Thursday, February 28, 2013

Explore Housing Options for International Community College Students

International students looking to attend community college in the United States may have one greater challenge than their peers headed to four-year institutions: housing.

Two-year schools aren't generally known for a wide variety of housing options. It's typical for U.S. students who attend community colleges to live with their parents or commute from their own homes.

"Community colleges are starting to identify on-campus or close-by housing as an important marketing advantage for recruiting international students," says Ross Jennings, associate vice president of international programs for Green River Community College in Washington.

At many community colleges with a large international population, a housing program exists with options ranging from host family accommodations to traditional university dorms.

[Discover more about studying in the United States.]

"Many more rural community colleges have had housing for many years, either on-campus provided by the colleges themselves, or nearby, provided by private owners," he says.

Many international students desire an environment with more English speakers, even if dorms or apartments are readily available, Jennings notes. Interaction with native speakers in their residences helps students pick up or improve their English skills faster.

Green River offers a homestay program with 400 active families, he says. In a homestay program, international students pay a fee to stay in a private room of the home of a host family or individual. Programs are available with and without meal options.

[Find out how to be successful in community college.]

Staying with a family helps the student transition to living in the United States and allows the student's family to feel more comfortable about sending their children abroad, he says.

Green River student Erin Qiao, from China, chose the homestay program and said her first consideration when choosing where to study abroad was not a school's academics, but how much it cares about its students. She wanted "to make sure that I can survive at a strange country first," she says, noting that her homestay program helped her adjust.

[Explore ways to make cross-cultural friendships.]

However, student Lynn Shi, also from China, chose to live on campus in order to speed up her adjustment to American life. Compared with staying in a host family, she found living on campus more challenging and exciting "because it meant that I have to live independently and develop the ability to manage my life," she says.

Cynthia Fox, owner of International Housing Placement Service, finds homestay opportunities for international students across the country in locations from San Francisco to Boston. Not all hosts are families; some are individuals or couples. But all have committed to not just providing a place for international students to live but also to "participate in cultural exchange and open up their lives to them," she says.

To make both parents and students feel comfortable, hosts go through extensive screening with home visits, background checks, and reference checks. Students should ask services about their prescreening procedures, as well as the following questions about housing options:

1. Is it guaranteed I'll find housing? This question is especially important in rural areas, Fox says. She has no problem finding hosts for students in Boston, but finding housing in a small New Jersey town was much more difficult.

At Green River Community College, dorms are available for 340 students, enough for more than 20 percent of the college's fall 2012 international student population.

2. What is the maximum distance from campus? Especially in rural areas without a lot of public transit, host families should live very close to campus. This is also important with any off-campus rental a student chooses. International students need to know if their housing is close to campus or public transportation.

3. Is there a cost for meals? Homestay programs can come with or without meals, just like many on-campus housing programs. It's important for students to ask if meals are included and how many. For instance, International Housing Placement Service offers homestay pricing that ranges from no meals to two meals per day.

4. What if a host family and student don't get along? Not all homestay programs allow a student to transfer between hosts, Fox says, but her company has a policy of allowing students the ability to switch once. She says 95 percent of host family placements for students work out well.

"A student needs to know they have a support system and a way out of a situation where they're uncomfortable or unhappy for any reason," she says. "Students need to feel secure in their new homes."

For more international student tips and news, explore the Studying in the United States center.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/explore-housing-options-international-community-college-students-153755826.html

oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions nba all star game 2012 academy awards 2012 nominations

Creating Home Spa Decorations Ideas | Home Improvement

It is very interesting when you have your own spa at home. Everyone love to have private time and enjoy with spa sensation. With spa sensation it will make their body feel comfort, relax and also it will give their body more fresh sensation. When we have hard work for a week with some busy time and it will make our body feel tired with the activities, some people are interest to visit public spa. But when they have visited a public spa in hotels they should pay with expensive cost. Is not good choice for you. You should prepare more budget only for your spa. It is good idea for you if you are have private spa in your home. Creating home spa is not easy for you. You need to prepare a room in your home to create your own spa. But, you can creating home spa in your bathroom. Of course with simple design. You can create home spa. The most important thing you should consider when you will create home spa, you must choose the best design for spa decoration ideas. You just have to make sure that your home spa decorations ideas are comfortable and able to create good atmosphere around your spa.

Many home spa decorations ideas you can see here, if you are still confused to choose one of the perfect design for your home spa decorations ideas i will give you some pictures ideas with beautiful spa decorations ideas at your home, as follow:
1. Luxury home spa decorations ideas

Creating Home Spa Decorations Ideas

luxury home spa decorations ideas

2. Traditional home spa decorations ideas

Creating Home Spa Decorations Ideas

traditional home spa decorations ideas

3. Classic home spa decorations ideas

Creating Home Spa Decorations Ideas

classic home spa decorations ideas

tags: Decorations, Home Spa, Private Spa, spa decorations ideas, Spa Sensation

Source: http://kpitv.com/creating-home-spa-decorations-ideas

2012 nfl draft order mohamed sanu chris polk chicago bulls st louis blues rueben randle mike trout

Lice genes may shed light on human migration

Sean Gallup / Getty Images file

Head lice, also known as pediculosis capitis, cause itching and outrage when they're detected, most often on the heads of schoolchildren. Increasingly, the bugs are becoming resistant to common pesticides.

By Tia Ghose
LiveScience

Lice genes could offer insights into human migration, according to new research.

The new analysis also suggests that efforts to eradicate the blood-sucking parasites may need to focus on local populations, rather than trying to tackle the creatures globally.

The findings,?published Wednesday?in the journal PLOS ONE, could help scientists understand how lice evolve resistance to insecticides.

Human hitchhikers
Lice have fed off primates for more than 25 million years, although they may have first become a human scourge when humans donned clothes.

As humans conquered the globe, these parasitic hitchhikers went along for the ride. Past work had studied the genetics of lice, but relied on DNA that passes on from the maternal line, making it difficult to get a complete picture of human migration. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick]

Towards that end, Marina Ascunce, an entomologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History Museum, and her colleagues analyzed nuclear DNA, genetic material that is passed on from both male and female lice, in 75 specimen from 10 sites across four regions: Asia, North America, Central America, and Europe. They also collected clothing lice from people in Nepal and Canada.

Past migration
They found that lice from Honduras closely resembled Asian lice.

"Lice from Honduras may have been brought by the first people in America, and that's why we see this closer genetic affinity," Ascunce told LiveScience.

By contrast, lice from New York were more closely related to European parasites, likely reflecting North America's waves of European colonization over the centuries, Ascunce said.

In addition, because there is not much gene flow between different lice populations, insecticides could be more effective if they target genetic vulnerabilities specific to local populations, she said.

While the study is preliminary, a more thorough sampling of worldwide lice could provide insight into why head lice differ from clothing lice, which harbor in clothing and can spread deadly diseases.

Genetic analysis could also reveal when and where humans interbred with Neanderthals and other archaic hominid species, the researchers write in the paper.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter @tiaghose?or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.?

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/28/17134155-lice-genes-may-shed-light-on-human-migration?lite

MC Chris Colorado shooting suspect accuweather Finding Nemo 2 Provigil dez bryant Kitty Wells

Voting Rights Act: Is major portion outdated? Supreme Court to hear arguments.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires some state and local governments to obtain federal clearance for changes in voting procedures. In 2008 the Supreme Court said the section needed updating.

By Warren Richey,?Staff writer / February 26, 2013

This photo shows the covered Supreme Court building in Washington in September 2012, with a protective scrim, as work continues on the facade.

Alex Brandon/AP/File

Enlarge

It is recognized as the most powerful and effective civil rights law in American history.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

So why is the US Supreme Court being asked to declare a major portion of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional?

On Wednesday, the high court is set to take up a legal challenge filed on behalf of Alabama?s Shelby County, alleging that Congress overstepped its authority when it voted overwhelmingly in 2006 to reauthorize Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) for 25 years.

At issue in the case, Shelby County v. Eric Holder (12-96), is a section of the law that gives the federal government extraordinary power to prevent state and local governments from discriminating against minority voters by undercutting their political clout in elections.

In 1965, when the VRA was first enacted, many states, particularly in the Deep South, were actively working to prevent black and other minority voters from effectively exercising their right to vote. They had done it for decades through threats of violence, poll taxes, and literacy tests.

Congress outlawed those blatant tactics, but the discrimination continued in more creative and subtle ways.

To counter it, Congress enacted Section 5 of the VRA. It required certain jurisdictions with a demonstrated history of discrimination in voting to submit any changes in their voting procedures to the Justice Department or a three-judge panel in Washington for approval before any change could take effect.

The measure required federal officials or judges to examine the changes and determine if they were discriminatory or would otherwise have a detrimental effect on minority voting.

There is no dispute about the effectiveness of the measure. It worked well and continues to work well.

The question now is whether discrimination in voting ? nearly 50 years after the 1965 VRA was first passed ? continues to be so egregious as to justify the extraordinary measure of requiring certain targeted state and local governments to obtain permission from Washington before they are allowed to alter their own voting procedures.

When it was first passed, Congress authorized the extraordinary measure for five years. It has since been reauthorized four more times, including for 25 years in 1982 before the 25-year extension in 2006. But instead of reevaluating each covered jurisdiction based on whether or not there is contemporary evidence of discrimination, federal lawmakers decided to continue to rely on the original criteria used in the 1960s and 1970s to determine the most egregious jurisdictions in the country.

Many of the covered jurisdictions, Shelby County among them, insist this is unfair.

The central thrust of Shelby County?s argument boils down to one word: federalism.

Those challenging the constitutionality of Section 5 are asking the high court to strike a balance between Congress?s power to fight discrimination and the constitutional requirement that states be treated as co-equal sovereigns.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3V2qjC_MizQ/Voting-Rights-Act-Is-major-portion-outdated-Supreme-Court-to-hear-arguments

Adam Lanza fox news obama cnbc dexter dexter ny times

UChek Is A New App That Does Mobile Urinalysis On The Cheap

peeappLike to use your iPhone on the toilet? Myshkin Ingawale has an app for that. Ignawale is the co-founder of Biosense, a med tech company based in Mumbai that specializes in cheap and functional medical technologies. Last year?s product was a portable and needleless anemia screener called ToucHb. This year at TED in Los Angeles today he unveiled the charmingly named UChek, a urinalysis app for the masses. In the old days, urinalysis was a bit tougher. A sample of urine is taken in cup and a chemical strip is dipped into said urine sample. The strip is then compared to a color-coded map, which can be used to determine levels of glucose, bilirubin, protein, and other abnormalities in your urine. High levels of glucose, for example, could indicate diabetes. Although chemical strips can be deciphered by sight, there are many urine scanning machines that produce more accurate results. The problem is that they can cost up to $10,000, with limited compatibility with different types of chemical strips. Ignawale?s UChek is an app that seeks to simplify the process in an affordable way. Once the chemical strip is dipped in urine, a picture is taken of the strip with a smartphone. The app then quickly analyzes the strip and produces accurate and easy-to-understand results. While the app is currently going through testing phases in a Mumbai hospital, it is awaiting approval in Apple?s App Store. The app itself will cost $99, while an extra $20 will nab you a packet of chemical strips, a color-coded map for testing. An Android app is expected, although Ignawale says it will take a little bit longer before it?s released. “We all have two things, cell phones and urine,” Ignawale told his TED audience. “We figured we had to be able to do something with this.” He certainly isn?t the first person to have noticed. An iPhone app called Piddle was developed by Danish programmers last year in May for Health Hack Day in Stockholm, where it took first prize. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a boom in mobile urinalysis apps, as strange as that sounds?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/SOQzph6g0f8/

21 jump street illinois primary results acapulco mexico hines ward robert deniro mexico news the talented mr ripley

NESTA Master Personal Trainer Certification Licensed Individual ...

Whilst numerous sectors from the economic climate nonetheless battle ensuing to occupation cuts, the health and fitness certification business appears to be 1 from the vibrant lights from the US economic climate. Based on the U.S Bureau of Labor Figures, health and fitness associated work are anticipated to develop by nearly 25% within the yr 2020. The health and fitness business is shaping as much as be 1 from the most popular industries within this tepid economic climate. Nevertheless, most health and fitness work would require a certification. The Nationwide Physical exercise & Sports trainers Association (NESTA) http://www.nestacertified.com/master-personal-trainer/ is helping health and fitness trainer certification enthusiast take up personal trainer work within the health and fitness business through its online personal health and fitness trainer certification program.

If you are looking for a career where you can always find occupation openings, help others live better lives, and enjoy personal and financial fulfillment, working as a personal trainer is a terrific choice, said John Spencer Ellis, founder of NESTA Master Personal Trainer Certification and John Spencer Ellis Enterprises, a health and fitness and personal development solutions company. And NESTA?s self-paced online personal trainer certification makes it easier and more convenient for you to get the training you need to succeed within the business today.

NESTA's certified personal health and fitness trainer certification is accredited by both the Nationwide Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and maintains full Nationwide Board of Health and fitness Examiners (NBFE) affiliation status. It is accepted by major gyms and health and fitness clubs and thus increases the chances of getting a personal trainer occupation. The certification course also combines personal health and fitness training with steps to achieve success as a personal trainer. Students from the certification program will be taught how to design effective and efficient programs that will yield fast results for their clients, strategies on how to succeed as a personal trainer, how to easily start their personal training career, how to get referrals and keep their business growing and lots more.

The certification is completely online and all materials including books, audios, training videos will be delivered online. The course is also self paced allowing for convenience. As against other certification programs that are valid for 2 years, NESTA's certified personal health and fitness trainer certification is valid for 4 years allowing health and fitness professionals save money.

About the NESTA Master Personal Trainer Certification

The Nationwide Physical exercise & Sports Trainers Association was established in 1992 to provide innovative solutions for health and fitness, nutrition and wellness professionals, as well as club owners. For more information on the NESTA Personal Health and fitness Trainer certification, please visit http://www.nestacertified.com/master-personal-trainer/

NESTA Master Personal Trainer Certification

30245 Tomas

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

cs@nestacertified.com

949-589-9166

Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/nesta-master-personal-trainer-certification-licensed-individual-health-and-fitness-coach-program

Dancing With The Stars All Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt space shuttle Torrey Smith Brother fiona apple awkward awkward

Researchers find controlling element of Huntington's disease

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Huntington's disease, also known as Huntington's chorea, is a hereditary brain disease causing movement disorders and dementia. In Germany, there are about 8,000 patients affected by Huntington's disease, with several hundred new cases arising every year. The disease usually manifests between the ages of 35 and 50. To date, it is incurable and inevitably leads to death. It is caused by a specific genetic defect: In the patient's DNA, which is the carrier of genetic information, there are multiple copies of a certain motif. "Repeats like this are also found in healthy people. However, in cases of Huntington's disease, these sequences are longer than usual," explains Dr. Sybille Krauss from the DZNE in Bonn.

The long DNA sequences in Huntington's disease lead to changes in a certain protein called "Huntingtin". The DNA is like an archive of blueprints for proteins. Errors in the DNA therefore result in defective proteins. "Huntingtin is essential for the organism's survival. It is a multi-talent which is important for many processes," emphasises Krauss. "If the protein is defective, brain cells may die."

In the spotlight: protein synthesis

In the current study, the scientists around Sybille Krauss and the Mainz-based human geneticist Susann Schweiger took a closer look at a critical stage of protein production ? translation. At this step, a copy of the DNA, the so-called messenger RNA, is processed by the cell's protein factories. In patients with Huntington's disease, the messenger RNA contains an unusually high number of consecutive CAG sequences ? CAG representing the building plan for the amino acid glutamine.

These repetitive sequences have a direct consequence: more glutamine than normal is built into Huntingtin, which is therefore defective. Sybille Krauss and her colleagues have now identified a group of three molecules, which regulate the production of this protein. "We were able to show that this complex binds to the messenger RNA and controls the synthesis of defective Huntingtin," says Krauss. When the scientists reduced the concentration of this so-called MID1 complex in the cell, production of the defective protein declined.

"If we could find a way of influencing this complex, for example with pharmaceuticals, it is quite possible that we could directly affect the production of defective Huntingtin. This kind of treatment would not just treat the symptoms but also the causes of Huntington's disease," says Krauss.

Background:

Three molecules come together

The complex consists of MID1, from which it gets its name, and the proteins PP2Ac and S6K. "Every single one of these proteins is known to be important for translation. We have discovered that in the specific case of Huntington's disease, they together bind to the CAG sequences. This was previously unknown. We also found that binding increases with repeat lengths," says Krauss. "In sequences of normal length, we found only weak binding or none at all."

The Bonn-based molecular biologist and her colleagues investigated the effect of the MID1 complex and the interaction between its components in a series of elaborate laboratory experiments. "This project took several years of research work," says Krauss. Along with biochemical procedures, the scientists used cell cultures and analysed proteins from the brains of mice. The mice's genetic code had been modified in such a way that it contained elongated CAG-repeats as it is typical for Huntington's disease.

From previous studies it was already known that the protein MID1 tends to bind messenger RNAs. The scientists were now able to show that MID1 also attaches to messenger RNAs with excessively long CAG sequences. Furthermore, experiments showed that PP2Ac and S6K also bound the RNA in the presence of MID1. However, if the MID1 was depleted, this binding did not occur. "From this, we can conclude that these three proteins form a molecular complex, which binds to the RNA. MID1 is a key component. It actually seems to keep together its binding partners," Krauss comments on the results of the experiments.

Complex controls protein production

The researchers were also able to prove that the MID1 complex controls the translation of RNA with excessively long CAG sequences. For this, they investigated various cell cultures. The cells produced either normal Huntingtin or ? due to excessively long sequences in their DNA ? a defective version of this protein. The scientists reduced the occurrence of MID1 inside the cells using a procedure known as "knock-down". The elimination of this protein, which is a major part of the MID1 complex, had direct consequences: the production of defective Huntingtin declined. "However, it did not affect the production of normal Huntingtin," emphazises Krauss. "This further proves that the MID1 complex specifically targets RNAs with excessively long CAG sequences."

Highly specific

The Bonn-based molecular biologist sees this specific influence as a chance to treat Huntington's disease: "The MID1 complex is a promising target for therapy. It indicates a possibility to suppress the production of defective Huntingtin only, while not affecting the production of normal Huntingtin. This is of particular significance, because the normal protein is also being produced in the patients' bodies and it is important for the organism."

A suitable active substance has yet to be found, says Krauss. However, the next developments are in sight: "We now want to test potential substances in the laboratory," she says.

###

"Translation of HTT mRNA with expanded CAG repeats is regulated by the MID1-PP2A protein complex", Sybille Krau?, Nadine Griesche, Ewa Jastrzebska, Changwei Chen, D?siree Rutschow, Clemens Achm?ller, Stephanie Dorn, Sylvia M. Boesch, Maciej Lalowski, Erich Wanker, Rainer Schneider, Susann Schweiger, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2514.

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres: http://www.helmholtz.de/en/index.html

Thanks to Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 33 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127034/Researchers_find_controlling_element_of_Huntington_s_disease

fox 8 news indy 500 angelina jolie leg daytona artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

How Can I Massage My Penis To Make It Longer And Harder ...

It is common for men to have curve penis. Fact is, not all men have straight one. The majority of men suffers this problem in silence. Men are only self-conscious to talk about this, even professionals. Only in most extreme situation would they look for physician's advice. Normally in most extreme cases only.

Penis massaging with the right techniques may benefit you in several ways to enhance male sex performance for a better relationship. Also, it increases men's confidence. Male is always concerned about the size of their genitals and often want to have a longer, firmer, and bigger erections for much bed performance.

Massage may help in every way to satisfy your wants. Aside from this, it promotes better hormonal activities and offers self-esteem to make that makes him a good lover. Massage must be done with proper lubricants which is a kind of penis massage oil like Overnight Oil of men. This massage oil has herbal ingredients that are not just effective but safe as well.

The herbs prevent in the overnight oil offers the needed support for nutrition in the long run. It improves good functioning of penile veins and herbs. It allows blood flow toward the male genitals resulting in a stronger erection to have longer erections.

You can find a couple of things to do. Low cost means to use manual exercise. This can be done in your home and does not need any kind of special equipment's. Bummer is it needs dedication and time to ensure you do the exercise well so you may get the best result you want. At times there are medications that could help too. However, if you consider regular pills, it may bring you harm.

One good and possibly the finest way is massage and exercise. These are proven to help the penis are straight again by correcting the curvature. Massage can also help you to have proper circulation blood. Penile massage is approved since it really works well. It is safe and easy to do you only need time for it.

You must apply lubricant though, like penis massage oil (Mast Mood Oil or Overnight Oil) when you do the massage. It is 100% safe and gives you a warm feeling. It is proven to enlarge tissues too. Overnight oil is a product of an option for people who needs a hard erections, ultimate pleasure, intense orgasm and excitement during lovemaking.

Read aboutSmall Penis Weak Erection Treatment. Also knowPenis Massage Oil.

Source: http://www.articleswide.com/article/18035-How_Can_I_Massage_My_Penis_To_Make_It_Longer_And_Harder.html

michael kidd gilchrist national championship calipari national archives brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks

Mu Alpha Theta honor society expands to Middlesex Community ...

Middlesex Community College is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Middletown Press. Brad M. Horrigan. 04.23.07.

MIDDLETOWN >> An honors society celebrating excellence in mathematics in high school and two-year-college students has expanded to Middlesex Community College.

Mu Alpha Theta will welcome seven new members from the school, representing the first chapter at a two-year college in all of New England.

There are currently chapters at 18 high schools throughout Connecticut, as well as chapters at high schools and two-year colleges throughout the country. Mu Alpha Theta gives the $2,500 Kalin Award, named for a former society president, to outstanding students each year at its society?s national convention.

Students who are passionate about math now have an opportunity to join the new Middlesex Community College math honor society, according to a statement from the college.?

To be eligible for induction, students must have at least one mathematics course at or above the college levels in algebra or pre-calculus, as well as an overall GPA of 3.0.? High school students who are in Mu Alpha Theta can transfer their memberships to Middlesex Community College, the school said.

The addition of Mu Alpha Theta to Middlesex Community College coincides with the college moving towards a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

?This new chapter of Mu Alpha Theta plays a key role in encouraging our students to tap their dormant skills in math by participating in profound math discussions and fun contests,? said Mary Rayappan, assistant professor of mathematics, who oversaw the process to bring Mu Alpha Theta to the college with the help of students from the Math Club. ?This will cultivate a sense of community bonding where students can come together to appreciate math. Students will also donate their time in the community through different outreach activities and several fun group events this semester.?

The Middlesex Community College Mu Alpha Theta members are Andrew Kenyon, Max MacNaught, Florian Orleanu, Luis Serazo, Ritu Mehra, Vincent Marotta and Liron Rogof. Students will be formally inducted into the honor society on Pi Day, which is celebrated on March 14 around the world.

Mu Alpha Theta has 93,300 student members in more than 1,950 schools. The organization is dedicated to inspiring a keen interest in mathematics, developing strong scholarship in the subject, and promoting the enjoyment of mathematics in high school and two-year-college students. For more information, visit www.mualphatheta.org.

Source: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2013/02/25/news/doc512c015b5e3d4472488865.txt

daylight savings sandy Time Change 2012 Marcus Lattimore news 12 world series giants

Police and firefighters at higher risk for mental disorders following traumatic events

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Police, firefighters and other protective services workers who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events and are new to their profession are at greater risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers also found that protective services workers do not appear to have a higher prevalence of mental health problems than workers in other occupations.

The study results are featured in the February 2013 issue of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.

"Our findings suggest that exposure to diverse types of traumatic events among protective services workers is a risk factor for new onset of psychopathology and alcohol use disorders," said Christopher N. Kaufmann, MHS, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health. "When we examined the relationship of exposure to common traumas with the development of mood, anxiety and alcohol use disorders among protective services workers, we found that these workers were at greater risk for developing a mood or alcohol use disorder. Interestingly, this relationship was not seen in those who had been in these jobs for a longer period, but was strong and statistically significant in workers who recently joined the profession. Developing curricula in coping skills and providing timely interventions for early career protective services workers may help reduce future psychiatric morbidity in these workers."

Using data from the U.S National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions researchers compared the prevalence of mental disorders of protective services workers to that of adults in other occupations. In addition, they examined the association of exposure to common traumatic experiences with the development of new mood, anxiety and alcohol use disorders among protective services workers who recently joined the workforce and those who had been in these jobs for a longer period. Lifetime and recent trauma events most commonly reported by protective services workers included: seeing someone badly injured or killed; unexpectedly seeing a dead body; having someone close die unexpectedly and having someone close experience a serious or life-threatening illness, accident or injury.

"The association between the number of different traumatic event types and incident mood and alcohol-use disorders, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, was virtually confined to the group of early career protective services workers," said Ramin Mojtabai, MD, PhD, MPH, senior author of the study and an associate professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health. "Future research should examine the coping skills of protective services workers who have been in these jobs for many years, which might make them less likely to develop psychiatric complications in the face of various potentially traumatic experiences."

The authors note, "Special support programs and services for these early career workers can potentially help to prevent development of chronic psychopathology and attrition from these critical jobs."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. C. N. Kaufmann, L. Rutkow, A. P. Spira, R. Mojtabai. Mental Health of Protective Services Workers: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2012; DOI: 10.1001/dmp.2012.55

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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/WSK0dd0C2xI/130226141256.htm

Breezy Point Seaside Heights nj transit PSEG hocus pocus hocus pocus mta schedule

Maple Lake Drivers: Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car | Maple Lake ...

Your browser does not support video

Let?s talk about air quality in Maple Lake. It?s a global issue, but affects us wherever we are. Many decades ago, we began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming on most new sedans in Maple Lake. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that?s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies in Maple Lake, this is very good news. Your car can be a haven during your Maple Lake commute.

Maple Lake Drivers: Get Fresh Air Inside Your CarNow, it?s only been in the last few years that cabin air filters have become common. You can look in your owner?s manual to see if you have one. If you do, there?ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live in an area of Maple Lake where there?s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often.

You can also ask your service advisor at Maple Lake Automotive Repair in Maple Lake. How hard is it to change an air filter on a car? It depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They?re usually in the engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some Maple Lake people haven?t heard of them ? even people who have cabin air filters in their sedan. Maple Lake Automotive Repair service advisors have discovered that many Maple Lake customers who complained about an unpleasant odor in their sedan simply had a dirty cabin air filter.

This entry was posted in Cabin Air Filter. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.maplelakeautomotiverepair.com/maplelake/maple-lake-drivers-get-fresh-air-inside-your-car

virginia beach crash stephen hawking marion barry virginia beach jet crash ridiculously photogenic guy amanda bynes dui ghost ship

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Protecting fish from antidepressants by using new wastewater treatment technique

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a new technique to prevent pharmaceutical residues from entering waterways and harming wildlife.

The new water treatment technology -- called membrane distallation -- separates drug residues from sewage with the help of district heating, says Andrew Martin, a professor at KTH's Institute of Energy Technology who worked on the development project with IVL and Scarab Development AB.

Martin says that water vapor passes through a thin, hydrophobic membrane of material similar to Goretex, and through an air gap, where it condensed onto a cold surface. Drug residues collect on one side of the membrane and pure water on the other.

"There is currently no technology capable of doing this cleaning process on a large scale," Martin says. "And for the membrane distillation process to work, the water temperature does not need to be very high, which is good."

Pharmaceutical residues in wastewater have been found to alter fish behavior and could even affect the growth of algae. A recent study at Sweden's Ume? University shows even low levels of Oxazepam detected in the Fyris River, in central Sweden, caused perch to become more antisocial, risk prone and active, making them an easier target for predators such as pike. The study measured levels of Oxazepam found in the perch, which were six times higher than in the water itself.

The study also indicated that the release of anti-anxiety drugs can affect entire ecosystems in a waterway, possibly contributing to an increases or decreases in the incidence of algae.

In a test of the membrane distillation technique at Hammarby Sj?stadsverket in Sweden, researchers found a level of 282 nanograms of Oxazepam per litre of wastewater. After ordinary treatment, that level of pharmaceuticals would essentially remain unchanged when the water is returned to the local waterway. But when treated with the membrane distillation system, the concentration was reduced to less than 2 nanograms per litre.

"Of all the 20th century-tested drugs, it is only the remains of the antidepressant Sertraline that we failed to clear 100 percent," Martin says. "We have some theories, but cannot yet explain why."

Martin and his colleagues are now awaiting results from the next step in the evolution of the technique. They are testing membrane distillation with drug residue levels that are nearly 10 times higher. "These samples are out for analysis right now," he says.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by KTH The Royal Institute of Technology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/fs6za3HLe-8/130226081157.htm

Taylor Swift Red Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock d

Pierce lifts road-weary Celtics over Jazz in OT

(AP) ? The Boston Celtics weren't too tired after playing five games in seven days back and forth across time zones.

They had enough left to play overtime to close out a long Western road trip, beating the Utah Jazz 110-107 on Monday night.

Thirty-five-year-old Paul Pierce led Boston with 26 points, including seven straight in the extra session.

"It was huge," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Whatever that was, it was the best win of the year for me. . To go into overtime and still have enough to win."

It wasn't just the ageless Pierce. Kevin Garnett, three months shy of his 37th birthday, stood strong at the end, refusing to let Rivers sub him out by insisting, "I am good."

Rivers didn't believe that, "but I kept him in and he was terrific."

Garnett had four points in overtime on 2-of-2 shooting, with three rebounds. He finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, a blocked shot and steal.

The Celtics also got a big game from Avery Bradley, who scored a season-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Pierce had a chance to win it in regulation, but his 19-footer at the buzzer rimmed out.

Alec Burks' reverse layup pulled Utah to 108-105 with 37 seconds left in overtime. Garnett's banked 3-pointer with 13 seconds left came after the shot clock expired, giving the Jazz another chance.

Paul Millsap was fouled before he could get off a 3, but made two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Courtney Lee added two free throws at the other end with 1.2 seconds left to bump Boston's lead back to three, and Randy Foye's 26-footer at the buzzer missed everything.

It was another one the Jazz let get away, though Monday's game had huge swings both ways from start to finish.

Overall, the game had 13 lead changes and was tied 17 times.

"We were in position," said Jazz forward Marvin Williams. "We fought back in the fourth quarter to force overtime but Boston just made big plays down the stretch."

Gordon Hayward led Utah with 26 points, Millsap had 16 and Al Jefferson finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Celtics (30-27) were playing their fifth game in seven days, but didn't seem to care down the stretch.

The Jazz (31-26) led 101-99 in overtime on DeMarre Carroll's 21-footer, but Pierce countered with a 3-pointer, then followed with a pull-up jumper over Carroll and a 15-footer to give the Celtics a 106-101 edge with 1:12 left.

Jefferson hit a 15-footer with 1:05 left to get Utah within 106-103, but Garnett's jumper helped seal it.

"We knew this was probably going to be the toughest game for us physically and mentally," Pierce said. "Talking about a long road trip, coming in to one of the toughest places to play. We felt we could salvage this trip with a win here. So guys did a good job of just being mentally tough, digging in and doing what we had to do to get the win."

The Celtics, who went 2-3 on the trip, also were smart down the stretch, fouling with fouls to give and finding a wide-open Lee on the inbounds pass when the Jazz needed a late steal in overtime. His free throws provided the final margin.

The Jazz trailed by eight entering the fourth but opened on a 13-2 run.

Jefferson's 10-foot turnaround jumper over Brandon Bass tied it at 93 with 2:46 left in regulation.

Pierce hit an 18-footer with Carroll diving at him for a 97-95 Boston lead with 36 seconds remaining in regulation, only to see Burks tie it with a tough layup with 19 seconds left.

"We wanted to win in regulation," Pierce said. "It would have felt better just to get a stop when we needed it. That's what we need to get better at. We didn't do it in Portland. We didn't do it tonight. That's what we need to start focusing on. When we get the lead and we need crucial stops, we have to figure out how to get them."

The game took a 16-point swing in the third, as Boston trailed 58-50 only to counter with a 20-4 run and lead 80-72 entering the fourth.

Pierce ignited the run with a 3-pointer, Bradley hit two more 3s and Lee added a dunk after a steal and another 3-pointer. Pierce capped the run with a jumper over Hayward for a 70-62 Boston lead.

The Celtics hit 6 of 13 3-pointers in the 32-point third quarter, while Utah made just 5 of 16 from the field.

It was the same story as Saturday, when the Jazz fought back early only to see the Los Angeles Clippers go on a 23-4 run and douse any hopes.

A Jazz team that had won three straight and seven of 10 has now dropped two in a row.

While Hayward showed he is recovered from a right shoulder injury despite missing a pair of shots in overtime, the Jazz still need point guard Mo Williams back from a thumb injury.

Monday, Earl Watson started over Jamaal Tinsley, but Burks ended up playing the position during Utah's big second-quarter run.

Pierce said Boston reverted to various defenses to slow the Jazz.

"We did a lot of zone, did a lot of man and tried to force turnovers," Pierce said. "That's what we have to do. A lot of times we had to go to small because they had plenty of size and they rebound well. We just junked up the game a little bit by changing our defense."

It may have been junk, but it was a win nonetheless.

"We have champions," said guard Jason Terry, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and two assists off the bench for Boston.

"When you have champions that have been through so many tough games as we have, then you know you're in good hands. For us, we hang our hat on executing down the stretch."

NOTES; Jazz F Derrick Favors picked up his third foul with 9:06 left in the second quarter. . Jazz G Foye needed four 3-pointers to tie Mehmet Okur (129, 2006-07) for the franchise single-season record. Foye went 0-5 Saturday but hit his first Monday and finished 2 of 6. . Bradley started 5 of 5 and had 10 points in six minutes for Boston, while Millsap started 4 of 4 for Utah. . The Jazz led 53-48 at halftime.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-26-Celtics-Jazz/id-4b9bd71341154dd2931541011ec2b2f2

hcg drops reason rally mad hatter azerbaijan ryan howard ps i love you ray charles

The Onion apologizes for offensive Quvenzhan? Wallis tweet

Frederic J. Brown / AFP - Getty Images

Best actress nominee 9-year-old Quvenzhan? Wallis is carrying a puppy purse, which she has shown off on a few red carpets.

By Wilson Rothman

Not all humor is for everyone (just read reviews of Seth MacFarlane's Oscar night hosting job), but some jokes cause everyone to agree that a line has been crossed. Such was the case Sunday night when, for nearly an hour, a tweet by the Onion applied the c-word to 9-year-old "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star?Quvenzhan? Wallis. On Monday, The Onion CEO?Steve Hannah apologized and promised disciplinary action for "those individuals responsible."

Here's the bulk of Hannah's message, posted on Facebook and on the satire news site:

On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhan? Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars. It was crude and offensive ? not to mention inconsistent with The Onion?s commitment to parody and satire, however biting.

No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire.

The tweet was taken down within an hour of publication. We have instituted new and tighter Twitter procedures to ensure that this kind of mistake does not occur again.

In addition, we are taking immediate steps to discipline those individuals responsible.

Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry.

It's key that Hannah says the attempted joke was "inconsistent with The Onion's commitment to parody and satire." This is a group that has deftly responded to the country's worst tragedies with humor that helps us cope, from 9/11 ("Hugging Up 76,000 Percent"; "U.S. Vows to Defeat Whoever It Is We're At War With") to the Sandy Hook massacre ("F*** Everything, Nation Reports ... Just F*** It All To Hell").

While it wasn't the first time that The Onion's Twitter feed landed it in hot water, the crass, throwaway tweet about an amazing little actress didn't just seem in poor taste, but not very Onion-y at all.

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science?editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.

?

Source: http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2013/02/25/17088491-the-onion-apologizes-for-offensive-quvenzhan-wallis-tweet?lite

pregnant man outside lands 2012 lineup beloved ufc results water for elephants old school nick swisher

Blood Sports

Rescue workers attend to the injured in the stands following a last-lap incident. Rescue workers attend to the injured in the stands following a last-lap incident Saturday during the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300 race in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Photo by Pierre Ducharme/Reuters.

Twenty-eight spectators were injured at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, the day before the Daytona 500, after a 12-car pileup sent a car into the stands. Is car racing the most dangerous sport for spectators?

No. Attending car races has its risks, but most people who die or suffer injuries at professional car races are drivers and field marshals. According to a study by the Charlotte Observer, 46 spectators died at motorsport events between 1990 and 2010, though none of these deaths occurred at a NASCAR race. A few NASCAR crashes have injured spectators, including a 1987 Talladega accident in which debris from Bobby Allison?s car flew into the grandstand and a 2009 Talladega accident in which Carl Edwards? car flipped into the catch fence. The worst motorsport crash in history occurred at the 24-hour Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency in Le Mans in 1955; after 83 spectators died in that crash, better safety measures were adopted throughout motorsports.

The number of spectator deaths at racing events pales in comparison with the number of spectator deaths at soccer games. No comprehensive data on worldwide soccer injuries and deaths exists, but it?s clear that thousands of people have died at soccer games. Many of these deaths were a result of unsafe stadium conditions. For instance, in 1985, 56 people died in a fire at a soccer game in Bradford, England; the wooden Valley Parade stadium hadn?t been significantly updated in design since 1908, and litter had been allowed to build up under the stands. Many British and European stadiums also used to include terraces, or standing-room sections; after a crush that killed 96 people in Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England, in 1989, England?s stadiums replaced terraces with seating areas to prevent dangerous overcrowding. Other soccer spectator deaths are a result of violence; last year, 79 people died in a riot following a soccer match at Port Said Stadium in Egypt.

Crowd violence is less of a problem at American sporting events (although behavior by Philadelphia Eagles fans became so rowdy in the 1990s that the city instituted an ad hoc court known as ?Eagles Court? at Veterans Stadium in 1998). However, many American baseball and hockey fans have been injured or killed by balls and pucks. As of 2007, 61 baseball spectators had died after being hit by balls or bats (though most of these deaths occurred at amateur games), and 15 had died from falling from the stands. Only one spectator has been killed by a puck at an NHL game; in 2002, a 13-year-old girl died after being struck in the temple at a Columbus Blue Jackets game in Ohio. Following that incident, the NHL implemented netting over the end of each rink to prevent stray pucks from hitting spectators.

Got a question about today?s news??Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Tim Ashwell of the University of New Hampshire; Richard O. Davies of the University of Nevada, Reno; and Dave Zirin of Edge of Sports.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b1157e758f7fd6423e0c74617eeacd6a

Joseph Gordon-Levitt space shuttle Torrey Smith Brother fiona apple awkward awkward CJ Spiller

Elephant Seals Help Find Missing Piece in Global Climate Puzzle

The tagged animals traveled to and took measurements from a fourth known source of bottom water, a crucial oceanic heat-sink


elephant seal Southern elephant seals fitted with satellite-linked instruments similar to the one above helped oceanographers map deep currents off Antarctica. Image: Flickr/Census of Marine Life E&O

By tracking the voyages of elephant seals off Antarctica, and with the help of satellite imaging and undersea sensors, researchers have discovered a long-elusive source for the deep-ocean streams of cold water that help to regulate the Earth's climate.

Antarctic bottom water (AABW) is cold, highly saline water that forms near the shores of Antarctica. Being denser than typical seawater, it sinks to the depths and then moves north in sluggish currents that spread across the globe.

Three sources of AABW were known until now. The first, in the Weddell Sea, was found in 1940; two others were found in the Ross Sea and along the Ad?lie Coast of East Antarctica in the 1960s and ?70s. But for years, researchers have suggested that these were not the only ones. In particular, water samples from an area called the Weddell Gyre contain atmospheric pollutants known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), indicating that the deep water came into contact with the air far too recently to have been carried there from one of the known AABW sinks.

Now, Kay Ohshima, a physical oceanographer at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, and his colleagues have traced that water to a fourth AABW source, in the Cape Darnley polynya. Their results are published today in Nature Geoscience.

Polynyas are regions of open water near sea ice that are kept from freezing by wind and currents that sweep newly formed ice away. Polynyas have relatively high salinity, because most of the salt in sea water is expelled as it freezes.

Armed with the hypothesis that the missing source might be such a polynya, the researchers used satellite sensors to hunt for polynya regions where ice formed particularly rapidly. When satellite data suggested that Cape Darnley might be a candidate, the researchers moored instruments on the seabed, hoping to spot the descending current. In addition, they relied on data from elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) tagged with instruments that monitor ocean conditions.

?The seals went to an area of the coastline that no ship was ever going to get to, particularly in the middle of winter,? says Guy Williams, a physical oceanographer at the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center in Hobart, Australia, and a co-author of the study.

The elephant seals confirmed the researchers' hunch. ?Several of the seals foraged on the continental slope as far down as 1,800 meters,? he says, ?punching through into a layer of this dense water cascading down to the abyss. They gave us very rare and valuable wintertime measurements of this process.?

The new finding fills a gap in researchers? understanding of the Southern Ocean?s role in global climate, ?including carbon dioxide, temperature, the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet and changes in sea level", says Richard Alley, a geophysicist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, who was not part of the study.

Still, Williams and Ohshima say that the Cape Darnley polynya represents, at most, about one-eighth of the world?s AABW, and that other, similar sources might remain to be discovered.

Michael Meredith, a polar oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK, who wrote an accompanying commentary on the study, says that if the total rate of AABW formation declines, the resulting changes in cold-water circulation could have important effects on global climate, letting the ocean depths warm and thereby changing the rate of heat exchange between Antarctica and the tropics. Moreover, he says, sea levels could rise ? owing to the fact that water expands as it warms ? and temperature changes could affect deep-sea ecosystems.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=27e4809eb420ea453bb89473a91d0402

Cabin Fever 2 Alexis Wright Zumba binder full of women Microsoft Surface Candy Crowley binders of women Alexis Wright

Monday, February 25, 2013

Ronda Rousey Makes UFC History

Source:

diaz vs condit super bowl 2012 kickoff time football score ron paul nevada buffalo chicken dip super bowl 2012 soul train

Forum on standardized tests set ? Local News ? Press-Republican

February 24, 2013

Forum on standardized tests set

SARANAC LAKE ? Standardized tests have become as much a part of elementary school as recess and reading.

But questions have been raised about how the widespread, state-administered tests affect children and the way they?re taught.

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Petrova Parents Club will sponsor an informational forum to help people understand the impact standardized testing has on the educational experience.

The forum will be held in the Petrova Elementary School auditorium.

?Mandatory testing has reshaped the educational landscape,? Petrova Parents Club President Zoe Smith said in a news release. ?Every spring, students and teachers spend hours and hours preparing for them. Student scores are a fundamental part of teacher evaluations, and the testing represents a significant expense to districts. But we find parents are generally in the dark about what it all means, which is why we?re hosting this event.?

Get answers to questions, such as:?What are children being tested for??How are the results used by the state, the Saranac Lake School District and the federal government??What testing is mandatory ? and who requires what?

The forum will feature a panel discussion with two elementary-school principals, a pair of fifth-grade teachers and representatives from BOCES, the Saranac Lake Teachers Association and Saranac Lake Central School District Superintendent Gerald Goldman.

Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio will moderate the discussion and audience questions.

The forum is free and open to the public.

Copyright 2013 Press-Republican. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x1503757613/Forum-on-standardized-tests-set

elon musk fox mole manson bubba watson recent earthquakes fbi most wanted list stuttering

Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars (for iPad)


As a comprehensive travel searching and booking service, Orbitz has traditionally been my first stop online anytime I need to investigate the cost of a car rental, explore the best possible dates to take a summer holiday, or find a last-minute flight during a family emergency. On the iPad, however, Orbitz is only just now catching up to its competitors, finally extending its Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars iPhone app to the full sized tablet. (Previously, Orbitz's only dedicated iPad app offered search and booking for hotel rooms only.) Officially called Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars (free), the app centralizes your ability to search for and pay upfront for reservations in all three categories invoked in the name. The app works quickly and fairly well, but not with quite as much finesse and fun as Kayak PRO iPad app (99 cents, 4.5 stars), our Editors' Choice among travel search and booking apps on the iPad, and the competitor that Orbitz should watch most closely.

Orbitz's app is more than fine?and similar to Kayak's in many ways?but a few interface choices and lack of features make it pale slightly in comparison. For example, the Orbitz iPad app doesn't let you explore places to travel based on the best price you can find all year long, as Kayak's iPad app does. Nor can you find the status of a flight that you need to track as easily as you can on Kayak's app. The one major advantage to using Orbitz is the company's price assurance, which isn't specific to the iPad at all.

Searching and Booking Flights, Hotels, Cars
Orbitz's iPad app pits the trinity of travel search across the top of the screen with three main icons for hotels, flights, and car rentals. While on the full Orbitz website you can search for all three reservations in one fell swoop, they're kept separate in the iPad app. Kayak similarly keeps the searches separate, although it displays the options along the left rail, which results in a slightly cleaner and simpler design, in my opinion.

You can jump among the three sections easily enough, and, when you do, Orbitz remembers your most previous dates and cities, and it auto-fills them into the search criteria.

The flight search appears to support one-way, round-trip, and multi-city journeys, although that last one is a farce. Click the multi-city option, and Orbitz will tell you to go to its full website instead. Kayak's iPad app, meanwhile, fully supports multi-city journeys. Two other options from the primary flight search area let you select the number of travelers (and say whether they are adults, children, infants, etc.) and choose between economy, business, and first class fares.

The search results appear quickly, with a left panel showing a running list of flight option summaries, with filters and sorting tools accessible at the top. The main area of the screen, however, doesn't fill in until you select one of the possibilities. That blank area doesn't exactly draw you into the possibilities. When you do tap a summary to see more details, the use of space again feels very unbalanced, and the resulting information, when affiliated with a round-trip search, doesn't even show all the information?it only gives you the outbound details. The reason: Orbitz lets you choose your outbound and inbound legs separately, which on the one hand gives you more flexibility in deciding exactly the flights you want, but on the other hand can drastically change the price you initially saw in the summary based on which return flight you choose.

Once you have your flights picked, you're only one tap away from a payment page, which gets the app back on track to being a convenient and efficient tool for travelers.

Two more sections, a flight tracker and "my trips" section, which shows upcoming travel when you're logged in with an Orbitz account, give the app even more utility, although the flight tracker needs to be more search-friendly. You can only search by airline and flight number, whereas often, people only know the time of the flight and departure/arrival cities. Kayak's app has the additional search options, as well as the ability to save flight-tracking for multiple flights, which is especially helpful for frequent travelers or small business owners who need to watch the status of multiple employees' flights.

The hotel section and results page work much in the same manner as the flights, with appropriate filters to help you narrow down your options. One filter called "areas" puts a much more user-friendly spin on the "distance" filter found in Kayak. Orbitz lets you choose by neighborhood name or district, which makes sense if you're perhaps looking for a hotel in Oakland, California, but need to be near the UC Berkeley campus (just choose "Berkeley, Emeryville").

Hotel photos, ratings, and amenities are all easy to find in Orbitz's app. An interactive map likewise makes it simple to see where a hotel is situated. Neither Orbitz nor Kayak includes in its hotel search results alternative accommodations, such as private house rentals or apartment for let on a daily or weekly basis. For those options, try Hipmunk iPad app (free, 3.5 stars), which also has some really interesting filter options for hotels, like proximity to nightlife and being in a pedestrian-friendly area.

Searching for car rentals in Orbitz's iPad is straightforward, too, and one helpful feature is how it displays comparisons from one select provider. Select any search results, and a preview window shows additional cars from the company, such as mid-sized sedan or SUV, and how much extra it will cost to get that option. In this context, seeing not the total price but how much more makes sense.

Oddities and Lack of Extras
One area where Orbitz could really improve its iPad app would be to add some additional exploratory features, something that gives armchair travelers a reason to launch it. Currently, the app is very utilitarian, whereas Kayak includes an entire section dedicated solely to exploring cheap flights anywhere around the world from any starting destination. Given that Orbitz's full website includes loads of other travel ideas and deals, like vacation packages and cruises, Orbitz could and should leverage that content in the app to make it more fun. It would play well to the platform's surfing and entertainment uses, to be sure.

Orbitz is clearly still new to the tablet app space and needs to clean up the experience a little bit. Some of its most basic functionality and layout choices just seem off. For example, what appears to be a "profile" button (the silhouette of a head and shoulders) turns out to be a logout button.

Choose Orbitz for its Additional Services, Not for its App Design
Orbitz's strength remains its ability to help you not only search for, but also pay for, flights, hotel stays, and rental cars. And its price assurance policy is the second leg that keeps Orbitz upright. While Kayak has been adding the ability to pay for bookings as of late, it traditionally was just a search site, and thus doesn't have a reputation for providing a soup-to-nuts experience, which Orbitz does. Customer reputation goes a long way in the travel industry.

If you're an Orbitz customer and time permits, work through your search criteria on Kayak before buying on Orbitz. Chances are the reservation will be offered from Orbitz via Kayak, which means you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by starting on Kayak, our Editors' Choice for iPad travel search and booking apps.

More iPad App Reviews:
??? Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars (for iPad)
??? Kayak PRO (for iPad)
??? TurboTax for iPad
??? H&R Block for iPad
??? TaxACT Deluxe Tablet App (for iPad)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/bgBwQmwAUdM/0,2817,2415865,00.asp

stan musial Mega 49ers lance armstrong Earl Weaver Inauguration Schedule barack obama

Les Nipplerables? Hathaway's dress draws attention

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

A little too suggestive? Actress Anne Hathaway arrives at the Oscars on Feb. 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California.

By Rina Raphael, TODAY

Is it getting chilly in L.A.?

Anne Hathaway's 2013 Oscars gown went viral the moment she stepped on the red carpet, but probably not for the reason she intended. The Best Supporting Actress nominee wore a pale pink Prada dress which featured rather, well, unfortunate darts.

"My mom says it's business in front, party in the back," Hathaway joked on the red carpet on Sunday.

(More like the other way around?)

Of course, it wasn't long before the unique dress was the talk of the Twitterverse, even inspiring a mock Twitter account (sample posts include: "I'm cold. Would anyone mind if Anne wore the red carpet?"). Others called the dress "perky," "Paltrow-esque" and "leaving little to the imagination," all things which can be viewed as either good ... or bad.

What do you think of Anne Hathaway's fashion choice? Are you a fan? Let us know!

See the styles Jessica Chastain and other stars wore on the red carpet at the 2013 red carpet.

More from TODAY:
'Argo,' Day-Lewis, Lawrence are winners on sluggish Oscar night
Who wore it best? Vote on the best Oscar looks

Helen Hunt opts for H&M on the red carpet
Oscar hair goes to extremes: Sideswept vs. windswept

What is the 'Vampire Facelift' in Oscar goody bag?

Getty Images, Reuters

Oscar nominees and presenters show off their stunning outfits as they arrive to celebrate the best movies of the year.

?

Source: http://thelook.today.com/_news/2013/02/24/17078768-les-nipplerables-hathaways-dress-draws-attention?lite

lost in space elizabeth banks battle royale key largo arnold palmer invitational ryan madson louisiana primary

'Silver Linings' leads Spirit Awards with 4 prizes

Producers Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon and actress Jennifer Lawrence accept the award for best feature for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Producers Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon and actress Jennifer Lawrence accept the award for best feature for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Actors Kyle MacLachlan, left, and Fred Armisen, center, present Helen Hunt with the award for best supporting female for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Actress Salma Hayek, left, presents John Hawkes with the award for best male lead for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Producers Bruce Cohen, left, Donna Gigliotti, and Jonathan Gordon, right, pose backstage with the award for best feature for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Director David O. Russell poses backstage with the awards for best director and best screenplay for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

(AP) ? The oddball romance "Silver Linings Playbook" was named best picture Saturday at the Spirit Awards honoring independent film, Hollywood's last pre-game show before the Academy Awards.

"Silver Linings Playbook" led with four wins, including best actress for Jennifer Lawrence and director and screenplay for David O. Russell.

Lawrence is the best-actress favorite at Sunday's Oscars for her role as a young widow in a shaky new relationship with a man fresh from a mental hospital.

"The Sessions" earned two acting prizes, for John Hawkes as a man in an iron lung hoping to lose his virginity and Helen Hunt as the sexual surrogate helping him through it.

The award for best supporting actor went to Matthew McConaughey as a flamboyant stripper in "Magic Mike."

In barely three years, Lawrence has risen from a relative unknown to superstar hero of "The Hunger Games" franchise and potential Oscar winner at just 22. Her quick ascent began with another Spirit Awards nominee, "Winter's Bone," which won the top honor at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and earned Lawrence her first Oscar nomination.

Lawrence said she loves independent film for the thrill of freezing with the crew in the middle of the night because they all believe in a story.

"That's why I do what I do. I love that feeling. I mean, I'd rather be warm," Lawrence said.

McConaughey, also a best-actor nominee at the Spirit Awards for "Killer Joe," is a Hollywood A-lister but a relative newcomer to key film awards.

"I had to take my pants off to win a trophy," McConaughey said, adding that five of his last six films were independent productions and the "most creative fun of my acting career, hands down."

Hunt, also nominated for supporting actress at the Oscars, was coy backstage about what she'll be doing before Hollywood's big night.

"I will be eating breakfast and getting dressed," Hunt said of her day at the Oscars, where she previously won as best actress for "As Good as It Gets." ''I don't have any plans, but I'm going to put a dress on."

"Silver Linings Playbook" filmmaker Russell noted that his initial trip to the Spirit Awards was 19 years ago, when he won the prize for best first film for "Spanking the Monkey."

His son Matthew, an inspiration for "Silver Linings" because of his battle with bipolar disorder, was a year old at the time, and was in the crowd to watch his father claim his awards.

"He gave me this movie, so I want to thank him, Matthew, for this movie," Russell said.

"Silver Linings Playbook" centers on the relationship between a man (Bradley Cooper) just out of a mental hospital and a young widow (Lawrence). The film is up for best picture at the Oscars, where Russell is nominated for adapted screenplay and director and Cooper and Lawrence are in the running for the lead-acting honors.

The film's producers said they had expected fellow Oscar best-picture nominee "Beasts of the Southern Wild" to win the top Spirit Award and that they have no expectations of winning the big prize at the Oscars, where Ben Affleck's CIA thriller "Argo" is the best-picture favorite.

But they gushed praise for filmmaker Russell.

"Your brilliance as a filmmaker is without peer. Your spirit of collaboration knows no bounds," said producer Jonathan Gordon.

Russell said backstage that he was thrilled to go the Oscars, or as he called it, the "World Series," but he also has no illusions about winning there.

"Thank God, Monday, I'm going back to work," Russell said. "That's how you avoid the postpartum depression."

Hawkes won the supporting-actor Spirit Award two years ago as Lawrence's co-star in "Winter's Bone," a role that also earned him an Oscar nomination. He missed out on an Oscar slot this time but said that independent film is a "big part of my life, and I'm really happy for that. ... 'The Sessions' is a truly independent film made for very little money and shot very quickly."

Austrian writer-director Michael Haneke's old-age love story "Amour" won for best international film, a possible prelude to the Oscars, where his film is the favorite to win the foreign-language prize and is nominated for best picture.

"I have the impression I am the oldest man in the room," the 70-year-old Haneke joked in a room filled with young filmmakers.

The ceremony was hosted by Adam Samberg at the awards' usual venue, a tent along the beach in Santa Monica just west of Los Angeles. It is presented by Film Independent, a group of filmmakers, industry professionals and cinema buffs. The show was aired later Saturday on IFC.

Among other winners:

? Best first film: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," from director Stephen Chbosky, who adapted the picture from his novel.

? First screenplay: "Safety Not Guaranteed," Derek Connolly.

? Cinematography: "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Ben Richardson.

? Documentary: "The Invisible War," directed by Kirby Dick.

? John Cassavetes Award for best film made for less than $500,000: "Middle of Nowhere," directed by Ava DuVernay.

___

AP Movie Writer Christy Lemire contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-23-US-Film-Spirit-Awards/id-8a38125eb6cd4eb792595607a4547ae0

ios 5.1 apple tv update new ipad release pregnant jessica simpson international womens day joe the plumber lra