Posted by support | Posted in Life transformation stories | Posted on 28-12-2012-05-2008
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I just talk about the difficulties behind being depressed and being too familiar with being depressed. There is a way to become addicted to the feeling of depression, and it?s as hard to deal with as any street drug.
Read the original: Self-Improvement Chapter 1: The Addiction of Depression
Thanks to the generosity of its sponsors and a very successful Farmers Bank Governor?s Open, the Juniper Hill Golf Association will be making the following donations:
Coach Cal?s Hurricane Sandy Relief, $1,000; Franklin County Emergency Food Pantry, $1,000; Simon House, $1,000; YMCA First Tee, $1,000; Juniper Hill Ladies Golf Association, $1,000; all four local high school golf teams, $500 each.
CINCINNATI (AP) - Joe Flacco went to the bench after only two series. Andy Dalton left at halftime. With little at stake, the Ravens and Bengals gave their regular-season finale more of a preseason feel.
Carlos Dunlap returned an interception 14 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday, sending the Cincinnati Bengals to a 23-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a game that didn't much matter to either playoff-bound team.
Played like it, too.
The Ravens (10-6) had already clinched their second straight AFC North title, putting them in line to host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts next weekend.
The Bengals (10-6) were locked into the sixth seed as the final wild-card team. The only question was who they would play in the opening round, and that wouldn't be answered until games were completed.
So, they went into preseason mode on a 26-degree afternoon with a wind chill of 16.
Josh Brown kicked three field goals in the second half. Dunlap tipped one of Tyrod Taylor's passes to himself and returned it for a clinching touchdown with 6:06 left, jumping into the stands and sitting there for several seconds while fans smacked his back.
The Bengals headed into the playoffs for the second straight season after beating rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore in back-to-back weeks.
They'd been 0-6 against them over the past two seasons, so a strong finish represented a breakthrough, even though the win on Sunday resembled more of an exhibition than anything.
The Ravens sat some of their banged-up playmakers and pulled Flacco and running back Ray Rice after the second series. Receiver Anquan Boldin, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and linebacker Terrell Suggs were inactive, giving them a week to rest.
The Bengals were trying to get their running game into postseason shape after it managed only 14 yards during a 13-10 win in Pittsburgh a week earlier.
Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis pulled a hamstring during pregame warm-ups and didn't play.
The Bengals went with a conservative approach. Dalton didn't even throw toward A.J. Green until the final drive of the first half, keeping the Pro Bowl receiver out of harm's way.
He finally found him for a 17-yard gain that set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones, tying the game at 7 heading into halftime.
That was the offense's only touchdown in the last two games.
Bruce Gradkowski took over in the second half for Dalton, who was 10 of 15 for 78 yards with a pair of sacks. Green and others spent the second half on the bench as well.
Brown kicked field goals of 47, 32 and 38 yards in the second half. Brown will be the Bengals' kicker in the playoffs with Mike Nugent sidelined by a calf injury. Brown is 11 for 12 on field goal tries since he signed as a free agent, the only miss on a 56-yard attempt in Pittsburgh.
Taylor, who had thrown only four passes all season, replaced Flacco in the first quarter and led a pair of touchdown drives by running away from defenders. He had a 28-yard scramble and a pitch to Anthony Allen on an option play that went for 20 more yards. Allen then ran the final 2 yards for the score.
Taylor also scored on a 1-yard run in the second half.
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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Colts topple Texans from 1 seed
Andrew Luck threw a long touchdown pass and Deji Karim returned a kickoff 101 yards as the Colts defeated the Texans 28-16 in coach Chuck Pagano's first game back after battling leukemia.
Too little, too late for defending champ Giants
??There will be no repeat for the New York Giants. Not even a playoff berth.? The Giants (9-7) saw their playoff hopes end minutes after posting a 42-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles when Chicago beat Detroit 26-24 to eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions from playoff contention.
FRIDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) For breast cancer patients prescribed tamoxifen to treat their disease, genetic traits affecting an enzyme in the liver are major players in determining the impact of the hormone therapy, new research suggests.
There?s been debate in the scientific world for years over the role of genetic differences in the enzyme, known as CYP2D6. An estimated 5 percent to 7 percent of European and North American women have a trait that prevents the enzyme from working properly.
?Our findings confirm that, in early breast cancer treated with tamoxifen, genetic alterations in CYP2D6 lead to a higher likelihood of recurrence and death,? Dr. Matthew Goetz, a Mayo Clinic oncologist and lead author of the study that reported the findings, said in a Mayo Clinic news release.
The researchers tracked two groups of women: postmenopausal women with primary estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who received tamoxifen for five years, and those took got the drug for two years followed by another drug, anastrozole, for three years.
Among those who took tamoxifen for five years, those whose genetic makeup prevented the enzyme from being able to process things were 2.5 times more likely to die or have their cancer return than those whose enzymes worked normally, the investigators found.
However, genetic traits involving the enzyme didn?t seem to influence the fates of the women who switched to anastrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, after two years of tamoxifen, the study found.
?Switching from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor may be one reason for the discrepant studies surrounding CYP2D6 and tamoxifen ? as information about whether a patient took an aromatase inhibitor after tamoxifen was not available in most of the prior studies,? senior author Dr. James Ingle, of the Mayo Clinic, said in the news release.
Goezt thinks the study findings confirm that women should switch from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor, or avoid tamoxifen altogether, if tests show they have the genetic trait that limits the metabolizing process.
The study was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
More information
For more about breast cancer, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Pending home sales hit two-and-half year high in November
Posted 2012/12/28 at 10:06 am EST
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2012 (Reuters) ? Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes rose in November to their highest level in 2-1/2 years, an industry group said on Friday, further evidence of a strengthening housing market recovery.
A U.S. flag decorates a for-sale sign at a home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, August 21, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, increased 1.7 percent to 106.4 - the highest level since April 2010 when the home-buyer tax credit expired.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected signed contracts, which become sales after a month or two, to rise 1.0 percent after a revised 5.0 percent increase in October. It was the third straight month of gains.
"Home sales are recovering now based solely on fundamental demand and favorable affordability conditions," said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.
Pending home sales were up 9.8 percent in the 12 months through November.
The housing market has turned the corner after a dramatic collapse, which dragged the economy through its worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Home sales and prices are rising, encouraging builders to undertake new construction projects.
Home resale contracts were up in three of the country's four regions. They were unchanged in the South.
(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Neil Stempleman)
Call him the space guitar hero: An astronaut living in orbit has penned a musical ode to Earth in what he's billing as the first original song recorded on the International Space Station.
The song, called "Jewel in the Night," is a holiday-themed tune recorded by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield just days after arriving at the space station last week, just in time for Christmas. ?
Hadfield and two crewmates docked at the space station on Friday, Dec. 21. On Sunday (Dec. 23), he recorded the tune and then posted it online on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24)?via YouTube, Twitter and soundcloud.com.
"Here's some of the first original music written for and performed on the international space station," Hadfield wrote on Twitter, where he is chronicling his spaceflight under the name @Cmdr_Hadfield. [Hear the Song: 'Jewel in the Night' Video]
Hadfield performed "Jewel in the Night" on Larriv?e Parlor acoustic guitar?(made in Vancouver) that has been aboard the space station for years. The tune has a folk song feel and?starts off:
So bright, Jewel in the night, There in my window below.
So bright, Dark as the night, with all of our cities aglow.
It's long been our way, To honor this day, And offer goodwill to men.
And though, Where ever we go, It's come round to Christmas again.
Hadfield, 53, is a veteran astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and currently serves as a flight engineer with the station's current Expedition 34 crew. He will be the first Canadian space station commander when he takes charge of the outpost's Expedition 35 phase next year.
Music has a special place in Hadfield's heart and is among his passions. Before launch, he had a special guitar pick made to resemble his Expedition 35 mission patch.
"I play guitar in a couple bands and sing. I've fronted bands here in Houston for 20 years, and it's just a natural extension for me to play music no matter where I am, whether it's at Star City or Tsukuba, Japan, or on board the space station; I played guitar on board Mir when I was there back in 1995," Hadfield said in a preflight NASA interview. "I thought, since I'm there long enough; why not write music about the experience of traveling in space."
Hadfield said that early pioneers, sailors and miners all created songs about the exploration of new frontiers on Earth. So it is only natural for the tradition to continue as humanity expands into the cosmos.
Since arriving at the International Space Station this month, Hadfield has posted several photos of the guitar he is using and himself playing music in space. On Christmas Day, he strummed the guitar as his five Expedition 34 crewmates (two Americans and three Russians) serenaded Mission Control flight controllers with traditional Christmas carols.
"I'm not by any means the world's best musician, but I love it and I?ve had lots of people to play music with," said Hadfield, who will return to Earth in May 2013. "To be able to do that on space station is fairly new in the human experience and I want to make the most of it."
You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter?@tariqjmalik.?Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Having to deal with the commercial property business can be stressful and overwhelming for those new to it and even to those experienced with it. In the following article, you are going to be provided with information that is meant to help ease some of the stress you may feel from your commercial real estate venture.
If you rent out your commercial properties, always remember to keep them occupied. Having unoccupied spaces mean that you have to pay for their upkeep. If you have several properties open, you should ask yourself why, and attempt to correct the issues that may be driving out your tenants.
Make sure to find your lender before making an offer on any commercial property. Speak with your investors and friends to make a small list of the area?s best lenders. Research the prospective lenders and choose the one that can accommodate you before you begin to scout for property. It will be easier to qualify for your loan when you have all the details organized in advance.
TIP! You need to be able to spot good deals to be able to make them advantageous to you. Those who are pros at real estate can quickly tell a great deal from a bad one.
If you are going into commercial real estate, it?s best to have multiple sources of cash, including a loan, as well as backing from family and friends. Have written contracts drafted by a lawyer so that you?re protected in any situation. There are two repayment options: paying it off at a certain interest rate, or paying due to profit.
Take into account how the establishment of an ideal rent expectation can affect your future business prospects. Don?t talk to potential tenants until you have figured out your rental fee structure. This will keep you from straying from your overall business plan, ensuring an increased chance for future success in regard to your investment.
When you are buying commercial real estate, find some opportunities that will let you buy a bigger building. Taking care of more units does not cost much more and this will bring down the price of every individual unit.
TIP! Be ambitious and forward-thinking in your commercial real estate investments. If you want to get a building that has five units, you need to know that?s it?s no different to manage than 50.
You need to realize that every property has a lifetime. You could make a big mistake by ignoring what you may eventually have to spend in order to keep up with the upkeep of the property. The property might be in need of new roofing, or utility upgrades like wiring. All building require maintenance, and some buildings require more expensive maintenance than others. Make sure that you budget future repairs and maintenance work into your budget.
Record problems by taking digital pictures of them. Be especially diligent in photographing any flaws that exist when you move in, like cracks in the wall or stains on the carpet.
Get a site checklist if you are viewing more than one property. Whilst you can take the first proposal responses, make sure that you don?t go any further without first informing the property owners of your plans. Don?t fear telling the owners that you might be interested in other properties. Letting this fact slip may even result in your getting a more lucrative deal.
TIP! In commercial real estate, there are different kind of brokers. For example, full-service brokers represent both the landlord and tenants.
Location is vital to commercial real estate. When investing in a property, consider what type of neighborhood it is located in. Compare its growth to similar areas. This is important, as you don?t want to be in a current growth area only to have the neighborhood stagnate in a few years.
Looking for that perfect piece of commercial property can seem like an endless journey, with much to learn for even the most experienced buyers. That is why this article was written, to help people like you have a pleasant and low stress experience in the hunt for commercial property.
TIP! Take your time and read the fine print if the owner asks you to sign lease forms. Big real estate companies will sometimes slip additional covenants or requirements into the lease document, which can at times be very long.
The quantified self movement is in full force, and SF-based LUMO BodyTech is one of the beneficiaries of this trend. The smart sensor maker, whose first product LUMOback is designed to help improve a user’s posture via a smartphone app and activity/movement monitoring, got an early jump via Kickstarter, but has now turned to traditional investors including Madrona Venture Group, Eric Schmidt and Jerry Yang. LUMOback is now shipping out to early Kickstarter backers, after having reached more than double its $100,000 funding goal on the crowdfunding site. The sensor was designed by Monisha Perkash and her co-founders Charles Wang and Andrew Chang. Between them, they share electrical engineering expertise, business chops and experience in electrical engineering and human/technology interaction. The LUMOback itself is a wearable sensor that fits across the lower back, and both gathers data about your movement throughout the day, and also provides gentle reminders via physical vibration to correct slouching. A companion app provides visual feedback about your posture and healthy via an avatar which mirrors your own movements, and provides cumulative, quantified data covering your activity for the day, and how much you spent in various states, including walking, running, slouching and sitting. The LUMOback itself communicates with your device via Bluetooth 4.0 for low energy consumption, so it’ll only work with the iPhone 4S or later, or the iPad third generation and beyond. The sensor works independent of the app, but can connect to it at any time to transfer and help track data. The company wants to pursue a more general goal of helping to “create a healthier society,” Perkash said in a statement. LUMOback is the first such product and app from the LUMO BodyTech brand, and likely won’t be the last. The company says it hopes to use the new $5 million in funding to “accelerate investments in sales and marketing, product development and engineering.” As a larger trend, the quantified self movement is clearly seeing a lot of uptake among consumers. A lot of major health and fitness brands are now fully engaged in this space, including Nike, and smaller companies like Fitbit have seen considerable success with devices that help users track their activity. Smartphones and Bluetooth 4.0 will only help accelerate this trend, so expect to see more deals like this one go down, especially when the people involved can take to Kickstarter and ship a product to
Inspiring Entrepreneurship & SMB Creation on the World?s Largest Stage
Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
For the third year in a row, Go Daddy is teaming up with the .CO domain to create a 2013 Super Bowl commercial aimed at anyone who has ever thought about starting their own business. The 30-second ad is set to feature Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick, but that?s about all either company is revealing about the commercial at this point.
.CO is one of the fastest-growing domain name extensions on the Internet and is a commonly referenced abbreviation for ?company.? Like Go Daddy, .CO is intently focused on helping small businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams online.
?It?s a fun story to tell, the trick is to do it in thirty seconds,? said Juan Diego Calle, CEO and Founder of .CO Internet S.A.S., the company behind the .CO domain. ?The Super Bowl is unlike any other broadcast event in the world. We get to share our message with more than a hundred million people during a program where many tune in especially for the commercials. So what will we do? We?re going to inspire people to seize the moment ? to actually launch their big ideas online!?
Go Daddy, the world?s leading Web hosting and domain name provider, has certainly delivered historically when it comes to Super Bowl campaigns. Go Daddy?s Super Bowl resume includes records for Share of Voice, highly sought-after in the PR battles, and Internet traffic spikes, a bonanza for any business.
?Partnering with the dot-CO domain is a great fit for Go Daddy, especially considering we share the same goal of helping small businesses leverage the power of the Internet,? said Go Daddy CMO Barb Rechterman. ?Domain names and websites are part of the mainstream vernacular now and there?s no better place to tell a story than in a Super Bowl commercial.?
The story-telling for the 2013 .CO ad will revolve around how easy it is to create your own business online and use the Internet to grow it quickly. The commercial is being shot in Los Angeles in early January and was developed by the Deutsch NY team.
The Go Daddy, .CO partnership has proven successful in two previous years. Last year?s ?Body Paint? Super Bowl ad drove significant traffic to the GoDaddy.co website. In 2011, .CO garnered massive attention as iconic comedienne Joan Rivers was revealed as the ?surprise? new Go Daddy .CO Girl. That commercial triggered a record-breaking 466 percent increase in domain name registrations within 15 minutes of airing.
One company that experienced the power of registering a .CO domain on the heels of the first .CO Super Bowl ad is CauseForCelebration.CO, an event planning business with a cause-supporting twist. ?The introduction of .CO was a milestone in my business,? said company owner and Go Daddy customer Janet Finden. ?The availability of dot-CO allowed me to secure an ideal domain name to deliver my brand message online.?
To register your .CO domain name, visit GoDaddy.CO.
To find out more about starting a business online, visit Go Daddy.
About Go Daddy
Go Daddy is the world?s largest domain name provider, Web hosting provider and new SSL certificate provider, focused on helping small businesses grow larger. Go Daddy provides dozens of cloud-based services and is the largest worldwide mass-market hosting provider by annual revenue according to Tier1 Research (Mass-Market Hosting Report-Winter 2011) and is the #1 provider of net-new SSL certificates for 2011, according to the Netcraft, LTD Secure Server Survey. To learn more about the company, visit GoDaddy.com/PR.
About .CO
In just over two years since its launch, the .CO domain has become one of the most successful top level domain extensions in history, with nearly 1.4 million web addresses registered by people and companies in over 200 countries. From start-ups and small businesses to big brands and multinational corporations, .CO is increasingly becoming the web address of choice for innovators and entrepreneurs the world over. For more information about .CO, please visit go.co or follow us on Twitter @dotCO.
TAPPER: It seems to a lot of observers that you made the political calculation in 2008, in your first term and in 2012 not to talk about gun violence. You had your position on renewing the ban on semiautomatic rifles that then Senator Biden put into place, but you didn't do much about it. This is not the first issue - the first incident of horrific gun violence of your four years. Where have you been?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, here's where I've been, Jake. I've been president of the United States, dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, an auto industry on the verge of collapse, two wars. I don't think I've been on vacation.
And so, you know, I think all of us have to do some reflection on how we prioritize what we do here in Washington. And as I said on Sunday, you know, this should be a wake-up call for all of us to say that if we are not getting right the need to keep our children safe, then nothing else matters. And it's my commitment to make sure that, that we do everything we can to keep our children safe. A lot of things go - are involved in that, Jake. So making sure they've got decent health care and making sure they've got a good education, making sure that their parents have jobs - those are all relevant as well. Those aren't just sort of side issues. But there's no doubt that this has to be a central issue. And that's exactly why I'm confident that Joe is going to take this so seriously over the next couple months.
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by the Republican leadership speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations with President Obama following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by the Republican leadership speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations with President Obama following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada speaks to reporters following the Democratic policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, left, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., right, as they finish a news conference about the fiscal cliff negotiations after a closed-door GOP strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by the Republican leadership, speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations with President Obama following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by the Republican leadership speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations with President Obama following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Just two weeks from an economy-threatening deadline, fiscal cliff talks hit a lull Tuesday as House Speaker John Boehner announced that Republicans would also march ahead with their own tax plan on a separate track from the one he's been pursuing with President Barack Obama.
The White House and leading congressional Democrats immediately rejected Boehner's "Plan B," which would extend soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts for everyone making less than $1 million but would not address huge across-the-board spending cuts that are set to strike the Pentagon and domestic programs next year.
"Everyone should understand Boehner's proposal will not pass the Senate," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Boehner's surprise move came after significant progress over the past several days in talks with Obama ? talks that produced movement on tax rate hikes that have proven deeply unsettling to GOP conservatives and on cuts to Social Security benefits that have incensed liberal Democrats.
Just Monday, Obama offered concessions, including a plan to raise top tax rates on households earning more than $400,000 instead of the $250,000 threshold he had campaigned on. And the two sides had inched closer on the total amount of tax revenue required to seal the agreement. Obama now would settle for $1.2 trillion over the coming decade while Boehner is offering $1 trillion.
By contrast, protecting income below $1 million from a hike in the top tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent would raise only $269 billion over the coming decade.
But the outlines of a possible Obama-Boehner agreement appeared to have shaky support at best from Boehner's leadership team and outright opposition from key Republicans like vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, R-Wis., a House GOP aide said. That aide spoke only on condition of anonymity because the aide was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Though Obama spokesman Jay Carney had nothing good to say about Boehner's new option, he said, "The president is willing to continue to work with Republicans" toward a broader agreement.
The narrower Plan B faced plenty of opposition. Democrats announced they would oppose it, and many conservative Republicans continued to resist any vote that might be interpreted as raising taxes. Republicans were refining the measure Tuesday in hopes of building support among the GOP rank and file, but passing the measure exclusively with GOP votes could prove difficult.
"I think it's a terrible idea," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. "For a lot of reasons."
Republicans noted that top Democrats like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York have in the recent past supported the million-dollar threshold for rates hikes. "We've had an election on the President's tax plan, the President won, and Republicans can't turn the clock back," said Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon.
Boehner's back-up plan would extend current income tax rates except for income exceeding $1 million, set a 20 percent tax rate on capital gains and dividend income for income over $1 million instead of 15 percent now, and retain current rules regarding the estate tax instead of tighter parameters sought by Obama.
It would also prevent an expansion of the alternative minimum tax that would otherwise hit 28 million middle- and upper-class Americans with an average $3,700 increase on their 2012 tax returns.
Several rank-and-file House Republicans said the message they heard at an evening caucus was that passing plan B would strengthen Boehner's hand in negotiating steeper spending cuts with Obama.
If the Senate decides not to vote on the House bill or ignores it, "That's not our problem," said Rep. Patrick Tiberi, R-Ohio. "The ball's in Harry Reid's court."
Democrats said Boehner's move made it clear he was abandoning efforts to reach an agreement with Obama ? much as he quit talks with Obama 18 months ago.
"Plan B is yet another example of House Republicans walking away from negotiations," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., top Democrat on the Budget Committee.
At the White House, officials remained cautiously optimistic that the talks could get back on track despite Boehner's maneuvering.
Boehner, however, said Obama is the one proving to be too inflexible, even as he held out hope that talks with Obama might yet bear fruit.
"He talked about a 'balanced' approach on the campaign trail," Boehner said. "What the White House offered yesterday ? $1.3 trillion in revenue for only $850 billion in spending cuts ? cannot be considered balanced."
Boehner also displayed new flexibility on the politically explosive issue of raising the Medicare retirement age from 65 to 67. Boehner said the idea ? anathema to Democrats ? didn't need to be dealt with this year but could be kicked over into a broader negotiation next year.
"That issue has been on the table, off the table, back on the table," Boehner said. "I don't believe it's an issue that has to be dealt with between now and the end of the year."
Just Monday, the Capitol bristled with optimism that Boehner and Obama might strike a bargain.
In a new offer, Obama dropped his long-held insistence that taxes rise on individuals earning more than $200,000 and families making more than $250,000. He is now offering a new threshold of $400,000 and lowering his 10-year tax revenue goals from the $1.6 trillion he originally sought.
The new Obama plan seeks $1.2 trillion in revenue over 10 years and $1.2 trillion in 10-year spending reductions. Boehner aides say the revenue is closer to $1.3 trillion if revenue triggered by a new inflation index is counted, and they say the spending reductions are closer to $930 billion if one discounts about $290 billion in lower estimated debt interest.
The two sides also differ on the estate tax, extending unemployment benefits and how to address the need to raise the government's borrowing cap to prevent a first-ever U.S. default and a re-run of last year's debt crisis.
The White House was facing its own backlash, with labor, liberal and elderly advocacy groups mounting an organized campaign against any adjustments in cost-of-living for Social Security beneficiaries.
"President Obama and other Democrats campaigned saying Social Security doesn't affect the deficit," said Roger Hickey, co-director of the liberal Campaign for America's Future. "Social Security recipients are going to notice and they are either going to blame John Boehner or President Obama."
The change would reduce annual cost-of-living increases for beneficiaries of Social Security and other government programs. It also would push more people into higher tax brackets by making smaller annual adjustments to brackets.
The administration appeared confident that most Democrats would reluctantly vote for the idea in an attractive enough budget package, particularly one that has the backing of Obama.
"I think many of us still have faith that the president will ultimately, if he strikes a deal with the Republicans, give us a plan that we can vote on that provides that fairness and balance," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.
White House spokesman Carney described the inclusion of the inflation adjustment as "a technical change" that was "not directed at one particular program." He also said that if instituted, the administration would ensure that the most vulnerable beneficiaries would not be affected.
___
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Jim Kuhnhenn and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
The National Rifle Association wants you to "like" them again, and has re-posted its Facebook page, which it took down after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The page reappeared Tuesday, with a message from gun lobby, which has been noticeably silent since the shootings. The NRA also posted a similar statement on its Twitter page, which had been inactive since before the shootings Friday.
The group said on its Facebook page that "out of respect?for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting."
The NRA is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters???and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. ... The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.
A press conference is planned for Friday, the NRA also announced Tuesday.
In recent days, only?a Facebook page for the NRA?blog remained?posted. The last item shared?at 6:30 a.m. Friday (before the school?shootings)?was?about the "Friends of NRA" TV show that will start a third season soon.
The blog is described as being an "official?inside look at the NRA's Programs including Shooting Championships, National Firearms Museum, Law Enforcement Division, Education & Training and more." (The NRA's Web blog is here.)
On Twitter, Friday had been?the last day the NRA tweeted, at 6:36 a.m.: "10 Days of NRA Giveaways???Enter today for a chance to win an auto emergency tool!"
The day before, Dec. 13, on Twitter, the NRA said: "Did you hear? Our #facebook page reached 1.7 million 'likes'?today! Thanks for being a friend!" and this photo was posted by the organization:
But those 1.7 million likes, tied to the NRA's main Facebook page, could not be?seen as of Monday.
NBC News contacted the NRA for comment about its Facebook page removal, and will update this post if we hear back.
It it does not appear that?Facebook?itself took any action, one way or another, regarding the NRA page. When asked, a?Facebook spokesperson told NBC News the social network had no?comment.?
NBC?News' Josh Belzman also contributed to this report,?which was updated at 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Check out Technology, GadgetBox, Digital?Life and InGame on?Facebook,?and on?Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's president says Western sanctions could cause a short delay in Tehran's nuclear program but will not slow it down substantially.
State TV quoted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday as claiming that the "West is not happy with Iran's progress" in various technological fields, including uranium enrichment, which is a possible pathway to nuclear arms.
His remarks come just days after Tehran again rebuffed visiting U.N. nuclear agency inspectors from visiting the Parchin military base near the Iranian capital.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has linked the site to suspected secret nuclear weapons research. Iran denies that, insisting Parchin is only a conventional military facility.
The West has imposed a series of punitive oil and banking measures on Iran over concerns Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge.
Article Focus: Cardio If you've considered taking up a more active lifestyle, you've most definitely heard of "cardio activities". Cardio plays an important role in many fitness routines, and performing cardio exercise is a great way to keep your heart and body healthy. The best thing about cardio activities is that people at all fitness levels can perform them.
Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise is defined as any type of physical exercise, performed at moderate but increasing levels of intensity, over extended periods of time. The word "aerobic" means "with oxygen"; therefore, aerobic exercise refers to the body's use of oxygen throughout the activity. Cardio exercises are aimed at increasing your heart rate, and can help you to effectively burn calories.
Most people immediately think of weight loss when considering cardio activities. While it is true that cardio and aerobic exercise will increase metabolism, and result in a loss of fat mass, there are other very important health benefits to consider. Taking part in cardio activities goes way beyond the average weight loss program.
Cardio activities and aerobic exercise can help to:
1. Tone muscles throughout the body, resulting in improved blood circulation and reduced blood pressure
2. Strengthen cardiovascular muscles to increase the pumping efficiency of the heart
3. Strengthen respiratory muscles to promote smoother, unlabored breathing
4. Increase the number of red blood cells, resulting in improved transport of oxygen throughout the body
Regular and disciplined aerobic exercise can help to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Taking part in an active cardio exercise program also helps lower the risk of other health problems including respiratory disease and osteoporosis.
Cardio activities are not limited to members of expensive fitness clubs. Some of the most common cardio exercises are:
1. Walking: This is one cardio activity that you're already doing, everyday! Walking is a very beneficial, low-impact exercise that can be done virtually everywhere. It is one of a few aerobics exercises that can be incorporated into any type of lifestyle, and best of all it's free! A 15-30 minute walk around the mall will allow your body to lose as many calories as you would on a treadmill. You can increase your caloric and fat loss by increasing the pace and rhythm of your walks.
2. Running and Jogging: Like walking, jogging and running can be done in many places. Plan a route through your neighbourhood, run around the park, jog along the boardwalk at the beach, or take to a track. Running and jogging are accessible, easy and free cardio activities. Before you begin, make sure that you're body is ready. Beginners should begin with [see also pre inked stamps ] speed walking, and then gradually work up to a jogging or running routine. Running is a very natural activity for your body and you can easily work it into your regular exercise routine.
3. Aerobic Dancing: In the 1970's there was an explosion in aerobic activity through the Jazzercise program. The 1980s brought exercise gurus like Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons into the spotlight, and even brought exercise attire like headbands and legwarmers to the fashion runways. In the 1990s, aerobics lessons were led by supermodels and sold everywhere on video. The new millennium brought cardio activities like pilates and yoga. Over the past thirty decades aerobics dance exercises may have changed, but the excitement has not faded. People still love to work out to a hot beat, and aerobic dance moves are fun and effective ways to keep weight off and maintain a trim, toned body.
Contrary to what many people believe, aerobic exercise is not limited to the uber-healthy. There are a variety of aerobic dance lesson styles to appeal to people of all fitness levels:
* Low-impact: In low-impact aerobics, the dancer always keeps one foot on the ground. There are no bouncing or jumping movements that can cause joint pain. Low-impact aerobic exercise is ideal for people just starting out, for older people, and for those who cannot or should not move or jump around excessively.
* High-impact: There is a great deal of jumping and complicated body movements in high-impact aerobics. For this reason, those with [see also pre inked stamps ] a little experience and a certain amount of agility and rhythm best perform these cardio activities.
* Water aerobics: Cardio exercises done in the water are known as water aerobics. These are low-impact activities that are usually performed in waist-deep water, so some swimming ability is required.
* Step aerobics: In step aerobics, a raised platform is used with [see also pre inked stamps ] a combination of body movements. "Stepping" movements are often used in both low and high-impact aerobics routines.
Cardio activities are good for maintaining a healthy weight, and essential in keeping a healthy heart. Consider making regular cardio exercise part of your daily routine.
Barbara Jones writes for several web sites, on health and wellness topics.
According to some 2007 article within the Telegraph out of the United Kingdom, this extreme sport has decided to become a popular daredevil sport the same as bungee jumping and skydiving. The Shimano Di2 is built to last in fact it is also the bike that will withstand any weather condition. Road con ?
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Dec. 13, 2012 ? For the first time, scientists witnessed the details of the full, ultrafast process of liquid droplets evolving into a bubble when they strike a surface. Their research determined that surface wetness affects the bubble's fate.
This research could one day help eliminate bubbles formed during spray coating, metal casting and ink-jet printing. It also could impact studies on fuel efficiency and engine life by understanding the splashing caused by fuel hitting engine walls.
"How liquid coalesces into a drop or breaks up into a splash when hitting something solid is a fundamental problem in the study of fluid dynamics," said Jung Ho Je, one of the lead authors on the result "How Does an Air Film Evolve into a Bubble During Drop Impact?," published in the journal Physical Review Letters, and a physicist at Pohang University of Science and Technology in Korea.
A team of Korean and U.S. scientists used the Advanced Photon Source at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory to profile the film of air that gets trapped between a droplet and a surface and to study how it evolves into a bubble. Visualizing this process required the use of ultrafast X-ray phase-contrast imaging done at the APS's 32-ID beamline. The APS is the only synchrotron light source currently providing this technique, which is key for bubble research.
The bubble formation was captured at a speed of 271,000 frames per second. For comparison, a camera needs to shoot at 600 frames per second to capture a bullet fired from a .38 Smith & Wesson Special handgun.
"This is the first time we can clearly visualize the detailed profile of air dynamics inside of a droplet, which made understanding what forces are at play much easier," said Kamel Fezzaa, a physicist working at the APS.
It is known that the surrounding air pressure influences splashing, but it also leaves an air layer under the drop that evolves into a bubble. The researchers found that a sweet spot exists for controlling whether the emerging bubbles stay attached to the substrate or detach and float away. This sweet spot is a combination of the wetness of the surface material and the fluid properties of the droplet.
X-rays are an ideal tool for studying bubble formation. Visual-light imaging techniques have proved challenging because of reflection and refraction problems, and interferometry and total internal-reflection microscopy techniques can't track changes in the air thickness. Scientists used the APS's unique combination of phase-contrast imaging and ability to take 0.5 microsecond snapshots at intervals of 3.68 microseconds, or 3.68 millionths of a second, to create a new technique for tracking changes at the interface of air and liquid in real time.
Numerous studies during the last few years have revealed the trapped air under the droplet, but this is the first time the bubble profile and cause of collapse has been visualized and explained. The planned APS upgrade will enable viewing of even faster occurrences and a wider field of view to capture the droplet and smaller bubble formation in the same video.
In future experiments, scientists plan to test whether other conditions such as the temperature of the impact surface or the pressure and nature of surrounding gases affect the bubble formation.
The research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The APS is supported by DOE's Office of Science.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Argonne National Laboratory.
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Journal Reference:
Ji Lee, Byung Weon, Jung Je, Kamel Fezzaa. How Does an Air Film Evolve into a Bubble During Drop Impact?Physical Review Letters, 2012; 109 (20) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.204501
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Trainerspace.com, the website which allows personal trainers the unique opportunity to display their prowess for the benefit of would-be clients, has just teamed up with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) to help promote personal trainer awareness, marketing and education.
Boca Raton, Florida (PRWEB) December 14, 2012
The National Strength and Conditioning Association, best known as the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, and Trainerspace.com, the popular US based web destination where fitness professionals can create their own hi-profile, geo-targeted web presence in just seconds, will now be working hand-in-hand to promote personal trainer awareness, education, and marketing of NSCA?s Certified Personal Trainers.
Potential clients will easily be able to identify NSCA certified trainers by search function and custom NSCA logo badges, allowing both newly certified NSCA trainers as well as NSCA veterans a competitive edge in attracting new clients in a marketplace full of competing personal training certifications.
Trainerspace.com will also help to keep all personal trainers and fitness professionals current in their perpetual need for continuing education credits by using its vast social media resources to maintain awareness of all of NSCA?s seminars, symposiums and conferences.
Founded by United States military veterans, Cary Reichbach and Thomas Puhl, Trainerspace.com is also involved in helping military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan begin rewarding careers as fitness professionals. Says Trainerspace CEO Cary Reichbach; ?Soldiers know the importance of staying in tip-top physical condition, making them excellent candidates for fitness careers. And the current job outlook for personal trainers is bright indeed. Fitness employment is projected to rise 27% through 2016 ? much faster than the projected national average?.
Trainerspace.com is a virtual one-stop shop for all things personal training and the only destination for fitness professionals who are truly passionate about their careers. Prospective personal training clients may search Trainerspace.com for a personal trainer for free by any number of criteria including zip code, city, state, or specialty. If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Thomas Puhl at 772 323 7946 or email at tommy(at)trainerspace(dot)com.
Thomas Puhl Trainerspace.com 772 323-7946 Email Information
Climate warming unlikely to cause near-term extinction of Amazon trees, but threats remainPublic release date: 13-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Erickson ericksn@umich.edu 734-647-1842 University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR A new genetic analysis has revealed that many Amazon tree species are likely to survive human-caused climate warming in the coming century, contrary to previous findings that temperature increases would cause them to die out.
However, the authors of the new study warn that extreme drought and forest fires will impact Amazonia as temperatures rise, and the over-exploitation of the region's resources continues to be a major threat to its future. Conservation policy for the Amazon should remain focused on reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions and preventing deforestation, they said.
The study by University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Christopher Dick and his colleagues demonstrates the surprising age of some Amazonian tree species more than 8 million years and thereby shows that they have survived previous periods as warm as many of the global warming scenarios forecast for the year 2100.
The paper is scheduled for online publication Dec. 13 in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The new study is at odds with earlier papers, based on ecological niche-modeling scenarios, which predicted tree species extinctions in response to relatively small increases in global average air temperatures.
"Our paper provides evidence that common Amazon tree species endured climates warmer than the present, implying that in the absence of other major environmental changes they could tolerate near-term future warming under climate change," said Dick, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and acting director of the U-M Herbarium.
But study co-author Simon Lewis of University College London and the University of Leeds cautioned that "the past cannot be compared directly with the future."
"While tree species seem likely to tolerate higher air temperatures than today, the Amazon forest is being converted for agriculture and mining, and what remains is being degraded by logging and increasingly fragmented by fields and roads," Lewis said. "Species will not move as freely in today's Amazon as they did in previous warm periods, when there was no human influence. Similarly, today's climate change is extremely fast, making comparisons with the past difficult.
"With a clearer understanding of the relative risks to the Amazon forest, we conclude that direct human impacts, such as forest clearance for agriculture or mining, should remain a focus of conservation policy," Lewis said. "We also need more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimize the risk of drought and fire impacts to secure the future of most Amazon tree species."
Dick and his colleagues used a molecular clock approach to determine the ages of 12 widespread Amazon tree species, including the kapok and the balsa. Then they looked at climatic events that have occurred since those tree species emerged. In general, they inferred that the older the age of the tree species, the warmer the climate it has previously survived.
The researchers determined that nine of the tree species have been around for at least 2.6 million years, seven have been present for at least 5.6 million years, and three have existed in the Amazon for more than 8 million years.
"These are surprisingly old ages," Dick said. "Previous studies have suggested that a majority of Amazon tree species may have originated during the Quaternary Period, from 2.6 million years ago to the present."
Air temperatures across Amazonia in the early Pliocene Epoch (3.6 million to 5 million years ago) were similar to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections for the region in 2100 using moderate carbon-emission scenarios. Air temperatures in the late Miocene Epoch (5.3 to 11.5 million years ago) were about the same as IPCC projections for the region in 2100 using the highest carbon-emission scenarios.
The 12 tree species used in the study are broadly representative of the Amazon tree flora. Primary forest collection sites were in central Panama, western Ecuador and Amazonian Ecuador. Additional collections were made in Brazil, Peru, French Guiana and Bolivia. Other plant samples were obtained from herbarium specimens.
"The most lasting finding of our study may be the discovery of ancient geographic variation within widespread species, indicating that many rain forest tree species were widely distributed before the major uplift of the northern Andes," said co-author Eldredge Bermingham of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
To determine the age of each tree species, the researchers extracted and sequenced DNA from plant samples, then looked at the number of genetic mutations contained in those sequences. Using a molecular clock approach and population genetic models, they estimated how long it would take for each of the tree populations to accumulate the observed number of mutations, which provided a minimum age for each species.
"An important caveat is that because we've been in a cold period over the past 2 million years basically the whole Quaternary Period some of the trees' adaptations to warmth tolerance may have been lost," Dick said. "Additional research is needed to test whether this has occurred."
###
The Ecology and Evolution paper is titled "Neogene origins and implied warmth tolerance of Amazon tree species." In addition to Dick, Bermingham and Lewis, Mark Maslin of University College London is a co-author. Financial support for the research was provided by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the University of Michigan, the National Science Foundation and the Royal Society.
After 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 13, the full paper will be available online at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.441/full
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Climate warming unlikely to cause near-term extinction of Amazon trees, but threats remainPublic release date: 13-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Erickson ericksn@umich.edu 734-647-1842 University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR A new genetic analysis has revealed that many Amazon tree species are likely to survive human-caused climate warming in the coming century, contrary to previous findings that temperature increases would cause them to die out.
However, the authors of the new study warn that extreme drought and forest fires will impact Amazonia as temperatures rise, and the over-exploitation of the region's resources continues to be a major threat to its future. Conservation policy for the Amazon should remain focused on reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions and preventing deforestation, they said.
The study by University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Christopher Dick and his colleagues demonstrates the surprising age of some Amazonian tree species more than 8 million years and thereby shows that they have survived previous periods as warm as many of the global warming scenarios forecast for the year 2100.
The paper is scheduled for online publication Dec. 13 in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The new study is at odds with earlier papers, based on ecological niche-modeling scenarios, which predicted tree species extinctions in response to relatively small increases in global average air temperatures.
"Our paper provides evidence that common Amazon tree species endured climates warmer than the present, implying that in the absence of other major environmental changes they could tolerate near-term future warming under climate change," said Dick, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and acting director of the U-M Herbarium.
But study co-author Simon Lewis of University College London and the University of Leeds cautioned that "the past cannot be compared directly with the future."
"While tree species seem likely to tolerate higher air temperatures than today, the Amazon forest is being converted for agriculture and mining, and what remains is being degraded by logging and increasingly fragmented by fields and roads," Lewis said. "Species will not move as freely in today's Amazon as they did in previous warm periods, when there was no human influence. Similarly, today's climate change is extremely fast, making comparisons with the past difficult.
"With a clearer understanding of the relative risks to the Amazon forest, we conclude that direct human impacts, such as forest clearance for agriculture or mining, should remain a focus of conservation policy," Lewis said. "We also need more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimize the risk of drought and fire impacts to secure the future of most Amazon tree species."
Dick and his colleagues used a molecular clock approach to determine the ages of 12 widespread Amazon tree species, including the kapok and the balsa. Then they looked at climatic events that have occurred since those tree species emerged. In general, they inferred that the older the age of the tree species, the warmer the climate it has previously survived.
The researchers determined that nine of the tree species have been around for at least 2.6 million years, seven have been present for at least 5.6 million years, and three have existed in the Amazon for more than 8 million years.
"These are surprisingly old ages," Dick said. "Previous studies have suggested that a majority of Amazon tree species may have originated during the Quaternary Period, from 2.6 million years ago to the present."
Air temperatures across Amazonia in the early Pliocene Epoch (3.6 million to 5 million years ago) were similar to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections for the region in 2100 using moderate carbon-emission scenarios. Air temperatures in the late Miocene Epoch (5.3 to 11.5 million years ago) were about the same as IPCC projections for the region in 2100 using the highest carbon-emission scenarios.
The 12 tree species used in the study are broadly representative of the Amazon tree flora. Primary forest collection sites were in central Panama, western Ecuador and Amazonian Ecuador. Additional collections were made in Brazil, Peru, French Guiana and Bolivia. Other plant samples were obtained from herbarium specimens.
"The most lasting finding of our study may be the discovery of ancient geographic variation within widespread species, indicating that many rain forest tree species were widely distributed before the major uplift of the northern Andes," said co-author Eldredge Bermingham of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
To determine the age of each tree species, the researchers extracted and sequenced DNA from plant samples, then looked at the number of genetic mutations contained in those sequences. Using a molecular clock approach and population genetic models, they estimated how long it would take for each of the tree populations to accumulate the observed number of mutations, which provided a minimum age for each species.
"An important caveat is that because we've been in a cold period over the past 2 million years basically the whole Quaternary Period some of the trees' adaptations to warmth tolerance may have been lost," Dick said. "Additional research is needed to test whether this has occurred."
###
The Ecology and Evolution paper is titled "Neogene origins and implied warmth tolerance of Amazon tree species." In addition to Dick, Bermingham and Lewis, Mark Maslin of University College London is a co-author. Financial support for the research was provided by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the University of Michigan, the National Science Foundation and the Royal Society.
After 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 13, the full paper will be available online at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.441/full
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The quantified self movement is in full force, and SF-based LUMO BodyTech is one of the beneficiaries of this trend. The smart sensor maker, whose first product LUMOback is designed to help improve a user’s posture via a smartphone app and activity/movement monitoring, got an early jump via Kickstarter, but has now turned to traditional investors including Madrona Venture Group, Eric Schmidt and Jerry Yang. LUMOback is now shipping out to early Kickstarter backers, after having reached more than double its $100,000 funding goal on the crowdfunding site. The sensor was designed by Monisha Perkash and her co-founders Charles Wang and Andrew Chang. Between them, they share electrical engineering expertise, business chops and experience in electrical engineering and human/technology interaction. The LUMOback itself is a wearable sensor that fits across the lower back, and both gathers data about your movement throughout the day, and also provides gentle reminders via physical vibration to correct slouching. A companion app provides visual feedback about your posture and healthy via an avatar which mirrors your own movements, and provides cumulative, quantified data covering your activity for the day, and how much you spent in various states, including walking, running, slouching and sitting. The LUMOback itself communicates with your device via Bluetooth 4.0 for low energy consumption, so it’ll only work with the iPhone 4S or later, or the iPad third generation and beyond. The sensor works independent of the app, but can connect to it at any time to transfer and help track data. The company wants to pursue a more general goal of helping to “create a healthier society,” Perkash said in a statement. LUMOback is the first such product and app from the LUMO BodyTech brand, and likely won’t be the last. The company says it hopes to use the new $5 million in funding to “accelerate investments in sales and marketing, product development and engineering.” As a larger trend, the quantified self movement is clearly seeing a lot of uptake among consumers. A lot of major health and fitness brands are now fully engaged in this space, including Nike, and smaller companies like Fitbit have seen considerable success with devices that help users track their activity. Smartphones and Bluetooth 4.0 will only help accelerate this trend, so expect to see more deals like this one go down, especially when the people involved can take to Kickstarter and ship a product to
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Public release date: 13-Dec-2012
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