Wednesday, December 26, 2012

'Appreciate The Little Things': Coach Who Battled Cancer ? CBS ...

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ? Todd Oakes is the pitching coach at the University of Minnesota, and he will return to work Wednesday, amazingly.

Oakes is a husband, a father of three pitchers and a man who has been fighting for his life the last six months. That?s what makes this Christmas so special.

A Sports Family

The Oakes boys are bonded by much, starting with baseball. That?s where their father has coached two of them at the University of Minnesota. And it was there he was coaching last year when he felt rundown.

?It came down during our baseball season,? Oakes said. ?I was just really rundown, tired, fatigued more than normal.?

The problem was acute myeloid leukemia, and it meant 80 days in the hospital and a bone marrow transplant.

?It was definitely a shock, obviously didn?t see it coming,? said Oakes? son Tanner, who pitches for Augsburg. ?But we went through it together, handled it pretty well, and it brought the family together.?

Oakes? family and baseball attitude are intertwined ? built to compete, play as a team.

?You know, the three things that got me through this are faith, family and friends,? he said.

The family had supporting phrases and made T-shirts to help Oakes in his struggle.

But it wasn?t just the three boys and dad in the fight, there was the most valuable mother and wife.

?She?s a tough lady,? said Tyler Oakes, one of Oakes? sons and a former Gopher pitcher. ?My dad calls her the MVP of the family.?

Dad was a one-time professional pitcher himself. And Oakes has instilled in his sons the spirit to compete, be supportive teammates, and, in this case, a supportive to their family.

This Christmas, the Oakes family gathered with appreciation for everything.

?I?ve said I?m a changed person,? Oakes said. ?I think the biggest thing you learn?is just appreciate the little things in life.?

Source: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/12/25/appreciate-the-little-things-coach-who-battled-cancer/

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How to Get Rid of Acne through Natural Ways | 100 Fitness

What other alternatives are out there to answer the question, how to get rid of acne? I asked myself that when I got tired of trying products that promise relief from my acne problems but never deliver. I have already been suffering from severe acne problems for a few years, and it has already left its imprint on my face. Truth to tell, the scars it left were not only the visible ones you can see on my face, but also the invisible ones on my emotional well-being. I became a person afraid to socialize for fear of people staring at my acne-ridden face.

Funny enough, the only thing I didn?t try was changing my diet and my lifestyle. I thought that since numerous products are out there, it?s just a matter of chancing upon that product which will work for me. After wasting a lot of money trying various products, I decided that healthy may be the way out. I started avoiding fatty and junk foods, and chose instead to eat vegetables and fruits especially those that are good for the skin. I also started brisk walking as exercise. The changes I could see in my body were encouraging, but the changes I see on my face were just phenomenal.

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Source: http://www.ukuai100.com/how-to-get-rid-of-acne-through-natural-ways/

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Why Affordable Web Hosting Is Healthier Than Free Internet Hosting ...

The basic intent of signing for an ecommerce internet site internet hosting bundle could be to recognize your exact targets and aims, and how preferred will you find a way to obtain them by means of the net hosting package. Your achievement or failure also depends relating to the choice of desktop software programs as well as web hosting features which are supplied in the ecommerce world-wide-web hosting deal.

Prior to you sign up or choose in an ecommerce web internet hosting bundle, furthermore, you will have to examine and realize whether the deal determined is ideal for your personal enterprise or not. Ecommerce homepage web hosting is surely an crucial methods which is relatively important towards your organization prosperity. Make sure you be aware that it is really extremely necessary which the website web hosting business that you select is in a position to give the uptime promise of 100%.

Take a glance at some requirements and aspects that you simply ought to confirm during the ecommerce hosting package:

* 24 hours specialised support ? because your internet business is working 24 hrs non halt therefor make sure you have a 24 several hours specialised help to get treatment all the specialized conditions that might consider put inside the operation of the web based business.

* Increased pace internet connection ? an ecommerce world-wide-web portal should be extremely fast to provide the online transactions from clientele. The pace at which a purchaser see around the product catalogue decides the success pace of your respective business. Enabling the buyer to without delay complete the transaction with the charge gateway just would possibly allow you to grow shopper pleasure.

* Looking cart ? this feature is probably the most sizeable section of ecommerce web site web hosting, for the reason that this can be the place the shoppers collect their merchandise for more processing. This software application lets you to help maintain and take care of the ecommerce storefront particulars from the management panel of administration neighborhood.

* Cost Processor ? all shopper transactions in an shopping online websites require site through a charge gateway. To just accept fee thru this mode, you?ll have to source a secure and reliable method of accumulating sensitive credit rating card ideas from the customer. On the other hand the greatest trouble with accepting on-line payments via credit score card stands out as the protection and security. The ecommerce hosting provider would supply you aided by the regular payment processor for ones web based business.

* Precious SSL certificates ? a secure and secure electronic certificate, also known as SSL Server Certificate, should help protected encryption of vulnerable knowledge online host server. Likewise, it safeguards and secures transactions, to help you to technique credit history card repayments properly.

* Knowledge Backup ? your online business websites has to be backup incase some thing come to pass aided by the web server you should however have your files and restore it again. the ecommerce web site internet hosting organize must allow you to backup your facts every day.

In evaluating an ecommerce world-wide-web web hosting answer, it happens to be the best strategy to decide from an ambitions and ambitions. By having adequate know-how to asses and assess your foreseeable future word wide web web hosting provider is certainly will handbook you in providing the greatest online shopping working experience to your buyers.

Dedicated Server Web Hosting Assurance For Self Management can provide you with highest details for The Best Way To Decide A Foul Internet Hosting Company.Make sure you go to the article for more data!

Source: http://www.welcometocoastcity.org/why-affordable-web-hosting-is-healthier-than-free-internet-hosting.php

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Caution: Beware of exploding Pyrex this holiday season (Americablog)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272959190?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Honoring Loved Ones during the Holidays ? ADAO ? Asbestos ...

|?2013 Conference Info?|?Register?|??Agenda?|??Family?Tributes?|

Posted on?December?23, 2012

It?s holiday time and, as 2012 draws to a close, we think about the loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate the New Year with us. ADAO is dedicated to keeping their stories alive and fighting for a ban of the deadly asbestos that took them from us far too soon. ?Debra and Tiffany?s beautiful?2012 ADAO?Asbestos Awareness Conference?program?tribute to Jeff is a tender?example of the timelessness of family?tributes.

You are not alone.

  • ?Share Your Story? with ADAO?s community and tell us about how you or your loved one has been affected by an asbestos-caused disease such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

Join us, as ADAO?continues our work to prevent exposure and eliminate?asbestos-caused diseases through education,?advocacy, and?community?support?efforts.

Together, change is possible.

Linda

Linda Reinstein?Social Networks

ADAO?Social Networks

Source: http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/archives/17652

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Monday, December 24, 2012

Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?

The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge.

By Mark Guarino,?Staff writer / December 23, 2012

This Activision publicity image shows soldiers and terrorists battling in the streets of Yemen in a scene from the video game, ?Call of Duty: Black Ops II.?

Activision/AP

Enlarge

After a week of silence following the Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 20 first graders and six staff in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association blamed the entertainment industry ? specifically the producers of violent video games for inciting what has become a pattern of gun violence in the United States.

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In describing the industry, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, ?There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people.?

Mr. LaPierre faulted the news media for failing to report on ?vicious, violent video games? such as ?Grand Theft Auto,? ?Mortal Kombat,? and ?Splatterhouse? as egregious examples. He also singled out ?Kindergarten Killer,? a free, fairly obscure online game.

?How come my research department could find it and all of yours either couldn?t or didn?t want anyone to know you had found it?? he asked reporters.

Recommended:?Second Amendment Quiz

Most academic research, as well as studies by the FBI and the US Secret Service, examining the link between violent video games and incident of violence does not support the gun lobby?s charge.

For example, a 2008 report by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital funded by the US Department of Justice found that violent video games may increase bullying or physical fighting in schools, but not mass gun violence.

?It's clear that the ?big fears? bandied about in the press ? that violent video games make children significantly more violent in the real world; that they will engage in the illegal, immoral, sexist and violent acts they see in some of these games ? are not supported by the current research, at least in such a simplistic form,? the report states.

Joan Saab, director of the visual and cultural studies program at the University of Rochester in New York, says the gaming industry should share in the blame for promoting military weaponry to young people, but adds that the popularity of such games reflect the ?larger culture we live in, which is heavily militarized,? in the midst of lengthy combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/cnDTCFgpi6o/Video-games-and-shooting-Is-the-NRA-right

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Mobile Communications - AcSys Biometrics Corp

And all this is not just emerged and became widely available. Well, judge for yourself ? who is currently out tsifromylnitsy, which provides a picture quality that was previously achieved by professional photographers and great difficulty all-night vigil in the dark laboratory at the light red lantern! My memory is still fresh memories of that time when the hard drive of the computer capacity of 5 Mb was a great and terrible humming box which hardly fits on the table and threatened to break up this table for each movement of the head! Today, virtually everyone in the pocket of a drive with a capacity of thousands of times superior to those huge monsters that does not require neither thick power cables, no batteries to store the information! Yes. Other leaders such as Eliot Horowitz offer similar insights. Times have certainly changed. With this fact to argue stupid and useless. Atmos Energy will undoubtedly add to your understanding. Many amazing things came into our lives in recent years.

And yet, the most amazing, in my opinion, is mobile. Young people today are very skeptical of stories about how once he had to stand in line to receive the phone. Why? Indeed, on almost every corner you can buy cell phone and starter pack for it! And after a few minutes not only be in contact with the person that is dear, but to get to the Internet (unless, of course, enough money to sufficiently fashionable terminal). Mobile Communications completely changed our way of life. People today often talk on the phone more than face to face. Moreover, the communication can not prevent anything. Clearly, sitting in a meeting with the chief, a pair of the institute, in the classroom at school, it is difficult talk on the phone. But for this, God created the Best! Message silent, not attracting attention, but very informative! Sometimes it even more informative than a simple conversation, because, they say, better to see once than worth a thousand words! And now a message can be sent to all ? from plain text to the video, shot right on the built-in mobile phone (!) Digital video camera! As is the case with other technological advances, the CMC was specific path of evolution.

Gradually, it has paved its way from the field for which was originally intended ? Hello! How are you? ? To other areas of human life. Today, with the help of SMS can be very much ? to pay for services online, vote for your favorite dancer or singer, and even get help about a product, service or person. If you pay by SMS and the SMS voting for us, things are already quite familiar, then SMS reference service ? a new thing. But, nevertheless, useful! Agree, much easier to send SMS with the name of a person or company's name and get back information about objects that interest you, than to rummage in the large telephone directory, sorted in God only knows what order! And the phone book, as you know, not always at hand, and the law of meanness, just when you need it most of all ? its not! And if a person stationary phone is not a class (which in these times is no surprise) ? it does not help to find any phone book! What is the information via SMS, with which it is eaten, and, most importantly, how can I get? First things first. VMS Help ? A new service, which provides in Khmelnytsky contact center 'Dialton'

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Source: http://www.acsysbiometricscorp.com/mobile-communications/

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Friday, December 21, 2012

The Paradox And Mystery Of Our Taste For Salt

Bali sea salt and a spoonful of Hawaiian red alae salt.

Jim Noelker/AP

Bali sea salt and a spoonful of Hawaiian red alae salt.

Jim Noelker/AP

Salt is one of those dangerously tasty substances. We add the magical crystals of sodium chloride to almost everything that we cook or bake, and according to many public health experts, we add too much.

They want us to cut back, to lower our risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Yet when you really start looking for ways to do this, you run into a paradox and a scientific puzzle.

First, the paradox. Too much salt may kill us, but our bodies need some of it to survive.

"If you don't keep up your sodium level in your body, you will die," explains Paul Breslin, a researcher at the Monell Center, a research institute in downtown Philadelphia devoted to the senses of taste and smell. (Breslin also teaches at Rutgers University.)

At the same time, Breslin continues, "there's no question that people who have high salt intakes are at risk for a heart attack and stroke and death, and that lowering their salt intake will save lives. In Finland, when they lowered the salt intake, stroke and heart attack rates went way down, and mortality went way down."

There are skeptics who discount the relevance of the Finnish example. The average person in Finland, at that time, was eating a lot more salt than Americans typically do. The anti-salt campaign brought that level down to around the global average. The skeptics say, for most of us, that average level of salt consumption may be just fine.

But both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are calling on people around the world to cut salt consumption even more. The average American, they say, should cut their intake of salt by a third.

This won't be easy, because people like salt. It makes many foods taste better.

This is where we get to salt's mystery. Scientists aren't exactly sure how much of our taste for salt is nature, and how much is nurture.

On the one hand, Breslin says, a massive international study of salt consumption around the world, conducted in the 1980s, suggests maybe we're born with it. "All across the planet, with a few exceptions, most people consume more or less the same amount of sodium," Breslin says.

The exception is people who can't easily get salt, such as isolated tribes in Amazonia. Everywhere else ? from small villages in China to Chicago, people consume similar amounts ? much more than our bodies need.

If humanity's taste for salt preference really is so universal, Breslin says, it's going to be really hard for any government to convince people to use less of it.

On the other hand, there's also some evidence that our preferences do shift, based on what's around us.

Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Center, says the first evidence for this came from stories told by doctors who ordered patients with high blood pressure to switch to a low-sodium diet. Their patients reported that "it was awful at first, but after a while, it wasn't so bad," Beauchamp says. Their taste sensors seemed to adapt, a little bit the way our eyes adapt to a dark room.

In fact, Beauchamp says, after they did that for a while, "when they went back to their normal food, it was too salty."

Beauchamp decided to carry out a more carefully monitored experiment to study this. He put people on a controlled, low-sodium diet, and they did adapt. "In about four to eight weeks, the amount of salt that they found optimal in soup or crackers declined by 40 or 50 percent."

It seems to show that we can get used to foods with less salt in it. So we could be healthier, and still enjoy our food just as much.

The problem is, there's no easy way to make this happen. Consumers aren't captives who can be forced to adapt.

Most of the salt that we eat comes via food that somebody else makes for us, such as bread, sandwich meat and salad dressing, and the companies that make those products aren't going to cut salt from them if they think it will drive consumers away.

"We'll always make sure these products taste good," says Todd Abraham, senior vice president for research and nutrition at Mondelez International, which makes Ritz crackers, Wheat Thins and Oreos. "If we produce products that are low-salt and consumers don't buy them, we haven't helped the American diet at all, because they'll go to a different product that has higher levels of salt."

A couple of years ago, a committee of scientists from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine called on the government to help solve this problem with regulations.

Regulations, they pointed out, could force all the food companies to bring down salt levels in unison. There would be no high-salt alternatives, and consumers would eventually adapt to the new taste.

Food industry executives like Abraham don't like that idea. They say that such regulations are impractical. They also argue that regulations aren't necessary, because big food companies now are acting on their own. They are reducing salt levels, slowly and silently, in many processed foods. They're hoping that consumers won't even notice.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/20/167619010/the-paradox-and-mystery-of-our-taste-for-salt?ft=1&f=1007

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sports news today: Most Recommendable Cellphone Accessories ...

During the last decade, tons of cool and innovative cell phones have been flooding the market immensely. Call it a domino effect-cellphone accessories have been also invading shops everywhere. But no one can prevent such good stuff to spread, as these cheap cell phone accessories are very functional and can easily add glamour to one?s mobile device.

Determine below some of the most recommendable cellular phone accessories worth checking out:

Travel Chargers - These portable chargers, such as car chargers are truly a must have for anyone with on-the-go personality. If you want uninterrupted connectivity, get one of these to juice up your cell phone battery whenever it runs out. And since these cell phone chargers are very affordable, you can throw one in your car and in your purse to never miss an urgent call or message again.

Bluetooth Wireless Headsets - Big tango to Bluetooth technology, people can enjoy freedom from wires and cables. One of the most crucial factors to consider on having a Bluetooth headset is that it allows you to simultaneously talk to someone while both your hands are on the wheel because of its hands-free feature. Providing a crystal clear sound, it also lets you listen to your favorite music, which is a definite plus for music junkies.

Cell Phone Protectors - Available in smart designs and styles, these cellular phone covers are not only meant for artistic purposes; they also protect your valuable device from dirt, dust and nicks. Many heavy-duty and high quality cellphone protectors and cases can as well guard your mobile against wear and tear. You can select from a broad range of protectors made up of leather, plastic, silicone, and other materials to complement your personal requirements and preferences.

Cell Phone Holsters - These belt clips or cellphone holsters conveniently keep your phone in place while reducing the chance of dropping or losing your device.

Say goodbye to bulky pockets; just slip your phone into the holster and snap it onto your belt or pocket. For women who love to carry totes, these holsters will easily clip onto your purses or totes, as well as onto your car?s sun visor-making it accessible but not obstructive.

These are the most sought after and essential cellphone accessories you should consider. No need to worry about the price, as there are numerous online cell phone accessories shops that offer premium quality and discounted cell phone accessories for every mobile device brand or model. You can invest on one or all of them to further boost your mobile communication experience.

Source: http://buynewmobilephone.com/2012/12/16/most-recommendable-cellphone-accessories/

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Source: http://steebyafton9.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/most-recommendable-cellphone-accessories-buy-new-mobile.html

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Source: http://blankenship97.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/most-recommendable-cellphone-accessories-buy-new-mobile.html

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Source: http://sports-news-today-blog.blogspot.com/2012/12/most-recommendable-cellphone.html

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Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe

Arguably, next to recess, lunchtime is one part of the day that schoolchildren look forward to the most. It's a time to grab some grub and socialize with friends. Dianne Brame, the cafeteria manager at Hudson Elementary School in Webster Groves, Missouri, said she knows each one of [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/miss-usa-olivia-culpo-crowned-miss-universe-025923486.html

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Ayem Nour: I Banged Chris Brown (With Karrueche Tran's Permission)

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/ayem-nour-i-banged-chris-brown-karrueche-tran-permission/

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Newtown shooter's mom buried, source tells NBC

Nancy Lanza is being described by a family member as a "survivalist," and someone who owned a collection of guns. Nancy Lanza is the mother of Connecticut shooter Adam Lanza. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.

By NBC News staff and wire services

A private funeral was held Thursday for the mother of the gunman who killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., a New Hampshire police source told NBC News.

The service for Nancy Lanza, who was shot by her son Adam just before the school rampage last Friday, was attended by about two dozen family members in New Hampshire, her previous home state, the source said. It wasn't revealed exactly where the service was held.

Her brother is a retired police captain in Kingston, N.H.

The service was held as more children and teachers killed at the school were buried on Thursday.


Nancy Lanza and then-husband Peter Lanza moved to the central Connecticut community in 1998 from southern New Hampshire.?Nancy Lanza had worked as a stock broker at John Hancock in Boston and her husband was a successful executive. They divorced in 2009.

Around the country, efforts to memorialize the victims of Newtown have excluded the Lanzas. For instance, there's a national effort to have churches ring their bells 26 times, once ?in honor of each child and teacher.?

But in Georgia, the Stockbridge First United Methodist Church will ring its bell 27 times to include Nancy Lanza.

?I think for us, she?s a victim, too,? said the Rev. Jody Ray, the pastor. ?We probably should have included the young man who committed the crime.

?It?s a tragedy. At the end of the day, people are dead and in response to tragedy, we want to remember all those who were involved ?We?re not going to stand in judgment.?

This article includes reporting by NBC News' Kip Whitlock and Tracy Connor and Reuters.

More content from NBCNews.com:

Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/20/16048569-newtown-shooters-mom-buried-in-private-service-source-tells-nbc?lite

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The high cost of motherhood worldwide - Life Inc.

OECD

In most countries, there's a gap between men's and women's earnings, and it grows when women have children.

By Allison Linn, TODAY

Motherhood has many rewards, but as many women already know, they aren?t usually the financial kind.

A new and comprehensive look at how much money 25- to 44-year-olds earn finds that women of that age earn less than men worldwide, and the gap between men?s and women?s pay grows considerably wider when just comparing moms and dads.

The Organization for Cooperation and Development looked at the wage gap among men and women in its 34 member countries. On average across the countries, they found that median earnings for women who worked full-time were 16 percent less than men working full-time.

That?s actually 4 percentage point improvement over 2000, the researchers said. Most of the improvement came between 2000 and 2005.

The report found that the gap grew much wider for people in their mid-20s through mid-40s who also were raising children ages 15 and under. Median wages for moms in that situation were 22 percent less than dads in that situation.

For people who weren?t raising children, there also was a wage gap, but it was much smaller. Women of that age without kids made 7 percent less than dads without kids.

In a handful of countries, including Ireland and Australia, the women without kids were actually earning slightly more, on average, than the men without kids.

The comparisons were among full-time workers, but the report noted that women ? and especially mothers - are much more likely to work part-time. Many women choose to work part-time so they can have more time for family, but the report noted that it?s tougher to find secure, career-track employment at a part-time job.

In a statement accompanying the report?s release, OECD officials argued that things like high child care costs are keeping some women from working as many hours as they might like, or from pursuing certain careers. They said that, in turn, could end up stifling some economic growth.

?Closing the gender gap must be a central part of any strategy to create more sustainable economies and inclusive societies,? OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurr?a said in a statement.

Worldwide, many women have risen to positions of great power in recent years.

In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is one of the world?s most powerful politicians. And in the United States women including Yahoo! Chief Executive Melissa Mayer have come to command a lot of sway among business leaders.

Still, most top positions are still held by men, and the OECD report noted that the wage gap was wider, on average, at the top of the pay scale.

In the United States, the gap between men?s and women?s earnings has remained little changed even as wages have fallen for everyone because of the recession and weak recovery.? The median earnings for women who worked full-time and year-round were 77 cents for every dollar a man earned in 2011, according to the latest Census data.

Related:

Wage gap starts right after college, research shows

Women face stubborn wage gape as wages fall for everyone

Has your career been limited by your decision to have children?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/12/18/15972792-the-high-cost-of-motherhood-worldwide

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Christmas hot chocolate recipe - Recipes - goodtoknow

Goodtoknow TV

Free & easy recipe video: Watch new how-to recipe videos with goodtoknow and Woman's Weekly see all videos >

You can?t beat a steaming hot cup of creamy hot chocolate on a cold winters day. This delicious, mildly spiced version has the option of an extra bit of oomph when you add some brandy or rum. What could be more delicious or warming when coming in from a cold Christmas walk or after spending hours on your feet Christmas shopping? Keep a can of squirty cream and a bar of good quality chocolate handy throughout the festive period and then you can rustle up this heart warming classic at a moments notice?mmm

  • Serves: 2

  • Prep time: 8 mins

  • Cooking time: 2 mins

  • Total time: 10 mins

  • Skill level: Easy peasy

  • Costs: Cheap as chips

That's goodtoknow

cartoon image of chef

Try using flavoured dark chocolate such as orange and spice, available from most supermarkets.

Ingredients

  • 200ml full-fat milk
  • 4tbsp drinking chocolate powder
  • 30g dark chocolate, finely grated
  • ?tsp ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 2tbsp brandy or dark rum (optional)
  • Canned squirty cream, silver balls and gingerbread biscuits to serve

Method

  1. Place the milk in a saucepan and heat gently until almost boiling and scalding hot. Alternatively heat in a microwave on HIGH/100% for 2-3 mins.
  2. Meanwhile mix the drinking chocolate powder, grated chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg and brandy or rum (if using) in a heatproof jug until well combined.

  3. As soon as the milk is about to boil, pour it into the jug, whisking with a balloon whisk (or stirring with a wooden spoon) as you do.

  4. Immediately pour into cups and squirt a swirl of cream over the chocolate. Scatter with a few silver balls to decorate and serve with gingerbread biscuits.
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Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

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What's your budget to spend on food and drink for Christmas this year?

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Source: http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/536737/christmas-hot-chocolate

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Drew Barrymore: I Still Don't "Feel Like a Grown-Up"

From her earliest days as a child star to an adolescent with addiction issues to now one of the industry's most successful producers, Drew Barrymore has one of Hollywood's most fascinating life stories. 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/drew-barrymore-i-still-dont-totally-feel-grown/1-a-509489?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Adrew-barrymore-i-still-dont-totally-feel-grown-509489

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Merck KGaA, Oncothyreon hit as cancer vaccine fails

FRANKFURT | Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:36pm GMT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - An experimental lung cancer vaccine from Germany's Merck KGaA failed to improve survival in a pivotal study, dealing a blow to the company and the high-risk field of using vaccines to fight tumors.

Stimuvax, which Merck licensed from U.S. biotech firm Oncothyreon, failed to increase overall survival in the Phase III clinical trial, the German chemicals and pharmaceuticals group said on Wednesday.

The trial's coordinating investigator, Frances Shepherd of the University of Toronto, said the result was disappointing, although she said "notable treatment effects were observed in certain subgroups of patients".

While this could mean that Merck might conduct more studies to try and find particular groups of patients who would benefit from the treatment, industry analysts were skeptical that Stimuvax had any future.

"Despite potential positive effects in subgroups, we consider the drug dead," said Deutsche Bank analyst Holger Blum.

The trial was testing Stimuvax on more than 1,500 patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors could not be completely removed via surgery and whose disease had at least stabilized following chemoradiotherapy.

Merck said it would discuss the data with experts and regulatory authorities over the coming months.

Helvea analyst Odile Rundquist, who cut her price target on Merck by 2 euros to 97 euros a share, said the setback for Stimuvax was another blow for Merck's pharmaceutical division following recent disappointments with cancer drug Erbitux and the earlier failure of cladribine in multiple sclerosis.

Merck shares fell 3.3 percent to 98.22 euros by 1145 GMT, while Germany's blue-chip DAX index was up 0.2 percent. The market impact was limited by the fact that many Merck analysts had not included Stimuvax sales forecasts in their financial models, given the risky nature of the project.

The news is a much bigger setback for the German company's small U.S. partner Oncothyreon, whose shares fell 70 percent in premarket trading on Nasdaq.

Stimuvax is one of a number so-called therapeutic cancer vaccines being developed by drug companies to fight tumors by stimulating the body's immune system.

The first such vaccine was approved two years ago but Provenge for prostate cancer, made by Dendreon, has met with limited success, due to management missteps and doctors' reluctance to adopt the difficult-to-administer therapy.

A number of other cancer vaccines are in development that analysts believe may be more successful, including a product from GlaxoSmithKline against melanoma and lung cancer which is set to report clinical trial results next year.

Some investors had already been wary about prospects for Stimuvax after Merck said in March the trial would be continued and final data would be presented later than expected, raising doubts over its success.

"Given the history of the drug's development with postponements, discontinuations and break-ups we are not surprised about today's outcome," DZ Bank analyst Peter Spengler said.

(Editing by Erica Billingham)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKHealth/~3/UEitpsJyzHw/us-merck-stimuvax-idUKBRE8BI0CA20121219

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Key witnesses in Connecticut school shooting are two adult survivors

NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Authorities investigating the massacre of 20 students and six adults at an elementary school are questioning two adults who were wounded in the shooting and survived, Connecticut State Police said on Monday.

The two survivors of Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, are considered key witnesses who may be able to help police reconstruct the steps taken by the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire, State Police Lieutenant J. Paul Vance said at a media briefing.

In addition to the 26 people he killed at the school, the gunman killed his mother and himself.

(Editing By Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-witnesses-connecticut-school-shooting-two-adult-survivors-150526572.html

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Josh Williams On Why Facebook Bought His Startup Gowalla To Put A ?Nearby? Lens On 250M Geo-Posts Per Month

Facebook Nearby Tab. Donejpeg"A location service only gets interesting when you get to a certain scale," and Foursquare isn't there yet says Josh Williams. His check-in app Gowalla wasn't either, but it was bought by Facebook where a quarter-billion people tag locations each month. In an interview, Williams tells me how the Nearby feature he launched on Facebook today shows you that data "through the lens of what's around you right now".

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Dnsv2TS3pUw/

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Nile-like river roves across Saturn's moon Titan

Coursing 400 kilometres towards a dark delta, a river found on Saturn's moon Titan is the longest yet seen outside Earth. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Nile, the river hints at ongoing geological activity on the moon.

Titan is considered to be the most Earth-like extraterrestrial body in the solar system. In addition to its thick atmosphere, the moon boasts mountains, lakes and a liquid cycle akin to Earth's water cycle.

But at -179 ?C, Titan is too cold for flowing water. Instead, liquid hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane fill its lakes and streams.

Finding faults

Spotted by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, the newfound river follows a relatively straight path into one of Titan's large seas, Ligeia Mare. "We think it's raining in the highlands and flowing down into these river valleys," says Thomas Farr of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The Nile's relatively straight shape is partly controlled by fault lines, which on Earth mark the places where tectonic plates meet. Titan is probably too small to have plates, but the river may also be tracing a fault in the bedrock, says Farr. Pressure could build up on such faults, causing them to shift and form new chasms and lakes, he says.

"Usually when we look at another planet, we're cautioned not to bring our Earth experience too much to bear, because we might fool ourselves," says Farr. "But here we look at a completely alien world and it looks just like the Earth. It's hard to believe."

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/26adefd3/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn230A0A80Enilelike0Eriver0Eroves0Eacross0Esaturns0Emoon0Etitan0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Obama, Boehner meet as hopes rise for "fiscal cliff" deal (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/271361674?client_source=feed&format=rss

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ROLLOVER YOUR 401k INTO AN IRA | Barbara Friedberg Personal ...

I just switched jobs and have over $100,000 saved in my workplace retirement account. I would like to take the money out and use it for my bills, home repairs, and holiday shopping, what do you think? My new job pays well and so I?m not too worried.? Isabela, age 40

What is a 401K??

During Isabela?s years of employment, she contributed part of her earnings into a 401K. Employers offer ?a program which allows employees to transfer part of their salary into a retirement plan where the funds grow tax deferred. Employers frequently add matching funds into these plans as well.

401k information

Do Not Cash Out Your 401K

The funds are deposited pre-tax and grow tax free. It?s a great way to build a nest egg for retirement.

Isabela contributed $377 per month for 10 years and her employer added $200 per month. The money grew at an annual rate of 7%. Isabela only contributed $45,000 and ended up with $100,000 after 10 years.

Cash Out the 401(K)?

Since Isabela is not yet 59 1/2, if she cashes out her 401K she will owe taxes on the entire amount plus a 10 percent penalty. The penalty alone is $10,000. Additionally, she forfeits the opportunity for the funds to continue growing tax deferred. If she leaves the funds in the existing 401K or rolls it directly into a self directed IRA, the $100,000 could grow to $386,000 by age 60 assuming a 7 percent return. That?s without adding another dime!

Isabela, do not cash out your 401K, it is a losing proposition.

Since your new job pays well, use the income from the new job to pay down debt and shop. Do not cash out the 401K. You cannot get back those 10 years of compound returns. Even if you start a new 401K now, it will take another 10 years to get back to $100,000 (given the same scenario), and at that time you?ll be 10 years closer to retirement.

Your best alternative is to either leave the funds in your previous employers plan or roll it into a self-directed IRA where you can invest the funds as you wish.

How to Rollover your 401K ?into an IRA

If you rollover your 401K directly into an IRA, you avoid paying a penalty or taxes. You allow your funds to continue to grow tax deferred. And you may be able to add to the funds (if you are eligible). My husband I have rolled over several 401K?s into IRA?s and the process is quite straight forward.

Choose a discount broker and open an IRA account. The instructions are online or you can call the company as well. We have IRA accounts at Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and TD Ameritrade.

Call the 401K contact and ask how to complete a trustee to trustee transfer. At my spouse?s last job, he filled out some paperwork and faxed it back to the company. That paperwork will ask where you want the funds sent so you?ll need the account information for the IRA account.

The entire transfer was completed within less than one week.

What Happens to the Investments in the 401K?

You must ask the 401K representative about the process. In our recent case, all investments were sold before transfer and the cash was deposited into the new IRA. That creates the opportunity for you to reinvest the funds in the new IRA. In general, I recommend a diversified distribution of index funds, in line with your asset allocation. Learn about how to invest in the free ebook, 20 Minute Guide to Investing.

Why to Rollover into an IRA?

There are many reasons to roll over your funds. Frequently the individual IRA at a discount broker has low or no fees, unlike a 401K. You control how your assets are invested in the IRA. Your money continues to grow tax free until withdrawal. An IRA is one of the greatest wealth building tools.

Isabela, if you?re still unsure, seek the advice of a financial professional for help with this decision.

?What have been your experiences rolling over a 401K into an IRA? Have you ever withdrawn the funds from a 401K only to regret the decision later?

image credit;?google images_info_osullivancreel

Source: http://barbarafriedbergpersonalfinance.com/rollover-your-k-into-ira/

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10 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Caregiver | Senior ...

They are scary and keep creeping back. You try to push them down, but they resurface. Do I have a false sense of security regarding my parents? well-being? They are managing at home alone, right? How can I trust a caregiver I hire to take care of Mom? How can I trust this stranger who will suddenly be coming into her home and into all of our lives?

These questions are natural any time a family considers hiring an in-home caregiver. This is a brand new person in your life who is suddenly responsible for taking care of your loved one. It?s natural to be nervous, but there are steps you can take ahead of time to give you the peace of mind you need. Homewatch CareGivers has a list of 10 questions we feel any person should ask a prospective senior home care?provider. We provide these questions not because we want you to choose Homewatch CareGivers as your in-home care solution, but we know it?s important to have these answers before you make a decision.? Here are the 10 questions at a glance: 1. How long has the agency been providing private duty home care?? 2. Is a written, customized care plan developed in consultation with the client and family members, and is the plan updated as changes occur?? 3. How are emergencies handled after normal business hours?? 4. Do they closely supervise the quality of care, including daily documentation of work in the client?s home and non-scheduled supervisory visits?? 5. Does the agency employ a nurse, social worker, or other qualified professional to make regular visits to the client?s home?? 6. Do they provide a written document that states the rights and responsibilities of the client, and explains the company?s privacy policy and code of ethics?? 7. Do they triple-screen their caregiver employees carefully, including use of reference checks, driving records and criminal background investigations?? 8. Does the agency mandate ongoing training of its employees to continually update their skills?? 9. Does the agency manage all payroll and employee-related matters and adhere to state and federal guidelines in its employment practices, such as withholding appropriate taxes and providing workers? compensation and other benefits?? 10. Do they also use independent contractors? If so, who employs the person and pays the mandated taxes and withholdings in this case? It?s also important to understand what answers you are seeking in regard to these questions.? 1. How long has the agency been providing private duty home care?? What you?re looking for here is experience. For example, Homewatch CareGivers is backed by more than 30 years of experience in providing?elder home care services. Any in-home care company with this sort of history gives you confidence that the employees understand the industry and already have processes and procedures in place to ensure the well-being of your loved one.? 2. Is a written, customized care plan developed in consultation with the client and family members, and is the plan updated as changes occur?? Your loved one is a unique individual and their care should be just as unique. A customized plan caters to their specific needs. You are not looking for a cookie cutter care plan. Additionally, a person?s needs don?t stay the same. As their condition deteriorates, they need more care. That requires a change in the care plan.? Dementia and?Alzheimer?s care?demonstrates this well. At Homewatch CareGivers, we believe that every dementia care client should not only get a customized care plan, but their caregivers should learn about their social history to make them feel more comfortable. This plan adjusts as the dementia progresses so at any one time, the care is always right for your mom or dad. Homewatch CareGivers also offers Pathways to Memory, a unique dementia care program that focuses on one-on-one interaction with the goal of creating meaningful moments in a failure-free environment. The goal is to make your loved one feel safe and confident, not to correct them. 3. How are emergencies handled after normal business hours?? This question lets you know if your in-home care company has someone on call and how the staff will notify you if there is an urgent situation regarding your loved one. Emergencies do not wait until business hours and Homewatch CareGivers believes in being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We want you to know that you can get in touch with someone when you need them.? 4. Do they closely supervise the quality of care, including daily documentation in the client?s home and non-scheduled supervisory visits?? When a person comes into your loved one?s home, you need to be sure they are held accountable for the care they provide. Daily documentation and supervisory visits also give caregivers regular coaching so their caring skills can continue to improve. The goal of this question is to make sure you know what is happening and that someone is always paying attention to the care provided to your loved one.? 5. Does the agency employ a nurse, social worker, or other qualified professional to make regular visits to the client?s home?? A nurse is another reassurance that a skilled professional is supervising your loved one?s caregivers, especially if your loved one has a chronic condition. Many conditions require extra understanding so caregivers can provide the best kind of care. If the agency you are considering does not have a nurse on staff, look for something like the Homewatch CareGivers University. These steps give you an assurance of quality care.? 6. Do they provide a written document that states the rights and responsibilities of the client, and explains the company?s privacy policy and code of ethics?? These documents are required by licensure in many states across the U.S. It is important for you and your loved one to understand your rights and what?s going to happen. You should not have to ask for this information ? it should be part of your home care company?s process to provide it to you. If it is not offered, make sure you ask for it and review it. Be sure you understand these documents and ask more questions until you feel comfortable.? 7. Do they triple-screen their caregiver employees carefully, including use of reference checks, driving records and criminal background investigations?? This gets the core of your worries ? making sure the person coming into the home is safe. In addition to making sure there are no questionable legal issues, you also want your in-home care agency to look for other factors. The triple-screening you?re really looking for is background, experience and compassion. A clean background doesn?t necessarily mean a person is suited to the sensitive job of caregiving.? 8. Does the agency mandate ongoing training of its employees to continually update their skills?? This is also where you want to look for something similar to the Homewatch CareGivers University. This provides caregivers with continual education so they can improve their skills and care for people with a variety of medical issues or chronic conditions. A caregiver cannot cure or medically treat something like congestive heart failure (CHF), but the caregiver does need to understand why a person with CHF shouldn?t eat canned soup (because it has a high salt content). With ongoing training, a caregiver is better able to support the best lifestyle for your loved one?s health and well-being. 9. Does the agency manage all payroll and employee-related matters and adhere to state and federal guidelines in its employment practices, such as withholding appropriate taxes and providing workers? compensation and other benefits?? Questions 9 and 10 really go together. 10. Do they also use independent contractors? If so, who employs the person and pays the mandated taxes and withholdings in this case?

What you are looking for here is to find out if you are dealing with a registry or an agency. If your home care provider does all the pieces brought up in Question 9, then it is an agency. If it does not, then it is a registry. Registries match you with a caregiver, but it is then your responsibility to pay their payroll taxes and any workers compensation if they get injured while on the job.

A registry would mean the first part of Question 10 is a yes, because the people on the registry are similar to independent contractors. That would mean you employ the caregiver and the taxes are your responsibility.

A registry is often less expensive initially, but it could cost you more in the long run. It also is not often able to provide assurances that your loved one has a caregiver that is getting ongoing training.

Our hope is that you are able to get the answers to these questions before you make a decision in hiring a caregiver. In some cases, that decision may be that Homewatch CareGivers is not the right choice for you and your family. However, it?s more important to us that you find a company that gives you the right care for your loved one.

For more information about how Homewatch CareGivers of Charlotte can help you, call us at (704) 503-4660.? If you do not live in the Charlotte (NC) area, then Click here to find a Homewatch CareGivers location near you.

Source:? Homewatch CareGivers News

Source: http://www.seniorcarecharlotte.net/blog/?p=1305

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Polar Hits 1 Million Votes, Illustrates How To Develop A Truly Successful Mobile-First App

7263303424_6162bd321d_bWe told you about the super-simple and super-sticky voting app Polar for iOS a few weeks ago, and since then, the app has taken off quite nicely. When you use it, you'll instantly see how people are exploring the platform to learn what they think about the things that they're interested in. Sure, it's a "polling" app, but calling it just that is selling it short. It's quite addictive in a "Hot Or Not" way, to boot.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/re63w5ZN9do/

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Official: Hundreds of bullets found at school

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? Connecticut state police say multiple 30-round magazines and hundreds of bullets found at elementary school where 26 were killed.

State Police Lt. Paul Vance also said Sunday that authorities have officially identified the gunman in the school rampage as Adam Lanza. They say his mother, Nancy, as was one of his victims.

Residents of Newtown are preparing for a visit by President Barack Obama. He is scheduled to attend an interfaith vigil in the evening.

The shooting is the largest massacre of school-age children in U.S. history.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/official-hundreds-bullets-found-school-210452230.html

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IBM: Computers Will See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Touch in 5 Years

Today's PCs and smartphones can do a lot -- from telling you the weather in Zimbabwe in milliseconds, to buying your morning coffee. But ask them to show you what a piece of fabric feels like, or to detect the odor of a great-smelling soup, and they're lost.

That will change in the next five years, says IBM. Computers at that time will be much more aware of the world around them, and be able to understand it. The company's annual "5 in 5" list, in which IBM predicts the five trends in computing that will arrive in five years' time, reads exactly like a list of the five human senses -- predicting computers with sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

The five senses are really all part of one grand concept: cognitive computing, which involves machines experiencing the world more like a human would. For example, a cognizant computer wouldn't see a painting as merely a set of data points describing color, pigment and brush stroke; rather, it would truly see the object holistically as a painting, and be able to know what that means.

Cognitive Advantages

"That's a foundationally different way of thinking of computing," Bernie Meyerson, IBM's vice president of innovation, told Mashable in an interview. "You have to change how you think about absorbing data. You can't just take a picture and file the picture. You have to treat the picture as an entity at a very high level, as opposed to just a bunch o' bits."

"[Cognitive computing] makes for some very interesting shifts in capability," he adds. "That's a rather profound sort of driver."

One of the key differences between a cognizant computer and a traditional one is the idea of training. A cognitive system won't just continue to give the same wrong or unhelpful answer; if it arrives at the wrong conclusion, it can change its approach and try again.

"In a cognitive machine, you set it up and run it, but it observes," Meyerson says. "And that's very different because it statistically calculates an end result. However, if that answer is incorrect and you tell it, it'll actually re-weight those probabilities that led it to get the wrong answer and eventually get to the right answer."

Cognition Does Not Equal Intelligence

Attributing human senses to machines can't help but conjure images of androids or self-aware computers capable of independent thought and action. Meyerson says there's a massive chasm separating cognitive computing and true artificial intelligence.

"This is really an assistive technology," he explains. "It can't go off on its own. It's not designed to do that. What it's designed to do, in fact, is respond to a human in an assistive manner. But by providing a human-style of input, it's freed us from the task of programming and moved to the task of training. It simply has -- not more intelligence -- but more bandwidth, and there's a huge difference between the two."

What's your take on cognitive computing? Is IBM on to something with PCs that can taste, smell, touch, hear and see? How would you use the technology? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Homepage photo courtesy of IBM

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/12/17/ibm-cognitive-systems/

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