When most people think of , what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to than just the basics.
Now that we've covered those aspects of , let's turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.
There aren't many positive stories emanating from Afghanistan these days, but one uplifting and very unusual story is rising out of obscurity in Kabul.
It involves a school that uses skateboarding, of all things, to help empower displaced youths by providing a common passion and a means through which to build relationships.
Skateistan, which was founded in the spring of 2007 and presently boasts an co-ed enrollment of more than 330 students, will fall under the spotlight this week when the short film, "Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul," premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
A feature-length documentary, "Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul," will premiere Jan. 29 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This will further increase awareness about an project that has come to symbolize hope for children growing up in an Islamic republic torn apart by civil war and fraught with fear and uncertainty.
The idea for the school was born after Australians Oliver Percovich and Sharna Nolan visited Kabul with skateboards in 2007. The moment they set the boards down, in front of a crumbling Soviet-era fountain, curious kids gathered to see them ridden and to hop aboard and ride them.
Today dedicated teachers and volunteers provide schooling and skateboarding lessons in a 19,000-square-foot facility built on land, in one of Kabul's poorer districts, donated by the Afghan National Olympic Committee. The school is funded largely through private donations.
The short film (trailer is posted above), directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, provides a glimpse into the lives of two Skateistan students. Murza, 17, talks about having grown numb to bomb blasts and violence, and about his former job washing cars, often in freezing temperatures, to make ends meet.
He attended Skateistan and still works there, helping to maintain the skate ramps and teach new students how to skate.
"Skating has become a habit and I'm addicted to it," he says in the film. "If I don't skate, I become ill. Life is hard in Kabul. It is solely because of the support of Skateistan that I am standing now."
Surprisingly, given Kabul's recent hard-line governance by the Taliban, more girls are becoming part of the Skateistan program.
Fazila, 12, sells gum on the street but also is a student. "Life is hard for me personally because my family is poor and sometimes we can't afford enough to eat," she says. "[But] at Skateistan I don't feel that my surroundings are ruined, I feel as though I'm in a nice place."
Her father does not support her new hobby. Neither do many adults look favorably upon any kids rolling down streets on skateboards.
But as societies have learned, once kids fall in love with skateboarding they're not easily dissuaded. "Their opinions are meaningless to me," Fazila says. "I really like skating and I won't stop."
The feature-length documentary was produced by Rene Kock and co-produced by Percovich, who is a co-founder of Skateistan. It chronicles the grassroots effort behind the creation of Skateistan. It shows the first skateboarding sessions at the fountain and chronicles the titanic struggle to overcome social, ethnic and gender barriers, and to build bridges of understanding among different cultures.
The movie provides glimpses into the fragile lives of Afghan youths and how some of their lives were changed because of the school, whose crowning moment was the grand opening of a state-of-the-art indoor skatepark facility on Oct. 29, 2009. For that event pros were brought in to demonstrate what can be done on a skateboard.
Reads the closing line in the documentary synopsis: "In the end we show the kids of Kabul skating this amazing new park with the international pros, witnessing the incredible joy and hope that can be generated with the help of four wheels and a board."
Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about . The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Sunday
Record $14 trillion-plus debt weighs on Congress
Are you looking for some inside information on ? Here's an up-to-date report from experts who should know.
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
WASHINGTON – The United States just passed a dubious milestone: Government debt surged to an all-time high, topping $14 trillion — $45,300 for each and everyone in the country.
That means Congress soon will have to lift the legal debt limit to give the nearly maxed-out government an even higher credit limit or dramatically cut spending to stay within the current cap. Either way, a fight is ahead on Capitol Hill, inflamed by the passions of tea party activists and deficit hawks.
Already, both sides are blaming each other for an approaching economic train wreck as Washington wrestles over how to keep the government in business and avoid default on global financial obligations.
Bills increasing the debt limit are among the most unpopular to come before Congress, serving as pawns for decades in high-stakes bargaining games. Every time until now, the ending has been the same: We go to the brink before raising the ceiling.
All bets may be off, however, in this charged political environment, despite some signs the partisan rhetoric is softening after the Arizona shootings.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says failure to increase borrowing authority would be "a catastrophe," perhaps rivaling the financial meltdown of 2008-2009.
Congressional Republicans, flexing muscle after November's victories, say the election results show that people are weary of big government and deficit spending, and that it's time to draw the line against more borrowing.
Defeating a new debt limit increase has become a priority for the tea party movement and other small-government conservatives.
So far, the new GOP majority has proved accommodating. Republicans are moving to make good on their promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending this year. They adopted a rules change by House Speaker John Boehner that should make it easier to block a debt-limit increase.
The national debt is the accumulation of years of deficit spending going back to the days of George Washington. The debt usually advances in times of war and retreats in peace.
Remarkably, nearly half of today's national debt was run up in just the past six years. It soared from $7.6 trillion in January 2005 as President George W. Bush began his second term to $10.6 trillion the day Obama was inaugurated and to $14.02 trillion now. The period has seen two major wars and the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s.
With a $1.7 trillion deficit in budget year 2010 alone, and the government on track to spend $1.3 trillion more this year than it takes in, annual budget deficits are adding roughly $4 billion a day to the national debt. Put another way, the government is borrowing 41 cents for every dollar it spends.
In a letter to Congress, Geithner said the current statutory debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion, set just last year, may be reached by the end of March — and hit no later than May 16. He warned that holding it hostage to skirmishes over spending could lead the country to default on its obligations, "an event that has no precedent in American history."
Debt-level brinkmanship doesn't wear a party label.
Here's what then-Sen. Barack Obama said on the Senate floor in 2006: "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance the government's reckless fiscal policies."
It was a blast by the freshman lawmaker against a Bush request to raise the debt limit to $8.96 trillion.
Bush won on a 52-48 party-line vote. Not a single Senate Democrat voted to raise the limit, opposition that's now complicating White House efforts to rally bipartisan support for a higher ceiling.
Democrats have use doomsday rhetoric about a looming government shutdown and comparing the U.S. plight to financial crises in Greece and Portugal. It's all a bit of a stretch.
"We can't do as the Gingrich crowd did a few years ago, close the government," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to government shutdowns in 1995 when Georgia Republican Newt Gingrich was House speaker.
But those shutdowns had nothing to do with the debt limit. They were caused by failure of Congress to appropriate funds to keep federal agencies running.
And there are many temporary ways around the debt limit.
Hitting it does not automatically mean a default on existing debt. It only stops the government from new borrowing, forcing it to rely on other ways to finance its activities.
In a 1995 debt-limit crisis, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin borrowed $60 billion from federal pension funds to keep the government going. It wasn't popular, but it helped get the job done. A decade earlier, James Baker, President Ronald Reagan's treasury secretary, delayed payments to the Civil Service and Social Security trust funds and used other bookkeeping tricks to keep money in the federal till.
Baker and Rubin "found money in pockets no one knew existed before," said former congressional budget analyst Stanley Collender.
Collender, author of "Guide to the Federal Budget," cites a slew of other things the government can do to delay a crisis. They include leasing out government-owned properties, "the federal equivalent of renting out a room in your home," or slowing down payments to government contractors.
Now partner-director of Qorvis Communications, a Washington consulting firm, Collender said such stopgap measures buy the White House time to resist GOP pressure for concessions.
"My guess is they can go months after the debt ceiling is not raised and still be able to come up with the cash they need. But at some point, it will catch up," and raising the debt limit will become an imperative, he suggested.
Republican leaders seem to acknowledge as much, but first want to force big concessions. "Do I want to see this nation default? No. But I want to make sure we get substantial spending cuts and controls in exchange for raising the debt ceiling," said the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Clearly, the tea party types in Congress will be given an up-and-down vote on raising the debt limit before any final deal is struck, even if the measure ultimately passes.
"At some point you run out of accounting gimmicks and resources. Eventually the government is going to have to start shutting down certain operations," said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics.
"If we get into a heated, protracted debate over the debt ceiling, global investors are going to grow nervous, and start driving up interest rates. It will all become negatively self-re-enforcing," said Zandi. "No good will come of it."
The overall national debt rose above $14 trillion for the first time the last week in December. The part subject to the debt limit stood at $13.95 trillion on Friday and was expected to break above $14 trillion within days.
This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
WASHINGTON – The United States just passed a dubious milestone: Government debt surged to an all-time high, topping $14 trillion — $45,300 for each and everyone in the country.
That means Congress soon will have to lift the legal debt limit to give the nearly maxed-out government an even higher credit limit or dramatically cut spending to stay within the current cap. Either way, a fight is ahead on Capitol Hill, inflamed by the passions of tea party activists and deficit hawks.
Already, both sides are blaming each other for an approaching economic train wreck as Washington wrestles over how to keep the government in business and avoid default on global financial obligations.
Bills increasing the debt limit are among the most unpopular to come before Congress, serving as pawns for decades in high-stakes bargaining games. Every time until now, the ending has been the same: We go to the brink before raising the ceiling.
All bets may be off, however, in this charged political environment, despite some signs the partisan rhetoric is softening after the Arizona shootings.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says failure to increase borrowing authority would be "a catastrophe," perhaps rivaling the financial meltdown of 2008-2009.
Congressional Republicans, flexing muscle after November's victories, say the election results show that people are weary of big government and deficit spending, and that it's time to draw the line against more borrowing.
Defeating a new debt limit increase has become a priority for the tea party movement and other small-government conservatives.
So far, the new GOP majority has proved accommodating. Republicans are moving to make good on their promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending this year. They adopted a rules change by House Speaker John Boehner that should make it easier to block a debt-limit increase.
The national debt is the accumulation of years of deficit spending going back to the days of George Washington. The debt usually advances in times of war and retreats in peace.
Remarkably, nearly half of today's national debt was run up in just the past six years. It soared from $7.6 trillion in January 2005 as President George W. Bush began his second term to $10.6 trillion the day Obama was inaugurated and to $14.02 trillion now. The period has seen two major wars and the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s.
With a $1.7 trillion deficit in budget year 2010 alone, and the government on track to spend $1.3 trillion more this year than it takes in, annual budget deficits are adding roughly $4 billion a day to the national debt. Put another way, the government is borrowing 41 cents for every dollar it spends.
In a letter to Congress, Geithner said the current statutory debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion, set just last year, may be reached by the end of March — and hit no later than May 16. He warned that holding it hostage to skirmishes over spending could lead the country to default on its obligations, "an event that has no precedent in American history."
Debt-level brinkmanship doesn't wear a party label.
Here's what then-Sen. Barack Obama said on the Senate floor in 2006: "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance the government's reckless fiscal policies."
It was a blast by the freshman lawmaker against a Bush request to raise the debt limit to $8.96 trillion.
Bush won on a 52-48 party-line vote. Not a single Senate Democrat voted to raise the limit, opposition that's now complicating White House efforts to rally bipartisan support for a higher ceiling.
Democrats have use doomsday rhetoric about a looming government shutdown and comparing the U.S. plight to financial crises in Greece and Portugal. It's all a bit of a stretch.
"We can't do as the Gingrich crowd did a few years ago, close the government," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to government shutdowns in 1995 when Georgia Republican Newt Gingrich was House speaker.
But those shutdowns had nothing to do with the debt limit. They were caused by failure of Congress to appropriate funds to keep federal agencies running.
And there are many temporary ways around the debt limit.
Hitting it does not automatically mean a default on existing debt. It only stops the government from new borrowing, forcing it to rely on other ways to finance its activities.
In a 1995 debt-limit crisis, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin borrowed $60 billion from federal pension funds to keep the government going. It wasn't popular, but it helped get the job done. A decade earlier, James Baker, President Ronald Reagan's treasury secretary, delayed payments to the Civil Service and Social Security trust funds and used other bookkeeping tricks to keep money in the federal till.
Baker and Rubin "found money in pockets no one knew existed before," said former congressional budget analyst Stanley Collender.
Collender, author of "Guide to the Federal Budget," cites a slew of other things the government can do to delay a crisis. They include leasing out government-owned properties, "the federal equivalent of renting out a room in your home," or slowing down payments to government contractors.
Now partner-director of Qorvis Communications, a Washington consulting firm, Collender said such stopgap measures buy the White House time to resist GOP pressure for concessions.
"My guess is they can go months after the debt ceiling is not raised and still be able to come up with the cash they need. But at some point, it will catch up," and raising the debt limit will become an imperative, he suggested.
Republican leaders seem to acknowledge as much, but first want to force big concessions. "Do I want to see this nation default? No. But I want to make sure we get substantial spending cuts and controls in exchange for raising the debt ceiling," said the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Clearly, the tea party types in Congress will be given an up-and-down vote on raising the debt limit before any final deal is struck, even if the measure ultimately passes.
"At some point you run out of accounting gimmicks and resources. Eventually the government is going to have to start shutting down certain operations," said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics.
"If we get into a heated, protracted debate over the debt ceiling, global investors are going to grow nervous, and start driving up interest rates. It will all become negatively self-re-enforcing," said Zandi. "No good will come of it."
The overall national debt rose above $14 trillion for the first time the last week in December. The part subject to the debt limit stood at $13.95 trillion on Friday and was expected to break above $14 trillion within days.
This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords condition improves
When you think about , what do you think of first? Which aspects of are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
If you don't have accurate details regarding , then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.
TUCSON, Ariz. – In yet another sign of significant recovery during a remarkable week, the gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was upgraded from critical to serious condition Sunday after a procedure to remove her from a ventilator was successful.
Doctors have been positive, and at time almost giddy, in describing her progress since she was shot point blank in the head Jan. 8.
Giffords responded from the moment she arrived at the emergency room, at first just squeezing a doctor's hand. Then she raised two fingers. She opened her unbandaged eye shortly after President Barack Obama's bedside visit Wednesday. Then, more milestones — which doctors said were all indicative of higher cognitive function — were achieved, all with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, at her side.
Kelly asked her to give him a thumbs-up if she could hear him. She did more than that. She slowly raised her left arm. By the end of the week, she had moved her legs and arms.
At the hospital, more than 100 people were gathered amid the sea of get-well balloons and cards when the University of Arizona put out a statement upgrading her condition.
"Oh, that's great news," said Jean Emrick, a 50-year resident of Tucson, as a violinist played in the background.
Her eyes watering, Emrick said: "Tucson is such a special place and she represents what's the best of southern Arizona."
As night fell, candles at the makeshift memorial began to flicker. A mariachi band played the "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Doctors decided to upgrade her condition because the tracheotomy done a day earlier was uneventful, hospital spokeswoman Katie Riley said. A feeding tube was also put in Saturday, and doctors speculated that they might soon know if she could speak.
Few people survive a bullet to the brain — just 10 percent — and some who do end up in a vegetative state. It is even more rare for people with gunshot wounds to the head to regain all of their abilities, and doctors have cautioned that the full extent of Giffords' recovery remains uncertain.
Giffords and 18 others were shot when a gunman opened fire at a meet-and-greet she was hosting outside a supermarket in her own hometown. Six people died, including Giffords' popular community outreach director, Gabe Zimmerman.
At funeral services for Zimmerman Sunday, Kelly told the some 700 people gathered that his wife was inspired by Zimmerman's idealism and warmth, according to the Arizona Republic.
"Gabby and I spoke often about Gabe. She loved him like a younger brother," Kelly said. "I know someday she'll get to tell you herself how she felt about Gabe."
Meanwhile, a week after the Tucson supermarket massacre, more details emerged about one of shooting victims who police said became distraught and was arrested during a televised town hall meeting.
James Eric Fuller, a self-described liberal and military veteran, started ranting at the end of the program Saturday. He took a picture of a local tea party leader and yelled "you're dead" before calling others in the church a bunch of "whores," authorities said.
Deputies called a doctor and decided he should be taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation, said Pima County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ogan said.
No one answered the door Sunday at Fuller's home.
In media interviews and on the Internet, Fuller, a former limousine driver and Census worker, has said he worked hard to get Giffords re-elected in her conservative-leaning district. He was going over questions he had prepared for the congresswoman, when the shooting began, he said in an interview with the television show "Democracy Now."
He was shot in the knee and back and drove himself to the hospital, where he spent two days.
"I didn't know how to calm myself down," he said on the TV show, "so I wrote down the Declaration of Independence, which I memorized some time ago. And that did help to organize my thoughts."
He also lashed out at conservative Republicans for "Second Amendment activism," arguing it set the stage for the shooting.
Fuller returned to the Safeway supermarket Friday, telling KPHO-TV he had always considered trauma a figment of imagination until the events of Jan. 8.
"Today I'm back on my feet, more or less, and I'm in a combative mood," Fuller said as he limped across the store parking lot. "It's helping me. I've never had any trauma like this in my life."
Later, he showed up at the home of accused gunman Jared Loughner, who lived within a half-mile of Fuller.
"He said he was going to forgive him for shooting him," Richard Elder, 86, a retired medical mechanic who lives next door to Fuller, told The Associated Press Sunday. "If anyone shot me, I don't think I'd say, 'Hey feller, that's alright.'"
Fuller posted about eight campaign signs in front of his house during the last election, including one for Giffords. And although Fuller was friendly, he acted odd sometimes, Elder said. Once, Fuller asked him if he was going to vote.
"I told him there are two things I don't talk about: politics or religion. I told him that, and he walked off without another word."
He said Fuller had shown him his bullet wounds and seemed to be dealing with the shooting well.
The man Fuller is accused of threatening, Tucson Tea Party co-founder Trent Humphries, said he was worried about the threat, and the dozens of other angry e-mails he has received.
"I had nothing to do with the murders that happened or the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords," said Humphries, who was on his way Sunday to attend services for his friend Dorwan Stoddard, 76. "And I wonder, if he (Fuller) is crazy or is he the canary in a coal mine? Is he saying what a lot of other people are holding in their hearts? If so, that's a problem."
At the Safeway, the flowers, teddy bears, candles and cards were growing.
Eduardo Ibarola sat quietly off to the side with a colorful beaded rosary in his hand. He had been praying all week but drove from Phoenix with his 5-year-old grandson to set his heart right.
"We came just so I could say my rosary. All I want is for those upstairs to hear my prayers," Ibarola said, adding that he had been thinking all week about the youngest victim, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green.
Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
If you don't have accurate details regarding , then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.
TUCSON, Ariz. – In yet another sign of significant recovery during a remarkable week, the gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was upgraded from critical to serious condition Sunday after a procedure to remove her from a ventilator was successful.
Doctors have been positive, and at time almost giddy, in describing her progress since she was shot point blank in the head Jan. 8.
Giffords responded from the moment she arrived at the emergency room, at first just squeezing a doctor's hand. Then she raised two fingers. She opened her unbandaged eye shortly after President Barack Obama's bedside visit Wednesday. Then, more milestones — which doctors said were all indicative of higher cognitive function — were achieved, all with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, at her side.
Kelly asked her to give him a thumbs-up if she could hear him. She did more than that. She slowly raised her left arm. By the end of the week, she had moved her legs and arms.
At the hospital, more than 100 people were gathered amid the sea of get-well balloons and cards when the University of Arizona put out a statement upgrading her condition.
"Oh, that's great news," said Jean Emrick, a 50-year resident of Tucson, as a violinist played in the background.
Her eyes watering, Emrick said: "Tucson is such a special place and she represents what's the best of southern Arizona."
As night fell, candles at the makeshift memorial began to flicker. A mariachi band played the "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Doctors decided to upgrade her condition because the tracheotomy done a day earlier was uneventful, hospital spokeswoman Katie Riley said. A feeding tube was also put in Saturday, and doctors speculated that they might soon know if she could speak.
Few people survive a bullet to the brain — just 10 percent — and some who do end up in a vegetative state. It is even more rare for people with gunshot wounds to the head to regain all of their abilities, and doctors have cautioned that the full extent of Giffords' recovery remains uncertain.
Giffords and 18 others were shot when a gunman opened fire at a meet-and-greet she was hosting outside a supermarket in her own hometown. Six people died, including Giffords' popular community outreach director, Gabe Zimmerman.
At funeral services for Zimmerman Sunday, Kelly told the some 700 people gathered that his wife was inspired by Zimmerman's idealism and warmth, according to the Arizona Republic.
"Gabby and I spoke often about Gabe. She loved him like a younger brother," Kelly said. "I know someday she'll get to tell you herself how she felt about Gabe."
Meanwhile, a week after the Tucson supermarket massacre, more details emerged about one of shooting victims who police said became distraught and was arrested during a televised town hall meeting.
James Eric Fuller, a self-described liberal and military veteran, started ranting at the end of the program Saturday. He took a picture of a local tea party leader and yelled "you're dead" before calling others in the church a bunch of "whores," authorities said.
Deputies called a doctor and decided he should be taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation, said Pima County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ogan said.
No one answered the door Sunday at Fuller's home.
In media interviews and on the Internet, Fuller, a former limousine driver and Census worker, has said he worked hard to get Giffords re-elected in her conservative-leaning district. He was going over questions he had prepared for the congresswoman, when the shooting began, he said in an interview with the television show "Democracy Now."
He was shot in the knee and back and drove himself to the hospital, where he spent two days.
"I didn't know how to calm myself down," he said on the TV show, "so I wrote down the Declaration of Independence, which I memorized some time ago. And that did help to organize my thoughts."
He also lashed out at conservative Republicans for "Second Amendment activism," arguing it set the stage for the shooting.
Fuller returned to the Safeway supermarket Friday, telling KPHO-TV he had always considered trauma a figment of imagination until the events of Jan. 8.
"Today I'm back on my feet, more or less, and I'm in a combative mood," Fuller said as he limped across the store parking lot. "It's helping me. I've never had any trauma like this in my life."
Later, he showed up at the home of accused gunman Jared Loughner, who lived within a half-mile of Fuller.
"He said he was going to forgive him for shooting him," Richard Elder, 86, a retired medical mechanic who lives next door to Fuller, told The Associated Press Sunday. "If anyone shot me, I don't think I'd say, 'Hey feller, that's alright.'"
Fuller posted about eight campaign signs in front of his house during the last election, including one for Giffords. And although Fuller was friendly, he acted odd sometimes, Elder said. Once, Fuller asked him if he was going to vote.
"I told him there are two things I don't talk about: politics or religion. I told him that, and he walked off without another word."
He said Fuller had shown him his bullet wounds and seemed to be dealing with the shooting well.
The man Fuller is accused of threatening, Tucson Tea Party co-founder Trent Humphries, said he was worried about the threat, and the dozens of other angry e-mails he has received.
"I had nothing to do with the murders that happened or the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords," said Humphries, who was on his way Sunday to attend services for his friend Dorwan Stoddard, 76. "And I wonder, if he (Fuller) is crazy or is he the canary in a coal mine? Is he saying what a lot of other people are holding in their hearts? If so, that's a problem."
At the Safeway, the flowers, teddy bears, candles and cards were growing.
Eduardo Ibarola sat quietly off to the side with a colorful beaded rosary in his hand. He had been praying all week but drove from Phoenix with his 5-year-old grandson to set his heart right.
"We came just so I could say my rosary. All I want is for those upstairs to hear my prayers," Ibarola said, adding that he had been thinking all week about the youngest victim, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green.
Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
Wednesday
People's Choice Awards Spiced Up By Katy Perry, 'Twilight,' Johnny Depp
Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about ? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about .
Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to than you may have first thought.
People choosing things is always a good reason to throw a huge party, right? At least that's what the folks behind the 2011 People's Choice Awards thought, so they tricked out this year's trophy handout with a super starry lineup of celebs and a few fun performances.
Host Queen Latifah kicked off the festivities with a huge musical number, barreling down the aisles of Los Angeles' Nokia Theater in a black suit, big jewels and casual kicks, flanked by scores of dancers thrusting their fists in the air to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite." The Queen even got the audience to join in the fun, as the sea of celebs waved their hands in the air as the hip-hop legend-turned-Hollywood player rhymed over the peppy track.
The performance set the tone for a night big on lighthearted appearances from entertainment A-listers. Jennifer Aniston handed out Favorite Comedic Star to funnyman Adam Sandler, who was also joined by David Spade and Rob Schneider to accept Favorite Comedy Movie for "Grown Ups."
"Black Swan" starlet Mila Kunis made her first awards-show appearance since her breakup with longtime beau Macaulay Culkin, chatting about having someone to always wake up to and keep her smiling before giving out the award for Favorite Talk Show Host to Conan O'Brien. "When you're up for an award and you're up against Oprah, you don't want to win. It makes Oprah very unhappy," the ginger-haired comic quipped about besting the TV titan before thanking fans for making 2010 "one of the best years of his life," despite his late-night drama with NBC.
One of the big star-power moments of the evening went down when pop legend Elton John strolled out to a standing ovation to present the award for Favorite Country Artist. Country princess Taylor Swift appeared genuinely awestruck when Sir Elton handed over the trophy, but remembered to congratulate the music luminary on becoming a new dad. "This award coming from you is such a showing of love," Swift told her fans of the accolade. The newly single singer also thanked her adoring public for being people she "can count on."
Selena Gomez & the Scene hit the stage to perform their track "A Year Without Rain." Gomez helmed the ballad in a flowing printed gown with a voluminous train and dangly hoop earrings as fog crept along the stage. The group wrapped up the performance with a special surprise when they were presented with the award for Favorite Breakout Artist.
Latifah showed off her sassy wit throughout the night, often copping to going off script, like when the audio from her mic got spotty and she jokingly blasted producers by proclaiming, "I'm the host! You can't cut me off!" Awards-show host extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris — who later shouted out his new twins in baby-talk when he nabbed Favorite TV Comedy Actor — gave her an A+ for handling the technical glitch when she checked in with him about her hosting skills. "Glee" star Jane Lynch made a plea to keep music education in schools when she took home the trophy for Favorite TV Comedy Actress and a buzz-cut-sporting Zac Efron won Favorite Movie Star Under 25.
Screen veteran Johnny Depp also made a rare awards-show appearance when he showed up to receive the award for Favorite Movie Actor. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star received a standing ovation when he took the stage, greeting presenter Taylor Swift (his daughter is a fan) and thanking the fans for the "stupefying honor."
Curvy reality sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé kept the dysfunctional family banter flowing when their hit "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" won Favorite TV Guilty Pleasure. The show also doled out snaps to popular Web distractions, and the Whittaker family took home Favorite Viral Video for the heartbreaking-yet-hilarious "Single Ladies" Devastation, which features the brood's youngest son dissolving into tears when his dad tells him he's not a "single lady" while his sisters rock out to the Beyoncé smash.
Although the show went down on Hump Day, Kid Rock hit the stage with his ode to weekend debauchery, "God Bless Saturday." The Detroit native outfitted the performance with all the trappings of cowboy-rocker superstardom, sporting a leather vest, tinted glasses and a cowboy hat and belting out the lyrics as hefty plumes of fire blasted from the stage.
Sporting a strapless, lavender tulle cocktail dress, Katy Perry plugged her summer 2011 tour when she loaded up on crystal trophies for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Online Sensation.
However, the entertainment sensation the record 175 million People's Choice voters were feeling the most was easily the "Twilight" phenomenon, a fact Latifah played up when she peppered Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson with inane questions like whether a vampire could chomp his way out of getting devoured by a wolf and if Bella were turning to zombies after romantic romps with werewolves and vamps. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" flick and cast scored four wins, with Stewart besting leading ladies like Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts for Favorite Movie Actress. The film also nabbed awards like Favorite Movie, which was presented by a newly pregnant Natalie Portman and her "No Strings Attached" co-star Ashton Kutcher.
Of course, it's impossible to put everything about into just one article. But you can't deny that you've just added to your understanding about , and that's time well spent.
Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to than you may have first thought.
People choosing things is always a good reason to throw a huge party, right? At least that's what the folks behind the 2011 People's Choice Awards thought, so they tricked out this year's trophy handout with a super starry lineup of celebs and a few fun performances.
Host Queen Latifah kicked off the festivities with a huge musical number, barreling down the aisles of Los Angeles' Nokia Theater in a black suit, big jewels and casual kicks, flanked by scores of dancers thrusting their fists in the air to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite." The Queen even got the audience to join in the fun, as the sea of celebs waved their hands in the air as the hip-hop legend-turned-Hollywood player rhymed over the peppy track.
The performance set the tone for a night big on lighthearted appearances from entertainment A-listers. Jennifer Aniston handed out Favorite Comedic Star to funnyman Adam Sandler, who was also joined by David Spade and Rob Schneider to accept Favorite Comedy Movie for "Grown Ups."
"Black Swan" starlet Mila Kunis made her first awards-show appearance since her breakup with longtime beau Macaulay Culkin, chatting about having someone to always wake up to and keep her smiling before giving out the award for Favorite Talk Show Host to Conan O'Brien. "When you're up for an award and you're up against Oprah, you don't want to win. It makes Oprah very unhappy," the ginger-haired comic quipped about besting the TV titan before thanking fans for making 2010 "one of the best years of his life," despite his late-night drama with NBC.
One of the big star-power moments of the evening went down when pop legend Elton John strolled out to a standing ovation to present the award for Favorite Country Artist. Country princess Taylor Swift appeared genuinely awestruck when Sir Elton handed over the trophy, but remembered to congratulate the music luminary on becoming a new dad. "This award coming from you is such a showing of love," Swift told her fans of the accolade. The newly single singer also thanked her adoring public for being people she "can count on."
Selena Gomez & the Scene hit the stage to perform their track "A Year Without Rain." Gomez helmed the ballad in a flowing printed gown with a voluminous train and dangly hoop earrings as fog crept along the stage. The group wrapped up the performance with a special surprise when they were presented with the award for Favorite Breakout Artist.
Latifah showed off her sassy wit throughout the night, often copping to going off script, like when the audio from her mic got spotty and she jokingly blasted producers by proclaiming, "I'm the host! You can't cut me off!" Awards-show host extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris — who later shouted out his new twins in baby-talk when he nabbed Favorite TV Comedy Actor — gave her an A+ for handling the technical glitch when she checked in with him about her hosting skills. "Glee" star Jane Lynch made a plea to keep music education in schools when she took home the trophy for Favorite TV Comedy Actress and a buzz-cut-sporting Zac Efron won Favorite Movie Star Under 25.
Screen veteran Johnny Depp also made a rare awards-show appearance when he showed up to receive the award for Favorite Movie Actor. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star received a standing ovation when he took the stage, greeting presenter Taylor Swift (his daughter is a fan) and thanking the fans for the "stupefying honor."
Curvy reality sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé kept the dysfunctional family banter flowing when their hit "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" won Favorite TV Guilty Pleasure. The show also doled out snaps to popular Web distractions, and the Whittaker family took home Favorite Viral Video for the heartbreaking-yet-hilarious "Single Ladies" Devastation, which features the brood's youngest son dissolving into tears when his dad tells him he's not a "single lady" while his sisters rock out to the Beyoncé smash.
Although the show went down on Hump Day, Kid Rock hit the stage with his ode to weekend debauchery, "God Bless Saturday." The Detroit native outfitted the performance with all the trappings of cowboy-rocker superstardom, sporting a leather vest, tinted glasses and a cowboy hat and belting out the lyrics as hefty plumes of fire blasted from the stage.
Sporting a strapless, lavender tulle cocktail dress, Katy Perry plugged her summer 2011 tour when she loaded up on crystal trophies for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Online Sensation.
However, the entertainment sensation the record 175 million People's Choice voters were feeling the most was easily the "Twilight" phenomenon, a fact Latifah played up when she peppered Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson with inane questions like whether a vampire could chomp his way out of getting devoured by a wolf and if Bella were turning to zombies after romantic romps with werewolves and vamps. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" flick and cast scored four wins, with Stewart besting leading ladies like Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts for Favorite Movie Actress. The film also nabbed awards like Favorite Movie, which was presented by a newly pregnant Natalie Portman and her "No Strings Attached" co-star Ashton Kutcher.
Of course, it's impossible to put everything about into just one article. But you can't deny that you've just added to your understanding about , and that's time well spent.
Telangana report: Chidambaram says 'read with open mind'
The following paragraphs summarize the work of experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of . Heed their advice to avoid any surprises.
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh waits on edge as a report that could decide the state's future is discussed in Delhi between the Home Minister and the leaders of five different political parties from the state. Three main parties - Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, the BJP, and K Chandrasekhar Rao's TRS - are boycotting the meeting. They say there's nothing to discuss - a separate state for Telangana has to be created. "I deeply regret the stand taken by them. It does scant justice to the valuable work done," said Home Minister P Chidambaram at the meeting. "Nevertheless, I propose to send a copy of the report to the parties that have chosen to stay away," he said.
He then added, "I would urge you to read the report and the recommendations with an open mind and be prepared to persuade, and to be persuaded by, people who hold another point of view." The Home Minister suggested that the group meet again later this month after regional leaders have read the report.
The document that will be made public after the Home Minister's session has been prepared by the Srikrishna Committee which was set up in February 2010 with the tough agenda of unraveling what "all sections of society" feel about the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. There are three regions - Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Those from Telangana want Hyderabad as the capital of a new state. The other two regions object strongly, not least because of Hyderabad's commercial success as an IT mecca.
The issue is so complex that even the ruling Congress finds itself struggling to keep its politicians from Andhra Pradesh together. Leaders from Telangana met the Congress' central leaders last night and said they will not surrender their demand for a new state. In recent weeks, Congress MPs and MLAs from the Telangana region have threatened to resign if the union government does not stand by them.
However, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said last night, "I also do not know what is in the report. Experts have gone into the issue (Telangana) in detail. Let us wait for them to submit the report. Let us see what is in it before making comments."
Back at home, shops in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana have been fortified against stone-pelting and other attacks.
The Srikrishna Committee does not state whether it's in favour of a new state for Telangana. Instead, it lists between four to six options for the union government to consider. Among them:
* Consider 'escalatory' model starting with small steps
* Divide state if 'escalatory' model does not work
* Hyderabad to be union territory if Telangana state is sanctioned
* Constitutional guarantees for different regions without dividing state
Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on .
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh waits on edge as a report that could decide the state's future is discussed in Delhi between the Home Minister and the leaders of five different political parties from the state. Three main parties - Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, the BJP, and K Chandrasekhar Rao's TRS - are boycotting the meeting. They say there's nothing to discuss - a separate state for Telangana has to be created. "I deeply regret the stand taken by them. It does scant justice to the valuable work done," said Home Minister P Chidambaram at the meeting. "Nevertheless, I propose to send a copy of the report to the parties that have chosen to stay away," he said.
He then added, "I would urge you to read the report and the recommendations with an open mind and be prepared to persuade, and to be persuaded by, people who hold another point of view." The Home Minister suggested that the group meet again later this month after regional leaders have read the report.
The document that will be made public after the Home Minister's session has been prepared by the Srikrishna Committee which was set up in February 2010 with the tough agenda of unraveling what "all sections of society" feel about the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. There are three regions - Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Those from Telangana want Hyderabad as the capital of a new state. The other two regions object strongly, not least because of Hyderabad's commercial success as an IT mecca.
The issue is so complex that even the ruling Congress finds itself struggling to keep its politicians from Andhra Pradesh together. Leaders from Telangana met the Congress' central leaders last night and said they will not surrender their demand for a new state. In recent weeks, Congress MPs and MLAs from the Telangana region have threatened to resign if the union government does not stand by them.
However, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said last night, "I also do not know what is in the report. Experts have gone into the issue (Telangana) in detail. Let us wait for them to submit the report. Let us see what is in it before making comments."
Back at home, shops in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana have been fortified against stone-pelting and other attacks.
The Srikrishna Committee does not state whether it's in favour of a new state for Telangana. Instead, it lists between four to six options for the union government to consider. Among them:
* Consider 'escalatory' model starting with small steps
* Divide state if 'escalatory' model does not work
* Hyderabad to be union territory if Telangana state is sanctioned
* Constitutional guarantees for different regions without dividing state
Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on .
Elizabeth Edwards' will leaves everything to her children
When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
The best time to learn about is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable experience while it's still free.
(CNN) -- Elizabeth Edwards left everything to her children, with no mention of her estranged husband, John Edwards, in her will.
"All of my furniture, furnishings, household goods, jewelry, china, silverware and personal effects and any automobiles ... to be divided among them ..." Edwards says in the document dated December 1.
It names her daughter, 28-year-old Catharine, as the executor of the will.
Elizabeth Edwards died on December 7 after a battle with breast cancer. She was 61.
Edwards has three children -- Catharine, Emma and John. Her son, Wade, died in a 1996 car crash.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her husband lost his bid for vice president in November 2004.
In 2006, after her initial cancer diagnosis, she wrote "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers," which chronicled the aftermath of her son's death and her battle with the disease.
In 2008, months after withdrawing from the presidential race, John Edwards admitted that tabloid claims about an extramarital affair with former campaign videographer Rielle Hunter were true.
Eventually, he also admitted to fathering a child with Hunter -- an allegation he initially denied even after conceding the affair.
John Edwards said the affair happened in 2006 while his wife's cancer was in remission. He claimed he informed his wife at the time and asked for her forgiveness.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press after her husband admitted to his affair, Elizabeth Edwards said the incident helped her focus on resuming her role as an advocate for the poor and for health care reform. She also said it pushed her to refocus on her role as a mother.
In a September interview on "The Nate Berkus Show," Edwards was asked what she sees when she looks at her estranged husband, John Edwards.
"I see the father of my children, and that's very important to me," she said. "Particularly since I have a terminal disease, this is the person who at some point will take over the primary parenting, and it's important to me that he heal, if he needs to."
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in . When people start looking for more information about , you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
The best time to learn about is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable experience while it's still free.
(CNN) -- Elizabeth Edwards left everything to her children, with no mention of her estranged husband, John Edwards, in her will.
"All of my furniture, furnishings, household goods, jewelry, china, silverware and personal effects and any automobiles ... to be divided among them ..." Edwards says in the document dated December 1.
It names her daughter, 28-year-old Catharine, as the executor of the will.
Elizabeth Edwards died on December 7 after a battle with breast cancer. She was 61.
Edwards has three children -- Catharine, Emma and John. Her son, Wade, died in a 1996 car crash.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her husband lost his bid for vice president in November 2004.
In 2006, after her initial cancer diagnosis, she wrote "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers," which chronicled the aftermath of her son's death and her battle with the disease.
In 2008, months after withdrawing from the presidential race, John Edwards admitted that tabloid claims about an extramarital affair with former campaign videographer Rielle Hunter were true.
Eventually, he also admitted to fathering a child with Hunter -- an allegation he initially denied even after conceding the affair.
John Edwards said the affair happened in 2006 while his wife's cancer was in remission. He claimed he informed his wife at the time and asked for her forgiveness.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press after her husband admitted to his affair, Elizabeth Edwards said the incident helped her focus on resuming her role as an advocate for the poor and for health care reform. She also said it pushed her to refocus on her role as a mother.
In a September interview on "The Nate Berkus Show," Edwards was asked what she sees when she looks at her estranged husband, John Edwards.
"I see the father of my children, and that's very important to me," she said. "Particularly since I have a terminal disease, this is the person who at some point will take over the primary parenting, and it's important to me that he heal, if he needs to."
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in . When people start looking for more information about , you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
Erase 10 years from head to toe
Do you ever feel like you know just enough about to be dangerous? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from experts.
See how much you can learn about when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.
If you want to look younger than you are, it helps to consider the total package. Because women who look forever 31 don’t just have great complexions, they also have, "thick hair, smooth hands … even a whiter smile," says New York City dermatologist Marsha Gordon, MD.
So, how do you become one of those lucky types who goes to her class reunion and elicits comments like, "Wow, she hasn’t aged a bit!"? Follow these age-proofing tips that start with your head (well, your hair) and end with your toes (even they can date you, believe it or not).
Give your hair a boost
Hair naturally thins as you get older, so anything you can do to counteract that process will help you stay gorgeous. Volumizing shampoos are great, but the most effective (and quickest) youth boost comes courtesy of a volumizing spray gel. "These sprays are like a collagen injection for your hair," says Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. The key, Rhys notes, is not to spray it all over your crown but to get it onto the underside of your hair, near the roots.
Health.com: How to brighten up your blah hair color
Get younger-acting skin
The old way of thinking about your face was that if you could just get rid of a few wrinkles, you’d take years off your looks. While that may be true, it’s not just wrinkles that make you look older, according to a study in Evolution and Human Behavior; skin tone and luminosity also affect your perceived age. Luckily, the newest anti-aging products have been formulated to take all the signs of aging into account, tricking your skin into acting like it did back in your 20s. With adenosine, a collagen-stimulating molecule found naturally in your skin’s DNA, and biolysat, which stimulates your skin’s own repair process, they're able to not only reduce wrinkles but improve texture, tone, and radiance, as well.
Health.com: 7 ways you're aging your skin
Use a redness-reducing concealer
"You may not realize it, but redness and visible blood vessels on your cheeks and nose are another sign of sun damage, and they do make you look older," Dr. Gordon says. The best way to get rid of the red is with a laser treatment, which can cost up to $500 or more at the dermatologist’s office. If you’re not ready to spend that kind of cash, a yellow-based concealer, can do wonders. Dot the concealer over any red areas—pay special attention to the notoriously rosy crevices near your nostrils—tap it into skin with your ring finger, then smooth on your favorite tinted moisturizer or a foundation that matches your skin tone.
Brighten your smile
"Stains accumulate on your teeth as you age, so whiter teeth make you look younger," says Lana Rozenberg, DDS, a dentist in New York City. In-office light-activated whitening treatments can take you up to eight shades whiter (at a cost of up to $1,000), but you can now get similar results at home. Some come with a handheld light that activates the included whitening gel; three back-to-back 10-minute sessions with the light will brighten your teeth up to five shades. Caution: Because these new whitening systems are more effective than ever, it’s easy to go overboard—which can look fake. “Just make sure your teeth aren’t whiter than the whites of your eyes,” Dr. Rozenberg says.
Health.com: 20 things that can ruin your smile
Spritz a zesty scent
Weird but true: People may think you look up to five years younger if you’re sporting a grapefruit scent, according to a study at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Make that little bit of science work in your favor by picking a spray balanced by vetiver and rosemary, so it comes off bright and fresh, not grapefruit-juice acidic.
De-freckle your chest
Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live skit about a chest-freckle concealer called "Checkles" may have been a joke, but the aging effect of decolletage spots is for real. "The number-one cause is, once again, the sun," Dr. Gordon says. Wear sunscreen to prevent the development of more blemishes, and switch up your regular body lotion for one that includes spot-reducing ingredients.
Baby your hands
Dry skin makes fine lines and ropy-looking veins more visible, so something as simple as applying an antioxidant-rich moisturizer can make hands feel softer and look fresher. "I tell my patients to apply moisturizer and always wear gloves in the winter," Dr. Gordon explains. "It's not just the sun that causes damage—cold winds suck the moisture right out of your hands, which can make them look older, if only temporarily."
Don’t yo-yo diet
You don't necessarily need to drop pounds to shave a few years off your looks. (In fact, a study in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery suggests that after age 40, a lower BMI can actually make some women look older.) Rather, it's important to do your best to get to a healthy weight and stick to it through the years. "Rapid weight gain or loss can cause visible changes in the skin, such as stretch marks and laxity," says Jennifer Linder, MD, a dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. Healthy living is nature’s beauty treatment: "If you drink plenty of water and consistently eat a healthy diet, your skin will look better."
Health.com: 15 big benefits of water
Make over your legs
Varicose and spider veins are an instant ager, and the most effective way to remove them is with sclerotherapy, Dr. Linder says. "The procedure involves injecting a therapeutic solution into the veins, which causes them to collapse," she explains of the in-office treatment, which can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,000, depending on the number, size, and location of the veins. For a quicker fix—which will also hide spots and scars you’ve accumulated over the years—try a leg-perfecting lotion or spray.
Fix up your feet
Age makes you wiser, more confident, more successful—but it doesn’t do much for your feet. "The constant pressure feet endure can lead to dry, callused skin," Dr. Linder explains. Nothing gets soles smoother than a foot file. Use it at the end of your shower, then follow up with a rich cream that contains at least 10 percent lactic acid. (If your rough feet are accompanied by yellowed nails, get those toes to a doctor; you could have a fungal infection.) Final tip: Pick a bright, fun toenail polish like hot pink instead of a staid shade like mauve.
Knowing enough about to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about , you should have nothing to worry about.
See how much you can learn about when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.
If you want to look younger than you are, it helps to consider the total package. Because women who look forever 31 don’t just have great complexions, they also have, "thick hair, smooth hands … even a whiter smile," says New York City dermatologist Marsha Gordon, MD.
So, how do you become one of those lucky types who goes to her class reunion and elicits comments like, "Wow, she hasn’t aged a bit!"? Follow these age-proofing tips that start with your head (well, your hair) and end with your toes (even they can date you, believe it or not).
Give your hair a boost
Hair naturally thins as you get older, so anything you can do to counteract that process will help you stay gorgeous. Volumizing shampoos are great, but the most effective (and quickest) youth boost comes courtesy of a volumizing spray gel. "These sprays are like a collagen injection for your hair," says Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. The key, Rhys notes, is not to spray it all over your crown but to get it onto the underside of your hair, near the roots.
Health.com: How to brighten up your blah hair color
Get younger-acting skin
The old way of thinking about your face was that if you could just get rid of a few wrinkles, you’d take years off your looks. While that may be true, it’s not just wrinkles that make you look older, according to a study in Evolution and Human Behavior; skin tone and luminosity also affect your perceived age. Luckily, the newest anti-aging products have been formulated to take all the signs of aging into account, tricking your skin into acting like it did back in your 20s. With adenosine, a collagen-stimulating molecule found naturally in your skin’s DNA, and biolysat, which stimulates your skin’s own repair process, they're able to not only reduce wrinkles but improve texture, tone, and radiance, as well.
Health.com: 7 ways you're aging your skin
Use a redness-reducing concealer
"You may not realize it, but redness and visible blood vessels on your cheeks and nose are another sign of sun damage, and they do make you look older," Dr. Gordon says. The best way to get rid of the red is with a laser treatment, which can cost up to $500 or more at the dermatologist’s office. If you’re not ready to spend that kind of cash, a yellow-based concealer, can do wonders. Dot the concealer over any red areas—pay special attention to the notoriously rosy crevices near your nostrils—tap it into skin with your ring finger, then smooth on your favorite tinted moisturizer or a foundation that matches your skin tone.
Brighten your smile
"Stains accumulate on your teeth as you age, so whiter teeth make you look younger," says Lana Rozenberg, DDS, a dentist in New York City. In-office light-activated whitening treatments can take you up to eight shades whiter (at a cost of up to $1,000), but you can now get similar results at home. Some come with a handheld light that activates the included whitening gel; three back-to-back 10-minute sessions with the light will brighten your teeth up to five shades. Caution: Because these new whitening systems are more effective than ever, it’s easy to go overboard—which can look fake. “Just make sure your teeth aren’t whiter than the whites of your eyes,” Dr. Rozenberg says.
Health.com: 20 things that can ruin your smile
Spritz a zesty scent
Weird but true: People may think you look up to five years younger if you’re sporting a grapefruit scent, according to a study at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Make that little bit of science work in your favor by picking a spray balanced by vetiver and rosemary, so it comes off bright and fresh, not grapefruit-juice acidic.
De-freckle your chest
Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live skit about a chest-freckle concealer called "Checkles" may have been a joke, but the aging effect of decolletage spots is for real. "The number-one cause is, once again, the sun," Dr. Gordon says. Wear sunscreen to prevent the development of more blemishes, and switch up your regular body lotion for one that includes spot-reducing ingredients.
Baby your hands
Dry skin makes fine lines and ropy-looking veins more visible, so something as simple as applying an antioxidant-rich moisturizer can make hands feel softer and look fresher. "I tell my patients to apply moisturizer and always wear gloves in the winter," Dr. Gordon explains. "It's not just the sun that causes damage—cold winds suck the moisture right out of your hands, which can make them look older, if only temporarily."
Don’t yo-yo diet
You don't necessarily need to drop pounds to shave a few years off your looks. (In fact, a study in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery suggests that after age 40, a lower BMI can actually make some women look older.) Rather, it's important to do your best to get to a healthy weight and stick to it through the years. "Rapid weight gain or loss can cause visible changes in the skin, such as stretch marks and laxity," says Jennifer Linder, MD, a dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. Healthy living is nature’s beauty treatment: "If you drink plenty of water and consistently eat a healthy diet, your skin will look better."
Health.com: 15 big benefits of water
Make over your legs
Varicose and spider veins are an instant ager, and the most effective way to remove them is with sclerotherapy, Dr. Linder says. "The procedure involves injecting a therapeutic solution into the veins, which causes them to collapse," she explains of the in-office treatment, which can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,000, depending on the number, size, and location of the veins. For a quicker fix—which will also hide spots and scars you’ve accumulated over the years—try a leg-perfecting lotion or spray.
Fix up your feet
Age makes you wiser, more confident, more successful—but it doesn’t do much for your feet. "The constant pressure feet endure can lead to dry, callused skin," Dr. Linder explains. Nothing gets soles smoother than a foot file. Use it at the end of your shower, then follow up with a rich cream that contains at least 10 percent lactic acid. (If your rough feet are accompanied by yellowed nails, get those toes to a doctor; you could have a fungal infection.) Final tip: Pick a bright, fun toenail polish like hot pink instead of a staid shade like mauve.
Knowing enough about to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about , you should have nothing to worry about.
Gibbs stepping down as White House press secretary
The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you'll find that the subject of is certainly no exception.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
It's official: Robert Gibbs is leaving his post as White House press secretary.
One of President Obama's most seasoned and trusted advisers, Gibbs tells the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny that he will leave the podium in early February to lend outside assistance to the president's re-election campaign. He broke the news to this staff at a meeting earlier Wednesday morning.
No successor has been named, but Gibbs says a successor should be in place within two weeks. Among the names bandied about lately as a replacement: Deputy Press Secretaries Bill Burton and Josh Earnest, as well as Vice President Joe Biden's spokesman, Jay Carney.
[Rewind: Gibbs' bold move during Obama's India visit]
This will be a major season of transition for the Obama White House on the eve of the president's 2012 re-election bid. In coming weeks, David Axelrod, the president's longtime political adviser, will exit the White House to work for the campaign. Gibbs and Axelrod have worked for Obama dating back to his 2004 run for Senate. Axelrod will be replaced by David Plouffe, who ran Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
At the same time, Obama is looking for a new chief of staff. Rahm Emanuel quit in October to run for mayor of Chicago, and Pete Rouse (who had been Obama's chief of staff in the Senate) temporarily stepped in but reportedly doesn't want the job permanently. The president is said to be eyeing Bill Daley, President Clinton's former Commerce secretary.
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in . When people start looking for more information about , you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
It's official: Robert Gibbs is leaving his post as White House press secretary.
One of President Obama's most seasoned and trusted advisers, Gibbs tells the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny that he will leave the podium in early February to lend outside assistance to the president's re-election campaign. He broke the news to this staff at a meeting earlier Wednesday morning.
No successor has been named, but Gibbs says a successor should be in place within two weeks. Among the names bandied about lately as a replacement: Deputy Press Secretaries Bill Burton and Josh Earnest, as well as Vice President Joe Biden's spokesman, Jay Carney.
[Rewind: Gibbs' bold move during Obama's India visit]
This will be a major season of transition for the Obama White House on the eve of the president's 2012 re-election bid. In coming weeks, David Axelrod, the president's longtime political adviser, will exit the White House to work for the campaign. Gibbs and Axelrod have worked for Obama dating back to his 2004 run for Senate. Axelrod will be replaced by David Plouffe, who ran Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
At the same time, Obama is looking for a new chief of staff. Rahm Emanuel quit in October to run for mayor of Chicago, and Pete Rouse (who had been Obama's chief of staff in the Senate) temporarily stepped in but reportedly doesn't want the job permanently. The president is said to be eyeing Bill Daley, President Clinton's former Commerce secretary.
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in . When people start looking for more information about , you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
Gemma Arterton joins
So what is really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about --info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.
Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British James Bond babe Gemma Arterton is attached to join Jeremy Renner in a "Hansel and Gretel" movie that depicts the fairy-tale pair as bounty hunters.
Paramount is on the cusp of triggering production on "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a dark action movie to be directed by Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow"). Shooting is set to begin in Berlin March 7. The project comes from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Prods. label,
Arterton ("Quantum of Solace") snagged the role over an international lineup including Diane Kruger ("Inglourious Basterds"), Eva Green (" Casino Royale ") and Noomi Rapace ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo").
Scheduling, as always, has been in an issue, since Renner is committed to shoot "The Avengers" just eight weeks after he does " Mission: Impossible : Ghost Protocol." "Witch Hunters" will thread the needle between them.
Paramount is also hustling "Hansel and Gretel" forward to try and get ahead of Fox's adaptation of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ," which director Timur Bekmambetov (" Wanted ") will begin shooting in 3D this year for a June 2012 release. The literary adaptation concerns Lincoln's (fictional) efforts to keep the bloodsuckers from preying on slaves.
Sometimes it's tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I'm positive you'll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.
Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British James Bond babe Gemma Arterton is attached to join Jeremy Renner in a "Hansel and Gretel" movie that depicts the fairy-tale pair as bounty hunters.
Paramount is on the cusp of triggering production on "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a dark action movie to be directed by Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow"). Shooting is set to begin in Berlin March 7. The project comes from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Prods. label,
Arterton ("Quantum of Solace") snagged the role over an international lineup including Diane Kruger ("Inglourious Basterds"), Eva Green (" Casino Royale ") and Noomi Rapace ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo").
Scheduling, as always, has been in an issue, since Renner is committed to shoot "The Avengers" just eight weeks after he does " Mission: Impossible : Ghost Protocol." "Witch Hunters" will thread the needle between them.
Paramount is also hustling "Hansel and Gretel" forward to try and get ahead of Fox's adaptation of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ," which director Timur Bekmambetov (" Wanted ") will begin shooting in 3D this year for a June 2012 release. The literary adaptation concerns Lincoln's (fictional) efforts to keep the bloodsuckers from preying on slaves.
Sometimes it's tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I'm positive you'll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.
Famous ‘shoe tree’ chopped down by dastardly vandals
If you're seriously interested in knowing about , you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about .
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about . But don't be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
Has someone declared war on America's beloved shoe trees? (And we're not talking about this version of "shoe tree.")
The world's largest shoe tree -- located along U.S. 50 in Nevada about 125 miles east of Reno -- was callously chopped down by vandals. And last summer, a well-known shoe tree in Idaho burned to the ground.
Nevada's landmark shoe tree -- a spot where travelers on "the loneliest road in America" have stopped for decades to deposit their boots, sneakers, pumps and even roller blades -- is rumored to have come into being years ago after a quarreling couple tossed each others' shoes into the 70-foot cottonwood tree on their wedding night. Others, for some reason, felt compelled to follow suit, and soon a full-fledged phenomenon was born.
[Incredible photos: See a cube-shaped, 'invisible' treehouse]
(You can check out a gallery of earlier photos of the Nevada tree here.)
Indeed, shoe trees have become a quirky slice of Americana often sought out by generations of road-trippers. Roadside America -- which bills itself as an "online guide to offbeat tourist attractions" -- wrote that shoe trees "may be the greatest embodiment of the American Spirit you can find on the highway" and explained how they flourish thusly:
A shoe tree starts with one dreamer, tossing his or her footwear-of-old high into the sky, to catch on an out-of-reach branch. It usually end there, unseen and neglected by others. But on rare occasions, that first pair of shoes triggers a shoe tossing cascade. Soon, teens are gathering up their old Adidas and Sauconys, families are driving out after church with Dad's Reeboks and grandma's Keds. Many inscribe messages on the sneakers in permanent marker -- greetings, love poems and life accomplishments.
The Associated Press reports that the Middlegate, Nevada, shoe tree was cut down late Thursday or early Friday and that "fresh sawdust was found on the snow" by authorities. A memorial for the tree will be held by local residents on Feb. 13.
There's no doubt that the topic of can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about , you may find what you're looking for in the next article.
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about . But don't be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
Has someone declared war on America's beloved shoe trees? (And we're not talking about this version of "shoe tree.")
The world's largest shoe tree -- located along U.S. 50 in Nevada about 125 miles east of Reno -- was callously chopped down by vandals. And last summer, a well-known shoe tree in Idaho burned to the ground.
Nevada's landmark shoe tree -- a spot where travelers on "the loneliest road in America" have stopped for decades to deposit their boots, sneakers, pumps and even roller blades -- is rumored to have come into being years ago after a quarreling couple tossed each others' shoes into the 70-foot cottonwood tree on their wedding night. Others, for some reason, felt compelled to follow suit, and soon a full-fledged phenomenon was born.
[Incredible photos: See a cube-shaped, 'invisible' treehouse]
(You can check out a gallery of earlier photos of the Nevada tree here.)
Indeed, shoe trees have become a quirky slice of Americana often sought out by generations of road-trippers. Roadside America -- which bills itself as an "online guide to offbeat tourist attractions" -- wrote that shoe trees "may be the greatest embodiment of the American Spirit you can find on the highway" and explained how they flourish thusly:
A shoe tree starts with one dreamer, tossing his or her footwear-of-old high into the sky, to catch on an out-of-reach branch. It usually end there, unseen and neglected by others. But on rare occasions, that first pair of shoes triggers a shoe tossing cascade. Soon, teens are gathering up their old Adidas and Sauconys, families are driving out after church with Dad's Reeboks and grandma's Keds. Many inscribe messages on the sneakers in permanent marker -- greetings, love poems and life accomplishments.
The Associated Press reports that the Middlegate, Nevada, shoe tree was cut down late Thursday or early Friday and that "fresh sawdust was found on the snow" by authorities. A memorial for the tree will be held by local residents on Feb. 13.
There's no doubt that the topic of can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about , you may find what you're looking for in the next article.
The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011
In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
It’s 2011, believe it or not, and there's a whole new crop of movies to look forward to from Norse gods, to Swedish hackers, to Kermit the Frog. We've put together a list of some of the most anticipated flicks of the year. Keep reading.
Thor (May 6) -- You'll have to wait until 2012 for the A-list superheroes like Spider Man, Batman and even Superman to return to your local megaplex. In the meantime, there's "Thor." Unlike those others, this superhero is not a millionaire with a dark side or a high school kid with unusual insect bites. No. Thor is a god! This movie gives fans a chance to see the mighty warrior (played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth) in his own flick. You'll see him next fighting along side Iron Man and the Hulk in the hotly anticipated "Avengers" movie, which also comes out in 2012.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20) -- Jack Sparrow is back, which isn't surprising considering the huge piles of booty raked in by the last three flicks. This time Sparrow teams up with his old nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffery Rush) and his old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz) to track down the Fountain of Youth. Blocking their path is Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and a host of supernatural baddies that includes zombies and mermaids.
[See also: Newest Bond girl cast for 'Hansel and Gretel']
The Hangover, Part II (May 26) -- If there's one place on the planet that can top Vegas in terms of sin, it's the red-light districts of Thailand. And that's where Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head for Stu's (Ed Helms) bachelor party. It's safe to assume that the party goes horribly wrong. The production landed itself in the news last year with word of two high-profile cameos. Bill Clinton appears briefly, perhaps the only ex-president out there appropriate for a "Hangover" movie. Mel Gibson, after a lot of screaming and yelling, will not be in the flick.
See More Movies of 2011 Here >>
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1) -- "Transformers 2" might have made over $400 million domestically, but just about everyone from hardcore fans to producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura to star Shia LeBeouf admits that the movie just wasn't that good. Michael Bay has promised that this flick will be better and reportedly will have cooler action and less "dorky comedy." Also absent from this go-around is Megan Fox, replaced by Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
[Photos: The top 10 box office movies of 2010 ]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15) -- It's taken just about ten years for everyone's favorite boy wizard to have his final face-off with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. While the previous Potter movie, the first half of J.K. Rowling's tome, started with some high-flying action (literally) only to level into a long stretch of angst, exile and self-doubt, this movie looks like it's going to be one long breathless chase to that wizarding Gotterdammerung, the battle of Hogwarts.
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29) -- Han Solo and James Bond star in a Western about aliens. Do you really need to know more? It's a veritable tiramisu of Fanboy awesomeness. Jon Favereau of "Iron Man" fame directs.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 (November 18) -- After the wild success of "Eclipse," Twi-hards everywhere are waiting with bated breath to see how Stephenie Meyer's final book in the Twilight series is going to be adapted. Thematically, "Breaking Dawn" is marked with less moony-eyed longing than the previous books and with more shocks, including a graphic, not to mention icky, child-birthing scene. How can this movie possibly be faithful to the text and keep a tween-friendly rating of PG-13? The producers are remaining tight-lipped about the whole thing, but they did bring in Oscar-winning filmmaker Bill Condon to direct. We'll see if the "Dreamgirls" director can find a way to satisfy both fans and the MPAA.
The Muppets (November 23) -- Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear and the rest of the gang is finally getting a reboot after a twelve year absence from the silver screen. The same guys responsible for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller -- wrote the screenplay, so expect the same silly comic sensibility as "Marshall" -- though presumably with a lot less nudity. There are few public details about "The Muppets" although Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis, Paul Rudd and Ricky Gervais along with Segel do reportedly star.
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (December 16) -- Tom Cruise reprises his role as the seemingly indestructible IMF agent, Ethan Hunt. Not much is known about the plot aside from a couple of pictures with Cruise dangling from the tallest building in the world -- Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If that seems incredible, it's just as well. The movie's director, Brad Bird, previously directed "The Incredibles." Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Josh Holloway, and Simon Pegg also star.
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21) -- Stieg Larsson's book might just be one of the most compulsively readable books out there; it's a relentlessly riveting murder mystery that turns the popular view of Sweden from a nice quiet country that makes great furniture to a hotbed of family jealousy, investigative journalism and hidden crimes. It also features one of the most memorable literary characters in memory -- the punk-rock hacker savant Lisabeth Salander. It's not surprising then that film producers snatched up the movie rights faster than you can say lutefisk. A well-crafted European version of the movie came out in '09, but now it's Hollywood's turn, featuring director David Fincher, fresh off his soon-to-be-Oscar-winning flick "The Social Network" and starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Rooney Mara as Salander.
That's the latest from the authorities. Once you're familiar with these ideas, you'll be ready to move to the next level.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
It’s 2011, believe it or not, and there's a whole new crop of movies to look forward to from Norse gods, to Swedish hackers, to Kermit the Frog. We've put together a list of some of the most anticipated flicks of the year. Keep reading.
Thor (May 6) -- You'll have to wait until 2012 for the A-list superheroes like Spider Man, Batman and even Superman to return to your local megaplex. In the meantime, there's "Thor." Unlike those others, this superhero is not a millionaire with a dark side or a high school kid with unusual insect bites. No. Thor is a god! This movie gives fans a chance to see the mighty warrior (played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth) in his own flick. You'll see him next fighting along side Iron Man and the Hulk in the hotly anticipated "Avengers" movie, which also comes out in 2012.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20) -- Jack Sparrow is back, which isn't surprising considering the huge piles of booty raked in by the last three flicks. This time Sparrow teams up with his old nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffery Rush) and his old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz) to track down the Fountain of Youth. Blocking their path is Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and a host of supernatural baddies that includes zombies and mermaids.
[See also: Newest Bond girl cast for 'Hansel and Gretel']
The Hangover, Part II (May 26) -- If there's one place on the planet that can top Vegas in terms of sin, it's the red-light districts of Thailand. And that's where Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head for Stu's (Ed Helms) bachelor party. It's safe to assume that the party goes horribly wrong. The production landed itself in the news last year with word of two high-profile cameos. Bill Clinton appears briefly, perhaps the only ex-president out there appropriate for a "Hangover" movie. Mel Gibson, after a lot of screaming and yelling, will not be in the flick.
See More Movies of 2011 Here >>
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1) -- "Transformers 2" might have made over $400 million domestically, but just about everyone from hardcore fans to producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura to star Shia LeBeouf admits that the movie just wasn't that good. Michael Bay has promised that this flick will be better and reportedly will have cooler action and less "dorky comedy." Also absent from this go-around is Megan Fox, replaced by Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
[Photos: The top 10 box office movies of 2010 ]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15) -- It's taken just about ten years for everyone's favorite boy wizard to have his final face-off with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. While the previous Potter movie, the first half of J.K. Rowling's tome, started with some high-flying action (literally) only to level into a long stretch of angst, exile and self-doubt, this movie looks like it's going to be one long breathless chase to that wizarding Gotterdammerung, the battle of Hogwarts.
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29) -- Han Solo and James Bond star in a Western about aliens. Do you really need to know more? It's a veritable tiramisu of Fanboy awesomeness. Jon Favereau of "Iron Man" fame directs.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 (November 18) -- After the wild success of "Eclipse," Twi-hards everywhere are waiting with bated breath to see how Stephenie Meyer's final book in the Twilight series is going to be adapted. Thematically, "Breaking Dawn" is marked with less moony-eyed longing than the previous books and with more shocks, including a graphic, not to mention icky, child-birthing scene. How can this movie possibly be faithful to the text and keep a tween-friendly rating of PG-13? The producers are remaining tight-lipped about the whole thing, but they did bring in Oscar-winning filmmaker Bill Condon to direct. We'll see if the "Dreamgirls" director can find a way to satisfy both fans and the MPAA.
The Muppets (November 23) -- Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear and the rest of the gang is finally getting a reboot after a twelve year absence from the silver screen. The same guys responsible for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller -- wrote the screenplay, so expect the same silly comic sensibility as "Marshall" -- though presumably with a lot less nudity. There are few public details about "The Muppets" although Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis, Paul Rudd and Ricky Gervais along with Segel do reportedly star.
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (December 16) -- Tom Cruise reprises his role as the seemingly indestructible IMF agent, Ethan Hunt. Not much is known about the plot aside from a couple of pictures with Cruise dangling from the tallest building in the world -- Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If that seems incredible, it's just as well. The movie's director, Brad Bird, previously directed "The Incredibles." Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Josh Holloway, and Simon Pegg also star.
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21) -- Stieg Larsson's book might just be one of the most compulsively readable books out there; it's a relentlessly riveting murder mystery that turns the popular view of Sweden from a nice quiet country that makes great furniture to a hotbed of family jealousy, investigative journalism and hidden crimes. It also features one of the most memorable literary characters in memory -- the punk-rock hacker savant Lisabeth Salander. It's not surprising then that film producers snatched up the movie rights faster than you can say lutefisk. A well-crafted European version of the movie came out in '09, but now it's Hollywood's turn, featuring director David Fincher, fresh off his soon-to-be-Oscar-winning flick "The Social Network" and starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Rooney Mara as Salander.
That's the latest from the authorities. Once you're familiar with these ideas, you'll be ready to move to the next level.
Best and worst bottled water brands
Are you looking for some inside information on ? Here's an up-to-date report from experts who should know.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
How much do you know about the bottled water you drink? Not nearly enough, according to a new report released today from Environmental Working Group (EWG). "Bottled water companies try hard to hide information you might find troubling," says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president of research for the Washington D.C.-based research and advocacy group.
EWG analyzed the labels of 173 unique bottled water products and company websites to determine if companies disclose information on where water comes from, how or if their water is treated, and whether the results of purity testing are revealed. The nonprofit also looked at how effective (and advanced) any water treatment methods are. Researchers followed up by calling dozens of bottled water companies to find out which ones willingly tell consumers what's in their bottles.
The Environmental Protection Agency says on its website that consumers have the right to know where their water comes from and what's in it so they can "make informed choices that affect the health of themselves and their families." Tap water is regularly tested and consumers can find their local water info online. That's not necessarily the case with bottled water, which is not required to disclose that information to consumers. "Bottled water is a food product and every one of these companies is complying with federal law," says Tom Lauria, of the International Bottled Water Association.
More than half of the bottled water products surveyed failed EWG's transparency test --18 percent didn't say where their water comes from, and another 32 percent did not disclose any information on treatment or purity of water.
Only three brands earned the highest possible marks for disclosing information and using the most advanced treatment methods available - Gerber Pure Purified Water, Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, and Penta Ultra-Purified Water.
On the other end of the spectrum, these six brands got the worst marks in EWG's report because they don't provide consumers with the three basic facts about water on product labels or their company website - Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water, Vintage Natural Spring Water, Sahara Premium Drinking Water, O Water Sport Electrolyte Enhanced Purified Drinking Water, Market Basket Natural Spring Water, and Cumby's Spring Water.
How does your bottled water brand stack up? Here's a look at the 10 top-selling* U.S. brands:
1. Pure Life Purified Water (Nestle), EWG grade = B
2. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = C
3. Aquafina Purified Drinking Water (Pepsi), EWG grade = D
4. Dasani Purified Water (Coca-Cola), EWG grade = D
5. Deer Park Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
6. Ice Mountain Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
7. Ozarka Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
8. Poland Spring Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
9. Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
10. Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water (CG Roxane), EWG grade = F
Filtered tap water received the best grade (an A) from EWG because if you change your filter regularly, EWG says it is purer than bottled water, plus it saves money (bottled water can cost up to 1,900 times more than what flows from your tap). Drinking tap water also takes less of a toll on the planet. EWG offers plenty of tips for filtering your tap water so that you can drink the healthiest water possible.
What should you do when bottled water is your only option? "While our top choice is filtered tap water, when you do need to choose bottled water, we recommend brands that tell you what's in the water and that use advanced treatment technologies like reverse osmosis and micro-filtration," says Houlihan. Advanced treatment technologies remove pollutants that other methods don't. You should look for bottled water products that tell you where the water is coming from and how pure it is.
Here are the results for all 173 bottled water brands included in the report. You'll find that some less popular brands rank even lower than our list of top-sellers.
The advice to drink filtered tap water can seem confusing when there are often reports about the contaminants found in municipal water supplies. Just last month, for example, EWG announced that cancer causing hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) is in 31 cities' tap water. Houlihan says chromium-6 is as likely to be in your bottled water as it is in your tap water and we need action from the federal government on this. She points out that a reverse osmosis filter can remove the worrisome contaminant. You can guarantee its removal in your home supply, but in many cases you don't know what's in the bottle you're drinking from.
I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
How much do you know about the bottled water you drink? Not nearly enough, according to a new report released today from Environmental Working Group (EWG). "Bottled water companies try hard to hide information you might find troubling," says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president of research for the Washington D.C.-based research and advocacy group.
EWG analyzed the labels of 173 unique bottled water products and company websites to determine if companies disclose information on where water comes from, how or if their water is treated, and whether the results of purity testing are revealed. The nonprofit also looked at how effective (and advanced) any water treatment methods are. Researchers followed up by calling dozens of bottled water companies to find out which ones willingly tell consumers what's in their bottles.
The Environmental Protection Agency says on its website that consumers have the right to know where their water comes from and what's in it so they can "make informed choices that affect the health of themselves and their families." Tap water is regularly tested and consumers can find their local water info online. That's not necessarily the case with bottled water, which is not required to disclose that information to consumers. "Bottled water is a food product and every one of these companies is complying with federal law," says Tom Lauria, of the International Bottled Water Association.
More than half of the bottled water products surveyed failed EWG's transparency test --18 percent didn't say where their water comes from, and another 32 percent did not disclose any information on treatment or purity of water.
Only three brands earned the highest possible marks for disclosing information and using the most advanced treatment methods available - Gerber Pure Purified Water, Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, and Penta Ultra-Purified Water.
On the other end of the spectrum, these six brands got the worst marks in EWG's report because they don't provide consumers with the three basic facts about water on product labels or their company website - Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water, Vintage Natural Spring Water, Sahara Premium Drinking Water, O Water Sport Electrolyte Enhanced Purified Drinking Water, Market Basket Natural Spring Water, and Cumby's Spring Water.
How does your bottled water brand stack up? Here's a look at the 10 top-selling* U.S. brands:
1. Pure Life Purified Water (Nestle), EWG grade = B
2. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = C
3. Aquafina Purified Drinking Water (Pepsi), EWG grade = D
4. Dasani Purified Water (Coca-Cola), EWG grade = D
5. Deer Park Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
6. Ice Mountain Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
7. Ozarka Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
8. Poland Spring Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
9. Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D
10. Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water (CG Roxane), EWG grade = F
Filtered tap water received the best grade (an A) from EWG because if you change your filter regularly, EWG says it is purer than bottled water, plus it saves money (bottled water can cost up to 1,900 times more than what flows from your tap). Drinking tap water also takes less of a toll on the planet. EWG offers plenty of tips for filtering your tap water so that you can drink the healthiest water possible.
What should you do when bottled water is your only option? "While our top choice is filtered tap water, when you do need to choose bottled water, we recommend brands that tell you what's in the water and that use advanced treatment technologies like reverse osmosis and micro-filtration," says Houlihan. Advanced treatment technologies remove pollutants that other methods don't. You should look for bottled water products that tell you where the water is coming from and how pure it is.
Here are the results for all 173 bottled water brands included in the report. You'll find that some less popular brands rank even lower than our list of top-sellers.
The advice to drink filtered tap water can seem confusing when there are often reports about the contaminants found in municipal water supplies. Just last month, for example, EWG announced that cancer causing hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) is in 31 cities' tap water. Houlihan says chromium-6 is as likely to be in your bottled water as it is in your tap water and we need action from the federal government on this. She points out that a reverse osmosis filter can remove the worrisome contaminant. You can guarantee its removal in your home supply, but in many cases you don't know what's in the bottle you're drinking from.
I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.
President Obama wears rubber sandals in public, world loses mind
Are you looking for some inside information on ? Here's an up-to-date report from experts who should know.
It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of . What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.
John F. Kennedy had his boat shoes. Reagan wore cowboy boots and Richard Nixon chose formal wingtips to frolic on the beach. But, last week, while on holiday in Hawaii, President Barack Obama may have boldly gone where no president before him had gone while on vacation: he wore flip-flops. In public.
Since the photographs of this landmark event (which took place in a local ice cream shop) surfaced earlier this week, news outlets, style watchers, and even historians have labored extensively over the appropriateness of Obama's footwear choice.
"I can't say I've seen a president's toes before," presidential historian Jane Hampton Cook, author of an upcoming children's book "What Does the President Look Like?" told the New York Post. "But I don't think this is a big deal. Your footwear belongs to the occasion. If you're on the beach buying your daughter snow cones, I don't think you can beat him up for this."
June Ambrose, a celeb fashion stylist and author of the recent book "Effortless Style," agrees: "When he’s serving in office he’s in the right attire. It’s not like he came to address the State of the Union in flip-flops. This is his personal time and I think he’s entitled to have a human experience. This is what keeps him grounded and very in touch with what’s going on in this country."
[Related: It's official: Barack Obama never wears shorts to play basketball]
The Obama White House is certainly no stranger to fashion controversy. Last year, when Michelle Obama dared to wear shorts to explore the Grand Canyon on a hot summer's day, the blogosphere went wild with commentary. (Were they too short? ZOMG!) And let us not forget "arms-gate" 2010 when stylistas and journalists could not stop talking about the ramifications of a first lady going out without sleeves.
All this said, many experts feel these more casual, down-to-earth sartorial choices may be wise ones for the Obamas, flip-flops included. "To me wearing oxfords on the beach like Nixon is a little bit removed from reality. Barack Obama is the first for everything—there are so many things that he has done that aren’t traditional in this office. He still has a BlackBerry. He’s a very modern day president and he's completely revolutionizing the image of the White House." Ambrose says approachability may have scared off previous presidents but that is what attracts people to Obama. "He feels very accessible, and these little statements are very relatable to the American people."
In 2005, members of Northwestern University's lacrosse team famously wore flip-flops when posing with then-president George W. Bush in the White House. Photo by David Bohrer, White House
And while President Obama never wore thong sandals in office, flip-flops and the White House have created a scandal before. In 2005, Northwestern University's national championship women's lacrosse team made headlines when the girls were photographed wearing flip-flops as they posed with then-president George W. Bush. Fashion expert Meghan Cleary told the New York Post that while adults were mortified, "It was very much a generational thing, since the girls thought nothing of it," she said. "They wore them all the time on campus and thought it was perfectly fine." Perhaps Obama's comfy and casual flip-flop choice is just one more reason why college students helped elect him into the White House.
"Someone who is of a different time won’t understand the flip-flops," said Ambrose. "This is a modern day perspective. I think that anyone who’s going to have a strong opinion is someone who’s completely old school, and this is the new school. Obama is continuously breaking the rules and creating waves in his own way, and I think that’s really refreshing. But I think we need to focus our attention on other things that are a lot more important and pressing in the world than the fashion statement our president is making."
Now you can be a confident expert on . OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on .
It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of . What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.
John F. Kennedy had his boat shoes. Reagan wore cowboy boots and Richard Nixon chose formal wingtips to frolic on the beach. But, last week, while on holiday in Hawaii, President Barack Obama may have boldly gone where no president before him had gone while on vacation: he wore flip-flops. In public.
Since the photographs of this landmark event (which took place in a local ice cream shop) surfaced earlier this week, news outlets, style watchers, and even historians have labored extensively over the appropriateness of Obama's footwear choice.
"I can't say I've seen a president's toes before," presidential historian Jane Hampton Cook, author of an upcoming children's book "What Does the President Look Like?" told the New York Post. "But I don't think this is a big deal. Your footwear belongs to the occasion. If you're on the beach buying your daughter snow cones, I don't think you can beat him up for this."
June Ambrose, a celeb fashion stylist and author of the recent book "Effortless Style," agrees: "When he’s serving in office he’s in the right attire. It’s not like he came to address the State of the Union in flip-flops. This is his personal time and I think he’s entitled to have a human experience. This is what keeps him grounded and very in touch with what’s going on in this country."
[Related: It's official: Barack Obama never wears shorts to play basketball]
The Obama White House is certainly no stranger to fashion controversy. Last year, when Michelle Obama dared to wear shorts to explore the Grand Canyon on a hot summer's day, the blogosphere went wild with commentary. (Were they too short? ZOMG!) And let us not forget "arms-gate" 2010 when stylistas and journalists could not stop talking about the ramifications of a first lady going out without sleeves.
All this said, many experts feel these more casual, down-to-earth sartorial choices may be wise ones for the Obamas, flip-flops included. "To me wearing oxfords on the beach like Nixon is a little bit removed from reality. Barack Obama is the first for everything—there are so many things that he has done that aren’t traditional in this office. He still has a BlackBerry. He’s a very modern day president and he's completely revolutionizing the image of the White House." Ambrose says approachability may have scared off previous presidents but that is what attracts people to Obama. "He feels very accessible, and these little statements are very relatable to the American people."
In 2005, members of Northwestern University's lacrosse team famously wore flip-flops when posing with then-president George W. Bush in the White House. Photo by David Bohrer, White House
And while President Obama never wore thong sandals in office, flip-flops and the White House have created a scandal before. In 2005, Northwestern University's national championship women's lacrosse team made headlines when the girls were photographed wearing flip-flops as they posed with then-president George W. Bush. Fashion expert Meghan Cleary told the New York Post that while adults were mortified, "It was very much a generational thing, since the girls thought nothing of it," she said. "They wore them all the time on campus and thought it was perfectly fine." Perhaps Obama's comfy and casual flip-flop choice is just one more reason why college students helped elect him into the White House.
"Someone who is of a different time won’t understand the flip-flops," said Ambrose. "This is a modern day perspective. I think that anyone who’s going to have a strong opinion is someone who’s completely old school, and this is the new school. Obama is continuously breaking the rules and creating waves in his own way, and I think that’s really refreshing. But I think we need to focus our attention on other things that are a lot more important and pressing in the world than the fashion statement our president is making."
Now you can be a confident expert on . OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on .
Journal: Study linking vaccine to autism was fraud
If you're seriously interested in knowing about , you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about .
The more authentic information about you know, the more likely people are to consider you a expert. Read on for even more facts that you can share.
LONDON – The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.
The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered.
[See also: 'Dangerous' beetle found at Los Angeles airport]
A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that Wakefield and colleagues altered facts about patients in their study.
The analysis, by British journalist Brian Deer, found that despite the claim in Wakefield's paper that the 12 children studied were normal until they had the MMR shot, five had previously documented developmental problems. Deer also found that all the cases were somehow misrepresented when he compared data from medical records and the children's parents.
Wakefield could not be reached for comment despite repeated calls and requests to the publisher of his recent book, which claims there is a connection between vaccines and autism that has been ignored by the medical establishment. Wakefield now lives in the U.S. where he enjoys a vocal following including celebrity supporters like Jenny McCarthy.
Deer's article was paid for by the Sunday Times of London and Britain's Channel 4 television network. It was published online Thursday in the medical journal, BMJ.
In an accompanying editorial, BMJ editor Fiona Godlee and colleagues called Wakefield's study "an elaborate fraud." They said Wakefield's work in other journals should be examined to see if it should be retracted.
Last May, Wakefield was stripped of his right to practice medicine in Britain. Many other published studies have shown no connection between the MMR vaccination and autism.
But measles has surged since Wakefield's paper was published and there are sporadic outbreaks in Europe and the U.S. In 2008, measles was deemed endemic in England and Wales.
Is there really any information about that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.
The more authentic information about you know, the more likely people are to consider you a expert. Read on for even more facts that you can share.
LONDON – The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.
The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered.
[See also: 'Dangerous' beetle found at Los Angeles airport]
A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that Wakefield and colleagues altered facts about patients in their study.
The analysis, by British journalist Brian Deer, found that despite the claim in Wakefield's paper that the 12 children studied were normal until they had the MMR shot, five had previously documented developmental problems. Deer also found that all the cases were somehow misrepresented when he compared data from medical records and the children's parents.
Wakefield could not be reached for comment despite repeated calls and requests to the publisher of his recent book, which claims there is a connection between vaccines and autism that has been ignored by the medical establishment. Wakefield now lives in the U.S. where he enjoys a vocal following including celebrity supporters like Jenny McCarthy.
Deer's article was paid for by the Sunday Times of London and Britain's Channel 4 television network. It was published online Thursday in the medical journal, BMJ.
In an accompanying editorial, BMJ editor Fiona Godlee and colleagues called Wakefield's study "an elaborate fraud." They said Wakefield's work in other journals should be examined to see if it should be retracted.
Last May, Wakefield was stripped of his right to practice medicine in Britain. Many other published studies have shown no connection between the MMR vaccination and autism.
But measles has surged since Wakefield's paper was published and there are sporadic outbreaks in Europe and the U.S. In 2008, measles was deemed endemic in England and Wales.
Is there really any information about that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.
Pittsburgh man latest to have home accidentally demolished
When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
The more authentic information about you know, the more likely people are to consider you a expert. Read on for even more facts that you can share.
The American dream of home ownership didn't exactly exit the last decade on a high note, with the mortgage sector on still-shaky ground, the housing market stagnating and foreclosures at historic highs. So it was gratuitously devastating for Andre Hall of Pittsburgh -- who was in the process of reclaiming a foreclosed property, no less -- to return from the holidays to discover that the city had accidentally demolished his property.
"My dream is done now," Hall told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after the foreclosed home he bought in November was accidentally flattened. "Someone needs to man up and take responsibility for this."
Hall told the paper that upon his return he was shocked to find heavy machinery parked on the site of his former home when he returned on Monday to continue rehabbing it.
"I don't come for a week over the holiday, and as soon as I come back, I see a backhoe on top of the house," he said. "Why did they demolish the house? They could see I had put in new windows and had slabs of drywall."
John Jennings, who heads up Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection, claims that his department called off the demolition of the house on November 3 pending its sale. With the transfer of the property, the city also gave Hall six months to make repairs to the home. Nevertheless "a couple of things went awry," Jennings explained, with the contractor the city hired to do the job. The workers on the crew tore down Hall's house "in error" when they were only supposed to demolish the house next door to his -- a structure that the city had also condemned last year.
Experiences like Hall's are distressingly common. There's the homeowner in Carrollton, Georgia, who saw the house built by his father flattened by careless city contractors who'd been following a faulty GPS locator. There was the woman in Denton, Texas, who was working in her garden as a demolition crew, mistaking her lot for a condemned property across the street, gouged an enormous hole into her front yard, which promptly claimed her porch, and rendered the remainder of the house structurally unstable. And there's the Jackson, Miss., woman whose home was flattened after pranksters took a sign erected to condemn an adjacent vacant lot and placed it in front of her home.
Hall, for his part, reports that after he'd tirelessly worked to fix the house up, he was preparing to move into the 1631-square-foot house within three weeks -- together with his girlfriend and her five children. For now, they will continue to live in Hall's one-bedroom apartment in the Pittsburgh suburb of East Liberty. The city solicitor's office is reportedly investigating what happened.
Of course, it's impossible to put everything about into just one article. But you can't deny that you've just added to your understanding about , and that's time well spent.
The more authentic information about you know, the more likely people are to consider you a expert. Read on for even more facts that you can share.
The American dream of home ownership didn't exactly exit the last decade on a high note, with the mortgage sector on still-shaky ground, the housing market stagnating and foreclosures at historic highs. So it was gratuitously devastating for Andre Hall of Pittsburgh -- who was in the process of reclaiming a foreclosed property, no less -- to return from the holidays to discover that the city had accidentally demolished his property.
"My dream is done now," Hall told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after the foreclosed home he bought in November was accidentally flattened. "Someone needs to man up and take responsibility for this."
Hall told the paper that upon his return he was shocked to find heavy machinery parked on the site of his former home when he returned on Monday to continue rehabbing it.
"I don't come for a week over the holiday, and as soon as I come back, I see a backhoe on top of the house," he said. "Why did they demolish the house? They could see I had put in new windows and had slabs of drywall."
John Jennings, who heads up Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection, claims that his department called off the demolition of the house on November 3 pending its sale. With the transfer of the property, the city also gave Hall six months to make repairs to the home. Nevertheless "a couple of things went awry," Jennings explained, with the contractor the city hired to do the job. The workers on the crew tore down Hall's house "in error" when they were only supposed to demolish the house next door to his -- a structure that the city had also condemned last year.
Experiences like Hall's are distressingly common. There's the homeowner in Carrollton, Georgia, who saw the house built by his father flattened by careless city contractors who'd been following a faulty GPS locator. There was the woman in Denton, Texas, who was working in her garden as a demolition crew, mistaking her lot for a condemned property across the street, gouged an enormous hole into her front yard, which promptly claimed her porch, and rendered the remainder of the house structurally unstable. And there's the Jackson, Miss., woman whose home was flattened after pranksters took a sign erected to condemn an adjacent vacant lot and placed it in front of her home.
Hall, for his part, reports that after he'd tirelessly worked to fix the house up, he was preparing to move into the 1631-square-foot house within three weeks -- together with his girlfriend and her five children. For now, they will continue to live in Hall's one-bedroom apartment in the Pittsburgh suburb of East Liberty. The city solicitor's office is reportedly investigating what happened.
Of course, it's impossible to put everything about into just one article. But you can't deny that you've just added to your understanding about , and that's time well spent.
Sunday
PR man accused of attacking family with blowtorch
If you're seriously interested in knowing about , you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about .
If you don't have accurate details regarding , then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Attempted murder charges have been filed against a Puerto Rico man who police say burned his parents and seven other relatives with a blowtorch.
The island's Justice Department says 45-year-old Justino Sanchez Diaz called a family meeting Saturday at his parents' home in the northern town of Florida, and then attacked.
A statement from the department says the parents suffered severe burns and were hospitalized in critical condition.
The other seven were also being treated for their wounds but were not burned as severely.
The suspect was arrested and charged with nine counts of attempted murder. The Justice statement did not speculate on a possible motive.
You can't predict when knowing something extra about will come in handy. If you learned anything new about &keyword% in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.
If you don't have accurate details regarding , then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Attempted murder charges have been filed against a Puerto Rico man who police say burned his parents and seven other relatives with a blowtorch.
The island's Justice Department says 45-year-old Justino Sanchez Diaz called a family meeting Saturday at his parents' home in the northern town of Florida, and then attacked.
A statement from the department says the parents suffered severe burns and were hospitalized in critical condition.
The other seven were also being treated for their wounds but were not burned as severely.
The suspect was arrested and charged with nine counts of attempted murder. The Justice statement did not speculate on a possible motive.
You can't predict when knowing something extra about will come in handy. If you learned anything new about &keyword% in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.
Garbage pile saves man who tried to commit suicide in midtown
The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with .
Truthfully, the only difference between you and experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to .
A suicidal man plummeted nine stories and survived in midtown Sunday when he landed on a mountain of trash that had piled up since last week's blizzard, officials said.
Vangelis Kapatos, 26, wearing only pajama bottoms, jumped from his family's apartment in the Whitby building on 45th St. near Eighth Ave. just after noon.
The troubled young man, fresh out of a psychiatric facility, had tried to end his life in a number of other ways before making the leap, police sources said.
"He landed on a garbage pile," one official said. "That's the only reason he's alive."
Kapatos, whose family hails from Greece, was taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital. He was in critical but stable condition there Sunday night, police said. His injuries were not life-threatening.
Kapatos landed on his back, causing some of the black plastic garbage bags to burst, spewing their rotten contents all over the sidewalk.
The Sanitation Department suspended trash collection after the Dec. 26 snowstorm paralyzed the city. It was expected to resume today.
Residents of the building, where Kapatos lived with his father, said the garbage had been kept in the basement since the storm hit.
Workers at the building put the rotten haul - some 100 bags in all - on the curb Sunday morning, residents said.
"He's probably alive because of it," said one longtime resident of the building who would not give his name.
Joe Kantor, 55, said he looked out his apartment window after hearing police-car sirens blaring outside the building. He said he was stunned to see Kapatos lying amid the bulging trash bags.
"He wasn't moving at all. I didn't think he was alive," Kantor recalled. "He was bleeding from the side, and I thought he might have been stabbed."
Kapatos had a history of psychiatric problems, the police sources said. Before he took the plunge, he sliced his throat with a knife,the sources said.
One other official source said Kapatos had tried to hang himself inside the apartment.
Kapatos had been undergoing treatment at Bellevue and was discharged Friday, a police source said.
Another neighbor, Austin Colyer, 80, called Kapatos "a good boy."
He said the young man had lived in the building since his parents moved to New York from Greece when he was 3. His mother returned to her homeland a few years ago.
"He went to school, but was quiet, kept to himself," Colyer said of Kapatos. "I don't think he had a very happy childhood."
Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on .
Truthfully, the only difference between you and experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to .
A suicidal man plummeted nine stories and survived in midtown Sunday when he landed on a mountain of trash that had piled up since last week's blizzard, officials said.
Vangelis Kapatos, 26, wearing only pajama bottoms, jumped from his family's apartment in the Whitby building on 45th St. near Eighth Ave. just after noon.
The troubled young man, fresh out of a psychiatric facility, had tried to end his life in a number of other ways before making the leap, police sources said.
"He landed on a garbage pile," one official said. "That's the only reason he's alive."
Kapatos, whose family hails from Greece, was taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital. He was in critical but stable condition there Sunday night, police said. His injuries were not life-threatening.
Kapatos landed on his back, causing some of the black plastic garbage bags to burst, spewing their rotten contents all over the sidewalk.
The Sanitation Department suspended trash collection after the Dec. 26 snowstorm paralyzed the city. It was expected to resume today.
Residents of the building, where Kapatos lived with his father, said the garbage had been kept in the basement since the storm hit.
Workers at the building put the rotten haul - some 100 bags in all - on the curb Sunday morning, residents said.
"He's probably alive because of it," said one longtime resident of the building who would not give his name.
Joe Kantor, 55, said he looked out his apartment window after hearing police-car sirens blaring outside the building. He said he was stunned to see Kapatos lying amid the bulging trash bags.
"He wasn't moving at all. I didn't think he was alive," Kantor recalled. "He was bleeding from the side, and I thought he might have been stabbed."
Kapatos had a history of psychiatric problems, the police sources said. Before he took the plunge, he sliced his throat with a knife,the sources said.
One other official source said Kapatos had tried to hang himself inside the apartment.
Kapatos had been undergoing treatment at Bellevue and was discharged Friday, a police source said.
Another neighbor, Austin Colyer, 80, called Kapatos "a good boy."
He said the young man had lived in the building since his parents moved to New York from Greece when he was 3. His mother returned to her homeland a few years ago.
"He went to school, but was quiet, kept to himself," Colyer said of Kapatos. "I don't think he had a very happy childhood."
Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on .
Sales of electronic cigarettes rise, as does criticism
Sales of electronic cigarettes rise, as does criticism
The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
PARIS (AFP) – Makers of electronic cigarettes are reporting strong growth in sales as anti-tobacco laws force European smokers into the cold streets, but campaigners say the device is undercutting health efforts.
Spain joined Sunday the ranks of countries that have outlawed smoking in enclosed public space after a wave of similar legislation across Europe.
For the makers of electronic cigarettes, which simulate the sensation of a cigarette and can contain nicotine, the traditionally heavy smoking nation marks a potentially lucrative market for their much-criticised product.
"We have seen sales grow by 30 percent each year since 2007 when we launched our product," said a spokesman for EdSylver, one of the leading manufacturers of the product invented in China in 2004.
Manufacturers such as EdSylver say the plastic cigarette is not harmful for the smoker or people around them, but this claim is rejected by health experts.
At a World Health Organisation conference in Uruguay in November, one of its leading anti-tobacco experts Eduardo Bianco said electronic cigarettes "sabotaged smoking prevention efforts", which were designed to encourage people to quit.
The plastic cigarettes function as mini aerosols, releasing artificial smoke with or without nicotine.
"I am very happy with it, I want to repeat the feeling of smoking, without the harm of nicotine," said one Parisian user.
Professor Yves Martinet, head of the French National Committee Against Tobacco, said the electronic cigarette was a rip-off.
"This product offers no medical support for quitting smoking, there are some countries that have banned it," he said.
"For the moment, this product has not been evaluated in a scientific way," he said.
The French national office for smoking prevention said the purpose of the electronic cigarette was "ambiguous", and condemned its sale in pharmacies.
The office said the products were presented by manufacturers both as "an aid to quitting and a product which would allow smoking in enclosed spaces."
Tobacco sellers meanwhile reject manufacturers' claims that sales of the device are taking off.
"It doesn't sell at all, some of our members still have stocks from last year," said Gerard Bohelay, the head of an association of tobacco retailers in the French capital.
Knowing enough about to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about , you should have nothing to worry about.
The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.
Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.
PARIS (AFP) – Makers of electronic cigarettes are reporting strong growth in sales as anti-tobacco laws force European smokers into the cold streets, but campaigners say the device is undercutting health efforts.
Spain joined Sunday the ranks of countries that have outlawed smoking in enclosed public space after a wave of similar legislation across Europe.
For the makers of electronic cigarettes, which simulate the sensation of a cigarette and can contain nicotine, the traditionally heavy smoking nation marks a potentially lucrative market for their much-criticised product.
"We have seen sales grow by 30 percent each year since 2007 when we launched our product," said a spokesman for EdSylver, one of the leading manufacturers of the product invented in China in 2004.
Manufacturers such as EdSylver say the plastic cigarette is not harmful for the smoker or people around them, but this claim is rejected by health experts.
At a World Health Organisation conference in Uruguay in November, one of its leading anti-tobacco experts Eduardo Bianco said electronic cigarettes "sabotaged smoking prevention efforts", which were designed to encourage people to quit.
The plastic cigarettes function as mini aerosols, releasing artificial smoke with or without nicotine.
"I am very happy with it, I want to repeat the feeling of smoking, without the harm of nicotine," said one Parisian user.
Professor Yves Martinet, head of the French National Committee Against Tobacco, said the electronic cigarette was a rip-off.
"This product offers no medical support for quitting smoking, there are some countries that have banned it," he said.
"For the moment, this product has not been evaluated in a scientific way," he said.
The French national office for smoking prevention said the purpose of the electronic cigarette was "ambiguous", and condemned its sale in pharmacies.
The office said the products were presented by manufacturers both as "an aid to quitting and a product which would allow smoking in enclosed spaces."
Tobacco sellers meanwhile reject manufacturers' claims that sales of the device are taking off.
"It doesn't sell at all, some of our members still have stocks from last year," said Gerard Bohelay, the head of an association of tobacco retailers in the French capital.
Knowing enough about to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about , you should have nothing to worry about.
Tuesday
Asian shares fall amid Korean peninsula tensions
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Asian stock markets fell Monday amid investor unease as South Korea went ahead with a military drill on a frontline island despite threats of North Korean retaliation.
Inter-Korean tensions, a longtime geopolitical risk in the region, have spiked to dangerous levels since Pyongyang launched a deadly artillery barrage on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong last month in response to military exercises by Seoul.
North Korea had warned the South of "catastrophe" if it went ahead with a new round of live-fire drills delayed by bad weather. Seoul finally launched the exercise on the island Monday and there were no immediate signs of any North Korean response.
South Korea's benchmark Kospi closed 0.3 percent lower to 2,020.28, nearly erasing earlier declines of as much as 1.5 percent. The won was little changed at 1,149.40 to the dollar. The country's financial markets often show resilience during times of tension with North Korea.
Still, the uncertainty was seen as a factor in dragging Asian markets lower.
"It's something that can go very bad," Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong, said of the Korean tensions.
South Korean technology stocks were mixed. LG Display Co., which has an LCD factory near the heavily fortified land border with North Korea, fell 2.6 percent. LG Electronics Inc. declined 0.9 percent. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co., however, managed a gain of 0.7 percent.
The military tensions hurt sentiment across the region.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.9 percent to 10,216.41 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.8 percent to 22,545.11.
The Shanghai Composite index slid 1.2 percent to 2,858.46 amid renewed worries the central bank will soon hike interest rates to control rising inflation. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5 percent to 4,829.20.
Benchmarks in Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand also retreated, while those in India and the Philippines rose.
Ongoing worries about Europe's debt problems weighed on exporter shares in Tokyo as well. Kyocera Corp. fell 1.2 percent, while Ricoh Co. declined 2 percent.
Toyota Motor Corp. was off 0.8 percent after the Nikkei financial daily reported that the world's biggest automaker could face a double-digit decline in Japan sales next year.
In New York Friday, stocks ended flat as investors shrugged off encouraging economic signs and a tax-cut package expected to lift economic growth. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7.34 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 11,491.91.
In currencies, the dollar fell to 83.87 yen from 83.96 yen late Friday. The euro fell to $1.3158 from $1.3186.
Benchmark crude for January delivery was up 3 cents at $88.05 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 34 cents to settle at $88.02 on Friday.
Nursing homes fined: Feds find substandard care at 4 city facilities for elderly
Four city nursing homes were hit with federal fines for substandard care - including a Bronx home that let an epileptic man with impaired memory wander off the premises.
The feds fined Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare $36,450 for "failing to have systems in place to consistently identify, accurately assess and supervise" residents at risk for walking out.
When the man made his way to his house, he was also carrying a beer, his upset wife reported.
Administrator Jeff Sicklick said the incident was distressing to the staff and helped them improve their systems.
"Every employee from the receptionist to the kitchen staff to the nurses has been retrained, all five exits now lock automatically when a resident is wearing a wander guard and there is increased supervision for those who refuse to wear the monitors," he said.
A visit to the home last week by the Daily News showed photos of all residents at risk for wandering posted in the main office, where staff can see who is coming and going on a TV monitor with a two-week taping system.
"We are in full compliance now, and thank god for that," Sicklick told the News.
The fines were part of the quarterly enforcement actions issued by the feds between June and September 2010. Facilities have to submit plans of correction to continue to operate.
The Lawrence Nursing Care Center in Far Rockaway, Queens, was slapped with the second-highest fine, $19,532, for several problem areas - including failing to investigate accidents or injuries.
One elderly man had to be hospitalized and undergo surgery for a head injury of "unknown origin," while another resident with Alzheimer's had an abrasion to the forehead, swollen wrist and scratches on the nose. An aide noted the injuries in the chart, but according to inspectors, no one ever investigated them.
In another violation, inspectors cited the shocking case of a man with Alzheimer's who lost 31 pounds from January to April, going from 158 pounds to 127, despite evidence of poor appetite and difficulty swallowing.
The man was eventually hospitalized and had a feeding tube inserted. The man's doctor told health inspectors in June that he "had not been made aware of" his patient's dire situation until May.
"Most residents are extremely happy with the care here as are the families," said administrator Michael Kraus. "The findings bear no resemblance to the actual facility. It's all about paperwork."
Richard Mollet, director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a nonprofit group that monitors nursing homes, said consumers should be aware of problems .
"They should use this information to evaluate a facility and ask staff and management: Why have these problems occurred and what is being done?" he said.
Also cited and fined for questionable care were:
- Brooklyn United Methodist Church Home, a 120-bed home. Fined: $6,000
A March 8 inspection found spoiled and uncovered food, including "numerous adult weevils crawling around and inside" plastic bags of macaroni, and other cleanliness issues. In addition, the home was cited for a pattern of failing to provide necessary care. The home had more than double the statewide rate of complaints from residents and families over three years.
- Keser Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Brooklyn, a 200-bed facility. Fined: $6,500
Inspectors found that the facility put residents in immediate jeopardy for failing to stop widespread unsafe smoking among residents, including in their rooms.
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