Saints' suspensions tossed out in bounty case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Finding fault with nearly everyone tied to the New Orleans Saints' bounty case, from the coaches to Roger Goodell, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue tossed out the suspensions of four players Tuesday and condemned the team for obstructing the investigation. In a surprising rejection of his successor's overreaching punishments, Tagliabue wrote that he would "now vacate all discipline to be imposed upon" two current Saints, linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith, and two players no longer with the club, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita and free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove. Tagliabue essentially absolved Fujita, but did agree with Goodell's finding that the other three players "engaged in conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football." It was a ruling that allowed both sides to claim victory more than nine months after the league first made "Saints bounties" a household phrase: The NFL pointed to the determination that Goodell's facts were right; the NFL Players Association issued a statement noting that Tagliabue said "previously issued discipline was inappropriate." Vilma, suspended by Goodell for the entire current season, and Smith, suspended four games, have been playing for the Saints while their appeals were pending. Fujita is on injured reserve; Hargrove is not with a team. Tagliabue, appointed by Goodell to oversee a second round of player appeals, criticized the Saints as an organization that fostered bad behavior and tried to impede the investigation into what the NFL said was a performance pool designed to knock targeted opponents out of games from 2009 to 2011, with thousands of dollars in payouts. A "culture" that promoted tough talk and cash incentives for hits to injure opponents — one key example was Vilma's offer of $10,000 to any teammate who knocked Brett Favre out of the NFC championship game at the end of the 2009 season — existed in New Orleans, according to Tagliabue, who also wrote that "Saints' coaches and managers led a deliberate, unprecedented and effective effort to obstruct the NFL's investigation." The former commissioner did not entirely exonerate the players, however. He said Vilma and Smith participated in a performance pool that rewarded key plays — including hard tackles — while Hargrove, following coaches' orders, helped to cover up the program when interviewed by NFL investigators in 2010. "My affirmation of Commissioner Goodell's findings could certainly justify the issuance of fines," the ruling said. "However, this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints' organization." Tagliabue said he decided, in this particular case, that it was in the best interest of all parties involved to eliminate player punishment because of the enduring acrimony it has caused between the league and the NFL Players Association. He added that he hoped doing so would allow the NFL and union to move forward collaboratively to the more important matters of enhancing player safety. "To be clear: this case should not be considered a precedent for whether similar behavior in the future merits player suspensions or fines," his ruling said. Tagliabue oversaw the second round of player appeals to the league in connection with the cash-for-hits program run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009-2011. The players initially opposed his appointment. Goodell had given Vilma a full-season suspension, while he gave Smith, Fujita and Hargrove shorter suspensions. Tagliabue cleared Fujita of conduct detrimental to the league. The former commissioner found Goodell's actions historically disproportionate to past punishment to players for similar behavior, which had generally been reserved to fines, not suspensions. He also stated that it was very difficult to determine whether the pledges players made were genuine, or simply a motivational ploy, particularly because Saints defenders never demonstrated a pattern of dirty play on the field. "The relationship of the discipline for the off-field 'talk' and actual on-field conduct must be carefully calibrated and reasonably apportioned. This is a standard grounded in common sense and fairness," Tagliabue wrote in his 22-page opinion. "If one were to punish certain off-field talk in locker rooms, meeting rooms, hotel rooms or elsewhere without applying a rigorous standard that separated real threats or 'bounties' from rhetoric and exaggeration, it would open a field of inquiry that would lead nowhere." Saints quarterback Drew Brees commented on Twitter: "Congratulations to our players for having the suspensions vacated. Unfortunately, there are some things that can never be taken back." The Saints opened the season 0-4 and are now 5-8 and virtually out of the playoffs after appearing the postseason the three previous seasons, including the franchise's only Super Bowl title to conclude the 2009 season. Shortly before the regular season, the initial suspensions were thrown out by an appeals panel created by the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Goodell then reissued them, with some changes, and now those have been dismissed. Now, with the player suspensions overturned, the end could be near for a nearly 10-month dispute over how the NFL handled an investigation that covered three seasons and gathered about 50,000 pages of documents. "We respect Mr. Tagliabue's decision, which underscores the due process afforded players in NFL disciplinary matters," the league said in a statement. "The decisions have made clear that the Saints operated a bounty program in violation of league rules for three years, that the program endangered player safety, and that the commissioner has the authority under the (NFL's collective bargaining agreement) to impose discipline for those actions as conduct detrimental to the league. Strong action was taken in this matter to protect player safety and ensure that bounties would be eliminated from football." The players have challenged the NFL's handling of the entire process in federal court, but U.S District Judge Ginger Berrigan had been waiting for the latest round of appeals to play out before deciding whether to get involved. The judge issued an order Tuesday giving the NFLPA and Vilma until Wednesday to notify the court if they found Tagliabue's ruling acceptable. Vilma also has filed a defamation lawsuit against Goodell, which also is being handled by Berrigan. Vilma's lawyers, Peter Ginsberg and Duke Williams, said by email to The Associated Press that they would "pursue the defamation action vigorously." NFL investigators found that Vilma and Smith were ringleaders of a cash-for-hits program that rewarded injurious tackles labeled as "cart-offs" and "knockouts." Witnesses including Williams also said Vilma made a $10,000 pledge for anyone who knocked then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2010 NFC title game. However, Tagliabue found it was not clear if the pledge was genuine or simply a motivational prop. "There is more than enough evidence to support Commissioner Goodell's findings that Mr. Vilma offered such a bounty" on Favre, Tagliabue wrote. "I cannot, however, uphold a multi-game suspension where there is no evidence that a player's speech prior to a game was actually a factor causing misconduct on the playing field and that such misconduct was severe enough in itself to warrant a player suspension or a very substantial fine." The NFL also concluded that Hargrove lied to NFL investigators to help cover up the program. The players have from the beginning denied they ever took the field intending to injure opponents, while Hargrove has said he never lied about a bounty program, because there wasn't one. Goodell suspended Williams indefinitely, while banning Saints head coach Sean Payton for a full season. Tagliabue's ruling comes after a new round of hearings that for the first time allowed Vilma's attorneys and the NFLPA, which represents the other three players, to cross-examine key NFL witnesses. Those witnesses included Williams and former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo, who was fired after the 2009 season and whose email to the league, accusing the Saints of being "a dirty organization," jump-started the probe. "We believe that when a fair due process takes place, a fair outcome is the result," the players' union said in a statement. "We are pleased that Paul Tagliabue, as the appointed hearings officer, agreed with the NFL Players Association that previously issued discipline was inappropriate in the matter of the alleged New Orleans Saints bounty program. "Vacating all discipline affirms the players' unwavering position that all allegations the League made about their alleged 'intent-to-injure' were utterly and completely false." Smith said he was pleased that Tagliabue vacated his suspension. "I continue to maintain that I did not participate in a pay-to-injure program or facilitate any such program," he added. "I appreciate that Mr. Tagliabue did not rush to judgment, taking into consideration all facts presented to him, before ruling — something that was clearly not done by Commissioner Goodell in previous hearings." A statement released by Vilma's lawyers on his behalf said the linebacker is "relieved and gratified that Jonathan no longer needs to worry about facing an unjustified suspension. "On the other hand, Commissioner Tagliabue's rationalization of Commissioner Goodell's actions does nothing to rectify the harm done by the baseless allegations lodged against Jonathan. Jonathan has a right and every intention to pursue proving what really occurred and we look forward to returning to a public forum where the true facts can see the light of day."

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Spice Girls take stage at musical premiere

LONDON (Reuters) - The Spice Girls took to the stage on Tuesday after the world premiere of a new musical loosely based on their meteoric rise to fame in the 1990s, earning huge cheers from an audience that only really got going at the encore. "Viva Forever!" was the brainchild of producer Judy Craymer, whose "Mamma Mia!" musical based on the hits of ABBA has earned nearly $2 billion worldwide and spawned a hit movie starring Meryl Streep. She teamed up with British comedian Jennifer Saunders to create a story about the central character Viva, a sprightly teenager who, along with her friends, gets into the final stages of a TV singing contest closely resembling "The X Factor". To boost flagging audience figures - a nod to "The X Factor"s real-life ratings woes in Britain this season - their "mentor" springs a surprise and throws out three members of the band to leave Viva on her own. What follows is part morality tale examining what is more important - friends, family or fame - and part satire on reality television, including a callous, Simon Cowell-like producer. "We love you Judy!" said Geri Halliwell at the end of the show, which closed with a romp through some of the Spice Girls' biggest hits including "Spice Up Your Life". "Thank you for making the Spice Girls' dream come true," Halliwell added. Halliwell was joined on stage by Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm, who together stormed the charts in the 1990s and put "girl power" on the map. Beckham, who arrived at the London premiere after her ex-bandmates, sat with her soccer star husband David and three sons, who clapped along to the music during the final medley. NATIONAL TREASURES Now all young mothers in their late 30s and early 40s, The Spice Girls are still affectionately known by the nicknames they adopted in the band - Posh (Beckham), Scary (Brown), Baby (Bunton), Sporty (Chisholm) and Ginger (Halliwell). They were hailed as modern-day feminists by some and dismissed as vacuous pop princesses by others, but their success is beyond doubt. They sold 55 million records, had nine British No. 1 singles and three back-to-back Christmas No. 1s. The band broke up around 12 years ago, and internal bickering among the members was long the delight of Britain's celebrity-obsessed tabloids. Perhaps surprisingly, given the bust-ups and hissy fits, the group has been united in its backing of the new musical, and underlining the Spice Girls' lasting popularity they played a major part in the closing ceremony at the London Olympics. Paul Taylor, writing in the Independent newspaper, gave the musical two stars out of five in his review. "The Spice Girls' songs, with their clever hooks and catchy rhythms, are better at projecting an attitude than fleshing out a dramatic situation," he wrote, describing Saunders' story as "charmless", "messy" and "lackluster". "Not only does her script rarely give you that necessary gleeful sense of expectancy about where the songs are going to be shoe-horned in, but it's embarrassingly derivative of 'Mamma Mia!' and looks way past its sell-by date in its utterly surprise-free satiric swipe at 'X Factor'." Saunders said before the show that she considered herself the "sixth" Spice Girl. "We used to travel around everywhere to see them and they were so great with my kids," said the 54-year-old, best known for playing a self-absorbed, eccentric mother in the popular British comedy series "Absolutely Fabulous". "The thought of a Spice Girls musical written by somebody else was not acceptable," she told the Daily Mirror newspaper. "Because I was so close to them, I couldn't let it slip through my fingers."

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Cowboys' Brent attends memorial with team support

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Garrett gave the Dallas Cowboys a day off after his players somehow pulled off a win in Cincinnati while reeling from a one-car accident that killed one teammate and landed another in jail. Many players showed up at team headquarters anyway and there was Josh Brent, the hulking defensive tackle who missed the trip after police say he was driving drunk and caused the wreck that killed practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown, his close friend and roommate. And Brent was back with his teammates again Tuesday for a private memorial honoring Brown. Players and team officials left without talking to reporters after the hour-long service on a chilly afternoon at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, but Garrett had made it clear that Brent was still a part of the Cowboys family. "We're going to support Josh 100 percent in every way that we can," Garrett said Monday, a day after the Cowboys beat the Bengals 20-19 with a field goal on the final play to keep their playoff hopes alive. Brent arrived at the service earlier than most of the Cowboys players, team executives and staff members. He was in a van with several other people and could be seen hugging Brown's mother before walking into the building. Brent was one of the last to leave, too. He grew close to Brown during three seasons together at the University of Illinois, and took in Brown when the Cowboys added the 25-year-old to the roster in October. "It's a really, really difficult situation for him," Garrett said. "We want to make him feel that there are people around him who can help him get through this thing day by day." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had "no issues" with Brent being at team facilities while the manslaughter case against him works its way through the courts. Pittsburgh visits Dallas on Sunday in another game with playoff implications for both teams. Police in suburban Irving say Brent was speeding when his vehicle struck a curb and flipped early Saturday, hours before Brent was supposed to be on the team flight to Cincinnati. Brown was taken to a Dallas hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Dallas County medical examiner said he died after suffering blunt force trauma to his head and neck. Officers who arrived at the accident scene found Brent pulling Brown from the wreck, according to an arrest affidavit. However, a woman who arrived moments after the accident said Brent didn't try to save his friend's life until she begged him. "Jerry was alive," Stacee McWilliams of Irving told The Dallas Morning News. "He was hurt. He was calling out, and his own friend walked away." McWilliams, a 40-year-old insurance company employee, said she was on her way home from her birthday party when she noticed the wreck and stopped. She told the newspaper Monday she could no longer talk about the case on the instruction of Irving police, and she did not respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking an interview Tuesday. Brent's attorney, George Milner, told the AP that an investigating officer told him the woman's story didn't match the circumstances surrounding Brown's death. Milner said he was told that Brown "wasn't talking to anyone. He wasn't moaning. He was dead." Milner said the woman also told police that Irving fire personnel weren't at the scene — another fact that isn't consistent with what really occurred. "Not one person in the Irving Police Department has said one thing that is consistent" with the woman's story, Milner said. Police spokesman John Argumaniz declined to comment on the account, saying only that investigators are interviewing "numerous" witnesses. A club where Brent and Brown reportedly spent at least part of Friday evening, Privae Dallas, has issued a statement saying it's "deeply saddened by the events of the weekend" and that it's cooperating with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and police. "Privae Dallas is a club that offers its guests a special level of privacy and often caters to celebrities," according to the statement, attributed to the club's human resources manager. "The safety of our guests is very important to us, and our staff is trained to follow the regulations set forth by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission." Comedian Shawn Wayans was at the club last Friday night, and a club promoter tweeted that a dozen unnamed Cowboys players were there ordering numerous bottles of a popular champagne. In Texas, the sale of alcohol with criminal negligence to an intoxicated person is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of as much as $500 and up to a year in jail. The TABC, which enforces the state's liquor laws, also can suspend or cancel the license of an establishment found to have served an intoxicated customer. TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said the agency is investigating the accident, as it does all alcohol-related fatalities that come to its attention. She said the agency has been told the players were drinking at more than one location but she declined to be specific.

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Texans need win over Colts to clinch AFC South

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's blowout loss at New England exposed a variety of flaws, leaving the Texans with plenty to work on before they host Indianapolis on Sunday in a suddenly critical AFC South game. With a win, the Texans (11-2) can clinch their second straight division title. "We've got issues," coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday, a day after the 42-14 drubbing by the Patriots. "We've got to stop people better, we've got to move the ball better, and we've got to get rid of penalties on special teams ... we've got to play better than we've played." Cracks in Houston's once dominant defense have surfaced in the last month. The Texans defense looked good last week in handling the struggling Titans in a 24-10 win. But Houston has given up a combined 1,402 yards and 110 points in its three other games this month, which also included overtime wins against the Jaguars and Lions. They expected to get a boost Monday with the return of top cornerback Johnathan Joseph , who returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury. Instead, the secondary allowed Tom Brady to dominate the game by throwing for 296 yards and four scores. The Texans hope Monday night's game will help them in the future. "It's a teaching moment," rookie linebacker Whitney Mercilus said. "This is a good team and we can't slack off. Too many penalties and things like that, beating ourselves. We've got to be able to ... get to the passer and help out our secondary. We can't get gashed in the run. We've just got to get better." Kubiak agreed and noted that the major difference in Monday's game was that New England took advantage of all of its opportunities for big plays, and Houston failed at almost all of its chances. "It's part of the learning curve, I guess," he said. "It was a tough lesson to learn last night." Kubiak didn't like the way his offense played in the second half last week against Tennessee, and was disappointed that the unit continued to struggle Monday night. Houston finished with 323 yards against the Patriots, but had trouble finishing drives. "My biggest disappointment right now offensively is our inability to stay on the field on third down," he said after his team was just 4 of 14 on third down tries Monday. "You have to step up and make those plays, regardless of whether it's a catch, a throw, a run, whatever it is, to stay out there." Houston has played three straight road games and is looking forward to playing at home for the first time since Nov. 18. Instead of hanging their heads after their most lopsided loss, the Texans, who still have the AFC's best record, are looking forward to their next challenge in facing talented rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the Colts. "We're 11-2 and we still control our destiny," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "We control everything. We are going to go back and focus on winning the division and locking that up. Everything is still in front of us." Kubiak is confident his team will bounce back this week because of everything that is at stake. Houston responded with a resounding 43-13 win over the Ravens a week after their only other loss — a 42-24 defeat by the Packers. "Fortunately, we've only had this trouble twice this year, where we've had to turn around and go back after getting beat," he said. "That's a good thing ... we've got a great opportunity ahead of us and we need to stay focused on that." NOTES: Tight end Garrett Graham, who missed Monday's game with a concussion, should return this week. ... Kubiak said that OT Derek Newton, out for the last two games with a knee injury, is doing well, but he isn't sure if he'll be ready to play on Sunday.

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Tyler Summitt takes the family legacy to Marquette

MILWAUKEE (AP) — When Marquette coach Terri Mitchell picked up the phone to talk with Tyler Summitt about the opening on her staff, it figured to be little more than a courtesy call. Mitchell knew his pedigree — who didn't? The son of Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who won eight national titles and more games than anyone else in NCAA college basketball in 38 years at Tennessee, Tyler Summitt has been around the game longer than some veteran coaches. But he was just finishing his senior year at Tennessee and, now 22, was barely older than many of the Marquette players. Forty-five minutes later, Mitchell had asked Summitt to come to Marquette for an interview. By the end of the interview, he had the job. "From the second I started asking him questions, he was on it. Just his philosophy, his passion," Mitchell said. "Coming from Tennessee, watching his mom, all the national championships — he's embraced all that knowledge and said, 'How can I translate that into Marquette being a championship program? I will bring a championship environment every day because that's all I know.' "He's going to be a star in our profession." Tyler Summitt was hired at Marquette in April, the very day his mother stepped down at Tennessee. She had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, in May 2011, a month shy of her 59th birthday. Marquette is hosting a "We Back Pat" night to raise Alzheimer's awareness Saturday, when it hosts Toledo. Pat Summitt plans to be there. Because Tyler Summitt is so close to his mom, leaving Knoxville wasn't easy. But Pat Summitt remains in good health — whenever Tyler Summitt calls, she's usually just finishing a workout or doing one of the many memory quizzes or puzzles she has on her iPad — and she encouraged him to go. "She's prepared me for this and she knows I'm prepared and she believes in me and she's taught me so much," Tyler Summitt said. "So it's fun to go and be doing kind of what she's taught me to do and doing things the right way and mentoring young athletes while she's right there watching. "I think a part of her philosophy is living on in me, so I hope that I can continue to make her proud." Basketball has been part of Tyler Summitt's life for, well, forever. While other kids were playing video games after school, he was hanging out at Tennessee practices. Instead of going to sleepovers or parties on weekends, he was taking road trips with the Lady Vols. Some kids might rebel, seeking as different a career path as possible. But Summitt was captivated, never once considering doing anything else with his life. "Basketball," he said, "is just part of me." He was coaching basketball camps when he was in high school, and served as a student-assistant for the Lady Vols as a freshman. A walk-on at Tennessee his last two years, he coached AAU teams in his free time. When his mom watched game film, he'd pull up a seat and watch with her. "Eventually, he saw everything I was seeing," Pat Summitt said in an email. "I knew he had a gift to coach." Tyler Summitt was like a sponge with anyone he came in contact with — his mother; Billie Moore, the Hall of Famer who was Pat Summitt's Olympic coach; John Wooden; Bruce Pearl and Cuonzo Martin, both of whom Tyler Summitt played for at Tennessee. He made notes of everything he learned, and has them stored on his computer. Not just Xs and Os, either, but tips on leadership and building chemistry, ideas for dealing with discipline issues and on and on. "You name a topic, bam! He can go in and start looking at ideas," Mitchell said. Though technically Summitt is responsible for Marquette's guards, the position he played, Mitchell has always encouraged her assistants to jump in wherever they feel they can contribute and Summitt is no different. He's an active voice at practice, and doesn't hesitate to suggest plays or drills. If he's got thoughts on offense, defense, transition, she wants to hear them. "She has that trust and that's something so great about her, she puts people in their strengths and lets them spread their wings," Summitt said. "I don't think my assistant's role is like 99 percent of other assistants in the nation because she's given me so much freedom." But Summitt has earned that, Mitchell said. "Some coaches, as they come up through the ranks, think things are owed to them. You have to work at it. You've got to work for the corner office," she said. "But he's the complete opposite. He's worked his tail off. So much so that I need to get him to relax." Summitt is well aware of the impact his mother had on the women's game — on all of women's sports, really. Pat Summitt's Lady Vols were the first women's team to go mainstream, and others — in basketball and beyond — soon followed. There's not a day that goes by without someone emailing or calling Tyler Summitt to tell him about meeting his mom, getting her autograph or just seeing her at a game. "I realize the impact she's had. But I don't think I'll ever fully grasp the multitude of what she's done," he said. He does, though, have greater admiration for the way she did it. Yes, Pat Summitt won more games than any other coach, male or female, finishing with a 1,098-208 record at Tennessee. But it was the relationships she built with her players, the time she made for her family, the lessons she taught that could be carried from the court into every other corner of life, that stuck most with her son. "There are countless opportunities for a coach to be power-hungry and get a 'win-at-all-costs' attitude, and she never did that," Tyler Summitt said. "As competitive as she was, she resisted that. She always did things the right way. She always treated people the right way. She always put the relationships of her players first. And she always put discipline above winning. "Focus on what you can control, do things the right way, be honest and open and communicate — there's been those principles that aren't written down, but they're a part of me and a part of her," he added. And they're helped sustain both mother and son since May 2011, when Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, a month shy of her 59th birthday. Pat Summitt has always been brutally honest — her glare is legendary — so going public with her diagnosis was never a question, Tyler Summitt said. She established the Pat Summitt Foundation to raise awareness and funding of Alzheimer's research, and became the public face of what, until now, has been a disease suffered mostly in private. More than 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association, 200,000 of whom are under 65. "It's not something people talk about as easily as cancer, AIDS, heart disease," said Angela Geiger, the chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer's Association. "Having a public figure like Pat come forward and say, 'I noticed the signs, I sought out a diagnosis,' really helps change the conversation." The "We Back Pat" campaign has spread across the country — and across sports. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams made Summitt the "12th Titan" for the season opener, and Trevor Bayne had "We Back Pat" painted on his car for a Nationwide race at Bristol in August. "It's just more awareness. There can't be enough," Tyler Summitt said. "People seeing, 'Hey, this isn't stopping her, it doesn't have to stop me or my loved one.' "(This disease) will have as much power as you give it," he added. "You can take its power away by, one, being open like mom was. And then, two, living your life."

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9 Things You Shouldn't Buy at Grocery Stores

Grocery stores offer plenty of conveniences to make food-buying as simple as possible. Most of us head to the grocery store to pick up fresh produce, meats, cheeses, snacks, and other convenience foods, and you can pick from dozens of brands and generic items that fit your budget. Still, there are a few things you don't want to pick up at your local supermarket. Certain types of produce are full of pesticides and you'll be better off heading to the local farmers market or buying organic. Buying non-grocery items at the supermarket usually means you'll spend much more than the average price in your area. Here are nine items you shouldn't pick up from the grocery store: [See 50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2012.] 1. Cosmetics and skin care items. Even though many grocery stores are stocked with popular brands of cosmetics and skin care products, you'll probably pay a premium for every item. Head to your nearest chain drugstore, Wal-Mart, or Super Target if you want to stock up on or sample makeup, moisturizer, cleansers, and scrubs. 2. Pre-ground coffee. Some grocery stores offer great prices on coffee beans that you can grind right in the store, but buying pre-ground coffee could put a dent in your grocery budget. The mark-up on pre-ground coffee is relatively high and you could get a much better deal on large coffee cans at your neighborhood big-box store. Remember you can also track down coupons and vouchers for certain brands. 3. Party supplies. As convenient as it is to pick up candles, balloons, and other party supplies for that last-minute get together, you'll end up paying a high price solely out of convenience. Plan to make a pit stop at the local dollar store or party supply store to take advantage of lower prices. 4. Kitchen appliances. Whether you're in the market for a new toaster, blender, or food processor, do your homework and track down a great price on kitchen appliances online. Grocery stores typically carry a very small stock of these items and you probably won't even find a quality brand. Stick with big-box stores and online merchants for your kitchen appliances and other small electronics. [See 10 Kitchen Tools That Will Save You Money.] 5. Hardware. Light bulbs, extension cords, nails, and small tools don't come cheap at the grocery store. Again, these are considered to be specialty goods at a grocery store and most will only have a very small inventory of hardware items. Stick with big-box retailers, the dollar store, or even your local hardware store when you need to stock up. 6. Cookware and bakeware. If you're suddenly inspired to cook a banquet-style meal when shopping at the grocery store, make sure you pick up your basic supplies elsewhere. Cookware and bakeware items are usually heavily marked up at the grocery store and you could end up paying almost double the price for your items. Make a list of what you need then head out to a store that has a larger inventory of these specialty items. 7. Some fruits and veggies. PBS put together two lists of fruits and vegetables that are worth buying-and not buying-at the grocery store, based on the level of pesticides and chemicals present in each items. The recommendation is to stick with organic varieties of apples, bell peppers, peaches, strawberries and potatoes. Grocery stores are your best bet for fruits and vegetables like asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and onions. [See 5 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget.] 8. Gourmet cheese. The deli section of most grocery stores is stocked with pricey items that also have a very short shelf life. If you're looking for cheese, head to the dairy section where you'll find processed varieties for a fraction of the price of the fresh, gourmet options. If it's gourmet cheese you're after, keep an eye out for deals on offerings from daily deal sites at local wine and cheese stores in your area. You can also get better pricing on cheese at your local warehouse club. 9. Name-brand spices. Fresh spices are another gourmet food item that you're probably paying a premium for at the grocery store. Your best bet? The ethnic food markets and local ethnic food stores. Some big-box stores also tend to stock a large spice inventory and will price these at lower price points than your neighborhood grocery store. Consider buying in bulk from the ethnic market to save even more.

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Glam Slam: The Friday Five -- Ways To Get Even Sexier

The number one hit "Sexy and I Know It" makes me laugh (I work ouuut!) and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, you may be looking for a little "get sexy" inspiration. InStyle magazine shares five ways we can all get even sexier!!!! PLAY IT NOW: 2012 People's Choice Awards Fashion Report Card Apply Bold Color There's power in your pout. One study showed that both red and pink lipstick hold a man's attention for five seconds longer than a neutral lip. But a high-impact hue has to feel right--to you. Experiment with different shades of crimson and fuchsia and combine it with a subtle, smoky eye. Master the "Bed-Head Bardot" For touchable waves (like J.Lo's!), start with a volumizing spray or powder. Loosely gather hair into two low ponytails and secure with rubber bands. Twist each pony around its base; pin and leave in for two hours. Shake out and voila--goddess bed head. Create waves on shorter 'dos by wrapping strand vertically around a 1-inch curling iron; begin at the top of your ears and continue down to the ends. VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood Stars Who Take The Plunge! Customize Your Curves When it comes to turning up the heat, a tailor can be a miracle worker. Alterations to the bust, waist and hips of a sheath dress can highlight your shape easily giving you a day-to-night look. Add definition with a thin or wide belt. Work on Your Wink Fluttery fringe on the red carpet (like Eva Longoria's) is often achieved with false eyelashes or extensions, say pros. For DIY lashes at home, use these tips. Begin with a primer and secure your lashes to the bottom of your eyelid. Gently heat your lash curler with a blow-dryer before crimping. Finally, brush on waterproof mascara to seal the lash. Embrace Lace A lacy stocking shows off your seductive legs in a seductive way that's not edgy or overt. Pair with an LBD and platform pumps for a saucy retro vibe. VIEW THE PHOTOS: Kristen Stewart's Best Red Carpet Looks For more beauty tips, pick up a February issue of InStyle on newsstands today. Instyle is also hosting its annual Beauty Lounge today and tomorrow at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. VIEW THE PHOTOS: Stars Step Out For GQ's 2011 'Men Of The Year' Party To celebrate the 2012 Awards Season, stars like Malin Ackerman will get pampered at the lounge's complimentary hair and makeup touch ups by L'Oréal Paris and mini manicures by OPI! Good times! Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Americans Living Longer, Report Finds

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Americans are living longer, a new report shows, with the average life expectancy going from 78.6 years in 2009 to 78.7 years in 2010. Meanwhile, U.S. death rates dropped half a percent between 2009 and 2010, and hit the lowest rate ever, at 746.2 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the latest set of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. And while both heart disease and cancer stubbornly remain in place as the nation's leading killers (together accounting for 47 percent of deaths in 2010), death rates here declined as well. Mortality from heart disease went down 2.4 percent, while it dropped 0.6 percent for cancer. The report is based on 98 percent of death certificates from 50 states and the District of Columbia available to the NCHS. "In many regards, I think the health of the nation is improving and people are living to an older age so that's good news," said Dr. David McClellan, acting regional chair of family and community medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "But we are starting to see age-related diseases have more prominence." For instance, pneumonitis (aspiration pneumonia) often happens when people get old enough and debilitated enough to where they can't swallow. This could be due to dementia or as the aftermath of a stroke, he explained. There's also "a long way to go in terms of combating the epidemic of smoking, obesity, poor diet and exercise," he said. "If we could get the smoking epidemic under control, we'd probably see the numbers improve even more." Another expert was more optimistic. "This is good news. We're making major progression in cancer and heart disease through decreases in smoking," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. Statins are also playing a part in reducing the death toll from heart disease, while cancer screening is also helping to save lives, Brooks added. There were slight shuffles in the rankings of other causes of death. Homicide fell out of the top 15 category for the first time since 1965, replaced by pneumonitis. Kidney disease and pneumonia/influenza switched places, with the former now 8th and the latter now 9th. "Pneumonia and influenza have really dropped a lot. Several years ago, they were the sixth leading cause of death," said Dr. Michael Niederman, chairman of medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. "To me, this is very encouraging because we're dealing with older populations where many patients frequently have pneumonia, but this affirms the national priority on immunization, both influenza and pneumococcal." The other leading causes of death (in order) were: chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), accidents, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, kidney disease, suicide, septicemia, liver disease, hypertension and Parkinson's. Many of these are clearly diseases related to the aging population, Brooks noted. Death rates also declined for influenza and pneumonia (by 8.5 percent), septicemia (3.6 percent), stroke (1.5 percent), respiratory diseases (1.4 percent) and accidents (1.1 percent). Meanwhile, death rates increased for five of the top 15: Parkinson's disease (4.6 percent), pneumonitis (4.1 percent), liver disease and cirrhosis (3.3 percent), Alzheimer's disease (3.3 percent) and kidney disease (1.3 percent). The death rate for HIV/AIDS (which was not among the 15 leading causes of death) declined 13.3 percent between 2009 and 2010. But the virus remains a significant concern, especially for people aged 15 through 64. There was also good news in infant mortality, with rates in 2010 down 3.9 percent from 2009. But Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City cautioned against getting too excited over the findings. "This is good news. I don't think it's great news," she said. "With the increased incidence in obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, we're going to start seeing people getting sicker younger."

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Need to Exercise More? Think How It Will Help You Now

FRIDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Health and fitness experts have for years tried to entice people to exercise more by flogging long-range benefits such as losing weight or avoiding long-term illness caused by chronic disease. They might have been going about it all wrong. Research now appears to show that "improve your heart health" may be a less effective message than "feel better now." A University of Michigan study found that people are more apt to exercise when they're given reasons that apply to their immediate, day-to-day life. For example, telling someone they will have more energy after working out seems to be a more effective motivation than telling them they will be less likely to develop diabetes. Michelle Segar, the study's lead author, said she believes the results indicate a need to "rebrand" exercise so that health organizations that promote exercise will see better results from their efforts. "We need to develop new messaging that teaches people that physical activity is a way to reduce their stress in the moment, feel better in the moment, create more energy in the moment," said Segar, a research investigator with the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan. "You're a more patient parent. You enjoy your work more. You don't snap at your spouse as much. The benefits of exercise help you lead a more pleasant and productive life. The messaging needs to go there." The study focused on a randomly selected set of 385 women, 40 to 60 years old, who were given several questionnaires over the course of a year related to exercise and health. The women's responses indicated that they valued long-term goals like weight loss as much as short-term goals more directly linked to day-to-day quality of life, such as stress reduction. Nonetheless, Segar and her team found that women who cited short-term factors exercised more often than those who felt long-term goals were most important. "The women who exercised for quality of life did significantly more exercise than the other two groups," Segar said. Those who exercised based on daily quality of life worked out 15 percent to 34 percent more often, the study found. This argues strongly for a reassessment of how exercise is promoted, Segar said. "Health and healthy aging are very abstract," she said. "We may endorse them as important, but the problem lies in the fact that we live very busy, complicated lives. When you're looking at your daily to-do list, how compelling is fitting in exercise for a reason that's far in the future, where you might never notice? If you're exercising to enhance the quality of your daily life because it reduces your stress or improves your mood, you notice those things immediately. And if you don't exercise, you immediately notice you feel worse." Messages that might resonate better with people who need to exercise more often, she said, include that exercise is a way to: * Become a more pleasant member of your family by feeling better. * Improve your productivity at work because working out makes your mind more focused. * Relieve day-to-day stress. * Improve your mood. * Enjoy higher levels of energy and vitality. * Spend more social time with others. * Take time to enjoy the outdoors. Though those are compelling arguments for exercise, groups might want to think twice before removing long-term goals from their marketing strategies, said Walter Thompson, a professor of exercise science in the department of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University and a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine. Long-term goals like weight loss tend to be measurable, whereas short-term goals like improved energy are largely subjective, Thompson said. "The problem with the long-term goal is they can get to the 5½-months point and not lose a pound," he said. "That's the argument for the short-term goal. But without a long-term goal, it's hard to come up with short-term goals." Short-term goals also might not apply to everyone because they're subjective, he added. "I like to run, but I remember days when I just felt miserable after my run," Thompson said. "If I only looked at short-term goals, if I felt bad one day, I may not do it the second day." More information The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports offers guidelines for personal exercise programs.

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Sexual Activity Deemed Safe for Many Heart Patients by AHA

The American Heart Association has released its first scientifically based statement with recommendations for sexual activity for people with heart conditions or cardiovascular disease. The good news for many with heart problems is that sex is safe. AHA Scientific Statement on Sex and Cardiovascular Disease For many heart patients, if they are able to walk briskly or climb two flights of stairs without experiencing chest pain, abnormal heartbeats, or shortness of breath, a normal sex life is possible -- after discussing it with their heart doctor, advises the AHA Scientific statement. In an interview with HeartWire, lead author of the study underlying the AHA Statement on Sex, Dr. Glenn N. Levine of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, explained that not only are these recommendations about sexual activity and heart disease the most comprehensive to date, but also have been compiled and endorsed by experts in a variety of fields including urology, exercise physiology and sexual counseling in addition to cardiologists. There are many people who, once diagnosed with a heart condition or who have experienced a heart attack, abstain from sexual activity due to fear that engaging in sex could result in a heart attack or death. Levine, via HeartWire, explained that many heart patients -- and their physicians -- are reluctant to address the topic of sexual activity. The AHA Statement on Sex provides guidelines for safe sexual activity not only for cardiologists, but also general practitioners and physicians in other fields. Facts on Sex and Heart Health/Safety According to the AHA Statement on Sex, less than 1 percent of heart attacks are caused by sexual activity, with this risk being even lower for heart patients who are physically active. Among that 1 percent, the largest number of heart attacks experienced were among people involved in extramarital sex. Following a heart attack or coronary bypass surgery, your physician should advise a certain waiting period before beginning to have sex again. He may also advise that you first increase your overall physical health and endurance through recommended exercise programs and recommend an exercise stress test before resuming sexual activity, recommends the AHA Statement on Sex. People with heart conditions should avoid eating a heavy meal or drinking alcohol before sexual activity as well. What People Are Potentially Affected by Cardiovascular Disease Baby boomers and their seniors because, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, people 65 years of age and older represent 19.8 percent of those diagnosed with coronary heart disease and people 45 to 64 years of age represent 7.1 percent of people with CHD. Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, reports that 33 percent of deaths due to CHD occur each year in people younger than 75 years of age. If you have questions or concerns about your heart health or about sexual activity and your health, consult your health care provider.

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