Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Record Penn State fine to help abused kids

NCAA President Mark Emmert gestures during a news conference in Indianapolis, Monday, July 23, 2012. The NCAA has slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. ?(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

NCAA President Mark Emmert gestures during a news conference in Indianapolis, Monday, July 23, 2012. The NCAA has slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. ?(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Penn State Univeristy Office of the Physical Plant workers remove the concrete landing area that held the famed statue of Joe Paterno, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in State College, Pa. Penn State's powerhouse football program sustained an unprecedented blow on Monday as the university agreed to a $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award _ the price it will pay for having looked the other way while former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them. The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories, wiping out 111 of coach Joe Paterno's wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Nabil K. Mark) MAGS OUT MANDATORY CREDIT

Penn State Univeristy Office of the Physical Plant workers remove the concrete landing area that held the famed statue of Joe Paterno, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in State College, Pa. Penn State's powerhouse football program sustained an unprecedented blow on Monday as the university agreed to a $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award _ the price it will pay for having looked the other way while former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them. The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories, wiping out 111 of coach Joe Paterno's wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Nabil K. Mark) MAGS OUT MANDATORY CREDIT

Penn State president Rodney Erickson speaks during an interview with the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa. on Monday, July 23, 2012. The NCAA crippled Penn State football for years to come and practically tore Joe Paterno's name out of the record books Monday, erasing 14 years of victories and imposing an unprecedented $60 million fine and other punishment over the child sexual abuse scandal. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Christopher Weddle) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT

Penn State president Rodney Erickson, center, talks during an interview with the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa., with interim athletic director Dave Joyner, left, and Board of Trustees chairwoman, Karen Peetz, on Monday, July 23, 2012. The NCAA crippled Penn State football for years to come and practically tore Joe Paterno's name out of the record books Monday, erasing 14 years of victories and imposing an unprecedented $60 million fine and other punishment over the child sexual abuse scandal. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Christopher Weddle) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT

The NCAA's unprecedented $60 million fine against Penn State will hurt the university in its pocketbook. The silver lining is that it will help plenty of abused kids, and it could even wind up preventing abuse ? if it is distributed carefully, child welfare advocates say.

As part of its punishment over the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, Penn State agreed Monday to pay $12 million a year for the next five years into an endowment to fund programs for the detection, prevention and treatment of child abuse.

Penn State and the NCAA have not settled on the procedure by which the money will be given out. But for nonprofit organizations living hand to mouth after years of cutbacks in state, federal and foundation aid, the cash could have a huge impact.

"You're not going to find anybody in our line of work who's going to say, 'No, we're good,'" said Chris Newlin, executive director of the National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Ala.

"I think whenever there's pot of money, people will hover," added Debra Schilling Wolfe, executive director of the Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania. "It's like drawing flies to honey."

The NCAA walloped Penn State with sanctions on Monday, including the fine, a four-year bowl ban and a sharp reduction in the number of football scholarships it may offer. The governing body acted swiftly following a report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that accused coach Joe Paterno and three top officials of hiding child sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky more than a decade ago to protect the school and its powerful football program.

Sandusky was convicted last month of 45 counts of abuse of 10 boys. He awaits sentencing.

In a statement after the NCAA announced the sanctions, Penn State President Rodney Erickson said the $60 million fine will help the school meet its mandate to "become a national leader to help victims of child sexual assault and to promote awareness across our nation."

With so many organizations nationwide expected to vie for the cash, Penn State should set up a competitive grant program to set priorities and make sure the funds are given to organizations with a record of success, said Delilah Rumburg, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. And the funding decisions should be made by an independent body of experts, she said.

"It has to be very well thought out," said Rumburg, who spoke with a Penn State vice president on Tuesday about the process by which the funds will be granted. "Because if you just randomly and without forethought make decisions, it won't have any impact at all."

Even before the NCAA fine, Penn State had sought to make amends over its failure to protect the children that Sandusky molested on campus.

Rumburg's group, which operates rape crisis centers across the state, received a $1.5 million donation from Penn State out of its 2011 Big 10 bowl proceeds. Another $1.1 million in bowl revenues went to Penn State's new center for child abuse research and treatment. And Penn State alumni have raised nearly $540,000 for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which bills itself as the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. The donations went to RAINN's sexual assault hotline, an anonymous instant messaging service that allows victims of sexual abuse to speak about their trauma.

Scott Berkowitz, RAINN's founder, said the donations allowed him to add staff and cut wait times in half. But with usage up nearly 50 percent since November, RAINN needs all the help it can get, he said. Berkowitz expects to pursue some of the NCAA money.

"Every time we add staff to our online hotline, the usage of the hotline jumps significantly. That tells us we are not even close to meeting all the demand," he said. "If we were able to double staffing, that would mean we are providing counseling to an extra 40,000 people a year."

David Finkelhor, a professor of sociology and director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, said the NCAA and Penn State should work with experts in the field to chart a course for the endowment money.

One idea, he said, would be to devote it to protecting students or children in athletics, where coaches, team volunteers or even kids themselves can be sexual predators or abusers.

"What happened at Penn State could have happened at many, many places," Finkelhor said. "It isn't as though other universities would have been so quick to blow the whistle if it meant casting a pall on their very lucrative and prestigious football program."

Newlin, of the National Children's Advocacy Center, said he hopes the $60 million will be used to attract contributions from others, including corporations.

"Why limit it to this $60 million from Penn State?" Newlin asked. "Why don't we combine these resources from all over and have those funds available in perpetuity to help our grandchildren? That truly is taking an ugly and horrific situation and turning it into something fundamentally positive."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-25-Penn%20State-Abuse-Charities/id-49693da28f914380afa2c992614854bd

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Sudden ice melt making Greenland finally live up to its name

Three NASA satellites reveal unprecedented melting over four days over a widespread area in Greenland.

By Seth Borenstein,?Associated Press / July 24, 2012

Measurements from three satellites showed that on July 8 (right) about 40 percent of the ice sheet had undergone thawing at or near the surface. In just a few days (July 12), an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface had thawed. The areas classified as ?probable melt? (light pink) correspond to those sites where at least one satellite detected surface melting. The areas classified as ?melt? (dark pink) correspond to sites where two or three satellites detected surface melting.

Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, SSAI/NASA GSFC, and Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory/AP

Enlarge

Scientists say there has been a freak event in?Greenland?this month: Nearly every part of the massiveice?sheet that blankets the island suddenly started?melting.

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Even Greenland's coldest place showed melting. Records show that last happened in 1889 and occurs about once every 150 years.

NASA says three satellites saw what it calls unprecedented melting over four days beginning July 8. Most of the thick ice remains. But what was unusual was that the melting occurred over a widespread area.

NASA says the melting area went from 40 percent of the ice sheet to 97 percent. Until now, the most extensive melt seen by satellites in the past 30 years was about 55 percent.

Scientists cannot say yet if the melting is from global warming or natural.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/IYL0EAIqOUM/Sudden-ice-melt-making-Greenland-finally-live-up-to-its-name

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Improve Your Business Profits With Internet Marketing ? Zhanshen 118

If you are establishing a business, it?s a wise idea to have a look at the benefits you can gain from making use of online marketing. You have the capability to reach lots of people each day when you are online, and that is a powerful aspect. Your advertising are seen by individuals worldwide when you use the Internet. No doubt you can recognize how this advertising approach would surpass others you might consider.

I will quote The Income Factor. Online marketing is somewhat inexpensive, especially when you think of the cost of setting up a telemarketing hall or leasing a billboard. Some web marketing methods are pricey but as many methods are actually rather affordable, this type of advertising is favored by many. Many businesses are unable to afford the price range of putting a banner ad on a popular web site, but there are several ways to advertise that will fit in any budget. Search engines offer pay-per-click advertising, and that is one of the most popular ways of internet marketing. Yet another positive aspect of internet marketing is the speed with which you can receive excellent results. Placing an ad in a newspaper usually requires many days but placing an advertisement on the internet can happen in minutes. Most of the individuals on the internet consider online advertising to be trustworthy so you should have a good customer base with which to connect. You?re attempting to connect with the most people you could who are part of your target audience. You?re using the power of online marketing to contact individuals who want the products and services you are selling.

Through email marketing, you can contact lots of folks anytime you desire. It is going to work better when you have developed your own list to email to, but you can use places where you either buy a list or rent one. The majority of successful internet marketers recommend that you make it a high priority to create your own email list. So that you can get in touch with more people, you need to build a site. If you wish to be visible on the internet, you will require pleasing, effective design combined with the best search engine optimization strategies. If you have too many keywords, you could get banned by the search engines for spamming. Online marketing does have a significant learning curve, but it?s the best option if you want your business to be truly profitable.

Posted in Business

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Vital Things In Auto Garage ? An intro | Haywood Infinity

Itrrrs reported that you probably can 3rd hand auto nonetheless harddisk out and about with it? A motor vehicle resale economic mortgage is actually a style of recognized debt that takes advantage of vehicle distinguish mostly due to the fact equity. If you would like a quick personal bank loan to obtain an urgent and cannot be contingent on your credit background to look for one, a truck a consignment credit can help you get the income move you absolutely need and under no circumstances toss inside of the towel your vehicle.

At any time when Vehicle and motorcycle Third hand Credit Labor?
We?re all knowledgable about the way through which being a celebrated resale retail stores has designed. 2nd hand broker agents make available, the client, earnings to the everlasting time not to note maintain a worthwhile edge and that?s deserted predominantly mainly because value. Once money, also to charm, is likely to be reimbursed, you allows for the residence lessen back. If you do not pay out again your fiscal boueux, the true inventory broker reaches continue on to keep or just offer you the worth.

Nearly all resale transactions take advantage of charms, electronic products and solutions, guns in addition to small-scale critical important things observing that property, despite the fact that an automobile invoice is also put to use. A variety of from customary 2nd hand options, it is possible to use the car whilst shelling out again the borrowed cash.

Given that, financial institution takes an increased associated risk than only a pawn shop, you fork out large rates of interest. However, compared for the outrageous interest levels costed designed for financial loans, the curiosity costs pertaining to automobile headline home loans seem to be reasonably priced.

Countless financiers so, who deliver truck stock lending merchandise really should present financial loans you can as much as and including several proportion in the motor vehicle added benefits to ensure they will likely consider to create their cash returning any time you reimburse the home finance loan. This price levels outside of 33% to aid you 50% or better for that valuation on your car.

Just where to get a vehicular Second hand Personal personal loan?
Acquiring van means financing are usually standard any time you apply to the web. Make sure that the finance establishment contains a risk-free website web page since you also will probably be composing susceptible personal info which will be used advantage of pertaining to id fraud.

Using on the web is realistic collectively with will help save you instant, then again could presumably make a computer software by telephone for any person unsure regarding the security of your rather unique essential specifics. Throughout the entire procedure of making an attempt to have your automotive headline payday loan, you may have to have to chat to the mortgage loan lender to make attractiveness.

Which means you have gotten all all the certificate sought after, authorization occur you want minutes therefore you also could perhaps have your hard earned money in your mind within a handful of several hours. A papers you?d probably like could be an apparent motor vehicle find you?ve gotten received paid off or just about payed off, intended to be kept due to bank loan provider viewing as price towards the fiscal loan.

Any time you unique two or three truck, a vehicular benefit ensure financial institution mortgage is definitely a genuinely speedy and practical approach to acquire income when it comes to events. Many to empty make sure you observe expenses, grow home at the same time as motorcar servicing projects, invest capital on medical bill, wellness care functions as well as learner costs.

What ever you choose and do with hard earned cash while in the motor pawn personal loan, you must have got a very good choose to pay it off conscientiously. For those who should really fall late to the credit credit debt, it might kill your credit score rating further more creating the concept nonetheless more challenging for you to undoubtedly get financial loans outside of general personal institutions.

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Source: http://www.haywoodbrothers.com/business-2/vital-things-in-auto-garage-an-intro.html

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Sony's new wireless speakers let you enjoy music 'SA-NS' cables

Sony announces SANS series of wireless speakers, let you enjoy music sans cables

What's round and sits in the corner of your room spoon-feeding you Kanye West? If Sony has any say in the matter, it'll be the latest members of the SA-NSx family of wireless speakers. The three new models -- the 310, 410 and 510 -- come on the coattails of the firm's latest media players, and all come with built-in WiFi, AirPlay and that 360 degree design. As well as the wireless options above, there are apps for Android and PC, so non iOS users can keep the jams coming too. If you really want your music on the go, the 510 model also has a built-in battery for the extra portability. How much does all this fun and style cost? That'd be £150 (about $230) for the 310, £200 ($310) for the 410, rising to £300 ($470) for the 510. All of them available now.

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Sony's new wireless speakers let you enjoy music 'SA-NS' cables originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

How the drought leads to nonprofit publicity - Karen Zapp's PK Scribe

Tie nonprofit mission to drought for publicity

Whenever you can tie your cause into a breaking news event, you have a much higher chance of getting the media to cover your story. It?s a chance at some free publicity.

And for many parts of the country, that event is the drought and the excessive heat wave.

After all, over half of the U.S. is in some stage of drought. And thousands of records have been set over the last few months for record heat.

As Joan Stewart ?The Publicity Hound? says, ?News crews MUST cover the weather 365 days a year.? Many of them hate that assignment. You can help them by calling local newspapers and TV stations, contacting bloggers, and even creating your own YouTube videos tied to the weather.?

For example, is your nonprofit helping business owners whose business is hurt by the drought?

Some associations may fall into this category. Are you publishing tips; offering special educational classes; or other services to help your members?

Are you a hospital, clinic or retirement home? How is the extreme heat impacting your workload? More heat stroke cases? Are you publishing advice on how to stay safe from the heat? Or are you seeking places where people can go to escape the heat in the event of a power failure ? places with independent emergency power supplies?

Stewart loves her dog so she asks, ?What about the pets?? How can pet owners protect their dogs, cats and other critters from the heat? Animal related nonprofits can certainly connect with this angle.

Any advice to share with parents taking their babies for a walk in the stroller? How about toddlers?

I bet there are environmental related nonprofits who could weigh in on this too. Even things we can do in our own back yard such as sources of water for birds.

A drought of this magnitude is going to have a ripple affect. As the crops fail, who besides farmers might be impacted this winter, next year, etc.? Anything you?re doing now to help them and to minimize the impact.

Give this careful thought. Is there any connection with the drought and/or the heat wave to your nonprofit mission?

If there is . . . Talk about the weather-related problems and what your organization is doing to help. And make certain you put donors in the spotlight and how they can make a difference by supporting your cause. Pitch your story to the media. You never know what publicity coverage you might get to help your nonprofit be even more successful in fulfilling its mission.

Related publicity posts:

Act Immediately to Shake Up Your Nonprofit Publicity

How to get noticed by more prospects, donors and members

Source: http://pkscribe.com/nonprofit_news/drought-heat-wave-chance-for-nonprofit-publicity-07-2012/

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bound: If Custom Notebooks Be The Food Of Love, Print On

boundOne interesting manufacturing start-up we met in Durham last week was Bound. This small printing company offers notebooks in multiple styles (including a vegan leather Moleskine-esque number) but with a twist. You can, if you so desire, have something different printed on every page. You can make a little notebook for just a range of dates or add a map, some tic-tac-toe boards, and a musical staff. You can pop in an iPhone design template or some graph paper. I met the CCO, Michael Faber, in Durham and he introduced himself by saying "I heard you're an asshole" which, while true, was quite hurtful. Luckily, he followed up by showing us his great little notebooks and the fistfight that was brewing between us turned into a video interview.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/iyw6V1B4Sdg/

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

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Anne Z. Cooke: Estes Park Postcard

I wish you were here, Mary, in Estes Park, the way it was when we were kids. It's another warm day, like those lazy summers we spent down in the creek, searching for minnows. I'm sitting on the patio watching high clouds sail overhead, blue sky, not a trace of smoke blowing over from the forest fires in Colorado Springs and Wyoming. I'm sure you've seen it on the news.

Even the pines seem a richer brown and deeper green than usual. I can't see Longs Peak -- there's a puffy cloud over the summit -- but the Mummy Range is clear. Our long-lost second-cousins from Buenos Aires are here and taking it all in. We hiked to Mills Lake yesterday and showed them the columbine blooming in the shade where the trail forks to Loch Vale.

2012-07-07-photos-twoelk_4small.jpg


I finally framed that Rocky Mountain National Park poster, the one we bought at the Trail Ridge Road shop so long ago. I had to make do with what we've got here, so I trimmed the poster to fit into a thrift store frame, with a "re-purposed" poster from another thrift store frame for a mat. It looks pretty good in the corner bedroom, a splash of color against the pine paneling.

Which reminds me: Mary, if you ever see one of those toy pistol-and-holster sets at a swap meet, would you pick it up? Like the ones Mother hung on the bedroom wall? The kids think that retro cowboy d?cor is cool. Plus it would match the cow hide from Brazil, which is now on the floor. Wish you were here to share it.

I have nothing that I MUST do today but sit under the pines and listening to the wind blowing. Which it is, too much, unfortunately. The fire danger is still high and if a spark ignites the pine needles, the blaze would be unstoppable. Rain is forecast for tomorrow and everyone's holding his/her breath, hoping.

2012-07-07-photos-twoelksmall.jpg


We've seen more elk than usual for this time of year. Two males with big antlers emptied the bird bath outside the dining room window, then wandered down to the creek and lay in the shade under a cluster of aspen. They don't like the heat, even at this altitude (7,500 feet), but the bird bath was the closest water. The chipmunks and ground squirrels are surviving on dew. And they're bolder than ever, fat cheeks stuffed with stores for the winter. Same thing for the rabbits, hopping everywhere. A western tanager, bright red head, yellow body and black wings, landed on the bird feeder just now. He's the first one I've seen this summer.

Steve found a perfect bird feeder in the thrift shop. It has an indestructible metal top, controlled seed release, a nice perch all around. Both bird feeders are finally filled and up, suspended 12 feet off the ground on a wire between two trees. No bears yet, and I hope we won't see any. Last year a young male came by, stood up on the rock, reached up and batted the feeders down. The National Park rangers and Estes Park officials are telling people not to use bird feeders at all. (Ours is, I'm afraid, a wildlife no-no.)


Bears are a regular sight in the National Park, according to Rhoda, who's driving the shuttle buses up to the Bear Lake parking area. If you drive your own car to Bear Lake at the crack of dawn you can park near the trail heads. Otherwise, buses are the only transportation during the current road widening effort.

The project is way behind, a volunteer ranger told me. The skinny is that the construction company could have worked most of last winter when the Front Range was abnormally warm and dry. But they didn't get their permits in on time. So now, with a record number of visitors entering the National Park, everybody is screwed -- residents, hikers and day-trippers. You have to park in a new big lot at the Moraine Park Museum and board the shuttle there.

2012-07-07-photos-twoelk_9small.jpg


Our bus waited for 40 minutes before the cement trucks had dumped their load and the single lane road was reopened. It could have been hot and miserable in the bus. But Rhoda was a wonder, asking people where they were from, explaining the situation and pointing out a couple of deer under the trees. The ride felt more like a day camp outing. People talked to each other, compared their hiking boots, their lodging arrangements, their day packs, even gas prices.

A lady from Spain suddenly realized she'd left her camera on a bench near the ranger station and Rhoda radioed the other bus drivers to look for it. When they found it, a cheer went up. It was heart-warming, seeing how nice people really can be. Not a word of complaint from anyone, though I admit thinking dark thoughts about unacceptable delays and over-budget government construction contracts.

It's quiet and calm here, away from houses, roads and traffic. Restorative is the word. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but dusting and polishing is soothing. Making the beds first thing and straightening up is my happy pill, better than Xanax. When everything is in its place, order reigns and the day starts on the right foot. I wonder if that's how the soldiers in Afghanistan make it through, with each day planned and ordered by their commander (even when so fearfully life-threatening).

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Then one day it's over and they're sitting at home on the sofa, adrift, with no routine. I wonder if mandatory post-deployment camps -- like boot camp -- would work, six-week-long stints where the guys would stay together for a daily schedule of structured civilian tasks? Stuff like doing laundry, washing dishes, painting the barracks, take a class with homework, cutting the lawn, planting trees, grocery shopping at the PX, talk sessions centered on shared memories. These would be life tasks to continue when they finally got home. If you've got influence with anybody -- senator, the army, billionaire friends -- float the idea.

Enough: I've got a story due and my editor is waiting. It's nice not to have TV, and even the radio cuts out in the sticks. We're got internet service, of course, but I rarely use it, except for this. We're living in perfect ignorance and peace, relaxed for the first time in months. It's my own version of post-deployment camp, I guess. Back to the basics, with time to think and sort (as it were) the wheat from the chaff. Love you.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-z-cooke/estes-park-postcard_b_1656047.html

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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Mike Napoli Injury: Texas' Catcher To Miss Saturday's Contest

Rangers fans were excited to have meaningful baseball back on Friday night, as the Rangers continued their winning ways, defeating the Seattle Mariners 3-2 in Seattle.

Rangers fans, however, are not going to be too thrilled to learn that catcher Mike Napoli will miss at least Saturday's game, because of an injury suffered in Friday's win.

Napoli was injured in the fifth inning has he slid into Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo and was tagged for the final out. Napoli remained in the game, but said that he was unable to continue for the ninth inning. He was replaced by Yorvit Torrealba, who would start in Napoli's absence.

Napoli said it hurt at the bottom of the muscle near his knee ever time he crouched behind the plate.

"I tried to stay in there, but I couldnt't really take it anymore," Napoli said.

Hopefully for the Rangers and Napoli, the injury won't require a stint on the disabled list.

For more on the Rangers, head over to Lone Star Ball.

Source: http://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-rangers/2012/7/14/3158934/mike-napoli-injury-texas-catcher-to-miss-saturdays-contest

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Meditation, Exercise Could Protect You From The Flu

Who knew meditation could be so handy during cold and flu season?

A small new study finds that mindfulness meditation and moderate exercise seem to have protective effects against cold and flu, with people who engage in the practices having less severe, shorter and fewer symptoms of acute respiratory infection -- and fewer days missed from work due to the sickness -- than people who don't engage in either practice.

Specifically, undergoing mindfulness training was linked with a 40 to 50 percent decrease in symptoms, while exercise was linked with a 30 to 40 percent decrease in symptoms, researchers reported, compared with people who did neither activity.

"The apparent 40 to 50 percent benefit of mindfulness training is a very important finding, as is the apparent 30 to 40 percent benefit of exercise training," study researcher Dr. Bruce Barrett, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said in a statement. "If this pans out in future research, the impact could be substantive indeed."

The study, published in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, included 149 people, most of whom were women, with an average age of 59. Fifty-one of them were assigned to have mindfulness meditation training for eight weeks, 47 were assigned to do moderate exercise for eight weeks (like biking or running), and 51 were not assigned to do anything.

Then, after the eight-week period, the researchers tracked study participants' symptoms during cold and flu season, and also collected nasal wash samples from them.

Researchers found that people who did meditation had 27 total "episodes" of cold or flu symptoms, lasting a total of 257 days. And the people who exercised had 26 total "episodes" of cold and flu symptoms, lasting 241 days. But the people who did neither exercise nor meditation had 40 total "episodes" of cold or flu symptoms, lasting 453 days.

Recently, a review of research published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science broke down what exactly it is about mindfulness meditation that seems to make us healthier. They deduced that mindfulness is able to promote regulation of attention, body awareness, self-awareness and regulation of emotion -- all of which help us in different aspects of our lives.

For more amazing facts about meditation, click through the slideshow:

  • It Makes Your Brain Plastic

    Quite literally, sustained meditation leads to something called neuroplasticity, which is defined as the brain's ability to change, structurally and functionally, on the basis of environmental input. For much of the last century, scientists believed that the brain essentially stopped changing after adulthood. But research by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson <a href="http://brainimaging.waisman.wisc.edu/publications/2008/DavidsonBuddhaIEEE.pdf" target="_hplink">has shown that experienced meditators exhibit high levels of gamma wave activity</a> and display an ability -- continuing after the meditation session has attended -- to not get stuck on a particular stimulus. That is, they're automatically able to control their thoughts and reactiveness.

  • It Increases Gray Matter

    A 2005 study on American men and women who meditated a mere 40 minutes a day <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1147167-2,00.html" target="_hplink">showed that they had thicker cortical walls than non-meditators</a>. What this meant is that their brains were aging at a slower rate. Cortical thickness is also associated with decision making, attention and memory.

  • It Can Be Better Than Sleeping

    In a 2006 study, college students were asked to either sleep, meditate or watch TV. They were then tested on their alertness by being asked to hit a button every time a light flashed on a screen. The meditators <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1147167-2,00.html" target="_hplink">did better than the nappers and TV watchers</a> -- by a whole 10 percent.

  • It's Better Than Blood Pressure Medication

    In 2008, Dr. Randy Zusman, a doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital, asked patients suffering from high blood pressure to try a meditation-based relaxation program for three months. These were patients whose blood pressure had not been controlled with medication. After meditating regularly for three months, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2008/08/21/93796200/to-lower-blood-pressure-open-up-and-say-om" target="_hplink">40 of the 60 patients showed significant drops in blood pressure levels</a> and were able to reduce some of their medication. The reason? Relaxation results in the formation of nitric oxide which opens up your blood vessels.

  • It Can Protect Your Telomeres

    Telomeres -- the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes -- are the new frontier of anti-aging science. Longer telomeres mean that you're also likely to live longer. Research done by the University of California, Davis' Shamatha Project <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/24/meditation-ageing-shamatha-project" target="_hplink">has shown that meditators have significantly higher telomerase activity that non-meditators</a>. Telomerase is the enzyme that helps build telomeres, and greater telomerase activity can possibly translate into stronger and longer telomeres .

  • It Can Slow The Progression Of HIV

    A 2008 study on HIV positive patients found that, after an eight-week meditation course, patients <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724215644.htm" target="_hplink">who'd meditated showed no decline in lymphocyte content</a> compared with non-meditators who showed significant reduction in lymphocytes. Lymphocytes or white blood cells are the "brain" of the body's immune system, and are particularly important for HIV positive people. The study also found that lymphocyte levels actually went up with each meditation session. However, due to the small sample size -- only 48 volunteers -- it's harder to draw definitive conclusions.

  • It's Pain Relieving Properties Beat MorphIne

    Earlier this year, a study conducted by Wake Forest Baptist University found that <a href="http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-demystifying-meditation-brain-imaging.html" target="_hplink">meditation could reduce pain intensity by 40 percent and pain unpleasantness by 57 percent</a>. Morphine and other pain-relieving drugs typically show a pain reduction of 25 percent. Meditation works by reducing activity in the somatosensory cortex and increasing activity in other areas of the brain. This study also had a small sample size, making it harder to draw definite conclusions.

  • Related Video

    The Positive Benefits of Meditation

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/14/meditation-flu-cold-symptoms-mindfulness-exercise_n_1671543.html

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

A Swoosh is a Dish Best Not Served

National Restaurant Association Logo, Before and After

Established in 1919, the National Restaurant Association (NRA), as its name implies, is the business association for the restaurant industry, representing more than 380,000 members in restaurant and foodservice outlets. The NRA?s mission is to ?lead America?s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve.? It does this by providing tools and advice, advocating on its members behalf in Washington, D.C., and hosting the industry?s largest trade show, the NRA Show. Earlier this month, NRA introduced a new logo. Although no design credit was given they do mention in their press release that they ?sought input from industry professionals, state restaurant associations and policy makers to create a logo concept that resonates with a wide audience and that illustrates the restaurant and foodservice industry in multiple ways.?

National Restaurant Association Logo

Previous logos over the years. Full timeline details here.

Harkening back to a previous logo, leveraging the circular elements of ProStart and ServSafe logos, and propelling us forward with the icon on the right, this logo enhances our relevance in today?s world. Its abstract form enables myriad industry segments to see themselves reflected in it ? from a pizza to the top of a wine glass, and everything in between ? and evokes our interconnectedness and spirit of hospitality. The use of blue and red allow for continuity from our previous logo, and a fresh, professional font emphasizes our impact on the industry. The arcs symbolize our representation of the entire foodservice industry and our commitment to being its trusted advisor. Their dynamism evokes the opportunity and success we will create for our members.
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National Restaurant Association Logo

Video explaining where all the swooshes come from.

We have had a lot of good work this week and I would love to continue putting up winners but I need to meet my quota of bad work in order to have competitors vie for a spot in our end-of-year Worst list and I think we just found an elite in this category. I sort of feel bad for posting this work knowing that I?m going to skewer it and it?s going to get killed in the comments, but there really needs to be an end to logos that use a swoosh. More so for logos that use two. And even more dire for logos that build a whole rationale on swooshes. Unless you are a company that specializes in flights around the orbit of a planet, a swoosh is useless. They are boring to look at and although they can be assigned any number of press release superlatives they are meaningless and generic.

So it is especially sad to see a national association, representing hundreds of thousands of businesses redesign with a pair of swooshes in the twenty-first century. Given the amount of potential visual cues that exist in the restaurant industry, two swooshes that look like a dome lid serving tray is the least imaginative solution. But let?s assume swooshes are great and that this is best viable concept: The execution is relatively ? relatively ? decent, with swooshes that are properly built and typography that isn?t totally ugly; it?s hard to screw up centered Gotham all caps. The lock-up of icon and type is excruciating though, with the oversized swooshes hanging on the right, throwing the centered type completely off balance. In the end, I guess the logo could be worse. It could have used Helvetica.

Thanks to Jo for the tip.

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Source: http://suckmypixels.com/a-swoosh-is-a-dish-best-not-served/

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Week ahead: Continued Unsettled ? Showers ... - BBC World News

Temperatures below Normal Low pressure remains the dominant weather feature across the United Kingdom. This will keep the weather unsettled with further showers along with longer spells of rain for most parts of the country, although something drier develops later in the south. Overall temperatures are expected to remain below normal. For the weather for the next few days click here Saturday 14/07/12 Mostly cloudy across a good part of the country with some patchy rain in the south and the west. Showers are expected for most areas in the afternoon. A number of showers will continue across central and southern parts of England into the evening and night. Expect highs of 14 to 17C. Sunday 15/07/12 Sunday morning. Most places will have a fair, dry morning with some sunshine once again a number of showers are expected to develop across mainly England and Wales through the day. Expect highs of 14 to 18C. Monday 16/07/12 Rain spills in across Northern Ireland during the morning but most places will be dry before that rain spreads in across much of the United Kingdom in the afternoon. Expect maximum temperatures of 12 to 17C. Tuesday 17/07/12 Northern Scotland and southern England should have a dry morning elsewhere expect outbreaks of rain with showers. Little change is likely to the afternoon. Rain continues across northern Scotland and Northern Ireland tonight with the rest of the country dry. A warmer day to come with maximum temperatures of 16 to 22C. Wednesday 18/07/12 Heavy rain is expected across northern Scotland today with showers across northwest England and Northern Ireland. The rest of England and Wales looks fair and dry with sunny spells. Expect top temperatures of 16 to 21C. Thursday 19/07/12 Monday sees the best weather across eastern and southern parts of England with sunny spells. More cloud to come across the rest of the country with the risk of showers. Expect highs of 15 to 18C.

Source: http://bbc-worldnews.net/2012/07/week-ahead-continued-unsettled-showers-and-rain-jul-11-0637/

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You wanted to know: who are these scientists? Introducing: Assaf Vardi

Walking around the main lab here, you?ll hear two main languages: English and Hebrew. You?ve met the PI?s speaking English: Ana Martins, Jack DiTullio, Kay Bidle, and Marco Coolen. The Hebrew comes from a group from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and their principal investigator is Assaf Vardi.

Assaf and Kay are long time friends and colleagues. Assaf was one of Kay?s first post doctoral researchers at Rutgers University, where together they investigated programmed cell death. Now, Assaf runs a lab at the Weizmann Institute Department of Plant Sciences where his team studies phytoplankton.

On board, Assaf?s group has lots of interests. They want to know how the cells in a bloom might communicate with ?infochemicals? ? chemicals that might serve as signals between different cells. We talked in an earlier post about how Ehux cells sometimes go through programmed cell death to keep the virus from replicating inside of them. The Vardi group wants to know: do these infochemicals tell them when to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the bloom? When do those infochemicals get released? What genes are turned on when these infochemicals are sensed, and how do those genes lead to cell death?

Assaf has several colleagues with him to help answer these questions (some of whom you?ve met in earlier posts). Miguel Frada is an Ehux identifier extraordinaire, and helped discover the Cheshire Cat strategy we talked about earlier on this blog. Daniella Schatz is sequencing DNA of various organisms, from copepods to Ehux to the virus that infects it. Uri Sheyn ? initially attracted to oceanography because of his love of surfing ? is one of Assaf?s first graduate students in his new lab.

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Liti, Uri and Daniella playing games.

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Miguel setting up filters.

Also along from Weismann is a group working on something quite different from biology: aerosols. Yoav Lehahn and Shlomit Sharoni are here hoping to find traces of aerosols that Ehux gives off. We talked about DMS in an earlier post ? that?s the gas that Ehux releases. They?re trying to detect it in the atmosphere. They?ve got filters and sensors rigged up the masts, and also in their own dedicated lab towards the bow.

Shlomit working hard.

Yoav

I will admit that of all the scientist on board, Assaf was the most intimidating to me at first. He?s tall, and he looks at you intently and quietly as you speak no matter what kind of wacky rambling train of thought you might be on. That tends to throw me into an even more wacky, even more rambling train of thought than I?d been on before.

But my anxiety was totally unfounded. Assaf is super nice and genuinely patient (even with me and all my rambling) and curious about virtually everything.

Asking Assaf about what he dislikes most about the ship, and he answers without hesitating: his wife Nivi Alroy and their son Michael aren?t onboard. Assaf shows me pictures of his son, who really does look like he should be in kids magazines, and the wonderful and whimsical art of his wife who often illustrates scientific concepts. After spending years in science, his family, he says with a smile, is ?the best experiment I ever tried.?

Plus, it?s both Assaf and Yoav?s birthdays today! Happy birthday on the high seas!

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During this trip, I?ll be answering your questions about the science, this ship, and life onboard. Want to know how we search for plankton, why we?re here, or what the food is like? Just ask me! And if you?re wondering how I got here, check out the groups that made this adventure possible: Mind Open Media and COSEE NOW.

Previously in this series:

All Aboard: how you can be a part of our research blog
You wanted to know: what are these phytoplankton?
You wanted to know: what am I bringing to sea?
Greetings from Ponta Delgada! We set sail tomorrow.
Steaming North: how the scientists are trying to find plankton
The superstar sensor: what is a CTD?
Status Update: Day 3 at the Cyclonic Eddy
You wanted to know: what is this virus that infects the phytoplankton (Part One)
You wanted to know: what is this virus that infects the phytoplankton (Part Two)
Plankton hunting: Part art, Part science
You wanted to know: what?s the food like on board?
Wildlife watch!
Jumborizing: a brief history of the R/V Knorr
On the importance of names. Or, ?are we at the hump or the hole??
Arts and crafts day on the Knorr
On the importance of names, part two. What?s the difference between a boat and a ship?
How to stay sane on a ship in the middle of the ocean
A graphical representation of the cruise so far
You wanted to know: who are these scientists? Introducing: Kay Bidle
You wanted to know: who are these scientists? Introducing: Jack DiTullio
You wanted to know: who are these scientists? Introducing: Marco Coolen
You wanted to know: who are these scientists? Introducing: Anna Martins
Water water everywhere: a flow chart guide to the science on board

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ecc9e59871d6ca9899cf242c4d84d817

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012