Concussion and its association with contact sports

Public release date: 30-Nov-2012
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Contact: Jo Ann M Eliason
jaeliason@thejns.org
434-982-1209
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group

Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can occur in the brain following concussion, and changing attitudes and legislation concerning sports that traditionally carry risks of brain injury.

Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), has been called a "silent epidemic" because the event and its consequences, such as cognitive and behavioral changes, may be subtle and are not always recognized.

In the first four articles of the December issuea four-part series offering the results of "a prospective study of physician-observed concussion during a varsity university hockey season"Dr. Echlin and colleagues offer new findings of the Hockey Education Concussion Project (HECP), which focus on concussions sustained by male and female college hockey players in Canada. In November 2010, these researchers presented findings from their groundbreaking study of concussion in junior-league hockey players in Neurosurgical Focus. Today they offer fresh findings on the incidence of concussion during hockey games, neuropsychological changes following concussion, and changes in hockey players' white matter and brain metabolism over the course of the hockey season. The following universities contributed to the new study: University of Western Ontario, Harvard University, University of Montreal, University of British Columbia, and Indiana University. In this study, Echlin and colleagues added advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to neuropsychological tests to follow players' physiological and mental health over an entire season. They administered the MRI studies and neuropsychological assessments (ImPACT and SCAT2) to college hockey players at the beginning of the season, after a diagnosed concussion, and at the end of the season. In addition, physician and non-physician observers were present at games, where they could recognize signs and symptoms of concussion on the spot.

The incidences of game-related concussions identified by Echlin and colleagues in the present series, although lower than stated in their 2010 study, were three times higher in male hockey players and five times higher in female players than those found by other authors. The incidence in female players was substantially higher than that in male players: 14.93 vs. 7.50 per 1000 athlete exposures during the regular season games. The authors discuss some findings that led them to believe that hockey-associated concussion is underreported and other findings that indicate that the current definition of concussion may need to be reexamined. The authors also describe their experiences in conducting the study during hockey games, working with coaches, trainers, and players. Cultural attitudes about hockey and reticence on the part of team members, leaders, and others to report concussion events are discussed.

Other Papers

An overview of what is known about the forces involved in the primary phase of concussion as well as immediate and secondary cellular events that lead to the secondary phase of this TBI is provided by Matthew Dashnaw, Anthony Petraglia, and Julian Bailes. These authors point out that a thorough understanding of the basic processes of concussion and subconcussion must exist in order to prevent and treat the consequences of these injuries.

Scott Zuckerman and colleagues focus on more severe sequelae of sports-related concussions such as subarachnoid, epidural, and subdural hemorrhage, as well as malignant cerebral edemamedical emergencies frequently requiring the services of a neurosurgeon. These authors conducted PubMed searches on structural brain injuries arising from sports-related concussions and found 40 articles describing individual cases and small patient series. The lack of prospective cohort series led the authors to suggest the creation of a prospective registry of these injuries, which would be of great benefit to neurosurgeons dealing with severe consequences of concussion.

A review of the literature on the associations between biomechanical parameters and concussions sustained by helmeted players in American football is reported by Jonathan Forbes and coworkers. They state that the existing data are insufficient to predict the occurrence of concussion based on biomechanical data and suggest that further research is necessary.

In a separate study, patients who sustained a concussion from a motor vehicle accident or a sports mishap and healthy volunteers performed working memory tasks while electrophysiological testing measured event-related potential (ERP) waves in their brains. Nadia Gosselin and colleagues found cerebral dysfunction in the patients with concussions, as indicated by both poor performance on the memory tasks and abnormal ERP waves; the abnormal ERP waves were identified even in patients in the nonacute stage of TBI. The same group of researchers also contributed another paper in which they review long-term alterations in cognitive and motor function following sports-related concussion, which were detected using modern brain investigation techniques. In the second paper, the authors provide new insights into the neuropathophysiology of sports-related concussion.

Magnetoencephalographic virtual recording during language/spatial tasks was examined by Matthew Tormenti and colleagues as a potential diagnostic tool for concussion. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that with some refinements, magnetoencephalographic virtual recording may become a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool.

The status of sport-related concussion legislation in the United States is discussed by Krystal Tomei et al. These researchers compared state laws regarding concussion education, criteria for removal from play, and which individuals are allowed to evaluate a player and clear this individual for return to play. The authors found that concussion legislation has been passed in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and is pending in another 4 states.

Accompanying the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is a fascinating podcast discussion between Drs. Paul Echlin and Anthony Petraglia. Some topics covered include the basic physics of head injury in atheletes; primary and secondary injuries sustained in concussion; the value of laboratory investigations to the advancement of physician's understanding of concussion; the importance of educating team players, trainers, coaches, and parents in the prevention and treatment of concussion; and how both physicians became interested in sports-related head injuries.

###

Neurosurgical Focus, Volume 33, Number 6, published online November 30, 2012.

Disclosure: Funding information and potential conflicts of interest are listed at the end of each article.

For additional information on articles in the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus, please contact:
Jo Ann M. Eliason, Communications Manager
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
One Morton Drive, Suite 200
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Email: jaeliason@thejns.org
Telephone 434-982-1209
Fax 434-924-2702

Neurosurgical Focus, an online-only, monthly, peer-reviewed journal, covers a different neurosurgery-related topic in depth each month and is available free to all readers at http://www.thejns.org. Enhanced by color images and video clips, each issue constitutes a state-of-the-art "textbook chapter" in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical Focus is one of four monthly journals published by the JNS Publishing Group, the scholarly journal division of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, an association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jo Ann M Eliason
jaeliason@thejns.org
434-982-1209
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group

Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can occur in the brain following concussion, and changing attitudes and legislation concerning sports that traditionally carry risks of brain injury.

Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), has been called a "silent epidemic" because the event and its consequences, such as cognitive and behavioral changes, may be subtle and are not always recognized.

In the first four articles of the December issuea four-part series offering the results of "a prospective study of physician-observed concussion during a varsity university hockey season"Dr. Echlin and colleagues offer new findings of the Hockey Education Concussion Project (HECP), which focus on concussions sustained by male and female college hockey players in Canada. In November 2010, these researchers presented findings from their groundbreaking study of concussion in junior-league hockey players in Neurosurgical Focus. Today they offer fresh findings on the incidence of concussion during hockey games, neuropsychological changes following concussion, and changes in hockey players' white matter and brain metabolism over the course of the hockey season. The following universities contributed to the new study: University of Western Ontario, Harvard University, University of Montreal, University of British Columbia, and Indiana University. In this study, Echlin and colleagues added advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to neuropsychological tests to follow players' physiological and mental health over an entire season. They administered the MRI studies and neuropsychological assessments (ImPACT and SCAT2) to college hockey players at the beginning of the season, after a diagnosed concussion, and at the end of the season. In addition, physician and non-physician observers were present at games, where they could recognize signs and symptoms of concussion on the spot.

The incidences of game-related concussions identified by Echlin and colleagues in the present series, although lower than stated in their 2010 study, were three times higher in male hockey players and five times higher in female players than those found by other authors. The incidence in female players was substantially higher than that in male players: 14.93 vs. 7.50 per 1000 athlete exposures during the regular season games. The authors discuss some findings that led them to believe that hockey-associated concussion is underreported and other findings that indicate that the current definition of concussion may need to be reexamined. The authors also describe their experiences in conducting the study during hockey games, working with coaches, trainers, and players. Cultural attitudes about hockey and reticence on the part of team members, leaders, and others to report concussion events are discussed.

Other Papers

An overview of what is known about the forces involved in the primary phase of concussion as well as immediate and secondary cellular events that lead to the secondary phase of this TBI is provided by Matthew Dashnaw, Anthony Petraglia, and Julian Bailes. These authors point out that a thorough understanding of the basic processes of concussion and subconcussion must exist in order to prevent and treat the consequences of these injuries.

Scott Zuckerman and colleagues focus on more severe sequelae of sports-related concussions such as subarachnoid, epidural, and subdural hemorrhage, as well as malignant cerebral edemamedical emergencies frequently requiring the services of a neurosurgeon. These authors conducted PubMed searches on structural brain injuries arising from sports-related concussions and found 40 articles describing individual cases and small patient series. The lack of prospective cohort series led the authors to suggest the creation of a prospective registry of these injuries, which would be of great benefit to neurosurgeons dealing with severe consequences of concussion.

A review of the literature on the associations between biomechanical parameters and concussions sustained by helmeted players in American football is reported by Jonathan Forbes and coworkers. They state that the existing data are insufficient to predict the occurrence of concussion based on biomechanical data and suggest that further research is necessary.

In a separate study, patients who sustained a concussion from a motor vehicle accident or a sports mishap and healthy volunteers performed working memory tasks while electrophysiological testing measured event-related potential (ERP) waves in their brains. Nadia Gosselin and colleagues found cerebral dysfunction in the patients with concussions, as indicated by both poor performance on the memory tasks and abnormal ERP waves; the abnormal ERP waves were identified even in patients in the nonacute stage of TBI. The same group of researchers also contributed another paper in which they review long-term alterations in cognitive and motor function following sports-related concussion, which were detected using modern brain investigation techniques. In the second paper, the authors provide new insights into the neuropathophysiology of sports-related concussion.

Magnetoencephalographic virtual recording during language/spatial tasks was examined by Matthew Tormenti and colleagues as a potential diagnostic tool for concussion. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that with some refinements, magnetoencephalographic virtual recording may become a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool.

The status of sport-related concussion legislation in the United States is discussed by Krystal Tomei et al. These researchers compared state laws regarding concussion education, criteria for removal from play, and which individuals are allowed to evaluate a player and clear this individual for return to play. The authors found that concussion legislation has been passed in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and is pending in another 4 states.

Accompanying the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is a fascinating podcast discussion between Drs. Paul Echlin and Anthony Petraglia. Some topics covered include the basic physics of head injury in atheletes; primary and secondary injuries sustained in concussion; the value of laboratory investigations to the advancement of physician's understanding of concussion; the importance of educating team players, trainers, coaches, and parents in the prevention and treatment of concussion; and how both physicians became interested in sports-related head injuries.

###

Neurosurgical Focus, Volume 33, Number 6, published online November 30, 2012.

Disclosure: Funding information and potential conflicts of interest are listed at the end of each article.

For additional information on articles in the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus, please contact:
Jo Ann M. Eliason, Communications Manager
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
One Morton Drive, Suite 200
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Email: jaeliason@thejns.org
Telephone 434-982-1209
Fax 434-924-2702

Neurosurgical Focus, an online-only, monthly, peer-reviewed journal, covers a different neurosurgery-related topic in depth each month and is available free to all readers at http://www.thejns.org. Enhanced by color images and video clips, each issue constitutes a state-of-the-art "textbook chapter" in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical Focus is one of four monthly journals published by the JNS Publishing Group, the scholarly journal division of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, an association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/jonp-cai112712.php

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Green Blog: Susan Rice Has Stake in Keystone Pipeline

Should Susan E. Rice, the United Nations ambassador, be nominated for Secretary of State, one issue likely to arise during confirmation hearings, aside from the lethal attack on the American Mission in Benghazi, Libya, is her large stock holdings in TransCanada, the company seeking an American permit to build the proposed the Keystone XL pipeline.

According to financial disclosure documents filed in May, Ms. Rice owns from $300,000 to $600,000 worth of stock in the Canadian pipeline company (See pg. 5).

Because the State Department oversees transboundary pipelines, the Secretary of State is ultimately responsible for determining whether Keystone XL should go forward.

But her stock holdings in TransCanada,? first reported by the Sunlight Foundation and Onearth.org, an environmental publication affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council, would surely complicate the issue.

According to the United States Office of Government Ethics, federal law requires executive branch employees to be recused from matters ?if it would have a direct and predictable effect on the employee?s own financial interests or on certain financial interests that are treated as the employee?s own.?

The ethics agency also advises that employees may be directed to divest financial investments if they pose a substantial conflict.

Last year, Ms. Rice and her husband earned between $7,500 and $25,000 on their investments in TransCanada, according to financial disclosure forms (which require officials to provide only a range of investments and earnings).

?We need a full team at the State Department, including the secretary, to be free of any conflicts of interest when it comes to tar sands and TransCanada,? said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which opposes Keystone XL.

?I think she would need to sell her stock, and we would fully expect her to do that.?

Ms. Rice has not been nominated by President Obama to head the State Department, but she is said to be among his top choices.

Mr. Obama recently leapt to Ms. Rice?s defense as Congressional Republicans ramped up criticism of her handling of the attack on American diplomats in Benghazi, Libya.

Ms. Rice?s office at the United States Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her stock holdings. And TransCanada said it was not in a position to speak about potential nominees.

?That is a matter for the president of the United States,? said Grady Semmens, a spokesman for the company.

Ms. Rice, whose husband is Canadian, also has stock in other Canadian energy companies whose pipeline projects would fall under the jurisdiction of the State Department.

Federal filings show that Ms. Rice and her husband own at least $1.5 million worth of holdings in Enbridge, which transports Canadian oil sands crude through the United States. The company was heavily criticized by environmental groups after a 2010 pipeline spill dumped more than 840,000 gallons of oil near Marshall, Mich., leading to the closure of a 39-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River.

The fate of the Keystone XL, which would ship oil sands crude from Alberta to the Gulf Coast, is expected to be one of the most controversial decisions for the new Secretary of State.

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Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/stake-in-keystone-pipeline-is-potential-conflict-for-susan-rice/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Judge: UK needs independent press regulator

Britain's Lord Justice Brian Leveson pauses as he delivers a statement following the release of the Leveson Inquiry report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. After a yearlong inquiry full of sensational testimony, Lord Justice Leveson released his report Thursday into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses. (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

Britain's Lord Justice Brian Leveson pauses as he delivers a statement following the release of the Leveson Inquiry report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. After a yearlong inquiry full of sensational testimony, Lord Justice Leveson released his report Thursday into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses. (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

A man carries copies of the Leveson Inquiry report as he leaves the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre where Lord Justice Brian Leveson released his report, after a year long inquiry, into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Lord Justice Brian Leveson delivers a statement following the release of the Leveson Inquiry report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. After a yearlong inquiry full of sensational testimony, Lord Justice Leveson released his report Thursday into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses. (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

Britain's Lord Justice Brian Leveson, center back, delivers a statement following the release of the Leveson Inquiry report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. After a yearlong inquiry full of sensational testimony, Lord Justice Leveson released his report Thursday into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses. (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

Britain's Lord Justice Brian Leveson delivers a statement following the release of the Leveson Inquiry report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. After a yearlong inquiry full of sensational testimony, Lord Justice Leveson released his report Thursday into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses. (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's unruly newspapers should be regulated by an independent body dominated by non-journalists with the power to levy steep fines for ethical lapses, a judge recommended Thursday after a yearlong inquiry.

But Prime Minister David Cameron immediately expressed deep misgivings about a key recommendation in the 2,000-page report ? that the new regulator be enshrined in law. Cameron said he was concerned about government interference in free speech.

"I'm proud of the fact that we've managed to survive hundreds of years without state regulation," he said.

The impasse left questions about the eventual impact of Lord Justice Brian Leveson's sweeping probe of media ethics in Britain. The inquiry was triggered by a tabloid phone hacking scandal that expanded to engulf senior figures in politics, the police and Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

The report pleased victims of tabloid intrusion but left editors worrying about creeping state control of the country's fiercely independent press.

Leveson's key recommendation was to create a new regulator for newspapers and their websites, which he said should be established in law to prevent more people from being hurt by the "outrageous" press behavior that had "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people."

"The ball moves back into the politicians' court: They must now decide who guards the guardians," he said.

Cameron, under intense pressure over an issue that has divided his own Conservative Party, welcomed Leveson's proposal for a new regulator, saying "the status quo is not an option."

But the prime minister said asking legislators to enshrine it in law meant "crossing the Rubicon of writing elements of press regulation into the law of the land."

"I believe that we should be wary of any legislation that has the potential to infringe free speech and a free press," Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "We should think very, very carefully before crossing this line."

Cameron instead called on the much-criticized British press to show it could control itself by implementing the judge's proposals quickly without political involvement.

Leveson insisted that politicians and the government should play no role in regulating the press, which should be done by a new body with much stronger powers than the current Press Complaints Commission.

He said the new body should be composed of members of the public including former journalists and academics ? but no more than one serving editor and no politicians. It should have the power to rule on complaints, demand prominent corrections in newspapers and to levy fines of up to 1 million pounds ($1.6 million), though it would have no power to prevent material from being published.

Membership would be voluntary, but newspapers would join in part to stave off expensive lawsuits ? the regulator would handle complaints that now end up in court.

The proposal is similar to the system operating in Ireland, where a press council and ombudsman were set up in 2008 to make the print media more accountable.

Critics of the tabloid press generally backed Leveson's findings.

"I welcome Lord Leveson's report and hope it will mark the start of a new era for our press in which it treats those in the news responsibly, with care and consideration," said Kate McCann, who was the subject of intense press interest after her 3-year-old daughter Madeleine disappeared during a 2007 holiday in Portugal.

Brian Cathcart of the group Hacked Off, which campaigns for victims of press intrusion, said Leveson had produced "a workable, proportionate and reasonable solution to the problems of press abuse."

Cathcart called Cameron's inability to accept its recommendations "unfortunate and regrettable."

Cameron set up the Leveson inquiry after revelations of illegal eavesdropping by Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid sparked a criminal investigation and a wave of public revulsion.

The furor erupted in 2011 when it was revealed that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the mobile phone voicemails of slain schoolgirl Milly Dowler while police were searching for the 13-year-old.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old newspaper in July 2011. His U.K. newspaper company, News International, has paid millions in damages to dozens of hacking victims, and faces dozens more lawsuits from celebrities, politicians, athletes and crime victims whose voicemails were hacked in the paper's quest for scoops.

News International chief executive Tom Mockridge said the company was "keen to play our full part, with others in our industry, in creating a new body that commands the confidence of the public."

"We believe that this can be achieved without statutory regulation ? and welcome the prime minister's rejection of that proposal," he added.

Leveson's 4-million-pound ($6.4- million) inquiry heard evidence from more than 300 witnesses over months of dramatic, sometimes comic and often poignant testimony. Witnesses ranged from celebrities such as Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and actor Hugh Grant ? who both complained of intrusive treatment ? to the parents of Dowler, who described how learning that their daughter's voicemail had been accessed had given them false hope that she was alive.

Leveson said the ongoing criminal investigation constrained him from accusing other newspapers of illegal behavior, but concluded there was a subculture of unethical behavior.

While many editors have denied knowing about phone hacking, Leveson said it "was far more than a covert, secret activity, known to nobody save one or two practitioners of the 'dark arts.'"

He said newspapers had been guilty of "recklessness in prioritizing sensational stories almost irrespective of the harm the stories may cause."

The hacking scandal has rocked Britain's press, political and police establishments, who were seen to enjoy an often-cozy relationship in which drinks, dinners and sometimes money were traded for influence and information.

Several senior police officers resigned over the failure aggressively to pursue a 2007 investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World. But Leveson said "the inquiry has not unearthed extensive evidence of police corruption."

Leveson said over the past three decades, political parties "have had or developed too close a relationship with the press in a way which has not been in the public interest."

Those relationships reached right up to the prime minister's door. Former Murdoch editors and journalists charged with phone hacking, police bribery or other wrongdoing include Cameron's former spokesman, Andy Coulson, and ex-News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, a friend of the prime minister.

Still, Leveson acquitted senior politicians of wrongdoing.

Cameron was holding talks Thursday with leaders of the other main parties in an attempt to thrash out some agreement on press regulation.

He faced a battle. His own deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, the leader of his coalition partner the Liberal Democrats, differed from Cameron in backing the call for a new regulator established in law.

"We owe it to the victims of these scandals, who have already waited too long for us to do the right thing," Clegg said.

___

Online: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-29-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-9102b9a052d7484383770403e8ec90a7

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Charities might have to register with US tax authorities, Charity ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://aidresources.org/charities-might-have-to-register-with-us-tax-authorities-charity-finance-group-warns/

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Health Fitness House: Pain Management New Risks in Common ...

People always take pain and pain medication for granted. Usually, they seek pain management treatment only when the pain grows worse or becomes intolerable and only when pain killers cant seem to give them relief anymore. But before that much-avoided visit to the doctor, how do people handle or manage pain on their own?
Most of them take over-the-counter pain medication which is, of course, fine when it comes to treating occasional bouts of pain from ordinary and common known causes. When it comes to chronic pain or pain that keeps on recurring for weeks, months or years, some people attempt to play doctor by giving themselves pain medication in doses according to their own liking. This is extremely dangerous and harmful to the body due to the many side effects that are associated with prolonged use and large doses of over-the-counter pain killers.
http://www.healthfitnesshouse.com/pain-management-new-risks-in-common-pain-killers/

Source: http://healthfitnesshouse.blogspot.com/2012/11/pain-management-new-risks-in-common.html

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Human disturbances keep elk on high alert

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2012) ? University of Alberta researchers discovered that elk are more frequently and more easily disturbed by humans such as ATV drivers than by their natural predators like bears and wolves.

The U of A researchers, led by biologist Simone Ciuti, spent 12 months in southwestern Alberta. The study involved elk herds made up of females and their offspring. The researchers observed the animals' reactions to different rates of human disturbances in the form of traffic on nearby roads and off-road, all-terrain vehicles.

The elk in the study were found on a variety of land types -- public, private and inside Waterton National Park.

The research data showed that starting with a rate of just one vehicle passing by an elk herd every two hours, the animals became disturbed and more vigilant. In this state the elk consume less food, which can affect their health and possibly their calving success.

The researchers found that the highest level of disturbance happened on public lands where the effect of hunting and ATV use was cumulative.

Contrary to what some people might expect, elk inside Waterton National Park during the busy summer tourist season displayed less disturbance reaction than elk in more remote, unpopulated public land settings where motorized recreational activities were permitted.

Ciuti says this shows that the animals' reactions are not shaped by numbers of people but by the type of human activity they're exposed to.

Observing the elk from long distances so as not to alter their behaviour, the researchers took detailed notes documenting the frequency and amount of time the elk spent scanning the horizon for danger rather than foraging for food.

Ciuti says the U of A gave him an invaluable experience as a field biologist.

"Observing elk, especially in December, can be physically demanding, but you see things you can't even imagine, like a grizzly bear chasing an elk herd, trying to single out a calf," he said. "The U of A is the right place to be if you want to study animal ecology."

This research was supervised by U of A biology professor Mark Boyce. Followup research comparing birth rates in North American ungulates with levels of human disturbance will be conducted by researchers from the Boyce lab at the U of A.

The research was published Nov. 28 in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Alberta. The original article was written by Brian Murphy.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Simone Ciuti, Joseph M. Northrup, Tyler B. Muhly, Silvia Simi, Marco Musiani, Justin A. Pitt, Mark S. Boyce. Effects of Humans on Behaviour of Wildlife Exceed Those of Natural Predators in a Landscape of Fear. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (11): e50611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050611

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/PnJ5b4UJo_M/121128183051.htm

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Former baseball star indicted for insider trading

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Former Baltimore Orioles all-star Doug DeCinces and three others were indicted Wednesday on insider trading charges involving the use of information prior to the takeover of a medical device company in California, authorities said.

In 2008, DeCinces was told by a close friend and official at Advanced Medical Optics Inc. that Abbott Laboratories planned to pay $21 to $23 a share for the company's stock, prosecutors said. At the time, Advanced Medical Optics was trading for about $8 a share.

DeCinces began buying Advance Medical stock based on that information and passed along the takeover details to three friends because he wanted to make up for previous investment recommendations that had gone bad, prosecutors said.

When Abbott's offer was made public, DeCinces sold his newly purchased shares and profited about $1.3 million, court documents show. Abbott acquired Advanced Medical Optics in January 2009.

DeCinces' three friends each bought and sold Advanced Medical stock and made anywhere from $140,000 to nearly $350,000, authorities said.

Also indicted on insider trading charges were David Parker, 60, of Provo, Utah; Fred Scott Jackson, 65, of Newport Beach, and Roger Wittenbach, 69, of Lutherville-Timonium in Maryland.

DeCinces, 62, was charged with 42 counts of securities fraud and one count of money laundering. Each of the fraud counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. DeCinces is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 17.

"To put it mildly, we do not agree with the decision to bring a criminal case against Doug DeCinces," said Gordon Greenberg, DeCinces' attorney. "But the proper place to have this resolved is in the courtroom and not on the courthouse steps."

Messages left for the other defendants' lawyers were not immediately returned.

The Securities and Exchange Commission previously filed a civil lawsuit against DeCinces that was settled last year when the former major leaguer agreed to pay $2.5 million. In the lawsuit, federal authorities named James Mazzo, Advanced Medical's former CEO, as the person who told DeCinces about the pending deal.

Mazzo is a senior vice president at Abbott and is not facing criminal charges. In August, in response to the SEC lawsuit, Mazzo's attorney said his client would be fully exonerated after a review of the evidence.

Also caught up in the insider trading case was Hall of Famer and DeCinces' former teammate Eddie Murray, who agreed in August to pay nearly $360,000 to settle federal civil charges. Federal investigators said DeCinces told Murray about the impending takeover. Murray neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing.

DeCinces was a third baseman during 15 seasons with the Orioles, California Angels and St. Louis Cardinals. He currently is president and CEO of a real estate development firm in Orange County.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-decinces-indicted-insider-trading-011343557--finance.html

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Shane Robison's Role In Autonomy Deal - Business Insider

Hewlett-Packard

Former HP executive Shane Robison is also getting blamed for the Autonomy deal.

When HP blamed its $8.8 billion writeoff of Autonomy on fraudulent bookkeeping at the software company it bought last year, Meg Whitman told Wall Street analysts that two HP executives "led" the deal:

Ex-CEO L?o Apotheker and former CTO Shane Robison.

And both of them, she pointed out, were gone.

That is rubbing some HP managers and executives the wrong way, a source familiar with the situation tells us.

That source, who is close to Robison, told us that no one at HP ever warned the longtime HP executive, who retired last fall, that he would be publicly blamed for the Autonomy deal.

Whitman's fingering Robison has upset some who worked closely with Robison during his 11 years at the company, our source says. ?That's potentially a problem for Whitman, who needs to win over HP's rank and file to execute a turnaround.

Of course, there's no way Whitman is going to come out and blame the board. For one thing, she was a board member before she became CEO and she reports to the board. And saying that the board didn't do its job in the Autonomy deal could expose HP to shareholder lawsuits.

But other HP insiders we've talked to say that if it's fair to blame Robison, it's fair to blame the whole board. That's because Robison had no authority to enter into a large acquisition negotiation before the board's technical committee delved into it, approved it, and sent it to the full board for approval.

That's not how most companies work. But HP is not like most companies. In 2002, its board created a technology committee charged with overseeing the company's strategy and mergers. That move was viewed as unusual at its time.

Marc Andreessen, the legendary cofounder of Netscape and technology investor at Andreessen Horowitz, chairs that committee. (Disclosure: Andreessen is an investor in Business Insider.)

Here's how HP describes the committee's role:

The Technology Committee ...?reviews and makes recommendations on proposed investment, acquisition, joint venture and divestiture transactions with a value of at least $200 million that involve technology prior to any review by other Board Committees or the Board pursuant to HP?s M&A approval policies.

So of course Andreessen and his committee members signed off on the Autonomy deal.

"Shane and his organization could not even begin conversation with a company without board approval," one of our sources told us. "It wasn't like Shane and L?o said, 'Let's go talk to Autonomy,' and then presented it to the board when the deal was done."

That's not to say the board committee deserves the blame for the deal going south. Our sources, who are familiar with HP's culture and practices, just don't understand why Robison, a well-respected executive, should carry the blame any more than the board members who approved the deal.

"Meg was part of the puzzle and just as responsible for the lack of due diligence," another longtime HP employee told us. "How much culpability does she and the board have versus the people who put the deal together? To come back and point fingers because they paid too much, that's on the board."

It's one thing for Whitman to demonize former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch and Apotheker, her short-tenured predecessor, neither of whom meshed well with HP's culture.

But by making a scapegoat out of a well-respected technology executive like Robison, Whitman risks crossing a line with HP's rank and file, who are?still feeling the sting of her massive, multiyear layoff plan.?

The scapegoating seems especially unfair because Robison's responsibility was technology, not accounting and finance, and the problem with the Autonomy deal is the accounting and the price HP paid, not its technology.

"Shane is hardcore dedicated to HP," one of our sources said. "To take a former executive and treat him this way without even a heads-up?HP employees are pretty wound up around it."

Our source also points out that HP has a long history of botched acquisitions. Autonomy's former CEO, Mike Lynch, told Business Insider that the acquisition failed because of HP's poor management, particularly with respect to its sales management.

"That's 100% true," our source said. "It's the No. 1 problem with all of HP's acquisitions. It's not unique to Autonomy."

We asked Robison, who now serves on the board of storage startup Fusion-io, for an interview. He politely declined. We also asked HP for comment and haven't heard back yet.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/shane-robison-hp-autonomy-2012-11

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Exit133.com: Tacoma City Council Meeting - November 27, 2012

By Exit133 at 28. November 2012, 15:00 :

CONSENT AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS

Resolution No. 38573 Approving the final plat of ?La Terra?, a 51-lot and five-tract single-family residential subdivision located at 4001, 4007, and 4025 49th Avenue Northeast. (CES NW, Inc.; File No. PLT2012-40000186527) [Cheri Gibbons, Associate Planner; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

The consent agenda passed without comment.

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Mayor Strickland proclaimed December 2012 to be Zoolights Month in the City of Tacoma, in honor of the 25th year of Zoolights as a holiday institution in the city.
• City Manager Broadnax recognized Linda Bremmer for her recent years of service to the City as head of the Human Rights and Human Services Department. Bremmer will be retiring after leading the department through significant changes over the last two years.

PUBLIC COMMENT
Despite the lengthy agenda, there was no comment this week.

REGULAR AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS

Resolution No. 38574 Authorizing the execution of a Multi-Family Housing 12-Year Limited Property Tax Exemption Agreement with SNR Northwest Properties, LLC, for the development of six market-rate multi-family rental housing units, located at 4549 South Puget Sound Avenue in the Tacoma Mall Mixed-Use Center. [James Colburn, Associate Planner; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

The resolution passed without comment.

Resolution No. 38575 Designating the Every-Other-Week Garbage Collection Project as a special project of limited duration; and designating general salary classifications and benefits for persons employed on the project. [Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services]

This resolution designates the every-other week transition as a special project of a limited duration. The changeover will require a large logistical effort, and rather than contracting out, the City has decided to use City employees or temporary employees. This decision will reduce turnover during the period of the project and allows those employees to get benefits like regular employees, which they would not get without the special project designation. Employees who are on the layoff list for this round of budget cuts will be the first to be contacted if they are eligible for the positions created for this project. All positions have been budgeted for in the 2013-2014 budget.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28100 Authorizing a zero percent increase in the 2013 general property tax revenue collection, in terms of both dollars and percentage, for the general property tax levy. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28101 Fixing the amount of the 2013 Ad Valorem property tax levies. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28102 Authorizing a decrease in the 2013 general property tax revenue collection, in terms of both dollars and percentage, for the Emergency Medical Services property tax levy. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28103 Fixing the amount of the 2013 Emergency Medical Services tax levies. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The amount of this revenue source will be going down in the next biennium due to declining property values. The State caps the percent at which the City can levy this tax.

Ordinance No. 28104 Amending Chapter 1.30 of the Municipal Code, relating to the joint City-County Law Enforcement Support Agency, to update the reference of Law Enforcement Support Agency to South Sound 9-1-1 Agency. [Tansy Hayward, Assistant City Manager; T.C. Broadnax, City Manager]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28105 Amending Chapter 8.109 of the Municipal Code, relating to public safety and juvenile curfew, to renew the Curfew Ordinance to make it non-expiring with a biennial review by the Public Safety, Human Services, and Education Committee. [Kelly Crouch, Contracting and Planning Auditor; Linda Villegas Bremer, Director, Human Rights and Human Services]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28106 Amending Chapter 6A.30 of the Municipal Code, relating to business and occupation tax, to revise the definition of engaging in business to clarify the nexus of board meetings; adopt changes which amend apportionment for digital goods; and update the deduction to refer to state-required tax treatment. [Danielle Larson, Tax and License Division Manager; Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The ordinance passed without comment.

Ordinance No. 28107 Amending Chapter 6A.30, relating to business and occupation tax, to add a new deduction for gross income received from public entities for health or social welfare services; and eliminate the partial exemption and deduction provided to non-profit healthcare providers whose annual gross income exceeds $30 million for gross income received from health care services. [Danielle Larson, Tax and License Division Manager; Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The infamous ordinance repealing the B&O tax exemption for large healthcare service providers passed without the sunset provision proposed at last week?s City Council meeting. As Councilmember Fey clarified, however, the lack of a sunset provision does not mean that the Council can not revisit the issue at a future date. In fact, we heard several comments from council members vowing to review Tacoma?s tax structure as a whole, including the way B&O taxes work.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28108 Amending various sections of the Municipal Code to reflect the elimination of the Human Rights and Human Services Department, align the scope of duties and authority for the new Neighborhood and Community Services Department; and repealing obsolete Chapter 5.20 in its entirety. [T.C. Broadnax, City Manager]

This ordinance and the following two reflect changes covered during the budget process in an effort to streamline processes and improve efficiency. The City Manager expects to see about $750,000 in savings come out of these adjustments.

This first ordinance would consolidate what has been the Human Rights and Human Services, merging services of Code Compliance and Community Based Services into the new Neighborhood and Community Services Department. City Manager Broadnax explained that the departments already work closely together, and their alignment in one department adds value and links critical services.

Ordinance No. 28109 Amending various sections of the Municipal Code to reflect organizational changes and align the scope of duties and authority for the Planning and Development Services and Public Works Departments. [T.C. Broadnax, City Manager]

This ordinance would address overlaps in existing departments, streamlining those services into the new Planning and Development Services and Public Works in ways Broadnax expects to provide more beneficial outcomes for customers and greater efficiencies for the City.

Ordinance No. 28110 Amending various sections of the Municipal Code to reflect organizational changes and align the scope of duties and authority for the Community and Economic Development Department, including the assignment of oversight of the Historically Underutilized Business Program and Local Employment and Apprenticeship Training Program. [T.C. Broadnax, City Manager]

This third ordinance would remove Planning and Building and Land Use Services from the Community and Economic Development Department, and add the HUB and LEAP programs to more closely align with the City?s goals of supporting small business efforts.

Ordinance No. 28111 Amending Chapter 8.20 of the Municipal Code, relating to minors and alcohol, by repealing Section 8.20.070 in its entirety and enacting a new Section 8.20.071, entitled ?Minors and Liquor ? Prohibited Acts,? to allow for effective and efficient prosecution consistent with state law. [Keith Echterling, Prosecuting City Attorney; Elizabeth Pauli, City Attorney]

These changes would bring the TMC up to date on this issue, which has not been addressed since 1988. The changes would bring Tacoma in line with the State code, allowing the City office to prosecute this kind of offense in alignment with the State law.

Ordinance No. 28112 Adopting the 2013-2018 Capital Facilities Program. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

The proposed 2013-2018 CFP was heard by the Planning Commission in October, and has been presented as a part of the budget process. The list of capital facilities projects included in Tacoma?s comprehensive plan is a planning document that complements the budget, and includes the whole range of projects for the City. New projects are identified for the list based on public input, recognized needs within the city, alignment with City goals and objectives, and availability (or potential availability) of funding. Completed projects are removed from the list. This year 18 projects have been recommended to be added, and 67 will be removed from the list. Among the projects listed are work to upgrade Puyallup Avenue with complete streets mobility improvements, upgrades to Dock Street, design work to prepare 56th Street for grant money when that becomes available, sidewalk and wetlands conservation projects, ramp improvements at 72nd and I-5, Tacoma Dome improvements, and others. The list aligns with other City planning documents like the Six-Year Transportation plan. Inclusion on the list doesn?t guarantee the project will get funding, but makes it a possibility. If the ordinance passes at its final reading next week, it will be enacted along with the budget for the next biennium.

Ordinance No. 28113 Amending the 2011-2012 Biennial Budget to appropriate funds for contractual obligations, an interfund loan, transfers, and other budget adjustments; and appropriating miscellaneous donations, contributions, and/or fees. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

This ordinance would authorize transactions within certain operating budgets, capital and grant funds to comply with generally accepted processes.

Ordinance No. 28114 Adopting the 2013-2014 Biennial Budget for the City of Tacoma; and restructuring the remaining balance of a line of credit note through December 31, 2018. [Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

We?ve heard a lot about the budget in recent days, weeks, and months, and it hasn?t changed much other than a few minor revisions. One new change is an additional $200,000 associated with Tacoma?s new Transportation Benefit District going into effect a month sooner than expected. We also see an additional $3.5 million associated with the elimination of the B&O tax break for nonprofit healthcare providers. That isn?t a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but it will allow the City to invest some money back into things like our libraries, improvements to Ruston Way and Old Town Dock, and a reduction of the impacts when the SAFER and COPS grants for Tacoma Fire and Police jobs expire. Most of the programs this money will go to are one-time expenditures. We also see a slight adjustment upward of the City?s reserve balance, but it still falls short of the 12% of the total budget recommended for the City to keep on hand.

Another component of this ordinance is the restructuring of a line of credit for the City. Without restructuring, the Tacoma Dome loan would come due as a lump sum in 2013. The restructuring allows the loan to be spread out over the next six years.

We also heard a couple changes that will be coming to TPU billing practices. TPU will be extending its grace period for payment of utility bills from the current 10 days to 15 days, and will be increasing the amount of assistance for low-income households at a level greater than the increase in rates. Those changes will go into effect early next year.

Ordinance No. 28115 Amending Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to create six unclassified titles to implement the reorganization of departments; and to implement wage provisions for employees represented by the United Transportation Union, Switch Crew Unit and Yardmasters Unit, which covers approximately 32 full-time positions. [Joy St. Germain, Director, Human Resources]

This ordinance contains three items: it amends the TMC to implement 2013 wage increases for two groups of employees arrived at through represented bargaining, it corrects a clerical error that mis-states a wage step increase by three cents, and it creates the positions associated with the implementation of the departmental organizations proposed in ordinances 28108, 28109 and 28110.

PUBLIC HEARINGS AND APPEALS

This is the date set for a public hearing by the City Council on the proposed Six-Year Comprehensive Transportation Improvement Program for amended year 2012, and 2013-2018. [Jennifer Kammerzell, Associate Engineer; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

The RCW requires that the Six-Year plan be updated annually. The plan lists the planned construction projects for the remainder of the six years, and guides project priorities for the City. Four additional projects were added that were not included in materials advertising the public hearing. Those projects were the Pierce Transit Authority project, McKinley Avenue Streetscape, and two bridge maintenance projects: the Union Avenue viaduct and the Schuster Parkway bridge. Those last two projects are fully funded at this point, and will require no local match. As with the CFP, inclusion in the Six-Year Program does not guarantee funding for any projects, but it does open the door. After the hearing today, staff will ask for guidance for Council, and we?ll see a finalized draft at some point in the near future.

We heard comment from one speaker on the topic of adding transit to the Six-Year plan. In light of the service cuts coming on the heels of the defeat of Pierce Transit Prop 1, the commeter asked that the Council consider providing funds to support the transit services that a significant portion of Tacoma residents rely on.

TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD

The first meeting of the governing board of Tacoma?s new Transportation Benefit District (a.k.a. Tacoma City Council) was scheduled to coincide with this week?s City Council meeting. The board will meet regularly to direct funds, and meetings will be open to the public. Citizens will have input on the actions of the TBD both through input on the Six-Year Transportation plan, and at these TBD meetings.

AGENDA

Public Comment

One commenter spoke to applaud the Council for the creation of the TBD and to ask for investment in public transportation.

Resolutions

Resolution No. TBD 001 Imposing a vehicle fee of $20 for the Tacoma Transportation Benefit District to commence in six months and identifying projects to be funded.

A citizen advisory group worked for months on assessing Tacoma?s streets and other transportation issues, and possible fixes. The report from the Mobility Stakeholder Funding Task Force found a lot of problems in need of funding ? about $800 million worth ? and made some recommendations for addressing those issues. Among those suggestions was the formation of a Transportation Benefit District for the purpose of raising funds specifically for transportation-related issues, including the levying of a license fee.

The fee proposed here would take effect six months after passage of the resolution, so beginning next May it?s going to cost an extra $20 to renew your car tabs. Campers, mopeds, and some other vehicles will be exempt. The City expects to raise just over $4 million in the next biennium.

Projects will be selected for a piece of that $4 million by the Council TBD Governing Board. Those projects will come from the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. Staff will take direction from the board on which projects to pursue, and will make regular progress reports back. Projects would not be required to be funded in full by TBD dollars, which could be used in combination with other funding sources. The State Department of Licensing will collect the fee, and remit the money to the City. Mayor Strickland reminded the audience that this is only $4 million every two years ? not much compared to the cost of possible projects ? and suggested that the money be used to focus on neighborhood streets to spread the money as far as possible.

Comments of the Tacoma Transportation Benefit District Governing Board

Deputy Mayor Lonergan asked about the procedure for scheduling future meetings. Staff responded that a schedule will be forthcoming for Council input, which they will try to make consistent with resolutions that need to be adopted. Lonergan recommended that meetings happen on a regular schedule to maximize public input._

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.

REPORTS BY THE CITY MANAGER
None.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Government Performance and Finance Committee ? Deputy Mayor Lonergan reported on topics discussed by the committee:

At the next meeting the committee will hear updates on State Auditor and Moss Adams audit reports, Tacoma Power bond defeasance, Tacoma Rail Mountain Division , and other topics. Deputy Mayor Lonergan also promised that in the coming year he and other council members would be looking closely at Tacoma?s tax structure, including the administration of the B&O tax, as well as other taxes.

Councilmember Ibsen reminded us of the upcoming discussion of live/work spaces in Tacoma this Wednesday, November 28, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the New Frontier Lounge. Ibsen also suggested the Bethany Presbyterian Church?s 25th Annual fair trade market this Sunday, December 2 for your holiday shopping.

Councilmember Campbell recommended that everyone take advantage of Zoolights in its 25th year ? check out the giant octopus. Campbell also asked us all to make our holiday spending with the local economy in mind; continue to shop local at locally owned businesses.

Deputy Mayor Lonergan thanked to Mike Slevin, Principal Mary Chapman, and others (especially Al the janitor) for their work on Fawcet Elementary School?s pilot program to teach kids the about food waste recycling ? particularly the connection between the little brown bin at your house and the amount of stuff that goes into our landfills.

Councilmember Woodards congratulated everyone at the City who has or will take an early retirement as a part of the City?s budget cutting measures.

ADJOURNMENT

Commenting Is Open

Comments are allowed for two weeks from the posted date. If you have something to say, say it now!

Potentially Related Articles

Source: http://www.exit133.com/7254/tacoma-city-council-meeting-november-27-2012

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Mobile Android Developer / JM Digital / City, London, United Kingdom

JM Digital , City, London, United Kingdom

?

Android Applications Developer

The Role

JM Digital are seeking an exceptional Mobile Software Developer to join our client in their technical team, in a fast-paced cutting-edge development environment. Applying high standards of quality and adhering to strict software craftsmanship values, this developer will be passionate about software and technology.

Responsibilities

? Develop well-architected and robust mobile applications

? Work within a cross-functional team comprised of mobile developers and QA engineers

? Evaluate mobile trends and technologies to ensure that the company remains at the leading edge

? Work with the architecture team to define platform strategy, and ensure APIs are built to support mobile development.

? Work across the entire software development life cycle from concept, design, build and test to app store deployment and support

? Deliver projects on schedule by providing educated development estimates and identifying risks early

? Work in a Scrum/Agile environment with geographically distributed teams

Required Skills and Experience

? Proven commercial experience building complex, high performance mobile applications for both online and offline operation using AndroidThe JM Group is acting as an employment agency with relation to this vacancy.. Date posted: 26/11/2012

Employment Type: Permanent

Note: Applicants must be eligible to work in the specified location. No sponsorship is available unless noted in the description above.

Source: http://jobs.linux.com/job/mobile-android-developer-city-london-united-jm-digital-7acb7983f5/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Senate takes up UN disability treaty (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/266722945?client_source=feed&format=rss

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The Best Guide When It Comes To Internet Promotion | Cop 15 Post

Certain enterprises are destined to grow into giants, and some are meant to stay small. The vast majority; however, will simply dissipate. A majority of new businesses will fail, and that rate can be even higher for online businesses. This article includes some top web marketing tips to help your business avoid a similar fate.

TIP! You should include a chat section for customers on your website. Allowing your customers the ability to communicate with each other on your site makes them enjoy visiting you more.

Everything you say about your products or services should be true. If you can prove the effectiveness of your product through videos or testimonials, your customers will be more apt to believe in your products and services. This illustrates why you need to sell any products you have used if possible.

Provide customers with a time-sensitive incentive to place an order. Consider waiving the shipping costs on the first thousand orders you send out, or giving customers free gift-wrapping if they get their order in a certain number of days before Christmas. But it is important that urgency is created to get the people to act right away.

TIP! Most mobile phone companies let you add a dedicated work number to your existing phone. Considering this, you should get a dedicated number for your business.

Use captions under images. Captions play a big role with regards to SEO. Giving all of your images appropriate, descriptive captions can make a noticeable difference in your search engine results page standing.

Use your advertising campaign to make a personal connection with your potential customers. Make sure your website has a picture of you, and include your name throughout your advertising. Another good idea is to create a handwritten sales letter to your visitors.

TIP! Although there are companies that can handle all of your email marketing needs for you, it?s well worth the effort it takes to learn the basics for yourself. Once you understand how the process works, it becomes simple to use bulk mailing lists, auto responders and mass mailers.

If you really want to increase the traffic to your site, make sure that you?re advertising your site on other popular websites. This can really help get your name out there and is worth the initial investment in the long run. For the most bang for your buck, choose a page with plenty of traffic so that as many people as possible see your company name.

Put serious thought into your site tags since they define your business to the world. The title tag shows at the top left corner of the browser window. The text there conveys exactly who you are to the potential viewer. If you use an inaccurate tag, or waste that space with something meaningless, people could leave your site, or not click on it in the first place.

TIP! Follow up with your clients by cross-selling, advising them of other similar merchandise that you offer that they might be interested in, via an email with links to online catalogs or sales sheets. For example, if your customers purchased cookbooks from your book website, send them an email with links to the other cookbooks that you offer.

Deciding upon a specific direction and purpose for your website can be quite intimidating. Make a list of interests and continue to narrow the list down until you have made a decision. You should pick a website niche that you are familiar with and that you also enjoy. Once you have a solid goal for the content of your website, it is easier to achieve marketing goals.

Give people a reason to come back to your site: you could for instance advertise new limited offers every week. The only thing better than a customer is a repeat customer. It?s very important that you keep people coming back again and again. If you can be generous, you can build up your list of repeat customers. When customers feel appreciated, they pass the information about your business to new potential customers.

Online business failure can open many doors for you as an entrepreneur. Use these tips to do your best with Online marketing.

Source: http://www.cop15post.com/the-best-guide-when-it-comes-to-internet-promotion.html

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Look for Less: Amanda Righetti?s Polished Prints

The Mentalist actress and mom-to-be glowed in her Isabella Oliver Everyday Blazer at the PS Arts Express Yourself event on Nov. 11. Check her out, plus our look for less.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/uX4j_rNWqWo/

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'Mass Effect 3' takes the fight to 'Omega'?

Featured

8 days

Video

In-Game

The 'Nintendo Wii U' is a great device now, but it might not hold up over time. NBCNews.com's Todd Kenreck reviews the device. Play video

59 min.

Winda Benedetti , NBC News

The epic space?odyssey?that is "Mass Effect 3" isn't over yet.?Commander Shepard is heading back to the notorious?Omega space station in a brand new downloadable content pack coming to "Mass Effect 3" on?Tuesday.

In this single player story, Shepard will join forces with the pirate queen?Aria?T'Loak?(voiced by Carrie Anne Moss, star of "The Matrix" movies)?as she tries to take the crime-ridden?black market hub?back from?Cerberus and its agent, General Oleg Petrovsky.

"Omega" is the biggest add-on yet for "Mass Effect 3." For a look at what's to come, check out the trailer above. "Omega" will be?available?for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3?and PC on Tuesday. Sorry, Wii U owners: It seems?"Mass Effect 3" DLC is not coming to you any time soon.

Winda Benedetti?writes?about video?games for NBC?News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things?on Twitter?here?@WindaBenedetti?and you can?follow her?on?Google+.?Meanwhile, be sure to check?out the?IN-GAME?FACEBOOK PAGE?to discuss the day's?gaming news and reviews.

??

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/mass-effect-3-takes-fight-omega-1C7209896

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Climate change talks: What are the goals in Qatar?

UN talks for a new pact to curb greenhouse emissions and slow climate change are underway in Qatar. Negotiators hope to extend the Kyoto Protocol. The concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide has jumped 20 percent since 2000, according to a U.N. report released last week

By Karl Ritter,?Associated Press / November 26, 2012

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the opening session of the climate change conference in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012.

(AP Photo/Osama Faisal)

Enlarge

United Nations talks on a new climate pact resumed Monday in oil and gas-rich Qatar, where negotiators from nearly 200 countries will discuss fighting global warming and helping poor nations adapt to it.

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The two-decade-old talks have not fulfilled their main purpose: reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are warming the planet.

Attempts to create a new climate treaty failed in Copenhagen three years ago but countries agreed last year to try again, giving themselves a deadline of 2015 to adopt a new treaty.

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Several issues need to be resolved by then, including how to spread the burden of emissions cuts between rich and poor countries. That's unlikely to be decided in the Qatari capital of Doha, where negotiators will focus on extending the Kyoto Protocol, an emissions deal for industrialized countries, and trying to raise billions of dollars to help developing countries adapt to a shifting climate.

"We owe it to our people, the global citizenry. We owe it to our children to give them a safer future than what they are currently facing," said South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who led last year's talks in Durban, South Africa.

The U.N. process is often criticized, even ridiculed, both by climate activists who say the talks are too slow, and by those who challenge the scientific near-consensus that the global temperature rise is at least partly caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil.

Environmentalists found the choice of Qatar as host of the two-week conference ironic. The tiny Persian Gulf emirate owes its wealth to large resources of gas and oil and emits more greenhouse gases per capita than any other nation.

Yet it hasn't announced any climate action in the U.N. process, and former Qatari oil minister Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah didn't do so when he opened the conference Monday.

"We should not concentrate on the per capita (emissions), we should concentrate on the amount from each country," Al-Attiyah told reporters. "I think Qatar is the right place to host" the conference, he added.

The concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide has jumped 20 percent since 2000, according to a U.N. report released last week. The report also showed that there is a growing gap between what governments are doing to curb emissions and what needs to be done to protect the world from potentially dangerous levels of warming.

The goal of the U.N. talks is to keep the global temperature rise under 2 degrees C (3.6 F), compared to pre-industrial times.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/N51hkvJnK8Q/Climate-change-talks-What-are-the-goals-in-Qatar

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