text:
The next Mark Zuckerberg may be that 8-year-old child RIF serves whose only books are the ones we provide...
Past News ReleasesRSS
Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 12, 2012
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is launching a multi-year early childhood literacy campaign to inspire the next-generation of innovators through an approach integrating the arts with STEM learning (science, technology, engineering and math). The campaign is anchored by today's release of RIF's 2012-2013 Multicultural Book Collection, comprised of 40 children's books and related activities using STEAM-themes.
"The next Mark Zuckerberg may be that 8-year-old child RIF serves whose only books are the ones we provide," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "The skills today's students need to succeed as tomorrow's pioneers should start at the earliest possible opportunity with an approach that builds on their natural curiosity. As a country, we're missing the mark with few resources explicitly aimed at STEAM education for our youngest students."
Rasco added, "This initiative is about inspiring the innovators of tomorrow early with engaging books and resources that connect the dots between science, technology and the arts from broad-ranging cultural perspectives. From DaVinci to Madame C.J. Walker to Steve Jobs, our greatest innovators are those who are as creative as they are precise, as imaginative as they are methodical. STEAM-based learning aims to nurture every facet of innovation."
This year's collection will be accompanied by a set of free downloadable activities for parents and educators to engage children in literacy development, based on the Common Core Standards adopted by 45 states in the nation.
"Out of 30 developed countries, our students in the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science literacy and 25th in math literacy. There are stark gaps here at home with low-income students scoring lowest and white and Asian students outpacing African-American, Hispanic and American-Indian students," said Rasco, detailing results from the most recent Program for International Student Assessment and the National Assessment of Education Progress reports. "Our focus on STEAM literacy ultimately supports a national priority to ensure all American students receive the skills and knowledge required for success in the 21st century workplace."
Each book in the collection was carefully reviewed and selected by RIF's Literacy Services team with guidelines provided by RIF's Literature Advisory Board and Multicultural Advisory Committee, national panels of educators and experts in books for children.
"What makes this collection unique is our insistence that each book present diverse characters and stories," Dr. Judy Cheatham, RIF's vice president of literacy services. "When children see themselves in the books they read at a young age, they are motivated to read more books and read more often. Books are powerful mirrors and windows for all of us."
RIF has distributed the collection to RIF programs across the country since 2007 as part of its Multicultural Literacy Campaign, a multi-year initiative to promote and support early childhood literacy in African-American, Hispanic and American-Indian communities.
A full list of the new collection's selected titles is available on RIF's website along with accompanying activities. This year's list includes celebrated and award-winning titles such as:
- Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
- Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
- City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, illustrated by Jon J. Muth
- Grandpa's Garden by Stella Fry, illustrated by Sheila Moxley
- 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh
- Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein
Throughout the year, RIF will be distributing 650 collections to local RIF programs across the country. The donation of these book collections is made possible through generous contributions from Macy's.
"RIF is investing in this vital initiative to provide educators with the resources they need to put our youngest students on the path to becoming tomorrow's innovators," added Rasco. "To be clear, this serves far beyond the classroom. It fosters the kind of creativity, drive and determination that will ultimately create a pipeline of American workers poised to not simply compete in a global economy, but to lead."
Additional components of RIF's STEAM initiative include:
- National Art Contest sponsored by Nestlé
- Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators and Care Providers
- Family Literacy Celebrations with Free Books for Participating Kids
- Early Childhood STEAM Learning Advocacy
About RIF
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 400 million books in the hands of more than 35 million children since it was established in 1966. Learn more and help RIF provide books to kids who need them most, visit http://www.RIF.org.
Press Contact:
Ashley Lengen
Weber Shandwick for Reading Is Fundamental
alengen (at) webershandwick (dot) com


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Honeydew exotic car lease
These are some of the most luxurious and most expensive cars
in the world, commonly referred to as" the dream cars" Everybody
what's to drive or own an exotic car. But unfortunately, it is impossible
because some of these cars are damn expensive. But through leasing, many people
can afford to drive any exotic car they want. Exotic vehicles come in a wide
variety of brands and Rental of exotic cars has got advantages and
disadvantages. In this article, I am going to share with you some of the top
exotic cars in the whole world, the advantages and disadvantages of leasing
exotic cars in Honeydew
Top exotic cars in the world.
It is a very luxuries car that originated in Italy, and It
is one of the most famous and luxurious cars in the whole world. First produced
in 1929 and was commonly used for the sporting activity, but it also symbolized
class and elegance with a great driving experience.
It is also another exotic Italian car brand, but currently
owned by Volkswagen, though it was severely affected by the financial crisis in
early 2000, it is still among the famous cars in the whole world, known for its
speed, social status, and class.
This brand of exotic cars is manufactured in France by a
company that belongs to Volkswagen. A Veyron is the most recent and widely
known Bugatti brand. It is a super sports car known for its high speed and has
a sleek and lavish design.
This brand was first manufactured in Britain by a company
specialized in creating expensive and luxurious cars. This car is for those
seeking class and speed at the same time, even though the initial motive for
this car was not speeding, in the recent times the company has combined
elegance and speed.
It is a brand of exotic cars manufactured in Germany, under
Volkswagen. As the name suggests it is known for class and elegance, also it
has a mighty engine and a sporty shape.
Manufactured in Sweden, its latest model is the Agera S; it
is a world-class supercar expected to be one of the fastest cars in the whole
Dodge is another exotic brand; manufactured in American,
dodge viper is a unique type of Dodge brand that is common across America and
it is among the top exotic cars in the whole world. Commonly referred to as the
Another brand of exotic cars from Japan. The latest version
of this car is the luxurious Lexus LF –LC, it is packed with four-cylinders for
gas with a mighty engine.
Advantages of leasing exotic cars in Honeydew
Very exclusive. Companies producing different types of
exotic cars only produce a limited edition of the cars. Many people have hardly
seen a Ferrari or a Lamborghini passing by, leave alone driving one. By leasing
one, you will have joined the club of the most exclusive drivers who have
driven those exotic cars without owning one.
A lifetime opportunity. These exotic cars are worth millions
of cash, and many people can't afford. And not only they cost millions, but
they also are very limited and rarely do you see them on the road. Leasing one
of these exotic cars is a dream comes true for many people.
Free training. These cars are not just like other normal
cars, they have unique features and driving them needs some crash course.
Usually, the leasing companies are generous enough to give you a free training.
This is to ensure that you are safe on the road while driving.
Well maintained. These cars are leased to a variety of
people of class, musicians, politicians, and different celebrities; therefore
their condition is top notch. Therefore driving these cars can be very
enjoyable with a memorable experience.
Affordable. The cost of leasing these vintage cars is not
expensive compared to the cost of buying them. For many companies, the price is
around 1000 dollars and the car is already fueled for you as you pick it, so
there is no need to worry about incurring huge fuel expenses if you not going
for long distances
Unforgettable experience; driving some of these cars gives
you great memories in your life, the looks from other drivers on the highway
and other bystanders will give you the real feel of prestige in Honeydew
Wide variety; you can opt for any car that you want, from
middle range class to high class depending on how much you are willing to pay.
Incredible performance. They are high-performance cars and
staying on the wheels gives you a fantastic experience, fitted with unique
features and" big engines" that can accelerate within microseconds,
they provide a "breathtaking" thrill
Great safety features. They have very sophisticated and
newest safety control features that guarantee your safety and that of your
passage and other drivers on the road; they have an electronic control for
stability, some speed and lane shifting warnings, cameras among others.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Export 23 results:
Filters: Author is El Sayed, I.H. [Clear All Filters]
Applications of gold nanorods for cancer imaging and photothermal therapy. In: Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 624. Methods in Molecular Biology. Springer; 2010. pp. 343-357. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-609-2_23.
Au nanoparticles target cancer. Nano Today. 2007 ;2:18-29..
Calculated absorption and scattering properties of gold nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition: Applications in biological imaging and biomedicine. Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 2006 ;110:7238-7248..
Cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy in the near-infrared region by using gold nanorods. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2006 ;128:2115-2120..
Cancer cells assemble and align gold nanorods conjugated to antibodies to produce highly enhanced, sharp, and polarized surface Raman spectra: A potential cancer diagnostic marker. Nano Letters. 2007 ;7:1591-1597..
Comparative study of photothermolysis of cancer cells with nuclear-targeted or cytoplasm-targeted gold nanospheres: continuous wave or pulsed lasers. Journal of Biomedical Optics. 2010 ;15..
Determination of the minimum temperature required for selective photothermal destruction of cancer cells with the use of immunotargeted gold nanoparticles. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 2006 ;82:412-417..
Effect of plasmonic gold nanoparticles on benign and malignant cellular autofluorescence: A novel probe for fluorescence based detection of cancer. Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment. 2007 ;6:403-412..
Fluorescent Quenching Gold Nanoparticles: Potential Biomedical Applications. In: Metal Enhanced Fluorescence. Metal Enhanced Fluorescence. Wiley Online Library; 2010. pp. 573-599. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470642795.ch20.
A Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic comparison of cultured human fibroblast and fibrosarcoma cells: a new method for detection of malignancies. Journal of clinical laser medicine & surgery. 1995 ;13(2):55-59..
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic comparison of cultured human fibroblast and fibrosarcoma cells . Proceedings of SPIE [Internet]. 1995 ;2389(1):543. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.210030.
Gold nanoparticles: Catalyst for the oxidation of NADH to NAD(+). Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B-Biology. 2005 ;81:76-83..
Gold nanoparticles: interesting optical properties and recent applications in cancer diagnostic and therapy. Nanomedicine. 2007 ;2:681-693..
Gold nanorod assisted near-infrared plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) of squamous cell carcinoma in mice. Cancer Letters. 2008 ;269:57-66..
Model system for growing and quantifying Streptococcus pneumoniae biofilms in situ and in real time. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2004 ;70:4980-4988..
Multicolorimetric plasmonic gold nanoparticles for 8 optical detection of oral squamous carcinoma. Oral Oncology. 2007 ;43(5):121-121..
Noble Metals on the Nanoscale: Optical and Photothermal Properties and Some Applications in Imaging, Sensing, Biology, and Medicine. Accounts of Chemical Research. 2008 ;41:1578-1586..
Peptide-conjugated gold nanorods for nuclear targeting. Bioconjugate Chemistry. 2007 ;18:1490-1497..
Plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) using gold nanoparticles. Lasers in Medical Science. 2008 ;23:217-228..
The potential use of the enhanced nonlinear properties of gold nanospheres in photothermal cancer therapy. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2007 ;39:747-753..
Review of some interesting surface plasmon resonance-enhanced properties of noble metal nanoparticles and their applications to biosystems. Plasmonics [Internet]. 2007 ;2(3):107-118. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11468-007-9031-1.
Selective laser photo-thermal therapy of epithelial carcinoma using anti-EGFR antibody conjugated gold nanoparticles. Cancer Letters. 2006 ;239:129-135..


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Autopsy conducted on body of lottery winner
Authorities on Friday exhumed the body a Chicago man who was poisoned with cyanide after winning the lottery and conducted an autopsy in the hopes that it will help solve the mystery surrounding his death.
The body of Urooj Khan was exhumed from a cemetery Friday morning and placed inside a black hearse, which was escorted by four police cars to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Pathologists collected samples of hair, nails and most major body organs, as well as contents of the stomach, Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said. Tests might determine whether Khan swallowed, inhaled or was injected with the poison, Cina said.
Khan, 46, died in July as he was about to collect $425,000 in lottery winnings. His death initially was ruled a result of natural causes. But a relative whose identity remains a mystery asked for further tests that revealed in November that he had been poisoned.
Khan was given a religious burial and his body was not embalmed. The body was wrapped in a shroud and placed inside a wooden box with a Styrofoam lid that was itself inside a concrete vault. Cina said the body had not come into contact with soil from the grave.
"The body was in a state of advanced decomposition, but we were able to identify the major organs and take samples of each of these for toxicological analysis," Cina said.
Given the length of time Khan's body was in the ground, Cina said it was not certain investigators would be able to determine exactly how he ingested the poison.
"I can't really predict how the results are going to turn out. Cyanide over the post mortem period actually can essentially evaporate and leave the tissues. So it is possible that cyanide that was in the tissues is no longer in the tissues after several months," he told reporters during an afternoon news conference.
But Cina said that after the autopsy that lasted a couple hours he remains convinced Khan was the victim of a homicide.
"We've already determined it was a homicide," he said. "I didn't see anything that changed that."
Khan's wife, Shabana Ansari, and other relatives have denied any role in his death and expressed a desire to learn the truth.
Authorities remain tightlipped about whom they may suspect.
At dawn Friday, a backhoe at Rosehill Cemetery began scooping up dark clumps of ground hardened by the cold weather. Two men then finished the work with shovels, and a Muslim cleric said prayers beside Khan's grave. His body was placed in a white bag and loaded into a hearse.
One of Khan's brothers was present, along with officials from the medical examiner's office and Chicago police detectives. Police kept about half a dozen TV news crews at a distance, beyond the cemetery's fence, and two news helicopters circled overhead.
Khan had moved to the U.S. from his home in Hyderabad, India, in 1989, setting up several dry-cleaning businesses and buying into some real-estate investments.
Despite having foresworn gambling after making the haj pilgrimage to Mecca in 2010, Khan bought a lottery ticket in June. He said winning the lottery meant everything to him and that he planned to use his winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and donate to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
He was just days from receiving his winnings when he died before dawn on July 20.
The night before, Khan ate dinner with his wife, daughter and father-in-law at their house. Sometime that night, Khan awoke feeling ill. He died the next morning at a hospital.
Khan died without a will, opening the door to a court battle. The businessman's widow and siblings fought for months over his estate, including the lottery check.


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NY, New England brace for record winter storm
BOSTON (AP) - A storm poised to dump up to 2 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday could be one for the record books, forecasters warned, as residents scurried to stock up on food and water and road crews readied salt and sand.
Before the first snowflake had fallen, Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other New England cities canceled school Friday, and airlines scratched more than 2,600 flights through Saturday, with the disruptions from the blizzard certain to ripple across the U.S.
"This one doesn't come along every day. This is going to be a dangerous winter storm," said Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. "Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don't plan on leaving."
The snow is expected to start Friday morning, with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.
Boston could get more than 2 feet of snow, while New York City was expecting 10 to 12 inches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 4 to 6 inches.
"We hope forecasts are exaggerating the amount of snow, but you never can tell," Bloomberg said, adding that at least the bad weather is arriving on a weekend, when the traffic is lighter and snowplows can clean up the streets more easily.
Amtrak said its Northeast trains will stop running Friday afternoon. The organizers of New York's Fashion Week - a closely watched series of fashion shows held under a big tent - said they will have extra crews to help with snow removal and will turn up the heat and add an extra layer to the venue.
Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Conn., and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.
In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history, and perhaps even break Boston's record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, forecasters said. The last major snowfall in southern New England was well over a year ago - the Halloween storm of 2011.
Dunham said southern New England has seen less than half its normal snowfall this season, but "we're going to catch up in a heck of a hurry." He added: "Everybody's going to get plastered with snow."
Diane Lopes was among the shoppers who packed a supermarket Thursday in the coastal fishing city of Gloucester, Mass. She said she went to a different grocery earlier in the day but it was too crowded. Lopes said she has strep throat and normally wouldn't leave the house but had to stock up on basic foods - "and lots of wine."
She chuckled at the excitement the storm was creating in a place where snow is routine.
"Why are us New Englanders so crazy, right?" she said.
At a Shaw's supermarket in Belmont, Mass., Susan Lichtenstein stocked up, with memories of a 1978 blizzard on her mind. "This is panic shopping, so bread, milk, a snow shovel in case our snow shovel breaks," she said.
In New Hampshire, Dartmouth College student Evan Diamond and other members of the ski team were getting ready for races at the Ivy League school's winter carnival.
"We're pretty excited about it because this has been an unusual winter for us," he said. "We've been going back and forth between having really solid cold snaps and then the rain washing everything away."
But he said the snow might be too much of a good thing this weekend: "For skiing, we like to have a nice hard surface, so it will be kind of tough to get the hill ready."
The governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts ordered nonessential state workers to stay home Friday and urged travelers to stay home.
Terrance Rodriguez, a doorman at a luxury apartment complex in Boston, took the forecast in stride.
"It's just another day in Boston. It's to be expected. We're in a town where it's going to snow," he said. "It's like doomsday prep. It doesn't need to be. People just take it to the extreme."
Associated Press


text: DENVER, Colo. — President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney face-off at the first presidential debate today — an important moment for both candidates, but especially critical for Romney. Presidential debates tend to reinforce, rather than sway, voter opinions. But in some instances, they can affect the dynamics of a race, boost voter enthusiasm and provide a candidate an opening for a comeback. That is exactly what Romney needs. After failing to gain traction from the GOP convention, Romney hurled himself into a turbulent month marked by campaign blunders and contradictory messages, leaving his campaign in constant "reboot" mode. Now, as he moves into the final weeks of the campaign, his path to the White House is narrowing as he faces anemic poll numbers in key swing states, such as Florida and Ohio — a state no Republican has ever lost and won the presidency. Despite Obama's mediocre job approval numbers and his vulnerability on the economy and jobs — consistently cited by voters as the most important election issue — Romney's economic message has not resonated with a majority of voters, including those in the middle class. Recent polls show the former head of Bain Capital has lost his edge on who voters trust to handle the economy. Add on a gender gap, high unfavorability ratings and voters' perception that he is not like them and Romney has some ground to make up. "It's Romney's last best chance to turn things around," said Republican strategist Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush. "He'll have to exceed expectations by a lot. He needs to have a moment that gets people to view him differently. And he needs to articulate some ideas that people think are credible on the economy. He needs to appeal across the board." With early voting already underway in some states such as Iowa and Ohio, and other critical swing states kicking off voting over the next two weeks, the first presidential debate is widely viewed as both candidates' best chance at reaching the public. Michael McDonald, an election expert at George Mason University, predicts this year 35 percent of the presidential votes will be cast before Election Day. The event's hype has led Obama's advisers to downplay expectations, noting that the president's busy schedule has not allowed for enough debate practice. Romney's campaign and surrogates, however, are covering all their bases, simultaneously playing up Romney's abilities while tamping down expectations. With estimates that more than 50 million people will watch the debate in an attempt to get answers to their questions about the economy, health care and the role of government, it is unlikely that either candidate will not be ready for prime time. But what they do with that time is critical. "Obama's task is like being on a football team with a lead. Put in the defensive backs and don't any make mistakes," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California and former adviser to U.S. Sen. John McCain during his 2000 presidential primary run. "Romney has to throw the ball, but it's not time yet for a Hail Mary. He has to consistently move the ball down the field." As the incumbent president, Obama needs to play defense without looking defensive, said Schnur. And he should remind people why they like him, note the promises that he kept and attempt to gingerly place the blame at the feet of the U.S. Congress for those campaign vows he broke, said Boston-based Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. While he needs to play it a bit safe — he is only narrowly ahead of Romney in national polls — he also needs to go on the attack, painting Romney's positions as nearly identical to those of President George W. Bush, which "contributed to the mess today," she said. And expect to hear more than once a reference to Romney's comments suggesting that 47 percent of Americans were dependent on government and viewed themselves as victims. "Whenever he can, the president will say 'I represent all of America,' forcing Gov. Romney back on his heels," she said. Obama, however, also needs to remain engaged, give short answers and avoid lecturing as if he is teaching a constitutional law class. "The president is not a terrific debater. The format of short answers does not lend itself well to his skills," said David Birdsell, dean of the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College in New York, who has written a book on presidential debates. "He has a tendency to appear supercilious, and use a tone that is condescending — especially when he starts a sentence with 'um, look.' The president a needs to avoid looking smug, out-of-touch and arrogant." During a 2008 Democratic primary debate against opponent Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama somewhat callously referred to her as "likable enough." And appearing tired and irritated during a recent "60 Minutes" interview, the president referred to the instability in the Middle East as "bumps in the road." Romney's hurdle is that he needs to out-perform the president and give voters a reason to both reject Obama and embrace him, strategists and political observers say. That means Romney must accomplish a number things in 90-minutes: be relatable, likeable, offer specific policy details he has not disclosed in the past, aggressively — but respectfully — hit the president on his record, and try to squeeze in a memorable line or funny zinger. While there are very few undecided voters left, there are always those who are weakly committed — crucial in a tight race like this, said Mitchell McKinney, a political communications specialist at the University of Missouri. "We call them persuadables. They still are not completely comfortable with their choice," he said. "It's a chance for Romney to get his message across and re-re-introduce himself." That message should avoid "Republican ideological code words" on the economy such as "free market, self-reliance and downsize government" because they often turn off moderate voters, said Bruce Buchanan, a presidential politics expert at the University of Texas. And Romney should add some meat to his economic plan, which includes cutting taxes on the wealthy and the middle class, slashing regulations negatively impacting businesses, expanding trade, balancing the budget and promoting domestic energy independence. "He certainly doesn't need to spew off 57 specific proposals, but he needs to paint a compelling vision of a better future and give voters confidence that his plan is better than Barack Obama's," Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. Romney has some advantages. He has been preparing for the debates since June, and challengers tend to gain immediate stature by appearing on stage next to the incumbent. And while he hasn't participated in a one-on-one debate, he holds the record for debate attendance among general-election candidates since he ran in both 2008 and 2012, McKinney said. During his match-ups against Newt Gingrich, Romney proved he could be aggressive, even accusing the former House Speaker of "influence peddling." "He's a very good technical debater. He doesn't make substantial errors," said Brett O'Donnell, GOP communications strategist and debate adviser to Romney during the primary. "His weakness is that when he gets defensive, he tends to looks bad." During a GOP primary debate, Romney went off-script and offered a $10,000 wager to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. That reinforced some opinions that Romney was out-of-touch. While there is much at stake, and viewers can expect a good video bite to emerge in the aftermath and perhaps information to help them make an educated decision on who to vote for, most political observers agree that this debate will not miraculously change the race overnight. "Super Bowl moments don't happen in debates," Schnur said. "If you are looking for a single, magical, transformative moment, you might be let down."


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Client Reviews
Ben and Nate are great guys. They walked me through the whole process, from beginning til the end. The receptionist and very nice. Answer all my questions and concerns. I will refer them to anyone. Their not like other lawyers that talk around the topic. They tell you just how it is or how they believe it will be. Thank you guys so much.
Ben and Nate took their time in handling my case with compassion and care. I never had to wonder what was going on. They always made sure to include me in each and every decision that needed to be made before they were made. Their entire staff was always very polite and knowledgeable. I cannot say enough kind words about Andreozzi + Foote; they are simply the best!
One of the best personal injury lawyers in the country. Great experience. Really genuine people at Andreozzi and Associates.
Handled our case SO well even though it took a long time to settle, and STILL helps us with paperwork related to the settlement account every now and then. They were honest with us from the get-go, worked REALLY hard on our behalf, and always kept in touch with us about what was going on. So pleased.
When you and your child are victims of a horrid crime it's hard to understand why things are the way they are. Information and answers are what you want, but unfortunately the system doesn't offer that. Nathaniel has fielded and patiently listened to a broken mother wanting nothing more than for someone to help her understand why she has no answers, and through these phone calls Nathaniel has been very informative, honest and upfront. I would recommend Nathaniel and this firm to anyone who is seeking answers, help and professionalism in a firm when going through such difficult times.
Can't say enough about the kindness and compassion of this law office. They helped me immensely with a difficult case and the level of support they provided me was stellar.
It is impossible to put into words our gratitude for Ben and Nate through the most trying time of our life. As scared, confused, and traumatized parents, the isolation and loneliness of litigation are abysmal. In the beginning, everyone surrounding you has endless bright ideas and can't say enough how you should pursue action, but then when it comes down to it, these cheerleaders are suddenly silent and nowhere to be found in what feels to be your darkest hour. Thank God we had these two extraordinary men at our side from the moment we contacted them. Their friendship, counsel, and sound resolve to do everything they could in order to balance the scorecard meant more than we can ever convey, and is simply immeasurable. If we had known how simple this seemingly horrific ordeal would've been with their help from the start, we wouldn't have agonized a single minute over doing what we did. If you are in a similar position as I've described, take advice from someone who's been through the worst, thankfully with the best. Call them!


text:
CHICAGO — A small alligator found under an escalator at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has left authorities puzzled.
A maintenance worker discovered the alligator, which is about a foot long, on Friday in Terminal 3, Chicago Police spokesman Jose Estrada said Sunday.
An officer captured the reptile by putting a trash can over it.
"We don't know where it came from or how long it'd been residing in the airport facilities," Estrada said. "It's one of those random incidents."
The gator is now being cared for by the Chicago Herpetological Society.
"It was in pretty bad shape," said Jason Hood, the group's president. "We're trying to get it healthy and find a place for it."
He said the gator would likely head to an out-of-state alligator farm once authorities give the organization the all-clear to release the animal.
No one was injured.
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The Orchard SurgeryPenstone ParkLancingWest Sussex, BN15 9AGTel: 01903 875900
Flu (also known as influenza) is a highly infectious illness caused by the flu virus. It spreads rapidly through small droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week.
Studies have shown that flu vaccines provide effective protection against the flu, although protection may not be complete and may vary between people. Protection from the vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains change over time. Therefore, new vaccines are made each year and people at risk of flu are encouraged to be vaccinated every year.
The flu vaccination is offered to people in at-risk groups. These people are at greater risk of developing serious complications if they catch flu, such as pregnant women and elderly people.
For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week.
However, certain people are at greater risk of developing serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These conditions may require hospital treatment.
The flu vaccine is offered free to people who are at risk, to protect them from catching flu and developing serious complications.
It is recommended that you have a flu jab if you fall into one or more of the following categories:
If you are the parent of a child who is over six months old and has a long-term condition on the list below, speak to your GP about the flu vaccine. Your child's condition may get worse if they catch flu.
It is recommended that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they're in.
This is because there is good evidence that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu, particularly from the H1N1 strain.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine can be safely and effectively given during any trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine does not carry risks for either the mother or baby. In fact, studies have shown that mothers who have had the vaccine while pregnant pass some protection to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.
The flu vaccine is offered free to anyone who is over six months of age and has one of the following medical conditions:
If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be able to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP about this.
Employers are responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place for frontline healthcare staff to have the flu vaccine.
Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings, and staff, patients and residents are at risk of infection.
Frontline health and social care staff should protect themselves by having the flu vaccine to prevent the spread of flu to colleagues and other members of the community.
If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, speak to your GP about getting vaccinated against seasonal flu. You should also ensure that the person you care for has the flu jab.
An annual nasal spray flu vaccine will be offered to all children aged two, three or four years on 1 September 2017 as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.
It will also be offered to children aged 2-18 with long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease.
Children aged six months to 2 years with long-term health conditions aren't able to have the nasal spray and will get the injected flu vaccine instead.
You should not have the flu vaccine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a flu vaccine or one of its ingredients. This happens very rarely.
Although no medical procedure is totally free of risk, flu vaccines are generally very safe. The most common reaction to the jab is a sore arm, or you may feel hot for a day or two after the vaccination.
This year's flu jabs have been tested and approved for use across the UK and in Europe. The jab cannot give you flu because it doesn't contain any active viruses.
The Department of Health recommends that everyone who is eligible for a flu jab should have it as soon as the vaccine is available.
If you are in an at-risk group and do not have the jab, you will have a greater risk of developing serious complications or even dying if you get flu this winter.
If you haven't had the flu vaccine and you are in a risk group, make an appointment to get vaccinated.
Find out more about the flu vaccine, including how the vaccine is made and how it protects you.
A annual nasal spray flu vaccine is now offered to all children aged two, three and four years as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.
In certain geographic areas the spray will also be offered to children aged 2-18 with long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease. Please contact the surgery for further information if required.
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Ever the provocateur, Ryan Murphy is capitalizing on the success of "American Horror Story" and the buzz surrounding its upcoming freak-show themed season by announcing a new companion series, "American Crime Story." The show will also be a scripted FX anthology, but will center on infamous true crimes. Take a wild guess at the first season's subject. Yup, it's O.J. Simpson. The first installment will be directed by Murphy from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have some courtroom drama experience as the writers of "The People vs. Larry Flynt." [Deadline]
In other television news, cult hit "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret," created by and starring David Cross, will be resurrected on IFC in 2015, three years after the first two six-episode seasons officially wrapped. Cast member Sharon Horgan is confirmed for the cast, but no word yet whether Will Arnett, Spike Jonze, or Blake Harrison will return. Cross' character, London-based American sales exec Todd Margaret, was last seen in the act of exploding nuclear bombs, and the new season apparently picks up where the last left off. [Splitsider]
Also, "The Walking Dead," the number one zombie apocalypse horror drama (and television show in general) for viewers 18-49 for the past two years, has been renewed for a sixth season, which should surprise absolutely no one. The comic-book based AMC series has continued to pull in record numbers, with its Season 4 premiere boasting the most viewers ever for a cable show, 16.1 million. AMC recently announced a companion series is in development: this show will be set in the same zombie-riddled universe, so the network obviously has a lot of confidence in the brand. Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" premieres this Sunday. [Deadline]
Lastly, the John Candy comedy classic "Uncle Buck" is now being developed as a comedy at ABC. The project won't veer too wildly from the original premise, following a man-child who is tasked with taking care of his brother's kids and eventually becomes a responsible adult in the process. And this isn't the first time an Uncle Buck show has been attempted. Back in 1990, CBS had their own version that ran for one season with Kevin Meaney in the title role. And as you can see from the opening credits below, the bar is set pretty low for this latest attempt. [Deadline] — additional reporting by Kevin Jagernauth
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text: Shop the elite array of Ladies Anaheim Ducks Antigua polo shirts and polos at Fanatics for the perfect way to show off your passion this season. The extensive collection of Ladies Ducks Antigua golf shirts and sport polos featured in our officially licensed shop will provide you with the perfect way to celebrate. We offer a wide variety of brands and styles, including Ladies Anaheim Ducks Antigua coaches and championship polos. No matter what season, we have an impressive selection of Ladies Ducks Antigua performance polos that are guaranteed to keep you comfortable all day long.


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Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
These are a few of our favorite links that we use often in our offices. Please remember that all information on websites, blogs, and social media is not medical advice. Nothing replaces a visit to your podiatrist.
American Podiatric Medical Association: http://www.apma.org
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeon's consumer website: http://www.foothealthfacts.org
American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org
Enchondromas are small benign tumors made up of cartilage that form in the bone beneath the toenail. Enchondromas are the most common bone tumors of the hands and feet and usually are painless. The tumor can involve large portions of the bones, causing thinning of the cortex. This can weaken the bone and cause it to break spontaneously. When enchondromas occur in the small bone in the end of the toe, they can cause pain that may mimic the pain of ingrown toenails.
Ollier's Disease, also known as enchondromatosis, frequently occurs in the small bones in the hands and toes (phalanges) and the long bones behind the phalanges, called metatarsals. This condition is characterized by multiple enchondromas.
Maffucci's Syndrome is a very rare form of enchondromatosis that combines multiple enchondromas in bones anywhere in the body with benign soft tissue tumors (known as hemangiomas), which are associated with blood vessels. This condition tends to appear in the hands and feet, and has a greater tendency toward malignant transformation than Ollier's Disease.
Because they are painless, most enchondromas are discovered when X-rays are taken for another reason. CT scans and MRI can also help in diagnosing enchondromas.
The majority of enchondromas require no treatment. Only in cases where the tumors are aggressive and begin destroying bone tissue do they require further attention, often surgical removal.


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Call today, 786-708-9332, Bosch Dishwasher Repair in Miami Lakes for a same day or next day appointment for a Dishwasher Repair. If you are located in Miami Lakes or around in the Miami-Dade County area and need Bosch Dishwasher Repair, please call Miami Lakes Appliance Repair Men. If you need an experienced Bosch Dishwasher Repair technician in Miami Lakes, we can send out a service technician to diagnose your Dishwasher. All Bosch Dishwasher Repair technicians have extensive experience servicing all types of models and type of Dishwashers including Bosch Over the range Oven, Bosch Commercial Dishwasher, Bosch and Bosch Dishwasher Installation,.
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300 SHE33M02UC, Bosch Dishwasher Installation Instructions, 900 198 369 (8607), Thermador Dishwasher Installation Quick Setup, 9000 035918 (8406 0), Bosch Appliances Dish washer User Manual, 9000060331 (8503), 9000063716 (8504), 9000065778, (8503), B36IB, bosch 0000, Bosch 24" Built-in Dishwasher SHP65TL5UC, Bosch Appliances 119, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 4302, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 4306, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 5HVHW, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 6802, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 6805, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 6806, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 6WDUW, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 800 Series, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher 9000373507, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHE43R5XUC, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHE44C, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHE4AM, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHE5AL, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHE5AM, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHI 6800, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHU 5300, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHU 6800, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHX3AM, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHX5AL, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHX6AP, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SHX99A15UC Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SMS40A08GB, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SMS69L22GB, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher SMV53A00GB, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher TRUE, Bosch Appliances Dishwasher WC140, Bosch Appliances SHI 4300, Bosch Appliances SHI 6800, Bosch Appliances SHU 3131, Bosch Appliances SHU 3300, Bosch Appliances SHU 4320, Bosch Appliances SHU 5300, Bosch Appliances SHU 6800, Bosch Appliances SHU 8800, Bosch Appliances SHU 8810, Bosch Appliances SHU 9910, Bosch Appliances SHU 9920, Bosch Appliances SHU 9950, Bosch Appliances SHV 4300, Bosch Appliances SHV 4800, Bosch Appliances SHV 6800, BOSCH diswacher, BSH Dishwasher, SGV45E03UC, SHE33M02UC, SHE33M02UC/43, sHe42l, sHe43C, SHE43F, SHE43M, SHE44C, SHE45M, SHE46C, SHE47C, SHE47C0, SHE4AM, SHE55M, SHE56C, sHe58C, SHE5AM, SHE660, SHE66C, sHe68M, SHE98M, SHE990, SHE99C, SHE99CO5, SHI 4300, SHI 6800, SHI66A, SHU 3000, SHU 3012 UC, SHU 3030, SHU 3131, SHU 3300, SHU 4300, SHU 4320, SHU 5300, SHU 6800, SHU 8800, SHU 8810, SHU 9900, SHU 9910, SHU 9920, SHU 9950, SHU33A, SHU42L, SHU43C, SHU43E, SHU53, SHU53E, SHU66C, SHU66E, SHU6E, SHV 4300,SHV 4800, SHV 6800, SHV45M, SHV46C, SHV56A, sHV56C, SHV570, sHV57C, SHV66A, sHV68M, SHV98M, SHV99A, SHV99A, SHX33A, SHV99A13UC, SHX33A, SHX33AI, sHX33M, SHX36L, SHX3AM, sHX43C, SHX43E, SHX43E, SHV46C, SHX43M, SHX45M, SHX46A, SHX46B, SHX46L, sHX55M, SHX56B, sHX56C, SHX570, sHX57C, sHX68M, SHX98M, SHX99A, SHX99A15UC, SHX99B, SHY56A, SHY56A, SHY660, SHY66C, SHY99A, SL34A, SL84A, SL95A, Siemens Dishwasher Use and Care Manual, smu2000, SRV53C.
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Bosch Ascenta Series SHE3AR7
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Bosch Ascenta Series SHX3AR7
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Bosch 800 Series SHX68T5X
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Bosch 500 Series SHP65T5X
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Jacob Biamonte explains the emergence of reality and the arrow of time to Carinne Piekema.
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We created this page to allow users of the pancreas cancer discussion boards to post a "biography" of themselves and/or the patient they are writing messages about. This feature was requested by visitors to our discussion boards. Bios are in alphabetic order in groups of 25.
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Amy Gehrt: Time to end tax-dodge shadiness
A growing number of American companies are moving overseas ... on paper, at least.
The tactic is called a corporate inversion, but for those who have no idea what that means, perhaps a more apt description would be "shady tax dodge."
Here's how it works: A U.S. company combines — through a merger or an acquisition — with a foreign business whose shareholders own at least 20 percent of the new entity. Often, the American business maintains control of the company and its corporate headquarters, but it shifts its U.S. tax domicile to the foreign business and, voila, lower taxes. Yes, yes, I know it's legal. As with many of these loopholes, however, the question is should it be? To me, the answer is a resounding no. If allowed to continue unabated, over the next decade the practice could cost the U.S. Treasury $17 billion in lost revenue, according to government estimates.
During a public appearance at a technical college in Los Angeles Thursday, President Barack Obama accused these companies of "cherry-picking the rules."
"They're technically renouncing their U.S. citizenship. They're declaring they are based someplace else, even though most of their operations are here," he said. "You know, some people are calling these companies corporate deserters."
Strong words, but in this case they ring true. After all, these corporations happily take advantage of all of the benefits that come with being an American company. Many often proudly proclaim themselves patriotic. Yet when it comes time to pay Uncle Sam, they balk.
The Congressional Research Service reports that 47 U.S.-based companies have taken advantage of the corporate inversion loophole in the past decade. Nine of those deals were struck in the last year, and others are in the works.
One of those considering a corporate inversion is Walgreen Co. The Deerfield, Illinois, drug-store chain that bills itself as "America's premier pharmacy." Yet if it follows through on plans to purchase a 55 percent stake in Swiss-based retailer and wholesaler Alliance Boots (it acquired the other 45 percent in 2012), it "could dodge an estimated nearly $4 billion in taxes over the next 5 years," according to a letter Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sent to Walgreen President and CEO Gregory Wasson, urging him and the board of directors (all of whom were CCed on the letter) to reconsider. In the text, which was included in a press release I received Tuesday, Durbin writes, "I recognize that potential windfall in profit is an attractive option for shareholders. On the other hand, much of Walgreens financial success was built on programs and infrastructure provided by the U.S. government and paid for by U.S. taxpayers. The future success of Walgreens will continue to depend on U.S. taxpayers and government-funded programs, yet Walgreens will be using a clever tax dodge to avoid paying $4 billion in U.S. Taxes."
Durbin also points out that nearly all of the chain's $2.5 billion in profits came from sales to Americans — and 25 percent were purchases made through the Medicare and Medicaid programs, both of which are funded by the U.S. Government.
"I believe you will find that your customers are deeply patriotic and will not support Walgreen's decision to turn its back on the United States," the second-ranking Democratic leader wrote.
He's got a point. Actions speak louder than words, and all of the flag-waving and "American" proclamations in the world won't disguise the sheer hypocrisy of a company taking all that it can from a country and its citizens while shipping its profits overseas in order to give as little as possible to the public coffers.
American citizens don't get to choose the tax rate they pay, and U.S. companies shouldn't be able to do so, either.
In his 2015 budget Obama proposed raising the inversions threshold by 30 percent, meaning a foreign company's shareholders would need to own at least 50 percent of the newly merged entity in order for a corporate inversion to be permissible. The president also wants to make that retroactive to May in order to avoid a rush of last-minute deals.
The fight has begun on Capitol Hill, but it's already meeting with resistance, with some saying closing the loophole must be part of a comprehensive tax code reform package.
No one's arguing that our tax code system isn't flawed. However, hashing out an agreement on a complete overhaul that will get enough support in Congress to pass both the House and the Senate will take time — particularly given the current crop of lawmakers, many of whom seem to believe obstructing progress is better than actually legislating.
Given how many billions are at stake with corporate inversions, we simply can't afford to leave this loophole open while we wait.
Amy Gehrt is the city editor of the Pekin (Illinois) Daily Times. She may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com, or on Twitter @AmyGehrt. The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Pekin Daily Times or this publication.


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Two Scouting families; opposite views on gay ban
DAVID CRARY,AP National Writer
Despite a shared affection for Scouting, the Tessier family in Maryland and the Comers in Tennessee hope for opposite outcomes this week as leaders of the Boy Scouts of America ponder whether to move away from a national no-gays membership policy.
Wes Comer, his wife and children belong to an Apostolic Pentecostal church near their Knoxville home that considers homosexuality sinful. Comer says he will pull his eldest son out of the Scouts, despite a positive experience with them, if the BSA modifies the policy to allow some troops to accept gays.
The Tessiers, who live in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Kensington, have two sons who enjoyed Cub Scouts, progressed to Boy Scouts, and continued to thrive there even as many in their troop became aware that each boy was gay. The family is grateful for that, but fervently hopes the BSA's top leaders officially scrap the ban so that open acceptance becomes the norm for Scout units nationwide.
Each family's sentiments are shared by many others, and the BSA — whose governing board is deliberating behind closed doors this week at a Texas hotel — now finds itself in a situation where any decision it makes is likely to rouse anger and disappointment.
On the agenda is a proposal to ease the ban on gays by allowing local troop sponsors to decide the matter for themselves. Critics from the right say that step would trigger mass defections and want the ban to stay; critics on the left say the BSA shouldn't tolerate exclusion of gays by any unit.
Here's a closer look at the Comers and Tessiers, and their heartfelt views:
The Comers
Wes Comer, as a boy, never tried Scouting and had few opportunities to learn knot-tying, fire-building and outdoor survival skills. He was delighted that eldest of his five children, 11-year-old Isaiah, seized the chance to do so last year as a first-time Cub Scout.
"He's taken to it like a fish to water," Comer said. "Exactly the skills I wanted him to learn are the things he's come back with. It's been fantastic."
The family looked forward to Isaiah to advancing this year in Boy Scout Troop 442 — sponsored by a home-schooling association in nearby Maryville — and for his 5-year-old brother to join the Cub Scouts once he was old enough.
But Comer, who has served as youth pastor and assistant pastor at Eagle Bend Apostolic Church in Clinton, Tenn., says the Bible condemns homosexuality, and he is dismayed that the BSA might relax its ban on gays.
"If that's the action they take, I'll lift my son from the Boy Scouts," Comer, 34, said in a telephone interview. "I feel that strongly about it, and a number of other families around here feel that way, too."
Comer's 9-year-old daughter belongs to the American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 as a conservative, Christian-oriented alternative to the Girl Scouts. Comer isn't sure what comparable options there might be for boys in his area, but predicted he and other like-minded families would come up with a plan.
Comer, who does graphic design and marketing for a defense contractor in Clinton, has been following the BSA membership controversy closely, even perusing statements from gay-rights advocates who want the Scouts to require acceptance of gays nationwide.
He has followed the news reports about major corporations — including UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck & Co. — which have suspended donations to the BSA as long as the ban on gays is in effect. And he believes such financial pressure has taken a toll.
"The idea that the Scouts are compromising their moral position in exchange for funds kind of sickens me," he said. "We'd rather have a morally rich organization than a financially rich one... Who, at this point, is defining what it means to be 'morally straight'?"
Even a partial easing of the no-gays policy — providing for a local option — would be a "huge mistake," Comer said.
"The divide will only get worse," he said. "I can't see any scenario where that works to the benefit of the Boy Scouts."
The Tessiers:
Now a consultant to Washington-area nonprofit groups, Oliver Tessier was an avid Scout growing up in Louisiana, and he and his wife, Tracie Felker, have been active for 13 years as adult volunteers while their two boys made their way through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Lucien, 20, became an Eagle Scout in 2010 and now studies business administration at Northern Virginia Community College while planning the shift to a four-year university. His brother, Pascal, 16, is on track toward Eagle Scout with the same unit — Troop 52 in Chevy Chase, Md.
"I never had a single bad experience in Scouting," said Lucien, who came out as gay to family and friends while a sophomore in high school.
"I never advertised it but never felt uncomfortable discussing it," he said. "It was never an issue as a Scout. ... It's always been a very welcoming troop."
Yet for all his gratitude toward Troop 52 for supporting him and Pascal, Lucien is frustrated by the official national policy excluding gays as both Scouts and adult leaders. Giving troop sponsors leeway to set their own policies would be a positive step, Lucien said, but he would prefer a nationwide nondiscrimination policy.
His mother has juggled a corporate information-technology job with a steady stream of Scouting duties — den leader, troop committee chair, merit badge coordinator.
She said Scouting had been rewarding for both sons, helping them build self-confidence, acquire leadership skills and develop respect for others.
"I can't be a prouder mom," she said.
Recently, she's been a self-described ringleader of efforts among like-minded parents to intensify opposition to the national no-gays policy.
"It's bothered me a lot — it's bothered a lot of other people I know," she said. "If you look at the Scout Oath and Scout Promise, espousing respect for others, it's just hypocritical to say, 'You should be that way to everybody in the world except your gay friends.'"
"When I say we're involved in Scouting, people wrinkle their nose," Felker said. "When we go door to door for the annual Scout food drive, we've had families in our neighborhood say they won't contribute until the Scouts change their policies."
Lucien doesn't feel any Scout-related stigma himself, but says it's time for change.
"I'm not ashamed of being a Boy Scout," he said. "But I want to see them reverse this policy. I want to see them join the 21st century."
Follow David Crary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP


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Patients & Families
For Health Professionals
Culture shock isn't a clinical term or medical condition. It's simply a common way to describe the confusing and nervous feelings a person may have after leaving a familiar culture to live in a new and different culture. When you move to a new place, you're bound to face a lot of changes. That can be exciting and stimulating, but it can also be overwhelming. You may feel sad, anxious, frustrated, and want to go home.
It's natural to have difficulty adjusting to a new culture. People from other cultures (whom you'll be hanging out with and going to school with) may have grown up with values and beliefs that differ from yours. Because of these differences, the things they talk about, the ways they express themselves, and the importance of various ideas may be very different from what you are used to. But the good news is that culture shock is temporary.
To understand culture shock, it helps to understand what culture is. You may know that genes determine a big part of how you look and act. What you might not know is that your environment — your surroundings — has a big effect on your appearance and behavior as well.
Your environment isn't just the air you breathe and the food you eat, though; a big part of your environment is culture. Culture is made up of the common things that members of a community learn from family, friends, media, literature, and even strangers. These are the things that influence how theylook, act, and communicate. Often, you don't even know you're learning these things because they become second-nature to you — for instance, the way you shake hands with someone when meeting them, when you eat your meals each day, the kind of things you find funny, or how you view religion.
When you go to a new place, such as a new country or even a new city, you often enter a culture that is different from the one you left. Sometimes your culture and the new culture are similar. Other times, they can be very different, and even contradictory. What might be perfectly normal in one culture — for instance, spending hours eating a meal with your family — might be unusual in a culture that values a more fast-paced lifestyle.
The differences between cultures can make it very difficult to adjust to the new surroundings. You may encounter unfamiliar clothes, weather, and food as well as different people, schools, and values. You may find yourself struggling to do things in your new surroundings that were easy back home. Dealing with the differences can be very unsettling; those feelings are part adjusting to a new culture.
One person's adjustment to a new culture is not necessarily like another's. In some situations, people are excited about their move. Though they may feel a little sad about leaving important people and places behind, they think of the move as a new adventure, or they've heard great things about the place that will become their new home. Some people stay this way. But difficulties adjusting often don't show up right away. In some people, the excitement gives way to frustration as time goes on and they still have trouble understanding their new surroundings.
On the other hand, there are people who never wanted to move in the first place. Their frustration starts the day they realize that they have to move to a new place, when they're perfectly happy where they are. It continues as they find out just how unfamiliar their new home is.
Though people experience culture shock in different ways, these feelings are common:
These difficult feelings may tempt you to isolate yourself from your new surroundings and dismiss the new culture. It's best not to withdraw like this. If you stay calm, observe and learn, and keep things in perspective, you'll probably find that your difficulties will pass. But if you're feeling depressed and you aren't able to function normally even after the first few months in your new environment, you should talk to a parent or trusted adult about whether to seek help from a physician or mental health professional.
So how do you deal with the frustration and fears you may be having? How can you begin to feel comfortable in your new surroundings?
Depending on where you come from and where you are now, you may or may not have trouble with the native language. It's a good idea to become comfortable with the language as soon as you can. Not being able to understand what people are saying is almost as frustrating as not knowing how to make people understand what you are saying.
Lots of good resources are around to help you practice. Many schools with a good number of students new to the country have language classes. If your school doesn't offer one, check out some of the community centers and libraries in your area. In addition, books make good resources too, and even some websites.
Whatever method you choose, practice is really important. A lot of people are worried about speaking a language they aren't completely comfortable with and think that people who speak the language well will tease them when they stumble over words. This might tempt you to practice the language with someone who is at the same comfort level as you, but it's also important to practice with people who have mastered the language, so that you know when you make a mistake and learn from it.
It might make you uncomfortable when it takes you twice as long to say the same thing as a native speaker, or use the wrong word, but remember that you have nothing to be ashamed of.
Even if you're familiar with the new language spoken around you, chances are you don't know a lot of the slang — casual speech that doesn't make it into translation dictionaries (or most dictionaries, for that matter). This is one of the many reasons why it's a good idea to do some studying on the culture you are immersed in.
A lot of the anxiety that comes with moving to a new place has to do with not knowing what to expect in your new environment. Learning things about your new environment will help you become more comfortable.
School is a great place to do this. Watch and learn from the people around you — see how the students interact with teachers and each other. Find out what your classmates do for fun and what kinds of things are important to them.
You can also get some insight from television and movies, but be careful — not everything you see on the screen is meant to be realistic. But these media do help if you're still trying to learn the language or catch up on some slang, and at the very least, give you something to talk about when you're trying to make a new friend.
You don't have to love everything you find out about the culture, or start acting the way that others do, but when you gain knowledge of what people mean when they say certain phrases or why they dress a certain way, you do begin to feel better.
Your accent might be different from everybody else's. Your clothes may also be very different from those around you. Sometimes it can be really difficult being different, especially when compared to the other kids at school. But some people at your school will want to get to know you because your differences seem really cool. Other people, though, might try to give you a hard time.
Some of the people who may try to tease you might do so because of stereotypes. Stereotypes are simplified ideas, often exaggerated or distorted in a negative way, that one group of people holds about another. An example of a stereotype would be everyone with curly hair is lazy. Like this example, stereotypes are often wrong, and they can be hurtful.
If someone harasses you, walk away — don't give the person the satisfaction of seeing that his or her comments bother you. If you can't shake off the comments, talk about it with good friends, siblings, or parents. The people who love you and know that you're a great person can often help you understand that the bully has no idea what he or she is talking about. It also helps to find people at school to hang out with who are cool enough not to care what the bully says.
As much as you would hate to be boxed into a certain type, try and get away from doing the same to others. These characterizations are just as unfair as the ones people might use to describe you. And beliefs in these can get in the way of making some good friends.
It's important to realize that some people have an easier time adjusting to a new culture than others. Sometimes, if members in your family are having an easy transition, they'll be a great source of support — a group of people who are going through something very much like what you're going through. In addition, your family can be a big part of keeping ties to home.
But sometimes, members of your family might want to keep your ties to home too tight. Your parents might not expect the changes that may happen as you begin to learn more about your new culture. Or, they might need your help as they try and learn the new culture, especially if you have a better grasp on the language. Be patient with them; chances are they're trying to manage their culture shock — just like you.
You can do a lot to help yourself adjust to a new culture. But don't forget that you aren't alone — there are people you can go to who can help:
Rather than giving up your culture so you can fit in, keep your mind open to new ways of doing and thinking about things. Notice things that are the same and things that are different. Appreciating that variety is what makes people so interesting.
Everyone feels the pressure to fit in at one time or another — whether they've lived in the area for days or years. But don't feel like you need to change everything about yourself so you can stand out less. All of your experiences before you came to your new home are part of you, and what makes you special.
Here are a few tips for making sure your new culture doesn't overpower the old:
Remember, the key to getting over your culture shock is understanding the new culture and finding a way to live comfortably within it while keeping true to the parts of your culture that you value.
It's important to be yourself. Try not to force yourself to change too fast or to change too many things all at once. You will have your own pace of adjusting. Everyone goes through changes in their life, and it may seem that you are going through more changes than the average person — but as long as you hold on to what's important to you and find a good combination between old and new, you'll be fine.


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A new robot developed by the Chiba Institute of Technology's Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRO) that resembles a small military tank is set to explore Fukushima's damaged nuclear reactor.
The fuRO Sakura robot has been designed to enter the disabled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor buildings (especially the basement areas, where leaks of cooling water are suspected) and collect information on damage. After the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, the Japanese government began testing several robotic technologies that will help with future accidents. As we reported this spring, the first robot to enter the plant and provide glimpses inside after the disaster was iRobot's 510 PackBot. That hand-carryable 24-pound machine can climb stairs, roll over rubble, and navigate narrow passages.
The remote-controlled Sakura is one of several rescue robots fuRO has developed during two generations of search-and-rescue robotics R&D. The Sakura is a result of a project conducted by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) that focuses on the development of robots for disaster response, including search-and-rescue and quick damage assessment.
Another robot in this project is a modified robotic suit based on the Cyberdyne HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) exoskeleton originally designed to help people walk or lift heavy objects. The modified version will augment the suit's power units, sensors, and battery pack with a tungsten shielded vest that reduces radiation exposure by about 50 percent, as well as a ventilation system to prevent overheating. The suit can also monitor the wearer's vital signs, including heart rate and body temperature.
The Sakura robot can roll through narrow passageways and stairs on tank-like treads, finding its way with a camera, sensors, and a directional microphone that detects the sound of moving water. The robot protects itself and its operator against radiation. Its bottom surface is covered by a stainless steel plate 5mm thick, and one of its devices automatically extends and retracts communication cables. It's also designed to go up to three years without maintenance.


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Bethesda To Develop Fallout 3
We received a press release from Bethesda Softworks, announcing that the Morrowind developer has licensed the Fallout franchise from Interplay and will develop and publish Fallout 3. The deal with Interplay allows Bethesda to make future Fallout products on PC, consoles, handhelds and other media.
"We're extremely excited about this opportunity and what it means both for Bethesda and for Fallout fans around the world," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Fallout is one of the great RPG franchises. Millions of Fallout games have been sold worldwide, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a Fallout 3 title. Bethesda's proven expertise in this genre, building on our experience and the tremendous success we have enjoyed with our cutting-edge Elder Scrolls series, will enable us to create the next chapter of Fallout that is worthy of the franchise." ...The press release mentions that Bethesda is also working on the next installment of The Elder Scrolls. Interplay also issued a press release, mentioning that they retain rights to an online Fallout game (and still own the intellectual property), and reiterating plans to develop a Fallout MMORPG. Update: on HomeLAN Fed you can find a mini-Q&A with Bethesda's Pete Hines about their creative control, involvement from Fallout 1 & 2 team members and a release date.
From The Chatty


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4 dead in fiery highway crash, Georgia officials say
More than two dozen cars, pickup trucks and tractor-trailers collided Wednesday morning in a fiery pileup on a foggy Georgia interstate, killing at least four people and sending nine others to a hospital, officials said.
Work crews on Interstate 16 were still clearing charred and twisted wreckage from the crash scene, which covered nearly a quarter-mile of the roadway, hours after the chain of crashes occurred at about 8:10 a.m. Crews initially reported three deaths before finding another person dead in the wreckage later Wednesday.
The Georgia State Patrol was still trying to piece together what started the series of wrecks involving 27 vehicles. Capt. Kirk McGlamery said even drivers who dodged to the side of cars crashing in front of them weren't safe from getting rear-ended off the highway's shoulder.
"It was just a chain-reaction," McGlamery said. "I talked to two individuals involved who had come to a stop and had pulled off, one was on the shoulder and the other was trying to get out of the way, when they were struck by vehicles coming up behind them."
Officials said poor visibility likely played a big part. Weather forecasts called for dense fog Wednesday morning, and McGlamery said motorists reported smoke across the highway. He said a controlled burn had been permitted nearby the day before, and troopers were trying to find out if burning continued into Wednesday.
The crash shut down I-16 in both directions for several hours, though a single eastbound lane had opened Wednesday afternoon. The highway covers only 170 miles between nearby Macon in central Georgia and Savannah on the coast. But it's heavily traveled by commercial trucks hauling goods between Atlanta and Savannah's busy seaport, and is often used by travelers as a route to Interstate 95 along the Eastern Seaboard.
McGlamery said seven tractor-trailers were involved in the pileup, including an empty fuel tanker. Fumes inside the tanker exploded and caught fire, though the driver of the rig survived.
Joseph White, a soldier in the Army National Guard, told The Courier Herald of Dublin he was heading to work when he drove into heavy traffic clouded by black smoke. He was rear-ended before he saw a fuel tanker hit an 18-wheeler.
"I'm looking back and the tanker exploded," said White, who ran from the scene after his car came to a halt. "Pieces of the tanker flew toward me on the freeway, barely missing me. A piece of the tanker landed like 10 feet behind me as I was running. It almost fell on my head."
Martha Strickland, who passed through the smoky scene shortly after the crashes, said she could see the tanker burning but not engulfed in flames.
"We had to creep by because, you know, it was just so much smoke and to keep us from getting in a wreck, and we were on eastbound and that was in westbound," Strickland said.
A Georgia Department of Transportation crew was on the way to place caution signs warning of low visibility on the interstate when the crash happened, DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg said. A 911 operator had called the DOT to say motorists were calling to complain of poor visibility, Goldberg said, though she didn't know if it was fog or smoke that prompted the calls.
The DOT crew in Dublin, roughly 10 miles from the crash scene, was called within a minute of the 911 operator's call and had loaded the caution signs into a truck and was en route when the Laurens County sheriff called the agency to report the crash, Goldberg said.
"There was less than 30 minutes between the time we got the 911 operator's call to when the sheriff said there was a crash," Goldberg said.
Laurens County EMS director Terry Cobb, who was among the first emergency officials at the scene, said at least six vehicles were still on fire when crews arrived. Emergency officials encountered fog on the way to the crash site, though it seemed to lift one they arrived, Cobb said.
Authorities said nine people injured in the crash were taken to Fairview Park Hospital in nearby Dublin. Jeff Bruton, a hospital administrator, said all were treated and released except for one patient who was transferred to a hospital in Macon.
The dead were identified as: Michael Jarome Smith of Covington; Jeff Moore of Effingham County; and Clayton and Josephine Warnock of Dublin.
The area was under a dense fog advisory at the time of the pileup, said Laura Belanger, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. In some areas, visibility was only a quarter-mile or less, Belanger said.


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Win a copy of new Springsteen book, 'E Street Shuffle' by Clinton Heylin
I know I've contributed to the onslaught (requisite plug: "Glory Days: Springsteen's Greatest Albums," only $2.99!), but oddly enough most of the offerings have been worthy additions to the growing canon of Springsteen commentary, and the most recent to come across my path seems like no exception. Clinton Heylin's "E Street Shuffle" traces Springsteen's career up through "Born in the USA," and focuses specifically on the E Street Band's role in Bruce's ongoing artistic development during those years.
Heylin is the author of "Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades," and is known to have more of a jaundiced eye than some biographers — he clearly admires his subjects, but doesn't pull punches either. Take his assessment in "E Street Shuffle" of one well-known track from "The River":
… The worst of the lot was "Cadillac Ranch." After six sessions working on this rust-bucket, one wonders how he kept a straight face when singing [it] … If there was ever a Sprucesong that deserved to go straight to the scrapheap, this was it.
Heylin's style makes the book a clear departure from the more reverent approach in Peter Ames Carlin's bestselling "Bruce" — although if anything, "E Street Shuffle" probably suffers most from poor timing, coming so close on the heels of that book and Marc Dolan's "Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock and Roll." Still, with its tighter focus (and shorter length) it looks to be more complement to the others than rehash.
But don't take my word for it — find out for yourself by winning a free copy, courtesy of Viking Penguin. Email the response to the below question to firstname.lastname@example.com and we'll pick a winner at random from the correct answers at 9 p.m. EST tonight. (Sorry, U.S. only.)
QUESTION: In the book, Heylin tells the story of one of the "great unreleased performances of the E Street era" that was subsequently "mangled" by Warren Zevon, with Bruce's blessing. What's the song title? (Either Springsteen's original title or Zevon's adapted one is acceptable.)


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text: Your Cover Print of National Geographic, May 1978 will be printed as shown, from a high-resolution photo WITHOUT the MereMart.com logo. The intended goal of this free print is to advertise and promote our products and to educate our customers about the condition of the specific magazine. We take crisp photographic images of our vintage magazine covers using high-precision Fujitsu overhead scanning technology. While the image may be slightly enhanced by digital post-processing for color management and noise, the cover prints will show original address labels (if present) and original magazine wear. All our prints are created using top quality pigment ink and premium density microporous photo grade paper. The cover image shown is an accurate and faithful reproduction of the magazine we physically hold in stock at MereMart.com. Our handling and shipping fees include only the cost materials such as premium photo ink and large-format paper, tube packaging and prompt shipping.


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Fed up with the alpine cost of books? Amazon.com sells previously unpublished short stories, essays and other works for 49¢ through its Amazon Shorts program. The online bookseller requires that all sellers have at least one book for sale on Amazon. And some of the authors who have posted their work may surprise you, including actor John Lithgow, journalist Melissa Fay Greene and mystery novelist James Lee Burke.
But you could easily miss hearing about the program, because it isn't listed on the home page for www.amazon.com. You have to use the search bar to look "Amazon Shorts" or go to the pull-down menu that says, "See All 41 Product Categories." I knew nothing of the program until a writer friend persuaded me to post my "A Year in Cleveland," a parody of A Year in Provence, there. So you may want to check this section of the Amazon site if you enjoy short fiction, nonfiction and poetry. You can read the shorts by downloading them, having them e-mailed to you, or following an HTML link.
© 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Preliminary investigations show more than 40 buildings were damaged in a natural gas
that injured 18 people, building inspectors said Saturday.
A strip club was flattened and a day care center was heavily damaged in the massive blast Friday night in Springfield, one of New England's biggest cities.
Investigators were trying Saturday to figure out what caused the blast that could be heard for miles, left a large hole in the ground where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood and scattered debris over several blocks.
Officials already had evacuated part of the entertainment district after responding to a gas leak and odor reported about an hour before the explosion. Gas workers venting a gas leak got indications that the building was about to explode and they ducked for cover behind a utility truck — along with firefighters and police officers — just before the blast, said Mark McDonald, president of the New England Gas Workers Association.
Most of the injured were in that group, and the truck that saved their lives was essentially demolished, he said.
"It really is a miracle and it's an example of our public safety officials, each and every day, putting themselves in harm's way, taking what could have been considered a very routine call of an odor of gas, but they took the proper precautions," State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said. "And thanks to God that they did."
Officials also marveled how the 5:30 p.m. blast occurred when a day care center next door was closed. The center's building was heavily damaged.
Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno were attending a tree-lighting ceremony when the explosion occurred. Sarno said some people mistakenly thought the boom was part of the holiday event.
The explosion blew out windows in a three-block radius, leaving at least three buildings irreparably damaged and causing emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling, police said. Pieces of broken glass littered streets and sidewalks. It was unclear how many residents had been evacuated. A shelter was set up at a school, but city officials said no one stayed there overnight.
Omar Fermin, manager of the Punta Cana Restaurant two blocks from the explosion site, found the floor-to-ceiling windows blasted out when he came to check on the property Saturday morning.
"It looks like an earthquake hit," said Fermin, a native of the Dominican Republic. "I've never seen anything like it."
He said he was waiting for someone to come and assess the damage. He worried the restaurant would remain closed for weeks while the owner seeks to replace the massive custom-made windows.
Authorities cordoned off the center of the explosion Saturday as building inspectors worked to identify unsafe structures. Anxious residents gathered at the perimeter, waiting for permission to visit their buildings.
Preliminary reports show the blast damaged 42 buildings housing 115 residential units, said Thomas Walsh, spokesman for the mayor.
Three buildings were immediately condemned, and 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe, Walsh said.
Dogs trapped in abandoned buildings barked loudly Saturday as building inspectors fanned out across the area. One inspector said he wished he could get a ladder and permission to retrieve a dog that was barking in the upper floor of one building sealed off from residents.
Authorities are opening an animal shelter for pets affected by the explosion, Walsh said.
Coan, the fire marshal, said his office is investigating the cause of the blast and its possible origin. The state's Department of Public Utilities was also investigating.
Sheila Doiron, a spokeswoman for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, said the company will continue to monitor for any potential leaks within several blocks of the blast site. So far, she said, the company hadn't yet found any measurable readings.
The utility will keep at least 30 workers at the scene, along with a so-called sniffing car mounted with sophisticated gadgets capable of detecting low levels of gas leaks, Walsh said.
Doiron said the company also didn't find in its records any gas odor calls to the area where the strip club was located.
Authorities also deployed police officers throughout the area to prevent looting, Walsh said.
The victims were taken to two hospitals in the city. Those injured were nine firefighters, two police officers, four Columbia Gas workers, two civilians and another city employee.
Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not near the blast site.
The city has been rebuilding from damage caused by a tornado in June 2011.