text:
Social stress resulting from dominant-subordinate relationships is associated with body weight loss and altered body composition in subordinate (SUB) male rats. Here, we extend these findings to determine whether stress-induced changes in energy homeostasis persist when the social stress is removed, and the animal is allowed to recover. We examined body weight (BW), body composition, and relevant endocrine measures after one or two cycles of 14 days of social stress, each followed by 21 days of recovery in each rat's individual home cage. SUB lost significantly more BW during social housing in a visible burrow system (VBS) compared with dominant (DOM) animals. Weight loss during social stress was attributable to a decrease in adipose tissue in DOM and SUB, with an additional loss of lean tissue in SUB. During both 21-day recovery periods, DOM and SUB regained lost BW, but only SUB were hyperphagic. Following recovery, SUB had a relatively larger increase in adipose tissue and plasma leptin compared with DOM, indicating that body composition changes were dependent on social status. Control animals that were weight matched to SUB or male rats exposed to the VBS environment without females, and that did not form a social hierarchy, did not exhibit changes in body composition like SUB in the VBS. Therefore, chronic social stress causes social status-dependent changes in BW, composition and endocrine measures that persist after repeated stress and recovery cycles and that may ultimately lead to metabolic disorders and obesity.
- food intake
- fat distribution
- obesity
- metabolic syndrome
- Visible Burrow System
obesity is a worldwide public health problem and a major contributor to the increased incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (13, 37). Psychosocial and socioeconomic challenges or stress in humans activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and when these occur on a chronic basis, they are associated with an increased incidence of visceral obesity and predisposition to develop what has been called the metabolic syndrome (28, 29, 41–43). Although these associations have been documented, it is unclear how stress leads to obesity and symptoms comprising the metabolic syndrome.
Laboratory models have been developed to study the consequences of stress in animals. Psychosocial stress also predisposes nonhuman primates to visceral obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and coronary artery atherosclerosis (24, 50), and this has been associated with reduced feedback regulation of cortisol secretion, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and reproduction, and depressive behavior (24, 50). The "stress" in the primate experiments is best described as chronic and intermittent. Hence, while the results are intriguing, they do not allow rigorous assessment of whether the metabolic abnormalities arise during the actual period of stress or during interspersed intervals when average stress is reduced.
To address these issues, we have developed a rat model to systematically evaluate the effect of psychosocial stress on susceptibility to metabolic pathology. Specifically, we use an established rodent model of psychosocial stress called the Visible Burrow System (VBS). The VBS is an apparatus that was designed to mimic the natural underground burrow systems that rats normally live in thus providing an ethologially relevant environment in which to study the consequences of social stress in the laboratory. In the VBS model, mixed-sex colonies of adult rats are housed continuously in a VBS apparatus for up to 2 wk, during which the male rats of the colony spontaneously form dominant-subordinate relationships. The dominance hierarchy is firmly established within a few days and subordinate (SUB) and dominant (DOM) rats can be identified by established behavioral and physiological criteria (4, 5, 56). We and others have documented that SUB display behavioral, physiological, neuroendocrine characteristics consistent with chronic stress (4, 5, 16, 51, 56).
Body weight (BW) loss is one of the most pronounced and reliable consequences of subordination stress in the VBS (5, 8, 11, 56). We have previously observed that the BW decrease in SUB results from loss of both adipose and lean tissue, with preferential retention of visceral adiposity, a characteristic that is not shared by the DOM animals, suggesting that this results from subordination stress (54). Once the SUB animals are removed from the stress of the VBS, our preliminary data show that they rapidly regain their lost BW in an endocrine environment characterized initially by high glucocorticoids and low testosterone levels (44). The long-term consequences of chronic social stress on BW, body composition, and endocrine parameters have not yet been examined in this model. We hypothesized that this poststress period of heightened metabolic activity in the context of an altered endocrine environment might predispose SUB to the metabolic profile observed in psychosocially stressed primates, including humans, and that the profile would be exacerbated with repeated episodes of stress and recovery.
In the current experiments, we also included novel control groups to dissociate the effects of social stress on BW and body composition from those resulting from weight loss and regain alone and from exposure to the complex VBS environment in the absence of dominance hierarchy formation. Collectively, our data suggest that SUB animals have increased adiposity following intermittent cycles of stress and recovery and that the changes in body composition result from social subordination stress.
Experiment 1. Metabolic and Endocrine Effects of Repeated, Intermittent Social Stress
Subjects were Long-Evans rats (Harlan, Indianapolis, IN), 100–120 days of age at the beginning of the experiment. Animals were randomly assigned to 16 rat colonies consisting of 4 males and 2 females each. Animals were weight-matched such that all males in a given colony were within 25 g body wt prior to the start of the experiment. Controls were 16 additional male rats that were age and weight matched to rats assigned to the colonies. Each control rat was housed with an adult female in a conventional plastic shoebox cage (L × H × W, 46 × 21 × 24 cm), while experimental rats were housed in the VBS.
A digital photo was taken of each animal's unique pied coloration pattern for identification. Each colony was housed in a VBS constructed of opaque black Lexan. The VBS consists of an open, uncovered surface area connected to smaller covered chambers by a series of tunnels (Fig. 1). A 15-W light bulb located above the open surface area was maintained on a 12:12-h light-dark cycle with light onset at 0600 and provided illumination to the open surface area only; all tunnels and chambers remained in constant darkness. The ceilings of the tunnels and the chambers were constructed of clear Lexan to enable behavioral monitoring by a digital video camera and infrared light source mounted directly above each VBS apparatus. The activity of animals in each VBS colony was recorded on videotape for 6 h beginning at lights out (1800), a time when the animals were most active, on days 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Day 0 was defined as the first night of colony housing and formation.
The animals were continuously housed in the VBS for 14 days in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room. Animals were allowed ad libitum access to standard rodent chow (Teklad Sterilizable Mouse/Rat Diet 7012; Harlan Teklad, Madison, WI) and water in three areas of the VBS (the small burrow chamber, large burrow chamber, and open surface area), as indicated in Fig. 1. Animals were maintained in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Institutes of Health, 1996). All protocols of animal handling and treatment were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Cincinnati.
Beginning on day 1 and on every second day thereafter, all animals were removed from the VBS at 1000 and placed in their individual home cages with water but no food available. BWs were recorded, and each animal was surveyed for overall health status. The time period spent outside of the VBS did not exceed 2 h, and all animals in a given colony were returned to the VBS simultaneously. Control males were also separated from female control rats during the time that colony animals were removed from the VBS. On day 14 of VBS housing, all animals were removed from the VBS, weighed, and returned to their individual home cages for a recovery period. They continued on the same diet throughout the recovery period, and food intake and BW were recorded daily.
A schematic diagram of the experimental design is depicted in Fig. 2. Animals were killed on the final day of VBS 1 (cohort 1, n = 4), recovery 1 (cohort 2, n = 4 colonies), or recovery 2 (cohort 3, n = 8 colonies) by decapitation. Trunk blood was collected into heparinized tubes, cold-centrifuged to collect plasma, and stored at −80°C for hormone assays. Each carcass was individually sealed in a plastic bag and frozen at −80°C for later body composition analysis. Half of the animals in cohort 3 (n = 4 colonies) were additionally processed to determine body fat distribution. In this procedure, all of the skin and fat attached to the skin was gently removed from the carcass. The skin and attached subcutaneous fat (i.e., the "pelt") were then analyzed for fat content separately from the rest of the body, which contained bone, muscle, organs and visceral fat. Fat pads that are included in the pelt include all fat that is attached to the skin and outside the peritoneal cavity (i.e., including dorsosubcutaneous and inguinal fat pads). All fat within the rest of the body (i.e., inside the muscle layer of the body) is nonpelt, and it includes all of the visceral fat and intraorgan (e.g., liver, heart) fat. Because most of this is visceral fat, we use that term as a descriptor. This method had been published and accepted (9). The two samples were placed into individual plastic freezer bags and frozen at −80°C until analyzed.
Determination of dominance.
The dominance hierarchy within each VBS colony was determined at the end of the study by standard criteria as previously described (56). The DOM animal in a colony is characterized by the least BW loss, while in the VBS for 14 days and the lowest number of bite wounds. In addition, DOM animals typically have bite wounds localized to the face, head, and neck, whereas subordinate (SUB) rats typically have bite patterns on the back and tail. DOM males spend relatively more time in the uncovered surface area, while SUB males tend to stay in the tunnels and chamber systems.
Experiment 2. Effects of Repeated Cycles of Food Restriction or Social Housing Without Hierarchy Formation on Body Composition
In experiment 2, we included novel control groups to dissociate the effects of social stress on BW and body composition from those resulting from weight loss and regain alone and from exposure to the complex VBS environment in the absence of dominance hierarchy formation.
Male Long-Evans rats (Harlan, Indianapolis, IN), 100–120 days of age at the beginning of the experiment, were used. group 1. BW matched (n = 38 male rats, divided into 6 groups of 6 or 7 rats each). Animals were divided into two groups. One group (AD LIB) was maintained on ad libitum access to standard rodent chow, and the second group (BW match) was food restricted to match the BW of the SUB in standard VBS colonies. group 2. All-male VBS colonies (n = 4 colonies). Sixteen male rats were divided into four colonies of 4 males each. All rats in a given colony (male only VBS) were within 25 g body wt of each other at the start of the experiment. Two control male rats (male only CON) were assigned to each colony and were individually housed in a conventional shoebox cage.
Restraint stress test.
An acute restraint stress test was administered to AD LIB and BW match males on the last day of each food restriction period to assess their ability to respond to a novel stressor. Individual male rats were removed from the VBS at 0900, placed into their individual home cages, and left undisturbed for 1 h. Each animal was then placed in a Plexiglas restraint tube (length 21.5 cm, inner diameter 6.3 cm), and a small blood sample (∼50 μl) was quickly collected into a heparinized 1.5-ml microcentrifuge tube from a small nick at the tail tip for later measurement of basal plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration. A second blood sample was collected by removing the clot from the original nick after 60 min in the restraint tube to measure the animal's CORT response to the acute stressor. The animals were then removed from the restraint tubes and replaced in their individual home cages for 60 min with only water available. A final blood sample was then taken, again by removing the clot from the original nick, to determine plasma CORT concentration after the recovery period. Basal blood samples were taken at 1000 when corticosterone secretion is normally at its diurnal trough. Samples were centrifuged at 4°C to collect plasma and stored at −80°C until assayed for hormone concentration by RIA.
General Methods
Blood sample collection.
Blood samples were collected from each animal on the last day of each phase of the experiment (i.e., VBS or restrict 1, recovery 1, VBS or restrict 2 and recovery 2). Animals were moved 3 h after lights on to a quiet testing room and were left undisturbed for 60 min prior to sampling. Animals that were in the VBS were removed from the VBS and placed in their individual home cages prior to being moved. Animals were briefly restrained, and two blood samples were quickly collected in heparinized microcentrifuge tubes through a nick at the tip of the tail. The first sample (∼50 μl) was taken within the first 2 min for baseline plasma corticosterone determination. The second sample (∼300 μl) was then collected for plasma testosterone, leptin, and insulin measurements. Samples were centrifuged at 4°C to collect plasma and stored at −80°C until assayed for hormone concentration by RIA.
Plasma hormone concentrations.
Total plasma corticosterone was measured by RIA using rabbit antiserum raised against corticosterone (#B3-163, Esoterix, Austin, TX). Plasma testosterone was measured by a commercially available RIA kit (Diagnostic Products, Los Angeles, CA). Plasma leptin was determined using a commercial RIA kit (Linco, St. Charles, MO). Plasma insulin was measured by RIA using an antiserum recognizing rodent insulin (12).
Body composition.
Frozen individual carcasses and pelts were dried continuously for several days using a high-capacity lyophilizer (Labconco, Kansas City, MO) until individual weights differed by less than 1.0 g from that of the previous day. Total water content of each carcass was determined by the difference in weight before and after lyophilization. Each dried carcass or pelt was then individually wrapped in a protective cotton sac and placed into a custom-designed Soxlet apparatus (Chemglass, Vineland, NJ), where it was flushed with at least two cycles (8–10 liters each) of boiling petroleum ether (Fisher Scientific, Houston, TX) every hour for at least 6 h. We previously determined this procedure sufficient to ensure that all lipid is extracted and that additional time in the Soxlet does not have a significant effect. Each carcass or pelt was then removed, dried thoroughly of ether, and reweighed. The difference between the weight before and after lipid extraction was recorded as fat weight. Total initial weight minus water and fat weight is recorded as lean tissue weight.
In experiment 2, body composition was determined by NMR technology (EchoMRI, Waco, TX), which reports fat, lean tissue, and water content of the animal. Live, unanesthetized rats were individually placed into a plastic restrainer and inserted into the NMR machine. Each scan took less than 1 min. We and others have found that use of the NMR method to determine body composition has a significant correlation [r = +0.98, P < 0.01; (9)] with adipose content determined by a chemical method (lyophilization and ether extraction) (9, 27, 53, 57).
Statistical analysis.
Data were analyzed using Statistica v.6.1 (StatSoft, Tulsa, OK). by one-way ANOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, or t-tests for independent samples as appropriate. Subsequent comparisons between groups were carried out using Newman-Keuls procedures. Differences were considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. One subordinate rat from cohort 2 was killed before the end of the study because of unusually severe bite wounds and weight loss. All of the data for this animal have been excluded from the analyses. The dominance hierarchy of the colony from which this animal was removed did not change and remained stable over the remainder of the experiment.
Experiment 1
BW is depicted in Fig. 3 and is expressed as the percentage of original BW on day 0 of VBS 1. SUB lost BW during the first week of VBS 1 compared with CON and DOM, and this weight loss persisted throughout the second week of VBS 1 (P < 0.001). In contrast, DOM initially lost a small amount of weight and then continued to gain comparable weight as CON for the remainder of VBS 1. During recovery 1, SUB immediately started to regain BW, and this continued throughout the 3-wk period until day 14 when BW was no longer significantly different among the groups.
The same animals were then regrouped into the same colonies and the same dominance hierarchy formed as discussed above. In VBS 2 SUB lost approximately the same percentage of BW as they had in VBS 1, and decreased BW in SUB compared with CON and DOM persisted for the remainder of VBS 2 (P < 0.001). During recovery 2, SUB regained lost BW. SUB BW remained significantly lower until day 12 (P < 0.05).
Food intake and caloric efficiency.
Food intake during recovery periods is shown in Fig. 4A. We adjusted food intake to account for the difference in BW among the groups and therefore express food intake as milligrams food intake per gram BW. There was an overall effect of social status on food intake during recovery 1 (P < 0.001) and recovery 2 (P < 0.001). SUB were hyperphagic compared with CON and DOM throughout recovery 1 and the first 2 wk of recovery 2. There was a main effect of status on caloric efficiency (Fig. 4B), such that SUB gained more BW per kilocalorie consumed compared with CON and DOM during both recovery 1 (P < 0.0001) and recovery 2 (P < 0.005).
Body composition and fat distribution.
Body composition was analyzed by two-way ANOVA with social status (CON, DOM, SUB) and time point (recovery 1, recovery 2) as main factors and were analyzed within time point by one-way ANOVA with social status as the main factor. We previously reported that DOM and SUB lose a significant amount of adipose tissue during social stress in the VBS, while SUB additionally lose lean tissue, and these data are represented by the first group of bars (VBS 1) in Fig. 5 (56). As depicted by the second group of bars (recovery 1) in Fig. 5, top, SUB that were exposed to one bout of social stress and recovery had a greater percentage of body adiposity compared with CON (P < 0.05). SUB that were subjected to two cycles of social stress and recovery also had greater percentage of body adiposity compared with CON and DOM following recovery 2, while lean tissue did not differ at the end of either recovery 1 or recovery 2 (Fig. 5, bottom). Thus, although SUB lost both adipose and lean tissue during social stress in the VBS, they regained weight during recovery periods predominantly as adipose tissue.
Adipose tissue distribution between the subcutaneous and visceral areas is depicted in Fig. 6. For purposes of this analysis, we have designated all the fat attached to the skin, including the dorsosubcutaneous and inguinal fat pads, as the "subcutaneous depot." The "visceral fat depot" contained fat located within the carcass (including retroperitoneal, perirenal, mesenteric, and epididymal fat pads). After two cycles of social stress and recovery, SUB had a significantly higher percentage of fat deposited in the visceral depot compared with CON and DOM (P < 0.05).
Plasma hormone concentrations.
Endocrine data were analyzed by two-way repeated measures ANOVA with social status and time as the main factors. Data were further analyzed at each time point by one-way ANOVA.
There was a significant effect of time, but no significant effect of status or time × status interaction. One-way ANOVA at each timepoint revealed that consistent with previous reports, basal corticosterone was higher in SUB than CON or DOM rats after 14 days in a VBS (P < 0.05) (Table 1). After 3 wk of recovery (recovery 1), SUB levels were not different from CON and DOM. Exposure to a second period of social stress during VBS 2 resulted in elevated corticosterone in SUB compared with DOM. There were no differences among the groups after the subsequent 3 wk of recovery (recovery 2).
Plasma testosterone was significantly decreased in SUB after 14 days in the VBS, while levels in CON and DOM did not differ (Table 1). CON had a significant decrease in plasma testosterone at the end of recovery 1 and recovery 2 compared with VBS 1 and VBS 2, respectively (P < 0.05). This decrease may be attributed to a change in housing conditions from pair housing with a female during VBS 1 to individual housing during recovery 1. After recovery 1, SUB displayed a reliable increase in plasma testosterone compared with VBS 1, and both DOM and SUB testosterone levels were significantly higher than those in CON (P < 0.05). Following regrouping in the same VBS colonies, the dominance hierarchy was reestablished and plasma testosterone in SUB again decreased below that of CON by the end of VBS 2. After recovery 2, there was no difference among the groups.
Consistent with the loss of body fat, plasma leptin was significantly decreased in DOM and SUB after VBS 1 and VBS 2 (Table 1). After recovery 1 and recovery 2, leptin increased in both SUB and DOM, the increase being greater in the SUB males (P < 0.05). Plasma insulin after a mild food deprivation (4 h) during the light cycle was reliably higher in SUB compared with CON and DOM following recovery 2, while plasma glucose did not differ (data not shown).
Experiment 2
BW match rats lost ∼13% of their original BW over the course of 14 days of food restriction (Fig. 7). Daily food allotment was adjusted such that BW match rats lost weight in a temporal pattern that resembled that of SUB in mixed-sex colonies in experiment 1. Following restriction, BW match rats were allowed ad libitum access to food, during which time they became hyperphagic (data not shown) and regained lost BW over the course of 21 days. At the end of the 21-day recovery period, BW of BW match rats did not differ significantly from that of AD LIB control rats. During the second cycle of food restriction and refeeding the BW match rats were again food restricted to the BW of SUB. However, when BW match rats were returned to ad libitum feeding, they did not regain their lost BW by the end of 21 days recovery and were significantly lighter than AD LIB control rats at the end of recovery 2.
Male rats housed in the VBS without females ("male only VBS") did not show evidence of social hierarchy formation. They did not display aggressive behaviors resulting in wounds as male rats in mixed-sex VBS colonies do (56). Male only VBS rats lost a significant amount of weight during VBS 1 (Fig. 7), but not to the same degree as SUB in mixed-sex colonies, further suggesting the absence of a distinct social hierarchy. There was no significant difference in BW between male only VBS and male only CON throughout the remainder of the experiment.
Body composition.
Body composition in experiment 2 was analyzed by the NMR method. We and others have found that use of the NMR method to determine body composition has a significant correlation with adipose content determined by a chemical method (lyophilization and ether extraction) [r = +0.98, P < 0.01; (9)] (9, 27, 53, 57). Body composition of BW match rats following food restriction is depicted in Fig. 8. As expected, BW match males lost both adipose and lean tissue during the food restriction period, while AD LIB control males continued to gain BW and fat mass. When allowed to refeed, BW match rats were hyperphagic and regained lost BW over the 3 wk of ad libitum feeding, and this weight was regained as both adipose and lean tissue. However, fat mass remained significantly lower than that of AD LIB controls at the end of the first recovery period.
Relative to singly housed control males (male only CON), the body fat of male only VBS rats was significantly lower following VBS housing (Fig. 9). Male only VBS rats regained lost adiposity when they were returned to their individual home cages. During the second cycle of VBS and recovery, the male only VBS rats showed a similar pattern of adipose tissue loss and regain; however, by the end of recovery 2, they continued to have significantly less adiposity compared with male only CON (P < 0.05).
Plasma hormone concentrations.
Plasma testosterone was reliably lower in BW match males following 2 wk of food restriction (Table 2) but did not differ from levels in AD LIB control for the remainder of the experiment. Plasma testosterone did not differ between male only CON and male only VBS at any timepoint examined.
Plasma corticosterone levels were elevated in BW match compared with AD LIB controls following the first food restriction period. There was a significant increase in corticosterone levels between VBS 2 and recovery 2 that occurred in both AD LIB and BW match; however, there were no significant differences between the groups. There were no reliable differences in corticosterone between male only CON and male only VBS at any of the time points examined.
Acute stress test.
To determine whether food restriction and consequent BW loss affected the animals' capacity to respond to stress, we administered an acute restraint stress test on the last day of food restriction. As depicted in Fig. 10, BW match rats had elevated baseline corticosterone compared with AD LIB controls (P < 0.05) and responded to 1-h restraint stress with a significant increase in plasma corticosterone (P < 0.05 vs. basal) that did not differ in magnitude compared with controls. After the restraint stress was terminated, plasma corticosterone in both groups returned to baseline within 1 h. Following restrict 2, baseline corticosterone was not different between the groups, and both groups had a significant increase in plasma corticosterone in response to 1-h restraint stress.
We have confirmed previous reports that social stress results in significant BW loss in both DOM and SUB rats housed in a VBS (5, 8, 11, 21, 34, 56). We further found that fat distribution changes differentially in SUB and DOM rats. We previously demonstrated that despite losing BW during social stress, SUB retain more visceral adiposity relative to CON and DOM (54). After recovery from stress, SUB rats then gain relatively more visceral fat compared with DOM and develop hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, and other physiological and endocrine parameters consistent with a worsening metabolic profile during a recovery period following exposure to chronic social stress. Finally, we demonstrate that repeated, intermittent periods of chronic social stress may exacerbate these changes. Thus, the social status of rats during a period of heightened stress may play an important role in determining susceptibility to developing central adiposity. Together, our data suggest that animals that are repeatedly exposed to chronic stress may result in a predisposition to develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. The VBS model is a potential animal model to examine the genesis of obesity and its associated comorbidities.
We further determined that the changes in body composition exhibited by SUB cannot be explained by weight cycling (via food restriction and refeeding) on body composition. Thus, the data suggest that changes in BW and body composition can be attributed to social stress in the VBS. Male rats that are food restricted to match the BW loss of SUB (BW match) also lose a significant portion of adipose tissue and lean body mass following restriction and regained BW as lean tissue as well as adipose tissue, such that they ultimately did not differ in adiposity compared with their respective AD LIB controls. In addition, they had greater lean mass relative to controls, suggesting that increased adiposity in SUB is not attributable to weight cycling alone.
The VBS apparatus provides a larger area for animals to interact in and is a more complex, social environment compared with the standard shoe box cages that the CON rats are housed in. Therefore, increased physical activity and social interaction (in the absence of a social hierarchy) may contribute to the changes that occur in DOM and SUB during and following VBS housing. We previously determined that the male rats in all-male colonies (male only VBS) do not form dominance hierarchies as mixed-sex colonies do (56), and inclusion of this group allowed us to control for housing conditions in the VBS in the absence of social hierarchy and stress. Our data suggest that weight loss in SUB during VBS housing cannot be solely attributed to the opportunity for greater activity or to exposure to the complex environment in the VBS. Furthermore, the data suggest that body composition changes seen in DOM may be attributed in part to increased activity in the VBS. In contrast, increased adiposity following recovery in SUB is attributable to stress derived from social subordination.
We previously documented that weight loss in SUB during social stress was attributed, at least in part, to decreased food intake (55). In other models of social stress, such as the resident-intruder model, weight loss in SUB tree shrews is associated with decreased food intake, as well as elevated energy expenditure (26). Repeated episodes of acute restraint stress elicit a prolonged decrease in BW in rats (17–19) that is associated with hypophagia during the stress period but returns to control levels after the stress period has ended (18, 19), suggesting that restraint stress-induced weight loss may result in a lower defended level of BW that persists for long intervals after the stress has been terminated. In contrast, SUB in our social-stress model were hyperphagic throughout the recovery period, and this was true both in terms of absolute amount consumed (data not shown) and amount consumed per gram of BW (Fig. 4). SUB also have greater caloric efficiency when they are allowed to recover from social stress. The intriguing aspect of this finding is that caloric efficiency and hyperphagia remain elevated relative to CON and DOM despite having regained lost BW by the end of 2 wk, and this is consistent with other reports of stress-induced weight loss and regain (23). These data highlight an important difference between social and other kinds of stressors, and they imply that social stress can predispose to rapid weight gain with associated metabolic sequelae. The endocrine status of an animal has a strong influence on body composition and adipose tissue distribution during weight gain. Both visceral and subcutaneous adipocytes express glucocorticoid and androgen receptors, but visceral adipocytes have greater expression (38). Corticosterone activation of the glucocorticoid receptor has been proposed to result in increased expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a major regulator of lipid uptake in adipose tissue (7). In contrast, androgens inhibit LPL thereby acting to decrease fat accumulation (39). SUB rats have high levels of glucocorticoids and low levels of testosterone, both within the VBS and immediately upon entering the recovery period. We previously observed that both total corticosterone and total testosterone in SUB does not return to control levels until 7–14 days into the recovery period (44). Therefore, in the context of this endocrine milieu, SUB rats preferentially retain visceral adipose tissue during the stress period (54) and regain lost BW as additional visceral adipose tissue, resulting in a vicious cycle directed toward development of symptoms associated with the metabolic syndrome. One implication is that repeated exposures to VBS stress or to other stressors that result in a similar endocrine profile, would produce cumulative effects on the physiology that may have catastrophic effects over the long term.
Other aspects of the endocrine system also need to be considered. Under many conditions, the overall level of active circulating glucocorticoids is controlled by circulating corticosterone binding globulin (CBG), which has a buffering function, preventing free (active) corticosterone from becoming excessively high. However, previous studies using the VBS model have reported that CBG is decreased by ∼70% in SUB and by 40% in DOM (51). Comparable findings have been observed in primate models of social stress (52). Therefore, the combination of elevated total corticosterone levels and decreased CBG suggests that there is a significant increase in biologically active, free corticosterone in all VBS animals and particularly in SUB. In addition, the target tissues themselves (e.g., adipose tissue) can modulate steroid action at the prereceptor level by altering the amount of steroid available to bind to receptors. Glucocorticoid action on target tissues is also influenced by the levels of intracellular 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) (36). Mice with adipocyte-specific overexpression of 11β-HSD1 have increased visceral adipose tissue and develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome (33). In contrast, adipocyte-specific expression of 11β-HSD2, which inactivates glucocorticoids, protects against weight gain on a high-fat diet through reduced adipose tissue fat accumulation (25). Previous studies indicate that SUB rats have decreased 11β-HSD activity in testis but reported no change in liver 11β-HSD activity compared with DOM (35). Hence, increased free corticosterone and a likely decrease of 11β-HSD activity would combine to favor increased fat deposition in SUB animals in the VBS model.
The BW match and male only VBS groups provide additional insights into the role of the endocrine milieu present during the various phases of stress and recovery. Although BW match had higher corticosterone and lower testosterone levels compared with AD LIB rats, they did not show any significant differences in either measure compared with AD LIB controls for the remainder of the experiment. It is unclear why BW match rats failed to regain BW by the end of the second 3-wk recovery period; however, we have replicated these findings in a second group of animals. Additionally, testosterone and corticosterone did not differ between male only VBS and male only CON rats, thus supporting the hypothesis that body composition changes in SUB may be attributed to stress-associated changes in endocrine parameters. Further examination of these control groups may provide information about how chronic social stress results in greater adiposity in SUB rats.
There are other possible mechanisms to consider. Increases in fat mass to lean mass ratio, similar to that seen in SUB after two VBS episodes, have been documented in adult humans recovering BW after weight loss, resulting from a variety of conditions such as war-related famine and poverty-related undernutrition (10). Humans and animals that undergo catch-up growth accumulate excess fat, and catch-up growth is associated with development of obesity and increased susceptibility to diabetes (14, 31). Animals that regain lost weight also display suppressed thermogenesis in certain organs or tissues, and this may play a role in enhancing the efficiency of catch-up growth and fat accumulation. The fact that BW match group did not regain weight as adipose tissue suggests that perhaps the degree of weight loss imposed (∼10%) was not sufficient to trigger rapid catch-up growth in these animals. The BW match group also constitutes a critical control group with which comparisons can be made in determining the mechanisms responsible for greater adiposity in SUB.
Leptin is secreted by adipocytes, and plasma leptin is reflective of the amount of body adiposity and suppresses food intake in normal animals (45, 58). Plasma leptin levels were consistent with the level of body adiposity after each VBS and recovery period. Leptin levels in SUB were not different from CON or DOM at the end of the recovery 1 and recovery 2; however, food intake and caloric efficiency remained elevated, particularly in recovery 1. These data suggest that with repeated exposures to chronic social stress, SUB rats may also be developing leptin resistance. Further studies are required to determine the time course of changes in leptin relative to weight gain, body composition, and other endocrine parameters, as well as to determine the animals' sensitivity to exogenous leptin.
Summary and Perspectives
Several characteristics of SUB rats in the VBS paradigm conspire to make them susceptible to a worsening metabolic profile. First, while in the VBS, SUB lose a significant amount of body fat, and a relatively large percentage of this is from the subcutaneous region, thus sparing visceral fat (54). Second, when given the opportunity, as during a recovery period, they are able to eat more food, have greater caloric efficiency, and regain weight rapidly. Third, during the recovery phase, when SUB rats are hyperphagic, they have an endocrine profile that favors adding newly formed fat into the visceral depots; that is, the combination of high glucocorticoid and low testosterone levels characteristic of SUB is known to predispose to visceral obesity in humans (2). Finally, repeated episodes of social stress and recovery increase the percentage of body fat contained in visceral depots and would be anticipated to result in further metabolic consequences such as increased plasma lipids and insulin insensitivity. Visceral adiposity has been suggested to be a critical determinant in the development of metabolic syndrome (3).
Houshyar et al. (22) recently demonstrated that chronic stress results in decreased fat stores, lower leptin, insulin, and testosterone in male rats following 8-days of morphine treatment. Consistent with our findings in SUB in the VBS, the authors of that study found that when the rats were subsequently allowed to recover, food intake and caloric efficiency were greater than that of controls. In addition, lost adipose stores were regained and not different from controls by the end of the 8-day recovery period despite significantly lower BW, suggesting that percent adiposity was higher than that of controls. Houshyar and colleagues (22) further report that their observations were attributed to elevated arcuate nucleus neuropeptide Y mRNA expression with no concomitant change in expression of the catabolic neuropeptide proopiomelanocortin during the withdrawal recovery period. Studies to examine these systems in VBS animals are currently being completed.
Although acute exposure to social stress may produce physiological changes that are reversible, a sufficiently long chronic or intermittent stress situation can lead to irreversible adverse consequences to the organism. As an example, Henry (20) studied mice kept in a social housing paradigm similar to the VBS for durations varying from 2 days to 15 mo. Blood pressure progressively rose as the duration of social housing increased (20). Sustained hypertension was associated with increases in heart weight that were reversible when the mice were placed in isolation to recover. However, once the social housing duration reached 9 mo, the changes in heart weight were fixed and many of the animals developed significant atherosclerotic changes. The present data are consistent with the hypothesis that SUB males intermittently exposed to the VBS situation slowly progress toward a condition of impaired metabolism because they develop higher adiposity that is concentrated in the visceral depot.
Studies in nonhuman primates and humans have identified associations among stress, glucocorticoid secretion, and the deposition of intra-abdominal fat (32, 40). Subordinate nonhuman primates, when colony-housed in a manner analogous to rats in the VBS, have a similar pattern of fat deposition (24). Female cynomolgus monkeys that are stressed by social subordination have more abdominal fat (30, 47, 48). Furthermore, subordinate females have hypercortisolemia (46), dyslipidemia (15), tachycardia in response to stress (46), impaired ovarian function (1), and enhanced coronary and carotid atherosclerosis (1, 49), all symptoms being consistent with the metabolic syndrome profile.
A recent study of healthy young men exposed to long-term stress revealed that long-term stress results in increased abdominal obesity and early signs of metabolic syndrome, suggesting that stress may play an important role in the genesis of metabolic abnormalities in humans (6). Subjects in that study lost both fat and lean body mass during the first stressful episode and subsequently regained BW as fat, resulting in an overall decrease in protein mass. Other studies provide a growing body of evidence that chronic exposure to stressful conditions can be linked to disturbances of energy homeostasis. Stress is becoming more widely recognized as a major risk factor for metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome appear to be associated with the hyperactivation of the stress system (2, 28). Although, the precise mechanism through which stress contributes to increased abdominal fat accumulation and development of metabolic pathophysiology is unclear, our findings suggest that the VBS model may provide a physiologically and ethologically relevant means to study stress-related metabolic disease.
This research was supported by National Institute of Health Grants DK-066596 (to R. R. Sakai), NS-047791, DK-059803, the Albert J. Ryan Foundation (to K. L. K. Tamashiro), and DK-17844 (to S. C.Woods).
We thank Drs. David A. D'Alessio and Deborah J. Clegg for helpful discussions about the studies and the manuscript. We also acknowledge Kay Ellis, Eileen Elfers, Dennis Choi, Moctar Karimou, and Amin Yu for their assistance with the studies.
Present addresses: K. L. K. Tamashiro, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave., Ross 618, Baltimore, MD 21205; M. M. N. Nguyen, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, 24 Peachtree Center Ave., NE, Atlanta, GA 30302.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
- Copyright © 2007 the American Physiological Society


text:
South Korea arrange friendly clashes
South Korea have lined up a number of friendly games for January as part of their preparations for next year's World Cup.
Earlier this month, coach Huh Jung-moo named a 35-man preliminary squad, which will be cut to 25 by the end of 2009 for the training camps in South Africa and Spain.
The 2002 semi-finalists, who have been drawn in Group B alongside Argentina, Nigeria and Greece, will begin their preparations against Zambia in Johannesburg on January 9 although Huh's side will be without any of their European-based players.
South Korea will then face Premier Soccer League outfit Platinum Stars in Rustenburg and second-tier side Bay United in Port Elizabeth over the next five days.
The East Asian team, preparing for a seventh successive World Cup, then head to Malaga in Spain to face Finland on January 18 before taking on Latvia three days later, with a further friendly expected to be added.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Congratulations to Lisa, her husband and their toddler son. Lisa gave birth last Wednesday to a sweet baby girl, Summer Brooke. Look at all of that wonderful dark hair. Look at how beautiful she is. And she's already got a nickname, Mogul Baby, and her own site (which Lisa says is still under construction but should be ready next week).
Mogul Baby? In case you don't know, Lisa, also a frequent contributor to FAMEbaby, blogs at her popular site, Mrs. Mogul.
Here are the particulars about Mogul Baby:
Born: October 1, 2008, at 5:43 p.m.
Height: 21.5 inches
Weight: 7 lbs, 5.5 oz.
Perhaps the most amazing fact is that Lisa's labor only took three hours. Three hours!
Both mogul mavens are doing great. If you have a moment, please zip over to the mogul sites and say hi.
OK, so Candace had her baby boy in August. I had my baby boy last May. Next up is … (anyone have news they want to share?).
Meanwhile, all our best wishes to Lisa and her family.
Photo of Summer Brooke, also known as Mogul Baby.


text:
One Act Plays
by The Milton Measure on Friday, December 9th, 2011
This past weekend, students and faculty around campus were buzzing with excitement for the student-directed One Act plays. Directed by Class I students, the One Act plays are a series of 30 minute plays which, year after year, never fail to impress. This year's perfomances, which took place Thursday, December 1st, Friday, December 2nd, and Saturday, December 3rd, were widely considered one of the best school events of the year.
The first play, "In The Absence of Words," was directed by Emilie Trehu (I) and starred students Shauna Yuan (I), Kevin Ma (II), Sean Leo (I), and Lina Neidhardt (I). The play follows the relationship between young woman (Yuan), her new boyfriend (Ma), and her father; the tone of the story develops from regret to acceptance, and the actors successfully find moments to interweave well-timed humor, lightening the mood.
The night's second play, "Table for Four," directed by Cary Williams (I) and performed by Kris Powers (II), Sahana Rao-Chakravorti (III), Ian Malone (III), and Clare Dingle (II), surrounds a school shooting. The play strived off of darkness, suspense and the unique personalities of many characters, which the actors expressed through deliberate actions. Additionally, they succeeded in demonstrating humans' capacity to strengthen each other in times of grief and tragedy.
The last performance, "Watermelon Boats," starred Cary Williams and Emilie Trehu. "Watermelon Boats" told the story of two friends coping with the transition into womanhood. Williams and Trehu skillfully captured the strong bond between the two girls, captivating audience members with their authenticity.
Trehu and Williams felt that directing the plays was an amazing opportunity.
"This year, we were able to cast people who have never acted before and I think it's fantastic that we can offer that opportunity to let people try new things," says Emilie Trehu.
"It's the only production all year that is entirely student directed so it's the only chance for upperclassmen who have been involved in theater before to show what they've learned by directing their own show." Congratulations to Cary, Emilie, and all of the actors involved in this year's production; we look forward to a great show next year.
Short URL: http://miltonmeasure.org/?p=2443


text:
A Texas dad terrified his child's elementary school when he decided to conduct a "rogue" security drill to see how the school would respond in the event of an emergency, according to the school district.
Ron Miller, 44, entered the office of the Celina Elementary School at 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday, according to police, where he "conducted his own drill to test the school's response to an active shooter situation."
"Although Miller did not display a weapon, the statements and actions of Miller were aggressive and created panic and fear among the school's staff," the Celina Police Department said in a news release.
Police rushed to the school. Miller was arrested later in the day.
Celina Independent School District superintendent Donny O'Dell sent a letter to parents on Thursday saying that the school did not believe at any time that the students were "in harm's way," but, as a precaution, a police officer was positioned at each of the district's campuses for the rest of the day.
"We have always had a security plan in place that involved our police officials," O'Dell wrote. "However, because of recent events we have ramped-up our security efforts on all campuses."
O'Dell may have been referring to the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where police say Adam Lanza, 20, went on a rampage that left 20 children and six adults dead in the school. Many schools across the country have increased security since the massacre.
Miller was arrested and charged with terroristic threat, which is a third degree felony. He is being held on a $75,000 bond.


text:
see something, say something
After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security created the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative to help spot potential terrorists, while the Mall of America launched its own security program. NPR and the Center for Investigative Reporting report how such efforts aimed at security affect our civil liberties. Continue reading


text:
You are hereHome ›
Naomi Watts Travels To "Holland, Michigan"
Actress Naomi Watts has had quite a year, she was a part of the Bill Murray hit "St. Vincent." She is also gaining recognition from those who saw her in "Birdman" or "Diana." Fans will be seeing her in a number of productions down the road including a flick alongside the guy from "Breaking Bad," Bryan Cranston. The film will be called "Holland, Michigan" and is said to be a thriller about a woman who find out her husband is cheating and then ends up in a wild adventure when she tries to cheat back on him.
Look for Watts to appear in a film titled "The Sea of Trees" along with Matthew McConaughey. The attractive young actress from England will also appear in the film "Shut In." It will be the story about a woman who learns secrets about her troubled child.
In 2016 and 2017, Watts will appear in parts one and two of the franchise "Allegiant."
Watts made her film debut in the 1991 flick "Flirting."
Recent comments
- Proenza Schouler ps1 wallet Ex-Div Reminder for Textron 3 years 6 months ago
- New era caps New era caps pew -studie legt nahe, dass snapchat 3 years 8 months ago
- Belstaff Bags Moncler Schal horizon highlights - überdenken der 3 years 11 months ago
- Moncler Mäntel Herren Belstaff Boots mehr rechte für aktionäre 3 years 11 months ago
- Moncler Handtaschen UGG Boots Bailey Button eine zeit für mut 3 years 11 months ago
- Puma Tour Cat Timberland Classic Chukka Toyota withdraw from Spa 4 years 3 weeks ago
- Louboutin Pumps Air Max 180 homes sweet charity 4 years 1 month ago
- Nike Shox R4 Nike Shox R4 channel 5 programmchef warum pflegt r 4 years 1 month ago
- Louboutin Sandalen Louboutin Tall Stiefel kein rauch ohne feuer 4 years 1 month ago
- Oakley Hot Sale 2011 Louboutin Pumps go- karts gehen grün 4 years 1 month ago


text:
What is smog?
Smog is a noxious mixture of airborne pollutants. The main components of smog are ground-level ozone and fine particles known as particulate matter. Pollution from industrial sources and vehicle exhausts are the primary contributors to smog. Smog most often appears as a brownish-yellow haze on hot, sunny, summer days.
How does smog affect me?
Data released in 2008 by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) shows that air pollution is a contributing factor in almost 9,500 premature deaths per year in Ontario.
How air pollution affects your health is determined by the length of time you are exposed, your health status and your genetic makeup, and the concentration of pollutants. Air pollution can have a negative effect on your respiratory system (lungs and airways) and on your cardiovascular system (heart function and blood circulation) by;
- make it harder to breathe,
- irritating your respiratory system,
- triggering episodes of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); chronic bronchitis and emphysema,
- triggering episodes of heart conditions (angina, heart attack, heart failure and heart rhythm problems).
What is ground-level ozone?
Ground-level ozone is produced by a reaction in the lower atmosphere between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Nitrogen oxides are produced when fossil fuels are burned such as gasoline, natural gas, heating oil and coal. Volatile organic compounds originate mainly from the evaporation of liquid fuels, solvents and organic chemicals and from burning of gasoline.
What is Particulate Matter?
Airborne particulate matter (PM) is the general term used to describe a mixture of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air we breathe. The health affects associated with PM depends greatly on particle size.
The greatest health hazard from particles comes from the smallest ones – 2.5 microns (2.5 µm) in diameter or less – because we easily inhale these small particles into our lungs. These are called Fine Particulate Matter 2.5 or PM2.5. Particulate Matter 10 or PM10 refers to particles with a diameter less than 10 microns (10 µm). To put things in perspective, a fine particle is approximately 30 times smaller that the average diameter of a human hair.
What causes smog to form?
Smog-forming reactions occur near ground level and are dependent upon high temperature, sunlight and the presence of pollution originating from various sources including:
Vehicle Exhaust
Factories & Utilities
(e.g. Oil-Based Paints,
chemical sprays and cleaners)
Lawnmowers and other
gasoline or diesel powered
Asphalt road paving
and construction


text:
ATLANTA - Matt Wieters homered twice to finish off an amazing weekend and Ryan Turner had the longest outing of his career as Georgia Tech completed its unbeaten run through the NCAA's Atlanta Regional with an 8-4 win over Vanderbilt on Sunday night.
The Yellow Jackets (48-16) advanced to the super regional for the third year in a row and fifth time in seven seasons. They'll play host to College of Charleston next weekend.
The Cougars will have to find a way to stop Wieters, who had a stunning regional. He reached base in 14 of 15 plate appearances, including the last 11.
Oh, yeah, Wieters also picked up a save in Georgia Tech's first regional win, after catching the first eight innings, and got the final two outs of the deciding game after Turner put two runners on in the ninth.
To the surprise of no one, he was named MVP of the regional.
Wieters homered over the center-field wall in the third to break a scoreless tie, then finished off Vanderbilt (38-27) with a two-run shot to right in the seventh, giving Turner an 8-1 cushion.
- In the earlier elimination game, Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Davis homered for Vanderbilt, which seemed to get every disputed call to beat Michigan, 5-4.
Michigan (43-21) erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the sixth, but Vanderbilt went back ahead with a two-run seventh. Alex Feinberg led off with a double and took off for third on a wild pitch. He was awarded home when catcher Jeff Kunkel slid to retrieve the ball just short of the Michigan dugout but stuck a foot onto the first step - technically, out of play.
David Macias set up the go-ahead run with a one-out double down the right-field line. He took third on a wild pitch and came home when Derek VanBuskirk made a diving catch on Brian Hernandez's sinking liner in right-center field.
Macias scrambled back to third, tagged up and made it home ahead of the throw. The Michigan dugout erupted, believing that Macias left the bag early in his haste to tag, but a television replay appeared to back up the umpire's call.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
This is Katherine's original vision for this club:
"Here's my vision of a great book club: a smallish and diverse group of intellectually active women who can commit to reading a book a month (more or less) and making time to get together to discuss. I see the books being a mix of fiction and non-fiction - from classics to bestsellers, including some serious works and the occasional fluff piece.
We do one book-related meetup a month and will occasionally have a social-only meetup. All are welcome to come to either or both!" Please if you join try to attend at least on meetup each quarter to keep your membership active. If you are not able to attend for a full quarter year please let one of the organizers know so that we can keep hold your membership.
192 Bible Journalers
51 Backroad Cruisers
233 Raw Foodists
1,279 Veg*ns
142 Members
263 Peeps
Or sign up with email
Already a member? Log in.
Meetup members, Log in
By clicking "Sign up" or "Sign up using Facebook", you confirm that you accept our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy


text:
The Passage
(state i/iv)
Strong drypoint burr can be found in the arms of the man playing the harp and in the woman and dog in the margin illustration at left. Such margins as this one show anecdotal scenes that are occurring simultaneously with the events of the main subject. Interestingly, the smoke of the ship billows over the main subject to the margin above, further emphasizing the important relationship between the two parts.
The Passage, 1879–1885
etching, drypoint, roulette, and soft-ground etching on Arches laid paper, state i/iv
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Helena Gunnarsson Buhot Collection, 1995


text:
ames is warned by agent Donnie Jarvis that his cast shortlisting for a Scorsese movie is unlikely unless he experiences some real life drama. Lackings such, he decides to fake it by joining shameless fake Chloe's AA course, looking for inspiration. Tired of waiting, lonely Mark lets a customer sit him up with a relative, which arouses June's jealousy, exposed by Chloe in time to make her break into his date schedule, yet their high sexual hopes aren't nearly met.Resumen IMDb.com
Ver en linea
Servicio proporcionado por nuestros socios
|Nombre del documento


text:
Korn vs. Limp Bizkit – Cage Match
Korn's 'Love & Meth' emerged victorious in the last Cage Match against Linkin Park's 'A Light That Never Comes.' Now, Korn will move on to face a familiar competitor in their next Cage Match battle.
Korn's former Family Values brethren Limp Bizkit are stepping into the Cage with their amped up rocker 'Ready to Go.' The song features a guest appearance by Lil' Wayne, and will be featured on their upcoming album for Cash Money Records. Limp Bizkit are currently on tour in Australia, but will round out 2013 and start 2014 with dates in Europe and Russia. Their itinerary can be seen here.
So who will it be — Korn or Limp Bizkit? Take a listen to the songs from both of these Family Values vets and tell us which track deserves to move on in our latest Cage Match battle by voting in the poll below:
(This Cage Match will run until Monday, Oct. 28, at 2PM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!)
Korn, 'Love & Meth'
Subscribe to Loudwire on
Limp Bizkit, 'Ready to Go'
Subscribe to Loudwire on
Rules of Cage Match:
Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!


text:
Today was a pretty big day in the electric vehicle world, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a company blog post that the California based company would not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wanted to use their technology.
While the term "good faith" is a subjective one, Musk's announcement opens up Telsa's arsenal of patents to any other OEM, with the hope that the adoption rate of electric vehicles at these manufacturers will be improved.
Making Telsa's patents "open source" effectively creates a minimum standard of technology in electric vehicles, and the move now means that OEMs should only use their own EV technology if it performs better than Tesla's.
That's a pretty big win for consumers, since Tesla's technology is generally highly regarded. It also means that the jumping-in point for OEMs into electric vehicles is substantially lower.
If a small manufacturer, or small product team in a large OEM, wants to start an EV project now, they can use Telsa's patented technology to jump-start their development, and bring something to market quicker.
Telsa's motivations are likely pretty simple: increase the adoption of electric vehicles in the marketplace. Many of Tesla's problems as a company actually stem not from things Tesla does, but because of what Tesla has to overcome within the market landscape.
A slow development in battery technology, poor recharging infrastructure, and unfavorable laws and government incentives are the hurdles that Tesla spends the majority of its resources surmounting — not fending off other electric vehicle manufacturers.
Musk's blog post changes that though, and by making it easier to make a quality electric automobile, Musk and Tesla as a whole are hoping that there will be strength in numbers.
What is good for the four-wheeled world also has benefits in the two-wheeled world. Giving access to battery management systems, motor and controller designs, as well as insights into safety systems helps electric motorcycle manufacturers gain a leg-up in their efforts.
In his blog post, Musk points to the relatively small efforts inside automotive OEMs in their pursuit to build electric cars, and the same can be said for motorcycle manufacturers — if not more so.
To see this we only have to look as far as the examples in the marketplace. KTM's Freeride E motorcycle was effectively DOA when it debuted at EICMA in 2011, and we haven't heard much about the machine since.
This is because the Austrian manufacturer, and the Austrian Institute of Technology (back then called Arsenal Research), basically used consumer-level off-the-shelf components to build KTM's electric dirt bike, only to discover later that the machine was uncompetitive when compared to the technology being developed by other OEMs.
EV companies with relatively unrefined systems benefit from this announcement as well. No better example can be than Lightning Motorcycles, especially as the California company is readying the release of its LS-218 electric superbike.
A potent product that we have witnessed first-hand, Lightning can claim very little of the LS-218's performance, instead relying on the company's ability to source parts from the top vendors in the industry (something KTM was apparently incapable of even doing).
The result to-date has been a very unpolished and unreliable machine, but tapping into the knowledge found at Tesla could give the Lightning team a quick ramp-up in its systems development — further enhancing the LS-218 before it truly comes to market.
For the big OEMs, the cost to entry surely now has to be the selling point. Honda and Yamaha have quietly been working on electric motorcycle projects for quite longer than many realize, but the budgets for these teams have always been pennies on the dollar compared to the Japanese manufacturers' other initiatives.
Being able to use Tesla's R&D without penalty now, companies like Honda and Yamaha can develop more quickly in the areas were they are having developmental troubles, while companies like Kawasaki and Suzuki can actually start meaningful electric motorcycle projects with above-market-level technology at their disposal.
It's not clear what today's news really means for Tesla and its shareholders. To my eyes, the company seems to have just made a strong pivot from EV manufacturer, to EV platform and technology house — not a bad position to be in, I might add.
For the EV market and consumers though, the implications are pretty clear. Electric vehicles, including electric motorcycles just became a whole lot easier to design and build.
Source: Tesla (Blog)


text:
Faithfull Power Plus 16 Amp Socket for use with Trailing leads with weatherproof protective flap and brass connections. 240v.
Thank you for visiting Faithfull Tools Blue Socket 240v 16 Amp FPPSOC16AMP on toolwall.co.uk
We bring the products from many websites to one website for you to search, save and compare.


text:
Featured Free Online barcelona Games
Top Rated Online barcelona Games
Newest Free barcelona Games
Barca Run
Real Madrid CF Multiplayer Penalty Shootout
Bella in Barcelona
Chicharito Great Adventure
Puzzle FC Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0
Gothenburg: MU VS Barca
|Online barcelona Games
|Football Champions Game
Plays: 22125
Category: Action
Pick one of your favorite players and go for the football glory. You have 90 seconds to score as many goals as possible using volleys, headers or even bicycle kicks.
|Real Madrid CF Multiplayer Penalty Shootout Game
Plays: 20387
Category: Sports
Real Madrid Penalty Shootout is the must-have multiplayer football game for Real Madrid fans all over the world! Play against other Real Madrid fans, pick your favorite Real Madrid player, challenge opponents, play in online tournaments and win official Real Madrid prizes! Game Features include: - Cartoon like graphics of Real Madrid players - Single player or multiplayer gaming - Real time and asynchronous game play against other players - Real time or asynchronous challenges - Daily, weekly and monthly tournaments and many surprises to explore in the game!
|Champion Game
Plays: 15587
Category: Dress-Up
Meet Lionel Messi, the new football superstar, plays for FC Barcelona for the moment. He's the new brilliant player from Argentina after the famous Maradona. Dress him up, how you like and when your finished send him to score some goals!
|Gravity Football Champions 2012 Game
Plays: 11763
Category: Sports
The latest edition of Gravity Football Champions! Football (soccer) + physics in a fun mix! Features: - updated 2012 champions teams - improved gameplay - save seasons - HD graphics available at googamez.com
|Gothenburg: MU VS Barca Game
Plays: 8381
Category: Action
Manchester United will play Barcelona in a pre-season friendly in Gothenburg on August 8 as part of their preparations for the new campaign.
|Football Jerseys and a few other things quiz Game
Plays: 7073
Category: Sports
Football jersey's quiz tests your knowledge of football jerseys and a few other things along those lines. You have one minute to pick out the correct jersey or a player.
|Puzzle FC Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0 Game
Plays: 5771
Category: Education
FC Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0 Puzzle page game
|Chicharito Great Adventure Game
Plays: 5102
Category: Adventure
Its time for Chicharito the mexican sensation to save the game again with his awesome GOAL shoots , become Chicharito and try to defeat the Arsenal ships and some of the world greatest superstars, Didier Drogba of the Chelsea team and one of the most importance figure in the FC Barcelona Club, Lionel Messi.
|Champions League 09-10 (FC Internazionale Milano - FC Barcelona) Game
Plays: 5072
Category: Education
Puzzle (FC Internazionale Milano - FC Barcelona) Champions League 09-10
|Puzzle FC Barcelona VS Real Madrid, 2010-11 Game
Plays: 4719
Category: Education
Puzzle FC Barcelona VS Real Madrid, 2010-11 page game
|barca vs bieber Game
Plays: 4497
Category: Action
This game describe how Barca teach Bieber how to play football!!! a crazy game, combination of sport,action, puzzle and quick reaction, in a funny way!!!
|Keepy-uppy Game
Plays: 3059
Category: Rhythm
You can probably keep one golden ball up in the air, but how about 2, 3 or even 4. Here is your chance to find out.
|Goalscoring Hero Game
Plays: 3020
Category: Action
Can you score from any situation and become a hero for your favourite team? Prove it on the football field.
|Neymar Head Football Game
Plays: 2471
Category: Sports
Welcome to the head football game of Neymar.The aim of game is bouncing the ball by using head in order to collect the upper symbols. You can play the game by using right and left arrow keys. You can show your football ability to your friends by making high scores... Enjoy the game, good luck!
|Ramos' Flying Penalties Game
Plays: 1961
Category: Sports
Kick some penalties against yourself. Try to miss the goal in order to get more points.
|Barca Run Game
Plays: 1861
Category: Action
make your lovely Barca player run as fast as possible
|Perfect Goal Game
Plays: 1589
Category: Customize
Let your imagination run wild by creating beautiful goals.
|Line Soccer Game
Plays: 837
Category: Action
Play this fun sports game - score from any situation with your favorite football team. Try out the different shots and time your passes to perfection.
|Bella in Barcelona Game
Plays: 193
Category: Dress-Up
Beautiful Bella's in Barcelona! Bella doesn't really know the language, but she's provided several short notes to help get her through all of the street and market shopping on her European tour! She's hanging onto the little bit of Spanish she learned in school to pick out some cute dresses, some beautiful acrylic jewelry, and souvenirs to bring home to her family!


text:
Pasco County operates eight congregate dining centers for adults ages 60 and older, funded in part by the Older Americans Act. There is no charge for the meals, but donations are encouraged. The county also delivers meals to homes of the elderly through two programs: The Elderly Nutrition Program, also funded in part by the Older Americans Act, delivers meals at no charge, but donations are encouraged. The Meals on Wheels program requires a registration fee and a $6 fee per meal. To get meal options or to volunteer, call (727) 834-3340 in west Pasco; (352) 521-5174 in east Pasco; or (813) 929-1231 in central Pasco.
Monday: Baked meatloaf with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, baby brussels sprouts, whole grain wheat bread with margarine, pineapple chunks, low-fat milk.
Tuesday: Chicken Florentine, penne pasta with garlic oil, Tuscan blend vegetables, tossed salad with Italian dressing, whole wheat bread with margarine, fresh orange, low-fat milk.
Wednesday: Sweet and sour pork, wild rice medley, vegetables, whole grain wheat bread with margarines, peaches, low-fat milk.
Thursday: Site closed and no deliveries due to Veterans Day.
Friday: French onion soup, barbecue chicken leg quarter, cheesy mashed potatoes, broccoli, whole grain wheat bread with margarine, oatmeal raisin cookie, low-fat milk.


text:
Making your arrangements conferences useful & personal
Dry and uninteresting funeral ceremonies fail.
They fail both the family the funeral was intended to help and the funeral home producing them, and ultimately reflect negatively on all of funeral service, leading to ballooning "cremation with no service" requests. The solution?
A proper arrangement process and a willing funeral director.
Many funerals are powerful and moving, but most funerals are not. Sad to say, funerals are not generally perceived as nourishing and moving events friends want to attend. Most are thought of as unpleasant social obligations rather than as occasions where what made the person being remembered special is creatively expressed.
The steady decline in funeral attendance is as dramatic as the increase in requests for "cremation with minimum or no ceremony" or "no funeral."
Innovative funeral directors can reverse these trends by making the services they provide interesting and moving. Doing so requires conducting a proper arrangements conference.
The wrong way
Many pre-arrangement counselors are product salespeople with little or no experience in helping a family plan an innovative or creative funeral ceremony. In their haste to quickly sell as many products as possible before moving on to the next customers they miss a great opportunity for increased revenue via dynamic customer service.
Some funeral directors are simply unwilling to have a real human experience with their clients. They act as "order takers" and remain emotionally detached during the arrangements conference. They may even furnish their arrangements room with a flat-screen TV that explains service and product options to families.
Some funeral directors emphasize "standard packages" from which families are encouraged to choose, opting to try to fit people into a prearranged format rather than to create an individualized experience.
Can you imagine asking the family of a head of state what funeral package they'd like? "Do you want the president's package, or perhaps the prime minister's packagette?" No, in that case, almost any funeral director would organize a service to reflect the individual and his or her philosophy of life, accomplishments and family. Why then do we not do the same for each and every person?
Rather than engage in a creative process with the family, some funeral directors pile on the personalization trinkets-personalized casket panels and corners, videos, picture boards and funeral props, to name just a few—in an attempt to personalize the funeral, but only end up replacing one commercial mistake with another.
Impersonal trinkets may provide an interesting backdrop for the funeral, but they don't personalize the funeral. To be fair, most of the items I'm calling "trinkets" have value, and some, such as good videos, contribute significantly to a good funeral service. What I'm saying is that if they are used in place of the funeral director and family bonding as human beings and creating a personalized service, they won't keep the funeral from being just another cold, commercial experience.
When a funeral service fails to touch the family or attendees, it reflects badly not only on the funeral home responsible but also on funeral service as a whole.
Too often over the years I have sat with the family's side of the funeral arrangement conference and watched in horror as grieving families go through an additional ordeal because of inept funeral arrangers with blinders on, bent on "getting the job done" with little or no acknowledgement of the family's emotional state.
The amazing thing is that afterward, many of those funeral directors seemed to think things had gone well. "After all," they might say, "I got the vitals; set the time and place for the service; suggested a minister since the family didn't have one; sold a casket; organized the funeral; and collected the money."
It's easy to delude ourselves into thinking that all is well, the family is happy and a good job has been done. But the truth is, many families are too polite to do anything but smile and say thank you—and go away thinking, "Never again. Next time, I'm not going through this."
The right way
Years ago, long before we knew better, I worked at a funeral home with a lot of competitors. Since I was the youngest person on staff, as well as the one with the least seniority, it was my job to call the other 40 funeral homes every six months and find out what their prices were. This was 45 years ago, before the Funeral Rule went into effect—and before anyone had Caller ID.
I would pretend to be a bereaved son whose mother had died at the county hospital. Since the family didn't have much money, I needed to know how much a funeral cost.
I still remember how cold and indifferent many of the responses were. "We bury for anything." "We don't give prices over the phone." But there was one small funeral home near us where the phone was answered every time by a woman whose responses were strikingly different from all the others.
Mary Elena answered my question straightforwardly—she gave me a price—and then, as she continued talking with me, managed to connect almost instantly with me on an emotional level. She spoke to me from her heart and made me feel valued. If I truly had been a bereaved son, I would have chosen that funeral home regardless of the price.
Years later, I confessed to her what I'd been up to back then and learned that she owned the funeral home with her husband, and they lived upstairs. Her job consisted mainly of answering the phones, and the way she handled that job had a profound impact on me.
She introduced me to a way to communicate with the bereaved that had never occurred to me. It certainly hadn't been part of my training to be a funeral director. Her way of dealing with callers started me on my search for a more effective funeral arrangement process.
What Mary Elena did naturally and intuitively can be learned and practiced. It's the single most important tool you can use to develop funerals that touch the heart.
None of us went to funeral arrangement school. Learning how to make arrangements has always been something we learned on the job, like an apprentice, picking up all the bad habits of the person from whom we learned.
And once we learned, we tended to stick with what we learned way back when. If you ask funeral directors how their approach to arrangements has changed over the years, most will talk about how they go about presenting the required General Price List or bemoan the increase in people demanding direct disposition.
Often the goal in making arrangements is to not upset the family. The fear of making waves causes many of us to forego experimenting with creative ideas and innovative ceremonies in favor of what seems like a "safe style," guaranteed to suck all the joy out of a funeral service career.
The competitive advantage that comes from being known for developing unique and moving funeral ceremonies is obvious. The difficulty is in making such services more than an occasional occurrence in response to a family's requests. You need to make sure your arrangements process, both preneed and at-need, is designed to deliver consistent results.
Avoid these arrangement mistakes
The first rule of funeral arranging is that every method of doing it has predictable results. If you get information via the "taking of vital statistics" method, you'll end up with the same old service. To plan a better service, you need a better way of getting information.
The most common funeral arrangement mistakes are:
• beginning the arrangements with the taking of the vital statistics;
• asking an endless list of close-ended questions which require brief, to-the-point replies;
• not talking about the family's emotional experience due to their loss;
• attempting to arrange the funeral far too soon after sitting down with the family;
• not obtaining the type of information from which to make appropriate suggestions for the ceremony;
• not making ceremony suggestions that reflect the family's value system;
• making inappropriate suggestions for the ceremony; and
• not connecting emotionally with the family.
When you do any of these things, the arrangement conference becomes a quasi-business experience, the family closes down emotionally and the funeral ceremony ends up being dry and leaving people unsatisfied.
Even if the arranger tries to add on some personalization, the service is going to look more like a traditional funeral that's been remodeled with the addition of memory boards, casket panels and props than a compelling ceremony people will find moving.
Busy funeral directors wear a lot of hats today. It's not unusual for a funeral director to be on the run all day, making removals, embalming and working on funerals.
To have to switch gears in the middle of a busy and hectic day and sit down with a bereaved and broken-hearted family may involve a difficult and stressful transition from a task-oriented mindset to one of operating from the heart.
The effective use of the communication skills described below will help you adjust from a period of constant activity to a quieter time of earnest and heartfelt communication.
Do it this way, instead
1. Begin with open-ended questions and let the family talk. I cannot overstate the importance of what I call the "support discussion" as the way to begin your funeral arrangement conference.
Remember, your goal may be to arrange the funeral, but the family's goal, though they may not consciously realize it, is to begin accepting their loss. You need to start by making the family feel valued, by making a human connection.
Once you have bonded with the family members—which you can do quickly at the beginning of the conference—they will willingly talk about things that will help you plan a meaningful service with them.
I suggest you simply start by asking, "Could you tell me a little bit about what's happened?" With this type of open-ended question, a family member may start telling you about something that happened 10 years ago, or last night at the hospital or this morning in your parking lot. They'll be talking about whatever they have the greatest need to say. Open-ended questions give the family the chance to choose a response, which allows them to maintain a feeling of control.
All questions about vital statistics are close-ended ("Date of birth?"), and so are the ones about service options ("When and where do you want the funeral?" "What songs do you want used?"). The cumulative effect of this type of approach can be to make the family feel manipulated. Anger, either overt or smoldering beneath the surface, is a common reaction, with neither the client nor the funeral director understanding why the client is upset.
We are accustomed to asking questions to get information we plan on using. Open-ended questions are asked for an entirely different reason, to give people an opportunity to discharge some energy around their experience and to enable you to connect emotionally with them.
2. Paraphrase what the family has said. Paraphrasing or reflecting back to them the meaning their words have for you helps them feel understood and valued. It also reduces their sense of isolation (grieving is an experience of isolation).
Many people at first find that paraphrasing feels artificial, but that feeling gradually goes away, and with practice, paraphrasing becomes a genuine attempt to hear another person accurately.
Paraphrasing demands active listening, keeping you in the present moment. It helps you focus on what the family is saying rather than the inner dialogue that often occupies our minds while others are talking.
3. Share your feelings, too. The basis of any relationship is the ability of those in the relationship to honestly disclose their feelings. Without a mutual exchange, there is no real relationship. The funeral director's "I" statements, or disclosures about what he or she is feeling about what is happening at the moment, give the clients permission to share even more, enabling you to develop a truly helpful funeral experience.
We disclose our feelings both verbally and nonverbally, and nonverbal expression can be more effective in communicating real feelings and creating instant bonding. What good funeral director hasn't gotten a tear in his or her eye while talking to a family in pain? I'm not suggesting we should cry with every family, but I am suggesting we should not try to hide our humanity.
I don't believe anyone should be "required" to do what I just described; one has to want to do it. But I do believe that choosing funeral service as a career means choosing a profession that requires you to make your emotions available in order to help clients. That's certainly not for everybody, but neither is funeral service.
4. Redo your arrangements form to ask the right "vital" questions. Take a look at your current funeral arrangement form. Does it ask questions about the deceased's philosophy of life, accomplishments and significant relationships? If not, take a look at our guide for conducting an interview and planning a service to get ideas. An intimate understanding of those three areas of the deceased's life is essential for real personalization.
I actually see this process as one of developing a relationship with the deceased through the eyes of the survivors, a process almost all families freely engage in following a successful support discussion.
The more details you discover about the deceased's victories, defeats, passions, loves and adventures, as well as philosophical views, accomplishments and relationships, the more accurate and compelling the ceremony can be. Creating a ceremony this way is an exciting art form.
The basis of the American funeral ceremony has historically been one of words—eulogies, sermons and verbal participation by family and friends. As important as words are, they remain but symbols of symbols, thus twice removed from real communication. A ceremony that demonstrates the life of the deceased is far more powerful than one that tells about it. The comparison is one of television to radio.
5. Learn how to paint mental pictures for family members so they can picture a personalized ceremony. The presentation of a personalized funeral concept to the family is an art in and of itself. Once you have the information you need, have come up with a concept for the service and the family has given you permission to present it, don't simply make suggestions, help them picture what you have in mind.
For example, rather than suggesting the Boy Scouts participate, describe how you plan to have them participate: "I would like to reserve the first three rows in the front of the chapel for the Boy Scouts and bring them in after everyone else is seated. I will see to it that they wear their uniforms and carry their troop flags."
Make your presentation orderly, from beginning to middle to end, and give them a chance to react and contribute until you have come up with a ceremony they are happy with.
It's the non-commercial human components born out of the relationship between a sensitive, compassionate and creative funeral director and the family that make a ceremony experience powerful and moving, the type of funeral people leave thinking, "That touched me; I want one like that."
A guide for redoing your funeral arrangement form
The Life Appreciation funeral ceremony interview
Religion, spiritual or philosophical beliefs:
Special accomplishments:
Special spiritual activities:
Employment history:
Friends at work:
Organizations, service clubs, lodges and activities:
Special family activities:
Most active in:
What gave him/her the most enjoyment in life?
Offices held, awards received, recognition and honors:
How would you describe her/him?
Have you ever seen anything done at a funeral that you found objectionable?
Activities enjoyed the most:
Friends and associates:
Ceremony summary and concept development
1. Rank Order (1 low; 10 high)
2. Summation
3. Discuss company funeral policy
4. Obtain permission to discuss your ceremony concept
5. Describe concept
Religion, spiritual or philosophical beliefs:
Most proud of:
Ceremony site (circle one):
Funeral Home
Athletic Facility
Participation method:
Family activities:
Most enjoyed in life:
Life symbols (items belonging to the deceased that will be displayed at the service):
Describe at least one unique activity or experience and how you plan to express it at the ceremony that would best demonstrate what others loved about the deceased:


text:
Each day in the 100 days leading up to Election Day, MercuryNews.com and Face the Facts USA will be partnering to bring you one exhaustively researched and vetted, non-partisan fact about a major issue facing our nation.
The total cost of America's newest aircraft carrier, including personnel, is $26.8 billion. Now under construction, the Gerald R.
Ford-class carrier is due to enter service in 2015 with a crew of 4,660 – 500 fewer than older carriers thanks to technology improvements. She will be the nation's 12th active aircraft carrier; at the height of the Cold War the Navy had as many as 26. The U.S. Navy fleet in 2012 comprised 287 ships. During the Korean War (1950-55) it was 1,122 ships.
Budget constraints may complicate future additions to the carrier fleet.
The carrier's cost, $26.8 billion, is about half the total annual sequestration cut mandated for the Pentagon.


text:
brain cancer
Republican Sen. John McCain, who has spent the congressional recess undergoing treatment for brain cancer, is capping a busy summer with a trip to an international forum in Italy.
Continue reading
A World Health Organization panel of 31 scientists raised some concerns Tuesday when they reported that cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic" and may be associated with "some risk" for brain cancer. But the group also called for further study. Jeffery Brown discusses concerns and precautions with neurosurgeon Keith Black. Continue reading
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, known as the "liberal lion of the Senate," and the last surviving brother of a fabled political dynasty, died late Tuesday at his home in Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with a malignant brain tumor. He was 77 years old. Continue reading
Researchers have mapped the genetic blueprint of two of the deadliest forms of cancer, detailing the mutations that lead to tumors of the pancreas and brain. Continue reading
Sen. Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, his doctors said Tuesday. Malignant gliomas, like Kennedy's, are the most common type of adult brain cancers, inflicting some 9,000 Americans a year. A medical expert discusses treatment for brain tumors. Continue reading


text:
Question: What is the protocol for burying damaged Jewish prayer books and shawls? Should they be wrapped? Can they be buried in my yard? Are there special prayers to be recited?
— Linda, Randolph, Mass.
Answer: It sounds like you're talking about burying the contents of a genizah, Linda. Genizah means "reserved" or "hidden" in Hebrew, and is traditionally a place where Jews store sacred documents when they fall out of use.
The Talmud (Shabbat 115a) stipulates that all sacred writings (scrolls of Torah, Prophets, and Writings), should be preserved in a place where they cannot be destroyed. Though this idea originally was closely tied to a prohibition from ever erasing God's name, Maimonides ruled that holy books, such as the Talmud and midrash, should be retired to the genizah as well, even though they do not contain God's name (Mishneh Torah, Hilhot Yesodei HaTorah 6:8).
For a long time, Jewish communities set aside a room in each synagogue exclusively for this purpose and called that space the genizah. Anything from a worn-out siddur to a contract written in Hebrew would be put in the genizah when it was no longer useful, and often ritual objects such as a tallit or a lulav were added as well.
Most synagogues now have a closet or a box where they collect used papers and ritual objects that are considered sacred. The general rule is that anything dealing with sacred subjects should be placed in a genizah rather than thrown out. An Israeli newspaper, though written in Hebrew, would not need to go in a genizah, but a Megillah that had been damaged would.
Most synagogues clean out their genizot every few years by burying the contents in a Jewish cemetery as a sign of reverence and respect. Some communities even have cemetery plots that have been donated expressly for the purpose of burying the genizah. It is considered a great sign of respect to bury a Torah scroll or other sacred work near a prestigious Torah scholar. However, you are welcome to bury your household genizah in your backyard, as long as it is done respectfully.
Before burial the items should be put in a shroud (a white pillowcase will do), and any Torah scrolls should be cut off from their wooden spools.
There is no set liturgy for a genizah burial, but many congregations have created their own ceremonies. I particularly like the one from Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, which contains passages from the Torah and Mishnah, as well as the rabbis' Kaddish and contemporary poetry. You can adapt the liturgy to make it more appropriate or meaningful for your family or community, but it is customary to include the rabbis' Kaddish.
The most famous genizah, by far, is the Cairo genizah, a room attached to the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo. The room contained more than 200,000 documents and ritual objects from as far back as the 10th century, including commentaries and letters written by Maimonides and Rabbi Judah Halevi. In the 1890s, Solomon Schechter, a lecturer at Cambridge University, convinced synagogue officials to allow him to ship most of the contents of the Cairo genizah to Cambridge, and since then thousands of documents from the genizah have been restored, translated, and studied.
Today, most of the works from the genizah can be found at the Cambridge University Library, and at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the entire corpus of manuscripts is being digitized by the Friedberg Genizah Project, so that it can be studied and searched by scholars all over the world.
Before you bury your own genizah, take a look through it. You probably won't find scraps of business contracts from the 13th century, but you might come across some valuable lessons and stories that you hadn't thought about in years. Good luck!
"Ask The Expert?" appears each Friday on JTA's The Telegraph blog, courtesy of MyJewishLearning.com. Do you have a burning question about Judaism and Jewish life? Ask away!


text:
Free Kindle Book- Vegan 101: Master Vegan Cooking with 101 Great Recipes (was $19.95) & other Vegetarian CookbooksGet Deal
posted 48 years ago by
Senior Member - 8K
Disclaimer: By providing links to other sites, FatWallet.com does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to FatWallet.com.
About Us | Blog | Site Map | Mobile | Contact Us | Careers | Privacy | User Agreement | D.M.C.A. Notice | Civil Process Policy | Ebates| BFAds


text:
As brands scramble to define themselves on social networks and connect with their customers, a new survey indicates that what consumers want from brands in this new engagement model is some old fashioned marketing: Good deals and customer service.
The results of Razorfish's annual survey of 1,000 "connected consumers" was recently released, and it contains some interesting data. The sample group was about 50/50 male/female and the respondents all live in ten major U.S. cities and cover four major age groups:
Based on previous Razorfish consumer research, we have found that these "connected consumers" roughly mirror the U.S. population with broadband access. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, about 63% of all Americans today have a high-speed Internet connection, up from only 55% in 2008. This translates to roughly 200 million people, based on a July 2009 population estimate from the CIA World Factbook (total population 307,212,123, July 2009 estimate).
The survey found that the primary reason for "friending" a brand on Facebook or MySpace is for access to exclusive deals and discounts:
More than 25% said they followed a brand on Twitter:
And 43% of those who follow brands on Twitter do so because of exclusive discounts or offers. That trumps being a current customer (24%), interesting/entertaining content (23%), and customer service/support (4%):
Following a brand on Twitter usually keeps it top of mind when making a future purchase decision:
The report references Starbucks, the most popular brand on Facebook (by virtue of a promo that offered coupons for free ice cream and pastry). Whole Foods is the leading brand on Twitter, with more than 1.5 million followers. It gained its huge following by offering shopping tips and weekly specials.
Comcast has a great reputation for leveraging Twitter as a CRM tool thanks to the fabled efforts of Frank Eliason, Senior Director of Comcast National Customer Service. Virgin America and Zappos have also received high marks for using Twitter for customer realtions.
The takeaway:
Consumers are obviously very willing to engage with brands via social media. As social networks grow and attract more users, this will continue to be the case and undoubtedly gain more traction.
Brand marketers themselves need to become more engaged and give their friends and followers special offers — pushing out content and hoping consumers hop on the bandwagon isn't nearly as effective. As social networks become more advanced and brands figure out how to leverage them, there will be many interesting new opportunities for marketing interaction.


text:
Mouse over image to zoom in |
View larger image
Was: $19.95
Select a Color: CARIB BLUE
Don't have an account? create an account
A new twist on her favorite gladiator style!
Applies to new email subscribers only. Exclusions apply. Offer valid on your next purchase of $40 or more. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Contact UsThe Children's Place, 500 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ 07094, www.childrensplace.com.


text:
- ACTIVE STOCK TRADERS: Get full access to Jim Cramer's thoughts for less than $3/week - sometimes before he says them on TV! Start with a 14-Day Free Trial.
- The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 7.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 6.5%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
- LIMONEIRA CO has improved earnings per share by 9.8% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, LIMONEIRA CO increased its bottom line by earning $0.12 versus $0.01 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($0.34 versus $0.12).
- The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Food Products industry average. The net income increased by 9.6% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $4.64 million to $5.08 million.
- 43.50% is the gross profit margin for LIMONEIRA CO which we consider to be strong. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of 20.60% is above that of the industry average.
- Net operating cash flow has increased to $7.54 million or 24.41% when compared to the same quarter last year. The firm also exceeded the industry average cash flow growth rate of -5.03%.
-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff
Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model. FREE from Real Money's Jim Cramer: Winners and Losers Election 2012 - Steps to take NOW so you can profit no matter who is in charge! Free download now.