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A U.S. Representative from Michigan introduced legislation at the capitol on today that would force Illinois to close two Chicago-area locks and dams in an effort to prevent invasive Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan.

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Michigan) introduced the bill, dubbed the Carp Act, to essentially achieve the same results as a motion filed before the U.S. Supreme Court last month.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Michigan’s plea, leaving the issue in the hands of federal and state officials in Illinois.

“It is clear Asian Carp pose an immediate threat to the Great Lakes, its ecosystem and the 800,000 jobs it supports,” Camp said in a released statement.

“The failure of the Supreme Court to act yesterday jeopardizes the future of the Lakes and it is clear we must take additional steps now. So, today, I am introducing legislation that will provide for the immediate closure of all Asian Carp pathways to the Great Lakes. This bill takes necessary action to protect the Great Lakes while minimizing the commercial and environmental impact on Chicago and the State of Illinois.”

Camp’s legislation forces closure of the O’Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works, the two area locks Michigan’s Attorney General sought to close when he sued Illinois in December.

The Carp Act also tasks the Army Corps of Engineers install permanent barriers in the North Shore Channel and the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers to prevent the migration of bighead and silver carp into Lake Michigan.

Barriers would also have to be built separating the Des Plaines River from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the I&M Canal from the shipping canal to stop the advancement of carp during periods of heavy rain.

It also grants the Army Corps new authority to control the migration of Asian Carp through the use of fish toxicants, commercial fishing and netting, harvesting, and other means. In addition the corps are required to initiate two new studies for developing alternative flood control measures and commercial routes.

In other Asian carp news Wednesday, the White House formally accepted the offer from the governors of Michigan and Wisconsin to hold a “Carp Summit” at a yet to be determined site in the Midwest or in Washington D.C.

In a letter to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, suggested a meeting between the governors of Great Lakes states to be held the first week of February. The goal of the meeting is to hash out a plan to try to control the advancement of Asian carp into the Great Lakes and, if possible, eradicate them from Illinois’ waterways.

– Joel Hood

Photo: An Asian Bighead carp swims in the Great Lakes Invasive Species tank at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

A couple glasses of blueberry juice each day may keep memory decline away, especially in older adults.

New research with a group of volunteers in their 70s has proven that blueberry juice does prevent memory decline. It’s the first evidence from human research to support the use of antioxidant-rich blueberries for memory improvement.

The study participants had early memory decline, but drinking 2.5 cups of commercially available blueberry juice each day for two months paved the way for significant improvement on learning and memory tests. The control group that had a placebo juice without blueberries showed no such improvement. Study participants who drank blueberry juice also showed trends suggesting reduced depressive symptoms and lower glucose levels.

Researchers for the blueberry study included scientists from the University of Cincinnati, the US Department of Agriculture and the Canadian department of agriculture. The research is published in the bi-weekly American Chemical Society publication, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Have you tasted blueberry juice? I have to admit that I’ve not had any of the wonder juice, but I do plan on exploring one of many brands out there like Lakewood organic Pure Blueberry or Blueberry Blend, which appears to be available near me.

I’m also interested in TrueBlue with no added sugar or preservatives. According to their website, TrueBlue is blended with the same grapes responsible for the benefits behind red wine. It also contains black currants. However, it’s only available in Canada.

Do you have a favorite blueberry juice?

(Image via flickr.Kyle McDonald)

Post from: Blisstree

Stock Up: Blueberry Juice for Better Memory

In June 1992, the five founders of what became the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) met at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center on Lake Como, Italy. Each woman was a minister of education in her home country (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, the Seychelles, and Zimbabwe). And each lamented that only half of Africa’s school-age girls enrolled in school. FAWE’s founders understood the obstacles that girls met on the way to the schoolhouse. Many parents simply couldn’t afford school tuition and fees. Others preferred to keep their daughters at home to perform household chores and to take care of younger siblings. Girls who did make it to school encountered such indignities as bathrooms shared with boys, discrimination from teachers, and sexual harassment from both teachers and students. For the few girls who did make it through elementary school, pregnancies often cut short their middle and high school educations. But FAWE’s founders also knew that the rewards were great for girls who did manage to secure an education. Educated girls were—and are—less likely to suffer from violence and harassment. They live longer and contract HIV/AIDS less. They have fewer and healthier children. And they make greater contributions to their country’s economic…

A Hammond man was found stabbed and shot to death in a Burnham recording studio Tuesday evening, authorities said.

Edmond Gerald, of the 6500 block of Nebraska Avenue in Hammond, died of multiple stab wounds and multiple gunshot wounds in a homicide, the Cook County medical examiner’s office found after an autopsy today.

Police said Gerald was 33.

Police responded to a call of a person down in a business in a strip mall in the 2400 block of  State Street in the south suburb about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a release from Burnham Police.

When police arrived, they found Gerald dead in the recording studio, said Burnham Police Chief Peter J. Belos, who said Gerald was “affiliated” with the studio.

Belos said he could not provide further details, including whether anyone else was at the studio when police arrived, “because I don’t want to jeopardize” the investigation.

Phone calls to the music studio today went unanswered. Burnham police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force were investigating.

– Staff report

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

The MMA world may never understand how close it was to losing its biggest draw forever. Brock Lesnar, who announced his return to active fighting this morning, talked about his ordeal with a serious intestinal disorder. He had multiple doctors suggest that life-altering surgery was almost a certainty. Lesnar went home, changed his diet and wished for the best.

"I was facing a colostomy bag," said Lesnar. "What they wanted to do was go in and remove the bad section of my colon. If the perforation wouldn’t have healed itself, I was facing removing my colon.Then they can’t reattach right away because of all the inflammation. So then I would’ve been wearing a colostomy bag for 6-8 weeks. Then they go in and reattach my intestines back together" 

If that were the case, Lesnar was facing a tough decision with his fighting career. 

"I would’ve probably retired."

The human body is amazing sometimes. Lesnar returned for another check up earlier this month and the doctor said he’d gotten a lottery ticket. No longer was the serious surgery a necessity. 

It’s a crazy story. And one can only imagine how much pain Lesnar was in when he was first rushed to hospital where they eventually struck a six-inch needle into his stomach to remove 14 cc’s of fluid. 

White reiterated what he told Cagewriter back in November that Lesnar was told by doctors that he’d been suffering from a lack of nutrients for close to a year and was probably operating at around 60 percent of his potential. 

For Immediate Release: January 20, 2010
Contact: Phil Kloer; (404) 679-7125; [email protected]
FFS #R4KC/R4KD

Paris, Tennessee – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $2 million contract to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to repair an 11-mile levee at Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The ARRA funding will be used by the TVA to make much needed repairs on the levee, which is crucial to managing water levels in impoundments where more than 150,000 waterfowl winter each year. This investment will also create new jobs for the local economy.

“This project will ensure continuation of one of the primary missions of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, which is to provide a wintering sanctuary for migratory waterfowl,” Secretary Salazar said. “Rebuilding this levee will ensure the annual planting of crops and management of natural foods for the birds. It also means less destruction of wildlife food and facilities from flooding. Without these improvements, the refuge would eventually lose its ability to provide the best habitat it can for these waterfowl.”

“The dike was created around 1945, when the refuge was established, and was originally designed to manage hydrology for mosquito control,” refuge manager John Taylor said. “It’s a perimeter dike that encloses about 5,000 acres. But it is now used, along with the pumping station, to help control water levels to benefit the waterfowl and other wildlife. It’s become the backbone that supports thousands of wintering waterfowl and other migratory birds along the Tennessee River, and our most important management infrastructure on the refuge.”

“Over the years, the dike has deteriorated from floods and settling, even though we have patched it up as best we can after a flood,” Taylor continued. “This will restore the dike to its original elevation in the places where we have had the worst over wash from floods.”

The ARRA funding will enable the TVA to make the following improvements:

• Nine spillways will be constructed or repaired, and five spillways will be restored to proper elevation;
• Levee tops will be restored to a width of 22 feet on sections open to the public and 12 feet on other sections;
• A long section of the levee will be cleared of vegetation;
• Installation of fill material, gravel and rock on interior and exterior of the levee will protect against further deterioration.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. The ARRA funds represent an important component of the President’s plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century.

Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving America’s timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth and promoting community service. “With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come,” Salazar said.

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery.

Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force to work closely with Interior’s Inspector General and ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency set by President Obama.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For questions, comments or concerns email us at [email protected]. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

For more information, visit the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge website.

American Airlines warned alliance partner Japan Airlines that it will face a lengthy and messy fight if it switches allegiance to Delta Air Lines and forms a close partnership to coordinate flying between the U.S. and Japan, as has been widely reported.

Leading the opposition to a JAL-Delta tie-up: American Airlines. “We would object vigorously,” American CEO Gerard Arpey told analysts and reporters during an earnings conference call Wednesday. “It would be a very unwise course for them.”

Texas-based American would lose a long-time partner in JAL, which links American’s passengers to a host of cities within Japan and northern Asia, and would find itself a bit player in the northern Pacific market.

American is still trying to gain antitrust immunity to share flying and revenues with British Airways across the Atlantic, an effort that has stretched over 13 years. Regulators have repeatedly questioned the competitive fall-out from allowing the two largest trans-Atlantic players to team up.

Although American expects to finally prevail in its cause, Arpey ridiculed the notion that Delta and JAL could quickly gain antitrust approval for a venture that would control about 60 percent of the market. “It would make a farce of the whole process,” he said.

Arpey insisted that JAL, which filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, had not yet finalized a deal with Delta and its SkyTeam global marketing alliance, despite widespread reports to the contrary.

American continues to hold talks with the embattled Japanese carrier, which is laden with billions of dollars in debt, as well as its banks and Japanese government officials overseeing the airline’s bail-out efforts.

Losing JAL would cost American more than $100 million in annual revenues, officials said, at a time when it is trying to turn the corner after reporting heavy losses in 2009. AMR Corp. lost $344 million in the fourth quarter and nearly $1.5 billion for all of 2009 as traffic fell and many business travelers stayed home or bought cheaper tickets in the weak economy.

Excluding special items, including a tax gain, AMR said Wednesday it would have lost $415 million, or $1.25 per share, in the fourth quarter. Analysts, who usually exclude items from their calculations, expected a loss of $1.23 per share.

American officials insisted that they haven’t given up hope on retaining their current relationship with JAL, but noted their cause had been complicated as the airline and government officials have signaled that they are no longer interested in garnering foreign investment in the carrier.

American and its partners had offered to provide $2 billion in investment and other incentives to keep JAL in their OneWorld global alliance.

If the Japanese carrier defects to OneWorld, American will look to forge closer ties with other carriers in the region, officials said. When its longer-range Boeing 787s arrive in the next few years, American will have the option of ignoring Japan and focusing on emerging markets such as China.

If it loses, American is almost certain to reduce flights to Japan, potentially leaving Chicago consumers with less service to Asia’s largest market. American currently operates one daily non-stop from O’Hare to Tokyo’s Narita, as does JAL. The Japanese carrier would be likely to shift that service to one of Delta’s hubs, analysts said.

“The fact is our ability to serve Japan will be extremely limited,” Will Ris, American’s senior vice-president for government affairs, told the Tribune last month. “We have a significant number of passengers on our flights today who are connecting through Tokyo on Japan Airlines. We’ll lose a lot of passengers and therefore could not sustain the level of service that we provide today.”

AMR lost a total of $1.47 billion in 2009, or $4.99 per share, compared with a loss of $2.12 billion, or $8.16 per share, in 2008. Revenue tumbled 16.2 percent to $19.92 billion, as $3.85 billion in revenue vanished with slow demand for travel.

However, the second-largest U.S. carrier is starting to see signs of a rebound. Business travel was up during the fourth quarter, while the media frenzy over the “underwear bomber” on Dec. 25 didn’t prompt any appreciable drop in passenger bookings, executives said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[email protected]

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Is there a fine line? Corporations have a duty to shareholders to maximize profits. But when they donate to charity — which is regularly done these days, often through foundations — this takes money out of shareholders’ hands or stifles future growth. It instead provides that money to some cause that management deems appropriate. But Glaxo-SmithKline’s recent decision to put thousands of chemical compounds which may cure malaria into the public domain gives this question a new dimension, adding additional complexity.

First, a disclaimer: make no mistake — I think charity is great and important. My personal view is that there is often a moral obligation to help others when given the ability to do so. But I also feel passionately that I should not force my morality upon others. As a result, I do not believe in involuntary charity. The end does not justify the means.

With that said, should corporations give to charity? In a general sense, there are many ways in which that’s perfectly acceptable. If shareholders vote to create a corporate foundation, for example, then by all means. If donations are made for tax reduction purposes, so to enhance profit, then that benefits shareholders, and probably doesn’t even need approval. In general, if shareholders don’t like how a corporation doles out its earnings, then that investor can voice the concern and sell her stake if unsatisfied with the firm’s response.

But Glaxo did something a little different in the example I’m interested in. The Guardian reports:

GSK will publish details of 13,500 chemical compounds from its own library that have potential to act against the parasite that causes malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, killing at least one million children every year.

It took a team of five investigators a year to screen the two million compounds in GSK’s library – its entire collection of potential drugs and possibly the biggest such library in the world.

Here a company is surrendering its intellectual property for the greater good. While this might be admirable on a moral level, I’m not so sure shareholders should be pleased. This isn’t a situation where Glaxo has some profits, and feels like donating a portion to a cause. This isn’t even a situation where it developed a revolutionary new drug and wants to give it away for free to those who need it.

Instead, the company invested countless millions of dollars in drug research to come up with those 13,500 chemical compounds. That investment, of course, came from shareholders. So in a more direct way, Glaxo management has decided to take investor dollars and donate the profit that may come from it to the world — without knowing what that profit may be.

Because remember, this is raw intellectual property — not an end product. Maybe one of those compounds also holds a cure for some other disease completely unrelated to malaria, unbeknownst to Glaxo. But now that drug would be in the public domain, much to the dismay of shareholders who thought their dollars would be directed at investment to reap profit.

Again, don’t get me wrong: on many levels a donation like this seems wonderful for the world. And if shareholders go along with it, then by all means, Glaxo should donate away. But without explicit shareholder approval, I’m a little unclear how this is different from taking investors’ money and misappropriating it. In this case, that end happens to something most people consider ethically courageous — hoping to cure an awful disease in poor countries. But if that money was appropriated in a less ethical manner without shareholder consent — say, a trip of leisure for the CEO and his wife to Barbados — how would that be any different from a logistical standpoint?

Note: I’ve got a call into Glaxo to ask them if shareholders are on board with this initiative, but the company has not yet responded. If it turns out that shareholders have green-lighted this move, then I’ll update this post, but I don’t understand that to be the case.

Quick Update: I spoke to a spokesperson from Glaxo this morning. She informed me that the board is generally supportive of the initiative, but no formal shareholder feedback has been solicited.

Article Tags: Open Letter/Fax, Robert Ferguson

We are often asked for references to the open letter Dr. Chris Landsea released outlining his reasons for withdrawing from the IPCC process. It is posted below.

This is an open letter to the community from Chris Landsea.

January 17, 2005

Dear colleagues,

After some prolonged deliberation, I have decided to withdraw from participating in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). I am withdrawing because I have come to view the part of the IPCC to which my expertise is relevant as having become politicized. In addition, when I have raised my concerns to the IPCC leadership, their response was simply to dismiss my concerns.

With this open letter to the community, I wish to explain the basis for my decision and bring awareness to what I view as a problem in the IPCC process. The IPCC is a group of climate researchers from around the world that every few years summarize how climate is changing and how it may be altered in the future due to manmade global warming. I had served both as an author for the Observations chapter and a Reviewer for the 2nd Assessment Report in 1995 and the 3rd Assessment Report in 2001, primarily on the topic of tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons). My work on hurricanes, and tropical cyclones more generally, has been widely cited by the IPCC. For the upcoming AR4, I was asked several weeks ago by the Observations chapter Lead Author – Dr. Kevin Trenberth – to provide the writeup for Atlantic hurricanes. As I had in the past, I agreed to assist the IPCC in what I thought was to be an important, and politically-neutral determination of what is happening with our climate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Source: sppiblog.org

Read in full with comments »   

When your kid isn’t in class, he/she is probably listening to an iPod, flipping TV channels, or switching between tabs on their computer, which means they may be juggling between Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube–in other words, kids today are staying hyperconnected and wired through their waking hours. That reality is confirmed by a new study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which reveals that if your kids are awake, they’re probably online [The New York Times].

In the third of a series of large-scale national surveys, the Kaiser Foundation study found that kids between the ages of 8-18 years now spend an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes per day using entertainment media. That adds up to more than 53 hours of entertainment consumption in a week. And this does not include the time kids spending texting or talking on their cell phones.

Unsurprisingly, the report says that all this media consumption could be a factor in kids getting lower grades or having behavioral problems. The report notes: “About half (47 percent) of heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades (mostly Cs or lower), compared to about a quarter (23 percent) of light users.” Heavy users are the children and teens who devour more than 16 hours of media per day, while light users are those who take in less than 3 hours per day.

The study [also] found that young people’s media consumption grew far more in the last five years than from 1999 to 2004, as sophisticated mobile technology like iPods and smart phones brought media access into teenagers’ pockets and beds [The New York Times]. Blacks and Hispanics, said the study, were the highest consumers of media. When it comes to TV watching, black children spend nearly 6 hours, Hispanics just under 5 1/2 hours, and white youths 3 1/2 hours watching TV each day. According to the report: “The racial disparity in media use has grown substantially over the past five years: for example, the gap between White and Black youth was just over two hours (2:12) in 2004, and has grown to more than four hours today (4:23).”

The report lists the top online activities as social networking, playing games, and visiting video sites such as YouTube. It also revealed that 74 percent of all 7th-12th graders say they have a profile on a social networking site. But if you are a parent, there is no need to despair; your child can still be compelled to go play outside. Kaiser executive Victoria Rideout says that rules can be a game-changer. “I don’t think parents should feel totally disempowered,” she said. “They can still make rules, and it still makes a difference” [The New York Times].

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Image Credit: iStockphoto

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he’s still not sure when the economy will recover, but he expects the rebound to be slow because American consumers remain uneasy.

Buffett said Wednesday that he thinks the key to economic recovery will be getting money back into most people’s pockets. He says the government’s first stimulus plan didn’t do that very well.

Buffett says the economic hangover the country is experiencing now is directly proportional to the size of the financial binge in previous years.

Buffett spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday before shareholders in his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., met to approve a 50-for-1 split of the company’s Class B shares.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Read The Crankiest Interview Warren Buffett Has Ever Given
• Warren Buffett: We Need 13-Year Olds To Start Cohabitating To Clean Up The Housing Overhang
• Buffett: We’re Not Hiring New People Because Our Order Book Still Sucks

So-called White House Dinner Crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in an appearance before Congress on Wednesday.

The Virginia couple were subpoenaed to appear before a Congressional committee investigating how the aspiring Bravo reality stars managed to attend The Obamas first White House State Dinner last November without an invitation.

At a now-defunct animal preserve in Laguna Hills, a lion named Frasier became a star when word spread of his virility. After spending most of his life in a circus, lazy, tongue-lolling Frasier went on to father about 35 cubs. "In a time of disenchantment over the Vietnam War, [he] was a pleasant distraction — he wanted only to make love," columnist Steve Harvey writes of the legendary beast. Harvey has the details on Frasier’s life and loves in his most recent column; here’s an excerpt:

He "hobbled about on weakened legs, his once-lustrous coat was scruffy and his tongue sagged from a toothless mouth," The Times reported.

When Lion Country bought him from a bankrupt Mexican circus in 1970, he was believed to be 18, equivalent to about 80 human years.

Lion Country, then one of a chain of drive-through animal preserves, put the underweight cat on a special diet, and he gained 100 pounds.

Around the same time, the park was having trouble finding a suitable male companion "for a pride of half a dozen healthy females," The Times said.

The lionesses had previously been introduced to five strong young males but "rejected each one, often using physical violence."

So, as "a sort of joke," Frasier was allowed to make their acquaintance.

By "the very next morning," The Times’ Gordon Grant reported with admirable restraint, "it was obvious that Frasier had the situation in hand.

"His wives were content."

THERE’S MORE; READ THE REST.

Photo: Frasier in 1972. Credit: Associated Press

cool interactive HPI calculator: More Fun With Real Estate Price to Income: Global Edition – By Paul Kedrosky – The Economist magazine has hugely facilitated making global comparisons of real estate prices to income via the following interactive chart. Check it out – Infectuous Greed Blog

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3 point plan – VIEWPOINT: HAFA Misses the Mark, But Has Potential – by GARY ACOSTA – HousingWire

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Another ‘Sneaky Pete’? – Bruce Krasting – …  Basically Fannie and Freddie are going to be the new bankers for HFA (Housing Finance Agency ). Treasury is buying the debt for this, so the taxpayers are at risk. It is not that big a deal, yet. It starts out with a modest $28b.  There was no discussion about this. There was no vote. … So how is a program of nearly $30b in federal subsidies not put on any budget? How is it there is no vote on this much money? This is substantially larger than California’s deficit. … – Bruce Krasting Blog

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interesting arguments – Finance Professor Says Most People Should Rent – Larry MacDonald – Seeking Alpha

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Yes, It’s Okay To Walk Away From Your Mortgage – Henry Blodget – … Importantly, the reason is not that “Wall Street deserves it” or “We’ve got to teach the banks a lesson” or any of the other bogus “retribution” logic being thrown around.  The reason is that you and your lender engaged in an arms-length transaction in which you balanced your competing interests and spelled out your agreement and obligations in a clear contract. And unless that contract states that you have a “moral obligation to pay,” you don’t. … – Business Insider

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(Julius Caesar had) The PERFECT Solution for the U.S. Housing Crisis – Written by Jeff Nielson – … Faced with his own foreclosure-nightmare, Julius Caesar came up with a decisive and practical means to cure the solvency crisis which was at the heart of that real estate meltdown. Caesar decreed, according to Armstrong, that all mortgage interest would be canceled. Thus, all mortgage payments … – Bullion Bulls Canada

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unintended consequences? – Is Slashing Mortgage Principal the Answer? – By James R. Hagerty – … How would principal reductions induce more people to walk away? Let’s say your neighbor, who hasn’t made any payments on his loan for months, gets a huge reduction in his loan balance. Meanwhile, you’ve been working three jobs and dining on cat food to pay your note each month. Your reward from the bank? Zilch.  So maybe you’d decide to stop paying, too, in the hope of the same deal your neighbor got. … – WSJ Blogs

Hair loss is one of the most common problem that has rooted it self globally. It not only affects men but women are also equally affected. Contemporary medicine has no cure for it. But age-old health science has mentioned various herbs that have proven there worth in retarding the hair loss and improving the hair growth.

Hair Loss Causes

Below are the few causes that are the major reasons for hair fall.

· Diseased or health disturbances

· Certain medications.

· Alopecia areata

· Trichotillomania

· Use of chemicals on hairs

· Poor or malnutrition.

· Disrupted hair growth cycle

· Male pattern baldness

· Iron deficiency

· Contraceptive pills

· Chemotherapy

· Infections

· Indigestion

· Hormonal imbalances

· Hereditary factors

Hair Loss Treatment

Below are few of the herbs that are very effective in treating and curing hair related problems

· Amla – amla very commonly known as Amalaki is a very prestigious ayurvedic herb that has the wonderful properties of ayurveda. It is one of the best anti-oxidant agents that not only helps in preventing early aging signs but also is very helpful in preventing premature graying of hairs. It is a magical herb for hairs. It helps in rejuvenating the hairs and promotes there growth. It helps in redefining the root of hairs there by facilitating the nutrition to them. It also helps in improving the circulation in the scalp when massaged on it as oil. It is also helpful in promoting hair growth when taken orally.

· Bhringraja – it can be called as a blessed herb that is helpful in treating many diseases. It is a wonder herb that has great efficacy in curing any kind of diseases related to hairs. It has the potential to increase the blood circulation to the scalp there by increasing the nutrition intake of the hair root. As the hair roots are properly fed, it enhances the growth of hair. It is also helpful in improving the hair texture. It helps in making your hairs more shiner and full of life. It is also helpful in increasing the length as well as volume of hairs.

· Margosa – it is known as neem. It is one of the most potent herb that has been a benediction to man kind. It is a multipurpose herb that has the power to heal various diseases. It is a wonderful ayurvedic herb that is also very beneficial for treating the various hair related problems. It helps in curbing any infection that might occur on the scalp and in the blood. It also helps in cooling the body down therefore promoting the hair growth.

· Coconut – coconut is one of the best herbs that have the capacity to stop hair fall. Coconut is itself a magical tree and its each and every part is being used. From roots to even leaves. Foe hairs coconut oil and coconut milk are being used. Since time immemorial people have being using coconut oil and coconut milk to get rid of their hair problems and enhancing its growth. Coconut is widely used world wide to improve the hair problems. It has certain agents that are very helpful in promoting hair growth. It is also helpful in avoiding the premature graying of hairs. It is also a wonderful herb for relaxing the mind and body. It helps in cooling down of the head there by helps in releasing the stress.

· Henna leaves – since ages henna power has been used in India not only to color hairs but also to provide hairs with nourishment. It nurtures the hairs. It is one of the best hair tonics that help in providing life to hairs. When ever the paste of henna is being applied ion the scalp and hairs it soon penetrates in to the hair roots thereby acting on the hair root locally. It not only provides hairs with the proper nourishments but also helps in suppresses any kind of infection that might be the reason of hair fall of various other ailments. Being cool in nature it helps in cooling down the body therefore acting as natural relaxant.

· Licorice – licorice is commonly known as yastimadhu in ayurvedic language. it is one of those herbs that are very effective in treating various diseases. Though yastimadhu is used maximum in throat related problems but it also plays a great role in hairs related problems. It helps in increasing the blood supply towards the scalp and hence providing nourishment and oxygen to the hair roots.

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For Immediate Release: January 20, 2010
Contact: Michael Mascari; 303-236-4336; [email protected]
Sharon Rose; 303-236-4580; [email protected]
FFS #R6PG/R6RA

Delta, Colorado – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $1.5 million contract for raceways projects at the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery.

The funding is provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Boise, ID based McMillen, LLC received the stimulus funds for several projects to include building new fish raceways and converting old raceways into effluent ponds.

“These projects will improve the quality of water placed back in the Gunnison River, as well as create construction jobs in the community,” said Secretary Salazar. “This will benefit Coloradoans for generations to come.”

The projects will help the hatchery prevent disease and fish-loss, while improving fish production and protecting the river from excess waste. Work is scheduled to begin in spring 2010 and should be completed that summer.

“The improvements to Hotchkiss are very important because they will help the facility continue to meet EPA standards while helping us to improve our fish production capability,” said Steve Guertin, Regional Director of the Service’s eight-state Mountain-Prairie Region. “The stimulus funds are a blessing because we can address potential future issues right away and avoid incurring added costs down the road. These projects are vital to helping the hatchery to accomplish its mission for the future.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife received $280 million in stimulus funds.

The ARRA funds represent an important component of the President’s plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century. Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving America’s timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth, and promoting community service.

“With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery. Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force to work closely with Interior’s Inspector General and ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency set by President Obama.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For questions, comments or concerns email us at [email protected]. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Former Bulls star Scottie Pippen will have his No. 33 jersey retired Wednesday night in a ceremony at Central Arkansas, the NAIA school where he starred before being the fourth overall pick in the 1987 draft.

In advance of the ceremony, David McCollom of the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark., shared some stories about Pippen from those who knew him during his college days.

One story was about the night in 2005 when the Bulls retired Pippen’s number.

Central Arkansas athletic director Arch Jones and his family were among the guests at Pippen’s home that night and rode with him to the United Center for the event. Pippen was running late and hit a major traffic jam.

According to McCollom, Jones said Pippen told him, “Coach J, I’m gonna have to do this like I did when I was a player and hope they don’t stop me.” He then swerved onto the shoulder of the interstate and floored it.

“We basically rode the shoulder to the United Center,” Jones said in an interview afterward. “Scottie was weaving in and out of traffic. When people spotted him, they would slow down and let him in. They would honk their horns and wave. They’d let him go through. I think we got to the United Center 10 minutes early. If it were me, I’d been in jail.”

Photo: Scottie Pippen during a 2005 news conference for the Bulls retiring his No. 33 jersey. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.