Meet the Virus That Makes the Flu Look Like a Cakewalk

It was Christmas Eve 2008 when Sal Cardoni first started to feel truly horrible. He'd helped take care of his cousin's infant son for a short time, and within hours he was sleeping on the bathroom floor, too ill to go to bed. "I started to get sick just after midnight," remembers Cardoni, an editor in Los Angeles. "Around 3 a.m. my dad brought me a blanket and pillow in the bathroom." Cardoni had come down with norovirus, which he'd contracted from the baby. "So starting at midnight on Christmas, I was sick and vomiting through the next day and well into the evening of the 26th," he says. "I wasn't back to 100 percent until almost New Year's." Though Cardoni tried his best not to pass along the highly contagious virus, his mom and a cousin ended up sick as well.?

Not everyone is coughing and sniffling from this winter's miserable strain of flu. Like Cardoni, some people are doubled over with stomach cramps and nausea thanks to a?new strain of norovirus?a classic gastrointestinal virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea?that's circulating in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public health officials told TakePart they're watching the illness carefully because it has the hallmarks of being a particularly bad strain.

The Importance of Washing Hands: Wash Your Hands, Save a Life

Norovirus is best known for ruining people's vacations with outbreaks on cruise ships. The virus is highly contagious, so a confined space?like a ship is a perfect target for it to spread. But it's a mistake to think this is a cruise-ship illness only, says Dr. Aron Hall, of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.?"We hear a lot about norovirus on cruise ships causing outbreaks, but that is not the most common place we see it," he says. "That makes up fewer than five percent of the cases reported in the U.S. By far, the most common places we see norovirus outbreaks are nursing homes and hospitals."

From there, the viruses easily spread into communities. "These viruses are spread efficiently through a variety of means," he says. "But they are quite adept at spreading from direct person-to-person contact."

Flu is Packing a Punch Across the Nation

The new strain of norovirus is called GII.4 Sydney. That?s important because there are five main types of norovirus and the GII.4 subgroup is typically the worst of the lot. It's not clear yet whether GII.4 Sydney causes more severe illness than other norovirus strains, but it has already unleashed its fury in Australia and the United Kingdom and no one there is singing its praises.

"Every few years in the last decade a new strain of norovirus emerges and sometimes when it emerges it can cause a real increase in outbreaks," Hall says. "That's why we track new viruses in circulation and send out public health alerts. We've seen it widespread throughout the country." (There?s currently no vaccine for the virus, but researchers are working on one.)

"It's not clear yet if this is a more severe strain," adds Dr. Eyal Leshem, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the CDC. "The peak of the season typically occurs in January." Even in a typical year, norovirus causes 20 million cases of illness, 70,000 hospitalizations, and 800 deaths. While anyone can become infected, complications are typically the most severe in the very young or very old or people with other health problems.

Norovirus usually spreads from direct contact. That's why the best way to prevent it is to wash your hands a lot with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, Leshem says. ("That's about the time it takes to [sing] 'Happy Birthday' twice," he instructs.)

New SARS-Like Virus Reported in the Middle East

But, Hall cautions, "The spread is typically through that direct oral route?[what?s called] aerosolization. Some particles of vomit can float through the air for a few feet and settle on the surfaces that someone touches or that can be inhaled." If you're not convinced just how far the virus can travel, check out "Vomiting Larry," an invention from the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Laboratory. Scientists created a kind of vomiting robot to demonstrate how contagious a norovirus can be. "Larry" stands about five feet tall and has a fluid-filled cylinder stomach that contains a fluorescent dye. When the fluid is ejected from Larry's mouth, UV lighting shows just where droplets land. Studies show some fly about ten feet away.

Do you wash your hands religiously to stave off the flu and other illnesses? Have you had the flu or norovirus this year?

Related Stories on TakePart:

? Viruses Can't Hide from This Guy

? Can We Build an Early Warning System for Pandemics??

? Researchers Are Closing In On a Way to Predict Flu Outbreaks

Shari Roan is an award-winning health writer based in Southern California. She is the author of three books on health and science subjects.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/meet-virus-makes-flu-look-cakewalk-214801948.html

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How to completely rid baseball of performance enhancing drugs

Then we'll have to worry about performance-debilitating drugs. Like the ones I take.

According to your logic, because we can't fully solve the problem, we should avoid putting any effort in at all. Therefore, since we can't stop all gun violence, we shouldn't pass a new assault weapons ban.

Your logic leads you to being an NRA card carrying Republican, Duque. I know you don't want that.

I'm simply saying that you cannot reverse a million years of evolution in the realm of human survival behavior.

No pro sport will never again be able to be sure that its most successful athletes are free of PEDs. It will never happen. There will always be a new masking agent, or a revolutionary doping scheme, or a cutting edge drug that evades the tests. Thus, anybody who wins too often - anybody who reaches greatness - will raise suspicions. We might as well get used to it. Whomever is the next A-Rod, people will accuse him of juicing.

So singling out a player here and there is like the way the NFL is trying to deal with concussions. They penalize defensive backs for hard hits. But the problem is everywhere - far more than a few hits in a game - and yet they pretend that they're making a difference.

The NFL avoids the PED problem by simply not bothering with it. Does anybody believe 350 pound linemen and 250 pound running backs aren't juicing? Good grief. There must so many holes in their testing protocols that they are a joke.

Really, you mean Ray Rice didn't get those arms just from doing push-ups? And all those big guys on the line who now look as quick and agile as Michael Jordan ... ? Man, next thing you're going to tell me is that there is no Santa Claus.
All you have to do is go back 25 years and look at the video, back when baseball players were humans of normal proportions. Yes, training and nutrition have improved, but 1987 Don Mattingly would be a utility infielder today, sizewise.
As Duque says, drugs are now part of the backstory in every sport. Fact of life. And if we can use that fact to get rid of the spineless, preening A-Rod, well, by golly, do it. I don't give a hoot about the team's money, but he has not been fun to watch, and I doubt he'll be improving much.

Leave your political commentary I'm your wife's purse next to her Valtrex prescription.

Source: http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-completely-rid-baseball-of.html

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Guest Recounts Gun Pointed At His Head During Church Robbery

Posted on: 10:17 pm, January 29, 2013, by Andy Banker, updated on: 10:57pm, January 29, 2013

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL. (KTVI) ? Police appeared to be closing in on the lead suspect in a frightening East St. Louis church robbery. ?

Investigators said three young men barged into a Sunday music service, stole the church members? and their guests` watches, cell phones, and money, around 5:00 p.m. Sunday at the Ira Grove Freewill Baptist Church at 17th and Belmont. ?

Police had two suspects in custody:? Howard Dotson, 17, and Rufus Thomas, 20. ?

That last suspect was known to hang around with them. ?

Police said he was around 20 years old; he was the only one known to have had a gun for certain. ?

Major Case Squad investigators were at the church meeting with robbery victims hoping to turn up more clues.? ?

?We were having a good time, a hallelujah good time,? church member Mary White said, describing the incident. ?

?All of the sudden, this young man, he comes walking up through the door,? said church guest, Orlando McGill, known affectionately as ?Brother Love?. ?

?3 guys came in.? They had masks on their faces,? White said. ?

?He pulled up his arm and pulled up the gun and cocked it right here.? He walked over here?he had the gun pointed at me like this.? He walked up the ramp into the pulpit, told me to get down the floor.? And he said, `this is a stickup`,? McGill said. ?

He hit the floor near the pulpit; expecting to die; praying to live.

?I said, `in the name of Jesus.? I rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus.? Let that devil get out of here and go`.? I was pleading to the blood of Jesus,? McGill said.

?I know that God has our backs.? I know that.? You don`t just defile the house of God and think you can get away with it,? White said.

?If you`re going to come to church you come for 2 things:?? you come to be saved or help save somebody,? said Pastor Henry C. Jones.

He said there were more than 100 people in the church, including ?brother love`s? wife and three children; worshiping through music. ?

Investigators asked them to come back, looking for details that might lead to the gunman; most saw little, ordered to the floor as they were robbed.
But prayers were answered ? not one shot was fired.? No one was hurt. ?

?I`m not mad at them.? I pray that god saves them.? I love them.? I forgive them,? McGill said of the suspects. ?

?Christ has placed something into my heart.? I could not do anything else but reach out to him,? Pastor Jones said of the gunman.

?Everybody walked out.? You might have been light a ring, or light a watch, or light a few dollars, but you walked out like you walked in,? White smiled.?? ?

?Police believed the gun used was a revolver, as opposed to a semi-automatic handgun, like a 9mm.? That clue could help narrow the field of suspects. ?

If you have any information, call the East St. Louis Police Department.

Previous Story:
Police Catch One Church Robbing Suspect
Gunmen Rob Churchgoers During Sunday Service

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Email: andy.banker@tvstl.com

Source: http://fox2now.com/2013/01/29/pastor-recounts-gun-pointed-at-his-head-during-church-robbery/

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Office 365 brings the cloud home

Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium, a subscription-based version of the new Office software, debuts today.?

By Matthew Shaer / January 29, 2013

A Microsoft Office logo is shown on display at a Microsoft retail store in San Diego in this file photo from 2012. Microsoft has launched its new Office software, which features constantly updated, online access to documents from a range of devices.

Reuters

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On Tuesday, Microsoft took the wraps off Office 365 Home Premium, a cloud-heavy and subscription-based version of its popular Office software.?

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Here's how it works: For $100 a year, or?$8.34 a month, Microsoft will allow you to access the Office 365 suite from up to five devices, including tablets, laptops, and PCs. The company will also throw in?20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage and "60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines, or PCs around the world," per the Microsoft press release.?

Content across all five devices will be synced, meaning that you can create a Word document on your PC and edit on your tablet, and Microsoft will automatically update the software as new versions become available. (It's worth noting that the?Office 365 debuted in 2011,?but the early version focused on companies and students. This new iteration, Office 365 Home Premium, takes aim at everyone in between.)?

Daunted by the possibility of forking over a hundred bucks a year for X amount of years? Worry not. You can still get?a Traditional Home and Student Office 2013 suite for a one-time fee of $140; a Home and Business package will set you back $220.?

"This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love, together with impressive new cloud and social benefits,"?Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer said in a statement.

The new Office has been kicking around since last July, when it debuted in beta form. For the most part, reviews of the software have been positive, with critics singling out the welcome addition of the app store, the varied storage options, and the clean, clear look of the interface.?

"Office 2013 is a top-notch product: fast, intuitive and feature-rich," concludes Dana Wollman of Engadget. "All of the new features work as promised, and are easy to get the hang of. At the same time, since the UI is similar to the previous version, it should be easy to master if you're upgrading from Office 2010."?

As for the subscription model, well, Preston Gralla of Computerworld says you should evaluate how you use Office before signing up. Here's Gralla:?

If you use Office on multiple computers, there's no doubt that the new subscription service could make sense for you. Not only will you save money, but the Web-based tools also make it easy to see at a glance all of your Office files on all of your computers. Given that you also get additional SkyDrive storage and 60 free minutes of Skype, it's a no-brainer.?If you only use Office on one or two computers, though, it's not clear whether you'll want to move to a subscription model. You'll pay more money for Office and the extras might not be worth it for you.

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter:?@CSMHorizonsBlog

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/EgpCAWf5d4o/Office-365-brings-the-cloud-home

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Real angry birds 'flip the bird' before a fight: Biologists use robots to study attacks of male swamp sparrows

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Male sparrows are capable of fighting to the death. But a new study shows that they often wave their wings wildly first in an attempt to avoid a dangerous brawl.

"For birds, wing waves are like flipping the bird or saying 'put up your dukes. I'm ready to fight,'" said Duke biologist Rindy Anderson.

Male swamp sparrows use wing waves as an aggressive signal to defend their territories and mates from intruding males, Anderson said. The findings also are a first step toward understanding how the birds use a combination of visual displays and songs to communicate with other males.

Anderson and her colleagues published the results online Jan. 28 in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

Scientists had assumed the sparrows' wing-waving behavior was a signal intended for other males, but testing the observations was difficult, Anderson said. So she and her co-author, former Duke engineering undergraduate student David Piech ('12), built a miniature computer and some robotics, which the team then stuffed into the body cavity of a deceased bird. The result was a 'robosparrow' that looked just like a male swamp sparrow, which could flip its wings just like a live male.

Anderson took the wing-waving robosparrow to a swamp sparrow breeding ground in Pennsylvania and placed it in the territories of live males. The robotic bird "sang" swamp sparrow songs using a nearby sound system to let the birds know he was intruding, while Anderson and her colleagues crouched in the swampy grasses and watched the live birds' responses. She also performed the tests with a stuffed sparrow that stayed stationary and one that twisted from side to side. These tests showed that wing waves combined with song are more potent than song on its own, and that wing waves in particular, not just any movement, evoked aggression from live birds.

The live birds responded most aggressively to the invading, wing-waving robotic sparrow, which Anderson said she expected. "What I didn???t expect to see was that the birds would give strikingly similar aggressive wing-wave signals to the three types of invaders," she said. That means that if a bird wing-waved five times to the stationary stuffed bird, he would also wing-wave five times to the wing-waving robot.

Anderson had hypothesized that the defending birds would match the signals of the intruding robots, but her team's results suggest that the males are more individualistic and consistent in the level of aggressiveness that they want to signal, she said.

"That response makes sense, in retrospect, since attacks can be devastating," Anderson said. Because of the risk, the real males may only want to signal a certain level of aggression to see if they could scare off an intruder without the conflict coming to a fight and possible death.

Still, the risk of severe injury or death didn't keep the studly males from swooping in and clawing at the robotic intruder, whether it wing-waved or not. "It's high stakes for these little birds. They only live a couple of years, and most only breed once a year, so owning a territory and having a female is high currency," Anderson said.

She and her team had planned to test how the sparrows use wing waves combined with a characteristic twitter called soft-song to show aggression and fend off competition. But the experiment may be on hold indefinitely because robosparrow's motor seems to be burned out, and its head was ripped off in an attack, a true fight to the death.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University. The original article was written by Ashley Yeager.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. R. C. Anderson, A. L. DuBois, D. K. Piech, W. A. Searcy, S. Nowicki. Male response to an aggressive visual signal, the wing wave display, in swamp sparrows. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1478-9

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/ojdyQhq8B7c/130129100253.htm

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Injecting botox into stomach does not promote weight loss

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Gastric injections of botulinum toxin A (BTA) can delay gastric emptying but do not make obese individuals feel more full, alter their eating behaviors, or cause them to lose weight, according to the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

In attempts to help people lose weight, researchers have tested ways to slow gastric emptying (movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine) and increase satiation (feeling full). Gastric injections of BTA have been reported to delay gastric emptying, increase satiation, and reduce body weight, but with inconsistent results.

Botulinum toxin -- a protein and neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum -- reduces muscle activity by blocking the release of acetylcholine from neurons.

Mark Topazian et al. compared the effects of injecting different doses of BTA into the stomachs of 60 individuals with mild-to-moderate obesity.

Study participants were each given 1 injection of BTA (100, 300, or 500 U), or placebo, in the gastric antral muscularis propria, guided by endoscopic ultrasound. Gastric emptying of solids was measured by scintigraphy. Topazian et al. also measured participants' body weights every 2 weeks, along with satiation (based on maximum tolerated volume in a caloric liquid drink test), calorie intake (based on a questionnaire), gastrointestinal symptoms, and psychological aspects of eating.

Two weeks after the injections, the mean half-time for gastric emptying of solids increased by 0.8, 14, 24, and 14 minutes among subjects given placebo, 100, 300, or 500 U BTA, respectively.

Sixteen weeks after the injections, mean body weights were reduced by 2.2, 0.2, 2.3, and 3.0 kg in these groups, respectively -- not a statistically significant difference.

Nor were there significant differences among groups in satiation volume, caloric intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, or psychological aspects of eating among groups.

So, although stomach injection of BTA slows gastric emptying, it does not increase the feeling of fullness or lead to loss of body weight. The authors say is unlikely that higher doses of BTA than those tested would induce additional delays in gastric emptying or weight loss.

Previous studies have associated gastrointestinal symptoms with eating behaviors. Topazian et al. did observe that a higher maximum tolerated volume, a physiological measure of satiation, correlated with less control over eating. They propose that educating obese patients about physiological differences in stomach volume might help them improve their ability to control how much they eat.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Gastroenterological Association.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Mark Topazian, Michael Camilleri, Felicity T. Enders, Jonathan E. Clain, Ferga C. Gleeson, Michael J. Levy, Elizabeth Rajan, Vandana Nehra, Ross A. Dierkhising, Maria L. Collazo?Clavell, Nicholas J. Talley, Matthew M. Clark. Gastric Antral Injections of Botulinum Toxin Delay Gastric Emptying but Do Not Reduce Body Weight. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2013; 11 (2): 145 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.09.029

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/fN4hrzaVQog/130128163405.htm

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Out of Time

http://www.rpconnection.info/Out_of_Time

OUT OF TIME : DOCTORS NEEDED, VICTIMS ACCEPTED

Established Mature RPG, and you are invited to be a hero or a rival, a lover or an assassin.

Multiples of all but the Master ALLOWED.

Set in Harry?s World, in the Year That Never Was, Plus ++

Tens are most desired for the Collection. We?ll even allow them to try to be heroes. And accepting any Doctors, any Companions, from any Time, as well as other Fandom peoples?- this is a Pan Fandom friendly RPG, mature and dark, yet with hints of humour from Time to Time.

Intense Yaoi/Het/Anything Else most graciously accepted and wanted, again, mature ONLY.

Please apply at the RP, and you may pop on the chat on the main page of the Forum ?- OR ? IM for more info to:

screamersgirl30 @ AIM

APPLY HERE OR JUST JUMP IN THE CHAT

Excerpt:

It was so personal, there was nothing about this that wasn?t. And it was all a mind fuck, every inch of it a reaming of the soul and a rape of the spirit. Harry was in love with the Doctor, in love with hating him, in love with loving him, in love with harming him and hearing him gasp in pain, whether of the body or soul. Their relationship was ultra dysfunctional, Theta loves Koschei scrawled in a drunken haze by a laughing young man a thousand lifetimes ago somehow now seemed absurd, even insane, for its innocence.

Theta still loved Koschei, and Koschei had loved Theta from the start. But now they had things to prove, and they were a million miles from Gallifrey. Lucy paid for her crimes in advance now, locked away in a cold room on the Valiant, the Doctor hadn?t saved her, had he ? the world below belonged to the Master, and well it should, after all, he was the only one worthy. Three Tenths waited his pleasure and his penalty in equally freezing rooms here, he hadn?t bothered to make an appearance to any of them.

The Collection was starting well.

Soon, not a Doctor would be left in any Universe free.

And then the real fun would begin.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/GqLkL0DHty4/viewtopic.php

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Video: Sternlich: Why I'm Worried About the Stock Rally

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Video: Sports guidance issued on disabled students?

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Online Sales Tax Might Change Where Students Buy Textbooks ...

Photo: Bill Shaw

Caveat Emptor Used Books has been competing with online retailers for years.

Indiana is the newest state in the nation to implement an online sales tax that would apply to any product bought from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

That is giving some students pause when deciding where to buy their books.

??It definitely will affect me if I buy from Amazon,? ?says IU Junior Alexandria Jones. ?I usually buy my textbooks on there because the actual bookstores here are a little bit more expensive. So I might reconsider going to a different type of selling book site.?

And if students stop buying books online, the tax could be a boom for many local retailers who have been competing with online stores for years.

Janis Starcs is the owner of Caveat Emptor Used Books in Bloomington and says the sales tax will put businesses on a level playing field.

?The internet has already affected our business,? he says. ?It?s affected how we price our books. We can no longer charge what we feel like.?

The sales tax goes into effect July first of this year. State lawmakers estimate it could bring in anywhere from $35 million to $120 million in additional tax revenue.

Source: http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/online-sales-tax-change-students-buy-textbooks-43751/

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Obama: Gun-control advocates have to listen more (The Arizona Republic)

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Video: Anchors give microwaveable slippers a test run

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Get Much Needed Help With Internet Marketing Advice | Jim ...

Mistakes Are Costing You! Learn To Stop?Making ALL 189 Of Them!

Struggling With WordPress? 100+ Step-By-Step Videos Now Available!

Posted by Administrator on Jan 26, 2013 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Even novice PC users have created flourishing businesses, and you could be next. The following article will give you the information you need to become a successful Internet marketer.

Every email you send out should ask your customers to take a specific action right away. The action may be to visit a particular place online or to make a certain purchase. This also gives you valuable insight on your email campaign?s effectiveness since you can track each of these actions.

TIP! Use tech tools to help measure how many visitors become customers to help improve your marketing strategy. The most successful sites use customizable applications that track site statistics like sales and traffic.

Use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook as a part of your Online marketing campaign. You can communicate quickly on social media websites, giving your customers messages about sales and promotions. However, it is important that your comments or tweets are not overly promotional in nature. Try to keep your posts valuable and insightful, and only include marketing in a portion of them.

Allow customers to post reviews on your site. User reviews can help boost sales as well as increase your online presence.

The appearance and performance of your website is just as important as the in-store buying experience. Make sure you always test your links and ads to ensure that they work for your visitors. Costumers will leave if your site is not working properly.

TIP! It is a good idea to keep contact information for your customers. Give your clients the opportunity to opt-in to signing up with a subscribe link or making their email address part of the ordering process.

Make a game if you want to attract others to your website. Customers love to play free games online, and that can keep people coming back for more after they play once. Use the game for subtle product advertising. If you are a purveyor of pet supplies, for example, you might design a canine companion game that incorporates specific products and services you offer.

You should guarantee your products and say so in each of your advertisements. Customers want to know that your product is a sure bet before they part with their hard-earned cash. The only limit to what you can guarantee is what you decide it to be. Two options are 90 day guarantees and lifetime guarantees. Tailor your guarantee to your product.

Ask for opinions from people who don?t choose to buy from you by adding a simple feedback form after your sales pitch. If they decided not to purchase because of a problem with your website, you can improve it.

TIP! Contemplate the various methods you are interested in using in your web design efforts. For example, you may find that some of the best ways to go about marketing your site won?t cost you a single penny.

It is important to know what audience you want to reach and what sort of content will make them want to visit your site. Knowing who you want to reach makes it easier to produce content that will bring visitors back to your site again and again.

When it comes to Web marketing, be sure customers are aware that your site?s checkout process is secure. Many online users are reluctant to provide personal or financial details over the Internet, so it is important to assuage them with guarantees that this information is truly safe.

You could give a part of your profit to a charity if you believe your audience will be interested in helping out a good cause. This should be clearly advertised, though not too excessively, on your website. You do not give a large percentage of your profits to a charity for this to be a good marketing strategy.

TIP! Sell your products by motivating your customers in a positive way. Let customers know which of their problems your product will solve, and how it will solve them.

It is always best to handle customer complaints personally. Outsourcing your customer service might seem to be a good solution, but the resolutions offered by these companies can often seem impersonal and may infuriate an already angry customer even more. If an unhappy customer sends you an irate email, respond yourself to that email, offer a resolution, and let the customer know that you value him or her and his or her business.

Don?t be afraid to get started. You can learn from your experience as you go along. Use this advice to reach your ultimate goal.

Are you ready to have success in the home based business industry and build it on autopilot? Click below to register for free today. See how it works here. Also check out our team benefits here

Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/get-much-needed-help-with-internet-marketing-advice/

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O'Malley Hires Teddy Davis as Communications Head ? CBS DC

Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

ANNAPOLIS, Md.???Gov. Martin O?Malley has hired Teddy Davis, the former deputy political director for ABC News, as director of strategic communications for the O?Malley administration.

The Democratic governor made the announcement Friday.

Davis most recently worked as press secretary to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He also spent seven years at ABC News.

Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for O?Malley, says Davis? salary will be about $135,000 a year, but she did not have the exact figure Friday evening.

Davis is scheduled to begin working in the O?Malley administration in mid-February.

(? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/01/25/omalley-hires-teddy-davis-as-communications-head/

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Indonesia readies for $1 trillion trade talks

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Indonesia may hold the key to a $1 trillion injection into the global economy.

That's how much the World Trade Organization believes is riding on talks later this year in Bali, when trade ministers hope to cut through some of the red tape that slows global commerce.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told The Associated Press that failure is not an option and that a strong effort is being put in to ensure that the WTO meeting in Bali is "crowned with success."

Trade ministers agreed Saturday at the World Economic Forum in Davos that some of the key elements of a global trade deal can be fleshed out by summer, in preparation for ministerial talks in December.

The current trade talks, known as the Doha Round, began in 2001,

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-readies-1-trillion-trade-talks-173735474--finance.html

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#Ridiculous, or why the French have renamed the hashtag: a play in no parts

FADE IN:

INT. L'Académie Française -- DUSK

A group of forty immortels, dressed head-to-toe in YSL Rive Gauche robes en velour, are seated upon several dozen Maurizio Galante Mother-in-Law sofas. Saint Etienne's Good Humor can be heard playing the background as the soundtrack to their wordless debate. Forceful exhalations and heavy sighs punctuate the lounge-like ambiance. Suddenly, the eldest of the group stands, silences his Mobiado Grand Touch Executive and speaks.

IMMORTEL No. 1

Let's have a kiki. I wanna have a kiki.

IMMORTEL No. 31

Lock the doors, tight!

IMMORTEL No. 1

A kiki is party for deciding on new words. We're drinking Chablis and dishing des bons mots to be absurd. And though the sun will soon be rising, no one may get up to leave. So tweet that ish and we'll all bid adieu to le hashtag.

Kiki! Hashtag?! Oui Oui ou Non?

ALL IMMORTELS (in unison)

NON, NON!

IMMORTEL No. 1

Let's call it a 'mot-diese.'

IMMORTEL No. 40

This kiki is marvelous!

IMMORTEL No. 31

Dive, turn, work!

IMMORTEL No. 1

And so, it is done. Fin.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: Associated Press

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World stocks higher, safe-haven U.S. debt slides

NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stock and commodity markets rose on Thursday on encouraging economic data, while U.S. stocks extended a six-day rally, sailing through the headwind of a revenue miss from Apple.

The yen resumed its drop and oil rose.

Business surveys showed growth in Chinese manufacturing accelerated to a two-year high in January and a buoyant Germany was leading the euro zone toward recovery. But they also revealed France was sliding back into recession.

The broad S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrials stock market indices both advanced. The Nasdaq composite index was lower, but the entire loss - and more - was due to the drag from a 9.8 percent drop in the value of Apple .

MSCI's world equity index rose 0.33 percent, while Europe's FTSE Eurofirst 300 index gained 0.27 percent.

In the United States, the Conference Board's Leading Economic Index rose 0.5 percent to 93.9 last month, pointing to improved U.S. growth ahead.

"Leading economic indicators rose, new jobless claims are at the lowest level in many years, and Chinese manufacturing data moved to a positive trajectory," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial in Newark, with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. "The Chinese data bodes well for demand which translates into top line revenue growth. If global demand goes up, it's good for U.S. equities."

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 77.37 points, or 0.56 percent, at 13,856.70. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 3.82 points, or 0.26 percent, at 1,498.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.22 points, or 0.26 percent, at 3,145.45.

Apple shares were down 10.3 percent at $461.

The stock market's continued strength and news that the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits hit a five-year low last week weighed on safe-haven U.S. debt.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 9/32 in price; its yield rose to 1.86 percent, as investors moved funds into stocks.

"It's a reach for return in the equities market," said Todd Colvin, senior vice president of global institutional sales with R.J. O'Brien & Associates in Chicago. "Risk takers are being rewarded so far this year."

For the euro zone as whole, January's flash euro zone purchasing managers index pointed to more weakness ahead for a region already mired in recession. But it also pointed to improvement later in the year.

"The pace of recession is clearly easing," said Marco Valli, chief euro zone economist at UniCredit.

The data showed the contrasting fortunes of Germany and France, with German activity at its strongest levels in a year and the French PMI at its lowest level since March 2009.

"The current gap between the German and French composite PMI indices is unprecedented," said Ken Wattret, chief euro zone economist at BNP Paribas.

That gap helped lift German bond prices to a three-week high, a move supported by Spanish data showing another record high unemployment rate and a rising tide of bad bank loans.

French bonds were seemingly unaffected by the data, with the 10-year bond yield 3 basis points lower on the day at 2.17 percent.

CHINA TURNS

Investors in British stocks shrugged off worries about Europe and focused on the better Chinese manufacturing data and its implications for mining companies. That pushed London's FTSE 100 up 1.09 percent.

The growing confidence in the pace of China's economic recovery helped keep Brent crude oil above $113 a barrel and copper rose to $8,115 a tonne. Gold was priced at $1,672.36 an ounce.

In the currency markets, the yen posted steep losses across the board after three days of gains, hurt by Japan's record trade deficit and comments from a Japanese economic official saying the government has no problem with the dollar hitting 100 yen.

Traders cited reports quoting Deputy Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura as saying the yen's decline is not over and a dollar/yen level of 100 would not be a concern.

"(Nishimura) represents another official voice favoring further yen weakness and the remarks probably supported the latest bounce in dollar/yen, which began overnight," said Bob Lynch, chief currency strategist at HSBC in New York.

The dollar was last up 1.59 percent at 90.00 yen, rallying from a one-week low of 88.06 yen hit the previous day.

The yen's weakness became further entrenched after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he expected the Bank of Japan to achieve its 2 percent inflation goal as soon as possible.

Earlier this week, the BoJ delivered its most aggressive policy easing yet to snap the economy out of years of stagnation.

The euro rose 0.4 percent against the dollar at $1.3372, not far from an 11-month high hit on January 14. The euro was up 1.6 percent against the yen at 119.92 yen.

Analysts said an influential German Ifo survey due on Friday, along with an announcement on bank plans to repay loans taken from the European Central Bank a year ago, would sway the euro in the coming days.

(Additional reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Richard Leong in New York and Richard Hubbard in London; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-stocks-higher-safe-haven-u-debt-slides-172932557--finance.html

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Trial under way in LA hip joint replacement suit

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A California jury has heard opening statements from attorneys in a lawsuit over whether a now-withdrawn hip replacement device from a medical giant Johnson & Johnson subsidiary was defective.

The lawyer for a man who had his hip device removed after metal allegedly flaked off into his body on Friday showed jurors pictures of the surgery with black material in the hip socket.

The product liability lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court claims Johnson & Johnson knowingly marketed a faulty hip implant that left thousands of people with crippling problems or needing replacement surgeries.

A lawyer for the maker of the device said patient Loren Kransky had many pre-existing medical ailments which caused his problems.

IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Opening statements were scheduled Friday in a lawsuit that claims medical giant Johnson & Johnson knowingly marketed a faulty hip implant that left thousands of people with crippling problems or needing replacement surgeries.

The fraud and negligence suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is the first of thousands of similar suits to reach trial in the United States that involve an all-metal ball-and-socket hip joint that was pulled from the market two years ago.

Loren Kransky, a former North Dakota prison guard, claims he suffered metal poisoning and other health problems after receiving the hip joint, known as the articular surface replacement, or ASR, in 2007.

He since has had it replaced.

Attorneys for the company argue that Kransky, 64, had a number of previous medical problems, that he knew the risks of hip replacement surgery and that there is no evidence that the ASR had a fault design.

The artificial hip socket was made by Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. It was sold for eight years to some 35,000 people in the U.S. and more than 90,000 people worldwide. The company stopped making the product in 2009 and recalled it the next year.

However, documents unsealed in the court case last week indicated that Johnson & Johnson officials were aware of problems with the device at least as far back as 2008.

Also, according to a deposition from a DePuy official, a 2011 company review of a patient registry concluded that more than a third of the implants were expected to fail within five years of their implantation.

New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson has put aside around $1 billion to deal with the costs of the recall and lawsuits.

Last year, British experts at the world's biggest artificial joint registry said doctors should stop using metal-on-metal hip replacements after a study found that, after five years, about 6 percent of people who had used them needed surgery to fix or replace them.

That compares with just 1.7 to 2.3 percent of people who had ceramic or plastic joints.

Johnson & Johnson has issued about 30 recalls of Tylenol and other products since September 2009. Reasons range from nauseating packaging smells to tiny glass and metal shards in liquid medicines.

On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson reported higher fourth-quarter profits and forecast a 2013 profit of $5.35 to $5.45 per share. That was below the average analyst estimate of $5.49.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-01-25-Hip%20Replacement%20Suit/id-7ecc289673714bf4b837173d3094fb12

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'Dexter' Season 8: Sean Patrick Flanery, Charlotte Rampling Join Cast

"Dexter" is filling out its Season 8 cast with some new faces, Showtime announced Thursday. Sean Patrick Flanery and Charlotte Rampling have joined the cast in "major recurring roles."

Deadline reports that Flanery, best known for his role in "The Boondock Saints," will play a character named Jacob Elroy, "the ex-cop owner of a private investigation company in Miami."

British actress Charlotte Rampling joins the "Dexter" cast for Season 8 as a "neuro-psychiatrist who specializes in working with young psychopaths and profiling criminals in unorthodox ways," EW reports.

Season 8 of "Dexter" will premiere in June, several months earlier than previous seasons. While the show's producers have expressed a preference that the eighth season be the serial killer drama's last, Showtime President David Nevins refused to commit to that at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. ?I?m not making any announcements today about when Dexter will end. I think I will clarify before Dexter goes on the air [in June]. There?s a clear endgame in place, [but] I can?t talk about it just yet,? he said.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/dexter-season-8_n_2543639.html

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Wrong Diet and Too Much Exercise Can Sabotage Weight Loss ...

You think you do everything right. You stick to a lean diet and you go for runs and workouts in the gym. Still, the numbers on the scale won?t budge. It?s a frustrating experience many Americans go through during ?resolution season? when the damage from the holidays is supposed to get undone.

There can be multiple reasons for unsuccessful attempts at weight loss. Surprisingly, some of the most logical measures such as calorie restriction and fitness training can be among them. How is that possible?

?A healthy diet and consistent exercise are a safe bet at dropping pounds, yet research and evidence suggests that other factors may contribute to how easy it is for you to gain and lose weight,? says Jenna Morris, a personal trainer and writer for?Livestrong.com.

Of course, making changes to eating habits that resulted in weight gain may be necessary. But you should proceed with caution, warns Morris. ?If you dip too far below your recommended daily intake, then you risk actually slowing your metabolism and making weight loss even more challenging.?

If your weight loss efforts are too aggressive, you may deprive your body in unhealthy ways. A simultaneous reduction in calorie intake and increase in expenditure can cause you to burn valuable, metabolic-boosting muscle, which can make it harder to lose weight, warns Dr. Melina Jampolis, a physician nutrition specialist and contributor to?CNNhealth.com.

Studies on the effects of different levels of exercising on weight loss have found that high-intensity training may not always produce the desired (or imagined) results. People who watch weight loss shows like ?The Biggest Loser? on NBC often come to believe that exhausting workouts are the answer, when in fact moderate but consistent exercise routines have shown greater long-term success.

?People who exercise less may end up burning just enough calories to lose weight, but not enough to feel compelled to replace them, either by eating more or remain sedentary otherwise,? said Dr. Mads Rosenkilde of the?University of Copenhagen, Denmark, the lead researcher in one of the?studies. ?Those who exercise a lot [?] may feel more drained, which prompts them to compensate.?

There can also be other factors involved such as interference from medications or medical conditions like an underactive thyroid gland or Cushing?s syndrome. Or genetic components to weight and metabolism may play a role. There are hundreds of genes that are responsible for weight regulation, says Dr. Jampolis, many of which are designed for survival by preventing starvation. In our modern environment where food is plentiful, they still function, but often in the wrong way.

For healthy, lasting weight loss, she recommends introducing smaller changes over time. If you still can?t lose weight, it might be better to just accept your current weight for the time being and focus on the prevention of more weight gain, which is for many a hard task in itself. But don?t give up on your regular exercise routine, she advises. ?It is much healthier to be fit and overweight than to be thin and inactive.?

Timi Gustafson R.D. is a registered dietitian, newspaper columnist, blogger and author of the book ?The Healthy Diner ? How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun??, which is available on her blog, ?Food and Health with Timi Gustafson R.D.?, and at?amazon.com. You can follow Timi on Twitter and on Facebook.

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/timigustafsonrd/2013/01/23/wrong-diet-and-too-much-exercise-can-sabotage-weight-loss/

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Savvy Golf | Content for Reprint

Author: RoseannaLeaton | Total views: 90 Comments: 0
Word Count: 690 Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 3:33 PM

The key to playing savvy golf is to play to your strengths.? You, like me, will no doubt have played with golfers who insist on choosing the club and shot that they think should be played in a particular circumstance, irrespective of whether they are comfortable with that club or have indeed practiced that shot sufficiently to feel confident in its outcome.? That's not playing savvy golf.

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The number one rule for the savvy golfer is to feel comfortable with the club that you have in your hand.? If it doesn't feel comfortable and imbue you with confidence then you cannot possibly commit to the shot.? Your intent and focus will be obliterated by your lack of comfort and your ball will quite likely shoot off along a very undesirable direction and trajectory.

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There are many different ways in which to play each hole you encounter upon the golf course.? In reality you will most often find that so long as you make your wedges and putter into "happy clubs" you will score pretty well irrespective of what comes before.? I am of course speaking generally here.? But even if you choose to hit three shots with a seven iron to get near to your par 5 hole and then finish off with a chip and two putts you are playing safe bogey golf.

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What I'm really getting at is that if you are standing on the tee box with your driver in hand and wondering in your own mind whether or not you can pull the shot off, you probably won't be able to do so.? If your ball is in an ugly position behind a bunch of trees and you can't see or haven't practiced a shot like the one that Bubba pulled off in the Masters, you probably won't be able to do it.

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When you have a choice of potential shots to play, the best one, the savvy one, is the shot that you are at you are most comfortable with.? Someone else might be most comfortable with a 7 iron out of the rough but if you feel best with a 5 wood in your hands then that's the shot to play.? It doesn't matter what shot should be played.? What matters is that you are comfortable with the shot and you can see the shot in your minds eye.? Savvy golf is all about playing to your individual and unique strengths.

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I am sure that you, like me, have heard your companion golfers commenting along the lines of "Don't know what's going to happen here so look out" as they set up to their ball.?? You, like me, have no doubt done the same yourself!? And we kick ourselves afterwards for being so stupid.? That's simply not playing savvy golf!

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If you are around the green and a flop shot would be perfect, but you don't feel comfortable with that club or shot then don't attempt the shot.? Make a mental note to go practice it later so that you do feel comfortable next time.? In the meanwhile, choose the next best shot that you do feel comfortable with and play that one.? A chip onto the opposite side of the green and a two putt is better than a failed flop shot that digs you into a deeper hole and destroys your confidence and momentum at the same time.

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Golf is a very mental game.? You have to think well, plan well, manage your expectations and accept outcomes.? Savvy golf is all about playing to your strengths.

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Roseanna Leaton, golf addict and specialist in golf hypnosis mp3s and author of the GolferWithin golf mind training system.

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P.S.? Discover how to focus your golf mind and play savvy golf through golf hypnosis.? Check out my website now.

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Become a savvy golfer with mental golf training from http://www.GolferWithin.com. These golf mind mp3s will give you the winning edge that you are looking for.

Related to: Savvy golf - mental golf - golf mind - golf hypnosis - golf hypnosis mp3 - golf mind training

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If you are an avid golfer, then you have probably heard of St. George, Utah. It's one of the premier places to play these days, or even retire in style.

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Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/golf/savvy-golf.htm

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North Korea to boost nuclear deterrent after U.N. rebuke

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's December rocket launch and expanded existing U.N. sanctions, and Pyongyang reacted with a vow to boost the North's military and nuclear capabilities.

While the resolution approved by the 15-nation council on Tuesday does not impose new sanctions on Pyongyang, diplomats said Beijing's support for it was a significant diplomatic blow to Pyongyang.

The resolution said the council "deplores the violations" by North Korea of its previous resolutions, which banned Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests and from importing materials and technology for those programs.

It also said the council "expresses its determination to take significant action in the event of a further DPRK (North Korean) launch or nuclear test".

North Korea reacted quickly, saying it would hold no more talks on the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula and would boost its military and nuclear capabilities.

"We will take measures to boost and strengthen our defensive military power including nuclear deterrence," its Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.

The United States' special envoy on North Korea, arriving in Seoul on Wednesday to meet his South Korean counterparts, urged Pyongyang to back down from further provocative actions but left the door open for dialogue.

"If they can... begin to take concrete steps to indicate their interests in returning to diplomacy, they may find willing partners in that process," Glyn Davies told reporters.

Six-party talks aimed at halting North Korea's nuclear program have involved North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. They have been held intermittently since 2003 but have stalled since 2008.

Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday that North Korea should pay heed to the international community and adhere to limits on its missile and nuclear programs.

South Korea says the North is technically ready for a third nuclear test, and satellite images show it is actively working on its nuclear site. However, political analysts said they viewed a test as unlikely in the near-term.

"North Korea will likely take a sequenced strategy where the first stage response would be more militarily aggressive actions like another missile launch," said Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

There are concerns that North Korea could stage a test using highly enriched uranium for the first time, which would give it a second path to a nuclear bomb and enable it to preserve its stocks of plutonium, which are believed to be sufficient for about 12 nuclear devices.

The U.N. resolution added six North Korean entities, including Pyongyang's space agency, the Korean Committee for Space Technology, and the man heading it, Paek Chang-ho, to an existing U.N. blacklist.

BLACKLISTED

The firms and individuals will all face an international asset freeze, while Paek and the others blacklisted by Tuesday's resolution -- the manager of the rocket launch center and two North Korean banking officials -- will face a global travel ban.

In addition to the space agency, the council blacklisted the Bank of East Land, Korea Kumryong Trading Corp., Tosong Technology Trading Corp., Korea Ryonha Machinery Joint Venture Corp., and Leader (Hong Kong) International.

Leader, based in Hong Kong, is an agent for KOMID, a North Korean mining and trading company that was sanctioned in 2009 and is the North's main arms dealer, the resolution said.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice welcomed the resolution, describing it as introducing "new sanctions" against North Korea. "This resolution demonstrates to North Korea that there are unanimous and significant consequences for its flagrant violation of its obligations under previous resolutions," she said.

Other diplomats, however, said on condition of anonymity that describing the measures in Tuesday's resolution were new sanctions would be an exaggeration.

China, the North's only major diplomatic ally, said on Monday the Security Council needed to pass a cautious resolution on North Korea, adding that this was the best way to ensure regional tensions did not escalate further.

Chinese Ambassador Li Baodong said certain elements in the resolution's original draft, which in China's view would "jeopardize" normal trade between North Korea and other countries, had been removed, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"Sanctions and resolutions alone do not work," Xinhua quoted him as saying. "Resolutions must be completed and supplemented by diplomatic efforts."

Several diplomats said Beijing's decision to back the resolution sent a strong message to Pyongyang.

"It might not be much, but the Chinese move is significant," a council diplomat told Reuters. "The prospect of a (new) nuclear test might have been a game changer (for China)."

The United States had wanted to punish North Korea for the rocket launch with a Security Council resolution that imposed entirely new sanctions against Pyongyang, but Beijing rejected that option. China agreed to U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang after North Korea's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

December's successful long-range rocket launch, the first to put a satellite in orbit, was a coup for North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un.

North and South Korea are still technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

(Additional reporting by Jumin Park, David Chance and Jack Kim in SEOUL, and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-says-boost-nuclear-deterrent-u-n-023907773.html

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Grape Seed Extract Benefits Colorectal Cancer, Other Diseases

Grape seed extract has been the topic of numerous research studies in recent years, and the latest one focuses on colorectal cancer. Here are the findings of the newest research as well as previous discoveries about this natural substance in fighting other diseases.

Many plants and herbs are a good source of antioxidants, which fight molecules that cause oxidative damage and destroy cells, resulting in cancer and other diseases. However, not all antioxidant sources are equally potent. A good example is grape seed extract, which is teeming with antioxidant powers.

In this latest study, conducted at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado, a team of researchers discovered that grape seed extract can inhibit the growth and survival of colorectal cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells. What?s most interesting is that the extract is most effective against advanced colorectal cancer cells.

This study is not the first time grape seed extract has shown an ability to protect against or fight cancer. In a previous study also from the Skaggs School, investigators found that grape seed extract stopped the growth of squamous cell cancer of the head and neck in mice, again while not harming healthy cells.

Another new study just published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, scientists reported that grape seed extract has shown an ability to help protect against ultraviolet-induced skin cancer. Grape seed has also demonstrated the potential to help fight oral cancer.

Now in this latest study, doctoral candidate and study co-author Molly Derry explained that ?This study shows that many of the same mutations that allow colorectal cancer cells to metastasize [spread] and survive traditional therapies make them especially sensitive to treatment with GSE [grape seed extract].?

The study was done on colorectal cancer cells lines at various stages of the disease. Of special importance is the finding that the extract is so effective in advanced colorectal cancer, since more than 60 percent of people who are diagnosed with the disease are in an advanced state.

Another advantage of grape seed extract is that it contains many active components, which can target multiple mutations. Colorectal cancer cells can have an estimated 11,000 genetic mutations, according to Derry.

Other benefits of grape seed extract
Aside from cancer, grape seed extract has shown some benefits for people with rheumatoid arthritis. In a recent article in PLoS One, investigators noted that the extract had a positive effect on bone damage and chronic inflammation, which are hallmarks of rheumatoid arthritis.

Grape seed extract may also help in the fight against Alzheimer?s disease. Although all the studies thus far have been done in mice, research suggests grape seed extract could inhibit the activity of the proteins (tau peptides) involved in this common form of dementia.

In yet another study, a Yale School of Medicine meta-analysis in 2011 reported on studies in humans that involved grape seed extract and cardiovascular risk. The researchers? evaluation showed that ?grape seed extract appears to significantly lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate,? but that it had no effect on C-reactive protein or lipid levels, all of which are factors in cardiovascular disease.

Discoveries of the benefits of various natural substances continue to illustrate that there is much these compounds can offer us. The latest findings concerning the impact of grape seed extract on colorectal and previous studies of other diseases are an excellent example of these possibilities.

SOURCES:
Chis IC et al. Antioxidant effects of a grape seed extract in a rat model of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes & Vascular Disease Research 2009 Jul; 6(3): 200-4
Derry M et al. Differential effects of grape seed extract against human colorectal cancer cell lines: the intricate role of death receptors and mitochondria. Cancer Letters 2013 Jan. 21 online. DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2012.12.015
Feringa HH et al. The effect of grape seed extract on cardiovascular risk markers: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2011 Aug; 111(8): 1173-81
Lin YS et al. The chemoadjuvant potential of grape seed procyanidins on p53-related cell death in oral cancer cells. Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine 2012 Apr; 41(4): 322-31
Perde-Schrepler M et al. Grape seed extract as photochemopreventive agent against UVB-induced skin cancer. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology 2013 Jan 5; 118:16-21
Wang J et al. Grape derived polyphenols attenuate tau neuropathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer?s disease. Journal of Alzheimer?s Disease 2010; 22(2): 653-61

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Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/grape-seed-extract-benefits-colorectal-cancer-other-diseases

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