Mattei takes 'step up' to role in 'Parsifal'

In this Feb. 11, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during the final dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to ?Parsifal.? He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

In this Feb. 11, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during the final dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to ?Parsifal.? He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

In this Feb. 8, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during a dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. When Mattei agreed to debut the role at the Met, he was known mostly as a Mozart singer, and the only Wagner he had sung was the lyrical Wolfram in ?Tannhaeuser.? At first, Mattei confided, ?I was a little nervous to do it. Wolfram for me was spot on, but I knew Amfortas was a step up dramatically. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

It's midmorning, less than 12 hours after he finished another grueling performance as the tormented Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," and Peter Mattei is already singing again.

"My voice is in perfect shape. I could do a show tonight," the Swedish baritone said in an interview last week, midway through a seven-performance run of Wagner's final opera. "I check after each performance. I sing some Bach, some lieder, because I want to make sure everything's OK. So far, so good."

Better than good, the critics agree. James Jorden in the New York Post praised his "velvety baritone," while Manuela Hoelterhoff for Bloomberg News enthused: "I don't think better singers exist anywhere in the world, especially Peter Mattei as Amfortas."

Listeners have a chance to judge for themselves Saturday when a live matinee performance will be broadcast on the radio and shown in HD on movie theaters around the world. Headlining the cast of the new Francois Girard production are tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role, bass Rene Pape and soprano Katarina Dalayman. Daniele Gatti conducts.

Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to "Parsifal." He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. His two long monologues in Acts 1 and 3 are punctuated by cries of rage and remorse, often over heavy orchestration.

When Mattei agreed to debut the role at the Met, he was known mostly as a Mozart singer, and the only Wagner he had sung was the lyrical Wolfram in "Tannhaeuser." At first, Mattei confided, "I was a little nervous to do it. Wolfram for me was spot on, but I knew Amfortas was a step up dramatically.

"You have to dig in a little bit," he said. "But I try to do it in the same way as Wolfram, because the beautiful melodies are really there, even if it is very powerful sometimes."

In the Girard production, the physical demands are as great as the vocal ones. While some Amfortases are carried in a chair or stretcher, Mattei staggers on and off the stage leaning on two extras, who have to support virtually his entire weight. Since Mattei is well over 6 feet, that's no easy task, for him or for them.

"Girard told me, 'They are your legs,'" Mattei said. "He told me Amfortas has syphilis, so that's why his legs aren't working. The bone structure is breaking up. My body has this huge tension, singing crumpled over, not using my legs and always leaning on somebody."

Mattei said he wasn't familiar with "Parsifal" when he began studying the role last summer. "I found it a very good piece to not know so much about," he said, "because then you can just listen to the music, and you'll have a much more instinctive input from Wagner than from a professor who knows everything about Wagner and can explain it for days."

Mattei, 47, was born in the town of Pitea in northern Sweden into a family he describes as "quite poor." His father, an Italian, worked in a factory and his mother sold bread in a shop. He said he began singing "before I could speak," though he didn't study music full-time until he was 18.

"Singing is something I cannot be without," he said. "Even if there's no audience. It's a need." In fact, during the interview ? conducted in the Manhattan apartment where he was awaiting the arrival of his wife and two young children from Sweden ? he repeatedly broke into snatches of an aria or recitative to illustrate a point about this or that role.

Mattei made his professional debut in Mozart's "La Finta Giardiniera" at the Drottningholm Court Theatre in 1990, and a year later he drew acclaim in Sweden in Daniel Bortz's "The Bacchae," directed by Ingmar Bergman at the Royal Swedish Opera. An international career soon followed.

He'll be back at the Met next season for Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Beyond that, he said, he's interested in exploring some Verdi roles, including the Marquis di Posa in Verdi's "Don Carlo," a role he has sung only in Scandinavia.

And more Wagner? "Maybe the young Wotan," he said, referring to the god who appears in "Das Rheingold," the first opera in the "Ring" cycle.

His fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for that one.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-26-Music-Peter%20Mattei/id-9dbd2e92435147af8136fea593aaf064

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Dramatic video captures the moment sonic boom from Russian meteor terrifies schoolchildren by smashing windows of sports hall

Scary: Suddenly, the windows of the sports hall completely blow out, leaving the children completely terrified

Schoolchildren pictured practicing their karate moves on each other - Seconds later sonic boom from meteor smashes windows of hall - Children cover their ears with hands and run away in terror

It was a terrifying moment which left nearly 1,500 people injured and caused more than ?20 million worth of damage.

But few images have been able to capture just how much every day life was turned upside down following the enormous Russian meteor than this video.

These pictures show young Russian schoolchildren practicing their karate moves on each other in a sports hall, completely unaware that their day was about to be completely transformed.

As they continue with their class in Chelyabinsk, a sudden change of light can be seen through the large windows on the left of the picture.

Seconds later, the windows of the sports hall completely blow out - resulting in the school children running away in complete terror.

Many place their hands to their ears as they run for cover. Their instructors look towards the windows in horror.

It is believed the windows were smashed out after a sonic boom - which was the sound of the shock waves created by the meteor traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound.

The meteor injured nearly 1,500 people and caused widespread property damage in Chelyabinsk on Friday, with health officials yesterday saying that 46 of the injured remain hospitalised.

The debris narrowly missed a direct and devastating hit on the industrial city which has a population of 1.13 million but spread panic through its streets as the sky above lit up with a blinding flash.

Scientists yesterday claimed the meteor is the biggest space rock to have hit earth in more than a century.

The 100,000 tonne rock, measuring around 55 feet in diameter, created a huge hole in a frozen lake when it crashed into the ground.

As it raced through the sky, the 50-foot wide chunk of space rock compressed the air ahead of it, creating the enormous temperatures that meant it exploded in a fireball somewhere between 18 and 32 miles above the ground at around 9.20am local time on Friday.

Although some debris fell to earth, 'whipping up a pillar of ice, water and steam' and creating a 20-foot-wide crater, the damage in nearby towns was actually caused by shockwaves created by the meteor breaking the sound barrier and then exploding.

Scientists have found more than 50 tiny fragments of the meteor, allowing them to uncover information about its contents.

Local residents have been more interested in the black market value of the fragments since the dramatic incident, as a 'gold mine' has been kickstarted for the valuable pieces.

As they search for their own pieces of the meteor, rocks have already been put on the internet for sale, and police are warning all purchasers to prepare for possible fraud.

Paul Chodas of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office said: 'We would expect an event of this magnitude to occur once every 100 years.'

He told the Wall Street Journal: 'When you have a fireball of this size we would expect a large number of meteorites to reach the surface and in this case there were probably some large ones.'

Viktor Grokhovsky, who led the expedition from Urals Federal University, said that 53 fragments of the meteor have been plucked from the ice-covered Chebarkul Lake.

He said they are less than a centimeter (half an inch) in size, about 10 per cent iron, and belong to the chondrite type, the most common variation of meteorites found on Earth.

Divers inspecting the lake have found nothing at the bottom, but Mr Grokhovsky said a fragment as large as 50-60 centimeters (20-24 inches) could eventually be found there.

Ice hole: Experts said the meteor that left a 50-foot hole in a frozen lake on the outskirts of Chelyabinsk, in the Urals, weighed around 100,000 tonnes and measured 55 feet in diameter

Workers in the city remained busy replacing acres of windows shattered by a powerful shockwave caused by the meteor's strike, which NASA said released 500 kilotons of energy, the power equivalent to more than 30 Hiroshima bombs.

The local governor estimated the damage at 1 billion rubles (?21.5million) and said he hopes the federal government will provide at least half that amount.

On Saturday, divers searched the waters beneath the ice for traces of space rock but surfaced empty handed, leaving some experts questioning whether the hole was indeed formed by a piece of falling debris.

Source: http://www.sott.net/article/258699-Dramatic-video-captures-the-moment-sonic-boom-from-Russian-meteor-terrifies-schoolchildren-by-smashing-windows-of-sports-hall

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Bobby Valentine to become college AD

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Sports & Outdoors : Tired Iron river games & vintage sled races

Description:

Saturday, Feb. 23rd: 2013 Spring Ping Fling! Ping Pong Ball Drop with select balls worth great prizes for kids 5-12.

Many other fun outdoor events during the 8th Annual Fairbanks Tired Iron river games & vintage sled races Feb. 23 & 24.

Events and time of events may change

Age Suitability: All Ages Ideal Weather: Any Weather
More upcoming dates:

Date	Time
Sunday, Feb 24, 2013	All Day

Source: http://explorefairbanks.com/events/detail/5364/tired-iron-river-games-and-vintage-sled-races

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Golf: Lewis ahead but teen star leads chase in Thailand

BANGKOK: World number three Stacy Lewis held on to her three-shot overnight lead after round two of the Honda LPGA Thailand on Friday, but was pushed hard by Thai teenager Ariya Jutanugarn who hit a flawless 66.

Teeing off last, American Lewis quickly showed Thursday's stunning 63 was no fluke when she notched a birdie at the par-five first.

She added four more birdies over the day, marred by two dropped shots, which sent her back into the clubhouse with 69 and a healthy 12-under par score overall.

But the day arguably belonged to 17-year-old Ariya, who was six shots behind the leader at the start of play but halved the deficit with a stunning 66 on the back of some hot putting which gave her six birdies.

She will pair up with Lewis on Saturday in front of the home crowd at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya.

"It's always hard to follow up a really good day. I definitely left a few out there," Lewis said.

"I didn't hit it as good today but I made some putts on the back nine and still have a three-shot lead, so I can't complain.

"I think tomorrow is going to be even crazier being in the last group and she's (Ariya) kind of the rising star from here, and I think she's going to be a great player. You have to watch out for her just like anybody else."

Spain's Beatriz Recari was joined by Korean So-Yeon Ryu and Scottish veteran Catriona Matthew poised just four shots off the pace on 136.

Recent graduate So-Yeon Ryu, who has already collected more than $1.2 million career earnings, spared a few words for her university after her flawless 68, revealing she carries its logo on her watch for inspiration.

"So it's all about my university. I think my university give me a lot of energy," she said.

Elsewhere, 15-year-old New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko had a mixed round but ended on an a promising 140.

She was three shots ahead of world number one Tseng Yani, who bounced back after a miserable first day with four birdies to finish on 143, a distance from the leader but a major improvement from a dismal round one.

The day's biggest disappointment was Frenchwoman Karine Icher who stalked Lewis on day one, going home three behind. But Icher posted one of the worst second rounds with a 77, which gave her 143 overall.

- AFP/de

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1255867/1/.html

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Video: Uncle Sam's Bloated Pensions

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2 Million Underwater Homeowners Rose From ... - AOL Real Estate

By Cory Hopkins

Almost 2 million American homeowners were freed from negative equity in 2012, and the overall percentage of all homeowners with a mortgage in negative equity fell to 27.5 percent at the end of the fourth quarter, according to Zillow's fourth quarter Negative Equity Report. The falling negative equity rate is good news for struggling homeowners and is largely attributable to a 5.9 percent bump in home values nationwide last year to a median Zillow Home Value Index of $157,400. (When home values rise, negative equity falls.) At the end of 2011, 31.1 percent of homeowners with a mortgage were underwater, or more than 15.7 million people.

In the fourth quarter, Zillow determined where the American homeowners who were freed from negative equity in 2012 were located. Among the nation's 30 largest metro areas, those with the highest number of homeowners freed from negative equity last year were Phoenix (135,099 homeowners freed in 2012); Los Angeles (72,936 homeowners freed in 2012); Miami-Fort Lauderdale (70,484 homeowners freed in 2012); Dallas-Fort Worth (59,461 homeowners freed in 2012); and Riverside, Calif. (58,417 homeowners freed in 2012).

Still, despite the more than 1.9 million homeowners nationwide who found their way back above water last year, 13.8 million American homeowners are still struggling with negative equity. Many remain so far underwater that even the very high rates of appreciation experienced in many markets still can only bring them so far. In the Phoenix metro region, for example, despite more than 135,000 homeowners freed from negative equity last year, more than 300,000 homeowners -- or 40.4 percent of those with a mortgage -- remain trapped in negative equity. This is largely attributable to the fact that although home values in Phoenix rose 22.5 percent last year, they remain more than 44 percent below their peak. So for those who bought at the peak, even with rapid appreciation, they still have a long way to go.

Read the rest of this story on Zillow.

See more on Zillow:
5 Ways to Cure 'Model Home Syndrome'
Designer Profile: Garrison Hullinger
Privacy or Luxury? Top 5 Celebrity Home Destinations

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/02/21/zillow-negative-equity-report-fourth-quarter-2012/

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Drug residues 'alter fish behaviour'

14 February 2013 Last updated at 14:13 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, Boston

Psychiatric drugs taken by humans to cope with anxiety are being excreted and flushed into waterways where they are probably affecting fish behaviour.

This is the conclusion of a new Swedish study reported in Science magazine.

The Umea University-led investigation exposed laboratory perch to the drug Oxazepam at levels equivalent to the residues found in rivers and streams.

The fish were found to eat faster, to be less social and to be bolder than animals that were not dosed.

Umea?s Tomas Brodin said the behavioural changes seen in their lab animals could have unexpected evolutionary and ecological consequences if reflected in wild populations.

?The strong behavioural modifications we saw were at low concentrations, and I firmly believe we could go even lower and still see these effects,? the researcher told BBC News.

?We looked at just one benzodiazepine-type drug but there are many others out there, and they probably all have the same effects on fish and other vertebrates. So we may be underestimating what is happening in nature.?

Dr Brodin was speaking here in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His address was timed to coincide with the journal publication.

The fish in the Umea study were measured to have concentrations of the drug in their muscle tissues that were comparable to those found in wild animals.

This suggests wild fish ought to exhibit similar modified behaviours to the dosed lab animals.

However, unlike the oestrogenic residues from contraceptive pills that have been shown to produce physical changes in male fish, documenting the altered patterns of free-swimming animals will be much harder.

Difficult, also, will be establishing the precise ecological consequences of the modified behaviours.

For example, perch eat zooplankton, which in turn consume algae. If perch become more efficient eaters, the numbers of zooplankton will be suppressed which could lead to more frequent algal blooms in waterways.

But the modified behaviours would also make the perch more vulnerable to predation themselves by the likes of pike. In that case, zooplankton populations would rise and the numbers of algae would fall.

?It?s really complex trying to work out what would happen on a community level, on the species level and on the individual level,? Dr Brodin said.

The solution to the problem, he argued, was not to stop medicating people but to find more efficient ways of capturing the chemicals as they go through sewerage plants. In addition, trials might be able to identify those drugs that had least ecological impact. The medical profession could then be encouraged to preferentially prescribe these products when appropriate.

Dr Brodin also spoke about the general problem of drug residues in waterways.

?It?s scary when you think about it," he told BBC News. "It?s a huge cocktail of drugs and fish are experiencing it 24/7 ? breathing it, drinking it and eating in it.?

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21437404#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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India offers Myanmar support in strengthening parliamentary practices

New Delhi: India has offered to Myanmar support in strengthening parliamentary practices, conventions and procedures as it makes transition to democracy.

The offer was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar when she met her Myanmar counterpart Thura U Shwe Mann in Nay Pyi Taw.

Kumar, on a visit to Myanmar, referred to the special relationship between the two countries.

In the area of Parliamentary affairs, she appreciated the onerous challenge that the Speaker and the Parliament faced in setting out for the first time, practices, conventions and procedures, a Lok Sabha secretariat release said.

Kumar offered to provide support for enabling sharing of experience based on six decades of practice of Indian Parliamentary democracy.

The Speaker of Myanmar's Lower House recalled his visit to India in December 2011 and elaborated on the various initiatives taken by the Myanmar Parliament including the setting up of their National Racist Affairs and Internal Peace Committee.

He noted that while democratic reform was underway, what was also needed was development which required economic and investment cooperation, the release said.

He appreciated the assistance given by India and requested its continuation, the release said.

The Indian delegation also met U Khin Aung Myint, the speaker of the Upper House, and discussed matters of bilateral and mutual interest including cooperation at Parliament level.

PTI

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-offers-myanmar-support-in-strengthening-parliamentary-practices_829150.html

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The 2013 Enrolled Agent Tax Update Krusemark Edition is now live!

We have completely updated the Enrolled Agent CPE course material with the recently enacted tax law changes. We even simplified the final exam questions to make compliance easier than ever. But don't get us wrong. This course is loaded with material you need to meet the challenges of today's busy tax practice. The bundle CPE course includes the latest on the?Affordable Care Act, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, along with numerous court cases, rulings, notices and procedural changes.?After completing this tax update CPE course, the EA student will be able to counsel clients on the individual and small business changes that will affect the preparation of a 2012 and 2013 tax return and planning issues for the future years based on current law and sunset provision.?Order now and use it as reference this tax season.

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Source: http://www.clientwhys.com/blog/the-2013-enrolled-agent-tax-update-krusemark-edition-is-now-live/

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TiVo Premiere now loaded with Flingo LaunchPad, nets more than 70 video apps

If that TiVo Premiere of yours still doesn't have enough content sitting in its memory to satisfy your appetite, you're in luck, as Flingo's LauchPad on-demand video platform has just been baked into the hardware. Now, channel surfers can stream content from more than 70 video apps from the likes of A&E, CollegeHumor, Crunchyroll, History, Showtime and others. LaunchPad for TiVo will also feature exclusive content, but details regarding just what it might be are scarce. In addition to the bevy of streaming options, users can even "fling" online videos from other devices to their television screen with the aid of a bookmarklet. Ashwin Navin, Flingo co-founder and CEO, tells Venture Beat that he'd like to implement the firm's SyncApps second screen tech into TiVo's box, but that won't be coming in the near future.

[Image credit: Zatz Not Funny]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Fish in drug-tainted water get munchies

Bent Christensen / AP file

Calling their results alarming, the Swedish researchers who did the study suspect the little drugged fish could become easier targets for bigger fish because they are more likely to venture alone into unfamiliar places.

By Jeff Donn, Associated Press

BOSTON ?? What happens to fish that swim in waters tainted by traces of drugs that people take? When it's an anti-anxiety drug, they become hyper, anti-social and aggressive, a study found. They even get the munchies.

It may sound funny, but it could threaten the fish population and upset the delicate dynamics of the marine environment, scientists say.

The findings, published online Thursday in the journal Science, add to the mounting evidence that minuscule amounts of medicines in rivers and streams can alter the biology and behavior of fish and other marine animals.

"I think people are starting to understand that pharmaceuticals are environmental contaminants," said Dana Kolpin, a researcher for the U.S. Geological Survey who is familiar with the study.

Calling their results alarming, the Swedish researchers who did the study suspect the little drugged fish could become easier targets for bigger fish because they are more likely to venture alone into unfamiliar places.

"We know that in a predator-prey relation, increased boldness and activity combined with decreased sociality ... means you're going to be somebody's lunch quite soon," said Gregory Moller, a toxicologist at the University of Idaho and Washington State University. "It removes the natural balance."

Researchers around the world have been taking a close look at the effects of pharmaceuticals in extremely low concentrations, measured in parts per billion. Such drugs have turned up in waterways in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere over the past decade.

They come mostly from humans and farm animals; the drugs pass through their bodies in unmetabolized form. These drug traces are then piped to water treatment plants, which are not designed to remove them from the cleaned water that flows back into streams and rivers.

The Associated Press first reported in 2008 that the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans carries low concentrations of many common drugs. The findings were based on questionnaires sent to water utilities, which reported the presence of antibiotics, sedatives, sex hormones and other drugs.

The news reports led to congressional hearings and legislation, more water testing and more public disclosure. To this day, though, there are no mandatory U.S. limits on pharmaceuticals in waterways.

The research team at Sweden's Umea University used minute concentrations of 2 parts per billion of the anti-anxiety drug oxazepam, similar to concentrations found in real waters. The drug belongs to a widely used class of medicines known as benzodiazepines that includes Valium and Librium.

The team put young wild European perch into an aquarium, exposed them to these highly diluted drugs and then carefully measured feeding, schooling, movement and hiding behavior. They found that drug-exposed fish moved more, fed more aggressively, hid less and tended to school less than unexposed fish. On average, the drugged fish were more than twice as active as the others, researcher Micael Jonsson said. The effects were more pronounced at higher drug concentrations.

"Our first thought is, this is like a person diagnosed with ADHD," said Jonsson, referring to attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. "They become asocial and more active than they should be."

Tomas Brodin, another member of the research team, called the drug's environmental impact a global problem. "We find these concentrations or close to them all over the world, and it's quite possible or even probable that these behavioral effects are taking place as we speak," he said Thursday in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Most previous research on trace drugs and marine life has focused on biological changes, such as male fish that take on female characteristics. However, a 2009 study found that tiny concentrations of antidepressants made fathead minnows more vulnerable to predators.

It is not clear exactly how long-term drug exposure, beyond the seven days in this study, would affect real fish in real rivers and streams. The Swedish researchers argue that the drug-induced changes could jeopardize populations of this sport and commercial fish, which lives in both fresh and brackish water.

Water toxins specialist Anne McElroy of Stony Brook University in New York agreed: "These lower chronic exposures that may alter things like animals' mating behavior or its ability to catch food or its ability to avoid being eaten ? over time, that could really affect a population."

Another possibility, the researchers said, is that more aggressive feeding by the perch on zooplankton could reduce the numbers of these tiny creatures. Since zooplankton feed on algae, a drop in their numbers could allow algae to grow unchecked. That, in turn, could choke other marine life.

The Swedish team said it is highly unlikely people would be harmed by eating such drug-exposed fish. Jonsson said a person would have to eat 4 tons of perch to consume the equivalent of a single pill.

Researchers said more work is needed to develop better ways of removing drugs from water at treatment plants. They also said unused drugs should be brought to take-back programs where they exist, instead of being flushed down the toilet. And they called on pharmaceutical companies to work on "greener" drugs that degrade more easily.

Sandoz, one of three companies approved to sell oxazepam in the U.S., "shares society's desire to protect the environment and takes steps to minimize the environmental impact of its products over their life cycle," spokeswoman Julie Masow said in an emailed statement. She provided no details.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16964242-fish-in-drug-tainted-water-become-hyper-get-munchies

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Struggling Creighton's NCAA hopes on tenterhooks

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? The Creighton team once pegged to make a deep postseason run suddenly is no lock to even make the NCAA tournament.

The Bluejays (20-6) have lost three straight and five of their last eight, and they fell out of the Top 25 this week after being ranked No. 12 a month ago.

Coach Greg McDermott said his players face the choice of wallowing in self-pity or dedicating themselves to regaining the form that earned wins in 17 of their first 18 games.

"The world doesn't care if you fail. They don't," McDermott said. "There's no time to feel sorry for yourself. We've got important games ahead, an important one Saturday at Evansville. We have to use all the energy we have to get ourselves back in a better frame of mind."

The 61-54 loss at Northern Iowa this week followed a 75-72 home loss to Illinois State and an embarrassing 76-57 defeat at Indiana State. Fortunately for Creighton, no one has run off with the Missouri Valley Conference race.

The Bluejays (9-5 MVC) are tied with Indiana State for second place, one game behind a Wichita State team that has won two straight after a three-game losing streak of its own. Indiana State has lost to eighth- and ninth-place Missouri State and Drake the past two weeks.

Creighton plays three of its last five on the road, including one at surging Saint Mary's next week. That game, plus the finale at home against Wichita State, could be huge for the Bluejays to enhance their position for an at-large bid if they don't win the Valley tournament.

"We have to keep our attitude and work through this," senior Grant Gibbs said. "We can't point fingers now. That's not going to help us. We've got to stick together."

Doug McDermott remains the NCAA's No. 2 scorer at 23 points a game, and he's averaged 20.8 over the past eight games. But he's disappeared when the Bluejays have needed him most.

Against Drake, McDermott started feeling ill at halftime and scored two of his 19 points in the second half. He finished with just eight points against Indiana State, but all came in the first half and he took only one shot in the second.

He didn't take another shot after missing a 3-pointer with 4:22 left in a close game against Illinois State. Northern Iowa committed to denying McDermott the ball in the second half and held him to three points after he scored 12 the first 20 minutes. He didn't score in the second half until he made a free throw with 1:24 left. His other two points came on a dunk just before the buzzer.

The Bluejays remain the nation's top-shooting team, at 51 percent overall and 42.3 percent on 3-pointers. But when opponents have clamped down on McDermott and Gregory Echenique in the post, their teammates haven't been able to convert consistently from the perimeter.

About 40 percent of Creighton's shots have come from behind the 3-point line, and the Bluejays are a combined 27.6 percent from that distance in the last five losses.

Jahenns Manigat, who made 44 percent of his 3s during the 17-1 start, has made 30 percent since. Ethan Wragge is shooting 32.4 percent on 3s after making 46 percent through 18 games. Gibbs, a primary ball-handler, has committed 28 turnovers the past eight games after coughing up the ball 26 times the first 18.

It doesn't help the Bluejays' cause that Missouri Valley appears a bit down this season. The league received two NCAA bids last season (Creighton, Wichita State) but might not get more than the one it had each year from 2008-11.

"It's a strange year, without question," Greg McDermott said. "It's proven out that anybody can beat anybody, and when you think you've got it figured out, you might as well start over. I think it's going to be an interesting ride the rest of the year."

Source: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/article/Struggling-Creighton-s-NCAA-hopes-on-tenterhooks-4279057.php

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RingCentral Office

RingCentral is a surprisingly sophisticated but easy-to?use Web-based VoIP PBX for small businesses. While SMBs may be familiar with on-premise voice-over-IP appliances and individual phones, a Web-based system simplifies the whole thing by letting the phones connect to a remote server over the Internet. RingCentral is our Editor's Choice for hosted VoIP platforms because it includes calling features normally present in enterprise-focused (and expensive!) on-premise PBX systems. With RingCentral, SMBs don't have to deal with server hardware or phone consultants, and gain flexibility without breaking the bank.

Traditionally, IP PBX systems were on-premise boxes, either as an on-site appliance or software that was installed onto a dedicated server. Depending on the VoIP product, this could get complicated pretty quickly, especially if the administrator needed a lot of advanced features or had to support a lot of users on the network. However, this is 2013, and since everything is going to the cloud, why not VoIP?

RingCentral offers IP PBX as a service, so administrators just need to register for an account and configure the features they want right on the Web portal. The system just pushes the settings straight to the phone over the Internet.

I looked at a different cloud VoIP company, Jive Communications, around the same time I was testing RingCentral, and realized that hosted VoIP has come a long way over the past few years. These are robust platforms with many advanced features that used to be out of reach of the smaller customers.

Pricing
RingCentral Office has different pricing levels depending on the number of users that will be using the system. For businesses with 2 to 19 users, RingCentral?costs $29.99 per month per user, but the per-user price can be as low as $19.99 per month per user for businesses with more than 100 users.?Each plan offers necessary toll-free and local numbers, as well fax numbers and conference lines.

RingCentral Office provides both incoming and outgoing phone service which lets businesses set up IP phones as well as route calls to mobile phones and other telephones. There is a more mobile-focused offering, RingCentral Professional, which provides only incoming services, and businesses can just route incoming calls to employee mobile devices. RingCentral also has a fax-only service.

Getting Started is a Snap
Registration for RingCentral is quick, and I received my phone number by email. Businesses can transfer an existing phone number, request a toll-free number, or even get a vanity number. With the phone number in hand, I logged into the Web portal and created extensions, assigned call groups (which I will explain later in the review), defined call queues, set up a call attendant (automated message customers hear when they first call), and did a whole lot of other things, long before I even set up any of the phones. ?Then I created rules for call forwarding, voice mail storage, call routing, and call blocking, among others.

The interface is slick and fairly responsive, but can be a little confusing for first-time administrators. Sometimes I had to click on an option to open the sub-menu, and other times there was a "Next" button. Sometimes the "Next" button took me to the next sub-menu in the sequence, and other times it took me back to the top of the menu tree. Using "Next" or "Back" buttons a bit more consistently would have made it much easier to step through the interface. To be fair, by the time I was configuring my fourth user, I got the hang of the way the interface worked, and found the process easier.

RingCentral helps the small and midsized businesses to navigate the maze of features and options within the interface through Web tutorials and videos. They are all thorough and useful. In fact, I heartily recommend taking a few minutes to go through the tutorials and videos before starting out.

As for phones, RingCentral has an impressive list of IP phones that its infrastructure can support?or you can just buy the pre-configured phones directly from the company. Businesses thinking of switching from on-premise VoIP system to RingCentral may want to use the phones they already have. While that is an option, I think it's worth tossing the older phones on eBay or recycling them, and just buying the pre-configured phones.

These phones have everything set up already, so all I had to do was plug them into the network and power them on. The phones pinged RingCentral's servers, identified themselves, joined my phone network, and obtained all the calling rules I had already defined in the portal. As easy as that, and done in less than 15 minutes (which included the time it took the phones to boot up and reboot).

Everytime I changed settings or options on the portal, the changes were pushed onto the phones, so I knew that the phones were continuously getting the updates.RingCentral sent two phones, the Cisco SPA-525 and Polycom IP-550, for the review. I plugged the phones to my network switch and powered them up. They were standard business phones, so I didn't have to worry about learning how to use the devices.

A Veritable Feast of Features
There are other cloud-based VoIP systems out there, and they have similar setup processes. What sets RingCentral apart from all the competition, however, is the smorgasbord of features the company has crammed into the service. Call auto-attendant (virtual receptionist), music on hold, message alerts, presence information (in office, away, do not disturb), company directory, and directory trees are more or less standard in most modern PBX offerings, whether they are Web-based or on-premise. But RingCentral also offers call forwarding to mobile devices; call groups where a group of phones all ring at the same time; call escalation, where if a user doesn't answer, the system calls the next person on the list and goes up the chain of command; and call queues, where callers wait for "the next available representative" to be available.

Along with a full-blown fax service, the system offers conference call bridge numbers. Users have a unique participant code to use for the conference call bridge number. They offer numbers in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. I had no trouble getting a local area code for my review?Next: Features, Management, Call Quality

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/B20RVONhWHk/0,2817,2415347,00.asp

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Another Weird Baseball Injury: Francisco Liriano Broke His Arm While Trying To Scare His Children

A few days before Christmas, the Pirates were reportedly close to inking a free-agent contract with lefthander Francisco Liriano. The deal appeared to be on the verge of falling through, however, when the team announced that Liriano had mysteriously injured his non-throwing arm sometime over the holidays. In the end, Liriano agreed to a one-year deal for a guaranteed $1 million this past Friday, with incentives for additional money this year and a team/vesting option for 2014. The contract was finalized after Liriano finally passed a physical. He expects to be back to normal before the start of the regular season.

And now we know the reason for the delay: Liriano had broken his right humerus on Christmas Day while slamming himself into a door in an attempt to frighten his kids, who were in the next room. Liriano told reporters today the arm didn't seem to hurt too much at first. He was supposed to fly to Pittsburgh on Dec. 26, but he was eventually in such pain he told his wife he had to go to the hospital.

Liriano said he had to call his agent, Greg Genske, to tell him he couldn't travel to the United States to take his physical.

"At first he thought I was joking," Liriano said. "It was sad and disappointing a little bit. Things happen. I wish I could take it back."

Sounds like Liriano's gonna fit right in with the Pirates.

[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; H/T to dr. yunzer]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/deadspin/full/~3/mp7pVoUgFuw/another-weird-baseball-injury-francisco-liriano-broke-his-arm-while-trying-to-scare-his-children

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Alec Baldwin, wife expecting a baby this summer

FILE - This Nov. 4, 2012 file photo shows actor Alec Baldwin, right, and his wife Hilaria Thomas at the "Rise Of The Guardians'" special screening during the 2012 AFI FEST at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. A representative for Alec Baldwin says the "30 Rock" star and his wife Hilaria are expecting their first child together. Baldwin, 54, is already the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - This Nov. 4, 2012 file photo shows actor Alec Baldwin, right, and his wife Hilaria Thomas at the "Rise Of The Guardians'" special screening during the 2012 AFI FEST at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. A representative for Alec Baldwin says the "30 Rock" star and his wife Hilaria are expecting their first child together. Baldwin, 54, is already the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - This Dec. 20, 2012 file photo released by Nokia shows Hilaria Thomas, left, and actor Alec Baldwin at the Nokia "30 Rock" wrap party in New York. A representative for Alec Baldwin says the "30 Rock" star and his wife Hilaria are expecting their first child together. Baldwin, 54, is already the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger. (AP Photo/Nokia, Scott Gries, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alec Baldwin and his wife are expecting their first child together.

Publicist Matthew Hiltzik confirmed Tuesday that Hilaria Baldwin is due late this summer.

Alec Baldwin already is the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger (BAY'-sing-ur). Hilaria Baldwin is a special correspondent for the TV show "Extra." The couple wed last June after a three-month engagement.

Alec Baldwin recently won a SAG Award for best actor in a TV series for the NBC comedy "30 Rock," which concluded its seven-year run two weeks ago.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-12-People-Alec%20Baldwin/id-d8553244660045a89108497af6dd4a24

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'The State of the Union is?' According to Rep. Ellison, George Saunders, David Walker

Each day leading up to President Obama's State of the Union address, ABCNews.com will bring you newsmakers thoughts on what "The State of the Union is ?"

With one day left before President Obama's State of the Union address, three newsmakers weighed in on the current state of the union. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said the state of the union "needs a real jolt" to ensure working class Americans experience success in our economy.

"The state of the union is a snapshot of where the country is at a particular moment, and right now where our country is is in a difficult state for working class families. Income inequality is growing, and it's a serious problem and it's actually undermining economic growth. We need more working and middle class people with more money to spend so that when they spend that money at the stores and the shops, that the stores and shops can hire more people and we can really boost up the economy, pay down the deficit and really help people achieve their dreams and hopes and aspirations for their family in terms of education, retirement and so many other things," Ellison said.

"The state of the union, I think, needs a real jolt when it comes to making sure that working folks have a real shot in a fair economy, and we're not there yet," Ellison added. "I'm looking forward to the president to speak directly to that issue and directly to how the sequester represents a threat to that as we dismantle the ladder of opportunity for so many people across this country. Right now we've got a big storm in the northeast, are we going to have enough FEMA help? Are we going to have enough home and heating oil for people. All critical questions for the state of the union."

George Saunders, author of "Tenth of December," characterized the current state of the union as "mixed."

"The state of the union is in my view divided and divided along of kind of media constructed lines - left, right that don't really reflect the reality of most Americans hearts and characters," Saunders said. "I think one of the challenges we face is to try to go back to a set of essential American virtues that we all share and kind of resist the tendency of the left and the right to reinforce this divide which is largely fictive."

David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general and founder and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative, categorized the state of the union as "mixed."

"The state of the union is mixed. The United States is the world's largest economy, the temporary sole super power, the leading democracy on earth, but we face a number of serious sustainability challenges that threaten our future position in the world, our future standard of living at home, our future national security and our future domestic tranquility," Walker told ABC News. "Our political system is broken. We face a number of known and growing problems and yet the political system has not been able to effectively address them until they reach crisis proportions. We've got to put our finances in order. We need to deal with our critical infrastructure. We need to generate more opportunity. We need to modify our immigration laws, our energy and environmental policies, we have to control healthcare costs. We have to deal with all of these issues if we want our future to be better than our past."

"The truth is our financial condition as a country is poor and deteriorating. There's only one country in Europe that has a total higher government debt to GDP than us and that's Greece and we don't want to follow their example. The president is the commander in chief, the chief executive officer, he is the only person elected by all the people. He needs to lead the country to help create a better future," Walker said. "We need to focus on pro growth and opportunity. We need to focus on individual equity. We need to focus on fiscal responsibility and these are key pillars to help create a better future. More growth and opportunity today, more fiscal responsibility for tomorrow. Do them both at the same time and do them in 2013."

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/state-union-according-rep-ellison-george-saunders-david-135352452--abc-news-politics.html

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More coincidence than conspiracy at fashion week

A model walks the runway at the presentation of the Altuzarra Fall 2013 fashion collection during Fashion Week, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A model walks the runway at the presentation of the Altuzarra Fall 2013 fashion collection during Fashion Week, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A model walks the runway during the Alexander Wang Fall 2013 fashion show during Fashion Week, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The DKNY Fall 2013 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

The Tracy Reese Fall 2013 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in New York. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/Invision/AP)

The DKNY Fall 2013 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (AP) ? During every season of designer previews at New York Fashion Week a few key, quirky items seem to pop up on different runways. They're not quite trends since one has to think they're partly for runway effect not retail orders, but they're part of the style zeitgeist nonetheless.

This time there were fur mittens ? oversized like boxer mitts ? at Alexander Wang and Altuzarra. What were the odds? And how does the ball start rolling on items such as oversized fur mittens, harnesses or sleeveless coats?

It's safe to say designers don't take a meeting together to decide what direction to go in.

"The honest answer is some of it is plain and simple coincidence," said Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour magazine. "These designers are creating hundreds of looks over the course of a season. It would be more unusual if there were no overlap."

Still, she said, there also are fashion cycles and sociological factors to consider as catwalk collections are prepared.

Take fur ? both real and fake. Leive said Sunday it has been on every runway so far on this fourth of eight days of fashion week.

After the recession, no one was touching fur, she said, but it has slowly made a comeback as people feel a little more comfortable about spending money. The interpretation this go-around has been impactful, with an emphasis on oversized unexpected fur touches such as hoods, handbags and boots, but they're not as expensive as a full-length coat.

It's important for fashion insiders to be aware of what's happening in other parts of culture, including politics and art, said Marie Claire executive editor Nina Garcia earlier in the week as she prepared to judge aspiring designers at "Project Runway."

"Successful designers soak it all in," she said.

Fashion week continues in New York through Thursday, when the influential Marc Jacobs closes out things. Runway previews then move on to London, Milan and Paris.

DVF

Diane von Furstenberg's "Glam Rock" collection included wrap dresses, long her calling card, jumpsuits and metallic jackets. It also included high-shine silver leather skinny pants.

"The idea is not that it's clothes for a party, but it's clothes. It's life that's a party ? and that was my inspiration," she said in a backstage interview.

She isn't afraid of prints and color, and there were animal prints, angel wings and birds in a sunset palette dotted by rose gold and silver.

Her fall collection had a much less aggressive tone than most of the others. Remember, von Furstenberg is courting the party girl, who'd have places to wear maxi dresses and gold snakeskin jackets. It's chiffon one minute, leather the next.

"Wrapped in a swirl of twisted chain-link, she steps into the night, lights flashing. With an effortless glamour, she winks at herself and smiles at her shadow," von Furstenberg said in her notes.

DKNY

Donna Karan's DKNY label features a lot of lipstick red and hot pink looks for fall.

Yes, there were tough-girl looks, including a long quilted bomber jacket and a long silk-and-jersey dress with sheer panels in black. But it was the brights, and especially the animal-print brights, that lit up the runway

There was a "heartthrob red" quilted crop top worn over a flowing, long silk dress and a tailored, peak-lapel blazer in "pop pink" over a button-down shirtdress. The animal prints showed off a long tunic-length sweater silhouette.

Colorblocking was freshest when Karan used sophisticated camel, crisp white and downtown black on a paneled parka, and when she mixed gray herringbone, white and black on a flirty dress with a slim bodice, full skirt and soft shoulders.

TRACY REESE

There were animal prints all over Tracy Reese's fall collection.

A cheetah-print coat opened the show, paired with a black lace shirt and a charcoal pant. The collection also included a cheetah tunic covering a cheetah skirt, a zebra-print trench over a crepe floral dress and an "animal jacquard" coat in tan and black worn over a sequined sweater.

"There are so many cool ways to use animal prints," Reese said backstage. "Subtle and not so subtle. Even in the beading."

Reese said she hoped women would become bolder about mixing prints ? like pairing an animal print with a floral. "Most women like to wear only one print at a time. But I like to mix them, and I wanted to open up the conversation a bit."

Her collection also included a floral-printed neoprene frock in pink, orange and black and a sleek black knee-length number with huge red flowers on it, its dainty shape contrasting nicely with the boldness of the print.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

The opening look at Victoria Beckham's show was a windowpane plaid coat. She also incorporated more sweaters and knits into her collection, with a nod to mod with some geometric, colorblocked shift dresses.

The most unexpected looks were the flashes of bright yellow, including a sleeveless trench; the techno shine she added to pleated skirts that the audience could only see as the models walked; and the long cape-style tuxedo coat.

One of the important evolutions for fall is the softer shoulder, which she used to tweak one of her popular zip-back, slim-fit dress silhouettes.

For shoes, she put models in lower kitten heels, made in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, which was a bit of a surprise for a woman known for skyscraper stilettos.

"I'm always designing what I want to wear," she said.

DEREK LAM

Derek Lam says a navy-black mix is one of his favorite combinations.

"There's something very unpretentious about navy, and black is very crisp and stark. The navy breaks up the black. And black gives the navy an urban feel," the designer said backstage after his fall-winter preview.

Lam paired a navy-and-white satin top with a black wool trouser. A navy-and-gray wool jersey T-shirt came with a navy-and-black jacquard trouser, plus black shoes and bag. A felt coat came in navy, black and white wool, covering an ivory lace dress.

Another big color on Lam's runway this season: luxurious camel. A classic, loose coat in camel cashmere opened the show, and a roomy cashmere duffel coat looked glamorous with sunglasses of the same color. Camel was also used for a wool cashmere pullover, a wool-and-cashmere dress and a big boucle cape.

Capes in general were a popular item. One particularly nice look was an elbow-length black leather cape that tied in front.

A red, knee-length fox fur vest, paired with wine-colored flat boots, was by far the most flamboyant item in the show. A shorter, navy fox vest was more understated and in line with the rest of the collection. It was paired with a navy crochet dress and brown ankle boots.

JOSEPH ALTUZARRA

Joseph Altuzarra's urban, confident, fashion-forward customer wears graphic black-and-white leather ? layers it on, in fact ? and then there's the fox or mink fur on top. She's not shy about drawing attention in fur mittens, shiny grommet embellishment and strategically placed zippers. She wears her high-waisted trousers with a low-slung belt.

His fall-winter collection also includes optic white pants and a khaki cotton sleeveless trench worn with a khaki four-button tailored skirt.

The silhouette he offers his customers is strong and slim, sometimes with a little bump at the hip.

"The design and construction emphasize the nip of the waist and exaggerate the hip, while shrunken proportions mixed with a bolder shoulder volume sharpen the classic silhouette," he says in describing the shape.

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

The "Project Runway" alum used the Russian opera as the inspiration for his fall runway show, using a book of Russian opera houses as reference.

The girl wearing this collection, he said, was on her way to see the Russian opera.

"I wanted it to be a story of what she wears during the day, what she'll wear for a cocktail dress, what she'll wear to the opera," he said.

His vintage-inspired day looks evoke many eras, from the 1940s to the 1960s, and were mostly separates of turtlenecks paired with loose leather trousers and faux fur vests in muted colors such as white, black and camel.

One ensemble included a pointed-toe flat in a penny loafer style, a surprise inclusion given fashion's love for the high heel. Siriano explained it as a way to ensure its wearability, and also because he "wanted it to be a bit more demure, a bit simple."

Other shoes in the collection included bootie heels and heeled penny loafers with gold trim, echoing the filigree that anchored many of the evening dresses that closed the show.

___

AP Writers Jocelyn Noveck, Nicole Evatt and Amanda Kwan contributed to this story.

___

Follow Samantha Critchell on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Fashion

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-10-NY%20Fashion%20Week-Day%204/id-6b9d28eaa5034ffea89496e1fcf490b7

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Obama to visit NC, Atlanta after State of Union

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama will travel to two Southern states after his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

It's a tradition for presidents to launch a post-speech tour to pitch their proposals to the public.

A stop in Asheville, N.C., on Wednesday will be followed by a visit Thursday to Atlanta.

The White House hasn't said what Obama will do in either city. But in recent weeks Obama has left Washington to rally the public behind his plans for immigration reform and gun control.

Both Georgia and North Carolina were among the states Obama lost in November's election.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-08-US-Obama-Travel/id-fdca7b2a168e4bf1b5cfa22ec7ea9b6a

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Source: http://forums.ferra.ru/index.php?showtopic=54435

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MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | From Blah to Spa ...

Unless you?re a diehard water conservationist, you?ll spend about 6,000 hours in the shower during your lifetime. That?s about the same amount of time it would take you to run 1,200 marathons!

Since you?re going to spend so much quality time in there, why not upgrade the experience a bit? Here are five improvements you can make in just a few minutes that will improve your shower without emptying your pocketbook.

Improve the water pressure.

If your current showerhead used to be awesome but hasn?t been pulling its water-pressure weight lately, there?s an easy solution!

Restore it to its original glory with an overnight soak, which will extract buildup caused by mineral deposits.

All you need is a?plastic bag, vinegar, baking soda and a rubber band?and get ready?for better water pressure in the morning!

Swap out your showerhead.

Sometimes, even the deepest clean isn?t enough to fix things. If your showerhead is truly over-the-hill, treat yourself to a replacement.

We found this easy-to-install,?energy efficient showerhead online for under $20.

While more high-end options are available, this one provides a great bang for your buck and is also good for the earth (green points FTW).

Create a tropical feel.

Add some life to your shower with plants! They?ll clean the air and promote a feeling of tranquility and optimism ? is there a better way to start your day?

Place some potted bamboo on your windowsill or attach a hook in the ceiling above the shower for a hanging plant.

A few types of vegetation that do well in diffused or dimly lit areas are?Philodendron,?Ficus?and?Bamboo. (Bikini and Mai-Tai are optional, but highly encouraged.)

Buy a new curtain.

Nothing says ?my bathroom has personality? like a unique shower curtain.

If your goal is relaxation, think about the tone of your bathroom and choose a complimentary, soothing color (light blues and greens promote calmness and serenity).

While you?re at it, it?s also a good idea to wash or replace your shower liner.

For detailed instructions, read:?Clean Your Shower Curtain.

Get organized.

His and Hers shower caddies can be just as life-changing (and relationship-saving) as separate closets.

Keep bath products organized by designating separate areas of the shower for each person, or invest in a double-sided caddy.

If you?re the sole shower-inhabitant, it?s still a good idea to change out your old caddy every year or so, since they tend to accrue?soap scum?and develop rust over time.

BrightNest?is a free site that provides tools and tips to homeowners to help them save money, get organized and keep their home in great shape.

?

Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/housing/from-blah-to-spa-simple-ways-to-upgrade-your-shower-0213/

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Gioteck GC-2 PS3 controller tweaks pressure sensitivity on the fly, tips hat to Xbox 360

Love your PlayStation 3, but prefer Microsoft's controller layout? You've got options, the latest being Gioteck's GC-2 PS3 gamepad. Adopting the Xbox 360 controller layout, the GC-2 appears to do an admirable job of repositioning your thumbs, but its appeal lies in how much you'll have to twiddle those digits. Hidden among the controller's bevy of commonplace features (wireless connectivity, a turbo button and force feedback) is a thumbstick sensitivity toggle -- allowing gamers to switch between four different levels pressure sensitivity. Hardly revolutionary, but it's nice to know there are options when in-game settings don't cut it. PlayStation 3 owners can pick up the GC-2 now for $40, and Gioteck says a Wii U variant will be available in April. See the full press release for yourself after the break.

Filed under: Gaming

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/IMqg__TtAx8/

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