সোমবার, ৭ জানুয়ারী, ২০১৩

Self-Help Information That You Can Definitely Benefit From ...

Taking time out to better yourself as a person should give you a real boost in life, and it will make you feel like you are in charge. In order to get you working hard on achieving your personal improvement goals, you need some good information to keep your spirits high. Here are a few suggestions and tips to help you maximize your potential right now.

Self improvement means you have to improve your health. A healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet, exercise and motivation. When your health is an important aspect of your lifestyle, it will lead to general overall well being and will help you feel good about yourself in every area of your life.

It is possible to handle difficult situations without allowing yourself to become overly emotional. Come up with methods that will help relieve your stress and remain calm when problems pop up. Make the time to stop and breathe.

TIP! Take a trip with a buddy to the movie theater as a method of conquering anxiety. This is a good way to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Choose one element of your life to focus on improving. Even though you may want to develop several of your personal characteristics, your chances of doing this successfully are greatly increased if you concentrate on enhancing them one by one. Such a process also facilitates lasting improvements to your attitude, because habits that are acquired gradually and deliberately are more likely to be permanent.

Memorize the habits that people who enjoy success tend to possess, and make them part of your routine. Pick out the most essential success habits from each person you research, then practice these habits until they embed themselves into your daily routine. It takes about 3 weeks to solidify any type of habit, so push through that first month.

TIP! When putting effort into your personal development, assign a high value to that which is the best. Value your personal best and make that important to your life.

Many people are unaware that diet can affect feelings of depression, as an increase in consumption of complex carbohydrates can help. Complex carbohydrates are essential to producing serotonin, which helps to lift your mood. Raw vegetables along with fresh fruits, whole grains and nuts are good sources of complex carbohydrates.

Each day should be an opportunity to top the previous day?s accomplishments. Steady, unending improvement should be your goal. In whatever you do, try to do it better than you ever have before.

Scrutinize your heart, soul and mind rather than being engrossed with your physical appearance. It makes no difference if you are the prettiest or wear the costliest designer clothes. It is your personality and character traits that are going to define who you are in life. It is therefore best to work on improving your internal self rather than wasting time and money on superficial improvements.

TIP! Keep your goals as realistic as possible so you can reach them. If you find what your weaknesses are, you can work to eliminate them and become a better person.

People should not be afraid to investigate professional therapy to deal with serious problems. Though self-help books and online resources are great, they typically will not offer as much as a one-on-one therapy session can. Sometimes, talk therapy can help you discover a breakthrough. A self-help book simply cannot provide the human interaction afforded by a therapist or counselor.

Give your energy to the things that are most important in your life. The key to attaining inner peace is knowing what really matters and finding the good in what you have.

You need to be both modest and wise to get ahead. Learn from the situations that you face each day, and be sure you realize that there are things in your life that you cannot change. Use modesty to work within your given limits. You will also need wisdom to keep your past mistakes from straying into your future.

TIP! A huge factor in personal development is simply being aware of the things you want to achieve in your life and how you intend on reaching that goal. You can plan more effectively and enjoy a more accurate perspective on personal development when you have set long-term goals.

You can boost your personal development by being selfless. It might be hard at first, but do your best to make sacrifices and help others. When you can decide to make a sacrifice that will help another person, and it doesn?t end up jeopardizing your well being, then you will become the person you?ve been searching for.

Pick out what you wish to do in life and go do it. Daydreaming about an ideal life is not going to take you anywhere. It is time to take action toward realizing your dreams.

Eliminate all unnecessary sources of stress in your life. Stress is a cycle; when you over-react to a stressful situation, it only causes further stress. Realize that you are going to encounter problems from time to time when trying to reach a goal. Rather than allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by these setbacks, try to discover creative ways to prevail over them.

TIP! It is important to treat your body well and listen to its signals. When you body is letting you know that you need food or a drink, you need to listen! Doing this will make your body treat you better in the future.

Do not give any situation more thought, or attention than it deserves. When you learn how to cope with stress, you will carefully consider options and calmly handle problems stress free. If you screw up, you can probably fix it, or at least find a way to minimize the damage. Do not focus on what you may have lost, but look at what is to come in life. Think positively.

If you want to improve yourself, set some goals first. For instance, if one of your goals is to gain confidence, include that in your list. Next, analyze each goal one by one and decide how you can change yourself to meet those goals. Afterwards, you can try to make these things happen. By methodically tackling it, you have a higher chance of success.

The condition in which you keep your body can significantly impact your mental state. Regular exercise and nutritious foods are important to gaining total personal fitness. Your mind and body must both be healthy to feel your best.

TIP! If you feel that you are constantly unable to reach your goals, then you need to stop and reassess your goals and what you are doing to reach them. You can take time to research your goals, and see how others have achieved the same accomplishments.

Take the time to change the focus of your conversation from your own accomplishments and awards to the achievements of those around you. You will find that you will learn more about those around you better by doing this. Not only that, you can respect them by knowing more about them.

Change should be a conscious choice, and is in fact a result of it. You can only change and grow when you openly welcome the changes and choose to evolve.

Know that where you are now is not the same as where you want to be. You need to understand and embrace this before you can move forward. Without a clear understanding of exactly where you need to go, the process of achieving your personal development goals will be long and frustrating.

TIP! Discover what is standing between you and your goals. This has proven to be an obstacle for a large number of people.

These tips, even if you apply only a few, can help you stay motivated on your journey to self improvement. The work is hard, but the advice to get started can make the work fun.

If you want to learn all about Goal Setting, this article is a great starting point. Putting this advice to use is the best thing you can do. If you take the information from this article about Goal Setting and use it you will be successful in achieving your plans.

Source: http://www.projectpb.net/blog/index.php/personal_development/self-help-information-that-you-can-definitely-benefit-from-3/

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Canon's latest VIXIA camcorders stream and share with your mobile device

DNP Canon's latest VIXIA camcorders stream and share with your mobile device

On the eve of CES, longtime optics heavyweight Canon announced four new camcorders for its VIXIA product line. The HF R42, R40 and R400 all feature a 53x advanced zoom, a DIGIC DV IV image processor and a 3.28-megapixel full HD CMOS image sensor. In addition, these movie-makers capture HD MP4s at up to 35Mbps and AVCHD progressive 60p recordings that tops out at 28Mbps. Moving things to the cloud, Canon's new HF R camcorders allow users to remotely browse and download files via the web. Further adding to its software suite, the company is introducing its CameraAccess app (Android and iOS) with video streaming, sharing and remote control for the HR40 and HR42. Available in March, Canon's new trio of HF R series camcorders are priced at $300 (R400), $400 (R40) and $500 (R42).

Rounding out today's announcement is the company's new flagship VIXIA HF G20, which packs 32GB of storage, a 10x optical zoom and a claimed 12 hours of full HD recording. Slated to release in February, Canon's new top-shelf video camera can be yours for around $1,100. This equipment may not take you on an unexpected journey to Erebor, however it should easily have enough firepower to spiff-up your YouTube videos. For a further look at Canon's new starting lineup, checkout the gallery below and the presser after the break.

Continue reading Canon's latest VIXIA camcorders stream and share with your mobile device

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0vAp-FvWbTE/

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Video: Global Markets: Shares Edge Lower

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50384181/

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Report: White House mulls broader approach to gun control

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is weighing a far broader approach to curbing U.S. gun violence than just reinstating a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

A working group led by Vice President Joseph Biden is seriously considering measures that would require universal background checks for gun buyers and track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, the newspaper said.

The measures would also strengthen mental health checks and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors, the Post said. The approach is backed by law enforcement leaders, it said.

President Barack Obama assigned Biden the job of designing the strategy after the massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school last month that killed 20 children and six adults.

To sell such changes, the White House is developing strategies to work around the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful gun lobby.

They include rallying support from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other gun retailers for measures that would benefit their businesses, the Post said.

NEW YORK MAYOR

The White House has been in contact with advisers to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a gun control advocate who could emerge as a surrogate for the administration's agenda, the paper said.

The Post cited several people involved in the administration's talks on gun control for its story. They included Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

The White House had no immediate comment on the Post story. A White House spokesman told the newspaper that Biden's group was in the middle of its review and had not decided on its final recommendations.

The NRA has successfully lobbied federal lawmakers to stop major new gun restrictions since a 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. The ban also prohibited ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.

When asked if Congress will entertain new gun regulation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that lawmakers needed to see Biden's recommendations.

"There will be plenty of time to take a look at their recommendations once they come forward," he said.

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said that for the next three months Washington's debates would center on federal spending and the rising debt.

Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, an NRA member, said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopolous" that the reported proposals were "way in extreme" and would not pass.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-mulls-broader-gun-control-washington-post-154313906--finance.html

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রবিবার, ৬ জানুয়ারী, ২০১৩

Pakistani officials say US drones kill 9 militants

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) ? Suspected American drones fired several missiles into three militant hideouts near the Afghan border on Sunday, killing nine Pakistani Taliban fighters, intelligence officials said.

The strikes targeted the group's hideouts in the South Waziristan tribal region, the three officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The identity of the killed militants was not immediately known, they said, but two important commanders of the Pakistani Taliban ? including the head of a training unit for suicide bombers ? may be among them.

Sunday's drone attack was the third suspected U.S. drone strike in five days. One such hit late Wednesday night killed a top Pakistani militant commander, Maulvi Nazir, accused of carrying out deadly attacks against American and other targets across the border in Afghanistan. That attack was followed close on by another strike on Thursday in the North Waziristan tribal area.

Islamabad opposes the use of U.S. drones on its territory, but is believed to have tacitly approved some strikes in past. The drone campaign also infuriates many Pakistanis who see them as a violation of their country's sovereignty. Many Pakistanis complain that innocent civilians have also been killed, something the U.S. rejects.

But an attack like Sunday's may be less likely to anger the Pakistani military and public because it targeted militants believed to have been going after targets in Pakistan and not in neighboring Afghanistan.

The Pakistani intelligence officials said that informants had told them one of the two dead commanders was Wali Muhammad Mahsud, also known as Toofan, who headed a wing of the group that trained suicide bombers. His predecessor, Qari Husain Mehsud, was believed to have been killed in a U.S. missile strike in late 2011.

Mahsud was part of the Pakistani Taliban that have waged a bloody war against the Pakistani state by targeting army, police, government officials, civilians and even religious leaders who wouldn't agree to their interpretation of Islam. The Pakistani Taliban demand that the state should sever ties with the U.S. and amend the constitution to enforce a Sharia based Islamic system in the country.

In December, a Taliban suicide bomber killed a top government minister, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, who came from an anti-militant political party in northwest Pakistan and abducted and beheaded several Pakistani paramilitary troops and tribal police.

The militant commander, Nazir, who was killed last Wednesday was also part of the Taliban but he led a faction that agreed to a cease-fire with the Pakistan military in 2009 and did not attack domestic targets.

As a result, while his death is likely to be seen in Washington as affirmation of the necessity of its controversial drone program, it could cause more friction in already tense relations with Pakistan.

Analysts say Nazir's killing is likely to complicate the Pakistani army's fight against the local and foreign al-Qaida linked militants holed up in the country's tribal region. They say his fighters may turn their guns toward Pakistani troops and may join the Pakistani Taliban's fight against the state.

Still, Nazir outraged many Pakistanis in June when he announced that he would not allow any polio vaccinations in territory under his control until the U.S. stops drone attacks in the region.

Washington wants Pakistan to launch a military operation in North Waziristan, believed to be the last stronghold of many of the militant groups. But Islamabad had been refusing, saying it does not have enough troops and resources to do that.

In absence of such an operation, the U.S. relies more on drone strikes to take out militants. The program has killed a number of top militant commanders including Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was al-Qaida's No. 2 when he was killed in a June strike.

___

Associated Press Writer Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-06-Pakistan/id-70f9c230a3b34428b925c43302afd340

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Wounded ex-Rep. Giffords meets with Conn. families

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? Just days before the second anniversary of a mass shooting that critically injured Gabrielle Giffords, the former congresswoman was in Newtown meeting privately with families of those killed during last month's massacre at an elementary school.

Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, was accompanied Friday by her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

"As always, I was deeply impressed by the strength and courage and resolve of the families and the extraordinary caring and generosity of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly in visiting with them," Blumenthal said.

A gunman fatally shot 26 people ? most of them children ? inside Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. He also killed his mother and himself.

Giffords was left partially blind, with a paralyzed right arm and brain injury, when a gunman opened fire at a constituent meet-and-greet outside a Tucson grocery store on Jan. 8, 2011. Arizona's chief federal judge and five others were killed and 13 people, including Giffords, were injured.

She met earlier in the day Friday with officials including Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Newtown's First Selectwoman Patricia Llodra. They talked about the need for changes in gun control laws and greater awareness of mental health issues, including identifying and treating people who have mental health problems, Llodra told USA Today.

They also discussed "concerns that our society has become desensitized to acts of violence, conflict and aggression," and the need for adults to examine their role in allowing societal values to become eroded," the newspaper reported.

Kelly has become a vocal advocate for gun control. He lashed out at politicians for avoiding a "meaningful debate" about gun laws and called out Arizona Republicans, including the governor, for taking a pro-gun stance in the months after the Arizona shooting.

"As a nation we have repeatedly passed up the opportunity to address the issue. After Columbine, after Virginia Tech, after Tucson and after Aurora, we have done nothing," he said in November when the Arizona gunman was sentenced.

He has issued strongly worded statements many times since the massacre in Connecticut, including a harsh response to the National Rifle Association's reaction to the shooting. He often begins statements with "Gabby and I" as he makes pointed comments about the direction of the gun debate in America.

Kelly said on the day of the Newtown shooting that it should lead to better gun control.

"This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence," Kelly said on his Facebook page, calling for "a meaningful discussion about our gun laws and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America."

Blumenthal said he is eager to find allies as he pursues tougher gun control laws.

"I'm hopeful that everyone who cares about this issue or has a stake in it will be active in supporting our effort in gun violence prevention legislatively," he said.

Giffords' visit came one day after Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the creation of an advisory commission that will review and recommend changes to state laws and policies on issues including gun control in the wake of the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Giffords has appeared in public a few times since the shooting. She came face-to-face with Loughner when he was sentenced and attended ceremonies for the anniversary of the shooting.

She received tributes and ovations when she returned to the House in January 2012 to say goodbye as she resigned her seat and she delivered the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention in September.

On Wednesday, two days before Giffords visited the Newtown families, she and Kelly met for an hour with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a longtime and vociferous gun control advocate. Bloomberg's office tweeted a photo of the meeting but wouldn't elaborate Friday on the discussion.

President Barack Obama invoked the Tucson and Newtown elementary school shootings when he spoke at Newtown shortly after the attack. He said four shootings, including those two plus the attacks at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., marked his first term in office.

A recent Pew Research Center report says gun policy accounted for almost 30 percent of discussions examined on blogs and Twitter in the three days after the school massacre. It compares the response to the Newtown rampage with the Arizona shooting, saying that in the three days after that, just 3 percent of social media conversation was about gun laws.

___

Associated Press writer Susan Haigh contributed to this report from Hartford, Conn.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wounded-ex-rep-giffords-meets-conn-families-231306569.html

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Marine Communication Systems Used in the Maritime Industry ...

Radio telecommunication at sea had undergone a sea change in the last century. After the days of semaphores and flags (which is still relevant today in some cases), radio brought about a drastic change in marine communication at sea.

From the early years of the last century, ships started fitting radio for communicating distress signals?among?themselves and with the shore. Radio telegraphy using Morse code was used in the early part of the twentieth century for marine communication.

marine navigation

In the seventies, after considering the studies of the International Telecommunication Union, IMO brought about a system where ship-to-ship or ship-to-shore communication was put into action with some degree of automation, wherein a skilled radio officer keeping 24?7 watch was not required.

Marine communication between ships or with the shore was carried with the help of on board systems through shore stations and even satellites. While ship-to-ship communication was brought about by VHF radio, Digital Selective Calling (DSC) came up with digitally remote control commands to transmit or receive distress alert, urgent or safety calls, or routine priority messages. DSC controllers can now be integrated with the VHF radio as per SOLAS (Safety Of Life at Sea) convention.

Satellite services, as opposed to terrestrial communication systems, need the help of geo-stationary satellites for transmitting and receiving signals, where the range of shore stations cannot reach. These marine communication services are provided by INMARSAT (a commercial company) and COSPAS ? SARSAT (a multi-national government funded agency).

While INMARSAT gives the scope of two way communications, the Corpas Sarsat has a system that is limited to reception of signals from emergency position and places with no facilities of two way marine communications, indicating radio beacons (EPIRB).

For international operational requirements, the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS)?has divided the world in four sub areas. These are four geographical divisions named as A1, A2, A3 and A4.

GMDSS Concept

Different radio communication systems are required by the vessel to be carried on board ships, depending on the area of operation of that particular vessel.

A1 ? It?s about 20- 30 nautical miles from the coast, which is under coverage of at least one VHF coast radio station in which continuous DSC alerting is available. Equipment used: A VHF, a DSC and a NAVTEX receiver (a navigational telex for receiving maritime and?meteorological?information).

A2 ? This area notionally should cover 400 nautical miles off shore but in practice it extends up to 100 nautical miles off shore but this should exclude A1 areas. Equipment used: A DSC, and radio telephone (MF radio range) plus the equipment required for A1 areas.

A3 ? This is the area excluding the A1 & A2 areas. But the coverage is within 70 degrees north and 70 degree south latitude and is within INMARSAT geostationary satellite range, where continuous alerting is available. Equipment used: A high frequency radio and/ or INMARSAT, a system of receiving MSI (Maritime Safety Information) plus the other remaining systems for A1 and A2 areas.

A4 ? These are the areas outside sea areas of A1, A2 and A3. These are essentially the Polar Regions North and South of 70 degree of latitude. Equipment used: HF radio service plus those required for other areas.

Marlink Sealink

All oceans are covered by HF marine communication services for which the IMO requires to have two coast stations per ocean region. Today almost all ships are fitted with satellite terminal for Ship Security Alerts System (SSAS) and for long range identification and tracking as per SOLAS requirements.

On distress, Search and Rescue operations from Maritime Rescue Co-ordination centers are carried out among other methods, with the help of most of these marine navigation tools. Naturally, the sea has become a lot safer with these gadgets and other important navigation tools recommended by the IMO and as enshrined in GMDSS.

More Important Articles on Maritime Communication and Navigation?

Marine Navigation System and Electronic Tools Used By Ship?s Pilot

Why is BNWAS important on modern ships?

8 Maritime Systems Which Ensure Ship?s Safety and Security

What is Integrated Bridge System?

Image Credits :?shipmanagementinternational,?icselectronics,?satelliteprome

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- brings you up-to-date international news and features on all aspects of maritime security in Asia. We covers strategic & political developments, technology in the defence industry, projects, trends, products, services and more in the maritime sector.

Source: http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/maritime-security-asia/marine-communication-systems-used-in-the-maritime-industry/

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শনিবার, ৫ জানুয়ারী, ২০১৩

Why dinosaurs shook their tail feathers

Feathered dinosaurs might have used muscular tails to shake tail feathers and lure the opposite sex, researchers say.

Scientists analyzed 75-million-year-old fossils of feathered, two-legged dinosaurs known as oviraptors retrieved during expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Although oviraptors were members of the meat-eating theropods, making them relatives of such fearsome predators as T. rex and Velociraptor , most oviraptors had beaks that lacked teeth.

"There are good reasons to think they had gone vegetarian," researcher Scott Persons, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Alberta in Canada, told LiveScience. "They were odd ducks, strange dinosaurs," said Persons, who presented the study results at the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology's annual meeting in November, but only this week were they published in a scientific journal.

Past research had revealed oviraptors often had eye-catching bone crests on their heads. "Now we know there was something funny going on at the other end, too," Persons said.

Oviraptor tails were short, but were made of many tailbones, with many points between these vertebrae where they could flex. Persons and his colleagues found oviraptor tailbones also had many projections onto which muscles could attach. Computer models estimating the size of these muscles based on oviraptor skeletons suggest these muscles were quite large. [ Paleo-Art: Stunning Illustrations of Dinosaurs ]

"Their tails were not only very, very flexible, but quite muscular," Persons said. "They could not only move them sinuously to strike a pose, but also hold it to do a muscular dance with the tail."

Unusually, at the very end of the tail, "in some oviraptors, the last few vertebrae were actually fused together to become one solid, ridged, bladelike structure," Persons said. "The only other kind of animal where you see that are modern-day birds, where it's called a pygostyle, which serves as an anchor point for a big fan of tail feathers."

Modern-day birds use pygostyles to help them fly, "but oviraptors were not flying animals ? they had feathers, but they didn't have big broad wings," Persons said. "What else are pygostyles used for? Peacocks and turkeys use their tail feathers for courtship displays."

Past research has suggested that dinosaurs may have first evolved feathers for show, not flight. Persons and his colleagues found that at least four known oviraptor species separated by 45 million years had pygostyles.

"I think like peacocks, oviraptors were strutting their stuff by shaking their tail feathers to show off," Persons said. "Between the crested head and feathered-tail shaking, oviraptors had a propensity for visual exhibitionism."

Although feathers on dinosaur forearms might have served as stabilizers that helped them steer, that may not have been the case for any tail plumes. "Flightless birds such as ostriches and emus don't have big tail-feather fans, and birds that do have big tail-feather fans such as peacocks and turkeys don't try to use them to run at all, but just keep them tucked in except when fanned out for display."

  1. Science news from NBCNews.com

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In the future, Persons and his colleagues want to see if such tails were typically found in one sex or the other. "Maybe they were larger in males, as we see in modern-day birds," Persons said. "The problem there is that the tip of the tail is one of the rarest parts of a fossil skeleton to find, so it might be hard to discover evidence of these sexual differences."

Persons and colleagues Philip Currie and Mark Norell detailed their findings in Friday's issue of the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

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

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50365603/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Paragliding Forum - View topic - Good travel insurance for Europe ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Coming from Australia (kiwi citizen), im trying to find the best deal in travel insurance, specifically something thats going to cover PG gear left in the car during the day (doesnt matter overnight as ill be sleeping in the car too).

Source: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=p342718

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শুক্রবার, ৪ জানুয়ারী, ২০১৩

NeNe Leakes Confirms Engagement to Gregg Leakes!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/nene-leakes-confirms-engagement-to-gregg-leakes/

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Pesticides and Parkinson's: Further proof of a link uncovered

Jan. 3, 2013 ? For several years, neurologists at UCLA have been building a case that a link exists between pesticides and Parkinson's disease. To date, paraquat, maneb and ziram -- common chemicals sprayed in California's Central Valley and elsewhere -- have been tied to increases in the disease, not only among farmworkers but in individuals who simply lived or worked near fields and likely inhaled drifting particles.

Now, UCLA researchers have discovered a link between Parkinson's and another pesticide, benomyl, whose toxicological effects still linger some 10 years after the chemical was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Even more significantly, the research suggests that the damaging series of events set in motion by benomyl may also occur in people with Parkinson's disease who were never exposed to the pesticide, according to Jeff Bronstein, senior author of the study and a professor of neurology at UCLA, and his colleagues.

Benomyl exposure, they say, starts a cascade of cellular events that may lead to Parkinson's. The pesticide prevents an enzyme called ALDH (aldehyde dehydrogenase) from keeping a lid on DOPAL, a toxin that naturally occurs in the brain. When left unchecked by ALDH, DOPAL accumulates, damages neurons and increases an individual's risk of developing Parkinson's.

The investigators believe their findings concerning benomyl may be generalized to all Parkinson's patients. Developing new drugs to protect ALDH activity, they say, may eventually help slow the progression of the disease, whether or not an individual has been exposed to pesticides.

The research is published in the current online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Parkinson's disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions worldwide. Its symptoms -- including tremor, rigidity, and slowed movements and speech -- increase with the progressive degeneration of neurons, primarily in a part of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra. This area normally produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter that allows cells to communicate, and damage to the mid-brain has been linked to the disease. Usually, by the time Parkinson's symptoms manifest themselves, more than half of these neurons, known as dopaminergic neurons, have already been lost.

While researchers have identified certain genetic variations that cause an inherited form of Parkinson's, only a small fraction of the disease can be blamed on genes, said the study's first author, Arthur G. Fitzmaurice, a postdoctoral scholar in Bronstein's laboratory.

"As a result, environmental factors almost certainly play an important role in this disorder," Fitzmaurice said. "Understanding the relevant mechanisms -- particularly what causes the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons -- may provide important clues to explain how the disease develops."

Benomyl was widely used in the U.S. for three decades until toxicological evidence revealed it could potentially lead to liver tumors, brain malformations, reproductive effects and carcinogenesis. It was banned in 2001.

The researchers wanted to explore whether there was a relationship between benomyl and Parkinson's, which would demonstrate the possibility of long-lasting toxicological effects from pesticide use, even a decade after chronic exposure. But because a direct causal relationship between the pesticide and Parkinson's can't be established by testing humans, the investigators sought to determine if exposure in experimental models could duplicate some of the pathologic features of the disease.

They first tested the effects of benomyl in cell cultures and confirmed that the pesticide damaged or destroyed dopaminergic neurons.

Next, they tested the pesticide in a zebrafish model of the disease. This freshwater fish is commonly used in research because it is easy to manipulate genetically, it develops rapidly and it is transparent, making the observation and measurement of biological processes much easier. By using a fluorescent dye and counting the neurons, the researchers discovered there was significant neuron loss in the fish -- but only to the dopaminergic neurons. The other neurons were left unaffected.

Until now, evidence had pointed to one particular culprit -- a protein called ?-synuclein -- in the development of Parkinson's. This protein, common to all Parkinson's patients, is thought to create a pathway to the disease when it binds together in "clumps" and becomes toxic, killing the brain's neurons.

The identification of ALDH activity now gives researchers another target to focus on in trying to stop this disease.

"We've known that in animal models and cell cultures, agricultural pesticides trigger a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson's," said Bronstein, who directs the UCLA Movement Disorders Program. "And epidemiologic studies have consistently shown the disease occurs at high rates among farmers and in rural populations. Our work reinforces the hypothesis that pesticides may be partially responsible, and the discovery of this new pathway may be a new avenue for developing therapeutic drugs."

Other authors of the study included Lisa Barnhill, Hoa A. Lam, Aaron Lulla, Nigel T. Maidment, Niall P. Murphy, Kelley C. O'Donnell, Shannon L. Rhodes, Beate Ritz, Alvaro Sagastig and Mark C. Stahl, all of UCLA; John E. Casida of UC Berkeley; and Myles Cockburn of the University of Southern California. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Journal Reference:

  1. J. S. Soares, I. Barman, N. C. Dingari, Z. Volynskaya, W. Liu, N. Klein, D. Plecha, R. R. Dasari, M. Fitzmaurice. Diagnostic power of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for targeted detection of breast lesions with microcalcifications. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215473110

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/~3/4d7NNVuJX6w/130104101427.htm

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Congress ushering in new members, with old divide

Anne Easby-Smith, left, and Trace Robbins, right, who work for House Speaker John Boehner, help to prepare the Rayburn Room on Capitol Hill in Washington,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, where members of the House of Representatives will pose for pictures at an oath of office ceremony with Boehner. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Anne Easby-Smith, left, and Trace Robbins, right, who work for House Speaker John Boehner, help to prepare the Rayburn Room on Capitol Hill in Washington,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, where members of the House of Representatives will pose for pictures at an oath of office ceremony with Boehner. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The U.S. Capitol is seen amid reflections from inside the Cannon House Office Building on the last day of the 112th Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. On Thursday, all members of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate will be sworn in as the 113th Congress begins its work. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(AP) ? Congress is ushering in the new and the old ? dozens of eager freshmen determined to change Washington and the harsh reality of another stretch of bitterly divided government.

The 113th Congress will convene Thursday at the constitutionally required time of noon for pomp, pageantry and politics as newly elected members of the House and Senate are sworn in and the speaker of the Republican-controlled House is chosen. The traditions come against the backdrop of a mean season that closed out an angry election year.

A deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of big tax increases and spending cuts split the parties in New Year's Day votes, and the House's failure to vote on a Superstorm Sandy aid package before adjournment prompted GOP recriminations against the leadership.

"There's a lot of hangover obviously from the last few weeks of this session into the new one, which always makes a fresh start a lot harder," Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said.

For all the change of the next Congress, the new bosses are the same as the old bosses.

President Barack Obama secured a second term in the November elections, and Democrats tightened their grip on the Senate for a 55-45 edge in the new two-year Congress, ensuring that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will remain in charge. Republicans maintained their majority in the House but will have a smaller advantage, 235-199. Former Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s Illinois seat is the one vacancy.

Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has faced a bruising few weeks with his fractious GOP caucus but seemed poised to win another term as speaker. He mollified angry Republicans from New York and New Jersey on Wednesday with the promise of a vote Friday on $9 billion of the storm relief package and another vote on the remaining $51 billion on Jan. 15.

The GOP members quickly abandoned their chatter about voting against the speaker.

The new Congress still faces the ideological disputes that plagued the dysfunctional 112th Congress, one of the least productive in more than 60 years. Tea partyers within the Republican ranks insist on fiscal discipline in the face of growing deficits and have pressed for deep cuts in spending as part of a reduced role for the federal government. Democrats envision a government with enough resources to help the less fortunate and press for the wealthiest to pay more in taxes.

"We can only hope for more help," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who was re-elected in November. "Any time you have new members arriving you have that expectation of bringing fresh ideas and kind of a vitality that is needed. We hope that they're coming eager to work hard and make some difficult decisions and put the country first and not be bogged down ideologically."

The next two months will be crucial, with tough economic issues looming. Congress put off for just eight weeks automatic spending cuts to defense and domestic programs that were due to begin with the new year. The question of raising the nation's borrowing authority also must be decided. Another round of ugly negotiations between Obama and Congress is not far off.

There are 12 newly elected senators ? eight Democrats, three Republicans and one independent, former Maine Gov. Angus King, who will caucus with the Democrats. They will be joined by Rep. Tim Scott, the first black Republican in decades, who was tapped by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to fill the remaining term of Sen. Jim DeMint. The conservative DeMint resigned to lead the Heritage Foundation think tank.

In a sign of some diversity for the venerable body, the Senate will have three Hispanics ? Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and one of the new members, Republican Ted Cruz of Texas. There will be 20 women in the 100-member chamber, the highest number yet.

At least one longtime Democrat, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, will be departing in a few weeks, nominated by Obama to be secretary of state. That opens the door to former Republican Sen. Scott Brown, the only incumbent senator to lose in November's elections, to possibly make a bid to return to Washington.

Eighty-two freshmen join the House ? 47 Democrats and 35 Republicans. Women will total 81 in the 435-member body ? 62 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

In the Senate, Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell are negotiating possible changes in the rules as lawmakers face a bitter partisan fight over filibusters, according to a Senate Democratic leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about private matters.

Reid has complained that Republicans filibuster too often and has threatened to impose strict limits with a simple majority vote. That step could set off retaliatory delays and other maneuvers by Republicans, who argue that they filibuster because Reid often blocks them from offering amendments.

The aide said Reid was preserving the option of making changes with a simple majority vote.

The start of the new Congress also offers a comeback for one lawmaker. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who suffered a stroke last January and has been absent for the past year, plans a dramatic return to the Capitol by walking up the 45 steps to the Senate's doors.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-03-New%20Congress/id-a411f3e0347c457b907cc1eb35522503

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Asus Laptops and Desktops to Ship With Leap - Technology Review

A device that makes it possible to control a computer with fluid midair finger motions will be bundled with some PCs from Taiwanese company Asus in coming months. The distribution deal is the most significant move yet by startup company Leap Motion to distribute its first product, which allows desktop software to respond to swipes, pokes, and grabs made in front of a screen (see ?Leaping Into the Gesture-Controlled Era?).

The deal will see Leap Motion?s sensors and software packaged with some ?high-end? laptops and PCs. The bundled products will appear in the first quarter of 2013, says Leap, around the same time the standalone Leap Motion device, priced at $70, is due to begin shipping.

Michael Buckwald, Leap Motion?s cofounder and CEO, says Asus agreed to use his company?s technology because it believes new ideas are necessary in the PC market. ?They, like us, believe this will revolutionize interaction on the PC platform,? says Buckwald.

Depending on how the deal with Asus works out, it could result in many more people being exposed to the novel way of controlling a computer. ?We?ll be watching closely to see what they do with it,? says Buckwald.

Buckwald says the Leap?s technology allows for more natural computer interaction than a touch screen or a computer mouse. ?It?s much more intuitive because you don?t have to remember a new sign language,? he says. ?Someone can reach out as they would in the real world.?

The software preinstalled on the Asus PCs will allow a person to control Windows 8 using finger and hand gestures. Gestures are a central part of Microsoft?s new operating system (see ?The Woman Charged with Making Windows 8 Succeed?), and it is plausible that some people may find them easier to perform using their fingers in the air than with a mouse.

Leap Motion has impressed journalists and gadget fans with in-person and online demonstrations of its technology, but its biggest challenge will be persuading software developers to add gestural controls to their applications. Without that, people that do buy a Leap Motion device will have little they can do with it.

The deal with Asus, one of the world?s largest PC manufacturers, could help. ?We want developers to feel confident that there?s going to be a significant market around Leap,? says Buckwald. His company plans to operate an app store where users can buy, and developers can sell, LeapMotion-enabled software. By the time the Asus-Leap bundles reach consumers, a first wave of apps will be available, says Buckwald.

The Leap device is roughly the size of a pack of gum: three inches long, one inch wide and half an inch thick. One side is black glass, under which are two small cameras and a handful of infrared LEDs gather the data needed to track fingers to an accuracy of one hundredth of a millimeter.

Buckwald says that the same functionality could be added to even smaller devices. ?Even today, it is possible to put Leap into a tablet or smartphone,? he says, by using smaller sensors. ?The accuracy and power will stay the same.?

Leap also announced a new round of investment funding, taking the total raised by the company from $15 million to $45 million. ?The main reason was to support a very dramatic ramping up in our manufacturing,? says Buckwald.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/509491/asus-laptops-and-desktops-to-ship-with-leap-motions-gesture-control/

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Strange Food Cravings - Bizarre Food Cravings ... - Back Pain

?

Bowl of Ice for Pica Eater

Is a bowl of ice a beverage cooler for you? or a meal?

Do you have an ?addiction? to uncommon foods? Late night runs for chocolate, ice cream and pickles are legendary among pregnant women. But you don?t have to be pregnant to have a strong craving for unusual foods? or even non-foods.

A small but significant portion of our population has a strong desire to eat particular foods like chocolate and potato chips. But a strong desire to chomp large quantities of ice, eat cornstarch, or even handfuls of dirt are more common than you may think.

Known as pica, the urge to eat non-foods is named after the Latin word for magpie, a bird with a broad omnivorous diet. Often, though not all of the time, these cravings are associated with a nutritional deficiency.

Cravings can occur with actual foods as well. In both cases, cure the deficiency and chances are the cravings will quickly subside.

Here are some of the most common cravings and the nutritional deficiencies each may represent:

Ice

Enjoying a little ice at the bottom of your drink isn?t reason for concern, but if you have an irresistible urge to chomp through cupfuls, or even bagfuls, of ice on a regular basis it can be a sign of anemia.

Compulsive ice eating, or pagophagia, is one of the most commonly recognized forms of pica. While eating ice won?t resolve the iron deficiency, some speculate that it helps tongue pain and inflammation associated with anemia. Correcting the iron deficiency often results in an immediate reduction in the desire to eat ice.

Dirt or Clay (even Rocks!)

Scooping up a handful of dirt and eating it may be the last thing on most folks? minds, but if it?s on yours you?re likely deficient in iron and possibly one or more additional minerals including magnesium, zinc or copper. Called geophagia, eating clay or dirt is a form of pica more common when pregnant and among those of non-European ancestry.

Eating Hair May Be a Psychological Disorder

Pica eating disorders may signal a psychological condition

Hair

Usually the ingestion of your own hair, or trichophagia, is associated with trichotillomania, where a person pulls his or her own hair out. This is considered a compulsive psychological disorder and may lead to indigestion, stomach pain and even a potentially fatal hairball (from intestinal blockage).

Cornstarch

Amylophagia, or compulsive eating of starch, is another common manifestation of pica. Just like eating dirt or clay, a compulsive desire to eat plain starch has been linked to iron and other mineral deficiencies.

Chocolate

Most of us like chocolate, and many have an emotional attachment to eating the confection. But strong cravings to eat more than a few ounces a day can be a sign of a magnesium deficiency.

Glass

Known as hyalophagia, this eating disorder is particularly dangerous as broken glass can cut your throat, stomach and intestines leading to potentially deadly internal bleeding. Experts believe glass eating is associated with vitamin or mineral deficiencies, mental illness and / or severe stress.

Wood

Pencils, paper, tree bark and even wooden furniture in your diet could be related to a psychological disorder. But xylophagia is often an attempt to deal with tooth pain or as a substitute for smoking. Look for healthier options.

Salty Foods

All salt is not equal. Most salt found at your local grocery store is devoid of any nutritional value other than added iodine in some brands. Too much salt can tax your kidneys. If you find yourself constantly craving more salt, it may be your body is looking not just for chloride but also magnesium and other trace minerals found in salt in its natural unrefined state, particularly Celtic sea salt.

Do You Have a Mineral Deficiency?

Pica Stomach Items

This artistic but lethal display of 1,446 nails, screws and other metallic items were removed from a woman who swallowed them all - then died from internal bleeding

The list of cravings above is far from complete. Even cravings as seemingly bizarre as eating paint chips, burnt matches, screws and cigarette ashes frequently point to nutritional deficiencies.

But here?s the catch: even if you don?t have cravings, you may have severe deficiencies that manifest in other ways such as pain, fatigue, and insomnia.

And if you do have unusual food (or non-food) cravings, please investigate further. Often there is a medical consequence from untreated pica. Just in the decade from 1999 to 2009, hospitalizations for pica have nearly doubled in the United States.

That?s why I recommend asking your doctor to run a full test of your vitamin and mineral levels if you have unexplained food cravings. What you discover may not only help you curb strange food cravings and mystery pains, in some cases it might literally save your life.

Whether you suffer from unusual conditions like pica, are looking to overcome various other health challenges, or simply want to transform your living into a life of vibrant health ? we have the answer for you!

Every month we publish articles just like this one for members of my Health + Fitness Inner Circle in our premium Get Healthy & Fit? print newsletter.

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Along with the monthly print issue members receive a special audio CD featuring an interview with a leading health and fitness personality ? or even an occasional health and fitness DVD. Plus, members get instant access to the entire archive of back issues, recent interviews and other special bonuses.

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References

Garfunkel PE. Feeding and eating disorders of infancy and early childhood. Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 1995; 2321?2324.

Kettaneh A, et al. Pica and food craving in patients with iron-de?ciency anemia: A case-control study in France. The American Journal of Medicine. 2005; 118, 185-188.

Zhao Y, Encinosa W. An Update on Hospitalizations for Eating Disorders, 1999 to 2009. Statistical Brief #120. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2011 Sep.

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Source: http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2013/01/03/strange-food-cravings/

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In passport kerfuffle, Taiwan is stickin' it to China

Taiwan is fighting back with stickers after China issued passports showing ownership over the entire South China Sea.

By Ralph Jennings,?Correspondent / December 18, 2012

A page from a Chinese passport displays a Chinese map which includes an area in the South China Sea inside a line of dashes representing maritime territory claimed by China, in Kunming, Yunnan province, in this November file photo.

Reuters/File

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China hasn?t started a military war with Taiwan ? as has been feared since the 1940s ? but a battle that began on paper last month has met with a fiery pulp-and-ink response that could burn a hole in goodwill between the two once-hostile governments.

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Pictures on Beijing?s latest passports show a map of China that includes two parts of Taiwan, including its scenic showpiece Sun Moon Lake. The travel documents also depict islets in the South China Sea as China's, despite competing claims by Taiwan and several Southeast Asian countries.

China, already a regional heavyweight, is believed to have issued 5 million of the passports between April and November when they inflamed a regional dispute with neighbors. Now Taiwan is joining the chorus of protest, not by refusing to stamp them as Vietnam has announced it is doing, and not by issuing their own maps as India has done, but with some provocative stickers with a message to China. ?

China has claimed Taiwan as part of its turf since the 1940s, when Chiang Kai-shek?s Nationalists set up a government to rival mainland China's about 100 miles offshore after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong?s Communists. The relationship between China and Taiwan has been up and down for the past few decades: Both?formal reunification with the mainland and full Taiwanese independence have been suggested,?but a tempering of relations has kept many content with the middle ground status quo, with Taiwan considering itself an effectively independent territory.?

Still, the maps in China?s passports were taken as a bold affront to that. In response, Taiwan?s main opposition Democratic Progressive Party gave away 10,000 pink stickers at the foreign ministry consular office in Taipei. The stickers that read ?Taiwan is my Country? can be slapped onto the back cover of a Taiwan passport or onto a plastic passport protector.?

The stickers went fast two weeks ago, so the party copied off another 20,000. ?People just love them,? says its policy coordination executive director Joseph Wu. ?It?s quite clear that what China is doing trespasses into our sovereignty. Taiwan is not under any country?s jurisdiction.?

Across town, the smaller Taiwan Solidarity Union Party printed out oversized paper effigies of the Chinese passports and marred or burned them at a rally, according to local media.

Taiwan and China have set aside differences over sovereignty since 2008, when the island?s conciliatory President Ma Ying-jeou took office. Mr. Ma?s government has signed 18 deals with China, drawing Taiwan closer to the world economic powerhouse. Talks on those agreements built mutual trust that didn?t exist before.

The island?s foreign ministry says?that trust is now being questioned. The ministry?s news release calls China?s passport issue ?a provocative act that will ? damage the mutual trust laboriously built by the two sides in recent years.?

Taiwanese opposition forces are protesting the Chinese passports because they worry that the government is courting China rather than standing up to it, but analysts say officials in Taipei are just as irked as their skeptics.

?Our government thinks that China betrayed common ground, which is that there?s one China but subject to different interpretations,? says Nathan Liu, an associate international affairs professor at Ming Chuan University in Taiwan, citing the basis for talks and deals since 2008.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/mIjpkTDo_U0/In-passport-kerfuffle-Taiwan-is-stickin-it-to-China

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