Sunday, October 28, 2012

USDOJ: Detroit Area Physician, Home Health Agency Owner and ...

??USDOJ: Detroit Area Physician, Home Health Agency Owner and Patient Recruiter Convicted in $14.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON ? A federal jury in Detroit today convicted a physician, a home health agency owner and a patient recruiter for their participation in a $14.5 million Medicare fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department?s Criminal Division; United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan; Robert Foley III, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh, III of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Detroit Office.

Dr Pramod Raval, 59, was found guilty in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to solicit or receive health care kickbacks in exchange for referring patients to two Detroit area home health care companies, Patient Choice Home Healthcare Inc. and All American Home Care Inc.?

Chiradeep Gupta, 38, a physical therapist and part-owner of All American, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three substantive counts of money laundering.?

Richard Shannon, 39, a patient recruiter, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

The defendants were charged in a superseding indictment returned March 27, 2012.? Sixteen other individuals who worked at or were associated with Patient Choice and All American have previously pleaded guilty.???

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants and their co-conspirators caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare through Patient Choice and All American, two home health care companies located in Oak Park, Mich ., that purported to provide skilled nursing and physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries in the greater Detroit area.?

The evidence showed that the defendants and their co-conspirators used patient recruiters, who paid Medicare beneficiaries to sign blank documents for physical therapy services that were never provided and/or medically unnecessary.? The owners of Patient Choice and All American paid physicians to sign referrals and other therapy documents necessary to bill Medicare.? Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants? provided through contractors would then create fake medical records using the blank, pre-signed forms obtained by the patient recruiters to make it appear as if physical therapy services were actually rendered, when, in fact, the services had not been rendered.?

According to evidence presented at trial, Raval referred both patients from his own practice and patients brought into the scheme by recruiters to Patient Choice and All American in exchange for kickbacks. Gupta provided to Patient Choice and All American physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who created fake patient files using blank, pre-signed forms obtained by patient recruiters, to make it appear as if the physical therapy services billed to Medicare had actually been given.? Gupta also doctored and directed the doctoring of fake patient files.? The evidence at trial showed that Gupta laundered the proceeds of the fraud through multiple shell companies.? Shannon paid patients in cash in order to obtain their signatures on blank physical therapy forms used to create fake therapy documents.

Vishnu Meda, a physical therapist assistant at Patient Choice and All American, was acquitted today of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.?

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Chief Gejaa T. Gobena and Trial Attorneys Catherine K. Dick and Niall M. O?Donnell of the Criminal Division?s Fraud Section.? The investigation was led by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, a joint effort of the United States Attorney?s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and the Criminal Division?s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS?s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Contact: Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000

Reported by: US Department of Justice

Published on: 2012-10-27

Limited copyright is granted for you to use and/or republish any story on this site for any legitimate media purpose as long as you reference 7thSpace and any source mentioned in the story above. Please make sure to read our disclaimer prior to contacting 7thSpace Interactive. To contact our editors, visit our online helpdesk. If you wish submit your own press release, click here.
Social Bookmarking
RETWEET This! | Digg this! | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Furl | Add to Netscape | Add to Yahoo! | Rojo

Comments


Source: http://7thspace.com/headlines/424687/usdoj_detroit_area_physician_home_health_agency_owner_and_patient_recruiter_convicted_in_145_million_medicare_fraud_scheme.html

michigan primary school shooting daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer barry sanders barry sanders john scott

Obama cancels stops in Virginia, Colorado because of storm

{ttle}

{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"2145892301","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-1334217956", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-1334217956", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "2145892301", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "2145892301" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });

How Occur Every One Of Us Require An Antivirus Software Plan ...

Computer system Viruses are the Definition of trouble

Across the world, computers and also other devices which might be connected towards the online are at danger of becoming infected by a personal computer virus. But what?s a laptop virus, anyways? Like with people, a virus could make your pc ?sick?, and can be spread from computer system to laptop. A pc virus is referred to as a program that infiltrates your computer?s defenses, disrupting typical pc functions, and may even delete applications, files, and may even wipe your tough drive clean. Some viruses merely make factors frustrating, and are intended as pranks. Other people, though, possess a significantly more destructive purpose, and can make items rather complicated, and can even wind up costing you money for repairs.

Distinct Varieties of Viruses

Nowadays, there are lots of various varieties of viruses. Nearly all of them infect your pc by means of attachments in emails, or by clicking on popup ads, and even basically going to a webpage. Some viruses are damaging, and other people malicious, but not an actual threat, as stated previously. In some cases, all that happens is the fact that you get spyware dumped in to your program. Every single week, a brand new, more powerful virus is being designed, creating antivirus suppliers keep on their toes. But what are the numerous types of viruses around?

Trojan Viruses ? This sort of virus is very likely the kind that is definitely most quite often encountered. They lie in wait on internet websites, popup ads, and emails, and do not make themselves out to be threats. Some get caught straight away by antivirus application, and are simply taken care of. Other individuals, although, could be a bit sneakier. Trojans can be disguised to appear like a reputable file. However the second you open that file, you?ve infected your laptop. Some Trojans are destructive, and other people dump spyware in for your method.

Worm Viruses ? A worm can be an incredibly critical danger for your pc, and other people. Worms are defined as a sub-class of viruses, and may spread with no any interaction from customers. When a worm infects your method, it makes use of file and info transfers to carry itself in for your method. Email is definitely the preferred choice of travel, but really, you can pick them up just about anyplace, at any time, and they do not at all times make themselves recognized for your antivirus. One of the most risky part about a worm is that it could possibly make replications of itself, and if it truly is within your e-mail, it?ll infect just about every single particular person you?ve got listed as e mail contacts. They are destructive, and can wipe out tough drives.

Blended Threats ? They are most likely by far the most sophisticated type of a virus attack. Blended threats combine several of the worst attributes of malware, viruses, worms, and Trojans in to a single, but rather serious threat. They are not encountered very quite often, but after they are, watch out. They use vulnerabilities within your technique to infiltrate, infect, and spread. They are also capable of spreading to other computers, like a worm does. But they do not attack just 1 component of the computer. In truth, they?re capable of launching numerous attacks to .exe files, HTML files, and so on all simultaneously.

Laptop Virus Removal and Future Protection

Now, this ought to be apparent to most. The top technique to remove viruses and defend your laptop or computer is by investing in antivirus computer software. Sure, you can actually download some antivirus applications free of charge, but they do not provide the complete protection strategy like the programs you buy. Based on what you do while on the internet will ascertain what kind of antivirus program you?ll need. In case you just play games, and surf the web for leisure, then you don?t will need anything overly fancy. But if you happen to run your company on the internet, like web designing along with other such occupations, then you might need to invest somewhat extra and get the extra advanced applications. Certainly, these are just opinions and ideas. Inside the end, it really is individual preference on what you get.

On your facts, Less Expensive Antivirus: Comprehensive Antivirus Without Burning A Hole with Your Pocket can give you more details on Most Desirable Gaming Antivirus ? What?s The Ideal Antivirus For Gamers?. Go to the backlink for additional information!

Source: http://www.healthuse.com/how-occur-every-one-of-us-require-an-antivirus-software-plan.html

hatchet leah messer freedom riders 9th circuit court of appeals gisele bundchen tom brady randy travis arrested dickens

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Odds Of Getting Pregnant And Age | Pregnancy Week By Week

The odds of obtaining pregnant decline with age. The odds of getting pregnant are the greatest for a woman in her early twenties after which slowly decline with the passing years. Listed here are some numbers associated towards the probabilities of getting pregnant and age:

1. For ages early to mid-thirties ? a woman in general will probably be about 15-20% much less fertile.

2. For ages mid to late thirties ? fertility will generally decline by up to 50%.

3. For ladies ages early to mid-forties ? fertility declines by over 90%.

Why do the odds of obtaining pregnant usually decline as the woman gets older? Research have indicated the factors for fertility decline are associated towards the high quality from the woman?s eggs also because the quantity. A woman in her lifetime will typically make about 400 really made eggs (generally 1 per month) which are capable of becoming implanted within the uterus and causing pregnancy. As these eggs get utilized up over thirty years or so and estrogen manufacture slows to ensure that the uterine and vaginal linings are no longer properly stimulated, pregnancy becomes less and much less likely.

And what as regards the male?s role, age and the odds of obtaining pregnant? Studies have found that the probability of causing pregnancy for a man in his late thirties declines by about 40% from the probability during his twenties to mid-thirties.

How does a woman improve the odds of obtaining pregnant? Listed here are some tips:

* Know your fertile time ? ovulation usually occurs about 14 days prior to your next period starts. For ladies with cycles of 28 days, that could make day #14 your most fertile for obtaining pregnant (day #1 being the first day that your final period started).

* Monitor your basal physique temperature ? the slight elevations inside your body temperature upon awakening every day will signal your most fertile time.

* Monitor your cervical mucus ? ovulation will cause a change in the look and uniformity of cervical mucus. Check your self every day and you will have the ability to see the ?egg-white-like? vaginal discharge that indicates ovulation and your most fertile time.

* Adopt a healthy lifestyle ? the odds of getting pregnant increase the more wholesome you are. Healthy living includes a sensible diet, dietetic supplements, sufficient quality sleep, managing stress, some exercise and weight management.

Preparing to start a family members, obtaining pregnant and pregnancy can be exciting, frustrating, fulfilling and with out any particular outcome. Improving your health will add to the likelihood that you can become pregnant and have a wholesome baby.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

If you want more information on Conception tips, don?t read just rehashed articles online to avoid getting ripped off. Go here: Using acupuncture for fertility

Related posts:

  1. 10 Risk Factors that Every Pregnant Woman Should be Aware Of
  2. A Quick Guide On How to Get Pregnant

Source: http://pregnancybyweeks.blogsgalaxy.com/pregnancy/odds-pregnant-age/

sign of the times keystone pipeline purim acc tournament big ten tournament

Fighting ruptures ragged Syrian ceasefire

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's warring parties largely held their fire on Friday at the start of a four-day truce marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a short pause in hostilities which have killed 32,000 people and threaten to draw regional powers into a wider conflict.

President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces announced a conditional ceasefire on Thursday evening, responding to an appeal by international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.

But they warned they would respond to any rebel attacks, or moves to exploit the truce to reinforce or resupply insurgents who are battling Assad's forces, including in Syria's biggest city Aleppo, and have seized swathes of territory from his grip.

A commander from the rebel Free Syrian Army said his fighters would also honor the ceasefire but demanded Assad meet rebel demands for the release of thousands of detainees.

Some Islamist fighters, including the Nusra Front, dismissed the truce before it even came into effect, but after a night of clashes in Aleppo, Damascus and the west of the country, activists said the country was largely calm on Friday.

"So far, since the ceasefire came into effect this morning, no shots have been fired except in the southern town of Inkhil," said Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors violence across the country.

Three people were wounded in Inkhil as they tried to protest after leaving a mosque where they had marked the start of Eid with special prayers. Several other protests in the southern Deraa province, cradle of the protests which erupted against Assad in March last year, were also broken up, Abdulrahman said.

Assad himself, who has vowed to defeat rebels he says are Islamist fighters backed by Syria's enemies abroad, was shown on state television attending Eid prayers at a Damascus mosque with senior officials.

DAMASCUS FIGHTING

Damascus residents said on Thursday night troops stationed on a mountain overlooking Damascus targeted Hajar al-Aswad, a poor district inhabited by refugees from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

"Consecutive artillery volleys from Qasioun shook my home," said Omar, an engineer who lives in al-Muhajereen district on a foothill of the mountain.

The fighting pits mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against Assad, from the Alawite faith which is linked to Shi'ite Islam, and threatens to draw in regional Sunni Muslim and Shi'ite powers and engulf the whole Middle East, Brahimi has warned.

"On the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Adha, the general command of the army and armed forces announces a halt to military operations on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, from Friday morning ... until Monday," an army statement read on state television said.

It reserved the right to respond if "the armed terrorist groups open fire on civilians and government forces, attack public and private properties, or use car bombs and explosives".

It would also respond to any reinforcement or re-supplying of rebel units, or smuggling of fighters from neighboring countries "in violation of their international commitments to combat terrorism".

Qassem Saadeddine, head of the military council in Homs province and spokesman for the FSA joint command, said his fighters were committed to the truce.

"But we not allow the regime to reinforce its posts. We demand the release of the detainees, the regime should release them by tomorrow morning," he said.

Abu Moaz, spokesman for Ansar al-Islam, said the Islamist group doubted Assad's forces would observe the truce, though it might suspend operations if they did.

"We do not care about this truce. We are cautious. If the tanks are still there and the checkpoints are still there then what is the truce?" he said of the organization, which includes several brigades fighting in the capital and Damascus province.

Brahimi's predecessor, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, declared a ceasefire in Syria on April 12, but it soon became a dead letter, along with the rest of his six-point peace plan.

Violence has intensified since then, with daily death tolls compiled by opposition monitoring groups often exceeding 200.

UN SEES AID WINDOW

U.N. aid agencies have geared up to take advantage of any window of opportunity provided by a ceasefire to go to areas that have been difficult to reach due to fighting, a U.N. official in Geneva said.

"UN agencies have been preparing rapidly to scale up especially in areas that have been difficult to reach due to active conflict and which may become accessible as a result of these developments," he told Reuters.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said that it had prepared emergency kits for distribution for up to 13,000 families - an estimated 65,000 people - in previously inaccessible areas including Homs and the northeastern city of Hassaka.

"We and our partners want to be in a position to move quickly if security allows over the next few days," UNHCR Syria Representative Tarik Kurdi in Damascus said in a statement.

The U.N. World Food Programme has identified 90,000 people in 21 hotspots from Aleppo to Homs and Latakia in need food parcels and will try to reach them through local agencies, the U.N. official said.

(Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-foes-hold-fire-start-eid-truce-072216740.html

thomas kinkade pat summit brewers matt cain adastra holocaust remembrance day chesapeake energy

Scalia Gives Lively Speech at UW | Sheridan Media - Serving ...

Passing through Laramie after an unsuccessful antelope hunt, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stopped at the University of Wyoming to make an impassioned and humorous case for sticking to the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

Scalia said Thursday he deplores the popular notion that the Constitution changes to meet society's needs. Rather, he said he sticks to its original meaning just as when people read Shakespeare they use a glossary to check the original meaning of his words.

Scalia denied his approach always leads to the most conservative decisions. For example, he said he sided with the court majority in ruling that it's constitutional to allow burning of the U.S. flag. But he said if he were king, he would throw "that bearded, sandal-wearing weirdo in jail."

Source: http://www.sheridanmedia.com/news/scalia-gives-lively-speech-uw58007

whitney houston will toyota recall northern lights sign of the times keystone pipeline purim acc tournament

Friday, October 26, 2012

At Amazon: The Home Improvement Warehouse | Daily Pundit

Warehouse Deals on Home Improvement Supplies and Equipment

You probably can?t sell the old home place, so you might as well fix it up.

Remember ? anything you buy from Amazon through any link on this site puts a commission in my pocket, at no cost to yourself, so thank you very much! Also, arf! from the Presidential Pomeranian.

I am a small-l libertarian with conservative leanings on most issues, except on many traditionally conservative social issues, where my stance would be regarded as hopelessly liberal by most social conservatives. My primary concern is to increase individual liberty as much as possible in the face of statist efforts to restrict it from both the right and the left. If I had to sum up my beliefs as concisely as possible, I would say, "Stay out of my wallet and my bedroom," "your liberty stops at my nose," and "don't tread on me." I will believe that things are taking a turn for the better in America when married gays are able to, and do, maintain large arsenals of automatic weapons, and tax collectors are, and do, not.

Source: http://www.dailypundit.com/2012/10/25/at-amazon-the-home-improvement-warehouse/

muhammad ali Opening ceremony London 2012 Google Fiber Olympics Schedule 2012 Olympic Medal Count 2012 Olympics 2012 Olympic Schedule 2012

Leo Robitschek of Eleven Madison Park and The Nomad - The ...

This is The Barkeepers, a new feature in which Eater roams the city meeting the fine ladies and gentlemen that work behind the bar at some of New York's hottest cocktail parlors.

Leo Robitschek is the the guy behind the bar programs at both Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad. At EMP he took a basic cocktail program and transformed it into what is arguably the best cocktail program at any four-star restaurant in NYC. At The NoMad he took the EMP formula, made it even more ambitious, and then installed it in a bar and restaurant that does exponentially more volume. Somehow, it's working very, very well. In this interview he talks about how the bar at EMP works with the kitchen, where he sees cocktails fitting into fine dining in the future, why NoMad's cocktail program is unique, and what he drinks when he's not saving the world from bad cocktails.

Since joining the team at EMP, how has your philosophy on cocktails or your interests in terms of technique and ingredients changed ? particularly post revamp?
Basically six years ago, or I guess longer now, it was a bar that had the same cocktail list for six or seven years. They were using fresh juices, but that was pretty much the extent of it. And I remember, very specifically, Will coming up to me and saying, "Hey, I want this to be one of the best cocktail bars in the world; I want it to be like Milk & Honey or Pegu Club." And I sort of looked at him, chuckled, and was like, "alright," thinking that, with what I had, it would pretty much be impossible.

There are a lot of people who'd say that you achieved the impossible. So, how did you do it?
We started small and we began with list of eight classic cocktails, but more obscure classics, and then we started working with pastry to make things like grenadine and orgeat that were essential to these classics. Once the whole bar team was proficient in these drinks we started being more creative and focusing on our own cocktails. The biggest part of creating a new cocktail list in a place that already exists, and has an existing staff, is getting everyone up to speed. So, for me, if we are going to showcase something on the list, I wanted it to be something that every person could execute perfectly every single time. If you walk into a place and you ask for a Manhattan and you get four different Manhattans, that's a big issue for me.

How has the cocktail list evolved from those beginning stages of the revamp to where is it today?
So now the cocktail list changes four times a year to reflect fresh, local ingredients, but also ingredients that evoke the memories and feelings of that season. And the list, which began with eight classics, has slowly grown to 15 cocktails and only one or two are classics; the rest are proprietary drinks.

At a restaurant, the luxury that you have that a cocktail bar doesn't, is the kitchen; and at EMP it's a very sophisticated kitchen. How has working with the kitchen influenced your cocktails?
I get accessibility to a variety of some of the most amazing produce. Most bars can't because they don't work with the same purveyors as we do, or it's just not cost effective; a lot of this stuff has a short shelf life. There are also things like, having the availability of a stove, or a Cryovac machine, or nitrous oxide canisters for infusions. But the biggest thing is access to some of the best palates and technicians in the industry. A lot of people don't realize that a pastry department has pretty much everything a bar could ever hope for if it wants to make balanced and stable things like ginger beer and syrups and infusions. Realistically, the bar at EMP does its own prep, but there are things the kitchen does create for us. And even the things we do create on our own we have their palate and their enthusiasm. So there's a lot of collaboration.

EMP has really led the way in elevating the cocktail and making it part of the four-star dining experience, at least in NYC; others have gently followed suit. How, specifically, do you think EMP has changed the role of the cocktail in fine dining?
I think we were the first fine dining restaurant to really showcase cocktails in NYC. When we started to revamp the program, the other fine dining establishments had either small or non-existent cocktail programs. Four-star restaurants and cocktails were not synonymous. I am so lucky to work with Will and Daniel, who are young, creative, and ambitious. And Daniel is one of the few chefs I have met that really understands that the dining room side of things is as important as the kitchen side of things. And that they work like a yin and yang. So the idea was, if we serve some of the best food in the world, and some of the best wine in the world, why not serve the best coffee in the world, the best tea in the world, and the best cocktails in the world? It just didn't make sense that you would have that handicap. And I think it's amazing that you see Daniel and Le Bernardin following suit and really trying to up their cocktail programs. I think they realize that people want to drink better.

Restaurants, in a sense, have a greater opportunity?in terms of access to a kitchen and ingredients?to be creative than a cocktail bar might. So, what do you think the trend is for the future for cocktails as part of the restaurant experience?
I think everyone who is coming up or has been around knows that they need to do things in order to change. And it's not about being competitive; it's about giving your guests what they want. My philosophy is that the rising tide lifts all boats and I hope that one day I can walk into any restaurant and have an amazing cocktail, because I like to drink and I think you should be able to get a classic cocktail, served perfectly, no matter where you go. I think that's the trend we're going to see. Now you even have Friday's and Applebee's attempting to create classic cocktail menus, and that's awesome.

What do you think started all of this game elevation?
I think wine started everything off. I think people started drinking better wine and I think Americans started asking for better food and more farm to table, local, better quality ingredients. It's the same with cocktails. I think the internet has also helped a lot. You can be anywhere and go online to Eater and learn about restaurants and the places that are making great drinks, or you can go online and learn how to make a cocktail. I think that's pretty awesome.

Has molecular gastronomy ? the work of guys like Ferran Adri? and Grant Achatz ? influenced your work with cocktails as of late?
In a way, yes. But I am not, by any means, a "molecular mixologist." I think there are elements of it, like in chef's food, that could benefit a cocktail, so we'll use nitrous oxide, but not for every infusion. With some you are able to rapidly infuse and control that infusion so that you don't get the bitter flavors that you get via an infusion with a maceration process. You see chef using elements of molecular gastronomy in the dishes, but by no means is he a Wylie or a Ferran, and same thing with the cocktails.

Let's talk about beginning stages of The NoMad. What did you originally envision for the bar program here?
So I've always been enamored with 19th-century New York, when the hotels were the epicenter of society. People would go and eat and drink and have fun. And these grandiose hotel bars were the leaders of the cocktail world. But unfortunately, many of those bars that still exist are not leaders anymore. So I've always been interested in being involved in a hotel project that could bring back old-school New York, old-school luxury, and the classic old-school cocktails that were really the birth of the movement. I think what we were doing, and are doing, at EMP, is very much in line with what hotel bars were doing at the turn of the century, and I knew I wanted to do that, but in a more appropriate setting?more like the setting it was birthed in, and I wanted it to be bigger.

How is The NoMad unique in the cocktail scene?
Very few people have a cocktail list as ambitious as we do. We have around 30-35 cocktails on the list, depending on season, and the only other places in the city, that I know of, that have cocktail lists that large are places like Death & Co., which is a far more controlled environment. So, I think the volume that we are doing, with the list we are doing it with, is unique. We also have an amazing wine program, an amazing beer list, an amazing coffee program, and amazing food. I don't know anywhere else, besides EMP, where you can get all of those things in one place.

What's your favorite base spirit, liqueur, ingredient, etc. of the moment?
Sherry. I love it as a base of a cocktail or a secondary ingredient in a cocktail. And I like to use wine in cocktails in general. So, anything grape based.

What are your favorite cocktail bars in NYC?
I would definitely say Death & Co. I also really love Joaquin [Sim?]'s new place, Pouring Ribbons. I think the level of hospitality there is awesome. One of the first things I tell my bartenders is that you're serving people, not cocktails. So it's nice to go to a place where, when you walk in, they look up and smile; they're not just looking down and making cocktails. I also love The Beagle.

What's your shift drink?
I'm a "When in Rome" type of person. I drink tons of wine, tons of beer, tons of spirits. I am the least picky drinker ever. If I am at a dive bar, I'll have a beer and a whiskey. If I am at a nightclub, I'll drink gin on the rocks. And if I am at a cocktail bar, I'll drink cocktails off the list.

You go to nightclubs? [Laughs] Very, very rarely.

What's the best time to snag a seat at the NoMad bar?
Well I think the NoMad bar is one of the great, undiscovered lunch spots. People don't realize they can come in and eat at the bar. Beyond that, Sundays are good. They tend to be industry/neighborhood nights and people tend to eat at the bar and it's fun and not too crazy. On any other night, anytime between 4:00 - 4:30p.m. [Laughs]

Source: http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/10/emp_and_the_nomads_leo_robitschek.php

beltran space ball jim mora the weeknd echoes of silence gio gonzalez san francisco fire patti labelle

Five Factors To Purchase Fruit Ninja | Home & Family

Fruit Ninja is often a great, addicting and incredibly very affordable game for the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone. You?ll find five crucial factors for receiving the game, if a gamer has not gotten one already. The Fruit Ninja Interactive Sensei Sword is actually a Fruit Ninja game variation which is not connected to a gaming console.
The Fruit Ninja is a great pick up and play game. When a gamer is waiting to get a bus or only attempting to pass the time, there are some games which are difficult to jump into on a whim. A game that may be brief enough to get a speedy session almost each of the time is definitely the Fruit Ninja that has a mode to get a brief hour and thirty minute long game. It is one from the best games of all occasions because of its getting a superb choose up and play game. The Fruit Ninja Interactive Dojo Sword can be a variation of this fantastic choose up and play game.
The Fruit Ninja is usually a multiplayer game. It may provide a challenge to close friends to see who can get a better high score. Buddies can play on opposing sides and slice fruits fruits against each other to see who prevails in the long run. It is actually really fun to play with anybody. The Fruit Ninja Interactive Aikido Sword game is often shared with friends and family for an altogether fun time.
The Fruit Ninja is often a multi-platform game, becoming adaptable to iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, looking excellent on all three merchandise.? It truly is designed for all ages, as it might be played with close friends , loved ones and children and is a enjoyable game for the whole family members in its entirety. It truly is low-cost, being incredibly reasonably priced lower than numerous game apps.? The Fruit Ninja is basically worth getting for the many five causes stated above.

Source: http://www.theyellowads.com/home_family/five-factors-to-purchase-fruit-ninja/

Lauren Perdue tagged weather radar Heptathlon London 2012 shot put London 2012 Track And Field Jordyn Wieber

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Teachers push pro-Obama message in swing state Ohio

Sarah Butrymowicz / The Hechinger Report

The American Federation of Teachers launched a multistate bus tour this weekend, spending the first leg of their trip in the important battleground state of Ohio.

By Sarah Butrymowicz, The Hechinger Report

CINCINNATI, Ohio ? In the swing states of Ohio and Florida, it?s crunch time for teachers unions, which in the final days of the campaign are getting out the vote for President Barack Obama in droves ? even though they disapprove of some of his policies.

"The arguments have been made,? American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said as she mingled with fellow union members in Cincinnati last weekend and talked up the importance of the election. ??This trip is about mobilizing and getting out the vote.?

Weingarten is urging members in both states to donate time to Obama?s reelection campaign by join canvassing and phone banking efforts. The AFT, along with the larger National Education Association (NEA), has organized pro-Obama events across the country for months. With just about two weeks to go until Election Day, Weingarten?s bus tours in Ohio and Florida are an attempt to rally teachers for a final push.


The traditionally strong relationship between teachers unions and Democrats has been strained in recent months. The tensions came to a head last month in Chicago, when union members went on strike, in part over tying teacher evaluations to student test scores. They went up against Obama?s former chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In some cases, unions are even supporting Republicans this election cycle.

For the most part though, the unions are still throwing most of their money and manpower toward the Democrats, who have also supported policies they like ? including a bill to hire nearly 300,000 more teachers, which was scuttled by Republicans in Congress. Weingarten and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel have portrayed Obama as someone who genuinely cares about education and Romney as someone who will gut the public system in favor of privatization.?

Other teachers agree. ?It could be a whole lot worse,? said Wellyn Collins, a retired teacher in Cincinnati, of Obama?s first term. ?There are a lot of people that have a lot of enthusiasm for reelecting the president.?

Ohio is a hugely important swing state in the tight race between Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. No president has won without the state?s 18 electoral votes since 1960.

?This election will be decided in O-H-I-O,? Weingarten said to a group of members just outside of Cincinnati on Friday. ?Can we find it in ourselves to volunteer to knock on some doors? Can we find it in ourselves to volunteer to call some people??

More from The Hechinger Report

Both national teachers unions, which have a combined 4.5 million members nationwide, have requested that their members donate time to support union-endorsed candidates. Historically, teachers unions have been a large player in politics because of their deep coffers and thousands of members, who can be mobilized for get-out-the-vote efforts.

This year, the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the state affiliate of the NEA, is asking its 124,000 members to spend an hour or two of time calling potential voters, knocking on doors or attending a rally. All 26 offices across the state have phone-banking stations set up.

The union also mails fliers to their members urging them to support all the candidates the OEA has endorsed ? and not just at the polls. President Patricia Frost-Brooks says she counts on teachers talking about the election with friends and community members as informal, word-of-mouth campaigning. Frost-Brooks, for example, goes down her Christmas card list, sending out notes explaining why she?s supporting certain candidates.

But neither union mandates any political involvement, and there?s no guarantee all ? or even most ? of the unions? members will contribute to the get-out-the-vote efforts.

In Cincinnati, the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) hopes that at minimum, 1 percent of its members will volunteer for a one- to three-hour shift recruiting voters. The union currently has about 5 percent of its members in the area participating in the ?Walk, Talk or Pay? program, but Cincinnati leader Tom Frank is hopeful that number will be closer to 10 percent by Election Day.

More on schools and learning at EducationNation.com

Yet some union members in the area not only refuse to give their time to Obama, they won?t vote for him either.? ?We have a very conservative [section] within our union,? Frank said. He said his goal is to persuade this group not to vote for Romney, because, Frank says, the Republican candidate gives too much support to charters and private education.

Many of Frank?s most dedicated volunteers are retired teachers, who have more time to give. The OFT held a summer training session for retirees to prepare them to organize and motivate other volunteers.

Collins, who attended the training session, spends six days a week talking to would-be voters to explain why they should vote for Obama. She says the effort feels worthwhile when she?s able to persuade someone to register who wasn?t planning on voting at all.

A native of Kentucky, which has been a reliable Republican stronghold in the last three presidential elections, Collins often misses home ? except during election season. ?It?s the one time I really am happy I?m an Ohioan,? she said.

This story, "With time running out, teachers push pro-Obama message in swing states," was produced by?The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/24/14670114-with-time-running-out-teachers-push-pro-obama-message-in-swing-state-ohio?lite

winner of x factor cheesecake recipe leona lewis carlos beltran air jordan 11 concord unemployment extension the thin man

News in brief: Spain into second year of recession, OFT getting tough on debt bully boys, Experian buys out Brazilian partners

Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/news-in-brief-spain-into-second-year-of-recession-oft-getting-tough-on-debt-bully-boys-experian-buys-out-brazilian-partners-8222942.html

the lucky one pittsburgh pirates mariners mets shades of grey pittsburgh penguins record store day

Area of the brain that processes empathy identified

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? An international team led by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has for the first time shown that one area of the brain, called the anterior insular cortex, is the activity center of human empathy, whereas other areas of the brain are not. The study is published in the September 2012 issue of the journal Brain.

Empathy, the ability to perceive and share another person's emotional state, has been described by philosophers and psychologists for centuries. In the past decade, however, scientists have used powerful functional MRI imaging to identify several regions in the brain that are associated with empathy for pain. This most recent study, however, firmly establishes that the anterior insular cortex is where the feeling of empathy originates.

"Now that we know the specific brain mechanisms associated with empathy, we can translate these findings into disease categories and learn why these empathic responses are deficient in neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as autism," said Patrick R. Hof, MD, Regenstreif Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai, a co-author of the study. "This will help direct neuropathologic investigations aiming to define the specific abnormalities in identifiable neuronal circuits in these conditions, bringing us one step closer to developing better models and eventually preventive or protective strategies."

Xiaosi Gu, PhD, who conducted the research in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, worked with researchers from the United States and China, to evaluate Chinese patients, at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, who were shown color photographs of people in pain. Three patients had lesions caused by removing brain tumors in the anterior insular cortex; nine patients had lesions in other parts of the brain and 14 patients (the controls) had neurologically intact brains. The research team found that patients with damage restricted to the anterior insular cortex had deficits in explicit and implicit empathetic pain processing.

"In other words, patients with anterior insular lesions had a hard time evaluating the emotional state of people in pain and feeling empathy for them, compared to the controls and the patients with anterior cingulate cortex lesions." said Dr. Jin Fan, corresponding author of this study and an assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai.

According to Dr. Gu, this study provides the first evidence suggesting that the empathy deficits in patients with brain damage to the anterior insular cortex are surprisingly similar to the empathy deficits found in several psychiatric diseases, including autism spectrum disorders, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and conduct disorders, suggesting potentially common neural deficits in those psychiatric populations.

"Our findings provide strong evidence that empathy is mediated in a specific area of the brain," said Dr. Gu, who now works at University College London. "The findings have implications for a wide range of neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as autism and some forms of dementia, which are characterized by prominent deficits in higher-level social functioning."

This study suggests that behavioral and cognitive therapies can be developed to compensate for deficits in the anterior insular cortex and its related functions such as empathy in patients. These findings can also inform future research evaluating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying complex social functions in the anterior insular cortex and develop possible pharmacological treatments for patients.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Health, the James S. McDonnell Foundation and a Brain and Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD young investigator award.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mount Sinai Medical Center, via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. X. Gu, Z. Gao, X. Wang, X. Liu, R. T. Knight, P. R. Hof, J. Fan. Anterior insular cortex is necessary for empathetic pain perception. Brain, 2012; 135 (9): 2726 DOI: 10.1093/brain/aws199

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/~3/6WgluZZ54EA/121024175240.htm

capybara duggars peter facinelli bobby rush supreme court justices 19 kids and counting danny o brien

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Stock markets sink on earnings, Europe debt gloom

Stock markets in North America and Europe struggled Tuesday and the Toronto stock market closed with a triple-digit loss amid disappointing earnings from U.S. firms and renewed concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 177.70 points, or 1.43 per cent at 12,225.84, after earlier losing more than 260.

The Canadian dollar seesawed, losing early, then making gains on Monday's close after the Bank of Canada said it was keeping its key rate unchanged at one per cent while keeping intact language warning that it will raise rates at some point.

The currency was down 0.01 of a cent at 100.74 cents US. It had earlier traded around 100.35 cents, its lowest level since early August, amid speculation that the central bank's statement would contain language suggesting a less hawkish stance.

U.S. markets were lower in the wake of disappointments from Dow heavyweights DuPont and 3M.

The Dow industrials had their biggest drop since June, falling 243.36 points, or 1.82 per cent, to 13,102.53, the Nasdaq was down 26.50 points, or 0.89 per cent, to 2,990.46 while the S&P 500 index fell 20.71 points, or 1.44 per cent, to 1,413.11.

Chemical maker DuPont reported net income of $10 million US, or a penny per share. Excluding one-time items, DuPont earned 44 cents per share, compared with 69 cents per share for last year's third quarter.

The results fell short of the average estimate of 46 cents per share and the firm said it will cut 1,500 jobs.

And conglomerate 3M said its third-quarter profit edged up to $1.16 billion, or $1.65 a share, which met estimates. 3M also cut its 2012 profit estimate to a range of $6.27 to $6.35 a share, down from an earlier 2012 view of $6.35 to $6.50 a share, to reflect "current economic realities".

Analysts at Credit Suisse said in a report Tuesday that "roughly 25 per cent of the way through the U.S. reporting season, annual earnings per share growth is broadly flat."

Some of the disappointing revenue is because of weakness in foreign markets. Multinational companies are having a hard time selling to Europe, which is struggling under a debt crisis and a spreading recession.

"The recession in Europe is very real," said Bernard Schoenfeld, senior investment strategist for Bank of New York Mellon Wealth Management in New York.

"It's not going to disappear very quickly, and it will certainly negatively affect earnings of exporters in the United States."

Commodity prices retreated on fears of slowing economic growth a day after Moody's Investor Services downgraded five Spanish regions to below investment grade citing their ?very limited cash reserves ? and their significant reliance on short-term credit lines to fund their operating needs.?

Spain has been the flashpoint of the eurozone's credit crisis as the country endures its second recession in three years with near 25 per cent unemployment after the property market collapsed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, at the same time crippling the country's banks.

Copper prices fell back with the December contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange down five cents at $3.57 US a pound.

Oil fell for the fourth day, with the December contract on the Nymex losing $1.98 to $86.67 US. December bullion gave back $16.90 to $1,709.40 US an ounce.

European markets were also sharply lower with London's FTSE 100 index closing down 1.41 per cent, Frankfurt's DAX off 2.11 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 down 2.20 per cent. The Euro was down 0.64 per cent at $1.30 US.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-markets-sink-earnings-europe-debt-gloom-152545598--finance.html

dalai lama tamera mowry slow jam the news madden cover obama slow jams the news

get money: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A ...

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country?s Foremost Relationship Expert

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

List Price: $15.00


The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

List Price: $15.00

Your Price: $6.59- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

John Gottman has revolutionized the study of marriage by using rigorous scientific procedures to observe the habits of married couples in unprecedented detail over many years. Here is the culmination of his life?s work: the seven principles that guide couples on the path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Packed with practical questionnaires and exercises, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.

According to most relationship books, the key to a solid marriage is communication, communication, communication. Phooey, says John Gottman, Ph.D., author of the much-lauded Why Marriages Succeed or Fail. There?s much more to a solid, ?emotionally intelligent? marriage than sharing every feeling and thought, he points out?though most couples therapists ineffectively (and expensively) harp on these concepts.

Gottman, the director of the Gottman Institute, has found through studying hundreds of couples in his ?love lab? that it only takes five minutes for him to predict?with 91 percent accuracy?which couples will eventually divorce. He shares the four not-so-obvious signs of a troubled relationship that he looks for, using sometimes amusing passages from his sessions with married couples. (One standout is Rory, the pediatrician who didn?t know the name of the family dog because he spent so much time at work.)

Gottman debunks many myths about divorce (primary among them that affairs are at the root of most splits). He also reveals surprising facts about couples who stay together. They do engage in screaming matches. And they certainly don?t resolve every problem. ?Take Allan and Betty,? he writes. ?When Allan gets annoyed at Betty, he turns on ESPN. When Betty is upset with him, she heads for the mall. Then they regroup and go on as if nothing?s happened. Never in forty-five years of marriage have they sat down to have a ?dialogue? about their relationship.? While this may sound like a couple in trouble, Gottman found that they pass the love-lab tests and say honestly that ?they are both very satisfied with their relationship and they love each other deeply.?

Through a series of in-depth quizzes, checklists, and exercises, similar to the ones he uses in his workshops, Gottman provides the framework for coping with differences and strengthening your marriage. His profiles of troubled couples rescued from the brink of divorce (including that of Rory, the out-of-touch doctor) and those of still-happy couples who reinvigorate their relationships are equally enlightening. ?Erica Jorgensen

Your Price: $6.59 ? The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

Source: http://emailmarketing.earn-cash-make-money.net/2012/10/24/get-money-the-seven-principles-for-making-marriage-work-a-practical-guide-from-the-countrys-foremost-relationship-expert/

the fray seahawks new uniforms 2012 tornadoes in dallas anchorman 2 kentucky basketball oaksterdam the fray national anthem

PFT: Bills' Kelsay rips teammates' effort

Cam Newton, Warren MoonAP

Few have worked as closely with Cam Newton as Warren Moon, and the Hall of Fame quarterback is still defending last year?s pupil, even while acknowledging his need to improve.

Moon thinks placing too much of the blame for the Panthers? 1-5 start (and the firing of general manager Marty Hurney) at the second-year quarterback?s feet is wrong, and any suggestion he?s a bust is ridiculous.

?I think a lot of this is because so many people want to say ?I told you so? about him, but couldn?t because he was so good last year,? Moon told Yahoo?s Mike Silver in a wide-ranging interview. ?I think people are overreacting. How can he be a bust? He just had one of the great years a rookie has ever had, and now he can?t play? Come on.?

Moon acknowledged he?d like to see Newton adopt a more even-keeled approach, something he?s done more of in recent weeks. But as he did prior to the draft?last year, Moon thinks there?s an undertone of racism to some of the criticism.

?I don?t understand it,? Moon said. ?I heard somebody compare him to Vince Young. It?s the same old crap ? it?s always a comparison of one black to another black. I get tired of it. I get tired of defending it.

?If you want to compare him to someone because of his demeanor, compare him to Jay Cutler. There are a lot of guys who whine and moan. Cam?s not biting anybody?s head off or pushing his linemen. He?s just disgruntled, and not handling losing well, because, think about it, he basically didn?t lose in college.

?I don?t think Cam?s as bad as Cutler, because Cutler looks like he doesn?t give a damn sometimes, or he?s yelling and cussing at someone. Cam, he just looks down when they?re losing.?

Moon also doesn?t think the Panthers coaches are putting Newton in good positions to succeed by ignoring the run game with the talent they have, and leaning too heavily on the read-option principles he ran in college.

?I don?t know why they got away from what they were doing last year,? Moon said. ?They were running more of a pro-style offense, and now they?re going more to the read-option, the stuff he did in college. I think some of it is coaching. I think some of it is they don?t have enough good players yet. And there?s no question he?s not playing as well as last year.

?That offense doesn?t allow you to be an NFL-type quarterback. It?s a lot of tricks, sticking the ball into a running back?s stomach, trying to freeze the defense. Even though he can do that and had success with it in college, I don?t think it serves him well in the long run. You can?t keep going back and forth. I think he?s a little bit confused with the footwork, and I think that?s one of the problems with his accuracy ? his feet are crossed up. Why this change? I think it?s backfiring. I think they?re out-thinking themselves.?

Sounds familiar.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/22/bills-chris-kelsay-rips-teammates-who-arent-playing-hard/related/

meryl streep oscar wins sasha baron cohen oscars oscar winners the artist sacha baron cohen oscars the old curiosity shop jane russell

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

SwRI to build miniature solar observatory for manned suborbital flight

SwRI to build miniature solar observatory for manned suborbital flight [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Joe Fohn
jfohn@swri.org
210-522-4630
Southwest Research Institute

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received funding from NASA to build a miniature, portable solar observatory for developing and testing innovative instrumentation in suborbital flight.

The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform (SSIPP) will fly on new, commercial manned suborbital craft, such as XCOR's Lynx spacecraft, to enable spaceborne science and instrument development at a fraction of the cost of unmanned sounding rockets.

SSIPP is a self-contained unit that is bolted in place of a passenger seat on the Lynx. In flight, it optically locks onto the Sun, providing steering feedback to the pilot and delivering a clean, stabilized view of the Sun to a small instrument mounted on an optical workbench inside the unit.

"The biggest challenge for new space instrumentation is the high cost barrier for entry into service," said SSIPP team leader Dr. Craig DeForest, a staff scientist in the Planetary Science Directorate of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "Until now, making a new instrument has meant building and testing a complete, custom, self-contained observatory each time."

SSIPP instead will provide common infrastructure and a conditioned, pointed optical beam, so that new instruments can be built and aligned directly on its optical workbench. "That is a fantastic way to innovate, because you can try out new ideas quickly, without building and testing a million-dollar rocket payload," said DeForest. "SSIPP will bring the ground-based, laboratory style of innovation to spaceflight."

SSIPP is one of several new projects around the nation that exploit the suborbital space tourism market to accomplish research cost-effectively.

"I'm excited to see SwRI's early leadership role in this new research arena grow to include heliophysics research," said SSIPP systems consultant Principal Scientist Dr. Dan Durda, also of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "For the cost of one unmanned sounding rocket flight, SSIPP can fly five times or more," said Durda, who is a co-investigator in SwRI's suborbital flight program and one of three SwRI staff members in training for suborbital flights.

###

SSIPP development is phased to match Lynx vehicle development and flight testing and operations. The current phase is to have SSIPP fly inside the cockpit, but subsequent versions will fly outside and be exposed directly to space, enabling imaging and spectroscopy of X-ray and ultraviolet rays that do not penetrate Earth's atmosphere or the cabin canopy.

SSIPP is one of 14 technologies selected by NASA's Space Technology Program for development and demonstration on commercial reusable, suborbital launch vehicles under the Game Changing Development program. NASA's Flight Opportunities Program sponsored this solicitation in collaboration with NASA's Game Changing Development Program. Awards ranged from $125,000 to $500,000, with the payloads expected to fly in 2013 and 2014.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


SwRI to build miniature solar observatory for manned suborbital flight [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Joe Fohn
jfohn@swri.org
210-522-4630
Southwest Research Institute

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received funding from NASA to build a miniature, portable solar observatory for developing and testing innovative instrumentation in suborbital flight.

The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform (SSIPP) will fly on new, commercial manned suborbital craft, such as XCOR's Lynx spacecraft, to enable spaceborne science and instrument development at a fraction of the cost of unmanned sounding rockets.

SSIPP is a self-contained unit that is bolted in place of a passenger seat on the Lynx. In flight, it optically locks onto the Sun, providing steering feedback to the pilot and delivering a clean, stabilized view of the Sun to a small instrument mounted on an optical workbench inside the unit.

"The biggest challenge for new space instrumentation is the high cost barrier for entry into service," said SSIPP team leader Dr. Craig DeForest, a staff scientist in the Planetary Science Directorate of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "Until now, making a new instrument has meant building and testing a complete, custom, self-contained observatory each time."

SSIPP instead will provide common infrastructure and a conditioned, pointed optical beam, so that new instruments can be built and aligned directly on its optical workbench. "That is a fantastic way to innovate, because you can try out new ideas quickly, without building and testing a million-dollar rocket payload," said DeForest. "SSIPP will bring the ground-based, laboratory style of innovation to spaceflight."

SSIPP is one of several new projects around the nation that exploit the suborbital space tourism market to accomplish research cost-effectively.

"I'm excited to see SwRI's early leadership role in this new research arena grow to include heliophysics research," said SSIPP systems consultant Principal Scientist Dr. Dan Durda, also of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "For the cost of one unmanned sounding rocket flight, SSIPP can fly five times or more," said Durda, who is a co-investigator in SwRI's suborbital flight program and one of three SwRI staff members in training for suborbital flights.

###

SSIPP development is phased to match Lynx vehicle development and flight testing and operations. The current phase is to have SSIPP fly inside the cockpit, but subsequent versions will fly outside and be exposed directly to space, enabling imaging and spectroscopy of X-ray and ultraviolet rays that do not penetrate Earth's atmosphere or the cabin canopy.

SSIPP is one of 14 technologies selected by NASA's Space Technology Program for development and demonstration on commercial reusable, suborbital launch vehicles under the Game Changing Development program. NASA's Flight Opportunities Program sponsored this solicitation in collaboration with NASA's Game Changing Development Program. Awards ranged from $125,000 to $500,000, with the payloads expected to fly in 2013 and 2014.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/sri-stb102212.php

rick santorum daughter gainesville 2012 royal rumble the grey machine gun kelly saul alinsky annapolis

Daily Report: Tech Giants Scramble to Meet the Challenges of a ...

The ground is shifting beneath technology titans like Intel, Google and Microsoft because of a major force: the rise of mobile devices, Claire Cain Miller and Somini Sengupta report in The New York Times on Tuesday.

These companies are all scrambling to reinvent their business models now that the old model ? a stationary customer sitting at a stationary desk ? no longer applies. Although they once disrupted traditional businesses, from selling books and music to booking hotels, now they themselves are being upended by the widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets.

?Companies are having to retool their thinking, saying, ?What is it that our customers are doing through the mobile channel that is quite distinct from what we are delivering them through our traditional Web channel??? Charles S. Golvin, an analyst who studies mobility at the technology research firm Forrester, told The Times.

He added, ?It?s hilarious to talk about traditional Web business like it?s been going on for centuries, but it?s last century.?

The industry giants remain highly profitable drivers of the economy. Yet the world?s shift to mobile computing is taking a toll, including disappointing earnings reports last week from Google, Microsoft and Intel, in large measure related to mobile revenues. Investors are in suspense over Facebook?s earnings on Tuesday for much the same reason.

Demand is plummeting for Intel chips inside computers, which are much more profitable than those inside smartphones. At Microsoft, sales of the software that runs PCs and the technology that comes with them are sharply declining as people spend money on phones and tablets instead. And at Google, the price that advertisers pay when people click on ads has fallen for a year. This is because, while mobile ads are exploding, they cost less than Internet ads.

Meanwhile, since its public debut, Facebook has lost half its value on Wall Street and is under pressure to gin up mobile revenues, now that six of 10 Facebook users log in on their phones.

But making money in the new game of mobile will depend on how deftly companies can track their users from their desktop computers to the phones in their palms ? and ultimately to the stores, cinemas and pizzerias where they spend their money. It will also depend on how consumers and government regulators will react to having every move monitored.

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/daily-report-tech-giants-scramble-to-meet-the-challenges-of-a-mobile-world/

seattle seahawks new uniforms wisconsin recall wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres texas news kim mulkey

National Latino Leaders Announce Florida Voter Turnout & Assistance Campaign for Presidential Election

Altamonte Springs, FL (I-Newswire) October 23, 2012 - National Latino leaders representing Movimiento Hispano ? coordinated by Hispanic Federation, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) ? announced efforts aimed at turning out Florida?s Hispanic voters for the upcoming Presidential Election.

As it has in most recent elections, Florida will be decisive in electing the next President of the United States. And more than ever, the state?s Hispanic community is central in determining the outcome. Movimiento Hispano, a joint voter registration and mobilization project led by three leading national Latino organizations, has invested significant time and resources in Florida?s Hispanic communities to seize upon the untapped voter potential in this key state.

?With so much at stake, from jobs to health care to immigration reform, it is critically important that Latino voters turn out to vote in this year?s Presidential and Congressional elections,? said Hispanic Federation President Jose Calderon. ?Hispanic Federation along with local and national partners has mounted a multi-state voter registration and get-out-the-vote operation to make certain every eligible Latino voter does their part to elect leaders who will preserve our social safety net and provide a real path to economic growth for our community.?

To maximize voter turnout of Latinos across Florida, two public service announcements will be running on Spanish-language television through November 6th. Speakers also discussed voter protection plans including a bilingual voter assistance hotline.

"The Latino community is positioned to play a decisive role in key battleground states, including Florida. Registered voters hold a great potential to shape the future trajectory of the country,? said LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes. ?The only way to activate the electoral power of the Hispanic community is to get out and vote. LULAC?s efforts through Movimiento Hispano are pledging to register and raise Latino voter turnout so that we elect representatives that care about the same issues that we do.?

?The recent spate of voter suppression laws shows that if politicians cannot win on issues they will instead attempt to win by disenfranchising millions of eligible voters,? said Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) Executive Director Hector Sanchez. ?To combat this, LCLAA, along with its partner organizations, is conducting an unprecedented voter turnout and assistance campaign which will serve to protect the voice of the Latino community and once again demonstrate that the backbone of Democracy is civic engagement. Voting is a fundamental right that must be exercised in order to bring about positive change in our communities and this November, the Latino community will flex its electoral muscle.?

"For far too long, the Hispanic community has been disenfranchised and discounted,? said Florida State Voices Executive Director Denise Velasquez. ?Our job is to engage more Hispanics into the democratic process, to assure them that their voices are valuable and that the ideas they have about how to face our challenges are heard through the power of their vote.?

?Voter protection and voter education are at the heart of civic engagement,? said Hispanic Health Initiatives Executive Director Josephine Mercado. ?It is one of the most important leadership roles we can play to help preserve democracy in the United States. I believe that this election is one of the most important elections in the history of our country. It is up to ?We the People? to be vigilant and to make sure that things are done correctly at the polling places. The world is watching!?

L?DERES LATINOS NACIONALES ANUNCIAN CAMPA?A DE AGLUTINAMIENTO DE VOTANTES Y ASISTENCIA ELECTORAL PARA LA ELECCI?N PRESIDENCIAL EN LA FLORIDA
---
MOVIMIENTO HISPANO PRESENTA DOS ANUNCIOS DE SERVICIO P?BLICO Y UN N?MERO TELEF?NICO DE ASISTENCIA PARA VOTANTES

Altamonte Springs, FL ? El martes, 23 de octubre, l?deres latinos nacionales representando al Movimiento Hispano ? coordinado por la Federaci?n Hispana, la Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos (LULAC), y el Consejo Laboral para el Avance de los Latinoamericanos (LCLAA) ? anunciaron sus esfuerzos dirigidos a conseguir y aglutinar los votantes hispanos en la Florida para las elecciones presidenciales.

Como ocurri? en las elecciones m?s recientes, la Florida ser? decisiva en eligiendo el pr?ximo Presidente de los Estados Unidos. Ahora m?s que nunca la condici?n de la comunidad hispana es crucial en determinar el desenlace de la elecci?n. Movimiento Hispano, un proyecto unido de las tres m?s prestigiosas organizaciones latinas para inscripci?n y movilizaci?n de votantes hispanos, ha invertido tiempo y recursos significantes en las comunidades latinas de la Florida para utilizar el potencial electoral en este estado clave.

?Con tanto en juego, desde empleos a acceso al cuidado de la salud a reforma inmigratoria, es cr?tico que votantes latinos salgan a votar en las elecciones del congreso y del presidente,? dijo el Presidente de la Federaci?n Hispana Jos? Calder?n. ?La Federaci?n Hispana con socios nacionales y locales han montado una misi?n de inscripci?n y movilizaci?n para asegurar que cada elegible votante latino haga su parte para elegir a l?deres que mantengan a nuestros programas de protecci?n social y que provean un camino al crecimiento econ?mico comprensivo para nuestra comunidad.?

Para aumentar el n?mero de votantes latinos en la Florida, se presentar?n dos anuncios de servicio p?blico en la televisi?n de lengua espa?ola hasta el 6 de noviembre. Los oradores hablaron de los planes de protecci?n electoral, que incluye un n?mero telef?nico para asistencia biling?e al votante.

?La comunidad latina est? posicionada para tener un papel decisivo en estados claves para el resultado de las elecciones, que incluye a la Florida. Votantes inscritos tienen un gran potencial para manejar la trayectoria del pa?s,? dijo el Director Ejecutivo de LULAC Brent Wilkes. ?La ?nica manera de activar el poder electoral de la comunidad hispana es saliendo y votando. Los esfuerzos de LULAC con el Movimiento Hispano son parte de un compromiso para inscribir y aumentar el n?mero de votantes hispanos para que podamos elegir a representantes con los mismos intereses que nos importa.?

?El voto es un derecho integral que es compartido con todos de los ciudadanos estadounidenses independiente del estatus socioecon?mico, la creencia, o la etnicidad,? declar? la Presidenta Nacional de LULAC Margaret Moran. ?El labor que presentamos hoy como una coalici?n unida de liderazgo latina asegura que este pa?s mantenga la integridad de la Democracia tal como el derecho constitucional de poder votar para todos los ciudadanos elegibles.?

?La serie reciente de legislaciones de supresi?n de votantes demuestra que si los pol?ticos no pueden ganar en los asuntos ellos en cambio trataran de ganar privando el derecho de votar de millones de votantes elegibles,? dijo Hector Sanchez el Director Ejecutivo de Consejo Laboral para el Avance de los Latinoamericanos. ?Para combatir esto, LCLAA, con la colaboraci?n de estas organizaciones, est? manejando una campa?a de inscripci?n y movilizaci?n sin precedentes que servir? para proteger la voz de la comunidad latina y, otra vez, demostrar que la fundaci?n de la Democracia es la participaci?n c?vica. Votar es un derecho fundamental que debe ser ejercitado como para incitar cambio positivo en nuestras comunidades y este noviembre, la comunidad hispana exhibir? su fuerza electoral.?

?Por demasiado tiempo, la comunidad hispana ha sido privada del derecho de representaci?n y por eso ha sido descartada,? dijo Denise Vel?squez la Directora Ejecutiva de Florida State Voices. ?Nuestro trabajo es captar m?s hispanos al proceso electoral, asegurarlos que sus voces son valiosas, y que las ideas que tienen de como sobresalir de los retos se escuchen a trav?s del poder de su voto.?

?La protecci?n electoral y la educaci?n del votante est?n al coraz?n de la participaci?n c?vica,? dijo la Directora Ejecutiva Josephine de Hispanic Health Initiatives. ?Esto es uno de los papeles m?s importantes que podemos abarcar para preservar la democracia en los Estados Unidos. Creo que esta elecci?n es una de las m?s importantes en la historia de nuestro pa?s. Es la responsabilidad de ?We the People [Nosotros el Pueblo]? para seguir sido vigilantes y para asegurar que las cosas se desarrollen correctamente en las urnas. ?El mundo est? mirando!?

About The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC):
Movimiento Hispano (Hispanic Movement) is a project of Latinos for Democracy (LFD) aimed at increasing Latino civic engagement and voter turnout through grassroots mobilization and multimedia outreach. LFD is a coalition comprised of the Hispanic Federation (HF), the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). For more information, go to http://www.movimientohispano.org/

Company Contact Information
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Jossie Sapunar
1133 19th Street
Suite 1000
20036
Phone : 202-833-6130

Source: http://www.i-newswire.com/national-latino-leaders-announce/200007

jennifer hudson chicago blackhawks dick clark elie wiesel giuliana rancic giuliana rancic temptations

Monday, October 22, 2012

Genealogy's Star: The Duplicate Issue in FamilySearch Family Tree

One of the overriding issues with New.FamilySearch.org (NFS), the predecessor to FamilySearch.org's Family Tree (FSFT), is the abundance of duplicate submissions. Some individuals have hundreds of duplicates due to their inclusion in a multitude of user submitted family group records and electronic files. I view the duplicate issue as the one paralyzing feature of the NFS program that prevents me from using it in any meaningful way.

[I warn you in advance, I am not going to stay entirely in my analogy, I am going to jump in and out as it suits my narrative].

To understand this problem, I am going to use an analogy to a stage and the characters that appear on the stage. The program, NFS, in this first example, is the stage. The submissions are the characters that appear on the stage. In my analogy, each character can have one or even many more alter egos in the form of a "duplicate" characters. The problem with these alter egos is that they are not exact duplicates. They vary from the "original" in sometimes very important and distinctive ways. These alter egos are created by those submitting the characters to the stage. [For example, multiple submissions of the same families to the Ancestral File or Pedigree Resource File].

This multiplicity of characters would not be a problem if the differences reflected actual "real world" differences. But the variation in the alter egos are primarily the results of sloppy, inaccurate or negligent activities on the part of the submitters. Other alter egos are created due to changes in the submission standards over the years. [For example, historically, because of the space limitations on the forms used, it was acceptable to use abbreviations]. In NFS, unfortunately, all of these alter egos appeared on the stage with the primary character all of the time. In many cases the stage [the information in the NFS files] was so congested with duplicate alter egos that the main character was entirely lost in the throng. If a subsequent user of the NFS program detected an error in a submission, that error could only be corrected by adding a new alter ego to the masses already on stage.

This multiplicity of alter egos rendered the NFS program unusable for many people who would have liked to clarify the issues created by having all alter egos on the stage with the main characters.

There was no solution to the problem within the context of the NFS program. End of story.

The producers (FamilySearch's developers) decided to build a new stage, one that would let only one character at a time appear to the audience [users of the program]. In an abundance of caution, they did not kill off all of the alter egos, but they provided a way so that the audience [users] could select which of the characters appeared on the stage and further allowed changes, deletions and merging of alter egos, so that the character that appeared was the universally accepted standard and incorporated only the correct variations in the story line [data about the individuals in the program].

OK, enough of this analogy. FSFT only allows for one person with one set of descriptive characteristics to be visible at a time. All of the variations [alter egos] are banished to the background. They are not lost forever, but the people using the program don't have to deal with the differences. In effect, everyone who uses the program is forced to accept only one version of all the possible variations in a person's information. If there are legitimate differences they may be documented with the individual but only one individual can fill each slot or node on the family tree.

For me, this solves the problems I faced in NFS. If my tangled relatives can be sorted out, for the first time in the 30 years of doing genealogy, I will have a place to make some sense out of my pedigree and work out all of the thousands of duplicates and come to a consensus with others in the vast family I have out there in the world. In truth, FSFT solves the duplicate problem present in all other iterations of my family tree online and elsewhere.

Now, if this explanation of how the program works doesn't make sense to you, please submit your comments. I will make further comments if they are warranted.?

Source: http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-duplicate-issue-in-familysearch.html

earthquake california roy orbison the third man 2012 nfl draft order mohamed sanu chris polk chicago bulls