2012 In Review: Your Favorite Moment?

In this thread, we celebrate the arrival of 2013 by posting our favorite parts of the year before. Post away.

Mine include the following, in no particular order.

-Arab Spring uprising
-Barack Obama's re-election
-Tigers going to the World Series again
-Unlocking Otaku Speedvibe [Oni] on Flash Flash Revolution

The war has ended for now and peace has been restored. But those who sacrificed themselves for the victory will never return. Exhausted, X gazes at the destruction he helped cause and wonders why he chose to fight. Was there another way?

Standing on the cliff, the answers seem to escape him. He only knows that he'll fight the Mavericks again before he finds his answer.

How long will he keep on fighting? How long will his pain last? Maybe only the X-Buster on his hand knows for sure...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/pt7uKNHOi88/viewtopic.php

david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream stephen colbert

WWE Spoils Title Change at Tonight's RAW Tapings In Washington, DC

- WWE announced the following tonight:

"WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Wade Barrett won the Intercontinental Championship at tonight?s Raw taping, defeating Kofi Kingston at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. to capture the coveted title for the second time.

The victory comes just days after Barrett pinned the acrobatic former champion during a Six-Man Tag Team Match on SmackDown. In fact, the British Superstar seemed to have Kingston?s number during their tense rivalry over the past few weeks, but it was Kofi who prevailed when the two men met with the Intercontinental Championship on the line at WWE TLC. Although he had fallen victim to Barrett?s Bull Hammer on more than one occasion, the resourceful Kingston always retained his title when the stakes were high ? that is, until tonight."

Exclusive Update on CM Punk's Status and Feud with The Rock...

Source: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe/WWE_Spoils_Title_Change_at_Tonight_s_RAW_Tapings_In_Washington_DC.html

nyc marathon willie nelson khloe kardashian Wreck It Ralph Hunter Hayes Movember USC shooting

Window Shopping And Product Reviews: Toys Article Category

Impulse Buys. Emphasize some gyerek j?t?koks using the checkout road. Give each kids something to allow them to look at, nearly anything to ask for, while Mom Dad are waiting in line. Fish bowls full of balloons, hexagon jars with gumballs and Pez dispensers, and bins overly full of speciality and / or maybe promotional items definitely will attract kids? attention and are easy for parents on toss on primary of the lump.
Extremely go ahead and start up your favorite search engine and start browsing the Website for gyerek j?t?kok transactions. You may be astonished at the number of options and cost that are easily.
Singamajigs are the hippest new gyerek j?t?kok yr. They are incredibly popular that vendors are running out of them faster than you can certainly say Singamajig. Singamajigs are small stuffed baby animals about 12 inches long, and use hypnotic eyes on top of that adorable little service. They are so endearing that once for you grab a contain of this little girls you wont give you the chance to put this situation down. Companies are universal and as a consequence not gender specific, so you duquel have to worry; both boys and girls are every bit crazy about associated with them.
You could try and think about what?s going to stimulate the youngster?s imagination. Toddlers gain a a sense of self worth and as well as confidence when they create something for themselves, so things just as play dough, paints, and even peel offs and markers are actually excellent presents.
Luckily, the art of a the dollhouse provides been preserved. For many, just separates the attractive but nevertheless disposable dollhouse for youthful children from a doll house any adult will be able to be proud attached to is the use of electrical systems. This is great extremely complex with arduous process, just the end byproduct ? of, essentially, a real miniature house in each and way possible for is thrilling. Installing a doing work electrical system into a dollhouse bestows on it an extra money edge, and furthermore , serves the two-fold purpose of getting rid of the association that has the cheap furthermore cheerful dollhouses those can be purchased at any optimum street gyerek j?t?kok. A dollhouse with working electrics asks that dedication, and happens to be a representation of both fun furthermore skill.
There is no doubt whatsoever, along with the vast majority of educational experts agree with it, that reliable a child to a piano from beginning age is genuinely advantageous, not in order to their future musical abilities, but and then to their education and as well as development in rough. However, this is particularly unmistakable if the guitar is a factual working model and consistency in less sunlit areas and tuning, plus than just any kind of a gyerek j?t?kok.
Discovery gyerek j?t?koks is positioned at 1971 Breckenridge Drive, Atlanta Georgia 30345. The telephone number is 404-325-8697. They include open Monday by just Saturday from 10:00 a.m. finally 10:00 p.m. They provide awesome customer service and include all of the modern hands on vehicles that help infants learn. If you would like your children to actually learn and enjoyable than this web store will help you to identify the perfect animal for them. The prices are to be average at this web site.
From May 11 to June 15, Any Fit Mama will hold Stroller Physical fitness Classes each Thursday at 10:00 a very.m. Participants will meet at *play and additionally then travel by way of nearby areas using the neighborhood to make sure you exercise. Involving classes are a great way to bring fit while filing your baby possibly child along. Interested mamas also can preregister for the only thing six classes only at *play for $60 or drop doing on just a brand new few at the best cost of $15 per class.

Source: http://wondersofpakistan.com/window-shopping-and-product-reviews-toys-article-category/

shroud of turin warren sapp the masters i robot the big c the visitor king of kings

49ers win NFC West with 27-13 victory over Arizona

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Bare-chested Joe Staley and Mike Iupati jumped up and down wearing only their shorts, each offensive lineman doing his best to will the Vikings to victory from afar.

The 49ers ? sporting fresh red NFC West champion caps after beating the Arizona Cardinals 27-13 on Sunday ? crammed into the cozy confines of their locker room and became Minnesota's fiercest cross-country cheering section. When Blair Walsh's 29-yard field goal sailed through the uprights for the Vikings as time expired to give San Francisco a playoff bye, the tiny dressing area in Candlestick Park's south corner erupted into a crazy, celebratory scene.

"C'mon, baby, bye week!" shouted defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois.

The Vikings certainly deserved some thanks. So did Michael Crabtree.

Crabtree's career day and dazzling catch-making display sent San Francisco to a second straight division title and into the playoffs with some much-needed momentum.

Crabtree caught touchdown passes of 49 and 7 yards and finished with a career-high 172 yards on eight receptions, leading the 49ers to another rout of Arizona after a slow start.

Colin Kaepernick threw for a career-best 276 yards and two TDs as the Niners (11-4-1) did their part to control their postseason fate ? then waited all of about 15 minutes to watch Minnesota beat Green Bay and give San Francisco the NFC's No. 2 seed and a week off before hosting a divisional playoff game.

"It was a lot harder this time around to get it," said safety Donte Whitner, his new hat on backward. "We were the target this year and got everybody's best shot. To come out and still win our division and have the opportunity to get a first-round bye is tremendous."

Frank Gore ran for a 2-yard score early in the fourth quarter for his franchise-best 51st touchdown rushing, breaking a tie with mentor Roger Craig and late Hall of Famer Joe Perry.

With yet another new face under center, the Cardinals (5-11) lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games in what might have been Ken Whisenhunt's final game as coach. Brian Hoyer went 19 of 34 for 225 yards and a late TD toss in his first NFL start as Arizona's fourth quarterback this season.

He couldn't keep up with Crabtree and Kaepernick.

Crabtree's outstanding outing was the best by a 49ers receiver since Terrell Owens' 166-yard performance on Nov. 25, 2002, against Philadelphia.

"My dude made it happen," Crabtree said, looking at Kaepernick. "I'm really focused on these playoffs."

Crabtree caught a 31-yard pass to set up his team-leading eighth TD reception on the next play. The sequence put him over 1,000 yards, giving San Francisco its first 1,000-yard receiver since T.O. in 2003.

On the next series, Crabtree made a pretty, one-handed grab with his right hand along the left sideline on third-and-11 for a 19-yard gain and first down. He made a 14-yard catch on fourth down late in the third, and later converted another fourth down with a reception of 7 yards.

What a boost for an injury-depleted receiving corps missing Mario Manningham for the rest of the season because of a knee injury. Plus, tight end Vernon Davis was limited a week after sustaining a concussion.

Struggling San Francisco kicker David Akers missed wide left on a 44-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter, then did it again with nearly the same kick ? from 40 yards this time ? 24 seconds before halftime. Akers put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes in frustration as boos rained down from the sellout crowd at Candlestick Park.

He missed for the fourth time in his last eight spanning three games and 13th time in 40 tries after setting an NFL single-season record with 44 field goals in 52 attempts last year. Akers bounced back by nailing one from 43 yards early in the second half but was later clipped in his kicking foot by Arizona's Justin Bethel. Akers stayed in the game, then booted a 26-yard field goal with just more than 9 minutes remaining.

Coach Jim Harbaugh didn't rule out a change.

"We'll evaluate that," he said. "It's his job to make the kicks."

Hoyer exhibited poise in the early moments. He completed seven of his first 13 passes and three straight ? for 7, 15 and 12 yards ? during one drive as Arizona took a 3-0 lead on Jay Feely's 35-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Feely added a 31-yarder early in the second to make it 6-0.

The Cardinals outgained the 49ers 129-15 in the opening quarter and held San Francisco without a first down.

But that didn't last long.

The Cardinals ended a six-game stretch without a touchdown pass when Hoyer hit Michael Floyd on a late 37-yard score. Floyd had eight catches for 166 yards.

The Cardinals pounded the ball toward the right side of San Francisco's defensive line where Pro Bowler Justin Smith had been stout against the run all season before getting hurt two weeks ago. Now, San Francisco has an extra week for Smith to heal.

"Today's game kind of mirrored our season," Whisenhunt said. "I'm proud of the way our team's worked. You understand this is part of the business. We haven't won enough games this year."

Former starting quarterback Alex Smith made what could have been his final appearance in a 49ers uniform when he entered the game with 5:57 to go ? playing to chants of "Let's Go, Alex!" and "Alex! Alex!"

Notes: Cardinals Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson was lost to a left hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. RG Pat McQuistan was sidelined in the first with an ankle injury and didn't return, while LB Paris Lenon injured his left hand in the second half. ... 49ers LB Aldon Smith went without a sack for the third straight game, winding up with 19? ? three shy of Michael Strahan's single-season NFL record set in 2001 for the Giants.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/49ers-win-nfc-west-27-13-victory-over-023046031--spt.html

roy oswalt kevin martin 2012 senior bowl chuck series finale welcome back kotter 2001 a space odyssey barefoot bandit

Camera 9 " Android Tablet

This is a discussion on Camera 9 " Android Tablet within the Android Tablet Discussions forums, part of the General Discussion category; Switching from the camera on front to skype to camera on back for photos, How To ?...

1. Switching from the camera on front to skype to camera on back for photos, How To ?

   ---

2. Today?10:55 AM # ADS

   ---

?

Posting Permissions

• You may not post new threads
• You may not post replies
• You may not post attachments
• You may not edit your posts
• ?

Forum Rules

Similar Threads

1. Replies: 1

   Last Post: 11-08-2012, 02:19 AM

2. Replies: 3

   Last Post: 10-10-2012, 07:19 PM

3. Replies: 3

   Last Post: 12-27-2011, 03:24 AM

4. Replies: 11

   Last Post: 11-03-2011, 01:29 AM

5. Replies: 1

   Last Post: 07-28-2011, 03:01 PM

Source: http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52580&goto=newpost

oscar noms capital gains tim thomas oral roberts les paul fred thompson fred thompson

A Quarter of a Million Downloads ? End of 2012 Metrics for Hunter Davis on the Google Play Store

When looking back on 2012, it was a pretty successful year for both myself, and Google. They released a hot new tablet, and their app store has done remarkably well. One of my personal successes was the open sourcing of all of my android apps and other software back in April. Now, at the end of 2012 I feel that in the spirit of open source software I should share all the metrics about my apps on the Play store. The bottom line is, things are going pretty well. Installs are on the rise, and I love sharing software with people.

You can view or download the embedded spreadsheet below. I?ve highlighted some interesting findings in the list directly below.

• My apps have been downloaded from the Play store a total of 223,872 times.
• My apps have (today) 27,508 active installs from the Play store.
• The average number of installs per app is 3k.
• The average active installs per app (today) is 410.
• During 2012 I received 10 total emails from users of my apps requesting bug fixes. I responded to every one.
• During 2012 I received 15 total emails for feature requests, I implemented 8 of them.
• Since becoming a Play store developer in May 2011, I have published 68 apps. I have pulled one app and had one app suspended due to DMCA request by Atari (custom pong.)
• All of my apps have crashed a total of 63 times. That?s less than one crash per year per app on average.
• The #1 most downloaded app is ?Easy Cat Whistle? with 48K, followed by ?Easy Pest Control? with 17k, and a three way tie with ?Easy Side by Side?, ?Easy Graph Paper?, and ?Easy File Split and Join? each having about 10-11k.
• The app with the most active installs is ?Easy Side by Side? with 3860, followed by ?Easy Cat Whistle? with 3459 and ?Easy Inventory? with 2629
• The average rating for one of my apps is 3.6 (out of 5). The average number of people who actually rate an app is ten.
• My one paid app (Super Whistle) took about two hours to complete and has been purchased 53 times, netting me ~40$
• I make about 50$ monthly on in-app advertising during the summer months, and 100$ during the winter months (this is not captured in this document, only through my bank statements). That?s about 2 times as much as I made from my monthly book sales in 2012, but only 1/150th of my monthly salary from working 9-5 jobs in 2012. Do note however, that most of these apps haven?t been updated since I initially published them in 2011, and advertising revenue continues to slowly rise. This slowly increases the return on those hours spent writing the apps initially.

As you can see, as an Android developer, I still get significantly more financial return from my time investment by working for an established organization. Not that money should generally be the driving force in your career, but for most of us it weighs in significantly. Mobile developers are the hot commodity right now, and companies can?t hire them fast enough or compensate them highly enough. It?s a volatile and exciting market that once again won?t be the same in a year. It likely won?t even resemble what it was a year ago. Those who know how to navigate the choppy waters of new technologies can, as usual, write their own checks. That said, it?s always good to have another revenue stream.

There?s also something incredibly satisfying about sharing software with people, especially when it is open sourced.

Download (XLS, 18KB)

Source: http://www.hunterdavis.com/2012/12/30/a-quarter-of-a-million-downloads-end-of-2012-metrics-for-hunter-davis-on-the-google-play-store/

festivus nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture Peter Billingsley bethenny frankel dallas cowboys Larry King

Blackburn euphonium player gains prestigious music college place

Blackburn euphonium player gains prestigious music college place

2:00pm Saturday 29th December 2012 in Blackburn

A TEENAGE Blackburn musician has proven he has the key to success after being accepted at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Daniel Thomas, 17, who attends St Wilfrid?s High School in Blackburn, has been playing the euphonium since the age of seven.

He is delighted to be one of the chosen few to be selected for the coveted places at the nationally acclaimed school for aspiring musicians.

Daniel, of Heartwood Close, Blackburn, said his dad, who is the head of music at St Bede?s RC High School, and his mum, who plays the cornet, have always encouraged him to be involved in music.

He said: ?I was delighted when I found out I had been accepted. I couldn?t believe it.

?It was my first choice and it?s the best place in the world for a euphonium player to go.?

Daniel will start the four year musical performance degree next September and is eager to start.

He said: ?The course will give me time to make sure I know the instrument inside and out and master the instrument. I will be able to go around the country, and possibly around the world, playing in some of the best brass bands.

?To be accepted is an honour and a privilege and I can?t wait to start. This offer had helped to set me in the right direction for the future.

?I have always enjoyed playing. I practice every day for an hour and perform in concerts with the Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band.

?I am also learning to play the trombone so that I can play in the orchestra for musicals in the pit.

?My parents are especially happy.?

Last year Daniel was named the most improved player of the year and bandsman of the year at the Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band?s annual awards.

Source: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/blackburn/10131382.Blackburn_euphonium_player_gains_prestigious_music_college_place/?ref=rss

seahawks Felix Baumgartner Little Nemo gawker earthquake today earthquake today Romney

Green Blog: A Price Tag for the Gowanus Cleanup

The Superfund cleanup of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is expected to cost $467 million to $504 million and will require dredging the 1.8-mile waterway to remove contaminated sediment, the federal Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday.

The agency, releasing an updated plan for public comment, is also proposing controls to prevent raw sewage discharges by the city, which have been an ongoing source of contamination.

The worst contamination of the Gowanus however, comes from its past as a major industrial transportation route for paper mills, tanneries, chemical plants and other businesses that operated alongside it. The waterway is polluted with more than a dozen contaminants, including PCBs and heavy metals like mercury, lead and copper.

Despite the heavy contamination and government advisories against fishing, officials say that some residents continue to eat fish from the canal.

?The proposed cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal will make essential progress in removing toxic contaminants from this heavily polluted and battered waterway,?? Judith A. Enck, the E.P.A.?s? regional administrator in New York, said in a statement. ?Our overall goal is to reduce pollution and protect the health of people who live and work in this community.?

In a phone interview, Ms. Enck said she expected the plan to be finalized by the end of next year. The design phase will then take about two years, and the cleanup itself will take until 2020, agency officials said.

?This is an area where millions of people live, and we?re going to work with the community so this is the least disruptive as possible, especially to local businesses,? Ms. Enck said.

Among the parties helping to pay for the cleanup are the city and other entities associated with the pollution of its waters, including National Grid, formerly the Brooklyn Union Gas company.

The Gowanus was added to the federal Superfund list in 2010 over the objections of the Bloomberg administration, which feared that the designation would deter development and had proposed a streamlined cleanup that it would help oversee. City officials have also clashed with the EPA over how to address the sewage overflow issue, given the costs the city would incur in seeking to address it.

But on Thursday, the city?s Department of Environmental Protection, which handles sewage treatment, said in a statement: ?We look forward to carefully reviewing the details of E.P.A.?s proposal and working with our state and federal partners to improve water quality and support the cleanup of the canal.?

The E.P.A.?s plan involves dividing the canal into three segments. For the first two, more heavily contaminated segments, the agency plans to dredge or ?stabilize? the sediment in some areas by mixing it with concrete or a similar material and then capping it with layers of clay, sand and gravel.
The third segment would be dredged and capped with sand, the agency said.

To prevent recontamination after the cleanup is completed, federal officials are also proposing installing controls at two major city outfall sites that discharge sewer overflows into the canal. The controls ? basically, holding tanks that would retain excess sewage and stormwater until the city?s treatment plants can handle it ? could reduce discharges of raw sewage by
58 percent to 74 percent, the agency said.

Two public meetings on the cleanup plan are scheduled, on Jan. 23 and 24, and the E.P.A. is accepting public comments until March 28. Written comments on the proposed plan should be addressed to:

Christos Tsiamis
Project Manager
Central New York Remediation Section
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
290 Broadway, 20th floor
New York, N.Y. 10007-1866

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/a-price-tag-for-the-gowanus-cleanup/?partner=rss&emc=rss

ups Ebates lotto Illinois Lottery texas lottery Dell Levis

Maryland law to protect children from ID theft goes into effect next ...

Attorney General Doug Gansler wants to remind parents that a new law goes into effect on Tuesday to protect children from ID theft.

The law allows parents and legal guardians to place a security freeze on their minor child?s credit records that would prevent identity thieves from opening credit accounts in the child?s name. ?In a statement issued earlier this week, Gansler explains:

A study published in 2011 by Carnegie Mellon University?s CyLab found more than 10 percent of Social Security numbers belonging to minors already have an active credit record, with 76 percent of the credit activity being fraudulent. About one in 10 victims who contact the Maryland Attorney General?s Identity Theft Unit are individuals who discover upon first seeking credit that someone had already opened a credit account using their name or Social Security number.

A child should not have a credit record unless someone has fraudulently opened a credit account in the child?s name. If the child has a credit record, the new law allows a parent to freeze the child?s credit record so that someone seeking to open new credit in the child?s name cannot access the credit report. If the child does not have a credit record, the parent may request that a credit reporting agency create a record that prohibits the agency from releasing information about the child to potential creditors. The new law similarly allows a guardian to place a freeze on the credit record of an individual under their care.

Parents or guardians may contact the three major credit reporting agencies to place a freeze:

Equifax: Submit a freeze request online on behalf of a minor at www.equifax.com, call 1-800-685-1111, or write to Equifax Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348. The requestor must submit their complete name, address, copy of a Social Security Card, or an official copy of a birth certificate, or a copy of a driver?s license, or any other government-issued identification, or a copy of a utility bill that shows name and home address. The same information is required of the minor on whom the freeze is being requested. Other information may also be required.

Experian: Submit a freeze request online on behalf of a minor athttp://www.experian.com/consumer/help/states/md.html, or write to: Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: Submit a freeze request online on behalf of a minor athttp://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/credit-freezes.page, call 888-909-8872 or write to TransUnion LLC, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834

The law is the first of its kind in the country.

Possibly Related Posts

Source: http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=32333

Star Trek Into Darkness redskins Heisman watch John McAfee Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao

Is Nature's Sunshine Expensive? | ArticlePDQ.com

?

?

In the modern era of alternative medicine product lines such as Nature?s Sunshine have become very popular in the herbal remedy and supplement industry.? These products are carried in a number of different establishments that operate as a natural health store.? The prices for these products fluctuate from store to store and from product to product.? There are several different product packages associated with this brand name and each of them have their own pricing structure established by the parent company responsible for manufacturing these product lines.? There are also a plethora of distribution centers that resell these items to the general public.

?

Depending on the natural health store the client is shopping at they may find prices to be a little higher than advertised in other areas or they may find them to be significantly lower than prices for the same products they have found elsewhere.? Nature?s Sunshine herbal remedies cover a wide range of healthy and useful solutions for clients to choose from.? These products come in different package configurations.? Clients have the ability to purchase a small package of a particular product as a sample prior to making a purchase of a larger package.? This should be an affordable solution for any consumer with an interest in buying from this product line.

?

Prices for Nature?s Sunshine products are competitive across the market regardless of which natural health store the consumer is shopping at, so while it may not be worthwhile to travel from one location to another in order to compare prices and save a few pennies on the purchase, there are ways to reduce the cost.? As with anything offered for sale, the client that elects to buy in bulk will realize a reduction in cost per unit.? This does not mean the overall price will not be more, it simply means that the more you buy the less it cost per package or capsule.

?

Individuals can also elect to purchase their Nature?s Sunshine products online as opposed to at a physical retail outlet that operates as a natural health store in order to save a little money during the purchase process.? The internet has become a forum for savings for those that use it in their shopping habits.? The prices for products that are purchased online are normally lower than what a consumer will find at the local store.? They can be bought and delivered within a matter of days or drop shipped to the client?s door the next day in some situations.

?

Regardless of where the potential purchaser decides to buy their Nature?s Sunshine products the prices are relatively affordable for most budgets.? Keep in mind that these are natural herbal remedies so the full price for purchase must be paid.? A natural health store will not accept any medical insurance coverage to compensate for the purchase of these products.? The alternative medicine industry is considered taboo by those in control of prescription medicine offered by the conventional industry associated with curative concoctions for illnesses.

?

Are you interested in finding affordable Nature?s Sunshine products and supplements? Come take a look at our natural health store web site, where we have all over their product lines in stock.

?

Source: http://articlepdq.com/health-fitness/supplements/is-natures-sunshine-expensive/

justin theroux Bumbo recall USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014 powerball numbers

The Free Internet Survived 2012, But Will It Be That Lucky Next Year ...

2012 was a dangerous year for the free Internet. Lawmakers and global stakeholders all took a shot at policing and regulating the Internet over the past year to no avail. That doesn?t mean they?ve given up, and 2013 could prove disastrous if certain parties have their way.

To that end, it would be advantageous to look back on all the bills, treaties, etc that threatened the Internet in 2012. As they say, those who don?t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Internet freedom fighters will have to learn from tactics employed this year to recognize threats to a free Internet before they even emerge.

Were you concerned for the free Internet in 2012? Do you think next year will be worse or better??Let us know in the comments.

The first battle over the free Internet came in January as the much debated?SOPA and PIPA?came up for vote in Congress. The bills were designed to combat copyright infringement online, but the powers granted to the government to do so were sweeping and overly broad. SOPA in particular gave government the power to censor Web sites on the DNS level thereby removing them from general access to most users. Potential for abuse was high and many feared that the bill would be used to destroy innovation and protect legacy businesses that have yet to adapt to how the Internet does business.

Worryingly enough, it looked like both bills would actually see smooth sailing through both the Senate and the House. Then the Internet banded together and?launched a blackout campaignthat saw many popular sites like Wikipedia going dark to show people what a world with SOPA could potentially look like. The tactic worked as thousands of concerned citizens?called their representatives?telling them to vote no on SOPA and PIPA. The bills were finally?taken off the table for good?in October.

After the threat of SOPA and PIPA subsided, a new threat emerged. It had free Internet proponents even more concerned as it was as international treaty that sought to rewrite international law in favor of large corporate interests. The treaty was called the?Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA for short, and it contained a number of worrying implications. The most concerning part of the treaty was that it would require ISPs around the world to ?monitor and censor online communications.? It was not only a threat to free speech on the Internet, but a major threat to online privacy as well.

After many parts of the treaty were leaked, citizens in countries across Europe took to the streets to protest. The protests worked as many countries refused to ratify the treaty and it was finally dealt a death blow in July as the European Parliament?voted against it.?The treaty was?officially shelved,?at least in Europe, earlier in December.

All the previous treaties and bills only sought to remove copyright infringing material from the Internet. It?s bad, but it could be worse. Our friends in Washington took on that challenge when lawmakers introduced?CISPA and CSA?? two bills that aimed to tackle cybersecurity, but threatened to violate any privacy that U.S. citizens may have online. CISPA was definitely more worrisome as it?had the support of those who opposed SOPA?just a few months prior. The new bill garnered support because it made it easier for companies to share information with government bodies without having to worry about lawsuits from those whose information was shared without consent.

Like the previous bills thus far, both were killed before getting very far.?CISPA was able to pass the House, but its Senate counterpart, CSA, was killed time and time again. The latest attempt for passage happened in mid-November with the bill?being officially killed?for the last time.

The biggest threat by far, however, happened earlier in December when delegates around the world met to discuss an update to a decades old telecommunications treaty. The ITU, or International Telecommunications Union, was met with skepticism as some felt less than scrupulous members of the global community would use the meeting as an opportunity to?seize control of the Internet. They did not disappoint as China, Saudia Arabia and others?introduced a last minute change?to the treaty that would have given them more power over the Internet. The treaty was?rejected by the U.S.?and much of Europe though, and it was unceremoniously killed.

Do you think these were legitimate threats to the free Internet? Were Internet freedom proponents blowing the potential threat of these bills and treaties out of proportion?Let us know in the comments.

As the above illustrates, 2012 was one hell of a year for Internet censorship and regulations. All of it was defeated, however, and tired Internet freedom fighters can rest easy knowing that the Internet is no longer under attack, right? Wrong. 2013 is shaping up to be an even worse year for proposed Internet regulation as various treaties and bills from 2012 are sticking around into the new year while new treaties and bills will obviously be proposed in due time.

Speaking of relics from 2012, TPP is a prime example of a trade agreement that refuses to die. The?Trans-Pacific Partnership?is much like ACTA, but it seeks to establish better trade relations between the U.S. and Southeast Asia. It?s similarities to ACTA don?t end there, however, as the treaty is negotiated in complete secrecy without any input from the public or Congress. In fact, many members of Congress are lobbying to have the USTR?make negotiations more transparentsince they have the constitutional right of approving treaties.

So, where does TPP stand in 2013? It could go either way to be honest. We keep hearing tales of how the treaty is constantly on its last legs as Southeast Asian countries are?starting to realize it?s not good?for their economy, but the secrecy in which it?s being negotiated makes it hard to tell just how close it is to either death or ratification.

Another worrisome trade agreement to look out for in 2013 is CETA ? the?Canada-European Union Trade Agreement. It doesn?t directly affect the U.S., but the treaty?s passage could spell trouble for the free Internet around the world as the treaty contains much of the same language that made ACTA so horrible. If ratified, the treaty could be seen as proof that ACTA wasn?t so bad and new attempts to ratify similar treaties could take hold around the world.

The last relic left over from 2012 is?Clean IT?? an European Commission project that seeks to censor the Internet in the name of protecting citizens from terrorism. The concern is that the project does little to actually stop terrorism and does everything in its power to use the Internet to monitor citizens in everything that they do. What?s worse is that the project turns people into Internet vigilantes where they can submit content that they feel is terroristic or otherwise ?bad? to have it removed and those who fail to report any ?bad? material would be punished.

As you can see, 2013 is already looking pretty grim and these are just the leftovers from 2012. There?s bound to be more laws, treaties and projects introduced in 2013 that will make SOPA, ACTA and others look like bastions of Internet freedom in comparison.

The free Internet has been a major force of change in the world, and some clearly don?t like that whether they be a legacy business that refuses to adapt or a world power that wants to subjugate its citizens even in the digital world. Either way, the Internet has proven to be resilient to any threats against it thus far and 2013 may prove to be its biggest test yet. It will be fascinating to see how the Internet and those who use it respond.

Cited from?http://www.webpronews.com/

Source: http://www.seochampion.com/seoblog/the-free-internet-survived-2012-but-will-it-be-that-lucky-next-year.php

Tulane player injured frank ocean fox sports obama speech amber rose drew peterson Art Modell

Stomach bug knocks Nadal from Australian Open

FILE - In this June 10, 2012, file photo, Spain's Rafael Nadal wipes his face as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's final match in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Nadal will miss the Australian Open because of a stomach virus, further delaying his comeback after being sidelined since June.(AP Photo/David Vincent, File)

FILE - In this June 10, 2012, file photo, Spain's Rafael Nadal wipes his face as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's final match in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Nadal will miss the Australian Open because of a stomach virus, further delaying his comeback after being sidelined since June.(AP Photo/David Vincent, File)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? Just when Rafael Nadal had recovered from a knee injury, a stomach virus has delayed his return to tennis by a couple of months.

Nadal announced Friday he will miss next month's Australian Open and probably won't play again until the end of February. The Spaniard said he needs time to recover from the virus that already prevented him from coming back this week at Abu Dhabi.

Nadal has been sidelined since June with a knee injury, which forced him to miss the London Olympics and U.S. Open. He had planned to rejoin the ATP tour at the Qatar Open in Doha next month before the Jan. 14-27 Australian Open, but pulled out of both.

"We just hope he gets better quickly and we see him back on the tour as soon as possible," Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said. "Tennis fans across the world have been missing him."

While he is expected to recover from the virus in time for the year's first Grand Slam tournament, Nadal and his team said he wouldn't have the proper preparation for a five-set event.

Nadal stressed that his decision had nothing to do with the tendinitis in his left knee. That injury prompted him to take a break following a second-round loss to then 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June.

"My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors," Nadal said in a statement from his hometown of Manacor on the island of Mallorca. "But this virus didn't allow me to practice this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open."

The former No. 1 hopes to return at a tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, starting Feb. 27. He left open the possibility of playing at an earlier tournament if his recovery went well.

"As my team and doctors say, the safest thing to do is to do things well and this virus has delayed my plans of playing these weeks," Nadal said. "I always said that my return to competition will be when I am in the right conditions to play and after all this time away from the courts I'd rather not accelerate the comeback and prefer to do things well."

Nadal's doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, said in the same statement that the player needed at least a week to recover from the virus. That ruled him out for the Qatar Open, which starts Jan. 2.

Nadal's coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, said going straight to a five-set tournament after being sidelined so long was "not appropriate."

"It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best-of-five sets event," he said in a statement. "He wouldn't be ready for that."

Nadal's knee injury prevented the 11-time Grand Slam winner from defending his Olympic singles gold medal at last summer's games, where he was supposed to be Spain's flag-bearer in the opening ceremony. He also had to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain's Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, which his teammates lost without him.

Nadal, ranked No. 4, won the Australian Open in 2009. Last year, he lost to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in a title match that lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes, the longest recorded Grand Slam final.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-28-TEN-Nadal-Injury/id-eb2a0dce5d1f4d27a101f9842ba2022a

houston texans pecan pie recipe dick clark Hector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski

Publishing Your eZine the Cons | My life | modordukan

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://modordukan.blogspot.com/2012/12/publishing-your-ezine-cons-my-life.html

mike wallace chicago cubs split pea soup recipe the client list yahoo.com/mail baylor april 9

Online Internet Marketing | Mother of Technology

In the globe of internet, internet marketing is the imminent marketing funds of promoting goods and sacrament on the internet. Internet marketing is the entire re by means of the command of Internet publicity to produce a reaction from your interview. Plus celebrated as online marketing or complication marketing, online marketing is old by companies promotion commodities and navy frankly to trade as lucky as individuals who run on a business-to-business mock-up.

In internet marketing at hand is two key in players, supporter and publisher. Supporter may well be a business who is promotion the goods or navy over internet and publisher is the one who publishes in turn as in a website. Supporter pays for the promotion of the commodities, navy, or whichever total of further clothes, anywhere as publisher plus celebrated as associate gets rewarded for marketing. Internet marketing saves epoch and helps to produce immense revenue. On the contrary as the lot as has its concede pros and cons in related approach smooth online marketing has a quantity of as follows:

Benefit of Online Marketing

Internet vendor has the benefit of measuring info by far and on the cheap not quite the entire aspects of an Internet marketing canvass be capable of be traced, considered, and experienced. The advertisers be capable of usage a multiplicity of methods, such as shell out apiece mark, shell out apiece click and shell out apiece lawsuit. So, marketers be capable of control which e-mail or offerings are added appealing to the interview. The consequences of campaigns be capable of be considered and tracked at once as online marketing initiatives by and large oblige users to click on an advertisement, to stay a website, and to complete a besieged lawsuit.

The focal inconvenience of the internet marketing is from the buyers perspective, the lack of ability of shoppers to move, to smell, to go through, and to appraise on solid commodities earlier production an online buy be capable of be warning. But, at hand is an business degree for e-commerce vendors to reassure customers by having liberal come again policies as lucky as if in-store unplanned- navy.

Close

Internet provides huge opportunities for advertisers, and so they be capable of tip hopeful benevolent the purchaser added in turn re a instance result that they are endorsing.

Customers recover it laid-back to rummage around goods that they propose to believe terminated the internet. It just requires that they record the completely keyword and click on the rummage around do up in whichever rummage around engine.

Online marketing outlay take away compared to whichever further caring of publicity or marketing. So it one of the largely actual sense of marketing in the today?s globe of internet.

Source: http://www.rightwingwackomom.com/online-internet-marketing.html

Olympic Medal Count 2012 Olympics 2012 Olympic Schedule 2012 NBC Olympics NBC Olympics schedule 2012 Olympics Chad Everett

60 years of PUC Intramurals | Intramural Sports | Purdue University ...

60 Years Of PUC Intramurals

In 1952 the University hired Bob Hayes part-time as a phys ed teacher and to start an intramural program. With no gymnasium on campus the program had no ?home? for the first two years of existence. Intramural basketball was held outside The Center Building (Later named the Gyte Building in 1973) at ?Meier Hall? a little green shed with a basket and old beat-up backboard.? Meier hall was nicknamed after the person who recruited Mr. Hayes, Paul Meier the administrative assistant to Mr. Gyte. When the weather turned colder the intramural program moved indoors to the gymnasiums at Edison and Maywood schools in Hammond.

In 1954 Intramurals found its home on ?campus? at the Armory building. The Armory was home to intramurals, athletics and P.E. Program. The first four intramural offerings were basketball, baseball, volleyball and ping pong. Bob Hayes was a one man program running athletics, intramurals and teaching while being a part-time employee until 1956 when he was hired full-time.

During the early to mid-60?s the heart of the athletic program was the Phys-ed and Intramural program. Though as the 60?s began to fade so did many of the intramural activities.

In 1971 Coach Gordon Rosenau reorganized the intramural program along with a committee made-up of 5 students. The committee?s responsibility was to find out student interests and attitudes towards the intramural program. Many new activities were added: slow pitch softball, touch football, badminton, tennis and floor hockey to name a few.

In 1980 The Physical Education and Recreation Building (PER) opened its doors. This became the new and current home for intramurals. The program was led by Jeff Lopez who added many activities during his short tenure as director.

The 90?s and early 2000?s saw an inconsistent program with some years better than others. As the 90?s ended and a new century began the intramural program was down to offering two sports a year (basketball and volleyball). In 2002 a new position was created to build back the program and get a foundation set in place before the future additions of campus housing. The driving force behind having a full-time person whose one and only job is to focus on intramurals was the then Athletic Director Rob Jensen. The position was titled Sports Coordinator and today as we celebrate 60 years of intramurals the program has grown to over 40 activities throughout the fall/spring & summer. With the mission of the program to offer something for everyone from the traditional: Volleyball, basketball and flag football to the unique: Baking, ?Intra Mural? and fishing.

Matt Dudzik

Director of Purdue Calumet Intramurals

Posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2012 at 3:18 pm

Source: http://webs.purduecal.edu/intramurals/2012/12/27/60-years-of-puc-intramurals/

peyton manning 49ers andy pettitte tyler clementi kevin kolb sarah shahi george clooney rutgers

How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off By a Web Design/Development ...

?My developer took the deposit and vanished.?
?My developer won?t give me access to the files I paid for.?
?My developer doesn?t have the knowledge to complete my website.?
?They didn?t complete the website and now they won?t return my calls.?
??The designer never understood our brand.?

At least once a week a potential client will tell us a horror story of past experiences with web designers and developers. In a world where there are seemingly unlimited design firms and freelancers willing to take on your project, your challenge is selecting one who can understand your vision and execute on it.

Here is our advice to help you avoid getting ripped of by web development and design companies:

Avoid ?Fly by Night? developers:

These are usually one-person shops who may or may not outsource web design and development. If they do NOT outsource, you should beware because these ?jack-of-all-trades? may be good at one thing but are probably not experts at all the necessary tasks required to build a successful website; strategy, branding, interface architecture, visual design, marketing and programming. Also, if these one-person-shops decide to go on vacation, get hit by a bus, lose interest, etc., that can mean your project will suffer. So say ?no thanks? to your friends friend or your cousin Ernie who promises they can deliver a complete website on their own.

Another web developer you?ll want to avoid is a one-person shop that uses the outsource model. The person you see will be a combination salesperson and project manager. Once they get your project they will quickly outsource it to (insert name of foreign, low-wage country here). Although the outsource country is probably good at slapping together templates, they really have no knowledge, nor do they care about your brand, target clients, etc., so you will probably end up with a weak, unfocused web solution that will need updating sooner than not.

Proprietary and Hosted Solutions

Avoid web companies that build your site using their own proprietary framework. They may dazzle you with lots of cool, built-in features and a low setup cost tied to a monthly ?maintenance? fee.?? But if they are building your website on a framework that they developed and own, if you ever have a falling out or need to move your website somewhere else you?re SOL (shit-out-of-luck). Because they own the code, the most they will probably give you is a dump of your text content and you?ll have to start from scratch with another developer.

Be Prepared:

Be prepared, it works for the boy scouts ? it can work for you too. Have a clear idea of what you want to build before you get estimates. By giving web firms a clear list of your requirements, there is less possibility of communication problems and missed expectations. Also with a requirements list, web firms will be giving you estimates you can compare because they are bidding on the same project and not just assuming they know what you want (or trying to sell you on features you don?t need). Get multiple quotes and rates from several developers to determine the industry standard for your type of project. Be sure you get a concrete estimate prior to beginning work. ?Don?t hesitate to ask your potential provider anything that is unclear.

Research their reputation:

You should research the web firms you are considering. Here?s a handy tip: search for the business name in quotes on Google. You may just come across a forum post from someone telling you to beware! Ask how long they have been in business and for references or case studies on projects similar to your own.? Another good idea is to check with the Better Business Bureau online to see if they are certified.?

Test their customer service:

One way to test a web design firm?s customer service is to see how well they respond to your phone calls and emails during the initial consultation phase. If it takes them a week to answer an email from a prospective client, imagine how long it will take after they have your money.? Keep in mind that most web designers and developers are not professional project managers and customer service experts, so you?ll want to consider how the company functions and exactly who you will be dealing with for each phase of the process.

Consider the future:

Keep in mind that there may be new features and functionality you?ll want to implement into future versions of your website. Be sure to discuss the options of building a site that allows for upgrades and future integration.?What if you have to make a minor change or revision to your site after the initial work is complete?

Ensure that once the project is launched, that the developers will provide you with all technical information to access the backend of the site and graphical assets so that you have the freedom to hire different providers if you so choose.

These are just a few of the many factors that can help you choose the right web professional and avoid getting ripped off.

If you ready to get your business online or would like to update your current web presence call our office today at (310)-754-3807 to schedule a free website consultation to get you started! To get more information about the Executionists? strategy or development process, or to learn more about our other Internet services please visit us online today!

Source: http://www.executionists.com/blog/blog/how-to-avoid-getting-ripped-off-by-a-web-designdevelopment-company/

lisa marie presley florida panthers tannehill joel ward mock draft washington redskins north country

Document drop: Another Obama ICE memo sabotages homeland security (Michellemalkin)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273187012?client_source=feed&format=rss

yeardley love nba all star reserves rock center christine christine will ferrell double fine adventure

Afghanistan: Woman who killed American is Iranian

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The policewoman who killed an American contractor in Kabul is a native Iranian who came to Afghanistan and displayed "unstable behavior" but no known links to militants, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

The policewoman, identified as Sgt. Nargas, shot 49-year-old Joseph Griffin, of Mansfield, Georgia, on Monday, in the first such shooting by a woman in a spate of insider attacks by Afghans against their foreign allies. Nargas walked into a heavily-guarded compound in the heart of Kabul, confronted Griffin and gunned him down with a single pistol bullet.

The U.S-based security firm DynCorp International said on its website that Griffin was a U.S. military veteran who earlier worked with law enforcement agencies in the United States. In Kabul, he was under contract to the NATO military command to advise the Afghan police force.

Insider killings have eroded the trust between the foreign contingent and the Afghan government, just a year before most NATO troops are set to withdraw and turn security responsibility over to local forces.

The ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqi, told a news conference that Nargas, who uses one name like many in the country, was born in Tehran, where she married an Afghan. She moved to the country 10 years ago after her husband obtained fake documents enabling her to live and work there.

A mother of four in her early 30s, she joined the police five years ago, held various positions and had a clean record, he said. Sediqi produced an Iranian passport which he said was found at her home.

"Her mental condition is not good," he said, describing her behavior as "unstable." He said that after she attended a recent training course in Egypt a "foreign government" ? a clear reference to Egypt ? informed Afghan authorities that she did not appear to be "normal."

On Monday, senior Afghan officials said the policewoman was licensed to carry the weapon into the compound and was well known there. On Tuesday, however, the chief investigator, Gen. Mohammad Zahir, told reporters that she was not authorized to carry weapons into the compound but managed to pass through security checks with a hidden pistol. Zahir said the lapse of security was also being investigated, as well as whether she had connections with foreign or local militant groups.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the killing.

Zahir said that during interrogation, the policewoman said she had plans to kill either the Kabul governor, city police chief or Zahir himself, but when she realized that penetrating the last security cordons to reach them would be too difficult, she saw "a foreigner" and turned her weapon on him.

On Monday, NATO said that "some temporary, prudent measures" might be put into place to lessen exposure of NATO personnel to insider attacks, but the training of Afghan police would not be stopped. The NATO command had no additional comment on the case Tuesday.

There have been 60 insider attacks this year against foreign military and civilian personnel, compared to 21 in 2011. This surge presents another looming security issue as NATO prepares to pull out almost all of its forces by 2014, turning the war against the Taliban and other militant groups largely in the hands of the Afghans.

More than 50 Afghan members of the government's security forces also have died this year in attacks by their own colleagues. The Taliban claims such incidents reflect a growing popular opposition to the foreign military presence and the Kabul government.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-woman-killed-american-iranian-122754343.html

st patrick s day parade duke invisible children garbage pail kids st bonaventure ncaa tournament 2012 peyton manning 49ers

Video: NRA speaks out, reignites gun control debate (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272854977?client_source=feed&format=rss

front door alyssa bustamante protandim weightless ellen degeneres jcpenney yeardley love nba all star reserves

Lost, blind dog finds way back to Alaska owners

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) ? Blind and alone in Alaska winter temperatures that dipped 40 degrees below zero, a lost 8-year-old Fairbanks dog wasn't given much of a chance to make it home.

But after walking 10 miles to the edge of a local musher's dog yard, Abby the brown-and-white mixed breed was found and returned to her owners, a family that includes two boys and one girl under the age of 10.

The dog that the family raised from an animal-shelter puppy went missing during a snowstorm on Dec. 13, and the family never expected to see her again, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported (http://bit.ly/VhceSZ ).

"It's a miracle, there's no other words to describe it," said McKenzie Grapengeter, emotion choking her voice and tears coming to her eyes. "We never expected to have her to be returned safe and alive."

Musher and veterinarian Mark May said he came across the dog while running his team on Dec. 19, but didn't stop to pick her up.

"It ran with us for about a mile on the way home before she fell off the pace, but I had a big dog team so I couldn't grab it," he said. "I said, 'boy I hope it finds somebody's house.'"

The next day, the dog turned up at May's house.

"Everybody just assumed it was some kind of scaredy-cat, but there it was in front of the door in our dog lot and it was blind," May said. "It was sitting there, all the way from 14 mile on the winter trail down into this neighborhood, I guess by just sniffing, so I picked it up and brought it in."

To May's surprise, the dog had no signs of frostbite.

"No frozen ears, no frozen toes, she'll probably go back home and it'll (be) business as usual. She's no worse for wear but quite an adventure," he said.

The Grapengeter family hadn't tagged or put a microchip in the dog, but the community used social media to track down Abby's owners.

"We're so, so grateful for all (the community's) hard work," McKenzie Grapengeter said. "They've given us the most amazing Christmas gift we could ever ask for."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lost-blind-dog-finds-way-back-alaska-owners-203656548.html

roger goodell psychosis dianna agron million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars

Ultrasound diagnoses appendicitis without X-rays

Dec. 24, 2012 ? Children suspected of having appendicitis are more likely to receive CT scans, which involve radiation, if they are evaluated at a general hospital, a new study by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown.

Similar patients who went to St. Louis Children's Hospital were more often evaluated with an ultrasound scan, a safer option that uses sound waves instead of radiation to confirm or rule out the need for surgery to remove the appendix.

Use of either scanning technique can potentially reduce the occurrence of unnecessary surgeries and expedite the diagnosis of appendicitis. But recent reports have suggested that the radiation exposures in CT scans can significantly increase children's lifetime cancer risk. As a result, researchers are reassessing the role of CT scans and seeking ways to reduce their use.

The study appears online Dec. 24 in the journal Pediatrics.

"Appendicitis is a very tough diagnosis, because its symptoms overlap with viral infections and other problems," says first author Jacqueline Saito, MD, assistant professor of surgery. "We don't want to operate when the appendix is fine, but if we wait too long, an inflamed appendix can rupture or perforate, making recovery more complicated and much slower."

The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch that extends from the large intestine. Infection or blockage of the appendix causes appendicitis, which can lead to abdominal pain, vomiting and fever.

Saito and her colleagues analyzed case records of 423 children who had appendectomies, or surgery to remove the appendix, at St. Louis Children's Hospital. In 218 patients initially evaluated at Children's Hospital and 205 at general hospitals, researchers reviewed how the patients were evaluated for appendicitis and whether the surgery's results confirmed the diagnosis.

CT scans, which take X-ray images from multiple angles, have been the primary diagnostic scan for detecting appendicitis for many years. About 85 percent of children initially evaluated at a general hospital underwent preoperative CT scans, and 45 percent of children initially seen at St. Louis Children's Hospital had CT scans. Using ultrasound to detect appendicitis has recently become more frequent, especially at St. Louis Children's Hospital; over half of children initially seen at St. Louis Children's Hospital, compared to 20 percent at general hospitals, had preoperative ultrasound.

Only 7 percent were not scanned using either method, and 15 percent had both types of imaging.

While ultrasound scans are safer for diagnosing appendicitis in children, they must be performed and interpreted by personnel who have received specialized training and are familiar with pediatric diagnostics.

"Ultrasound scans are difficult to perform correctly in this context, and what specialists can do at Children's Hospital may not be realistic or even available in a general hospital, which doesn't care for children as often," Saito says.

Saito is currently studying the outcomes of patients whose scans ruled out an appendectomy, looking to see if they had any additional symptoms or eventually had to have their appendixes removed.

"Ultimately what we'd liked to do is learn how we can reduce our use of CT imaging without compromising patient care," she says. "We want to find ways to identify the patients who really need these scans and those who can be effectively evaluated using other methods."

Funding from the National Center for Research Resources (award number UL1RR024992) and the St. Louis Children's Hospital Children's Hospital Children's Surgical Sciences Institute.

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 Washington University in St. Louis. The original article was written by Michael C. Purdy.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jacqueline M. Saito, Yan Yan, Thomas W. Evashwick, Brad W. Warner, Phillip I. Tarr. Use and Accuracy of Diagnostic Imaging by Hospital Type in Pediatric Appendicitis. Pediatrics, 2012; [link]

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/oAFUIzf6JhQ/121224113349.htm

jessie j jessie j David Boudia David Rakoff Bourne Legacy Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer

Adele Trademarks Her Name? | Adele | News | MTV UK

11:38, Monday, 24 December 2012

Record-breaking singer Adele has reportedly trademarked her name in order to stop fans being tricked into buying unofficial merchandise.

The Sun newspaper suggests the move will prevent people from misusing her name on items such as perfume and jewellery.

A source told the tabloid: "She doesn't want anyone exploiting her name by using it on products which may trick punters into thinking she's involved with it."

The trademark would mean her identity is protected, and make it easier for the superstar singer to take legal action against anyone using her name to dupe fans.

Adele has enjoyed an incredible year, having been named Billboard's Top Artist Of The Year for the second time, won countless awards, recorded the James Bond Skyfall theme, and welcomed her first child into the world.

?

Watch MTV News on the hour every hour on MTV - Sky Channel 126 and Virgin Channel 311

Source: http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/adele/371614-adele-trademarks-name

andrew breitbart dead sheriff joe arpaio limbaugh aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio

FDA Backs Safety of Transgenic Fish

Transgenic AquAdvantage salmon grow twice as fast as wild Atlantic salmon. Image: Barrett & McKay Photography / AquaBounty

The first genetically engineered (GE) animal for human consumption?a fast-growing salmon?has come a step closer to the dinner table, with a piece of paperwork posted online on December 22 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA?s draft environmental assessment concludes that the fish poses no foreseeable risk to nature. After 60 days of public comment, the FDA may issue a final assessment and approval?at which time AquaBounty, of Maynard, Mass., can begin selling the fish.

However, the draft assessment was dated 4 May, suggesting that the FDA had kept its conclusions under wraps for several months. Advocates on both sides of the issue speculate that political interference may be responsible. ?I think it was controversial, and it was an election year,? says Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch, a Washington, D.C., group opposed to GE food animals. An FDA spokeswoman, Morgan Liscinsky, declined to comment on accusations that the process had been politicized, and says it?s possible that the agency could request further studies after the public comment period.

Delays would not shock AquaBounty's CEO, Ron Stotish, whose company has been seeking FDA approval for the fish since 1995. When he was alerted to the decision today, he didn?t initially believe it. ?I said, ?I?ll wait until I see it because I?ve received calls like this before and it never happened,?? he says. The FDA has reviewed more than 50 safety studies, including one that shows the engineered salmon poses no more of an allergic potential than a wild salmon. The engineered Atlantic salmon contains an active growth-hormone gene from a Chinook salmon that allows it to reach market weight in 18 months rather than three years.

Anti-GE groups still have a long list of concerns. Lovera would like to see more studies done on the potential health risks of the salmon, published in peer-reviewed journals and conducted by scientists with no affiliation to AquaBounty. However, it?s not clear where the money to conduct such tests would come from, as?federal research funding rarely supports GE animals.

The GE salmon are currently kept within enclosed, inland tanks to prevent the small risk that the nearly sterile females will breed with wild salmon. But Lovera still worries that once the fish are approved, manufacturers will file for permits to keep them within nets in the open ocean in order to lower costs. ?This is basically the final step and we think the FDA has given a strong signal that they will accept the fish, and that is a mistake,? she says.

Stotish counters that as part of their application, AquaBounty has promised to not sell the fish to farmers who do not have enclosed, inland tanks. After 17 years and $60 million spent trying to win FDA approval, Stotish is still cautious. ?We are not so foolish to think that this process will suddenly be normal for us,? he says.

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on December 22, 2012.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=84efcb0855c7fb6aba03a9fa07ae7c4f

psychosis dianna agron million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars