Justin Timberlake works with Marcus Mumford on Coen film music

(Reuters) - Justin Timberlake has brought his movie and music work together by teaming up with British singer Marcus Mumford from Grammy-winning folk band Mumford & Sons on the soundtrack for an upcoming Coen brothers film.

Timberlake, 32, said in a British radio interview this week that he and Mumford worked with veteran T-Bone Burnett and folk band The Punch Brothers on the soundtrack for "Inside Llewyn Davis," a film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan.

Mulligan married Mumford in April 2012.

"We all kind of worked on the music together and I don't know any other world where we would get the opportunity to collaborate like that, but it was so much fun. So not only will it be a great movie, but the music to it will be fantastic," Timberlake told Britain's Capital FM radio station.

The film, co-starring Timberlake, John Goodman and Garrett Hedlund, follows a singer-songwriter exploring the folk music scene in 1960s New York. It is expected to be released later this year.

The "Sexyback" singer, who first gained fame in the 1990s as lead vocalist of the boy band 'N Sync, stepped away from music five years ago to focus on films such as "The Social Network" and "Friends With Benefits." But last month he released lead single "Suit & Tie" ahead of his album "The 20/20 Experience" out on March 19.

Timberlake is also starring in upcoming crime drama "Runner, Runner," alongside Ben Affleck and Gemma Arterton.

Mumford & Sons won two Grammy Awards earlier in February, including Album of the Year for "Babel."

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/justin-timberlake-works-marcus-mumford-coen-film-music-003817255.html

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Life Insurance: Who Needs It? | Bankrate.com

Life insurance is a topic that makes some people uncomfortable. Few want to think about the inevitability of graduating from this world to the great beyond.

Yet life insurance is an essential tool for keeping loved ones financially secure after death.

Those with dependents are foolish if they don't at least consider purchasing life insurance, says David Marlett, chair of the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

In the following interview, Marlett shares his thoughts about who should buy life insurance and who might be OK skipping it. He also offers tips for zeroing in on exactly how much coverage you might need.

Life insurance is a product that sometimes confuses and intimidates people. In a nutshell, who needs this insurance, and who does not?

Anyone with dependents should strongly consider purchasing life insurance. Dependents could include a spouse, child or even elderly parents in your care. Young, single people without children do not have a significant need for life insurance.

Life insurance basically can be divided into two types: temporary and permanent. Do you have some tips for determining which product is right for you?

For most people, temporary (commonly called "term") insurance will meet their needs. It is much less expensive than permanent life insurance. Term insurance is basically a commodity, and you can purchase (it) from a wide range of highly rated insurers. It is also simple and easy to understand.

How can people best determine the amount of coverage they need?

Typically, it is based on how much income your dependents will need if you are no longer able to support (them) with your income. You will often see rules of thumb that say you should purchase five, seven, even 10 times your annual income. This really oversimplifies the process, though, and neglects to include very important factors.

For example, how old are your dependents? Is your spouse employed? What are your debts and financial needs? There are several excellent online calculators that provide a more thorough needs analysis that can guide the consumer to the appropriate coverage amount.

Do single people need life insurance?

If they have dependents, they have a very significant need for life insurance.

Once the children have flown the nest, does it make sense to drop life insurance? What are the benefits and risks of doing so?

It could make sense to do this. However, the spouse may have a justified concern. Term insurance becomes more expensive as you get older, and you may decide to either eliminate or reduce the coverage as your needs decrease. This will save premium dollars. Your spouse, though, may still want you to keep at least a portion of the life insurance to protect him (or) her.

Ideally, your savings increase and your debts decrease as you age, so you have (a) reduced need for life insurance. However, these days, that may not be the case.

Furthermore, once kids leave the nest, that doesn't mean they are not coming back. They could easily become dependents again, and it may be difficult to purchase new life insurance after you have canceled an older policy that you applied for when you were younger and healthy.

What are some of the most exciting innovations you are seeing in terms of life insurance?

Actually, I prefer to keep it basic and simple. Bells and whistles that are added on just create clutter and add-in fees.

We would like to thank David Marlett, chair of the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., for his insights.

Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/life-insurance-who-needs-it.aspx

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Consumer confidence rebounds in February

NEW YORK (AP) ? Americans' confidence in the economy rebounded in February, reversing three straight months of declines as shoppers began adjusting to a payroll tax hike last month.

The New York-based Conference Board says Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index stands at 69.6, up from a revised 58.4 in January. Economists had expected 60.5, according to research firm FactSet.

It was the highest reading since November's 71.5. Confidence has fallen since then as shoppers were worried about growing economic uncertainty.

The consumer confidence indicator is watched closely because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. The figure is still well below the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-26-US-Consumer-Confidence/id-31b03762631040a5ae4005b897cdec66

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RBC Poll Shows Internet Remains Uncharted Territory For ...

According to a recent RBC small business survey, only 46 per cent of Canadian small businesses have a dedicated website, and less than half (48 per cent) of those businesses say they sell their products and services through their websites. In fact, 56 per cent of the entrepreneurs in the survey rate finding and keeping clients as one of the top business challenges that they will face over the next year, yet only 41 per cent of those surveyed promote their business using a dedicated website.

?With the majority of consumers choosing to research and shop for products and services online, businesses without a web presence are missing a significant opportunity,? says Jim Mulligan, national director, Retail, RBC Royal Bank. ?Businesses need to be visible where consumers choose to be, so investing in an online strategy is fundamental to attract new customers and stay competitive.?

According to Statistics Canada, more than 80 per cent of the Canadian population is online; and a report by the Boston Consulting Group predicts that Canada?s Internet economy will grow 7.4 per cent annually through 2016. Although this represents a significant opportunity for small businesses, twenty per cent of entrepreneurs admit that keeping up to date with technology is among their top challenges.

?It is always challenging for small merchants to stay abreast of new technologies and to find the capital to grow their independent businesses,? said Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO of Retail Council of Canada, adding that RBC in collaboration with Retail Council are investing in tools and resources to assist small merchants in capitalizing on the benefits of an online presence.

?Small merchant online and social media strategies can result in market growth and greater profitability,? noted Brisebois.

When it comes to social media, only 39 per cent of entrepreneurs surveyed say that they use social media to promote their business.

Mulligan adds that engaging in social media offers many positive benefits for entrepreneurs, citing the following examples:

• Improved market awareness;
• More lead generation opportunities;
• Increased relationship building opportunities with existing customers and prospects;
• Better reputation monitoring; and
• Additional traffic to existing web sites.

The RBC survey also found that four-in-10 (38 per cent) businesses that sell via their company website generate over 25 per cent of their revenue through their online sales, with two-in-10 (22 per cent) generating more than 50 per cent of their revenue this way.

Source: http://www.villagegamer.net/2013/02/27/rbc-poll-shows-internet-remains-uncharted-territory-for-canadian-businesses/

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How Einhorn turned from Apple advocate to agitator

(Reuters) - Hedge fund star manager David Einhorn was arguably Apple Inc's biggest cheerleader on Wall Street with a stake worth about $600 million and an oft-cited prediction that the company's market value would hit $1 trillion some day.

So it was a shock on Thursday when Einhorn announced that he was suing Apple to get it to deploy its $137.1 billion cash pile more effectively and arrest a 35 percent drop in its share price from a record high logged last September.

Unknown to Wall Street, Einhorn had for months been imploring Apple's chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, to have the company issue dividend-paying preferred shares to reward investors and juice the stock price.

Einhorn told Reuters he felt blindsided when he received Apple's January 7 annual proxy statement and saw that it contained a proposal that would make it more difficult for the company to issue preferred stock.

"We saw that the proxy came out and we saw they were planning to get rid of preferred and then we said, 'Wait a minute, we are not going to be able to bring this up again in a good way if we allow them to do this. So we should contest it now,'" Einhorn said in a phone interview.

Einhorn's $8 billion Greenlight Capital Inc on Thursday sued Apple in U.S. District Court in New York, asserting that its Proxy Proposal 2 would "restrict the board's ability to unlock the value on Apple's balance sheet.

The 44-year-old hedge fund manager, who made his name and fortune by predicting the collapse of Lehman Brothers, is also urging Apple shareholders to vote against the proxy proposal at the company's annual meeting on February 27.

Apple said in a statement that it will evaluate Greenlight's recommendation and denied that its proxy proposal was aimed at preventing the issuance of preferred stock. If Proxy Proposal 2 is adopted, Apple said it could still issue preferred stock as long as it obtained approval from shareholders.

But the extra hurdle, from Einhorn's point of view, was unacceptable and so he took the matter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The way Einhorn tells it, Cook was more receptive than his CFO and the two sides are still talking. But Einhorn decided to file suit anyway because of the approaching annual meeting.

"The lawsuit is just to get the proxy sorted out," he said.

LONG ON APPLE

Einhorn began investing in Apple in 2010 and holds 1.3 million shares worth about $600 million at current values.

He emerged as a prominent advocate for the stock after it began to fall last year following some disappointing quarterly results, stiffer competition in the smartphone market, and product snafus that fueled fears Apple had lost its innovative edge following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

Einhorn said in a letter to investors last month that Greenlight had taken advantage of the drop in Apple's shares to buy more stock in the fourth quarter. That was one reason the fund posted a negative return of 4.9 percent in the quarter.

Since May last year, Einhorn has been urging the company to unlock several hundred billion dollars of shareholder value by distributing preferred stock, which he favored over a share buyback because it did not deplete cash immediately.

In private conversations with Oppenheimer, Einhorn said Apple could initially distribute $50 billion of perpetual preferred stock with a 4 percent annual cash dividend paid quarterly at preferential tax rates.

But, according to Einhorn, Oppenheimer and his advisers calculated the dividend to be 8 percent, which they deemed too high.

"We said, that's crazy. That's crazy. We think 4 percent. If we're wrong, maybe it's 4.5 percent or 4-1/4 percent - it is not 8 percent. So, we kind of agreed to disagree. We kind of sat on it for a few months," Einhorn said.

When he eventually took the matter to Cook, Einhorn said he felt that the CEO did not know all the details of Einhorn's discussions with Oppenheimer.

"When I discussed this with Tim Cook, and actually, the conversation has been going on for the last couple of weeks, he said that he wasn't familiar with my previous conversations with Peter Oppenheimer and whoever Peter Oppenheimer's advisers were. I was surprised by that.

"I think we got the brush-off the first time," Einhorn said about Oppenheimer and his advisers. "I don't know what the communication was" between Oppenheimer and Cook.

Apple declined to comment on the specifics of the discussions with Einhorn.

A source familiar with the matter characterized the interaction with the hedge fund manager as "cordial," saying that there had been "friendly disagreement" only on whether common shareholders should be allowed to vote on something as significant as an issuance of preferred stock.

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

Einhorn said in a television interview that despite their differences, he felt Cook was doing an excellent job as CEO, but he described Apple's management as having a "Depression-era" mentality that led it to hoard cash and invest only in the safest, lowest-yielding securities.

"In other words, people who have gone through traumas...and Apple has gone through a couple of traumas in its history, they sometimes feel like they can never have enough cash," Einhorn said on CNBC.

Cook and Oppenheimer both joined Apple during the turbulent late 1990s when the tech company was struggling to stay afloat and before Steve Jobs engineered a sensational turnaround with products like the iPhone and iPad that became must-haves for consumers around the world.

Oppenheimer later earned a reputation on Wall Street for extreme conservatism in cash management. The company likes to remain liquid by investing in safe but low-yielding U.S. Treasury and agency debt, shies away from big acquisitions, and repeatedly preaches a "capital preservation" mantra to investors.

Under Cook in 2011, Apple gradually loosened the reins, announcing its first multi-year dividend and share repurchase programs.

Einhorn and Apple will have another bout when they air their arguments on February 22 in court. Before then, the outspoken fund manager will be lobbying other shareholders.

Analysts say one benefit of preferred stock is that up to 80 percent of the dividends can be tax-free for corporate investors, although preferred shares tend to be less liquid than ordinary shares or bonds.

"The idea is powerful and when I have a chance to explain it to the shareholders, most will see it as an enormous win-win," Einhorn said.

(Reporting by Jennifer Ablan; Additional reporting by Edwin Chan and Poornima Gupta; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Matt Driskill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/einhorn-turned-apple-advocate-agitator-024325690--sector.html

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Creating & Sustaining Prosperity & Abundance 02/14 by ...

On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/intuitivecoaching/2013/02/14/creating-sustaining-prosperity-abundance

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Solving big-data bottleneck: Scientists team with business innovators to tackle research hurdles

Feb. 7, 2013 ? In a study that represents a potential cultural shift in how basic science research can be conducted, researchers from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School and London Business School have demonstrated that a crowdsourcing platform pioneered in the commercial sector can solve a complex biological problem more quickly than conventional approaches -- and at a fraction of the cost.

Partnering with TopCoder, a crowdsourcing platform with a global community of 450,000 algorithm specialists and software developers, researchers identified a program that can analyze vast amounts of data, in this case from the genes and gene mutations that build antibodies and T cell receptors. Since the immune system takes a limited number of genes and recombines them to fight a seemingly infinite number of invaders, predicting these genetic configurations has proven a massive challenge, with few good solutions.

The program identified through this crowdsourcing experiment succeeded with an unprecedented level of accuracy and remarkable speed.

"This is a proof-of-concept demonstration that we can bring people together not only from different schools and different disciplines, but from entirely different economic sectors, to solve problems that are bigger than one person, department or institution," said Eva Guinan, HMS associate professor of radiation oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and director of the Harvard Catalyst Linkages Program. "Given how complicated the immune system is, this has been a particularly formidable biological problem, and building tools for solving it has been hard and time-consuming. We were stunned by the power of these results and their potential application."

"This study makes us think about greater efficiencies in academic research can be obtained," said Karim Lakhani, associate professor in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. "In a traditional setting, a life scientist who needs large volumes of data analyzed will hire a postdoc to create a solution, and it could take well over a year. We're showing that in certain instances, existing platforms and communities might solve these problems better, cheaper and faster."

"We're excited to see that ideas from economics and management fields can be so productively applied to medical research," said Kevin Boudreau, assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School. "This progress is heartening, particularly in view of the computational challenges we face in understanding so many diseases. We hope this provides a model of how social science and medical researchers can collaborate to solve real-world problems that matter to people."

These findings are reported Feb. 7 in Nature Biotechnology.

For several years Boudreau, Guinan and Lakhani -- through Harvard Catalyst -- have explored the potential applicability of open and distributed innovation approaches to new areas, such as medical research. This has involved bringing insights from social science and economics to processes of medical research. They teamed up with Ramy Arnaout, HMS assistant professor of pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Arnaout is also a systems biologist whose laboratory studies immune sequencing and other so-called "big-data" problems in biomedicine. Arnaout had developed computational methods for analyzing immune repertoires, but he could foresee having to invest significant computer and personnel resources to keep those methods able to handle the ever-increasing influx of data.

The researchers offered TopCoder what they thought would be an impossible goal: to develop a predictive algorithm that was an order of magnitude better than either Arnaout's or the NIH's standard algorithm (known as BLAST), and that could scale up to the mounting data demands. To do this, they had to first reframe the problem, translating it so that it could be accessible to individuals not trained in computational biology.

In only two weeks, viable solutions came from 122 different individuals. Among these, 16 were more accurate -- and up to 1,000 times faster -- than BLAST. The research team has released the top five performing code submissions under an open source license.

"This is more than just a quick, in expensive answer," said Guinan. "It's uniting different approaches to a problem by taking from Harvard many disparate reservoirs of knowledge and bringing them together to formulate the question, analyze the data, and then put it back to use. This draws on our faculty in a very diverse way. By extending the numbers of people who look at our specific problem, we get solutions rapidly. We have a lot of biases about doing that, and we really shouldn't. In the end this allows researchers to turn their attention to basic science questions and not get caught up in details that they are less well suited to address."

"In a way, the immune system is really the dark matter of biology," said Arnaout. "We have all this sequence data, and there's no good way to figure out what it's doing. Not only did the best entries achieve truly superior performance, but also this kind of crowdsourcing has the potential to be a general solution for a whole class of problems in biology. No single university or institution has the bandwidth and resources to achieve this kind of result so quickly and efficiently."

Co-authors on the study included Po-Ru Loh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Lars Backstrom (TopCoder), Carliss Baldwin (HBS), Eric Lonstein (HBS), Mike Lydon (TopCoder) and Alan MacCormack (HBS).

This work was funded by Harvard Business School's Division of Research and Faculty Development, the NASA Tournament Lab at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science, and Harvard Catalyst.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard Medical School.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Karim R Lakhani, Kevin J Boudreau, Po-Ru Loh, Lars Backstrom, Carliss Baldwin, Eric Lonstein, Mike Lydon, Alan MacCormack, Ramy A Arnaout, Eva C Guinan. Prize-based contests can provide solutions to computational biology problems. Nature Biotechnology, 2013; 31 (2): 108 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2495

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/E5-iUhTdFZY/130207141448.htm

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Howard Goodall's History of Music review | Arts & Entertainment ...

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BBC2

Saturday, 26^th?January 2013. 9.30 pm

A?camera, a screen and a piano, those are all the tools a good teacher needs to teach music. Or so the great Howard Goodall thinks anyway. His Story of Music sets out to be another clear BBC Documentary, covering from the Stone Age of Music to Opera?s birth.

There are a million ways of telling the story of music?, as Howard Goodall says, and this complete documentary is certainly his. Perhaps there really is nobody better?to talk about music?than a man who has won awards for his work as a broadcaster and composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores. He?says at the start that music is a mirror of the time when it was written, so if we know about music, we will know at least half about history.

Howard Goodall drives us on a six-episodes tour?from the beginning of music, in the Stone Age, to the birth of Claudio Monteverdi?s opera, back in the Baroque period. When lyrics and rhythms were hard to remember, Goodall tells us?about the first monks? and nuns? work, which was about writing down several times the same melody just to remember it. We barely have instruments left from that period, every score is missing. Shame on us!

All along the documentary, we learn about the history of music, without even noticing it. The show presents us with a peculiar mix of ancient and up-to-date images which are backed on a current chorus of voices, increasing in number as we move along different important scenes of music.

He does not miss a single detail, summing up centuries in just 60 minutes. Goodall makes travel back in time possible, from Egypt or Greece to Spain or Italy, key places in music?s development. You almost feel like you were there. You really do not have to be into music to enjoy being taught some basics about this big issue. It becomes even easier when he plays the piano, playing some of the most known songs as he explains each discovery in the wide world of music.

Goodall tries to be hip. He contrasts 21^stCentury clips and artists like Bruno Mars or Lady Gaga with the first Christian?s origin songs. He?even makes a stave with some snacks, before sharing who Guido D?Arezzo and Perotin were and how important their contribution has been to musical language.

This graphic documentary supplements Goodall?s speech with amazing images from the environments where music was born: Alhambra?s gardens, the Greek Parthenon, Christian churches, gargoyles. Indeed, it makes you want to travel. It is not just music, which manipulates our emotions, landscapes play their role too.

That lead us to the final part of this BBC masterpiece, the birth of Claudio Monteverdi?s opera, a fusion of music and theatre, one of the most complete genres.?With or without the assumption that we have five episodes left to know everything about music, this documentary ends?letting us know that this little story does not finish here.

Source: http://caledonianblogs.net/aej/2013/02/06/howard-goodalls-history-of-music-review/

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Will Saturday cuts save the Postal Service?

Postmaster General?Patrick R. Donahoe announced plans to reduce Saturday deliveries beginning in August. The Postal Service says the changes will save $2 billion annually. Though The Postal Service lost $15.9 billion last fiscal year, some in Congress and elsewhere oppose the Saturday cutbacks.?

By Pauline Jelinek,?Associated Press / February 6, 2013

A 25-year veteran U.S. mail carrier, Keo, delivers mail as he walks his route in Los Angeles Wednesday. The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service wants to stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to deliver packages six days a week under a plan aimed at saving about $2 billion a year.

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Enlarge

Saturday mail may soon go the way of the Pony Express and penny postcards. The Postal Service said Wednesday that it plans to cut back to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages to stem its financial losses in a world radically re-ordered by the Internet.

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"Our financial condition is urgent," declared Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. But Congress has voted in the past to bar the idea of eliminating Saturday delivery, and his announcement immediately drew protests from some lawmakers. The plan, which is to take effect in August, also brought vigorous objections from farmers, the letter carriers' union and others.

The Postal Service, which suffered a $15.9 billion loss in the past budget year, said it expected to save $2 billion annually with the Saturday cutback. Mail such as letters and magazines would be affected. Delivery of packages of all sizes would continue six days a week.

The plan accentuates one of the agency's strong points: Package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010,?officials?say, while the delivery of letters and other mail has plummeted. Email has decreased the mailing of paper letters, but online purchases have increased package shipping, forcing the Postal Service to adjust to customers' new habits.

"Things change," Donahoe said.

James Valentine, an antiques shop owner in Toledo, wasn't too concerned about the news.

"The mail isn't that important to me anymore. I don't sit around waiting for it to come. It's a sign of the times," he said, adding, "It's not like anyone writes letters anymore."

In fact, the Postal Service has had to adapt to changing times ever since Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general by the Continental Congress in 1775. The Pony Express began in 1860, six-day delivery started in 1863, and airmail became the mode in 1918. Twice-a-day delivery was cut to one in 1950 to save money.

But change is not the biggest factor in the agency's predicament ? Congress is. The majority of the service's red ink comes from a 2006 law forcing it to pay about $5.5 billion a year into future retiree health benefits, something no other agency does. Without that payment ? $11.1 billion in a two-year installment last year ? and related labor expenses, the mail agency sustained an operating loss of $2.4 billion for the past fiscal year, lower than the previous year.

Congress also has stymied the service's efforts to close some?post?offices?in small towns.

Under the new plan, mail would be delivered to homes and businesses only from Monday through Friday but would still be delivered to?post?office?boxes on Saturdays.?Post?offices?now open on Saturdays would remain open.

Over the past several years, the Postal Service has advocated shifting to a five-day delivery schedule for mail and packages ? and it repeatedly but unsuccessfully has appealed to Congress to approve the move. An independent agency, the service gets no tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/-mqNvwUEzvE/Will-Saturday-cuts-save-the-Postal-Service

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Study: Buying luxury -- hedonistic or just French?

Public release date: 6-Feb-2013
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Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett
aboyle@udel.edu
302-831-1421
University of Delaware

A young woman in Tokyo pays 243,000 Yen for a Louis Vuitton suitcase emblazoned with the company's iconic monogram. A continent away, another woman purchases the same suitcase at the company's store on New York's 5th Avenue for the equivalent price in dollars, $3000. Why? What motivates their purchases? And, do those motivations hinge on their location?

That is precisely what Professor Jaehee Jung and her collaborators at universities in 9 other countries sought to answer. Their findings published recently in the journal, Psychology & Marketing, compared consumers' perceptions of luxury.

Despite the glum worldwide economy, luxury goods are selling well. Jung, an associate professor of fashion and apparel studies, and the others found that consumers in different countries, like the two women described above, purchase luxury goods for different reasons. For luxury goods makers, it is critical to consider these motivations, Jung said.

In the U.S. it's about hedonism.

"American consumers generally buy goods for self fulfillment, rather than to please others," she said.

Jung surveyed American college students. Many responded positively to statements such as "pleasure is all that matters." Factors including the quality of luxury items were not a driving concern for the students. Jung said this preference isn't surprising; it is cultural.

"In Western cultures where individualism is valued there is generally less pressure to fit in with groups, such as peers and co-workers, than in Eastern cultures where collectivism is valued," she said.

Hedonistic tendencies may be creeping into countries with developing economies. Brazilian and Indian students perceived luxury in the same way.

Surveys of students in France indicated they value luxury items because they are expensive and exclusive. French consumers responded positively to statements including: "true luxury products cannot be mass produced" and "few people own a true luxury product."

"Many luxury goods originate in France," Jung said. "Cultural heritage and pride might have made them feel luxury is not for everyone."

Meanwhile Germans focused on function, placing emphasis on quality standards over prestige, as did the Italians, Hungarians and Slovakians.

Jung and her collaborators intend to keep exploring what drives luxury purchases, saying it has consequence for marketers, as demand increases and their target consumer base widens. A growing number of customers, college students included, now have a taste for luxury goods, but are not necessarily financially stable. Still, they buy.

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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.

Public release date: 6-Feb-2013
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Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett
aboyle@udel.edu
302-831-1421
University of Delaware

A young woman in Tokyo pays 243,000 Yen for a Louis Vuitton suitcase emblazoned with the company's iconic monogram. A continent away, another woman purchases the same suitcase at the company's store on New York's 5th Avenue for the equivalent price in dollars, $3000. Why? What motivates their purchases? And, do those motivations hinge on their location?

That is precisely what Professor Jaehee Jung and her collaborators at universities in 9 other countries sought to answer. Their findings published recently in the journal, Psychology & Marketing, compared consumers' perceptions of luxury.

Despite the glum worldwide economy, luxury goods are selling well. Jung, an associate professor of fashion and apparel studies, and the others found that consumers in different countries, like the two women described above, purchase luxury goods for different reasons. For luxury goods makers, it is critical to consider these motivations, Jung said.

In the U.S. it's about hedonism.

"American consumers generally buy goods for self fulfillment, rather than to please others," she said.

Jung surveyed American college students. Many responded positively to statements such as "pleasure is all that matters." Factors including the quality of luxury items were not a driving concern for the students. Jung said this preference isn't surprising; it is cultural.

"In Western cultures where individualism is valued there is generally less pressure to fit in with groups, such as peers and co-workers, than in Eastern cultures where collectivism is valued," she said.

Hedonistic tendencies may be creeping into countries with developing economies. Brazilian and Indian students perceived luxury in the same way.

Surveys of students in France indicated they value luxury items because they are expensive and exclusive. French consumers responded positively to statements including: "true luxury products cannot be mass produced" and "few people own a true luxury product."

"Many luxury goods originate in France," Jung said. "Cultural heritage and pride might have made them feel luxury is not for everyone."

Meanwhile Germans focused on function, placing emphasis on quality standards over prestige, as did the Italians, Hungarians and Slovakians.

Jung and her collaborators intend to keep exploring what drives luxury purchases, saying it has consequence for marketers, as demand increases and their target consumer base widens. A growing number of customers, college students included, now have a taste for luxury goods, but are not necessarily financially stable. Still, they buy.

###

---

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uod-sbl020613.php

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Skin Care: Tips for Dry Skin - Health Me Up

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External factors are the most common underlying cause and the easiest to tackle when it comes to addressing conditions like dry skin. But not just season change even internal factors too play a vital role in maintaining the skin. Domestic factors like overall health, age, genetics, family history and external factors like cold temperature, low humidity affect the texture of the skin.

Winter season can be brutal on your skin, since cold temperatures often mean low humidity, which dries out the skin. The mainstay of winters is to hydrate the skin and replenish the lost moisture.? Hydration of the body is very important as it makes for a healthy functioning of the system and youthful looking skin.

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Skin can be hydrated in two ways; internally by drinking an adequate amount of water, taking oil supplements and externally by using products that hydrate and moisturize.

The skin type differs for every individual. It makes good sense to have a customized regime to achieve a healthy skin. The basic rules remain the same, albeit the products can be altered as per the skin type.

• The first step involves washing your face with a gentle water soluble cleanser. It should not have any agents like alcohol witch hazel or even salicylic acid. The cleansing should ideally be done twice daily.
• Exfoliation is a process to slough off the dead skin cells and helps reveal fresh and healthy skin. It can be done using mild granular scrubs. This is best done once a week.
• Moisturizing is a vital step in skin care regime. It is a misconception that oily skin does not need moisturisers. Oily skin also needs hydration, but yes considering the fact that an oily skin is prone to comedones and acne, a little attention should be paid whilst selecting the moisturiser. It should be non-comedogenic and oil-free. ?
• Use sunscreen each day to protect your skin. No matter what type of skin you have, an oil-free sunscreen used each morning before you go outside can help your skin stay looking young, fresh and keep it healthy.
• Dry skin/ Normal skin: Mix 1 tsp of malai and a pinch of turmeric and 4-5 drops of olive oil. Apply it and leave it to dry, wash and pat dry.
• Oily skin: Mix 2 tsp of raw milk or milk powder, add 2 tsp of cucumber juice and few drops of lemon. Apply this on your face with a cotton ball. Allow it dry. Wash with cold water and pat dry.
• Combination skin: For the T-zone area on your face, you can apply a mud-pack once in a week to keep the sebum production under control and to hydrate the rest of the face, use a fruit based pack. Rub ice on the T-zone to help tighten the pores.
• Drinking water helps in flushing toxins out of your body and eliminates the pollutants that are present in the bloodstream.
• Complement this with creams that are rich in nourishing elements such as almond oil, cocoa and shea butter amongst others. ?
• Alternatively one can also massage almond oil or olive oil on the skin(can be used on face as well in case of acne-free skin).?

*Inputs: Dr Vandana Chatrath, Dermatologist, Kubba Clinic, New Delhi

*Image Courtesy: Thinstock/ Getty Images
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STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1"},function(data){ //alert(data); $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); //$("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+19387).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+19387).html(''); $('#comment_'+19387).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Skin Care: Tips for Dry Skin"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/skin-care-tips-for-dry-skin/19387"; var story_section ="News"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/1/1"; var author_name = "Sobiya N. Moghul"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/sobiya-n-moghul/1200"; var posteddate = "Feb 6th 2013 at 7:00AM" var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/content/2013/Feb/153_100x75.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate} ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'luxpresso', 'href':'http://luxpresso.com/'}]; // FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); }); } }); }else{ var username= jQuery.trim($("#Username").val()); var useremailid= jQuery.trim($("#Useremail").val()); var comment_parentid=jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var userpassword=jQuery.trim($("#Password").val()); var content_id=jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag =jQuery.trim($("#whichcontype").val()); var flag = 0; if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var username = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var username = $("#Username").val(); } if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; }else if(username=="" || useremailid==""){ errmsg = "Please login to comment."; flag=1; }else if (userpassword == "" || userpassword == "Password"){ errmsg = "Please Enter Password"; $('#Password').focus(); flag=1; } if(flag==0){ //alert("asda"); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'normaluser','EmailId':useremailid,'whihcflag':whihcflag,'Username':username,"userpassword":userpassword,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid,'comment_text':comment_text,'screenName':screenName},function(data){ //alert(trim(data)); if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); $("#showerrorComment").show(); }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ //alert("dsf") $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('

Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!

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Thanks for posting the comments.

'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; // $("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+19387).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+19387).html(''); $('#comment_'+19387).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); del_cook('keepComment'); }); }else{ $("#showerrorComment").html(errmsg); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; } } } function posttofacebook(comment_text){ var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Skin Care: Tips for Dry Skin"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/skin-care-tips-for-dry-skin/19387"; var story_section ="News"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/1/1"; var author_name = "Sobiya N. Moghul"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/sobiya-n-moghul/1200"; var posteddate = "Feb 6th 2013 at 7:00AM"; var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/content/2013/Feb/153_100x75.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate } ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'Healthmeup', 'href':'http://healthmeup.com/'}]; //FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); } function clearText(field){ if (field.defaultValue == field.value) field.value = ''; else if (field.value == '') field.value = field.defaultValue; } function del_cook(name){ //alert('deleted'); var expdate = new Date(); expdate.setTime(expdate.getTime() - 1); document.cookie = name += "=; expires=" + expdate.toGMTString(); } window.setTimeout(function() { // This will execute 0.5s after the page loads // and it will execute only once if(readCookie('focus_comment')) { $(window).bind('load', function() { $('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: $('#landcomment').offset().top }, 'fast'); $("#comment_text").focus(); Set_Cookie("focus_comment",'1', "-1"); $("#login_thank_u").html('Thank you for logging in. Please go ahead and submit your comment'); $("#login_thank_u").show(); $("#login_thank_u").fadeOut(10000); }); } }, 500);

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A spiral galaxy with a secret

Feb. 5, 2013 ? The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope -- with a little help from an amateur astronomer -- has produced one of the best views yet of nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106. Located a little over 20 million light-years away, practically a neighbour by cosmic standards, Messier 106 is one of the brightest and nearest spiral galaxies to our own.

Despite its appearance, which looks much like countless other galaxies, Messier 106 hides a number of secrets. Thanks to this image, which combines data from Hubble with observations by amateur astronomers Robert Gendler and Jay GaBany, they are revealed as never before.

At its heart, as in most spiral galaxies, is a supermassive black hole, but this one is particularly active. Unlike the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, which pulls in wisps of gas only occasionally, Messier 106's black hole is actively gobbling up material. As the gas spirals towards the black hole, it heats up and emits powerful radiation. Part of the emission from the centre of Messier 106 is produced by a process that is somewhat similar to that in a laser -- although here the process produces bright microwave radiation.*

As well as this microwave emission from Messier 106's heart, the galaxy has another startling feature -- instead of two spiral arms, it appears to have four. Although the second pair of arms can be seen in visible light images as ghostly wisps of gas, as in this image, they are even more prominent in observations made outside of the visible spectrum, such as those using X-ray or radio waves.

Unlike the normal arms, these two extra arms are made up of hot gas rather than stars, and their origin remained unexplained until recently. Astronomers think that these, like the microwave emission from the galactic centre, are caused by the black hole at Messier 106's heart, and so are a totally different phenomenon from the galaxy's normal, star-filled arms.

The extra arms appear to be an indirect result of jets of material produced by the violent churning of matter around the black hole. As these jets travel through the galactic matter they disrupt and heat up the surrounding gas, which in turn excites the denser gas in the galactic plane and causes it to glow brightly. This denser gas closer to the centre of the galaxy is tightly-bound, and so the arms appear to be straight. However, the looser disc gas further out is blown above or below the disc in the opposite direction from the jet, so that the gas curves out of the disc -- producing the arching red arms seen here.

Despite carrying his name, Messier 106 was neither discovered nor catalogued by the renowned 18th century astronomer Charles Messier. Discovered by his assistant, Pierre M?chain, the galaxy was never added to the catalogue in his lifetime. Along with six other objects discovered but not logged by the pair, Messier 106 was posthumously added to the Messier catalogue in the 20th century.

Amateur astronomer Robert Gendler retrieved archival Hubble images of M 106 to assemble a mosaic of the centre of the galaxy. He then used his own and fellow astrophotographer Jay GaBany's observations of M 106 to combine with the Hubble data in areas where there was less coverage, and finally, to fill in the holes and gaps where no Hubble data existed.

The centre of the galaxy is composed almost entirely of Hubble data taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, Wide Field Camera 3, and Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 detectors. The outer spiral arms are predominantly HST data colourised with ground-based data taken by Gendler's and GaBany's 12.5-inch and 20-inch telescopes, located at very dark remote sites in New Mexico, USA.

Gendler was a prizewinner in the recent Hubble's Hidden Treasures image processing competition. Another prizewinner, Andr? van der Hoeven, entered a different version of Messier 106, combining Hubble and NOAO data.

*Lasers work when light stimulates emission of more light from a cloud of excited gas, with the original light in effect being amplified (the word laser is an acronym for light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation). The centre of M106 harbours a similar phenomenon called a maser (short for microwave amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation), in which microwave radiation, which is at longer wavelengths than visible light, is emitted. Note that unlike human-made lasers, which are designed to produce a narrow beam, astronomical masers shine in all directions.

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Zynga revenue flat, mobile shift emphasized - Online Gambling News

February 6, 2013

Social gamers Zynga reported $311m in Q4 2012 revenues, a figure virtually unchanged from the same period a year ago, but which nonetheless beat analysts? expectations. The net loss for the quarter was $48.6m, or six cents per share, compared to $435m in Q4 2011. Expenses fell dramatically ? from $798m to $274m ? in part due to cost-cutting measures announced in October that included significant layoffs, production studio closures and scrapping of unpopular games. Full year revenue rose 12% to $1.28b, while net loss for the year hit $209m ? just over half 2011?s $404.3m. For Q1 2013, Zynga is projecting revenues of $255m-$265m and an adjusted loss of four cents to five cents per share.

During Q4, Zynga?s daily average users tally came in at 56m ? up 11% year-on-year but down 6% from Q3 2012 and well off the 72m peak in Q2 2012 ? and monthly average users were also down 4% to 298m from Q3?s 311m. The key metric of average daily bookings per average daily active user fell from six cents in Q4 2011 to five cents. Overall bookings fell 15% to $261m, the fourth straight quarter that figure has fallen. Monthly unique payers were down 1% year-on-year and down 2% from Q3. Game revenue fell 3% while ad revenue rose 35% to $36.8m. Despite the negativity, Zynga shares closed out the day up 7% at $2.74, and were up further still in after-hours trading.

Three unpopular games ? CityVille 2, The Friend Game and Party Place ? will get the axe, and Zynga says it won?t wait as long in future to ?call the ball? on games that don?t set the world on fire. (Brian Reynolds, the game designer who took the lead on CityVille 2, resigned from Zynga a week ago.) Looking ahead, Zynga?s pipeline is full of ?midcore? games, i.e. games that allow players to get a complete game fix in a shorter session, custom made for mobile users.

On the post-earnings analyst call, CEO Mark Pincus said that, like Facebook, the emphasis was on mobile, with more Zynga teams now working on mobile product than for the web. For the first time, Zynga offered hard numbers on its mobile users, revealing that around 72m (24%) of Zynga?s monthly average users are playing solely via mobile devices, which CFO Mark Vranesh said represented a 75% increase from a year ago. Mobile accounted for 21% of Zynga?s overall bookings in Q4, up from 8% last year. However, Vranesh said he doesn?t expect mobile games to ?have a meaningful contribution to 2013 revenues,? and Zynga projected overall bookings would fall to $200m?$210m in the current quarter, presumably because mobile users are generally less likely to pay for virtual goods than web users. So careful what you wish for.

Zynga Poker?s audience grew 8% year-on-year to 37m monthly active users in Q4 and was responsible for 20% of Zynga?s total online game revenue ? more than any other single title (although Words With Friends is Zynga?s most popular mobile title). As for Zynga?s real-money gambling tie-up in the UK with Bwin.party, Pincus would be no more specific than to say the launch was on target for H1 2013. Who knows? Zynga may find out whether its Nevada interactive gaming license application is approved before ZyngaPlus earns its first real-money gambling dollar.

Source: http://calvinayre.com/2013/02/06/business/zynga-revenue-flat-emphasis-on-mobile-gaming/

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Senate tries again to move anti-violence bill (Providence Journal)

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Use These Tips To Survive Life With Hemorrhoids | Article Directory

Let?s face it, hemorrhoids are a pain in the butt! There are a lot of things that cause hemorrhoids. The burning and itching associated with hemorrhoids is not only unpleasant but embarrassing as well.The intention of this article is to give the hemorrhoid sufferer some tips to help alleviate the embarrassing symptoms and pain that hemorrhoids bring.

Your job or lifestyle may have an effect on your hemorrhoid symptoms. If you have a desk job or spend a lot of time sitting while you?re at home, make sure to give yourself some relief by walking around for a few minutes every hour. This takes the direct pressure off your hemorrhoids. Also, if your job involves a lot of heavy lifting, try to exhale as you bear the brunt of the load. Holding your breath exerts pressure on the hemorrhoids and may cause them to become more painful.

Incorporating acai berries into your daily diet can improve how you feel throughout the day and reduce your hemorrhoids. Acai berries are very rich in antioxidants and can help to break down toxins in your body. Reducing toxins in your body will help to reduce the swelling and make you feel better.

During rest room breaks make sure you do not strain hard. Straining and pushing hard will only make your hemorrhoids worse; instead walk around to stimulate peristalsis in the intestines which will making elimination easier. Engaging in light exercise like rebounding or swimming will assist in getting the bowels moving. But no matter what do not force a bowel movement.

Excessive or overly aggressive wiping after a bowel movement can further irritate delicate hemorrhoidal tissues. If opportunity presents, take a bath after bowel movements. Also try using medicated premoistened towelettes for the purpose of toileting or specifically for hemorrhoids. You will find all of these approaches soothing.

You?ll be surprised how many types of nonprescription products can quickly relieve your hemorrhoid symptoms! These include creams, gels, pads, and foams that can soothe pain and reduce itching and inflammation. You can also try pills, such as Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen that can reduce swelling and inflammation!

Spending time in any one fixed position is not good for hemorrhoids and will slow down the healing process. So just as sitting all day is bad, standing in one fixed position all day is just as bad. Try to alternate between between being stationary and moving and between sitting and standing.

Being overweight puts one at greater risk for developing hemorrhoids. Losing weight if you are overweight will reduce your risk of developing hemorrhoids and reduce the swelling of a pre-existing hemorrhoid. A larger waist and abdominal area leads to putting more weight and pressure on the veins in your rectum leading to hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids flare up on us the most when we have trouble passing a stool. This means you should always work to have looser stools by way of a stool softener. You can get some great over-the-counter products that will keep things moving along nicely down there, allowing you to use the bathroom comfortably.

To stay as healthy as possible and limit the symptoms of hemorrhoids, make sure that you maintain a proper diet. This means that you should reduce the foods that have high cholesterol and fat content to improve the way that you feel. Eat well-balanced meals that are rich in protein for optimal results.

Avoid scratching your hemorrhoids at all costs. Besides causing increased irritation, you can cause them to bleed and transfer germs from your hands. Hemorrhoids can easily become infected which can lead to more serious issues. Use a medicated ointment for those times when the itching or inflammation is too much to bear.

As simple as ice is, it is truly effective at reducing pain, swelling ans even itching associated with hemorrhoids. You can use one of those cooler ice packs or simply put some ice in a plastic bag. Be sure not to use ice for extended periods of time so as not to get a frostbite.

As stated in the beginning of this article, hemorrhoids can be a pain in the butt, quite literally. The burning and itching symptoms can be close to unbearable and are most certainly embarrassing. Hopefully this article has given you some great ideas about how to calm those terrible hemorrhoid symptoms.

Learn more about curing hemorrhoids. Stop by Dr. Trella Dutton?s site where you can find out all about natural hemorrhoid cures and what they can do for you.

Source: http://www.erectile-dysfunction-natural-cure.com/use-these-tips-to-survive-life-with-hemorrhoids.html

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