Fitness Expert Billy Banks Recieves Massage From Globe University ...

Globe University massage graduate, Theresa Martin,?got the opportunity to give a massage to Billy Blanks, Tae Bo? expert.?Mr. Blanks was teaching two fitness classes at an event at Verona?Middle School in Wisconsin.??Theresa was there performing free massage as part of the event and asked?Mr. Blanks?if he would like a massage, he said he didn?t have a lot of time but agreed to get on the table for?few minutes. Once he felt the massage technique of Teresa Martin he decided he in fact did have time for a massage.

Theresa Martin is an excellent example of?the expertise massage students will gain in the Globe University Massage Therapy Program.

Learn more about her story and about how Billy ended up really enjoying his massage.

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Source: http://blogs.globeuniversity.edu/2012/07/22/fitness-expert-billy-banks-recieves-massage-from-globe-university-massage-graduate/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fitness-expert-billy-banks-recieves-massage-from-globe-university-massage-graduate

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In Wake of Colorado Tragedy, Concern Over Public and Workplace ...

The mass shooting that occurred overnight at a Colorado movie theatre presents numerous questions, many of which will go unanswered until further investigation. Could this have been prevented? Were there any warning signs? Could people have exited the building more quickly, leading them to safety?

When tragedy strikes, there is little to no time to think.? This presents a challenge to both employers and employees when trying to gain control of utter chaos. Not only are you responsible for yourself, but there is an obligation to protect your employees and patrons as well.

We remind all business owners and managers that while there is truly no way to prepare for an event so devastating, being aware of your surroundings and best safety practices is crucial if an emergency should strike.

If an emergency strikes while you are at the worksite:

  • Immediately dial 911. Even if you are unsure of the extent of the emergency, call for help and let emergency responders know of the situation.? A few minutes will make a big difference in how quickly help can arrive.
  • Know ALL possible exits in the building. This should be reviewed with ALL employees and repeated each time a new person is hired. If you are a retail operation, exits should be clearly marked and illuminated for patrons.
  • Do not waste time. Do not waste time gathering your belongings or trying to determine the severity of the situation. Exit the building as quickly as possible.
  • If exits are blocked, return to your workplace. If exits are blocked, return to your workplace and hang an article of clothing or something similar out of the nearest window. If there is a fire, shut your door, and seal it off as best as possible to avoid smoke inhalation. ?The article of clothing will inform emergency personnel you are inside.
  • Shelter-in-Place for Workplace Violence/Shooting.? If your place of employment is under attack and an exit is not near, HIDE in the safest area. Shelter-in-place refers to finding the smallest area and taking refuge there. If there is a window nearby, you can also hang an article of clothing out the window, to let outsiders know you are trapped inside. Avoid overcrowding by selecting numerous hiding areas for each employee/person. DO NOT confront the perpetrator.
  • Know who to report to. Once you are outside of the building, and have reached safety, check in. Let your supervisor know you are okay. Every workplace should have a ?check-in? protocol with certain employees or managers designated to take headcounts. This will help emergency personnel determine if there is anyone left in the building, and who.
  • DO NOT pull fire alarm, if the threat is outside of the workplace. ?If your office or place of employment receives a threat via phone, letter, or email, do not pull the fire alarm. The fire alarm will disable all elevators, which may be crucial to exiting the building more quickly. Calmly inform everyone that they need to exit the building immediately.

Proactively creating an emergency plan specific to your place of employment will let all employees know of the aforementioned best safety practices. More importantly, delegating responsibilities amongst employees, outlining the chain of command, and determining the safety check-in points outside of your building (all found within a company?s emergency plan) will prove itself valuable in the event of an emergency.

The responsibility of creating a formal emergency plan often falls within the HR department. For companies without HR staff, it is the business owner?s responsibility. For additional questions or concerns surrounding workplace safety and your company?s emergency plan, please contact us. ?HR Shield is skilled at aiding companies in creating custom emergency plans and can help promote overall workplace safety within your organization.

HR Shield sends its greatest condolences to victims and their families affected by last night?s Colorado shooting, and we are hoping for the quick recovery of all those injured.

Source: http://www.hr-shield.com/2012/07/20/in-wake-of-colorado-tragedy-concern-over-public-and-workplace-safety-arises/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-wake-of-colorado-tragedy-concern-over-public-and-workplace-safety-arises

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Source: http://hassancardenas.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/in-wake-of-colorado-tragedy-concern-over-public-and-workplace.html

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AP Interview: US Afghan withdrawal halfway done

U.S. Gen. John Allen, top commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and US forces in Afghanistan gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2012. Gen. Allen says this year's pullout of 23,000 American troops is at the halfway point. He told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that a significant number will leave in August and early September. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

U.S. Gen. John Allen, top commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and US forces in Afghanistan gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2012. Gen. Allen says this year's pullout of 23,000 American troops is at the halfway point. He told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that a significant number will leave in August and early September. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? This year's pullout of 23,000 American troops from Afghanistan is at the halfway mark, U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces, said Sunday in an interview with The Associated Press.

It's a kind of milestone toward wrapping up the U.S. and NATO combat role after a decade in the war-torn nation ? but Allen cautioned against putting too much emphasis on the U.S. troop drawdown, because the U.S.-led coalition's campaign is continuing.

Still, Allen said that he knows the clock is ticking on the NATO coalition's combat mission, which is to end at the close of 2014 ? just 29 months from now.

In a wide-ranging interview in his office at NATO headquarters in Kabul, Allen also said that while Afghan security forces were increasingly taking the lead, more work needs to be done to shore up their confidence in planning and executing operations. He said this summer's coalition operations were aimed at pushing insurgents farther from population centers, expanding the security zone around the capital, Kabul, and getting more Afghan forces into the lead in the east, which borders Pakistan.

The Afghan army and police force are battling low levels of literacy, corruption within their ranks and lack of equipment and experience, but Allen said they were showing themselves to be increasingly capable on the battlefield. Getting them into the lead is an essential goal of the next 29 months, he said.

"We haven't even recruited the whole Afghan national security force. That's not going to happen for another couple months, but by Oct. 1, we hope to be at 352,000," he said. "We don't finish completely fielding the Afghan forces until December 2013. So just at that level alone there is significant work remaining to be done."

About 90 percent of coalition operations now are partnered with Afghan forces, and Afghan forces are in the lead more than 40 percent of the time, he said.

"We want to get that number higher, and that will come from battalion and higher units being able to take the lead with respect to planning," he said. "Planning is really the hallmark of any large military formation, and it's typically a weakness in new formations and new armies. So we are putting a lot of effort into teaching them how to plan, execute, recover from the mission and then re-cock and go back out again."

By the end of this year and into next year, Allen would like to see 5,500 personnel working in police and army advisory teams, but now the mission has 20 percent fewer advisers than it seeks.

"I don't know if we will make up all of that," he said, "but it's an ongoing request and I don't miss an opportunity to emphasize that we really do need these folks."

As the Afghan forces gear up, the exit of foreign troops continues.

The drawdown of 23,000 U.S. troops this year, now slightly more than half completed, will accelerate in the coming few months, he said.

"August will be the heaviest month," Allen said. "A lot is coming out now and a great deal will come out in August and early September. We'll be done probably around mid-September or so."

President Barack Obama pulled out 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year and ordered another 23,000 to be withdrawn by Sept. 30. That will leave roughly 68,000 American troops still in the country. By Oct. 1, 40,000 NATO forces will also still be fighting.

Up to one half of the 23,000 troops being pulled out this year are combat forces, he said. Small numbers are being pulled from the relatively stable northern and western parts of the country. Some will be withdrawn from the east and the south "and a good bit in the southwest," he said.

Helmand province in the southwest and Kandahar province in the south are areas where the Taliban has its strongest roots. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops and their NATO and Afghan partners have worked the past two years to rout insurgents from their strongholds in the two provinces. Insurgents today are trying to reclaim their influence there.

The NATO mission has concentrated on population centers, and this summer, it is focusing on going after insurgents outside the cities.

"If you look at the 10 most violent districts, almost all of them are in the south or the southwest," he said. "But it constitutes a relatively small part of the population of Afghanistan overall, " he added.

"We want to continue to push the insurgency increasingly out of the population centers into areas where they can be isolated, where they can be disrupted, where they can be rendered irrelevant," he said. "And that's the nature of the operations that are under way now."

U.S., NATO and Afghan forces also are working in the east to stop the infiltration of insurgents crossing the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan, expand the security zone around Kabul in Wardak and Logar provinces, just south of the capital, and improving security along highways extending southward from the capital.

In the northeast, coalition and Afghan forces are conducting extensive operations in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces ? areas where al-Qaida and other transnational militants are active.

Unneeded military equipment also has started making its way home.

"The intent, ultimately, is to have the excess out of the theater about the time the mission would be completed in 29 months," he said. "And it will take all of that time, actually, to move that excess out ? either a shipping container or a vehicle about every seven minutes between now until then."

Even so, he said it would be a mistake to focus too much on the exit of U.S. troops and equipment.

"It's not just about the drawdown and it's not just about America," he said. "There are 50 states in this coalition. There is also a significant Afghan national security force presence and that number is getting bigger by the day and they are getting more capable by the day."

He emphasized that work in Afghanistan will not end with the NATO combat mission in 2014.

"We're probably going to see some post-2014 military presence ? some U.S. presence and a NATO presence ? and while we've got much work to do in the next 29 months, we'll have additional time later for the continued professionalization of the Afghan security forces," he said, adding that the post-2014 NATO mission is still in the planning stage.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-22-Afghanistan-Commander/id-9e021b50c9fa4b05bd6bb9c112256e32

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Survey signals unprecedented demand for iPhone 5

News

July 23, 2012 11:55 AM ET

Computerworld - Advance demand for Apple's next iPhone is at an all-time high, said a research firm today, predicting huge sales later this year for what most have dubbed the "iPhone 5."

A survey of more than 4,000 North American consumers by ChangeWave Research showed a record enthusiasm for Apple's next-generation smartphone, with nearly a third saying they were likely to buy one.

"Advance demand for the 'iPhone 5' is strikingly higher than we've seen for any previous iPhone model," said Paul Carton, ChangeWave's vice president of research, in an abbreviated report sent via email.

Of the people polled, 14% said they were "very likely" to buy a new iPhone for themselves or a family member, while 17% asserted that they were "somewhat likely" to do so.

ChangeWave described the next iPhone in broad terms, incorporating the speculation that's centered on a slightly-larger screen and a connection to the faster LTE mobile data networks, as well as the near-certainty that it will be powered by iOS 6, the next version of Apple's operating system.

Apple's current model, the iPhone 4S, does not support LTE, although the company added it to the new iPad, which debuted last March.

The 31% total of those who said they were likely to buy the iPhone 5 was 44% higher than the 21.5% who answered the same way in a survey ChangeWave conducted last year just before the launch of the iPhone 4S.

"The biggest finding of the survey is the unprecedented level of advance demand for the next generation Apple iPhone, which based on these survey numbers easily dwarfs the advance demand of any previous iPhone launch," said Carton.

Apple does not disclose individual iPhone model sales, but in the two quarters reported since the Oct. 4, 2011, launch of the iPhone 4S, the company has sold 72.1 million iPhones, its best-ever six-month stretch.

Apple will reveal its second-quarter sales figures tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts.

The survey results meshed with financial analysts' expectations for the iPhone 5, or whatever Apple calls the next model. Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, for instance, has forecast iPhone calls in 2012's final quarter -- the one during the putative launch of the smartphone -- at 44.7 million units, or 21% more than the previous best of 12 months earlier.

ChangeWave also asked consumers their thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, which went on sale last month.

Of the people polled, 2% said they were very likely to buy a Galaxy S III "in the future," with another 7% acknowledging that they were somewhat likely to do so.

Source: http://rss.computerworld.com/~r/computerworld/s/feed/topic/15/~3/rm6LVD-aNs8/Survey_signals_unprecedented_demand_for_iPhone_5

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This Is Why Android Can't Have Nice Things [Android]

Dead Trigger, a mobile video game for iOS and Android, is now free on the Google Play Store. Awesome, right? Except no. It's not awesome, since it's only free because the piracy rate for the Android version is "unbelievably high." Ugh. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qZFceFRrXa8/this-is-why-android-cant-have-nice-things

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Having a fax to be able to e-mail assist may be wi | Nick Safi ...

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Source: http://nicksafisoftwareblog.comicspace.com/2012/07/20/having-a-fax-to-be-able-to-e-mail-assist-may-be-wi/

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Moving On ? Casaubon's Book

Every time my life settles down enough for me to return to regular blogging, crazy stuff happens. ?First there was the sudden arrival of newborn baby Z. ? we were called at 2:30 pm and by 4:30, Eric was picking him up at the hospital. ?Since normally one gets more than umm?two hours to prepare for the arrival of a new baby, we were a little discombobulated.

Then there was much back and forth insanity as the County and C. and K.?s family attempted to make possible a visit from across the US to our area. ?We didn?t know until last Friday whether it would happen ? and all of a sudden it was. ?For five days we spent almost all our time shuttling the boys back and forth and hosting their family member to make it possible for everyone to spend time together. ?On Tuesday, in court, the family member was awarded custody of C. and K. (something that was absolutely the right thing, but that we hadn?t necessarily expected), and two few hours later, the boys were on a plane back across the US. ?There was barely time to say goodbye.

Fortunately I had packed their backpacks and suitcases, and swore up and down I?d send their things. ?They came with toothbrushes, one spare shirt each, a pair of socks and one of underwear, and their school backpacks. ?It will take six big boxes to mail their stuff back home. ?I want all my kids to leave with more than they came with ? I mean that in every sense, emotionally as well as physically, but building a basic platform of met physical needs is critical. Kids who have nothing feel they are nothing. ?Kids with clean clothes and stuffed animals to hug and books to read and shoes that fit haven?t got all they need ? but it is a start. ?That?s why I work so hard at building a stash of toys, clothes, books, etc? ? often the people they go home to have few financial resources, and while we aren?t rich, we have more than we need.

The boys had been with us for almost three months, and in that time, we?d become a family. ?We are fortunate ? K. and C.?s family wants to keep in touch and let us stay in the boys? lives, but it is a huge change, not just for Eric and I who lost our sons, but for my children, who lost their brothers. ?We are all sad to lose them, even though we are truly happy that they have gone home and are with their family.

Transitions in foster care are always hard, and almost always rapid. ?You get a call and the adrenaline starts pumping ? they?ll be here in 2 hours with four siblings, or you have to pick them up before things close at 5. ?The same with goodbyes ? in a perfect world there would be visits and transitions. ?In reality, mostly the kids leave as soon as the judge rules. ?You know it can happen, but you struggle with what to tell them (not wanting to raise either hopes or fears), and also with what to tell yourself. ?Then you are gathering up their things and taking them away.

In most cases, my kids have moved to live with family, in something called kinship care. ?The computer era has made it possible to find relatives that no one would have every known about. ?A new culture that values familiarity and stability means that relatives, or ?fictive kin? ? ie, someone the child has a prior relationship with ? get priority. ?I have never yet had to do the thing all foster parents fear ? send a child home to a family member that hurt or neglected them. ?I?m sure it will happen at some point, but generally they go to relatives. ?Sometimes this is a wonderful thing ? family work heroically to get the children. ? There was the grandfather who spent 36 hours on a bus, the father who nearly bankrupted himself trying to get into a place for him to take his kids.

Sometimes kinship care is less ideal ? a relative already struggling takes on children or more children to keep them in the family. ?It can work, or not. ?Some of my children arrive after these situations fail. ?But ultimately the push now to keep kids in their family and community ? as it should be. ? That doesn?t mean it isn?t hard. ?But it mostly is right.

I get more praise for doing this than I am comfortable with ? the reality is that what I am doing is NORMAL ? for most of human history, reaching out and taking in some extras was a natural reality of human existence. ?If you had a surplus of something ? food, shelter, time, love ? there were always those in need. ?For most of human history, short life expectations and high death rates meant that many children lived with kin or fictive kin for part of their lives. ?Indeed, in much of the world right now what I am doing would be utterly normal. ?Consider Uganda, where 95% of AIDS orphans were taken in by kin or fictive kin ? even with orphanages overflowing, most of the children were taken in by family. ?In Haiti after the earthquake, the countryside was filled with families overflowing with refugees. ?This is what people do ? we look around, and open up.

What?s different about my role is that I don?t have a biological relationship to the children I foster. ?But what I?ve found is that it takes less than two weeks for the kids to be as much mine as any I have given birth to. ?In all the placements we?ve had this year (and we?ve had quite a few), I?ve never had children I wouldn?t have wanted to keep. ?Biology just doesn?t count for much around here. ?Where it does matter is often to the children themselves ? stripped of everything else they had, their sense of belonging is important to them. ?Family may be fragile and tenuous, but they have a place there, and they long for it. ?Sometimes it can?t happen ? there is no one for them. In that case, adoption is the right thing. ?But more often, there is a place for them, if it can be found and facilitated, and when they are old enough to understand, that sense of place, however imperfect, is a gift for them.

I do not like to be told how wonderful I am for doing this, or how saintly. ?I do this for purely selfish reasons ? because I like it. ?As Asher, my littlest grew bigger, even though he?s only six, as Eli became a near-adolescent 12, I could see the days when my children would be grown coming ? and wanted to extend my time as a Mom a little longer. ?I don?t do it save kids, I do it to save a part of myself that I enjoy. ?I?m not a saint, I?m selfish ? it just happens that what I want and need (more kids, a challenge, a more intimate view of a part of my world I wouldn?t see otherwise) is good for the kids too.

Thus, att the same time we are all missing K. and C., there?s an excitement at the project of cleaning out the room they were living in. ?I wish I could have them back, annoying packrat tendency to keep every gum wrapper and all, but as long as I can?t, I admit, getting rid of the gum wrappers is kind of pleasant. ?And it is nice to be able to bring down the dolls that otherwise would have been beheaded as Clone Spies in games of ?Sith Lord vs. Jedi Master.? (While some boys like dolls, this batch was no respecter of baby dolls ;-) ) ?I would have the boys back in a heartbeat, but I also begin to look forward to the next kids who need us, and the next reconstitution of our family into something new.

K. and C. gave me a lot of gifts as a foster parent. ?They taught me how to handle some behaviors that are common responses to neglect and abuse. ?They showed me how much my boys really do want foster siblings their own age to play with. ?Their attentive caring for Eli, and the way they included him in the gang of boys made me realize that I could remind my own sons of ways to include Eli. ?Their pictures sit on my shelves, their artwork adorns my walls, the space they made in my heart is now open for someone else ? and they will stay there too.

One of the things hardest to understand about foster care is the question ?How can you give them back?? ?And I won?t lie, it sometimes breaks your heart. ?But loving children means wanting what is best for them, and as the song goes, ?Broken hearts won?t kill you, you?ll just want to die.? ?That wanting to die doesn?t last, thankfully. ?Sometimes I?m not sure what is best, or what is best isn?t possible, and that?s hard as heck. ?But often what?s best for them is for them to go ? I can see that what I can give K. and C. does not outweigh that. ? I can give them back because I love them. ?For the exact same reason I could keep them.

On Tuesday, when they went home, I called up an elderly relative of theirs who I have gotten to know over the course of court-ordered weekly phone calls. ?I knew no one would have had time to call her and let her know what happened in court. ?My first words to her were ?Your babies? plane takes off in 45 minutes. ?They?ll be home tonight? ?She cried. ?I cried. ?It was one of the best phone calls I have ever made.

They called yesterday when they made it to their new home, full of stories about their first plane ride and how excited they were to see their relatives. ?I cried, again, of course, although I tried not to. ?I told them how the baby goats were doing and what we?d been doing since, and promised to pack up all their toys and not forget one. ?And I said goodbye for now ? but we?ll send birthday presents and talk on the phone. ?It won?t be the same ? but they will remain family.

Then I went upstairs and put clean sheets on the beds that are not theirs anymore, and packed up the rest of their toys to mail to them, along with boxes of clothes and shoes, school supplies for fall and everything they will need (much provided my my wonderful extended family so they will never go short). ?I took down the baby dolls and the preschoolers toys, rearranged the books and swept up the accumulated choking hazards that two little boys leave in their wake wherever they go, snuggled Baby Z. (who will probably also go home at some point in the next few months) and wondered when the phone will ring next. ?Like the boys, I?m taking with me more than I came with.

Sharon

?

Source: http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2012/07/19/moving-on-2/

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FDA Approves First Drug to Prevent HIV Infection

News | Health

Some researchers fear might that the combined pill's use in healthy people might have unacceptable side effects and spark the emergence of resistant viruses


Truvada, HIV, HIV Prevention Preventive measure: Truvada has been approved for use in HIV-negative people. Image: FDA

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

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From Nature magazine

US regulators took a step into the unknown this week when they approved the first drug to prevent HIV infection. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Margaret Hamburg hailed the pill, Truvada, as a tool for reducing the rate of infection in the United States, where 50,000 people are diagnosed each year. But the drug combines low doses of two anti?retroviral agents normally used to treat infection, and some researchers fear that its use in healthy people could have unacceptable side effects and spark the emergence of resistant viruses.

US insurers must now decide whether they will pay for Truvada, which costs roughly US$10,000 for a year?s supply. Moreover, health-policy experts must script guidelines on how to prescribe it, and how to monitor side effects and HIV infections in people using the drug. ?There are a lot of questions about how to implement it,? says Connie Celum, an HIV researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, who led a large trial of the drug in East Africa and has begun studies to answer practical delivery questions, such as which subsets of people are at highest risk.

Developed by Gilead Sciences in Foster City, California, Truvada proved particularly effective in the East African trial, published last week: it reduced the incidence of HIV by 75% in people with partners who had been infected. In an earlier trial in the United States, HIV incidence dropped by 44% in men who have sex with men.

But concerns emerged on 10?May at a public meeting of a panel that advised the FDA on its decision. Most members voted in favour of approval, but the researchers, doctors and patient advocates in attendance wrestled with the issue of drug resistance. The two drugs in Truvada, emtricitabine and tenofovir, are effective antiretroviral treatments, but trials have shown that viruses exposed to lower doses in the acute phase of infection can become resistant, said meeting attendees. In six people who tested negative on enrolment but turned out to be HIV-positive, the drugs were no longer effective. Another fear, unconfirmed in trials, was that people might not take the pill consistently,and might contract a strain of HIV that became drug-resistant as a result of exposure to low levels of anti?retrovirals.

To mitigate these risks, the FDA requires that Truvada be prescribed only once an individual has tested negative for HIV. The agency also advises that people use the drug in combination with safe sex practices, and get tested for the virus every three months while taking it. Some experts at the advisory meeting proposed stricter policies, such as making the tests mandatory, but these were dismissed as impractical. Another idea was to limit the drug to specific populations who are at the very highest risk, such as homosexual people who use intra?venous drugs, but the FDA adopted a vaguer category encapsulating anyone at high risk of contracting HIV. ?We want to reach marginalized populations,? says Celum, ?and restricting access would mean that Truvada would be less likely to have a public-health impact.?

Wayne Chen, acting chief of medicine at the AIDS Health Foundation in Los Angeles, California, regrets the decision to approve the drug, saying that condoms are cheaper and can be a more effective preventative. ?The best thing would be to have this drug withdrawn from the market, and if it?s not, there should at least be mandatory testing because we know that people don?t take this as prescribed,? he says, citing a Truvada clinical trial in Africa that was ended prematurely because the drug was not preventing infection. Blood tests later confirmed that fewer than 40% of the study participants on Truvada had been taking the pills daily.

To proponents, however, the promise of the drug is bright. Salim Abdool Karim, director of the Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa in Durban, hopes that Truvada might soon be available in his country, where up to one-quarter of women have HIV by the age of 20. ?Truvada is now the only technology we have that empowers women,? he says. ?I don?t think we?ll be able to slow the HIV epidemic in South Africa without something to protect them.?

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on July 17, 2012.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=966d72faf1d1d1033126bc1f3f1ab536

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UNO's 'Cookie University' helps teen Girl Scouts prepare for the future

Ordering product. Tracking receipts and paying expenses. Ringing that doorbell and making the sale.

Nebraska Girl Scout leaders say the lessons Scouts learned through cookie sales ? setting goals, managing money and working with people, to name a few ? can be a foundation for success in adult life.

?Cookie University,? a three-day program this week at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, gave 21 high school-aged Girl Scouts a taste of how those lessons translate into college and careers. The program, now in its second year, is sponsored by the Spirit of Nebraska Girl Scout Council at no cost to the Scouts or their troops.

Cookies and cookie selling were not the focus. It's not a seminar to help Scouts boost sales.

?These girls are already really good cookie sellers,? said Traci Cherrington, the council's product program manager ? a.k.a. the ?Cookie Lady.?

?This is to expose older girls ? who oftentimes wander away from Scouts ? to business, leadership and a little bit of the college campus experience,? she said. ?They don't always make the connection that the Hillary Clintons of the world started out as Girl Scout cookie sellers.?

Plus, it's fun to spend time on a college campus with other girls, said Jenna Podany, 15, a high school sophomore from Clarkson, Neb., sitting with Kylie Congdon, 14, and Melinda Union, 15, two girls she just met from Conestoga High School in Murray.

?I got a postcard in the mail,? Podany said. ?I thought it looked fun. It would be meeting new people. As you look forward to college, it gives you a better understanding of what you're getting into.?

Melanie Krings, manager for UNO's executive MBA program, talks to the girls during "Cookie University." JAMES R. BURNETT/THE WORLD-HERALD

Cherrington, whose 15-year-old daughter, Tyler, was among those participating, confided that the residence hall vending machines were big hits with the Scouts, who spent Monday and Tuesday nights in Scott Hall.

The program wrapped up Wednesday with a trip to Sioux City, Iowa, for a tour of a factory where cookies are made. On Tuesday, the Scouts attended classes taught in UNO's Mammel Hall, the campus's new business administration building.

UNO faculty and staff taught classes on credit-card management and budgeting but also provided information about extracurricular activities and services offered at college.

Kaitlyn Hodges, Helen Woods, twins Stephanie and Natalie Nepper, Lexie Deffenbacher and Angelika Bull, all age 14 and members of Omaha's Troop 41194, said they enjoyed staying in Scott Hall together.

They described themselves as ?pretty decent? cookie sellers. Woods said the troop averages about 100 boxes each, with some Scouts selling quite a bit more. They said it takes more skill for older Scouts to sell cookies.

?People think about the younger girls selling cookies, not the older girls,? said Natalie Nepper. ?It gets harder when you get older.?

Mariah Gamble and her friend, Jonique Jones, both 14 and heading into their freshman year at Omaha Central, said they didn't know what they would learn at Cookie University .

?My mom signed me up for it ? I didn't know what it was,? confessed Gamble. Jones said her grandmother, who leads Troop 45013, enrolled her. Both girls are longtime Scouts.

Gamble seemed a little stunned after a budgeting session, in which finance, banking and law professor Kath Henebry guided the Scouts in identifying the expenses of daily life ? food, housing, car expenses, insurance, even the cost of caring for pets ? that should be included in a budget. The budget session followed one on the pitfalls of credit cards.

?I didn't realize there's that much stuff my parents have to pay,? Gamble said.

The only time Girl Scout cookies made an appearance: as thank-you gifts to Henebry and the other teachers. Henebry said she had recently baked cookies herself as a way to coax colleagues to attend a meeting.

?They're not as good as these,? she added. ?I don't plan to share.?

Contact the writer: 402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com

Copyright ?2012 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald. To purchase rights to republish this article, please contact The World-Herald Store.

Source: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120719/MONEY/707199991

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Ideas To Help You Market Your Business On The Internet | Karyn ...

The nature of online marketing is interesting, complex and always evolving. There are so many ways that it can be customized for each business that the possibilities are nearly endless. This can make starting out a bit tricky for a novice. The tips you will read here can get you ready for any challenge.

Having a specified area on your site dedicated to reviews is a useful tool for Internet marketing. Customer?s post their real experiences with your product and these can make new sales, at the same time they are increasing your presence on the Internet with more content.

Put some banners on your header, make sure they do not look like a banner. If they appear as clickable links, your customers will be more apt to use them. Since most people avoid clicking on banners, this strategy makes it more likely that visitors will click on them.

Offer special sales on your site?s check-out page. For example, give customers the option to add similar items at a discounted price as a kind of ?thank-you.? You can really thin out your extra merchandise and boost your sales by doing this while simultaneously promoting goodwill from your customer who will feel he or she is getting a really great deal.

TIP! Reduce the amount of Flash that is used on your site. It may be aesthetically pleasing, but it will not add additional search engine results.

Offer discounted prices. Place the discounted price right next to the product?s original price. Add a compelling call to action, such as, ?Today only! Order now for 20% off?

It?s important not to become too reliant on one venue or source of income when engaged in Internet marketing. The reason this is particularly important in online business is that the stream of income you can generate is likely to be very uneven for quite a while after you start. Do not quit your stable job before you know your business will support you.

Present limited time offers. Consider offering a special discount or free gift to people who buy your products within a certain time frame. Make sure that you highlight the end date of the offer to create a feeling of urgency.

Try to market without resorting to spam. Although it may seem more efficient to use web-crawling software to post hundreds of comments on hundreds of blogs, these posts will never have the effect you want them too. Lack of personalization could lose your customer and reduce your overall sales by creating a bad aura.

TIP! Know the goals for your site and stick with reaching those goals. Determine what type of content you hope to include in your articles, then select the directories to which you will submit them.

For increasing user satisfaction with your business online, try making a FAQ page for your site. You can make your customers feel more comfortable and increase sales by answering their questions right away. The more your client will benefit, the greater the chances that they will complete a purchase for the things you offer.

Ponder what strategies you will use to promote your site. You can use social networking, blog posts and even posters in area businesses to help advertise your site for little or no cost. There are lots of different ways to get many people to visit your site. Creativity helps when you are trying to set yourself apart from the rest.

Know about 500 error pages and how to use them. This happens when a code stops working for you. The page will say that there was a connection time out. There are lots of different ways you can inform your visitors that there is a known problem and you are working to correct it.

Always back up what you say in your ads with concrete examples. Most people don?t believe what they read. Including research study results, testimonials, references or guarantees can enhance your credibility and increase the likelihood that you make a sale. When you are dropping unproven statements throughout your site, people will ignore and dismiss you and your site.

TIP! Create a video featuring you using your product. By doing this, your customers will know that you use the products yourself.

Keep learning about the things you can use online. By keeping up with the newest trends on the Internet, you increase your chances of giving the public what it really wants.

The variety of Internet marketing tactics can make it daunting to begin an endeavor of your own. Adopt a strategy that is adapted to your audience and to your products, but do not let the amount of possibilities intimidate you. The tips here should make things a little simpler for you

To YOUR Success!

- Karyn Weger

MLM Coaching | $1000 a Day Formula

Multilevel Marketing Tips

PS ? Who else wants to see how to produce virtually unlimited leads, bank thousands in affiliate commissions and recruit hundreds of business builders into your MLM business on auto-pilot?

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/doit/blog/ideas-to-help-you-market-your-business-on-the-internet-2/

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