Illinois Senator Dan Kotowski wants a lemon law to protect people who purchase pets at pet stores, on Steve Dale's Pet World Saturday (Chicago Tribune photo)
A Lemon Law for pets sold at pet stores?will happen in Illinois, if it's up to the bill's originator Senator Dan Kotowski (28th district), who will be the first guest on Steve Dale's Pet World, Saturday, May 11 at 1 p.m.cdt on WGN Radio (click here to listen)?or 720 AM.?I will express my support for this proposed law, but actually believe the next step is to go further.....to ban selling dogs or cats at pet stores all together. In any case, this is a start!
Holly Agra from Mercury Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline?talks about a cruise for cat lovers, called?Puss 'n Boots Cruise?on Chicago River, moderated by a docent from theChicago Architecture Foundation, This Mother's Day event supports?Tree House Humane Society. At 1:35, will also talk with Holly about?Chicago's only?dog-friendly cruise, which sets sail in July. Chicago's Dog Cruise began as a result of my WGN Radio show about 10 years ago.
At 1:33 - Animal News: Talking Asian elephant.
How much do you love your veterinarian? Is your Vet amazing? If so, tell the American Veterinary Medical?Foundation?it. ?I'll talk with Dr. Bernadine Cruz at 1:45 about a contest to find America's Favorite?Veterinarian.
Another contest, Kiss Me, I'm?Rescued, reveled here at 2:05 with Lorien Clemmens of Pet Hub. Not only can you help out the Winn Feline Foundation, Military Working Dog Adoptions or Petfinder Foundation.?
I will also taked your telephone calls - answering pet behavior questions. And at 11:30 AM, I appear on WGN Radio with the great Bill Moller.
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Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
Filed under: American Veterinary Medical Association, cats, dogs, pets, Tree House Humane Society, Winn Feline Foundation
Tags: AMA, America's Favorite Veterinarian, American Veterinary Medical Foundation, AVFF, dog-friendly cruise, Kiss Me I'm Rescued, lemon law pet stores, Lorien Clemmens, Mercury Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline, military working dogs, Pet Hub, Petfinder Foundation, Puss 'N Boots, Senator Dan Kotowski, Steve Dale's Pet World, talking elephant, WGN Radio, Winn Feline Foundation
Capturing video game footage is a tricky process that, until now, has required using a computer. You had to get a capture device, plug it into your computer, load the software, and record to your hard drive. The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable changes all that. While it's a perfectly capable video capture device that can record HDMI or component video to your computer, it's much more useful than that. Thanks to an SD card slot and a PC-Free mode, you can capture what you play with the push of a button, without having a computer nearby. The $179.99 (list) box can be fussy at times, but it's the smoothest, easiest way to record video from a game console or other source we've seen yet, and is our Editors' Choice for video capture devices.
Design The Live Gamer Portable is red, black, and tiny. At 0.9 by 5.2 by 2.8 inches and weighing just 4.1 ounces, the plastic box is barely larger than my Samsung Galaxy S III. The face of the device houses a single large, round Mode button that glows to indicate what it's doing. The only other control, along with every connection on the device, sits along the wide edge. There's a switch for selecting modes, and a component video input (with adapter connection), an HDMI input, and an HDMI output. The narrow edges hold a miniUSB port for power and PC connections on one side and an SD card slot on the other. You should be careful to keep the included USB-to-miniUSB cable labeled and near the Live Gamer Portable at all times; I found some difficulty getting the box to work consistently with other miniUSB cables (though it handled all sorts of USB power adapters and USB ports without a problem, as long as the included cable was used). The box captures H.264 video in up to 1080p at 30 frames per second or 720p video at 60 frames per second (the PC-Free mode can only record up to 720p video). The device passes through video at its native resolution and frame rate, and doesn't upscale; the resolution of the source is the resolution at which it will record.
PC-Free Mode Thanks to the PC-Free mode and the big, glowing button, you can set up the Live Gamer Portable and start recording footage in just a few seconds. Pop in an SD card (Class 10 or higher, so it's fast enough to keep up with the video), plug in the miniUSB cable to a power adapter or computer, connect an HDMI cable from the HDMI output to the HDTV, and connect the video source to the appropriate port. The box can accept non-HDCP-protected HDMI signals, like those from a PC, Nintendo Wii U,?or an Microsoft Xbox 360, so you can just connect it to either device with the included short HDMI cable. The Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition offers similar connectivity and has a similar light and button for engaging in recording, but it requires a PC connection.?
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For the Sony PlayStation 3 and other, HDCP-protected HDMI devices, you have to use the component video adapter connection. An included PlayStation 3 cable lets you hook the Live Gamer Portable directly to your console from the component output port to the component input port, without using the standard five RCA cable connectors typically used with component video. If you have another component video device, you can connect it the old fashioned way with the included five-tailed adapter. The PlayStation 3 cable is nice to have, because it simplifies the component video connection and makes it as easy as plugging in an HDMI cable. The connectors are even similarly shaped.
If you want to use your computer to handle recording or streaming, the Live Gamer Portable can accommodate that too. Just switch to PC mode, making the button glow blue instead of red. You'll be able to access the accompanying RECentral software to both record and stream from your computer using any connected device. The software includes voice commentary support, and a TimeShift feature that lets you go back and start recording from buffered video onward. The Live Gamer Portable also comes with a 3-month subscription to XSplit Broadcaster, a streaming program and service that offers a more robust feature set than RECentral itself.
I did notice a bug with RECentral when I installed it on my computer. The preview window can appear blank or copy whatever window it is in front of. This is a known issue, and AVerMedia has a patched version of the executable that fixed the problem.
Footage The Live Gamer Portable worked flawlessly when recording footage from the Wii U, Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 (the first three through HDMI, the latter via component adapter cable). If you want to record and stream e-sports action, FPS, fighting, or MOBA games like Counter-Strike, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, or DOTA 2, the device is well-suited to handle any of it. If you want to record something more retro, you might have difficulties. The Live Gamer Portable can only capture HDMI or component video signals, and I found that, even when using a composite-to-HDMI converter, it couldn't capture video from my Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Entertainment System, or Sega Dreamcast. Fortunately, composite and S-video video capture devices are available for a fraction of the price of the Live Gamer Portable, but none will work nearly as cleanly, with a PC-free, one-button recording feature.
For recording video games, the AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable is, well, a game changer. Its one-button, direct-to-SD-card, PC-free recording mode is fantastic for capturing footage for Let's Plays, tournaments, and reviews. It would be perfect if the USB cable wasn't finicky and if it supported composite and S-video for older game consoles, but it's still the best video capture device we've tested. It makes the process simple and painless, which means you can spend more time gaming and less time worrying about recording.
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AP) ? Army civilian personnel specialist Tracey Leven recalls the time she tried to use a breast pump to express milk in a military office years ago. Instead of "breast pump in use," she was required to put a sign on the door reading, "occupied." That didn't stop two male soldiers from using their keys to open the locked office.
"They were surprised. I was covered up, so there wasn't any kind of issue," said Leven, a 29-year-old who works at the 3rd Army headquarters here in South Carolina. Now the Luling, Texas, native said she is expecting her second child and looks forward to the privacy the new room will provide.
With Mother's Day on Sunday, she and other women civilian employees, women in uniform and mothers visiting this command headquarters here say they're pleased they won't have to hide in an office or rest room if they want to nurse or express breast milk to give to an infant later.
The high-tech 3rd Army headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base is one of the rare U.S. military installations where a decidedly low-tech lactation room has been exclusively set aside for mothers.
"I am excited and happy about the idea of this room, because I didn't have the best-case scenario" last time, said Leven, who also is an Army spouse.
The women are celebrating the room as a small victory in an overwhelmingly male-dominated military.
Over the past decade, many changes have come about: men and women have found themselves fighting side-by-side. More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan and neighboring nations. And women make up about 14 percent of the 1.4 million active U.S. military personnel in uniform around the world today.
For nursing mothers at 3rd Army headquarters, a room of their own signals progress.
The room ? named the "Third Army Nursing Center" ? blends in with other offices along a central hallway. It's outfitted with privacy screens, chairs, tables, a refrigerator, freezer and microwave. Storage cabinets, a sink and a place to post information are available.
"I'm hoping now, more women will nurse," said Army spouse Dianna Troyer as she cradled 1-month-old David.
The 27-year-old's Army husband works in the command center and she was visiting in advance of a dinner being given by a family support group at the installation.
Accompanied by 3-year-old daughter Rebekah, Troyer said having a private place to nurse helps promote healthy children and their families. "It's not fair to ask a nursing mother to go to a bathroom to nurse a child," the Clearwater, Fla., native said.
The women said the idea for the room came from a support group dubbed "Sisters-in-Arms," formed last year by senior female officers and enlisted women to help females in the command balance their work and private lives. And key to it being accepted ? the women said ? was the support of the three-star 3rd Army commander, Lt. Gen. Vincent Brooks.
Brooks said in an email that he considered it important.
"Women are part of our formations and have been for a long time. It's a very simple way to help them balance service with the unique role that they can play," the general said, adding he knew of one other lactation center set up at Fort Benning, Ga.
A spokeswoman for the 3rd Army and Sisters-in-Arms, Lt. Col. Catina Barnes-Ricks, said there are about 850 males and 200 females in the 3rd Army headquarters. She said several dozen women are expected to use the new room at first ? and maybe more once other women of child-bearing age become aware of it.
The women said a federal law enacted in 2001 requires nursing mothers be allowed to nurse at any location in a federal building or on federal property, if they are authorized to be there. But going further by supplying a special lactation room takes an extra step.
"There's a lot of support here," said Maj. LaToya Dunham, 35, a finance officer who said she could not provide her first child breast milk following her pregnancy at a different post, but wants to give it a try this time.
"I was in command, and going out into the field," Dunham started to say, interrupted by peals of appreciative laughter from the women. They agree on how difficult it is to pump breast milk while dealing with soldiers around-the-clock in the outdoors.
"It just wasn't possible then. This time, I am going to try again," said Dunham.
Dunham, who is pregnant with her second son, said she thinks Brook's support for the new room in the headquarters building sends a message.
"They understand that we are not only soldiers, but we are also spouses," said the Dallas native. "The general officers are understanding that we want to have families, too."
The 3rd Army's job is logistical: it supplies and supports U.S. land forces in 20 nations of the Middle East and southwestern Asia. Their new $100 million headquarters was built at this Air Force installation after the command's aging center in Atlanta was closed in 2011.
Many serving with the unit move back and forth repeatedly between headquarters and a "forward" command center in Kuwait.
None of the women in the 3rd Army center said they'd ever seen such a room at other installations. However, Pentagon spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen, said the military's central headquarters has six such rooms.
The Pentagon's health care clinic manages the rooms, said Kathleen Roberts, a civilian working for the Navy.
"It's very nice," said Roberts, 30, of Woodbridge, Va., "It's a way I can provide for my children, even though I am not able to be them during the day."
Roberts said the room helps the women share information on topics like helping children sleep, eat, or managing their milk supply.
"It may only be a room, but put a bunch of women together and a lot of solutions come out of that," Roberts said. "It's a wonderful thing."
____
Susanne M. Schafer can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susannemarieap
Exercise for patients with major depression -- What kind, how intense, how often?Public release date: 10-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Journal of Psychiatric Practice provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 10, 2013) Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), both when used alone and in combination with other treatments. There's now sufficient research data to provide specific guidance on how to prescribe exercise for depressed patients, according to a report in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
"Despite the substantial evidence supporting the use of exercise in the treatment of MDD, previous studies have not provided a clear indication of the proper dose of exercise needed to elicit an antidepressant effect," write Chad Rethorst, PhD, and Madhukar Trivedi, MD, of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. To fill this gap, the authors reviewed available data from randomized controlled trials, with the goal of developing specific and detailed recommendations for clinicians on how to prescribe exercise for their patients with MDD.
Exercise for Major DepressionEvidence of Effectiveness
Randomized trials have shown that exercise is effective in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with MDD, on its own and in conjunction with other treatments, such as antidepressant medication and/or psychotherapy. Exercise may help to meet the need for cost-effective and accessible alternative therapies for depressive disordersparticularly for the substantial number of patients who don't recover with currently available treatments.
Based on the available data, aerobic exercise is the preferred form of exercise for patients with MDDalthough there is also support for resistance training, Drs Rethorst and Trivedi note. In terms of session frequency and duration, they recommend that patients participate in three to five exercise sessions per week, for 45 to 60 minutes per session.
In terms of intensity, for aerobic exercise, they recommend achieving a heart rate that is 50 to 85 percent of the individual's maximum heart rate (HRmax). For resistance training, they recommend a variety of upper and lower body exercises?three sets of eight repetitions at 80 percent of 1-repetition maximum (RMthat is, 80 percent of the maximum weight that the person can lift one time).
Data suggest that patients may experience improvement in depressive symptoms as little as four weeks after starting exercise. However, Drs Rethorst and Trivedi emphasize that the exercise program should be continued for at least ten to twelve weeks to achieve the greatest antidepressant effect.
Some people have questioned whether patients with MDD will be willing to participate in an exercise program. But Drs Rethorst and Trivedi note that, in the studies they reviewed, only about fifteen percent of patients dropped out of exercise programscomparable to dropout rates in studies of medications and psychotherapy.
The authors discuss strategies that may help improve adherence to exercise programs, such as consulting patients about their preferred types of exercise and providing individualized educational materials and feedback. They also provide some practical tips for clinicians on how to estimate exercise intensity using readily available information.
Even if the depressed patient can't reach the target intensity and frequency levels, exercise can still be helpful. "Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that exercise doses below the current recommendations may still be beneficial for patients with MDD," Drs Rethorst and Trivedi add. "Therefore, clinicians should encourage patients to engage in at least some exercise, even if they do not exercise enough to meet current public health recommendations."
###
About Journal of Psychiatric Practice
Journal of Psychiatric Practice, a peer reviewed journal, publishes reports on new research, clinically applicable reviews, articles on treatment advances, and case studies, with the goal of providing practical and informative guidance for clinicians. Mental health professionals will want access to this journalfor sharpening their clinical skills, discovering the best in treatment, and navigating this rapidly changing field. John M. Oldham, MD, is the editor in chief and past president of the American Psychiatric Association.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
[ | 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.
Exercise for patients with major depression -- What kind, how intense, how often?Public release date: 10-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Journal of Psychiatric Practice provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 10, 2013) Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), both when used alone and in combination with other treatments. There's now sufficient research data to provide specific guidance on how to prescribe exercise for depressed patients, according to a report in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
"Despite the substantial evidence supporting the use of exercise in the treatment of MDD, previous studies have not provided a clear indication of the proper dose of exercise needed to elicit an antidepressant effect," write Chad Rethorst, PhD, and Madhukar Trivedi, MD, of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. To fill this gap, the authors reviewed available data from randomized controlled trials, with the goal of developing specific and detailed recommendations for clinicians on how to prescribe exercise for their patients with MDD.
Exercise for Major DepressionEvidence of Effectiveness
Randomized trials have shown that exercise is effective in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with MDD, on its own and in conjunction with other treatments, such as antidepressant medication and/or psychotherapy. Exercise may help to meet the need for cost-effective and accessible alternative therapies for depressive disordersparticularly for the substantial number of patients who don't recover with currently available treatments.
Based on the available data, aerobic exercise is the preferred form of exercise for patients with MDDalthough there is also support for resistance training, Drs Rethorst and Trivedi note. In terms of session frequency and duration, they recommend that patients participate in three to five exercise sessions per week, for 45 to 60 minutes per session.
In terms of intensity, for aerobic exercise, they recommend achieving a heart rate that is 50 to 85 percent of the individual's maximum heart rate (HRmax). For resistance training, they recommend a variety of upper and lower body exercises?three sets of eight repetitions at 80 percent of 1-repetition maximum (RMthat is, 80 percent of the maximum weight that the person can lift one time).
Data suggest that patients may experience improvement in depressive symptoms as little as four weeks after starting exercise. However, Drs Rethorst and Trivedi emphasize that the exercise program should be continued for at least ten to twelve weeks to achieve the greatest antidepressant effect.
Some people have questioned whether patients with MDD will be willing to participate in an exercise program. But Drs Rethorst and Trivedi note that, in the studies they reviewed, only about fifteen percent of patients dropped out of exercise programscomparable to dropout rates in studies of medications and psychotherapy.
The authors discuss strategies that may help improve adherence to exercise programs, such as consulting patients about their preferred types of exercise and providing individualized educational materials and feedback. They also provide some practical tips for clinicians on how to estimate exercise intensity using readily available information.
Even if the depressed patient can't reach the target intensity and frequency levels, exercise can still be helpful. "Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that exercise doses below the current recommendations may still be beneficial for patients with MDD," Drs Rethorst and Trivedi add. "Therefore, clinicians should encourage patients to engage in at least some exercise, even if they do not exercise enough to meet current public health recommendations."
###
About Journal of Psychiatric Practice
Journal of Psychiatric Practice, a peer reviewed journal, publishes reports on new research, clinically applicable reviews, articles on treatment advances, and case studies, with the goal of providing practical and informative guidance for clinicians. Mental health professionals will want access to this journalfor sharpening their clinical skills, discovering the best in treatment, and navigating this rapidly changing field. John M. Oldham, MD, is the editor in chief and past president of the American Psychiatric Association.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
[ | 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.
Today, exactly a week after Slayer?s Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure at age 49, the band posted an update on the facts surrounding the guitarist?s death.
The statement revealed Hanneman?s official cause of death: alcohol-related cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver.
?While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life,? reads the statement.
?Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a transplant list at the time of his passing, or at any time prior to that. In fact, by all accounts, it appeared that he had been improving. He was excited and looking forward to working on a new record.?
In the same press release, Slayer announced that a public memorial in Hanneman?s honor will take place at a still-to-be-determined date and location.
Here is the remainder of the message on the band?s website:
?While the details are being worked out now, Slayer wants its fans to know that there will be a celebration of Jeff Hanneman?s life sometime later this month, along with Jeff?s family and friends, the public will be invited to attend. More information will be posted here [slayer.net] soon.
?Kerry King and Tom Araya are trying to deal with the loss of their brother by remembering some the good times they shared.
?KERRY: ?I had so many great times with Jeff?in the early days when we were out on the road, he and I were the night owls, we would stay up all night on the bus, just hanging out, talking, watching movies?World War II movies, horror movies, we watched Full Metal Jacket so many times, we could practically recite all of the dialogue.?
?TOM: ?When we first formed Slayer, we used to rehearse all the time, religiously, 24/7. Jeff and I spent a lot of time hanging out together, he lived in my father?s garage which was also our rehearsal space. When he got his own apartment, he had an 8-track and I would go there to record songs I?d written, not Slayer songs, other stuff I?d written. At a certain point, you still have the band but you start your own lives outside of the band, so that 24/7 falls to the side, you don?t spend as much time together as you once did. I miss those early days.?
?KERRY: ?He was a gigantic World War II buff, his father served in that war, so when Slayer played Russia for the first time ? I think it was 1998 ? Jeff and I went to one of Moscow?s military museums. I?ll never forget him walking around that place, looking at all of the tanks, weapons and other exhibits. He was like a kid on Christmas morning. But that was Jeff?s thing, he knew so much about WW II history, he could have taught it in school.?
?TOM: ?We were in New York recording South of Heaven. Jeff and I were at the hotel and we had to get to the studio ? I think it was called Chung King, a real rundown place. So we left the hotel and decided to walk, but then it started raining. We walked maybe five blocks, and it was raining so hard, we were totally soaked, so we decided to get a cab. Here we are, two dudes with long hair and leather jackets, absolutely soaked, thumbing to the studio. No one would stop. We had to walk the entire way. Jeff was a lifeline of Slayer, he wrote so many of the songs that the band will always be known for. He had a good heart, he was a good guy.?
(Reuters) - AbbVie Inc's chief scientific officer will be retiring in the next few months and will be involved in the process of naming a successor, the pharmaceutical company said in a regulatory filing on Friday.
Chief Scientific Officer John M. Leonard, served in the Pharmaceuticals, Research and Development department for Abbott Laboratories before the branded pharmaceuticals business was spun off as AbbVie in November 2012. (http://r.reuters.com/zuj97t)
Leonard who joined Abbott in 1992, was also the Senior Vice President for AbbVie received $5.5 million as compensation for 2012.
AbbVie, which posted a strong first quarter on strong sales of its Humira treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, expects to launch new treatments for hepatitis C by early 2015.
AbbVie's shares closed at $45.01 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting By Adithya Venkatesan; Editing by Diane Craft)
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Public release date: 10-May-2013
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