Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301553440?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Roundworm quells obesity and related metabolic disorders
Apr. 25, 2013 ? Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders. Their research is published ahead of print online in the journal Infection and Immunity.
Gastrointestinal nematodes infect approximately 2 billion people worldwide, and some researchers believe up until the 20th century almost everyone had worms. In developed countries there is a decreasing incidence of nematode infection but a rising prevalence of certain types of autoimmunity, suggesting a relationship between the two. Nematode infection has been purported to have therapeutic effects and currently clinical trials are underway to examine worms as a treatment for diseases associated with the relevant cytokines, including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and allergies.
In the study researchers tested the effect of nematode infection on mice fed a high-fat diet. Infected mice of normal girth gained 15 percent less weight than those that were not infected. Mice that were already obese when infected lost roughly 13 percent of their body weight within 10 days. Infection also drastically lowered fasting blood glucose, a risk factor for diabetes, and reduced fatty liver disease, decreasing liver fat by ~25 percent, and the weight of the liver by 30 percent.
The levels of insulin and leptin also dropped, "indicating that the mice restored their sensitivities to both hormones," says corresponding author Aiping Zhao of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. Leptin moderates appetite. As with too much insulin, too high a level of leptin results in insensitivity, thus contributing to obesity and metabolic syndrome, Zhao explains.
The mechanism of the moderation of these hormones "was associated with a parasite-induced reduction in glucose absorption in the intestine, reduced liver triglycerides, and an increase in the population of cells called "alternatively activated macrophages," which regulate glucose metabolism and inflammation," says coauthor Joe Urban of the United States Department of Agriculture. Some of these changes involved "a protein called interleukin-13 and related intracellular signaling mechanisms," he says. "This suggests that there are immune related shifts in metabolism that can alter expression of obesity and related metabolic syndrome."
The incidence of obesity has been climbing dramatically, worldwide. It is a key risk factor for many metabolic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Recent studies indicate that it is accompanied by chronic low-grade inflammation in adipose tissues, causing the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Parasitic nematode infection induces a marked elevation in host immune Th2-cells and related type 2 cytokines which, besides combating the infection, also have potent anti-inflammatory activity, according to the report.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Z. Yang, V. Grinchuk, A. Smith, B. Qin, J. A. Bohl, R. Sun, L. Notari, Z. Zhang, H. Sesaki, J. F. Urban, T. Shea-Donohue, A. Zhao. Parasitic Nematode-Induced Modulation of Body Weight and Associated Metabolic Dysfunction in Mouse Models of Obesity. Infection and Immunity, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00053-13
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/BtOQmRTqrHQ/130425164504.htm
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Select images from Bangladesh building collapse
Select images from Bangladesh building collapse
By The Associated Press?
?By The Associated PressA Bangladeshi woman survivor is carried from the rubble by rescuers at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
A Bangladeshi woman survivor is carried from the rubble by rescuers at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
In this image taken from AP video, garment worker Mohammad Altab moans to rescuers for help while trapped between concrete slabs and next to two corpses in a garment factory that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. Deep cracks visible in the walls of the Bangladesh garment building had compelled police to order it evacuated a day before it collapsed, officials said Thursday. More than 200 people were killed when the eight-story building splintered into a pile of concrete because factories based there ignored the order and kept more than 2,000 people working. (AP Photo/AP video)
A Bangladeshi rescuer looks out from a hole cut in the concrete as he looks for survivors at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Bangladeshis watch the rescue operations at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
A Bangladeshi woman survivor is lifted out of the rubble by rescuers at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Garment workers trapped in the rubble plead for help. Rescuers, some in hard-hats and others wearing slippers, pick through the broken concrete. They fashion colorful cloth into makeshift stretchers that hold and lift hurt survivors and dead victims.
Thousands of relatives wail their grief and worry outside a collapsed building in Savar, Bangladesh, where at least 275 people were killed and more than 2,000 were rescued.
It is the worst-ever disaster in Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry that supplies global retailers but has a notorious safety record.
Here are some images from the scene.
Associated Press
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Global Center for Childhood Obesity Funds Projects to Improve ...
April 24, 2013
The Johns Hopkins Global Center on Childhood Obesity has awarded funding to two intervention projects aimed at preventing childhood obesity. The research is part of the third round of funding focused on ?rapid response projects.?
The Global Center on Childhood Obesity reviewed research proposals from around the world and selected the following:
Using Point of Sale (POS) Systems to Measure Changes in Purchases Before and After Environmental Interventions in Corner Stores
Principal Investigator: Allison Karpyn, PhD, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Food Trust, through a partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health?s ?Get Healthy Philly program, has been at the forefront of a growing national movement to increase healthy food access in corner stores in low-income urban areas as an environmental strategy to reduce obesity. In 2012, The Food Trust worked with owners at five corner stores to install point of sale (POS) systems to measure product sales. The overall goal for this pilot study is to evaluate the efficacy of environmental interventions on corner store purchases, using the POS system.
This spring, The Food Trust and the Department of Public Health will implement a new Healthy Corner Store Certification policy, along with physical renovations to the store environment that will employ marketing and pricing strategies to increase healthier food and beverage sales. The Food Trust will utilize POS data from corner stores to examine customers? purchases, before and after implementation of policy and environmental interventions. These analyses will add to an understanding of the impact of corner stores on shopping patterns, dietary intake, and on overweight and obesity, leading to more informed decisions for implementing policies for childhood obesity prevention in underserved areas.
Examining the Outcomes of Collaborative Networks to Improve School Nutrition Environments
Principal Investigator: Donna Johnson, PhD, Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Across the United States, school districts are working to improve failing wellness policies. In King County Washington, the county health department is funding a School Learning Network (SLN) that supports district nutrition directors in developing new school system food policies. This project will apply social network analysis to determine: the extent to which the SLN fosters the development of ties between directors and the characteristics of those ties; the extent to which the position of the directors in the network and the strength of their ties is related to the quality of district wellness policy revisions; and how best practices are diffused through the network. Data will be collected in the spring/summer of 2013 and one year later in 2014.
The Johns Hopkins Global Center for Childhood Obesity was established with a $16 million U54 cooperative agreement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Global Center for Childhood Obesity emphasizes the integration of geospatial analysis with a systems science and transdisciplinary approach to childhood obesity, bringing together basic science, epidemiology, nutrition, medicine, engineering, and environmental and social policy research, among other fields, in an unprecedented, innovative way.
The Center will fund approximately 4 to 5 new research projects each year over the next several years.
For more information about the Johns Hopkins Global Center for Childhood Obesity, visit http://www.jhgcco.org
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health media contact: Tim Parsons at 410-955-7619 or tmparson@jhsph.edu.
Source: http://www.jhsph.edu/news/stories/2013/obesity-grants.html
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4: Which should you buy?
Apple's iPhone 5 has been around going on 6 months now, but Samsung's Galaxy S4 has only just now hit the streets, and already we're being asked the question -- which one should you buy?
Never mind the iPhone 5 is last year's model, until Apple announces a new one this is the phone that's sitting on the shelves next to the Galaxy S4 and that makes the question a real one for real people. And luckily, it's a fairly easy one to answer, because both phones are different enough -- philosophical opposites in many cases -- they'll likely appeal to different audiences.
I attended the Samsung Galaxy S4 event in NYC with Phil Nickinson, and had a chance to try out the phone then. I've also had a chance to use it this week while Alex Dobie was working on his comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S4 review. So while I haven't gone as in-depth as those guys, I've had the chance to form some opinions.
The Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch SAMOLED screen compared to the iPhone 5's 4-inch LED IPS in-cell display. On size and size alone, the Galaxy S4 wins. If all you want is as much screen real estate possible this side of a phablet, the Galaxy S4 takes it hands down. If you want a smaller display that's easier to fit on tight hipster pockets or use one-handed, the iPhone 5 will be more to your liking. Samsung also cleans Apple's Retina clock with a 1920x1080 (1080p) display, compared to Apple's 1136x640.
When it comes to display technology, however, the iPhone 5 cremes the Galaxy S4. Not only does Apple use in-cell display to make the pixels look like they're part of the glass. It's also LED. Samung sticks with SAMOLED, which, like OLED in general, just isn't great for displays. It does save on power and produce nice blacks, but it remains overly saturated, subject to an annoying blue-shift, and just doesn't hold up as well under direct sunlight. Also, Samsung has stuck with an odd sub-pixel arrangement and while it's very difficult to see at that resolution, it's still not as good as the traditional RGB layout.
Samsung has also stuck with plastic for their casing, which not only doesn't feel as good as the plastics used by HTC and Nokia, it feels downright cheap compared to the aluminum and glass casing of the iPhone 5, and the aluminum used in the new HTC One. Samsung's plastic does make it easier for them to include a door for a removable battery and SD card, but I'm happy enough to recharge my phone when I need to, and I'd rather not have a cheap-feeling experience all day, every day, when I'm using it.
The software is a mixed bag as well. I love that Samsung is trying so many things and experimenting with so many things. Sure, some of them are beyond wacky, but some of them might just be wonderful as well. Companies that throw things against the wall do sometimes find what sticks, and that's how we get the future faster.
I just wish they'd hire some really good designers to give the icons and interface a once-over because it still comes off as an afterthought, inconsistent and utilitarian.
Overall, it's a good improvement over last year's Galaxy S3. Some are calling it a Galaxy S3S, similar to Apple's S-class iPhone updates, but the screen size increase and some of the other hardware features make it more than that. Just not a lot more.
However, it remains a largely uninspired and un-opinionated phone. The beige box of mobile. It'll be a best seller, no doubt about it. Maybe even the best seller this year. But If you don't want an iPhone 5 -- and there are some valid reasons for not wanting an iPhone 5 -- I wouldn't recommend a Galaxy S4. If you love phones and you love Android, I'd recommend an HTC One far, far more.
But don't take my word for it, read Alex's review, and then come back and let me know what you think.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/0pb9VvkKCfg/story01.htm
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Routine day at White House stirred?briefly?by fake tweet
There were no explosions, no rush of panic at the White House just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday. A look in the White House press basement would have yielded the same results you'd find any day around that time: Reporters cramped together, awaiting the much-delayed daily briefing (which, on this particular day, was 30 minutes and counting).
Still, Twitter had just lit up with the shocking news that President Barack Obama had been injured after two explosions at the White House?a message made perhaps even more plausible by the recent Boston Marathon bombings. The original post came from the Twitter account of the Associated Press: ?@AP: Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured."
To those of us at the White House, the information was clearly false: No explosions had been heard and no announcements made. But the questions and concern quickly poured in.
One reporter immediately received a phone call from a colleague hoping to confirm the news was false. Another received worried instant messages. Several reporters used Twitter to try to dispel the news and announce that no disaster had befallen the White House. One such tweet:
But efforts were cut short as the two-minute warning was called and journalists quickly filed into the Brady Press Briefing Room.
There, before the official briefing by White House press secretary Jay Carney, AP's White House Correspondent Julie Pace announced that her organization's account had been hacked and that at the start of the briefing, when the cameras were rolling, she would be making a statement.
After Pace confirmed the hack on-camera, Carney added, a bit wryly: "The president is fine. I was just with him." The remark elicited some chuckles.
As Pace moved on to a question about Syria, tweets about AP's account being disabled began to appear and the markets briefly reacted?falling and bouncing back quickly.
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Parents Share More Germs With Dogs Than Kids
Parents may have more in common with their dogs than their kids, at least with regard to microbial life.
A new study of the bacteria living on family members and their dogs revealed some surprises in the way microbes are shared within a household.
"One of the biggest surprises was that we could detect such a strong connection between their owners and pets," Rob Knight, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a statement. "In fact, the microbial connection seems to be stronger between parents and family dogs than between parents and their children." [In Photos: America's Favorite Pets]
By swabbing tongues, foreheads, feces, palms and paws, Knight and his colleagues collected bacteria samples from 60 families, including 17 households with children, involving 159 people and 36 dogs in total.
Overall, the researchers' findings showed that the people and their household pets can greatly influence the microbes that live in the body. Sharing surfaces (countertops, doorknobs, you name it) and breathing the same indoor air seems to make it much easier for family members to swap skin microbes than tongue or gut bacteria in a home, the scientists say. And pets are part of the exchange.
"Our skin microbiota in particular seems to be the most malleable by our immediate surroundings, which includes the presence of household pets," study researcher Se Jin Song, a CU-Boulder doctoral student, said in a statement. Couples who had a dog shared more skin bacteria with each other than couples without a canine companion, the researchers found.
Meanwhile, parents seemed to have much more tongue and gut bacteria in common with their own children than with other children, but only after about age 3. (Kids are not born with a built-in microbiome, but acquire most of it by age 3.) The foreheads and palms of fathers and their infants had the weakest microbial connection of all the body sites and relationships studied by the researchers.?
Microbes vastly outnumber human cells in the body. Whereas some kinds of bacteria can make you sick, others are vital for various aspects of a person's health. Gut microbes, for example, can help to digest food, make vitamins and fight off disease.
The new study, which was detailed online today (April 17) in the open-access journal eLIFE, adds to previous research showing that the makeup of human bacteria is affected by factors like environmental exposure. For example, the "hygiene hypothesis," first put forth in the 1980s, posits that exposure to bacteria and other microorganisms can help bolster immunity to environmental antigens, cutting the risk of asthma and food allergies. There's more and more evidence that pets could play a role in this process.
"Recent studies link early exposure to pets to decreased prevalence of allergies, respiratory conditions and other immune disorders in later stages of development, and skin microbes in particular are now receiving more focus as important players in immune regulation," the researchers wrote.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parents-share-more-germs-dogs-kids-171631090.html
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The Daily Roundup for 04.22.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VYkQsLy8aso/
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Xbox SmartGlass now available on Amazon appstore for your Kindle Fire
Microsoft brings their "second screen" application to Amazon's storefront for Kindle Fire devices
About six months ago Microsoft released their Xbox SmartGlass app for Android to generally good reviews. If you haven't been paying attention, the app acts as a sort of controller for your Xbox, allowing you to surf the net from the console, act as a media controller remote and even change your Xbox 3D avatar. But until today, users wanting to use the app on their Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD devices had to resort to hackery to use Google Play or outright sideload a copy.
No longer, as it's now officially available from Amazon. We're not sure just how many folks want to use a tablet as a remote versus use a smartphone, or how many of the folks who do will be using a Kindle Fire, but if you're one of them, click this link to grab it, or check out the appstore from your Kindle Fire or Kindle Fire HD.
Via: Engadget
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/-FmDk43gJvM/story01.htm
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Monday, April 22, 2013
Nonprofit aims to educate community about sustainable future - The ...
Susanne Croft, executive director of Sustainable Resources INW, poses for a photo with a stack of reusable?towels.
(Full-size photo)
Five?facts
? Year started: 2007
? Status: Nonprofit
? Employees: Two
? Mission: To provide the education, resources and tools the community needs to create a more sustainable?future
? More information: www.sustaininw.org; (509)?209-2861
Tomorrow, millions of people in 192 countries will participate in Earth Day 2013?activities.
But for Susanne Croft, Monday is just another day ? another opportunity to help local businesses and residents change past habits and build a better?future.
Croft is executive director of Sustainable Resources INW, a small nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by encouraging people to, as Thoreau would say, ?live deliberately? ? to consider how what they buy and how they live affect the environment and, in turn, their own health and?happiness.
She discussed her organization?s efforts, and why it?s important to support local businesses, during a recent?interview.
S-R: What does ?sustainability? mean to?you?
Croft: It has to do with the broad range of decisions that impact our ability to, as they say, keep on keeping on. It?s not that we didn?t used to need to consider those decisions ? it?s that we didn?t know we needed?to.
The post-World War II effort to keep returning soldiers employed created our consumer economy. It also led to planned obsolescence and using up resources like there was no tomorrow. Well, now we?re in the ?no tomorrow part? of that, and there are a lot of other things to think about ? energy security, climate change, population?growth.
S-R: So is sustainability a new?idea?
Croft: It?s a way of packaging a lot of concepts our parents and grandparents lived by. I came into it because my mother taught home economics, and I grew up washing aluminum foil. I thought everyone did. And I was a Girl Scout practically forever, and learned to leave a place better than I found?it.
That?s really what sustainability is about. It?s a way of thinking, like learning a foreign language. Once you really learn Spanish, you realize you?re thinking in Spanish and dreaming in Spanish. Likewise, once you embrace sustainability, you think about finding efficiencies, conserving resources, consider the human?impact.
S-R: When you were young, what career did you envision for?yourself?
Croft: My first master?s was in ancient Chinese language and literature. I quickly realized that in Seattle there were too many native speakers for me to be competitive, so I worked as a paralegal for 10 years. Then I got a master?s in urban planning, and worked for the city of Spokane in planning, local economic development, and eventually (in 2008) as Mayor (Mary) Verner?s sustainability?coordinator.
S-R: What did being the city?s sustainability coordinator?involve?
Croft: I wrote the state grant that funded a one-year position. I was staff to the mayor?s sustainability task force and structured all of the public outreach we did. We were one of the first local governments anywhere to simultaneously plan around energy security, climate mitigation ? reducing greenhouse gas emissions ? and climate?adaptation.
S-R: What?s the city?s sustainability track record since?then?
Croft: The city?s Green Team continues to find ways to implement the plan. From 2010 to 2012, I was on a citizen advisory committee that helped STA add a sustainability chapter to its comprehensive plan. And just this month, there?s a local food conference and a ?new economy? conference at Gonzaga. The whole community is finding practical ways to embed (sustainability) in how they do?things.
S-R: How did Sustainable Resources INW come?about?
Croft: We started in 2005 as a group of friends looking at our own investments, realizing at least some of our money should be working locally, creating jobs and businesses that would make Spokane stronger. So we formed Sustainable Local Investment Partners (SLIP) as a nonprofit in 2007, and focused on finding ways for nonwealthy people to invest their money locally. In the past year ? maybe because of the recession and the risks associated with Wall Street investments ? the whole country has woken up to this concept. More investors want to keep their money in the community where they have?relationships.
S-R: How does one do?that?
Croft: You have to comply with SEC requirements. So if you?re an unaccredited investor, you have to have a pre-existing relationship with the business owner. The investment can be equity or debt. Just about every business right now is struggling with access to capital. That?s one of the big fallouts around the banking?crisis.
S-R: Do you focus on green?businesses?
Croft: It can be manufacturing, retail, a restaurant. Green jobs and green businesses aren?t limited to green building or clean tech. It has to do with how a business is run. Do they conserve resources? Do they operate efficiently? Do they reduce?waste?
S-R: And SLIP led to Sustainable Resources?INW?
Croft: Yes. A couple of years ago, we realized that if you?re going to invest in green businesses, there need to be green businesses. So we changed our name, and our focus is now on educating businesses and supporting their efforts to adopt sustainable?practices.
S-R: How do you do?that?
Croft: One way is our quarterly green business networking luncheons. We also provide sustainability assessments for SNAP?s green loan clients and others interested in tracking their sustainability performance. We teach people how to invest their money locally. We?re working with SFCC interns who will help businesses identify ways to reduce their utility costs. And we just took over the city?s SMART (Sustainable Management of Assets, Resources and Technology) business recognition?program.
S-R: How do you pay the?bills?
Croft: We get very little grant funding, and the luncheons don?t make money. So we?re pretty much fee-for-service at this?point.
S-R: What were some early?successes?
Croft: There was a huge vote of confidence in 2010 when I was still working at the city, and Avista asked us to coordinate an energy efficiency loan program they were putting together with federal stimulus money. That and an early retirement incentive offered by the city were what encouraged me to become our first staff?person.
S-R: Is anyone else in Spokane doing what you?do?
Croft: Not that I?m aware of ? especially not from a nonprofit standpoint. There are some consulting firms, like McKinstry, working with large companies on specific system improvements, such as heating and air conditioning. We?re more focused on?education.
S-R: What do you like most about your?job?
Croft: Making a difference. Helping the community find its way to a stronger?future.
S-R: What?s your biggest?challenge?
Croft: I?d like to work more with individual businesses, but this economy has put so much pressure on them that they don?t have the luxury of looking up very?often.
S-R: What about American culture encourages you the?most?
Croft: We have a history of being resourceful and finding our way out of fixes. The key to sustainability is being?creative.
S-R: What worries?you?
Croft: It?s not human nature to make radical changes until what you?re doing becomes more uncomfortable than the change. The problems we?re facing are very real and very big, but they?re not as obvious at a local level, so they don?t tend to motivate people to action as quickly as maybe we should be?moving.
S-R: Are there any common misconceptions about?sustainability?
Croft: People jump to the conclusion that it?s expensive, when it?s the exact opposite. If you were going to do anything under the brand of sustainability and it was going to cost you more than you would ever recover, you shouldn?t do it, because saving money is part of the equation. But you have to factor in the long-term cost of something, so it?s a different way of looking at?costs.
S-R: How does Spokane compare with other?communities?
Croft: Typically we?re a little slower to adopt new ideas, but once we get on board we really dive in. And I think we?re moving right?along.
S-R: What are some of the hard choices we?face?
Croft: Getting outside our comfort zone and trying something new. It can be as simple as wanting to start riding a bus, but not knowing how to do?it.
S-R: What?s been hardest for?you?
Croft: I?m not a chemist. I know I should pay more attention to what I put on my skin ? beauty products, shampoo ? but I read the lists and they don?t mean anything to me. That?s why our June luncheon is about green beauty ? to help people make those?choices.
S-R: What one change would you encourage people to make starting?today?
Croft: Think about who you do business with. It makes a huge difference to the health of our community and our local economy when we make and source as much locally as we can. Local businesses typically provide better service, they create jobs and they keep their profits in the?community.
S-R: Pretend you?re speaking to an adult audience. What would you?say?
Croft: Think about the world you want your children to grow up?in.
S-R: And what would you tell their?children?
Croft: I?m sorry we created a problem for you. I?ll try to help you figure out how to solve?it.
Spokane freelance writer Michael Guilfoil can be reached via email at mguilfoil@comcast.net.
Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/apr/21/thinking-green/
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ToDoMovies Makes Sure You Never Miss a Good Film in the Theaters
iOS: This summer is shaping up to be a great one for movies, and if you want to make sure you see them all, ToDoMovies can help. The app lets you build a watch list of movies you want to see, reminds you when they premiere, helps you buy tickets, and can even show you reviews so you don't waste your money.
ToDoMovies pulls in reviews from RottenTomatoes and movie data from IMDB so you can read about the film before you add it to your watch list, check out what critics have to say about it, and even buy tickets right away if you want to. It'll help you find theaters, and even notify you of premiere dates and showtimes in advance so you don't miss anything.
If you prefer your movies post-release, ToDoMovies can help you there too. The app ties into iTunes and supports AirPlay so you can buy movies through the app, buy soundtracks for movies in your favorites list, or just look up trailers, posters, and other downloads. All of your ToDoMovies data is synchronized via iCloud, so you can get to it on any other device. For a full list of features, hit the iTunes Store link below. The app will set you back $2.
ToDoMovies ($2) | iTunes App Store via Taphive
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Fed's Bernanke sees no U.S. inflation risks: Nowotny
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told global policymakers he sees no risk to inflation in the United States, European Central Bank Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny said on Saturday.
Summing up presentations to an International Monetary Fund meeting, Nowotny told reporters Bernanke had given a "very optimistic" portrayal of the U.S. outlook.
"They see absolutely no danger of an expansion in inflation," Nowotny said. Bernanke had said U.S. inflation should be 1.3 percent this year.
Fed forecasts put inflation by the end of this year in a range of 1.3 to 1.7 percent. In the 12 months through February, inflation was 1.3 percent.
(Reporting by Krista Hughes; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-bernanke-sees-no-u-inflation-risks-nowotny-210403995--business.html
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