It increasingly appears that the rise of ?shareholder democracy? is leading, in some cases, to a perverse game in which so-called activist investors take to the media to pump or dump stocks in hopes of creating a fleeting rise or fall in a company?s stock price.
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There's no evidence that checking kids' and teens' blood pressure - and treating them if it's high - can reduce their heart risks in adulthood, according to a new analysis.
What's more, researchers found blood pressure tests may not always be accurate among young people, or consistent from one reading to the next.
"At this point, the jury is out. We just don't know if this is worth doing or not," said Dr. Matthew Thompson, who led the new research at Oxford University in the UK.
"We desperately need research on how to diagnose kids with high blood pressure, which kids should be treated and what are the most effective treatments."
Thompson said although most U.S. children have their blood pressure measured at routine checkups, those readings are never taken on healthy kids in the UK.
His team reviewed the latest evidence on childhood blood pressure tests for the government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Thompson and his colleagues analyzed 34 studies covering diagnosis, treatment and long-term effects of high blood pressure in kids and teens. None of those answered the researchers' central question - whether screening can help prevent or delay cardiovascular disease in adults.
Accuracy of blood pressure readings from one measurement to the next was "modest at best," according to Thompson.
"The false positive rate? means that most children who screen positive won't actually have high blood pressure," he told Reuters Health.
Among studies that tracked children and teens over time, researchers found anywhere from 19 to 65 percent of youth with high blood pressure also had hypertension as adults.
Seven studies tested seven different drugs for kids with hypertension and found they typically weren't any better at lowering blood pressure than a drug-free placebo pill. But those studies lasted only a few weeks - and children with hypertension would likely take the drugs for years.
"That's really not good enough evidence to know if they're effective and safe for decades," Thompson said.
Programs aiming to change young people's lifestyle, such as by encouraging them to be more active or eat less salt, also didn't have a clear effect, the researchers wrote this week in Pediatrics.
?PART OF STANDARD CARE'
Based on the findings, the Task Force concluded in a draft recommendation that there isn't enough evidence to balance the benefits and harms of screening young people to prevent future disease.
The draft is available online for public comment for the next month here: http://bit.ly/uRZqMF.
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends all children routinely get their blood pressure measured. But another recent review also concluded there isn't enough evidence to support blood pressure checks for kids, further stoking controversy on the issue (see Reuters Health story of Jan 7, 2013 here: http://reut.rs/V5FY63.)
Dr. Bonita Falkner, a pediatrician at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia who has studied hypertension, said she doesn't think the findings should change practice.
"It remains unknown how much hypertension in childhood contributes to (adult high blood pressure), but there is evidence it begins in childhood," Falkner, who wasn't involved in the review, told Reuters Health.
The researchers agreed there's a need for more studies to address the information gaps related to childhood blood pressure checks.
"It's been recommended for some time now that pediatricians measure blood pressure in children, starting at age three, as part of routine health assessments," she said. "It's pretty much become part of standard care."
Thompson said until more research is done, it's unclear what the right answer is on blood pressure checks for youth.
"To me, the evidence shows that it's not clear that screening or not screening is good or bad," he said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/WtBzqF Pediatrics, online February 25, 2013.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-clear-benefits-kids-blood-pressure-checks-195621644.html
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In President Barack Obama's latest act in support of gay rights, his administration will urge the U.S. Supreme Court to allow same-sex marriages to resume in California, an administration official said on Thursday.
Thursday is the deadline for the administration to file a friend-of-the-court brief in a case that is due to be argued on March 26 on whether California's 2008 law, known as Proposition 8, is constitutional.
The official confirmed an NBC News report of the administration's plans. It was not clear as yet what form the administration's legal argument would take.
The federal government is not a party in the case and it had been unclear whether the administration would file a brief. Gay rights activists were keen to have it intervene. The official's confirmation meant that it would.
The court's nine justices are under no obligation to pay close attention to the administration brief, or any of the dozens of other briefs filed by groups not a party to the litigation, including businesses, religious institutions, and states.
The Obama administration is already taking a stand on gay rights in another case before the court, to be argued a day later on March 27. That case challenges the constitutionality of a central part of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage under federal law as being between a man and a woman.
In February 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder said the administration would no longer defend DOMA in that it violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.
In the DOMA case, the administration has said courts should tread carefully when addressing laws that treat gays and lesbians differently from heterosexuals but has not said whether all bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional.
Nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage. The nine are Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington.
The gay marriage movement has gained momentum since Proposition 8 was passed in 2008.
(Reporting by David Ingram and Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller, Christopher Wilson and Eric Walsh)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-urge-high-court-allow-california-gay-marriage-202703271.html
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Frontman Scott Weiland Fired From Stone Temple Pilots?
The band Stone Temple Pilots, or STP, issued a short statement on Wednesday, confirming that Scott Weiland had been asked to leave the group. This is apparently news to Weiland who asks how he can be fired from a band he founded and fronted! The press release issued by the band today stated, “Stone Temple ...
Frontman Scott Weiland Fired From Stone Temple Pilots? Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/02/frontman-scott-weiland-fired-from-stone-temple-pilots/
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Microsoft has (finally) offered access to Internet Explorer 10 for users that haven't made the switch to Windows 8 just yet. The auto-upgrade process will roll out over the next few weeks and includes better JavaScript performance and, apparently, better battery life for mobile users. Spotted by Neowin user Mephistopheles, you can sample those fresh IE10 delights at the source link below.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Via: Neowin forums
Source: Internet Explorer 10
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/26/windows-7-finally-gets-internet-explorer-10/
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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) ? Hungary's top court issued a ruling on Tuesday on the procedure the country should follow to decide which religions to officially recognize. But the verdict may have little practical effect because lawmakers are debating a constitutional amendment about the same issue.
Last year, legislators slashed the number of officially recognized churches ?which enjoy tax-free status, can qualify for government support and may collect donations ? from around 370 to 32.
Tuesday's ruling by the Constitutional Court repealed parts of that law and told Parliament to work out new rules to weed out groups that declare themselves to be churches but do not carry out religious activities, the stated purpose of the new law. The court said the current procedure is unconstitutional because the lawmakers' decisions cannot be appealed, no written justification is provided and the process lends itself to political influence.
The ruling may turn out to be just a moral victory for the hundreds of churches that lost their official status last year.
For starters, the government coalition led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party is taking steps to modify the constitution it passed in 2011. One of the proposed changes would include in the constitution ? or Basic Law as it is known in Hungary ? the legislature's right to decide which churches are officially recognized. In other words, it would add to the Basic Law legislation now found to be unconstitutional, therefore bypassing the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
Also, while Tuesday's court decision nominally restores the status of the hundreds of churches in Hungary that ceased to be officially recognized as such last year, the practical aspects of the ruling will likely be hard to implement.
"Many of the churches which lost their status last year have disappeared or have turned themselves into associations," said lawyer Szabolcs Hegyi of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union. "The government's good will and assistance would also be needed to restore the churches' rights and that is far from being the case."
Hungary is primarily a Christian country, but under a previous law all a church had to do to be formally recognized, and to capitalize on government benefits, was to register with a judge.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-hungarian-court-overturns-disputed-church-law-163123123.html
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THE SPORTS DESK The authority for sports coverage in the Fredericksburg region.
Louisa senior Javanique Burruss won three Group AA championships at the state track and field meet Saturday at Liberty University.
Burruss captured state titles in the long jump, triple jump and 55-meter hurdles.
Caroline senior Jessica Toliver placed second behind Burruss in the 55 hurdles and she was seventh in the long jump.
On the boys side, Louisa?s Raeshawn Bishop earned all-state honors in four events: the long jump, triple jump, 300 and 800 relay.
At the Group AAA meet, Colonial Forge sophomore Crystal Jones finished third in the high jump. Teammate Megan Rebholz placed seventh in the 3,200.
Stafford junior Ashley Hinton finished fourth in the pole vault, while Mountain View junior Meshala Morton was fifth in the 55 meters and Stafford?s Sabrina Johnson was sixth in the shot put.
Team standings: 1. Forest Park 55; 2. Western Branch 45; 3. Oscar Smith 42; 4. Grassfield 40; 5. Chantilly 36; 46. Mountain View 2.
Long jump: 1. Romero Hines (I.C. Norcom) 22?7. Triple jump: 1. Aaron Worrell (Woodside) 49-7. High jump: 1. Steven Dunbar 6?8; 7. Andre Bernhard (MV) 6?3. Pole vault: 1. Zach Campbell (Douglas Freeman) 15?0. Shot put: 1. Jaja Davis (Landstown) 64?6.?
55 meters: 1. Mustaqeem Williams (FP) 6.39. 300: Michael Cherry (OS) 33.05. 500: 1. Cherry (OS) 1:03.13. 1,000: 1. Ryan Thomas (Albemarle) 2:27.60. 1,600: 1. Sean McGorty (Chantilly) 4:11.68. 3,200: 1. Louis Colson (Thomas Edison) 9:06.61. 55 hurdles: 1. Travis Phillips (Patrick Henry) 7.42. 800 relay: 1. Forest Park 1:28.06. 1,600 relay: 1. Oscar Smith 3:22.50. 3,200 relay: 1. Chantilly 7:52.99.
Team standings: 1. South County 52; 2. Lake Braddock 39; 3. Oakton 35; 4. Landstown 31; 5. Woodbridge 29; 24 (tie). Colonial Forge and Stafford 8; 36. Mountain View 4; 47. North Stafford 1.
Long jump: Felecia Majors (SC) 20?0. Triple jump: 1. Anna Williams (Thomas Edison) 40?4. High jump: 1. Brianna Hayes (Matoaca) 5?8; 3. Crystal Jones (CF) 5?6; >8. Sydnei Foster (NS) 5?3. Pole vault: 1. Majors (SC) 12?0; 4. Ashley Hinton (St) 11?0. Shot put: 1. Galisssia Cause (Battlefield)?42?; 6. Sabrina Johnson (St) 37?10.
55: 1. Asonya Anderson (Heritage) 7.03; 5. Meshala Morton (MV) 7.17. 300: 1. Andrea Wright (Indian River) 38.85. 500: 1. Mackenzie Kerr (Douglas Freeman) 1:13.50. 1,000: 1. Katie Roche (LB) 2:52.84. 1,600: 1. Hannah Christen (LB) 5:02.44. 3,200: 1. Caroline Alcorta (West Springfield) 10:34.67; 7. Megan Rebholz (CF) 11:00.26. 55 hurdles: 1. Leah Lott (L) 7.84.
800 relay: 1. Nansemond River 1:41.87. 1,600 relay: 1. Woodbridge 3:50.88. 3,200 relay: 1. Lake Braddock 9:11.35.
Team standings: 1. Blacksburg 58; 2. Lafayette 56; 3. Brunswick 54; 4. Christiansburg 42; 5. Amherst 39; 12. Louisa 16 ?; 14. Caroline 15; 26. King George 5.
Long jump: 1. Marquis Childress (Smithfield) 22?4; 5. Raeshawn Bishop (Lo) 21?5. Triple jump: 1. Childress (Sm) 47?3; 5. Bishop (Lo) 44?4. High jump: 1. Chris Smith (Sherando) 6?6; 3. Bishop (Lo) 6?4; 6. (tie) DaQuan Pollard and Asaan Pankey (Ca) 6?0. Shot put: 1. Anthony Bowling (Marion) 54?0. Pole vault: 1. Chance Parmley (Fluvanna) 14?6.
55: 1. Stephen Racanelli (Brookville) 5.50; 7. Pankey (Ca) 6.64. 300: 1. Sydney Sandidge (A) 35.20; 7. Bishop (Lo) 36.43. 500: 1. Derek Holdsworth (La) 1:05.06; 4. DeMarcus Epps (KG) 1:08.02; 8. Gerson Cruz (Ca) 1:09.38. 1,000: 1. Craig Danner (Liberty-Bedford) 2:34.34. 1,600: 1. David Taylor (Western Albemarle) 4:22.69. 3,200: 1. Taylor (WA) 9:28.75. 55 hurdles: 1. Da?Juan Seward (Br) 7.72; 7. Pollard (Ca) 8.13.
800 relay: 1. Brookville 1:31.79; 4. Caroline (Keonta Hamilton, Bevontae Morris, Pollard, Pankey) 1:34.16. 1,600 relay: 1. Christiansburg 3:28.20; 8. Louisa (Josh Bishop, Jonathan Anderson, Harold Boyd, R. Bishop) 3:34.74. 3,200 relay: 1. Blacksburg 3:49.37.
Team standings: 1. Tabb 56; 2. Blacksburg 45; 3. Louisa 36; 4. Western Albemarle 31 ?; 5. E.C. Glass 31; 13. King George 17; 16. Liberty 15; 21. Caroline 10.
Long jump: 1. Javanique Burruss (Lo) 18?4; 7. Jessica Toliver (Ca) 16?10. Triple jump: 1. Burruss (Lo) 37?9; 2. Erin Morant (Lib) 36?3. High jump: 1. Sydney Anderson (Pulaski) 5?4; 6. Morant (Lib) 5?2. Pole vault: 1. Hannah Meador (Fluvanna) 11?6; 4. Lindsey Armentrout (KG) 10?6. Shot put: 1. Younique Morgan (Brunswick) 38?8.
55: 1. Latrice Morris (Heritage) 7.10. 300: 1. Brittni King (Tabb) 40.31. 500: 1. Kendell Wiles (Blacksburg) 1:14.85; 5. Taylor Brown (Lib) 1:19.89. 1,000: 1. Carolyn Bethel (Hidden Valley) 2:53.44; 4. Miranda Green (KG) 3:06.47. 1,600: 1. Bethel (HV) 5:03.27. 3,200: 1. Carly Shannon (Bruton) 11:20.73. 55 hurdles: 1. Burruss (Lo) 8.18; 2. Toliver (Ca) 8.60; 7. Monica Mallory (Lo) 9.02.
800 relay: 1. Northside 1:46.41; 5. Louisa (Mallory, Shadelle Gregory, Kaitlyn Mason, Burruss) 1:49.34. 1,600 relay: 1. Tabb 4:02.03; 6. King George (Brittany Williams, Mia Meyer, Green, Armentrout) 4:12.75. 3,200 relay: 1. E.C. Glass 9:49.75; 5. King George (Kristen Hornbaker, Ashley Perkins, Haley Armentrout, Green) 9:57.78.
Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/02/25/high-school-track-burruss-captures-three-state-titles/
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Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
Share ] Contact: Daniel Parry
202-767-2541
Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory research physicists and engineers from the Plasma Physics Division, working at the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) transmitter facility, Gakona, Alaska, successfully produced a sustained high density plasma cloud in Earth's upper atmosphere.
"Previous artificial plasma density clouds have lifetimes of only ten minutes or less," said Paul Bernhardt, Ph.D., NRL Space Use and Plasma Section. "This higher density plasma 'ball' was sustained over one hour by the HAARP transmissions and was extinguished only after termination of the HAARP radio beam."
These glow discharges in the upper atmosphere were generated as a part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored Basic Research on Ionospheric Characteristics and Effects (BRIOCHE) campaign to explore ionospheric phenomena and its impact on communications and space weather.
Using the 3.6-megawatt high-frequency (HF) HAARP transmitter, the plasma clouds, or balls of plasma, are being studied for use as artificial mirrors at altitudes 50 kilometers below the natural ionosphere and are to be used for reflection of HF radar and communications signals.
Past attempts to produce electron density enhancements have yielded densities of 4 x 105 electrons per cubic centimeter (cm3) using HF radio transmissions near the second, third and fourth harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency. This frequency near 1.44 MHz is the rate that electrons gyrate around the Earth's magnetic field.
The NRL group succeeded in producing artificial plasma clouds with densities exceeding 9 x 105 electrons cm3 using HAARP transmissions at the sixth harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency.
Optical images of the artificial plasma balls show that they are turbulent with dynamically changing density structures. Electrostatic waves generated by the HAARP radio transmissions are thought to be responsible for accelerating electrons to high enough energy to produce the glow discharge in the neutral atmosphere approaching altitudes of nearly170 kilometers.
The artificial plasma clouds are detected with HF radio soundings and backscatter, ultrahigh frequency (UHF) radar backscatter, and optical imaging systems. Ground measurements of stimulated electromagnetic emissions provide evidence of the strength and frequency for the electrostatic waves that accelerated ambient electrons to ionizing velocities.
The NRL team is working with collaborators at SRI International, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Florida, and BAE Systems on this project to synthesize the observations with parametric interactions theory to develop a comprehensive theory of the plasma cloud generation. The next HAARP campaign, scheduled for early 2013, will include experiments to develop denser, more stable ionization clouds.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 25-Feb-2013 Share ] Contact: Daniel Parry
202-767-2541
Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory research physicists and engineers from the Plasma Physics Division, working at the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) transmitter facility, Gakona, Alaska, successfully produced a sustained high density plasma cloud in Earth's upper atmosphere.
"Previous artificial plasma density clouds have lifetimes of only ten minutes or less," said Paul Bernhardt, Ph.D., NRL Space Use and Plasma Section. "This higher density plasma 'ball' was sustained over one hour by the HAARP transmissions and was extinguished only after termination of the HAARP radio beam."
These glow discharges in the upper atmosphere were generated as a part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored Basic Research on Ionospheric Characteristics and Effects (BRIOCHE) campaign to explore ionospheric phenomena and its impact on communications and space weather.
Using the 3.6-megawatt high-frequency (HF) HAARP transmitter, the plasma clouds, or balls of plasma, are being studied for use as artificial mirrors at altitudes 50 kilometers below the natural ionosphere and are to be used for reflection of HF radar and communications signals.
Past attempts to produce electron density enhancements have yielded densities of 4 x 105 electrons per cubic centimeter (cm3) using HF radio transmissions near the second, third and fourth harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency. This frequency near 1.44 MHz is the rate that electrons gyrate around the Earth's magnetic field.
The NRL group succeeded in producing artificial plasma clouds with densities exceeding 9 x 105 electrons cm3 using HAARP transmissions at the sixth harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency.
Optical images of the artificial plasma balls show that they are turbulent with dynamically changing density structures. Electrostatic waves generated by the HAARP radio transmissions are thought to be responsible for accelerating electrons to high enough energy to produce the glow discharge in the neutral atmosphere approaching altitudes of nearly170 kilometers.
The artificial plasma clouds are detected with HF radio soundings and backscatter, ultrahigh frequency (UHF) radar backscatter, and optical imaging systems. Ground measurements of stimulated electromagnetic emissions provide evidence of the strength and frequency for the electrostatic waves that accelerated ambient electrons to ionizing velocities.
The NRL team is working with collaborators at SRI International, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Florida, and BAE Systems on this project to synthesize the observations with parametric interactions theory to develop a comprehensive theory of the plasma cloud generation. The next HAARP campaign, scheduled for early 2013, will include experiments to develop denser, more stable ionization clouds.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/nrl-nsp022513.php
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Cuba's leader Fidel Castro and his brother Cuba's President Raul Castro talk during the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. Raul Castro fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
Cuba's leader Fidel Castro and his brother Cuba's President Raul Castro talk during the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. Raul Castro fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
Cuba's President Raul Castro, right, and brother Fidel Castro attend the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. Raul Castro fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
Cuba's leader Fidel Castro and his brother Cuba's President Raul Castro attend the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. Raul Castro fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
Cuba's leader Fidel Castro attends the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. He fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
Cuba's President Raul Castro holds up the ballot of his brother Fidel, also present in the session, for president of the National Assembly during the opening session of the parliament in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012. Cuba's parliament reconvened Sunday with new membership and was expected to name Raul Castro to a new five-year-term as president. He fueled speculation on Friday when he talked of his possible retirement and suggested he has plans to resign at some point.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
HAVANA (AP) ? Raul Castro announced Sunday that he will step down as Cuba's president in 2018 following a final five-year term, for the first time putting a date on the end of the Castro era. He tapped rising star Miguel Diaz-Canel as his top lieutenant and first in the line of succession.
The 81-year-old Castro also said he hopes to establish two-term limits and age caps for political offices including the presidency ? an astonishing prospect for a nation led by Castro or his older brother Fidel since their 1959 revolution.
The 52-year-old Diaz-Canel is now a heartbeat from the presidency and has risen higher than any other Cuban official who didn't directly participate in the heady days of the revolution.
"This will be my last term," Castro said, his voice firm.
In his 35-minute speech, Castro hinted at other changes to the constitution, some so dramatic that they will have to be ratified by the Cuban people in a referendum. Still, he scotched any idea that the country would soon abandon socialism, saying he had not assumed the presidency in order to destroy Cuba's system.
"I was not chosen to be president to restore capitalism to Cuba," he said. "I was elected to defend, maintain and continue to perfect socialism, not destroy it."
Castro fueled interest in Sunday's legislative gathering after mentioning on Friday his possible retirement and suggesting lightheartedly that he had plans to resign at some point.
It's now clear that he was serious when he promised that Sunday's speech would have fireworks, and would touch on his future in leadership.
Cuba is at a moment of "historic transcendence," Castro told lawmakers in speaking of his decision to name Diaz-Canel to the No. 2 job, replacing the 81-year-old Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, who fought with the Castros in the Sierra Maestra.
Castro praised Machado Ventura and another aging revolutionary for offering to leave their positions so that younger leaders could move up.
Their selflessness is "a concrete demonstration of their genuine revolutionary fiber ... That is the essence of the founding generation of this revolution."
Castro said that Diaz-Canel's promotion "represents a definitive step in the configuration of the future leadership of the nation through the gradual and orderly transfer of key roles to new generations."
"Our greatest satisfaction is the tranquility and serene confidence we feel as we deliver to the new generations the responsibility to continue building socialism," he added.
On the streets of Havana, where people often express a jaded skepticism of all things political, there was genuine excitement.
"This is the start of a new era," said Roberto Delgado, a 68-year-old retiree walking down a street in the leafy Miramar neighborhood. "It will undoubtedly be a complicated and difficult process, but something important happened today."
"I'm mesmerized," added Regla Blanco, 48. "You thought that with all these old men, it would never end. I am very satisfied with what Raul said. He is keeping his promise."
Since taking over from Fidel in 2006, Castro has instituted a slate of important economic and social changes, expanding private enterprise, legalizing a real estate market and relaxing hated travel restrictions.
Still, the country remains ruled by the Communist Party and any opposition to it lacks legal recognition.
Castro has mentioned term limits before, but he has never said specifically when he would step down, and the concept has yet to be codified into Cuban law.
If he keeps his word, Castro will leave office no later than 2018. Cuban-American exiles in the United States have waited decades for the end of the Castro era, although they will likely be dismayed if it ends on the brothers' terms.
Nevertheless, the promise of a change at the top could have deep significance for U.S.-Cuba ties. The wording of Washington's 51-year economic embargo on the island specifies that it cannot be lifted while a Castro is in charge.
When Raul Castro hinted at his retirement plans on Friday, it earned a sharp response from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican from Florida, who called it a ploy.
"If dictator Raul Castro states that he will retire in five years, there will still be no real change for the Cuban people so long as the Castro brothers remain in any form of leadership position, even behind the scenes," she said. "The U.S. should not change its policy of isolation of the Cuban regime."
Fidel Castro is 86 and retired, and has appeared increasingly frail in recent months. He made a surprise appearance at Sunday's gathering, receiving a thunderous ovation from lawmakers.
Some analysts have speculated that the Castros would push a younger member of their family into a top job, but there was no hint of that Sunday.
While few things are ever clear in Cuba's hermetically sealed news environment, rumblings that Diaz-Canel, an electrical engineer by training and ex-minister of higher education, might be in line for a senior post have grown.
In recent weeks, he has frequently been featured on state television news broadcasts in an apparent attempt to raise his profile.
He also traveled to Venezuela in January for the symbolic inauguration of Hugo Chavez, a key Cuban ally who had been re-elected president but was too ill to be sworn in.
The 612 lawmakers sworn in Sunday also named Esteban Lazo as the National Assembly's first new chief in 20 years, replacing Ricardo Alarcon.
Lazo, who turns 69 on Tuesday, is a vice president and member of the Communist Party's ruling political bureau. Parliament meets only twice a year and generally passes legislation unanimously without visible debate.
The legislature also named as vice presidents of the ruling Council Machado Ventura; comptroller general Gladys Bejerano; second Vice President Ramiro Valdes; Havana Communist Party secretary Lazara Mercedes Lopez Acea; and Salvador Valdes Mesa, head of Cuba's labor union.
___
Anne Marie-Garcia and Paul Haven contributed to this report.
___
Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
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In Saturday's NBA action, the Wizards continued their hot play with a victory over the Rockets and the Hawks edged the rival Bucks in J.J. Redick's Milwaukee debut. Plus, Danny Granger returned to action.
Saturday featured seven NBA games, many of them close. Let's dig in.
Hawks 103, Bucks 102
As long as Josh Smith is going to stick around, the Hawks might as well win, right? Atlanta is 2-0 since the deadline, notching a one-point win over the Bucks on Saturday. Al Horford picked up the game-winner -- a half-hook bank shot, of course -- to cap a 23-point, 11-rebound night. The Jeff Teague-Devin Harris backcourt outplayed Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings-Monta Ellis pairing, too. The Hawks duo scored 44 on a .692 eFG with 13 assists and three turnovers; the Bucks tandem had 25 points on .442 eFG with 15 assists and six turnovers.
In his Milwaukee debut, J.J. Redick was strong. He had 16 points on 4-9 shooting and seven assists against two turnovers. And yes, Jim Boylan did give us the three-guard lineup we've been dying to see since Thursday: the Bucks' lineup for the final four minutes featured Jennings, Ellis, Redick, Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders. The Bucks led by five when Boylan put in Jennings for Mike Dunleavy. Four minutes later, Milwaukee had a one-point loss. This is going to be awesome.
Wizards 105, Rockets 103
Be wary, opponents: Washington is now 11-4 against teams with winning records since January 7. It's a completely different team over the past month, as Saturday's gutty two-point win shows. The Wizards' defense and offense both had slow starts, and Houston led by 11 at the half. But the Wizards plugged away to make it a game, and dominated defensively in the fourth. The Rockets shot 13-28 (.464) on threes in the first half and 6-18 (.333) in the second. The Wizards did most of their damage in the paint, but Bradley Beal was the top scorer with 21. James Harden racked up 27.
Pacers 90, Pistons 72
Danny Granger's back! That is not, however, the reason the Pacers blew out the Pistons, though. In 18 minutes off of the bench, Granger was 1-10 from the floor. Luckily for Indiana, Detroit was basically that bad top to bottom, shooting 33 percent for the game and racking up an offensive efficiency of roughly 78. George Hill led Indy with 17 on 7-10 shooting.
Clippers 107, Jazz 94
On a team with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, it's Caron Butler and Lamar Odom getting the job done. What a world. Butler had 21 on 7-13 shooting and Odom added 18 off of the bench. The Jazz missed an opportunity to extend their standings lead over the Rockets.
Heat 114, Sixers 90
Thirty-three points on 14-18 shooting from Dwyane Wade, no big deal.
Nuggets 113, Bobcats 99
Denver's big men got the job done efficiently: Kenneth Faried scored 15 on nine shots and JaVale McGee scored 17 on 10. Byron Mullens and Bismack Biyombo, meanwhile, shot 4-17.
Cavaliers 118, Magic 94
How bad was this game for Orlando? Kyrie Irving and Alonzo Gee did this in the first quarter:
Check out SBNation.com/NBA-Scores for our blog recaps!
? The best (and worst) NBA rumors of 2013
? Mike Woodson calls out Carmelo Anthony
? The unfortunate twists of Derrick Rose's return
? Ziller's NBA trade deadline winners and losers
? Grading every deadline deal
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Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/2/24/4023840/nba-scores-2013-bucks-hawks-wizards-rockets
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Editor's note:?Mike Ghaffary is?the vice president of business development at Yelp. Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman recently debated whether software would eat traditional retail, leaving no brick-and-mortar presence behind. Both noted that e-commerce is currently only 5 percent of retail in the U.S., while the other 95 percent is brick and mortar.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/BcQ9U2nPs-M/
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Source: http://www.brobible.com/life/article/conan-obrien-predicts-the-future
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Public release date: 24-Feb-2013 Share ] Contact: Caroline Arbanas
arbanasc@wustl.edu
314-286-0109
Washington University School of Medicine
In research that could one day improve the success of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy, scientists have found that distinct niches exist in bone marrow to nurture different types of blood stem cells.
Stem cells in the blood are the precursors to infection-fighting white blood cells and oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
The research, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is reported Feb. 24 in the advance online edition of Nature.
The new findings, in mice, suggest that it may be possible to therapeutically target support cells in a particular niche. On the one hand, a drug that nourishes support cells could encourage blood stem cells to establish themselves in the bone marrow, enabling patients who have had stem cell transplants to more quickly rebuild their immune systems.
On the other, tumor cells are known to hide in the bone marrow, and a drug that disrupts the niche environment may drive cancer cells into the bloodstream, where they are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of chemotherapy.
"Our results offer hope for targeting these niches to treat specific cancers or to improve the success of stem cell transplants," says senior author Daniel Link, MD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine. "Already, we and others are leading clinical trials to evaluate whether it is possible to disrupt these niches in patients with leukemia or multiple myeloma."
Working in the mice, the researchers selectively deleted a critical gene, CXCL12, which is known to be important for keeping blood stem cells healthy. Rather than knock out the gene in all of the support cells in a niche, the researchers deleted the gene in specific types of support cells. This led to the discovery that each niche holds only certain blood stem cells that are nourished by a unique set of support cells.
"What we found was rather surprising," Link says. "There's not just one niche for developing blood cells in the bone marrow. There's a distinct niche for stem cells, which have the ability to become any blood cell in the body, and a separate niche for infection-fighting blood cells that are destined to become T cells and B cells."
The findings provide a strong foundation for investigating whether disrupting these niches can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
In a phase II pilot study led by Washington University medical oncologist Geoffrey Uy, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Link is evaluating whether the drug G-CSF can alter the stem cell niche in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose cancer has recurred or is resistant to treatment. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago to stimulate production of white blood cells in patients undergoing chemotherapy, who often have weakened immune systems and are prone to infections.
But Uy and colleagues will evaluate the drug when it is given before chemotherapy. Patients enrolled in the trial at the Siteman Cancer Center will receive G-CSF for five days before chemotherapy, and the investigators will determine whether it can disrupt the protective environment of the bone marrow niche and make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.
While it's too early to know whether the treatment approach will be successful, Link's new research in mice is bolstered by a companion paper in the same issue of Nature. In that research, Sean Morrison, PhD, director of the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, used similar molecular methods to also discover distinct niches in the bone marrow for blood stem cells.
"There's a lot of interest right now in trying to understand these niches," Link adds. "Both of these studies add new information that will be important as we move forward. Next, we hope to understand how stem cell niches can be manipulated to help patients undergoing stem cell transplants."
###
The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants RO1 HL60772 and F30 HL097423)
Greenbaum A, Hsu Y-MS, Day RB, Schuettpelz LG, Christopher MJ, Borgerding JN, Nagasawa T, Link DC. CXCL12 production by early mesenchymal progenitors is required for haemoatopoietic stem-cell maintenance. Nature. Advance online publication Feb. 24, 2013.
Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 24-Feb-2013 Share ] Contact: Caroline Arbanas
arbanasc@wustl.edu
314-286-0109
Washington University School of Medicine
In research that could one day improve the success of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy, scientists have found that distinct niches exist in bone marrow to nurture different types of blood stem cells.
Stem cells in the blood are the precursors to infection-fighting white blood cells and oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
The research, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is reported Feb. 24 in the advance online edition of Nature.
The new findings, in mice, suggest that it may be possible to therapeutically target support cells in a particular niche. On the one hand, a drug that nourishes support cells could encourage blood stem cells to establish themselves in the bone marrow, enabling patients who have had stem cell transplants to more quickly rebuild their immune systems.
On the other, tumor cells are known to hide in the bone marrow, and a drug that disrupts the niche environment may drive cancer cells into the bloodstream, where they are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of chemotherapy.
"Our results offer hope for targeting these niches to treat specific cancers or to improve the success of stem cell transplants," says senior author Daniel Link, MD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine. "Already, we and others are leading clinical trials to evaluate whether it is possible to disrupt these niches in patients with leukemia or multiple myeloma."
Working in the mice, the researchers selectively deleted a critical gene, CXCL12, which is known to be important for keeping blood stem cells healthy. Rather than knock out the gene in all of the support cells in a niche, the researchers deleted the gene in specific types of support cells. This led to the discovery that each niche holds only certain blood stem cells that are nourished by a unique set of support cells.
"What we found was rather surprising," Link says. "There's not just one niche for developing blood cells in the bone marrow. There's a distinct niche for stem cells, which have the ability to become any blood cell in the body, and a separate niche for infection-fighting blood cells that are destined to become T cells and B cells."
The findings provide a strong foundation for investigating whether disrupting these niches can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
In a phase II pilot study led by Washington University medical oncologist Geoffrey Uy, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Link is evaluating whether the drug G-CSF can alter the stem cell niche in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose cancer has recurred or is resistant to treatment. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago to stimulate production of white blood cells in patients undergoing chemotherapy, who often have weakened immune systems and are prone to infections.
But Uy and colleagues will evaluate the drug when it is given before chemotherapy. Patients enrolled in the trial at the Siteman Cancer Center will receive G-CSF for five days before chemotherapy, and the investigators will determine whether it can disrupt the protective environment of the bone marrow niche and make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.
While it's too early to know whether the treatment approach will be successful, Link's new research in mice is bolstered by a companion paper in the same issue of Nature. In that research, Sean Morrison, PhD, director of the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, used similar molecular methods to also discover distinct niches in the bone marrow for blood stem cells.
"There's a lot of interest right now in trying to understand these niches," Link adds. "Both of these studies add new information that will be important as we move forward. Next, we hope to understand how stem cell niches can be manipulated to help patients undergoing stem cell transplants."
###
The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants RO1 HL60772 and F30 HL097423)
Greenbaum A, Hsu Y-MS, Day RB, Schuettpelz LG, Christopher MJ, Borgerding JN, Nagasawa T, Link DC. CXCL12 production by early mesenchymal progenitors is required for haemoatopoietic stem-cell maintenance. Nature. Advance online publication Feb. 24, 2013.
Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/wuso-dni022213.php
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BOSTON (Reuters) - New England faced a third straight weekend of storms dumping a messy mix of wet snow and freezing rain across the region, meteorologists said Saturday.
Another storm in the West is rolling out of the Rocky Mountains this weekend and could create blizzard conditions in Colorado, according to a National Weather Service advisory.
Much of the Midwest is already blanketed with snow. More than a foot of snow was reported in Kansas on Thursday, forcing airports to cancel hundreds of flights and leaving motorists stranded on highways.
Starting on Saturday, the New England coast - from northern Connecticut to southern Maine - was expecting an extended mix of snow and rain, according to a National Weather Service advisory, while inland areas could see a significant accumulation of snow.
Wet snow and freezing rain were expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening in southern New Hampshire, northern Rhode Island and much of Massachusetts.
The Boston metropolitan area could see from 2 to 5 inches of snow, while parts of central Massachusetts may get up to 12 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist John Foley.
The heaviest snowfall was expected Saturday night through Sunday morning, with 1 to 2 inches per hour possible, the weather service said.
Despite the forecasts, some residents were taking it in stride, wondering what all the fuss was about.
"Look, it's winter, it's New England, it snows. Happens every time!" said Steve Scardino, a software sales executive and lifelong New Englander from Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
But others were not so sanguine.
Tom Meek of Cambridge said he had cancelled dinner plans with relatives two weekends in a row because of bad weather and this time, he would just take his chances.
"We can't let Mother Nature impound us again," Meek said.
NStar Electric president, Craig Hallstrom, said the utility's emergency response plan had been well tested this winter.
The weather service said the storm may bring sleet and freezing rain to the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states as well, with thunderstorms expected in the Southeast. It likely will dump rain from New York City to Philadelphia, it said.
The storm barreled eastward for the weekend after pummeling the Midwest during the week. In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James said about 60 buses were stuck on snowbound streets on Friday, and even tow trucks were immobilized.
"It's still an ongoing process to get people off the roads," he told CNN.
SNOWY KANSAS
Kansas bore the brunt of the bad weather on Thursday, with up to 15 inches of snow in some parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service.
A closed 200-mile (323-km) stretch of Interstate 70 in central Kansas was strewn with cars stuck in snow.
National Guard troops were dispatched in Humvees to look for stranded motorists along the interstate and other highways, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for Kansas emergency management services.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared states of emergency because of possible power outages and generally hazardous travel.
Drought-stricken farmers in the Great Plains, one of the world's largest wheat-growing areas, welcomed the moisture, although experts said even more rain or snow would be needed to ensure healthy crops.
Meanwhile, in the Southeast, a "rich supply of Gulf moisture" will drive heavy rainfall from the Florida Panhandle east to the Carolinas on Saturday, the National Weather Service advisory said.
(Additional reporting by Kevin Murphy, Ian Simpson, Kevin Gray, Steve Gorman and Chris Francescani; Editing by Vicki Allen and Gunna Dickson)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/major-snowstorm-headed-england-022416612.html
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Know that feeling when someone wanders too far into your personal space? The University of Illinois' Victor Mateevitsi does, which is why he'd built a suit that does the job to a far greater degree of accuracy. SpiderSense is a onesie that uses a series of microphones to rend and receive ultrasonic signals from the space around you, like high frequency radar. When the outfit senses something approaching, a robotic arm corresponding to the microphone exerts pressure on your skin, pointing you in the direction of the danger. Mateevitsi tested the gear by blindfolding researchers and asking them to throw a cardboard ninja star whenever (and wherever) they sensed a threat -- with positive results 95 percent of the time. SpiderSense will get its first public showing at Stuttgart's Augmented Human conference in March and it's hoped that the hardware will eventually help Blind people get around easier.
[Image Credit: Lance Long]
Via: New Scientist
Source: Victor Mateevitsi
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JtBZk0M9Jsw/
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Orphan children play in their bedroom at an orphanage in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Photo by Vladimir Konstantinov/Reuters
It?s the dirty little secret of adoption from Russia: Roughly once a year, an American adoptive parent kills an adopted child. There have been 15 confirmed such homicides since 1996, from Russia alone. Of course, Americans have adopted more than 50,000 Russian children during that time?the country has been in or near the top three sources for American international adoptions during that time?but that is a horrific number nevertheless.
I do not know what happened to Max Alan Shatto (born Maxim Kuzin), the 3-year-old adoptee who died in a Texas hospital, and who Russian authorities allege was beaten to death. The toddler had bruises that may or may not have been from abuse; he may or may not have been on inappropriate anti-psychotic meds. Authorities in Ector County, Texas, are investigating. Nor do I know anything about his background or behavior.
And yet his case, and others like it, raises the terrible question of whether Americans are adopting these children to abuse them.
Yes, it happens?probably as often as adults give birth to bio-children in order to abuse them. One notorious adoption-abuse case involved a single American man who adopted a Russian girl he used for sex, putting the videos online.
But horror stories like that are the exception. Here?s what happens more often: Hopeful and slightly na?ve people unknowingly adopt exceptionally traumatized children. We?re talking about children whose behavior would test even the most prepared and patient parents. And it pushes a few unprepared parents right over the edge. The hundreds of thousands of children in Russian institutions include children with very difficult backgrounds. Many are separated from violent, abusive, chaotic, or severely alcoholic families. Some are abandoned because of major medical issues. Some have fetal alcohol syndrome, significant attachment disorders, or seriously problematic behavior in which they act out, mimicking the way they were once treated.
These issues aren?t necessarily disclosed. Russian orphanages are notorious for sending misleading, incomplete, or falsified medical histories on the children they offer for adoption, eliding information that would enable prospective parents to decide, in advance, whether they could handle the child. Two years ago, one family that unknowingly adopted such a brain-damaged and violent Russian child sued its reputable adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services, for what it said was a misleading placement. Once adopted, some of them?not most, let me stress, but some?display shocking behaviors that include absolute coldness or rage in response to affection, violence, screaming, suicide attempts, molesting or abusing pets or other children, fire-setting, and so on. The right adoptive parents?read: intensively prepared to become full-time social workers?with the right medical team behind them may be able to handle those children. But an unprepared parent, someone who expected that love and attention could heal all, can explode.
On the other side, the American adoption system doesn?t necessarily screen or prepare parents effectively. Adoption is grueling: The prospective parents must go through a home study, in which a social worker evaluates their fitness, and a series of other examinations and background checks by independent and government agencies. The ?paper chase? takes months or years; the scrutiny is intrusive, far more than any bio-parents must endure. And yet the clients are the ones who pay the social worker, who therefore has an incentive to assess favorably in order to keep work coming. The adoption agency is only paid if it places a child, so it, too, has an incentive to deliver a child. Under the U.S. International Adoption Act of 2000, which brought this country into compliance with the Hague Convention on International Adoption, accredited international adoption agencies must offer parent education before a child is placed with a family. But that?s when those lessons seem most abstract. Parents need mandatory support afterward.
As any parent knows, it?s impossible to imagine how draining (or rewarding) parenthood will be until you?ve been through it. Everyone goes into it with blinders on, learning on the job. Beforehand, you nod at your friends? horror stories and smugly imagine you will handle it all much, much better. Then you?re shocked at how even an ordinarily headstrong child can be exhausting when you?re sick or tired. Now, add a traumatized, brain-damaged, or abused child who has been ripped away from her country, her language, her familiar foods, her friends, her climate, and dropped into a bewilderingly strange family who smile at her maddeningly and expect her to behave like them. She responds with the kind of violence she already knows. Education beforehand isn?t enough. Those parents need someone who checks in on them regularly, emergency phone numbers for advice night and day, support groups, specialized education, and referrals to relevant medical specialists.
Experts tell me that adoptions from Eastern Europe often ?disrupt? or are dissolved. Desperate parents call the adoption agency and throw in the towel, saying they cannot keep the child in their home. Good for them. Better to admit defeat than be pushed to abuse or homicide. All reputable agencies have an informal fostering system for placements that don?t take, and have a network of people willing to take those particularly challenging placements. Some of them wind up back in institutions, here in the U.S.
I admire beyond words those adoptive parents who willingly take in children who might not be able to express or display affection for years, and whose violent misery expands to fill the house. We can?t expect that of ordinary people. Families in distress?and now I am talking not just about adoptive parents, but all parents?can?t be left isolated with their problems. No, there?s no excuse for abuse or homicide. And yet all of us need help sometimes. We need a system that delivers not just children but the support their families need to thrive.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=d2685929d234dbe38dee3ee70d3c25a6
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MIAMI, Fla., Feb. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --?St. Thomas University's (www.stu.edu) Biscayne College will host a panel and workshop, March 22, 2013, offering veterans and their families an opportunity to connect with local resources during a conference: "Listening with Love: The Challenge of Reintegration for Veterans and Their Families."
(Logo:? http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100709/STULOGO)
Throughout the nation, the public has been hearing about the difficulties veterans and families have been experiencing as they adjust to civilian life. Many have been deployed several times; others are having difficulty finding work; and there is a high number of suicides among vets. The challenges are numerous. To that end, faculty experts from Biscayne College's Counseling Graduate Program are reaching out and inviting veterans, reservists, religious leaders, school personnel, national guardsmen, their families, and the professionals who care for them. Expert panelists from St. Thomas include Dr. Judith Bachay (Guidance & Counseling) and Dr. Barbara Buzzi (Marriage & Family Therapy).
Special guest speaker is Dr. Jim Whitworth, Ph.D., retired from the Air Force after 21 years of providing mental health service to military personnel both in the U.S. and in Iraq. Having experienced his own reintegration, he is presently a professor at St. Leo University and maintains a private practice.
The event ? free of charge ? will be held in the Evelyn and George Goldbloom Convocation Hall, 16401 NW 37 Avenue in Miami Gardens, 8:30 a.m. ? 1:00 p.m. For additional information please contact Cynthia Rose McIntyre, 305.628-6641, CRose-McIntyre@stu.edu, ?and for other University schools and programs contact Chief Marketing Officer Marivi Prado, mprado@stu.edu, 305.474 6880.
Media Contact: Marivi Prado
Chief Marketing Officer, mprado@stu.edu; 305.474.6880
SOURCE St. Thomas University
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/university-connect-resources-veterans-families-221800743.html
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To save your Watchlist, log in to Mineweb.com. You may proceed without logging in but all changes will be saved to cookies - this may only last for one browsing session depending on your device settings.
Source: http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en//mineweb-fast-news?oid=179108&sn=Detail
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TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's main Islamist Ennahda party will pick a hardliner to replace moderate outgoing Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali after he declined to head the next government, a party official said on Thursday.
Jebali, who is secretary-general of Ennahda, resigned on Tuesday after his plan for an apolitical technocrat cabinet to prepare for elections collapsed, largely because of opposition from within his own party and its leader, Rached Ghannouchi.
"Jebali declined to accept nomination (for next prime minister)," Ennahda said. "A new candidate will be presented to the president of the republic this week."
The assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid on February 6 plunged Tunisia into its worst political crisis in the two years since a revolt toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and inspired Arabs elsewhere to rebel against autocratic rulers.
The secular leftist's killing sent protesters flooding into the streets, exposing the deep rifts between Tunisia's empowered Islamists and their liberal and secular-minded opponents.
Jebali had proposed forming a technocrat cabinet to replace his Ennahda-led coalition, which included two secular parties, to spare the North African nation's nascent democracy and its struggling tourism-dependent economy from further strife.
But Ghannouchi blocked the moderate premier's plan and a senior Ennahda official told Reuters the next prime minister would come from the party's hardline wing, which opposes any role for politicians linked with the Ben Ali era.
The official listed outgoing Justice Minister Nourredine Bouheiri, Health Minister Abdellatif Mekki, Agriculture Minister Mohammed Ben Salem, Interior Minister Ali Larayedh and Transport Minister Abdelkarim Harouni as the possible nominees.
"Ennahda will hold a meeting tonight to choose a candidate. The next prime minister will be one of the names on this list," said the official, who asked not to be named.
In a televised address on Thursday, Jebali apologized to the Tunisian people for "failing and disappointing" them and urged them to unite to pull the country out of crisis.
"Tunisians must be patient during the coming months," he said. "Demands and sit-ins must stop until the revolution wins."
SECULAR PARTNER
Ennahda won Tunisia's first free election in October 2011 and controls 89 seats in the 217-member National Constituent Assembly assigned the task of drafting a new constitution.
Tunisia's secular president, Moncef Marzouki, will ask the next prime minister to form his government within two weeks.
Ghannouchi has previously said it is vital that Islamists and secular parties share power now and in the future, and that his party was willing to compromise over control of important ministries such as foreign affairs, justice and interior.
Marzouki's secular Congress for the Republic party (CPR), which has 29 assembly seats and was part of Jebali's coalition, said on Thursday it was ready to join the next one.
"Our party will take part in the new government and will have an active role to play," the CPR's spokesman Hedi Ben Abbes said after a meeting with Marzouki.
Together, Ennahda and CPR would have 118 seats, wielding a majority in the assembly. It is not clear whether other secular parties would join such a coalition, particularly in the charged political atmosphere following Belaid's assassination.
Ennahda's own unity might also come under strain following the very public differences that have emerged between Ghannouchi and Jebali, who served as prime minister for 14 months.
Tunisia began a transition to democracy after Ben Ali's peaceful overthrow in January 2011, holding elections for the National Constituent Assembly and then forging a deal under which Ennahda agreed to share power with its secular rivals.
But disputes have delayed the constitution, and grievances over unemployment and poverty have led to frequent unrest.
Police seized a big weapons cache in Tunis on Wednesday night. "Dozens of Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives were seized in a home in Mnihla district," the Interior Ministry said.
Secular groups accuse Ennahda of being too soft on militants. In December, Interior Minister Ali Laryed said police had arrested 16 Islamists who had been accumulating arms with the aim of creating an Islamic state.
Negotiations on a $1.78 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund cannot be concluded amid the political uncertainty.
Standard and Poor's lowered its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit rating on Tunisia on Tuesday, citing "a risk that the political situation could deteriorate further amid a worsening fiscal, external and economic outlook".
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tunisias-islamist-ennahda-pick-hardliner-pm-165854680--business.html
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