50 Amazing Fat Loss and Fitness Tips From a Pro Trainer | Burn The ...

Vancouver personal trainer Mike Howard joins the Burn the Fat guest blogger roster this month with 50 amazing fat loss and fitness tips to help you have an amazing year. Like a lot of professional trainers, Mike is passionate about his craft, so he?s always thinking about exercise and nutrition. He?s also keenly aware of how valuable our time is. So, as he was sitting in the airport waiting for a delayed flight to arrive, he decided to use the time productively, he opened up his laptop and just started writing his first post for Burn the Fat Blog. He brainstormed his best fat loss and fitness tips, and for a list that he told me was ?random,? this is some amazingly insightful advice. If you apply just a handful of these tips, there?s no doubt, you?ll get better and faster results with much less stress.

50 Fat Loss And Fitness Tips, By Mike Howard

1. Slow down? enjoy, savor and nurture the process of preparing and eating food.

2. Do some form of squat or deadlift variation at least 3x/week.

3. Move often? move with intent.

4. Nail the basics? Don?t get wrapped up in the minutiae. Success is about mastering fundamentals.

5. Self-talk is powerful. Use ?I choose/choose not to? rather than ?I have to/can?t?. This is the genesis of personal accountability and sustainable health.

6. All diets work (or fail): What ?works? is consistent adherence. Find an eating pattern that is nutrient-dense and that gets you into an energy deficit.

7. You don?t need to ?cleanse? or ?detox?? EVER. Your organs do a wonderful job of that.

8. Eating 6x per day can work well? so can eating only 3x per day. Customize your meal frequency to suit your lifestyle.

9. ?Bodybuilding? can be (and often is) ?functional?. What most people perceive as ?functional? training is in comparison pretty useless.

10. Have only 10 minutes for a workout? Spend 2-3 minutes on mobility/warm-up then jump into a metabolic circuit. Pick 2-6 exercises multi-joint exercises and repeat ? little-to-no rest.

11. Yoga and Pilates can be effective but if your goal is fat loss or performance-based ? they should be ?extra?s? when you?ve done your strength/metabolic/cardio work.

12. Fat loss simplified: Get in a deficit and get adequate protein ? the rest is details.

13. Foam rollers, muscle rollers and other myofascial release tools are your friends. Make them part of every workout.

14. Your thoughts and your environment shape your behavior. Nurture them and use them to your advantage.

15. There is a fine line between open-mindedness and gullibility. Be skeptically open-minded but not so much that your brain falls out.

16. Have an exercise and nutrition mission statement. Having a clear idea of why you are doing what you do will solidify your habits as your core values ? rather than just abstract thoughts.

17. You will never regret working out once it?s done. You will, however regret skipping it.

18. Set aside 7-10 minutes every morning to prepare food for the day.

19. Hit a grocery store at lunch or on the way home rather than a drive-through.

20. Need a 5 minute grocery store fix? Mixed nuts, beef jerky, flavored tuna (grab a plastic fork too).

21. Moderation: It?s less than you think it is.

22. Enter into and re-commit to your health journey knowing that it won?t be easy

23. Definition of insanity? Doing the same things this year as you did last year and expecting a different result.

24. Work out because you love your body ? not because you hate it.

25. No single food (or category of foods) makes you fat and no single food (or category of foods) will make you thin.

26. Educate yourself: Read, absorb and apply the information to your situation.

27. Do something daily for your posture and mobility. This may be as simple as getting away from your desk more frequently.

28. 2 bad days can ruin 5 good ones: Use your weekends to capitalize on healthy living instead of an excuse to ?let lose?.

29. Learn the difference between ?hunger? and ?appetite?. Hunger is a physiological response placated by eating enough while appetite compels us to eat beyond that point.

30. Comparison is the thief of joy. You are unique and you and you alone should be your only barometer.

31. Vitamin D, fish oil a multivitamin/mineral and protein powder are ?bordering-on-necessary? front line supplements.

32. Write down what you eat. Be specific and honest. Food logging creates instant self-awareness and accountability.

33. Only 10 minutes to train? Pick 6 exercises and superset them with minimal rest in between sets.

34. Treat workouts like work commitments in that they are set in stone. Take this a step further, however and treat your training sessions like ?rewards? for a day of work.

35. Every exercise trend oversells itself. There is a place for zumba, pilates, dance-fitness, P90x, crossfit, etc but no one system is right or better overall for anyone.

36. Attack your weaknesses and challenge yourself until form breaks ? not until you?ve completed an arbitrary amount of reps.

37. Pubmed: It knows more than your guru.

38. Be aware of your posture and how you carry yourself in seated, standing, walking, running or training. Awareness is AT LEAST half the battle.

39. Your true test is not keeping on track when you are motivated and life is smooth but rather keeping at it when life throws you curve balls and you don?t feel motivated.

40. To help organize your eating ? try designating foods on different nights to simplify things; ie. Meatless Monday, chicken on Tuesday, fish on Wednesday, etc?

41. Join a challenge. While getting and keeping fit is a lifestyle with no time-constraints, transformation challenges can provide the right platform to propel you towards your goals.

42. A new body won?t change who you are as a person. It is not a missing link to happiness or fulfillment. It IS, however, capable of many amazing physical and psychological benefits that can make you feel better about whom you already are and what you are capable of.

43. Long-term success often comes down to preventing lapses from turning into full-blown re-lapses. You will slip and stumble. Get back up ? as many times as it takes.

44. Strength training is your front-line intervention for health benefits. Make it your foundational form of exercise.

45. Learn 3-4 good healthy and quick recipes. These can be your go-to meals when in a pinch.

46. Populations have not only subsisted but THRIVED on diets both low in carbs and high in carbs. It is silly to think that there is one eating pattern that is universally superior.

47. If you are capable of moving faster ? DO IT! You will gain more benefit in a shorter period of time.

48. There is no universally-decided-upon definition of ?clean eating.?Strive to eat well most of the time and allow for occasional indulgences and ?dirty? foods. Try not to categorize foods as ?good? and ?bad.?

49. Learn the finer points of some of the more complex lifts (squats, deadlifts, pulls, pushes) ? even if you hire a trainer for a few sessions.

50. Have fun? no matter what your path, learn to be process-oriented rather than product oriented. Enjoy the journey and don?t put much stock in the ?when.?

About Mike Howard

Mike has been actively involved in the fitness industry since 1996 ? amassing more than 10,000 hours of in-the-trenches experience helping people achieve phenomenal health.

He has worked with a diverse number of individuals of varying ages, goals and abilities. Mike specializes in fat loss, corrective exercise and youth fitness. His approach is comprehensive, individualized and results-oriented. A dedicated and lifelong student, Mike is on the cutting edge of exercise and nutritional science and designs strategies to help people get fast, efficient and long-lasting results.

In addition to personal training and coaching youth, Mike is an accomplished writer, with over 350 articles to his credit. He has been published in Diet Blog, The Vancouver Sun, Impact magazine and has been a guest on the Good Life Show, with Jesse Dylan ? an internationally syndicated radio show.

For more information, visit www.coreconceptswellness.com and check out his blog http://www.coreconceptswellness.com/blog . And please do feel free to connect on Facebook www.facebook.com/mike.howard2 and/or follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/CoreConceptsMH

Source: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2013/01/50-amazing-fat-loss-and-fitness-tips-from-a-pro-trainer.php

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UPDATE 2-Debt-hobbled Cyprus says has Russian assurances on aid

Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:27am EST

* Cypriot president says Russia can "save" island

* Island hobbled by exposure to debt-wracked Greece

* Russia's Putin quoted as saying stands ready to assist

By Michele Kambas

NICOSIA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Debt-hobbled Cyprus limped closer to an international financial bailout on Wednesday, saying it had won Russian assurances that Moscow would join in international efforts to salvage the island's finances.

The Mediterranean nation, one of the euro zone's smallest economies, applied for aid from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund last June.

Talks are complicated by the sheer size of the bailout, which could equal the 17.5 billion euro size of the Cypriot economy, and German misgivings about the island's commitment to financial transparency because of its close ties with Russia.

Cyprus, shut out of financial markets for almost two years, got a 2.5 billion euro bilateral loan from Moscow in late 2011.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation with Cypriot President Demetris Christofias on Tuesday, a statement from Cyprus's presidency said.

"President Putin assured me that the Russian Federation is ready to contribute with the European Union in the financing of Cyprus," the statement quoted Christofias telling Cypriot reporters during a visit to Belgrade.

"I strongly believe that this assistance can save us," Christofias said.

It is not clear what form any Russian assistance might take. Cyprus has already asked for a five-year extension in repaying its 2.5 billion euro loan to Moscow, to 2021 from an initial 2016.

Last week, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn told Reuters he believed it was only fair Russia make a contribution to the bailout effort because of the significant Russian business presence on the island.

Christofias, the EU's only Communist head of state and a fluent Russian speaker, said he spoke to Putin by phone on Tuesday evening. A government source said Putin made the call.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying on Monday that Russia could provide support to Cyprus under certain conditions but the island itself and the European Union would have to take the biggest share in a potential bailout.

Cyprus has been toiling under financial stress since its two largest banks sought state support after losses on an EU-sanctioned writedown on privately-held Greek sovereign debt.

Shut out of markets, it has been increasingly relying on high-yield short-term borrowing.

Unless a bailout were settled soon, the island could start causing wider problems, according to former euro group Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker.

"If we don't definitively solve the problem case of Cyprus, there is a contagion risk even from this very small national economy," Juncker was quoted as telling Austria's Kleine Zeitung in an interview published on Wednesday.

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/mergersNews/~3/UpuUgr2dBLI/cyprus-russia-idUSL5N0AZ53A20130130

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Sandra Day O'Connor steps carefully in NY gun case

NEW YORK (AP) ? Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor warned Tuesday against a rush to judgment in a New York gun ownership dispute, citing the recent killings of 20 Connecticut schoolchildren and six educators.

Sitting on a federal appeals court panel, O'Connor cited the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre in commenting on the role that courts play in interpreting gun control laws. The three-judge panel is considering the federal rights of a man who was denied a gun permit in New York after he moved from New York to Louisiana.

"The regulation of firearms is a paramount issue of public safety, and recent events in this circuit are a sad reminder that firearms are dangerous in the wrong hands," she wrote. "Questions like the one before us require a delicate balance between individual rights and the public interest, and federal courts should avoid interfering with or evaluating that balance until it has been definitively struck."

Writing for the panel, O'Connor said that before deciding the federal constitutional issue, the panel wants to hear from the New York Court of Appeals on whether state law permits a part-time resident to get a New York gun permit.

"Moreover, the New York Court of Appeals has made clear that the question whether to read 'residence' as requiring residence or domicile requires interpretation of the value and policy judgments of the state legislature," she noted.

Alfred Osterweil applied for a handgun license in May 2008, when his Summit home in Schoharie County was still his primary residence and domicile. Before his application was decided, he moved to Louisiana, maintaining the Summit residence as a part-time vacation home. A county judge rejected his application because New York was not his primary residence.

Osterweil claimed his federal rights were violated, and filed a lawsuit seeking a federal judge's order requiring the state to issue him a license, but the judge ruled for the state.

O'Connor said Tuesday that the three-judge panel, on which she sat in late October, was facing a "serious constitutional question." She said the state court's interpretation was important.

She rejected an argument by Osterweil's lawyer that the state should not be drawn into the case but credited his depiction of the dispute as raising a serious constitutional question ? an element of the case that she said was good reason to ask for input from the state court but was "not a reason to race ahead."

The 82-year-old O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006 after 25 years. She has decided cases before in the Manhattan appeals court. Retired justices have occasionally sat on federal appeals courts as visiting judges.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-29-Guns-Sandra%20Day%20O'Connor/id-ddbbc6f8f4504b97bbc593fd03143fc5

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The Secret To Emma Stone's Perfect Hair ...

Refinery29.com:

In the glitzy world of celebrity hairstylists, there are those who are good at their job and then there are those that can do absolutely magical things with hair.

Read the whole story at Refinery29.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/emma-stone-hair-_n_2577288.html

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Legal Events to Watch This Week - Law Blog - WSJ

By Joe Palazzolo

This week: BP?s plea deal over the Deepwater Horizon spill goes before a federal district judge in New Orleans. The?military?tribunal for the alleged 9/11?conspirators?cranks up again at?Guantanamo Bay.

Monday, Jan. 28

? The?Guantanamo Bay military tribunal?resumes for the alleged conspirators?of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The defendants are facing the death penalty. . . . . .

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/01/28/legal-events-to-watch-this-week-38/

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Study: Distant rural areas may feel cities' heat

FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, the Empire State, MetLife and Chrysler buildings are seen against a hazy backdrop in New York. Heat rising up from cities such as New York, Paris and Tokyo might be remotely warming up winters far away in some rural parts of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. At least that?s what a surprising study suggests. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, the Empire State, MetLife and Chrysler buildings are seen against a hazy backdrop in New York. Heat rising up from cities such as New York, Paris and Tokyo might be remotely warming up winters far away in some rural parts of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. At least that?s what a surprising study suggests. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Heat rising up from cities such as New York, Paris and Tokyo might be remotely warming up winters far away in some rural parts of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia, a surprising study theorizes.

In an unusual twist, that same urban heat from buildings and cars may be slightly cooling the autumns in much of the Western United States, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, according to the study published Sunday in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change.

Meteorologists long have known that cities are warmer than rural areas, with the heat of buildings and cars, along with asphalt and roofs that absorb heat. That's called the urban heat island effect and it's long been thought that the heat stayed close to the cities.

But the study, based on a computer model and the Northern Hemisphere, now suggests the heat does something else, albeit indirectly. It travels about half a mile up into the air and then its energy changes the high-altitude currents in the atmosphere that dictate prevailing weather.

"Basically, it changes the flow." said Guang Zhang of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. He wrote the paper with Aixue Hu at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

This doesn't change overall global temperature averages significantly, unlike man-made greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Instead it redistributes some of the heat, the scientists said.

The changes seem to vary with the seasons and by region because of the way air currents flow at different times of the year. During the winter, the jet stream is altered and weakened, keeping cold air closer to the Arctic Circle and from dipping down as sharply, Hu explained.

The computer model showed that parts of Siberia and northwestern Canada may get, on average, an extra 1.4 degrees to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 to 1 degree Celsius) during the winter, which "may not be a bad thing," Zhang said. The effect isn't quite as much in northern North Dakota and Minnesota, where temperatures might be about half a degree warmer (0.3 degrees Celsius), and even less along the East Coast.

In contrast, Europe and the Pacific Northwest are cooled slightly in the winter from this effect. The jet stream changes prevent weather systems from bringing warmer air from the Atlantic to Europe and from the Pacific to the U.S. Northwest, thus cooling those areas a bit, he said.

The biggest cooling occurs in the fall, but Hu said he's not quite sure why that happens.

Several outside scientists said they were surprised by the study results, calling the work "intriguing" and "clever." But they said it would have to be shown in more than one computer model and in repeated experiments before they could accept this theory.

"It's an interesting and rationally carried out study," said David Parker, climate monitoring chief of the United Kingdom meteorology office. "We must be cautious until other models are used to test their hypothesis."

___

Online:

Nature Climate Change: http://www.nature.com/nclimate

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-27-US-SCI-City-Heat/id-eeef39f18ef94cf4bcafe10a441c5420

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How Credit Counseling Can Improve A Person's Quality Of Life ...

Home ? > ? Finance ? > ? How Credit Counseling Can Improve A Person?s Quality Of Life By News Editor on January 26, 2013

People usually default on credit cards or loans because of unexpected financial hardship or mismanagement of funds. When consumers are unable to pay, interest continues to accrue and can increase debt. In these cases, counseling offers several benefits and can help those who are in debt to return to a life of normalcy.

Certified professionals can help consumers with credit counseling, which combines education with a debt management program to facilitate an overall reduction of monies owed. A credit counselor will review a consumer?s credit history to determine the extent of the problem, and then find ways to use the current budget to pay it off. In addition to helping devise a budget, the counselor usually contacts the creditors and creates a management program.

Establishing a DMP (debt management program) offers many benefits to the consumer. In most cases, the creditor will close any open or revolving accounts belonging to the consumer and may even limit future fees. Credit counselors will also work to establish a reduction in interest rates, which creditors may agree to in the hopes that it increases the likelihood of them being paid off. Some credit counseling agencies consolidate all debt into one monthly payment as part of the DMP. Consolidation can be advantageous because it is sometimes easier for consumers to pay monthly, as it is often less expensive than paying each debt separately would be.

Credit counseling can benefit anyone who is currently in debt: lower interest rates and consolidation can reduce the strain on the budget that results from owing money; the knowledge gained from participating in the educational programs can help people to better manage their finances and avoid similar struggles in the future. Being proactive by seeking counseling before it is necessary can prevent credit problems from becoming worse, as well.

Participation in credit counseling can improve a person?s life by raising their credit score, which is helpful for future mortgages and car loans and such. For instance, since most people can?t pay for a home in full, they will need a mortgage to buy a home, which is essentially a long-term loan that one has to be approved for. A bad credit score can make it impossible to get a good mortgage or any at all, as the lenders are hesitant to give one to a person who they deem fiscally irresponsible. Counseling can improve credit scores and make it possible for people to get a home, a car, or anything else that they need.

It?s never too early or too late to seek out help with credit problems. People shouldn?t let their financial issues get the best of them, as almost everyone can improve their quality of life by reducing their debt through a management program and other counseling options.

Featured images:

Chuck Stevens is an avid blogger always looking to share his experiences and recommendations. He has spent ten years as a credit counselor.? You can follow him on Twitter @chuckstevens12.

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Source: http://www.icontemplate.com/how-credit-counseling-can-improve-a-persons-quality-of-life/

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Cool Hunting Video Presents: Grady's Cold Brew

A look behind the scenes at New York's most delicious cold brew coffee company

When we first discovered Grady's Cold Brew we were delighted to have delicious, cold brewed, New Orleans-style coffee delivered weekly by a seemingly never-ending troupe of handsome young men. Since those early days Grady's has grown, expanding out of founder Grady Laird's home kitchen into a large warehouse in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. In our latest video we visited Laird at their new space and got a behind-the-scenes look at how New York's tastiest cold brew is made.

Source: http://www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/gradys-cold-brew-video.php

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How Fox Searchlight made the biggest deal at Sundance $9.75 million on an egg sandwich

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The biggest sale at Sundance this year - "The Way, Way Back" - began with a promise and ended with a fried egg sandwich.

Producer Kevin J. Walsh, a former assistant to Scott Rudin, told the agents selling his movie that he'd make everyone food if they closed a big deal. But before he could cook, a bidding war broke out that would pit the favored Fox Searchlight against a half-dozen other studios, including Lionsgate, Paramount, Magnolia, FilmDistrict and Open Road.

Fox Searchlight won out and paid one of the highest prices for a Sundance movie in recent years - $9.75 million - for the story of an alienated 14-year-old ("The Killing's" Liam James) on summer vacation.

The one big thing in their favor: Once "The Way, Way Back" premiered on Monday, everyone knew it would sell. The film not only drew a standing ovation, but almost every distributor stayed through the Q&A session with the filmmakers - a "rare" occasion, as one person close to the deal told TheWrap.

Fox Searchlight was an early starter out of the gate. It had already won an Oscar with Rash and Faxon, who co-wrote Alexander Payne's "The Descendants."

And at one point it was going to produce the film, back when Shawn Levy was going to direct and it was called "The Way Back." Rash and Faxon's script had charted on the 2007 Black List, which ranks the industry's favorite unproduced screenplays.

The project stalled. Levy moved on to other films, and the script bounced around until Walsh came aboard as producer and decided Faxon and Rash should direct.

In hopes of sealing the deal, Searchlight sent more than a dozen of its executives to the Sundance debut, many of whom began firing off ardent emails to the filmmakers after they had seen it.

"They came wanting to love that movie, and they were going overboard in an impressive way," a person with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap. "Multiple people at the company talked about how much they loved the film. It still didn't mean they'd get it. Sometimes you have a distributor who does all that to justify lowballing."

But Searchlight didn't have a clear field. As the filmmakers attended an after party at the Grey Goose Blue Door on Main Street, several other distributors circled. These ranged from the massive, Paramount and Warner Bros., to the very large Lionsgate, to the medium-sized FilmDistrict, Open Road and Magnolia.

Another factor was that rival agencies CAA and WME had to play nice. The movie was written and directed by CAA's Faxon and Rash and stars WME clients Steve Carell and Toni Collette.

Around 7 p.m., the dealmakers retired to the WME house, where the discussions began. Alexis Garcia, Deb McIntosh and Graham Taylor from WME would handle the deal with Laura Lewis and Dina Kuperstock from CAA.

"We had some in-person meetings, some phone calls and a lot of the offers were apples and oranges," Tom Rice of Sycamore Pictures, which produced and co-financed the movie with OddLot Entertainment, told TheWrap.

Fox Searchlight was an early starter out of the gate. It had already won an Oscar with Rash and Faxon, who co-wrote Alexander Payne's "The Descendants."

And at one point it was going to produce the film, back when Shawn Levy was going to direct and it was called "The Way Back." Rash and Faxon's script had charted on the 2007 Black List, which ranks the industry's favorite unproduced screenplays.

The project stalled. Levy moved on to other films, and the script bounced around until Walsh came aboard as producer and decided Faxon and Rash should direct.

In hopes of sealing the deal, Searchlight sent more than a dozen of its executives to the Sundance debut, many of whom began firing off ardent emails to the filmmakers after they had seen it.

"They came wanting to love that movie, and they were going overboard in an impressive way," a person with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap. "Multiple people at the company talked about how much they loved the film. It still didn't mean they'd get it. Sometimes you have a distributor who does all that to justify lowballing."

But Searchlight didn't have a clear field. As the filmmakers attended an after party at the Grey Goose Blue Door on Main Street, several other distributors circled. These ranged from the massive, Paramount and Warner Bros., to the very large Lionsgate, to the medium-sized FilmDistrict, Open Road and Magnolia.

Another factor was that rival agencies CAA and WME had to play nice. The movie was written and directed by CAA's Faxon and Rash and stars WME clients Steve Carell and Toni Collette.

Around 7 p.m., the dealmakers retired to the WME house, where the discussions began. Alexis Garcia, Deb McIntosh and Graham Taylor from WME would handle the deal with Laura Lewis and Dina Kuperstock from CAA.

"We had some in-person meetings, some phone calls and a lot of the offers were apples and oranges," Tom Rice of Sycamore Pictures, which produced and co-financed the movie with OddLot Entertainment, told TheWrap.

"When we went over there, we didn't tell them it was exclusive. But quickly getting there, it was clear they were intending to make it work as quickly as possible," an individual close to the deal said. "And it still dragged out for several hours."

As they haggled over numbers, the two sides moved in and out of the condo. The agents would move while Fox talked about it. The Fox team had to move when the agents wanted to call people back at the WME house.

Meanwhile, over the night, Searchlight increased its offer significantly. Making a big bet on the first-time directors, $9.75 million, at 4:30 a.m. it finally closed one of the richest deals in Sundance history.

"Fox Searchlight considers Jim and Nat a real part of their family," Rice said. "They made their interest known for a long time."

The deal done, the negotiating team headed back to the WME house to play pool, listen to music, drink champagne and down vodka. Whiskey would have been ideal given the frigid weather, but Utah's Byzantine liquor laws had dashed the hopes of a late-night liquor run. The local whiskey from High West Distillery would have to wait.

"We didn't plan ahead for celebrations, and it isn't too easy to improvise in Park City," one person there recalled.

With a couple hours until the papers would be signed, pre-planned improvisation would have to do.

And Walsh made good on his promise: Fried egg sandwiches with asparagus.

"We cracked a bottle of champagne at about 6 a.m.," he said. Good morning.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fox-searchlight-made-biggest-deal-sundance-9-75-010308875.html

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New Construction In One of South Tampa's Most Desirable ...

South Tampa Realtor, Rae Catanese, and luxury new?home builder?Bayfair Homes, jointly come together to present: A gorgeous, elegant, corner lot situated in Beach Park, one of South Tampa's most desirable neighborhoods!

When a family friend of 30 years decided she wanted to sell her South Tampa Beach Park 1950's home, we came to the conclusion that marketing the property as a new construction home would draw the largest audience for this location where million dollar homes surround the property. But, there was one catch. The owner has a magnificent Grand Live Oak tree in the front yard which could be a challenge when designing a large luxury home.

At first, Rae began contacting her list of South Tampa custom home builders to see if they were interested in looking at the site. Many wanted to know about the tree and if it could be taken down, but when she spoke with David Seidenberg of Bayfair Properties LLC, a South Tampa custom home builder since 1989, he wanted to explore the options of what this magnificent tree could offer a homeowner. David's first words were, "What a spectacular tree! This could be the largest tree in all of Beach Park!"? He saw the opportunity to save this historical tree, and we all agreed it would provide an added benefit to a new homeowner. The tree provides an umbrella shade where a family can gather to enjoy sipping ice tea on a hot summer's day, host elegant parties under the moonlight or build a play area for kids in pure nature. To top it off, the landscaping opportunities are infinite!

Not knowing what could be done with the tree, Seidenberg suggested they meet with the City of Tampa Arborist, David Reilly. Reilly determined the oak was a protected tree and that even if the seller received authorization from the City of Tampa to take down the tree, there would be a two-year moratorium put on the construction of a new house. The solution was to trim several of the limbs to preserve the integrity of the tree, while still making it possible to build a large home.

For any property to be considered truly luxurious, man-made architecture and Mother Nature created elements must come together in unison and harmony to create a perfect balance. Well, this one has both. This exceptional residence is surrounded by a protected, magnificent Grand Live Oak Tree creating an outstanding setting from every angle, while providing the ultimate in privacy and luxury.

From the moment you enter the residence through the impressive front door, you are surrounded by the highest quality craftsmanship, materials and amenities, all working together to create an atmosphere of pure elegance and balance.

Downstairs will feature a great open room floor plan; 10' ceilings with 5 ?" crown molding; formal foyer and dining area, study, and a 23?12 paved outdoor entertaining space with gas piping for your outdoor grill. The sunroom takes advantage of the property's majestic oak tree, creating the perfect environment for a yoga lounge, or a personal peaceful retreat. You'll be able to choose everything from hardwood flooring, to granite counters in all rooms. ?

The kitchen features all Stainless Steel GE Profile^TM ENERGY STAR? appliance package, including an 18,000 BTU dual-flame stacked burner gas stove with convection oven, a GE Profile Advantium? Convection Microwave, and a GE Profile^TM ENERGY STAR? 23.2 Cu. Ft. Side-by-Side refrigerator with Integrated Dispenser. There is a choice of stained maple 42" cabinets from several designs which feature soft close drawers and a light valence.

Upstairs?you'll?find 4 generous sized bedrooms, a loft, and 3 full baths. Master bath has dual vanity sinks, garden tub and separate shower with Listello tile accents, and his and hers walk-in closets. There is also a large bonus room located above the 2 car garage, perfect for a children's playroom, craft room, sports room or even a spacious office.

Three 14 Seer AC units, tankless water heater, Low E Impact windows, and R30 insulation will save on all your electric and insurance costs. This large corner lot allows for a side entry garage with paver driveway, and leaves plenty of room for an optional pool for those hot summery days.

For more information on purchasing the lot, or building a new home, contact Rae Catanese

About The Listing Agent

Tampa Bay's own, Rae Catanese regularly gives expert advice and insider tips about the Tampa Bay real estate market. Since 2006, the Tampa Real Estate Insider blog has offered home buyers, sellers and those relocating to Tampa Bay with in-depth analysis of hot topics and latest real estate trends. She specializes in Listing Short Sales, Foreclosures and Bank Owned Homes for sale. Buyer and Listing Agent in St. Pete, Tampa and Clearwater. Contact Rae Today:

Rae Catanese
Prudential Tropical Realty
Phone: 813.784.7744
Email: info@thetamparealestateinsider.com
Website: http://thetamparealestateinsider.com

Published: January 25, 2013

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Source: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20130125_wspanishmainst.htm

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700 alleged militants held in limbo in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistan is holding 700 suspected militants without charges under a controversial law that has been criticized by human rights organizations, the country's attorney general said Thursday.

The admission, made during a Supreme Court hearing, will likely fuel concerns about Pakistan's conduct over the past several years as it has battled a domestic Taliban insurgency in the country's northwest.

The 700 suspected militants are being held in internment centers in the country's semiautonomous tribal region along the Afghan border, the main Taliban sanctuary in the country, said Attorney General Irfan Qadir.

They will be held until the military concludes operations against the Taliban, and then authorities will determine whether they can be tried in court, said Qadir. He justified the detention under a law passed in 2011 known as the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulations.

"It's a war-like situation there," said Qadir. "While the operation is on, their status will remain the same."

Amnesty International criticized the law in a December report, saying both it and colonial-era regulations in the tribal region "provide a framework for widespread human rights violations to occur with impunity."

The London-based rights group said the Pakistani military regularly holds people without charges and tortures or mistreats them in custody. It said some detainees do not survive and their bodies are returned to their families, or dumped in remote areas.

The Pakistani military called the report "a pack of lies."

The attorney general's comments came during a Supreme Court hearing into seven suspected militants who have been held without charges since May 2010.

The seven men were among 11 suspected militants captured in connection with a 2007 suicide bombing against ISI personnel and a rocket attack a year later against an air force base. An anti-terrorism court ordered them to be freed in May 2010, but they were picked up again near the capital, Islamabad. Four died in custody under mysterious circumstances.

The ISI produced the seven surviving men in court last February in response to a judicial order prompted by their relatives, who were looking for them. Two of the men were too weak to walk. Another wore a urine bag, suggesting a kidney ailment. In a meeting with their families on the court premises, they complained of harsh treatment during their detention.

A lawyer for Pakistan's most powerful intelligence agency said Monday that his client held the suspects for over a year and a half without sufficient evidence to try them and then handed them over to the internment centers in the tribal region. He said officials were convinced they were "dangerous people and involved in terrorism."

Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry told the attorney general that the men should be tried in a court of law or released if there isn't sufficient evidence. His remarks seemed to challenge the constitutionality of the new law.

"We don't want them to be released if they are criminals or militants," said Chaudhry. "They should be tried under law, and you cannot keep them in custody illegally."

The court ordered officials from the tribal region to produce a detailed report about the evidence against each suspect when the hearing resumes on Jan. 28.

The Supreme Court has also been pressing the government on a case involving corruption allegations against Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, which he has denied. The chief justice ordered the government's anti-corruption chief, Fasih Bokhari, to arrest Ashraf last week, but he refused, citing lack of evidence.

The case took a strange turn at the end of last week when one of the anti-corruption officials working on the case, which involves alleged kickbacks for the construction of private power stations, was found dead, hanging from a ceiling fan in a government lodge in Islamabad.

The police are treating Kamran Faisal's death as a suicide, but his family has raised doubts, claiming there were marks on his wrists indicating they had been bound.

The chief justice ordered a judicial probe into Faisal's death on Wednesday, citing the family's concern that the government would not conduct an impartial investigation because of the high-level politicians involved.

On Thursday, the two-judge panel ordered officials to provide video footage from the security cameras at the government lodge where Faisal was found. They also ordered Pakistan's telecommunications authority to provide a record of Faisal's calls and summoned relevant officials to appear before the court on Jan. 28.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/700-alleged-militants-held-limbo-pakistan-090635267.html

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Roy H. Miller Obituary: View Roy Miller's Obituary by News Item

HEGINS ? Roy H. Miller, 99, of Hegins, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, at Nottingham Village, Northumberland.

Born Nov. 9, 1913, in Pitman, he was a son of the late Charles and Mamie (Hepler) Miller.

His wife, Hilda Miller, preceded him in death in 2006.

Roy enjoyed a long life with many memories, many from the 20th century. He enjoyed talking about those memories with family and friends, especially his days growing up and working on the family farm in the Hegins Valley.

Most of his working years were spent operating construction equipment to extract coal during the World War II years and in the construction of dams and interstate highways in Pennsylvania.

After retirement, he enjoyed his family, woodworking, gardening and working around the home.

Roy was a member of the F&AM Valley Lodge No. 797 of Valley View.

Survivors include two children, Gerald Miller and Ann Miller; two grandchildren, Jody Groshek and Nathaniel Casper Miller; three great-grandchildren, Adam Grosheck, Blaine Groshek and Maizy Havens; two sisters, Betty Koppenhaver and Arlene Kimmel, and two sisters-in-law, Helen Miller and Alice Miller.

In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by five brothers, Ralph, Charles, Frank, Robert and Leon Miller, and three sisters, Jenny Dunkleberger, Margaret Artz and Marie Conrad.

/// ///

MILLER ? Roy H. Miller, 99, of Hegins. There will be a memorial service at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2013, at Friedens Lutheran Church with the Rev. Warren Egebo officiating. Interment will be private at St. John's Cemetery, Hegins. The Stephen R. Rothermel Funeral Home, Klingerstown, is in charge of the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friedens Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 375, Hegins, PA 17938. To sign the online guest book, please visit www.srrfh.com.

Source: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsitem/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=162607983

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UAlberta researcher pinpoints prescription for successful Primary Care Networks

Public release date: 25-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jamie Hanlon
jamie.hanlon@shaw.ca
780-619-3136
University of Alberta

A newly-released study on early adoptees of the Primary Care Network initiative proposes that their success lies with three key elements: strong leadership, a redefined, inclusive workspace and allowance for creative discord.

In a paper published in Health Care Management Review, lead researcher Trish Reay of the Alberta School of Business and colleagues from the U of A, University of Calgary and Florida Atlantic University state that of eight centres that agreed to the government proposal to design and deliver comprehensive family health care, five were able to thrive by engaging in and adopting changes in standard practice.

Reay says that this reorganization of patient care into more comprehensive services reaps positive benefits for all parties the patients, the doctors and other healthcare practitioners involved in the networks, and the healthcare system itself. And with over 2500 doctors now signed on the initiative, it is a system that holds promise for improved healthcare delivery in the province.

"What the doctors I've spoken to find attractive about the PCN model is, that by bringing other professionals and creating a team, it allows the physicians to practice medicine in the way they really want to," she said.

Follow the leader: healthcare managers guide successful integration

Reay noted that healthcare managers who were hired to organize the PCNs were an important catalyst of change. They facilitated group decision-making regarding the re-organization and re-allocation of work, such as counseling diabetes patients on lifestyles, from doctors to other healthcare professionals, such as nurses. The physicians were able to focus on the aspects of the practice for which they were solely qualified. Under this framework, the care and treatment of patients truly became a team approach.

"We found that the managers had to find ways to get the physicians and those around them to actually try these new, multidisciplinary mechanisms," said Reay. "These managers had a positive attitude and they set up a number of different ways that almost made them keep trying it for awhile. As they kept trying it, they made them talk about it and really think through how it was going."

Communication, space key components

Reay says that a re-organization and re-allocation of physical space was critical in developing teamwork and facilitating communication. But, the ability to communicate and to disagree also seemed to make the successful PCNs. Those who had not made successful transition were pleasant, but she said they constantly claimed to be "almost ready" to make the change, a sign that perhaps hid underlying communications issues. Those leaders that had managed the difficult conversations and found the ability to compromise and move forward were models of success.

"(Managers) encouraged people to disagree so that you could have a more full discussion about what was going on and really think through how to manage it," she said.

PCNS provide benefit for all

Reay said the doctors she spoke with are sold on PCNs because they allow them greater freedom to practice medicine the way they want, provide for maintained contact with their patients and offer them great work-life balance. As economic issues mean that healthcare has to do more with less, she says this model permits the PCNs to focus on healthcare needs of their patient community areas such as mental health, diabetes, cardiac care, etc and work preventatively providing counseling and information to people at-risk for chronic diseases.

"Patients actually like this model. They like the fact that they see their physicians still, but they don't have to rely on those quick office visits in order to ask questions and get more information and learn about whatever it may be that they have, said Reay. "In a business world, we'd say that this model is more 'user-friendly.'

"The client has a better and, I think, more effective experience in terms of learning to manage their own life and be healthy."

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jamie Hanlon
jamie.hanlon@shaw.ca
780-619-3136
University of Alberta

A newly-released study on early adoptees of the Primary Care Network initiative proposes that their success lies with three key elements: strong leadership, a redefined, inclusive workspace and allowance for creative discord.

In a paper published in Health Care Management Review, lead researcher Trish Reay of the Alberta School of Business and colleagues from the U of A, University of Calgary and Florida Atlantic University state that of eight centres that agreed to the government proposal to design and deliver comprehensive family health care, five were able to thrive by engaging in and adopting changes in standard practice.

Reay says that this reorganization of patient care into more comprehensive services reaps positive benefits for all parties the patients, the doctors and other healthcare practitioners involved in the networks, and the healthcare system itself. And with over 2500 doctors now signed on the initiative, it is a system that holds promise for improved healthcare delivery in the province.

"What the doctors I've spoken to find attractive about the PCN model is, that by bringing other professionals and creating a team, it allows the physicians to practice medicine in the way they really want to," she said.

Follow the leader: healthcare managers guide successful integration

Reay noted that healthcare managers who were hired to organize the PCNs were an important catalyst of change. They facilitated group decision-making regarding the re-organization and re-allocation of work, such as counseling diabetes patients on lifestyles, from doctors to other healthcare professionals, such as nurses. The physicians were able to focus on the aspects of the practice for which they were solely qualified. Under this framework, the care and treatment of patients truly became a team approach.

"We found that the managers had to find ways to get the physicians and those around them to actually try these new, multidisciplinary mechanisms," said Reay. "These managers had a positive attitude and they set up a number of different ways that almost made them keep trying it for awhile. As they kept trying it, they made them talk about it and really think through how it was going."

Communication, space key components

Reay says that a re-organization and re-allocation of physical space was critical in developing teamwork and facilitating communication. But, the ability to communicate and to disagree also seemed to make the successful PCNs. Those who had not made successful transition were pleasant, but she said they constantly claimed to be "almost ready" to make the change, a sign that perhaps hid underlying communications issues. Those leaders that had managed the difficult conversations and found the ability to compromise and move forward were models of success.

"(Managers) encouraged people to disagree so that you could have a more full discussion about what was going on and really think through how to manage it," she said.

PCNS provide benefit for all

Reay said the doctors she spoke with are sold on PCNs because they allow them greater freedom to practice medicine the way they want, provide for maintained contact with their patients and offer them great work-life balance. As economic issues mean that healthcare has to do more with less, she says this model permits the PCNs to focus on healthcare needs of their patient community areas such as mental health, diabetes, cardiac care, etc and work preventatively providing counseling and information to people at-risk for chronic diseases.

"Patients actually like this model. They like the fact that they see their physicians still, but they don't have to rely on those quick office visits in order to ask questions and get more information and learn about whatever it may be that they have, said Reay. "In a business world, we'd say that this model is more 'user-friendly.'

"The client has a better and, I think, more effective experience in terms of learning to manage their own life and be healthy."

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/uoa-urp012513.php

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Starchy diet may have transformed wolves to dogs

Canine cousins differ in genes related to digestion

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition: January 23, 2013

Even the most illustrious canine breeds can probably trace their heritage to junkyard dogs.

That?s the conclusion of a new study aimed at finding the genetic changes that transformed wild wolves into domesticated dogs. Dogs can digest carbohydrates better than wolves can, and gaining that ability may have been an important step in taming the animals, evolutionary geneticist Erik Axelsson of Uppsala University in Sweden and his colleagues report online January 23 in Nature. As humans settled into farming communities, wolves may have given up their meat-only diets to scavenge carbohydrate-rich food from garbage dumps. Animals that could best make use of the starchy food may gradually have morphed over generations into man?s best friend.

No one expected genes relating to digestion to be important for dog domestication, says Elaine Ostrander, chief of the National Human Genome Research Institute?s cancer genetics branch and an authority on dog genetics. Researchers previously thought that when wolves became domestic dogs, genes controlling behavior and the immune system must have changed.

The new study focuses on genetic differences between 60 dogs representing 14 breeds and 12 wolves from around the world. Those changes, the researchers reasoned, could identify genes that were important in separating dogs from wolves.

The researchers determined the genetic makeup of groups of dogs and compared the results to those from wolves, concentrating on parts of the genetic instruction book that differ between the two species. As they had expected, the researchers uncovered differences in many genes relating to the brain. But the search also revealed lots of genes involved in starch digestion and metabolism, and in the use of fats. Dogs, the team found, have more copies than wolves do of the AMY2B gene, which produces an enzyme that breaks starch into easily digestible sugars.

Other genetic variants seem to contribute to dogs? increased ability to convert a sugar called maltose to glucose, the sugar that cells prefer to burn for energy. Yet other genetic changes improve dogs? ability to move glucose into their cells. Combined, the tweaks alter dogs? metabolism so they can get more energy out of a carbohydrate-rich diet than wolves can, the researchers conclude. The scientists confirmed the effect of the genetic variants by identifying biochemical differences in starch metabolism in blood and tissue samples from dogs and wolves.

?This is a profound adaptation that dogs have,? says UCLA evolutionary biologist Robert Wayne. But he doesn?t think it was the first step in domestication. Archaeological evidence suggests that domesticated dogs have been around at least since 33,000 years ago, a time when humans were still hunter-gatherers. The changes that allow dogs to thrive on carbohydrates while wolves eat all meat probably started with the establishment of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, and represent late steps in the domestication process, Wayne says.

Both brain changes and dietary adaptations were probably necessary for some wolves to be domesticated Axelsson says. Wolves that were more tolerant to stress and that didn?t run and hide at the first sign of a human would have been able to stick around garbage heaps longer and eat their fill. And those that could extract more nutrients from the plant material in early farmers? trash would have had an evolutionary advantage. The researchers are now determining when and in what part of the world the adaptations likely occurred, he says.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347706/title/Starchy_diet_may_have_transformed_wolves_to_dogs

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Ex-Ill. governor set for halfway house after prison term

By Phil Rogers, NBCChicago.com

Under normal circumstances, jailed former Illinois Gov. George Ryan would be packing his bags and preparing to go home to his house in Kankakee. But Ryan?s circumstances are hardly normal.

For the last six years, the former governor has been a federal prisoner. When he leaves the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute next week, he will be traveling not to Kankakee but to a halfway house in Chicago.

And he has nothing to pack. Someone will have to bring him the clothes he wears out of the prison gate.

"It will be the first time he?s worn his own clothes in six years," Ryan?s former chief of staff, Scott Fawell, said Monday.

Fawell provides a unique perspective. Not only was he Ryan?s closest advisor, but he also did more than four years himself for Ryan-related crimes. And he occupied that same Salvation Army halfway house on Chicago?s west side.

"It?s dingy. It?s dark. It?s dirty,? Fawell said. "It?s an old facility."

And ironically, said Fawell, it will be the place where Ryan will most likely mingle with the hardest criminals he will see during his entire stay with the Bureau of Prisons.

"You can be in the same room with guys who have done 20 or 30 years in prison, where he?s used to a little different clientele," Fawell explained.

Ryan will be required to take mandatory classes on such mundane skills as opening a bank account, writing a check, and making out a resume. It sounds ridiculous for a former governor but is par for the course in the Bureau of Prisons' one-size-fits-all approach to corrections.

"It?s for everybody," Fawell said. "Whether you?ve done 30 years or three months."

Read more from NBCChicago.com

After orientation, it will be time for the former Springfield dealmaker to go to work. Every halfway house resident is required to have a job and to work 40 hours each week.

Ryan will have to sign out when he departs in the morning and call when he arrives at his job site. He is to be back at the Salvation Army facility at Ashland and Monroe by 7 p.m. every evening.

"It?s more that they want you to go somewhere," Fawell said. "And you have to bring back a paycheck every week or two to give 25 percent of your gross to the halfway house."

Halfway house residents are constantly reminded they are not totally free. But the differences between their Chicago existence and their lives behind bars are enormous. Not only are they allowed to wear their own clothes, they can carry a wallet and money for the first time. Personal items are allowed.

Ryan will even be allowed to get a driver?s license and keep a car on site. Ryan used to issue the state?s driver?s licenses when he served as Illinois Secretary of State.

Eventually, perhaps as early as three weeks or so, Ryan will be allowed to begin transitioning to his Kankakee home. But even then, he will very much remain under Bureau of Prisons control.

"They?ll call him between 8:30 and 10:00, between 11:00 and 1:00, and between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning," Fawell said. "Every single night."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/22/16636827-ex-illinois-governor-george-ryan-set-for-halfway-house-after-6-years-in-prison?lite

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Hospital bed tax moves forward - FierceHealthFinance - Health ...

The Georgia legislature is moving closer to approving a hospital bed tax that would leverage additional federal Medicaid payments for the next four years, reported the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The tax legislation was introduced by Gov. Nathan Deal, and passed the state Senate by a 46-9 margin. It is expected to be taken up by the Georgia House next week, according to the article.

If signed into law, the 1.45 percent bed tax would leverage about $689 million in additional state and federal funds that could be used to cover about 100,000 additional Georgians who would enroll in the Medicaid program under the proposed Affordable Care Act expansion scheduled to begin next year.

The bed tax was originally enacted in 2010, but is set to expire this June. It has created some controversy among the state's hospitals, some of which have complained it provides an unfair advantage to those that treat larger numbers of Medicaid patients over those with a smaller Medicaid load.

The bed tax also was recently called an "investment scam" by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Kyle Wingfield, although California and other states use a similar financing plan to leverage Medicaid revenue.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker recently made similar complaints, calling for an end to what he referred to as a "bed tax gimmick" that many states use to draw down additional funds for their Medicaid programs.

Gov. Deal warned that without the renewal of the bed tax, overall Medicaid payments to hospitals would have to be slashed at least 20 percent, according to the Business Chronicle.

To learn more:
- read the Atlanta Business Chronicle article
- here's Kyle Wingfield's column

Related Articles:
Hospitals can't recoup taxes from CMS
Hospitals drop lawsuit over 5% state Medicaid cuts
Arizona hospital group supports $300M bed tax
NJ hospital bed tax proposal dropped

Source: http://www.fiercehealthfinance.com/story/hospital-bed-tax-moves-forward/2013-01-22?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

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Image sensors out of a spray can

Jan. 22, 2013 ? Researchers from Technische Universit?t M?nchen (TUM) have developed a new generation of image sensors that are more sensitive to light than the conventional silicon versions, with the added bonus of being simple and cheap to produce. They consist of electrically conductive plastics, which are sprayed on to the sensor surface in an ultra-thin layer. The chemical composition of the polymer spray coating can be altered so that even the invisible range of the light spectrum can be captured. This opens up interesting new development possibilities for low-cost infrared sensors aimed at compact cameras and smartphones .

Image sensors are at the core of every digital camera. Before a snapshot appears on the display, the sensors first convert the light from the lens to electrical signals. The image processor then uses these to create the final photo.

Many compact and cellphone cameras contain silicon-based image sensors produced using CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology. Prof. Paolo Lugli and Dr. Daniela Baierl from TUM have developed a cost-effective process to improve the performance of these CMOS sensors. Their approach revolves around an ultra-thin film made of organic compounds, in other words plastics.

The challenge lay in applying the plastic solution to the surface of the image sensors. The researchers tested spin- and spray-coating methods to apply the plastic in its liquid, solution form as precisely and cost-effectively as possible. They were looking for a smooth plastic film that is no more than a few hundred nanometers thick. Spray-coating was found to be the best method, using either a simple spray gun or a spray robot.

Thin coating with high sensitivity to light

Organic sensors have already proven their worth in tests: They are up to three times more sensitive to light than conventional CMOS sensors, whose electronic components conceal some of the pixels, and therefore the photoactive silicon surface.

Organic sensors can be manufactured without the expensive post-processing step typically required for CMOS sensors, which involves for example applying micro-lenses to increase the amount of captured light. Every part of every single pixel, including the electronics, is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution, giving a surface that is 100 percent light-sensitive. The low noise and high frame rate properties of the organic sensors also make them a good fit for cameras.

Potential for developing low-cost infrared sensors

Another advantage of the plastic sensors is that different chemical compounds can be used to capture different parts of the light spectrum. For example, the PCBM and P3HT polymers are ideal for the detection of visible light. Other organic compounds, like squaraine dyes, are sensitive to light in the near-infrared region.

"By choosing the right organic compounds, we are able to develop new applications that were too costly up until now," explains Prof. Paolo Lugli, who holds the Chair of Nanoelectronics at TUM. "The future uses of organic infrared sensors include driver assistance systems for night vision and regular compact and cellphone cameras. Yet, the lack of suitable polymers is the main hurdle."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Technische Universitaet Muenchen.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Daniela Baierl, Lucio Pancheri, Morten Schmidt, David Stoppa, Gian-Franco Dalla Betta, Giuseppe Scarpa, Paolo Lugli. A hybrid CMOS-imager with a solution-processable polymer as photoactive layer. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 1175 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2180

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/LdqHPRuGJ0E/130122122409.htm

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Jobs for Bloggers - ProBlogger Job Board - Federal Criminal Law ...

is looking for a

Federal Criminal Law/Prison Education Blogger

Description

Seeking blogger with experience in the legal field. Topics to include federal criminal law, law as it pertains to prisoners' rights, and news about the Federal Bureau of Prisons and/or other prison systems. Blogs to be targeted toward families of inmates, those who are going to prison, attorneys, and others in the criminal justice field.

Content to be pro-criminal defendant. Experience with SEO would be beneficial. A huge plus if blogger can also handle Twitter and Facebook.

How to apply

To apply: Email doctorradic@gmail.com with links to previous blogs, writing sample, CV, cover letter and desired compensation.

Posted on: 01/19

Source: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/6892

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Earth may be crashing through dark matter walls

Earth is constantly crashing through huge walls of dark matter, and we already have the tools to detect them. That's the conclusion of physicists who say the universe may be filled with a patchwork quilt of force fields created shortly after the big bang.

Observations of how mass clumps in space suggest that about 86 per cent of all matter is invisible dark matter, which interacts with ordinary matter mainly through gravity. The most popular theory is that dark matter is made of weakly interacting massive particles.

WIMPs should also interact with ordinary matter via the weak nuclear force, and their presence should have slight but measurable effects. However, years of searches for WIMPs have been coming up empty.

"So far nothing is found, and I feel like it's time to broaden the scope of our search," says Maxim Pospelov of the University of Victoria in Canada. "What we propose is to look for some other signatures."

Bubbly cosmos

Pospelov and colleagues have been examining a theory that at least some of the universe's dark matter is tied up in structures called domain walls, akin to the boundaries between tightly packed bubbles. The idea is that the hot early universe was full of an exotic force field that varied randomly. As the universe expanded and cooled, the field froze, leaving a patchwork of domains, each with its own distinct value for the field.

Having different fields sit next to each other requires energy to be stored within the domain walls. Mass and energy are interchangeable, so on a large scale a network of domain walls can look like concentrations of mass ? that is, like dark matter, says Pospelov.

If the grid of domain walls is packed tightly enough ? say, if the width of the domains is several hundred times the distance between Earth and the sun ? Earth should pass through a domain wall once every few years. "As a human, you wouldn't feel a thing," says Pospelov. "You will go through the wall without noticing." But magnetometers ? devices that, as the name suggests, measure magnetic fields ? could detect the walls, say Pospelov and colleagues in a new study. Although the field inside a domain would not affect a magnetometer, the device would sense the change when Earth passes through a domain wall.

Dark matter walls have not been detected yet because anyone using a single magnetometer would find the readings swamped by noise, Pospelov says. "You'd never be able to say if it's because the Earth went through a bizarre magnetic field or if a grad student dropped their iPhone or something," he says.

Network needed

Finding the walls will require a network of at least five detectors spread around the world, Pospelov suggests. Colleagues in Poland and California have already built one magnetometer each and have shown that they are sensitive enough for the scheme to work.

Domain walls wouldn't account for all the dark matter in the universe, but they could explain why finding particles of the stuff has been such a challenge, says Pospelov.

If domain walls are found, the news might come as a relief to physicists still waiting for WIMPs to show up. Earlier this month, for instance, a team working with a detector in Russia that has been running for more than 24 years announced that they have yet to see any sign of these dark matter candidates.

Douglas Finkbeiner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was not involved in Pospelov's study, isn't yet convinced that dark matter walls exist. But he is glad that physicists are keeping an open mind about alternatives to WIMPs.

"We've looked for WIMP dark matter in so many ways," he says. "At some point you have to ask, are we totally on the wrong track?"

Journal reference: Physical Review Letters, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.021803

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