Brain Top Off!

When college freshmen report to campus in coming days, they will have plenty to worry about, from class registration to roommates. One hopes they also will understand and appreciate that they and their parents are shelling out thousands of dollars on tuition, books, and room and board. It’s way too much money to waste.
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Greenville, SC  (Greenville News) — A new poll puts Furman University near the top of all liberal arts colleges in terms of “contributing to the public good.”
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From W&M News It’s the season of rankings, and there’s more good news for the College of William & Mary. The college has been ranked No.1 for service and 10th overall among national universities, according to a listing released Monday by Washington Monthly. Over the weekend Parade Magazine listed W&M among its “A List” for top small state schools.
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Owens Community College has been growing. Ann Savage says the college is making it even easier for many students to choose an education there by picking up the tab where financial aid leaves off.
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By: Jordan Makinster The College Hill Partnership is looking for nominations intended for the name of the Dry Run Creek Plaza that was built as part of the Streetscape Project on College Street. and nbsp; and nbsp; and nbsp;The College Hill Partnership is looking to de…
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College Depot, a one-stop shop offering free guidance on financial aid, scholarships, career exploration and college applications, puts Phoenix as a finalist for the National League of Cities 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence.
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For the last two years, The Enquirer has followed 12 local high school students as they made their way through the college selection process. This is the final installment of the College Quest series as they make the transition from home to campuses from New York to New Orleans to Milwaukee.
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Classes begin at both Providence College and the University of Rhode Island later this week but neither men’s basketball program has set its roster.
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The 2009 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report has some disturbing, but not entirely unexpected news about how the recession is affecting Social Security. But if you’re currently receiving Social Security benefits, you are in for another surprise. The Social Security and Medicare Trustees have predicted that Social Security beneficiaries won’t receive an annual cost of living adjustment in either 2010 or 2011.

This failure to come through with an annual increase in benefits is the first time in more than 30 years for the Social Security Administration. It’s interesting to note that Social Security recipients are facing two years of no COLA increase after 2009’s increase, which was the largest annual cost-of-living adjustment for since 1982. If no action is taken to improve the fiscal health of Social Security, the payroll taxes paid by U.S. workers are expected to cover the cost of Social Security benefits until 2016.

The U.S. Government relies on COLAs to safe guard the purchasing power of Social Security checks from inflation. To calculate the size of Social Security COLAs, one must gauge inflation. When it rises by one tenth of a percent or more from one year to the next, Social Security pays a COLA to reflect this increase. But when it rises by less than 0.05 percent, as it did last year thanks to plunging energy costs, no COLA is paid.

After that, the government will have no choice but to take money from the Social Security trust fund on an annual basis to make up the difference between the payroll taxes received and the money given out in benefits.

According to predictions, the government would be able to maintain that until 2037 when the trust fund would finally be empty and payroll taxes would cover no more than 78 percent of the promised benefits.

If you retire before 2037, you are almost guaranteed to receive most of the benefits you were promised and have been anticipating, but most likely not all.

Social Security benefits are the main source of income for more than half of older Americans, many of whom now reside in assisted living homes. This is a number that is almost certain to grow greatly as more baby boomers begin retiring.

Assisted living marketing services are provided by 800seniors.com a leading referral system in the assisted living industry. For more information, call 1-800-768-8221. Sky Palma is a freelance staff writer

Your face turns flush and your skin starts to itch. Your heart begins to beat faster. The itching may be felt all across your face and extend down your arms to your fingertips.

What is going on? If you’re like me you forgot what you learned in school and had to call ask-a-nurse to be reminded. You certainly won’t get this from drinking cho yung green tea.

You may have taken a little too much niacin, or vitamin B-3. It’s ok, you’ll be fine, it will probably wear off in about half an hour.

But it can really make you scared if you don’t know what is going on.

What happened? I took a niacin supplement plus brewer’s yeast which itself contains lots of niacin. That was nine years ago but I still remember it like yesterday. It is certainly a feeling that will make you spit out any therabreath mouthwash – which is an excellent product. So, try not to waste it that way!   

Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid is very necessary for your body. Niacin is needed at the cellular level. It is an important nutrient in cellular processes that create the ultimate energy producer of your body – ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate.

A deficiency in niacin can lead to pellagra, which has a number of manifestations. An inflamed tongue and irritated gastric track and colon as well as depression and hard rough skin are just some of the symptoms of this deficiency disease.

Anxiety and hallucinations are also possible symptoms of pellagra. Wide spread pellagra is no longer seen in the United States, though individual cases can still occur.

Dermatitis, dementia and diarrhea are considered the 3 Ds or the classic symptoms of pellagra.

Diets rich in meats, eggs and milk provide adequate amounts of niacin to the body. Alcoholics and diabetics are at greater risk for being deficient in niacin.

If you wan’t healthy teeth, a proper diet is very important. Ask the folks who peddle kardashian teeth whitening products.  They have it cosmetically, but what about from a health standpoint?

Niacin is a vitamin, it is necessary to the body for cellular processes.

Oral supplementation can reverse the less severe cases of deficiency. In severe cases there may be permanent consequences.

So the next time your face flushes and you get an itching burning sensation down to your fingertips, take a moment to reflect before you panic. Did you have too much niacin?

This article is for information purposes only. If you have or think you have a health condition, consult your physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.