DENVER ? The city of Denver is forming a committee that will look into bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The committee will present findings to mayor Michael Hancock and Gov. John Hickenlooper, who said Friday the idea of a bid is worth taking seriously.
The International Olympic Committee awarded the 1976 Winter Games to Denver, but the city later turned them down. IOC president Jacques Rogge said this year that the history would not have a bearing on a future Denver bid.
The Reno-Tahoe area is also considering making a run at the 2022 Games, though the U.S. Olympic Committee is not committed to backing an American bid; the USOC wants to resolve a revenue-sharing dispute with the IOC before committing to bids.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ronald Zubar challenges Manchester United's Nani during their English Premier League soccer match in Manchester, on Dec. 10.
By Melissa Dahl
The stress of watching the final nail-biting minutes of a Manchester United match is enough to trigger life-threatening anxiety for one 58-year-old superfan, according to a new report published this week in the British Medical Journal.?
The woman experienced palpitations, panic, light-headedness and even a "sense of impending doom" toward the end of the most high-profile matches played on Man U's home turf at Old Trafford Stadium, particularly when the opposing teams were rival clubs like Chelsea or Manchester City. "On these occasions she considered leaving the stadium because she felt so unwell," write the authors of the report, including?Akbar Choudhry, who treated the woman. In contrast, when her beloved Red Devils were playing a team that didn't stand a chance, her symptoms became barely noticeable.?
As a result of her football?fanaticism, doctors were able to diagnose her with Addison's disease, which means her adrenal glands do not produce enough of their hormones, including cortisol. The drop in cortisol triggers an Addisonian crisis, a medical emergency that can be life-threatening.?
Addison's disease is difficult to diagnose, and as many as 60 percent of those with the disorder are seen by at least two clinicians before the diagnosis is even considered, according to the BMJ report. That's likely because the most visible symptoms include fatigue, lethargy and a mild depression, all of which are characteristics of many chronic conditions. But this woman's severe anxiety during high-stress games led her doctors to diagnose her with Addison's disease.?
Doctors treated the woman with cortisol replacement therapy -- fortunately for her, the start of her treatment happen to coincide with the start of Manchester United's 2011/12 season, allowing her to attend games without any Addison's symptoms.?"Luckily, the patient was on holiday for United's 6-1 defeat by local rivals Manchester City in October," Choudhry said in a report on BMJ.com.
Related:
Want more weird health news? Find The Body Odd on Facebook.
The holiday shopping season is in full swing. Millions of Americans are searching for that perfect gift for that special someone. But in the rush to pass along some of that good cheer, remember: enjoying the holidays doesn't require financial recklessness.
While often that may be a lesson that goes unheeded, this year, according to a recent ING Direct survey, Americans seem to have learned the pitfalls of piling up credit card debt. About three-quarters say they plan on using cash or debit cards to pay for holiday gifts instead of using credit cards.
So rather than breaking the bank and racking up credit card debt, the survey found that more than one-third of Americans say they are able to pay off holiday debt in one month or less, and just over one in 10 say it will take them more than two months to pay the holiday bills.
With continued economic turmoil cutting heavily into the income of average Americans, 2011 is the holiday season to be a smart shopper and budget-conscious consumer. According to data from the Census Bureau, median household income in this country dropped 6.7 percent between June 2009 and June 2011 -- from $53,518 to $49,909. A key to being a successful shopper with an eye on your bottom line is to recognize the value of long-lasting gifts instead of springing open the wallet on the latest holiday fad.
In response to an increase in spending, businesses are gearing up for a major jump in demand. The National Retail Federation is estimating a stunning $465.6 billion in holiday sales this year -- up 2.8 percent from 2010. Online retail sales alone are expected to jump 15 percent this winter over last and will total nearly $60 billion, according to Forrester Research.
Most ING Direct survey respondents -- 72 percent -- say they plan to spend the same or more than they did in past years. With that in mind, don't get swept up in the blind consumption. Be mindful of what you purchase and for what price. Being responsible doesn't mean going without good holiday cheer -- but it does take a little bit of planning.
For starters, don't rack up credit card debt. It is so tempting to put a big holiday purchase on plastic and promise to pay it off before the next billing cycle. Too often, that just doesn't happen.
Also, consider buying the gift of stock for your kids. It's an excellent way to introduce them to the world of finance. Pick a stock in a company that your child is likely to have an emotional connection to. Then commit to following that stock's performance over the course of 2012.
No matter if the stock price drops or increases, the real value is in familiarizing a young mind with the nature of finance. They're getting an early and fun opportunity to educate themselves in essential concepts like short-term vs. long-term gains, market volatility, etc.
In the long run, that knowledge will be much more valuable than some plastic gizmo they get bored of within a week of ripping off the wrapping paper.
The lack of financial literacy is a real problem among today's young people. One analysis from the non-profit National Jump$tart Coalition found that less than half of high school seniors grasp even basic financial concepts. And young, financially illiterate kids tend to grow into financially reckless adults. No doubt one big contributor to the country's huge debt problem today is that people weren't getting the financial education they needed during their formative years.
You can do your part to ensure that the children in your life don't fall into the ranks of the financially illiterate. Buy them some stock this winter and kick-start a life-long commitment to financial education.
Next, automate your investments and savings right now -- before the real holiday spending surge. If you haven't done so already, fill out the paperwork with your employer to have a preset slice of your salary diverted to your retirement and savings account every pay cycle Do your future self a favor.
And any money you automatically invest could grow by this time next year. Over the long term, stocks will still be a good investment. Instead of racking up more disposable and instantly forgettable holiday treats, you'll be building an asset that can provide financial security for you and your family for decades to come.
You don't need to be a scrooge to retain financial responsibility this holiday season. You can still buy gifts for those you love while making sure you'll be in a strong shape money-wise come January.
Dan Greenshields, CFA, is President of ING DIRECT Investing, a subsidiary of ING Bank, fsb.
Does caffeine enhance exercise performance? The debate continuesPublic release date: 14-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, December 14, 2011Caffeine is regarded by some as being a potent stimulant, but the debate continues as to whether it enhances exercise performance. A range of expert opinions capture the scope of this ongoing debate in an informative roundtable discussion published in Journal of Caffeine Research, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The roundtable discussion is available online at www.liebertpub.com/jcr.
Led by Journal of Caffeine Research Editor-in-Chief Jack E. James, PhD, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, the roundtable "Caffeine and Physical Performance" presents a range of views on the extent to which caffeine may enhance athletic performance. While the participants appear to agree that caffeine is likely to have performance-enhancing effects and seems to have the broadest effects of known stimulants for enhancing performance and endurance, they emphasize that the study data have been mixed. Many factors can affect caffeine's impact on performance, including the type of exercise or sport and whether it is aerobic or anaerobic, caffeine dosing, the use of other stimulants (poly-supplementation), and the length of rest intervals. Additional studies are needed to understand what factors can boost or inhibit the effects of caffeine and why some people may achieve enhanced performance with caffeine while others will not.
A research article in that same issue by Richard Bloomer, PhD and colleagues, Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory, University of Memphis, looks specifically at the effects of caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-D, a natural stimulant derived from geranium flowers) on exercise performance. The researchers compared the effects of these stimulants, taken alone or in combination, on run times by participants in a 10-kilometer run.
###
Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science covers the effects of caffeine on a wide range of diseases and conditions, including mood disorders, neurological disorders, cognitive performance, cardiovascular disease, and sports performance. The Journal explores all aspects of caffeine science, including the biochemistry of caffeine; its effects on the human body; benefits, dangers, and contraindications; and caffeine addiction and withdrawal, across all stages of the human life span from prenatal exposure to end-of-life.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Medicinal Food, Journal of Neurotrauma, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on our website at www.liebertpub.com.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 www.liebertpub.com
Phone (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax (914) 740-2101
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Does caffeine enhance exercise performance? The debate continuesPublic release date: 14-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, December 14, 2011Caffeine is regarded by some as being a potent stimulant, but the debate continues as to whether it enhances exercise performance. A range of expert opinions capture the scope of this ongoing debate in an informative roundtable discussion published in Journal of Caffeine Research, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The roundtable discussion is available online at www.liebertpub.com/jcr.
Led by Journal of Caffeine Research Editor-in-Chief Jack E. James, PhD, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, the roundtable "Caffeine and Physical Performance" presents a range of views on the extent to which caffeine may enhance athletic performance. While the participants appear to agree that caffeine is likely to have performance-enhancing effects and seems to have the broadest effects of known stimulants for enhancing performance and endurance, they emphasize that the study data have been mixed. Many factors can affect caffeine's impact on performance, including the type of exercise or sport and whether it is aerobic or anaerobic, caffeine dosing, the use of other stimulants (poly-supplementation), and the length of rest intervals. Additional studies are needed to understand what factors can boost or inhibit the effects of caffeine and why some people may achieve enhanced performance with caffeine while others will not.
A research article in that same issue by Richard Bloomer, PhD and colleagues, Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory, University of Memphis, looks specifically at the effects of caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-D, a natural stimulant derived from geranium flowers) on exercise performance. The researchers compared the effects of these stimulants, taken alone or in combination, on run times by participants in a 10-kilometer run.
###
Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science covers the effects of caffeine on a wide range of diseases and conditions, including mood disorders, neurological disorders, cognitive performance, cardiovascular disease, and sports performance. The Journal explores all aspects of caffeine science, including the biochemistry of caffeine; its effects on the human body; benefits, dangers, and contraindications; and caffeine addiction and withdrawal, across all stages of the human life span from prenatal exposure to end-of-life.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Medicinal Food, Journal of Neurotrauma, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on our website at www.liebertpub.com.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 www.liebertpub.com
Phone (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax (914) 740-2101
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
GYMNASTICS: The team finished the 2011 season second in the nation in academics with 12 gymnasts earning NACGC/W academic all-American citations. The Thunderbirds finished the 2011 season with a team GPA of 3.8050, second only to Southeast Missouri State which finished with a 3.9118.
"When you can finish in the top three in academics it is a great thing," head coach Scott Bauman said. "We expect to be up there every year and expect a lot out of our girls. It really reflects on the student-athletes that we bring into our program, we want kinds who are great gymnasts and great academically."
The Thunderbirds haven't finished lower than third during Bauman's 21 years at Southern Utah University, earning the academic national championship 11 times.
Southern Utah finished first in the state, ahead of Utah (third, 3.7631), Utah State (19th, 3.4489) and Brigham Young (60th, 3.0171). Other Western Athletic Conference schools appearing in the list included San Jose State (25th, 3.4167), Boise State (41st, 3.2859) and Sacramento State (50th, 3.2570).
Three of the Thunderbirds' individual recipients earned a 4.0 during the final semester of 2011, including Lindsey Schultz, Ari Lamb and Caitlin Kennedy. Five more were right behind with GPA's over a 3.9, including Jenna Vogt (3.92), Jennifer Nguyen (3.92), Rebecca Moore (3.96), Lauren Jeffrey (3.94) and Shannon Coughlin (3.97). Bailey Pendley (3.84), Brooke Cersosimo (3.88), Michaela Chernoch (3.59) and Anna Schumacher (3.83) rounded out the list.
SUU gymnastics is preparing to open its 2012 season when the team hosts the University of Missouri on January 13. Fans will be able to get an early peak of the team when the Thunderbirds host the Red/White Preview on January 10. Both events are scheduled to take place in the Centrum Arena at 7:00 p.m.
UTAH
SKIING: Special Olympics Utah will host its annual Shred the Edge event, formally known as Ski for Gold, at Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon this Saturday.
Special Olympics Utah invites the community to participate in this ski and snowboarding fund raising event. The University of Utah ski team will join Special Olympics athletes, teams and donors on the mountain for a day of powder, competition and prizes.
All skiers and snowboarders can sign up as individuals or with friends and family at sout.org/events/shred-the-edge. With a $50 donation (per person), each participant will receive a free ski pass for the day. Additional prizes are available to those who raise or donate $100 or more. Prizes include Skullcandy earbuds, embroidered beanies, lunch at the lodge, a Harmons gift certificate, free day passes to Brighton and entrance into the Grand Prize Drawing to win a ski trip to Big Sky Resort in Montana this winter.
Chinese are growing more outspoken about the "fog," now accurately calling it "smog," covering cities like Beijing.
By Adrienne Mong
BEIJING?While China?s chief climate negotiator is getting rock star treatment at the Durban climate summit this week, his peers back in the capital are suffering a third straight day of foul air.
As a leading Canadian newspaper put it, China provided ?the few glimmers of hope at the stalled negotiations? in Durban, where "photographers and television journalists swarmed around the chief Chinese negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, as he entered a news conference on Monday to announce his list of conditions for considering a legally binding treaty on carbon emissions after 2020."
It seems that despite being the world's biggest carbon emitter, China could be the key to a deal on a legally binding agreement to reduce emissions.
However, not many glimmers of hope could be spotted back home.
From the China Daily website
A grid image posted on the China Daily newspaper showing the dramatic changes in air quality in Beijing in the past four days.
A persistent 'fog' The Chinese state-run print media all ran headline stories Tuesday morning on the persistent "fog" that has blanketed Beijing and parts of the country?s northeast since the weekend.?(See video above of the "hazardous" level of smog on Monday).
Much of the coverage focused on the hundreds of flights cancelled at the Beijing Capital International airport?the world?s second busiest hub?or the rising and very vocal concerns about air pollution.? Some local reports referred to sales of air filter masks and air filter machines spiking in the past week.
Still more reports tried to cast the air pollution issue as one of sovereignty.? "The heavy fog or smog that has shrouded Beijing in the past couple of days has triggered a renewed round of debate over the different air pollution standards applied by China and the United States," said an opinion piece in the Global Times, a state-run newspaper with a strong nationalist overtone.
But at least these same newspapers are now calling it "smog" rather than "fog," as they were just a day ago.? The China Daily, another state-run newspaper, ran a headline on page 3 crying, "Exposure to smog is severe hazard."? Later in the day, the paper?s web site posted four stark images of the same location showing changes in air visibility.?(See photo above).?The images are pretty staggering.
Only 13 days of 'good' air this year so far
And as we write this, the ever-trusty and ever-reliable @BeijingAir Twitter feed has been down five hours, prompting followers to wonder whether the pollution has finally gotten to the air quality index monitor that lives on top of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Post by @TomVandeWeghe
An image of an iPhone app circulating on Twitter this afternoon, showing the @BeijingAir monitor out of commission.
A sobering analysis of the @BeijingAir feed can be found in this post by China Dialogue, which notes that the improvements in air quality claimed by officials at the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau "are due to irregularities in the monitoring and reporting of air quality ? and not to less polluted air."
Moreover, based on the analysis using the @BeijingAir data, this year there have?only?been?13 days of "good" air quality.?
Buried further amidst the quantitative data was one more alarming point: "?if Beijing?s fine particulate concentration even reached the polluted levels of Los Angeles, life expectancy may increase by over five years."
We at NBC News Beijing are trying to claw back a few months to our life span.? We have just taken delivery of two air filter machines for the bureau.
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Federal agents searched the home and office of former Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine last month for pornographic materials and items detailing his relationships with young boys, court records showed.
A federal judge in Syracuse on Monday unsealed four search warrants executed on three days in late November related to Fine, the former Syracuse assistant basketball coach accused of fondling ball boys working with the highly ranked college team.
The search warrants showed that agents looking for items including pornography "that could have been used to sexually arouse or groom young males to engage in sex acts" had seized cell phones, iPads, computers, handheld electronics and more than 400 CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes.
Three men have accused Fine of sexually abusing them when they were juveniles, and a grand jury is looking into the allegations. Fine, who has not been charged with any crime, has called the accusations "patently false in every aspect."
Fine was fired after ESPN aired audio of what it said was a telephone call between Fine's wife Laurie and an alleged victim in which she appeared to admit knowledge of the alleged abuse.
The Syracuse allegations have been compared to the Penn State scandal, in which an assistant football coach was charged with abusing eight boys over 15 years. That scandal led to the dismissal of the university president and legendary coach Joe Paterno for failure to tell police about the alleged abuse.
In the Syracuse case, agents conducting searches had looked for all records detailing Fine's "present or past association, contact, and/or activities with minor males." That includes young boys that have stayed over at his home in the past, one warrant said.
Some of the records seized from Fine included bank statements, travel receipts, checks and several photos and film. Aside from searches at Fine's home and office, a warrant was also granted to search three of his safety deposit boxes at two banks where several documents were seized.
Officials at the U.S. Attorney's office could not be reached for comment to discuss what the seized items revealed. Fine's attorneys could also not be reached for comment.
A judge ordered the search warrants unsealed on Monday after several reporters petitioned for their release.
A grand jury is investigating accusations that Fine molested a former ball boy, Bobby Davis, 39, and Davis's stepbrother Mike Lang, 45, when they were juveniles. Lang has said in a CNN interview that Fine touched him inappropriately as a child at least 30-40 times.
There is no evidence so far that head Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim knew of the alleged abuse.
Police in Pittsburgh said they were also working with the U.S. Attorney's office in Northern New York regarding allegations by a third accuser, Zach Tomaselli, 23, who told Reuters Fine tried to fondle him and make him watch pornography at a hotel in 2002 when he was 13.
Federal authorities took the lead in the Fine investigation after questions were raised about how vigorously the Syracuse police pursued a tip nine years ago.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ugnrimhWsF9A15dTkhD9CK0miGEqCkebyg0L3luAW23O2RZaEaMCJTs3ezh8D3YLgp_nTeqaxEF6_GWwrsqjSo9WFKxVBE1mlmEtg3vQo=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 14-Dec-2011
Share ] 
