Berks office space: Still a buyer's market

John Gleason, left, executive director of Digestive Disease Associates, and Dr. Louis La Luna, president, outside the practice?s new office building in Wyomissing.

By Erin Negley
Reading Eagle
Digestive Disease Associates started as Berks? first gastroenterology practice in 1972 and has grown to a staff of 13 physicians plus an affiliated surgery center that saw more than 12,000 patients last year.

Through the years, the practice has expanded to three locations in the Wyomissing area, but patients often went to the wrong office. There was little physical room for the company to grow.

So the search for a bigger space started in 2011.

It?s still a buyer?s market, and Digestive Disease Associates found a brand-new building in the Wyomissing Corporate Center that included a deal for improvements. In December, the practice opened a 19,000-square-foot office, and, across the hall, Berks Center for Digestive Health, a 12,000-square-foot surgery center for colonoscopies and other procedures. The building has space for the more than 90 employees, for a lab and for growth.

The Berks County commercial real estate market is better than it was at the start of the recession, but it?s still sluggish. Tenants and buyers still have the upper hand. Vacancies for office space in both the suburban and Reading markets, across class levels, increased in 2012, and average rental rates decreased, but real estate sources are looking for 2013 to improve.

?The economy is not going to blast off,? said Jeff Meyers, senior real estate economist with CoStar Group, a Washington D.C. provider of commercial real estate information. ?The office market absolutely will improve, but it won?t be strong until 2014 or 2015.?

?

Nationally, the commercial real estate market continued its slow recovery in 2012, aided by the recovering equity and residential markets and historically low interest rates, according to ?Expectations and Market Realities in Real Estate 2013: Turn the Page? released in February by Deloitte, Real Estate Research Corp. and the National Association of Realtors. However, in the second half of the year, real estate sales slowed as uncertainty increased with the election and the ?fiscal cliff.?

?We?re not back to 2007 levels, but we?re steadily on our way up,? said Sam Tenenbaum, real estate economist with CoStar Group.

Locally, real estate sales and leases increased in 2012.

?I think everybody was hoping to see when the bottom was going to hit and take advantage of the low rates and the good deals,? said Bryan Cole, a broker with NAI Keystone Commercial & Industrial LLC, Exeter Township.

?It?s still in a recovery mode, still unsettled, but it?s much better than 2011,? said Steve Willems, the company?s managing principal.

During the recession, many companies cut costs, laid off employees and streamlined operations.

?The ones that did make it came out much stronger,? Willems said.

Those companies now are taking that accumulated cash and looking for the best real estate deals. Investors have quickly scooped up foreclosed properties at big discounts.

?

A sketch of National Penn Bancshares Inc.?s building planned for Spring Township.

Wyomissing and Spring Township remain the top neighborhoods for office space. In late 2012, for example, A to Z Vacuum and Fan moved to North Park Road in Wyomissing, and National Penn Bank started building a new building at Spring Ridge in Spring Township.

Wyomissing has evolved to become Berks County?s economic center, said Fred Levering, a Realtor with Prudential Landis Homesale Services and a member of borough council. Some tenants? first question to him as a Realtor is whether a property has a Wyomissing address.

?People want to be where it?s perceived as successful,? he said.

for Spring Township. Below: The former Arrow International Inc. building in Wyomissing is one of the commercial buildings on the market in Berks County.

There?s also the benefit of proximity to businesses. Wyomissing recently relaxed parking requirements and continues to maintain landscaping along State Hill Road to keep up appearances.

Last year?s commercial real estate market was the best in the borough since the beginning of the recession, Levering said.

?We?re not bleeding anymore, but we?re not yet growing how we?d like to be,? he said.

There?s growth elsewhere, too. Several Muhlenberg Township companies, such as Reitnouer Inc., Fidelity Technologies Corp. and Pratt Industries, have expanded.

Also, construction is under way for several large warehouses at Berks Park 78 in Bethel Township.

However, Fairgrounds Square Mall, the center of the Fifth Street Highway corridor, was in foreclosure and recently was auctioned.

?

In Reading, Berks Women in Crisis? new headquarters on Chestnut Street and 525 Student Apartments on Lancaster Avenue opened in 2012.

National tenants and franchises looking to expand in urban markets continued to consider Reading as well, said Alan W. Shuman, president of Shuman Development Group, 50 N. Fifth St.

And top-quality urban retail spaces with good parking are doing well, Shuman said. But financing is difficult if an investor doesn?t qualify for federal loan programs.

There are still large blocks of vacant downtown Reading office space, including about 25,000 square feet at the Madison building. The largest vacancy came after CNA announced plans to sell its building at Fourth and Penn streets and move to a smaller building outside the city. The company uses 80,000 square feet of the 260,000-square-foot building.

While there?s demand for quality commercial space, costs for lower-class space have dropped.

?There?s lots of bargain-hunters or bottom-feeders looking for distressed properties they can pick up for pennies on the dollar,? Shuman said.

???

With some of the economic uncertainty past, commercial real estate appears to be positioned well in 2013, according to the real estate report.

?The outlook is for a continued slow recovery, with modest economic growth over the next few years and for slow job growth to continue,? the report said. ?It is expected that once businesses get used to the new tax increases, business spending (including hiring) may increase.?

Locally, there?s pent-up demand in the suburban market, which should improve sales and leases this year, especially at Berks Park 78 and the Airport Industrial Park in Bern Township.

?We?re optimistic that it?s going to be a pretty good year,? Cole said. ?There?s new deals getting done as we speak.?

Contact Erin Negley: 610-371-5047 or enegley@readingeagle.com.

Source: http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/berks-office-space-still-a-buyers-market/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=berks-office-space-still-a-buyers-market

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NKorea's Kim visits front-line troops amid tension

South Korean Army soldiers work on their K-9 self-propelled artillery vehicle during an exercise against possible attacks by North Korea near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the U.S. on Monday kicked off an annual military drill amid worries about a possible bloodshed following North Korea?s threat to scrap a decades-old war armistice and launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean Army soldiers work on their K-9 self-propelled artillery vehicle during an exercise against possible attacks by North Korea near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the U.S. on Monday kicked off an annual military drill amid worries about a possible bloodshed following North Korea?s threat to scrap a decades-old war armistice and launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean protesters hit a huge banner with a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a rally denouncing North Korea's recent threat and supporting South Korean President Park Geun-hye near the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the United States began annual military drills Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the U.S. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean protesters wearing masks hold placards during a rally denouncing the annual joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between South Korea and the United States, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the United States began annual military drills Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the U.S. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A South Korean protester holds a sign during a rally denouncing the annual joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between South Korea and the United States, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the United States began annual military drills Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the U.S. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean protesters wearing masks hold placards during a rally denouncing the annual joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between South Korea and the United States, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 11, 2013. South Korea and the United States began annual military drills Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the U.S. The letters read "When the war occurs, all 70 million people will die." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea's young leader urged front-line troops to be on "maximum alert" for a potential war as a state-run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.

Kim Jong Un told artillery troops stationed near disputed waters that have seen several bloody clashes in past years that "war can break out right now," according to a report by North Korean state media.

Kim's visit and the armistice claim are part of a torrent of angry North Korean rhetoric that has followed last week's U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's Feb. 12 nuclear test. Pyongyang has also vowed to strike the United States with nuclear weapons.

It is unclear, however, what will come next and whether North Korea will match its words with action. A U.N. spokesman said that Pyongyang cannot unilaterally dissolve the armistice. Pyongyang is also years away from acquiring the smaller, lighter nuclear warheads needed to pose a credible nuclear missile threat to the United States.

Indeed, several signs pointed to business as usual between the Koreas ? despite the bluster.

North Korea apparently cut one telephone and fax hotline at a village straddling the Demilitarized Zone between the countries, but otherwise there have been no substantial operational changes, Seoul's Unification Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.

There are at least two other working communication channels between the Koreas. As they did Monday, the two Koreas used a separate military hotline Tuesday to allow hundreds of South Koreans to cross the border to a jointly run factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, according to the South's Unification Ministry.

Much of the bellicosity is seen as an effort to shore up loyalty among citizens and the military for Kim Jong Un.

Still, North Korea's anger, and Seoul's stern rebuttals, is boosting animosity and causing worries on an already tense Korean Peninsula. The rivals this week are also holding dueling military drills.

U.S. National Security adviser Tom Donilon told the Asia Society in New York that Pyongyang's claims may be "hyperbolic," but the United States will protect its allies.

"There should be no doubt: We will draw upon the full range of our capabilities to protect against, and to respond to, the threat posed to us and to our allies by North Korea," Donilon said.

Aside from the nuclear threats, Pyongyang has so far only made a somewhat mysterious promise to strike its enemies at a time and place of its own choosing. This alarms many, however, as two sudden attacks blamed on North Korea killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.

Seoul has responded to North Korean threats with tough talk of its own and has placed its troops on high alert.

The North Korean government made no formal announcement on its repeated threats to scrap the 60-year-old armistice, but the country's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that the armistice was nullified Monday as Pyongyang had said it would.

The North has threatened to nullify the armistice several times before, and in 1996, after one such vow, it sent hundreds of armed troops into a border village. The troops later withdrew.

Despite the Rodong Sinmun report, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the armistice is still valid and still in force because the armistice agreement had been adopted by the U.N. General Assembly and can't be dissolved unilaterally.

Nesirky added that officials at U.N. headquarters in New York were unaware of any operational changes on the ground on the Korean Peninsula.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. was "certainly concerned by North Korea's bellicose rhetoric. And the threats that they have been making follow a pattern designed to raise tension and intimidate others."

The angry words from both Koreas haven't stopped them from communicating about the only remaining operational symbol of joint cooperation, the Kaesong industrial complex. It is operated in North Korea with South Korean money and know-how and a mostly North Korean workforce ? and provides a badly needed flow of hard currency to a country where many face food shortages.

"If South Koreans don't go to work at Kaesong, North Korea will suffer" financially, said analyst Hong Hyun-ik at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. "If North Korea really intends to start a war with South Korea, it could have taken South Koreans at Kaesong hostage."

The 11-day U.S.-South Korean joint military drills that started Monday involve 10,000 South Korean and about 3,000 U.S. troops. Those coincide with two months of separate U.S.-South Korean field exercises that began March 1.

Also continuing are large-scale North Korean drills that Seoul says involve the army, navy and air force. The South Korean Defense Ministry said there have been no military activities it considers suspicious.

The North Korean rhetoric escalated as the U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved a new round of sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear test.

"This is part of their brinksmanship," said Daniel Pinkston, a Seoul-based expert on North Korea with the International Crisis Group think tank. "It's an effort to signal their resolve, to show they are willing to take greater risks, with the expectation that everyone else caves in and gives them what they want."

Part of what North Korea wants is a formal peace treaty to end the Korean War, instead of the armistice that leaves the peninsula still technically in a state of war. It also wants security guarantees and other concessions, direct talks with Washington, recognition as a nuclear weapons state, and the removal of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

Pinkston said there is little chance of fighting breaking out while war games are being conducted, but he added that he expects North Korea to stage some sort of provocation in the future.

North Korea was responsible for an artillery attack that killed four South Koreans in 2010. A South Korean-led international investigation found that North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship that same year, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang denies sinking the ship.

South Korean and U.S. officials have been closely monitoring Pyongyang's actions and parsing its recent rhetoric, which has been more warlike than usual.

Under new President Park Geun-hye, South Korea's Defense Ministry, which often brushes off North Korean threats, has looked to send a message of strength in response to the latest comments from Pyongyang.

The ministry has warned that the North's government would "evaporate from the face of the Earth" if it ever used a nuclear weapon.

While outside scientists are still trying to determine specifics, the North's rocket test in December and third nuclear test last month may have pushed the country a step closer to acquiring the ability to hit the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction.

Analysts have also said that more missile and nuclear tests are possible reactions from North Korea.

North Korea has a variety of missiles and other weapons capable of striking South Korea. Both the warship sinking and island shelling in 2010 occurred near a western sea boundary that North Korea fiercely disputes. It has been a recurring flashpoint between the rivals that has seen three other bloody naval skirmishes since 1999.

___

Associated Press writers Peter James Spielmann at the United Nations, and Nedra Pickler, Matthew Pennington and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-11-Koreas-Tension/id-ea20f9eb0b5a43cdb86b94dfaaf53031

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Armed intruders break into college dorm in Pa.

By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News

Police in Pennsylvania are investigating how three gun-toting intruders got past a security official and into a Kutztown University dormitory early Friday morning.

Around 1:45 a.m., three men, two of which had guns, made their way into the dorm and knocked on one of the resident's doors, officials said.

When a student answered the knock, the assailants, dressed head to toe in black, forced their way into the room, police told NBCPhiladelphia.com.

The dorm invaders struck one of the students, searched the room, then fled without taking anything, according to school officials.

In order to get to the room, the men needed to get by a security officer at the building?s front desk and a key card is needed to open the outside door.

?These individuals bullied their way in and made their way to this particular room,? Matt Santos, a Kutztown University spokesman, told NBC Philadelphia. ?It was definitely a breach of security.?

Officials at the school of some 9,000 undergraduates, located in western Pennsylvania, say the intruders likely targeted the dormroom and it was not a random act.

Police are offering a $5,000 reward for information about the break in.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/11/17274682-armed-intruders-break-into-college-dorm-in-pennsylvania?lite

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Rovio adds TV channel to its games, launches Angry Birds Toons on March 17th

If Rovio wants to rival Disney, it's going to need to broaden its distribution network, right? It turns out that the company is going the opposite way, bundling a video channel inside its apps to showcase its first TV show; Angry Birds Toons -- a 52-episode series chronicling the never-ending fight against those egg-thieving pigs. In addition to phones and tablets, the show will be available on Xfinity and Samsung Smart TVs, with Roku and TV stations outside of the US to follow in short order. Of course, we're not too sure Disney's worried -- after all, it's spent $4.05 billion to get the real Mark Hamill, not Red Bird in a blonde wig.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/11/rovio-tv-channel/

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Sandberg Controversial Quotes - Business Insider

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg appeared on "60 Minutes" tonight to explain her controversial views on women in the workplace.

Sandberg insists that one reason there are fewer woman in top leadership roles than men is because women hold themselves back.

She says she's not blaming women. She's trying to get them to recognize when and why they don't speak up for themselves.

Sandberg has taken heat over this. Critics say it's easy for a billionaire, even a self-made one, to tell others that they should be doing more at work and making their husbands do more of the childcare and housework at home.

During this interview with journalist Norah O'Donnell, Sandberg wasn't over-the-top or abrasive. But she did stand firm.

?Here are the most in-your-face statements she made:

1. "Men still run the world."
2. "Women attribute their success to working hard, luck and help from other people. Men will attribute that same success to their own core skills."
3. Women hurt themselves by "leaning back. They say, I'm busy or I want to have a child one day, I couldn't possibly take on any more. Or I'm still learning on my current job. I've never had a man say that to me."
4. "I'm not suggesting women aren't ambitious ... but when it comes to ambition to lead, to be the leader of whatever you are doing, men/boys outnumber girls/women."
5. "My message is not one of blaming women. There's an awful lot we don't control, but there is an awful lot we can control and we can do for ourselves, to sit at more tables, raise more hands."
6. "I want every little girl who someone says 'they're bossy' to be told instead, 'you have leadership skills' because I was told that and because every woman I know who's in a leadership position was told that."
7. "Everyone knows that marriage is the biggest personal decision you make, but it's the biggest career decision you can make. ... Partner with the right person because you cannot have a full career and a full life at home with the children if you are also doing all the housework and childcare."
8. "I am not saying everyone has the resources or opportunities I have. I am not saying every husband is going to wake up tomorrow, read a book and do his share. I'm saying that women need to own the power that they have, negotiate for raises."
9. "The things that hold women back, hold them back from sitting at the boardroom table and they hold women back from speaking at the PTA meeting."
10. "I feel guilty a lot. I compare myself with the women who are home with their kids. I think I'm a little intimidated. Every woman feels guilty about the choices that they make."

Sandberg admits she's bothered that there hasn't been a woman president yet. When O'Donnell asked her why she doesn't lean in and run for office, Sandberg replied, "I feel that I'm doing all the leaning in I can do right now."

That's why so many woman are annoyed. They are doing all the leaning in they can do, too, and are doing it without the benefit of Sandberg's financial resources.

That said, there's plenty to like in Sandberg's bigger message for women ? and for men:

• Challenge yourself
• Have faith in yourself
• Get as much help in the home as possible
• And learn how to negotiate.

Julie Bort is co-author of the parenting book, "Mommy Guilt: Learn to Worry Less, Focus on What Matters Most, and Raise Happier Kids" which she wrote while raising two kids and working full-time as a technology journalist.

?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sandberg-controversial-quotes-2013-3

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Home Improvement ? Factors to Consider before Buying Hardwood ...

March 11th, 2013

Posted by : admin

Everybody dreams of building a new home for himself.? For that he tries to work very hard and therefore earn a lot of money so that the person can make his own home one day.? It has been recently observed that whenever people try to decorate and renovate their homes they try their best to get the best flooring for their homes.? These flooring are extremely important because they are supposed to be used every single day and therefore their quality have to be extremely high.? Nowadays there are many companies that provide this flooring for rooms.? These flooring of different qualities and prices and are also made from different materials and have different types in hardwood flooring in Toronto.? A customer can select his own flooring according to his budget and the type of flooring he wants.? However there are many factors that one has to consider before deciding on which flooring are going to be best for him.

One of the key factors that have to be considered before taking the decision is that you have to know your budget.? This is extremely important because then you will be able to decide which type of flooring you are supposed to look at and which companies.? Secondly you are supposed to decide what type of flooring you want to have in your home.? Many people like to go for marble flooring and others would think that hardwood Toronto flooring would be much better. After that you have to decide which company the one to approach in this regard.? There are a lot of companies that are selling different types of flooring of different qualities.? However you have to check out their services that they provide.? Some companies even offer after sale services so that they are able to satisfy their customers? maximum.? You can research two different companies and then compare their prices.

Source: http://www.pmiller-realtor.com/factors-to-consider-before-buying-hardwood-flooring.html

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Cairo And Luxor Tours From Dahab

By: Al Baraa Travel Two days Tour to Cairo and Luxor from Dahab by flight

Tour Type:Dahab tours
Tour Length:2 Days / 1 Night
City Tour:Cairo and Luxor
Pick up Point:Your hotel in Dahab
Drop off Point:Your hotel in Dahab

Tour Itinerary : -
Day1: Dahab fly to Cairo, sightseeing in Cairo, fly to Luxor
We will pick you up from your hotel in Dahab by air-conditioned vehicle transfer from Dahab to Sharm El Sheikh airport for your short flight to Cairo. In Cairo you will accompanied by your Egyptologist guide to start your trip in Cairo, you will visit the famous Great Giza Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders in the ancient world. Giza Pyramids are constructed from 5000 years by millions of limestone, continue your way to mysterical Sphinx, the half Lion and half Human statue stands guard over the tombs. Lunch will be served during Cairo tour, proceed your trip in Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum, which renewed in 1900 to neo-classical style by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon, it was exhibited 120000 objects till now from the pre historical era to Greco-Roman period, the most interesting in the Egyptian Museum is the golden treasure of Tutankhamen. Then you will be transferred to Old Cairo to visit Coptic Cairo, it become Christian stronghold with many churches, there are only five remaining. Hanging Church is the famous church, as it become the centre of Christian church of Egypt, it was named for its location in the top of the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon. Free time in Cairo with many optional tours, then you will drive back to Cairo airport for the flight to Luxor with direct transfer to your hotel in Luxor for overnight stay.

Day 2: Luxor sightseeing back to Dahab
You will be picked up from your hotel in Luxor by air-conditioned coach to visit the Valley of the Kings located in the West bank of Nile River, the Valley of the Kings was the royal cementry for 62 pharaohs, as King Tutmosis I, Tutmosis III, Tut-Ankh-Amon, King Ramses VI, King Mrenptah and Amonhotep II. Proceed your tour in Luxor to visit Hatshepsut temple (Deir el Bahari). Hatshepsut temple is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. Hatshepsut queen ruled Egypt about 20 years. Then you will visit the Colossi of Memnon, they are only remains of the mortuary temple. Lunch will be served during your Luxor tour, then continue your trip in Luxor to visit the Karnak temple (ipet- isut), it is the most sacred of places. Karnak temple is culmination of three main temples and several smaller enclosed temples around twenty nine temples, so it is the largest and most impressive of all temples in Egypt. Free time in Luxor, then you will drive back to Luxor airport for the flight to Sharm El Sheikh with direct transfer to your hotel in Dahab.

Tour Includes : -

- Meet and greet services by our travel REP in Dahab hotels
- Return flight tickets Sharm / Cairo/ Luxor/ Sharm
- All transfers by air-conditioned vehicles in Dahab, Cairo & Luxor
- All sightseeing tours as per tour itinerary in Cairo & Luxor
- All admission fees to sightseeing in Cairo & Luxor as per tour itinerary
- Professional English speaking tour guide in Cairo & Luxor
- 1 Mineral water and soft drink during Cairo and Luxor tour
- Lunch meals during Cairo and Luxor tour at local restaurant in Cairo & Luxor
- Hotel accommodation at 4* hotel with breakfast in Luxor

Tour Excludes : -

- Optional tours in Cairo and Luxor
- Personal expenses in Cairo and Luxor

For more information and prices please visit

http://www.albaraagroup.com/Egypt/Excursions/Dahab/Two-days-tour-to-Cairo-and-Luxor-by-plane/

For More Excursions

http://www.albaraagroup.com/Egypt/Excursions/Dahab/

For Hot Deals And Best Offers Please Visit

http://www.albaraagroup.com/

Or contact us
Magdy Abdel ghany
Call : -
002 01062922290
Email : -
Info@albaraagroup.com

---

About the Author:
www.albaraagroup.com

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

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Ancient mummies had clogged arteries, too

Mummies from thousands of years ago and around the world show evidence of clogged arteries, new research finds.

The findings, published Sunday (Mar. 10) in the journal The Lancet, suggest that atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease wherein calcium deposits narrow the arteries, may have been a universal disease in all human societies, and not wholly a result of the modern diet.

"In three different continents and a total of five different sites prehistoric peoples had atherosclerosis," said study co-author Caleb Finch, a neurobiologist at the University of Southern California. While some researchers believed hardening of the arteries was a? 20th-century disease, that results from modern overconsumption of fatty, sugary foods, "the generality of our observations suggests it is really a basic part of human aging under all circumstances."

Nature or nurture?

People have long debated whether clogged arteries and heart disease resulted from the fat and sugar-laden modern diet or an inevitable vagary of aging. There's no doubt that westernized diets have worsened diabetes, obesity and chronic disease, but whether a more primitive diet could completely eliminate those scourges was debatable.

Finch and his colleagues used CT scanning to analyze the arteries of 137 mummies that spanned 4,000 years. The mummies came from Peruvian, ancestral Pueblo Indian, indigenous Aleutian islander, and ancient Egyptian populations. Some had been deliberately mummified, while others were naturally mummified due to environmental conditions. [Gallery: Scanning Mummies for Heart Disease]

Most of the mummies were younger than about 60 years old. Despite some of the people coming from societies with a grain-based diet and others likely consuming mainly meat and fish, all of the mummies showed atherosclerosis, or calcium deposits in their arteries. That can narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow, and if the calcium deposits rupture, it can cause heart attacks.

The findings suggest that heart disease may be an unavoidable part of human aging. It's not clear how far back in evolutionary history this problem emerged: Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, don't get atherosclerosis in the wild but do in captivity, Finch told LiveScience.

Even if it's universal, however, that doesn't give people license to chow down on funnel cake and bacon, as ample evidence suggests modern fat- and sugar-heavy diets have worsened heart disease over the last century, Finch said.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter @tiaghose.?Follow?LiveScience?on Twitter?@livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-mummies-had-clogged-arteries-too-021333966.html

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Cards manager Mike Matheny to have back surgery

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, left, talks to Washington Nationals bullpen coach Jim Lett before an exhibition spring training baseball game, Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, left, talks to Washington Nationals bullpen coach Jim Lett before an exhibition spring training baseball game, Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, center, watches from the dugout in the eighth inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Fort Myers, Fla. St. Louis won 15-4. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? Cardinals manager Mike Matheny planned to leave the team after Sunday's spring training game and return to St. Louis for surgery to repair a ruptured disk in his lower back.

Matheny expects to be back at spring training for Thursday's game against Atlanta in Jupiter.

"There is still a fragment that is stuck in a spot where it's getting to the nerve and affecting what is going on back there," Matheny said prior to Sunday's game against the New York Mets.

The 42-year-old Matheny, who replaced Tony La Russa as manager after the 2011 season, said early in spring training that the injury probably traces back to his days as a big league catcher from 1994-06.

"They seem pretty confident this will take care of it," he said of the surgeons.

The ruptured disk sends pain into his right leg, which became severe on Feb. 28 and caused him to skip the next day's game against Houston at Kissimmee.

An epidural injection on March 4 failed to relieve the pain.

"We were hoping it would kind of settle down and go away, but it really hasn't," Matheny said.

The pain is at its worst when Matheny stands after sitting for any length. He decided to have the surgery now, before plane trips during the regular season.

"I hate that it's been as big a deal as it's been," he said. "I'm anxious to get it over."

Bench coach Mike Aldrete will manage the team in Matheny's absence.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-10-BBN-Cardinals-Matheny/id-ed486e2c93f74c07ab3360e15b896ea7

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Do Facebook News Feed Revamps Even Faze You Anymore?

Back in the earlier days of Facebook, a UI update was a mind-blowing concept. An unprecendeted change. An Earth-shattering upheveal. If you're not some sort of total newbie, you must remember the "how to keep the old Facebook!" groups and "Bring back X" petitions, the screams of heresy and the unshackled hope that maybe just maybe enough whining could keep things from changing. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qB6vTUvnEZo/do-facebook-news-feed-revamps-even-phase-you-anymore

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Our Friday editorial: President Barack Obama spent the past week reaching out to...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/TheTelegraph/posts/543432432363173

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Sun Valley recycling plant expansion faces neighborhood opposition

Complaining about "rats the size of small dogs," debris that falls like thick snow and a pervasive, rancid odor, neighbors at a public hearing Friday protested a plan to expand a Sun Valley recycling operation into one of the largest waste-transfer facilities in the state.

"Vermin run rampant," said Gary Aggas, president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council and one of many residents to testify before a city planning officer about the matter. "Dust blows through the neighborhood constantly.... Our children and grandchildren should not be subjected to conditions that can be prevented."

Community Recycling & Resource Recovery has been operating its massive, open-air waste-sorting operation for nearly a decade without full permits from the city and state. The facility has permits to take in about 1,700 tons a day but has been receiving up to 4,600 over the last decade. The excess waste was authorized under a 2007 agreement with the city that was supposed to last for just a few months but has flowed in for years because of bureaucratic delays.

Now the operation, which sorts and processes yard waste, construction debris and supermarket scraps, wants to expand its operations to take in up to 6,700 tons a day. As part of its proposal, the company has pledged to enclose some of its operations to cut down on odors and air pollution.

Residents and nearby workers, however, want the company to put most of its operation indoors, in a building with air filters. They voiced concern that the issue has been drawn out until now, when District 6 is without a council member. Tony Cardenas, the former councilman, is now in Congress.

"There are days you can't walk outside. It's like it's snowing ... debris," said Fred Burhoe, an equipment supervisor at Security Paving, which is adjacent to the company. He said some of his workers have quit because their health is suffering, that he's seen dog-sized rats running from the facility and that chicken bones rain down on his roof from the beaks of scavenging gulls.

"It's the dirtiest facility I've ever been near, and I've worked on a number of landfills," he said. "This thing should not be permitted to run like this."

Company officials listened silently for two hours. Then Fred Gaines, a lawyer for the Community Recycling, pledged to work with the community to improve conditions.

He said company officials want to build "a modern, well-mitigated facility that can continue to do all the good work it has done."

The facility has a complicated ? at times tortured ? history with the city.

City officials sued Community Recycling in 2004 for environmental violations and filed cease-and-desist orders against it in 2004 and 2006. But it stayed those orders six years ago.

The city heavily relies on the facility. The operation processes more than 10% of the yard clippings picked up by city garbage trucks and nearly 40% of the food recycled from a restaurant composting program. A crackdown could imperil a recycling system that elected officials tout as one of the nation's best.

The company has contributed to one of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's signature environmental projects, pledging in 2008 to give $15 million worth of trees to the Million Trees Initiative ? although it has only partially fulfilled that pledge.

These days, city inspectors visit the facility at least every two weeks and sometimes more often. Each time, according to state regulations, they issue "violations" because the facility is taking in more waste than it is permitted to accept. But they take no further action, in part because they have allowed the company to operate without full permits.

Wayne Tsuda, the official in charge of those inspections, noted that he continually receives complaints about dust and odor.

After listening to a colorful, often disgusting, litany of those complaints, Daniel P. O'Donnell, the city planner who presided over the hearing, urged company officials, residents and city officials to work together to come up with an improvement plan before the company's proposal moves to the city Planning Commission later this spring.

If the feuding parties can't reach an agreement, O'Donnell will make his own recommendation to the commission.

"Something has to be done," he said.

jessica.garrison@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Gv4agpQqSgU/la-me-sun-valley-recycle-20130309,0,3318243.story

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Police chief's polygraph targets racist applicants

COOPERTOWN, Tenn. (AP) ? A police chief hired to rebuild a tiny Tennessee department dismantled by scandal is using a lie-detector test to keep racists off his force.

Coopertown Police Chief Shane Sullivan took over the department in November, becoming the 11th chief in as many years. He was hired on the heels of a series of police scandals that for a few months left Coopertown with no police at all. Years before that, a mayor was voted out of office after the local prosecutor accused him of racism and running a notorious speed trap.

Law enforcement experts say Sullivan's polygraph approach is unusual, though some departments use the devices for other purposes during the application process. Others try to root out bias in other ways. One polygraph expert warned that lie detectors can't accurately predict racism for reasons that include people's inability to recognize their own racism.

Sullivan said he doubts racists will even apply for the force if they know about the tests.

"I think the polygraph will definitely keep these people from applying," the 39-year-old chief said.

And he believes the policy is working, because he says it's already discouraged some applicants. "I've told a couple of ones about the polygraph who have not called me back."

Before Sullivan's hiring, the sheriff's department had overseen law enforcement in the town 30 miles northwest of Nashville while the department was temporarily disbanded.

First, the only full-time patrolman was fired over a road rage incident. Then the reserve officer was dismissed after a dashboard camera captured him using a racial slur to describe a black motorist. The dash cam video was later aired in the media. Soon after that, the police chief quit.

Coopertown Mayor Sam Childs said the chief resigned because of the "predatory media."

The rural community of about 4,000 people that is 95 percent white earned a reputation as a notorious speed trap, with about a third of its revenue coming from speeding tickets handed out by city police during the former mayor's tenure. In 2006, the National Motorists Association said Coopertown had one of the most "blatant examples of speed traps in the country." It stopped after a prosecutor filed a petition against the mayor in 2006. Its 25 squares miles encompass significant stretches of Interstate 24 and another highway that drivers use to cut through to Interstate 65.

In 2006, the county prosecutor asked a court to oust then-Mayor Danny Crosby on allegations he was running a speed trap and ordering police to target Hispanics, out-of-towners and soldiers from nearby Fort Campbell, Ky., for traffic tickets.

Although an appellate court agreed with a lower court's finding that Crosby's conduct and statements were strongly suggestive of "bigotry, sexism or utter foolishness," it refused to remove him. Crosby was later voted out of office and the speed trap is gone.

One lifelong resident said he's fed up with the city government and the police department making the town look bad.

"It's put a black eye on the city," Wayne Brown said of Coopertown's controversies. Brown, a mechanic and football coach, said he thinks there should be no city government or police department because they aren't providing any services.

"Other than writing speeding tickets, they don't do anything for us." Brown said of the department.

The new chief intends for his lie detector idea to help clean up the Coopertown's image. Candidates are required to answer whether they have ever committed a hate crime or a race-based crime.

"It doesn't ask if you've ever made a racist remark or slur," the chief said. Nor does the test ask people if they are prejudiced against any ethnic or religious minority.

Sullivan, who has taken the lie detector test himself, said he's hoping to establish a professional police department that can eventually provide 24-hour service seven days a week. Right now, he doesn't have the staff to police the town around the clock and leaves those duties up to the sheriff's office. He's already hired two police officers, both of whom have passed the polygraph, and he wants to add more. The department's budget is about $250,000 this fiscal year, Sullivan said, and the chief makes $41,000.

Bob Peters, a spokesman for the American Polygraph Association, said asking about factual matters is a better approach than using subjective questions about prejudice or racism. He says a polygraph can't accurately predict whether someone is racist.

"There might be people whom I might think have racist attitudes but they might not think so," said Peters, whose association has established best practices for use of the polygraph.

Peters says the new chief is using the best approach, and some voters are applauding him.

"I am very pleased with Chief Sullivan and the effort he is making to create a sound and secure police department for Coopertown," said Valorie Buck, chairwoman of the Coopertown Community Development Committee.

Malik Aziz, national chairman of the National Black Police Association, said the best way to keep bigots from being cops is through extensive background checks.

It's not unusual for police departments to use polygraphs on people before letting them join the force. Police applicants can be asked about past drug use or whether they have been involved in criminal activity.

"I haven't heard of any agency using a polygraph specifically geared toward eliminating racists from the application process," he said.

Sullivan says he's also using background checks to probe the racism issue.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department requires job candidates to undergo a voice stress test during the interviewing process, department spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said. Would-be officers are asked about bias during the test.

Voice stress tests are similar to polygraph tests, but instead of measuring heart rate and blood pressure, they detect changes in an applicant's voice pattern.

The department, she said, also uses an extensive background check and psychologically evaluates its job candidates.

"Polygraphs in and of themselves have a lot of problems," Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said.

Still, Weinberg commended the chief for the effort to bar racist applicants. But she thinks the best way for police departments to be accountable is by making sure citizens have their complaints of unfair treatment investigated.

Carolyn Murray, a professor of psychology at the University of California Riverside, supports other types of testing to detect bias, such as ones that use images of different racial groups and gauge reaction time when they are described as either "good" or "bad." Still, she applauded Sullivan's approach.

"If he's making this effort, he's making the biggest effort I've seen to date," Murray said. "You're not going to get everybody, but you will be able to stop a few people who would have been able to do a lot of damage to citizens."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-chiefs-polygraph-targets-racist-applicants-092508900.html

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Farmers who commit totally to sell locally can make a profit

Public release date: 8-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matthew Swayne
mls29@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Farmers can make a profit selling their produce directly to local businesses, but they must not let possible new costs weaken their commitment to the new venture, according to an international team of researchers.

"We found that the farmers who really made a conscious decision to sell local and who made more of a commitment tended to do better than those who are just testing the waters with local direct selling," said Amit Sharma, associate professor of hospitality management, Penn State.

Sharma added that farmers who were only testing the idea of selling to local restaurants tend to either never try to reach the local market, or quickly opt out of local selling.

The researchers, who report their findings recently in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, said that farmers face a number of higher costs when they sell to local restaurants and shops, especially locally owned businesses that are not associated with national chains.

The added costs include money for additional marketing and transportation and delivery costs.

Costs can also increase when local businesses require special packaging, according to Sharma, who worked with Catherine Strohbehn, extension specialist and professor of apparel, events and management, Iowa State University; Rama B. Radhakrishna, professor of agriculture and extension education, Penn State and Allan Ortiz, lecturer, University of Costa Rica.

However, farmers can manage most of the costs, Sharma said.

"For some farmers, it may seem like making a web site, for example, is a monumental task," Sharma said. "But, it actually may be easy to make a web site, or even hire someone to create one for very little money."

In addition, many farmer organizations, extension units, and state agencies host websites with templates that producers can use to market their products. These organizations often use grant money to make the templates free for the farmers.

Farmers can capture additional revenue for the venture through higher prices and improved sales margins, the researchers said.

"The local foods movement is huge and retailers are wishing to meet the desires of their customers," Sharma said. "Other research conducted by our team has found that 40 percent or more of people will pay a premium for identified local ingredients."

Most local outlets can charge a slightly higher price for goods, giving farmers a premium on products sold to those businesses. Selling produce themselves, instead of through a distribution company, may also improve margins for the farmers, since they are not losing revenue to the distributor.

"Farmers may find that their margins may be higher when they sell locally," Sharma said. "They are cutting out the middleman."

For example, farmers can ask the restaurant operator to identify where menu ingredients came from, and possibly feature the farmers' marketing materials or information about other items and locations where diners could purchase these products.

"If you do it properly, you will do it well and you can manage the costs and make money from this marketing outlet," said Sharma.

To study the costs and added work for farmers who want to enter the local market, the researchers interviewed ten farmers who were selling food to the local market near a Midwestern university. The farmers, who were identified through a local growers' directory, were then asked about direct and indirect costs of their operations, including production, storage, packaging, marketing, transportation and delivery.

Sharma said that farmers can take the first step to create a local sales channel by meeting with chefs and shop owners. They can learn what types of products these local businesses need and what they would be willing to pay for the items. "Local foods are valued by chefs because of the relationships that are formed -- the chefs know where and how the product is grown or produced and they trust the farmer," Strohbehn added.

Farmers can start these relationships by opening communication with their restaurant partners, according to Sharma.

"The farmers first have to start talking to the chefs in these restaurants," he said. "But the chefs also need to work with farmers."

The principal that businesses must know their market is also true in direct retail foodservices sales.

Sharma expect some farmers to seize the opportunities to sell to the local market. Other farmers will pass because of the perceived costs, extra work and multiple requirements of the different restaurants.

"A lot of times there's a status quo that exists and it's difficult for farmers to get out of that mindset," said Sharma. "Farmers are reluctant to take on these extra costs."

###

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University supported this work.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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: 8-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matthew Swayne
mls29@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Farmers can make a profit selling their produce directly to local businesses, but they must not let possible new costs weaken their commitment to the new venture, according to an international team of researchers.

"We found that the farmers who really made a conscious decision to sell local and who made more of a commitment tended to do better than those who are just testing the waters with local direct selling," said Amit Sharma, associate professor of hospitality management, Penn State.

Sharma added that farmers who were only testing the idea of selling to local restaurants tend to either never try to reach the local market, or quickly opt out of local selling.

The researchers, who report their findings recently in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, said that farmers face a number of higher costs when they sell to local restaurants and shops, especially locally owned businesses that are not associated with national chains.

The added costs include money for additional marketing and transportation and delivery costs.

Costs can also increase when local businesses require special packaging, according to Sharma, who worked with Catherine Strohbehn, extension specialist and professor of apparel, events and management, Iowa State University; Rama B. Radhakrishna, professor of agriculture and extension education, Penn State and Allan Ortiz, lecturer, University of Costa Rica.

However, farmers can manage most of the costs, Sharma said.

"For some farmers, it may seem like making a web site, for example, is a monumental task," Sharma said. "But, it actually may be easy to make a web site, or even hire someone to create one for very little money."

In addition, many farmer organizations, extension units, and state agencies host websites with templates that producers can use to market their products. These organizations often use grant money to make the templates free for the farmers.

Farmers can capture additional revenue for the venture through higher prices and improved sales margins, the researchers said.

"The local foods movement is huge and retailers are wishing to meet the desires of their customers," Sharma said. "Other research conducted by our team has found that 40 percent or more of people will pay a premium for identified local ingredients."

Most local outlets can charge a slightly higher price for goods, giving farmers a premium on products sold to those businesses. Selling produce themselves, instead of through a distribution company, may also improve margins for the farmers, since they are not losing revenue to the distributor.

"Farmers may find that their margins may be higher when they sell locally," Sharma said. "They are cutting out the middleman."

For example, farmers can ask the restaurant operator to identify where menu ingredients came from, and possibly feature the farmers' marketing materials or information about other items and locations where diners could purchase these products.

"If you do it properly, you will do it well and you can manage the costs and make money from this marketing outlet," said Sharma.

To study the costs and added work for farmers who want to enter the local market, the researchers interviewed ten farmers who were selling food to the local market near a Midwestern university. The farmers, who were identified through a local growers' directory, were then asked about direct and indirect costs of their operations, including production, storage, packaging, marketing, transportation and delivery.

Sharma said that farmers can take the first step to create a local sales channel by meeting with chefs and shop owners. They can learn what types of products these local businesses need and what they would be willing to pay for the items. "Local foods are valued by chefs because of the relationships that are formed -- the chefs know where and how the product is grown or produced and they trust the farmer," Strohbehn added.

Farmers can start these relationships by opening communication with their restaurant partners, according to Sharma.

"The farmers first have to start talking to the chefs in these restaurants," he said. "But the chefs also need to work with farmers."

The principal that businesses must know their market is also true in direct retail foodservices sales.

Sharma expect some farmers to seize the opportunities to sell to the local market. Other farmers will pass because of the perceived costs, extra work and multiple requirements of the different restaurants.

"A lot of times there's a status quo that exists and it's difficult for farmers to get out of that mindset," said Sharma. "Farmers are reluctant to take on these extra costs."

###

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University supported this work.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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/2013-03/ps-fwc030813.php

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How much is it? - Health, Fitness, and Sports

WP Members: > 70,000 New Today: 11 New Yesterday: 30

How much is it? ??? ???Wrong Planet Autism Forum Index -> Health, Fitness, and Sports ???? Jamesy Phoenix Joined: Oct 25, 2008 Age: 23 Posts: 2983 Location: Near London United Kingdom Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:46 am?? ?Post subject: How much is it? If someone drinks 4 and a half pints of water a day..... How many glasses of water is that equivilant too? Back to top ? '); //--> Meistersinger Raven Joined: May 11, 2012 Posts: 101 Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:27 pm?? ?Post subject: Re: How much is it? Jamesy wrote: If someone drinks 4 and a half pints of water a day..... How many glasses of water is that equivilant too? Assuming that 1 pint=16 ounces, it would come out to 9 glasses. _________________ EQ: 19 AQ: 43 BAPS--Rigid:107 Aloof: 115 Pragmatic: 99 Diagnosis: 10 SQ: 23 Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and annoys the pig Back to top ? '); //--> ??? ???Wrong Planet Autism Forum Index -> Health, Fitness, and Sports??? ?

Forums ?

Source: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt225673.html

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