Answered -
Source: http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-better-iphone-5-or-samsung-galaxy-s3
dennis quaid bruce weber fired notorious big biggie smalls lyrics azores emmylou harris disco inferno
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Ryder Cup Standings Dexter Season 7 Ryder Cup 2012 Johnny Lewis Honey Boo Boo yom kippur yom kippur
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Confused about the federal budget struggle? So are doctors, hospital administrators and other medical professionals who serve the 100 million Americans covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Rarely has the government sent so many conflicting signals in so short a time about the bottom line for the health care industry.
Cuts are coming, says Washington, and some could be really big. Yet more government spending is also being promised as President Barack Obama's health care overhaul advances and millions of uninsured people move closer to getting government-subsidized coverage.
"Imagine a person being told they are going to get a raise, but their taxes are also going to go up and they are going to be paying more for gas," said Thornton Kirby, president of the South Carolina Hospital Association. "They don't know if they are going to be taking home more or less. That's the uncertainty when there are so many variables in play."
Real money is at stake for big hospitals and small medical practices alike. Government at all levels pays nearly half the nation's health care tab, with federal funds accounting for most of that.
It's widely assumed that a budget deal will mean cuts for Medicare service providers. But which ones? How much? And will Medicaid and subsidies to help people get coverage under the health care law also be cut?
As House Speaker John Boehner famously said: "God only knows." The Ohio Republican was referring to the overall chances of getting a budget deal, but the same can be said of how health care ? one-sixth of the economy ? will fare.
"There is no political consensus to do anything significant," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, a market analysis firm. "There is a collective walking away from things that matter. All the stuff on the lists of options becomes impossible, because there is no give-and-take."
As if things weren't complicated enough, doctors keep facing their own recurring fiscal cliff, separate from the bigger budget battle but embroiled in it nonetheless.
Come Jan. 1, doctors and certain other medical professionals face a 26.5 percent cut in their Medicare payments, the consequence of a 1990s deficit-reduction law gone awry. Lawmakers failed to repeal or replace that law even after it became obvious that it wasn't working. Instead, Congress usually passes a "doc fix" each year to waive the cuts.
This year, the fix got hung up in larger budget politics. Although a reprieve is expected sooner or later, doctors don't like being told to sit in the congressional waiting room.
"It seems like there is a presumption that physicians and patients can basically tolerate this kind of uncertainty while the Congress goes through whatever political machinations they are going through," said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, president of the American Medical Association. "Our concern is that physician uncertainty and anxiety about being able to pay the bills will have an impact on taking care of patients."
A recent government survey indicates that Medicare beneficiaries are having more problems when trying to find a new primary care doctor, and Lazarus said that will only get worse.
Adding to their unease, doctors also face an additional reduction if automatic spending cuts go through. Those would be triggered if Obama and congressional leaders are unable to bridge partisan differences and strike a deal. They are part of the combination of tax increases and spending cuts dubbed the "fiscal cliff."
Medicare service providers would get hit with a 2 percent across-the-board cut, but Medicaid and subsidies for the uninsured under Obama's health care overhaul would be spared. The Medicare cut adds up to about $120 billion over ten years, with 40 percent falling on hospitals, according to Avalare's analysis. Nursing homes, Medicare Advantage plans and home health agencies also get hit.
The American Hospital Association says that would lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of hospital jobs in a labor intensive industry that also generates employment for other businesses in local communities.
"It's very difficult to believe hospitals can absorb the kinds of numbers they are talking about without reducing service or workforce," said Kirby, the hospital association head. "You may decide that a service a hospital provides is not affordable ? for example, obstetrics in a rural community ? if you're making a little bit of money or losing a little bit of money by continuing to deliver babies in a rural community."
Independent analysts like Mendelson doubt that a 2 percent Medicare cut to hospitals would be catastrophic, but say it will cost jobs somewhere.
Even if there is a budget deal, the squeeze will be on.
The administration has proposed $400 billion in health care cuts so far in the budget talks, coming mainly from Medicare spending. That's only a starting point as far as Republicans are concerned. They also want to pare back Medicaid and Obama's health care law, and have also sought an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/budget-struggle-raising-anxiety-health-care-102635702--politics.html
Darla Moore newsweek Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building prince harry Hurricane
FILE - This publicity file photo released by Warner Bros., shows the character Gollum voiced by Andy Serkis in a scene from the fantasy adventure "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., File)
FILE - This publicity file photo released by Warner Bros., shows the character Gollum voiced by Andy Serkis in a scene from the fantasy adventure "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., File)
FILE - This undated publicity file photo released by Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media shows Billy Crystal, left, as Artie, holding on to his grandson, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, as Barker, who doesn't like the idea of Marisa Tomei, center, as mother Alice and Tom Everett Scott as dad Phil leaving for a vacation in a scene from the film, "Parental Guidance." (AP Photo/Twentieth Century Fox/Walden Media, Phil Caruso, File)
FILE - This undated publicity file photo released by Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media shows Billy Crystal as Artie and Bette Midler as Diane, who agree to babysit their three grandkids, from left, Joshua Rush as Turner, Bailee Madison as Harper and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf as Barker in a scene from the film, "Parental Guidance." (AP Photo/Twentieth Century Fox/Walden Media, Kerry Hayes, File)
FILE - In this undated publicity file photo released by The Weinstein Company, from left, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio star in the film, "Django Unchained," directed by Quentin Tarantino. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Andrew Coope, File)
FILE - This publicity film image released by Universal Pictures shows actress Anne Hathaway portraying Fantine, a struggling, sickly mother forced into prostitution in 1800s Paris, in a scene from the screen adaptation of "Les Miserables." (AP Photo/Universal Pictures, Laurie Sparham, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week and capping a record-setting $10.8 billion year in moviegoing.
The Warner Bros. fantasy epic from director Peter Jackson, based on the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien novel, made nearly $33 million this weekend, according to Sunday studio estimates, despite serious competition from some much-anticipated newcomers. It's now made a whopping $686.7 million worldwide and $222.7 million domestically alone.
Two big holiday movies ? and potential Academy Awards contenders ? also had strong openings. Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti Western-blaxploitation mash-up "Django Unchained" came in second place for the weekend with $30.7 million. The Weinstein Co. revenge comedy, starring Jamie Foxx as a slave in the Civil War South and Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter who frees him and then makes him his partner, has earned $64 million since its Christmas Day opening.
And in third place with $28 million was the sweeping, all-singing "Les Miserables," based on the international musical sensation and the Victor Hugo novel of strife and uprising in 19th century France. The Universal Pictures film, with a cast of A-list actors singing live on camera led by Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe has made $67.5 million domestically and $116.2 worldwide since debuting on Christmas.
Additionally, the smash-hit James Bond adventure "Skyfall" has now made $1 billion internationally to become the most successful film yet in the 50-year franchise, Sony Pictures announced Sunday. The film stars Daniel Craig for the third time as the iconic British superspy.
"This is a great final weekend of the year," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "How perfect to end this year on such a strong note with the top five films performing incredibly well."
The week's other new wide release, the Billy Crystal-Bette Midler comedy "Parental Guidance" from 20th Century Fox, made $14.8 million over the weekend for fourth place and $29.6 million total since opening on Christmas.
Dergarabedian described the holding power of "The Hobbit" in its third week as "just amazing." Jackson shot the film, the first of three prequels to his massively successful "Lord of the Rings" series, in 48 frames per second ? double the normal frame rate ? for a crisper, more detailed image. It's also available in the usual 24 frames per second and both 2-D and 3-D projections.
"I think people are catching up with the movie. Maybe they're seeing it in multiple formats," he said. "I think it's just a big epic that feels like a great way to end the moviegoing year. There's momentum there with this movie."
"Django Unchained" is just as much of an epic in its own stylishly violent way that's quintessentially Tarantino. Erik Lomis, The Weinstein Co.'s president of theatrical distribution, said the opening exceeded the studio's expectations.
"We're thrilled with it, clearly. We knew it was extremely competitive at Christmas, particularly when you look at the start 'Les Miz' got. We were sort of resigned to being behind them. The fact that we were able to overtake them over the weekend was just great," Lomis said. "Taking nothing away from their number, it's a tribute to the playability of 'Django.'"
"Les Miserables" went into its opening weekend with nearly $40 million in North American grosses, including $18.2 on Christmas Day. That's the second-best opening ever on the holiday following "Sherlock Holmes," which made $24.9 million on Christmas 2009. Tom Hooper, in a follow-up to his Oscar-winner "The King's Speech," directs an enormous, ambitious take on the beloved musical which has earned a CinemaScore of "A'' from audiences and "A-plus" from women.
Nikki Rocco, Universal's head of distribution, said the debut for "Les Miserables" also beat the studio's expectations.
"That $18.2 million Christmas Day opening ? people were shocked ... This is a musical!" she said. "Once people see it, they talk about how fabulous it is."
It all adds up to a record-setting year at the movies, beating the previous annual record of $10.6 billion set in 2009. Dergarabedian pointed out that the hits came scattered throughout the year, not just during the summer blockbuster season or prestige-picture time at the end. "Contraband," ''Safe House" and "The Vow" all performed well early on, but then when the big movies came, they were huge. "The Avengers" had the biggest opening ever with $207.4 million in May. The raunchy comedy "Ted" and comic-book behemoth "The Dark Knight Rises" both found enormous audiences. And Paul Thomas Anderson's challenging drama "The Master" shattered records in September when it opened on five screens in New York and Los Angeles with $736,311, for a staggering per-screen average of $147,262.
"We were able to get this record without scratching and clawing to a record," he said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $32.9 million ($106.5 million international).
2."Django Unchained," $30.7 million.
3."Les Miserables," $28 million ($38.3 million international).
4."Parental Guidance," $14.8 million ($7 million international).
5."Jack Reacher," $14 million ($18.1 million).
6."This Is 40," $13.2 million.
7."Lincoln," $7.5 million.
8."The Guilt Trip," $6.7 million.
9."Monsters, Inc. 3-D," $6.4 million.
10."Rise of the Guardians," $4.9 million ($11.6 million).
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1."The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $106.5 million.
2."Life of Pi," $39.2 million.
3."Les Miserables," $38.3 million.
4."Wreck-It Ralph," $20.4 million.
5."Jack Reacher," $18.1 million.
6."Rise of the Guardians," $11.6 million.
7."Parental Guidance," $7 million.
8."The Tower," $6.6 million.
9."Pitch Perfect," $6.2 million.
10."De L'autre Cote Du Periph," $4 million.
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com
http://www.rentrak.com
___
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
Associated Pressbon iver abraham lincoln vampire hunter their eyes were watching god lara logan manu ginobili sports illustrated swimsuit 2012 aretha franklin whitney houston
Whether you are managing the demands of a growing family, or are financially sound enough to invest in a home addition, you need to get in touch with a reputable home improvement contractor in Arlington Heights. That?s the first and most important step in a home renovation project. You might need to speak to a structural engineer also if you are planning on altering your home?s structure as well.?
You should talk to more than a few of them in order to ensure that you get the very best available home improvement contractor. But sometimes that will put you in a catch-22 scenario because you will be tempted to go for the lowest bidder. It?s even better if you can talk to every one of them individually to discover why their prices are the way they are. The lowest bidder will not always provide you with the best service; unless it is a newbie trying to secure an impressive portfolio.?
Stay away from the substandard companies and avoid the ones who show up at your door step promising you wonders. One of the very first things that you ought to check about the home remodeling contractor is his track record; demand references and be aware that they are liable to give you a few.?
Generally a firm hires out their contractors, so it is essential they?re both registered by the correct associations. All states have their own licensing firms that hand out Home Improvement Contractor Licenses. Check in the Licensing and Business Registration Information Section of your state to see if the company is included. Every thing you can do to your house will require a different type of contractor, for example a General Building Contractor. The firm and the contractor should be properly insured so you will be safe in case of property damage, worker?s compensation and personal liability.?
Keep these things in mind while selecting your home improvement contractor:
? ? ?Inquire about his experience
? ? ?Check for references
? ? ?Check if he is licensed and registered
? ? ?See if the firm is registered
? ? ?Make sure he has insurance coverage
?
For more interesting facts and tips about home improvement contractors,?click here.
Source: http://audiovideo.au.pn/2012/12/27/hire-a-home-improvement-contractor-for-your-home-improvement-project/
tornadoes in dallas anchorman 2 kentucky basketball oaksterdam the fray national anthem dallas tornado ncaa basketball
Source: http://catinici.posterous.com/hire-a-home-improvement-contractor-for-your-h
labor day college football scores khan academy Espn College Football Eddie Murphy died Suzanne Barr Clint Eastwood speech
Clockwise from top left: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during presidential debate; Felix Baumgartner; Lance Armstrong; Seal and Heidi Klum; Gen. David Petraeus; Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Test your memory of some of the year's most prominent newsmakers by matching each quote below with the person who said it.
How well do you think you'll do??Scroll down when you're ready to see the correct answers!
1. ?While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate, and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted.??
a) Lady Gaga
b) Psy
c) Chris Brown
2.?"I tripped and found myself inside the lifeboat with a number of passengers."
a) ?Silvio Berlusconi
b) ?Antonin Scalia
c) ?Francesco Schettino
3. "After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours."
a) ?David Petraeus
b) ?Arnold Schwarzenegger
c) ?Rupert Sanders
4. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, ?Enough is enough.? For me, that time is now."
a) ?Lance Armstrong
b) ?Paul Ryan
c) ?Tiger Woods
5. ?We screwed up, and we are putting the weight of the company behind correcting it.?
a) Rupert Murdoch
b) Tim Cook
c) Donald Trump
6. ?While I do not believe I did anything illegal or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong, and there is no one else responsible for my sins.?
a) John Edwards
b) Peter Madoff
c) Roger Clemens
7. ?If it?s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.?
a) Richard Mourdock
b) Todd Akin
c) Michelle Bachmann
8. ?We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other's commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other?s roles as parents.?
a) Katy Perry and Russell Brand
b) Heidi Klum and Seal
c) Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
9.??Gold medals are made out of your sweat, blood and tears, and effort in the gym every day, and sacrificing a lot that you have to do.?
a) Gabby Douglas
b) Ryan Lochte
c) Sanya Richards-Ross
10.?"My maternity leave will be a few weeks long, and I'll work throughout it."
a) Reese Witherspoon
b) Kate Middleton
c) Marissa Mayer
11.??The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn?t be any more happy, comfortable with myself and proud.??
a) Ellen DeGeneres
b) Anderson Cooper
c)?Chely Wright
12.??Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are.??
a)?Sir Richard Branson
b)?Felix Baumgartner
c) Bill Maher
13. ?I was born in Harper Hospital. No one?s ever asked to see my birth certificate.??
a) Mitt Romney
b) Vice President Joe Biden
c) Paul Ryan
14.??The performance of the stock has obviously been disappointing.??
a) Tim Cook
b) Brian Dunn
c) Mark Zuckerberg
15.??Under current law, on January 1, 2013, there's going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases.??
a) Barack Obama
b) John Boehner
c) Ben Bernanke
FINISHED THE QUIZ? CHECK YOUR?ANSWERS HERE!?
Question 1: B, ?Gangnam Style? star Psy in a December apology for a 2004 song that called for killing Americans.
International rap sensation Psy took to the stage to perform for the president at a charity concert despite online videos showing some anti-U.S. performances he did less than a decade ago. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Question 2:?C, Francesco Schettino, captain of the sunken Costa Concordia, explaining in court why he didn?t go down with his ship in January.
The shifting ship is creating dangerous problems for the searchers who need to blast holes in the hull. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
Question 3:?A, David Petraeus in a statement announcing his resignation as CIA director in November.
The respected West Point graduate led combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring from the military and leading the CIA. On Friday, he made the startling admission that he had engaged in an extramarital affair, and announced he was resigning from his post. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
Question 4: A, Cyclist Lance Armstrong, announcing in August that he was ending his fight against doping allegations.?
Top Talkers: Richard Haas joins a Morning Joe panel to discuss Lance Armstrong's refusal to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and his 2000 Olympic Games bronze medal and was banned from the sport.
Question 5:?B, Apple CEO Tim Cook, talking about the iPhone 5's glitchy maps application on ?Rock Center? in December.
Steve Jobs' hand-picked successor, current Apple CEO Tim Cook, talks to Rock Center Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams about Apple's battle with Samsung, glitches with its maps app, the prospect of Apple TV and the challenge of keeping Apple cutting edge.
Question 6: A, Former Sen. John Edwards after learning he would not be convicted of corruption charges in May.
The jury delivered a unanimous verdict on one of the six felony counts and found him not guilty of receiving illegal campaign contributions from heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. The judge declared a mistrial on the five other counts. Edwards later told reporters that he knew he had not done anything illegal but that he was accountable for his behavior. NBC's Lisa Myers reports.
Question 7:?B, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., in an August interview on his opposition to abortion in rape cases.
In a statement and a tweet, conservative U.S. Rep. Todd Akin says he "misspoke" during a local TV interview in which he made comments about "legitimate rape" and abortion. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.
Question 8:?C, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announcing their divorce agreement in July.
The Hollywood couple, whose five-year marriage was the subject of much speculation, issued a joint statement saying they were moving forward with daughter Suri's best interests in mind. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.
Question 9:?A, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas after her win in the individual all-around in August.
Fresh from her historic gold medal win in the gymnastics individual all-around, Gabby Douglas said "it's so meaningful" to be the first African-American woman to win the title and shares details of her phone call with President Obama.
Question 10: C,?Marissa Mayer, revealing her pregnancy soon after being named Yahoo CEO in July.
The former Google executive was named CEO of Yahoo on Monday and made headlines for the fact that she is also pregnant, turning her into a test case of whether women can really have it all. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports, and Ivanka Trump and Rachel Campos-Duffy, author and wife of a congressman, discuss the motherhood balancing act.
Question 11: B,?CNN anchor Anderson Cooper in a coming-out email, in July.
In an email published by the Daily Beast website, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper ends years of speculation about his sexuality, acknowledging that he is "gay" and "proud." NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports.
Question 12: B,?Daredevil Felix Baumgartner after his 24-mile fall to earth in October.
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner makes a record-breaking jump from 24 miles above Earth, leaping from the edge of space to the New Mexico desert at speeds up to 833.9 mph. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
Question 13: A,?Mitt Romney at an August rally in Michigan.
Msnbc's Mark Halperin talks about GOP candidate Mitt Romney's apparent ad-lib reference to President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Question 14: C,?Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a September conference, discussing his company?s May IPO.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, "The performance of the stock is obviously disappointing," during a "fireside chat" at the San Francisco Disrupt conference organized by technology blog TechCrunch. Watch the entire interview.
Question 15: C,?Ben Bernanke at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in February.?
Top Talkers: A decade after the Sept. 11 attacks, two former senators -- Bob Graham of Florida and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska -- say they believe the Saudi government may have played a role in the attacks. The Morning Joe panel ? including financier Steven Rattner and Donny Deutsch ? discusses. The panel also discusses Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's warning about the economy.
transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada don draper gallagher madmen
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) ? As a the muted ends of a powerful winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people plodded through the Northeast, many in Arkansas were seeking warmth and shelter against the cold prospect of life without electricity into the new year.
A Christmas Day blizzard dumped more than 15 inches of snow on the state, causing massive damage to power lines that have affected more than 200,000 customers.
With the bleak word from the state's largest utility that the lights could be out until after the start of the new year, many residents who awoke snowbound Wednesday morning found themselves jamming the city's hotel rooms by Thursday night.
"I'm coping with hot toddies and peanuts," said Lynda Johnson, who lined up a series of hotel stays through hotels.com to make it at least through Saturday night. She has already been to the movies ? she saw "Django Unchained" ? and checked in with neighbors multiple times to see if the lights are back on.
They aren't.
Deena Brazell spent a night in her car for warmth, though she hadn't planned it that way.
"Everything in the apartment is electric. I stayed in the apartment the first night. After that, it got cold really quick," she said. "I went out to charge the phone and fell asleep, then I just decided to stay."
After the storm's peak early Wednesday, homes and businesses from border-to-border had lost power. Johnson, and several others, said they were hoping the power would be back on Wednesday after spending Christmas night in the dark. Butut then the president of the state's largest utility announced that some of the outages would persist at least into New Year's Day. Little Rock was among the cities hardest hit.
"We spent the first night at home and turned on the fireplace, but it doesn't give off a lot of heat," said Kathy Garner, who sought refuge at her sister and brother-in-law's house in Maumelle, a Little Rock suburb.
In a typical year, tornadoes bring Arkansas' worst weather, but the damage is isolated and linemen have a relatively easy time fixing the power grid.
This week's storm was epic by comparison, and despite the jokes ? "In Wisconsin, we call this Tuesday" ? as of Thursday night there was more snow on the ground in Little Rock than Milwaukee.
"You run out of money fast," Johnson said. "The things you had planned to do, you can't do. You need food, clothing and shelter. Since I'm not home, I have to find someplace for shelter. Then you have to find something to eat."
The storm system responsible for the misery roared out of the Rockies early Tuesday with blizzard conditions in southwestern Oklahoma and tornadoes along the Gulf Coast.
After sweeping across Arkansas, giving Little Rock its first white Christmas since 1926, it rolled into the Midwest and Northeast before moving on to Canada. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the Adirondacks of New York; Indianapolis had 7.5 inches, its greatest snowfall in four years; and 4-6 inches fell in and around Concord, N.H.
"I'm going to be shoveling all day, just trying to keep up with the snow, which is impossible," said Dale Lamprey, clearing the sidewalk outside the legislative office building near the New Hampshire Statehouse.
Nationwide, at least 17 people died because of the ice, snow and wind. Deaths from wind-toppled trees also were reported in Texas and Louisiana, but car crashes caused most of the fatalities.
A Michigan woman who was riding in a car that struck a tree and two people riding in a car that slid across the center line of a road in Arkansas and hit another vehicle.
Two people were killed in Kentucky crashes, a New York man was killed after his pickup truck skidded on an icy road in northwest Pennsylvania, and an Ohio teenager died after losing control of her car and smashing into an oncoming snowplow.
Forty-two students traveling to London and Dublin were stuck in the Nashville, Tenn., airport thanks to poor weather in the Northeast. The frustrated students, from universities in Tennessee and Kentucky, were supposed to leave Wednesday and arrive in London on Thursday.
"It's a two-week program, so it's shortened already," said Joe Woolley, spokesman for the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad.
Farther east, the storm knocked out power to more than 7,000 homes and businesses in Maryland. In New Jersey, gusts of more than 70 mph were recorded along the coast, and the weather service issued a flood warning for some coastal areas. There were about 800 power outages in Vermont, but only a handful in neighboring New Hampshire.
Back in Arkansas, utility workers struggling in freezing temperatures restored power to nearly a third of their customers that lost power during the Christmas storm, but that still meant that more than 135,000 homes and businesses were in the dark as forecasters predicted another round of freezing rain for Friday.
"You just want to be home," Garner said at her sister's house. "You just want to be in your own bed. There's nothing like the comfort of your own home."
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; Chuck Bartels in Little Rock; Travis Loller in Nashville; Ben Nuckols in Washington; Dave Porter in Newark, N.J.; Dave Gram in Montpelier, Vt.; and Janet McMillan in Philadelphia.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-rakes-half-nation-arkansas-still-dark-082522951.html
mr rogers jamie lee curtis spring equinox audacious pollen count mexico city first day of spring
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50312428/
total eclipse of the heart jionni lavalle earthquake san francisco donald payne elizabeth berkley lenny dykstra jenelle evans
Dec. 27, 2012 ? Researchers at Rush University Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University, have identified a molecular mechanism central to the development of osteoarthritis (OA) pain, a finding that could have major implications for future treatment of this often-debilitating condition.
"Clinically, scientists have focused on trying to understand how cartilage and joints degenerate in osteoarthritis. But no one knows why it hurts," said Dr. Anne-Marie Malfait, associate professor of biochemistry and of internal medicine at Rush, who led the study. An article describing the research was published in the Dec. 11 print version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Joint pain associated with OA has unique clinical features that provide insight into the mechanisms that cause it. First, joint pain has a strong mechanical component: It is typically triggered by specific activities (for example, climbing stairs elicits knee pain) and is relieved by rest. As structural joint disease advances, pain may also occur in rest. Heightened sensitivity to pain, including mechanical allodynia (pain caused by a stimulus that does not normally evoke pain, such as lightly brushing the skin with a cotton swab), and reduced pain-pressure thresholds are features of OA.
Malfait and her colleagues took a novel approach to unraveling molecular pathways of OA pain in a surgical mouse model exhibiting the slow, chronically progressive development of the disease. The study was conducted longitudinally, that is, the researchers were able to monitor development of both pain behaviors and molecular events in the sensory neurons of the knee and correlate the data from repeated observations over an extended period.
"This method essentially provides us with a longitudinal 'read-out' of the development of OA pain and pain-related behaviors, in a mouse model" Malfait said.
The researchers assessed development of pain-related behaviors and concomitant changes in dorsal root ganglia (DRG), nerves that carry signals from sensory organs toward the brain. They found that a chemokine known as monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 (CCL2) and its receptor, chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2), are central to the development of pain associated with knee OA.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 regulates migration and infiltration of monocytes into tissues where they replenish infection-fighting macrophages. Previous research has shown that MCP-1/CCR2 are central in pain development following nerve injury.
In the study, following surgery the laboratory mice developed mechanical allodynia that lasted 16 weeks. Levels of MCP-1, CCR2 mRNA and protein were temporarily elevated, and neuronal signaling activity increased in the DRG at eight weeks after surgery. This result correlated with the presentation of movement-provoked pain behaviors (for instance, mice with OA travelled less distance, when monitored overnight, and climbed less often on the lid of their cage -- suggesting that they avoid movement that triggers pain) which were maintained up to 16 weeks.
Mice that lack Ccr2 (knockout mice) also developed mechanical allodynia, but this began to resolve from eight weeks onward. Despite having severe allodynia and structural knee joint damage equal to that in normal mice, Ccr2-knockout mice did not develop movement-provoked pain behaviors at eight weeks.
To confirm the key role of CCR2 signaling in development of the observed movement-provoked pain behavior after surgery, the researchers administered a CCR2 receptor-blocker to normal mice at nine weeks after surgery and found that this reversed the decrease in distance traveled, that is, movement-provoked pain behavior.
Interestingly, levels of MCP-1 and CCR2 returned to baseline or lower by 16 weeks in mice exhibiting movement-provoked pain behaviors. This finding may suggest that the MCP-1/CCR2 pathway is involved only in the initiation of changes in the DRG, but once macrophages are present, the process is no longer dependent on increased MCP-1/CCR2.
"Increased expression of both MCP-1 and its receptor CCR2 may mediate increased pain signaling through direct excitation of DRG neurons, as well as through attracting macrophages to the DRG," the researchers said.
"This is an important contribution to the field of osteoarthritis research. Rather than looking at the cartilage breakdown pathway in osteoarthritis, Dr. Malfait and her colleagues are looking at the pain pathway, and this can take OA research in to a novel direction that can lead to new pain remedies in the future," said Dr. Joshua Jacobs, professor and chairman of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center.
Treatment of OA in the United States costs almost $200 billion annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is expected that by 2030 nearly 70 million adults in the U.S. will have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, an estimated 27 million Americans live with OA, but, despite the frequency of the disease, its cause is still not completely known and there is no cure. In fact, many different factors may play a role in whether or not you get OA, including age, obesity, injury or overuse and genetics.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the oldest and most common forms of arthritis and is a chronic condition characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage. Cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement of joints. The breakdown of cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other, causing stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint.
Malfait's co-researchers on this study were Rush scientists Rachel E. Miller. PhD, Phuoong B. Tran, PhD, Rosalina Das, and Nayereh Ghoreishi-Haack, and Dr. Richard J. Miller, PhD, and Dongjun Ren from Northwestern University.
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 Rush University Medical Center.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
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/OsgbDFVFGqI/121227173053.htm
Columbus Day 2012 carlina white Sam Champion Engaged Infield fly rule Taken 2 Venezuela Elections Skyfall
Tweetbot, Tapbots' powerful, engaging Twitter apps for iPhone and iPad are on sale today only for $0.99. Tweetbot rarely goes on sale, and when it does, it's not for long. So, if for some reason you use Twitter and you haven't bought Tweetbot for iPhone or iPad yet, grab it now.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/q0V3LTiM7P4/story01.htm
sanctum the notebook duke basketball miranda july joe paterno near death joepa sc primary
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 17-Dec-2012
Share ] Contact: Ginger Plumbo
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Available for desktop/laptop and tablet users on the Windows 8 platform, Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy is a trustworthy guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and baby's first three months. It was developed by Mayo Clinic leveraging the medical and lifestyle expertise of a team of Mayo's pregnancy experts in obstetrics and gynecology, genetics, nutrition, midwifery and lactation. The app also utilizes search, share and semantic zoom features for an improved user experience.
"Getting pregnant and becoming a parent are among the most significant experiences in a person's life and can be overwhelming," says Roger Harms, M.D., a Mayo Clinic specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, and senior medical director for operations in Mayo Clinic's Global Business Solutions division. "This app will guide you from conception to delivery, and see you through the first three months with your newborn to give you peace of mind and enhance your sense of wonder throughout the experience."
Moms-to-be can simply enter the baby's due date (or birthdate) or the date of their last menstrual period to start receiving weekly lifestyle and health guidance. Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy provides tips and guidance for all aspects of pregnancy, birth and up to 12 weeks postpartum, with all the information expectant parents need to have a safe, healthy pregnancy and early weeks of parenthood. The app also will provide easy navigation to find some of Mayo Clinic's other pregnancy-related resources such as the "Pregnancy and You" blog, the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, and the Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year.
Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy features:
###
MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of a patient using the app and an interview with Dr. Harms are available on the Mayo Clinic News Network.
[ | E-mail | 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.
Public release date: 17-Dec-2012 Share ] Contact: Ginger Plumbo
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Available for desktop/laptop and tablet users on the Windows 8 platform, Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy is a trustworthy guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and baby's first three months. It was developed by Mayo Clinic leveraging the medical and lifestyle expertise of a team of Mayo's pregnancy experts in obstetrics and gynecology, genetics, nutrition, midwifery and lactation. The app also utilizes search, share and semantic zoom features for an improved user experience.
"Getting pregnant and becoming a parent are among the most significant experiences in a person's life and can be overwhelming," says Roger Harms, M.D., a Mayo Clinic specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, and senior medical director for operations in Mayo Clinic's Global Business Solutions division. "This app will guide you from conception to delivery, and see you through the first three months with your newborn to give you peace of mind and enhance your sense of wonder throughout the experience."
Moms-to-be can simply enter the baby's due date (or birthdate) or the date of their last menstrual period to start receiving weekly lifestyle and health guidance. Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy provides tips and guidance for all aspects of pregnancy, birth and up to 12 weeks postpartum, with all the information expectant parents need to have a safe, healthy pregnancy and early weeks of parenthood. The app also will provide easy navigation to find some of Mayo Clinic's other pregnancy-related resources such as the "Pregnancy and You" blog, the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, and the Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year.
Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy features:
###
MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of a patient using the app and an interview with Dr. Harms are available on the Mayo Clinic News Network.
[ | E-mail | 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/2012-12/mc-mcl121712.php
ray j anthony shadid gary carter this means war bobby brown suzanne somers colbert
The upcoming BlackBerry L-Series phone and its next-genertaion BlackBerry 10 operating system got caught on video this weekend, and of course that means it was shown off next to the iPhone 5. The video comes by way of Tinhte, who have a history of getting access to pre-release and prototype hardware.
BlackBerry 10 remains a really interesting looking take on a modern mobile computing OS, gesture-centric like the PlayBook OS that preceded it, but molded to better suit the size and needs of a phone. And as to that phone, it's blacked out similar to the iPhone 5 (something BlackBerry's been doing for ages), and angles closer to the Porsche Design BlackBerry Bold.
Overall, it looks hot. Whether it's hot enough, however, to reverse BlackBerry's current misfortunes and beat back Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 to re-solidify them as the number three player in the space remains to be seen. BlackBerry has money, but they don't have much more time. Here's hoping the nail the landing.
BlackBerry should be formally announced the device at the end of the month, and CrackBerry.com will, as always, be all over it.
Source: Tinhte via CrackBerry
| |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/LC6L6dfy26k/story01.htm
vanessa bryant vanessa bryant Prince Harry naked Prince Harry Vegas Melky Cabrera Mayim Bialik Rich Kids of Instagram
Give or take the odd roadmap, we're mostly in the dark about AMD's specific intentions for 2013. This spec sheet for an unannounced 13-inch Asus Vivobook U38DT drops a couple more crumbs, however, suggesting there'll be a fresh stack of Radeon HD 8000-series graphics chips before too long -- including a 8550M laptop variant with a gig of dedicated memory. It's hard to say anything definite beyond that, and in fact it's even possible that the 8550M will be a last-gen chip rebranded as part of next year's product range -- although that sort of behavior is more typical of NVIDIA. The laptop itself is very similar to the Trinity-powered Vivobook U38N we've already spotted at the FCC, and given that the retailer mentions delivery from the end of December, there's at least some possibility that this model is meant to tie-in with an official announcement at CES -- in which case we'll be right there to bring you a fuller update.
Via: Ultrabook News, TechPowerUp
Source: Cyberport.de
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4qbWAo6ACTI/
george huguely whitney houston casket photo match play championship the national enquirer marie colvin cm punk cm punk
These days, knowledge is just a click away. This knowledge is helping people pay attention to symptoms they might have otherwise ignored. For example, more and more people are discovering they may be suffering from the hearing condition, tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear noises in your ear, such as ringing. To find out more, continue reading.
Psychotherapy can help you live a better life with tinnitus. Therapy can help you learn to manage stress better, as well as learn strategies for coping with your symptoms. This can also help you if your emotions are not in check, due to lack of sleep from tinnitus.
Recent research has demonstrated that magnesium, in high doses, may reduce tinnitus symptoms. Check with your physician to see if this is worth trying given your basic health, and then use it to treat your symptoms.
Check into getting yourself a hearing aid. If the cause of your tinnitus is that you have some kind of ear issue, hearing aids may reduce strain on the ears. Hearing aids will also drown out tinnitus noise, allowing you to hear the world around you.
Try to stay busy to avoid tinnitus. If you are very tired at the end of the day, you will have a better chance of easily falling asleep. Exercise can also help reduce the symptoms of tinnitus, making your day easier to get through.
Never swim without earplugs if you are afflicted with tinnitus. If you swim in a pool or in the ocean, water can get in your ears, which may worsen your tinnitus symptoms. It may sound silly, but wearing ear plugs when showering will help avoid water in your ears.
When you are told that you have tinnitus and that there is no cure, it may seem as if you will suffer for the rest of your life, but that is not the case! Tinnitus is not life-threatening and there are various treatments which can offer you relief or even a cure. So take heart, and remember, there is always hope!
If you want to manage your tinnitus, or at least contain it to reasonable levels, then to the best of your ability avoid circumstances that are stressful. Avoid taking on any work you can?t handle within business hours, and try to stick to your budget to avoid money woes. If you are able to stay calm, your blood pressure will remain low and your tinnitus won?t bother you.
If you suffer from tinnitus, consider eliminating any extra salt in your diet. Salt can worsen tinnitus by constricting blood vessels throughout the body, including those near the inner ear. In addition to your table salt, avoid salty foods such as crackers, salty chips, canned or processed foods and other items that contain a lot of salt. Check the labels on your groceries to see if they have a lot of sodium.
Try getting a machine that puts out white noise, or try putting a fan into your room, so you can fall asleep easier while you deal with tinnitus. Try each sound on the machine one by one, to see which soothes you the most. You can fall asleep when you have white noise distracting you from your tinnitus symptoms.
Some tinnitus sufferers swear by the use of ginko biloba, declaring it has eased their symptoms. Check with your doctor before trying this. No studies have proven how ginko biloba really works, but it is efficient in a lot of cases.
Acupressure is a good option if you want the benefits of acupuncture without actually being punctured. It works on the same principles and can bring about a similar amount of relief from the symptoms of tinnitus, but you don?t have to have a bunch of metal needles sticking out all over you!
Now that you know why you have tinnitus, you should know how to deal with it. Hopefully, the suggestions in this article have given you some ideas on where to seek assistance for your condition.
VN:F [1.9.21_1169]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.21_1169]
Source: http://www.healthcarecenteradvice.com/2012/12/18/manage-tinnitus-effectively-with-these-easy-tips-5/
bus driver uppercut Argo joe biden Alex Karras BCS Rankings 2012 the walking dead the walking dead
?Tis the season for decking the halls and finalizing 2013 budgets.
As you and your company crunch the figures for the year ahead, there?s something that can dramatically alter your bottom line to get on your radar: Social HR. Over the coming months and years, businesses that don?t embrace social HR will not only struggle to retain employees but companies that don?t understand what this is all about, will struggle to survive at all.
The year 2013 will be the year that social HR shifts from being a buzzword to a business imperative.
Social HR is so much more than letting your employees tweet or use Facebook. It?s way more than social recruiting.
Social HR, if done right, has the potential to transform your business and your employees into a powerhouse of productivity, motivation and actionable insights. So stop thinking of human resources as a department for hiring and firing and start thinking about these four ways social HR can transform your business in 2013.
First, management needs to recognize that there?s been a confluence of events that are putting more power in the hands of employees than ever before. The spread of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movements and the new norm of allowing social networking to be part of day-to-day work provides employees with more control. For instance, a recent Cisco study found that more than half of millenial?s say wont work at a company that bans social networking.
Also, economic timing plays a role in this shift of power. We?re coming out of a recession, and the political focus in North America is all about getting people to work. Recruiting will be back on the rebound, which means there will finally be more power in the hand of job seekers.
Tech companies saw it earlier, but more employers will realize in 2013 that individual employees are now brands? social ambassadors and they play an essential role in not only bringing new clients and talent onboard but also in conveying awareness of your organization and your company culture to the world.
Whether or not you acknowledge it, your company already has a culture. All businesses have one, either by design or (more commonly) by default.
The challenge lies in fostering a culture that is truly exceptional from the moment an employee walks in for an interview. Why? Because companies with exceptional cultures attract and retain the best employees, nurture strong and lasting customer relationships, and deliver consistently solid business results.
It is generally accepted that an idea that gets buy-in from key stakeholders from the get-go has a better chance of success than something that is introduced in the middle of things. With that in mind, it is best to start on day one by defining your company culture before the new employee does it on their own.
Provide them with language on how to talk about values and what the company does best. Give suggestions on when to share things about the company, like events, milestones, or even job openings and recognition, on their personal social channels. And, most importantly: live up to the values you establish to set an example.
A recent study published by Ventana Research found that 77 percent of executives and managers say the performance of the workforce is the most important metric, and performance reviews are the most regularly applied type of analytics in half of organizations. But tradition has us only sitting down once a year and hearing how the boss thinks you stack up.
In 2013, everything of value is done in ?real-time? and your employee review process should be done that way, too.
To get a more complete picture of employee performance, managers should collect feedback on an ongoing basis from peers, direct reports, and other workplace associates. Making this a regular occurrence across levels and departments makes it more social and actionable.
Continuous feedback allows for faster recognition of a problem facing an employee but also for the success of a particular employee. If there is something being done well, this also provides managers an opportunity to give kudos to a deserving employee, maybe even sharing the recognition across an employee?s network.
To take the review process one step further, companies should think about creating a review system that ties back to company culture. A SHRM/Globoforce study found that 51 percent of HR professionals say their company?s recognition program does not currently relate to corporate values. Adding these elements to the review process will build a culture of positive reinforcement and real-time accountability that leads back to the beliefs at the core of your organization.
Big data isn?t just for sales and accounting anymore. In 2013, harnessing the power of large sets of data is a best practice for forward thinking HR departments. One area where data ? social data in particular ? is making a difference is in the hiring process.
According to another recent survey by SHRM, 56 percent of HR professionals said they use social networking sites to recruit candidates, up from 34 percent in 2008. A whopping 95 percent of HR professionals in this poll said they use LinkedIn; 58 percent use Facebook. About 42 percent use Twitter.
It is also advantageous for businesses to take a step back and analyze their own personnel data to pull out trends both positive and problematic to illuminate areas for improvement. Recently we published a report, which found that at over 2,000 small and medium sized businesses women received more raises than men, but men received larger raises. By taking the time to spot trends like this in their own data before they impact their corporate culture, companies will save time, money and potentially their reputation.
Making HR more social means constantly working to quantify social intangibles, sharing performance data within and across departments, letting employees take charge of their own performances, developing ongoing feedback processes, and promoting a culture and common set of values that employees actually believe in. Companies that want to be well positioned need to make these HR management strategies real in 2013.
Joseph Fung is co-founder and CEO of TribeHR, pioneer of the industry?s first social HR platform and headquartered in Boston and Waterloo, Ontario. Connect with him at info@triberhr.com.Source: http://www.tlnt.com/2012/12/17/four-ways-that-social-hr-will-transform-business-in-2013/
Microsoft Surface Candy Crowley binders of women Alexis Wright presidential debates seahawks Felix Baumgartner
