Heritage Clubs International (HCI), in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College, announced that they are offering the first ever certification program for Bank Club Directors. It is another great opportunity for the HCI member banks as HCI becomes the only premier bank marketing organization in North America to offer bank club directors an opportunity to become accredited with a Certified Bank Club Director (CBCD) designation. HCI and Northeast Iowa Community College carry similar missions, both tied to helping members and students to reach their career goals. ...

The presence of big-box retailers, such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target, may alter a community's social and economic fabric enough to promote the creation of hate groups, according to economists. The number of Wal-Mart stores in a county is significantly correlated with the number of hate groups in the area, said Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural economics and regional economics, Penn State, and director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. "Wal-Mart has clearly done good things in these communities, especially in terms of lowering prices," ...

On April 13, 2012 Entrepreneur Christophe Vandaele will continue walking to the Geographic North Pole on the Arctic High 90° North Pole Expedition. The goal of this expedition is: To explore the "roof of the world", the frozen Arctic North, and join the group of less than 500 people to ever reach the pole on foot. Christophe Vandaele is the managing director and founder of HI7E, a private investments partnership providing broad-based, pro-active business turnaround management solutions, offering hands-on management and consultation relative to improving deteriorating ...

Global warming may initially make the grass greener, but not for long, according to new research results. The findings, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, show that plants may thrive in the early stages of a warming environment but then begin to deteriorate quickly. "We were really surprised by the pattern, where the initial boost in growth just went away," said scientist Zhuoting Wu of Northern Arizona University (NAU), a lead author of the study. "As ecosystems adjusted, the responses changed." Ecologists subjected four grassland ecosystems ...

Dr. Darcy Ward, doctor of chiropractic at the Center for Chiropractic & Wellness (http://www.greensborochiropractor.com), located at 231 N. Spring St., has announced that Dr. Joshua Louwersheimer has joined the clinic as a chiropractic physician. Louwersheimer brings extensive experience to the practice in providing optimal chiropractic care and improving the overall health and functional performance of patients through techniques that include soft tissue mobilization, exercise rehabilitation, nutrition counseling and patient education. A native of Calgary, Alberta, ...

New scientific research raises the possibility that advanced versions of T. rex and other dinosaurs — monstrous creatures with the intelligence and cunning of humans — may be the life forms that evolved on other planets in the universe. "We would be better off not meeting them," concludes the study, which appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the report, noted scientist Ronald Breslow, Ph.D., discusses the century-old mystery of why the building blocks of terrestrial amino acids (which make up proteins), sugars, and the genetic materials DNA and ...

Pacific West Capital Group announced today that the company will host informational seminars on April 17 at Pasta Moon in Half Moon Bay and April 18 at Viognier in San Mateo, California. Pacific West Capital Group representatives will discuss investing in the Life Settlement market. The company has specialized in the sale of beneficiary interests in life settlements to individual investors for the past seven years. The life settlement market is the secondary market for life insurance. Life settlements are an alternative to traditional investments because returns are ...

The world's first "electrified snail" has joined the menagerie of cockroaches, rats, rabbits and other animals previously implanted with biofuel cells that generate electricity — perhaps for future spy cameras, eavesdropping microphones and other electronics — from natural sugar in their bodies. Scientists are describing how their new biofuel cell worked for months in a free-living snail in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the report, Evgeny Katz and colleagues point out that many previous studies have involved "potentially implantable" biofuel cells. ...

With summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary people, a new study provides health departments with information needed to determine when levels of disease-causing bacteria in beach sand could pose a risk to children and others who dig or play in the sand. The report appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. Tomoyuki Shibata and Helena M. Solo-Gabriele explain that disease-causing bacteria from sewage can cause skin infections and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in people who come into contact with contaminated water. The U.S. ...

Itris Automation Square announces its entry into the Japanese market, following its recent partnership with the Japanese company A.I. Corporation (A.I.C.), based in Tokyo. A solutions vendor, A.I.C. provides marketing, development and engineering services focused on the engineering of software for embedded systems, communications and networks. Japan is an industrial center that has a high concentration of high-tech companies, particularly PLCs suppliers. A.I.C. becomes the reseller of Itris Automation Square's products in Japan. This implementation will also facilitate ...

A newly published article in the journal Nursing for Women's Health highlights the importance of a woman's ability to time her childbearing. The author asserts that contraception is a means of health promotion and women who work with their health care providers to ensure they are healthy prior to conceiving can minimize their risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there were more than four million births in the U.S. in 2009. A study by Kuklina et al. (2009) shows an increase in severe obstetric ...

Car wrapping specialist Creative FX has transformed a black Noble M12 to promote the release of the new smartphone app, 'Squash my Car.' Launched by Speeding Hippo, 'Squash my Car' is the brainchild of motor enthusiasts and lifelong friends Stephen Holmes and Chris Kessling. It allows users to transform a picture of any car into a squashed, pint-sized racer, in just a few simple steps. The app developed by creative design agency, Masters Allen is available on the iPhone and Android for just 69p. Already the app has been gaining attention from all over the world. With ...

LONDON, ON – 75% of mental illnesses emerge by age 25. Mood and anxiety disorders are among the most common conditions, yet there is little support for youth in this age group. A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute shows that may no longer be the case. Dr. Elizabeth Osuch, Lawson researcher and a psychiatrist at London Health Sciences Centre, heads up the First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program (FEMAP), a treatment and clinical research program geared specifically to youth ages 16-26. Traditionally, youth can only access these specialized services through ...

The discovery, using state-of-the-art informatics tools, increases the likelihood that it will be possible to predict much of the fundamental structure and function of the brain without having to measure every aspect of it. That in turn makes the Holy Grail of modelling the brain in silico—the goal of the proposed Human Brain Project—a more realistic, less Herculean, prospect. "It is the door that opens to a world of predictive biology," says Henry Markram, the senior author on the study, which is published this week in PLoS ONE. Within a cortical column, the basic processing ...

Strategic media marketing agency, Media Partners, Inc. (MPI) announces their selection, for the third consecutive year, as agency of record for the Big Bad Ball, a gala benefitting Hospice of Wake County. The annual event, in its eleventh year, is presented by the Capital Club Young Executives and is scheduled for September 29 at the Capital City Club in downtown Raleigh. "Contributing to an organization benefitting so many people is an honor," said Sal Conino, partner at MPI. "Working on Big Bad Ball is always a pleasure for the MPI team and we look forward ...

The Chef's Academy (http://www.thechefsacademy.com), the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study, has announced that a team of five students will head to the finals of the 2012 American Culinary Federation (ACF) Student Team Regionals competition on Saturday, April 14 through Monday, April 16 at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. Patrick Early, Ian Isaacs, Zach Rohn, Kurt Stumpf and Michael Vancil advanced to the regional phase by winning the Indiana state competition, ...

New Rochelle, NY, April 11, 2012 -- Approximately 200,000 people in the U.S. have bariatric surgery each year as a means to achieve significant weight loss. Recent reports indicating that bariatric surgery is more effective in treating people with type 2 diabetes than medication alone is likely to make this procedure even more popular. Due to excessive weight, diabetes, and other comorbid conditions, healthcare providers caring for bariatric surgical patients in both the pre- and postoperative period require a high level of skill and knowledge in order to optimize patient ...

OpenCms 8.0.4 is an update that improves browser compatibility and fixes several issues that persisted in the 8.0.3 release. In OpenCms 8.0.4 the TinyMCE editor has been integrated to support Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. TinyMCE is a platform independent web based Javascript HTML WYSIWYG editor with Multilanguage support. Italian and Russian localization of OpenCms has been contributed by the OpenCms community. Configurable context menu dialogs have been added to the Advanced Direct Edit (ADE) mode. OpenCms 8.0.4 offers an improved handling of deleted users ...

Possession with Intent to Distribute Is Still a Crime in Massachusetts In 2008, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative amending the state's laws to decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. If authorities catch a person with an ounce of marijuana or less in Massachusetts, he or she receives a citation for $100 rather than a potential jail sentence. In a decision handed down in February 2012, the Massachusetts Supreme Court clarified the extent to which the law decriminalized actions involving marijuana, holding that possession with intent ...

The Danger of Tired Truck Drivers in North Carolina In North Carolina we hear a lot about distracted driving, whether it is about the link between distraction and teen driving deaths in the state or about initiatives in North Carolina to crack down on distracted driving among all drivers. But what has not appeared in the news as much is concern about distracted driving among commercial drivers in North Carolina. Among truck drivers, one of the most dangerous distractions behind the wheel is drowsiness. A survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation looked at ...

New Rochelle, NY, April 11, 2012—Childhood cancer survivors are living longer and there is an urgent need for better, more comprehensive ways to evaluate their health-related quality of life and need for psychosocial services, according to a review article in Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (JAYAO), a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. JAYAO is the Official Journal of the Society for Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (SAYAO). The article is available free online at the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology website ...

How to Get Ready for Gift and Estate Tax Changes Before It Is Too Late On January 1, 2013, lifetime estate and gift tax exemptions will be reduced from over $5 million to just $1 million per taxpayer. Such a huge reduction has many people worried, especially those with assets in excess of $3 million. Even if you do not have a large estate, the changes may cause adverse effects to your plan for your estate and your heirs. Unlike others in Las Vegas, do not gamble your hard-earned money away; nor should you bury your head in the sand and wait to see how it all turns ...

Estate Planning in Nevada: Issues, Considerations and Benefits When some people think of estate planning, they often think of the very wealthy legally wrangling over millions allegedly owed to family members who appear out of nowhere once someone dies. But more and more the average person is realizing the benefits of establishing an estate plan early in his or her lifetime. Estate planning does not mean you are planning your death, but you are planning for the future of your children and grandchildren. With a solid plan, you can save them lots of anguish, stress and ...

A possible new feline disease identified by veterinarians in Scotland leaves cats walking like robots. Meanwhile thousands of years and miles apart, new research sheds light on cats bred to become mummies in Egyptian antiquity. Ahead of the small animal veterinary world converging for the UK's largest ever veterinary event, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS), published by SAGE, highlights these two fascinating studies among a range of papers all aiming to advance feline acumen and clinical know-how. April 11th sees over 300 world-class veterinary speakers ...

Judge Finds DUI Defendant Guilty of Lesser Offense After Jury Acquittal A Pennsylvania judge changed what normally would have been a happy moment for a woman facing charges for allegedly driving under the influence -- a "not guilty" verdict from the jury -- into a defeat. The judge used his authority to find the defendant guilty of a lesser DUI charge despite the fact that a jury of her peers acquitted her after a trial. Not the Driver The defendant was a 25-year-old Pennsylvania woman facing her second DUI charge stemming from an incident that occurred ...