Officials mull seismic tests near Calif nuke plant

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Plans to use an array of powerful air cannons in an undersea seismic study near a Central California nuclear power plant have federal and state officials juggling concerns over marine life with public safety.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. wants to use big air guns to emit strong sound waves into a large, near-shore area that includes parts of marine reserves to make three-dimensional maps of fault zones, some of which were discovered in 2008, near its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

But a state study, mandated by AB1632, signed into law in 2006, found the project is likely to have "unavoidable adverse effects" on marine life and the environment. Biologists, environmental groups and fishermen have opposed using the high-energy air guns, saying the blasts have potential to harm endangered whales, California sea otters and other creatures frequenting these waters.

"I am very concerned about impacts to marine mammals, especially some of the large whales including blue, fin, and humpback whales," said John Calambokidis, an Olympia, Wash.-based marine biologist who has studied Pacific Ocean whales for decades. "There are many uncertainties on the impact of this type of operation on whales, especially since we have not seen this type of large air gun survey off California for a long time."

The $64 million, ratepayer-funded effort to understand seismic threats to the plant has intensified since the disastrous 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami, which disabled reactors at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Quake experts were surprised by the 9.0-magnitude quake on a fault that scientists did not believe would produce a quake stronger than 8.0.

Although the Japan disaster demonstrated that predicting the strength of a quake on a given fault is an inexact science, PG&E wants to know if the newly discovered faults near San Luis Obispo are connected to existing ones that have already been studied. Seismologists typically use a fault's length to estimate the maximum possible earthquake it can produce.

"People need to understand, we're living in the world post-Fukushima, so we need to go back and review everything we think we know about the seismic threat situation around important structures like this power plant," said Bruce Gibson, a former seismologist who now serves as a San Luis Obispo County supervisor.

"Unfortunately, from an environmental impact standpoint, the only real way to get the images is to put high energy sound into the earth."

If the project gains approval from myriad agencies, scientists would tow up to 18 air guns behind a boat and blast loud sound into the water over a 530-square-nautical-mile area. Hundreds of sensors would be placed strategically on the seafloor, picking up the reverberations and allowing computers to create three-dimensional maps in technology similar to an ultrasound.

The air guns and sensors would be dragged through an area that includes two state marine protected areas ? Cambria and White Rock ? and is adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Dozens of endangered and threatened species use these waters.

A similar seismic survey is being planned near the state's other operating nuclear plant at San Onofre, in San Diego County to the south.

A State Lands Commission environmental impact study found on Aug. 20 there would be "unavoidable impacts" to marine life in the area during the San Luis Obispo testing.

But the commission also concluded the "benefit of the project outweighs the unavoidable adverse impacts," said Jennifer DeLeon, a senior environmental scientist at the commission.

While similar high energy seismic surveys have been done on the Pacific Coast ? most recently off Washington ? PG&E said monitors there did not observe harm to whales or other marine mammals.

The powerful cannons used in these projects can be fatal to animals that stray too close to them. Also, biologists said the loud noises could drive migrating whales and their calves apart, and that mortally wounded whales often sink in the ocean, so it is difficult to see how the tests affect the creatures.

Efforts to mitigate such impacts will reduce, but not eliminate, harm to animals, according to the company and earth scientists.

"The sound source for the PG&E imaging project is a type that has been used for several decades by scientists and industry," Donna Blackman, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, said in an email. "Known cases of possible impacts on marine mammals are very few. An integral part of using this type of system is to have continuous monitoring for whales within close range of the ship."

PG&E said it is spending $8 million on monitoring for the project, said Mark Krausse, a PG&E director.

"If the ship is coming within 1.1 mile of any mammal, not just a marine or listed, but any mammal, we have to shut down," Krausse told the California Fish and Game Commission on Monday.

PG&E wanted to start work Nov. 1 and continue through Dec. 31 ? a time window believed to have lower whale traffic off the Central Coast. But the company has asked for an extension of its hearing before the California Coastal Commission, and other agencies are not expected to approve testing permits by then.

Major environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council oppose the plan, saying adequate seismic research already has been done, and that too little is understood about potential long-term impacts of the air guns on the marine environment.

"The marine protected areas were created (so) marine wildlife could thrive without human interference," said Amanda Wallner of Sierra Club California. "We share concern over earthquake risk at Diablo Canyon. However, we don't believe this is the best way or the only way to determine seismic risks."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-mull-seismic-tests-near-calif-nuke-plant-150645033.html

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Spain debt rises on aid to banks, regions, finance cost

Sat Sep 29, 2012 4:24pm EDT

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's debt levels are set to rise next year, piling pressure on the government to apply for aid as it pours funds in to cash-strapped regions, an ailing banking system and rising refinancing costs, its budget showed on Saturday.

Spain's debt as a ratio of gross domestic product will reach 90.5 percent by end 2013, according to the document presented to parliament for approval, almost three times that registered before the property bubble burst in 2008.

The budget aims to make savings of around 13 billion euros ($16.7 billion) next year, largely by deepening already unpopular cuts in public sector wages, education, health and social services, fuelling anti-austerity protests.

"This is an austerity budget, but will serve to help us get over this long economic crisis and once again show that Spain is a trustworthy partner within Europe," Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro told journalists after delivering the budget.

Spain is at the center of the euro zone debt crisis as nervous investors demand ever higher premiums to hold Spanish debt on concerns the government cannot control its finances in the midst of a deepening recession.

Calls by wealthy northeastern region Catalonia for independence and the rising number of demonstrations on the streets of major cities have stoked doubts Spain can fix its problems without help.

Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in Madrid's Neptune plaza, between the Prado Museum and Parliament, for a third time this week to vent anger at politicians they accuse of pillaging the welfare state to bail out badly-run banks.

"This has to change. We have to show them we are not an anti-system minority but represent Spain's discontent and we are many. You only have to see the unemployment rate to see that," said state school teacher, Montse, 44, who was at the march with her unemployed husband and 11-year-old daughter.

Unemployment in Spain is more than double the European Union average, with half of all working-age under-26s unable to find jobs and shattered businesses laying off employees they cannot afford to pay.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has delayed any plea for aid, which would kick-start a European Central Bank plan to buy debt and ease financing costs, though this week has passed reforms and the budget plan in what many see is an effort to pre-empt the likely terms of a bailout.

Rajoy, who said he is considering the conditions behind any aid request, is widely expected to wait until after regional elections in Galicia and the Basque Country before taking any decision.

RISING BORROWING NEEDS

The budget details spending cuts of 3.1 percent in health, 14.4 percent in education and 6.3 percent in unemployment benefits, as the recession, which began in the first quarter, drags on.

Spain will also slash state funding to commerce, tourism and small, and medium-sized companies by 18.8 percent and infrastructure by 13.5 percent.

The government will increase its reliance on international markets for funding next year, with gross debt issuance requirements of 207.2 billion euros, after budgeting in 2012 for gross issuance of 186.1 billion euros.

The cost of financing its debt, as benchmark 10-year bond yields rise to near unsustainable levels of above 6 percent, is expected to increase to 38.6 billion euros, or 3.6 percent of GDP, in 2013, the budget showed.

The Treasury must pay debt redemptions of 159.2 billion euros in 2013, up slightly from 153.2 billion euros in 2012.

The increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio was due the economic crisis and the effect of state instruments on public accounts, the Treasury said in the document.

The instruments include the power deficit bond programme, FADE, the service provider fund for regional governments, Spain's part in aid granted to Ireland, Greece and Portugal and the recapitalization loan for the country's banks, it said.

Brussels on Thursday said the budget was a large step in the right direction. But many economists expressed doubt Spain's conservatives would be able to raise the cash the budget demanded as pension and debt-servicing costs rise.

"My general view is that this is an optimistic budget, in the sense that predictions for the contraction in 2013 are very optimistic," said Xavier Vives, economist at business school IESE, adding he expected the plans to be revised as with every other budget over the last four years.

The budget is based on the assumption GDP will shrink by 0.5 percent in 2013 year-on-year, though most economists expect a deeper slump.

DEFICIT JUMP

Spain will meet its 2012 public deficit target as dictated by European guidelines, Montoro said, but the shortfall will jump by more than one percentage point if aid to its struggling banks were taken in to account.

The Spanish deficit this year would be 6.3 percent of GDP, not including these payments to its banks, he said, but would rise to 9.4 percent of GDP last year and 7.4 percent of GDP this year if the aid was considered.

"Everything within the deficit derived from financial operations aren't included ... they're considered one-offs," Montoro said.

Spain has asked for up to 100 billion euros for its crisis-hit banks, though the debate among Spain's European partners rages over whether that money would go directly to its lenders or first via public coffers.

On Friday, an independent report showed Spanish banks will need up to 59.3 billion euros in extra capital to ride out the economic downturn.

The budget details on Saturday showed Spain's debt ratio included 30 billion euros of the planned 100-billion-euro aid request for the country's banks.

($1 = 0.7773 euros)

(Additional reporting Carlos Ruano, Nigel Davies and Paul Day; Writing by Paul Day; Editing by James Jukwey and Sophie Hares)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reuters/businessNews/~3/RtEaNUYHnf4/us-spain-budget-idUSBRE88S09P20120929

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Apple Changes Maps Description, No Longer Superlative

iOS 6 Maps was ?the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever?, that is when you only looked at it on paper; once you started to actually use the offering it quickly became obvious that the service didn?t deliver, by far in some regions, the experience advertised (and expected). Tim Cook officially apologized?for falling short on ?delivering the best experience possible? to customers with iOS 6 Maps; Apple went as far as to recommend competing solutions until its own offering became better (competitive).

After the acknowledgement the description of Maps has also been changed on Apple?s website. A before and after screenshot is available above where you can see that the company not only tweaked the description but has also removed a very important bit: ?the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever?. Maps can or can not become that sometime in the future but at the moment it is definitely not; leaving such a tagline there would have not only been untrue but would have most definitely been misleading.

Source: Apple

Via: 9to5mac

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pocketnow/~3/sU34pzJun5c/

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The return of the political centre | Progress | News and debate from ...

Ren? Cuperus on the dramatic comeback of the Dutch Labour party in last month?s general election

The story of the Dutch general election last month is a tale in two dramatic chapters. The first, of polls predicting a historic collapse of the political centre, and the second of the campaign itself, in which one pillar of the political centre ? the Dutch Labour party, the PvdA ? overcame an existential threat of defeat.

The PvdA risked being overtaken by its main competitor, the deradicalised Socialist party. That would have been a disaster for the PvdA, standard-bearer of Dutch social democracy for more than 100 years. August polls pointed to a neck-and-neck contest between the anti-neoliberal, Eurosceptic Socialists and the conservative-liberal party of incumbent premier Mark Rutte, the VVD.

But in the event the dynamics of daily polling, television debates and social media pressure produced a two-horse race never seen before in Dutch politics. This was in part due to ?comeback kid? PvdA leader Diederik Samsom who surprised everyone with his strong performances in the debates by telling ?the honest, complex, hard story? about the dilemmas the Netherlands is facing, from the euro crisis, to demographic shifts and the cost-of-care explosion.

Emile Roemer, his Socialist counterpart, performed badly and failed the test. In the last week of the campaign this drove strategic voting to the max and ate away at smaller parties? vote share. The campaign again revealed the extreme volatility of the Dutch voter: up to two days before the election some 40 per cent of the electorate was reported not to know who to vote for. On polling day, the Socialists retained their 15 seats; the leftwing party GroenLinks lost seven of its 10 seats; the far-right Freedom party dropped nine to 15. The VVD ended up with 41 seats and Labour with 38.

This election was not so much a referendum on Europe, but focused on the type of European crisis management and policy choices needed to reduce the deficit and get the economy back on track, as well as the future of the welfare state. Within the limits of this broad technocratic financial consensus, the choice that emerged was either to stay on the conservative-liberal track or to switch to the social democratic one. But by backing the main two centrist parties, the Dutch opted for both alike and signalled the pragmatic embrace of a more pro-European position.

The Netherlands has become a laboratory of electoral volatility, political fragmentation and the rise of populism. Under the pressures of globalisation, detraditionalisation and post-industrialism, the postwar stability of the Christian democratic and social democratic pillars of the political system eroded. New political entrepreneurs, exploiting the tensions and fears of a changing society, jumped into the political vacuum. Pim Fortuyn and Geert Wilders became household names even beyond our borders in the debate about the vulnerability of European politics.

Some now speak of the end of the populist era which was heralded by Fortuyn?s rise, and which was blamed by some on the third way-esque purple coalition of Wim Kok which blurred the left-right divide. Now that era may end with a new purple coalition as the PvdA and the VVD looks set to go into government together. Time will tell if it presages a wider return of the European voter to traditional parties.

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Ren? Cuperus is senior research fellow at the Wiardi Beckman Foundation. This article first apeared on www.policy-network.net

Geert Wilders, PvdA, the Netherlands

Source: http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2012/09/28/the-return-of-the-political-centre/

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BMI and shuttle run among techniques IOM Report ... - Health.am

? Obesity ? Sep 27, 2012

Techniques ranging from running to push-ups to sit-and-reach tests have been used to measure various aspects of fitness in children and adults. However, evidence is sparse on how well some of these techniques correspond to desired health outcomes in children, fueling debate about the best fitness measures for youth.

Fitness testing has traditionally focused on four aspects: heart and lung function, body composition, muscular and skeletal fitness, and flexibility. A committee convened by the Institute of Medicine undertook a comprehensive review of the science and found that it supports the use of specific ways to measure three of these components - cardiorespiratory endurance, body composition, and musculoskeletal fitness - in young people. These measurements should be used in national youth fitness surveys and school-based fitness tests, says the committee?s report.

Recent events underscore the importance of evaluating the evidence base for different elements of fitness testing. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the 2012 NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, the first nationwide survey of fitness in young people since the mid-1980s. And earlier this month, the President?s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition announced it is adopting FITNESSGRAM, a battery of tests provided by the nonprofit Cooper Institute, as the assessment for the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. This is the program under which much school-based fitness testing is conducted.

?This report?s recommendations offer helpful guidance to those designing fitness batteries targeted at children and adolescents,? said committee chair Russell R. Pate, professor of exercise science, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia. ?Collecting more data through surveys and in schools will advance our understanding about how fitness in early years translates into better health throughout a lifetime.?

Studies have found cardiorespiratory endurance to be associated with risk factors for developing heart disease later in life. The progressive shuttle run - an exercise in which participants sprint back and forth between two points - is a good measure of cardiorespiratory endurance, the committee concluded. If space is limited and resources permit, cycle ergometer and treadmill tests are valid and reliable alternatives for the shuttle run in national surveys.

Body mass index (BMI), a calculation of body weight in relation to height, is related to young people?s risk for obesity-related conditions such as diabetes. BMI measurements can easily be done in both national surveys and schools to measure body composition, the committee said. Those conducting national surveys should also measure each participant?s waist circumference and skinfold thickness.

Emerging evidence from studies involving children and adolescents suggests that musculoskeletal fitness is related to bone health and body composition. Handgrip strength and the standing long jump should be used to measure musculoskeletal fitness by both national fitness surveys and schools, the report says. The committee found insufficient evidence linking flexibility to health outcomes in young people and therefore did not recommend techniques to measure flexibility.

Other techniques besides those recommended by the committee are commonly used in schools to measure fitness in youth. Schools use fitness tests to teach children and their families about the importance of physical fitness and to guide individuals on ways to maintain fitness and health. Tests such as a 1-mile run, modified pull-ups or push-ups, and sit-and-reach tests can have educational value and therefore could be used as supplementary measurements of fitness in schools, the committee said. All methods that are used should be safe, reliable, and feasible to conduct in school settings. The committee emphasized that school staff members need to take into consideration confidentiality, self-esteem, and other sensitivities surrounding physical fitness testing when they share test results with students and their families.

###

The report was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public. The Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Research Council together make up the independent, nonprofit National Academies.

Contacts:
Christine Stencel, Senior Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant Office of News and Public Information 202-334-2138; e-mail

###

Christine Stencel
202-334-2138
National Academy of Sciences

Provided by ArmMed Media

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Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

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Source: http://www.health.am/ab/more/bmi-and-shuttle-run-among-techniques/

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News Release | National Restaurant Association

Stronger Sales, Traffic Bolster Restaurant Performance Index in August

Same-store sales rose for the 15th consecutive month; Restaurant operators are somewhat more optimistic about the economy

September 28, 2012
Contact: Annika Stensson (202) 973-3677, Rachel Salabes (202) 331-5997

(Washington, DC) Buoyed by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association?s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a modest gain in August. The RPI ? a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry ? stood at 100.6 in August, up 0.4 percent from July and the first increase in five months. August represented the tenth consecutive month that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies continued expansion in the index of key industry indicators.

?Growth in the RPI was driven largely by improving same-store sales and customer traffic results in August,? said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. ?Six out of 10 restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales in August, while customer traffic readings bounced back from July?s net decline.?

?In contrast, the Expectations Index remained dampened compared to recent stronger levels, with restaurant operators retaining a cautious outlook for sales growth and the economy in the months ahead,? Riehle added.

Watch a video of Riehle providing commentary on the August RPI.

The Restaurant Performance Index is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators. The Index consists of two components ? the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.

The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 100.6 in August ? up 0.8 percent from July?s level of 99.8. After dipping below 100 in July for the first time in nine months, the August reading represents a return to expansion in the index of current situation indicators.

Restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales for the 15th consecutive month, with August results representing a solid improvement over the July performance. Sixty-one percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between August 2011 and August 2012, up from 53 percent who reported positive sales in July. In comparison, 25 percent of operators reported lower same-store sales in August, down from 36 percent in July.

Restaurant operators also reported a net increase in customer traffic levels in August. Forty-seven percent of restaurant operators reported higher customer traffic levels between August 2011 and August 2012, up from 35 percent who reported positive traffic in July. In contrast, only 32 percent of operators reported lower customer traffic levels in August, down sharply from 46 percent in July.

Despite the uptick in sales and customer traffic, restaurant operators reported somewhat lower levels of capital spending. Forty-one percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling during the last three months, down from 46 percent who reported similarly last month.

The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators? six-month outlook for four industry indicators (same-store sales, employees, capital expenditures and business conditions), stood at 100.7 in August ? unchanged from July?s level. Although August marked the 12th consecutive month that the Expectations Index stood above 100, it remained nearly two index-points below the post-recession peak reached in March.

Restaurant operators remain generally optimistic that their sales levels will improve in the months ahead, as their sales outlook was essentially unchanged from last month. Forty percent of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year), compared to 42 percent who reported similarly last month. Meanwhile, only 12 percent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, down slightly from 15 percent last month.

Restaurant operators are not as bullish about the direction of the overall economy, though their outlook improved somewhat from last month. Twenty-nine percent of restaurant operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months, up from 22 percent who reported similarly last month. Meanwhile, 20 percent of operators said they expect economic conditions to worsen in the next six months, while 51 percent think conditions will stay about the same.

Restaurant operators? outlook for capital spending dipped somewhat from recent months. Forty-four percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, down from 49 percent who reported similarly last month.

The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association?s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restaurant operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. The full report and a video summary are available online.

The RPI is released on the last business day of each month, and more detailed data and analysis can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper, the Association?s subscription-based web site that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends.

###

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 970,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry's largest trade show (NRA Show May 18-21, 2013, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 19-21, 2013, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids' menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

Source: http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?ID=2322

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Google data center in Oklahoma to get 48MW of wind power, boost renewable energy in the Sooner state

Google has made a point of relying on renewable resources for its data centers whenever possible, even down to the cooling. It hasn't had quite as unique an arrangement as what it's planning for its data center in Oklahoma, though. The search firm wants to supply its Mayes County location with 48MW of wind energy from Apex's Canadian Hills Wind Project, but it isn't buying power directly from the source. Instead, it's making a deal with the Grand River Dam Authority, a utility, to purchase the clean power on top of what's already supplied from the GRDA at present. The deal should keep the data center on the environmentally friendly side while giving it room to grow. Wind power will come online at Google's facility once the Canadian Hills effort is up and running later in 2012; hopefully, that gives us enough time to better understand why there's a Canadian River and Canadian Hills to be found in the southern United States.

Filed under: Internet

Google data center in Oklahoma to get 48MW of wind power, boost renewable energy in the Sooner state originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google Official Blog  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/google-data-center-in-oklahoma-to-get-48mw-of-wind-power/

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Patent Box: Tax boost for innovative companies - Financial news ...

From April next year innovative manufacturing firms can get a tax break on profits which come from patented products and processes.

?

To help businesses understand how they can benefit from the new rules chartered accountants Duncan & Toplis have teamed up with Lincoln-based LOVEN Patents and Trademarks to stage a? free seminar on Thursday 18th October at Lincoln College.

From 1st April 2013 the Government will introduce a preferential regime for profits arising from patents, known as a Patent Box. This will allow companies to apply a 10% corporation tax rate to profits attributed to patents.

The Patent Box aims to encourage companies to innovate and invest in the development of new patented products and processes. It will also enhance the competitiveness of the UK tax system for high-tech companies that obtain profits from patents.

The Patent Box seminar will give those attending an understanding of what can be patented and how, together with details of the Patent Box regime and which profits will qualify for lower tax rates.

Mark Taylor, a Partner at Duncan & Toplis, said: ?The introduction of the Patent Box is imminent and will be highly beneficial for many innovative companies in Lincolnshire.

?We want to help those companies gain awareness of the tax benefits of the regime and start planning for its introduction now.?

Keith Loven, Managing Director of LOVEN Patents and Trademarks, added: ?The aim of the Patent Box is to encourage innovation in British manufacturing ? to get businesses to think about creating new products or improving existing products.

?Patents are a commercial tool and this new scheme gives businesses a much more tangible reason for getting a patent because it allows them to make savings on their annual tax bill.?

At the seminar Mark Taylor will explain the scope and impact of the new tax rules while Keith Loven will talk about patents and how they can benefit manufacturers.

The hour-long seminar will begin at 5pm on Thursday 18thOctober at the Conference Suite in Deans Sport and Leisure at Lincoln College on Monks Road, Lincoln.
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Source: http://www.dofonline.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6536&Itemid=117

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QE3 may spark a Currency War as Traders anticipate more CB ...

In an article featured by the Financial Times dated September 26, 2012, writer Alice Ross raised the possibility that the Fed?s new round of quantitative easing dubbed as QE3 may spark a currency war. Other countries, particularly Japan and Brazil have openly criticized the QE3 claiming that it is an intentional ploy by the Fed to keep the U.S. Dollar low against other currencies. A low dollar has the net effect of cutting down the export earnings of countries selling goods to the U.S. as well as making imports by U.S. traders from these countries more expensive. While a low dollar may be good to the U.S. economy, it can wreak havoc to the economies of its trading partners.

The Fed?s intention behind the QE3 is to inject more capital to the banking system by buying their long term debt instruments like mortgages. Fed is projecting that with more capital on hand, banks will start lending money to businesses which in turn will give the economy the big push it needs. Unfortunately, QE3 has a negative effect of weakening the dollar which actually started sliding down against other currencies even before the third round of quantitative easing was put in place two weeks ago.

Already, the BOJ increased its own bond buying program to bring down the value of the Japanese Yen against the U.S. currency in response to the QE3. Traders are speculating that a large scale BOJ intervention may be in the works according to the same Financial Times article, especially after its bond buying efforts failed to weaken the yen. Other countries which have expressly intervened to depend their respective currencies in the past are also likely to follow as they start to realize the crippling effect of a weak dollar to their own economy. This may ultimately lead to an unprecedented currency war according to some analysts.

The possibility of central bank intervention in the currency market is what the majority of traders fear most. Learning lessons from the past when Central Banks intervened in the open to defend their currencies, these traders have in fact started to draw away from currencies whose central banks are more likely to step in and intervene. They are setting their sights on currencies whose central banks are not known to intervene in the currency market like Mexico.

?

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Meanwhile, in the European front, Spain?s cost of borrowing has risen sharply, fueling speculations that Spain may finally avail of the ECB rescue plan. However, the stringent belt tightening measures being required from them by the ECB have already fired up separatist sentiments within the country, especially in the Catalonia region and among Basque separatists. The situation has placed the Spanish financial authorities in a queer ?damned if you do, damned if you don?t? kind of a ticklish situation.

The U.S. dollar, on the other hand, has remained resilient amid all these conflicting developments. Apparently comfortable at the current levels of the U.S. currency, the Fed is concentrating more in reigniting the local economy and less concerned with the likelihood of a currency war which the QE3 detractors have prophesied.

Source: http://blog.fxcc.com/qe3-may-spark-a-currency-war-as-traders-anticipate-more-cb-intervention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=qe3-may-spark-a-currency-war-as-traders-anticipate-more-cb-intervention

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Ask Freud : Dating Woes | Gaysi

Hey doc!!

Hope you enjoying the lovely Summer

Ok. here?s the thing?

The other day I was reflecting at my dating history and found no pattern in my choice of partners. Yeah, except that they were all wrong choices, there are no similar traits between them. They were all different girls with different looks, cultures, background, temperament, interests. These girls have been as random as possible with respect to each other. Could randomness be a pattern?

I see many lesbians around me wanting a long term stable relationship, and yet everyone around me is breaking up!!! Are most of us only attracted to Ms Wrong? ?Miss P

Hi there,

That is an interesting question. When you said if randomness could be a pattern I thought that sounded like an antithesis? I think, however anything could be a pattern and even not being one is some sort of a pattern.

I guess you connect with people because of their personality and not only what they look like, what interests them or where they come from. That is a very open way of approaching people. Normally we judge individuals or have at least an opinion about them within the first 3 to 5 seconds but it seems that you give people a chance before making up your mind. That is a very positive quality you have and I wish more people were like you. Especially in the gay/lesbian world it seems that everything is about how you look, dress and behave. We are constantly on show and we want/need to look our best at all times to give off a good impression as we know that this world is very judgemental.

However, more deeply it sounds like you feel defeated after a few failed relationships. Perhaps you are looking at yourself closely, examining yourself to see what has gone wrong and what can be changed to prevent going down the same route. Not only are you looking at yourself but also looking around you and your community where you don?t seem to see many positive outcomes either.

Why people are breaking up around you is a good question. They might be going through change as well; they are becoming different people who don?t want to be together any longer. I guess you see this particularly within lesbian relationships around you but perhaps this is the circle you socialise in and therefore it would stand out to you more. There are lots of other couples breaking up as well of course but I guess this is not so much in your awareness. The world is changing and some couples don?t want to/can?t put the effort in a relationship anymore, they want to just leave and change partners. Maybe you and me have old fashioned beliefs and are looking for one partner to marry for life. I am not saying that having a different view is wrong, each to their own I say. But don?t let that doubt you in your own beliefs, thoughts and feelings.

Friends of mine had been together for 3 years and everybody thought that they would have a civil partnership very soon. They live together, have a cat and they are supported by both sides of the families. Nothing was particularly wrong when they decided to split up, they just grew apart as lovers and were more best friends than anything. They are still close friends and still living together but now just in separate bedrooms.

Sometimes things are the way they are and don?t need or can?t be explained. Sometimes individuals can get too hooked on finding somebody or trying to rationalise things and it is not till they relax or stop looking that it will actually happen. You seem to be driven to try hard and explain yourself and the actions you have taken. This all seems well planned and orchestrated. Think about the need for being in control and where that resonates from, perhaps you can see a pattern there that might help you ?relax? or not having the need to scrutinise yourself this hard. I might be way off here but if I?m right it?s worth exploring and can hopefully give you an insight.

Don?t be too hard on yourself, give yourself a break. Think back positively about the relationships you have had, what you have learnt from them and how this has made you the person you are today. They might not have been the right choice (in hindsight), as you put it, but I?m sure that they felt right at the time. The fact that you are reflecting now focusses you on what you are looking for and what feels right.

Pink Freud.

You can e-mail your questions to?p.freud@ymail.com?( or via Gaysi Contact Form) and he will respond to you via the Gaysi Family website.

Tags: AskFreud, confused, Featured, Relationships

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Source: http://gaysifamily.com/2012/09/27/ask-freud-dating-woes/

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Video: CA Governor Brown Signs SB1298 ... - Business PR News

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Eugene Genovese, RIP (Powerlineblog)

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JP Morgan Invests ?Significant Double Digit Millions? In Another Rocket Internet Fashion Site, Asia?s Zalora

Less than a month after sinking reportedly $40-80 million into Lamoda, Rocket Internet's "Russian Zappos", JP Morgan is investing once again in the Samwer brothers and their vision for a global e-commerce operation: the latest is Zalora, Rocket Internet's fashion site based in Singapore and operating across seven countries in South East Asia. The investment comes just eight months after the site has launched. As is usual with investments in Rocket Internet companies, the company is not officially disclosing the terms of the deal but someone close to the company tells me the value is in the "significant double digit millions" of dollars, on a company that is apparently making double-digit millions of dollars in annualized revenue.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VXyIMSPXHuQ/

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Facebook starts tracking users' offline buys

13 hrs.

Ben Weitzenkorn , SecurityNewsDaily

In?Facebook's latest attempt to prove the efficacy of advertiser dollars, the 950 million-member site will begin tracking what its American users buy in offline stores even as it phases out its controversial facial-recognition feature in Europe.

Although they are separate pieces of technology, the two programs raise concerns about privacy and about just how much of themselves, their tastes and their behavior social?network users are willing to put into the hands of engineers and marketing executives.

Criticism from data-protection regulators in Ireland and users all across Europe prompted an order from the European Union that Facebook drop its recently acquired facial-recognition technology in all EU member states. Facebook Europe is an Irish company.

Facebook's facial-recognition feature uses data from photos in which individuals have already been tagged to make suggestions for tagging similar-looking individuals in new ones. In a sense, Facebook "knows" what you look like and can identify you and your friends with remarkable accuracy.?

The EU said the social network needs to ratchet up its privacy-protection efforts before the "Tag Suggest" feature will be allowed back on the pages of European residents.

The campaign for Tag Suggest's ouster in Europe began when Max Schrems, an Austrian student, received a 1,200-page document about himself from Facebook after he had requested a copy of all the data the company kept on him.

[11 Facebook Privacy Steps to Take Now]

In the document, Schrems found he had been automatically tagged by the facial-recognition software without his assent. The document has also been pointed to as evidence that photos and comments aren't actually deleted from Facebook, even when users think they are.

Photos and activities stay on Facebook's servers for at least 30 days after they've been "deleted" by users, if they're ever totally purged at all.

Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), which was charged with reviewing Facebook's privacy policies by the EU, suggested a total of 45 changes and has asked the company to get rid of facial profiles created by the facial-recognition software by the middle of October.

The social network acquired the face-recognition technology in June when it bought Face.com, an Israeli company that had already worked with the Menlo Park., Calif., site for two years.

Facebook constantly walks the tightrope between satisfying its users and its customers, whose desires and goals are often opposed. Users want privacy and a clean interface, while advertisers seek prime placement, personal information and behavioral data to better target their marketing campaigns.

Facebook users have accused the social behemoth of behaving in a cavalier fashion when it comes to protecting user data. The site has also come under fire for offering controversial marketing tools to advertisers, such as "sponsored" newsfeed items that places a person's name and face next to an advertiser that that person "likes" without his or her knowledge or permission.

Data hungry
Months after an initial public offering that CEO Mark Zuckerberg said has "obviously been disappointing," Facebook is trying another tactic as it continues to make the case that ads on its widely used platform, as well as the ads it sells on other sites, are a worthwhile investment.

The company is partnering with the marketing-research company Datalogix in an attempt to prove a direct correlation between the ads a user sees and the products they buy.

Datalogix buys information gleaned from gift cards and loyalty programs that paint a picture of consumption for some 70 million American households shopping at over 1,000 retailers. According to the Financial Times, which broke the story of the Facebook partnership, Datalogix also "creates incredibly detailed profiles of nearly every US household," including the sort of financial information most people wouldn't tell their neighbors.

By comparing this data about individual shoppers with Facebook's information about the same people, Datalogix can determine whether or not a user purchased a particular product in a brick-and-mortar store after seeing an ad for it on Facebook.

According to Facebook, the program is working. The company said that out of the 45 ad campaigns that have been analyzed using Datalogix, 70 percent made $3 in sales for every dollar they spent on Facebook's marketing products.

While that's strong proof that Facebook ads are effective, not everyone is pleased about all the data matching.

The correlated data Facebook receives from Datalogix, and then hands off to advertisers, is anonymized. User data is reported statistically, not individually.

In reports to Facebook and its advertisers, Datalogix splits users who bought a particular product into groups of those who did and didn't see an ad. They do not provide Facebook with consumer information about particular individuals or households.

But at some point in the information-sharing chain, the data is not anonymous at all. In order for Datalogix's service to work, it and Facebook must match real information each holds about real individuals, such as their email addresses, to properly cross-reference their data sets.

Between Facebook and Datalogix, the companies know who you are, where you live, what you're worth, how much you owe and what you drive. If you've got a Facebook app on your smartphone, they could also find out where you are at any given moment.

The Financial Times said privacy advocates are concerned about whether the new practice violates a $9.5 million settlement between Facebook and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission after Facebook was caught deceiving users about privacy practices.

It's not clear when the partnership between Datalogix and Facebook began, but the move was not announced to users, nor were users given a chance to opt out of the program.

In order to be excluded from this data-culling practice, users have to visit the Datalogix site, where they are offered a link that presumably clears their Datalogix browser cookies in a single click. The link leads to a page that tells you that you have "successfully opted out of Datalogix cookie-enabled online advertising."

However, the first result in a Google search for "Datalogix opt out" brings the user to the same completion page. There is no prompt to enter an email address or any other personal information.

Facebook has a history of rolling out new metrics or features that change user privacy without notifying users or giving them the option of opting out.

According to Facebook, an independent monitor is auditing its data-use practices.

Copyright 2012 SecurityNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/facebook-stops-recognizing-europeans-starts-tracking-americans-offline-purchases-1B6075586

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Christians and pseudo-Christians - Conservative News and Views

Open your hearts and minds to what you will read herein. Most Americans are unaware that no less than 20-million Christians fail to vote. I ask every professing God-fearing Evangelical to stand firm for God principles and to start exercising your civil rights of citizenship ? and make a copy of this article to give to your church leaders too. It?s time you register to vote and make your voice heard!

Saying you?re a Christian does not make you a Christian, especially if you will passively sit by and allow altars to be erected in high places. Have you been so brainwashed that you believe what the secular-humanists and progressive Marxists have been dictating; and do you really believe this is acceptable in God?s eyes? Thomas Jefferson warned us:

Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?

Socialism, and especially Marxism, is and always has been contrary to God?s Word. That makes it incompatible with Christianity. These so-called pastors are nothing but wolves in sheep?s clothing. They tell you that you are not of this world; therefore, you should not participate in worldly politics.

You live in this world, And what kind of world you live in depends upon you. These reprobate pastors have sold their souls not to make waves. They tickle your ears with false hopes in what can only be described as Sunday love fests. Yet, these shepherds readily allow Caesar to trump God?s word without even a whimper. Sort of reminds you of the Pharisees in the Old Testament.

The Declaration of Independence says: ??the Laws of Nature and of Nature?s God?. Each day our religious freedoms are being taken from us; yet we ignore the wisdom of our founding father, John Hancock, who reminded us:

Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual?Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.

The Bible tells us, of what happened to Israel when they allowed ?altars? to be erected in high places, God cursed the land, do any of you who refuse to participate in government truly believe the United States has some kind of special dispensation? Or it?s acceptable for God to be removed from our schools and all public places.

Ezekiel 33:6 states:

If, however, the lookout (Pastors) sees the enemy coming and does not sound the alarm, the enemy will come and kill those sinners, but I will hold the lookout responsible for their death.

It?s time every Pastor starts to discuss politics from the pulpit. Our 1^st Amendment right talks about our right to worship without government interference. The words ?separation of Church and State? do not appear in our 1^st Amendment or in any of our foundational documents. God forbid we adhere to five unelected hoodlums in black-robes who have elevated themselves above God?s law and the Constitution of these United States! Activist judges ruled we must have separation of church and State and created law where none existed. They completely perverted the meaning of the 1^st Amendment to protect the State from the Church, when the 1^st Amendment protects the Church from the State. It is time the church heeds the words of President Andrew Jackson and tells the judges to try and enforce that ruling. There comes a time for civil disobedience if said law violates God?s laws. We have seen the results of being passive: pray at sports events; stand and pray before all meetings; let them know we are here and we are not going anywhere.

Marriage

Sodomy became a virtue when our courts redefined marriage. It?s considered intolerant or homophobic if you refuse to accept marriage between sodomites. Even some misguided Christian dominations have openly allowed gay couples to preach God?s word ? altering direct biblical precepts. Cicero tells us:

The first bond of society is marriage.

Abortion

Abortion is a woman?s right, so 5-unelected hoodlums in Black-robes have allowed over 5000 babies to be killed every day! Can any Christian let this go on? Have they forgotten that our Declaration of Independence clearly states that governments are instituted among men to protect our God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

I could go on, but I believe you are getting the picture.

A ?High Place? (Hebrew: Bama, pl. Bamot) at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Photo: CNAV.

I remind you that the Supreme Court of these United States in 1892, held:

This is a Christian Nation.

And it says of the separation of church and state in the Revolution that it

was neither conceived of nor carried out?. Far from being left to itself, religion was embedded into every aspect and institution of American life.

The simplistic progressive has perverted the standard of right and wrong. Their rallying cry is to scream that religion is the enemy of freedom, reasoning that obedience to the law of God hinders their ill conceived belief that any reliance upon religious authority inhabits their natural freedoms. Adam and Eve believed something similar in the Garden of Eden. They were wrong then and the progressives are wrong now.

Any reasonable person would ask: why the deep vicious hatred towards God? It is simple, they want to be their own gods and decide what is right and wrong according to their own reasoning. They claim it?s about their freedom. But ? they are already free. No! The freedom they aspire too is freedom from all restriction, which has always resulted in anarchy. Just ask the ancient Greeks ? with all their intellectual prowess, their Golden Age only lasted 50 years. And, of course natural reason and religion deify the state. Dostoyevsky?s character Ivan said in The Brothers Karamazov:

?if there is no God, then everything is permitted.

America has been blinded by the Marxist?s enlightenment, which is nothing more than an intellectual ploy to gain power over the gullible. It?s time for every Christian to stand up and say:

As for me and my family we will serve the Lord!

Ronald Reagan left us with a profound warning:

If we ever forget that we?re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

Register to vote, get your friends and family out there, say ?no more? to the State.

Lastly, I encourage every reader to pray, and to read II Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.

The Eagle

Source: http://www.conservativenewsandviews.com/2012/09/23/clergy/christians-and-pseudo-christians/

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You were born prosperous and rich! - Self Help & Spiritiuality

September 24th, 2012

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Tags: abundance, energy, freedom, love, manifestation, money magnetism, power, prosperity, rich, wealth

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Toyota's new robot is handy household helper

7 hrs.

John Roach

An in-home robot for the masses that can fetch objects from the floor and high shelves and?connect you with family and friends via a tablet computer, is being shown off this week at a trade?show in Japan.

The lightweight, cylindrical Human Support Robot (HSR) responds to voice commands as well as a graphic interface on a tablet computer. Its key feature is a folding arm with a two-finger gripper that can pick up stuff from the ground, open curtains, reach high shelves, and other tasks, according to Toyota.?

The arm is about?2.5-feet long and can lift objects weighing up to 2.7 pounds and 5.1 inches wide, which is sufficient to pick up a dropped remote control or fetch an ice cold beer from the fridge.

The 70 pound machine was designed to assist independent home living for people with limited arm or leg mobility. Top speed is only 1.8 miles per hour and the arm moves with insufficient force to cause much trouble, making it safe for indoor, at home use, according to Toyota.?

The robot "can also wear a tablet computer atop its head, which would allow caregivers and family members to communicate with the robot's owner over Skype or other services,"?Gizmag noted?in a story about the robot.

While a price isn?t set for the HSR, it could sell well among Japan?s aging population where insurance will pick up 70 percent of associated costs thanks to a recently passed law to encourage robot technology for elder care.

HSR is just one of many robots?under development that are being designed to work with humans in all kinds of situations from the factory floor to the surface of?Mars.

? via?The?Verge, Gizmag

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/toyotas-new-robot-handy-household-helper-1B6043717

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Dr. Jingduan Yang: Acupuncture for Beauty: Facelift and Health Lift

Cindy is a patient who likes to send us notes before she comes to see us. On days that she does not have an appointment, we can usually expect to find on our desk a sweet, quirky, handwritten fax from her. These notes are usually updates on the ups and downs of her struggles with her stomach and her anxieties. But recently we received a note that surprised us -- instead of describing some of her usual concerns, it told of delightful news. She told us that her 95-year-old mother-in-law, who is a "member in good standing of the plastic surgery club," came on a rare visit to see her and was suspiciously surprised at how great Cindy looked. Her mother-in-law had had three facelifts, and thought that Cindy had gotten one too.

But Cindy hadn't had any surgery. She had been getting acupuncture treatments for her health concerns. She had come to the Tao Institute for her muscle spasms and abdominal tightness stemming from anxiety and fear. She was seeking acupuncture and help from Traditional Chinese Medicine and other mind-body techniques I used. Improving the way she felt was a higher priority to her than changing the way she looked.

The next week she ran into a friend who she sees only once a year. The friend kept asking what she did to her face, also suspecting that it was a facelift. Until she received these comments, first from her mother-in-law, and then from her friend, Cindy didn't really appreciate how her face had changed through her acupuncture and mind-body treatments.

Because of our reputation for doing cosmetic acupuncture, as part of our practice we also apply needles to targeted points on the face even if beauty is not the patient's primary concern. As a result, patients often see a subtle but noticeable change in the texture and quality of their skin over time -- or, as is often the case, the people around them notice first. We call this the facelift that comes with a health lift.

Fashion designer Norma Kamali, like Cindy, came to us with a personal concern. But instead of needing to address a particular health problem, she chiefly wanted to have a beauty boost. She also had a desire to learn about wellness. Since Sept. 11, she has been promoting natural wellbeing, which she feels is desperately needed in our society. She started a wellness cafe in her store and made healthy eating a big part of her mission. When we first saw her, she was on a quest for more answers about natural healing, and was investigating how Chinese medicine can improve beauty and health.

Her search lead her to our South Jersey office two hours away every Thursday afternoon. There, she received facial acupuncture, and after every treatment, she saw and felt a difference in her face and body. After she returned to her office after the first session of acupuncture, her colleagues commented with surprise on how well she looked. She received compliments from people who don't even know what she had been doing with her face.

As Norma saw more evidence of facial acupuncture's effects, she began asking me how acupuncture could cause such visible change. Her initial questions led to more questions, and her glowing complexion became a billboard for facial acupuncture, driving more and more women to us for the treatment.

The more people became interested, the more I found myself explaining Traditional Chinese Medicine, the face-body connection, and how acupuncture works. Facial acupuncture requires special skills and knowledge, which have been largely lost over the years with the increasing use of Western medicine in the East and the suppression of traditional teachings under communist rule. I have made it a point to refer to the most original texts and sources as the basis of my acupuncture practice. In order to understand why facial acupuncture works, one must first grasp the basic concepts behind Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In TCM theory, each part of the face is connected with an internal organ system. Each plane of the face corresponds to an organ system, and physical structures or features of the face -- such as hair, color, ligaments and connective tissue, bones -- also connect with an organ system.

For instance, color on the face is connected with blood circulation, which is a function of the heart system. The skin's texture is connected with the lungs-large intestines energetic system. The concept of an organ-based energy system is unique to Traditional Chinese Medicine, and refers to more than the organs the systems are named after.

Because of that face-body connection, the points on the face where we apply needles directly influence the corresponding energetic systems. We stimulate them to create balance in the whole body. And because of this connection, there are points on the body that correspond with points on the face. So it goes both ways -- we use points on the body to stimulate the face and points on the face to stimulate the body's energy systems.

Because acupuncture does not act on a superficial level like Botox, fillers, or plastic surgery do, it really improves the health and wellness of your face and body. It energizes you physically, mentally, and spiritually. It brings true health and true beauty to a person.

Of course, since it's not a quick fix, it's a process and a project that requires time and commitment. I recommend a minimum of 30 sessions of treatment, preferably one to three times a week, and frequent reevaluation and adjustment in addition to consultation in regards to nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle. And because a person's beauty is more than structural beauty, but also a reflection of one's spirit, I include counseling and light psychotherapy in my treatment as part of an integrative approach to wellness.

After 30 sessions, you're not only getting a fresher-looking face -- you feel better too. From the Chinese medicine perspective, bringing beauty to the face is not a superficial thing; it is bringing true health to your life.

Dr. JIngduan Yang is the medical director of the Tao Institute of Mind & Body Medicine.

For more by Dr. Jingduan Yang, click here.

For more on natural health, click here.

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Houston officer kills double amputee in wheelchair (Providence Journal)

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Fight back against the smearing of Rick Berg (Powerlineblog)

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