Monday 31 December 2012

What to Expect in a Plastic Surgery Consultation

For those considering plastic surgery for any type of condition or concern, it pays to invest some time into the process of finding the right doctor. If you have a problem area you want to fix, it is a good idea to turn to a specialist who may have ample experience and advanced tools to help you with those concerns. Though some doctors offer numerous types of procedures, the best of the best are those who specialize in one area. Once you find a doctor you think you would like to work with, the first step will be a consultation.

Learn About Your Concern

The first step in any consultation for plastic surgery is to understand where the problem area is and what can be done about it. For example, you may not like the way your breasts look. You may think you need implants, but you may learn from the doctor that a breast lift is a better option for you. During this initial consultation, you?ll want to talk about what your problems are rather than what type of treatment you need. That way, your doctor better understands what your desired outcome really is.

Talk About Your Health

You can count on the doctor asking about your health. If you smoke, and he or she will know right away, you may have to stop smoking and allow your body to heal for two or three months prior to the procedure. If you have any underlying health condition, your doctor will need to be sure your condition is under control before moving forward. He or she will also need to know about any significant changes you?ve had over the last few months, such as significant weight loss or giving birth.

Talk About the Risks

The doctor will also discuss your situation at length with you and the procedure itself. There are going to be risks because even basic procedures run the risk of infection or adverse side effects from anesthesia. You also want to be sure you understand what the realistic outcome of the procedure can be. You need to know what to expect and your surgeon will tell you now.

You can expect a physical exam of the area during the consultation. You?ll talk to your doctor about the cost of the procedure, the expected downtime and what tests need to be done prior to getting started. Once all of this information is provided, you can then make a decision about whether or not you want to go forward with the plastic surgery. It is a decision you can make on your own time after you?ve considered all the information you?ve been given.

Interested in plastic surgery in St Louis? For more information, please visit: http://dr-rottler.com.

Source: http://www.articlesrx.com/what-to-expect-in-a-plastic-surgery-consultation/10298

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Costa Phillippou gets big win as Tim Boetsch deals with rough night at UFC 155

Costa Philippou wasn't even supposed to be fighting at UFC 155. It was supposed to be Chris Weidman, Philippou's teammate, taking on Tim Boetsch. It was supposed to be a fight that decided a potential contender for Anderson Silva's bout. But in MMA, things don't always work out like they are supposed to, and Philippou walked away with a win at UFC 155.

Philippou stepped in to fight Boetsch after Weidman was injured in training camp. Boetsch took an early lead with clinch work and takedowns in the first round, but between rounds he talked about an injury that was bothering him. It got worse for Boetsch in the second round, as a large cut opened in his forehead and he was poked in the eye.

[Complete UFC 155 recap: Cain Velasquez mauls Junior dos Santos]

With his eye swelling and blood covering his face, Boetsch tried to deal with Philippou's striking. Boetsch attempted takedowns, but couldn't hold off Philippou, who finished the fight at 2:11 in the third round.

After the fight, Philippou sent this tweet that said it all.

Though he's now 12-2 and has five straight wins in the UFC, Philippou has flown under the radar among middleweights. It will be hard to ignore him after he took advantage of this opportunity at UFC 155.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? Five NFL coaches most likely to be fired
? Slideshow: Athletes to watch out for in 2013
? The Miami Heat say Dwyane Wade didn't deserve suspension
? Y! Finance: The worst product flops of 2012

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/costa-phillippou-gets-big-win-tim-boetsch-deals-045553011--mma.html

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Good Reference and Education: Looking Colorado Springs ...

?Colorado Springs Investment Property. square measure you probing for investment properties in Colorado Springs? Wholesale property? Distressed properties? Bank in hand Real Estate, Short Sales, money flowing rental properties, fix and flip opportunities? Colorado property investors look no additional...here is your supply for urban center Investment Property

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Source: http://rebelinsurrection.blogspot.com/2012/12/looking-colorado-springs-investment.html

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Sunday 30 December 2012

Apaiser bathware featured in award winning opulent Corinthia London penthouse

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PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 27, 2012 - Apaiser bathware is delighted to announce its bath has been featured in the award winning Corinthia London Whitehall Penthouse suite. The five-star luxury Corinthia Hotel London has been named as the winner at the European Hotel Design Awards, winning the accolade for the best suite. In collaboration with award winning G A International in London, Apaiser created a custom design unique bath shape, combining the outstanding Apaiser reclaimed marble stone composite with Apaiser?s luxurious organic finish.

The hotel?s Whitehall Penthouse suite was deemed by the judges to exemplify ?the best use of quality finishes with a design that reflected an old English charm with a contemporary interpretation?. The Whitehall Penthouse suite was one of four from the Corinthia shortlisted for the best suite award. Apaiser supplied all seven of the bathroom suites with fully customised shapes.

Each Apaiser bath was designed to resonate with the stunning individually themed turrets, each with majestic views of iconic landmarks such as the River Thames, London Eye, the National Gallery and Royal Opera House.

From the luxurious oversized tubs in the Whitehall and Royal Penthouses, to the classic baths in the Writers and Musician Penthouses, Apaiser defines luxury in every sense and blends old world charm with modern luxury.

Using a proprietary blend based from reclaimed marble, Apaiser stone composite baths provide sustainable bathware solutions that feature outstanding thermal properties, are scratch resistant and impervious to staining.

Apaiser takes pride in producing eco-friendly bathware with truly indulgent ergonomics, ensuring a perfect and luxurious bathing experience.

To explore the range of Apaiser bathware, please visit the site http://www.apaiser.com.au/

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/12049558/1

Source: http://www.prlog.org/12049558-apaiser-bathware-featured-in-award-winning-opulent-corinthia-london-penthouse.html

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President Obama pressures Republicans to negotiate fiscal deal

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Geaux Teacher ? Advice For Maximizing Your Children's ...

There are many ways to assist your children?s education. Most children attend public schools. You could also choose an expensive private school. There?s another option known as homeschooling. Do you think you might have interest in homeschooling? If so, keep reading for some tips about homeschooling.

If your family includes toddlers, make sure you offer them a variety of activities while you are teaching. have activities for them that coordinate with the older children?s school time. They?ll feel involved without being a distraction.

Network with other local homeschool parents. You can get together and share tips, ask questions and find new friends. The other parents need not influence every aspect of educating your children, but more experienced home educators can share valuable wisdom.

Particular Subject

If you are not comfortable teaching a particular subject or topic, bring in outside help to assist you. There may be a subject your child has to learn that you do not have much knowledge about. If you lack what it takes to teach a particular subject, just find help.

You need to think about the place in which you will teach your kids in the home. It should be roomy and comfortable, but not in a distracting area. It needs space for building, acting and dancing, along with surfaces for taking tests and writing. It should also give you a bird?s eye view of what your kids are up to all the time, as well.

Encourage independent learning. A child should be able to complete their work without you hovering overhead and supervising every step. Let them know your expectations, but allow them plenty of time to work on things. They?ll become more independent, confident and proactive, too.

Learn whether there are other parents who homeschool in your area, and then start a homeschooling group with them. With a group like this your child can get some social interaction. As an added bonus, it will also give you the opportunity to leave the house regularly.

Be crafty when it comes to homeschooling. You can save a lot of money by creating some resources yourself. Look for inexpensive ways to create flash cards and recycle household items as craft supplies. Brainstorm ideas with your children if you need help with finding supplies and resources.

Sports Teams

Homeschooled children do not have to miss out on the the social activities of public school kids and have a right to joining school?s sports teams and activities. Many schools will allow homeschooled students to join school sports teams and bands. By doing this, your child can get the education he or she needs while also being able to obtain social skills.

You can spend time on vacation learning as well. You can visit historical sites or other educational places on vacation. You can take one day to learn something on vacation. Your family can enjoy themselves while also learning.

There are various ways a kid can learn, but a unique way is homeschooling. Use the above advice to make your own home education endeavors more successful. If it seems to work for your family, your kids have a terrific educational experience in store.

Source: http://www.geauxteacher.com/advice-for-maximizing-your-childrens-homeschool-experience/

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Saturday 29 December 2012

Rapid Auto Title Loans Offers Additional Inspection Stations | Merit ...


Pompano Beach, Florida (PRWEB) December 22, 2012

Rapid Auto Loans, a leader in consumer finance allows car owners to borrow against their vehicles value with a simple qualifying process that uses the cars value as credit. Rapid Auto Loans has now added additional authorized inspection stations for increased accessibility for their customers. Based in Florida, the finance company provides consumer finance loans based on the value of the used vehicle instead of the borrowers credit rating. This allows them to offer competitive financing rates while their customers still have full use of their vehicles. With the advent of increased inspection stations, it is now easier than ever for Rapid Auto Loans customers to have their vehicle inspected, the value assessed, and the funds received in a quick and seamless process.

Rapid Auto Loans has long been a trusted name in the consumer finance industry. By providing straight-forward loans to customers who need quick cash without the hassle, Rapid Auto Loans has been able to help thousands of car owners leverage the value of their car for much needed funding. Now with the introduction of additional inspections stations, RAL clients will find it easier than ever to speed along the process of receiving their loan.

For consumers looking for auto title loans with affordable financing details, Rapid Auto Loans offers a simple solution. Employment and residence history combined with an assessment of the vehicles equity is all that is needed for a successful loan approval. For clients that have difficulty finding approval through traditional financing options, Rapid Auto Loans? flexible approval process provides instant access to much needed funding whether for emergencies, medical costs, bills, or any other short-term funding need. All Rapid auto loans are for a 12-month term and simple interest is only paid during the time that the loan is outstanding.

Applying for an auto loan is very simple and only requires a short pre-approval form submittal directly from the companys website. Once the information has been entered, a representative from the company contacts the applicant to update them on the status of their loan. With rates as low as 1.50% per month, Rapid Auto Loans provides auto loans that give the consumer flexibility, ease, and security. Now with the increased authorized inspections stations, customers will benefit from the ease of access and convenience that are reflective of the companys best attributes. For more information, please visit http://www.raloan.com.

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Source: http://meritloans.com/auto-finance-2/rapid-auto-title-loans-offers-additional-inspection-stations

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SeekersGuidance - Keeping Pets - Answers

Keeping Pets

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: Is it permissible to keep pets, such as fish in an aquarium or birds?

Answer: In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful

I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits.

In terms of permissibility, it is permitted to keep pets if one is sure that one will give them their rights in terms of proper feeding, cleanliness, dignity, and care. The same thing would apply to keeping fish in an aquarium.

If there is any fear that proper care would not be taken, then it would be best not to keep a pet or aquarium, as it is sinful to be cruel or oppressive towards animals. [Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha]

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that, ?A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and neither fed nor let loose to feed on her own.? [Bukhari and Muslim]

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani

Source: http://seekersguidance.org/ans-blog/2012/12/29/keeping-pets/

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Readers Respond to Dating in a Digital World

Cover Image: January 2013 Scientific American MagazineSee Inside

Letters to the editor from the September/October 2012 issue of Scientific American Mind

September/October 2012 Image: Scientific American Mind

  • How does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? Can it actually feel an insect?s tiny, spindly legs? And how do cherry blossoms know when to bloom? Can they...

    Read More??

SMELL-O-VISION

The cover illustration for the story ?Dating in a Digital World,? by Eli J. Finkel, Paul W. Eastwick, Benjamin R. Karney, Harry T. Reis and Susan Sprecher, places the two people in perfect position for the function of the vomeronasal organ. This tiny structure hides about one centimeter inside the nose in each nostril along the middle wall, where it can sample each inhalation for pheromones. Mating involves exchanging pheromones, which provide information used by the brain outside of conscious thought.

Until we develop some technique to transfer pheromone information via the computer screen, we will be at a loss to complete the biological process that initiates the mating protocol for our species.

Martin Zane
Hidden Hills, Calif.

Editors' note: For more information on the vomeronasal organ, see ?Sex and the Secret Nerve,? by R. Douglas Fields; Scientific American Mind, February/March 2007.

IS INTELLIGENCE FIXED?

In ?Building Better Brains,? John Jonides, Susanne M. Jaeggi, Martin Buschkuehl and Priti Shah summarize findings that they interpret to indicate that ?fluid? intelligence?the ability to solve novel problems and adapt to new situations?can be increased to a statistically and practically significant degree through working memory training.

The scientific jury is still very much out on whether working memory training truly increases fluid intelligence. With our colleagues, two of us (Hambrick and Redick) recently published a failure to replicate the authors' widely cited 2008 finding, which they describe in ?Building Better Brains,? that working memory training increases fluid intelligence in young adults. A report of our study appeared online in June in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

In a study in Developmental Psychology in May, a meta-analysis of the quantitative findings of 23 studies on working memory training?including studies by Jonides et al.?researchers Monica Melby-Lerv?g and Charles Hulme found no convincing evidence that working memory training improves either adults' or children's fluid intelligence or scholastic outcomes.

It may turn out that working memory training has generalizable benefits for only some people, under only some circumstances, but it is far too soon to tell even that much. In the meantime, scientists should avoid portraying evidence for the efficacy of working memory training as more definitive than it is.

David Z. Hambrick
Michigan State University

Frederick L. Oswald
Rice University

Thomas S. Redick
Indiana University?Purdue University Columbus

THE AUTHORS RESPOND: Hambrick and his colleagues' failure to replicate our findings must be taken in the context of research from at least three other independent laboratories that have successfully replicated our original work. As we pointed out in our article, inconsistent results across studies do not necessarily mean that the original finding is false but instead can provide a valuable opportunity to learn more about the underlying phenomenon.

The study procedure used by Hambrick et al. has several notable weaknesses. For instance, the time to administer each of the 17 tests was so short that measurement quality was probably somewhat questionable. Participants got the best score possible on some of the pretests, thereby giving them no opportunity to improve as a function of cognitive training. Finally, the training curves of their participants were notably shallower than those of ours, and we have shown in published research that transfer is related to how well people train. Although we value failures to replicate that are scientifically sound, we have reason to doubt that the cited paper is one of these.


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1fcc69accbc3d3f92c3fc9d270c8089f

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Friday 28 December 2012

Corrections

Red pen

Photograph by Gabriela Insuratelu.

In a Dec. 27 ?Luxury Explainer,? Aisha Harris incorrectly stated that the annual production of sheep?s wool is 3 million pounds. It is 3 billion pounds.

In a Dec. 27 "XX Factor" post, Amanda Hess misspelled Richard Mourdock?s last name.

In a Dec. 26 ?Brow Beat,? Aisha Harris incorrectly referred to a scene featuring actor Jason Biggs as being from the 2003 film American Wedding.

In a Dec. 26 ?Double X,? Holly Allen and Virginia Choi mislabeled an image of University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long as Head Coach Bobby Petrino.

In a Dec. 26 ?Politics,? Neil deMause wrote that Cassie was studying to be a ultrasound stenographer. She was studying to be an ultrasound sonographer.

In a Dec. 26 "Science" photograph caption, Kara Brandeisky named the monkey Cercopithecus hamlyni only and omitted the newfound monkey species C. lomamiensis.

In a Dec. 21 ?Brow Beat? post, an editing error incorrectly identified the game Kindergarten Killer as ?Kindergarten Killers.?

In the Dec. 21 ?War Stories,? Fred Kaplan stated that John Kerry served in the Army. He served in the Navy.

In a Dec. 3 "Slatest" post about Kate Middleton's pregnancy, a photo caption originally misstated the duchess's formal title. She is the Duchess of Cambridge.

In a 2011 "Culturebox," Neil J. Young initially referred to a Singing Christmas Tree pageant in Grand Isle, Neb. It was actually in Grand Island, Neb.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=2a635c95958cd0ec7f31f25d50561078

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AVIAddXSubs Adds Subtitles to AVI files for Your iPad, Xbox, or PS3

AVIAddXSubs Adds Subtitles to AVI files for Your iPad, Xbox, or PS3Windows: If you need subtitles with your movies, you've probably found that subtitles are a big pain point on devices like the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or iPad. AVIAddXSubs easily adds subtitles to your movies for use on subtitle-incompatible devices.

The reason why subtitles get lost in the ether on these devices is because they don't read .SRT files, which are often what contain the subtitle tracks?instead, you have to have them "burned in" to the video file. Neither do they play .mkv files, which come with subtitle options built-in (check out our handy guide to video formats if you want to know more).

AVIAddXSubs is a Windows app that takes .SRT files and "burns" them into your to your PS3/Xbox 360/iOS-compatible .avi files, so you can watch them on any device with the subtitles you want. It also works in Wine, so Mac users can use Winebottler to run it as a standalone OS X app.

Hit the link below to download AVIAddXSubs, and check out the Guiding Tech link for a full how-to on adding subtitles to your movies.

AVIAddXSubs | Calcitapp via Guiding Tech

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/i5rHsZEALd8/aviaddxsubs-adds-subtitles-to-avi-files-for-your-ipad-xbox-or-ps3

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Arkansas Family Fights to Bring Daughter Home

An international story is hitting close to home for a Northwest Arkansas family.

"She fits into our family perfectly."

Kendra and Jason Skaggs are waiting to bring their 5-year-old daughter home to Bella Vista. People say she looks just like them, and the Skaggs family already considers her part of the family. But with pictures hanging on the walls and an empty place in their hearts, they are waiting to see if she will ever come home.

"I just fell in love with her immediately. When I got to the orphanage and I saw her rolled out, I knew that was her and I knew in my heart that she was my daughter," said Kendra.

But, Polina Joy Skaggs might never know the love of a family.

"We've told her we're coming back in 30 days to get you and bring you home with us and shown her pictures of her bedroom. We may never be able to go back and see her again."

Polina has spent her entire life in orphanages and hospitals in Russia, and is living with spina bifida. After traveling to Russia twice and visiting with her on 10 different occasions, Kendra said Polina is not getting the care and medical attention she needs at the orphanage. Once she is in the United States, they know she will need surgeries, physical therapy and occupational therapy.

"She doesn't have the unconditional love of a family, she doesn't know the love of Jesus and I know she's there, but I can't take care of her and I can't comfort her."

But Friday morning, Russian president Vadimir Putin signed a bill, banning the adoption of Russian children by American families.

"On our court date they told us that there was talk now that if the law was approved they were going to stop all adoptions, including the ones that had already been through the court system."

Russia's upper house of parliament unanimously approved the ban. With President Vladimir Putin's signature, the ban will become reality.

Many believe the proposed ban is in retaliation of a bill President Barack Obama signed early in December, which freezes the American assets of Russians accused of abusing human rights.

The law has been met with harsh criticism in Russia by government officials and civilians.

"I ask myself, what am I going to do. It will be devastating for our entire family including my son, he considers her his sister," said Kendra.

Kendra and Jason have an 8-year-old son named Carter, who has Asperger's Syndrome. Kendra is a special education teacher at Mary Mae Jones Elementary School in Bentonville, and she believes working with disabled children is a blessing.

"It was at that time that God really put it on my heart to adopt a special needs child."

The Skaggs recently purchased a van so they could accommodate Polina's wheelchair. Kendra said they have changed their entire lives around, so they can help her, accommodate her, and help her reach her full potential.

So as a bedroom sits empty, waiting for Polina, the Skaggs family is ready to take on the lifelong committment of caring for their little princess.

"For us, it's not about having an easy life, it's about having a fulfilling life. God called us to care for the orphans... and we're following that call in adopting Polina."

And as they wait for answers, the Skaggs are keeping faith that some day soon, they will be a family of four.

"If we can bring her home then I'm going to sob in relief and just rejoice that we're able to have her."

The Skaggs family is planning to bring Polina home January 29. But with the ban now a reality, they are hoping and praying adoptions that have already been approved will be allowed to proceed. Kendra said even if they move to Russia, Americans that live in the country still cannot adopt Russian children.

The adoption process started 13 months ago and costs around $45,000. At first, Kendra and Jason did not know how they were going to make it work, but said God provided for them. Through fundraisers, the community and even thanks to people they have never met, they were able to raise enough money to make their dream come true.

Kendra said the day she brings Polina home will be the best day of her life, next to the day her son was born.

To learn more about the Skaggs' journey, click here.

Source: http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=622272

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Thursday 27 December 2012

Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, Maimouna Awuor, 44, speaks to The Associated Press In Nairobi, Kenya. The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running. Awuor and another mother told The Associated Press that Pumwani wouldn't let them leave after delivering their babies. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, Maimouna Awuor, 44, speaks to The Associated Press In Nairobi, Kenya. The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running. Awuor and another mother told The Associated Press that Pumwani wouldn't let them leave after delivering their babies. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, Margaret Anyoso, 35, speaks to The Associated Press In Nairobi, Kenya. The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running. Anyoso and another mother told The Associated Press that Pumwani wouldn't let them leave after delivering their babies. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

(AP) ? The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.

Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated with the Nairobi City Council, told The Associated Press that Pumwani wouldn't let them leave after delivering their babies. The bills the mothers couldn't afford were $60 and $160. Guards would beat mothers with sticks who tried to leave without paying, one of the women said.

Now, a New York-based group has filed a lawsuit on the women's behalf in hopes of forcing Pumwani to stop the practice, a practice Omondi is candid about.

"We hold you and squeeze you until we get what we can get. We must be self-sufficient," Omondi said in an interview in his hospital office. "The hospital must get money to pay electricity, to pay water. We must pay our doctors and our workers."

"They stay there until they pay. They must pay," he said of the 350 mothers who give birth each week on average. "If you don't pay the hospital will collapse."

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the suit this month in the High Court of Kenya, says detaining women for not paying is illegal. Pumwani is associated with the Nairobi City Council, one reason it might be able to get away with such practices, and the patients are among Nairobi's poorest with hardly anyone to stand up for them.

Maimouna Awuor was an impoverished mother of four when she was to give birth to her fifth in October 2010. Like many who live in Nairobi's slums, Awuor performs odd jobs in the hopes of earning enough money to feed her kids that day. Awuor, who is named in the lawsuit, says she had saved $12 and hoped to go to a lower-cost clinic but was turned away and sent to Pumwani. After giving birth, she couldn't pay the $60 bill, and was held with what she believes was about 60 other women and their infants.

"We were sleeping three to a bed, sometimes four," she said. "They abuse you, they call you names," she said of the hospital staff.

She said saw some women tried to flee but they were beaten by the guards and turned back. While her husband worked at a faraway refugee camp, Awuor's 9-year-old daughter took care of her siblings. A friend helped feed them, she said, while the children stayed in the family's 50-square-foot shack, where rent is $18 a month. She says she was released after 20 days after Nairobi's mayor paid her bill. Politicians in Kenya in general are expected to give out money and get a budget to do so.

A second mother named in the lawsuit, Margaret Anyoso, says she was locked up in Pumwani for six days in 2010 because she could not pay her $160 bill. Her pregnancy was complicated by a punctured bladder and heavy bleeding.

"I did not see my child until the sixth day after the surgery. The hospital staff were keeping her away from me and it was only when I caused a scene that they brought her to me," said Anyoso, a vegetable seller and a single mother with five children who makes $5 on a good day.

Anyoso said she didn't have clothes for her child so she wrapped her in a blood-stained blouse. She was released after relatives paid the bill.

One woman says she was detained for nine months and was released only after going on a hunger strike. The Center for Reproductive Rights says other hospitals also detain non-paying patients.

Judy Okal, the acting Africa director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said her group filed the lawsuit so all Kenyan women, regardless of socio-economic status, are able to receive health care without fear of imprisonment. The hospital, the attorney general, the City Council of Nairobi and two government ministries are named in the suit.

___

Associated Press reporter Tom Odula contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-27-Kenya-Hospital%20Prisoners/id-43d0996c9c9143898a835faf171f8cd8

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Brooklyn Decker Bikini Photos: THG Hot Bodies Countdown #16!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/brooklyn-decker-bikini-photos-thg-hot-bodies-countdown-number-16/

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Russian parliament approves ban on American adoptions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children went to President Vladimir Putin for his signature on Wednesday after winning final approval from parliament in retaliation for a U.S. law meant to punish Russian human rights abusers.

Putin has strongly hinted he will sign the bill, which also outlaws some U.S.-funded non-governmental groups and hits back at U.S. sanctions by imposing visa bans and asset freezes on Americans accused of violating the rights of Russians.

The Federation Council, Russia's upper parliament house, voted unanimously to approve the bill, which has clouded U.S.-Russian relations and outraged liberals who say lawmakers are playing a political game with the lives of children.

The bill has drawn unusual criticism from some government officials including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Olga Golodets, a deputy prime minister who said it may violate an international convention on children's rights.

Putin has described it as an emotional but appropriate response to U.S. legislation he said was poisoning relations.

U.S. President Barack Obama this month signed off on the Magnitsky Act, which imposes visa bans and asset freezes on Russians accused of human rights violations, including those linked to the death in custody of an anti-graft lawyer in 2009.

The ban on American adoptions takes Russia's response a step further, playing into deep sensitivity among Russians - and the government in particular - over adoptions by foreigners, which skyrocketed after the 1991 Soviet collapse.

The bill is named for Dima Yakovlev - a Russian-born toddler who died of heat stroke when his adoptive American father forgot him in a car.

MORAL GROUNDS

"It is immoral to send our children abroad to any country," Federation Council deputy Valery Shtyrov said in a one-sided debate peppered with hawkish rhetoric before the 143-0 vote.

Child rights advocates say the law, due to take effect on January 1 if signed by Putin, will deprive children of a way out of Russia's overcrowded orphanage system.

"This is the most vile law passed since Putin came to power," opposition activist Boris Nemtsov said, adding that he was certain the president would sign it. "Putin is taking children hostage, like a terrorist".

Police said they had arrested seven people protesting against the law on Wednesday outside the Federation Council.

Nevertheless, lawmaker Gennady Makin said the Magnitsky Act demanded a tough response.

"He who comes to Russia with a sword dies by that sword," he said.

The dispute adds to tension in U.S.-Russia ties already strained over issues ranging from Syria to the Kremlin's treatment of opponents and restrictions imposed on civil society groups since Putin, in power since 2000, began a new six-year term in May.

The Russian bill would outlaw U.S.-funded "non-profit organizations that engage in political activity", which Putin accuses of trying to influence Russian politics.

Russia ejected the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which funds Russian non-governmental groups, in October, and Putin has signed a law forcing many foreign-funded organizations to register as "foreign agents" - a term that evokes the Cold War.

Americans affected by the visa ban could include those involved in the prosecution of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trader serving a 25-year prison term in the United States after an arrest and trial condemned as unfair by Moscow.

(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Pravin Char and Peter Graff)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-approves-ban-american-adoptions-105350779.html

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Wednesday 26 December 2012

The End of Parking Misery

Parking lot.

Huge, free parking lots are a real problem

Comstock/Thinkstock.

Parking is one of the most vexed commodities in modern American life. A nation of about 300 million citizens with 255 million registered cars has as many as 800 million parking spaces, but not enough at the right place at the right time. A family needs a place to park their car when they?re home, but that space goes empty whenever they?re at work. Workers need a place to park their car when they?re at the office, but nobody is at the office most of the time. For all this parking bounty, it often seems that there?s never anywhere to park?at least not where you want to go. The mix of massive excess capacity and chronic shortage is one of the biggest, most persistent, and least examined failures of the American economy. Fixing it is going to require better policies, but it also needs a healthy boost from the private sector. Into the breach steps Parking Panda, launched earlier this year in Baltimore and now available in many cities. It is a simple way to rent out some of those unused spaces.

The idea is basically Zipcar in reverse. Instead of going online to reserve a car, you go online to reserve a place to put a car you already own. Or maybe it?s more like an Airbnb for parking spaces.

Parking Panda is one of several startups loosely grouped together around the theme of ?sharing? that rely primarily on searchable maps. Computers make it so easy to list and search things that it has become possible to rent all kinds of stuff on a smaller scale than ever before.

Until recently, it was significantly easier to rent things that had scale. If it?s difficult to find a hotel, that creates a large incentive to make any given hotel quite large?then you can aggregate the costs of publicity and make it easier for travelers to locate you. It?s a quick step from there to aggregating the aggregations themselves. There?s sure to be a Hilton in any given city, and that Hilton has tons of rooms, so you know that if you?re going somewhere and need a hotel you?ll maybe give Hilton a call.

Much the same logic applies to Hertz or, indeed, to your typical parking lot. The idea is to accumulate enough scale as to be noticeable. But the Internet and the ability to access it on the go from a smartphone reverse this logic. If it becomes trivially easy to find things, then it makes more sense to be choosy about location. Instead of aggregating all of an area?s rental cars at a few key depots, Zipcar scatters them?maximizing the chances that one will be around near where you happen to be.

The Parking Panda method is similar. A single space in a driveway or backyard is hardly worth marketing, but if an online service can drastically simplify the discovery process, then suddenly ?hidden? parking capacity can be unlocked. And it?s not just residential homes. Few companies? parking facilities are precisely calibrated to the exact number of people who work there. With Parking Panda, a spare space or five can become a small extra revenue source.

In the short-term, that means a bit of extra money for some people, a few extra parking spaces, and a hoped-for healthy volume of 20 percent commissions for the company.

What?s interesting are the longer-term implications. If you live in a city with a decent amount of transit and walkability, the cost of parking is one of the main reasons you might want to opt out of car ownership. But if you live in a structure that already includes a parking space, then that parking cost is seemingly quite low. Services that make it easier to monetize an unused space change that dynamic by bringing the opportunity costs to light. Instead of owning a car because it is cheap to park it, you could rent your parking space instead.

More broadly, a successful company in the peer-to-peer parking space could help transform the political economy of parking. In recent years many American cities?including Parking Panda?s hometown of Baltimore?have been inspired by Donald Shoup?s masterwork The High Price of Free Parking to roll back 1950s-vintage policies requiring all new developments to come with parking spaces and to offer demand-responsive pricing for metered curbside parking. These are good ideas, but they lack a natural constituency. Incumbent possessors of underpriced residential parking permits, by contrast, are a powerful lobby for keeping any new cars off the curbs. They generally oppose any new development that doesn?t offer copious off-street parking.

Parking Panda, by changing the economics of parking, can also change the politics. Suddenly those who already possess off-street parking have a monetizable commodity whose value only goes up when new development lacks parking. It creates a constituency that benefits from parking scarcity. This new constituency, new policies, and new business models can help usher us out of the current parking darkness into a brave new world with fewer but better-used parking spaces.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=e24aa252b77b10bff08d5bfeeb1cb273

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Fiftysomething Diet: The 5 Foods Men Need To Eat

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue

By Maureen Callahan

New research shows there are foods that specificially help men -- not women -- age well

It?s no secret that men's nutrition needs start changing during middle-age. Studies clearly show certain foods and nutrients give men a distinct advantage in warding off chronic diseases, like prostate cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease. In this article, the second in our two-part series, we take a look at the latest research on food choices as they relate to men?s health and detail the foods men might want to stash in their disease-fighting pantry.

(More: Fiftysomething Diet: The 5 Foods Women Need to Eat)

Tomatoes Lycopene, the powerful antioxidant compound that colors tomatoes a beautiful shade of red, has been in the news lately. In the most recent study, reported in the journal Neurology, researchers from Finland said there was a connection between high levels of lycopene in the blood of middle-aged men and a lower risk for stroke.

Multiple studies also suggest there's a link between tomatoes -- or possibly the lycopene they contain -- and the prevention of prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Indeed, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that 1 in every 6 men will develop the disease. So any measures, including diet strategies, that could play a role in prevention are critical. These findings would make the "love apple" an integral food for men's health.

To boost the cancer-fighting impact of tomatoes, try these three strategies:

  • Cook your tomatoes -- it makes the lycopene easier to absorb.

  • Add a little bit of fat to tomato dishes (cheese on pizza, olive oil on salads or in marinara) as that helps the body absorb more lycopene.

  • Pair tomatoes with broccoli. A 2007 study from the journal Cancer Research said the combo helped shrink prostate tumors in animals better than either vegetable alone. ?To get this effect, men should consume daily 1.4 cups of raw broccoli and 2.5 cups of fresh tomato, or 1 cup of tomato sauce, or 1/2 cup of tomato paste,? said Kirstie Canene-Adams, one of the University of Illinois study researchers. ?I think it?s very doable for a man to eat a cup and a half of broccoli per day or put broccoli on a pizza with 1/2 cup of tomato paste.?

Flaxseed Cholesterol starting to inch up? Try sprinkling a generous dose of nutty-flavored ground flaxseed into your morning bowl of cereal. In a 2010 Iowa State University study 90 volunteers with high cholesterol levels were fed 150 milligrams, about three tablespoons, of flaxseed lignans every day for three months. (Lignans are an antioxidant found in many plants, particularly nuts and seeds.) Cholesterol levels dropped 10 percent in men volunteers; women in the study did not see a decline in cholesterol.

Some medications can result in a much steeper decline, but flaxseed offers men a natural way to lower their cholesterol level. "There are people who can't take something like Lipitor, so this could at least give them some of that cholesterol-lowering benefit," said Suzanne Hendrich, a professor in food science and nutrition at the University of Iowa and lead researcher on the study. "The other thing is, there are certainly people who would prefer to not use a drug, but rather use foods to try to maintain their health. So this would be something to consider."

Flaxseed might also help protect against prostate cancer. A 2008 study by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that men given 30 grams of flaxseed daily (about three rounded tablespoons) while waiting for prostate surgery had lower rates of cancer proliferation compared with men who ate no flaxseed. Click here for the Mayo Clinic?s flaxseed cooking, shopping and storing tips.

Whole grain cereals Who would have thought that eating cereal for breakfast might keep the heart running smoothly? But after 20 years of following the diets of a group of more than 20,000 men as part of the Physician?s Health Study, that?s exactly what Harvard researchers noticed -- a link between whole grain cereal intake and lower risk of heart failure. Men who ate higher amounts of whole grain cereal (seven or more servings per week) had lower heart failure risk than men eating zero or even two to six servings. And this protective link held strong after the scientists adjusted for other factors that might influence heart risk, like smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise and more.

Speculation is that whole grain cereal?s positive impact on the heart may be due to the already documented effect whole grains and fiber have on cardiovascular risk factors, like high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and obesity. ?If confirmed in other studies, a higher intake of whole grains along with other preventive measures could help lower the risk of heart failure,? the authors write in their report. One caveat: Harvard researchers are talking about steel-cut oats, whole wheat berries, hulled barley and other cereals rich in whole grains. Refined, highly-processed cereals didn?t show any connection and don?t help the heart.

Bananas and oranges Slicing a banana into your morning cereal or snacking on other potassium-rich citrus fruits, like oranges, is a good strategy for preventing or controlling high blood pressure. Not sure why you need to worry about blood pressure numbers creeping up slowly? High blood pressure is more common in men -- and it worsens with age (although women also get high blood pressure with age, men get it sooner). Controlling high blood pressure is, of course, one of the most critical strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease, still the No. 1 killer of men.

Health experts blame rising blood pressure in some men on diet, particularly the high levels of salt (mostly from processed foods) that most Americans eat. Indeed, the latest guidelines from the government encourage people who are 51 or older to cut salt, or more specifically the sodium it contains, down to 1,500 milligrams per day. ?Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure,? experts at the Mayo Clinic say. ?Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. If you don?t get enough potassium in your diet or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood.?

In a 2012 study from Japan, middle-aged men with high blood pressure were divided into two groups to illustrate the impact of lowering sodium in the diet and increasing potassium-rich foods. The group receiving cooking instructions and diet advice for both minerals saw drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers while the control group (no diet instruction) did not. Not a fan of bananas or oranges? Check out the National Institutes of Health list for other food sources of potassium. And check here for advice from the Mayo Clinic on more lifestyle and home remedies to treat high blood pressure.

Chocolate If you?re a chocoholic, good news -- really good news. Men who eat moderate amounts of chocolate may lower their risk for all types of stroke, Swedish researchers report in Neurology. The scientists drew this conclusion after following the eating habits of more than 37,000 Swedish men for more than 10 years. Men eating higher amounts of chocolate (62.9 grams, a little over two ounces) per week had a lower risk for stroke than men eating zero chocolate.

The scientists then went a step further doing a meta-analysis, a compilation of results of five other chocolate studies, which again showed the same positive link between higher chocolate consumption and lower stroke risk. Experts, according the American Heart Association, have long suspected that flavanol compounds found in chocolate, or more specifically the cocoa powder chocolate contains, might be the health-beneficial ingredient.

A 2012 study published in the journal Hypertension identifies another big role for cocoa flavanols. It seems that men who drink flavanol-rich cocoa were able to improve mild cognitive impairment across a broad spectrum of tests.

"Our study provides encouraging evidence that consuming cocoa flavanols, as a part of a calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced diet, could improve cognitive function,? says Dr. Giovambattista Desideri, the study's lead author and director of geriatric division in the department of life, health and environmental sciences at the University of L?Aquila in Italy. ?Larger studies are needed to validate the findings, figure out how long the positive effects will last and determine the levels of cocoa flavanols required for benefit.?

In the meantime, chocolate (in moderation, of course) is just one of a growing number of good-for-you foods rich in flavanols, including red wine, tea, grapes and apples.

Read more on Next Avenue
Fiftysomething Diet: 5 Ways to Make a More Healthful Breakfast
Fiftysomething Diet: What to Eat to Protect Your Vision
The Facts about Elder Nutrition

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/aging-gracefully-diet_n_2349770.html

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Costume designer offers a character-by-character analysis of styling ...

by Nathalie Atkinson.

Costume designer Paco Delgado first met Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper (The King?s Speech) in Spain, when they worked together on Hooper?s series of 17th century-set commercial shorts for Captain Morgan rum. The pair got along so well, Delgado recalled in an interview from his home in Madrid, that to his pleasant surprise nine months later he was invited to meet in London and discuss the director?s next project, Les Mis?rables. For Delgado, best known for memorable film collaborations with Spanish auteurs such as Pablo Berger and Pedro Alm-odovar, the preparation on a star-studded Hollywood film of this scale was as immense as it was intense.

Before shooting even began, Delgado spent five months preparing with research at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and in Paris at the Musee du Louvre, scouring flea markets in England, Spain and Italy for vintage fabric suppliers of dead-stock wool and antique linen, and assembling a costume team of more than 30 to work around the clock building costumes before and during production.

From the overall colour scheme and the historically accurate bicorn hats to the high-waisted button-front trousers and the revolutionary rosettes, nothing about the costumes in Les Mis?rables is by accident. The use of red, blue and white overall scheme came about during research. ?We found the colours of the French flag, which were used in a lot of paintings. You have for example Delacroix?s Freedom Guiding the People for the barricade and you see people blocked in solid blue, with red and with white. That was a decision ? Tom wanted to go that way, and use these three colours in a very patriotic way. But then with Marius and Cossette, it was more natural, a question of a romantic story going on.?

?When you start designing a movie, especially in a case like this one where you have so many characters, you have to have a sort of leitmotif running for character,? Delgado continued, before taking me through some of the costume process behind each major character.

Red the rest of this article from Vancouver Sun.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to ?The Director?s Chair? filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 238 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, ?The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.?

Source: http://filmdirectingtips.com/archives/7710

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Tuesday 25 December 2012

Social Media in 2013 |

SCORE OC counselor Jerome Chiaro graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton with a B.A. in entrepreneurship and specializes in helping small businesses across the nation on Social Media, Internet Marketing and Restaurant Marketing with his consulting firm: Restaurant Management University. He has published multiple e-books and video training series such as Restaurant Management Blueprint (a restaurant back-office management software), The Restaurant Road Map (an SEO and internet marketing guide for restaurants), and Facebook ?Like? Machine (a Facebook marketing guide).

SCORE OC: What area of social media should small businesses concentrate on for 2013?

Chiaro: The quick answer is Facebook. Facebook recently passed Google as the most visited website on the internet and they are vying back and forth for the #1 spot. As a small business owner, you can?t afford to not have a presence on Facebook.

There is so much out there now, Pinterest is getting big, Twitter is growing very fast ? Tumblr, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Yelp, Instagram and the list goes on and on. Eventually, small businesses can and should brand their business on each site, but the key is to concentrate on the one site that will reach your target market the fastest ? and 9.5 times out of 10 that is Facebook.

A deeper answer would be email marketing. Email marketing is often overlooked within the ?social media world,? but it is still the quickest, most effective form of communication for small businesses and is the core of any social media campaign. There are some rumors of email attrition, but the statistics show that email will still be the dominant marketing medium for the next few years.

SCORE OC: Do you have any tips for new Twitter users?

Chiaro: Yes, don?t treat Twitter like Facebook :) And don?t copy/paste your Facebook messages to Twitter. Twitter is a completely different platform, with a different language and niche. They tend to be younger, edgier, techier, hipper even.

For list-building, use the search bar to find and follow as many of your target market niche as you can. Most of the time people will reciprocate and will follow you back.

Once you?ve beefed up your following, start to build relationships with your followers. I use the 80/20 rule with my clients: 80 percent of your posts should be value-driven, no agenda attached; and 20 percent can be promotional-oriented. The most successful Twitter ?retweets? are provocative, engaging and use popular culture.

SCORE OC: What are the biggest mistakes you think small business owners make when it comes to social media?

Chiaro: I think the biggest mistake is doing it all by yourself. A common misconception with social media is that ?it?s is a free way to market your business.? Yes, it is ?free,? but it?s hard to gain any traction without help. Social media can be time consuming, daunting even. To list-build, engage and run promotions is almost a full-time job for any business.

Many of my clients hire independent contractors or even college student interns to help execute their social media marketing plan. The younger generation is so quick on social media technology and they understand the language very well because they use it constantly. They usually end up completing each project better, faster, and cheaper than any small business owner could have.

Optimized with InboundWriter

Source: http://scoreoc.org/2012/12/24/social-media-in-2013/

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Naughty And Nice Retailers of 2012 - Business Insider

The Naughty List isn't just for misbehaved kids ? not in the world of retail anyway.

With the help of Consumer Reports, we've compiled a list of the top naughty and nice companies of 2012.

Topping our naughty list are companies like BMW and Forever21 which have unfriendly practices liked fine print fees and fewer "extras."

Names like Nordstrom and Kohl's, however, are applauded for their hassle-free returns and excellent customer service.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/naughty-and-nice-retailers-of-2012-2012-11

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Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by their peers, two new studies suggest.

Not surprisingly, researchers also found targets of bullying were more distressed and anxious and had a worse quality of life, in general, than those who weren't picked on.

Bullying has become a concern among parents, doctors and school administrators since research and news stories emerged linking bullying - including online "cyberbullying" - with depression and even suicide.

"There has been a shift and people are more and more recognizing that bullying has real consequences, it's not just something to be making jokes about," said Dr. Mark Schuster, chief of general pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, who wrote a commentary published with the new research.

Studies suggest between one in ten and one in three of all kids and teens are bullied - but those figures may vary by location and demographics, researchers noted.

The new findings come from two studies published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

In one, Dr. Eyal Shemesh from the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and his colleagues surveyed 251 kids who were seen at an allergy clinic and their parents. The children were all between age eight and 17 with a diagnosed food allergy.

Just over 45 percent of them said they'd been bullied or harassed for any reason, and 32 percent reported being bullied because of their allergy in particular.

"Our finding is entirely consistently with what you find with children with a disability," Shemesh told Reuters Health.

A food allergy, he said, "is a vulnerability that can be very easily exploited, so of course it will be exploited."

The kids in the study were mostly white and well-off, the researcher said - a group that you'd expect would be targeted less often. So bullying may be more common in poorer and minority children who also have food allergies.

But allergies aren't the only cause of teasing and harassment by peers.

In another study, researchers from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, found that almost two-thirds of 361 teens enrolled in weight-loss camps had been bullied due to their size.

That likelihood increased with weight, so that the heaviest kids had almost a 100 percent chance of being bullied, Rebecca Puhl and her colleagues found. Verbal teasing was the most common form of bullying, but more than half of bullied kids reported getting taunted online or through texts and emails as well.

'START THE CONVERSATION'

Shemesh's team found only about half of parents knew when their food-allergic child was being bullied, and kids tended to be better off when their families were aware of the problem.

He said parents should feel comfortable asking kids if they're being bothered at school or elsewhere - and that even if it only happens once, bullying shouldn't be ignored.

"We want parents to know," he said. "Start the conversation."

"Parents whose kids have a food allergy should really be aware that their kids have the kind of characteristic that often leads to being bullied," Schuster told Reuters Health. "They should be working with the school to handle the food allergy in a way that isn't going to make it more likely that their kids will be bullied - and they need to be attuned to their kids."

That's the same for parents of overweight and obese children, he added.

"Kids need their parents to be their allies in these situations," he said. "Their parents can help them still feel strong."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online December 24, 2012.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/allergies-extra-weight-tied-bullying-142652756.html

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Somali pirates release longest-held hostages after 33 months

BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - A ship and its crew of 22 sailors held by Somali pirates for almost three years have been freed after a two-week-long siege by maritime police, the government of the breakaway region of Puntland said on Sunday.

The sailors aboard Panama-flagged MV Iceberg 1, from the Philippines, India, Yemen, Sudan, Ghana and Pakistan, were held for longer than any other hostages in the power of the pirates, who prey on shipping in the region, according to the president's office of the northern Somali enclave in a statement

Maritime police laid siege to the vessel on December 10 near the coastal village of Gara'ad in the region of Mudug.

"After 2 years and 9 months in captivity, the hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness. The hostages are now receiving nutrition and medical care," said the statement.

The ship originally had a crew of 24, but two had died since the roll-on roll-off cargo vessel was seized on March 29, 2010, some 10 miles from Aden, pirates said.

One of the pirate leaders said they only released the ship after negotiation with Puntland officials and local elders.

"They kindly requested the release of the ship we held for three years. Puntland forces had attacked us and tried to release the ship by force but they failed. We fought back and defeated them," the pirate known as Farah told Reuters.

Farah did not disclose whether any ransom had been paid for the crew and the ship, owned by Azal Shipping in Dubai with a deadweight of 4,500 tonnes.

Pirates rarely release ships without ransom, and usually raise their demands the longer they hold a vessel, because they charge for their expenses.

International navies have had some recent success containing piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Although more than 100 hostages taken off Somalia are still being held captive, the number of hijackings of ships dropped to seven in the first 11 months of this year compared to 24 in the whole of 2011.

Separately, Puntland said a group of eight Puntland soldiers responsible for briefly trying to sail away with a North Korea-flagged vessel, MV Daesan and its 33-member crew were jailed by a Puntland military court on December 22.

MV Daesan, a North Korean ship ferrying cement to Somali capital Mogadishu, was impounded by the Puntland authorities and fined last month by Puntland authorities who accused it of ditching its cargo off Somalia's coast.

The soldiers had taken the vessel on December 18.

"Puntland Government managed to return the vessel back to the port within 24 hours; the soldiers were arrested and will be brought to justice," the authorities said.

(Writing by James Macharia; editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/somali-pirates-release-longest-held-hostages-33-months-165038669.html

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Monday 24 December 2012

Your First $1000 ? How to Start an Online Business that Actually ...

Free eBook - Your First $1000Happy Holidays!

My *gift* to y?all is yet another free Kindle eBook.

This one is titled:

Your First $1000 ? How to Start an Online Business that Actually Makes Money

Once again, it will be offered for free through Amazon?s KDP Select program for the next three days.

Starting today (Christmas Eve, December 24th) to the end of Wednesday (December 26th); you can grab a free copy directly from Amazon.

Here?s more information about this freebie?

How to Earn Your First Dollars Online

While *most* of my readers already have established Internet businesses, I know some are struggling with getting started.? ?Your First $1000? is written for anyone who wants to start a small niche website which can ultimately be turned into an authority business.

On the other hand, even experienced Internet entrepreneurs can learn something from this guide.? Specifically I go into detail about my backlinking strategies that Google prefers.? That alone is worth reading!

It?s FREE? With a Catch!

Once again, I?m offering free copies (per Amazon?s KDP system) till midnight Pacific time on the 26th. So grab your copy while it?s still available.

But?

I need your help!! In order to keep offering these free eBooks on a regular basis, I need reviews on Amazon. So I ask that you download this freebie and submit a review if you find this information to be useful. (Here is the link to the book in the Amazon marketplace.) Plus, I?d be a big help if you ?like? the eBook and ?agree? with the tags at the bottom of the page.

Don?t Own a Kindle Reader?

I know some people have had trouble accessing my books in the past. The truth is you don?t need a Kindle! There are a variety of free ways you can read a Kindle eBook:

In short, it?s really simple to read Amazon Kindle books ? No matter what type of device you use to access the Internet.

If you still have trouble accessing this Kindle book, please send me an email: stevescottsite[at]gmail[dot]com before the end of Wednesday the 26th and I?ll sort you out.

Anyway?

Here is the download link to my free book ==> http://www.stevescottsite.com/your-first-1000

And here?s the link to the UK Version ==> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-First-1000-Business-ebook/dp/B00ARHQZDM

Please take a few minutes to leave a review and/or share this post on your favorite social media site.

Thanks!

To Your "Internet Lifestyle",

Source: http://www.stevescottsite.com/first1000

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Cobboc is A New Social Network for all those Web 2 . 0 Users ...

Social network sites are becoming more and more popular daily. Everyday many people and companies are joining these social media sites! Why? ? Some wish to promote their company, product or services, some prefer to find new friends or their love, although some use internet sites to play games.

In simple terms, today almost everyone is engaged in such type of sites. When you guess, people cannot do without being socialized. Communication could be the vein in our life.

Are You From search For A New Online social network Site?

Today social networking lovers are looking achievable places to waste time everyday. Why? ? Because every social media marketing website typically has a unique special features which you cannot see in almost every other drinkng venues. These functions have the website unique and different from others. Therefore answer looking for new myspace in order to find new, exciting items to be engaged in.

Cobboc ? A whole new Online community Site For All Social Media Lovers and Users

This advertising and marketing site was launched on 15th August, 2010. ?The primary idea and purpose were to create an easy-to-use network site which might be simpler than Facebook, Orkut or any other popular web 2 . 0 websites.?

If you are looking for:

A new audience to promote your merchandise and services;New friends;New acquaintance;New ?business relationships;Far more.

Then a newly launched Cobboc social media site generally is a good solution to the questions you have and searches. Here is the # 1 place to go for both social websites and dating. Who knows, perhaps this social media may become your next big Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or any other popular web 2 . 0 site! ?

If you would like to get the specific popular features of Cobboc just register during this online social network site and signing in your bank account.

  • Filed under: Social Media
  • Source: http://www.coolyourmyspace.com/social-media/cobboc-is-a-new-social-network-for-all-those-web-2-0-users.html

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