text:
If you take a trip to see autumn foliage in Western Massachusetts this weekend, beware. Local moose do not offer photo ops. Pete Brown, who's a logger, learned this last month when he saw a moose while he worked in the woods. He tried to get a picture. Instead, Mr. Brown, who has two hip replacements, got the run of his life. Pete Brown joins us from his home in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Thanks for being with us.
PETE BROWN: Oh, it's my pleasure, Scott.
SIMON: So you saw a moose, and then what?
BROWN: Well, then he tried to kill me, basically. For 10 minutes, he chased me, and it was - it was quite an event.
SIMON: I mean, we - obviously - can joke about it now 'cause you're safe and sound. It's been pointed out it was rutting season - is rutting season. And I wonder: Did the moose see you as a companion, or a rival?
BROWN: Yeah, couple people have mentioned that. My ex-wife, in particular, she just thought that he probably thought I was cute looking and, you know, wanted to ...
SIMON: (LAUGHTER) Yeah, yeah.
BROWN: ...add me to his collection.
SIMON: (LAUGHTER) Oh. How do you outrun a moose?
BROWN: I managed to do it by zigzagging in and out of the trees because his rack was so wide, he kept bumping into trees. At one point, I ran out into a clearing, and then he was able to get up ahead of steam. And that was particularly exciting, at that point. And then I made it back into the brush and eventually, made it back to my scooter.
SIMON: Good Lord. So, I guess the lesson of this is, if you're being chased by a moose, head for thick foliage?
BROWN: That's what they say. Or they say, find a large tree and keep walking around the tree and eventually, the moose will get bored and go do something else.
SIMON: Now I understand, although this is the first time that a moose has made a run at you, that you've had previous potentially violent encounters in the woods.
BROWN: Actually, the only other wild animal that's attacked me, have been flying squirrels. And so I guess there's some humor there, the Rocky and Bullwinkle thing. You know, yeah, they're quite a team. They're pretty effective.
SIMON: I mean, you get to say Natasha's line, right?
BROWN: Boris, he's moose on squirrel.
SIMON: Yes, exactly.
BROWN: Eat logger now.
SIMON: Well, Mr. Brown, we're very happy that you're all in one piece, and able to talk about this with us. Thank you very much.
BROWN: And thank you, sir.
SIMON: And keep watching the woods, OK?
BROWN: I will, brother, I will.
SIMON: Pete Brown, a logger in Western Massachusetts, was chased by a grouchy bull moose in September; but he gave him the slip.
SIMON: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
AT&T 4G Takes First Place in Speed Tests
Verizon's LTE network is available in more markets and has a better reliability rate, however, according to findings by independent analytics firm Root Metrics.
AT&T has the fastest 4G network among the top four U.S. carriers, according to the latest report from Root Metrics, an independent, third-party mobile analytics company.
AT&T Verizon Sprint LTE Speeds
Click for larger imageAT&T had an average LTE-only download speed of 18.6 megabits per second and an average upload speed of 9Mbps, according to Root Metrics, which used more than 725,000 data samples. Across its LTE markets, AT&T averaged a maximum download speed of 57.7 Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 19.6 Mbps. By comparison, Verizon, which came in second place with an average LTE download speed of 14.3Mbps and an average upload speed of 8.5Mbps. It averaged maximum speeds of 49.3Mbps for downloads and 19.7Mbps for uploads. But its 93.2 percent reliability rate was found to be the best among the group.
Although AT&T does not have the largest 4G LTE network — Verizon's LTE network was available in 77 markets tested while AT&T's was available in just 47 — the findings did not come as a total surprise. "We saw AT&T's speeds picking up considerably as 2012 advanced, with some extremely fast results in several of our RootScore Reports," so its performance in LTE study wasn't an anomaly, says Bill Moore, CEO of RootMetrics. He adds, though, that "What remains unclear at this point, though, is whether AT&T's edge in LTE speed is a result of having a newer, and therefore potentially less congested network, or an outgrowth of different implementations of LTE by the carriers. We'll be retesting markets throughout 2013 and are interested to see how the race might change as the carriers' networks continue to mature."
Sprint came in third place with an average of 10.3Mbps for LTE downloads and 4.4Mbps for LTE uploads. Its maximum average speed was 32.7Mbps and it had a maximum upload speed of 9.9Mbps, according to the report. Moore says its speeds were a "pleasant surprise," since they were actually faster than what Sprint had advertised on its website. "That bodes well for consumers looking for another LTE option moving forward," he notes.
T-Mobile continued its trend of strong download speeds, even without LTE available in 2012, the testing indicated.
Even though AT&T outshone Verizon in speed testing, Moore notes that the latter's "consistency at delivering LTE service stood out as a highlight. We accessed their LTE network in every market we tested, and our crowdsourced results show that consumers are also finding Verizon's LTE in more places than they are with the other carriers."
And while T-Mobile does not offer 4G LTE coverage, Moore says the FCC's decision earlier this week to approve the carrier's merger with MetroPCS gives it "a ready-made LTE footprint and additional spectrum it can use to expand its LTE capacity" in large markets. "A combination with MetroPCS potentially gives T-Mobile not only a bigger consumer base but also more marketing clout, which could in turn put more pricing pressure on the other LTE carriers."
In terms of what consumers can expect from the carriers this year, Moore predicts that Sprint, after spending 2012 prepping its network, will have a significant LTE rollout in 2013. While noting that Sprint is also in the center of complicated potential mergers with Softbank and Clearwire, which could muddy the waters, he says "what is clear is that Sprint seems poised to become a more aggressive competitor and the mobile landscape could shift significantly."
AT&T Verizon Sprint LTE coverage maps
In addition to professional speed testing, RootMetrics provided data from users reporting on network availability using their CoverageMap app. Click map for larger image.
T-Mobile, meanwhile, is also preparing to launch LTE, with its first market most likely coming live very soon, Moore says. An official LTE rollout, combined with the spectrum advantages and consumer base emerging from its acquisition of MetroPCS, he says, will give T-Mobile an important footing moving forward as well.
"All of this is good news for consumers," Moore says. "There should be more options to choose from if you are looking for fast LTE service and there could potentially be increased competition between the carriers, which could also lead to benefits for the consumer."
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
The CIOs Guide to Enhancing GRC in 2024
June 20, 2024Enhance Cloud Security with Cloud-Native Security
June 25, 2024Search Capabilities with PostgreSQL: From Standard to Semantic
June 27, 2024

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Techtron is a pretty clock but notorious for being non-repairable. |
The Ansonia clocks with porcelain body were often painted with flowers or idyllic scenes. |
This Seth Thomas tambour-style clock has simple lines. |
When my great-aunt Helen Killeen Parker was cooking, her Seth Thomas mantel clock might have reminded her to take a look at that roast.
Sudie Rucker's clock went to my mother and then to my sister. |
This clock on YouTube sounds like what my great-grandmother used to hear.


text: Style and practicality can be combined with our range of memory card readers. This version is no exception with its slick slim design that allows you to customize its face with a crystal clear enamel coating. With its 2.0 USB connectivity, you can take a file from your digital camera, video camcorder, MP3 player, or PDA and move it seamlessly from the device to your computer. Small in size, convenient to take around, this card reader is able to perform at high speed.


text:
New York Fashion Week may be coming to a close on Thursday, but a cycle of fashion shows in cities around the world is just about to begin. Fashion editors and store buyers will descend upon London, Milan and Paris to inspect clothes that may appear in stores next fall. Sally Singer — editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine — is one of those tastemaking jet-setters, and she joins NPR's Renee Montagne to talk about 2012's trends.
"Already we see a proliferation of great coats," Singer says. "That might seem like an obvious choice for fall/winter, but just a few years ago there was a trend against that, in part because of the reality of global warming — nobody needed a warm coat. It seems now designers are going back to that as a staple."
Designers are also returning to some tried-and-true approaches: "What I'm seeing is a return to people's signature strengths," Singer explains. "I think designers now, because of all the insecurity both in the industry itself — with hirings and firings and all the kind of nonsense that's going on within fashion and within the economy generally — I'm seeing designers deciding to sort of batten down the hatches and do the thing that they do best."
But there's no lack of new ideas; Singer has noticed that many designers are incorporating extravagant fabrics into their collections. The use of "evening fabrics and decorative fabrics for day," is a recurring theme, she observes. "Brocade for day. Brocade and a jean. Brocade and a little jacket you'll wear to work. Velvet. Embroidered satin. Fabrics that are expensive, exotic and a pleasure to wear."
With the global economy still struggling to overcome a deep recession, who will be able to afford these luxurious items? "There's a lot of discussion right now in fashion not about the U.S. consumer, but about the global consumer," she says. "The American economy is less a pressing concern for designers than the growth of Asia, the growth of China as an important market, the growth of Brazil ... I think that's where these companies are looking to see real growth in the next year."
Still, plenty of designers are working to create reasonably priced pieces. Singer points to Olivier Theyskens as an example. "I just love his slightly slouchy-through-the-hip trousers," Singer says of Theyskens' line for Theory. "And I can afford those. One of the great things about New York right now is there's a series of designers who make what we call 'contemporary' clothes, which are beneath the designer price point. They are not cheap, but they are less expensive than what top designer stuff costs. That's where I can spend my money."
Fashion doesn't only have a fraught relationship with the economy — designers also respond to world politics. Last year, designers took inspiration from the then-nascent Arab Spring. Singer hasn't seen any strong links to current events in this year's New York shows, but she expects to encounter plenty of politically conscious fashion in Europe.
"There's no question that the amount of protest on the streets of Europe in the past few months will be reflected somewhere," she says. "Designers have their antennae up. They know what's going on, and anyone who's been in London and Athens, across the board in Europe in the last number of months, is going to have to have something in their collection that feels different."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Add Your Review
Thanks for visiting Jim Shaw's Seafood. We'd love to have your feedback!
Our Latest Reviews
Catfish Filet
Jim Shaw's catfish filet are superb to none! The fried catfish are fried, golden brown and seasoned to perfection. And please, don't hesitate to request this delicacy blackened as well!
Rainbow Trout
Best grilled trout I have ever had and the battered fries are amazing every time. The House dressing is so good and I wish they would bottle it and sell it.
Very good ....good customer service by mrs. Robin
Whole Catfish (1)
I love how they are fried crispy and with the right seasoning. Like to squeeze lemons on my fish Grits are cheesy and creamy.
Voodoo Shrimp
It was soooo delicious it was the perfect savory spice and I loveee seafood definitely did not disappoint my taste buds
Catfish Filets
Jim Shaw's catfish filet are superb to none! The fried catfish are fried, golden brown and seasoned to perfection. And please, don't hesitate to request this delicacy blackened as well!
Sea Scallops
Macon ga.
Sea Scallops
Best scallops around. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. Everything always good at Jim Shaw's
Fish or Shrimp Tacos (3 Soft Shell Tacos)
Great meal and service
The blackened and the fried shrimp were. delicious. A lot of shrimp with very scrumptious green beans and squash casserole. Can't wait for a return visit. Jim Shaw's never disappoints.
May 2024:
Coming Soon
April 2024:
Latina, Mad Cow Grill
Laurel, MD
February 2024:
Madison, Poogan's Porch
Charleston, SC
January 2024:
Lanah, Shipp Brothers Brewing
Newark, OH
December 2023:
Jennifer, Meta & Rose
Wasilla, AK
November 2023:
Emily, Wok n Fire
Burr Ridge, IL
October 2023:
Sam, Bobwhite Counter
New York, NY
September 2023:
Tammy, Nacho Mama's
Stillwater, MN
August 2023:
James, Big Mic's Saloon & BBQ
Kuna, ID
July 2023:
Susan, McGuire's Irish Pub
Pensacola, FL
June 2023:
Susan, Carlos O'Brien's Mexican
Phoenix, AZ
May 2023:
John, Pies & Thighs
Cataula, GA
April 2023:
Rick, Submarine House
Vandalia, OH
March 2023:
John, The Barley House
Condord, NH
February 2023:
Roselinda, Junction Restaurant
Chinle, AZ
January 2023:
Justine, Blue Sky Cafe
Fletcher, NC
December 2022:
Kelly, Cookies Country Chicken
Seattle, WA
November 2022:
Laney, Archie Moore's
New Haven, CT
October 2022:
Melissa, Noble Crust
St. Pete, FL
September 2022:
Ben, Cinn City
Lynchburg, VA
August 2022:
Rebecca, Udder Delight
Cranston, RI
July 2022:
Randolph, Turkey Leg Hut
Houston, TX
June 2022:
Lawrence, O'Ya Cantina
Chapel Hill, NC
May 2022:
David, Grillsmith
Sarasota, FL
April 2022:
Katie, Jelly Cafe
Denver, CO
March 2022:
Marny, PPC Italian Restaurant
Plaistow, NH
February 2022:
Teresa, Black Angus
Vancouver, BC
January 2022:
Deirdre, White Pie
Colorado Springs, CO
December 2021:
Camille, Patsy's Roadhouse
Hopewell Junction, NY
November 2021:
Sherry, Riverpark Pub and Eatery
Parkville, MO
October 2021:
Stephanie, Hightopps Backstage Grille
Timonium, MD
September 2021:
Megan, Scratch Kitchen & Taproom
Apex, NC
August 2021:
Jerome, Taste of Soul by Ms. Nancy
Burlington, NJ
July 2021:
The Great Greek, NV
June 2021:
Sylvia, Urth Caffé
Los Angeles, CA
May 2021:
Amber, Haute Dogs and Fries
Alexandria, VA
April 2021:
Travis, El Monumento
Georgetown, TX
March 2021:
Susan, Alden Park
Plymouth, MA
February 2021:
Leilani, Hon Machi Korean BBQ
San Antonio, TX
January 2021:
Goodrich Seafood & Oyster House
December 2020:
Hallee, Pizza Sociale
Los Angeles, CA
November 2020:
Barbara, PPC Italian Restaurant
Plaistow, NH
October 2020:
Charn, Vitaly
Costa Mesa, CA
September 2020:
Carol, Stroud's BBQ
Daytona Beach Shores, FL
August 2020:
Jo-El, Mick's All American
Mount Joy, PA
July 2020:
Bronson, Los Dos Potrillos
June 2020:
Elish, Crump's Landing
Homosassa, FL
May 2020:
Carlson, Papi Grande's Mexican
Amherst, NY
April 2020:
Sommer, Little Calf Creamery
Thousand Oaks, CA
March 2020:
Theresa, Woody's Crab House
North East, MD
February 2020:
Maria, The Rustik Fork
Riverside, CA
January 2020:
Marsha, Stefano's Restaurant
Florence, SC
December 2019:
Alma, Karai Ramen Bistro
Jacksonville, FL
November 2019:
Courtney, Axe & Arrow
Seattle, WA
October 2019:
Andy, Backwoods Brewing Co.
Portland, OR
September 2019:
Amanda, Home Restaurant
Los Angeles, CA
August 2019:
Jennifer, Mark's City Grill
Columbus, GA
July 2019:
Rebecca, Frank Gourmet
Buffalo, NY
June 2019:
Donna, Dino's Sports Bar
Cape Cod, MA
May 2019:
Karen, This Little Pig
Amherst, NY
April 2019:
Alicia, Plant Based Pizzeria
Atlanta, GA


text:
Peter W. Low
After earning his law degree, Peter Low clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. He joined the Virginia law faculty the next year, 1964, and retired in 2014. For about half of the period from 1965 until 1985, Low served as assistant and then associate dean. In 1989 he was appointed academic associate dean, a position he held until Jan. 1, 1994, when he was named the acting vice president and provost of the University. He became the vice president and provost of the University in July of 1994 and served in that position until Sept. 1, 2001. He then returned to the law faculty. After his return, he continued to serve in various capacities for the next 13 years as the University's representative to an international consortium of universities (see www.universitas21.com).
Low became the Hardy Cross Dillard Professor of Law in 1975. He was the first recipient of the John V. Ray Research Professorship in Law in 1987, a two-year appointment. His major teaching areas were criminal law and federal courts, in both of which he co-authored widely used teaching casebooks. At various times, he also taught federal criminal law, civil rights litigation, civil procedure, constitutional law, conflict of laws and a number of specialized seminars in one or another of these fields. He taught in the initial session of the Law School's summer LL.M. program for judges. He lectured frequently to state and local police and FBI agents at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., from 1972 to 1982, and served as the academic coordinator for law-related instruction at the academy from 1970 until 2000. He was a member of the faculty at the law session of the Salzburg Seminars in American Studies in 1972, and was a visiting fellow at the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University in England for six months in 1970. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford law schools in the 1970s. He is a member of the Raven Society, and a Life Member of the American Law Institute. He served as Reporter for the Commentaries of the Model Penal Code from 1970 until 1978 and for an American Bar Association Committee on Standards for Criminal Justice in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was also a Consultant to the National Commission on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws and the Virginia Commission on Constitutional Revision during the same period.
This casebook provides coverage of federal courts and the law of federal-state relations. The authors have completely reorganized the chapter on the...


text:
A fractured U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that when parents wait years to win legal entry into the United States, their children may have to go to the back of the line when they turn 21. The court's decision came on a 5-to-4 vote, with the majority split into two camps.
Under the Immigration Act, citizens and lawful permanent residents may sponsor family members petitions' for visas and green cards. In most cases, those immigrating with a minor child stand in line with their children. But even after approval, the process of getting a visa can take as long as decades.
If the minor child turns 21 during that time, the child can "age out," losing his or her place in line. Those who age out have to start over. Twelve years ago, Congress sought to fix this problem by allowing some of these children to keep their place in line even after turning 21. The question before the Supreme Court was which of these aged-out adults gets to preserve their places in the queue.
The Board of Immigration Appeals interpreted the law narrowly, holding that only the unmarried children of lawful permanent residents could hold on to their places in line. A bipartisan group of senators told the Supreme Court that the appeals board misinterpreted their words. But the High Court, while conceding that the law is ambiguous, deferred to the board on the matter.
Justice Elena Kagan, writing for a three-Justice plurality, said that whatever Congress "might have meant ... it failed to speak clearly." While the opening provision of the law seems to make a broad statement of allowing in minors who turn 21 to keep their places in line, she said, a separate subsection of the law appears to contradict that. In such a circumstance, she concluded, the court should defer to the expertise of the board.
Liberal and conservative justices voted on both sides.
Joining Kagan's opinion were the usually liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the usually conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia, both conservatives, agreed on the outcome, but for somewhat different reasons.
Dissenting were two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, and two conservatives justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Writing for the dissenters, Sotomayor said Congress' clear intent was to prevent children with close relatives in the U.S. from losing their places in the immigration line when they turn 21.
To understand how the immigration system works, you need to understand one key fact: When U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents petition to have their close relatives allowed into the country, those applications are often granted within a period of months, but the relatives cannot enter the United States until they obtain visas, a process that can take many years.
This presents a problem for some adult relatives and especially for their children. Under Monday's Supreme Court decision, most of the children lose their places in line when they turn 21, meaning they go to the end of the line.
Only the unmarried adult children of lawful permanent residents keep their places. Everyone else who ages out loses their place: the married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, their children; the sisters and brothers of those U.S. citizens, and their children.
The government does not track the numbers of affected people with precision, but estimates that the Supreme Court's decision will continue to push back visa dates for tens of thousands of people.
"That is a significant number of families that have been not only waiting a very long time to be reunited with their children here in America but are going to have to wait even longer as a result of this decision," said Mark Fleming, who represented the losing side in Monday's case.
Fleming says the wait for his clients can be decades. The wait, for example, for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens is 11 years, while a citizen's brothers and sisters will wait 13 years. The wait also varies depending on what country the relatives are coming from. The wait for brothers and sisters seeking immigration visas from the Philippines, for instance, is 23 years.
All of this, of course, can be fixed by Congress. In fact, the immigration overhaul passed by the Senate last year did include such a fix. But the House has refused to take up an immigration bill, putting this provision, along with all the others, in limbo.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
A sunny day at the beach has plusses and minuses for your health.
A little bit of sun can help your body produce vitamin D, but the sun's ultraviolet radiation raises your risk for skin cancer. And, it turns out, UV radiation poses another threat — it physically weakens your skin.
As far as barriers go in the biological world, healthy skin is a pretty awesome one. And it's one you definitely want to keep intact, which can be a challenge.
Skin cells have to stick together to keep your insides in and bend with your body as you move. Skin has to be permeable enough for you to sweat but impenetrable to noxious chemicals, bacteria and viruses. The skin's top layer — the stratum corneum — is just 15 microns thick (about half that of wax paper) and is your first line of protection against the outside world.
"Every single day it's insulted by all sorts of abrasions and contact with surfaces," says , a bioengineer at Stanford University. "It's actually a remarkably good barrier, which is why getting medications through the skin is so difficult because many molecules simply can't penetrate."
Dauskardt's lab studies the biomechanics of skin. How much does it stretch when you stress it? How stiff is it? That sort of thing.
In a study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dauskardt and his colleagues exposed pieces of stratum corneum from a human cadaver to UVB radiation. That's the type of UV light that the top layers of your skin absorb. In the experiments, the researchers used UVB equivalent to 12, 24, or 60 consecutive days in Florida sunlight.
Then, they tested the treated skin. How easily did it crumble when pressed? How much force did it take to tear or crack it. How hard was it to separate the layers of its cells.
Bottom line: UV light reduces skin's strength and dries it out, putting a strain on the cells. Skin exposed to UV light breaks, cracks and chaps more easily.
"UV radiation really is a double whammy," says Dauskardt. "On one hand you're making skin weaker and easier to break, and on the other hand you're actually increasing the stresses in the skin so there's more stress available to cause it to break."
At the microscopic level, UV radiation changes the structures of integral proteins, namely keratin, and fat molecules called lipids that serve as the glue that holds skin cells together. These lipids become less cohesive. So, even in deeper skin layers, the cells just don't stick together as well.
The damage depends on the dose, and the researchers used particularly high doses. They estimate it takes at least 2 days of sun exposure for the skin's top layer to start weakening.
Can goops and lotions help? Maybe. Most moisturizing products would help prevent the skin from drying out, Dauskardt says, but "depending on what moisturizing product you use, it potentially could even be damaging because it could aid in the absorption of UV light rather than blocking it."
Your best bet is sunscreen. Dauskardt's group has found in preliminary tests that most sunscreens block the physical damage. "What we're trying to figure out now is whether some sunscreens and some molecules or nanoparticles that are typically used in sunscreens are more effective than others," he says.
For Boston University dermatologist Barbara Gilchrest the take-home message is clear. "UV exposure can damage skin in many ways, including ways not yet investigated in all likelihood," she tells Shots. In the meantime, she recommends SPF 30.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
The day after last December's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School we wrote that:
"The tragedy in Newtown, Conn., will surely spur pollsters to ask Americans again about guns, gun ownership, gun laws and the Second Amendment.
"If recent experience is a good guide, public opinion may not shift too much."
A week later, the Pew Research Center reported that "the public's attitudes toward gun control have shown only modest change in the wake of last week's deadly shooting."
Then last week, a CBS News poll found that what had appeared to be at least a bit more support for stricter gun laws after the Newtown shootings had dropped since then.
Now, with the Senate soon to vote on initiatives including expanded background checks of gun purchasers and increased penalties for gun trafficking, a scan through data from polls about gun laws underscores how attitudes for the most part seem to be close to pre-Newtown levels.
PollingReport.com has collected the figures here. They show, for example:
-- That CNN/ORC polling done in January 2011 showed 71 percent agreeing there should be "some restrictions" on gun ownership. Last month, 70 percent said the same thing.
-- That ABC News/ Washington Post polling done in January 2011 showed 52 percent saying they favored stricter gun control laws, vs. 45 percent who said they did not. Right after the Newtown shootings, there were 54 percent in favor of stricter laws and 43 percent against. In March, the responses were back to where they were two years earlier: 52 percent in favor of stricter gun laws and 45 percent against.
-- That Pew Research Center/ USA Today polling done in July 2012 showed 46 percent of those surveyed believed it was more important to "protect the right to own guns" than it was to "control ownership." Forty seven percent said it was more important to control ownership than to protect the right to own guns. In February of this year, 46 percent said it was more important to protect gun owners' rights — no change from before the Newtown shootings. Fifty percent came down on the side of "control ownership" — almost no change from the previous polling when the margin of error is factored in.
At least one response to one poll runs counter to the trend. An NBC News/ Wall Street Journal survey has asked: "In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?"
In January 2011, 52 percent said laws should be "more strict," 10 percent said "less strict" and 37 percent said they should be "kept as they are." The "more strict" response grew to 56 percent in January of this year and 61 percent in February. Meanwhile, the "less strict" response declined to 7 percent in January this year and 4 percent in February. Fewer people said laws should be "kept as they are": 35 percent agreed with that in January this year; 34 percent said that in February.
President Obama, who will continue his push for stricter gun laws this week when he travels to Denver, last Thursday said Congress shouldn't "get squishy" on tightened gun laws. Speaking of the Newtown shootings, the president said "shame on us if we've forgotten."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
A free traffic and commissions builder that helps anyone.
A focus on most current top ranked online advertising.
Traffic Hoopla is running and growing and thriving.
The Hoopla Family is more than 250,000.
Get a free website to enter your referrals IDS
Unlimited direct downline growth with your referral IDs.
Unlimited free flow-through of your referral IDs.
Build large amounts of ongoing daily traffic.
Simply promote this one page, get signups and earn.
If you follow, if you do, soon, your bountiful harvest.


text:
- oversized blouse (these are a dime a dozen at the thrift store)
- zipper (optional)
- matching thread
- seam ripper
- elastic
- measuring tape
STEP 2 (Part 1). Measure from your shoulder to your natural waist, and then carefully cut your blouse to that length. Set aside the extra fabric from the bottom of the blouse — this will become your peplum later on.
STEP 2 (Part 2). If your material isn't stretchy, you'll probably need to put a zipper in the back so you can get in and out of the shirt once it's slimmed down. Cut a straight line down the back of the shirt and insert a zipper. I used a 22″ invisible zipper, and cut it down to be about 17″ or so. You can make your zipper go all the way down the back — I left about 3 inches at the bottom and just sewed that part closed.
STEP 4. Going back to the bodice, turn it inside out and try it on. Mark with pins where you want to take it in (make sure your zipper is centered in the back).
Carefully remove the top and sew with a straight stitch along your marked lines. Trim off the extra fabric and zigzag or serge the raw edge to prevent fraying.
You should now have three pieces that look like this:
Repeat STEP 5 to attach the second sleeve.
STEP 6. Now let's move to the peplum. Take the bottom of the blouse that we cut off at the beginning and trim it down if necessary so it's completely even all the way across. (mine was 7″ tall once it was trimmed).
STEP 7. Measure the width of the bottom of your bodice (where your natural waist is), and cut 2 pieces of elastic in that length. Sew the ends of the two pieces of elastic together to make a big circle.
Pin the circle of elastic to your peplum (I pinned mine in four places, which you can see two photos down, and sewed in sections, pulling the elastic tight in between pins). Sew around the entire peplum, stretching the elastic as you sew (as seen below).
The bottom of the bodice and the top of the peplum should now have the same circumference measurement, and your peplum should look like this:
STEP 8. With right sides together, attach the peplum to the bodice. Using a straight stitch, sew next to the elastic (don't sew on the elastic!) as shown below with the dotted line.
Once the peplum is attached, use a seam ripper to remove the elastic (keeping it there just adds bulk to the waistline, which you don't want, obviously).


text:
Listen to New Voices on Studs Terkel our partnership with 826CHI-here! Read the Story
Showing 1 of 1 result
Robert Vaughn takes time out from his Drury Lane appearance in "Tender Trap" to discuss his new book "Only Victims" with Studs Terkel. The discussion spans the years 1938 when Martin Dies became the first House Committee on Unamerican Activities (HUAC) chairman to Vice President Spiro Agnew's condemnation of the "New York Times" and "Washington Post". Vaughn created the title of his book "Only Victims" from a Dalton Trumbo speech that reflected back on the era of HUAC as being one where there were no heroes, no villains, only victims.


text:
Shop Now
Your shopping bag is empty.
To place an order you will be asked to provide a valid email address so that we can send a confirmation email as soon as your order has been dispatched. This helps you to know when your delivery will be made. The cost of delivery starts from £3.49 depending on the size, weight & volume of your order.
Royal Mail | Courier | |||
Including Scottish Highlands (AB36-38, AB55-56, FK17-21, IV1-39, IV52-54, IV63, KW1-14, PA21-40, PH19-26, PH30-41, PH49-50), Scottish Islands (HS1-9, IV40-51, IV55-56, KA27-28, KW15-17, PA20, PA41-49, PA60-78, PH42-44, ZE1-3), Northern Ireland (BT), Channel Islands (GY & JE), Isle of Man (IM), Scilly Isles (TR21-25)
UK Mainland
Excluding Scottish Highlands (AB36-38, AB55-56, FK17-21, IV1-39, IV52-54, IV63, KW1-14, PA21-40, PH19-26, PH30-41, PH49-50), Scottish Islands (HS1-9, IV40-51, IV55-56, KA27-28, KW15-17, PA20, PA41-49, PA60-78, PH42-44, ZE1-3), Northern Ireland (BT), Channel Islands (GY & JE), Isle of Man (IM), Scilly Isles (TR21-25)
Royal Mail 48 | Age Restricted Products E.g. Knives |
£8.99 | ||
£3.49 | £6.99 |
The following postcodes are covered for local delivery.
After Sales
Wherever possible we will ensure that you are completely satisfied with the item purchased and in the case of faulty or unsatisfactory goods, will repair, replace, or offer a refund as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some items will be subject to a manufacturer's warranty and the terms of such warranty will apply to the sale. Please be aware that in some circumstances the manufacturer's warranty will mean that we are required to return the item to the manufacturer for repair.
Returns, Cancellations and Refunds:
(a) Distance Selling Regulations
All sales via our website are subject to the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 ("the Distance Selling Regulations"). In accordance with the Distance Selling Regulations you have a right to cancel your order (subject to the exceptions listed below) at any time up to seven days from the date of delivery to you, and to receive a full refund, including the costs of delivery. Your notice of cancellation must be in writing and sent to email@example.com
It is your responsibility to ensure that, prior to returning an item to us, you have taken all reasonable care of it, including in transit when returning the item(s).
Where a refund is requested, we will refund in full your payment to us, including delivery costs in the case of faulty goods or items delivered which do not match the item ordered, the refund will include the costs of return relating to the delivery of the item(s) returned. Please note that in the event that more than one item is delivered you will be entitled to a refund of the delivery costs relating to the returned item(s) only.
Any refund, in accordance with the Distance Selling Act, will be made within a maximum of 30 days from receiving your cancellation in writing
(b) Exceptions to your right to cancel
Unfortunately we cannot accept the return of items which are:-
Made to your specification or personalised in any way
Audio or visual recordings or computer software if the item has been unsealed.
Our Returns Policy
In addition to the terms set out above you may, by writing to email@example.com request:-
(a) delivery of a missing item
(b) replacement or repair of a faulty or damaged item
(c) cancellation of an order and refund
You must contact us as soon as possible, and in any event no later than 21 days from the date of our email confirming dispatch of the item. Items returned after seven days from the date of delivery must be unused and in the original packaging.
All items must be returned to us at your own cost. For most items a DPD Shop Return can be arranged for a charge which would be removed from the refund total. In the case of heavy and/or bulky items, or in certain other circumstances, we can, by prior appointment collect the item(s). Please contact us on 01904 629429 or email firstname.lastname@example.com to arrange collection. A charge will be made for collection. We advise that all items are returned in the original packaging and that you obtain a receipt for postage.
When an item is returned to us we will assess it for damage to the item and/or packaging. If we find that the item is damaged or unsuitable for resale we reserve the right to take steps to recover costs of any damage caused.
Terms and Conditions: Free Delivery Offer


text:
What is diphtheria?
Diphtheria is an acute bacterial disease that can infect the body in the tonsils, nose, or throat and/or the skin. While this was a common childhood disease in the 1930s, a vaccine against diphtheria has now made it very rare in the U.S. and other developing countries.
How is diphtheria transmitted?
The diphtheria bacterium can enter the body through the nose and mouth, causing respiratory diphtheria. It is transmitted from person to person by respiratory secretions or by breathing in droplets that contain diphtheria bacteria from an infected person when he or she is coughing or sneezing. After touching a contaminated object, it can enter through a break in the skin and cause cutaneous diphtheria. After being exposed to the bacterium, it usually takes 2 to 4 days for symptoms to develop.
What are the symptoms of diphtheria?
The following are the most common symptoms of diphtheria. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
Respiratory diphtheria. When a person is infected with diphtheria, the bacterium usually multiplies in the throat. This leads to the respiratory version of diphtheria. A membrane may form over the throat and tonsils, causing a sore throat. Other common symptoms of respiratory diphtheria may include:
Breathing difficulty due to the presence of the membrane
Husky voice
Enlarged lymph glands
Increased heart rate
Stridor (a shrill breathing sound heard on inspiration)
Nasal drainage
Swelling of the palate (roof of the mouth)
Sore throat
Low-grade fever
People may die from asphyxiation when the membrane obstructs breathing. Other complications of respiratory diphtheria are caused by the diphtheria toxin released in the blood. This leads to heart or kidney failure and nerve problems.
Skin (cutaneous) diphtheria. With this type of diphtheria, the symptoms are usually milder and may include yellow spots or sores (similar to impetigo) on the skin.
The symptoms of diphtheria may resemble other medical conditions. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
What is the treatment for diphtheria?
Your healthcare provider will take into account your symptoms, overall health, your age and other factors when advising treatment for you.
Antibiotics are usually effective in treating respiratory diphtheria before it releases toxins in the blood. An antitoxin can be given in combination with the antibiotic if diphtheria is suspected. Sometimes a tracheostomy (a breathing tube surgically inserted in the windpipe) is needed for severe breathing difficulties.
How is diphtheria prevented?
In their first year of life, children in the U.S. are routinely given a triple vaccine that includes vaccine for diphtheria with several booster doses in childhood. This has made cases of diphtheria extremely rare in the U.S. Because diphtheria still prevails in underdeveloped countries, the vaccine remains necessary in case of exposure to a carrier (a person with diphtheria) who is visiting from another country or if a person travels to an area where diphtheria exists.
The CDC recommends that children need 5 DTaP shots. A DTaP shot is a combination vaccine that protects against 3 diseases—diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. The first 3 shots are given at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Between 15 and 18 months of age, the fourth shot is given, and a fifth shot when a child enters school at 4 to 6 years of age. At regular checkups for 11- or 12-year-olds, a preteen should get a dose of Tdap. The Tdap booster protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. If an adult did not get a Tdap as a preteen or teen, then he or she should get a dose of Tdap instead of the older type of booster shot (Td booster). Adults should then get a Td booster every 10 years, but it can be given before the 10-year mark. Always talk with your healthcare provider for advice.


text:
By Katherine Timpf
· Bowie State is among the oldest, and most elite historically black colleges in the nation.
· Student health insurance costs will rise from $50 to $900 per semester.
· White House says it has 'a bias in favor of historically black colleges and universities.'
Obamacare's new regulations would force the cost of the insurance to rise from $50 to $900 a semester.
Officials at one of the nation's oldest and most elite historically black colleges are citing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the reason they have cancelled a school-wide affordable health care plan they had offered students.
The official website for Bowie State, a Maryland public school less than an hour's drive from Washington D.C., explains that Obamacare's new regulations would force the cost of the insurance to rise from $50 to $900 a semester.
"The cost of insurance for domestic students will increase to approximately $1800 per year."
"Bowie State University has suspended offering health insurance for domestic students for the 2013-2014 academic year," states the school's official website. "Due to new requirements of the Affordable Care Act which will go into effect on January 1, 2014, the cost of insurance for domestic students will increase to approximately $1800 per year."
That works out to approximately $900 per semester. The student health insurance plan had cost students $50 per semester for the 2012-13 school year, according to a cached page of the university's description of the plan. The original link to the description has been deleted.
According to an article in The Bulldog Collegian, Bowie State's official student newspaper, the Director of the Bowie State University Wellness Center said that the university decided it would not be worth it to provide student health insurance at all given how expensive it would be to do so under the new regulations.
The student's article, published Nov. 10, had slightly different numbers than the school website's. It states that the student health plan used to cost $54/semester, not $50, and that the new insurance costs would amount to $1,900 per year, not $1,800.
In August of this year, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest suggested that President Obama's would lend special support to the country's historically black colleges and universities.
"The President and this administration have been strong supporters of historically black colleges and universities all across the country," said Earnest, speaking from the White House on August 20. "Funding for those colleges and universities has increased under President Obama."
"[T]he record -- the President's record on these issues -- he has a bias in favor of historically black colleges and universities because of the service they provide and because of the quality education that they provide to their students."
Bowie State's Wellness Center did not respond to requests for comment from Campus Reform in time for publication.
Several other colleges and universities, such as community colleges in New Jersey, have also had to cancel student health insurance plans because of Obamacare.


text:
On Air Now
Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Davina McCall 6:30am - 10am
27 August 2014, 13:05 | Updated: 27 August 2014, 19:10
Kate Bush has returned to the stage in London, 35 years after her last and only tour.
The 56-year-old may no longer be able to hit the high notes of her teenage years and has cut back on the dancing, but she proved she still knows how to put on a show.
Bush was kicking off her Before The Dawn "tour" - 22 shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London, the venue where she effectively retired from live performances after six weeks on the road in 1979.
More than 80,000 tickets for her comeback gigs sold out in less than 15 minutes after they were announced in March, with some advertised for up to £1,000.
The first night, which had been described as "the musical event of the decade", saw Bush walk on stage dressed in black to a massive roar from the crowd.
After opening with Lily, followed by Hounds Of Love and Running Up That Hill, a dancer came on stage, cannons fired smoke and confetti into the crowd and she moved into a dramatised version of the Ninth Wave suite of songs from the Hounds Of Love album.
Actors dressed as fish, a helicopter rescue with searchlights on the audience, and a domestic scene involving toad in the hole followed in a typically Kate Bush spectacle, accompanied by backing singers and a seven-strong band.
Critics were resounding in their praise of the singer today, with Andy Gill, for the Independent, giving her a five-star review. "It's quite stunning, undoubtedly the most ambitious, and genuinely moving, piece of theatrical pop ever seen on a British stage," he said.
Alexis Petridis, writing for the Guardian, said the singer delivered a "spectacular" show. "Bush theoretically had a lot to lose by returning to the stage," he wrote.
"Clearly, given how tightly she has controlled her own career since the early 80s, she would only have bothered because she felt she had something spectacular to offer. She was right: Before The Dawn is another remarkable achievement."
For her encore in a three-hour show Bush performed solo song Among Angels at the grand piano, followed by crowd-pleaser Cloudbusting.
The star, who introduced her teenage son Bertie as one of the performers, told the audience at the end: "Thank you so much for such a wonderful, warm and positive response."
There was nothing from her early albums - not even Wuthering Heights - but her fans did not seem to mind.
Kyla Fox, 41, who had travelled from Newcastle, said: "We've just heard musical history. I dreamt of this but never thought I'd see it. This was on my bucket list."
Long-term fan Natalie Russell, 44, of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, said it was the "best gig I've ever been to".
"It's like a West End show. I've been waiting 35 years for this."
Michael Anmuth, 46, had come all the way from San Francisco, and said: "It was worth travelling this far because I've waited forever to see her. It has cost me a lot but it's definitely worth it."
Bush had asked fans not to take photos or film during the shows, telling them she wanted to "have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras".
Unusually, for a modern concert, they respected her wishes.
Among the famous faces in the crowd were Lily Allen, Gemma Arterton and Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who spotted her talent as a teenager.
Bush, a doctor's daughter from Kent, was just 20 when she completed The Tour Of Life with three dates at what was then called the Hammersmith Odeon.
She had topped the charts with Wuthering Heights the previous year, becoming the first woman to go to number one singing one of her own songs.
It has been revealed that her records are again climbing the charts.
Sales figures from the Official Charts Company showed that all nine studio albums and two compilations have been given a sales boost by the gigs.


text:
I've spent the day in the company of Malik L, a Benghazi-based hip hop artist who seems to get stopped every 100 feet by either a friend or a fan. In between these conversations, I asked Malik about what celebrations were scheduled for tonight.
"I have no idea," he replied. "No one does. Libya has never done this before. We don't know how to celebrate an anniversary."
It's an extraordinary thought. Though Libyans came out by the hundreds of thousands to celebrate the fall of Moammar Gadhafi, today is the first time they've reached an anniversary related to the revolution. During the 42 years of Gadhafi rule, events were tightly controlled. There was no spontaneous outpouring of emotion, except if you were pro-Gadhafi. Everyone else had to keep how they really felt to themselves.
And now here I am in Benghazi, where people — young and old — are simply winging it. Almost every car has a Libyan independence flag perched atop it; if not, no problem: There are plenty of hawkers on the street corners ready to set you up. The honking of car horns is routinely drowned out by ambulance sirens, blaring simply for the pleasure of it. Young men jump into the middle of traffic to dance and sing, grinding everything to a halt, leading to even more honking. Some cars then appear to spin out of control, careening and burning rubber a frightening speed. That's just "drifting," the Benghazi equivalent of American teenagers spinning their cars in doughnuts in parking lots. And yes, there's some celebratory gunfire, but much less than I expected.
The best part of all of this? Right now it's late afternoon, when Libyans typically take a break for a few hours, siesta-style. I can only imagine how the city will erupt later tonight.
With Twitter and other social media, NPR's Andy Carvin monitored immediate, on-the-ground developments during the upheavals of the Arab Spring from Washington, D.C., through thousands of tweets and an army of followers that numbers in the tens of thousands. Now, he is in Libya, meeting face-to-face with some of those activists. He'll be sending us periodic updates on his journey.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Charles Michael Ray
Charles Michael Ray grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota on the banks of Boxelder Creek downstream from the town of Nemo.
He began working for SDPB Radio as a reporter in 1992 at the age of 19. He worked his way through college at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and received a degree in Geology in 1997. He then worked as a freelance journalist in the Czech capital of Prague, covering major stories in Central Europe. After a year overseas he returned home to continue his work at SDPB-Radio and to get back to the Black Hills.
Over the years his work has been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships. He's won two national Edward R. Murrow awards and a National Scripps Howard News Service award. In 2006 Ray was a finalist in the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. In 2009 he was selected as a Logan Science Journalist Polar Fellow, he spent three weeks above the Arctic Circle at a scientific research station reporting on the impacts of climate change. He has won 20 regional Murrow Awards since 2004 and over 40 awards from the Associated Press since 1993.
Ray and his wife Andrea live in Rapid City. He still enjoys spending time at the family home in the Black Hills. He's an avid whitewater kayaker and also enjoys ice hockey, mountain unicycling, backpacking, and several other outdoor activities.


text:
Just a few years ago, spending $300 on headphones was something only a handful of artists, music producers, and audiophiles would even consider. But that was before a hip-hop legend got involved. These days, headphones — specifically ones that cost hundreds of dollars — are one of the fastest growing categories in the consumer electronics industry. And musicians who aren't sticking their name on a pair are starting to seem tone deaf.
At last week's Consumer Electronics Show, rapper 50 Cent made an appearance. So did LL Cool J, Lemmy from Motorhead, and Ro Marley, son of late reggae musician Bob Marley. Even the "Jersey Shore's" Snooki and New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow stopped by. And all of them were hawking really expensive headphones.
Over the last several years, the premium headphone market has exploded. According to retail analyst firm NPD Group, U.S. sales of headphones that cost $100 or more increased 73% year-over-year in 2012, far outpacing sales in the headphone market overall. Premium headphones now make up 43% of all headphone sales, and consumers who make the leap to high-end headphones don't seem to be regretting the decision: Those who own premium headphones have an average of 2.3 pairs, according to NPD.
(MORE: How Safe is the Boeing 787?)
The biggest player in this market is Beats by Dre, the company founded by Dr. Dre, co-founder of the seminal hip-hop group N.W.A., and music producer Jimmy Iovine. The company captured 64% of the $100-and-up headphone market in 2012 (as Dre earned a reported $110 million, thanks mostly to Beats) by ushering in a new way of thinking about music marketing and consumer preferences. But back in 2008, when Beats released its first pair of headphones, it was far from certain that consumers would bite. "People thought we were crazy," says Beats by Dre CEO Luke Wood. "They said the marketplace would never support a $300 headphone."
Industry analyst Ben Arnold, of NPD Group, says that the premium headphone market is being driven in large part by the rise of smartphones and tablets. As more consumers shift toward listening to music on mobile devices, high-end headphones — essentially mobile hi-fi speaker systems — are a logical hardware extension for most users. In the early days of this transformation, Beats' founders had realized that low-fi MP3s, often played through laptop speakers or inexpensive "earbuds," were becoming the standard mode of consuming music — and that the resulting sound quality was often sub-par and certainly not the way artists, producers, or music lovers wanted their music to be heard.
At the same time, everything else in the tech world was improving: TVs were going high-definition, phones were getting smarter, laptops and eventually tablets were becoming more powerful. Sound, however, was being left behind. "Audio was completely ostracized as graphics cards got better, processing power got better, screens got better," says Wood. "Audio was put on the back of the bus." Before the big legacy brands even realized what was happening, Beats was there to fill the void.
It's unlikely Beats would have come to dominate the category based on sound quality alone, however. Beats by Dre headphones have generally been praised for their audio quality and design (even if some consumers are turned off by the notoriously bass-heavy sound). But the company's greatest innovation may have been its success at making headphones as much fashion accessories as they are listening devices. "If you're wearing a pair of Beats, it says, 'Music's really important in my life,' says Wood. "I've seen people wearing them at parties with hundreds of people, and they've got their Beats around their neck. It's no different than somebody wearing a Run DMC T-shirt and Adidas shoes, or the guy who always wears a Metallica T-shirt."
(MORE: The Rise of Electronic Cigarettes)
It helped that the company's headphones have shown up in countless music videos, including Lady Gaga's hit "Poker Face," and in NBA locker rooms, including around LeBron James's neck. That was another of Beats' business coups, says Arnold: "They tried something new with the artist endorsement model." Beats quickly began seeing triple-digit sales growth as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and James all lent their names to headphone models made by Beats.
The question now appears to be whether Beats can maintain its market dominance, the company's successful formula having spawned the next generation of competitors. Rappers Jay-Z and Ludacris each have their own line of headphones through Skullcandy and Soul, respectively. In September, former "American Idol" judge and "X Factor" creator Simon Cowell released branded headphones made by Sony. Monster has teamed up with rapper Nick Cannon and Noel Lee of Earth, Wind & Fire, and also sells a Miles Davis Trumpet headphone. Just this month rapper 50 Cent announced a new headphone partnership with Timbaland.
Even non-musicians are getting involved. While Beats has created Powerbeats headphones for LeBron James, Soul's Tim Tebow and Usain Bolt headphones both debuted at last week's Consumer Electronics Show. And of course Snooki was on hand to hawk headphones at CES. Believe it or not, though, the onslaught of cross-branded premium headphones may be just beginning. Monster recently launched a line of EA Sports-branded headphones for sports video gamers, as well as a pair in partnership with luggage brand Tumi. Denon has released four types of high-end headphones geared toward different lifestyles, including one for exercising.
Meanwhile, Beats isn't standing still — and doesn't want to be considered merely a headphone company. It recently expanded into audio systems for cars, computers, and smartphones, and in October released several stand-alone products, including a $200 Bluetooth-enabled wireless speaker called the Beats Pill.
Are there any more big hits in pipeline? CEO Woods won't say what's next. "In the music business, you put out a record when it's done," he demurs. "And that's kind of how we look at our product."
MORE: Dr. Dre Is World's Highest-Paid Musician: Yes, It's the Headphones


text:
"The walk is a way to be supportive and acknowledge what has happened. It's an activity where you're just out being supportive and enjoying the company of everyone who cares about you," he said. "To be able to do something without having to talk about it is good. Just being able to be there is good."
Diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in February 2010, Alex Menze expected the fight of his life, but the struggles that followed his treatment came completely unforeseen.
Menze, then a recently married 29-year-old finishing up his medical residency at the University of Virginia and planning for a stint in the Air Force, girded himself for the coming battle.
Cancer was the enemy, something to be beaten.
His friends, family and colleagues rallied behind him as he underwent treatment and took regular doses of all-trans retinoic acid, a drug that has increased a patient's odds of beating APL from 35 percent to 45 percent to between 90 percent and 95 percent. After four rounds of chemotherapy, Menze got the great news: Leukemia cells no longer appeared in his blood tests.
On the mend, Menze was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, leaving behind his support group of friends and family and facing a second fight — a struggle to return to normalcy.
"That's when the truth of cancer came to me," the Old Town resident said. "When you're fighting it, it's easy because you've got an enemy to fight. But then you're left with a deep-seated, rotting fear."
Menze, who didn't recover from the treatment as quickly as he had hoped, worried he would never be fully functional again. After the chemotherapy, there were concerns of infertility. He no longer planned ahead in years and decades, but kept it to months for fear of remission.
Any sense of youthful invulnerability had evaporated.
"It's a difficult thing to describe," Menze said. "Going through treatment and dealing with a life-or-death situation sets your mind up to deal with the one big problem in your life. Turning that around is nearly impossible."
His wife, Christina, recognized the change as well. Before the diagnosis, they had an entire lifetime mapped out before them: finish school, move to Washington, raise a family and so on.
"I think that before he was diagnosed we were planners," she said. "Everything is so planned out, and when a diagnosis like that comes along, it really humbles you a lot."
Just booking an airline flight two months out was a big step, Menze said.
Beyond cancer
Menze isn't alone. Many cancer survivors struggle to return to the life they had before, said Dr. Aziza Shad, chief of pediatric hematology/oncology and blood and marrow transplantation at Georgetown University Hospital.
There are the scars, mental and physical, from treatment, she said. Relationships are strained and some survivors develop a sort of nihilism, latching on to risky behavior.
Cancer patients need psychosocial and emotional treatment from the get-go. Therapy, support groups and counseling coupled with yoga, exercise and a whole host of options need to be available for survivors.
Cancer is a life-changing event, said Joan Giblin, a nurse practitioner heading up the Winship Cancer Institute's new survivorship program.
"We do so much to assault the body … we change so much. Their whole being is changed with cancer," she said. "You can't just bounce back into the life you've had before, you have to ease back. Nobody warns you, and it's a big hit in the head when they can't [bounce back]."
Some cancer survivors display psychosocial symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder. The medical community is getting better at helping survivors readjust to life beyond cancer, she said.
"We have to address these patients," she said. "We've changed their lives, and we need to be there for them."
Done talking
Menze continues to receive ATRA treatment, and he has several years to go before doctors will consider him cured. He has spoken with other survivors who were stricken with cancer in early adulthood, and it's helped give him hope for the future.
While he hasn't thrown himself into cancer awareness and fundraising as he'd planned when first diagnosed with APL, Menze has participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk among a few other programs. The organization named him an "honored hero" in this year's walk.
For Menze, it's a welcome opportunity to support cancer survivors and acknowledge the disease — without talking about it. In the months following his diagnosis, he's done enough talking about disease.


text:
Is peewee football too early to wonder about concussions? Maybe not: A major report says far too little is known about the risks in youth sports, especially for athletes who suit up before high school.
And it's not just a question for football. The Institute of Medicine found no one knows how often the youngest athletes suffer concussions or which sports have the highest rates. Nor is it clear if better headgear ever will help.
The IOM and National Research Council on Wednesday called for a national system to track sports-related concussions and start answering those questions.
Despite a decade of increasing awareness of the seriousness of concussions, the panel found young athletes still face a "culture of resistance" to reporting the injury and staying on the sidelines until it's healed.
"Concussion is an injury that needs to be taken seriously. If an athlete has a torn ACL on the field, you don't expect him to tape it up and play," said IOM committee chairman Dr. Robert Graham, who directs the Aligning Forces for Quality national program office at George Washington University.
"We're moving in the right direction," Graham added.
But the panel found evidence, including testimony from a player accused by teammates of wimping out, that athletic programs' attention to concussions varies.
Reports of sports concussions are on the rise, amid headlines about former professional players who suffered long-term impairment after repeated blows. Recent guidelines make clear that anyone suspected of having a concussion should be taken out of play immediately and not allowed back until cleared by a trained professional.
Although millions of U.S. children and teens play school or community sports, it's not clear how many suffer concussions, in part because many go undiagnosed.
But Wednesday's report said among people 19 and younger, 250,000 were treated in emergency rooms for concussions and other sports- or recreation-related brain injuries in 2009, up from 150,000 in 2001.
Rates vary by sport.
For male athletes in high school and college, concussion rates are highest for football, ice hockey, lacrosse and wrestling. For females, soccer, lacrosse and basketball head the list. Women's ice hockey has one of the highest reported concussion rates at the college level.
But there's no similar data to know how often younger children get concussions, whether on school teams or in community leagues, the IOM panel said.
"One thing that parents question is, 'Well, should I let my son or daughter play this sport they're asking me to play?"' said sports injury specialist Dawn Comstock of the University of Colorado, who reviewed the report. "If we don't have that type of data on the national level, it's very difficult" to know.
Could safety gear prevent kids' concussions?
Some equipment ads make that claim. But there's little scientific evidence that current sports helmet designs or other gear, such as face masks or headbands for soccer, really reduce the risk, the panel cautioned.
Still, it stressed that youngsters should wear helmets and other sport-appropriate safety gear, because they guard against other injuries, including skull fractures and face injuries.
"Parents deserve to know how safe their children's safety equipment really is," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who is pushing legislation to curb false advertising and encourage improvements to sports equipment standards.
"While we can't reduce every risk, we should do everything we can to stop misleading advertising that gives parents a false sense of security."
The report found that every state except Mississippi has passed a concussion law since Washington started the trend in 2009, prompted by a 13-year-old who suffered permanent disability after returning to a football game despite a concussion.
The laws address such things as criteria for removal from play and standards for return-to-play decisions, but the report said most are in the early stages of being implemented.
It's not always easy to spot a concussion – symptoms might not be obvious right away – yet most young athletes practice and play without routine access to a professional trained to check them, the panel said. That can leave the decision to bench players up to coaches and parents.
That's especially true before high school and in community leagues, said Tamara Valovich McLeod with the National Athletic Trainers' Association, which long has pushed for concussion education.
Without training, people may not realize you can have a concussion without losing consciousness, or that you can still have symptoms despite a clean CT scan, she said.
Typically, youth athletes recover from a concussion within two weeks. But in 10 percent to 20 percent of cases, symptoms can persist for weeks, months, occasionally even longer, the report found. A second blow before full recovery is especially dangerous.
Nor is the concern only about physical activity.
The American Academy of Pediatrics this week said teachers may need to ease students back into learning after a concussion.
There's increasing evidence that too much mental activity can prolong recovery, too. Sensitivity to light, headaches or memory difficulties may require breaks or extra time on assignments when the student returns to class, the pediatricians' policy says.
The IOM report also said:
-Youths who've already had a concussion are at higher risk for subsequent ones.
-Calls for a "hit count" to limit the number of head impacts in a week or a season make sense, but there's no evidence to say what that number should be.
-Sports officials should examine if there are age-specific rules to make play safer, such as Canadian youth hockey's no-checking rule for the youngest players.
But the report shouldn't scare parents into pulling their kids out of sports, injury expert Comstock stressed.
"The positives of sports as a physical activity still far outweigh the negatives," she said. "We just need to make it as safe as possible."
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.


text:
Unfortunately, Gfycat, which powered our gif creation and viewing service, went offline in 2023. We are looking for alternatives!
Playing Rocket League
35 views
File Size: 13.7 MB
Duration: 28 seconds
Annoyed by ads? Give us your feedback here.
We are trying new strategies to cover our growing server and development costs, but we want to do that in the least intrusive way possible.
Maybe consider going Ad Free or Pro to show your support?
Rocket League
Soccer meets driving once again in the award-winning, physics-based multiplayer-focused sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars! Choose a variety of high-flying vehicles equipped with huge rocket boosters to score amazing aerial goals and pull off incredible, game-changing saves...
Soccer meets driving once again in the award-winning, physics-based multiplayer-focused sequel to...
Create an GamerDVR.com account to unlock exclusive features and challenges!
Join Now
Original Video
More gifs
Login or create an account to tag your friends!
Use our new feature to tag your friends that are visible, or took part in creating your content.
They will show up below the content; easy to find and navigate to their profile.
× Login or Signup Now


text:
U.S. economy grew at 2.7 percent rate from July-September
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. economy grew at a 2.7 percent annual rate from July through September, much faster than first thought. The strength is expected to fade in the final months of the year because of uncertainty about looming tax increases and government spending cuts.
The Commerce Department said Thursday that growth in the third quarter was significantly better than the 2 percent rate estimated a month ago. And it was more than twice the 1.3 percent rate reported for the April-June quarter.
The main reason for the upward revision to the gross domestic product was businesses restocked at a faster pace than previously estimated. That offset weaker consumer spending growth.
GDP measures the nation's total output of goods and services - from restaurant meals and haircuts to airplanes, appliances and highways.
Most economists say economic growth is slowing to below 2 percent in the current October-December quarter. That's generally considered too weak to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.
Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said companies are likely restocking more slowly now. Businesses typically cut back on restocking when they think consumers will spend less. Consumer spending drives roughly 70 percent of economic activity.
Economists cite two reasons for the anticipated weakness in consumer and business spending.
Superstorm Sandy halted business activity along the East Coast in late October and November. And spending may weaken in the final weeks of the year, if lawmakers and Obama fail to reach a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." That's the name for sharp tax increases and spending cuts that would occur in January without a deal.
Companies are "likely thinning inventories just in case Congress fails to do its job, which is always a possibility," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors.
A separate report Thursday showed the negative impact of Superstorm Sandy is starting to fade. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000 last week, the Labor Department said. It was the second straight drop after Superstorm Sandy had driven applications to 451,000 three weeks ago.
Still, consumers and businesses appeared to be more cautious over the summer, according to the GDP report.
Consumer spending grew at a weaker 1.4 percent rate in the third quarter, down from the 2 percent rate estimated a month ago and nearly in line with the 1.5 percent rate in the second quarter.
Businesses spending on equipment and software fell at an annual rate of 2.7 percent in the third quarter, the first decline since the depths of the recession in April-June 2009.
The report showed continued strength in homebuilding, which rose at an annual rate of 14.2 percent. And government spending expanded at an annual rate 3.5 percent, marking its first positive contribution to overall economic growth in two years. The increase was driven by a big jump in defense spending.
While economists predict slower growth in the final months of the year, several reports suggest economic activity picked up in October and early November. And if Congress and the White House reach agreement and avoid the fiscal cliff, economic growth could accelerate next year, many economists say.
A Federal Reserve survey released Tuesday showed improved consumer spending and steady home sales helped lift growth from October through early November in most parts of the United States. The one exception was the Northeast, where the storm led to widespread disruptions.
The Labor Department said employers added 171,000 jobs last month and hiring in September and August was stronger than previously thought.
Rising home values, more hiring and lower gas prices pushed consumer confidence in November to the highest level in nearly five years, according to the Conference Board.
A better mood among consumers appears to have encouraged businesses to invest more in October after pulling back over the summer.
There are already signs that consumer optimism is leading to more spending. A record number of Americans visited stores and shopping websites over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.