'Rain Man'-like brains mapped at using MRIs and network analysis

Feb. 28, 2013 ? Combining hospital MRIs with the mathematical tool known as network analysis, a group of researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have mapped the three-dimensional global connections within the brains of seven adults who have genetic malformations that leave them without the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right sides of the brain.

These "structural connectome" maps, described in the upcoming April 15, 2013 issue of the journal Neuroimage, reveal new details about the condition known as agenesis of the corpus callosum, which is one of the top genetic causes of autism and was part of the mysterious brain physiology of Laurence Kim Peek, the remarkable savant portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the 1987 movie "Rain Man."

While some people born with agenesis of the corpus callosum are of normal intelligence and do not have any obvious signs of neurologic disease, approximately 40 percent of people with the condition are at high risk for autism. Given this, the work is a step toward finding better ways to image the brains of people with the condition, said Pratik Mukherjee, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at UCSF who was the co-senior author of the research.

Understanding how brain connectivity varies from person to person may help researchers identify imaging biomarkers for autism to help diagnose it and manage care for individuals. Currently autism is diagnosed and assessed based on cognitive tests, such as those involving stacking blocks and looking at pictures on flip cards.

While the new work falls short of a quantitative measure doctors could use instead of cognitive testing, it does offer a proof-of-principle that this novel technique may shed light on neurodevelopment disorders.

"Because you are looking at the whole brain at the network level, you can do new types of analysis to find what's abnormal," Mukherjee said.

The Connection between the Brain Hemispheres and Autism Agenesis of the corpus callosum can arise if individuals are born missing DNA from chromosome 16 and often leads to autism.

Scientists have long puzzled over what the link is between this disorder and the autistic brain, said co-senior author of the paper Elliott Sherr, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and genetics especially since not all people with this malformation develop autism.

Doctors believe this is because the brain has a rich capacity for rewiring in alternative ways.

Pursuing this question, Mukherjee and Sherr turned to MRI and the mathematical technique of network analysis, which has long supported fields like civil engineering, helping urban planners optimize the timing of traffic lights to speed traffic. This is the first time network analysis has been applied to brain mapping for a genetic cause of autism.

The brain offers a significantly complicated challenge for analysis because, unlike the streets of a given city, the brain has hundreds of billions of neurons, many of which make tens of thousands of connections to each other, making its level of connectivity highly complex.

By comparing the seven rain man-like brains to those of 11 people without this malformation, the scientists determined how particular structures called the cingulate bundles were smaller and the neurons within these bundles were less connected to others in the brain. They also found that the network topology of the brain was more variable in people with agenesis of the corpus callosum than in people without the malformation.

The article, "The structural connectome of the human brain in agenesis of the corpus callosum" is authored by Julia P. Owen, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF, with co-authors Yi-Ou Li, Etay Ziv, Zoe Strominger, Jacquelyn Gold, Polina Bukhpun, Mari Wakahiro, Eric J. Friedman, Elliott H. Sherr and Pratik Mukherjee. It appears in the April 15, 2013 issue of the journal Neuroimage, and is now published online ahead of print.

This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health through grant #R01NS060776, #R01NS060776 and #R01NS058721. Additional support was provided by a grant from the UCSF Sandler Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), via Newswise.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Julia P. Owen, Yi-Ou Li, Etay Ziv, Zoe Strominger, Jacquelyn Gold, Polina Bukhpun, Mari Wakahiro, Eric J. Friedman, Elliott H. Sherr, Pratik Mukherjee. The structural connectome of the human brain in agenesis of the corpus callosum. NeuroImage, 2013; 70: 340 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.031

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/1eptrw-_e7s/130228171357.htm

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Capitals Beat Hurricanes 3-0: Washington Shuts Down Alexander Semin (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals shut down former teammate Alexander Semin, scored a goal with a one-of-a-kind combo and put together a second consecutive impressive performance, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 Tuesday night in their quest to make a quick last-to-first move in the Southeast Division.

Nicklas Backstrom scored in the first period and supplied the pass for John Erskine's goal in the second ? the first Backstrom-to-Erskine score in their six seasons as teammates. John Carlson scored in the third and Braden Holtby, who signed a two-year contract extension Monday, made 33 saves for his fifth career shutout for the Capitals.

After a miserable start to the season, Washington has back-to-back wins by more than one goal for the first time this season. The victory moved the Capitals within four points of the Hurricanes, who led the NHL's weakling division at the start of the day's play.

Cam Ward, under pressure for much of the game, kept it from turning into an ugly rout by making 37 saves for the Hurricanes, who have lost four of five and are 0-5 against Southeast Division opponents.

Making his debut on the visitor's bench at the Verizon Center was Semin, who was booed and whooped derisively whenever he touched the puck. He ranks as the Capitals' No. 5 all-time goal-scorer and was often touted as having more natural talent than two-time league MVP Alex Ovechkin, but his seven seasons in Washington were marred by criticisms about his work ethic, a complaint voiced again by Washington forward Troy Brouwer on Monday.

The Capitals allowed Semin to depart via free agency last summer, and he appeared determined to show up his old team. He shot the puck more than anyone else in the first period ? three on goal, two wide of the net. He had a solo breakaway on a penalty kill early that was thwarted when his shot ricocheted off Holtby's glove, giving the fans another excuse to let out a huge cheer.

Semin finished with nine shots, including four on goal.

The second period brought a moment as unusual as the sight of Semin in an opposing uniform ? one that was years in the making. Backstrom had 278 assists since entering the NHL with the Capitals in 2007, but none of them set up Erskine, who had only nine goals in his seven seasons in Washington.

But the pair produced just 31 seconds into the period, when Backstrom found Erskine trailing the rush. Erskine, who also signed a two-year contract extension Monday, teed up a slap shot that beat Ward on the stick side.

Ward was otherwise on top of his game, making point-blank saves on Brouwer and Joel Ward in the second period. The Ward-on-Ward save was an incredible piece of glove work, with the goalie reaching back to deflect the puck just as it was about to cross the goal line.

The Capitals opened the scoring on a power-play goal by Backstrom, who perched in front of the crease to receive a pass from Mike Ribeiro. Washington has scored first in eight straight games.

Notes: The Capitals had a season-high 40 shots on goal. ... Washington D Mike Green returned after missing three games with a lower-body injury. ... Because of uncertainty over the availability of Backstrom (illness) and LW Jason Chimera (lower body) after Monday's practice, the Capitals recalled F Casey Wellman from Hershey of the AHL. ... Carolina F Jeff Skinner (concussion) missed his fifth consecutive game, and D Jamie McBain (upper body) sat out his fourth straight.

___

Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/capitals-hurricanes-3-0-alexander-semin-highlights_n_2770717.html

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World's largest turtle faces extinction in 20 years

Reuters/Ricardo Tapilatu/University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the State University of Papua (UNIPA) in Indonesia/Handou

Turtle researcher, Ricardo Tapilatu tags a female leatherback turtle who just laid eggs on a beach in New Guinea in this 2012 photograph.

By Verna Gates, Reuters

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? The giant Pacific leatherback turtle, known for its arduous 6,000-mile ocean trek from the U.S. West Coast to breeding grounds in Indonesia, could go extinct within 20 years as its population continues to plummet, scientists say.

"Sea turtles have been around about 100 million years and survived the extinction of the dinosaurs but are struggling to survive the impact of humans," said reproductive biologist Thane Wibbels of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), a member of a research team studying the fate of these reptiles.

The leatherback ? the world's largest turtle ? can grow to six feet long and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.

A study published this week in the Ecological Society of America's scientific journal Ecosphere estimates that only about 500 leatherbacks now nest at their last large nesting site in the Pacific, down from thousands previously. The study tracked the turtle's ongoing population decline since the 1980s.

"If the decline continues, leatherback turtles will become extinct in the Pacific Ocean within 20 years," Wibbels said.

The Pacific leatherback braves a transpacific journey that is one of the longest migrations in nature. Experts say its continued existence is imperiled by threats like climate change, plastic pollution, fishing methods, predation and human hunting.

In the past 27 years, the numbers of western Pacific leatherback turtles have dropped by 78 percent, making it critically endangered, said Ricardo Tapilatu, a turtle researcher at UAB and the State University of Papua in Indonesia. He has studied the turtles at their last remaining refuge, the remote Bird's Head Peninsula on New Guinea.

State University Of Papua / Reuters

Leatherback turtle hatchlings head into the sea on the island of New Guinea in this 2012 photograph.

More than 75 percent of all western Pacific leatherback nesting occurs there, numbering 489 turtles in the last breeding season, the researchers said. The turtles forage across the Pacific as far away as the U.S. coast of California, Oregon, and Washington state.

The research team also included scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service and the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia.

The turtles can dive as deep as 4,000 feet. To survive the cold depths, the leatherback can control its temperature, staying warmer than surrounding waters. They feed on jellyfish, eating hundreds a day.

The leathery shell feels like tire tread and it is distinctively different from hard-shell sea turtles.

Their exact lifespan is unknown, but is believed to be up to 80 years. It is difficult to determine since males never return to the beaches, living their lives in the sea.

Of the four primary Pacific nesting places of the past century, the Malaysian population is extinct, and the Mexico and Central American populations have fallen 95 percent.

The leatherback is the only sea turtle that lives in open ocean, negotiating numerous dangers along the way.

"They migrate 6,000 miles in seven months, and then back, going through the territorial waters of at least 20 countries. There is constant danger of being caught and killed," said Tapilatu, a native of New Guinea.

For example, fishermen's drift nets and long-lines can snag the air-breathing turtle, drowning it. Humans also introduced wild hogs and dogs to the remote beaches where they nest. The hogs are especially voracious predators of turtle eggs.

Near the nesting site, local fishermen still capture and slaughter leatherbacks to consume the meat. A local tribe has historically harvested about 100 turtles per year, as well as eggs.

On some beaches, as few as 20 percent of the eggs hatch due to increased beach temperatures, which could worsen with climate change, Tapilatu said. Sand temperature determines the gender of hatchlings, with higher temperatures favoring females.

There is hope of restoring the population of the endangered reptiles, the researchers said. The Atlantic leatherback, which is genetically different from the Pacific turtles, has made a comeback through mutual country agreements to ban harvesting adults or eggs on beaches.

Tapilatu said he plans to return to New Guinea to help replicate that success story with the leatherback turtles struggling to survive in his Pacific home.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17121197-famed-giant-pacific-leatherback-turtle-faces-extinction-in-20-years?lite

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Common Core Spelling Standards | Pennington Publishing Blog

Common Core Spelling Standards

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The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts provide instructional challenges for all conscientious upper elementary and middle school teachers. In addition to the Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening Strands, teachers are expected to teach the grammar, mechanics, language application, spelling, and vocabulary Standards of the CCSS Language Strand (Standards L. 1-6). When establishing instructional priorities to address these Standards, many teachers have placed spelling (Standard L. 2) on the back-burner.

It?s not that teachers devalue spelling instruction. Instructional time and the diverse instructional needs of our students are the key instructional concerns. Teaching is reductive-spending time on this takes away from that. Instructional decision-making is largely about establishing priorities. So, curricular materials must afford teachers the choices to reflect those priorities.

Recently I attended an all-day introduction to the Common Core State Standards sponsored by my school district. As expected, the changes in the reading standards assumed the vast amount of instructional attention. Writing standards were allotted an hour and listening and speaking standards a mere ten minutes. A passing reference was given to the language standards of grammar, mechanics, and vocabulary. However, spelling (Language Standard 2.0) was not mentioned.

Perhaps our trainers were taking their cues from the minimal references to spelling in the Language Strand of the Common Core State Standards. Following are the spelling standards from Grades 4?8:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2e?Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2e?Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.2b?Spell correctly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.2b?Spell correctly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2b?Spell correctly.

Hardly the specificity or attention that most parents, teachers, and administrators would desire, especially given the heavy focus on phonics, syllabication, and word analysis in the primary grades and the sound-spelling emphases of CCSS contributors to the appendices.

Indeed, those same authors would readily acknowledge that teaching explicit spelling patterns in conjunction with reading has a solid research base. The spelling-reading (encoding-decoding) connection is well-established at every stage of word study?from sound-spelling relationships in the primary grades to derivational and etymological influences from elementary through high school.

Perhaps their assumption is that all students have mastered the sound-spelling relationships, derivational, and etymological underpinnings of our language by the end of third grade. Our new standards are rigorous, but even so?

So what about students who clearly have not mastered the basic sound-spellings by, say, eighth grade? The Common Core State Standards shy away from this all-too-often reality in many schools. Here is the advice:

?The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below or well above grade-level expectations.?

My take is that teachers are going to have to flesh out meaningful spelling instruction beyond the third grade level to benefit our students. Additionally, students who have not mastered those primary grade sound-spelling patterns and sight words deserve our addition in the upper elementary, middle school, high school, and community college settings. We can help students ?keep up? with grade-level instruction and ?catch up? on spelling pattern deficits.

The author of the Pennington Publishing Blog, Mark Pennington, has written a comprehensive Grades 4-8 language series to teach each of the grade-level Common Core Language Standards.?Teaching the Language Strand provides interactive grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling lessons, a complete spelling patterns program, language application openers, and vocabulary instruction. Simple sentence diagrams, error analysis, mentor texts, writing applications with sentence combining and sentence manipulation, and formative assessments are woven into each lesson. Students learn to apply these language standards in both the writing and reading contexts. Each instructional component includes diagnostic assessments and remedial worksheets to help the teacher easily individualize instruction. Previews of the grade-level teacher guides and student workbooks are available on the author?s?website.

Spelling/Vocabulary Common Core Language, Common Core Spelling, Spelling Standards

Source: http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/spelling_vocabulary/common-core-spelling-standards/

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Grand jury decides no charges against New Jersey's "Tan Mom"

(Reuters) - The case of the deeply bronzed New Jersey woman known as "Tan Mom" appears destined to fade away. A grand jury declined to indict her on child endangerment charges, a prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Patricia Krentcil was arrested in April 2012 after her then 5-year-old daughter showed up at school with a sunburn and officials accused her of taking the child into a tanning booth.

At the time, the blonde mother's chocolate-brown hue testified to many hours spent under the intense ultraviolet light of a tanning bed or out in the sun soaking up rays.

New Jersey is among several states that have adopted regulations prohibiting anyone age 14 or under from tanning with using ultraviolet devices because of the risk of skin cancer.

A grand jury considering the case against Krentcil, 44, of Nutley, New Jersey, decided not to indict her on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, the Essex County prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

"We presented all the available evidence in the case to the grand jury," said Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Gina Iosim.

"The grand jurors voted not to indict Mrs. Krentcil. ... We respect their decision," Iosim said.

Krentcil's attorney Natalia Diaz hailed the panel's decision, noting that the mother of could have faced a prison term of up to 10 years had she been convicted of the charge.

"The case was just basically ridiculous," Diaz said. "It's almost like a witch hunt."

The child, now 6, is fair-skinned and showed up at school with a sunburn after spending time outside on a sunny day, not in a tanning booth, Diaz said.

Krentcil, who is also "very, very fair skinned," said she frequented tanning booths because she wanted to look "nice and dark," Diaz said. But that is all in the past.

"She no longer tans like that," Diaz said.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/grand-jury-decides-no-charges-against-jerseys-tan-014710012.html

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North Korea Widens 3G Coverage - for Outsiders Only

North Korea is modernizing its technologies -- as only North Korea can. Foreigners are now able to bring their phones -- with the caveat that they must purchase North Korean sim cards upon arrival. Now Koryolink, a North Korean mobile phone provider, plans to launch a 3G data service -- but only foreigners can use it.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28f1d7e8/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C773860Bhtml/story01.htm

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Luxi incident light meter accessory for iPhone arrives on Kickstarter

The Luxi incident light meter for iPhone has arrived on Kickstarter and is looking for funding to help it to get into mass production. The Luxi is a clip on accessory for your iPhone that when working alongside a companion app becomes a professional grade incident light meter which helps you to take awesome pictures with your DSLR camera.

Luxi is a small diffusion dome that fits securely over your iPhone?s front-facing camera. When attached and used with a light meter app, Luxi will help you determine the best settings for your DSLR or other camera so that you can take perfectly exposed pictures. With Luxi, your iPhone becomes a convenient and easy to use incident light meter. Professional light meters with the same features can cost several hundred dollars and require you to carry a whole separate device.

Incident light meters, like Luxi, measure the amount of light falling on the subject you are photographing, not the light reflected by the subject. Incident light meter readings are independent of the subject's reflectance and cannot be fooled by tricky lighting situations like back-lit subjects (e.g. sunset portraits).

The Luxi has been compared with many high end hand held light meters that cost hundreds of dollars and according to the developers, it stands up against them all with similar results. If you fancy picking one of these up as early as possible, should they make it into production; you can back the project through its Kickstarter page. Pledges starting from just $14 will get you one of the first off the line including free shipping across the U.S. The project is already over its rather small target of $10,000 and currently sits at just over $12,500 with 44 days of the campaign still to run.

Photographers, what do you think of the Luxi incident light meter for iPhone? Could you see yourself using a product like this?

Source: Kickstarter

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/t5LiVnxCqkc/story01.htm

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NBC says its website is safe after security scare

BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. media company NBC Universal said late on Thursday that its NBC.com website was safe to visit following a security scare prompted by reports that it was infected with malicious software designed for banking fraud and cyber espionage.

"A problem was identified and it has been fixed," an NBC Universal spokeswoman told Reuters. She declined to elaborate on the nature of the problem.

Earlier on Thursday, several security experts had advised Internet users to avoid the site altogether, saying it had been compromised by malicious software.

The Dutch computer security firm SurfRight said on its HitmanPro blog that the site of its NBC television network was tainted with viruses known as the Citadel and ZeroAccess that are used for banking fraud, cyber espionage and other computer crimes.

The NBC spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether any users had been infected. But she said that no account information about users of the site had been compromised.

Earlier in the day, Facebook Inc blocked users from accessing the NBC.com website following reports that the site was infected with a computer virus.

Facebook users were told "This link has been reported as abusive" on Thursday when they attempted to access the NBC.com website.

NBC is controlled by Comcast Inc, which is buying out minority owner General Electric Co.

(Reporting By Jim Finkle and Jennifer Saba; Editing by Gary Hill, Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nbc-says-nbc-com-now-safe-visit-215417943--sector.html

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Lam On New BlackBerry - Business Insider

Kevin Smith/Business Insider

BlackBerry's new operating system and phones are not all they're hyped up to be, Brian Lam of Wirecutter reports.

For starters, it has a terrible selection of apps, Lam says.

"It's not their fault, and maybe it's even pretty good for a new OS with over 70,000 apps available at launch, but that doesn't matter for you because in the end, that means they're still far worse than the Android and iPhone/iPad libraries today," Lam writes.

For example, the OS doesn't offer Instagram, Netflix, Spotify, and Yelp. But even with the apps it does offer, some of them are lacking in quality, Lam says.

The operating system does shine when it comes to gesture controls, but it's?lacking in the mapping area.

In short, Lam says he wouldn't tell anyone he cares about to even consider buying BlackBerry's new phones.

"You should not buy (the Z10) unless you have emotional and cultural reasons to love Blackberry, or some arcane enterprise reason I will not pretend to understand," Lam writes.?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lam-on-new-blackberry-2013-2

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Get Difficult Tasks Done by Using a "Guilt Hour"

You know that thing you've been meaning to do? The reply to the complex email you've been putting off, the phone call you're dreading, or the task you're cringing at because the last time it didn't go so well? Unless you're a whole lot more centered than I am, there's probably a few items like this that serve mostly to make you feel guilty every time you remember that you haven't done them yet.

Guilt isn't a great motivator, so a few months ago my team at The Action Mill added a new item to our work calendar to try to put an end to the avoid it, feel guilty about avoiding it, avoid it some more cycle: the Guilt Hour.

Every Wednesday at 10am, we sit together and look at our task lists (we use Personal Kanbans, but any list of stuff you should do will work). We take 2-3 minutes to identify the one thing that we feel most guilty about not having done yet. Then we go around the table and name our One Guilty Task, and commit to spending the rest of Guilt Hour working on it.

That's it: declare it, do it, move on. And once we implemented Guilt Hour things started to flow in interesting ways.

No one is allowed to judge you on the task you choose. In fact, you're expected to do the opposite: if someone names something you could help them accomplish, you volunteer to assist with their Guilty Task right away. Taking on someone else's task is considered one of the highest achievements in Guilt Hour. Generally, when you pass a Guilty Task to another person, the guilt that has been preventing it from getting done doesn't get passed along.

Guilt is waste, so if you can make it disappear by passing a task to someone else, everybody wins. You get to move on to do something else, they get to feel good about helping you out, and if someone was waiting for you to do your task, they're satisfied too.

You can trade a task, or decide it doesn't need to get done, or just get the support you need to buckle down and get it over with. You can even nudge someone who may have forgotten to do something for you. The key is that Guilt Hour is guilt free; you can let go of your own guilt, and you're not allowed to use guilt to motivate someone else.

More often than you would expect someone else has either already done the task you choose, or has a good reason why it doesn't need to be done. This is the kind of roadblock Guilt Hour removes: while we're busy feeling guilty the world keeps spinning, and by the time we get around to what used to be an important task, the circumstances have changed.

After a few months of Guilt Hour, we started having trouble coming up with Guilty Tasks every week, but we stick with it: worst case scenario is we all go back to doing something useful. Taking five minutes a week to ensure that none of us is wasting time feeling guilty is well worth it.

By 11am every Wednesday, and usually a lot sooner, our whole team is feeling a lot less stuck.

Note: Guilt Hour works best with a team?declaring your One Guilty Task to others is an important part of the process. If you haven't got a team, try declaring your task in a comment below and then report back once you're done.

Get your team unstuck with Guilt Hour | Action Mill

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Nick Jehlen is a partner at The Action Mill, a design firm with offices in Philadelphia and New York. He designs tools that create space for challenging conversations and improving how people work together. He blogs at actionmill.com and tweets at @actionmill.com.

Image remixed from Shutterstock.

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/DnzUaxWlsTs/get-difficult-tasks-done-by-using-a-guilt-hour

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Hello Everyone!

Hey there Tairu. If you're a fan of roleplaying and writing, I'm sure you'll find this site to be pleasing. RPG is what it is, fun and friendly, the users and the environment allow writers to develop creatively. You work at Subway???

That's definitely a talent. My favorite subs are the Subway Club, and the Black Forest Ham, both footlongs with everything on them.

Cookies eh? Wouldn't you prefer to give me a sub instead? :D

Anyway, welcome to RPG, RolePlayGateway, we're glad to have you here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Z66_ck1fReU/viewtopic.php

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All Design ? Types of Plus Size Dresses For Women

Most plus size women measuring US 14 size may find it difficult to obtain a dress that may fit their figure well. To the interest of such females, there are attractively fashioned plus size dresses which can help them look significantly alluring. It was never so easy to look enchanting for women with extra pounds; irrespective of the shape and size even plus size females can now don their desired look with help of such dresses. Similar to dresses which are designed for skinny models, even these dresses are elegant and based on the latest fashion trend. So, one can now stop worrying about the look and mull over the pattern that can complement their persona.

Though these large size dresses are especially designed for oversized females, it is wise to take a trial before you buy any dress. During the trial look for the best fit, color and pattern and select a dress that may compliment your look significantly. There are various dresses intended to suit different occasion, so be astir and grab your treat from the extensive spectrum of women?s large size dresses.

Casual large sized Dress:
Casual dresses are outfits which are highly preferred and can be donned on different occasions. There are different types of casual dresses which can be donned during relaxed and comfortable events such as a stroll down the street or a scheduled meeting with a friend. Such casual attire may include plus size jumpsuits, shorts, jeans, tees, tops etc. Since a casual event is not a serious occasion one can try donning anything which looks reasonably good and comfortable.

Big size maternity clothes:
The range of plus size maternity clothes is no narrower than any other collection. These outfits are specifically designed to suit and snugly fit pregnant women, without compromising with the style and look. You can try wearing on plus size dresses, such as knee length gowns, tops, tunics etc. If you are someone who cherish wearing jeans then your worry is reduced as there are plus size maternity jeans available in the spectrum. There are many other styles which are introduced in larger sized maternity collection making it easy for you to wear on your style.

Over size career dresses:

These career dresses are formal attires which are now released in over size to allow corpulent but attractive ladies to look attractively presentable in enchanting formal outfits. No matter what kind of formal event it may be, a plus size formal dress will speak for you and leave positive impression on your employer and other office associates. These career dresses are also available in the combination of formal pattern and casual essence which makes it a perfect feminine fashion. You can look for separates, gowns, skirts and tops in the spectrum to help you look captivating.

Over size gowns for all occasion:

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Source: http://alldesign.hol.es/2013/01/types-of-plus-size-dresses-for-women-2/

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Will Republicans Move to the Middle on Gay Rights?

President Obama invoking the Stonewall riots in his Inaugural Address. The Boy Scouts considering dropping the ban on openly gay scouts and volunteers. A record number of openly gay and lesbian members elected to Congress in 2012. A gaping generational divide in public opinion on gay marriage.

There?s a seismic shift in cultural opinion that?s taking place at warp speed when it comes to gay rights ? a fact that?s evident simply by looking at the headlines over the last month.? But as the Republican Party tries to moderate its position on immigration, it faces a much more difficult task dealing with an even more polarizing issue where the demographic trend lines are against them.

For many in the Republican Party, the trajectory is now unmistakable. Just as Republican leaders have urged the party to tackle immigration reform in order to appeal to Hispanics, a smaller but equally vocal group of strategists are urging the party to reconsider positions on gay rights to win over younger voters.

In 2012 ? the first presidential election year in which a majority of Americans expressed their support for legalizing same-sex marriage ? gay-marriage advocates scored historic victories on four state ballot initiatives. Public opinion is now on the side of gay-marriage supporters: A December 2012 Gallup poll showed a 53 percent majority of Americans now back same-sex marriage, a 13 point jump since 2008, with a whopping 73 percent between the ages of 18 and 29 supporting it.

?What you?re seeing in the aftermath of the 2012 election cycle is a number of Republicans who are concluding opposition to LGBT rights as it pertains to civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples is not a winning issue politically,? said Gregory T. Angelo, the new executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, the largest GOP gay-rights group. ?There is a sentiment among Republicans that even if they?re opposed to it, there?s political risk in banging the drum.?

Phil Musser, a GOP strategist who advised Tim Pawlenty's?presidential campaign, said the trend lines are clear.

?The future of the Republican Party is dependent on appealing to the millennial generation ? that?s the future ? and attitudes are changing on this issue pretty radically,? Musser said. ?People of good faith can differ on this but having a message that articulates acceptance and tolerance is key.??

But how does the GOP even moderate its stance given its traditional dependence on social conservatives? ?Focusing the broad message of the party on economic growth and economic freedom,? Musser said, ?and not trying to be a referee on social values.?

Last summer?s Republican National Convention illustrated the challenges Republicans face in talking about the issue. For the first time, the Log Cabin Republicans were given the opportunity to participate in the platform-drafting process, lobbying delegates to take out language that could brand the party antigay. But more prominent were the voices of social-conservative organizations, such as the Family Research Council, which ultimately succeeded in including tough measures opposing gay marriage.

Similarly, under their breaths, Republican leaders encouraged GOProud, another Republican gay-rights organization, to have a presence in Tampa, according to Jimmy LaSalvia, the group?s executive director, but in prime time, they were shunted off to the sidelines, given nosebleed seats, and kept out of sight.

LaSalvia is still skeptical that the necessary changes will be undertaken, particularly in reaching out to the LGBT community and moderating the GOP's tone when it comes to discussing marriage equality.?

?There are more and more Republicans who are starting to get it. I?m not convinced yet that enough are willing to make changes that are necessary,? he said. ?They?re not done losing yet.?

It?s difficult for some to imagine a Republican presidential candidate in 2016 openly embracing same-sex marriage and getting past the early caucuses and primaries, which are still driven by party purists, or even an openly gay speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2016.

Slightly easier to envision is GOP candidates adopting the stance that social issues, such as marriage, are best left up to the states ? much like the tactic Mitt Romney used to blunt criticism of the individual mandate in his Massachusetts health care law.

?I think definitely that will work for some people; it?s not going to work for all,? said Craig Robinson, an Iowa-based GOP strategist.

?People need to realize you can?t just say we need to do this, and everybody?s going to do it. There?s 600,000 Republicans in Iowa and we?re never going to agree on everything,? Robinson added. ?It?s a delicate situation for Republicans ? marriage equality has a long way to go before it?s accepted in the party.?

Still, there seem to be signs that movement is happening ? and in some unexpected quarters.?

Newt Gingrich, the same presidential candidate who endorsed the Iowa Family Leader and the National Organization of Marriage?s pledges opposing gay marriage as he attempted to court activists in Iowa last January, recently said in an interview with the Huffington Post that the GOP could no longer close its eyes to the course of public opinion. Gingrich added that an acceptable solution would be to distinguish between "marriage in a church from a legal document issued by the state."

Ken Mehlman, a former Republican National Committee chairman and Bush campaign manager who came out in 2010,?launched a nonprofit called Project Right Side late last year?to make the conservative case for same-sex marriage. He was in Iowa earlier this week meeting with activists and donors to build support.?

And Foster Friess, the mega-wealthy evangelical donor who kept culture warrior extraordinaire Rick Santorum?s campaign afloat in its earlier, leaner days, was recently asked about gay marriage at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast.

?They?re people just like you and I, are we going to come down and penalize them for being gay?? Friess said of the LGBT community. ?I don?t believe the Republican Party should really force any of their members to have one feeling or the other.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-move-middle-gay-rights-124825989--politics.html

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Open online classes raise questions about future of education

Dozens of elite institutions are now partnering with start-up companies such as Coursera, Udacity and edX, to deliver so-called massive open online courses or MOOCs. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.

Allison Flicker, NBC News writes

University of Virginia history professor Philip Zelikow has taught the course, "The Modern World: Global History Since 1760" for 16 years -- but this semester is different. Instead of delivering it to 120 students on campus, he'll be teaching 42,000 students around the world.

While online learning is not new, access to top-notch professors at some of the world's most prestigious universities is. Along with the University of Virginia, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University are among dozens of elite institutions partnering with start-up companies such as Coursera, Udacity and edX, to deliver so-called massive open online courses or MOOCs.

Now, Greek history at Wesleyan University, poetry at the University of Pennsylvania, astronomy at Duke University, and "Introduction to Music Production" at the Berkley College of Music are all just a click away. And they're absolutely free.

Since 2011, more than 2.5 million students from around the world have enrolled in MOOCs. Even though they are not offered for college credit and completion rates are low, some educators see the potential to revolutionize higher learning.

"Thanks to these free online courses, you can shop a range of disciplines and do it all from the comfort at your own home," Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller said.

Zelikow was apprehensive at first.?

"I'm not a techie guy who's interested in experimenting with all this computer stuff," he said. "In fact, I was kind of a skeptic about all this online stuff. I thought it was fad-ish."

But after spending hundreds of hours preparing for this semester's course, Zelikow now sees the potential in expanding online.

"Bruce Springsteen is involved in selling recorded music to people all over the world. And he also sells tickets to live concerts," Zelikow said. "Nobody thinks the recorded music is just as good as the live concert. But he wants to be in both those lines of business."

He says there's not only value in reaching thousands of students worldwide, but believes the move online has actually improved his course for those taking it on campus.

"I thought of ways to use this [online course] to actually re-invent the ways I teach my ordinary class at the university and make it a better class than it used to be, to solve certain problems that are kind of structural problems in the way we teach our residential courses," Zelikow said.

Dawn Smith, 38, has taken "Fundamentals of Pharmacology" through the University of Pennsylvania and a public health class through Johns Hopkins after deciding to change careers.??

"I needed some textbook knowledge," Smith said. "I felt in order to be taken seriously as a candidate I needed to show I was doing something proactive."

Critics of MOOCs complain about their size, saying it leads to minimal student-professor interaction.

"I've met students from Germany that I've spoken to quite frequently - Australia, Japan, China, and then some in Africa," Smith said.

Although she would "absolutely recommend" this online platform, Smith acknowledges the limitations, too.

"There isn't that immediacy of being able to ask a question and then have an answer," Smith said. "There's no one standing in front of you showing you how to do something."

Other concerns include measuring student progress and the sustainability of these courses over a long period of time.

Siva Vaidyanathan, University of Virginia media studies professor, says he thinks MOOCs are an "interesting experiment," but that they're just that - an experiment.

He doesn't believe they can replace a traditional college education.

"Imagine taking a university and removing all the really fun stuff," Vaidyanathan said. "And all you're left with is me talking to you through a camera. That's not that good for anybody."

As professors, students and investors navigate this new terrain, there are questions about the potential for profit in the future and the place MOOCs may have in higher education.

For some, however, these online classes bring about hope.

"Education is such an equalizer. It raises people's abilities ? lets people build a better life," Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng said.

Even Vaidyanathan sees the silver lining.

"I hope somewhere in some corner of the world ? some child discovers calculus, discovers physics, or discovers poetry through a MOOC and gets ? inspired to change the world," he said.??

Source: http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/31/16795195-massive-open-online-classes-raise-questions-about-future-of-education?lite

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