Book review: Cooking for Geeks.

Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food
by Jeff Potter
O?Reilly Media, 2010

We have entered the time of year during which finding The Perfect Gift for family members and friends can become something of an obsession. Therefore, in coming days, I?ll be sharing some recommendations.

If you have family members and friends on your gifting list who are interested in science or interested in food (or interested in both science and food), then Cooking for Geeks is a book to give them that will have an impact that lingers for much longer on the palate than your run-of-the-mill book.

Partly this is because Cooking for Geeks is organized more like a manual (with sections on equipment, ?inputs?, relevant variables for different cooking methods, etc.) than a linear narrative. Indeed, the book is also an astounding collection of fun things to try, whether with ingredients, cooking methods, equipment, or your own taste buds. There are at least a hundred science fair project ideas lurking within these 432 pages ? although good luck to the kid who tries to pry this book away from the grown-ups, who will want to try the potential experiments themselves. Jeff Potter?s clear and engaging descriptions of issues like the chemistry and mechanics of leavening, strategies for adapting the kitchen equipment you have to perform the tasks you want to perform, or ways to avoid foodborne illness are interspersed with his interviews with food geeks of various sorts sharing their expertise, their recipes, and their enthusiasm for digging deeper and learning why things work the way they do. Basically, it?s almost a transcript of what I imagine would be the geekiest dinner party ever, and an invitation to recreate a piece of it in your own kitchen with your own friends.

There is so much good stuff in here that it?s actually a bit overwhelming. Here?s a tasting-menu of some of my favorite features:

• A hands-on way to compare the levels of gluten in different kinds of flour (page 220).
• Discussions of different culinary solvents, including the use of alcohol and water to isolate different compounds from the same raw materials in a bitters recipe (page 296), and the use of ?fat-washing? alcohols (page 292).
• An algorithm to optimize your cutting of a cake into not-neccesarily-equal slices in such a way as to satisfy the desires of N people hoping to get a slice of that cake (page 257).
• An examination of factors relevant to the multiplication of bacteria in our food, shedding some light on what makes the ?shelf-stable? items in the pantry less deadly than they might otherwise be ? plus an exhortation to remember basic physics when deciding how to safely store foods in the refrigerator (page 162).
• A discussion of why marshmallows made with methylcellulose melt when they are cooled rather than when they are heated (pages 316-317), including a recipe so you can try this at home.
• A graph (page 159) comparing cooking methods by rate of heat transfer (plotting minutes to raise the center of uniform pieces of tofu 54 ^oC versus the temperature of the cooking environment). There?s something about a good graph that is deeply satisfying.
• An examination why it matters what the bowl is made of when you?re whisking egg whites in it (page 253), as well as recipes for French Meringue and Italian Meringue which discuss why a slight difference in method can lead to a pronounced difference in texture (page 255).
• In the eternal batter between weight and volume, a persuasive empirical case for measuring ingredients by weight (page 62).
• Lots of discussion of the five primary tastes (bitter, sour, umami, sweet, and salty), including charts with suggestions on what to add to a dish to increase each of them ? and another chart with suggestions for how to counteract a primary taste with which you?ve gone too far (page 115).
• A discussion of the basis vectors for wine-food pairings and how to isolate them empirically (using lemon juice, sugar water, tea, and vodka) to taste your dish and figure out what kind of wine will go well with it. (page 89)
• The recipes for crepes (pages 68-69), pumpkin cake (page 249), and chocolate panna cotta that uses agar rather than gelatin (page 311).
• Suggestions for compounds you can play with (including lactisole, miraculin, and the humble Peppermint Lifesaver) that will mess with your taste receptors in interesting ways (pages 109-110).

A lovely feature of this book is that it makes no assumptions about the reader?s level of comfort or competence in the kitchen. Rather, it presents food and cooking as a realm where the newbie can learn some important principles (that also happen to be cool) and where the experienced cook can learn even more. Maybe the experienced cook has a larger store of ?common wisdom,? but Potter puts lots of that common wisdom to empirical test to see just how wise it is. Moreover, the newbie may be in a better position to violate recipes and use methods ?the wrong way? to discover what happens when you do.

As well, Cooking for Geeks makes no assumptions about just what kind of geek the reader might be. There is certainly a lot of real chemistry, physics, and engineering in this book (not to mention a healthy dose of biology), but all of it is presented in an accessible way, inviting the reader who is not (for example) a chemistry geek to use food as a reason to start taking chemistry more seriously.

Cooking for Geeks would make a fabulous gift for a curious person who?s interested in food or cooking. It pairs nicely with Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater?s Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate and a quad-ruled notebook.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=fa1547b20b9e61cde3467e6049be257f

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A Skin Cancer Detection & Prevention Chart, Designed by I Heart Guts

Wendy Bryan of I Heart Guts recently created a great chart to help people learn how to detect the signs of skin cancer early and how they can take steps to prevent it.

They are looking for feedback on the chart from dermatologists:

We?d love to get feedback on our latest public service announcement, this one all about skin cancer ? fun, fun, fun! Any comments or advice will be greatly appreciated and repaid with our love and admiration for your mad skillz as a smartypants derm.

art by I Heart Guts

Source: http://laughingsquid.com/a-skin-cancer-detection-prevention-chart-designed-by-i-heart-guts/

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White Fiberglasss, Century camper top, fits 2003 Ford shortbed stepside.

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://maysv-www2.maysville-online.com/mobile-classified/ads/29415219/?market=admarket

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Charge the Zombie Review: Run, Don?t Shamble, Towards This iPhone Game

Price: $2.99 ? ? Score: 9/10 ? ? Category: Games

Charge the Zombie is an iPhone game developed by?Pavel Tarabrin?of Synaptic Wave. Your goal: destroy hordes of rampaging zombies that wanna eat you up!

You could be forgiven for thinking that the gameplay in Charge the Zombie would be all about charging into a horde of the undead, but the opposite is actually the case. You stay holed up in your house, and use a lightning rod that?s up on your roof to fry the zombs into a crispy, gooey mess.

Controls are tap-based. A quick tap can send a quick, stunning blast of electricity to the enemy, while holding down on the zombie allows for a longer energy burst that will kill ?em, instead of just knocking them out. You?ll need to strategize the best way to take out the horde, but expect to use both taps and longer blasts to take them all out.

As the game progresses, you will unlock additional weapons. Beyond your lightning strikes, you can also summon earthquakes, land mines, and freezing powers. That?s good news, because the zombies get better equipped as the game goes on, too.

The overall sound design in Charge the Zombie is good. The background music is inoffensive enough, but what really works are the sound effects for the weapons and the zombies. They make a really satisfying plop when they burst open!

If you?ve ever spent a summer evening watching bugs get zapped by the zapper on your front porch, then you?ll love seeing the zombies in this iPhone game get zapped, too. Charge the Zombie is a great time waster with solid controls, fun graphics, and tons of power ups to keep things fresh.

Charge the Zombie?is compatible?with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Source: http://www.tapscape.com/charge-the-zombie-iphone-game-review/

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Van Gogh, John Lennon letters coming to NY auction

NEW YORK (AP) ? An upcoming auction of over 300 historical documents includes rare letters written by Vincent van Gogh, George Washington, John Lennon and other iconic figures.

The property of an anonymous American collector is being offered by Profiles in History in an online and phone auction on Dec. 18.

Among the highlights is a two-page letter from Washington to an Anglican clergyman.

Another top item is a signed van Gogh letter, written in 1890, to Joseph and Marie Ginoux, who were proprietors of the Cafe de la Gare in Arles, France, where the Dutch post-impressionist artist lived for a time.

Each of those letters is estimated to bring $200,000 to $300,000.

A handwritten letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.

The collection will be exhibited Dec. 3-9 at Douglas Elliman's Madison Avenue art gallery.

Washington's letter was written on Aug. 15, 1798, to the Rev. Jonathan Boucher, amid an undeclared naval war with France. Washington thanks Boucher for sending him his "View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution," a book of 13 discourses Boucher preached.

"Peace, with all the world is my sincere wish, I am sure it is our true policy ? and am persuaded it is the ardent desire of the Government," the former president and Founding Father wrote.

In a Jan. 20, 1890, four-page letter, handwritten in French to his friends Monsieur and Madame Ginoux, van Gogh wishes the ailing proprietress a speedy recovery.

"Illnesses are there to make us remember again that we are not made of wood," the artist wrote. "That's what seems the good side of all this to me. Then afterwards one goes back to one's everyday work less fearful of the annoyances, with a new store of serenity." Van Gogh died less than seven months later.

He suffered from acute anxiety and bouts of depression throughout his life. Madame Ginoux and the cafe were frequent subjects of his work.

The eight-page letter from Lennon is a draft he wrote to Clapton on Sept. 29, 1971, and signed "John and Yoko." The whereabouts of the final version is unknown.

Lennon writes candidly about his admiration for the great British guitarist and suggests forming a "'nucleus' group (Plastic Ono Band) . ? and of course had YOU!!! In mind as soon as we decided." He writes that drummer Jim Kelnter, artist Klaus Voormann, pianist Nicky Hopkins and producer Phil Spector "all agreed so far" to join.

"Anyway, the point is, after missing the Bangla-Desh concert, we began to feel more and more like going on the road, but not the way I used with the Beatles ? night after night of torture. We mean to enjoy ourselves, take it easy, and maybe even see some of the places we go to! We have many 'revolutionary' ideas for presenting shows that completely involve the audience ."

Other luminaries whose papers will be sold include Lou Gehrig, Louis Pasteur, Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Giuseppe Verdi, Peter Tchaikovsky, Cole Porter, King Henry II and Napoleon I.

The December auction is the first of several sales that will be held over two years. The entire collection contains 3,000 items.

__

Online:

Information on how to bid is available on www.profilesinhistory.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/van-gogh-john-lennon-letters-coming-ny-auction-112315549.html

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Hit by Drought, Mississippi River May Face More Challenges

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Barges on the Mississippi River in St. Louis on Friday. A plan approved by Congress for maintaining irrigation systems is likely to affect shipping in the region.

The drought of 2012 has already caused restrictions on barge traffic up and down the Mississippi River. But things are about to get a lot worse.

As part of an annual process, the Army Corps of Engineers has begun reducing the amount of water flowing from the upper Missouri River into the Mississippi, all but ensuring that the economically vital river traffic will be squeezed even further. If water levels fall low enough, the transport of $7 billion in agricultural products, chemicals, coal and petroleum products in December and January alone could be stalled altogether.

?Without the river, we?re in a world of hurt,? said Kathy Mathers, a spokeswoman for the Fertilizer Institute. About half of the spring fertilizer that the industry sells to Midwestern farmers travels upriver, she said, and options to get the fertilizer to the fields by other means are few. ?We know the rail cars aren?t there,? she said. The corps reduces water flow from the upper Missouri every year as part of its master plan for maintaining irrigation systems and meeting other water needs of the region, which stretches from Montana to St. Louis. This year the process began on Nov. 11, as the corps began reducing water flows from the Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, S.D. The flow has already been reduced from 37,500 cubic feet per second to 26,500, and will reach 12,000 by Dec. 11.

The plan, approved by Congress, has the power of law. ?We do not have the legal authority to operate the Missouri River solely for the benefits of the Mississippi River,? said Monique Farmer, a spokeswoman for the corps.

Michael Toohey, the chief executive of the Waterways Council, a group that lobbies on behalf of inland carriers, operators and ports, said that argument rings hollow. ?The corps could do it,? he said. ?They have the authority to do it. They don?t have the will to do it.?

Water levels on the Mississippi near St. Louis are approaching record lows ? and whether or not the Coast Guard actually closes down navigation, the effect on shipping will be the same, said Martin Hettel, a senior manager at the American Electric Power River Operations. ?Economics will shut the river down,? he said.

Carriers have so far responded to low water by loading barges with less cargo so that they will ride higher in the water, reducing their own efficiency. But as the river level continues to drop, Mr. Hettel said, ?you can load the barges lighter, but if you don?t have a light-draft towboat you can?t move them.?

The effects, he predicted, will not be felt by businesses alone. ?When the cost of shipping raw materials goes up, the consumer ends up paying for that,? he said.

Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody, the commander of the Mississippi Valley division of the corps, said at a Nov. 16 news conference in St. Louis that the corps has been actively dredging the river and has released smaller amounts of water from other reservoirs, but has to think about long-term response to the drought. ?Some people compare this to a battle,? he said, but ?I compare it to a campaign ? this is not something we can solve in a few days, or a few weeks, or even if a few months if we have a persistent enough drought.? He added, ?We?re going to have to husband our resources for when the situation gets truly dire ? and in my personal estimate, we are not there yet.?

The reservoirs along the upper Missouri are already 20 percent below the levels that normally get the region through the coming year?s drought season and that allow commercial navigation on the Missouri between April and November, said Charles Shadie, chief of the watershed division for the Mississippi Valley division; ?they are already concerned that they may not have a full navigation season on the Missouri next year.?

The corps is also taking on a blasting project, which will allow traffic to proceed despite the low water levels. The project will eliminate rock formations known as pinnacles in Southern Illinois at Thebes and Grand Tower, but the work is not projected to begin until February. Fifteen senators and 62 House members have asked for the government to speed up the process.

Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, who was the principal author of the Senate letter, said that disrupting traffic along the Mississippi, ?has the potential to impact the entire economy along the river ? everything from increasing the cost to move goods to potential job losses.?

He called for President Obama to issue an emergency declaration to increase water flow from the Missouri and to get rid of the pinnacles quickly.

?The only person that?s going to be able help us is the person who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,? Mr. Hettel said. ?Unless we get rain.?

At the St. Louis news conference, General Peabody jokingly recommended an appeal to an even higher authority. ?If anybody knows how to create rain upriver of where we are today, I encourage you to leverage the impact that you have,? he said.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/us/hit-by-drought-mississippi-river-may-face-more-challenges.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Pat Woodbury's roasted clams at BoMA Restaurant + Bar ...

Boston's South End is in the midst of a renaissance as a dining destination: recent hits like Kitchen, Yakitori Zai, and Vejigantes are soon to be joined by newcomers Cinquecento, Boston Chops, Five Horses Tavern, and Estelle's. Into this seething mix comes BoMA Restaurant + Bar, putting a casual accent on the ever-popular locally sourced New American idiom in the space once occupied by Pho Republique. In style, it appears to have borrowed a few decorating tips from close neighbor the Gallows, with its mix of new and reclaimed woods, Edison-bulb lighting, exposed brick, leather banquettes, and quirky art.

The specialty cocktail list features well-made classics like the Boulevardier, here dubbed the "Ryeoni" ($12), a Negroni variant with American straight rye subbing for gin, and originals like the Smoking Margarita ($12), which adds literal smokiness to the classic margarita by using single-village mezcal instead of tequila, and adds heat with muddled fresh jalape?o. The strong hospitality ethos behind the bar is also a major asset. Meanwhile, the kitchen's long suit appears to be its small plates, like good crisp duck-fat French fries ($8) with just enough of the rich flavor of the frying medium squeaking through, served with excellent house-made ketchup with a hint of star anise. An appetizer of roasted Wellfleet littlenecks ($12) is simply outstanding: five beautiful, plump bivalves underlain with a cassoulet-like stew of cranberry beans and chorizo (in the Latin American fresh-sausage style), plus some grilled crostini for sauce-mopping. A brace of tacos ($10) tops soft corn tortillas with slow-cooked short rib, shredded cabbage, and queso a?ejo, a nice riff on Korean-Mexican kalbi truck tacos that could arrive at the table hotter.

Pizzette ($14) is effectively a terrific thin-crust pizza with a fine seasonal combination of toppings, including wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, spinach, and fontina, but an unadvertised drizzle of truffle oil feels superfluous. A large plate of roasted Statler chicken breast ($23) is perfectly done, moist and flavorful, atop a respectable lemony risotto with wild mushrooms. But the kitchen frequently commits small errors: a kale and shaved-fennel salad ($9) reveals not a shred of detectable fennel, leaving a bland result. Grass-fed hanger steak ($26) features generous chunks of nicely charred but quite underdone beef, flanked by Texas hash (a mix of halved fingerling potatoes and roasted beef brisket) and saut?ed kale, all covered with a sprinkling of sweet-potato chips. But the plate is suffused with a unattractive orange puddle of melted chili-garlic butter. A dessert of warm apple-cinnamon bread pudding ($9) features a lovely custardy pudding but is marred by chunks of unpeeled (allegedly local) green apples.

Dining-room service is obviously eager to please but also muffs small details, like leaving empty plates unbussed or dropping off a dessert in a scalding-hot crock without a word of warning. The waitstaff isn't helped by the bar area's physical layout, which on busy nights creates a difficult traffic flow that forces servers to struggle through crowds. Outside of this upmarket urban neighborhood, these blemishes might be easier to overlook, but they start to add up in a restaurant where dinner for two ? a couple of small plates, two entr?es, a dessert, and two short pours of plonky wine by the glass ($8?13) ? can easily exceed $100. BoMA has a lot of charm and promise, and initially works as a fun place for drinks and grazing, but if it hopes to cultivate the repeat business of locals in its increasingly competitive South End setting, both the front and the back of the house will have to add a little more refinement and polish to their game.

BOMA RESTAURANT + BAR ::?1415 Washington St, Boston :: 617.536.2662 or?bomarestaurant.com.

Source: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/food/148089-pat-woodburys-roasted-clams-at-boma-restaurant-/

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Seizures linked to surgery drugs can be prevented by anesthetics, U of T team finds

Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nicole Bodnar
nicole.bodnar@utoronto.ca
416-978-5811
University of Toronto

Two drugs commonly given during cardiac surgery can lead to convulsive seizures, but anesthetics can help cut the risk, according to new research from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Patients undergoing complex heart operations or trauma surgery are often given tranexamic acid (TXA) and aminocaproic acid (EACA) to reduce blood loss. But Faculty of Medicine researchers found these drugs are associated with a four-to-six-fold increase in post-operative seizures. The risk is highest for cardiac surgery patients between three and seven and a half per cent have seizures after arriving in the intensive care unit.

"Many Canadians are treated with these drugs, particularly TXA, each year to decrease bleeding and help patients avoid blood transfusions. Surgeons and anesthesiologists need to be mindful that these drugs can be pro-convulsants," says Beverley Orser, Professor of Physiology and Anesthesiology at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair.

"To decrease a patient's risk of seizure, it's critical to adjust the dose of TXA and EACA. In some cases where the risk of seizures is high, it is advisable to maintain a certain level of anesthetic sedation until the drugs wear off," says Orser, a staff anesthesiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Seizures can cause long-term, permanent neurological problems, increase the risk of stroke and prolong a patient's recovery time.

Clinicians had long been perplexed as to the cause of seizures associated with the use of TXA and EACA. Irene Lecker, a PhD candidate in Orser's laboratory, discovered that these drugs interfere with a naturally occurring anticonvulsant in the brain, glycine, and that widely used anesthetics reverse this interfering effect.

David Mazer, Professor and Vice-Chair of Research in the Department of Anesthesia at University of Toronto and co-investigator on the study, says this research will change the way these drugs are used around the world.

"Now that we understand what's happening inside the brain and the mechanism behind the seizures, we can treat patients better," he says.

Dr. Orser is using these findings, now published in Journal of Clinical Investigation, to work with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre team to develop a new practice of drug administration during and after surgery.

###

The study was funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nicole Bodnar
nicole.bodnar@utoronto.ca
416-978-5811
University of Toronto

Two drugs commonly given during cardiac surgery can lead to convulsive seizures, but anesthetics can help cut the risk, according to new research from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Patients undergoing complex heart operations or trauma surgery are often given tranexamic acid (TXA) and aminocaproic acid (EACA) to reduce blood loss. But Faculty of Medicine researchers found these drugs are associated with a four-to-six-fold increase in post-operative seizures. The risk is highest for cardiac surgery patients between three and seven and a half per cent have seizures after arriving in the intensive care unit.

"Many Canadians are treated with these drugs, particularly TXA, each year to decrease bleeding and help patients avoid blood transfusions. Surgeons and anesthesiologists need to be mindful that these drugs can be pro-convulsants," says Beverley Orser, Professor of Physiology and Anesthesiology at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair.

"To decrease a patient's risk of seizure, it's critical to adjust the dose of TXA and EACA. In some cases where the risk of seizures is high, it is advisable to maintain a certain level of anesthetic sedation until the drugs wear off," says Orser, a staff anesthesiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Seizures can cause long-term, permanent neurological problems, increase the risk of stroke and prolong a patient's recovery time.

Clinicians had long been perplexed as to the cause of seizures associated with the use of TXA and EACA. Irene Lecker, a PhD candidate in Orser's laboratory, discovered that these drugs interfere with a naturally occurring anticonvulsant in the brain, glycine, and that widely used anesthetics reverse this interfering effect.

David Mazer, Professor and Vice-Chair of Research in the Department of Anesthesia at University of Toronto and co-investigator on the study, says this research will change the way these drugs are used around the world.

"Now that we understand what's happening inside the brain and the mechanism behind the seizures, we can treat patients better," he says.

Dr. Orser is using these findings, now published in Journal of Clinical Investigation, to work with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre team to develop a new practice of drug administration during and after surgery.

###

The study was funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/uot-slt112612.php

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Supreme Court rejects insanity defense appeal

By Pete Williams, NBC News Justice Correspondent

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down an opportunity to consider whether states can ban the insanity defense in criminal cases.

Most states permit a defendant to claim the defense of not guilty by reason of insanity.? It's not a medical term, it's a legal one, generally meaning that a person could not understand the difference between right and wrong and was, therefore, unable to act with criminal intent.?

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Though long permitted, it has never been popular.? Between 1979 and 1995, five states decided to ban it -- Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada and Utah.? A factor in the changing public sentiment was John Hinckley Jr's successful insanity plea when he was put on trial for shooting President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a challenge from lawyers for an Idaho man, John Delling, who was convicted of killing two of his friends while, his lawyers contend, he was in the grip of severe delusions caused by acute paranoid schizophrenia. Because Idaho's law says that a defendant's mental condition "shall not be a defense to any charge of criminal conduct," he was unable to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com

Delling's lawyers argued that the Constitution's guarantee of due process demands that the insanity defense be available because it has strong roots in the legal system. And, they said, the ban on cruel and unusual punishment "forbids criminal punishment that violates broadly and deeply held Anglo-American legal practices." ?

Idaho defended its law, contending that "moral incapacity is only one of four different historical approaches to insanity in criminal cases, no one of which is constitutionally required."

Three justices, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented from the court's refusal to take up the case.? "The law has long recognized that criminal punishment is not appropriate for those who, by reason of insanity, cannot tell right from wrong," they said.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15458191-supreme-court-turns-down-idaho-killers-appeal-over-insanity-defense?lite

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Replacing addiction with a healthy obsession - Across the Fader.ORG

In his memoir, ?The Long Run,? Mishka Shubaly chronicles his journey from ?irreverent young drunk? to ultra-runner. The author sobered up by running five miles at a time, then 10, then 50.

It was Shubaly?s editor who first suggested he write about his road to recovery.

?I told him point-blank, ?No one wants to hear me cry about how I f***ed up my own life,? ? Shubaly said. ?And I was totally wrong.?

When ?The Long Run? was published on Amazon?s Kindle Singles list in 2011, it hit No. 1, bumping Stephen King out of the top spot.

The book?s popularity may have been a surprise to Shubaly, but experts know he?s not alone in using exercise to overcome addiction. Groups have been popping up around the country to help people stay sober by staying active.

?It?s a great way to introduce people into something that then later becomes ? sort of their coping mechanism, as opposed to picking up a drink or a drug,? said Scott Strode, one of this year?s top 10 CNN Heroes. Strode?s nonprofit, Phoenix Multisport, provides free athletic activities and a sober support community to thousands of people in Colorado.

In 2008, the National Institute on Drug Abuse pledged $4 million to research the effect of physical activity on drug use. Preclinical research has provided evidence that exercise can help treat ? and even possibly prevent ? addiction, and now human trials are taking place.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans every year. While intervention and treatment programs have improved, relapse rates range from 60% to 90% in the first year of sobriety, the institute said.

?Habits play an important role in our health,? the institute?s director, Dr. Nora Volkow, said in a National Institute of Health newsletter. ?Understanding the biology of how we develop routines that may be harmful to us, and how to break those routines and embrace new ones, could help us change our lifestyles and adopt healthier behaviors.?

Psychology professor Mark Smith researches the effects of exercise on addiction in laboratory rats. One of his first preclinical studies on the subject showed lab rats that had access to an exercise wheel in their cage were much less likely to self-administer cocaine than their sedentary counterparts.

He and his colleagues have also completed several follow-up studies, duplicating the results with male and female rats; with low, medium and high doses; with heroin; and with different models of substance binges and relapses.

?I was amazed at how consistent the effects of exercise were,? Smith said.

Other researchers have published animal studies with similar results. For example, a 2009 study in Pathophysiology Journal showed treadmill exercise reduced morphine use in male rats. And in 2011, a study in the journal Current Neuropharmacology demonstrated animals? preference for saline over amphetamines when they exercised.

?These results lead us to conclude that a previous practice of regular physical activity may help in preventing amphetamine addiction,? the study?s authors wrote.

While evidence mounts that exercise may help prevent and treat addiction, scientists are trying to figure out why.

To get clean, addicts often give up their past social lives, including any friends who use. During their recovery, they have a lot of free time and not a lot of support.

Understanding the biology of how we develop routines that may be harmful to us ? could help us change our lifestyles. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Exercise and sporting groups could help fill that void, said Richard Brown, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and director of addictions research at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

When Brown and his colleagues started their human study on exercise and alcohol abuse, they theorized that physical activity would reduce the depressive symptoms alcoholics often suffer from, thereby reducing the risk of a relapse.

They asked one group of study participants to work out once a week with the rest of the group and to work out on their own another two to three days. At the end of a three-month follow-up, the researchers found the exercise group had fewer drinking days and fewer heavy-drinking days than a group that didn?t exercise as regularly.

What the researchers didn?t expect was feedback from participants who said they enjoyed the structure that regular exercise provided to their lives.

?They liked the fact that they were getting healthy and doing something for themselves,? Brown said.

Exercise provides a ?high? that could be important for addicts trying to combat cravings, experts say. In addition to decreasing anxiety and stress, physical activity helps increase levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine, a chemical that?s associated with feelings of pleasure, is often diminished over time by substance abuse.

Some researchers have hypothesized that addicts are simply replacing one addiction with another. Smith?s response? Fantastic.

?One of those addictions leads to basically a devastation throughout all aspects of your life and probably premature death,? he said. ?The other addiction leads to improved cardiovascular health, better self-esteem, better self-efficacy and maybe some joint problems when you get older. It?s an apples-and-chain saws comparison.?

Brown has more theories on why exercise may help addicts stay clean. In unrelated studies, exercise has been shown to regulate sleep, a common problem for addicts early in recovery. It can even improve cognitive function, something that?s often impaired by chronic substance abuse.

?These are just hypothetical,? Brown said. ?They need to be tested.?

While scientists search for more answers, Shubaly said he is content knowing that running works to keep him sober, day in and day out.

?For me, exercise is the opposite of alcohol,? he said. ?Alcohol is the easiest, fastest and most effective way of saying: ?I don?t care. I don?t care about the good things in life or life at all.?

?Exercise, especially for someone who has been a sedentary alcoholic for a long time, is brutally difficult. And, as such, it?s a very meaningful way of saying: ?OK, I actually do care now. I care a lot. I care enough about my life that I am willing to endure this torture to get better.?

?Doing the hard work of exercising totally reversed my worldview. I went from a life that was headed toward one thing to a life of nearly infinite potential.?

By Jacque Wilson

?

Source: http://acrossthefader.org/archives/8076

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You're Only As Old As You Feel | Health X Pert Articles-Health care ...

WebMD Medical News By Jennifer Warner Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Nov. 20, 2012 ? The old saying??You?re only as old as you feel? has new life, backed up by a new study. Researchers found older people with positive views on aging were 44% more likely to recover fully after severe disability than those with negative views on aging. People with positive attitudes about aging also had a slower decline in their ability to do daily tasks such as?dressing and bathing. ?It may be something worth considering that might help people?s recovery,? says researcher Becca Levy, PhD, associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. Upside to a Positive Attitude Until now, experts say, most of the research on attitudes about aging and health has looked at the health risks and losses linked to a negative outlook. But this study suggests there may be tangible health benefits to having a more positive view about aging. ?It?s not just about reducing the losses associated with aging, but also about making gains in one?s health or disability status and regaining what might have been lost,? says Tara L. Stewart, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Idaho State University. ?These people with positive stereotypes about aging experienced health gains and better recovery, not just a reduction of health losses,? Stewart says. Views on Aging Affect Recovery In the study, researchers periodically surveyed 598 people aged 70 or older about their views on aging over a period of about 11 years.? None were disabled when the study started, but later on, all of them had at least one month when they needed help with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, or walking. In some cases, their disability was severe; other cases were mild. They were asked for the first five words or phrases that come to mind when they think of old people. The researchers rated their responses on a five-point scale as most positive, like ?spry,? or most negative, like ?decrepit.? The results appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings were strongest for older people with the most severe types of disability. They were 44% more likely to fully recover from severe disability than those with negative age stereotypes. Also, older people with positive views on aging were more likely to progress from severe disability to mild disability or mild disability to no disability. Older people with positive age stereotypes also had a slower rate of decline in their ability to perform daily activities as they got older. Of course, many factors affect whether or to what extent a person recovers from disability. This study does not prove that a positive attitude about aging made a difference. But it showed the strongest relationship between age stereotypes and recovery was among those people with positive age stereotypes and the most severe type of disability. Attitude and Aging Positive views on aging may help people bounce back from disability and promote independent living in a variety of ways, the researchers say. One of the biggest ways may be psychological. Stewart says a person?s attitudes about aging say a lot about how much they believe their health is under their own control. For example, people who view seniors as spry rather than decrepit may be more likely to live a healthy lifestyle, keep up on their doctor appointments, and take their medicines as prescribed. ?Holding a negative stereotype about aging, like believing illness is caused by aging, would cause them to feel less in control and responsible for their health and lead to different sorts of strategies,? Stewart says. Levy also says there may be a physiological side to it. ?People who have more positive age stereotypes tend to have the advantage in experiencing stress ,? says Levy. ?They tend to suffer from less cardiovascular stress.? Researchers say the next step is to look at how people can upgrade their attitudes about aging. ?We need to emphasize some of the positive as we get older instead of focusing on the developmental losses that may happen with aging,? Stewart says. SOURCES:Levy, B. Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov. 21, 2012.News release, American Medical Association.Becca Levy, PhD, associate professor, Yale School of Public Health.Tara L. Stewart, PhD, assistant professor, department of psychology, Idaho State University. ? 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. ______________________________________________________ More from WebMD Insomnia, Anxiety Drugs May Raise Dementia Risk Does Air Pollution Hurt Memory of Older Adults? Maintaining Good Health May Reduce Dementia Risk Sepsis Linked to Dementia in Elderly ______________________________________________________

See the rest here:
You?re Only As Old As You Feel

Source: http://healthxpert.org/you%E2%80%99re-only-as-old-as-you-feel/

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Modeling the breaking points of metallic glasses

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? Metallic glass alloys (or liquid metals) are three times stronger than the best industrial steel, but can be molded into complex shapes with the same ease as plastic. These materials are highly resistant to scratching, denting, shattering and corrosion. So far, they have been used in a variety of products from golf clubs to aircraft components. And, some smartphone manufacturers are even looking to cast their next-generation phone cases out of it.

But despite their potential, the mechanical properties of these substances are still a scientific mystery. One lingering question is why they have such wildly different toughness and breaking points, depending on how they are made. Although this may not be a huge concern for small applications like smartphone cases it will be extremely important if these materials are ever used in structural applications where they would need to support large loads.

Recently, Christopher Rycroft of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (Berkeley Lab's) Computational Research Division has developed some novel computational techniques to address this question. When Rycroft combined these techniques with a mechanical model of metallic glass developed by Eran Bouchbinder and his colleagues at Israel's Weizmann Institute, the two were able to propose a novel explanation of the physical process behind the large variations in breaking points of metallic glasses. Their results are also in qualitative agreement with laboratory experiments.

"We hope that this work will contribute to the understanding of metallic glasses, and aid in their use in practical applications. Ultimately, we would like to develop a tool capable of making quantitative predictions about the toughness of metallic glasses depending on their preparation method," says Rycroft.

Rycroft and Bouchbinder are co-authors on a paper recently published in Physical Review Letters.

What is a Metallic Glass? And, Why is it So Difficult to Model?

Scientists define "glass" as a material that cools from a liquid state to a solid state without crystallizing -- which is when atoms settle into a lattice, or a highly regular spatial pattern. Because many metal lattices are riddled with defects, these materials "deform," or permanently bend out of shape, relatively easily. When crystallization does not occur, the atoms settle into a random arrangement. This atomic structure allows metallic glasses to spring back into shape instead of deforming permanently. And without the defects, some metallic glasses also have extremely efficient magnetic properties.

Rycroft notes that one of the biggest mysteries in condensed matter physics is how glass transitions from a liquid state to a solid state. To successfully create metallic glass, the metal has to cool relatively quickly before atomic lattices form.

"Depending on how you prepare or manipulate these metallic glasses, the breaking points can differ by a factor of 10," says Rycroft. "Because scientists don't completely understand how glass transitions from liquid to solid state, they have not been able to fully explain why the breaking points of these materials vary so widely."

According to Bouchbinder, computer models also have a hard time predicting the breaking points of metallic glass because the timescale of events varies dramatically -- from microseconds to seconds. For instance, researchers can bend or pull the material for several seconds before it breaks, which occurs almost instantaneously. And the material's internal plastic deformation -- the process where it irreversibly deforms -- occurs on an intermediate timescale.

"We've actually been able to develop some numerical methods to capture these differences in timescales," says Rycroft, of the techniques used in the recent paper.

When Rycroft incorporated these methods into Bouchbinder's mechanical model and calibrated it based on available data, the duo managed to simulate and better understand the breaking points of metallic glass alloys based on their preparation process. He notes that this model is rather unique as it combines novel and flexible numerical methods with recent insights about the physics of glasses. The simulations have also been able to predict the large decreases in toughness that are seen in laboratory experiments.

"If you can vary the way metallic glass is prepared in computer models and capture the differences in how it breaks, you can pose a reasonable explanation for why this occurs. This might also give you a better idea about how the glass transitions from a liquid to a solid, as well as the mechanical properties of a glass," says Rycroft. "We've essentially created something that might evolve into a tool for predicting the toughness of metallic glasses."

"For quite some time I've wanted to calculate the fracture toughness of metallic glasses, but knew that this was a very tough mathematical and computational challenge, certainly well above my abilities, and probably above the capabilities of conventional computational solid mechanics," says Bouchbinder. "I think that Rycroft's methods have opened the way to new possibilities and I am enthusiastic to see where this can lead us."

This work was done with a grant for developing new numerical algorithms with scientific and engineering applications from the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research within the Department of Energy's Office of Science.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Chris Rycroft, Eran Bouchbinder. Fracture Toughness of Metallic Glasses: Annealing-Induced Embrittlement. Physical Review Letters, 2012; 109 (19) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.194301

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/cVaL0RNKAEc/121126110923.htm

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The Big Data Fallacy And Why We Need To Collect Even Bigger Data

Editor?s note:?Dr.?Michael Wu is the Principal Scientist of Analytics at?Lithium?where he is currently applying data-driven methodologies to investigate and understand the complex dynamics of the social Web. The value of any data is only as valuable as the information and insights we can extract from it. It is the information and insights that will help us make better decisions and give us a competitive edge. The promise of big data is that one could glean lots of information and gain many valuable insights. However, people often don?t realize that data and information are not the same. Even if you are able to extract information from your big data, not all of it will be insightful and valuable.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MjTcLNRH5X8/

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On patrol with a shark ranger in Indonesia

Conservation International works with Indonesian children to help them learn how to protect the most diverse underwater region in the world. ?NBC News' Richard Engel reports.

By Ed Flanagan, NBC News

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia ? The remote Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat is home to an underwater treasure trove of coral reefs and tremendous biodiversity, miles away from polluted urban centers and human encroachment.

The faraway islands in Western Papua, regarded by many marine experts as having the potential to help restore the world's ailing coral reefs, are vulnerable to the unchecked exploitation of a lucrative treasure that is rapidly disappearing from Indonesia's waters: sharks.

China's growing appetite for the de rigueur shark fin soup has attracted fishermen from elsewhere in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to the waters around Raja Ampat's 1,500 islands.

Alarmed, conservationists and local villagers worked together to create the Misool Eco Resort and Conservation Center in 2005, establishing a 165-square-mile "No-Take Zone" that banned fishing.

Related content:
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When a neighboring village requested to take part, the area was expanded to 472 square miles, roughly the size of the city of Los Angeles.

The Misool team also recruited a group of rangers to help patrol the waters for illegal fishermen. Earlier this year, NBC News had an opportunity to go on patrol with Abdul Razak Tamher, 31, one of the first rangers.

Q: Before 2005, what were shark and fish stocks like in this area of Raja Ampat?

A: Before 2005, one of the main occupations of the people of my village was fishing. That's what we did every day and one of the big things fished were sharks. By the 2000s there were very few sharks left in the area, but in the 1980s and 90s when I was fishing there were lots of sharks. A lot of people used dynamite and potassium cyanide for fishing.

Q: So did villagers in Misool know they had to change the way things were done?

A: At that time, people here really didn't think much about shark or marine conservation. We didn't know shark fishing was illegal (prior to the formation of the No-Take Zone in 2005, the local governor had actually signed a law against shark fishing) because nobody from the government came out here to tell or educate us that it was illegal and bad for the ecology to fish sharks.

It was really through the efforts of the resort to educate the village about the importance of sharks and protecting the marine environment that we saw the importance of it and began to appreciate the natural beauty ourselves. Now if people from my village hear of a shark fishing boat coming into this area, they get really upset.

NBC News' Richard Engel talks to a Conservation International scientist as he identifies a new species of fish.

Q: Is conservation a completely foreign idea here? Isn't there a long tradition of seasonal fishing and spiritual beliefs around protecting certain animals?

A:?We've embraced principles of conservation since the beginning of our culture. They were simple ideas, but they still worked for us. For example, we would harvest clams from the ocean for six months, then depending on the ocean conditions, we would close that area for sometimes up to a year before harvesting again.

Many of the original families in this area are forbidden to eat different sea creatures like sharks or turtles or other kinds of fish. In each case, there is a reason why each family respects and protects a certain animal. It could be that a family member or fisherman generations ago was rescued by that species or guided to land at a time of need. Many still believe that if someone in the family breaks this taboo, they will get sick or something bad will happen.

Q:?In 2006, the rangers were formed with just five of you and a few of you were actually former shark fishermen. What made you make such a dramatic change in your life?

?A:?I personally wasn't involved in shark fishing, but other original rangers that were here in the beginning and their village elders were shark fishermen. Even though they were shark fishermen and lived off the harvest of the ocean, they realized that they needed to preserve this area and the marine life for future generations to come.

Many of us felt ? and still feel today ? that if we told our children or grandchildren that there were lots of fish and sharks in the sea around these islands and they went there and saw none they would think that we were liars and we just couldn't allow that to happen.

Q:?What was it like in the early days with the rangers?

A:?The rangers weren't really effective until 2009 because at that time there was only one speed boat that was always busy getting lumber for the construction of the resort. So we would only go out if we saw an illegal boat go past the resort. From 2006-2009, we went out almost every day. In the months of June and July, the area was choked with shark finning boats from as far away as Java that cast long lines with sometimes 1,000 or 2,000 hooks to catch sharks.

To expel the foreign boats, it wasn't a problem. We would just go up to the boats and tell them leave and they would go. Local fishermen were tougher. Most of the problems had to do with local fishermen not agreeing with the contract we signed with Misool Eco Reserve to create the no-take zones or claiming they were not around when the contract had been reached. They would also say we have it easy since we work as rangers and make a lot of money, so we don't need to fish like they did.

Q:?How soon after the reserve formed did you start to see results from the sanctuary?

A:?After two or three years, I started to see a lot of sharks in the lagoons and my friends who went diving began to see more fish. There were just some researchers here in Misool who were shocked by the amount of fish who were in the protected areas. The results have just been amazing.

Q:?How have the villages in the area adapted to the sanctuary?

A:?In the beginning, there were a lot of problems with the villagers not understanding the rangers' mission. The most important thing we did to get people behind us was to use Adat, or traditional Papuan village law. This was done by developing a close relationship with the ancestral village head, as he holds the power of the village and so people will listen to what he says. If we didn't have the village head, then it would have been difficult to enforce the rules of the sanctuary.

Q:?What's next for the rangers in the coming years?

A:?We all hope the ranger patrol can continue forever and that we have the resources to keep recruiting young people from the villages to the patrol. We now have three ranger stations built and we hope to have three rangers in every station with small, fuel-efficient boats that can be used to spot illegal fishermen and intercept them until support can show up.

The other big problem we'd like to fix is communication. Radio communication in this region of Raja Ampat is difficult because all the radios we have now are line-of-sight and the islands interfere with signal within short distances. The plan is to build a main radio/repeater station that will cover the entire area so that there is clear contact throughout the sanctuary.

To donate to the Misool ranger patrols, click here.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/24/15387873-on-patrol-with-a-shark-ranger-in-indonesias-marine-treasure-trove?lite

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SEO Manchester Services For The Best Methods Of Online Business ...

The already extensive and thriving business and commercial market of Manchester in the UK is an indicator of the companies foraying for E-commerce. The vast and prospective world of the internet market offers them an unrestricted area of business that is cost-effective in promotions and sustenance. There are <a href=?http://www.seonext.co.uk/?>seo manchester</a> companies that have further made the business scope profitable with viable marketing techniques and ideas. Since, a lot of these measures adopted by the modern SEO companies are aided by software tools and applications, results are calculated and free from errors. For instance the use of keywords; these are searched, evaluated and researched for their viability with software tools available. The results are completely error free and factual which makes implementations easier.

Most of the SEO Manchester companies offer service packages that start with web designing; though clients with existing or low performing websites will be taken up as well yet designing the same gives them the advantage of ensuring techniques from the fundamentals. Chief among these is the implementation of White Hat technique laid down by credible search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. The next step initiated by the expertise of these SEO companies is creating appropriate error free content. This is used appropriately within the website pages for informative and attractive display of products and services; also used is this type of accurate and original articles for blog submissions and online promotions through article submission directories.

<a href=?http://www.seonext.co.uk/?>seo companies</a> in Manchester have opened a new level of expertise access for clients with their range of services. They have created a niche market for clients who feel assured with the visible results of their website?s performance on search engines like Google and the difference of web traffic flow. Over the years, SEO Manchester companies have maintained consistent services for every type of company. The companies from a wide range of business backgrounds have found avenues of profitable exposure on the internet.

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Source: http://www.tablezine.com/2012/11/25/seo-manchester-services-for-the-best-methods-of-online-business-success/

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Better blood transfusions for preterm babies

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? Results of new research from the University of Adelaide are a promising step forward in helping to improve the quality of life-saving blood transfusions for preterm babies, by reducing the likelihood of adverse inflammatory responses to the blood.

Blood transfusions are among the most common medical procedures experienced by preterm babies, who are often anemic and suffer blood loss.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute studied 28 preterm babies (at 28 weeks' gestation or less) who were given packed red blood cell transfusions. The results of this study are now published in the journal Pediatric Research.

"Blood transfusions are a safe and life-saving medical procedure -- they are an important part of modern-day medical care," says the lead author, Dr Michael Stark from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute.

"It has been suggested that blood transfusions themselves may be associated with medical complications that are unrelated to the reason for which the transfusion is given, and we don't really know why that is.

"These associations include bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotizing entercolitis, inflammatory conditions that affect the lungs and gut of very preterm babies."

The researchers have found a potential mechanism associated with the inflammatory response in the body.

"Within two to four hours of preterm babies receiving a blood transfusion, we have seen elevated levels of cytokines and chemokines -- signaling cells -- that stimulate inflammatory responses in the body," Dr Stark says.

"We believe that the bioactive components of packed red blood cell transfusions are initiating or amplifying these inflammatory processes in the body.

"We hope that by better understanding how the body responds to the blood, we can make improvements to blood transfusions that will reduce the likelihood of inflammatory responses. In this way, the patient will benefit from a life-saving procedure and also experience less complications as a result of that procedure.

"More research is now needed to determine exactly how this response is triggered, and how we might be able to prevent it," he says.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Adelaide.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Amy K. Keir, Andrew J. McPhee, Chad C. Andersen, Michael J. Stark. Plasma cytokines and markers of endothelial activation increase after packed red blood cell transfusion in the preterm infant. Pediatric Research, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/pr.2012.144

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/sZzyS0kasLs/121123132635.htm

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Doll School: For Girls Who Love to Teach! (American Girl ...

Doll School: For Girls Who Love to Teach! (American Girl)
by Trula Magruder
(34)

New!: $17.95 $10.49 (as of 11/24/2012 15:55 PST)
44 Used! | New! from $10.49 (as of 11/24/2012 15:55 PST)

Education & Reference

Girls have been home-schooling their dolls for years, and now they'll have everything they need to make school role-playing even more fulfilling and fun!
Doll School includes supplies and ideas to teach the most important classes in school. Girls can plan lessons. Create tests. Grade dozens of exams. Reward students. Set up a classroom. Create a working doll locker. And design bulletin boards. Plus, little library books, lunch room crafts, hall passes, and other school-activities will inspire girls to leave the classroom as students and enter their own schools as teachers.
Friends can join in as substitute teachers, co-teachers, or coaches.
Taking attendance, creating report cards, offering science field trips---all the chores and treasures of school life---will give girls and their dolls an A+ education in fun! There's the bell!

• Rank: #238 in Books
• Brand: American Girl
• Published on: 2009-06-01
• Released on: 2009-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.28" h x 9.78" w x 7.38" l, 1.12 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Source: http://educationreference638.blogspot.com/2012/11/doll-school-for-girls-who-love-to-teach.html

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Save On Auto Insurance | Finance Blog

Auto insurance costs have been rising significantly over the past few years and these burgeoning costs do not seem set to abate any time soon. However, insurance companies have drivers over a barrel because while the car was once considered a luxury it is very much an essential nowadays with trips to work, school, and to do the weekly shopping proving very difficult without one family car. Following are some tips to help you save money on your insurance premiums; some of which you may already use, others we hope will be new to you.

Deductibles

Increase your deductibles. It is a temptation to have no or low deductible values because if you need to claim on your insurance at any point this means that your insurance company will cover the larger portion of the repair bill. However, increasing your deductibles will usually yield a lower premium so it can prove a highly beneficial means of negotiating a better price for your car insurance. The key is finding the perfect balance between the two.

Remove Unnecessary Features

Check policy details and remove anything you don?t really need. Do you really need comprehensive coverage? How about the key cover or windshield protection that you?re unlikely to use? If you?re struggling to make the necessary payment for your insurance then removing elements like these from your policy quote could help you to save enough money and make your policy more affordable. If you already have life, health, and other insurance coverage then duplicating these as part of your auto insurance will be costing you money. Also consider whether you really need auto breakdown coverage because this could be costing you quite a sizeable portion of your insurance premium.

Discounts

Insurance companies may offer discounts in certain circumstances. Low mileage discounts can be achieved, obviously, by using your car less. Consider car-pooling more often. You will also find that your premium will be reduced if you buy a car that is considered to have low risk when it comes to insurance. Some cars are high risk because they are prone to theft and vandalism while others attract higher premiums because they are considered high performance cars.

Multiple Policies

Speak to existing insurers about discounts for buying multiple policies from them. For example, if your home insurance company offers auto insurance they may offer you a discount on both policies if you combine them. Similarly, if you have more than one car, consider combining these and, as well as asking your existing insurance companies, also ask any potential new companies the same questions.

Checking Your Insurance

It is important that you have the right level and type of insurance. Not only does this mean removing any unnecessary elements but it also means ensuring that you do not get carried away in attempting to make savings, leaving yourself with inadequate coverage. For example, if you need motor trade insurance then don?t attempt to drive customer?s cars on a standard auto insurance policy because it could end up costing you a lot more than the difference in insurance premiums would have cost.

LionheartInsurance.co.uk offers a wide range of high quality policies including motor trade insurance. Visit now for competitive prices on suitable quotes.

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Retro toys are hot this holiday season

toysrus.com

Remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? They're back, and retailers are betting they'll be big this holiday season.

By Martha C. White

Nostalgia sells.?

At least that's what toy manufacturers and retailers are hoping this holiday season. Former Generation Y hit toys like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and Furby are surging in popularity this year, contrary to the assumption that all kids care about today are toys with screens.

On Monday, the Toy Industry Association released its nominees for its 2013 Toy of the Year Awards. In the running for ?e-connected toy of the year? is Hasbro?s Furby, a robotic critter that first debuted nine years before the iPhone was invented. This year?s iteration has an iOS app.

toysrus.com

Hasbro's Furby, a robotic critter that first debuted nine years before the iPhone was invented, is on top toy lists this holiday season.

Furby also landed on both the girls? and?boys? lists in the National Retail Federation?s 2012 Top Toys survey at number three and number nine, respectively.

Slideshow: Hot holiday toys for 2012

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles make multiple appearances on the Toy Industry Association?s list, nominated in the categories of top toy for boys and most successful brand growth for the year.

Experts say there are a few reasons why these blasts from the past are suddenly hot again.

Retro toys ?tend to be more popular in times of economic difficulty,? said Gerrick Johnson, equity research analyst at BMO Capital Markets. ?On both the supply and demand side, they?re safe,? he said. ?You know it worked for one generation of kids.?

Parents with tight holiday shopping budgets might gravitate toward toys they remember enjoying a generation earlier. ?This year?s top toys... have some staying power, meaning children won?t get bored with them within a few weeks,? NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

Toys typically resurface in 20- to 25-year cycles, Johnson said. Companies calculate that adults who see familiar characters or games on store shelves will be in the right age range to have kids that can discover them for the first time.

?There?s no doubt that shelf recognition helps,? said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis for the NPD Group. ?It?s equally a familiarity factor."

And although parents remember them, old-school toys are new and exciting for today?s kids, said Toy Industry Association trend specialist Adrienne Appell. ?Sometimes the nostalgia and the back-to-basics factor is a 'wow' factor for the kids because they?re so used to the technology,? she said. ?It?s what parents are comfortable with.?

They?re also cheaper to produce. ?A lot of these toy companies that bring back retro toys, it?ll be less expensive for them to do so,? Johnson said, because the R&D investment has already been made.

Although brands are counting on the nostalgia of Gen Y parents to fuel demand, they?re not relying on it entirely. Earlier this year, Nickelodeon released a new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series.?The Power Ranger franchise is reintroducing many of its classic characters in a new season on Nickelodeon timed to coincide with its 20th anniversary early next year. In a release last month, owner Saban Brands said the launch would be supported by ?a robust global consumer products campaign, character appearances, retail promotions and advertising.?

Classic toys are filling a vacuum in the market. Thanks to the economy, there just aren?t as many potential new breakout hits this year. "Innovation has been somewhat lacking,"?Johnson said.

Toys take a long time to go from an inventor?s sketchbook to store shelves. Development, manufacturing and shipping from China ? where most toys are produced ? adds up to an 18- to 24-month lead time. To be in people?s shopping carts now, a toy would have had to be green-lighted as early as late 2010. Back then, the NRF predicted a meager 2.3 percent increase in holiday sales over 2009, so companies shied away from big investments that might not pay off.

What?s more, manufacturers and retailers have to forecast months in advance which toys will be hot for the upcoming holiday season. Even though economic indicators are inching up, they?re unwilling to risk getting it wrong and having to slash prices when the new year rolls around.

?There?s less risk in terms of returns or not utilizing shelf space well? by sticking with proven franchises, Crupnick said.

By 2014, Johnson said new toys will probably be popping up on store shelves as toy companies regain confidence in the market and start investing in the search for the next big hit. But there?s probably still one more holiday season of retro toys ahead of us.

?We?re seeing this trend likely to continue and intensify in the coming year,? Appell said. Parents who hung onto boxes of childhood memorabilia might very well have next year?s most sought-after toy buried at the bottom.

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/11/23/15312231-cowabunga-dude-retro-toys-are-hot-this-holiday-season?lite

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