Multiple genes robustly contribute to schizophrenia risk in replication study

Apr. 9, 2013 ? Multiple genes contribute to risk for schizophrenia and appear to function in pathways related to transmission of signals in the brain and immunity, according to an international study led by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy researchers.

By better understanding the molecular and biological mechanisms involved with schizophrenia, scientists hope to use this new genetic information to one day develop and design drugs that are more efficacious and have fewer side effects.

In a study published online in the April issue of JAMA Psychiatry, the JAMA Network journal, researchers used a comprehensive and unique approach to robustly identify genes and biological processes conferring risk for schizophrenia.

The researchers first used 21,953 subjects to examine over a million genetic markers. They then systematically collected results from other kinds of biological schizophrenia studies and combined all these results using a novel data integration approach.

The most promising genetic markers were tested again in a large collection of families with schizophrenia patients, a design that avoids pitfalls that have plagued genetic studies of schizophrenia in the past. The genes they identified after this comprehensive approach were found to have involvement in brain function, nerve cell development and immune response.

"Now that we have genes that are robustly associated with schizophrenia, we can begin to design much more specific experiments to understand how disruption of these genes may affect brain development and function," said principal investigator Edwin van den Oord, Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Biomarker Research and Personalized Medicine in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science at the VCU School of Pharmacy.

"Also, some of these genes provide excellent targets for the development of new drugs," he said.

One specific laboratory experiment currently underway at VCU to better understand the function of one of these genes, TCF4, is being led by Joseph McClay, Ph.D., a co-author on the study and assistant professor and laboratory director in the VCU Center for Biomarker Research and Personalized Medicine. TCF4 works by switching on other genes in the brain. McClay and colleagues are conducting a National Institutes of Health-funded study to determine all genes that are under the control of TCF4. By mapping the entire network, they aim to better understand how disruptions to TCF4 increase risk for schizophrenia.

"Our results also suggest that the novel data integration approach used in this study is a promising tool that potentially can be of great value in studies of a large variety of complex genetic disorders," said lead author Karolina A. Aberg, Ph.D., research assistant professor and laboratory co-director of the Center for Biomarker Research and Personalized Medicine in the VCU School of Pharmacy.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health grants R01HG004240; R01MH078069; 1R01MH097283; and R01MH080403.

Collaborating institutions included Copenhagen University Hospital in Roskilde, Denmark; Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden; School of Medicine at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom; St. James Hospital in Ireland; University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom; University of California at Los Angeles; University College of London in the United Kingdom; University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom; University of Munich in Germany; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital in Norway; University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine; VA Boston Healthcare System; and Harvard Medical School.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Virginia Commonwealth University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Aberg KA, Liu Y, Buksz?r J, et al. A Comprehensive Family-Based Replication Study of Schizophrenia Genes. JAMA Psychiatry, 2013; DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.288

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/5SSY9zStYuo/130409173552.htm

neil degrasse tyson davy jones death born this way foundation lytro camera lytro camera andrew brietbart branson mo

Rihannaing: Star Inspires No Pants + Hockey Jersey Meme!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/rihanna-ing-star-inspires-no-pants-plus-hockey-jersey-meme/

what will my baby look like gary carter died cmas cmas tcu dr. oz heart attack grill las vegas

Written in the stars: How an alien planet helped a man woo his true love

PHL @ UPR Arecibo

An artist's conception shows Alpha Centauri Bb, the nearest known exoplanet. Will it end up being called "Amara," or "Tiber," or plain old Alpha Centauri Bb?

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Zeb Gray thought naming an exoplanet after his girlfriend would be the perfect tribute to "the eternal love that we share for each other"?? and whether or not the name sticks, the decision arguably changed his life. On Friday, Gray asked Amara Somers to marry him, and she said yes.

Did the fact that Gray proposed the name "Amara" for the planet now known as Alpha Centauri Bb have anything to do with the way his more personal proposal was received? "I think it weighed on her decision," Gray, a 25-year-old security guard from Carson City, Nev., told NBC News.

---

The planet-naming gap
Amara is currently the top vote-getter in Uwingu's online contest to give Alpha Centauri Bb, the closest-known exoplanet, a more mellifluous name. Traditionally, the International Astronomical Union has had the job of naming celestial bodies ??but for now,?the IAU has held off on setting up an exoplanet-naming system. Instead, astronomers refer to alien worlds using a combination of the star's name (for example, Alpha Centauri B) and a lower-case letter (which is where that second "b" comes from).

Uwingu, a space-themed entertainment venture, has stepped into the gap with a system that lets users suggest planet names for $4.99, and cast ballots for 99 cents a vote. Half of the proceeds will go to support space science and education projects.

The contest to rename Alpha Centauri Bb runs until April 15, and although the resulting name won't have any official standing with the IAU, Gray would love to see Amara win. "I'm glad to see it has a decent lead, but that could go away pretty quickly," Gray said.

Uwingu

Zeb Gray pays tribute to his fiancee, Amara Somers, with an online card as well as an exoplanet name suggestion.

It helps that Amara is also the name of a magical world featured in Graham Edwards' "Stone" science-fiction trilogy. In Edwards' books, Amara is also known as Stone. It's structured like a spiraling stone wall, and inhabited by hundreds of civilizations.

There's another contender with a strong science-fiction connection, and a high-profile backer to boot. The name "Tiber" is favored by Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, who's the co-author of a 1977 sci-fi novel titled "Encounter With Tiber."?The Tiberians hail from a planet in the Alpha Centauri, and that's one of Aldrin's selling points.

"Don't forget to vote for TIBER in the contest to replace the name for Alpha Centauri Bb," Aldrin told his nearly 800,000 followers in a Twitter update last week. As of this writing, Tiber is No. 17 on the charts with 35 votes ? ranking below Amara as well as Heinlein, Pele, Sagan, Asimov and Ron Paul.

Wooed by a moon
Gray, who met Somers at the state agency where they both work four months ago, isn't the first guy to impress a woman by naming a celestial body after her. When Naval Observatory astronomer James Christy discovered Pluto's biggest moon in 1978, he proposed naming it "Charon"?? not only because Charon was the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology, but also because the name paid tribute to his wife, Charlene.

("Char" was Christy's pet nickname for his wife. In her honor, the name is often pronounced "Shar-on" rather than "Care-on, " which is the pronunciation associated with the Greek ferryman. That's one of the many fun facts you'll find in my book, "The Case for Pluto.")

Is it really worth all this fuss to give Alpha Centauri Bb a better name? Astronomer Xavier Dumusque, the lead author of the paper that announced the exoplanet's discovery last year, thinks so.

"I would definitively endorse the name for public outreach and lectures," Dumusque told NBC News in an email. "In astronomy, we have some chance to be able to make people dream, by showing a wonderful picture, by discovering new worlds. If someone is interested in astronomy, he should not face troubles to understand all the nomenclature. Therefore, giving memorable names for planets is one way to get more people interested in our wonderful research."

Do you agree? What names would you suggest? Check out the Uwingu list, and feel free to leave your suggestions as comments below.

More about the celestial name game:

---

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a87947a/l/0Lcosmiclog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A90C1767530A80Ewritten0Ein0Ethe0Estars0Ehow0Ean0Ealien0Eplanet0Ehelped0Ea0Eman0Ewoo0Ehis0Etrue0Elove0Dlite/story01.htm

TD Bank mountain lion hanley ramirez Christian Bale visits victims Christian Bale Sherman Hemsley Olympics Opening Ceremony

Obama 'determined as ever' for gun bill

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? With time running out on the chance to pass gun control legislation, President Barack Obama on Monday warned Congress not to use delaying tactics against tighter regulations and told families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims that he's "determined as ever" to honor their children with tougher laws.

Obama's gun control proposals have run into resistance on Capitol Hill, leaving their fate in doubt. Efforts by Senate Democrats to reach compromise with Republicans over expanding required federal background checks have yet to yield an agreement, and conservatives were promising to try blocking the Senate from even beginning debate on gun control legislation.

"The day Newtown happened was the toughest day of my presidency," Obama said in an emotional speech from Connecticut's capital, an hour's drive from Newtown. "But I've got to tell you, if we don't respond to this, that'll be a tough day for me too."

Some of the Sandy Hook families are making an attempt to push through the bill. Obama met with them privately before his speech at the University of Hartford Monday evening, then brought 12 family members back to Air Force One for the trip back to Washington. The relatives want to meet with senators who've yet to back the legislation to encourage their support in memory of their loved ones.

"Nothing's going to be more important in making sure that the Congress moves forward this week than hearing from them," Obama said. His eyes teared as he described Nicole Hockley, who lost her 6-year-old son, Dylan, saying how she asks him every night to come to her in her dreams so she can see him again.

"If there's even one thing we can do to prevent a father from having to bury his child, isn't that worth fighting for?" Obama asked.

Obama's speech was interrupted repeatedly by standing ovations from the packed gymnasium. At one point, the room erupted with chants of "We want a vote!" Audience members, many wearing green ribbons in support of the victims, were stomping their feet on the bleachers and clapping their hands in unison with the chant.

"This is not about me. This is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here who have been torn apart by gun violence," Obama said, his voice rising with emotion as he shook his finger in the air.

Obama argued that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to allow an up-or-down vote in the Senate. That would require 50 votes to pass, rather than a procedural maneuver some Republican senators are threatening to require 60 votes, potentially sinking the legislation.

"Some back in Washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms. Think about that. They're not just saying they'll vote no on ideas that almost all Americans support. They're saying they'll do everything they can to even prevent any votes on these provisions. They're saying your opinion doesn't matter. And that's not right.

Obama rode to the speech with Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who signed sweeping gun control legislation into law Thursday with the Sandy Hook families standing behind him. But legislation in Washington faces a tougher challenge, as the nation's memories of the shooting fade with time and the National Rifle Association wages a formidable campaign against Obama's proposals.

Majority Leader Harry Reid brought gun control legislation to the Senate floor on Monday, though actual debate did not begin. He took the step after receiving a letter from 13 conservative Republican senators including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, saying they would use delaying tactics to try preventing lawmakers from beginning to consider the measure. Such a move takes 60 votes to overcome, a difficult hurdle in the 100-member chamber.

The conservatives said the Democratic measure would violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms, citing "history's lesson that government cannot be in all places at all times, and history's warning about the oppression of a government that tries."

Further underscoring the tough road ahead for the Obama-backed legislation, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the Kentucky Republican would join the filibuster if Reid tries to bring the measure to the floor.

Obama said the vote shouldn't be about his legacy, but about the families in Newtown who haven't moved on to other matters.

"Newtown, we want you to know that we're here with you," Obama said. "We will not walk away from the promises we've made. We are as determined as ever to do what must be done. In fact, I'm here to ask you to help me show that we can get it done. We're not forgetting."

A group of Sandy Hook families originally planned to travel to Washington earlier on Monday, but the White House offered to give the families a ride so they could also attend Obama's speech before their lobbying push. The White House lit up the steps of Air Force One with flood lights so photographers and television cameras could capture the image of Obama climbing the plane's steps with the families at dusk.

Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter Ana was among the victims at Sandy Hook, held up a sign that said "Love Wins" as she walked toward the steps of Air Force One.

The families' lobbying trip was organized by Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit started by community members in the wake of the shooting. "The group is encouraging senators to come together around legislative proposals that will both save lives and respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans," the group said in a statement.

With time running out on negotiations, the White House is making an all-hands-on-deck push this week. Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder planned to promote their plan at the White House on Tuesday with law enforcement officials. First lady Michelle Obama planned to wade into the debate Wednesday with a speech on youth violence in her hometown of Chicago. And on Thursday, Biden was taking part in a discussion on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" with people who have different views on gun control.

Organizing for Action, the grassroots group being formed out of Obama's re-election campaign to support his agenda, said it was launching online ads Monday asking the public to urge their senators to support background checks. The ads will target 11 senators ? all Republicans ? through Facebook and search engines. An OFA spokesman said the group was not disclosing the cost of the ad campaign.

Gun control is divisive in Newtown, Conn., as in the rest of the country. Not all Sandy Hook families support gun control, and even those involved with the lobbying push organized by Sandy Hook Promise are not backing the assault weapons ban. But those families are asking lawmakers to expand background checks, increase penalties for gun trafficking and limit the size of magazines.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-says-hes-determined-ever-gun-bill-221018585--politics.html

jeff gordon veterans day mike brown bcs rankings When Is Veterans Day 2012 brooke burke Alexa Vega

Watch Colbert Convince Bill Clinton To Join Twitter As @PrezBillyJeff

Sometimes, politics is just plain entertaining. Yesterday, Stephen Colbert managed to charm President Bill Clinton in to joining Twitter under an alias that only the night-night comedian could do.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/01Tu21c31jg/

stephon marbury the lion king suzanne collins cherry blossom festival nc state erika van pelt pat robertson

Posture Predicts Disability Risk, Study Shows | Health and Fitness ...

? or other guide. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/paola-bassanese/keep-fit-with-classical-p_b_987756.html" target="_hplink">This piece</a> offers a great run-down of the activity, along with images of some classic pilates stretches and workouts.

Best Prices on all YOUR Health and Fitness Requirements! CLICK HERE

Source: http://www.16g.org/posture-predicts-disability-risk-study-shows/

carnival cruise nfl nfl lil wayne wes welker kobe bryant ides of march

Publishing company founder Workman dies at 74

NEW YORK (AP) ? Peter Workman, the founder of a publishing company known for such best-sellers as "What to Expect When You're Expecting," died Sunday. He was 74.

He died of cancer at his New York City home, said Selina Meere, spokeswoman for Workman Publishing Co.

Workman was founder, president and CEO of one of the largest independent publishers of nonfiction trade books and calendars.

Titles also include such favorites as the boxed Page-A-Day Calendar, "The Official Preppy Handbook" and "The Silver Palate Cookbook."

In addition to the Workman imprint, the company consists of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Artisan, Storey Books, Timber Press, and HighBridge Audio.

A Long Island native, Workman was a Yale University graduate.

After a job in the sales department of Dell Publishing, he founded Workman in 1967 as a book packager. Within two years, its inaugural list led with Richard Hittleman's "Yoga 28-Day Exercise Plan," which is still in print.

Workman bestsellers also include are B. Kliban's "Cat," Sandra Boynton's children's books, and "1,000 Places To See Before You Die." Artisan published chef Thomas Keller's "The French Laundry Cookbook."

He is survived by his widow, Carolan Raskin Workman, their two daughters and four grandchildren.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/publishing-company-founder-workman-dies-74-193817052.html

ellen degeneres jcpenney yeardley love nba all star reserves rock center christine christine will ferrell

The Secret Origin Of How I Became A Liberal (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/297214697?client_source=feed&format=rss

drexel dale george will obama birth certificate nick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live snl lindsay lohan

Are Your Goals Negatively Impacting Your Relationships ...

Home ? Goal-Free Living ? Are Your Goals Negatively Impacting Your Relationships?

April 5, 2013 ?

Today?s Friday Fun Fact?

Last week I briefly touched upon my perspective on goal setting. While they have been universally considered a magic bullet for success both personally and professionally, goals are not without their downsides.

Interestingly, the way in which you frame your goals can have a significant impact on your relationships.

This, according to the authors of a paper published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science that focused on whether people are open and straightforward when working with others.

The?study?noted that?people who establish goals to improve themselves (?self-improvement goals?), like getting better grades, increasing sales numbers or nailing a perfect ?10?, tend to be more cooperative in nature.

Whereas people who set goals that will enable them to perform better than others (?performance goals?) such as becoming Valedictorian or completing a task more quickly than a fellow co-worker, have more of a tendency to be ?deceitful and less likely to share information with coworkers.?The reason for this is fairly obvious ? when you want to outperform others, it doesn?t make sense to be honest about information.?

The study suggests that those with self-improvement goals?on the other hand tend to be quite open. ?If the ultimate goal is to improve yourself, one way to do it is to be very cooperative with other people?(however) they?re not really altruists, per se. They see the social exchange as a means toward the ends of self-improvement.?

Other research shows that those with self-improvement goals are also more open to hearing different perspectives, while those with?performance goals ?would rather just say, ?I?m just right and you are wrong.??

According to the authors, both types of goal setting can be effective. However, their findings suggest that helping individuals frame their goals to focus on self-improvement instead of performance may foster a better overall team environment.

From my perspective, performance goals can be extremely useful for creating a powerful team when the objective is to be better than external competition.

Regardless, a good balance of goals creates a high-performance environment that also fosters collaboration. The key, as I have discussed before, is to not hyper-focus on the goal to the point where you miss the bigger picture and bigger opportunities.

P.S. For more on my goal-setting perspective, read?Goal-Free Living.

Source: http://www.steveshapiro.com/2013/04/05/are-your-goals-negatively-impacting-your-relationships/

ryan oneal file taxes online tupac shakur sledge hammer tax day freebies madison bumgarner wnba draft

Source: http://slaterabram95.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/are-your-goals-negatively-impacting-your-relationships.html

weather forecast national weather service weather channel Rivals Kaepernick Eddie Vanderdoes puppy bowl

Kerry in Turkey, eyes new bid for talks in Mideast

ISTANBUL (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Turkey early Sunday on the first leg of a 10-day trip to Europe and Asia that would also seek to unlock long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Kerry was expected to encourage Turkish leaders to continue improving ties with Israel. The two countries were once allies, but relations spiraled downward after Israel's 2010 raid on a Turkish flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died.

Hopes for rapprochement improved after Obama brokered a telephone conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while President Barack Obama was in Israel last month.

Kerry also will coordinate with Erdogan and other Turkish officials on efforts to halt the violence in neighboring Syria.

Kerry planned to fly from Turkey to Jerusalem for meetings with the presidents and prime ministers of both Israel and the Palestinians. He had accompanied Obama there and made a solo trip to Israel shortly after.

Though expectations are low for any breakthrough on Kerry's trip, his diplomacy represents some of the Obama administration's most sustained efforts for ending more than six decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Kerry probably will seek confidence-building measures between the two sides. Negotiators and observers see little chance right now for immediate progress on the big stumbling blocks toward a two-state peace agreement.

Kerry will also visit Britain and then South Korea, China and Japan, where talks will focus on North Korea's nuclear program and escalating threats against the U.S. and its allies.

He is scheduled to return to Washington on April 15.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-turkey-eyes-bid-talks-mideast-003347638--politics.html

sea lion si swimsuit 2012 westminster dog show abe lincoln vampire hunter xi jinping matt bomer westminster kennel club dog show

Jon Gosselin: Spreading Lies About Kate For Profit?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/jon-gosselin-spreading-lies-about-kate-for-profit/

nazi ss andrej pejic steve jobs fbi safehouse brown recluse brown recluse front door

Syrian airstrike kills at least 5 in Aleppo

BEIRUT (AP) ? A Syrian government airstrike on a heavily contested neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo killed at least five people Saturday, while several mortar rounds slammed into a residential district in Damascus, leaving at least one person dead, activists and state media said.

Aleppo and Damascus ? Syria's two largest cities ? are key fronts in civil war between President Bashar Assad and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime. Opposition fighters have managed to seize control of several neighborhoods in Aleppo since storming the city last summer, while the regime has largely kept the rebels at bay so far in Damascus, although opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital and look increasingly capable of threatening the heart of the city ? and Assad's power.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air raid Saturday hit Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, which rebels seized parts of last weekend after days of heavy fighting with regime troops.

Both sides are eager to control the strategic district, which is predominantly inhabited by minority Kurds. The neighborhood is located on a hill on the northern edge of Aleppo and overlooks much of the city, giving those who control it the ability to pound districts held by the opposing side with mortars and artillery.

The rebels control large swaths of northern Syria, and captured their first provincial capital ? the city of Raqqa ? last month. They have also been making gains in recent weeks in the south, seizing military bases and towns in the strategically important region between Damascus and the border with Jordan, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the capital.

In Damascus, mortar rounds hit the residential district of Kafar Souseh on the city's western outskirts, killing one person and wounding at least 13, the state-run SANA news agency said. The attacks also caused material damage to stores in the district and set several parked vehicles on fire, SANA said.

The Observatory said mortar rounds also struck the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

It was not immediately clear who fired the shells, but mortar rounds have fallen with increasingly regularity in the center of the capital, puncturing the aura of normalcy that the regime has tried to cultivate in the city.

The Observatory also reported clashes between government troops and rebels Saturday in the town of Otaybah east of Damascus.

Also Saturday, the newly elected prime minister of the Western-backed opposition umbrella group, Ghassan Hitto, started reviewing candidates for a planned rebel interim government that will consist of 11 ministries and will be based inside Syria, according to a statement by the Syrian National Coalition.

It said Hitto, who has lived in the United States for many years, aims to "attract the qualified talent and competencies required to manage the upcoming phase of the revolution."

The candidates for ministerial and deputy positions must be Syrian citizens older than 35 years of age, the statement said. It added that high-ranking regime officials or "those who have committed crimes against the Syrian people or have unlawfully seized Syrian property or wealth" will be excluded from consideration.

"The nominee must be an advocate or supporter of the Syrian revolution," the statement said.

The Western-backed opposition alliance has been marred by severe divisions in its ranks since its formation late last year in Qatar, and its leaders are mostly seen as disconnected from the myriad rebel forces fighting inside Syria.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-airstrike-kills-least-5-aleppo-123326047.html

Bb&t Maria Sibylla Merian Champions League cory monteith Holly Sonders jimmy fallon jimmy fallon

HBO is making Ephron documentary with her son

NEW YORK (AP) ? Nora Ephron will be the subject of an HBO documentary being made by her one of her sons, journalist Jacob Bernstein.

The network said Friday that the project, titled "Everything is Copy," will also have Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter as executive producer.

Ephron died at age 71 last year. She was the writer behind films "When Harry Met Sally," ''You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle." Her last project is the current Broadway play about journalist Mike McAlary, with Tom Hanks in the starring role.

The documentary's title is a reference to Ephron's feeling that all of life's experiences provide fodder for a writer.

The documentary project was first reported in the Hollywood Reporter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hbo-making-ephron-documentary-her-son-174936897.html

luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers

Foreign embassies sit tight despite North Korea's warning

The missiles recently moved to the east coast of North Korea aren't believed capable of carrying nuclear warheads and may not even be armed, however, Pyongyang has warned foreign diplomats to have evacuation plans ready. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

By Jane Chung, Reuters

SEOUL -- Staff at embassies in North Korea appeared to be remaining in place on Saturday despite an appeal by authorities in Pyongyang for diplomats to consider leaving because of heightened tension after weeks of bellicose exchanges.

North Korean authorities told diplomatic missions they could not guarantee their safety from next Wednesday -- after declaring that conflict was inevitable amid joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises due to last until the end of the month.

Whatever the atmosphere in Pyongyang, the rain-soaked South Korean capital, Seoul, was calm. Traffic moved normally through the city center, busy with Saturday shoppers.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a government official as saying diplomats were disregarding the suggestion they might leave the country.

"We don't believe there's any foreign mission about to leave Pyongyang," the unidentified official was quoted as saying. "Most foreign governments view the North Korean message as a way of ratcheting up tension on the Korean peninsula."

North Korea has been angry since new U.N. sanctions were imposed following its third nuclear weapons test in February. Its rage has apparently been compounded by joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began on March 1.

Experts say a ground war with North Korea would be devastating, with 700,000 North Korean soldiers aiming thousands of rockets and artillery at South Korea. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

China's Xinhua news agency on Friday had quoted the North's Foreign Ministry as saying the issue was no longer whether but when a war would break out.

Most countries saw the appeal to the missions as little more than strident rhetoric after weeks of threatening to launch a nuclear strike on the United States and declarations of war against the South.

But Russia said it was "seriously studying" the request.

'Deeply concerned'
A South Korean government official expressed bewilderment.

"It's hard to define what is its real intention," said the official, who asked not to be identified. "But it might have intensified these threats to strengthen the regime internally or to respond to the international community."

The United Nations said its humanitarian workers remained active across North Korea. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, however, remained "deeply concerned" about tensions, heightened since the imposition of U.N. sanctions against the North for its third nuclear arms test last in February.

The appeal to diplomats followed news reports in the South that North Korea, under its 30-year-old leader Kim Jong-un, had moved two medium-range missiles to a location on its east coast.

That prompted the White House to say that Washington would "not be surprised" if the North staged another missile test.

Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland discusses the increase of aggressive rhetoric that is being expressed on a regular basis by the North Korean government.

Kim Jong-un is the third member of his dynasty to rule North Korea. He took over in December 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, who staged confrontations with South Korea and the United States throughout his 17-year rule.

North Korea has always condemned the exercises held by U.S. forces and their South Korean allies. But its comments have been especially vitriolic this year as the United States dispatched B-2 bombers from its home bases to stage mock runs.

North Korea's government daily newspaper said tension remained high because the United States was "waging madcap nuclear war maneuvers.?

"This is aimed at igniting a nuclear war against it through a pre-emptive strike," the Minju Joson said in a commentary. "The prevailing situation proves that a new war, a nuclear war, is imminent on the peninsula."

But some commentators examining the outcome of meetings in Pyongyang last week - of the ruling Workers' Party and of the rubber-stamp legislature - concluded that Kim and his leadership were more concerned with economic than military issues.?

Internet site 38 North, which specializes in North Korean affairs, noted the reappointment of reformer Pak Pong Ju as prime minister, the limited titles given to top military and security officials and the naming of a woman to a senior party post.

"These personnel appointments make a great deal of sense in the context of Pyongyang's declarations ... that its economic policy will be modified by introducing systemic reforms while also continuing the development of nuclear weapons," 38 North commentator Michael Madden wrote.

"(They) appear to be important steps in moving key economic development products and production away from the control of the military to the party and government,? he added.

North Korea has not shut down one symbol of joint cooperation, the Kaesong industrial zone just inside its border. But last week it prevented South Koreans from entering the complex and about 100 of them who have since remained were due to return home on Saturday, leaving a further 500 there.?

Elizabeth Dalziel / AP

From work to play, see pictures from inside the secretive country.

Related:

Nine 'facts' about North Korea's Kim Jong Un

N. Korea's overseas apologists dismiss 'propaganda'

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a65d557/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A60C176276160Eforeign0Eembassies0Esit0Etight0Edespite0Enorth0Ekoreas0Ewarning0Dlite/story01.htm

the river dr dog ke$ha earl csco big bend national park leon russell

Mauritania says holding Canadian linked to suspected militants

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The North African nation of Mauritania says it has detained a Canadian citizen linked to two other Canadians who died while fighting with militants during an attack on a natural gas plant in Algeria in January.

The confirmation that Mauritania is holding the man, Aaron Yoon, follows a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report that, before his arrest, Yoon had studied the Koran there with unidentified Americans and Europeans.

Bernard Colas, Mauritania's consul in Montreal, told Reuters on Friday that Yoon, from London, Ontario, was arrested months ago - before the Algeria attack - and is being held in connection with an investigation into "serious" matters. He declined to be more precise.

Colas said that Yoon was in good health and was being well treated. He said that Yoon had been visited by Canadian diplomats based in Morocco and that a lawyer was soon expected to be appointed to help Yoon prepare his defense.

Western security officials said it is likely some English-speakers from the United States and Europe, including Britain, had gone to North Africa to fight with militants.

Ray Boisvert, until recently a top official of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said North Africa was the "latest hot spot" to attract the interest of aspiring Western militants, not least because local militant groups are "awash with weapons and money."

Security officials say Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the most prominent North African militant group, has accumulated a large war chest by kidnapping westerners for ransom and engaging in other criminal activity, including drug trafficking.

While it is known as one of the countries where AQIM has operated, Mauritania also is the home of well-regarded Islamic seminaries where students can acquire a serious religious education. Such schools are not generically regarded by Western security agencies as training grounds for militants.

Confirmation of Yoon's detention comes a day after Canadian authorities confirmed the identities of two other English-speaking Canadians from London, Ontario, who took part in the January attack on a remote natural gas facility in Algeria, which investigators believe was led by notorious militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

About 70 people, including the two Canadians, died when Algerian troops stormed the Tigantourine desert gas plant.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified the two as Xristos Katsiroubas and Ali Medlej.

The CBC said Yoon went to school with the two dead men, and that Yoon, who was raised a Catholic, converted to Islam before graduating from high school. Canadian reports said Katsiroubas had converted from the Greek Orthodox faith to Islam.

London's Daily Mail newspaper reported in December that a British student, Ahmed Shaheen, had been detained on the border between Mauritania and Mali as he tried to cross the desert to join the ranks of AQIM.

The number of English-speaking would-be fighters who travel to French-speaking North Africa is thought to be much smaller than the number of English-speaking militants recently traveling to other conflict zones, notably Syria and Somalia.

Reuters reported recently that officials say that between 70 and 100 recruits from Britain, and others from the United States, are currently in Syria fighting President Bashar Assad. Many are aligned with Al Nusra, a group which Washington says is a front for the group Al Qaeda in Iraq.

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mauritania-says-holding-canadian-linked-suspected-militants-213252208.html

whitney houston found dead i will always love you whitney houston 2012 grammy awards powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton roland martin

Eyes on Facebook mobile event as company evolves

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook is unveiling a new Android product Thursday, a move that comes as a fast-growing number of its 1.06 billion users access it on smartphones and tablet computers.

Advertisers are not far behind. Though mobile ads have been a big concern for Facebook's investors since before the company's initial public offering last May, some of that worry has subsided as Facebook began muscling its way into the market.

Last year, the company began showing ads to its mobile audience by splicing corporate sponsorships and content into users' news feeds, which also includes updates from friends and brands they follow. Among the challenges Facebook faces now is showing people mobile ads without annoying or alienating them.

The mobile advertisement market is growing quickly. That's thanks in large part to Facebook and Twitter, which also entered the space in 2012. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion, from $4.11 billion last year.

As for Thursday's event at the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, speculation has centered on a mobile phone, made by HTC Corp., that deeply integrates Facebook into the Android operating system. The move comes as Facebook works to evolve from its Web-based roots to a "mobile-first" company, as its mantra goes.

"What Facebook wants is to put itself at the front of the Android user experience for as many Facebook users as possible and make Facebook more elemental to their customers' experience," said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.

EMarketer said Wednesday that it expects Facebook Inc. to reap $965 million in U.S. mobile ad revenue in 2013. That's about 2.5 times the $391 million in 2012, the first year that Facebook started showing mobile ads.

Clark Fredricksen, vice president at eMarketer, said it's "tough to speculate" how much effect Thursday's announcement would have on ad revenue.

At the same time, he says "there are some clear reasons why a deeper integration with mobile operating systems and handsets make sense for Facebook. At the end of the day, the more deeply Facebook can engage consumers, no matter what device or operating system or handset," the better.

Facebook's rival, Google Inc., makes the Android software that Facebook and HTC would be using under the widely speculated scenario. Google makes the software available on an open-source basis, meaning others including rivals are free to adapt it to their needs. Amazon.com Inc. does just that in modifying Android to run its Kindle tablet computers.

Facebook is No. 2 behind Google Inc. when it comes to mobile advertisements, and it isn't expected to surpass the online search leader any time soon. Google dominates the mobile search market with 93 percent of U.S. mobile search advertising dollars, according to eMarketer. Online music service Pandora Inc. is in third place when it comes to mobile ad dollars, followed by Twitter.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-04-Facebook-Mobile/id-4468b142aa13465d951d1c3f184f8c23

Provigil dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer Jon Lord Colorado shootings dark knight rises

Thunder Rain On Sea Dogs Opening Day Parade

April 4, 2013 - Eastern League (EL) Portland Sea Dogs

(Portland, Maine) - The Trenton Thunder hit four home runs, and their pitching staff recorded 14 strikeouts, taking the season opener from the Portland Sea Dogs 13-5 on Thursday night at Hadlock Field. Shortstop Stephen Drew went 0-for-3 with an RBI in a Major League Rehab Assignment for the Sea Dogs. Portland committed five errors in the loss, leading to eight unearned runs.

Kyle Roller knocked in the game's first runs, launching a 3-run shot in the first inning off losing pitcher Drake Britton. The lefty lasted three innings, yielding five hits on seven runs (three earned), two walks and five strikeouts. In addition to Roller's homer, Britton surrendered a 3-run homer to J.R. Murphy and Rob Segudin - both in the third inning.

Trenton's bullpen worked 6.1 hitless innings on one walk and fanned 11. Danny Burawa (1-0) earned the win, retiring all four batters faced (three strikeouts). Shaeffer Hall, Kelvin Perez and Brandon Pinder closed out the win for the visitors.

Portland took a 4-3 lead in the second inning on Heiker Meneses' 3-run homer to centerfield, the 'Dogs final hit of the game. Shannon Wilkerson went 1-for-4 with a double and scored from second base on a run-scoring ground out by Drew.

Keith Couch worked three strong innings of relief for the Sea Dogs in his Double-A debut. The righty allowed two unearned runs on one hit and fanned four. Daniel Bard made his first Double-A appearance since 2008 and gave up a two-run homer Neil Medchil. Trenton added two unearned runs off Will Latimer in the eighth inning.

Tonight's game marked the 20th season of Sea Dogs baseball in the City of Portland. Before the game, longtime Public Address Announcer Dean Rogers, who retired after 19 seasons, threw out the first pitch.

The Sea Dogs and Thunder continue their four-game series on Friday night from Hadlock Field beginning at 6:00 PM. The Sea Dogs will send right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman to the mound. Trenton will counter with righty Zach Nuding. Tickets are available online at seadogs.com or by calling 207-879-9500. Radio coverage begins at 5:40 on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network at 5:40 PM.

? Discuss this story on the Eastern League message board...
? Digg this story
? Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Source: http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4569089

welcome back kotter 2001 a space odyssey barefoot bandit polar bear plunge lovelace antioch the grey review

Microsoft Outlook to Windows RT rescue?

Adding Microsoft Outlook to RT devices like Microsoft's Surface certainly won't hurt the platform.

(Credit: CNET)

A fresh rumor out today holds that Microsoft Outlook is coming to Windows RT.

The popular e-mail application is conspicuously absent on Windows RT devices. That is, RT devices -- which run a limited version of Windows 8 on the ARM chip platform -- come with Microsoft Office sans Outlook.

Today there's word that Outlook has been seen running on Surface RT tablets.

And that's not all. SuperSite for Windows claims that an ARM-related firmware issue was causing Outlook to crash. Possibly offering at least one reason for its exclusion until now.

Adding Outlook certainly wouldn't hurt, said Craig Stice, an analyst at IHS iSuppli. "Consumers can find this frustrating. They think they're getting a Windows 8 system but there's no Outlook," he said.

And that's a larger ongoing problem for RT. "They don't know what they're getting into when they buy an RT device," he said. Consumers buy an RT device because it's less expensive than a full-blown Windows 8 system but miss the fact that it's incompatible with older "legacy" Windows software, Stice explained.

Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, whose ARM chip powers the Microsoft Surface RT tablet, said in no uncertain terms last month that Outlook is necessary for RT's success. "Outlook god, please," Huang said at that time, pleading for Microsoft to add Outlook.

(Note that RT products come preloaded with Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT.)

[Via Neowin ]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/tcoc/~3/oqmThkubn7g/

Summly monsanto Shakira Human Rights Campaign amanda knox pga tour bioshock infinite

Eyes on Facebook mobile event as company evolves

NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook is unveiling a new Android product Thursday, a move that comes as a fast-growing number of its 1.06 billion users access it on smartphones and tablet computers.

Advertisers are not far behind. Though mobile ads have been a big concern for Facebook's investors since before the company's initial public offering last May, some of that worry has subsided as Facebook began muscling its way into the market.

Last year, the company began showing ads to its mobile audience by splicing corporate sponsorships and content into users' news feeds, which also includes updates from friends and brands they follow. Among the challenges Facebook faces now is showing people mobile ads without annoying or alienating them.

The mobile advertisement market is growing quickly. That's thanks in large part to Facebook and Twitter, which also entered the space in 2012. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion, from $4.11 billion last year.

As for Thursday's event at the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, speculation has centered on a mobile phone, made by HTC Corp., that deeply integrates Facebook into the Android operating system. The move comes as Facebook works to evolve from its Web-based roots to a "mobile-first" company, as its mantra goes.

"What Facebook wants is to put itself at the front of the Android user experience for as many Facebook users as possible and make Facebook more elemental to their customers' experience," said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.

EMarketer said Wednesday that it expects Facebook Inc. to reap $965 million in U.S. mobile ad revenue in 2013. That's about 2.5 times the $391 million in 2012, the first year that Facebook started showing mobile ads.

Clark Fredricksen, vice president at eMarketer, said it's "tough to speculate" how much effect Thursday's announcement would have on ad revenue.

At the same time, he says "there are some clear reasons why a deeper integration with mobile operating systems and handsets make sense for Facebook. At the end of the day, the more deeply Facebook can engage consumers, no matter what device or operating system or handset," the better.

Facebook's rival, Google Inc., makes the Android software that Facebook and HTC would be using under the widely speculated scenario. Google makes the software available on an open-source basis, meaning others including rivals are free to adapt it to their needs. Amazon.com Inc. does just that in modifying Android to run its Kindle tablet computers.

Facebook is No. 2 behind Google Inc. when it comes to mobile advertisements, and it isn't expected to surpass the online search leader any time soon. Google dominates the mobile search market with 93 percent of U.S. mobile search advertising dollars, according to eMarketer. Online music service Pandora Inc. is in third place when it comes to mobile ad dollars, followed by Twitter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyes-facebook-mobile-event-company-evolves-070646271--finance.html

pittsburgh steelers seattle seahawks ryan tannehill cispa space shuttle new york courtney upshaw catch me if you can

Ruby the Heart Stealer denies sleeping with Berlusconi, admits lying to him

Giuseppe Cacace / AFP - Getty Images

Exotic dancer Karima El Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer, speaks to journalists at Milan's courthouse on Thursday during a protest against the trial of former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi.

By Manuela D'Alessandro, Reuters

MILAN -- The nightclub dancer at the center of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial staged a dramatic protest outside the court on Thursday, alleging that she had been unfairly pressured as part of a campaign against him.

Karima El Mahroug's emotional statement in defense of Berlusconi followed a protest by parliamentarians from his party outside the court last month as the media magnate tries to have the trial moved away from Milan.

The charges against Berlusconi, which he denies, include paying for sex with El Mahroug -- better known by her stage name "Ruby the Heart Stealer" -- when she was a minor.

She has always denied being a prostitute or having sex with the 76-year-old billionaire during the now-notorious "bunga bunga" parties at his villa outside Milan, where numerous witnesses have said she was a regular guest.

Carrying a large sign reading "The Ruby case: Are you not interested in the truth any more?" she said she had been used as part of a deliberate campaign against Berlusconi by magistrates and sections of the press.

"Today I realize that there is a war under way against him that I do not feel part of, but which has dragged me in and injures me," she said, reading a prepared statement. "I do not want to be a victim of this situation."

El Mahroug demanded to be allowed to testify in open court but declined to explain to reporters why she had not appeared at previous hearings. As recently as December, she failed to appear in court, later turning up in Mexico, where she said she was on holiday.

The trial has been suspended while judges consider Berlusconi's request to transfer it away from Milan, where he says magistrates are waging a vendetta against him. The next hearing is due on April 22.

Berlusconi is also appealing against a four-year sentence for tax fraud, and his legal problems further complicate the political standoff that arose when elections in February left no party able to form a government.

Pretended Egypt leader was her uncle
El Mahroug, her voice breaking at times, said she had been publicly humiliated by the implication that she was a prostitute and said that investigators had exploited her vulnerability to attack Berlusconi, leader of Italy's main center-right party.

Karima el Marough, better known as "Ruby the Heart Stealer," was called to testify over allegations that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi paid to have sex with her when she was still a minor. NBC's Claudio Lavanga reports.

She said she faced "real and genuine psychological torture" from magistrates once they realized that she would not provide evidence against Berlusconi.

"I felt used by sections of the press and judges which had a common objective, to hurt people who had helped me," she said.

"My suffering is also the fault of those judges ... who described me as a prostitute even though I always denied having sexual relations for money and above all having them with Silvio Berlusconi."

As well as the charge of paying for sex with a person under the age of 18 years, Berlusconi is also accused of abusing the powers of his office by getting El Mahroug released from custody in 2010 when she was held on an unrelated theft charge.

Prosecutors say Berlusconi asked police to release her because he thought she was a niece of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

However, El Mahroug admitted to having made this up, saying she had created a "parallel life" as she tried to imagine a different life from the poverty-stricken world in which she grew up.

"I'm sorry to have told these lies to Silvio Berlusconi as well, who I am sure today would be ready to help me even if I had told the truth," she said.?

Related:

'Ruby the Heart Stealer' shows up in court for Berlusconi sex trial

Berlusconi to 'Ruby the Heart Stealer': 'I'll cover you in gold ... just don't say anything'

Woman dressed as burlesque Obama for Berlusconi, court told

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a582d89/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A40C1760A16720Eruby0Ethe0Eheart0Estealer0Edenies0Esleeping0Ewith0Eberlusconi0Eadmits0Elying0Eto0Ehim0Dlite/story01.htm

the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade thomas kinkade paintings

New Anti-Rape Underwear Claims to Send Electric Shock Through ...

(Photo: Manisha Mohan, Niladri Basu Bal, Rimpi Tripathi via Techpedia)

Engineering students from India claim to have made underwear that could thwart would-be rapists by jolting them with an electric shock as they try to attack a woman.

The students from?SRM University in?Chennai call the prototype of the anti-rape underwear ?Society Harnessing Equipment? (SHE) and hope to someday introduce commercial versions of it.

?The lingerie with global positioning system (GPS), global system for mobile communications (GSM) and also pressure sensors, is capable of sending shock waves of 3,800 kV as well as alerts to parents and police,? Manisha Mohan, one of the developers, said according to Times of India.

Mohan continued that the underwear can shock up to 82 times.

?A person trying to molest a girl will get the shock of his life the moment pressure sensors get activated, and the GPS and GSM modules would send an SMS on emergency number 100, as well as to parents of the girl,? she told the Times.

According to a paper about the underwear, a camisole-like garmet is what has been developed so far with the shock technology placed in the chest.

?The circuit is placed near the bosom because in the attempt of rape or road?side eve?teasing, as per survey, women are attacked first on their bosom,? the paper stated.

Currently, the students are working with the?National Institute of Fashion Technology to find the best fabric for the product that would allow it to be washed without foiling the electronics.

Watch WPIX?s report about the anti-rape underwear:

?Studying in a convent girls school, we were always taught to be good to everyone around and bear a cheerful smile,? the engineering students stated in the paper about the underwear. ?After stepping into the real, cruel world we realized that our smile could not last for long as the threat to our purity and integrity always lingered on. Since the law makers take ages to come up with just laws and even after that, women are unsafe. Hence, we have initiated the idea of self?defense which protects the women from domestic, social and workplace harassment.?

Read more about the underwear in the paper posted on Techpedia here.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/04/new-anti-rape-underwear-claims-to-send-electric-shock-through-would-be-assailants/

newsweek Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building Hurricane prince harry hunger games

Waist-deep in mud, Cameron rescues distressed sheep

LONDON (Reuters) - Bogged down by a stagnating economy and sinking poll ratings, British Prime Minister David Cameron ventured into a new swamp when he waded waist-deep into mud to rescue a drowning sheep.

Cameron was on his way back from visiting a farmer near his weekend home in the Oxfordshire countryside last month when he heard bleating and spotted a ewe that had got stuck in the mud after following her two lambs.

In jeans and rubber boots, Cameron waded into the swamp, followed by his two bodyguards, wrestled the sodden sheep and hoisted it onto safe ground, the Sun newspaper reported.

"When I got there, David (Cameron) was in the swamp, waist-deep in mud, along with the two police, who had all gone in there to help drag this sheep out," farmer Julian Tustian told the Daily Telegraph.

"He was brilliant, pulling, pushing and shoving. He was covered in mud, he looked a mess."

The ewe, which has since been nicknamed Swampy, has fully recovered from the ordeal, which unfolded on the evening of March 1, Tustian said. The lambs drowned.

The story of the lost sheep's messy rescue could have passed for an April fool joke but a Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed it had taken place.

Twitter users mocked what they labelled Cameron's "ewe turn", describing it as an unusual show of compassion from a prime minister imposing harsh welfare cuts and talking tough on immigration.

"Are you sure it was not the over way round? The ewe saved #Cameron from the swamp he's in?" wrote one user calling himself @Brianma68.

(Reporting by Natalie Huet; editing by Estelle Shirbon and Guy Faulconbridge)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/waist-deep-mud-cameron-rescues-distressed-sheep-150906581.html

brian urlacher kate upton Harry Reems ncaa basketball ncaa tournament schedule March Madness Live Google Keep

New instrument will quickly detect botulinum, ricin, other biothreat agents

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are developing a medical instrument that will be able to quickly detect a suite of biothreat agents, including anthrax, ricin, botulinum, shiga and SEB toxin.

The device, once developed, approved by the Food and Drug Administration and commercialized, would most likely be used in emergency rooms in the event of a bioterrorism incident.

"This is an unmet need for the nation's biodefense program," said Anup Singh, senior manager for Sandia's biological science and technology group. "A point-of-care device does not exist."

Sandia's work is funded by a recent grant -- nearly $4 million over four years -- from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. NIH has funded a number of recent projects at Sandia.

Sandia's biosciences and microfluidics program areas have continued to evolve with a string of notable projects, including:

• MicroChemLab, a trailblazer in lab-on-a-chip technology, developed in the early 1990s
• The "saliva device" and a follow-up technology, RapiDx, developed in the early-to-mid 2000s
• SpinDx, the latest medical diagnostic tool developed at Sandia

"This will take things to the next level," said Singh. In addition to the broader suite of toxins and bacterial agents that the device would test for, the project includes comprehensive testing with animal (mouse) samples.

This is an important step, Singh said, since toxins may behave differently in live animals and humans than in laboratory blood samples. "We are getting closer and closer to translational elements of research, which involves testing in animal and clinical facilities. This is part of the maturation of our bioresearch activities at Sandia."

The project also will increase what SpinDx can do, he added.

"When you look for bacterial agents, you don't want to rely solely on proteins because you won't get the detection sensitivity you need," explained Singh. "So we are also using other methods that may lead to better detection limits and additional confirmation."

The new NIH project includes collaborators with expertise in animal modeling as well as device manufacturing.

The University of Texas Medical Branch, with whom Sandia enjoys a years-long partnership, together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are providing Sandia with expert insight into toxins and diseases at animal lab facilities. Bio-Rad, a manufacturer and distributor of a variety of devices and laboratory technologies, is serving as a consultant on the project to evaluate plans for product development, assist with manufacturers' criteria on the device that is developed, and provide important feedback when a prototype is built.

Although the latest NIH award represents a continuing success story for Sandia's microfluidics/bioresearch work, Singh stresses that it was part of a thoughtful multi-year strategy.

"You've got to keep innovating and coming up with the next thing," he said. "Every technology has its lifecycle. As good as SpinDx is, we know there will be other technologies, better technologies that come along in the next few years. We have to continue to innovate to meet the needs of our customers, understand what other competing technologies are being designed to solve the problems and develop technologies that provide an improvement."

The need for diagnostic devices for biodefense is not going away, Singh said, since there are always new diseases springing up that lack good diagnostic assays.

"Plus, we want dual-use devices that combat both man-made and nature-made problems," he added. "We're not just going to wait for the next anthrax letter incident to happen for our devices to be used and tested; we want them to be useful for other things as well, like infectious diseases."

Expanding into those areas, he said, will keep Sandia's bioresearch efforts engaged for years to come.

"That's where the value of the national labs really comes in," Singh said. "Our capabilities and culture are a very good fit for tackling long-term problems that require a sustained effort."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Sandia National Laboratories.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/-XrvjLPE6GY/130402101146.htm

Venezuela Elections Skyfall Chicago Marathon 2012 texas rangers steve jobs meningitis bobby valentine

NRA Study Backs Teacher, Staff Guns (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296244286?client_source=feed&format=rss

russell westbrook horsetail falls ice t president day new york knicks lin j.r. smith