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05-02-2012 19:27 http://www.bigimproductreviews.info http://www.bigimproductreviews.info Healthy Diet Tips for Lose Weight Fast: Get the facts on how to lose weight fast with these secret diet plan I guide to teach you. Diet Tips 1: Does Fat make you Fat? YES and NO. The right answer to this question is dependent on what type of fat we're talking about. Certain fats are actually essential for so many important bodily functions, but the wrong kind of fat can lead us down an unhealthy path to weight gain and a long list of diseases. Weight Loss Tips 2: Fat to Avoid Hydrogenated Oils You have probably already heard in the media or just about anywhere that hydrogenated oils are detrimental to your health so to avoid them at all costs. But what exactly are they? Hydrogenation is a chemical process used to make fat more shelf stable. This hydrogenation method completely alters the liquid oil's molecular structure so that it no longer resembles a natural fat. Because your body does not recognize the transformed molecule as a natural fat, it cannot process it and treats it as a toxin. This "toxin" has been linked to cancer, birth defects, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and obesity. We must read labels! Hydrogenated oil and partially hydrogenated oil can be found in most packaged foods (margarine, crackers, chips, pretzels, cookies, cereal bars, sugar cereals, microwave popcorn, and low-fat and fat-free snacks). There are even many packaged foods advertised as "health foods" that include this toxic ...

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My Diet Tips - Eat This and Lose Weight Fast - Video

Technological advances in mobile technology have changed the way many people go about their daily lives.

Everything from schedule management to photography has been made easier.

Mobile applications even have been designed to change the way we monitor and manage our health.

The days of starving yourself or seeking expensive advice to try to manage weight loss and diet habits may soon be a thing of the past.

Smartphones and tablet computers — available wherever you go — now can act as health and weight monitors. They can be programmed to offer guidance and, in many cases, are wired to large networks designed to gather and filter information.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, it has taken users about two years to start using health and diet apps on a regular basis. Furthermore, numbers of users are quickly on the rise.

One of the most publicized apps — Lose It — is estimated to have been downloaded several million times by iPhone users who collectively report having lost more than 8 million pounds. The app is designed to allow users to set goals and establish daily calorie budgets. The app calculates the number of calories eaten when users enter what they have eaten.

Abilene Christian University student Rebecca Jackson uses Lose It on a regular basis and said the convenience of the app allows her to feel like she has the time to better manage her health.

"I have struggled to eat better and lose weight since high school — and I couldn't do it," Jackson said. "It is easier for me now because all I have to do is enter what I eat into the app and get a quick score of how I am doing. It is almost like a video game."

After seeing the success that independent app designers have had with weight loss and health management apps, large companies have taken notice and now are racing to get their apps in front of a vast virtual audience.

Companies such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig have released apps designed to work with or without their particular diet plan offerings that can be downloaded by anyone interested in their features.

Weight Watchers released its Weight Watchers Mobile app in 2011 with a robust list of advanced features. Users can track the number of points that they have accumulated based on what they have eaten by entering single food items or full recipes. The app can also gather information about a particular food item when the item's bar code is scanned with the camera of a mobile device. Personal advice and diet counseling are offered to users who also use the company's paid diet services.

Jenny Craig offers a more basic app that mimics what a number of other diet-related apps are designed to do. The app is preprogrammed with the menus and nutritional information of more than 150 nationally recognized restaurant chains. Users simply enter what they eat — or plan to eat at these restaurants — into the app to calculate a calorie count.

More information about heath and diet related apps, including user ratings and testimonials, can be found in either the Apple App Store or in Google's Android Market.

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High tech programs boost health

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ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwire -02/06/12)- Every bride wants that perfect dress on their wedding day, but for some women, the way their body looks in that wedding dress is becoming just as crucial. For years, brides-to-be have gone on pre-wedding diets to achieve their desired look, but some are noticing the saggy breasts that come with weight loss need a little adjusting before they say "I do."

According to surgeons with LocateADoc.com, increasing numbers of brides are undergoing a nip and tuck before the big day. Particularly, brides are requesting breast lifts, quickly making the procedure a bridal trend.

"With reality shows like 'Bridalplasty,' where brides compete for cosmetic enhancement before their weddings, you can see how the trend has really taken off," said Karen Castillo of LocateADoc.com.

More than 90,000 breast lift procedures were performed in 2010, the American Society of Plastic Surgery reports, making them the 7th most popular cosmetic procedure among female patients, especially brides. The increased number of breast lifts represents a 3 percent hike from 2009.

With brides heading to the gym to lose weight and shape up for their weddings, the focus on appearance is greater than ever. Though many brides are losing the weight they desire, they are left with sagging breasts and excess skin. These weight loss brides are turning to liposuction, tummy tucks and breast lifts to shape up their bodies before the wedding day.

These brides are also finding inspiration in celebrities who are also getting plastic surgery before their big wedding day. US Weekly reports Kris Jenner had a facelift before her daughter Kim Kardashian's wedding. Some websites have speculated Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former president Bill Clinton, has a sleeker looking nose and a more defined jaw in wedding pictures. In Touch Weekly is reporting singer Jessica Simpson is considering a breast reduction before her wedding to NFL star Eric Johnson.

"There is no question these celebrities inspire others to consider elective surgery," said Castillo.

While breast lift procedures may seem like a quick fix, it is still a major surgery. It takes anywhere from one week to a month to recover. The surgery is invasive, removing excess skin and repositioning and reshaping the remaining tissues and nipples. Moreover, the procedures are elective, so patients will most likely be paying out of pocket for these procedures.

Still the risks and costs do not seem to be hindering brides. Castillo remarked, "Women are finding the surgery is just as important as finding the right dress."

LocateADoc.com is a premier online physician directory connecting you with more than 150,000 doctors in specialties such as Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Bariatric, IVF, Hair Restoration, LASIK and Cosmetic Dentistry.

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LocateADoc.com Announces "Bridalplasty" Show Is Causing Breast Lift Rise

Renée Zellweger

From ballooning up twice for her role as Bridget Jones and shrinking back down as soon as the director shouted ‘that’s a wrap!’, ‘A-lister’ Renee is a definite weight loss wonder. Her intense two hour workouts, which include interval sprints and cycling, mean she can snap back into shape as quickly as you say ‘gym’. A fan of the macrobiotic diet, Renée eats low fat, high fiber foods with plenty of fish and raw veggies to stay slim.

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson shed an astonishing 80lbs and is now looking better than ever. She used Weight Watchers to help her lose the weight and has since become the company’s spokesperson. Admitting to now feeling more comfortable in her own skin, svelte Jennifer now oozes with body confidence which she never had before. She achieved her new figure through learning how to eat in moderation (usually palm sized portions), so she can now enjoy the food she loves without compromising her figure.

Jonah Hill

The comedy actor Jonah Hill managed to lose over 40lbs and now looks a far cry from his former self. His new found jawline and overall trimmer physique is down to the help of a nutritionist, who advised him how to change his eating habits. The actor admits that there is no miracle solution to weight loss – you just have to eat more healthily and exercise. So, the star enjoyed a light diet full of Japanese food such as sushi which aided his weight loss.

Kelly Osbourne

The rock and roll daughter of Ozzy Osbourne shed an amazing 42lbs in weight. The first 28lbs she managed to lose was down to her involvement with Dancing with the Stars, as all the training she did helped melt away the weight. Her trick for her continued weight loss is to have a small snack of something containing no carbs or sugar before bed to maintain metabolism. Once 161lbs at her heaviest, Kelly is now a trim Pilates-addict who can confidentially slink about in tight dresses.

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson reportedly lost 60lbs through changing her eating patterns to a sensible three meals and two snacks a day diet, and by including protein with every meal to avoid hunger pangs. She limited herself to around 1,300 to 1,600 calories a day which helped her shed the weight, as well as including interval training into her exercise plan. She also has the diet plan Nutrisystem to thank for her weight loss, which Janet is now a spokesperson for.

Kirstie Alley

The former Dancing with the Stars contestant managed to shift a staggering 100lbs in weight through an organic inspired diet and basic healthy living habits such as taking supplements, getting eight hours of sleep and enjoying moderate and frequent exercise. She has since created her very own weight loss plan to inspire others to achieve and maintain the same results and to boost energy levels and metabolism, which she feels are the key to weight loss.

Seth Rogen

Actor and writer Seth Rogen lost 30lbs in nine months, transforming him from his chubbier Knocked Up film character. Seemingly, he lost the weight for a new film role, albeit reluctantly, as he finds healthy eating and exercise quite a grueling challenge as he enjoys his ‘treats’ a bit too much. But the fact is that he was dedicated to lose the weight in the first place, with the help of a celebrity trainer. He now dons a healthier look, so let’s hope he maintains it!

Alec Baldwin

Having a scare of diabetes was enough to spur this actor into a new weight loss regime. He managed to shed 30lbs in four months by saying goodbye to the sweet stuff and taking up Pilates, yoga and the renowned calorie burning activity of spinning. Perhaps he took inspiration from his fitness freak girlfriend too, but it was his health scare that encouraged him to give up his favourite sweet treats and pizza.

Jack Osbourne

Like sister, like brother, Jack is another of the Osbourne family to have shed the excess weight – 49lbs in fact. The rock star son developed a passion for outdoor pursuits including rock climbing, helping the self-confessed adrenaline junkie lose weight through extreme sporting activities. He lost the initial weight during training to climb El Capitan, a huge Californian cliff. His weight loss ignited inner confidence as he even pursued photo shoots in the buff since losing weight!

John Goodman

At his heaviest, the family favourite actor weighed in at 400lbs, which he can ‘thank’ his love of beer for. But the much-loved US star managed to shed over 100lbs by quitting the booze and hiring a health coach to guide him into a better, healthier lifestyle. To really burn those pounds, the actor also gave up sugar and works out moderately six times a week – enough to keep him trim without exerting too much pressure on his naturally large frame.

Read more on realbuzz.com...
Quick fix weight loss plan
How to get a celeb beach body
Improve your health and fitness

Read more:
Top ten celebrity body turnarounds

Renée Zellweger

From ballooning up twice for her role as Bridget Jones and shrinking back down as soon as the director shouted ‘that’s a wrap!’, ‘A-lister’ Renee is a definite weight loss wonder. Her intense two hour workouts, which include interval sprints and cycling, mean she can snap back into shape as quickly as you say ‘gym’. A fan of the macrobiotic diet, Renée eats low fat, high fiber foods with plenty of fish and raw veggies to stay slim.

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson shed an astonishing 80lbs and is now looking better than ever. She used Weight Watchers to help her lose the weight and has since become the company’s spokesperson. Admitting to now feeling more comfortable in her own skin, svelte Jennifer now oozes with body confidence which she never had before. She achieved her new figure through learning how to eat in moderation (usually palm sized portions), so she can now enjoy the food she loves without compromising her figure.

Jonah Hill

The comedy actor Jonah Hill managed to lose over 40lbs and now looks a far cry from his former self. His new found jawline and overall trimmer physique is down to the help of a nutritionist, who advised him how to change his eating habits. The actor admits that there is no miracle solution to weight loss – you just have to eat more healthily and exercise. So, the star enjoyed a light diet full of Japanese food such as sushi which aided his weight loss.

Kelly Osbourne

The rock and roll daughter of Ozzy Osbourne shed an amazing 42lbs in weight. The first 28lbs she managed to lose was down to her involvement with Dancing with the Stars, as all the training she did helped melt away the weight. Her trick for her continued weight loss is to have a small snack of something containing no carbs or sugar before bed to maintain metabolism. Once 161lbs at her heaviest, Kelly is now a trim Pilates-addict who can confidentially slink about in tight dresses.

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson reportedly lost 60lbs through changing her eating patterns to a sensible three meals and two snacks a day diet, and by including protein with every meal to avoid hunger pangs. She limited herself to around 1,300 to 1,600 calories a day which helped her shed the weight, as well as including interval training into her exercise plan. She also has the diet plan Nutrisystem to thank for her weight loss, which Janet is now a spokesperson for.

Kirstie Alley

The former Dancing with the Stars contestant managed to shift a staggering 100lbs in weight through an organic inspired diet and basic healthy living habits such as taking supplements, getting eight hours of sleep and enjoying moderate and frequent exercise. She has since created her very own weight loss plan to inspire others to achieve and maintain the same results and to boost energy levels and metabolism, which she feels are the key to weight loss.

Seth Rogen

Actor and writer Seth Rogen lost 30lbs in nine months, transforming him from his chubbier Knocked Up film character. Seemingly, he lost the weight for a new film role, albeit reluctantly, as he finds healthy eating and exercise quite a grueling challenge as he enjoys his ‘treats’ a bit too much. But the fact is that he was dedicated to lose the weight in the first place, with the help of a celebrity trainer. He now dons a healthier look, so let’s hope he maintains it!

Alec Baldwin

Having a scare of diabetes was enough to spur this actor into a new weight loss regime. He managed to shed 30lbs in four months by saying goodbye to the sweet stuff and taking up Pilates, yoga and the renowned calorie burning activity of spinning. Perhaps he took inspiration from his fitness freak girlfriend too, but it was his health scare that encouraged him to give up his favourite sweet treats and pizza.

Jack Osbourne

Like sister, like brother, Jack is another of the Osbourne family to have shed the excess weight – 49lbs in fact. The rock star son developed a passion for outdoor pursuits including rock climbing, helping the self-confessed adrenaline junkie lose weight through extreme sporting activities. He lost the initial weight during training to climb El Capitan, a huge Californian cliff. His weight loss ignited inner confidence as he even pursued photo shoots in the buff since losing weight!

John Goodman

At his heaviest, the family favourite actor weighed in at 400lbs, which he can ‘thank’ his love of beer for. But the much-loved US star managed to shed over 100lbs by quitting the booze and hiring a health coach to guide him into a better, healthier lifestyle. To really burn those pounds, the actor also gave up sugar and works out moderately six times a week – enough to keep him trim without exerting too much pressure on his naturally large frame.

Read more on realbuzz.com...
Quick fix weight loss plan
How to get a celeb beach body
Improve your health and fitness

Link:
Top 10 celebrity body turnarounds

LONDON (Reuters) - The biggest oil companies in the world have calculated that few, if any, of today's drivers will see electric cars outnumber gasoline and diesel models in their lifetimes.

While politicians and green lobby groups insist the future of transport is electric, in the past two months BP and Exxon have released data which points to electric cars making up only 4-5 percent of all cars globally in 20-30 years.

Meanwhile some governments are targeting as much as a 60 percent market share for electric vehicles over a similar period.

The oil company forecasts may appear self-serving, but if they are widely accepted could provoke a policy shift that offers greater incentives for electric cars to end our addiction to oil.

And unlike more optimistic predictions from consultants like McKinsey, these forecast are backed by cash. They guide tens of billions of dollars in long-term investment in oil production and refining and it is oil that stands to lose if they get it wrong.

They don't, of course, take into account a major breakthrough in battery technology that could give electric cars a cost and performance edge over the internal combustion engine.

In its Energy Outlook for 2030, released earlier this month, BP predicted that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, will make up only 4 percent of the global fleet of 1.6 billion commercial and passenger vehicles in 2030.

"Oil will remain the dominant transport fuel and we expect 87 percent of transport fuel in 2030 will still be petroleum based," BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said as he unveiled the BP statistics on January 18.

The balance is seen coming from biofuels, natural gas and electricity.

Plug-in hybrids can be powered from the mains and only rely on their small gasoline engines when the battery dies.

Standard hybrids are principally driven by an internal combustion engine whose efficiency is boosted by the recycling of energy generated from braking.

Exxon Mobil, the biggest oil and gas company in the world, says the continued high cost of electric vehicles compared to petroleum cars, means take-up won't even increase much during the 2030s.

In its 2040 Energy Outlook, released in December, the Texas-based company said electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and vehicles that run on natural gas would make up only 5 percent of the fleet by 2040.

Peter Voser, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell, the industry number two, sees a rosier future for electric vehicles. He predicts they will account for up to 40 percent of the worldwide car fleet, although only by 2050.

A $50 BILLION-A-YEAR OPINION

The statistics published by Exxon and BP, Europe's second-largest oil company by market value, are perhaps the most detailed long-term forecasts on electric vehicle take-up.

These Energy Outlooks guide how the oil groups allocate their annual investment budgets - among the biggest in the world, at over $50 billion combined for BP and Exxon.

The expected continued dominance of petroleum partly explains the scaling back in BP and Shell's solar, hydrogen and wind power ambitions in recent years, and Exxon's continued reluctance to get involved in renewable energy.

Insofar as the companies are active in green energy, it is mainly in the production and blending of biofuels. This is driven by U.S. and European governments' insistence that a percentage of motor fuels sold must come from plant-based sources.

If the oil companies are wrong about electric cars they will find their investments in big and expensive new oil production projects, which increasingly need crude prices around $80 per barrel to be profitable, not paying off.

The companies do see an easing in the addiction to oil, though.

Despite increased car ownership in China and India, Exxon predicts "global demand for fuel for personal vehicles will soon peak" due to an increase in average fuel efficiency.

BP expects the efficiency of combustion engines to double by 2030, with a third of vehicles on the road being hybrids.

This trend will be driven by more stringent fuel economy standards in the U.S., CO2 reduction legislation in Europe and an end to oil subsidies in developing countries.

Increased airline and commercial vehicle traffic will counterbalance some of the efficiency gains from cars but BP predicts that, helped by increased use of biofuels, demand for oil for transport overall will plateau in the mid-2020s.

GREENS FUME, POLITICIANS SEE QUICKER ADOPTION

Green groups reacted with suspicion to the oil industry forecasts.

"Exxon would say that, wouldn't they. A big take-up of electric cars is not something they would like to see," said Jos Dings, director of Brussels-based sustainable transport campaign group, Transport and Environment.

"The future for petrol and deisel doesn't look good," he countered.

Nonetheless, environmentalists like Dings fear political complacency about improving vehicle efficiency could prompt governments to ease targets to cut vehicle emissions, which could in turn delay the electrification of transport.

Big Oil's pessimistic outlook for electric cars is at odds with many governments' plans.

Electric vehicles barely register on the statistics of car sales at the moment. Nonetheless, China is targeting 5 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2020, according to media reports. This would represent around 3 percent of its predicted fleet.

The Australian government's main energy adviser, the Australian Energy Market Commission, has predicted electric vehicles will make up 20 per cent of new car sales in Australia by 2020 and 45 per cent by 2030.

The UK's Committee on Climate, which advises the government, has predicted electric vehicles will reach around 60 percent of new cars and vans by 2030. And New Zealand hopes to get to 60 percent by 2040.

The U.S. has more muted ambitions. President Barack Obama said he wants to put 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015, a figure that would represent less than half of one percent of the total fleet.

Many U.S. experts and officials predict a tipping point in the uptake in electric vehicles in the latter part of this decade, as technology improves, economies of scale kick in and consumer fears about being stranded when their batteries run flat, or "range anxiety", eases.

However, data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration may explain the lack of an official U.S. target. Last week, the agency released an 'abridged version' of its Annual Energy Outlook 2012, due to be released in full in the Spring.

Tables used in formulating the outlook show electric vehicles and plug in hybrids are expected to account for only 1.3 percent of the U.S. fleet in 2030.

Furthermore, the agency predicts that neither consumers, nor carmakers, will get over 'range anxiety'. By 2035, the agency sees few, if any, electric vehicles on U.S. roads that can travel for 200 miles without recharging.

CARMAKER ENTHUSIASM COOLS

Many of the headlines out of autoshows in the past couple of years have been captured by the launch of electric cars such as Nissan's <7201.T> Leaf, the Tesla sports car, plug-ins like General Motors' Chevrolet Volt, and the latest incarnation of the Toyota <7203.T> Prius.

Other manufacturers including BMW , Rolls-Royce and Porsche have presented electric-powered prototypes.

On the basis of this, one could be forgiven for thinking the auto industry is betting big on electric power.

Yet few auto executives share the optimism of Renault and Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn who has repeatedly said he sees electric vehicles making up 10 percent of all sales in 2020.

A survey of 200 auto industry executives conducted by KPMG released earlier this month gave an average forecast for electric vehicles to account for 6-10 percent of global auto sales in 2025 - more bullish than Exxon and BP but hardly a revolution.

"Certainly a year ago or so, you could have gotten the impression from reading the press that everyone is driving electric cars in two years time," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said at a roundtable at the sidelines of the Detroit auto show last month.

Zetsche said he did not see "an explosion of demand for this product".

Echoing comments from the oil companies, Gerd Kleinert, CEO of KSPG, the automotive parts business belonging to German group Rheinmetall , says take-up of electric cars will be curtailed until batteries can store energy using as little weight as gasoline does, and can be recharged as quickly as refilling a fuel tank.

"When that world exists, then we will all be driving electric cars starting tomorrow. But I personally don't see that happening, not even a hundred years from now."

(Additional reporting by Christiaan Hetzner in Frankfurt; Editing by Chris Wickham)

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Oil industry sees no threat from electric car

(Reuters) - An elite California college's admission this week that it tried to boost its reputation by inflating the test scores of incoming freshmen has stoked a heated debate over the outsized influence and controversial methodology of commercial "best college" lists.

But behind the furor over the fraud at Claremont McKenna College is a crescendo of calls from academics, politicians and parents for new rating systems that would measure what really matters: how effectively an institution educates.

Reformers argue that for too long, American institutions of higher learning have been measured primarily by their prestige. The rankings with the most cachet, compiled by U.S. News & World Report, rely heavily on a college's reputation in the academic world, how much it spends on faculty and the caliber of students it attracts.

The fraud disclosed this week by Claremont McKenna - ranked the ninth-best liberal arts college in America by U.S. News - involved an administrator who falsified years worth of incoming students' scores on the SAT, a key U.S. college admissions exam, to make the college appear more selective.

Other American top-college publications try to move beyond selectivity. The Princeton Review bases its ratings on student surveys that ask everything from "Are your instructors good teachers" to "How do you rate the food on campus?" And the Forbes list considers how much debt students incur to pay tuition and how favorably they rate their professors in online forums.

International rankings, such as those produced by Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds, rely heavily on a university's reputation and influence, such as how often its research is cited in academic journals. QS also gives some weight to the views of global employers, who are asked which campuses produce the best graduates.

But by and large, the "best colleges" lists don't even attempt to measure what students get out of their years at college: Did they improve their critical thinking? Did they learn the subject matter? Can they land good jobs?

"Even the crudest measures of student outcomes, like job placement, are hard to find," said David Paris, executive director of the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability, an advocacy group that is pushing for a new approach to ratings. "The way the system has developed, very few institutions have an incentive to ask, 'Are students learning?'"

Alternative rating systems are beginning to emerge, with the federal government, state legislatures and private groups all getting into the act.

President Barack Obama last week announced plans to assess the effectiveness of public and private colleges and direct federal aid to those that give students the most bang for the buck. The Department of Education is also developing a "college scorecard," akin to the fuel-economy stickers on new cars, that let parents and students compare competing institutions at a glance. The metrics to be used in the ratings, however, are still being developed.

CONCERN ABOUT PRESSURE TO 'DUMB DOWN'

Some states are further along. Minnesota has created an online "accountability dashboard" that uses colorful graphics to show how each college in the state system fares on measures such as the percentage of graduates who pass professional licensing exams, perceived academic rigor and even how many buildings on campus are crumbling.

Purdue University in Indiana publishes reports on alumni outcomes in such granular detail that prospective students can vividly picture their future. Those considering Purdue's landscape architecture program, for instance, might find it useful to know that one in four recent grads has been unable to find work - and that the average salary among those who are employed stands at $37,000.

Several states, meanwhile, have begun to rate colleges based on how many undergraduates are passing classes and moving steadily toward a degree. Campuses can often get bonus points for serving low-income students or awarding degrees in highly valued subjects such as math and science. Those that score well are rewarded with more funding. Those that do poorly lose out.

Indiana and Ohio have adopted this system. More than a dozen states plan to consider similar measures this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Skeptics fear that some of these new government-mandated ratings put too much emphasis on affordability and efficiency - in effect, rewarding colleges for pushing large numbers of students toward degrees cheaply and quickly. That, in turn, could prompt institutions to 'dumb down' the curriculum.

"If the goal is simply to reduce the cost of higher education and graduate more students, I can do that tomorrow at every institution in America," said Richard Arum, a professor of sociology and education at New York University. The easy way to get there? "Require less," he said.

To counteract that temptation, there are also efforts to better measure - and report - how much students actually learn, as well as what they experience day-to-day on campus. More than 300 state colleges and universities, representing 60 percent of public four-year institutions in the United States, have pledged to post extensive data about their own performance on a website, CollegePortraits.org.

Prospective students who visit the site can find out that virtually every undergraduate class at the University of Colorado at Boulder has more than 50 students; that nearly 30 percent of freshmen at Northern Arizona University don't return for their sophomore year; and that given the chance to roll back the clock, just 72 percent of seniors at the University of Missouri at Kansas City would pick their school above other options.

MEASURING LEARNING

Within four years, the online profiles will also include information about how well students are developing high-level skills, as measured by the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test of critical thinking.

Several colleges have already begun posting results. Those include not just raw scores but also a measure of average cognitive growth from freshman to senior year - and how that stacks up against comparable campuses. The data indicate, for instance, that students at California State University at Long Beach improve their critical thinking skills far more than peers at similar colleges. Students at San Diego State do not.

Robert J. Morse, director of data research at U.S. News & World Report, said he would like to include such measures in his publication's rankings. "That's definitely something very important that's missing," he said. But few private colleges report such data.

Pressure on all colleges to step up disclosures are mounting in large part because of the soaring cost of college. Tuition, room and board at the most elite schools, such as Harvard and Yale, hover around $60,000 a year. The average private college approaches $40,000. And public schools are not always bargains: The average student attending his local state university faces a sticker price of $17,000, according to the College Board, a non-profit consortium of colleges.

Parents contemplating that kind of investment want to know what they're getting, said Tom Lindsay, director of the Center for Higher Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank that pushes for more transparency on college costs and outcomes. "There's a lot of skepticism" from parents and students, Lindsay said. "Universities are going to have to do a better job selling themselves."

But even when statistics about student outcomes are available, parents often don't know where to look. The College Portraits website got just half a million unique visitors last year, though millions of undergrads are studying at the public four-year colleges it rates. The non-profit groups that run the site do little marketing other than mailing posters to high-school guidance counselors nationwide.

"There isn't a shortage of data ... but I don't know that anyone has come up with a good way of harnessing it and making it easily digestible," said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Without a one-stop shop for clear, comprehensive information, some parents fall back on easy-to-grasp lists like the annual "best colleges" rankings, Hawkins said.

As for prospective students, many never think to look for statistical measures of a college's value.

"I don't think any of that really crossed my mind," said Jordan Seman, a high-school senior from Denver who has applied to nine colleges spread out across the country.

Jordan, who is 18, has visited a few of her top choices in person. Others she picked after taking virtual tours and scanning course offerings online. Jordan says she hopes to do more extensive research after she learns where she's been accepted. "Otherwise," she said, "I'll just go with my gut."

(Reporting By Stephanie Simon in Denver; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Eric Beech)

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CHAMONIX, France —

Klaus Kroell gave Austria its first World Cup downhill victory of the season Friday, edging Bode Miller by 0.01 seconds in a race so tight the top five skiers were separated by only 0.08 seconds.

Miller was faster than Kroell at every split, but the American lost time on the bottom section and finished an eye blink behind Kroell, who won in 2 minutes, 4.22 seconds.

After Miller crossed the line, he spun quickly to check the big screen to see how he did. He held his head in his hands in disbelief and stood still for a few seconds.

"It's tough. ... There's so many places where a hundredth can come or go," Miller said. "I didn't really have a great reach for the finish line, which I always try to do well. That's the worst place to lose it, right out of the start or right at the finish line, and today I kind of left a little bit out there."

This was Kroell's fourth World Cup victory and his first since he won the downhill at Wengen, Switzerland, in January last year.

"Having waited so long it's a great joy, and a great relief. A great weight has been lifted from me," Kroell said. "It was a very difficult race for me because I made a mistake right at the start, and then on a turn. So it was a bad start."

Under overcast skies and with light snow falling on the La Verte des Houches course, 37-year-old Didier Cuche of Switzerland finished third in his bid for a third straight downhill victory. He was 0.03 seconds behind Miller in 2:04.26. Romed Baumann of Austria and Erik Guay of Canada shared fourth place.

"Because everyone's so close together with the ability, and the courses seem to be easier - they're slower - there's less things that separate the field," Miller said. "A lot of these races are unbelievable close. That's a challenge in itself to really make sure that you stay focused and pay attention to the things that matter."

Miller almost captured his second downhill win of the season after his aggressive run down the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek, Colo., two months ago when he finished ahead of Beat Feuz and Kroell.

"It didn't really feel exactly like my skis were running that well," Miller said. "I knew I got away with a lot of stuff at the top so I knew I'd be fast up there, but once I was on that bottom flat I kind of felt like I was losing."

"It was really wet, kind of weird snow," he added. "And when you hit that stuff ... they (the skis) go all over the place. It's kind of hard to tell what they're doing."

Hannes Reichelt had the previous best downhill performance by an Austrian this season - second on the Lauberhorn course in Wengen last month. Kroell, meanwhile, has had three third-place finishes.

Cuche, who is set to retire this year, won in Chamonix last year and was very close to adding another win to his glittering collection in his final season. He won downhills in Kitzbuehel, Austria, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, last month.

The race was rescheduled from Val Gardena, Italy, the first classic downhill of the season. It had been called off in December because of strong wind.

Chamonix hosts its regular downhill Saturday, followed by a super combined on Sunday.

Originally posted here:
Klaus Kroell wins World Cup downhill at Chamonix

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