Acquisition, Disposition, Good Decision?! Key Things to Keep in ...

Home ? Articles ? The Profit ? December 2012 ? Acquisition, Disposition, Good Decision?! Key Things to Keep in Mind When Investing in Real Estate!

Due Diligence When Investing With a Self-directed IRA and/or Self-directed 401(k)? Where do I Start?

With a self-directed IRA and/or a self-directed 401(k) you are always hearing that you must do your ?due diligence?. At American IRA, we discovered that many clients did not know how to do their ?due diligence?.? While we cannot give investment advice at American IRA, we can offer a detailed summary of ?due diligence? items that our clients can use as a guide. This list gives our clients a healthy starting point that they can use during discussions with their professionals. In this article we share with you ?due diligence? items related to real estate acquisitions. As every investment is different, you should consult with your professionals about whether there are ?due diligence? items you need to consider in addition to what we share in this article.

Due Diligence ? Real Estate Acquisition ? The Basics

These are the basics that you look at if you?re buying any property whether you are buying it with your real estate self-directed IRA or self-directed 401(k) or whether you are buying it outside of your IRA. These are some items you absolutely must look at:

• Location ? is the real estate located in a desirable location?
• Financing ? you want to make sure you get the type of financing you need, whether it?s owner or bank.
• Property values and comps ? you absolutely ?must? obtain these so you are educated about what you are purchasing and what its true value is in the market place.
• Homeowner?s association rules and fees ? it is critical that you know these in advance. Did you realize that some homeowner?s association rules actually ?prohibit? you from renting or leasing the home?
• Property liability insurance ? make sure the real estate is insurable and find out how much that insurance costs. There are some wonderful homes that are sold cheap and would make great vacation rentals in places such as Florida?but they are either uninsurable or the insurance premiums are so high that their current owners are selling.
• Title insurance and title issues ? always make sure a title search is done on the real estate before you purchase it and always follow-up by protecting yourself with title insurance.
• Surveys ? it is critical to obtain a survey to make sure the real estate you are purchasing as well as the land it is situated on is free from encumbrances.
• Property condition ? a home inspection is a great way to properly assess the condition of the real estate.
• Rental values ? check the rental values in the area to make sure that you can obtain enough in rent to cover all your expenses and still make a profit.

Due Diligence ? Real Estate Acquisition ? The Don?ts

When investing in real estate via your real estate self-directed IRA or self-directed 401(k), it is critical to avoid some common mistakes.

• Do not trust the seller?s numbers.
• Do not take too long to decide. Good deals do not last.
• Do not trust appraisals unless you ordered it, paid for it, and gave the appraiser instructions.
• Do not fudge, play with or use ?hope that this will happen with? the numbers.
  • I hope that I can rent it for $1,100. You need to know that you can rent it for $1,100. If you don?t know, use $1,000. Use the number that you know.
• Do not underestimate the time to flip.
• Do not overestimate the rental market
• Do not underestimate the repairs.
• Do not underestimate the ?as is? value.??????????

Due Diligence ? Real Estate Acquisition ? Key Thoughts

Here are some final thoughts to keep in mind when investing in real estate:

• Do good deals.
• Follow through and deliver as agreed to with whatever person you?re dealing with.
• Use professionals. Many times you think ?I don?t need that professional?. Trust me when I tell you that I have seen many things that had a professional been involved, they would not have the problems they have.
• Stay on top of the numbers/bookkeeping.
• Do not cut corners. I have been punished every single time I?ve cut a corner. The corner-cutting gods come down with lightning bolts and they strike.
• As soon as you think you are smarter than everyone else, you will find out ?The Hard Way? that you?re not.
• Slow and steady beats fast and sloppy ? ALWAYS!
• Have a plan and work your plan.
• Do not get tangled up in the bigger better deal mentality.
• You?ve got to be prepared to walk away at any point in time that the deal does not match up to what you want or what you believe is in your best interest.

?

For more information, or to explore your options, call American IRA today at 866-7500-IRA (472). We look forward to working with you.

Jim Hitt is the Chief Executive Officer of American IRA and he has been committed to all aspects of investing for more than 30 years, using self-directed IRAs for his own investments since 1982. Jim?s forte is the financing and acquisition of real estate, private offerings, mortgage lending, business?s, joint ventures, partnerships and limited liability companies using creative techniques.

Contact Jim Hitt

Source: http://atlantareia.com/articles/the-profit/december-2012/key-things-to-keep-in-mind-when-investing-in-real-estate/

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Lone Star Baseball Spring Tryouts 7U-8U

Tryouts every Saturday in December at 12 noon at the Lone Star Baseball facility at 12114 South Pipeline Rd., Ste 200,Euless,TX 76040. ?If you cannot make it please email me to make an appointment at jdmagee@lonestarbaseball.net or go to our website at www.lonestarbaseball.net

Source: http://looking4players.lefora.com/2012/11/28/lone-star-baseball-spring-tryouts-7u-8u/

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S. Africa deputy president cagey on leading ANC

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) ? South Africa's deputy president says he is "agonizing" over whether he would accept leading the governing African National Congress if he's chosen during the party's convention next month.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe remained cagey Friday when speaking with journalists in Pretoria as part of an event organized by the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Southern Africa.

Some local ANC groups have nominated Motlanthe to take over leadership of the ANC. Typically, whoever leads the ANC becomes the party's presidential candidate. Elections are slated for 2014.

President Jacob Zuma, 70, currently leads the party. While avoiding criticizing Zuma, Motlanthe said corruption has eaten away at the ANC since it became the nation's governing party at the end of apartheid.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africa-deputy-president-cagey-leading-anc-092038598--politics.html

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AvePoint Survey Proves Difficulties in End User Management and Governance can Obstruct Successful Microsoft SharePoint Deployments

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Almost 60% of respondents find it difficult to manage Microsoft SharePoint end users, yet 45% do not have plans to implement or better governance

London, UK ? 13th November, 2012 ? A survey of more than 700 IT managers and administrators from public and private sector businesses in Europe, representing more than 1.2 million end users, has found that despite Microsoft SharePoint's importance increasing in enterprise technology strategies, many companies are still struggling to correctly manage and govern the platform.

According to the survey, commissioned by AvePoint, leader in governance and infrastructure management solutions for Microsoft SharePoint, the platform is deployed to support a number of key business needs, including end-user collaboration (93%), document management (88.25%), intranet portals (79.75%) and project management (58.7%). Nearly a third of respondents also use SharePoint to run extranet portals and company websites.

The survey found that 58.5% of respondents find managing end user permissions either "a little difficult" or "extremely difficult". With 20% of respondents representing SharePoint deployments of more than 5,000 end users, it is vital that businesses develop a strong set of governance procedures to simplify this management process. While 30.7% of those surveyed were planning to improve governance policies, more than 45% of respondents had no such intentions.

While almost all SharePoint users saw document management as a key benefit, 47.4% claimed that some legacy data resided elsewhere, despite intentions to migrate it to SharePoint. In fact, 23% of respondents indicated that documents were stored in file systems and networked file shares outside of the SharePoint environment. Interestingly, with user collaboration also a top priority for SharePoint deployments, managing data both inside and outside of SharePoint presents a management challenge with out-of-the-box functionality, potentially limiting ROI and end-user adoption.

Other key findings from the survey include:

• 29.1% of respondents were not aware of which industry regulations impacted their SharePoint environment. With virtually every employee now a 'content creator', it is crucial as a best practice that organisations bring SharePoint in line with existing compliance policies in order to stop the potential exposure of sensitive or classified information.

• Almost 25% of respondents claimed not to have a data protection solution in place to protect their SharePoint data. This again highlights a need to reassess how SharePoint can comply with recovery time objectives (RTOs); without this assurance in place, there is a risk that users will lose trust in SharePoint in the event of a failure.

• 42.2% of those surveyed revealed only expensive Tier 1 storage, such as Microsoft SQL Server, is used to support SharePoint deployments. In order to maximise a businesses' SharePoint ROI, organisations are encouraged to utilise third-party solutions to move data to Tier 2 or cloud based storage, fully retaining editing and access features from SharePoint.

• 36% of respondents are planning to improve SharePoint infrastructure management, with 95% of projects being deployed in the next year. With the release of SharePoint 2013 in the near future, businesses are looking to upgrade SharePoint deployments to ensure they are not two versions behind the most current platform.

"It is evident that businesses understand the benefits of SharePoint but are still struggling with platform management and security in order to meet compliance and governance obligations," said Dr. Tianyi (TJ) Jiang, AvePoint Co-CEO and Co-Founder. "Having worked with SharePoint since its inception in 2001, AvePoint has unrivalled experience to help provide organisations with the expertise and software tools necessary to help govern and scale their enterprise technology platform investments to meet their critical business needs."

"There is an ever increasing requirement for collaboration and knowledge sharing within our organisation. Using our SharePoint portal, across multiple sites, Avepoint's DocAve and SharePoint admin tools enable us to manage the governance and user access to the portals such that we can audit who is accessing content and manage their permissions with ease," said Allan Ruan, NHS SW London SharePoint Lead. Alan is responsible for delivering SharePoint platforms for the Commissioning Support Unit and a number of South London CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups).

About AvePoint

AvePoint is a global technology company and proven software leader. Since its founding in 2001, AvePoint has become the world's largest provider of enterprise-class governance and infrastructure management solutions for Microsoft SharePoint. AvePoint helps more than 10,000 customers ? including many Fortune 500 companies and government agencies ? meet their specific business objectives utilising the SharePoint platform. AvePoint, Inc. is headquartered and maintains its principal operational centre in Jersey City, NJ, with wholly owned operational centres in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, and China. AvePoint is a Depth Managed Microsoft Gold Certified Portals and Collaboration Partner and Gold Certified ISV Partner as well as a US Government GSA provider via strategic partnerships.

AvePoint Media Contact

Christopher Musico ? Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Global Communications
AvePoint
Tel: +1 201-793-1111
Email: Christopher.Musico@AvePoint.com

Adele Connell
AxiCom for AvePoint
Tel: +44 20 8392 4062
Email: Adele.Connell@AxiCom.com

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

Source: http://www.avepoint.com/news/2012/11/13/avepoint-survey-proves-difficulties-in-end-user-management-and-governance-can-obstruct-successful-microsoft-sharepoint-deployments/

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Mass. transplant doctor, Nobel winner Murray dies

FILE - This July 28, 2004 file photo shows Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who performed the world's first successful kidney transplant and won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work, has died at age 93. Murray's death in Boston was confirmed Monday by Brigham and Women's Hospital spokesman Tom Langford. Murray shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 with Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who won for his work in bone marrow transplants. (AP Photo/Eric Miller, File)

FILE - This July 28, 2004 file photo shows Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who performed the world's first successful kidney transplant and won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work, has died at age 93. Murray's death in Boston was confirmed Monday by Brigham and Women's Hospital spokesman Tom Langford. Murray shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 with Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who won for his work in bone marrow transplants. (AP Photo/Eric Miller, File)

BOSTON (AP) ? Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who performed the world's first successful kidney transplant and won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work, has died in Boston. He was 93.

Murray's death was confirmed Monday by Brigham and Women's Hospital spokesman Tom Langford. No cause of death has been announced.

In the early 1950s, there had never been a successful human organ transplant. Murray and his associates at what was then Boston's Peter Bent Brigham Hospital developed new surgical techniques after gaining knowledge by transplanting kidneys on dogs. In December 1954, they found the right human patients: a 23-year-old man with end-stage kidney failure and his identical twin.

After the operation, the sick twin had a functioning kidney transplanted from his brother. He lived another eight years, marrying a nurse he met at the hospital and having two children.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-27-Obit-Murray/id-0f621bbf8e64471882fe33c0ccbd2de9

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Couple swept to sea in effort to save son, dog

EUREKA, Calif. (AP) ? A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday.

The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, Saturday afternoon when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by eight to ten foot waves, said Dana Jones, a state Parks and Recreation district superintendent.

Jones said the boy went after the dog, prompting his father to go after them. She said the teenager was able to get out, but when he didn't see his father, he and his mother went into the water looking for him.

"Both were dragged into the ocean," Jones said.

The Times-Standard reports (http://bit.ly/UmSP2P) the couple's daughter called police.

Jones said a park ranger had to run a half mile to get to the beach because his car wasn't made to handle the terrain. When he arrived, he wasn't able to get to them because of the high surf, she said.

Rescuers eventually retrieved the mother's body and the father's body washed up.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and two motor life boats to search for the teenager, but the aerial search was suspended Saturday evening by thick coastal fog.

A call seeking the status of the Coast Guard's search on Sunday wasn't immediately returned.

The dog got out of the water on its own, Jones said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/couple-swept-sea-effort-save-son-dog-034353041.html

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Digital TV causing an increase in TV watching?

By Ken Y-N ( November 27, 2012 at 22:54) ? Filed under Entertainment, Polls

japan.internet.com reported on the 6th regular survey into terrestrial digital television conducted by goo Research. However, the regularity of this survey is diminishing somewhat now that it is pretty much ubiquitous.

Demographics

Between the 5th and 9th of November 2012 1,086 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.0% of the sample were male, 16.2% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.5% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, and 28.1% aged fifty or older.

One possible reason for the increase in television watching might be more to do with the depressed economy and people spending more time at home, thus it?s not that digital makes programmes any better, it?s that people cannot afford to do much else.

The survey ends by noting that it would be nice if the focus of the survey could move to consumption of contents; broadcast versus recorded versus on demand versus YouTube, for example.

Research results

First, people were asked what kinds of terrestrial digital television receivers they had. The most popular option was 84.4% with a terrestrial digital television, then 21.8% with a terrestrial digital recorder, 18.5% used cable television, 15.3% had One Seg (mobile phone, etc) decoders, and so on. Overall, 97.4% had some form of terrestrial digital television device.

Q: How has your time spent watching television changed since getting terrestrial digital? (Sample size=1,086)

Very much increased	6.7%
Somewhat increased	19.4%
Not changed, don?t know	60.5%
Somewhat decreased	7.9%
Very much decreased	2.9%
Cannot watch digital TV	2.6%

Read more on: goo research,television

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Nine in ten watching digital terrestrial television in Japan

One in four watching more TV on digital

Digital finally overtakes analogue television

Almost 85% of the population digital TV-ready

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Other houses

The story of 1 house in struggle to keep it going, in their life at school

Owner:

Game Masters:

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
---------All houses here are NPC--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

house of vlotheid (freedom)

house style: dutch brick castle
location: east side of the island in a grassy feild wind a light breeze from the east.
element: Wind
Uniform Colors: Yellow,White
Air signs: Libra, Aquarius, Gemini
crest: Fairy

Airy people are quick and animated. They apply their energies in very diverse ways. They tend to intellectualize their feelings and expectations.
Those with in air tribe use their minds to make sense of their lives. With Air, there's more space between the life lived and the observing mind. This can lead air tribe members to appear detached, aloof, remote, cool. Sometimes they'll try to talk their way through feelings or analyze a situation instead of encountering it's full emotional weight.
The gift of Air is flexibility, and their ability to experience life through many prisms. They're often excellent communicators, storytellers, interpreters and journalists. They link people together socially, and often have a curiosity that keeps them out and about.

house of Loli, ho'olilo (change or tranforamtion)

house style: large Hawaiian beach house
location: west side of the island on a white sand beach with warm waters
element: Water
Uniform Colors: Blue, Purple
Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
crest: sea serpent

People with a strongly emphasized water element are feeling types and are very sensitive. Their imaginative and emotional lives are deep and rich.
Water elementals are attuned to waves of emotion, and often seem to have a built-in sonar for reading a mood. This gives them a special sensitivity in relationships, knowing when to show warmth and when to hold back. At their best, they are a healing force that brings people together -- at their worst, they are psychic vampires, able to manipulate and drain the life force of those closest to them.
Water element members are tuned into the many shades of meaning in relationships, and at times can absorb "vibes" from others. They have to work harder than other elements to maintain their personal boundaries.

house of loyalty

house style: brittish stone castle
location: most northern part of the island surounded by a thick forest
Element: Earth
uniform Colors: Green, brown
Earth signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo

Earthy people react quietly and slowly. They apply themselves with endurance. Emotionally they are deeply rooted and slow to change.
It's common to hear someone described as "earthy." Such a person blends in with their natural habitat. They're sensual, meaning they engage with life through the five senses. It takes time to sense the dense physical world, and earth signs can operate at a slower, more thorough pace than the other elements.
They're oriented toward what's real, and often this makes them very productive, able to create tangible results. But if there are no balancing elements, earth's extremes could lead to being a work-a-holic, hoarding of possessions, pettiness, getting stuck in the mundane, stubbornness, etc.

Arch_Demon666

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Why My Son Has A Closed Adoption | Portrait of an Adoption

In honor of November being National Adoption Awareness Month, Portrait of an Adoption is running a special series called 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days.? Designed to give a voice to the many different perspectives of adoption, this series will feature guest posts by people with widely varying experiences.

By Anonymous

Picture that your little boy - the light of your life - has two relatives who might be politely described as "troubled." ?They dropped out of high school - the male relative at 13- and they drink a lot. ?This is not good, because both their moms are alcoholics.

They both have tempers and the male relative has been arrested several times - once for hitting his own mother.? He might have sexually abused his little sister.? The female relative has borderline personality disorder, which means she is extremely emotional, needy and insecure.

When your little boy was an infant, these relatives spent time with him.? It didn't go well.? One time, when they were supposed to be watching the little boy, they left him naked and lying in his own pee while they went outside for a smoke. Other times they fought with each other in front of the boy. They forgot to change him and feed him.? He came home with his genitals bright red and you still don't know why.

These relatives - this young man and young woman - really love your little boy. They want to see him, spend time with him, get lots of pictures of him and be part of his life.

But you, as his mother, know they are not safe for him to be around.? They are good people at heart, but they are deeply troubled and you fear they might hurt him.? Either physically or psychologically. They say they "won't take him from you," which is horrifying for the very fact that they even brought it up. Their need for your son seems to have little to do with who he IS but instead, what he REPRESENTS to them as a relative.

Frankly, these relatives scare you.? If they weren't related to him, if they were just neighbors down the street, there is no way in hell that you would let your son spend time with them.

Now picture that these are your son's birth parents.

This is why my son has a closed adoption and always will.? His birth parents are not safe and I will do everything in my power to protect him.

I am the mom, the one who takes care of him and I know what's best.? When he is 18 and he wants to seek them out, I won't stop him.? But this is a CLOSED adoption and will remain so.? Blood is one thing, anger and instability is another.

Child welfare workers took this little boy from his teen parents as an infant because they couldn't even handle the first few weeks of his life.? They were charged with neglect.? I won't go into all the specifics.

Child welfare workers kept him away from his birth parents because they couldn't get it together to even visit with him regularly.? The judge favored them at first because they were such young teens - they were given visitation of two times a week, for several hours at a time.

So in a one-year period, they could have seen this lovely little boy more than 100 times.? Do you know how many times they showed up?? In a whole year?? Fourteen.? And that was with social workers driving TO THEIR HOUSE to pick them up.? Often, they just wouldn't get in the van.? Even if the little boy was inside.

For several of those visits, I actually drove my son there and back.? He was my foster baby, they were his birth parents.? I knew I had no rights; I knew the score.? He needed to visit with them; I would help make that happen, even though I loved him, too.

The birth parents met me four times.? They knew I was adopting their son.? After a year of these failed attempts to parent him, they decided not to fight his adoption.? Since he was my foster baby, I got the first say in whether I wanted to adopt him.? Of course I said yes.? Since he was being adopted through foster care, they knew it would be a closed adoption - no contact.

The last time I saw his birth parents was at the courthouse for a hearing. They paused long enough from fighting with each other to talk to me briefly. They asked me to send photos once a year, around his birthday. That was it.

He was supposed to have one final visit with them, for his first birthday.? They cancelled three times.

After a year of dealing with their nuttiness and drama, I was glad to be dome with them.? I didn't send pictures that year.? If they wanted to know how he was, they could have shown up for the visit.

But when his second birthday rolled around, I was feeling guilty.? Open adoptions are much more in vogue these days. ?And I was watching a lot of "Teen Mom" with Caitlyn and Tyler.? My Catholic guilt set in.

I knew their names, hometowns, etc.? So I looked them up on MySpace (this was a couple years ago) and messaged them.? They responded right away.? To protect my son, I never told them my last name, where we live or where I work.? But we chatted about our son and I sent pictures.? Things were okay for a couple months.? They were, surprisingly, still together as a couple.? They had an apartment and he had a job.

Then the craziness reappeared.? She emailed all the time, in a very needy way, not just for our son but for contact with ME.? I felt like I had to mother her, too.? She didn't understand why I wouldn't text her (um, because then she would know my phone number).

By this point, we had switched over to Facebook.? She started complaining, to all her FB friends, about how she "wasn't allowed to see her son."? I emailed and tried to tell her my reasons why: He was still so young and they were still not all that stable.? Her emails got nasty.? They got mean.? I got angry.? She wanted to see him, talk to him, visit him.? She WANTED him.? It became clear to me that not only is she manipulative, but delusional.

I didn't initiate contact for a while. Then after many months, the guilt returned. i was probably watching "Teen Mom" again, or maybe "Juno." So I responded to her emails. They started off fine and then BOOM she unloaded a crap ton of negative emotions and hate onto me.? It was awful and upsetting.? Her reaction should not be surprising, given the instability of her life and her borderline personality disorder diagnosis.

But having that much hate and vitriol directed at me was horrible.? And it made me very, very worried for my son's safety.? From now on, they will get a very brief email once or twice a year, letting them know our son is fine.? But that's it.? That is it.

I know I screwed up by contacting them. I thought it would make this better for them, but instead, I made it worse.? For that, I am sorry and regretful.? I know they are hurting, I do.? But I have to do what's best for this little boy, since they cannot or will not.

They still don't know our last name, where we live or where I work.? But I know his birth mom is always looking for him.? She is on the Internet all day and we live in the same state.? As soon as my son turns 13 and gets a Facebook account (or its future iteration), I know she will be there: BOOM!? Trying to explode into his life.? I am trying to prevent that from happening for as long as I can.

That's why this blog post is anonymous.? It's why he doesn't show up in my Facebook profile pictures.? It's why I refuse permission for his Little League team or his school to post pictures of him online.? It's why I am not telling you his name or age.

I tried to open up our adoption, maybe just a little bit.? And it was a huge mistake.? The state created closed adoptions from foster care for a reason.

I wish we could all be one happy family.? I envy Carrie's relationship with M (the Portrait of an Adoption family).? But M is older, got her issues worked out and is not harmful to K.

That is not the case here.? I will never badmouth his birth parents to him.? He has seen their photos and I answer whatever basic questions he has.? But he hasn't had many.? When he is 18, he can read my huge, thick file of his records from the state, including his birth parents' full names etc.

But while he is underage, I will protect him and keep him safe. Even from his own relatives.

By An Anonymous Adoptive Mother

Portrait of an Adoption has been nominated to the Circle of Moms Top 25 Book Author Mom Blogs!? If you are enjoying this adoption series, please support Portrait by clicking here and voting!? So easy to do, and you can vote once a day until December 7, 2012.

Portrait of an Adoption is hosted by Carrie Goldman, author of Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear.? This year?s adoption series is full, but if you have a story you would like to submit as a candidate for next year?s series, please email it to portraitofanadoption@gmail.com.

Find the Portrait of an Adoption community on Facebook
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Filed under: adoption, adoption agency, attachment in adoption, birthmothers, closed adoption, domestic adoption, foster care, honesty in adoption

Tags: 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days, closed adoption, Foster Care, Foster-to-Adopt, protective custody

Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/portrait-of-an-adoption/2012/11/why-my-son-has-a-closed-adoption/

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Diet Tips for an Effective Weight Management part 1

It is to get access to the right weight management plans in case you are determined and well focused on your endeavor. If you try to lose weight, you?ve probably questioned, what?s the greatest weight reduction policy for me? It is dependent upon you. Exactly what your own goals for losing weight and what type of food do you think would be healthy to lose weight? Precisely your physician suggest as a possible suitable objective for weight control and to manage fat? They are a few queries you ought to answer in order to manage excess fat. If you answer these concerns truthfully, the way to go should be with regard to weight reduction plans will probably be clarified.

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Source: http://www.knupnet.com/latest-health-news/diet-tips-for-an-effective-weight-management-part-1/

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Birth Control Pills Sold OTC? Smart Move, Doctors Say - Health ...

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Birth control pills should be sold over-the-counter (OTC), according to the nation?s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement this week that the move would reduce an unacceptably high rate of unintended pregnancies that costs taxpayers about $11.1 billion each year. About half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended.

Health.com: 16 Worst Birth Control Mistakes

Other countries sell birth control pills without a prescription, including Jamaica, Mexico, Kuwait and Thailand.

Birth control pills do have some risks, including a small chance of a blood clot, but these risks don?t outweigh the benefits, says ACOG.

?Nothing in life is without risk,? says Jill Rabin, MD, chief of ambulatory care, obstetrics and gynecology and head of urogynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, who supports the move.

?In pregnancy, women produce more estrogen and progesterone than when they take a birth control pill,? she says. ?If you have a reproductive-age woman who doesn?t want to be pregnant either by choice or for a medical reason, it?s safer to take the pill rather than get pregnant.?

Health.com: 12 Types of Birth Control

Some questions remain unanswered though, including a big one about cost.

Thanks to President Obama?s Affordable Care Act, contraception?including birth control pills?is free for women who have employer-sponsored insurance (although woman may have a co-pay for some branded drugs, and those without insurance are out of luck).

Would making birth control pills available over-the-counter shift the bill back to women? Most insurance companies don?t cover non-prescription drugs, so it?s unclear who would pay if the pill was sold at the local pharmacy without a prescription.

And then there?s the question of whether a shift from prescription to over-the-counter status of birth-control pills would ever actually happen. Dr. Rabin, for one, believes it has ?a good chance of happening,? given the experience in other parts of the world.

Health.com: Birth Control For Women Over 30

While there are concerns that women who shouldn?t be taking the pill for health reasons might do so anyway if the drugs were available over-the-counter, research suggests this is unlikely, according to ACOG. Another concern?that women will skip important health checkups if they don?t have to see their doc for a prescription?also doesn?t hold up, they said.

Surveys have shown that women are able to ?self-screen? to determine if they are at higher-than-average risk for side effects. Pharmacists, too, were able to screen out inappropriate candidates using check lists.

In other countries where the pill is already available over-the-counter, studies show women still get their annual gynecological check-ups.

?Oral contraceptives have been out for many, many, many years in this country,? said Gerald F. Joseph, MD, ACOG?s vice president, practice activities, in a statement. ?And although no drug is perfectly safe, even aspirin has its side effects, that oral contraceptives are a relatively safe drug, the benefits far outweigh the risks.?

Source: http://news.health.com/2012/11/23/birth-control-pills-sold-otc-smart-move-doctors-say/

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Canada, EU aim to conclude free trade deal in coming weeks

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and Canada aim to conclude a free trade agreement in the next few weeks after a top-level meeting over a deal that could swell bilateral trade by more than 20 percent.

"Both sides will now instruct their negotiators to narrow the gaps on the outstanding issues," the Commission said in a statement on Friday, after Thursday's meeting between EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast.

Negotiators have struggled over investment protection, agriculture, public procurement and intellectual property, particularly regarding pharmaceuticals, trade experts say.

"It's clear that there has been significant progress but some important work remains to be done," De Gucht said in the statement, which said a deal could arrive in "the coming weeks."

A free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada, the EU's 12th-largest trading partner last year, would be the bloc's first with a country from the G7 group of major developed economies.

For Canada, it would be the most significant since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico in 1994 and an opportunity to diversify exports away from the United States. The EU is its second-largest trading partner

Efforts to conclude a global trade deal have been deadlocked for more than a decade, leaving countries and trading blocs to negotiate independently on bilateral agreements.

A study in 2008 said an FTA could swell EU gross domestic product by 11.6 billion euros ($14.9 billion) and Canada's by C$12 billion ($12 billion) within seven years, with EU exports to Canada rising 24.3 percent and Canadian exports to the EU by 20.6 percent. Trade between the two was $117 billion in 2011.

($1 = 0.7761 euros) ($1 = 0.9981 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-eu-aim-conclude-free-trade-deal-coming-114834594--finance.html

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Casino News Media: Australian and international gaming, business ...

Australian and international gaming, business and interactive entertainment news: Crown Limited; Echo Entertainment, IGT, Virgin Games, Aussie Millions, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, WWE, THQ, Marvel Entertainment, Disney, Warner Bros and more...Media Man reports

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Contender in Echo Entertainment CEO race drops out: report...

An undisclosed senior United States casino executive has emerged as the frontrunner to replace departing Echo Entertainment Group Ltd chief executive Larry Mullin after frontrunner Grant Bowie reportedly pulled out of the selection process, according to News Limited owned newspaper The Australian.

The New Zealand-raised Mr Bowie is president of US giant MGM Grand's Macau operations, and was seen as an ideal candidate given his record in Australia while working with Park Place Entertainment and Asian experience.

With Mr Mullin set to depart the company January 31, Echo is expected to name his replacement by the end of the year.

Marina Bay Sands casino head Andrew MacDonald and Skycity Entertainment's Nigel Morrison had been named as candidates, and the leading internal candidate is Echo chief financial officer Matt Bekler, according to The Australian newspaper.

IGT debuts trio of mobile slots...

American computerised gaming equipment and systems designer and manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) has released mobile versions for three of its most popular slots.

Las Vegas-based IGT stated that Elvis: A Little More Action, Wolf Run and Kitty Glitter have been ?optimised for the industry?s fastest growing sector? and are now ready for users of iOS and Android-enabled smartphones and tablet devices to enjoy via its remote game server Casino series.

?The size of the mobile market is expanding by the day and a selection of superior branded content and consistently high performing games helps make IGT a driving force behind this growth,? said Leigh Nissim, Interactive Commercial Director for IGT. ?Choosing the right casino game supplier in the world of mobile gaming is crucial [and] our experience, expertise and compliance record at IGT is second to none.?

Elvis: A Little More Action is a 50-payline slot with stacked wilds that features audio from one of Elvis Presley?s most recognisable tunes, A Little Less Conversation. It also offers players up to 255 free spins via its Free Spins Bonus. IGT described the 40-payline Wolf Run and the 30-payline Kitty Glitter slots as two of its ?all-time best performers? and revealed that the mobile new versions come complete with the titles? expected free spins bonuses.

Three New Games Launch on Virgin Mobile Casino...

Virgin Games, the leading online gaming company, has today announced the release of three new mobile games - Elvis, Kitty Glitter and Wolf Run. All are by leading game developer, IGT, and will be available exclusively at Virgin Mobile Casino.

Virgin Mobile Casino, which now accounts for more than 10 per cent of Virgin Games' gross revenue, was launched in December of 2011 to offer a range of slots, table and instant win games. It currently has content partnerships with both IGT and Microgaming, with the intention of introducing additional partners later down the line in order to offer the same variety and choice through the Mobile app as customers experience at the web based Casino.

Joshua Morris, Commercial Director at Virgin Games, commented: "The three latest mobile games to be added to Virgin Mobile Casino continue the trend of bringing our best games from the web onto mobile. We are already seeing 10% of our gross revenues come from Mobile in less than a year since launch and with the addition of top titles such as those launched today we are strengthening our position as a multi-game aggregator."

Virgin Games has attached its single wallet system to the new mobile product, meaning its players use the same account to play at Virgin Casino, Virgin Bingo, Virgin Poker and now mobile casino. Customers can register, manage their account, play for bonuses, deposit and withdraw seamlessly, whether they are on the web or on the move. Launched in 2004, Virgin Games is one of the UK's leading online gaming sites.

Aussie Millions Poker Tournament coming up...

The Aussie Millions (Jan 17th ? 3rd Feb): Held at the awesome Crown Casino, the average temperature in Melbourne in January is about 26 degrees. Not only that the tournament runs at the same time as the Australian Open Tennis. Sweet!

PKR Gains Five Millionth User; 3-D Online Poker Room Hits Milestone After Seven Years...

PKR, the 3-D online poker room, has registered its five millionth user. The website was launched in 2006.

Simon Prodger, marketing director for the company, said, ?We?re delighted to hit this major milestone, and we look forward to continuing to welcome more and more poker players from around the world to PKR.

?We have a range of marketing initiatives and product developments scheduled for launch in 2013 that we?re sure will continue to grow the PKR brand, including new TV advertising campaigns and the eagerly-awaited launch of our first mobile poker product.?

The company, which is hosting the upcoming World Poker Tour Dublin event, recently told the E-Gaming Review newsroom that it had launched a seven figure investment prospectus.

PKR told the industry magazine it had been unofficially searching for an investor for two years and it was not ruling out a sale.

Crown Limited sweet tax deal?

In Australia, Crown Ltd.?s controversial ?unsolicited proposal? to build a second casino in Sydney won?t be of much benefit to the taxpayer, according to ex Citigroup analyst and current independent research consultant Jenny Owen. Crown?s plan is for an international VIP-focused casino, meaning the applicable tax rate would be 10%, about one-third the rate applied to other gambling revenue, like most of the action going on down the street at Sydney?s existing casino, The Star. Ms. Owen told the Sydney Morning Herald this made for "a very attractive business model, certainly one that I would have thought would go to public tender and should attract a reasonably significant license premium. Clearly that doesn?t appear to be the case.". Time will tell as "It sure looks like the casino - hotel will be going ahead" according to a Media Man gaming spokesperson.

Online Gaming Execs Respond to Detention of bwin.party CEO...

Leaders of the world?s top online gaming firms are mad as hell and they?re not going to take it anymore. In response to last Tuesday?s detainment of bwin.party co-CEO Norbert Teufelberger in Brussels, Belgium, 14 executives from 12 internet gambling companies penned a public letter to the Financial Times saying that enough is enough when it comes to European Union (EU) countries ignoring EU law.

To recap, Teufelberger was set to make the closing remarks at Responsible Gaming Day, put on by the European and Betting and Gaming Association (EGBA), of which he is Chairman, when he was detained by Belgian police. The authorities reportedly kept him for two hours (he was allowed to make his speech first), questioning him about bwin.party?s activities in Belgium.

bwin.party has found itself on the short end of extremely strict Belgian gaming regulations, which, among other things, require online poker operators to have a brick-and-mortar presence in the country in order to be granted an online gaming license. Only six operators ? PokerStars.be, Poker770.be, Partouche.be, Win2day, GoldenPalace.be, and Unibet ? have received licensed. To make matters worse, some of bwin.party?s websites have been put on the Belgian Gaming Commission?s (BGC) blacklist. Despite the blacklist status, bwin.party has continued to operate in Belgium.

While Belgium?s regulations may be cut and dry, they are not without controversy. bwin.party, as well as other gaming companies and organizations, feel they run contrary to EU law and have been fighting them for several years.

Norbert Teufelberger himself was one of the 14 executives to sign the letter to the Financial Times, along with co-CEO Jim Ryan. The others were:

Michael Carlton ? CEO, Victor Chandler International Denise Coates and John Coates ? Joint CEOs, bet365 St?phane Courbit ? President, Betclic Everest Group Canel Frichet ? CEO, Winamax Noel Hayden ? Managing Director, Gamesys Denis Kelly ? CEO, Stan James Brian Mattingly ? CEO, 888 Holdings Andrew McIver ? CEO, Sportingbet Magnus Silfverberg ? CEO, Betsson Ralph Topping ? CEO, William Hill Ed Ware ? CEO, 32Red

In the letter, which was posted at FT.com, the executives expressed their resentment towards both the EU Belgian law enforcement, saying, ?While the Belgian authorities are free to intimidate Europe?s leading online gaming groups with threats about the consequences of challenging their domestic gambling laws, the European Commission has yet to receive an answer to its own concerns regarding the regulatory regime in Belgium that have remained unresolved since issuing its detailed opinion back in 2009.?

The letter reminded the Financial Times? readers of the complaints against Belgium two years ago, quoting the head of the European Commission, Michel Barnier, from 2010 , ???ensuring compliance of national law with the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) is a prerequisite of a successful EU policy on online gambling?if blatant infringements persist, I will not hesitate to propose to my colleagues that the appropriate proceedings be taken or relaunched.??

The letter concluded, ?We hope that the commission will now enforce compliance with the European treaty and do so swiftly. Countries such as Belgium and Greece that are in clear breach of EU law and that are seeking to enforce those laws domestically are likely to be at the top of the list. The time for polite rhetoric is now over. It is time for deeds not words.? (Poker News Daily)

THQ being sued by tattoo artist...

Chris Escobedo, creator and owner of Elite Tattoo, has sued THQ because one of his tattoos has been used by the developer in their game, UFC Undisputed 3 without his consent.

His tattoo, a lion, has been used on the arms of current welterweight champion of UFC Carlos Condit in the game. Escobedo claims that THQ never came to him to seek permission to use the tattoo in the game.

People often believe that they own the images that are tattooed on them by tattoo artists,? said Escobedo?s lawyer Maria Crimi. ?In reality, the owner of the tattoo artwork is the creator of the work, unless there is a written assignment of the copyright in the tattoo art.?

Escobedo said: ?I would not have agreed to the recreation of the tattoo by an animator.?

Well, it certainly is a violation of the copyrights, as silly as it may seem.

"WWE ?13" receives rave reviews from video game gurus..

?WWE ?13,? available in stores now, gives WWE fans the most seamless, realistic and exciting WWE video game experience to date. With the new addition of WWE Live, enhanced Predator Technology and an enormous Creation Suite and talent roster based on the Attitude Era, it?s no surprise that ?WWE ?13? is a hit with reviewers. Look at what some of the leading reviewers have to say about ?WWE ?13? and pick up your copy today!

IGN Review score: 8.4 out of 10 ?At its core, ?WWE ?13? continues last year?s legacy with already solid gameplay refined via a few new moves. Aptly named OMG Moments let you tackle opponents through barricades and break the ring with top-rope suplexes, while the creation suite has been slightly upgraded with improved arena types that should facilitate better community creations.? (MORE)

Game Informer Review score: 9 out of 10 ?I?ve always pointed to 2000?s WWE No Mercy as the best wrestling game I?ve ever played, but nostalgia is certainly a factor in that. After playing ?WWE ?13,? I?m hard pressed to think of a more enjoyable and complete wrestling game in history.?

Official XBOX Magazine Review score: 8 out of 10 ?Of particular note is the game?s superb single-player experience, which should serve as the foundation for all future endeavors. If anything, the smart objective design and use of archival WWE footage makes us want more.?

AtomicGamer Review score: 8 out of 10

Bleacher Report Review score: 8 out of 10

Canadian Online Gamers Review score: 85/100

Click Online Review score: 4.5 out of 5

GamesBeat Review score: 86/100

GamesRadar Review score: 4 out of 5

IRB Gamer Review score: 4.5 out of 5

PlayStation Official Magazine ? UK Review score: 80/100

RTV Review Score: 4 out of 5

TotallyGN Review score: 8 out of 10

Disney honors Black Friday in Avengers Alliance, Gardens of Time et al...

When it comes to the biggest shopping day of the year, Disney ain't playin' no games ... or something like that. The company's social gaming arm has lots planned for Black Friday in its most popular Facebook games, namely a number of enticing deals for in-game boosts and items for Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Gardens of Time, Ghosts of Mistwood and Blackwood & Bell Mysteries.

Each game will offer reduced prices on in-game currency in addition to specific offers for in-game goodies. Here's the list of the delectable deals straight from Disney and Playdom:

Marvel: Avengers Alliance: Starting Nov. 23, Mockingbird will be on sale for all players until Nov. 26. Mockingbird was originally only available as the ultimate reward for achieving 15 mastery stars in the first Special Operation, but starting on Black Friday, players will have four days to recruit this secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent from the Heroes section and get her before she is gone.

Ghosts of Mistwood: From Black Friday through Cyber Monday on Nov. 26, the hit Facebook game, Ghosts of Mistwood, will be having a special Black Friday bundle sale to help players solve the mysteries of Mistwood Estate. Players can gobble up lantern oil, coins, special ingredients and a Limited Special Stardust Relic for a limited time in the Market and at a festive price.

Gardens of Time: For Disney Social Games' super sales weekend, Gardens of Time players will be able to purchase any of the in-game gold decoration items at a discount when sending them to their friends. That's over 100 items discounted for this offer.

Blackwood and Bell & Threads of Mystery: Two more amazing hidden object games from Disney Social Games, Blackwood and Bell & Threads of Mystery, will be having sales on in game gold. Players need to head on over to take advantage of these limited time Black Friday Sales.

Tolkien's estate sues over Hobbit gambling games...

JRR Tolkien's estate is suing the makers of The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies for allegedly overstepping their merchandising rights by making gambling games based on the books' characters.

Tolkien's family and publisher HarperCollins are suing Warner Brothers, its subsidiary New Line Cinema and Saul Zaentz for $80 million.

In papers filed in a Los Angeles court, they accuse the defendants of copyright infringement and breach of contract.

They say the companies are entitled to develop and sell only tangible merchandise such as clothes, figurines and stationery, not downloadable video and gambling games.

The Tolkien estate has asked for an injunction on such products, which it claims have caused irreparable damage to the author's legacy and reputation.

"Not only does the production of gambling games patently exceed the scope of defendants' rights, but this infringing conduct has outraged Tolkien's devoted fan base, causing irreparable harm to Tolkien's legacy and reputation and the valuable goodwill generated by his works," the lawsuit stated. The suit claimed Warner Brothers has earned millions of dollars from legal merchandise licensing revenue related to The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, which have grossed nearly $3 billion at the global box office.

Representatives for Warner Brothers, Tolkien's estate and HarperCollins were not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit comes a week ahead of the New Zealand premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a new trilogy of films returning to Tolkien's world of elves, goblins and wizards of Middle Earth, based on the Lord of the Rings prequel novel, The Hobbit.

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Source: http://casinonewsmedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/australian-and-international-gaming.html

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Kurdish fighters gather in disputed area in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The commander of Kurdish forces dispatched fighters to a disputed northern area of Iraq Wednesday, as tensions mounted between Iraq's central government and the Kurdish-ruled autonomous region.

Neighboring Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the Iraqi government was steering the country to civil war. Such a conflict could spill across the border.

Peshmerga commander Mahmoud Sankawi said forces were shifted to the Khanaqin area overnight from the nearby town of Kifri. He did not specify how many men or armored vehicles were involved. Sankawi said he did not coordinate with Iraqi forces, nor inform them of the troop movements.

"It is well known to them," Sankawi said.

The Kurdish Peshmerga forces control security in the Kurdish autonomous region, but are also present in disputed areas.

The movement of Kurdish forces came a day after the government sent tanks and armored personnel carriers to the Kirkuk area, some 60 miles away. That area is claimed by both sides.

Tensions have been sharply increasing since Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki formed a new military command last month to oversee Baghdad-run security forces bordering the Kurdish region, including disputed areas claimed by Iraqi Arabs, Turkomen and Kurds ? especially the areas surrounding Mosul and Kirkuk.

U.S. forces once supervised the area, helping Kurdish and Arab security forces form joint patrols.

Any deterioration into actual fighting in the broad swath of northern Iraq could spread into Turkey, which has a large Kurdish minority. On Wednesday, the Turkish prime minister said his government feared the Iraqi central government was dragging the country toward internal conflict.

"Now, our fears are slowly coming true," Erdogan said. "The regime is trying to take things toward a civil war."

The Iraqi commander of the newly formed Dijla Joint Military Command, now overseeing government forces in disputed areas, said they would not back down from a confrontation.

"We are closely watching them. We are not afraid of them," said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir al-Zaidi. "The Iraqi army must be responsible for Iraqi security and its sovereignty."

Iraqi government officials were unavailable for comment.

On Friday, a shootout between Iraqi police and Kurdish guards in a disputed northern city left a civilian dead and four policemen wounded.

It was the first clash with casualties between the two sides for years, despite disputes over land, natural resources and power sharing since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein.

___

Additional reporting by Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kurdish-fighters-gather-disputed-area-iraq-112925604.html

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CDC Projects Huge Diabetes Jump In Kids, Teens Your Health ...

From AJC?..

The number of children and teens with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is expected to spike dramatically in the next 40 years, creating what one expert calls a potential catastrophe for the nation?s health care system.

Rates of type 2 diabetes could increase four times over the next 40 years, and rates of type 1 diabetes may triple, the new CDC report says. The CDC?s numbers assume that the rate of diabetes will increase over time.

Even if the rates stay as they are now, the number of children and teens with type 2 diabetes is projected to climb by almost 50% over the same period, and the number with type 1 diabetes will rise by 23%.

Right now, about 215,000, or 0.26%, of this age group under 20 years old have diabetes. The spike in both type 1 and 2 will be particularly high among minorities.

?Diabetes is clearly increasing at an unacceptable rate, and while we are doing a whole lot better in terms of treating it, we simply can?t keep up,? says American Diabetes Association Chief Scientific and Medical Officer Robert E. Ratner, MD. ?The simple fact is we are losing the battle by not preventing this disease.?

Just two decades ago, type 2 diabetes was almost never seen in children, but it has become more common with higher rates of childhood obesity, Ratner says.

Public health efforts that address the childhood obesity epidemic could have a profound impact on the future of type 2 diabetes, Ratner noted in an editorial published with the CDC report in the December issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

Type 1 Rates Rising Among Minorities

Type 1 diabetes is not linked to obesity and little is known about how to prevent it.

It is also not clear why rates are rising, says Sharon Saydah, PhD, of the CDC.

The disease has historically been diagnosed mostly among whites in the U.S., but this is changing, Saydah says.

To read the full story?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=7212

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A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind In celebration of its 30th anniversary, USA TODAY interviewed some of the USA's greatest visionaries to talk about the world of tomorrow. Mary Beth Marklein published the article "A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind" to discuss just what the title implies: what would the world be like if there were no grades? In the article, USA TODAY interviewed Sebastian Thrun, a Google Vice President and Stanford research professor best known for his role in building Google's driverless car. Thrun's idea of an educational reform is described in his version of learning, which he says can be made free and available to anyone who wants it. Thrun is the owner of Udacity, which is an education company based in California that provides a higher education for free. Udacity's goal is to offer a university-level education of high quality and low cost. Using the economics of the Internet, they claim to have connected some of the greatest teachers to hundreds of thousands of students all over the world. In Thrun's version of education, he explains a few key concepts: no one will be late for class, failure is not an option, and lessons are made to look like games, such as the popular physics-based puzzle game "Angry Birds." The whole vision of Udacity came to Thrun after he had the opportunity to teach a free online artificial-intelligence course that drew more than 160,000 students. This experience was so profound to him that he announced he no longer could teach in a traditional Stanford classroom. Thus, Udacity was born, and Thrun began his mission to revolutionize education. He made reference to the concept of "flipping the classroom," which occurs when students watch a video at home and come to class ready with questions to be answered by the teacher. Thrun explains how both online learning and flipping the classroom are made possible through technology, and because of these two concepts, classes will involve a sequence of increasingly more challenging exercises and quizzes aimed at helping students master a particular concept or skill. Thrun calls grades "the failure of the education system," so therefore, he intends to eliminate them completely. Instead, students will take as much or as little time as they need to demonstrate mastery of a particular skill or concept. This type of online education will be free, but related services may involve a fee. All in all, Thrun hopes to democratize education through technology. As I was reading this article, the message Mr. Thrun described seemed really cool and much more innovative than the education we see in many classrooms today. As I thought about it and looked at it more closely though, this type of educational reform raises a sense of skepticism. Yes, a free education where you get to play games on the Internet and learn at your own pace sounds great, but in reality, is this concept of education truly possible to the magnitude in which Mr. Thrun described? I have my doubts. The first item on his list that seems out of reach is the free part. If the top, most sought-out professors from all around the world are being called upon to teach these online classes, how does the Udacity team plan on paying them a salary? As a future teacher, I'm all about teaching my students because I truly want them to learn and grow, but in reality, I will be seeking a paycheck as well. I'm sure many of the professors Udacity has confronted feel the same way. I understand the students would be charged fees every once and a while, but simple fees would not be enough to pay for the numerous things this operation would call for: the high-tech computers and software that would be needed, the team working on these computers and programs, and as I mentioned earlier, the professors teaching the courses. "Free" sounds great (especially to myself, a poor college kid), but when it comes down to crunching the numbers, money speaks rather loudly. The next item on the list that raises concerns for me is the fact that "a single class might enroll tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of students." I guess this sounds so bizarre to me because I personally like one-on-one contact and time with my teacher. If there are this many people in a single class, how is an instructor suppose to keep up with everything the students are doing? I understand Mr. Thrun's goal is to create an education that will respond to each individual student, but with that many students, I have my doubts. The third item I'd like to talk about is the "no more grades" idea. As a college student myself, this sounds wonderful. As long as I'm understanding the material and learning at my own pace, what do grades matter anyway? Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I think grades, or rather some kind of assessment, is needed. I'm all for students being able to take the time necessary to master concepts and skills, but without some form of assessment, I think students lose some of the responsibility needed to become successful. I don't necessarily think the "A, B, C, D, F" system is the only or best solution for assessment out there, but I do believe teachers should provide students with feedback on how they are progressing in a given class. Normally, that feedback comes through assessment.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Mary Beth Marklein's article in USA TODAY because it brought up some really neat ideas for the future of education. Though I don't totally agree with everything Mr. Sebastian Thrun is advocating with the online learning society created by Udacity, I still think he offered up interesting and innovative ideas. I just believe a few things need to be tweaked to make them more realistic and doable. One thing Mr. Thrun and I most certainly agree on is how important technology is for the future and progression of education and for the way we teach our students.

Source: http://langhamclaireedm310.blogspot.com/2012/11/special-blog-assignment.html

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Scientists pioneer method to predict environmental collapse

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Scientists at the University of Southampton are pioneering a technique to predict when an ecosystem is likely to collapse, which may also have potential for foretelling crises in agriculture, fisheries or even social systems.

The researchers have applied a mathematical model to a real world situation, the environmental collapse of a lake in China, to help prove a theory which suggests an ecosystem 'flickers', or fluctuates dramatically between healthy and unhealthy states, shortly before its eventual collapse.

Head of Geography at Southampton, Professor John Dearing explains: "We wanted to prove that this 'flickering' occurs just ahead of a dramatic change in a system ? be it a social, ecological or climatic one ? and that this method could potentially be used to predict future critical changes in other impacted systems in the world around us."

A team led by Dr Rong Wang extracted core samples from sediment at the bottom of Lake Erhai in Yunnan province, China and charted the levels and variation of fossilised algae (diatoms) over a 125-year period. Analysis of the core sample data showed the algae communities remained relatively stable up until about 30 years before the lake's collapse into a turbid or polluted state. However, the core samples for these last three decades showed much fluctuation, indicating there had been numerous dramatic changes in the types and concentrations of algae present in the water ? evidence of the 'flickering' before the lake's final definitive change of state.

Rong Wang comments: "By using the algae as a measure of the lake's health, we have shown that its eco-system 'wobbled' before making a critical transition ? in this instance, to a turbid state.

"Dramatic swings can be seen in other data, suggesting large external impacts on the lake over a long time period ? for example, pollution from fertilisers, sewage from fields and changes in water levels ? caused the system to switch back and forth rapidly between alternate states. Eventually, the lake's ecosystem could no longer cope or recover ? losing resilience and reaching what is called a 'tipping point' and collapsing altogether."

The researchers hope the method they have trialled in China could be applied to other regions and landscapes.

Co-author Dr Pete Langdon comments: "In this case, we used algae as a marker of how the lake's ecosystem was holding-up against external impacts ? but who's to say we couldn't use this method in other ways? For example, perhaps we should look for 'flickering' signals in climate data to try and foretell impending crises?"

###

The paper, 'Flickering gives early warning signals of a critical transition to a eutrophic lake state' will be published in the journal Nature

University of Southampton: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/

Thanks to University of Southampton for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125344/Scientists_pioneer_method_to_predict_environmental_collapse

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