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Washington ( CNN) - - President Barack Obama called on lawmakers Wednesday to overcome the & quot; selfish& quot; norms of politics and & quot; do their job& quot; in order to strike a deal on raising the federal government' s current $ 14. 3 trillion debt ceiling by the start of August. People shouldn' t get & quot; spooked, & quot; but & quot; the yellow light ( is) flashing, & quot; he warned. & quot; This is urgent. & quot; Top economic analysts have warned of potentially catastrophic repercussions if the ceiling is not raised by August 2, including skyrocketing interest rates and a plummeting U.
S. dollar. The president blasted congressional Republicans for refusing to consider raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of any deal.
Congress needs to be willing to & quot; take on their sacred cows and do tough things& quot; while moving away from & quot; maximalist positions, & quot; he said. He said Congress should cancel upcoming summer vacations if a deal isn' t struck by the end of the week. & quot; I want everybody to understand that this is a jobs issue. This is not an abstraction, & quot; he said. & quot; If the United States government, for the first time, cannot pay its bills - - if it defaults - - then the consequences for the U. S. economy will be significant and unpredictable.
And that is not a good thing. & quot; Obama made his remarks during a wide- ranging news conference covering the state of the economy, the wars in Afghanistan and Libya, and hot- button social issues such as same- sex marriage.
It came at a time of rising questions over Obama' s ability to maintain control of the political narrative and boost public confidence in his stewardship in the run- up to next year' s presidential election.
GOP leaders have shown no signs of yielding in their opposition to higher taxes as part of any grand bargain with the White House. Recent bipartisan talks led by Vice President Joe Biden collapsed over the tax disagreement. & quot; The president is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes would pass the ( Republican- controlled) House, & quot; Speaker John Boehner, R- Ohio, said after Obama' s news conference. & quot; A debt- limit increase can only pass the House if it includes spending cuts larger than the debt limit increase; includes reforms to hold down spending in the future; and is free from tax hikes, & quot; Boehner added. & quot; The longer the president denies these realities, the more difficult he makes this process. & quot; Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc. Connell, R- Kentucky, insisted earlier in the day that Republicans will & quot; refuse to let the taxpayers take the hit when it comes to reducing the debt. & quot; The debate is & quot; about holding Washington accountable for a change, & quot; Mc. Connell said. & quot; It' s about refusing to subsidize the Democrats' irresponsible spending habits another day. & quot; For his part, the president ripped Republicans for protecting & quot; millionaires and billionaires, & quot; oil companies, hedge fund managers, and owners of corporate jets.
The wealthy, he said, can afford to pay higher taxes. & quot; You can still ride on your corporate jet. You' re just going to pay a little more, & quot; Obama said.
At the same time, the president pushed Congress to act on a series of pending measures to help strengthen the economy faster, including easing the ability of entrepreneurs to get patents, providing loans to private companies for infrastructure development, and approving free trade agreements. Obama noted that America' s economy has gone through a series of major structural changes. As a result, the country' s economic problems are & quot; not going to be solved overnight, & quot; he stressed.
Turning his attention overseas, Obama dismissed criticism that his administration failed to obtain clear congressional approval before committing U. S. military forces to the NATO- led campaign in Libya.
Some representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle argue the White House has violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which gives a president 60 days to get congressional approval for sending U. S. forces to war, followed by a 30- day extension to end hostilities. The combined 90- day period ended last week.
Obama insisted that the War Powers Resolution does not apply in the case of Libya.
The law was intended to avoid a repeat of a Vietnam- style war, he said. In contrast, & quot; this operation is limited in time and in scope. & quot; & quot; We have engaged in a limited operation to help a lot of people against one of the worst tyrants in the world, & quot; the president said. & quot; A lot of this fuss& quot; over the U. S. intervention in Libya & quot; is politics. & quot; It' s become a & quot; cause celebre for some folks in Congress, & quot; he asserted. & quot; We have done exactly what I said we would do& quot; in Libya, Obama argued. America' s allies & quot; have carried a big load when it comes to these NATO operations& quot; while & quot; we' ve sent reams of information& quot; to Capitol Hill. & quot; The noose is tightening& quot; around longtime Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, he asserted. The president reiterated the administration' s stance that Gadhafi' s removal from power is & quot; the primary way that we can assure that the overall mission in Libya of people being protected& quot; is successful.
Obama' s claims regarding the War Powers Resolution echoed those made Tuesday by Harold Koh, a top State Department legal adviser, who argued before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the law does not apply to American forces in Libya because the U. S. mission is limited in terms of its scope, means, exposure of forces, and chances of escalation. In short, administration officials believe the U. S. role in Libya does not meet the law' s definition of hostilities. Obama, however, overruled contrary legal opinions put forward by both the Pentagon and the Justice Department' s Office of Legal Counsel in declining to seek congressional authorization, according to the New York Times.
On Afghanistan, Obama insisted that the United States and its allies & quot; can be successful in our mission, which is narrowly drawn. & quot; The president, who recently announced the withdrawal of 33, 000 American & quot; surge& quot; troops by next summer, declined to use the word & quot; victory& quot; in reference to winding down the Afghan military mission.
He instead stressed the success of U. S. forces in dismantling al Qaeda and preparing Afghan forces to assume responsibility for the country' s security.
Noting this week' s bombing of Kabul' s Inter- Continental Hotel, he warned that the violence in Afghanistan will likely continue for & quot; some time. & quot; Turning to the debate over same- sex marriage, Obama refused to provide new specifics about his personal opinion. A supporter of civil unions, he has indicated in the past that his views on the matter are & quot; evolving. & quot; He noted, however, that his administration has stopped defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act against legal challenges. Obama argued it is up to states to determine if they will legalize same- sex marriage, as New York recently did. & quot; The president, I' ve discovered since I' ve been in office, can' t dictate precisely how this process moves, & quot; the president said. The nation is & quot; moving toward greater equality, & quot; Obama added. & quot; I think that' s a good thing. & quot;
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( ) - - You' ve been coughing for weeks. How do you know if it' s just a hard- to- shake cold or something more serious?
A chronic cough, defined as lasting more than eight weeks, is not uncommon. Up to 40 percent of nonsmokers in the United States and Europe have reported a chronic cough at some point, and coughing is one of the five most common reasons for a doctor' s visit.
Only a doctor can tell for sure what' s behind your endless hacking. However, in a 2006 study of women with an average age of 48 who had a cough lasting for six months, 39 percent were found to have asthma, 9 percent had chronic upper airway cough syndrome ( commonly known as postnasal drip) , and 9 percent had gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD) .
In addition, another 11 percent had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) , a serious, progressive disease that includes both emphysema and bronchitis. While not all people who develop COPD are smokers, people who smoke are at higher risk. Overall, 24 million Americans - - about 1 in 12 people - - have COPD, although half don' t know they have the disease.
Asthma and allergies Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the airways in the lungs are prone to inflammation and swelling.
Along with chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing, coughing is a characteristic symptom of asthma, one which tends to intensify at night or in the early morning. When the symptoms of asthma flare up suddenly, it' s known as an asthma attack.
Although it can begin at any age, asthma usually develops in childhood. Asthma triggers are different for everyone, and they can include exercise, colds, cigarette smoke and other airborne irritants, and certain foods. Asthmatics usually also have allergies.
Even in people without asthma, inhaling pollen, dust, pet dander, and other airborne irritants can trigger allergic rhinitis, an allergic reaction that can cause coughing, along with symptoms such as stuffy nose and sneezing. You may be able to determine whether your cough is caused by allergies by keeping track of whether it comes and goes in certain situations. If your coughing magically stops when you step into an air- conditioned room on a dry, pollen- heavy day, or if gets worse every time you pet Mittens, you probably have allergies. If you' re not sure what' s triggering your allergic cough, your doctor can give you a skin test or blood test to pinpoint the allergy. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease One condition that can cause a nagging cough is COPD, a lung condition that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
COPD occurs when the airways and air sacs in the lungs become inflamed or damaged, most often due to smoking, and is more common after age 45. In COPD, the lungs produce excess mucus, which the body reflexively tries to clear by coughing.
COPD- related tissue damage can also make it particularly difficult to expel air from the lungs, which can make you feel short of breath. Your doctor may check you for COPD ( particularly if you have risk factors, such as smoking) , after ruling out other common causes of cough. To determine if you have COPD, your doctor is likely to conduct some tests, including spirometry, which involves inhaling as deeply as you can and then exhaling into a tube. Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD is an ailment of the stomach and esophagus that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus due to a weak valve. The main symptoms?
Killer heartburn. But coughing is another common symptom of GERD, along with chest pain and wheezing. In fact, GERD is a fairly common, and unrecognized, cause of a chronic cough. Respiratory tract infection Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of colds and flu and other respiratory tract infections.
The other symptoms that accompany colds and flu, such as stuffy nose and a fever, are telltale signs that a viral infection is causing your cough. However, a cough can outlast all those other symptoms, perhaps because the air passages in your lungs remain sensitive and inflamed. When this occurs, it' s called chronic upper airway cough syndrome ( or postnasal drip) .
A more serious respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, which can be caused by bacteria or viruses. A cough, often producing a greenish or rust- colored mucus, is one of the characteristic symptoms of the illness, along with fever, chills, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, and nausea.
These symptoms may present differently depending on your age; older adults may not experience a fever, for instance, or they may have a cough but no mucus.
Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics and generally clears up within two or three weeks. As with the cold and flu, however, the cough can linger for much longer. A form of pneumonia known as mycoplasma, or walking pneumonia, shares the symptoms of pneumonia ( including cough) and is more common in people under the age of 40. People who have COPD can be more susceptible to such respiratory tract infections, and may experience exacerbations episodes of potentially life- threatening shortness of breath when they catch a cold or breath in air pollution or other irritants.
Air pollution Various pollutants and irritants in the air can cause a persistent cough.
Even short- term exposure to fumes ( such as diesel exhaust) can result in cough, phlegm, and lung irritation, for instance. Fumes can also exacerbate the symptoms of allergies or asthma. Similarly, mold spores found in and around homes can cause wheezing and coughing when inhaled.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans reported a sudden spike in persistent cough complaints among returning residents. This so- called Katrina cough was believed to stem from the mold caused by the flooding, as well as by dry weather and the construction dust that was then ubiquitous in the city. Acute bronchitis If you' re on the verge of recovering from a cold and suddenly develop a hacking, mucus- y cough, you probably have acute bronchitis, a condition in which the passageways in your lungs become infected and inflamed.
In addition to coughing and chest congestion, bronchitis can produce fever, chills, aches, sore throat, and other flu- like symptoms. These symptoms usually disappear within a few days, but the cough can persist for weeks. If your cough doesn' t go away, or if you develop acute bronchitis frequently, it may be a sign of a more serious condition.
Acute bronchitis acute means short- term is different from chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is a condition in which the lungs produce excess mucus due to ongoing irritation, and is considered a form of COPD. ACE inhibitors ACE inhibitors are a type of medication used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.
About 42 million prescriptions for ACE inhibitors are written each year, and about 1 in 5 people who take the drugs develop a dry cough. In some people, the cough can persist for weeks after they stop taking the medication; women, African Americans, and Asians may be at greater risk of developing an ACE inhibitor cough than other people. You should never stop taking a prescribed medication without consulting with your doctor, and ACE inhibitors are important medications for lowering blood pressure ( a more serious condition than a cough. ) Consult your doctor if you think your cough is related to a medication.
Pertussis Also known as whooping cough, pertussis is a bacterial disease with symptoms that include a slight fever, a runny nose, and, most notably, a violent cough that can make breathing difficult.
Attempting to inhale air into the lungs between coughs can produce a distinctive, high- pitched whooping sound. After the initial stage, many people do not have a fever, but the chronic cough that accompanies pertussis can last for many weeks. Most infants receive a pertussis vaccine, but its effectiveness subsides after about 10 years. Inadequate vaccination for pertussis ( which is the & quot; P& quot; in the DPT shot) is one reason why the bacteria are making a comeback. Once a very rare cause of chronic cough, the number of pertussis cases in the United States has risen alarmingly in recent years, especially among adolescents and adults.
However, pertussis is still a relatively uncommon cause of chronic cough. to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from My. Home. Ideas. com Copyright
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( CNN) - - Facebook' s computer systems will soon be able to recognize familiar faces. Facebook is making changes to the process for tagging friends in photos uploaded to the social network, the company announced on Tuesday.
Starting in a few weeks, the system will scan all images posted to Facebook and suggest the names of people who appear in the frame.
Last year, Facebook began rolling the out to a test group. Facebook' s more than 500 million users have been automatically included in the database, but the company is allowing each person to choose whether to be identified by toggling a pane in the account' s . The option is called & quot; suggest photos of me to friends& quot; within the & quot; customize settings& quot; page. The tool would still scan that person' s face and figure out who it is, but it won' t display that information. People can still manually tag friends.
The news sparked a small brushfire of media hostility. Bloggers characterized the tool - - and Facebook' s decision not to ask before including everyone - - as unsettling while others urged readers to opt out. Facebook said on Wednesday it had made mistakes with the release. & quot; We should have been more clear with people during the roll- out process when this became available to them, & quot; a spokeswoman said. & quot; Tag Suggestions are now available in most countries, and we' ll post further updates to our blog over time. & quot; an application that would let someone snap a picture of a person' s face using a smartphone in order to find out who the subject is, Eric Schmidt, the search giant' s executive chairman and former CEO, said at a conference last week. Schmidt believed it to be the first time Google engineers had completed a project and decided to shutter it for privacy reasons, he said.
The work on has not gone to waste. It' s used to preserve privacy by blurring faces in Google' s Street View mapping project, Hartmut Neven, the engineering director for image recognition, said in a recent interview. When asked whether he would be frustrated if Facebook beat his team to releasing a face- recognition product, Neven said: & quot; Let them get burd first. There would be some backlash. & quot; Photo- management software such as Google' s Picasa and Apple' s i. Photo provide a similar feature.
They pore over a person' s snapshots in an attempt to group each person together by facial features. Google has not enabled this feature on the online version of its photo software, called Picasa Web Albums. Limited to a small sampling of the few hundred photos on a person' s computer, these systems . With the largest photo- sharing service in Facebook scanning millions of pictures daily, these algorithms are no doubt learning quickly. More than 100 million photos per day are uploaded to Facebook, according to a company statement.
The face- scanning feature actually runs counter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg' s comments to reporters in November. & quot; Before people- tagging came out, I think most people would have said that the best way to figure out who' s in photos was to have some face- recognition algorithm, & quot; he said. & quot; But it actually turns out that the best way is to just have people tagged. & quot; Some experts agree with Zuckerberg' s apparently outdated statements. & quot; Face technology will never work in gigantic- large databases, & quot; said Ipplex CEO Orang Dialameh, who has worked with Neven in the past. However, & quot; if you limit the database - - say, I' m trying to recognize someone in the 400 contacts that I have on Facebook, & quot; then face scanning could be effective, he said. Facebook users who have installed an app called Photo Finder can already have faces in their photos scanned and identified.
The 3- year- old app has looked at more than 23 billion images, said Gil Hirsch, the CEO of Face. com, which develops the service. With Facebook poised to offer essentially the same functionality, Face. com will instead focus on partnerships with developers, Hirsch wrote in an e- mailed statement Tuesday night. & quot; As long as their products provide value to consumers while protecting their privacy, we will always be supportive of companies using this technology, & quot; he said.
Your doctor or a mental health provider may suggest medications or behavior therapy or both to treat phobias. Most adults don' t get better on their own and may require some type of treatment.
The goal of phobia treatment is to reduce your anxiety and fear and to help you better manage your reactions to the object or situation that causes them. Medications Beta blockers. These medications work by blocking the stimulating effects of adrenaline on your body, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, pounding heart, and shaking voice and limbs. Beta blockers can be very effective for people who have severe stage fright.
Antidepressants. Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs) are commonly used in the treatment of phobias. These medications act on the chemical serotonin, a neurotransmitter in your brain that' s believed to influence mood.
SSRIs include citalopram ( Celexa) , escitalopram ( Lexapro) , fluoxetine ( Prozac) , paroxetine ( Paxil) and sertraline ( Zoloft) . If SSRIs aren' t effective or cause intolerable side effects, such as restlessness, insomnia, headache, diarrhea or sexual problems, your doctor may prescribe another type of antidepressant, such as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor ( MAOI) . Sedatives. Medications called benzodiazepines help you relax by reducing the amount of anxiety that you feel.
They include lorazepam ( Ativan) , diazepam ( Valium) , alprazolam ( Niravam, Xanax) and chlordiazepoxide ( Librium) . Sedatives need to be used with caution because they can be addictive and should be avoided if you have a history of alcohol or drug dependence. Desensitization or exposure therapy focuses on changing your response to the object or situation that you fear, and may be helpful for specific phobias. Gradual, repeated exposure to the cause of your phobia may help you learn to conquer your anxiety.
For example, if you' re afraid of flying, your therapy may progress from simply thinking about flying to looking at pictures of airplanes, to going to an airport, to sitting in an airplane, and finally to taking a flight. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a more comprehensive form of therapy.
It involves working with a therapist to learn ways to view and cope with the feared object or situation differently. You learn alternative beliefs about your fears and the impact they have on your life. There' s special emphasis on learning to develop a sense of mastery and control of your thoughts and feelings. Specific phobias usually are treated with behavioral therapy.
Social phobias may be treated with antidepressants or beta blockers, along with behavior therapy. Agoraphobia, especially when it' s accompanied by a panic disorder, is usually treated with SSRIs and behavior therapy. & copy; 1998- 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research ( MFMER) .
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Pledging to never play a venue with a stage, singer/ guitarist formed San Diego' s in the summer of 1990 after becoming disillusioned with his then- current band, . Bassist , guitarist , drummer , and backing vocalist joined the band' s initial lineup, and released in 1991.
While the debut increased the band' s profile, a lineup change ensued as and left the San Diego area. Adam & quot; Atom& quot; Willard climbed aboard as the band' s new drummer, and one of ' drinking buddies, Paul & quot; Apollo 9& quot; O& # 039; Beirne , joined as saxophonist. After 1992' s was released on Cargo Records and experienced a good deal of underground success, a major- label bidding war broke out, resulting in ' s decision to join Interscope Records. Interscope then re- released in 1993, and the single " Ditch Digger" spent some time in MTV' s Buzz Bin. Eventually, a sixth member - - saxophonist Jason & quot; JC 2000& quot; Crane - - was added, and the band moved onward as a punky, horn- influenced outfit, releasing the 10" record in 1995. issued a total of three records that year, including the limited- edition LP and the band' s most acclaimed album to date, .
The album spawned three singles, including the international hit " On a Rope" , which endeared to British audiences. followed in 1998, and was issued on the band' s new label, Vagrant, in early 2001. proved to be a machine throughout the early 2000s, their style as fresh as those following the trend. The members gradually began pursuing individual side projects, however, and 2002' s suffered accordingly, as the bandmates' alternate commitments prevented them from launching an effective tour. Three years later, disbanded after playing a farewell show on October 31, 2005.
Vagrant documented the hometown gig by releasing the live album in February 2008. ~ Matt Carlson, Rovi
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Curved Air were briefly a sensation in the world of British progressive- rock because of the sensual vocals of ' s ( a veteran of the musical Hair ) and ' s romantic violin. This was the same combination tested in California by It' s a Beautiful Day. Francis Monkman ( the real genius behind their compositions) added a synthesiser.
Air Conditioning ( 1970) contains & quot; Vivaldi& quot; , their most celebrated piece. Second Album ( 1971) delivered their only hit, & quot; Back Street Luv& quot; , and the twelve- minute & quot; Piece of Mind& quot; . Their artistic peak was reached with Phantasmagoria ( 1972) , but the band dissolved after Air Cut ( 1973) , with Eddie Jobson taking over violin and keyboard duties.
Kristina was joined by her husband ( future ) for a new version of Curved Air that released Midnight Wire 1975) and Airborne ( 1976) . User- contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By- SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
An expensive CT scan that uses multiple X- rays to produce spectacular 3- D images of the heart can' t replace tried- and- true coronary angiography for finding blocked blood vessels in chest- pain patients, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. But doctors are using the newer test - - sometimes because patients ask for it - - despite a lack of evidence that it' s helpful, and a possibility that it might be harmful. & quot; I think it' s being used without clear data of any benefit for the patient, & quot; says Dr.
Rita Redberg, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, who wrote an article accompanying the study. The gold standard for diagnosing heart disease is coronary angiography ( also known as an angiogram or cardiac catheterization) , in which doctors snake a tube through the femoral artery in the leg and up into heart vessels to release a dye that lights up blockages on an X- ray. CT scans of the heart, known as multi- detector computed tomographic ( CT) angiography, are less invasive than angiograms. But the CT scans use a contrast dye and multiple radiation- generating X- rays, which a computer assembles into a high- resolution, three- dimensional image of the heart. Health. com: How to Weigh Angiogram Benefits and Risks Supporters of the CT scans say they could be used in patients with chest pain who are at lower risk of having heart disease due to their age, sex, or type of pain.
If the test doesn' t find blockages, they say, these patients could skip traditional angiography altogether. However, in the new study, Dr.
Julie M. Miller of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and her colleagues looked at 291 patients who were scheduled for an angiogram but also had a 64- slice CT scan. They found the newer test was less accurate and yielded more false negatives than previous single- center studies had suggested. Dr.
Robert Bonow, chief of at Northwestern University' s Feinberg School of Medicine, notes that about 10 percent of study participants with a positive test had normal coronary arteries, and 17 percent of those with a normal test had coronary disease. Meanwhile, Medicare has covered the CT scans since 2006, and the tests are in widespread use, even though their usefulness for patients is unclear. The CT scans cost about $ 700 and angiograms cost about $ 1, 500, according to Johns Hopkins. However, people who have the CT scans often end up needing the angiogram anyway.
Bonow says he expects the new findings could & quot; put the brakes& quot; on current enthusiasm for the test. & quot; It is the way the world' s going to evolve in the future, but I just don' t think we' re there yet, & quot; he says. While traditional angiography is invasive, he adds, the risks are exceedingly low when performed by an experienced clinician. And if the test does identify blockages in the heart' s arteries, they can be treated with stents or angioplasty right away. ( Both require a catheter threaded through an artery into the heart. ) In the United States, 30 percent of angiograms find no blockages in the heart arteries, notes Dr. Kim Allan Williams, a professor of medicine and radiology at the University of Chicago. & quot; We' d like to fix it so we have no more normal angiograms, & quot; he says. According to Williams, CT angiography is useful for ruling out heart disease in patients with active chest pain and equivocal stress test results. ( In a stress test, patients' hearts are monitored while they exercise. ) Health. com: How Depression Hurts Your Heart & quot; It does help you select the patients who are going to need further management with revascularization and that' s really what you want the test to do, & quot; Williams says.
Revascularization is any procedure that restores blood flow to the heart, such as bypass surgery or angioplasty. But Redberg argues that the usefulness of a CT scan in patients with chest pain is debatable and the test has risks.
The scan exposes patients to considerably more radiation than an angiogram, she says, and these patients may wind up needing an angiogram anyway as well as other tests that could expose them to even more radiation, like those that use nuclear tracers. & quot; Importantly, but unfortunately, we don' t know what the radiation risks are, & quot; Redberg says. & quot; It' s been estimated that we' re going to see tens of thousands of additional cancers in the U.
S. population because of our increased use of CT scans. & quot; Radiation isn' t the only concern, she says: Technology is a major driver behind ballooning health care costs in the United States. & quot; It' s not always true that more tests are better, and it does drive up our health- care costs without a clear benefit to patients, & quot; she explains.
If your doctor recommends the CT scan before a stress test, ask for more details, Redberg says: & quot; How is this going to help my health care; how is it going to help me to feel better? & quot; Bonow agrees: & quot; If the doctor is recommending this test, ask the right questions. Does this mean I will never need an invasive angiogram? What is this test going to do? & quot; What you need is an informed patient asking good questions. & quot; Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Health - ! Copyright All About & bull;
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New York ( CNN) - - A collection of 46 never- before- seen photos from The Beatles' first concerts in the United States was auctioned off for more than $ 350, 000 at a New York auction house on Wednesday.
The evening' s biggest sellers included a close- up of John Lennon and Paul Mc. Cartney singing into a microphone, which sold for $ 30, 000 and an image of the four Beatles shot from behind, which went for $ 68, 500. The auction, held at Christie' s in Manhattan, was expected to bring in about $ 100, 000, but the grand total ended up being $ 361, 938. The Washington, D. C. - based photographer behind the show was 18 when he took the photos.
Mike Mitchell, who is now 65, said that the thought of someday auctioning off the photos for such a large sum had never crossed his mind as a rookie photographer vying for a press pass to see the Fab Four. & quot; Nobody knew where The Beatles would go, & quot; he said. & quot; They kind of marched and everybody fell in step behind them. & quot; When Mitchell heard The Beatles were making their first trip across the Atlantic, he managed to get a press pass from a magazine he worked for. & quot; I had realized that the camera was really a ticket to a lot of places one might not be able to go otherwise, & quot; he said. Some of the photos that were auctioned off were taken on Feb. 11, 1964, at the Washington Coliseum - - The Beatles' first concert in the United States.
The others were taken at the Baltimore Civic Center in September of that year.
Mitchell chose the 46 photos to be auctioned from about 450 negatives that had been collecting dust since the 1964 concerts. He chose group shots, close- ups and even photos without any faces.
One of his favorite photos is an image of Ringo Starr' s jeweled hands. Another is a photo of one of The Beatles' boots on a stage littered with jelly beans. Mitchell had to scan and restore the photos for the auction. & quot; I had to remove all the dust and scratches that had accumulated over that time, & quot; he said.
He decided to release the photos because & quot; it was time, & quot; he said. Cathy Elkies, director of iconic collections at Christie' s, said she was nervous going into the auction because Mitchell was a relatively unknown name, but that the photographs and their subjects spoke for themselves. & quot; They are beautiful, they are intimate, they are evocative, & quot; she said. & quot; And the fact that he was 18 just is really a very sobering idea. & quot; And the fact that the photos had never been seen added to the success of the auction, Elkies said. & quot; Beatles fans just think they' ve seen it all so to have the opportunity to bring something to market that was never seen before was great, & quot; she said.
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( ) Many families and friends agonize over how to help a loved one struggling with alcoholism, drug problems, an eating disorder or other destructive behavior. One way to join forces and take action is through a formal intervention. Staging a well- planned intervention can be an effective way to help a loved one recognize the impact of his or her behaviors and accept treatment.
Here' s what you should know about an intervention, including what it is, who might benefit and how it works.
What is an intervention? An intervention is a carefully planned process in which family and friends, and sometimes colleagues, clergy or others, join together to confront someone about the consequences of alcoholism, addiction or another mental health problem, and ask him or her to accept treatment. The intervention: Who might benefit from an intervention? An intervention can help people who struggle with addictive behaviors but who are in denial about their situation or who have been unwilling to accept treatment.
Some examples of behaviors that may warrant an intervention include: People with addiction often don' t see the negative effects their behavior has on them and others. It' s important not to wait until they " want help. " Instead, think of an intervention as giving your loved one a clear opportunity to make changes before things get really bad. How does a typical intervention work?
Planning. A family member or friend proposes an intervention and forms a planning group. Gathering information. The group members find out about the extent of the loved one' s problem and research the condition and treatment programs.
The group may make arrangements to enroll the loved one in a specific treatment program. Forming the intervention team. The planning group forms a team that will personally participate in the intervention. Team members set a date and location and work together to present a consistent message, treatment plan and changes each person will make if the addicted person doesn' t seek treatment. Keep the plan confidential until the day of the intervention.
Deciding on specific consequences. If your loved one doesn' t accept treatment, each person on the team needs to decide what action he or she will take. Examples include asking your loved one to move out or taking away contact with children.
Writing down what to say. Each member of the intervention team should detail specific incidents where the addiction has resulted in problems, such as emotional or financial issues. Discuss the toll of your loved one' s behavior while still expressing care and the expectation that your loved one can change.
The intervention meeting. Without revealing the reason, the loved one is asked to the intervention site. Members of the core team then take turns expressing their concerns and feelings. The loved one is presented with a treatment option and asked to accept that option on the spot. Each team member will say what specific changes they will make if the addicted person doesn' t seek care.
Follow- up. Involvement of a spouse and family members is critical in helping someone with an addiction stay in treatment and avoid relapsing into old patterns. This can include changing patterns of everyday living to make it easier to abstain from the destructive behavior, offering to participate in counseling with your loved one, seeking your own therapist and recovery support, and knowing what to do if relapse occurs.
Should you consult a professional for an intervention? Consulting an intervention professional ( interventionist) , an addiction specialist, psychologist or mental health counselor can help you organize an effective intervention. It' s a good idea to get professional help if your loved one: Is in denial, likely to become angry or tends to minimize his or her situation Who should be on the intervention team? An intervention team usually includes four to six people who are important in the life of your loved one.
They should be people your family member or friend loves, respects, admires, depends on and likes, and may include relatives, friends, and community leaders such as clergy members or teachers. Don' t include anyone who your loved one dislikes, anyone who has an unmanaged mental health issue or substance abuse problem, or anyone who might sabotage the intervention. If you think it' s important to have someone involved but worry that it may create a problem during the intervention, consider having that person write a short letter that someone else can read at the intervention.
How do you find a treatment program to offer at the intervention? Depending on the severity of your loved one' s behavior or condition, it may be appropriate to ask them to seek support from a group such as Alcoholics Anonymous. A more severe problem may require admittance into a structured program or hospital.
If a treatment program is necessary, it may help to make arrangements in advance for admittance. Do some research, keeping these considerations in mind: Ask a trusted addiction specialist, doctor or mental health provider about the best treatment approach for your loved one and recommendations about programs. Contact national organizations, online support groups or local clinics for treatment programs or advice.
Find out if insurance will cover the treatment program you' re considering. Find out what steps are required for admission, such as an evaluation appointment, insurance pre- certification and whether there' s a waiting list.
Be wary of treatment centers promising quick fixes or using uncommon methods or treatment that seem like they could be harmful.
If the program requires travel, make arrangements ahead of time. Consider having a packed suitcase ready for your loved one.
How can you help ensure a successful intervention? Keep in mind, your loved one' s problem involves intense emotions.
The process of organizing the intervention and the intervention itself can cause conflict, anger and resentment even among family and friends who know a loved one needs their help. To help run a successful intervention: Don' t hold an intervention on the spur of the moment. It can take several weeks to plan an effective intervention. However, don' t make it too elaborate, either, or it may be difficult to get everyone to follow through. Plan the time of the intervention.
Make sure you choose a date and time when the addicted person is least likely to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Do your homework. Research your loved one' s addiction, substance abuse issue or other mental illness so that you have a good understanding about what' s going on. Appoint a single person to act as a liaison.
Having one point of contact for all team members will help you communicate and stay on track.
Share information. Make sure each team member has the same information about your loved one' s addiction and the intervention so that everyone is on the same page. Hold meetings or conference calls to share updates. Stage a rehearsal intervention. Here, you can decide who will speak when, sitting arrangements and other details so that there' s no fumbling during the real intervention with your loved one.
Anticipate your loved one' s objections. Have calm, rational responses prepared for each reason the addicted person may give to avoid treatment or responsibility for his or her behavior. Offer support to your loved one that makes it easier to engage in treatment, such as arranging child care or attending counseling sessions with him or her.
Avoid confrontation. Be honest, but don' t use the intervention as a forum for hostile attacks. Avoid name- calling and angry or accusing statements. Ask for an immediate decision. Don' t give your loved one time to think about whether to accept the treatment offer, even if he or she asks for a few days to think it over.
Doing so just allows your loved one to continue denying a problem, go into hiding or go on a dangerous binge. Be prepared to get your loved one into an evaluation to start the treatment immediately if he or she agrees to the plan.
What if your loved one refuses help despite an intervention? Unfortunately, not all interventions achieve their goal.
In some cases, a loved one may refuse the treatment plan. The addicted person may erupt in anger or insist that he or she doesn' t need help, or may be resentful and accuse you of betrayal or being a hypocrite.
Emotionally prepare yourself for these situations, while remaining hopeful for positive change. If your loved one doesn' t accept treatment, be prepared to follow through with the changes you presented. Oftentimes, children, partners, siblings and parents are subjected to abuse, violence, threats and emotional upheaval because of alcohol and drug problems.
You don' t have control over an addicted person' s behavior. However, you do have the ability to remove yourself & mdash; and any children & mdash; from a destructive situation. Even if an intervention doesn' t work, you and others involved in your loved one' s life can make changes that may help.
Ask other people involved to avoid enabling the destructive cycle of behavior and take active steps to encourage positive change.
web design Visitors to pay U.S. tourism promotion fee -
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( CNN) - - Planning a trip to the United States? Tuesday is the last day for citizens of some countries to dodge a new travel fee. Starting Wednesday, travelers from 36 nations will be required to pay $ 14 to register through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, required for travelers using the Visa Waiver Program.
Four of the $ 14 will cover ESTA operating costs, and $ 10 will go toward promoting the United States as a tourist destination. Charging tourists to promote tourism doesn' t make sense, critics say. & quot; It' s like inviting a friend over for dinner and then charging them a fee at the door, & quot; said Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines around the world. & quot; If the idea is to make the United States more welcoming and to increase tourism, raising the entry fee seems to be counterintuitive to what you' re trying to do, & quot; Lott said. Instead, more effort should be made to improve the cumbersome entry process, he said.
IATA voiced opposition to the fee to members of Congress before it was established by the Travel Promotion Act, which was signed by President Obama in March.
The legislation created a nonprofit public/ private Corporation for Travel Promotion that will be funded in part by the $ 10 fee collected from visitors who are not required to apply and pay for visas. Up to $ 100 million in matching private sector contributions will provide the rest of the corporation' s funding. The U. Travel Association, an industry trade group, is pleased with the establishment of the country' s first national travel promotion program, which will address a need to bolster international visitation to the United States. In some countries, national tourism organizations have been spending more than $ 100 million annually on tourism promotion for years, according to the association.
The United States welcomed 633, 000 fewer overseas visitors in 2008 than in 2000, despite strong global growth in long- haul international travel during that period, according to figures from the U. Department of Commerce.
The U. Travel Association doesn' t expect the fee to have a negative effect on visitation.
Economic consulting firm Oxford Economics estimates a well- executed promotional program would draw 1. 6 million new international visitors annually. In addition to promoting tourism, the Corporation for Travel Promotion will be tasked with communicating U.
S. travel and security policies to international visitors.
The $ 14 fee covers travel to the United States for two years.
It' s too soon to say how the fee will affect tourism, either positively or negatively, IATA' s Lott said, but his organization will be watching closely to see how the promotional funds are spent and whether other countries respond with fees for U. S. visitors. & quot; The minute the U. K. or France or Brazil start charging a similar fee, [ Americans] are going to get angry, & quot; Lott said.
No new rules for U. S. travelers have been announced, but some countries are not happy with the new fee. Cecilia Malmstr& ouml; m, European commissioner for home affairs, called the fee & quot; inconsistent with the commitment of the U. S. to facilitate transatlantic mobility, & quot; saying it will be & quot; an additional onus for European citizens traveling to the U.
S. & quot; Maureen Dugan, an executive director with Customs and Border Protection, said during a briefing last week that many countries impose fees that are rolled into airline ticket prices. & quot; There are 56 plus countries that impose entry- exit fees and they are in - - within the ticket or within some other tax. . . . We don' t see that this is inconsistent with the Visa Waiver Program. & quot; The United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Australia and Japan are among the 36 nations that participate in the , which allows visitors to travel to the United States for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
black lights CNN.com - Watch your weight, cut your cancer risk - Sep 29,
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( CNN) - - The American Cancer Society said Thursday that keeping weight under control is the most important thing non- smokers can do to prevent the disease. In revised guidelines, the society put top priority on diet and fitness, saying that eating a nutritious diet, staying active and limiting alcohol are the top things that people who don' t smoke should do to fight cancer. The guidelines are published Thursday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. ( One- third of the more than 500, 000 cancer deaths each year are attributable to poor diet and inadequate physical activity, including overweight and obesity, the cancer society said.
That' s about the same number of cancer cases caused by smoking. Avoiding tobacco products continues to be the most important avoidable risk factor in reducing cancer risk. But about 80 percent of Americans don' t smoke, and for those people, diet and exercise are paramount. & quot; No doubt about it - if you smoke, the most important thing for you to do is quit. If you don' t use tobacco products, your best shot at reducing your cancer risk is to watch your weight, be more active and eat well, & quot; said Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society and co- author of the report.
Research has long shown that colon, rectal, stomach, breast , prostate and pancreas cancers are related to diet. New studies indicate that for most nonsmokers, weight control can cut other cancer risks. & quot; There is evidence that losing weight can reduce the risk for postmenopausal breast cancer, and because of hormonal changes that occur with weight loss, there' s reason to believe it' s beneficial for other cancers as well, & quot; said Ms. Doyle. The guidelines also say that the standard recommendation - - 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week - - is still good, but it works better with with more strenuous activities such as biking, running or power walking.
Doyle said it' s time people understand they have a say in the future of their health. & quot; Unfortunately, there' s no guarantee. You can do all those things and still get cancer.
But the good news is that a lot of people think they don' t have any control over their risk of cancer and we' re here to tell people that absolutely you do have some control. & quot;
loans Hate messages found in museum suspect's car -
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WASHINGTON ( CNN) - - A handwritten message in a notebook found in the car of the man accused of fatally shooting a Holocaust museum security guard boasted, & quot; You want my weapons - - this is how you' ll get them, & quot; an FBI criminal complaint says. The purpose of the complaint is to establish probable cause for bringing charges against white supremacist James von Brunn, 88, in the shooting death Wednesday of a security guard at the U. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Von Brunn is charged with a federal count of murder, according to court documents. If convicted, said acting U.
Attorney Channing Phillips, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole and, if certain criteria are met, could face the death penalty. Von Brunn also is charged with killing while in possession of a firearm in a federal facility. He remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday from shots fired by other security guards.
The complaint says he was shot in the face and fell backward outside the museum' s front door. Stephen Tyrone Johns, the security guard who was shot to death, had opened the door for the gunman, who then raised a rifle and killed him, authorities told reporters Thursday.
Johns, 39, & quot; was kind enough to open the door, allowing him to enter, & quot; Lanier said. & quot; As he entered, he raised the rifle and shot special police Officer Johns. & quot; According to the complaint, Johns was shot in the left upper chest area. He died at a hospital. The notebook discovered by police also contained other messages from the man who flaunted his anti- Jewish, anti- black beliefs. & quot; The Holocaust is a lie. Obama was created by Jews. Obama does what Jew owners tell him to do.
Jews captured America' s money. Jews control the mass media. The First Amendment is abrogated - - henceforth, & quot; an excerpt said.
At the end of the writings was the signature: James W. von Brunn. The Holocaust museum, which is near the Washington Monument and other popular tourist attractions, remained closed Thursday, its flags lowered to half- staff in tribute to Johns. A six- year veteran of the museum' s security staff, Johns was hailed as a hero by Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and other officials.
Johns was a resident of Temple Hills, Maryland, according to a statement issued by Wackenhut Services Inc. , which provided security services at the museum since 2002. Johns & quot; died heroically in the line of duty, & quot; said Sara Bloomfield, director of the museum. & quot; Obviously there are no words to express our grief and shock over the horrific event that took place at this museum today, & quot; Bloomfield said.
Von Brunn is a Holocaust denier, well- known to human rights groups for decades, who created an anti- Semitic Web site called & quot; The Holy Western Empire. & quot; The Southern Poverty Law Center, which focuses on human rights, said von Brunn has & quot; an extremely long history with neo- Nazis and white supremacists. & quot; He has repeatedly claimed & quot; The Diary of Anne Frank, & quot; an iconic diary written by a teenage girl who was hiding from Nazis with her family, was a hoax. Johns was killed on the day the museum was to stage a play based on Anne Frank and two days before what would have been her 80th birthday. Joseph Persichini Jr. , assistant director in charge of the FBI' s Washington Field Office, said at a news conference that police were investigating whether the killing of Johns, who was black, might be considered a hate crime.
Von Brunn served six years in prison for trying in 1981 to kidnap Federal Reserve Board members because of high interest rates. He blamed his prison term on a & quot; Negro jury, Jew/ Negro attorneys& quot; and & quot; a Jew judge, & quot; he said on his Web site. One of many questions is whether von Brunn, as a convicted felon, should have been barred from owning weapons.
Witnesses to the shooting described blood on the floor and chaos within the museum' s halls. Visitor Maria Hernandez told CNN she heard five shots and saw the wounded security guard. & quot; It was definitely a security guard; he was down bleeding on the floor, & quot; said Hernandez, 19. & quot; He was face down.
His back . . . blood was coming out. & quot; Sirens blared as emergency vehicles converged on the area.
The museum was full at the time, with a & quot; couple of thousand& quot; people inside, said William Parsons, chief of staff at the museum. & quot; Never take your guard force and security people for granted, & quot; he said. & quot; They did exactly what they were supposed to do to protect people in the museum. & quot; The shooting sent shock waves throughout the nation' s capital and elsewhere. & quot; I am shocked and saddened by today' s shooting at the U.
Holocaust Memorial Museum, & quot; said President Obama, who just days earlier had spoken emotionally about the Holocaust when he visited Buchenwald, a former Nazi concentration camp with Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. & quot; This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti- Semitism and prejudice in all its forms, & quot; Obama said Wednesday. Israel issued a statement through its embassy, expressing sadness and condemning the attack. The Anti- Defamation League said the shooting & quot; reminds us in the starkest way where the spread of hatred can lead. & quot; The Council on American- Islamic Relations condemned & quot; this apparent bias- motivated attack& quot; and said it stands & quot; with the Jewish community and with Americans of all faiths in repudiating the kind of hatred and intolerance that can lead to such disturbing incidents. & quot; The museum canceled a performance scheduled for Wednesday night of a play about racism and anti- Semitism, based on a fictional meeting between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, the teenage victim of a racist killing in the United States. Attorney General Eric Holder and Rep.
Steve Cohen, D- Tennessee, were among those planning to attend the play, which was written by Janet Langhart Cohen, the wife of former Defense Secretary and U.
Treating compulsive gambling can be challenging. That' s partly because most people have a hard time admitting they have a problem.
Yet a major component of treatment is working on acknowledging that you' re a compulsive gambler. If your family or your employer pressured you into therapy, you may find yourself resisting treatment.
But treating a gambling problem can help you regain a sense of control & mdash; and perhaps even help heal damaged relationships or finances. Psychotherapy.
Psychological treatments, such as behavior therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, may be beneficial for compulsive gambling.
Behavior therapy uses systematic exposure to the behavior you want to unlearn ( gambling) and teaches you skills to reduce your urge to gamble. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhealthy, irrational and negative beliefs and replacing them with healthy, positive ones.
Medications. Antidepressants and mood stabilizers may help problems that often go along with compulsive gambling & mdash; such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder or ADHD & mdash; but not necessarily compulsive gambling itself. Medications called narcotic antagonists, which have been found useful in treating substance abuse, may help treat compulsive gambling. Self- help groups.
Some people find self- help groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous, a helpful part of treatment. Even with treatment, you may return to gambling, especially if you spend time with people who gamble or in gambling environments.
If you feel that you' ll start gambling again, contact your care provider or sponsor right away to head off a full- blown relapse. & copy; 1998- 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research ( MFMER) .
Ex- editors: James Murdoch ' mistaken' Is Congress less partisan than we think? Octomom: Baby factory is closed forever Kyron Horman' s mom: ' We want answers' Bristol: I' m not accusing Levi of rape Zakaria: Cutting too fast slows growth Terror warning for utility companies Are tabloid papers good for America? Husband wanted to divorce missing wife Dogs attack shark Congressman battles home invader Mickelson' s science project Is a deal on the debt ceiling in sight? Owling: The new planking Ex- editors: James Murdoch ' mistaken' Young boy fights for kids' health care NFL owners approve labor deal How will a debt deal affect the economy? What is a social media background check?
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multi 30 years on, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' inspires real adventures -
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( CNN) - - & quot; I will say, this moment is one that I will never, ever forget, & quot; said Jason Glisson, recalling a 2008 trip to La Milpa, Belize. & quot; I was the first person inside a very, very old manmade chamber. It was an incredible feeling.
Then I turned on my headlamp and saw three huge spiders. & quot; The opening to a possible future & quot; Indiana Jones& quot; movie? Close.
Glisson was describing his discovery of an ancient tomb - - including very well- preserved bones found therein - - as part of his study of archaeology, a passion that began for him when he saw the Indiana Jones movies as a child. & quot; Obsessed is more like it, & quot; he said, describing his interest in the movies, the first of which, & quot; Raiders of the Lost Ark, & quot; was released 30 years ago this summer. & quot; I could probably recite a large majority of the movies. & quot; Even though he' s a fictional character, it' s fairly safe to say that Indiana Jones is the most famous archaeologist in the world. & quot; As a teacher, I would ask my students, ' How many of you were influenced by Indiana Jones films? ' & quot; said Fred Hiebert, an archaeology fellow with National Geographic. & quot; Everyone in the class would raise their hands. & quot; Hiebert is the co- curator of an exhibition that makes its worldwide debut at the Montreal Science Centre from April 28 through September 19 and then moves on to other international locations. His enthusiasm for Indy, and the exhibition, is infectious.
The exhibition & quot; has an incredible array of movie props from the films. It' s got a lot of the designs and paintings and artwork behind the making of these films, & quot; he said. & quot; And, we not only have almost 100 incredible treasures from around the world, but we also have the archaeologist' s drawings and techniques they use to investigate the past.
You get to see what was in the minds of the filmmakers, and the archaeologists. & quot; Aside from the & quot; Indy& quot; versions of the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, there is a lot in the exhibit for hardcore fans of archaeology as well. & quot; We have a clay tablet with a map of a Mesopotamian city, one of the world' s oldest maps, & quot; Hiebert said. & quot; We have a fragment of a pot made 6, 000 years ago, with the oldest representation of wine.
We have a whole series of gorgeous prescribed pots from South America, and the first video of a scholar reading a scene from a stela, in a language no one has spoken for hundreds of years. & quot; Hiebert said he hopes that with this exhibition, & quot; People will enter the door as Indiana Jones and they will exit very inspired about archaeology. We want to inspire as many people as possible about science. & quot; Indy has certainly inspired a lot of people in the last few decades, judging from the i. Reporters, like Glisson, who shared their stories of adventure. & quot; Thirty years ago I sat in a darkened theater, my eyes glued to the big screen, and was swept away into a world of wonder as ' Raiders of the Lost Ark' unfolded in front of me, & quot; said Tim Preston of Petaluma, California. & quot; Like many of my generation, I dreamed of donning a fedora, picking up a bullwhip and setting off to confront the unknown. & quot; Things didn' t quite work out like that for Preston, but 10 years ago, he took a chance and flew to Belize to join an excavation with the Maya Research Program. & quot; One summer turned into another, followed soon thereafter by a graduate degree in archaeology and finally a job doing what I love the most: excavating Maya ruins deep in the jungles of Belize. & quot; Preston finds his occupation quite fulfilling: & quot; While I have never had to evade a cunningly constructed death trap or hold off a sword- wielding fanatic with my trusty bullwhip, I feel that I am living out the dream that I had as a young man. & quot; Jamin Eggert of La Jolla, California, who left his dedicated four- year engineering program at the University of California, San Diego, had a similar experience in 2009. & quot; I had dreamed of exploring hidden chambers and escaping in runaway coal cars since I first saw the ' Raiders' movies as a child, & quot; he said. & quot; Once the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed my hat and jacket and flew along the ' red arrow' over the Atlantic. & quot; Taking part in an archaeological dig in Khirbat- en- Nahas, Jordan, was unforgettable for Eggert. & quot; It was an adventure in detailing history, and I am very fortunate to have been able to be a part. & quot; The excavation was documented in a 2010 issue of & quot; National Geographic. & quot; Jasmine Prater was also intrigued by archaeology at an early age, thanks to Indy, and studied geoarchaeology at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.
In 2007, she participated in a study in Guatemala' s Maya lowlands. & quot; The study is ongoing and we hope to learn a great deal about the site selection of the inhabitants in the region. & quot; & quot; Even though there isn' t as much danger and none of the spectacular Hollywood effects, it is no less exciting seeing these sites firsthand, & quot; she said. & quot; Indy' s gung- ho, get anything done attitude has served me well over the past 15 years working in the developing world, & quot; said Dr. Grant Gilmore, who runs the archaeology volunteer program at the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research in the Netherlands Antilles. & quot; Indy is passionate when he is teaching - - that is perhaps the most common adjective used by my students to describe me. I would like to think that I strike a bit better balance between archaeology ' work' and family life - - thus Indy provides an example of how not to go about things. & quot; Gilmore said he keeps Indy in mind, along with other influences, like Norman Barka and Geoff Egan, when managing more than 650 archaeology sites.
Thomas Riddle from Greenville, South Carolina, integrates Indiana Jones' adventures into his history classes and created the website & quot; Adventures in Learning with Indiana Jones. & quot; His work on this and in promoting the educational value of the & quot; Young Indiana Jones& quot; series on DVD led to the opportunity to visit George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in October: & quot; Twenty- nine years after first seeing a scruffy- looking, thrill- seeking archaeologist acquire, then lose, an odd- looking golden idol, I stood face- to- face with that same idol as it grinned at me from behind the glass of a display case. In an instant, I was sitting in a darkened theater watching Indiana Jones do his thing.
It was 1981, and I was 12 years old again. & quot; Of course, there' s a big difference between the fantastical adventures of the & quot; man in the hat& quot; and real archaeology ( the vast amounts of paperwork, for example) , but even so, fans like Glisson call it & quot; a wonderful source for inspiration and adventure. & quot; In a time where it seems just about anything can be found simply by searching online, the legacy of Indiana Jones is a reminder that there' s still more of the world left to be explored.
Ex- editors: James Murdoch ' mistaken' Is Congress less partisan than we think? Octomom: Baby factory is closed forever Kyron Horman' s mom: ' We want answers' Bristol: I' m not accusing Levi of rape Zakaria: Cutting too fast slows growth Terror warning for utility companies Are tabloid papers good for America?
Husband wanted to divorce missing wife Dogs attack shark Congressman battles home invader Mickelson' s science project Is a deal on the debt ceiling in sight? Owling: The new planking Ex- editors: James Murdoch ' mistaken' Young boy fights for kids' health care NFL owners approve labor deal How will a debt deal affect the economy? What is a social media background check? Murdoch paper' s controversial cartoon British phone hacking inquiry widened Ridicu.
List Classic: Actor, 51, weds teen ' This is no time to compromise' Consequences of not raising debt ceiling School district' s policy under scrutiny Notorious con man to return to prison Neutrality policy impacting bullying?
Teenager known as the ' Barefoot Bandit' Ridicu.
List Classic: The best of Snooki Corzine, Fiorina on debt ceiling debate Dems, GOP spew rhetoric on tax issue Why was Norway targeted? HLN' s Dr. Drew on Amy Winehouse PM Cameron addresses hacking allegations Murdoch' s wife stands by her man Four still missing after Norway attacks Winehouse' s body taken from apartment Behind the horror in Oslo Norway bombing witness recalls the scene NFL lockout not over Heat wave hits the White House Gay marriage lottery winners to wed Record heat hits Northeast Dr.
Drew Bristol Palin: I was on birth control TV producer Al Taylor: I met with Casey Bizarre deaths at millionaire' s mansion Bristol Palin talks teen pregnancy Behind- the- scenes with Bristol Palin Preview: Dr. Drew with Bristol Palin Summers on America' s growth prospects Fareed' s Take: Afghanistan' s future What in the World: Brazil overheating?
Most expensive city in the world Lawmakers fighting like cats and dogs Fareed Zakaria answers your questions Bernard- Henri Levy speaks out on DSK Peter Godwin on Sudan Getting a Picasso into a war zone Choi: DADT dead but journey ' not done' Debt talks break down, so what happened?
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( CNN) - - Since its debut in late June, Google+ has captured much of the tech world' s online conversation. The chatter is generally positive, with tech bloggers cheering Google' s new social network as a cleaner and more robust alternative to Facebook.
But there have been some bumps on the road. Over the weekend, some Google+ users with notification e- mails - - the messages the company sends out if another user adds you to their & quot; circles& quot; of contacts on the site or comments on one of your posts. Instead of sending those notes out only once, as intended, Google+ sent them & quot; over and over again, & quot; writes Google' s Vic Gundotra in a post on his Google+ page. & quot; Thank you for helping us during this field trial, and once again, we are very sorry for the spam, & quot; the Google vice president wrote Saturday.
Most Google+ users seemed quick to forgive the slip- up. & quot; No worries Vic.
Keep up the good work!
Looking forward to more improvements! & quot; one user wrote in a reply to the apology. & quot; It' s alright, man! : D You rocks! & quot; said another.
Gundotra chalked the spam up to growing pains. & quot; For about 80 minutes we ran out of disk space on the service that keeps track of notifications. Hence our system continued to try sending notifications. Over, and over again. Yikes, & quot; he wrote. & quot; We didn' t expect to hit these high thresholds so quickly, but we should have. & quot; It' s unclear exactly how many people have joined Google+ , and the service undoubtedly has far, far fewer users than Facebook, which leads the field with . The fact that the Google+ community is still relatively small is no surprise for two reasons: First, the site is so new; and second, it still isn' t public, meaning you have to get a personal invitation in order to sign up - - at least for now.
But it' s clear that the new, non- Facebook social network has attracted enough attention that it' s growing rather quickly, setting it apart from Google' s other attempts to start a social network. Google+ already has more than 4. 5 million users, , Paul Allen, who used census data about surnames to make his calculation. One problem with this rapid growth, as the Google spam shows, is technical.
It' s hard to make a new network work perfectly if it' s expanding too quickly. Google has used this logic repeatedly to justify its limited- invite approach, instead of letting anyone on the Internet join the network.
Another issue, however, is social. At first, a limited network like Google+ feels intimate - - just as Facebook did before nonuniversity users could join it. But with growth comes change, and that could leave some Google+ users feeling that their cozy private party has been transformed into the county fair. Finally, Google+ users have been pointing out features of other social networks that either don' t exist on Google+ or aren' t easy to use.
One is the idea of & quot; institution pages, & quot; which, on Facebook and Twitter, let companies put out info about new products, news stories and such. There' s no such feature to date on Google' s new social network, although . Another is celebrity verification.
On Twitter, for example, if you go to Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber' s profile page, there' s a little next to the name, which is a signal to visitors that it' s actually the account of a celebrity. On Google+ , it' s unclear if accounts are real or fake. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg' s Google+ page stirred up news on the blogosphere because it' s interesting that the leader of a competing social network would join this new service, and because it was unclear if his page was real. Blogger Robert Scoble cleared this up in a text message conversation with Zuckerberg, who .
Similar authenticity issues have popped up with the Google+ pages of Kanye West, Nancy Pelosi and Michael Dell, among others. The & quot; While it' s understandable that a verification system was not at the forefront of Google' s mind when preparing to launch the network, it looks like one is desperately needed now. We want to be able to tell the real stars from the fakes, so we' re not wasting our time.
Or even better - - maybe there should be a way for the fakes to never exist in the first place. & quot; For its part, Google continues to say additional updates are coming. And, in comments to those pleas for patience, users generally seem to believe that the benefits of the service will be worth the wait.
