WELLNESS TIP: DAILY SELF-AFFIRMATION IN THE MIRROR CAN HELP MANAGE STRESS AND IMPROVE PROBLEM-SOLVING. “A brief self-affirmation activity is sufficient to buffer the negative effects of chronic stress on task performance and can improve the ability to solve problems in a flexible manner during high stress periods,” researchers said in a press release. “Our study suggests that self-affirmation may increase creativity and insight in stressed individuals.” Self-affirmation is reiterating valued sources of self-worth when one’s self-image is threatened. Basically, it’s telling yourself your good points when you’re under the gun, and the Carnegie researchers say it can help ward off stress.- | Yahoo Health

Study: Self-affirmation Reduces Stress and Improves Problem-solving | Yahoo Health: "The present research contributes to a broader effort at understanding how stress management approaches can facilitate problem-solving performance under stress. Despite many studies showing that acute and chronic stressors can impair problem-solving, we know little about stress management and coping approaches for buffering stress during problem-solving,” researchers said in the study. “Our work suggests that self-affirmation may be a relatively easy-to-use strategy for mitigating stress and improving problem-solving performance in evaluative settings.”"



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WELLNESS TIP: FOUR WAYS TO BOOST YOUR MEMORY: 1. Aerobic Exercise: According to a study published last year, adults over the age of 50 increased their memory after only six weeks of doing some sort of aerobic exercise. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. “Engaging in aerobic exercise was found to result in a higher resting cerebral blood flow in the brain’s anterior cingulate region when compared to the participants in the control group,” Medical Daily found. "The exercisers also saw an improvement in memory performance.” 2. Lose Belly Fat: Abdominal fat can lead to dementia associated with a failed memory. In the past, it was found that obese people were three times more likely to develop memory loss. “When abdominal fat was too much for the liver’s stores of PPARalpha to handle, the liver began tapping into PPARaplha reserves in other parts of the body, including the brain," according to Medical Daily. “Soon, these proteins became depleted, causing memory and learning impairment.” 3. Brain Games: While they might not improve your intelligence, studies have found that by playing certain memory games your brain's ability to remember and problem solve increases. While these games might not increase a person’s intelligence, they do exercise working memory capacity, Medical Daily reported. A working memory capacity is the ability for a person’s brain to juggle different thoughts at the same time. By exercising this skill, your ability to recall things from your memory is easier and faster. 4. Ease Up on the Liquor: According to research from the journal Neurology, men more so than women are affected by drinking in regard to memory loss. “Middle-aged men who drink more than two and a half drinks per day are likely to show signs of memory loss and cognitive decline up to six years sooner than men who are light drinkers or eschew drinking altogether,” The Huffington Post reported.- | Yahoo Health

Source: 4 Doctor-Approved Ways To Boost Memory | Yahoo Health:



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WELLNESS TIP: FOOD TO LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL: 1. Strawberries: This bright red fruit not only tastes great, but now researchers are finding that the antioxidants in strawberries can help to lower cholesterol. According to recent research out of Università Politecnica delle Marche, scientists found that eating strawberries reduced the total overall levels of bad cholesterol. However, the levels of HDL or good cholesterol remained the same. The findings were published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2. Fish Oil: The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish per day because of its high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. However, when that is not always available, taking fish oil in a concentrated form like a supplement or capsule is more than sufficient. In other research, scientists also found that fish oils also have beneficial effects on patients with preexisting coronary heart diseases. 3. Tree Nuts: Tree Nuts are low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fatty acids, making them cholesterol’s worst nightmare. “A summary of studies conducted to date shows that tree nuts reduce LDL cholesterol by 3-19 % compared with Western and lower-fat diets,” according to a study published in Medline. The information shows that LDL is lowered from an unsaturated fat source, such as tree nuts. Tree nuts include almonds, cashews, chestnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. 4. Fenugreek: It’s a common ingredient in the Indian subcontinent used in many dishes that comes in varying forms, such as a seed or leaf sprouts. CNN Health reported that, “Several studies from the 1990s have reported that, in high doses, various fenugreek seed preparations can lower total cholesterol and LDL, in some cases dramatically.” 5. Onions: Researchers at the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service found that people who ate at least one half of a raw onion per day saw a 30 percent increase in their good cholesterol. They also noted that onions increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and prevent clotting. 6. Turmeric: This orange spice, known for coloring many South Asian cuisines, does more than add color to many dishes. In animal studies, University of Michigan researchers found that turmeric extract lowered cholesterol levels and “prevented bad cholesterol from building up in blood vessels because it stops platelets from clumping together." - Yahoo Health

6 Heart-Healthy Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol | Yahoo Health: "High cholesterol, it’s an issue that does not discriminate — affecting 71 million Americans, it has become an epidemic in the United States that leads to many other diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Many factors, including genetics, predispose many people to high cholesterol. However, diet and exercise play a major role in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Moreover, there are a few scientifically proven foods that will help to lower LDL levels also known as bad cholesterol."



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UPDATE: WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. And UK Science Academies Explain Climate Change Reality In New Joint Report. Man-made global warming is worsening and will disrupt both the natural world and human society, warns a joint report of two of the world's leading scientific organizations. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, which is the national scientific academy of the United Kingdom, are releasing an unusual plain language report on climate change that addressed 20 issues in a question-and-answer format. "People do have persistent questions all about climate change," said study author Ben Santer of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California. "This is a one-stop shop for many of those questions." The report addresses new issues such as the recent slowing in the increase of world temperatures and how heat-trapping gases are connected to extreme weather. Increases in extreme weather, melting glaciers, rising seas and oceans getting more acidic are already happening, the 36-page report said. And those changes "are expected to increase greater warming and will threaten food production, freshwater supplies, coastal infrastructure and especially the welfare of the huge population currently living in low-lying areas," the report said.

U.S. And UK Science Academies Explain Climate Change Reality In New Joint Report: "The report said that while the rate of warming is slower in the 2000s than it was in the 1990s it doesn't negate the 150 years of observations that show the world is warming. The report also says that more the 90 percent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases lately has been absorbed into the oceans' deep water, which for a while slows surface warming but not the long-term trend.

There is enough evidence on the science to warrant action, Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, said in a news release.

"We've changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere; that's not a belief system. We know that beyond shadow of a doubt," Santer said in an interview. "We ignore this at our peril.""



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UPDATE: RENEWABLE ENERGY: VANCOUVER: Alterra Power Corp. (TSX: AXY) has completed the acquisition of 100% of the Shannon wind project, a 202 MW wind farm in late-stage development in Clay County, Texas. Alterra acquired the project from Horn Wind, LLC, a north Texas early-stage wind developer that has successfully developed two other wind farms in the region. Alterra also placed a $4.5 million cash deposit with Oncor, the project's transmission service provider, which will now begin the design and equipment procurement for the project's interconnection substation. Alterra Power Corp. is a leading global renewable energy company, operating six power plants totaling 566 MW of generation capacity, including British Columbia's largest run-of-river hydro facility and largest wind farm, two geothermal facilities in Iceland, and a geothermal plant in Nevada. Alterra owns a 260 MW share of this capacity, generating approximately 1,300 GWh of clean power annually. Alterra has an extensive portfolio of exploration and development projects and a skilled international team of developers, explorers, builders and operators to support its growth plans. The company trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AXY and OTC in the United States as MGMXF. Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to future events or future performance, the fulfillment of all conditions precedent to the obligation of the parties under the agreements, required consents and third party approvals. This news release also contains statements with respect to our plans to expand our operations, management's expectations regarding our growth, business prospects and opportunities and energy generation capacities. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. SOURCE Alterra Power Corp. /CONTACT: Peter Lekich, Corporate Communications Alterra Power Corp. Phone: 604.235.6719 Email: info@alterrapower.ca - WSJ.com

Alterra Power Completes Acquisition of Shannon Wind Project - WSJ.com: "Paul Rapp, Alterra's VP of geothermal and wind power, said "We're pleased to achieve these project and company growth milestones, which will further position Shannon for commercial operations by mid-2015."

In December 2013, Alterra completed certain construction activities to ensure the Shannon project will qualify for the U.S. Production Tax Credit, which included contracting with Mortenson Construction to complete the initial phase of on-site construction and contracting with Siemens Energy to begin manufacturing the project's main power transformer. Alterra is now working with several financing parties in preparation for closing project financing, which is projected for the second quarter of 2014."



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UPDATE: UK: One of the victims, a woman in her late 70s, invested £23,000 in carbon credits. She was then persuaded by another salesman to borrow money to buy £140,000 of shares in gold. She never recovered the money. "I foolishly trusted him," she told BBC News, adding: "My generation is not very streetwise - because we never had to be." Another victim, a 72-year-old man from the Midlands, said he and his wife had been "scammed out of our entire life savings". He said that, in the weeks after realising what had happened, "we hardly slept or ate". "It is still very raw to us both and we both have bad days when it is all we can think about," he added. The Financial Conduct Authority has estimated that as much as £200m is lost to boiler room frauds in Britain every year. The biggest individual loss recorded by police was £6 million. Officers say the fraudsters spend their proceeds on Rolex watches, Armani suits, fast cars and flashy apartments. Some are involved in drug dealing and attend drugs parties. Avoiding detection Each boiler room network is believed to have an accountant, money launderer and lawyer, as well as people who do the "sales". These tend to be university students or travellers who speak English, including some from Scandinavia, who have answered adverts for salespeople. Police search the luxury home of a suspected criminal in Marbella, Spain Police search the luxury home of a suspected criminal in Marbella They use false names and build up a "legend" - a cover story and false history. "They're young people who want to earn good commission and want to drink themselves into the ground," said DI Clancey. Operation Rico is the first time there has been a multi-agency and cross-border investigation against different networks of boiler room fraudsters. Previously there was more of a piecemeal approach. However, despite some successes, criminals had become adept at avoiding detection by frequently moving offices and wiping computers. DI Clancey said the Spanish authorities were fully behind the operation. "The Spanish want to drive it out of Spain - it's tainting them," he said. Detectives acknowledge that boiler room fraudsters will not disappear but they are more likely to operate in future in the more "hostile" environments of Thailand, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. Police have urged anyone who may have been scammed to call the Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040. Anyone with any information about these crimes can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Share this page

BBC News - 'Landmark' crackdown on fake shares fraudsters: "The worldwide operation was led by City of London police, Robert Hall reports
Criminal gangs who trick people into investing in worthless shares have been targeted by police in the biggest ever international crackdown on the fraud.

The operation resulted in 110 arrests - mostly in Spain and the UK.

Police targeted the masterminds and facilitators of the "boiler room" fraud - so-called because of the cramped conditions they work from.

There are 850 confirmed victims of the gangs in the UK, but the real figure is likely to be in the "multi-thousands".

Detectives say the aim of the two-year investigation, codenamed Operation Rico, is to "decimate" boiler room fraud in Europe.

They believe it is the biggest ever operation against the crime."



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