Toddler Approved!: Kindness at Home {Glittering Muffins}

Last week we kicked off the?100 Acts of Kindness Project?with our first challenge by?Megan of Coffee Cups & Crayons. This week we received our second kindness challenge (issued by?Kim from The Educators' Spin On It)!

Today Valerie from Glittering Muffins?is sharing about how her family shows kindness within their home.?

As we perform acts of kindness, one of the most important things we can remember is to focus on our own little sphere of influence (spouse, kids, parents, siblings) in addition to other people around us. Often it is easier to be kinder to the postman than it is to be kind to our child who just smeared tooth paste all over the bathroom mirror for the fourth time!

How's the kindness challenge going at your house this week?

My favorite moments this week have occurred as I have watched my two older kids play nicely together again and again. They run in circles around the living room, build forts, have dance parties, and play trains. I have been loving the simple ways that they have been showing kindness to one another- sharing toys, saying sorry, helping each other pick things up, cheering for one another, asking for things in polite ways, and saying thank you (to name a few)! Today they were also kind and helped with scrub the dishes!

What are simple ways that your kids show kindness to one another at home? Come share in the comments!

Source: http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2013/01/kindness-at-home-glittering-muffins.html

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Benefits of a sports massage before rock climbing | Denali

The benefit of a sports?massage for any athlete is for peak performance. The benefits of a sports massage before rock climbing is for peak performance as well, but to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries, too.

A?sports massage helps in the way of achievement for a rock climber. Being able to do your rock climb because you are ready physically is an added bonus. Any thing that you can do to prevent an injury makes your rock climbing seem much safer for anyone involved.

Sports massage helps to alleviate stress and tension, which can build up in the body?s soft tissue during rock climbing. Where minor injuries can occur, the sports massage can break them down very quickly and effectively. The massage will drain away fatigue, will reduce swelling, and reduce muscle tension.

For the rock climber, emphasis is put on the forearms, hands and wrists, and quadriceps. Sports?massages have many positive benefits. Of course, sports massages make you feel good. However, they can also reduce your heart rate and blood pressure, increase your blood circulation and lymph flow, and they can reduce muscle tension and improve your flexibility.

When receiving your sports massage before climbing, not only does it help to protect against injury, and boost your performance, but it aids in muscle tone recovery. It also aids in removing lactic acid, which leads to the muscle soreness caused by rock climbing. Moving through plateaus with great ease is another benefit.

Helping climbers with tight and contracted forearm muscles has been shown to be an added benefit to rock climbers. Forearm massage helps with improvement in strength, and grip, and helps to achieve higher levels of climbing ability.

Because they no longer suffer from muscles that have become too tight, many climbers have found that massage has helped them to go their next level. This is possible because they have improved their style and their grip. It allows climbers to improve their range of motion and they climb harder and faster.

Stretching and massaging your muscles after climbing, the tension doesn?t have a chance to build, because your connectors are relaxed.

The most important thing about having a sports massage before climbing is that finds your sore spots and helps you before you get out there cold. Going cold and not having your massage to invigorate those muscles is the worst thing you can do for your muscles and tendons.

Massaging after climbing helps to release the muscle wastes that cause cramping and sore muscles later. Feeding the tissues, from the rush of blood encourages the smallest injuries to heal faster. But it is better to stretch the muscles than to have a massage right after climbing. Wait until you are completely cooled down.

The whole idea of having a sports massage before rock climbing, really can help in the prevention of an injury and will give you peak performance. The entire massage only lasts about 10 to 15 minutes, but saving your hands and elbows and being able to use them again for other rock climbing adventures is very beneficial.

Source: Helium

Source: http://blog.shop-denali.com/2013/01/benefits-of-a-sports-massage-before-rock-climbing/

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After Sandy, Scientists Track Displaced Sand To Measure Barrier Island Damage

Superstorm Sandy pushed the Atlantic Ocean right over New York's barrier islands like a daylong tsunami. Communities along Long Island were devastated but are rebuilding. But scientists say there are more Sandy's in the future. A team of oceanographers is now trying to understand what Sandy did to the natural barriers. Their findings could determine whether billions of dollars to rebuild is well-spent or wasted.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170588499/after-sandy-scientists-track-displaced-sand-to-measure-barrier-island-damage?ft=1&f=1007

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Comprehending Exactly why Loan companies Choose to Offer you ...

Life insurance is not easy to shop for. There are so many providers and so many options that it is all too easy to get lost. A little research can equip you to find your way. This article will present a few handy tips to keep you on the right track to good life insurance deals.

When it comes to Life Insurance, purchase it when you are young. Typically, a younger person is in good general health, so you will be able to lock in a great rate for the length of the policy. As a person gets older, they start to present more of a risk to an insurance company, and not only will the premium be more but, you may be denied coverage entirely.

If you would like more than one life insurance policy, whether you don't qualify for a policy of a high amount or because you would like extra coverage, you may want to think about the purchase of a group life insurance policy. This could be a great deal cheaper than purchasing several different policies, and can suit your needs just as well if not better.

Purchase life insurance so your family will not have to pay for your funeral costs. You may have all of your retirement needs provided for, but if there is not much left once you die, someone in your family will need to pay for funeral services and related costs. A simple, inexpensive life insurance policy can guarantee that funds will be available to take care of your funeral and not put undue financial stress on any family members.

If your life insurance needs change, consider getting a rider instead of purchasing an additional policy. A rider adds on to what you already have and typically does not cost as much money as getting another policy. This may not be true, however, if you are in very good health, so make sure to do your research.

Most life insurance policies are long term contracts. This means that once you sign the contract, you have a responsibility to make payments toward your policy. Therefore, when you are obtaining life insurance, make sure you have a firm understanding of your needs, what you are receiving and that you will be able to afford your payments. If there is anything you do not understand, do not contract yourself to the policy. Ask questions first.

Do your research. There are many different companies that sell life insurance as well as many different rating systems for each company. Take a look at the pros and cons of each as well as shop around for quotes. This will ensure that you are making the right choice with such a large decision.

When considering life insurance, be sure to look outside what your employer provides. While this may be easier and you may assume they are providing what is best for you, it is not always the case. Make sure that they rates and coverage are competitive or better than other offers that you could go with.

Make sure to get quotes on different levels of policies. Many insurance companies offer breaks at different levels of coverage that could wind up saving you money. Just because you've decided that 175,000 is all the coverage you need, doesn't mean you shouldn't get quoted on other levels just in case.

There is almost always a better deal out there when it comes to life insurance. It may not be easy to find or take advantage of. Learning is the key to zeroing in on the best deals. Hopefully you are a little better informed after reading this article, and your life insurance hunt will be a little more successful.

Source: http://sweetereveryday.com/comprehending-exactly-why-loan-companies-choose-to-offer-you-secured-personal-loans-over-credit-card/

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NCAA announces problems with Miami investigation

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2013, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert speaks at the organization's annual convention in Grapevine, Texas. The NCAA is revealing that it has found "an issue of improper conduct" within its own enforcement program during its investigation into the compliance practices of Miami's athletic department. Emmert has ordered an external review of the enforcement program. Miami will not receive its notice of allegations until that review is complete. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2013, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert speaks at the organization's annual convention in Grapevine, Texas. The NCAA is revealing that it has found "an issue of improper conduct" within its own enforcement program during its investigation into the compliance practices of Miami's athletic department. Emmert has ordered an external review of the enforcement program. Miami will not receive its notice of allegations until that review is complete. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) ? The NCAA's probe of Miami's athletic compliance practices is ramping up again.

Only this time, the Hurricanes aren't exactly the subject of the inquiry.

In a bizarre twist, the college sports' governing body is being investigated after NCAA President Mark Emmert acknowledged on Wednesday "a very severe issue of improper conduct" by former investigators working the long, complex Miami case.

The NCAA said its investigation was based, at least in part, on information that it should not have had access to, the testimony of those who appeared under subpoena to be deposed in the bankruptcy case involving former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro, one of the most notorious Ponzi scheme architects in history.

The NCAA does not have subpoena power. Shapiro's attorney did, and used it ? and apparently entered into some sort of contractual agreement with the NCAA, one that apparently either was not or should never have been approved.

"We cannot have the NCAA bringing forward an allegation ... that was collected by processes none of us could stand for," Emmert said. "We're going to move it as fast as possible, but we have to get this right."

Speaking Thursday from Providence, R.I. in a telephone interview, Shapiro's attorney, Maria Elena Perez, told The Associated Press that she has done nothing wrong.

"The dubious party is not me. What I have done is 150 percent above board," Perez said.

Perez said she could not divulge the nature of whatever her contract status with the NCAA, though said she is planning to release a statement in the coming days after meeting with her own attorney.

"I am a victim of the enforcement staff," said Perez, who is a Miami graduate. "Me."

The revelations Wednesday mean the notice of allegations against Miami ? the NCAA's findings of wrongdoing, a document that was nearly completed and was expected to be released by the end of this week ? will be delayed for at least a few more weeks, if not longer. The long-term ramifications could be more damning for the NCAA, especially if the outside investigator they have commissioned to look into the mess finds more problems.

"As we have done since the beginning, we will continue to work with the NCAA and now with their outside investigator hoping for a swift resolution of the investigation and our case," Miami President Donna Shalala said.

Emmert said two depositions are involved in this allegation of improper conduct by former enforcement-office staffers. One of those two depositions was given Dec. 19, 2011, by former Miami equipment-room staffer Sean Allen ? who has been linked to Shapiro and many of the allegations that he made against the university.

Among the questions Allen was asked in that deposition:

? "Did you ever witness Mr. Shapiro paying any money to any University of Miami football or basketball players?"

? "Would it be fair to say that Mr. Shapiro did, in fact, confer various financial benefits on the University of Miami Athletic Program and its players?"

? "Did you ever overhear any of the coaches or any other staff for the University of Miami providing Mr. Shapiro with inside information regarding, you know, the condition of any particular athlete for the purposes of Mr. Shapiro's gambling?"

It's unknown which of Allen's answers caught the NCAA investigators' attention.

What is known publicly now, and has been suspected by some for months, is that those investigators never should have known those questions were asked.

"How in the world can you get this far without it being recognized that this was an inappropriate way to proceed?" Emmert asked.

That's the question that the NCAA wants answered, and fast.

Emmert spoke angrily at times during a half-hour conference call to discuss the findings, in which he revealed that he briefed the NCAA's executive committee and the Division I board presidents with some information about the Miami matter. He said he developed a better understanding of what went on in the days that followed, which led to the hiring of Kenneth L. Wainstein of the firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP to conduct the external review of what happened.

Wainstein, Emmert said, will begin his probe on Thursday, with the NCAA hoping that he can finish within two weeks.

"We want to make sure that any evidence that's brought forward is appropriately collected and it has the integrity that we expect and demand," Emmert said.

It was part of a stunning day for Hurricane athletics: The 25th-ranked men's basketball team routed No. 1 Duke later Wednesday, 90-63.

Emmert said the NCAA was trying to find out why part of the investigation was based on depositions specific to the bankruptcy case against Shapiro, who will have to repay $82.7 million to his victims as part of his sentence. And the timing of this also is curious. Several people who were to be named in the NCAA's notice of allegations against Miami have been told that the document was in the final stages of preparation ? and one person who spoke with the AP said at least one person who was to face a charge of wrongdoing was told the letter was scheduled for delivery to Miami on Tuesday.

Now it's anyone's guess when that will happen.

Emmert said the NCAA learned of the alleged misconduct, in part, through legal bills presented by Shapiro's attorney for work that was not properly approved by the organization's general counsel's office.

"One of the questions that has to be answered, unequivocally, is what was the nature of that contractual arrangement and what was all the activity that that individual was involved with," Emmert said. "There is some uncertainty about all of that and it's one of the first orders of business for the firm that we've hired to investigate."

The Hurricanes' athletic compliance practices have been probed by the NCAA for nearly two years. Allegations of wrongdoing involving Miami's football and men's basketball programs became widely known in August 2011 when Yahoo Sports published accusations brought by Shapiro, who is serving a 20-year term in federal prison for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

Miami has self-imposed two football postseason bans in response to the investigation. The Hurricanes also would have played in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game this past season, meaning they could have qualified for the Orange Bowl.

"In my two-and-a-half years I've certainly never seen anything like this, and don't want to see it again," Emmert said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-24-Miami-NCAA-Investigation/id-1acfc2d8ee1641338269525ac008bb64

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Brain structure of infants predicts language skills at 1 year

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Using a brain-imaging technique that examines the entire infant brain, researchers have found that the anatomy of certain brain areas ? the hippocampus and cerebellum ? can predict children's language abilities at 1 year of age.

The University of Washington study is the first to associate these brain structures with future language skills. The results are published in the January issue of the journal Brain and Language.

"The brain of the baby holds an infinite number of secrets just waiting to be uncovered, and these discoveries will show us why infants learn languages like sponges, far surpassing our skills as adults," said co-author Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.

Children's language skills soar after they reach their first birthdays, but little is known about how infants' early brain development seeds that path. Identifying which brain areas are related to early language learning could provide a first glimpse of development going awry, allowing for treatments to begin earlier.

"Infancy may be the most important phase of postnatal brain development in humans," said Dilara Deniz Can, lead author and a UW postdoctoral researcher. "Our results showing brain structures linked to later language ability in typically developing infants is a first step toward examining links to brain and behavior in young children with linguistic, psychological and social delays."

In the study, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the brain structure of a mix of 19 boys and girls at 7 months of age. The researchers used a measurement called voxel-based morphometry to determine the concentration of gray matter, consisting of nerve cells, and of white matter, which make up the network of connections throughout the brain.

The study is the first to relate the outcomes of this whole-brain imaging technique to predict future ability in infants. The whole-brain approach freed the researchers from having to select a few brain regions for study ahead of time, ones scientists might have expected to be involved based on adult data.

Five months later, when the children were about 1 year old they returned to the lab for a language test. This test included measures of the children's babbling, recognition of familiar names and words, and their ability to produce different types of sounds.

"At this age, children typically don't say many words," Deniz Can said. "So we rely on babbling and the ability to comprehend language as a sign of early language mastery."

Infants with a greater concentration of gray and white matter in the cerebellum and the hippocampus showed greater language ability at age 1. This is the first study to identify a relationship between language and the cerebellum and hippocampus in infants. Neither brain area is well-known for its role in language: the cerebellum is typically linked to motor learning, while the hippocampus is commonly recognized as a memory processor.

"Looking at the whole brain produced a surprising result and scientists live for surprises. It wasn't the language areas of the infant brain that predicted their future linguistic skills, but instead brain areas linked to motor abilities and memory processing," Kuhl said. "Infants have to listen and memorize the sound patterns used by the people in their culture, and then coax their own mouths and tongues to make these sounds in order join the social conversation and get a response from their parents."

The findings could reflect infants' abilities to master the motor planning for speech and to develop the memory requirements for keeping the sound patterns in mind.

"The brain uses many general skills to learn language," Kuhl said. "Knowing which brain regions are linked to this early learning could help identify children with developmental disabilities and provide them with early interventions that will steer them back toward a typical developmental path."

###

University of Washington: http://www.uwnews.org

Thanks to University of Washington for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126413/Brain_structure_of_infants_predicts_language_skills_at___year

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Love triumphs over hate to make exotic new compound: Compound could be useful in batteries, semiconductors, memory devices

Jan. 24, 2013 ? Northwestern University graduate student Jonathan Barnes had a hunch for creating an exotic new chemical compound, and his idea that the force of love is stronger than hate proved correct. He and his colleagues are the first to permanently interlock two identical tetracationic rings that normally are repelled by each other. Many experts had said it couldn't be done.

On the surface, the rings hate each other because each carries four positive charges (making them tetracationic). But Barnes discovered by introducing radicals (unpaired electrons) onto the scene, the researchers could create a love-hate relationship in which love triumphs.

Unpaired electrons want to pair up and be stable, and it turns out the attraction of one ring's single electrons to the other ring's single electrons is stronger than the repelling forces.

The process links the rings not by a chemical bond but by a mechanical bond, which, once in place, cannot easily be torn asunder.

The study detailing this new class of stable organic radicals will be published Jan. 25 by the journal Science.

"It's not that people have tried and failed to put these two rings together -- they just didn't think it was possible," said Sir Fraser Stoddart, a senior author of the paper. "Now this molecule has been made. I cannot overemphasize Jonathan's achievement -- it is really outside the box. Now we are excited to see where this new chemistry leads us."

Sir Fraser is the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern. In the late 1980s, he was one of the early pioneers to introduce an additional type of bond, the mechanical bond, into chemical compounds.

The new Northwestern compound has attractive electronic characteristics and can be made quickly and inexpensively. Down the road, it may be possible to expand this first linked pair into a longer chain-like polymer where this methodology could be useful in new technologies for batteries, semiconductors and electronic memory devices.

Driven by curiosity, Barnes only began to look at the radical chemistry of the ring cyclobis (paraquat-p-phenylene) two years ago, nearly 25 years after the ring was first made.

"I wondered what would happen if we took it all the way to the max," said Barnes, the paper's first author and a member of Stoddart's group. "Can we take two of these rings, each with four positive charges, and make them live together?"

The rings repel each other like the positive poles of two magnets. Barnes saw an opportunity where he thought he could tweak the chemistry by using radicals to overcome the hate between the two rings.

"We made these rings communicate and love each other under certain conditions, and once they were mechanically interlocked, the bond could not be broken," Barnes said.

Barnes' first strategy -- adding electrons to temporarily reduce the charge and bring the two rings together -- worked the first time he tried it. He, Stoddart and their colleagues started with a full ring and a half ring that they then closed up around the first ring (using some simple chemistry), creating the mechanical bond.

When the compound is oxidized and electrons lost, the strong positive forces come roaring back -- "It's hate on all the time," Barnes said -- but then it is too late for the rings to be parted. "That's the beauty of this system," he added.

Most organic radicals possess short lifetimes, but this unusual radical compound is stable in air and water. The compound tucks the electrons away inside the structure so they can't react with anything in the environment. The tight mechanical bond endures despite the unfavorable electrostatic interactions.

The two interlocked rings house an immense amount of charge in a mere cubic nanometer of space. The compound, a homo[2]catenane, can adopt one of six oxidation states and can accept up to eight electrons in total.

"Anything that accepts this many electrons has possibilities for batteries," Barnes said.

"Applications beckon," Stoddart agreed. "Now we need to spend more time with materials scientists and people who make devices to see how this amazing compound can be used."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University. The original article was written by Megan Fellman.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. J. C. Barnes, A. C. Fahrenbach, D. Cao, S. M. Dyar, M. Frasconi, M. A. Giesener, D. Benitez, E. Tkatchouk, O. Chernyashevskyy, W. H. Shin, H. Li, S. Sampath, C. L. Stern, A. A. Sarjeant, K. J. Hartlieb, Z. Liu, R. Carmieli, Y. Y. Botros, J. W. Choi, A. M. Z. Slawin, J. B. Ketterson, M. R. Wasielewski, W. A. Goddard, J. F. Stoddart. A Radically Configurable Six-State Compound. Science, 2013; 339 (6118): 429 DOI: 10.1126/science.1228429

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electronics/~3/XJ_pqCmMTeI/130124150756.htm

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Curry, Lee lead Warriors past Thunder 104-99

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ? Stephen Curry banked in an off-balance shot while getting fouled by Russell Westbrook to start a three-point play, falling to his knees and shaking his shoulders to the sellout crowd.

Not quite the shimmy Mark Jackson displayed during his playing days ? still plenty good enough to please the Golden State coach.

Curry had 31 points and seven assists, and the Warriors punctuated the season's midpoint by outlasting the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder 104-99 in style Wednesday night.

"The way he's playing," Jackson said, "dance all you want."

On the eve of the announcement for All-Star reserves, Golden State's top two candidates made a lasting impression.

Curry matched Kevin Durant's spectacular scores all game, stole a pass from the Thunder's leading man in the final seconds and hit a pair of free throws to seal the Warriors' third straight victory. David Lee had 22 points and 12 rebounds, helped Golden State outrebound Oklahoma City's lengthy frontline 40-39 and made some big plays late.

The Warriors, with one playoff appearance since 1994, are 26-15 and own the fifth-best record in the Western Conference with another 41 games to play.

"I'm sure we're surprising people," Curry said.

Even Jackson, who doubles as a preacher, said he always had faith his team could win but "I get my praise and worship on because I didn't think it'd be this good," especially with center Andrew Bogut still sidelined indefinitely while recovering from left ankle surgery.

Durant had 33 points, nine assists and five rebounds, and Kevin Martin scored 16 points for the Thunder, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter a night after running away with a win at the Los Angeles Clippers. Oklahoma City (33-10) had won seven of eight but still remains at the top of the NBA standings.

"We could have been much better defensively," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "They made a lot of plays inside the paint but they got a lot of points off of our turnovers, too. We didn't make enough plays down the stretch and they did. They deserved to win this game."

Once again, the Warriors showed they're no fluke out West this season.

Lee found Carl Landry slicing through the lane for a dunk, Klay Thompson hit a running hook as part of his 19 points and Landry put back his own miss to give Golden State a 97-94 lead with 2:25 remaining.

Kendrick Perkins tipped in a rebound on the other end before Jarrett Jack swished in a high-arching shot over Durant near the top of the key to put the Warriors ahead by three again. Durant answered back with a pair of free throws, only to watch Lee's layup extend Golden State's lead once more.

Durant hit one of two free throws to slice Golden State's lead to 101-99, then Curry missed an open 3-pointer to give the Thunder a chance with 17.5 seconds to play.

Durant caught the inbounds pass on the right side and tried to slip a quick pass to Perkins in the paint. Instead, Curry intercepted and was fouled, making both free throws to put the Warriors ahead by four with 12.4 seconds left.

"The design was to get me a shot coming off toward the corner but they had two on the ball and they left Perk," Durant said. "I've just got to make a better read. I thought he was going to dive. I've got to hold onto that ball. That's all on me. I can't put Perk in that position."

Curry also outplayed Westbrook, who is likely headed for an All-Star selection. Westbrook had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists while shooting 3 of 16 from the floor, including 0 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Golden State hasn't had an All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. That drought might end Thursday when the NBA announces the reserves, who are voted on by coaches.

"He had my vote," Brooks said of Curry.

Even with all of Oklahoma City's length and quickness, Curry often made the game seem like his own layup line.

He sliced and shook through the lane to convert three straight layups, capping the brief burst with a no-look reverse off his left hand. The Warriors were outshot 60 to 47 percent in the first quarter, though they still led 27-26 in large part because of six turnovers by Oklahoma City.

Durant stayed on the offensive and pushed the pace. He got past Landry for an uncontested dunk after the Warriors forward tweaked his ankle preparing to defend Durant, who also made a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws during a 10-3 run that put the Thunder ahead 45-38 midway through the second quarter.

Durant and Curry continued to dazzle in the second half, each with a spectacular score on one end only to have the other come back even stronger. At one point, the 6-foot-9 Durant covered the diminutive point guard, chasing him around screens all over the perimeter.

No matter.

Curry kept on coming and so did the Warriors, who went up 72-68 on his three-point play, which Curry celebrated with a shimmy similar to the one Jackson often showcased as an NBA point guard. Curry said he hadn't practiced the move, nor could he recall exactly what he did in the moment.

"It's truly genuine," he said.

So might be Golden State's play this season.

NOTES: The Warriors are the only team to beat the Thunder, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers this season. ... Oklahoma City is 6-3 on the second night of back-to-back games this season. ... The Thunder are 2-2 on their season-long six-game trip.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/curry-lee-lead-warriors-past-thunder-104-99-061608639--spt.html

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New Kids on the Block Tour: Announced! With 98 Degrees! And Boyz II Men!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/new-kids-on-the-block-tour-announced-with-98-degrees-and-boyz-ii/

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News Summary: DuPont 4Q earnings sink, beats view

BIG DECLINE: Soft demand for a key industrial pigment and solar energy products, coupled with increased spending on growth initiatives, led to a sharp drop in the DuPont Co.'s fourth-quarter income. But the results beat Wall Street's expectations.

LOOKING AHEAD: DuPont chairwoman and CEO Ellen Kullman said the company is stronger than it was a year ago, having recorded nearly 2,300 new product introductions in 2012, an increase of 30 percent.

STOMPING WEEDS: One-time items included $135 million to resolve legal claims stemming from the use of DuPont's Imprelis weedkiller on trees such as Norway spruces and white pines. It has now spent $750 million on Imprelis claims. CFO Nick Fanandakis said DuPont wants "to bring closure to this as soon as possible."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-dupont-4q-earnings-203822761.html

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WHAT RISING GRADUATION RATES TELL US | assailedteacher

Which world is closer to the one the new graduates are inheriting?

So the news has been flooded with headlines about how national graduation rates from public schools are up to a level not seen in nearly 40 years:

More than 3.1 million high school students received their diplomas in spring 2010, with 78.2 percent finishing in four years, the?National Center for Education Statistics?(NCES) reported Tuesday. The rate is a 2.7-percentage-point increase over the previous year, and those two rates are the highest since the 75 percent rate in 1975 and 1976.

This is not the cause for celebration that the media is making it out to be. If we look at the cheating scandals in D.C. and Atlanta we see the greasy underbelly of the motor driving these graduation rates.

Public schools have been bludgeoned into accepting so-called ?accountability? programs that have held teachers responsible for tests scores and pass rates. We drill and kill for exams that seem to get just a tad easier every year. We overlook behavior issues and shoddy scholarship as a shortcut to getting kids to pass. Our jobs as teachers have increasingly involved getting students to fill in the correct bubbles in a certain 3-hour span, the rest of the education process be damned.

This isn?t due to anything we have done as teachers. Our educational leaders, from the Secretary of Education on down, have done everything in their power to put this system into place. With their myopic interpretation of what counts for ?achievement?, they have reduced the learning process to a series of numbers and the teaching profession to a series of steps to color within these numbers. So now we focus on the ?data? instead of the child; the ?value? we ?add? instead of what our communities teach our children to value.

Of course we would have high graduation rates in this type of environment. We have become adept at manipulating numbers because our jobs depend on it. The Secretary of Education, the governors, mayors, chancellors, superintendents and principals all need the numbers to go up. The testing companies and data-collection companies need to show that the numbers are going up. All of these entities require the numbers to go up in order to justify their influence. They have been in control of America?s education systems for so long that the numbers better have gone up by now.

The fix was in ever since the appearance of this thing called ?education reform?. They came to us and said schools were not doing our jobs. They said they were taking over the schools and running them like businesses. They expected results and they were going to get them. It was foreordained that graduation rates would reach such high levels. They made all of us conspirators in their game of reform. The teachers were taken into a shotgun marriage that tied the survival of the educational leaders to the survival of teachers.

?If these test scores don?t rise, we won?t be around long. But we will make sure that you also will not be around long.? This was the Faustian bargain with which reformers presented teachers. Stand up against the system by not teaching to the test or by exercising your union rights and you go down. Play the game and get the numbers up and we will feature you as one of our success stories, as one of the ?good ones?. Everyone wins. Teachers get to keep their jobs. Reformers get to say that their policies work.

And what type of graduates do we have? We have graduates who have been trained to bubble in answers. We have graduates that need an increasing amount of remedial classes once they get to college. This is exactly the type of graduate one ?would expect from a school system run on the business model: ?one-dimensional, unskilled and mass produced. They are light plastic cogs to be used in a giant machine, easily tossed aside and replaced when they get used up.

And what type of world are our graduates entering? One with proliferating low-wage jobs touted as ?job recovery?. One where food stamp rolls, college debt and poverty are rising. This isn?t the bright open future baby-boomers saw on the horizon. Today?s graduates are inheriting a world of diminishing limits. The future is dark and small.

What more can we expect? We have concentrated on getting ?achievement? as measured in ?data? so much higher because the schools weren?t preparing children for ?the future?. In the process, we have neglected to prepare a future for our children to inherit. The ones who would create the future for our children took over the school system and prepared them for exactly the type of future they had in store.

Blank graduates for a blank future.

Education reform is not about improving schools. It is about hollowing out the schools because the future will be hollow. These new graduation statistics are just the results of that.

So no need to be happy. It is the low tide of education reform leaving behind the effluvia they created.

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Source: http://theassailedteacher.com/2013/01/22/what-rising-graduation-rates-tell-us/

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Home based holiday portraits! | South Florida Family Photographer ...

Jan 21 2013

Posted in Baby Chronicles

I love how creative you can get with just some simple fake snow and kids begging to be entertained. Have happy holiday portraits right in your own back yard!

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? Winter family portraits! | Tree Tops Park | Davie, Florida Family Photographer Silvia, Geo, Mia, and baby Anthony?s Christmas Portraits! | Tree Tops Park | Davie, Florida Family Photographer ?

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Lexington Short Films: Consignment, Sour Notes, Watch Me ...

BY EVAN O. ALBERT

Lexington filmmaker Justin Hannah

As Sundance lights up the big screens out west, Lexington doesn?t yet have its own film festival for local filmmakers. But it does have a rich history, from the days of 100 Proof up through KET?s ongoing Reel Visions series, and? more recent efforts last year like Hitting the Cycle and Pleased to Meet Me. Fall also offers Filmslang, an opportunity for Lexington filmmakers to show their work as part of WRFL?s annual Boomslang.

January 30 will offer a unique dinner and a movie night out ? five short films by five local filmmakers, all to be screened at Natasha?s downtown.? Is the next Lena Dunham or Henry Joost? living next door?

Justin Hannah has been making films and animation since 2003, and he organized the evening. He?s a filmmaker and artist based in Lexington, Kentucky who works in marketing, web design and video production. He recently set out to find the best short films from central Kentucky filmmakers. He spent hours scouring YouTube, Vimeo and social networking sites to find top-notch local work. ?I looked at films to see what Kentucky was doing. I emailed a lot of people, watched their films and picked the five best.?

Hopefully, pending the success of this night, this becomes somewhat of a regular event in Lexington. Hannah claims that there is enough material out there to support many more events. ?You could do something like this almost quarterly, and have enough good movies to actually make this happen. There?s a vacuum that we haven?t filled, there isn?t a film festival in Lexington. There is a theme here, a lot of people are making things in this area.?

Endeavors such as this are part of what some are calling a ?Lexington Renaissance,? a cultural makeover of our fine city. There are more places to play music, more places to perform, more galleries to hang art in and more local products to enjoy. The corner of 6th and Limestone has gradually filled up with bars and shops, many of which offer performance spaces for musicians. Cheapside is now surrounded by bars, food, and live music around the Fifth Third Pavilion, which also serves as a downtown outdoor venue. Lexington?s Distillery District is now anchored by Buster?s, a mid-size venue comparable to the Exit/In in Nashville and Headliners in Louisville. The downtown LexArts Gallery Hop is still going strong, and innovative entrepreneurs have given us a brewgrass trail of craft beer.? This event is a foot in the door for filmmakers to share in the fun alongside of musicians, painters, actors and entrepreneurs.

The featured films are all under twenty minutes and touch on subjects spanning a myspace bromance, misplaced briefcases filled with cash, a wedding singer, puppets, and consignment stores with dark secrets.

I took a night to sit down and watch every one of these films and was not only impressed by their quality but was thoroughly entertained. Each offering is short and captivating, evidence of strong curation and central Kentucky filmmaking talent.. Here is what you can expect to see on January 30th.

Age/Sex/Location

Kentucky natives and musicians Jon Moore and Jeremy Midkiff (Big Fresh) settled on a mockumentary set in ?Shoulderblade,? Kentucky because they could do it on their own ?without a huge production.?

They shot eight hours of footage for a 15-minute short, with zero budget. ?We shot everything on borrowed gear and had no other expenses. Our goal is to use the enthusiasm about the short to launch an IndieGoGo fundraising page in the next week or two to raise funds for the feature film we are making. We have stepped it up by getting a better HD camera and we hope to raise enough money to get a few lights, audio equipment, and other gear to make a more professional film this go around. The goal is to finish shooting the feature (which revolves around the characters we created for Age/Sex/Location) by August and editing the film to submit to film festivals at the end of the year.?

Jeremy Midkiff (Left) hanging out with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys

They?ve been encouraged by the response so far. ?We did have a screening as a part of the LFL/Lexington Public Library Film Night at the Farish Theater (at Central Library) back in April of 2012. We were very encouraged by this screening because there was a lot of people and most of them laughed the whole time. This is one of the beauties of making a straight comedy ? there is instant feedback to know if you are successful. If people laugh then you have succeeded.?
Midkiff?s elevator pitch is ?a mockumentary set in small-town Kentucky about the most awkward Myspace party ever thrown. Pyramid-schemer Rob Bronson threw the party, but only one person stayed, Ova Reynolds, who raises cockfighting roosters. An unlikely friendship blossoms before our eyes.? Presented by Claw Machine Films.

The Walk Softly Films crew and the cast of ?Bizanival?

Bizarnival: Shot all over Danville (the filmmakers? hometown), this film has won some recognition at local and international film festivals. It is an experimental journey through the creative process. Expect a carpet-bombing puppet pilot (?my plane? have you seen it?? ?is it puppet size??) and mimes (?Guys, it?s mime night?).

They?d already purchased the camera they used for another project. ?So, our total budget for Bizarnival was about $400 dollars,? and that was paid for out of their own pockets. No crowdfunding yet. How did they spend it? ?That consisted of a few costume pieces, a puppet, three? tuxedos (off eBay), and a piece of music.? A lot of people donate their time to us that we would never be able to pay? them for. For example, there is an amazing little robot character in the? film that everyone loves. Matt Todd is a part of the WSF family and he? built that for us just because he?s a great guy and likes to help us out.?

Their elevator pitch is simple, ?Mr. Weinstein, this is a weird flick about puppets, mimes, and tiny? robots that won?t make a dime.?

This film is presented by Walk Softly Films. Winner of the Audience Choice Award at the Danville Lawn Chair Film Festival, the Best Narrative Short at River?s Edge International Film Festival and the Best U.S Short at the Derby City Film Festival.

Consignment

Margaret Wuertz and Abbra Smallwood in Consignment

Justin Hannah kicked off the $1600 budget for Consignment by winning a Beach Boys video contest, along with a few others. ?The rest came from savings. It should?ve cost a lot more,? he says, ?but I was lucky to get the assistance and support of some very cool local business ? Pink Door Boutique of Louisville provided the vintage wardrobe, and let us use their shop as a filming location. TKO Hair Studio (of Nicholasville and Lexington) recreated the 1950s hairstyles, and Street Scene (of Lexington) provided all the vintage accessories and antiques.?

The atmospheric black and white short? was inspired by a ?women?s consignment shop in Lexington that I would pass every day on my drive home from work. Every day, I?d sit at the red light and while waiting for the light to change, I?d glance into the windows of that store, and it would give me ideas. I?m not sure if it was because of the vintage/older clothing in the window, or because it was dark from the outside and you couldn?t really see beyond that front window. But it gave me this feeling of another time, and of an unresolved mood. I love the style of films from the 1950s (everything from the lighting to the pacing to the performances), so as these ideas started to coalesce, I began to see it in terms of a film from the 1950s, about a lonely woman staring into the window of a dark consignment shop, longing for something dark and mysterious inside.?

Justin Hannah (Left) on the set of ?Consignment?

Casting??was difficult, because the actors didn?t only have to perform in this specific way, they also had to ?look? right, if you know what I mean.? Abbra Smallwood as Margaret, in her film debut, was the first person cast. Her performance (and her look) is a? little bit January Jones as Betty Draper mixed with Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn.

?Margaret Wuertz as the Shopkeeper [is] a wonderful actress from Louisville. She couldn?t make any of the auditions, so we met at a Starbucks and she did her audition right there in the middle of the coffee shop. And of course she nailed it.?

Consignment is a dark tale seasoned to perfection with riveting music and cinematography. Justin Hannah claims it is the ?most ambitious thing I?ve ever made.? Justin Hannah?s hard work has paid off, Consignment looks and feels like a professional piece.

Sour Notes

Harlan County native Jesse Harris is a Georgetown College grad now living in LA who interned with veteran filmmaker Tom Thurman years ago at KET. Harris?s film is inspired by a short story he wrote and decided to revisit for an MFA thesis at Boston?s Emerson College, where he graduated last spring. The pitch? ?A wild-child wedding singer has to mentor a 10-year-old girl on the same day she has to sing at her ex-boyfriend?s wedding. It?s Rachel Getting Married meets About a Boy.?

?Budget was $8,600, and we raised just north 0f $8,700 on Kickstarter. Kickstarter takes 5%, so we had to raise a little north of what we wanted to reach the mark.? (Kickstarter is a popular resource for Kentucky filmmakers, partially funding Archie Borders? Aimee Mann/Joe Henry/John Doe effort, Pleased to Meet Me last year.)

?Shot around central Kentucky, with locations in Georgetown, Lexington, and Frankfort, the second half of the film was shot in the First United Methodist Church in Frankfort.? It stars Jessie Rose Pennington as Emily, Rhyan Sprague as Sally, and Clay Burke as Jack.? ?Jessie Rose is an old friend of mine and a ridiculous talent, and when I knew that I was going to make a film about a wedding singer, I knew she was going to play the part.? Rhyan was a student of Joe Gatton, ?who helped out as an associate producer, mostly assisting with location scouting and casting.?

His? first feature film, Surviving Guthrie, grew out of a short he wrote for screenwriting class at Georgetown. ?During filming, I was working days at First State Financial bank in Lexington, and driving at night to work on the shoot. ?There was a month during filming where between the two jobs I worked four straight weeks of 60-80 hours a week.?

Jesse Harris, creator of ?Sour Notes?

Next was graduate school. Harris says,? ?I could have stayed in Lexington and worked at the bank and made movies on the side for the rest of my life, but I wanted to put out the best product I could. ?Emerson College is one of the best film schools in the world, and really gave me a chance to test my strengths (writing, producing) and work on my weaknesses (editing, directing). ?It was an all-around program that gave me access to award-winning writers, directors, and producers that wouldn?t in a million years look at my work otherwise, not to mention workshop my material with some fellow sharp young minds.?

Watch Me

?If you?re watching this, I?m dead.? So begins Watch Me.

Co-directors Lee Clements and Erin Picone were both Asbury students in media communications, casting fellow students. ?Part of our preproduction time was spent in Whistler, British Columbia during the 2010 Winter Olympics.?? They?ve since graduated. Lee says, ?I?m currently getting my Masters of Fine Arts in Directing Cinema & Television while pursuing freelance and engineering work, while Erin is living in Los Angeles, freelancing and working with several casting agencies.?

?The main camera,? used for Watch Me, ?was a Canon 5D Mark II, bought only a few months after it began taking over the indie film scene.?

Lee Clements in action

?It started from a music video idea I had, which involved the agents and briefcase and dead partner, so the bones were there. The rest of the film came from an idea to tell the story in only eight minutes, with a main character who has almost no dialogue?carving out things that didn?t tell the story or advance the plot.?

Bad guys chasing good guys through the city, in cars and at the airport. It?s fun to see an action thriller that takes you through Lexington. Fans of the Bourne series and The Matrix will get a kick out of this. Winner of Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Editing at the 2010 Highbridge Film Festival at Asbury University.

This article also appears on page 12 of the January 24, 2013 print edition of Ace.

Source: http://www.aceweekly.com/2013/01/move-over-sundance-lexington-short-film-night-debuts/

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Miss America attends inauguration despite the cold

Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan arrives at the OurTime.org Inaugural Youth Ball Generation Now Party on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Washington. (Photo by Nick Wass/Invision/AP)

Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan arrives at the OurTime.org Inaugural Youth Ball Generation Now Party on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Washington. (Photo by Nick Wass/Invision/AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Miss America Mallory Hagan says she made it to the inauguration on Monday despite the chilly weather.

In an interview Saturday, Hagan had said she wasn't sure if she would attend President Barack Obama's public swearing-in ceremony Monday even though she had a ticket because "it's going to be freezing."

But on Monday she tweeted a photo of herself from the inauguration wrapped in a blue scarf with the words "bundled up!" She later tweeted that she was "proud to be an American."

Hagan, a 23-year-old Alabama native who lives in New York, won the Miss America title earlier this month.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-21-Inauguration-Miss%20America/id-3e5784a3a0af4c6babd1f3b1bff79779

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Study: Many Skin Cancer-Detecting Apps Are Not Accurate

Dermatologists can rest assured that they will not be computers by smartphones anytime soon. A new study finds that smartphone applications designed to automatically detect cancer lesions misdiagnosis more than half of all malignant growths. "There's no substitute, at this point, for a complete skin exam performed by an expert dermatologist for picking up melanoma as well as other skin cancers," said University of Missouri dermatologist, Dr. Karen Edison (who was not involved in the study).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/X-DJUeFg_TY/

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Guys on Girls, Season 2

Lena Dunham and Donald Glover.

Photo by Jessica Miglio/HBO

David Haglund: Forrest, before Season 2 began you were concerned that Adam Sackler (Adam Driver) might take over Girls in the way that ?Dumbass Homer? has occasionally overwhelmed The Simpsons. This episode concluded with Adam shouting ?I?m craaazy? as he was hauled down a Brooklyn staircase in handcuffs. So: fears realized?

Forrest Wickman: No, not really. I?m less worried now about his character overwhelming the show?though I?m still a little worried about that?than I am about his character?s mental health. Post-Hannah, he seems to be going all K?bler-Ross, from denial (episode 1) to anger (the ?album,? which?was?zany) to bargaining (for a glass of milk). That puts depression up next. Do you think we need to worry about him hurting himself? Or will he continue on living his man-life?

Haglund: He does seem a tad unstable. But I?m not too worried. Also, the ?album? scene was probably one of the top-five funniest scenes Girls has done so far. ?You destroooy my heart. Thanks.?

Wickman: Agree that that scene was amaze. (I also think you and Kois underestimated that term, which is wonderfully stupid.) But do you think that moment, and the Scream-ish moment that followed?he?s texting from inside the house!?fit into the world of the show? Like you guys last week, I?ve found the second season to be funnier so far, but also a bit too broad. (Also a little broad: the basket of puppies.)

Haglund: I bought it. Mostly because Driver can sell almost any dialogue, as far as I can tell. That speech at the end, about ?living his man-life?? Not many actors could pull that off, I don?t think. But when he said that ?to quit this pursuit would be to shirk self-respect and abandon my own manhood,? I went with it completely.

Wickman: Driver?s character has been all over the place so far, and he?s somehow made it all work. But the show itself seems a little unstable. Have you noticed all the continuity errors lately? And the distracting scenery censors that hover around Jemima Kirke?s pregnant belly? (In real life she?s not so shy.)

Haglund: I have not noticed those things. But then, continuity errors don?t generally bother me much. You were also worried before the season that the show wouldn?t be ?as savvy about race as it was about class and gender.? So: fear realized?

Wickman: Not at all! This seemed like the big Episode Where Girls Addresses Its Critics, and I thought it did so pretty well.

Haglund: I thought Donald Glover managed to carry off the plausibility-stretching character of a black Republican who would meet-cute with Hannah Horvath in a Williamsburg coffee shop. And Dunham managed to sell her own questionable bit of dialogue, in which Hannah pretends to have never 1) heard of Missy Elliott or 2) noticed that her new boyfriend was black. It seems highly unlikely that?even in a fit of relationship-ending pique?a twenty-something Oberlin grad would try to pretend that she didn?t ?see? color.

Wickman: That did seem a bit Stephen Colbert of her. But it also got at one of the ways the Obama generation?Hannah?s, and mine?tends to treat race. Which is to pretend it doesn?t exist.

Haglund: Do they treat it that way, really? You would probably know better than I do, since Bill Clinton was still president when I was in college.

Wickman: I?m just speaking from my own experience?in college, especially, where it sometimes seemed like everyone wanted to live in a post-racial world that we?re just not in yet. Maybe that?s nothing new, but I think it may be exaggerated in a generation that emerged by helping to elect the first black president.

And the Missy Elliott reference was a smart way for Dunham to suggest that Hannah was thinking about race, at least subconsciously, even though she wouldn?t admit it. It was exactly the right reference for her character; Hannah would have grown up with that song. I just hope that Glover?and the show?s treatment of race?isn?t a ?One Minute Man.?

Haglund: Another thing Dunham got criticized for during Season 1 was being the product of ?nepotism,? because apparently HBO is always handing out sitcoms to the daughters of acclaimed?New York City artists. So it seemed like another eff you to her critics when her mom, Laurie Simmons, popped up as the owner of a gallery where Marnie (Allison Williams) has applied for a job. Simmons was good in Tiny Furniture, but seemed a little less sure of herself here?though the bit about the teabag was funny. And Williams was great again, nailing that line about her previous employer (?she?s not good at, uh, living?).

Wickman: That was a great line, but I?m still not as taken as you and Kois with the Marnie of Season 2. The weak link has gotten stronger, but she still reads as an actor effortfully playing a character, rather than as a character, full stop. You can see the seams in a way you can?t with, say, Zosia Mamet. (Mamet is a strong argument against the allegations of nepotism. Williams not so much.)

As for Simmons, I didn?t notice that was her, but I thought she was great! If someone?s right for the role, I don?t want Dunham to have to worry about whether they?re a friend or a relative.

Wickman: Do you also agree that Williams? character is still a little bit of a drag? She strikes me as mostly necessary grounding for the show?or to put it another way, a necessary bummer.

Haglund: Hmmm. Not anymore. I thought her exchanges with Elijah (Andrew Rannells) at the door of Hannah?s apartment were hilarious?as was his description of her outfit as that of ?a slutty von Trapp child.?

Wickman: The outfits in this episode in general! What was that zip-up sleeping bag Hannah was wearing? And I wouldn?t complain if more scenes played out in front of Elijah?s rainbow-sorted closet.

Haglund: That?s quite the backdrop. But can we pick this up later? It?s just, I?ve got a meeting, so...

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=201421aa6f30bdd3903f7a860b391ff3

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First lady starts 2nd term style in Thom Browne

President Barack Obama, waves as he walks with his daughters Sasha and Malia, first lady Michelle Obama and mother-in-law Marian Robinson, to St. John's Church in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, for a church service during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Barack Obama, waves as he walks with his daughters Sasha and Malia, first lady Michelle Obama and mother-in-law Marian Robinson, to St. John's Church in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, for a church service during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

First lady Michelle Obama speaks with her daughter Sasha at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama applauds with his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia before his ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

First lady Micehlle Obama arrives on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, for the Presidential Barack Obama's ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)

First lady Michelle Obama arrives at the ceremonial swearing-in of President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The first family headed out to Monday's inaugural festivities with Michelle Obama leading a very coordinated fashion parade in a navy-silk, checkered-patterned coat and dress by Thom Browne that were inspired by a menswear necktie.

The outfit was specifically designed for Mrs. Obama, but Browne said he wasn't 100 percent sure she was going to wear it until she came out with it on at Inauguration. "I am proud and humbled," he said.

The rest of Mrs. Obama's Inauguration Day outfit included a belt from J. Crew, necklace by Cathy Waterman and a cardigan by Reed Krakoff, whose ensemble she also wore to yesterday's intimate, indoor swearing-in ceremony.

President Barack Obama wore a blue tie with his white shirt, dark suit and overcoat. Malia Obama had on a plum-colored J. Crew coat with the hemline of an electric-blue dress peeking out and a burgundy-colored scarf, and her younger sister Sasha had on a Kate Spade coat and dress in a similar purple shade.

"It is an honor that Sasha Obama chose to wear Kate Spade New York," said the company's creative director, Deborah Lloyd, in an email to the Associated Press. "She epitomizes the youthful optimism and colorful spirit of the brand. We are so proud to have been a part of this historic moment."

Jenna Lyons, creative director of J. Crew, said it was "a huge point of pride for all of us" to be a part of the day ? as the brand was back in 2009 when the girls wore outfits by CrewCuts, its children's label.

"It's amazing to see the evolution of the family. I love the way Michelle looks. She looks beautiful in something so clean and tailored. It's such an elegant choice," Lyons said, "and they all look so sophisticated! You can see how the girls have grown up in the four years, and they're still so alive and vibrant, but more sophisticated."

The vice president's wife, Jill Biden, wore a gray coat and dress by American designer Lela Rose.

Mrs. Obama has worn Browne's designs for other occasions, including a gray dress with black lace overlay to one of the presidential debates last fall, and she honored him last summer at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards for his contribution to fashion.

Browne made his name in modern ? very modern ? menswear, but he launched womenswear in 2011. He was in Paris on Monday, just finishing previews for his next menswear collection. The idea to use the tie fabric came to him because he was indeed designing these men's clothes at the same time, he explained.

"I wanted 'tailored' for her. For me, she stands for strength and confidence, and that's what I wanted to design for her," he said.

Simon Collins, dean of the school of fashion at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, said the Obamas dressed in their typical fashion: one that shows pride in their appearance.

"They are a stylish couple and their children look fabulous. Too many people get dressed in the dark," he said. "They show it's good to dress up, take pride in how you look. ... It's a wonderful example for America and the rest of the world."

He also noted that the Obamas seem to understand that the fashion industry is a driving force in the U.S. economy and that its lobby is a powerful one. They don't treat fashion frivolously, he observed.

The first lady "is so supportive of so many American designers," Browne noted.

But Collins said he was a bit surprised the public doesn't pay much attention to the president's wardrobe. He joked that Obama should perhaps try one of Browne's signature shrunken suits ? the ones that show a man's ankles.

At the end of the Inaugural festivities, Mrs. Obama's outfit and accompanying accessories will go to the National Archives.

___

Samantha Critchell tweets fashion at (at)AP_Fashion, and can be reached on Twitter at (at)Sam_Critchell.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-21-Inauguration-Fashion/id-1a36d7b3b21a48918f82266cc533a219

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