Common gene variants explain 42 percent of antidepressant response

Friday, March 29, 2013

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health's STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder.

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry now shares progress in identifying genomic predictors of antidepressant response.

Many previous studies have searched for genetic markers that may predict antidepressant response, but have done so despite not knowing the contribution of genetic factors. Dr. Katherine Tansey of Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and colleagues resolved to answer that question.

"Our study quantified, for the first time, how much is response to antidepressant medication influenced by an individual's genetic make-up," said Tansey.

To perform this work, the researchers estimated the magnitude of the influence of common genetic variants on antidepressant response using a sample of 2,799 antidepressant-treated subjects with major depressive disorder and genome-wide genotyping data.

They found that genetic variants explain 42% of individual differences, and therefore, significantly influence antidepressant response.

"While we know that there are no genetic markers with strong effect, this means that there are many genetic markers involved. While each specific genetic marker may have a small effect, they may add up to make a meaningful prediction," Tansey added.

"We have a very long way to go to identify genetic markers that can usefully guide the treatment of depression. There are two critical challenges to this process," said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "First, we need to have genomic markers that strongly predict response or non-response to available treatments. Second, markers for non-response to available treatments also need to predict response to an alternative treatment. Both of these conditions need to be present for markers of non-response to guide personalized treatments of depression."

"Although the Tansey et al. study represents progress, it is clear that we face enormous challenges with regards to both objectives," he added. "For example, it does not yet appear that having a less favorable genomic profile is a sufficiently strong negative predictor of response to justify withholding antidepressant treatment. Similarly, there is lack of clarity as to how to optimally treat patients who might have less favorable genomic profile."

Additional research is certainly required, but scientists hope that one day, results such as these can lead to personalized treatment for depression.

###

Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com

Thanks to Elsevier for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127522/Common_gene_variants_explain____percent_of_antidepressant_response

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Feng Shui for Your Tiny Apartment | Zillow Blog

Living in a tiny space doesn?t necessarily have to mean sacrificing design, or in this case, feng shui. Here are some basic guidelines for maintaining good flow, however small your space may be.

Establish the command position

In feng shui, the command position, or power spot, is the point of the room where you feel safest and most in command. In this case, it is often the spot located directly opposite the door. You can easily see the entryway, thus giving you the best control (both visually and physically) of your space. If you?re living in a studio apartment, this will mean that you?ll have to decorate and rearrange furniture around your bed. Try using room dividers?to make your space feel more like a larger apartment.

Declutter your life

This is an important standard not just in feng shui but in all aspects of life. Physical clutter translates into emotional turmoil and can leave you feeling unnecessarily stressed. As always, you can use self-storage to take care of any excess furniture you can?t part with quite yet. If you find yourself pressed for space but unwilling to invest in self-storage, storing vertically can be a lifesaver and will offer some unique and practical wall decorations.

Incorporate mirrors

The No. 1 problem with small spaces is that they?re too small for your big world. Mirrors are the key to bypassing this conundrum. Not only will they give your apartment the impression of being more spacious than it actually is, but they?ll easily place you in the command position, as they enable you to see what?s going on behind you at all times.

Additionally, keep visible knickknacks as decorations to a minimum. If you do have too many decorative objects, try to organize them together as a group. Overall, your objects and furniture should accompany and complement one another, not compete for attention.

Keep your entryway clear

In feng shui, the three most important spaces are the kitchen, the entryway and the bedroom. If you live in a tiny apartment or studio, then most likely these are your only spaces. The important thing is to make sure that your entryway is clear. Avoid cluttering your pathways as well so that good energy can flow throughout your apartment easily.

Personalize to make yourself feel ?at home?

It can be difficult to feel ?at home? and truly personalize your apartment if you know that you?ll only be staying there for a short amount of time. Even so, good feng shui means truly feeling comfortable and in tune with your living space. Surround yourself with artwork or decorations that are inspirational to you to encourage good energy. If you?re thinking about painting the walls, make sure you unify the color and theme with the room at large, accommodating the existing color of your furniture or making changes accordingly to fit your new color template.

Related:

Jenny Zhang is a writer at?SpareFoot, the online marketplace where you can find and reserve a self-storage unit with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Source: http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-03-28/feng-shui-for-your-tiny-apartment/

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Teachers indicted in cheating scandal

ATLANTA (AP) ? In another embarrassing blow to Atlanta public schools, nearly three dozen former educators, including the ex-superintendent, were indicted Friday in one of the nation's largest test cheating scandals.

Former Superintendent Beverly Hall faced charges including racketeering, false statements and theft because prosecutors said some of the bonuses she received were tied to falsified scores.

Hall retired just days before a state probe was released in 2011. She has long denied knowing about the cheating or ordering it.

During a news conference Friday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard provided examples of two students who demonstrated "the plight of many children" in the Atlanta school system. He described a third-grader who failed a benchmark exam and received the worst score in her reading class in 2006. The girl was held back, yet when she took a separate assessment test not long after, she passed with flying colors.

Howard said the girl's mother, Justina Collins, knew something was awry, but was told by school officials that the child simply was a good test-taker. The girl is now in ninth grade, reading at a fifth-grade level.

"I have a 15-year-old now who is behind in achieving her goal of becoming what she wants to be when she graduates. It's been hard trying to help her catch up," Collins said.

The criminal investigation lasted 21 months and the allegations date back to 2005. In addition to Hall, 34 people were indicted: four high-level administrators, six principals; two assistant principals; six testing coordinators; 14 teachers; a school improvement specialist and a school secretary.

All of the people named in the indictment face conspiracy charges. Other charges in the 65-count indictment include false statements and writings, false swearing, theft and influencing witnesses.

The investigation involved at least 50 schools as well as hundreds of interviews with school administrators, staff, parents and students. The district has about 50,000 students.

Howard would not directly answer a question about whether Hall led the conspiracy.

"What we're saying is that without her, this conspiracy could not have taken place," he said. "It would not have taken place if her actions had not made that possible."

Hall faces up to 45 years in prison, Howard said.

Richard Deane, an attorney for Hall, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The tests were the key measure the state used to determine whether it met the federal No Child Left Behind law. Schools with good test scores get extra federal dollars to spend in the classroom or on teacher bonuses.

It wasn't immediately clear how much bonus money Hall received. Howard did not say and the amount wasn't mentioned in the indictment.

"Those results were caused by cheating. ... And the money that she received, we are alleging that money was ill-gotten," Howard said.

The previous state investigation in 2011 found cheating by nearly 180 educators in 44 Atlanta schools. Educators gave answers to students or changed answers on tests after they were turned in, investigators said. Teachers who tried to report it faced retaliation, creating a culture of "fear and intimidation" in the district.

State schools Superintendent John Barge said last year he believed the state's new accountability system would remove the pressure to cheat on standardized tests because it won't be the sole way the state determines student growth. The pressure was part of what some educators in Atlanta Public Schools blamed for their cheating.

Hall served as superintendent for more than a decade, which is rare for an urban schools chief. She was named Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2009 and credited with raising student test scores and graduation rates, particularly among the district's poor and minority students. But the award quickly lost its luster as her district became mired in the scandal.

In a video message to schools staff before she retired, Hall warned that the state investigation launched by former Gov. Sonny Perdue would likely reveal "alarming" behavior.

"It's become increasingly clear that a segment of our staff chose to violate the trust that was placed in them," Hall said. "There is simply no excuse for unethical behavior and no room in this district for unethical conduct. I am confident that aggressive, swift action will be taken against anyone who believed so little in our students and in our system of support that they turned to dishonesty as the only option."

The cheating came to light after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that some scores were statistically improbable.

Most of the 178 educators named in the special investigators' report in 2011 resigned, retired, did not have their contracts renewed or appealed their dismissals and lost. Twenty-one educators have been reinstated and three await hearings to appeal their dismissals, said Atlanta Public Schools spokesman Stephen Alford.

Superintendent Erroll Davis said the district was focused on nurturing an ethical environment, providing quality education and supporting the employees who were not implicated.

"I know that our children will succeed when the adults around them work hard, work together, and do so with integrity," he said in a statement.

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is responsible for licensing teachers and has been going through the complaints against teachers, said commission executive secretary Kelly Henson. Of the 159 cases the commission has reviewed, 44 resulted in license revocations, 100 got two-year suspensions and nine were suspended for less than two years, Henson said. No action was taken against six of the educators.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-dozen-indicted-atlanta-cheating-scandal-214241949.html

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Icycle 2 takes nude bicycling and fish-kissing to a whole new level

The folks at Chillingo were showing off Icycle 2 at GDC 2013, and it broke my brain just a little. The game mechanics themselves are very simple; the controls are ultimately the most basic ones you could have for a platformer game. The real trip is in the art style and storyline.

Players control the chilly and lovelorn Dennis, who, for whatever reason, is chasing the woman of his dreams naked on a bicycle. Eventually, her head turns into that of a fish, but I'm not quite sure why. My demo of the game ended with Dennis mere millimeters away from smooching this aquatic goddess. Players are ranked out of three stars for each of the positively surreal levels based on how many little icicle pellets they pick up along their twisted route. Over time, players can unlock new and ridicuclous outfits to make sure Dennis doesn't have to do all of his chasing in the nude.

Those of you that have played Wonderputt will be familiar with the level of graphical polish and left-field thinking that the developer, Damp Gnat, is capable of. I'll go so far as to say that Icycle 2 is the most interesting and refreshing mobile game that I've seen between GDC and PAX East. The Chillingo folks are being coy about a release date, opting for a "it'll be ready when it's ready" approach, but expect it to cost about a buck in the App Store.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/QYMlUXXoSQk/story01.htm

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'The Voice' Recap: Shakira Goes Country During Blind Auditions

Colombian judge breaks open a country dictionary to win over country singer Tawnya Reynolds.
By Natasha Chandel

Shakira and Usher on "The Voice"
Photo: Trae Patton/ NBC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704407/shakira-the-voice-sarah-simmons.jhtml

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Italian court orders new trial for Amanda Knox

File photos combo shows, from left; Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, slain 21-year-old British woman Meredith Kercher, her American roommate Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox was waiting anxiously Monday, March 25, 2013 in Seattle to hear if she will face trial again as Italy's top criminal court considered whether to overturn her acquittal in the murder of her roommate in Italy. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. The court's decision has been postponed to Tuesday. (AP Photo/files)

File photos combo shows, from left; Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, slain 21-year-old British woman Meredith Kercher, her American roommate Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox was waiting anxiously Monday, March 25, 2013 in Seattle to hear if she will face trial again as Italy's top criminal court considered whether to overturn her acquittal in the murder of her roommate in Italy. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. The court's decision has been postponed to Tuesday. (AP Photo/files)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 file photo Amanda Knox gestures at a news conference in Seattle Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, after returning home from Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

FILE - This is a Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 file photo of Amanda Knox as she breaks into tears after hearing the verdict that overturns her conviction and acquits her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, central Italy. Italy's highest criminal court Tuesday March 26, 2013 has ordered a new trial in the case of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate. The court ruled that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend. Knox has been living back in the U.S. while her former boyfriend continues studies in Italy. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)

Giulia Bongiorno, lawyer of Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, talks to reporters as she leaves Italy's Court of Cassation, in Rome, Monday, March 25, 2013. Italy's highest court delayed until Tuesday a decision on whether American student Amanda Knox will face a new trial in the murder of her British roommate - an unsual but not unprecedented move. The court heard six hours of arguments Monday and spent several hours deliberating that and a handful of other cases on its docket before announcing it would issue decision at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) Tuesday on whether the 2011 acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Sollecito will stand. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and Sollecito in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Giulia Bongiorno, lawyer of Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, talks to reporters as she leaves Italy's Court of Cassation, in Rome, Monday, March 25, 2013. Italy's highest court delayed until Tuesday a decision on whether American student Amanda Knox will face a new trial in the murder of her British roommate - an unsual but not unprecedented move. The court heard six hours of arguments Monday and spent several hours deliberating that and a handful of other cases on its docket before announcing it would issue decision at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) Tuesday on whether the 2011 acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Sollecito will stand. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and Sollecito in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

ROME (AP) ? Italy's highest criminal court on Tuesday overturned Amanda Knox's acquittal in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial, prolonging a case that has become a cause celebre in the United States.

Knox called the decision "painful" but said she was confident that she would be exonerated.

Italian law cannot compel Knox to return for the new trial, and her lawyer said she had no plans to do so. The appellate court hearing the new case could declare her in contempt of court but that carries no additional penalties.

Italy's Court of Cassation ruled that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American student and her former Italian boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. The exact issues that have to be reconsidered won't be known until the court releases its full ruling within 90 days.

Knox, now a student at the University of Washington, stayed up until 2 a.m. Seattle time to hear her fate and issued a statement through a family spokesman.

"It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair," she said.

Knox said the matter must now be examined by "an objective investigation and a capable prosecution."

"No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity," Knox said.

Knox, now 25, and Raffaele Sollecito, who turned 29 on Tuesday, were arrested shortly after Kercher's body was found in a pool of blood in November 2007 in her bedroom. Kercher, whose throat had been slashed, had shared an apartment with Knox and others in Perugia, an Italian university town where the two women were exchange students.

Prosecutors alleged Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex game gone awry. Knox and Sollecito denied wrongdoing and said they weren't even in the apartment that night, although they acknowledged they had smoked marijuana and their memories were clouded.

An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the slaying in a separate proceeding and is serving a 16-year sentence. Knox and Sollecito were also initially convicted of the murder and given long prison sentences, but were then acquitted on appeal and released in 2011.

The high court's ruling Tuesday overturned the appeals court acquittals.

"She thought the nightmare was over," Knox attorney Carlo Dalla Vedova said after the decision was released.

The court on Tuesday also upheld a slander conviction against Knox. During a 14-hour police interrogation, Knox had accused a local Perugia pub owner of carrying out the killing. The man was held for two weeks based on her allegations, but was then released for lack of evidence.

Dalla Vedova said Knox wouldn't come to Italy "for the moment" but would follow the case from home. He said he didn't think the new appeals trial would begin before early 2014.

It is unclear what would happen if Knox was convicted in a new appeals trial.

"If the court orders another trial, if she is convicted at that trial and if the conviction is upheld by the highest court, then Italy could seek her extradition," Dalla Vedova said Monday.

It would then be up to the United States to decide if it honors the request. U.S. and Italian authorities could also come to a deal that would keep Knox in the United States.

The appeals court that acquitted Knox and Sollecito in 2011 criticized virtually the entire case mounted by prosecutors. The appellate court noted that the murder weapon was never found, said that DNA tests were faulty and that prosecutors provided no murder motive.

It's not clear what part of the appeals sentence was faulted by the high court in ordering a new trial.

Kercher's family attorney, Francesco Maresca, said after Tuesday's ruling: "Yes, this is what we wanted."

Sollecito's attorney, Giulia Bongiorno, noted that Tuesday's ruling was not a determination of guilt but merely a need for further study of the appeals court ruling.

"It's a decision that cancels a verdict and orders a retrial," she said. "I'm not concerned about a deeper reading of the documentation, because I know the documentation."

She acknowledged that perhaps the appeals court ruling had been "too generous" in ruling that the pair simply did not commit the crime, but was confident that Sollecito's innocence would be affirmed.

In her statement, Knox took the Perugia prosecutors to task, saying they "must be made to answer" for the discrepancies in the case. She said "my heart goes out to" Kercher's family.

After nearly four years behind bars in Italy, Knox returned to her hometown of Seattle after the 2011 acquittal and Sollecito resumed his computer science studies, following the degree he earned while studying in prison.

Italy's judicial system allows for two levels of appeals, and prosecutors can appeal acquittals.

Although the court on Monday heard gruesome details, including how Kercher choked on her own blood, it wasn't ruling on the guilt or innocence of the defendants. Its sole task was to decide if the appellate trial was properly conducted.

Dalla Vedova had argued Monday that the slander verdict against Knox should be thrown out because she was questioned without a lawyer even though police essentially treated the student as a suspect in their 14-hour interrogation session.

Because of time she served in prison before the appeals-level acquittals, Knox didn't have to serve time for the slander conviction.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-26-Italy-Knox/id-986542551ad44f5bbacd1e5baced7e86

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Salesmen in the Surgical Suite

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A widow whose husband cried about being ?trapped? in his body after undergoing a prostatectomy that used Intuitive Surgical?s da Vinci robotic system is suing the company.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/health/salesmen-in-the-surgical-suite.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Rallies held to protest ND anti-abortion measures

Kris Kitko leads chants of protest at an abortion-rights rally at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Monday, March 25, 2013. More than 300 demonstrators attended the rally protesting a package of measures that would give the state the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation. (AP Photo/James MacPherson)

Kris Kitko leads chants of protest at an abortion-rights rally at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Monday, March 25, 2013. More than 300 demonstrators attended the rally protesting a package of measures that would give the state the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation. (AP Photo/James MacPherson)

Dina Butcher speaks to a crowd of abortion-rights activists at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Monday, March 25, 2013. More than 300 demonstrators attended the rally protesting a package of measures that would give the state the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation. (AP Photo/James MacPherson)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) ? More than 300 abortion-rights activists carried signs and chanted, "Veto! Veto! Veto!" in a demonstration Monday at the state Capitol protesting a package of measures that would give the state the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation.

The newly formed Stand Up For Women North Dakota also planned rallies Monday in Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot, said Robin Nelson, one of the organizers of the demonstration.

"The intent is to stop the attack on women's rights in our state," said Nelson, of Fargo.

Russell and Jenn Landphere of Bismarck brought their two infant sons with them to the Capitol.

"The priorities of this state are not in the right place," said Russell Landphere, who took a late lunch from his job as a civil engineer to attend the rally with his family.

"We're here as a family supporting women's rights," Jenn Landphere said. "We feel it's a woman's choice or a family's choice ? not the government's choice."

North Dakota lawmakers moved Friday to outlaw abortion in the state by passing a resolution defining life as starting at conception, essentially banning abortion in the state. The North Dakota House approved the bill 57-35 Friday, sending it to voters likely in November 2014. The Senate approved it last month.

Representatives also endorsed two other anti-abortion bills Friday. One would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the disputed premise that fetuses feel pain at that point. Lawmakers also passed another measure that requires a doctor who performs abortions to be a physician with hospital-admitting privileges.

The Republican-controlled Legislature had already passed measures that would ban abortion as early as six weeks, or as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected, and because of genetic defects such as Down syndrome. Together, those bills would give North Dakota the strictest abortion laws in the nation.

The measure requiring doctors with hospital-admitting privileges to perform abortions and the so-called fetal heartbeat and fetal pain bills were the first to reach Gov. Jack Dalrymple's desk Monday afternoon. The Republican, who hasn't yet indicated whether he supports the measures, has three legislative days to act on the bills.

The proposed North Dakota legislation is aimed at shutting down the state's sole abortion clinic in Fargo and backers say it's a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion up until viability, which is usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The demonstration Monday took place both outside the Capitol and inside the building while the Legislature was holding floor sessions in both chambers. An increased number of North Dakota state troopers patrolled the Capitol during the rally. No incidents were reported.

Dina Butcher, a private investigator from Bismarck, drew loud cheers after telling the crowd that the lawmakers should not be "legislating women's reproductive rights." The demonstrators could be heard by lawmakers who were meeting in their chambers down the hall.

"I am a Republican who believes in the very conservative principle of less government intrusion in my life," she said. "Where are the real conservatives when you need them?"

___

Follow James MacPherson on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/macphersonja .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-25-Abortion-North%20Dakota/id-882a3d749af445dba2bedb92e4aefe35

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EMC Security Customers- Security Company Scammers are in your ...

Recently, several customers of EMC Security have contacted us to report a salesman going door-to-door in their neighborhood claiming to represent EMC Security.? The most recent customer reported that the salesman represented himself as EMC Security personnel and was there to offer an upgrade to her system.? This person also claimed that Vivint Security was working with EMC Security on upgrading customers? security systems.? This is not true in any way.??? These claims are classic scammer tactics made by other security companies who are misleading and swindling customers into unknowingly signing a contract for their services.? These individuals are usually well dressed and claim that they are offering to upgrade their security system on behalf of their current security company.? They then offer to perform the ?upgrade?? for free.? They will ask the homeowner to sign an authorization to complete the installation, but what the homeowner is actually signing is a 60 month (5 year) non-cancellable contract for monitoring at $45 or more per month.?? The customer will then be locked into paying the high monthly payment for the entire length of the contract with no recourse, or face severe penalty fees to get out of the contract and risk being sued by the alarm company that scammed them.

EMC Security will NEVER send anyone to a customer?s home without their prior knowledge.? Please contact EMC Security if you are approached by these scammers and call 911.? Here are some additional tips on what to do if you are approached by one of these scammers.

1. Always think safety first. If you?re home alone and don?t recognize the person, don?t open the door. If they are a legitimate company, they will leave a brochure or business card.
2. Be aware that because you have a security sign or other type of sign in your yard, you could be a target for this type of unethical selling practices.
3. Always, always check with your own security company, or other company, first. You can also ask the sales representative to wait outside while you do. If they are telling the truth, why would they mind waiting?? EMC Security will never send anyone to a customers home without their prior knowledge.
4. Scare tactics may not work on everyone but they can on our senior citizens and others who have no one to turn to for advice. If you believe this type of business practice is happening in your neighborhood, please call the police and let them know. At least there will be a record on file.
5. Finally, if there will be any offers or changes to your service you will be contacted by EMC Security. You won?t hear this information from someone who knocks at your door, and especially someone who tries to scare you.

Tags: door to door security sales, free security upgrade scam, security company scam, security system scam

This entry was posted on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 7:05 pm and is filed under News, Security Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://emcsecurity.com/blog/2013/03/25/emc-security-customers-security-company-scammers-are-in-your-area/

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Egypt's president hints on Twitter of taking defensive action

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's president warns he may be about to take measures he did not specify to "protect this nation."

Mohammed Morsi's warning came in a series of tweets posted on Sunday, two days after violent clashes between supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood and opposition protesters in Cairo. At least 200 people have been injured, some seriously, outside the Cairo headquarters of the Brotherhood, Egypt's most dominant political group.

An Islamist elected in June, Morsi also warned that "appropriate measures" would be taken against politicians found to be behind Friday's violence, regardless of their seniority. Anyone found to be using the media to "incite violence" will also be held accountable, he added.

Friday's clashes followed an assault a week earlier by Brotherhood supporters on protesters painting hostile graffiti outside the group's headquarters.

?

?2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/world/story/Egypts-president-hints-on-Twitter-of-taking/2QcL717uWEONR7QMmAu3vg.cspx?rss=3313

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Fantastical for iPhone updated, new settings and other improvements

The popular and totally awesome calendar app Fantastical for iPhone has been updated with a new setting that allows you to display only one day at a time in the event list. The default setting is an infinite list that shows all future events. A few bugs in Fantastical have also been addressed.

For users who sync their iPhones with an Exchange account, you will no longer be able to add multiple alerts to your events since Exchange actually doesn't support this feature. And issues with time zones has also been fixed as well as incorrect text coloring and too many characters in the DayTicker in some languages.

Fantastical for iPhone has been my favorite calendar since its debut and the new setting makes it even better. I was never a fan of the infinite list because I could easy get lost or overwhelmed with seeing future plans all at a glance and much prefer only seeing one day of events at a time.

What about you? Do you like the small update to Fantastical? If you don't use Fantastical, what calendar app do you use?

• $4.99 - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/D43rFeTFAQ4/story01.htm

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GOP's 'no' on Medicaid becomes "Let's make a deal'

In this March 19, 2013 photo, Evelyn Craig, left, executive director of reStart Inc., and LaTonya Jenkins, a reStart client who lives at the facility, pose at the homeless shelter in Kansas City, Mo. The women are concerned that Missouri's refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will harm residents of the shelter like Jenkins. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

In this March 19, 2013 photo, Evelyn Craig, left, executive director of reStart Inc., and LaTonya Jenkins, a reStart client who lives at the facility, pose at the homeless shelter in Kansas City, Mo. The women are concerned that Missouri's refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will harm residents of the shelter like Jenkins. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

In this March 19, 2013 photo, LaTonya Jenkins stands outside the homeless shelter where she lives in Kansas City, Mo. Missouri's refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act has Jenkins and others concerned that they will lose healthcare benefits. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Given the choice of whether to expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care law, many Republican governors and lawmakers initially responded with an emphatic "no."

Now they are increasingly hedging their objections.

A new "no, but ..." approach is spreading among GOP states in which officials are still publicly condemning the Democratic president's Medicaid expansion yet floating alternatives that could provide health coverage to millions of low-income adults while potentially tapping into billions of federal dollars that are to start flowing in 2014.

The Medicaid health care program for poor, which is jointly funded by the federal and state governments, already covers about one in five people in the U.S. Expanding it was the way Obama envisioned covering many more low-income workers who don't have insurance. The new Republican alternatives being proposed in states generally would go part of the way, but cover fewer people than Obama's plan, guarantee less financial help or rely more on private insurers.

But so far, many of the Republican ideas are still more wistful than substantive. It's uncertain whether they will actually pass. And even if they do, there's no guarantee Obama's administration will allow states to deviate too greatly from the parameters of the Affordable Care Act while still reaping its lucrative funding. Yet a recent signal from federal officials that Arkansas might be able to use Medicaid money to buy private insurance policies has encouraged Republicans to try alternatives.

The GOP proposals could lead to another health care showdown between the White House and states, leaving millions of Americans who lack insurance waiting longer for resolution. Officials in about 30 states that are home to more than 25 million uninsured residents remain either defiant or undecided about implementing Obama's Medicaid expansion, according to an Associated Press survey.

Supporters of the Medicaid expansion have built coalitions of hospitals, businesses groups, religious leaders and advocates for the poor to try to persuade reluctant Republicans of the economic and moral merits of Obama's health care plan. But some Republicans believe the pressure ultimately will fall on Obama to accept their alternatives if he wants to avoid a patchwork system for his signature accomplishment.

"If the Obama administration is serious about innovative ways to bring down the cost of health care, it's going to cooperate with conservative ideas rather than continue down its one-size-fits-all, far-left-wing ideological path," said Missouri Rep. Jay Barnes, a Republican from Jefferson City.

A House committee led by Barnes already has defeated Obama's version of Medicaid expansion. It is to hear public testimony Monday on his "market-based Medicaid" alternative that would award health care contracts to competing private insurers and provide cash incentives to patients who hold down their health-care costs. His proposal would contain costs by covering fewer children than Medicaid now does and adding fewer adults than Obama's plan envisions.

Committees in Florida's Republican-led Legislature also have rejected a Medicaid expansion for roughly 1 million of the state's poorest residents, even though it is backed by GOP Gov. Rick Scott. Now Republican Sen. Joe Negron is pursuing an alternative that would use federal funds to provide vouchers for low-income residents to buy private policies. Negron said he still doesn't believe expanding Medicaid is the right decision, but he wants to help Florida residents get health coverage.

"We don't want to do it the Washington way. We want to do it the Florida way," Negron said.

Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich also has been in discussions with the Obama administration about providing subsidized insurance instead of full Medicaid coverage for more adults. Republican governors in Texas, Nebraska and Indiana want the federal government to award Medicaid money as block grants to states.

"It's a two-step for many of these Republican governors. When they look at the numbers they want to do it, but they want to distance themselves from Obamacare at the same time," said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that analyzes health care policies.

That might be fine with the Obama administration.

"There actually is quite a bit of flexibility on how they can approach this, and the federal government has indicated they want to get to 'yes' " said Joan Alker, co-executive director of Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families in Washington, D.C.

As originally enacted, the Affordable Care Act required states to expand Medicaid to adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about $32,500 annually for a family of four. A Supreme Court decision last summer made the expansion optional for states but kept in place a powerful financial incentive. The federal government will fully fund the expansion for the first three years, with the states' share gradually increasing to 10 percent by 2020.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in December that getting full funding will still require a full expansion. Yet some Republicans in Missouri, South Dakota and elsewhere claim to see room for compromise.

LaTonya Jenkins, a 51-year-old laid off teacher's aide who lives in temporary housing for the homeless in Kansas City, recently enrolled in Medicaid but could lose coverage if her part-time job pushes her income over Missouri's strict eligibility limits. She recently traveled to Missouri Capitol to urge lawmakers to expand Medicaid.

"If they don't, and they cut it out, then what are we to do? We'll be lost," said a tearful Jenkins, who has diabetes and cares for her grandson. "I'll be sicker than ever and back in the hospital."

___

Associated Press writer Kelli Kennedy contributed to this report from Miami.

___

Follow David A. Lieb at: http://www.twitter.com/DavidALieb

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-24-Health%20Overhaul-Medicaid/id-018f6ae34d8246b2aebdb61933a8912f

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Bloomberg, mayor group tout big gun control push (The Arizona Republic)

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PFT: Tuck rule?gone? |? 29-1 ? |? Woodson happy

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Charles Woodson played a pivotal role in the play that made the Tuck Role famous and he was happy to see the rule die on Wednesday.

?Hallelujah,? Woodson said during an interview with the NFL Network. ?It shouldn?t have taken this long. It?s been 11 years I guess now. It?s about time that they turned it over. It really was just a badly explained rule from the jump, and it didn?t make a whole lot of sense the way the rule was interpreted.So I think the best thing was for them to just throw it out.?

Based on the rest of the interview, the vote to abolish the rule gave Woodson a rare reason to smile. Woodson has had just one visit since becoming a free agent, with the 49ers last week, and said he?s resolved to remain patient in a market that?s been slower than he?d like.

?I thought it would be a little more interest,? Woodson said. ?I think, looking back, this is my second time in free agency and I?ve kind of been shunned both times. So I guess this time around, I?m a little more patient with it and just waiting around to see what happens.?I don?t take it personal. I understand how the game goes, I?ve seen it for 15 years now, and I?ve seen how it works. Just got to have a little patience.?

With the 49ers signing Craig Dahl, Woodson?s likely right about needing patience. There?s been word of interest from the Texans if Ed Reed winds up elsewhere and other teams may also turn their attention in his direction as free agency continues.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/20/the-tuck-rule-is-no-more/related/

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Pastor gets life sentence: Did he kill his first wife, too?

A pastor was sentenced to life in prison today after being convicted of murdering his second wife. This case prompted police to re-examine the death of the pastor's first wife, and he has been charged in that case as well.

By Associated Press / March 18, 2013

Arthur B. Schirmer, a former Methodist pastor, is led to jail after receiving a life sentence. He was convicted two months ago and today sentenced to life without parole for killing his second wife, Betty, in 2008. Schirmer is charged separately with killing his first wife, Jewel, in 1999. He awaits trial in that case.

David Kidwell / Pocono Record / AP

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A former?pastor?was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole in the fatal bludgeoning of his second wife in 2008.

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Arthur "A.B." Schirmer, 64, was sentenced nearly two months after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of Betty Schirmer. The conviction brought an automatic life sentence.

"My mom is finally able to rest in peace," Betty Schirmer's son, Nate Novack, said after the sentencing. "We do have some closure and it's a great day overall, even though the life conviction isn't going to bring my mom back."

Schirmer is charged separately with killing his first wife, Jewel Schirmer, in 1999. He awaits trial in that case.

Prosecutors said he clubbed Betty Schirmer on the head with a crowbar, then loaded her into their car and staged a low-speed accident in an effort to conceal the crime. The former Methodist clergyman took the stand in his own defense and testified that he was driving her to the emergency room for treatment of jaw pain when he swerved to avoid a deer and hit a guard rail.

A jury deliberated about 90 minutes before returning its verdict.

Local police initially believed Betty Schirmer's July 2008 death was the result of a car crash. State police began a more thorough investigation months later, when a man committed suicide in Schirmer's office after learning the?pastor?was in a relationship with his wife, the church secretary.

Authorities ultimately concluded the fender-bender could not have caused Betty Schirmer's extensive head and brain injuries. Police also found her blood on the garage floor, along with evidence that someone had tried to clean it up.

Schirmer's girlfriend and his two daughters with Jewel Schirmer said outside court Monday that they continued to believe in his innocence.

"I just didn't hear evidence that led me to believe that he committed a crime," said Julie Campbell, one of the daughters.

The investigation into Betty Schirmer's death led police and prosecutors to take another look at Jewel Schirmer's case. Arthur Schirmer has long claimed he was out for a run on April 23, 1999, when he returned home to find Jewel Schirmer's body in a pool of blood at the bottom of the basement steps.

He was charged last September with killing her. He has maintained his innocence in both cases.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/mw2gM5tr86g/Pastor-gets-life-sentence-Did-he-kill-his-first-wife-too

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FDA reviewers say Titan drug dose may be insufficient

(Reuters) - Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc's experimental drug to treat opioid addiction was shown to be more effective than placebo in a clinical trial, but patients' response suggested that the proposed dosage might be too low, reviewers for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in documents published on Tuesday.

The commentary was published on the FDA's website ahead of an advisory panel meeting to be held on Thursday and sent the company's stock down 42 percent to $1.19 in over-the counter trading.

The reviewers said they would ask the advisory panel whether Titan should explore dosing further before the product is approved.

The drug, Probuphine, is a long-acting version of buprenorphine, a drug sold by Britain's Reckitt-Benckiser Group Plc under the brand names Subutex and Suboxone.

Unlike Subutex and Suboxone, which are dissolved daily under the tongue, Titan's drug is implanted under the skin of the upper arm during a 10-15 minute office procedure and delivers a continuous supply of buprenorphine for six months.

"Overall, the response was not what one might hope for, given that the product ensures compliance with the medication for six months," the reviewers said. "It prompts speculation that the dose is simply not high enough."

While the safety of Probuphine appears largely in keeping that of other buprenorphine products it presents an additional safety concern, reviewers said. It must be implanted, potentially leading to surgery-related complications. The reviewers said the product is in some ways similar to Norplant, an implantable, progestin-releasing contraceptive which is no longer marketed in the United States.

Even though insertion and removal of Norplant was performed by trained health-care providers, there were cases of implantation and removal-related of complications, some with disabling consequences, the reviewers said. They will ask the advisory committee whether it believes the company has adequately addressed these concerns under its proposed risk mitigation plan and whether the drug's benefit is enough to outweigh the potential risks.

In December, Titan licensed the U.S. and Canadian rights to Probuphine to Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, a company owned by the venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners. Titan received an up-front payment of $15.75 million and will receive up to $50 million if Probuphine is approved.

(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Alden Bentley)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-reviewers-titan-drug-results-not-strong-hoped-134636359--sector.html

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Remade Mideast poses new perils for Obama on trip

Two Israeli soldiers stand guard next to satirical posters depicting U.S. President Barack Obama, and Jonathan Pollard, a Jewish-American who was jailed for life in 1987 on charges of spying on the United States, at the Gush Etzion junction between the West Bank towns of Bethlehem and Hebron, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Obama?s trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank will take place March 20-22, and it is the U.S. leader?s first trip to the region as president, and his first overseas trip since being reelected. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Two Israeli soldiers stand guard next to satirical posters depicting U.S. President Barack Obama, and Jonathan Pollard, a Jewish-American who was jailed for life in 1987 on charges of spying on the United States, at the Gush Etzion junction between the West Bank towns of Bethlehem and Hebron, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Obama?s trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank will take place March 20-22, and it is the U.S. leader?s first trip to the region as president, and his first overseas trip since being reelected. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Students of Estella's school for bakery and pastry making, work on an image depicting U.S. President Barack Obama made out of chocolate in Givat Shmuel, central Israel, Monday, March 18, 2013. Obama?s trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank will take place March 20-22, and it is the U.S. leader?s first trip to the region as president, and his first overseas trip since being reelected. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Palestinian activists throw shoes at a poster of US President Barack Obama in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, March 18, 2013. Some two dozen Palestinian activists protested the upcoming Obama visit. Obama?s trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank will take place March 20-22, and it is the U.S. leader?s first trip to the region as president, and his first overseas trip since being reelected. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On his second trip to the Middle East as U.S. commander in chief, President Barack Obama this week will confront a political and strategic landscape nearly unrecognizable from the one he encountered on his first trip to the region shortly after assuming office in 2009.

Gone are the authoritarian regimes and leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and the once seemingly indestructible Assad regime in Syria is tottering on the brink of collapse. Uncertainty abounds in the wake of the revolutions that have convulsed the Arab world for the past two years and shaken many of the strong but imperfect pillars of stability on the planet's most politically volatile patch of land.

And the few constants are hardly cause for cheer: a moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process that remains mired in mutual distrust and recrimination, an Iran that seemingly inches closer to nuclear weapons capability despite intensified international sanctions, and the ever-growing threat from extremists.

At the same time, Obama's 2012 re-election has changed his political calculus. Having run his last race as a political candidate, he is no longer beholden to the whims of voters. His sights appear set on building a legacy that, at least in the short term, is focused not on foreign policy but on the domestic issues that now drive the agenda in Washington.

Thus, U.S. officials have set expectations low for the trip. No new plan to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. No big boost in assistance to the struggling Palestinian Authority. No new strategy for dealing with the chaos in Syria. No new outreach to Muslims like the one that was the centerpiece of his June 2009 visit to Cairo.

Instead, they have presented Obama's visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan as a symbolic, hand-holding trip. Obama's goals are to reassure nervous Israelis that the U.S. has their back in the face of any threats, tell the Palestinians that their aspirations for statehood are in America's national security interests and show support for a Jordanian monarchy that is struggling to satisfy its subjects' demands for reform while dealing with the spillover from the civil war in Syria.

It may seem incongruous that an American president feels the need to calm Israeli's fears about Washington's commitment to their security at a time when officials from both countries say U.S. and Israeli interests are more inextricably linked than ever before.

However, one reason for the uneasiness is the strained personal relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They and their surrogates have sparred, most notably over Jewish settlements in areas claimed by the Palestinians, numerous times, leading many to speak of an open rift. The chill has manifested itself in unprecedented low approval ratings for Obama in Israel. The centerpiece of Obama's trip will be a speech to the Israeli people to pledge friendship and security.

Much of the symbolism around Obama's speech is aimed at showing his understanding of the Jewish people's millennia-old connection to the land that is now Israel, and his awareness that the modern State of Israel was not created merely as a consequence of the Holocaust. A visit to an Iron Dome battery, part of the missile defense system the U.S. has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into, will underscore Washington's investment in Israel's security.

Obama will be joined by Secretary of State John Kerry. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said Kerry was set to arrive Tuesday, a day before Obama. The embassy gave no details on Kerry's schedule Tuesday, but Israeli officials said no meetings were scheduled.

In both countries, officials hope that an American president on Israeli soil, affirming America's unwavering support for Israel, will quell the concerns from the Israeli perspective. Equally, if not more important, is channeling that message to anti-Israel actors, including Iran, Lebanon's militant Hezbollah, and the Hamas faction of the Palestinians that controls the Gaza Strip.

The goodwill Obama hopes to inspire is expected to be accompanied by gentle encouragement of Israelis and their leaders to be more sensitive the new realities of the region and not take actions that provoke or irritate the very people with whom they desire better ties.

In many ways, Obama faces a similar perception problem among Palestinians who were buoyed by his early support for their longstanding position on settlements, but have been bitterly disappointed by the lack of any progress on achieving statehood.

So, with prospects dim for new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks any time soon, in part because Netanyahu has just formed a new government, Obama will bring a similar message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas' administration has infuriated Israel and annoyed the United States by seeking recognition as a state from the United Nations in the absence of a peace agreement.

Obama is expected to warn anew that such acts only hurt chances for getting back to negotiations, but stress that the United States is firmly committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will continue to be an honest broker on the path to get there.

U.S. officials hope Obama's visit to Jordan will boost King Abdullah II's standing both at home among a restive population and in the region where, since the Muslim Brotherhood won elections in Egypt, his nation is the more solid of Israel's two Arab friends.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-19-Obama-Mideast/id-3a302d25792d4404b4d998076caf9adf

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Which areas are the home improvement hotspots ... - Eurofit Direct

By Ryan Hirst | March 19, 2013 | Featured Stories, News Stories

Research from Barbour ABI revealed today at property and construction industry show Ecobuild in London reveals that Westminster heads the list of local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales for home improvements.

It received the highest proportion of planning applications in 2012, with more than seven applications made to improve homes in Westminster for every 100 private homes, or four and a half times the average for Great Britain.

Westminster is followed by Tunbridge Wells in second place with more than six applications for every 100 private homes in the borough, then South Bucks, Uttlesford and St Albans.Areas in the south of England dominate the top 25 places ? London saw a rise of nearly 9%, while applications in the North East fell by 6%.

?Central or local government initiatives can also make a difference to the number of applications submitted for home improvements,? said a spokesman for Barbour aBI. ?For instance, Blaenau Gwent, one of the poorest districts in Wales, saw applications for home improvements leap in 2012 to place it second in the table of home improvement districts in Wales. In previous years it had been ranked towards the bottom. Much of this increase appears to be because of energy saving initiatives leading to an increase in such improvements as external wall insulation. This may be a positive signal for the Government?s recently introduced Green Deal.?

via Which areas are the home improvement hotspots? | Alex Johnson | Independent Property Blogs.

The Green Deal is in place now and has been up and running for sometime. With this in mind I would say I am surprised to note that so many?home-owners?are not taking it upon themselves to renovate their home and make it more eco-friendly. With the use of the Green Deal home-owners are in fact not losing money in the short term and in the long term they are actually saving money too.

Here are a few worthwhile green home improvements you can make:

• Renovating your homes insulation
• Water Heating through things such as water efficient taps
• Energy Efficient Lighting
• Microgenoration ? This is something I would like to discuss in more detail as not so many people know about the improvements that can be made through Microgenoration. Things such as biomass boilers, solar panels and also ground and air source heat pumps are a few of the improvements that we can make.
• Ventilation is another area in which improvements can be made along with this heating tactics in your home can be improved and also air conditioning.

The Green Deal is something I would advise many more people to take a serious look at before renovating your home, if you are not sure how it works check out this article I wrote for a friend of ours at Green Home Design.

If you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to share it with your friends and colleagues using your favourite social network.

Source: http://www.eurofitdirect.co.uk/blog/which-areas-are-the-home-improvement-hotspots-the-green-deal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=which-areas-are-the-home-improvement-hotspots-the-green-deal

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Katie Holmes Topless On Allure Magazine (VIDEO)

Katie Holmes Topless On Allure Magazine (VIDEO)

Katie Holmes graces the cover of Allure Magazine looking gorgeous, revealing she is “open” to the idea of having more children in the future. The actress has also been rumored to be considering becoming an attorney like brother and father. Katie Holmes, whose divorce to actor Tom Cruise was finalized this past year, was asked ...

Katie Holmes Topless On Allure Magazine (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/katie-holmes-topless-on-allure-magazine-video/

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How Skeptics Can Break the Cycle of False Beliefs

Image: Izhar Cohen

In Tyler Hamilton's 2012 book The Secret Race (written with Daniel Coyle), the cyclist exposes the most sophisticated doping program in the history of sports, orchestrated by Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner now stripped of his titles after a thorough investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Hamilton shows how such an elaborate system was maintained through the ?omert? rule??the code of silence that leads one to believe everyone else believes doping is the norm?and reinforced by the threat of punishment for speaking out or not complying.

The broader psychological principle at work here is ?pluralistic ignorance,? in which individual members of a group do not believe something but mistakenly believe everyone else in the group believes it. When no one speaks up, it produces a ?spiral of silence? that can lead to everything from binge drinking and hooking up to witch hunts and deadly ideologies. A 1998 study by Christine M. Schroeder and Deborah A. Prentice, for example, found that ?the majority of students believe that their peers are uniformly more comfortable with campus alcohol practices than they are.? Another study in 1993 by Prentice and Dale T. Miller found a gender difference in drinking attitudes in which ?male students shifted their attitudes over time in the direction of what they mistakenly believed to be the norm, whereas female students showed no such attitude change.? Women, however, were not immune to pluralistic ignorance when it came to hooking up, as shown in a 2003 study by Tracy A. Lambert and her colleagues, who found ?both women and men rated their peers as being more comfortable engaging in these behaviors than they rated themselves.?

When you add an element of punishment for those who challenge the norm, pluralistic ignorance can transmogrify into purges, pogroms and repressive political regimes. European witch hunts, like their Soviet counterparts centuries later, degenerated into preemptive accusations of guilt, lest one be thought guilty first. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described a party conference in which Joseph Stalin was given a standing ovation that went on for 11 minutes, until a factory director finally sat down to the relief of everyone. The man was arrested later that night and sent to the gulag for a decade. A 2009 study by Michael Macy and his colleagues confirmed the effect: ?People enforce unpopular norms to show that they have complied out of genuine conviction and not because of social pressure.?

Bigotry is ripe for the effects of pluralistic ignorance, as evidenced in a 1975 study by Hubert J. O'Gorman, which indicated that ?in 1968 most white American adults grossly exaggerated the support among other whites for racial segregation,? especially among those leading segregated lives, which reinforces the spiral of silence.

Fortunately, there is a way to break this spiral of ignorance: knowledge and communication. Tyler's confession led to the admission of doping by others, thereby breaking the code of silence and leading to openness about cleaning up the sport. In the Schroeder and Prentice study on college binge drinking, they found that exposing incoming freshmen to a peer-directed discussion that included an explanation of pluralistic ignorance and its effects significantly reduced subsequent student alcoholic intake. Moreover, Macy and his colleagues found that when skeptics were scattered among true believers in a computer simulation of a society in which there was ample opportunity for interaction and communication, social connectedness acted as a prophylactic against unpopular norms taking over.

This is why totalitarian and theocratic regimes restrict speech, press, trade and travel and why the route to breaking the bonds of such repressive governments and ideologies is the spread of liberal democracy and open borders. This is why even here in the U.S.?the land of the free?we must openly endorse the rights of gays and atheists to be treated equally under the law and why ?coming out? helps to break the spiral of silence. Knowledge and communication, especially when generated by science and technology, offer our last best hope on earth.

This article was originally published with the title Dictators and Diehards.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=0ca2f084664ee7cbf59b049538af90c9

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Nerdtastic! looking for Nerdtastic Radio Guests - Radio Guest List.com

We're a college radio show, which insures you'll be promoted to a plethora of young people, which is one of the core demographics that decides what's popular. It's hosted by three guys who love to joke around, so you'll have a great time talking to us. We allow for anywhere from a 10 minute to 30 minute interview, ensuring you'll have the right amount of time you need to expose yourself to the public.

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Name of Your Show *	Nerdtastic!
Show Description *	We talk about everything in nerd culture. From comics, to video games, to movies, to tv shows, you can bet we'll touch on it. There's even plenty of improvised speculation, jokes, and debates throughout the show, creating an extremely entertaining atmosphere.
Audience Demographics for Your Show *	College students, with content geared toward the 18-35 male demographic.
Audience Size for Your Show and Source for Your Claim *	~150 (Facebook page likes)
Show Format *	Broadcast radio show Internet radio show Recorded podcast
Broadcast Schedule + Format + Network(s) *	6-8 pm CST every Sunday on KCOU Columbia 88.1 FM as well as online at kcou.fm. This is the student radio station for the University of Missouri.
Booking Contact for Interviews *	Josh Witmer
Email Address *	Email Josh at chibearfan93 @ gmail.com
Show Web Site *	http://Facebook.com/nerdtastickcou
If traditional radio or TV broadcast, what city/state does your show reach??	Columbia, MO

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Source: http://www.radioguestlist.com/2013/03/nerdtastic-looking-for-nerdtastic-radio-guests.html

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