Video: Taekwondo tech leads to more kicks to the head

Is Boo the 'cutest dog' in the world a Facebook plant?

With nearly 5 million "likes" on Facebook, a book out about him and a 2013 calendar to boot, Boo is one popular pup, legitimately dubbed "the world's cutest dog," whose sweet eyes and face ? in fact, just total adorableness ? is unquestionable. But there is a "secret" about Boo that now has been revealed: Boo's owner is an employee at Facebook, the social network that put Boo on course to canine celebrity.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43384144/vp/48569016#48569016

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Bob Mersereau's Top 100 Canadian Blog: MUSIC REVIEW OF THE ...

It's always fascinating watching the machine work.? And nobody works it better than Nashville.? And let's not kid ourselves, there's been a machine in place since the 60's, when Countrypolitan came online with its Billy Sherrill-produced strings and heartbreak.? Nashville, despite all the singers and songwriters clamoring to be heard, is a small industry town, and when it moves in one direction, you either follow or get left behind.?

Here's how it works these days:? It's not the singer, or the song, it's the package.? After all, there's a surplus of talent, so the key is to put together all the pieces around a person with personality, and make a fresh new face.? After all, nobody's going to be buying Randy Travis records anymore, and they haven't been for a long, long time.? New is key.

Marlee Scott is new, and a talented singer.? She has that, and a lot more going for her, including a unique image.? She's been doing an internet cooking show for the past year, a funny series of webisodes with her own food and drink recipes.? She also has her own YouTube channel with a difference, where you can watch her cover other hits in a bit called "I Love This Song".? Pretty ingenious, creating a fan club before her own debut album comes out.? Instead of slogging it out over thousands of miles in a tour van like new rock bands, she's been playing guest sets at sporting events, courting the auto racing and baseball audiences.

For that debut album, called Beautiful Maybe, that small Nashville winner's club is here, the same credits you'll see on almost every hit album this year.? The songwriters include Troy Verges, Aimee Mayo, Desmond Child, and Blair Daly.? The studio players are Dan Dugmore, Michael Rhodes, Chad Cromwell, Jason Scheff, all A-listers.? This is no-fail stuff, the best you find on Music Row.

Wait, there's more.? There's a hit breaking, called Train Wreck.? It has that half-country, half-rock thing happening, with fiddle, steel, and banjo licks weaving around power chords.? There's even a, get this, country version of a rap in the middle, as Scott spits out a couple of versions at triple speed.? There's a video, and even a dance mix.? Country has, and will use everything these days.

Anyway, as I say, it's always fascinating to watch the machine make a star.? And I can't say as I argue with it too much, as Scott's an engaging presence, and all these songs have a good solid guitar groove to them, plus well-crafted lyrics.? Perhaps it's a prejudice I bring over from the rock world, that each artist should write the bulk of their stuff, have their own band, pay their dues touring, that somehow that makes them more legitimate.? I've come to think of it more as pop music, and in that context, I'll take it over most of what's happening on the regular top 40.

Source: http://top100canadianblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/music-review-of-day-marlee-scott.html

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'Mad Men' star sings again, joins alt rockers

The Jesus and Mary Chain perform "Just Like Honey" with "Mad Men's" Jessoca Pare in Buffalo, New York on August 2.

By Rolling Stone

"Mad Men"?star Jessica Par?, who plays Megan Draper on the show, took the stage with alt-rockers?Jesus and Mary Chain?in Buffalo, N.Y., and Toronto last week,?notes Slicing Up Eyeballs. Par? sang "Just Like Honey" with the band on Aug. 2 in Buffalo and joined them for "Just Like Honey" and "Sometimes Always" the next day in Toronto.

Jessica Par?'s Megan Draper sings a scintillating rendition of "Zou Bisou Bisou" during Don's (Jon Hamm) surprise birthday party on "Mad Men."

Par? showed off her singing talents onscreen during the season five premiere of?"Mad Men," performing a flirty rendition of the?French pop tune "Zou Bisou Bisou"?that stirred up so much buzz it was?released as a single. Jesus and Mary Chain, meanwhile, are currently on a North American tour, with their next stop on Sept. 5 at New Orleans' House of Blues.

Are you a fan of the actress' singing abilities? Tell us on Facebook.

More in Entertainment:

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/09/13203475-mad-men-star-jessica-pare-singing-again-this-time-with-jesus-and-mary-chain?lite

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UNT Health at Alliance provides unique physical therapy

Posted: July 31, 2012

UNT Health at Alliance provides unique physical therapy

Woerner and NicholsThe opening of a physical therapy clinic at UNT Health's Alliance office brings unique services to the area.

Marie Woerner, PT, DPT, is one of the few physical therapists in Tarrant County who treats pelvic problems in both men and women. She and Charles Nichols, DPT, are the new physical therapists at the Alliance Clinic in north Fort Worth/Keller. Nichols has extensive experience in orthopedic therapy, especially spine rehabilitation and sports therapy.

Woerner specializes in women's health, including care during pregnancy and postpartum; and fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and lymphedema. She also uses a biofeedback unit for some patients, to allow them "to see and monitor what their pelvic floor muscles are doing with specific tasks." The patient is connected to this unit with surface EMG electrodes, and can move around freely with the machine in place. She also treats patients with general orthopedic conditions ranging from low back pain to post-surgical issues.

Nichols' concentration is primarily orthopedics and sports therapy, with a special interest in spine-related pain. He has worked with college and high school sports teams for two decades. He is certified in strength and conditioning, manual therapy and dry needling. He uses the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) to predict possible causes of injury. FMS is an assessment of movement patterns that are crucial for normal functioning.

UNT?Health at Alliance is at 12650 N. Beach St., Suite 148, Fort Worth 76244. It offers adult primary care and women's health services including obstetrical care, and has certified nurse midwives on staff in addition to physicians. To make an appointment, call 817-735-2100.

If you are with the media and need additional information or would like to arrange an interview, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 817-735-2446.

?

Source: http://www.hsc.unt.edu/news/newsrelease.cfm?ID=1071

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Energy Drinks Outsell Bottled Water - Food Product Design

TROY, Mich.?As noted in the recently published Beverage Industry 2012 State of the Industry report, for the first time, energy drinks have outsold bottled water (for the 52 weeks ending April 15 in U.S. supermarkets, drug, gas, convenience and mass merchandise retailers, excluding Walmart, per SymphonyIRI Group). During that period, energy drinks garnered more than $6.9 billion in sales for a 19.4% increase over the previous year; bottled water saw $6.7 billion in sales for a 3.4% increase.

Red Bull remains the top seller in the category, with nearly 40% market share for a total of $2.8 billion in sales. A recent addition to the line is Red Bull Total Zero, a slight reformulation of Red Bull Sugar Free (Total Zero is calorie-free while Sugar Free has 13 calories). In addition to the caloric difference (likely achieved via the addition of sucralose to the sweetener mix), Total Zero has slightly more caffeine (3 mg more in the 8.4-oz. can) and a slightly different flavor.

Both Monster Energy and Rockstar are starting to target the recovery market. Monster Rehab uses a tagline of ?refresh, revive, rehydrate,? with one version (Protean) containing 15 grams of protein per can. Rockstar Recovery seeks to provide ?energy + hydration? in a low-calorie beverage enhanced with electrolytes.

The Beverage Industry report notes that emerging categories in energy include natural options. Jamba Juice, Campbell?s Soup (via its V8 line) and Starbucks carrying ?natural? energy lines.

Energy shots also continue to perform well. That segment is dominated by 5-Hour Energy (Living Essentials, LLC), which captured over 90% of the market. However, more companies, including Monster, with its concentrated 5-oz. M3 product, continue to enter this segment.

For more insight into the energy drink market, see ?The Next Generation of Energy? on the Food Product Design website, which focuses on the recent ?natural? introductions from Jamba Juice and Starbucks.

Source: http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2012/07/energy-drinks-outsell-bottled-water.aspx

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Apple?s Retail Army, by the Numbers

There was an article published today in The New York Times entitled ?Apple?s Retail Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on Pay?, discussing what the publication asserts is a huge disconnect between the money Apple retail employees make and the amount they bring in for the company.

This is the fourth part of The New York Times? long-running iEconomy series, the earlier portions of which took a deep dive into Apple?s manufacturing processes in China?and the reasons Apple doesn?t manufacture in the U.S.. Those caused a wave of discussion over the issues, which you may remember was later muddied by the revelation that monologuist Mike Daisey had fabricated some of his experiences in China, which he included in an editorial for the same paper. Even before those articles, Apple had been working to audit working conditions in China and now supplies monthly updates on its efforts to improve them.

I?m frankly not all that convinced of the overall premise of this particular article, although I have spoken to many members of its retail workforce which do back up what is said about working conditions there. Specifically, since the iPhone was released in 2007, there has been a major change in the day-to-day workload of retail employees. The emphasis is now on replacement of devices and speed, with some technicians juggling up to three or more customers at a time.

There are a lot of interesting tidbits in the article about the Apple Retail Store environment though, and I?ve collected a few here:

  • 30,000: Out of 43,000 Apple employees in the U.S., about 30,000 of them?work in Apple Retail Stores and make around $25,000 a year. Though discussions with workers and others lead us to believe that number is a bit lower than the current reality.
  • $473,000: On an average, Apple store employee?s including sales and support staff, brought in $473,000 each for Apple last year.
  • $5,647: By RetailSails numbers, Apple?s stores brought in $5,647?per square foot, more than any other U.S. retailer.
  • $11.91: Many Apple retail workers earn around of $11.91 hourly, although we?ve heard this is on the low end. It also does not take into account recent wage increases.
  • $16B: Apple stores worldwide sold $16 billion in merchandise last year.
  • $3M: The best performing sales people at Apple stores can move as much as $3 million in wares in a year.
  • 2.5 years: The average tenure for an Apple retail?employee?is is 2.5 years.
  • 6 years: The tenure that Apple recruiters tell new employees that they would like to see from them.
  • 90%: The average year-over-year retention rate for Apple Geniuses, or technicians.
  • 65%: Although there are no commissions at Apple stores, both Apple Care and One to One training sessions are tracked in order to?gauge?performance. Employees are expected to achieve a 40% ?attachment? rate of training and 65% rate of Apple Care sales for products.

For me, the article?s basic premise, that Apple workers should be earning more because the company makes so much money, falls apart right on the first page, with this passage:

By the standards of retailing, Apple offers above average pay ? well above the minimum wage of $7.25 and better than the Gap, though slightly less than Lululemon, the yoga and athletic apparel chain, where sales staff earn about $12 an hour. The company also offers very good benefits for a retailer, including health care,?401(k)?contributions and the chance to buy company stock, as well as Apple products, at a discount.

Holding Apple to a higher standard because it is so successful makes for an interesting discussion, but most of the things that the article says about Apple can be said of almost any retail job. The article also makes some odd comparisons between Apple and other retailers that offer commission, which Apple does not do.

It also compares the money Apple workers bring in to those working at Costco and Tiffany?s, both of which are bizarre for their own particular reasons. Tiffany?s because diamonds are a significantly different retail item than consumer electronics, with massively different margins, and Costco because memberships bring in an immense portion of that company?s profits.

Apple itself provided a statement to the Times:

Thousands of incredibly talented professionals work behind the Genius Bar and deliver the best customer service in the world. The annual retention rate for Geniuses is almost 90%, which is unheard-of in the retail industry, and shows how passionate they are about their customers and their careers at Apple.

As we were able to confirm earlier this week, many Apple Retail employees?received?a raise of up to 25% after their personal performance evaluations this year.

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Species-Specific Microbes May Be Key to a Healthy Immune System

News | Health

Mice raised with human microbiomes never develop mature immune systems, which may explain the rise in immunological illnesses


immune system microbiomeOf Mice's Microbes and Man's New research is showing how important the right mix of microbiota is for our health. Image: iStockphoto/Himerka

?

Mice have a jungle of bacteria, viruses and fungi in their stomachs?and so do we. These microorganisms help both mice and us break down dinner. As we are finding, these bugs also help to regulate the immune system. But we are just starting to learn how these tiny organisms influence us and how changing their composition changes us.

In an attempt to find out, postdoctoral researcher Hachung Chung and her colleagues at Dennis Kasper's Lab at Harvard Medical School tried raising mice with exclusively human gut microbiota.

The human microbes did pretty well in the mice guts (the researchers could tell by culturing fecal pellets from these mice). Interestingly, though, the mice with these microbes did not: their immune systems remained underdeveloped. Even when researchers gave rat microbiota to mice, the mice's immune systems failed to mature. The results were published in the June 22 issue of Science.

The findings are "perhaps the most definitive that I've seen," says Eugene Chang, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the new study. They show "the critical and specific relationship between host and gut microbes, which is needed for proper development of the host immune response," he says.

The results support the thinking that we humans have coevolved with our microbes?and we're probably not the same without them. "The selection of partners is not by chance," Chang says. And that might explain why as we alter our microbiomes?with antibiotics and superclean upbringings?our immune systems have been changing as well, ushering in increasing rates of autoimmune conditions such as allergies and diabetes. "The consequence is that the balance between us and our microbes, determined through evolution, is upset in ways that impact our health and increase risk for many diseases that were previously uncommon," he notes.

Starting germ-free
For these experiments, starting germ-free is key. These extra-clean mouse colonies have been living for several years?and many generations?without contact even with the lab environment, so their stomachs remain in a prenatal state (as with humans): sans microbes.

The upside to a germ-free mouse facility is that because the animals' cages are sealed in airtight areas, it smells much better than rooms with standard caged lab mice. The downside is that they take a lot of care. Tools, food, bedding and water have to be sterilized via autoclave and introduced through a double-valve seal. Lab technicians and researchers reach into the cages with plastic gloves that are built into the sealed clear covers similar to the enclosure immunodeficient David Vetter, called the "bubble boy," lived in during his short life. A year after starting at the lab, Chung got married. And perhaps even more so than the food, flowers and guest list, she says, she planned the event largely around the mice.

Chung and her fellow researchers were interested in what happened if these mice got non-mousy microbiomes. To compare reactions with different microbiome compositions, Chung could then give these germ-free mice either human, mouse or rat microbiota (by feeding them microbiomes cultured from feces). One group was kept germ-free as a control.

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Angels' Weaver stifles?Giants in return from DL

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:03 a.m. ET June 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jered Weaver went back to work, Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo homered back-to-back, and the Los Angeles showed the San Francisco Giants that winning the deciding game of a series at the "Big A" is still as tough as it was in 2002.

Weaver pitched six innings of two-hit ball in his return from the disabled list, and the Angels handed Ryan Vogelsong his first loss in almost seven weeks with a 6-0 victory on Wednesday night. It was the Halos' eighth series win in their last nine tries.

"I was telling the guys before I went out there it was either going to be really good or really bad. So it was nice to go on the really good side of things," Weaver said. "You never know after taking that much time away. I've never been on the DL in the middle of the season, so I worked very hard to get back - and the training staff and coaching staff worked well with me to get back out there. It was nice to be able to come out of that one in one piece."

Weaver (7-1) threw 78 pitches in his first start since May 28 at Angel Stadium against the Yankees, when his back went out on him after just 12 pitches. He was working on a limited pitch count, so he knew there was no way manager Mike Scioscia was going to let him see the seventh inning.

"It was kind of weird, but I knew he was going to stick to that pitch count," said Weaver, who threw 121 pitches in his no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2. "Once I got up to that 80-pitch range, I figured he was going to shut it down after that sixth - especially after our guys got a couple of runs across in the fifth."

The right-hander, who finished runner-up in the AL Cy Young voting last season, struck out three and walked two while lowering his ERA to 2.40.

"My command was good," he said. "My off-speed stuff was struggling there in the beginning, but I got a feel for it later in the game. Just getting into this game was a key factor. Obviously, a simulated game can only get you so far. But once the lights come on, it's a totally different mentality."

San Francisco's only hits off Weaver were two-out singles by Brandon Crawford in the third inning and Brandon Belt in the fifth. The Giants had just two more hits - both singles - and were shut out for the third time.

"That was the first time I've faced him, and he's tough," Ryan Theriot said. "When a pitcher can basically just get everybody out with his fastball, that's always a pretty good thing. He was cutting it, sinking it, and adding and subtracting with his velocity. He keeps hitters off-balance with his unorthodox delivery, and it's tough to get a read on him. He's definitely one of those guys I would need to see quite a bit to feel confident in the box."

Alberto Callaspo homered against Vogelsong and former Angels prospect Shane Loux surrendered Morales' eighth homer and Trumbo's 17th, as the Halos took the rubber game of the interleague series - the first visit by the Giants to Anaheim since losing Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.

Vogelsong (6-3) gave up three runs and seven hits over seven innings, walked none and struck out six in his first regular-season start against the Angels. The right-hander, who came in with the lowest run support of any Giants starter at 3.70 per game, was 6-0 with a 1.76 ERA in his previous eight outings since May 3, when he lost a 3-2 decision to Miami's Anibal Sanchez at San Francisco.

"I felt like I threw the ball pretty good, but obviously not good enough," Vogelsong said. "If people are going to start taking me seriously, these are the games I need to win - against guys like Weaver and other teams' No.1 pitchers. So it's disappointing not to be able to beat him."

Callaspo opened the scoring in the second inning with a drive into the lower seats in the right field corner for his fourth home run, and the Angels increased the margin to 3-0 in the fifth.

Howie Kendrick, who had only two extra-base hits in his previous 35 games and 123 at-bats, hit the first of his two doubles with one out in the fifth and scored on Erick Aybar's single. Aybar continued to second on the throw home from left fielder Melky Cabrera, and rookie Mike Trout came through with an RBI single after a walk to No. 9 hitter Bobby Wilson.

NOTES: Angels RHP Jerome Williams, who was admitted to a hospital after his start on Monday night because of dizziness and shortness of breath from a suspected athsma attack, returned to the clubhouse Wednesday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. ... Vogelsong was in the Angels' organization for less than four months in 2010. He signed a minor league contract with then that July, but did not appear in any games with the big club and was declared a minor league free agent. ... The Giants have decided not to put reliever George Kontos on the bereavement list, which would require him to miss at least three days. He will rejoin the club Friday night at Oakland for the opener of the season's second "Bay Bridge Series," after attending his grandfather's funeral. ... Ryan Theriot was thrown out trying to steal second by Wilson in the fourth, ending a streak of 15 straight successful attempts by Giants baserunners.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Insurance News - Illinois ends free health insurance for retirees

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press
Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- More than 80,000 retired government employees will have to start paying for health insurance under legislation Gov. Pat Quinn signed Thursday, ending a major benefit that Illinois had promised to employees.

Future state retirees will also have to pay under the legislation, part of a push to curb state spending on retirement benefits. That applies to roughly 200,000 people who already took government jobs with the understanding that they would not pay insurance premiums after retirement.

Exactly how much the additional expense will be isn't clear. Insurance rates will be negotiated with unions and approved by a legislative commission.

Gov. Pat Quinn said employees who served taxpayers deserve quality health care. "We also have a duty to taxpayers to ensure these plans are cost-efficient and put Illinois on the path to fiscal stability," he added in a statement.

The Chicago Democrat announced the signing in a news release shortly after 5 a.m. The release said the legislation will "preserve health care benefits for state retirees."

In 2010, the state reduced pension benefits for future government employees. Quinn and legislative leaders are now negotiating over a plan to cut pension checks for current workers and retirees in an effort to shore up pension systems that are $83 billion short of what they'll someday need to pay out.

The insurance legislation applies to state employees, university and community college staff, judges and legislators. Until now, the state has paid the health insurance premiums for retirees in those categories if they've worked a certain number of years. Retirees were still responsible for co-pays and deductibles.

The measure had bipartisan support.

"I have a lot of compassion for those people who retired anticipating a certain benefit that now may be changed somewhat," Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, said in the governor's release. "Having said that, this is a step Illinois must take to right the financial ship."

___

The bill is SB1313.

Online: http://www.ilga.gov

Feds eye 401ks as new bailout fund

Copyright: (c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Wordcount: 324

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