text:
Our popular information-rich cybertours are featured in the Exhibit Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday! A wide range of topics include: cloud computing, gov 2.0 resources and Google
QR codes are little images containing information that transmit the contained information when a person snaps the image with their cell phone. QR codes can contain all kinds of information, from contact information and VCards of librarians to links to websites, tutorials, pages with chat widgets, and more. This cybertour explores different options for creating and using QR codes and potential uses in libraries.
This session case study illustrates how a fully manual library operation (closed for more than 2 years) was able to do a fast start into the 21st century of information management and access using a cloud-based ILS as the base. Hear how a solo librarian challenged with a very tight budget and limited IT support is using technology as a catalyst for change and collaboration, turning the perception of the library from a passive warehouse of materials into an active source of information and education.
Librarians and info pros are in a position to provide businesses with the information needed to thrive in a tough economy. Learn the key resources for helping companies understand their customers and competitors, including the demographics and economic, political, social, and other issues that make each market unique.
There are many ongoing and successful efforts inside and outside of government to make government information available on the internet free to all. Advocates for open government, as well as the disseminators and users of government information, have encouraged the release of caselaw, statutes, public records, publication and other data held by federal, state, and local governments. Learn what information is out there, how it's being used, and how you and your users can access it and contribute to Gov 2.0.
Tim Berners-Lee has often lamented the way so much of the world's information remains locked away and inaccessible to those who could build great things with it. This cybertour looks at an effort to assemble a crowdsourced research catalog, collecting "attention metadata" on content usage, then making this data available in a structured manner via Open API. With nearly 1 million researchers and 80 million research documents uploaded, the service is approaching the scale that enables genuinely useful insights to be reached.
Hear about one tech librarian's cool tool picks as she shares her experimentation and thoughts on their possible use in libraries. She has been playing with one tool for easily creating tutorials, with "mother blogs" using Posterious, and getting deep into sharing and bundling features for info dissemination on Google Reader. Hear her tips and opinions!
Wish you had more hours in the day? Join our learning expert and hear about new tools and processes that could help you find extra hours in your day and be more productive.
So exactly what does it mean to move data and services to the "cloud"? This cybertour discusses the concept; the advantages of cloud computing, where your documents and data live on the internet; how you can utilize web services in the cloud; and what libraries are currently doing in the cloud.
Delivering library services in new formats is becoming the norm. This cybertour looks at using YouTube, the world's largest and best-known online video brand, which has a convenient way to organize user-created videos into collections. Learn how to create and customize your YouTube channel and playlists, excel at video selection analysis, and understand the various types of YouTube accounts and their benefits. Filled with lots of tips on how to integrate YouTube playlists into other library while dealing with the use of third-party content.
This cybertour illustrates how libraries can provide an online video library to clients with a computer and internet connection and discusses the technical aspects as well as other challenges and considerations.
So what's all the excitement about Google's new social networking service? What can it do for you that all the other social media can't? How can you use it to provide better services for your clients or streamline your business? Get an overview from a Google+ user and gain insights and ideas for applying G+ to your environment.
Learn about the Chicago Underground Library's (CUL) replicable model for building community collections using the lens of an archive to examine the creative, political, and intellectual interdependencies of a city, tracing how people have worked together, where ideas first developed, and how they spread from one publication to another through individuals. It utilizes community volunteers and catalogers, search and browse capabilities, and a map to see where each publication came from to discover what's been published in their neighborhood and to provide their own historical notes and additions to any catalog entry in the Drupal content management system (and others are using Joomla).
To better respond to e-resource problem reports based on a robust academic program, UCF established a multi-department team, created a workflow and ticketing system, and defined service benchmarks. Building buy-in and improving comfort levels took training, discussions, encouragement, and benchmarks. Get tips and tricks based on the speakers' experience to build skills for your teams!


text:
If you got here by typing a URL into your browser's address bar, please make sure the spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct, then try reloading the page. If you are certain the this URL is valid, please send us feedback about the broken link.
If you clicked on a link from a site outside of this site to ge here, there may be a problem with the link or it is possible that the page no longer exists. You may wish to use the links or the search form above to help you find the information you need.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Two days ago, I got chastised for presenting a patient as if they were a story, rather than a case.
The attending I was working with looked at me and said, "There's a reason why they're called cases. Their illness is a mystery that we need to solve. With everything you tell me, you want to build an argument, layer by layer, towards a certain diagnosis. Persuade me that what you think is wrong, is actually right."
I should know that already from all the Grey's Anatomy that I've been watching lately. It's been getting under my skin and into my brain and in-between my toes.
Even with McDreamy setting a perfectly lovely example, though. I still want to lay a patient's history out on the table. Every piece equal, round, and reactive to light. Like their pupils. (Hopefully. Unless there's cranial nerve III damage. But let's not go there.)
But, especially by the time we get them, their stores are too complex. Too multi-dimensioned to really fit neat and clean into one diagnosis.
What are the pertinent positives?, you\r attending will ask you.
Everything. Nothing. Some. All. None.
They are here now because of everything that has happened in their past, all taken together, every little bit adding up. And to say, this patient is peptic ulcer disease. Definitely. For sure. No questions asked.
Seems a bit reductionist.
Maybe this is why I felt so compelled to bake with the Meyer lemons Shannon sent me for my birthday pretty much immediately upon receiving them.
Regular lemons are great. Don't get me wrong. But they are what they are. They are tart and tangy. Stable and secure. Dependable.
You can sum them up in a sentence. And not really feel like you've sold them short.
And then there are Meyers.
Those little ovoid balls of contradictions that look like a lemon and bite like a lamb.
At once sweet and sour, they are so complex that you want to anthropomorphize them. Or at least turn them into lemon bars.
Lemon bars, in fact, that are so multi-dimensional that you aren't sure what to expect with each bite. So you keep biting. Bar by bar. Hoping that maybe, by your twelfth one. You'll be able to describe them in a sentence. Make a diagnosis. Build your case.
Or perhaps you'll just keep eating. And listening. Patient after patient. Story after story. Picking up the minutiae. The details. And creating, in your mind, a life rather than a case. Idealistic and markedly un-jaded, I know. But hopeful.
This post is part of the 835 Story Tour. To view more stories or submit your own, click here.
Meyer Lemon Bars
Makes 24, adapted from Smitten Kitchen
For the crust:
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp kosher salt
For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp meyer lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon juice)
1 cup flour
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. For the crust, cream together the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter and beat just until mixed. Put the dough on a well-floured board and form into a ball. With floured hands, flatten the dough into the baking pan. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
4. For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares or triangles. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
I am submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted this week by Yasmeen of Health Nut.


text:
A compound found in broccoli and related vegetables may have more health-boosting tricks up its sleeves, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Veggie fans can already point to some cancer-fighting properties of 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), a chemical produced from the compound indole-3-carbinol when Brassica vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale are chewed and digested. Animal studies have shown that DIM can actually stop the growth of certain cancer cells.
This new study in mice, published online Monday, Aug. 20 in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, shows that DIM may help boost the immune system as well.
"We provide clear evidence that DIM is effective in augmenting the immune response for the mice in the study, and we know that the immune system is important in defending the body against infections of many kinds and cancer," said Leonard Bjeldanes, UC Berkeley professor of toxicology and principal investigator of the study. "This finding bodes well for DIM as a protective agent against major human maladies."
Previous studies led by Bjeldanes and Gary Firestone, UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology, have shown that DIM halts the division of breast cancer cells and inhibits testosterone, the male hormone needed for growth of prostate cancer cells.
In the new study, the researchers found increased blood levels of cytokines, proteins which help regulate the cells of the immune system, in mice that had been fed solutions containing doses of DIM at a concentration of 30 milligrams per kilogram. Specifically, DIM led to a jump in levels of four types of cytokines: interleukin 6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin 12 and interferon-gamma.
"As far as we know, this is the first report to show an immune stimulating effect for DIM," said study lead author Ling Xue, who was a Ph.D. student in Bjeldanes' lab at the time of the study and is now a post-doctoral researcher in molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley.
In cell cultures, the researchers also found that, compared with a control sample, a 10 micromolar dose of DIM doubled the number of white blood cells, or lymphocytes, which help the body fight infections by killing or engulfing pathogens. (A large plateful of broccoli can yield a 5-10 micromolar dose of DIM.)
When DIM was combined with other agents known to induce the proliferation of lymphocytes, the effects were even greater than any one agent acting alone, with a three- to sixfold increase in the number of white blood cells in the culture.
"It is well-known that the immune system can seek out and destroy tumor cells, and even prevent tumor growth," said Xue. "An important type of T cell, called a T killer cell, can directly kill certain tumor cells, virally infected cells and sometimes parasites. This study provides strong evidence that could help explain how DIM blocks tumor growth in animals."
DIM was also able to induce higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), substances which must be released by macrophages in order to kill some types of bacteria as well as tumor cells. The induction of ROS - three times that of a control culture - after DIM was added to the cell culture signaled the activation of macrophages, the researchers said.
"The effects of DIM were transient, with cytokine and lymphocyte levels going up and then down, which is what you'd expect with an immune response," said Bjeldanes. "Interestingly, to obtain the effects on the immune response, DIM must be given orally, not injected. It could be that the metabolism of the compound changes when it is injected instead of eaten."
To examine the anti-viral properties of DIM, the researchers infected mice with reoviruses, which live in the intestines but are not life-threatening. Mice that had been given oral doses of DIM were significantly more efficient in clearing the virus from their gut - as measured by the level of viruses excreted in their feces - than mice that had not been fed DIM.
"This means that DIM is augmenting the body's ability to defend itself by inhibiting the proliferation of the virus," said Bjeldanes. "Future studies will determine whether DIM has similar effects on pathogenic viruses and bacteria, including those that cause diarrhea."
The discovery of DIM's effects on the immune system helps bolster its reputation as a formidable cancer-fighter, the researchers said. "This study shows that there is a whole new universe of cancer regulation related to DIM," said Firestone, who also co-authored the new study. "There are virtually no other agents known that can both directly shut down the growth of cancer cells and enhance the function of the immune system at the same time."
Two co-authors of the study are from Michigan State University's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition - James Pestka, professor of food science, and Maoxiang Li, a visiting research associate.
DIM is currently under investigation in government-funded clinical trials as a treatment for prostate and cervical cancer.
The University of California has filed patent applications on the use of DIM and its derivatives for immune modulation. Berkeley BioSciences, Inc., a company co-founded by Bjeldanes and Firestone, has licensed the related patent applications from the University of California and is researching and developing immune-enhancing nutritional supplements and therapeutics based on this discovery.
This study was supported by the Department of Defense's Army Breast Cancer Research Program, the National Institutes of Health and a Strategic Partnership Research Grant from the Michigan State University Foundation.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page:


text:
(NOV 20, 2016) –– President Barack Obama shared his thoughts on the important role travel plays and his hopes for the future of the planet with Lonely Planet's travelers on lonelyplanet.com, during his final foreign trip as President.
President Obama offered to share his thoughts with Lonely Planet on how interacting with people and cultures from different countries is essential for the world's future. In an exclusive article written, he describes how travel is fundamental to progress and essential to overcome challenges across borders.
The President traveled extensively during his eight years in office, becoming the first sitting US president to visit Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Laos and Myanmar. He also paid homage at Hiroshima, Japan, and visited Vietnam. Recognizing the value of travel in cultivating face-to-face interactions, he also lifted the more than 50-year ban on US travel to Cuba.
Since the publication of its first guidebook in 1973, Lonely Planet has always believed responsible travel can be a force for good, and continues to today as the world travels with Lonely Planet content on mobile, web and in print. It's a belief shared by President Barack Obama, detailed in his exclusive article on lonelyplanet.com, highlighting how the optimistic, tolerant and engaged young people he has met around the world give him hope for the future.
A key takeaway from his extensive travels as President is the importance of engaging beyond governments, and connecting with young people – who will determine the future of the planet – in a meaningful way. This is particularly crucial for the future of the developing world, where 90 percent of the global population under 30 lives.
"It is the world's young people who will determine whether their voices direct the change that is sweeping our world towards greater justice, opportunity, tolerance, and mutual respect," President Obama stated.
President Obama shared the plans he has put in place to support the empowerment of young global citizens prior to hosting a town hall meeting with young people in Peru.
For more information and to read President Barack Obama's first person article, visit lonelyplanet.com.
Obama Administration Paves Path for Students, Millennials to Travel
Throughout his presidency, Obama has appreciated the importance of travel to bring people together, forge better understanding. Travelers become ambassadors for America and also bring back to the US appreciation for other cultures and people. The opportunity to travel abroad is particularly important for young people, and the Obama Administration has also facilitated opportunities for students and millennials to study, volunteer, work and travel abroad.
In December 2014, the National Security Council hosted a summit with 100 of the most influential travel bloggers and digital media outlets to highlight U.S. Government initiatives and discuss strategies for encouraging American students to study, volunteer, and work abroad. The summit emphasized that international education and exposure are increasingly essential for the competitiveness of American companies and the American workforce, yet fewer than ten percent of students in the United States choose to study abroad.
By transforming interest in travel into study, volunteer, and work opportunities, the Administration sought to significantly increase the number and diversity of young people participating in educational, cultural, and professional experiences internationally.
Throughout Obama's presidency, his administration has focused on broadening the scope of the U.S. government's engagement with citizens abroad. Efforts included the President's signature Young African Leaders Initiative, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, 100,000 Strong in the Americas, and a project connecting Americans to youth in the Middle East, the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative.
Studying abroad is a critical component to deepening and broadening relationships with citizens overseas. Today, fewer than 10% of students take part in study abroad. In 2012 to 2013, the total number of U.S. students taking part in study abroad was under 300,000 — only 1.5 percent of the almost 20 million American students enrolled in U.S. higher education programs.
To combat these trends, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs created the U.S. Study Abroad Office. This office manages the Department's study abroad scholarships and capacity building programs for American students and institutions, as well as plays a leading role in promoting the benefits of study abroad to U.S. students and parents, faculty, and education administrators. It provides resources that can help interested U.S. students navigate a complex process to study or intern abroad by offering scholarships, recommendations, and guidelines.
The summit also featured remarks, presentations, and panels of experts on current efforts around studying, volunteering, and working abroad. Experts from National Geographic, iHeartMedia, Institute for International Education, George Mason University, Millennial Trains Project, Minerva Project, Travel Channel, and Yahoo Travel shared their ideas for increasing students' international interest.
For more travel features, visit:
'Like' us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures
Twitter: @TravelFeatures


text:
Submitted to: Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 8/12/2013 Publication Date: 9/11/2013 Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/58760 Citation: Morris, J.B., Wang, M.L., Tonnis, B.D. 2013. Desmodium genetic resources for improving flavonoid concentrations, oil, and fatty acid content. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization. doi:10.1017/S1479262113000397 p 1-9. Interpretive Summary: Desmodium seeds contain various amounts of health promoting flavonoids and fatty acids for use as a livestock supplement. Desmodium samples conserved at the USDA, ARS germplasm facility were evaluated for flavonoid, oil, and fatty acids. Several flavonoids and fatty acids in Desmodium species varied from the check species, D. incanum. Several of these Desmodium accessions could be used as a livestock supplement in the southern U.S.A. and could be used in breeding programs to develop superior varieties containing specific concentrations of flavonoids and fatty acids. Technical Abstract: Seed from several Desmodium species adapted to the Griffin, GA environment have potential as nutraceutical supplements for livestock. Flavonoids, oil, and fatty acid profiles identified from 25 accessions representing 5 species (D. discolor, D. incanum, D. intortum, D. sandwicense, and D. tortuosum) will add value to the genus Desmodium for possible use as a livestock health supplement. Seeds from 25 Desmodium accessions were evaluated for flavonoid concentrations using high performance liquid chromatography, oil content using nuclear magnetic resonance, and fatty acid composition using gas chromatography. Several accessions were significantly higher for all traits than the D. incanum check accessions. The Desmodium accessions produced significantly more quercetin and kaempferol than the best check accession (D. incanum, PI 477072). However, all of the Desmodium accessions produced significantly more isorhamnetin and luteolin than all four D. incanum check accessions. All Desmodium accessions produced more linoleic (18:2) and behenic (22:0) acids than a couple of D. incanum check accessions during 2010 and 2011. Significant correlations were found between several traits. Quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, luteolin, and apigenin showed significant negative correlations (r² = -0.62***, r² = -0.82***, r² = -0.34*, r² = -0.40**, and r² = -0.58***, respectively) with oil percentage. Palmitic acid had a significant negative correlation with oleic (r2 = -0.57***) and linoleic (r2 = -0.28*) acids. This information will assist breeders and other scientists in developing superior cultivars with optimum levels of flavonoids, oil, and fatty acids in many of these Desmodium species. |


text:
I couldn't help but wonder what Dennis Kozlowski was thinking Monday.
Kozlowski was the great business conglomerator at Tyco International Ltd. before he became the great Satan of corporate greed a decade ago. He spent more than eight years in prison for grand larceny, conspiracy, and fraud — not to mention many astounding stories of personal material excess. (Remember the $6,000 shower curtain?) He got out on parole earlier this year.
Before all that, Kozlowski had built Tyco into a giant by cobbling together hundreds of smaller companies that employed a total of 250,000 people. That conglomerate was broken up into several big pieces after Kozlowski's downfall. One of them was a collection of medical businesses that became Covidien PLC in Mansfield.
Now Covidien is being sold for $42.9 billion to Medtronic Inc. — a sum roughly equal to all of Tyco's annual revenues in that company's heyday. In effect, the medical business that was split apart seven years ago is being balled up into a larger company once again.
The sale of Covidien is big — the third-largest acquisition of a Massachusetts company on record. (Extra credit if you can name the two bigger deals; answer below.)
Technically, Covidien is headquartered in Ireland, but is run from Mansfield.
You're not alone if you don't know much about such an important company in our backyard. Like most other medical device giants, Covidien runs a business sprawled all over the map. Fewer than 5 percent of its 38,000 employees work in Massachusetts.
The company may be best known for its sign that was plastered for several years on Fenway Park's Green Monster, a target for Big Papi if he happened to be hitting to the opposite field. (Foxwoods has since taken over the prime wall space.)
The sale of Covidien made me wonder what might have happened over the past decade if Kozlowski had played it straight and managed to stay out of trouble. Maybe he wondered, too.
The old Tyco, which Kozlowski ran from Portsmouth, N.H., had issues. For starters, its companies were in too many businesses — from home security, to valves and controls for manufacturers, to the kinds of medical devices Covidien sells today.
Splitting that empire up into chunks focused on individual industries no doubt added to their combined value. The people who have run those businesses for the past decade didn't sit still, either.
But the combined market value of all the pieces — the surviving Tyco International, Covidien, TE Connectivity Ltd., ADT Corp., and Pentair Ltd. — amounts to something approaching $100 billion today.
Put it all together and that's a huge business — bigger than any single company in Massachusetts. That's some legacy to throw away.
. . .
There's nothing new about a biotech stock climbing on promising clinical news, but bluebird bio Inc., of Cambridge, must have set some kind of record Monday.
Bluebird stock jumped 32 percent, to $34.46 per share, and briefly traded over $40 in the morning. The catalyst: good news about two patients in a clinical trial. Two. That's a stock market boost of $100 million per patient.
The news, reported at a medical conference last weekend, really was remarkable. The patients with a rare inherited blood disease called beta-thalassemia responded so well to bluebird's gene therapy that they no longer needed blood transfusions within two weeks.
Patients suffering from the disease normally require regular transfusions all of their lives. Bluebird's therapy treats patients by replacing a defective gene. In this very small test, the results were off the chart.
The two patients are actually part of a larger group of seven to test the therapy in Europe. Bluebird, one of the many local biotech companies backed by the Boston investment firm Third Rock Ventures, expects to enroll 15 patients from the United States and elsewhere in another test.
The Red Herring
I asked the research firm S&P Capital IQ to dig up the all-time biggest sales of companies in Massachusetts. Tops on the list: the $58.6 billion sale of Gillette Co. to Procter & Gamble Co. in 2005. Second: Bank of America's purchase of FleetBoston Financial Corp. for $53.7 billion the previous year.
Steven Syre is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at email@example.com.
Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect price for the Covidien deal. It is $42.9 billion.


text:
U.S. Beef Producer Optimism And Profit Potential Run High
Producer optimism and profit potential are running high for 2012, though general economic concerns linger, reports Nevil Speer in the 2012 BEEF State of the Industry report.
June 21, 2012
Beef producers began 2012 with a note of optimism. The fed market finished 2011 on a solidly positive note. That marks an upward surge lasting over two years (the most recent low was established in December 2009).
Accordingly, total revenue entering the producer segment is estimated to surpass $33 billion in 2011 – more than $6 billion ahead of 2010's nearly $27 billion. Meanwhile, the fed market's relative performance over the previous two years saw steer/heifer prices outpace the broader economy (as measured by the S&P 500) by 40%.
The year 2011 also witnessed ongoing liquidation in the cow-calf sector – much of it drought-induced and incentivized by strong cull prices. In fact, those forces combined to force the sale of 940,000 cows out of Texas and Oklahoma alone – a reduction of almost 14% and lowering the nation's cowherd below the 30-million-head mark at the end of 2011.
However, higher feeder cattle prices have provided cow-calf producers with significant profit opportunities in recent years. And market optimism, coupled with stabilization of moisture patterns in the U.S., has bolstered producer attitudes. Those trends have influenced the sector with a renewed bias toward expansion. For example, among producer attendees of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Cattlemen's College in February 2012, only 10% indicated they had NO plans to expand in the next five years.
Much of the beef industry's prosperity and resilience can be attributed to solid demand – both domestic and foreign. Domestic beef expenditures have stabilized during the past several years, which is especially encouraging given the broader economic woes and sharp uptick in retail beef prices.
Simultaneously, the value of U.S. beef exports were sharply higher in 2011, totaling $5.3 billion – a year-over-year increase of $1.3 billion, and $2.3 billion ahead of two years ago. The $5.3-billion figure represents nearly $235 for every fed steer and heifer marketed in the U.S. (the equivalent of nearly $19/cwt. on top of the domestic market).
Clearly, the U.S. is increasingly competitive and recognized as a supplier of consistent, high-quality, safe beef products. Expanding export markets is often tedious and difficult, but it pays off in the end for all participants in the value chain.
As the beef industry enters 2012, it's especially interesting to note that the world's largest food retailer – Walmart – is transitioning its beef product strategy by going to a USDA Choice offering. That move potentially represents new opportunities for quality-oriented beef producers at the retail level.
Producer optimism and profit potential are running high for 2012, though general economic concerns linger. Most importantly, it reflects the reality that beef products are now serving to anchor consumer recruitment and promotion. That type of positioning represents a new business model and places the industry in a whole new context – beef as an economic driver.
Several key issues remain ahead, however. First and foremost are concerns about the broader economy. Consumers represent the core foundation for any industry and final demand is an issue that must always be evaluated. Most notably, the worries about the global economy, personal finances and overall job security still weigh on consumers. Consumers always make purchases based on the price/value relationship. The primary question that must always be considered from a business perspective, especially amidst surging beef prices, is that of: "At what point do consumers begin to push back?"
Higher cattle prices also represent some challenges for margin operators. The fed market's strength has proven especially difficult for beef processors. Operating margins have been tough for an extended period of time. Major
processors all report earnings declines largely due to beef operations in late 2011, and that trend continues well into the first quarter of 2012. Margin squeeze has also been an enduring problem for feedyards, a sector that faces the ongoing issue of excess feeding capacity chasing a diminishing supply of feeder cattle, which is driving feeder cattle prices ever higher.
Another sector concern is the high volatility in feed prices the past several years. These higher costs mean higher capital requirements and the need for more risk management along the way. In response, commercial producers will:
Continue to consolidate while pursuing economies of scale.
Focus on the use of technology of all kinds.
Utilize contracts to mitigate risk.
Emphasize value in all decision-making processes.
Within that environment, profitable producers increasingly recognize the need to strategically manage costs while looking for new opportunities within the current business environment. Looking ahead, final demand remains key to overall prosperity. Most important for the industry, managing broader perceptions among the consumer base must constantly be managed as evidenced by the media distortion around lean finely textured beef. The cascade of negative stories highlights the challenges as information travels increasingly quickly through various media and social channels. It illustrates the heightened need to negate confusion among the general public about the food they eat.
Click here to download the full State Of The Industry Report in PDF form.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like


text:
If you were to discover that a fundamental component of human biology has survived virtually intact for the past 25 million years, you'd be quite confident in saying that it is here to stay.
Such is the case for a team of Whitehead Institute scientists, whose latest research on the evolution of the human Y chromosome confirms that the Y -- despite arguments to the contrary -- has a long, healthy future ahead of it.
Proponents of the so-called rotting Y theory have been predicting the eventual extinction of the Y chromosome since it was first discovered that the Y has lost hundreds of genes over the past 300 million years. The rotting Y theorists have assumed this trend is ongoing, concluding that inevitably, the Y will one day be utterly devoid of its genetic content.
Over the past decade, Whitehead Institute Director David Page and his lab have steadily been churning out research that should have permanently debunked the rotting Y theory, but to no avail.
"For the past 10 years, the one dominant storyline in public discourse about the Y is that it is disappearing," says Page. "Putting aside the question of whether this ever had a sound scientific basis, the story went viral -- fast -- and has stayed viral. I can't give a talk without being asked about the disappearing Y. This idea has been so pervasive that it has kept us from moving on to address the really important questions about the Y."
To Page, this latest research represents checkmate in the chess match he's been drawn into against the "rotting Y" theorists. Members of his lab have dealt their fatal blow by sequencing the Y chromosome of the rhesus macaque -- an Old World monkey whose evolutionary path diverged from that of humans some 25 million years ago -- and comparing it with the sequences of the human and chimpanzee Y chromosomes.
The comparison, published this week in the online edition of the journal Nature, reveals remarkable genetic stability on the rhesus and human Ys in the years since their evolutionary split.
Grasping the full impact of this finding requires a bit of historical context. Before they became specialized sex chromosomes, the X and Y were once an ordinary, identical pair of autosomes like the other 22 pairs of chromosomes humans carry. To maintain genetic diversity and eliminate potentially harmful mutations, autosome pairs swap genes with each other in a process referred to as "crossing over." Roughly 300 million years ago, a segment of the X stopped crossing over with the Y, causing rapid genetic decay on the Y. Over the next hundreds of millions of years, four more segments, or strata, of the X ceased crossing over with the Y. The resulting gene loss on the Y was so extensive that today, the human Y retains only 19 of the more than 600 genes it once shared with its ancestral autosomal partner.
"The Y was in free fall early on, and genes were lost at an incredibly rapid rate," says Page. "But then it leveled off, and it's been doing just fine since."
How fine? Well, the sequence of the rhesus Y, which was completed with the help of collaborators at the sequencing centers at Washington University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine, shows the chromosome hasn't lost a single ancestral gene in the past 25 million years. By comparison, the human Y has lost just one ancestral gene in that period, and that loss occurred in a segment that comprises just 3% of the entire chromosome. The finding allows researchers to describe the Y's evolution as one marked by periods of swift decay followed by strict conservation.
"We've been carefully developing this clearcut way of demystifying the evolution of the Y chromosome," says Page lab researcher Jennifer Hughes, whose earlier work comparing the human and chimpanzee Ys revealed a stable human Y for at least six million years. "Now our empirical data fly in the face of the other theories out there. With no loss of genes on the rhesus Y and one gene lost on the human Y, it's clear the Y isn't going anywhere."
"This paper simply destroys the idea of the disappearing Y chromosome," adds Page. "I challenge anyone to argue when confronted with this data."
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Charles A. King Trust.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Original written by Matt Fearer. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Cite This Page:


text:
ISLAMABAD – A defense lawyer says Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf will make his first appearance before a court on Feb. 18 to face a high treason case.
Anwar Mansoor Khan gave this assurance to the court Friday in Islamabad.
Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup and was forced to step down in 2008.
He faces the charges for his 2007 decision to impose a state of emergency and detain judges.
He has skipped several earlier court hearings, forcing judges to issue an arrest warrant for him. But the warrant was "bailable" — meaning he could avoid jail by applying for bail.
Musharraf is currently in hospital, and Khan says he wanted to go abroad for treatment of a heart disease.


text:
This page lists the mp3s in our Chinese Music media library.
You can listen online or download to your own device to enjoy offline.
The collection is mainly categorized based on music instruments. We are still in the process of updating this list.
- Dizi (笛子) , transverse bamboo flute with buzzing membrane
- Erhu(二胡), two-stringed fiddle
- Guqin (古琴), 7-stringed zither
- Guzheng (古筝), 16–26 stringed zither with movable bridges
- Hulusi (葫芦丝), free-reed wind instrument with three bamboo pipes which pass through a gourd wind chest; one pipe has finger holes and the other two are drone pipes; used primarily in Yunnan province
- Pipa(琵琶), pear-shaped fretted lute with 4 or 5 strings
- Morin khuur (马头琴) , a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument.
- Yangqin ( 扬琴) , a Chinese hammered dulcimer
- Sheng (笙 ), a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.
- Sanxian(三弦), a Chinese lute —a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument
- Suona(唢呐), a Chinese folk wind instrument
- Xiao ( 箫 ), a Chinese vertical end-blown flute
- Ruanqin (阮琴), a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings
- Folk song (民歌), features simple language and has many genres and forms
What do you want to added to Chinese Music media library?
Please let us know your thoughts and requests in the comment box below.
You can also post your feedback, or discuss with other Chinese music enthusiasts in our Facebook page.
You can tune to our 7/24/365 Chinese classical music online radio here.


text:
Women and youth face distinct challenges in participating in the productive sectors of the economy. Although women and youth are not a homogenous group and their circumstances vary according to age, class, education, ethnicity, location and other cultural- and socio-economic characteristics, it is widely acknowledged that women and youth bear a disproportionate burden of global poverty.
Large and growing youth unemployment threatens sustainable development and social stability, and women continue to experience barriers in almost every aspect of economic life. Women suffer from persistent social and cultural discrimination and unequal access to and control over assets and services.
The primary focus of UNIDO's activities in this area is on the knowledge, skills, technologies and business support services needed to enable women and youth to engage in productive activities, generate income, and thereby reduce poverty. UNIDO assists governments to develop policies towards an enabling environment for economic growth that is gender- and age-responsive.
This is achieved through capacity-building with a focus on women and youth so as to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to seize economic opportunities, gain control of their lives and exert influence in society.
Gender equality is promoted by increasing opportunities for both girls and boys to make life choices that go beyond limiting norms about gender, for example through education and the ability to make vocational choices that combat gender divisions in the labour market. UNIDO's activities in this area also concentrate on the creation of an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs; support for youth entrepreneurship; and the promotion of clusters and partnerships to facilitate access to information, technology and markets for women and youth.


text:
I've just plugged in another monitor into my 13 inch MBP running OS X Lion.
It works fine, except for three little annoyances:
Whenever I use the application switcher (or whatever it's called, I mean the thing that appears when you use command-tab), it appears only on the MBP screen. I also want it on the external screen I attached.
same problem with the top menu bar. It only appears on the MBP screen, but I also want to see it on the external screen.
and again, same problem for the dock.
Is there a way to fix these three things?


text:
Shapeways Price Estimator
Shapeways computes (most of) their prices based purely upon the volume of material that is consumed during printing.
* This estimator is based upon a flat rectangular (hollow) box with the dimensions you select above.
It will give you a rough idea of how much a model will cost. If your model is highly detailed, it's often the same as making the walls slightly thicker. If your model contains a lot of holes, then the price obviously would be less.


text:
A blood pressure of 105/65 indicates that your blood pressure is PERFECTLY NORMAL, and on par with the American Heart Association guidelines.
This article tells you:
- What does a 105/65 blood pressure mean?
- What should you do if you have 105/65 blood pressure?
- Some easy to do home remedies and supplementations.
- Frequently asked question that will answer many of your queries regarding your 105/65 blood pressure.
What does a 105/65 blood pressure mean?
The blood pressure reading 105/65 indicates that the person in question has ideal blood pressure.
If a person has blood pressure within the range of [90/60] and [120/80], it will mean that the person has perfect blood pressure.
By extension, the blood pressure value of 105/65 means that the person is not at a prominent risk of any heart disease. His/her heart is functioning the way a healthy person's heart should, and that is significantly good for that person.
Ideal blood pressure is the state in which the blood flowing through the blood vessels applies just the right amount of pressure over those and the heart walls. As an effect of this, the heart can pump blood to all the parts of the body rather effectively.
105/65 signifies that the lifestyle that you have adapted yourself to is well-supported by your body and health. Also, if you were to keep up with the same lifestyle, it would eliminate the possible risk of chronic heart disease from your life.
If you happen to have healthy blood pressure, then it will help improve your health in more ways than just one. Some of the benefits that are supported by your body for having an ideal blood pressure are as follows:
- An ideal blood pressure protects you from imminent risks of heart problems.
- It is an indication that you are not suffering from diabetes and that your endocrine glands are functioning perfectly.
- Ideal blood pressure helps you maintain the ideal body weight for you.
- Having an ideal blood pressure relatively decreases the possibility of heart and kidney failure.
- It will help in the regulation of minerals within your body.
- Ideal blood pressure decreases the possibility of stroke for you.
What should you do if you have 105/65 blood pressure?
Here is a set-by-step procedure to follow when you figure out you have a blood pressure of 105/65.
1. Your doctor has to diagnose
If your blood is 105/65 and you have checked the same in your home setup, it is highly recommended to get it checked at your doctor's office.
A trained professional has to clinically assess your condition and confirm that your 105/65 is, in fact, clinically valid.
There are instances when your reading at home setup might give you a reading which is incorrectly reported. It could be because of an error in reading it, damage to your device, your physical or mental condition on that particular day, etc.
Therefore, a doctor has to assess it over the course of 7 – 30 days periodically before he/she can confirm the accurate stage of your blood pressure.
In some cases, a patient might report wrong blood pressure in a hospital setup, called white coat hypertension. Here the patient may show higher blood pressure than their actual because of the anxiety inside a hospital environment.
In contrast, some patients may have masked hypertension in which the person may show lower blood pressure at clinical setup, but at home, they may have higher blood pressure.
All these conditions are linked to physiology and psychology and, therefore, better to be validated by a doctor.
2. Keep it up!
The blood pressure readings of 105/65 are relatively good, even taking into consideration the entire range of the ideal blood pressure.
But just because it is good now does not mean that things won't change over time. Considering that distinct possibility, you should stick to a lifestyle that will help keep you fit and support your health.
Following are some of the habits that you should adopt in your lifestyle to keep yourself healthy all the time:
- Try to maintain that it is in equilibrium with your age and lifestyle.
- Eat healthy meals and exercise regularly.
- Regulate the consumption of salts.
- Support the intake of natural supplements whenever you feel those to be necessary for your body.
- Take proper rest every day. Your rest and sleep should be priorities for you.
- Quit smoking and keep your alcohol consumption in a check.
- Do not subject yourself to excess stress and anxiety, or this might turn into an emotional burden for you.
3. Do you need any medicine to keep this up?
At this stage, you don't need any medications and all thanks to those perfect numbers you have seen.
All you can do is indulge in a healthy amount of workouts and other physical activities with a good watch over general health.
Routine health checkups and periodic blood pressure measurements are critical at this stage, which is what most people miss doing firsthand.
Unlike people with hyper or hypotension, you don't need to actively regulate your blood pressure; however, passive efforts to indirectly keep it under control shall be followed.
Water pills and diuretics are sometimes recommended by doctors after assessing the electrolyte concentration in your body. However, in most cases, you may also don't want it.
If you are a little lazy to hit the gym for your cardio, then we have included some products in the dietary supplement class that you can consider.
4. Diet check for 105/65 blood pressure
Your blood pressure and overall health are directly related to the type of food consumed daily.
Therefore, if you were to keep your dietary habits in a firm check and eat healthy meals, that would significantly contribute to your overall health. It will be good for your body as well as your mind
Following are some of the facts that you should take into account before planning your diet:
- Regulate the consumption of sodium salts: Sodium is an important nutrient for the human body. And the concentration of this salt has a direct impact on your blood pressure. By regulating its intake, you can maintain your blood pressure.
- Caffeine: Caffeine-related products contribute to increasing the blood pressure of a person. If the consumption of these products is not kept in check, it may lead to high blood pressure.
- Drink plenty of water: Keep yourself hydrated all the time. This will help maintain the level of fluids and salt in your body.
- Alcohol: High consumption of alcohol can lead to low blood pressure. Besides this, the consumption of alcohol in excess can not serve any good purpose as it dehydrates your body rather rapidly.
- Herbs and spices: Support the intake of herbs and spices that will help maintain your ideal blood pressure. Many natural herbs can serve that purpose.
- Supplements: Do not hesitate to opt for natural supplements if your body lacks nutrients or minerals of any kind. Besides, these are the first things that physiotherapists advise individuals who suffer from problems in blood pressure because of a lack of minerals.
5. Do I need more tests for my heart?
105/65 is a perfect value that one might want to see when their blood pressure is being checked. Still, does it mean you are perfectly fine? Should you conduct more studies to get a conclusive stat regarding your heart health?
Technically speaking, a perfect blood pressure reading isn't the ultimate predictor of heart health. In fact, some people undergoing a heat attack may show no change in blood pressure or even exhibit hypotension.
However, blood pressure reading, in most cases, is a direct estimator of heart health. But the problem is that only a variation in reading would denote a cardiovascular problem.
This is why the physician opts for having an ECG or echocardiography in order to seek better clarity on your cardio health.
The above is often read in reference to your blood test reports and other health assessment parameters to draw a conclusion.
6. Natural supplements for your rescue
Sometimes managing blood pressure is all about supplementing your body with the right diet. Food is undoubtedly the best primary source to supplement your body.
However, in the current scenarios, we all know how much adultered our foodstuff is, and most of us are pushed towards processed foods to feed ourselves in this fast-paced world.
All these food are high in sugar and sodium and doesn't contain any vital nutrients that are important for a healthy heart.
This is where some of the nutraceutical-based blood pressure supplements come in handy. These products combine all critical nutrients your heart craves, thereby assisting the better function of your cardiovascular system.
Generally, these supplements are a concoction of herbs, plant-based products, dairy products, and some animal products. They are 100% organic and natural and don't contain any harmful chemicals.
If you are hearing about these segments of products for the first time, to start with, you may blindly go for Blood Pressure Support from Vita Balance Inc, Blood Pressure Optimizer from HFL, or Corsanum, marketed by PLT Group.
Blood Pressure Support | Blood Pressure Optimizer | Corsanum |
Blood Pressure Support combines hawthorn berry, olive leaf, hibiscus, and some vitamins like C, B6, B12, niacin, and folate alongside a bunch of other medicinal herbs to support the healthy working of the heart. | Blood Pressure Optimizer has MegaNatural®-BP grape seed extract and Celery3nB™ celery seed extract alongside common vitamins and minerals, which can help increase your cardiovascular elasticity. | Corsanum is a refined combination of olive, iron, and grapevine alongside regular products like coriander, hawthorn, and oregano, all of which are foods known to maintain cardiovascular health. |
The only one thing to keep in mind is that choose the best blood pressure supplement, because when it comes to the heart, there is no taking of risk!
So having an 105/65 is the ideal blood pressure, and you can keep doing whatever you have been doing so far.
You may now know the thrust areas of health to focus on and some diet plans that you may want to befriend.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the blood pressure, and what are the normal values?
Blood pressure is the pressure that is exerted by the blood flowing through arteries over those. Alongside that, this is the efficiency with which the blood is pumped by the heart to all the parts of the body through the circulatory system.
The normal values for blood pressure are between [90/60] and [120/80]. If a person has a blood pressure equivalent to this much, then it means that the blood will be flowing through the arteries relatively easily.
2. What is considered to be high blood pressure?
Blood pressure over the value of [130/80] is considered high blood pressure. This signifies that high pressure is being exerted by the blood flowing through the vessels over those.
And therefore, it is difficult for the human heart to be able to pump blood to all the parts of the body rather efficiently. This is a problem that can arise when the size of the vessels is contracted compared to the original size.
3. What is considered to be low blood pressure?
A blood pressure lesser than the value of [90/60] is termed low blood pressure. This type of value means that low pressure is put forward by the blood over the vessels that are carrying it. It can also be taken as a measure that, the blood is not able to reach all the parts of the body.
Or, the heart is not capable of circulating blood to all the parts of the body in an effective way. This problem in blood pressure is mainly the effect of dehydration and pregnancy.
4. What are hypertension and hypotension? Are they both the same as high and low blood pressure?
Hypertension is the condition that emerges when a person is having high blood pressure. Because of contraction in vessels, the blood can not flow through the vessels efficiently, and therefore, high pressure is exerted over the blood vessels, this particular condition is high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension.
Hypotension is the condition that comes into effect when the blood pressure of a person is lower compared to the ideal value of blood pressure. This means that the heart is unable to pump blood through the blood vessels to all the body parts. This type of situation when observed is called low blood pressure, or hypotension.
5. What will happen to your general health when you have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure puts you at an imminent risk of arteries rupture because of the high pressure applied over those by the circulating blood. This can, in turn, affect the circulation of blood to all the parts of the body, and your heart itself. And, the latter part can lead you to some serious heart diseases. The high pressure applied over the heart walls can put you close to the risk of heart attack and heart failure.
6. What causes high blood pressure and low blood pressure?
The medical conditions of high blood pressure and low blood pressure are both effects of the lifestyle that we lead. This means that if we adapt to a lifestyle that is in line with our body and overall physical fitness, then we will have ideal blood pressure.
But, if our lifestyle is deviated from what we had started, some medical conditions can arise. High blood pressure and low blood pressure are some of those problems.
7. What are the risks of having high blood pressure?
The most serious risk that is faced by an individual that is suffering from high blood pressure is the risk of heart attack, heart failure, or some chronic disease related to the heart.
Moreover, there are also the additional risks of strokes, vision loss, diabetes, kidney failure, unresponsiveness to external stimuli, chronic chest pain, artery damage, and vascular dementia.
8. What can I do to lower my blood pressure?
To lower your blood pressure, the foremost step should be to limit the intake of sodium salts. Then, it will be good for you to opt for a healthy lifestyle; eat healthy meals and exercise daily. Try to maintain your weight to healthy proportions. Limit the intake of alcohol and caffeine-related beverages, and quit smoking.
Also, you need to have an adequate amount of rest every day and keep your stress and anxiety in proper check. If you continue to face high blood pressure problems even after making these changes in your lifestyle, it will be good for you to consult with a physiotherapist to discuss your blood pressure medications.
9. What are the risks of having low blood pressure?
The harmful effects that are associated with low blood pressure are not as prominent as what is associated with high blood pressure, but they can serve to be just as much harmful in the long run. Low blood pressure can lead to lightheadedness, dizziness, and confusion for a prolonged period.
This is a condition that can make you weak physically as well as mentally. Low blood pressure leads to a depletion in the effectiveness of motor senses, and the subject is likely to faint from time to time. This condition can also lead to blurred vision and can damage peripheral nerves over a long time.
10. What can I do to increase my blood pressure?
Increase the usage of table salts in your diet, and drink plenty of water. Limit your intake of alcohol as it is a dehydrating agent. Increase your diet by taking small meals multiple times with low carbs. Exercise daily and try to take up a lifestyle that will be good for your health and physical well-being.
Try to maintain a body weight that will be good as per your physical stature and age. Avoid changing positions abruptly, and wear compression stockings to improve blood flow in the legs. Also, consult a physiotherapist regarding your medications for low blood pressure.
11. Can smoking and alcohol affect my blood pressure?
Smoking and alcohol have an active impact on the blood pressure levels of an individual. These can lead to an effective change in the size of arteries that carry blood to all the parts of the body.
Heavy intake of alcohol can increase blood pressure in individuals to a significantly high level and this can even lead to long-term blood pressure issues in the individual. On the other hand, smoking is as bad as it can be. It leads to the contraction of blood vessels, which increases the pressure of blood over the heart walls. This puts you at risk of heart disease.
12. How to correctly check my blood pressure at home?
If you want to check your blood pressure at home, you can use portable blood pressure monitors to do so. These are highly adaptable and can help provide you with your blood pressure levels closest to accurate.
But if you are seeking precision in the readings, then it will be good if you were to follow certain measures. For once, avoid intake of caffeine and alcohol before taking the reading. And, have a proper rest of nearly 10 minutes before measuring your blood pressure.
13. Why is it important to visit a doctor to confirm high/low blood pressure?
It is important to visit a doctor regarding blood pressure for the sake of the precision of the outcome or the result of the readings. Moreover, in a proper medical facility and care of professionals, you will be able to get guidance about how to keep your blood pressure in check if it is not per your ideal blood pressure.
Also, you can get a consultation regarding the changes that you will need to make in your lifestyle to bring your blood pressure back in check.
14. Should you be worried about high blood pressure during pregnancy?
High blood pressure during the latter half of the pregnancy is not that rare of an occurrence. However, it is not something to make light of either. If not treated properly, or significant steps are not taken regarding it, this high blood pressure may pose danger to the health of the parent as well as the baby.
This type of high blood pressure or hypertension is called gestational hypertension, and it is not long-lasting. It goes away after the delivery of the baby.
15. What are some of the symptoms to watch out for in high blood pressure?
The symptoms of high blood pressure are not something that can be ignored readily. These symptoms include severe headache, anxiety attacks, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, blood spots in the eyes, intense fatigue, blurred or distorted vision, and vomiting or nausea. These symptoms are not something to be taken lightly.
High blood pressure is not an incurable problem, but measures are needed to be taken against it in the due time. So, don't make light of the symptoms and consult a physiotherapist regarding these.
16. What foods should you eat to lower blood pressure?
To lower blood pressure eat a diet that is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Besides this, it is good to take short meals that are low in curbs. Instead of deep-fried products, it will be good if you were to incline towards a diet that is mainly consisting of vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and other leafy green vegetables.
Consume lots of low-fat poultry and dairy products. These will help enable a healthy diet for you and help you lean towards a healthy lifestyle.
17. What are the best herbs and spices for high blood pressure?
Many known herbs and spices are proven to have a significant effect on high blood pressure. Significantly, basil, parsley, Chinese cat's claw, celery seeds, Brahmi, thyme, garlic, and ginger are the herbs that are most commonly made use of by people that are suffering from high blood pressure. Along with these, cardamom, cloves, ajwain, green oat, and flaxseeds are the spices that help manage high blood pressure.
- Borjesson M, Onerup A, Lundqvist S, Dahlof B. Physical activity and exercise lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension: Narrative review of 27 RCTs. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(6):356-361. doi:10.1136/BJSPORTS-2015-095786
- High blood pressure (hypertension) – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic. Accessed October 10, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373417
- Lloyd-Jones DM, Allen NB, Anderson CAM, et al. Life's Essential 8: Updating and Enhancing the American Heart Association's Construct of Cardiovascular Health: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2022;146(5):E18-E43. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001078
- Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2019;139(25):E1082-E1143. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625
- Brenner J, LeBlang S, Lizotte-Waniewski M, et al. Mindfulness with paced breathing reduces blood pressure. Med Hypotheses. 2020;142. doi:10.1016/J.MEHY.2020.109780
- Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical practice guidelines. Hypertension. 2018;71(6):E13-E115. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000065
- Chernova I, Krishnan N. Resistant Hypertension Updated Guidelines. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2019;21(10). doi:10.1007/S11886-019-1209-6
- Agasthi P, Shipman J, Arsanjani R, et al. Renal Denervation for Resistant Hypertension in the contemporary era: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1). doi:10.1038/S41598-019-42695-9
- Flynn JT, Kaelber DC, Baker-Smith CM, et al. Clinical practice guideline for screening and management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017;140(3). doi:10.1542/PEDS.2017-1904
- Muntner P, Shimbo D, Carey RM, et al. Measurement of blood pressure in humans: A scientific statement from the american heart association. Hypertension. 2019;73(5):E35-E66. doi:10.1161/HYP.000000000000008


text:
Derby #194: Science Fair
Hey, this Derby's over. When you're finished reliving past glories, check out what's going on in the Derby right now. It's probably even cooler. Or at least newer.
Let us harken back for a second to a simpler time. A time of elementary school, potatoes on toothpicks in styrofoam cups full of water, vinegar/baking soda volcanoes, and cooking hot dogs using solar power. This week we want to see designs carrying on the tradition of middle school science with your depictions of the theories explored, science fair experiments themselves, or maybe just the chemical or physical processes involved. Remember the theme is based on a right of passage for middle school though, so leave your complex explanations of String Theory and Higgs boson detection at home. Keep it at a level you would expect walking into a grade school gym to judge a kid's experiment. Of course the Scientific Method is all about following the rules and so are we:
No video games or Star Wars.
Incidental text only. If you need to show a chemical symbol or mathematical formula, fine. But you can't have a text-centric design.
No anthropomorphic animals. Animals in experiments are okay so long as they're acting like animals.


text:
Show All Answers
Under 4.430 of Eugene Code, Continuous Annoyance. Permitting any animal to cause annoyance, alarm or disturbance for more than 15 continuous minutes at any time of the day or night, be it repeated barking, whining, screeching, howling, braying or other like sounds which can be heard beyond the boundary of the owner's property.
We encourage neighbors to resolve the matter between themselves if safe to do so. If that does not resolve the issue people can report the noise to the Animal Services line at 541.687.4060. In order for our office to follow up we must have an address, not just a description of the house or apartment.
If it is the first complaint for the address or a reasonable time has passed between complaints, our office will send a Good Neighbor letter to the residents. The letter notifies the resident a complaint was made and provides them information on the ordinance, fines they could be issued in the future, and resources to help address the barking. If you are a tenant at an apartment complex we encourage you to report it to property management, as they typically have noise addressed in the lease and may be able to resolve the matter more quickly.
Please note that Continuous Annoyances are followed up on as time allows. In order for enforcement action to be taken, our office will need a signed complaint by a witness to the noise. We cannot take enforcement from an anonymous complaint. If a letter has been sent and the issue continues we recommend a complainant have a 15 minute video recording of the noise.
There is a large stray and feral cat population throughout Lane County. Eugene Animal Services responds to calls for service regarding free roaming cats who are very sick or injured. Additionally, we partner with Greenhill Humane Society to help stabilize the current population and stop the reproduction of future cats, through the Cat Program and Trap Neuter Return.
Trap Neuter Return (TNR). This nationally recognized model has been shown to be the most effective, humane and collaborative way for communities to coexist with cats. Cats are humanely trapped, sterilized, ear-tipped (the universal sign that a cat is a part of a TNR program) and then returned to the same area. Greenhill Humane Society's TNR program is offered free to any feral, stray or free-roaming cat in Lane County. For more information visit this link or call 541.689.1503 press 6 to make an appointment.
It is illegal to trap and relocate unwanted cats, nor does it solve the problem. Not only is it cruel, it only creates opportunity for other cats from the area to appear, creating a viscous cycle also know as the "vacuum effect". The TNR model stabilizes current cat colonies and prevents them from reproducing. It is also known to lessen or stop nuisance behavior such as spraying or aggression towards other animals.
Tips on living with cats in your neighborhood
Put out fragrances that deter cats. Scatter fresh orange or lemon peels, wet coffee gourds or metal pans filled with vinegar to deter cats. Talk to your lawn and garden store about other humane options to deter unwanted animals from your yard.
Get a Cat Scat Mat. A non chemical cat deterrent consisting of plastic mats that are cut into smaller pieces and pressed into the soil. The mats are flexible plastic spikes that are harmless to cats and other animals but discourage digging.
Get motion-activated sprinklers.
Keep trash secure with a tight lid. Exposed trash will attract cats, as well as wildlife. Also, do not leave food outside for your pets, it will attract cats and wildlife.
Block gaps in the foundation of your home, sheds and any outbuilding.
Talk to your neighbors. You may determine the cat is a pet and talk to their owner about the issues you're having.
For more information on feral cats and the effectiveness of the Trap Neuter Return model, visit the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.
Eugene Animal Services does not handle wildlife.
If you are dealing with a nuisance wildlife issue please refer to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Oregon has laws surrounding trapping, relocating, and destroying wildlife. The link offers information on living with wildlife, as well as resources on wildlife control operators in the area.
If you find a sick or injured wild animal, call Oregon ODFW, OSP, or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before picking up or moving any wildlife.
If you find a dog inside the city limits of Eugene, you must call or take it directly to Greenhill Humane Society during normal business hours. If you are unable to transport the dog, you may call the animal services line at 541.687.4060 and someone will advise you if there is an animal welfare officer on duty. If you find a dog after business hours and can safely house it overnight you can choose to do so.
While posting found dogs on Craigslist and other social media outlets can be helpful in reuniting pets with their owners, by law you must also report or turn the dog over to the animal authority. If you are interested in adopting a dog you found if an owner does not come forward, let the shelter know. They give preference to the finders.
The City of Eugene has ordinances surrounding Urban Animal Keeping. Additionally, the city limits the number of dogs on a property over the age of 6 months to three and one visiting dog for a short period of time. These ordinances are enforced by the City of Eugene Code Compliance and all complainants should be directed to their office.
Our office often receives complaints for the noise created by roosters. While our office typically handles continuous annoyance created by animals, roosters are prohibited in city limits and the urban growth boundary. Complaints about roosters can be directed to code compliance as well.
File a lost report with Greenhill Humane Society at 541-689-1503. You may also check their website or visit the shelter during their business hours to see if your pet is currently under their care. If you recognize an animal at the shelter as your pet, they can be reclaimed from the during their regular business hours.
For more tips, visit How to Locate a Missing Pet on Greenhill Humane Society's page.
The owner of an animal susceptible to rabies which bites a human being shall notify Lane County Environmental Health if the bite makes contact with skin resulting in the break to the skin. Bites can be reported during regular business hours by calling 541.682.4480. Animal must be quarantined for 10 days beginning on the date of the incident.
Reporting a bite to Eugene Animal Services is only necessary if it is a dog bite and someone wants to file a complaint against the owner. This could be a dog bite/attack to a humane or another animal. The City of Eugene has a Potentially Dangerous Dog classification and if an incident meets the criteria an owner is required to place their dog under a certain level of restrictions.


text:
One cannot help but be reflective after Election Day, and one thing that I've been thinking about is the role of theatre arts in society as a source of hope and inspiration.
In my work at Park Square Theatre, both as blogger and daytime usher, I get to witness firsthand some of the dynamic changes occurring within the Minnesota scene as Elders begin to hand off responsibilities to a younger generation, as organizations soul-search on how to remain relevant to their audiences and as they ever strive to fulfill their missions–all while trying to stay financially afloat to be able to come back to do it all over again season after season. What I have discovered is that a theatre is a place of service, and those who work in one are more likely than not following a calling. The theatre "bug" is not foremost a pursuit of fame and fortune (though the latter would be a welcomed help) but a dedication by those involved to work for the greater social good.
While at Park Square Theatre, I get to brush shoulders with living Minnesota theatre history–the people who have been the shakers-and-movers of Twin Cities theatre for decades, not much in the limelight but still tirelessly dedicated to bringing quality live theatre to you from behind the scenes. To name just a few, there are Artistic Director Richard Cook, who co-founded and built up Park Square's stature in its Saint Paul community; Education Director Mary Finnerty, who created what is likely the strongest theatre education program for middle- and high-school students in the state; photographer Petronella J. Ytsma, who can tell you photoshoot stories that span the change of photo-technology; and newly hired Group Sales & Community Engagement Manager Linda Twiss, who has likely, unbeknownst to you, already touched some aspect of your theater-going experience in Minnesota through the years.
Then there are our Future–the younger generation who also carry on the vision and mission. In my two seasons at Park Square Theatre, I have watched House Manager Amanda Lammert rise to Audience Services Director and, as such, clear the path for millennials, such as Jiffy Kunik to become Performance Supervisor, Adrian Larkin to become Lead House Manager and Ben Cook-Feltz to become Ticket Office Supervisor. Our stage managers, such as Jamie Kranz, Megan Dougherty, Laura Topham and Lyndsey Harter, tend to be young female leaders with sure hands on each production that they oversee. My own fellow blogger, Vincent Hannam, is so clearly a Student of Life through Theatre; I get to see him grow not just as a theatre artist but as a wholehearted human being as I blog alongside him. And I have interviewed so many up-and-coming theatre professionals, from actors to designers, working with such intensity and creativity in their chosen fields. To be amongst such passionate young people, committed to theatre as a social cause is a constant source of hope and inspiration.
And this fall I am witnessing the fruits of the prior year's labor to carefully select this season's plays, culled from suggestions by theatre professionals, theatre goers and volunteer script readers–all committed to fulfilling Park Square Theatre's mission. The whole process is a mixture of intentionality and serendipity, resulting in a breathtaking season of anticipation and high hopes that we got it right. This season, we started out with The Liar and The Realistic Joneses, both in their own ways guiding us to what is true and real. Then came The House on Mango Street and currently A Raisin in the Sun, both uplifting the human spirit in the face of adversity. In December, we look forward to The Soul of Gershwin: The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer, a style of music brought to us by Jewish immigrants.
Park Square Theatre's mission is "to enrich our community by producing and presenting exceptional live theatre that touches the heart, engages the mind, and delights the spirit." It is theatre in service to the common good and, by extension, a source of hope and inspiration. To all.
Note: We have a very limited number of tickets available for A Raisin in the Sun evening and weekend performances through November 20. But you may now purchase tickets for weekday student matinee performances through December 22. (You would be watching the play with school groups.) Student matinee tickets cost just $25.
Tickets for The Soul of Gershwin: The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer evening and weekend performances are available through December 31.
To order, call 651.291.7005 or go to parksquaretheatre.org.


text:
Cross posted from the Small Business Administration Blog:
Today, I attended a meeting of the White House Rural Council, which focused on our coordinated response to historic drought conditions that are affecting communities across Rural America.
Our goal at the SBA and across the Administration is making sure that these hard hit communities have the tools and the resources they need to navigate and recover from these severe drought conditions.
To date, the SBA has issued 71 agency drought declarations in 32 states covering more than 1,630 counties. These declarations allow small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and non-farm small businesses that are economically affected by the drought in their community to apply for SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).
To find out if your county has been declared a drought disaster area, view SBA's current disaster declarations page. And to learn more about how to apply for a disaster loan, go to the SBA Disaster Assistance section of the SBA Web site.
You can also contact SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by e-mail at email@example.com, or by calling (800) 659-2955. The USDA's Disaster and Drought Assistance site also is a good resource. It includes links to maps of current disaster declaration areas and a weekly weather and drought blog.
In addition to our disaster loan program, the SBA, the USDA and the Department of Commerce through its Economic Development Administration (EDA) will be hosting forums in communities impacted by drought conditions. The goal of these forums will be to provide comprehensive information on the federal resources that are available to assist your farm, ranch or small business.
At these forums, we will have SBA disaster assistance staff, our field staff and counselors from our resource partner network on hand to ensure you have all the tools and information you need to help your business.
For those not able to attend these forums, we will be setting up shop at State and County Fairs across the country to make sure all of your questions are answered and that you are getting the assistance you need. We also will be hosting a series of online webinars and conference calls to provide real-time information and updates over the coming months.
Rural America is critical to our nation's economy. And a key to the long-term success of rural communities is access and opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs in these regions. We are focused on making sure that more small businesses in rural communities have the access to capital, counseling and contracting opportunities they need to grow and create good jobs.
We know how important credit unions are to rural communities. That's why the National Credit Union Administration will be announcing that an additional 1,000 credit unions are eligible for low-income designation, which exempts them from the statutory cap on small business lending. This allows unlimited lending to small business owners, including farmers. Of the 1,000 credit unions that will be receiving this designation, nearly half are located in a severely drought-stricken state.
I travel all over the country meeting with small business owners and entrepreneurs. Some of the most innovative and exciting small businesses being built today are in Rural America. And we are going to make certain that rural businesses not only have the resources they need to endure these difficult drought conditions, but we are going to ensure that they have the tools to emerge stronger and more competitive than before.


text:
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new guest blogger! Courtney! She is best known as the editor of the (most awesome) Cooper-Young neighborhood newspaper, The Lamplighter. Let's give her a warm, dwm welcome!
Logan's Roadhouse
2710 N. Germantown Pkwy
For the last few months, my eyes have been drawn to the eye-catching sign hung outside the Logan's Roadhouse next to Wolfchase. "12.99 Dinner for Two. Children's Meals $2." A quick confession, the Santo family is cheap (my husband would prefer I use the term frugal). This was a deal I wanted to try – a deal so good I might order two children's meals instead of forcing my two and four year old to share. It is good only on Mondays and Tuesdays and I engineered a Memorial Day trip to the mall around suppertime.
"We could eat at the steakhouse," I say casually as the kids play hide and seek in the racks of clothing at JC Penny. "They are supposed to have that deal."
From deep in the racks of jeans I hear my youngest say, "French fries, nuggets." This is followed by my daughter saying, "and chips, I want chips."
After a long explanation about why I won't allow a dinner of chips and French fries, we all agree to try the steakhouse. We pull in and realize it is pretty crowded, but this is a place with a giant tin bucket of peanuts in the middle of the waiting area. We get one of those fancy pagers and pull up a slice of bench next to a friendly older couple. The hostess, who is busy complaining that "they have the worst regulars ever" has told me 20-25 minutes, and having eaten out enough to know that's what they always say, figure it will be 10-15 minutes.
I quickly realize that my two year old has no idea that you can't eat peanut shells and after I finger-swipe a nasty bit of half eaten shell from my son's mouth, I spend the next 15 minutes cracking peanuts and feeding them to the kids. That and the electronic jukebox keeps them pretty entertained – it helps that this is a place where they throw the peanut shells on the floor, so the level of good behavior expected is low.
Sooner than later we get seated and Brandy, our very efficient waitress shows up to take our drink orders. My husband is dying of thirst because he ate like 8,000 peanuts and he is happy his coke arrives quickly. We look over the $12.99 menu for two – basically you get your choice of one of the "Real American Road House Meals" and two sides. I look no further than the word "sirloin" while my husband hems and haws trying to decide between the fried catfish, grilled meatloaf and chopped sirloin steak. Once he finally decides on the grilled meatloaf, he has to pick two sides from a list of 14. We're a pretty starchy group and I pick the mashed potatoes and French fries, while he goes with French fries and onion petals. Our daughter has decided on the Mac and Cheese, which is what she always gets and I've decided not to order a meal for my son, figuring he'll just eat my French fries.
Brandy returns to take our order and at the last minute I decide to order the chicken strips kids meal for my son. It is only $2. The kids menu is pretty much what you'd expect – Chicken Tenders, Hot Dog, Hamburger, Grilled Cheese, Mac and Cheese, and Steak Tips. Each comes with fries and a drink. We didn't substitute anything for the fries, but Brandy seemed confident that it could be done (say if Stacey wanted to pick the grilled veggie side instead).
In addition to the bucket of peanuts at our table, we also were given a basket of freshly baked rolls, which were good. The best table rolls I've ever had are at a place called the Golden Corral, which I think only exists in Virginia. So far I'm impressed with Logans. I thought we'd have to wait longer for rolls and to place our order because the place is packed. Lots of people around us seem to be waiting on their food and they were all there way ahead of us. But just minutes after the two or three tables around us get served, out comes our food.
I ordered my steak medium rare and it came out rare – but I didn't send it back because I actually like it rare. But they checked to make sure I was happy and offered to re-cook it. I liked the pepper and salt seasonings on the steak – it was much simpler than the horror spice mix Outback uses. The fries were okay, a little limp and the mashed potatoes were delicious
My husband seemed to like the grilled meatloaf okay, he ate it all and the onion petal came with dipping sauce, which was nice. My daughter's mac and cheese looked delicious and it was not Kraft (unlike at Boscos). She ate most everything, which is impressive, since she also filled up on peanuts and rolls. My son's chicken tenders looked like classic Sysco fare, but he enjoyed them and his fries.
Brandy kept our drinks filled and gave us a second basket of rolls. She also didn't mind a mid-meal decision to get Sprite instead of water for one of the kidlets. Our check came promptly – and was the real treat of the evening. Less than $25 with tip.
In summary, I would recommend Logan's to meat lovers, anyone looking for a good deal, and folks who don't mind a basic kid's meal menu).
Thursday, May 31, 2007
3 comments:
- Unknown said...
I work at Logans Roadhouse in summerville, southcarolina and its good to hear stories like this. If you ever go back to logans i def recommdend the ribs and veggie skewer. Our ribs are amazing!
- Stacey Greenberg said...
My eleven year old niece chose Logan's for her bday dinner last night. Being able to eat as many peanuts as you want and throw them on the floor is pretty awesome.
Prices are up since your visit-- the two dinners are now $14.99 and the kids' meals are $2.99. However the deal is good every day from 3-6pm, I think. - 11:44 AM
- Unknown said...
Worst place I ever ate..chicken an steak were flat an on top of that there was 2 yes 2 hairs in 2 seperate plates..do not plan on going back..
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
There's no obvious romantic excitement in the sky this weekend. Sure, Venus is still in impulsive Aries, Mars is in dramatic Leo, and Jupiter is in dreamy Pisces, but it's all just sort of lying there waiting for someone to do something with it. Fortunately the Moon is in Virgo for most of Saturday and Sunday. Virgo doesn't have the same reputation for sexiness that the previously-mentioned signs do... but in it's own modest (and calculating) way, Virgo actually beats them in the Naughtiness Department. It will take a bit of thinking to get that ball rolling, but remember... romance is both an Art and a Science. So if your need for love is aching... get calculating!
(Get the rest of the Weekend forecast at Astrologydating.com... and maybe your soul mate...still free!)


text:
Activision Blizzard Treads Water as "Warcraft" Burns
The Azeroth exodus continues for Activision Blizzard (NAS: ATVI) . The company's flagship MMO franchise, World of Warcraft, suffered its steepest subscriber drop to date, plummeting all the way to 9.1 million subscribers from the 10.2 million players the company claimed at the end of its last quarter.
That orc-sodus from the lands of Azeroth was offset by three huge first-half releases, including the record-breaking Diablo III, which hit the market this May. Skylanders was also a huge success for Activision, claiming the crown as the best-selling console and hand-held game over the first half. Skylanders, which uses RFID-enabled collectible figurines as a form of memory storage, also trounced the action-figure market, taking first place in action-figure sales for the same period. And, of course, the latest Call of Duty game also sold phenomenally well.
Let's take a look at Activision's latest information to figure out how the company's changing to cope with WoW's decline, and if it can continue to charge forward in the future.
What the numbers tell you
The combined effect of new hits and WoW attrition adds up to an unremarkable quarter. Activision beat analyst expectations on both top and bottom lines, but those expectations ($837 million in revenue) were rather tepid for a company that regularly posts a billion dollars in sales. Both results were lower than the year-ago quarter, though free cash flow improved:
Sources: Morningstar and company earnings report.
Sources: Morningstar and company earnings report.
Sources: Morningstar and company earnings report.
Activision's upcoming quarters are where the real magic happens. The rest of the year has Activision brass' thumbs up, as it bumped full-year GAAP revenue guidance to $4.33 billion from $4.20 billion while also nudging earnings-per-share estimates to $0.69, a $0.04 increase. But that's not necessarily a positive trend -- 2011's revenues clocked in at $4.76 billion, and EPS for that year were $0.92.
Looking to the future
Second-half drivers will be expansion packs for both WoW and Skylanders, as well as a new Call of Duty release, Black Ops II. With a projected 16 weeks to release, Black Ops II has scored 508,000 Xbox 360 pre-orders, according to games-industry research site VGChartz. The last Call of Duty game had 604,000 Xbox 360 pre-orders at the same 16-week pre-release point. Unless interest suddenly spikes, Activision's latest shoot-'em-up blockbuster may be the first to underperform its predecessor.
The biggest story here continues to be WoW's long-running decline. Since its 12 million subscriber high-water mark, reached during the third quarter of 2010, World of Warcraft has lost a quarter of its players. It's taken a lot longer to shed that much of its subscriber base than Electronic Arts' (NAS: EA) competing Star Wars MMO --a single quarter slashed a quarter of EA's subs -- but Activision's just lost nearly as many subscribers as EA has in total.
Here's what I said in a comment on Evan Niu's fourth-quarter Activision earnings recap, earlier this year when WoW's subscriber losses seemed to have evened out:
I'm not surprised WoW [subscribers] didn't drop much in the fourth quarter. Blizzard released the final boss patch of the expansion at the end of November, and [Star Wars] didn't come out until the end of December, if I recall. WoW's next big subscriber drop might not come until the second quarter, in the lull between beating the final boss and the release of the Kung Fu Panda expansion, which I honestly don't expect to stem the tide by much.
Activision bulls may claim that the next WoW expansion will add new subscribers, but history's already proved that argument very wrong. Remember, that 12-million-subscriber peak occurred before the current Cataclysm expansion came out in 2010's fourth quarter. It's been a long slide downhill since. The game is now nearly eight years old and has proved remarkably resilient, but its glory days are over. Chinese partner NetEase.com (NAS: NTES) has also suffered through consecutive declines in its WoW-based revenue, so investors shouldn't be relying on the Middle Kingdom to keep WoW afloat.
Skylanders has done very well, but it seems to have merely supplanted the monthly fees of lost WoW subscribers. The lower preorder numbers for Black Ops 2 (though PS3 pre-orders are in line with the last game) are also a big red flag, since these are the company's two biggest cash cows. Diablo III, which has sold more than 10 million copies, will help keep Activision moving forward -- but blaming that game on WoW's decline, as Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime did in the company's earnings call, doesn't mean those subscribers will return when they tire of Diablo's click-happy gameplay.
Putting it all together
The huge drop in WoW subscribers, regardless of any new game initiatives, should give investors serious pause before they claim that Activision can grow in the future. The company's games are certainly far stickier than Zynga's (NAS: ZNGA) and aren't likely to lose players to FarmVille or CityVille or WhateverVille. But Skylanders is Activision's only new game, and it's merely replacing lost earnings from games on the decline rather than adding to the growing revenues of fresh blockbusters. Other big hits are sequels that don't generate the same steady monthly income streams as WoW's dedicated (but dwindling) fan base.
Activision isn't likely to decline anywhere as precipitously as Zynga and EA have this year, but a flat stock isn't the best place for your money -- and Activision, despite its continued dominance, has been more or less a flat company, as you can see in that chart. Do you believe I'm wrong? Will Activision's upcoming product slate overcome WoW's decline? I'd love to hear your opinion, so please let me know with a comment.
Zynga isn't Activision's biggest threat, but it's a contender in its own right. Find out what could turn the social gamer's stock around in our all-new premium Zynga research report, with a full year of free updates on Zynga's latest moves. There are also other opportunities to buy what you know (and win big) beyond Activision. Take a look at the Fool's latest free report on three "Middle-Class Millionaire Makers" for some great investment ideas today.
The article Activision Blizzard Treads Water as "Warcraft" Burns originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributorAlex Planesholds no financial position in any company mentioned here. Add him onGoogle+or follow him on Twitter,@TMFBiggles, for more news and insights.The Motley Fool owns shares of Activision Blizzard.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Activision Blizzard and NetEaseand creating a synthetic long position in Activision Blizzard. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
Rising Seas
As the Earth heats up, sea level rises because warmer water takes up more space than colder water. This process is known as thermal expansion. Melting glaciers and ice sheets worsen the problem by adding even more water into the oceans.
Rising seas can erode shorelines, make floods more severe, contribute to wetland loss, and allow salt water to enter bodies of fresh water. In some cases, floods could even force people to leave their homes and move elsewhere. If large numbers of people have to move to new areas, it could cause conflict in some countries. Go on an expedition to the Maldives to learn more about rising seas and climate change.
Learn about who is most affected and some of the things that we can do to prepare now and in the future:
Rising Seas
Who Is Most Affected?
- People living in coastal communities
- Tourists and beachgoers
- Businesses that depend on tourists
To Deal With Flooding...
- Use protective barriers like sandbags around buildings and roads
- Have an evacuation plan ready, and evacuate if ordered
To Prepare for the Future...
- Preserve wetlands and floodplains that protect coastlines from flooding and damage
- Protect barrier beaches and reduce erosion
- Improve drainage systems
- Elevate existing structures or build protective barriers in certain places
- Build houses further from the shoreline and other areas that could flood easily
Climate Challenge!
- How many miles of coastline does the United States have? Reveal answer
- 95,000
- 75,000
- 50,000
- About what percentage of Americans live in counties along the coast? Reveal answer
- 40
- 50
- 60
- I am an ancient species. I basically have not changed for more than 350 million years! One of the places where I lay my eggs is on the sandy beaches along Delaware Bay. The sea level is rising here, and my beaches are getting smaller. By the way, I'm related to spiders. What am I? Reveal answer
Horseshoe crab