Get your share of $10 million dollars!!!

By Brandon GriggsCNN

(CNN) -- Got an idea that could change the world, or at least help a lot of people? Google wants to hear from you -- and it will pay as much as $10 million to make your idea a reality.

To help celebrate its 10th birthday, the ambitious Internet giant is launching an initiative to solicit, and bankroll, fresh ideas that it believes could have broad and beneficial impact on people's lives.

Called Project 10^100 (pronounced "10 to the 100th"), Google's initiative will seek input from the public and a panel of judges in choosing up to five winning ideas, to be announced in February.

Google announced the project live on CNN on Wednesday morning.

"These ideas can be big or small, technology-driven or brilliantly simple -- but they need to have impact," Google said in a news release. "We know there are countless brilliant ideas that need funding and support to come to fruition."

Those are ideas such as the Hippo Water Roller, which Google cited as the kind of concept the company would be interested in rewarding. Developed in Africa, where it is most used, the Hippo Water Roller is a barrel-shaped container, attached to a handle, that holds 24 gallons of water and can be rolled with little effort like a wheelbarrow, making it easier for villagers on foot to transport critically needed fresh water to their homes.

People are encouraged to submit their ideas, in any of 25 languages, at www.project10tothe100.com through October 20. Entrants must briefly describe their idea and answer six questions, including, "If your idea were to become a reality, who would benefit the most and how?"

Google employees, with the help of an advisory board, will narrow the submissions to 100 semifinalists by January 27. Between January 27 and February 2, the public will vote online for their favorite ideas. A panel of as-yet-unnamed judges will then review the top 20 ideas and announce up to five winners in mid-February.

Funding, from a pool of $10 million, will be awarded in May. If the judges decide to reward five winning ideas, each will receive $2 million. If only two ideas are chosen, each will receive $5 million, and so on.

A Google spokeswoman was reluctant to set parameters for the submissions, although the project's Web site suggests that successful ideas should address such issues as providing food and shelter, building communities, improving health, granting more access to education, sustaining the global ecosystem and promoting clean energy.

"We don't want to limit it at all. We want a wide range of ideas," said Bethany Poole, product marketing manager at Google, who announced the project Wednesday on CNN along with Andy Berndt, managing director of Google's Creative Lab. "We think great ideas come from anywhere."

To cite Google's own example, Google News began after the September 11 terrorist attacks, when an engineer became frustrated that he couldn't aggregate news sources from around the world in one place.

By opening the project to anyone -- not just laboratories or universities -- Google is embracing "crowdsourcing," the Internet-age notion that the collective wisdom of mass audiences can be leveraged to find solutions to design tasks.

Project 10^100 is not unlike the Google-sponsored Lunar X PRIZE, a $30 million international competition to safely land a robot on the surface of the moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send images and data back to Earth. The first team to land on the moon and complete the mission objectives will be awarded $20 million. At least 16 teams are competing.
Those who submit winning Project 10^100 ideas will not be required to have the technical expertise to implement them, Poole said. Google has not determined how winning projects will be sustained financially after the initial prize money runs out, she said.

People may submit more than one idea. Through its online submissions, Google also hopes to connect people with good ideas to charitable organizations who could help implement them, Poole said.

Early voting starts today (09/22/08) in some states

By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

FAIRFAX, Va. — Voters by the thousands will begin casting ballots for president this week in an early voting process that's expected to set records this year.

Residents of Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia are among the first in the nation eligible to vote in person, as well as by mail. During the next few weeks, at least 34 states and the District of Columbia will allow early in-person voting for Nov. 4 elections.

Experts such as Paul Gronke of the Early Voting Information Center predict nearly a third of the electorate will vote early this year, up from 15% in 2000 and 20% in 2004. In closely contested Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, about half the voters are expected to cast ballots before Election Day. Florida could be 40%.

"It's a sea change," says Rosemary Rodriguez, head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. "This is a little bit astounding."

It's all part of the most extensive early voting process in history. The campaigns of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are already focused on getting voters to the polls, even as their general election contest is taking shape — and before any of the debates.

What used to be a 72-hour get-out-the-vote effort has become "a 720-hour program," says Rich Beeson, the Republican National Committee's political director.

Each side says it's ready. "We go through massive efforts to make sure our supporters know all the ways that they can vote," says Jon Carson, Obama's national field director.

The boom in early voting is fed by election officials' desire to expand turnout without overwhelming polls. "The operative word is options," says Pedro Cortés, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

In Georgia, where voting begins today, Secretary of State Karen Handel has urged voters to cast ballots early and expects about 1 million to do so — 25% of the electorate. "We don't want voters to have to wait in line on Election Day," she says.

A couple of counties in Virginia and Kentucky allowed voting late last week. On Friday, 244 people voted in Fairfax County, Va. A day earlier, 96 people kicked off the process in Louisville, despite widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Ike.

Both states only allow absentee votes by people unable to get to the polls on Election Day. Thirty-one states are more liberal, allowing anyone to vote early.

What would you do????

Fort Wayne woman finds $100,000 on front porch

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A single, Fort Wayne mother found up to $100,000 on her front porch Tuesday morning (Sept. 9th). She immediately turned it over to police.

The woman who found the money between her front door and her storm door, does not want her name released. She talked exclusively with NewsChannel 15's Megan Stembol about what she found. She said at first she thought it was a loaf of banana nut bread left for her by her neighbor.

"I took a razor and sliced it, and black stuff started coming out," the 29-year old said. "It was black. It was oozy and it smelled."

When police wiped away the black substance, what was in the tightly bound package became very clear.

"He said, 'this is money'," the woman recounted, saying one officer guessed it could be up to $100,000.

The way it was wrapped lead vice and narcotics officers to believe it could be drug money. Police Officer Michael Joyner says motor oil or grease is often used in transported money to cover up it's scent, or the scent of drugs on it.

Why someone left it on an apartment doorstep, in the 600 block of Lawton Place though is a mystery.

Officers took the bundle into custody, and are investigating to see who it could belong to. Police say the woman did the right thing.

"You don't know whose money it is," said Joyner. "If it is, in fact, drug money, are they going to come looking for it...?"

The money is now in the evidence room at the Fort Wayne Police Department. Eventually it will be turned over to the Allen County general fund, if police can't figure out who its rightful owner is.

9th month, 9th day - FAS Awareness Day . . .

Some of the most common characteristics of alcohol related brain-damage include: poor impulse control and poor problem solving skills, inability to predict what may happen next, difficulty linking actions to consequences, poor social communication (inability to read environments and adapt behavior accordingly), limited abstract reasoning and lack of trial and error learning. In addition, people with FAS/FAE have great difficulty internalizing values, feelings and laws. Therefore, they do not feel empathy for others or have a sense of justice. They can be entirely unattached, feeling nothing, even for the people who raise them. Because of these deficits, they have no internalized sense of right and wrong. A person with no morals, empathy, values or feelings can be a danger to themselves and to society.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are a spectrum of disorders that are a permanent part of that child FOREVER because the mother made a choice to drink while pregnant. It is a 100% preventable birth defect. Pre-natal alcohol exposure was a choice. My son's mother chose to put that bottle to her lips and drink, injuring his future and forever altering the physical make-up of his brain. Intentional? No. But permanent nonetheless.

Education is the best medicine for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. We MUST educate women who are pregnant. We must educate women of child bearing age, whether trying to conceive or not, that you do not drink if there is a possibility of pregnancy. Let's face it. Most women don't know that they are pregnant for at very least 3 weeks after conception . During that time you could have already altered your child's brain, is it worth it? We must also educate doctors that there is no safe amount of alcohol to be consumed during pregnancy. Doctors who tell a patient to put their feet up and have a simple glass of wine are negligent. They need education.

My child's life was stolen from him. Just as a drunk driver hits a child crossing the street and permanently disables her, my son was blind-sided by a drunk mother. The vehicle just happened to be an ambilical cord full of liquor. My son was robbed of a life he could've had.

If that sounds like anger it is. I am irritated at the selfishness. I am angry at the lack of education. I am frustrated in dealing with this disorder every day. I love my boy and wish only the best for him. But, while mother's of other 13 year olds are dropping their child of for a day at the mall, I am looking at my son watching pre-school TV. While those mothers are leaving their sons at a friend's house for the night, I am drugging my son with very dangerous psychotropic meds to help him fend off the hallucinations and get a restful night sleep. I don't grieve for myself, I mourn the loss of my son's life.

Is he happy? Sure. Is he loved? Absolutely. His brain is broken. There are missing pieces. A few examples:

1. I am sitting on the couch watching televisions. He is in the chair not more than 3 feet from me. He has just been told to leave the cat alone because he has tried to keep him on his lap when the cat wanted down. About 3 minutes later the cat saunters past him. He says, "Ozzy, come here kitty." in a normal voice. I look at him. He says, "What? I didn't do anything." "Dustin I heard you call the cat." "You did? How?"

If I wasn't looking at him he has no idea how I heard him. He cannot fathom that I caught him. He denies it. With every fiber of his being he denies calling the cat. He begins to whine and cry and hit is legs in anger. I let it go. I have said nothing more. He continues to holler that he did not call the cat. I say, "Okay. Just leave the cat alone please." Not 3 minutes later I see him out of the corner of my eye looking at me. Waving his arms. I say "Dustin, I see you." He wait about 2 minutes and slaps his knees to call the cat, and says, "Here Ozzy." In a normal voice. I look at him over he top of my glasses and he raises his hands in the air and says, "What?". Argh!

2. Dustin is CONSTANTLY hungry. If I let the child eat every time he said he was hungry we would be in the poor house and he would be sick. I buy him chips for the next day after school. Despite my efforts at trying to keep them a secret he finds them. He asks if he can have them. I tell him no, it is almost bedtime. I tell him that he can earn them for a snack after school. About 3 minutes later he haaaaaaaaaaas to go to the bathroom. I send him upstairs to avoid the kitchen because I know he is trying to get he chips. Two minutes later he asks to let the dog in, once again having to go through the kitchen. No thank you Dustin. He asks to play on the computer. Sure. About 5 minutes later I notice he is missing. The chips are open and he is munching and crunching in the kitchen. RATS. Foiled again. I have him put them away and return to the living room. He is watching TV at the kids television in the room right next to me, in full view. About 10 minutes later, I notice he is sitting on the floor. Unusual. I notice he is sticking his hand under the couch. EATING CHIPS. "Dustin put the chips back in the kitchen." I put him on the chair next to me. 20 minutes pass, the asking is over. I think we are in the clear. I ask him to go shower, he has to go through the kitchen. He showers and then runs upstairs to get underwear. I realize is taking a remarkably long time to get on underwear. He comes downstairs with a mouthful of barbecue chips. "Dustin, put the chips away and get your pills for bed." He complies. Morning comes, I decide to have a small baggie of chips to take to work. I open the cabinet, no chips. I find the empty bag under his bed. Argh!

This is my life.
Object permanence is missing.
Impulsivity rules.


My child cannot ride a bicycle. He automatic memory is broken.

My son cannot read at more than a pre-school level.

My son cannot be left unsupervised very often.

My son cannot walk around the block alone.

My son cannot remember his address or phone number.

My son cannot understand risky behaviors and avoid them.

My son constantly needs an "external brain" to guide his behaviors and impulses.

My son cannot be medication free without hallucinating and living in another world.

My son cannot sleep without medication.

My son cannot be left alone.

My son cannot see consequences of his actions, or even see they are related.

My son cannot ever have the life he should've had, but my son CAN live a wonderful life that we have created for him and CAN say he is cared for and LOVED unconditionally.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders CAN be eliminated. Not one more child needs to suffer their effects. Not one more child needs to grow up with the uncertainty, the impulsivity and the frustration of having their brain permanently altered due to their mother's choices. It can happen. Get out there. Educate.

And while your at it, if you go to the store can you buy me a bag of chips?

WHEN SEX BECOMES AN ADDICTION

By Elizabeth Landau CNN

CNN) -- "Californication" star David Duchovny made headlines for voluntarily entering rehab last week. But it wasn't for drugs or alcohol. It was for another dependency, one that affects millions of Americans but is seldom discussed: sex addiction.

Sex addiction, also called compulsive sexual behavior, is like a gambling compulsion or alcoholism: It's about devoting your free time to a behavior that you cannot stop, even if you damage relationships or prompt other negative consequences. That could mean extensively using pornography, having affairs, sleeping with prostitutes, and masturbating excessively, to the point where such behaviors get out of control.

If you think it's just about primal desire, think again. For many addicts, sex becomes a way to numb out painful feelings, kill time or stop feeling lonely, says Kelly McDaniel, licensed professional counselor in San Antonio, Texas, and author of "Ready to Heal: Women Facing Love, Sex and Relationship Addiction."

"Most people I talk to get to the point where they don't even like sex," said McDaniel, who has no connection to David Duchovny and did not speculate about his specific situation.
Who are sex addicts?

Sex addiction is estimated to affect 3 to 6 percent of adults in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic, but the American Psychiatric Association has not classified the condition in its diagnostic handbook. Sexhelp.com, run by psychologist Patrick Carnes, provides an online test to help people determine if they have a problem.

The Internet, providing endless opportunities for porn-watching and cybersex, has fueled a surge in cases of sex addiction, experts say.

"We're seeing it with epidemic proportions now, particularly with regards to cybersex," said Mark Schwartz, psychologist and former director of the Masters and Johnson Institute in St. Louis, Missouri. "There isn't a week that goes by where I don't get two calls" about sex addiction.

Therapists have recently seen more women with the condition in connection with Internet porn, which has become a "gender-neutral" addiction, McDaniel said. Before, female sex addicts generally tended to have affairs or become sex workers, she said.

Experts acknowledge that people who have affairs or use pornography are not necessarily sex addicts. Such pastimes form an addiction when they generate negative consequences for a person's relationships, take over free time and become impossible to quit.

Where does it come from?

About 80 percent of sex addiction cases have sexual abuse or emotional trauma in their backgrounds, said Doug Weiss, therapist and executive director of the Heart to Heart Counseling Center. Schwartz also noted that huge numbers of people coming forward as sex addicts have been abused, assaulted or raped.

"When you have abuse in your background, you're less likely to trust people, [and] you're more likely to turn to something like sex addiction as a manifestation," Schwartz said.

Feelings of neglect as a child -- whether from divorced parents or parents who both worked and didn't spend a lot of time with their kids -- may also lead to sex addiction, Schwartz said.

Research into the neuroscience of sex addiction has not been conclusive, the Mayo Clinic said. Naturally occurring chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin do contribute to sexual functioning, but it's not clear how they are related to sex addiction. McDaniel said these two chemicals are lower in the brains of children who have suffered abuse, which may explain why some of them use their own bodies -- or, in other cases, food -- to increase dopamine and serotonin levels.

A lot of teenagers develop their sexuality with pornography, and then find that relational sex isn't as satisfying, Weiss said. Porn gives them a "very strong chemical hit," and alters ways of thinking about sex, somewhat like the classic "ring the bell, feed the dog" stimulus-response mechanism. Addicts thus learn to become sexually attached to objects, and have trouble getting the same kind of satisfaction from sex in a relationship, he said.For many people, especially women, sex addiction occurs in tandem with another problem such as an eating disorder, drug or alcohol addiction, McDaniel said.

How does treatment work?

A good treatment center will review the reasons why the addiction has come about, along with the brain chemistry of it, McDaniel said. A premier rehabilitation facility would have a combination of individual and group therapy, 12-step support, and possibly psychiatric medications such as antidepressant medications if necessary.

Health Library

MayoClinic.com: Compulsive sexual behavior
The 12-step programs, which have components that parallel Alcoholics Anonymous, are the most widely used form of treatment, said Sam Alibrando, therapist and consultant in Pasadena, California. They involve having a sponsor and being available for others in the group at any time. Anecdotally, however, they work less well than AA because sex is harder to give up, said Alibrando, author of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road: How to Change for the Better When Life Gives You Its Worst."

"Treatment is long-term, and it's not easy," McDaniel said. "I really recommend that a woman or a man find someone who's trained and understands that sex addiction is a brain disease and does not further the shame that comes with this disease."

Unlike drugs or alcohol, the goal of sex addiction therapy is usually not abstinence, but rather learning to have sex in a relationship, experts say. Similarly, someone who recovers from an overeating disorder does not stop eating entirely but learns how to manage diet. Marriage counseling often becomes part of the treatment, Weiss says.

The goals of recovery vary for different people, says Alibrando. He's currently treating a couple in which the wife cannot tolerate her husband even looking at other women. On the other end of the spectrum, he has treated couples in which a woman will buy her boyfriend pornography.
"The spectrum is so wide in terms of where people draw the line," says Alibrando.

Some recovering addicts join support groups requiring that members only have sex with their partners, even prohibiting masturbation.

What's after recovery?

Weiss considers himself a former sex addict, having recognized his problem in his early 20s. Women weren't making him happy; he was using pornography and felt "in conflict" about it.

Now, he runs a resource Web site for recovery at sexaddict.com, along with three-day intensive workshops to jump-start recovery for sex addicts.

Weiss said he's proud of Duchovny for voluntarily seeking help, apparently without prodding from press reports or lawsuits.

"This kind of person who decides to get recovery for themselves without getting exposed" is "likely to get better," he said. "People who voluntarily get better have a much better chance of staying well."

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On a personal note, I have had a lot of "emotional trauma" in my life, so I get a pass.