mezzanine slapped: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

ANTIQUE FAIR YOUGHAL: Sunday March 10th 2013 ...

The 11th annual antique fair in aid of the Lourdes Invalid Fund, will take place on SUNDAY MARCH 10TH (Mothers Day) at the Walter Raleigh hotel Youghal.
Proven over the years to be a great day out, with something of interest for everyone. A vast selection of antiques and collectibles, Jewellery, coin, china and small items of furniture and silver ware, vintage bags and leather will be on display for you to purchase if you please. In the afternoon our local antique expert Mr Loughnane will be on hand to value any item you might bring along, you never know what treasure you have hiding away. A great day out for all the family, come and browse at your leisure, tickets only ?3

The proceeds enables people to available of a wonderful opportunity to visit the shrine at Lourdes. To those who have travelled it has been a source of comfort and consolation, and they return home renewed in heart and spirit. So do come along and support this very worthy cause.
Date: SUNDAY MARCH 10th 2013
Venue: Walter Raleigh Hotel
Time: 11am to 6 pm
TIckets only ?3 available on the door also at Wm Neville?s.
Prize on door ticket. 1st prize: hamper from SCOTT?S. 2nd prize; Antique cash drawer or ?100 euro compliments of Pat and Ann Lynch; Foxes Lane Museum
SEE YOU THERE

Source: http://www.youghalonline.com/2013/02/27/antique-fair-youghal-sunday-march-10th-2013/

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Reading, writing, arithmetic, and aerobics -- Evaluating the new 'R' in academic performance

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
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Contact: Becky Lindeman
journal.pediatrics@cchmc.org
513-636-7140
Elsevier Health Sciences

Cincinnati, OH, February 28, 2013 -- Although the long-term consequences of childhood obesity are well documented, some school districts have reduced physical education classes to devote more time to the 3 Rs in educationreading, writing, and arithmetic. However, there is new evidence that leaving out an important fourth Raerobicscould actually be counterproductive for increasing test scores. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics studied the associations between aerobic fitness, body mass index (BMI), and passing scores on standardized math and reading tests.

Dr. Robert R. Rauner and colleagues from Lincoln Public Schools and Creighton University in Nebraska analyzed scaled scores from standardized tests for math and reading, as well as PACER (15-20 meter timed shuttle run), BMI, and free/reduced lunch data from all students enrolled in elementary and middle schools in Lincoln, NE. They found that aerobically-fit children had a 2.4 times greater chance of passing math tests and a 2.2 times greater chance of passing reading tests compared with aerobically-unfit children. Among those receiving free/reduced lunch, the odds of passing the tests were still greater than those of students who were aerobically-unfit, but not as high as those not receiving free/reduced lunch. They also found that BMI, although an important indicator for overall general health, did not have a significant effect on academic success.

Although obesity is a concern for children, this study shows that aerobic fitness can have a greater effect on academic performance than weight. The authors found that both aerobic fitness and socioeconomic status have a similar impact on academic performance. Because aerobic fitness can be easier to improve than socioeconomic status, and it is easy to implement in a school setting, schools should think twice before taking minutes from physical education classes and recess. According to Dr. Rauner, "Schools sacrificing physical education and physical activity time in search of more seat time for math and reading instruction could potentially be pursuing a counterproductive approach."

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

Reading, writing, arithmetic, and aerobics -- Evaluating the new 'R' in academic performance Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Becky Lindeman
journal.pediatrics@cchmc.org
513-636-7140
Elsevier Health Sciences

Cincinnati, OH, February 28, 2013 -- Although the long-term consequences of childhood obesity are well documented, some school districts have reduced physical education classes to devote more time to the 3 Rs in educationreading, writing, and arithmetic. However, there is new evidence that leaving out an important fourth Raerobicscould actually be counterproductive for increasing test scores. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics studied the associations between aerobic fitness, body mass index (BMI), and passing scores on standardized math and reading tests.

Dr. Robert R. Rauner and colleagues from Lincoln Public Schools and Creighton University in Nebraska analyzed scaled scores from standardized tests for math and reading, as well as PACER (15-20 meter timed shuttle run), BMI, and free/reduced lunch data from all students enrolled in elementary and middle schools in Lincoln, NE. They found that aerobically-fit children had a 2.4 times greater chance of passing math tests and a 2.2 times greater chance of passing reading tests compared with aerobically-unfit children. Among those receiving free/reduced lunch, the odds of passing the tests were still greater than those of students who were aerobically-unfit, but not as high as those not receiving free/reduced lunch. They also found that BMI, although an important indicator for overall general health, did not have a significant effect on academic success.

Although obesity is a concern for children, this study shows that aerobic fitness can have a greater effect on academic performance than weight. The authors found that both aerobic fitness and socioeconomic status have a similar impact on academic performance. Because aerobic fitness can be easier to improve than socioeconomic status, and it is easy to implement in a school setting, schools should think twice before taking minutes from physical education classes and recess. According to Dr. Rauner, "Schools sacrificing physical education and physical activity time in search of more seat time for math and reading instruction could potentially be pursuing a counterproductive approach."

###

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/ehs-rwa022513.php
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Rock band Stone Temple Pilots fire singer Scott Weiland

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock band Stone Temple Pilots on Wednesday said they had fired singer Scott Weiland - a decision which appeared to have surprised the band's founding member and the voice behind the its biggest hits of the 1990s.

"Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland," the band, which now consists of bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, said in a statement.

The band declined to give a reason for firing Weiland.

"I learned of my supposed 'termination' from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press," Weiland said in a statement.

"Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that's something for the lawyers to figure out," he added.

Weiland, 45, whose growling vocals and dyed bright red hair became a symbol of the grunge era in the early 1990s, helped the Stone Temple Pilots score hits with guitar-heavy songs like "Plush" in 1993 and "Interstate Love Song" the following year.

The band broke up in 2003 and reformed in 2008.

During that interval Weiland was in the rock group Velvet Revolver with former members of Guns N' Roses among others.

Weiland, who has admitted to struggling with drug abuse in the past, begins a month-long solo U.S. concert tour on Friday in Flint, Michigan.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, Editing by Jill Serjeant and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rock-band-stone-temple-pilots-fire-singer-scott-204558287.html

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Today?s misc. links (Unqualified Offerings)

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| Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287854931?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Green Blog: Feeding Ourselves on a Warming Planet

As we have often noted here on the Green blog, one of the biggest uncertainties humanity faces regarding climate change is the potential effect on the world?s food supply.

If there?s a risk that global warming and related changes could hit us much sooner and much harder than scientists are expecting, agriculture could be the crucial realm where that occurs. In fact, we have already entered an era of sharply higher global food prices, with climate change as one of the likely causal factors.

A new paper from researchers associated with Tufts University puts the overall risk in perspective. It is billed as a working paper, meaning it has not gone through formal scientific review, but it strikes me as worth highlighting nevertheless. The findings pretty closely match the conclusions presented in some of my reporting from 2011.

The authors, Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton, point out that in the 1990s, research suggested that climate change would be fairly benign for agriculture. The first few degrees of warming would help agriculture expand in chilly regions, and the rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide would act as plant fertilizer, boosting crop yields, the thinking went. More recent science has cast sharp doubt on some of those conclusions.

Yet the earlier, rosy scenario is still incorporated into a lot of economic models of global warming. As a result, economists sometimes come to the conclusion that relatively modest efforts to tackle climate change are adequate for now.

?Can we muddle along without expensive climate initiatives, and go on living ? and eating ? as before?? the authors of the new paper ask. ?Not for long, according to some of the new research on climate and agriculture.?

I would say the research they cite, though clearly an improvement over the work from the 1990s, is by no means definitive; a major new program designed to improve our predictions about climate and agriculture is still in its early phases. Anyway, what attempt to predict the future is ever definitive?

But anybody who wants a tight synopsis ? less than 20 pages ? of the emerging evidence that we are in trouble on the food supply could do worse than consulting this working paper. It recaps recent findings that the benefits on plant growth of rising carbon dioxide levels may not be as great as originally hoped, that temperature extremes due to climate change may have a severe effect on crop yields, and that fresh water scarcity could exacerbate the problems.

?If warming continues unabated, it will, in a matter of decades, reach levels at which adaptation is no longer possible,? the researchers conclude. ?Any long-run solution must involve rapid reduction of emissions, to limit the future extent of climate change.?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/feeding-ourselves-on-a-warming-planet/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks Imagine you were a Jedi master called Bob (your parents, whilst skilled in the ways of the force weren't the best at choosing names). The love of your life?Princess Lucia?is trapped in a burning building as you hurry to save her.

You might think of Lucia as the embodiment of your dreams, your aspirations?she is your most important thing.

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

Unfortunately, before you can reach her an army of stormtroopers open fire. The incoming stream of lasers demand your attention?if you fail to dodge them, you're dead. You might think of them as an urgent distraction from saving your princess.

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

We all know how a hero resolves this dilemma. If he takes his eye off the ultimate goal?his princess?then all his other efforts are for nought. He can engage an army of stormtroopers, cutting them down with graceful ease, but their numbers are limitless, and whilst momentarily satisfying they only distract him. Delayed too long, his princess will die.

And so it is with your life. You have things that are most important and things that are most urgent in permanent competition:

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

The secret to mastering your time is to systematically focus on importance and suppress urgency. Humans are pre-wired to focus on things which demand an immediate response, like alerts on their phones?and to postpone things which are most important, like going to the gym. You need to reverse that, which goes against your brain and most of human society.

Look at what you spend your day doing. Most of it, I'll warrant, is not anything you chose?it's what is being asked of you. Here's how we fix that, young padawan:

Say no. Most of us follow an implicit social contract: when someone asks you to do something you almost always say yes. It may feel very noble, but don't forget there's a dying princess you need to save, and you just agreed to slow yourself down because you were asked nicely. You may need to sacrifice some social comfort to save a life (as a bonus, people tend to instinctively respect those who can say no).

Unplug the TV. I haven't had a TV signal for 7 years, which has given me about 12,376 hours more than the average American who indulges in 34 hours a week. I do watch some shows?usually one hour a day whilst eating dinner?but only ones I've chosen and bought. You can do a lot with 12,000 hours, and still keep up with Mad Men.

Kill notifications. Modern technology has evolved to exploit our urgency addiction: email, Facebook, Twitter, Quora and more will fight to distract you constantly. Fortunately, this is easily fixed: turn off all your notifications. Choose to check these things when you have time to be distracted?say, during a lunch break?and work through them together, saving time.

The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

Schedule your priorities. Humans are such funny critters. If you have a friend to meet, you'll arrange to see them at a set time. But if you have something that matters to you more than anything?say writing a book, or going to the gym?you won't schedule it. You'll just ?get round to it'. Treat your highest priorities like flights you have to catch: give them a set time in advance and say no to anything that would stop you making your flight.

First things first. What is the single most important (not urgent) thing you could possibly be doing? Do some of that today. Remember there's a limitless number of distracting stormtroopers?don't fool yourself by thinking "if I just do this thing first then I can." Jedi don't live by excuses.

Less volume, more time. There's always millions of things you could be doing. The trick is to pick no more than 1-3 a day, and relentlessly pursue those. Your brain won't like this limit. Other people won't like this limit. Do it anyway. Focusing your all on one task at a time is infinitely more efficient than multi-tasking and gives you time to excel at your work.

Ignore. It's rude, unprofessional, and often utterly necessary. There are people you won't find time to reply to. There are requests you will allow yourself to forget. You can be slow to do things like tidy up, pay bills, or open mail. The world won't fall apart. The payoff is you get done what matters.

One final lesson from the Jedi: they're heroes.

Heroes inspire us for many reasons: they make tough decisions, they keep going and they get done what matters. But there's another reason we love our heroes. Inside us all, we know we have the power to become one ourselves.

How to master your time | Oliver Emberton

Oliver Emberton is an entrepreneur, author-in-training, challenge addict, dancer, pianist, programmer, artist, and general busy bee.

Image remixed from Shutterstock.

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6Y2HW3IaxwU/the-simple-secret-to-time-management-jedi-time-tricks

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Aren't Seeing Results? Why You Should Hire a Personal Trainer ...

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Source: http://www.kickstandfitness.com/2013/02/25/arent-seeing-results-hire-a-personal-trainer/

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Scientists find genes linked to human neurological disorders in sea lamprey genome

Feb. 24, 2013 ? Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey, a vertebrate fish whose whole-genome sequence is reported this week in the journal Nature Genetics.

"This means that we can use the sea lamprey as a powerful model to drive forward our molecular understanding of human neurodegenerative disease and neurological disorders," says Jennifer Morgan of the MBL's Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering. The ultimate goals are to determine what goes wrong with neurons after injury and during disease, and to determine how to correct these deficits in order to restore normal nervous system functions.

Unlike humans, the lamprey has an extraordinary capacity to regenerate its nervous system. If a lamprey's spinal cord is severed, it can regenerate the damaged nerve cells and be swimming again in 10-12 weeks.

Morgan and her collaborators at MBL, Ona Bloom and Joseph Buxbaum, have been studying the lamprey's recovery from spinal cord injury since 2009. The lamprey has large, identified neurons in its brain and spinal cord, making it an excellent model to study regeneration at the single cell-level. Now, the lamprey's genomic information gives them a whole new "toolkit" for understanding its regenerative mechanisms, and for comparing aspects of its physiology, such as inflammation response, to that of humans.

The lamprey genome project was accomplished by a consortium of 59 researchers led by Weiming Li of Michigan State University and Jeramiah Smith of the University of Kentucky. The MBL scientists' contribution focused on neural aspects of the genome, including one of the project's most intriguing findings.

Lampreys, in contrast to humans, don't have myelin, an insulating sheath around neurons that allows faster conduction of nerve impulses. Yet the consortium found genes expressed in the lamprey that are normally expressed in myelin. In humans, myelin-associated molecules inhibit nerves from regenerating if damaged. "A lot of the focus of the spinal cord injury field is on neutralizing those inhibitory molecules," Morgan says.

"So there is an interesting conundrum," Morgan says. "What are these myelin-associated genes doing in an animal that doesn't have myelin, and yet is good at regeneration? It opens up a new and interesting set of questions, " she says. Addressing them could bring insight to why humans lost the capacity for neural regeneration long ago, and how this might be restored.

At present, Morgan and her collaborators are focused on analyzing which genes are expressed and when, after spinal cord injury and regeneration. The whole-genome sequence gives them an invaluable reference for their work.

Morgan, Bloom, and Buxbaum collaborate at the MBL through funding by the Charles Evans Foundation. Bloom is based at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research/Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish in New York. Buxbaum is from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Marine Biological Laboratory, 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:

Jeramiah J Smith, Shigehiro Kuraku, Carson Holt, Tatjana Sauka-Spengler, Ning Jiang, Michael S Campbell, Mark D Yandell, Tereza Manousaki, Axel Meyer, Ona E Bloom, Jennifer R Morgan, Joseph D Buxbaum, Ravi Sachidanandam, Carrie Sims, Alexander S Garruss, Malcolm Cook, Robb Krumlauf, Leanne M Wiedemann, Stacia A Sower, Wayne A Decatur, Jeffrey A Hall, Chris T Amemiya, Nil R Saha, Katherine M Buckley, Jonathan P Rast, Sabyasachi Das, Masayuki Hirano, Nathanael McCurley, Peng Guo, Nicolas Rohner, Clifford J Tabin, Paul Piccinelli, Greg Elgar, Magali Ruffier, Bronwen L Aken, Stephen M J Searle, Matthieu Muffato, Miguel Pignatelli, Javier Herrero, Matthew Jones, C Titus Brown, Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Kaben G Nanlohy, Scot V Libants, Chu-Yin Yeh, David W McCauley, James A Langeland, Zeev Pancer, Bernd Fritzsch, Pieter J de Jong, Baoli Zhu, Lucinda L Fulton, Brenda Theising, Paul Flicek, Marianne E Bronner, Wesley C Warren, Sandra W Clifton, Richard K Wilson, Weiming Li. Sequencing of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) genome provides insights into vertebrate evolution. Nature Genetics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2568

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/strange_science/~3/31_IzH_8VG8/130224142915.htm

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Monday, February 25, 2013

TUESDAY'S COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Worcester
Ask A Nurse with a registered nurse from Bayada Home Health Care with general wellness screening, blood pressure checks and blood glucose monitoring, 9:30-11 a.m. Feb. 26. Walk-ins welcome. Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence St., Worcester. (508) 799-1232.

Grandparent and Grandchild Playtime with Family Partnership, 10 a.m. Feb. 26. Bring your grandchild to a special visit by the Pumpernickel Puppets. Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence St., Worcester. (508) 799-1232.

Volunteer Day Help with wildlife-related volunteering activities, including maintaining habitat and monitoring populations at the sanctuary, 10 a.m.-noon Feb. 26. Free. Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester. (508) 753-6087.

Discovering Nature as a Preschooler ? Spring 2013 Tuesday Session I 9:30 a.m.-noon. $100 child members, $125 child nonmembers. This six-week series of nature classes is designed for children ages 4 to 5 unaccompanied by a parent. Begin indoors with games, activities or crafts, and then explore the outdoors on Broad Meadow Brook?s clearly marked trails. Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester. (508) 753-6087.

Discovering Nature for Children Ages 5-8: Spring 2013 Session I 1:30-4 p.m. $100 child members, $125 child nonmembers. This six-week series of nature classes is designed for children ages 5-8. Each Tuesday we?ll explore nature topics in-depth through hands-on experiments, activities and investigations. Then we?ll spend time outdoors on Broad Meadow Brook?s clearly marked trails. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester. (508) 753-6087.

Open Mic Local musician showcase, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Free. Greendale?s Pub, 404 West Boylston St., Worcester. openmcc@verizon.net.

Alzheimer?s Workshop ?Legal and Financial Answers for Families Coping with Alzheimer?s,? presented by an elder law attorney, 10 a.m. Feb. 26. Free. Alzheimer?s Association, 128 Providence St., Worcester.

Art Matters ?Women Artists Before the 20th Century, Part I,? 2 p.m. Feb. 26. Birches Auditorium, Briarwood Continuing Care Retirement Community, 65 Briarwood Circle, Worcester. (508) 852-9007.

College Planning Seminar for High School Students and Parents 7-8 p.m. Feb. 26. Free but registration is required. Kumon Learning Center of West Worcester, 6 Park Ave., Suite 200, Worcester. (508) 754-5453.

Music at Holy Cross featuring Trio Tremonti: Saul Britan, violin; Jan Muller-Szeraws, cello; Sally Pinkas, piano. 8 p.m. Feb. 26. Free. Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester.

Athol
Film Screening and Moderated Discussion ?The Growing Edge,? 6-8 p.m. Feb. 26. Athol Library, 82 Freedom St., Athol.

Auburn
Wellness Works Program for Youth Nutrition, healthy eating and exercise for youth will be discussed. 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Auburn-Webster Lodge of Elks 2118, 754 Southbridge St., Auburn. elkswellnessworks@gmail.com.

The Brookfields
Family Preparedness Class The technique for making whole wheat bread will be demonstrated, with an emphasis on using items that can be stored for emergency situations to prepare nutritious foods for the family, 7 p.m. Feb. 26. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Route 56, North Brookfield. (774) 289-6068.

Fitchburg
Counting Story Time 10:30 a.m. Feb. 26. Includes stories, music and movement. Free. Fitchburg Youth Library, 610 Main St., Fitchburg.

Exercise Programs Restorative Hatha Yoga, 9:30 a.m. drop-in, $12; Easy flow strength training, 6:45 p.m. Feb. 26. $12 drop-in. Simonds-Hurd Complementary Care Center, HealthAlliance Hospital ? Burbank Campus, 275 Nichols Road, Fitchburg. (978) 665-5800.

Gardner
Family Ice Skating Night 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Free. Bring your own skating gear. Dunn State Park Pond House Visitors Center, 289 Pearl St., Gardner. Activity is dependent on ice and weather conditions. (978) 632-7897.

Leominster
Twin City Toastmasters Meeting 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Guests are welcome. No fee. Different locations in Leominster. (508) 341-2259 or www.twincitytoastmasters.com.

New England Shutterbug Camera Club Meeting 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Nonmembers, $5. Veterans Center, 100 West St., Leominster. (603) 899-5239 or ahiker.ripley@gmail.com.

Snack Storytime Enjoy assorted treats and listen to the story ?If You Give a Pig a Party.? Afterward, children will make a related craft. 10 a.m. Feb. 26; children 3 to 7. Registration required. Dr. Martin T. Feldman Children?s Room, Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. (978) 534-7522, ext. 119.

Job Seekers Networking Group ?Lemonade: The Movie,? 9:30 a.m. Feb. 26. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. (978) 534-7522.

Lunenburg
Legos Club for children 5 and older, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Registration required. Lunenburg Public Library, 1023 Massachusetts Ave., Lunenburg. (978) 582-4140.

Marlboro
Health Education Program ?Pump It Up! How to be Heart Strong and Heart Wise? with Dr. Eric Nelson and clinical exercise physiologist Nancy Zambraski, 7 p.m. Feb. 26. Leahy Conference Room, Marlboro Hospital, 157 Union St., Marlboro. Registration required. (508) 486-5810.

Entrance Exam Adult Practical Nursing Program 4 p.m. Feb. 26. Online registration is required, and potential students must arrive 20 to 30 minutes earlier to register. Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, 215 Fitchburg St., Marlboro.

Milford
Parkinson?s Disease Support Group 6 -7:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Women?s Pavilion Conference Center, Milford Regional Medical Center, 14 Prospect St., Milford. (508) 254-3913.

Millbury
Events Blood pressure clinic, 9 a.m.; tai chi classes, 9:30 a.m., $2; singalong, 11 a.m.; yoga, 1 p.m.; computer class, 3 p.m., Feb. 26. Registration required. Council on Aging, 1 River St., Millbury. (508) 865-9247.

Northboro
Preschool Story Time for children 3-5. Read stories, sing songs and do crafts. Children participate without parents until craft time. 10-10:45 a.m. Feb. 26. Registration required. Northboro Free Library, 34 Main St., Northboro. (508) 393-5025, ext. 4.

Northboro Art Guild Program ?Negative Space, Composition and Values,? drawing demonstration by Kathy Hebert, 7:30-9 p.m. Feb. 26. Free. Northboro Historical Building, 50 Main St., Northboro.

Paxton
Yoga 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Senior Center, Town Hall, 17 West St., Paxton.

Princeton
Tuesday Volunteer Days at Wachusett Meadow 9:30 a.m.-12: 30 p.m. Feb. 26. Free. Learn about nature as you assist with a variety of property, maintenance and ecological management projects. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Road, Princeton. (978) 464-2712

Rutland
Zumba Fitcamp 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays $8. Rutland Community Center, 53 Glenwood Road, Rutland. (508) 873-8633.

Southbridge
Auditions ?On Golden Pond,? 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Gateway Players Theatre, Gateway ArtsBarn, 111 Main St., Southbridge. (508) 764-4531.

Spencer
Theater Games Fairytale in a minute for children in kindergarten-grade 6, 4:30 p.m.; X-box Kinect, 6 p.m. Feb. 26. . Richard Sugden Library, 8 Pleasant St., Spencer. (508) 885-7513.

Sturbridge
Parent Group Robin Foley will talk about the transition for special-needs children 14-22, 6 p.m. Feb. 26. South Valley Family Support Center, 128 Main St., Sturbridge. (508) 796-1950.

Adult CPR and First Aid Certification Class CPR, 9-11 a.m.; First Aid, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $60. Feb. 26. Rehabilitative Resources Inc., 1 Picker Road. (508) 347-8181, ext. 104.

Upton
American Red Cross Blood Drive hosted by Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District. 3-8 p.m. Feb. 26. 65 Pleasant St., Upton. Donors receive a coupon for a free lunch pack from Cumberland Farms. (800) 733-2767 or redcrossblood.org.

West Boylston
Author Talk ?The Human Cost of Water,? by Maryanne O?Hara, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Beaman Memorial Library, 8 Newton St., West Boylston.

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20130224/DIGESTS/102249997/1011/rss01&source=rss

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Saakashvili?s party rallies to support Tbilisi mayor

Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the National Movement. (DF Watch photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch?Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava was charged with money laundering and embezzlement of the city?s money, but not detained.

Politicians from the United National Movement party of President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday hastily left parliament Kutaisi and headed for Tbilisi after the investigation service of the Ministy of Finance issued a statement accusing him for abuse of public funds.

After leaving the office of the investigative service on Saturday, Ugulava said he ?cannot understand what the charges are for?, but he was given ?some papers? which he would read later.

His supporters and members of the UNM had gathered outside the investigative service half an hour before the mayor appeared. Among participants there were leaders of the UNM and former government officials, including Giga Bokeria, Secretary of the Security Council, Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the UNM party, MP Goka Gabashvili and others.

Tens of police cars and policemen were posted at the entrance to the building, and in nearby streets, to avoid any incidents.

Ugulava?s lawyer Gogita Gabaidze told journalists that during the questioning his client used his right to remain silent.

Giga Bokeria, Secretary of the Security council, who was present at the gathering of solidarity to Ugulava said that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Prime Minister, has a ?declared goal? of destroying the opposition.

?Mr Ivanishvili thinks in short-term perspectives and today he tries to destroy the opposition,? he said, adding that this is a very dangerous process, but he is sure that ?this goal can never become true.?

This is the third time parliament members from the UNM have left their work in parliament and gone to the capital to protest against ?political persecution.?

The MPs claim that the government is continuing its ?political terror.? They didn?t specify when they will return to parliament, but in the past their protests have tended to last about a week.

First time they left Kutaisi was after the detention of Bacho Akahalaia, a former defense minister.

Source: http://dfwatch.net/saakashvilis-party-rallies-to-support-tbilisi-mayor-74321

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Best Buy offers two-week, $100 discount on all Windows 8 touchscreen PCs

Microsoft's Tami Reller told us that demand for touchscreen Windows 8 computers was outstripping supply, but it seems that Best Buy still isn't selling quite as many as it would like. Today, the big box retailer announced that it will offer a $100 discount on all Windows 8 touchscreen PCs starting Sunday, in a two-week promotion ending March 7th. What's more, The Wall Street Journal reports that Best Buy itself will be footing part of the bill, joining Intel, Microsoft, and PC manufacturers in eating the cost of the discount.

The discount won't apply to the Microsoft Surface or other Windows tablets, according to the Journal.

Best Buy subsidizes touchscreens

Generally, a touchscreen can add between $50 and $200 to the cost of a Windows 8 computer, and touchscreen-equipped models often also have premium parts, so these discounts would largely apply to more expensive PCs anyhow. In case you're interested in picking one up, we recently reviewed the best all-in-one touchscreen PCs, and gave several recent Windows 8 touchscreen laptops reasonably high marks.

While Best Buy hasn't been doing too well as of late, closing stores and cutting jobs, it recently became friendlier to comparison shoppers, permanently offering to match 19 major online retailers' prices on any identical item in its physical stores.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinRumors/~3/hYKbjkWkWt8/best-buy-100-windows-8-touchscreen-discount

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Irene Monroe: The Boy Scouts of America: Another Closed Door for Black GBTQ Youth

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the Black Church are rightly lauded for molding young black men into adult leaders. BSA troops have produced distinguished African-American scouts like retired four-star general Colin Powell, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.

African American participation in the Boy Scout movement dates back to 1911, and its impact has not only forced the integration of young black males into the organization, but also continues to address many of the challenges these young males confront today.

With young African-American males (particularly those in urban enclaves) at much higher risks for incarceration, gang violence, unemployment, fatherlessness and substance abuse, the BSA has been a source of constant and consistent strong positive male figures for these young black boys.

Like many BSA troops, African-American troops are often strongly affiliated with community black churches. These churches not only hold homophobic views, but also hold a tight-fisted hand on their non-gender-conforming males.

The BSA's position on GBTQ scouts is unquestionably discriminatory, and its hesitancy to swiftly remove its ban dishonors the organization's goal and philosophy, "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."

This means that GBTQ black youths cannot catch the lifeline that the BSA provides their straight brethren due to the homophobia of the church and the BSA. It's no wonder these youths have higher incidents of homelessness.

The BSA's national office is housed in Texas, the heart of the Bible Belt, and that reflects the religiously conservative influence on the organization's policies.

Although the BSA is a civic organization that has local chapters in public schools, a large number of them are equally affiliated with religious institutions. Those religious groups have a disproportionate influence on the organization.

Most of these religious institutions interpret and impose both the Scout Oath and Scout Law from their conservative theological perspective -- and the Black Church is not alone in doing so. The Church of the Latter Day Saints, for example, has a huge influence on the BSA because the church mandates that all male youths join the Boy Scouts.

New York Times reporter Erik Eckholm writes in his recent article "As Partner, Mormons and Scouts Turn Boys into Men:"

With mutual exaltation of God and country and a shared aim of nurturing "morally straight" men with leadership skills and a service ethic, the Mormons and the Boy Scouts seem made for each other, as entwined as a square knot. And in an unusual partnership dating to 1913, the Mormon Church has embraced scouting wholesale, giving it a central role in preparing male youths for their two-year missionary stints and adulthood as lay priests.

The basis for discrimination against gay scouts and gay scout leaders pivots around two beliefs: the Judeo-Christian tenets about homosexuality and the myth that there is an inherent correlation between male homosexuality and pedophilia. Although these beliefs have been successfully refuted they are strategically upheld to maintain its ban.

The BSA's 2004 position statement on homosexuality that has not changed states, "We believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirement of the Scout oath that a Scout be morally straight and in the Scout law that a Scout be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts."

The words "morally straight" and "clean" are what have fueled the BSA's homophobic stance and consequently have given rise to both its misinterpretation and misuse of the group's own guidelines.

While "morally straight" and "clean" have everything to so with being a scout, they have nothing to do with a scout's sexual orientation. The original interpretation of both words are about virtue, readiness and open-mindedness in the context of human service, and a scout's commitment to teamwork, honesty, respect for others, and community service.

The truth that needs to be told is that the BSA's is fighting itself, and needs to come out of the closet about its founder. Perhaps that would dispel the dispute about gay scouts.

Scout founder Robert Baden-Powell (1857- 1941) was believed to be gay. A number of biographies on Baden-Powell alluded to his homosexuality. Tim Jeal, the author of "The Boy-Man: The Life of Lord Baden-Powell," wrote, "The available evidence points inexorably to the conclusion that Baden-Powell was a repressed homosexual."

Jeal further states that in Baden-Powell's diaries and correspondences, Baden-Powell wrote frequently about his "enjoyment at watching young men swim naked; enjoy nude men; (and) expressed disdain for female nudity." Also, Baden-Powell had an "extremely close, decades-long friendship" with Kenneth McLaren, "with whom he served in the British military and always made sure he bunked."

The Black Church's silent stance of BSA's continued ban on gays help strengthen the church's belief that strong black male leadership is exclusively heterosexual.

However, if both the Black Church and BSA goals are to continue to nurture the talents and gifts of all its young males, then they must ask themselves to what degree does their stance on homophobia hinders their goal?

Sources:
Distinguished African American Scouts

African Americans in the Boy Scout movement | African American Registry

Mormons and Scouts Act as Parthttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html?pagewanted=all ners in Molding Boys - NYTimes.com

Boy Scouts of America membership controversies

The Boy-Man: The Life of Lord Baden-Powell

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-monroe/boy-scouts-lgbt_b_2733337.html

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Michael Imperioli to play tormented sensei on 'The Office'

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "Sopranos" veteran Michael Imperioli will join "The Office" for one of its final episodes, playing Dwight Schrute's tormented sensei.

Imperioli's Sensei Billy will find his patience tested by his exasperating student, who has apparently maintained a love of karate first demonstrated in the second season of the show.

He will go to unusual means to make Dwight (Rainn Wilson) go away.

"The Office" is quickly pairing off characters into romances and resolving plotlines as it approaches its finale after nine seasons.

Imperioli will appear in one episode of the series, but it won't be the finale, NBC said.

The actor's other recent roles included one on ABC's "Detroit 187."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michael-imperioli-play-tormented-sensei-office-175312693.html

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Sabres fall to Leafs in Rolston's debut as coach

TORONTO -- Ron Rolston had no more success than Lindy Ruff behind the Buffalo Sabres' bench.

In his first game as an NHL head coach, Rolston took a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

Rolston, who took over on Wednesday after the Sabres fired long-time coach Lindy Ruff, tried to put a positive spin on Buffalo's performance in his debut.

"I liked a lot of things we did," said Rolston, who was coaching Buffalo's American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester when Ruff was dismissed. "We improved in some areas that we talked about. We just need to go back at it and get better."

Rolston said he took a few moments to soak up the scene before his first NHL game.

"It was a great feeling, walking down the hallway and out behind the bench for the first time," he said. "This is a spectacular building, there was great atmosphere, and being out there for the anthems was a special feeling. It was a thrill."

That feeling of excitement will quickly fade if Buffalo continues its tailspin. The Sabres (6-11-1) have lost three straight and five of six. That skid cost Ruff -- the NHL's longest-tenured coach -- his job after nearly 16 years with the franchise.

On Thursday, James van Riemsdyk scored two goals to lead the Maple Leafs past the Sabres.

Van Riemsdyk's power-play goal at 14 minutes, 28 seconds of the third -- his team-leading 11th -- gave Toronto breathing room after Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller stopped Van Riemsdyk with a fabulous glove save earlier on the power play.

Dion Phaneuf also scored Toronto, which won its third straight home game. Ben Scrivens stopped 31 shots for his third win in five starts since James Reimer's knee injury Feb. 11.

Tyler Ennis scored for Buffalo.

Buffalo has fallen to 14th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference and needs to turn things around quickly.

"Most importantly, we need to generate more shots, more scoring chances," Rolston said. "We've got to shoot and get more traffic in front. We've got the guys back there (on defense) who can really shoot it. If we can establish that, it should really open things up for us."

The Sabres ranked 17th in the NHL in goals per game (2.6) and 26th in goals against (3.3). Special teams have also been a problem for Buffalo, which ranks second to last in the league on the power play (12.3-percent efficiency) and 20th on the penalty kill (79.4 percent).

There is work to do, but the Sabres appear ready to listen to a new coach for the first time since 1997.

"It was a different voice, obviously," said Thomas Vanek, who is tied for the NHL lead in goals (12) and points (25) and has been one of Buffalo's few bright spots this season. "He talked a lot behind the bench. It was fine. He tried to teach us a few things during the game."

While they are ready to respond to Rolston, some Sabres acknowledged the situation felt a little strange at first.

"It was weird," Buffalo captain Jason Pominville said. "Lindy's been the leader of this organization for 16 years. It's definitely something we have to get used to. Nothing against Ron, it's just a little weird to have a new voice back there."

Source: http://www.goerie.com/article/20130222/HOCKEY04/302229902/Sabres-fall-to-Leafs-in-Rolston's-debut-as-coach

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IQ loss linked to schizophrenia genes, study finds

Feb. 21, 2013 ? People at greater genetic risk of schizophrenia could see a fall in IQ as they age, study shows.

Scientists at the University say IQ decline in those at risk could happen even if they do not develop schizophrenia.

The findings could lead to new research into how different genes for schizophrenia affect brain function over time. Schizophrenia -- a severe mental disorder characterised by delusions and by hallucinations -- is in part caused by genetic factors.

The researchers used the latest genetic analysis techniques to reach their conclusion on how thinking skills change with age.

"Retaining our thinking skills as we grow older is important for living well and independently. If nature has loaded a person's genes towards schizophrenia, then there is a slight but detectable worsening in cognitive functions between childhood and old age," said Professor Ian Deary, Director of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology.

Historical data

They compared the IQ scores of more than 1,000 people from Edinburgh.

The people were tested for general cognitive functions in 1947, aged 11, and again when they were around 70 years old.

The researchers were able to examine people's genes and calculate each subject's genetic likelihood of developing schizophrenia, even though none of the group had ever developed the illness.

They then compared the IQ scores of people with a high and low risk of developing schizophrenia.

Scientists found that there was no difference at age 11, but people with a greater genetic risk of schizophrenia had slightly lower IQs at age 70.

Those people who had more genes linked to schizophrenia also had a greater estimated fall in IQ over their lifetime than those at lower risk.

Cognitive impact

"With further research into how these genes affect the brain, it could become possible to understand how genes linked to schizophrenia affect people's cognitive functions as they age," said Professor Andrew McIntosh, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences.

Schizophrenia affects around 1 per cent of the population, often in the teenage or early adult years, and is associated with problems in mental ability and memory.

The study, which was funded by the BBSRC, Age UK, and the Chief Scientist Office, is published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

The University's Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology is funded by the Cross Council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Edinburgh.

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

Journal Reference:

Andrew M. McIntosh, Alan Gow, Michelle Luciano, Gail Davies, David C. Liewald, Sarah E. Harris, Janie Corley, Jeremy Hall, John M. Starr, David J. Porteous, Albert Tenesa, Peter M. Visscher, Ian J. Deary. Polygenic Risk for Schizophrenia Is Associated with Cognitive Change Between Childhood and Old Age. Biological Psychiatry, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.01.011

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/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/S_3L3DT8_OU/130221104328.htm

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Friday, February 22, 2013

NBA trade deadline features only minor moves

Dallas Mavericks' Shawn Marion, left, and Elton Brand (42) defend as Orlando Magic's J.J. Redick makes a pass beneath the basket during the first half of a game Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in Dallas. Redick was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 8:27 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 8:27 p.m.

NEW YORK ? The only trade involving Dwight Howard came last summer. The potent scorers that moved did so long ago.

There was no eye-catching activity left for deadline day, resulting in minor deals Thursday to the disappointment of those hoping for a frenzy.

Josh Smith stayed put and the Boston Celtics? core stayed together, leaving J.J. Redick, dealt to Milwaukee, as the biggest name to be traded.

There were nine moves, nothing approaching a blockbuster and none to jump-start the Lakers.

Players such as James Harden and Rudy Gay were traded far before the deadline, but with teams perhaps fearful of new penalties for the biggest spenders, Thursday was mostly quiet.

?I don?t think I?ve seen fewer trade deadline deals, ever,? said Houston general manager Daryl Morey, who completed two trades Wednesday. ?But I think it?s a one-year blip.?

The Atlanta Hawks held onto Smith, and Utah kept both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson on a day when much attention was focused on both situations, since those players have value and could leave their teams this summer as free agents.

The long-shot deals never materialized. Howard remained in Los Angeles, just what Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak repeatedly said would happen. Howard?s unhappiness and struggles since he was acquired from Orlando last summer fueled speculation that the Lakers might move him before possibly losing him for nothing as a free agent.

?It took a while for league to understand our position was exactly what we stated,? Kupchak told reporters. ?I think they finally got it.?

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will continue wearing Celtic green, as will Rajon Rondo when he?s healthy enough to put on a uniform again.

The Celtics did make one deal, acquiring guard Jordan Crawford from the Washington Wizards for center Jason Collins and injured guard Leandro Barbosa.

Those were the types of trades that were left after the big names that were available had already been moved. Oklahoma City sent All-Star Harden to Houston the preseason, fearing it couldn?t pay what last season?s top sixth man would want after already giving lucrative long-term deals to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The Memphis Grizzlies broke up their frontcourt when they sent Gay to Toronto in a three-team deal with Detroit ?I think normally a point was made, normally you would see big deals being made. We cannot forget, Andre Iguodala, that deal was made in the summer. That could have potentially been a trade deadline move,? said Denver Nuggets president Masai Ujiri, referring to the player he acquired in the four-time Howard trade in August.

?Harden was traded right before the season started. That could have been a potential trade deadline move. Rudy Gay was started a couple weeks ago. There was some cleanup before this date. Apart from a couple guys who were out there all the time in terms of big names, it just went by. I can?t explain it.?

Finances certainly played into it. The collective bargaining agreement that went into effect in 2011 came with much more punitive penalties for teams that repeatedly exceed the luxury tax and limits the options of those over the salary cap, and decisions Thursday were made with that in mind.

Golden State sent forward Jeremy Tyler to Atlanta and guard Charles Jenkins to Philadelphia in separate deals, slicing more than $1.5 million off its payroll after beginning the day about $1.2 million over the league?s $70,307,000 luxury tax.

Rebuilding after trading Howard, the Magic decided Redick wasn?t in their plans while averaging career highs in points (15.1) and field goal percentage (45.0). He was traded along with center Gustavo Ayon and reserve point guard Ish Smith to the Bucks in exchange for guards Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih, and forward Tobias Harris.

The New York Knicks traded Ronnie Brewer to Oklahoma City to open a roster spot that will be used to give Kenyon Martin a 10-day contract. The Hawks couldn?t find a good enough deal for Smith, who had largely been considered the biggest name that would move, and settled for sending Anthony Morrow to Dallas for Dahntay Jones.

With so little happening, Morey may have pulled off the most intriguing move this week when he acquired Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick in last year?s draft, from Sacramento in one of his two deals.

?I thought the main thing that was different at this trade deadline was there was a big premium on cap space and draft picks,? Morey said. ?Usually, that?s the currency that moves markets. They were at such a premium that every deal was very difficult. It became like a barter economy instead of a cash economy. That made deals harder.

?I do think you could say that maybe the CBA might be contributing to that. But I also think a lot of it is just the phase teams are in. There are a lot of good teams trying to maybe rebuild, for lack of a better word.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130221/wire/130229906

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Guest Post: About Your $3.16 A Day Healthcare Insurance Plan ...

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog,

About your "affordable" healthcare coverage...better read the fine print.

I recently received the good news via an advert that I can buy healthcare insurance for as little as $3.16 a day.?Wow, that's only $95 a month. Since my wife and I are paying $1,136 a month for stripped-down, minimal coverage with one of the nation's non-profit care providers, imagine my delight at this revelation.
?

I know from friends that biopsies can cost $70,000 (each, of course) and a few days in the hospital (no, not intensive care) can easily cost $120,000, so the news that I can have access to all this wonderfully, insanely costly medical care for less than $100 a month is almost too good to be true. Wow, this Affordable Care Act (ACA) a.k.a. Obamacare is already working!
?

The advert doesn't provide any details on restrictions and exclusions, so I have taken the liberty of providing some typical fine print:

Thank you for your interest in MirageCare, our low-cost healthcare plan.This low-cost plan is only available to those meeting these qualifications. You must:

1. Be between the ages of 22 and 24
2. Have a BMI (body mass index) of 22 or lower
3. Be a celibate non-smoker, non-drinker, non-driver
4. Be able to pass the Armed Forces Fitness Exam
5. Have no pre-existing health conditions

Examples of pre-existing conditions include:

1. Coughing. If you have coughed for any reason in the past five years, you are precluded from coverage, as you obviously have a pre-existing lung condition.
2. Racing heart. If your heart has ever raced for any reason other than vigorous exercise, coverage is not available to you.
3. If you have exercised vigorously, you are excluded from coverage because you've obviously already worn out your heart, knees, hips, etc.
4. Felt discouraged or blue. Pre-existing psychiatric conditions preclude coverage.
5. Experienced pain. Regardless of the nature of the pain, the causes are all pre-existing conditions. Coverage denied.

Restrictions:?MirageCare has a number of restrictions on what treatments and conditions are covered.

1. Injuries resulting from accidents are not covered. Check your workers compensation coverage if you are employed; if you are unemployed, you qualify for Medicaid.
2. Any treatment provided by a hospital that could have been performed at a clinic across the border for $50 is excluded.
3. Emergency care that could have been avoided with common-sense measures are excluded. For example, if you suffer a heart attack that could have been avoided by jogging two hours a day and avoiding jelly doughnuts, emergency care is excluded.

Co-payments:?All treatment requires a co-payment. The co-pay schedule is as follows:

1. For all care that costs us less than $100, the co-pay is $100.
2. We pay 80% of the cost of care that we ascertain is fair and reasonable. You pay 20% of all costs and everything above and beyond what we ascertain is fair and reasonable.
For example, if your MRI and other tests cost $10,000, we pay 80% what we ascertain is fair and reasonable, i.e. $1,000. In this case, we pay $800 and you pay $9,200--unless we ascertain the tests are related to your pre-existing conditions, in which case our share is $0.
3. You must pay the full cost of treatment and we will reimburse you in 6 to 9 months if we cannot find any exclusions or restrictions. We may also withhold payment for other reasons; please review pages 316 - 1,761 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for details.

Preventative care is free:?Preventative care is defined as visiting our website where you can read all the guidelines for healthy living that you already know but ignore because they're bothersome.

Alternative plans:?if you do not qualify for MirageCare, we have other plans starting at only $31.60 per day, per person--less than $4,000 for a family of four. We are proud to offer plans that qualify for $2,000 annual subsidies from the Federal government under ObamaCare. This drops the cost of your family plan from $46,000 a year to only $44,000--a real bargain in today's healthcare.

Restrictions apply, of course, because we're running a business here, Bucko.

Texas headquarters of The Scooter Store raided

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) ? Dozens of law officers have raided the South Texas headquarters of The Scooter Score in an alleged fraud investigation.

Authorities were seen Wednesday carrying out a search warrant at the New Braunfels headquarters of the company that supplies power wheelchairs and scooters. Company officials didn't immediately return messages for comment Thursday.

Timothy Menke with the Office of the Inspector General says the investigation involves his agency, plus the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Texas attorney general's Medicaid fraud unit. An FBI spokesman declined comment on the nature of the investigation.

The Scooter Store earlier this month cut 150 jobs and blamed pending government changes in claims processing and reimbursement. The company last September laid off about 220 workers and again cited a drop in Medicare reimbursements.

Source: http://romenews-tribune.com/bookmark/21778089

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Saber Blast Lets Brands Team Up On Social Media To Form A Marketing Alliance

Small businesses and new brands are mere sardines in the ocean of social media. But a school of small fish is much more powerful than a lone minnow, which is why Saber Blast, a new alliance marketing tool, has launched out of beta. The service lets any brands sign up and join forces with other companies and brands, by RT-ing and re-sharing social media content. The idea is that a service like Airbnb, a home-sharing marketplace, would pair well with a Lyft or GetAround, other peer-to-peer services focused on transportation. The products overlap in the sense that travelers need both lodging and transportation, and customers are bound to be more comfortable with peer-to-peer services, yet these companies don’t directly compete. Saber Blast would then allow Lyft and Airbnb, or whomever, to form an alliance, wherein they would RT and re-share eachother’s content across their own social media channels. Users have complete control over what they share or don’t share, but the more content you share on behalf of your brand partners, the more likely they are to blast out your content. The entire show can be run from the web, where Saber Blast provides a simple dashboard for alliance forming, requesting promotion from alliances, sharing, and analytics. Saber Blast generates revenue with a paid subscription model, starting at $20/month for 20 marketing alliances and 2,000 email contacts, and incrementally reaching $100/month for the most comprehensive package. Founder Matt Ackerson, who is in his fourth go-around as a founder, says that Saber Blast is more aimed at small businesses and startups, but that it can be beneficial to small and large brands alike.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xnOOtfZo0rU/

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Has the door shut on a diplomatic solution to Syria's conflict?

Despite European and US resistance to arming the Syrian rebels, the conflict is becoming more militarized. Yesterday regime troops launched a missile at a rebel position.

By Whitney Eulich,?Staff writer / February 19, 2013

An excavator is used to search for survivors after a Syrian army launched a missile on the rebel-held Jabal Badro district in the city of Aleppo Tuesday. The missile strike, a rarity in a fight more commonly fought with shells and airstrikes, highlights increasing doubts about a diplomatic resolution to the nearly two-year-old conflict.

Hamid Khatib/Reuters

Enlarge

? A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Skip to next paragraph Whitney Eulich

Latin America Editor

Whitney Eulich is the Monitor's Latin America editor, overseeing regional coverage for CSMonitor.com and the weekly magazine. She also curates the Latin America Monitor Blog.

Golf-Play suspended at Match Play due to snow

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

MARANA, Arizona | Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:12am IST

MARANA, Arizona Feb 20 (Reuters) - Play was suspended at 11.07 local (1807 GMT) because of driving rain and snow in the opening round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday.

Just over three-and-a-half hours of golf was possible on a bitterly cold and breezy morning at Dove Mountain before officials halted the action at the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event as ice began to form on the greens.

Rain, wind and the chance of further snow showers have been forecast for the rest of the day in Arizona's high desert.

In the early matches, Australian Jason Day was in full command against American Zach Johnson, four birdies in the first eight holes helping him go 6up after 10.

American Bo Van Pelt was 5up on Australian John Senden after 12 holes, defending champion Hunter Mahan was 4up on Italy's Matteo Manassero after nine and American Matt Kuchar was 3up on Japan's Hiroyuki Fujita after 14.

Northern Ireland's world number one Rory McIlroy, beaten by Mahan 2&1 in last year's final, and three-times champion Tiger Woods were among those yet to start their first-round matches.

McIlroy has been drawn to play Irishman Shane Lowry in the opening round while Woods will face fellow American Charles Howell III. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Steve Keating)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INgolf/~3/m_7sktvrjjs/golf-pga-matchplay-suspension-idINL1N0BK0D020130220

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

And Speaking of Fiction

by wjw on February 19, 2013

So over in the New Republic,?of all places, Ian McEwan (?One of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945?) asks what happens when a novelist loses his faith in fiction. ?And I found myself nodding in agreement as I read along..

Novels? I don?t know how or where to suspend my disbelief. What imaginary Henry said or did to nonexistent Sue, and Henry?s lonely childhood, his war, his divorce, his ecstasy and struggle with the truth and how he?s a mirror to the age?I don?t believe a word: not the rusty device of pretending that the weather has something to do with Henry?s mood, not the rusty device of pretending . . .?

I confess, I?ve been on those panels?with fellow believers as we intone the liturgy, that humans are fabulators,?that we ?cannot live? without stories.You cannot live, priests always imply, without them. (Oh, yes we can.) My heart fails when I wander into the?fiction section of a bookstore and see?the topless towers on the recent-titles?tables, the imploring taglines above the cover art?(He loved her, but would she listen?), the?dust-jacket plot summaries in their earnest?present?tense: Henry breaks free of his?marriage and embarks on a series of wild ?

Well, you get the idea.

Maybe I?ve just been feeling grumpy because my eyesight has been so demolished by surgery that I can barely read at all. ?Or maybe it has to do with a decision to concentrate on light reading. ?(Lord knows, in my current situation I?m in no shape to deal with Dostoevsky.)

But still. ?Honest to God. ?You should make at least a little?effort to suspend my disbelief.

McEwan?s talking about what Norman Spinrad would call the ?bourgeois mimetic novel,? in which the concerns of the educated middle classes are, basically, the concerns of the entire world. ?Whether Henry and Sue can find happiness in their marriage, whether Henry can learn to love his job, and mortgage, and his first intimations of mortality . . . that?s it, ?That?s all. ?The whole grand apparatus of fiction is reduced entirely to this.

Now I maintain that these subjects can be made interesting? if not to me, then surely to somebody? but it?s not helped when the author is, let?s face it, pig-ignorant of the world.

(And let us spare a few moments of deep sympathy for the authors of the modern academic novel. ?Here?s a bright young person who went to college, who got his MFA in creative writing, who then got a job teaching, whose entire adult life has been spent in the academy . . . and who of course turns out a novel about adultery in academe. ?Because adultery in a college setting is literally the most exciting thing that ever happened to him. ?In his whole life. ?Are we not feeling deep sadness and compassion at this realization? ?Good lord, if I hadn?t been kicked out of grad school, that could have been me.)

But anyway, even if you?re writing about adultery in academe, for God?s sake make me think you know something about it other than having read a bunch of other novels on a similar theme. ?

I?ve been reading some unchallenging novels lately, but even unchallenging novels can be authoritative. ?They can convince me that the author knows what she?s talking about, even if she?s not exactly challenging my preconceptions about the world, or about fiction. ?But lately I?ve just been stumbling across a bunch of them where it seems the author isn?t even trying.

I?ve read some detective novels written by people who clearly have no idea how to detect. ?I?ve read some political novels by people with only the most vague idea of how powerful people think and act. ?And I?ve read some science fiction where the science actually works but the characters don?t seem to fully inhabit their world somehow? they seemed to be characters dragged out of the author?s past (1985, say) and not fully-fledged inhabitants of the future that the author was describing. ?Even though the stories were written in the 21st Century, and set in the far future, the characters still seemed stuck in the era of Dutch Reagan.

Who the hell are these writers? ?Somebody thought their stuff was worth publishing. ?Somebody paid?them. ?Presumably somebody reads them. ?Why?

One problem is that I, the reader, simply know too goddam much. ?I?ve been on the planet for over half a century, and I?ve had a half-century?s worth of experience, and I?ve been feeding my brain all that time, and by this time I know how some things work. ?And when a book violates my understanding, I lose all faith in it.

But mostly it?s the author?s goddam fault. ?The author hasn?t been keeping up with, I don?t know, anything that?s happened in the human universe since 1985. ?And the author hasn?t included the sort of detail that might convince me that the author knows his subject matter, or at least understands a half-convincing alternative universe in which this story takes place.

How revolutionary is it to simply say: if you don?t know something, look it up!? Isn?t that what we teach our kids in school? ?When did writers forget that? ?When did editors?

(I don?t want to entirely exclude myself from this critique. ?When I started writing, I was myself pig-ignorant of the world, or at least certain important elements of the human condition. ?But, y?know, I did my research!? And when the research failed, I did my best to fake it! ?And I employed the best models! ? I may have made mistakes, but I worked hard at understanding things, I didn?t just make this shit up!)

So anyway, by the end of his essay, McEwan has got over his snit, and he?s found hope here and there, and he?s working on a new piece.

As I would be, if I could get my eyes to work properly, or if I weren?t half in the bag along with a nice bottle of California red. ?(If a screaming fear of daylight?isn?t enough of a justification for getting loaded, I don?t know what is.)

But anyway . . .

I?m not sure I have a conclusion for this? it?s just a wail about the human condition, after all? but y?know what? ?None of the authors I?ve been reading have attended Taos Toolbox, and they really oughta.

Cuz I would learn ?em better. ?I really would.

Source: http://www.walterjonwilliams.net/2013/02/and-speaking-of-fiction/

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Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 8:27 p.m.

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

So over in the New Republic,?of all places, Ian McEwan (?One of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945?) asks what happens when a novelist loses his faith in fiction. ?And I found myself nodding in agreement as I read along..

Well, you get the idea.

Maybe I?ve just been feeling grumpy because my eyesight has been so demolished by surgery that I can barely read at all. ?Or maybe it has to do with a decision to concentrate on light reading. ?(Lord knows, in my current situation I?m in no shape to deal with Dostoevsky.)

But still. ?Honest to God. ?You should make at least a little?effort to suspend my disbelief.

Now I maintain that these subjects can be made interesting? if not to me, then surely to somebody? but it?s not helped when the author is, let?s face it, pig-ignorant of the world.

But anyway, even if you?re writing about adultery in academe, for God?s sake make me think you know something about it other than having read a bunch of other novels on a similar theme. ?

Who the hell are these writers? ?Somebody thought their stuff was worth publishing. ?Somebody paid?them. ?Presumably somebody reads them. ?Why?

How revolutionary is it to simply say: if you don?t know something, look it up!? Isn?t that what we teach our kids in school? ?When did writers forget that? ?When did editors?

So anyway, by the end of his essay, McEwan has got over his snit, and he?s found hope here and there, and he?s working on a new piece.

As I would be, if I could get my eyes to work properly, or if I weren?t half in the bag along with a nice bottle of California red. ?(If a screaming fear of daylight?isn?t enough of a justification for getting loaded, I don?t know what is.)

But anyway . . .

I?m not sure I have a conclusion for this? it?s just a wail about the human condition, after all? but y?know what? ?None of the authors I?ve been reading have attended Taos Toolbox, and they really oughta.

Cuz I would learn ?em better. ?I really would.