5 reasons Google should be afraid of Samsung

Wilson Rothman , NBC News ? ? ? 19 hrs.

Google takes pride in the fact that its Android mobile operating system has outpaced Apple's. But the truth is, Android phones don't outsell Apple phones, Samsung phones do. Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft ? these may be Google's main competitors, but it's Samsung that could be the search giant's biggest threat.

As Samsung launches the Galaxy Note 8.0 this week, and the upcoming Galaxy S 4, not to mention a fleet of new Smart TVs, here are five reasons Google should be afraid:

1. Phones, phablets, tablets and more
Samsung has been the largest phone maker in the world for a while, but for the better part of last year, it was even out-selling Apple in the profitable smartphone category. On the surface, this is good news for Google, since Samsung is the largest ambassador of Android phones.

But compare the interface on a Google-branded Nexus phone to the software on Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S phones. The fundamental operating systems are the same, but everything from the stock apps (calendars, email, media player, etc.) to the interactive services (voice command, wireless file sharing, etc.) are different. Critics (including me) generally prefer Google's "pure" Android experience offered by Nexus devices (which also get faster OS updates), but the masses don't seem to mind Samsung's interface. And with time, money and momentum on its side, Samsung can keep improving.

The bigger the device gets, the more problematic things are for Google. Android phone apps may be a roaring success, but Android tablets have barely any native apps, especially compared to what's built for iPad. As evidenced in the expanding Note line ? which just welcomed an 8-inch model ? you can expect to see more Samsung-only features and interface tweaks, and increasing cooperation between Samsung and its software partners.

2. Retail stores
In an age when big-box stores struggle, Apple can still brag of its unbelievable (and mostly unforeseen) brick-and-mortar store success. Former skeptics now believe that the best way for electronics makers to reach their customers is through direct shopping-mall and online sales. Google is building up the online side, but recently rejected the idea of a retail store. Meanwhile, Samsung has quietly built out an online sales site, and is starting to show the urge to build some Apple Store clones of its own. In the meantime, it has clout with Best Buy, other mall retailers and even cellular carriers that Google could only dream of.

3. Mobile payments
Google got the jump on the competition when it comes to using your phone as a credit card. Built-in near-field communication chips in its Nexus phones combined with the Google Wallet system lets you, in Google's words, "shop faster, smarter and safer, in-store and online." Apple has been slower to get into mobile payments ? its Passbook app is a useful tool for those already checking into flights and buying event tickets online, but it's not yet a vehicle for commerce in itself. Now Samsung is making its own move with its own app ? called Wallet.

While the system, as it stands, currently resembles Apple's Passbook more than Google's similarly named service, don't forget that Samsung has NFC built into most of its premium phones. Not only that, as the Verge points out, it has a partnership with Visa to use the credit card company's PayWave service.

4. Media store
About two years ago, I laughed when Samsung tried to get me to buy a movie via its service on a cellphone. The selection wasn't great, and what was I going to do, watch some outdated action film on a phone's 4-inch screen? The laughter has, substantially, subsided. Those screens have gotten bigger, and Samsung has sold a lot of phones with its media store pre-installed.

Meanwhile, Samsung has expanded its media sales to its Smart TV line, and the current Smart TV interface dedicates a whole page to Samsung media. In other words, while you can still buy movies for apps like Amazon Instant Video and Vudu, you'll soon most likely stumble over stuff first on Samsung's page. How soon till you're giving it your $3.99 for a movie rental, rather than your cable provider or the competition?

5. Apple TV
Google's already spent its ammunition on something called Google TV, which you likely never bothered to purchase. Apple TV exists now too, as a cheap little add-on for Mac, iPad and iPhone owners, but Apple may yet pop a full-size TV that's so user friendly, fanboys would drool like they haven't drooled since Steve Jobs was alive.

Only thing is, Samsung already has an answer to Apple TV, and from what we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Samsung isn't going to rest until it gets the interface right. Does it need Google's help to do it? Nope.

(Bonus dirt in Google's face: LG recently went out of its way to buy a third-party operating system, probably so it wouldn't have to rely on Android for its next-gen smart TVs.)

Maybe none of this matters to Google as long as it can keep making money on mobile ads on Samsung devices ? but according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, even this relatively safe haven could be threatened by Samsung's explosive growth.

Further reading:
Samsung sparks anxiety at Google - The Wall Street Journal

Eyeing Apple: How competitors are finally making phones consumers want - The New Yorker

Samsung takes a page from Apple's Passbook with new Wallet app - The Verge

'Next generation' Samsung smartphones to ship with Visa NFC payment system - The Verge

Android boss Andy Rubin says Google doesn't need a retail store - Business Insider

Samsung's new retail store clearly inspired by Apple - Digital Trends

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

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/5-reasons-google-should-be-very-afraid-samsung-1C8593123

phlebotomy dog show best in show bret michaels bret michaels pekingese tcu football

Video: IBM Meets With Analysts

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50993354/

Alabama hostage mta Beyonce Superbowl weather.com nemo Nemo Storm redbox

DNA's twisted communication

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Isabelle Kling
isabelle.kling@embl.de
49-622-138-78355
European Molecular Biology Laboratory

The organization of the genome is a key element for the control of gene expression

During embryo development, genes are dynamically, and very precisely, switched on and off to confer different properties to different cells and build a well-proportioned and healthy animal. Fgf8 is one of the key genes in this process, controlling in particular the growth of the limbs and the formation of the different regions of the brain. Researchers at EMBL have elucidated how Fgf8 in mammal embryos is, itself, controlled by a series of multiple, interdependent regulatory elements. Their findings, published today in Developmental Cell, shed new light on the importance of the genome structure for gene regulation.

Fgf8 is controlled by a large number of regulatory elements that are clustered in the same large region of the genome and are interspersed with other, unrelated genes. Both the sequences and the intricate genomic arrangement of these elements have remained very stable throughout evolution, thus proving their importance. By selectively changing the relative positioning of the regulatory elements, the researchers were able to modify their combined impact on Fgf8, and therefore drastically affect the embryo.

"We showed that the surprisingly complex organisation of this genomic region is a key aspect of the regulation of Fgf8," explains Franois Spitz, who led the study at EMBL. "Fgf8 responds to the input of specific regulatory elements, and not to others, because it sits at a special place, not because it is a special gene. How the regulatory elements contribute to activate a gene is not determined by a specific recognition tag, but by where precisely the gene is in the genome."

Scientists are still looking into the molecular details of this regulatory mechanism. It is likely that the way DNA folds in 3D could, under certain circumstances, bring different sets of regulatory elements in contact with each other and with Fgf8, to trigger or prevent gene expression. These findings highlight a level of complexity of gene regulation that is often overlooked. Regulatory elements are not engaged in a one-to-one relationship with the specific gene that has the appropriate DNA sequence. The local genomic organisation, and 3D folding of DNA, might actually be more important factors that both modulate the action of regulation elements, and put them in contact with their target gene.

More research will be necessary to understand in detail the impact of the 3D structure of DNA on the communication between the various elements of the genome, and on the regulation of gene expression. Further down the line, this could also further our understanding of how genomic rearrangements might disrupt these 3D regulatory networks and lead to diseases and malformations.

###

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Isabelle Kling
isabelle.kling@embl.de
49-622-138-78355
European Molecular Biology Laboratory

The organization of the genome is a key element for the control of gene expression

During embryo development, genes are dynamically, and very precisely, switched on and off to confer different properties to different cells and build a well-proportioned and healthy animal. Fgf8 is one of the key genes in this process, controlling in particular the growth of the limbs and the formation of the different regions of the brain. Researchers at EMBL have elucidated how Fgf8 in mammal embryos is, itself, controlled by a series of multiple, interdependent regulatory elements. Their findings, published today in Developmental Cell, shed new light on the importance of the genome structure for gene regulation.

Fgf8 is controlled by a large number of regulatory elements that are clustered in the same large region of the genome and are interspersed with other, unrelated genes. Both the sequences and the intricate genomic arrangement of these elements have remained very stable throughout evolution, thus proving their importance. By selectively changing the relative positioning of the regulatory elements, the researchers were able to modify their combined impact on Fgf8, and therefore drastically affect the embryo.

"We showed that the surprisingly complex organisation of this genomic region is a key aspect of the regulation of Fgf8," explains Franois Spitz, who led the study at EMBL. "Fgf8 responds to the input of specific regulatory elements, and not to others, because it sits at a special place, not because it is a special gene. How the regulatory elements contribute to activate a gene is not determined by a specific recognition tag, but by where precisely the gene is in the genome."

Scientists are still looking into the molecular details of this regulatory mechanism. It is likely that the way DNA folds in 3D could, under certain circumstances, bring different sets of regulatory elements in contact with each other and with Fgf8, to trigger or prevent gene expression. These findings highlight a level of complexity of gene regulation that is often overlooked. Regulatory elements are not engaged in a one-to-one relationship with the specific gene that has the appropriate DNA sequence. The local genomic organisation, and 3D folding of DNA, might actually be more important factors that both modulate the action of regulation elements, and put them in contact with their target gene.

More research will be necessary to understand in detail the impact of the 3D structure of DNA on the communication between the various elements of the genome, and on the regulation of gene expression. Further down the line, this could also further our understanding of how genomic rearrangements might disrupt these 3D regulatory networks and lead to diseases and malformations.

###

---

[ | 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/embl-dtc022813.php

mario balotelli mario balotelli espn3 kevin youkilis Tropical Storm Debby legend of korra magic mike trailer

Acidophilus and What Can It Be Used to Treat? | Gnet Health and ...

Everyone is aware of acid in the body and how we need it to help our bodies function on a day to day basis. We are also very aware of how bacteria can affect our lives, but of course we may not be experts on the type of bacteria we carry around with us. This feature will look at one particular form of bacteria and how it can be used to treat a number of ailments and its relationship to our bodies.

More about This Bacteria

Its full name is Lactobacillus acidophilus and we have this bacteria naturally in our body. It can be found predominantly in both the intestine and the vagina. This is where the link with acid comes in as it helps to keep an acidic environment internally and protect us from the growth of harmful bacteria. It is in fact, what we call a, ?pro-biotic?.

Where Else Can It Be Found?

Acidophilus naturally occurs in some foods including dairy products, and can be added along with other probiotics in other foods and supplements

What Can It Be Used to Treat?

Acidophilus is very good at protecting women from vaginal yeast infections. The best way to take on an infection is to hit them where they live by inserting the live, beneficial bacteria directly into the vagina. It can also help in yeast infections of the mouth. It brings fast relief from diarrhea caused through the ingestion of antibiotics. Urinary tract infections are another ailment we can treat with this protective bacteria along with parasites. More importantly it can strengthen the whole immune system!

Some experts say this friendly bacteria can help with depression and mood disorders.

You can take Acidophilus as a dietary supplement in capsule form

When you don?t have enough intestinal bacteria, harmful bacteria can take over and cause yeast infections, as well as intestinal problems. The most common way to take acidophilus is through tablets, or yogurt, which contains the live culture. If you have a problem taking the tablets, they can be added to yogurt that does not already contain them. Putting acidophilus to yogurt already containing it can cause a stomach upset.

?

How Does It Work?

Medical experts believe the bacteria works by helping the body to maintain a regular amount of bacteria within the stomach, vagina and intestines. When we have the right amounts then we can rest assured harmful bacteria can be taken care of. When it breaks down, it releases things like hydrogen peroxide creating a poisonous presence to unhealthy creatures in the body. It also plays a huge role in digestion, helping to produce a number of chemicals during the process.

Vitamin K and Lactase are produced by Acidophilus

According to S.K. Dash, author of ?The Consumer?s Guide to Probiotics,? taking probiotic supplements on an empty stomach can be a good thing. However; he also says some bacteria will pass into the intestines even if you take the supplement with food. You would take acidophilus on an empty stomach to prevent the bacteria from being killed by your stomach acid, which has a very high pH.

When you eat, your stomach will expand greatly to find space for the food. This fires off stretch receptors to stimulate production of stomach acid. This is why stomach acid levels are higher after you eat a meal. Taking acidophilus on an empty stomach allows the bacteria to pass through your digestive tract when stomach acid levels are lower.

But remember Lactobacillus acidophilus has not been approved by the FDA so it should not be substituted for prescription medications. It?s always best to talk to your doctor before taking any form of supplement, as like anything else some individuals could possibly suffer from side effects. If already on any form of medication the supplement could also prevent this from working in the way it should. Always be aware of this.

What about Dosage?

According to the professionals at the University of Maryland Medical Centre, a typical dose for treating diarrhea or vaginal infections is 1 to 2 billion colony-forming units each day. People attempting to keep their intestines in tip top shape take 1 to 15 billion colony-forming units every day. Your health store will give you the right advice as in many cases taking one capsule supplement each day can suffice. Again also make sure you talk to your health professional before taking in more of the bacteria.

So people are becoming more aware of what we call friendly bacteria and the great job they can do. These clever microorganisms are vital to the safe functioning of our bodies and are produced naturally. But of course we should be clear in taking supplements are bodies do actually need them. We also know this wonderful bacteria can help cure many ailments. So remember the name as a close friend?

Related posts:

Source: http://www.gnet.org/acidophilus-and-the-body/

pope joan pope joan strikeforce tate vs rousey strawberry festival knicks the monkees ciaa

Trupanion Becomes Sole Provider of Lifetime Pet Insurance Coverage to American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards Winners - Class of 2011 and 2012

Lifetime pet insurance coverage will help ensure that these hero dogs will receive the best veterinary treatment available if they become sick or injured.

Seattle, Wash. (PRWEB) February 27, 2013

Trupanion, a trusted pet brand and proven industry leader in pet insurance, today announced they have become the sole provider of pet insurance for the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards category winners for 2011 and 2012. These winning dogs will receive coverage for 90 percent of the cost of treating injuries and illnesses they may develop throughout their lifetime.

?We are thrilled that our hero dogs will be insured for the rest of their lives, allowing them the opportunity for long-term health and happiness, while easing the burden of financial care for their guardians,? said Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane Association. ?Trupanion offers a comprehensive and simple policy that we feel is a perfect choice for our hero dogs and their guardians.?

Pet insurance offers the financial support pet owners need when faced with high medical costs related to unexpected accidents and illnesses or long-term care, allowing pet owners the ability to approve ?Plan A? veterinary care for their beloved pet instead of declining treatment or opting for a less-effective treatment option based on cost. Pet insurance can give pet owners the peace of mind that if the unexpected occurs, they are covered.

?These hero dogs represent all pets that offer us companionship, loyalty, and unconditional love every day, and we are honored to have them as part of the Trupanion family,? said Darryl Rawlings, Trupanion?s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Trupanion was the proud sponsor of the Service Dog category at the 2012 Hero Dog Awards and has an ongoing partnership with the American Humane Association?s Second Chance? Fund, which helps animals that are the victims of abuse or neglect.

The winning dogs are as follows:

MILITARY DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: GABE (Columbia, SC) ? Retired MWD Sgt. Gabe has served our country since 2006, completing over 210 combat missions with 26 explosive and weapons finds in Iraq. Since retiring in 2009, MWD Sgt. Gabe has earned over 40 awards and coins of excellence for his heroic work and spends his free time educating children on the value of respect and staying in school. Gabe was named the top American Hero Dog for 2012.

2011 Winner: MWD BINO C152 (Las Cruces, NM) ? Dutch Shepherd Bino served the U.S. Army?s 35th Military Police Detachment at Ft. Gordon, Ga., as a Narcotics Detection/Patrol K-9 for almost 11 years. He deployed in Iraq for 14 months, as well as serving special missions with the Border Patrol. Upon retirement, Bino learned a new skill set as a post-traumatic stress disorder Demo Service Dog.

GUIDE DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: TABITHA II (South Bend, IN) ? Guide dog Tabitha is more than just a guide dog to her former guardian, Ann Drake, who lost her sight as an adult. Tabitha guided Ann back to a place where she found the confidence that she had lost and overcame the fears of her new life.

2011 Winner: ROSELLE (Novato, CA) ? On September 11, 2001, Roselle and her guardian were working in the World Trade Center on the 78th floor of Tower One when the airplane crashed into the building. Roselle guided her guardian to the stairwell and traveled down 1,463 stairs. After leaving the building, they were across the street from Tower Two when it collapsed. Despite the dust and chaos, Roselle remained calm and totally focused on her job, guiding her owner to safety. Roselle was named the top American Hero Dog for 2011.

LAW ENFORCEMENT/ARSON DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: JYNX (Shillington, PA) ? Law Enforcement-Arson K-9 Jynx desperately worked to try and pull his guardian Sgt. Kyle Pagerly and another officer out of harm's way as a crime suspect opened fire during a routine warrant delivery. Sgt. Pagerly was killed in the line of duty leaving behind his pregnant wife. If not for the swift and heroic efforts of K-9 Jynx, more officers would have lost their lives that night.

2011 Winner: SADIE (Westminster,CO) ? A nationally certified accelerant detection K-9, Sadie works in the Major Crimes Unit of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. She has worked approximately 400 fires, and has assisted in cases resulting in numerous arrests.

HEARING DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: TATIANA II (Plantation, FL) -- Tatiana II was matched with handler Cristina Saint-Blancard in 2011 as her hearing dog but quickly turned into her life-saving hero. Cristina suffers from asthma which is exacerbated by frequent ear infections and one night found herself completely without breath. Tatiana II was quick to notice something was wrong and ran into the next room to alert Cristina's family, saving Cristina?s life.

2011 Winner: HARLEY (Fountain Hills, AZ) ? Harley?s human companion was 52 and had been hearing-impaired all his life when Harley arrived. He had lost his self-confidence after missing so much of what had been said around him and through sound work, Harley taught him to regain that confidence.

SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: SOOT (Charleston, WV) ? West Virginia Search and Rescue K-9 Soot, didn't know he had a big job ahead of him when he was adopted by Lorraine Burdette. Soot's training in air scent, scent discrimination, and certified search and rescue wilderness training gave him the tools he needed to rescue a 78-year-old diabetic hunter lost in the wilderness on a cold December morning.

2011 Winner: SAGE (Hagerman, NM) ? Sage passed the FEMA Canine Readiness Evaluation at 18 months and served her community and her nation from that day until she passed away in 2012. Sage?s missions included recovery efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, searching for missing or captured U.S. soldiers in Iraq (for the U.S. Army), and numerous local missing-person searches.

SERVICE DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: HOLLY (Magna, UT) ? Seizure alert Service Dog Holly never takes her attention away from her guardian, Shanna Wilkinson, who suffers from epileptic seizures. Together Holly and Shanna travel all over the country and teach elementary students the importance of Service Dogs.

2011 Winner: ZURICH (Des Plaines, IL) ? Zurich, a Canine Companions for Independence certified service dog, was the loyal companion of Patricia Kennedy from 2004 to 2012, when Patti sadly passed away. During their time together, Zurich learned to retrieve everything, even the neighbor?s TV remote control, to help Patti with her daily life.

THERAPY DOG CATEGORY

2012 Winner: STELLA (Mt. Kisco, NY) ? Therapy Dog Stella and her guardian Marissa Levy, dedicate their time to bringing love and joy to the residents at Richmond Community Services, a not-for-profit organization that cares for developmentally disabled children and adults. Stella is unfazed by disabilities and diseases, befriending and with time, unconditionally loving, all she meets.

2011 Winner: STACEY MAE (Guffey, CO) ? Stacey Mae, a four-year-old greater Swiss Mountain Dog delivered teddy bears and stuffed animals to children in hospitals and adults in nursing homes. She received and distributed over 2,000 teddy bears and stuffed animals and visited nursing homes 2-3 times a week before passing away unexpectedly in 2012.

EMERGING HERO CATEGORY

2012 Winner: DANIEL (Nutley, NJ) ? Daniel, a beagle from an Alabama shelter on "death row," did the unimaginable in 2011 when he survived the most inhumane form of euthanasia, the gas chamber. Since adopted by his loving guardian, Joe Dawyer, Daniel the "Miracle Beagle" has used his second chance at life as an advocate for shelter adoptions and humane euthanasia legislation across the United States.

2011 Winner: RICOCHET (Escondido, CA) ? Ricochet surfs with special needs children and people with disabilities for therapeutic purposes. As a surfing dog, she has inspired people all over the world, encouraging them to be who they truly are, focus on what they can do, and turn negatives into positives.

For those hero dogs that have passed away, a donation will be made by Trupanion in the dog?s name to the charity of their choice.

The Hero Dog Awards were created by the American Humane Association to celebrate the devoted relationship between dogs and people. The annual national competition searches out and recognizes America?s Hero Dogs ? often ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether it?s saving lives on the battlefield, rescuing the lost or stranded, or simply offering much-needed companionship each and every day.

About Trupanion?

Trupanion is an industry leader in pet insurance, offering cat and dog insurance in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico with the mission of delivering financial peace of mind to pet owners. Trupanion offers a simple, customizable pet insurance policy with 90% coverage for diagnostic tests, surgeries, medications, hospital stays, and alternative therapies for the treatment of accidents or illnesses. Trupanion?s policy includes coverage of hereditary and congenital conditions with no payout limits per incident, per year, or over the lifetime of the pet.

Trupanion is underwritten by the American Pet Insurance Company, which has earned a Financial Stability Rating? of A, Exceptional, from Demotech, Inc. Trupanion is a founding member of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA), demonstrating a commitment to high standards and transparency in all actions and products. For more information call 800-569-7913 or visit Trupanion.com. You can also follow Trupanion on Twitter or Facebook.

About American Humane Association

American Humane Association is the country?s first national humane organization and the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we?re also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at http://www.americanhumane.org today.

Heather Kalinowski
Trupanion
800-569-7913 3124
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trupanion-becomes-sole-provider-lifetime-pet-insurance-coverage-110222411.html

ncaa tournament 2012 peyton manning 49ers andy pettitte tyler clementi kevin kolb sarah shahi rutgers

We need reporters, researchers and a chemist | The Wirecutter

I am looking for writers and researchers who can obsessively research and find the best gear, equipment and stuff?electronic and not electronic. And a chemist.

Please read this entire note before applying. Any notes that do not follow instructions will not be considered.

For The Wirecutter, writers and reporters needed:
I?m looking for people who can easily spend a few dozen hours researching, reporting and testing to find the best choices in a particular category. The work is hard but rewarding. We pay decent hourly rates, and you?ll feel good about your efforts if you?re into helping people make difficult decisions quickly so that they can get on with their lives.

Researchers
If you have between zero to three years of editorial reporting and researching experience, you could be a researcher for us, with a chance to write after a while. This is a good job for someone in college or fresh out of college who can commit to working about 10-20 hours a week.

You must have coursework or experience in journalism or other research-intensive majors and jobs. You also have to be organized and efficient and effective at looking up and logging products online in spreadsheets.

To apply, send an email with ?researcher? in the subject line to jobs@thewirecutter.com explaining why you?d be right for the job and what you?ve done in the past. Also include a list of all the online publications you read and why you like them.?No attachments, please.

Reporters
If you have?at least three years of experience doing product writing and general interest reporting, I?d like to invite you to apply to write for the site. Don?t worry if you?ve been doing this for awhile. Some of our best and most senior writers have been doing this kind of work for 10-15 years and they enjoy it. 95% of the job is research and reporting. 5% is writing. The best people can pick up a few beats and update them over time for us.

We are collecting general resumes right now from experienced tech/shelter reporters, but we also have specific needs for writers who can pick up.

• Health/fitness gadgets
• Bag editor (with fashion and tech writing experience)
• But to be explicit, we need general tech writers, too.

To apply, send a letter and resume (no attachments) with the subject line ?Wirecutter reporter? to jobs@thewirecutter.com explaining what you?ve done and what you want to do, and why you?d be right for the job. Don?t forget to mention the beats you?ve written about before and send some links to clips.

For our new site?
For a new project that Joel Johnson and I are working on, we need people who can do research and writing for home goods. (This is not a call for writers who work at home.) When I am asking for a home writer, I am asking for reporters who can apply the process we have at Wirecutter to home products, everything from toothpaste to tools to towels to bathroom cleaners to sheets and garden hoses. If you have experience writing about home gear, that gives you a leg up. As a researcher, if you?ve worked in a hardware store or have done home improvement, that gives you a leg up.

We could use writers and researchers with specific backgrounds in

• Kitchen equipment
• Tools
• Gardening gear
• Home improvement

To apply, send a letter and resume (no attachments) to jobs@thewirecutter.com with ?home reporter? or ?home researcher? in the subject line, explaining what you?ve done and what you want to do, and why you?d be right for the job.

Chemist
We?re looking for a chemist who can moonlight for us part time. We need solid information, in reports based on academic papers, interviews and research, on what the chemicals in home products are and what they do. We want to know if they?re less or more desirable/safe/effective than other alternatives. This extends to cleaners, medicines, lotions, soaps, but also, occasionally, things humans and pets might eat.

Pay is hourly for all the work above, and dependent on experience.

To apply, send a letter and resume (no attachments) to jobs@thewirecutter.com with ?chemist? in the subject line, explaining what you?ve done and what you want to do, and why you?d be right for the job.

Bonus tip?thoughtful applications do better than fast twitch applications. It's not a race. And if you think about what makes this site different than other sites, you will understand how to approach this job application process.

Source: http://thewirecutter.com/2013/02/we-need-reporters-researchers-and-a-chemist/

ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise white house easter egg roll 2012 andy cohen

Justices Question Aspects of Voting Law (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287850078?client_source=feed&format=rss

mike brown bcs rankings When Is Veterans Day 2012 brooke burke Alexa Vega Bram Stoker books Paula Broadwell Photos

Video: Priceline Earnings Out

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50962896/

jose canseco zimmerman derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart red wings

In Germany, Kerry defends Americans' 'right to be stupid'

BERLIN (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry offered a defense of freedom of speech, religion and thought in the United States on Tuesday telling German students that in America "you have a right to be stupid if you want to be."

"As a country, as a society, we live and breathe the idea of religious freedom and religious tolerance, whatever the religion, and political freedom and political tolerance, whatever the point of view," Kerry told the students in Berlin, the second stop on his inaugural trip as secretary of state.

"People have sometimes wondered about why our Supreme Court allows one group or another to march in a parade even though it's the most provocative thing in the world and they carry signs that are an insult to one group or another," he added.

"The reason is, that's freedom, freedom of speech. In America you have a right to be stupid - if you want to be," he said, prompting laughter. "And you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be.

"And we tolerate it. We somehow make it through that. Now, I think that's a virtue. I think that's something worth fighting for," he added. "The important thing is to have the tolerance to say, you know, you can have a different point of view."

Kerry made the comments on his first foreign trip since becoming secretary of state on February 1. After one-night stops in London and Berlin, he visits Paris, Rome, Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha before returning to Washington on March 6.

While speaking to the students and earlier to U.S. diplomats, Kerry reminisced about the time he spent in Berlin in the 1950s as the intrepid son of an American diplomat and retold a story of sneaking across to East Berlin with his bike.

"I used to have great adventures. My bicycle and I were best friends. And I biked all around this city. I remember biking down Kurfuerstendamm and seeing nothing but rubble. This was in 1954 ... the war was very much still on people's minds," he told the diplomats, referring to West Berlin's main shopping avenue.

"One day, using my diplomatic passport, I biked through the checkpoint right into the east sector and noticed very quickly how dark and unpopulated (it was) and sort of unhappy people looked," he added, saying it left an impression "that hit this 12-year-old kid."

"I kind of felt a foreboding about it and I didn't spend much time. I kind of skedaddled and got back out of there and went home and proudly announced to my parents what I had done and was promptly grounded and had my passport pulled," he added.

"As a 12-year-old, I saw the difference between East and West," he later told the students. "I never made another trip like that. But I have never forgotten it. And now, it's vanished, vanished."

(This story is refiled to correct typo in paragraph 4)

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-defends-liberties-says-americans-stupid-141450112.html

project x the lorax lorax fisker karma super tuesday states shepard fairey is snooki pregnant

Online Shopping Website Development Services In Benoni ...

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at 4:20 pm ?

Ecommerce Solutions | E-commerce Website Development

Ecommerce means buying and selling of goods and services online over the Internet. We build ecommerce websites that turn your visitors into customers. STRANG IT CONSULTING integrates communications, data management and security to offer clients Ecommerce solutions to businesses worldwide.

STRANG IT CONSULTING offers the four pillars to successful B2B & B2C e-commerce solutions:

?

?

?

• Business strategy,

?

?

• Design and usability

?

?

• Technology and security

?

?

• Products and marketing.

?

?

?

We provide quality, strategy and development for all four of these components with a good 24 x 7 support and this assure that we will make the ideal partner in your E-commerce solution as an offshore Online Shopping service provider.

Ecommerce Solutions Gauteng

An e-business organization transforms its interaction with customers, suppliers, business partners and employees using Internet based software technologies ? extending its reach to improve its performance. E-business is not about reinventing or re-engineering your business; it?s about streamlining your internet business processes and leveraging your knowledge.

The e-business gains strategic advantage in a highly competitive, global marketplace. Using internet eCommerce solutions creates competitive advantage. The web changes everything. Now you can reduce operating costs, obtain higher revenues, increase your customer base, create new market opportunities, enhance your customer service and target your communications.

Why You Should Consider getting into e-Business:

?

?

?

• Increase revenue

?

?

• Establish new markets

?

?

• Reduce operating costs

?

?

• Build customer loyalty

?

?

• Create a convenient buying experience for your customers

?

?

• Improve communications with customers and business partners

?

?

?

A business of any size can benefit from an online shopping cart. However, for your business to be successful it must attract new customers, deliver a satisfying online shopping experience, and provide you with the effective and easy tools to manage it.

Our focus is to provide you with an easy to use and feature-rich Ecommerce website development solution that allows you to personalize your ebusiness product offerings, improve your internet marketing effectiveness, and offer the value-added services that lead to more satisfied and loyal customers.

Please Contact Us to explore the wide array of Ecommerce Solutions the STRANG IT CONSULTING team of experienced programmers and Project managers can provide to empower your company to operate your Online Shopping web site more efficiently.

Tagged with: ecommerce solutions ? online shopping ? strang it consulting

Filed under: Uncategorized

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!

Source: http://www.dressingup.co/blog/?p=2759

wheres my refund Fast And Furious 6 superbowl ads Super Bowl Ads 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Superbowl Start Time Iron Man 3

Pentagon unveils plan to tap potential of mobile devices

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon unveiled a plan on Tuesday to ultimately enable the Defense Department's 600,000 users of smartphones, computer tablets and other mobile devices to rapidly share classified and protected data using the latest commercial technologies.

The system aims to quickly enable the latest technologies to be securely used by the military while remaining "device agnostic," said Major General Robert Wheeler, a Defense Department deputy chief information officer.

That sets the stage for an intensified struggle for Pentagon customers among BlackBerry devices, Apple's iPhones or iPads, and units using Google's Android platform.

The Defense Department currently has more than 600,000 mobile device users, including 470,000 with BlackBerries, 41,000 who have Apple operating systems, and 8,700 who use Android devices.

The new plan will result in the use of a much wider variety of mobile devices across the military. Currently most devices using Apple and Google platforms are in pilot or test programs, officials said.

Few commercial devices are used for classified communications, whereas the new system aims to bolster security of commercially available devices so they can be used for classified information, they said.

Wheeler said the implementation plan aimed to ensure that mobile devices, wireless infrastructure and mobile applications remain "reliable, secure and flexible enough to keep up with the fast-changing technologies of today."

He said the department has a broad range of mobile device users, from the chairman and planners on the Joint Chiefs of Staff to policymakers and soldiers on the battlefield, all of whom would be affected by the implementation plan.

The military services would decide which devices to buy and provide to users based on need. The system would not initially enable an individual service member to purchase their own mobile devices and use them on the Pentagon's networks, but that is a longer-range goal if security can be assured, officials said.

The plan is a step toward implementing the "mobility strategy" the Pentagon released last June. The strategy aims to use smartphone, tablet and other mobile technologies to improve information sharing and collaboration across the department.

The plan aims to "align the various mobile devices, pilots and initiatives across the department under common objectives to ensure the war fighter benefits from these activities," Teri Takai, the Pentagon's chief information officer, said in a statement.

"This is not simply about embracing the newest technology - it is about keeping the department's workforce relevant in an era when information accessibility and cybersecurity play a critical role in missions," she said.

As part of the implementation plan, the department has asked companies to submit proposals for creating a mobile device management platform and an applications store where users can get the programs they need for their devices.

The mobile device management platform would need a number of security features, such detecting malware and enabling officials to remotely delete data from the device, according to documents outlining the plan.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-unveils-plan-tap-potential-mobile-devices-183352652--sector.html

Demi Lovato iOS 6 Features big brother Shakira iOS 6 bank of america Yunel Escobar Eye Black

Fiery balloon accident kills 19 tourists in Egypt

In this combo made from images from amateur video provided by Al-Jazeera, smoke pours from a hot air balloon over Luxor, Egypt, top left, before bursting, top right, and plummeting about 1,000 feet to earth, bottom left and right, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Nineteen people were killed in what appeared to be the deadliest hot air ballooning accident on record. A British tourist and the Egyptian pilot, who was badly burned, were the sole survivors. (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera) MANDATORY CREDIT: AL-JAZEERA

In this combo made from images from amateur video provided by Al-Jazeera, smoke pours from a hot air balloon over Luxor, Egypt, top left, before bursting, top right, and plummeting about 1,000 feet to earth, bottom left and right, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Nineteen people were killed in what appeared to be the deadliest hot air ballooning accident on record. A British tourist and the Egyptian pilot, who was badly burned, were the sole survivors. (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera) MANDATORY CREDIT: AL-JAZEERA

An Egyptian inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority, left, works at the site of the balloon accident, in Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 19 foreign tourists in one of the world's deadliest ballooning accidents and handing a new blow to Egypt's ailing tourism industry. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

An Egyptian paramedic evacuates the body of a foreign tourist to be transferred to Cairo, at the morgue of the Luxor International Hospital, in Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 19 foreign tourists in one of the world's deadliest ballooning accidents and handing a new blow to Egypt's ailing tourism industry. Arabic on the wall reads, "we will all return to God, there no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet." (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Shoes are seen near the site of the balloon accident, in Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 19 foreign tourists in one of the world's deadliest ballooning accidents and handing a new blow to Egypt's ailing tourism industry. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

An Egyptian field guard looks at two inspectors of the Civil Aviation Authority working at the site of the balloon accident, in Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 19 foreign tourists in one of the world's deadliest ballooning accidents and handing a new blow to Egypt's ailing tourism industry. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

LUXOR, Egypt (AP) ? The terror lasted less than two minutes: Smoke poured from a hot air balloon carrying sightseers on a sunrise flight over the ancient city of Luxor, it burst in a flash of flame and then plummeted about 1,000 feet to earth. A farmer watched helplessly as tourists trying to escape the blazing gondola leaped to their deaths.

Nineteen people were killed Tuesday in what appeared to be the deadliest hot air ballooning accident on record. A British tourist and the Egyptian pilot, who was badly burned, were the sole survivors.

The tragedy raised worries of another blow to the nation's vital tourism industry, decimated by two years of unrest since the 2011 revolution that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The southern city of Luxor has been hit hard, with vacant hotel rooms and empty cruise ships.

It also prompted accusations that authorities have let safety standards decline amid the political turmoil and infighting, although civil aviation officials said the balloon had been inspected recently and that the pilot may have been to blame, jumping out rather than stopping the fire.

Authorities suspended hot air balloon flights, a popular tourist attraction here, while investigators determined the cause.

The balloon was carrying 20 tourists ? from France, Britain, Belgium, Japan and Hong Kong ? and an Egyptian pilot on a flight over Luxor, 510 kilometers (320 miles) south of Cairo, officials said. The flights provide spectacular views of the ancient Karnak and Luxor temples and the Valley of the Kings, the burial ground of Tutankhamun and other pharaohs.

According to initial indications, the balloon was in the process of landing after 7 a.m. when a cable got caught around a helium tube and a fire erupted, according to an investigator with the state prosecutor's office.

The balloon then ascended rapidly, the investigator said. The fire detonated a gas canister and the balloon plunged about 300 meters (1,000 feet) to the ground, crashing in a sugar cane field outside al-Dhabaa village just west of Luxor, a security official said.

Both the investigator and the security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

"I saw tourists catching fire and they were jumping from the balloon," said Hassan Abdel-Rasoul, a farmer in al-Dhabaa. "They were trying to flee the fire but it was on their bodies."

One of those on fire was a visibly pregnant woman, he said.

Amateur video taken from another balloon and shown on Al-Jazeera Mubasher television showed the balloon's final moments.

Smoke is seen rising for several seconds from the gondola, silhouetted against the risen sun. The balloon itself catches fire with a flash, and in an instant, it bursts and falls as a fireball to the ground, trailing smoke. Egyptians on the balloon filming the scene can be heard crying and gasping in horror at the sight.

The bodies of the tourists were scattered across the field around the remnants of the balloon, as rescue officials collected the remains.

The crash immediately killed 18, according to Luxor Gov. Ezzat Saad. Two Britons and the pilot were taken to a hospital, but one of the Britons died of his injuries soon after.

Among the dead were nine tourists from Hong Kong, four Japanese, two French, a Belgian and a second Briton, according to Egyptian officials, although there were conflicting reports on the nationality of the 19th victim.

In Tokyo, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Japanese victims were two couples in their 60s from Tokyo, but declined to give their names.

The toll surpasses what was believed by ballooning experts to be the deadliest accident in the sport's 200-year history: In 1989, 13 people were killed when their hot air balloon collided with another over the Australian outback near the town of Alice Springs.

Luxor has seen crashes in the past. In 2009, 16 tourists were injured when their balloon struck a cellphone transmission tower. A year earlier, seven tourists were injured in a similar crash.

After the 2009 accident, Egypt suspended hot air balloon flights for several months and tightened safety standards. Pilots were given more training, and a landing spot was designated for the balloons.

The head of the Civil Aviation Administration, Mohammed Sherif, told The Associated Press at the scene of the crash that the pilot had just renewed his license in January.

"Each time we renew the license, we check up the balloon and we test the pilot," Sherif said.

An aviation official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters, blamed the pilot, saying initial results of the investigation showed he jumped out when the fire began, instead of shutting off valves that would have prevented the gas canister from exploding.

But the crash raised accusations that standards have fallen. Mohammed Osman, head of the Luxor's Tourism Chamber, blamed civil aviation authorities, who are in charge of licensing and inspecting balloons, accusing them of negligence.

"I don't want to blame the revolution for everything, but the laxness started with the revolution," he said. "These people are not doing their job, they are not checking the balloons and they just issue the licenses without inspection."

The Civil Aviation Ministry, like much of the government administration, has seen political disputes since President Mohammed Morsi came to power in June as Egypt's first freely elected leader.

The ministry was long dominated by military officers or former officers, some of whom have resented control by a civilian president, particularly one from the Muslim Brotherhood. In other ministries, observers say Brotherhood members have been appointed, or included as volunteers, in many posts.

One civil aviation ministry official told the AP that standards have fallen since civilians were brought in to some middle-ranking positions. The official said inspections have become more lax, taking place once a month instead of weekly. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk about the industry.

The crash added to the woes for residents of Luxor. Scared off by the turmoil and tenuous security following the uprising, the number of tourists coming to Egypt fell to 9.8 million in 2011 from 14.7 million the year before, and revenues plunged 30 percent to $8.8 billion. Last year saw a slight rise, but most tourists go to the beach resorts of the Red Sea, staying away from Nile Valley sites like Luxor.

That has been devastating for the local economy, with some government estimates saying that 75 percent of the labor force is connected to tourism. Luxor's hotels are about 25 percent full in what is supposed to be the peak of the winter season.

Poverty swelled at the country's fastest rate in Luxor. In 2011, 39 percent of its population lived on less than $1 a day, compared with 18 percent in 2009, according to government figures.

Mohammed Haggag, owner of Viking, a company that runs seven balloons in Luxor, said the flight shutdown meant that the whole industry was suffering for one pilot's mistake.

"Why the mass punishment? Do you stop all flights when you have a plane crash?" he said. "You will cut the livelihoods for nearly 3,000 human beings who live on this kind of tourism."

Khaled Wanis, the owner of a shop selling tourist trinkets near Luxor Temple, said the past two years have been the worst he has ever seen.

"I can spend a week or 10 days before a customer knocks my door," he said. "Since I heard the news today, I felt ache in my heart.

"The general feeling is that Egypt is hard to visit and this is not a safe place to visit. The accident will only add to this feeling," Wanis said. "We are begging for tourists. Now, they get killed, so what do you expect?"

___

Associated Press writers Haggag Salama in Luxor, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong, Jill Lawless in London, Angela Charlton in Paris, and Malcolm Foster in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-Egypt-Balloon%20Accident/id-089ef12c1bee4f6394e5b365e78fcd2f

earthquake today earthquake today Romney Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd

'There Is No Sustainable Business.' - NYTimes.com

BARCELONA ? Sustainable entrepreneurship ? a buzzword in an increasingly eco-conscious business world ? is often described as a balance between profit and environmental impact.

It?s a subject that Douglas Tompkins seems to have thought a lot about. He founded Esprit and The North Face, two of America?s most iconic clothing and fashion brands, only to quit the business world to become a staunch conservationalist, environmentalist and critic.

?Remove ?sustainable? from your dictionary, there is no sustainable business. Only biological sustainability counts,? he told a room full of business students at the IESE business school Doing Great and Doing Good conference on responsible business. (Disclosure: I moderated a panel at the same conference).

?Economic activity has impact and we are just now doing a better job of measuring what those impacts are,? said Mr. Tompkins in an interview.

A strict conservationalist, he rejects the idea that big business can reform itself and thinks the answer lies outside what he calls the ?techno-industrial culture.? He thinks measuring biodiversity is a yardstick for how society is doing.

?Healthy biodiversity is at the base of everything,? he said, with species extinction being the ultimate catastrophe. ?We?ll be living on a sand heap with a Norwegian rat and a few cockroaches at the end.?

Despite having co-founded ESPRIT, the multinational clothing giant, and The North Face, the maker of outdoor equipment, in the 1960s and having earned millions of the sale of the former, Mr. Tompkins is critical of business?s paradigms.

?We have an economy that?s based on growth without limits,? he said. ?How is that possible??

?To grow and grow and grow without limits is out of the question,? he said.

Even the companies that he is famous for launching do not escape his disapproval.

?My two companies are two monsters now,? he said.

His conversion from fashion to conservation work took place around 1990, however Mr. Tompkins still retains his sense of simple beauty.

?If we just use the aesthetic rule of thumb of saying if it looks bad, it is bad and if it looks good, it ? probably ? is good,? we?d get a lot further than with arcane and complex economic theories.?

But Mr. Tompkins is much more than an anti-business theorist or a conservation advocate. In the last two decades he and his wife have managed to conserve land that will ultimately enlarge or create national parks in Chile and Argentina.

Mr. Tompkins started his drive toward conservation and reclaiming natural habitat in 1990, right around the time he had sold his share of Esprit for a reported $150 million. (He sold his interest in The North Face much earlier in his career and at a much lower price.)

To date, he and his wife have bought up 1.1 million hectares (or almost 2.5 million acres) in South America, through several of his conservation foundations. The land conserved or in the process of being restored, is open to public use, with conditions, until it is donated to the countries? national park systems. (My colleague Larry Rohter visited Mr. Tompkins in 2007 and wrote about the political implications of an American buying up so much land in Chile.)

Besides their work restoring land for parks, the Tompkins are developing sustainable farms (he doesn?t like to call it sustainable, just less unsustainable) in both Chile and Argentina.

At Laguna Blanca in northeastern Argentina, the Tompkins have bought and reconstituted land for a sustainable farm project.

Organic crops are planted using small-scale methods not in square plots, as is common in commercial farming, but following the contours of nature. Passages for wildlife are integrated into the fields.

The farm products are then sold to the surrounding community, with profit going toward his conservation efforts.

Source: http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/there-is-no-sustainable-business/

usher James Holmes Minka Kelly sex tape Colorado shooting Colorado shooting victims aurora Angie Everhart

Budweiser waters down its beer, lawsuit alleges

NBC News staff and wire reports ? ? ? 35 min.

Beer lovers across the country have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands.

The suits were filed in Pennsylvania, California and other states on behalf of consumers allegedly cheated out of the beverage's stated alcohol content. Budweiser and Michelob each boast being 5 percent alcohol, while some "light" versions are said to be just over 4 percent.

Lead lawyer Josh Boxer of San Rafael, Calif., said Tuesday the suits are based on information from former employees at some of the company's 13 U.S. breweries. Boxer said water is added just before bottling, and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3 to 8 percent.

The claims against Anheuser-Busch are ?completely false,? Peter Kraemer, the company?s vice president of brewing and supply, said in an e-mail to Bloomberg.com.

?Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws,? Kraemer said. ?We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the U.S. and the world.?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/budweiser-waters-down-its-beer-lawsuit-alleges-1C8566405

Malware Monday First Row Sports American flag Happy 4th of July 4th Of July Desserts fireworks fireworks

Getting Past the Grief over Grief

These days, I get a lot of grief about grief. I am part of the work group that changed some of the ways that grief and clinical depression are described and differentiated in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, typically referred to as DSM-5. That has led to a lot of conversations with colleagues who are upset about bereavement.

The other day, a friend and fellow psychiatrist?whose son had died by suicide almost a year ago?took me aside to tell me how incensed he was about the elimination from earlier DSMs of language specifying a ?bereavement exclusion.? The ?exclusion? essentially detailed a two-month period of ?normal grief? that people would experience after the loss of a loved one. During this period, it was all but forbidden to diagnose a patient with major depression?even if the individual had all the symptoms (which are, in important and sometimes life-threatening ways, different from grief.)

This restriction was based on the best science from the mid-1980s, the last time DSM was fully revised, but the science of bereavement and major depressive disorder has changed. Our work group found the exclusion too limiting; normal grief often lasts much longer than two months, and a small subset of patients can have major depression triggered or exacerbated by a loved one?s death, just as they can from all kinds of losses and traumas.

But critics have convinced a lot of people that our goal was to diagnose every grieving person with major depressive disorder. It especially pained me to hear my friend say, ?How dare they label me with depression, as though I should have been over my grief months ago? How dare they imply I should take medications to drown my sorrow??

He missed his son intensely long after his death, thought about him frequently, and continued to experience waves of intense anguish and yearning for his son?s return. He felt like a piece of him was missing and that it would never be found. He had occasional problems sleeping through the night, difficulty watching some of the TV shows he and his son had enjoyed so much together. And he had yet to return to playing golf, which the two of them had also shared. He was fully back to work and seeing patients, but he couldn?t help worrying more than in the past when caring for potentially suicidal young people.

Despite his anger, he readily accepted my hug, my offer to take him to lunch and my eagerness to listen. I told him how sorry I was for his loss, that it was impossible for me to imagine how difficult it had been for him and his wife, and that I thought his continued grief was perfectly understandable?and in no way indicative of major depression. Like most people after a loss, he needed comfort, not treatment. We agreed to meet at a later time to talk about the bereavement exclusion. It was a fascinating discussion.

I made it clear to him that the elimination of the bereavement exclusion in no way, shape or form dictates how intense his grief should be or how long it should last. His feelings were absolutely normal. I also stressed how dropping the exclusion does not re-label grief as major depression, nor does it medicalize grief. That is not to suggest that grief is not ?depressing.? For many people, grief is very depressing, if by that you mean feeling sad, blue and down in the dumps. But those emotions are not the same as having a major depressive disorder, a serious clinical condition that certainly is not part of normal grief.

Our work group changed the grief language in DSM-5 to make sure clinicians and patients understand that major depression can occur in someone who is bereaved, just as it can occur in someone who is going through a divorce, facing a sudden disability or terminal illness, or struggling with serious financial troubles. There are no known clinically meaningful differences in the severity, course or treatment response of major depressive episodes that occur after the death of a loved one compared to those occurring in any other context. According to the best research available, any very stressful life event can trigger a major depressive episode in a vulnerable person; regardless of the context in which it occurs, prompt recognition and appropriate treatment can be life-promoting and even life-saving.

In addition, eliminating the bereavement exclusion in no way suggests that intense grief should be treated. Just the opposite. It makes clear, for the first time, how to spot and properly diagnose those individuals in whom major depression is triggered by the death of a relative or close friend ?which is the same way we diagnose everyone else. And treatment with medications is by no means automatic or the only option. In some cases, education and support during a period of ?watchful waiting?? may be the most appropriate intervention; in other cases?for example, when the person has had previous bouts of serious depression, or when the major depressive episode is particularly severe and persistent?more formal treatments with evidence-based psychotherapies and/or medications might be the best option.

My friend and I discussed how these changes might affect primary care physicians, who write most of the prescriptions for antidepressants and so, technically, diagnose most depressions. One of the main concerns voiced was that the bereavement exclusion, however clumsy and unscientific, was the only thing keeping some family physicians from ?giving every grieving patient an antidepressant after a 10-minute evaluation!? But we both agreed that the criteria for major depression should not be jiggered so as to anticipate poor practice by other clinicians. Instead, psychiatrists must provide more training and consultation to the other treatment professionals who might see grieving patients.

By the time our lunch ended, my friend?s view had softened.? As we talked about the difference between his extended grief and a major depressive disorder, he said that it maybe was time for him to look into a suicide survivors support group. He even allowed that, given his knowledge of the potential consequences of untreated major depression, he would assess a bereaved individual who met the diagnostic criteria in the same careful way he would any other patient.

We again hugged, and then we both headed back to work. In the end, we agreed: It is time to stop grieving the loss of the bereavement exclusion.

Click here to see a video of DSM-5?s Task Force Chair Dr. David Kupfer discussing the bereavement exclusion.

?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=8b5b34bb0d8196aa377399b16f995268

superbowl score Harbaugh brothers ray lewis alicia keys randy moss randy moss superbowl commercials

Cardinal's departure darkens mood as pope allows early conclave

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

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

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

He could have attended the conclave despite his resignation because he is still a cardinal under 80, but said he would stay away because he did not want media attention to be focused on himself instead of the process of choosing the next leader of the 1.2 billion-member Church.

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

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

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

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

victoria beckham London 2012 rhythmic gymnastics Meteor Shower August 2012 jessie j jessie j David Boudia David Rakoff