How to Avoid a Brain Injury Rehabilitation ... - Brain Injury Law Center

One of the nation?s largest brain-injury rehabilitation centers has been charging patients a whopping $1,000 per day to endure outdated treatment and abuse.

Bloomberg reports that the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation (FINR) is under fire from several directions. The State claims that over half of the patients in the facility do not actually meet the criteria for treatment at the institute. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administrations found that the center was keeping patients for too long, a conclusion backed up by patient stories of coercion and threats aimed toward prolonging their stay. Allstate Insurance is suing FINR for damages, claiming that they promised treatment to patients that they never provided.

Tales of Abuse

Since 2005, Florida?s Department of Children and Families has received 514 allegations of abuse or neglect at FINR. Previous residents tell of being held down and beaten, dragged across the floor, pushed down and threatened.

FINR?s rehabilitative program is also under scrutiny with tales such as patients washing employee?s cars as part of ?vocational training.? An ex-patient referred to FINR as a prison, except that you knew when you were going to get out of jail.

Rehabilitation for Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injury victims often face long road to recovery, and many patients need the round-the-clock care of a rehabilitation center. Looking for the following four qualities will help you avoid a nightmare like that experienced by FINR patients.

Look for?

• A center that specializes in your needs. Brain injuries are diverse and can result in a range of cognitive and physical disabilities. Search out a facility that is experienced in your type of injury.

• Updated equipment. New equipment does not necessarily mean better treatment, but it can indicate investment in current techniques and treatment. Brain injury rehabilitation is a constantly evolving field, so find a center that stays up to date on the latest treatments.

• Real world training. Rehabilitation centers are meant to prepare you for life in the real world. Check to see how a facility will help you re-learn important life skills such as the daily tasks of dressing, cooking and organizing your day.

• Respectful treatment. You may have a brain injury, but that does not mean you sacrifice your dignity or autonomy. Talk to other patients and make sure you get a good feel for the type of treatment you can expect at the facility. You deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.

The Costs of Quality Care

The truth is that your insurance often dictates your options. Quality care is expensive, and insurance companies will try to limit the amount they have to pay.

When your bran injury is due to the negligence of another party, you can help to alleviate the cost of treatment and increase your options through legal action with the help of an experienced attorney.

Contact the Brain Injury Law Center

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, please contact us immediately. You deserve the best care possible and legal compensation for your injuries. We provide a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys during which we will explain your legal rights and options.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2012 at 8:10 am and is filed under Brain and Spinal Injuries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.brain-injury-law-center.com/2012/08/31/how-to-pick-rehab-center/

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Payleven, The Rocket-Fueled Square-Clone, Opens In UK, Netherlands, Brazil; Confirms Double-Digit Round

Rocket Internet, the incubator/investment vehicle from the Samwer brothers, is known to move fast: Today, news comes that Payeleven, its recently outed Square-clone, has opened its doors in the UK, Netherlands, Poland and Brazil, in addition to its existing operation in native Germany. That looks like the beginnings of a pretty ambitious international expansion plan and will certainly keep European rivals?iZettle?and SumUp on their toes, along with the UK's?mPowa,?given the Samwers' reputation for aggressive execution. Meanwhile, Jack Dorsey's Square is yet to launch this side of the pond. As?noted last month, Payleven reportedly raised??tens of millions? of euros in funding from New Enterprise Associates, Holtzbrinck Ventures and the Russian VC ru-net. Today, the company finally confirms that is indeed the case, describing the size of the round only as in the "double digit million euro" region.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/8_p4JPW8BiQ/

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jaguarsinsider: Family tradition with Falcons WR coach Terry Robiskie and Jaguars WR Brian Robiskie. http://t.co/6j51NPHr

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New DNA Analysis Shows Ancient Humans Interbred with Denisovans

Tens of thousands of years ago modern humans crossed paths with the group of hominins known as the Neandertals. Researchers now think they also met another, less-known group called the Denisovans. The only trace that we have found, however, is a single finger bone and two teeth, but those fragments have been enough to cradle wisps of Denisovan DNA across thousands of years inside a Siberian cave. Now a team of scientists has been able to reconstruct their entire genome from these meager fragments. The analysis adds new twists to prevailing notions about archaic human history.

"Denisova is a big surprise," says John Hawks, a biological anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin?Madison who was not involved in the new research. On its own, a simple finger bone in a cave would have been assumed to belong to a human, Neandertal or other hominin. But when researchers first sequenced a small section of DNA in 2010?a section that covered about 1.9 percent of the genome?they were able to tell that the specimen was neither. "It was the first time a new group of distinct humans was discovered" via genetic analysis rather than by anatomical description, said Svante P??bo, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute (M.P.I.) for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, in a conference call with reporters.

Now P??bo and his colleagues have devised a new method of genetic analysis that allowed them to reconstruct the entire Denisovan genome with nearly all of the genome sequenced approximately 30 times over akin to what we can do for modern humans. Within this genome, researchers have found clues into not only this group of mysterious hominins, but also our own evolutionary past. Denisovans appear to have been more closely related to Neandertals than to humans, but the evidence also suggests that Denisovans and humans interbred. The new analysis also suggests new ways that early humans may have spread across the globe. The findings were published online August 30 in Science.

Who were the Denisovans?
Unfortunately, the Denisovan genome doesn't provide many more clues about what this hominin looked like than a pinky bone does. The researchers will only conclude that Denisovans likely had dark skin. They also note that there are alleles "consistent" with those known to call for brown hair and brown eyes. Other than that, they cannot say.

Yet the new genetic analysis does support the hypothesis that Neandertals and Denisovans were more closely related to one another than either was to modern humans. The analysis suggests that the modern human line diverged from what would become the Denisovan line as long as 700,000 years ago?but possibly as recently as 170,000 years ago.

Denisovans also interbred with ancient modern humans, according to P??bo and his team. Even though the sole fossil specimen was found in the mountains of Siberia, contemporary humans from Melanesia (a region in the South Pacific) seem to be the most likely to harbor Denisovan DNA. The researchers estimate that some 6 percent of contemporary Papuans' genomes come from Denisovans. Australian aborigines and those from Southeast Asian islands also have traces of Denisovan DNA. This suggests that the two groups might have crossed paths in central Asia and then the modern humans continued on to colonize the islands of Oceania.

Yet contemporary residents of mainland Asia do not seem to posses Denisovian traces in their DNA, a "very curious" fact, Hawks says. "We're looking at a very interesting population scenario"?one that does not jibe entirely with what we thought we knew about how waves modern human populations migrated into and through Asia and out to Oceania's islands. This new genetic evidence might indicate that perhaps an early wave of humans moved through Asia, mixed with Denisovans and then relocated to the islands?to be replaced in Asia by later waves of human migrants from Africa. "It's not totally obvious that that works really well with what we know about the diversity of Asians and Australians," Hawks says. But further genetic analysis and study should help to clarify these early migrations.

Just as with modern Homo sapiens, the genome of a single individual cannot tell us exactly what genes and traits are specific to all Denisovans. Yet, just one genome can reveal the genetic diversity of an entire population. Each of our genomes contains information about generations far beyond those of our parents and grandparents, said David Reich, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?Harvard University Broad Institute and a co-author on the paper. Scientists can compare and contrast the set of genes on each chromosome?passed down from each parent?and extrapolate this process back through the generations. "You contain a multitude of ancestors within you," Reich said, borrowing from Walt Whitman.

The new research reveals that the Denisovans had low genetic diversity?just 26 to 33 percent of the genetic diversity of contemporary European or Asian populations. And for the Denisovans, the population on the whole seems to have been very small for hundreds of thousands of years, with relatively little genetic diversity throughout their history.

Curiously, the researchers noted in their paper, the Denisovan population shows "a drastic decline in size at the time when the modern human population began to expand."

Why were modern humans so successful whereas Denisovans (and Neandertals) went extinct? P??bo and his co-authors could not resist looking into the genetic factors that might be at work. Some of the key differences, they note, center around brain development and synaptic connectivity. "It makes sense that what pops up is connectivity in the brain," P??bo noted. Neandertals had a similar brain size?to-body ratio as we do, so rather than cranial capacity, it might have been underlying neurological differences that could explain why we flourished while they died out, he said.

Hawks counters that it might be a little early to begin drawing conclusions about human brain evolution from genetic comparisons with archaic relatives. Decoding the genetic map of the brain and cognition from a genome is still a long way off, he notes?unraveling skin color is still difficult enough given our current technologies and knowledge.

New sequencing for old DNA
The Denisovan results rely on a new method of genetic analysis developed by paper co-author Matthias Meyer, also of M.P.I. The procedure allows the researchers to sequence the full genome by using single strands of genetic material rather than the typical double strands required. The technique, which they are calling a single-stranded library preparation, involves stripping the genetic material down to individual strands to copy and avoids a purification step, which can lose precious genetic material.

The finger bone?just one disklike phalanx?is so small that it does not contain enough usable carbon for dating, the researchers note. But by counting the number of genetic mutations in a genome and comparing them with other living relatives, such as modern humans and chimpanzees, given assumed rates of mutations since breaking with a last common ancestor, "for the first time you can try to estimate this number into a date and provide molecular dating of the fossil," Meyer said. With the new resolution, the researchers estimate the age of the bone to 74,000 to 82,000 years ago. But that is a wide window, and previous archaeological estimates for the bone are a bit younger, ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 years old. These genetic estimations are also still in limbo because of ongoing debate about the average rate of genetic mutations over time, which could skew the age. "Nevertheless," the researchers noted in their paper, "the results suggest that in the future it will be possible to determine dates of fossils based on genome sequences."

This new sequencing approach can be used for any DNA that is too fragmented to be read well through more traditional methods. Meyer noted that it could come in handy for analysis of both ancient DNA and contemporary forensic evidence, which also often contains only fragments of genetic material.

Hawks is excited about the new sequencing technology. It is also helpful to have a technology developed specifically for the evolutionary field, he notes. "We're always using the new techniques from other fields, and this is a case where the new technique is developed just for this."

Hawks himself has heard from the researchers that have worked with the Denisovan samples that "the Denisovan pinky is just extraordinary" in terms of the amount of DNA preserved in it. Most bone fragments would be expected to contain less than 5 percent of the individual's endogenous DNA, but this fortuitous finger had a surprising 70 percent, the researchers noted in the study. And many Neandertal fragments have been preserved in vastly different states?many are far worse off than this Denisovan finger bone.

The new sequencing approach could also improve our understanding of known specimens and the evolutionary landscape as a whole. "It's going to increase the yield from other fossils," Hawks notes. Many of the Neandertal specimens, for example, have only a small fraction of their genome sequenced. "If we can go from 2 percent to the whole genome, that opens up a lot more," Hawks says. "Going back further in time will be exciting," he notes, and this new technique should allow us to do that. "There's a huge race on?it's exciting."

The Denisovans might be the first non-Neandertal archaic human to be sequenced, but they are likely not going to be the last. The researchers behind this new study are already at work using the new single-strand sequencing technique to reexamine older specimens. (Meyer said they were working on reassessing old samples but would not specify which specimens they were studying?the mysterious "hobbit" H. floresiensis would be a worthy candidate.) P??bo suggests Asia as a particularly promising location to look for other Denisovan-like groups. "I would be surprised if there were not other groups to be found there in the future," he said.

Taking this technique to specimens from Africa is also likely to yield some exciting results, Hawks says. Africa, with its rich human evolutionary history, holds the greatest genetic diversity. The genomes of contemporary pygmy and hunter?gatherer tribes in Africa, for example, have roughly as many differences as do those of European modern humans and Neandertals. So "any ancient specimen that we find in Africa might be as different from us as Neandertals," Hawks says. "Anything we find from the right place might be another Denisovan."

Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dna-analysis-shows-ancient-humans-interbred-denisovans-230000855.html

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Scale the Peaks of Online Success with SEO Services | Online ...

If?you wish to be?successful on the internet, it is important to have the right internet marketing strategy in place. Without an?effective online marketing?strategy, it is difficult to achieve your business goals.

If?you wish to be?successful on the internet, it is important to have the right internet marketing strategy in place. Without an?effective online marketing?strategy, it is difficult to achieve your business goals. Nowadays, in the online?domain, you need to pay more attention to?the internet marketingrequirements as the competition has increased. To achieve success, you need to utilize the various online resources to great benefits. It is important to be proactive and aggressive in your marketing strategies. Naturally, it makes sense to opt for the result oriented SEO services to establish a strong online presence. You need to opt for a reputed?Search Engine Optimization Companyto ensure maximum impact. The service will prove to be of great help and help you make rapid strides in the online business.

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As soon you get in touch with a reliable?Search Engine Optimization Company, it will prove to be an excellent decision. You can rest assured that these experts are dedicated to provide you with the results you seek. With the help of SEO strategies, you can catch the attention of the online visitors. More people will learn more about your products and services. This way you are bound to get the right exposure to catch the attention of the online visitors.

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Online businesses?need to utilize the SEO consultancy service and learn more about the benefits of SEO strategies. You can get all the answers to your questions and this will help you make the right decision. Do not hesitate to contact the popular?Search Engine Optimization Company?to find out?more details?about the various strategies used. A good SEO marketing can make huge difference in your business operations.

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Source: http://www.pollinationmarketing.com/scale-the-peaks-of-online-success-with-seo-services.html

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Will Google Ads for Google Products on Google Make You Switch to Bing? [Chatroom]

Today Google has an ad for Google's Nexus 7 tablet on Google's home page. Google Google Google Google did you know this page is called Google.com? Between search, a mobile os, hardware, and a social network, Google apparently does absolutely everything now. The ad is an obnoxious departure from the comfort and familiarity of a typically sparse page. And arguably an unfair advantage for its own product, considering Google doesn't usual advertise other devices in that sacred white space. Looking at you, FTC. But is it enough to make you use Bing or another search engine? What's your breaking point? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/iImKMbZePGo/will-google-ads-for-google-products-on-google-make-you-switch-to-bing

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S&P lowers Illinois credit rating over pensions

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ? Continuing pension problems and government gridlock earned Illinois another reduction in its credit rating Wednesday.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it lowered Illinois' rating a notch because of "weak pension funding levels and lack of action on reform measures." The firm also said the financial outlook for Illinois is negative, in part because the state's temporary income tax is scheduled to expire in 2015.

Lower ratings can raise the interest rate Illinois must pay when borrowing money.

The downgrade, from A+ to A, leaves Illinois with the nation's second-lowest rating from S&P. California is rated A-, but it has earned a "positive outlook" from the firm.

Moody's rating service has also warned that it may lower Illinois' rating.

Gov. Pat Quinn said in a statement that the downgrade is no surprise but still serves as evidence that state leaders must fix public pension systems. Illinois' retirement systems have a huge gap between the money available and what they will eventually pay out in pensions. The roughly $85 billion shortfall is the largest in the country.

Quinn called legislators into special session earlier this month, but they couldn't agree on what to do, largely because of a dispute about whether to transfer some pension costs to school districts. The Chicago Democrat said he's asking legislative leaders to meet with him early next month to resume talks.

"The only thing standing between Illinois and comprehensive pension reform is politics," Quinn said. "We must put politics aside."

Trying to close the gap costs the state more money each year, leaving less for other government needs. Pension payments this year will make up 20 percent of state government's general spending, compared with 13 percent three years ago.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-lowers-illinois-credit-rating-over-pensions-175723342--finance.html

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Better vaccines for tuberculosis could save millions of lives

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) ? Cases of one of the world's deadliest diseases?tuberculosis?are rising at an alarming rate, despite widespread vaccination. Reasons for the ineffectiveness of the vaccine, especially in regions where this infectious disease is endemic, as well as arguments for replacing the existing vaccine with novel synthetic vaccines, are presented in a review published online August 28th in Trends in Molecular Medicine.

"Tuberculosis is a global health threat, and it is a highly communicable disease that may influence practically anyone and everyone," says senior author Javed Agrewala of the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology in Chandigarh, India. "There is a serious need and challenge for the scientific community to develop alternative vaccination approaches for the control of the disease."

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). About one third of the world's population is infected with Mtb, which causes about two million deaths each year. Vaccines may be the best strategy for controlling tuberculosis, but the only available vaccine?Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)?does not reliably prevent the disease in adults, especially in regions where tuberculosis is endemic.

In the review, Agrewala explains that BCG does not work well in these regions because exposure to prevalent mycobacterial strains triggers the production of antibodies that counteract the vaccine. In addition, infections with parasitic worms called helminths interfere with protective immune responses induced by BCG.

To overcome these limitations, Agrewala proposes the use of novel vaccines called lipidated-promiscuous-peptide vaccines. These synthetic vaccines are safer than BCG because they do not contain infectious material. Moreover, they generate long-lasting, protective immune responses and are not influenced by pre-existing antibodies. This type of vaccine strategy has already proven to be successful in an animal model of tuberculosis and is being tested in human clinical trials for other infectious diseases and cancer.

"We believe that lipidated-promiscuous-peptide vaccines have all the essential qualities that can make them successful in tuberculosis-endemic countries," Agrewala says. "Such vaccines can impart better protection than BCG and will have a long-reaching positive impact on millions of people."

?

Gowthama et al. "Lipidated promiscuous peptides vaccine for tuberculosis-endemic regions"

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Gowthaman, Pradeep K Rai, Nargis Khan, David C Jackson, Javed N Agrewala. Lipidated promiscuous peptides vaccine for tuberculosis-endemic regions. Trends in Molecular Medicine, 2012 (in press)

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/bbT-YyAxzVU/120828134936.htm

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Ships

You've booked a 2 week cruise on a cruise ship! but the ship encounters something strange. You end up on an island with a bunch of strangers. As a Legend starts to unfold, you will do more than try to get off the island....

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Stranded on Mystery Island.?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

Do you want your character to love anyone... Or any suggestions for me? Put them here ?

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World's Oldest Arthropods ? ThanksForNuthin

The images to your left, dear Neatoramanauts, are photomicrographs of the world's oldest arthropods (invertebrate animals that include insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) preserved in amber:

Even though arthropods are more than 400 million years old, until now, the oldest record of the animals in amber dates to about 130 million years. The newly discovered arthropods break that mold with an age of 230 million years. They are the first arthropods to be found in amber from the Triassic Period.

Link (Image: University of G?ttingen/A. Schmidt)

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Source: http://thanksfornuthin.com/worlds-oldest-arthropods/

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Pool Construction in Longyan | Indoor Swimming Pool Guide

The best quality materials will be wasted without proper installation. For your pool construction in Longyan, workmanship quality is key and if you can afford it, you should call pool construction experts. If you do not want to spend lots of money, you can supervise your pool construction carefully.

Indoor Swimming Pool Construction in Longyan

Be aware that if they are not experts with over 5 years experience in indoor swimming pool building, most construction workers in Longyan will not be familiar with the specialized materials and techniques required. Hence, before the construction begins, you have to make sure that each pool worker understands the importance of the materials and their proper installation.

Also, coordinate carefully different suppliers work and where they overlap. If you can, daily review construction and installation of materials to find problems before they become hidden from view.
These tips will ensure your swimming pool construction in Longyan at good quality standards for a reasonable price.

Selecting a Contractor for your Swimming Pool Construction in Longyan

In Longyan, any contracting job including swimming pool construction or repair that costs over $500 must be performed by a contractor who holds a current, valid contractors license usually in the classification for which they are contracting. Contractors who build or repair swimming pools must be licensed as swimming pool specialty contractors.

A general building contractor may also contract for swimming pool construction in Longyan provided the general building contractor holds the swimming pool specialty classification, or the general building contractor hires a licensed swimming pool specialty contractor to perform the work in Longyan.

Other contractors like plumbers, landscapers, solar workers, etc., should work within their specific areas of licensure in Longyan, and cannot be responsible for the overall project.

Homeowners who are considering swimming pool construction may work with a salesperson. The law does allow licensed contractors to employ registered home improvement salespersons (HIS) to solicit, negotiate, sell, or execute contracts, including swimming pool construction and repair.

Tips for Choosing your Pool Contractor in Longyan

- Get referrals: It is a good idea to ask friends or family for referrals before hiring a pool contractor or service company. You may also get referrals from trade associations, such as a local builders? exchange or a Longyan swimming pool and spa association.
- Get references: You should ask for references from the contractor, at least one current and one completed in Longyan. When you call to talk with the client about the job, be sure to ask how the project was handled and about their satisfaction with the contractor, sub-contractors and employees, as well as the end result for the completed job.
- Get bids: It is important to get at least three bids in Longyan so you can compare them.
- Verify the license or registration: Make sure to verify that the contractors license or registration is in the name that is presented to you and that it is current and active. Ask the contractor or salesperson to see their identification and check that the name of the Longyan swimming pool company with which you are doing business is listed.
- Have a contract: make sure everything is in writing. This includes materials, schedule and clean-up. Changes, details and payment scheduled should be written down in detail. Do not sign anything until you completely understand the terms. A plan and scale drawing of the shape, size, and dimensions must be included as part of your swimming pool contract in Longyan.

Source: http://www.indoorpoolguide.com/pool-construction-in-longyan/

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Teen pot use linked to later declines in IQ

FILE - In an April 20, 2005 file photo, a University of Colorado freshman, who did not want to be identified, joins a crowd smoking marijuana during a "420" gathering at Farrand Field at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. People who started using marijuana persistently before age 18 risk losing some of their IQ by the time they're 38, a long-running study says. In contrast, even long-term chronic users who started after age 18 showed no such effect, suggesting the drug holds some particular toxicity for the developing brain. (AP Photo/Longmont Daily Times-Call, Richard M. Hackett, File) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES

FILE - In an April 20, 2005 file photo, a University of Colorado freshman, who did not want to be identified, joins a crowd smoking marijuana during a "420" gathering at Farrand Field at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. People who started using marijuana persistently before age 18 risk losing some of their IQ by the time they're 38, a long-running study says. In contrast, even long-term chronic users who started after age 18 showed no such effect, suggesting the drug holds some particular toxicity for the developing brain. (AP Photo/Longmont Daily Times-Call, Richard M. Hackett, File) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES

NEW YORK (AP) ? Teens who routinely smoke marijuana risk a long-term drop in their IQ, a new study suggests.

The researchers didn't find the same IQ dip for people who became frequent users of pot after 18. Although experts said the new findings are not definitive, they do fit in with earlier signs that the drug is especially harmful to the developing brain.

"Parents should understand that their adolescents are particularly vulnerable,'" said lead researcher Madeline Meier of Duke University.

Study participants from New Zealand were tested for IQ at age 13, likely before any significant marijuana use, and again at age 38. The mental decline between those two ages was seen only in those who started regularly smoking pot before age 18.

Richie Poulton, a study co-author and professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said the message of the research is to stay away from marijuana until adulthood if possible. "For some it's a legal issue," he said, "but for me it's a health issue."

Pot is the most popular illegal drug in the world, with somewhere between 119 million and 224 million users between the ages of 15 and 64 as of 2010, the United Nations reported. Within the United States, 23 percent of high school students said they'd recently smoked marijuana, making it more popular than cigarettes, the federal government reported in June.

Young people "don't think it's risky," said Staci Gruber, a researcher at the Harvard-affiliated MacLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. Gruber, who didn't participate in the new work, said the idea that marijuana harms the adolescent brain is "something we believe is very likely," and the new finding of IQ declines warrants further investigation.

Experts said the new research is an advance because its methods avoid criticisms of some earlier work, which generally did not measure mental performance before marijuana use began.

"I think this is the cleanest study I've ever read" that looks for long-term harm from marijuana use, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which helped fund the research.

Ken Winters, a psychiatry professor at the University of Minnesota and senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia, said the new findings aren't definitive, but they underscore the importance of studying how marijuana may harm young people. He had no role in the work.

Meier and colleagues reported their work online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was funded with governmental grants from the United States and Britain, and a foundation in Zurich.

The study drew on survey data from more than 1,000 people in New Zealand, everybody born in the town of Dunedin during a year-long span ending in 1973. In addition to IQ tests, they were interviewed five times between ages 18 and 38, including questions related to their marijuana use.

At age 18, 52 participants indicated they had become dependent on marijuana, meaning that they continued to use it despite its causing significant health, social or legal problems. Ninety-two others reported dependence starting at a later age.

Researchers compared their IQ scores at age 13 to the score at age 38 and found a drop only in those who had become dependent by 18.

Those deemed dependent in three or more surveys had a drop averaging 8 points. For a person of average intelligence, an 8-point drop would mean ranking higher than only 29 percent of the population rather than 50 percent, the researchers said.

Among participants who'd been dependent at 18 and in at least one later survey, quitting didn't remove the problem. IQ declines showed up even if they'd largely or entirely quit using pot at age 38, analysis showed.

The researchers got similar overall results for IQ decline when they compared participants who reported having used marijuana at least once a week on average for the past year. The researchers had no data on how much was used on each occasion or how potent it was.

Dr. Duncan Clark, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, said he's not convinced that mental decline is only in those who become dependent by age 18. He said the main lesson he sees in the overall study results is that to preserve one's IQ, it's best to avoid marijuana entirely, no matter what your age.

The researchers also surveyed people who knew the study participants well at age 38. They found that the more often participants were rated as marijuana-dependent in the surveys over their lifetimes, the more memory and attention problems were noticed by their acquaintances over the previous year.

___

Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

___ Online:

Journal: http://www.pnas.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-27-Marijuana-Teen%20IQ/id-1442af66beaa4801b864228b9149c171

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Choosing the Best Bass Boats for Sale

Do you want to find Bass Boats For Sale but you do not know what to do? There are many shops that sell bass boats with different range of prices. You, as a customer, are offered those huge amounts of shop choices and in order to get the right price of bass boat, you should know the trick to buy it. Many shops employ wishy-washy advertisements to their customers and in fact, their services do not as good as their ads. Here are some tips that you can use as a reference in buying bass boat.

In buying Bass Boats For Sale, buy repossessed boats. This tip is suitable for those who want to have bass boats but they do not have enough budgets to buy the brand new ones. Moreover, there are many people who lose their new boat in just a few months after buying it, whether it is due to the robbing or the natural disaster. When you decide to buy repossessed bass boats, you can go to a bank that provides used Bass Boats For Sale. Here, you can make a deal with the buyers. They offer the price of the boat and you can bargain it based on your capability. When the agreement of price is settled, you can bring the repossessed bass boat with you. Then, try to avoid the dealers when you want to do Bass Boats For Sale. Some dealers will help you in selling your bass boat like as a trade-in but some others might price the boat higher to recoup some money they lost because of the slow sales in a slow economy. Make sure to choose a credible dealer when you want to sell your bass boat. If you find it difficult to find the credible one, ask for help from your friend who has experience the same thing as you.

Moreover, you can check out in the government auctions for Bass Boats For Sale. It is the best place to go since not only it is a legal auction in each country but it is also the best place to find a bass boat. You can find the government auction in small towns, large metropolises and even in the county since those places hold this type of auction. Whatever type of bass boat you want to buy, it can be found here in every condition and various prices. Do not let the dealer grabs those boats first before you.

Furthermore, try to find some showrooms that do Bass Boats For Sale. Why you should find some showrooms and not just one? When you choose some showrooms, you can compare the prices that are offered by each showroom so you can find the best price that suits your pocket. If you do not find a suitable price in one showroom, you can go to others. In the end, you will find the most affordable price from those showrooms and you can bring bass boat home.

The last, choose Bass Boats For Sale in the showroom that employs experienced and knowledgeable staffs. It is crucial to choose a showroom with those criteria since you can ask whatever questions related to bass boats and the staff will explain and answer the answer correctly. As a suggestion, you can check the bass boats in the Apollo Duck, a showroom that offers a large selection of bass fishing boats for sale. It is an online shop which is known as an independent and international boar sales web site. You can take a look at their selection and choose bass boat which is suitable with your need and budget.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1352752/choosing-the-best-bass-boats-for-sale.htm

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Dude, Take A Vacation ? What VMware CEO Paul Maritz Says He Is Excited About Now That He Is Moving On To EMC

CEO Paul Maritz has kept pretty quiet about what he wants to do now that he plans to take his new job reporting to EMC CEO Joe Tucci. But in a press conference today at VMworld with his replacement Pat Gelsinger, Maritz gave a bit of insight into what he is thinking about and what he is excited to be doing over the next few months. The backdrop here is a shifting focus to the cloud but very much in a VMware centric view of the world, which you can get a glimpse of from my last ?post.

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

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Uncovering Destiny through Astrology | Astrology

Entertainment | Astrology | * Written by David Daniel | Monday, 27 August 2012 02:07 | Word Count: 546

There are many stern believers of astrology but there are some who question the authenticity of Astrology. How many of us are truly sure about the accuracy of these predictions. Read on to find out more about this mystic occult science. Since ancient times astrologers have looked up to the skies and observed the positions of stars visible to the naked eye. Based on the positions of stars predictions and fortune forecasts were made. These were mostly fortune tellers who wandered and went about revealing the future. Some believe that the Vedic form is the oldest while many others believe that Chinese astrology is the oldest known form of astrology. Whether Vedic or Chinese, or for that matter western astrology, all astrologers have one thing in common and that is the art of predicting the future. The zodiac has been divided into 12 main signs and these signs stretch across the twelve months of a year.

Planets play a significant role in determining astrological predictions. Modern scientific inventions have helped astrologers make predictions well in advance. Yearly horoscopes are available for one to know what's in store for the coming year. Daily predictions and weekly predictions have become the order o f the day. One can read about their fortune on a daily basis. There are various mediums now available to users to know about their future. These mediums include TV shows, newspapers, and astro websites.

Birth details are significant for predicting accurately. Astrologers find it difficult to make predictions without the believer's accurate birth details. Birth details determine the sun sign of the believer. It also helps one ascertain what can possibly happen in the near future.

Unlike vedic astrology Chinese Astrology believes in associating the 12 sun signs with animals. Hence, these are also popularly called Chinese Animal Signs.? Personality traits are also associated with each sign. This helps the astrologer analyse the personality type of the believer.

One starts their love life or married life based on how well matched the charts are. A higher compatibility is an indication of better future prospects for the couple. In India, it is the Kundali that becomes the focal point before moving ahead with one's marriage plans. The marriage date is fixed after determining the muhurat. The kundalis are matched and the marriage is fixed.

Astrology is also very useful for those who plan to have a successful career. Career charts and lucky areas for work are determined based on the person's astro sign. This helps the believer in avoiding hurdles. Finances can also remain safe by taking precautionary measures. The user can make decisions based on how favourable the planets are.

Last but not the least; it's the Astrologer who plays a significant role in making astrological predictions. Astrologers are experts who have studied this mystic science in depth and are capable of making predictions. Astrologers further specialize in various branches of astrology to make highly accurate predictions and help believers. These astro branches may include ? Vedic astrology, Vaastu, Feng Shui, Crystal Healing, Palmistry, Rune Reading and Tarot Reading, etc.

For more information about astrology, online astrology, horoscope, daily horoscope, free tarot reading, free numerology and more visit http://www.astroyogi.com/

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Home Improvement Guidelines That can Adjust Your Daily life ? Tim ...

If you have the right knowledge and resources, there are many home improvement projects you can tackle. If home improvement projects are on your ?to do? list, then this article might prove helpful. A feng shui professional could well assist you to switch fantastic final results to some detail fairly exclusive that also will enrich your living.

To make attic space more usable, purchase a dormer window. This adds charm to your house, along with potentially doubling your square footage. Making your attic useable will increase the value of your home and offer you more living space, all for a small cost.

Is your bedroom dresser getting on your nerves? You can revitalize your old furniture with sandpaper and some new finish. This method can save you lots of money, rather than getting new stuff. There are many colors of stain available.

You should have the final say on everything. You should be able to trust your contractor, as well as addressing your concerns to them. If your contractor isn?t paying close attention to the things you?re saying, then you may not be happy with the results of their work. Your contractor should be available to listen to everything you have to say.

A well-built, immaculate front door can raise a property?s value by up to 10%. Get at least a new knob and a new lock if you cannot afford a door.

Are you thinking about starting a home improvement project? Personalize your home without spending money by creatively arranging family photos. Attractive frames that suit your decor are what you need.

Look out for patches of ground that are lower than their surroundings, and pay particular attention to the ground near your foundation. Check these areas to make sure they are full of compacted soil to avoid pooling and erosion. Dig away fro your foundation so that it does not get into your home and cause damage.

Re-caulking your windows is a great home improvement project that will lower your energy costs, as well as prevent damage to your home. This prevents your windows from becoming drafty and letting moisture in, which can promote mold growth as well as raise heating costs. Old, cracking caulking should be removed using a hammer and chisel, and then it should be replaced with new calk.

If you?re doing some home improvement, look into plumbing and rewiring issues first. Doing work in a logical order, such as doing projects that require you to access the inside of your walls first, will help your project flow without a glitch. Once your walls are already open, it is much easier to tackle general maintenance to wiring or plumbing.

Working out in hot weather impairs your ability to keep track of time. Hydration is extremely important when the temperature gets hot. Take some time out from doing manual labor to enjoy some water and look at what you have done.

Without much decoration and personality, simple lamp shades are sometimes very boring. You can use a few stencils and a little paint to liven them up. By doing this, you will give your house a better look with more personality.

By now, you know that there are some things which are better left to professional contractors. By heeding the advice in this article and only taking on projects that you know you can handle, you can save yourself an awful lot of trouble, not to mention money.

Tags: improvement projects

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 25th, 2012 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.timburgess.info/2012/08/home-improvement-guidelines-that-can-adjust-your-daily-life/

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Attempt These Methods For Internet Marketing ... - Total Vibration

Internet marketing has generated alone since the new way to market goods. The following tips may help you generate more cash for the company.

An enterprise contact number must be available to you from the majority of mobile phone firms. Thinking about this, you ought to get a passionate quantity to your business.

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Possessing an email list for the clients to sign up for is extremely important. It is possible to offer clients the possibility to offer their details, or ensure it is required for purchases. Either way, you can use this information afterwards to transmit out income details, offer you advertising materials or to ask for customer feedback.

Create a PR page that you enterprise could use as a feasible marketing plan. You put in content which a newspaper or on-line newspaper could use to label your web site. It?s quite simple for you to do also it can support get the company in the open.

A fantastic strategy for working a lucrative online business is to think about your competitors. Locate regions for enhancement by scouring the websites of other businesses with your industry. When you see that the competition is not providing particular solutions on his or her web sites, supply the identical providers on your site so your buyers will opt for you over your competition.

Discounting rates with affiliate marketing shops could be an approach to gain a denser subscriber base. Try connecting various different markets. Doing this will boost all round sales. One example on this business design is definitely the online a reservation professional, who negotiates pricing for anyone booking a motel, automobile and air carrier solution concurrently. This plan is most effective with firms that have the same potential audience, but various goods.

If significant companies advertise in your website, it provides you with a particular validation and may attract a lot more consumers. If potential clients notice that impressive businesses are connected with your own property, they are going to get better self confidence within your choices. This will likely drive buyers for your website and they will consider it more than simply a store.

Consider bundling your products with merchandise of the identical sort and offering the package as being a great deal transaction. Don?t neglect to evidently describe your provide if you mail out the marketing materials.

Your site?s purpose is identified by the tag above it, so select it very carefully. The name of your own internet site can see how your clients see your business?s site. There stands a possibility of losing prospective consumers once they come to be way too baffled or unsettled by the things you?ve written.

Always be certain you do have a slogan and a company logo to your business, even though you?re just having a small, Web-based firm. These power tools might help develop your brand and help you be remembered from your potential customers. The proper logo burns up on its own in to a visitor?s storage if published properly. When thinking of products which you promote, your slogan will drive traffic towards your web site mainly because it has memory acknowledgement.

For enterprise or personal correspondence, usually position your own personal at the end of e-mail. The same as the way in which a standard printed business credit card functions from the physical community, your personal needs to be popular and applied often. Permitting those that acquire your correspondence get a peek at your enterprise is the best way to recruit new guests aimed at your website and make even more earnings.

It is wise to use email marketing for an marketing technique. Assembled engaging e-zine that may participate your clients although supplying these with useful details. You have to be sure the customer knows you might be providing them with essential information, instead of spam. These emails will enable your prospects recognize that you value their enterprise.

You don?t have to fail with an internet business. In order to be described as a successful online business owner, don?t be scared to fall short, give your very best and employ several of the straightforward ideas discovered above.

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/attempt-these-methods-for-internet-marketing-success-3/

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Laird Hamilton: Legendary Big Wave Surfer | Sports n Recreation ...

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Source: http://sports-recreation-info.blogspot.com/2012/08/laird-hamilton-legendary-big-wave-surfer.html

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Herb London: U.S. Has Crossed Troubling Tipping Point

The United States has crossed a major tipping point, with more people becoming dependent on government in the last four years, but there is hope that it can be turned around by an optimistic outlook and approach reminiscent of Ronald Reagan, author Herb London told Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview.

London, the former President Emeritus of the Hudson Institute and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is author of ?The Transformational Decade,? which details changes in American life from the World Trade Center attack to today. London also ran for mayor of New York City in 1989 and for governor of New York in 1990.

Watch the exclusive video here.

The author said that a troubling tipping pint has been crossed in American society in people becoming dependent on government services.
?If you look at the number of people on food stamps, for example, it has doubled over the last four years,? he said. ?If you look at the number of people on Section 8 public housing, that has doubled in the last four years. If you look at the fact that roughly 49 percent of American people do not pay personal income tax, that is another factor.?

He continued, ?The question that arises is, are there so many people feeding out of the public trough that they will elect a president who will simply allow them to continue the benefits they are receiving from one from of government or another? And that?s troubling. Plato once said, ?Democracies can?t work when you have many people who are receiving and very few who are giving.? And that is the great danger in America.?

He said here has been a ?significant shift? in the country since 1965.

?That shift in many ways is undesirable,? London said. ?If you were to visit a mesmerist in 1965 and wake up in 2012, the world would look very different. In fact you wouldn?t even recognize America. The largest company in the United States in 1965 was General Motors. Certainly not the largest company and in fact it?s gone through a period of bankruptcy. The largest insurance company was AIG, now partially owned by the American government.?

The shift has taken form in education too, he pointed out. London said America was tops among countries in math and science performance in 1965 and today the U.S. is near the bottom. ?So I think that there has been a shift, he said. ?Much of it is undesirable. And my feeling is that what we have to do in America today is recapture the spirit that once made this country exceptional.?

The reasons for the shift are many, London said, with technology, politics and culture among them.

?There are technological reasons. There are purely cultural reasons and there are political reasons. We?ve seen over the last four years that this country has been put into a very awkward position when it comes to increasing the national debt,? he continued. ?We?ve had one trillion dollar deficits over four years, which is unprecedented in the United States. We?ve seen a president who has apologized for the extraordinary exploits of American soldiers during World War II. We?ve seen great changes that have occurred in the last four years and many Americans are asking, ?What kind of country do we have? How intrusive is our government? How large should it be?? Questions that I think go to the very, very fundamental character of what the United States is all about.?

To fix the political and cultural crisis, London said the country needs the spirit of optimism that President Reagan brought to the White House in 1980.

?In 1979 it looked like the world was going to hell in a hand basket,? London said. ?The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan. There was a change that occurred in Iran. We had Americans that were kidnapped at that time. The major sites in Mecca were attacked by the Wahabists. There were great changes that were occurring in 1979 and most of them very undesirable form an American point of view. And then this guy comes from the West Coast. He gives a sense of optimism about the future. He says, ?America is the shining city on the hill.? And there were many Americans who came to believe what Reagan was espousing. That kind of spirit is very important to come from leadership. We?re not getting it at the moment. Perhaps we will get it with Romney if he is the next president of the United States.?

He said it was too early to tell if Mitt Romney can provide the kind of optimistic leadership of Reagan because sometimes behaviors change once a candidate gets into the White House.

?If I were to ask you in 1948, ?Did Harry Truman have the spirit that would be necessary to lead the country?? You would say, ?I?m not sure about this haberdasher who has a kind of pedestrian political history.? And yet he did manage to lead the country very effectively. I think that when people enter the office of the presidency their behaviors become very different. I?m not so happy about the last four years but I am hopeful that Romney can provide the kind of leadership that Ronald Reagan did in 1980.?

London agreed with columnist Charles Krauthammer that a country?s decline is a choice.

?It is a choice and I think that Americans have to realize we can recapture the spirit that makes the United States unique,? he said. ?It?s important to understand that the United States is that one country that most nations around the globe emulate. In 1989 when those kids were sitting in Tiananmen Square worrying about the future and thinking about what China might look like, they didn?t build a statue of Prophet Muhammad.

They didn?t build a statue of the Eiffel Tower. They built the Statue of Liberty in large part because the liberties we are privileged to enjoy are the liberties they would like to have. It seems to me that that kind of America, that America with that spirit and with those unique characteristics should be the kind of guiding post for most nations around the world and something that we as a nation should take great pride in.?

Reacting to the shooting at the Empire State Building in New York City on Friday, London said it all comes back to a ?social and cultural problem. ?

?Some would argue it?s the ease with which people can obtain guns,? he said. ?But I think what has to be recognized is that a gun in the hands of Saint Francis is not a weapon. We have to recognize the fact that evil exists. We have to also to deal with the fact that when you cannot control a society internally, that is, because of the kind of norms that exist in the society, then you have to control it externally by a police force that is clearly going to be vigilant about the excessive behavior of some individuals.?

? 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/US/london-america-tipping-point/2012/08/24/id/449695

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Bebe falls, 1Q outlook below Street's view

NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of Bebe Stores fell Friday as the women's clothing company provided a first-quarter earnings outlook below analysts' estimates. Its fourth-quarter results beat Wall Street's view.

Bebe Stores Inc. said late Thursday that it expects a first-quarter loss of 1 cent to 4 cents per share. Revenue at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer's health, is anticipated to be down in the mid- to high- single digital percentage range.

Revenue at stores open at least a year excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

Analysts polled by FactSet predict first-quarter earnings of 4 cents per share.

Bebe also reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 4 cents per share on revenue of $131.5 million.

Wall Street expected earnings of 3 cents per share on revenue of $128.4 million.

For the fourth quarter, revenue at stores open at least a year declined 2.5 percent.

Betty Chen of Wedbush said in a client note that she is pleased that Bebe has pulled back on its promotional activity, but that the move may pressure the retailer's revenue results going forward, as traffic was down in the fourth quarter.

Adrienne Tennant of Janney Capital Markets says she believes Bebe's sales will continue be pressured near term by difficult economic conditions and tough competition.

The analyst also feels that the recent resignation of President Emilia Fabricant may hurt the retailer, saying that Fabricant's merchandising and retail experience could have helped the business over time.

Fabricant's resignation was announced last week. Bebe said that Fabricant's duties will be taken over by Chairman and CEO Manny Mashouf and Renee Bell, the company's head of merchandising.

Both Chen and Tennant lowered their price targets to $5.50 from $6 and kept "Neutral" ratings for the company.

Bebe's stock dropped 7 cents to $5.39 in midday trading. The stock is down 35 percent in the year to date.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bebe-falls-1q-outlook-below-streets-view-163648574--finance.html

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