Celebrity Gossip ? Blog Archive ? Double Wrestling Gold For Japan ...

onecelebrity.com --?

Now Kaori Icho is the hottest topic in the world, everyone talk about this. Just look for the video:
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Hitomi Obara won gold in the 48kg women?s Wrestling and compatriot Kaori Icho took the 63kg title at the ExCeL on a brilliant night for Japan. Obara beat Mariya Stadnyk to claim the first gold in the women?s Wrestling at London 2012, defeating the Azerbaijani 0-4 1-0 2-0 in a thrilling fight played out in ? .
The past three months, the freight train that is Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey hasn?t stopped for a second. Between Ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, hosting TMZ, and training with the Diaz brothers, her frequent flier miles have been well spent. Showtime had their cameras follow Rousey to take an inside look ? .
The 48 kg and 63 kg women of the mat kick off the wrestling competition of the Olympics. Bejiing Olympics vet Clairissa Chun is hoping to better her fifth place finish to make the medal?s stand. Also, 63 kg American wrestler Elena Pirozhkova looks to make an impression in her first Olympics. . ?- . ? .
It was one of the the most famous staredowns in MMA history, and you can own a piece of it. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc is auction her Ed Hardy dress, which was purchased for this moment in particular. It was purchased by herself (at recommendation by her husband) only a day before the staredown. The dress will ? .
Three women?s combat sports will all be competing on the same day Wednesday for the London 2012 Olympics. Besides the boxing semi-fianls featuring Team USA?s Marlen Esparza, and Claressa Sheilds; wrestling and taekwondo will start they competitions. In wrestling, American Clarissa Chun will return for her second Olympics, hoping to better her 2008 Beijing Games ? .
After coming up short in Beijing in 2008, Team USA?s Clarissa Chun is coming home with a medal around her neck. Chun won the bronze in the consolation round in the 48 kg division; having only lost to eventual silver medalistand#194;and#160;Mariya Stadnyk (AZE) in the second round of the tournament 2-0, 2-3. In the bronze ? .

Source:
http://ghanareporters.com/2012/08/08/double-wrestling-gold-for-japan/
http://wombatsports.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/all-access-ronda-rousey-airs-tonight-heres-a-sneak-peek/
http://wombatwrestling.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/olympic-wrestling-2012-day-1-live-results/
http://wombatsports.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/nicdali-rivera-calanoc-auction-off-famous-staredown-dress/
http://wombatsports.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/busiest-combat-day-in-olympics-happen-wednesday/
http://wombatsports.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/2012-olympic-womens-wrestling-day-1-clarissa-chun-takes-bronze/

Source: http://www.onecelebrity.com/double-wrestling-gold-for-japan-ghana-homepage-17567/

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The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty: Does health insurance ...

Does health insurance ensure access?

A staple of conservative critiques of universal coverage is that having health insurance doesn?t equal access. The corollary is that the uninsured already have access to care?from doctors and hospitals willing to take care of them on a charitable basis and from "safety-net" institutions.

This argument isn?t new, having been made years before the Affordable Care Act became law. In 2007, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance opined that "Universal Coverage Doesn?t Mean Timely Access":

"One of the false assumptions behind the push for universal coverage is that everyone will have access to care. While that may occur initially, within a short period of time the waiting lines begin to grow and access and quality begin to decline as the government limits funding for health care. Moreover, the uninsured do have access to care. . . some of it provided free or at discounted rates in public clinics. Having insurance coverage would be better, but the uninsured can and do get care."

Writing for the libertarian Cato Institute, Michael Tanner similarly argues that "health insurance does not mean universal access to health care. In practice, many countries promise universal coverage but ration care or have long waiting lists for treatment."

Dr. Marc Siegel, a physician, takes the argument even further, blogging in the National Review that he objects not only to the government mandating health insurance for all, but to the very idea of health insurance:

"The individual mandate may be the glue that holds Obamacare together by shoehorning in young healthy people who don?t need health insurance to pay for the sick and elderly who do, but an even greater problem than the mandate lies in the unwieldy insurance itself... Obamacare will make things much worse by increasing the number of people who are insured, expanding the procedures and other items (e.g. contraception) that are covered, and enlarging the government?s involvement in running it all."

(I find it ironic that many conservatives who object to ObamaCare because it will result in more people getting health insurance also advocate for converting Medicare to a defined contribution program where the government will give you?you guessed it?a voucher to buy private health insurance!)

But let?s get back to the main argument: that the health insurance doesn?t equal access to care, and that the uninsured can get care anyway.

It is true that health insurance by itself doesn?t ensure access?you need enough doctors to take care of patients, for one thing?but the evidence also is clear that being without health insurance consistently is associated with poorer access and poorer outcomes.

Here is what the Institute of Medicine found in its groundbreaking 2009 report, "America?s Uninsured Crisis: Consequences for Health and Health Care":

"A robust body of well-designed, high-quality research provides compelling findings about the harms of being uninsured and the benefits of gaining health insurance for both children and adults. Despite the availability of some safety net services, there is a chasm between the health care needs of people without health insurance and access to effective health care services. This gap results in needless illness, suffering, and even death."

What about those long waits for care in countries that have universal coverage? Well, yes, there are longer waits for elective procedures in some of them, but the United States doesn?t compare very favorably itself when measured on elements like access to primary care physicians and forgoing care because of cost.

In 2011, the Commonwealth Fund published a report and chart pack comparing U.S. health care to eight other countries (all of which have some form of universal coverage), and found that the U.S. was second worst in waiting time to get an appointment when sick, third to last in getting care after hours without going to an emergency room, and had the highest percentage of people who reported that because of cost, they did not get medical care, did not fill a prescription, or skipped medical test, treatment, or follow-up.

In 2008, I co-wrote an ACP position paper with my colleague Jack Ginsburg that compared U.S. health care to other countries? and drew lessons from them.

We found that countries that ensure coverage through single payer systems may be "more equitable, with lower administrative costs than systems using private health insurance, lower per capita health care expenditures, high levels of consumer and patient satisfaction, and high performance on measures of quality and access." But we also found that they "may result in shortages of services and delays in obtaining elective procedures and limit individuals' freedom to make their own health care choices." Canada and Great Britain are examples of single payer systems.

We also found that "pluralistic systems, which involve government entities as well as multiple for-profit or not-for-profit private organizations, can assure universal access, while allowing individuals the freedom to purchase private supplemental coverage, but are more likely to result in inequities in coverage and higher administrative costs." The French, Swiss and German systems are examples of pluralistic models that still manage to ensure universal coverage. (The United States, of course, is a pluralistic system that does not assure universal coverage, although the ACA is trying to get us closer.)

Finally, we concluded that "health care in the United States has many positive features and in many respects is superb compared with health care anywhere else in the world. Those with adequate health insurance coverage or sufficient financial means have access to the latest technology and the best care. However . . . the U.S. health care system is inefficient and inconsistent: health care quality and access vary widely both geographically among populations, some services are overutilized, and costs are far in excess of those in other countries. Moreover, the United States ranks lower than other industrialized countries on many of the most important measures of health."

In other words, an evidence-based assessment of universal coverage and the importance of health insurance coverage would find that:
-- Having coverage doesn?t by itself ensure access, but lack of health insurance by itself is assuredly associated with poorer outcomes and even more deaths;
-- Relying on a charity and safety-net providers is not enough to ensure access and quality in the absence of good health insurance; and
-- Because there are not unlimited resources, people sometimes will sometimes have to wait for care, and that this is true in every country. (In the U.S., longer waits for appointments, and delayed and forgone care, are mainly because of cost barriers associated with not having health insurance and not having enough primary care doctors; in other countries, longer waits for some elective procedures are mainly because of limits on capacity, global budgets and price controls.)

Clearly, people will continue to disagree on whether the ACA goes about the problem of getting people covered the right way, but conservatives should rethink their insistence that health coverage doesn?t really matter that much when it comes to ensuring access and quality (the evidence says it does).

But liberals should also keep in mind that giving everyone access to health insurance by itself also doesn?t guarantee access?we also need to address problems like the growing shortage of physicians, and acknowledge that administrative hassles imposed by insurance companies and government alike may be one of the factors that are keeping doctors away.

Today?s question: Do you think having health insurance coverage is needed to ensure access?

Source: http://advocacyblog.acponline.org/2012/08/does-health-insurance-ensure-access.html

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Samsung accused of, denies employing child labor through Chinese contractor

Despite improvements, working conditions are still a sore point in China -- and China Labor Watch wants to emphasize that no company is exempt from scrutiny. The rights advocacy group claims that, on top of pushing mandatory overtime and poor overall conditions, Samsung contractor HEG Electronics has allegedly been employing at least seven underage workers at a Huizhou plant making phones and DVD players. Not surprisingly, Samsung has been quick to defend itself, asserting that it found "no irregularities" in two separate inspections this year and that it plans a third as a response to the new accusations. Who's telling the truth is still up in the air, although China Labor Watch is taking aim only after going undercover; it's long been suspected that contractors whitewash their labor practices when they see corporate inspectors coming from a mile away. If there's any substance to the allegations, Samsung may be the next tech giant taking action to mend a bruised public image.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment

Samsung accused of, denies employing child labor through Chinese contractor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brain signal IDs responders to fast-acting antidepressant

ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2012) ? Scientists have discovered a biological marker that may help to identify which depressed patients will respond to an experimental, rapid-acting antidepressant. The brain signal, detectable by noninvasive imaging, also holds clues to the agent's underlying mechanism, which are vital for drug development, say National Institutes of Health researchers.

The signal is among the latest of several such markers, including factors detectable in blood, genetic markers, and a sleep-specific brain wave, recently uncovered by the NIH team and grantee collaborators. They illuminate the workings of the agent, called ketamine, and may hold promise for more personalized treatment.

"These clues help focus the search for the molecular targets of a future generation of medications that will lift depression within hours instead of weeks," explained Carlos Zarate, M.D., of the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). "The more precisely we understand how this mechanism works, the more narrowly treatment can be targeted to achieve rapid antidepressant effects and avoid undesirable side effects."

Zarate, Brian Cornwell, Ph.D., and NIMH colleagues report on their brain imaging study online in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Previous research had shown that ketamine can lift symptoms of depression within hours in many patients. But side effects hamper its use as a first-line medication. So researchers are studying its mechanism of action in hopes of developing a safer agent that works similarly.

Ketamine works through a different brain chemical system than conventional antidepressants. It initially blocks a protein on brain neurons, called the NMDA receptor, to which the chemical messenger glutamate binds. However, it is not known if the drug's rapid antidepressant effects are a direct result of this blockage or of downstream effects triggered by the blockage, as suggested by animal studies.

To tease apart ketamine's workings, the NIMH team imaged depressed patients' brain electrical activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG). They monitored spontaneous activity while subjects were at rest, and activity evoked by gentle stimulation of a finger, before and 6.5 hours after an infusion of ketamine.

It was known that by blocking NMDA receptors, ketamine causes an increase in spontaneous electrical signals, or waves, in a particular frequency range in the brain's cortex, or outer mantle. Hours after ketamine administration -- in the timeframe in which ketamine relieves depression -- spontaneous electrical activity in people at rest was the same whether or not the drug lifted their depression.

Electrical activity evoked by stimulating a finger, however, was different in the two groups. MEG imaging made it possible to monitor excitability of the somatosensory cortex, the part of the cortex that registers sensory stimulation. Those who responded to ketamine showed an increased response to the finger stimulation, a greater excitability of the neurons in this part of the cortex.

Such a change in excitability is likely to result, not from the immediate effects of blocking the receptor, but from other processes downstream, in the cascade of effects set in motion by NMDA blockade, say the researchers. Evidence points to changes in another type of glutamate receptor, the AMPA receptor, raising questions about whether the blocking of NMDA receptors is even necessary for ketamine's antidepressant effect. If NMDA blockade is just a trigger, then targeting AMPA receptors may prove a more direct way to effect a lifting of depression.

A separate study of ketamine biomarkers by the NIMH group adds to evidence that the drug may work, in part, by strengthening neural connections. Thirty treatment resistant depressed patients who received ketamine showed increased sleep-specific slow brainwave activity (SWA) -- a marker of such strengthened synapses and of increased synchronization of networks in the cortex. They also had higher blood levels of a key neural growth chemical, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), previously linked, in animal studies, to ketamine's action. Intriguingly, the boosts in BDNF were proportional to those in SWA only among 13 participants whose depressions significantly lifted -- suggesting a potential marker of successful treatment.

"Linked SWA and BDNF may represent correlates of mood improvement following ketamine treatment," said Zarate. "These may be part of the mechanism underlying the rapid antidepressant effects and prove useful in testing potential new therapies that target the glutamate system."

The increases in SWA, detected via electroencephalography (EEG), were also reflected in increased slope and amplitude of individual brainwaves -- additional indicators of neural health and adaptability.

Prior to discovery of ketamine's antidepressant effects, the only fast-acting antidepressant therapies were sleep deprivation and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), both of which are also thought to work, at least in part, by stimulating BDNF.

There is also new evidence that people with one of two common versions of the gene that codes for BDNF respond better to ketamine -- and clues about why. The versions are created by a site in the human BDNF gene where the genetic code differs slightly across individuals. Each person inherits two copies of the gene, one from each parent. So people can inherit one or two copies of each version.

In June, NIMH-funded researchers reported that ketamine's ability to spur the growth of neural connections and trigger antidepressant-like behavioral responses was impaired in mice genetically engineered to express two copies of a risk version of the human BDNF gene that is carried by about 30 percent of the population. NIMH grantees George Aghajanian M.D., and Ronald Duman, Ph.D., of Yale University, New Haven, Conn., also discovered atrophy in extensions of neurons and dampened electrical activity in key cells at the front of the brain, with the risk version.

The mouse results suggested that the same site of variability in the BDNF gene might similarly influence patients' responses to ketamine. In July, Zarate and NIMH colleagues reported that in 62 depressed patients, this variability in the BDNF gene accounted for 28 percent of difference in patients' responsiveness to the medication. As expected, the antidepressant effect was strongest in patients with two copies of the other, protective version, which is carried by about 60 percent of the population.

These results strengthen the case for BDNF's pivotal role in mediating antidepressant effects produced via the glutamate system. They also suggest that it might be possible to improve ketamine's antidepressant effect in risk version carriers by first giving them treatments known to enhance BDNF, such as exercise, transcranial magnetic stimulation, ECT, or conventional antidepressants.

In another recent study by the NIMH team and NIH collaborators, by-products of the chemical breakdown of ketamine, detectable in blood, helped to sort out responders from non-responders, as well as diagnosis and symptoms. This first study of its kind pinpointed correlates of such downstream ketamine metabolites in 45 treatment resistant depressed unipolar and 22 depressed bipolar patients.

Blood levels of one metabolite were higher among bipolar non-responders, indicating that these patients might require a lower dose of the drug for optimal efficacy. Levels of three related metabolites were higher in bipolar patients, with only one, of a different type, elevated in patients with major depression. Higher levels of three metabolites of the former type were also associated with lower scores on measures of psychotic and other side effects, following ketamine treatment. The identification of these downstream metabolites opens the door to possibly developing them into newer treatments that are better tolerated than ketamine.

Ketamine also recently produced the fastest, strongest and longest-lasting anti-suicidal intervention ever demonstrated in a controlled trial, according to Zarate and colleagues. In a replication of an earlier study, the researchers confirmed that ketamine not only lifts depression, but also reduces suicidal thoughts in bipolar patients. The effects were detectable as soon as 40 minutes after a single infusion in 15 treatment resistant patients taking mood stabilizers, and remained significant for at least a few days. Three fourths of the patients responded to ketamine, with none responding to a placebo. The results add reduced suicidal thinking to the list of potential therapeutic benefits of targeting the brain's glutamate system.

While the research on biological markers and mechanisms holds hope for development of more practical medications in the long term, questions remain about whether there might be a limited role for ketamine itself in the short term.

In a recent assessment of the state of the science, Zarate and American and European colleagues propose that intravenous ketamine may prove useful for acutely suicidal patients who receive treatment in hospital emergency rooms. It may also offer an alternative to ECT, long considered the treatment of last resort for treatment resistant depression, but fraught with concerns about cognitive side effects.

However, the researchers recommend against the use of ketamine outside of a hospital setting, citing potential cardiovascular and other risks. They note that anesthesiologists participate in the trials at NIMH and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City which also require a 24-hour inpatient stay following drug infusion.

Among about 163 patients who have been studied to date, the drug has been well tolerated and seems a reasonable treatment option for most treatment resistant depressed patients, say the researchers. Studies are under way using nasally administered ketamine and other strategies to determine how the rapid antidepressant affect might best be sustained.

"We are investigating ketamine in multiple ways -- studying genes, gene expression, synapses, cells, circuits, and symptoms with neuroimaging, genetics, electrophysiological measures and other techniques," explained Zarate. "These studies hold hope for predicting the likelihood of response and for gaining insights into mechanisms of action."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Mental Health.

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

---

Journal References:

1. Brian R. Cornwell, Giacomo Salvadore, Maura Furey, Craig A. Marquardt, Nancy E. Brutsche, Christian Grillon, Carlos A. Zarate. Synaptic Potentiation Is Critical for Rapid Antidepressant Response to Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.03.029
2. Duncan WC, Sarasso S, Ferrarelli F, Selter J, Riedner BA, Hejazi NS, Yuan P, Brutsche N, Manji HK, Tononi G, Zarate CA. Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol., 2012 [link]
3. Carlos A. Zarate, Nancy Brutsche, Gonzalo Laje, David A. Luckenbaugh, Swarajya L. Vattem Venkata, Anuradha Ramamoorthy, Ruin Moaddel, Irving W. Wainer. Relationship of Ketamine's Plasma Metabolites with Response, Diagnosis, and Side Effects in Major Depression. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; 72 (4): 331 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.03.004
4. Carlos A. Zarate, Nancy E. Brutsche, Lobna Ibrahim, Jose Franco-Chaves, Nancy Diazgranados, Anibal Cravchik, Jessica Selter, Craig A. Marquardt, Victoria Liberty, David A. Luckenbaugh. Replication of Ketamine's Antidepressant Efficacy in Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Controlled Add-On Trial. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; 71 (11): 939 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.12.010
5. Marije aan het Rot, Carlos A. Zarate, Dennis S. Charney, Sanjay J. Mathew. Ketamine for Depression: Where Do We Go from Here? Biological Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.05.003
6. Gonzalo Laje, N?all Lally, Daniel Mathews, Nancy Brutsche, Anat Chemerinski, Nirmala Akula, Benjamin Kelmendi, Arthur Simen, Francis J. McMahon, Gerard Sanacora, Carlos Zarate. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism and Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Depressed Patients. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.05.031
7. Rong-Jian Liu, Francis S. Lee, Xiao-Yuan Li, Francis Bambico, Ronald S. Duman, George K. Aghajanian. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Allele Impairs Basal and Ketamine-Stimulated Synaptogenesis in Prefrontal Cortex. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; 71 (11): 996 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.09.030

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/TLI1uZLX9Ng/120806171321.htm

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?Lawyers Matter,? ABA President Laurel Bellows Tells House of Delegates

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BeccaJosephine: RT @PriscoCBS: Drew Brees on sideline doing what he will do this year: Coach the Saints.

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Two men arrested on gun charges in College Park

• 

  Enlarge Photo

  Melvin Douglass Watson Jr. Photo from the Prince George?s County Police Department more?>

Two men were arrested Saturday night on charges related to shooting into a large crowd of people gathered in a College Park fast food restaurant parking lot, police said.

According to a report from the Prince George's County Police Department, Melvin Douglass Watson, 18, of the 6100 block of Greenbelt Road, and 20-year-old Dikimbe Rasheed David-Brandon, of the 5500 block of Volta Avenue, Bladensburg, were charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a handgun.

At about 12:50 a.m. Saturday, police were called to the 8200 block of Baltimore Avenue on reports of a fight. When officers arrived on the scene, they found about 200 people in the parking lot of a McDonalds. Police heard gunshots and saw a man shooting in the crowd, as well as shots being fired from an SUV parked nearby.

Several minutes later, police spotted the SUV a short distance down the road. They stopped the car, but a passenger attempted to flee on foot. Officers chased down and arrested the man who attempted to run, as well as the driver of the car. A gun was recovered in the vehicle.

? Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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Car IT changing the automotive retail model - automotiveIT ...

Connected cars will provide information to new automotive competitors as well

The increasing sophistication of automotive IT systems is changing traditional patterns in car retailing, according to a German study.

Driver assistance and communication systems that are set to become standard in all cars already are transmitting a broad range of information about driving patterns, driving habits and other vehicle usage statistics.

These transmissions don?t go to dealers, but are sent mostly to automakers and this leads to a relationship between car companies and drivers that will be closer in future than it has been until now.

That is one of the conclusions of the study ?Effects of car IT on automobile sales and service,? which was conducted by Germany?s IFA Institute for the Automotive Industry in cooperation with consultants MHP.

?Through the information and communications systems? in the car, auto manufacturers will in future know more about their customers than in the past,? the study said. ?That will also give them a chance to address customers earlier and with a more targeted message about the purchase of a new car or a service appointment.?

But closer ties between automakers and car buyers are just one of the changes resulting from the automotive IT revolution.

IFA head Willi Diez, who was in charge of the study, said the increased availability of digital information about a car and its driver also opens up opportunities for other automotive service providers. ?Whoever gets in touch with the customer first about a possible requirement has the best chances to get the order,? Diez said.

The study notes that automakers are forging closer ties with IT companies to make sure they maintain the relationship with their customers. A failure to do so would mean lost revenue opportunities as well as increased competition from new companies seeking automotive business, the study said.

Said MHP CEO Ralf Hofmann: ?I?m convinced that differentiation through car IT will in coming years be one of the biggest drivers of growth in the auto industry.? MHP is a subsidiary of Porsche.

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Source: http://www.automotiveit.com/car-it-changing-the-automotive-retail-model/news/id-006342

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Using a Tax Estimator Tool to Prepare For Taxes | Finance Business ...

When should you actually start

planning for your tax return? For about 30% of the population it is April 14th ? just a day before the tax deadline. If you are one of these people you are at the mercy of the tax man utter. But with some foresight you can start early ? actually you should start much earlier before the end of the tax year

Now you might ask -. How does it help to start early on your taxes ? There are several things

related to taxes that you simply can not do once the year is passed. To name a few: Donating tax deductible charitable items, selling worthless stock, taking on or paying off a mortgage, refinancing your home, etc. The list goes on and on. By taking some action before the end of the year, you buy yourself some extra time to plan. And advance planning could save you hundreds and even thousands dog in taxes. While its true that having a tax impact Although, some major life changes can not be planned, getting married, having a child, etc. Hey, life is not all about making money and saving on taxes ? but planning your financial life will surely get you a lot of stability in your personal life as well

When you start planning, one of the things you need to do is to get a quick recap of your tax situation ? sought of a preview of the tax return that you will be doing on April 15th

Now how would you go about this -. since tax rates, exemptions, etc. change every year. It would be great to work this out using a paper and pencil. But that would be the old old fashioned way that your grandparents used. But this is the 21st century, you do not need a paper and pen to do these kind of things.

All you have to do is to fire up your computer and search for the right tools. There are scores of online tools that can help you with this. Tools range from paycheck calculators, calculators exemption, mortgage amortization calculators, refinance calculators. But which is the right tool to use to get a preview of your tax situation? Something that will quickly tell you Whether you are getting a tax refund or owe the IRS Whether you? A Tax Estimator or a tax refund calculator is the right tool to use to quickly preview your tax return. It takes into account several things ? your filing status, your dependents, your income, deductions, tax credits, etc. It will tell you within 10 minutes or so, Whether you will get a tax refund or owe money Whether you want to the IRS. This could make the difference between taking a trip to Jamaica or slogging it out for the next few months to pay the taxman.

This is not this one heck of a time saver?

Search for the Tax Estimator online and you will find one on several websites. Important thing to note is that you will need to use in estimator for the current tax year or you will get a wrong picture.

id=?article-resource?> Easy.com to see other great tools like the tax Tax Estimator and hundreds of tips from dog tax checklists to tips to save on taxes. . Article written by Ronald Robson for Tax-Easy

More Articles Taxes

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Source: http://guerra237.typepad.com/blog/2012/08/using-a-tax-estimator-tool-to-prepare-for-taxes-finance-business.html

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Go Into All The World[s]: Evaluating Christian Presence in the Online ...

?And he said to them, ?Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.??

Mark16:15

INTRODUCTION

The online gaming community is one quickly growing ?unreached? subgroup of society and, as with any social phenomena, the Christian church has responded in a number of different ways.? One response involves a flat-out refusal to enter into this virtual world, citing the negative aspects and potential pitfalls associated with online gaming.? In one example, an author responds to the growing popularity of Pok?mon by dismissing all games that involve violence or fantasy (two major components of many online games today), because they ?desensitize children? to violence and evil.[1]? In fact, much of the research done on the gaming community attempts to discern possible connections between in-game and real-world violence.[2]

Another serious critique of the gaming phenomenon looks at the addictive qualities of online gaming.? There are many case studies of individual gamers struggling with addiction.? In one well known case, a couple from South Korea lost their daughter to malnutrition as they spent the majority of their time at an internet caf?.[3]? Such stories have led treatment centers across the globe, like Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, CA, to offer programs specifically tailored to video-game addiction.

Although some Christians have responded to the gaming community with a degree of apprehension,[4] and for apparently good reason, others are actively engaging the virtual world.? When these Christian gamers are asked specifically why they play games with violence, many of them stress the disparity between the virtual world and real world with comments like ?I?m only killing pixels.?? The right-wrong debate may not be settled for some, but for millions of people the question is a moot one; they play.[5] This research will sidestep the important conversation about the benefits and risks of video games to look at the Church?s presence in the virtual world, make some preliminary observations, offer (hopefully) constructive critique, and draw conclusions about a more nuanced approach to proclaiming the gospel in this vast landscape.

?

THE GAMING CONTEXT

In any attempt to evangelize, Christians must exhibit the kind of ?gentleness and respect? (1 Pet 3:5) which takes the time to understand the context of the people they are reaching while loving them sincerely.? For these reasons, this article examines the demographics of the MMOG community, consider its role as a ?third place,? and consider some of the possible motivations and values that gamers[6] possess.

For the sake of focus, the following research deals primarily with people that play MMOG?s (Massively Multiplayer Online Games), a demographic boasting a significant portion of adolescents.? Although games with a number of different platforms have historically moved toward social interaction (cf. Atari?s Pong vs. the Facebook game applications), the MMOG?s have developed an accelerated communal structure, offering more in-depth immersion and user connectivity.

Demographics.

Stereotypes about the kinds of people who play online games abound, but the most popular feature a male teenager struggling with one aspect of responsibility or another.? Recent studies, however, have revealed that the gaming community is increasingly diverse.? In one study, roughly 40% of gamers were found to be female.[7]? Even though the majority still slants toward the male gender, this is a significant shift in the culture of gaming.? The gender divide differs in a number of nuanced ways.? When comparing age and gender distribution in Nick Yee?s extensive Daedalus Project, he discovered that ?male players tend to be between 12 and 28, while female players tend to be between 23 and 40.?? The spectrum of male players, then, ranges from early to late adolescence and the female range includes late adolescents to adults.[8]? Therefore, any outreach aimed at the MMOG community necessarily focuses on a largely adolescent population.[9]

One of the questions put to MMOG players by the Daedalus Project asked ?How important is religion in your life??? Nearly 70% of 3,000 respondents selected ?Not Important At All.?? Therefore, it is probably fair to deduce that gamers are largely disinterested in ?religion? (although they might label themselves ?spiritual? in a general sense)[10] and could be considered ?unreached.? ?The MMOG gaming community, then, features a large amount of unreached adolescents and serves as the focus for this article.

MMOG As A ?Third Place.?

The sense of community built around gaming cannot be overstated.? Several software companies understand this and have capitalized on its social nature by marketing their cross-game products intended to enhance communal presence (i.e. Steam, Xfire, Ventrilo, Teamspeak, Origin, and many others).? Almost all of these programs include instant messaging, VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol, using microphones), and some display each gamer?s unique array of video games for further interconnection between players.

(Photo credit: Photomatt28)

In an article entitled ?Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name,? Constance Steinkuehler (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison) and Dmitri Williams (Univ. of Illinois) evaluate virtual worlds in respect to the ?third places? of Ray Oldenburg; third places being the spaces which catalyze social interaction for people outside of work and home.? In order to assert the third place-ness of the gaming world, Steinkuehler and Williams demonstrated how this world fit all of Oldenburg?s ?eight characteristics? (see Appendix A), excepting one.[11]? The only characteristic for which they concluded the virtual world did not literally fit was ?Low Profile.?? While they agreed that the social community could be low profile, they observed most MMOG?s as ornate, fantastic, and? extra-normal.[12]? I disagree with their conclusion that MMOG?s do not fit this criterion in a literal sense.? ?I would contend that the gaming medium, the computer itself, is often situated in a low profile environment and, therefore, fulfills all eight characteristics of a ?third place.?

The online gaming world certainly fits these criteria and, as any gamer would attest, fits them well.? By its very nature, the online game is a place of relative ease and social lubrication, neutral ground and a level playing field.? It involves a high degree of witty banter (cf. ?trolling?) and provides a relatively stable set of usual participants.? The implications of these for evangelism are obvious, but will be taken up later in the article.

Possible Motivating Factors.

The Daedalus project generated a set of ?primary motivations? that lie behind gamers??desire to play.? This list included three categories; Achievement (becoming powerful, making progress, competing with others, analyzing game mechanics), Social (socializing with others, making good friends, working with others on a team), and Immersion (exploring the world, role-playing, escaping real life problems, customizing your character, being immersed in the MMO).[13]? Out of a survey of over 2,100 people, 19% chose progress as their primary motivation (the highest chosen category) while 14.5% chose immersion, 12.7% exploration, 10.2% socialize? on down to the bottom three; 4.4% power, 4.0% role-play, and 2.7% escape.? Once these responses were categorized according to average age, the data seemed to show that the older participants (average age 30.2 to 33.9) possessed more ?casual? reasons for playing while the younger crowd (average age 25.6 to 27.3) chose relatively aggressive reasons (competition, power, analyze).

Some observations I have made from listening to participants in the gaming community reflect this set of desires, but there is one more nuance of a speculative nature that I would like to offer.? It is possible that gamers are attracted to the virtual community because of its economy.? Let me explain; in most games, everyone?s characters begin at roughly the same levels of skills, power, investment, and reward is reliably equitable for effort; something hardly characteristic of real-life situations.? This ?level playing field? concept can be especially attractive for people with social and/or physical impairments that might hold them back from the sorts of social interaction they find online.

?

CURRENT OUTREACH STRATEGIES

In this vast, virtual world inhabited by millions of gamers, the response of the church has often been to call them away from gaming.? As was stated earlier, such an approach is a plausibly valid one, but the focus of this article is on the evaluation of the Christian presence already at work in the gaming community.[14]? Flat-out refusal to engage aside, the church?s response has largely fallen into one of two approaches; creating alternatives and creating space by forming online ?clans.?

Creating Christian Alternatives.

In dependable Christian fashion, some have responded to the growing world of online gaming by creating Christian alternatives to popular games; a strategy employed by the Church in regards to pop music, television, movies, board games, clothing, and seemingly every other marketable form of cultural expression.? The proponents of this approach usually cite the negative messages of the most popular video games, along with their use of magic, witchcraft, demonology, violence, greed, sensuousness, along with every other type of vice, and such critique is hardly defenseless in light of games that encourage players to steal cars, shoot cops, deals drugs, and rob prostitutes (cf. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City).? While the morality of participating in certain virtual worlds is debated, the Christian alternatives have arrived.? Two such games interact seriously enough with the PC model of MMOG?s so as to be considered in this article.

Although a small selection of Christian games for mainstream consoles (ie Nintendo) and PC based pedagogical tools have been around for years prior, one massive leap into the alternative gaming genre came in the form of Catechumen, a single player game developed by Rev. Ralph Bagley in 2000.? He claims that there was little interest for investors until the Columbine shootings of 1999, after which support for such an alternative game increased dramatically.[15]? In Catechumen, which largely resembles the original Doom, the player takes on the role of a Christian during the times of official Roman persecution and must free his instructor from captivity in the catacombs beneath Rome.? To do this, the player wields a series of different swords that shoot lightning bolts of Holy Power at enemies, who happen to be demons and demon possessed guards.? The player comes equipped with a muscular angel companion and Scripture references that periodically pop-up on the screen as you progress.[16]

Another serious attempt at Christian alternative gaming built off of the successful ?Left Behind Series which made a massive splash on the literature scene when it occupied the top four slots of the New York Times bestseller list in 1998.[17]? It wasn?t until November of 2006, however, that the series would be marketed as both a single player and online multiplayer PC game by Inspired Media Entertainment as Left Behind: Eternal Forces.? This game is reminiscent of the Command and Conquer series, featuring an aerial view from which the player controls different classes of troops, among them builders, nurses, prayer warriors, and soldiers.? The plot line follows the series? plot; Jesus has raptured his church and the unbelievers were ?left behind.?? A few converted to Christianity and formed the Tribulation Force, intent on battling the wiles of the Anti-Christ Nicolae Carpathia and his Global Community forces.? The goal of the game is to either convert the citizens and Global Community followers to the Tribulation Force, or defeat them with military prowess.

Some nuances of Left Behind: Eternal Forces left many gamers wanting.? From cumbersome camera mechanics to multiplayer connection issues, many have described it as poorly made.[18]? In one example, all of the units that the player controls have Spirit bars which continuously degrade, requiring the player to constantly resupply them through prayer; a process which becomes increasingly repetitive and boring.? Additionally, killing enemy units, though it accomplishes goals, lowers Spirit bars faster and requires extra prayer (such a feature is probably intended to counterbalance rewards for violence).? If the player doesn?t continuously check a unit?s level of Spirit, they are likely to revert to an unaffiliated or evil status.? One critic jokingly asked, ?Who knew that leading people to the Lord would involve so much micromanagement??[19]

If such a critique weren?t enough, certain aspects of the storyline left players frustrated and even offended.? The game developers were accused of, among other things, displaying questionable gender stereotypes; when civilians are converted, only men can then become the priest and builder units while only women can become nurses.? This is but one example of many that caused what one of the authors, Jerrry Jenkins, himself called a ?public flap? (something he considers ?ridiculous to the point of lunacy?).[20]

Although Catechumen, Left Behind: Tribulation Force, and other Christian games have aimed at alternatives to the regular gaming environment, nobody, to my knowledge, has developed a legitimately attractive Christian MMOG.? Left Behind is as close an attempt as there is, with its multiplayer option, but cumbersome mechanics, connectivity issues, questionable plot, and massive public backlash prevent some people, including me, from seeing it as a decent alternative to the available array of attractive games on the market.[21]

Creating Space Through Christian Clans and Gaming Communities.

Another approach to engaging the gaming community for Christ involves a number of Christian subsets of the larger virtual community itself, often called ?clans,? ?guilds,? or ?alliances.?? There are hundreds of these Christian gaming societies attempting to attract players from across the gaming spectrum and unite them under a common banner (see Appendix B for an extensive listing).

These groups were often started by a close knit group of friends and began to branch out into the community as they came into contact with other Christian gamers, reflecting a ?grass-roots? sort of outreach (this probably has something to do with the gaming community?s tendency to foster user created content, investment, and initiative).? The expressed goals of the Christian clans differ from one to the other, but many of them exhibit the following affirmations:

1. Provide a positive atmosphere (i.e. no swearing, name-calling, or cheating) in the midst of an often negative gaming community.
2. Spread the knowledge of Jesus (although this isn?t usually explained beyond the other two affirmations).
3. Open to Christians and non-Christians alike, who are willing to follow the rules of conduct.

Less than the majority of these specific gaming clans, though a significant amount, include rough creeds about their beliefs, and they seem to use either wide, ecumenical language, or they closely mirror conservative Evangelical church confessions.

The life of a Christian gaming association is located in its forums and VOIP channels.? The forums provide channels for discussion of various games, administrative news, Bible studies, questions about life or God, technical issues, politics, RL (Real Life) biographical information about members, and other subjects. The VOIP channels serve to enhance in-game communication and other group meetings.? Some clans spend money renting servers for specific games that their membership plays, giving them control of rules and the ability to moderate in-game activity.? These servers often generate a flow of traffic from players ?outside? of the clan and provide some level of interaction with the gaming community at large.

GOALS AND METHOD FOR EVANGELISM

The goal of Christian evangelism is the knowledge of and volitional assent to the Lordship of Christ.? It is one thing to know that Christ is Lord; as it says in James 2:19 ?even the demons believe- and shudder!?? It is something else to give your allegiance to the ruler of all creation.? As we consider reaching out to the gamers located in the MMOG community, the person and work of Jesus Christ must be the focal point of our message.? The knowledge of the gospel includes the arguably universal acknowledgement that things are broken (including us), that God has made, and is making all things right through Jesus? life, death, and resurrection from the dead.? The primary way that things are ?being made right? is in their relation to God; specifically, God is reconciling all things to himself through Jesus (Col 1:20). This includes gamers, their relationships, and the worlds that they inhabit.

Incarnational Witness.

God entered our world in a new way through the life of Jesus.? He became one of us, moved next door, even ?bec[oming] flesh and dwell[ing] among us? (John 1:14).? He is the ?avatar? of the invisible God (Col 1:15).[22]?This is what theologians call the ?incarnation;? God and man become one.? From this concept, incarnational witness has emerged; Jesus? followers are called to enter into the lives and worlds of the people they are called to love and evangelize.? This looks markedly different than the model which dominates church life today; the ?come to us? idea of attractional witness.[23]? Although creating attractive churches and programs is hardly a bad thing to pursue, it simply isn?t enough.? Christian are called to ?go into all nations and make disciples? (Matt 28:19), not ?call all the nations unto yourself, the disciples.?? This requires an entering into another world and, in a sense, acclimating to the environment.

An integral part of incarnational witness is the model of the ?middle step.?? Instead of coming into contact with people and immediately presenting the content of the gospel, incarnational witness uses shared experience in order to gain access to other people?s lives and attentions.? Those who ignore the middle step (shared experience) in the MMOG community might be someone copying and pasting ?Jesus is Lord? over and over in general chat, but, more likely than not, many will automatically dismiss them as ?trolling? (or worse).

The beauty of evangelization in the MMOG context is the nature of gaming itself.? The games that adolescents play are ready-made, extremely accessible middle steps.? Allow me to explain.? Imagine a 40 year old man trying to affectively engineer a middle-step with adolescents at the local basketball court.? This would take, if it would work at all, a decent amount of time and relational maneuvering to execute.? In the MMOG, however, players cross paths and enter into shared experiences on a consistent basis, sometimes at the rate of every 10 minutes (cf. the gameplay in APB: Reloaded).? These sessions involve strategy, teamwork, and facing crises.? Lack of physical proximity aside (or maybe because of it!), one would be hard pressed to generate a better middle step in such a short period of time.? The key for Christian witness is to be consciously invested in these experiences, building relationships, modeling the sort of character molded by Christ, and taking every opportunity to explain the ?hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect? (1 Pet 3:15).

Keys to Persuasion.

(Photo credit: Daniel Dionne)

Persuasion has acquired something of a negative connotation, specifically in regards to religious proselytization, and rightly so. ?Christians have used the ?bait and switch? method to trick people into hearing or reading the gospel (cf. gospel ?money? tracts), attending Christian meetings, having awkward conversations, and watching Christian movies.? These sort of tactics rarely produce change in people, and probably least so in adolescents, whom value sincerity and transparency in others.[24]? Persuasion of a Biblical nature, however, involves a sincere love for the unreached and a desire to see them reconciled to God through Christ.? As Paul put it, ?therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others? (2Cor 5:11).? Our present goal is to persuade adolescent gamers to change their minds. In order to maximize our persuasive efforts, we must look critically at characteristics of persuasive people, the motivations of MMOG players, and what might amount to meaningful response.

Characteristics of persuasive Christians include being natural, open and real, respectful, and simple.? In the context of MMOG?s, this means respecting the communal norms and rituals established by each game.? Being ?natural? means feeling free to engage in playful joking, bearing the inevitable troll with grace and humor, answering questions without getting defensive, and allowing others to express themselves without harmful ridicule.? Being respectful in such a context demands that players respect the flow of conversations; even though ingenuity and wit are encouraged conversation changers, attempting to force a religious tone upon a conversation could have negative effects.? Keep in mind, however, that over 53% of MMOG players said they chat about ?Real Life Personal Issues? while gaming at least sometimes or often.[25]? Gamers are willing to have conversations about religion in general and their faith in specific, but such opportunities will occur somewhat organically.? Christians must prepare themselves to respond when they do.

As we saw earlier, the highest percentage of gamers in the Daedalus Project chose ?progress? as their primary motivation, followed by immersion, exploration, and socialization.? In what ways might the Christian gospel speak to these motivating factors?? Does the Christian message speak of progress?? Absolutely; as followers of Jesus, we are constantly challenged by Scripture to pursue excellence (Col 3:23-24), growth (1Pet 2:2), maturity, and progress in our pursuit of God (Heb 5:12ff).? Speaking of spiritual gifts, Paul instructed Timothy to ?practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress? (1Tim 4:15).? If such admonishment isn?t a slogan for MMOG motivation, then nothing is.

The truth is, the gospel isn?t opposed to immersion, exploration, or socialization either; in fact, these things are inimical to the gospel.? The incarnation demonstrates immersion (Phil 2:5f), the great commission commands Christian exploration (Mat 28:16f) and the Trinity speaks of sociability as inherent to the very nature of God, extending into the relational nature of the Christian community.? These are only a sample of connections between the gospel and the motivations of MMOG players, but they are important keys in the persuasion process.

One difficult question to answer must be asked; what does meaningful change look like for an MMOG player?? An easy answer harkens back to the goal of evangelism; ?volitional assent to the Lordship of Jesus,? but is that the only form of ?meaningful? change?? The Assimilation and Contrast effects suggest that it isn?t.? If a hardcore Christian gamer attempts to immediately persuade a non-Christian gamer, whom hates Christians, to deeply love Christ and his followers, the result is often the opposite desired; such a gamer will hate Christians all the more (Contrast Effect).? On the other hand, if in the midst of their gaming a Christian and Christian-hater have meaningful interaction and the Christian attempts to get the Christian-hater to only moderately dislike Christians, such is likely to happen (Assimilation Effect).? All this to say that gradual change is a realistic, honorable, and functional part of the evangelism process.

Still, the outcomes of volitional assent must be defined.? If a Christian gamer witnesses to an online friend and that friend makes a decision to follow Jesus, certain things become central for the Christian to communicate.? The concept of ?following? the teachings and lead of Jesus is the necessary starting place, but focuses should also include responding to God?s love, obedience, and connecting with a church.? This last emphasis is probably the most difficult one to follow through on in an online environment.? Nevertheless, the importance of church connection must, at some point, be stressed as an important part of belonging to God?s community (Heb 10:25).

Evaluating Current Strategies.

The first category of Christian outreach to the gaming community involved creating alternative games.? Such efforts, admirable as they are, amount to something like an attractional model.? Instead of entering into the communities themselves, these games stand conspicuously outside of the group, asking players to leave the fold to try out their wares.? Even though the attractional model might influence some, as Jerry Jenkins?insists it does,[26] there will always be gamers who refuse to ?walk through the doors.?? How will these games impact unreached adolescents?? And what if they do?

The biggest problem with alternatives is their quality.? If, and only if, we decided to create Christian alternatives to contemporary games, they must be developed excellently.? When the number of Christian alternatives increases while the quality lags seriously behind their ?worldly? counterparts, the message of the person of Christ is needlessly associated with subpar and kitsch stereotypes.

The second category, Christian clans, is a more integrated approach.? These gamers are attempting to enter and engage the gaming community in a more direct way.? Still, most of these clans operate on a ?separateness? intended to serve Christian gamers by creating moral atmospheres (an important goal), but stop short of any aggressive attempt to connect with non-Christian gamers in the virtual places they inhabit.? Some Christian clans purportedly aspire to such efforts, but their goals are unclear and their success is difficult to measure.

CONCLUSIONS

The Christian church is tasked with going into all the world and proclaiming the gospel to all of creation (Mark 16:15).? If taken seriously, this command necessarily extends to the virtual creations and virtual worlds inhabited by an increasing number of adolescents every year.? I would like to offer three final suggestions for any Christian or church seriously considering its call to evangelism or youth outreach in an MMOG context; first, any attempt at creating alternative Christian gaming must commit to the absolute highest standards of excellence, matching or excelling those of ?regular? game developers.? They should also take into account the reality that not even most gamers will play their games.? Secondly, Christian clans should not only commit to building safe communities for young Christian gamers, every one of them should develop true ?outreach? separate from the safety of their controlled environments.? This might look like teams of gamers committed to the principles of persuasion, witness, gentleness, and respect, while aggressively implanting themselves in other gaming communities in the vein of incarnational witness.? Finally, whether one is a member of a Christian gaming clan, involved in developing alternatives, or simply a part of the church at large, fellow Christians must rally around those who would pursue such evangelistic efforts in MMOG?s.? Instead of an ambivalent relationship with this growing demographic of unreached adolescents, the Church must commit to its gamers by providing community, support, accountability, encouragement, and a tether to real-life, while understanding both the potential pitfalls of gaming and ?Jesus? call to go into all the world[s].

???????????????

Appendix A: Ray Oldenburg?s 8 characteristics of ?Third Places?

Characteristic	Definition
Neutral Ground	Third places are neutral grounds where individuals are free to come and go as they please with little obligation or entanglements with other participants.
Leveler	Third places are spaces in which an individual?s rank and status in the workplace or society at large are of no import. Acceptance and participation is not contingent on any prerequisites, requirements, roles, duties, or proof of membership.
Conversation is Main Activity	In third places, conversation is a main focus of activity in which playfulness and wit are collectively valued.
Accessibility & Accommodation	Third places must be easy to access and are accommodating to those who frequent them.
The Regulars	Third places include a cadre of regulars who attract newcomers and give the space its characteristic mood.
A Low Profile	Third places are characteristically homely and without pretension.
The Mood is Playful	The general mood in third places is playful and marked by frivolity, verbal word play, and wit.
A Home Away from Home	Third places are home-like in terms of Seamon?s (1979) five defining traits: rootedness, feelings of possession, spiritual regeneration, feelings of being at ease, and warmth. [27]

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Appendix B: List of Christian Gaming Clans

=AT= Anav Tsiyr <<AoG>>Army of God {BIC} Brothers In Christ} CoG{ Children of God <CC>< Christian Crew Chirstian Coalition of Countries +CGO+ Christian Gamers Online ~cKs~ Christian Key Smashers =CS= Christian Snipers {CS} Christian Soldiers CS7~ Christian Soldiers 7th Division {CSF} Christian Star Fleet |CoR| City of Refuge [LORD] Clan Lord {G4CD} Clever Dragon Gaming [CS] Day of Defeat Christian Soldiers [D.O.G.] Disciples of God Revolution ]DES[Double Edge Sword -)ET(- Easy Targets [HOA] Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse -=]FGA[=- Friendly Gamers Alliance [4Him] Gamers 4 Him +g4J+Gamers 4 Jesus {GBG} Gaming By Grace

(GFC) God?s Frozen Chosen }GHS{ God?s Humble Servants GS Good Samaritans }GoC{ Guardians Of Christ -^IW^- Invisible Warriors [ISI]Iron Sharpens Iron =ITC= In The Clouds -}KinGDoM{- Kingdom Clan *MoG* Men of God Men of Valor -=Of-God=- Of God Clan [R] Redeemed (RC) Resonate Christ -=SBD=- Saved Before Death S@V3D Saved Crew +SbG+ Saved by Grace Fellowship }SoC{ Soldiers of Christ [SOFW] Soldiers of Foreign Wars JL Team Jesus Lives =TCM= The Christian Militia [ToJ] Tribe Of Judah {TF} Tribulation Force <T|F> Tribulation Force Gaming (WWA) World Wide Ambassador?[28]

*with ?clan tags?

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[1] Jackson, John Paul. Buying and Selling the Souls of Our Children: A Closer Look at Pok?mon.

(Ft. Worth: Streams Publications, 2000), 35.

[2] Another significant section of research in this field studies the applicability of gaming for educational and training goals.

[3] BBC News. S Korea child ?starves as parents raise virtual baby?. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8551122.stm (accessed June 8, 2012).

[4] Patrick, McCormick, ?Moral Kombat.? U.S. Catholic.( Chicago: Apr 2009. Vol. 74, Iss.? 4), 42.

[5] The gaming company Blizzard announced in 2011 that World of Warcraft had 11.4 million subscribers. Ziebart, Alex. World of Warcraft dips to a mere 11.4 million subscribers. WOW Insider. http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/05/09/world-of-warcraft-dips-to-a-mere-11-4-million-subscribers/. (accessed June 7, 2012).

[6] From now on ?gamer? will be used interchangeably with ?MMOG player.?

[7] Tamsin Osborn. The Virtual Battle of the Sexes. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7796482.stm (accessed June 7, 2012).

[8]Nick Yee, Age and Gender Distribution. The Daedalus Project, 2003. http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/000194.php (accessed June 7, 2012).

[9] It is often difficult to form rigid age related delineations in online outreach, due to the high degree of anonymity.? An integral part of this article, however, is the assumption that evangelism in the MMOG community is nearly synonymous with youth outreach and evangelism.

[10] Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes. Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them. (B&H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2009), 5.

[11] Constance Steinkeuhler and Dmitri Williams,Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name:
Online Games as ?Third Places?.? http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/steinkuehler.html (accessed July 7, 2012).

[13] Nick Yee, Primary Motivations. The Daedalus Project, 2008. http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/001612.php?page=1 (accessed June 7, 2012).

[14] On something of a side note, some youth ministries involve the use of multiplayer games, like the Halo series for Xbox, as tools for outreach.? Although this is technically connecting with adolescents through the ?video game? medium, I do not believe it qualifies as outreach into the gaming community, and certainly does not meet this article?s MMOG criteria.

[15] Matthew Davis, Christians Purge Video Game Demons. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4534835.stm (accessed June 7, 2012).

[16] Rick Casteel, Guid 2 Games: Catchumen. http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/games/2001/catechumen.html (accessed June 7, 2012).

[17] Jimmy Akin , False Profit: Money, Prejudice, and Bad Theology in Tim LaHaye?s Left Behind Series,

http://www.catholic.com/documents/false-profit-money-prejudice-and-bad-theology-in-tim-lahaye%E2%80%99s-left-behind-series (accessed June 7, 2012).

[18] Brett Todd, Left Behind: Eternal Forces Review. Gamespot, 2006.

http://www.gamespot.com/left-behind-eternal-forces/reviews/left-behind-eternal-forces-review-6162370/ (accessed June 2012).

[20]Jerry Jenkins, Left Behind Video Game Controversy, Left Behind Website. http://www.leftbehind.com/05_news/viewNews.asp?pageid=1322&channelID=17 (accessed June 7, 2012).

[21] However, there are some Christian game developers working to move on from? the unexcellent? and ?preachy? stigmas. Owen Good, Christian Game Developers Want to Leave Bad Games Behin. Kotaku.

http://kotaku.com/5821259/christian-game-developers-want-to-leave-bad-games-behind (accessed June 7, 2012).

[22] This metaphor should not be pushed all the way to Modalism (i.e. the Father is the Son).

[23] Roxburgh, Alan J. and M. Scott Boren, Introducing the Missional Church: What it is, Why it Matters, How to Become One (Baker Books. Kindle Edition, 2009), 20.

[24] Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes. Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them. (B&H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2009), 144.

[25] Nick Yee, Additional Player Demographics. The Daedalus Project, 2007. http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/001556.php?page=2 (accessed June 7, 2012).

[26] Jerry Jenkins, Left Behind Video Game Controversy, Left Behind Website. http://www.leftbehind.com/05_news/viewNews.asp?pageid=1322&channelID=17 (accessed June 7, 2012).

[27] Constance Steinkeuhler and Dmitri Williams,Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name:
Online Games as ?Third Places?.? http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/steinkuehler.html (accessed July 7, 2012).

[28]Cheryl Gress, Christian Gaming Clans, Christian Game Servers Website.

http://www.christiangameservers.com/index.php/christian-clans (accessed June 7, 2012).

[Adapted from a research paper presented at Fuller Theological Seminary]

Source: http://anirenicon.com/2012/08/04/go-into-all-the-worlds-evaluating-christian-presence-in-the-online-gaming-community/

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Earl Ofari Hutchinson: How the Economy Can Help or Hurt President Obama

GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney predictably jumped all over the jobs report for July which saw joblessness tick up slightly. He called it a hammer blow for the middle-class. Certainly much has been made of the fact that no president has won reelection since World War II with the jobless rate above 8 percent. That and the report seemed to spell bad news for President Obama. But it's anything but that. The report also showed a jump in the number of jobs for the month. Some non-partisan economists and financial experts predict a slow but steady trend upward in the job numbers over the next few months. That's potentially a plus for Obama's reelection.

But it's not strictly good or bad job numbers that pretty much determine whether sitting presidents will continue to sit in the Oval Office or will be sent packing by voters. It's the timing of the positive or negative numbers. In a look at how six of eight presidents fared since 1948 when the economy hit the skids or appeared to skid, the scorecard for presidents winning and losing because of economic misery is a draw. Three incumbents were beaten and three incumbents beat back their challengers. It came down to whether voters really perceived that their economic plight would stay the same, or get worse, if the incumbent got another four years in the Oval Office.

The winners and losers have been both Republican and Democratic presidents. They have won and lost even when there was widespread public unease over the economy and many voters believed things wouldn't get any better. The presidents who won had to do and have two crucial things in the face of rising unemployment, recession, inflation, and public grumbles. One is that the economy had to improve or appear to improve immediately before the election. And they had to assure a majority of voters that things would and could get better with them if they stayed in the White House and their opponent couldn't do any better. Romney and Obama understand that the battle is not so much with the job numbers and the economy's performance, since the numbers can be spun for and against the incumbent. Obama must drive home the notion with voters that things are and will get better under him in the next four years. Romney's single-minded aim is convince voters that they won't. Incumbents and their challengers have played the dance around the economic numbers and voter perceptions repeatedly with mixed results.

Presidents Gerald Ford and Bush Sr. lost the dance. The combination of real and voter perceived economic woe helped sink both of them. In Carter's case, it helped and hurt. It helped him win when the economy went bad for Ford in 1976. Carter played up that fact and won a narrow victory over Ford. Voters must perceive that the economy will get worse under the incumbent and the challenger has to reinforce public fears that things will get worse.
But four years later, GOP presidential challenger Ronald Reagan turned the tables on Carter. With interest rates soaring , home prices escalating, high unemployment, and a seeming clueless Carter on how to halt the slide, Reagan was able to nail Carter with the enduring question "Are you better off than you were four years ago" during their debate on October 28, 1980. Reagan won in a near landslide. The exact reverse was true for Reagan and Bill Clinton. Reagan's supply side economics and big tax cuts were credited with igniting a mid-1980s economic boom. Clinton's tax hike, deficit reduction program, and investment stimulus program, was credited with turning a record deficit into a record surplus and adding millions of new jobs to the rolls.

As Reagan's vice president, Bush Sr. benefited from his economic policies. In 1988, he won the election. Four years later, when things turned sour he lost. It was not just a bad economy but at the point the economy turns bad in the life of the administration, and the public perception that things will get better or worse. The downturn for Bush Sr. came during the last two years of his term. The last thing that an incumbent wants is for voters to go to the polls with fear and doubt fresh in their minds about the economy.

Bush Sr.'s history did not repeat itself with George W. Bush in the 2004 election. Unemployment was high, and economic growth, as Democrats happily noted, was slower than during Clinton's second term. But the Clinton record was the stuff of envy and was impossibly hard to match. Bush didn't have too. There was just enough economic growth and a slightly downward trend in overall unemployment during the last two years of Bush's first term, to largely mute any Democratic attacks on him for a miserable economy.

Bush took the cue and solemnly pledged the economy would grow even more with his tax cuts, downsizing of government spending, and stepped up drive to deregulate in his second term. If the economic negatives had hit harder in Bush's last two years, as it did with his father, this could have spelled the same disaster for him as it did for Bush Sr.

The proverbial "it's the economy, stupid" is a hard fact of presidential elections. But history has shown it can work for or against sitting presidents depending on when voters see the economy as improving or failing. That can help or hurt President Obama.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is the author of How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK-Radio and the Pacifica Network.

During August, The Hutchinson Report will donate proceeds from each column to the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable. The proceeds will go to the organization's Make a Dream Come True Fund Drive. I urge you to join the Hutchinson Report in giving. For more information, go to http://www.laupr.org/.

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Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/earlhutchinson

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scaffold flaw: relator evolution: Family Home and Life: Grandparents ...

Hello all! Can you believe school has started for some kids already? My oldest grand daughter is starting school next Wednesday and that?realization hit me hard! I had looked forward to summer so I could spend more time with her and already it's over! I'm sorry to say I didn't do half the things with her I had planned. I have a few days left so hopefully I can?check off?a few more items on my list. Where does the time go?

Thanks so much for coming by; we have had a few new linkers and I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little about them. It is fun to find a grandparent blogger we had not known about before isn't it? I think there must be lot of us?out there! So with that, here we go! Can't wait to see what you link up this time!

Be sure to add yourself to the Grandparent Blogger Directory if you haven't yet. Remember, if you are of grand parenting age and blog, you are eligible here even if it is not about grand parenting; please just keep it family friendly :)

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Add your link here every Saturday at Grandparent's Say It Saturday.

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Be sure to visit Lisa at Grandma's Briefs to join her linky, GRAND Social, on Mondays. Thanks for linking up with me!

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