Family fitness | SandBell games and exercises for kids

By Ashley Benson

When our kids are young, we teach them to eat, walk and to not touch to the stove. ?As they grow, we educate them about animals and the sounds they make, we show them how to dress themselves and warn them to not run out into the street. We pass along these skills to protect them and to empower our children to succeed in the world.

I want to talk about another area we, as parents, are responsible for: the HEALTH and FITNESS of our kiddos.

We need to be teaching our kids how to take care of their bodies early on. They need to know the real reason we eat food (so our body can grow and repair)! It?s ironic to me that we make sure they take good care of their teeth because, ?These grown up teeth are the only ones you will get!? Welllllll? what about our body?

Let?s talk, for a second, about my iPhone.

- I love it! ?It?s super useful to me in my work, for my family, and in my social life. It is personal to me!

- I am the only one who has this screen saver! I change it out depending on my mood or the season.

- I have all the apps I need and have them organized the way I want them? until my 7 year old gets hold of it!

- It lets me know when I need to update it. I seem to be improving it all the time. I don?t think I will ever stop improving and updating it.

- It tells me when it?s low on ?energy? and needs more fuel, so then I recharge it.

- I know it so well. I am aware when something isn?t quite right. Do I really need to get it repaired by an expert? Or do I have the power to fix this myself. If this is the case, it usually requires some research.

- My phone is personal to me and I try to use it to its full potential!

Now, if only we held our own body with the same regard that we hold our phones!?

Now I want to talk about my body:

- I am thankful for my body! It is super useful to me. I use it for my work, my family and my social life.

- I am the only me in this world! No one else walks around in this body but me. I get the choice of how I dress my body and it reflects ?me!

- I have everything I need to function: a respiratory, circulatory, digestive, nervous, and musculoskeletal system. I want to keep all of my ?apps? updated so they function properly and I get the most out of them.

- If I listen, my body will tell me when I need to update it. I may be deficient in something, dehydrated or stressed.

- My body tells me when I?m low on energy: I need to know how to recharge.

- Sometimes I get a fever or sore throat. I might need a doctor to take a look and medicine to get me past it, but I just might be able to take care of this on my own with the right care.

- My body is special and I want to utilize it to its full potential!

Ok, now back to our kids. We can encourage this mentality in them early, it?s possible! Parents, let?s start seeing ourselves as health teachers and paying the same attention to our bodies as we do to our iPhones. ?This may mean that you have to gain some knowledge for yourself first. The good news is there is health and fitness information everywhere! Yes, it seems to contradict itself, but use common sense and do the best you can! Invite your kids in on the journey and learn together. After all, the home can be the most effective hands on class room!

You might be saying, ?Well that?s easy for you to say, you?re a trainer!? Yes my kids live with a personal trainer and are exposed to the health and fitness world daily, but it?s me, ?Mom?, who teaches them to care for their body because I love them so much and want the best for them! We are all learners, and I love inviting them in on the process.

Here are a few examples of how my family pursues a healthy lifestyle together:

CASE STUDY 1

Subject: Iver, age 7 currently, began teaching at age 4

Goal: For Iver to not only eat the healthy food I give him, but to welcome it!

Method: Teach anatomy to my 4-year-old boy, on his level.

Strategy: ?Early on I started teaching Iver about his immune system. I explained that his immune system isa system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease. ?I wanted him to understand white blood cells.

Although my kids are super smart, I simplified this information a bit:??Did you know that you have an army that lives inside your body? Your army is made up of thousands of soldiers! These soldiers protect you from bad guys that sneak into your body and make you sick! Did you know that every time you get sick it?s because a bad guy has attacked? When they come and invade, your soldiers go into battle! Now we need to make sure they have all the best weapons to fight with. Every time you eat this healthy food, you are making your soldiers strong and giving them the best weapons to fight with!? I tap into his imagination and we continue talking about little people running around inside his body! My son is 7 now, and I get NO resistance when it comes to feeding his soldiers.

CASE STUDY 2

Subject: My whole family. My husband, Taylor age 11, Iver age 7, and myself.

Goal: For us to add more vegetables into our day? without a fight

Method: Tap into our competitive side.

Strategy: A few weeks ago I started a contest: Whoever eats the most servings of vegetables in a week gets to eat a donut or cupcake in front of the others. Honestly, I can?t believe how successful this is! I keep a chart in the kitchen and we make tally marks to keep up with our points. It has been one of my favorite joys to watch my 7-year-old boy open the fridge at 7:00 pm and say, ?Are there any other veggies I can eat tonight?? or my 11-year-old daughter pack her lunch for school adding veggies without any input from me!

When I cook a meal, I tell them how many veggie points they will get if they finish their plate. It?s just fun to watch my son finish his food, and the amount of snacking has decreased since we began this. He LOVES having the power to make a difference!

Well, I won the first week, but I was so proud of how my kids kept up with me! I took myself out of the race week 2 (I can?t win 2 weeks in a row). Week 2, my kids tied with 24 points each! I?m really proud of them and we will continue getting points for the veggies we eat! It?s fun and bonding to cheer each other on and celebrate victories with one another.

They have learned that health is a choice.

CASE STUDY 3

Subject: Me and my kids

Goal: To spend quality time with my kids and grab a workout at the same time.

Method: Play games that will challenge us physically using SandBells. The SandBells provide a fun, safe resistance for our workout.

Strategy: I came up with a few games that would give us varying levels of complexity and skill. For my 7-year-old, Iver, I kept the movements simple like throwing and catching. This worked his hand/eye coordination and kept him entertained. I set up Taylor (age 11) with more complex moves, like tricep presses, jump squats and lateral rotation that would challenge her coordination, but also build her strength and endurance.

In creating these games, I made sure that my position would provide a great workout for myself as well. My workout consisted of sit-ups, push-ups, squat jumps, chest presses, overhead tricep extensions, and core work, all with the SandBells!

At the end of our playtime, I realized I did a lot more repetitions playing with the kids than I would have done if I were just getting in a workout. We had a blast together. The kids are asking when we are getting out to play again? I better start creating more games!

Click to watch the SandBell Games video!

About Ashley Benson

Source: http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/finding-health-family/

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Was It Worth It Tracks Your Past Projects, the Money You Spent, Fun You Had, and More

iOS: If you're the type to take on a lot of different side projects, it's easy to forget about their details. Was It Worth It is an app that tracks your projects, their cost, how much fun you had with them, and any knowledge you might have gained.

Was It Worth It is aimed more toward freelancers who take on a lot of different projects, but it's useful for anyone who DIYs their way through a lot of jobs. The goal is to keep track of what projects are worth it to you. It does this by letting you enter in how much money you made (or lost), the amount of fun you had working on it, and the knowledge you gained. From there, Was It Worth It breaks your projects down into a nice graph so you can quickly see if that work is worth doing again. It's simple, easy to use, and if you're the type who has a lot of projects on the table at once, Was It Worth It is helpful to keep track of it all.

Was It Worth It (free) | iTunes App Store via Swiss Miss

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/y7ioPHqZ4jA/was-it-worth-it-tracks-your-past-projects-the-money-you-spent-fun-you-had-and-more

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OMG, Have You Seen Kim & Kanye's Naked Mag Cover?

When Kim Kardashian said during a recent interview that baby daddy Kanye West had taught her the value of privacy, we definitely didn't expect to see the two of them posing together naked on the cover of a French magazine just one week later. But this is a Kardashian we're talking about -- did you really think a little thing like a pregnancy was going to keep her inside?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kim-kardashians-naked-magazine-cover-kanye/1-a-524003?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akim-kardashians-naked-magazine-cover-kanye-524003

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Barcelona says Lionel Messi has a fever

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:38 a.m. ET Feb. 27, 2013

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Barcelona says Lionel Messi has a fever and did not attend Wednesday's scheduled training session.

The club says Messi, who played a lackluster match in his team's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Tuesday, was being attended to by doctors.

Barcelona says "a team of doctors have visited Messi at home, where he has been given appropriate medication and been advised to rest."

The club says midfielder Xavi Hernandez also missed Wednesday's training session, instead doing "physiotherapy work."

Messi hit the outside of the far post early in the match at the Camp Nou but was then effectively neutralized by Madrid's midfield. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals for Madrid.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Can Red Bulls finally run the table?

PST:?New York?has the makings of a team that will again challenge for the?Eastern Conference crown, but can Thierry Henry deliver that elusive MLS Cup?

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50969985/ns/sports-soccer/

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Consumer Signal Booster: An Electronic Gadget Grows Up

There's a little-known electronic gadget -- one that's generally not available alongside the colorful big-screen TVs, and bass-pounding sound-systems in seductive, sparkly urban consumer-electronics mega-stores, -- that can be a life-changing device, nonetheless. For some people, it's much more important than the latest 4.7-inch smartphone.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28f95264/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C773880Bhtml/story01.htm

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Head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union arrested

FILE - In this Friday July 14, 2006 file photo, teachers' union head Elba Esther Gordillo gestures as she arrives to attend a meeting with education workers a day after being expelled from Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party in Mexico City. Gordillo, the head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union, was arrested at an airport outside Mexico City on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, for alleged embezzlement, with federal officials accusing her using union funds to pay for plastic surgery, buy a private plane and even pay her bill at Neiman Marcus. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, file)

FILE - In this Friday July 14, 2006 file photo, teachers' union head Elba Esther Gordillo gestures as she arrives to attend a meeting with education workers a day after being expelled from Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party in Mexico City. Gordillo, the head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union, was arrested at an airport outside Mexico City on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, for alleged embezzlement, with federal officials accusing her using union funds to pay for plastic surgery, buy a private plane and even pay her bill at Neiman Marcus. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, file)

FILE - This May 12, 2003 file photo shows Elba Esther Gordillo, then secretary general of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) speaks at a news conference with foreign correspondents in Mexico City. Gordillo, the head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union, was arrested at an airport outside Mexico City on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, for alleged embezzlement, with federal officials accusing her using union funds to pay for plastic surgery, buy a private plane and even pay her bill at Neiman Marcus. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? The head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union was arrested at an airport near Mexico City Tuesday for alleged embezzlement, with federal officials accusing her of using union funds to pay for plastic surgery, to buy a house in San Diego and even to pay her bill at Neiman Marcus.

Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said that Elba Esther Gordillo, who has led the 1.5 million-member National Union of Education Workers for 23 years, was detained in Toluca on charges that she embezzled 2 billion pesos (about $160 million) from union funds.

Gordillo, a colorful woman long seen as a kingmaker and power-behind-the-scenes in Mexican politics, was flown to the Attorney General's hangar in the Mexico City airport, where she asked to be checked by a doctor, Murillo told Milenio television.

Murillo said that Gordillo, 68, was in good health and awaiting transfer to appear before a judge. Two other people were also arrested but they were not named.

He told Milenio that the investigation started in December after Santander Bank alerted authorities to bank transfers in billions of pesos.

"We are looking at a case in which the funds of education workers have been illegally misused, for the benefit of several people, among them Elba Esther Gordillo," Murillo said earlier at the news conference announcing her arrest.

It marks the downfall of a woman who rose from school teacher to become one of Mexico's most powerful political operators, displaying her opulence openly with designer clothes and bags, bodyguards, expensive cars and properties including a penthouse apartment in Mexico City's exclusive Polanco neighborhood. She has been widely lampooned for her many plastic surgeries and depicted in political cartoons as ghoulish.

Meanwhile, Mexico's teachers are poorly paid and public education has long been considered sub-par.

Prosecutors said they had detected nearly $3 million in purchases at Neiman Marcus using union funds, as well as $17,000 in U.S. plastic surgery bills and the purchase of a million-dollar home in San Diego.

Assistant Attorney General Alfredo Castillo displayed a series of charts at the press conference with arrows detailing the allegations of illicit transfers from teachers' union accounts to personal accounts in the names of three union workers, Nora Guadalupe Ugarte Ramirez, Isaias Gallardo Chavez and Jose Manuel Diaz Flores, as well as a real estate company.

None were authorized to deal with finances. It wasn't clear if they were among those arrested.

"Between 2008 and 2012, there was systematic embezzlement of union accounts," Murillo Karam said.

Some funds eventually ended up in bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Castillo said that in one case they transferred $1 million to a Swiss account for a company owned by Gordillo's mother. Those funds were then used to buy a million-dollar house in the island of Coronado in San Diego.

Her detention came a day after President Enrique Pena Nieto signed Mexico's most sweeping education reform in seven decades into law, seeking to change a system dominated by Gordillo in which teaching positions could be sold or inherited.

The overhaul was Pena Nieto's first major proposal since taking office Dec. 1 and was considered a political blow to Gordillo.

Gordillo had organized a string of protests by teachers against the reform, which moves much of the control of the education system to the federal government from the teachers' union. Gordillo was elected to another six-year term as union leader in October.

The reform creates a system of uniform standards for teacher hiring and promotion based on merit instead of union connections. It also allows for the first census of Mexico's education system, which Gordillo's union has largely controlled for decades, allegedly padding the payroll with thousands of phantom teachers.

So great is the union's control that no one knows exactly how many schools, teachers or students exist in Mexico.

For years, she has beaten back attacks from union dissidents, political foes and journalists who have seen her as a symbol of Mexico's corrupt, old-style politics. Rivals have accused her of corruption, misuse of union funds and even a murder, but prosecutors who investigated never brought a charge against her.

She was expelled from Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2006 for supporting other parties' candidates and the formation of her own New Alliance party.

Gordillo's arrest recalled the 1989 arrest of another once-feared union boss, Joaquin Hernandez Galicia, known as "La Quina." The longtime head of Mexico's powerful oil workers union, Hernandez Galicia was arrested during the first months of the new administration of then-President Carlos Salinas.

In 1988, he criticized Salinas' presidential candidacy and threatened an oil workers' strike if Salinas privatized any part of the government oil monopoly, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. On Jan. 10, 1989, ? about a month after Salinas took office ? soldiers used a bazooka to blow down the door of Hernandez' home in the Gulf Coast city of Ciudad Madero.

Like Gordillo, Hernandez Galicia's power was believed to represent a challenge to the president, and his arrest was interpreted as an assertion of the president's authority. He was freed from prison after Salinas de Gortari left office.

Murillo denied that Gordillo's arrest was politically motivated and said it could not be compared to Hernandez's case.

"This was a very clear investigation and we will have more of them," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-26-Mexico-Union%20Leader/id-ed3b8782a9734cefa7c8b66b1498b991

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Political tensions rise in Kenya ahead of election

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Dozens of shack homes have been burned to the ground in recent weeks in Mathare, Nairobi's most dangerous slum. Families are moving into zones controlled by their own clans, fearful of attacks between the tribes of Kenya's top two presidential candidates.

Kenya on Monday holds its first presidential election since the 2007 vote devolved into months of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 600,000 from their homes. In a hopeful sign, this year's presidential candidates pledged at a weekend prayer rally to accept the outcome of the election and ensure violence doesn't again break out.

But the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday released a long list of physical attacks, hate speech and cases of ethnic intimidation Kenya has seen in recent weeks, exposing an undercurrent of tribal tension.

Those strains are on high display in Mathare, where at least seven people have died and 100 shacks burned in the last two months. Officially Mathare suffered 112 deaths during the 2007-08 election violence, though one policeman, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, says Mathare really suffered over 370 killings.

Lewis Kamau is a Kikuyu but wears the bright orange hat of the Luo candidate, Raila Odinga. Kamau is not crossing party lines; he says the hat protects him from Luo attacks. He says he expects Luos to react negatively if Odinga loses.

"Violence will erupt because of results they don't like," he said. "I know these people. They won't accept the results."

Kamau ? who backs the Kikuyu candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta ? is standing 20 feet from a dirt lot scorched by fire, one of the shacks burned in Luo-on-Kikuyu attacks that began in late December and carried over into January.

"Just the other day they burned here and we didn't retaliate," he said, motioning to the charred lot. "We kept quiet. On Monday after the (election results) announcement, we will be ready for it."

Odinga or Kenyatta must win at least 50 percent of the vote in Monday's election, or the two will go to a second-round runoff, where attention will be even more focused on the two, heightening tensions further.

Many in Mathare, and across town in Nairobi's biggest slum, Kibera, say that Kenyans have learned from the 2007-08 violence, and won't repeat it. But many of those pronouncements come from people who assume their candidate will win.

"I think given the 2007 experience we will accept the results, even if, God forbid, we Luos lose. But I don't see us losing," said Daniel Omondo, an information technology specialist in Mathare.

The Kikuyu-Luo rift goes back decades, to when Odinga's father was asked by British colonialist to be Kenya's prime minister. The elder Odinga declined, saying that Jomo Kenyatta ? Uhuru's father ? was the rightful leader. Kenyatta eventually became president, with Odinga as his vice president. But a few years later Kenyatta forced Odinga out of the government, and the tribes' relations began a long slide downward.

In a small tin shack in Kibera where illegal, home-made whisky is served, one Odinga backer who gave his name as Christian Nyambega said the country needs its political leaders to accept the results and for the voters to remain calm. Then one of his drinking colleagues became agitated at the memory of the disputed 2007 election win of current President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu.

"They're going to steal the vote the way they did for Kibaki. The Kikuyus are not the only tribe in Kenya. We have 42 tribes in Kenya," said the man, who gave his name only as Patrick, saying her feared government retribution.

Of the dozens of worrying cases of political tensions described by the human rights commission on Wednesday was one in which Kikuyu landlords in a low-income area of Nairobi ejected Luo tenants from their rental houses. It also said a member of Kenyatta's party has been linked to the use of gangs to threaten opponents. The report also documented cases of residents voluntarily moving to areas controlled by their own tribe.

One Western embassy official watching election developments closely said he expects less violence this election season than in 2007. But he said if 200 people die in violence, it might have to be considered progress compared with the more than 1,000 deaths in 2007-08.

There are other areas of concern in addition to the Luo-Kikuyu rift in Nairobi. A United Nations official who is watching election developments said that Kenya's Rift Valley has seen an influx of imported guns that didn't exist five years ago, and the Tana River area ? a region that has seen serious tribal fighting over the last year ? is likely to see more deaths.

The official said that violence in Mathare will be the worst in Nairobi, and that members of Amnesty International and Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission have been receiving serious threats. The official said he could not be identified because he was not authorized to share election data.

Since Kenya's last election, the country now has a new constitution, a new judicial system that is lauded as less corrupted, and the police force is being overhauled. Many residents hold out hope that those changes will help ensure that government systems ? instead of massive street violence ? will be used to settle election disputes.

"The violence (in 2007-08) came because of the stealing of votes. The Odinga supporters thought it was rigged, so there was an outcry. This time we have a credible judicial commission and we have seen many changes in police," said Bernard Titus, a Kibera resident.

In addition, four prominent Kenyans ? including Kenyatta and his vice presidential candidate ? face charges at the International Criminal Court over allegations that they orchestrated the 2007 election violence. Some Kenyans believe those charges have reduced the chances that power brokers will hire thugs ? mostly young men and boys from the slums hired for $5 to $10 a day ? and send them into the street.

Grace Kalibo runs a small shop selling basic food goods in Kibera. She attended Sunday's massive peace rally where Odinga and Kenyatta shook hands and pledged peace. She believes Kenya will avoid the massive violence of five years ago. So does her neighbor, Lucas Awol, a 39-year-old bar owner where poor Kibera men gather on Sunday afternoons.

"This time they won't react at all. They are tired of war," said Awol. "This time it will be peaceful. People say so."

___

Associated Press reporter Tom Odula contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/political-tensions-rise-kenya-ahead-election-170011584.html

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Guess How Many Files Are Uploaded to Dropbox Every Day

If you had to guess how many files people were adding to Dropbox on a daily basis what would you guess? A million? Five million? Nope. It's a freaking billion. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Ib8K-TpWQt8/guess-how-many-files-are-uploaded-to-dropbox-every-day

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Huge crowds at Vatican for pope's final audience

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

Tens of thousands of people were gathering in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City Wednesday to witness Pope Benedict XVI?s final general audience before his historic abdication.

Blue skies welcomed Catholic pilgrims and onlookers from around the world in the square, which he due to address from St Peter?s Basilica from 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET).

Benedict will use his "popemobile" to greet some of the crowd, but the size of the event means there is not expected to be any kissing of the pontiff?s hand as is traditional after papal audiences, the BBC reported.

The Vatican said more than 50,000 had applied for official tickets for Wednesday?s event ? eight times the usual number of applications - and that 200,000 were expected to pack the fringes of the square and surrounding streets.

Papal audiences are normally held inside a Vatican hall in the winter.

Pope Benedict will formally abdicate on Thursday, becoming the first pontiff to do so for almost 600 years, and will travel by helicopter to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, about 15 miles south-east of Rome.

Tens of thousands were in the square from early Wednesday in the hope of securing a good place from which to see the moment. Among the crowd already in the square were Germans from Pope Benedict?s home region of Bavaria.

Balthasar Bauer, 23, from Bavaria, who was in traditional dress, lederhosen, said: "You can't change it - this will likely be the last Bavarian pope, so I had to come here to see him for one last time."

Related:

Papal historian: Cardinals likely to choose an 'extrovert'

'Amateur hour': Vatican conclave drama is one for the history books, experts say

Pope says Vatileaks probe will stay secret

Carlo Angerer and Andy Eckardt, NBC News, contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17113318-huge-crowds-at-vatican-for-pope-benedicts-final-audience?lite

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Telus to buy MD Practice Software | FP Tech Desk | Financial Post

MONTREAL ? A division of telecom giant Telus (TSX:T) is buying Ontario?s largest electronic medical record business, increasing the number of paperless files and bringing more than 5,000 more doctors online.

Telus Health says it?s acquiring MD Practice Software, part of a subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Association, for an undisclosed price.

It says the move will bring the total number of doctors who use electronic medical records technology to 9,000 across the country.

Currently, the penetration rate of electronic medical records in Canada sits at roughly 56%, compared with a rate of well over 90% in some European countries, according to Telus Health president Paul Lepage.

He adds that the market potential for electronic records in Canada is at least $150-million to $250-million, plus other services such as wireless.

Lepage says the technology will help doctors see more patients daily and be able to e-prescribe treatment.

?The first thing the doctor is going to be doing is he?ll be converting his paper records to electronic records,? Lepage said in an interview.

?From a physician perspective, what that means is the ability to see more patients during the day. So they will get a productivity gain out of that.?

Over time, doctors will be able to share that information, with consent, with other health-care providers. Patients can give their doctors regular updates through a patient portal on chronic diseases, for example, such as diabetes, Lepage said.

Lepage noted that about 80% of doctors now use a smartphone and more and more interaction with patients will be done on the device, and on tablets.

He said electronic health records help patients take charge and is ?no different than what you?re doing as a consumer where you?re doing your home banking, your booking travel online and? doing your income taxes online.?

Telus Health said the acquisition makes it the largest electronic medical records provider in Canada with physicians online in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and some smaller markets.

Doctors pay $3,000 to $5,000 for the electronic medical records software and some of it is reimbursed to them through provincial subsidies, Lepage said.

?We are proud of the support we have provided physicians and our involvement in the evolution of EMR (electronic medical records) platforms, assisting in fundamentally changing the nature of health care,? said Mike Gassewitz, president of MD Practice Software.

This is the third such acquisition of an electronic medical records provider by Telus in recent months.

Last fall, Telus bought KinLogix and Wolf Medical Systems, which combined, brought 4,500 doctors online.

Telus has been using its technology in health care for a number of years and created Telus Health after it bought the former Emergis, a Montreal-based e-commerce and technology company that was an early pioneer in electronic health records.

The Vancouver-based telecom company says its secure wireless and broadband networks can be accessed by doctors and patients on personal computers, smartphones or tablets. Currently it provides and supports electronic health record solutions in nearly 60 hospitals and 3,000 pharmacies across the country.

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/02/26/telus-to-buy-medical-records-providers-in-deal-that-will-bring-more-doctors-online/

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Dorothy Hamill and Andy Dick among 'Dancing' stars

FILE - This April 12, 2010 file photo shows former Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill at an event celebrating Good Housekeeping magazine's 125th anniversary in New York. Hamill is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - This April 12, 2010 file photo shows former Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill at an event celebrating Good Housekeeping magazine's 125th anniversary in New York. Hamill is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - This April 4, 2011 file photo shows country singer Wynonna Judd from The Judds, performing at the Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country in Las Vegas. Judd is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, file)

FILE - This Nov. 15, 2012 file photo shows comedian Andy Dick speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 26th Annual Award Presentation To Ben Stiller 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Andy Dick is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - This June 6, 2012 file photo shows singer Kellie Pickler at the 2012 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Pickler is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - This June 20, 2012 file photo shows boxer Victor Ortiz training during the media workout at Fortune Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. Ortiz is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A gold-medal figure skater, a country music legend and a kooky comedian are stepping their way onto "Dancing With the Stars."

ABC says Dorothy Hamill, Wynonna Judd and Andy Dick are among 11 contenders for the mirrored ball on the new season of the celebrity dance competition.

Other famous faces in the show's 16th edition include standup comic and actor D.L. Hughley, Baltimore Ravens football player Jacoby Jones and former "American Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler.

Also on hand will be former welterweight boxing champ Victor Ortiz, "General Hospital" star Ingo Rademacher, actress-singer Zendaya Coleman and Lisa Vanderpump from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," as well as Olympic gold-medal gymnast Aly Raisman.

The new "Dancing With the Stars" season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-26-TV-Dancing%20With%20the%20Stars/id-3ae3a763ec8946c481b3952fe204470f

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Andy Samberg Is Engaged To Joanna Newsom ?Like A Boss!? (Photos)

Andy Samberg Is Engaged To Joanna Newsom “Like A Boss!” (Photos)

“Saturday Night Live” alum Andy Samberg is getting hitched! Samberg, 34, has confirmed that he is engaged to his girlfriend of five years, singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom!

Andy Samberg Is Engaged To Joanna Newsom “Like A Boss!” (Photos) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/02/andy-samberg-is-engaged-to-joanna-newsom-like-a-boss-photos/

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Cardinal's departure darkens mood as pope allows early conclave

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A senior cleric resigned under duress on Monday and Pope Benedict took the rare step of changing Vatican law to allow his successor to be elected early, adding to a sense of crisis within the Roman Catholic Church.

With just three days left before Benedict becomes the first pope in some six centuries to step down, he accepted the resignation of Britain's only cardinal elector, Archbishop Keith O'Brien, who was to have voted for the next pope.

O'Brien, who retains the title of cardinal, has denied allegations that he behaved inappropriately with priests over a period of 30 years, but said he was quitting the job of archbishop of Edinburgh.

He could have attended the conclave despite his resignation, but said he would stay away because he did not want media attention to be focused on himself instead of the process of choosing the next leader of the 1.2 billion-member Church.

O'Brien's dramatic self-exclusion came as the Vatican continued to resist calls by some Catholics to stop other cardinals tainted by sex scandals, such as U.S. Cardinal Roger Mahony, from taking part.

Catholic activists have petitioned Mahony to exclude himself from the conclave so as not to insult survivors of sexual abuse by priests committed while he was archbishop of Los Angeles.

In that post from 1985 until 2011, Mahony worked to send priests known to be abusers out of state to shield them from law enforcement scrutiny in the 1980s, according to church files unsealed under a U.S. court order last month.

"O'Brien's recusal is also important as a precedent," said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based documentation center on child abuse by priests.

"Many cardinals scheduled to join the conclave have been involved as bishops in handling cases of clergy sexual abuse, and some of them have done such a bad job that they too should recuse themselves from the conclave," he said.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Benedict changed parts of a 1996 constitution issued by his predecessor John Paul so that cardinals could begin a secret conclave to choose a successor earlier than the 15 days after the papacy becomes vacant, as prescribed by the previous law.

The change means that in pre-conclave meetings starting on March 1, a day after Benedict leaves on Thursday, they can themselves decide when to start.

Some cardinals believe a conclave, held in secret in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, should start sooner than March 15 in order to reduce the time in which the Church will be without a leader at a time of crisis.

But some in the Church believe that an early conclave would give an advantage to cardinals already in Rome and working in the Curia, the Vatican's central administration and the focus of accusations of ineptitude and alleged sexual scandals that some Italian newspapers speculate in unsourced reports led Benedict to step down. The Vatican says the reports are false.

The Vatican appears to be aiming to have a new pope elected by mid-March and installed before Palm Sunday on March 24 so he can preside at Holy Week services leading to Easter.

Cardinals have begun informal consultations by phone and email in the past two weeks since Benedict said he was quitting.

Benedict's papacy was rocked by scandals over the sexual abuse of children by priests, most of which preceded his time in office but came to light during it and which, as head of the Church, he was responsible for handling.

His reign also saw Muslim anger after he linked Islam to violence. Jews were upset over his rehabilitation of a Holocaust denier. And, during a scandal over the Church's business affairs, his butler was convicted of leaking his private papers.

With the Italian media speculating about conspiracies and alleged sexual scandals inside the Vatican that they say may have influenced his decision to resign, the pope's spokesman said an internal report into leaked papal documents would remain confidential and only be shown to the next pontiff.

The Vatican has accused the Italian media, some of which have called for the "Vatileaks" report to be made public, of spreading "false and damaging" rumors in an attempt to influence the cardinals as they head to Rome for the conclave.

The three cardinals who prepared the report for the Vatican met the pope on Monday.

Compiled after the arrest of Benedict's butler, who leaked sensitive documents to the media, the report has been seen only by the pope and the three cardinals and would be seen only by the next pope, the Vatican said.

The butler's leaked documents told of corruption in the Vatican, infighting over the running of its scandal-mired bank, and painted a picture of an administration where some clerics were more interested in their careers than serving the pope.

On Sunday, the pope, in his last appearance from his window overlooking St Peter's Square, said his abdication was God's will and insisted he was not "abandoning" the Church but stepping down for health reasons.

His last public appearances include a general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday and a meeting with cardinals on Thursday before he flies to the papal summer retreat near Rome.

The papacy will become vacant at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Thursday, February 28.

(Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-changes-church-law-allows-cardinals-start-conclave-120524744.html

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Indiana stays No. 1 in AP Top 25, Gonzaga No. 2

Gonzaga's Elias Harris fights for a rebound against San Diego during the first half of an NCAA basketball game in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Gonzaga's Elias Harris fights for a rebound against San Diego during the first half of an NCAA basketball game in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? Gonzaga has been in 14 NCAA tournaments, five of which ended with an appearance in the Round of 16. But no Gonzaga team has ever before been ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press' Top 25, as the Zags were Monday.

Indiana remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week. Meanwhile, the little school from Spokane with the funny name moved up one spot to its highest ranking ever, surpassing the No. 3 position it enjoyed last week and for the final two weeks of 2003-04.

"It's a special thing to be recognized at this time of year," guard Mike Hart said. "We've got 30 games under our belt. That says a lot. It's not just a few games."

That sentiment was echoed by coach Mark Few.

"The polls mean a lot more this time of year than they do in November, December, even January," Few said. "All of us are being judged on the true body of work. It's definitely rewarding.

"It establishes us as a national program, which I believe we have been for the last 10 years. This group has done a great job of competing at that level, winning games at the highest level."

While the West Coast Bulldogs made some news at the top of the poll Monday, Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs from Down South, moved into the rankings for the first time since a 13-week run in 1984-85, their only appearance in the poll.

Louisiana Tech, which is 25th this week, was led back then to a ranking as high as No. 7 by a forward named Karl Malone. Gonzaga around that time had a point guard named John Stockton. They went on to become one of the greatest combinations in NBA history with the Utah Jazz, were members of the Dream Team and both were inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Stockton's son, David, is a reserve guard for this year's Gonzaga team. David Stockton said this edition of the Zags has its eye on March Madness.

"It's March when we have been validated in the past, and that's the next step," Stockton said.

But he admitted the players and fans were relishing the ranking.

Guard Kevin Pangos cautioned that it is an ethereal honor.

"It can change in a flash in case we lose a game," Pangos said, adding that players were well aware of the carnage at the upper reaches of the poll in recent weeks. "It makes us aware it can happen to us at any time."

Gonzaga's remaining regular season games are at BYU on Thursday and at home against Portland on Saturday.

Louisiana Tech coach Michael White is another who has his eyes on March, even though his team cracked the poll for the first time in more than a quarter century.

"It's not a goal we set out to accomplish," White said. "What we're really striving for is an NCAA tournament berth. But this is something that can't be taken away from them, so I'm happy for them."

The Hoosiers, who have been ranked No. 1 for a total of 10 weeks this season, received all but one first-place vote from the 65-member national media panel. Gonzaga got the other No. 1 vote.

Duke moved up three spots to third and was followed by Michigan and Miami, which dropped from second after falling to Wake Forest, the Hurricanes' first Atlantic Coast Conference loss this season.

Kansas is sixth, followed by Georgetown, Florida, Michigan State and Louisville.

Saint Louis, which beat Butler and VCU last week, moved into 18th in the poll, the Billikens' first ranking since being in for one week last season.

Colorado State, which was 22nd and lost twice last week, and VCU, which was 24th, dropped out.

-------

Sports Writer David Brandt contributed to this story from Jackson, Miss.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-25-BKC-T25-College-Bkb-Poll/id-b4fc2a42649c43e884bfc6be08a02b49

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Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probe (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Deal of the Day ? 10.1? Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 32GB Android 4.0 tablet with Keyboard Dock

Monday’s LogicBUY Deal is the customizable?10.1″ Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 Android 4.0 tablet with bundled Keyboard Dock (2258E5U)?for $349. ?Standard features: Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual-core and 1GB of LPDDR2 RAM 32GB memory IPS screen in HD resolution Front and rear camera Dual speakers with SRS TruMedia Keyboard dock has a?built-in battery with 18-20 hours runtime, 2 USB [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/25/deal-of-the-day-10-1-lenovo-ideatab-s2110-32gb-android-4-0-tablet-with-keyboard-dock-2/

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Do Bank Overdrafts or Payday Loans Charge Higher Fees for Short ...

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Welcome to My Personal Finance Journey! If you are new here, please read the "About" or "First-Time Visitor" pages to find out more about us. If you would like to receive free updates on articles like this by email, then sign up here or you can?subscribe to the RSS feed. Also, check us out on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for visiting! Keep on learning!
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Recently, I was reading a post on MyBankTracker?that revealed taking out a payday loan may actually be cheaper than using an?unauthorized?overdraft service from your bank/checking account.?

Surprised? I was too. After all, aren't payday loans supposed to the about the worst deal you can get?!?While many people (including me) would not assume that taking out a payday loan on a short-term basis would result in lower repayment costs in comparison to main-stream bank overdraft fees, recent research has also highlighted this is the case, particularly depending on the balance of the transaction.

Let's take a look at this in a little more detail:

Another report/analysis performed by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) compared the cost of borrowing ?200 (~$300 USD) from a typical payday lender against the same sum as an unauthorized overdraft with two UK banks, Lloyds Bank and Nat West. What they found was that borrowers actually had the lowest cost through a payday lender at ?66. The overdraft fees for this same amount were both significantly higher at??84.22 with Lloyds Bank and ?110 with Nat West.

What is the Cost of a 1 Month Payday Loan?

The CISI study reported that in the UK, the typical payday lender charges ?29 (~$44 USD) interest for every ?100 borrowed, provided loans are repaid within a 28-day period. This corresponds to a representative APR of around 2670%.?

Because of this high interest rate, payday loans are absolutely not suitable for longer-term borrowing or if you are experiencing chronic financial difficulties regularly.?Recent research from payday loan provider?Payday Bank?revealed that more than a third (37%) of payday borrowers used payday loans to ease pressure with bills during a difficult time, while a further 28% used payday loans specifically to tide them over in an emergency.

For obvious reasons, payday loans are definitely not the type of loan situation you want to find yourself in, especially considering that credit card interest rates, at 20%, are even considered pricey!?However, before we pass judgment too far on these, let's also take a look at how the fees associated with bank/checking account overdrafts compare with this:

What is the Cost of Overdraft Fees for the Same 1 Month Time Period?

According to the CISI study above, main-stream banks charge overdraft fees?totaling?an APR equivalent of up to 53,099,884%. Talk about expensive! Does that really say 53 million percent?! That's and outstanding business return!

Because this sounded pretty wild, I also wanted to check this APR reported with US banks to see how it compares. Below is what I discovered:

• According to Bank of America's overdraft fee section of their website, they charge $35 per overdraft transaction on the first day the overdraft occurs, and then another $35 every 5 days until the overdraft transaction amount is paid off/you have a positive balance.?
• Assuming 30 days in 1 month, this means you will be charged a total of $245 ($35 x 7 total charges) for the one month.?
• Since these overdraft charges are on a per transaction basis, this means that the lower the value of the item you are using the overdraft to pay for, the higher the representative APR will be.?
• For example, if you had a 1 month overdraft on the 100 GBP / $151 mentioned in the payday loans section above, you would be charged the same $245. This would equate to a $2940 fee on a yearly basis, or an APR of 1,970%.
• On the other hand, if you had the same one month overdraft on only a smaller $50 purchase, this would equate to an APR of 5880%.
• As a worse (but maybe not very realistic) case, for a $1 purchase, this would equate to an APR of 294,000%. What this means is that in order to generate the 53 million percent figure mentioned above, they likely figured it using a purchase of only a few cents. Like I said, maybe not totally realistic, but possibly more effective at driving home their point...

Conclusions

From the above investigation, we saw that 1 month payday loans tend to charge fees correlating with an annual interest rate of several thousand percentage points. On the other hand, we saw that 1 month bank overdrafts can (depending on the balance) charge APR's varying from several hundred to tens of thousands of percentage points.

What we can conclude from this is that even though there are better ways to pay for unexpected expenses (emergency fund ideally or even a credit card since it has a lower APR),?if the single transaction/purchase you are taking the loan out on is quite large (>$200), it is actually cheaper to use bank overdrafts. However, if the balance is smaller, payday loans are technically cheaper.

Another interesting thought I considered while writing this article was potential reasons for why bank overdraft fees don't really have the same bad reputation that payday loans tend to carry, despite the fact that they have similar APR's. Perhaps it is because most of the time, when bank overdrafts happen, they are paid off very quickly, and so do not end up costing the full one month of fees modeled here.?

How about you all? Have you ever over-drafted your bank account? If so, how much did it cost you?

Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of?http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5093/5566653522_7edf8846f1_z.jpg

Source: http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com/2013/02/do-bank-overdrafts-or-payday-loans.html

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Surprise! Janet Jackson is Married!

Forget something borrowed, something blue -- these weddings were out of the blue! From Janet Jackson & Wissam Al Mana to Kate Winslet & Ned Rocknroll to Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds, check out the star nuptials that shocked us

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/surprising-celebrity-weddings/1-b-360908?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asurprising-celebrity-weddings-360908

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Senate panel plans Tuesday vote on Lew nomination

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013, file photo Jack Lew, President Barack Obama's choice to be treasury secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Finance Committee. Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, says the committee will vote on Lew's nomination Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, said Lew had answered the committee's questions "in a thorough and fully transparent manner" and that the committee has conducted a "thorough review" of the nominee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013, file photo Jack Lew, President Barack Obama's choice to be treasury secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Finance Committee. Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, says the committee will vote on Lew's nomination Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, said Lew had answered the committee's questions "in a thorough and fully transparent manner" and that the committee has conducted a "thorough review" of the nominee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee says the committee will vote on Tuesday on the nomination of former White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be treasury secretary.

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana says in a statement that Lew has answered the committee's questions "in a thorough and fully transparent manner" and the committee has conducted a "thorough review" of the nominee.

Lew would succeed Timothy Geithner in President Barack Obama's second-term Cabinet.

Some of the toughest questions he faced during his confirmation hearing dealt with his short time at Citibank. Lew was a top executive during the height of the financial crisis.

On policy matters, he addressed Europe's debt crisis, U.S.-China relations and the 2010 financial regulatory overhaul.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-24-US-Treasury-Lew/id-1bb47708426c478ba3af4554b7763dc5

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Nudes view nudes at Austrian museum

VIENNA (AP) ? These museum goers didn't just leave their coats at the coat check. They handed over their shirts, trousers and underwear.

Everything, in fact, except their shoes and socks. After all, the stone floor can get chilly when you're touring an art exhibit in the nude, which was what more than 60 art lovers did in a special after-hours showing at Vienna's prestigious Leopold museum.

For many, the tour of "Nude Men from 1800 to Today" ? an exhibit of 300 paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures focused on the bare male ? was a goose-bump-raising instance of life imitating art.

"I can't say I'm sweating," said office worker Herbert Korvas as he stood waiting in the atrium with other young men, wearing only socks, sneakers and a smile. Despite the cold, he said he was drawn to the idea of naked museum viewing "because it was something different."

But after a while it really wasn't. With no other viewers around, nude quickly became the new normal as the visitors quickly gathered around a ? dressed ? exhibition guide and moved slowly from one art work to the next, listening intently to their history.

And they weren't the first visitors to get naked either, despite the hoopla around the event that drew dozens of reporters and camera teams from Austria and elsewhere.

A man had already stripped at the exhibition of pictures and sculptures in November, calmly sauntering through the exhibition and dressing again only after a security guard asked him to do so. That act made news ? and sparked demand for Monday's all-nude showing, said museum spokesman Klaus Pokorny.

"We got requests from all over the world from people who were inspired by the exhibition ... who asked us, 'Can we visit the exhibition naked?'" he said.

On Monday, interest was definitely skewed along gender lines. Irina Wolf smiled as she looked around at the mostly male crowd lining up for tickets.

"I'm at a big advantage here," she said. "Only men around."

While Wolf said she is not someone who regularly strips in public places, the 40-something computer engineer and occasional theater critic, said "I want to see how I relate to such a group."

For others, Monday's event fulfilled a long-cherished wish ? even though they had a hard time explaining why.

Florian Kahlenberg from Munich said he found it "interesting to stroll through a museum naked," adding. "I've always wanted to do that."

Few visitors, naked or dressed, have complained about the show, despite some explicit material showing sexual acts. Described as among the most successful ever staged by the Leopold, it has drawn well over 100,000 people.

That fits with Vienna's relaxed attitude. Its turn-of-the-century decadence allowed Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt to flourish, and the Leopold itself has a world-class collection of those and other artists known for their explicit depiction of the flesh.

But the Austrian capital's acceptance of nudity goes beyond museum exhibits. Thousands of men, women and children skinny dip daily in the Danube along stretches reserved for them during the summer, while racy lingerie ads dot huge billboards across the city all year round and a mass-circulation daily regularly prints photos of half-naked women.

Still, there are limits to Viennese tolerance. The Leopold was forced into cover-up mode last year after complaints over promotional posters plastered city-wide that showed three young and athletic men of different races wearing nothing but blue, white and red socks and soccer boots.

Swaths of red tape were subsequently placed over their sensitive parts.

____

Associated Press video journalist Philipp Jenne contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nudes-check-nudes-austrian-museum-083032430.html

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Volvo presents another technical innovation | HGV Ireland

Just a few months after the launch of the new FH series, Volvo Trucks is presenting yet another world-class technical innovation ? Volvo Dynamic Steering. This combines conventional hydraulic power-steering with an electronically-regulated electric motor fitted to the steering gear. The result is precise steering that gives the truck driver a safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable working environment.

?This patented technology benefits the truck driver in all operating conditions. On the highway the dynamic steering system offers unbeatable directional stability. At low speeds, even a heavily loaded truck is so easy to steer that you can do so with one finger,? says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks.

An electronically-controlled electric motor attached to the steering shaft is the big new technological innovation in Volvo Dynamic Steering. The electric motor, which works together with the truck?s hydraulic power steering, has a maximum of 25Nm of torque and is regulated thousands of times per second by the electronic control unit.

?The task of the electric motor is to deliver perfect steering feel for every single moment of operation. For instance, the system?s sensors note that the driver wants to drive straight ahead and automatically ensures that no interference from the road surface is allowed to filter up through the steering wheel,? explains Gustav Neander, project manager for Volvo Dynamic Steering.

He adds, ?At low speeds the electric motor?s assistance makes the truck exceptionally easy to steer. Even a heavily-loaded construction truck operating off-road on a rough surface can be steered without the slightest effort. Truck drivers who?ve tested the system during the development process have all been highly impressed.?

Superior in all operating conditions

The system?s benefits can be summarised in four points:

At low speeds, the electric motor takes over the work from the driver?s muscles. Instead, the driver can relax and steer without having to strain his or her shoulders and arms. Another benefit is that Volvo Dynamic Steering centres automatically even when reversing

Irregularities in the road surface, such as cracks and pot-holes, are dampened by the system. This means that the steering feels more stable since the driver does not have to compensate with constant minor adjustments of the steering wheel.

On the highway this precise control leads to increased directional stability, which in turn gives the driver a more relaxed driving experience with full control at all speeds. The dynamic steering system eliminates virtually all those small steering wheel movements that are unavoidable on today?s roads.

A steeply-cambered road surface or a side wind is quickly detected by the self-learning system, which automatically compensates so that the driver can steer straight ahead without having to tug the steering wheel to counteract any sideways movement. A significant improvement of road safety and driver comfort.

Steering is elevated to a new dimension

Volvo Dynamic Steering addresses the most frequent occupational injuries suffered by heavy goods vehicle drivers. Official figures from the Swedish Work Environment Authority reveal that truck drivers are over-represented in occupational injury statistics.

?Almost four out of ten truck drivers complain of pain in the back, neck, shoulders or arms every week. Our improved steering system offers a more relaxed driving experience that should counteract this kind of problem in the working environment,? says Gustav Neander.

He concludes, ?Volvo Dynamic Steering elevates the steering of heavy vehicles to an entirely new dimension. The technology makes the driver?s working conditions more relaxed and controlled.?

?

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Tags: Volvo FH

Source: http://www.hgvireland.com/02/19/volvo-presents-another-technical-innovation/

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Mushroom-supplemented soybean extract shows therapeutic promise for advanced prostate cancer

Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
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Contact: Dorsey Griffith
dorsey.griffith@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9118
University of California - Davis Health System

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A natural, nontoxic product called genistein-combined polysaccharide, or GCP, which is commercially available in health stores, could help lengthen the life expectancy of certain prostate cancer patients, UC Davis researchers have found.

Paramita GhoshMen with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastatic cancer, and who have had their testosterone lowered with drug therapy are most likely to benefit. The study, recently published in Endocrine-Related Cancer, was conducted in prostate cancer cells and in mice. Lowering of testosterone, also known as androgen-deprivation therapy, has long been the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, but life expectancies vary widely for those who undergo this treatment. Testosterone is an androgen, the generic term for any compound that stimulates or controls development and maintenance of male characteristics by binding to androgen receptors.

The current findings hold promise for GCP therapy as a way to extend life expectancy of patients with low response to androgen-deprivation therapy. Paramita Ghosh, an associate professor in the UC Davis School of Medicine, led the pre-clinical study with a team that included UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Ralph de Vere White, a UC Davis distinguished professor of urology. Ruth Vinall in the UC Davis Department of Urology and Clifford Tepper in the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine directed the studies in mice; Ghosh's laboratory conducted the cell studies.

The research focused on GCP, a proprietary extract cultured from soybeans and shiitake mushrooms and marketed by Amino-Up of Sapporo, Japan. Researchers found that the combination of the compounds genistein and daidzein, both present in GCP, helps block a key mechanism used by prostate cancer cells to survive in the face of testosterone deprivation.

The research team had earlier shown that when a patient's androgen level goes down, cancerous prostate cells kick out a protein known as filamin A, which is otherwise attached to the androgen receptor in the cell's nucleus. The androgen receptor regulates growth of prostate cancer cells. Once filamin A leaves the cancerous cell's nucleus, that cell no longer requires androgens to survive. Thus, loss of filamin A allows these cells to survive androgen deprivation, at and the cancer essentially becomes incurable.

The paper, titled "Enhancing the effectiveness of androgen deprivation in prostate cancer by inducing Filamin A nuclear localization," shows for the first time that GCP keeps filamin A in the nucleus. As long as this protein remains attached to the androgen receptor, the cancerous cells need androgens to survive and grow. They die off when starved of androgens, thus prolonging the effects of androgen deprivation, which ultimately prolongs the patient's life.

The team's hypothesis is that metastatic prostate cancer patients with the weakest response to androgen-deprivation therapy could be given GCP concurrently with androgen deprivation therapy to retain Filamin A in the nucleus, thereby allowing cancer cells to die off.

De Vere White is now pursuing funding to begin GCP human clinical trials. Because GCP is a natural product rather than a drug, and requires fewer government approvals, it's expected that these trials will proceed rapidly once funded.

"We should know within the first eight months or so of human clinical trials if GCP works to reduce PSA levels," says de Vere White, referring to prostate-specific antigen levels, a tumor marker to detect cancer. "We want to see up to 75 percent of metastatic prostate cancer patients lower their PSA levels, and GCP holds promise of accomplishing this goal. If that happens, it would probably be a greater therapy than any drug today."

###

The research was supported by a Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development service Merit Award (I01BX000400) from the Department of Veterans Affairs and by R01CA133209 from the National Cancer Institute.

Other authors were Benjamin A. Mooso, Sheetal Singh, Salma Siddiqui, and Maria Mudryj of the VA Northern California Health Care System; Ruth L. Vinall, Rosalinda M. Savoy, Jean P. Cheung, and Yu Wang of the UC Davis Department of Urology; Clifford G. Tepper, Anthony Martinez, and Hsing-Jien Kung of the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine; and Roble G. Bedolla of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 9,000 adults and children every year, and access to more than 150 clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program engages more than 280 scientists at UC Davis, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Jackson Laboratory (JAX West), whose scientific partnerships advance discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Through the Cancer Care Network, UC Davis collaborates with a number of hospitals and clinical centers throughout the Central Valley and Northern California regions to offer the latest cancer care. Its community-based outreach and education programs address disparities in cancer outcomes across diverse populations. For more information, visit http://cancer.ucdavis.edu.

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Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
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Contact: Dorsey Griffith
dorsey.griffith@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9118
University of California - Davis Health System

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A natural, nontoxic product called genistein-combined polysaccharide, or GCP, which is commercially available in health stores, could help lengthen the life expectancy of certain prostate cancer patients, UC Davis researchers have found.

Paramita GhoshMen with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastatic cancer, and who have had their testosterone lowered with drug therapy are most likely to benefit. The study, recently published in Endocrine-Related Cancer, was conducted in prostate cancer cells and in mice. Lowering of testosterone, also known as androgen-deprivation therapy, has long been the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, but life expectancies vary widely for those who undergo this treatment. Testosterone is an androgen, the generic term for any compound that stimulates or controls development and maintenance of male characteristics by binding to androgen receptors.

The current findings hold promise for GCP therapy as a way to extend life expectancy of patients with low response to androgen-deprivation therapy. Paramita Ghosh, an associate professor in the UC Davis School of Medicine, led the pre-clinical study with a team that included UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Ralph de Vere White, a UC Davis distinguished professor of urology. Ruth Vinall in the UC Davis Department of Urology and Clifford Tepper in the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine directed the studies in mice; Ghosh's laboratory conducted the cell studies.

The research focused on GCP, a proprietary extract cultured from soybeans and shiitake mushrooms and marketed by Amino-Up of Sapporo, Japan. Researchers found that the combination of the compounds genistein and daidzein, both present in GCP, helps block a key mechanism used by prostate cancer cells to survive in the face of testosterone deprivation.

The research team had earlier shown that when a patient's androgen level goes down, cancerous prostate cells kick out a protein known as filamin A, which is otherwise attached to the androgen receptor in the cell's nucleus. The androgen receptor regulates growth of prostate cancer cells. Once filamin A leaves the cancerous cell's nucleus, that cell no longer requires androgens to survive. Thus, loss of filamin A allows these cells to survive androgen deprivation, at and the cancer essentially becomes incurable.

The paper, titled "Enhancing the effectiveness of androgen deprivation in prostate cancer by inducing Filamin A nuclear localization," shows for the first time that GCP keeps filamin A in the nucleus. As long as this protein remains attached to the androgen receptor, the cancerous cells need androgens to survive and grow. They die off when starved of androgens, thus prolonging the effects of androgen deprivation, which ultimately prolongs the patient's life.

The team's hypothesis is that metastatic prostate cancer patients with the weakest response to androgen-deprivation therapy could be given GCP concurrently with androgen deprivation therapy to retain Filamin A in the nucleus, thereby allowing cancer cells to die off.

De Vere White is now pursuing funding to begin GCP human clinical trials. Because GCP is a natural product rather than a drug, and requires fewer government approvals, it's expected that these trials will proceed rapidly once funded.

"We should know within the first eight months or so of human clinical trials if GCP works to reduce PSA levels," says de Vere White, referring to prostate-specific antigen levels, a tumor marker to detect cancer. "We want to see up to 75 percent of metastatic prostate cancer patients lower their PSA levels, and GCP holds promise of accomplishing this goal. If that happens, it would probably be a greater therapy than any drug today."

###

The research was supported by a Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development service Merit Award (I01BX000400) from the Department of Veterans Affairs and by R01CA133209 from the National Cancer Institute.

Other authors were Benjamin A. Mooso, Sheetal Singh, Salma Siddiqui, and Maria Mudryj of the VA Northern California Health Care System; Ruth L. Vinall, Rosalinda M. Savoy, Jean P. Cheung, and Yu Wang of the UC Davis Department of Urology; Clifford G. Tepper, Anthony Martinez, and Hsing-Jien Kung of the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine; and Roble G. Bedolla of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 9,000 adults and children every year, and access to more than 150 clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program engages more than 280 scientists at UC Davis, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Jackson Laboratory (JAX West), whose scientific partnerships advance discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Through the Cancer Care Network, UC Davis collaborates with a number of hospitals and clinical centers throughout the Central Valley and Northern California regions to offer the latest cancer care. Its community-based outreach and education programs address disparities in cancer outcomes across diverse populations. For more information, visit http://cancer.ucdavis.edu.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uoc--mse022013.php

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