রবিবার, ৩০ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Monitoring Your Heating and Air Conditioning Systems ? Epic Articles

If you are installing a new heating or AC system in your house, the most critical choices to make are purchasing high quality products and professional service. Multiple types of furnaces are manufactured which all have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your home and location, your home temperature and utility bill can improve dramatically if you buy an appropriate furnace. Cooling systems are also very different and it is essential to use a system that is the most effective. When you hire a heating and air conditioning professional, they can evaluate your home and help choose the system that best meets your needs. These specialists are also skilled in fixing all varieties of repairs on these systems. Notice a large change in your year-round comfort with experienced heating and air conditioning specialists by your side. A/C Repair Corpus Christi TX

Source: http://epique-mag.com/monitoring-your-heating-and-air-conditioning-systems-2/

freddie mac kristin cavallari oscar nominations rough riders joy division norco rand paul detained

How Can Astronauts In Space Contribute To Aging Research?

While we usually think of astronauts as explorers of life beyond this planet, scientists are discovering that astronauts can actually teach us a lot about life here on earth.

The Canadian Space Institute (CSA) recently teamed up with the Institute of Aging, a branch of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to see what the medical issues faced by astronauts can tell us about the aging process. The two groups pooled resources and knowledge during a workshop in June, and hope to develop an international program as well, according to Dr. Nicole Buckley, Chief Scientist for Life Sciences at the CSA.

Due to their sedentary lifestyle in space, astronauts often develop similar health problems as the elderly, said University of Waterloo Professor Richard Hughson. These include soft bones, a risk of fainting and hardened arteries. Hughson, who specializes in aging and receives funding from the CSA, has performed several studies showing how space life can have adverse effects on an astronaut?s cardiovascular system.

Because astronauts tend to be healthy people, when one aspect of their health starts to deteriorate, it is easy for researchers to see how this may impact other parts of their body. This is opposed to the elderly, where, ?one effect can be confounded with other changes occurring at the same time,? said Dr. Buckley.

By teaming up with scientists at the Institute of Aging, the CSA hopes to improve health outcomes through research.

?Our main mandate is to look after astronaut health. However, there are not that many astronauts, and there are many Canadians. We want to help as many people as possible,? said Dr. Buckley.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/29/space-research-aging-astronauts_n_2340479.html

mike kelley puxatony phil josh harvey clemons college football recruiting rankings ground hog day 2012 aaron carter black history month

U.S. mentally ill and their families face barriers to care

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lori, a 39-year-old mother in New Jersey, would like to save for the usual things: college, retirement, vacations. But those goals are far down her wish list. For now, she and her husband are putting aside money for a home alarm system. They're not worried about keeping burglars out. They need to keep their son in.

Mike, 7, began seeing a psychiatrist in 2009, after one pre-school kicked him out for being "difficult" and teachers at the public school he later attended were worried about his obsessive thoughts and extreme anxiety. He was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

As she keeps trying to get help for him, "I am learning firsthand how broken the system is when dealing with mental illness," said Lori. (Surnames of patients and their families have been withheld to protect their privacy.)

"We fight with doctors, our insurance company, educators, each other; the list goes on and on ... It isn't even a system. It's not like there's a call center to help you figure out what to do and how to get help."

Last week, the National Rifle Association blamed mass shootings such as that at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on the lack of a "national database of the mentally ill," who, it claimed, are especially prone to violence.

Dr. Paul Appelbaum, professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University, disagrees, however. "Gun violence is overwhelmingly not about mental illness," he said. "The best estimate is that about 95 percent of gun violence is committed by people who do not have a diagnosis of mental illness."

But experts on mental illness agree with one implication of the NRA's argument: families trying to get help for a loved one with mental illness confront a confusing, dysfunctional system that lacks the capacity to help everyone who needs it - and that shunts many of the mentally ill into the criminal justice system instead of the healthcare system.

"Public mental health services have eroded everywhere, and in some places don't exist at all," said Richard Bonnie, professor of law and medicine at the University of Virginia. "Improving access to mental health services would reduce the distress and social costs of serious mental illness, including violent behavior."

Because mental health care is in such short supply, emergency cases receive priority. If a young man has a psychotic break and threatens his mother with a knife, "you can call the police and initiate an emergency evaluation," said Bonnie.

A psychiatrist called to the local emergency room may agree that the man is an imminent threat to himself or others, or cannot provide for his basic needs - the criteria for involuntary commitment in most states. Anything short of that and even someone with a diagnosis of severe mental illness cannot be involuntarily committed.

Critics argue that this emphasis on civil liberties lets dangerous people roam the streets, and cite numerous cases where it has been fatal. In October, for instance, a Tacoma, Washington, man who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was in and out of mental hospitals for years confessed to killing his father with a hatchet.

One lesson of such tragedies, experts say, is that psychiatrists' ability to predict who will be violent "is better than chance, but not much better," said Dr. Marvin Swartz, professor of psychiatry at Duke University.

Another is that the shortage of in-patient treatment has led everyone from judges to mental health professionals to look for any excuse to avoid committing someone involuntarily. There is often no place to put them, and admitting one patient means discharging another who might be equally ill.

"Getting people into hospitals is extremely difficult because of the shortage of beds," said Columbia University's Appelbaum.

The shortage extends to out-patient services, too, largely as a result of continuing budget cuts. Since 2009, states have cut more than $1.6 billion from such spending, found a 2011 report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a nonprofit education and advocacy group. The result is "significant reductions in both hospital and community services," it said.

Connecticut, where Newtown is, is an exception. Its mental health budget rose from $676 million in 2009 to $715 million in 2012.

'THEY'RE ALL PSYCHOTIC'

More typical are Illinois (a reduction in spending on mental health of $187 million in that period), Ohio (down $26 million) and Massachusetts (down $55.6 million). "There's a waiting list for our program (in Boston) and it's hard to get in," said psychiatrist and NAMI medical director Ken Duckworth, who treats mentally ill patients.

There is room in his program for 60 people. The waiting list has 20, he said, "and they're all psychotic."

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The Community Mental Health Center Act, passed in 1963, called for federal funding of outpatient psychiatric facilities in towns and cities "so people would at least know where to start" when they or a family member needed a mental health evaluation or treatment, said Appelbaum. "It was supposed to be a single point of entry." But only about 650 of the 1,500 centers were built, and federal funding for staffing tailed off after four years when Congress did not appropriate more.

As a result, of the estimated 45.9 million U.S. adults 18 or older who had mental illness in 2010, some 11 million had "an unmet need for mental health care," estimates the Alliance for Health Reform, a nonprofit advocacy group.

One of those 11 million is Joseph. Even though he became violent, tried to jump out of a moving car, hit his wife and threatened to burn down their house, it was not enough to keep him in the psychiatric unit of their local New Jersey hospital.

He "cycled through the system," said his daughter. He went to the local emergency room five times, was arrested four times, went to the psychiatric unit three times, and spent 25 nonconsecutive days in a psychiatric hospital - all in three months in 2010.

Joseph's psychiatrist and family believed he should be in a state mental hospital, but his doctor did not show up to testify at a commitment hearing and the main evidence presented was a threatening letter Joseph had written to his wife. He was not deemed a danger to himself or others, and was released.

He did, however, cycle between jail and the psychiatric ward, making him one of many cases that "wind up in the criminal justice system instead of the healthcare system," said the University of Virginia's Bonnie. "Families watch their loved one unravel and can't get assistance, and then they get ensnared in the criminal justice system and can't get them out."

The difficulty getting outpatient care for the mentally ill is particularly widespread because most psychiatric hospitals were closed during the "de-institutionalization" of the 1960s and 1970s, an effort to provide more humane care than in the sometimes nightmarish wards.

One facility that closed was Fairfield Hills State Hospital, which opened in 1933, housed just over 4,000 mentally ill, long-term patients at its peak in the 1960s, and closed in 1995. It was located in Newtown.

"It's a metaphor for what we've done about mental health treatment in this country," said Duckworth. "A town that had a major treatment facility for 60 years has a mass shooting by someone who was mentally ill. We don't have a coordinated system of screening for, let alone treating, mental illness."

Even a diagnosis of mental illness with a possibility of harming oneself or others is no guarantee of help, even for young people.

"We estimate that fewer than one-quarter of the children, teenagers and young adults who have a mental health problem receive any treatment whatsoever," said Bernadette Melnyk, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Ohio State University College of Medicine. "And of those who do get treated, a substantial amount of the treatment is not the best, evidence-based kind."

For instance, a combination of cognitive-behavior therapy and medication is most effective at treating depression. "But very few patients receive the psychotherapy because we have such a severe shortage of mental health providers," said Melnyk.

Trying to get that help can drain a family emotionally.

'SOME SORT OF MONSTER'

"There are no professionals to help us with the tantrums or hysteria at the dentist or getting a haircut," said Lori, the New Jersey mother. "When Mike has a fit or screams obscenities in public, strangers assume he's a spoiled brat or some sort of monster."

"I worry that if he does not take good care of himself . . . well, let's just say that I can empathize with Adam Lanza's (the Newtown shooter's) family, too," she said.

To be sure, protecting the public from crime spurred by mental illness is only one argument for better psychiatric care. Every person who needs such care and doesn't get it is one more individual whose dreams of a full and productive life are shattered.

Virginia's Bonnie saw that firsthand when, after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting rampage by Seung-Hui Cho, scores of families told him of their struggles to get help for loved ones with mental illness.

One young man, a brilliant college student and athlete, suffered his first psychotic break as an 18-year-old freshman and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Robert was hospitalized nine times over 12 years, but when he attempted suicide after one stay his parents could not get him admitted again: he did not meet the "imminent danger" standard.

Feeling threatened by his "increasing psychotic behaviors," the parents told Bonnie, they called the police, who arrested and jailed Robert for breaking and entering the family home. Without treatment, his psychosis only became worse.

It is all too common for the mentally ill to wind up in the criminal justice system, not the health system, said Bonnie. "Families are suffering the consequences of the lack of mental health treatment all the time," he said. "Every once in a while they explode into public view" with a national tragedy like Newtown.

(Reporting by Sharon Begley; Editing by Jilian Mincer and Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-mentally-ill-families-face-barriers-care-132703329.html

josephine baker ben gazzara nfl hall of fame 2012 ufc diaz vs condit super bowl start time target jason wu gi joe

শনিবার, ২৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Healthy Smile with Cheap Dental Plans in California | ArticlePDQ.com

?

Healthy smile with ablaze white teeth is what we all adulation to have. It is accessible that abounding of us faces articulate problems like aperture odor, abate gum, chicken teeth and more. Especially, while affective with the public, colleagues and friends, you may feel hesitated to be afterpiece with them animated and talking back you are adversity with a dental problem. The capital acumen for this can be due to some bloom botheration you accept in your anatomy that aftereffect in dental botheration or due to assertive aliment habits that would affect your teeth.

?Therefore the charge for approved dental affliction is emphasized to achieve advantageous smile. There may be times back you were adversity with astute dental botheration but had to delay till the arrangement date and time. Or you would accept abashed with the aerial prices you had to absorb afterwards the analysis procedures were over. Or artlessly you would accept annoyed and abashed with not so able treatments and their billings. Will it not be accessible for you to acquisition the capacity and casework of all the dentists of your breadth in one abode so that you can actual calmly analyze them, baddest one and get arrangement from home itself? HealthSouk.com, with its bargain dental affairs California, makes it accessible for you. It is accessible for bodies to alternate or avoid visiting a dental affliction dispensary for the capital acumen of cost. But there are abounding dental affliction alms cheap dental plans in California to animate you for approved checkups.

?These bargain affairs accomplish it affordable for you to acceptance aerial affection analysis offered by better dental clinics in the city. The fee would be actual low for both alone and family. The dental abatement plan California best apparel retirees, baby employers, cocky active and anyone who does not authority dental insurance. This bargain dental plan functions agnate to an allowance plan to accredit you to accommodate the dental affliction costs the atomic to pay. The dental abatement plan California makes the prices affordable. You are provided with a arrangement of awful accomplished and credential dentists who are specialists as well. They accede to abutment you in extenuative up to 60% of the dental fee which includes a advanced ambit of dental affliction advantage like X-rays, crowns, cleanings and abundantly appropriate services.

The plan additionally enables you to anon acceptance by accepting acceptance quickly. There are altered types of cheap dental plans in California. Based on your requirements you can accept the plan and accept in the discount. There is additionally a ancestors abatement plan for dental care. With this plan, now there is no cat-and-mouse for hours calm in queues, no anniversary limits, not deductibles and you can alike use FSA/HAS. The online sources will add accredit you to analysis your analysis and its estimated cost. This will accredit you to get an abstraction about the costs and abatement you will get to the adapted treatment. So artlessly book your arrangement and booty the analysis after aggravation your budget.

?

Source: http://articlepdq.com/health-fitness/medicine/healthy-smile-with-cheap-dental-plans-in-california/

iOS 6 Features big brother Shakira chick fil a chick fil a iOS 6 bank of america

Canadian Military History ? Friday Roundup: News, Archives, and ...

The Friday Roundup is a weekly feature that offers a look at news,?archive, and worthwhile links around the web on the study?of War and Society. This week`s documentary,?War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death,?investigates?how American politicians have manipulated the media and opinions of Americans to pursue military goals. We as a society should always ask our politicians about their real intentions for taking their country into war. Have Americans been?deceived?by their political leaders? Can this supposed game of deception be transplanted to other countries such as Canada or European nations?

Have a safe and happy New Year. ???

Research

International Security Relations Network

A modern security forum that provides a well balanced approach to today?s security issues. Based in Zurich, the site deals with security issues from a largely European perspective, which provides an interesting counterpoint to the U.S. perspective that dominates discussion within North America. While there are no links to primary source documents, the reports and blogs are well written and on interesting topics that can offer anyone a stepping stone to explore a topic of interest.

?

News

Professor turns to Music to Help Soldiers Heal

Music?therapy has grown rapidly over the past few decades as a practical method to treat a number of mental illnesses and conditions. Now a professor from Queen?s University believes that the medicinal power of music can help Canada?s veterans overcome Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

?

General Interest provided by H-Net

Napoleon?s march into Russia was not Defeated by the winter or the Russians

The popular views that the Russians and Russian winter had defeated Napoleon?s?Grande Arm?e has been challenged by recent?archaeological?findings that suggest disease may have played a much more significant role in the disintegration of Napoleon?s forces. The author argues that it was Napoleon?s time in Poland that was most devastating to his army due to a rampant?epidemic?of typhus caused by very unsanitary conditions. These new findings will be sure to stir up discussions and new research on one of the most famous military campaigns in history.

?

Documentary of the Week

?

Tags: Featured

Source: http://www.canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/friday-roundup-news-archives-and-useful-links-on-the-study-of-war-and-society-december-28th-2012/

anderson cooper fourth of july Jason Terry IFE Fireworks 2012 4th Of July independence day BET Awards 2012

A Millicent house has been sold ? millicentnow

The house in Fourth Street, Millicent.

The house in Fourth Street, Millicent.

A house in Fourth Street, Millicent was listed as ?sold? according to a posting which was placed yesterday (Friday) on an industry website.

The home was sold by a real estate firm based in Millicent.

In all, there have been nine house sales in Millicent and district by various agents so far in December according to the industry website.

Among the properties to have changed hands this month are a small Tantanoola cottage as well as a Rendelsham dwelling which was formerly the town?s general store.

December?s sales have been achieved at auction and by private treaty.

Local agents have also sold a small farming land parcel at Sebastapol as well as housing blocks at Hatherleigh.

FEATURES

The agents stated the Fourth Street house had the following features.

RENOVATED HOME IN A GREAT RESIDENTIAL AREA, FEATURING:
? DECKED FRONT VERANDAH
? VERY SPACIOUS OPEN LIVING MODERN KITCHEN, DINING AND FAMILY AREA WITH SLOW COMBUSTION WOOD HEATING AND REVERSE CYCLE AIR CONDITIONING
? THREE BEDROOMS, MAIN BEDROOM WITH ENSUITE BATHROOM AND WALKIN ROBE
? MODERN BATHROOM WITH FEATURE OVAL SPA BATH, SHOWER AND SEP TOILET
? FAMILY AREA HAS SLIDING DOOES OUT TO
? PERGOLA/ENTERTAINING AREA, WITH STONE WALLS
? COLOURBOND GARAGE AND GI TOOLSHED
? 5000 GALLS RAINWATER TO THE HOUSE
? BORE TO TOILET, MAINS WATER AVAILABLE
? FULLY FENCED REAR YARD

Millicentnow will continue to publish bulletins at least twice a day throughout the holiday season (including all weekends and public holidays).

Source: http://millicentnow.com.au/2012/12/29/a-millicent-house-has-been-sold/

anchorman capybara duggars peter facinelli bobby rush supreme court justices 19 kids and counting

শুক্রবার, ২৮ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Iraq militia issues threat against Turkish interests

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi militia on Thursday issued a threat against Turkish interests in Iraq, responding to what it described as Turkey's "blatant interference" in the country's internal affairs.

Relations between Turkey and Iraq have been deteriorating over the past year, with the two countries trading accusations of inciting sectarian tensions, and summoning each other's ambassadors in tit-for-tat maneuvers.

Ankara has angered Baghdad by cultivating close ties with Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, which has defied the central government by signing contracts with foreign oil firms.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan this week accused Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki's government of behaving in a sectarian manner and warned Iraq was in danger of being plunged into strife like that in neighboring Syria.

"We refute and denounce the recent comments of the Turkish prime minister and consider them a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Iraq," read a statement released by Asaib al-Haq, which carried out some of the most prominent attacks on foreigners during the Iraq war.

"Any attempt to rip apart (Iraq's national fabric) by playing on sectarianism and spreading the poison of division damages the interests of all, and whoever does this will not be safe from harm."

Asaib al-Haq fighters broke away from anti-U.S. Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. The militia, one of several in Iraq, is well-organized but its numbers are unknown.

Another source of tension between Baghdad and Ankara is the presence in Turkey of fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who has been sentenced to death in Baghdad on charges of running death squads.

Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim who fled to Turkey earlier this year when Shi'ite-led Iraqi authorities sought his arrest, has denied the charges against him and accused Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim, of conducting a political witch-hunt against Sunni opponents.

(Reporting by Suadad al-Salhy; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-militia-issues-threat-against-turkish-interests-175610493.html

chris carter superbowl 2012 kickoff time what time is the super bowl 2012 nfl mvp lana del rey snl performance nick diaz sheryl sandberg

Chicago parking meters will be US's most expensive (Providence Journal)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273274410?client_source=feed&format=rss

tupac back tax deadline death race buffet rule carlos santana baa dodgers triple play

The Ugly Duckling House | DIY Home Improvement Blog: Many ...

A little before and after this week seems like just the thing I need to feel like I'm back at my usual DIY programming (and the last project I'm likely to finish before #DIYcember ends).

I thought about painting the door ages ago and couldn't make up my mind. ?I was loving all of the inspired images I found on Pinterest for black interior doors... but there just never seemed to be the right time to make this little project happen. ?Then, just as tidy little projects tend to do... I got a wild hair and thought, why the hell not today?
And so it began, night after night, coat after coat. ?Thin coats sure take a while, but they're the best way to reach desired results.
Finally, after a fourth (!) coat on the door, I have updated something in the house just over a 2-year window of first imagining it. ?Huh. ?Imagine that.

After screwing the door hardware back on, I decided I liked?loved the brass on the glossy black door. ?The hinges are painted over from when they were painted ivory (somewhere around the dawn of time, give or take a decade), so that will have to be a problem to solve on another day.

Painting a paneled door is pretty simple. ?To make it look as professional as possible, you should paint the door in the following stages:


Start with the inside panels, painting the boxes first and then the center panels. ?From there, paint the middle section of the door, first starting with the vertical, then the horizontal sections. ?Finally, paint the outer part of the door. ?Your brush strokes should be in the same directions as in the image above. ?For my project, I used a small foam roller (for doors and furniture) and an angled paint brush.
The paint itself was Rustoleum's Painter's Touch in gloss black and stuck exceptionally well (I did a scratch test after the first coat, but since latex will peel off of oil-based paints, make sure you know what you're painting. ?A cotton ball soaked in denatured alcohol will help you prevent a lot of frustration?like Allison from House of Hepworths unfortunately experienced). ?I only needed a half pint (I love how tiny these cans are) but used all of it, and looked more like navy blue as it was being applied. ?I would have been okay with a slightly bluish hue, but after only a few minutes, the paint dried to a perfect black. ?Easy to paint, easy to clean up, and a dramatic upgrade to boring off-white! ?Next up: the staircase.

Sarah

Source: http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/2012/12/many-shades-of-black_28.html

celebration church new york auto show 2012 tulsa easter eggs pineapple upside down cake free ecards flying car

বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৭ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Therapists Spill: My New Year's Resolution | World of Psychology

Therapists Spill: My New Years Resolution The end of the year is a time for self-reflection, while the beginning brings a clean slate, hope and new-found motivation, said Deborah Serani, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist and author of the book Living with Depression.

That?s why so many people use this time to create resolutions. In our monthly series, ?Therapists Spill,? we wanted to know what goals clinicians are setting for their fresh starts.

For instance, Serani is setting both personal and professional goals ? with an emphasis on realistic resolutions.

I like to set realistic goals for myself each year. Some are personal, like exercising more and eating better. Others are professional, such as researching a new subject or presenting at a conference. Of course, I don?t always achieve all these goals. But for me, I know that thinking about change leads me toward change. And that?s a good way to start the year.

Joyce Marter, a psychotherapist and owner of Urban Balance, has three resolutions for the new year, which focus on gratitude, mindfulness and self-care.

I very much believe in the power of gratitude as a way to encourage positive thinking and good energy that will attract blessings, such as positive people, experiences and opportunities in the New Year.

I love the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and Eckhart Tolle and am committed to continue developing my practices of meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga and other mindfulness techniques to anchor myself in the present. Mindfulness practices keep me from obsessing from the past or worrying about the future and also help me be more aware of my emotional and physical state. I find that when I am rooted in the present, I am more conscious and better able to detach from my ego and live my life authentically.

As a mother in a care-taking profession, I have a bad habit of putting my needs last, to a fault.? Therefore, I am committed to a lifelong journey of practicing healthy self-love. To help myself with this goal in 2013, I put a small, framed picture of myself as a baby on my nightstand.? Each morning, I look at it and set intentions for self-care for the day (healthy diet, exercise, rest, fun, etc.).

Somehow, it is easier for me to validate my self-care if I take a moment to reflect that I am that precious child in the photo ? and that as an adult, I have the responsibility to take the very best care of myself so that I can live a healthy life personally and professionally.

Gratitude also is a goal for John Duffy, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author of the book The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens.

In 2013, my plan is to be present, in each moment, and to be grateful. There are many, many things I intend to accomplish in the coming year, but if I can achieve presence and gratitude, I am confident that all else will fall into place beautifully.

Ryan Howes, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, California, takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to setting resolutions.

I hate to be contrarian, but resolutions sort of drive me crazy. Part of me loves to target areas to improve, while another part strives for self-acceptance. New Year?s resolutions force me to pit these competing drives against each other. For this reason, I usually avoid making resolutions, but this year I?ll make an exception:

1. Run a 40 minute 10K

2. Measure happiness qualitatively, not quantitatively

3. Get a book deal

4. Be less goal oriented; enjoy the journey

5. Increase Facebook fans

6. Increase humility

7. Change bad habits

8. Accept self as-is

Jeffrey Sumber, M.A., a psychotherapist, author and teacher, resolves to focus on the people in his life for 2013.

Something I intend for the new year is to give more attention and care to my relationships rather than acquiring things, doing things or being someone I think I should be. I want to honor the people in my life and remember that they are the most important part of my life.

Christina G. Hibbert, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and postpartum mental health expert, doesn?t set goals. Instead, she sets a theme for each new year.

I do have a main ?goal? for 2013 ? to see the publishing of my book, This is How We Grow. But really, I don?t set ?goals? or ?resolutions? for the New Year. It?s actually something I share in my book ? several years ago, in an attempt to get away from the too-easily forgotten New Year?s ?resolutions,? I developed instead a yearly theme.

This theme would serve as my one ?resolution? for the entire year and give me focused, extended practice in mastering it. A few of my past year?s themes include: humility, charity, patience, gratitude, love, and joy.

At the end of each year I spend time reading through my past year?s journal (I?m an avid journal-keeper), allowing myself to reflect on what I?ve learned, where I am, and where I need to be headed. This helps me determine what my theme for the next year will be. Sometimes I know my theme a couple months before; often, I don?t know it until January 1!

So, what will my theme be for 2013? Right now I?m leaning toward ?Optimism,? but, since I haven?t done my ?year in review,? if you really want to know my 2013 theme, you?ll have to tune in to my blog in January and find out!

These resolutions have one thing in common: They focus on each person?s values. Whether you?re setting resolutions this year or not, consider striving for a life that honors what?s important to you and isn?t shaped by shoulds. Consider creating a life that respects your needs and wishes.

?

2013 photo available from Shutterstock

Margarita TartakovskyMargarita Tartakovsky, M.S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog, Weightless.

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. (or subscribe to their feed).



????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Dec 2012
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Tartakovsky, M. (2012). Therapists Spill: My New Year?s Resolution. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 27, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/26/therapists-spill-my-new-years-resolution/

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/26/therapists-spill-my-new-years-resolution/

james van der beek dyngus day indonesia quake stephen strasburg shabazz legion baby found alive in morgue

Red Carpet Roundup: Les Miserables

Send me deals for

? See today's deal Close

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926559/news/1926559/

southland sopa blackout protect ip act jim caldwell internet blackout jessica capshaw seattle times

US rejects No Child Left Behind waiver for Calif.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP file

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered states waivers last year, saying No Child Left Behind forced school districts 'into one-size-fits-all solutions that just don't work.'

By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News

California has become apparently only the second state ? and by far the largest ? to be denied a waiver of requirements of the No Child Left Behind education program, state officials said.

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have won waivers from provisions of the 2001 law, one of the signature achievements of the administration of former President George W. Bush, while nine other states and Puerto Rico have received conditional approval or have applications pending, according to the U.S. Education Department.

The agency doesn't publicize which states have been turned down, but Iowa is the only other state to have publicly acknowledged that it has been rejected.


California officials got the news Friday by telephone, The San Jose Mercury News reported, quoting Michael Kirst, president of the state Board of Education.

Kirst told the Mercury News that California's unwillingness to tie teacher evaluations to student test scores was what sank the state's request.

Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com

The denial wasn't a surprise ? Kirst and state school Superintendent Tom Torlakson warned local administrators in an open letter Friday (.pdf) that federal officials had indicated that California's request would be turned down.

No Child Left Behind

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have won waivers from the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. Nine states (in addition to the Puerto Rico) have received conditional approval or have requests pending:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Texas
- West Virginia

Two states are known to have been rejected:
-California
- Iowa

Five states haven't requested waivers or have withdrawn their requests:
-Montana
- Nebraska
- Pennsylvania (plans to request a waiver at a later date)
- Vermont
- Wyoming

Sources: U.S. Education Department; California Education Department; San Jose Mercury News; State of Iowa

"It is disappointing that our state's request ? which enjoyed such strong support from parents, teachers, administrators, and education advocates across California ? has apparently been rejected," Torlakson said in a separate statement.

Authorization for No Child Left Behind ? formal title: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA ? expired in 2007, and Congress hasn't acted to rewrite or refresh it. Last year, the Education Department told the states that they could apply for waivers pending a new law because the current law was "forcing districts into one-size-fits-all solutions that just don't work," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said at the time.

In the meantime, the old law continues to impose student test score standards that keep rising every year, to the point that many states say they're unrealistic in 2012. Critics contend that the law locks states into inflexible standards focused solely on reading and math, neglecting subjects like social studies, the arts, health and physical education.

Majority of states lining up to ditch No Child Left Behind

The old standards require a 100 percent rate of proficiency on standardized reading and math tests by 2014. The penalty for falling short is loss of federal funding for schools serving low-income children.

"On behalf of millions of parents, teachers, administrators and community members who fight for all children every day, we urge you to join us in prioritizing education by coming together to reauthorize and fix No Child Left Behind. We've waited long enough," Betsy Landers, president of the National PTA, wrote in an open letter to President Barack Obama last month.

Torlakson agreed, telling state educators: "The appropriate solution is for Congress to reauthorize the ESEA, replace its inflexible requirements with provisions that accommodate the differences in state policy approaches, and give districts adequate flexibility to improve student achievement."

But that doesn't appear likely to happen any time soon, with Congress transfixed by the looming "fiscal cliff" and immigration reform.

"At the moment, it's unclear if there is a real commitment and consensus in Congress for reauthorizing," Duncan told the Council of Chief State School Officers in a speech last month. "I wish there was a clear commitment and consensus."

More content from NBCNews.com:

Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/26/16171331-us-turns-down-no-child-left-behind-waiver-for-california?lite

barcelona vs real madrid Johnny Depp Dead college football rankings Steel Magnolias Niels Bohr the Rumble 2012 Columbus Day 2012

Masters Mansion

Masters Mansion

"Master said you may leave when you love. Master is always right. Master knows best. Master loves you."

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Masters Mansion?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Masters Mansion"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

User avatar
DandelionDelia
Member for 0 years




May I have Girl 2?

You never know whats right around the corner for you...

User avatar
graphicromantics
Member for 0 years


Question: Do they know who they are paired with? As in, are they specifically paired with someone in the roleplay, or is that just for the roleplayers to know how the story is to progress? And if the first one, are the characters aware of who they are paired with? Sorry if that didn't make any sense. :3

User avatar
UniqueYetUnoriginal
Member for 0 years



Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: 0neTailedf0x, AceofSpade*, Adantas, Addrinvan*, Ahri, Akantha, Alasund De'astio, Allan Walker, allimagination, Anastasia's Arrow*, Annalee2010*, AntleredRabbit, Anuwa*, ArabellaDemonte*, Areomancer, arequiemforlove, ArgoYamato, Aryutsuki*, Asher MstrImmortalis*, Astral Weeks, AthaNielsen*, AuroraDawn*, AvengerSpirit*, Azrieldemourn*, bandgeek*, Banshee*, BeautifulDisaster*, birdguard, Blackbird26*, BleedingLover, BlueWind_22, BrienaSkysong, Bromander Shepard*, C4L3N, Canibelle, Carlos_Joaquin*, chaoticcarrot, ChaoticMarin*, CharlotteV, CherryRed, Cheshire_Cat*, chrono*, cirrus_sd, Cloasse*, code6435*, CoffeeLorencia, CookieCupcake, CptxMorgan*, create_something, CreativityIsPower*, CriminalMinds, Crooked Thoughts, Curtsive*, CussingChild*, CuteAsKaylah*, D.Angel*, Daakukage, DandelionDelia*, DarknessUndying*, Daxion*, dealing with it, delfiler, DemiKara*, desire99600, Devil Within*, Diarmuid O'Dyna*, Digital_Muse*, Dmitrij Rosha, DocBlargle, Draruto, Dreamalot106*, Dreaming Dead*, Drogyn*, DustAndEchoes, Dustybrook Tom*, EmperorCaesar*, Essence, Exabot [Bot], FamishedPants, Floorgan*, flying monkey child, FoolMeOnce, Forget~Me~Not*, FrostedFlames, fullmetal642*, FullMetalBoy*, gezzygezzy, Ghost_Scar, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, GotDraggedIntoThis*, graphicromantics*, Gustof26*, Half-Dragon*, Hallowed777*, Harlequin Smile, Heirii13*, Himekura, Horseygirl, imabig875*, JacintoRain, Jadebud98*, Jakuri-chan, JayZeroSnake, JEDH3*, Just Sayin', Kai, KameJLa*, Kawaii Desu*, kelsiikhaos*, Ken Shiro, kexia, KulasLightShadow*, Kuroe, Lacrimiya*, Lady Inali, LazuliMetempsychosis*, legacy14*, Lenyx*, Liberator600*, lilyboo12*, Little Fox, LittleMissGeorgia*, Lost Whisper, LostRiver, LuckyNumber24*, Lufia*, Luna Delta*, Marcus*, masato22, Mastadill*, Mathew Littlepaw*, Mephisto, Merusagon*, Michaelis_xXx_Elly*, Midnightclub*, Mishie*, Miss_Dreamer, mjlavalleejr, Monroe, Moonbow*, Morgan, Mrs. Sara Banner*, MsCatnipz*, MSN [Bot], MSNbot Media, Nami L'Chi, NasiaWords, NateStei*, Natzalia*, Nemmy826*, Nemo, Nightmaric_Angel*, Nikolai, November Rain*, Nulix*, Oborosen*, OFortune*, Opposite-Proclaimer*, OrphicTrumpeter*, OurStars*, OxiriusZoom*, PeaceEntropy*, pieluver, Polarisbear12*, PrinceSakuma, Princess Awinita*, Pyramids*, Qaida*, qbsuperstar03, Quitelovely487*, RacoonMoon()*, RedWolfe*, Rem?us*, Roadkill923*, ROFLMAO FTW*, Romaneck, Roxas_13*, Runika*, Rylie Renae*, Sammael*, saphiresyphira*, Scarlet Loup*, Script, Seveneleven*, shadereen*, Shadetree76, Shanatos, Shaodow*, Shiki29*, silver0lilly*, SkullsandSlippers*, slcam, Sneakyrio*, spayce, Specialist443*, St. Valentine*, StandardFiend, Stark Contrast, Starlight77*, StarMorrison, Starryskies*, Starsailor*, Stella11, Stilts, Suezanne*, SugarPlum2*, Sunlite, Sweet Angel Jocelyn, T1ra, Tainted Twinkee, Taroo, Temple*, TerrorofDeathSkeith, Tessla, The Great Thundorz, The Magic Hobo*, The Painkiller*, The(Doctor)Horrible*, thebagel264*, TheChaplain*, TheEclips3*, TheFlag*, TheMaster*, tigerking1292*, Tiko*, Tinkers, TommyGirl, True Grave, Tsukiakari*, twi-twi, Tylerjohnny1*, UniqueYetUnoriginal*, Varyar, Vestiline*, ViceRicePres, vilevixen, Vinn, Vinno1234*, VitaminHeart*, ViviOrunitiaFF9*, Walsh1977*, WalterF*, WaltJRimmer*, warthog*, wolfoftheage*, Wudgeous, xDarkTiger Rose*, xoxMissClairexox*, Yahoo [Bot], Yolo, Zaya06*, Zenia*, zeno3111*, Zodia195*, zukinchanx3

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/uePi8r-T9v8/viewtopic.php

wrestlemania 28 game of thrones season 2 dierks bentley kenny chesney academy of country music awards brad paisley zac brown band

বুধবার, ২৬ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

5 Ways to Improve Your Point-of-Sale Security

Many business owners think that meeting the basic requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) protocols will keep their point-of-sale systems from being hacked. But here?s the truth: hacking into retailer POS systems is a recurring problem worldwide, even for retailers who meet PCI DSS standards.


In just the last couple of years, several high-profile cases have received media coverage:

  • In late 2011, a scheme was discovered that involved hackers from Romania stealing credit card data from hundreds of POS systems, including those from 150 Subway franchises. More than 146,000 cards were compromised, and losses have been estimated at up to $10 million.
  • In September 2012, hackers got into POS systems in 63 Barnes & Noble stores in nine states. The company removed POS card readers from all its stores while the incident was investigated.
  • In December 2012, an Israeli security firm found a strain of malware infecting hundreds of POS systems in 40 countries. By injecting malware into a system?s iexplore.exe file on Windows servers, the malware hijacked data that could be used for cloning credit cards.

Countless other cases of POS ?hacking? come from insiders: your employees. Keeping on top of POS security is essential for every business. Here are 5 ways to improve your POS security.

1. Know Your Enemy

Awareness is the first step toward POS security. Key methods for hacking a POS system include:

  • Targeting systems that lack firewall protection between hackers and terminal or Windows RDP services
  • Gaining remote system access using tools like PCAnywhere on ?back of house? servers
  • Finding systems using default vendor-supplied credentials for OS and remote applications

Systems are frequently hacked by criminals who are employed seasonally or temporarily, particularly in restaurants and bars. Dave Marcus, security research director at McAfee Labs, said in an interview with Ars Technica, ?This is the crime of the future. Robbing a retailer won?t involve holding up a cash register at gunpoint, but rather root[ing] them from across the planet, and steal[ing] digitally.?

2. Assess Your Risks

PCI DSS Requirements version 12.1.2 requires organizations to develop formal processes for identifying vulnerabilities that reduce security of cardholder data. A customized risk assessment can help businesses determine which specific controls are best suited for protecting cardholder data for their business. Not only should organizations have a formal risk assessment methodology suited for its particular vulnerabilities, it? should treat risk assessment as an ongoing process so that information about emerging threats can be addressed through preventive measures. Risk assessments are important, but they are not a substitute for implementing all applicable PCI DSS requirements.

3. PA-DSS Validate Applications

PA-DSS stands for Payment Application Data Security Standard. Validation under PA-DSS can help merchants protect customer data by improving security controls and supporting PCI DSS compliance, as well as securing maintenance and updating capabilities. When properly installed and maintained, PA-DSS validation gives retailers a long-term solution to POS security issues. But if PA-DSS validation isn?t installed, configured, and maintained correctly, it won?t provide much (if any) benefit.

4. Consider Training Under the Qualified Integrators and Resellers Program

The PCI Council now has a Qualified Integrators and Resellers (QIR) program for improving POS security. Eligible professionals in qualifying organizations can receive training about secure installation of PA-DSS validation applications to boost PCI DSS security compliance. QIR training educates retail professionals on guiding principles and procedures for securely installing and maintaining payment applications to maximize PCI DSS compliance.

5. No Default Passwords

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman learned how to crack safes while working on the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. Like any good scientist, he tried out the simplest methods first: checking safes with the written original factory combinations on the gamble that nobody bothered to change them. And, in several instances, he was right. A surprising number of POS systems use the factory passwords because retailers don?t bother to change them, and this is a huge security risk. Not only should factory passwords be changed, subsequent passwords should be changed regularly. Often, cracking a POS system relies on the retailer being lazy about password implementation and changes.

Whether you?re implementing your first POS system, or are upgrading with a new one, cardholder security should be a top priority and should be an ongoing ? rather than a one-time ? concern.

Photo Credit: Gilbarco Veeder-Root

Jessica Simpson's Christmas gift: She's pregnant

(AP) ? Jessica Simpson's daughter has the news all spelled out: "Big Sis."

Simpson on Tuesday tweeted a photo of her baby daughter Maxwell playing in the sand, the words "Big Sis" spelled out.

The 32-year-old old singer and personality has been rumored to be expecting again. The tweet appears to confirm the rumors.

"Merry Christmas from my family to yours" is the picture's caption. Simpson used a tweet on Halloween in 2011 to announce she was pregnant with Maxwell. She is engaged to Eric Johnson and gave birth to Maxwell in May.

One possible complication regarding her pregnancy: She is a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-25-People-Jessica%20Simpson/id-ccd2dcda58704785944fd34e0e023388

collateral dick cheney heart umf elite eight stephon marbury the lion king suzanne collins

মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Websites Skew Prices Based on Where You Live

Depending on where you live, Staples might try to sell you a more expensive stapler. The Wall Street Journal has conducted an Important Investigation and found that a lot of online retailers vary their pricing based on the buyer's location. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MlgnWi4ecwg/websites-skew-prices-based-on-where-you-live

ryan leaf ryan leaf luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox

How To Set Up All Your Kickass New Gear

Someone out there must think you're pretty special if you got such great gadgety goodness for Christmas. Now all you have to do get it up and running. Don't worry: we've got you covered.
More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/E1BY2NcFs-4/how-to-set-up-all-your-kickass-new-gear

sarah palin today show dallas tornado video 1940 census instagram for android dallas news dallas fort worth dfw

johir.khan: Self-Improvement Affirmations with Self-Hypnosis Audios ...

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Source: http://newmanvito.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/johirkhan-self-improvement-affirmations-with-self-hypnosis-audios.html

jon jones vs rashad evans earth day 2012 jon jones rashad evans ufc jones vs evans watergate mlb pregnant man