Chicago, IL (Vocus) January 21, 2009

With over 100 free attractions and events and great hotel deals, the time is right to explore Chicago this winter. Find out about all Chicago has to offer including hands-on family activities that are better than anything money can buy. Get all the details at the City’s new tourism web site, http://www.explorechicago.org.

“Many free and affordable events and activities, inside and outside, make winter a wonderful time to visit and explore Chicago,” said Lois Weisberg, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. “Visitors and residents alike tin find a wealth of information about museums, restaurants, theater, shopping, recreational activities and hotels on our website, http://www.explorechicago.org. “

“This winter, we encourage visitors to come out to explore all that our city – and our state – have to offer,” said Illinois Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Jack Lavin. “Illinois’ affordable and world-class attractions draw visitors from near and far, pumping millions of dollars into the Illinois economy and are helping to create good jobs for the hard-working people of our state.”

Here are just a few free ways to discover Chicago this winter:

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder in which a person feels an overpowering urge to move the legs. The exact reason for the occurrence of RLS is not yet known, but it can run in families. This condition is also found in people with chronic kidney problem, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, iron deficiency, or pregnancy. Actually, women seem to be more prone to get restless leg syndrome than men. The main symptom of this syndrome is an unpleasant feeling in the legs. This symptom is often described as a tingling, burning crawling, cramping, pulling, aching, creeping, itching, tugging, or electric sensation in the legs.

The symptoms of restless leg syndrome usually occur or become worse after sitting, standing, or lying down for a long period of time and can be relieved by moving the legs.

They are typically most intense in the evening. Although RLS is not a grave or critical medical problem, it can interfere with your sleep and cause difficulty sleeping or insomnia. Certain lifestyle measures and home remedies for restless leg syndrome can help you deal with this neurological condition. RLS symptoms can be effectively relieved by dipping your legs in warm water or taking a warm bath. Leg massage is also effective to control restless leg syndrome.

A best way to get relief from the symptoms of restless leg syndrome is to apply a heat or cold pack to the legs. You can alternate between heat and cold therapies. Exercises are excellent home remedies for restless leg syndrome. Take a walk a few hours before going to sleep. Swimming is another exercise that can relieve the symptoms of restless leg syndrome. Stretching hamstrings and calf muscles for about five minutes and riding a stationary bicycle or running on a treadmill before bedtime may also be helpful. Try to do the stretching during the day.

Home remedies for restless leg syndrome also consist of avoiding caffeine, reducing the intake of alcohol and tobacco, and bettering your sleep hygiene. The RLS symptoms can be worsened by stress and therefore it is advisable to do some relaxation techniques before going to bed. Certain yoga poses, such as legs-up-the-wall pose, reclining bound angle pose, and reclining big toe pose, can assist you manage the symptoms of this disorder. Never try to fight the urge to move your legs, as it can worsen the symptoms.

There are some herbs that can be used as home remedies for restless leg syndrome. Butcher’s broom is one of the herbs that are known to help reduce RLS symptoms. Kava kava can ease restless leg syndrome by calming the central nervous system. Rooibos has the potential to lessen leg spasms and alleviate pain. Astragalus improves iron absorption and blood circulation and is considered as a good remedy for the RLS. Other herbs that are beneficial to treat the restless leg syndrome include passion flower, ginkgo biloba, and valerian. It should be noted that these herbs may not be safe for all people and so ask your doctor before taking any herbal remedy for restless leg syndrome.

Read more Natural Remedies for Restless Leg Syndrome. Also know useful Home Remedies to Quit Smoking. Read effective Home Remedies for Skin Rashes.

Find More Down Syndrome Articles

Question by : Please explain this feeling of “LOSS” that many of you go on about. What do you mean?
Maybe I have another word for it or a different feeling.

I would like to understand what you have lost.

If you were adopted as an older child, I understand. You have memories. Otherwise, you have fantasies. If you were adopted as an infant, isn’t this like longing for a country that you have never visited but only heard about?

And all of you wonderful people who adopted “poor abused neglected children” who were old enough to walk and talk, this question is not to you so don’t get offended.

I am really trying to understand this. Excuse my Boston manner.

Best answer:

Answer by Freedom Forever.
I was adopted as a baby, and yes, I do have a longing to find out my history. I want to know where I come from, why my parents couldn’t keep me and what events lead to my mother making this decision. In some ways, I thank her. Who knows what could have happened to me if she had kept me. At least she put me first and made sure I was adopted into a family that could care for me.
I wouldn’t say I feel a “loss”. I don’t feel like I don’t belong in my family, my brothers and sister, my parents, they are my true family. Maybe not in blood, but in experience and in bonds. I just feel, now that I’m getting older and wiser to the world, that I’d like some answers.
It’s really hard to describe to people who aren’t adopted, and I’m sure not all adopted children/infants get this feeling, I just know that I do.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by : I am really confused about this question for my psychology essay. need help please!?
“Why would a hearing aid not help someone with conduction hearing loss?”

Everywhere I look it says hearing aids work well with CONDUCTIVE hearing loss. i cant find anything on conduction.

HELP

Best answer:

Add your own answer in the comments!

Question by Ẑingara: Joke: Have you ever heard this one?
A man feared his wife wasn’t hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid.
Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem.
The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.
“Here’s what you do,” said the Doctor, “stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response.”

That evening, the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He said to himself, “I’m about 40 feet away. Let’s see what happens.”
Then in a normal tone he asked, “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
No response…
So the husband moved closer to the kitchen — about 30 feet from his wife and repeated, “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
Still no response…
Next he moved into the dining room where he was about 20 feet from his wife and asked, “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
Again, he received no response…
So, he walked up to the kitchen door — about 10 feet away. “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
And, once again, there was no response.
Finally, he walked right up behind her and said, “Honey, what’s for dinner?”

“Frank, for THE FIFTH and LAST TIME: CHICKEN!”

Best answer:

Answer by Trying to boost everyones IQs
that was actually quite funny :L

Give your answer to this question below!

Question by Voltaire’s book Candide: Is this a logical way to “solve chess”.?
I am 1 year deep in chess and want feedback about this thought which came to be today.

If one has time/money/equipment, can one just keep constantly extend a chess-program’s “opening book” all the way until it matches an endgame database?

The sicilian najdorf has been analyzed SOOOOO deep that I pretty much speculate that the gap between the end of “opening theory for najdorf” only has about a 20-move gap before the pieces are down to 7 (where an endgame tablebase can pick up).

Can you pit two Rybka’s against each other in a “1 million game tournament” and set the randomness feature up to 100% so it experiments plenty.

Also you’d really only have to analyze the “losses” and hopefully it can be traced back to the first 20-25 moves, and one can clip the variation from its deep opening book (I heard that rybka is about 30 ply deep opening book for about 1,000 common variations)

I was watching a doc on hydra and it said there are 10^64 possible positions in chess. Feedback?

Best answer:

Answer by William B
No.

Using your example of the Najdorf if it happens people would just stop playing the Najdorf. As black the Pelican (or something) takes precedence, as white, move 2 variations become big.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by ❶•☆•xXx•☆— BOMB ♥ SHELL☆•xXx•☆•❶: Do you believe this is a true a way of looking at it as there is Suit: Sanctuary policy a factor in 3 killing?
The family of a father and two sons slain last year in San Francisco filed a lawsuit Friday, blaming the city’s sanctuary policy for illegally shielding the suspected gunman from earlier deportation despite his record of “extreme violence.”The suit – lodged in San Francisco Superior Court – asserts that the city sanctuary policy was a “substantial factor” in the June 22, 2008, slayings of Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16. The city attorney’s office declined to comment.

Lawyers for Bologna’s wife and his two surviving children assert in the suit that the alleged gunman, Edwin Ramos, had at least two prior juvenile offenses and was shielded from deportation under the city’s sanctuary policy.

Ramos is charged with murder and is awaiting a preliminary hearing. One of his attorneys has said he is not a gang member and is not guilty in the case.

The city’s policy, the suit says, kept police from notifying immigration officials and, thus, was a “substantial factor” in the slayings. The suit notes that city officials knew that Ramos was known for his “extreme violence” – a member of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang – yet did not report him to federal officials under “official and unofficial policies”‘ that afforded him sanctuary.

Mike Kelly, an attorney who filed the suit, said it will be up to a court to decide whether the city is liable in this instance.

“The key thing is how a judge decides whether or not there is an obligation of the city and officials to enact federal law,” he said.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, in a statement, did not address the lawsuit. “I am deeply sympathetic to the Bologna family’s devastating loss,” the statement said. “A terrible crime was committed and my heart goes out to the family.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/03/BA2E16SH8G.DTL

Best answer:

Answer by tammy b
as someone who has been directly effected by illegal immigrants and i also live in phoenix, i have to say yes. we have a mayor who “acts” like he’s concerned about it, but shows no action-except for tying our sheriff joe arpaio’s arms behind his back when he goes after illegals.

yes, this is a huge factor. and it’s getting bigger everyday. the argument for this is that americans kill people thru violence, car accidents etc. but to me, that’s not a good enough argument. tell that to the lady who lost her husband and two sons. which would have not happened had this guy not been here to begin with.

i was in a major accident with my 5 year old in the car. the man who hit me was an illegal. he was deported before and came back over. he had 6 id’s…none of them his. he hit my car causing me to hit a concrete wall and flip. the police assumed there was fatalities. only by the grace of God we walked away. he fled the scene of course, but was followed by a witness where he made a citizen’s arrest.

if the govt. allowed our police to follow the laws-this would not happen. illegals that were kicked out of this country would not be able to continually come back. but because the govt. wants to pick and choose what laws they want to be followed things like this are going to happen.

we are beginning to go after employers that hire illegals, but what about our officials who give them safe haven? nothing happens to them. they are breaking our laws and should be charged with aiding crimes like this.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Question by : Excerpt; Would you read this book?
I stared at my father’s casket mournfully, looking around I saw all of the pathetic faces around me. Each and every person was sobbing like he meant something to them. All they wanted was to find out if they got a share in the will. My father, Derek Blake, was a millionaire due to his compulsive gambling obsession. Yeah, not the best way to get money, but my father was a pro. My eyes scanned across his open casket, eyeing his custom-made Louis Vuitton suit matching his lucky poker glove. Hearing the ending bells, I got up smoothing down my new Dolce and Gabana cocktail dress. I heard footsteps coming toward me, as my eyes rose to meet Aubrey’s jade green eyes.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Aubrey asked sympathetically.
“I’m okay.” I answered, weakly smiling.

Here’s the thing about Aubrey. I wouldn’t talk to her even if she was the last person in the world. Her clothes were obviously bought from some discount rack at some cheap non – name brand store. She wore makeup that looked like it was from the 99 cents store. She smiled with her crooked teeth. I scanned her dress and my eyes stopped at the price tag on the side. As usual she would return it after she used it. Aubrey comes from a less fortunate family and her dad gambles off all the money her parents earn. This is how she knows my dad. I can’t understand why my father would become friends with someone so below us. My dad always taught me to lead a good lifestyle, so I don’t know why he wouldn’t do that too.

“That’s good to hear, I’m really sorry about your loss,” she looked at me sweetly. “…So, did you get a chance to check over your dad’s will yet?” she asked eagerly.
I rolled my eyes and sighed, “Nope, listen. I’m sure my dad didn’t leave you anything, so don’t get so excited.”
She walked away, angrily, standing at her father’s side.

I turned around, my stilettos crunching against the pavement. My chauffeur opened the limo door. I slipped inside the car, shivering. Goosebumps spread across my arms as I turned on the heater.

“Straight home,” I said to Jack, my chauffer. He nodded at my request and I leaned back, taking a sip of my cocktail. I flipped through the channels on the TV, finally deciding on Gossip Girl.
________________________________________­______
I slipped out of the shower and put my hair in a ponytail. I was about to open up my MacBook, when I heard my BlackBerry ringing in my bag. I pulled my bag onto my desk, rummaging through the makeup and accessories cluttering my purse.

“Hello Joshua,” I said breathless, picking up on the last ring. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find my phone!”
“No problem, Alice. But, we have a new patient for you. Of course, if you don’t mind, can you come?”
“Sure, no problem. I’ll be there soon. Can I have the address?” I asked, rushing to get a piece of paper and a pen. I held my BlackBerry between my ear and shoulder and wrote down as he spoke.
“His name is Elliot Scott; he lives at 23-10 Libel Avenue. And thank you Ms. Blake.”
“No problem. Bye.”

I didn’t really need the job as a night nurse considering my father was probably leaving me a lot of money. Either way, I liked helping my status in the public. My mother was a registered nurse before she passed away due to cancer when I was 10. My mother was a sweet and dedicated lady which inspired me greatly. I’ve always had great respect for her talent and ability to help people in their time of need. This is why around the time I graduated high school, I decided to take on a job for nursing and attend NYU. I recently graduated and have become a night nurse in my spare time for people who need supervision at their house.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, brushing through my hair. My black, silky hair fell gently against my shoulders. I gave a slight smile as I put on my moisturizer. I slipped on a shirt I had just recently bought at a Gucci store in the city. I spritzed on my Guerlain perfume, remembering when my dad bought it for me. Guerlain let me make my own scent and my dad had paid $ 35,000. Shivers ran down my spine, thinking of how quickly everything happened. I pulled on my jeans and UGGs, rushing outside. I quickly scanned the address, backing out in my new Lexus. The guard let me through my gates and I was on the road.

What would you change?

Best answer:

Answer by HP Resource
You threw me off at the first sentence:

“I stared at my father’s casket mournfully, looking around I saw all of the pathetic faces around me.”

Which one is she doing? Staring at the casket or looking around? Such inconsistency in the first sentence would urge me to stop without going further.

—–

Compulsive gamblers aren’t usually rich. They’re actually usually poor and in debt because of their psychological attachment to the thrill of gambling. Gambling is something that almost never pays off, especially for the compulsive ones who don’t know when to stop. I feel like this was just inattention to detail. Maybe make it sound like he struck it rich DESPITE his gambling addiction. Years of debt finally paid off with a single huge jackpot?

Or maybe he wasn’t a compulsive gambler, but was just a pro poker player? That’s like the difference between someone who overeats and someone who cooks for a living.

—–

Introduce your character’s name when Aubrey says hi.

—-

If you want us to hate this main character, you’re doing a good job in the 3rd paragraph. I wouldn’t root for this character in a million years. Any sympathy I might have had for her dad dying is totally gone.

I get that you’re trying to show that she’s vapid and self-centered, and that she’ll probably learn her lesson during the story, but if you want me to follow her through the book, you have to make me understand why she is the way she is. Let me see how she sees the world without forcing her judgment down my throat. Tell me all the observations she makes, but don’t tell me what to think. Like this:

“Here’s the thing about Aubrey: I wouldn’t talk to her even if she was the last person in the world. She wore makeup that looked like it was from the dollar store and her smile was filled with crooked teeth. A price tag hung off her dress, probably to return it after the funeral was over. Aubrey’s dad and my dad knew each other from the casinos. My dad was a lot better at winning than hers. I can’t understand why my father would become friends with someone like him.”

Let ME decide how to feel about Aubrey and about your main character. Give me clues and I’ll make the judgments. This will keep me from hating your main character and make me want to follow her through the book, despite how bad of a person she is.

—

Add your own answer in the comments!

Question by My midpt. in life.: If you own a business would you allow this?
I just bought a fitness magazine about 30 mins ago. It was at the college bookstore. It was a sad impulse buy, a fitness magazine ( because I’m fat and desperatly trying to lose weight). FitnessRx.
Take the thing with me and look through it, Im totally upset with the purchase. Looks like I purchased a 5$ pill advertisment with little solid information on wieght loss. The women are all bikini clad posing next to bottles that promise “weight loss”. I wanted something healthy and motivational .
I went back to the bookstore and the young woman there calls her manager because she doesn’t know how to work the machine to do returns. The manager comes in and returns it after hearing my explanation and says he only did it because he doesnt know the college policy on political reasons for returns “because I could have just bought it , read it then returned it” (legitimate, but rude).
Sigh, I’m glad I got my money, but feel jilted. You live, you learn.

your thoughts?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkCpnzqD5HlUuHexi5OmSbfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071104113037AAzPppe

Best answer:

Answer by Chef D
I hear ya, those magazines suck.
I did the weight loss stuff a few years ago all on my own with true and tried recipes, smaller portions, healthy food and a little exercise.. I setupe my own meal plan and did very well, so now i am doing it for people in my area.. I take the same foods that people eat and recreate it in a healthy manner and that makes all the difference, still eating the same foods but just this time it is guilt free.
I am happy u got your money back.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by My midpt. in life.: If you owned a business would you allow this return?
I just bought a fitness magazine about 30 mins ago. It was at the college bookstore. It was a sad impulse buy, a fitness magazine ( because I’m fat and desperatly trying to lose weight). FitnessRx.
Take the thing with me and look through it, Im totally upset with the purchase. Looks like I purchased a 5$ pill advertisment with little solid information on wieght loss. The women are all bikini clad posing next to bottles that promise “weight loss”. I wanted something healthy and motivational .
I went back to the bookstore and the young woman there calls her manager because she doesn’t know how to work the machine to do returns. The manager comes in and returns it after hearing my explanation and says he only did it because he doesnt know the college policy on political reasons for returns “because I could have just bought it , read it then returned it” (legitimate, but rude).
Sigh, I’m glad I got my money, but feel jilted. You live, you learn.

your thoughts?
here is my reason explained:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aho8bvWt9sKomL_DLXueUJLsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071104113037AAzPppe

Best answer:

Answer by Rob
No, because I couldn’t resell the magazine.

What do you think? Answer below!