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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
China's military build-up seen independent of U.S. moves (Reuters)
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - China's military build-up looks likely to continue "unabated" and independent of recent U.S. moves to reposition forces in Asia, the U.S. military commander for the Asia-Pacific region said on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Diabetes drug gets patients with Type 2 diabetes on target
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Public release date: 27-Feb-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll
smkirk@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
University of Michigan leads study showing TAK-875 helps control blood sugar without increasing risk for hypoglycemia
TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.
The results of the phase 2 randomized trial were published Online First Sunday in The Lancet.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes accounting for 90 percent of the 150 million people in the United States currently living with the disease. It is primarily caused by a lack of response to insulin which leads to high blood sugar and a variety of chronic conditions.
Free fatty acid receptor 1, also known as G protein-coupled receptor 40, or GPR40, plays a vital role in stimulating and regulating the production of insulin.
It works by boosting the release of insulin from pancreatic ?-cells when glucose and fatty acids rise in the blood, such as after a meal, which results in a fall in blood glucose levels. Drugs that activate the FFAR1 receptor have the potential to help diabetics release more insulin and improve control of blood glucose levels.
TAK-875 is a novel oral medication designed to enhance insulin secretion in a glucose-dependant manner, which means that it has no effect on insulin secretion when glucose levels are normal, and as such has the potential to improve the control of blood sugar levels without the risk of hypoglycemia.
In the study, Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, and colleagues randomly assigned 426 patients with type 2 diabetes who were not achieving adequate glucose control through diet, exercise or metformin treatment to one of five doses of TAK-875, a placebo, or glimepiride, a conventional diabetes treatment. The primary outcome was change in hemogloblin A1c from the start of the study.
At 12 weeks, all doses of TAK-875 resulted in significant drops in HbA1c compared with placebo. A similar reduction occurred in patients given glimepiride.
At a TAK-875 dose of 25 mg or higher, about twice as many patients (33 to 48 percent) reached the American Diabetics Association target of HbA1c less than 7 percent within 12 weeks, compared with placebo (19 percent) and was similar to glimepiride (40 percent).
TAK-875 was generally well-tolerated. The incidence of hypoglycaemia was significantly lower for all doses of TAK-875 compared with glimepiride (2 percent compared to 19 percent), and was similar to placebo which was 2 percent.
The overall incidence of treatment-related side effects was similar for the TAK-875 groups and placebo groups (49 percent; all TAK-875 groups vs 48 percent), but higher in the glimepiride group (61 percent) because of the increased risk of hypoglycaemia.
The authors say: "In view of the frequent hypoglycemia after treatment with sulfonylureas,the low-risk of hypoglycaemia after treatment with TAK-875 suggests that there may be therapeutic advantage of targeting FFAR1 in treating people with type 2 diabetes."
They conclude:"We are truly excited about the potential of TAK-875 and are eager to conduct larger trials to find out how well this drug works, how safe it is and what its place is in the treatment of diabetes.
"TAK-875 significantly improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with minimum risk of hypoglycemia. The results show that activation of FFAR1 is a viable therapeutic target for treatment of type 2 diabetes," authors say.
###
Disclosure: Burant is an unpaid consultant and advisor to Takeda Global Research and Development which discovered TAK-875.
Reference: To see the abstract online go to http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61879-5/abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 27-Feb-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll
smkirk@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
University of Michigan leads study showing TAK-875 helps control blood sugar without increasing risk for hypoglycemia
TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.
The results of the phase 2 randomized trial were published Online First Sunday in The Lancet.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes accounting for 90 percent of the 150 million people in the United States currently living with the disease. It is primarily caused by a lack of response to insulin which leads to high blood sugar and a variety of chronic conditions.
Free fatty acid receptor 1, also known as G protein-coupled receptor 40, or GPR40, plays a vital role in stimulating and regulating the production of insulin.
It works by boosting the release of insulin from pancreatic ?-cells when glucose and fatty acids rise in the blood, such as after a meal, which results in a fall in blood glucose levels. Drugs that activate the FFAR1 receptor have the potential to help diabetics release more insulin and improve control of blood glucose levels.
TAK-875 is a novel oral medication designed to enhance insulin secretion in a glucose-dependant manner, which means that it has no effect on insulin secretion when glucose levels are normal, and as such has the potential to improve the control of blood sugar levels without the risk of hypoglycemia.
In the study, Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, and colleagues randomly assigned 426 patients with type 2 diabetes who were not achieving adequate glucose control through diet, exercise or metformin treatment to one of five doses of TAK-875, a placebo, or glimepiride, a conventional diabetes treatment. The primary outcome was change in hemogloblin A1c from the start of the study.
At 12 weeks, all doses of TAK-875 resulted in significant drops in HbA1c compared with placebo. A similar reduction occurred in patients given glimepiride.
At a TAK-875 dose of 25 mg or higher, about twice as many patients (33 to 48 percent) reached the American Diabetics Association target of HbA1c less than 7 percent within 12 weeks, compared with placebo (19 percent) and was similar to glimepiride (40 percent).
TAK-875 was generally well-tolerated. The incidence of hypoglycaemia was significantly lower for all doses of TAK-875 compared with glimepiride (2 percent compared to 19 percent), and was similar to placebo which was 2 percent.
The overall incidence of treatment-related side effects was similar for the TAK-875 groups and placebo groups (49 percent; all TAK-875 groups vs 48 percent), but higher in the glimepiride group (61 percent) because of the increased risk of hypoglycaemia.
The authors say: "In view of the frequent hypoglycemia after treatment with sulfonylureas,the low-risk of hypoglycaemia after treatment with TAK-875 suggests that there may be therapeutic advantage of targeting FFAR1 in treating people with type 2 diabetes."
They conclude:"We are truly excited about the potential of TAK-875 and are eager to conduct larger trials to find out how well this drug works, how safe it is and what its place is in the treatment of diabetes.
"TAK-875 significantly improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with minimum risk of hypoglycemia. The results show that activation of FFAR1 is a viable therapeutic target for treatment of type 2 diabetes," authors say.
###
Disclosure: Burant is an unpaid consultant and advisor to Takeda Global Research and Development which discovered TAK-875.
Reference: To see the abstract online go to http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61879-5/abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uomh-ddg022712.php
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
Dash Race for iPhone Review - Computers|Gadgets|Games N ...
The game Dash Race is barely in regards to the most original racing game you?ll find on any platform ? and that i say that having played my fair proportion. What you?ll do during this iPhone-based pencil and grid racing game is draw lines from one square to the subsequent, each player taking turns to peer who can best the alternative of their mathematically calculated set of turns and straightaways. This game is derived from a game you could have played while wasting time between classes in highschool ? accordingly you will not need to do any of the calculating yourself (unless for sure you have to.)
As you advance in the course of the grid, yow will discover that your ability to transport to different squares changes in keeping with what move you made last. In the event you head straight through several of your moves, one can end up crashing right into a wall since you would not have the facility to realize a very good enough turn radius. In case you don?t advance enough squares by moving as removed from your current space to the subsequent, your opponents may out-race you.
And your opponents can block your moves besides. Any player can potentially decide where their opponent goes to land next by checking the quantity of squares and direction they last moved. Blocking an opponent is so simple as entering into the choice of points your opponent was absolute to head into next. Once you?ve mastered the art of blocking, you will be good to visit win almost any race.
This game is out at the iTunes App Store right this second for a grand total of $0.99, and its worth every penny. You may play against a robot, against an opponent you might have sitting next to you by switching your phone backwards and forwards between each other, opponents on a wi-fi network, and opponents throughout the web on Game Center. It?s fun stuff!
Source: http://www.tywigs.org/gadgets-reviews/dash-race-for-iphone-review
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Saturday, February 18, 2012
Jump Start Your Home Improvement ? Switch to Green Cleaning ...
Offbeat Home Improvement Methods ? Being Green Cleaners If you started doing some serious searching, you will see the numbers of discussions centered on gutter cleaning north shore. We will talk more about some of the reasons why this topic of discussion needs to be taking place. The devil is in the details ? that is extremely true in our experience, and apparently the same in many people who have come before us. As you know, this is a broad topic of discussion, and that is why it will be helpful for you to think in broad terms. As you study what we offer, today, you will find solid information that will address your most immediate concerns. Cleaning your home may be one of the most inexpensive, yet effective ways, to improve your home dramatically without all of the cost. This is because we clean our homes so regularly that we often forget that it is the most basic home improvement project of them all. The way that you clean your home, and how thorough you are, may be based upon your desire to do so. It is important to focus on cleaning green for this reason ? here?s why. To inspire you to clean green, we have written this article with healthy home improvement tips. You do not need ammonia based cleaners for your windows and mirrors. Windex, the most popular glass cleaning company, will not want you to hear this. Ammonia is terrible for your lungs. It might make your windows sparkly for a little while but the damage it does when you breathe it in is more important, don?t you think? Is it possible to have spotless windows yet use only green cleaning products? It is possible to use water and lemon juice as a very effective cleanser. The mixture you should adhere to is one half gallon of water and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Be sure to mix completely. You just need to clean your mirrors and windows after spraying this mixture from a plastic spray bottle. Avoid using paper towels if possible. Cleaning your windows has never been easier! Just wipe with a cotton rag to make them squeaky clean. Of all the places in the house for using chemical-based cleaning supplies, the bathroom is the worst. The chemicals, that could be harmful, remain in the air or seep into the walls because bathrooms have so little ventilation. Instead of using chemical based cleansers use vinegar, borax and baking soda (not always all at the same time though) as your cleaning solvents. Not only will you get a clean bathroom, but you won?t have to be concerned with chemicals in the air. When you are bathing, let the steam escape by leaving the bathroom door open a bit, and having the fan running constantly will cut down on mildew. We know that you are enjoying all that is offered about luxury home builders gold coast. We have crammed a lot into a little bit of space, but the good news is there is more waiting for you. The one thing you do not want to do is carelessly ignore something that does not grab you right away. Everything is related in one way or another, and that is part of the beauty of it all. We urge you to be open to information even if at first glance it does not seem like it will help you. This is truly exciting stuff, and it will get even better later on as you finish the article. That is never a bad thing even though it can seem like a lot to take in. The following four cleansers, salt, baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice, should become your favorites. No matter what it is that you need to have cleaned, these cleansers combined in different ways will get the job done. Salt works for scrubbing. Lemon juice is good on stains, baking soda eats at sludgy things like mildew and grease and vinegar is a better topical wipe than anything you could buy ?over the counter? in the cleaning section of the store. You can use these ingredients to make other cleaning products, and doing some research will find these recipes. It is important that you take away from this article that going green is much more healthy than using toxic chemically based cleansers in your home. The best thing to do is start with a thorough cleaning of your residence, especially if you want to begin a home improvement project soon. Once you have made the choice to go green, understand that you are doing something very beneficial for both your family and your home. You know what to do ? so go do it! Of course you had little or maybe even no idea of what you would discover when you set about looking for more information about image consultant gold coast; that is always the case. You can pick one of the supporting sub-topics and still find even more about this. Plus it is true that the amount of overlapping smaller yet related areas will reveal much more in the end. But do not feel shy about exploring anything that you feel may shed more light on this. What needs to be done, then, is well known and you will run with it. Whether you choose to commit to more timely research is of course you decision, and we find many people do exactly that.
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China's Xi says no hard landing for China economy in 2012 (Reuters)
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said on Friday the Chinese economy would experience stable growth and avoid a hard landing this year.
Friday, February 17, 2012
For sale: Fla. fixer-upper, 13 beds, $75 million
If you?re looking for some real estate in the Orlando, Fla., area, there?s a 90,000-square-foot mansion in Windermere that might interest you. It?s the largest single-family home in the U.S., and it?s been on the market since 2010. It?s still under construction, and the ?as-is? asking price for the unfinished home is $75 million.
However, if your hands are made to carry Louis Vuitton handbags instead of a hammer, it can be finished for you with the construction materials that are still on the site. If you choose that route, the final price for the property is a cool $100 million.
The home is owned by David and Jackie Siegel. A self-made billionaire, David Siegel is founder, president and chief executive officer of Westgate Resorts, which operates 28 full-service resorts in such U.S. vacation spots as Orlando, Miami and Las Vegas. He and his wife live in a 26,000-square-foot home in Orlando with their seven children and teenage niece, a home that is itself a lavish spread that almost anyone would envy. But the Siegels wanted to make a major upgrade nonetheless, and set their sights on the Windermere property.
CNBC: Where the 1 percent live
The upgrade would have indeed been major. According to the home?s website, the property sits on five lakefront lots totaling more than 10 acres, and boasts 1,200 feet of Lake Butler shoreline. It sits in a community so desirable to high-net-worth individuals that its residents include basketball great Shaquille O'Neal. It was once home to Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren in happier times.
The Siegels bought the property and began construction in 2007, but the following year they had to put those plans on hold when the stock market crashed. The amount of money they lost has not been disclosed, but it was enough to bring construction on the home to a halt. Eventually, it was put on the market, but at least one area real estate representative thinks it will probably be a while before it finds a buyer.
As for the property, its design is based on the Parisian palace of King Louis XIV, and it has been dubbed ?Versailles? accordingly. The interior has 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, a grand hall with a 30-foot dome of stained glass, an 1,110-square-foot kitchen with 10 satellite kitchens, a two-lane bowling alley, a roller rink, a movie theater with a balcony, four fireplaces and a dining room with a seating capacity of 30.
CNBC: Urban mansions
With all that going on inside the house, it must be tempting to stay holed up in it indefinitely. However, it?s outfitted with enough outdoor amenities to urge even the most reclusive shut-in to come outside. It has a boathouse, a baseball field, two tennis courts and a pool deck measuring half an acre. If you have to actually leave the property, you can drive out of the 20-car garage.
?The typical buyer for a property like this would be in the top 1/10th of the top 1 percent of individuals in the United States,? says Karen Arbutine of RE/MAX in Lake Mary, Fla. ?Only a very small microsector of the population could afford it, people like celebrities, athletes and entrepreneurs, just the most high net worth individuals.?
But what do the neighbors think? According to Arbutine, nothing ? there aren?t any.
CNBC: Turnaround towns
?It?s in an isolated area on Lake Butler, and the neighbors are fairly far away. It?s its own little entity there,? she said.
Arbutine suspects the property will continue to go without a buyer for a long time, simply because of its overwhelming scale. ?When it was going up, people thought it was going to be a hotel," she said. "I sell high-end real estate up to $10 million, and it can?t compare to that house.?
As for the Siegels, they haven?t let the fact that the house remains unsold get them down. "Everything's good," David Siegel told The Orlando Sentinel on Monday. ?We're talking about restarting construction on the house."
CNBC: Homes of celebrity couples
The story of the Siegels and their unfinished mansion is the subject of ?The Queen of Versailles,? a film that won director Lauren Greenfield the U.S. documentary directing award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It is being released by Magnolia Pictures this summer.
? 2012 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46404810/ns/business-real_estate/
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Houston's death spurs look at her doctors, meds (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? It's become standard-operating procedure when a celebrity dies too young ? investigators immediately go looking through their nightstand and medicine cabinet.
That effort is well under way in the death of Whitney Houston, with investigators saying Wednesday they have subpoenaed records from the singer's doctors and pharmacies who dispensed medication found in her hotel room.
The inquiries are routine in virtually all death investigations, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said, noting that similar measures are taken when a person dies in a car crash, shoots themselves or, as in Houston's case, dies unexpectedly.
It will be weeks before toxicology results reveal the medications and quantities, if any, that were in Houston's system when she died. The Grammy winner's history of substance abuse has added to the speculation that her death may have been caused by prescription drugs.
Abuse of prescribed medications has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses ? triple the number from 1990 ? with most of these deaths caused by prescription drugs.
Drug deaths, fueled by prescription drug overdoses, now surpass motor vehicle deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Investigators have not said what medications they have recovered from Houston's room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The singer was found underwater in a bathtub by a member of her staff hours before she planned to attend a chic pre-Grammy gala. Police have said there were no signs of foul play and Winter said there were no signs of trauma on her body when an autopsy was conducted on Sunday.
Among the scenarios that will likely be explored is whether Houston was drinking before her death, which could compound the effects of any medications she was taking.
"Sometimes people fall into a stupor when they're on a combination of drugs so they're difficult to arouse," said clinical psychiatrist and addiction specialist Dr. Karen Miotto at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sober people who fall asleep in the bathtub will wake up when water hits their face. An impaired person may not respond the same way.
Even a small amount of prescription drugs combined with alcohol "can result in a state of unconsciousness and inability to rescue oneself from drowning in the bathtub," said Bruce Goldberger, a forensic toxicologist at the University of Florida.
In celebrity-rich California, the sudden death of a star always sparks interest in their medical history. When actress Brittany Murphy and actor Corey Haim died, their prescription medications became an early focus.
In April 2010, Jerry Brown, then California Attorney General, proclaimed Haim was the poster-child of prescription drug abuse and doctor-shopping. The former child star of films such as "The Lost Boys" and "License to Drive" had long struggled with addiction, but coroner's officials ultimately determined prescription medications played no role in his death, which was attributed to pneumonia and an enlarged heart.
A similar finding was made in the death of "Clueless" star Murphy, whose December 2009 death was attributed to pneumonia, along with severe anemia and prescription drug intoxication. A coroner's report stated that Murphy, who had been sick in the days before her December 2009 death, showed no signs she abused medication.
California maintains a prescription drug monitoring database known as CURES, which contains more than 100 million prescriptions and receives anywhere from four to six million additions every month. Law enforcement officers can review the data culled from pharmacies to check whether doctors are prescribing outside the course of normal medical practice and see if a patient is getting multiple prescriptions from various physicians, commonly known as doctor shopping.
Brown, now California governor, touted the CURES program as attorney general and, in addition to Haim, launched high-profile investigations into the deaths of Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith.
In the Smith case, charges eventually were filed against two doctors and her boyfriend-lawyer in connection with her death after the database showed the former Playboy Playmate was receiving a myriad of prescription drugs. A jury acquitted the trio of most to all of the felony counts and a judge dismissed two convictions, while reducing one to a misdemeanor.
Jackson's personal physician was convicted of causing the singer's June 2009 death by giving him a powerful anesthetic as a sleep aid, although investigators determined there was no criminal wrongdoing by seven other doctors who treated the singer.
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," `'How Will I Know," `'The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes anymore.
Only after the weeks-long investigation into her death is complete and a full autopsy report is released will the impact of drugs on the singer's body become known. Officials have cautioned against speculating too much about what killed the singer and downplayed the role prescription meds may have played in her case.
"There weren't a lot of prescription bottles," Winter, the coroner's official, said earlier this week. "You probably have just as many prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet."
___
Associated Press Writers Alicia Chang and Greg Risling contributed to this report.
___
Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP. Follow Chang's coverage at http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Amnesty: Libyan militias commit war crimes
FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2012 photo, Libyan militias from towns throughout the country's west parade through Tripoli, Libya. This week, Libya will celebrate the one year anniversary of the start of the popular uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi last October. (AP Photo/ Abdel Magid Al Fergany)
FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2012 photo, Libyan militias from towns throughout the country's west parade through Tripoli, Libya. This week, Libya will celebrate the one year anniversary of the start of the popular uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi last October. (AP Photo/ Abdel Magid Al Fergany)
Libyan militias from towns throughout the country's west parade through Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday Feb. 14, 2012. This week, Libya will celebrate the one year anniversary of the start of the popular uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi last October. (AP Photo / Abdel Magid Al Fergany)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Armed militias now rule much of Libya, Amnesty International said Wednesday, accusing them of torturing detainees deemed loyal to the ousted regime of Moammar Gadhafi and driving entire neighborhoods and towns into exile.
Amnesty International quoted detainees as saying "They had been suspended in contorted positions; beaten for hours with whips, cables, plastic hoses, metal chains and bars, and wooden sticks and given electric shocks with live wires and taser-like electroshock weapons."
At least 12 detainees had died since September after torture, Amnesty said. "Their bodies were covered in bruises, wounds and cuts and some had had nails pulled off," the group said.
The report is a fresh blow to Libya's new government, the National Transitional Council, which helped lead the anti-Gadhafi uprising that broke out one year ago this week and spiraled into a brutal, eight-month civil war.
Since the war's end with the capture and killing of Gadhafi last October, the NTC has struggled to extend its control over the vast desert nation. It has largely failed to rein in the hundreds of brigades that fought in the war, many of which now run their own detention centers for those accused of links to Gadhafi's regime.
Amnesty said it visited 11 detention camps in central and western Libya in January and February, and found evidence of torture and abuse at all but one.
"Nobody is holding these militias responsible," Donatella Rovera, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, told The Associated Press by telephone from Jordan on Wednesday, a day after she left Libya.
The U.N.'s top human rights official, and Amnesty International, have urged Libya's government to take control of all makeshift prisons to prevent further atrocities against detainees.
"There's torture, extrajudicial executions, rape of both men and women," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said on Jan. 27.
Some 2,400 detainees remain held in centers controlled by the new Libyan government, but the militias are holding uncounted thousands more prisoners, Amnesty said. Most are in and around Tripoli and Misrata, the coastal city that saw some of the war's most brutal fighting, it said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that from March to December 2011 it had visited over 8,500 detainees in some 60 detention centers.
Amnesty International's delegation witnessed detainees being beaten and threatened with death at a detention center in Misrata.
In a Tripoli detention center, they found severely tortured detainees who interrogators tried to conceal, the group reported. It spoke to detainees held in and around Tripoli, Gharyan, Misrata, Sirte and Zawiya.
The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders suspended its work in prisons in Misrata in late January because it said torture was so rampant that some detainees were brought for care only to make them fit for further interrogation and abuse.
Rovera accused the Tripoli-based national government of "a lack of political will. They're not willing to recognize the scale of the problem. It is way, way beyond individual cases. It's an irresponsible attitude," she said.
The militias were one of the keys to the rebellion that toppled Gadhafi's 42-year rule last year, but they are maintaining their independence from the National Transitional Council.
Hundreds of Libyan militias commemorated the anniversary of the anti-Gadhafi uprising this week by allying into a new unified military council.
Thousands of fighters from across western Libya held a mass parade in Tripoli on Tuesday, showing off heavy machine guns and rocket launchers and firing rifles in the air, an outburst that appeared intended as a warning to anyone who might stage attacks during the anniversary.
Some of the militia reprisals are against dark-skinned Libyans and African contract workers who the Gadhafis had brought in for jobs ranging from construction to security and riot control, leading to attacks on so-called "mercenaries" during the uprising.
"African migrants and refugees are also being targeted and revenge attacks are being carried out," Amnesty said. "Entire communities have been forcibly displaced and authorities have done nothing to investigate the abuses and hold those responsible to account."
The violence took on an ethnic twist. "It's hunting down 'the other,'" Rovera told the AP. "They're wreaking havoc in the community."
Amnesty said that militias from Misrata "drove out the entire population of Tawargha, some 30,000 people, and looted and burned down their homes in revenge for crimes some Tawargha are accused of having committed during the conflict."
"Thousands of members of the Mashashya tribe were similarly forced out of their village by militias from Zintan, in the Nafusa Mountains. These and other communities remain displaced in makeshift camps around the country," Amnesty said.
Amnesty called for Western pressure on the Libyan government and militias.
Rovera said that from the United States to Europe, "There are a lot of countries and governments seeking contracts in Libya, so there's no shortage of contacts" that the West can use.
Europe, the U.S. and NATO "should tell them things as they are ? the time for 'wait and see' has run out," Rovera told the AP.
___
Online:
www.amnestyusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/militias-threaten-hope-for-new-libya
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Private funeral planned for Whitney Houston (Reuters)
NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) ? A private funeral for Whitney Houston will be held on Saturday in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, at the same modest New Jersey church where the R&B vocalist honed her singing skills on her way to becoming one of the biggest pop stars of her generation.
The invitation-only service will be held at noon (1700 GMT) at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston once sang gospel in the choir growing up, a family spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The spokeswoman did not rule out the possibility of a separate public memorial service later.
The Houston family thanked fans for their prayers but wanted a private service, funeral director Carolyn Whigham told reporters outside the Whigham Funeral Home where the singer's body was resting. She said there would be "nothing for the public," only the private funeral service.
"It was the family's decision," Whigham told reporters. "They have shared her for 30-some years with the city, with the state, with the world. This is their time now for their farewell to their daughter, mother."
The body of the beloved singer was flown to New Jersey late on Monday from Los Angeles. Dozens of fans lit candles and gathered outside the funeral home to greet the golden hearse carrying Houston's body on Monday night under tight security.
On Tuesday balloons and cards paid tribute to the pop star outside the church, a simple, red-brick house of worship on a quiet backstreet near downtown Newark where Houston began grabbing the limelight as a soloist in a gospel choir in the 1970s.
Her death on Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel stunned the music world, her fans and her family. She was found underwater in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel, according to police. They have declined to speculate on the cause of her death at age 48.
An autopsy was completed on Sunday, and a final death report is pending completion of an official investigation and toxicology reports that may take weeks.
MUSIC ROYALTY
Houston hails from gospel and soul music royalty and many stars are likely to attend her funeral service. She is the cousin of Dionne Warwick and the daughter of Cissy Houston, who backed up Aretha Franklin. The 69-year-old Franklin is her godmother.
The singer rose to fame on early hits such as "Saving All My Love For You" and "How Will I Know." Her powerful, soaring voice was later marred by battles with cocaine and alcohol.
Houston died on the eve of the music industry's Grammy Awards. Because of her admitted drug and alcohol abuse, including a stint in rehab as recently as May 2011, speculation arose that she might have died of a drug overdose.
"Ms. Houston was apparently discovered in the bathtub by a member of her personal staff," who called hotel security, Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen said on Monday. She was pulled from the bathtub, but when paramedics arrived "she was unconscious and unresponsive," he said.
The LA coroner's office confirmed prescription medication was found in Houston's room but Rosen declined comment on the prescription drugs or the condition of Houston's body. Detectives have sealed their inquiry, he said.
The singer's brother-in-law, Billy Watson, has dismissed suggestions that the singer may have committed suicide, saying "She wouldn't have done that to her daughter."
Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, was in Los Angeles when her mother died.
The singer was photographed partying in Los Angeles leading up to her death and had planned to attend an annual pre-award party hosted by record producer and mentor Clive Davis on the night she died.
Her personal troubles, including a tumultuous 15-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown that ended in divorce in 2007, contradicted the innocent, fun-loving image that propelled her to stardom in the mid-1980s with early hits such as "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)."
Her friend and singer, Chaka Khan, told CNN that Houston only held herself responsible for any personal troubles: "She was a strong-minded girl and I can't say it was anybody's fault ... If you want to get high, you get high." As a teenager in the 1970s and 1980s, Houston worked for Khan as a studio backup singer among other performers.
She won six Grammys and more than 400 other awards in a 25-year career that also saw her star in such blockbuster films as "The Bodyguard". Her 1992 hit cover single of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" from "The Bodyguard" soundtrack was the highlight of her career that blossomed between 1985 and 1992.
Aretha Franklin honored her goddaughter at a private concert on Monday night held in North Carolina, asking the crowd to pray for Houston's family and singing a version of "I Will Always Love You", according to a local TV station.
The decision to hold a private funeral was in contrast to the public memorial service that was held for pop superstar Michael Jackson after his 2009 death and broadcast live around the world.
But similar to Jackson, Internet sales of Houston's songs have surged following her death. "I Will Always Love You," was the No. 1 download on iTunes on Tuesday, just ahead of Grammy winner Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."
Her albums, "Whitney: The Greatest Hits," "The Bodyguard" and her debut album, "Whitney Houston," were also among the top 20 selling albums on iTunes.
(Additional reporting by Eduardo Munoz, Jonathan Allen and Angela Moore, Editing by Jackie Frank and Sandra Maler)
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it's a philosophy: STRENGTH GUILD
?We laugh together, we lift together, we learn together,
and at times we party together.?
The history of physical training is a long and colorful story. Ancient Greeks built gymnasiums as not only a place for physical training, but as a social arena in which members engaged in athletic, intellectual, educational, spiritual, and philosophical pursuits. Hercules, son of Zeus, the Greek champion of Olympians, held amongst his attributes courage, strength, ingenuity, and supreme sexual skills. In fact, the word ?gymnasium? is a tribute to the gods, entomologically stemming from the word gymnos, meaning ?naked,? as a tribute to the beauty of the human body and physical and mental health. True to the spirit of the origins and the idealism of theword, Strength Guild inspires its members to pursue not only physical prowess, but provides a learning environment as well. What makes this gym special? ?Nudity, Ha! That?s an inside joke but it does happen at times. Competent coaches with a real joy in seeing you learn and succeed at your own chosen goals, the ability not only to tell you what to do but the wisdom and education to tell you why and how so you are growing mentally as well as physically. That and a core group of like minded people that are there to support you as well,? says Phillip Stevens, co-owner with his wife Sarah.
Phillip and Sarah opened Strength Guild last September with the intent to help others transform their bodies and their lives in ways that have helped them transform their own. ?The day I was able to love me in my own skin I had the desire to pass that on to at least one more person,? says Sarah. Originally from Topeka, Phil has spent the last decade working in the fitness industry as a student and coach all over the world. Record holding athletes in Washington D.C., Thailand, Phoenix, and Montana all contributed to his education. Sarah has over a decade of experience coaching and training as an athlete herself. An accomplished endurance athlete who runs 100 mile Ultra Marathons, her latest venture is competing as an Olympic lifter.
Strength Guild is anything but generic. It holds itself to a stylish and honest philosophical core. ?Strength Guild [the website www.strengthguild.com] came about two years ago as a backlash against all that is wrong with the fitness industry as a whole. An industry full of misinformation and snake oil salesman. A world full of fly by night so-called coaches who on Friday are regular Joes and by Sunday evening after a weekend course and paying their financial dues have purchased the right to put the name ?trainer? or ?coach? by their name though they have little to no education, time under a bar or credibility. We have seen a huge decline in such in the meaning of the word coach and for those who are real coaches its sad and frankly an insult to the profession,? says Phil. ?You wouldn?t let your local tree trimmer cut your hair would you??
For these two, it is a lifestyle that they are passionate about, about their profession and their people. ?We always love when we see one of our new people come in and go from couch potato to two months later they are smiling and competing next to us and the others in an Olympic meet. We don?t want or need everyone to come here. We want those with a passion and joy for it. People that add to the group, not drag it down. Other than that we of course are working on full teams in varied strength sports for those interested and the ability to keep bringing monthly contests and more awareness of strength and fitness to a town in need of it. That and all the while sticking to our guns and not changing to fit the status quo? What you will never see is a treadmill, mirrors, carpet, and pink dumbbells.?
This gym boasts efficiency and simplicity. Free weights comprise a large amount of their tools, along with four platforms, squat racks, cage, Strongman equipment, ropes, cars, kegs, and tires. There is a half mile running trail and five acres that is ever evolving to help people reach their goals. ?Most importantly, a strong core group to help progress and support you headed by two very accomplished and competent fun loving coaches.?
?Strong competent women is really where it?s at! But the downside to it, is my hubby now knows I can lift and move weight without a problem?I can?t pawn off the moving of furniture on him,? says Sarah.
What kind of students gravitate to Strength Guild? High school kids, SWAT team members, firefighters, amateur and professional athletes and grandpas. ?Anyone can be a great fit if they have a desire to progress, learn and find joy in getting stronger and perfecting a craft. If you are serious about making a positive change in your life or have aspiration to be the best you can be at something or just need a few instructional sessions give us a ring if you feel you can fit in to our group. If you are a good fit you and we will know it real fast and the other facility members will support you full on day and night. If you are not into learning, into earning your stripes before you are let loose a bit or if your are into paying your penance on a treadmill, this isn?t your place. We would gladly point you elsewhere. If, however you have a real passion for fun, progress, learning, then come join us.?
Strength Guild
3532 SE 2nd St.
Phil@Lift4hope.org
707.373.7566
General classes: monthly unlimited $75
Personal training (call)
Drop-in: 1 day $10 / First class FREE
[Story by Amber Bonnett | Photography by Gary Krohe | Originally printed in January 15 2012 issue]
Source: http://www.seveneightfive.com/events/it%E2%80%99s-a-philosophy-strength-guild/
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Monday, February 13, 2012
The Basics of Break Dancing | thesavannah.org
The Basics of Break Dancing
Break dancing is a performing arts form that utilizes break beats to provide the rhythm for impressive athletic displays. A break dancer usually dances alone. If the break dancer dances with another break dancer, there is usually no romantic connotations involved. Instead, the break dancers are likely competing over who has the best break moves. Break dancers use a piece of cardboard or a segment of linoleum to dance on. This provides a slick surface that the dancer can spin on and use for all sorts of ground moves. Break dancing may involve standing moves or moves on the ground. Frequently, a break dancer switches between the two main categories of moves. This requires a great deal of strength and endurance, since the break dancer is constantly moving from a standing form to a crouched, laying, or sitting form. Whatever form, the dance style uses constant and fluid motion to evoke a sense of rhythm.
Source: http://www.thesavannah.org/sports-recreation/extreme/the-basics-of-break-dancing
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Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ease Eczema with Baking Soda Treatment | Health and Fitness
Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at 1:06 pm ?
?Baking soda has forever been an article in the originally abet kit for treating skin injuries and scalding. It is got wind to hamper searing and design of scars. When baking soda is miscellaneous as well as wet, the resulting endothermic opinion and its little antiseptic capital style it beneficial for treating skin irritations. Baking soda has scores of medicinal uses, not to state its trouble-free availability and low value. This makes it the advisable candidate for land treatments for scores of skin syndrome, teeth whitening and also acid reflux. Eczema is a non-contagious skin chaos that manifests as itchy scarlet patches on the affected series of the skin. It is a illness that affects staff of all period kinds, as well as infants. Eczema succor focuses on curbing the skin aggravation and giving remedy from itching. The antiseptic funds of baking soda are incredibly efficient for treating rashes caused by eczema.
assure note: Baking Soda and Baking Powder (second hand in cake methods, etc.), are not the similar. The type we are remarking to, in this commentary, is baking soda, moreover got wind as bicarb soda or sodium bicarbonate. check that that you?re obtaining the precise style as this problem is universal.
agreed Precautionary provision in advance Use
though baking soda is soft on the skin, assure stock the subsequent to precautionary arrangements in advance acquiring a baking soda bath for the primarily segment.
Everyone?s skin texture is not the unchanged. If you have vulnerable skin that is customarily liable to aversions from still gentle skin friendliness wareses, do not fritter away baking soda in your bath.
however if you have on no account had any variant skin allergic reaction, the eczema itself could type the affected spot receptive. It is more adept to defy along furthermore a dilute multiplicity on a youthful portion of the rash. If the redness of the rash increases or becomes uncomfortably itchy, it is enhanced not to burn up baking soda in your bath. This confront must be achieved as bathing babies in baking soda as their skin is naturally susceptible. If you information an abrupt feedback whilst doing the project, dilute the range spare. usually, it is not pointed out to brand eczema rashes irritating, although it is improved to be cautious.
effortlessly as you may well do along furthermore any cleansing brand, it is detail to moisturize your skin subsequent to a baking soda bath so your skin realizes not dry out and change into scaly.
If you?re bathing a infant in baking soda, check that that the kid achieves not swallow the bath wet. Ingestion of baking soda in exorbitant quantities is pointed out to origin headache and nausea still in grownups. without difficulty sport added affection as soon as bathing the infant and make certain to reveal only sequences affected by eczema to the bath resolution. when achieved, pat the child dry shortly so that it achieves not begin to lick the way out off its arms and feet.
In addition to eczema, if you have a pre-existing sympathy or kidney predicament, make sure you do not by chance swallow the bath answer as its exorbitant sodium fulfilled might source different medical worries.
If you?re a diabetic plus a inclination to mature infection or bleeding on the smallest cuts and wounds, do not make an effort baking soda on your eczema patches.
How to investigate Eczema by the use of Baking Soda
route to class a Baking Soda Bath: Eczema patients may well throw in half a cup of baking soda to a finalize bath. make certain that the hose is not uncomfortably searing. similarly, sit down with to it that you carry a momentary bath. uninterrupted contact would origin extreme dryness. For bathing babies and teenage kids you may perhaps demanded to pop out and an still diluted reply and leisurely add to the admonition to half a cup, if taste be. It is fascinating to make an observation, that a baking soda bath yet bestows psychotherapy from diaper rash in babies. subsequent to the bath, make sure to kneading the affected areas plus a kind moisturizer. Do not deplete any chemical skin cream or abundant coarse yield. Wear suit in addition to unrefined fibers reminiscent of cotton.
Applying in mush Form: Alternatively, class a pulp of baking soda and hose down and demands liberally on the affected areas to relax itching. shower off following a few minutes and dab a couple moisturizer.
You will search out variant locales on the cyber web hiring antidotes for eczema as at any rate as by means of baking soda for legion variegated ailments (let alone cancer) . It is more adept to hold all this admonition and a jot of salt and not blindly make an effort the whole thing you come across. We could counsel that you pay awareness to the points of caution noted more than yet along furthermore through baking soda for external wish.
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Source: http://blaagh.com/ease-eczema-with-baking-soda-treatment/
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Saturday, February 11, 2012
Ecommerce Website
Published by witter
eCommerce is the activity of engaging in business online? As many people now shop online, eCommerce has become a principal economic activity in many parts of the world. In keeping with this trend, eCommerce websites have taken the lead in the online world presently. eCommerce website designing takes care of the special designing needs of eCommerce websites.People these days have become very conscious about their time. They more prefer to buy things online rather than going out for shopping. An ecommerce website enables them to buy their desired goods right from their home. They can use their credit cards for making payments at the ecommerce sites. This easy method of buying goods is much preferred by people and thus along with it the increases the importance of an ecommerce website.Only a memorable customer experience can open those doors for companies which ensure repeat business and ecommerce web development takes care of all such aspects. An ecommerce website facilitates in increasing the clientele by giving options to expand business and take it to far off places too.
Ecommerce has revolutionized the way business is done on the internet. However, it was a long struggle, as the security features were still being developed and implemented. Security was a major concern as ecommerce websites mostly dealt with cash transactions and involved online payments using credit cards. Thus it was a challenge for most of the ecommerce website developments to gain the confidence of the people and get them to transact on the World Wide Web. During the dot-com boom many ?brick and mortar? establishments went online for their business and flourished as ecommerce traders.Most Web surfers have very short attention spans. An effective Website front-loads the most important information and best products to the first page. Grocery stores place candy so children can see it; the effective eCommerce Website highlights products through optimum placement in multiple easy-to-find locations.
Obviously, the design of an eCommerce website cannot be entrusted to a layman. It must be handled by a professional in eCommerce website design. When you consider all the factors involved such as those enumerated above, it is clear that the success of your eCommerce site is crucial in attracting and retaining customers. The corporate identity of the company has to be factored into the design of the website. This is important in order to assure the customer that they are on the right site and create sufficient trust in the services rendered on the website.The seamless movement from landing on the site through navigation, details appreciation, purchase selection and then payment is a priority. In order to achieve this, the team leader for the design team has to have a lucid picture of what the site should look like right from the concept, designing to transaction conclusion.
Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/ecommerce-website-2614.html
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Support a Cause ? emewithross
When it comes to promotional marketing, there is nothing more important to a business than projecting an image of personal responsibility and general caring. There are innumerable charities dedicated to specific diseases and ailments, and by supporting such an organization, a small business can expect quality positive reinforcement.
Breast cancer foundations are a popular example of such organizations and are prominently supported by billion-dollar enterprises such as the NFL. Unfortunately, breast cancer is something that many woman will have to deal with in their lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 230,480 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the United States this year. When deciding which charity to support, small business owners should consider a well-known ailment that many people can relate to, or at least support optimistically. Breast Cancer Awareness promotional items can provide a practical business gift while linking a company to an extremely positive movement.
Large causes like breast cancer awareness often have a specific week or month dedicated to an overload of marketing, and a company should always target these times to ensure promotional products will have the maximum desired effect. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and anything goes during that time. Pink lights are shone on international monuments and charity events are organized side-by-side with massive parades. For a company looking to create a positive image, October is the perfect month for promotional products like magnets with a breast cancer ribbon.
EmbroidMe Eden Prairie will be supporting the Courage Center this month, February 2012.? Along with the Dance Art Centre we show our support.? The Courage Center is a Minnesota-based non-profit rehabilitation and resource center that empowers people with disabilities to realize their full potential in every aspect of life. We use a holistic approach that includes comprehensive rehabilitation therapies, an inpatient?transitional rehabilitation?program, a physicians? clinic, independent living services, drivers? services, a community reintegration program, chronic pain rehabilitation program, accessible aquatics and fitness programs, camps, and adapted sports and recreation programs.
This year?s Dance with Courage is at the Mall of America on February 19, 2012 at 1:00 PM.? Dance Art centre has done a fantastic job coordinating Dance with Courage.? As well as supporting the Courage Centre. Please help support this great cause.
However, business managers should not feel limited to such a prominent disease as cancer. Especially if there is a personal connection to an obscure disease, it can be of great importance to draw the public eye to the subject. Combining corporate gifts with medical information such as risk factors or symptoms informs the average worker about such diseases and might even save a life by encouraging early diagnosis.
Source: http://emewithross.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/support-a-cause/
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Friday, February 10, 2012
Florida offers look at problems with education law (AP)
MIAMI ? By almost any measure, Norma Butler Bossard Elementary is a top performing school in Miami: It has consistently been rated an `A' by the state, and students have achieved high scores on Florida's standardized math and reading exams.
Yet when it comes to the federal No Child Left Behind law, the school hasn't lived up to expectations. Last year, 79 percent of students had to be at grade level in reading and 80 percent in math. Overall, the students exceeded those goals. But two groups ? English language learners and the economically disadvantaged ? did not.
"This is a crystallization of the challenge," said Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
Responding to an outcry from the states and congressional inaction on rewriting the law, President Barack Obama on Thursday told 10 states, including Florida, that they will be freed from the strictest elements of the law, including the requirement that all students be up to par in math and reading by 2014. In exchange for flexibility, states had to present individualized plans aimed at ensuring all students leave school ready for college and career. The plans must set new achievement targets, rewarding high performing schools and focusing on those that are struggling.
"We can combine greater freedom with greater accountability," Obama said at the White House.
Florida, home to several of the nation's largest school districts, offers a look into what went wrong with the law and why states are now clamoring for relief.
No Child Left Behind was signed into law by former President George W. Bush a decade ago with the intention of closing the vast achievement gaps between poor and affluent students, whites and minorities. A key part of the legislation requires states to set annual benchmarks for the percentage of students scoring proficient in math and reading on state standardized exams, leading up to 100 percent proficiency in 2014.
Each school is held accountable for the performance of every student group ? minorities, English learners, and the poor ? in meeting those benchmarks.
If any one of those groups does not meet the targets, the school falls out of compliance. Schools that don't meet the goals for two consecutive years are labeled "in need of improvement," and a series of corrective steps comes into play, including student transfers to a higher performing school, providing tutoring, replacing staff or even closing.
Florida had passed significant education reforms shortly before No Child Left Behind went into effect, including an A-to-F school grading system based on student performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. After 2002, there were two separate school evaluations ? the state's and the one provided through No Child Left Behind.
Increasingly, those painted two contrasting pictures of a school's progress.
While the number of schools in Florida that earned an `A' on the state's annual report card has steadily increased, the number meeting No Child Left Behind requirements has dramatically decreased. Last year, just 10 percent of Florida elementary, middle and high schools met the annual proficiency benchmarks required under the federal law.
"Are we saying over 90 percent of schools are `failing?'" Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said. "The answer is no."
In many of the schools, just one group of students was behind. At Miami's Norma Butler Bossard Elementary, a majority Hispanic school, 78 percent of poor students scored at grade level in reading ? one point behind the No Child Left Behind target. English language learners lagged behind by nine points in reading and two in math. The majority, however, were performing above the goals set by the law.
"It was confusing to parents and students and teachers when you get two sets of criteria and two sets of grades," said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association. "You begin to wonder which one's real."
Then there are schools like Holmes Elementary, a school in a struggling neighborhood north of Miami's downtown. Just 18 percent of students were at grade level in math in the 2002-03 school year. By last year, that number had jumped to 65 percent ? a 47 percentage point percent increase. Yet students had still not caught up to the rising numbers expected under No Child Left Behind and the school had been in danger of being closed next year.
"That is an iconic school in Miami," Carvalho said. "The previous performance was not acceptable and we changed everything about that school."
Closing it, he said, "would have been extinguishing the beacon of hope."
Robinson is reluctant to say No Child Left Behind didn't work ? he praised it for shining a light on the performance of all student subgroups ? but says that over time, it rubbed up against the state's accountability system.
"It just didn't make any sense," he said.
Many also say the 2014 goal to have all students proficient in math and reading is unrealistic.
"There's always going to be children that need additional help and there's always going to be children who are ahead of the curve," Blanton said. "It was treating every single class of students exactly the same."
District leaders are hoping that under the waiver a school's long-term progress will be taken into account and that they'll have more flexibility on interventions. Under the current law, districts that repeatedly fail to meet the benchmarks are required to set aside federal money to pay for outside tutoring. But many researchers say that's been ineffective.
"The results are not there," Carvalho said.
Carvalho said that another big burden of the law was providing transportation for students in failing schools to one that is higher performing. With larger percentages of schools falling out of compliance with the law, opportunities to transfer were vanishing.
"It becomes very tough to accommodate students," he said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he was enthusiastic about the opportunity to have more local control.
"Anytime we can do that where we get to make our own decisions because we know how to take care of our own children that's a big positive," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Bill Kaczor in Tallahassee and Tamara Lush in Tampa contributed to this report.
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Kleiner is not so great at investing in auto tech ? Cleantech News ...
There?s been a string of bad news for vehicle startups in recent months, including electric car company Fisker suspending its Nina project in Delaware and laying off workers, electric car company Think filing for bankruptcy, and next-gen car company Next Autoworks (formerly called V-Vehicle) cancelling its factory plans. Other than the difficult market for electric cars and the recession, what?s something that ties these companies together: funding from Valley firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Fisker has been one of Kleiner?s largest auto bets to date, and Fisker has raised over $850 million in private funding from dozens of investors including NEA. Kleiner Partner Ray Lane helped lead the deal and was the public face of the investment back when it won its loan from the DOE in 2010.
This week Fisker announced that while it will continue to sell its Fisker Karma, it has suspended its plans to build a second car, its Project Nina, and hasn?t been able to draw down on the remainder of its DOE loan award. Fisker could end up doing alright if its Karma car takes off, but to date the investment hasn?t exactly been a slam dunk.
What was Lane?s idea when he put Kleiner?s funds in Fisker? Lane told me in an interview last Summer that:
When I did Fisker and another car company, my partners thought I was out of my mind. But I had a thesis. We can invest in a car company and either have a way to get the valuation high enough so you don?t get crushed on dilution or get low-cost loans that are high leverage for equity investors.
Then there?s Next Autoworks, formerly called V-Vehicle, which had plans to build a gas-sipping plastic four-seater car in Louisiana at an uncommonly low cost. In addition to Kleiner, that venture managed to also get funding from Google Ventures and oil baron turned green crusader T. Boone Pickens, despite that the company never showed off a car prototype or really explained much about what it?s new development would be.
The company hit some rocky ground in 2010 when its founder Frank Varasano left, and Lane temporarily took over. Then in late 2010, it reformed as Next Autoworks and brought in another CEO. However late last year, it finally stopped pursuing the DOE loan, withdrew its application and shelved its proposed factory.
Lastly there?s Think, a Norwegian electric car company that has tried for decades to build an urban small electric car in both Europe and the U.S. At an event in 2008, Lane announced how Kleiner and investor Rockport Capital would create a joint venture with Think, called Think North America, which would sell electric cars (beginning with the Think City) in the U.S., made in the U.S. Kleiner and Rockport owned 50 percent of the venture, while Think Global held the remaining 50 percent.
Think had a plan to build cars in Indiana back in 2010 and was also waiting on approval of a DOE loan. Think had a plan to invest some $43.5 million improving and equipping the Indiana Elkhart plant, and planned to create more than 400 jobs in the area by 2013. Think never got that DOE loan and declared bankruptcy last Summer.
In an interview last Summer, Lane told me the financial details behind his Think investment. He said Kleiner never put equity in the company, but that RockPort and Kleiner paid $2.5 million each to buy the North American rights to Think if it ever came to the U.S. But when Think restructured later, he said,? it bought back the American rights from Kleiner.
Investing in the auto space is a whole different ball game compared to investing in software, computing and mobile. The time lines and capital needed and much different, and the auto sector is also much more susceptible to economic downturns.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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Source: http://gigaom.com/cleantech/kleiner-perkins-is-not-so-great-at-investing-in-auto-tech/
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
ABCs of Emergency Contraception | Pure Womens Health
Millions of women use contraception in the form of birth control pills. This allows them to have control over their pregnancy and body. Earlier, women had to depend only on condom, which would prevent a pregnancy but now it is not always so. Birth control pills can be used even after intercourse. Yes, we are talking about emergency contraception. You can use this type of contraception up to 120 hours or 5 days after sexual intercourse. It is important that you learn about the basics of this form of contraception so that you can make an informed decision about its use.
The use of emergency contraceptive pills was approved by the FDA in 2006 and since then millions of women have tried it. This pill works as a miracle pill for women who do not use other forms of contraceptives or after incidents such as tearing of the condom. Morning-after pills are also known as post-coital pills. These pills contain synthetic versions of two naturally occurring female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. Most pills work in two ways: by preventing ovulation or delaying it and by preventing implantation of the fertilised egg in the womb. This can be done by altering the lining of the uterus in a way that the embryo fails to attach itself to the womb.
Sometimes, couples get caught up in the act and this does not give them enough time to use condoms or any other form of contraception. As per the advice of doctors, you can use emergency contraceptive pills within a time frame of 72 hours after having unprotected sexual intercourse and this will prevent you from getting pregnant. Using it after 3 days will not have any effect on ovulation and hence you might not be protected against an unwanted pregnancy. Some people think that a morning after pill can only be used the morning after you have unprotected sexual intercourse but it is not always so.
You can use these pills for up to 5 days after sexual intercourse. While the effectiveness of morning after pills is high during clinical trials, they do not give 100% warranty. There are more than 4-5% chances that a woman will get pregnant even after taking the pill. Most pills are really effective when taken within 12 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse. You should keep in mind that these pills are very different from abortion pills. Birth control pills are just a type of preventative measure against pregnancy.
Levonelle is an emergency contraception that works up to 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. It works by preventing ovulation and fertilisation. How this medication works is not fully understood but it is known to be quite effective. Levonelle tricks the body into believing that ovulation has already occurred as it gives the body synthetic progesterone, which is responsible for preventing the release of eggs from the ovaries. Although there are very less side effects of this pill, it is always better to consult a doctor before using it.
Source: http://purewomenshealth.com/?p=243
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Bad Credit Auto Loan ? Your Loan Options | Caregiving Reports
Currently lots of People experienced difficulties maintaining up-to-date with their credit history. You just have to neglect 1 or 2 obligations so now by eating influence your credit scoring and you?re considered a below-average credit threat. The moment you employ a less-than-perfect credit status it can take many years to becoming it back again ? this isn?t anything it is possible to conceal as any time you make an application for credit history.
If you?d like to invest in a new vehicle by way of example, the financial institution will take the data allowing them and distribute your company name for the credit history referrals companies which will give back an article on what kind of client that you are. You may get a replicate of one?s document with the credit bureaus and whilst payday cash advance won?t be able to switch it you are allowed to make a note of extenuating scenarios, ailment by way of example, relating to skipped obligations.
You are able to get a below-average credit car financing but it is far better check around. When you?ve got undesirable cheap loans online then chances are you will likely not qualify special bargains in places you never pay for too long, or maybe the rates of interest have become minimal and there is no downpayment. If your vehicle vendor is doing a credit history look for and found you have less-than-perfect credit then they may frequently not allow you straight up or they will give you a couple of mortgage options, a person anchored and the other unprotected.
Using a anchored mortgage you need anything used as a guarantee, be mindful with this just like you go into default within the car financing poor credit personal loans the vehicle vendor will take what you may offer as a guarantee or protection as payment. A anchored less-than-perfect credit car finance will have a reduced monthly interest than an unsecured a person due to a guarantee.
A car financing implies that there is nothing to assure transaction with the mortgage and that means you might pay back quite a high monthly interest of many unprotected less-than-perfect credit car and truck loans. Together with those two solutions, some traders will scholarship you an auto loan on payment of an major downpayment, at least twenty five percent with the pay for charges in some cases. You will also have to make an advance payment with each anchored and loans.
Whether you?ve got a secured or unsecured less-than-perfect credit car financing, the financing could take concerning 5 and seven many years to settle, if for now, you manage to boost your credit score by fully repaying some obligations then you may ask for your rate of interest to get lowered.
Undoubtedly there are many vehicle organizations, each on and in the real world who will be now featuring car and truck loans to folks with less-than-perfect credit. If you carry out get a below-average credit vehicle or car finance then you might need to tear down expectations about the type of vehicle you might be able to manage to pay for, each regarding the repayment demands and also any deposit or downpayment. It is worthwhile shopping on-line as some web sites give could well be prospective buyers there are several options from unique organizations ? there are numerous ways of assisting you get the best less-than-perfect credit car finance you can.
online loan, payday loanYesterday at 3:00 pm
Source: http://frozenmodz.com/bad-credit-auto-loan-your-loan-options/622/
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Why Path Pissed People Off
There's a reason why today's news that Path was uploading its users' entire address book to its database was stunning -- all this time Path has been positioning itself as one of the good guys! ? Sort of an alternative to Facebook ? a kinder, gentler social network that only wanted to keep things between you and fifty of your closest friends, and then 150. And then ... It's sort of jarring when a social network bills itself as private, and then quietly sucks up as much data as its leading -- and notoriously data grabby -- competitor. Still, even Facebook notifies you (via iOS notifications) that it's grabbing your address book data.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-9pJcwK9Ksg/
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