Actor Johnny Lewis not on drugs at time of death: coroner

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "Sons of Anarchy" actor Johnny Lewis, who was found dead in September and linked to a suspected homicide, did not have any drugs or alcohol in his body, coroner's officials said on Friday.

A toxicology examination detected no amounts of cocaine, marijuana, hallucinogenic drugs or prescription medications, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said in a report.

Lewis, 28, was found dead in the driveway of a home he had been renting in Los Angeles and his 81-year-old landlady was found dead inside.

Investigators initially suspected Lewis was under the influence of drugs or alcohol because he had spent time in rehab and had a criminal drug past. The actor had been released from jail five days prior to his death.

Authorities ruled Lewis' death an accident from partial strangulation and head trauma after the actor fell 15 feet from an elevated terrace onto a paved driveway.

"We do not have definitive evidence that (Lewis) intended to kill himself," Los Angeles County medical examiner James K. Ribe wrote in the autopsy report. "We also do not at this time have any evidence that he was pushed."

Detectives believe Lewis may have killed his landlady, Catherine Davis, but said the motive was unknown.

Lewis had pleaded guilty in August to assault with a deadly weapon. He also pleaded no contest to an attempted burglary in a separate case. He was sentenced to jail in both cases.

Lewis played Kip "Half Sack" Epps, an Iraq War veteran, in the first two seasons of FX television drama "Sons of Anarchy" about an outlaw motorcycle club. The Los Angeles-born actor previously had recurring roles in the TV shows "Boston Public" and "The O.C."

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/actor-johnny-lewis-not-drugs-time-death-coroner-185934623.html

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Ukraine fights spreading HIV epidemic

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, a prisoner in a male prison is seen through a peephole where HIV-positive prisoners receive treatment, care and support in the town of Bucha outside Ukraine's capital Kiev. An estimated 230,000 Ukrainians, or about 0.8 percent of people aged 15 to 49 in a population of 46 million, are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 120,000 are in urgent need of anti-retroviral therapy, which can greatly prolong and improve the quality of their lives. But due to a lack of funds, less than a quarter are receiving the drugs, one of the lowest levels in the world. (Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, a prisoner in a male prison is seen through a peephole where HIV-positive prisoners receive treatment, care and support in the town of Bucha outside Ukraine's capital Kiev. An estimated 230,000 Ukrainians, or about 0.8 percent of people aged 15 to 49 in a population of 46 million, are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 120,000 are in urgent need of anti-retroviral therapy, which can greatly prolong and improve the quality of their lives. But due to a lack of funds, less than a quarter are receiving the drugs, one of the lowest levels in the world. (Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo shows Andrei Mandrykin, 35, an HIV-positive inmate at a prison where HIV-positive prisoners receive treatment, care and a support service in the town of Bucha outside Ukraine's capital Kiev, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. Ahead of World AIDS day on Saturday, international organizations are exhorting the Ukrainian government to increase funding for treatment and do more to prevent the disease from spreading from high-risk groups into the mainstream population, where it is even harder to manage and control. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 file photo, a Ukrainian woman wearing a medical mask demonstrates in front of the memorial monument to AIDS victims in Kiev, Ukraine. An estimated 230,000 Ukrainians, or about 0.8 percent of people aged 15 to 49 in a population of 46 million, are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 120,000 are in urgent need of anti-retroviral therapy, which can greatly prolong and improve the quality of their lives. But due to a lack of funds, less than a quarter are receiving the drugs, one of the lowest levels in the world. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

FILE - In this Oct.7, 2011 file photo, a sex worker searches for clients on a highway in Donetsk, Ukraine. Ahead of World AIDS day on Saturday, international organizations are exhorting the Ukrainian government to increase funding for treatment and do more to prevent the disease from spreading from high-risk groups into the mainstream population, where it is even harder to manage and control. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian people make a red ribbon sign with candles ahead of the World AIDS Day, in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) ? Andrei Mandrykin, an inmate at Prison No. 85 outside Kiev, has HIV. He looks ghostly and much older than his 35 years. But Mandrykin is better off than tens of thousands of his countrymen, because is he receiving treatment amid what the World Health Organization says is the worst AIDS epidemic in Europe.

Ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday, international organizations have urged the Ukrainian government to increase funding for treatment and do more to prevent HIV from spreading from high-risk groups into the mainstream population, where it is even harder to manage and control.

An estimated 230,000 Ukrainians, or about 0.8 percent of people aged 15 to 49, are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 120,000 are in urgent need of anti-retroviral therapy, which can greatly prolong and improve the quality of their lives. But due to a lack of funds, fewer than a quarter are receiving the drugs ? one of the lowest levels in the world.

Ukraine's AIDS epidemic is still concentrated among high-risk groups such as intravenous drug users, sex workers, homosexuals and prisoners. But nearly half of new cases registered last year were traced to unprotected heterosexual contact.

"Slowly but surely the epidemic is moving from the most-at-risk, vulnerable population to the general population," said Nicolas Cantau of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, who manages work in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "For the moment there is not enough treatment in Ukraine."

Stigma is also a big problem for those with HIV in Ukraine. Liliya, a 65-year-old woman who would give only her first name, recently attended a class on how to tell her 9-year-old great-granddaughter that she has HIV. The girl, who contacted HIV at birth from her drug-abusing mother, has been denied a place in preschool because of her diagnosis.

"People are like wolves, they don't understand," said Liliya. "If any of the parents found out, they would eat the child alive."

While the AIDS epidemic has plateaued elsewhere in the world, it is still progressing in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to Cantau. Nearly 21,200 new cases were reported in Ukraine in 2011, the highest number since the former Soviet republic registered its first case in 1987, and a 3 percent increase over 2010. As a result of limited and often delayed treatment, the number of AIDS-related deaths grew 17 percent last year to about 3,800.

Two years ago, Mandrykin, the prisoner, was on the verge of becoming part of that statistic, with his level of crucial CD4 immune cells ? a way to measure the strength of the immune system ? dropping to 11. In a healthy person, the CD4 count is usually over 600.

"I was lying in the hospital, I was dying," said Mandrykin, who is serving seven years for robbery, his fourth stint in jail. "It's a scary disease."

After two years of treatment in a small prison clinic, his CD4 count has risen to 159 and he feels much better, although he looks exhausted and is still too weak to work in the workshop of the medium-security prison.

The Ukrainian government currently focuses on testing and treating standard cases among the general population. The anti-retroviral treatment of more than 1,000 inmates, as well as some 10,000 HIV patients across Ukraine who also require treatment for tuberculosis and other complications and all prevention and support activities, are paid for by foreign donors, mainly the Global Fund.

The Global Fund is committed to spending $640 million through 2016 to fight AIDS and tuberculosis in Ukraine and then hopes to hand over most of its programs to the Ukrainian government.

Advocacy groups charge that corruption and indifference by government officials help fuel the epidemic.

During the past two years, Ukrainian authorities have seized vital AIDS drugs at the border due to technicalities, sent prosecutors to investigate AIDS support groups sponsored by the Global Fund and harassed patients on methadone substitution therapy, prompting the Global Fund to threaten to freeze its prevention grant.

Most recently, Ukraine's parliament gave initial approval to a bill that would impose jail terms of up to five years for any positive public depiction of homosexuality. Western organizations say it would make the work of AIDS prevention organizations that distribute condoms and teach safe homosexual sex illegal and further fuel the epidemic. It is unclear when the bill will come up for a final vote.

AIDS drug procurement is another headache, with Ukrainian health authorities greatly overpaying for AIDS drugs. Advocacy groups accuse health officials of embezzling funds by purchasing drugs at inflated prices and then pocketing kickbacks.

Officials deny those allegations, saying their tender procedures are transparent.

Much also remains to be done in Ukraine to educate people about AIDS.

Oksana Golubova, a 40-year-old former drug user, infected her daughter, now 8, with HIV and lost her first husband to AIDS. But she still has unprotected sex with her new husband, saying his health is in God's hands.

"Those who are afraid get infected," Golubova said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-11-30-EU-Ukraine-AIDS/id-55c079455b4245c58375b6207c307345

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Belden to sell defense cable business to Carlisle for $265 million

(Reuters) - Cable maker Belden Inc said it will sell its Thermax and Raydex cable businesses to diversified manufacturer Carlisle Cos Inc for about $265 million, including debt, as it looks to exit the aerospace and defense markets.

Belden, which also makes cables and networking products for the broadcast and consumer electronics industries, has been unable to remain competitive offering cables as a stand-alone product to the aerospace and defense markets, company spokesman Matt Tractenberg said.

Thermax and Raydex, which have combined annual sales of about $112 million, make hook-up, data and coaxial wires and cables for commercial aerospace, defense and industrial markets.

Belden, which has a market value of about $3.53 billion, said it would use the proceeds to help fund a $200 million buyback of its common stock.

Carlisle said it expects the acquisition to close by December 31 and add to earnings in 2013.

Beldin's shares, which had gained about 6 percent in value so far this year, were up 5 percent at $37.92 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Carlisle's stock was up 1 percent at $56.68.

(Reporting by Tej Sapru and Sagarika Jaisinghani in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/belden-sell-defense-cable-business-carlisle-265-million-152740733--sector.html

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Caltech and UVic Set 339Gbps Internet Speed Record

Don't forget equipment management, billing, HR, insurance, and everything else it takes to keep your employees that actually install, maintain and upgrade that equipment around. Last I checked, people were still required and they are, by far, the most expensive part of our data center.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/nP9AkQM6VI0/story01.htm

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Video: Infant, dog both act like babies in howling duet

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50009332/

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Ineffable Music Group is looking for Digital Artists! ? Viva La Hip Hop

Ineffable Music is looking for digital artists interested in the music industry, with experience in any and all mediums. If interested please email resume, portfolio, and/or link to online work to Igor@ineffablemusic.com.

November 29, 2012
Categories: All Ages, Art, Berkeley, Central California, Chico, Davis, East Bay, Fashion, Fresno, Graffiti, Hip Hop Shows, Humboldt County, Ladies, Media, Modesto, Music Video, News, North Bay, Oakland, Peninsula, Photography, R&B/Soul, Reggae Shows, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, South Bay, Stockton, Updates, Videos . Tags: Collie Buddz, Ineffable Music Group, Los Rakas, Zion I . Author: vivalahiphopshows

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Source: http://vivalahiphop.com/2012/11/29/ineffable-music-group-is-looking-for-digital-artists/

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Victory Or Defeat? Emotions Aren't All In The Face

Enlarge Hillel Aviezer/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Can You Tell Emotion From Faces Alone? A new study suggests that when people evaluated just facial expressions ? without cues from the rest of the body ? they couldn't tell if the face was showing a positive or negative emotion.

Hillel Aviezer/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Can You Tell Emotion From Faces Alone? A new study suggests that when people evaluated just facial expressions ? without cues from the rest of the body ? they couldn't tell if the face was showing a positive or negative emotion.

Photos of athletes in their moment of victory or defeat usually show faces contorted with intense emotion. But a new study suggests that people actually don't use those kinds of extreme facial expressions to judge how a person is feeling.

Instead, surprisingly, people rely on body cues.

Hillel Aviezer, a psychology researcher at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, wanted to see how accurately people can read intense, real-world facial expressions ? instead of the standardized, posed images of facial expressions that are usually used in lab tests.

So he and his colleagues decided to do some experiments using images of professional tennis players. That's because, in top tennis matches, the stakes are sky high, and professional players instantly have an intense emotional reaction to winning or losing a critical point. And usually, people have no trouble figuring out what emotions a tennis player is feeling when they see a photo of that player standing on a tennis court, clutching a racket.

"When I look at a sports magazine, and I see the full picture of a person winning a point, and he has his full gesture, the whole picture makes perfect sense to me," says Aviezer. "The face looks like a victorious face, and the body looks victorious; everything together seems to make perfect sense."

But that sense of certainty disappeared, he found, when he took images of tennis winners and losers, and erased everything but the face. When he showed just those isolated faces to people, they couldn't tell if something positive or negative was going on.

"This was really a very striking finding," says Aviezer.

Then he showed people images of tennis players with the faces erased. People had to judge winners from losers based solely on the rest of the body. "And when people saw the body alone, they easily knew if this was a positive or negative emotion," explains Aviezer.

This is counterintuitive, he says, because people usually assume that if they are getting an emotional message, it must come from the facial expression.

In fact, when Aviezer shows people full images of tennis players ? the faces plus the body ? and asks them to describe how they know what the player is feeling, people usually describe the face. They claim to see tell-tale clues in the player's eyes or mouth. "When in fact it's an illusion," says Aviezer. "They have this false idea of information in the face when really it's coming from the body."

To test this in another way, he manipulated the photographs. He'd take the face of a winner and paste it onto the body of a loser, or vice versa.

What he found was that the exact same face would be interpreted as showing a positive or negative emotion, depending on which body it was on. These results are reported in the journal Science.

"I think that many people will find this very surprising," says Lisa Feldman Barrett, a scientist at Northeastern University who studies emotions.

These studies challenge long-held assumptions about the importance of facial expressions, she says.

"When you and I talk to each other and we look at each other, we're really looking at each other's faces. That's where our attention is. And so the assumption has been that that's where all the information is, too," says Barrett. "But these studies show very clearly that that's not the case."

These findings add to a growing body of evidence that when we're trying to figure out another person's emotional state, we rely on a lot more than just the face.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166184008/victory-or-defeat-emotions-arent-all-in-the-face?ft=1&f=1007

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Barak: UN vote on Palestinians not a big move (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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udonkey2: wesleys Site - Multiply - Maybinuumargo9s blog - Larsen ...

written by: Dianne Crane

The Honda lift kits are used to raise the body of a car. They are routinely fixed in sport cars or motor cycles. These gadgets give sporting cars a muscle look. People have embraced car racing as a recreation thus require reliable cars with high speed. They use these spare parts to perform modifications on these cars. The modifications vary according to the distinctive taste. However, it is important to buy quality spare parts such as this brand for safety purposes. Experts are advised to use genuine and compatible spare parts to prevent breakdown.

Interested parties can ask for recommendations from the suppliers of this brand. There are dealers that have been given the mandate to supply this brand of goods. The procedure of installation can easily be understood by a mechanic. A client should hire the services of a professional when seeking to raise the body of a motor.

Experienced mechanics have the know-how of using this trademark to mount these parts in golf cars. They are capable of recognizing fake or genuine auxiliary parts which will help you avoid incurring additional cost. This means that they will use their knowledge to make sure that only genuine parts are used in your motor vehicle. In addition, there expertise will help to choose parts that are compatible with the car to be modified.

Fixing of suspension gears is highly involving and requires special knowledge and experience. Demand for these gears is ever growing in the car sporting industry. Most people who purchase these lifting gears are drivers who do the driving as a recreation. It is, therefore, advisable to buy these parts from a registered dealer shop to make your car have a muscle look.

The procedure is begun with raising the body of the motor. The body is lifted and suspended to a higher level. The level of rising depends on the size of tires that are going to be fixed. When raising the body a jack is used, and bolts are put on the springs of the motor. When they are, being fixed immense caution should be taken not to use a lot of pressure. If possible they should not be adjusted with welding or cutting.

Moreover, the diameter has to be measured on the space between the tires. This will determine the size of tires to be used on the sport car. Wide tires are very reliable in golf cars. The size of rims should march the tires to boost strength. This will enable your golf car mover faster than usual because of the circumference on the tire.

After the tires have been successfully fixed, they need to be aligned. The balancing of the motor is improved by this procedure. The wheels and the steering are carefully checked. Alignment reduces friction when the car is moving. This enables a driver to navigate a motor with ease even in high levels of speed.

Therefore, if you want to modify your golf car for a race, do not just pick any spare parts. This might cost you. Conduct an online research to get the best suspension gears. The Honda lift kits will be the most reliable for your car to participate in any race. They can withstand tension and are cheap.

The homepage at www.strongmade.com offers info on Honda lift kits that people require for their vehicle needs. For more details check out http://www.strongmade.com right now.

Source: http://auto.worldisalive.com/honda-lift-kits-fixing-procedure

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MHCs Should have Amenities like other Neighborhoods | Daily ...

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> Advocacy, Communities, Manufactured Homes, News Item, regulation > MHCs Should have Amenities like other Neighborhoods

The Santa Fe New Mexican says as the city is preparing to annex land that includes MHCs, Santa Fe City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez wants to ensure that new manufactured housing developments comply with the same standards as other new neighborhoods, which includes sidewalks, drainage, landscaping and parks. Further, acknowledging the change is also one of terminology, he wants to change the wording in the city code from ?mobile home? to ?manufactured housing? to reflect current day realities, citing HUD?s regulation of the production of manufactured housing since 1976. As MHProNews has learned, Dominguez hopes to encourage landowners to redevelop property with better amenities.

(Photo credit: manufacturedhomesource)

Categories: Advocacy, Communities, Manufactured Homes, News Item, regulation Tags: amenities, carmichael, city councilor, drainage, housing developments, HUD, landowners, manufactured housing, MHCs, MHProNews, mobile home, realities, santa fe city, santa fe new mexican, sidewalks

Source: http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/blogs/daily-business-news/mhcs-should-have-amenities-like-other-neighborhoods/

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Olympic Gold Medalist, 'Bachelorette' Stars Join Orlando Citrus Parade

Track star and Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin will serve as grand marshal for the 2012 Orlando Citrus Parade, while Trista and Ryan Sutter -- stars of the first season of ?The Bachelorette? and the show?s biggest success story -- will host the syndicated national broadcast. ?The 32nd Orlando Citrus Parade steps off in Downtown Orlando at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29.

Full Story on FCSports.com...

Source: http://milespl.it/pr179e2

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Sprint plans $10 monthly charge for iDEN push-to-talk subs in the new year

For Nextel push-to-talk subs, the writing's been on the wall for some time now, what with that legacy service destined to sunset on June 30th, 2013. But for those unwilling to heed Sprint's many early warnings and make the switch to its CDMA-based Direct Connect plan before this coming January, there'll be an additional monthly penalty fee. Sprint's confirmed to us that, starting in the new year, (stubborn) iDEN subs who've yet to migrate away from the network will incur an extra $10 charge per billing cycle. In lieu of that, the carrier's advising users to transition now and take advantage of its myriad incentive programs while they last. It's not a permanent change though, as this recurring fee will last only as long as the Nextel National Network does, at which point that 800MHz spectrum will be rolled over for the carrier's planned LTE build-out. But PTT holdouts irked by this news won't have to tie their fates to Sprint -- AT&T's been anticipating this churn and is waiting with open arms.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: PhoneScoop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/29/sprint-plans-10-monthly-charge-for-iden-push-to-talk-subs-in-th/

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In elf ears and wizard hats, 'Hobbit' fans rejoice

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? Wearing elf ears and wizard hats, sitting atop their dad's shoulders or peering from balconies, tens of thousands of New Zealanders watched their favorite "Hobbit" actors walk the red carpet Wednesday at the film trilogy's hometown premiere.

An Air New Zealand plane freshly painted with "Hobbit" characters flew low over Wellington's Embassy Theatre, eliciting roars of approval from the crowd.

Sam Rashidmardani, 12, said he came to see Gollum actor Andy Serkis walk the red carpet ? and he wasn't disappointed.

"It was amazing," Rashidmardani said of the evening, adding his Gollum impression: "My precious."

British actor Martin Freeman, who brings comedic timing to the lead role of Bilbo Baggins, said he thought director Peter Jackson had done a fantastic job on "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

"He's done it again," Freeman said in an interview on the red carpet. "If it's possible, it's probably even better than 'The Lord of the Rings.' I think he's surpassed it."

While it is unusual for a city so far from Hollywood to host the premiere of a hoped-for blockbuster, Jackson's filming of his lauded 'LOTR' trilogy and now "The Hobbit" in New Zealand has helped create a film industry here. The film will open in theaters around the world next month.

One of the talking points of the film is the choice by Jackson to shoot it using 48 frames per second instead of the traditional 24 in hopes of improving the picture quality.

Some say the images come out too clear and look so realistic that they take away from the magic of the film medium. Jackson likens it to advancing from vinyl records to CDs.

"I really think 48 frames is pretty terrific and I'm looking forward to seeing the reaction," Jackson said on the red carpet. "It's been talked about for so long, but finally the film is being released and people can decide for themselves."

Jackson said it was strange working on the project so intimately for two years and then having it suddenly taken away as the world got to see the movie.

"It spins your head a little bit," he said.

Aidan Turner, who plays the dwarf Kili in the movie, said his character is reckless and thinks he's charming.

"I don't get to play real people it seems, I only get to play supernatural ones," he said. "So playing a dwarf didn't seem that weird, actually.

Perhaps the most well-known celebrities to walk the carpet were Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood, who reprise their roles in the LOTR in the "Hobbit."

"Mostly I came here to see everyone. I like them all," said fan Aysu Shahin, 16, adding that Wood was her favorite. She said she wanted to see the movie "as soon as possible. I'm excited for it."

At a news conference earlier in the day, Jackson said many younger people are happy to watch movies on their iPads.

"We just have to make the cinema-going experience more magical and more spectacular to get people coming back to the movies again," he said.

Jackson said only about 1,000 of the 25,000 theaters that will show the film worldwide are equipped to show 48 frames, so most people will see it in the more traditional format. The movie has also been shot in 3D.

A handful of animal rights protesters held signs at the premiere.

The protest by the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals comes after several animal wranglers said three horses and up to two dozen other animals had died during the making of the movies because they were housed at an unsafe farm.

Jackson's spokesman earlier acknowledged two horses had died preventable deaths at the farms but said the production company worked quickly to improve stables and other facilities and that claims of mistreatment were unfounded.

"No mistreatment, no abuse. Absolutely none," Jackson said at the news conference.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/elf-ears-wizard-hats-hobbit-fans-rejoice-083019813.html

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Makeup is bad for relationships

Anonymous Coward
User ID: 14093935
United States
11/28/2012 02:42 AM
Report Abusive Post
Report Copyright ViolationMakeup is bad for relationshipsmakeup works by simulating a sexual response...red swollen lips...flush cheeks...wide eyes, etc....

The problem is, it isnt a real response by the female.

This means that the male sexuality is responding to a false read.

So the two people aren't really "connecting"...at least on honest terms, and therefore the bond that is formed after will be forged in error and eventually on a foundation of mistrust and dishonesty, leading to problems in the relationship and ultimately unhapiness.

Anonymous Coward
User ID: 28386854
United States
11/28/2012 03:33 AM
Report Abusive Post
Report Copyright ViolationRe: Makeup is bad for relationshipsyou got it nice work

friends first

woman are naturally beautiful with out make up

Source: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2064618/pg1

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IBM awarded MoD property management contract ...

The MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has awarded IBM a contract to help make the running of its ?24 billion property portfolio more energy and operationally efficient.

DIO is responsible for the management of around 4,000 separate sites worldwide, including military barracks, land, air and naval bases, and military training grounds.

Using IBM?s smarter buildings software and services, DIO expects to reduce building operating costs and find ways to better use its existing real estate.

DIO will use IBM technology to replace its "outdated legacy IT environment" and create a new centralised information management system to allow faster analysis, said DIO.

Andrew Manley, DIO chief executive, said, ?IBM analytics technology helps us continue our work in creating a world-class infrastructure to put DIO at the leading edge of the technology transformation process happening right now across the MoD.?

The IBM TRIRIGA system will provide an integrated property management platform comprising of software and consultancy services. This will give DIO central visibility of its property and data on how efficiently they are being used.

A geospatial mapping capability, created by business partner Esri UK, will provide a real-time visualisation map to display the scope of infrastructure and assets.

The new system will be launched in a number of "capability releases" through to April 2014, said the DIO. The potential value of the contract has not been disclosed.

Georgina O'Toole, an analyst at TechMarketView, said, "We understand that IBM will collect and process data from the lower level systems such as those associated with the National Housing Prime (NHP) contract let in 2011.

"We know that Steria already holds a contract to provide a housing management system to DIO for the management of the housing estate. It may well be that an interface will be required between the Steria and IBM systems."

After the selection of Atlas (led by HP) for the current core Defence Information Infrastructure (DII(F)) programme, said O'Toole, other suppliers had to focus on delivering complex software development and integration projects in order to maintain a presence.

"As DII(F) and other core contracts are restructured the infrastructure and applications supplier landscape within UK defence has the potential to be severely disrupted over the next few years," said O'Toole.

The MoD revealed this week that between 2009 and 2011 it spent a whopping ?3.6 billion on IT and telecommunications for use across the department and armed services.

Source: http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/outsourcing/3413827/ibm-awarded-mod-property-management-contract/

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These Big-Ass Headphones Are Your Better-Than-Beats Deal of the Day

It's hard to pinpoint when big over-ear headphones went mainstream. It was probably when Dr. Dre/Ludacris/Michael Phelps started endorsing mediocre cans for big bucks. Regardless, big-ass headphones aren't just for big city cool kids anymore, they're for everyone: elementary schoolers, teenagers, even your mom or dad. The problem is that when those people ask for headphones for the holidays, they're asking for (and receiving!) Beats headphones, which, to be frank, are way overpriced. Do them one better this season by giving them the Audio Technica ATH-M50, which is only $105 from Amazon today. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pEW3YNi5owE/these-big+ass-headphones-are-your-better+than+beats-deal-of-the-day

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Christian College No Longer 'Too Religious' for Florida Grants

Beginning in 2013, students at Florida Christian College (FCC) in Kissimmee, Florida, will be eligible to receive funds from the Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG), a popular grant program that previously excluded FCC for being too religious.

But a federal court ruled in favor of FCC earlier this month, allowing four student plaintiffs in the case to receive FRAG grants next semester and requiring the state's Department of Education (DOE) to admit FCC as an eligible institution next fall.

FCC previously had been excluded from FRAG eligibility for failing to meet the "secular purpose" requirement outlined by Florida state law. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, the school filed suit in March because the state's DOE "had determined that FCC was 'too religious,' even though many of its courses address 'secular' subjects and it prepares many of its students for 'secular' vocations."

As part of the settlement, Florida's DOE must revise its eligibility requirements "so that it no longer asks institutions to declare whether they are 'secular' or 'non-secular.'"

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctliveblog/~3/XDtgi6ZJ9po/adf-florida-christian-college-can-receive-frag-grants.html

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Roadside blasts kill at least 12 Afghan civilians

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two roadside bombs exploded on Thursday in eastern and southern Afghanistan, killing at least 12 people and injuring 16 others, officials said.

Militants regularly plant roadside bombs to target Afghan and NATO forces, but the devices often kill civilians. Bombs like the ones in Khost and Uruzgan province have killed a total of 16 people since Tuesday.

A bomb blast killed two civilians at a park in Khost, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the capital, Kabul, said Jabar Nahimi, governor of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan. Eight others were wounded in the blast, including four women and a child, he said.

Earlier, a minivan traveling in a remote part of Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan struck a roadside bomb, killing at least 10 people and wounding eight others, said Nayamatullah Khaliqi, the top government official in Dehra Wood district. He said most of the dead were women and children.

The United Nations has called on the Taliban leadership to stop using such explosives and mines. The Taliban say they use only remote-controlled roadside bombs which ? unlike the mines automatically activated by pressure plates ? allow a bomber to choose the time of the blast and specifically target coalition troops and their Afghan allies.

The U.N. says that insurgents' homemade bombs continue to cause the most civilian deaths. Such explosives killed 340 civilians and wounded 599 others in the first nine months of this year, an increase of almost 30 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the U.N.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/roadside-blasts-kill-least-12-afghan-civilians-150401828.html

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Video: Matthews: We stand at a crossroads as America looks to move forward

Tablets 2012: Even with competition, iPad hangs onto crown

Non-iPads from Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others are flooding the market, bringing more diverse experiences, often at better prices than the iPad and its little sibling, the iPad Mini. Doesn?t matter.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49985897#49985897

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Anthropologist Spends Three Years Living With Hackers

"Slashdot has always been full of shit, getting older just means you can recognise it a lot faster."

Not quite, I can look at trends in the younger generation that worship Steam and DRM where-as most of the olderschool PC gamers during the 90's detest DRM. Earlier this decade if you made pro-steam worshiping DRM statements you'd be downvoted to oblivion. Now with younger mods/steam fans you see many mods give +5 insightful to more and more glowing comments on Steam DRM. This is a generational transformation and you see it in the modding trends of what gets modded up/down or just left alone/ignored.

Now this doesn't mean all young adults/teens/kids like DRM it just means kids tend to accept what they grow up with and don't question what has always been there. Think about the differences of growing up on command line operating systems like DOS vs say windows xp or windows 7 with fully functional web browsers plus easy-mode steamstore. Huge difference. Night and day kind of difference.

Kids/teens don't know what has been lost/don't care. People who grew up during the earlier gaming (pre online only games) era are hugely disappointed by the downright criminal changes in the industry because they WATCHED the industry grow from when it was tiny so they have superior understanding and perspective. They were there during game-modding golden years of Quake/duke/doom/etc that has been smothered (Supcom 2 was locked down and made difficult to mod at publisher request). Games like diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 have been increasingly fucked with because of publishers greed.

Not only that, kids are ripe for corporate PR manipulation. Just see this article here where the talk about 'engineering' psychological changes via PR campaigns for the acceptance of F2P / online DRM.

Quote:"But the most important aspect is there is a psychological transformation of the customers and the publishers that has to happen before everything is F2P on every platform. We are promoting these steps with other titles we're doing right now in our company."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-12-ditching-far-cry-piracy-gameplay-and-just-about-breaking-even-crytek-on-the-ups-and-downs-of-the-crysis-series [eurogamer.net]

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/bg45qXl6UUs/story01.htm

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Oops! Facebook admits to adding users to groups they left

Featured

2 days

Helen A.S. Popkin

If you're confused over a recent email from Facebook regarding its data use policy, you're not alone.? The email ? with the subject line "Up... Read more

7 hrs.

Rosa Golijan , NBC News

A software glitch caused many Facebook users to find themselves members of old groups, ones they may have left a long time ago. More uncomfortably, some people were suddenly members of groups they'd even?been kicked out of. Facebook issued a statement confirming the details.

"A bug surfaced last night that caused some users to be re-added to groups that they previously belonged to," a Facebook spokesperson told NBC News. "We are working to resolve the issue now. In the meantime, we are rolling out a short-term fix for all closed groups that will make the content of those groups inaccessible to the re-added members."

At first, this bug may seem like an annoyance, leading to little more than?a pile of unwanted?notifications?? that's what we saw firsthand. However,?there could be some pretty nasty side-effects. Before Facebook issued that short-term fix, individuals who were added to closed (or "secret") groups were able to view all the non-public content in those groups as well as the current membership rosters. This could leave some sensitive posts vulnerable (though you really shouldn't be posting anything of that nature on Facebook in the first place, whether publicly or privately).

Even public groups (or closed groups which have been turned public since a user left them) can cause issues, as their membership rosters are now visible to everyone.

"I guess you now know that I belonged to a 'Flava of Love' group," Alberto Lima, a blogger for Noisecast,?wrote in a Facebook message alerting me of the glitch. "I swear I never watched the show!" Sure, Alberto. Sure.

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/oops-facebook-admits-adding-users-groups-they-left-or-were-1C7312098

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Corona: "build for" menu doesn't include iPhone

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

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13615420/corona-build-for-menu-doesnt-include-iphone

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Savvis launches web hosting services for China

Savvis launches web hosting services for China

By Asia Cloud Forum editors 27-Nov-2012

US-based cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions provider Savvis has expanded its web hosting capabilities for global brands in China.

The service is provided to Savvis' customers that host their web content using cloud computing, managed hosting or colocation at one of Savvis' data centers in Hong Kong, Singapore or Tokyo. Using the company's virtual hosting services, enterprises can expect to simplify the process of delivering web content into China while creating a local web presence.

At present, Savvis operates five data centers in Asia: one in Hong Kong, one in Tokyo, two in Singapore and one in Bangalore.

Difficulties in China

According to Savvis, complex local rules, poor interconnectivity and low latency at international gateways plague foreign websites directed at China, impacting page loads and speed for consumers throughout the country. In addition, many global brands with online businesses face difficulty obtaining licenses for hosting content within China.
?
"Chief marketing officers know that China is one of the most desirable markets in the world, but complicated regulations and other issues prevent their e-commerce sites, online product promotions and other web content from reaching this coveted audience," said Mark Smith, managing director, Asia, at Savvis. "Savvis' new virtual hosting service expands our array of enterprise-class offerings, making it easy for companies to enter the Chinese market and satisfy the consumer appetite for websites of foreign brands."
?
A website-acceleration solution enables the virtual hosting services, using caching and dynamic delivery technologies to distribute web content to end users in China through a widespread network of in-country content delivery network (CDN) nodes.

Savvis a CenturyLink company, the third largest telecommunications company in the US.

0 reader's comment

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acfrss/~3/rBmWox8C-do/savvis-launches-web-hosting-services-china

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Review: Hands-on with Nintendo's Wii U video game console | Sync ...

Despite a rocky start, Nintendo?s latest shows promise for both kids and kids-at-heart.

It?s been exactly one week since Nintendo launched its brand-new video game console, the Wii U (from $299).

Sync has spent some serious hands-on time with the successor to the Nintendo Wii, and the good news is the new machine shows a lot of promise.

Setting up the console was a breeze, as you get everything you need in the box including the console, controller, HDMI cable, sensor bar (to place on top of the TV, like the original Wii) and power cable.

But once you turn on the machine and join your wireless Internet connection, be forewarned you won?t be able to play for an hour or two. In case you haven?t heard, the Wii U requires a 5-gigabyte system update that can take more than an hour to install ? and that?s on a very high-speed connection. As a parent of three kids excited to play, you can imagine how this dampens the experience right off the bat. To make matters worse, some Wii U owners prematurely stopped the system update before it was finished and have rendered the console inoperable (hint: never cease a system update, on any device, no matter how long it takes).

Once this painfully slow process is complete it?s time for some fun and games. If motion-sensing defined the Nintendo Wii, a touchscreen tablet is what makes the Wii U stand out among its competitors, Microsoft?s Xbox 360 and Sony?s PlayStation 3.

Specifically, Wii U ships with a wireless 6.2-inch touchscreen controller that can be used to control the games and see gaming elements ? such as a different perspective of the action ? than what?s playing on the TV screen (more on this in a moment).

Called the Wii U GamePad, it also has analog sticks, face buttons and dual triggers, as well as a forward-facing camera, microphone, speakers, headphone jack, rumble feature and accelerometer to control content by tilting. The GamePad also has a TV button, which allows it to act as a remote control for the TV; this includes the ability to change channels or turn the volume up and down, without turning the Wii U console on.

The Wii U also supports older Wii Remote controllers, too, and many games require them ? especially in multiplayer modes as there?s only the one GamePad.

The games

?Along with more internal memory, the pricier Nintendo Wii U console includes the game Nintendo Land, ?which serves as a collection of a dozen mini-games (not unlike Wii Sports, included with the Wii). Called ??attractions,? Nintendo Land includes Donkey Kong?s Crash Course, Luigi?s Ghost Mansion, Animal ?Crossing: Sweet Day, The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest and Takamaru?s Ninja Castle, to name a few (the ?latter of which is based on an early Famicom game available only in Japan that turns the GamePad into a ?launcher for ninja stars). Kids will no doubt enjoy these ?attractions,? though some are better than others. ?Battle Quest is lame, for example, because your character walks for you and you simply have to fight the ?baddies. Luigi?s Ghost Mansion is great with some friends because the person with the Wii U GamePad is ?the ghost who can see where the characters are moving on a map, while? up to three others with Wii ?Remote need to stay away from the spirit.

Another launch title, Nintendo?s New Super Mario Bros. U, is yet another version of the classic side- ?scrolling platformer, but this time it?s in HD and adds the GamePad for an extra gameplay element. While ?gamers use the Wii Remotes to control their characters, the person with the GamePad can place down obstacles in the world with their fingertips or help out their friends by placing down blocks for them to jump on (perhaps to reach high areas). It?s fun, but hey, it?s still Mario Bros. all over again.

Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U are cartoon-like adventures that will appeal to little kids but Nintendo has made sure the Wii U will have mature titles for older gamers, too. For example, at launch we?ve seen Activision?s Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Ubisoft Montreal?s Assassin?s Creed III, Nintendo?s Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor?s Edge and Ubisoft?s ZombiU. Black Ops II and Assassin?s Creed III look and play as well as their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts, but ZombiU was a bit of a disappointment as the zombie-killing combat gets stale after a while ? though it?s cool how the GamePad is your inventory screen and the action doesn?t stop around you when you need to access it.

Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition was also fun on the Wii U. Developed by WB Games Montreal, the game offers additional content introduced by the game?s original developer, Rocksteady Studios. For one, the game adds the Battle Armored Tech (B.A.T.) mode and new Armored Suits for both Batman and Catwoman. This allows the characters to build up kinetic energy during fight scenes and then enter B.A.T. mode to dole out more damage and experienced heightened awareness. The Wii U GamePad is now your Batcomputer, which lets you tap to access objectives, select gadgets, upgrade gear, detonate explosive gel and scour the area for forensic evidence in detective mode. In fact, this second screen is now a real-time map of Gotham you can call up at any time.

This version of last year?s Batman: Arkham City also houses all previously released downloadable content, namely: Catwoman Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Harley Quinn?s Revenge Pack, Challenge Map Pack and Arkham City Skins Pack.

Extras

As long as you?re near the console, some Nintendo Wii U games can be seen and played on the Wii U GamePad ? just in case someone wants to watch TV instead. This is a very cool feature and something my kids liked a lot.

As with the Nintendo Wii, the Wii U also has a Netflix icon so as long as you have a subscription to the service ($8/month), you can stream movies and TV shows on the television or on the GamePad itself, if you prefer. Netflix worked well on the Wii U, but I didn?t get a chance to try out the YouTube app, also accessible on the Wii U GamePad.

While not yet tested for this review, Wii U also lets you video chat with others using the GamePad?s front facing camera. Called Wii U Chat, this service is free, but the other person must also have the Wii U console, too. I did get a chance to use the camera in Ubisoft?s Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013, though, in order to take my photo before working out in front of the television.

And then there?s Miiverse, an online community of Wii U gamers you can interact with via your Mii character. Discuss games, see what others are playing, get help in games, compare sores and challenge friends to a match.

Coming soon is an app called TVii, which is said to let users find, watch and engage with TV shows, movies and sports. It will include a program guide, remote control and social interaction into one, seamless second-screen experience on the GamePad. You?ll be able to comment on moments as they happen on live TV, and then share those thoughts via Miiverse, Facebook and Twitter.

Finally, Wii U comes with a web browser so you can surf on your big-screen television with your feet up on the coffee table. Or you can watch TV and browse the web on the Wii U GamePad.

Summary

While off to a bit of a rocky start ? a huge update that will be a killjoy on Christmas morning and a first batch of games that are hit and miss ? Nintendo Wii U shows a lot of promise for gamers, young and old, and entertainment lovers, too.

Nintendo is back, and in a big way. They likely have a full year head-start against the next-generation Xbox and PlayStation and will no doubt work hard to ensure the first and third-party games and entertainment services are enough to keep fans glued to the Wii U for months and years to come.

Sync readers, have you picked up a new Wii U console? What do you think about it?

Source: http://www.sync-blog.com/sync/2012/11/one-week-with-nintendo%E2%80%99s-wii-u.html

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GLHFCasting ? auto insurance-Harlan

auto insurance Harlan IA Every year, more automobiles and drivers are on the highways. With so many vehicles on the road, crashes can happen. If you get in a car accident, the car insurance you own can make a large difference in how much you have to pay. So how can you find out what type of car insurance you need and the quantity you should buy? Your insurance may be able to pay for car crash expenses ranging from hospital bills to legal fees. Making the decision to drive without owning insurance could cause you to repair or replace a stolen or damaged vehicle or pay the cost of any damage for which you might be responsible. Liability: Bodily injury and property damage that you have caused will be covered under liability insurance. It can also cover your legal fees if you are sued. Local laws typically mandate standard amounts, but larger amounts are available and very beneficial. Personal Injury Protection: This type of insurance pays for the medical treatment for you or your passengers, no matter who was at fault in the collision. It is required in some states and optional in others. It may also pay for lost wages, replacement of services and funeral expenses. The minimum amount of personal injury protection is usually set by local government. Medical Payments: This coverage can be purchased in non-no-fault states; it will pay regardless of who may be responsible. This insurance will pay for an insured person?s reasonable and necessary medical or funeral expenses for bodily injury from an accident. Collision: Damages resulting from a car accident will be covered under this type of insurance. Comprehensive: Applies if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by something other than a collision, including fire, wind, hail, flood or vandalism. Uninsured Motorist: Pays for repair and replacement costs when someone with insurance is injured in an accident caused by another person who does not have insurance. Under-Insured Motorist: Just like uninsured coverage, this type of insurance covers you from drivers without enough insurance coverage. Other kinds of coverage, such as car rental, can also be purchased. What you pay for auto insurance varies based on the company and will depend on multiple factors, including: *Your selected coverage *Your vehicle?s make and model * Your driving record * Your age, gender and marital status * Where you live Many drivers think they can get by without car insurance, but it is honestly something you don?t want to live without. Review your needs, do your research , and with the guidance of your insurance agent, make the decision that best suits you.

Source: http://www.glhfcasting.com/auto-insurance-harlan/

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New behavioral strategies may help patients learn to better control chronic diseases

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? One of the most important health problems in the United States is the failure of patients with chronic diseases to take their medications and do all that is necessary to control their illnesses.

In a study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, UCLA researchers and their colleagues suggest that physicians take a serious look at tools and strategies used in behavioral economics and social psychology to help motivate their patients to assert better control over chronic diseases. Breaking large goals into smaller, more manageable parts, for example, may help patients better manage diseases such as diabetes, the researchers say.

Diagnosing diseases and discovering effective treatments aren't the only challenges facing health care professionals in the United States, said Braden Mogler, the paper's lead author and a third-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

"One of the big challenges is simply finding ways to help the many patients with chronic diseases understand why treatment is important and how to follow it," Mogler said. "Many doctors often lack effective tools to encourage patients in these ways. There is a lot of research from the social sciences on human behavior and encouraging individual change, and this paper shows how that research can potentially be applied to doctor-patient interactions."

In the study, the researchers highlight the shortcomings of some approaches frequently used to try to get individuals to control their diseases, such as scaring patients, overwhelming them with technical information, and focusing on consequences that are far in the future.

They then identify several tools used by psychologists and behavioral economists that can change behavior but which have not been employed often in medical care, and suggest that research on such alternative approaches is an urgent need. These approaches include:

• Helping patients form very specific plans to achieve their health goals -- for example, identifying the time when they will take their medicines, having them determine what they will do if their prescriptions run out and they don't have a doctor's appointment, and giving them a place to record whether they took the medicines.
• Breaking big goals into smaller tasks that get patients to their ultimate goal step-by-step -- useful for goals like extreme weight loss, adhering to medication regimens and checking blood sugar every day, or exercising several times a week.
• Using cash payments to patients as a motivator to get them on track but supplementing that with strategies that will increase their desire to stay healthy and live longer.

If studies show these techniques make a difference, they might improve health and decrease health care costs, said co-author Dr. Martin Shapiro, chief of the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"Helping patients get their chronic diseases under control sometimes requires changing medications but mostly comes down to helping patients understand why treatment is important and how they can follow it in their busy lives," Shapiro said. "There is a lot of exciting research on how we can help people change to achieve their goals in other fields, and we believe translating those ideas to health care is an important next step in medical research."

The study's authors found that some of these techniques are being used to a limited degree in health care settings -- helping patients quit smoking by settling on an exact quit date, for instance, has proven more effective than speaking in general terms about quitting soon. Still, many other potentially effective techniques have not been studied in medical settings, and the authors stress the need for clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ZquQMOoOR3w/121127094317.htm

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Climate Change Threatens to Create a Second Dust Bowl

A cool October broke a 16-month streak of above average temperatures across the Lower 48, but temperatures are projected to remain above normal across most of the western half of the country in the coming months. In addition, the latest climate change projections put future temperature gains on the high side of various models.

As of November 6, 59.5 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing persistent drought conditions that are most severe in the Great Plains?North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado?where drought is expected to persist or intensify in the foreseeable future.?On October 17?18 those drought conditions combined with high winds to create a large dust storm across Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, closing major highways.

To Katharine Hayhoe, professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, this heralds big changes for agriculture on the Great Plains. "In a nutshell," Hayhoe says, "we're seeing major shifts in places and times we can plant, the types of crops we can grow and the pests and diseases we're dealing with. If you talk to seed companies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and even farmers, they tell you we can modify our way out of this, that we can overcome all these problems with technology. There's no question we can adapt to some of the change, but whether we can adapt to all of it is a very open question."

In the 1930s Dust Bowl a land speculator? and government-encouraged plowing frenzy removed windbreaks and grasslands that stabilized soil. The dry, windy weather that followed created one of the worst man-made ecological disasters ever. Powerful winds scoured bare soil from the ground and carried it long distances. Farms failed across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

This October's dust storm, which followed preparation of fields for fall planting, could be the first act of an encore performance. "If the drought holds on for two or three more years, as droughts have in the past, we will have Dust Bowl conditions in the farming belt," says Craig Cox, an agriculture and natural resources expert with the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit using public information to protect public health and the environment. "It could be in a sense an invisible Dust Bowl?not like the big storms before, but withered crops, dry streams and other disasters that accompanied the Dust Bowl. Wind erosion is tremendously damaging and hard to control. A lot of practices that control wind erosion require growing things, and if those weren't in place when the drought hit, it's almost impossible to put them in place now."

Since the 1940s agriculture on the semiarid southern Great Plains?Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas?has relied on irrigation. On the high plains of Texas, tens of thousands of wells pumping from the 10-million-year-old Ogallala Aquifer have depleted it by 50 percent. Given variation in its depth and the difficulty of pumping at low water levels, most of the remaining reservoir will likely be useless for irrigation within about 30 years. At the same time, climate change has brought less rain as well as hotter temperatures that increase evaporation?forcing farmers to use even more water for irrigation. "We have agriculture systems in semiarid areas," Hayhoe says. "We built these vulnerabilities into the system and climate change is the final straw that may break the camel's back."

Agriculture on the southern plains isn't necessarily doomed, though, Hayhoe stresses. "There are techniques being developed already, such as dry-land farming, rotating crops and using waste as biofuel that will keep the economy going." Actions also can be taken at the local level to reduce the vulnerability of agriculture, she says, including using energy more efficiently and developing sounder management and development policies.

Other adaptations include switching to more heat-tolerant breeds of livestock and even away from cattle altogether, says Wayne Polley, research ecologist at the USDA's Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory. "Major changes in agricultural land use will mean changes in our eating habits and our family budgets as well."

"There are absolutely things farmers could do to deal with climate change," Cox says. "This is not a technical problem. There is a whole suite of practices that would make farming systems more resilient and able to stand up to climate change. Yet instead of making farming more resilient to the challenges, current government agricultural policy actually takes us in the opposite direction." Ending mandates for corn ethanol and once again tying crop insurance to land conservation would help reduce erosion and drainage of wetlands on farmland, he says, reducing the risk of returning Dust Bowl conditions.

The good news, Hayhoe adds, is that whatever happens, the land will still be here. "In the southern Great Plains we may have a major shift to dry-land crops. We may have to shift when we plant. But we have the option of trying different things?as opposed to, say, Bangladesh, where cropland is being lost to sea-level rise.

"We can save ourselves by wise planning," she says. "But a lot of change has been hampered because people don't want to do anything that has a 'climate change' label on it, and also because industrial, large-scale systems are resistant to changes because changes are expensive. But that's true only in the short term. Not doing anything will be way more expensive in the long term. Business as usual is not going to be a viable option 30 years from now, or even sooner."

Fifty miles south of Hayhoe's Texas Tech office, agricultural fields line an arrow-straight highway. On a dry, windy day, in circular fields created by wheeled irrigation contraptions that spin from a well in the center, water sprays onto new autumn crops. Enormous bales of recently harvested cotton stacked up at nearby gins render bits of the snowy fluff to the wind, which catch the grass along the road's edge to gather into miniature drifts. As temperatures rise and the aquifer levels fall, these iconic images of high plains agriculture may be blown away with the dust.

Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-threatens-create-second-dust-bowl-130100552.html

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