Thursday, March 28, 2013

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Depression | World of Psychology

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and DepressionIn this age of advanced modern medicine, it is a depressing fact that not all people suffering with a depressive illness respond to antidepressants.

The mental health charity Mind UK recently highlighted their concern that there is a serious need for a range of therapies to be made available to depression sufferers.

According to the best psychological working practices, medication is now considered to be only one option for effectively treating the illness.

Talk therapies ? otherwise known as psychotherapy ? such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have proven effective at alleviating melancholic symptoms in hundreds of research studies conducted around the world. In Australia, the Australian Psychological Society has identified a serious need for psychotherapeutic interventions in the lives of people with depression.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy. Participants work with a specially trained psychologist to make positive steps in changing their thoughts and feelings. Committing to CBT means accepting that your actions affect your emotions and reasoning. Therapists help you to learn skills and strategies for changing negative thinking. This helps many people to learn to cope with depressive illness.

A recent study in the UK, carried out over a period of 12 months, looked at the benefits of CBT for managing depression. Participants were allocated a one-hour CBT session each week for the period of the trial.

After six months, 46 percent of the group who had been previously resistant to medication reported a reduction in depressive symptoms. The study concluded that CBT can improve quality of life by reducing depression?s severity.

A 2012 study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry involved a review of Australian National Health data. Researchers became interested in the period between 2001 and 2006, when better access to psychological treatment was made available in Australia.

The study showed from 2001 to 2008, following health care reform, there was a drop in the use of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications. CBT is currently recognized in Australia as being a viable and effective way of treating mental illnesses like depression.

It is important to note that CBT is not intended to be a substitute for medication. In many cases it will serve to complement any medicine from the family doctor or psychiatrist. However, in those for whom medication has failed, CBT offers an alternative while new medicines are being developed. Of course, not everything ? whether medication or talk therapy ? will work for everyone.

In Australia, there is still a shortage of psychiatrists. The right of psychologists to prescribe medication is now a subject for debate. If this becomes reality, the therapist will then be able to evaluate each patient?s needs, and only prescribe drugs when necessary.

In the meantime, although it may not be the best option, family physicians are able to prescribe psychiatric medications if they believe it warranted.

Joanna Fishman is a Director with Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney ? a leading provider of mental health and relationship counseling services in Australia. Visit www.counsellingsydney.com.au for more in depth information on psychology and counseling topics. The information library on the Counselling Sydney website contains expert written content on topics including depression, anxiety, relationships, anger management, addiction and grief as well as contact details for a range of local Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Relationship Counsellors.

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????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 27 Mar 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Fishman, J. (2013). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Depression. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 27, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/03/27/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-and-depression/

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/03/27/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-and-depression/

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Cyprus Bankruptcy Contagion Financial Armageddon Risk ...

Global Financial and Commodity Market Forecasts 2013

Personal_Finance / Credit Crisis 2013 Mar 24, 2013 - 06:49 PM GMT

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Personal_Finance

Whilst Cyprus's banking system remains frozen and teetering on the brink of collapse with it's politicians literally battling to meet an eye popping deadline to agree to the terms of a euro-zone bailout, the consequences of failure should not be construed as just being limited to Cyprus as the whole euro-zone and even the whole of world's banking system is at risk.

For several years I have been advocating that individuals have a plan of action in place to implement at times of heightened risks of financial armageddon - 03 Dec 2011 - How to Protect Your Bank Deposits, Savings From Euro-zone Collapse Financial Armageddon

In which respect I enacted my emergency Financial Armageddon plan last week, where the the focus was to move funds from high risk euro-zone banks to low risk wholly UK owned banks. Everything went smoothly apart form one transaction of early Friday afternoon for ?16,000 which has gone awol! The transaction was supposed to leave Santander early Friday afternoon and arrive at a small UK private bank in about 2 hours time (Faster Payment service). Whilst logging in later in the afternoon I could see that the transaction had been marked as having left Santander but there was no sign of arrival of funds at the destination bank.

Now well over 48 hours later the funds have still not arrived, further more attempting to log into Santander since late Friday has resulted in the following maintenance message.

Whilst Santander states it is scheduled maintenance, however there was NO prior warning of maintenance nor does it explain the fact that funds that were supposed to take a couple of hours to arrive have still not arrived well over 48 hours later. I guess all will be revealed early Monday when either the opening shots of Financial Armageddon have been averted or not.

This illustrates the risks that the whole banking sector poses in that when it shuts down it will be in an instant, and then it will be too late to draw your funds out so you really need to act well before Financial Armageddon strikes. And certainly d not pay attention to any soothing words out of the Bank of England as illustrated by the fact that one of the last statements out of the central bank of Cyprus prior to freezing the banking system was that depositors money was safe in Cypriot banks.

In the meantime here is a reminder of list of actions you need to take in the case of Financial Armageddon as I last wrote in December 2011. Ensure you are subscribed to my always FREE newsletter to for my next in-depth analysis of the current crisis and what you need to do to protect your wealth.

03 Dec 2011 - How to Protect Your Bank Deposits, Savings From Euro-zone Collapse Financial Armageddon

Steps You Need to Take Now !

The following are my updated lists of tasks you need to do to protect your deposits because you are NOT being paid to carry the REAL RISK OF LOSS OF FUNDS ON DEPOSIT!

1. Ensure that you have at least 2 current accounts across banking groups and at least one with a safer bank such as HSBC.

2. Next make a list of all of your deposit / bank accounts, with the amounts on deposit.

3. Now group your accounts by banking sector group (see list here as a guide).

4. If you are anywhere near the ?85k limit with any banking group then move those excess funds immediately! and Especially if it is a Eurozone bank

5. Small banks and building societies are at greater risk than larger banks and building societies because the government is the larger banks such as HBOS pose a greater risk to the financial system and economy so the government will be more reluctant to let them fail, but that does not mean they will actually cover deposits beyond ?85k in the event of a collapse, so you still need to limit exposure to ?85k

6. Consider transferring funds to your spouse so as utilise their compensation limit across banking groups, so you can double your compensation coverage by opening an account for your spouse with each bank.

7. Ensure you have procedures in place so that you can at short notice transfer funds from high risk banks to lower risk banks so as to limit the fallout from any banking system crisis. For instance open an NS&I Direct Saver account NOW (pays 1.75% gross), then use this during an unfolding sovereign debt crisis event to transfer your cash to as this is the safest deposit account available for UK depositors (Max ?2mill, Min ?1). Again do this now as you may not be able to do so during a debt crisis event due to high demand for the account. This is an imperative - NS&I is the safest bank in the UK, use it for short-term insurance - NOW!

Instant Access Savings Accounts with Lower Risk banks

  • NS&I - 1.75% - Government 100% Guarantee
  • Tesco - 2.90% (includes 1.65% bonus for 12 months)
  • HSBC - 0.75% (includes 0.5% bonus if you do not withdraw in a calendar month)

Higher Risk banks

  • Barclays - 1.25% (includes 0.35% bonus when you do not withdraw in a month).
  • SMILE (Co-op) 0.25%

Extreme High Risk Banks

  • Santander - 3.1% (includes 2.6% bonus for 12 months) - Euro-zone Bank
  • ING Direct - 3% (includes a 2.46% bonus if you do not withdraw in a month) - Euro-zone Bank
  • Halifax Online Saver - 2.8% (includes 2.7% bonus for 12months).

All accounts pay significantly less than current CPI Inflation of 5%.

8. Do not have ANY savings are fixed deposit exposure to banks that do not fall under the UK Financials Services Compensation Scheme.

9. Avoid exposure to Euro-zone banks and at the very least PIIGS banks, that is Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy as these are at the most risk of going bust thus triggering a lengthy process for savers having to wait for compensation. Remember that if Spain comes under pressure following perhaps Ireland and Portugal joining Greece, then the risks posed to the likes of Santander depositors will also significantly rise.

10. Keep enough in cash to cover at least 1 months expenditure, (I keep 2 months worth of cash).

11. Utilise instant transfer accounts between spouses, i.e. if you have accounts with the Halifax then you can instantly transfer funds between one another, therefore during a crisis you can instantly reduce the exposure if one person is above the ?85k compensation limit at that time.

Source and Comments: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article39629.html

Nadeem Walayat

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Copyright ? 2005-2013 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved.

Nadeem Walayat has over 25 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis focuses on UK inflation, economy, interest rates and housing market. He is the author of four ebook's in the The Inflation Mega-Trend and Stocks Stealth Bull Market series.that can be downloaded for Free.

The Stocks Stealth Bull Market 2013 and Beyond EbookThe Stocks Stealth Bull Market Update 2011 EbookThe Interest Rate Mega-Trend EbookThe Inflation Mega-trend Ebook

Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication that presents in-depth analysis from over 600 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets, thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

? 2005-2013 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.

Source: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article39629.html

Colorado shootings

Why Everyone Should Focus On Self Improvement | MySpareTime ...

The concept of personal development is based on a person improving themselves in all ways on a regular basis. It will help you attain many personal goals while gaining knowledge to increase spiritual growth. This article contains many great personal development tips. Taking steps can help you find a better understanding of yourself.

Always think before you act and when you do act, do so in a modest way. There are certain things in your life that you just can?t change. Learn to spot the things you can fix and just learn life lessons from the ones you can?t. A touch of modesty makes it much easier to understand your own limitations. Your wisdom can distill the past to help you improve the future.

Your own self improvement goals need to be specific so that they can help pave the road towards success. With specific goals, chances are you?ll do the things that need to be done to accomplish them. This makes it easier to overcome challenging tasks, and helps you enjoy the sweet taste of success quicker.

Try to maximize your work time and get more work done. Something you can do is to increase the amount of short breaks you take throughout the workday. This might sound counterproductive, but breaks allow you to refocus and re-energize, allowing you to return and work more efficiently.

TIP! If you feel that you are constantly unable to reach your goals, then you need to stop and reassess your goals and what you are doing to reach them. Check online and find others whom share similar goals with you and find out what they are doing compared to what you?re doing.

Do some reading on personal development. Self improvement books that are well written, insightful and instructive can provide you with the information you need to significantly enhance your outlook and your life. Choose a personal development book that is well reviewed because some books are just no good.

Discover a few texts that give you encouragement and support. Some people may look to a religious text, while others might look for inspiring quotes. Whatever you choose to help raise your awareness of a happier state of mind, it can be a useful anchor that you can refer to again and again.

Pick out what you wish to do in life and go do it. Just sitting around doing nothing to make the life you want actually happen will get you nowhere. It is time to take action toward realizing your dreams.

TIP! Knowing where to steer your life is an important thing to consider when thinking about personal development. Use these goals as a way to measure your successes.

You will miss many opportunities to develop personally if you put off making decisions. Choose not to live in fear of your decisions even if you do not have all of the information you desire. Great decisions encourage sharp instincts. If you make mistakes, take the time to analyze what you did wrong, and learn from them. Think of your bad decisions as possibilities you have eliminated.

Set realistic goals that you can accomplish, and you?ll enjoy life so much more. Once you have identified your own weaknesses, you can begin to improve upon them.

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

Watch your progress to become better organized. If you break big goals down into little sub-goals, you will gain confidence as you achieve the sub-goals. Write down your progresses in a planner or journal about your goals.

TIP! It?s possible to teach yourself how you can deal with difficult situations without becoming too emotional. Stay graceful under fire, and you will gain confidence that helps in your day to day life.

Quit worrying so much. Many times, worry is about a scenario that has yet to occur, and may never occur. By preparing for a worst case scenario, you can focus your energies on more positive thoughts. Instead, you might feel prepared and more at ease in your mind and day-to-day life.

When building a self improvement plan, it is important to consider your personal values. It wouldn?t make sense to develop a trait that was contrary to who you are. When your attitudes are changed, hard situations become much easier to control. This enables you to make lasting changes in your life, both in a personal and a professional capacity.

Any type of personal development requires that you judge your progress. Take heed of the advice provided here so that you can determine how this should occur. Perhaps keeping a diary of what you are doing and how often, will assist you in seeing the changes that are occurring around you.

Sexual capital is a trait worth developing in your quest for personal improvement. It?s not as naughty as it sounds. It does not translate to using sex to get everything you want. It is as simple as using charm. Good social skills are not something everyone has, but using charm has shown to be something that can get you far in life.

TIP! Learn things that people that are successful are doing; use them in your own life. Concentrate on practicing some vital core habits at first, and keep at it until they become second nature to you.

Read the following article, you might find it very interesting!
5 Steps To Exorcising Your Ex How To Get Rid Of The Demons Of Past Relationships

Share and Enjoy

Source: http://mysparetime.net/why-everyone-should-focus-on-self-improvement/

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Source: http://clayton33.typepad.com/blog/2013/03/why-everyone-should-focus-on-self-improvement-mysparetimenet.html

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Why Will Smith Didn't Do 'Django Unchained'

Will Smith has revealed a main reason why he turned down the role of Django in "Django Unchained." To hear him tell it, it's because Django wouldn't be the lead role in the movie. "Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character [Christoph Waltz's Oscar-winning King [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/25/will-smith-django-unchained-2/

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Musharraf Returns Home Amid Death Threats (Voice Of America)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294213018?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Must Have Xbox Accessories For Your Personal Gaming console ...

Drink plenty of water if you engage in. Video gaming may often make you stay beyond fact, however you can get so interested in this game that you simply don?t take care of your self. Dehydration may damage your system, so continue to keep h2o readily available when actively playing your games for almost any period of time. Video gaming have already been a significant section of the years as a child of more than a single technology. It really is amazing to view their development. Anybody can only imagine exactly what the video gaming of the future is going to be like. A great deal enjoyable to issue regarding this and picture all of the probabilities of long term online games. Perform online games together with your young children. This can provide you with a great connecting experience. Expressing a common attention with the kids like this also can produce fantastic conversations. Also you can enable them to develop skills expand. Regardless of whether you?re mainly a PC game player, unit gamer, or cellular game addict, you may probably obtain games on impulse. Even though this can add efficiency, it?s also relatively unsafe. Take the time to find out what these games are just like well before decreasing funds on it. Ensure that you extensively check out the ESRB score associated with a online games you get for your kids. You will discover a cause of the status emblems on video gaming have these reviews. Games with fully developed or grownup ratings are certainly not be bought for fresh athletes. The ESRB site explains what all the breakdown of signs used to amount online games. Games are popular around the world! It?s a terrific way to relax and unwind.There is actually a activity for everyone and so much fun available. This article will demonstrate some helpful suggestions to obtain more away from your video clip gaming practical experience. The web page determines whether or not your computer is capable of doing managing a activity. If you?re hesitant to obtain it, don?t forget about you could erase this system once you have the important information. An excellent cleaning system will solution even the filthiest discs. There are tons of different systems available. Don?t just chuck out games. A lot of stores here permit you business your games for a little bit of cash or retail store credit score. You may even placed the industry-in importance of your game titles to acquire new game titles. Ensure you be cautious about your children are safe when actively playing games. Make sure to know exactly what types of folks they can be gaming with. Some little one potential predators use on the web video gaming to be able to manipulate young kids. Protect your children by preventing these people to perform on the web with total strangers online. From this report, you may have obtained useful pointers about how get the best games, and how to get to be the greatest video game player. You may win more frequently and also have a lot more entertaining. Maintain actively playing and discover to become fantastic gamer fast! Be conscious of your body when playing video games. A balance golf ball is a good expense when you perform for a long time it may help improve healthy posture while gaming.When you perform video games that require you to be productive, always have a break. Video gaming are not just for kids any further. What you?ve read on this page will introduce you to the interest. These pointers will allow you to get more from video gaming, whatever type they may be. Getting a new video game is more challenging than it may seem. You might be throwing away funds if you opt for a minimal-high quality online game out initially. Study activity online reviews before you make an investment. It is far better to err about the automobile-preserve. Usually do not only save to a single data file if you might like to be able to go back in the video game enjoy.Using a handful of conserve enables you went away from the wrong route between saves. For those who have children, be certain that the titles they hang out with are suitable for their age. This means you?re likely to require to look for the safety measures around the front side from the games to figure out if they?re an effective match for your children. You will likely wish to steer clear of video gaming that blatantly encourage extreme assault. Online games are manufactured for almost anything you can think of offer anyone irrespective of what how old they are.The information written beneath contains some of the finest video video gaming suggestions you?ll find just about anywhere. Video gaming are frequently very expensive and expensive.You can get employed video games. Usually acquaint website on your own on newbie degree on sports games. Once you have performed the overall game for several days or more, increase the issues and challenge. Think about getting the kids a gaming system as an alternative to permitting them to play games on consoles. Consoles permit you to management their level of privacy, safety settings, while little ones can far more easily avoid this kind of constraints with a laptop or computer. They could have a much more shielded exposure to a dedicated gaming console system. Attempt leasing a relevant video activity before purchasing them. Most retailers won?t go on a activity back if they?re previously launched, you can?t profit a relevant video video game you don?t want. Renting online games is really a computer game enables you very much to evaluate the games out. It might be annoying if you are caught at a online game stage, and this will help carry on. The Internet provides you must know and more. A web-based discussion board is a great place to begin if you are planning to purchase video games. You will find some terrific details with these resources. It will be possible to consider the game?s overview by other players who definitely have played out it. They offer sincere critiques. Take care in terms of on the web game playing. At times you must pay out on a monthly basis to perform. Always check out any gaming web sites that your particular young children are curious about joining. Is the video gaming method? When your system pauses, you might want to think about improving completely to another method rather than having it restored. The reason why becoming link is the charges to repair it oftentimes could be more than its worth. Take a look at new methods. You will probably have to up grade in the foreseeable future, so just why not now? Lots of the online games provide down loadable content generally referred to as DLC. These bonuses generally demand you a lot more. Whilst you need to go with a video game you?ll get pleasure from, often be conscious of prices. Some periods acquiring DLC online games charge twice as much or higher expensive than a single video game.

Source: http://www.gameloft2.com/?p=72697

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A Government Program Wanted to Make the Perfect Artificial Heart?With Radioactive Decay

The idea of putting a decaying radioactive isotope inside your chest might make you a little uneasy—and rightly so. But in 1967, the National Heart Institute and the Atomic Energy Agency set out to make it happen in the form of a plutonium-238-powered atomic heart. Think Tony Stark with nuclear waste in his chest. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5e9QthI0M0I/a-government-program-wanted-to-make-the-perfect-artificial-heartwith-radioactive-decay

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Colorado governor will sign ammunition limits on Wednesday: spokesman

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - Colorado's governor will sign legislation on Wednesday banning ammunition magazines with more than 15 rounds, his spokesman said on Monday, pushing a state that has experienced two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history to the forefront of a national gun control debate.

The bill passed both chambers of the Colorado state legislature last week along with several other gun control measures, including one requiring universal background checks for gun buyers.

The votes followed months of debate on gun control in Colorado. Other gun-control bills approved by state lawmakers include making firearm buyers pay for their own background checks and banning online certification for concealed-carry permits, both of which Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper has said he supports.

Another measure would bar gun purchases by people convicted of domestic violence crimes. Hickenlooper had previously said he was undecided about that bill until he could see the final version.

The passage of those bills follows several mass shootings last year, including the December massacre of 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

That followed a mass shooting in Colorado in July when a gunman opened fire in a crowded premiere of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" in the Denver suburb of Aurora, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others.

Former University of Colorado neuroscience graduate student James Holmes, 25, has been charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder in that case.

Colorado was also the site of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot dead a teacher and 12 other students before committing suicide. Several of the guns used in that attack were bought at gun shows.

Following Columbine, the state closed a loophole that allowed firearms purchases at gun shows without a background check.

The Colorado legislature's action follows the passage in New York state in January of a sweeping gun-control law that bans assault weapons and magazines that hold more than seven rounds of ammunition, requires gun owners to register most guns with the state and requires universal background checks.

President Barack Obama has put forward a number of federal gun-control proposals following the Newtown killings.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-governor-sign-ammunition-magazine-limits-wednesday-spokesman-230029398.html

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

U.S. Cars More Fuel Efficient Than Ever, Says EPA

If it were possible to sum up in a single number the auto industry's response to all of the slings and arrows of its recent fortune?an economic recession, subsequent bailouts, and spiking gas prices?that number would be 23.8. According to a recent annual EPA report on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy trends, 23.8 mpg is the average fuel economy of all the cars on U.S. roads. It's the highest collective milage figure to date. While the EPA points out that these are preliminary projections, cars on U.S roads are, as a whole, more efficient by 1.4 mpg compared to 2011. If those projections prove to be true, then that margin would mark the biggest year-to-year improvement since the federal agency started tracking fuel economy data in 1975.

This short-term jump in fuel economy is part of a long-term trend of steadily increasing fuel efficiency in the last five years. According to EPA data, since 2007 CO2 emissions have dropped 13 percent while fuel efficiency has risen by 16 percent. These figures don't even factor in the contribution of alternative-fuel cars such as electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and compressed natural gas vehicles. Although gasoline hybrids and diesels are gaining popularity in the U.S., the EPA data projects that they made up 5.3 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively, of the U.S. vehicle fleet in 2012.

The lion's share of the fuel economy bump can be attributed to two dead-simple factors. Collectively, cars are watching their weight and the engines that powers them are getting more efficient.

While cars today aren't as light as the ones found on the roads during the early to mid-80's, according to the EPA, a combination of record-high vehicle power and generally stable vehicle weight signals a shift in automotive engineering. From 1987 to 2004, cars got progressively heavier as they got faster, and since fuel economy wasn't a primary concern for consumers, it suffered. Recently, the industry has tried to strike a balance between performance and vehicle weight?producing faster 0-60 times while maintaing vehicle weight to keep mpg figure in check.

In addition, fuel efficient engine technologies the debuted decades ago are finally nearing ubiquity. EPA projects that 90 percent or more of new cars sold in 2012 will have variable valve timing and multi-valve engines, while even more advanced technologies such as gasoline direct injection and six-speed transmissions are growing in market saturation.

Add it all up and the number of fuel-efficient vehicles available to consumers has increased tremendously. In the past five years, the number of cars that can achieve at least a combined 30 MPG has jumped six-fold, while the total that reach at least 40 combined MPG has increased from 2 to 15. Even SUVs are getting better. Compared to 2007, there are now almost three times as many models available with combined MPG figures of 25 or more.

The fact that more efficient cars are available is great. But what jumps off the page when reviewing the EPA's data is that people are actually buying them.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/us-cars-more-fuel-efficient-than-ever-says-epa-15236284?src=rss

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Monday, March 18, 2013

Blackhawk Technical College Promoting Health and Wellness | 23 ...

JANESVILLE (WIFR) -- As another winter winds toward spring and individuals slowly let go of New Year?s resolutions geared toward maintaining a healthier lifestyle, Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) officials are stepping in to remind area residents that simple changes can make a big difference in their lives. On March 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., BTC will host its 10th annual Health Fair on the central campus within the north commons (6004 S. Cty Road G, Janesville, WI).

?This free event is a wonderful way to provide area residents with access to life-saving information and screenings, in an effort to help them make better health decisions,? said Colleen Koerth, Employment Specialist and member of the Health and Wellness Committee. ?Too many people take their health for granted and don?t make time to take care of themselves.?

According to BTC?s Health and Wellness Committee, attendees will be able to gather information and experience some hands-on demonstrations done by area health vendors including relaxation techniques and chair massages, blood pressure checks, samples of natural and organic foods, flexibility assessments, dental health information, BMI monitoring, Zumba demos, herbal medicines and a variety of sports and fitness programs.

Although admission is free, attendees are encouraged to bring in their extra canned goods. A collection will be set up at the event for a local food pantry. All participants that bring in at least one canned good will be entered into a special drawing for an entertainment package. In addition to the vendors and food collection, BTC officials will also be awarding a number of door prizes and gift certificates throughout the day.

Area businesses and organizations that will be presenting a booth and donating a door prize are: a glo Spa & Salon, Agrace Hospice Care, AIDS Network, Alzheimer?s Support Center of Rock County, Anytime Fitness, Basics Cooperative, Beloit Health System, BioLife Plasma Services, Chiropractic Care Center of Beloit, SC, Community Action, Consumer Credit Counseling, Dean Health System, Edgerton Hospital, First Choice Women?s Health Center / Wisconsin Well Woman Program, Fit Pro Services/Advocare, Janesville Leisure Services, Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change, Jazzercise, Karate America, LG Wellness Consulting, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mercy Health Systems, NAMI of Rock County, Nutrition and Health Associates, Rock County Cancer Coalition, Rock County Health Department, SARP, Second Harvest Food Bank, Tastefully Simple, True Laser Ltd., Upper Iowa University-Blackhawk Ctr., YMCA of Northern Rock County, Yoga Plus, YWCA of Rock County and a variety of BTC programs.

?Blackhawk Technical College is a major part of this community,? added Koerth. ?If this event helps one person make healthier choices, then we?ve achieved our goal.?

For more information about the BTC Health Fair, go to Blackhawk.edu or contact healthmds@blackhawk.edu.

Source: http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Blackhawk-Technical-College-Promoting-Health-and-Wellness-198498021.html

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Calif. sheriff's captain: Race car kills 2

(AP) ? A speeding race car careened off a track and into pit row during warm-up laps at a California raceway Saturday night, killing a 14-year-old boy and a 68-year-old man, officials said.

Six or seven cars were on the track when the car veered into pit row and ran into the two victims, who happened to be standing side-by-side, Yuba County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Johnson said. He said the two were affiliated with one of the cars or drivers but did not yet know how.

Neither the 17-year-old driver nor anyone else was injured, he said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene at Marysville Raceway Park some 40 miles north of Sacramento, and the boy was declared dead either at the hospital or in an ambulance, the officer told The Associated Press.

The raceway was hosting the California Sprint Car Civil War Series on the opening day of its season.

Steven Blakesley, the announcer calling the race from the stands, said the sprint cars were doing so-called "hot laps" about an hour before the race when a car driven by Chase Johnson, traveling at about 90 mph, couldn't make a turn.

"There must have been a mechanical problem," Blakesley said. "The car didn't slow down. "

Blakesley said the car ran through a gap between the track and pit row, hit an empty golf-style cart then ran out of the view of the stands, where fans were mostly silent and left to speculation about what was happening.

He said the next thing he was able to see was CPR being performed on two people, and later a body being covered and crime scene tape going up.

The bio on Chase Johnson's website said he's a senior at Petaluma High School north of San Francisco and is a fourth generation race car driver.

Blakesley said Chase Johnson had been driving for two years already, and many on the sprint car circuit, seen as a stepping stone to higher levels like NASCAR, began as young as 15 as Johnson did.

He said others on the circuit, where small, high-powered cars race on short dirt ovals, were older drivers whose careers had peaked earlier.

The Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol were investigating to determine the cause of the crash, Ron Johnson said. The Sheriff's Department also serves as the county's coroner and would determine the identities and official cause of death for the two victims, he said.

An outgoing message on the track's phone line said only that Saturday's race had been canceled, and a message left for a raceway spokesman was not immediately returned.

The race track fatalities come less than a month after a crash on the last lap of a race at Daytona International Speedway injured at least 30 fans Feb. 23. The victims were sprayed with large chunks of debris ? including a tire ? after a car careened into the fencing that is designed to protect the massive grandstands lining the track.

At another NASCAR race in 2009 at Talladega, the crowd was showered with debris and seven fans were injured when a car sailed upside-down into the front-stretch fence on a furious dash to the finish line, showering the stands with debris. Seven fans sustained minor injuries.

And in 2010 at a National Hot Rod Association event in Chandler, Ariz., a woman was killed by a tire that flew off a crashing dragster at Firebird International Raceway.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-17-US-Raceway-Crash-Calif/id-5d6ab8a2b6da45bfa9e60caf49e40b6a

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Crete named top military employer

CivilianJobs.com recently recognized Crete Carrier Corporation as a 2013 Most Valuable Employee (MVE) for Military finalist. Marking the fifth year of publication, the MVE recognition serves to help military-experienced job seekers and veterans identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. The contest is open to all U.S.-based companies, and finalists were selected based on surveys in which employers outlined their recruiting, training and retention plans that best serve military servicemen. Winners will be selected and announced April 28.

Source: http://www.overdriveonline.com/crete-named-top-military-employer/

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Bacon-shell tacos, or Bacos, on the menu at Mich. minor-league park

Bacon-shell tacos:?Those who come to see the West Michigan Whitecaps play will have the opportunity to chow down on a Baco, a taco?with a specially made bacon shell.

By Associated Press / March 15, 2013

Baco, a bacon-shell taco, won the Michigan Whitecaps (not pictured) minor league baseball team's fourth annual food contest. The Baco will be available at Whitecaps games this summer at Fifth Third Ballpark, in Comstock Park, Mich.

Emily Zoldaz/The Grand Rapids Press/AP

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A Michigan minor league team plans to offer its fans an oink-tastic treat this summer.

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Those who come to see the West Michigan Whitecaps play will have the opportunity to chow down on a Baco, ataco?with a specially made bacon shell.

The Baco was the top vote-getter in the fourth annual Whitecaps food contest, which determines Fifth Third Ballpark's next culinary delight.

The team narrowed to 10 a list of more than 150 fan-submitted menu ideas and turned the contest over to the fans.

The second-place finisher was The Bad Joke, a corn dog covered in cheese with two strips of duck bacon on a bun.

Previous winners of the food contest include Chicks with Sticks and the Declaration of Indigestion. They've since been retired from the menu.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/OC1bTTbJwzY/Bacon-shell-tacos-or-Bacos-on-the-menu-at-Mich.-minor-league-park

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Obama says American pope would be effective (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/291108042?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Ottawa Hospital tackling eating disorders | Ottawa & Region | News ...

The Ottawa Hospital General campus
The Ottawa Hospital General campus. Ottawa Sun file photo

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Looking into the mirror shouldn't be anyone's greatest fear.

To make that easier, the Ottawa Hospital is trying to find out how best to treat a common eating disorder.

With 3.6% of Canadian men and women struggling with Binge Eating Disorders (BED), researchers will test the usefulness of providing patients with self-help resources, intensive group therapy, or a combination of both.

BED is characterized by overeating with a sense of loss of control at least once a week, according to the hospital.

The trial will first offer a self-help manual to 150 men and women which will tell them about what BED is, why it happens, proper eating habits and ways to avoid binging.

During the 10-week self-help portion of the study, patients will receive little outside support.

"The idea is to mimic what might happen in a primary care setting, like with a family physician," said Dr. Giorgio Tasca, the psychologist leading the study.

Participants will also learn the common factors behind binge eating, such as relationship stress, depression, anxiety and interpersonal problems.

Following the first 10 weeks, the group will be split up. Half will spend 16 weeks receiving no follow-up care or treatment, while the other group with undergo intensive group therapy. The therapy they will get was developed at The Ottawa Hospital.

"The therapy really focuses on the issues that lead up to the binges," said Tasca, who said there is a strong correlation between people with BED and depression.

Those connections mean the total cost to the health care system for a patient with BED is 36% higher than the national average, Tasca said.

The idea is first to see how effective self-help is in treating BED on its own so primary care providers can be armed with the information to decide who will benefit from a more hands-off approach and who needs more help.

"The second part is, if we add that intensive treatment to (the self-help), is it value added? Is it worth the time and effort and money involved?" said Tasca.

The study is a rare one on a topic that is often talked about between doctors, but the practice of stepped care in eating disorders has rarely been tested in a supervised setting.

The study is partially funded by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation.

For more information on the study, e-mail bedstudy@toh.on.ca or call 613-798-5555, ext. 73011.

Twitter: @ChrisHofley

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Most common types of eating disorders

-Bulimia nervosa: characterized by eating excessive amounts of food in one sitting and then trying to compensate for the over-eating by ridding the body of the food.

-Anorexia nervosa: characterized by refusal to maintain normal body weight, often through starvation.

-Binge eating disorder (BED): characterized by over-eating with a sense of loss of control at least once a week, often resulting in obesity.

Source: Statistics Canada and The Ottawa Hospital

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Who develops eating disorders?

-Bulimia nervosa affects between 1% and 4% of women in Canada, while anorexia nervosa affects between 0.5% and 4%.

-Bing eating disorders affects 2% of all Canadians, men and women.

-About 90% of people with bulimia or anorexia are women, though a fairly even split of men and women suffer from binge eating disorders.

-Eating disorders most often start during the teen or young adult years.

Source: Canadian Mental Health Association

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Eating disorder resources in Ottawa

-Hopewell: Support centre for those with eating disorders, www.hopewell.ca, 613-241-3428

-Ottawa Eating Disorder Clinic: Provides outpatient assessment and treatment of a variety of eating disorders, in both adults and children, www.ocbt.ca, 613-729-0801

-Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders, The Ottawa Hospital. Physician referral required, 613-737-8042

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Source: http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/03/11/ottawa-hospital-tackling-eating-disorders

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Monday, March 11, 2013

HTC Droid DNA gets an early taste of Sense 5 thanks to beta ROM

HTC Droid DNA gets an early taste of Sense 5 thanks to beta ROM

While plenty of Android users prefer the vanilla OS experience, manufacturer-created skins persist, like HTC's updated Sense 5 UI debuting on the latest One flagship. HTC's Droid DNA will almost certainly receive this new version in the future -- the handset maker has confirmed it's coming to the Butterfly, a DNA variant -- but if you're partial to flashing, you can get your fingers on it right now. XDA Developers member newtoroot clearly isn't lacking the expertise their handle suggests, and has taken to the site's forum to offer a beta build of Sense 5 for the DNA. Bear in mind it's a beta, but everything is said to working bar MMS and the new Zoe camera mode. If you've got the hardware, know your way around a ROM and are up for toying with HTC's latest skin, head to the source link for the file and thread.

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Via: PhoneArena

Source: XDA Developers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/11/sense-5-beta-htc-droid-dna/

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Watch 15,000 Volts of Raw Power Burn Lightning Strikes into Wood

When lightning flashes across the sky, you only get a chance to glimpse its fractal form for a split second. But when you send 15,000 volts coursing through plywood, you get a much better look at how it grows. Melanie Hoff, a student at the Pratt Institute in New York City did just that, and the result is a timelapse where you can see the patterns slowly grow out and smolder, like lightning made from molasses. [Vimeo Staff Picks] More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LnkPQFdgkc0/watch-15000-volts-of-raw-power-burn-lightning-strikes-into-wood

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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Reputation Management Starts With A Domain - AboutUs - by Mac ...

Don't let your online reputation mar your offline persona.

Don?t let your online reputation interfere with your offline persona.

The time to claim your web identity is now. Online reputation management cannot start soon enough. Purchase a YourFirstNameLastName.com or YourBusinessName.com domain, register relevant Facebook and Twitter accounts, and start filling those services with accurate information that you want to spread. Without a proper domain with your name in it and the relevant social accounts, reputation management may turn into reputation firefighting.

Reputation Management Fit for a President

Presidential candidate Ron Paul didn?t buy his namesake domain, RonPaul.com, and was forced into reputation management tailspin. Paul, a 2008 and 2012 contender, known for his staunch libertarian and anti-government standpoint, has filed a dispute with the UDRP, an agency of the United Nations, over the ownership of the www.RonPaul.com domain.

For reasons unexplained by the candidate or the owners of the RonPaul.com site, Ron paul did not register the domain RonPaul.com. Google searches for ?Ron Paul? bring up his official website, CampaignForLiberty.org first, and RonPaul.com in a close second, dividing his online reputation and clicks between two sites. Fans who enter in the candidate?s name followed by a ?.com? are directed to a fan page, not Paul?s official page.

Now, instead of focusing on his political and business endeavors, Ron Paul has now been thrown into a drawn-out reputation management debacle.

Create Your Online Reputation

Now that search results pull up hundreds of people with your exact same name, your name doesn?t hold much cachet in and of itself. Sure, people can search for your name or your company, but a casual user will opt for the ?BobSmith.Com? over ?ArchitectsLosAngeles.com? when searching for Bob Smith, an architect.

Claiming your domain name is like taking ownership of your own name. Brands with the proper domain name have one less hoop to jump through when connecting with users. A domain using your real name takes no explanation; users searching for a site with an unnatural domain will have to pass through an extra layer of confusion to find your web presence.

Claim Your Identity By Claiming Your Domain

Filling search results with accurately-labeled information also has the upside of pushing any unflattering web results below the fold. That embarrassing blog from high school that you forgot the password to, but still mysteriously appears at the top of the results for your name? You can begin to get rid of that by gaining control of internet content under your real name domain.

Claiming your online identity also means clearing up the spread of misinformation in the future. Many online directories draw their information from just a few sources, with no human double-checking. Spreading correct information is important not just for human eyes, but for the digital sources that aggregate your information.

Even your name isn?t the unique calling card it used to be in the pre-Internet days. Now you must struggle to differentiate yourself from the unexpected other Mac Pogues, or Channing Kennedys, in search results.

Stake Your Claim

For personal identities, services like Flavors.Me allow a quick aggregation of your most important social media accounts and information about your identity. The company offers simple, attractive homepages designed to lead people to the information they need fast. Claiming Google authorship through Google Plus adds another layer to Google results for your name and can push your identity over the edge into that coveted saturation level.

For brands, claiming your identity through Google?s Places and Plus pages helps maintain your identity across the search mammoth. Adding information to these listings will help place your brand or business in the numerous areas of Google?s search returns.

Start Today

Your online identity requires your input. Defending your web persona means playing a good offense; throw information out into the void early and often.

Have you had trouble claiming a domain or your identity online? Let us know in the comments.

Source: http://www.aboutus.com/online-reputation-management-domain/

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