Move over Jennifer Aniston, there's a new hairstyle icon in town! Emma Watson and Justin Bieber have been named the most influential celebrities of 2011 when it comes to popular hairstyles.
andy williams nyc marathon nyc marathon coriolis effect coriolis effect giants patriots yolo
LAS VEGAS - The prefight lead up for Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz was as nasty as any this year in the UFC. When they finished crushing each in the cage tonight for 15 minutes, a strange thing happened, the bitter enemies hugged, said sorry and patted each other on the back.
Diaz won the fight pretty convincingly, but his face still showed wear from the battle. Cerrone's face was extremely swollen, but he seemed almost thrilled about what he'd just experienced.
"It's awesome. That's what I like to do. That's what makes fights," said Cerrone, who saw six-fight win streak snapped "That to me was a good time. That was fun. I mean standing there and throwing, That's what everyone likes to see."
Cerrone had genuine dislike for Diaz before the fight. After 15 minutes, he couldn't help but admire him.
"He stood there and went toe-to-toe. There's some respect in that," Cerrone said. [After the fight] I looked him in the eyes and said 'god [expletive], you're a tough SOB.'"
Diaz and his brother Nick often complain that fight game is filled with wrestlers, who try to win fights on points. On this night, Cerrone was getting battered but never tried to take the fight to the ground.
"I knew he was tough and he was going stand there and keep fighting," Diaz said. "I don't like getting hit, but that's just what happens. I'm there to fight and if you're not taking me out, keep trying."
It wasn't all nice in there. Cerrone gave Diaz the middle finger during the prefight staredown in the middle of the cage and Diaz returned the favor with a double-bird before the third started. They took it out on each by landing a combined 335 shots. According to FightMetric, Diaz doled out most of the punishment by landing 238 at a 66-percent clip. Their boss, Dana White rewarded them with the Fight of the Night bonus.
"They're nasty man. These guys are fighters. You talk about the word fighter and what it means to be a fighter ... these two guys sitting up here are it," White said during the postfight press conference. "They went out there and proved that tonight."
Diaz started the prefight bad blood in October before UFC 137. Cerrone tried to shake his hand during a workout session. Diaz reacted by slapping his hand away and cursing at him.
Cerrone told the story often in the lead up to this fight which juiced up Diaz even further. On Thursday during the prefight press conference, Diaz further fanned the flames by knocking Cerrone's hat from his head. It all led to Cerrone fighting with too much bravado and not enough strategy.
"I just wanted to stand. I just wanted to play. I got outboxed and I talked a lot of [expletive]," Cerrone explained why he never tried to change the style of the fight. "He got in my [expletive] head. He was good. He brought the fight to me. All the [expletive] I talked and he made me eat my words didn't he?"
anencephaly texans jordans houston texans houston texans prometheus movie indianapolis colts
(Reuters) ? Nearly $300 million in bonus payments have been awarded to 23 states for providing health coverage for children, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.
To qualify for the bonuses, states needed to surpass a specified enrollment target under the Medicaid program for low-income Americans and adopt procedures that make it easier for children to enroll and retain coverage under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The performance bonus payments are designed help offset costs states incur when they enroll lower income children in Medicaid. They are funded under the 2009 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.
Since CHIP was reauthorized in 2009, the number of children with insurance has risen by 1.2 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 23 states eligible for performance bonuses are: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
are you afraid of the dark dallas news google tv cornel west marzieh vafamehr marzieh vafamehr lady liberty
Continue reading N-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-orders
N-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-orders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/n-control-dismisses-marketing-consultant-discounts-ps3-avenger/
grand theft auto 5 kris jenner kris jenner livestand power ball kelly slater kelly slater
SEOUL (Reuters) ? The world watched anxiously on Wednesday as North Korea staged a huge funeral in the capital, Pyongyang, for former leader Kim Jong-il, searching for signs of what to expect from the isolated nation that may be close to attaining nuclear weapons capacity.
Bleak pictures from state television showed a funeral cortege led by a limousine carrying a huge picture of the 69-year old, who died on December 17, passing serried ranks of olive green-clad soldiers whose bare heads were bowed in homage in the main square of the snow-covered capital.
A hearse carrying the coffin was led by a weeping Kim Jong-un, the son and heir, accompanied by Jang Song-thaek, his uncle and a key power-broker in the transition, and Ri Yong-ho, the army chief of staff.
"Seeing this white snow fall has made me think of the general's efforts and this brings tears to my eyes," Seo Ju-rim, a red-cheeked, weeping female soldier, told North Korean television, referring to Kim.
One of the myths surrounding Kim Jong-il was that he could control the weather and state media has reported unusually cold and wild weather accompanying his death.
Video showed weeping civilians who swayed with grief and shouted "father, father" as black Lincoln and Mercedes limousines and army trucks streamed past the crowds. It was not clear whether the pictures were live or recorded.
"I wished it was a dream, how can this be true," sobbed one middle-aged woman named Kim. "How can anything like this ever happen in the world?"
Kim Jong-un will become the third member of the family to run the unpredictable North Asian country as it enters 2012, the year that was supposed to mark its self-proclaimed transformation into a "strong and prosperous" nation.
Larry Niksch, who has tracked North Korea for the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Research Service for 43 years, believes it could take as little as one to two years to have a working nuclear missile once the North produced enough highly enriched uranium for the warhead's core fuel.
The prospect of an untested leader, believed to be in his late 20s, having nuclear capacity has alarmed many.
"Yes, we are watching and will be analyzing how any changes can be reflected in our policy," a South Korean government official said. He was not authorized to speak to the media, so could not be identified.
UNCLE JANG, POWER BEHIND THE THRONE
State television showed Jang Song-thaek walking directly behind Kim Jong-un alongside the limousine carrying the coffin. Jang ranks a lowly 19th in the list of names on the state funeral committee but his public elevation confirms that he will play a key role in shaping policies.
An ascetic-looking, bespectacled 65-year-old, Jang has overcome a purge, bitter palace intrigue and personal tragedy to become vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, the supreme leadership council which Kim Jong-il led as head of the military state.
"Kim Jong-un is clearly the head of the new leadership but, in terms of hierarchy and influence, Jang appears to have secured considerable position," said Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korea expert at Korea University in the south.
Strong it may be -- North Korea is backed by neighboring China, has conducted two nuclear tests and has a 1.2 million-strong armed forces -- but prosperous it is not.
On average, the 25 million North Koreans have a life expectancy three-and-a-half years lower than they did when "Eternal President" Kim Il-sung, the new leader's grandfather, died in 1994, according to U.N. data.
The United Nations, in a country program for 2011-15, says North Korea's main challenge is to "restore the economy to the level attained before 1990" and to alleviate food shortages for a third of its 25 million population.
Indications from the transition since Kim Jong-il's death suggest his "military first" policy will continue, leading to further hardship in a country that endured mass starvation in the 1990s.
Leverage from outside, with the exception of China, is limited. All the United States, South Korea and Japan can do is hope that the regime does not collapse, nor flex its military muscle as it did in 2010, when it shelled a South Korean island.
North Korea was established in 1948 and under its founding father, Kim Il-sung, went to war to try to conquer the South. It failed and in 1953 a dividing line that would become the world's most militarized frontier was drawn across the peninsula.
PROSPECTS OF A PURGE
While Kim Il-sung was revered by his people for fighting Japanese colonial rule, the halo surrounding his successors has steadily dimmed to such an extent that his grandson, the new ruler, will have to rely on people such as his uncle, Jang, to hold on to power, at least in the short term.
Official media in the North have built Kim Jong-un, a jowly and rotund man in his late 20s, into a leader worthy of inheriting the crown, naming him "respected general," "great successor," "outstanding leader" and "supreme commander."
This year, dissident groups based in South Korea, citing North Korean refugees and businessmen working in China, linked the youngest Kim to a crackdown on business activities and a tougher policy on people seeking to flee from North Korea.
Those reports could not be verified independently, but would again suggest that further repression is more likely than an economic opening under the new man.
It also gives little hope for the 200,000 North Koreans who human rights group Amnesty international says are enslaved in labor camps, subjected to torture and hunger or execution.
"There is likely to be a politically motivated purge and imprisonment, and it could go on for a considerable period of time," said Pak Sang-hak, who heads a group in Seoul working to support defectors, and is himself a defector.
"That is especially because of the relative instability of Kim Jong-un's leadership. There might also be persecution as a way of intimidation and discipline."
(Additional reporting by Christine Kim and Iktae Park in SEOUL and Jim Wolf in WASHINGTON; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner and Paul Tait)
mark rothko mark rothko wiccan pumpkin carvings mcrib pumpkin seeds mark herzlich
ASHBURN ? The Washington Redskins have released running back Ryan Torain, who started four games this season, but fell behind rookies Roy Helu and Evan Royster on the depth chart.
A link to this page will be included in your message
Source: http://www.newsleader.com/article/20111228/SPORTS/112280334/1080/rss02
nba lockout news gifts for mom gifts for mom pepper spray storage auctions storage auctions les miles
FILE- In this Thursday, March 5, 2009 file photo the Library of Congress is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Library of Congress on Wednesday announced that 1994's smash hit ?Forrest Gump? starring Tom Hanks was one of 25 films chosen to be included this year in the National Film Registry. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE- In this Thursday, March 5, 2009 file photo the Library of Congress is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Library of Congress on Wednesday announced that 1994's smash hit ?Forrest Gump? starring Tom Hanks was one of 25 films chosen to be included this year in the National Film Registry. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
This undated handout image provided by the Library of Congress shows a Danish poster for Walt Disney?s 1942 animated film ?Bambi." Bambi, Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lecter have at least one thing in common: Their cinematic adventures were chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)
This undated handout photo provided byMGM Home Entertainment and the Library of Congress shows Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal ?The Cannibal? Lecter in the 1991 film ?Silence of the Lambs.? Bambi, Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lecter have at least one thing in common: Their cinematic adventures were chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings. (AP Photo/MGM Home Entertainment, Library of Congress)
This undated black-and-white handout photo provided by Paramount and the Library of Congress shows Tom Hanks staring as Forrest Gump. Bambi, Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lecter have at least one thing in common: Their cinematic adventures were chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings. (AP Photo/Paramount, Library if Congess)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Bambi, Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lecter have at least one thing in common: Their cinematic adventures were chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings.
"The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), a harrowing psychological thriller about the cannibalistic serial killer Lecter, and "Forrest Gump" (1994), starring Tom Hanks as the guileless hero who thinks "life is like a box of chocolates," were critical and commercial successes that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The animated Disney classic "Bambi" is among the most beloved movies ever made.
A majority of the 25 titles chosen this year for inclusion in the National Film Registry are lesser-known ? including silent films, documentaries, avant-garde cinema and even home movies. The Library of Congress announced the selections Tuesday.
The registry began in 1989 under an act of Congress and now includes 575 films. Its aim is not to identify the best movies ever made but to preserve films with artistic, cultural or historical significance. Previous titles chosen range from "The Birth of a Nation" to "National Lampoon's Animal House."
"Forrest Gump" has its critical detractors but was praised for its technical achievements, including the seamless incorporation of the title character into historical footage.
More than 2,200 films were nominated for the registry this year. The National Film Preservation Board pares them down before Librarian of Congress James H. Billington makes the final selections.
"Each year, we do try to pick one of the titles that the public nominated the most, and 'Forrest Gump' was way up there on that list," said Stephen Leggett, program coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board. "Everything on the list is subject to dissenting opinion."
Staffers at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., work to ensure that each title is preserved for future generations, packing away original negatives or unreleased prints into the facility's massive vault and collaborating with other preservationists, movie studios and independent filmmakers.
"These films are selected because of their enduring significance to American culture," Billington said in a statement. "Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams."
Leggett said he was pleased by the inclusion of "The Negro Soldier," a 1944 documentary produced by Frank Capra that was groundbreaking for its realistic and positive depiction of African-Americans. It became mandatory viewing for soldiers entering the army in the latter stages of the war and was shown in commercial theaters.
"It was kind of ironic because the official Army policy at the time was still segregation. You had a film which was implicitly if not explicitly promoting integration," he said.
Films must be at least 10 years old to be considered for the registry.
The oldest movies selected this year are both from 1912. "The Cry of the Children" is about the pre-World War I child labor reform movement, and "A Cure for Pokeritis" stars John Bunny, regarded as the American film industry's earliest comic superstar.
"A lot of people would argue that the humor is kind of dated," Leggett said of Bunny's films ? mostly short domestic comedies in which he played a henpecked husband. "He really was a major figure at the time. It doesn't help your reputation when people like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton come after you."
Chaplin's first feature, "The Kid" (1921), was also chosen for the registry.
It was a big year for actress Sally Field, who co-starred in "Forrest Gump." ''Norma Rae" (1979), featuring her Oscar-winning performance as a single mother who fought to unionize a Southern textile mill, also made this year's list.
Among the other titles chosen: "The Big Heat," a 1953 film noir starring Glenn Ford; "The Lost Weekend," Billy Wilder's Oscar-winning alcoholism drama; "Porgy and Bess," starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge; "Stand and Deliver," starring Edward James Olmos as an inspiring East Los Angeles math teacher; and John Ford's epic 1924 Western "The Iron Horse."
Among the lesser-known titles chosen this year, "A Computer Animated Hand" (1972) by Pixar Animation Studios co-founder Ed Catmull was one of the earliest examples of 3D computer-generated imagery. The one-minute film shows a hand turning, opening and closing.
Documentaries picked for the registry include "Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment," which focuses on Gov. George Wallace's attempt to prevent two African-American students from enrolling in the University of Alabama and the response of President John F. Kennedy. "Growing Up Female" from 1971 was one of the first films to document the women's liberation movement.
___
Online:
National film registry: http://www.loc.gov/film/filmnfr.html
___
Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at http://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.
Associated Pressmarfan syndrome britney spears engaged craig smith craig smith eat to live eat to live ron paul money bomb
.
Community managers?must strike a balance. Externally, community managers are the voices of their brands in social media, serving as?social media strategists, customer service?managers,?content creators, product managers, and evangelists. Internally, they are the voice of their communities at their own companies. Community managers bring the conversations they have with community members to the forefront of marketing, customer service, and product discussions, epitomizing the value and function of a?social business.
Because community manager jobs vary at each company, there is no one magic bullet to make a community management program work. But with more and more community manager jobs showing up every day, here are some tips for new or aspiring community managers or those who think they could benefit from a community management function in their marketing department.
When it comes to social media, it?s very easy to get?caught up in tactics. It?s important to establish and monitor your presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube, but for goodness' sake, you're only human! Prioritize based on what drives the most ROI. Whether that's blogs, tweetups, in-person conferences, or new social media platforms, spend your time where your community spends theirs.
Identify your most engaged community members and top influencers, and leverage their voice by offering them guest blog spots, curating their own content in a news round-up, re-sharing it in some other capacity, or offering them a position as a community moderator in your forum.
Loyal community members are great resources; they are the first people to provide feedback, share your content, refer you to others, and even stick up for you. But make sure to keep an even playing field for new, quieter community members. Each new commenter, forum member, tweeter, and group member matters. Challenge yourself and get a unique perspective by engaging with them, too. It?s your job to build a community, not a clique of power users who make your job easy and build resentment among other members.
Community managers are typically the ones running Twitter and Facebook accounts and will also be the ones responding to complaints. That means you have to learn how to say you're sorry. Not, "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." That's total baloney. If your service isn?t working and a community member is angry enough to go ranting about it on Twitter, you've definitely caused an inconvenience.?Speak in first person with genuine emotion like you would to someone in real life.
It?s natural to get frustrated or stressed out on busy days when responding to complaints online or answering a lot of questions.?Breathe. It's just the internet.
Plus, your biggest critics can turn into your biggest fans if you successfully and swiftly resolve their problems. Those that take the time to offer negative feedback will also often take the time to be your advocate.
The 2% rule states, ever so scientifically, that there's always going to be a chunk of naysayers in any group. No matter what you do, these people are just going to be, well, jerks. For an easy example, go take a look at the comments section of a blog or news site. There's always a handful of people that are irrational and not really looking to contribute to productive discussion. You can do your best to turn these negative people, but don't beat yourself up over it and let a few bad apples spoil the bunch.
Answering questions about your product or service through social media or email will probably be a major part of your job.?Be prepared ahead of time.?This is?especially important if you work in a?regulated industry?in which you may need your tweets or Facebook communication to have prior approval.?Go over common questions with your product or support team to make sure you have your answers (including your 140-character ones) accurate. You can also create FAQs and step-by-step guides to link to, which will cut down on hand holding time and repeat questions.
Email may seem old-school compared to sexier tools like social media, but remember, every single social media user has an email address!?Email is?the glue that?makes social media stick, and if you offer helpful content with an?email newsletter or product digest, it can be a great way to keep community members engaged.
Even with the ability to have global, online communities, community building starts at home. Use meetups to connect with your local audience. These events can inspire evangelists who will vouch for you as they get to know you better as a local company, and as they get to know?you?face-to-face. Those people are most certainly connected to a larger, global network through social media. This is where your first network of power users can stem from.
As the face of your brand online, people will inevitably identify you as the community manager for that company. The number of Twitter followers you have may grow, and you may begin to get more Facebook and LinkedIn requests from people you don?t personally know from real life. Even if you put "Tweets are my own"?in your Twitter bio, people see your thoughts aligned with your company.
Be who you are and represent yourself online as someone you are proud of. Have a rant you?really really really?want to post? We've all been there. But remember that we tend to?regret the rants we do post on social media, not the things we don't.
Maintaining a healthy personal and professional balance is tricky, but?take control of your experience on social media and don?t stop enjoying it.?Use Twitter lists, Facebook lists and filters. Own your privacy, your time, your news feed, and your personal network.
Are you a community manager, or have you hired one for your marketing team? What benefits has your company seen since the introduction of the role?
Image credit: khalidalbaih
?
carrie underwood eric church sara evans lionel richie cma awards cma awards christmas tree tax
DES MOINES, Iowa ? An Iowa caucus campaign that has cycled through several Republican presidential front-runners entered its final week Monday, as unpredictable as the day conservatives began competing to emerge as Mitt Romney's chief rival.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, released a new television commercial for the state in which he cited a "moral imperative for America to stop spending more money than we take in. It's killing jobs," he said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry countered with an advertisement that said four of his rivals combined ? none of them Romney ? have served 63 years in Congress, "leaving us with debt, earmarks and bailouts."
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who has invested more time in Iowa than any other contender, was the only one in the state during the day.
That changes Tuesday, with bus tours planned by Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, all eager to energize their existing supporters and attract new ones.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul arrives Wednesday. Recent polls suggest he is peaking as caucus day approaches, and in some surveys is tied with Romney or even ahead.
The result figures to be a short but intense stretch of campaigning through small towns and even smaller towns, the sort of one-on-one politicking that has largely vanished in the electronic age.
Failing that, it will pay tribute to the types cuisine that prosper in early 21st century America.
The Perry bus will belly up to Doughy Joey's in Waterloo and to the Fainting Goat in Waverly, an establishment whose website says "After 10 p.m., we are the type of place your mothers warned you about." Perry also will visit a vineyard and winery in Carroll.
Bachmann will make an early-winter stop at a Dairy Queen, as well as Pizza Ranch establishments in Harlan, Red Oak and Atlantic, three localities with a combined population of 17,282.
It's not all about the food, though.
Perry has a stop arranged at the Glenn Miller Museum in Clarinda, population 5,301, where the great bandleader was born.
The Texas governor also has a distinction that none of his rivals can boast, a town that shares his name. Thus, Perry will visit Perry.
There were signs of strategic shifts as candidates struggled to stand out in advance of the straw poll next week that inaugurates the round of primaries and caucuses that will pick a nominee to oppose President Barack Obama next fall.
Perry's new ad shows images of Gingrich, Paul, Santorum and Bachmann as it criticizes Congress and renews the governor's call for halving lawmakers' pay and time spent in Washington.
Despite the commercial's implication, Gingrich and Santorum were out of Congress when the multibillion-dollar financial bailouts of 2008 occurred. Paul and Bachmann voted against the legislation.
Still, the approach taken suggests the Texas governor is more concerned with outpacing Paul, Bachmann, Santorum and Gingrich on caucus night that he is in defeating Romney.
The former Massachusetts governor, making his second try for the White House, has a well-funded and well-organized campaign nationally and in Iowa, as well as allies who are spending heavily on television advertisements through an independent organization known as a super PAC.
While others have periodically risen to challenge him, Romney has kept his support from seriously eroding in the polls, consistently remaining near the top.
A victory in Iowa does not necessarily translate into the Republican presidential nomination. Yet history suggests that contenders who finish farthest behind next week will quickly drop out, underscoring the significance of the struggle to emerge as Romney's chief rival.
The most recent presidential hopeful to surge and then falter is Gingrich. The former House speaker's campaign imploded last summer and still shows the after-effects: a shortage of funds to counter attack ads in Iowa, and failure to qualify for the primary in Virginia in March.
After insisting he would run a purely positive campaign, Gingrich let it be known he was about to attack Romney on one of his presumed areas of strength, his economic proposals.
R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for Gingrich, said the candidate would make the case that Romney has advanced "very timid ideas that will do little to get people back to work."
Gingrich favors an end to taxes on investment income and dividends, while Romney wants to end them only for individuals with incomes of $200,000 or less.
Gingrich also has proposed an optional 15 percent flat tax on income. Under the plan, taxpayers could stay in the current system, which has a top tax rate of 35 percent on taxable income above $379,150, or switch to the new flat rate, which would apply to income at all levels.
Romney favors retaining the current graduated income tax system, with lower rates than currently exist.
Gingrich is at least the fourth front-runner to falter since the campaign began in earnest in Iowa earlier this year.
Bachmann, who won a straw poll at the Iowa State Fair last summer, was briefly atop polls in the state. So, too Herman Cain, who subsequently suspended his campaign after a woman claimed they had a long-term extramarital affair.
Santorum has yet to experience the type of sudden surge that others in the race enjoyed, but has doggedly campaigned in all 99 of the state's counties in hopes of rallying social conservatives to his side.
___
Associated Press writer Philip Elliott contributed to this report.
grimm fairy tales grimm fairy tales gold rush gold rush chili recipe chili recipe grimm
RT @villager: NFL Player Gives Entire Salary to Send Kids to College -- yourblackworld.com/2011/12/21/nfl? 
HopeChat Ruth
Source: http://twitter.com/younglibrarian/statuses/151460673946271744
chuck liddell dancing with the stars brandi glanville beanie wells beanie wells dina manzo dina manzo
OAKLAND -- The rumors circulated for months: Pennsylvania is a better place to live than Oakland for newly arrived Bhutanese refugees.
"All the Bhutanese are migrating to Pennsylvania," Benu Mainali said. "They say it's better. It's easier to find a job."
The 29-year-old refugee wasn't sure whether he should believe the stories of greener Pennsylvanian pastures. He also knew they would soon be covered in snow. But after 19 months in California, he and his family packed their bags 10 days ago, moved across the country and took a gamble on the unknown.
A family that fled rural Bhutan and spent 18 years in a cramped U.N. refugee camp had grown comfortable in Oakland. Now, restless hopes and family ties have uprooted them again.
As he vacuumed his emptied East Oakland apartment and his wife scrubbed the kitchen on their last night in the Bay Area, the couple knew they risked everything they had gained in their short time in the United States.
"I am leaving this place, my apartment, my work," Benu Mainali said. "I have to go start from the beginning. I might regret this later, leaving California, but all my family members are there (in the Northeast). I have to go."
Secondary migration
The Mainalis are following a pattern some call "secondary migration," a state-to-state movement as old as the nation itself.
It's how Scandinavian homesteaders
populated the upper Midwest and Portuguese came to farm the Central Valley, how Long Beach became a Cambodian hub and Pittsburgh, Pa., is turning into a Bhutanese one.Since early 2008, the State Department and community organizations around the country have welcomed nearly 50,000 Bhutanese exiles. The Nepali-speaking refugees spent decades in crowded camps in eastern Nepal after fleeing ethnic conflict in southern Bhutan. International organizations sought to disperse them across the developed world, from Alaska to Australia's Tasmania, trying not to burden any one place with too many people at once.
Now, the newcomers are sorting out where they really want to live.
Oakland remains one of the top 20 cities for Bhutanese refugees in the United States, but among the hundreds who have moved to the city and neighboring Alameda in the past four years, some are already trying their luck elsewhere.
The national Office of Refugee Resettlement does not track secondary migration, but every Bhutanese family knows another that took off for another state this year or is making plans for 2012.
Several families moved from Oakland to upstate New York in recent months, including Benu Mainali's brother and parents. Another migrated to the eastern North Dakota cities of Fargo and Grand Forks. Economic factors drive some of the movement -- North Dakota's cities have the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
Family reunification may be the biggest tug. One extended family disperses around the country, then relatives share stories about which location offers the best opportunities. For the Mainalis, the spot was the Great Lakes corridor.
They were not alone: In recent months, Pennsylvania surpassed Texas as the top destination for Bhutanese refugees, and upstate New York is not far behind, according to data from the International Organization for Migration, the group tasked to resettle them.
The Mainalis' journey
This newspaper began following the Mainalis in spring 2010, meeting them at the tiny bamboo hut in southeastern Nepal where they had been living since 1992.
Weeks before they set off for America, Benu Mainali, his newlywed wife, Leela, and his 60-something parents informed workers at the United Nations-run camp that they wanted to migrate to Oakland because two relatives had moved there several months earlier.
They had seen photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge but knew almost nothing about California. A former teacher at the camp where he grew up, Benu Mainali was eager to learn and quickly found in Oakland what he desired: A steady job, new and old friends, good weather, freedom and a better quality of life.
He started at $8 an hour stocking goods at Farmer Joe's, a gourmet grocery in the Oakland foothills, and rose to assistant manager at $10 an hour. Supervisors were impressed by his diligence, confidence and his English skills.
Leela Mainali, 21, found work at a pizza shop before giving birth to the couple's first child this summer. Benu's parents, Bishnu and Devi, -- were one-time farmers who spoke no English but were the glue that kept the family together and helped care for their grandchildren.
The apartment the family shared in Oakland's Laurel district became a social space for visitors. Up until his last week there, Benu Mainali used it for meetings of BCA Productions, or Bhutanese California Artist Productions, a filmmaking club for fellow exiles.
Despite the language barriers, 63-year-old Bishnu Mainali, with her warm and expressive personality, also made fast friends. Her neighbor Paw Boh, a Karen refugee from Myanmar,? would visit daily and sometimes take her elder friend to the farmer's market. They communicated in a universal language of gestures and smiles.
Thoughts of moving
Leela Mainali was the first to broach the idea of leaving Oakland, whispering the names of eastern cities in nighttime conversations with her husband. She heard the stories of roomier, less expensive apartments, more plentiful work and less crime. She missed her relatives who were moving to the East Coast. Her older sister's family landed in northern Florida but could not find work there, so they moved to Pittsburgh this fall and found employment immediately despite their limited English.
"In Pennsylvania, it makes no difference," Benu Mainali said. "Even the people who don't speak a word, they're getting a job and making good money."
Benu Mainali's youngest brother, Yadhu, was the first to arrive in Oakland and the first to leave. He took off to join the brothers' oldest siblings in Buffalo, N.Y., where he quickly found a job, started a vocational program and convinced the rest of the family to join him. He wanted their support and company.
Benu Mainali was reluctant. He wanted to quit his job eventually and learn radiology, but he could do that in California, where he already had a network of support.
"I tried to convince them to stay with me here and call Yadhu also to come back," he said. His mother, however, thought her youngest son needed her help. She spent two weeks trying to convince her husband they should leave, and he finally agreed.
"I want to go to New York, just to help him a little bit, so he can go to school," she said, speaking in Nepali through an interpreter. "California is much better to live in, but then I heard the words my son had spoken. The decision is maybe the wrong decision, but because of love for my son, I am leaving."
Dozens of people came to bid the older couple farewell as they packed for New York, and Bishnu Mainali was visibly saddened.
"I am nervous right now, not because of the trip, but because I will be leaving my granddaughter," she said.
The Nov. 30 flight was stressful. Clad in winter clothes, Bishnu and Devi Mainali landed in Denver and were supposed to pick up a connecting flight but thought they were already in Buffalo so walked out of the airport. They wondered why the family wasn't there to pick them up. Bishnu Mainali used hand signals to ask a man with a cellphone for help. They returned to the terminal in time to catch their next flight.
Optimism prevails
By the time his parents had left, Benu Mainali had changed his mind and was ready to leave. Being in the same region as his parents made the move more palatable. At first, the couple and their child would live with his wife's family in a Pittsburgh suburb, about a four-hour drive from Buffalo.
Still, friends persuaded him not to go. Neighbor and family friend Anil Verma, a Myanmar refugee, told the Mainalis it was a bad idea.
"They hear that everything's better. But in reality, it's not," Verma said. "Don't go based on what other people are saying. Wherever you want to try your luck, you go. But don't rely on anyone. Sometimes, things do not come true."
Jobs may be more available in the Rust Belt and Midwest than in the Bay Area, but they pay lower wages, Verma told them. Rents are lower, but fresh vegetables and utility bills can cost more. Oakland is diverse and welcoming, but other cities may be less so and have fewer social services. And moving costs money.
The younger Mainalis stuffed their belongings -- clothes, a pressure cooker and some other kitchen equipment -- in the trunk of their Toyota and had the car towed to Pittsburgh for $850. They spent hundreds more on airfare and have about $5,000 left in savings.
They have car payments and are paying back the International Organization for Migration in monthly installments for the flight that brought them to the United States.
If jobs are hard to find, they could be in financial trouble. But the frugal, plucky family has been through much worse and remains optimistic.
Pittsburgh "may be better than here," Leela Mainali said hours before she left Oakland on Dec. 15.
"After five or six years, after completing school, it may be a better life than now. I will start work, and Benu can study. Or maybe after five years, we will be back in California."
Bhutanese-American hubs
Five years ago, most U.S. cities had just a handful of people who identified as Bhutanese or none at all. Beginning in 2008, a mass resettlement of nearly 50,000 Nepali-speaking refugees from Bhutan has dispersed them across dozens of American cities. The list below charts the 20 metro areas with the largest Bhutanese population as of April 2010, when the U.S. Census was taken. Thousands more have migrated to the United States since the census, while others have moved from one U.S. city to another looking for better opportunities.
Atlanta: 1,693
Dallas-Fort Worth: 993
Houston: 792
Seattle: 733
Phoenix: 639
Tucson, Ariz.: 571
Denver: 566
Syracuse, N.Y.: 523
Chicago: 513
New York City: 498
Nashville, Tenn.: 462
Rochester, N.Y.: 411
Salt Lake City: 399
Erie, Pa.: 395
Akron, Ohio: 388
Oakland: 376
Buffalo, N.Y.: 370
Manchester, N.H.: 320
St. Louis: 307
Concord, N.H.: 291
Source: U.S. Census 2010
Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_19616162?source=rss
giants denver broncos patriots steelers ravens bengals new england patriots
We?re wrapping up our Sugar Awards with the biggest celebrity news headline of 2011 ? and just like us, most of you picked Prince William and Kate Middleton?s royal wedding as the story of the year! There was so much to love about their fairytale nuptials, and we soaked up every detail: Kate?s stunning Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown; Pippa Middleton?s headline-making turn as bridesmaid of the year; Prince Harry getting a cheeky glance at Kate?s entrance as he stood alongside his brother at the altar of Westminster Abbey; William and Kate?s two balcony kisses, and so much more. The young couple have been in the spotlight since their engagement last November, and continue to be charming at the many events they attend. You can be sure that all eyes will be on William and Kate in 2012 as they approach the first anniversary of their marriage!
cliff harris cliff harris josh turner bishop eddie long chicago news chicago news barnaby
ARLINGTON, Texas ? Tony Romo was in the locker room dealing with a passing hand that wasn't broken, but was swelling.
At the same time, the New York Giants were polishing off a victory that rendered the result of this game meaningless, and turned their game against the Cowboys in New York next weekend into a battle for the NFC East title.
So Jerry Jones left his midfield viewing booth and marched right to coach Jason Garrett on the sideline. Neither would give a clear explanation of their conversation, but it's obvious how the chat went considering Romo didn't return and oft-injured running back Felix Jones soon joined him on the sideline.
Missing those crucial players, and lacking intensity, the Cowboys came within 7 seconds of being shut out at home for the first time in 20 years, losing 20-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
"You have to step back and understand what the situation is," Garrett said. "We need to be as healthy as we can be next week."
New York's victory eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs and meant the Cowboys couldn't clinch the division title with a win. Dallas could've still been playing for a wild-card backup plan, but was clearly more concerned about getting ready for the "win and you're in" route to the playoffs, especially after Romo banged his hand on the helmet of a defender.
Garrett said the club had decided earlier in the week who would and wouldn't play if the Giants won. Garrett said Romo's injury added a new wrinkle.
The question of why Jones decided to personally go over the plan with Garrett again, and in light of the Romo injury, wasn't really answered.
"I did want to go and communicate real good and we did communicate real good," Jones said. "These are decisions made by Jason, ultimately."
Michael Vick threw touchdown passes on his first drive and just before halftime, which was all the scoring the Eagles would need. They added a pair of field goals in the second half, while their defense prevented an offense powered by Stephen McGee, Sammy Morris and Chauncey Washington from sustaining any drives.
Dallas' only points came after a blocked punt set up McGee on the Philadelphia 16-yard line with 19 seconds left. He ran for 12 yards, then hit Miles Austin for a 4-yard touchdown pass to avoid the first shutout since November 2003, and the first at home since September 1991, also against Philadelphia.
"I just feel like we dodged a bullet ? Romo is healthy, that's critical to us," Jones said. "I certainly agree with how we played the game tonight, and who played what, when and how they played ? complete agreement with it."
Dallas (8-7) lost for the third time in four games, guaranteeing another losing record after Thanksgiving. If the Cowboys end up missing the playoffs, this flop at the finish will loom large all offseason. Of course, if they win the division, it'll only be a footnote.
The upcoming week will be filled with all sorts of similar high-stakes ramifications that will be riding on the finale for both Dallas and New York. Anticipating huge interest ? and high ratings ? that game has been moved to NBC's prime-time Sunday night showcase.
"If at the beginning of the year you told us we would have a chance to win the division in Week 17, we would have jumped at it," tight end Jason Witten said. "We will have to play our best football. It's on the road. It's going to be tough. But that's the environment you have to take. The Giants have been in these situations, too. It's going to be a huge challenge."
When this game kicked off, the Giants were up by only six points midway through the fourth quarter, so the Cowboys and Eagles still had a lot to play for.
Philadelphia got the ball first and Vick picked up where he left off the last time these teams met, cruising 80 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead. Then the Eagles snuffed Romo, forcing a punt from around midfield.
On the final play of that series, Romo rushed a third-down pass to avoid a sack. On his follow-through, he smacked his passing hand on Jason Babin's helmet. That's when things got about as interesting as they'd be the rest of the afternoon.
The drama began with Jones leaving his midfield viewing booth to chat with Garrett. He returned to his booth about the same time Romo returned to the sideline.
Romo couldn't grip the ball or take a snap, so he got his hand and wrist wrapped. While he was trading his helmet for a baseball cap, team vice president Stephen Jones arrived on the sideline and spoke with trainers. Felix Jones then joined Romo as being done for the day.
McGee ? who moved up from third-stringer to backup when Jon Kitna went on injured reserve ? took over for Romo and went 24 of 38 for 182 yards, with four runs for 28 yards.
McGee beat the Eagles in last season's finale, but he struggled to even sustain drives this time. It didn't help that his running backs were Morris (pulled from retirement before last week's game) and Washington (signed off the street this week).
"It took me a little while to get comfortable," McGee said. "I don't get very many reps, basically never in a real game. I felt like I made progress through the game."
Philadelphia (7-8) won its third straight, giving the preseason "Dream Team" and midseason nightmare the chance to break even if it can beat the Redskins at home in its finale next weekend. The Eagles also swept the season series against the Cowboys for the first time since 2006, having clobbered Dallas 34-7 in October.
"If we had gotten into the playoffs we would have definitely done some damage," Vick said. "It's unfortunate we didn't. That's the game of football. We made some mistakes early (this season) and got behind in the win-loss column. But we're just happy we're finishing strong."
The defense sure is. Philadelphia has allowed just 36 points and 683 yards over the last three games, with 16 sacks.
"I think it took a little time to gel," said defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, one of the offseason additions whose arrival raised expectations. "I guess it took longer than we anticipated. We just didn't get the job done. You can make all the excuses in the world, but they really don't mean anything. At the end of the season when you look at our final record, there's not going to be asterisk by it. You just have to own up to it. We let a lot of opportunities get away from us early. All we can do now is control what we do in the future."
Vick was 18 of 32 for 293 yards, with the touchdowns going to Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek. Jason Avant nearly had another TD, but fumbled inches before touching the pylon, resulting in a touchback for the Cowboys.
DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 90 yards, and ran for 27 yards on two end arounds, both on consecutive plays.
Alex Henery kicked field goals of 43 and 51 yards for the Eagles' only points in the second half.
"They're disappointed we don't have a shot at the playoffs," coach Andy Reid said. "At the same time I was pleased with the energy they brought to the football field. They wanted to dominate and play aggressive football. Nobody was hanging their heads."
'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/24/tony-romo-injured-hand-cowboys-eagles-nfl_n_1169120.html
chris bosh world series october 28 2011 october 28 2011 jenelle evans jenelle evans miami hurricanes
Mumbai college students have one more reason to smile this Christmas season. The government has announced the availability of Aakash tablets at a subsidized price of Rs 1,138 specially earmarked for them.
The low-cost tablet would be available at the subsidized rate across 100 varsities, including the Mumbai University. This accounts to about 50 percent discount over the initial market price.
The university and college boards have sent official circulars to their affiliated member colleges informing them about the unique student offer. Besides, an upgraded version of Aakash - Ubislate 7 or Aakash 2 will also be available to the students later in 2012.
This project also presents a unique opportunity for the students to access the university course content on the Internet for free. The students can place orders through their respective colleges.
Aakash tablets were sold out (30,000 unites) within the first week of its release.
Like us on Facebook
Aakash 2 can be pre-booked on the official website - www.aakashtablet.com.
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/271990/20111223/mumbai-college-students-aakash-tablets-rs-1.htm
tibetan mastiff manny pacquiao pacquiao blanche blanche gloria allred black friday ads 2011
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/12/ap-afghanistan-military-meets-obama-drawdown-timeline-122211/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 22, 2011 13:06:35 EST
WASHINGTON ? President Obama?s order to withdraw 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year has been accomplished, a little more than a week before the year-end deadline, military officials said Thursday.
The drawdown is the first step in the plan to wind down the war, transition security to Afghan forces and end the combat role for international troops by the end of 2014.
It also gives the Obama administration a second war-related accomplishment to tout this month ? coming just a week after U.S. officials marked the end of the war in Iraq and the last convoy of American soldiers rumbled out of that country into Kuwait.
Officials say there are now 91,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan ? down from the peak of 101,000 in June.
In December 2009 Obama announced he was sending an additional 33,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan in a bid to beat back the escalating Taliban insurgency and change the course of the war. Six months ago, declaring that the ?tide of war is receding,? Obama said he would withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of this year, and another 23,000 by the end of next summer.
The decision was met with initial opposition from military leaders who thought the withdrawal was too much, too soon, particularly since it would pull troops out before the end of next year?s fighting season, which can last well into October and even November.
Last week, however, during a trip to Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta repeatedly told troops that the U.S. had reached a turning point in the war. And at one point he went so far as to say, ?I really think that for all the sacrifices that you?re doing, the reality is that it is paying off and that we?re moving in the right direction. ... We?re winning this very tough conflict here in Afghanistan.?
Contrasting that assessment is the ongoing violence in Afghanistan?s east, along the Pakistan border, and the high-profile attacks and assassinations that continue to wreak havoc in and around Kabul. The violence is compounded by worries about government corruption, the fragile economy, and fears that Afghan forces won?t be ready to take over security of the country as American and NATO troops leave.
Videos You May Be Interested In
Source: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/12/ap-afghanistan-military-meets-obama-drawdown-timeline-122211/
lemony snicket lemony snicket jim thome jim thome fun fun fun fest fun fun fun fest move your money
LAS VEGAS ? Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to reduced battery domestic violence and harassment charges before a Las Vegas judge.
Judge Melissa Saragosa also ordered the 34-year-old Mayweather to complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine.
The plea deal avoids trial on felony allegations that he hit his ex-girlfriend and threatened two of their children during an argument at her home in September 2010.
Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich told the judge Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn't been punished.
Attorney Karen Winckler had argued that the public would benefit more if Mayweather performs 100 hours of community service with children.
She says she's considering an appeal.
Mayweather was told to report to jail Jan. 6.
cybermonday deals steve johnson norman reedus norman reedus sears john 3 16 office max
I'll admit to lobbing a few mortars at RIM (alright, maybe more than a few), but it looks like things may be even worse than expected. BGR reported earlier today that RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis lied about the the reason their first BlackBerry 10 devices would be delayed even later into 2012.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/HYo0VkmuKL0/
mark herzlich malawi malawi angela davis angela davis zombie apocalypse matt moore
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Federal Reserve proposed new capital and liquidity rules for the largest U.S. banks that would roll out in two phases and not likely go further than international standards.
The plan issued on Tuesday closely follows statements the Fed has made in recent weeks to calm Wall Street concerns that U.S. standards may be more aggressive than those from other nations, putting U.S. banks at a disadvantage.
The Fed said that both the capital and liquidity requirements in last year's Dodd-Frank financial oversight law would be implemented in two phases.
The first phase would rely on policies already issued by the Fed, such as the capital stress test plan it released in November.
That stress test plan will require U.S. banks with more than $50 billion in assets to show they can meet a Tier 1 common risk-based capital ratio of 5 percent during a time of economic stress.
The second phase for both capital and liquidity would be based on the Fed's implementation of the Basel III international bank regulatory agreement.
That standard brings the Tier 1 common risk-based capital ratio requirement to 7 percent, plus a surcharge of up to 2.5 percent for the most complex firms.
"They're basically following the guidelines from Basel on the capital buffer. There were really no big surprises," said Gerard Cassidy, bank analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
One area still unclear is how much the surcharge will be for banks that are above $50 billion in assets but are not designated as globally systemic.
"It looks like they are taking a pass on that," said Joe Engelhard, a bank policy analyst at Capital Alpha Partners.
The KBW Bank Index of stocks was trading up 4.5 percent following release of the Fed proposal, a slight gain over where it was prior to the release.
The rules, once finalized, will apply to all banks with more than $50 billion in assets, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America.
Most large U.S. banks already meet the Basel III requirements scheduled to fully go into effect in 2019.
For its liquidity requirements, the Fed is waiting on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to flesh out its own liquidity recommendations before setting out U.S. requirements.
The central bank said it initially would hold U.S. banks to a qualitative liquidity standard.
Under the Fed plan, banks would have to assess, at least once a month, what their liquidity needs would be for 30 days, for 90 days, and for a year, during a time when markets are stressed. They would be required to have enough liquid assets to cover 30 days of operations under these circumstances.
The proposals released on Tuesday are aimed at ensuring that financial firms have enough capital and liquid assets on hand to weather a future financial crisis. During the 2007-2009 crisis, taxpayers put up $700 billion to bail out the financial system, partially through capital injections into banks.
THREE MONTHS OF LOBBYING
The rules will be out for public comment until March 31, 2012, giving Wall Street time to argue that being forced to keep so much cash on hand it will hurt lending and the economic recovery.
Executives, including JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, have complained that regulators are littering the financial landscape with rules, without properly analyzing their economic impact.
A Fed official on Tuesday said the agency does not have an estimate on how much the capital and liquidity standards will impact U.S. gross domestic product.
But he said the net benefit to the financial system outweighs the cost to Wall Street and any short-term decrease in credit availability.
The rules proposed will not only apply to the largest U.S. banks. They will also cover any financial firm the government identifies as being important to the functioning of financial markets and the economy.
The government has yet to decide which non-banks, such as insurance companies and hedge funds, meet this standard.
When such companies are designated, the Fed said it may "tailor" the rules, which were drafted mostly with banks in mind, to better fit that particular company or industry.
The law also requires the Fed to write tougher standards for foreign banks with operations in the United States. Fed officials said on Tuesday they would release those proposals soon, and that they would apply to about 100 firms.
UNTANGLING THE BANKS
The Fed rules also try to limit the dangers of big financial firms being heavily intertwined. It would limit the credit exposure of big banks to a single counterparty as a percentage of the firm's regulatory capital.
The credit exposure between the largest of the big banks would be subject to an even tighter limit.
Further, the Fed proposal requires banks to bolster their capital if it appears they are heading into trouble, such as being overexposed to risky assets.
The rule outlines four phases of this "remediation" process that a bank or other large financial organization would go through if it hits certain triggers signaling weakness.
If a bank does not bounce back after following through on requirements such as a capital boost, the regulators could then restrict dividends, compensation, or even recommend the institution be seized and liquidated.
The Fed did not provide details about how much of the remediation process would be made public.
(Reporting By Dave Clarke; Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra, David Henry in New York and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
williston nd mists of pandaria mists of pandaria 20 20 gunner kiel gunner kiel baby lisa
New York ? Researchers warn that your festive Christmas tree might be making you sick ? and offer a few pointers to help you stay healthy through the holidays
We've all heard of the?"war on Christmas." But is Christmas declaring war on us, too? A new study from State University of New York's Upstate Medical University suggests that our beautiful, festive Christmas trees are actually making a lot of unsuspecting Christmas revelers ill, sometimes with dangerous, long-term health problems. What exactly is this "Christmas tree syndrome," and what can you do to prevent it from Grinching up Christmas? Here's what you should know:
What is Christmas tree syndrome?
It's "not as pleasant as it sounds," says Sora Song at?TIME. Dr. Lawrence Kurlandsky and his team discovered that the evergreen conifers we bring into our homes carry lots of mold spores that cause a whole range of respiratory and other health problems, from sneezing and watery eyes to insomnia and lethargy. Sometimes our trees cause even more serious health problems, like bronchitis and pneumonia.
SEE MORE: Toygaroo: Will parents really rent kids' Christmas gifts?
?
Where does the mold come from?
Molds grow on the trees naturally. Your warm living room then acts as an incubator. Once the tree comes inside, the mold spores go nuts. Kurlandsky's study cites separate research that found mold levels exploding after just two weeks of indoor tree display, from 800 spores per 35 cubic feet to 5,000 spores. And the spores aren't benign. The SUNY team examined needles and bark from 28 Christmas trees of varying species and found 53 instances of mold, 70 percent of which can make you sick.
Is everyone susceptible?
No. "If you and your children don't have any obvious allergies, then it is probably not going to bother you," says Kurlandsky. But this syndrome is more common than people think. The reason the SUNY looked into Christmas trees in the first place is because they noticed a spike in respiratory infections in the two weeks surrounding Christmas.
SEE MORE: Obama's Christmas tree tax: 'Knucklehead move'?
?
What's a Christmas tree lover to do?
The obvious solution is to buy an artificial tree, says Cassie Murdoch at?Jezebel. And if you must go natural, Kurlandsky suggests hosing down your tree outside, then letting it dry before bringing it inside. Some tree lots have tree-washing services. You can also pair your tree with an air purifier to help keep the spore count down. But whatever you do, get that tree to the curb as soon as reasonable after the presents are unwrapped.
Sources: Jezebel, Telegraph, TIME
SEE MORE: Jimmy Kimmel's 'Terrible Christmas Presents' prank: Mean or hilarious?
?
View this article on TheWeek.com
Get 4 Free Issues of The Week
Other stories from this topic:
Like on Facebook?-?Follow on Twitter?-?Sign-up for Daily Newslettermythbusters cannonball uss arizona myth busters tracy mcgrady tracy mcgrady mash alec baldwin kicked off plane
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) ? A Russian navy aircraft spotted a raft carrying people in the icy seas off Russia's far eastern coast on Monday, raising slim hopes of finding survivors after a drilling rig sank with 67 people on board.
It was not clear whether anyone on the raft was alive.
"Aircraft from the Pacific fleet have found a raft. There are people on it," said a spokesman for the owner of the rig, Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka (AMNGR), a unit of state-owned Zarubezhneft.
Asked whether any of the people were alive, he said by telephone: "It is impossible to say. Have you ever been on an aircraft? You cannot see from that height."
Of the 67 people on the rig when it sank on Sunday, 14 were saved by vessels accompanying the rig. But 6-metre (20-ft) high waves and air temperatures of minus 7 degrees Celsius (19 Fahrenheit) hindered rescue efforts.
Rescuers say 16 dead bodies have been found.
(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Ludmila Danilova in Moscow, Editing by Tinothy Heritage)
conrad murray sentencing conrad murray sentencing urban meyer adam shulman adam shulman nfl power rankings week 13 nfl power rankings week 13
Scott Harrison is the founder of Charity: Water an organization he founded after waking up to the realization he was living a "dark, kind of decadent selfish existence" as a nightclub promoter whose life revolved around getting "people wasted for a living." He tells Dixon at the age of 30 "I wanted to change the whole world and thought I could end the water crisis in my lifetime and I could also reinvent charity."Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cFzPyDlFntc/
cain velasquez vs dos santos cain velasquez vs dos santos oregon stanford oregon stanford jon huntsman darrell hammond darrell hammond
LONDON (Reuters) ? Watching your favorite football team trying to hang on to a precarious lead in the dying minutes of a match is enough to frazzle anyone's nerves, but for one Manchester United fan the stress was nearly too much.
The 58-year-old woman gets so anxious she has to take treatment for a life-threatening condition brought on by watching knife-edge games at the Old Trafford stadium.
The condition, known as an Addisonian crisis, comes about when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the stress-reducing hormone cortisol, a lack of which can lead to low blood pressure and even a coma.
"We believe that our patient was having difficulty mounting an appropriate physiological cortisol response during the big games and therefore we present this as the first description of Manchester United-induced Addisonian crisis," said Dr Akbar Choudhry who treated the patient.
Doctors suspected the condition when the woman started getting bouts of anxiety, palpitations, panic, light headedness, and a sense of impending doom towards the end of matches.
The symptoms were less serious when the home side was playing a lower-rated team.
An Addisonian crisis, which is a manifestation of Addison's disease, is difficult to diagnose because the main symptoms include fatigue, lethargy and low mood -- often experienced by otherwise healthy people and frequently reported in many other chronic conditions.
"Luckily, the patient was on holiday for United's 6-1 defeat by local rivals Manchester City in October," Choudhry said in a report on BMJ.com.
"But, by this time, doctors had fine-tuned her therapy and she has remained symptom-free during recent tense contests against Sunderland and FC Basel," he added.
Treatment coincided with the start of the 2011/12 football season and the patient has managed to attend all games at Old Trafford without any adverse effects.
eric johnson russell pearce russell pearce emergency alert system chelsea handler alexander the great act
