is that many states make it difficult for people to sign up for direct deposit. The rate of people using direct deposit ranges from a national high of 82 percent in Minnesota to a low of 16 percent in Arizona, the report says.

Minnesota offers direct deposit to people when they apply for benefits, and allows them to change their payment method online or over the phone, the report says.

In Arizona, by contrast, people are automatically enrolled in the card program. After they receive the card, they must find a paper form, fill it out, and submit it by mail. There is no way to change payment methods online or over the phone.

"The difference in direct-deposit rates among states seems primarily due to how hard or easy the state makes it for workers to choose direct deposit," the report says.

In five states ? California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland and Nevada ? unemployed people aren't offered direct deposit at all. The report says that setup is illegal under a federal law that bars states from requiring benefits recipients to open an account at a particular bank.

The federal government recommended in 2009 that people with bank accounts receive payments via direct deposit. Nearly four years later, the report says, "there is no excuse for any state not to be offering direct deposit as the first choice for payment of unemployment benefits."

Banks make more money when more people use the cards. In the past, some of their deals with states prevented states from offering direct deposit, or required states to promote the card program as a first option.

To cover the cost of issuing cards and running the programs, banks charge a plethora of fees, including charges for balance inquiries, phone calls to customer support, leaving an account inactive for a period of months, or making a purchase using a personal identification number.

Many states have eliminated some fees and improved consumer protections in the two years since NCLC published its first comprehensive review of state unemployment payments. Banks no longer charge overdraft fees, which skimmed up to $20 from the benefits of card users whose spending exceeded the balance on the card.

Pennsylvania was singled out for praise in the report. Residents of that state will save $5.2 million in card fees each year because the state switched to a lower-fee card offered by JPMorgan.

JPMorgan declined to comment. US Bancorp and Bank of America did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In part because of the recent improvements, the report says, prepaid cards often are the best option for people who don't have bank accounts. Those people would often pay even bigger fees to storefront check cashing services.

"A well-designed prepaid card is safer, cheaper and more convenient than paying to cash a paper check," said Lauren Saunders, one of the report's authors, in a prepared statement. But she said "it is no substitute for direct deposit to an account of your own choosing."

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-29-Unemployment-Card%20Fees/id-6f8406d73983482f9bc8a8b1b73d88fe

draft tracker the pirates band of misfits cleveland browns minnesota twins bobby abreu 2012 draft colt mccoy

Torrey Smith, Ravens WR, Makes It To Super Bowl, Overcoming Adversity On The Way

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Torrey Smith overcame a variety of obstacles to become the deep threat the Baltimore Ravens needed to make it to the Super Bowl.

Smith helped his single mother raise her six other children by working after school as a teenager. Early this season, his second with the Ravens, tragedy struck less than 24 hours before Baltimore faced New England on Sept. 23: Smith's younger brother, Tevin Jones, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Virginia.

Smith left the team to join his family, then returned to catch six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in Baltimore's 31-30 victory.

Now Smith and the Ravens will play for the NFL championship against San Francisco this Sunday.

Smith has put his brother's death behind him, saying, "I'm just focused on playing football."

"; 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/2013/01/28/torrey-smith-super-bowl-ravens-brother-adversity_n_2563166.html

lottery winners april fools day pranks ohio state vs kansas daniel von bargen the beach blood diamond 8 bit google maps

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Self-warming Cat Beds from Spenser Pets ? hauspanther

Self-warming Pet Beds from Spencerpets

These modern cat beds from Etsy seller?Spenser Pets?are not just beautiful, they have a really interesting feature that kitty is sure to love. These handmade beds are self-warming, capturing kitty?s body heat and making a cozy nest without any electricity.

The flannel insert is lined with a layer of metallized insulation that reflects your cat?s own body heat. What a great idea! The outer cover is removable and washable and the inner foam form is covered with batting for extra softness.

Self-warming Pet Beds from Spencerpets

The Spenser Pets self-warming cat beds are available in 12? inner diameter for $44 and 14? inner diameter for $49. Visit the?Spenser Pets Etsy shop?to see the current fabric selections.

Self-warming Pet Beds from Spencerpets

More design finds:

Source: http://www.hauspanther.com/2013/01/28/self-warming-cat-beds-from-spenser-pets/

monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live nfl draft picks 2012 space shuttle enterprise ryan leaf ryan leaf

Murals bring Manchester heritage to Northern Quarter | Manchester ...

Techhub Manchester

Salford Graphic Design students have brought the walls of a new technology workspace in Manchester?s Northern Quarter to life with a range of murals celebrating the computer science and creative arts heritage of the city.

BA (Hons) Graphic Design students were commissioned to create a number of large wall paintings at TechHub?s Manchester base, using illustration and typography to evoke the rich Mancunian history of computer science, innovation and artistic creativity.

TechHub is an international community which provides physical and virtual workspaces for technology entrepreneurs to meet, work, learn and collaborate. With facilities in London, Bucharest and Riga, in addition to Manchester, TechHub aims to help technology start-ups work smarter, develop faster and increase their chances of success by connecting with like-minded individuals and specialists from around the world.

Natasha Willcocks, Graphic Design lecturer at the University of Salford, commented: ?This was a fantastic project for our students because the work they produced will be seen by other graphic designers and technology professionals, giving the students the opportunity to showcase their work and get noticed by people who are in the same industry.?

Students worked for around 40 hours at the space to produce a collection of interlinking designs and illustrations, which will be showcased to hundreds of creative professionals across the globe as the TechHub community begins to grow in Manchester.

Doug Ward of TechHub said: ?The Graphic Design course at the University of Salford comes highly recommended within the industry as being very creative and dynamic, and the standard of students? work was very high.

?They quickly understood the TechHub brand and ethos but, most importantly, they appreciated how essential location and history are to TechHub Manchester, and this has been communicated through their visual work.Techhub Manchester 2

?We wanted to give the students an opportunity to put their mark on an up-and-coming centre of innovation, with the aim of showcasing their work to potential employers.?

The murals will be officially launched at an open gallery event at TechHub, 3rd Floor, Carvers Warehouse, 77 Dale Street, Manchester, M1 2HG, on Thursday 31 January 6.30-8.30pm. To sign up for the free event, visit the TechHub website at: http://manchester.techhub.com/events/open-gallery-at-techhub-manchester.

For more information on Graphic Design at the University of Salford, please visit http://www.salford.ac.uk/arts-media.

Source: http://manchestergazette.co.uk/archives/11431

school shooting in ohio shooting at chardon high school sasha baron cohen stacy keibler stacy keibler all star game oscar red carpet

Gaming's most secret secrets | GamesRadar

Shadow Of Death - 18 hours, 37 minutes ago

Didn't know most of these, but I had done the "Mega Man X: Hadouken!" one multiple times. It's a lot easier than the rough guide in this article suggests actually. Once you've gotten all those upgrades, you just have to repeat the section past the checkpoint you're respawned at. Not too hard, you just have to kill the enemies before they can hit you I've used that special blast (I can't remember what it's actually called), to insta-kill bosses and the like..HOWEVER, you need full health (energy) to execute the attack. Anything less than that and it won't work. Another slightly odd bit to the game. If I remember correctly, if you got the save code after getting the super blaster attack, if you entered it you'd end up at the start of the level where you'd get said superblaster, but you'd already have it. Something like that, anyway. Just FYI, but I REALLY liked Megaman X back in the day, though I never got the sequels (I played X-2 and really liked it, but never got it myself).

Source: http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-secret-secrets/

2012 pro bowl postsecret ufc on fox 2 supercross christina aguilera etta james funeral sundance film festival the flintstones

Paul Giamatti Could Be Amazing Spider-Man 2's Rhino

The Amazing Spider-Man Rhino

Despite the seemingly rushed nature of Sony Pictures? reboot of the Spider-Man franchise after dropping Sam Raimi?s problematic Spider-Man 4, The Amazing Spider-Man ? despite its flaws ? successfully reintroduced Peter Parker in large part due to its roster of talent onscreen. For?The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Marc Webb looks to keep that magic flowing with inspired casting that already includes Jamie Foxx as the villainous Electro, Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) as Mary Jane?and Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) as Harry Osborn.

Today we?ve learned that Sony is looking to bolster the cast led by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone even more by adding?Paul Giamatti and Felicity Jones.

The scoop comes from?THR?who have it on good authority that Oscar-nominated Paul Giamatti is in?negotiations?to join The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as the villainous Rhino, while Brit actress?Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) is also in talks for another, unknown role. Could she play one-time love interests?Betty Brant or Liz Allan, or is Webb pulling out all the stops and introducing?Felicia Hardy AKA Black Cat?

Felicity Jones Like Crazy

Felicity Jones in Like Crazy

The report confirms Sony?s attempt at distancing itself from the Sam Raimi trilogy of?Spider-Man films by taking advantage of a different set of villains. Both Electro and Rhino were mentioned among fan wishlists for inclusion in Raimi?s ill-fated?Spider-Man 4 and will finally get their chance in the Marc Webb universe.

Every character Giamatti touches is gold and to see him play the physically-dominant Rhino will be something unique for the superhero genre, especially given the track record of the franchise to successfully adapt the more ?out there? characters like Sandman and The Lizard. So, expect to see a super-powered and gigantic Rhino on screen battling Spider-Man.

Paul Giamatti Shoot Em Up

Paul Giamatti in Shoot ?Em Up

In Marvel Comics, Rhino (real name:?Aleksei Sytsevich) was a member of the Russian mafia who, after?undergoing?a lengthy process genetic manipulation with chemicals and radiation, was given his superhuman abilities, but unfortunately no superhuman level of intelligence. His powers are further enhanced by a suit he wears on top of his thick armored skin.

As our own Kofi Outlaw brought up in chatting with Marc Webb last summer, it looks as if the end credits sequence of?The Amazing Spider-Man and the plans for the sequel could be leading to the formation of the Sinister Six?(read Webb?s curious response here), where multiple Spidey villains (The Lizard, Electro and Rhino included in various incarnations) form together. Such a large-scale threat certainly boosts the blockbuster appeal of the franchise in a post-Avengers genre.

For fans of?The Amazing Spider-Man video game, I met with the producers behind it who spent many hours working with Sony to ensure the game fits within the plans for the film universe where Oscorp and their biological?experimentation?were the central point for all of the super-powered characters we know from years of Marvel Comics. Rhino (pictured up top) was?re-imagined?for the game.

Fun fact: The Oscorp tower from The Amazing Spider-Man almost made its way into The Avengers but digital effects on the New York skyline were already near completion.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2?releases May 2, 2014.

-

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes?for more!

Source: THR

"Follow us if you want to live."

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926746/news/1926746/

nick lachey chevy volt christina hendricks lifelock camp david hawaii weather the jerk

Monday, January 28, 2013

Keep it Together: A First Birthday Party

Most reasonable families will hold their baby's First Birthday Party in their home. Invite just a few guests; mainly family and close friends. Bake a small homemade cake with natural baby friendly ingredients. Quiet, low-key, and calm is the way to go as not to overwhelm the little one (who won't remember it anyway).

We've never done it like that, though, at our house. I tried (really, I tried!) to keep it low-key for Jaina's first birthday. But once I invited one family from the neighborhood, I realized that it would be nice to invite another family from the neighborhood, and then I couldn't leave out the other family from the neighborhood, too. Then there were friends from MOMS Club and from the library storytime. And close friends of the family. And of course, family!

We ended up having so many people that some guests had to sit on our stairs and on our front porch to eat cake.

With Jayce's first birthday party, pretty much the exact same thing happened.

The only difference with Jocelyn's party is that Brian put his foot down about NOT having it at the house.

Where on earth are we going to find a place to have a one year old's birthday party in January?

Too cold for parks, too young for pretty much anything else.

I finally had the great idea to call the Gymboree Play and Music gym in a neighboring town. Perfect!

(well, except for the fact that ages 5 and older can't play. I had some pretty bored big kids that had to occupy themselves with a game of Bingo and some crafts).

Despite the big kids not being involved, the babies, toddlers, and preschoolers had a ball! (10 little ones in all!)





Her cake was another wonderful creation by Cakes by Dodi...

You know how much Jocelyn loves her monkey :)
All in all, it was a great birthday!

I couldn't take pictures of her with her cake (she was hilarious and wouldn't really touch it without using a fork!) but as soon as I get some, I'll upload them in another post!

Source: http://www.keep-it-together-blog.com/2013/01/a-first-birthday-party.html

whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll i will always love you whitney cummings maine caucus whitney houston has died blue ivy carter

Writing to be understood ? Butterflies and Wheels

Greta did a post the other day about someone who rethought something she wrote and then took it back. I hadn?t seen it until this morning.

This is how it?s done, people. She didn?t double down. She didn?t insist that she hadn?t done anything wrong; she didn?t equate ?lots of people disagreeing with you? with tribalism, bullying, McCarthyism, or witch hunts. She kept it short and sweet, without a ?making it worse? morass of defensive rationalizations/ making it all about her hurt feelings about people being mean to her. She heard the criticism, accepted that she screwed up, and apologized. This is how it?s done.

([cough] Michael Shermer [cough])

The result of course was that ? starting in comment 2, already ? some anonymous detective insisted for comment after comment that I misrepresented Shermer. No I didn?t. AD also insisted my article (which AD thought was a blog post) was about Shermer and that I had said Shermer is a sexist. No, and no.

A guy called Michael Heath has been insisting even more insistently on a couple of posts of Ed Brayton?s ? Shermer and the Myth of Feminst Persecution and a later post that had nothing to do with me or Shermer?- that I lied about Shermer, that I am a liar, that I defamed Shermer, that my article is demagoguery. That?s all false.

Greta addressed the detective ? one ?coelsblog? ? in a long comment, which sums up a lot of things with beautiful clarity.

coelsblog: I?m going to say this once.

For the sake of argument, let?s concede all your major points. Let?s say that while Shermer?s statements were sexist, he didn?t intend any of the sexist intent that came across. And let?s say that Benson?s interpretation uncharitably took them out of context: what he said was sexist, but it wasn?t as sexist as she made it out to be. I don?t agree with this assessment: but for the sake of argument, let?s say that it?s true.

So what?

Does that in any way, shape or form justify Shermer?s reaction? Does it justify him calling criticism of him a McCarthy-like witch hunt, a purging, an inquisition, comparing it to the Nazi party? Does it make Benson responsible for what Shermer said? And does it make Benson?s actions more problematic than Shermer?s, and more worthy of extensive critique?

If you think Shermer?s ranting response was justified, or that Benson was somehow responsible for it ? then I have nothing more to say to you. That is an indefensible position. And if you don?t? then why are you so fixated on Benson? Why are you micro-analyzing her comments in comment after comment after comment? Why do you think that her misinterpretation (in your eyes) is more worthy of more criticism than Shermer?s off-the-rails hissy-fit?

When you say something sexist, racist, homophobic, whatever, and someone calls you out on it? you apologize. Full stop. Even if the person calling you out got something slightly wrong? you let that pass. You say, ?I?m so sorry. I did not intend to say anything sexist/ racist/ homophobic/ etc., but I can see why people are angry, and I can see why they saw it the way they did. I?ll speak more carefully in the future.?? You don?t make it all about you and how everyone?s being mean to you; you don?t make your hurt feelings over being misunderstood more important than sexism/ racism/ homophobia/ etc. Do you think that every atheist who called out Charlie Jane Anders got absolutely everything right, and said everything in the best way possible? I doubt it highly. She didn?t focus on that. She focused on the injury she had done, and the apology for it. That?s what makes her a class act.

And when you ? speaking to you now, coelsblog, not to the generic ?you? ? acknowledge in passing that Shermer?s sexist remarks were not okay, and then spend comment after comment after comment micro-analyzing Benson?s criticism of it, and blaming her for his off-the-rails reaction? it?s a classic ?yes, but? response to sexism. In fact, ?Yes, but? the person writing about this incident didn?t behave absolutely perfectly in all respects. Why aren?t we talking about that?? is one of the ?Yes, but?? examples listed in that piece. The expectation that critics of sexist behavior always get everything absolutely right ? and if they don?t, they should expect the targets of their criticism to react horribly ? is, itself, unbelievably sexist. Stop it. Right now. Just stop it.

The imperfection in what I wrote in the article was saying of the overall stereotype, ?Don?t laugh: Michael Shermer said exactly that?? when I would have closed that loophole by instead saying ?Michael Shermer invoked exactly that stereotype??

But that is really not a very big imperfection. Since I immediately go on to report exactly what Shermer really did say, it?s an absurd bit of pettifogging to pretend that I meant the ?said exactly that? literally or that I intended it to mislead. For fuck?s sake, if I intended it to mislead why would I immediately quote exactly what he really did say? What I said is just a normal bit of commentary. People who know how to read know that. It?s obvious on the page which bit is in fact exactly what he said. Aesthetically, ?invoked exactly that stereotype? is somewhat inferior to ?said exactly that.? It?s a bit cluttered. In academic writing, of course, precision trumps aesthetics every time, but guess what, I?m not an academic and Free Inquiry is not an academic journal. There?s always a tension in this kind of writing, between pedantry and style. You make choices all the time. There are tradeoffs. You make them, generally, based on the background assumption that the reader is not an idiot. I never for one second thought that any reader would be idiot enough to read ?said exactly that? and then ignore the next part where I spelled out what?Shermer actually did say. Nor did I think any reader would be idiot enough to read ?it?s a guy thing? in the following paragraph and think?Shermer had?said that, either, since I had just spelled out what he did say ? ?it?s more of a guy thing.?

You have to assume the reader is not an idiot, because if you don?t, you get horrible over-literal baby-step writing with no color or energy or wit. Lunatics are insisting that I wrote those four paragraphs (that address Shermer) the way I did as a dastardly attempt to frame him. The hell I did. I wrote it that way because writing that assumes the reader can?t read is terrible writing, and I refuse to do set out to do terrible writing. (Terrible writing I do by accident is another story.)

?

?

Source: http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2013/01/writing-to-be-understood/

duke invisible children garbage pail kids st bonaventure ncaa tournament 2012 peyton manning 49ers andy pettitte

Fire at nightclub kills more than 200 in Brazil

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Reuters) - At least 200 people were killed in a nightclub fire in southern Brazil on Sunday after a band's pyrotechnics show set the building ablaze, and fleeing patrons were unable to find the emergency exits, local officials said.

Bodies were still being removed from the Kiss nightclub in the southern city of Santa Maria, Major Gerson da Rosa Ferreira, who was leading rescue efforts at the scene for the military police, told Reuters.

Local officials said 180 people were confirmed dead, and Ferreira said the death toll would rise above 200. He said the victims died of asphyxiation or from being trampled, and that there were possibly as many as 500 people inside the club when the fire broke out at about 2:30 a.m.

Television footage showed people sobbing outside the club, while shirtless firefighters used sledge hammers and axes to knock down an exterior wall to open up an exit.

"It was really fast. There was a lot of smoke, really dark smoke," survivor Aline Santos Silva, 29, told Globonews TV. "We were only able to get out quickly because we were in a VIP area close to the door."

President Dilma Rousseff cut short a visit to Chile and was returning to Brazil following the blaze, her spokesperson said.

Luiza Sousa, a civil police official in Santa Maria, told Reuters the blaze started when a member of the band or its production team ignited a flare, which then set fire to the ceiling. The fire spread "in seconds," Sousa said.

The disaster recalls other incidents including a 2003 fire at a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, that killed 100, and a Buenos Aires nightclub blaze in 2004 that killed nearly 200. In both incidents, a band or members of the audience ignited fires that set the establishment ablaze.

Brazil's safety standards and emergency response capabilities are under particular scrutiny as the country prepares to host the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Rio Grande do Sul state Health Secretary Ciro Simoni said emergency medical supplies from all over the state were being sent to the scene.

Santa Maria is some 186 miles west of the state capital of Porto Alegre. "A sad Sunday!" tweeted Rio Grande do Sul Governor Tarso Genro. He said "all possible measures" were being taken in response and that he was on his way to the scene.

(Additional reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal, Todd Benson and Brian Winter; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-nightclub-fire-kills-least-90-local-media-104354656.html

spike lee carson daly heejun han donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb lottery ticket megga millions

Iowa Democrat Harkin won't seek sixth Senate term

DES MOINES (Reuters) - Senator Tom Harkin, a veteran Iowa Democrat and one of the most liberal senators, said on Saturday he will not seek re-election in 2014, putting at risk what was considered a safe Democratic seat.

Harkin, 73, who has focused much of his nearly 40-year congressional career on farm policy, education and expanding rights for people with disabilities, is the third senator facing re-election next year who has announced his retirement, following Democrat Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

"It's somebody else's turn. It's time for me to step aside ... . I think that's not only good for our party, it's good for our state and for our nation," Harkin said in an interview with Reuters.

He said he had no health problems but had promised his wife that he would quit before it was too late to enjoy other things in life.

Iowa, site of the country's first presidential nominating contest, is considered a political swing state. Republican Charles Grassley is Iowa's other U.S. senator.

In remarks to the Iowa Democratic Party central committee after his announcement, Harkin said he would stay politically active.

"I'm not quitting today. This is not a time for legacy talks or anything like this," said Harkin, who has served in Congress since 1974.

Several committee members had tears running down their cheeks as he spoke.

President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, praised Harkin for his decades of public service.

"During his tenure, he has fought passionately to improve quality of life for Americans with disabilities and their families, to reform our education system and ensure that every American has access to affordable health care," Obama said in a statement.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, in a statement described Harkin as "a passionate progressive, whose deeply held principles have provided a guiding light to Democrats for decades."

SEARCH IS ON

Party officials said Harkin's announcement, coming early in the current two-year election cycle, provides ample time to recruit a strong Democratic candidate.

Among Democrats, U.S. Representative Bruce Braley is widely seen as a front-runner. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, and his wife, Christine Vilsack, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year, are also viewed as potential candidates.

Among Republicans, U.S. Representatives Tom Latham, a moderate, and Steve King, a conservative, are mentioned as possible candidates, which could produce a divisive Republican primary.

Obama won Iowa in the November election. But the state has a Republican governor, and a divided legislature and congressional delegation.

Harkin's retirement "just reinforces our belief that a grassroots Republican comeback can take place in 2014. Let's have it start in Iowa," Iowa Republican Party Chairman A.J. Spiker said in an email appeal to state Republicans.

The party needs to pick up six seats in the mid-term elections next year to get a majority in the 100-member Senate.

One of the last of the Senate's old-guard liberals, Harkin angrily opposed the White House over the recent fiscal cliff compromise that Vice President Joe Biden negotiated with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Harkin said the deal that raised taxes only on the very rich helps the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 and to the Senate in 1984, Harkin said someone younger needs to take his place.

"I've been there 40 years. I'm 73. By the time I run (for re-election), I'd be 75," he said.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Charles Abbott and Vicki Allen in Washington; Editing by Greg McCune and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democratic-senator-tom-harkin-not-seek-election-aide-161442576.html

Remember Remember The 5th Of November African painted dogs What Time Do Polls Open Krysten Ritter v for vendetta Time Fun

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Age of the Earth--An Age-Old Question [Excerpt]

Lord Kelvin applied thermodynamics to the problem of Earth?s age. Although his estimates are now known to be incorrect by several orders of magnitude, they shook up the established theories of 19th-century geologists


From Stars To Stalagmites: How Everything Connects From Stars To Stalagmites: How Everything Connects Image: Paul S. Braterman

Editor's Note: This excerpt is from the first chapter of From Stars to Stalagmites: How Everything Connects, by Paul S. Braterman. Earlier in the chapter the author discusses the ideas among geologists in the 19th century that physical processes such as erosion had always occurred at the same rates and that the features of Earth were static, leading them to conclude that the planet had had no beginning nor would it have an end. Here he writes about how the ideas of physicist William Thomson would end up turning those theories on their heads, paving the way for our current understanding of Earth's early history and age.

Other developments, however, were to undermine this view. I have already mentioned steam engines and railways. Science in the mid 19th century was much occupied with matters concerning work and energy, and the efficiency of heat engines. This period saw the development of a new subject, thermodynamics, dedicated to such matters. One of the most fundamental results of thermodynamics (the First Law) is that energy is conserved. Another (the Second Law) is, that since energy tends to spread out and degrade irreversibly over time, there could be no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. Any real process, and certainly such a process as the uplift and erosion of the Earth, is operating against friction, with overall irreversible degradation of energy into heat, and this is something that cannot continue on its own indefinitely. Yet the Earth, as seen by Hutton and Lyell, appeared to be just one such machine, running through cycles of uplift and erosion with no visible source of energy to drive the process. Conflict between the thermodynamicists and the geologists was inevitable.

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, in whose honour the absolute temperature scale is now named, was among the most distinguished scientists of the late 19th century. His work straddled the boundary between pure and applied research. Among other things, he played a major role in establishing the relationships between heat, work, and electricity, worked out the theory for how much information (as we would now say) could be carried by the first submarine cable, and improved the form of the compass and the methods of navigation. He was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy (i.e. Physics) at Glasgow University when he was 22, and held that Chair for more than 50 years.

Kelvin was interested in the age of the Earth, considered as a problem in physics, from a very early stage. It was the subject of a prize undergraduate essay, and also of his inaugural lecture at Glasgow, now unfortunately lost. He was also a sharp critic of the science of geology as it was developing. He argued (correctly) that extreme uniformitarianism was not compatible with the laws of physics. Things must have been very different at some time in the past, and would be different again in the future. The Earth was losing heat and must have once been a molten ball. The Sun was emitting energy, could not have been there forever, and must eventually run out of energy, plunging the Earth into utter cold and darkness.

In a lengthy series of publications, Kelvin attempted to quantify these general objections. He developed a way of estimating the age of the Earth?s solid crust from cooling arguments. It is hot down a mine, and the deeper you go, the hotter. If you could go down deep enough, you would, at a depth of some miles, reach the Earth?s mantle, where the rock is actually molten. So if we have cooler rocks on top and hotter rocks lower down, heat must be flowing up through the rocks from the centre outwards. Knowing how fast the temperature increases as we go down, and how effectively the rocks of the crust conduct heat, Kelvin calculated how fast the Earth was losing heat. Where was this heat coming from? Kelvin thought he had the answer. He assumed (correctly) that the Earth was originally molten, and that heat must have dissipated as the Earth?s rocks solidified from an originally molten state (the opposite kind of process to ice absorbing heat as it melts). From an estimate of the thickness of the solid rock layer (the crust), and from measurements of how much heat it takes to melt a given amount of rock, he was able to estimate how much heat has been given out by this process of solidification. Then, by running the model backwards through time, he calculated that the thickness of the Earth?s solid crust corresponded to 100 million years. At this date before the present, all the rocks now on the surface would have been molten, and this, according to his argument, is therefore an absolute upper limit on the age of the solid crust of the Earth.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2a2754b74761aa5fb7341b6750c1081f

what time does the superbowl start kobayashi margaret sanger paul george eddie long ufc 143 weigh ins micron ceo

Idae - Extreme Sports Notebook by arcHITechts ? Yanko Design

Extreme Sports Notepad

It seems like my friends who enjoy outdoor activities like skiing and mountain-biking are the same folk who like to draw, write, and journal. Something about that fresh air I guess. They?ll appreciate this extreme-notebook called Idea ? it?s a waterproof, unbreakable & recyclable pad that can withstand the wildest conditions. Users can doodle to their heart?s desire on the mountain top, while camping, on the beach, or any other place they find inspiration.

Designer: arcHITechts

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2013/01/25/extreme-sports-notepad/

dick clark death yom hashoah yolo liquidmetal gsa scandal kelis dick clark dies

Lots of baby showers predicted nontraditional - 1


Mountain View, CA (PRWEB) 24 October 2012

Beau-coup (http://www.beau-coup.com), an online destination for favors, supplies, decorations and gifts for special events all dead now predicts that non-traditional baby showers the norm in the new year will be. The company has been a trend among its customers many opt to skip baby shower baby showers for traditional festivals, precisely reflect their personal style and beliefs. Here are the ten best alternative baby shower Beau-coup in 2013 are predicted to be large.

1 Layers showers

How it works: The layers are the only thing that all new parents? needs and they have a mountain of diapers in the coming months. Each guest is asked to bring diapers and wrapping supplies such as wipes and ointments instead of gifts. Layers showers are more frequent in mothers who have a second or third child, but they are also a great way to help a new mother.

Make it unique: include Request a brand or type of layer biodegradable diapers environmentally conscious young mothers popular now. Cloth diapers and hire layers are also gaining popularity. To encourage participation, customers in a draw Diaper input packet type layers. A drawing at the end of the shower, and present a prize to the winner.

2 Shower Pan

How it works: It is important to keep mum and dad happy and healthy, while new to the critical months of their first baby?s life. With a shower tray, allows friends and family to ensure that the new parents enough food to hold through the first weeks of sleepless nights spent after breakfast. Between work and baby care, eating too much of Mom and Dad forgot when not caring for friends and family.

Make it unique: request that the guests a meal in the family saved simply designed to bring directly from the freezer to the oven. For customers who do not cook, they can choose to bring a gift card to a local restaurant, or be on call to babysit for mom and dad, if you need a night. If freezer space is a problem (and it probably will!), To sign a few participants to bring their own meals at home on a given day instead.

3 Book showers

How it works: Parents who are bibliophiles hope can share their love of books with their children. In the shower, complete with bookmark favors cute, mom and dad can help a library of books for children to grow their little bookworm, and learn to build.

Make it unique: Encourage your guests to get creative with their books. With a theme Once Upon a Time or Tall Tale or ask people to bring a copy of their favorite childhood books to share.

4 ?Dadchelor? parties

How it works: new fathers celebrate their impending fatherhood in the same way they celebrate their weddings with a last day of freedom before the big day. Dadchelor with something, the father-to-be to spend a day doing well with his buddies what he wants.

Make it unique: These celebrations can be as complicated as the bachelor party, complete with a trip to Las Vegas and night guys. Alternatively, they may one day discrete courses or meeting of guys that come together to grill drinking beer, and sports events before the baby arrives.

5 Girls? Night

How it works: Instead of showering with the new mom gifts, her best gal pals meet with the mom-to-be and spoil her rotten before the baby arrives. Many new moms really enjoy the last day of pampering with close friends before their lives turned around baby.

Make it unique: This kind of party can agree to a number of personalities. Make it a girls night with a homemade meal and soft (non-alcoholic drinks for mom, of course). Or girl can mother-to-be, from manicures, pedicures and shopping.

6 Gender Reveal Party

How it works: Some show equality requires early planning. Parents-to-be should keep baby gender a secret from family and friends, and maybe even work themselves, for this. Ask the ultrasound technician to write the sex on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. This envelope is handed over to the baker bakes, a cake of pink or blue either, depending on whether the baby is a girl or a boy. The cake is then covered with white icing to the cake pink or blue will disappear completely. Guests have the party in pink or blue to indicate what gender they believe that the cake will come dressed. The fun and exciting moment comes when all discovered sex at the same time as the new mom and dad the cake to see if they welcome a boy or a girl be!

Make it unique: Get creative with the revelation he did not need to colorful cakes. Fill a large box with pink or blue helium balloons for a dramatic and fairly share the good news. Or custom printed scratch cards. Each client can feel like a winner, as they scratch their cards in order to expose the sex of the baby again.

7th Celebrate Adoption

How it works: Many new parents to adopt or foster, rather than traditional design. Many of these new parents have adoption celebrations called Welcome Home parties, gatherings or meetings baby. Adoption celebrations are a great way to ensure that young parents. Everything they need to raise their adopted child have

Make it unique: Consider baby adoptive parents origin. Consider a festival that. Homage to the country of birth, or with a theme party that celebrates a childs interest

8th ?N? Sip View

How it works: see A sip ?n?, it is a party to meet the baby. This is the perfect opportunity for friends and family to new parents and their little bundle of joy to visit a few weeks after birth. A decrease in the production of a traditional baby shower, a sip n see is a great way to get in some bonding time with quiet light refreshments.

Make it unique. Make it a themed event, it tea time with mom and dad or happy hour with happy family

be,

9th Blessingways

How it works: In a ritual of blessing, mothers make new friends and share their good wishes to the family and positive thoughts for mother and child. Traditionally a ritual of blessing (also called maternal blessing ceremony) performed a ritual with friends mothers and female members of the family. He comes from a Navajo tradition determined to heal and I?ll call the positive blessings. The focus is more on the positive energy and shared links rather than gifts and games.

Make it unique: Plan the ceremony for mother-to-be and to celebrate their interests. If she loves art, making a belly cast or paintings on site for guests to paint. If she likes jewelry, invite, bracelets and necklaces for each other as a reminder of their special bond making.

10th Baby Naming

How it works: A baby naming ceremony is a non-religious parents undertake to make their mental and emotional baby. Traditionally, new parents choose the babys name and show it to friends and family close, while a vow to love and protect the child. It is an increasingly popular event for parents publicly welcome the new addition to their family.

Make it unique: unlike baptisms and christenings are naming more informal and festive and can always occur on any day of the week. Are you planning a naming ceremony topic at home with the family, or having the ceremony in a public space with important people in the lives of new parents. Then send guests home with a beautiful baby shower favors as a special keepsake.

ON BEAU-COUP

Beau-coup is a retail innovator and leader in the online party, gifts and supplier. Established in 2002, the mission of the Beau-coup an unprecedented choice of four unique offer

Source: http://hotnews.fantasyleague.cc/lots-of-baby-showers-predicted-nontraditional-the-big-trend-in-2013/

apple apple jcpenney toys r us toys r us kohls target

Friday, January 25, 2013

Video: When Business Goes Bad: Icahn vs. Ackman

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50590801/

abc news msnbc meteor shower 121212 Concert Columbine shooting News Ryan Lanza Facebook

School brings in high-powered assault weapons

One of the 14 Colt LE6940 semiautomatic rifles purchased by the Fontana Unified School District to help provide security for the school.

By Gillian Flaccus, The Associated Press

The semiautomatic rifles look like they belong in a war zone instead of a suburban public school, but officials in this Los Angeles-area city say the high-powered weapons now in the hands of school police could prevent a massacre.

Fontana Unified School District police purchased 14 of the Colt LE6940 rifles last fall, and they were delivered the first week of December ? a week before the Connecticut school shooting. Over the holiday break, the district's 14 school police officers received 40 hours of training on the rifles. Officers check them out for each shift from a fireproof safe in the police force's main office.

Fontana isn't the first district to try this. Other Southern California districts also have rifle programs ? some that have been in operation for several years. Fontana school police Chief Billy Green said he used money from fingerprinting fees to purchase the guns for $14,000 after identifying a "critical vulnerability" in his force's ability to protect students. The officers, who already wear sidearms, wouldn't be able to stop a shooter like the one in Connecticut, he said Wednesday.?


"They're not walking around telling kids, 'Hurry up and get to class' with a gun around their neck," the chief said. "Parents need to know that if there was a shooter on their child's campus that was equipped with body armor or a rifle, we would be limited in our ability to stop that threat to their children."?

Some parents and students, however, reacted with alarm to the news that school resource officers were being issued the rifles during their shifts. The officers split their time between 44 schools in the district and keep the rifles in a safe at their assigned school or secured in their patrol car each day before checking the weapon back in to the school police headquarters each night.?

Only sergeants trained for years to use the rifles are authorized to check out the rifles from the police armory, where they are kept.?

"If the wrong person gets ahold of the gun, then we have another shooter going around with a gun. What happens then?" said James Henriquez, a 16-year-old sophomore who just enrolled at Fontana High School this week after moving from Texas.?

Other students said they felt disillusioned that officials would spend money on semiautomatic rifles while the district eliminated its comprehensive guidance counseling program two years ago.?

"They should get guns, but not as many and not spend so much money on them," said student Elizabeth Tovar. "They should use the money to get back our counselors because a lot of us really need them."?

The district saved millions by restructuring guidance services, said Superintendent Cali Olsen-Binks.?

The 40,000-student district came up with the school rifle program after consulting with top school safety experts and looking at what other large districts had done, said Olsen-Binks.?

Santa Ana Unified School District, in nearby Orange County, has had a rifle program for about two years that operates similarly to the one Fontana has started, said police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.?

The Los Angeles School Police Department also deploys rifles to its officers as needed, the department said in a statement. It would not say how many rifles district police have but said the weapons are kept in the department's armory and are handed out and returned daily.?

"I came from a teaching background, and it's appalling to think that we'd have to have security officers ? let alone armed police officers ? on our campuses," Olsen-Binks said. "But the bottom line is ... everybody has anxiety over school safety right now."?

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/24/16677346-school-brings-in-high-powered-assault-weapons?lite

Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye Hurricane Isaac 2012 Snooki Baby terrell owens

The Board Game Family Painting board game pieces - The Board ...

Most family board games come with fantastic playing pieces and items that enhance the game experience. After all, one of the things that makes board games fun to play over digital games are the physical components in the game. Players get to move cool board game pieces and markers around to accomplish their objectives.

China board game

China houses photo taken by Chris Norwood, posted on BoardGameGeek.

We love seeing the production quality of board game components today continue to improve. Board game publishers continue to find great ways to bring a game to life through cool artwork and fun components.

There are also a lot of modern board games that still use simple cubes to represent some part of a board game like population, resources, boulders, viruses, or victory points and such. While we may not fault them completely because the fun of the game surpasses the dullness of the cubes, even putting a basic shape to the item adds to the fun.

For instance, house shapes are very easy to make out of wood and turn a simple cube into something more recognizable. And some games even take houses to the next level and shape them to resemble more stylistic houses like in the game China.

Kingdom Builder board game

Before: The standard Brown settlements

So we were surprised when we bought Kingdom Builder a few months ago and found that one set of houses was left uncolored. They did a great job in using house shapes over simple cubes, but it seemed like they left it undone by having a blue set, and orange set, a black set, and then an uncolored (tan) set. No one wanted to pick that set of houses.

Well, we had to do something about that!

So what we did do with our copy of the Kingdom Builder board game?
We painted that set of houses purple!

Kingdom Builder board game

After: Our new purple settlements

At first we thought a bright red would go well with the blue and orange pieces. But then we found out the expansion (which I?m sure we?ll get sometime down the road) comes with a 5th player set which is red. The next option was yellow ? think of Pandemic with the blue, black, red, and yellow ? since Caleb loves to pick yellow for his playing pieces. Green might be good too, but there? a lot of green spaces on the boards and the houses shouldn?t blend into the board backgrounds.

In the end we decided to go with something less traditional ? purple!
Now that?s a color that will bring a lot more fun to the game than the original tan. A simple change, but fun to do.

Memoir '44 board game

Before: Grey and Green everything

Plenty of things to paint
Last year I also painted some playing pieces from another board game that I love ? Memoir ?44.
In Memoir ?44 the two sides (Allies & Axis) are differentiated by blue/grey vs. green playing pieces. Each side also comes with obstacle pieces of sandbags, barbed wire, and hedgehogs. But in the scenarios, these obstacles are neutral ? either color can be used wherever to represent the obstacle. In our minds having them blue/grey or green made no difference. So why not make them all neutral?

So that?s just what we did.

Memoir '44 board game

After: Better looking obstacles

We took all the obstacle pieces and painted them to better represent sandbags, barbed wires, and hedgehogs. Now they stand out great on the board and help add to the ambiance of the game.

Of course, there?s also a whole world of gamers out there are really get into painting game miniatures. There are also a number of companies that offer services for painting game miniatures because it?s a large enough market.

And with how much our boys have loved playing Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2nd Edition since we got it for Christmas I?ve been tempted to step it up and try painting the miniatures. But that?s a lot of work. Take a look some of the cool Descent miniatures people have painted and posted on BGG.
(P.S. review of Descent coming this week!)

Memoir '44 board game

After: Rusted, worn-down hedgehogs

Once I got started with the Memoir ?44 pieces, I was also tempted to continue on painting the rest of the pieces. But realizing the time commitment to undergo such a task is huge, I quickly set those thoughts aside. It may be fun at some future time (since I enjoy painting), but for now I?ll spend more of my time PLAYING the games with my family instead of at the painting table.

However, if we come across a game that needs a little tweaking to enhance our play experience that?s simple ? like painting some wooden houses ? I?m not afraid to get out the paints.

Have you ever painted any of your game pieces?

Board games with cool wooden playing pieces:

?

Source: http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2013/01/painting-board-game-pieces/

randy moss hunger games premiere red meat bachelor ben good morning america jon hamm jon hamm kim kardashian

Unplanned Pregnancies Among Women In Military High, Rising

The unplanned pregnancy rate among active-duty women in the military is high and on the rise, according to a new study that analyzed Department of Defense survey data.

"It's significantly higher than in the United States population, and it seems higher than the rate in 2005," study author Daniel Grossman, an assistant clinical professor in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences a the University of California San Francisco and vice president for research at Ibis Reproductive Health, told The Huffington Post.

"It's counterintuitive. This population has really good access to medical care," he continued. "It's concerning that, perhaps, contraceptive access is still a problem."

Grossman and his colleagues analyzed a sample of more than 7,000 women, aged 18 to 44, who had answered questions about pregnancy as part of a 2008 Department of Defense survey of health behaviors among each service branch. The findings, which they compared to the previous survey, conducted in 2005, were published in the February issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, released Wednesday.

Overall, 10.5 percent of women in the latest survey said they'd had an unplanned pregnancy in the past year. That is higher than the 2005 rate of 9.7 percent and -- when adjusted for age -- also substantially higher than national estimates, the authors claim. The age-adjusted unintended pregnancy rate in 2008 was 78 per 1,000 women, according to the new study. That number is 50 percent higher than the unplanned pregnancy rate in the general population, which recent estimates put at 52 per 1,000 women. Younger, less educated, nonwhite and married or co-habitating women had the highest rates of unintended pregnancy.

The new study is also among the first to look at unplanned pregnancies in deployed women. The unplanned pregnancy rate among women who went overseas was on par with those who had not. That means, the authors write, that efforts to improve pregnancy prevention need to happen among all active-duty servicewomen, at home bases and during deployment. Unplanned pregnancy also prevented deployment for many women. Overall, 11 percent of female service personnel scheduled to ship out were not able to in the previous year because of a pregnancy.

The researchers speculate that there are many factors driving the high rates of unintended pregnancy. Most forms of birth control are covered by TRICARE, the military health insurance program, but a survey Grossman's team conducted in 2011 revealed significant barriers to access. Some 60 percent of women who had been deployed did not speak with a military provider about their contraceptive options before leaving, and 41 percent who had a prescription requiring refills said those refills were difficult to get. That study also revealed widespread confusion among deployed women over what military regulations say with regards to sexual activity, which means many women may not get contraception for fear of breaking the rules.

"It can be particularly hard to consistently use contraceptives when you're crossing time zones, or if you're on a ship or military base where you don't have a lot of privacy, so it's hard to talk openly with your medical provider," said Heather Boonstra, a senior public policy associate with the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that promotes sexual and reproductive health rights.

"A lot of women are coming into the military when they're very young, for many it's their first time away from home. Binge drinking is very high, they've got new independence, so you've got all of those circumstances as well," she said, adding that at this point, much of what is known about barriers to access is anecdotal.

Grossman singled out the Navy for being aggressive in efforts to promote sexual health. It has tracked unplanned pregnancy rates since the late 1980s, establishing its "Sexual Health and Responsibility Program" in 1999 to promote sexual health among all enlisted men and women. In December, the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery also mandated that all female sailors and Marines be offered contraception services immediately upon receiving orders to deploy in order to give them time to obtain contraception and "stabilize" on her chosen form, a spokesperson for Navy Medicine said in an email to The Huffington Post.

"This is the latest in what is now a good handful of studies documenting unintended pregnancy among women in the military," said Boonstra, who described the work of tracking and spreading awareness of unplanned pregnancies in the military one of "the necessary steps to really address the problems of barriers to access. It's really important."

From the early 1970s to 2010, the number of active duty women enlisted in the military has more than tripled, growing from 42,000 to 167,000, according to Pew Research estimates.

"; 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/2013/01/23/pregnant-military-unplanned-women_n_2534873.html

Pasquale Rotella Michael Clark Duncan michael jackson courtney stodden Ncaa Football Scores Plaquemines Parish michigan football

Thursday, January 24, 2013

China's Lenovo sees RIM as M&A option, CFO says

TORONTO (Reuters) - A senior Lenovo executive said on Thursday that the Chinese computer maker may consider Research in Motion as a takeover target, sending the Blackberry maker's shares up 2 percent just a week before it launches a make-or-break line of redesigned smartphones.

But Levovo, which vaulted into the personal computer market with its 2005 purchase of IBM's PC division, would face formidable hurdles if it tried to buy a company that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper once described as a national "crown jewel." The Chinese company would also encounter tough regulatory scrutiny in Washington, cybersecurity experts say.

Lenovo, on track to become the world's largest PC maker, has held talks with RIM and its bankers about various combinations or strategic ventures, its chief financial officer, Wong Wai Ming, said on Thursday.

"We are looking at all opportunities - RIM and many others," Wong told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along."

A spokesman for Lenovo said Wong was asked about RIM by the Bloomberg journalist and that Wong was speaking broadly about Lenovo's M&A strategy.

CRUCIAL JUNCTURE

RIM, once a pioneer in the smartphone industry, has struggled in recent years as its aging line-up of devices have ceded market share to Apple Inc's iPhone and devices based on Google Inc's Android operating system.

RIM hopes its new touch-screen and keyboard devices, powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, will help it claw back some of the lost ground. Optimism surrounding the launch has powered the stock higher in recent weeks.

Last May the Waterloo, Ontario-based company announced a far-reaching strategic review under which it was expected to examine all options, from software licensing deals to an outright sale of the company.

Earlier this week, RIM shares surged to a 13-month high after Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said RIM might consider strategic alliances with other companies after next week's BlackBerry 10 launch.

In an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Heins said RIM's ongoing strategic review could lead to the sale of its handset business or the licensing of its software to rival smartphone companies.

Even so, analysts expressed skepticism about a Lenovo bid.

"Anybody who's serious about buying a company doesn't go talking it up. ... It sounds to me like a comment made more for publicity's sake than a serious approach for RIM," said Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder. "It is a very long shot at the best.'

NET BENEFIT TEST

Any bid for RIM would face a rigorous review by the Ottawa to determine whether the deal would bring a "net benefit" to Canada. The Investment Canada Act gives the government the authority to kill deals that could harm Canadian interests or threaten the country's national security.

In response to the comments by Heins, Canada's Industry Minister Christian Paradis told Reuters earlier this week that Canada may even go to the extent of reviewing a sale of RIM's handset business if such a deal was proposed.

"Research in Motion has made an important contribution to information and communications technology in Canada, a sector that is so important to the Canadian economy. We hope they continue to do so well into the future," Paradis said in an emailed response to the Lenovo comments on Thursday.

Cybersecurity experts said Lenovo would likely go up against tough U.S. government scrutiny as well since the Defense Department and other agencies rely on the Blackberry, which is considered more secure than other smartphones.

"A potential acquisition of RIM by Lenovo would raise a number of important security issues," said Michael Wessel, a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, appointed by Congress.

"Government employees are one of the largest users of RIM's BlackBerry products and the security of their communications has to be of paramount concern," said Wessel, adding that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the Commission.

After the comments from Lenovo, a RIM spokesman said the company had nothing new to report on its strategic review.

RIM shares closed 2.2 percent higher at $17.74 on Thursday the Nasdaq. The Toronto-listed shares closed 2.9 percent higher at C$17.80. RIM is a volatile stock, and moves of 3 percent and more are not uncommon.

Its shares are down almost 90 percent from an all-time high of over $148 in 2008, but the stock has rallied in the last four months as the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices nears. The company's shares have nearly tripled in value since dipping as low as $6.22 in late September.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha in Toronto, Diane Bartz in Washington, Randall Palmer in Ottawa and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rim-shares-rally-report-lenovo-interest-161024694--finance.html

world financial center shabazz muhammad angela corey zimmerman charged bonobos charles manson al sharpton