Jobless claims hint at improving labor market

Reuters ? ? ? 4 hrs.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, suggesting some traction in the labor market recovery.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 4,000 more applications received than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to fall to 360,000.

Claims have seen large swings in recent months because of difficulties smoothing the data for seasonal fluctuations, making it hard to get a clear pulse of the labor market's health.

But economists say not all the improvement in claims can be attributed to seasonal factors, suggesting some pick-up in the labor market recovery.

Last week's decline left claims at the lower end of the their range for this year. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 6,750 to 355,000.

A Labor Department analyst said no states were estimated.

Job gains have averaged 177,000 per month over the past six months. At least 250,000 jobs per month over a sustained period are needed to significantly reduce the ranks of unemployed, economists say.

The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage point to 7.9 percent in January. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the jobless rate was unlikely to reach more normal levels for several years.

High unemployment prompted the U.S. central bank last year to launch an open-ended bond buying program that it said it would keep up until it saw a substantial improvement in the outlook for the labor market.

The number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 91,000 to 3.07 million in the week ended February 16, the lowest level since June 2008. The household survey from which the unemployment rate is derived was also conducted during the week ended Feb 16.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/jobless-claims-hint-improving-labor-market-1C8612034

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Emergency room patients ask: How much will I be charged?

Feb. 27, 2013 ? It's a basic, reasonable question: How much will this cost me? For patients in the emergency room, the answer all too often is a mystery.

Emergency departments play a critical role in health care, yet consumers typically know little about how medical charges are determined and often underestimate their financial responsibility -- then are shocked when the hospital bill arrives.

A new study led by UC San Francisco highlights the problem by identifying giant price swings in patient charges for the 10 most common outpatient conditions in emergency rooms across the country.

Out-of-pocket patient charges ranged from $4 to $24,110 for sprains and strains; from $15 to $17,797 for headache treatment; from $128 to $39,408 for kidney stone treatment; from $29 to $29,551 for intestinal infections; and from $50 to $73,002 for urinary tract infections.

The study, representing an estimated 76 million emergency department visits between 2006 and 2008, is the first to demonstrate a large, nationwide variability in charges for common emergency department outpatient conditions, according to the researchers. The analysis uses data from the 2006-2008 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The study will be published online Feb. 27, 2013 in PLOS ONE.

Amid escalating health care costs and a growing burden of medical debt among many Americans, cost controls and transparency in the nation's emergency rooms are increasingly important, the authors said, particularly for medical conditions that are less time-sensitive.

"Our study shows unpredictable and wide differences in health care costs for patients,'' said senior author Renee Y. Hsia, MD, an assistant professor emergency medicine at UCSF. She is also an attending physician in the emergency department at San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center.

"Patients actually have very little knowledge about the costs of their health care, including emergency visits that may or may not be partially covered by insurance,'' she said. "Much of this information is far too difficult to obtain.''

The cost of health care has increasingly been at the forefront of economic, political and medical debate. But especially when it comes to emergency rooms (ERs), visited by an estimated one in five Americans annually, patients as well as their physicians are often in the dark about billable charges.

For consumers with health insurance, escalating ER charges are resulting in larger deductibles and co-payments. And for the ranks of uninsured patients, who disproportionately rely on the emergency department for non-emergency care, higher ER charges result in a larger proportion of self-pay responsibility.

The study focused on adults 18 to 64 years old, the demographic at the highest risk of facing the largest out-of-pocket charges. It excluded people 65 or older because most such patients are covered by Medicare. And it excluded visits resulting in hospital admission.

Altogether, the researchers looked at the total charges -- medical care, tests and treatment -- for 8,303 patients, nearly half of them privately insured. The charges do not represent the amount patients or insurers reimburse providers, but rather the total charge that patients or their insurance providers are billed. Because of the complex survey design, the number of patients analyzed in the sample was weighted to provide the total estimated number of ER visits during the study timeframe.

The most common outpatient conditions were sprains and strains, "other injuries,'' and "open wounds of extremities.'' Many patients suffered from hypertension, asthma or high cholesterol.

Among key findings:

• The median charge for total outpatient conditions was $1,233.
• Upper respiratory infections had the lowest median charge: $740.
• A kidney stone condition had the highest median price: $3437.
• Uninsured patients were charged the lowest median price ($1,178) followed by those with private insurance ($1,245) and Medicaid ($1,305).

"While most patients with time-sensitive conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or sepsis may not be in a position to make decisions about their care based on costs or charges, there are many situations in which patients could reasonably inquire about the potential financial implications of their medical care before making treatment decisions,'' the authors wrote.

While the study was not designed to evaluate specific reasons behind the cost variations, the authors noted previous research attributing cost differences to factors such as geographic location and provider reimbursement variations.

More transparency in hospital charges is needed, the authors said, and consumers should be better informed about the costs of their medical care.

Co-authors are Nolan Caldwell, MD of Stanford University; Tanja Srebotnjak, Phd, of the Ecologic Institute in San Mateo; and Tiffany Wang, BA, of the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Support for the study was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (UCSF-CTSI Grant Number KL2TR000143), and the UCSF Center for Healthcare Value.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The original article was written by Elizabeth Fernandez.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Nolan Caldwell, Tanja Srebotnjak, Tiffany Wang, Renee Hsia. ?How Much Will I Get Charged for This?? Patient Charges for Top Ten Diagnoses in the Emergency Department. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e55491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055491

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/top_news/top_health/~3/uBxmZ0cFqVM/130227183313.htm

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Study connects early childhood with pain, depression in adulthood

Feb. 27, 2013 ? It's common knowledge that a child who misses a meal can't concentrate in school. But what happens years down the road? Does that missed meal have any bearing on health in adulthood?

A new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study shows that missed meals in childhood can be linked to experiencing pain and depression in adulthood. Depression and chronic pain are experienced by 44 percent of working-aged adults and the study shows a correlation between childhood conditions and pain and depression in adulthood.

The study by UNL sociologist Bridget Goosby examines how childhood socioeconomic disadvantages and maternal depression increase the risk of major depression and chronic pain in working-aged adults.

Goosby examined a survey of 4,339 adults from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication looking for a relationship between circumstances in childhood and physical and mental health in working-age adults. She specifically looked at data from adults 25 to 64 years old.

Goosby said she was surprised to find that experiencing hunger in childhood can lead to chronic pain and depression in adulthood.

"The most robust child socioeconomic condition was experiencing hunger," Goosby said. "Kids who missed meals have a much higher risk of experiencing pain and depression in adulthood."

Goosby said pain and depression are biologically linked in medical literature and childhood conditions are strongly correlated with the risk of experiencing depression.

"Childhood conditions that are strongly correlated with the risk of experiencing depression in adulthood, may in fact, also be similar to the childhood conditions that are correlated with chronic pain in adulthood," Goosby said.

The study also found that maternal depression had a correlation with adults having depression later in life.

"Mother's depression mattered across the board," Goosby said. "You're at a higher risk for depression and physical pain if your mother had major depression."

Goosby said she was interested in whether childhood disadvantage amplified the risk of experiencing chronic pain or depression in adulthood.

In the study, Goosby noted that those who grew up with parents with less than 12 years of education had a much higher risk of experiencing chronic pain compared to adults with more highly educated parents, a disparity that becomes evident after age 42 and grew larger over time.

"Adults with parents who have 12 or fewer years of education show substantially larger risks of experiencing chronic pain in adulthood compared to adults with more highly educated parents," Goosby said.

With this information, Goosby said she hopes policymakers will pay attention to creating more healthy family dynamics in society and that the study's results will give policymakers a reason to examine circumstances in early childhood more closely.

"They can use this information to say we have growing evidence that childhood circumstances affect adult health outcomes," she said. "People's choices are constrained by their environments in which they live. We need to create healthy conditions for families."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The original article was written by Deann Gayman.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. B. J. Goosby. Early Life Course Pathways of Adult Depression and Chronic Pain. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0022146512475089

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/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/NYKTIfbwnYU/130227121910.htm

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Want to win Twitter friends? Stay short, cheery

Nidhi Subbaraman , NBC News ? ? ? 10 hrs.

Twitter audiences need to be tended to carefully, like a garden with young plants (but hopefully less dirt). There?s all kinds of anecdotal advice about how to be a better tweeter, but now a new study says that the twittizens who grow the most audiences tend to share short, clear, informative tweets.

If most of your followers don?t know you, personal tweets aren?t the best way to go, C.J Hutto, one of the researchers of the group from Georgia Tech, told NBC News. "The ties between people on Twitter are weaker than between people in real life, or on Facebook," he explained.

People are mostly looking for information, the team observed. "Rather than talking about what you had to eat for breakfast or lunch you can talk about an interesting news article that you read," Hutto said.

Hutto and his colleagues scrutinized half a million tweets that 507 people had sent over more than a year. They recorded the length, clarity, and general tone of the tweet. They counted how often the tweeters used hashtags, linked to a website, or used a phrase like "RT" or "HT." They then matched all those numbers against friends and follower counts measured at various times during the course of those 15 months.

What else did they find? Using @-mentions and replies helps build a dedicated following, rather than just a stream of tweets addressed to no one. "Imagine an old professor standing in a lecture hall and broadcasting his lecture, versus direct communication," Hutto explained. "When you're talking to one person it helps you grow your audience."

Also: Bad news or negativity of any kind doesn't do so well. That includes swearing, even a frowning face emoticon. And, clarity is a big bonus. Using full sentences rather than abbreviations as you might on text messages goes a long way in convincing a potential new follow that you are a real person. ?Twitter users apparently seek out well-written content over poorly written content when deciding whether to follow another user,? the team writes. If you stick to a topic, that helps too ? something other researchers have also found.

If you tweet often, perhaps you knew most of this already. But if you're looking to get your numbers up, consider this as free advice.

Via: New Scientist

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/want-win-twitter-friends-keep-it-short-cheery-informative-says-1C8563844

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Australian Muslim activists lose free speech case

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australia's highest court on Wednesday narrowly rejected the case of two Muslim activists who argued they had a constitutional free-speech right to send offensive letters to families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Iranian-born Man Horan Monis, a self-styled Sydney cleric also known as Sheik Haron, was charged with 12 counts of using a postal service in an offensive way and one count of using a postal service in a harassing way over three years until 2009. Amirah Droudis was charged with aiding and abetting the offences. They face potential maximum prison sentences of 26 years and 16 years respectively if convicted.

The six judges of the High Court split on whether the charges were compatible with Australians' right to free speech. When the nation's highest court is tied, an appeal is dismissed and the lower court decision stands.

That sends the charges to a lower court where they will be heard on a date to be set.

Monis allegedly wrote letters critical of Australia's military involvement in Afghanistan and condemning the dead soldiers. He also allegedly wrote to the mother of an Australian official killed in a terrorist bomb blast in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2009 and blamed Australian government foreign policy for the tragedy.

His lawyer David Bennett argued in the High Court last year that the letters were "purely political." He argued the charges were invalid because they infringed on Australians' right to freedom of political communication.

The Australian Constitution doesn't include an equivalent of the U.S. First Amendment. But the High Court has held for decades that the constitution contains an implied right to free speech because such political communication is essential to democracy. This right is not as extensive as that guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

The pair had appealed in the High Court the unanimous ruling of three judges of the New South Wales state Court of Appeal in December 2011.

"Whilst at one level the letters are critical of the involvement of the Australian military in Afghanistan, they also refer to the deceased soldiers in a denigrating and derogatory fashion," their judgment said.

Prof. Anne Twomey, a Sydney University constitutional lawyer, said the High Court's tied decision offered little legal precedent on the extent that offensive speech can be prohibited in Australia.

She said the issues could be tried again in a different case. Two of the seven judges on the High Court will have changed before the next such case is heard.

"It's rather unpredictable" how the court would rule on a similar case, Twomey said. "The area of offensive speech has always been difficult."

Only six judges heard the case because the seventh, Justice William Gummow, intended to retire in October last year before the trial was likely to be completely heard.

One of the judges who would have upheld the appeal on free speech grounds, Justice John Dyson Haydon, retires in March.

It is a crime under Australian federal law to use a postal service to communicate a message that "reasonable persons would regard as being, in all the circumstances, menacing, harassing or offensive."

Twomey said Monis and Droudis might not have been charged if the letters had been hand delivered.

Federal authorities have limited criminal jurisdiction in Australia and relied in this prosecution on its powers over national postal and electronic communications.

Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan which is the biggest military contribution to the war of any country outside NATO. Australia has suffered 39 casualties over the past decade in Afghanistan and another 249 Australian soldiers have been wounded.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australian-muslim-activists-lose-free-speech-case-062857877.html

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China?s Largest Search Engine Baidu Launches English Site For Developers

Baidu, the search behemoth often referred to as "China's Google," launched its new English-language Web site for developers today. While the site is still in its infancy--right now there just a few intros up and no documentation--but it promises to grow up into a valuable resource for developers who want to take a crack at the Chinese market.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qRMqBuk-2Ac/

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90% Lore

All Critics (63) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (6)

We know where this is going pretty early on, but that doesn't prevent "Lore" from being riveting stuff, start to finish.

This striking, slow-building drama ... uses fractured, impressionistic imagery as a mirror of moral dislocation as the children make their way through an unfamiliar landscape.

It's a remarkable accomplishment.

Saskia Rosendahl is a highly expressive actress within the limited confines of her character, and the film is studded with memorable scenes.

"Lore" is the sort of movie you'd already expect to rip your heart out, but that doesn't diminish the tragedy when it does arrive.

If "Lore" is an upsetting and uncomfortable film set in a morally bleak landscape, it also offers a guardedly optimistic vision of the possibility of human change.

Shortland composes her shots with great elegance. Adam Arkapaw's damp, saturated photography is gorgeous. G?tterd?mmerung has rarely been so quietly compelling.

[A] complex portrait of a young girl with repellent beliefs gradually coming of age and to an understanding of what it means to be human in the face of some heinous experiences.

It isn't exactly a profound film, but Saskia Rosendahl's performance has considerable depth, and she interacts admirably with her siblings.

An unusual, constantly surprising post-WWII odyssey, this film may feel a bit thin and episodic, but it tells an evocative story with darkly moving emotion.

Shortland does an impressive job of evoking the rotten heart of a country turning in on itself.

The film is ultimately about a spectacular fall from innocence that feels both highly personal and universal.

As with all the best fairytales, there is a blackness and brutality at its centre.

Not even safety and sanctuary quite wipe clean the trauma slate. New autocracies lie in wait, ready to replace the old.

Shortland and her ferocious lead actress, Saskia Rosendahl, burrow so deeply into the thoughts of the stubborn, infuriating protagonist that you leave the movie unable to stop wondering what the rest of her life will be like.

A tough yet rewarding viewing experience!

Certainly sounds good on paper, but a little shallow and overstated in reality.

While prone to arty lingering, thus wasting time that would have been more wisely spent plugging gaps in the narrative, Shortland slathers the story in enough mud and horror to make it a compellingly visceral experience.

A provocative and emotionally complex drama with a terrific central performance from newcomer Saskia Rosendahl.

It's a close, intimate film - sometimes so close you can feel the breath of its characters in your face.

Shortland creates a palpable sense of atmosphere, and coupled with fluid camerawork and a verdant forest backdrop, Lore looks and feels a world apart from other World War II-set dramas.

This oblique and understated tale of lost innocence conveys both an individual's experiences and a powerful sense of a ruined nation.

Shortland's measured pacing and hypnotic visuals make this a mesmerising journey through a defeated landscape.

The result is a stimulating portrayal of an under-examined aspect of Nazism's terrible legacy.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lore/

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Jodi Arias Live Blog: Cross-Examination Of Murder Defendant Continues (LIVE UPDATES)

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

The trial of Jodi Ann Arias, which began Jan. 2, is one of the biggest court proceedings to take place since Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her child. The 32-year-old photographer is accused of shooting her lover, Travis Alexander, in the face, stabbing him 27 times and slitting his throat from ear to ear in the shower of his Mesa, Ariz., apartment. The case, which has been more than four years in the making, has routinely captured headlines around the world, especially as the details became public.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>September 2006</strong> ? Travis Alexander met Jodi Arias at a conference in Las Vegas. At the time, Alexander was a 30-year-old motivational speaker and legal-insurance salesman. Arias, then 28, was living in Yreka, Calif., and was trying to make it as a saleswoman and an independent photographer. The two had an instant connection and spoke on the phone every day. Court records indicate that the couple exchanged 82,000 emails.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>November 26, 2006</strong> ? Because Alexander was a Mormon, Arias chose to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. <strong>February 2, 2007</strong> ? Alexander and Arias began dating. <strong>June 29, 2007</strong> ? Alexander and Arias broke up. Although they were no longer dating, the couple maintained a physical relationship. <strong>December 2007</strong> ? Alexander began dating another woman. He allegedly told friends that Arias was so jealous that she slashed the tires on his vehicle twice. After those incidents, his new girlfriend received a harassing email from a "John Doe." Alexander suspected that Arias was responsible.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 8, 2008</strong> ? Arias, according to prosecutors, sent this text to Alexander: "Ahhh!! I fell asleep! But to answer your question, yes I want to grind you. And I want to be LOUD. And I want to give you a nice, warm 'mouth hug' too. :)" <strong>January 18, 2008</strong> ? Arias, according to prosecutors, sent this text to Alexander: "My p---y is SO WET." <strong>March 2008</strong> ? Arias and Alexander visited several states together, including Oklahoma and Texas.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>April 2008</strong> - Arias moved from Arizona to California. That same month, Alexander <a href="http://travisalexander.blogspot.com/" target="_hplink">posted a blog entry</a> stating, "This Year will be the Best year of my life. This is the year that will eclipse all others. I will earn more, learn more, travel more, serve more, love more, give more and be more than all the other years of my life combined." <strong>April 20, 2008</strong> - Alexander, according to prosecutors, sent this text to Arias: "I am at a night club right now and it helped me to come to the conclusion that you are one of the prettiest girls on the planet." <strong>April 21, 2008</strong> - Alexander, according to prosecutors, <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Ak0vUAK8UbSndFl4X1V3YkZXazU0X25pQndhNVVmbXc&gid=0" target="_hplink">sent this text</a> to Arias: "Send me a naughty picture."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>May 10, 2008</strong> - Arias posted the last entry to her <a href="http://jodiarias.blogspot.com/" target="_hplink">online blog</a>. It reads, in part: "I cannot ignore that there is an ever-present yearning and desire that pulses within me. It throbs for gratification and fulfillment." That same day, according to prosecutors, Alexander sent this text to Arias: "Why don't you have him come and f--k you in the woods, I can only imagine you are so worried about me reading. You are paranoid because you have no respect for people privacy and you dare insult me of all people. Someone you should through your actions you hate more than love by denying me a human right of privacy countless times. You have a lot of freaking nerve. We are all not like you in that aspect."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>May 18, 2008</strong> - Alexander posted the last entry, titled "Why I want to marry a Gold Digger," to <a href="http://travisalexander.blogspot.com/" target="_hplink">his online blog</a>. It reads, in part: "I did a little soul searching and realized that I was lonely ... I realized it was time to adjust my priorities and date with marriage in mind ... This type of dating to me is like a very long job interview and can be exponentially more mentally taxing. Desperately trying to find out if my date has an axe murderer penned up inside of her."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>May 28, 2008</strong> - Kevin Friedman, a police officer with the Yreka, Calif. Police Department, investigated the reported theft of a .25 caliber gun, $30 in cash, a stereo and a DVD player from Arias' grandparents' home.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 2008</strong> - During the first week of June 2008, Alexander told friends that he suspected Arias had hacked into his Facebook account. He allegedly said that he told her to stay out of his life forever. <strong>June 2, 2008</strong> - Arias, according to police, picked up a vehicle from Budget Rent-a-Car in Redding, Calif.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 4, 2008</strong> - Arias allegedly went to Alexander's home in Mesa, Ariz. That same afternoon the last outgoing call was made from Alexander's phone.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 5, 2008</strong> - Arias went to visit Ryan Burns, a once-budding love interest and co-worker at PrePaid Legal Services, at his home in West Jordan, Utah. <strong>June 7, 2008</strong> - Arias, according to police, returned her rental car to Budget Rent-a-Car in Redding.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 9, 2008</strong> - Alexander's friends, concerned because they had not heard from him for several days, went to his home in the 11,400 block of East Queensborough Ave. and found him dead inside his standup shower. A state of advanced decomposition suggested that he had been dead for several days. Large amounts of blood were discovered throughout the master bathroom, including on the floors, walls and sink area. It was ultimately determined that Alexander had been shot in the right brow with a .25-caliber gun -- the bullet was found lodged in his left cheek -- and that he had been stabbed 27 times. Someone had also cut his throat from ear to ear.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Investigators found several vital clues inside Alexander's bedroom and bathroom. A spent .25-caliber shell casing was located on the floor near the sink, and a hair and a small latent print in blood were found near the entrance to the bathroom hall. Also, a digital camera was found in the washing machine in the downstairs laundry room. The camera appeared to have been run through the wash cycle.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

When questioned by police, Alexander's friends and family members indicated that Arias should be questioned. "[Arias] was totally obsessed with him," Alexander's close friend <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/jodi-arias_n_1174274.html" target="_hplink">Sky Hughes told The Huffington Post</a>. "She wouldn't let him go. Whenever he would try to sever all ties, she would threaten to kill herself ... He would tell her he didn't want anything to do with her, and she would show up at his house. We knew it was her. We didn't want it to be her, but [we] just knew it was."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 13, 2008</strong> - Arias posted a photo gallery on her MySpace page titled "In Loving Memory of Travis."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 17, 2008</strong> - Arias went to the Mesa Police Headquarters and was voluntarily fingerprinted. She also gave investigators a sample of her saliva for DNA testing. While waiting for the lab test results to come back, investigators were notified that several shocking images, some of which had been deleted, were recovered from the memory card of the camera found in Alexander's washing machine. The deleted pictures were of Alexander, naked in the shower, just before his death. He appeared to be posing in some of the photographs. However, other photos, which were dark and grainy, "were of a subject on the floor of the bathroom bleeding profusely," police said.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Six other photos, time-stamped that same day, allegedly showed Arias on Alexander's bed. According to police, "all were nude pictures," and in some she was in "provocative sexual poses." Based on the photos, an investigator wrote: "Jodi was lying about not seeing Travis since April of 2008. This also proves that Jodi was the last person I can prove had contact with Travis prior to his death."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 19, 2008</strong> - Police contacted Arias and questioned her about Alexander's murder. "Jodi stated she last saw Travis in April of 2008," a police officer wrote in a document to establish probable cause. "She admitted they had been seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend for over five months but had officially broken up in June of 2007, after some jealously issues on the part of both of them. After they broke up, they continued to have a sexual relationship, but kept it quiet from people they knew. She said she last spoke to Travis on Tuesday 6-03-08."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 19, 2008</strong> - At 10:54 p.m., Arias posted this message to her <a href="http://www.myspace.com/jodiarias" target="_hplink">MySpace page</a>: "misses Travis. See you soon, my friend, but not soon enough."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 21, 2008</strong> - Travis Alexander was <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pe/obituary.aspx?n=Travis-Alexander&pid=111722519#fbLoggedOut" target="_hplink">laid to rest</a> in Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, Calif.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 26, 2008</strong> - Investigators were notified that hair and a bloody print found inside Alexander's home belonged to Arias. DNA typing results also indicated that the bloody print was a mixture of Arias' and Alexander's DNA. The same day, Arias attended a memorial service for Alexander.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>July 9, 2008</strong> - Arias celebrated her 29th birthday. That same day, a grand jury in California indicted her on first-degree murder charges in the death of Alexander. <strong>July 15, 2008</strong> - Mesa police detectives and Siskiyou County sheriff's deputies arrested Arias at her Northern California home. Arias was booked in the Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Following Arias' arrest, she was questioned by Mesa detective Esteban Flores. Flores initially focused the interrogation on the .25 caliber handgun that was stolen from her grandparents' home days before the slaying of Travis Alexander. "We're just playing games here ... That gun was in your possession ... What did you do with the gun?" Flores asked, after Arias expressed shock that Alexander had been shot with a .25 caliber automatic handgun. "I don't have a gun ... I've never seen it ... I don't even know what a .25 looks like," Arias said on the video. Arias denied killing Alexander and said, "If I was going to ever try to kill somebody, I would use gloves. I have plenty of them."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>July 16, 2008</strong> - A second interrogation is conducted of Arias, during which she changed her initial story. She now admitted being at Alexander's home when he was murdered but denied she was involved in the killing. She said two intruders ? white Americans with beanies covering their faces ? came into the bathroom while Alexander was in the shower. "I don't believe you," the detective told Arias. "I was hoping for the truth. This is not the truth, Jodi ? this doesn't make any sense ? You did it, and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind at this point. This is an elaborate story that doesn't make any sense. Maybe you are just cold and calculated."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>September 5, 2008</strong> ? Arias was <a href="http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=955858" target="_hplink">extradited to Arizona</a>. <strong>September 9, 2008</strong> ? A public defender was assigned to represent Arias. <strong>September 11, 2008</strong> ? Arias entered a not-guilty plea at her arraignment.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>September 12, 2008</strong> - In a <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/13/20080913murdersuspect-speaks0913.html" target="_hplink">jailhouse interview with The Arizona Republic</a>, Arias denied killing Alexander but refused to discuss how she would refute the DNA and photographic evidence that police claimed linked her to the crime. "God knows I'm innocent. I know I'm innocent," said Arias. "I had nothing to do with his murder. I would never hurt him. He was my friend."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>September 24, 2008</strong> ? Arias was <a href="http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/702858/local_murder_suspect_reveals_shocking_new_details_on_nat_l_tv" target="_hplink">interviewed by the TV show "Inside Edition"</a> and said publicly for the first time that she was present when Alexander was attacked by two intruders.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>October 31, 2008</strong> - The Maricopa County Attorney's Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Arias. The notice, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, accused Arias of committing first-degree murder "in an especially cruel, heinous or depraved manner."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>June 23, 2009</strong> ? Following her arrest, Arias expanded on her second story about the day of Alexander's death. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50139320n" target="_hplink">In an interview with "48 Hours,"</a> she admitted that she was present when he was murdered, but she said that his death occurred during a home invasion. Arias reported that the two were having fun playing with his new camera when things took a sudden turn. "I heard a really loud pop. And the next thing I remember, I was lying next to the bathtub and Travis was screaming," Arias told "48 Hours." "At that point, I sort of was just trying to come around and kind of orientate myself to what was going on," she continued. "And I looked up and I just -- I saw two other individuals in the bathroom. And they were both coming toward us." The intruders, whom she described as a man and a woman dressed in black, were armed with a knife and a gun. At one point, she said, the man pointed the gun at her, but she was miraculously spared. "He pulled the trigger. And nothing happened with the gun. And so I just grabbed my purse, which was on the floor at that point, and I ran down the stairs and out of there and I left [Travis] there ... I pushed past him and -- and his gun. And I just didn't look back." Arias said that she kept driving and never called the police. "It was -- I was terrified. And I was scared for my life. And I think there was a naive belief that I could pretend like it didn't really happen," Arias said.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>December 2010</strong> ? Arias <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/27/joe-arpaio-inmate-caroling-contest_n_801519.html" target="_hplink">beat out 50 other inmates to win an "American Idol"-style caroling contest for inmates </a>held by "America's Toughest Sheriff," Joe Arpaio, at the Maricopa County jail. Her prize was a Christmas stocking full of goodies and a turkey dinner for herself and her cellmates.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>August 8, 2011</strong> - Arias told Judge Sherry Stephens of Maricopa County Superior Court that she wanted to represent herself. Stephens granted the request but had Arias' public defenders, Victoria Washington and Kirk Nurmi, remain on as advisory counsel. <strong>August 16, 2011</strong> ? A request to admit letters that Arias claimed Alexander sent her prior to his death was denied. In the letters, Alexander allegedly admitted to being a pedophile. Prosecutor Juan Martinez told the court that the letters were tested and found to be forgeries. After the ruling, Arias told Judge Stephens that she was "over her head." The judge then reinstated her defense counsel.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Arias' third story about Alexander's death was detailed in court documents as part of the request that she made to admit electronic copies of Alexander's alleged letters. "Defendant had previously attributed the crime to intruders. She now argues that all of the letters must be admitted to support her domestic violence defense," prosecutors wrote in a motion to preclude the letters. "Defendant argues that the letters are relevant to her claim of self-defense and that she was a victim of previous 'sexual and physical abuse' by Mr. Alexander." Arias, according to prosecutors, claimed that Alexander "became angry when she dropped his camera" and that she was forced to kill him in self-defense.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>December 16, 2011</strong> ? Washington filed a motion to withdraw from Arias' defense. <strong>December 21, 2011</strong> ? Washington's motion was granted. <strong>December 27, 2011</strong> - Arias' younger sister, Angela Arias, said that her sister's statements during the "48 Hours" interview were lies and that Alexander's death was an act of self-defense on her sister's part during an incidence of domestic violence. "She was not under oath when she spoke on TV and yes, she lied," Angela Arias wrote on Facebook after The Huffington Post sent her a request for comment. "But, it was because she was so in love with that man she did not want people to know what a monster he really was. She wanted everyone to believe that he was as amazing as they thought he was ... My sister is innocent of the crime they are accusing her of ... She did kill Travis but it was not in cold blood, it was not for revenge, it was because she was afraid for her life."

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 2012</strong> - Jennifer Willmott, a death penalty-qualified defense attorney, was assigned to represent Arias.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>February 9, 2012</strong> - Judge Stephens <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/jodi-arias-death-penalty_n_1269216.html" target="_hplink">denied a motion</a> by Arias' defense lawyers to remove the death penalty as a punishment option. The defense argued that Arias should not face death because she had not planned to kill Alexander. His death was an act of self-defense, her attorneys argued. <strong>December 10, 2012</strong> - <a href="http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/12/17/jodi-arias-travis-alexander-murder-trial-jury-selection-questionnaire" target="_hplink">Jury selection for Arias' trial began</a>. The court summoned 375 potential jurors. <strong>December 20, 2012</strong> - A panel of 12 jurors and six alternates -- seven women and 11 men -- <a href="http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/mesa/Jodi-Arias-trial-Jury-seated-in-murder-trial-of-Valley-woman-accused-of-murdering-boyfriend" target="_hplink">were sworn in for Jodi Arias' trial</a>.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 2, 2013</strong> - Opening arguments began in Arias' trial. Maricopa County Prosecutor Juan Martinez cited the various stories that Arias had told law enforcement before she finally settled on a self-defense motive. Martinez described Alexander's murder as violent and said there were three different ways Alexander could have received a death blow: He was shot, he was stabbed in the heart, and his throat was slit from ear to ear. Alexander also had defensive wounds on his hands, according to Martinez. In wrapping up his opening argument, Martinez played part of a media interview conducted after Arias' arrest, in which she said, "Mark my words, no jury will convict me." Martinez asked the jury to mark Arias' words and concluded his opening statement. During the defense team's opening argument, lawyer Jennifer Willmott acknowledged that Arias had killed Alexander, but said that the key questions is what motivated her to do it. Willmott alleged Alexander had pressured Arias into having vaginal, anal and oral sex with him. Willmott also said she planned to call to the stand an expert who would testify about how Arias' relationship with Alexander fit the mold of domestic violence. Willmott concluded her opening argument by saying that Alexander had become enraged when Arias dropped his camera and that she had had to defend herself or she would not be alive today.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

At the close of the opening arguments, the prosecution called their first witness, Maria Hall, to the stand. Hall testified she had attended church with Alexander and had gone on a few dates with him. Hall said she felt safe in Alexander's company and never saw his temper.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Prosecutors then called their next witness, Sterling Williams. A patrol officer with the Mesa Police Department, Williams described what he witnessed when he responded to the crime scene, as well as the condition of Alexander's body. Shortly afterward, court was recessed for the day.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 3, 2013</strong> ? At the start of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/jodi-arias-trial-updates-day-2_n_2403886.html" target="_hplink">day two of Arias' murder trial</a>, the prosecution called Esteban Flores, a Mesa homicide detective to the stand. Flores had investigated the crime scene and mentioned a phone call he had with Arias on June 10, 2008. The prosecution then played an audio recording of the conversation in court. During the recorded call, Arias described herself as a good friend of Alexander's and said she wanted to help police in any way that she could. She told Flores she had heard that Alexander had passed away and that there was a lot of blood at the crime scene. She asked what type of weapon was used or recovered at the scene, but Flores told her he was unable to discuss that information with her. Asked about her relationship with Alexander, Arias said that they had not dated long. "We dated for like five months, and we broke up and actually did not see each other for quite a bit," Arias said. "[We] tried to remain friends, more like buddies. We were intimate but I would not say romantic as far as a relationship goes." In regard to the couple's breakup, Arias said she had a suspicion Alexander was cheating on her. She said she could not trust him and claimed he would get "upset real easily." During the phone interview, Flores told Arias that Alexander's friends had alleged that she had hacked into Alexander's email. Arias denied the allegation. "People felt you were taking advantage of him or hanging out when you weren't wanted," Flores said. Arias dismissed the opinion of Alexander's friends and said she felt they talked about her because she was an ex-girlfriend. "We need to know who had some type of beef with him or why they would want to do this to him. It was an angry situation. Somebody went in there to hurt him, and they did ?- hurt him really bad," Flores said at one point in the recording. Arias said Alexander was quite strong and she could not understand how anyone could overpower him. She also said she was concerned because "he never locked his doors." When the recording ended in the courtroom, Martinez turned the witness over to defense attorney Kirk Nurmi for cross-examination.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Nurmi asked Flores if he had ever seen a picture of a French maid outfit that Alexander allegedly wanted Arias to wear when she would clean his home. Flores testified that Arias told him she had cleaned Alexander's house, but said he had never seen a picture of the French maid outfit. The defense attorney then questioned Flores about emails Alexander allegedly sent to Arias. Nurmi asked Flores if Alexander had called Arias names in the emails, like "slut" and "whore." Martinez objected, citing hearsay and speculation, but Judge Stephens allowed the question. Flores then confirmed that Alexander had sent messages to Arias calling her those names. After a short recess, Flores read from a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/jodi-arias-trial-sex_n_2405515.html" target="_hplink">Facebook message that he said Alexander sent to Arias</a>. "I was nothing more than a dildo with a heartbeat for you," the message read.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Later, a fingerprint examiner with the Mesa police, Heather Connor, took the stand and unveiled evidence found at the crime scene. Forensic teams took a total of three days to complete processing the scene at Alexander's house and found evidence in his washing machine, Connor said. The contents included clothing and a broken digital camera, which contained a SIM card. The clothing items, as well as a towel, appeared to have bleach stains, she said. Shortly afterward, court was recessed until January 8.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 8, 2013</strong> ? Connor, the Mesa Police Department fingerprint examiner, continued her testimony on day three. Connor took the court through photos of Alexander's hallway, master bedroom and bathroom. The jury was also shown a photo of a bloody handprint on a wall. Prosecutors said the handprint contained a mixture of Alexander's and Arias' DNA. When Connor finished her testimony, the prosecution called Dr. Kevin Horn, of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office, to the stand.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Dr. Kevin Horn <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/jodi-arias-trial-travis-alexander-graphic-details_n_2435100.html" target="_hplink">described how Alexander was stabbed 27 times</a>, shot in the right brow with a .25-caliber gun, and nearly decapitated when his throat, voice box and arteries were cut. As Horn spoke, jurors looked at photos of the dead man, whose body, Horn said, was decomposing and starting to mummify by the time it was found. According to Horn, Alexander's stab wounds were very deep and inflicted with major force. It was, Horn testified, impossible to determine if Alexander was dead before he was shot due to the amount of decomposition. The cause of death was excessive blood loss from the victim's body, he said, and Alexander had multiple self-defense wounds to his palms and fingers.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Elizabeth Northcutt, a forensic firearms examiner with the Mesa police, was called to the stand next. Northcutt testified that she had examined a cartridge casing found at the crime scene and identified it as a Winchester .25-caliber casing. She said she also examined the bullet removed from Alexander's cheek. During cross-examination, Northcutt said she was not able to match the casing or the bullet to a specific gun because no weapon has been recovered. Shortly afterward, court was recessed for the evening.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 9, 2013</strong> ? Ryan Burns, a once-budding love interest of Arias' and her co-worker at PrePaid Legal Services, was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/jodi-arias-trial-ryan-burns_n_2442048.html" target="_hplink">called to the stand by prosecutors on day four</a> of the trial. Burns testified he had a heated make-out session with Arias just a day after Alexander was murdered. "We were talking and we kissed ... Every time we started kissing, it got a little more escalated," Burns said. He said that the couple never removed their clothes during the encounter and that he "never touched her breasts or anything." Burns testified that he first met Arias at a PrePaid Legal convention in Oklahoma in April 2008. A few weeks after that initial meeting, Burns and Arias were chatting on the phone three to five times a week. Toward the end of May 2008, he and Arias had made plans for her to visit his home in West Jordan, Utah, Burns testified.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

According to Burns, Arias was several hours late arriving at his home on June 5, 2008. She told him that she had gotten lost and had stopped to rest. Arias had apparently dyed hair since the last time he had met with her and had cuts on her hands when she arrived, Burns said. "She had two small bandages on a couple of her fingers," he testified. Arias explained away the injuries by saying that while working at a Margaritaville restaurant, she had broken a glass and cut her finger, Burns said. The prosecution questioned Burns about Arias' strength. Burns said she was fit and had "close to a six-pack." "[She's] a lot stronger than she looks," Burns testified.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Burns was followed on the stand by two latent-print examiners for Mesa police, Maureen Smith and Kevin Biggs. The two witnesses described taking Arias' fingerprints and a DNA sample.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Latent-print examiner Heather Connor was called back to the stand to testify about a palm impression found on a wall at the crime scene, as well as items recovered from the drying machine inside Alexander's apartment and a bloody carpet stain.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Police detective Esteban Flores was also called back to the stand during day four. A recording of a June 25, 2008, phone interview he conducted with Arias was played for the court. During the interview, Arias told Flores she was afraid of guns. "That is one of the things I am scared of. [Guns and] public speaking," Arias said. "That was one of the things [Alexander] was trying to get me to do -- get out of my comfort zone." Arias' comments about guns arose during a discussion with Flores about the trip she took to visit Burns in Utah on June 5, 2008. Arias said she slept in her car during the lengthy drive from Yreka, Calif., to West Jordan, Utah. "I am not shy about sleeping in my car," Arias told the detective. Flores mentioned the practice could be dangerous and suggested she needed protection. "I was thinking of that," Aria said before <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/jodi-arias-gun_n_2443588.html" target="_hplink">detailing her fear of guns</a>. But, she added, "Handguns are expensive [and] not in my price range." After discussing her thoughts on guns, Arias said she wanted to know if Alexander had cashed a check for $200 that she had given him for a car payment before he died. She said she had emailed his sister to ask about the check and to offer her condolences after she found out about Alexander's death. His sister had never replied, Arias told the detective. Court was adjourned for the day shortly after that excerpt of the audio recording was played.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

<strong>January 10, 2013</strong> ? Day five of Arias' trial began with testimony by Nathaniel Mendes, a former detective with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office in California. Mendes testified that there is no restaurant called Margaritaville in Yreka -- a fact that suggested Arias had lied about her place of employment, which undermined her explanation of how she had injured her fingers around the time Alexander was murdered. Mendes also testified about receipts found in Arias' bedroom, which show that she had rented a car in Redding, Calif., on June 2, 2008, and returned it six days later, after she put 2,834 miles on the car.

Key Dates In The Jodi Arias Case

Lisa Perry, a forensic scientist for Mesa police, was called to testify after Mendes. Perry said that over two days at the crime scene, she had collected blood evidence for DNA analysis. She spent a significant amount of time on the stand detailing the blood splatter and stains that were found throughout Alexander's apartment. She also testified that a .25-caliber bullet casing was lying in a pool of congealed blood, suggesting that the bullet inside the casing had been fired after the blood was on the floor.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/jodi-arias-cross-examination-day-three_n_2765536.html

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Sally Field & Hilary Swank Wear Matching Oscars Dresses!

It's a style showdown! Lincoln star Sally Field -- a nominee for best supporting actress -- stunned when she showed up at the Oscars in a bright-red, sheer, Valentino gown with long sleeves and gorgeous draping. But Hilary Swank stirred up some sartorial drama when she turned up at the Vanity Fair party wearing an almost-identical dress.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/sally-field-hilary-swank-wear-matching-oscars-dresses/1-a-523770?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asally-field-hilary-swank-wear-matching-oscars-dresses-523770

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Right Wing Rages Uncontrollably at Michelle Obama: "Someone Put a Bullet in That Fat Pig" (Little green footballs)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287328761?client_source=feed&format=rss

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B. Smith to be guest chef in White House mess

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Restaurateur B. Smith will be the guest chef Wednesday in a White House restaurant run by the Navy.

Word got out during an interview that Michelle Obama taped ahead of time and was broadcast Tuesday on Smith's program on SiriusXM radio.

Smith said her menu will be soulful and healthy. Mrs. Obama described White House staff as anxious to get their lips on Smith's food.

Smith's restaurant at Washington's Union Station serves Cajun, Creole and Southern food. She also has two restaurants in New York.

The White House mess was established in 1951. Cabinet secretaries can make reservations to eat in, while West and East wing staff are served by a takeout window.

Smith's stint is part of Black History Month observances by the White House.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-26-Michelle%20Obama-Guest%20Chef/id-c8b0b86a091c462fbf517a1002aa32bb

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Small business sales executives have three decision makers to win ...

February 25, 2013 in Sales and Marketing

Small business sales requires getting on the good side of not just one but three decision makers, according to expert Geoffrey James, and account managers should be wary of the several pet peeves of people in those positions.

A good start is essential
Whether a sales executive is talking to the person in charge of a company?s finances, the manager of?a? department?or the business? gatekeeper, he should know that they all have similar buttons pushed by salespeople?every day, Sales Gravy reports. The networking community says one key to making a sale is being original and avoiding the pitfalls many others fall into by trying to force themselves through to decision makers. Creating an opening pitch that differs greatly from clich??lines is vital to the success of a salesperson, the source claims.

Another tip Sales Gravy offers is to act personable and treat the people required to get through to decision makers well. James mentions in his Inc Magazine editorial that the first person a sale executive meets or speaks with on the phone, the gatekeeper, is the first obstacle between an account manager and a sale.

Working with the three decision makers
Still, many people tend to forget how important this employee is to them in small business marketing or sales, and Sales Gravy says downplaying the role of administrative assistants by belittling their intelligence or their hand in approving a purchase is one of the biggest mistakes salespeople make.

The two other workers needed to reach a sale is the person in charge of the department the product or service targets and the employee who manages the organization?s money, James claims. The source says while the branch manager?is essential to approval, he or she rarely have a minute to spare ? therefore, the office manager is even more important to completing a deal, as they will typically be the one to teach a salesperson about the company and relay all information about the product or service being sold to higher-ups.

Lastly, James says the financial manager is in a similar position with time as the department head, so a salesperson should pitch as much value of their product as possible and be clear about the costs with the gatekeeper. Doing some investigating before visiting an office, Sales Gravy says, can prevent an account manager from pitching to a business that may not have the need or the financial backing to support what they have to offer.

Source: http://buildmybiz.com/small-business-sales-executives-have-three-decision-makers-to-win-over/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=small-business-sales-executives-have-three-decision-makers-to-win-over

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Yoga for Thyroid ? Incredible Health Benefits of Yoga - Food Fitness ...

Posted by Jitesh Manaktala on Feb 24, 2013 in Featured, Health & Fitness, YogaGoogle+

Most women across the globe suffer from thyroid disorders. The disorder leads to many problems. Since the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland plays a major role in the endocrine system, any imbalance result in a huge number of health problems. The gland is responsible for producing thyroid hormone. The body converts and distributes the hormone to each cell. These hormones affect metabolic functioning of body system.

Hypothyroidism results in underactive thyroid gland. The condition is more common than hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid is overactive. Yoga, the ancient art of exercise is a helpful component in the treatment thyroid and managing varied thyroid conditions.

Breathing Techniques

First start with a general yoga movement. You need to follow a breathing routine that encompasses deep abdominal breathing. Lie flat on your back and place one hand on your abdomen. Now take a slow, deep breath. Observe your hand rising as you inhale. Then exhale slowly.

Once you set a foundation with a general yoga movement and breathing technique, it is easy to add thyroid-specific poses and breathing to the routine. Inhaling through your nose is one of the thyroid-benefitting breathing exercises. This helps you emphasise on inhaling on the back of your throat.

Yoga for Hypothyroid

You should be a little cautious while performing these poses. The shoulder stand yoga pose is important for hypothyroidism. Place a yoga mat or blankets under yourself when performing this exercise. First, lie back on a mat with the palms of your hands under your back. Now lift your legs and lower body toward the ceiling. Keep doing this until your shoulders, neck and head are the only body parts that come in contact with the mat. Now support your lower back area with your hands. Look at your toes without turning head.

Fish pose is also beneficial for hypothyroidism. Here, place your legs straight out and use your elbows in order to give support to your torso as you lie down on your back. Inhale while curving your chest and bending the head back. You must move your elbows down the sides of your body, toward your hips. Now gradually curve your back until the crown of your head touches the floor.

Yoga for Hyperthyroid

In case of hyperthyroidism, it is crucial that you do not overexert yourself while performing yoga exercises. The boat pose known to be very helpful for an overactive thyroid. First, you must lie on your abdomen. Now while keeping your feet together, rest your chest and forehead on the floor. Stretch your arms overhead and try to raise your legs, trunk, shoulders, arms, neck and head. Make sure you do not bend your elbows or knees while doing this. It is crucial to maintain an ached back and bend as far as you can.

You may also interested in:

Source: http://www.foodfitnesslifelove.com/yoga/yoga-for-thyroid-incredible-health-benefits-of-yoga/

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Source: http://jerewhitaker39.typepad.com/blog/2013/02/yoga-for-thyroid-incredible-health-benefits-of-yoga-food-fitness.html

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Egypt's Morsi uses TV interview to burnish image

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 file photo, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, center, waves to supporters after attending Friday prayers at the Hassan Sharbatli mosque on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Morsi, in a rambling 2.15-hour TV interview that aired in the early hours of Monday, Feb, 25, 2013, dismissed the masses protesting against his rule across much of the nation as "thugs" and "outlaws." (AP Photo/Ahmed Abd El Latif, Shorouk newspaper, File) EGYPT OUT

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 file photo, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, center, waves to supporters after attending Friday prayers at the Hassan Sharbatli mosque on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Morsi, in a rambling 2.15-hour TV interview that aired in the early hours of Monday, Feb, 25, 2013, dismissed the masses protesting against his rule across much of the nation as "thugs" and "outlaws." (AP Photo/Ahmed Abd El Latif, Shorouk newspaper, File) EGYPT OUT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013 file photo, the President of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi, addresses the media during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, unseen, after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday. Morsi, in a rambling 2.15-hour TV interview that aired in the early hours of Monday, Feb, 25, 2013, dismissed the masses protesting against his rule across much of the nation as "thugs" and "outlaws." (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

CAIRO (AP) ? During a more than 2-hour television interview, Egypt's Islamist president sought to depict himself as a man of the people, his voice rising and tears welling in his eyes as he spoke of the country's poor and portrayed the masses protesting against his rule as "thugs" and "outlaws."

The long interview, aired after midnight in the early hours Monday, appeared to be a push by Mohammed Morsi to burnish his image amid widespread unrest ahead of parliamentary elections that begin in April.

But it illustrated the dynamic that has characterized Egypt's politics throughout political turmoil that has shaken the country for months. The Morsi administration, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, has pushed ahead offering no concessions to the opposition but has also presented little by way of a program to resolve the country's mounting troubles. A disorganized opposition has been unable to find a foothold to pressure the president or provide an alternative, while street protests grow angrier.

Critics on Monday denounced Morsi's comments as mere bluster and, worse, as reminiscent of the rhetoric of his autocratic predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. Morsi's depiction of the protesters as criminals will likely only deepen the hostility in the already dangerously polarized nation.

"I am no longer optimistic about this presidency and I fear the days ahead because the anger is rising," prominent activist and rights lawyer Gamal Eid said of the interview. "We now have a presidency that does not listen, an opposition that is in tatters and, more importantly, a bloc of angry youth who are out of control."

Egypt has been mired in unrest for months, with protests over a wide range of issues, from demanding justice for slain protesters to anger over price hikes and fuel shortages.

Amid the instability, Egypt's economy has been in an unchecked decline. Economic reforms that Morsi is quietly, gradually taking ? including reducing subsidies on fuel and other items ? are likely to only stoke further protests.

In his interview, Morsi, who came to power in June as Egypt's first freely elected president, gave no outlines for his economic plans or for bringing security amid increasing lawlessness. Instead, he sought to come across as a firm pair of hands, an uncompromising patriot and a compassionate leader in touch with his people.

"I will not allow anyone to harm the march of the revolution," Morsi said, referring to the popular uprising that toppled Mubarak in 2011. "Egyptians must be assured that I don't sleep and that I am keeping an eye on anyone who tries to resist the revolution," he said, raising his voice.

"I love Egypt very, very, very much," he said emotionally. "I feel the people with my entire being ... I live their suffering and feel for them."

Referring to a general strike in the Mediterranean city of Port Said that has entered its second week, Morsi said, "these are acts of thuggery and violence ... There is no place for thugs and no place for outlaws."

He suggested protesters were paid to take to the streets ? though he didn't say by whom. He said he had heard of a 13-year-old boy whose mother was given 600 Egyptian pounds ? a little under $100 ? to send him to a protest so he could throw firebombs. The mother, Morsi said, sent the son with his birth certificate in his pocket so he could be identified if he were killed.

Appearing to hold back tears, Morsi said he "wept profusely" when he heard the story. "I will never allow anyone to so cheaply take advantage of the needs of the Egyptian people."

For the political leadership of the mainly secular and liberal opposition, Morsi repeated his calls for them to join his national dialogue ? a new session of which is to be held to discuss how to ensure the integrity of the parliamentary elections. Most opposition have rejected his past calls to dialogue as empty gestures.

"It is all useless talk," said prominent democracy campaigner George Ishaq on the independent ONTV network.

Already, most opposition parties said they would boycott the vote on the grounds that the country could be mired deeper in unrest and violence if the vote was to go ahead without first tackling the issues at the root of the instability.

Political analyst Ammar Ali Hassan said Morsi seemed to be taking the same dismissive attitude toward the opposition that Mubarak did. "He takes his opponents lightly. It shows him to be arrogant and also raises questions on whether he sincerely believes in the peaceful transfer of power," said Hassan.

Morsi's interview, recorded on Sunday, was also marred by a long delay. It had been scheduled to air at 8 p.m. on the private state El-Mehwar, but it wasn't broadcast until 1:30 a.m. on Monday, well after the bedtime of most of Egypt's 85 million people. The station gave no explanation for the 5 ? -hour delay, fueling speculation in the press that Brotherhood leaders wanted to view it first.

Also in the style of interviews of Mubarak during his rule, the tone of the interview was decidedly soft-ball. The interviewer, TV celebrity Amr el-Leithi, asked few follow-up questions or challenge Morsi's responses. At times, he seemed to prompt Morsi to show his common-man principles, noting that the president continues to live in a rented apartment rather than move into the opulent presidential palace and pointing to Morsi's "limited income" in his former position as an engineering lecturer at a provincial university.

"This is where I work," Morsi said with a smile of the palace.

Morsi dismissed calls by protesters that he step down, pointing to what he called his popular mandate ? he won with just under 52 percent of the vote in last year's presidential election ? and to the adoption of the constitution supported by his Islamist allies, which was passed in a national referendum with 64 percent of the vote ? though turnout was only 32 percent.

"Impossible," he said, moving forward in his arm chair when he was asked whether he ever thought of stepping down. "I have a mandate for a massive task. I am continuing on this path until its end and I have a popular and constitutional mandate for four years."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-25-Egypt-Morsi's%20Image/id-4c9c51c484b043f8b46265d7de9beb0c

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