tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51044754295660816662024-03-13T23:33:24.941-07:00sami-iii.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-66008577985495835052013-06-24T07:36:00.001-07:002013-06-24T07:36:32.460-07:00sami-iii test post content<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
sami-iii test post content</div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-42209521749536737642013-03-01T01:43:00.001-08:002013-03-01T01:43:36.548-08:00Political Cartoon: 'Ready For My Closeup?' <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Ready For My Closeup?" by Lisa Benson.<br /><br />Meanwhile, here is today's health policy haiku:<br /><br />A CHANGE OF SEASONS IN WASHINGTON<br /><br />My top health concerns:<br />Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder<br />and Strasburg's elbow. <br />-Anonymous<br /><br />If you have a health policy haiku to share, please send it to us at http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/ContactUs.aspx and let us know if you want to include your name. Keep in mind that we give extra points if you link back to a KHN original story.<br /><br />This is part of Kaiser Health News' Daily Report - a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day's news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.</div>
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Source <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2013/February/28/4khnstory.aspx">http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2013/February/28/4khnstory.aspx</a></div>
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<a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Spending-Dike-590-LI.jpg"><img alt="Spending Dike 590 LI" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-46089" height="421" src="http://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Spending-Dike-590-LI.jpg" width="590" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Spending-Dike-590-LI.jpg"><img alt="Spending Dike 590 LI" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-46089" height="421" src="http://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Spending-Dike-590-LI.jpg" width="590" /></a></div>
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.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-43493814012988128122012-10-24T01:43:00.002-07:002012-10-24T01:43:56.926-07:00Senior Expo offers healthy tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblArticleData">No one seemed to be
aging in place Tuesday at the Customers Bank Senior Expo, where people
hustled in crowded vendor aisles, moved to the music of Elvis or took
the measure of Medicare and its changes.<br /><br />
The all-day expo benefited Berks Encore, the senior service agency, and
featured flu shots, health screenings, nutrition lectures, a fashion
show, skating exhibition, senior art show, shopping tips and more than
130 vendors.<br /><br />
The event was held at the Body Zone Sports and Wellness Center, Spring Township, and attracted about 3,350 seniors.<br /><br />
While the attendance number dropped from the estimated 4,000 figure at
last year's event, it appeared many seniors were more intent on finding
specific information about health and fitness, nutrition, medical care
and senior living options.<br /><br />
"This is the third year I've been here and I think it's great for all
the older people," said Bette Fisher, 77, of Exeter Township. "I don't
have any medical problems, but I do pick up all the literature."<br /><br />
"I come to look at all the health treatment possibilities," said Evelyn
Kuter, 70, of Boyertown. "You need to get different views (on health
matters) because the doctor is not a god anymore."<br /><br />
More seniors, particularly in their late 60s and 70s, stressed that they
wanted to be educated on options available to them in all areas
affecting their life.<br /><br />
Calling for more chairs for seniors at an afternoon session on Medicare
changes, John Vogel, a trained Medicare specialist and Berks Encore
volunteer, drew an audience of nearly 100 people, some of them torn
between listening to him, but not wanting to miss a later performance of
Jeff Krick, an Elvis impersonator.<br /><br />
"You know there has been an Elvis sighting," yelled one audience member to Vogel.<br /><br />
"They'll be back, they always come back," said Vogel, noticing a few
seniors who stepped inside the door only to turn around and leave.<br /><br />
For some seniors, the Senior Expo was a completely new experience, but they trumpeted the convenience of being there.<br /><br />
"This is my first time here, and it's very nice," said Carl Bechtel, 70,
a retired carpenter who worked for casket and organ businesses. "It's
really good to have everything in one place."<br /><br />
"This is huge I didn't think it would be this big," said another
first-timer, Theresa Kazmierczak, 77, of Reading, a retired office
clerk. "That's why I'm sitting down. I'm tired."<br /><br />
One of the more popular events involved several talks and cooking
demonstrations by Meredith Mensinger, Redner's Warehouse Markets
dietician, showing seniors how to shop economically and stick to a
dietary plan without feeling restricted or deprived.<br /><br />
She whipped up three recipes - turkey burgers, chicken chili and tortilla soup - before an audience of about 40.<br /><br />
"I call it assembling, not really cooking," Mensinger quipped.<br /><br />
"But I feel a lot of seniors are just overwhelmed with all the
information floating out there," said Mensinger, a Redner's nutritionist
for four years. "I used to work in a hospital, but this is a way to
reach seniors every day."<br /><br />
And 72-year-old Barbara Shalters of Wernersville, sitting in Mensinger's audience, spoke up on her behalf.<br /><br />
Diagnosed last spring with celiac disease - a faulty absorption of
gluten in the intestine - Shalters said she called Redner's and
Mensinger offered to take her on a tour to show her the foods she should
be eating and avoiding.<br /><br />
"She was absolutely wonderful, and that's the kind of help we really
need whether the problem is diabetes, heart disease or obesity,"
Shalters said.</span></div>
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<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblArticleData">Source <a href="http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=422965" target="_blank">http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=422965 </a></span></div>
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.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-8549058903965479642012-08-10T03:07:00.000-07:002012-08-10T03:07:15.942-07:00Budget Healthy Eating Tips For Your Heart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With food prices significantly rising, more New Jerseyians are
feeling the pinch in their pocketbook as they visit the local grocery
store or restaurant. But the American Heart Association stresses that
eating healthy needs to remain a priority in order to live longer,
stronger lives-- and can actually save you money in the long run. </div>
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The American Heart Association offers these ten budget-friendly tips that can help you and your family live heart-healthy lives:</div>
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<strong>Limit red meat</strong> in favor of healthier and less
expensive sources of protein. Fish, like tuna, has omega 3 fatty acids
that are good for the heart. Nuts and beans have a lot of protein as
well, but make sure you review the salt content and eat appropriate
portions since nuts tend to be high in fat.</div>
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<strong>Enjoy frozen vegetables and fruit. </strong>They are just as
satisfying, and typically just as healthy, as fresh produce. Just check
the nutrition facts to confirm that no extra sugar or salt was added.</div>
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<strong>Avoid eating out</strong>, as most restaurants come with
extra large portions and extra large price tags. And options at fast
food restaurants are typically loaded with excess fat, salt and sugar.</div>
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<strong>Eat before you go shopping. </strong>Going to the grocery
store on an empty stomach will leave you more likely to buy on impulse.
And make sure to look for the Heart-Check Mark, which indicates the
product has met the American Heart Association suggested nutritional
guidelines.</div>
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<strong>Grow a garden!</strong> Not only will you save on vegetables
like cucumbers and tomatoes, but you'll stay active with this new hobby.
And regular exercise is another important part of managing heart
disease and stroke.</div>
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<strong>Scout your local newspaper </strong>for coupons before you go
shopping. It may cost $1-2 to purchase the Sunday paper, but your
savings will likely exceed this amount.</div>
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<strong>Shop for seasonal produce</strong> - fruits and veggies are less expensive during their peak growing times, and they're also tastier!</div>
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<strong>Look for the generic brands.</strong> The ingredients are usually the same as the brand name versions, but they're much more affordable.</div>
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<strong>Make your own pre-packaged snacks</strong> by buying a large
container of raisins, nuts or pretzels and separating them into
individual portions yourself. By checking the nutrition facts, you can
gauge how many to eat at one time based on the fat, salt, and sugar
content.</div>
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<strong>Plan your meals each week. </strong>By planning ahead, you
can check the nutrition facts of a meal before you decide to make it and
create a detailed grocery list for easy shopping. Planning also helps
avoid impulse shopping.</div>
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"Some people think that the dollar menu at the local fast food joint
is the best choice for their budget," notes William Tansey, III, MD,
spokesperson for the American Heart Association and cardiologist with
Summit Medical Group in Short Hills. "But the truth is that fast food-as
well as processed food-is often high in calories, saturated fat and
sodium and low in the important nutrients your body needs to function
properly, which can lead to obesity-a major risk factor for
cardiovascular diseases."</div>
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Obesity is linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,
heart disease and stroke. The estimated annual cost of obesity-related
diseases is $147 billion a year, which accounts for nearly 17 percent of
medical spending in the United States, according to recent research
done by John Cawley at Cornell University and Chad Meyerhoefer of
Lehigh, indicating that the nation's weight problem may be having close
to twice the impact on medical spending than previously estimated. Half
of that cost is financed through Medicare and Medicaid.</div>
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Millions of Americans are consuming too many empty and fat-laden calories and not exercising enough.</div>
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And today's youth are becoming heavier at an alarming rate, with
nearly 12 million children and adolescents ages two to 19 are considered
obese. As these children grow older, they have a much greater risk of
developing and dying from chronic diseases in adulthood.</div>
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Source <a href="http://newprovidence.patch.com/articles/advice-thats-good-for-your-heart-your-pocketbook" target="_blank">http://newprovidence.patch.com/articles/advice-thats-good-for-your-heart-your-pocketbook </a></div>
</div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-13017141581581457242011-10-24T20:54:00.000-07:002011-10-24T20:56:21.534-07:00The uncommon man turns 90<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">It was an emotional moment for R K Laxman. As the small congregation of family, friends and fans at his Pune apartment launched into a cheery chant of Happy Birthday To You and his granddaughter fed him a piece of his favourite Black Forest cake, the grand old man of Indian cartooning broke into sobs. He recovered his composure soon enough, but the tears were never too far away as the function held to celebrate his ninetieth birthday proceeded and speaker after speaker extolled him and his genius.<br /><br />In a rather apposite twist to the usual celebratory mode, Kailash Bhingare, the organiser of the event, had got seven cartoonists -Vikas Sabnis, S D Fadnis, Mangesh Tendulkar, Vijay Paradkar, Sanjay Mistri, Charuhas Pandit and Ravi Paranjpe-to draw cartoons of Laxman, which were then presented to him. Among the speakers, who included Laxman's wife Kamala and daughter-in law Usha, was Ram Jethmalani, who referred to himself (some might say appropriately) as a "sinner with a balance sheet full of debits" . "The only credit I have is that I have known Laxman for decades," he quipped amid laughter. "And one new credit I have notched up is that I am present at his ninetieth birthday function."<br /><br />Laxman sat through the proceedings , now calm, now tearyeyed . A frail shadow of his former self, there were, however, glimmers of the old persona when he peered curiously at the television channel mikes lined up on the table and once touched his forehead in a moment of exasperation. One almost expected him to expostulate , 'What is this nonsense, I say!', a Laxman-ism regularly applied to very many situations in the days when he was a revered and slightly feared figure in the Times of India. But speech is impossible for him now-his second major stroke in June last year robbed him of it, and he has been unable to communicate verbally with anyone except his wife. Mrs Laxman, very emotional on this day herself, says that he does "talk" to her "but not before others" .<br /><br />But whatever his health setbacks , Laxman has forged ahead with uncommon courage. After his first stroke in 2003 which paralysed his left side, he resumed drawing in a day and his daily cartoon for this paper within a couple of months. The stroke he had last June was far more severe, but he has been drawing even after that, as a sketchbook full of ink drawings testifies. The once inimitable brushstrokes are, of course, weaker , but three of his favourite subjects-crows , Ganpatis and the Common Man-make their presence felt even today.<br /><br />His most favourite subjectpoliticians-seem to be missing from the sketchbook, but Laxman is still hooked to their shenanigans and goes through the newspaper every day, says Mrs Laxman. Now that he no longer draws cartoons , how does he react to the absurd theatre of Indian politics? "With a slap on the forehead," says Mrs Laxman wryly. "A gesture is worth a thousand words."<br /><br />Laxman's cartoons, needless to say, are sorely missed. The man who held readers in thrall for over six decades with his piquant wit and inimitable brushstrokes, was fondly remembered during a recent cataclysm in Indian politics. "During Anna Hazare's fast and his stand-off with the government, we got hundreds of calls from people ," says Mrs Laxman. "All of them had one thing to say: 'How we wish you were still cartooning!' "<br /><br />That's a sentiment most of us share. Happy ninetieth birthday, Mr Laxman.<br /><br />Source <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/The-uncommon-man-turns-90/articleshow/10482665.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/The-uncommon-man-turns-90/articleshow/10482665.cms</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-15507392213432684242011-07-29T00:48:00.000-07:002011-07-29T00:51:36.975-07:00Pakistan: A headache for the rest of the world<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">This is with reference to Sami Shah’s article of July 28 titled “The Pakistanisation of lunacy”. Apart from the irony, occasional humour and touch of sarcasm in the article, what the writer is saying is generally true. And I say this notwithstanding that our so-called ‘Mullah Brigade’ likes to blame the rest of the world for all the problems that currently ail Pakistan.<br /><br />If the rest of the world equates Pakistan with terrorism and mayhem, it is for good reason and doesn’t mean that there is worldwide conspiracy to defame our good name, contrary to what our saviours in khaki would have us believe.<br /><br />Pakistan is reaping the harvest of the past 30 years or so of its cultivation of the forces of bigotry, doublespeak, intolerance and hypocrisy in all aspects of its existence: Religious, social, political as well as intellectual.<br /><br />Such is our infamy that whenever there is a lunatic who blows himself up in a foreign land, we wait anxiously, our fingers crossed, hoping that the perpetrator is not one of us. Our country accounts for more suicide bombings than Iraq or Afghanistan and has more than its fair share of sectarian and other hate crimes.<br /><br />We keep blowing up our schools so that our girls don’t get an education, keep silencing our moderates who preach tolerance and keep living in the false belief that the world is out to get us. The fact is that for most of the rest of the world, which in any case is moving ahead, we are not more than a headache that refuses to go away.<br /><br />Shame on all 180 million of us.<br /><br />Source <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/219346/pakistan-a-headache-for-the-rest-of-the-world/">http://tribune.com.pk/story/219346/pakistan-a-headache-for-the-rest-of-the-world/</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-16684573704354328802011-04-11T22:14:00.000-07:002011-04-11T22:16:04.849-07:00Grant Holt pens new Norwich deal as Canaries eye Daggers' Romain Vincelot and Danny Green<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Norwich are keeping tabs on Dagenham and Redbridge duo Romain Vincelot and Danny Green.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Canaries boss Paul Lambert ran the rule over the Daggers' midfield pair in Tuesday night's defeat to Peterborough.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Meanwhile, Canaries' skipper Grant Holt has signed a new three deal at Carrow Road.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="clear"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="thinCenter"> <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/06/article-0-0D26F828000005DC-386_468x286.jpg" alt="New deal: Holt" class="blkBorder" height="286" width="468" /><br /><br />Source <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1374139/Grant-Holt-pens-new-Norwich-deal-Canaries-eye-Daggers-Romain-Vincelot-Danny-Green.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1374139/Grant-Holt-pens-new-Norwich-deal-Canaries-eye-Daggers-Romain-Vincelot-Danny-Green.html?ito=feeds-newsxml</a><br /></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-10325681821835643772011-03-30T00:35:00.000-07:002011-03-30T00:36:23.045-07:00Caps boast family ties<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Out here, the last name 'Brodt' may not be too familiar.<br /><br />But in Minnesota, they're synonymous with hockey — especially the women's game.<br /><br />Four of them — head coach Jack, equipment manager and skating guru Marlene, captain Winny, and younger sister Chelsey — came with the Minnesota Whitecaps to compete in this year's Clarkson Cup, presented by Scotiabank.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the tournament hasn't gone the way they'd hoped for it to, losing the opener on Thursday to Montreal and being blanked by Toronto 6-0 on Friday.<br /><br />"It's been a tough weekend so far, to come all of this way and lose both games thus far," Chelsey said. "We're here, having fun playing hockey, but we've been having trouble putting the puck in the net."<br /><br />A big part of the reason why the defending champs are 0-2 was the play of Toronto goaltender Sami Jo Small, who stopped 40 shots for the shutout on her 35th birthday.<br /><br />"Sami Jo played spectacular, but we weren't able to finish our opportunities," Jack said. "We had three breakaways in the third period and couldn't score."<br /><br />Although they've had a difficult go to this point, it's been nice for the family to continue their hockey tradition together.<br /><br />"I coached them when they were mites," Jack said. "My wife taught them how to skate, but I was coaching them since they were five or six years old."<br /><br />It's been a while, but now things have come full circle for the girls.<br /><br />"After I began, I played boys hockey all the way up, so I didn't get the chance to play for my dad until I returned to play for the Minnesota Whitecaps," Winny said.<br /><br />"It's funny, because he started my career, and he'll be coaching me at the end of it, too."<br /><br />They've enjoyed it, even when the coach gives them a hard time.<br /><br />"The truth of the matter is, maybe I expect a little bit more from them," Jack said. "I guess, because of our relationship, I'll be a little harder on them than the other girls."<br /><br />But as a whole, Jack loves having this opportunity.<br /><br />"It's cool," he said. "I really enjoy it. It's been interesting, but it's definitely been a good trip so far."<br /><br />He's coached Winny now for seven years, and a big part of the reason that she's able to keep on going is because of who she's working with.<br /><br />"Having that family support is one reason why I've been able to play for as long as I have," said Winny, the first woman to win an NCAA hockey title with two different schools.<br /><br />"If I didn't have them, I don't know if I'd still be playing."<br /><br />Chelsey and Winny also played a year together at the University of Minnesota, but despite both being defencemen, they don't get a lot of ice together.<br /><br />"We play a pretty similar game, so we it's not a good idea to stick us out there together," Chelsey said.<br /><br />To just consider their mom by her official team title of equipment manager would be a great disservice to what she's done for both the girls and hockey in Minnesota.<br /><br />"I'm a bit of a pioneer and a role model to my girls, because I was playing before there was even women's hockey in Minnesota," Marlene said.<br /><br />She taught Chelsey, Winny, and older sister Kerry how to skate, and now she's on to the next generation.<br /><br />"Kerry has given me four granddaughters, and now I'm teaching them how to skate," Marlene said. "It's been a thrill."<br /><br />Even when Chelsey and Winny's season is over, the hockey calendar doesn't yet end for the family.<br /><br />"I'll be going to Florida for a tournament for women 50 and over," said Marlene, whose team has won the competition in three of the past four years.<br /><br />And with four of the Brodts involved with the Whitecaps, things have truly been a family affair.<br /><br />"It's been a lot of fun, watching my kids go from mites to this," Marlene said. "To have them be able to skate together at this point is great."<br /><br />Source <a href="http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3045356">http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3045356</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-55174145644747957472011-02-16T23:47:00.000-08:002011-02-16T23:48:39.333-08:00Hey, that's my name, too: Popular school names follow national trends<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you were to randomly select a senior, chances are you would pick a “Sarah.”<br /><br />Of the seven “Sarahs” currently attending (or teaching) at SCDS, five are in the high school and, of those five, four are in the senior class.<br /><br />That is to say roughly 11 percent of the senior class is named “Sarah.”<br /><br />This level of popularity follows the trends shown on Social Security Online (S.S.O.), a Website that lists the top 200 names per decade for male and female babies.<br /><br />“Sarah” was the fourth most popular name for girls born in the 1990s, according to S.S.O., having jumped into the top 20 names for girls in the 1970s.<br /><br />According to senior Sarah Habbas, having four “Sarahs” in a grade tends to cause some confusion, especially when all four share a class, like junior AP English last year.<br /><br />“You could never know if someone was talking to you or not,” Habbas said.<br />Senior Sarah Fleming agrees.<br /><br />“It can be embarrassing when you react and they aren’t talking to you,” she said.<br /><br />Fleming and Sarah Mancina, also a senior, are both members of the SCDS piano trio, playing violin and cello respectively.<br /><br />They avoid confusion by using the nicknames “Big Sarah” for Mancina and “Little Sarah” for Fleming.<br /><br />These come from both their heights and instrument sizes, as the violin is much smaller than the cello.<br /><br />While popular in the high school, “Sarah” is all but absent in the faculty and lower grades, following the downward trend reflected by S.S.O.’s rankings.<br /><br />However, there are currently five “Patricias” on the staff.<br /><br />This is consistent with the name’s peak in the 1950s and ‘60s as the third and fifth most popular girls’ name, respectively.<br /><br />After this boom in popularity, the name’s prevalence dropped, and it no longer appears in the top 200 baby names.<br /><br />Neither English teacher Patricia Fels nor art teacher Patricia Kelly runs into problems with the duplicate names.<br /><br />Most people call Fels by her last name.<br /><br />There were multiple “Patricias” in Fels’s elementary school, where she adopted the nickname “Fels.”<br /><br />“[This] started in fifth grade when I sat in front of a girl named Patti Fenner. So to make it easier, I just became Fels and she was Fenner,” she said.<br /><br />For Kelly, the solution was her initials.<br /><br />Most now know her as “Ms. PK,” though some still call her Patricia.<br /><br />And everyone knows math teacher Patricia Dias as “Mrs. D” (if they remember not to call her<br />“Ms. J” as they did before she married last year).<br /><br />Though numerous on the faculty, “Patricia” is missing altogether from the student body.<br />But other names are on the rise.<br /><br />There are five girls named Zoe between the middle and lower schools and not a single one in the faculty or upper grades.<br /><br />This coincides with its appearance in the top 200 baby names of the 1980s, rising from 179 in the 1990s to 54 in the 2000s.<br /><br />The trends for boy names can also be traced through the school.<br /><br />“Brandon” is as prominent in the high school as “Sarah,” with five between the four grades.<br />There are, however, only two in the rest of the school.<br /><br />“Brandon” peaked in the 1990s at 11 before dropping back down to 21 in the 2000s.<br /><br />Though there are two “Brandons” in the sophomore class, according to Brandon Pefferle, this doesn’t cause many problems.<br /><br />“People just call me by my last name, and sometimes [Brandon Mysicka] too,” Pefferle said.<br /><br />Of the five “Jacobs” in the school, four are in the middle and lower schools, consistent with that name’s rise in popularity in the 2000s.<br /><br />It has replaced “Michael” as the most popular name for boys.<br /><br />“Jack” and “Jackson” are two names popular schoolwide, with eight in the student body.<br /><br />“Jack” has risen from 167 in the 1980s to 40 in the 2000s, while “Jackson” didn’t appear in the top 200 boy names in the 1980s but jumped to 42 in the 2000s.<br /><br />There has also been a spike in popularity of androgynous names in the middle and lower schools.<br /><br />There are four “Aidans” and one “Aiden” in the lower and middle schools<br /><br />These sprang into the 54th and 55th spots for boys respectively in the 2000s after not making the top 200 names for boys or girls any decade prior.<br /><br />“Sam” is also common throughout the student body for both boys and girls, with six “Sams” and one “Sami.”<br /><br />“Sam” appears to be consistently popular in all grades, while, according to S.S.O. “Sam” is on the rise for boys, going from 52 in the 1980s to 24 in the 2000s.<br /><br />High-school teacher Brooke Wells occasionally encounters confusion about his name with people who don’t know him.<br /><br />“I sometimes get letters addressed to Ms. Brooke Wells, college counselor,” he said.<br /><br />Though his name does tend to cause confusion, Wells is proud of it.<br /><br />“I was named after my grandfather, Lt. Colonel Kenneth Brooke,” said Wells. “[Wells’s name] was a token of respect to him.”<br /><br />Why so many parents choose “Sarah” or “Patricia” at any given time can’t be proven.<br /><br />In Kelly’s case, she was named after a cousin because her mother liked the name, while Fels<br />was named after her mother.<br /><br />Fleming’s cousin’s name inspired her parents to name her “Sarah.”<br /><br />Mancina’s parents wavered between “Rose” and “Francesca” before finally deciding on “Sarah.”<br /><br />“They just liked [Sarah] the most,” said Mancina.<br /><br />Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, in their book “Freakonomics,” found a correlation between<br />the financial situation of the parents and their child’s name.<br /><br />Using the work of Roland G. Fryer Jr., a Harvard professor who examined the birth-certificate information of every child born in California since 1961, they found that parents name their children with names that sound “successful.”<br /><br />“It is the family just a few blocks over, the one with the bigger house and newer car,” they write in the book.<br /><br />“Parents are reluctant to poach a name from someone too near—family members or close friends—but many parents, whether they realize it or not, like the sound of names that sound ‘successful.’”<br /><br />Name trends begin with the elite, they write. When a name becomes popular among the richest or most successful or intelligent, it trickles down through the tiers of society, as all want their children to experience the same success as others.<br /><br />Eventually, a name becomes so commonplace it is no longer “high-end,” and falls out of common usage as society moves on to the next “it” moniker.<br /><br />Using this theory, Dubner and Levitt predicted what they believe could be some of the top boys’ and girls’ names of 2015.<br /><br />For girls: Annika, Eleanora, Isabel, Maya and Philippa. And for boys: Anderson, Bennett, Carter, Sander and Oliver.<br /><br />Source <a href="http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/413654/newspaperid/618/Hey_thats_my_name_too_Popular_school_names_follow_national_trends.aspx">http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/413654/newspaperid/618/Hey_thats_my_name_too_Popular_school_names_follow_national_trends.aspx</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-40811705765924340492011-02-09T23:39:00.000-08:002011-02-09T23:41:13.790-08:00Bouncer wins battle to clear his name<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> A BOUNCER who was prosecuted after defending the public against a man armed with a knife has cleared his name.<br /><br />Sami Lahmadi was working for Dick De Vigne’s in Warrior Square, Southend, when he was threatened by three angry clubbers who had been thrown out of the venue.<br /><br />Mr Lahmadi, 43, from Southend, stood up to the men and chased them off with a metal pole when he caught sight of a knife.<br /><br />But Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers decided he had used excessive force, throwing Mr Lahmadi into a year-long battle to overturn the charges.<br /><br />Mr Lahmadi has now won his appeal in court.<br /><br />The CPS declined to comment on Mr Lahmadi’s case.<br /><br />Source <a href="http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8838254.Bouncer_wins_battle_to_clear_his_name/">http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8838254.Bouncer_wins_battle_to_clear_his_name/</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-9429918603088138202011-01-20T02:45:00.000-08:002011-01-20T02:48:23.879-08:00Cartoon buff wins animation contest<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Watching cartoons can also be academically beneficial. </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Teenage cartoon buff Sarviin Ageelan, 14, proved that watching too much cartoon does not hamper success.<br /><br />The habit instead inspired him in his prize-winning short animation The Shocking Truth! in the 2010 Toon Creator Awards, organised by Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Cartoon Network.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Form Three student from SMK Taman Inderawasih (SMKTI) here was named Malaysia's winner in the individual category.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> He took home the grand prize, a HP Touchsmart 600 personal computer.<br /><br />His animation, which featured his favourite Cartoon Network characters such as Ben 10, impressed the jury and the public who voted for his work online.</p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />Sarviin, who also won limited edition items from the Ben 10 and Powerpuff Girls collections such as a quad bike, watch, speakers, and walkie-talkie, said he never expected to win the competition.<br /><br />"This success is not mine alone. It also belongs to my friends T. Arvinthran, S. Ugeesh and Thomas, who helped me with the animation clip, and my school," he said.<br /><br /> He said he took 45 days to complete the production of the animation.</p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /> He had to spend a lot of time watching animated films, as well as getting his friends to contribute their ideas.<br /><br /> "I managed to get it done with the help of my friends, using the online interactive programme on HP's website," he said.<br /><br />SMKTI also won three HP TouchSmart 600 personal computers for being the school with the highest number of participants in the nationwide online animation competition.<br /><br /> The Toon Creator Awards is organised for schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 across the Asia Paafic region.<br /><br />The competition encouraged children to show their creativity by directing their short animation clips featuring characters from Cartoon Network's popular series such as Ben 10: Alien Force, Chowder and The Powerpuff Girls.<br /><br />HP marketing and communication manager Kenneth Low, who presented the prizes, said the response from schools in Malaysia was very encouraging, with over 3,000 participants.<br /><br /> He said the competition is expected to continue this year due to the great response from schools and young creators.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Source <a href="http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17pg3tun-2/Article/">http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17pg3tun-2/Article/</a><br /></p>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104475429566081666.post-57969759423271860642010-12-13T23:33:00.000-08:002010-12-13T23:40:58.923-08:00SAMI NASI TAUNTS MAN U: YOU DON'T HAVE THE X FACTOR<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/dynamic/67/285x214/216968_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 214px;" src="http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/dynamic/67/285x214/216968_1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>SAMI NASRI last night lit the touch paper for a potentially explosive six pointer at Old Trafford tomorrow by telling Manchester United: You’ve lost the spark that made you great.<br /><br />Arsenal’s in-form Frenchman threw down the gauntlet ahead of a vital game by implying that Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov are not as dangerous or talented as Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez when they worked their magic at Old Trafford.<br /><br />“Manchester United are not the same team as before with Cristiano Ronaldo and Tevez,” he claimed. “It was a little bit scary to play at Old Trafford then but now I don’t think offensively they are the same as before.”<br /><br />And in a clear swipe at his fellow countryman Patrice Evra, the midfielder warned that Arsenal will make him eat the words he uttered when he suggested that it was men against boys after United knocked them out of the Champions League semi-final in 2009.<br /><br />Says Nasri: “We will see on Monday. We will show him that we grow up.<br /><br />“Every team is difficult to beat now, but we won’t complain. We’re top of the league and we’ll enjoy it.”<br /><br />Nasri is confident that Arsenal can end their five-year silverware famine.<br /><br />“It’s our best chance to win something. Everybody is more mature and for the first time as well we don’t have too many people injured,” added the Frenchman.<br /><br />Source <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/216968/Sami-Nasi-taunts-Man-U-You-don-t-have-the-X-Factor">http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/216968/Sami-Nasi-taunts-Man-U-You-don-t-have-the-X-Factor</a></div>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13885890898601929006noreply@blogger.com0