>>>so tormented by how could she possibly go on after a trusted family member killed all three of her children? here now
ann curry
continues her report.
>>for a long time, i believed that god would never leave me in this pain. he would never leave anyone in this pain.
>> reporter: jackie
hance's grief over the sudden loss of all three of her children was compounded by not being able to make sense of what investigators discovered, the alcohol and drugs in
diane
's system, the apparent craziness of her actions.
>>i never knew her to drink. why would she be drinking with my and her kids in the car? like, it didn't -- no, just no. i just thought it is impossible. and it was a mistake.
>> reporter: jackie
said she could think of nothing in the past that would have caused her to suspect
diane
abused alcohol or drugs but in stintly she fear shed would be harshly judged any way and she was.
>>quote, she must have known that
diane
was an alcoholic. she should have never let her kids go in that car.
>>in the beginning, i would read what people wrote. when you are up
late at night
and sleep deprived and emotionally drained you start to believe what you read.
>> reporter: jackie
considered wild theories. was it significant that
diane
asked the store clerk for painkill painkillers. she had been complaining about a tooth ache. could that have influenced her actions that day.
>>i was willing to accept anything.
>> reporter: she concluded the crash was causing by drunk driving. a tangle of lawsuits followed by all parties. warren was sued because he owned the minivan.
>>my kids are gone, my sister, my niece is gone. they were affected in as traumatic a way as i was. i'm not going to sit and judge
anyone else
or make comments and, you know, people have to do what they need to do.
>> reporter: the lawsuit is still ongoing only adds to the distress on
jackie
and warren's marriage.
>>in the book you talk about really huge arguments with your husband. so raw and so emotional. and yet you two held on to each other as much as you fought.
>>i know. he's a really strong person. you know, i love him and i'm sorry for him.
>>you are sorry for his suffering you mean?
>>yeah. i would do anything not to see him in pain.
>>even when her own agony turned dangerous.
>>i just wanted to be with he girls so bad that i got so emotional and so fixated on fand seeing them again. the thought of being in pain forever was too much to handle.
>>you contemplated suicide.
>>uh-huh.
>>you even had a plan how to do it.
>>i had been putting a few pills away from each prescription and taking one or two from warren's and hiding them.
>>her friends never left her side. for months they delivered meals and took turns sleeping outside of her room afraid of what might happen if they left her alone.
>>i think we all looked for things that were scissors, forks, belts. we took away any medicine that we found in the closets. we took away scarves. part of it is what would we do? no one knew how anyone would react to such a news that we knew we needed her to be safe.
>> reporter: jackie
knew she had to change her life if she was going to survive. her friends encouraged her to take small steps including to rejoin her early-morning runs.
>>they drag me out of bed every day and tried to get me some little speck of peace in the day.
>> reporter: her friends even suggested she have another child, but
jackie
couldn't imagine how she, a broken woman, would be able to care for a baby. what's more, she was 38 and technically couldn't have children. her tubes were tied and after the funeral there was no more money left to afford ivf. then came a gift.
>>what i did for them is what i would hope i would do for anyone who's in need and who has a situation that is essentially tragic and difficult.
>> reporter: a renounced new
york city
fertility doctor was so moved by the tragedy, he offered to help
jackie
and warren without charge.
>>they came to see us to see if perhaps we could do what we do, stimulate
jackie
to have multiple eggs to retrieve eggs, to get embryos to freeze so that when she was more psychologically ready we could achieve pregnancies in the future.
>> reporter: at this point,
jackie
said she was so numb she was just
going through the motions
, doing what she was told. but she was set against ever
becoming pregnant
again.
>>i didn't think i deserved to be a mom again.
>>her friends tried to convince her saying she deserved to be a great mom again and a baby would help to heal her heart.
>>i had a dream. i was in heaven and i got to the gates and the girls were there and i could see them. i could touch their hands because it was through the gate. and i said, can you let me in i saw god and he said no, you haven't done everything possible that you can do.
>> reporter: the next morning in february
2011
, a year and a half after the accident,
jackie
decided to get pregnant.
>>so you tried.
>>i tried.
>>and?
>>i got pregnant.
>>on the first try. she got the call and she's like i'm pregnant. we both started crying. jumping up and down. it was like hope.
>>yep.
>>hope.
>>hope for what?
>>for
jackie
.
>>for a slice of happiness.
>> reporter: jackie
couldn't believe it.
>>i was in shock. it was a lot to take in.
>> reporter: on
october 11th
, she gave birth to casey rose and for the first time since the accident
jackie
felt joy. and something else, a need to reconcile her feelings about
diane
. standing by her daughter's graves, right next to
diane
's, she realized she couldn't love her new baby and hate
diane
at the same time.
>>so you reached out and touched her
head stone
and what did you say?
>>i just said i don't understand, i don't know what happened that day and i always loved you and i forgive you. i mean i still love her. up until that day i only knew what i knew. she was a good person. and a good mom and a good friend. so i don't know what happened that day. i really don't.
>>even not knowing, you are able to forgive her?
>>i had to. i had no choice. because it was -- i wouldn't have been able to live any other way.
>>i can see myself in the mirror.
>> reporter: jackie
says she and warren think of emma, allison and katie all the time. and that's why they started the hance family foundation which helps young girls build confidence and self esteem. the hance's want every girl to be confident and happy just as they wish for their own daughters. the foundation has become a mission for warren.
>>does it keep one person out of trouble? does it keep one girl from feeling bad about themselves one day? i know we made a difference. where it goes tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, you can only dream.
>> reporter: help support the foundation financially
jackie
has written a book, "i'll see you again." she writes about hope in the face of suffer thaeng spirit of her girls.
>>my greatest desire is for people to know them that never get to know them. like emma's future mother-in-law or katie's future college roommate or somebody who didn't get the chance to meet them might meet them through the book.
>> reporter: their new bundle of joy, casey is now 18 months old. a
little girl
teaching her parents to let go of some of their tragedy and know even after all that has been lost there's still a way to go on.
>>it just gives you a meaning again. when you lose everything and then you get something to hold on to, there's no way to describe it.
>>she brings a
heart beat
to this house again. there was none. she brought us back life.
>>even with the happiness of their new arrival, what an incredibly sad story at the
end of the day
.
ann curry
reporting for us from
floral park
on long island here in new york.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook says that an independent audit found its privacy practices sufficient during a six-month assessment period that followed a settlement with federal regulators.
Facebook Inc. said it submitted the findings to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday evening. The audit was a required part of the social networking company's settlement with the FTC last summer. The settlement resolved charges that Facebook exposed details about its users' lives without getting the required legal consent.
Facebook provided a copy of its letter to the FTC, along with a redacted copy of the auditor's letter, to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The redacted portion contains trade secret information and does not alter the auditor's findings, the company said. The audit covered written policies as well as its data.
"We're encouraged by this confirmation that the controls set out in our privacy program are working as intended," said Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer for policy," in an emailed statement. "This assessment has also helped us identify areas to work on as Facebook continues to evolve as a company, and improve upon the privacy protections we already have in place. We will keep working to meet the changing and evolving needs of our users and to put user privacy and security at the center of everything we do."
Facebook did not disclose the full, 79-page report or specific details on shortcomings in its privacy practices that were revealed by the audit. Spokeswoman Jodi Seth said Facebook declined to disclose such details "based on contractual obligations and the possibility of security and competitive vulnerabilities."
The company has asked the FTC to keep the redacted information private, saying it would put it and its auditor at a competitive disadvantage and because it could reveal possible limitations of its privacy program.
The name of the accounting firm is also redacted but that information will be released when the FTC responds to the audit.
Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Amazon will soon be announcing its own streaming box to pair up with its Amazon Instant Video and video on demand. More »
A specific region of the brain is in play when children consider their identity and social status as they transition into adolescence -- that often-turbulent time of reaching puberty and entering middle school, says a University of Oregon psychologist.
In a study of 27 neurologically typical children who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at ages 10 and 13, activity in the brain's ventromedial prefrontal cortex increased dramatically when the subjects responded to questions about how they view themselves.
The findings, published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, confirm previous findings that specific brain networks support self-evaluations in the growing brain, but, more importantly, provide evidence that basic biology may well drive some of these changes, says Jennifer H. Pfeifer, professor of psychology and director of the psychology department's Developmental Social Neuroscience Lab.
"This is a longitudinal fMRI study, which is still relatively uncommon," Pfeifer said. "It suggests a link between neural responses during self-evaluative processing in the social domain, and pubertal development. This provides a rare piece of empirical evidence in humans, rather than animal models, that supports the common theory that adolescents are biologically driven to go through a social reorientation."
Participants were scanned for about seven minutes at each visit. They responded to a series of attributes tied to social or academic domains -- social ones such as "I am popular" or "I wish I had more friends" and academic ones such as "I like to read just for fun" or "Writing is so boring." Social and academic evaluations were made about both the self and a familiar fictional character, Harry Potter.
In previous research, Pfeifer had found that a more dorsal region of the medial prefrontal cortex was more responsive in 10-year-old children during self-evaluations, when they were compared to adults. The new study, she said, provides a more detailed picture of how the brain supports self-development by looking at change within individuals.
The fMRI analyses found it was primarily the social self-evaluations that triggered significant increases over time in blood-oxygen levels, which fMRI detects, in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, these increases were strongest in children who experienced the most pubertal development over the three-year study period, for both girls and boys. Increases during academic self-evaluations were at best marginal. Whole-brain analyses found no other areas of the brain had significant increases or decreases in activity related to pubertal development.
"Neural changes in the social domain were more robust," Pfeifer said. "Increased responses in this one region of the brain from age 10 to 13 were very evident in social self-evaluations, but not academic ones. This pattern is consistent with the enormous importance that most children entering adolescence place on their peer relationships and social status, compared to the relatively diminished value often associated with academics during this transition."
In youth with autism spectrum disorders, this specialized response in ventral medial prefrontal cortex is missing, she added, citing a paper she co-authored in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and a complementary study led by Michael V. Lombardo, University of Cambridge, in the February 2010 issue of the journalBrain. The absence of this typical effect, Pfeifer said, might be related to the challenges these individuals often face in both self-understanding and social relations.
"Dr. Pfeifer's research examining self-evaluations during adolescence adds significantly to the intricate puzzle of this turbulent age period," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the graduate school. "Researchers at the University of Oregon are piecing together how both biology and the environment dynamically and interactively support healthy social development."
###
University of Oregon: http://uonews.uoregon.edu
Thanks to University of Oregon for this article.
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Posted In: All About Baby Blog, Pregnancy : 4/23/2013
Author: Staff Writer
Planning a baby shower?
What about Dad?
So often while expecting a new baby, everything is centered around Mom. While that is great, sometimes that leaves Dad feeling a little left out. We went to Daddy Nickell, parenting expert, columnist, media personality, and father of 7, for some baby shower ideas and advice on the best ways to celebrate both Dad and Mom. In addition to offering parenting advice, Daddy Nickell, has hosted several baby showers and daddy showers for celebrity moms and dads to be, including Antonio Sabato Jr., Sarah Drew, Christie Lynn Smith, Dean McDermott, JR Martinez, Tina Campbell, Kelly Stables and more.
Shannon Miller Lifestyle :What are the first things to consider when planning a baby shower?
Daddy Nickell: Before you start planning a baby shower you should consider the following:
Who will attend the function i.e. couples, ladies only, men only, etc.
Who will help plan and host the shower ? a close friend or a family member.
A convenient time to throw the shower ? not too close to the due date ? those babies don?t always come when expected.
What size budget do you have?
Will you serve food? If so, will the event be catered, or will it be a potluck?
Possible locations to host the event.
Will the event have a theme? Dadchelor Party, wine tasting, Vegas get away, parents house.
SML: What are some different kinds of parties to throw for the expecting parents?
DN: There are many different options for parties, and it really just depends on your taste and lifestyle.
One expectant couple might like a coed, backyard BBQ shower
Other expectant moms might prefer a quiet, family-only shower at home
Others might enjoy the event at their favorite spa.
For dad ? more and more couples are opting for a Dadchelor Party for the new daddy to be.
Multiple parties are a common trend.? Possible variations include: one for mommy and close friends, one for mommy and family members, and one for couples.? Be sure to include one for daddy with his guy friends.
SML: Who should be the host of the baby shower?
DN: Choose a close friend of family member or two who are organized and who have extra free time on his or her hands. Utilizing a small team prevents putting too much pressure on one person.? Showers can be expensive. I would recommend the including mommy or daddy in the decision making and budgeting process. ?Most showers are not surprise events, so input from family and friends can be helpful when it comes to costs and who will be responsible.
SML: When is the typical time in the pregnancy to throw a baby shower?
DN: A baby shower is best held during the end of the second trimester or the beginning of the third. Of course, you can have the shower whenever is convenient for you and your guests. Be aware of conflicting events like the Super Bowl, holiday celebrations or school vacation times, etc. Be careful not to plan it too close to the expectant mom?s due date. Like I said before, those babies don?t always stay put as long as they?re supposed to.
SML: How should a theme be chosen?
DN: Let the expectant parent?s personality be your guide. If the dad is into sports consider throwing a Dadchelor Party at a local sports bar. Recently, people have begun to be much more creative. If the mom loves the beach, and you live close to one, throw a baby shower beach bash and picnic for the mommy-to-be.
You can really go as big or as small as you want. But, remember when choosing the theme it?s important to stay true to the expecting parent?s personalities.
SML: What are some classic themes that you just can?t go wrong with?
DN: For the traditional baby shower, I suggest themes including: A Spa Shower, A Beach Bash, A Pool Party, Picnic in the Park, or a Tea Party theme. For the Dadchelor Party, I would suggest: A Poker Party, A Sports Bar Party, A Tailgate Party, A Fishing Party, A Campout, A Golfing Party, or perhaps A Beer Tasting Party. Whatever you do, keep in mind the purpose of the gathering ? to celebrate the arrival of a baby ? and you can?t go wrong.
SML: What are some of the most creative,innovative, or memorable themes you have done?
DN: Dean McDermott?s ?All American Daddy? themed Dadchelor Party was one of the most memorable events.? He hosted the event at a skeet shooting range in California. We had a group of about 15 men who came together to bond and support Dean McDermott who was expecting his fifth child.? Some of the dads even brought their sons. After some lessons we had a shoot off contest ? what?s a men?s event without a little friendly competition? After the shooting match we enjoyed beer and a tri tip sandwich while we took turns giving toasts of congratulations, humor, and advice. A few guys brought gifts, but mostly we just a fun time celebrating the new addition to Dean?s family.
SML: What are the top 4 things to avoid when hosting a baby shower?
DN:
Making the invitation list without consulting mommy. She should have the final say on who is invited.? You won?t want to forget any out of town friends or family.
Alcohol ? To serve or not to serve.? This is a personal preference that should be respected.
Creating the invitation and not allowing the mommy-to-be to proof prior to sending.
Hosting a late night event.? Mommy gets tired and needs time to rest and relax in the evening.
SML: What are the top 4 things avoid when attending a baby shower?
DN:
Don?t mention weight gain.? Be respectful of the mommy-to-be; she is still getting used to the baby weight.
Don?t react in a negative way to name choices.? If the mommy says the baby name ? keep your comments positive.
Don?t consuming a lot of alcohol.? Don?t bring alcohol or champagne unless you have asked permission.
Do not bring your kids or babies unless the invitation indicates ?kids welcome?.
SML: What are some favorite favors to give away to guests?
DN: From my experience you can?t go wrong with edible favors. I suggest something simple like cookies or cupcakes.
SML: What are some great ways to include dad?
DN: More and more, dads are being included in showers via coed or couple?s showers. Baby showers aren?t just for women! Make sure you invite both mom?s and dad?s friends if you?re planning a couple?s shower. Additionally, I?ve mentioned the Dadchelor Party which is an increasingly popular idea. A Dadchelor Party is kind of the expectant dad?s last hurrah with the guys before baby comes. Ask each guy guest to bring a box of diapers and let the men have a cookout in the backyard to celebrate daddy hood and the new daddy-to-be.
SML: What are some great money saving tips baby shower ideas for the host?
DN: Decorations and location. If you?re looking to save money, find a free location to host the shower, and don?t splurge on decorations ? keep it simple. Additionally, you don?t need to feed everyone. Host a potluck and ask each guest to bring something small or just grab a few snacks. Schedule the shower at 1:30, so guests will have eaten lunch prior to attending.
SML: What are some great foods for the party that you can?t go wrong with?
DN: Women tend to enjoy healthier choices like fruit kabobs and veggie platters while men at a Dadchelor Party prefer nachos and chicken wings. Have fun with the food!!
SML: What are some great types of venues for a baby shower?
DN: I?d look into local parks, restaurants or spas. You don?t necessarily have to host a baby shower in someone?s home; however, backyard BBQ showers can be a ton of fun!
SML: What are some great games to include, if any?
DN: Games are great ? whether you?re hosting a traditional shower or a Dadchelor Party.
I suggest the bottle chug where you fill baby bottles with sparkling cider and the guests ?chug? them as fast as they can (at a Dadchelor Party substitute the sparkling cider for beer ? it?s a crowd pleaser).
Guests also enjoy stroller Olympics.
?Blind diapering? is always fun for participants and spectators alike.
Measure the belly ? guess how many sheets of toilet paper it will take to wrap about momma?s belly at the biggest point.
Name the baby
Connect baby pictures ? Ask each guest to provide a baby picture then match each person?s baby photo with how they look today.
Guess the size and weight of baby at birth
SML: What kind of planning goes into a celebrity baby shower event? Is it more elaborate?
DN: The celebrity baby shower events we?ve hosted and sponsored have varied greatly.? It all depends on the celebrity?s vision for the event.? Sometimes the parties are elaborate, other times they are intimate family-only events. Basically we take the same things into consideration ? often on a larger or grander scale. And, just as any other shower, the actual details vary too depending on the expectant couple?s preference for games, activities and food.
SML: Do you typically work directly with the celebrity mom-to-be herself or is a professional planner involved?
DN: We usually work with celebrity planners who communicate with the celebrity parent in order to determine parameters when it comes to selecting a style, theme, or venue.
About Daddy Nickell:
Robert P. Nickell graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy (1981). He lives in Hermosa Beach with his wife, Katy, their two sons, Lincoln and Carter, daughter, Tessa, and their dogs, Max and Ruby. Robert also enjoys a wonderful relationship with his four older children Austin, Paige, Hayden and Kennady.
?Daddy Nickell? is the founder of DaddyScrubs.com, delivery room duds, along with gifts and apparel for dads designed to celebrate dad-to-be. He also writes the Daddyscrubs Blog where he covers topics about parenting and the latest baby and kids gear, all from a Dad?s perspective. He writes from a father?s perspective and keeps dad engaged throughout his children?s lives. He also contributes to national talk shows and daytime television shows including ?Good Morning L.A.,? ?Good Morning Texas,? ?Daytime TV,? ABC15 Phoenix, MSNBC, WZZM 13, San Antonio Living, Fox Las Vegas, and KSBI TV, and as a syndicated columnist for national newspapers, parenting magazines and websites including Baby Couture Magazine, Oh Baby! Magazine, City Parent Magazine, Parenthood, The Bump, ModernDayMom, AKAMomMagazine, and Homeschooling Parent.
DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP | The Associated Press ? Published April 23, 2013 Modified April 22, 2013
DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP The Associated Press
Only about 1 in 10 people who need treatment for substance abuse in Washington state are getting that help, but officials believe that could increase dramatically next January when tens of thousands more become eligible for insurance because of the new federal health care law.
Lack of insurance and the cost of private care get most of the blame for almost half a million Washington residents not getting the addiction help they need.
The health care overhaul and the expansion of Medicaid that it calls for are expected to change that picture for as many as 166,000 people in Washington, according to state and federal health officials.
That would almost triple the number of people seeking treatment in the state, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data. The analysis compared federal data on the addiction rates in the 50 states among the uninsured, the capacity of treatment programs and provisions of the new health law.
In Washington, about 59,000 people are currently receiving treatment, according to the federal government. Another 47,000 people with substance abuse issues would be newly eligible for insurance in 2014. And another 119,000 would become eligible if the state expands Medicaid coverage, as expected.
That kind of increase in demand for treatment would create a big challenge for the system, said Jane Beyer, assistant secretary for behavioral health and service integration at the state Department of Social and Health Services.
Beyer is worried but not panicking.
?It?s a lot of people. No doubt about it,? she said.
Community-based creativity and entrepreneurial efforts by dependency treatment providers have tempered her concern.
For example, rural hospitals are starting to partner with chemical treatment providers to expand the number of places people can seek treatment.
?We are really trying to encourage creative contractual relationships,? Beyer said.
If someone can walk into a community health clinic and get chemical dependency treatment, they may also be less reluctant to seek that help, and society would benefit, Beyer said.
Washington has about 2,600 beds at treatment facilities, and those facilities have an occupancy rate of about 85 percent, according to the federal government.
Federal regulations concerning Medicaid reimbursements likely will force chemical dependency treatment centers to change their approach from big hospitals to smaller treatment centers, Beyer added.
Dr. Kalyan Dandala, medical director at Schick Shadel?s private 60-bed hospital in Seattle, says his industry is already moving in that direction.
He said his company is looking at expanding, with a focus on reaching people in outlying areas and starting an intensive outpatient program, but right now they usually operate with about 36 out of 60 beds occupied at any time.
Dandala expects that will change dramatically on Jan. 1, when federal law starts requiring mental health and addiction treatment benefits for more people and Medicaid is expanded.
?I think it?s going to hit us like a ton of bricks,? he said.
Washington has 575 certified agencies that provide outpatient and/or inpatient treatment for drug and alcohol dependency. Most of these are private agencies. The majority are in Western Washington.
Dandala and Beyer both said a shortage of addiction doctors and psychiatrists will also be a challenge after health care reform. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants will help fill the gaps in the short term, he said, but more doctors will be needed in the long run.
A treatment center near you
County-by-county numbers of certified alcohol and drug treatment agencies, according to the Washington Department of Social and Health Services:
Those interested in starting an internet business may want to check into the sales of businesses online and consider buying an internet business for sale. Many people have started businesses online and after a few years, are either starting a new venture or looking to take their business offline. With the right approach, you may be able to get a good deal on a profitable internet business for sale. Some folks work hard to get their business up and running and may be looking to make a profit on their efforts of creating a successful internet business.
They may have even created the business for the sole purpose of selling it and turning their work into huge profits. When considering buying an existing internet venture, however, there are many important aspects to consider. The first obvious consideration is determining the value of the business.
You may want to call in an expert on internet businesses to verify the value claimed by the person wanting to sell. How long the business has been operating, when it started making a profit and its growth chart will all be needed to determine the valid market value.
You will also want to consider the future prospects for the business and whether or not it can hold its growth curve. It could be the owner wants to get out before the business growth realizes a slowdown in growth or if it can sustain the current growth pattern.
Continued growth and expectations of the future can improve the value of an online business. However, the products and services being offered can also help determine the companys value. You also need to consider who will run the business for you.
If you have the expertise and the knowledge to keep everything running smooth you may be able to buy the online business and seamlessly take it over. The customers may never even realize that a change in ownership took place and if that is the case, your growth should continue without any detrimental effects.
Be cautious of making major changes in the business structure or architecture that could affect how the customers perceive the business. If you are considering the purchase of a healthy internet business, there should be no need for changes. As the old saying goes if it is not broke do not fix it, if the business is operating evenly and making a profit, leave it alone and continue its positive trend.
There may be opportunities to buy an internet business that is slowly dying and you can turn it around after buying it on the cheap. Any established internet business that is beginning to show a drop in revenue may be open for purchase at a reduced price. If you believe you can turn it around and resume making a profit, it may be worth going after.
About the Author Obinna Heche. Los Angeles ? California Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully.. http://www.homeincomeportal.com/obhmy365
22 April 2013Last updated at 13:00 ETBy Pallab GhoshScience correspondent, BBC News
One of the scientists who helped develop the theory of the Higgs boson says the particle should be renamed.
Carl Hagen believes the name should acknowledge the work of others - not just UK physicist Peter Higgs.
The long-running debate has been rekindled following speculation that this year's Nobel Prize for Physics will be awarded for the Higgs theory.
The detection of a particle thought to be the Higgs was announced at the Large Hadron Collider in July last year.
American Prof Hagen told BBC News: "I have always thought that the name was not a proper one.
Continue reading the main story
?Start Quote
Peter Higgs was treated as something of a rock star and the rest of us were barely recognised. It was clear that Higgs was the dominant name because his name has become associated with the boson?
End QuoteProf Carl HagenRochester University, New York
"To single out one individual marginalises the contribution of others involved in the work. Although I did not start this campaign to change the name, I welcome it."
Prof Peter Higgs developed a theory of how other sub-atomic particles came to have substance, or mass, and published his work in 1964.
However, other researchers independently came up with similar ideas and they, along with Prof Higgs, have long argued for the name of the particle to be changed.
People have spoken of key contributions being made by Francois Englert, Peter Higgs, Gerald Guralnik, Tom Kibble, Robert Brout and Carl Hagen. Five spoke at a press conference last year to announce the discovery of a particle thought to be the Higgs, but it was only Prof Higgs who received a huge round of applause from the researchers present.
"Peter Higgs was treated as something of a rock star and the rest of us were barely recognised by most of the audience. It was clear that Higgs was the dominant name because of the fact his name has become associated with the boson," Prof Hagen told BBC World News.
A spokeswoman from Cern - which operates the Large Hadron Collider - told BBC News that it was not up to the laboratory to determine the name of newly discovered particles.
"Particles have generally been named by theorists who predict them, an example being the 'quark'; or by experimentalists who discover unpredicted particles such as the neutron," she said.
"In all cases, the name eventually takes on common usage and is accepted by the particle physics community, and nowadays by the Particle Data Group who refer to Higgs bosons."
At at a physics conference in March to discuss the discovery of the Higgs, researchers were encouraged to refer to the particle as the "SM Scalar Boson".
At the time, it was thought that this was because physicists wanted to be absolutely sure that the claimed particle really was the Higgs before naming it as such.
Although six theorists are connected with developing the theory of the Higgs, many scientists believe that naming the particle after all of these individuals would be too much of a mouthful. Even acronyms created from the names of all six are inelegant. An example would be "BEHGHK", which would be pronounced "berk".
Prof Hagen, who is affiliated to the University of Rochester, New York, suggests that it be called the Standard Model Scalar Meson, or SM Squared.
Nobel Prize
A maximum of just three individuals can be named as winners of a Nobel Prize.
Those winners also have to be alive, and the five scientists who developed the Higgs theory that are still eligible for the award are in their 70s and 80s. Prof Brout died in 2011.
There is therefore considerable pressure on the Nobel committee determining the physics prize to award it for the Higgs before potential winners die.
Continue reading the main story
?Start Quote
Names are given to predicted particles, and eventually one name sticks. This shouldn't been seen as a slight on the others who also contributed to developing this theory?
End QuoteProf Jordan NashImperial College London
But which three? Prof Hagen believes all six credited with the theory should be recognised along with the huge team of scientists and engineers at the LHC.
"It is unfortunate that the Nobel committee's bylaws prevent this. I hope some way can be found around it. If not then we will have to live with whatever decision is made".
Prof Jordan Nash, also at Imperial College London and who is among those who helped detect and characterise the particle at the LHC last year, said it might be impractical to change the name at this stage.
"I think it is healthy that the scientific community is having a careful look at the really groundbreaking work that was done by this group of scientists, especially now that we know their work 50 years ago has led to predicting something we can see experimentally.
"That said, the name of the 'Higgs particle' has been in common scientific use for decades.
"Names are given to predicted particles, and eventually one name sticks. This shouldn't been seen as a slight on the others who also contributed to developing this theory."
Last month, the TSA announced that it was going to allow travellers to carry knives on planes once more, and the new rule was supposed to come into action this Thursday. Now, though, the TSA has delayed the introduction of the policy—and it's not clear when it will actually take effect. More »
JERUSALEM (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel held out hope Sunday for a nonmilitary way to ending the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, but he also emphasized Washington's willingness to let Israel decide whether and when it might strike Tehran in self-defense.
Hagel, on his first visit to Israel as Pentagon chief, seemed intent on burying the image that Republican critics painted of him as insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state. That portrayal was central to a failed campaign to derail Hagel's Senate confirmation in February.
In an interview with reporters on his flight from Washington, Hagel said the United States and Israel see "exactly the same" threat from Iran, which he described as a toxic combination of nuclear ambition and support for terrorism.
But he acknowledged differences on when it may reach the point of requiring U.S. or Israeli military action.
Hagel stressed repeatedly that Israel has a sovereign right to decide for itself whether it must attack Iran. He made no mention of the possibility that an Israeli attack would draw the U.S. into the conflict and lead to a wider regional war.
"Israel will make the decision that Israel must make to protect itself, to defend itself," Hagel said as he began a weeklong tour of the Middle East.
Also Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Istanbul, where he urged Turkey to speed up and cement an American-brokered rapprochement with Israel. On a trip to Israel last month, President Barack Obama secured a pledge from Turkish and Israeli leaders to normalize ties that broke down after a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Hagel said international penalties are taking a heavy toll on Iran, though he said no one can be sure that economic coercion will compel Iran to change course.
Referring to sanctions and diplomacy, Hagel said, "these other tracks do have some time to continue to try to influence the outcome in Iran."
Hagel acknowledged that while Israel and the U.S. share a commitment to ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon, there "may well be some differences" between the two allies on the question of when Iran's leaders might decide to go for a bomb.
"When you back down into the specifics of the timing of when and if Iran decides to pursue a nuclear weapon, there may well be some differences," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tends to see more urgency, reflecting in part the fact that certain Iranian technological advances toward a nuclear weapon could put the program beyond the ability of the Israeli military to destroy it with airstrikes. U.S. forces have greater reach.
Hagel's first order of business upon arrival in Jerusalem was a guided tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust history museum. He participated in a ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance and wrote an inscription in the guest book at a memorial for the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust.
"There is no more poignant, more touching, more effective way to tell the story than this reality, as painful as it is, but it is a reality," he said after completing his visit. "It did happen, and we must prepare our future generations ... for a clear understanding that we must never allow this to happen again."
In his remarks while en route to Israel, Hagel repeatedly emphasized Israel's right of self-defense and stressed that military force ? by implication, Israeli or American ? remains an option of last resort.
"In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table," he said.
During his two-day visit to Israel, Hagel was expected to further discuss a U.S. arms deal that would provide Israel with missiles for its fighter aircraft, plus KC-135 refueling planes that could be used in a long-range strike on a country such as Iran, as well as V-22 Osprey transport planes. He called the proposed sale a "very clear signal" to Iran.
"The bottom line is, Iran is a threat ? a real threat," he said.
Iran asserts that its nuclear program is designed entirely for nonmilitary purposes.
Yiftah Shapir, a military analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies think tank in Tel Aviv, said Hagel appeared eager to present a steady-as-she-goes attitude following his Senate confirmation battle.
"He's here to say, 'Folks, nothing has changed. We are still with you,'" Shapir said. "The goal is to deliver a relaxing message and to project business as usual."
Hagel suggested he holds hope that Iran's presidential election in June might change the trajectory of its nuclear drive.
After his talks in Israel, Hagel planned stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Each is an important American ally in the Middle East, and each is worried by Syria's civil war.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of a $10 billion proposed U.S. arms sale that includes Israel. The UAE would get about 26 F-16 fighters and it and Saudi Arabia would get advanced air-launched missiles.
___
Associated Press writer Aron Heller contributed to this report.
Hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve tumors identifiedPublic release date: 21-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karin Eskenazi ket2116@cumc.columbia.edu 212-342-0508 Columbia University Medical Center
Sweeping study of cancer metabolism identifies hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve tumors
NEW YORKA massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology.
The results should ramp up research into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, a field that dominated cancer research in the early 20th century and has recently undergone a renaissance. [Fuel Lines of Tumors Are New Target: http://nyti.ms/10QMkY1]
"The importance of this new study is its scope," said Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics (in the Initiative in Systems Biology) at CUMC, the study's lead investigator. "So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression."
Cell metabolism is a dynamic network of reactions inside cells that process nutrients, such as glucose, to obtain energy and synthesize building blocks needed to produce new cellular components. To support uncontrolled proliferation, cancer needs to significantly reprogram and "supercharge" a cell's normal metabolic pathways.
The first researcher to notice cancer's special metabolism was German biochemist Otto Warburg, who in 1924 observed that cancer cells had a peculiar way of utilizing glucose to make energy for the cell. "Although a list of biochemical pathways in normal cells was comprehensively mapped during the last century," said Dr. Vitkup. "We still lack a complete understanding of their usage, regulation, and reprogramming in cancer."
"Right now we have something like a static road map. We know where the streets are, but we don't know how traffic flows through the streets and intersections," said Jie Hu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia and first author of the study. "What researchers need is something similar to Google Traffic, which shows the flow and dynamic changes in car traffic."
Drs. Hu and Vitkup's study is an important step toward achieving this dynamic view of cancer metabolism. Notably, the researchers found that the tumor-induced expression changes are significantly different across diverse tumors. Although some metabolic changessuch as an increase in nucleotide biosynthesis and glycolysisappear to be more frequent across tumors, others, such as changes in oxidation phosphorylation, are heterogeneous.
"Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism," said Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, assistant professor at MIT, and a co-author of the paper. "That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumor types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs."
The researchers also found that expression changes can mimic or cooperate with cancer mutations to drive tumor formation. A notable example is the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. In several cancers, such as glioblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia, mutations in this enzyme are known to produce a specific metabolite2-hydroxyglutaratethat promotes tumor growth. The Columbia team found that isocitrate dehydrogenase expression significantly increases in tumors with the recurrent mutations. Such an overexpression may create an efficient enzymatic factory for overproduction of 2-hydroxyglutarate.
The analysis also led the researchers to an interesting finding in colon cancer. In several other cancers, mutations in two enzymessuccinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratasecan promote tumor formation as a result of efflux from mitochondria and accumulation of their substrates, fumarate and succinate. The researchers found that in colon cancer, accumulation of these metabolites may be caused by a significant decrease in the enzymes' expression. This was confirmed when metabolomics data from colon tumor patients showed significantly higher concentrations of fumarate in tumors than in normal tissue.
"These are just several examples of how cancer cells use various creative mechanisms to hijack the metabolism of native cells for their own purposes," said Dr. Vitkup.
For cancer researchers looking for new drug targets, Dr. Vitkup's team also found hundreds of differences between normal and cancer cells' use of isoenzymes. This opens up additional possibilities for turning off cancer's fuel and supply lines. Isoenzymes often catalyze the same reactions, but have different kinetic properties: Some act quickly and sustain rapid growth, while others are more sluggish. In kidney and liver cancers, for example, a quick-acting aldolase isoenzymesuitable for fast cell proliferationwas found to be more prevalent than the more typical slow-moving version found in normal kidney and liver tissue. Although a few examples of differential isoenzyme expression in tumors were already known, the Columbia researchers identified hundreds of isoenzymes with cancer-specific expression patterns.
"Inhibiting specific isoenzymes in tumors may be a way to selectively hit cancer cells without affecting normal cells, which could get by with other isoenzymes," said Dr. Hu.
In fact, a recent study from Matthew Vander Heiden's laboratory demonstrated the potential of targeting a specific isoenzyme, pyruvate kinase M2, expression of which often increases in tumors. "The comprehensive expression analysis suggests that a similar approach could potentially be applied in multiple other cases," said Dr. Vander Heiden.
Targeting metabolism may be a way to strike cancer at its roots. "Cancer cells usually have multiple ways to turn on their growth program," said Dr. Vitkup. "You can knock out one, but the cells will usually find another pathway to turn on proliferation. Targeting metabolism may be more powerful, because if you starve a cell of energy or materials, it has nowhere to go."
###
The paper is titled, "Heterogeneity of tumor-induced gene expression changes in the human metabolic network." The other authors are Jason W. Locasale (Cornell University), Jason H. Bielas (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.; and University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.), Jacintha O'Sullivan (St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), Kieran Sheahan St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), and Lewis C. Cantley (Harvard Medical School).
Dr. Vander Heiden is a consultant and advisory board member, and Dr. Cantley is a consultant and founder, of Agios Pharmaceuticals. The authors report no other financial or potential conflicts of interest.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant GM079759 to Dr. Vitkup and National Centers for Biomedical Computing grant U54CA121852 to Columbia University. Dr. Locasale is supported by an NIH Pathway to Independence Award R00CA168997. Dr. Bielas is supported by an Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar award AG-NS-0577-09, a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R01ES019319, and New Development Funds from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Vander Heiden acknowledges support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Smith Family, and the National Cancer Institute.
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve tumors identifiedPublic release date: 21-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karin Eskenazi ket2116@cumc.columbia.edu 212-342-0508 Columbia University Medical Center
Sweeping study of cancer metabolism identifies hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve tumors
NEW YORKA massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology.
The results should ramp up research into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, a field that dominated cancer research in the early 20th century and has recently undergone a renaissance. [Fuel Lines of Tumors Are New Target: http://nyti.ms/10QMkY1]
"The importance of this new study is its scope," said Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics (in the Initiative in Systems Biology) at CUMC, the study's lead investigator. "So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression."
Cell metabolism is a dynamic network of reactions inside cells that process nutrients, such as glucose, to obtain energy and synthesize building blocks needed to produce new cellular components. To support uncontrolled proliferation, cancer needs to significantly reprogram and "supercharge" a cell's normal metabolic pathways.
The first researcher to notice cancer's special metabolism was German biochemist Otto Warburg, who in 1924 observed that cancer cells had a peculiar way of utilizing glucose to make energy for the cell. "Although a list of biochemical pathways in normal cells was comprehensively mapped during the last century," said Dr. Vitkup. "We still lack a complete understanding of their usage, regulation, and reprogramming in cancer."
"Right now we have something like a static road map. We know where the streets are, but we don't know how traffic flows through the streets and intersections," said Jie Hu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia and first author of the study. "What researchers need is something similar to Google Traffic, which shows the flow and dynamic changes in car traffic."
Drs. Hu and Vitkup's study is an important step toward achieving this dynamic view of cancer metabolism. Notably, the researchers found that the tumor-induced expression changes are significantly different across diverse tumors. Although some metabolic changessuch as an increase in nucleotide biosynthesis and glycolysisappear to be more frequent across tumors, others, such as changes in oxidation phosphorylation, are heterogeneous.
"Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism," said Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, assistant professor at MIT, and a co-author of the paper. "That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumor types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs."
The researchers also found that expression changes can mimic or cooperate with cancer mutations to drive tumor formation. A notable example is the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. In several cancers, such as glioblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia, mutations in this enzyme are known to produce a specific metabolite2-hydroxyglutaratethat promotes tumor growth. The Columbia team found that isocitrate dehydrogenase expression significantly increases in tumors with the recurrent mutations. Such an overexpression may create an efficient enzymatic factory for overproduction of 2-hydroxyglutarate.
The analysis also led the researchers to an interesting finding in colon cancer. In several other cancers, mutations in two enzymessuccinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratasecan promote tumor formation as a result of efflux from mitochondria and accumulation of their substrates, fumarate and succinate. The researchers found that in colon cancer, accumulation of these metabolites may be caused by a significant decrease in the enzymes' expression. This was confirmed when metabolomics data from colon tumor patients showed significantly higher concentrations of fumarate in tumors than in normal tissue.
"These are just several examples of how cancer cells use various creative mechanisms to hijack the metabolism of native cells for their own purposes," said Dr. Vitkup.
For cancer researchers looking for new drug targets, Dr. Vitkup's team also found hundreds of differences between normal and cancer cells' use of isoenzymes. This opens up additional possibilities for turning off cancer's fuel and supply lines. Isoenzymes often catalyze the same reactions, but have different kinetic properties: Some act quickly and sustain rapid growth, while others are more sluggish. In kidney and liver cancers, for example, a quick-acting aldolase isoenzymesuitable for fast cell proliferationwas found to be more prevalent than the more typical slow-moving version found in normal kidney and liver tissue. Although a few examples of differential isoenzyme expression in tumors were already known, the Columbia researchers identified hundreds of isoenzymes with cancer-specific expression patterns.
"Inhibiting specific isoenzymes in tumors may be a way to selectively hit cancer cells without affecting normal cells, which could get by with other isoenzymes," said Dr. Hu.
In fact, a recent study from Matthew Vander Heiden's laboratory demonstrated the potential of targeting a specific isoenzyme, pyruvate kinase M2, expression of which often increases in tumors. "The comprehensive expression analysis suggests that a similar approach could potentially be applied in multiple other cases," said Dr. Vander Heiden.
Targeting metabolism may be a way to strike cancer at its roots. "Cancer cells usually have multiple ways to turn on their growth program," said Dr. Vitkup. "You can knock out one, but the cells will usually find another pathway to turn on proliferation. Targeting metabolism may be more powerful, because if you starve a cell of energy or materials, it has nowhere to go."
###
The paper is titled, "Heterogeneity of tumor-induced gene expression changes in the human metabolic network." The other authors are Jason W. Locasale (Cornell University), Jason H. Bielas (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.; and University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.), Jacintha O'Sullivan (St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), Kieran Sheahan St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), and Lewis C. Cantley (Harvard Medical School).
Dr. Vander Heiden is a consultant and advisory board member, and Dr. Cantley is a consultant and founder, of Agios Pharmaceuticals. The authors report no other financial or potential conflicts of interest.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant GM079759 to Dr. Vitkup and National Centers for Biomedical Computing grant U54CA121852 to Columbia University. Dr. Locasale is supported by an NIH Pathway to Independence Award R00CA168997. Dr. Bielas is supported by an Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar award AG-NS-0577-09, a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R01ES019319, and New Development Funds from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Vander Heiden acknowledges support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Smith Family, and the National Cancer Institute.
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Home floor lamp toronto Improvement Tips For Success
Home improvement is such a broad subject. Because it offers such a wide array of options, home improvement can seem a bit daunting and overwhelming. Most people may think they need a contractor to do these seemingly time consuming, impossible tasks. The thing is: you can do it yourself! This article focuses on teaching you how to complete simple, everyday home improvements by yourself, no contractor necessary. Before you know it, you will be so savvy in home repair, all of your friends will be knocking on your door for help with their homes!
Protect yourself when you change the blades in your utility knife. While changing the blade, wrap tape around the old blade before tossing it in the trash. By doing this, the sharp edges of the blade will be covered. When taking out the trash, or packing down the trash, the sharp edges will not be able to hurt anyone with the tape wrapped around them.
Use carpet samples to carpet a whole room! Retail stores often throw away their samples. Cut each sample up into smaller pieces and tack or glue them into place for free floor covering. Cut them in identically sized pieces for a tile effect or cut them in irregular geometric shapes for an abstract look.
Make some simple fixes around your home. Things like squeaky doors, sticky cabinets or worn out address numbers really make an impact on the potential buyer. It makes them wonder on how you actually take care of the home and may make them question whether or not they want to make an offer.
If you are looking to add some value to a property you are planning on selling, you should think about remodeling your kitchen. The kitchen is the family center. It is the single most critical factor in influencing buyers. If you recreate the kitchen in a home, the value of the home that you are trying to sell instantly increases.
A great way to increase the value of modern light fixtures Toronto a home is to clean out the grout in ceramic tile. This will instantly make old tile look newer, which, consequently, increases the value of your home. This is a quick fix that could mean a few extra dollars in the long run.
You should make sure that a home with any additions is properly zoned and has all of the licenses that the area requires. There are some people who will build additions without permission first. If an addition is not registered, your insurance company could refuse to give you full insurance.
Know your area. If your home is in a subdivision or small town, you do not want your home to stick out like a sore thumb. Look around before you decide to do any outer renovations, and try to fit in, at least a little. Homes that do not fit are homes that usually have a harder time should you ever choose to sell.
When doing home improvement projects on your house, sometimes remodeling unfinished areas offers the most affordable opportunities to increase the value and functionality of your home. Refinishing the basement of your home not only increases the amount of usable living space in your house, it also will give your home better market value.
Paint a room. If you are looking for a home improvement project that takes a bit of time and effort, then painting may be for you. Make sure you have all the proper equipment to do the project, and go for it. A freshly painted room can do wonders for any home.
Have a clear path and share it with everyone working on the home. Many issues that arise with home improvement, occur when people are not communicating their wishes with each other. Your partner may want a golden bathroom, but if you have not taken the time to discuss it, it could lead to problems down the road.
Be flexible with your time. While you may expect a project to be done in a few weeks, you may need to plan in advance for it to take a bit longer. Life can sometimes lighting stores in mississauga get in the way of project completion, so spare yourself from disappointment, by giving a little leeway.
Always shut off the water if working near pipes. Home improvement projects in the kitchen or bathroom may not always involve pipes, but shutting off the water can prevent any mishaps from becoming catastrophes. Know where your main water shut-off valve is, and use it any time you are working in these areas.
When you are trying to narrow down which home improvements to tackle first, a good plan is to make a wish list first, of everything that you would do if you could do it all. Go through your home and figure out what needs fixed and make a note of each item. Then you can begin to prioritize what items are the most pressing and what you can afford to fix first.
Before making renovations on your home, you should determine the amount of time you plan on living in your house. Your budget improvements will vary according to this estimate. If you plan on selling your home in the next year, you should make sure you renovate the parts of your house that interest potential home buyers.
When you are designing your kitchen, think hard about whether you want an open or closed kitchen floor plan. If you like to be able to talk with your family, watch television and generally know what?s going on in the rest of the house while cooking, you may want an open kitchen plan. However, if you would prefer for the kitchen clutter to stay hidden, you may prefer a kitchen with a door that can be closed.
See? That was not so gruelingly hard, was it? While home improvement may seem like it is something you should pay somebody else to do, you can save money and do it yourself! The do-it-yourself tips located in body of this article explain exactly how to do it, all the while making your tasks fun and easy. While following the tips provided in this article, your home is on its way to being the talk of the town, in a good way!
Those interested in starting an internet business may want to check into the sales of businesses online and consider buying an internet business for sale. Many people have started businesses online and after a few years, are either starting a new venture or looking to take their business offline. With the right approach, you may be able to get a good deal on a profitable internet business for sale. Some folks work hard to get their business up and running and may be looking to make a profit on their efforts of creating a successful internet business. 
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Public release date: 21-Apr-2013
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