Best Kids Parties: Blueberries My Party | Apartment Therapy

Name: Torsten (3)
Location: Medford, NJ

Torsten's love of all things blueberry is the stuff of legends. And with a birthday in July, what better party for our little blueberry than a blueberry picking birthday bash!

I am fortunate to have cultivated a team of fantastically talented people to help me pull it off. The invitations and graphic work got the ball rolling, pulling in different shade of blue, green and purple. From there it was all things blueberry.

The party was held at the local pick-your-own farm. We served blueberry muffins, bagels, tartlets, frozen blueberries on skewers, a blueberry dressed ombre cake and even mini blueberry pies in jelly jars. For d?cor we affixed leaves to various shades of blueberry paper lanterns, used picnic baskets as props and served lemonade out of giant mason jars. Each child received a pint size wooden berry basket filled with a blueberry shaped giant cookie to take home.

When everyone had their fill of the goodies, we boarded a tractor pulled wagon for the blueberry fields to pick our own.

Sources:

Graphic design: Party on Purpose

Decorative papers: Paper Art

Birthday boy shirt: Stitcheroos

Blueberry shoes: Snanimals

Party supplies: Pink Lemonade Party

Cookie favors: Cookies by Design

Thanks Kelly!

(Images: reader Kelly)

? MY PARTY ARCHIVE
? SUBMIT YOUR CHILD'S PARTY

Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-kids-parties-blueberries-my-party-174865

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Could Antonio Villaraigosa be America's first Latino president ...

From: Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News - 10:24am - July 31, 2012

Despite running the country's second largest city and coming from the fastest growing voting demographic in America, the mayor himself is quick to wave off talk of a presidential run.

Continue reading this article ?

Source: http://ewallstreeter.com/could-antonio-villaraigosa-be-america-s-first-latino-president-6416/

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Nutrition Tips To Make You Feel Healthier : Premier Diet and Fitness

Posted by haleyjonas on Monday, July 30, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

You can?t expect to get more out of your diet than you are willing to put into it. You must know how to feed and fuel your body to achieve a healthy way of life. Incorporate these ideas into your nutrition regimen. A great life depends on good nutrition!

Try eating less meats and more veggies, fruits and plant based food to change your lifestyle. Meat is an important source of protein and energy; however, you should only eat it in small portions.

TIP! There is plenty of protein in Greek yogurt. Non-fat Greek yogurt is a perfect substitution for sour cream.

There are some things you should eliminate from your diet in order to have better nutrition. Sugars do nothing positive for your state of health and can actually be harmful. Color matters. Brown foods outperform white foods when it comes to nutrition. Thirdly, remove trans and saturated fats from your diet to improve your cardiovascular health.

If you suffer from diabetes, ask your doctor if it is okay to consume alcohol. Alcohol can be dangerous if you?re diabetics because if you drink too much, your levels of blood glucose can be drastically lowered.

TIP! It is vital to consume protein daily. Proteins encourage and support good health in your organs, muscles, skin and blood.

A lot of expert nutritionists argue for taking land based meats out of your diet and replacing them with fish. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are great for your heart. You can eat all different kinds of fish, and they all have a different taste as well as texture.

To add more nutrients when you are baking, consider whole wheat flour instead of white flour. Whole wheat has the added benefit of containing more nutrients and fiber.

TIP! A bunch of people are coupon-crazy! TV shows report many people paying only pennies for groceries that are actually worth several hundreds of dollars. Have you noticed, however, that the majority of the items they get aren?t very nutritious? Manufacturers offer coupons on high-fat, unhealthy snack foods.

You can get good nutrition by counting to five. This is how much of these food groups you should eat in a day. This serving is most likely less than it sounds. For most fruits, half a cup equals a serving.

A great healthy eating tip is to take time off from eating grains. Humans benefit greatly from other food types such as vegetables and meat. Foods made from grains, like bread, have only been around since mankind?s cooking methods have evolved. Therefore, grains may be causing you some unpleasant feelings.

TIP! Consuming garlic can be a terrific method of ensuring proper nutrition and remaining healthy. Garlic is one of many natural antibiotics.

Avoid eating cereals that are high in sugar for breakfast. Their high sugar content, preservatives and artificial flavoring make them very unhealthy. You will have better results with oatmeal as opposed to sugary cereal when you are trying to fill your belly with a quick breakfast.

Consider keeping a log of changes occurring in any of the areas that you are trying to improve. If you have blood pressure issues, keep track of that in a log to see any improvements. And if you were overweight, keep a log of pounds and inches have lost by practicing better nutrition.

TIP! Drinking plenty of water is the most common, and important tip to remember as you are working to stay healthy. Our bodies consist of a large percentage of water, you should keep it hydrated.

Fiber is a powerhouse for nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, helping to lower risks for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and so much more. Using soluble fiber will help your body get rid of and absorb cholesterol and fats. Everyone should get a minimum of twenty grams of daily fiber, although men are advised to go for thirty. If your diet already includes plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables then chances are you are already getting enough fiber. You can also try fiber supplements.

Try describing what a food feels like, looks like and tastes like to get them to try a new food. Talking about the texture rather than taste might peak their interest.

TIP! You can improve your customary foods nutritionally by altering the ingredients. This is a great trick to use with kids who won?t eat anything but chicken nuggets, as well as someone like you who is trying to improve his or her nutrition.

If you want to stay healthy you need to learn as much as you can. If you do not understand proper nutrition, then you could be eating improperly. The benefits regarding nutrition have been scientifically proven, and you should have some knowledge of this if you want to have a successful diet.

If you pick the correct nuts, they can provide alot of good nutritional value. A handful of organic almonds are high in fiber and really delicious.

TIP! Start drinking fresh juice to get extra vitamins and minerals in your diet. Don?t just drink store-bought fruit juice, though; look for more nutritious options like beet or carrot juice, or wheat-grass shots.

Make sure there is selenium in your diet. Selenium, a mineral, can help build up tissue elasticity, so that your skin ages more slowly. Selenium can decrease the bad effects of the free radicals in your body. It also prevents sun damage to your skin. Foods high in selenium include wheat germ, tuna, Brazil nuts, brown rice, eggs and garlic.

You will be less tempted to break down and make an unhealthy choice if you stick with this system. Having a variety of meal choices is necessary, so you don?t become bored with your diet and give up altogether.

TIP! Consume meat products regularly. To build muscle, your body needs plenty of quality proteins, and the ones contained in meat are especially helpful.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your diet, and if you follow the rule of 5, you will find yourself getting the nutrients your body needs. Ideally, you should have at least five portions of fresh produce daily. You may think this is a very high number, though servings themselves actually equate to a smaller amount of food than you may expect. A serving size is generally only equal to one half cup.

TIP! Try taking your child to baking and cooking classes in your city. This is always fun and educational.

Trans fat, often found in processed foods, is extremely bad for your body. Trans fats significantly increase your risk for heart disease and other health issues. HDL, or good cholesterol, is depressed by trans fats, while bad cholesterol (LDL) occurs in higher levels.

Do not eat high-sugar cereal as your breakfast. These cereals contain sugar, but they also contain preservatives and chemicals and some even have trans fats. Oatmeal is a wonderful alternative! It is much healthier, easy-to-fix, and keeps you feeling satisfied much longer into the day.

TIP! A key factor in nutrition is eating the proper balance of the three macronutrients: fat, protein and carbohydrates. One generally accepted ratio for good nutrition is approximately 50% carbohydrate, 20% fat and 30% protein.

Dehydration turns your urine dark yellow and it has a strong smell. You will know if you consumed enough water because your urine is going to be lighter in color.

When trying to improve your nutrition, you need to be very careful about the amount of sugar in your diet. When we want to reduce our daily sugar intake, we automatically think to cut back on sodas and other carbonated beverages. However, what we really need to watch out for are fruit juices. Fruit juices can be loaded with sugar, even outdoing soda. This is one of the reasons it is so important that you keep an eye on what you consume.

TIP! Changing the type of milk that you drink can make a huge difference. Always choose skim milk.

Try to keep the amount of salt in your diet to a minimum. Diets that are high in sodium can cause hypertension, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. A diet too high in sodium can also inhibit bone growth, due to sodium loss during urination.

Eating a variety of meat-based protein and plant-based protein is important in order to have a balanced diet. There are many forms of edible protein available. Seafood, nuts, and soy products are all high in protein. All of these are useful enough so that you can include them in other dishes. To avoid the risk of becoming bored with your diet, make certain you include different varieties of protein.

TIP! Eat a nutritious breakfast every day. Lots of people will make excuses for skipping breakfast in the morning.

There are a lot of things that you can incorporate into your diet to improve your health. By genuinely considering the ideas in this article, you can gain a healthy perspective on life and improve your nutrition. Remember that you are doing this for you!

A sign that you are dehydrated is when your urine is dark yellow instead of clear, and it has a foul smell. You will see a much lighter, almost clear, color when you drink enough water to be well hydrated.

Source: http://pdfbox.org/nutrition-tips-to-make-you-feel-healthier/

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Japan's judo gold medal drought over

LONDON -- Japanese judo fans can relax: After three days of competition the country that invented the sport finally won a gold medal at the London Olympics, thanks to Kaori Matsumoto.

Fighting in the women's 57K division Monday, Matsumoto defeated Romanian Caprioriu in the final, using footwork to gain an advantage and eventually throw the Romanian for the victory.

The women's 57K bronze medals were won by American Marti Malloy and Automne Pavia of France.

Malloy's father, Marty, watched his daughter from the stands, where he was wearing a T-shirt with "Malloy" emblazoned on it, designed like a judo uniform.

"All I can ever remember about my daughter is her going to judo tournaments since she was 6," he said.

Malloy wasn't sure how he would reward his daughter but said there would definitely be celebrations.

"First I'm going to have a beer in her honor," he said.

Also in the stands was French President Francois Hollande, and Pavia was pleased he was there.

"He said he was a little disappointed (she didn't win gold) but was still very happy," she said.

Japan had already won two silver medals and one bronze in judo, but it expects gold virtually every time its athletes step on the mat.

Despite their top seeding, the Japanese women failed to make it to the podium. Before her fight Monday, Matsumoto said one of her ousted teammates told her: "You are going to win gold for us."

Matsumoto said she talked to herself on the way to her final, telling herself to remain focused and calm.

"On behalf of my teammates, I am very happy that I was able to get a gold," Matsumoto said.

In the men's 73K division, Russian Mansur Isaev took gold over Japan's Riki Nakaya, the world champion and a favorite to win the division.

It was a close-fought final in which Isaev and Nakaya attempted to pin each other to the ground. Isaev was eventually able to throw Nakaya off balance before holding him down for the victory. After sitting on Nakaya's chest, Isaev got up and held out his arms in what appeared to be some showboating for the Russian fans.

It is Russia's second gold judo medal of the games. Arsen Galstyan won gold Saturday, the country's first judo gold since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Nakaya said he was disappointed not to have won another gold for Japan.

"I lost because my skills were not high enough," he said.

Isaev came seventh at the world championships last year. Earlier in the day, he also beat world No. 1 Wang Ki-chun of South Korea in the semifinals. The bronze medals were won by Nyam-Ochir Sainjargal of Mongolia and Ugo Legrand of France.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/30/2921238/japans-judo-gold-medal-drought.html

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Three Berry Pie with Brown Sugar Topping from Tv Food and Drink ...

I didn?t intend for this to be the pie I made to celebrate having to put my cat to sleep, but that?s the way it turned out.

Z had been back and forth to the vet for about a week, and the ultimate diagnosis was a cyst inside his intestine which would most likely have just grown back had I spent the several thousand dollars on surgery to have it removed. ?His disposition in that week had altered itself from playful and relaxed to sullen and despondent. He wasn?t eating or drinking, and he couldn?t use his box. ?It was clear he could not find a comfortable position for himself to rest.

I started this pie in the late afternoon, while wallowing in denial over what would have to be done. ?Michael arrived later in the evening and talked me back into reality. ?Without being able to use his box, there wasn?t a lot of time for Z. ?None of us were benefitting from delay. ?So after a few more crying sessions, I finally caved and said to Michael between sniffles, ?Ok? let me just get this pie out of the oven, and while it?s cooling we?ll take Z in, and then when we get back we can eat it.?

I understand dividing my attentions between a dying cat and a three berry pie with brown sugar topping might seem a bit coarse. ?But once I had accepted what needed to be done for Z, it was no longer tough for me. ?We had shared fourteen years of companionship and he?d been content and healthy through all of it. Below is the last picture we took of him. ?The heart sleeve on his paw is covering up the IV that was delivering the dose that would move him on. ?He was at ease all the way through the end, purring and nuzzling me. ?I could not have asked for a better end for him.

It?s been over a month now, and I?m starting to hear the call of kittens at the Saturday afternoon pet adoption fairs outside the Petco on Sunset. ?But I?ll hold off a while longer.

And we did go back home that night and eat the pie. ?We topped it with ice cream. We each had two giant slices. ?At his peak, Z weighed approximately 19 pounds, so I?m sure he would have wanted nothing else for us.

Three Berry Pie with Brown Sugar Topping
Adapted from Food Network Magazine ?July August 2012, page 82

For the Dough:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2-4 Tbsps ice water

For the Filling:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups strawberries, husked and quartered (or halved)
• 2 cups blackberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 wide strips lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsps flour
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt

For the Topping:

• 3/4?cup coarsely chopped almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• pinch of salt

Additional:

• pie weights or dried beans to serve as pie weights

Make the dough: ? Pulse the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, vinegar, salt, and about 1/3 the butter in a food processor until the butter is incorporated. ?Add the remaining butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces.

Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together. ?Pinch a small piece of dough. ?If it doesn?t hold together, add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water, pulsing 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press into a ball. ?Pat into a 1/2 inch disk and wrap tightly. ?Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.

Once firm, roll the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface or between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment paper?(if the dough becomes soft, refrigerate again until firm). ?Center the dough in a 9-inch pie plate. ?Fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. ?Refrigerate 3o minutes.

Preheat oven to 350? F.

Lightly pierce the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork, then line with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. ?Bake 20 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until lightly golden, about 10 more minutes. ?Transfer to a rack and let cook completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of strawberries and 1 cup of blackberries along with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the lemon zest to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, crushing the berries slightly with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Discard the lemon zest. Transfer the berry mixture to a bowl, stir in the remaining 3 cups of berries and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the lemon juice, the flour, nutmeg and salt. Let cool completely.

For the Topping: ?Combine the nuts, brown sugar, flour, butter and salt. ?Squeeze the mixture into clumps with your hands and scatter on a baking sheet. ?Freeze for 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 375? F. ?Pour the cooled berry filling into the crust and top with the frozen crumb topping. ?Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. ?(If the topping browns too quickly, cover it with foil).

Transfer the pie to a rack and cool overnight, or at least 4 hours, so the filling sets ?(We didn?t do that. ?We?re not sadists. ?We let it cool an hour. ?It was fine).

Tags: berry pie recipe, best pie crust, blackberry pie recipe, blueberry pie recipe, brown sugar crust, brown sugar topping recipe, Food Network Magazine pie recipes, how to make brown sugar crust, how to make brown sugar topping, how to make pie crust, pie crust recipe, pies with different berries, putting a cat to sleep, strawberry pie recipe, three berry pie recipe

Posted in Desserts and Homemade 18 hours, 2 minutes ago at 12:50 pm. Add a comment

Source: http://tvfoodanddrink.com/2012/07/berry-pie-brown-sugar-topping/

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SEC Insider Trading Probe Into Chinese Billionaire's Firm Said Not To Affect His Listed Businesses

A probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into insider trading by a Hong Kong company controlled by Chinese billionaire Zhang Zhirong won?t affect the operations of his main two listed businesses, according to statements by the two today.

The SEC said on Friday it had obtained an emergency court order to freeze the assets of Well Advantage, a company it said is controlled by Zhang and which is suspected of earning illegal profits by buying shares in Nexen in advance of last week?s announcement by Chinese government-controlled Cnooc that it would acquire the Canadian energy firm. (Click here for a link to the full SEC statement.)

Zhang controls China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group, a shipbuilding and offshore engineering and equipment supplier that has a strategic cooperation agreement with Cnooc. (See related article here.)

Rongsheng said in a statement today its board ?does not expect that the SEC matter will affect the normal business and operations? of the company. Zhang is Rongsheng?s chairman and non-executive director. Glorious Property, a real estate developer where Zhang is chairman and an executive director, said the same.

Zhang ranked No. 464 on the 2012 Forbes Billionaires List with wealth of $2.6 billion.

Rongsheng investors face some other bad news this morning:? the company in a separate statement today warned first-half profit would ?decrease significantly? from a year earlier (see link here).

?? Follow me on Twitter @rflannerychina

?

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2012/07/29/sec-insider-trading-probe-into-chinese-billionaires-firm-said-not-to-affect-his-listed-businesses/

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Black Couple says White Church Banned Wedding

Jackson, MS-- A Jackson couple said their big wedding plans were dashed by a white church in Crystal Springs because they are black.

Charles Wilson said it was a huge disappointment that he and his wife couldn?t get married at the mostly white Crystal Springs church they attended because of the color of their skin.

?I feel like it was blatant racial discrimination,? Wilson said today in a phone interview.

Wilson said that he and his wife Te?Andrea had sent out invitations and the printed program with their wedding date of July 21 at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs.

But the couple had to change their plans after some members of First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs didn?t want the black couple to be married there, the pastor told WLBT.

The church?s pastor, Rev. Stan Weatherford, married the couple, but moved the ceremony to a nearby church.

Weatherford acknowledged some members of the church were concerned about the black couple being married in the church. No black couple has been married in the church in recent memory.

Wilson said he had been attending the church for about a month and his now wife had been attending for more than a year.

?Prior to this, I had been telling people how nice they were here,? Wilson said. ?It makes you reevaluate things.?

The church pastor said he was surprised by the reaction of some church members.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church and I didn't want a controversy to effect the wedding of Charles and Te' Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," said Weatherford, according to WLBT.

---

You should follow us on twitter @thechurcheport

Source: http://www.thechurchreport.com/index.cfm?objectID=158205

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Get automobile financial loans Nike Store at lowest rates | Arty Apt

When you are in search of a good automobile bank loan, Nike Store then here is all of the data you?ll need on finding the ideal mortgage at the lowest rates of interest. Study on for additional info to ease your doubts and queries.

Buying about
Comparison shopping could be the finest method of getting out the best deals for you. As an car purchaser you usually do not really need to choose a car very first before opting for a loan. You can initial look into the quantity of mortgage you are eligible for after which pick out the automobile of one?s desires. This can be greatest accomplished by going to numerous Nike Air loan company websites and evaluating different personal loan solutions. You may be necessary to fill up a simple type and will then be offered quotations on the quantity of bank loan you might be suitable for.

Choosing the proper financial loan alternative
The best automobile loan could be the one using the greatest rate of interest. Though the lowest rate of interest appears the very best alternative, keep in mind that interest rates are often set as for every the condition of your credit score. Most auto loan loan providers and automobile sellers have their own credit score score and internal ranking standards which assist them to decide APR for the auto bank loan. The ranking score is normally referred to as the FICO score or even the Beacon. A good prime score is deemed to become over ?680?, and interest rates for this kind of consumers are often 9.99% and reduced. Nike Store Scores in between ?525 and 679? are regarded as as unique finance or subprime scores and lending prices here ordinarily drop among 9% and 24%.

Picking out the most beneficial lender
The very best loan company is one who offers the least expensive personal loan alternative, has probably the most versatile terms and conditions and circumstances, will not hide any charges, has good model recognition and many importantly gives excellent provider. Keep these aspects Nike Airin thoughts prior to deciding on a specific loan company and his or her personal loan alternative. You may also take into consideration using a bank loan from your car vendor himself, but do not forget that in the event the rates of interest you can find higher, you often have the appropriate to refuse that loan.

In the event you nevertheless discover it tricky to decide Nike Air on the appropriate loan company, depart the challenging operate to moneyeverything. This web-site already has compiled a checklist of the greatest lenders in Uk and delivers automobile loan options and rate comparison in a solitary supply. Clients can speak to the creditors of their option from right here itself.

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This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Nike Air, Nike Pas Cher, nike store. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.

Source: http://artyapt.com/blog/get-automobile-financial-loans-nike-store-at-lowest-rates/

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nba: July 29, 2012: USA Basketball defeats France 98-71 in...

Kyle. 22. Los Angeles. The most ELECTRiFYING blogger in the Tumblr community today. Highly inspired but deeply unmotivated artist/filmmaker, unapologetic Lady Gaga fanatic, die-hard wrestling fan, sports lover, and highly opinionated blogger among other things. World Heavyweight Champion of Trash Talking. Oh and I'm a 2x TIME Magazine Person of the Year.

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Man calling himself 'a joker' threatened shooting

PALMER PARK, Md. (AP) ? Calling himself "a joker," a Maryland man with an arsenal of guns threatened to shoot up a business he was being fired from, and was wearing a T-shirt that said "Guns don't kill people. I do" when police confronted him, authorities said Friday.

The 28-year-old man, identified in a search warrant as Neil E. Prescott, told a supervisor at software and mailroom supplier Pitney Bowes that he wanted to see his boss' "brain splatter all over the sidewalk," according to a search warrant.

"I'm a joker and I'm gonna load my guns and blow everybody up," Prescott said, according to the warrant.

The threats were made repeatedly in two separate phone calls this week, and investigators who searched Prescott's apartment Friday morning found several thousand rounds of ammunition and about two dozen semi-automatic rifles and pistols. The weapons so far appear to have been purchased legally but are still being examined, said Mike Campbell, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Prescott was taken into custody at his apartment Friday and was receiving a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital. He was not expected to be charged Friday, the Prince George's County police department said on Twitter.

"We can't measure what was prevented here, but what was going on over the last 36 hours was a significant incident in the county. And we think a violent episode was avoided," said county police Chief Mark Magaw.

The workplace Prescott is accused of threatening to shoot up is located just outside Washington.

It wasn't immediately clear when the threat was to be carried out or how seriously it was, but last week's mass shooting at a Colorado theater during the latest Batman movie ? coupled with the "Joker" reference ? put police on edge and gave the comments extra urgency, officials said.

"We take all threats seriously. And if you're going to make a threat, we will take action," Magaw said.

Though there's no other indication of a link to the Colorado shooting, police believe the joker comments were a "clear reference" to the killings, the warrant said. The man accused in those shootings, James Holmes, had his hair dyed reddish-orange, and called himself the Joker, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said.

It was not immediately clear if Prescott had a lawyer. His record in Maryland appeared to include only a 2007 speeding ticket.

A search for Neil Prescott on a website that tracks users' online activities led to a profile that appears to be him on mdshooters.com, a website for gun enthusiasts. On it, Prescott, who used an online tag of slog403 and identified himself as from Crofton, traded advice with other users about obtaining firearms.

During a conversation last week about acquiring a 30-round magazine, he indicated he would "never violate MD laws as I respect this site and state." But in a July 18 post, he also said he wished to "unleash 30 rounds of hell" and added a smiley face emoticon. It wasn't clear what he was referring to.

He was taken into custody Friday morning at his apartment in Crofton, near Annapolis, after a supervisor reported the threat to the police. Police on Thursday made an initial visit to Prescott's home, where he appeared groggy and was wearing the T-shirt with the reference to guns.

"The multiple threats and the nature of the threats and that action, together, led us to a place where we could get an emergency petition" for a psychiatric evaluation, said Deputy Police Chief Henry Stawinski.

According to the warrant, Prescott made the threat during a phone call on Monday morning when a supervisor contacted him on a work-related matter, then made similar statements in a separate conversation about 15 minutes later. During the call, Prescott acknowledged it was "kind of foolish of me" to say this over the phone, the supervisor told authorities.

The supervisor did not want to talk to a reporter, his son said.

Pitney Bowes spokeswoman Carol Wallace said in a statement that Prescott was an employee of a subcontractor to the company and had not been on any Pitney Bowes property in at least four months.

Wilbert Brinson, who lives in a building across from Prescott's but did not know him, said he was alarmed by the alleged threats.

"It's an awakening, you know, after hearing what happened in Colorado," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko and Brian Witte and AP researcher Judith Ausuebel contributed to this report. Zongker reported from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-calling-himself-joker-threatened-shooting-181352545.html

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In-utero exposure to magnetic fields associated ... - Health Centers

? Children's Health ? ? Obesity ? Jul 27, 2012

In-utero exposure to relatively high magnetic field levels was associated with a 69 percent increased risk of being obese or overweight during childhood compared to lower in-utero magnetic field levels, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online version of Nature?s Scientific Reports.

Researchers conducted the prospective cohort study, in which participating women in Kaiser Permanente?s Northern California region carried a meter measuring magnetic field levels during pregnancy and 733 of their children were followed up to 13 years, to collect clinically recorded information on growth patterns. On average, 33 weight measurements per child were collected.

Researchers noted a dose response relationship with increasing in-utero magnetic field levels being associated with further increased risk of obesity or being overweight. The observed association and supporting evidence provide the first epidemiologic findings that link increasing exposure to environmental magnetic fields, especially in-utero exposure, over the last few decades with the rapid rise in childhood obesity during the corresponding decades, according to the authors.

"Pregnancy is a critical developmental stage that is among the most vulnerable periods to environmental exposures,? said De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, a perinatal epidemiologist with the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., and the lead author of the study. ?These findings indicate that electromagnetic fields, from microwave ovens to countless wireless devices, may be contributing to childhood obesity risk. This finding could have implications for possibly reducing childhood obesity and better understanding the obesity epidemic. Like any scientific discoveries, the results need to be replicated by other studies.?

After controlling for a child?s age at each weight measurement, child gender, maternal age at delivery, pre-pregnancy BMI, race, education level, smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding, researchers reported a 50 percent increase of participants being obese or overweight for medium in?utero levels (1.5-2.5 mG), and an 84 percent increased risk for high in-utero levels (>2.5mG). An mG, or milligauss, represents a unit of magnetic field level or strength as measured using a gaussmeter.

This study follows previous work from Dr. Li (and others) that showed electromagnetic fields may impact pregnancy outcomes and childhood diseases including asthma. Higher EMF levels have also been associated with diabetes in humans, being overweight and high glucose levels in animals, and ADHD in mice offspring, explained Dr. Li.

In the current study, among those children with longer follow-up time (to the end of the study), the observed association was stronger (2.35 times the risk of childhood obesity/overweight for in-utero MF level > 1.5 mG vs. ? 1.5 mG). Similarly, if the study only considered those who were persistently obese/overweight through childhood during the follow-up, the association was also much stronger (almost 5 fold increased risk of obesity/overweight for in-utero MF level > 1.5 mG vs.

"EMF exposure during pregnancy could impact the fetal development, including endocrine and metabolic systems, predisposing offspring to higher risk of obesity," Dr. Li said. He added that environmental impacts tend to be amplified during fetal development both in terms of affecting multiple organ systems and having long-lasting changes to physiology, such as to the endocrine systems and hormone receptors.

Researchers examined maternal factors, prenatal factors, childhood factors, outcome measures, and other factors that could be confounders. Among 18 factors examined, only family income and childhood habits of eating fruits and vegetables varied among the three maternal MF exposure groups. However, there was not consistent pattern of MF exposure with family income: women with either low or high family income had lower MF exposure level than women with medium family income. Children eating more fruits and vegetables tended to have a mother who had higher MF exposure during pregnancy. There was no difference among the three MF exposure groups in the average number of weight measurements per child. The proportion of children who remained in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated care delivery system at the end of the study (11 years and older) was almost identical in all three groups. None of the 18 factors examined could explain the observed association.

"Expectant mothers should take this new research into account, but they should not panic," said Ruth Shaber, MD, medical director of the Center for Healthcare Delivery at the Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute. "We still have a lot more to learn about the impact of the environment on pregnancy and young children."
###

About the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and the society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR?s 500-plus staff is working on more than 250 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit http://www.dor.kaiser.org/.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America?s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health.

###

Catherine Hylas Saunders
csaunders@golinharris.com
202-585-2603
Kaiser Permanente

Provided by ArmMed Media

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Video: Disaster for Starbucks

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Pink's 'Blow Me (One Last Kiss)' Video Premieres!

In her new clip, which premiered Thursday (July 26) on MTV, Pink gets revenge — as only she can.
By James Montgomery

Pink in her "Blow Me [One Last Kiss]" video
Photo: RCA

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1690636/pink-blow-me-one-last-kiss-video-premiere.jhtml

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Hospitals wipe out, limit bills for Colo. victims

DENVER - Some of the victims fighting for their lives after being wounded in the movie theater shooting rampage may face another challenge when they get out of the hospital: enormous medical bills without the benefit of health insurance.

Members of the public, along with Warner Bros., the studio that released the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," have contributed nearly $2 million to help victims, though it's not clear how much of that will cover medical expenses. One family is raising money on its own online.

And three of the five hospitals that treated victims said Wednesday they will limit or completely wipe out medical bills.

Some of the victims, however, still face a long recovery ahead and the associated medical costs ? without health insurance. There's no exact count of how many of them don't have insurance but statistics suggest many of them might not be covered.

Nearly one in three Coloradans, or about 1.5 million, either have no health insurance or have coverage that is inadequate, according to a 2011 report by The Colorado Trust, a health care advocacy group.

The highest uninsured rate was among adults between 18 and 34 and many of those injured in the shootings are in that age group.

State officials said they are not sure whether any of the victims qualify for emergency Medicaid assistance available to needy patients. Victims could also get financial assistance from a state program that helps people hurt during crimes, including lost wages and counselling.

Among the uninsured victims of the movie theater attack is a 23-year-old aspiring comic, Caleb Medley, who is in critical condition with a head wound and whose wife, Katie, gave birth to their first child, Hugo, on Tuesday.

His family and friends said they have set a goal of raising $500,000 to cover his hospital bills and other expenses and were over halfway there on Wednesday.

"All the money that is donated is going straight to Caleb, Katie and Hugo to help them with medical bills, getting back on their feet, help with the baby items," friend Michael West said. "Anything and everything that they need."

Children's Hospital Colorado announced it would use donations and its charity care fund to cover the medical expenses of the uninsured. For those who do have insurance, the hospital says it will waive all co-pays.

"We are committed to supporting these families as they heal," according to a statement from the hospital, which treated six shooting victims.

HealthOne, which owns the Medical Center of Aurora and Swedish Medical Center, also says it will limit or eliminate charges based on the individual circumstances of the patients. Those hospitals have treated 22 shooting victims. However, the company cautioned its policy may not apply to all doctors working in its hospitals.

The other two hospitals, Denver Health Medical Center and University of Colorado Hospital, where Medley is, wouldn't directly say whether they would assist shooting victims. However, they are the state's top two safety net hospitals and provided combined $750 million in free care in 2011.

Hospitals are required by federal law to stabilize patients during emergencies without regard to their ability to pay.

"The issue most probably facing the hospitals and patients in a situation like Aurora is what comes after 'stabilization,'" said Dr. Howard Brody, director of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and a frequent critic of excessive medical costs.

"Many of these people I assume will need prolonged and expensive rehabilitation after their immediate injuries are dealt with, and that seems precisely what hospitals today are less and less willing to cover out of their own funds, and no law requires that they do so, as far as I am aware," he said.

Medley is in a medically induced coma, but West said he has been showing signs of improvement, relying less on a ventilator to breathe. Medley's wife, 21-year-old Katie Medley, gave birth on Tuesday, one floor above his room at University of Colorado Hospital.

Standup comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who has appeared on Comedy Central, planned to headline a Denver fundraiser for Medley next week.

The fundraising might actually make Medley ineligible for some income-related assistance. His family and all other victims are already meeting with victim advocates, the case workers who deal with people hurt during crimes. The advocates determine what services they need and what assistance they qualify for.

"We have individuals who will need a lifetime of care, or a lifetime of accommodation, and our job is to make sure those needs are met," said Karla Maraccini, deputy director for community partnerships in the office of Gov. John Hickenlooper.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://calebmedley.com/help

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-hospitals-wipe-limit-medical-bills-colorado-movie-004009848.html

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Exclusive: U.S. weighs retail sweep after Wal-Mart bribery scandal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are considering launching a wide-ranging examination of the retail industry for violations of an anti-foreign bribery law, after Wal-Mart and other retailers have come forth with their own potential offenses, people familiar with the matter said.

Retailers have been reviewing their international operations in light of a bribery scandal at Wal-Mart Stores Inc's operations in Mexico that is the subject of investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The conduct was thrown into the public spotlight in April, when a New York Times report said that management at Wal-Mart de Mexico orchestrated bribes of $24 million to help it grow quickly in the last decade and that Wal-Mart's top brass tried to cover it up.

Other retail companies have also since reported to U.S. agencies suspicions of their own potential violations, which in turn has the Justice Department and SEC considering a sweep of the entire industry, said the sources, who are working with companies who have unearthed potential issues but declined to be identified.

The people would not reveal which retail companies have reported problems, but the development could signal that the retail industry faces an expensive legal headache that could last for years.

An SEC spokesman, a DOJ spokeswoman and Wal-Mart declined to comment.

It is not clear which firms would be included in an industry sweep by authorities. A number of U.S. retailers, selling everything from apparel to electronics and office products, have extensive operations abroad.

The government teams that enforce the U.S. anti-foreign bribery law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, have often turned to industry-wide reviews when they find misconduct at a few companies that could be indicative of more widespread problems.

The SEC as a regulatory agency usually conducts the sweeps, though the DOJ does on occasion participate as well.

Both agencies, for example, sent letters to a handful of pharmaceutical companies in 2010 asking for information about their businesses in countries around the world.

Earlier this year, the SEC sent letters of inquiry to major U.S. movie studios asking for information about their dealings in China.

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Daniel Nardello, a former federal prosecutor, about the prospect of an industry-wide review of retailers.

"They have taken an industry-based enforcement approach, and I'm sure this has piqued their interest and gotten their prosecutorial juices flowing," said Nardello, who now runs Nardello & Co, which helps companies investigate potential FCPA violations and other issues.

It is also not unusual for companies to go to the authorities to disclose their own problems after another industry player's problems come to light, though the defense bar has debated for years whether self-reporting an issue to the government provides a tangible benefit.

In several recent cases, the Justice Department has attempted to make clear that benefit, lawyers said.

A former Morgan Stanley executive pleaded guilty in April to charges related to a bribery scheme in China, for example, but the Justice Department said it would not charge the Wall Street firm for the conduct and cited Morgan Stanley's internal controls and cooperation as contributing factors.

Even without charges, foreign bribery investigations can tie up company resources and management attention.

"Sometimes they are fairly focused, but even if they are focused they still require companies to do a significant amount of work," said Lucinda Low, a partner at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson who heads the firm's FCPA practice.

Requests from previous sweeps have asked for documents that range from dealings with a specific government agency, to detailed inquiries about a compliance program, to costs related to certain activities, lawyers familiar with such requests said.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha in Washington, Jessica Wohl in Chicago and Dhanya Skariachan in New York; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-u-weighs-retail-sweep-wal-mart-bribery-005849883--sector.html

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Education secretary urges balanced budget cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is urging Congress to avoid across-the-board cuts that he says would harm the Education Department's ability to provide for the neediest students in the next school year.

Duncan tells a Senate appropriations panel that steep cuts "would jeopardize our nation's ability to develop and support an educated, skilled workforce that can compete in the global economy."

He warns the cuts would undermine the department's ability to serve disadvantaged students in high-poverty schools and improve schools with high dropout rates. Duncan also says it would undermine programs for students with disabilities and special needs and adversely impact programs providing financial aid to college students.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/education-secretary-urges-balanced-budget-cuts-173031830.html

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Environmental groups should pool efforts to reach the public

Public release date: 26-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Debra Levey Larson
dlarson@illinois.edu
217-244-2880
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA A lot of time, effort, and money are spent by agencies, municipalities, and other non-governmental organizations to inform and educate the public about environmental concerns. Could these groups collaborate to inform the public about an environmental concern even though their beliefs may be very different? Two studies suggest that they can and should.

University of Illinois professional geographer Bethany Cutts tracked messages to the public about water quality and usage from a variety of sources in Phoenix, Arizona. She found that considerable overlap in the messaging already existed, but there was little understanding or direction to collaborate and reach specific audiences, such as Spanish speakers in the community.

"When I began interviewing agencies in a fact-finding mission, I kept hearing the same things. They referenced each other, shared ideas, collaborated, and co-funded projects," Cutts said.

As the project progressed, Cutts determined that although the organizations' biggest strength seemed to be their connectivity and ability to share information, they haven't found a good way to manage and maximize the connections that already exist between specific groups within the public and the network of water educators.

"Everyone is trying to reach the entire public," Cutts said. "The really strong environmental groups are reaching people who already have a lot of interest in environmental and ecological issues so they're not the target audience."

Cutts suggests that even though their goals may be different, there could be more information and even financial sharing between organizations. They can work together to build public knowledge and empowerment in environmental decision making. "Some of these organizations have dissolved due to budget cuts," she said. "I wanted to see if their cumulative effort stacked information higher in some neighborhoods while missing other neighborhoods completely or if information was more randomly or evenly distributed so that everyone got some sort of information."

Cutts found that generally the public she interviewed had more information if they had heard it from several sources. "I was interested in the total number of messages a person would pass in their daily life," she said. "Someone might see a billboard and later get information in their water bill, and their child might be in an after-school program where there are puppet shows about water conservation. So some neighborhoods might be barraged with a lot of messages, whereas other neighborhoods even within the same city, might not.

"Efficiency would improve if they could be more strategic about the ways they get information distributed," she said. "They need to recognize that they can all be moderately successful at reaching the public at large or they can collaborate to engage in experimentation and to reach audiences they may be missing, such as the Spanish-speaking community."

Cutts believes understanding existing connections and seizing strategic opportunities to form new ones could be an outcome from the findings of this research.

"As the budget-constrained groups reconfigure, they can plan to preserve what they like about the way they reach the public while building public capacity and public will to prioritize water usage."

###

Participatory geographic information systems for the co-production of science and policy in an emerging boundary organization was published in Environmental Science and Policy. Dave D. White and Ann P. Kinzig contributed to the research. The work was funded through a dissertation approval grant from the National Science Foundation with Decision Center for a Desert City.

Testing neighborhood, information seeking, and attitudes as explanations of environmental knowledge using random forest and conditional inference models is published in the Proceedings of the Association of American Geographers. Nicholoas Moore, Ariana Fox-Gowda, Allyn Knox , and Ann Kinzig contributed to the research.

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 26-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Debra Levey Larson
dlarson@illinois.edu
217-244-2880
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA A lot of time, effort, and money are spent by agencies, municipalities, and other non-governmental organizations to inform and educate the public about environmental concerns. Could these groups collaborate to inform the public about an environmental concern even though their beliefs may be very different? Two studies suggest that they can and should.

University of Illinois professional geographer Bethany Cutts tracked messages to the public about water quality and usage from a variety of sources in Phoenix, Arizona. She found that considerable overlap in the messaging already existed, but there was little understanding or direction to collaborate and reach specific audiences, such as Spanish speakers in the community.

"When I began interviewing agencies in a fact-finding mission, I kept hearing the same things. They referenced each other, shared ideas, collaborated, and co-funded projects," Cutts said.

As the project progressed, Cutts determined that although the organizations' biggest strength seemed to be their connectivity and ability to share information, they haven't found a good way to manage and maximize the connections that already exist between specific groups within the public and the network of water educators.

"Everyone is trying to reach the entire public," Cutts said. "The really strong environmental groups are reaching people who already have a lot of interest in environmental and ecological issues so they're not the target audience."

Cutts suggests that even though their goals may be different, there could be more information and even financial sharing between organizations. They can work together to build public knowledge and empowerment in environmental decision making. "Some of these organizations have dissolved due to budget cuts," she said. "I wanted to see if their cumulative effort stacked information higher in some neighborhoods while missing other neighborhoods completely or if information was more randomly or evenly distributed so that everyone got some sort of information."

Cutts found that generally the public she interviewed had more information if they had heard it from several sources. "I was interested in the total number of messages a person would pass in their daily life," she said. "Someone might see a billboard and later get information in their water bill, and their child might be in an after-school program where there are puppet shows about water conservation. So some neighborhoods might be barraged with a lot of messages, whereas other neighborhoods even within the same city, might not.

"Efficiency would improve if they could be more strategic about the ways they get information distributed," she said. "They need to recognize that they can all be moderately successful at reaching the public at large or they can collaborate to engage in experimentation and to reach audiences they may be missing, such as the Spanish-speaking community."

Cutts believes understanding existing connections and seizing strategic opportunities to form new ones could be an outcome from the findings of this research.

"As the budget-constrained groups reconfigure, they can plan to preserve what they like about the way they reach the public while building public capacity and public will to prioritize water usage."

###

Participatory geographic information systems for the co-production of science and policy in an emerging boundary organization was published in Environmental Science and Policy. Dave D. White and Ann P. Kinzig contributed to the research. The work was funded through a dissertation approval grant from the National Science Foundation with Decision Center for a Desert City.

Testing neighborhood, information seeking, and attitudes as explanations of environmental knowledge using random forest and conditional inference models is published in the Proceedings of the Association of American Geographers. Nicholoas Moore, Ariana Fox-Gowda, Allyn Knox , and Ann Kinzig contributed to the research.

---

[ | 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/2012-07/uoic-egs072612.php

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