recap: cleveland marathon health and fitness expo - The Year of the ...

Obviously I know y'all are wanting to hear how my 10K went on Sunday! And you will, I promise. Just not today. Because before I can tell you about my first day participating in a Cleveland Marathon event, I have to tell you about the Cleveland Marathon Expo!

So Friday morning I headed over to the IX Center for the Health and Fitness Expo. This was my first ever race expo and I didn't really know what to expect, but I'm glad I got there when it opened: by the time I left an hour or so later the parking lot had really filled up.

The expo wasn't just for racers. This free event was really for anyone in the area looking to maybe score some deals on fitness gear and food, although naturally the majority of the visitors were the racers and when you first walked in they presented everyone with big placards full of important day-of information, including course maps.

We also had to go to the expo to pick up our racing bib and t-shirt. (Again, really glad I got there early as my line only had a 5 minute wait, which I'm sure got longer as the weekend went on.)

Of course, the big draw at any expo are the vendors.

Many local running and athletic stores were present with deals on shoes and clothes. I stopped by the New Balance booth hoping to find some discounted Minimus, but they hadn't brought any minis with them. That's okay, though, as I'm not at a point where I need new running shoes yet. I just wanted to take advantage of buying them on sale if I could.

Why, yes. As a matter of fact, that is a ferris wheel in the middle of the expo.

(During the spring, the IX Center operates as an indoor amusement park. (I'm also wondering how many Northeast Ohioans now have the radio jingle stuck in their head.))

Other than shoes I wasn't really looking for anything so I just kind of walked around, grabbing some of the freebies (like a super sweet guitar shaped CLE keychain/bottle opener from Positively Cleveland and a Volkswagon water bottle). When I wandered over to the Earth Fare booth I ran into P., the employee who gave me my tour a few weeks ago. I had sent her a link to the blog post after I published it and she said reading it made her day.

That being said, I did buy a few small things. Like some bling for my car.

I also bought a couple Bondi Band headbands. I got my hair trim a few weeks ago and ever since, the flyaways have been bugging me when I'm running or in yoga or whatever. I've been looking at various headband options and what I liked best about these is how wide they are: they practically cover my whole front half of my head so they act as a sweat guard, too. I was super impressed with them at the race on Sunday and after looking at their website and seeing a Design Your Own option, I may need to make up a "Be Your Own Hero" band to add to my collection!

Have you ever attended a fitness or racing expo?

Love from the ashes,
Lady Lazarus

Source: http://www.theyearofthephoenix.com/2013/05/recap-cleveland-marathon-health-and.html

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NASA to Lease Historic Launch Pad for Commercial Rocket Missions

The historic NASA launch pad from where astronauts blasted off for the moon and space shuttles departed for Earth orbit is now in need of a new rocket to launch.

This week, NASA is expected to begin soliciting proposals for the commercial use of Launch Pad 39A at the space agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Use of the pad by private industry is hoped to maintain the historic launch complex and encourage commercial space activities along Florida's Space Coast.

"We remain committed to right-sizing our portfolio by reducing the number of facilities that are underused, duplicative, or not required to support the Space Launch System and Orion," Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana said in a statement, referring to NASA's next-generation heavy-lift booster and its crewed spacecraft. [Photos: NASA's Giant Rocket for Deep Space Flights]

"Launch Complex 39A is not required to support our [planned] asteroid retrieval mission or our eventual missions to Mars," Cabana added. "It's in the agency's and our nation's best interest in meeting our commitment and direction to enable commercial space operations and allow the aerospace industry to operate and maintain the pad and related facilities."

Since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA has turned to commercial space companies to provide launch services. Two companies, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, were awarded contracts to bring cargo to the International Space Station, while SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. are developing crewed spacecraft in a bid to launch NASA astronauts to the orbiting laboratory.

SpaceX has said in the past that it has considered using NASA's launch facilities in place of, or in addition to, its current pad leased from the United States Air Force at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Other companies, such as Alliant Techsystems (ATK), might benefit from the use of the legacy hardware given that its Liberty rocket shares a heritage with the space shuttle's boosters.

Launch Pad 39A was one of two large launch complexes built in the 1960s to support the Apollo program's Saturn V rocket launches to the moon and Saturn IB flights to the Skylab space station. Both pads were later modified for the space shuttle launches to deploy and service satellites and build the International Space Station.

Pad 39A's twin, Pad 39B, was stripped of its iconic launch support towers in 2011 to enable its use for possible future commercial and government launch vehicles. Launch Pad 39A, which supported 92 launches since November 1967 ? 12 Saturn V rockets and 80 shuttles ? was initially set to support the new Space Launch System.

Budget constraints however, caused NASA to consolidate its future launch pad needs at Pad 39B, leaving Pad 39A without a purpose. And without the funding to modify or maintain it, Cabana said earlier this year that the agency has no choice but to abandon Pad 39A in place unless a commercial user could be identified.

According to the space agency's own assessments, Pad 39A could still serve as a platform for a private company's launch activities. However, this would require the company to take over financial and technical responsibility of the complex's operations and management.

According to a synopsis released by the space agency on Friday (May 17), NASA is contemplating entering into one or more lease agreements for Pad 39A for a minimum of five years. Other terms, including longer-term agreements and different contractual relationships, can be suggested, the agency's synopsis states.

To maximize the use of Launch Pad 39A and keep its gantries and other infrastructure from deteriorating due to a lack of regular maintenance, NASA said it will expedite its process, with submissions due within 30 days of the announcement accepting proposals.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2013 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-lease-historic-launch-pad-commercial-rocket-missions-045739353.html

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Telerehabilitation allows accurate assessment of patients with low back pain

May 20, 2013 ? A new "telerehabilitation" approach lets physical therapists assess patients with low back pain (LBP) over the Internet, with good accuracy compared with face-to-face examinations, reports a study in the May 15 issue of Spine.

Taking advantage of Skype and other widely-used services may make telerehabilitation a more feasible alternative to in-person clinic visits, according to the new research by Prof. Manuel Arroyo-Morales and colleagues of University of Granada, Spain. They believe their results "give preliminary support to the implementation of web-based LBP assessment systems using video recordings that can be evaluated by different therapists."

Can Back Pain Assessments Be Performed Over the Internet?

The researchers designed and evaluated a web-based telerehabilitation system for performing routine clinical assessments of patients with LBP. The telerehabilitation setup operated across a low-bandwidth Internet connection between two personal computers equipped with webcams.

The system included the popular Skype videoconferencing service, allowing the patient and physical therapist could see and talk to each other in real time. The therapist guided the patient in performing specific movements, and captured video clips for analysis using video motion analysis software (Kinovea). The therapist and patient were also able to complete standard back pain questionnaires using the web-based system.

Fifteen patients with chronic LBP underwent two assessments in random order: once face-to-face and once using the telerehabilitation setup. Accuracy was assessed by comparing the results of telerehabilitation assessment with those of in-person assessment.

The results showed good agreement between the two evaluations, supporting the use of telerehabilitation for clinical assessment of LBP. There was good correlation for measures made on video motion analysis, such as spine mobility and back muscle endurance; as well as questionnaire-based assessments such as disability, pain, and health-related quality of life.

Skype and Other Tools Make Telerehabilitation More Feasible

The telerehabilitation setup showed consistent results for the same therapist at different times (intra-rater reliability) as well as for assessment by independent therapists (inter-rater reliability).

There is growing interest in Internet-based systems for assessment of patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Telerehabilitation approaches could be especially valuable for patient in rural or remote areas, who don't have easy access to healthcare providers.

In the past, the use of telerehabilitation was limited by high equipment costs. The new study shows the successful use of telerehabilitation using widely available and familiar technology, including the use of free software such as Skype.

The telerehabilitation system evaluated in the new study may be useful in assessing patients with the very common problem of LBP, showing good agreement with the results of face-to-face assessment. However, there are still some factors limiting more widespread use -- including the need for "potentially unwieldy" security software to protect patient privacy.

Prof. Arroyo-Morales and coauthors also note that many patients who would otherwise have been eligible for the study weren't included because of a lack of familiarity and experience with computers. The researchers call for further studies in larger groups of patients -- focusing on those who don't have easy access to in-person evaluations.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/SyxihhEF0GM/130520133722.htm

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BC ceremony notable for who will attend, who won't

BOSTON (AP) ? This year's commencement at Boston College looks to be notable for who will be there, as well as who won't.

Two graduate business students who were injured in the Boston Marathon bombings have recovered enough to receive their diplomas in Monday's ceremonies.

Brittany Loring and Liza Cherney are both set to receive degrees from the Carroll School of Management. Loring needed three operations after her left leg was struck by shrapnel from the first of the twin blasts on April 15. Cherney was standing next to her close friend and classmate Loring and was also badly hurt.

Earlier Monday, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny will address students receiving undergraduate degrees from the Jesuit-run college. He'll also receive an honorary degree.

Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley won't be there for Kenny's speech because of Kenny's support for legislation in his country that would permit abortion.

The leader of the Boston Archdiocese traditionally gives the benediction at Boston College's graduation, but the U.S. Catholic bishops have urged Catholic institutions not to honor government officials who promote it.

Kenny says the bill simply clarifies when a doctor can perform an abortion to save a woman's life. But Catholic bishops say it would greatly expand abortion, particularly by permitting it in certain cases when a woman threatens suicide.

O'Malley called abortion a "crime against humanity" and said he decided not to attend the ceremony because Boston College didn't withdraw its invitation, and Kenny didn't decline it.

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said the school respects O'Malley and regrets he won't attend graduation.

"However, we look forward to our commencement and to Prime Minister Kenny's remarks," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bc-ceremony-notable-attend-wont-063046915.html

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Gunmen seize elderly father of Syria's deputy FM

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? The office of Syria's deputy foreign minister says gunmen have abducted his elderly father in the southern Daraa province.

The office says Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad's father was seized Saturday in the village of Ghossom in Daraa province.

An official in Mekdad's office said the elder Mekdad is over 80 years old, but did not immediately know his name.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-seize-elderly-father-syrias-deputy-fm-132111295.html

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What Do You Want From Lyrics Sites?

Seriously, what is the deal with allll those janky lyrics sites? You google the lyrics for Random Access Memory and you're suddenly transported to the early 2000s. It's sort of surreal. I'm not the first person to mention this by far, and yet the lyrics world just seems to stagnate.

There are new lyrics apps sometimes that are pretty, but the fact is we're all just looking to resolve an "are we human or we dancer" debate and get on with our lives. What features would you appreciate if these sites decided to actually exist in any aesthetic vaguely reminiscent of 2013? What would be value-added for you?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/what-do-you-want-from-lyrics-sites-508727739

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UK police announce new leads in missing girl case

LONDON (AP) ? British police say they are investigating new leads in the case of Madeleine McCann, the Briton who disappeared six years ago in Portugal at the age of three.

Scotland Yard said it has identified several "persons of interest" and "both investigative and forensic opportunities" in the case. The force said Friday its work is under way to support police in Portugal, even though they have closed their investigation into the disappearance.

McCann vanished from her family's vacation home in Portugal's Algarve region on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday. The case has generated intense media interest in Britain.

British police launched Operation Grange in 2011, to try to solve the puzzle.

Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell said Friday officers have been encouraged by the progress made so far.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-police-announce-leads-missing-girl-case-192126070.html

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