Do you have any important occasion coming up? A wedding, an engagement party, a romantic date, or even an important business partner coming into town? Nothing better than hiring an Orlando limousine service. You can't beat it for style, luxury and comfort. Limousine services have come up all over the US and even across important cities all over the world. People now consider hiring a Limo service as something they can not afford. Instead they have started believing that because of the style and image a limo projects, the cost is well worth it.
Cities like Orlando, New York and San Francisco have their fair share of Limousine Rentals. And any reputed limousine service will have a decent fleet with different kinds of Limousines on offer. It would be a good idea to check with the Limo rental service on what kinds of limos they have on offer. More often than not all the good Orlando limo services would have these varieties of limos. You could then figure out which type to rent. Factors to be considered are the occasion for which you want to rent a limo, how many people would have to be transported and of course the price to figure out if it is worth it.
The Standard stretch Limo: This is the kind of limo which comes into mind when you think Limousines. Most of these stretch limos are converted Bentleys. They are very formal and used for important occasions like weddings and funerals. In fact these are the most rented of all limos. You will be surprised to know that the price of renting them does not cost a fortune. Preferred by the older generation though.
The classic style limo; for those who want to ride in class and comfort. The plush interiors and beautiful design will give heads of state and oil tycoons the ride they are seeking. The classic limo was a part of many old Hollywood movies.
Hummers: A Hummer Limo has gotten to be quite popular due to its unconventionality. You can find them in bright colors and they can carry a group of people. If you're a little quirky, this is your best choice.
The SUV Limo: These limos are standard SUVs which have been transformed into limos. They have roomy interiors and can store a lot. They are perfect for longer trips.
The Sedan Limo: This name is actually a misnomer; they are essentially quality vehicles like Mercedes Benz, Jaguars, Cadillac's etc. They have a swanky looking chauffeur and used mostly to transport important business visitors who would not want to stand out unnecessarily.
Tree Spa Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, Maine, is holding two Garden Wellness Weekends, June 7-9 and October 18-20, 2013. Farmaesthetics founder Brenda Brock and her team, including a holistic esthetician and raw food nutritionist, will teach you ways ?
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Samsung Gulf president Young Soo Kim reportedly made casual mention of an upcoming rugged take on the Galaxy S 4 at a press event earlier in the week, but left out any details. Sources for the Wall Street Journal claim to know more of the story, and it sounds like the toughened phone won't be alone this summer. The Galaxy S 4 Active, as it's rumored to be called, would arrive in July and carry the dust- and waterproofing of spiritual predecessors like the Galaxy Xcover 2 while maintaining the GS 4's design language. A smaller, 4.3-inch parallel to the GS 4 would appear at the same time -- Galaxy S 4 Mini, anyone? The same tipsters also expect the release of a new 8-inch "Galaxy-line tablet" in June, which suggests the Galaxy Note 8.0 may get a regular Tab counterpart. We wouldn't base our buying strategies around the rumors when Samsung hasn't said anything that's truly on the record, but it might be wise to hold off if you're not in a rush.
Autism risk spotted at birth in abnormal placentasPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen N. Peart karen.peart@yale.edu 203-432-1326 Yale University
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have figured out how to measure an infant's risk of developing autism by looking for abnormalities in his/her placenta at birth, allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment for the developmental disorder. The findings are reported in the April 25 online issue of Biological Psychiatry.
One out of 50 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the diagnosis is usually made when these children are 3 to 4 years of age or older. By then the best opportunities for intervention have been lost because the brain is most responsive to treatment in the first year of life.
Senior author Harvey Kliman, M.D., research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, and research collaborators at the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, have found that abnormal placental folds and abnormal cell growths called trophoblast inclusions are key markers to identify newborns who are at risk for autism.
Kliman and his team examined 117 placentas from infants of at-risk families, those with one or more previous children with autism. These families were participating in a study called Markers of Autism Risk in Babies Learning Early Signs. Kliman compared these at-risk placentas to 100 control placentas collected by the UC Davis researchers from the same geographic area.
The at-risk placentas had as many as 15 trophoblast inclusions, while none of the control placentas had more than two trophoblast inclusions. Kliman said a placenta with four or more trophoblast inclusions conservatively predicts an infant with a 96.7% probability of being at risk for autism.
Currently, the best early marker of autism risk is family history. Couples with a child with autism are nine times more likely to have another child with autism. Kliman said that when these at-risk families have subsequent children they could employ early intervention strategies to improve outcomes. "Regrettably couples without known genetic susceptibility must rely on identification of early signs or indicators that may not overtly manifest until the child's second or third year of life," said Kliman.
"I hope that diagnosing the risk of developing autism by examining the placenta at birth will become routine, and that the children who are shown to have increased numbers of trophoblast inclusions will have early interventions and an improved quality of life as a result of this test," Kliman added.
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Other authors on the study include Kaitlin Anderson, Kristin Milano, and Saier Ye of Yale University; and Cheryl Walker, Daniel Tancredi, Isaac Pessah, and Irva Hertz-Picciotto of UC Davis.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (1 P01 ES11269 and R01 ES 015359), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (R829388 and R833292), the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, and the Yale University Reproductive and Placental Research Unit.
Citation: Biological Psychiatry, Published online (April 25, 2013)
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Autism risk spotted at birth in abnormal placentasPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen N. Peart karen.peart@yale.edu 203-432-1326 Yale University
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have figured out how to measure an infant's risk of developing autism by looking for abnormalities in his/her placenta at birth, allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment for the developmental disorder. The findings are reported in the April 25 online issue of Biological Psychiatry.
One out of 50 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the diagnosis is usually made when these children are 3 to 4 years of age or older. By then the best opportunities for intervention have been lost because the brain is most responsive to treatment in the first year of life.
Senior author Harvey Kliman, M.D., research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, and research collaborators at the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, have found that abnormal placental folds and abnormal cell growths called trophoblast inclusions are key markers to identify newborns who are at risk for autism.
Kliman and his team examined 117 placentas from infants of at-risk families, those with one or more previous children with autism. These families were participating in a study called Markers of Autism Risk in Babies Learning Early Signs. Kliman compared these at-risk placentas to 100 control placentas collected by the UC Davis researchers from the same geographic area.
The at-risk placentas had as many as 15 trophoblast inclusions, while none of the control placentas had more than two trophoblast inclusions. Kliman said a placenta with four or more trophoblast inclusions conservatively predicts an infant with a 96.7% probability of being at risk for autism.
Currently, the best early marker of autism risk is family history. Couples with a child with autism are nine times more likely to have another child with autism. Kliman said that when these at-risk families have subsequent children they could employ early intervention strategies to improve outcomes. "Regrettably couples without known genetic susceptibility must rely on identification of early signs or indicators that may not overtly manifest until the child's second or third year of life," said Kliman.
"I hope that diagnosing the risk of developing autism by examining the placenta at birth will become routine, and that the children who are shown to have increased numbers of trophoblast inclusions will have early interventions and an improved quality of life as a result of this test," Kliman added.
###
Other authors on the study include Kaitlin Anderson, Kristin Milano, and Saier Ye of Yale University; and Cheryl Walker, Daniel Tancredi, Isaac Pessah, and Irva Hertz-Picciotto of UC Davis.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (1 P01 ES11269 and R01 ES 015359), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (R829388 and R833292), the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, and the Yale University Reproductive and Placental Research Unit.
Citation: Biological Psychiatry, Published online (April 25, 2013)
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Under pressure, the White House signaled Wednesday it might accept legislation eliminating Federal Aviation Administration furloughs blamed for lengthy flight delays for airline passengers, while leaving the rest of $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts in place.
The disclosure came as sentiment grew among Senate Democrats as well as Republicans for legislation to ease the impact of the cuts on the FAA, possibly by loosening restrictions on agency spending.
In a further reflection of congressional concern, the senior members of the Senate Commerce Committee met with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to consider possible ways to eliminate the delays.
According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which is privy to FAA data, there were 5,800 flight delays across the country for the three-day period beginning Sunday, when the furloughs took effect. Some were caused by weather. The union said that compares with 2,500 delays for the same period a year ago.
At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said that if Congress "wants to address specifically the problems caused by the sequester with the FAA, we would be open to looking at that.
"But that would be a Band-Aid measure," he added. "And it would not deal with the many other negative effects of the sequester, the kids kicked off of Head Start, the seniors who aren't getting Meals on Wheels, and the up to three-quarter of a million of Americans who will lose their jobs or will not have jobs created for them."
Officials estimate the FAA furloughs will save slightly more than $200 million through Sept. 30, a small fraction of the $85 billion in overall reductions that stem from across-the-board cuts, officially known as a sequester, that took effect in March.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the other top Democrats have consistently expressed opposition to piecemeal legislation aimed at easing the impact of the spending cuts, a position that congressional officials say reflected the administration's position.
But support for that view among Senate Democrats has eroded in recent days as airlines reported thousands of flight delays and industry executives pressed for a restoration of full funding for air traffic controllers.
"I think it's better to do a big deal, but as we work toward that big deal we have to admit that there are some things that are very problematic," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who helped write legislation to give the FAA flexibility to switch money between accounts and permit full staffing by controllers.
At least three other Democrats support the measure, which Klobuchar co-sponsored with Republican Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota and several other GOP lawmakers. "This is a very simple bipartisan bill that fixes the problem," Hoeven said, adding he had informed the White House of his plans.
It was not clear whether supporters of the legislation or of similar proposals would seek a vote before Congress begins a one-week vacation at the end of the week.
Nor was it clear whether any FAA-related measure might include a provision to keep open smaller towers that the agency says might be closed as a result of the spending cuts, a provision that numerous lawmakers in both parties favor.
Democrats said it was unlikely any FAA bill would be expanded to offset the impact of the cuts on Head Start or other programs that draw more support from Democrats than Republicans.
Apart from the inconvenience caused by delays, some lawmakers have criticized Huerta, saying they were blindsided by the flight delays. Republicans have been particularly vocal.
Huerta got a public tongue-lashing during the day when he appeared before the House Appropriations Committee.
"You didn't forewarn us this was coming. You didn't advise us how to handle it. This imperial attitude on the part of this administration ? you are the latest example of it ? is disgusting," Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said.
Huerta said LaHood had warned at a news conference in February that the furloughs were coming and could create flight delays of up to 90 minutes.
He also said he had testified about them at a hearing before a different committee earlier over the winter.
"It's fair to say the thing that captured the media's attention was the" threatened closure of small towers, he added. "The furlough problem didn't sink in with Congress and the public until recently."
___
Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report.
When banks allow customers to borrow against upcoming deposits ? of, say, Social Security checks or paychecks ? the transactions are advertised as safety nets and protection against overdraft fees when emergencies arise.
In reality though, too many borrowers become trapped in a costly cycle of debt that can lead to more overdraft fees and other expenses, says a "white paper" issued this week by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
?They continually re-borrow and incur significant expense to repeatedly carry this debt from pay period to pay period,? says the white paper. Whether the borrowing is done from a storefront payday loan company or a deposit advance at a big bank, ?The high cost of the loan or advance may itself contribute to the chronic difficulty such consumers face in retiring the debt,? it said.
Now, federal regulators are poised to crackdown on the big banks, including U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo, offering loans tied to checking accounts, according to the New York Times.
?Regulators from the?Office of the Comptroller of the Currency?and the?Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation?are expected to clamp down on the loans, which carry interest rates that can soar above 300 percent, by the end of the week,? the Times reported, attributing the information to ?several people briefed on the matter.?
Banks urged to stop loans
In February, MinnPost reported in its Lending Trap series that several consumer advocacy groups in Minnesota had joined 250 organizations nationwide in a?letter?to federal regulators, urging them to stop banks from making such loans.
The Minnesota groups included Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Minnesota Community Action Partnership, St. Paul-based Jewish Community Action, several law firms and other organizations that work on behalf of immigrants, minorities and low-income families.
?At face value, the loans provide quick assistance to households who are struggling to make ends meet,? said Pam Johnson, who directs research for St. Paul-based Minnesota Community Action Partnership.
?But through our work and personal relationships with thousands of low-income Minnesotans, we know that household situation 30 days after the payday loan has not changed, and they will be unable to pay the loan on time,? Johnson told MinnPost in February. ?This often results in an ongoing cycle of debt at extremely high interest rates that pushes families into desperate situations including foreclosure, bankruptcy and homelessness.?
In a nutshell, these loans allow regular bank customers to borrow, typically up to $600, on their next scheduled direct deposits. The bank automatically repays itself and also collects a fee once the deposit arrives in the account.
Stringent requirements
Now, regulators are expected to impose more stringent requirements on such loans, the Times reported.
?Before making a loan, for example, banks will have to assess a consumer?s ability to repay the money,? it said. ?Banking authorities are also expected to institute a mandatory cooling-off period of 30 days between loans ? a reform intended to halt what consumer advocates call a debt spiral of borrowers taking out fresh loans to cover their outstanding debt. As part of that, banks will not be able to extend a new loan until a borrower has paid off any previous ones.?
Another requirement will address marketing, the Times said.
?Because the advances are not typically described as loans, the interest rates are largely opaque to borrowers,? the newspaper said. ?Wells Fargo, for example, charges $1.50 for every $20 borrowed. While the bank?s Web site warns that the products are ?expensive,? there is no calculation of an interest rate. The banking regulators will require that banks disclose the interest rates, according to the people familiar with the guidance.?
In response to MinnPost?s questions in February, the banks defended their products. They insisted that their loans come with safeguards intended to avoid the pitfalls of storefront-style payday lending in which borrowers sometimes sink into unmanageable debt by seeking new loans to meet payments on old obligations.
?Checking Account Advance is a safety net for our customers who have experienced an unexpected expense such as a medical emergency or an auto repair,? Nicole Garrison-Sprenger, vice president for Corporate Public Relations at U.S. Bancorp, said in an email response to MinnPost?s questions.
Borrowers are warned each time they use the advance that it is high-cost credit intended to be used only for short-term needs, she said. They also are informed about alternative credit options that may be available. And the bank imposes mandatory ?cooling off? periods as well as limits on the amount and duration of the advance.
?A small percent of our customers use CAA, but those who have give the product overwhelmingly high marks and appreciate having it available to them for emergency use,? she said.
In its white paper, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said that deposit advances and payday loans do, indeed, work as intended for some consumers for whom an unusual expense needs to be deferred for a short period of time.
However, it concluded that ?a sizable share of payday loan and deposit advance users conduct transactions on a long-term basis, suggesting that they are unable to fully repay the loan and pay other expenses without taking out a new loan shortly thereafter.?
More than half of the deposit advance users in an in-depth study took out advances totaling more than $3,000, and they tended to be indebted for over 40 percent of the year, typically coming back for an additional advance within 12 days or less of paying off the previous debt.
?These products may become harmful for consumers when they are used to make up chronic cash-flow shortages,? the Bureau concluded.
Alcohol industry attempts to influence alcohol policyPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Fiona Godwin fgodwin@plos.org 01-223-442-834 Public Library of Science
The alcohol industry, including the major supermarkets ignored, misrepresented and undermined international evidence on effective alcohol control policies in an attempt to influence public health policy in Scotland to its advantage, according to UK experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine.
The experts, led by Jim McCambridge from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysed the alcohol industry's input into the Scottish Government's 2008 Consultation on "Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol" policy proposals which included measures to introduce minimum unit pricing and ban promotions.
They found that industry submissions advocated for policies in line with their commercial interests and consistently opposed evidence-based approaches. Industry actors also made unsubstantiated claims about the adverse effects of policy proposals they didn't like and advocated for policies with weak evidence to support effectiveness.
The authors say: "Commercial conflicts of interest should be made explicit and policy makers should treat industry actors' interpretation of research evidence with extreme caution."
They continue: "It is for public debate whether and to what extent the health of the population may be compromised by the commercial interests of industry, and whether the apparent economic contributions of the alcohol industry fully take into account the health and other social costs their activities incur."
They conclude: "For policy makers, key questions concern how the pursuit of commercial interests may conflict with broader public interests and lead to the marginalisation of scientific evidence in decision-making."
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Funding: This study was funded by Alcohol Research UK. JM is supported by a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development award in Basic Biomedical Science (WT086516MA). No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: McCambridge J, Hawkins B, Holden C (2013) Industry Use of Evidence to Influence Alcohol Policy: A Case Study of Submissions to the 2008 Scottish Government Consultation. PLoS Med 10(4): e1001431. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001431
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER:
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office
+44 (0)2079272802
press@lshtm.ac.uk
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Alcohol industry attempts to influence alcohol policyPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Fiona Godwin fgodwin@plos.org 01-223-442-834 Public Library of Science
The alcohol industry, including the major supermarkets ignored, misrepresented and undermined international evidence on effective alcohol control policies in an attempt to influence public health policy in Scotland to its advantage, according to UK experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine.
The experts, led by Jim McCambridge from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysed the alcohol industry's input into the Scottish Government's 2008 Consultation on "Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol" policy proposals which included measures to introduce minimum unit pricing and ban promotions.
They found that industry submissions advocated for policies in line with their commercial interests and consistently opposed evidence-based approaches. Industry actors also made unsubstantiated claims about the adverse effects of policy proposals they didn't like and advocated for policies with weak evidence to support effectiveness.
The authors say: "Commercial conflicts of interest should be made explicit and policy makers should treat industry actors' interpretation of research evidence with extreme caution."
They continue: "It is for public debate whether and to what extent the health of the population may be compromised by the commercial interests of industry, and whether the apparent economic contributions of the alcohol industry fully take into account the health and other social costs their activities incur."
They conclude: "For policy makers, key questions concern how the pursuit of commercial interests may conflict with broader public interests and lead to the marginalisation of scientific evidence in decision-making."
###
Funding: This study was funded by Alcohol Research UK. JM is supported by a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development award in Basic Biomedical Science (WT086516MA). No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: McCambridge J, Hawkins B, Holden C (2013) Industry Use of Evidence to Influence Alcohol Policy: A Case Study of Submissions to the 2008 Scottish Government Consultation. PLoS Med 10(4): e1001431. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001431
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER:
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office
+44 (0)2079272802
press@lshtm.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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In reality though, too many borrowers become trapped in a costly cycle of debt that can lead to more overdraft fees and other expenses, says a "white paper" issued this week by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.