Illinois becomes a national punch line as government grinds to … – Chicago Tribune
January 3, 2009
Illinois becomes a national punch line as government grinds to … – Chicago Tribune Illinois becomes a national punch line as government grinds to …
ABC News
Chicago Tribune -
By Rick Pearson and Ray Long | Tribune reporters The governor was arrested by the FBI and faces impeachment proceedings, his appointee to a US Senate seat is in limbo and the state treasury is in shambles—a combination that has turned Illinois into a …
Sen. Reid called Blagojevich about Senate seat
Sen. Reid Called Gov. Blagojevich to Discuss Filling Obama's …
RAW VIDEO: People Rescued From Apartment Fire – MSNBC RAW VIDEO: People Rescued From Apartment Fire
Capital News 9
MSNBC -
MILWAUKEE – Dozens of people are homeless this morning after an apartment fire near Milwaukee's east side. It appears the fire started on the third floor.
16 left homeless after Albany Fire
Local Red Cross Dealing With More Fire Cases
Colo. gov names schools chief for Senate vacancy – The Associated Press Colo. gov names schools chief for Senate vacancy
The Associated Press
The Associated Press -
DENVER (AP) – A whip-smart lawyer who has turned successively to the worlds of business and education, Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet won't have much trouble adjusting to the biggest promotion of his life: to US senator.
Reaction to Bennet appointment to Senate
Bennet: 'humbled and honored' with Senate selection
UConn's Brown Commits To NFL After Beating Buffalo – Hartford Courant UConn's Brown Commits To NFL After Beating Buffalo
Canoe.ca
Hartford Courant -
AP Brown ran for a career-best 261 yards in his final college game, helping the fumble-prone Huskies overcome a mistake-filled first half and defeat Buffalo 38-20 in the International Bowl on Saturday.
UConn rallies past Buffalo to capture International Bowl
Brown rushes for over 200 yards, TD to lead UConn past Buffalo 38-20
Vitamin B12 Protects Brain
January 3, 2009
Vitamin B12 Protects Brain
Minyanville – Market Commentary, Investing Ideas, Global Finance, The Economy: “Anna Vogiatzoglou, a member of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford, in a prepared statement on brain shrinkage said that “Research shows that Vitamin B-12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more Vitamin B-12 intake could help reverse this problem.”
Vitamin B-12 deficiency can also cause anemia and troubles with the nervous system, researchers found.
Researchers at Oxford University established the link between diet and brain size by conducting memory tests, physical exams and brain scans on 107 people aged 61 to 87. The volunteers were retested five years after the initial exam and researchers found those with the lowest levels of Vitamin B-12 were more likely to have suffered brain shrinkage. The tests support earlier research that established a link between brain atrophy and low levels of Vitamin B-12.
Alcohol also hammers the brain. Researchers found that brain scans of more than 1,800 people who had 14 or more drinks a week sustained 1.6% more brain shrinkage than those who didn’t drink at all. Beer does less damage than wine.
Aging hippies who say marijuana is harmless are mistaken. Researchers found that cannabis has the same brain-damaging effect as alcohol”
DHA and Breastfeeding Boost Baby Brains
Eating Fish While Pregnant, Longer Breastfeeding, Lead To Better Infant Development, Research Finds
Here’s another study , this time from Denmark, backing up the findings that omega 3 long chain fatty acids DHA and EPA and human milk rather than cow’s milk derivatives can optimise a baby’s cognitive brain development.
The study, which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by researchers from the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the Maternal Nutrition Group from the Department of Epidemiology at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. These findings provide further evidence that omega-3 fatty acids and compounds in breast milk are beneficial to infant development.
The children whose mothers ate the most fish during pregnancy were more likely to have better motor and cognitive skills. For example, among mothers who ate the least fish, 5.7% of their children had the lowest developmental scores at 18 months, compared with only 3.7% of children whose mothers had the highest fish intake. Compared with women who ate the least fish, women with the highest fish intake (about 60 grams – 2 ounces – per day on average) had children 25% more likely to have higher developmental scores at 6 months and almost 30% more likely to have higher scores at 18 months.
Longer duration of breastfeeding was also associated with better infant development, especially at 18 months. Breastmilk also contains omega-3 fatty acids. The benefit of fish consumption was similar among infants breastfed for shorter or longer durations.
Powdered milk made from cow’s milk is a poor substitute for human milk and health professionals should stop encouraging the use of powdered milks to the detriment of mothers confidence to breast feed.
Sustainable alternatives to fish oil made from algae are now available. Until the age of 5 infants seem to most benefit from DHA but so far the algae alternatives are all DHA rich.
See omega 3 long chain fatty acids DHA and EPA for more details and the importance of DHA and EPA omega 3 fats
St. John’s beats No. 7 Notre Dame 71-65 – CBS Sportsline
January 3, 2009
St. John’s beats No. 7 Notre Dame 71-65 – CBS Sportsline
NEW YORK (AP) -Paris Horne was there every time Kyle McAlarney turned around or went around a screen. That defensive performance was enough to give St. John’s a chance at an upset, and the Red Storm came through with a 71-65 victory over No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday. Horne’s tenacious, high-energy
Obama pitches stimulus plan – Salon
In his weekly address — on the radio and YouTube — Barack Obama gave some further hints as to what his economic stimulus plan holds in store, without mentioning what it will cost in billions of dollars. The President-elect pledged that the plan, which he called the “American Recovery and
Conservatory says hello to break with ‘Albert Herring’
January 3, 2009
Conservatory says hello to break with ‘Albert Herring’
With Thanksgiving break fast approaching, UMKC Conservatory opera students were far from relaxed.
The Conservatory started the break with a wonderful production of Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring.” This comic opera in three acts showcase a wide variety of UMKC talent in an elaborate tale of a small English village in 1900.
All I want for Christmas … is a brighter Beige Book
January 3, 2009
All I want for Christmas … is a brighter Beige Book
This holiday season, the topics dancing in everyone’s heads seems to be bailouts and market points instead of sugar plums and and gingerbread.
An article in the Boston Business Journal points out that The Federal Reserve’s latest beige book report (an analysis of economic conditions) paints a glum picture for 2009. Included in the predicted continued slowdown is most software and information technology services. Respondents reported they currently see a slowdown, or predict one in the near future.
Don’t panic. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, IT will weather the storm. Pull your eyes to the analysis I did in a recent blog post on the topic. My beliefs remain the same.
To sum it up …
- Investment in software, hardware, data centers, security, application development, etc., fuels increased efficiency and business competitiveness. In other words, sound investments in the IT infrastructure can, typically, save money and boost revenue.
- People gotta’ upgrade. They will need larger disk space, more memory, better graphics, higher bandwidth, apps that better align to their business workflow and strategy, etc.
- Companies can cut operational costs and reduce capital investments by ditching locally hosted e-mail and apps, and going with managed services and SaaS instead. They have a low monthly operational expense (and just one neck to choke when things go wrong).
- Likewise, companies will consolidate data centers using virtualization, blade technology, and more modern 6-core CPUs in an effort to cut energy costs and save on rent.
- Don’t forget increased security needs. Companies MUST invest to harden their systems when holes are discovered or to comply with new legislation that comes down the pike.
- Traffic on e-commerce sites will certainly be up in 2009, with consumers and businesses pinching pennies and shopping for bargains online. E-commerce better ensure its data centers are up to snuff.
- And finally, what got us in to this whole mess in the first place? Big investment banks dabbled in risky subprime mortgage instruments because Internet investment services ate their core business: trading. Now anyone can trade online, without paying or using a human broker.
Now you should be able to thin your wallet with a little less remorse this holiday shopping season.
Are you a wannabe entrepreneur?
There’s been a lot of talk recently about today’s shabby economy being the perfect environment to start a business, and even I’ve been chiming in. It sounds crazy, but if you’ve ever dreamed of becoming on entrepreneur, there’s no better time than now.
Amidst all the chatter, I came across this article from USA TODAY by Steve Strauss. It’s an old article, but the message remains the same.
As Strauss points out, unemployed and under-employed individuals have a tendency to become more entrepreneurial during recessionary times (along with lower costs for goods and services). And new businesses that begin during a recession create the jobs to help move the economy back on track.
Even more appealing in today’s times is the power of the Internet. The Web is changing the game. It enables people to take their ideas and start new businesses more easily than ever before.
Why?
- It offers powerful, versatile, and low-cost ways to connect people, companies, customers, prospects, and suppliers to one another in real time.
- It allows for secure transactions to take place between the above groups.
- You can sell products and services at low cost, without being limited by geography 24×7.
- You can broadcast video (the most powerful medium to promote your service) without a TV studio or government licenses to any PC or video-equipped mobile phone. (Today there are 3.5 billion phones, and soon most will be able to display video.)
- You can target and reach very specific audiences through search engine optimization, blogging, and other techniques at very low cost
Is that drool coming from your mouth? Then what are you waiting for? Get out there!
Startup Founders Turn Android into Desktop OS – PC World
January 3, 2009
Startup Founders Turn Android into Desktop OS – PC World Startup Founders Turn Android into Desktop OS
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CNET News
PC World -
Google has been slowly, but surely, displacing Microsoft as the number one PC technology company. Google has done it by misdirection.
Android Netbooks: Fact or fiction?
An FAQ about those Android netbooks
Mr. Bush’s Health Care Legacy – New York Times Mr. Bush’s Health Care Legacy
State Journal
New York Times -
This page has criticized the Bush administration’s weak performance on many important health care matters: its failure to address the problem of millions of uninsured Americans or stem the rising costs of health care, its refusal to expand eligibility …
Medical-home model pilot program starting regionally in 2009
Bush's changes in health provisions denounced
Pursuing Prabhakaran, Lanka set to seize Mullaittivu – Zee News
January 3, 2009
Pursuing Prabhakaran, Lanka set to seize Mullaittivu – Zee News
Colombo, Jan 03: A day after its ground forces recaptured the rebels’ de facto political capital Kilinochchi, Sri Lankan attack helicopters bombed Tamil Tiger positions in the north on Saturday in a bid to root out the organisation. According to the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, the troops were now
No. 7 Utah beats No. 4 Alabama 31-17 in Sugar Bowl – Houston Chronicle
Utah quarterback Brian Johnson (3) threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in Friday’s 31-17 win over Alabama. Brian Johnson and seventh-ranked Utah came down from the mountains to SEC country and established themselves as the best of the BCS busters, finishing 13-0 with a convincing 31-17 win over
Escalation Feared as Israel, Continuing Bombing, Lets Foreigners Leave Gaza – Herald Tribune
Tensions spread to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where Palestinian anger at reports of civilian casualties in Gaza seemed to be translating into at least a temporary increase in popular sympathy for Hamas. Israel has vowed to press its offensive until there is no more rocket fire out of Gaza
Obama family moves to Washington this weekend – Eflux Media
Washington – Step by step into the White House: After returning early Friday to Chicago from vacationing in Hawaii, president-elect Barack Obama and his family are moving this weekend to Washington. With school opening Monday for daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, the Obamas are to take up temporary
