LaMichael James, 49ers RB, Finds New Ways To Contribute On Offense

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) ? LaMichael James has transformed himself from a rookie spectator forced to watch the first three months of the season to a key contributor to a Super Bowl team in a matter of weeks for the San Francisco 49ers.

After being inactive the first 12 games of the season, James has become an impact player for the 49ers in their run to the Super Bowl next week against Baltimore.

His long kickoff return set up the go-ahead score in a late-season win in New England. His experience running the zone read helped Colin Kaepernick rush for 181 yards in a win to open the playoffs against Green Bay. Then James got into the scoring act himself last week, starting San Francisco's comeback in a 28-24 win over Atlanta in the NFC championship.

"I had a lot to learn," James said. "I'm still learning. I'm very blessed to be in the situation I'm in."

Fresh off scoring his first professional touchdown in last week's win over the Falcons, James is finally fulfilling the expectations the Niners had for him after drafting him in the second round last April following a stellar college career at Oregon.

"From the first time he stepped on the field, he's been dynamic," coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Getting on the field was the hard part. James was inactive the first 12 games as he had to adjust to playing from a huddle after being part of Oregon's fast-paced offense for three years and to learn a much more extensive playbook than he was used to with the Ducks.

James dutifully worked at learning his craft, making his contributions as a scout team running back and receiver and soaking in whatever tips he could get from starter Frank Gore and running backs coach Tom Rathman.

"It was very different," James said. "I'd never really been in a huddle until I was in high school. Actually, sitting in a huddle and then having to remember it ? and not just run it ? that was a little bit different for me, but it all works out."

James got his chance after Kendall Hunter went down with a season-ending Achilles' injury in New Orleans on Nov. 25. The Niners needed a change-of-pace back to team with Gore and James proved to be a perfect fit.

James was helped by the fact that the Niners offense had changed a bit with the switch at quarterback to Kaepernick from Alex Smith, with the team using more of the read-option plays James was so proficient at in college.

"Once he started getting comfortable, we saw a dynamic football player," safety Donte Whitner said. "It's a testament to him to be able to sit on the sideline and be on the developmental squad, as we like to call it, here for so long and actually knowing that you can play football. Actually coming from a big university, playing in a lot of big games, playing a lot of big games and being a big-time player, and having to sit out and be humbled like that, that's a testament to him and the character he has."

James rushed for 5,082 yards and scored 58 touchdowns in three seasons for the Ducks, including 471 yards of offense and four touchdowns in two games against Stanford when Harbaugh ran the Cardinal.

Playing for a perennial title contender at Oregon has prepared James for the big stage of the NFL playoffs. He played in three BCS bowl games, including the national championship game against Auburn at the end of his second year in January 2011. He capped his college career by rushing for 159 yards and one touchdown in a 45-38 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin last January.

"I don't think there's too much difference from playing a BCS game at Oregon," James said of the NFL playoffs. "I think it's really helped me out playing big games like these. It's second nature to me. I really don't think it's too big a deal."

He has shown that so far, playing his best on the biggest stage. After making his debut against Miami on Dec. 9 with eight carries for 30 yards, James delivered his most important play of the regular season the following week in a prime-time game at New England.

He returned a kick 62 yards after New England rallied back from 31-3 down to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Kaepernick threw a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on the next play as the Niners went on to the win that proved to be the difference in the NFC West race with Seattle.

The big plays have kept coming in the playoffs. He was the decoy on Kaepernick's 56-yard option keeper that gave San Francisco the lead for good two weeks ago in the 49ers' playoff opener against Green Bay.

He then had five carries for 34 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run that started the Niners comeback in Atlanta that has them preparing for the Super Bowl.

"He always has been a smart player," Gore said. "First, coming in the offense was kind of different. Now the offense is similar to what he did in college. That helps him a lot."

NOTES: LB Ahmad Brooks (shoulder) practiced for the first time this week. ... TE Garrett Celek (foot) is still sidelined.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

___

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/02/lamichael-james-49ers-role_n_2553592.html

hungergames bagpipes aspirin aspirin 21 jump street illinois primary results acapulco mexico

Apple Takes 3 Of Top 5 Spots In U.S. Mobile Phone Sales For Q4 2012, Says NPD

Apple has managed to nab three of the top 5 spots for the top-selling mobile phones in the U.S. during Q4 2012 according to the NPD group, with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 ranking first, third and fourth respectively. Apple also retained the crown for best-selling overall smartphone maker, accounting for 39 percent of smartphone sales in Q4 2012, compared to Samsung's 30 percent.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MY71cQ10g5Y/

Gus Malzahn hyperemesis gravidarum miranda kerr lindsay lohan Ronda Rousey BCS Bowls palestine

Maximizing Health Benefits of Exercise By Finding Your ?Goldilock's ...

Research Shows Less Can Be More:

?

By Dr. Mercola

One of the biggest hurdles people face in maintaining an exercise program is finding the time to do it. Fortunately, modern exercise research shows that you can significantly reduce your workout time while reaping better health benefits, compared to a traditional cardio program.

The key is Peak Fitness or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which also goes by other terms such as anaerobic, or burst training, which I?ve discussed on numerous occasions over the past couple of years.

However, recent research throws yet another twist into the discussion about exercise intensity, time, and subsequent effects.

Danish researchers were quite surprised when they realized that exercising for less amount of time (even without using high-intensity type training) still produced greater weight loss, without making any planned dietary changes.¹

According to the old adage, the more calories you expend during exercise, the more weight you should lose. But for many, this theory never seemed to hold true, as they continue to struggle with their weight despite spending several hours a week at the gym.

We now know using HIIT can give you better results in 40-60 minutes a week compared to 5 hours of conventional aerobics. But here, the major surprise was that 30 minutes of exercise beat out 60 minutes of exercise at the same weekly frequency, in terms of weight loss!

Finding Your Goldilock?s Exercise Zone

The evidence suggests there may be a type of ?Goldilock?s Zone? when it comes to exercise. ?Just enough? exercise boosts your overall energy levels, spurring you to be more active during non-exercising hours (taking stairs, getting out of your office chair more frequently, walking longer distances).

?Too much? exercise might actually lead to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle outside of exercise hours, most likely due to a combination of exhaustion and inadvertently eating or snacking more to compensate for the high calorie expenditure during exercise. (?Too little? or ?none? will obviously not do you any good at all.)

You may recall I recently wrote about a study that concluded exercising in the morning did not lead to increased food intake or food cravings, which seems to be in direct contradiction to the findings in today?s featured study. But let?s keep in mind that ?the devil is in the details.?

In the current study, mildly overweight men who exercised at a moderate pace for about 30 minutes (until they?d burned 300 calories based on their individual metabolic rate) experienced a boost in energy and overall activity levels, and did not increase their food intake. Obese women who exercised at moderate to intense pace for 45 minutes in the morning were also found to be more energetic and active during non-exercising hours, and did not subsequently increase their food intake either.

The men who sweat it out for 60 minutes instead of 30, however, did not increase overall activity levels during non-exercise hours, and they ended up eating more. As reported by the New York Times:²

?At the end of the 13 weeks, the members of the [non-exercising] control group weighed the same as they had at the start, and their body fat percentages were unchanged, which is hardly surprising.

On the other hand, the men who had exercised the most, working out for 60 minutes a day, had managed to drop some flab, losing an average of five pounds each. The scientists calculated that that weight loss, while by no means negligible, was still about 20 percent less than would have been expected given the number of calories the men were expending each day during exercise, if food intake and other aspects of their life had held steady.

Meanwhile, the volunteers who?d worked out for only 30 minutes a day did considerably better, shedding about seven pounds each, a total that, given the smaller number of calories that they were burning during exercise, represents a hefty 83 percent ?bonus? beyond what would have been expected?? [Emphasis mine]

Finding Your Sweet Spot Includes Knowing Which Foods to Eat and Which to Avoid

In summary, the researchers concluded that the shorter exercise session appears to have allowed the men to ?burn calories without wanting to replace them.? Combined with greater activity levels at work and off-hours, the overall health effect generated was greater than in those whose workout sessions were longer, simply because the latter didn?t experience the same boost in off-hour energy levels, and ended up eating more.

But another important factor not touched on in this research is the effect of the types of food you eat, before and after exercise. The study participants were not given any particular diet; they were simply asked to not alter their normal fare.

It?s well worth noting that your choice of breakfast food may play a significant role in decreasing or heightening sensations of hunger afterward, which will affect your overall calorie intake for the day ? not to mention how foods can alter your metabolic functioning, and either for the benefit or detriment to your weight loss.

For example, eating carbohydrates for breakfast will inhibit your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and reduce the fat burning effect of your exercise. Instead, it activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which promotes storage of fat ? the complete opposite of what you?re aiming for. Avoiding fructose and other grain carbohydrates is a critical element of a successful weight loss strategy. This includes sports or energy drinks and fruit juices (even if they?re freshly squeezed).

Additionally, it would be wise to consider skipping breakfast. You can review the article I recently wrote on this here. This is a form of intermittent fasting and I believe it is one of the most profound new developments in weight loss management. This can radically improve your ability to shift to fat burning mode and effectively burn fat rather than glucose. Also, when you exercise in a fasted state you tend to have your cells rebuild and repair or get younger.

Diet Also Affects HGH Production if You Do Interval Training

Furthermore, if you?re doing high intensity interval training you will naturally boost your production of human growth hormone (HGH) ? a fat-burning, muscle-boosting hormone ? but if you consume fructose within two hours of exercise, you will effectively negate this highly beneficial effect. In essence, if you don?t pay attention to your diet, you may be wasting an awful lot of time in the gym.

As explained by HGH Magazine:³

?A high sugar meal after working out, or even a recovery drink (containing high sugar) after working out, will stop the benefits of exercise induced HGH. You can work out for hours, then eat a high sugar candy bar or have a high sugar energy drink, and this will shut down the synergistic benefits of HGH.

?If you miss reaching HGH release during working out, you will still receive the calorie burning benefit from the workout. However, you?ll miss the HGH ?synergy bonus? of enhanced fat burning for two hours after working out.

This is an extremely important fact to remember if you want to cut body fat and shed a few pounds. ?[Research has] demonstrated that carbohydrates are burned during exercise in direct proportion to the intensity of training. Fat burning is also correlated with intensity. However, the actual fat burning takes place after the workout, during the recovery. This makes the ?Synergy Window,? the 2 hour period after a workout, very important in maximizing HGH, once it?s released during exercise.?

Another 2010 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology⁴ showed that eating a low-carbohydrate meal after aerobic exercise enhances your insulin sensitivity. This of course is highly beneficial, since impaired insulin sensitivity, or insulin resistance, is the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes and a significant risk factor for other chronic diseases, such as heart disease.

So, while exercise is very effective for enhancing insulin sensitivity, the type of foods you eat plays a significant supporting role. Eating a high sugar meal after exercise will simply not allow you to reap the maximum benefits from your workout, regardless of what type of exercise you engage in.

Good, Better, Best

As you can see, optimizing your health and weight involves a number of factors, and all of them need to be given appropriate consideration. Poor diet with a strenuous exercise regimen will surely leave you disappointed, just as a healthy diet with improper or no exercise will leave most people wanting. It?s worth noting though that about 80 percent of the health benefits you get from a healthy lifestyle come from your diet. The remaining 20 percent is derived from your exercise ? but it?s an important 20 percent! It?s really about synergy.

That said, abstaining from food altogether for certain periods of time, known as intermittent fasting, can actually boost exercise results even more.

I?ve previously interviewed fitness expert Ori Hofmekler on the issue of fasting and exercise. According to Ori, fasting actually has the surprising benefit of helping you reconstruct your muscles when combined with exercise. This is due to an ingenious preservation mechanism that protects your active muscle from wasting itself.

In a nutshell, if you don?t have sufficient fuel in your system when you exercise, your body will break down other tissues but not the active muscle, i.e. the muscle being exercised. That said, neither Ori nor I advocate starvation combined with rigorous exercise. It?s important to be sensible. And you need to consume sufficient amounts of protein in order to prevent muscle wasting. While most people need to address the foods they DO eat before considering skipping meals, intermittent fasting can provide you with many benefits, and is another tool you can experiment with to help you reach your goals.

One of the mechanisms that makes intermittent fasting so effective for weight loss is the fact that it ? like HIIT ? provokes the secretion of HGH. It also increases catecholamines, which increases resting energy expenditure while decreasing insulin levels, which allows stored fat to be burned for fuel. Together, these and other factors will turn you into an effective fat-burning machine ? especially if you incorporate it with high intensity interval training.

How to Safely Combine Intermittent Fasting with Exercise to Boost Weight Loss

In essence this fitness-enhancing strategy looks at the timing of meals, as well as when NOT to eat. This isn?t one of those fad plans, where you eat just one or two things for several days in a row. Instead, intermittent fasting simply means restricting your food intake during the day to a smaller time window (typically six to eight hours). If that?s still too difficult, restrict your food choices to light raw foods, vegetable juice and/or whey protein or eggs, but aim for having just one main meal a day, in the evening.

When you add exercise to the mix, you complete your workout while fasting, but this must be followed by a recovery meal within 30 minutes of your workout. The easiest way to do this is to exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, followed by a recovery meal half an hour later. Then you fast until the set time window designated for eating, followed again with fasting during late-evening/overnight hours and into the morning, until 30 minutes after exercise the next day.

Naturally, if?it?s a non?exercise day, you don?t need the recovery meal. But on exercise days, a recovery meal is critical and should NOT be skipped in the name of fasting. Whey protein is ideal, as it is fast-assimilating and will provide you with the nutrients your muscles need for recovery. (Make sure to avoid all sources of fructose for the reasons discussed earlier). Skipping the recovery meal after exercise is very ill advised, as it can lead to brain and muscle damage.

Why Exercise and Fasting Makes for a Beneficial Duo

Exercise while in a fasted state results in acute oxidative stress, and while this may sound ominous it actually benefits your muscle by keeping your muscles? mitochondria, neuro-motors and fibers intact. Chronic oxidative stress, on the other hand, is very detrimental and can lead to disease. As explained by fitness expert Ori Hofmekler:

?[Acute oxidative stress] is essential for keeping your muscle machinery tuned. Technically, acute oxidative stress makes your muscle increasingly resilient to oxidative stress; it stimulates glutathione and SOD production in your mitochondria along with increased muscular capacity to utilize energy, generate force and resist fatigue.

Hence, exercise and fasting help counteract all the main determinants of muscle aging. But there is something else about exercise and fasting. When combined, they trigger a mechanism that recycles and rejuvenates your brain and muscle tissues.?

The mechanism he refers to is triggering genes and growth factors, including brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and muscle regulatory factors (MRFs), which signal brain stem cells and muscle satellite cells to convert into new neurons and new muscle cells, respectively. This means that exercise while fasting may actually help to keep your brain, neuro-motors and muscle fibers biologically young. The combined effect of both intermittent fasting and short intense exercise may go way beyond helping you to burn more fat and lose weight; it may help you to:

Cut the Correct Calories!

Intermittent fasting (IF) makes your dietary choices all the more important. Please do not embark on intermittent fasting if your diet consists primarily of processed and/or fast foods! This is because it?s not restricting calories per se that does the trick, but rather it?s the restriction of unnecessary calories from foods that do not supply essential nutrients.

It?s important to realize that all calories are NOT created equal, and will not have identical effects your weight or health.

Their value depends on the types of food (nutrients) they?re attached to. You barely need any grain carbohydrates in your diet. You could cut out virtually all sugar and grains, limiting carb calories to vegetables (and perhaps some less harmful starchy carbs like potatoes and rice) and still thrive. Unfortunately, in the US, six of the top 10 sources of calories are carbohydrates from sugars and grains,⁵ and this is a major reason why so many Americans are overweight. They?re simply eating far too many sugars. So it?s very important to restrict carbs when doing a calorie restrictive diet. When you cut out the sugars and carbs it is wise to replace them with high quality non-processed fats.? Some of my favorites include:

Organic grass-fed raw butter, Eggs, Coconut oil, Avocados, Almonds.

?

?

There?s very compelling evidence showing that calories from healthy fats are far more beneficial for your health than calories from carbohydrates. And fear not? It?s already been well established that stearic acid (found in cocoa and animal fat) has no effect on distorting your healthy cholesterol ratios at all, and actually gets converted in your liver into the monounsaturated fat called oleic acid.

The other two, palmitic and lauric acid, do raise total cholesterol. However, since they raise ?good? cholesterol as much or more than ?bad? cholesterol, you?re still actually lowering your risk of heart disease. And there are additional benefits. Lauric acid (as from coconut oil) has been shown to boost thyroid hormone activity along with?your body?s metabolic rate. This is obviously a huge advantage to those interested in weight loss or those who suffer from an underactive thyroid.

I couldn?t encourage you more to implement this program. It has radically improved my personal confidence in using diet choices to achieve high level wellness and optimal body fat. Cutting down on your grains and sugars, replacing them with high quality fats and skipping some meals, especially before exercise, seem to be a powerful combination to help you take control of your health.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Source: http://www.nutritionnews.com/fitness/maximizing-health-benefits-of-exercise-by-finding-your-goldilocks-zone/

black panther party frank martin pink slime eagle cam trayvon martin case affordable care act the line

How US military can be 'band of brothers and sisters'

IDF

Arielle Werner, 21, originally of Minnetonka, Minn., is a combat soldier with Israel's co-ed Caracal Battalion. "Women in combat can only bring good things," she said. "Two halves of a whole together can only be good."

By F. Brinley Bruton, Staff Writer, NBC News

Even before she moved to Israel, Minnesota-born Cpl. Arrielle?Werner was certain she possessed what it took to fight on the front lines.?

"I realized that I couldn't be the passive Minnesotan," said the 21-year-old member of Israel's?majority female Caracal Battalion, a combat unit which patrols the volatile border with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.?"I knew this was the place for me.?My friends back in the States are shocked ? now I?m the wild combat soldier."

The self-described "peace keeper of the family" said she is prepared to "give everything" on the battlefield.?

That's the sort of gung-ho attitude that military brass appreciate in any soldier -- but it isn't an attitude many expect from a woman.

There have long been barriers to women?at war, never mind those assigned to fight at the tip of the spear. But the U.S. government's announcement on Jan. 24?that it was dropping?its ban on women in combat units changed everything. (While not officially in combat units, American women have long served side-by-side with male?service-members -- in fact, 152 women died while being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.)

Despite living in a country "where some still think women should stay in the kitchen," Werner feels accepted by male colleagues.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's decision to lift the 20-year ban on women serving in combat will open some 237,000 combat-related positions to women. Initially, women will be assigned to combat communications, logistics and drivers. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

"There is a little bit of a glass ceiling (but) ... you see women every day getting higher and higher," said Werner, who is originally from Minnetonka, Minn. "As long as you want to succeed and want to get stronger ? you?re able to handle everything."

While many worry whether society has the stomach to accept women being killed, and being killers, Werner is in no doubt about her place on the battlefield. ?And she doesn't mince words about her fellow females in the co-ed Caracal Battalion.

"These girls are tough," she said.

Werner, who has been on stationed on the border since October, admitted that she has noticed differences between the sexes.

"Guys are able to really to put a tough face on things (while) girls really take time to put emotion into something," she added.?"Women in combat can only bring good things. Two halves of a whole together can only be good."

Not practical or not relevant?
As the U.S. military implements its?new and controversial policy ahead of a January 2016 deadline, it will be seeking lessons from Israel and the handful of other countries that currently do not bar women from front-line combat. They include all of Scandinavia, Australia, Eritrea, France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Poland and Romania.

Despite examples set by these countries, one of the biggest worries remains that integration will undermine the essential cohesion of the so-called band of brothers that has long defined the?camaraderie?among fighting men.

"(In the British military) the argument always comes down to the pure practicalities of the effectiveness of the unit rather than if a woman can't do it," said Amyas Godfrey, a former infantry officer and associate fellow at British security think tank the?Royal United Services Institution (RUSI).

Atef Safadi / EPA, file

Israeli female soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinian protesters from the West Bank village of Nabi Salah on Dec. 28.

The United Kingdom is almost alone among Western European countries in not allowing women into?front-line?combat roles.

"It comes down to 18-to-22-year-old boys not being able to ignore the fact that there is a woman in their midst," he said. Integrating combat units and concentrating on making space for women also "doesn't fit with the practicality of closing with and killing the enemy," he said.

Norwegian Brigadier Odin Johannessen, who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan and commanded military units for 12 years, disagreed with the idea that men and women could not be trained to serve together.

"In mixed units, what is most important is to become a soldier," said the 51-year-old who formerly ran the Norwegian Army Academy in Oslo. "That you are a good soldier tends to be the most prized factor of all, if you are a male or female doesn?t matter."

"It's called a band of brothers. I would rather rephrase it to a band of brothers and sisters," he added.?

Johannessen's exposure to military women colored the rest of his career.

"My first day in the military I met Sgt. Bente Karlsen and she has been present in my mind for my entire service for the professional way she led us," he said. ?

Karlsen had the essential ability to convey instructions and orders, but also clearly cared about the young men under her command, Johannessen said.?

"She was a brilliant sergeant?and showed me that it matters not if you are male of female," he said.?

Norway has no official restrictions on women joining any of its?operational?units, although no women are members of its special forces. Nine percent of combat roles in Norway are made up of women, and the?armed forces' aim to increase that the proportion of females in military positions to 15 percent.

'Masculine warrior culture'
With its "no-exclusion policy," Canada is also recognized internationally as one of the few militaries to have officially removed all barriers to women. Canadian women have served and died on the front line in Afghanistan, and make up four percent of the roles in Canada's so-called combat arms divisions, and 14.8 percent of military roles overall.?

Getty Images, file

Canadian Master Corporal Tera Avey of Edmonton, Alberta, a mother of two and one of three female combat soldiers, wakes up on March, 2002 in the rocky Shahi Kot mountains in Afghanistan. Hundreds of American and Canadian troops were lifted into the mountainous region at high altitude to search and destroy Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.

Karen Davis, a gender integration expert for Canada's armed forces, acknowledges?that women have to adapt to the "masculine warrior culture" of combat units.

But when Canadian men and women were sent to fight on the front lines in Afghanistan, fears that women's presence would hurt all-important unity did not bear out, she said.

"What we learned when we went into Afghanistan is that Canadian soldiers are trained to do a job, no matter if they were men or women," Davis said, adding that proper and rigorous training before deployment helped make this happen.

Whether women can or should be treated and tested differently from their male counterparts is at the heart of any discussion on how to integrate military operations, especially front-line combat troops.

In Israel, where women have formed part of the military since before the founding of the state and face?conscription, the training process "accepts differences between men and women and just deals with them," according to Capt. Eytan Buchman, a spokesman for the?Israel Defense Forces.

"Everybody comes in with their own baggage and?physiological?differences," he added.

Johannessen, for his part, advises trainers and commanders to not give women under their command special treatment.?

"Say there are two females in the unit. If you want to do it wrong, pay special attention to them," he said. ?

To this end,?gender-neutral physical standards?are also essential, he said.

According to Davis, Canada's success at integrating women also came about as a result of a rigorously enforced non-fraternization policy. And the onus for making sure relationships don't happen lies not just on the women, but also the men throughout the chain of command, she says.

But beyond policies and rules, Norway's Johannessen says that more women make militaries better and smarter.

Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

View images of the women deployed as the second Female Engagement team in Afghanistan

"Men and women are looking at a problem from different positions," he said. "Having the?possibility?for a different view is many times better."

While integrating women into combat can be down to well-thought-out polices, effective leadership and rigorous training -- natural attributes for any well-run military organization -- an important lesson is that change will most likely not come quickly or implemented uniformly.

Gender integration expert?Davis?admits that even her own thinking changed radically from the time she joined an all-female land-bound unit in the Canadian Navy in 1978. At the time, she agreed that women did not belong in many roles in the military. But in 1985 that changed: Davis was asked to be one of two women to go to sea for 12 days on a formerly all-male ship.

"I came back questioning everything," Davis said. "I had joined and completely accepted everything I had been told, but in fact none of it was rational, it could all be dismantled."?

Related:

Female veterans cheer new era: 'It's about time!'

Women in the infantry? Forget about it, says female Marine officer

?

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/02/16751945-how-the-us-military-can-become-a-band-of-brothers-and-sisters?lite

school delays critics choice awards 2012 honey badger colbert president huntingtons disease rob the firm

Mattel 4Q results miss Wall Street's expectations

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) ? Barbie maker Mattel Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income fell 17 percent, weighed down by a litigation charge.

Its performance missed Wall Street's expectations for the critical holiday period, and its shares fell almost 2 percent in premarket trading. It also raised its dividend.

The world's largest toy maker earned $306.5 million, or 87 cents per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31. That compares with $370.6 million, or $1.07 per share, a year ago.

Removing the litigation charge, earnings were $1.12 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $1.15 per share.

Revenue for the El Segundo, Calif.-based company rose 5 percent to $2.26 billion from $2.15 billion. Wall Street forecast $2.3 billion.

The November through December holiday period is key for toy makers because it can make up to 40 percent of their revenue during the time. Toy sellers have been under pressure as more kids clamor for electronic gadgets like tablets. In addition, toy sellers like Wal-Mart and others have been cautious ordering inventory.

Worldwide gross sales for the Mattel girls and boys brands climbed 5 percent in the quarter. The figure jumped 55 percent for its other girls brands, mostly because of its Monster High products. At American Girl, worldwide gross sales increased 13 percent. The figure rose 6 percent for Fisher Price.

Results were not as good for Barbie, which reported a 4 percent decline in worldwide gross sales. The Wheels segment, which includes Hot Wheels, Matchbox and the Tyco R/Co brands, posted a 1 percent dip primarily due to Matchbox.

The company's entertainment business, which includes Radica and Games, dropped 13 percent mostly because of weaker sales of Cars 2 products.

Its shares dropped 68 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $36.95 in premarket trading.

Its full-year net income edged up 1 percent to $776.5 million, or $2.22 per share, from $768.5 million, or $2.18 per share, in the prior year. Annual revenue increased 2 percent to $6.42 billion from $6.27 billion.

Mattel also announced Friday that its board declared a first-quarter dividend of 36 cents per share. This is up 16 percent from the prior-year period. The dividend will be paid on March 8 to shareholders of record on Feb. 22.

Mattel's financial report follows a dismal revenue preannouncement by Hasbro last week.

Mattel's smaller rival, which makes board games like Scrabble and toys including Furby, said its fourth-quarter revenue failed to meet expectations because of weaker-than-expected demand over the holidays. It plans to cut about 10 percent of its workforce and consolidate facilities to reduce expenses. Hasbro Inc. reports its final results for the quarter on Thursday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mattel-4q-results-miss-wall-streets-expectations-112020815--finance.html

beverly hilton hotel whitney houston found dead i will always love you whitney houston 2012 grammy awards powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton

PETS: Chico, Torti, Lemon & Lime - Bel Air, MD Patch

From the?Humane Society of Harford County:
???

Dog of the Week: Chico
Age: 5 years
Color: Blue and White
Breed: American Pit Bull Terrier Mix
Gender: Male
Adoption Fee: $160
Wanna play? Got a toy? Come on, let?s go! My name is Chico and I am an all-around great boy. Don?t be intimidated by my breed, sometimes the best relationships come from where you least expect it. You need to know right up front that I am all about my toys. I haven?t met a toy yet that I haven?t loved whether stuffed, rubber or plastic. I also have this silly sideways floppy ear. People say it makes me even cuter than I already am. If you?re ready to meet a good, happy boy, then plan a trip to the shelter to see me!

Cat of the Week: Torti
Age: 2 years
Color: Black and Orange
Breed: Domestic Short Hair Mix
Gender: Female
Adoption Fee: $47.50 (reduced from $95)
I?m Torti, and I?m proof that good things do come in small little packages! I am a beautiful tortoiseshell cat that is so nice and calm. I am very comfortable with visitors to the shelter and love being petted. I will even roll on my back and look up at you to rub my tummy! Please come to see me in the Free Roam Rooms. (P.S. I?m in the Lonely Hearts Club so my adoption fee is half off. What a deal!!)

Small Critters of the Week: Lemon and Lime
Age: Adults
Color: Green and Yellow
Breed: Parakeets
Gender: Unknown
Adoption Fee: $20 for both
Tweet, tweet!? That?s bird talk for ?please come and see us?. We?re Lemon and Lime, two adult parakeets who were surrendered to the shelter. We?re hanging out in the Critter Cottage, and although it?s fun to meet new people, we sure would like to be back in a home again. Our adoption fee is $20 for both of us, and we sure would like to stay together. If you need our cage too, talk to the shelter staff about purchasing that as well. Then we can move right in with you and be all set!!

???

Find the Humane Society of Harford County on Facebook.

Source: http://belair.patch.com/articles/pets-chico-torti-lemon-lime

Ohio Lottery Colorado Lottery Pa Lottery Ebates lotto Illinois Lottery texas lottery

Launch of SPMH Law, LLC. ? a high-end personal injury lawfirm ...

We are so pleased to be able to take a few moments to announce the lauch of our latest client ? SPMH Law, LLC.? The law firm of Slover, Prieto, Marigliano & Holbert, LLC. has been an exciting project for all of us here at AJS Productions.? Though a new firm by name, the experience of the senior partners amounts to over one hundred years?of legal practice and courtroom activity.??Collectively, they have tried?well over 500 cases and have participated in hundreds, if not thousands, of mediations, arbitrations, and settlement conferences.

Our attention to detail, focus on SEO marketing and social media integration is what gave us our first opportunity to make a pitch for why they?should?choose AJS Productions.? After learning about our business strategy and the services we offer, they decided to?put their faith in?us and?today is the day to pop our virtual champagne corks.

For those who are looking for a personal injury firm?that puts the rights of the injured first, then we suggest giving the?attorneys at SPMH Law, LLC. a call for a free?consultation.? In fact, as personal injury lawyers, they will never ask their clients for any?out-of-pocket expenses?if they take?the case.? They work solely on a?contingency fee basis ? if they don?t win, you won?t have to pay a dime.

And, for those who have been sitting back for too long without a website, or a site that has been gathering dust for far too long, make an appointment today with us.? Much like SPMH Law, LLC. we will never charge a client for?our?consultation time.? Until we have an executed?website development contract, there?are no fees?charged by AJS Productions.

Source: http://ajsproductions.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/launch-of-spmh-law-llc-a-high-end-personal-injury-lawfirm/

swain match day nene dark shadows trailer nate mcmillan clooney arrested southern miss