Show the Right Hustle on Small Business Saturday

It seems we like to name everything lately. So, if you didn?t know, the Saturday after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday is now Small Business Saturday.? I was asked to write a post on promos and campaigns small businesses can run to capitalize on the special day, but something else is on my mind today.

megaphone

I?ve been traveling a bunch lately, speaking at a ton of different events from San Diego to Atlanta to Chicago. As I fat-finger this post on my iPhone, I?m on a plane headed for Toronto. The reason I tell you this is because I just had a simple, yet profound experience during a layover in Philadelphia.

I had a few minutes to grab a bite to eat in between flights. As I surveyed my options in the terminal I noticed two restaurants, side-by-side, with drastic differences. One had a long line and the other had none. For that reason alone I decided to get in the long line. I figured the locals must know where the good food is.

After 30 seconds I realized why Eat At Joe?s had a huge line and next door they sat, waiting. Hustle. The right kind of hustle.? That?s it. That was the secret. There was man behind the counter working the crowd. Every time someone would walk by he would shout out ?Philly cheese steaks here! Don?t go home, don?t leave Philly without one.? His energy was contagious. People lined up at his command.

I began to wonder. We often get caught up in the latest tactics. We search high and low for the hottest tools. We get amped on our amazing technology. We?re connected day and night trying to make our businesses go. We?re hustling. But is it the right hustle?

All the SEO in the world doesn?t do any good, inbound marketing is a waste, and the latest email marketing trick is in vain if we don?t ask for the business.? One wise man, speaking to parents, said ?No other successes can compensate for failure in the home.?? I also believe that for business owners, no other successes can compensate for failure to sell.

It might make you uncomfortable. It might make some of your prospects uncomfortable. But in the end, nothing can substitute for asking for the sale. We can keep ourselves busy, really busy, thinking we?re hustling and therefore the business should grow. But sometimes we avoid the right kind of hustle ? asking for the business.

Why do we avoid it?? It?s hard.? It?s taxing.? When people say no, it hurts.? We hate rejection.? We want success.? But the avoidance of rejection causes us to miss out on success.? The avoidance is illogical.? When we sell successfully, it feels great.? The bills get paid.? It creates a euphoric high.? But for many people, the fear is greater than the reward.? So, we stay busy with less important things, convincing ourselves that we?re doing meaningful work.

Here are a few tips for getting serious about sales hustle:

  • Focus on your higher purpose. You?re not selling just to make a buck.? You have a product or service that makes a difference in people?s lives.? Don?t let another person pass you by without the opportunity to improve their life with your product or service.
  • Turn it into a game. Keep track of how many times you ask for the business in one day. Try to beat that number the next day.? Keep track of how many accept versus reject. Try to improve your conversion.
  • Find an accountability partner. If you?re having trouble actually doing it, find someone who will hold your feet to the fire and ask you on a daily basis how your progress is coming.? If you have no one who will do this for you, comment on this post ? I?ll check in with you regularly (and publicly).
  • Practice. If you feel uncomfortable saying the words, practice.? Sit in front of a mirror and say them to yourself over and over and over until they sound natural.? Then practice with a friend.? Practice until the words come out with 100 percent confidence. Nothing wavering.

So, on Small Business Saturday, whether you?re taking the day off or out there hustling, make a commitment to get back to the basics and ask for the business. It will probably do more good for your business than anything else.

As I picked up my order and walked away from Eat At Joe?s, I noticed a passer-by standing in between the two restaurants, reviewing the menus, trying to decide. I smiled as the man from behind the counter boomed:

?Hey man, you?re on the wrong side of the rope. Get over here and get you a Philly cheese steak.?

The man promptly obeyed. One more customer ? just because he asked. He hustled the right kind of hustle.? What about you?


Image from Yuri Arcurs/Shutterstock

About the Author

Tyler Garns Tyler Garns, Director of Marketing for Infusionsoft, has over 10 years of experience in the field and is a recognized expert in Internet marketing. Tyler focuses on building the Infusionsoft brand via marketing, communications and social media. Tyler blogs at the Infusionsoft Blog.

Connect with Tyler Garns:

?

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/right-hustle-small-business-saturday.html

drake take care herman cain accuser herman cain accuser election day kawasaki disease joe frazier conrad murray

Taylor Swift wins artist of the year at AMAs

Taylor Swift was crowned artist of the year at the American Music Awards for a second time.

"This is so crazy!" the country superstar said after beat such contenders as Adele, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to capture all three awards that she was nominated for at Sunday's ceremony, including artist of the year, the show's highest accolade that she previously claimed in 2009.

"I ended up writing the record by myself, so the fact that you would honor it this way, you have no idea what this means to me," said Swift after winning the trophy for favorite country album for "Speak Now." She was also awarded the prize for favorite country female artist.

Nicki Minaj, the pink-loving hip-hop diva, won two awards Sunday. She kicked off the 39th annual fan-favorite ceremony by sporting a pair of speakers on her much-talked about posterior and was later honored as favorite rap/hip-hop artist, besting a group that included mentor Lil Wayne, and won favorite rap/hip-hop album for "Pink Friday."

  1. More Entertainment stories
    1. 'Planes, Trains' is best Thanksgiving movie

      Few movies get at the horror that is holiday travel in this country like John Hughes' 1987 classic. John Candy and Steve M...

    2. Pass the turkey: TV's classic Thanksgivings
    3. 'Muppets' make welcome return
    4. The Muppets take ?Saturday Night Live?
    5. Why is 'Great Gatsby' being made in 3-D?

Story: List of winners at the American Music Awards

"There's so much love in this room," beamed the pink-haired Minaj.

Adele had been the night's leading nominee with four nods, but didn't have much of a presence at the show: She was absent from the ceremony because she is recovering from recent throat surgery. Adele tied Swift with three awards: favorite pop/rock female artist, adult contemporary artist and pop/rock album for "21."

Other winners included Maroon 5 as favorite pop-rock band/duo/group, Blake Shelton as favorite country male artist, Lady Antebellum as favorite country band/duo/group, Beyonce as favorite soul/R&B female artist, Rihanna for favorite soul/R&B album for "Loud" and Hot Chelle Rae as new artist of the year.

The ceremony inside the Nokia Theatre in an unusually rainy Los Angeles was drenched with 17 musical performances.

Justin Bieber got in the holiday spirit among a forest of neon lights with "Under the Mistletoe," and Kelly Clarkson, wearing a glittery red gown with her hair swept to the side, delivered a swinging rendition of her hit "Mr. Know It All" as back-up dancers dressed as 1930s-era photographers snapped the first-ever "American Idol" champion.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony shared custody of rapper Pitbull, who joined the former couple in a pair of separate performances. Lopez performed essentially a live version of a car commercial starring the "Idol" judge set to "Papi" ? with the car onstage ? before launching into her hit "On the Floor." Pitbull later returned to the stage and joined Anthony for "Rain Over Me."

Lopez expressed surprise when she won the favorite Latin music artist award.

"It's been up and down and just exciting and overwhelming and so many things," Lopez said of the last year.

Several artists delivered stripped-down performances: The Band Perry crooned an emotional "If I Die Young," a pink-haired Perry accompanied herself on guitar for "The One That Got Away" and a platinum-blonde Chris Brown simply sang "All Back" before being joined by a troop of helmet-clad back-up dancers for a flashy interpretation of "Say It With Me."

There were collaborations, too. Lopez joined a glowing-in-the-dark will.i.am for his new single "Hard." Christina Aguilera dueted with Maroon 5 on their "Moves Like Jagger," and then Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine teamed with Gym Class Heroes for their hit "Stereo Hearts." Bieber joined LMFAO in animal-print pants for the show's finale, which ended with everyone on stage ? including David Hasselhoff ? stripping down to smiley-face underwear.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45376269/ns/today-entertainment/

lindsey vonn lindsey vonn triumph the insult comic dog tucson weather tucson weather peyton hillis cl p

Britney Spears Video Tournament Kicks Off Today!

MTV News celebrates Brit's 30th birthday by pitting 30 of her music videos against one another to see which clip reigns supreme.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker


Britney Spears: 30 Videos for 30 Years
Photo: Jive

Voting is now open for MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years!

It's up to Britney fans and all MTV.com readers to vote in the first round, where we have pitted 30 of Britney's iconic videos against each other bracket-style to battle it out for the highest honor of being named the Best Britney Video Ever, just in time for Spears' 30th birthday December 2.

The first round of voting is open until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., at which point the 30 videos will be narrowed down to the top 16. You can vote as many times as you wish and campaign as much as you see fit for your favorite videos to move on to the next round of voting.

Will the classic " ... Baby One More Time" go all the way? Or are we still intoxicated by "Toxic"? MTV News correspondents will weigh in with their picks, alongside celebrities and Britney experts alike.

Since 30 videos is an unusual number to balance a tournament bracket, we have automatically pushed forward two of Britney's VMA-winning videos videos — "Piece of Me" and "Till the World Ends" — to the second round, where they will no longer be safe from elimination.


Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years.

Don't forget about the lesser-known videos that may not have received much airtime, including "My Prerogative" and "Do Somethin'," since there's something unique about each clip. Make your votes count — and remember, you are voting for your favorite videos, not songs!

Voting for round two begins at 7 a.m. Wednesday and will last all the way through Thanksgiving weekend, closing Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

As of Monday, November 28, we will begin with eight videos, then four, then two, until we announce the winner Friday, December 2 — Britney's actual 30th birthday!

Start voting and keep up with us at MTVNews.com through December to see which clip reigns victorious.

What's your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below!

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674712/britney-spears-30-birthday-video-tournament.jhtml

sexiest man alive kentucky basketball heather locklear bob costas krzyzewski patti labelle childish gambino

Former Mexico cartel leader's nephew indicted in Texas (Reuters)

MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) ? A federal grand jury in Texas charged a powerful former cartel chief's nephew on Friday in a drug and money laundering conspiracy that stretched across the United States.

Rafael Cardenas Vela, 38, was arrested last month in South Texas, and has been held without bond. He is the nephew of Osiel Cardenas, the former leader of the brutal Gulf cartel, who was extradited to the United States in 2007 and is currently serving a 25-year sentence.

The indictment said Cardenas Vela has been an active player in the cartel since 2000, when he first assumed control of operations in San Fernando, in Tamaulipas state in northeast Mexico.

Since March, he has acted as chief of the cartel's hometown of Matamoros, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, where he helped manage a distribution network that pushed narcotics to cities in the northern United States and returned the proceeds to Mexico, the indictment said.

Cardenas Vela was accused of having taken control of the gritty border city after a power struggle broke out in the cartel's ranks following the November 2010 slaying of another uncle, Antonio Cardenas Guillen, also known as "Tony the Storm."

U.S. and Mexican authorities are cooperating closely to clamp down on drug trafficking and cross-border crime from Mexico, where more than 44,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon took office five years ago and sent the military to crush the drug cartels.

Jerry Robinette, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge in San Antonio, Texas, said the agency had made "stability and security to this border region" a priority.

"Holding those responsible and accountable for these crimes is the first step," Robinette said in a statement.

While Mexican authorities have captured or killed a number of cartel kingpins in recent years, many of the gangs have splintered under the increased pressure.

Among key combatants battling for lucrative turf in northern Mexico is the Gulf cartel, which is now fighting the Zetas, its former paramilitary enforcers.

The indictment said Cardenas Vela used drug trafficking proceeds to bribe Mexican police officers and purchase bulletproof vehicles, firearms, grenades and homemade cannons used by the Gulf cartel in its fight against the Zetas.

U.S. federal authorities have also moved to seize $20 million in cash and two houses linked to Cardenas Vela in South Texas. He faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted of the drug conspiracy and up to $10 million in fines.

(Writing by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111119/us_nm/us_usa_mexico_drugs

robin williams blaine gabbert netflix stock jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars home affordable refinance program harp

12 of Hollywood's Most Mysterious Deaths

Thirty years after actress Natalie Wood died after going on a boating trip with then-husband Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken, officials have reopened the investigation of her death. For years after Wood's death -- which was ruled an accident -- suspicions and theories have been raised about what actually happened on the boat that day. Wood's death is not the only Hollywood tragedy that has been shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

share

facebook
  • Comments

More Galleries

  1. Natalie Wood: A Hollywood Icon Remembered

    Natalie Wood: A Hollywood Icon Remembered

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Nov. 17 that it was reopening its case in the death of actress Natalie Wood, who died at the age of 43 in... View gallery

1 / 13

Advertisement

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923990/news/1923990/

john henry zack greinke zack greinke siri san diego news ford evos ford evos

After rough presidency, Arroyo fights to stay free

FILE - In this Nov.8, 2011 file photo, former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, wearing a head and neck brace, poses following an interview with a local reoporter at her residence in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Philippine officials say it's business as usual in the country and there is no army unrest despite the dramatic arrest of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a looming legal battle. (AP Photo/Manila Standard Today) PHILIPPINES OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

FILE - In this Nov.8, 2011 file photo, former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, wearing a head and neck brace, poses following an interview with a local reoporter at her residence in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Philippine officials say it's business as usual in the country and there is no army unrest despite the dramatic arrest of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a looming legal battle. (AP Photo/Manila Standard Today) PHILIPPINES OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

A protester wears a mask of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo behind a mock jail during a rally in front of the court house Monday, Nov. 21, 2011 in suburban Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines. The protesters called for the imprisonment of Arroyo as the court allowed her to be detained temporarily in a swank hospital suite while her lawyers launched a legal battle to seek her release by aiming to have her indictment on election fraud declared illegal. (AP Photo/Pat Roque)

A view of the St. Luke's Medical Center at suburban Taguig city, east of Manila, Philippines where former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is currently under hospital arrest on Saturday Nov. 19, 2011. Philippine police on Saturday said they have fingerprinted and taken mug shots of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after arresting her in a hospital room on electoral fraud charges. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Hundreds of protesters shout slogans and display messages against former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as they march towards the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila Friday Nov. 18, 2011. Authorities charged Arroyo with electoral fraud Friday as part of a high-profile tug of war to keep her in the country and prevent any chance of her turning fugitive. The placard reads: Prosecute Gloria! (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A protester wears a mask of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo behind a mock jail shouts slogans during a rally in front of the court house Monday, Nov. 21, 2011 in suburban Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines. The protesters called for the imprisonment of Arroyo as the court allowed her to be detained temporarily in a swank hospital suite while her lawyers launched a legal battle to seek her release by aiming to have her indictment on election fraud declared illegal. (AP Photo/Pat Roque)

(AP) ? With a sense of entitlement and a life of privilege familiar to a scion of the political elite, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo successfully weathered coup attempts and corruption scandals during her nine years in power.

She once even banished her husband abroad when he became a liability.

Last week, like a common criminal, she was booked and fingerprinted by police on electoral fraud charges and barred from traveling abroad for medical treatment. She could spend the rest of her life in prison if convicted.

Arroyo will be the biggest test of President Benigno Aquino III's election promise to prosecute corruption, no matter how high, and restore public credibility as well as investor confidence. With her arrest, Aquino has struck a chord among Filipinos, fed up by a long line of corrupt leaders, starting from Ferdinand Marcos who epitomized greed and was removed in 1986 by Aquino's mother, also a president.

"If she's not guilty, why is she trying to escape?" asked Manila parking attendant Gerry Rimorin. "When she was president, she committed a lot of abuses and now it's all coming back to her. It's karma."

Since Arroyo's arrest, no demonstrations in her favor have taken place. Media editorials have praised Aquino, and the Arroyo-friendly, coup-prone military has stayed quiet.

"The lesson is clear," Rimorin said. "I'm happy that now even the almighty can be made to account for their wrongdoing because I've always felt that only the poor get to be arrested."

On Monday, a court allowed the 64-year-old Arroyo to be detained in an upscale hospital suite, where she's being treated for a bone ailment, prompting a small protest by left-wing activists who want her locked in a police cell.

"While it is important to be aware of President Benigno Aquino's class interests, he should be given full credit for attempting to hold former and current government officials accountable for their actions," said Gerard Finin, senior fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii.

Arroyo was president from 2001 to 2010, and the case against her involves congressional polls in 2007, when she is accused of rigging the results to favor her candidates so she could keep the majority in parliament. According to the charges, there are witnesses who said Arroyo gave instruction to rig the vote.

Arroyo denies the charges and wants to leave the country for bone treatment she says is unavailable in the Philippines, but the government has blocked her. She has appeared in recent weeks in a neck-and-head brace.

Arroyo's legal spokesman Raul Lambino said her lawyers petitioned the Supreme Court to temporarily release her while the tribunal determines the legality of the joint Department of Justice and Commission on Elections committee that filed the charge against her in court.

The daughter of a former president, Arroyo is trained economist and classmate of former U.S. President Bill Clinton at Georgetown University. She entered politics in 1992, winning two subsequent terms as senator and then getting elected as vice president in 1998.

In the Philippines, the vice presidency is an elected post and not a presidential appointment. Because of that law, Arroyo became No. 2 to her rival, President Joseph Estrada, a film actor-turned-politician.

She distanced herself from Estrada after he was accused of corruption in 2000.

Estrada was despised by the influential Roman Catholic bishops for his drinking sessions and womanizing. A non-violent, military-backed people's revolt toppled Estrada in January 2001, and Arroyo was installed president.

With Estrada gone, Arroyo found herself occupying the Malacanang Palace on the banks of the Pasig River, where she had grown up when her father, President Diosdado Macapagal, held office from 1961 to 1965.

She slept in the same bedroom she had as the president's teenage daughter and sought out the simple wooden desk that her father used.

In a March 2001 Associated Press interview, Arroyo pledged to lead by example and declared, "We have to work on integrity down the line."

But murmurs about corruption soon grew around her.

A group of disgruntled young military officers took over an upscale Manila hotel and shopping mall in a 2003 mutiny, demanding Arroyo's resignation. They accused her of corruption, mismanagement and failure to stop graft among loyal generals who they said siphoned military funds meant for troops' bullets and combat boots.

The uprising ended peacefully, and the allegations were investigated, although accusations of military corruption persisted.

Arroyo vowed she would dedicate her remaining years to fixing the ailing economy and publicly declared she would not run in the 2004 elections.

She went back on her word, with disastrous consequences.

Arroyo was accused of using the government's money and power for her campaign, and was proclaimed the winner with a controversial, narrow margin.

Arroyo lacks charisma. She once told an interviewer "God wanted me to be president" and appears more comfortable speaking English than Tagalog, the language of the masses.

A year after being elected, Arroyo faced her worst crisis when wiretapped recordings of her voice surfaced with her and an election official allegedly discussing a winning margin for her.

Amid more coup rumors and plunging ratings, she went on national TV to say "I am sorry" but refused to step down and insisted she did not cheat.

Increasingly isolated and aloof, she lurched from one crisis to another, each chipping away at her legitimacy.

She sent her husband, lawyer Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, abroad for a year when he and one of their two sons were implicated in channeling funds from an illegal numbers game, a charge they denied.

In 2006, she declared a state of emergency to stop another looming coup and used her broad powers to crack down on independent newspapers and lock up several opposition politicians.

Also accused in the latest congressional poll fraud case is a former governor of the notoriously corrupt Muslim autonomous region in the southern Philippines, Andal Ampatuan Sr.

Ampatuan is already on trial for murder in the country's worst politically motivated massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists and opponents. He was among Arroyo's allies and after the massacre was expelled from her party.

In another scandal, Arroyo's husband and a former elections chief were implicated in a Senate hearing of receiving kickbacks for her approval of a multimillion-dollar nationwide broadband contract with China's ZTE Corp. She later backed out of the deal and Beijing denied any wrongdoing.

In a bid to retain some clout and influence that most Philippine politicians enjoy, Arroyo ran for a seat in the House of Representatives and won in her home province in Pampanga.

Just before leaving office, she named almost 1,000 allies to government positions, including her former chief of staff as the Supreme Court chief justice and two more allies as the government graft buster and army chief of staff.

Upon assuming office last June, Aquino replaced the corruption prosecutor and the military chief and locked horns with the chief justice.

As she fights her biggest battle to stay out of jail, Arroyo has increasingly run out of friends in power.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-21-AS-Philippines-Fall-From-Grace/id-65604af9d2fa4bdfb9e30ea2e2d20a98

gilad shalit gilad shalit santonio holmes john edward psychic john edward psychic brandon marshall headless horseman

Hope on the horizon for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 18-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wakehealth.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are teaming up for a research project aimed at advancing the treatment of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"PTSD and mild TBI are serious problems for our vets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Dwayne W. Godwin, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Wake Forest Baptist and co-principal investigator on the project. "It's a problem that will only continue to grow in the future as our troops return home from these conflicts. This challenge provides a unique opportunity to learn more about this disorder from data that exists on a well-defined pool of patients who have been medically evaluated and tested."

Using a high-tech tool for brain activity imaging called magnetoencephalography (MEG), researchers will conduct neurological tests on military veterans with and without a PTSD diagnosis, and with varying levels of impairment. The participants will be asked to perform tasks, similar to games, which engage the parts of the brain involved in executive function determining what to do, how to do it, and assessing the relative risk of a situation while sitting in the scanner. Researchers will then compare the images of brain activity from individuals with PTSD and/or mild TBI with the images of individuals without the condition to see whether these particular parts of the brain function differently between people with and without the disorder.

PTSD not only affects military personnel it can happen to anyone after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, such as being attacked, a natural disaster or human tragedy. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, many of the first responders developed PTSD as a result of the devastation they observed.

The causes of this disorder are not well understood, however. "We know that there are social factors such as what kind of support network an individual has as well as genetic factors that may determine what kind of PTSD a person will experience and how severe it will be, but it's still largely misunderstood for a disorder that affects so many people," Godwin said. "It's important to have a group of individuals in whom the disorder is well-defined in order to study it effectively."

PTSD may often be accompanied by traumatic brain injury, especially in combat veterans. Military personnel who have experienced a concussion, for example, are more likely to also have PTSD than individuals who haven't had any TBI. So researchers are hoping to determine if there is an interactive effect between the two conditions, and if the symptoms of PTSD are exaggerated in an individual who also has TBI, as opposed to an individual without it.

"PTSD is accompanied by a range of different symptoms that may reflect changes in underlying brain networks that relate to executive control," Godwin said. Many of those affected by PTSD possess a heightened awareness called hypervigilance. "These individuals may have a range of symptoms, including difficulty concentrating, exaggerated responses to normal things, irritability, experience anger management issues, have more risky behaviors, disruptions or trouble sleeping," he said. "It's a disorder that has a large impact on a person's ability to navigate through daily life."

In addition to assessing functional brain networks with MEG, the investigators will examine the structure of white matter pathways of the brain to see whether the physical connections between brain areas may also differ among those with and without the disorder. The major goal of the study is to define biomarkers of PTSD and TBI so that doctors will have a way to very quickly identify patients with PTSD and get them treatment without delay, as well as to chart their progress in response to treatment.

"The MEG is a special form of imaging," Godwin said. "It provides information that you can't get easily, or at all, with other methods. When a person thinks something, we can immediately detect the underlying brain processes. It's not 'mind reading', because we can't tell what the content of the thought may be, but with the right kind of test, we can resolve patterns of activation that relate to executive function. We're in a very special place with our ability to answer these kinds of questions using this type of imaging."

MEG is a brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic fields emitted by brain cells (neurons), allowing the mapping of brain activity with great precision in the time scale in which the brain operates. Wake Forest Baptist is one of only about 35 clinical sites in the country, and the only site in North Carolina and surrounding states, to use MEG. It is non-invasive, highly sensitive and accurate, and completely safe, as patients are not exposed to radiation.

"This is a very exciting collaboration for us," Godwin said. "If we can find biomarkers of PTSD, there's hope that we'll be able to improve diagnosis and treatment. It's an incredible challenge, but we have a great team."

###

The initial one-year study is being sponsored by The Veteran's Administration and the WFU Translational Science Institute. Godwin's co-investigators include Kathleen Taber, Ph.D. and Jared Rowland, Ph.D., of the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center; and Jennifer Stapleton-Kotloski, Ph.D., of Wake Forest Baptist.

Media Relations Contacts:

Jessica Guenzel, jguenzel@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487;

Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-4977.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (http://www.wakehealth.edu) is a fully integrated academic medical center located in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest School of Medicine directs the education and research components, with the medical school ranked among the nation's best and recognized as a leading research center in regenerative medicine, cancer, the neurosciences, aging, addiction and public health sciences. Piedmont Triad Research Park, a division of Wake Forest Baptist, fosters biotechnology innovation in an urban park community. Wake Forest Baptist Health, the clinical enterprise, includes a flagship tertiary care hospital for adults, Brenner Children's Hospital, a network of affiliated community-based hospitals, physician practices and outpatient services. The institution's clinical programs and the medical school are consistently recognized as among the best in the country by U.S.News & World Report.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 18-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wakehealth.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are teaming up for a research project aimed at advancing the treatment of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"PTSD and mild TBI are serious problems for our vets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Dwayne W. Godwin, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Wake Forest Baptist and co-principal investigator on the project. "It's a problem that will only continue to grow in the future as our troops return home from these conflicts. This challenge provides a unique opportunity to learn more about this disorder from data that exists on a well-defined pool of patients who have been medically evaluated and tested."

Using a high-tech tool for brain activity imaging called magnetoencephalography (MEG), researchers will conduct neurological tests on military veterans with and without a PTSD diagnosis, and with varying levels of impairment. The participants will be asked to perform tasks, similar to games, which engage the parts of the brain involved in executive function determining what to do, how to do it, and assessing the relative risk of a situation while sitting in the scanner. Researchers will then compare the images of brain activity from individuals with PTSD and/or mild TBI with the images of individuals without the condition to see whether these particular parts of the brain function differently between people with and without the disorder.

PTSD not only affects military personnel it can happen to anyone after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, such as being attacked, a natural disaster or human tragedy. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, many of the first responders developed PTSD as a result of the devastation they observed.

The causes of this disorder are not well understood, however. "We know that there are social factors such as what kind of support network an individual has as well as genetic factors that may determine what kind of PTSD a person will experience and how severe it will be, but it's still largely misunderstood for a disorder that affects so many people," Godwin said. "It's important to have a group of individuals in whom the disorder is well-defined in order to study it effectively."

PTSD may often be accompanied by traumatic brain injury, especially in combat veterans. Military personnel who have experienced a concussion, for example, are more likely to also have PTSD than individuals who haven't had any TBI. So researchers are hoping to determine if there is an interactive effect between the two conditions, and if the symptoms of PTSD are exaggerated in an individual who also has TBI, as opposed to an individual without it.

"PTSD is accompanied by a range of different symptoms that may reflect changes in underlying brain networks that relate to executive control," Godwin said. Many of those affected by PTSD possess a heightened awareness called hypervigilance. "These individuals may have a range of symptoms, including difficulty concentrating, exaggerated responses to normal things, irritability, experience anger management issues, have more risky behaviors, disruptions or trouble sleeping," he said. "It's a disorder that has a large impact on a person's ability to navigate through daily life."

In addition to assessing functional brain networks with MEG, the investigators will examine the structure of white matter pathways of the brain to see whether the physical connections between brain areas may also differ among those with and without the disorder. The major goal of the study is to define biomarkers of PTSD and TBI so that doctors will have a way to very quickly identify patients with PTSD and get them treatment without delay, as well as to chart their progress in response to treatment.

"The MEG is a special form of imaging," Godwin said. "It provides information that you can't get easily, or at all, with other methods. When a person thinks something, we can immediately detect the underlying brain processes. It's not 'mind reading', because we can't tell what the content of the thought may be, but with the right kind of test, we can resolve patterns of activation that relate to executive function. We're in a very special place with our ability to answer these kinds of questions using this type of imaging."

MEG is a brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic fields emitted by brain cells (neurons), allowing the mapping of brain activity with great precision in the time scale in which the brain operates. Wake Forest Baptist is one of only about 35 clinical sites in the country, and the only site in North Carolina and surrounding states, to use MEG. It is non-invasive, highly sensitive and accurate, and completely safe, as patients are not exposed to radiation.

"This is a very exciting collaboration for us," Godwin said. "If we can find biomarkers of PTSD, there's hope that we'll be able to improve diagnosis and treatment. It's an incredible challenge, but we have a great team."

###

The initial one-year study is being sponsored by The Veteran's Administration and the WFU Translational Science Institute. Godwin's co-investigators include Kathleen Taber, Ph.D. and Jared Rowland, Ph.D., of the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center; and Jennifer Stapleton-Kotloski, Ph.D., of Wake Forest Baptist.

Media Relations Contacts:

Jessica Guenzel, jguenzel@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487;

Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-4977.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (http://www.wakehealth.edu) is a fully integrated academic medical center located in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest School of Medicine directs the education and research components, with the medical school ranked among the nation's best and recognized as a leading research center in regenerative medicine, cancer, the neurosciences, aging, addiction and public health sciences. Piedmont Triad Research Park, a division of Wake Forest Baptist, fosters biotechnology innovation in an urban park community. Wake Forest Baptist Health, the clinical enterprise, includes a flagship tertiary care hospital for adults, Brenner Children's Hospital, a network of affiliated community-based hospitals, physician practices and outpatient services. The institution's clinical programs and the medical school are consistently recognized as among the best in the country by U.S.News & World Report.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2011-11/wfbm-hot111811.php

veterans day 2011 veterans day 2011 country music awards cnbc debate family circus spanier jorge posada

Insight: Tibetans in China seek fiery way out of despair (Reuters)

DAOFU, China (Reuters) ? The Ganden Jangchup Choeling Nunnery stands hidden from view on an isolated mountain-top in southwestern China, accessible only by a twisting, rocky road. It was here, in a mud-brick hut, that Palden Choetso lived.

The 35-year-old Tibetan Buddhist nun burned herself to death on a public street an hour's drive away earlier this month, the latest in a string of self-immolations to protest against Chinese religious controls over Tibet.

Palden was a quiet woman who had been with the nunnery in the Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province for more than a decade, her friends said. A bright nun who studied Tibetan Buddhism, she was well-versed in reciting spiritual texts and was an ardent follower of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

No one suspected, however, that Palden would sacrifice herself, writhing in flames on a dusty road lined with shops in downtown Daofu, or Tawu in Tibetan.

"I want the Dalai Lama to return to China, I want freedom for Tibet!" she is said to have shouted as fire engulfed her body.

"She had drunk several jin of gasoline," a senior religious figure at the nunnery told Reuters, referring to a traditional weight of measure that is about half a kilogram. "We got a call that she had set herself on fire, and a few of us went down to try to save her. But it was too late."

In China, eleven Tibetan monks and nuns -- some former clergy -- have resorted to the extreme protest since March this year. At least six have been fatal.

The similarities are striking: All called for the return of the 76-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled to exile in India in 1959, and for freedom for Tibet.

China's Foreign Ministry has branded the self-immolators "terrorists" and has said the Dalai Lama, whom it condemns as a supporter of violent separatism, should take the blame for the "immoral" burnings.

Human rights activists and Tibet experts say, however, the string of self-immolations stems from desperation at Chinese religious controls and being left with few opportunities and little protection for their culture, without the Dalai Lama to provide hope.

"In her heart, she's always wanted the Dalai Lama to return to China," said the senior religious figure at Palden's nunnery, some 425 km (265 miles) from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetans, has not condemned or condoned the burnings but said the desperate conditions Tibetans face under Beijing's rigid controls in what amounted to "cultural genocide" have led to the spate of self-immolations.

"ALL HEROES"

Burning oneself in public is not a new form of protest in China. The self-immolations are perhaps an uncomfortable reminder to the Communist Party of previous public protests such as those by five people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2001. China said then the self-immolators belonged to Falun Gong, a banned spiritual group.

But this year's self-immolations are notable for their frequency -- and the power with which they symbolize the pent-up frustration felt by many Tibetans in China.

Just days before she burned herself, Palden told her fellow nuns that she felt "so sorry for those who self-immolated themselves," Free Tibet, an advocacy group, told Reuters.

Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher on China for Human Rights Watch, said that his interviews and reports among the monastic communities suggest that tensions are worse now than in March 2008, when deadly riots against the Chinese presence spread across Tibetan regions ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"So far, the escalation and the rise in tensions is unprecedented," he said. "One of the main concerns of the government is they don't exactly know how to respond to this."

"Normally they rely on fear and intimidation," Bequelin said. "But how do you intimidate people who are ready to set themselves on fire?"

Most of the people who Reuters spoke to in three Tibetan towns in Ganzi prefecture approved of the grisly act.

"I think they are all heroes," said a woman shopkeeper selling Tibetan religious artwork in the heavily Tibetan town of Danba, giving the "thumbs up" as she spoke. "The central government says our policies on the Tibetans are good. But all they do is suppress the Tibetan people."

"There will be more. This is just the beginning," she said. "There's no other way out."

A monk at the Jingang Temple in Kangding town concurred: "Many Tibetans support it, and I support it too. They gave up their lives for the Tibetan race."

In Daofu, a town of about 55,000 people and the site of a previous self-immolation by a monk from the Nyitso monastery in mid-August, Tibetan clergy appeared conflicted about the act.

"No, absolutely not," said the senior religious figure from Palden's nunnery, when asked whether he supported self-immolation. "I can't support it because we're talking about people's lives. It's going against the principles of Buddhism."

The Karmapa Lama, ranked third in the hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, appealed last week for Tibetans not to set themselves on fire, saying he hoped they would find more constructive ways to advance their cause.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibet expert at Columbia University in New York, said there has been no precedent for self-immolation as a political protest in Tibet, but added it would be "quite misleading to think that Buddhists disapprove of this".

"They disapprove of it from the point of view of the individual, but they admire the sacrifice that the person is making for what's seen as a greater ideal, for the greater good," Barnett said.

The self-immolations have been concentrated in Ganzi and the neighboring Aba prefecture. Most residents are Tibetan herders and farmers, many of whom have long resented Chinese rule.

"This was not far from the areas where the first big battles began against the Chinese in the mid-1950s," Barnett said. "These are people who are not easily pushed around, especially now when their religious institutions are being interfered with in a way that is not seen by them as justifiable."

All the monks who were interviewed by Reuters spoke of decades of "patriotic re-education" campaigns, during which they are forced to pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and occasionally denounce the Dalai Lama.

In Daofu, where monks have been jailed for "splittist" activities, they say they live in fear of the police and are wary of arrest. All of them asked that their names not be used.

The complaints are familiar: China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since its troops marched in 1950. Experts say, however, that Beijing has compounded the problem by intensifying its security presence in monasteries in recent years.

Monks and nuns are deeply respected figures in Tibetan society and have also often led resistance to Chinese Communist rule. Chinese security forces detained about 300 Tibetan monks from Aba's Kirti monastery for a month in May amid a crackdown sparked by a monk's self-immolation in March.

Although there were no police roadblocks and no sign of a heavy security presence in Ganzi on a recent weekend, six buses of troops and paramilitary forces were seen leaving Daofu. Police told Reuters journalists to "leave immediately" and tailed them out of the town for about 200 km.

RETURN OF THE DALAI LAMA?

China, which has poured billions into Tibet, rejects accusations that it oppresses Tibetans, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought huge economic benefits to what was a poor, feudal society.

"Life was much harder before the Communists came," said Zhaxi Zhongka, a villager from Jiaju village in Danba, which has benefited from tourism money. She brushed off questions about Tibetan independence and the Dalai Lama.

But many Tibetans remain resentful of Chinese rule. They have placed their hopes in the Dalai Lama, who stresses a non-violent movement for Tibetan autonomy but not outright independence.

Khedroob Thondup, the Dalai Lama's nephew, said in a telephone interview the situation is unlikely to improve unless Chinese officials meet with his uncle. China has held on-off talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys for several years, without any sign of progress. Talks between the two sides last occurred in February 2010.

The thorny issue of the aging Dalai Lama's religious succession may also feed into tensions. Tibetans fear China will use the issue to split the movement, with one new Lama named by exiles and one by China after his death.

"We cannot change anything without His Holiness, the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet," Palden was quoted as telling her friends in the nunnery, days before she burned herself.

Woeser, a Tibetan writer based in Beijing, said Tibetans in Ganzi have been sentenced to jail for merely shouting slogans. "Under these circumstances, you can only choose self-immolation to express your intentions," she said.

(Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Ken Wills and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/wl_nm/us_china_tibetans

andrew mason once in a blue moon gwar guitarist gwar guitarist tower heist daylight savings time humpback whale

Think Progress: Can Romney Beat Obama? Questions Abound As Likely GOP Nominee Doubles Down on Denial

Mitt Romney has consistently been the candidate of the 1%:

http://whiskeyandcarkeys.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mitt-Romney-bain-capital.jpg

?Mitt Romney?s Money Shot,? as The Atlantic puts it.? Photo: Bain Capital/The Boston Globe

Intrade prediction markets puts Romney?s chances of being the GOP Presidential nominee at 69.5% as the rest of the field implodes and unelectable Newt Gingrich (!) is the latest to surge.

Romney is moving to the right on core issues that matter to the Tea Party like climate change.? In October, Romney started flipping to denial (see Likely GOP Nominee Asserts, ?We Don?t Know What?s Causing Climate Change?).

But now he?s started pushing the truly inane hard-core denier talking points, as the Boston Globe reports today:

Discussing climate change in response to an audience question, he mocked the notion of asking the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

?I exhale carbon dioxide,?? Romney said. ?I don?t want those guys following me around with a meter to see if I?m breathing too hard.??

Seriously.? This from a guy who, just in June, said ?I think it?s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and the global warming that you?re seeing.?

Why is Romney pandering to the most extreme part of the GOP when he just about has the race sewed up, and the rest of the general public believes in global warming and climate action?

Intrade has Obama at almost dead even to be reelected ? 50.5%.? Who do you think will be the next President?

Related Post:

(for webtech) Posted in Climate Progress, General -->

Source: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/19/356635/can-romney-beat-obama-likely-gop-nominee-doubles-down-on-denial/

oregon football usc oregon jeremy london jeremy london bcs standings bcs standings pepper spray

Truck strikes Yale-Harvard tailgaters, killing 1

People look at the scene where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before an NCAA college football game between Yale and Harvard suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

People look at the scene where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before an NCAA college football game between Yale and Harvard suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

Authorities work the scene where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before an NCAA college football game between Yale and Harvard suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

Tailgating tables remain at the scene where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before an NCAA college football game between Yale and Harvard suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

A man looks at the scene where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before an NCAA college football game between Yale and Harvard suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

New Haven and Yale Police investigate the scene of an accident at Yale Bowl Lot D before the football game between Yale and Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 in New Haven, Conn. The driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs through a parking area before the game suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old woman and injuring two other women, police said. It's not clear why the driver sped up, New Haven Police spokesman David Hartman said. The truck then crashed into other rental vans in the lot, an open playing field used for pre-game parties before Yale home games (AP Photo/The New Haven Register, Peter Hvizdak) MAGAZINES OUT. TV OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

(AP) ? A driver of a U-Haul truck carrying beer kegs through a tailgating area before the Yale-Harvard game Saturday suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old Massachusetts woman and injuring two other women, police said.

It's not clear why the driver sped up, New Haven Police spokesman David Hartman said. The truck then crashed into other U-Haul vans in the lot, an open playing field used for pre-game tailgating parties before Yale home games in New Haven.

Tim Walker of Pawtucket, R.I., said he was grilling sirloin tips when he heard the crash behind him. He turned and saw two people lying on the ground.

People huddled around them trying to help, according to a video that appears to have been recorded shortly after the accident and posted online. "We're not getting a pulse," said someone crouched near one victim, while the cameraman notes the ambulance hasn't arrived.

After emergency officials arrived, Walker said, he saw one victim being given CPR as she was taken away.

"The driver looked shocked. Absolutely shocked," Walker said. Police have not said whether alcohol was a factor.

"He didn't look intoxicated or anything like that," Walker added. "He had a dazed look like he had just hit someone."

Hartman said the driver was in police custody.

He said the woman who was killed was pronounced dead at about 10:15 a.m. at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Police did not immediately release her identity.

A second woman, which Yale said was a student at its School of Management, was listed in critical but stable condition at the hospital.

The third woman suffered minor injuries.

At the annual Yale-Harvard game, tailgating is nearly as storied as the competition itself. Elaborate buffets dot the parking lots, and fans frequently fill such U-Haul trucks with kegs, grills and hard alcohol.

Six years ago, Yale began shutting down all parties after halftime in an effort to curb binge drinking and keep students and alumni safe. Saturday, the university said it planned to review its policies and regulations on tailgating before games.

"The Yale community is deeply saddened by the tragic vehicle accident that occurred at a Yale Bowl parking lot this morning," the school said in statement.

"Yale extends our sympathies and prayers to the family of the woman who was killed and hopes for the speedy recovery of the two women hurt," the statement said. "Our thoughts are also with those who witnessed or were affected by this tragic accident."

The fans had gathered for the 128th game of the Ivy League rivalry, which Harvard won 45-7 for its fifth straight victory over Yale. Three hours after the accident, the loud tailgating continued in the lot, with music blaring from large speakers and fans grilling hot dogs, sausage and hamburgers. Some students danced on top of other rental trucks.

The accident scene was cordoned off by yellow police tape, and a dozen numbered evidence placards were on the ground. The three rental trucks involved in the accident were still at the scene, stacked one against another from the collision.

At halftime of the game, the public address announcer at Yale Bowl informed the crowd of the accident and the woman's death, noting that it had been confirmed by the New Haven Police. He asked spectators to stand and observe a moment of silence.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-20-Yale-Harvard-Tailgate%20Accident/id-f47f0b385e824486abe314d783de17d3

cedric benson lord howe island lord howe island conficker conficker rock and roll hall of fame zach braff