WASHINGTON (AP) -- NASA is adrift without a coherent vision for where it should be going, an independent panel of space, science and engineering experts says.
But the report by the National Academy of Sciences doesn't blame the space agency. It faults the president, Congress and the nation for not giving NASA clear direction. At the same time, the report said NASA is doing little to further the stated goal of the White House to send astronauts to a nearby asteroid.
Panel member Bob Crippen, a retired NASA manager and astronaut who piloted the first space shuttle mission, said he has never seen the space agency so adrift. He said that includes the decade between the end of the Apollo moon landings and the beginning of the space shuttle program.
"I think people (at NASA) want to be focused a little more and know where they are going," Crippen told The Associated Press.
President Barack Obama in 2010 told the space agency to plan to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 as a training ground for an eventual Mars landing. But the 80-page report from the national academy and its authors say that there is little support for that idea within NASA and the international space community. Also, NASA hasn't allocated much money for it. Nor has it done much to locate an asteroid target. The agency's vague strategic plan avoids mention of an asteroid mission.
Crippen said an asteroid mission just doesn't make sense, technically or politically.
"I hate to use the word credible, but people don't buy it," said academy panel member Marcia Smith, president of Space and Technology Policy Group. "They don't feel that the asteroid mission is the right one."
NASA chief spokesman David Weaver said in an emailed statement that the agency has clear and challenging goals.
Contrary to what you may have heard, new retirees are doing better financially than previous generations, according to research being published on Wednesday by a mutual fund industry trade group.
"On average, more-recent generations of households have higher levels of resources to draw on in retirement than previous generations," said the study by the Investment Company Institute, a trade group. "Other measures also indicate improvements in retiree well-being. For example, the poverty rate among people aged 65 or older has declined from nearly 30 percent in 1966 to 9 percent in 2011."
These findings -- culled from a survey of academic, government and industry research -- run counter to the oft-quoted conventional wisdom that older people will be left impoverished by the decline of traditional defined benefit pension plans. It also seems a change in tone for the industry, which has funded countless surveys showing how worrisome to workers the retirement landscape is.
"The extent to which previous generations of retired households relied on income generated by private sector (defined benefit) plans is often exaggerated," the study said. The shift to defined contribution plans like 401(k)s "will increase retirement resources for most households."
Perhaps the new tone is aimed at fending off rumored threats to the favorable tax treatment that 401(k) plans and similar accounts receive as Washington tries to cut deficits and avoid large tax increases scheduled to take effect in 2013.
"We feel it is very important to preserve the tax incentives for those plans," Sarah Holden, senior director of retirement and investment research at ICI, said in an interview. "This is an area that we've seen works well for American workers. These plans can provide significant income in retirement."
To be sure, the ICI findings are in the aggregate, so not every retiree will be on more solid financial footing than his or her forebears. But the study shows that the money Americans have earmarked for retirement -- now topping $18.5 trillion -- is substantially higher than at any other time in U.S. history, even when defined benefit plans are included.
"Recent cohorts of retirees tend to enter retirement wealthier than previous cohorts," the study says.
Households led by people of all ages had more retirement assets than ever, the study found. The average amount of retirement assets per U.S. household was $153,100 on June 30 of this year. Adjusted for inflation that is 2.7 times higher than in 1985 and 5.6 times higher than in 1975, the study said.
The findings should encourage survey-weary workers heading into retirement, but not so much that they stop saving. Here's some more perspective.
Older people save more for retirement than younger people, but that's OK. "A younger worker might be saving for a home. That's not formally earmarked for retirement, but you can live in it while you are retired. It's going to be a resource that is important," said Holden.
Not everyone will be OK. But teasing out who will and won't have enough in retirement is complicated and a little bit counterintuitive.?The folks at the bottom of the earnings spectrum might be better off than expected, because Social Security will make up a higher percentage of their income, says Holden. She predicts that those who will face the biggest challenges funding their retirements are the same people most challenged at funding their earlier years. "Folks who were vulnerable while working (either by being underemployed, unemployed, working part-time or retiring early for health reasons) will tend to remain vulnerable in retirement," said Holden.
Other assets count. In 2010, roughly 82 percent of near- retirees owned homes, and for the typical homeowner, their home-equity made up almost one-third of their net worth. People approaching retirement will be able to tap their IRAs, 401(k)s, home equity (either by downsizing or using reverse mortgages), Social Security, private pensions and any other savings they might have.?For retirement savers, mixing that up is usually a good idea. Saving some money outside of retirement accounts allows for greater tax flexibility when it comes time to make withdrawals. A home that is paid off or almost paid off can be a significant resource for the later years of retirement.
There's good news on spending too. It's not just in their pre-retirement savings that workers are displaying some encouraging behavior. There are starting to be shreds of evidence that people are withdrawing less from their retirement accounts than might be expected.
That observation comes from T. Rowe Price, an investment company that holds a substantial number of retirement accounts. Its advisory clients often tend to withdraw roughly 4 percent of their assets during their first year of retirement, said Christine Fahlund, a senior retirement adviser with the company. But they tend not to raise their withdrawals in every subsequent year, even though T. Rowe Price retirement plans typically allow for annual inflation adjustments of those withdrawals.
Moreover, Fahlund says some of her retired clients are unhappily surprised when they hit age 70-1/2 and must take required minimum distributions from their accounts. "In many cases, they don't need the RMDs and they don't want to take them," she said.
That's another surprising and nontraditional retirement story line: There's too much money.
Linda Stern tweets at http://www.twitter.com/lindastern .
LONDON?-- The London home where British singer Amy Winehouse died has sold for 1.98 million pounds ($3.2 million) at auction, after it failed to attract serious buyers on the real estate market.
The semi-detached Camden Square house where the musician died last year at age 27 had remained empty since it was put up for sale in May for 2.7 million pounds, but continued to draw flocks of fans paying tribute to the "Back to Black" singer.
Winehouse's family decided early in November to put the house to auction after "the estate agency route didn't work," property auctioneer Chris McHugh told Reuters on Tuesday.
Media reports suggested the family had been overwhelmed with viewing requests from fans, but not real prospective buyers.
"We had probably 50 to 100 viewings and we showed people around at all times of the day and night," McHugh said.
The 2,500-square-foot,?four-story property features three bedrooms, a large dressing room, two bathrooms and a sound-proofed music room and gym.
At an auction held on Monday in Piccadilly, bids started at 1.7 million pounds, reached the 1.8 million guide price and stopped just short of the 2 million-mark beyond which a 7 percent stamp duty applies on UK home sales.
McHugh said a middle-aged couple had secured the house at a price he believed was "about right" given property values in the area and the fact there were only five serious bidders that day.
The auction catalogue had made no reference to the former owner of the property, whose fans turned a nearby square into a candle-lit shrine in the days following Winehouse's death.
Winehouse, famous for her distinctive voice, beehive hairstyle and long battle with addiction to alcohol and drugs, was found dead in the house on July 23, 2011.
An inquest into her death found she had more than five times the legal driving limit of alcohol in her blood when she died.
If you?ve ever been put on the spot during a meeting, interview or presentation you?ll know that articulating your thoughts with confidence can be a challenge when you?re under pressure.? Thankfully there are 5 simple steps you can take to make sure you put your best foot forward?
Think On Your Feet
The ability to think on your feet is a skill worth mastering as it will help you come across as confident and trustworthy.? Follow these 5 tips to stay poised when you find yourself faced with unexpected questions: -
1.? Listen
It?s critical to fully understand the question you?re being asked before you answer ? if you reply too soon you run the risk of giving an inappropriate response so pay attention and clearly interpret what?s being asked.
2.? Stalling Tactics
If you feel under pressure it?s good to give yourself time to get your thoughts in order and to calm down.? Ask for the question to be repeated, clarify your understanding and ask for any jargon to be defined.? Taking the time out to ask these questions will help increase your level of confidence and composure.
3.? Silence Is Golden
Too may people find silence uncomfortable ? forget it!? Used sparingly, silence communicates that you?re in control of your thoughts and confident in your ability to answer.? Don?t rush your brain ? slow down and give yourself time to collect your thoughts.
4.? Stick To The Point
There?s a risk that, under pressure, you?ll answer a question with either too much or too little information, both of which can be an issue.? Remember to stick to the point, answer the question and give just enough supporting information.? You?re not being asked for a speech or lecture!
5.? Practice Your Delivery
How you say something is just as important as what you say, and when you mumble your confidence can plummet.? Make sure you speak in a strong voice, slow yourself down, pay attention to the tone of your voice, and use an appropriate level of formality to match the situation.
Being put on the spot happens to us all and can be stressful.? However, it?s important to remember that the associated stress doesn?t need to be unmanageable ? with a little preparation and focus you will answer like an expert and impress your audience with confidence and control.
Written by Faye Hollands ? Director at Outshine Consulting
Faye is an accomplished Career Coach, Small Business Coach and Productivity Specialist who has successfully coached countless clients on how to create a career they love, get more done in less time, and achieve personal and professional success.
To receive your FREE MP3 download of Faye?s popular teleseminar ?How To Create A Career You Love? and weekly articles to improve your career, business and time management skills click here.
You can contact Faye on +61 2 8323 4335 or email fayehollands@outshineconsulting.com
Tagged as: Career Management, Performance, Public Speaking, Success
ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2012) ? Plants grow upward from a tip of undifferentiated tissue called the shoot apical meristem. As the tip extends, stem cells at the center of the meristem divide and increase in numbers. But the cells on the periphery differentiate to form plant organs, such as leaves and flowers. In between these two layers, a group of boundary cells go into a quiescent state and form a barrier that not only separates stem cells from differentiating cells, but eventually forms the borders that separate the plant's organs.
Because each plant's form and shape is determined by organ formation and organ boundary creation, elucidating the underlying mechanisms that govern these functions could help scientists design the architecture of crop plants to better capture light and ultimately produce more crop yield with less input. New research from two teams led by Carnegie's Zhiyong Wang and Kathryn Barton focuses on the role of the crucial plant hormone brassinosteroid in the creation of plant-shoot architecture.
Their work is published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of December 3.
Like all organisms, plant growth and development is regulated by internally produced chemical signals, including hormones like brassinosteroid, which is found throughout the plant kingdom. The brassinosteroid signaling pathway is involved in regulating more than 1,000 plant genes. Mutant plants that are deficient in brassinosteroid that are grown in the dark show features of plants grown in the light. They also have defects at many phases of the plant life cycle, including reduced seed germination, dwarfism, and sterility.
The new study lead by Wang and Barton uncovered yet another role of brassinosteroid: the formation of boundaries between organs. Plants made hypersensitive to brassinosteroid displayed fused organs. The team included lead author's Carnegie's Joshua Gendron and Jiang-Shu Liu, as well as Min Fan, Mingyi Bai, and Stephan Wenkel, from Carnegie, and Patricia Springer from the University of California Riverside. Their investigations showed that activation of the brassinosteroid pathway represses a group of genes called the cup-shaped cotyledon, or CUC family, which is responsible for organ boundary formation. Using sophisticated techniques the team demonstrated that the protein in the brassinosteroid pathway that is responsible for binding to DNA and, in this case, for inhibiting CUC genes, is present at high levels in the meristem's undifferentiated stem cells and developing organ primordia, but very low in the boundary cells, suggesting that different levels of brassinosteroid activity contribute to the opposite growth behavior of these three types of cells.
"This work links the plant steroids to growth and development, organ boundary development, providing a link between the physiology of the plant and its architectural design," Wang and Barton said.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.
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Journal Reference:
B. Barton, J. H. Venezia, K. Saberi, G. Hickok, A. A. Brewer. Orthogonal acoustic dimensions define auditory field maps in human cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1213381109
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
These gift ideas are for your friend who has tickets to the midnight screening of "The Hobbit" next week, is counting down the days till the next "Catching Fire" comes out, pwns at Halo, and is always making jokes that you don't quite understand... but you're pretty sure would kill at Comic Con.
Have any geeky gift ideas to add? Share in the comments below or tweet @huffpostteen!
Family and friends stand ready to welcome home the 23 members of Detachment 1, 182nd Engineer Company (Sapper), Massachusetts National Guard, as they return from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, Nov. 22, 2012. The 182nd Engineers performed route clearance to detect and neutralize suspected explosive hazards along a defined route in support of assured mobility for the maneuver element commander. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Don Veitch, Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs)
Each year millions of Americans gather with family and friends to celebrate the time honored tradition of Thanksgiving.
Eighty Massachusetts families have a little more to be thankful for this year, as their Service Members return to them after a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.
Members of the 182nd Engineer Company (Sapper), Massachusetts National Guard, flew in to Hanscom Air Force Base from their demobilization site at Fort Bliss, Texas, Nov 22, 2012.
The 182nd Engineers performed route clearance to detect and neutralize suspected explosive hazards along a defined route in support of assured mobility for the maneuver element commander.
The soldiers were met at the flight line by Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard, who welcomed them home before they were bused to their armories in Newburyport and here, where they will be reunited with their loved ones.
Matthew Silv?rio, age 4, was eagerly awaiting his uncle, Spc. Luiz Ferraz.
?I?m excited to see my uncle,? said Matthew. ?It?s making for a special Thanksgiving.?
Mariana Ferraz, Matthew?s mother, traveled with her son from Washington State to be here for the homecoming.
?We are very proud of him,? said Marianna. ?We wanted him to know that he has family here and that we love him.?
Luiz, a Husky Mine Vehicle driver, was soon reunited with his family as the soldiers of Detachment 1, 182nd Engineer Company (Sapper), marched into their armory here to welcoming cheers.
Thanksgiving is one of the most traveled American holidays and traditionally all about getting together with family. Travel and family is just what these retuning soldiers got just in time for Thanksgiving with this holiday reunion.
?It?s fitting to have these soldiers home, especially today.? said Brig. Gen. Gary Keefe, Assistant Adjutant General. ?We?re very happy to have them home for Thanksgiving.?
65th Public Affairs Operations Center Story by?Master Sgt. Donald Veitch
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Mars rover Curiosity has completed its first chemical test of soil from the red planet, and scientists say there are no surprises so far.
The spacecraft is on a mission to look for ingredients in Martian soil and rocks that could support life. But in the first scoop of soil analyzed, there were no definitive signs of the chemical building blocks of life.
Instead, the six-wheel rover detected water and a mix of other chemicals.
The findings were reported Monday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
A comment by mission's chief scientist two weeks ago led to speculation that Curiosity had dug up carbon-based organics, considered an essential ingredient for life.
Expansion of technology has brought new remarkable innovations, such as online gambling to people of various races, age group around the globe. Many people are now attracted to the so called gambling through the internet. With the expanding growth of advancements in terms of graphics and other computer generated features, there's no wonder that online gambling has gained more popularity as the years go by.
Why You'll Enjoy Online Gambling
In contrast to going to big and jam-packed casinos, gambling through the use of online software has numerous advantages that would indisputably make you attached to it. Being able to enjoy gambling inside your own residence is an incredible benefit. Provided that you have your own PC which is connected to a high speed internet, you can play during your free or leisure time. You do not have to dress yourself up and visit a casino that is far-away from your place. Have fun whenever you want in the comfort of your own house. Contact your peers and eat your favorite snack while you become involved in online games. You will not at all be bothered by the exasperating noise of the people in the casinos. Gain more insights through demonstration platforms prepared by the game creators and makers. This gives time to think of better strategies in order to win in the game of your choice. This isn't the case when being in a casino. Practicing is never allowed in such places. Search for legitimate tutorial sessions and lessons for the purpose of getting to know the game better. Lastly, safety becomes something which you'll never have to worry about. It provides a safe scheme of letting your money in and out.
Playing Roulette Online
There are a variety of easy and challenging online games that are available to the public for use. Such of these is the roulette program. It is best to study further on how it is to be played in such a way to become a good roulette player. It is a big bonus to study the basics as well as the key tactics. Become aware of the meaning of the terms made used by the roulette software. You can even download roulette killer programs that can provide you calculations of your bets, improving your gaming skills. Play it the way you desire it to be. After all, you are in control of how you want to play the game.
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Ditulis oleh: Krisnandar Nursyamsi - Saturday, December 1, 2012 Anda baru saja membaca artikel yang berkategori dengan judul The Reasons Why People Choose Online Gaming. Anda bisa bookmark halaman ini dengan URL http://artsentertainmentupdates.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-reasons-why-people-choose-online.html. Terima kasih! Tolong Beri Rating Posting Saya...
Today?s news is rife with high profile affairs. We almost expect them of our movie and rock stars. Our presidents as far back as Thomas Jefferson were engaging in them. The most disappointing to me was Eisenhower?s with his chauffeur/secretary. As a 3rd grader relishing the ?I like Ike? enthusiasm, it was disconcerting to learn he wasn?t perfect. Should I still ?like Ike?? I grew up and learned about our less-than-perfect senators, congressmen, governors, mayors - and most recently, the top level of our military and country?s security.
The military sets standards regarding adultery, and many ? myself included - would contend that our public officials should also be held to a high standard of conduct. Are these people simply enjoying the fruits of their very public or lofty positions - the advantages of their power or notoriety? Certainly one of the perks of their status is the ready supply of groupies and hangers-on. As we look at these high-profile people, the term ?self-indulgent? comes to mind.
Low-profile affairs are common in the general population. Experts report that in the general population about 60% of men and 40-50% of women have affairs. More self-indulgence? Perhaps. Whether we condemn or condone this behavior, it?s interesting to explore what prompts the affairs and what the benefits and risks are that accompany them. Within these percentages lies a particularly noteworthy group I call ?forgotten spousal caregivers?.
What is a ?forgotten spousal caregiver?? The term ?caregiver? brings to mind someone like Mary. She worked tirelessly for two years caring for her husband before he succumbed to cancer. Because of the relatively short, albeit painful time, people remained acutely aware of her caregiving struggles ? deeply sympathetic and ready to provide assistance. However, as years and decades roll by for long-term caregivers, friends and relatives become tired of, lose interest in, take for granted, never know about or simply forget what these caregivers face - year after year after year. Having worked with and interviewed many caregivers, and having been an 11 ?-year caregiver myself, I know that long-term spousal caregivers are eventually ?forgotten?. When that happens, they lose the support, emotional and otherwise, typically offered on the short term.
Meet Alicia, Marco, Elizabeth, Fred and Ben.
Alicia?s husband contracted a rare blood disease in his early 50s, leaving him completely dependent on her ? for the last 17 years. He has trouble with all motor skills and has difficulty speaking. Sex is out of the question, as is meaningful conversation.
Marco?s wife developed MS in her thirties. She is very appreciative of Marco?s care, but after 20 years of caregiving, he feels more like a father than a husband ? particularly when he cleans her after she uses the toilet.
Elizabeth?s husband has Alzheimer?s and has gradually declined for 10 years. He no longer recognizes her, and has new friends, including a girlfriend, at his care facility.
Fred?s wife fell and hit her head when she was 53. He has been caring for her for 18 years. While she still looks normal, she isn?t there anymore, and finds it painful, emotionally and physically, to be touched.
Ben?s wife was a tri-athlete. At the age of 32, she was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding her bike. Severely physically disabled, Ben has cared for her for over 30 years. Unable to exercise and frustrated by her condition, she has doubled in size and lashes out angrily at Ben.
Tens of millions of caregivers live similar scenarios, experiencing what I call a ?roller coaster ride from hell?. Generally a painful and thankless job, caregiving certainly does not attract groupies or power seekers. Yet, affairs are not atypical for this group.
Three types of affairs, common among this group, trend differently for men and women.
Hooking up, a non-emotional connection for the purpose of having sex, is chosen by more men than women. Men seem to have easier access to this.
Traditional affairs are preferred by more women than men. These are longer lasting, with an emotional as well as physical component.
Emotional affairs are the most common for both sexes. The caregiver becomes emotionally connected with a partner but never crosses that physical line. Many online affairs fall into this category.
Which caregivers have affairs and with whom? More men divorce their sick wives than the reverse, so fewer of them are in for the long haul; and some caregivers were having affairs before their spouse became ill, so I exclude them from this group. Of those who stay married and have affairs, most say they never considered an affair before their infirm spouse changed drastically ? either becoming spiteful or incapacitated. In fact, many of these caregivers surprise themselves by having affairs. Women commonly remark that they wish they had the energy to have one!
Some caregivers prefer affairs with other caregivers. Being with someone who understands, without having to say a word, is a godsend. They can freely discuss concerns and complaints without feeling guilty, and their lover understands when medical emergencies preclude together time. Other caregivers prefer to be with somebody totally unrelated to caregiving. When they take breaks from their duties, the last thing they want to think or talk about is caregiving.
When do affairs start? It seems that if a marriage was solid before the illness, and the ill person treats their spouse with respect, an affair may never happen. Or, it may be delayed many years depending on how incapacitated the spouse is and whether or not their condition is terminal. Not magic numbers, three to five years seems to be the start of permanently-changed marital dynamics. Most likely, there is more hooking-up at these early stages. But when spouses count their caregiving time in decades, their lives have changed so completely that they create a new survival identity for themselves. An affair may be central to that survival.
What do affairs provide?
Physical needs are met without emotional entanglement in hook-ups. Forgotten spousal caregivers are deeply enmeshed in caregiving and have more than enough complications in their lives. Most have no emotional energy to spare in order to get their physical needs met.
Nurturing is provided in the traditional affair to those caregivers longing for the emotional connection they lost with their spouse. Rather than sex per se, often it is the hand holding, hugging, cuddling, gentle conversation and laughter, and a sense of feeling safe that most seem drawn to.
Feeling desired and appreciated comes from the affairs. Both men and women enjoy having attention focused on them for a change ? and being desired for other than their nurse-maid skills.
Affairs provide a lifeline for many. It is the one seemingly sane and beautiful thing they have in their lives ? a time when they can feel like a man or a woman again ?that there is something other than sickness in their world.
A sense of normalcy is provided. This can come from participating in fun activities they can no longer do with their spouse, like dancing or other ?couple? pursuits,
Affairs revitalize caregivers. Rather than resenting their spouse for ?ruining their life?, the time with their lover renews them so they can go home and be a better caregiver. Having someone to talk to, to share all their worries and concerns, drops stress levels.
I was inspired to make this dish when I tried it at a friend's birthday/housewarming party which was hugely popular. The flavours work really well together, it's very easy to make and quite cheap. I think it works best served in a very shallow dish or use a pizza container which I used making it easy to store in a fridge and transport to another venue. The key to successful is making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed across the area of the dish so when you dip a corn chip through the mix it will pick up a bit of all the different ingredients. Spreading a thin layer of each ingredients is how this is best achieved. It probably doesn't matter which order you spread the ingredients but I found starting with the thicker ingredients on the bottom seemed to be the best way. Being a vegetarian dish makes it a crowd pleaser for everyone and I'm sure even the meat lovers will appreciate the tasty flavours in this dip.
Recipe (4-6 people)
1st layer: Refried beans (1 can, 435g)
2nd layer: Sour cream (1 pot, 300g)
3rd layer: Salsa dip (1 jar, 300g) ? Hot version works well
4th layer: Guacamole (1 pack, 200g) ? order make yourself
5th layer:?Deseeded and finely chopped?tomatoe (4)
6th layer: Sliced Kalamata Olives (1 jar, 200g)
7th layer: Shredded tasty cheese (about 100-200g, couple of handfuls)
8th layer: Thinly sliced spring onions (5 stems)
9th layer: Couple of handfuls of finely chopped coriander
Serve with your favourite corn chips. Round shaped seems to work the best for dipping.?The container I used was 27 x 27 x 3 cm which worked perfectly for above quantities.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS:?Tasty, Quick and easy to make, Can be prepared a few hours in advance and stored in the fridge, Cheap to make, People can serve themselves, Vegetarian friendly
CONS:?You'll run out if you don't make enough because it'll be very popular. I've met some people that don't like coriander
MUST TRY:?Adding chopped up jalape?o for an extra heat kick
VERDICT:?It's very quick and easy to make when made with mostly pre-prepared ingredients. The combination of flavours works really well together and the olives are especially good.
Norway?s $660 billion sovereign wealth fund, the world?s largest, plans to invest about $11 billion as it enters the U.S. real estate market.
The fund, mandated by the country?s finance ministry to eventually put 5 percent of assets in property, wants one-third of that, or 1.7 percent, to be in the U.S., said Yngve Slyngstad, chief executive officer of Oslo-based Norges Bank Investment Management, which oversees the pool. The fund held 0.3 percent in real estate, 60.3 percent in stocks and 39.4 percent in bonds as of the end of September, according to its quarterly report.
?The U.S. is the next real estate market to invest in,? Slyngstad said yesterday in an interview at Bloomberg LP?s headquarters in New York.
Sovereign wealth funds, or state-owned investment pools, are seeking to diversify their risk by expanding investments beyond stocks and bonds. China Investment Corp., which oversees about $482 billion in assets, in 2010 helped refinance a Manhattan office tower co-owned by private-equity firm Carlyle Group LP. (CG) Norway, seeking higher returns and lower risk after record losses in 2008, gave approval in 2010 for its fund to invest as much as 5 percent of its value in real estate over several years.
The fund is focusing on conservative property investments, such as large office complexes in major cities and developed malls, Slyngstad said in the interview. It has already bought commercial property in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin and Sheffield in the U.K., and on Nov. 29 made its first real estate investment in Switzerland, buying a Zurich office complex from Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) for 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.08 billion).
Higher Yields
As sovereign wealth funds become more active buyers of real estate, investors such as Blackstone Group LP (BX) expect to increase sales of property holdings. New York-based Blackstone, the largest alternative-asset manager, has $54 billion of real estate assets, including office developments, shopping centers and hotel chains such as Hilton Worldwide Inc.
?The other trend that will be helpful for us to exit some of the larger things we own, particularly the higher-quality assets in the gateway cities, is the rise of the sovereign wealth fund,? Jonathan Gray, Blackstone?s global head of real estate, said last month at the Bloomberg Commercial Real Estate Conference in New York. ?Sovereign wealth funds are enormous pools of capital around the world,? and real estate offers higher yields than government bonds, along with a hedge against inflation.
Largest Funds
More than 60 percent of sovereign wealth funds invest in real estate, either directly or indirectly through other funds, according to Preqin Ltd., the London-based research company. Larger government pools are more likely to make property investments, Preqin said in an April research note, with 83 percent of those managing at least $250 billion being active in the asset class.
Norway, Europe?s second-biggest oil and gas exporter, generates money for the fund from taxes on oil and gas, ownership of petroleum fields and dividends from its 67 percent stake in Statoil ASA (STL), the country?s largest energy company. The fund last month said it returned 4.7 percent in the third quarter, after a decline of 2.2 percent in the previous three months.
To contact the reporter on this story: Devin Banerjee in New York at dbanerjee2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christian Baumgaertel at cbaumgaertel@bloomberg.net
For the original post visit: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-30/norway-wealth-fund-to-invest-11-billion-in-u-dot-s-dot-property
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Physiotherapists are responsible for diagnosing and treating disorders that have been caused by injury, accident? or disease.? They are tasked with examining and drawing up appropriate treatment plans for each individual client and must assist the client with recovery, and to help them adjust to the restrictions they may have.? They also help them to manage their condition in the best way possible and come to terms with it.? Physical therapists provide several different types of care ? geriatric, neurological, paediatric, orthopaedic and rehabilitation for heart and lung patients to name but a few.
Geriatric physical therapists are there to ensure that geriatric patients receive the appropriate amount of comfort and to learn to cope with the unavoidable effects of aging. They assist them in keeping their independence for as long as they can along with their mobility if at all possible. Conditions that they may assist with are osteoporosis, Alzheimer?s disease, the effects of arthritis and those that have had hip or joint surgery. They can also help them with exercises that are designed to strengthen their muscles and try to prevent injury in the future.
Orthopaedic physical therapists deal with problems with the muscles and skeleton.? People who have had surgery, have a muscular, or bone disease need physical therapy to get them as mobile as they can as soon as possible. They also teach them ways to help themselves and to move the recovery process on as quickly as it can be without causing undue pain and distress to the client.
Clients who suffer with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer?s, cerebral palsy, have suffered injury to the spinal cord or have suffered a stroke would seek treatment from a neurological physical therapist.? This kind of therapy is to help the patient focus and improve on specific areas of mobility and dysfunction and to regain independence and carry out daily living tasks as easily and as pain-free as possible.
Paediatric physical therapy focuses on children, babies and young adults.? It is used to detect and treat health problems at an early age, both congenital and non-congenital in nature.? The therapists can also provide assistance where the child is not developing as quickly as they should for their age.? Cerebral palsy and Spina Bifida are just two of the conditions they can provide assistance for.
Finally, we come to heart and lung patients.
Physical therapists can help to treat and rehabilitate patients who have had heart surgery, suffered a severe heart attack or have lung dysfunctions and breathing problems, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or severe asthma. They are able to help patients to increase their mobility and functions and to return to as ordinary a life as possible.
Referrals to a physical therapist are normally made by your own general practitioner or by the hospital in which you have received treatment. Physical therapists are highly trained people who undergo many years of training and education before they can apply for a licence to practice and are a regulated profession.
If you would to have a successful business, the best possible way to reach the most amount of customers is through Internet marketing. By reading this article, you?ll learn a number of effective Internet marketing tips. After reading this, you will have a good idea on how to be a great Internet marketer.
You may not realize it, but you already have the tools you need for a successful internet marketing enterprise. You do not need fancy software or any other get rich quick medium; all you need is yourself. Just work diligently and choose your marketing strategies carefully.
Look at this great internet marketing tip. Make your customers comfortable on your website by assuring them of their privacy. Add an explanation of your privacy policy provisions near the top of the website. Doing so will provide visitors confidence that you conduct business in a safe manner. When they purchase from you, however, ensure that you follow through and protect their details properly from hackers.
?Limited? is a strong keyword to include. People often shop on the internet because they think they will find something that is not in stores. Online consumers seek unique products different from what they are used to seeing. If you are selling a ?limited edition?, chances are people will want to purchase it before it?s gone.
Modify your content and headlines on a regular basis, and see how doing so impacts traffic and purchases. Once you know what will work when you are promoting business stay with that strategy. You will find that your success is higher the more you pay attention to what your customers want.
Video marketing is an awesome way to generate interest in your business. Including a video in your website is a fantastic way to draw and maintain customer attention to your product. Think of ways to mix up the way you send out videos and the rewards will benefit your greatly in the end.
Although email marketing services are available, you may find that you can handle internet marketing via email on your own. Once you learn the basics, you will be creating mass mailers, building mailing lists and running auto responders in a few easy steps. Anything you learn might turn out to be useful late on as you develop your Internet marketing strategy further.
When you are writing your marketing copy, make use of HTML tags that emphasize certain words or phrases. You can emphasize a single word using tags to underline, bold, or italicize it. This can improve clarity and direct the focus of the reader.
An important tip regarding Internet marketing is to be an expert in anything that you deal with on your site. This will help you establish credibility and loyalty if you can provide vital info and expert opinions and can meet special needs, so be sure to be able to back up your claims.
Creating and maintaining a customer relationship management (CRM) database can aid your Internet marketing efforts. Use it to identify past and present customers and their respective purchase history. With that information, you?ll be able to directly target advertisements toward them that are relevant to their interests.
Normally, you shouldn?t mix business and pleasure, but this is an exception. The reason is that it?s low-pressure, and could even be considered a profitable leisure activity. Consider doing this with your spouse to see if you can make it work.
As part of your internet marketing strategy, you should include some type of money back guarantee. This will bring credibility to your product and will make your customers feel more secure in their purchases. When you give reassurance to your customers, they will be that much more likely to give you business.
When you design a banner ad, try to make it unique. So try to liven up the way your banner ad looks and you will make people more willing to click on it.
As an example, say you sell websites to customers, then you could team with a writer and offer discounts to the writer?s customers. You can also let your partner provide discounts to customers on your products, and you both will receive extra revenue due to expanded audiences.
As stated earlier, Internet marketing allows your company to greatly increase its visibility. The World Wide Web offers a whole new arena to promote your product. Use the helpful tips here, and find out what works best for you.
Apple's new, super-slim iMacs are now available for order on the company's online store.
[More from Mashable: iPhone 5, iPad Mini and iPad 4 All Coming to China]
If you want one fast, though, you'll be better off ordering the smaller 21.5-inch model, which ships in one to three days. Shipping time for other configurations is seven to ten days. The 27-inch variant ships in two to three weeks, regardless of the configuration.
Prices start at $1,299 for the 21.5-inch model and $1,799 for its bigger brother.
[More from Mashable: IEEE?s Robot iPad App is Robot Heaven]
SEE ALSO: New iMac Isn?t as Skinny as it Seems [VIDEO]
For that money, if you choose the smaller model, you'll get a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics. If you opt for the 27-inch variant, you'll get a 2.9GHz quad-core Core i5 with Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M graphics.
Are you getting one for yourself or a loved one this holiday? Tell us about your experience with ordering in the comments.
(Carol Lindsay | The Salt Lake Tribune) Devin Smith and Miriam Wilson play Ingenious during an after-school board games club at Layton Junior High.
After-school club ? Teacher Stephen Olson loves sharing his passion for board games.
Layton ? Growing up, Stephen Olson loved board games ? all kinds of board games.
He played them with his family and friends. When he went to college at the University of Utah, he started a board game club with fellow students.
Eventually Olson?s friends gave up board games for girlfriends, wives, children and other activities, and the club died out. But Olson?s love for games never diminished.
Fast forward to 2012, and Olson is a math teacher at North Layton Junior High. It?s his first year on the job, and he discovered there is no math club, so he volunteered to supervise one. He then discovers there is no chess club. It?s one of the few board games he doesn?t love, so he asked his administration if he could have a combination chess and board game club.
They consented.
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, the board game club meets after school from three to five. Olsen is a happy teacher?he gets the chance to play board games and share his knowledge and love of the game with students.
Olsen visited his parents? home and retrieved an assortment of his favorite games from youth including Ingenious, Small World and Tsuro. Other students play trading card games and still others play chess.
"I can?t resist playing games," Olson said. "I play while I?m correcting papers."
The games help students with reassigning skills and logic. Small World teaches them about combination and how things can synergize or work against one another. Olson said the students also have to learn to put on their poker faces when playing.
While the majority of game playing is friendly, tension can break out.
story continues below
"Small World gets a little heated," Olson said.
Seventh-grader Alex Chipman loves the structure of board games.
"I have Asperger?s so this is one of the few times I can open up and enjoy myself," said Alex, who flits around the room checking out all the games. "I don?t like it when people don?t follow the rules. Here I don?t have to worry about people going against the rules because if they don?t follow them, the game won?t work."
Alex?s father, David Chipman, is a resource teacher at North Layton Junior High. He enjoys having Alex participate in the club. "It keeps him occupied and forces him to interact socially," he said. "I think it gives the kids a way of expressing their own personality without having to be afraid of what anybody else thinks about it because they all have a shared interest in the games. If you are passive or aggressive in your play it?s OK, it?s a game, and no one gets hurt."
Eighth-grader Miriam Wilson has always loved board games, and she has not missed a single day of club. At home she played Monopoly and Sorry. The club has introduced her to new games.
"I like playing with other people," Miriam said. "After I?ve played with them for a while, I know what they are thinking and what their next move is going to be."
At another table sit the trading-card gamers. Two brothers, Braden and Cameron Putnam, are in the club. They enjoy playing games with each other and their brother, but they joined the game club to play against new people.
Next Page >
Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Occupy the drive-thru: Fast-food workers in New York City staged a walkout on Thursday to demand better pay and the right to unionize?in another recent example of labor stretching muscles made moribund by disuse.
Organizers?of the Fast Food Forward movement said they expected hundreds of workers would walk out or not show up for work at dozens of McDonald?s, Burger King and other fast-food chains.?
Late Thursday, Fast Food Forward, one of the organizations behind the effort, released a statement saying about 200 people had participated in the strike.
At one early?morning demonstration, roughly 75 percent of shift workers were outside protesting, leaving managers to staff the registers and preparation equipment, said Jonathan Westin, organizing director with New York Communities for Change, one of the groups coordinating the walkouts.
?Workers are sick and tired of making poverty wages,? despite working for multibillion-dollar corporations, he said. ?I don?t think this is a short-term fight.?
Joshua Williams, 28, works at?a Wendy's restaurant in Brooklyn and?told Reuters he planned to participate in the walkout. He said?he still earned minimum wage, despite working 30 to 40 hours a week for more than a year.
In seeking a $15 hourly wage and the right to unionize, the movement joined a growing conversation about the financial challenges faced by the working poor.
?During the recession there was the assumption that people should just get a job, any job... I think you see the movement towards unionization as a demand-side response, in a sense,? said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute. ?Employees are saying, ?No, we want better jobs.??
The Fast Food Forward action, which is supported by the Service Employees International Union along with civil rights and community groups, comes less than a week after a union-backed effort to draw attention to wages and working conditions at Wal-Mart led to protests at stores across the country on Black Friday.?
Organization United for Respect at Walmart called on the nation?s largest retailer to pay a minimum $13 hourly wage. Sales associates there currently make an average of $8.81 an hour, according to third-party research cited by workers? rights groups.
Earlier this week, the National Domestic Workers Alliance released a report that found nearly a quarter of nannies, housekeepers and caregivers earn less than the state minimum wage, and 70 percent make less than $13 an hour.
?We must create a more equitable economic environment for all low-wage workers,? the?report said. ?It is difficult to advocate for the rights of domestic workers in an economic and political environment in which the rights of low-wage workers more broadly are so badly frayed.?
Advocates for higher wages say the focus on minimum and low-wage workers is important because there are more people earning less today. The National Employment Law Project found that about 20 percent of?jobs lost during the recession were?low-paying positions, but nearly 60 percent of the jobs?added since then.
?In my mind, if we?re going to reduce inequality in the United States, it?s going to have to address the low wages and lack of benefits in the restaurants and retail sectors,? said Annette Bernhardt, policy co-director at NELP. ?There?s a profound larger question being posed, which is how the American labor market is going to look in the 21st century.?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 60 percent of workers who earned minimum wage or less last year worked in ?service occupations,? primarily food preparation and serving.
At more than double the current national?minimum wage of $7.25, the $15 sought by Fast Food Forward might seem like a pie-in-the-sky goal, but others are pushing to increase New York state's?minimum wage to $8.50 next year. According to the National Women?s Law Center, if the minimum wage rose at the pace of inflation, it currently would be $10.60.
The National Restaurant Association opposes this and other legislation to raise minimum wages. The position statement on its website says, ?Wage mandates are an ineffective way to reduce poverty and cause restaurant operators to make very difficult decisions to eliminate jobs, cut staff hours or increase prices.?
Richard Adams, a McDonald's franchise adviser, told Reuters $15 an hour would be an "insane increase" that would add as much as $2 to the price of menu items.
"The majority of McDonald's restaurants are owned and operated by independent business men and women who offer pay and benefits competitive within the quick service restaurant industry," the company said in a statement.
David Neumark, a professor of economics at University of California, Irvine, said campaigns to increase wages for minimum and low-wage workers miss the mark.
?A lot of the fast-food workers aren?t in poor families ? they?re just kids,? he said. ?Targeting low-income families through what they?re trying to accomplish is a really scattershot way to do it. Why should an owner... have to pay more to the kids of middle-class families??
Galinsky said higher wages are important, but companies also need to explore other ways to improve the experience of low-wage workers, since the jobs they are filling make up an increasing percentage of labor market demand.
?Traditionally, people who work in jobs like fast food or retail? have been seen as expendable, particularly in a time of economic insecurity,? she said. The institute?s research found that access to training and advancement opportunities, flexible schedules and supportive managers help to improve productivity and reduce turnover at companies that employ low-wage workers.
?There are things that employers can do, most of which don?t cost money, that could benefit employees and that could benefit their own organization,? she said. ?It?s a mindset change.?
Information from Reuters was included in this report.
Everyone understands how hard it is to get a long distance commitment because it lacks some aspects like touch in intimacy, that are undoubtedly vital for creating a strong in durable commitment. However, even in the event making long distance ex love work requires a significant effort, there is a learn that says that type of commitment has the similar potential of working out as proximal Corporate Relationship Issues. So, persistence in perseverance are a couple of of the major things you want to make your long distance affair work. Now, if you are not aware of those things to try to do wearing a long distance commitment to make it previous, then here they are:
To begin with, one of the great things to do wearing a long distance commitment to make it previous will be create a certain guideline if your wanting to in your boyfriend role ways. Its vital for both person to speak exactly what you can in cannot do while the two of you are apart.
Aside from this, you and your partner might also want to decide on which type of commitment you ought to have. How to plan a perfect date ? tips? Or do you rather be exclusive? Is it okay for each person up to now other individuals while you?re aware from one another?
In addition for this, you in your boyfriend could possibly speak about just what two of you will do inside the future. Will you consistently have this type of relationship? Or will considered one of you move nearer to the different inside the future? Should you decide are aiming to move in together, who ought to be the one to move then?
Now, these are only a few concerns you really need to agree upon. However, you have to Interesting facts about online relationships in speak about such things in order to understand everything you in your boyfriend can expect from your commitment in what your limits are. Also, in recent studies conducted of the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationship, 70# of partners involved in LDR, who don?t establish an contract in who don?t plan for the long run, end up dropping apart.
Also, organizing a particular time for they person to communicate is going to be vital for your commitment to work. Studies or work are a couple of of the common causes why partners are exposed to long distance ex love considerations. Therefore, it is a because you in your boyfriend will likely to be busy working or studying much of the time.
Scientists studying tree rings found a sharp increase in the amount of radioactive carbon-14 recorded in the rings of ancient Japanese cedar trees between 774 and 775. Carbon-14 can be created by cosmic ray particles arriving from space, but what causes such cosmic ray increases?
At first, experts were at a loss to explain the event, and the team that unearthed the tree ring data earlier this year dismissed the sun as a possible explanation.
Now a new team of scientists argues that a solar flare is the most likely culprit.
Blast from the sun
The sun could have released a huge and powerful blast of plasma into space called a coronal mass ejection, which, when it hit Earth, could have sparked the creation of carbon-14, suggest astrophysicists Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas and Brian Thomas of Washburn University, also in Kansas, in a paper published the Nov. 29 issue of the journal Nature.
Carbon-14 is a variant of the normal form of carbon (carbon-12) that is common on Earth and throughout the universe. When cosmic ray particles hit Earth's atmosphere, they can produce showers of particles such as neutrons. Some of these neutrons, in turn, hit the nitrogen nuclei that are rife in the atmosphere, and a chemical reaction occurs that transforms the nitrogen into carbon-14.
This carbon variant is unstable and decays with a half-life of about 5,730?years (meaning half of any amount of carbon-14 will be gone in that time). For this reason, it's a useful date marker: A tree, for example, will stop absorbing carbon once it dies, so the amount of carbon-14 left in it is a reliable indicator of how old it is.
It had been widely known that a jump in carbon-14 occurred in the eighth century, but researchers first pinpointed this rise and fall on a year-to-year basis by looking at tree rings in a paper by Fusa Miyake of Japan's Nagoya University and colleagues, published in the June 14 issue of Nature.
"They found that whatever made that carbon-14 bump happened really fast, and took less than one year, which called out for some really major, powerful event," Melott told SPACE.com.
The Japanese researchers considered that it might be a solar flare, but calculated that it would have had to have been thousands of times more powerful than the greatest one ever known, which made such a scenario unlikely.
Now, in a new calculation, Melott and Thomas say a solar flare is a reasonable explanation.
"Their mistake was, they assumed that the energy shot out by the sun in one of these coronal mass ejections goes out in all directions, like the light from a light bulb, but in fact it's kind of shot out in blobs," Melott said.
That adjustment meant that a solar flare need have been only about 10 or 20 times more powerful than the greatest flare on record, the so-called Carrington event of 1859. [The Sun's Wrath: Worst Solar Storms in History]
Other possibilities
Still, the scientists can't completely rule out other explanations, such as the possibility of a supernova star explosion, or a special type of supernova called a gamma-ray burst. Both could have created a strong wave of cosmic rays as well.
However, a nearby supernova would have been extremely bright, and likely noticed by the residents of Earth at the time, who largely noted nothing unusual. A gamma-ray burst, which condenses much of the radiation released from a supernova into two strong beams, could conceivably have packed the punch necessary for the carbon-14 spike, but Melott says this scenario is still less likely than a strong solar flare.
Miyake did not respond to a request for comment, but Melott said the Japanese team "didn't argue" with the new calculation.
Interestingly, while a strong sun flare would have had little effect on people in 774, a similar event could wreak significant havoc today. That's because our modern technology, including satellites, radio transmissions and power grids, could be seriously hampered by the particles sweeping in from a coronal mass ejection.
"We're not prepared for this sort of thing," Melott said. "It needs a lot more work to really check it out. And we need better warning if something like this is on the way."
Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter?@ClaraMoskowitz?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook?&?Google+.
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
They've technically been around for centuries, but a small group of Cossacks recently returned to officially patrol the streets of Moscow. We're like Chuck Norris!" Cossack patrol leader Igor Gulichev said, comparing his colleagues to the role made famous by Norris in the 1990's television sitcom "Walker, Texas Ranger." According to the Russian 2010 census, [...]
U.S. patent chief David Kappos, who will step down in January, is leaving his successor a couple of gifts: an overhauled patent code and a somewhat smaller application backlog.
Mr. Kappos, 51 years old, took over as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2009. He will leave around the end of January, according to an email to employees Monday. He is widely credited for making the federal agency more efficient during his 3? year tenure and for helping put into place some of the biggest changes in decades to the system of granting patents.
The agency?s backlog of patent applications has fallen to about 605,000 from 750,000 at the end of 2008?despite the fact that applications are increasing by about 5% every year.
Mr. Kappos hasn?t announced any plans, a PTO spokesman said. Earlier, he worked at International Business Machines Corp. for 25 years, including as top patent attorney.
Teresa Stanek Rea, the patent office?s deputy director, will be its acting director until a permanent appointment is made. Before joining the agency as deputy director in 2011, Ms. Rea was a partner in law firm Crowell & Moring LLP?s Washington, D.C., office.
The America Invents Act of 2011, which Mr. Kappos helped guide through Congress, fundamentally changed how inventors and companies receive patents. The law has largely brought the U.S. in line with European and Asian countries, which award patents on a ?first to file? basis. Historically, the U.S. has awarded patents on a ?first to invent? basis, and the law was designed, in part, to eliminate costly legal disputes over who invented something.
Mr. Kappos was responsible for crafting a variety of rules to implement the act. He also hired dozens of new patent examiners at the patent office, based in Alexandria, Va., and helped set up the PTO?s first satellite offices, in Detroit, Denver, Dallas and San Jose, Calif., which are set to open next year.
The PTO is still often criticized for issuing too many patents, especially on software innovations. Critics say that too often such patents don?t break new ground and clog the courts with unnecessary lawsuits.
In a recent address at the Center for American Progress, Mr. Kappos pointed to provisions in the America Invents Act that he said would better enable patent examiners to reject unworthy software patents. He encouraged critics to give the new law a chance to work.
Mr. Kappos ?and his team have set the PTO on course to implement the key provisions of the Act, which will improve the patent system for decades to come,? said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D. Vt.), one of the bill?s co-sponsors.
In a statement Monday, Mr. Kappos, said: ?I believe we have made great progress in reducing the patent backlog, increasing operational efficiency, and exerting leadership in [intellectual property] policy domestically and internationally,? he said.
Potentially toxic flame retardants found in many US couchesPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tim Lucas tdlucas@duke.edu 919-613-8084 Duke University
DURHAM, N.C. -- More than half of all couches tested in a Duke University-led study contained potentially toxic or untested chemical flame retardants that may pose risks to human health.
Among the chemicals detected was "Tris," a chlorinated flame retardant that is considered a probable human carcinogen based on animal studies.
"Tris was phased out from use in baby pajamas back in 1977 because of its health risks, but it still showed up in 41 percent of the couch foam samples we tested," said Heather Stapleton, associate professor of environmental chemistry at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
More manufacturers in recent years are treating their couches' foam padding with chemical flame retardants to adhere to California Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117), she said. TB 177 requires all residential furniture sold in California to withstand a 12-second exposure to a small open flame without igniting, to help reduce deaths and injuries from accidental home fires. Over the years, the statewide standard essentially has become a de facto national standard, due to the economic importance of the California market.
In many cases, the manufacturer may not know what chemicals have been used. Most manufacturers buy their foam padding from a vendor who, in turn, buys the chemicals used to treat it from another vendor. The identity of the chemical flame retardants often gets lost along the way, or is protected under law as proprietary.
Stapleton and her colleagues analyzed 102 polyurethane foam samples from couches purchased for home use in the United States between 1985 and 2010. They published their findings in a peer-reviewed study released Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
In addition to finding Tris, the tests revealed that 17 percent of the foam samples contained the flame-retardant pentaBDE, which is banned in 172 countries and 12 U.S. states and was voluntarily phased out by U.S manufacturers in 2005.
PentaBDEs are long-lasting chemicals that over time migrate into the environment and accumulate in living organisms. Studies show they can disrupt endocrine activity and affect thyroid regulation and brain development. Early exposure to them has been linked to low birth weight, lowered IQ and impaired motor and behavioral development in children.
PentaBDE and Tris were the only flame retardants found in couches purchased before 2005. After 2005, Tris was the most common flame retardant found. In addition, Stapleton and her colleagues identified two new flame-retardant chemical mixtures in more recently purchases couches for which there is little or no health data available.
"Overall, we detected flame-retardant chemicals in 85 percent of the couches we tested and in 94 percent of those purchased after 2005," Stapleton said. "More than half of all samples, regardless of the age of the couch, contained flame retardants that are potentially toxic or have undergone little or no independent testing for human health risks."
"If a couch has a California TB 117 label, you can all but guarantee it contains chemical flame retardants," Stapleton said. "But this is where labeling requirements get confusing: the lack of a TB 117 label on a couch does not guarantee the absence of chemical flame retardants. It's not that cut-and-dried."
Stapleton said that so many new proprietary chemical flame retardants have been introduced in recent years that it has become very difficult for scientists to identify them all or determine their presence consumer products.
###
Co-authors of the study were Smitri Sharma, Gordon Getzinger and P. Lee Ferguson of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment; Thomas Webster of Boston University School of Public Health; and Michelle Gabriel and Arlene Blum of the Green Science Policy Institute and the University of California-Berkeley.
Funding for the study came from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and a private donation to the Nicholas School from Fred and Alice Stanback.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Potentially toxic flame retardants found in many US couchesPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tim Lucas tdlucas@duke.edu 919-613-8084 Duke University
DURHAM, N.C. -- More than half of all couches tested in a Duke University-led study contained potentially toxic or untested chemical flame retardants that may pose risks to human health.
Among the chemicals detected was "Tris," a chlorinated flame retardant that is considered a probable human carcinogen based on animal studies.
"Tris was phased out from use in baby pajamas back in 1977 because of its health risks, but it still showed up in 41 percent of the couch foam samples we tested," said Heather Stapleton, associate professor of environmental chemistry at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
More manufacturers in recent years are treating their couches' foam padding with chemical flame retardants to adhere to California Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117), she said. TB 177 requires all residential furniture sold in California to withstand a 12-second exposure to a small open flame without igniting, to help reduce deaths and injuries from accidental home fires. Over the years, the statewide standard essentially has become a de facto national standard, due to the economic importance of the California market.
In many cases, the manufacturer may not know what chemicals have been used. Most manufacturers buy their foam padding from a vendor who, in turn, buys the chemicals used to treat it from another vendor. The identity of the chemical flame retardants often gets lost along the way, or is protected under law as proprietary.
Stapleton and her colleagues analyzed 102 polyurethane foam samples from couches purchased for home use in the United States between 1985 and 2010. They published their findings in a peer-reviewed study released Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
In addition to finding Tris, the tests revealed that 17 percent of the foam samples contained the flame-retardant pentaBDE, which is banned in 172 countries and 12 U.S. states and was voluntarily phased out by U.S manufacturers in 2005.
PentaBDEs are long-lasting chemicals that over time migrate into the environment and accumulate in living organisms. Studies show they can disrupt endocrine activity and affect thyroid regulation and brain development. Early exposure to them has been linked to low birth weight, lowered IQ and impaired motor and behavioral development in children.
PentaBDE and Tris were the only flame retardants found in couches purchased before 2005. After 2005, Tris was the most common flame retardant found. In addition, Stapleton and her colleagues identified two new flame-retardant chemical mixtures in more recently purchases couches for which there is little or no health data available.
"Overall, we detected flame-retardant chemicals in 85 percent of the couches we tested and in 94 percent of those purchased after 2005," Stapleton said. "More than half of all samples, regardless of the age of the couch, contained flame retardants that are potentially toxic or have undergone little or no independent testing for human health risks."
"If a couch has a California TB 117 label, you can all but guarantee it contains chemical flame retardants," Stapleton said. "But this is where labeling requirements get confusing: the lack of a TB 117 label on a couch does not guarantee the absence of chemical flame retardants. It's not that cut-and-dried."
Stapleton said that so many new proprietary chemical flame retardants have been introduced in recent years that it has become very difficult for scientists to identify them all or determine their presence consumer products.
###
Co-authors of the study were Smitri Sharma, Gordon Getzinger and P. Lee Ferguson of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment; Thomas Webster of Boston University School of Public Health; and Michelle Gabriel and Arlene Blum of the Green Science Policy Institute and the University of California-Berkeley.
Funding for the study came from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and a private donation to the Nicholas School from Fred and Alice Stanback.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Written by Faye Hollands ? Director at Outshine Consulting 
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Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
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