There are a number of people that suffer these days with dependency whether to drugs or other harmful substances. Nowadays there are a number of substance abuse rehabilitation establishments that are designed to help people get back on track and to live a fresh life once and for all. There are a variety of options available to individuals these days who wish to get a clean life and to live a sober life also. Here are a few basic facts in regards to substance abuse programs and facilities.
Referrals
For people looking to get clean, you can find your own clinic to enroll in or you can speak to your physician. Because addiction is recognized as an illness these facilities are created to help overcome the addiction once and for all. Going to a facility can be done by referral of friends and family or the person on their own walked in to get support. Once you go ahead and take the step to commit to a cleaner life these establishments are going to be a great place to begin.
Intake
This substance abuse rehab program requires an assessment of you and your dependency. Staff will meet with you so they can better learn more about you and what your preferences might be from the program. Not only will they need to learn about what you have abused previously, but they're likely to want to know about current drugs and substances you use. In the event you show signs of both mental and physical health issues they're going to be tackled as well. Both of these situations are normal with dependency. Additionally, staff will look into your mental health and see what types of symptoms you suffer from the addiction.
The assessment may also consider the amount of commitment you are ready to make to change your way of life. They will consider what triggers could impact your recovery such as friends or family along with other social difficulties. This information is likely to be utilized to assist with the power of the care you really need to help meet your needs to recover.
Cleansing Your Body
All drug facilities perform a detoxification of the entire body. This is a step that's made to help detoxify the entire body from toxic substances and prescription drugs. This helps the body eliminate the dependency on Xanax, tranquilizers, and opiod in a safe way. Without care done the right way there might be serious harm done to the body over time. This process can take between 7-10 days.
When it comes to this drug rehab facility you'll be able to choose from outpatient or inpatient facilities. Outpatient facilities allow you to be at home while attending treatment groups. Recovery is difficult, but when the right support is there it can be done.
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A movie based on his musical career, "Searching For Sugar Man," is nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar, and he's just been announced on the lineup for California's massive Coachella Music Festival. Not a bad year for Detroit singer/songwriter Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, once a star in South Africa who lived for decades in relative obscurity in Detroit, will play on the third day of the Indio, Calif. concert series. In other Michigan connections, Detroit rapper Danny Brown will perform on the second day after appearing briefly at last year's festival when rapper Childish Gambino brought him on stage. Brown has received more and more acclaim in the last year.
And there's the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have been named as headliners for the Sunday shows -- drummer Chad Smith hails from a Detroit suburb. But while Motor City music lovers might be pleased by the additions of local talent, there's many more who are disappointed with the lineup.
The Coachella Festival's lineup will perform over two weekends, April 12 to 14 and April 19 to 21. Also headlining the festival are Blur, Phoenix and The Stone Roses, plus the returns of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Postal Service. Look below for the full lineup and get all the details of the 2013 festival.
DES MOINES (Reuters) - Senator Tom Harkin, a veteran Iowa Democrat and one of the most liberal senators, said on Saturday he will not seek re-election in 2014, putting at risk what was considered a safe Democratic seat.
Harkin, 73, who has focused much of his nearly 40-year congressional career on farm policy, education and expanding rights for people with disabilities, is the third senator facing re-election next year who has announced his retirement, following Democrat Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.
"It's somebody else's turn. It's time for me to step aside ... . I think that's not only good for our party, it's good for our state and for our nation," Harkin said in an interview with Reuters.
He said he had no health problems but had promised his wife that he would quit before it was too late to enjoy other things in life.
Iowa, site of the country's first presidential nominating contest, is considered a political swing state. Republican Charles Grassley is Iowa's other U.S. senator.
In remarks to the Iowa Democratic Party central committee after his announcement, Harkin said he would stay politically active.
"I'm not quitting today. This is not a time for legacy talks or anything like this," said Harkin, who has served in Congress since 1974.
Several committee members had tears running down their cheeks as he spoke.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, in a statement described Harkin as "a passionate progressive, whose deeply held principles have provided a guiding light to Democrats for decades."
SEARCH IS ON
Party officials said Harkin's announcement, coming early in the current two-year election cycle, provides ample time to recruit a strong Democratic candidate.
Among Democrats, U.S. Representative Bruce Braley is widely seen as a front-runner. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, and his wife, Christine Vilsack, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year, are also viewed as potential candidates.
Among Republicans, U.S. Representatives Tom Latham, a moderate, and Steve King, a conservative, are mentioned as possible candidates, which could produce a divisive Republican primary.
Democratic President Barack Obama won Iowa in the November election. But the state has a Republican governor, and a divided legislature and congressional delegation.
Harkin's retirement "just reinforces our belief that a grassroots Republican comeback can take place in 2014. Let's have it start in Iowa," Iowa Republican Party Chairman A.J. Spiker said in an email appeal to state Republicans.
The party needs to pick up six seats in the mid-term elections next year to take a majority in the 100-member Senate.
One of the last of the Senate's old-guard liberals, Harkin angrily opposed the White House over the recent fiscal cliff compromise that Vice President Joe Biden negotiated with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Harkin said the deal that raised taxes only on the very rich helps the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 and to the Senate in 1984, Harkin said someone younger needs to take his place.
"I've been there 40 years. I'm 73. By the time I run (for re-election), I'd be 75," he said.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Charles Abbott and Vicki Allen in Washington; Editing by Greg McCune and Xavier Briand)
FILE - This Jan. 19, 2012 file photo shows billboards advertising Broadway shows in Times Square, in New York. The TEDxBroadway conference will be help Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at the off-Broadway complex New World Stages. The one-day event is bringing together more than a dozen producers, marketers, entrepreneurs, academics, economists and artists. All will try to answer the question: "What is the best Broadway can be?" (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)
FILE - This Jan. 19, 2012 file photo shows billboards advertising Broadway shows in Times Square, in New York. The TEDxBroadway conference will be help Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at the off-Broadway complex New World Stages. The one-day event is bringing together more than a dozen producers, marketers, entrepreneurs, academics, economists and artists. All will try to answer the question: "What is the best Broadway can be?" (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Before long plane flights, Thomas Schumacher likes to download talks from some of the world's brightest and creative minds speaking at TED conferences, watching them on his iPad while thousands of feet in the air.
"I marvel at the range of stuff. I like the passion of the speakers and love the content," says the president of the Disney Theatrical Group about the various conferences dedicated to technology, entertainment and design. "I am a giant TED freak."
The downloader will become the downloaded after Monday when Schumacher joins more than a dozen speakers for the second TEDxBroadway conference at the off-Broadway complex New World Stages.
The one-day event is bringing together more than a dozen producers, marketers, entrepreneurs, academics, economists and artists. All will try to answer the question: "What is the best Broadway can be?"
Schumacher's string of hits ? including "The Lion King," ''Mary Poppins" and "Newsies" ? hasn't made him impervious to a bout of nerves ahead of the conference.
"I'm confident that somebody will be worse than me, and I'm really confident that people will be better than me," he says, laughing. "There are no rules about doping for this, so I'm going to do whatever I can. I'm going to have a blood transfusion Sunday night."
He'll join a wide assortment of speakers, including "Star Trek" actor George Takei, producer Daryl Roth, Schmackary's Cookies CEO Zachary A. Schmahl, playwright Kristoffer Diaz, critic Terry Teachout, ethnographer Ellen Isaacs and Erin Hoover of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
There will also be performances, this being Broadway, after all. Magician Steve Cohen will wow the crowd with tricks, and there will be music from Rasputina, the all-female cello-driven band.
TEDx events are independently organized but inspired by the nonprofit group TED, which started in 1984 as a conference dedicated to "ideas worth spreading." Video of the Broadway event will be made available to the public.
The annual gathering centered on Broadway is the brainchild of three men: Ken Davenport, a writer, director, producer and industry pioneer; Jim McCarthy, the CEO of ticket discounter Goldstar; and Damian Bazadona, the founder of Situation Interactive, an online marketing firm.
Last year, the organizers asked speakers to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway would look like in 2032. This year, they dropped the forecasting to focus on current issues.
"I think by taking the time frame off of it, we've actually retained the imagination part and kind of liberated the speakers a little bit more," said McCarthy. "I think it's been a more constructive framework for them to work with."
The speakers will include Tony Award-winning set designer Christine Jones, who will discuss how to make the Broadway experience more intimate. She's an expert on the subject, having created Theatre for One, a 4- by-8-foot portable theater that fits just one audience member and one actor.
One returning speaker is Vincent Gassetto, the principal of a high-performing public middle school in a tough area of the Bronx who urged those in attendance last year not to overlook his diverse and enthusiastic talent pool as arts funding shrivels. His passion triggered several school visits to Broadway shows.
One hot topic will be on the future of live theater. David Sabel, from the National Theatre of Great Britain, producer Randi Zuckerberg and Internet pioneer Josh Harris will each talk about how theater can be freed from the stage, whether that means more immersive experiences or employing more broadcasts of plays and musicals on movie screens.
"Our goal at the conference is not necessarily to walk out with a list of things we're going to do tomorrow and say, 'This is going to solve the problem,'" said Bazadona. "The idea is really just to discuss what the different ideas and directions are. For me, the more open-ended it is, the more excited I am to see where it goes."
The three organizers have seen the event grow and hope to keep it an annual event. Last year's TEDxBroadway attracted some 200 people; this year it is expected to double that.
"I think of the conference as a steroid shot to everyone's imagination. It just stirs everyone up," said Davenport. "It's a jolt to everyone's system and gets everyone thinking in a new and exciting way."
___
Online:
http://www.goldstar.com/tedxbroadway
___
Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
A Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrates that tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who did not respond to methotrexate (MTX). Results of the 12-month interim analysis of the efficacy of tofacitinib appear in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
RA is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, pain and swelling of the joints. Over time, RA may destroy joints, impair daily function, and lead to significant disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that RA affects up to one percent of individuals worldwide and 1.3 million of those are Americans according to the ACR.
"Tofacitinib inhibits Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes that are found in white blood cells, and which help to regulate the immune system," explains lead investigator Dr. Dsire van der Heijde from Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands. "We are examining the oral JAK inhibitor, tofacitinib, as a disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drug (DMARD) and for its ability to modulate the immune system in those with RA."
In this 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 797 participants were randomized (4:4:1:1) to receive 5 mg of tofacitinib twice daily (BID) (n=321); 10 mg of tofacitinib BID (n=316); placebo to tofacitinib 5 mg BID (n=81); or placebo to tofacitinib10 mg BID (N=79). Participants had a mean age of 53 years, 85% were female, 54% were non-Caucasian, and the mean duration of RA was 9 years. Patients who did not respond to placebo were advanced to tofacitinib at three months and the remaining placebo participants at six months.
Results from a planned 12-month interim analysis from the 24-month, Phase 3 trial show that tofacitinib is effective in preserving joint structure in patients with moderate to severe RA who had an inadequate response to MTX therapy. The difference from placebo in mean change from baseline in the van der Heijde modified total Sharp score was statistically significant for tofacitinib at 10 mg BID but not at 5 mg BID at month 6 (co-primary endpoint) and month 12.
Patients treated with tofacitinib at both 5 and 10 mg BID doses displayed less progression of joint erosion and joint space narrowing compared to placebo at six and twelve months. Change in the joint space narrowing score was statistically significant at month 12 for the tofacitinib groups versus placebo. Researchers also reported that the proportion of patients with no radiographic progression in the tofacitinib groups was significantly greater compared to placebo.
Analysis confirms previous results that tofacitinib is effective in treating RA symptoms and reducing the rate of joint damage. "Our findings provide the first evidence that tofacitinib reduces the progression of structural damage in RA patients with active disease," concludes Dr. van der Heijde.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tofacitinibthe first oral JAK inhibitor for treatment of moderate to severe RAon November 6, 2012. A twice daily 5 mg dose of tofacitinib was approved by the FDA for RA patients who are unresponsive or intolerant to MTX. The drug is being marketed by Pfizer as Xeljanz.
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "Tofacitinib (CP-690,550) in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis on Methotrexate: 12-Month Data from a 24-Month Phase 3 Randomized Radiographic Study." Desiree van der Heijde, Yoshiya Tanaka, Roy Fleischmann, Edward Keystone, Joel Kremer, Cristiano Zerbini, Mario H.Cardiel, Stanley Cohen, Peter Nash, Yeong-Wook Song, Dana Tegzova, Bradley T. Wyman, David Gruben, Birgitta Benda, Gene Wallenstein, Sriram Krishnaswami, Samuel H. Zwillich, John D. Bradley, Carol A. Connel and the ORAL Scan investigators. Arthritis & Rheumatism; January 24, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/art.37816).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.37816
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
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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.
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
A Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrates that tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who did not respond to methotrexate (MTX). Results of the 12-month interim analysis of the efficacy of tofacitinib appear in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
RA is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, pain and swelling of the joints. Over time, RA may destroy joints, impair daily function, and lead to significant disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that RA affects up to one percent of individuals worldwide and 1.3 million of those are Americans according to the ACR.
"Tofacitinib inhibits Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes that are found in white blood cells, and which help to regulate the immune system," explains lead investigator Dr. Dsire van der Heijde from Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands. "We are examining the oral JAK inhibitor, tofacitinib, as a disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drug (DMARD) and for its ability to modulate the immune system in those with RA."
In this 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 797 participants were randomized (4:4:1:1) to receive 5 mg of tofacitinib twice daily (BID) (n=321); 10 mg of tofacitinib BID (n=316); placebo to tofacitinib 5 mg BID (n=81); or placebo to tofacitinib10 mg BID (N=79). Participants had a mean age of 53 years, 85% were female, 54% were non-Caucasian, and the mean duration of RA was 9 years. Patients who did not respond to placebo were advanced to tofacitinib at three months and the remaining placebo participants at six months.
Results from a planned 12-month interim analysis from the 24-month, Phase 3 trial show that tofacitinib is effective in preserving joint structure in patients with moderate to severe RA who had an inadequate response to MTX therapy. The difference from placebo in mean change from baseline in the van der Heijde modified total Sharp score was statistically significant for tofacitinib at 10 mg BID but not at 5 mg BID at month 6 (co-primary endpoint) and month 12.
Patients treated with tofacitinib at both 5 and 10 mg BID doses displayed less progression of joint erosion and joint space narrowing compared to placebo at six and twelve months. Change in the joint space narrowing score was statistically significant at month 12 for the tofacitinib groups versus placebo. Researchers also reported that the proportion of patients with no radiographic progression in the tofacitinib groups was significantly greater compared to placebo.
Analysis confirms previous results that tofacitinib is effective in treating RA symptoms and reducing the rate of joint damage. "Our findings provide the first evidence that tofacitinib reduces the progression of structural damage in RA patients with active disease," concludes Dr. van der Heijde.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tofacitinibthe first oral JAK inhibitor for treatment of moderate to severe RAon November 6, 2012. A twice daily 5 mg dose of tofacitinib was approved by the FDA for RA patients who are unresponsive or intolerant to MTX. The drug is being marketed by Pfizer as Xeljanz.
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "Tofacitinib (CP-690,550) in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis on Methotrexate: 12-Month Data from a 24-Month Phase 3 Randomized Radiographic Study." Desiree van der Heijde, Yoshiya Tanaka, Roy Fleischmann, Edward Keystone, Joel Kremer, Cristiano Zerbini, Mario H.Cardiel, Stanley Cohen, Peter Nash, Yeong-Wook Song, Dana Tegzova, Bradley T. Wyman, David Gruben, Birgitta Benda, Gene Wallenstein, Sriram Krishnaswami, Samuel H. Zwillich, John D. Bradley, Carol A. Connel and the ORAL Scan investigators. Arthritis & Rheumatism; January 24, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/art.37816).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.37816
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
[ | 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.
MILAN (AP) ? Shares in the world's oldest running bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, have been suspended from trading after reports claimed that its profits will be hurt by financial derivatives it has bought.
The bank has come under market scrutiny after the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that a purchase of derivatives three years ago threatens to cut 2012 earnings by at least ?200 million ($293 million). The bank's former chairman, who reportedly approved the purchase, has resigned this week from the Italian banking association as a result.
Monte dei Paschi was suspended Wednesday from trading on the Milan Stock Exchange after dropping 8 percent to ?0.25.
The bank's board is to vote on Friday on capital increases that are key to clinching a government aid package of?3.9 billion.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for the third straight quarter as iPhone sales came in below expectations, fueling investors' worries that its dominance of the mobile industry was slipping.
Shares of the world's largest tech company fell 10 percent to $463 after-hours, wiping out some $50 billion of its market value from its $514 close.
On Wednesday, Apple said it shipped a record 47.8 million iPhones in the December quarter, up 29 percent from the year-ago period but below the 50 million shipments that analysts on average had expected.
"It's going to call into question Apple's dominance in the space. It's still one of the strong players, the others being Samsung and Google. It's still a two-horse race, but Android continues to grow rapidly," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
"If you step back a bit, it's clear they shipped a lot of phones. But the problem is the high expectations that investors have. Apple's conservative guidance highlights the concerns over production cuts coming out of Asia recently."
Apple projected revenue of $41 billion to $43 billion in the current, second fiscal quarter, lagging the average Wall Street forecast of more than $45 billion.
Fiscal first quarter revenue rose 18 percent to $54.5 billion, below the average analyst estimate of $54.73 billion, though earnings per share of $13.81 beat the Street forecast of $13.47, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Apple also undershot revenue targets in the previous two quarters, and these results will prompt more questions on what Apple has in its product pipeline, and what it can do to attract new sales and maintain its growth trajectory, analysts said.
Net income of $13.07 billion was virtually flat with $13.06 billion a year earlier.
CHINA IS BRIGHT SPOT
Investors' expectations heading into the results had already been subdued by news of possible production cutbacks by some component suppliers in Asia, triggering fears that demand for the iPhone, which accounts for half of Apple's revenue, and the iPad could be slowing.
Apple shares are down nearly 30 percent from a record high in September, in part on worries that its days of hyper growth are over and its mobile devices are no longer as popular.
Intense competition from Samsung's cheaper phones - powered by Google's Android software - and signs that the premium smartphone market may be close to saturation in developed markets have also caused a lot of investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, sales of the iPad came in at 22.9 million in the fiscal first quarter, roughly in line with forecasts.
On the brighter side, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters that iPhone sales more than doubled in greater China - a region that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has vowed to focus on as its next big growth driver.
The company will begin detailing results from that country.
"These results were OK, but they definitely raised a few questions," said Shannon Cross, analyst with Cross Research. "Gross margin trajectory looks fine so that's a positive and cash continues to grow. But I think investors are going to want to know what Apple plans to do with growing cash balance."
"And other questions are going to be around innovation and where the next products are coming from and what does Tim Cook see in the next 12 to 18 months."
(Reporting By Poornima Gupta; Editing by Bernard Orr)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon and industry officials worked through the weekend to determine what caused the failure of a fuel line on the Marine Corps version of Lockheed Martin Corp's s F-35 fighter jet that prompted the plane's grounding on Friday.
A spokesman for Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp that builds the engines for the jets, said those involved included officials from Stratoflex, a unit of Parker Hannifin Corp that built the fuel line.
No comment was immediately available from Stratoflex.
Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office, said on Tuesday it was too soon to say when the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) model of the radar-evading new jet could return to flight, since the investigation was continuing.
"We'll return the STOVL variant to flight once any causal and contributing factors are understood and mitigated," he said.
The Pentagon's F-35 program office announced the grounding of all 25 F-35B model jets on Friday after a fuel line associated with the B-model's exhaust system failed prior to takeoff during a training flight.
The fuel line in question enables movement of the exhaust system, a weight-saving innovation that replaces traditional hydraulics.
The incident came just days after the Pentagon's director of testing and evaluation released an 18-page report detailing an array of problems which he said underscored the "lack of maturity" of the $396 billion fighter program.
A team of experts first examined the failed part at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where the incident occurred during a training flight on January 16, and then headed to the East Hartford, Connecticut plant where Pratt & Whitney builds engines for the jets.
DellaVedova said it was unclear if the incident would have any impact on the busy flight test schedule for the new warplane, but said a recent restructuring of the program had added time to the schedule to address any issues that arose during testing.
"We now have a program that has resiliency built into it," DellaVedova said. "That was the whole point of the rebaselining."
Matthew Bates, spokesman for Pratt & Whitney's military engines division, said investigators worked "diligently" through the holiday weekend, along with officials from Stratoflex.
Lockheed is building three different models of the F-35 fighter jet for the U.S. military and eight countries that helped pay for its development: Britain, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia and Norway.
The Pentagon plans to buy 2,443 of the warplanes in coming decades, although many analysts believe U.S. budget constraints and deficits will eventually reduce that overall number.
(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
When Colin Kaepernick was in college at Nevada, he was a phenomenal player ? the first player in NCAA Division 1 history to pass for 10,000 yards and run for 4,000 yards in his career. But he wasn?t a Heisman Trophy candidate or a first-round draft pick, in part because many people thought the Nevada ?pistol? offense was a gimmick.
Now that Kaepernick has led the 49ers to the Super Bowl from the pistol, the man who invented the offense, former Nevada coach Chris Ault, is celebrating what he has accomplished ? and predicting big things for the pistol in the NFL going forward.
Ault said on NFL Network this morning that contrary to what some people believe, the pistol isn?t predicated on a quarterback running the ball. In fact, Ault said he believes NFL defenses will be able to take away a lot of the runs that Kaepernick does so well. It?s just that when defenses are focused on preventing Kaepernick from getting to the outside, that leaves a lot open in the middle. Ault said he thought Frank Gore?s two touchdown runs against the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game were set up by the defense having to worry about Kaepernick running in the read-option.
?I think defenses will catch up, but here?s the beauty of the pistol: I know we saw Kaep run for 181 yards against Green Bay ? that?s certainly the read part of the game, it?s great ? but what you saw last week is what I believe our pistol brings to the table: Kaep didn?t run it. He read it and handed it off because Atlanta was taking away Kaep on the outside,? Ault said. ?And those two plays, I believe, that Gore scored on, both of them were read-type plays. The beauty of what we?ve done in the pistol and what I?ve seen the 49ers and the Redskins doing, is, it?s not just the read play itself. It?s also the play-action pass off of it.?
Ault said the pistol formation, in which the quarterback is not under center but is closer to the line of scrimmage than a typical shotgun formation, with a running back directly behind the quarterback, makes it harder for the defense to key on the running back.
?When that back sits behind the quarterback, the linebackers do not have a clear view of what he?s doing,? Ault said. ?You can run downhill power games, counters, gaps and all that from the pistol.?
Anyone who thought the pistol was all about the quarterback running the ball after watching Kaepernick?s record-breaking rushing game against the Packers saw in the 49ers? win over the Falcons that that?s not the case: Kaepernick led the 49ers to a win while running just two times for 23 yards.
?I don?t think the NFL quarterbacks are all going to start running the ball 15 times a game,? Ault said. ?But if you?ve got the read in your offense, it is a threat, it?s something you?ve got to be concerned about, and of course if you?ve got a guy like Kaep who can run like a gazelle, you?ve got to be more than concerned with it. You?ve got to put one and a half people on him.?
Ault said that any NFL team, even those with slow, pocket passers, could run its offense out of the pistol.
?They could run the pistol formation,? Ault said. ?They don?t need to run the read part of it. When we first put the pistol in, in 2005 and 2006, that?s all we ran ? we ran the power, the gap, the counters, the zones, the outside stuff. We did not run the read at that time. So the pistol offense, the most important thing there is you can run any offense you?ve been running.?
Ault isn?t suggesting that his offense is the best for every team ? he acknowledged that it has weaknesses and strengths like any other system. But he says it?s not a gimmick. It?s here to stay.
Jan. 18, 2013 ? The benefits and side effects of dissolving particles in our ocean's surfaces to increase the marine uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2), and therefore reduce the excess amount of it in the atmosphere, have been analysed in a new study.
The study, published Jan. 22 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, assesses the impact of dissolving the naturally occurring mineral olivine and calculates how effective this approach would be in reducing atmospheric CO2.
The researchers, from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, calculate that if three gigatonnes of olivine were deposited into the oceans each year, it could compensate for only around nine per cent of present day anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
This long discussed 'quick fix' method of geoengineering is not without environmental drawbacks; the particles would have to be ground down to very small sizes (around one micrometre) in order to be effective. The grinding process would consume energy and therefore emit varying amounts of CO2, depending on the sort of power plants used to provide the energy.
Lead author of the study Peter K?hler said: "Our literature-based estimates on the energy costs of grinding olivine to such a small size suggest that with present day technology, around 30 per cent of the CO2 taken out of the atmosphere and absorbed by the oceans would be re-emitted by the grinding process."
The researchers used a computer model to assess the impact of six different olivine dissolution scenarios. Olivine is an abundant magnesium-silicate found beneath Earth's surface that weathers quickly when exposed to water and air -- in its natural environment it is dissolved by carbonic acid which is formed from CO2 out of the atmosphere and rain water.
If olivine is distributed onto the ocean's surface, it begins to dissolve and subsequently increases the alkalinity of the water. This raises the uptake capacity of the ocean for CO2, which is taken up via gas exchange from the atmosphere.
According to the study, 92 per cent of the CO2 taken up by the oceans would be caused by changes in the chemical make-up of the water, whilst the remaining uptake would be down to changes in marine life through a process known as ocean fertilisation.
Ocean fertilisation involves providing phytoplankton with essential nutrients to encourage its growth. The increased numbers of phytoplankton use CO2 to grow, and then when it dies it sinks to the ocean floor taking the CO2 with it.
"In our study we only examined the effects of silicate in olivine. Silicate is a limiting nutrient for diatoms -- a specific class of phytoplankton. We simulated with our model that the added input of silicate would shift the species composition within phytoplankton towards diatoms.
"It is likely that iron and other trace metals will also impact marine life if olivine is used on a large scale. Therefore, this approach can also be considered as an ocean fertilisation experiment and these impacts should be taken into consideration when assessing the pros and cons of olivine dissolution," continued K?hler.
The researchers also investigated whether the deposition of olivine could counteract the problem of ocean acidification, which continues to have a profound effect on marine life. They calculate that about 40 gigatonnes of olivine would need to be dissolved annually to fully counteract today's anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
"If this method of geoengineering was deployed, we would need an industry the size of the present day coal industry to obtain the necessary amounts of olivine. To distribute this, we estimate that 100 dedicated large ships with a commitment to distribute one gigatonne of olivine per year would be needed.
"Taking all our conclusions together -- mainly the energy costs of the processing line and the projected potential impact on marine biology -- we assess this approach as rather inefficient. It certainly is not a simple solution against the global warming problem." said K?hler.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Physics (IOP), via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Peter K?hler, Jesse F Abrams, Christoph V?lker, Judith Hauck, Dieter A Wolf-Gladrow. Geoengineering impact of open ocean dissolution of olivine on atmospheric CO2, surface ocean pH and marine biology. Environmental Research Letters, 2013; 8 (1): 014009 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014009
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
You if you think that the phenomenon of the 20th century, abstract paintings you be further from the truth can not. Their Jewish religion and Islam prohibits the depiction of the human form, from the start. As a result, these religions of the decorative arts, high technology has developed. And the charming sound of the music of artists such as James McNeill Whistler (Whistler) and with the same initial presentation only, to talk of art as a depiction of visually appealing colors began. Perhaps, Pablo Picasso and Cubism (eg, abstraction has been referred to as firmly established in human form), which used geometric figures to simplify or exaggerate complex structures known what the trend set in motion picture of his style.
Synonymous with abstraction, cubism developed as a backlash to the impressionist era, the emphasis on light and color. Painter of abstract art, geometric figure, I can not see in real life, the foreground of the image through the use of views, they are believed to be serving. Many abstract paintings, famous Pablo Picasso's Guernica, and other players.
Other cubist Georges Braque. Them at the same time, he used his own and made it look all the way to the plane and three-dimensional cube shaded. His famous painting, fruit plate and includes a violin and pitcher.
Like to take one step further picture cubism abstract neoplasticism called to come and established Piet Mondrain artists and flourished. Reproduce the actual form of the basic beliefs of this art form, the art, but according to them, but the vertical and horizontal lines and primary colors were the absolutes of life should be represented.
neoplasticism after abstract expressionism rather than form, object or image, but the colors and brush strokes, celebrate the art form has. Is one of the best abstract figure in the picture of Mark Rothko Red, Orange, Tan and Purple.
Interpreted as depicting color, abstract paintings, in essence, showing feelings towards stay away, emerged as the lifestyle depicted in the moved.
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Thought I'd stick up a few photos of my new ATV tandem axle four wheeler trailer for hauling timber
All welded up with my 190Amp mig and galvanised afterwards. The tandem axles are pivoted on 1 1/4 round steel pins through brass bushes with stainless washers either side of the pin and secured with a split pin. I also fitted a 360* swivel hitch for added safety on rough ground and slopes. The top half of the stakes are removable as I'm planning on making up a removable flatbed deck at a later date to make it more useful when not needing to haul timber. The headboard at the front is also adjustable forward and rear to allow for different lengths of timber.
When looking for a credit card for students there are numerous considerations to take into account. But prior to we address these considerations we should 1st and foremost state that in order to qualify for an unsecured credit card young adults under the age of 21 need to either have a qualified cosigner or show proof that they have revenue.
That is a game changer for a great several and is a provision of the Credit Card Reform Act. Far too several students had been acquiring themselves into economic difficulty by not responsibly making use of the credit that was issued to them. And as far as the issuers go, effectively, they didn?t exactly help the scenario with their lax requirements for extending credit.
With that stated, let?s speak about creating the correct options. Having credit in college can completely be a good issue on a number of various levels. It helps develop a solid credit history which will in turn assist the students safe the credit they will need in the future for a mortgage, vehicle loans, enterprise loans and so forth.
It is also a beneficial asset in that it is an outstanding tool to meet emergency expenses. Numerous occasions students are away from residence for the really first time in their lives and as we all know, conditions beyond our manage can and do occur in life. Getting access to an emergency supply of financing can be invaluable.
A credit card for students can also be quite beneficial for paying for the necessities such as books and school supplies. Paying for tuition using a credit card is not advisable unless it can be paid off in total rather swiftly. Heaven knows that tuition is expensive enough without having tacking on interest rate charges.
An additional option that is gaining more and a lot more traction is a prepaid card. This permits funds that are directly deposited into a checking account to be accessed. New funds can be added at any time and parents can manage and monitor spending activity. There is even a teen prepaid debit card on the marketplace known as Present by Uncover specifically for teenagers to use.
Using credit wisely is all about producing intelligent selections. In order to do that the student should realize that they have a significant responsibility to use the credit that is granted to them wisely. The problem with numerous students is that they somehow perceive their credit card as becoming a supply of free of charge funds.
Of program it isn?t and they all of a sudden come to that really pricey realization when they locate themselves deep in debt. There is no require for this to occur and it completely can be prevented by properly educating the student how to responsibly use credit.
The Super Bowl is almost upon us again but Metro columnist Colin Murray says you?d be a fool to miss the double-header that will decide its finalists on Sunday.
Rave on: Baltimore Ravens? veteran Ray Lewis is hoping for a fairytale end to his career by first qualifying for and then winning the Super Bowl (PIcture: Getty Images)
On February 3, millions of people from around the world will watch a particular sport for the first and last time this year.
They will jump in with both feet, stocking the fridge with cold ones and hot wings. Friends will talk about a game they have little or no knowledge about, quoting from online previews before one person inevitably says: ?Hey, do you remember the Fridge? He was ****ing huge!?
And that?s okay. The Super Bowl remains a global phenomenon, and it is hard to think of more than a handful of annual sporting spectacles that come close in terms of pulling power.
So, here?s my point? why not start a little earlier this time around?
Family affair: It could be an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl, if Ravens coach John Harbaugh his brother, Jim, the 49ers? chief, win their playoffs (Picture: Reuters)
On Sunday, the NFC and AFC Championship games take place back to back ? just think Super Bowl semi-finals and you are there.?Every single one of the four teams left have their own story.
The Baltimore Ravens are doing it for their retiring defensive god, Ray Lewis, who has played with them through thick and thin since 1996. They beat the Broncos last weekend in double overtime, with quarterback Joe Flacco on fire.
They are the underdog story of the season, and on Sunday they face the firm favourites in Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Lewis should leave Foxboro retired, but the ?Any Given Sunday? rule applies here, and some believe it?s the Ravens? destiny.
The Brady bunch: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with his parents last year (Picture: AP)
The NFC will be represented by either the Altanta Falcons or the San Francisco 49ers, the former of whom averted throwing away the biggest fourth-quarter lead in play-off history as they crawled over the line against the Seahawks.
The Niners? weekend win saw Colin Kaepernick recording more play-off rushing yards than any other quarterback in history ? the same kid who only got his chance earlier in the season after Alex Smith suffered concussion.
Record breaker: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (Picture: Reuters)
If San Francisco and Baltimore win then Super Bowl XLVII will involve two head coaches by the surname of Harbaugh. Jim and John are brothers.?I could go on but, trust me, both games have more sub-plots than The Matrix trilogy.
So, long before Beyonce slips into a dress the size of a handkerchief for a bit of half-time Bootylicious with her old pals and her hubby in New Orleans, the NFC and AFC Championship games throw up a whole different type of destiny.
Waiting until the Super Bowl to get involved is like turning up at your local boozer just as last orders are being called. Yes, you?ll enjoy a drink, but why not relax and have a couple more?
DISNEY INFINITY INVITES PLAYERS INTO ALL-NEW GAMING UNIVERSE WITH UNMATCHED CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES
For the First Time, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios' Most Popular Characters Come Together in a Magical Storytelling Experience
BURBANK, Calif. ? (JANUARY 15, 2013) ? Disney Interactive today unveiled its most ambitious gaming initiative ever, Disney Infinity. This all new game platform unlocks the freedom to create stories and play experiences starring beloved characters from The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios. Disney Infinity allows players to both experience original adventures in some of their favourite Disney and Pixar worlds and to build their own worlds using the power of their imagination.
"Disney Infinity introduces a new way to interact with the best of Disney on one game platform, both now and in the future," said John Pleasants, co-president, Disney Interactive. "With this innovative approach to gaming, Disney Infinity will bring to life new characters, stories and environments from The Walt Disney Company over time in a way that will delight fans and gamers alike."
In a way that only Disney can, Disney Infinity integrates collectible character figures that come to life in the game. These figures provide experiences that are true to these characters and stories, as well as the opportunity to bring characters from various Disney and Pixar films to play together in a virtual "Toy Box." This all-new game universe will launch this summer across all consoles and will have a phased roll out across mobile and online devices throughout 2013.
Throughout each story-driven experience, called a "Play Set," players will solve challenging puzzles, battle enemies and explore iconic locations from famous Disney properties, while collecting unique characters, vehicles, and gadgets from each world and saving them to a virtual "Toy Box." Players can access their "Toy Box" and build and customize their own unique virtual world using their favourite characters, vehicles, settings and accessories. Disney Infinity allows players the opportunity to share these unique creations in the "Toy Box" mode with friends both online and off.
The Disney Infinity Platform includes: ? Disney Infinity Interactive Pieces ? Initially a line of 40 collectible interactive pieces will be introduced that allow players to expand and customize their play experiences. ? Disney Infinity Interactive Character Figures ? Seventeen character figures will allow players to experience a variety of their favourite characters in true to property experiences and in "Toy Box" mode. ? Disney Infinity Base ? When figures are placed on the Infinity base, they unlock the world and play experiences of Disney Infinity. ? Disney Infinity Power Discs ? Interactive discs can be placed on the Infinity base to power up characters and "Toy Box" with unique powers, customizations and gadgets.
"Disney Infinity combines prominent Disney and Pixar characters and scenarios in a way that mimics how kids play in real life," said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager, Avalanche Software. "With our platform's unique gameplay mechanics and innovative approach to user generated content within the "Toy Box" mode, Disney Infinity will spark imaginations and provide endless hours of fun and creativity."
Development for Disney Infinity is being led by Disney Interactive and Avalanche Software. For additional information, please visit www.disney.com/Infinity and www.youtube.com/disneyinfinity or join the Disney Infinity Facebook Community (Facebook.com/disneyinfinity).
Inbound marketing can provide your non profit with a steady stream of donations.
Your?sales funnels?is important even when you run a non profit and tend not to think of it as a business.
Your non profit needs a steady stream of donations to allow you to do more of what you do.
Local SEO marketing, aka Inbound Marketing, aka Content Marketing can help.
We need to make a few assumptions for the example we are using.
Your average donation is $40.
Your budget requires you to receive $40,000 a month.
Of the people who come to your website, 0.5% of them give a donation.
These phrases all mean the same thing:?Local SEO Marketing,?Content Marketing,?Inbound Marketing, and?Internet Marketing.
For? more information on how you do content marketing, click on any of the links in the prior sentence.
Now let us plug those numbers into a few simple equations.
$40,000 of monthly donations at $40 per donation requires 1,000 monthly donations.
A conversion (donation) rate of 0.5% means one in two hundred website visitors make a donation.
So 1,0000 monthly donations requires 200,000 monthly website visitors.
Although this is doable, it will take many many months to accomplish at a cost of between $1,495 and $2,250 per month.
In the long run, this makes sense economically, but if you are trying to do social good with the money you receive, it may seem hard to spend that much on marketing for future gains.
For help turning your website into a lead generating website,?contact us.
What probably makes the most sense is to form an Inbound Marketing Coop with other charities which each pays a fraction and the donations are split between them. This is a very effective way to make inbound marketing more affordable (the cost per month depends on many?charities?participate.
For information on how to get started with inbound marketing, please?contact us.?We can help you get there.
The new year continues with a lot of promise. Releases are generally slow, but when you have such bombastically silly games such as ShaqDown to top your weekly list, you wouldn?t even notice! We?ve also got a great new twin stick LEGO game, a smartly written point and click adventure, a simple and small indie platformer with a big heart, the silliest Square Enix game of 2013 so far, and a Sonic the Hedgehog re-skin of Doodle Jump. Here are this week?s top Android games!
I know it?s kind of silly to have this as the top game of the week, but releases are slow as of late, and I have a very special place in my heart for any game that turns Shaquille O'Neal into some kind of destiny fortified savior of men. In our latest tale, he?s saving mankind from sentient zombie enslavement via his free throws of justice, or something. This is kind of a continuation of the same universe as Shaq Fu, the retro fighting game that was wonderfully bad. This game, however, is pretty darn playable while upping the intentional goofiness factor up to an 11 out of 10. It was developed by Hiptic Games, the guys behind Go Ninja!, and the gameplay is pretty similar. Just download it and relish in the absurdity.
The one common idea behind any LEGO game, and the thing that makes them great, is handing some creativity over to the players. Brain Attack from Amuzo Games is just such a game, and it?s one that I, as a hardcore gamer, can get behind. It?s up to you to customize your very own Hero and defend Makuhero city from the invading swarms of evil brains using tried and true twin stick action gameplay. As you play, you?ll unlock more parts, and can choose between a handful of sidekicks to fight at your side. There are big plans for future updates to this game throughout 2013, so keep an eye out for those as well.
This is another holiday release game that I missed in all the hubbub, but it definitely deserves to be recognized. It?s an old styled point and click adventure game from Loading Home, developers of The Passenger. Now, with The Passenger, they kind of tried to reinvent the wheel, leaving players confused and/or bored, despite the great art and atmosphere. Here, they?ve corrected those mistakes, giving us a great adventure and story with likable characters. Set in 2022, the story involves a ?satirical extreme of a future where issues of classism and corporate control of the government are exaggerated. The art, writing, and music are all superb.
The Gentleman, from Christopher Buckley, is an atmospheric platformer with very simplistic art, yet excellent, well thought out mechanics. It?s not a simple time wasting kind of platformer either, with more cerebral puzzle-like levels. The game stars a simple gentleman who?s willing to search the ends of the earth for his monocle. There are a lot of shadows and lighting in both the visuals and mechanics. Honestly, it can be a bit rough around the edges at times. It?s clear that the game didn?t have much money behind it, but it clearly had a surplus of love.
Now, it?s time for things to get weird. This music and rhythm game is a Tegra device exclusive from Square Enix. Think modern Final Fantasy meets Elite Beat Agents. The totally bizarre story involves you, a young girl named Serenity, fighting hordes of demons accidentally unleashed by your Scientist father. In true Japanese game fashion, and I literally mean fashion, Serenity quickly drops her moderately conservative outfit for a fetishistic battle bikini that grants her special demon fighting powers. All joking aside, the gameplay is more than solid, the Unreal Engine visuals are well done, and the music is just fantastic. Also, bosses can possess you, giving you new voices and bondage outfits. If you can stand paying twenty dollars for an app and have a high tolerance for the strange, go right ahead and check this one out.
Sonic games have been successful on Android, whether they are old ports or modern adventures. Never has there been a Sonic game, however, that fell to the point of being a blatant clone of a popular mobile game. In this case, Sonic Jump copies ?Doodle Jump. Sonic isn?t the first or last game to clone the winning Doodle Jump formula, and that intro was a bit harsh on my part. As far as clones go, this is really well crafted, with nice, vibrant art and several elements, mechanics, and references from the Sonic pantheon, and you can even play as Tails or Knuckles.
One team faced a junk food-filled room after losing a trivia challenge on "The Biggest Loser."
By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor
Pizza, candy, ice cream, soda -- those aren't the usual items on "The Biggest Loser" menu. But as week three of the competition kicked off, the fat-filled, sugary treats played a major role in the game and served as a symbol of what the season is really all about -- the battle against childhood obesity.
The grownup contestants met in a room that some kids might consider a dream come true. Snacks lined the walls, sofas and gaming chairs filled the floor, and video games consoles and TVs took up much of the remaining space -- save for an area devoted to a trivia challenge. That's where the teams gathered to test their knowledge of the dangers of childhood obesity. It's also where they risked a major hurdle if they got those questions wrong.
In a twist on the traditional temptation challenge from seasons past, which often saw players forced to face their favorite foods during a one-time, nail-biting session, this time, contestants contended with a much bigger chance of self-sabotage. The team to lose the trivia battle would be locked in that junk food and distraction-packed room for the same amount of time that the average kid crashes in front of the TV each day -- four and a half hours. And that team would have to endure it every day for a week.
Therefore, it was important that they were all well aware of the staggering stats associated with this weighty epidemic (such as the fact that 60 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 10 already have one risk factor for heart disease).
At first the red, white and blue teams all seemed evenly matched in these matter, but soon Team Red broke away from the pack and White just edged out Blue.
Yes, that left Bob Harper's bunch doomed to the room for workout-free daily detention. But at least they were determined not to give into temptation. To illustrate and reinforce their commitment, they poured orange juice over the hot dogs, donuts and other concoctions to render them far less tasty.
As for the kid participants, Sunny, Lindsay and Biingo were all back home and ready to put their faces to some of those aforementioned statistics. For instance, during a visit from pediatrician Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, 13-year-old Biingo explained that his video game habit routinely takes up between 5 and 9 hours a day -- sometimes much more.
"I love video games so much that this one time, I sat down and played the same video game for 17 hours straight," he confessed.
The doctor helped each of the kids take one step toward getting on the right track by throwing out the junk food filling their homes.
Back on the ranch, the grownups faced their own troubles. For Cate, on the red team, that meant tackling a momentary emotional setback.
"I hope it was worth it, every terrible lazy day I had, every time I ate more than I should," she cried to trainer Dolvett Quince after a particularly tough workout.
Once the workouts were over for the week, all the teams gathered for the weigh in.
The blue team wanted to shake off the week-two curse that saw one player pull a zero on the scale last week and prove that the junk food room didn't defeat them -- and with strong numbers all around, they did just that.
For the white team, the goal was simply to stay out of last place. With only two players left, Jillian Michael's charges just couldn't take another loss. This week, they didn't have to.
That left Dolvett's reds in last place, and with no red line in sight for the first time this season, they had to vote one of their own out. It came down to the three players that only shed 2 pounds each -- Jackson, Lisa and Cate.
Despite her emotional breakdown and breakthrough, Cate was sent packing.
Do you think the red team made the right choice? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. ? The ?bodega clinicas? that line a bustling blurb streets of newcomer neighborhoods around Los Angeles are wedged between income sequence kiosks and pawnshops. These storefront offices, staffed with Spanish-speaking medical providers, yield ailments for cash: a doctor?s revisit is $20 to $40; a cardiology examination is $120; and during one bustling clinic, a colonoscopy is advertised on an erasable house for $700.
County health officials news a clinics as a together health caring system, portion a immeasurable series of uninsured Latino residents. Yet they contend they have small bargain of who owns and operates them, how they are regulated and what peculiarity of medical caring they provide. Few of these low-rent dilemma clinics accept private word or attend in Medicaid managed caring plans.
?Someone has to figure out if there?s a simple turn of competence,? pronounced Dr. Patrick Dowling, a authority of a family medicine dialect during a David Geffen School of Medicine during a University of California, Los Angeles.
Not that researchers have not tried. Dr. Dowling, for one, has canvassed a clinics for years to request medicine shortages as partial of his investigate for a state. What he and others found was that a owners were demure to answer questions. Indeed, mixed attempts in new weeks to talk owners and employees during a half-dozen of a clinics in Southern California valid fruitless.
What is certain, however, is that notwithstanding their name, many of these clinics are indeed private doctor?s offices, not protected clinics, that are compulsory to news frequently to sovereign and state slip bodies.
It is a eminence that deeply concerns Kimberly Wyard, a arch executive of a Northeast Valley Health Corporation, a nonprofit organisation that runs 13 accredited health clinics for low-income Southern Californians. ?They are off a radar screen,? pronounced Ms. Wyard of a bodega clinicas, ?and it?s misleading what they?re doing.?
But with deadlines set by a sovereign Affordable Care Act fast approaching, health officials in Los Angeles are pained over either to welcome a clinics and move them ? selectively and cautiously ? into a network of firmly regulated open and nonprofit health centers that are driven some-more by goal than by distinction to offer a uninsured.
Health officials see in a clinics an event to fill determined and surpassing gaps in a county?s stretched reserve net, including a ongoing necessity of primary caring physicians. By Jan 2014, adult to dual million uninsured Angelenos will need to enroll in Medicaid or buy word and find primary care.
And a clinics, open health officials indicate out, are already good determined in a county?s lowest neighborhoods, where they are assembly a needs of Spanish-speaking residents. The clinics also could continue to offer a marketplace that a Affordable Care Act does not touch: bootleg immigrants who are taboo from removing health insurance underneath a law.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, a emissary executive of village health for a Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, pronounced bodega clinicas ? a tenure he seems to have coined ? that determine to some inspection could be a good approach of addressing a medicine necessity in those neighborhoods.
?Where are we going to find those providers?? he said. ?One judicious place to cruise looking is these clinics.?
Los Angeles is not a usually city with a vast Latino race where a clinics have turn a partial of a streetscape. Health caring providers in Phoenix and Miami contend there are clinics in many Latino neighborhoods.
But their participation in tools of a Los Angeles area can be striking, with dozens in certain areas. Visits to some-more than dual dozen clinics in South Los Angeles and a San Fernando Valley found Latino women in brightly colored scrubs handing out cards and coupons that betrothed a operation of services like pregnancy tests and endoscopies. Others advertised dusk and weekend hours, and some were open around a clock.
Such all-hours entrance and upfront pricing are critical, Latino health experts say, to a race that mostly works around a time for low wages.
Also important, officials say, is that new immigrants from Mexico and Central America are some-more accustomed to dilemma clinics, that are common in their home countries, than to a sprawling medical complexes or vast village health centers found in a United States. And they can get a kind of medical treatments ? including injections of hypertension drugs, intravenous vitamins and liberally dispensed antibiotics ? that are frowned on in normal American medicine.
The watchful bedrooms during a clinics reflected a bland maladies of peoples? lives: a lifeless child resting listlessly on his mother?s lap, a fit-looking immature lady watchful with a bag of ice on her wrist, a thinking prime male in work boots staring true ahead.
For many typical complaints, a medical caring during these clinics competence be suitable, county health officials and medical experts say. But they contend problems arise when an illness exceeds a bounds of a physician?s skills or a patient?s ability to compensate cash.
Dr. Raul Joaquin Bendana, who has been practicing ubiquitous medicine in South Los Angeles for some-more than 20 years, pronounced a clinics would impute patients to him when, for example, they had rash diabetes. ?They impute to me since they don?t know how to hoop a situation,? he said.
The sanatorium physicians by and vast seem to have stream medical licenses, a representation showed, though experts contend they are doubtful to be house approved or have revelation privileges during area hospitals. That can meant that some clinics try to yield patients who face critical illness.
Olivia Cardenas, 40, a grill workman who lives in Woodland Hills, Calif., got a giveaway Pap smear during a sanatorium that advertises ?especialistas,? including in gynecology. The exam came behind abnormal, and a alloy told Ms. Cardenas that she had cervical cancer. ?Come behind in a week with $5,000 in cash, and I?ll work on you,? Ms. Cardenas pronounced a alloy told her. ?Otherwise we could die.?
She declined to compensate a $5,000. Instead, a family crony helped her request for Medicaid, and she went to a hospital. The diagnosis, it incited out, was correct.
Health caring experts contend a clinics? medical practices would come underneath larger inspection if they were brought closer into a fold.
But being connected would meant a clinics? cash-only business indication would need to change. Dr. Dowling pronounced a captivate of newly insured patients in 2014 competence pull them in. ?To a border there are payments available,? he said, ?the legitimate ones competence step adult to a plate.?
?
This essay was constructed in partnership with Kaiser Health News, an editorially eccentric module of a Kaiser Family Foundation.
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ory which will in turn assist the students safe the credit they will need in the future for a mortgage, vehicle loans, enterprise loans and so forth.
I know it?s kind of silly to have this as the top game of the week, but releases are slow as of late, and I have a very special place in my heart for any game that turns Shaquille O'Neal into some kind of destiny fortified savior of men. In our latest tale, he?s saving mankind from sentient zombie enslavement via his free throws of justice, or something. This is kind of a continuation of the same universe as Shaq Fu, the retro fighting game that was wonderfully bad. This game, however, is pretty darn playable while upping the intentional goofiness factor up to an 11 out of 10. It was developed by Hiptic Games, the guys behind Go Ninja!, and the gameplay is pretty similar. Just download it and relish in the absurdity.
This is another holiday release game that I missed in all the hubbub, but it definitely deserves to be recognized. It?s an old styled point and click adventure game from Loading Home, developers of The Passenger. Now, with The Passenger, they kind of tried to reinvent the wheel, leaving players confused and/or bored, despite the great art and atmosphere. Here, they?ve corrected those mistakes, giving us a great adventure and story with likable characters. Set in 2022, the story involves a ?satirical extreme of a future where issues of classism and corporate control of the government are exaggerated. The art, writing, and music are all superb.
Now, it?s time for things to get weird. This music and rhythm game is a Tegra device exclusive from Square Enix. Think modern Final Fantasy meets Elite Beat Agents. The totally bizarre story involves you, a young girl named Serenity, fighting hordes of demons accidentally unleashed by your Scientist father. In true Japanese game fashion, and I literally mean fashion, Serenity quickly drops her moderately conservative outfit for a fetishistic battle bikini that grants her special demon fighting powers. All joking aside, the gameplay is more than solid, the Unreal Engine visuals are well done, and the music is just fantastic. Also, bosses can possess you, giving you new voices and bondage outfits. If you can stand paying twenty dollars for an app and have a high tolerance for the strange, go right ahead and check this one out.