Common gene variants explain 42 percent of antidepressant response

Friday, March 29, 2013

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health's STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder.

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry now shares progress in identifying genomic predictors of antidepressant response.

Many previous studies have searched for genetic markers that may predict antidepressant response, but have done so despite not knowing the contribution of genetic factors. Dr. Katherine Tansey of Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and colleagues resolved to answer that question.

"Our study quantified, for the first time, how much is response to antidepressant medication influenced by an individual's genetic make-up," said Tansey.

To perform this work, the researchers estimated the magnitude of the influence of common genetic variants on antidepressant response using a sample of 2,799 antidepressant-treated subjects with major depressive disorder and genome-wide genotyping data.

They found that genetic variants explain 42% of individual differences, and therefore, significantly influence antidepressant response.

"While we know that there are no genetic markers with strong effect, this means that there are many genetic markers involved. While each specific genetic marker may have a small effect, they may add up to make a meaningful prediction," Tansey added.

"We have a very long way to go to identify genetic markers that can usefully guide the treatment of depression. There are two critical challenges to this process," said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "First, we need to have genomic markers that strongly predict response or non-response to available treatments. Second, markers for non-response to available treatments also need to predict response to an alternative treatment. Both of these conditions need to be present for markers of non-response to guide personalized treatments of depression."

"Although the Tansey et al. study represents progress, it is clear that we face enormous challenges with regards to both objectives," he added. "For example, it does not yet appear that having a less favorable genomic profile is a sufficiently strong negative predictor of response to justify withholding antidepressant treatment. Similarly, there is lack of clarity as to how to optimally treat patients who might have less favorable genomic profile."

Additional research is certainly required, but scientists hope that one day, results such as these can lead to personalized treatment for depression.

###

Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com

Thanks to Elsevier for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 76 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127522/Common_gene_variants_explain____percent_of_antidepressant_response

superpac steve appleton bishop eddie long madonna give me all your luvin video roseanne barr president green party day 26

UCLA hires Steve Alford as new basketball coach

FILE - This Feb. 23, 2013 file photo shows New Mexico head coach Steve Alford directing his team against Colorado State in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo. UCLA has hired New Mexico's Alford as its new head basketball coach, according to reports Saturday March 30. 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - This Feb. 23, 2013 file photo shows New Mexico head coach Steve Alford directing his team against Colorado State in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo. UCLA has hired New Mexico's Alford as its new head basketball coach, according to reports Saturday March 30. 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? UCLA hired Steve Alford as basketball coach on Saturday, luring him from New Mexico days after he signed a new 10-year deal with the Lobos.

Athletic director Dan Guerrero said Alford is "the perfect fit for UCLA" because he connects with a new generation of players and brings an up-tempo and team-oriented style of play to Westwood.

"He's ready for this stage," Guerrero said on a teleconference.

Alford agreed to a seven-year deal worth $18.2 million, with a yearly salary of $2.6 million, according to Guerrero. He will receive a $200,000 signing bonus.

Alford will be introduced at UCLA on Tuesday.

"I have been so fortunate and blessed in my life, and an opportunity to lead one of the greatest programs in college basketball history is once-in-a-lifetime," he said in a statement.

Alford's deal with New Mexico was worth more than $20 million over 10 years. Guerrero said Alford is responsible for a buyout of his contract in Albuquerque, but that UCLA would work out the details.

Guerrero said UCLA reached out to Alford first, not knowing whether he would be interested in the Bruins. Once he confirmed he was, the details were finalized early Saturday, Guerrero said.

"He's not the kind of guy that will shy away from what UCLA basketball is all about," the athletic director said.

Alford, who is 48, succeeds Ben Howland, who was fired last weekend after 10 years and a 233-107 record that included three consecutive Final Four appearances and four Pac-12 titles. The Bruins were 25-10 this season, which ended with a 20-point loss to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Alford led New Mexico to a 29-6 record this season that included the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles. But the Lobos were upset by Harvard in the second round of the NCAAs shortly after Alford's new contract had been announced.

His son, Bryce, was set to play for his father with the Lobos, continuing a tradition that Alford first established when he played under his own father, Sam, at New Castle Chrysler High in Indiana.

Alford had a 155-52 record in six years at New Mexico, with the Lobos making three trips to the NCAA tournament. He was selected Mountain West coach of the year three times.

Guerrero had said he wanted a coach who would help boost season ticket sales. The Bruins had just a few sellouts at newly renovated Pauley Pavilion this season.

"I think the UCLA family will embrace him. I think he'll be able to hit on all cylinders," Guerrero said. "He'll be able to energize the fan base in so many ways. Look at New Mexico, they get 15,000 a game, it's madness there."

His other head coaching stints were at Iowa (2000-07), Missouri State (1996-99) and Manchester College (1992-95) in his native Indiana.

Alford is a legend in the Hoosier state, where he starred at Indiana University from 1984-87 under coach Bob Knight. The Hoosiers won the national championship in his senior year. He also played on the gold medal-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Los Angeles as a college sophomore. Knight coached that team.

Alford was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1987 and played four years in the NBA before starting his head coaching career at tiny Division III Manchester.

As a high school senior, Alford averaged 37.7 points and was Indiana Mr. Basketball.

Besides Bryce, Alford and his wife, Tanya, have a son, Kory, and a daughter, Kayla.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-30-BKC-UCLA-Alford/id-a0ebd1130c894a339ca160799ce6fcc4

belize adele lyrics best new artist 2012 grammys foo fighters nikki minaj album of the year

95% West of Memphis

All Critics (106) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (5)

A real-life horror story, made no less shocking by the familiarity of its early scenes.

While the "Paradise Lost" films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle, "West of Memphis" has the luxury of at least partial closure.

A true-crime story that begins with a notorious murder case and grows into a chilling indictment of the American justice system.

And justice for all? Hardly.

It tells the story of a terrible crime compounded by a grave injustice that's been remedied, but only in part, so it's impossible to have a single or simple response to the movie.

What sets this film apart from previous efforts to document the story is that Jackson and Walsh financed a private investigative team with legal and forensic experts who re-examined old evidence, conducted new interviews and found new witnesses.

The film is so utterly transfixing you won't believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll.

We feel like we're watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie.

I would have preferred Jackson's clinically-presented project display a bit more reverence for the three young lives that were brutally taken some twenty years ago.

Moving and gruesome, West of Memphis is an eloquent disquisition on the banality of evil.

"West of Memphis" re-examines evidence and retells the story in a methodical and procedural fashion in which even the false steps lead somewhere.

More a recap and appendix to the Paradise Lost trilogy... one can't help but feel that the celebrities involved needed this document of their efforts to appease their vanity.

The case is more intriguing than the film about it.

Isn't unnecessary, but it's often superfluous.

The film suggests these powerless, poorly educated young men were scapegoated because they would be missed by nobody of importance -- the justice system equivalent of the cannon fodder recruited from the same socioeconomic straits.

It's nice to have all the twists and turns of the iconic case contained tidily in one well-crafted film, although there are no real revelations here.

"West of Memphis" becomes a greatest-hits concert of prosecutorial misconduct, and you'll agree when the film asserts that prosecutors knew they had the wrong guys.

Incredibly, after three documentaries on the subject, there are still things to reveal about the West Memphis Three.

"West of Memphis" does nothing to displace its predecessor films as masterpieces of investigative filmmaking, but complements them as a riveting capstone to an epic and tragic tale.

West of Memphis is the real vindication - even if it is incomplete.

In the end it won't matter if this is the fourth movie about the same subject; you can never learn its lessons often enough.

West of Memphis caps off the Paradise Lost/West Memphis Three saga with a line up full of perpetrators including the media, the West Memphis PD, the legal establishment and suspect gift wrapped with a smoking gun.

Injustice in West Memphis, Arkansas

No quotes approved yet for West of Memphis. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/west_of_memphis/

black history groundhogs day paula abdul cinnamon challenge lou dobbs rock salt david letterman

'The Host' Movie Review ? Stephenie Meyer's New Film Is A Must ...

Courtesy of Open Road Films

Vampires are taking a backseat and giving aliens a turn in the spotlight with Stephenie Meyer?s new flick that will catch the hearts of all who watch it. ?Twilight? fans and haters alike will be glad to have seen this movie.

In a crazy, messed-up world, humans are being taken over by alien souls. That is the setting of the new movie The Host, based on a novel by Stephenie Meyer. Humans are seen as destructive and mean, so the aliens think it?s their right to save the planet by taking over the bodies of those who inhabit it.

Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) is human and tries to hide from alien ?seekers,? alien souls that look for humans in order to get rid of them, with her brother, Jamie (Chandler Canterbury), and her lover, Jared (Max Irons). Melanie is captured while protecting her brother and a soul named Wanderer (Saoirse) is put in her body. However, Melanie is too strong and begins to mentally resist Wanderer. This is where the love and chaos really begins. (You know, because alien souls chasing humans isn?t enough chaos.)

In case you weren?t a fan of the Twilight franchise, it must be said that this movie is completely different. There is still love, friendship and fighting all in a sci-fi setting, but Saoirse plays the female lead and she is perfection.

Saoirse Plays The Life Of Two

It is tough enough for an actress to play one character, but Saoirse plays two characters in one body. ?Plus, she manages to do so without looking too much like a crazy person! It takes a bit of time to get used to hearing Saoirse?s character Wanda, short for Wanderer, speak out loud to a voice that is speaking within her own mind. This would be the voice of Melanie, the human that Wanda has taken over. The first scene, where they talk to each other, I literally laughed out loud. They spoke like two-year-olds fighting over a toy ? not pretty.

?Mine!? yelled Melanie as the voice inside her head.

?No, mine,? Wanda flatly said out loud in front of a mirror.

Okay, we get it. One?s a ?soul? and one is what?s left of a human, and they are stuck in the same body. Good, let?s move on. And the movie quickly does?move on, when Wanda sees all of Melanie?s memories and realizes that Melanie is just a strong, caring person who loves her brother, Jamie, and her lover, Jared, so much. Wanda learns that Melanie put herself in harm?s way in order to keep her brother safe and that proves how good she truly is.

Wanda Proves Herself

Being inside Melanie?s body and seeing all of her memories causes Wanda to start to feel what Melanie feels and she begins to realize that the way the ?souls? are taking over the humans might not be the path that she wants to follow. So she escapes from the other aliens, including Top B***h aka The Seeker (Diane Kruger), who will stop at nothing to find all humans and take them over. Wanda gives The Seeker the slip, which doesn?t really sit well. Thrust into a new world, Wanda learns to love the humans, including Melanie. A group of humans (Melanie?s group), which Wanda encounters and stays with, starts to love Wanda as well, even though she is part of the alien group that is trying to take over all humans.?Aw, so much love. The problem?

The Lovely Triangle Of Love

A love triangle, of course. Well, a triangle that kind of overlaps. I know, I know. Twilight had a triangle, but this is different. I promise. Jared loves Melanie and Melanie loves Jared. A human named Ian (Jake Abel) starts to fall for Wanda and she with him. What makes this ?triangle? difficult is that Melanie and Wanda are in the same body, which makes for some awkward scenes.

First, no boy ever really knows who he is kissing. Second, Jared gets hit a couple of times. Plus, there is some strange back-and-forth and taking turns going on between who gets to kiss the girl at the end that is just kind of hard to watch without laughing, but it all makes sense.

?The Host? Is A Must See

Everything in this movie makes sense even though it is some crazy, sci-fi world with teenagers as the lead characters. The actors are really good in the roles that they were cast to play. Max and Jake both convincingly play characters that care about Melanie?s body and the souls that are in it. Saoirse is phenomenal and should get all the awards in the world for playing this role and playing it extremely well. Since Kristen Stewart won all the awards that she did for Twilight, Saoirse should win at least double that.

Go see The Host!?Enjoy the good acting, laugh at the completely comical situations that sometimes occur, and cry at the scenes between Wanda/Melanie and her brother. Most importantly, enjoy the total b***h that is Diane Kruger as The Seeker.

Is The Host on YOUR must-watch list,?HollywoodLifers? Check out the trailer below and leave a comment, letting us know if you plan on checking out the flick!

??Rachael Ellenbogen

Source: http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/03/29/the-host-movie-review-stephenie-meyer/

stephen strasburg shabazz legion baby found alive in morgue rockies second degree murders bobby petrino

Sandy Hook shooting survivors left homeless by fire

A Newtown, Conn., home destroyed by a fire this week was owned by a couple whose children survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December.

Wednesday afternoon's fire left Hans and Audra Barth and their three children homeless, according to Monsignor Robert Wise, of St. Rose of?Lima Church. The American Red Cross has put them up in a hotel and the church is collecting donations for the family.

Two of their children attended Sandy Hook Elementary School, including a first-grader in teacher Kaitlin Roig's classroom,?the?Danbury News-Times?reported. Roig has been called a hero for barricading her students in a bathroom as the shooter killed 20 other first-graders and six educators.

For more, visit NBCConnecticut.com

Friends say the family lost everything in the fire, and their pet dog and several baby chickens died.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

By NBCConnecticut.com

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a2268f4/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C290C17516930A0Esandy0Ehook0Eshooting0Esurvivors0Eleft0Ehomeless0Eby0Efire0Dlite/story01.htm

barbara walters tupelo honey limp bizkit stations of the cross nike foamposite galaxy bill maher seabiscuit

Art 7 Entertainment: About casino portals and gambling guides ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://lamgaha.blogspot.com/2013/03/art-7-entertainment-about-casino.html

Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing olympics chariots of fire nbc Medal Count

Proximity to coal-tar-sealed pavement raises risk of cancer, study finds

Mar. 28, 2013 ? People living near asphalt pavement sealed with coal tar have an elevated risk of cancer, according to a study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Much of this calculated excess risk results from exposures in children, age six or younger, to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the sealant.

"The increased cancer risk associated with coal-tar-sealed asphalt (CSA) likely affects a large number of people in the U.S. Our results indicate that the presence of coal-tar-based pavement sealants is associated with significant increases in estimated excess lifetime cancer risk for nearby residents," said E. Spencer Williams, Ph.D., principal author of the study and Baylor University assistant research scientist at the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences.

Researchers from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the in Austin, Texas, are the first to report on the potential human health effects of PAHs in settled house dust and soil in living spaces and soil adjacent to parking lots sealed with coal-tar-based products.

"Exposure to these compounds in settled house dust is a particularly important source of risk for children younger than six years of age, as they are expected to ingest this material at higher rates," Williams said. "This indicates that the use of coal-tar-based pavement sealants magnifies aggregate exposures to PAHs in children and adults in residences adjacent to where these products are used and is associated with human health risks in excess of widely accepted standards."

Data on PAHs in settled house dust used for this analysis were published previously by the same authors. In that study, settled house dust and parking lot dust were sampled for 23 ground-floor apartments in Austin, Texas. The parking lot surfaces adjacent to the apartments were coal-tar-sealed asphalt, asphalt-based sealant over asphalt pavement, or unsealed concrete. Concentrations of PAHs were 25 times higher in house dust in residences adjacent to coal-tar-sealed pavement compared to those with other pavement types. "This study was the first to find a strong association between a product or a behavior and PAHs in house dust," said Barbara Mahler, the USGS research hydrologist who oversaw the study.

For this study, doses and risk associated with residences adjacent to unsealed asphalt lots were considered relative to those adjacent to (CSA) parking lots. Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations in CSA-affected settled house dust were high relative to those reported in most parts of the U.S. where coal-tar-based sealcoat is not used (California and Arizona). Data for PAHs in coal-tar-sealed asphalt-affected soils and unsealed asphalt-affected soils are available from samples from New Hampshire and suburban Chicago.

The analysis did not consider exposure to the dust on the pavement itself, which has PAH concentrations 10s to 100s of times higher than those in house dust or soil, or inhalation of air over sealed pavement. "Over time, about half of the PAHs in the sealcoat are released into the air, and concentrations in air are extremely high, particularly in the hours to days after application," said Peter Van Metre, USGS research hydrologist and author of two papers on volatilization of PAHs from sealcoat.

Sealcoat is a black, shiny substance sprayed or painted on the asphalt pavement of parking lots, driveways, and playgrounds to improve appearance and protect the underlying asphalt. An estimated 85 million gallons of coal-tar-based sealant are applied to pavement each year, primarily east of the Continental Divide in the U.S. and parts of Canada. Coal-tar-based pavement sealants are 15 to 35 percent coal-tar pitch, which has been classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Over time, the dried sealant is worn away from pavement surfaces, and the resulting mobile dust particles can be transported into nearby homes.

"Although the analysis presented here is based on a limited dataset, the results indicate that biomonitoring might be warranted to characterize the exposure of children and adults to PAHs associated with coal-tar-based pavement sealant," Williams said. "Further investigation is also needed into the impacts of coal-tar-based pavement sealants on PAH concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments."

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 Baylor University.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. E. Spencer Williams, Barbara J. Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre. Cancer Risk from Incidental Ingestion Exposures to PAHs Associated with Coal-Tar-Sealed Pavement. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013; 47 (2): 1101 DOI: 10.1021/es303371t

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/top_news/top_environment/~3/fZe2BuEECVo/130328125236.htm

Pope Benedict Jesuits percy harvin percy harvin mike wallace mike wallace Paul Bearer

An Excellent Starter Seiko Watch Is Your Deal of the Day

Although Seiko was founded in the 19th century, it wasn't until the 1960 that they started challenging Swiss watchmakers with mass-produced mechanical timepieces. Sure, they weren't as elegant as some handmade watches, but they were much less expensive, and they were pretty damn nice in their own right. Leading Seiko's offensive were a slew of nice automatic diving watches, and the modern Monster model is part of that line. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FG2VI1rR-Ao/an-excellent-starter-seiko-dive-watch-is-your-deal-of-the-day

a wrinkle in time benjamin netanyahu storm shelters nick lachey chevy volt christina hendricks lifelock

Kan. gov says his sales tax plan fits with budget

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Gov. Sam Brownback said Thursday that Kansas' "budget reality" will push lawmakers toward approving his proposal to cancel a scheduled decrease in the state sales tax.

The Republican governor said he'll consider "anybody's proposal" as the GOP-dominated House and Senate negotiate the final version of tax legislation. But Brownback also said legislators have limited options for stabilizing the budget while seeking further cuts in individual income taxes.

Brownback and most Republican legislators want to follow up on massive income tax cuts enacted last year with another round of reductions in personal income tax rates. Last year's cuts created a budget shortfall, and Brownback has promised to protect important programs such as education funding and social services.

Meanwhile, the state's 6.3 percent sales tax is scheduled by law to drop to 5.7 percent in July, the result of a budget-balancing agreement in 2010 that temporarily boosted the tax to its current level. Legislators in both parties don't want to break the pledge, but some are willing to do it with the promise of future income tax cuts.

"There's just the budget reality," Brownback said. "I think it's coming across to people that you've got to get your resource package somewhere. The budget doesn't work without the tax piece of it."

The Senate approved tax legislation embracing Brownback's proposals to keep the sales tax at its current rate while guaranteeing cuts in individual income tax rates over the next four years. The top rate would drop for 2017 to 3.5 percent from 4.9 percent.

The House passed a tax plan that allows the sales to drop and cuts income tax rates less aggressively. The House plan would decrease personal income tax rates each year if overall state revenues grew more than 2 percent. The top rate for 2017 would be 4.88 percent, according to legislative researchers.

Three senators and three House members are negotiating tax issues. They planned to resume talks Monday, when lawmakers return from a long weekend for a five-day push to finish most of the year's business.

House GOP leaders contend a proposal to keep the sales tax at its current rate can't pass their 125-member chamber.

"The governor couldn't convince me to do it, and I've been pretty good about voting with the governor on stuff," said Rep. Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican and one of the tax negotiators. "I don't know how you get there. I'm not sure he's got 20 votes."

Critics of Brownback's push toward phasing out personal income taxes note it would force the state to rely most heavily on its sales tax to finance government. Poor families tend to pay a higher percentage of their incomes to that tax than do wealthy ones.

The governor and many GOP lawmakers argue that phasing out personal income taxes will help all taxpayers by boosting the economy and creating jobs. Schwab said Brownback should trust that last year's cuts ? worth nearly $850 million during the fiscal year beginning in July ? already will boost the economy enough for the House plan to provide sufficient, future reductions in income tax rates.

Also, Schwab noted that the House and Senate are negotiating the final version of a proposed $14.5 billion budget after making significant changes from Brownback's spending proposals.

"The governor needs to understand that his budget has been altered by both chambers," Schwab said. "I don't think we need to raise taxes to pay for his budget if we're not going to pass his budget."

A key difference between the governor and legislators concerns higher education spending. Brownback proposed flat spending on universities, community colleges and technical colleges flat, while both chambers are seeking cuts.

"We're going to fight for our budget," Brownback told reporters. "You're going to need to collect revenue to run the state somewhere."

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter at www.twitter.com/apjdhanna

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kan-gov-says-sales-tax-133224407.html

Ravi Shankar Geminid meteor shower right to work Clackamas Town Center 12 12 12 Anne Hathaway Wardrobe Malfunction man of steel

Moniker Looks To Crowdfunding To Create A Custom Guitar Business

Austin-based Moniker Guitars is running a Kickstarter campaign to create a line of semi-hollow-body guitars for discerning git-fiddlists. The company will offer their first guitars for a $700 pledge, not bad for a hand-made guitar from rockabilly city.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/faXh3ZkcfoU/

sequestration Van Cliburn Sequester Miami Heat Harlem Shake Harlem Shake Miami Heat stephen curry dr seuss

Same-sex marriage is not the last frontier (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295303840?client_source=feed&format=rss

record store day jennie garth space needle nashville predators king arthur king arthur there will be blood

Gun control backers struggle to win some Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) ? It would seem a lobbyist's dream: rounding up votes for a proposal backed by more than 8 in 10 people in polls. Yet, gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats in their drive to push expanded background checks for firearms purchasers through the Senate next month.

Backed by a $12 million TV advertising campaign financed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, gun control groups scheduled rallies around the country Thursday aimed at pressuring senators to back the effort. President Barack Obama was meeting at the White House with gun violence victims.

Moderate Senate Democrats like Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are shunning Bloomberg as a meddling outsider while stressing their allegiance to their own voters' views and to gun rights. While saying they're keeping an open mind and support keeping guns from criminals and people with mental disorders, many Democrats are avoiding specific commitments they might regret later.

"I do not need someone from New York City to tell me how to handle crime in our state. I know that we can go after and prosecute criminals without the need to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding North Dakotans," Heitkamp said this week, citing the constitutional right to bear arms.

Heitkamp does not face re-election next year, but Pryor and five other Senate Democrats from Republican-leaning or closely divided states do. All six, from Southern and Western states, will face voters whose deep attachment to guns is unshakeable ? not to mention opposition from the still potent National Rifle Association should they vote for restrictions the NRA opposes.

"We have a politically savvy and a loyal voting bloc, and the politicians know that," said Andrew Arulanandam, spokesman for the NRA, which claims nearly 5 million paying members.

The heart of the Senate gun bill will be expanded requirements for federal background checks for gun buyers, the remaining primary proposal pushed by Obama and many Democrats since 20 first-graders and six women were shot to death in December at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada already has given up any hope of winning majority support for reimposing a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for ammunition.

Today, the background checks apply only to sales by the nation's roughly 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers. Not covered are private transactions like those at gun shows and online. The Senate measure is still evolving as Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., use Congress' two-week recess to negotiate for additional support in both parties.

Expanding background checks to include gun show sales got 84 percent support in an Associated Press-GfK poll earlier this year. Near universal background checks have received similar or stronger support in other national polls.

Polls in some Southern states have been comparable. March surveys by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found more than 9 in 10 people in Florida and Virginia backing expanded background checks, the same margin found by an Elon University Poll in North Carolina in February.

Analysts say people support more background checks because they consider it an extension of the existing system. That doesn't translate to unvarnished support from lawmakers, in part because the small but vocal minorities who oppose broader background checks and other gun restrictions tend to be driven voters that politicians are reluctant to alienate.

"It's probably true that intense, single-issue gun voters have been more likely to turn out than folks who want common-sense gun laws," said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group that Bloomberg helps lead. Glaze, however, said he believes that has changed somewhat since Newtown and other recent mass shootings.

Several moderate Democrats are holding back as they assess the political landscape. They're also waiting to see exactly what the Senate will consider.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said Wednesday his state's voters tell him, "Don't take away our rights, our individual rights, our guns." Begich said he opposes a strict proposal requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales but will wait to see whether there is a bipartisan compromise he can support.

The problems faced by gun control supporters go beyond the challenge of winning moderate Democrats. GOP opponents are sure to force Democrats to get 60 of the Senate's 100 votes to win, and there are only 53 Democrats plus two independents who generally support them.

Also targeted by Bloomberg's ads are 10 Republicans, including Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, home of ex-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was severely wounded in a mass shooting; the retiring Saxby Chambliss of Georgia; and moderate Susan Collins of Maine.

In another indicator of hurdles facing gun control forces, the Senate voted 50-49 last week to require 60 votes for any legislation narrowing gun rights. The proposal lost because 60 votes in favor were required, but six Democrats voted for the proposal, offered by conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

"It confirms there's no such thing as an easy gun vote," said Jim Kessler, a senior vice president of the centrist Democratic group Third Way.

Underscoring the uncertainty about moderate Democrats:

?Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is "still holding conversations with Virginia stakeholders and sorting through issues on background checks" and proposals to ban assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines, spokesman Kevin Hal said.

?Pryor said of Bloomberg's ads: "I don't take gun advice from the mayor of New York City. I listen to Arkansans." Spokesman Michael Teague said Pryor opposes universal background checks but could favor expanding the requirement to gun show sales.

?Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., told the Greensboro News & Record she favors expanded background checks, but said her vote would depend on the measure's details. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., answered, "Yes," when the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette asked whether he supports gun show background checks.

The gun bill also increases penalties for illegal gun sales and slightly boosts aid for school safety.

More abrupt changes like an assault weapons ban generally get slight majorities in polls. Democratic leaders decided to omit it from the Senate bill because such a provision lacks enough votes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gun-control-backers-struggle-win-democrats-065637861--politics.html

office max jcp Sports Authority Hollister old navy walmart black friday walmart black friday

Woman returns $30,000 she found in donated clothes

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-returns-30-000-she-finds-donated-clothes-145000837.html

greg mcelroy new york post bob costas bowl projections Jovan Belcher Charlie Batch Miguel Calero

Citrix: Windows Phone is barely making a dent in the workplace

By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/citrix-windows-phone-barely-making-dent-workplace-120411392.html

leon panetta luck sag awards 2012 nominees pro bowl 2012 roster yamaguchi road house occupy oakland

Apple extract kills colon cancer cells better than chemo drug in latest ...

(NaturalNews) Oligosaccharides from apples killed up to 46 percent of human colon cancer cells in vitro, and outperformed the most commonly used chemo drug by a wide margin at every dose level tested. And unlike toxic chemo drugs, oligosaccharides are natural, health-promoting compounds widely present in fruits and vegetables.Colon cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related death for women worldwide, and the third leading cause for men. The standard-of-care chemo drug used for colon cancer has seen limited success, and can have serious side effects such as coronary spasm, neurotoxicity, anemia, and immunosuppression. Researchers focused on apples as a natural means for treating and preventing colon cancer because they are the most widely consumed fruit in many countries, and have already demonstrated activity against breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer. Apple oligosaccharides were used in this study because their anti-cancer properties have been established in previous studies, and they can be cheaply derived from apple pomace - a widely available waste product left over from the apple juice processing industry.University researchers in Xi'an, China isolated polysaccharides (pectin and other fibers) from apple pomace and treated them with natural pectinase to break down their molecules into smaller oligosaccharides (which have only three to ten sugar units per molecule). The oligosaccharides were then added to cultured human HT29 colon cancer cells at various concentrations, and compared with the most commonly used chemo drug for colon cancer.

For every concentration tested, the oligosaccharides outperformed the chemo drug at inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis). For example, at just 0.9 micrograms per mL (about 0.9 PPM), oligosaccharides killed 17.6 percent of the colon cancer cells after 36 hours, while the chemo drug killed only 10.9 percent (at a higher concentration of 1.3 micrograms per mL). More importantly, because the apple oligosaccharides are non-toxic to healthy cells, they can be used at higher concentrations than possible with the chemo drug. At 9.0 PPM, the oligosaccharides killed 46 percent of the colon cancer cells (the chemo drug was not tested at this level).

Oligosaccharides have been gaining increasing attention recently as general health-promoting functional foods, and are probably used to enrich several foods you already eat (i.e. as fructo-oligosaccharides). They have been found in studies to promote healthy intestinal flora, control blood sugar, and modulate the immune system. Oligosaccharides occur naturally in many plants (fruits, vegetables and algae) as well as in honey and milk. They can also be formed by breaking down the fruit's more complex carbohydrates (i.e. pectin) by pectolytic enzymes, as was done by the researchers in this study. To some extent, this reaction may also occur when eating the raw fruit, since apples naturally contain about 1.5 percent pectin as well as the pectinase enzyme. However, it should be noted that most commercially processed apple juice contains virtually no pectin or active enzymes, and also contains only about 10 percent of the health-giving polyphenols compared to raw apples. As usual, eating raw and fresh is far healthier than consuming the processed version.

This new study adds further evidence to the health-promoting effects of apples and the potent anti-cancer effects of their oligosaccharides, even at low concentrations. The fact that these oligosaccharides can be derived from a widely available waste product of the apple juice industry (about four million tons of pomace are produced annually) offers promise for a low-cost natural medicine in the future.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23511050
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15140261
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332082
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-9942-7_14

About the author:
Ethan Evers is author of the award-winning medical thriller "The Eden Prescription," in which cutting-edge researchers perfect an effective, all-natural treatment for cancer, only to be hunted down by pharmaceutical interests which will stop at nothing to protect their $80 billion cancer drug cash machine. The Eden Prescription is based on the latest science and draws on real historical events stretching back to the beginning of the "War on Cancer." Ethan has a PhD in Applied Science.

The Eden Prescription is available on amazon: www.amazon.com/Eden-Prescription-cancer-what-think/dp/1439276552/
Follow Ethan on Facebook for the latest breakthroughs and news on natural medicine for cancer: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Eden-Prescription/130965870291786
For more information: www.edenprescription.com

Popular on Natural News

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

?people have commented on this article.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/039680_apples_cancer_cells_chemotherapy.html

Jenna Wolfe Harmony Korine Battlefield 4 Human Rights Campaign Jarome Iginla Monsanto Protection Act Tubby Smith

Gain in home prices lifts stocks; S&P near high

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gain-home-prices-lifts-stocks-p-near-high-201312318--finance.html

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

Google Translate Will Now Work Without the Internet on Your Android Phone

Google Translate for Android will now offer downloadable offline language packs. So now when you're staring at a weird sign in a country where you don't speak the language, your phone will actually be able to help you. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/azTPFbUcoAc/google-translate-will-now-work-without-the-internet-on-your-android-phone

Romney Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd washington nationals Gary Collins

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost 32 pct

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies under President Barack Obama's overhaul, the nation's leading group of financial risk analysts has estimated.

That's likely to increase premiums for at least some Americans buying individual plans.

The report by the Society of Actuaries could turn into a big headache for the Obama administration at a time when many parts of the country remain skeptical about the Affordable Care Act.

While some states will see medical claims costs per person decline, the report concluded the overwhelming majority will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers.

The disparities are striking. By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent for Ohio, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.

The report did not make similar estimates for employer plans, the mainstay for workers and their families. That's because the primary impact of Obama's law is on people who don't have coverage through their jobs.

The administration questions the design of the study, saying it focused only on one piece of the puzzle and ignored cost relief strategies in the law such as tax credits to help people afford premiums and special payments to insurers who attract an outsize share of the sick. The study also doesn't take into account the potential price-cutting effect of competition in new state insurance markets that will go live on Oct. 1, administration officials said.

At a White House briefing on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said some of what passes for health insurance today is so skimpy it can't be compared to the comprehensive coverage available under the law. "Some of these folks have very high catastrophic plans that don't pay for anything unless you get hit by a bus," she said. "They're really mortgage protection, not health insurance."

A prominent national expert, recently retired Medicare chief actuary Rick Foster, said the report does "a credible job" of estimating potential enrollment and costs under the law, "without trying to tilt the answers in any particular direction."

"Having said that," Foster added, "actuaries tend to be financially conservative, so the various assumptions might be more inclined to consider what might go wrong than to anticipate that everything will work beautifully." Actuaries use statistics and economic theory to make long-range cost projections for insurance and pension programs sponsored by businesses and government. The society is headquartered near Chicago.

Kristi Bohn, an actuary who worked on the study, acknowledged it did not attempt to estimate the effect of subsidies, insurer competition and other factors that could mitigate cost increases. She said the goal was to look at the underlying cost of medical care.

"Claims cost is the most important driver of health care premiums," she said.

"We don't see ourselves as a political organization," Bohn added. "We are trying to figure out what the situation at hand is."

On the plus side, the report found the law will cover more than 32 million currently uninsured Americans when fully phased in. And some states ? including New York and Massachusetts ? will see double-digit declines in costs for claims in the individual market.

Uncertainty over costs has been a major issue since the law passed three years ago, and remains so just months before a big push to cover the uninsured gets rolling Oct. 1. Middle-class households will be able to purchase subsidized private insurance in new marketplaces, while low-income people will be steered to Medicaid and other safety net programs. States are free to accept or reject a Medicaid expansion also offered under the law.

Obama has promised that the new law will bring costs down. That seems a stretch now. While the nation has been enjoying a lull in health care inflation the past few years, even some former administration advisers say a new round of cost-curbing legislation will be needed.

Bohn said the study overall presents a mixed picture.

Millions of now-uninsured people will be covered as the market for directly purchased insurance more than doubles with the help of government subsidies. The study found that market will grow to more than 25 million people. But costs will rise because spending on sicker people and other high-cost groups will overwhelm an influx of younger, healthier people into the program.

Some of the higher-cost cases will come from existing state high-risk insurance pools. Those people will now be able to get coverage in the individual insurance market, since insurance companies will no longer be able to turn them down. Other people will end up buying their own plans because their employers cancel coverage. While some of these individuals might save money for themselves, they will end up raising costs for others.

Part the reason for the wide disparities in the study is that states have different populations and insurance rules. In the relatively small number of states where insurers were already restricted from charging higher rates to older, sicker people, the cost impact is less.

"States are starting from different starting points, and they are all getting closer to one another," said Bohn.

The study also did not model the likely patchwork results from some states accepting the law's Medicaid expansion while others reject it. It presented estimates for two hypothetical scenarios in which all states either accept or reject the expansion.

Larry Levitt, an insurance expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, reviewed the report and said the actuaries need to answer more questions.

"I'd generally characterize it as providing useful background information, but I don't think it's complete enough to be treated as a projection," Levitt said. The conclusion that employers with sicker workers would drop coverage is "speculative," he said.

Another caveat: The Society of Actuaries contracted Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, to do the number-crunching that drives the report. United also owns the nation's largest health insurance company. Bohn said the study reflects the professional conclusions of the society, not Optum or its parent company.

___

AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Online:

Society of Actuaries __ http://www.soa.org/NewlyInsured/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-health-overhaul-raise-claims-cost-32-pct-173335479--politics.html

earthquake california douglas adams brandon knight brandon knight daylight savings time The Bachelor 2013 Time

EA teases dramatic 'Battlefield 4'

This video game image released by Electronic Arts shows a scene from "Battlefield 4." (AP Photo/Electronic Arts)

This video game image released by Electronic Arts shows a scene from "Battlefield 4." (AP Photo/Electronic Arts)

This video game image released by Electronic Arts shows a scene from "Battlefield 4." (AP Photo/Electronic Arts)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Electronic Arts is ramping up the drama with its next "Battlefield" game.

The publisher unveiled gameplay footage from the first-person shooter sequel "Battlefield 4" during a Tuesday event coinciding with the 27th annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The footage began with a squad of four U.S. soldiers trapped underwater in a sinking vehicle before flashing back to their fire-fight with Russian militants in the wind-swept capital of Azerbaijan, Baku ? beginning in an abandoned school and ending in a crumbling construction site.

The graphics on display during the 17 minutes of footage running on a PC were more photorealistic than previous games in the popular military shoot-'em-up series, hinting at what's to come on Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's rumored Xbox successor.

"It really represents what's possible with a next-generation experience," said EA Labels president Frank Gibeau.

For the title's single-player campaign, the game makers at Swedish developer DICE took a cue from the popular multiplayer mode of 2011's "Battlefield 3," focusing more on open environments, allowing players tactical freedom and giving them more ways to command squad mates.

"Integrating multiplayer features into the single-player experience was a big step for us," said "Battlefield 4" executive producer Patrick Bach. "We looked at how and why you play multiplayer, what's important to you and your friends, and weave that into single player with that tight squad feeling, and also have that be part of the narrative."

The game will be available later this year for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. It will also likely be released for next-generation consoles, but that wasn't confirmed at Tuesday's event.

The game makers were equally coy if "Battlefield 4" was influenced by the Pentagon's decision earlier this year to lift its long-standing ban on women serving in combat roles. At the end of Tuesday's presentation, a teaser trailer briefly showed what appeared to be a female soldier interacting with the protagonist.

"We like to look at what's happening topically and in culture," said Gibeau. "It inspires us, and we add it to our story."

___

Online:

http://www.battlefield.com

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-27-US-Games-Battlefield-4/id-09e954e1c6ee4a5887446971f420e6f8

Adam Lanza Facebook the hobbit mick jagger Newton Shooting Newtown Shooting Gangnam Style Ryan Lanza

Gay Marriage: The Fight For Equality Dominates Social Media ...

Even President Obama is tweeting about it!

Equality goes viral as the Supreme Court starts to hear two historic marriage equality cases.

You simply can't ignore the red today. From images of equal signs filling up your Facebook feed to people dressed in all red, the bright color is everywhere on and offline. That's because today is a huge day for?gay-marriage supporters.?

Today marks the first of two days of Supreme Court hearings over crucial same-sex marriage laws. Today, the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 is being discussed and tomorrow the court will address the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevents same-sex couples from marrying nationally.

More from YourTango: How To Host Your First Passover As A Couple

Thanks to the Human Rights Campaign, who began promoting the equality image (pictured above) yesterday to gain online support over today's hearings in Washington, everyone from your long-lost high school acquaintance to celebrities have been voicing their support today with powerful images and words.?

So what does it mean that all of your Facebook friends' profiles have gone completely red and that even our president is?tweeting?his support for same-sex marriage? A lot.

We already know the mental health benefits?that come from allowing same-sex couples to marry, that gay parents are thriving, the?cost of banning gay marriage?and the positive effects of acceptance for all of society.?So what else do we need to prove how essential this is?

Perhaps the Human Rights Campaign says it best on their website: "Together we will show the nation that we believe all Americans deserve to be treated fairly and equally under the law ? no matter who they love."

More from YourTango: Funny Easter Bunny: 7 Cute Pets Wearing Bunny Ears [VIDEO]

Share your support for gay marriage by changing your profile picture?or spread the word by joining #marriageequality conversation on Twitter.

More from YourTango:

Source: http://www.yourtango.com/2013178817/marriage-equality-fighting-gay-rights-social-media

Amanda Todd washington nationals Gary Collins bus driver uppercut Alex Karras BCS Rankings 2012 vampire diaries

Slippery commutes for millions as snow rakes the Northeast days before April

In the first days of spring, people across the Midwest are digging out of a major snowstorm that barreled across the country, dropping over a foot of snow on St. Louis. Today more snow is expected up and down the East Coast. The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel reports.

By Alastair Jamieson and Erin McClam, NBC News

It?s the winter that wouldn?t die.

Five days into spring, a winter storm raked the Midwest and Northeast on Monday, turning commutes messy and threatening to dump up to 4 inches of snow around Philadelphia and Washington.

The good news: Temperatures hovering at or just above freezing should hold accumulations down.

?The roads are in pretty good shape this morning because, after all, it is March,? Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel said from Frederick, Md.

More coverage from weather.com

During the morning drive, the storm was dropping snow across a curlicue swath of the country, from the Mid-Atlantic coast back through the southern Great Lakes and down into the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky and Tennessee.

In New York and parts of New Jersey, a winter weather advisory was in effect starting at 6 a.m. EDT. Snow and rain showers were expected to continue through late afternoon and wind down by early evening.

In Philadelphia, rain during the morning commute was expected to change to a wintry mix that will last for most of the day. Untreated roads could turn slippery, said Brittney Shipp, a meteorologist for NBC affiliate WCAU.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

A woman removes snow from her driveway Monday in Silver Spring, Md. A messy Monday is in store for millions along the East Coast.

Inside the Washington Beltway, forecasters called for a mix of rain and snow, with accumulations of less than an inch. North and west of the capital, 2 to 4 inches of snow was expected ? and perhaps as much as 8 inches west of Interstate 81.

Over the weekend, the same storm system pounded parts of the Rocky Mountains east to the Ohio Valley. Denver got almost a foot of snow, and Goodland, Kan., reported 15 inches.

On Friday, a qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup outside Denver was played in near-blizzard conditions ? so much snow that officials had to bring in a yellow-and-purple soccer ball.

The United States beat Costa Rica 1-0, and Costa Rica has asked the governing body of soccer to order a replay.

A storm system blanketed the Midwest in snow, while thunderstorms and wind gusts slammed the South, NBC's Janel Klein reports.

This story was originally published on Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:02 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29f749e6/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C250C174518590Eslippery0Ecommutes0Efor0Emillions0Eas0Esnow0Erakes0Ethe0Enortheast0Edays0Ebefore0Eapril0Dlite/story01.htm

sessions march madness scores doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry lakers trade ann arbor news

With $6.25M In Tow, Bina Technologies Wants To Bring Big Data Insight To Genomic Sequencing

Once unfathomably expensive, thanks to scientific and technological advances, the cost of genome sequencing for your average Joe is dropping fast on its way to a big, historical benchmark: The $1,000 genome. We're not quite there, but we're getting close. This is exciting for a host of reasons, but particularly because it has the chance to usher in an era of personalized medicine, in which it will be far easier to discover if we have a genetic predisposition to cancer, Diabetes, and so on.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2zrAFlF38L8/

lizzie borden lizzie borden iona taylor allderdice mixtape andrew bogut monta ellis wiz khalifa taylor allderdice mixtape

Miffed Facebook IPO Victims to be Offered Settlement Dollars

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a proposal to compensate brokerages who lost money as a result of the technical difficulties that surrounded Facebook Inc.'s May 2012 initial public offering (IPO).

The proposal, which was submitted by Nasdaq, a division of Nasdaq OMX Group Inc., is offering affected companies a total of US$62 million in settlement dollars.

Facebook's IPO was initially delayed by 30 minutes as a result of technical issues at the Nasdaq. When that occurred, a secondary system to get the trading moving was put into place by Nasdaq, which caused further delay.

When the Facebook stock then came down after its initial gain, some investors experienced significant monetary losses.

Facebook's IPO raised US$16 billion.

?

Article Tags:??nasdaq, facebook, result, offering, initial, proposal, technical,

Source: http://www.marketnews.ca/content/index/page?pid=13488

Don Grady ann curry euro 2012 Colorado Springs Nora Ephron mario balotelli mario balotelli

Israelis get kosher cigarettes for Passover

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men burn leavened items in a final preparation before the Passover holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, March. 25, 2013. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foodstuffs during the Passover holiday that celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men burn leavened items in a final preparation before the Passover holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, March. 25, 2013. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foodstuffs during the Passover holiday that celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Observant Jews in Israel craving a smoke during the week-long Passover holiday that starts at sundown Monday can now enjoy a rabbi-approved puff.

It's the first time cigarettes have joined the long list of goods stringently checked to ensure they comply with Passover rules on what items are allowed, or kosher for the holiday ? meaning they have not come in contact with grains or other forbidden ingredients.

The stamp of approval came from the Beit Yosef private rabbinic group, which certifies foods as compliant with Jewish dietary restrictions. Last month, Beit Yosef approved three local cigarette brands for smoking during Passover. The chief rabbinate in Israel, however, disapproved of the measure, saying cigarettes are life-threatening and should not be approved by rabbis.

"Poison is not kosher. For all days of the year, not just Passover," said the chief rabbinate's spokesman, Ziv Maor.

But Rabbi Igal Ben Ezra, Beit Yosef's chief supervisor, said the certification was meant for Israeli smokers who only buy products marked as "kosher for Passover" and who might be concerned about buying cigarettes without such a label. It's "mostly for people who have doubts on this subject," said Ben Ezra.

The Jewish holiday of Passover celebrates the biblical Exodus story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. According to tradition, the Israelites were in a rush and had no time to let their bread rise as they fled. To commemorate the hasty Exodus, Jews eat matzo, or flat wheat crackers that symbolize unleavened bread, and refrain from foods containing leavening such as pasta during Passover.

During the holiday, Jewish law forbids chametz ? anything consisting of grains that may have come in contact with water, starting the process of fermentation.

Jews, including many who are not religiously observant the rest of the year, spend weeks ahead of Passover cleaning their homes and belongings to rid them of any morsel of food considered to be chametz.

The week-long Passover diet is in addition to the year-round kosher regulations that ban pork and shellfish, require meat to be ritually slaughtered and forbid the mixing of meat and dairy.

And even though only about 20 percent of Israeli Jews identify themselves as Orthodox, statistics suggest almost everyone attends the traditional Passover meal and most Israeli Jews refrain from eating foods that contain forbidden grains throughout the holiday.

To accommodate them, the Israeli food industry transforms ahead of Passover.

Manufacturers of popular snacks substitute their regular recipes with ingredients approved for Passover. Cows eat corn and alfalfa instead of grain-based hay so that observant Jews can drink their milk because religious practice forbids deriving benefit from an animal that has eaten banned grains. Kosher restaurants, including kosher branches of McDonalds, serve buns made of alternative ingredients, such as potato flour.

Determining what exactly is permitted during Passover has become more complicated in the modern age, as rabbis have pondered what to do with products like pet food and pills. Many industries have adapted and as a result, there are now pet products and medicines that are labeled kosher-for-Passover.

This is the first time, however, that cigarettes in Israel are carrying such a label for the holiday.

Ben Ezra, the Kosher supervisor, said the local cigarette company, Dubek contacted him to help settle the kosher debate.

After an inspection of the company's factory a month ago, he concluded that Noblesse, Time and Golf cigarettes could be deemed kosher for smoking on Passover ? as long as the factory used ingredients that had not come in contact with leavened products. He would not specify those ingredients, saying he was sworn to secrecy.

Ben Ezra said he himself quit smoking eight months ago but used to smoke during Passover even without such a thing as "kosher cigarettes."

Maor, the spokesman for Israel's chief rabbis who oversee kosher supervision of foods, said they do not approve of labeling cigarettes as kosher and permitted for Passover, but were unable to prevent it because they only regulate the food market.

"There are some communities who consider it important that everything they bring home has a kosher stamp on it," said Maor.

Cigarettes have not been alone in the debate over what's kosher for Passover.

In the 1990s, some particularly devout officials asked the national water authority to stop pumping water on Passover from the country's sole freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee. They were concerned that Jews could break Passover rules by drinking tap water possibly "contaminated" by fishermen who may have thrown grain-based fish food into the lake or picnicking Israelis who may have tossed breadcrumbs into it.

As a result, Israel's water authority began plugging the pipe from the Sea of Galilee three days before Passover and pumping water from underground aquifers and water reservoirs instead ? though most rabbis, even from the strictest streams of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, say this is unnecessary.

"No one feels the difference," said Uri Schor, spokesman of the water authority. "Whenever you open the faucet, you have water."

Hours ahead of Passover, many Israelis were finishing cleaning their homes Monday of every last bread crumb, feverishly cooking and swarming supermarkets to stock up on food for the Seder, the traditional Passover meal.

In Jerusalem, smoke filled the air as some religious Jews burned the last of their bread crumbs while others dunked their plates in large vats of hot water set up around the city, so their dishes would be completely free of bread products.

The airport was busier than usual with travelers taking advantage of the holiday to travel abroad, and local TV stations gave Israelis advice on avoiding traffic jams when driving to their relatives for the Seder.

The military announced a two-day closure on the West Bank to keep Palestinians out of Israel at the start of the holiday, with exemptions for medical emergencies and other humanitarian reasons. The army imposes such security closures during Jewish and Israeli holidays.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-25-Israel-Kosher%20Cigarettes/id-09f6206918e740b79489bc47ba771047

mlb 12 the show sabu franchise tag lesotho a wrinkle in time benjamin netanyahu storm shelters