Sunday, August 31, 2014

Travel The Appalachian Trail With This Nature-Loving Vine User

Vine user Isaiah Cooper posted his first trail Vine when he started a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail four months ago. Since then he's entertained followers with posts of wildlife, scenic views and trail culture and cuisine.



Cooper's most recent post lets us know he's somewhere in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Through his Vines he has answered all sorts of questions about life on the trail and has also been sending postcards to fellow Vine users. Though he first offered postcards to anyone who asked, after getting tons of requests he had to make the postcards into a contest, sending them to users who submitted great nature Vines. Cooper has gained nearly 45,000 followers in the past month.



The Appalachian Trail spans some 2,180 miles, beginning in Georgia and ending in Maine. Thru-hikers endeavor to complete the entire trail in one hiking season. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, most hikers begin in Georgia and hike north (like Cooper) and take an average of six months to complete the journey.



Check out his hike and follow him to the end on his Vine page!



Click the volume button on the bottom right corner of each Vine to hear Cooper's cheerful narration.




























































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Kids Who Sip Alcohol Aren't More Likely To Have Drinking Problems Later On, Study Shows

A young child's sipping or tasting alcohol may not be an early signal that they will have drinking problems or behavior problems later. Rather, sipping may reflect their parents' attitudes toward children drinking alcohol, according to a new study.


Researchers surveyed 452 children, ages 8 or 10, along with their families, to examine the factors linked to childhood sipping.


They found that 94 children in the study sipped or tasted alcohol between the start of the study and the time they turned 12. However, the researchers didn't find a link between this sipping and children's personality and behavior. [7 New Tips for Today's Parents]


"Children who started sipping before age 12 did not differ from children who did not," in terms of factors that predict their risk of problem drinking, marijuana and other drug use, delinquent behavior and risky sexual behavior during their teen years, study co-author John Donovan, an associate professor of psychiatry the University of Pittsburgh, said in a statement.


"This finding suggests that sipping during childhood is not itself a problem behavior like delinquent behavior or drug use," Donovan said.


Instead, whether or not children sipped alcohol was related to their parents' approval of child sipping and the parents' own drinking, according to the study published Tuesday (Aug. 26) in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.


"Children who sipped alcohol before age 12 reported that their parents were more approving of child sipping or tasting alcohol, and more likely to be current drinkers than did children who did not have a first sip of alcohol before age 12. Their parents reported the same things," Donovan said.


The findings show the influence of the family alcohol environment on children's first involvement with alcohol, the researchers said.


Is it OK for children to sip alcohol?


Unlike drinking, sipping may be common among children — up to 66 percent of children may sip alcohol before age 12, according to a previous study by the researchers. But is this concerning?


Previous research has found that children who have sipped alcohol by age 10 are more likely to start drinking early, and tend to have more than a sip or a taste before they turn 15, Donovan said. This early drinking has been linked to problems in adolescence and young adulthood, such as binge drinking, alcohol dependence and drug use in previous studies.


However, the evidence shows associations, but not a cause-and-effect relationship between sipping alcohol and going on to have more real drinks later and engaging in other problematic behaviors. Many other factors could be involved, the researchers said.


"So, logically, childhood sipping may relate to these later problems as well, but it may not be the case that sipping in childhood has any negative outcomes. We just don't know yet," Donovan said.


More research is needed to know whether supervised sipping in childhood could contribute to healthy drinking habits later in life, or it would lead to problem drinking, the researchers said.


Email Bahar Gholipour or follow her @alterwired. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.







Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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The Art of Swallowing

Although Hollywood may try to convince us otherwise, the truth is that relationships are not built on grand romantic gestures. They're not even built on medium-sized ones. They are actually based on the tiny-but-cumulative acts of daily love within a partnership. The little things that make up a life of days.



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In my 20s, if you'd asked me, I would have listed fancy dinners, exciting dates and bunches of flowers as the indicia of a loving relationship. Now, however, it's all about the little things -- him listening to my 10th work story with a smile on his face, me making him breakfast in the morning, both of us picking up the bathmat when we're done. When faced with the reality of domesticity and the drudge of the daily grind, the little acts of love are the important ones.



The flip-side of this is also true. I believe that the little gibes of annoyance and frustration that we sling at our partners may be the most damaging. It is not the dramatic fights and massive blow-ups, but the low-level bickering that hurts our relationships most.



Which is where the art of swallowing comes into play. (No, not that kind of swallowing!) What I'm talking about is this: perhaps the tiny barbs we swallow in the name of love may just be the grandest gestures of romance we have.



It is oh-so-easy to blurt out our frustrations and annoyances at our partner without a second thought. After all, they know us best, they are the ones we can be truly ourselves with, they're not going to run away if we are a Right Royal Pain for a moment or two. So when the murkier elements of our personalities bubble to the surface from time to time (which is inevitable for all of us), our partners can be the most logical person to let it out on.



You know what I'm talking about. Picture this: You've been waiting for ages at the check-out counter, and although you're far too 'enlightened' to take it out on the teenage cashier, you're not above being extra snappy when your partner accidentally jostles you with the trolley. Or say you've had a really long day at work, and all you want to do is watch Game of Thrones in peace, but your partner keeps yapping on about their plans for the weekend. Or perhaps your partner has left the sodden bathmat on the floor for the 17th time that week, and you really want to let him have a piece of your mind.



All of us have these moments of frustration, annoyance, anger even. It's human nature. But these little flashes can be incredibly destructive to a relationship. They are easy to fall into, they start out subtly, and their harmful effects are cumulative. What begins as insidious becomes ubiquitous, until those moments of bickering and contempt become the ever-present, accepted norm.



But these little moments can also be the key to massive growth. Both on a personal level, and within the relationship. They are the little cracks through which light can be allowed in, if only you will let it.



If we can work on becoming aware during those moments where our instinct is to lash out, we can start to create change. Instead of giving in to the urge, we can seek to swallow it, let it dissolve, and focus on something revolutionary: being polite to our partner.



Yes, polite. Politeness is an excellent yardstick to aim for: it is achievable, easily recognized and most of us have plenty of experience being polite in social interactions when we'd rather not be. When our innards are in conflict-mode, it can be difficult to make any sort of complex behavioral decision, but polite... polite, we can do. It is such a simple thing to aspire to, which actually gives me far more hope for its success than if it were a complicated philosophical theory requiring actual brain power.



Swallowing and politeness... Perhaps relationship bliss is that simple: swallowing an easy-to-fling, hard-to-retract jibe, and instead being polite. It might just bring us closer to the peace we crave, at very little cost.



Please note that in no way am I advocating swallowing abuse or covering up suffering -- I firmly believe that honesty and openness are the pillars of a good relationship. It's the trifles I'm talking about here -- the tiny little bees in our petty little bonnets. The things that we look back on an hour or two later and wonder what the hell was wrong with us.



It's these that I'm trying to swallow.



If we can perfect this art of swallowing and instead just be polite, well... it may just be the biggest gift of love we can give.



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The Problem With Getting Too Much Light At Night

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By Madeline R Vann, MPH

Reviewed by Pat F. Bass, III, M.D., MPH




Burn the midnight oil too often, and you could be increasing your risk for depression and suicide.



Artificial light at night (LAN) is the problem. One study, which looked at the effect of nighttime light exposure on the elderly, found that the longer and more intense the exposure to light at night, the greater the chance of depressive symptoms.



"In our research so far, light exposure at night would be associated with depressive symptoms, sleep quality, metabolic abnormalities and blood pressure, and a health problem like depression and insomnia are known to increase suicide," explained study co-author and sleep researcher Kenji Obayashi, M.D., Ph.D., a research lecturer at the Nara Medical University School of Medicine in Japan. The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2013.



Researchers are still untangling the complicated ways in which lack of sleep, light at night, depression and suicidality might be related. No studies have directly linked light at night to suicide, other than a 2009 study published in BMC Psychiatry that demonstrated a correlation between suicide, higher latitude and summer months in Greenland.



Obayashi, however, said that light at night could be altering the body's natural circadian rhythms, which relate to sleep/wake cycles and also seem to play a role in helping manage many of the body's systems.



"Delayed circadian phase may cause depression and insomnia; however, this has not been yet established," he said. "In addition, LAN may alter human melatonin secretion pattern, which is the hormone associated with mental condition and sleep quality." Encouraging the continuation of research are studies such as one in Molecular Psychiatry in 2013 that pointed out that rates of major depression have increased just as humans have increasingly brightened the night.



Some researchers have found that getting enough light at certain times of day can counter these effects, but Obayashi's team found that light at night was related to depression regardless of people's exposure to daytime light. Because circadian rhythms are a 24-hour process, not a single event, light throughout the day and night will affect them.



How To Dim the Lights

If you're used to the chatter of television soothing you to sleep, it's probably going to take time to adopt these mental health saving strategies. But try them anyway:


  • Switch off screens. Turn off television, laptops, phones, computers and tablets at least an hour before bedtime. Try listening to the radio or an audiobook as you go through your bedtime routine.



  • Use a red screen. If you can't give up your tablet or phone, find an app that gives you a reddish nighttime screen to avoid the waking effect of blue light.



  • Dim the lights. As you go through your evening, cut down on the lights. For example, use lamps instead of overhead lights.



  • Keep your bedroom dark. "Use black-out curtains that prevent light from streetlights outside from entering the bedroom, and remember to turn off your bedroom television before falling asleep," recommended sleep researcher Tracy Bedrosian, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.



  • Wear a sleep mask. If you can't completely control the amount of light in your room, cover your eyes when you go to sleep.



  • Choose red nightlights. Light on the blue spectrum is most likely to affect your sleep, so skip clear bulbs or fluorescents. "Use low levels of light in the orange/red wavelength," advised neuroscientist Randy Nelson, Ph.D., chairman of the department of neuroscience at Ohio State University in Columbus. Pick red light bulbs or use red goggles if you must move around at night.



  • Get bright early morning light. "I would very much like to get people exposed to broad spectrum light in the morning and cut down light at night," emphasized Nelson. Get outside, if possible.






Many sources of artificial light have been around for a relatively short time, and research is just catching up to what that means for people's sleep/wake cycles. But you don't have to wait for the final word to make mood-protecting dimmer choices at night.



More from Everyday Health:

Confessions of a Stage Four People-Pleaser

4 Warning Signs of Childhood Depression

A Back-to-School Checklist for Sleep



Night Light Might Be Depressing You originally appeared on Everyday Health



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7 Strategies Healthy, Lean People Employ for Lasting Fat Loss

In a Fitness Slump? Here are Tips to Intensify Your Workouts

If you have been going to the gym for months, it can be frustrating when your progress has come to a halt. Instead of quitting, try adding some intensity to your workouts. The tips below are simple ways to break past plateaus without trying to reinvent the wheel.



1. Add More Weight: If you have been using the same amount of weight during your training sessions, it may be time to add some more. Increase the weight gradually over time. If you have been using 12-pound dumbbells for a certain exercise, bump up to the 15 pounder to challenge you muscle a bit more.



2. More Repetitions: Stuck in that six- to 10-rep range because you want to put on a bit of size? Switch it up and add a few more repetitions to each set. You can go a bit lighter in weight and work on your muscular endurance as opposed to muscular strength.



3. Speed Up...: If your weight lifting sessions are taking hours, chances are you are taking too much time between sets or not working fast enough. Try allowing only 30-45 seconds between sets for recovery. Yes, you will be more fatigued and may not have as much strength to move a lot of weight, but you will break a sweat and be working harder than usual. The same goes for cardio training, try bumping up the level or speed of your workout. When doing interval training, shave off a few seconds of your typical recovery time for a more challenging sweat session.



4. ...or Slow Down: You may want to get in and out of the gym and try to rush your workout, but that isn't the best option in the long run. Rather than throwing the weight around, slow down your movements and control the weight. Think about which muscle group you are targeting with each exercise and do not let other muscles do the work for your. Slowing down, is a great way to increase focus and your mind-muscle connection.



5. Bring a Buddy: Training with a workout partner is a great way to instantly push yourself a bit harder. Bringing a buddy ensures that you can have someone spot you if needed during weight training and you also can help hold each other accountable. You may also be able to learn a thing or two from each other and swap training techniques.



6. Go for a Personal Best: If you have been performing the same exercises for weeks, it is time to challenge yourself by either adding more weight or repetitions. Try to break your own personal record and keep track of your progress in a training log or journal. You may not notice progress right away, but over time you will be able to get better if you remain consistent. For cardiovascular training, try training an extra five minutes or going an extra quarter mile.



7. Get a New Playlist: Nothing is more motivating than some good music! Download some new music and add it to your workout playlist. The music will keep you motivated to keep training while keeping your intensity levels high.



8. Do a Group Fitness Class: Sometimes we need someone else to push us for a little bit. Most gyms offer group fitness classes with your membership at no extra cost. Find the group fitness schedule and pick a class that sounds interesting to you. Being surrounded by others who are doing the same workout will challenge you to continue and work even harder than if you were going through the motions alone.



Try these simple tips to intensify your training and break past plateaus. All of these small changes will add up and make a difference over time. What are some techniques that you use to add intensity to your workouts? Please share your tips in the comments section below.



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18 Convincing Reasons To Give Yoga Another Try

“The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.“ --Rodney Yee



While pounding on a treadmill, lifting free weights and swimming a few laps are all well and good, yoga exercises the mind and body in a completely unique way. In fact, yoga changes both your body and brain starting the day you begin.



To celebrate its many positives -- both big and small -- we thought we'd highlight just a few of our favorite reasons to practice yoga:



1. To live in the present. Most of us spend the majority of our time with our phones in our hands, pockets or purses. We rush to and from the office, checking emails and texting as we go. Research shows that we spend almost half of our time thinking about things aside from what we're actually doing -- even though there is happiness to be found when we live in the moment. Yoga offers the opportunity to completely unplug and focus on exactly what's right in front of you.



2. To sweat. You don't have to practice Bikram in a 100-degree room to break a sweat. Depending on the type you're doing, just one hour of yoga can burn nearly 500 calories.



3. For gratitude. Many yogis begin and end their practices by dedicating their time on the mat to someone or something important to them. Can't we all agree that the world could use a little more gratitude?



4. Because it's convenient. The $27 billion industry has grown rapidly in recent years -- meaning yoga studios are popping up in cities across the country. No matter where you live, you're probably not far from a yoga studio. And even if you live in a super-remote area, you can get your yoga on in the comfort of your living room. All you need is a mat -- and even that's optional.



5. For your brain. Hit the mat to clear your mind. Yoga has been shown to increase brain function right after a practice as short as 20 minutes. It can improve memory and help you maintain focus, too.



6. Two words: yoga pants. Seriously, is there anything more comfortable?



7. For strength's sake. Holding poses and moving through sun salutations is a fast track to stronger muscles. Yoga has been linked with greater dead-lift strength, for instance. So ditch the weights for a quick yoga session every once in a while.



8. To make new friends. With over 20 million American yogis, you're bound to buddy up with some mat mates at your local studio.



9. To spend some time solo. Even though you may make friends before and after class, yoga itself is generally an individual practice. Spending time alone allows us a moment to reflect, evaluate and observe. What better place to do it than in Child's Pose?



10. For your bones. Research shows that yoga can help increase bone density in older adults.



11. Because we all need a little quiet time. Ever get tired of the buzz of treadmills, clank of weights and music blaring from your headphones? Soak up some silence in a traditional yoga class.



12. To stress less. Yoga's a top-notch stress-buster. Those who practice deep yoga breathing report feeling less stressed. Plus, exercise itself is a known stress-reducer.



13. To spice things up. Want a practice that breaks a sweat and keeps you on your toes? Try Vinyasa. More into the idea of relaxing and stretching? Go for Yin. Love routine? Ashtanga may be your jam. With such a wide variety of yoga styles, there's something out there for everyone and plenty of opportunities to explore new types.



14. To overcome challenges. The great thing about yoga is that you don't have to be "good" to start. Each practice is your own, and you're only competing against yourself to hold poses longer, stretch deeper or increase concentration.



15. It does the heart good. Yoga may help lower cholesterol and blood sugar, in turn lowering risk of heart disease.



16. To gain some flexibility (on and off the mat). Just six weeks of regular yoga practice can significantly increase flexibility, according to research published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. Plus, for many, yoga increases flexibility in perspective by prompting us to master new poses, breathing styles and meditative thoughts.



17. To smile more. Just 12 weeks of yoga can reduce anxiety levels. The less you stress, the more you smile. Plus, exercise boosts happy chemicals in your brain and improves overall mood. It works so well that some doctors recommend exercise to those who suffer from depression.



18. To rejuvenate. There's nothing quite like coming out of Savasana. You feel stronger, taller, stretched and relaxed. It's like hitting the refresh button on both your body and brain. Namaste to that.





Follow HuffPost Healthy Living's board Body And Soul on Pinterest.





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5 Simple Tips For Taking Killer Instagram Travel Photos

When you're visiting a beautiful new place, it's perfectly natural to want to capture the moment with a camera to take it home with you -- or Instagram it, so you can share it with your friends immediately.



Well, creative tourism startup Foto Ruta (that's Spanish for "photo route") is here to help optimize this combination of exploration and photography. The company provides informational tours that come with tips about how to capture each destination on camera. Currently, they run tours in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, London and Santiago, as well as pop up events in New York City.



Sound like fun? We thought so. But, if you can't get to one of these destination spots, don't fret -- Foto Ruta gave The Huffington Post a few tips for taking photos on smartphones, no matter where you are. And the photos below -- all taken with iPhones on Foto Ruta tours -- are stunning examples.



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Create a mood. Smartphone photography is as much about creating an image as capturing it. Think about what mood you want to convey in your picture, and then select an app or filter that enhances it.



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Move your body and think about viewpoint. Using creative angles to frame your shot will take an ordinary photo to new heights. Think of using a bird's-eye perspective, or get down to street level.



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Get close. Really close. The iPhone and most Androids have increasingly improved technology for capturing detail and focusing up close. Test the limits of your camera, and try some macro shots. You’ll be impressed with what you can create.



london 2



Crop instead of zooming. Using your smartphone’s digital zoom can result in a loss of quality. If you’re far from your subject, take the shot and crop later.



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Look for the light. The lower the light, the more grainy the photo will be. So if you want a crisp picture, look for where the light is -- and play around with it.



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This Couple Is Homeless, On A 1,000-Day Canoe Trip, And Completely Inspirational

Spending more than two years in a canoe carrying everything you own might sound like torture to some. But to Canadian couple Jennifer Gosselin and Pierre Pépin, along with their Karelian Bear Dog, Jasmine, it's the adventure of a lifetime -- and a new way of life.



Pépin and Gosselin decided to sell their Quebec City home, car and most of their belongings to take a 1,000-day canoe trip they call their "​​NorAm Odyssey." They embarked on June 6, and have spent more than 80 days traveling through Canada, around the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and to the U.S. shore of Lake Michigan. On Friday, they were camped at Charles Mears State Park in Pentwater, Mich.; they plan to get to Florida by the end of November.



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Jennifer Gosselin, Pierre Pépin and their dog Jasmine canoeing the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada.





The loose plan is to travel more than 15,000 miles, paddling no more than 30 miles a day, five or six days a week. But it's less about racking up miles than "the joy of meeting other people."



"We're not trying to beat a world record," Pépin told The Huffington Post. "The paddling, the canoe itself is our mode of transportation, but it's the people that are making the trip."



Pépin said people they've met along the way have given them rides, let them into their boats and homes, fed them, and generally been "unbelievable."



trip
Pépin and Gosselin's planned route.







The seaworthy couple went on a 1,300 mile canoe trip in 2012. When they returned, it was hard to feel comfortable in their regular 9 to 5 jobs.



"We spent 60 days with kind people and then you go back to work and people are honking at you on the road or giving you the bird, ...working many hours a week, and people seem to be unhappy with what they're doing," Pépin said. "So we just decided to pull the plug. The only way we could afford to do it was selling everything we own."



With a tent, cooking supplies and a couple changes of clothes, the two ventured out to explore the waterways and wilderness, armed with maps and GPS. Jasmine has her own spot in the canoe, and barks with excitement every time they pack up camp to head back into the water.



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Jasmine and the kayak in the Trent-Severn waterway, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Huron.







The couple has been married more than eight years. Some might be hesitant to go on such a long journey, in such close quarterswith their spouse, but Pépin and Gosselin have a routine down where they divide responsibilities, communicate and trust each other.



"I once taught a course on paddling without divorcing," Pépin said. "We are applying what we know."



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"The Chickens," Georgian Bay, Canada.









The longtime traveler said it was easier to make the decision to take their journey because they had been on several serious canoe trips, though none this long. But he said less experienced adventurers debating whether to take a trip should just find the way of traveling that works for them, whether plane or boat, hotel or backwoods camping.



"Stop finding all the reasons not to do it, anyone can do it," Pépin said. And he urged them to follow the advice of his wife's tattoo: "Make It Happen."



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"The Chickens," Georgian Bay, Canada.







Track Pépin and Gosselin's progress here, and read about their travels on their blog Wild Raven Adventure.





All photos courtesy Wild Raven Adventure.



H/T Up North Live.






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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Here's How Americans Spend Every Minute Of Their Days

How many Americans are shopping, watching TV or working at any given moment of the day?



A new interactive chart, built by e-commerce company Retale using survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, answers that question, depicting what Americans are doing in real time.



You can also see just how routines shift along age, gender and employment lines.



Explore the data below:



Retale.com









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Even Some Humanitarian Hounds Are Getting In On The Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS ice bucket challenge has taken the world by storm as people have dumped buckets of ice over their heads for an important cause. (To date it has raised more than $100 million for the ALS Association.) Most recently though, the challenge has caught on with some adorable members of another species.



Watch these hilarious (and dog-safe!) spins below -- perhaps you'll even be inspired to get your own furry friend involved.





We love this for two reasons: 1. Ammo the dachshund has a shower cap on. A SHOWER CAP! 2. The owner uses warm water on Ammo, making the challenge completely dog-safe, and a whole lot more pleasant.





An ice bucket challenge in which doggie treats come out of the bucket? No wonder these pooches were completely thrilled to be "splashed!"





Ya know, just another heroic day in the life of this police pooch.



By now, you're probably familiar with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, because of this viral challenge, but did you know that dogs can be affected by a similar condition?



Degenerative myelopathy (DM) affects canines in a similar way ALS affects humans. DM is a progressive spinal-cord disorder that starts out causing weakness in the hind legs, and may eventually lead to paralysis of the dog's entire back end within six months to a year, according to the GA Veterinary Rehabilitation, Fitness & Pain Management clinic. There is currently no cure for DM.








Help support ALS research through the "Donate" button above. And learn more about DM here.



h/t Reshareworthy





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EPA Says Government Needs To Tighten Smog Rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency's staff has concluded that the government needs to tighten smog rules by somewhere between 7 and 20 percent.




In its final recommendation in a 597-page report, the agency staff agrees with EPA's outside scientific advisers that the 6-year-old standard for how much smog is allowed needs to be stricter, saying it will save a significant number of lives and cut hospital visits. An earlier version of the report came to a similar conclusion.




Industry representatives criticized the recommendation as way too costly, while environmental activists hailed it as a public health measure.




Since 2008, the standard has allowed up to 75 parts of ozone per billion parts of air. The staff report recommends between 60 and 70 parts per billion. The report says it will provide more health protection for higher risk populations, including the elderly, very young, outdoor workers and people with asthma and lung disease. And it estimated that there are tens of millions, if not more than 100 million people, in that at-risk category.




When the agency tried to make a similar rule a few years ago, it estimated it would cost up to $90 billion a year, making it one of the most expensive environmental regulations ever proposed. After industry and Republicans in Congress criticized it, President Barack Obama withdrew it in 2011.




Ross Eisenberg, a vice president at the National Association of Manufacturers, said Friday the rule that staff recommends would cost up to $270 billion a year. In a written statement, he said "the current standard of 75 parts per billion protects public health" and added that there is much "financial risk evident in this new regulation."




Industry for four decades has exaggerated the costs of cleaning up air, countered Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, saying the current rule is too weak.




"EPA's ultimate decision is literally a matter of life and death," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which represents state and local air regulators. "While the costs may be significant, the costs of inaction, including billions of dollars of health and welfare impacts are overwhelming."




A 2011 EPA study looked at the history of air pollution regulations and found that the benefit of clean air in better health and reduced deaths "vastly exceeds" the costs of air pollution rules going back to 1990. It said that by the year 2020, overall costs of air pollution rules would be $65 billion a year, while savings would be worth almost $2 trillion a year.




Federal law requires that air quality rules be updated every five years. A federal judge ordered the EPA to have a new rule by December after environmental groups sued to get the government to tighten existing rules.




___




Online:




The EPA staff report: http://ift.tt/1vVmAZk




The EPA report on costs of air pollution rules: http://ift.tt/1prvopS




___




Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://ift.tt/17HhPaU






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Study: New Heart Failure Drug Shows Big Promise

A new study reports one of the biggest potential advances against heart failure in more than a decade — a first-of-a-kind, experimental drug that lowered the chances of death or hospitalization by about 20 percent.



Doctors say the Novartis drug — which doesn't have a name yet — seems like one of those rare, breakthrough therapies that could quickly change care for more than half of the 6 million Americans and 24 million people worldwide with heart failure.



"This is a new day" for patients, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiology chief at Northwestern University in Chicago and a former American Heart Association president.



"It's been at least a decade since we've had a breakthrough of this magnitude," said Yancy, who had no role in the study.



It involved nearly 8,500 people in 47 countries and was the largest experiment ever done in heart failure. It was paid for, designed and partly run by Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland. Independent monitors stopped the study in April, seven months earlier than planned, when it was clear the drug was better than an older one that is standard now.



During the 27-month study, the Novartis drug cut the chances of dying of heart-related causes by 20 percent and for any reason by 16 percent, compared to the older drug. It also reduced the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure by 21 percent.



"We are really excited," said one study leader, Dr. Milton Packer of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The benefit "exceeded our original expectations."



Results were disclosed Saturday at a European Society of Cardiology conference in Barcelona and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.



Novartis will seek approval for the drug — for now called LCZ696 — by the end of this year in the United States and early next year in Europe



Heart failure is the top reason older people are hospitalized, and a leading cause of death. It develops when the heart muscle weakens over time and can no longer pump effectively, often because of damage from a heart attack. Fluid can back up into the lungs and leave people gasping for breath.



The people in this study were already taking three to five medicines to control the condition. One medicine often used is an ACE inhibitor, and the study tested one of these — enalapril, sold as Vasotec and in generic form — against the Novartis drug.



The new drug is a twice-a-day pill combination of two medicines that block the effects of substances that harm the heart while also preserving ones that help protect it. One of the medicines also dilates blood vessels and allows the heart to pump more effectively.



In the study, 26.5 percent on the older drug, enalapril, died of heart-related causes or were hospitalized for heart failure versus less than 22 percent of those on the Novartis drug. Quality of life also was better with the experimental drug.



"We now have a way of stabilizing and managing their disease which is better than what we could offer them before," Packer said.



The new drug also seemed safe — reassuring because safety concerns doomed a couple of other promising-looking treatments over the last decade. There were more cases of too-low blood pressure and non-serious swelling beneath the skin with the Novartis drug, but more kidney problems, excess potassium in the blood and cough with the older drug. More people on the older treatment dropped out of the study than those on the new one.



About 32 people would need to be treated with the new drug to prevent one death from heart-related causes.



"That's a favorable number," said Dr. Joseph G. Rogers, a Duke University cardiologist with no role in the study. He said the benefits were big enough that "I would switch people over" as soon as the drug is available.



The drug "may well represent a new threshold of hope" for patients, Dr. Mariell Jessup, heart failure chief at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote in a commentary in the journal. It may help "a wide spectrum of patients, even those who are currently receiving the best possible therapy."



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Shawn Colvin Opens Up About Living With Depression

Shawn Colvin's song "Sunny Came Home" was all over the radio in the '90s, but even in the face of mainstream success, the singer was facing a serious battle with depression.



"I stopped taking a bath," she said on HuffPost Live on Friday. "To get from the bed to the bathtub is sometimes an impossible feat, so you know that, alongside getting to work -- I've had to go to work when I've been depressed -- well, depression is miserable. It's like a pain. You can push through things, but it's not living."



The songstress recounted how, as a result of her depression, even the best efforts of her family and friends were often lost on her.



"If I was able to take in anything that was supportive, loving, compassionate, the horror of depression is that you're void of thinking you're worthy of any of that and you feel like a burden," she said. "You feel like no one understands it, and you feel guilty about that. You feel like no one can help, and in fact, it's very difficult for them to help, especially if they themselves haven't been through it."



She encouraged families and supporters of people with depression to read books by people who have also experienced the condition. "You can really get in the head of someone who can explain it from a perspective," she said.



Go here to see more of HuffPost Live's conversation with Shawn Colvin about depression.



Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!



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California Plastic Bag Ban Would Be First Of Its Kind In The Nation



By Aaron Mendelson



SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug 30 (Reuters) - The California state legislature enacted a ban on plastic grocery bags on Friday near the end of its two-year session, a measure that if signed into law would become the first of its kind in America.



A number of cities and counties in California and other U.S. states, including Hawaii's Maui County, have made it illegal for grocery stores to pack purchases in plastic. But at the state level, opposition from plastic bag makers has usually prevailed.



The California Senate voted 22-15 for the bill, which must be signed into law by Sept. 30 by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who has not signaled a position on the measure.



"Single-use plastic bags not only litter our beaches, but also our mountains, our deserts, and our rivers, streams and lakes," said state Senator Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill.



Padilla backed a similar measure last year but it failed by three votes. The fate of this bill was uncertain until the waning hours of the session after falling three votes short in the state's Assembly on Monday.



But after picking up the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the bill passed a second vote in the Assembly.



The measure would ban grocery stores from handing out single-use grocery bags with customers' purchases, and provide money to local plastic bag companies to retool to make heavier, multiple-use bags that customers could buy.



Environmentalists have pushed for banning plastic bags, which are cheaper for supermarkets to use than paper bags, but create mountains of trash that is difficult to recycle. In California, there is particular concern that the bags, when swept out to sea, could harm ocean life.



After the defeat of his earlier bill, Padilla won the support of some California-based bag makers by including the funding for retooling. But in recent months, out-of-state manufacturers campaigned against the bill, even producing television advertisements targeting Padilla, who is running for secretary of state.



Cathy Browne, general manager at Crown Poly, a plastic bag manufacturer in Huntington Park, California, said the bill would lead to layoffs at companies like hers.



More than 10 billion plastic bags are used in California each year, according to an estimate by Californians Against Waste, an advocacy group supporting the bill. (Writing by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Mark Heinrich)





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Friday, August 29, 2014

More Women Than Men Are Dying From Ebola

The current Ebola outbreak may ultimately infect as many as 20,000 people and a disproportionate number of those cases will be women, experts say.



Since this strain of the disease first hit Guinea in May, 1,552 people have succumbed to Ebola, which has been rapidly making its way through four countries in West Africa, the Associated Press reported. More women than men are contracting the disease though, since they traditionally serve as health care workers and are the ones who are expected to look after ill family members, according to UNICEF.



Women account for 55 to 60 percent of victims who have died from Ebola in the current epidemic in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according UNICEF.



But figures may actually be even higher.



Health teams in Liberia recently reported that women made up 75 percent of victims who were infected or died from Ebola, The Washington Post reported.



The outbreak is being attributed to the consumption of infected bushmeat -- the meat of wild animals -- which many rely on for their livelihood and as their main source of protein, according to Irin News.



The disease spreads when there is direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people, which is more of a risk for women who are expected to spearhead taking care of ill family members and preparing for funerals, according to UNICEF.



"Women are the caregivers -- if a kid is sick, they say, 'Go to your mom,'" Sia Nyama Koroma, first lady of Sierra Leone, told The Washington Post. "Most of the time when there is a death in the family, it’s the woman who prepares the funeral, usually an aunt or older female relative."



A key reason this outbreak, and ones similar to it, continue to hit West Africa is because -- across the board -- both men and women are reluctant to seek medical care. They’ve developed strained relationships with healthcare workers and century-old traditions mandate that the ill be taken of at home, Raphael Frankfurter, executive director of Wellbody Alliance -- a group that provides free healthcare in Sierra Leone -- told HuffPost earlier this month.



This burden of tending to the sick, however, is the one that women have to bare.



"If a man is sick, the woman can easily bathe him but the man cannot do so," Marpue Spear, executive director of the Women's NGO Secretariat of Liberia, told Foreign Policy. "Traditionally, women will take care of the men as compared to them taking care of the women."



Helping to change these perspectives is what will finally put an end to these insidious outbreaks, Frankfurter said.



Currently, because there is so much confrontation associated with the disease -- the military will surround an infected person’s home and healthcare workers often don’t respect a patient’s ancient traditions -- Ebola victims don’t want to seek out help from clinics.



But if these relationships could be mended and West African men and women would be more open to getting treated at clinics, then these epidemics could be stopped before they spread to this insidious level, Frankfurter believes.



The 23-year-old aid worker saw firsthand how this methodology actually works.



After a woman in Kona, Sierra Leone, tended to a funeral, she became infected and died from the disease.



Wellbody Alliance then went out into the community to find the 35 people she had been in contact with and did so in a compassionate way, Frankfurter said.



Each of the 35 people willingly got tested
and no one had been infected with the disease, which was an "unprecedented success," he told HuffPost.



"Health workers should acknowledge, publicly, how frightening this disease will be for affected communities and how difficult it is for families to part with loved ones to likely die in isolation wards," Frankfurter wrote in a blog for Wellbody Alliance. "Such sympathetic gestures would serve to align the priorities of communities and the public health response."



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How Going After Our Dreams and Overcoming Our Fears Helped Us Become a Family of Four

When our son turned 2, we decided that it was time to think about having a second child. We'd made it through those first parenting milestones of pure euphoria and utter exhaustion -- that feeling of having no idea what you were doing, but eventually knowing you were doing something right. Our baby boy was turning into a little toddler and we were ready to be dads again.






We always knew we wanted two kids. My husband and I have both have siblings, and we wanted our son to experience the joys of being a big brother.






But whether we should actually have a second child was still a huge decision -- emotionally and financially.






We realized how lucky we were to have one child. In private adoption, there are no absolutes. No matter how many courses you take, how in-depth your homestudy is, or how friendly your adoption profile looks, you have absolutely no control; kind of like trying to get pregnant, but definitely a lot less fun. All you can do is throw positive vibes out to the universe, and hope the universe responds.






Having a second child meant a second homestudy and all the associated costs. It meant opening our lives up to a social worker again, and redoing the entire list of medical, reference and police checks.






If we wanted to register with the provincial ministry in addition to our private agency in order to broaden our chances, it meant repeating the same six weeks of classes we had already done. Because, you know, having a child already wasn't enough to prove to the government that we knew how to be parents. But I digress.






It meant waiting again -- for who knows how long -- to be picked by a birth mom or birth family. We recognized that so many couples wait years for just one child -- and we had only waited nine months. Had we used up our universal karma? How long would we have to wait for baby number two? If and when we did get picked, would the age gap between both kids be too big? Would we be too old?






We were also told it would be harder the second time. Our agency explained that the majority of birth moms they've worked with don't pick a family with a child. Could our son, who we knew would make an amazing brother, be a liability for us to become parents again?






And what if we did get picked and then the birth mom changed her mind? We'd been through that before -- could we go through it again?






You see, six weeks after we finished our first homestudy, we were chosen to be dads. Not by our son's birthmother, but by another birth mom. We were elated. We told everyone we were having a baby. We bought the minivan and the crib. And then the birth mom changed her mind.






It happens in open adoption -- we had been warned. But we were confident it wouldn't happen to us.






Boy, were we wrong. It was emotionally devastating. Could we put our son through that? "Son, meet your sister/brother... ummmm... nevermind..."






Honestly, as much as we wanted to be dads, there was a part of us that thought, maybe we should just count our blessings and be happy with the family we had.






But we knew we weren't done. We looked at our son and realized that if we had quit the process when our first adoption fell through, we would have never been his dads. We decided that all the risk, uncertainty, and anxiety the adoption process involves was completely worth the effort.






And it turns out that we were right -- ten months after we completed our second homestudy, we got the call.






"Do you want to be dads again?"






Five months later, our incredible daughter was born.






We now look at our two kids, and we absolutely know we made the right choice. I couldn't imagine not being their dad.






Our house is filled with the laughter and giggles my husband and I always dreamed of. Our kids have this amazing bond -- one that only siblings know -- and one that I hope will last a lifetime.






They play, they fight, they share toys, they grab each others toys, they chase each other, and they run away from each other. They do all the things siblings do. It's exhilarating and exhausting, and most of all, beautiful to watch.






And one day, when they hit those teenage years -- when Daddy and Poppa go from being awesome dads to annoying dads -- they'll have each other to commiserate with when we tell them:






"No, you can't go to that house party."






"No, you can't get a piercing there!"






"Yes, you can take the hover-car, but only if you pay for a tank of clean-burning organic gas."






When our first adoption fell through, someone told me, "Ian, you're meant to have the children you're meant to have. Your children are out there, you just don't know them yet." At the time, I didn't understand or believe that. All I could do was focus on the loss.






But now I completely understand. I know we were destined to be our kids' fathers and that our kids were destined to be brother and sister.






As I said -- in adoptions, there are no absolutes. But I also know that if you don't go after your dreams, the universe absolutely has no chance to respond.






And for us, it responded in the best possible way -- by creating our family.






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She Demands Attention

A few days ago I fired up my 1957 Jaguar. I bought the XK140 from a collector two years ago. He had entered it in the vintage British class and won at Pebble Beach a few years back. The car is a stunning opal white with a worn maroon interior.



It turns heads.



But she demands attention... a lot of attention. And actually, because of that, she's good for me.



I was in route to a mega luau party for 750 seniors from our various Aegis Living communities. I rarely drive the car, maybe two times a year; so I was a bit sheepish. I'm always worried about not doing something right that will make the car break down or explode. This is the kind of car you need to pay attention to when you drive. There is no talking on the phone, no fussing with your radio or checking your GPS. She forces you to pay attention -- intently.



There is just me. The road. And the car.



She sits very low to the ground and has no blinkers, so I felt like my hand was almost dragging the pavement as I tried to signal. I was focused on not grinding gears and on the loose steering in the middle of the road and on giving myself ample braking distance when I needed to stop. But in the midst of my intense focus on my surroundings, I suddenly realized that for a rare few moments -- I was unplugged. Free!



Free of talking on the speaker phone. Free of having my head buried in a text at an intersection. Free of multitasking and responding to the needs at work. And during my drive I noticed how I slowed down my brain and viewed life differently on the road.



I smell the great evergreens all around. I feel the sunshine on my face turn cool as my car ducks into the shade of the tall trees. I wave at people and people smile back and give me the thumbs up.



This car from the past had driven me firmly into the joy of the present. It's a rare joy that technology sneaked up and stole away from us. As we became more efficient in our cars, as cars begin to drive themselves, we dive into more media -- losing all sense of this kind of living.



The generations ahead of us, in their mid-'80s now, know how to do it. They appreciate the breeze in their hair and the smell of fresh cut grass. Simple things.



I think this is what my mom was referring to when she listed "going for a drive" as one of her favorite activities. When a car is so demanding, it makes you drive -- that's a good thing.



As I pulled into the event area and parked, an elderly gentleman walked in front of me, stopped, gave me a thumbs up and said, "You drove that car like it gave you a lifetime of memories."



It does.



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Detox Your Mind

Our current culture talks a lot about detoxing the body, nourishing our insides with superfoods and juice cleanses, we are kept up to date with the latest exercise trends and the fascinating yoga poses to re-set our body's alignment.



It seems we are all very focused on the "body," but no one is really discussing the key to the creating sustainable and long lasting change -- it's not the body or the behavior, it's all about the mind.



Thinking about what we are thinking about is the absolute first step to any valid change.



Without the right mind set, without the right thoughts, nothing really works. The mind set has to be right first for the behavior to change. Changing behaviors without changing the thoughts first is a one-way ticket to failure-ville.



Seriously, this stuff is important.



On the subject of "detox," let's use weight loss as an example. You decide to go on a juice cleanse because it looks healthy and wonderful and will detox your body. You start off on day one "thinking" something like "this is going to be amazing" or "I am so excited to do this," and it starts out pretty well. But then what happens when you get to day three?



The juice detox isn't problem. You go from love to hate in 72 hours because you are "thinking" about it very differently on day three, than you were on day one.



What many people are unaware of is that they actually get to "choose" what they think. Thoughts generate feelings, feelings generate actions and actions generate your outcome. It sounds simple but let me explain.



The thought "I love this juice cleanse" creates feelings of excitement. It's not the juice cleanse itself that creates the feeling, it's the thoughts about it.



The thought "I hate this juice cleanse now" creates feelings of frustration and annoyance. It's not the juice cleanse itself that creates the feelings, it's the thoughts about it.



The truth that needs to be noted is that negative thoughts always create negative feelings.



We get a choice on what we think so changing the thoughts changes the feelings. Of course I am not saying that it is easy to just switch a thought process but it is important to know that you can.



The juice cleanse can be amazing on day one or day six if you want it to be, and then again, it can be utterly depressing for the exact same time. It's all up to you and your thinking. All you need to do is check your thoughts.



When you learn how to do this, when you think about what you are thinking about, when you become conscious and aware, and when you choose good feeling thoughts, life really does change.



The real detox has to happen in your mind first and then the rest will follow.



You always have the "choice."



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Kraft Recalls 7,691 Cases Of American Cheese Singles

NEW YORK - Kraft Foods Group Inc said on Friday it is voluntarily recalling 7,691 cases of some varieties of its Kraft American Singles as a precautionary measure after a supplier failed to store an ingredient correctly.



The Northfield, Illinois-based company said the recall affects four varieties of Kraft American Singles Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product. The recall is for products with "Best When Used By" dates of Feb. 20, 2015, and Feb. 21, 2015.



A supplier did not store an ingredient in accordance with Kraft's temperature standards. While unlikely, this could create conditions that could lead to premature spoilage and food-borne illness, the company said.



Kraft said that any of the product in question should not be consumed and should be returned to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund.



Kraft said it has had no consumer illness complaints for the product associated with the recall.



The cheese was produced at Kraft's Springfield, Missouri, facility. (Reporting by Anjali Athavaley; Editing by Leslie Adler)



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Did the CEO of Big Mac Tell a Whopper to His Shareholders?

Don Thompson, CEO of McDonald's, was having a rough week. The day before, more than a thousand people had staged a raucous protest at McDonald's headquarters to demand higher wages. Now, as Thompson addressed shareholders at his company's 2014 Annual Meeting, a determined group of mothers from Corporate Accountability International's #MomsNotLovinIt campaign were eager to question him about McDonald's marketing practices. At the 2013 meeting, Thompson's grilling by 9-year-old Hannah Robertson went viral and McDonald's was so worried about incurring another PR disaster that they implemented a series of restrictive measures to limit the moms' ability to speak.



Against this tense backdrop, Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition (the only mom McDonald's allowed to speak at the meeting) addressed Thompson and voiced her concerns about the company's marketing to children. Thompson quickly set out to reassure Kuzemchak. "Relative to our marketing, we have been marketing responsibly," he told her. And then he dropped a bombshell, "We don't put Ronald out in schools."



If Thompson was looking to be the good guy for a change, he couldn't have picked a better thing to say. It is particularly insidious to send a fast food mascot into classrooms at a time when schools have been tasked with instilling healthier eating habits in children. But any type of marketing in schools exploits a captive audience and is therefore fundamentally unethical. A brand new poll from the Center for a New American Dream found that 66 percent of respondents support a ban on advertising in schools. No wonder Thompson wanted his audience to believe his company wasn't one of those icky in-school marketers.



There was just one problem: What Thompson said wasn't true. Ronald McDonald regularly makes appearances at schools in the United States and around the world. To cite just two of many recent examples, in February 2014, he appeared before over 350 students at Carl Sandburg Elementary School in Joliet, Illinois and in March he performed two shows at Southern Elementary School in Falmouth, Kentucky. In Brazil, Ronald's regular incursions into schools led the Instituto Alana to file a complaint against McDonald's with the Ministries of Justice and Education.



Given the incongruity between the claim "We don't put Ronald out in schools" and the reality of what has actually been taking place, the only way to make sense of Thompson's remarks was to assume he was announcing a new "No Ronald in Schools" policy. So my organization, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, drafted a letter to Thompson that expressed our appreciation for the new policy and asked how it would be implemented. But as we circulated the letter to other organizations for their endorsement, a copy was leaked to McDonald's. That's when we got a lesson in corporate doublespeak.



I received an email from McDonald's spokesperson Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem which stated:

To be clear, there is no new policy regarding Ronald McDonald. Mr. Thompson was correct in stating that 'we don't put Ronald out in schools.' Obviously, only schools or affiliated groups manage their invited guests.





But no one ever claimed that Ronald was forcing his way into schools without the knowledge of administrators. And Barker Sa Shekhem's email failed to address the dozens of McDonald's websites that actively promote Ronald's availability for school appearances, like this one that proclaims, "Ronald McDonald Wants to Come to Your School." Nor did Barker Sa Shekham explain why Thompson also told shareholders, "in schools and our restaurants you never see Ronald McDonald." (He named exceptions to the policy in restaurants, but not in schools.)



It's hard to conclude anything from this mess except that Thompson either wasn't telling the truth at the McDonald's 2014 Annual Shareholder Meeting or he's clueless about his own company's in-school marketing. But McDonald's still has a chance to make good on its CEO's word by instituting a ban on Ronald McDonald school appearances. Because if, come September, we do in fact see Ronald McDonald in schools, it won't only be bad news for children -- it will be bad news for Don Thompson's reputation.



Tell McDonald's: Stop putting Ronald McDonald in schools.



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Giant Men Meet Tiny Kittens In Adorable Mismatch For The Ages

Giant men. Tiny kittens. They both come together in this adorable BuzzFeed video.



Before the giant men visited the Kitty Bungalow Charm School For Wayward Cats, a rehabilitation center for feral kittens in the Los Angeles area, they seemed woefully unaware of the joys of feline friendship -- or even basic biology.



"So I'm going to visit the incubator where the cats are hatched," one of the giant men in his pre-interview before entering the bungalow.



But once they're there, everything seems to fall into place. The kittens are adorable, and the giant men are totally smitten.







"You got any more of these little loves of joy?" a tattooed man asks, clearly unable to get enough.



The kittens even seem to surface some motherly instincts in one mustachioed man. "Do you need my help?" he asks one kitten, then explains to the camera: "I am feeling feelings of what I can only describe as maternal protection."



They leave the bungalow changed men. After all, It's hard to resist furballs this cute.







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25 Years After Losing My Father to Suicide, Sadness Resurfaces

In more than 25 years as a suicide survivor and over a decade as a professional writer, I have never written publicly on the topic.



But with news of Robin Williams' death taking center stage in both traditional and social media, I feel the need to speak up for his children. To speak up for my sister and myself. To be the voice of kids who have lost a parent to suicide.



Why do I think Williams' death has struck such a tender nerve of society?



Because he had three grown children and a new wife he appeared to adore. Because, despite his addictions, he had gotten help and was sober, living relatively scandal-free by Hollywood standards.



Because he maintained a prolific acting career for more than 30 years, earning an Academy Award and starring in more than 100 movies, including four new ones yet to debut. Because he was, by all accounts, as intelligent, hilarious and compassionate as the characters he portrayed.



Because Robin Williams, the iconic actor and comedian, looked like he had it all and then some.



How could he be so "cowardly" and "selfish" to thumb his nose at a seemingly perfect life?



"Aye," I imagine Williams quoting "Hamlet," dropping into one of his quintessential Shakespearean accents. "There's the rub."



Indeed, at the core, there are no simple answers to the inevitable question that follows suicide: "Why?"



The problem, says author Tom Clempson in his August 12 blog post "Robin Williams Did Not Die From Suicide," is that suicide implies a choice, that Williams chose to die.



"When people die from cancer, their cause of death can be various horrible things," he writes. But if asked how that person died, he says, "You never hear anyone say 'pulmonary embolism,' the answer is always, 'cancer.'"



And just as a pulmonary embolism is symptomatic of cancer, so suicide is to depression. Williams didn't die of suicide, Clempson argues. He died of depression.



"Depression is an illness, not a choice of lifestyle," he says. "You can't just 'cheer up' with depression, just as you can't choose not to have cancer."



Yes! I thought when I read that. It's as ludicrous as blaming a cancer patient for dying of a pulmonary embolism! Clempson nailed it!



Almost.



The thing is, there's a dramatic difference among the loved ones left behind.



Sure there's grief, mourning, sadness. Most of us have lost someone who died too young, too quickly or too horribly from a chronic disease.



And if, for example, cancer wins the "fight" against our loved one, there generally aren't the "coulda, woulda, shouldas." Yes, cancer is awful. But in the end, "cancer" is the bad guy. No one else is at fault.



And let me be perfectly clear: Regardless of the cause of death, grief is the same. One doesn't trump the other in that department. Losing a loved one, for lack of a better word, sucks. Period.



But when a loved one dies by suicide, that grieving process for those left in its wake adds with it shame and guilt. Shame that a loved one will be judged for taking his own life. Guilt that you could have, no, should have done more to prevent that devastating result.



And if you're a child whose parent dies by suicide, those feelings become all the more complex, with an extra dose of guilt.



Add in an overwhelming sense of abandonment and betrayal, and you get one very mixed-up, dejected soul, who can't help but ponder that fact that a parent chose death over flesh and blood. That he chose death over you.



My father, Vince, died more than 25 years ago, shortly after my 15th birthday; my sister, Briana, was only 10. A longtime alcoholic, he had moved to Northern California and remarried.



Hundreds of miles away, in a stable home with our mom and stepdad, we remained blissfully unaware of my father's struggles. That his many attempts at sobriety were unsuccessful. That his second marriage was ending in divorce. That many of his family members suspected schizophrenia after hearing his outlandish stories of undercover DEA work and street gangs.



It was all too easy to ignore the fact that our father wasn't a significant part of our daily lives.



I'll never forget the crack in my grandmother's voice that night in November 1988, when she called asking to speak to my mom. It was just nine days shy of my father's 36th birthday.



Amid all of the tears and confusion, I was beating myself up inside: Why didn't I try harder to be a better daughter? Why didn't I write him letters? Why didn't I call more often? Did he think we didn't love him?



And I knew even then that others were exacting judgment. I felt it keenly in the pitying stares of the adults in my life -- neighbors, teachers, friends, even relatives -- beseeching, "How could he do that to his girls?"



After the funeral, we went back to life as usual; we didn't talk about my father. I believe the adults were trying to protect us from further damage. I worried that asking questions would cause them more pain. And still I blame no one.



But now as a 40-year-old adult, I'm reliving my father's judgment through Williams' critics. And I can't stop thinking about his children.



I don't profess to know a thing about them. But I do know this: They are probably in pain. They probably feel guilt. And despite what you feel about suicide -- be it a choice or a symptom of depression -- his kids are probably bearing the brunt of that judgment.



Compounding that anguish is the shame of suicide and resulting isolation. Others don't know what to say or how to offer comfort, which only perpetuates the silence and stigma surrounding suicide. Before you know it, 25 years have passed with hardly a word.



Only since becoming a mother have I begun excavating the details of my father's death. I might never answer the question "Why?" But in doing so, I hope I can guide my children toward a fulfilling life, despite a family history of depression, and to be free of the shame that's kept my family silent for a quarter century.



Finally, to Robin William's children, Zachary, Zelda and Cody, I am profoundly sorry for your loss, and even more so that you have to grieve publicly.



If I can offer reassurance, it's that you are not alone; there are many of us out here who understand your anguish. And you don't need to be ashamed or silent.



In the days since hearing of your father's death, I've thought often about a favorite movie of his, "Dead Poets Society." As 16-year-old student, I felt his character, Mr. Keating, was speaking directly to me when he chanted to his class:



"The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"



I hope my verse has offered you some comfort. And I hope yours includes peace.



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Carly Fiorina on Leadership and Unlocking Human Potential

I first heard Carly Fiorina speak at the Global Leadership Summit on August 14, 2014. To say I was moved by her speech would be an understatement. I was amazed by this successful, talented woman and inspired by her philosophies. I spoke with Carly this week with the hopes of getting her perspective on leadership to share with you. I got a lot more.



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Let me give you some background on Carly. She started her business career as a secretary, and went on to become the chairman and chief executive of the largest technology company in the world, Hewlett-Packard. She was the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 business. She currently serves as the Chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation, the Chairman of Good360, and the Chairman of Opportunity International.



She started our conversation with a story.



"When I was 8 years old," she said. "My mother gave me a plaque and it said 'what you are is God's gift to you, and what you make of yourself is your gift to God.' And that phrase has rung in my head my whole life."



Carly's taken that simple phrase and used it to shape her leadership style. She focuses on unlocking the potential in everyone that she works with.



Everyone that I have encountered in my life has huge potential, every organization has huge potential, and sadly too many people and too many organizations never fulfill their potential," she explained. "For me the great joy in life, the essence of leadership, is to figure out how to unlock potential in others and it's why I do the things I do and I hope that I'm making a difference in people's lives because it certainly enriches my life.





Her concept of unlocking the potential in others was intriguing, so I followed up by asking her what it meant, and how we could all do it.



It starts with a recognition that we get really confused about what leadership is. People think that leadership is about position or title or power, but leadership has nothing to do with those things. Leadership is actually about changing something for the better by tapping into your own and others potential and focusing that potential on a common goal and a worthy purpose. You have to realize that anyone can lead.





She also pointed out that while we can work together on unlocking our potential and others' potential by collaborating, setting high goals, and supporting each other, there are always ways that our potential is being crushed every day.



There are a lot of things that crush potential in us and in others. Bureaucracy crushes potential. Have you ever been to the DMV? Do you feel empowered when you leave the Department of Motor Vehicles? Absolutely not because of rules and processes. While some of it is necessary, too much crushes human creativity, ingenuity, and potential. So the goal is to get as much of that stuff out of the way.





Her leadership style is very straightforward. She does what she does for others. She strives to make a positive impact on those around her, and sees that as the main focus of leadership.



"I think the best leaders realize it's not about them, its about others, it's about impact, its about results."



That impact is what motivates Carly every day and what pushes her to help those around her reach their full potential.



There is a look that people get in their eyes when they accomplish more than they thought they could. It's the same look all over the world. It's the same look in any setting. That look for me is an incredible gift. I love to see that look because when people get that look in their eyes, what you know has clicked for them is that 'I have potential, I have achieved more than I thought possible and I'm going to go on and do it again.'





It's not easy to achieve the level of success that Carly has. In fact, for women it may seem like even more of a daunting task. Carly recognizes that there are challenges that strong women face, one of them being the presumption of competence.



When a man goes into a position, he is presumed to be competent. When a woman goes into a position, maybe not so much. So it means the burden of proof for a woman is higher. She has to prove that she is competent to be in the job.





So how do we go about overcoming workplace challenges? How do we become leaders?



What I would say first is know yourself. There are lost of ways to do that. You get to know yourself by working with others, by taking on tough challenges, by doing things you haven't done before, [and] by taking risks. It's important to know yourself and get to know yourself because that's how you're going to figure out what your gifts are.



The second thing I would say is, all the things you think people are thinking about you, good or bad, don't let those things get into your head. They're not important. What's most important is for you to think about what you can contribute to this situation, how you can collaborate with somebody else to change the order of things, to have a positive impact. None of this is rocket science.





She also stressed the importance of being in the moment, and focusing on the opportunities at hand.



I have seen so many people shortcut their career because they're so worried about how far they're going to go and they forget about the opportunity right in front of them to make a difference. People who get ahead focus all their energies on doing the best job they can in whatever the circumstances they find themselves in, so wherever you are whatever you're doing, do the very best you can right there, make the biggest impact, think about how to change the order of things. See possibilities, not limitations. See possibilities in yourself. See possibilities in others. See possibilities in the circumstances around you. And you'll have an impact and make a difference, and when you do, people will take notice.





from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1tUlVXM

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Taking the Spiritual Path? The Challenges and Cosmic Humor in Pursuing Enlightenment

There are lots of days when I think running to a mountain cave and meditating all day is where I want to be, never to return to "civilization." It's the place I feel most comfortable...alone, no pressure, no judgment and free to be me.



And yet I've come to realize that for me, and for many, this is a trap. In the name of all things holy, this path to self-awareness is fraught with challenges and traps like these. Here's just what I have experienced thus far, in my cosmic humor kind of explanation.



Euphoria. Man I am so enlightened! I love life, I love the world! The world is an awesome place! Let's get together and change it one hug at a time! Burn some incense, do yoga! Spray some Archangel sprays to lift my vibration! Save trees, save animals, eat organic!



This is the awakening of consciousness. It's funny. It's fun. It's a high. This whirlwind of intense energy is necessary to push through the initial barriers of the illusion we live. So as much as I'm poking fun at it, it has extreme value. To be conscious of something simply means to be aware. Your awareness grows, your awareness of yourself becomes stronger and things you didn't see before, are now in focus. It's kind of like, "Whoa, there's my hand. It has some serious wrinkles." And yet, it's been there the whole time.



Dark Night of the Soul. Self-awareness at some point moves into this phase of, what feels like, darkness. There may be more than one dark night. There may be weeks of it, or months of it. I thought there would be just one episode. My first lasted about one week. The next time it was three months. The next time it was four weeks. This is still the process of enlightenment even though it feels really gritty. It's definitely not fun. It truly makes you want to run back to the world of ignorance and illusion.



Why is the night so dark, you ask? Well, as you become aware of the world, become present, understand presence, and who you are in this moment, the things you become aware of start to release. The things that have been hiding from you finally understand, "Oh shit, she sees us and we can no longer hide." These things, or self-concepts, which present themselves as low self-esteem, shame, anger, resentment, bitterness, or likewise, finally realize they have to let go or else the spiritual and physical bodies cannot move forward. The soul wants to move forward. It's the natural state of the human spirit so something has got to give.



When you discharge these lower energies, they sometimes are felt all over again as it comes up to be released. For example, I have struggled with depression most of my life and over the years have been able to manage it, though it never really disappeared. When I became aware of the root causes of it, and I mean really saw it for what it was and why I felt that way, it started to release. In the process of releasing, I went through a whole day of suicidal thoughts.



Drive off the side of the road, wouldn't it be nice if you just didn't have to live anymore?



I wasn't actually suicidal in the present moment, nor would I act on it in this phase of my life, so there was nothing to be afraid of. However, these deep-rooted feelings and trapped emotions were coming back up in my awareness and setting themselves free to be transformed in the Universe. The awareness of it means I also feel it for the second time. If it is your first experience with this process, you will think you are really "in it" all over again and get worried, but I've had enough run-throughs of these dark nights (or days) to know the lower stuff was just being let go. As painful as it was, it was all for the better and I just hoped back then that it would release quick. Then suddenly, it was gone. And all was right in the world again. The dark night also is about the realization that you are losing the divine euphoria that came with the epiphanies, which leads me to my next experience.



Peaks and valleys. Peaks and valleys. This is the spiritual path. This is the evolution of the soul. For me this looked like, "Hey Mom, I have this great idea of what my life purpose is and how I'm going to launch this incredible thing that will change the world," and my poor mom gets so excited too and supports me. But then the very next week I'm like, "Oh mom sorry, I was just riding my ego on that. My ego wanted fame and recognition and darn, now I'm aware, now I don't know what path to take at all. Oh wait, there's nowhere to go but here. Just be present, sit in my heart center. Oh okay, I'm calm again." Sorry, not sorry, Mom. Cosmic humor of spirituality in practice.



When we are not attached to sticking to one phase (usually the peak) then we can move through it with more ease. This is sadhana, or ongoing spiritual practice. Eventually the peaks and valleys even out, or so "they" tell me. I'm still coming out of the last valley, so ask me in a few weeks how it feels.



Nowhere to go but here. I am a huge fan of Ram Dass' book, "Remember Be Here Now." I came to understand through reading this book that sadhana is a full time thing, it's about being where you are and practicing it in all moments. Practice living life without attachment to the meaning that we normally ascribe to our experiences.



A door hits my car, it's ok, I have no attachment to it because there is no meaning or significance to it. The person didn't hit my car cause they were mad or vindictive or discourteous, it's just an event. It's just a car. It has no energy until the moment I put energy on it.



The guy I like doesn't text me back for an hour. Oh no, he doesn't like me. Am I being too much? Did he change his mind? Did I say something that offended him? Is he gonna break it off soon? Whoa. It's just a text, calm down. The event has no meaning. He probably is just busy, and no matter what the reason, it probably has nothing to do with me. Let it go.




The practice of living in healthy detachment in the present moment is a part of sadhana. There's only now. There's nowhere to go to experience enlightenment except to practice right here right now. Everything you are living right now is a moment of sadhana, there's nothing else to do in life.



I gotta hurry, I have to make something of myself, I'm 36 and what do I have? What are people gonna think of me??? Did I achieve enough enlightenment???



Paranoia. Complete paranoia. Stop. Be here now. That is sadhana, again, spiritual practice in the here and now. The rate at which you wake up is the rate at which you wake up. There's no forcing the process. As Ram Dass says, "You can't rip the skin off the snake. The snake must moult the skin. That's the rate it happens."



I'm so spiritual. We see this so often it is hilarious and yet I myself get caught in this. It's as if spiritual is a destination, that you got "there" after tons of meditation and charitable practices and years of organic eating. That one level of spirituality is "better than" another. That's all bullshit that your mind plays on you. There is no "there" it's all about who you are right now, and what you are in practice of right here, right now. This whole, "I'm so spiritual" crap is just ego disguised as purity. The purity trap. Holier-than-thou trap. New age version of elitism. Cosmic hilarity.



Let it go, no path to enlightenment is better than another. In the end we are all still right here, right now, thinking we are getting somewhere only to realize we are still...right here, right now.



Meditate all day every day in a mountain in Asia. I wanted to do this. I wanted to remove myself from society. I wanted to live the life I felt most comfortable...the one where no one was around me to judge me or tell me I was weird or that I didn't fit in. I researched living in Tibet (no joke). I wanted to give up all materialism because it seemed to be confining me and preventing me from living a spiritual life. I couldn't have a conversation with a "mortal" because I couldn't communicate in plain English anymore. I convinced myself this was me seeking enlightenment. That is, until some 2x4 hit my ego and said, "No, that looks more like running away. Let's face it, Staton, you're running away from the fact that you're not not exhibiting mastery over your life, over your finances, over your relationships with those closest to you, and over yourself. And guess what, you just wanna be right about it all." I also realized that lots of people remove themselves from society only to be still seething with desire. Spirituality is an internal process and is done right where you are, no mountain needed.



Darn, this ego gets so tricky. Layers and layers of it. Peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys, keep working on it.



No peak, no valley? Am I stuck? I don't feel any movement, something must be wrong. What if I'm not moving? What if I've lost my connection? The worst thing is to not move. At least if I'm in a peak or valley I know I'm going somewhere.



Darn ego. I just got attached to "movement" itself.



It seems the more clear we become in our awareness, the deeper and more complicated and more serious the next layer of impurities lie. It's a paradox. Life is filled with them. We watch and become aware of the illusion that we live, only to uncover another layer of awareness and illusion. We sit and watch in meta-awareness, only to catch something at the level of meta-awareness. The observer caught the observer. Trickier and trickier, and yet in the confusion and meta-levels of thought, somewhere somehow, we get closer to truly just being.



That, my friends, is my truest of true experiences in seeking enlightenment. It's a process. It's the work we are all here to do, which is not necessarily to seek happiness as many of us are told, but to reconnect to our divine selves.



See you on the path to nowhere to gain nothing. Laugh through it, it gets you through the tough times.



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