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Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(AP) - There are scores to settle, family feuds and no shortage of karmic reckoning. For something so random, Friday's World Cup draw delivered a blockbuster mix of intrigue, entertainment and story lines that will keep folks talking from now until the tournament kicks off June 12.
Here are a few you should know:
As soon as Ghana was drawn into Group G with Germany, you just knew the United States was going to wind up there, too. Maybe it's payback for that snow game against Costa Rica, maybe the soccer gods just have a wicked sense of humor. But throw in Portugal, and this group has more drama than any soap opera. (More difficulty, too, with an average ranking of 11.25, lowest by far of any of the eight groups.)
Ghana's Black Stars aren't Africa's best team, but they have the Americans' number, ousting them from both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. The Portuguese were stunned by the Americans in 2002. Don't think the Portuguese have forgotten. Or forgiven.
Portugal also has the Master of Hair Products and Diving, Cristiano Ronaldo. He is deservedly considered the best player in the world along with Lionel Messi, and the Americans _ who struggle against attackers with half his speed _ will have nowhere to hide.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann is married to an American, and has lived in Southern California for the better part of the last two decades. But he's from Germany, and has figured as much in Die Mannschaft's history as its red, yellow and black color scheme. He played on the West German team that won the 1990 World Cup, then coached the Germans to a third-place finish in the 2006 tournament played in their country.
Klinsmann stepped down after the 2006 World Cup, and Germany is still coached by his longtime friend, Joachim Loew.
"Obviously, there are a lot of emotions involved. It's normal. I'm German," Klinsmann said. "It's going to be a special moment."
Not just for him, either. Klinsmann has aggressively courted dual-nationality players, most of whom are German-Americans. There could be four or five on the U.S. World Cup roster, with midfielders Jermaine Jones and Fabian Johnson likely starters.
Imagine Phil Jackson's Lakers facing his old Bulls, with a third of the Los Angeles roster originally from Chicago, and you get the picture.
"Football produces crazy stories," Klinsmann said.
England fans are notoriously dour and hard on their team. This time, they've got good reason.
The Three Lions weren't exactly inspiring in qualifying. Sure, there were thrashings of Moldova and San Marino. But England also tied Montenegro and needed a late goal against Poland just to get to Brazil. Comparing its defense to a sieve isn't much of a stretch and, no, bringing John Terry back isn't the answer. A matured Wayne Rooney might be at his best yet, but his supporting cast is weak.
As for goalkeeper, what's that about if you can't say something nice?
Then came the draw, where England landed in Group D with 2010 semifinalist Uruguay and 2006 champion Italy, with a game in the one place they desperately wanted to avoid, the jungle city of Manaus.
"There were not going to be many scenarios where we were going to be jumping for joy," manager Roy Hodgson said.
Hodgson caused an uproar when he said he hoped his team could avoid Manaus, with the mayor of the jungle city responding that he didn't want the English, anyway. But the English aren't the only ones not thrilled with their tropical destinations.
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said he's even considering switching his team's training camp, which was to be near Sao Paolo, after the Swiss drew games in Manaus and Salvador. The average June temperature in Salvador is 83 degrees, with 10 inches of rainfall.
"We must adapt to the climatic conditions," Hitzfeld said.
Even the African teams are nervous about the effects of the heat and humidity, with most of their players coming to the World Cup from their club teams in Europe.
"It's very, very hot and the climate maybe is difficult," Cameroon coach Volker Finke said.
Looking for a dark horse to make the final? France.
Sure, the French put the "fun" in dysfunction with their petty squabbling and early exit in South Africa, then needed a playoff just to get to Brazil. But they're leading a charmed life now after landing in Group E, one of the most favorable draws of the day. The French must play Switzerland, considered the lightweight of the seeded teams, Ecuador and Honduras.
Best of all, they have no long-haul trips to the north, making their group-stage travel look more like an easy commute compared to the treks some teams are making.
"It's rather good news," France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged.
Looking for a team to follow _ literally? You can't go wrong with Ghana or Mexico.
Both might struggle to make it out of group play, but that won't matter. They each have games in Natal and Fortaleza, two of the most scenic host cities.
In fact, early exits might be preferable. All the more time to enjoy the beach.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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"For insightful experiments and contributions to the understanding of 2-D phase transitions and orientation epitaxy; for major contributions in management of science in government, national laboratories, and industry; and for championing new paradigms for collaboration, such as the Partnership for Next Generation Vehicles."
Dr. McTague has had a diverse career in industry, academia, and government. He received his BS from Georgetown University in Chemistry and his Ph.D. from Brown University. He began his research career at Rockwell International in 1964 where he collaborated on the first observations of collision induced raman scattering. In 1970 he joined the chemistry faculty at UCLA where he had a joint appointment in the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. There and at Riso and Brookhaven National Laboratories, he did experimental and theoretical studies of the structure and dynamics of condensed phases, including Z-D phase transition and orientational epitaxy.
Following a stint as Chair of the National Synchrotron Light Source Dept. at Brookhaven, he became Deputy Director and then Acting Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (1983-1986). He then joined Ford Motor Company as vice president of research, moving to his present position as vice president of technical affairs in 1990. He was a founder of cooperative automotive research efforts, including USCAR and the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles.
Dr. McTague has received Guggenheim, Sloan and NATO Senior fellowships, as well as an honorary Doctorate of Science from Brown University. He is Chair of the Board of Overseers of Fermilab, a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, as well as co-founder and Vice Chairman of the National Laboratories Operations Board, and a member of the Board of the National Action Committee for Minorities in Engineering.
Venkatesh Narayanamurti (Chair), James L Smith, Cherry Ann Murray (Vice Chair), John R Smith, Charles V Shank ('96 Rcpnt)

subset: commoncrawl


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Exclusive: More Hagel Idiocy
If this doesn't disqualify him, I don't know what does. Chuck Hagel in 2002, speaking highly about . . . Joe Biden:
Joe Biden is one of the preeminent foreign policy thinkers in our country. You can deal with him. He's always straight up. He knows what he is talking about. He's fair, very experienced, and a very good listener. He's a formidable guy who's also a pleasure to deal with.
This should be disqualifying — but in a world where a guy just slightly stupider than your Dumb Uncle Rufus can be the Vice President? It is, once again, a bug that Obama sees as a feature.
Thanks to Charles C. Johnson.


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Sage Francis is to indie hip-hop what Rage Against the Machine was to alternative rock, a full frontal ambi-political rush that turns its voice man into a deified performer with legions of impressionable youths hanging on his every word. Think Sage doesn't want it that way? Check the corporate rock whore American flag he donned at last year's Coachella festival, greasy heair shaved off like Colonel Kurts scrawling scrawling, "Drop the bomb. Kill Them all!"
Francis' distrust is warranted, and writing this review two days after an election is a sure way to twist your head around. Especially when he declares, "I know that only stupid people increase the birthrates/I'm just about dumb enough to hold up a sperm bank," on "Gunz Yo." It's enough to make you want to wring your hands, and if you're over 25, then expect to find yourself peering at your old teen angst like some sort of barely remembered dream. If you're under 25, then be prepared to have your non-voting ass checked.
-Joshua Glazer - URB Magazine
Darkness and light, anger and serenity, tragedy and comedy - these extremes are contained in Sage Francis, and they provide the foundation for Human the …


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General Motors has agreed to pay a record $35 million penalty for delays in reporting flaws in ignition switches that have led to at least 13 deaths, the Department of Transportation announced on Friday.
Apart from the maximum civil penalty, the automaker has agreed to "unprecedented oversight" as a result of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into the recall of 2.5 million vehicles.
The NHTSA administration said the fine is the "single highest civil penalty amount ever paid as a result of a NHTSA investigation of violations stemming from a recall."
"What we will never accept is a person or a company that knows danger exists and says nothing," U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said at a press conference. "Literally, silence can kill."
"GM did not act and did not alert us in a timely manner. What GM did was break the law. They failed to make their public safety obligations."
As part of the deal, the government "ordered GM to make significant and wide-ranging internal changes to its review of safety-related issues in the United States, and to improve its ability to take into account the possible consequences of potential safety-related defects."
"GM did not act and did not alert us in a timely manner. What GM did was break the law. They failed to make their public safety obligations," Foxx said. He emphasized that the deal also looks forward to the future in ensuring the safety of GM vehicles on the road.
While the fine was historic, for a company as large as GM, "$35 million dollars is a rounding error," Foxx said. When asked where the money from the fine will go, a Transportation official responded that it would go into the "general treasury."
Other automakers and parts manufacturers should take a clear message from the agreement that delays in reporting safety defects will not be tolerated, said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Acting Administrator David Friedman.
While the agreement reached with the company concludes NHTSA's investigation into the timeliness of GM's recall, the agency will continue to oversee the recall. NHTSA officials said on Friday that their review of the company has found "systemic" issues regarding how information was shared and the recall unfolded, and that it was "hard to point to one single fault."
The company found a way to fix the switches almost a decade ago but didn't because of a "business decision," NBC News reported.
"The defect resulted in the non-deployment of airbags in certain Chevrolet Cobalt and other GM models," the DOT said in the release on Friday.
As part of the deal with the government, GM has agreed to give NHTSA complete access to the results of the company's own internal investigation. Testifying before a Senate hearing, GM chief executive Mary Barra denied charges of a "culture of cover-up" at GM, and said the company would not take action until its internal review was complete.
In a statement responding to the DOT deal, GM said it was working with NHTSA and has begun reviewing its policies "to avoid future recalls of this nature."
"What we will never accept is a person or a company that knows danger exists and says nothing."
"We are working hard to improve our ability to identify and respond to safety issues," said Jeff Boyer, vice president of Global Vehicle Safety, who is assigned to integrate safety policies across the company.
The Transportation Department is pushing Congress to raise the maximum fine they can impose on automakers to $300 million under the GROW AMERICA Act.
GM reported a first-quarter net profit of $125 million, after writing off $1.3 billion related to the recalls. Without the charges, GM said its North American earnings alone were up $500 million, year-over-year.
GM confirmed in late April that it is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department, and U.S. Attorney's Office in New York, in connection with the ignition switch recall.
A press release from GM on Friday said that the company will have enough replacement parts by October to fix the "majority" of the vehicles recalled for flawed ignition switches and ignition cylinders.
On Thursday, the company announced that was issuing five recalls covering 2.7 million vehicles in the U.S. The recalls included one for more than 2.4 million vehicles, and was connected to malfunctioning taillamps, according to a GM statement.
-- CNBC's Phil LeBeau and NBC News' Patrick Rizzo contributed to this report.


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It's another day which means another Tony Parker to the New York Knicks trade rumor.
According to the New York Post, the Knicks are still pursuing San Antonio Spurs' guard, Tony Parker:
A source told The Post on Dec. 15, when trades are permitted for free-agent signees and draft picks, the Knicks will try to put together a package for either free-agent-to-be Tony Parker or Paul.
Raymond Felton, the Knicks' new point guard acquired last week from Charlotte, will be eligible to be traded in December and if the Spurs or ailing Hornets like him, perhaps either point guard could be had, giving Felton a short Knick run. A Felton/Wilson Chandler package would not be out of the question for at least Parker.
Parker will be a free-agent after this upcoming NBA season.
Though not as quick as Parker, Felton is an underrated point-guard and for his career has averages of 13.3 points, 6.4 assists and 41% shooting from the field.
Chandler's career stats are 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and is 45% shooting from the floor.


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In the second quarter, the crowd broke into a roaring cheer after a timeout. That was because, for the first time since February 12th, the Phoenix Suns played Shannon Brown in a game. He was on a run of 28 days and 10 games of non-action.
The result was insignificant as the Suns fell to 22-42 on the year with the 108-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
This game was reminiscent of nearly every game since the All-Star break, as they hung tough nearly all game and it came down to which team was going to make plays down the stretch. He came in and hit his first jump shot, but did nothing else to impact the game in any way. But hey, the fans won.
Early on, the ball funneled through Kosta Koufos as he rattled off 11 straight points and 15 in the first quarter. He and Hamed Haddadi teetered with a career-highs in points all night. Late in the fourth, Koufos found his 22nd point at the free-throw line and Haddadi topped his previous career best in points with 13 points on an offensive rebound early in the fourth.
When a team is entrenched in a season like this, those are the types of factors that are available to keep the fans engaged.
Each quarter, the Nuggets added a few points to the lead until it was insurmountable. Marcus Morris and Wesley Johnson led the way with 16 and 18 points respectively, pacing the Suns throughout the game. Marcus had 10 of those early in the first quarter as he was the team's only scorer out of the game.


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Carolina Kiss Chocolate Coconut Cake
It's an explosion of flavors. Fireworks not included!
Regular price $59.95
This cake has been replaced by our new Lemon Blueberry Cake
For our July Cake of the Month we've taken our moist coconut cake layers and created a dessert that's perfect for your summertime parties. Learn More
Between each layer is our chocolate ganache filling AND our signature coconut icing. On the outside is our fudge-like chocolate icing sprinkled with sweetened coconut.
🎆 Real, Simple Ingredients:
- Chocolate Ganache
- Fresh Coconut
- Fudge Icing
Expecting company?
Our seasonal "Cakes of the Month" are hand-sifted and made from scratch in our Pauline, South Carolina kitchen.
Shipped with Love
Packed & Shipped by Hand
Everyone at Daisy Cakes values you as our customer. Our family recipe cakes are baked with pride. Each cake is carefully wrapped and sealed in a signature Daisy Cake Box.
How to Unbox Your Daisy Cake!
We ship our cakes frozen to have them arrive perfectly to you. We put everything carefully in a cooler and surround it with dry ice to create a perfectly insulated chilly package awaiting at your door!
Store Frozen -When your Daisy Cake arrives, take it out of the shipping container and store it into your freezer until you are ready to thaw and serve. Just wait till you open the box, you'll feel the cool breeze!
Thaw & Serve (6 hrs) - Completely unwrap and thaw before serving. Six hours of thawing and your Daisy Cake will be the perfect temperature to serve! Note: Once a cake has been thawed do not re-freeze or refrigerate or the cake will dry out. Please store covered at room temperature.
We ship to all 50 States!
You can get a taste of the South no matter what state you're in. Whether you're looking for a slice of home, or your first taste of Southern Baking we'll make sure you first bite is a great experience. Packages are shipped with Fedex or UPS to all 50 states. No P.O. Boxes please.
*Transit times for ground shipping are estimates provided by FedEx or UPS but are not guaranteed. Most orders arrive in 1 to 2 days after being picked up by FedEx or UPS. If you must have your cake as soon as possible, we recommend upgrading to FedEx Standard Overnight or UPS Next Day Air at checkout.
Storage Tips
- Take a frozen cake on a family outing - Within 6 hours you'll have a thawed cake that's ready to eat!
- Freeze a few extra Minikins - For those moments when you need a slice of love in a personal portion! We recommend keeping a Minikin on hand in case of break ups, period cramps and romantic moments!
- Share a Minikin with someone you love - what better way to celebrate each other than to split a Minikin with your BFF, partner or family member!
Shipping Schedule
We've got a lot of cakes to bake! In order to ensure that your cake is carefully baked and shipped with care, we are only able to take online orders for the following week. If you need your cake sooner, please call the office directly at 877-316-2253. Thank you!
We ship Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday with cakes arriving in 1-3 days. All orders ship on the evening of your ship date. Please do not factor in your shipping date as a day your order is in transit. The shipping date that you select when placing your order is the day that your cake leaves our facility, not the day your cake will be delivered. If you need a cake sooner than what the website is offering please call the office at 864-595-7440.
Special Shipping Cases
Hawaii & Alaska:
Shipments to Hawaii & Alaska will be shipped via FedEx 2nd Day Air, Standard Overnight, UPS 2nd Day Air, or UPS Next Day Air. Shipments to HI & AK are not eligible for free shipping promotions.
Overnight Shipping:
Overnight shipping is available Monday through Friday for an additional charge. Please call for rates and information at 877-316-2253.
We do not ship & there are no deliveries on: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Any other questions, just give us a ring!
Our office is open Monday-Friday from 9-4:30 EASTERN. Please call us at 877-316-2253.


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Let say that we have the following values, as an example:
Shutter speed: 1/40
Aperture: 2
How can I get the EV number for this exposure, extract (or add) an EV value (0.33, 0.66 etc.) and calculate back the new shutter speed (or ISO) value?
In fact I want to calculate how the Exposure Compensation will affect my values.


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This is, by far, my most FAVORITE use of either cauliflower or zucchini dough for making Mexican foods… and these are induction-friendly.
You know those taco shells you buy from the store which are not only CORN (snort), but they're usually brittle and break in half as soon as your luscious reader teeth make contact with them.
I say to you, on this Cinco de Mayo, don't you deserve a crisp, yet pliable taco shell? A taco shell which holds what you stuff into it and still has the crisper delivery? If so, follow me, and I will deliver unto you taco beauty.
Taco Shells
1 large zucchini, shredded
2 eggs
2 cups cheese
Take hot patties and wrap around a rolling pin. When cool enough to handle and with form, let cool on a rack for 6-8 hours in a cool oven. (To hold the shape, if you have those stackable racks, you can inset the edges through the racks of a cooling rack or your oven and allow them to hang down. They may curl slightly. Don't panic! They should be still pliable enough the next day to open without breaking).
from Cauliflower:
1 16 ounce bag of cauliflower, shredded, chopped or riced
3 eggs
3 cups cheese
Store on rack until crisp and then in an open container to prevent moisture.
Nutritional Information
Zucchini shells (2 shells per serving)
Calories: 151
Carbohydrates: 1
Fiber: 0
Net Carbohydrates: 1
Protein: 10
Fat: 13
Cauliflower shells (Per 2 shells, 1/6 of recipe)
Calories: 239
Carbohydrates: 4
Fiber: 1.5
Net Carbohydrates: 2.5
Protein: 16
Fat: 20


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PowerApps Studio for the Web is Generally Available for Production Use
We are pleased to announce that starting today PowerApps Studio for web is generally available for production use. The web studio is the premiere authoring experience for creating PowerApps and is the recommend way to build your apps.
We have seen a rapid increase in adoption of the web studio experience since releasing it. Creating your apps from https://web.powerapps.com gives you the latest experiences in the product. The web studio is always updated with the latest builds and allows you to work in your browser whether you are at work or home on a Mac or PC. We have been working hard to ensure a consistent experience in the web studio – it has also surpassed the Windows desktop studio in both features and performance.
Going forward, we'll be deprecating the authoring capabilities of the PowerApps for Windows. The PowerApps Studio for Windows will still be available to download from the Windows Store and can be used to play apps. The current studio authoring experience in the desktop app will be deprecated June 1st 2018.
With a large majority of our users preferring to use the web studio over the legacy PowerApps Studio for Windows, we will be focused on the web studio which allows us to innovate faster and makes sure every maker can always use the latest features.
Apps that you have already built can be edited in the web studio (https://web.powerapps.com). If you currently use the Windows desktop authoring experience, try out the web studio, you will be surprised at the performance gains you will see.


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San Francisco's record of raising the minimum wage 10 years ago without crashing the local economy proves that California can do the same, said a leading labor policy reformer in the Legislature.
Watsonville Assemblyman Luis Alejo's plan to raise the state minimum to $9.25 an hour by 2016 draws heavily on the experience of San Francisco, which in 2003 created a local minimum wage pegged to inflation. Now at $10.55 an hour, it is the highest of any major American city, and higher than the federal rate or that of any state.
Since President Obama used this year's State of the Union address to promote his plan to raise the federal minimum wage, economists, business groups and labor advocates have been debating the economic effects of such a move, and have come to starkly different conclusions.
In San Francisco, while unemployment has risen, it has done so more slowly than across the state, where employers are allowed to pay their workers less.
But as a reporting project by the Public Press found last month, just having a law on the books does not guarantee that all employers actually pay legal wages. One survey of three other major cities found that 3.9 percent of workers were illegally paid below the local minimum wage. All things being equal that would mean roughly 39,000 of San Francisco's 1 million workers were underpaid. In the last three years, the city's labor standards enforcement infrastructure has won back wages for about 3,000 workers. See all stories in the project at https://sfpublicpress.org/minimumwage.
But Alejo, a Democrat representing the 30th Assembly District, said the city was nonetheless seen as a leader among California communities because it got the conversation started about guaranteeing higher pay at the low end.
"Other cities are seeing what happened in San Francisco and they're working to raise their local wages," Alejo said.
First increase since 2008
If it passes and Gov. Jerry Brown signs it, Assembly Bill 10 would be the first state minimum wage increase since 2008. Usually the state raises it every three to four years, Alejo noted, but since the recession started, "it's been frozen at $8."
At a committee hearing on the bill in late April, Alejo said his mother-in-law, who earns the minimum wage, inspired him to pursue the issue.
"Instead of advancing and being rewarded for her many years of hard work, her sacrifice and dedication, she is kept at the minimum wage level even after 20 years of hard work for the same employer," Alejo said.
Alejo and his allies say the bill is necessary because low-wage workers are grappling with rising costs for gas and rent, while earnings remain stagnant.
If approved, AB 10 would increase minimum wage from the current $8 to $9.25 over three years, and then peg it to inflation.
This is the third time Alejo has introduced the bill — the previous two years it died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. But Alejo said the prospects were looking better for passage in 2013 and implementation early next year.
"If it doesn't get done at the federal level, you're going to see state-by-state efforts," Alejo said.
Maine, Hawaii and New York have all taken similar steps in recent months On May 8, the Minnesota Senate voted to raise the $7.25 minimum wage by 50 cents over two years, a move that would benefit about 200,000 workers.
But many business groups say raising California's minimum wage would be a mistake. They say raising the cost of labor for retailers, restaurants, service businesses and other industries could delay an economic recovery.
Organizations opposing the bill include the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Restaurant Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business. The federation says it advocates for 350,000 small business owners, including 22,000 in California and 224 in San Francisco. The group's executive director, John Kabateck, said the bill's supporters have good intentions but ignore the unintended consequences for business owners, such as the pressure the policy would create to also raise wages for workers making more than minimum wage.
"There's a perception that a small-business owner can produce extra money for minimum wage employees," Kabateck said. "But small-business owners have to make a choice: either raise prices or pare back benefits and shifts."
Supporters of a minimum wage hike say that low-wage workers, with more income, recycle that wealth into the economy, generating more revenue for businesses. But Kabateck said he doubted the effect was discernible. The bottom line for an owner, he said, is the ability to grow a business unencumbered. He said prosperous businesses tend to raise wages: "The more you stress their ability to hire and be successful, the less you are going to see minimum wage employees growing in a small business or finding work."
Other opponents of the reform measure said they agreed with the need to increase workers' income, but disagreed on the methods. California Restaurant Association spokeswoman Angelica Pappas said inflation adjustment would be impractical.
"An increase is definitely in the cards," Pappas said "But pegging it to the consumer index doesn't work well for the restaurant industry." This is a particularly bad time to increase labor costs because of additional pressures facing the industry from policies such as national and state health care reform.
'It could spell disaster'
"We would rather have this debate every few years, based on economic indicators of the time, like employment and job growth, versus putting it on an upward elevator to increase it every year," she said. "It could spell disaster."
But Alejo has studied up on economic arguments supporting his side. He cites research showing little adverse affects on business. One 2010 study by economists from the University of California, the University of Massachusetts and the University of North Carolina found that the 17 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have minimum wages higher than the federal, did not experience slower job growth than would otherwise be expected.
UC Berkeley economist Michael Reich found that increasing the minimum wage actually helped employers hire people (See a discussion of the issue in the spring edition of the Public Press — https://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-04/economists-say-city-minimum-wage-means-big-boost-for-working-class).
Miranda Dietz, a research data analyst who works with Reich said that minimum wages do not reduce employment. "They aid employers with recruitment and retention of their workforce," Dietz said, "so minimum wages kill job vacancies, not jobs."
Alejo's previous attempts to raise the minimum wage failed to pass the Assembly's Appropriations Committee. If the latest effort survives hearings later this month, it will have to slog through votes in the full Assembly and the Senate's Labor Committee.
Alejo acknowledges the long path the bill must take, but he remains optimistic that he can earn low-wage workers a small boost next January to $8.25. It would rise to $8.75 in 2015 and to $9.25 in 2016, and would be adjusted to inflation every year after that.
Read the entire report from the spring 2013 print edition of the Public Press at sfpublicpress.org/minimumwage.


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FRESNO, Calif. - A Salvation Army worker in California is being rewarded for his decision to return a bag containing $125,000 that fell from an armored truck.
Joe Cornell tells The Fresno Bee (http://bit.ly/1oSfYIr ) that he found the cash Tuesday after a Brinks truck pulled away from a red light in Fresno and left the sack behind.
The 52-year-old Cornell is in a Salvation Army substance-abuse rehabilitation program. His duties for the organization include working on donated trailers.
Cornell says he started crying and shaking after finding the money. He says he decided to report it to police after thinking of his coming grandchild.
Brinks spokesman Ed Cunningham says he isn't sure how the truck lost the money, and called the incident a security issue.
The company will give Cornell a $5,000 reward and make a separate $5,000 donation to the Salvation Army.


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Obama Says Farewell To Defense Chief As Successor Awaits Vote
President Barack Obama bade a fond farewell to retiring U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at a ceremony on Friday and voiced strong support for his nominated successor, Chuck Hagel, who was attacked by Republicans at a contentious Senate confirmation hearing last week.
Panetta, in his 19 months as Pentagon chief, ended the ban on women serving in front-line combat roles and oversaw the integration of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. The Iraq war ended and the last Afghanistan "surge" troops came home on his watch.
But he may be remembered most for his work before he came to the Pentagon in July 2011, as the CIA director who helped oversee the raid earlier that year that killed Osama bin Laden.
Obama noted the progress against al Qaeda under Panetta's tenure and added that "we've been relentless against its affiliates."
After citing Panetta's accomplishments, Obama then turned to Hagel, the decorated combat veteran the president picked to take over at the Pentagon. Amid Republican maneuvering, Hagel still hasn't had a nomination vote in the Senate.
A former two-term senator who fell out with his Republican Party over the Iraq war, Hagel faced harsh questioning at his nomination hearing last week from Republicans seeking to portray him as soft on Iran and anti-Israel.
Some Republicans have said they will not vote for Hagel, even though he is expected to win confirmation. Obama again gave Hagel his full-throated support.
"Keeping us prepared will be the mission of my nominee to be the next secretary of defense, a combat veteran with the experience, judgment, and vision that our troops deserve – Chuck Hagel," Obama said.
Hagel would be the first Vietnam veteran to become defense secretary.
Panetta, who is expected to stay in the job until Hagel is confirmed, was often sentimental but also cracked jokes during his farewell speech. With his dog, Bravo, in attendance, he quipped how former U.S. President Harry Truman once remarked that if someone wants a friend in Washington, "get a dog."
"And that's just what I did," laughed Panetta, whose five-decade political career also included being chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.
Panetta quipped that Bravo was in all of the meetings where the United States planned the bin Laden operation, as well as sensitive discussions at the Pentagon.
"And I want you to know that (Bravo) has never told a soul what he heard," Panetta said. "He is definitely not a leaker – at least according to that definition of the word."
Obama used the event to make an appeal for congressional action to come up with a deal to avoid automatic government spending cuts due to take effect on March 1, warning they "could have a severe impact on our military preparedness."
"There is no reason, no reason for that to happen," he said.
The White House also detailed the harsh consequences on ordinary Americans and the U.S. economy.
Panetta, who has made a series parting shots at Congress in recent weeks over its inaction on the looming cuts, sounded a hopeful tone in his speech.
"There's no question that there remain some very significant challenges – the dangers and instability abroad, budget constraints, political gridlock here at home," Panetta said.
"But one thing I have learned is that you cannot be involved in public service and not be optimistic about the future." (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Beech)


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Toshiba has regained its form of late, so we were excited to see this affordable set in our testing rooms.
In ergonomic terms, the Toshiba 32RL953B is not the slickest, with the TV programme guide looking a bit dated (there's no picture-in-picture, for instance).
It's better to download the free Toshiba TV Remote app if you've got a smartphone, as it's quick to respond and a lot easier to move around the screen using the Flick mode.
Toshiba 32RL953B: Picture quality
As for the picture, first impressions are promising: it's clear and decently detailed, with minimal noise. The edges of objects and outlines of people are sharply defined, too – much more so than Panasonic TX-L32ET5B, but with less refinement than the crisp Samsung UE32ES6800.
Contrast is a touch too strong, though, with deep uniform blacks sitting rather abruptly next to bright whites.
Unfortunately, the Blu-ray of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol does show up the limitations of this set, mostly with the way the pools of deep black are too uniform in shadows, swallowing up finer detail and subtle tonal variations.
The overdone sharpness of the 32RL953 means that its sense of perspective is slightly compromised too. We also suggest turning down the backlight to decrease the glare from unsubtle whites.
The colour palette is bright and bold, and we had to dial down the colour levels a bit to get a more natural tone.
Placed next to more competent screens – such as the Panasonics TX-L32E5B and the Samsung UE32ES5500 – the scenes in the upscaled DVD of Death at a Funeral seem like bright blocks of colour with little subtlety in shading.
As with previous Toshiba screens, we found that it fares a lot better in brighter scenes, especially those in natural sunlight.
Toshiba 32RL953B: Smart TV apps
We streamed the Indianapolis MotoGP race on BBC iPlayer and it looked clear and crisp, with the contrast and colour having a much better balance, and the sharp edges lending themselves nicely to the edges of the track.
Few TVs would win accolades based on their sound quality but even then the Toshiba is an underwhelming affair, being rather hard on the ears.
It offers Voice Enhancement and Dynamic Bass Boost, but we find that turning these options on makes the sound even harsher and more artificial.
This Toshiba isn't a 3D TV. But it's great to see that it's still packed with plenty of smart features despite its sub-£400 price tag. Along with Freeview HD, you can stream TV shows and films via a host of on-demand video services.
There are also plenty of news, entertainment and games apps to download from the Toshiba Places portal, and you also can access your photos, videos and music files stored on a USB drive too.
Toshiba 32RL953B: VerdictToshiba has some catching up to do if it wants to be a strong contender in this area. While we admire its determination to include full smart features at such an affordable price, the overall performance fails to impress – a shame, given the company's recent First Test successes.


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The benefits of using body acne wash
There are many benefits of using body ance wash.It prevents from ance and various infections of the
Skin.It is very important for every one to use ance body wash.It prevents you from various diseases of the skin it is good for your health.It will be good for your every day life.People using ance body wash are
Spending good life.
Cider vinegar is one of the best skin foods.
It is used more and more in the treatments of the skin, because of the numerous ingredients that it contains. Here's why you should try it in place of other face cleansers and see its benefits by yourself!
Apple cider vinegar has multiple benefits for the skin
It has antifungal and antibacterial properties, and it is for this reason that it prevents acne and various infections of the skin.It cleans the pores of the skin so that it can breathe. It balances the pH of the skin.
It contains the alpha-hydroxylated acids; it also removes dead skin cells. Even if these acids can be found in products expensive for the skin, the cider vinegar contains them in greater quantity.
Also, it is very effective in preventing the appearance of aging spots and acne.
To treat age spots, apply a cotton pad soaked in diluted vinegar and leave the vinegar on the face for 20-30 minutes before washing your face. The first results can be seen fairly quickly. This treatment is also effective against acne.
Nevertheless, you must be careful because cider vinegar is a strong product and can damage the skin. Therefore, we recommend diluting it before use and applying it to the skin as a toner.
During adolescence, the presence of different forms of pimples and acne is considered normal. In eight out of ten teens, acne on the face is quite common. The appearance of different forms of dorsal acne or various pimples on other parts of the body is also not exceptional. Would you get rid of your acne quickly? What a curious question. Obviously you dream of it! How to do prevent and treat acne. It will then be essential to start an acne treatment on a daily basis as rigorously as possible. By familiarizing yourself with a daily protocol you will ensure the effectiveness of an acne treatment at home. For more information, please read the following article.
Basic Symptoms of Ance
The basic symptoms of acne are comedones and inflamed pimples. Depending on the degree of severity, there are several forms of acne. If you suffer from acne, you will need to rethink your lifestyle and first stop fiddling and squeeze your pimples every time you look in the mirror. This is a fundamental mistake and even if the temptation is strong, do not touch the acne pimples unnecessarily and never press them at the risk of causing chronic and pejorative damage to the condition of your skin. In severe cases, an acne treatment is inevitable, and your daily care will not suffice. You will need to consider professional care by turning to a dermatologist.…


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China Glaze Capitol Colours – The Hunger Games Nail Polish Collection Swatches & Review
We're only seven weeks and two days away from the hotly anticipated opening of The Hunger Games (yes I'm counting) and the only thing more buzzed about than the actual movie is the nail polish collaboration between Lionsgate and China Glaze, The Capitol Colours Collection. Even people who haven't read the books are exploding with excitement over these polishes.
Between the drama over whether the collection would even come out, the name changes from a character driven theme to a "Capitol" driven theme, that still represents the Districts more than the Capitol, to the debate over whether a book about a dystopian society where children fight to the death for their District's survival should even be associated with nail polish, every nail lover has been talking about this collection.
All of that aside, it's the colors alone that drew the majority of us in. Wanting to own a piece of a favorite book series is definitely a part of it but we wouldn't be rabid to get our hands on the lacquers unless the colors made our pulses race. And that's exactly what mine did when the collection landed on my doorstep. Let's dive into the world of Panem, shall we?
Formula & Application: China Glaze is a 3-Free brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold.
The diversity of the finishes in this collection makes it hard to generalize the application as being just one thing. Overall the cremes are thin and workable. The metallics and matte are a bit on the goopy side and take some finesse to apply smoothly. The shimmer, foil and jelly polishes were all a dream to work with. I will comment on any application issues below but all polishes are shown with two coats with the exception of the glitter, Electrify.
China Glaze Agro (District 11 – Agriculture) Is a metallic olive green with flecks of gold. The base isn't overly warm which makes it very wearable though peeps with uber cool tones may have a hard time pulling it off. Due to the metallic finish, brush strokes are an issue and the formula is kind of clumpy so apply very thin layers. Application tip: Apply to the sides first (strokes 1 & 2) then finish in the middle to blend and smooth the surface.
China Glaze Dress Me Up (District 8 – Textiles) is the color that was originally named for Primrose and given its dusty rose color, that would have been a great fit. It's creamy with a soft, delicate nature, just like Prim.
China Glaze Electrify (District 5 – Power) is a clear-based packed with yellow gold and red glitter. The gold is the more prevalent color though the photo doesn't show that. Unfortunately shooting in macro pulls apart the colors that your eye will naturally blend together. The overall effect looks like gold foil peppered with red sparkles. Thanks to the density of the glitter, you can get decent coverage without a ton of coats. I am showing you one, two and three coats of color.
China Glaze Fast Track (District 6 – Transportation) is a cool beige packed with gold micro-flecks. It has a similar finish as Knotty from Anchors Away except the base is cooler and more opaque and the flecks are gold instead of silver. It's a great twist on your average neutral. I was honestly expecting this one to be pretty sheer so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it gives great coverage.
China Glaze Foie Gras (District 10 – Livestock) is a dark, moody mauve creme. I'm calling it Below Deck After Dark. It's a member of that whole taupe-y purple family that Chanel Particuliere and SOPI Metro Chic belong to.
China Glaze Harvest Moon (District 9 – Grain) is a burnt copper foil metallic. It had the autumnal, fall feeling that represents the idea of a bountiful harvest really well. Unlike the other metallics in this collection, because it's a foil, it applies smooth as butter and it packed with pigment.
China Glaze Hook and Line (District 4 – Fishing) is a muddied, pewter metallic. There's a bit of taupe to its underbelly that makes me think of a fish hook that has a thin layer layer of dried dirt from years of use. It's definitely unusual. It had the same application issues so see above for my tip to getting a smooth finish.
China Glaze Luxe & Lush (District 1 – Luxury) is the FLAKIE top coat. I know all you flakie fans have been freaking over this and since we're in the midst of a giant flakie movement I'm sure this color will sell fast. In the bottle you can see flecks of fiery orange, blue and a lilac leaning pink in a milky base. I thought it would pair well with Dress Me Up but I wanted to show you other options so I included a black (ChG Liquid Leather) and pale blue (ChG Sea Spray). I think I expected it to explode over black but it kind of fizzled out like an expired firecracker. I love it over the other two though.
China Glaze Mahogany Magic (District 7 – Lumber) is a rich, yellow-based, brown creme. While it's meant to have a woody feel, I look at it and see a horse mane. Can't get that out of my mind. Undoubtedly this will rock on warmer/olive skin tones but on me, it feels wrong. Clearly I can't wear colors this yellow.
China Glaze Riveting (District 3 – Technology) is a jelly-fied gem. A sister to two classic China Glaze jellies, Orange Marmalade and Orange-Pacific this color has one thing going for it the others lack, pigment. It's magical. Two coats and it's on! LOVE!
China Glaze Stone Cold (District 2 – Masonry) surprised me as I wasn't expecting to see a matte in this collection but it makes total sense to have this graphite glitter dry with a matte finish. It's so asphalt-esque I can't stand it. Though very similar to Nubar Matte Midnight. Like most mattes, the formula is a bit thick and goopy so use thin coats and workly quickly since mattes dry fast.
With a top coat the silver sparkles come alive and it resembles graphite. I prefer this look over the flat matte.
China Glaze Smoke & Ashes (District 12 – Mining) is the color I've been looking forward to most and it does not disappoint. The love child of Blk-Bila-Bong and Glittering Garland, it has the inky base and blue micro-flecks that made BBB a star. Mix in the emerald fleck from GG and we have a rising star on our hands. It's so much better in person, trust!
Bottom Line: Even though the association with the Districts is not something that is advertised in association with this collection overall I feel the colors do a great job of representing The Hunger Games. Are there some dupeable shades, no doubt. But are there some legen (wait for it)… DARY must-haves? Abso-frickin-lutely. Smoke & Ashes, Riveting, Luxe & Lush, Agro and Fast Track and Harvest Moon are all keepers. If your budget allows, consider Electrify and Dress Me Up. I know I'm known for my aversion to pinks but there's something about DMU that attracts me. Plus is looks fab under Luxe & Lush.
The China Glaze Capitol Colours collection releases mid-March 2012 at salons and beauty supply stores nationwide including Sally Beauty and ULTA. Online shoppers can head to Head2ToeBeauty.com, TransDesign.com and ULTA.com. China Glaze nail polishes retail for $3-6.50/ea, depending on the retailer, for a .5oz bottle.
Alright so spill… which colors will make your short list to buy? Which one will you wear to see The Hunger Games? Which colors exceeded your expectations based on previews? Which ones fell short?
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.


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A blueprint for the integrated assessment of climate change in cities
More than half of the global population live in cities, which are major concentrations of vulnerability to climate change. Cities are also major emitters of greenhouse gasses. Consequently they are key to mitigating global climate change and reducing the impacts of climate change on people and infrastructure. This role is being increasingly recognised through the policy and planning measures of individual cities and their collective action in the global climate debate.


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BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity golf team stayed on a major roll this week, finishing second at the state quarterfinal tournament at the Hyatt in Cambridge on Tuesday to qualify for next week's state semifinals at the University of Maryland.
On Monday, the Seahawks won their fourth regular season tournament of the year, beating rival Parkside by 16 strokes in the process. Decatur shot a team-low 168, while the Rams finished in 184. Nikki Rafer led the Seahawks with a tournament-low 40, which won her the medallist honors on the day. Joe Iacona was close behind, finishing in 41, while Andrew Urban shot 42, Delaney Iacona shot 45 and Chris Barschow shot 52.
On Tuesday, the Seahawks picked up where they left off, finishing in second with a team score of 326, just two strokes behind Kent Island, which won the tournament with a 324. Again, Rafer led the way for Decatur, shooting a 75, which was the lowest score in the field, male or female. Joe Iacona shot a 77, the lowest male score in the field, while Delaney Iacona shot a personal best 85 and Urban finished with an 89. Those four will represent Decatur as a team in the state semifinals next week in College Park, while Audrey Affelder qualified for the state semis as an individual with a 93.


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Press Releases
Governor Quinn Signs Nation's Strongest Regulations on Hydraulic Fracturing
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed Senate Bill 1715 – the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act - into law. The new law enacts the nation's strongest environmental protections for hydraulic fracturing and has the potential to create thousands of jobs in Southern Illinois. Passage of this legislation was one of Governor Quinn's top priorities this year, and the Quinn Administration helped negotiate and draft the legislation.
"This new law will unlock the potential for thousands of jobs in Southern Illinois and ensure that our environment is protected," Governor Quinn said. "As I said in my budget address, hydraulic fracturing is coming to Illinois with the strongest environmental regulations in the nation. It's about jobs and it's about ensuring that our natural resources are protected for future generations. I applaud the many environmental advocates and representatives from government, labor and industry who worked with us to make Illinois a national model for transparency, environmental safety and economic development."
"This law is an example of what we can achieve when legislators and leaders in both chambers work together in good faith to get something done for the greater good of the people of Illinois," Quinn added.
Sponsored by State Sen. Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) and State Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion), Senate Bill 1715 enacts the most comprehensive set of regulations on hydraulic fracturing in the nation, and includes strong provisions to protect water quality, assure transparency and promote public involvement.
"I'm proud to say these are the strongest, most effective drilling safeguards enacted by any state in the nation," Sen. Frerichs said. "We know high-volume fracking is already underway in Illinois, and this legislation is needed more than ever to protect the environment while allowing for job creation and economic growth not just in downstate communities but throughout Illinois."
"This is a historic agreement between the environmental coalition and industry," Rep. Bradley said. "I appreciate all the hard work of the many people who were involved in this process. It provides for the strongest regulations in the history of the United States, but allows the industry to develop in a responsible manner."
Hydraulic fracturing is currently permitted without the necessary regulations or protections. Under the new law, Illinois will become the first state in the nation in which hydraulic fracturing operators will be required to submit pre- and post-fracturing chemical disclosures to the state. Knowing exactly what materials are being used will allow the state to better protect consumers and the environment. Additionally, Illinois will become the only state in the nation to require pre- and post-fracturing water testing. Operators will be required to provide a baseline water test prior to the act of hydraulic fracturing and then tests six months, 18 months and 30 months after operations have concluded. Illinois will also require the storage of fluid in above-ground closed tanks, rather than traditional pits.
The law includes strong public participation requirements, including a mandatory 30-day public comment period, a public hearing opportunity and a 15-day follow-up public comment period. The state will consider all submitted written comments and testimony from public hearings when making its decision to approve or deny the permit application.
These restrictions - among many others - provide the most comprehensive and strongest environmental protections and regulations on high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing in the country, while providing industry with the certainty to begin investing billions of dollars in the state.
"This is a monumental achievement for economic development and jobs in Illinois. Hydraulic fracturing will create good-paying jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign source of oil," said Mark Denzler, vice president and chief operating officer of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and a co-founder of the GROW-IL Coalition, a group consisting of three dozen business organizations, labor unions, individual companies and agricultural interests. "We applaud Governor Quinn and members of the General Assembly for developing a strong regulatory framework that will allow industry to flourish while protecting the environment."
The legislation was supported by numerous environmental advocacy groups, including the Sierra Club Illinois, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council and Illinois Environmental Council.
"Today Governor Quinn is signing into law the most comprehensive environmental regulatory bill in the country on hydraulic fracturing," Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council said. "While our community still has concerns about the environmental impacts of this new technology, it is essential for these tough restrictions to become law to protect our communities. The environmental community looks forward to working with the governor and agencies to make sure that this bill is strongly enforced."
The new law is the product of extensive negotiations between the Governor's Office, industry groups, environmental groups, labor unions, legislators, the Attorney General's Office, and state agencies including the Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), which will manage implementation of the law.
"This new set of regulations gives us the needed authority and resources to protect the environment and manage this method of energy extraction," IDNR Director Marc Miller said. "I applaud Governor Quinn for his leadership and the good-faith effort by lawmakers, industry and labor leaders, environmental groups and members of the governor's administration to ensure Illinois' natural resources are protected."
"This law represents an unprecedented commitment to environmental protection that will serve as a model for the rest of the country," IEPA Director Lisa Bonnett said. "IEPA will continue to work with IDNR to make sure that this previously unregulated process is managed safely and responsibly."
Senate Bill 1715 takes effect immediately.
The governor also signed Senate Bill 2155 into law today. Also sponsored by Sen. Frerichs and Rep. Bradley, the law makes several technical changes needed to implement the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act. It takes effect immediately.
Press Releases


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Join Jane for this short meditation, filmed in the beautiful surroundings of the Snowdonia National Park, just up the valley from the Dru Yoga Centre.
Use this meditation to help you to let go of difficult emotions. It is perfect to use at the end of a busy or stressful day as its purpose is to gently guide you back to a state of calmness and peace.
Starting with a hand gesture (mudra) the mudra of letting go, breathe in, focussing on light coming into the lungs, then exhale to release any unwanted or heavy emotions that are not allowing you to respect and appreciate yourself.
Today's meditation for letting go ends with the mudra of courage. It invites you to step forward into the future with courage and joy. Ask for peace of mind and courage to fill your heart.


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Infants who experience viral respiratory illnesses with wheezing are known to be at increased risk for developing asthma later during childhood. It is not known, however, whether every type of respiratory virus that produces wheezing presents similar risk.
Using new molecular techniques to identify different viruses, researchers now believe they have pinpointed the biggest culprit: rhinovirus (RV).
"We have found that rhinovirus, the most common cause of colds, contributes a disproportionate amount towards future asthma development in comparison to other viruses that also cause childhood wheezing," said principle investigator, Robert F. Lemanske, Jr., M.D., head of the Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The results were reported in the first issue for October of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.
From November 1998 to May 2000, researchers at the University of Wisconsin recruited nearly 300 newborns at high risk for asthma (with one or both parents having had allergies or asthma) to take part in their prospective cohort study on the etiology of asthma, the Childhood Origins of Asthma (COAST) study. The children were followed from birth to six years and evaluated for the presence of specific viruses during wheezing illnesses.
At six years, 28 percent of the kids had asthma- and those who had wheezed with rhinovirus were disproportionately among them. Children who wheezed with RV during the first year of life were nearly three times as likely to have asthma at age six, whereas children who wheezed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another common respiratory ailment that has been linked to asthma risk in children, did not have an increased asthma risk.
The older the children were, the greater the effect. Children who had wheezed with RV in their second year of life were more than six times as likely to have asthma. Wheezing with RV at three increased asthma odds by more than 30-fold.
The study confirmed previous findings that wheezing with RSV any time during the first three years led to a nearly three-fold increased asthma risk. However, the novel finding is that "wheezing RV illnesses occurring at any time during the first three years of life were associated with a nearly 10-fold increase in asthma risk at six years, making them the most significant predictor of asthma development in the high risk COAST cohort," wrote Daniel J. Jackson, M.D., Allergy and Immunology Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, lead author of the article.
"Indeed, nearly 90% of the children wheezing with RV during year three subsequently developed asthma at age six," he wrote.
Whether RV causes asthma to develop, or simply reveals children who are already predisposed to the disease (host-related factors) remains an open question. Alternatively, "In genetically susceptible children, RV wheezing illnesses could cause airway damage as well as subsequent asthma (virus-related factors)," stated Dr. Jackson, pointing out that the possibilities are not mutually exclusive and that additional research would be required to resolve the question.
These findings mark a shift in medical knowledge on the topic of virus-induced wheezing and subsequent asthma development. John E. Heffner, M.D., past president of the ATS, stated that "the results of this study represent important advances in our understanding of childhood asthma because the investigators studied infants in an outpatient setting. Prior studies examined more seriously ill, hospitalized infants- mild viral illnesses may be just as important for later asthma as more severe infections. Also, the elegant technique used to identify specific viruses provides a foothold for understanding the unique viral attributes that cause wheezing and- potentially- lead to asthma."
Source: American Thoracic Society, USA


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Thank You, Gary Vaynerchuk
"What happens when we live in the word of mouth world? What happens when brands can be humanized? There is enormous ROI in a tweet." ~ Gary Vaynerchuk; 'The Thank You Economy.'
I want to personally thank Gary Vaynerchuk for the success of DrinkNectar.com, Spokane Wine Magazine and Nectar Tasting Room. 15 months ago, Gary's book Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion, was the catalyst for everything I'm doing now. The concept was in my head, the business plan was written, and the timing was always considered, "sometime in the future," until reading 'Crush It.'
In summary, Crush It is:
- You can brand yourself using social media tools
- Using a blog as a central source is the best strategy
- Content is king
- Content, Conversation, Share, Care
- Repeat
As I started implementing the strategies presented in Crush It, I was blown away by the results. In a few short months my personal brand grew and many opportunities began to present themselves. Just three months into my experiment I was offered the opportunity to write a few articles for Gary's web site Corkd.com. In April, 2010 I was asked to write on a regular basis for the revamped Corkd.com. While I couldn't commit to as many articles as Gary was looking for, I was happy to provide one post per week as my time allowed.
We are living in an amazing time. Brands have the incredible potential of affordably engaging with hundreds (even thousands) of customers. The world is getting infinitely smaller as word of mouth marketing goes viral with Twitter and Facebook. When starting my social experiment, I remember the looks on people's faces. "You're going to do what with what?" Gary, THANK YOU. Thank you for sharing your personal experience in a real world way.
I also want to say congratulations, Gary, on the 1000th (and final) episode of Wine Library TV. The show thatstarted it all and inspired hundreds of wine bloggers (including myself) has left its mark as it changed the wine world. Not one to stay static, the incredibly energetic Vaynerchuk launched his new venture, DailyGrape.com the same day as the wrap of Wine Library TV. Daily Grape provides a daily dose of wine education and recommendations from Gary. The site is accompanied by a free iPhone app (other platforms coming soon). Right now, content is light but each day brings something new. At this rate, Gary will hit 1000 Daily Grape episodes in mid 2014.
Today, Gary announced his retirement from the daily wine video. Gary has been such an inspiration to so many people (me included). While Gary will still remain in wine with Wine Library and other ventures, he will continue to work as a marketing consultant, public speaker, author, wine educator and more. Thanks, Gary, for all your dedication and inspiration to the wine world!
In addition to all the big changes at the Vaynerchuk empire, Gary's new book, The Thank You Economy arrived in stores in early March. Watch Gary explain, The Thank You Economy Book.
5 comments on "Thank You, Gary Vaynerchuk"
Frank Josh – Although Gary and Crush It may have been 'a' catalyst, 'you' are where you are now because of your work ethic. It has been great to see the growth of Drink Nectar (the blog in the early days) and the brand.
"We are living in an amazing time." So true indeed!
To much continued success!
Frank -
Allyson Shoshana Josh,
a) Awesome reminder of the power of social media branding.
b) Gary v rocks
c) Downloaded the app on my iPhone two seconds ago
d) I'm sure we'll run into you tomorrow night
e) Great blog post, thank you for the great reminder.A
1WineDude Dude, the books may have been a catalyst, but only one thing can ever really make or break your success after capitalizing on the opportunities, and that's YOU. Here's to your continued success!


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Editor's Note: The following guest post was written by Kevin Merritt, the CEO and founder of blist, a Web-based list manager and spreadsheet that was used on Change.gov, the Obama Administration's transition Website.
President Barack Obama was sworn into office this week as our nation's 44th president. Despite running into a few technical challenges in the first few days at the White House, the Obama Administration will embrace technology in unprecedented ways. Led by forward thinking, web savvy technologists, President Obama's new media team looks poised and ready to fulfill President Obama's vision of open-source democracy.
Coincident with Mr. Obama being sworn in, the Obama Administration's new media team assumed control of WhiteHouse.gov at 12:01 PM EST on Tuesday. This is the official website of the sitting administration. The new media team has identified three top priorities of the new administration – communication, transparency and participation. Let's examine how the new administration has been leveraging web technologies to meet these priorities.
Communication. This administration's use of Google's YouTube during both the campaign and after winning the election leverages Internet video to reach a generation of Americans and global citizens who no longer tune in to AM radio on a regular basis. President Obama has vowed to continue video recording his fireside chats and publishing them via YouTube and other video sites. With the transition of WhiteHouse.gov to the new administration, for the first time ever an official White House blog came online. You can sign up for email updates from the president. Through the blog, Mr. Obama is the first U.S. president to have an RSS feed!
During the campaign President Obama relied heavily on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to build support, communicate with constituents and develop a core audience. By far, Mr. Obama has more followers on Twitter than anyone else (168,000). His fan page on Facebook has more than 4 million fans.
Transparency. Mr. Obama promises to run the most open, honest and transparent administration to date. Through the Your Seat at The Table section on the CHANGE.GOV transition site, the Obama transition team posted the minutes of hundreds of private meetings with then President-Elect Obama.
Even all of the content on the CHANGE.GOV site, unless otherwise noted, is licensed to the public at large via a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
The Obama-Biden Transition Team used my company, blist, to disclose the names of all donors to the transition project. Two key points of note are that the disclosure was entirely voluntary and the tool they chose to use made the data itself much more consumable by the mainstream public. Compared to a plain HTML table, which is bulky, cumbersome and hard to work with, by publishing the data via a blist widget the data can easily be sorted, searched, filtered, downloaded, printed, emailed and even republished – all capabilities not previously enjoyed by most consumers of public data sets.
Participation. The Obama Administration has been conducting bold experiments in interactive government. The Citizen's Briefing Book, powered by Salesforce.com, has allowed citizens to suggest topics Mr. Obama should consider upon taking office. Once a topic was submitted, other visitors to the Citizen's Briefing Book could vote the topic up or down and comment on it. Voting, ranking and commenting are hallmark features of web-based, social media applications.
The new Administration has brought forth a new era of honest, open, participatory and transparent government by creatively employing web-based software from innovative companies like Google, Facebook, Salesforce.com and blist. We're eager to see the use of these technologies extended to WhiteHouse.gov initially and from there we'd love to see more government agencies quickly embrace web technologies to promote communication, transparency and participation.