Justice won't prosecute Holder for contempt

FILE - In this June 12, 2012 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In email exchanges with subordinates in February and March 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder and the department's second-highest official expressed growing concern that something might have gone wrong in a federal gun-smuggling probe called Operation Fast and Furious. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - In this June 12, 2012 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In email exchanges with subordinates in February and March 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder and the department's second-highest official expressed growing concern that something might have gone wrong in a federal gun-smuggling probe called Operation Fast and Furious. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-NY, walk out of the Capitol, arm-in-arm, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus and many House Democrats protest the vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, Thursday, June 28, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Rep, Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, and many House Democrats walk out of the Capitol during the vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, Thursday, June 28, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., center, holds hands with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., next to Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., right, as House Democrats leave the Capitol in protest of a House vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, Thursday, June 28, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 28, 2012, after members of Congress walked off the House floor in protest of a contempt of Congress vote for Attorney General Eric Holder. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Justice Department declared Friday that Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to withhold information about a bungled gun-tracking operation from Congress does not constitute a crime and he won't be prosecuted for contempt of Congress.

The House voted Thursday afternoon to find Holder in criminal and civil contempt for refusing to turn over the documents. President Barack Obama invoked his executive privilege authority and ordered Holder not to turn over materials about executive branch deliberations and internal recommendations.

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, the department said that it will not bring the congressional contempt citation against Holder to a federal grand jury and that it will take no other action to prosecute the attorney general. Dated Thursday, the letter was released Friday.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the decision is in line with long-standing Justice Department practice across administrations of both political parties.

"We will not prosecute an executive branch official under the contempt of Congress statute for withholding subpoenaed documents pursuant to a presidential assertion of executive privilege," Cole wrote.

In its letter, the department relied in large part on a Justice Department legal opinion crafted during Republican Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Frederick Hill, the spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, said it is regrettable that "the political leadership of the Justice Department" is taking that position. Issa, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, is leading the effort to get the material related to Operation Fast and Furious.

Although the House voted Thursday to find Holder in criminal and civil contempt, Republicans probably are still a long way from obtaining documents they want for their inquiry into Operation Fast and Furious, a flawed gun-tracking investigation focused on Phoenix-area gun shops by Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The criminal path is now closed and the civil route through the courts would not be resolved anytime soon.

"This is pure politics," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

"Remarkably the chairman of the committee involved here has asserted that he has no evidence that the attorney general knew of Operation Fast and Furious or did anything but take the right action when he learned of it.

"No evidence, so if you have no evidence as he has stated now about the White House and the attorney general, what else could this be but politics?"

More than 100 Democrats walked out of the House chamber to boycott the first of two contempt votes, saying Republicans were more interested in shameful election-year politics than documents.

Republicans demanded the documents for an ongoing investigation, but their arguments focused more on the need for closure for the family of slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Two guns identified by the Fast and Furious tracking operation were found near his body after a shootout in Arizona.

Democrats promised closure as well, but said a less-partisan Republican investigation was the only way to get it.

Adding to the emotion of the day, the family of the slain agent issued a statement backing the Republicans.

"The Terry family takes no pleasure in the contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder. Such a vote should not have been necessary. The Justice Department should have released the documents related to Fast and Furious months ago," the statement said.

The contempt votes happened on the day that Obama's health care law survived in the Supreme Court, prompting some Democrats to speculate that the votes were scheduled to be overwhelmed by news stories about the ruling.

About five hours after the court ruled, with news sites flooded with information about the health care ruling, the House voted 255-67 to declare Holder in criminal contempt.

A second vote of 258-95 held Holder in civil contempt and authorized the House to file a lawsuit.

In past cases, courts have been reluctant to settle disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government.

The issue became more complicated when Obama invoked a broad form of executive privilege, a legal doctrine designed to keep private certain communications of executive branch agencies.

Issa's committee will consult with the House counsel's office about a court challenge to the administration's decision not to cooperate, spokesman Frederick Hill said.

The documents were written after Fast and Furious was shut down. The subpoena covered a 10-month period from February 2011, as the Justice Department expressed growing concern that the Fast and Furious operation had employed a risky investigative tactic known as "gun-walking." In early December 2011, the department finally acknowledged that the initial denial of gun-walking was in error.

Republicans said the contempt citations were necessary because Holder refused to hand over documents that could explain why the Obama administration took 10 months to acknowledge the gun-walking.

In Fast and Furious, ATF agents abandoned the agency's usual practice of intercepting all weapons they believed to be illicitly purchased, often as soon as they were taken out of gun shops. Instead, the goal of the tactic known as "gun-walking" was to track such weapons to high-level arms traffickers, who had long eluded prosecution, and to dismantle their networks.

Gun-walking long has been barred by Justice Department policy, but federal agents in Arizona experimented with it in at least two investigations during the George W. Bush administration before Operation Fast and Furious. These experiments came as the department was under widespread criticism that the old policy of arresting every suspected low-level "straw purchaser" was failing to stop tens of thousands of guns from reaching Mexico, more than 68,000 in the last five years. A straw purchaser conceals that he is buying guns for others.

Fast and Furious identified more than 2,000 weapons suspected of being illicitly purchased. But agents lost track of many of the guns. Some 1,400 of them have yet to be recovered.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-06-29-Fast%20and%20Furious/id-fafe644f578742e0a8121320ea468779

kim jong ii dead snapdragon snapdragon kim jong ill dead wedding crashers next iron chef next iron chef

LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea

LG's Optimus Vu still has yet to debut in the US, but Korean fans of the extra-wide 5-inch phablet can soon enjoy a new "Value Pack" upgrade. It brings the phone to yesterday's-news Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich along with LG-specific tweaks to its note taking features, UI 3.0 and Quick Voice search. There's a quick demo video of the update (embedded after the break) and promotional mini site with more details, although the ability to understand Korean -- or muddle through machine translated closed captions -- will come in handy.

Continue reading LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea

LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  LG Korea  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/lg-optimus-vu-value-pack-ice-cream-sandwich/

brandy steve nash julianne hough bruins boston bruins michael pineda charles taylor

Web has a field day with Supreme Court ruling aftermath

Like" us on?Facebook.com/TrendingNow and follow Trending Now on Twitter:?@Knowlesitall and?@YahooTrending.

The Supreme Court's ruling on the health-care law Thursday created an unparalleled social media firestorm. At one point, there were more than 13,000 tweets every minute about the decision. So it should come as no surprise that some people made incorrect statements.

One notable trend on Twitter involved people threatening to move to Canada to escape America's new health-care law. The big problem with that decision? Canada already has universal health care, which is even more involved than the newly mandated U.S. law. There was even an 18% increase in Yahoo searches for "Canadian immigration" yesterday.

Another trend included common typos in response to the new health-care law. A Tumblr page called "Affordabe Care Cat" went up in response to the common typo on the "Affordable Care Act." The blog posts one of the Internet's common subjects, pictures of cats, with clever block texts that have double meaning, including "Affordable Care Cat a Tax!" Another reads, "Affordable Care Cat is Upheld."

Cable network CNN was also made fun of. The network's now-infamous false report that the law was struck down has been immortalized in a digitally altered image that has since gone viral. Based on the photo of Harry Truman holding up a paper declaring "Dewey Defeats Truman," the new image features President Obama holding up an iPad with CNN's "Mandate Struck Down" on the screen.

___________________________________________________________

If you're in the market for a new home it makes sense to call a real estate agent. However, if you are in the market for an entire Italian village, just go on eBay. The Tuscan village of Pratariccia, located just 25 miles from Florence and adjacent to a national park, is listed for sale on Italy's version of eBay, "Annunci" for $3.1 million. The eight-acre village dates to medieval times and is set in the rolling hills of Tuscany, 2,400 feet above sea level.

So what is included in the deal? There are 25 abandoned houses that are in desperate need of repair in the village. So there will be plenty of work to do, which could help boost the local economy. The group of people selling the village live outside the area. Two bids have already fallen through on the property. The first was from a group that wanted to turn the village into a luxury spa resort. Another unsuccessful bid was from a group of local artists who wanted to turn the village into an area for craftsmen and laborers.

Real estate agent Carlo Magni, who is handling the sale, said he decided to list it on eBay. "So many people buy and sell online these days that it has to be worth it." The village is not listed in the auction section, but in the classifieds. The price has already been reduced from 5 million euros, and Magni said he's been getting a lot of calls since the property was listed two weeks ago.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/internet-field-day-supreme-court-ruling-aftermath-171111958.html

clemson pellet gun clay aiken zambrano orange bowl tim howard goal ben gibbard

Mobiles: the call on cancer | JunkScience.com

One year ago a line was drawn in the sand in the mobile phone debate.

The World Health Organisation?s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared exposure to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy (EME) fields were ?possibly carcinogenic to humans? based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.

It?s a line, University of Sydney Public Health Professor Bruce Armstrong says, that some would like to see ?obliterated?.

Data published since the IARC recommendation has, if anything, cast further doubt on any link between mobile phone use and cancer.

Professor Armstrong headed Australian involvement in the Interphone study which was considered by IARC before declaring RF EME exposure possibly carcinogenic.

In 2010, Interphone reported a 40 per cent increased risk of glioma and a 15 per cent increased risk of meningioma among the heaviest mobile phone users (1640 hours over a lifetime), but not in more moderate users. Findings, Professor Armstrong said, that were not strong, and which did not prove cause and effect.

In the past year a major US study of 250,000 people looking at the incidence of glioma between 1992-2008 could not find a connection and an updated Scandinavian study also found no increase in brain tumours.

Professor Armstrong said this new data had caused scientists to question the findings of a Swedish study which reported a five-fold increase in risk of brain cancer among people who started using mobile phones as teenagers and had been doing so for more than a decade, that was also considered to reach the IARC conclusions.

?People ask whether if this (recent) analysis was done at the time IARC was considering (its recommendation), would it have come up with the same opinion? Because it gave similar weight to the Swedish study as the Interphone study and certainly some people would like to say that if the committee were to meet again in the face of this information they might make a different decision,? he said.

Ultimately, most scientists agree the jury is still out and more research is required.

West Australian

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://junkscience.com/2012/06/29/mobiles-the-call-on-cancer/

dan marino david lee roth joe bodolai ben nelson extreme couponing taylor lautner sinead o connor

Texas power demand still high, conservation urged

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

titanic ii babe ruth new jersey nets nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne mothers day gifts

The 9 Votes on 7 Issues in the Health Care Ruling (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

acl earthquake los angeles unemployment 2012 nfl draft grades young justice nfl draft d rose

Councils turn to green waste fees

27 June 2012 Last updated at 05:30 ET

Almost a third of councils across England charge to collect garden waste, research by the BBC has found.

Where you live depends on how much you pay with some people paying nearly ?70 a year to have a green bin.

Many councils the BBC spoke to said they had introduced charges to raise additional funds after central government budget cuts.

And the chair of a waste advisory body said more councils are considering charging for the service.

Joy Blizzard, from the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), said councils faced a "difficult financial climate" where they had to make choices about which services to keep.

Planning to charge

Many councils that have introduced a charge said they have had to cut costs to cope with a reduction in government funding.

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), in Lincolnshire, charges ?25 a year for a green bin collection.

In a statement the council said: "This will help offset the operational costs of the service and effectively means that those who use the service will contribute towards it."

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

If you have a big garden and you decide to grow a lot of fruit and vegetables which produces a lot of green waste it's your responsibility?

End Quote Joy Blizzard LARAC

Of 254 councils that the BBC contacted 176 do not currently charge to collect green waste although one of these has begun to roll-out a charge and another, Boston Borough Council, in Lincolnshire, is planning to introduce a one-off charge of ?20 for a bin which can be used to dispose of green waste.

Seventy-five of those contacted do charge and three do not offer a collection service although one, Bassetlaw District Council, in Nottinghamshire, is considering introducing a paid scheme.

The highest fee found was ?69 a year for a green wheelie bin in Kingston upon Thames, in London.

A ?60 annual fee introduced in Wokingham, in Berkshire, in April is currently being reviewed by the borough council after the authority received 1,000 complaints.

Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, charges ?57.60 for an annual green bin collection.

Backlash against charges

The "taxation through the back door" was condemned by the Taxpayers Alliance and the local Lib Dem party when it was introduced.

In Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, a local pensioners' group criticised the introduction of garden waste charges claiming elderly people without access to a car would struggle to take their waste to the tip.

In London, Merton Council faced a similar backlash after introducing an annual charge of ?65, while in Ealing more than 5,000 residents signed a petition over a ?40 annual levy.

Continue reading the main story

Creating the perfect compost

• Combine a mixture of soft, green material (vegetable peel, grass, weeds etc.) and dry, brown material (twigs, paper, straw etc.) in roughly even quantities
• Place woody material at the bottom and alternate layers of different materials at least 30cm deep
• Shred larger items and if the mixture is very dry, spray it with water - but do not soak. It should feel as dry as a wrung-out sponge
• Keep adding to the pile regularly and when the bin is full, it will start to heat up as decomposition begins
• After about two weeks mix up the contents with a garden fork and add water if necessary. Turn regularly and the compost should be ready in two to four months

But according to Ms Blizzard even a small garden can accommodate a compost heap.

She said: "Composting is the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of green waste.

"It is better than running a fleet of vehicles to collect it and sticking it in landfill.

"It often comes down to a choice for councils - do you keep an old people's home open, spend money on meals on wheels or collect green waste for free?"

When Rushcliffe Borough Council, in Nottinghamshire, introduced green waste charges of ?25 a year, it said it was a way to raise additional income.

Other money raising measures, including introducing car parking charges and raising council tax were dismissed but grants to community sports programmes were reduced and charges increased for home alarms.

Subsidising garden owners

Ms Blizzard added if people lived in homes without gardens they were subsidising the cost of green waste collections for those with gardens.

"If you have a big garden and you decide to grow a lot of fruit and vegetables which produces a lot of green waste it's your responsibility," she said.

Aylesbury Vale District Council, in Buckinghamshire, has begun to roll out a charge of ?36 a year for a new garden waste collection service.

The council said: "Having carefully reviewed our service, we cannot offer the garden waste service without a fee, because it would dramatically increase our costs.

"We think that it's better to offer a paid-for service to those residents who want it and are prepared to pay for it, rather than charge everyone for a service they may not use."

Across England charges for green waste varied widely:

• In Suffolk and Cambridgeshire no councils charge for green waste collection;
• In the west of England 12 of 17 councils charge, with fees varying from ?26 to ?45 annually;
• Manchester and Liverpool city councils and Lancashire County Council do not charge;
• Cornwall Council charges, as does Exeter City Council, Torbay Council and Teignbridge Council but Plymouth, North Devon and South Hams councils do not;
• In the Yorkshire and Humber region 20 of 22 councils do not charge;
• In Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire 17 of 18 councils the BBC spoke to do not charge although one is currently rolling out charges;
• Across the North East, Cumbria and Cheshire 18 councils do not charge and four do;
• In the West Midlands two of 25 councils charge;
• In Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, 23 councils charge, eight do not and one does not offer a green waste service;
• In the East Midlands, of those councils that responded, one council is planning to introduce a charge, nine charge already, one does not offer the service and 18 do not charge;
• In London, 25 local authorities do not charge and eight do;
• In Northamptonshire, of the four councils that responded, one charges and three do not;
• In Norfolk, all seven councils charge.

Separate research by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), which advises councils across the UK on service provision, found around a quarter of UK councils charged for green waste collections.

Of 109 responses collected earlier this year the number charging for green waste collections was 26.7%, with 4.7% planning to introduce a charge in the next one to two years.

red tails heidi klum heidi klum red tails trailer joe pa dead laura dekker stephen colbert south carolina

10 big myths about food ? Winnipeg Free Press | The Daily Mile

Through social media and the Internet, Canadians are increasingly gaining access to nutrition information.

But is it all credible? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no.

In a bid to sort out fact from fiction, the Dietitians of Canada decided to mark Nutrition Month this March by busting some popular food and nutrition myths.

With that in mind, registered dietitian Rosemary Szabadka has pulled together a list of her top 10 myths about food.

Myth: Late-night snacking will make you gain weight

The Truth: Late-night snacking can certainly lead to weight gain, but not because of the time on the clock. Late-night snackers are often breakfast skippers, eating the majority of food from supper onward. When a lot of snacking occurs in the evening, there is a good chance that the snacks are from higher calorie foods and sweetened beverages. Look at why and what you snack on. It is important to be mindful when you eat. Eating a piece of fruit, some cereal and milk, a yogurt, or a piece of toast with peanut butter when you?re honestly hungry in the evening will not make you gain weight. However, if you are snacking while distracted during a night of television watching, chances are you may gain weight.

The Bottom Line: Eat three meals a day and plan small portions of healthy snacks. Eat when you are honestly hungry. And don?t forget to drink water. Sometimes you are actually thirsty and not hungry.

Myth: Avoid carbohydrates if you want to lose weight

The Truth: Sure, cutting out a group of foods will make you lose weight, but not because they are ?carbs.? You?ll probably lose weight because you are eating less food and taking in fewer calories. But cutting out carbs means cutting out whole grains, fruit, starchy veggies and legumes. Not only will this diet be tough to follow, but you will also be depriving yourself of energy, key nutrients and fibre. And even if you lose weight this way, it can often lead to a decreased metabolism, making it easier to gain weight in the future.

The Bottom Line: Think about how and why and if you are mindful when you eat. Balanced meals following Canada?s Food Guide, combined with enjoyable physical activity, will lead you toward a healthier lifestyle and probably help you shed a few pounds along the way.

Myth: Everyone should eat a gluten-free diet

The Truth: Gluten is a type of protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye and any foods made from these grains. Unless you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or an allergy to one of these grains, there?s no reason to avoid them. Why would you deprive yourself of wonderful tastes and a variety of foods when you don?t have to?

The Bottom Line: Choose whole grains that contain gluten and others that are gluten-free, like corn, rice, quinoa and millet. Remember, variety is the spice of life.

Myth: Sea salt is natural, so it?s better for you than table salt

The Truth: Salt has many names: table, kosher, gourmet, and sea. Sure, they all have different tastes and textures, but they all contain the same amount of sodium. Canadians eat way too much sodium, about 3,400 mg every day on average, which is more than double what your body needs for good health. This can lead to many health problems. Table salt is mined from dried-up ancient salt lakes. Some table salt includes iodine, a nutrient that helps prevent thyroid disease. Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater and tastes different depending on where it is from.

The Bottom Line: Whatever salt you choose, use less. Flavour your foods using garlic, herbs, spices, vinegars, and lemon or orange rind or juice.

Myth: Superfoods will keep you super healthy

The Truth: Seriously, do not fall for this type of marketing. No food has superpowers to keep you healthy on its own. Trendy, expensive foods like goji or acai berries don?t necessarily live up to their claims. These berries, like most foods in the vegetables and fruit food group, are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Other basic foods like apples, oranges, blueberries and mangos may not be marketed as ?super? but can be equally nutritious. Plus, they cost less and are more easily available. For example, blueberries are one of the most antioxidant-rich foods and you can pick them in Manitoba in the summer and buy them frozen in winter for a fraction of the price of a goji berry.

The Bottom Line: Eat vegetables and fruits. This least-consumed food group is packed with nutrition. Enjoy different healthy foods, experiment with new foods, try a new recipe and like what you eat.

Myth: Eating a lot of protein helps build muscle

The Truth: I am not really sure why people are so worried about protein. Found mostly in the meat and alternatives and milk and alternatives food groups, protein is the one nutrient that most people get enough of. Protein alone does not build muscle strength. A strength-training program, along with enough calories from healthy foods, recovery time, sleep and fluids, is also needed for building muscle. Sure, we need protein, but over-doing it can add extra calories and will not build bigger muscles. Strength-training athletes like body builders might benefit from extra protein, especially in post-workout snacks. The extra amount of protein you may need can be easily met by choosing protein-rich foods from Canada?s Food Guide, like lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, lower-fat milk and alternatives, and legumes. Hello, chicken salad sandwich and glass of milk.

The Bottom Line: Save money! Pricey protein powders are just another form of protein and no better than protein-rich foods from Canada?s Food Guide for building a better body. Eat food, it tastes good.

Myth: If you eat too much sugar, you?ll get diabetes

The Truth: You will not get diabetes just from eating sugar. Often foods high in sugar, like cookies, sugary drinks, cakes and candy, are high in calories and low in nutrients. Diets with too many calories will lead to weight gain, and being overweight is a risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes. Other risk factors, such as family history, age (40 and older) and ethnicity, also play a role. Eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active are the best things you can do to reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

The Bottom Line: Sugary foods are high in calories and low in nutrition. Limit these foods. If you want something sweet, pick up a fruit. Take a bite and enjoy! It is nature?s candy.

Myth: Honey, brown sugar and agave syrup are better for you than white sugar

The Truth: I hear this all the time. Sugar is sugar. All are a concentrated source of calories with very few nutrients. The body doesn?t react any differently to honey than it does to table sugar ? it can?t tell the difference. The only difference is in the taste. If you like honey in your tea, then by all means use honey. Excess sugar in any form means extra calories. Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. Agave syrup is similar to honey, only less thick. It is higher in calories than regular sugar, but because it?s extremely sweet, you may use less.

The Bottom Line: Use small amounts of whatever sugar you like.

Myth: Cooking meals at home takes too much time

The Truth: The key to anything in life starts with a little bit of planning. When menus are planned for the week or even a couple of days in advance, actual cooking may not take any more time than ordering that pizza and picking it up. It is a great feeling knowing you can be coming home to marinated chicken ready to grill. Simple nutritious foods can make tasty meals. Spinach-and-mushroom omelets, bean-and-cheese burritos, baked fish, slow-cooker meals, spaghetti sauce and homemade pizza on pitas are just a few examples. Spend some time with your family on the weekend going through a few recipe books or look for recipes online. Make a list of family favourites. Try a new recipe and get the family involved. This can take the pressure off that one person in the family ?who does the cooking.? Kids who start cooking early are healthier eaters. Batch cook on the weekends and think about how to use leftovers such as rice, noodles and vegetables. Keep your pantry stocked with the basics. A can of tuna can make a great salad, casserole, pasta dish, melt, or burger. Home-cooked meals benefit the whole family.

The Bottom Line: Plan, use your imagination and have fun.

Myth: Drinking energy drinks is the best way to get energized

The Truth: Hmmm. Energy drinks might make you feel a short burst of energy, but it doesn?t last. Loaded with sugar (some up to 14 teaspoons) and stimulants, energy drinks can have many side-effects, including rapid heartbeat and insomnia. Loaded with caffeine, these drinks are not recommended for children or pregnant or lactating women. Children are at risk from behavioural side-effects as high amounts of caffeine can cause restlessness, anxiety and insomnia. High caffeine consumption during pregnancy (in excess of six to seven cups per day) has been linked with a higher risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.

The Bottom Line: Want to stay energized? Eat well, be active, get enough sleep and drink water throughout the day. Good hydration helps you feel alert.

Rosemary Szabadka is a public health dietitian with the Winnipeg Health Region, a Dietitians of Canada nutrition month volunteer, and a member of the Dietitians of Canada Board of Directors.

diet recipes that taste good ? Bing News

Related posts:

1. Be Diet Free ? Finally and Forever! ? PRLog (free press release) PRLog (Press Release) ? Jun 20, 2012 -If you are one of the millions of Americans who have tried a diet or two or three but have not been able...
2. Heavenly Homemaker: Healthy food doesn?t taste good? ? York News-Times It?s an excuse I hear from many who choose not to eat a healthy diet? ??Healthy food tastes nasty!? I actually used to believe this myself. I thought that healthy...
3. Ethnic Food Without the Fat ? Men?s Fitness We love international cuisine, and we hope you do, too. The good news is you can ?eat the world? without compromising your diet. Rule numero uno: Know the ingredients. ?Always...
4. Appetite Suppressant Pills And The Craving For Food Maintaining your diet can be an annoying experience. Things may normally start nicely and you make constant improvement however right after a period of time it may possibly slowly or...
5. Healthy Horizon Challenge, week 4: Avoiding nutrition pitfalls ? News-Press When it comes to nutrition during the wellness challenge, portion control has been key to making major changes in my lifestyle. Since I eat out a lot and don?t cook,...

wwdc dave matthews ambien heart attack grill madden 13 cover dalai lama tamera mowry

Guest post by Stuart Jaffe & WotS: The Half-blood pre-sale

Originally published at Ailionora. Please leave any comments there.

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for the talented Stuart Jaffe! You can see it here where I discuss what my musical inspirations for writing have been.

He then very graciously returned the favor and wrote a post for my blog, which I must say I don?t think I deserve, and I hesitated to post at the risk of seeming self-serving. Thank you Stuart!

I first met Janine this year at Ravencon and then again at ConCarolinas. We hit it off from the start and I suspect she?ll be in my writing life for many years to come. When it came to writing this guest post for her blog (thanks for having me, BTW), I went over several possibilities and finally settled on something that wasn?t in my list at all: People.

Too often we get so involved in writing a story, creating a book, marketing a book, garnering reviews, panicking over sales numbers, cheering over sales numbers, up and down, round and round, that we forget the simple fact that all of this is about people. It?s about writers (who are, generally speaking, people) sharing stories with readers (who are, most certainly, people). It?s about human interaction. Even if you and I never meet, we interact through the story.

It may sound a bit airy, but it?s truly the core of what we are doing. It doesn?t matter the story, either. The Way of the Black Beast is the first in my post-apocalyptic fantasy series with magic from tattoos, blues guitarist/assassins, and a whole host of mutated beasties, but at its core, it is about a woman protecting a boy while dealing with her own twisted family issues. My latest novel, Southern Bound, is a paranormal-mystery about a researcher who discovers his office is haunted by a 1940s detective. There?s a cool mystery surrounding North Carolina history mixed with ghosts, curses, and witches, but the story is really about the love between a man and his wife. It?s always been about people. And by making our stories about people, writers connect with readers.

This may all seem rather obvious, but the obvious things are usually the ones we forget so easily. What brought it all in focus for me was thinking about Janine and politics. In this country, we?ve been living through a particularly volatile time lately with everybody drawing lines in the sand and nobody listening to the other, let alone uttering that dreaded word ? compromise. And yet, on a human scale, a one-on-one scale, we can still connect with each other without the vitriol that spews all over the comment section of any news article on the Internet.

Janine exemplifies that warm, gracious, human side we should all strive for. And she didn?t even pay me to write that. Perhaps that?s one reason why she?s met with success publishing her book. Perhaps on a deeper, subconscious level, we can all sense when we are being told a story that touches the human side of us.

Sheesh. I didn?t intend for this post to get so heavy but then again, if we didn?t stop once-in-a-while and write about these things, the Internet would have nothing left except porn, comedy, and cats. So, now that I?ve done that, go ahead and return to your porn, comedy, and cats.

?-

Stuart Jaffe is the author of Southern Bound, The Malja Chronicles, After The Crash, as well as the short story collection, 10 Bits of My Brain. Numerous other short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. He is the co-host of The Eclectic Review ? a podcast about science, art, and well, everything. For those who keep count, the latest animal listing is as follows: five cats, one albino corn snake, one Brazilian black tarantula, three aquatic turtles, one tortoise, assorted fish, two lop-eared rabbits, seven chickens, and a horse. Thankfully, the chickens and the horse do not live inside the house.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lastly, don?t forget, War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood **PRE-SALE**

For a limited time only, pre-order the book for only $12.99!

Every book will be signed ? please state if you want it personalized (and with what name) in the special instructions to the seller when you purchase.

Each book is $12.99, and there is a flat rate shipping fee of $4.95 in the United States only.

Due to printing timelines, the books will be signed and available for shipment during the 2nd week of July. Expect them to arrive shortly thereafter.

Canadian buyers, shipping will be the same price for you, but it will not be priority, so it will take longer to arrive.

All other international buyers, please contact me first before purchasing (leave a comment on my homepage with your email address ? they are screened). Your shipping cost/times will be different.

delonte west vanessa williams nicklas backstrom discovery shuttle allure jane goodall saturday night fever

Internet radio row: Dewberry keeps controversial ... - The Media Online

Listener numbers in South Africa?s burgeoning internet radio business have been questioned by a man who claims they have been inflated by audio streaming company, NetDynamix.

NetDynamix, in return, have served legal papers on Interwebs? Shaun Dewberry. He was given six hours to remove his blog, Facebook and Twitter posts as well as publish a retraction and apologise for his ?defamatory statements?. If he does not abide the conditions imposed by NetDynamix, he faces an urgent High Court interdict application against him and a claim for damages for any financial loss by the company.

Dewberry, who goes by the Twitter name of @shaun, describes himself as ?a digital rockstar with a passion for rock music (especially South African), motorcycles (especially Superbikes), and?life hacking?(especially nmap)?. He is a ?techie? on Interwebs, a rock radio station on the internet.

As of 10am this morning, Dewberry?s blog post was still on his Facebook page and on his blog.

The post, titled The Truth Behind Internet Streaming Radio in South Africa, claims that listenership figures have been inflated, and in effect, lie to advertisers and clients about the reach of the medium.

?There is a growing hype being spread of streaming radio?s massive and escalating success as an alternative to terrestrial radio in South Africa. The reports available suggest listeners are taking to the medium like fish to water. 2Oceansvibe Radio has a new second studio in Melrose Arch. Ballz Radio is leveraging a network of sports personalities to grow content and listenership. 2Oceansvibe Radio now states they have up to 60 000 listeners an hour.

?Ballz Radio, after two months online, claims in the region of 51 000 listeners between 12 and 6pm. Even smaller community stations such as KingfisherFM were up to 20 000 monthly listeners in March,? Dewberry writes.

And he continues: ?Sponsors and advertisers clearly need to jump on board this segment that is now beating down terrestrial radio. So what is the reason behind this amazing growth in the sector?

?The falling cost in broadband? Increase in mobile access to Internet? A general dissatisfaction with terrestrial radio?

?In my professional (and personal) opinion, I state that there is only one explanation for these proclaimed levels of listenership ? they are complete fabrications. Utter nonsense. Lies, even.? Dewberry goes on to analyse the numbers to back up his claims.

Strong stuff. It?s no wonder, then, NetDynamix responded with the threat of legal action. On receipt of the letter from Wright, Rose-Innes Inc, Dewberry posted the letter to his blog site.

It is republished here in full:

?Dear Sir

?Kindly note that we represent Net Dynamics (?our client?) and are instructed by our client to address this letter to you on their behalf.

?As you are aware, our client is the service provider to a number of internet radio stations in South Africa, including but not limited to 2Oceans Vibe Radio, Ballz Radio, and KingfisherFM.

?Our client has referred us to your blog entitled ?The Truth Behind Streaming Internet Radio in South Africa? and has sent us an audio transcript of the interview which you conducted with Darren Scott on Ballz Radio on the 25^th June 2012.

?We also understand that you have posted similar content as contained in your aforesaid blog, on your Twitter page as well as on Facebook.

?In all of the abovementioned publications, being your blog, your Twitter page, your Facebook page and in your verbal interview with Darren Scott on Ballz Radio yesterday, you have defamed our client?s good name and reputation, by inter alia stating that:

• Our client?s listenership statistics are complete fabrications.
• ?Our client?s listenership statistics are utter nonsense.
• ?Our client?s listenership statistics are lies.
• ?Our client has fooled their clients in regard to such statistics.
• ?Our client has pulled the wool over the eyes of our client?s clients with such listenership statistics.

?All of these statements are highly defamatory of our client who enjoys an un-impeached reputation in the industry.

?Not only are these statements and publications highly defamatory of our client, but they were clearly made by you with malicious intent, given your association with our client?s competitors.

?In addition to the above, not only are these statements false and untrue, but you published these statements of and concerning our client, and our client?s listenership statistics, which statistics are derived directly from the platforms which our client provides to its clients, without first inviting our client to comment on your research and the arguments which you use to attempt to justify your opinion.

?Basic principles of fairness and justice, require you to invite our client to challenge or contradict your opinions, before you publish such opinions of and concerning our client, particularly in circumstances where you are well aware that such opinions which you have published, are highly controversial, potentially damaging to our client and their clients, and based on flawed research, assumptions and presumptions.

?We do not intend in this letter to debate with you, whether your opinions and research have any merit whatsoever (although our client is adamant that there is no merit whatsoever in your contention).? The purpose of this communication is instead to demand, as we hereby do, that:

1.???????? Within 6 (six) hours of receipt by you of this communication, that you remove your blog, your posting on your Twitter page and your posting on your Facebook page, of all of these articles published by you concerning this subject matter and our client.

2. ? ? ?That on all of these mediums, being your blog, your Twitter page and your Facebook page, that you publish a retraction of your defamatory statements of and concerning our client and apologise to our client for the reputational damage caused to our client.

3. That in doing so you concede that prior to publishing these issues on your blog, your Twitter page and your Facebook page, that you should have first called on our client to dispute your findings and to provide you with their comment.

4. That your apology specify that you regret any offence or reputational damage which you may have caused to our client in the circumstances, having published such unfair and unacceptable statements of and concerning our client, which expressly convey the fact that you consider our client to be dishonest and unethical in their dealings with their clients.

5. That you confirm within the 6 (six) hour period aforesaid by return e-mail, that you have so complied.

?We confirm that should you fail, refuse and/or neglect to comply with our reasonable demand set out above, by deleting these defamatory publications and publishing a retraction and apology as demanded, our client will immediately instruct us to:

?Launch an urgent High Court interdict application against you, in terms of which the High Court will be asked to order that you immediately remove these defamatory publications from all social media, websites and the like, that you publish a retraction and apology, and that you are interdicted in future from publishing any such defamatory statements of and concerning our client.? Should we launch such High Court application against you in the absence of your compliance with our client?s reasonable demand, we will ask the High Court to simultaneously order that all of the legal costs incurred by our client on the most punitive possible scale are to be paid by you

?Claim from you by way of damages, any financial loss that our client may suffer as a consequence of your defamatory and malicious publications of and concerning our client.?

In the meantime, while the legal drama plays out behind the scenes, Twitter is abuzz with speculation, and support for Dewberry.

farrah abraham whats going on venus williams bowl projections bedlam bedlam cotto vs margarito 2

Read about the Personal computer Development ... - Tech Gadget Info

Bringing the breathtaking performance of a desktop gaming PC to a The Alienware AM17xR4-7263BK gaming Laptop is the next step in gaming evolution, featuring a powerful new chipset, advanced graphics options and an ...

Product Description Use an additional Apple iPhone Connector to USB Cable for charging as well as syncing your Apple iPhone with your Mac or PC.

Tech News - all the latest news about Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft,

Tech News - all the latest news about Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft,

todd haley kareem abdul jabbar karl rove miramonte elementary school mark jenkins super bowl commercials 2012 mia

Speeding up bone growth by manipulating stem cells

ScienceDaily (June 25, 2012) ? If you break a bone, you know you'll end up in a cast for weeks. But what if the time it took to heal a break could be cut in half? Or cut to just a tenth of the time it takes now? Qian Wang, a chemistry professor at the University of South Carolina, has made tantalizing progress toward that goal.

Wang, Andrew Lee and co-workers just reported in Molecular Pharmaceutics that surfaces coated with bionanoparticles could greatly accelerate the early phases of bone growth. Their coatings, based in part on genetically modified Tobacco mosaic virus, reduced the amount of time it took to convert stem cells into bone nodules -- from two weeks to just two days.

The key to hastening bone healing or growth is to coax a perfectly natural process to pick up the pace.

"If you break a rib, or a finger, the healing is automatic," said Wang. "You need to get the bones aligned to be sure it works as well as possible, but then nature takes over."

Healing is indeed very natural. The human body continuously generates and circulates cells that are undifferentiated; that is, they can be converted into the components of a range of tissues, such as skin or muscle or bone, depending on what the body needs.

The conversion of these cells -- called stem cells -- is set into motion by external cues. In bone healing, the body senses the break at the cellular level and begins converting stem cells into new bone cells at the location of the break, bonding the fracture back into a single unit. The process is very slow, which is helpful in allowing a fracture to be properly set, but after that point the wait is at least an inconvenience, and in some cases highly detrimental.

"With a broken femur, a leg, you can be really incapacitated for a long time," said Wang. "In cases like that, they sometimes inject a protein-based drug, BMP-2, which is very effective in speeding up the healing process. Unfortunately, it's very expensive and can also have some side effects."

In a search for alternatives four years ago, Wang and colleagues uncovered some unexpected accelerants of bone growth: plant viruses. They originally meant for these viruses, which are harmless to humans, to work as controls. They coated glass surfaces with uniform coverings of the Turnip yellow mosaic virus and Tobacco mosaic virus, originally intending to use them as starting points for examining other potential variations.

But they were surprised to find that the coatings alone could reduce the amount of time to grow bone nodules from stem cells. Since then, Wang and co-workers have refined their approach to better define just what it is that accelerates bone growth.

Over the course of the past four years, they've demonstrated that it's a combination of the chemistry as well as the topography of the surface that determines how long it takes a stem cell to form bone nodules. The stem cells are nestled into a nanotopgraphy defined by the plant virus, and within that nanotopography the cells make contact with the variety of chemical groups on the viral surface.

Wang and his team are now asserting control over these variables. In the most recent effort spearheaded by Lee, they built up a layer-by-layer assembly underneath the virus coating to ensure stability. They also genetically modified the viral protein to enhance the interaction between the coating and the stem cells and help drive them toward bone growth.

Their efforts were rewarded with bone nodules that formed just two days after the addition of stem cells, compared to two weeks with a standard glass surface. They're also carefully following the cellular signs involved with success. BMP-2 is involved, but as an intrinsic cellular product rather than an added drug.

"BMP-2 is bone morphogenetic protein 2. It can be added as a protein-based drug, but it's a natural protein produced in the cell," said Wang. "We see upregulation of the BMP-2 within 8 hours with the new scaffold." They also find osteocalcin expression and calcium sequestration, two processes associated with bone formation, to be much more pronounced with their new coatings.

"What we've seen could prove very useful, particularly when it comes to external implants in bones," said Wang. "With those, you have to add a foreign material, and knowing that a coating might increase the bone growth process is clearly beneficial."

"But more importantly, we feel we're making progress in a more general sense in bone engineering. We're really showing the direct correlation between nanotopography and cellular response. If our results can be further developed, in the future you could use titanium to replace the bone, and you might be able to use different kinds of nanoscale patterning on the titanium surface to create all kinds of different cellular responses."

Chuanbin Mao, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma who was not involved in the work, wrote in an e-mail that he was "amazed and excited" by the results. "The display of peptides on viruses, including Tobacco mosaic virus, is a powerful approach for studying how engineered virus particles can direct stem cell differentiation."

"The discovery that the display of a cell adhesion peptide on Tobacco mosaic virus can enable the rapid differentiation of stem cells into bone-forming cells is very important for guiding scientists in designing a scaffold that can induce rapid bone formation in regenerative medicine."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of South Carolina. The original article was written by Steven Powell.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. L. Andrew Lee, Sevan M. Muhammad, Quyen L. Nguyen, Pongkwan Sitasuwan, Gary Horvath, Qian Wang. Multivalent Ligand Displayed on Plant Virus Induces Rapid Onset of Bone Differentiation. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2012; : 120530092656003 DOI: 10.1021/mp300042t

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

chandler jones peyton hillis carolina panthers fletcher cox charlotte bobcats denver broncos new york rangers

Childhood Obesity Epidemic | Team Excellence

Why in the world are we letting our children grow up obese and ill? What?s wrong with us???Do people really want their children to grow up obese, exhausted, depressed and extremely ill? Why are we teaching our kids lifestyle habits that will condemn them to this? It?s unacceptable, lazy and ignorant.

This is a subject that really gets me up on my soap box. (Obviously.) And being so blatant about it may tick some people off, but the truth is the truth here folks. Furthermore, the overall solution for many children out there is so simple. A few easy steps would right so many wrongs for our precious kiddos.

#1: PARENTS MUST CHANGE FIRST!!!
Lead by example! People can?t expect their kids to eat carrots on the treadmill while they ingest ho-hos in front of the TV. If parents don?t take health seriously for themselves, then neither will their children.

#2: TOSS THE JUNK FOOD!!!

Throw away the garbage and commit 100% to purchasing only nutritious foods. Don?t know what to buy? Easy enough. Meat, seafood, green salads, fruits and veggies. God made these things just for us to eat, and built our bodies to flourish on these foods. If you think you can?t afford it, then think this: Can you afford for yourself and your children to be ill for the rest of your lives?

#3: GET ACTIVE!!!

Seriously people, there is so much fun to be had hanging out, doing active things together with your family and/or friends. This is how you develop meaningful relationships with family and friends, by actually spending time with them. You don?t learn what makes people tick by playing video games.

At church on Sunday the message was about spending quality alone time praying and developing a relationship with God the way that Jesus Christ did. You don?t necessarily need a buddy to take a walk and pray, and this is something kids should learn from us as well.

#4: THROW AWAY ALL THE VIDEO GAMES IN YOUR HOME!!!

If you are met with whining and crying, then put your foot down! Kids would rather spend time with their parents. They may not think so at first sight of the video games going out the door, but it?s actually true! Would you want to be 30 years old, reflecting on a childhood of video games or reflecting on a childhood of family times? Video games drive me bonkers. I?m one of those weird kids that was raised without them and played outside. My parents were crazy, I know. They thought kids had fun running, jumping, and exploring! I have so many awesome childhood memories, none of which involve video games. On the cold winter days, my parents and I played board games. Together. Not in front of the TV. I know, even weirder. They should have been locked up for raising me in such a manner. We rarely ate out, and even more rarely ate fast food. I could count on one hand the number of times I had fast food before age eighteen. They made me hoe the weeds in the garden that we ate out of. They made me do chores and have responsibilities. I cannot hardly believe I survived.

P.S. I still love fruits, vegetables and playing outdoors. My kids love fruits, vegetables and playing outdoors. Good habits lead to more good habits. And I don?t want to hear any excuses about not being raised with good habits. Educate yourself and change. Today.

P.P.S. My three-year-old scrubs floors, hoes the garden (it?s a plastic hoe), has chores and will literally choose grapes over cake on any day. There will NEVER be video games in our home. We limit his TV. When he sees someone drinking pop and asks for some, I say no. Lock me up.

P.P.P.S. You should read Steph?s article on Paleo. It?s a two-part, catch them both!

childhood obesity epidemic, get active to eliminate childhood obesity, good habits for eliminating childhood obesity and illness, solutions for childhood obesity epidemic, throw out video games

About Christi Marchant

I?m a woman who wants to stay at home to raise my children with time and financial freedom yet have a successful and fulfilling career that allows me to positively impact other people?s lives without working more than 15 hours per week. Sound like a fantasy? I live it every day. View all posts by Christi Marchant ?

st nicholas mindy mccready mindy mccready cliff harris cliff harris josh turner barnaby

Honda tops Ford as America's favorite auto brand in new survey

2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend? Automotive Scorecard: Mercedes-Benz and Honda Lead;

Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com Debuts as Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year
Napa AutoCare, Bose Car Audio, Pennzoil Motor Oil, Michelin, Garmin, and Yamaha Motorcycles rank highest in their categories

NEW YORK, June 25, 2012-After three years of turmoil and consumer skepticism, the automotive industry is beginning to rebound. With new car sales finally on the rise, two manufacturers - Mercedes-Benz and Honda - reign supreme in successfully harnessing their equity and leading their industries as Brands of the Year. In fact, Mercedes-Benz is enjoying this achievement for the second year in a row, according to the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend? (EQ) study, a yearly brand-health assessment from Harris Interactive, one of the world's leading custom and multi-client market research firms.

Mercedes-Benz Retains Title as Lead Luxury Auto Brand

In a segment where luxury is synonymous with superb quality and craftsmanship, the Mercedes-Benz brand resonates more strongly with consumers than any other luxury automotive brand included in the Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Mercedes-Benz's strong performance in EQ has earned it the Luxury Automotive Brand of the Year accolade for the second year running.

"Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have been battling over this top ranking for the last eight years," says Mike Chadsey, Senior Consultant for Harris Interactive's Customer Relationship Consulting team. "Mercedes has ranked at the top for two years in a row and four of the last eight years, while Lexus has made it to the top spot three times. BMW is also usually within the top three, with especially strong scores over the last three years. Quality and Purchase Consideration both play important roles in these annual rankings," says Chadsey.

Beyond these perennial leaders, Cadillac, Acura, Infiniti, and Audi also rank above the category's average equity score.

Honda: America's Favorite Full Line Automaker

The ranking was close and the results are in - Honda overtakes both Toyota and Ford to become the 2012 Full Line Automotive Brand of the Year. It replaces last year's top-ranked automaker, Ford.

Having overcome some quality concerns and recalls in 2011, Toyota has come back strong. It climbs into second place, which is up two notches from its fourth-place position in 2011, and that much closer to the top spot it held only two years ago in 2010. Toyota's increase in brand equity is the largest of the brands measured in the category.

Although its equity score has actually increased, Ford has slipped to third place in the 2012 rankings- a further testament to the highly competitive nature of the automotive market. Chevrolet, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai, and Volkswagen also rank above average in the full line automotive category.

In addition to measuring the brand equity of the luxury and full line automotive manufacturers, EQ also measures the auto industry's ancillary products and services, including tires, motor oil, and service centers, among others. Here's a look at the top brands in each category and how each of the categories stacks up overall:

Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com Debuts as Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year

Online auto sales sites constitute a new Harris Poll EquiTrend category for 2012, and Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com earns the Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year accolade, followed by Edmunds.com in second place. KBB.com is the more familiar brand, due largely to its long heritage and strong association as the industry benchmark for used car values. Additionally, KBB.com enjoys high Quality scores, compared to other brands surveyed.

Napa AutoCare Takes Brand of the Year Title in EQ Debut

First-time EQ brand, Napa AutoCare outranks 19 competitors to earn the Automotive Service Center Brand of the Year accolade in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Discount Tire, also a new brand to the EQ study, places second, surpassing last year's top-ranked brand, Goodyear Tire and Service Network, which fell to third. National Tire and Battery, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Firestone Automotive Service Centers, Walmart Tire & Lube Express, and Mobil 1 Lube Express all round out the top eight brands above the category average.

Bose Tops New Car Audio Category

Another of Harris Poll EquiTrend's new categories is Car Audio, where Bose debuts as the Brand of the Year. This is an especially important finding for luxury automotive manufacturers, which select branded audio systems that fit their own brand promises and appeal to consumers.

"Bose enjoys very strong Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention scores among the general population, as well as top-ranked Leadership and Brand Momentum scores. Clearly, Americans see Bose as a leader within its category, as well as a brand that has a bright future," says Chadsey.

Well-known by consumers, Harman/Kardon, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, and Alpine all ranked above the category average.

Pennzoil Motor Oil Makes It Three Years in a Row

In a category filled with many well-known brands, Pennzoil takes the Motor Oil Brand of the Year honor for the third consecutive year. Despite a large drop in overall Familiarity, Pennzoil retains its strong Quality and Purchase Intention scores to keep its top ranking. Mobil 1, Valvoline, Rotella, Quaker State, and Castrol motor oils also placed above the category average.

Michelin Enjoys Six Years as America's Tire Brand

Michelin continues to dominate the automotive tire market, achieving the highest-ranked position in the Harris Poll EquiTrend study for six consecutive years. As usual, Goodyear and BF Goodrich round out the top three brands in the 2012 study. Bridgestone, Pirelli, and Cooper also rank better than the category average.

Garmin Navigates to Top Position

Garmin is ranked as the GPS Navigation Brand of the Year for 2012. Garmin leads in key aspects of brand equity, including Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention.

Yamaha Cuts off Harley-Davidson

Gains made in Quality and Purchase Consideration by Yamaha pushed the brand ahead of Harley-Davidson to secure the Motorcycle Brand of the Yearaccolade in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study.

Higher scores in Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention helped move Yamaha ahead of Harley-Davidson.

About Harris Poll EquiTrend?

Harris Poll EquiTrend? is a leading Brand Equity tracking study conducted by Harris Interactive that measures and compares brand health for more than 1,500 brands. The study was conducted online from January 31 through February 20, 2012 and analyzes the responses of over 38,500 consumers on key measures of brand health - including how well the public knows a brand, how positively they think of the brand and their consideration to do business with or donate to a brand. Each brand is rated 1,000 times among respondents who are familiar with the brand. Harris Interactive has conducted its EquiTrend study regularly since 1989, and can offer yearly trended data from 2005. The Equity Score, a key take-away from EquiTrend, has been validated against financial performance by Georgetown University.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The Harris Poll EquiTrend? study results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Interactive.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

v tech top model all stars americas next top model mark buehrle mark buehrle rick perry ad rick perry ad

A Trick to Quickly Uninstall Any Program | Internet Contents

There?s nothing more annoying than having a computer which is full of programs that you don?t want, and have no way of removing. It can be very difficult to uninstall a program, especially if that program doesn?t uninstall properly? but luckily, there?s a simple way to get rid of any program from your system.

When programs ?uninstall?, they basically have a program which removes all the various files and registry keys that your computer has for the program. By clicking on START?>?CONTROL?PANEL?>?ADD / REMOVE?PROGRAMS, you can click on any program in your computer and have an uninstall file remove all traces of that program for you. This is traditionally how any program is uninstalled and is normally very easy. However, in some cases, these uninstall utilities don?t work and end up making the program stick on your computer. This is very bad, because it means you are left with a program you don?t want / need on your PC, with no way of getting it off.

Even if your program won?t uninstall via the traditional means, there is a way to remove it. You just need to be able to remove all the various files and traces of the program from your computer, making Windows think there?s no program there any more. Applications & programs work by having a series of files (which make the program work) and these are then integrated into Windows with a lot of database settings, known as ?registry keys?. Traditional uninstallers remove programs first by deleting all the files that the program has, and then cutting it out of Windows by removing all of its registry keys. If your uninstaller doesn?t work, you can remove the program by doing what your uninstaller would.

To do the ?manual removal? method, you first need to find where the program is installed. This is normally in C:/PROGRAM?FILES/. Go in there and delete all the files that and folders that are in there. This will remove any files that will make the program work, effectively removing the program from your PC. Next, you just need to remove the program?s link with Windows and to do that, you just need to go to the ?registry? (search for REGEDIT.EXE)?and then in that program, search for the application that you want to uninstall. This will remove any links of the program with Windows, removing it from the control panel and such. Lastly, you just need to go onto your desktop and remove any icons for the program.

Although this is an effective way to uninstall prorams, it?s very risky, especially for someone who hasn?t done it before. Editing the registry can severely damage your computer, which is why you might want to consisder using an uninstaller program to get rid of it. These programs work very well to remove all the files and registry entries for a program, allowing you to get rid of them once and for all. We?ve found the best uninstaller tool for this job, is an application called Wizard Uninstaller

Content About : A Trick to Quickly Uninstall Any Program Article

-- Download A Trick to Quickly Uninstall Any Program as PDF --

birdsong teresa giudice atlanta hawks flyers 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump bernard hopkins

Bishops rebel against Church marriage policy

The Rt Rev Tim Ellis, the Bishop of Grantham, said the official position did not reflect the true ?mind? of the Church.

An online petition against it has now been signed by more than 3,000 people.

While many Anglicans welcomed the official response as a restatement of traditional values, the breadth of opposition to it beyond the liberal wing has taken observers by surprise.

Some critics have objected on the basis of Scripture, while others have questioned the right of the Church authorities to make such a definitive statement on their behalf without consultation.

Bishop Ellis said he was concerned about the ?freedom? of bishops like himself and objected to being bound by a ?party line? on the issue. ?In truth, the bishops in the media have not spoken for me or the way in which I understand this thorny matter,? he wrote on his blog, ?and I suspect they do not speak for a sizeable minority or even majority within the life of the Church.?

The Church of England paper said same-sex weddings were against Anglican teachings and would undermine the state of marriage, as well as being ?divisive? and ?legally flawed?.

But Bishop Wilson said: ?The statement doesn?t speak for me at all, frankly. There is a groundswell of opinion that says, 'This does not speak for us.?

"That?s just a matter of fact. It corresponds with the feedback I?m getting, and other colleagues are having the same experience. There is a sea change going on.?

He added: ?What?s guiding me is Evangelical stuff. There is a disconnect between the statement and the Sermon on the Mount. We are saying to people, 'You are thrice cursed because of something you are.?

?It is fair enough to expect bishops to have asked, 'What would Jesus do?? I don?t think they did.?

Before the drafting of the Church?s response to the consultation Bishop Wilson joined several clergy, including Dr Jeffrey John, the openly homosexual Dean of St Albans, in encouraging their colleagues to welcome the Government?s proposals.

In an open letter on April 21 they argued ?God?s grace? was at work in allowing same-sex couples to marry, adding the Church had ?nothing to fear? from the introduction of marriage for same-sex couples ? which would only be permitted on civil premises, and not in places of worship, under the proposals.

The Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, the Bishop of Salisbury, has been the most senior Church figure to back the Government?s proposals, comparing bishops opposing marriage reforms to 18th century Christians who believed slavery was ?God-given?.

However, he has so far not spoken out publicly against the Church?s published document, which was privately discussed by the House of Bishops ? in which he sits ? before publication.

Those who oppose the document hope the three bishops will join them at a protest on the first day of next month?s Synod.

They plan to present the petition to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York.

Fr Ian Stubbs, an Anglican priest who set up the petition, is planning on carrying it 60 miles on foot from his parish in Glossop, Derbyshire, to York, gathering support along the way.

Clergy and laity who have signed the petition are frustrated that despite the document being distributed as one of the Synod's papers, time has not been allowed for it to be debated.

Synod members are preparing to raise the issue in formal questions to bishops at the meeting.

Dr Sentamu has been one of the most prominent opponents of same-sex marriage, claiming last month that the Government's proposals have only been put forward to meet an ?emotional need? rather than to correct an injustice.

Last week the Chief Rabbi became the latest religious leader to oppose the plans.

A submission to the Home Office by the London Beth Din ? the Chief Rabbi?s court ? and the United Synagogue, which he leads, said a change in the law would ?undermine the concept of marriage?.

Lord Sacks supported an argument in the Church?s submission that, if the law is passed, homosexual couples could appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge any ban on same-sex marriages being held in places of worship.

His position contrasts with the Jewish Reform and Liberal movements, which have both backed the Government?s plans.

The homosexual marriage proposals have been fiercely criticised by the Roman Catholic Church, which distributed a letter to 2,500 parish churches urging Roman Catholics to oppose the move.

Ministers will now review the submissions received by the Home Office and prepare the legislation, which they plan to pass by 2015.

dr dog ke$ha earl csco big bend national park leon russell meredith vieira