Pythons apparently wiping out Everglades mammals

In this November 14, 2009 photo provided by the University of Florida, University of Florida researchers hold a 162-pound Burmese python captured in Everglades National Park, Fla. Therese Walters, left, Alex Wolf and Michael R. Rochford, right, are holding the 15-foot snake shortly after the python ate a six-foot American alligator. The National Academy of Science report released Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, indicates that the proliferation of pythons coincides with a sharp decrease of mammals in the park. (AP Photo/ University of Florida, Michael R. Rochford)

In this November 14, 2009 photo provided by the University of Florida, University of Florida researchers hold a 162-pound Burmese python captured in Everglades National Park, Fla. Therese Walters, left, Alex Wolf and Michael R. Rochford, right, are holding the 15-foot snake shortly after the python ate a six-foot American alligator. The National Academy of Science report released Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, indicates that the proliferation of pythons coincides with a sharp decrease of mammals in the park. (AP Photo/ University of Florida, Michael R. Rochford)

In this 2009 photo provided by the National Park Service, a Burmese python is wrapped around an American alligator in Everglades National Park, Fla. The National Academy of Science report released Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, indicates that the proliferation of pythons coincides with a sharp decrease of mammals in the park. (AP Photo/National Park Service, Lori Oberhofer)

In this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, center, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., left, look at at 13-foot python held by National Park Service Supervisor Ranger Al Mercado in the Everglades, Fla. The National Academy of Science report released Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, indicates that the proliferation of pythons coincides with a sharp decrease of mammals in the park. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

In this 2009 photo provided by the University of Florida a researcher holds a Burmese python near her nest in Everglades National Park, Fla. The National Academy of Science report released Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, indicates that the proliferation of pythons coincides with a sharp decrease of mammals in the park. (AP Photo/ University of Florida, Jemeema Carrigan)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? A burgeoning population of huge pythons ? many of them pets that were turned loose by their owners when they got too big ? appears to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals in the Everglades, a study says.

The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that sightings of medium-size mammals are down dramatically ? as much as 99 percent, in some cases ? in areas where pythons and other large, non-native constrictor snakes are known to be lurking.

Scientists fear the pythons could disrupt the food chain and upset the Everglades' environmental balance in ways difficult to predict.

"The effects of declining mammal populations on the overall Everglades ecosystem, which extends well beyond the national park boundaries, are likely profound," said John Willson, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University and co-author of the study.

Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons, which are native to Southeast Asia, are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate. While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.

Burmese pythons can grow to be 26 feet long and more than 200 pounds, and they have been known to swallow animals as large as alligators. They and other constrictor snakes kill their prey by coiling around it and suffocating it.

The National Park Service has counted 1,825 Burmese pythons that have been caught in and around Everglades National Park since 2000. Among the largest so far was a 156-pound, 16.4-foot one captured earlier this month.

For the study, researchers drove 39,000 miles along Everglades-area roads from 2003 through 2011, counting wildlife spotted along the way and comparing the results with surveys conducted on the same routes in 1996 and 1997.

The researchers found staggering declines in animal sightings: a drop of 99.3 percent among raccoons, 98.9 percent for opossums, 94.1 percent for white-tailed deer and 87.5 percent for bobcats. Along roads where python populations are believed to be smaller, declines were lower but still notable.

Rabbits and foxes, which were commonly spotted in 1996 and 1997, were not seen at all in the later counts. Researchers noted slight increases in coyotes, Florida panthers, rodents and other mammals, but discounted that finding because so few were spotted overall.

"The magnitude of these declines underscores the apparent incredible density of pythons in Everglades National Park," said Michael Dorcas, a professor at Davidson College in North Carolina and lead author of the study.

Although scientists cannot definitively say the pythons are killing off the mammals, the snakes are the prime suspect. The increase in pythons coincides with the mammals' decrease, and the decline appears to grow in magnitude with the size of the snakes' population in an area. A single disease appears unlikely to be the cause since several species were affected.

The report says the effect on the overall ecosystem is hard to predict. Declines among bobcats and foxes, which eat rabbits, could be linked to pythons' feasting on rabbits. On the flip side, declines among raccoons, which eat eggs, may help some turtles, crocodiles and birds.

Scientists point with concern to what happened in Guam, where the invasive brown tree snake has killed off birds, bats and lizards that pollinated trees and flowers and dispersed seeds. That has led to declines in native trees, fish-eating birds and certain plants.

In 2010, Florida banned private ownership of Burmese pythons. Earlier this month, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a federal ban on the import of Burmese pythons and three other snakes.

Salazar said Monday that the study shows why such restrictions were needed.

"This study paints a stark picture of the real damage that Burmese pythons are causing to native wildlife and the Florida economy," he said.

___

Follow Matt Sedensky at www.twitter.com/sedensky

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-30-US-SCI-Everglades-Pythons/id-de32cf2156d04dd7a11cae30f2238ab3

us open mens final go daddy tmobile johnny cash serbia spongebob squarepants rafael nadal

Oxygen molecule survives to enormously high pressures

Monday, January 30, 2012

Using computer simulations, a RUB researcher has shown that the oxygen molecule (O2) is stable up to pressures of 1.9 terapascal, which is about nineteen million times higher than atmosphere pressure. Above that, it polymerizes, i.e. builds larger molecules or structures. "This is very surprising" says Dr. Jian Sun from the Department of Theoretical Chemistry. "Other simple molecules like nitrogen or hydrogen do not survive such high pressures." In cooperation with colleagues from University College London, the University of Cambridge, and the National Research Council of Canada, the researcher also reports that the behaviour of oxygen with increasing pressure is very complicated. It's electrical conductivity first increases, then decreases, and finally increases again. The results are published in Physical Review Letters.

Weaker bonds, greater stability

The oxygen atoms in the O2 molecule are held together by a double covalent bond. Nitrogen (N2), on the other hand, possesses a triple bond. "You would think that the weaker double bond is easier to break than the triple bond and that oxygen would therefore polymerize at lower pressures than nitrogen" says Sun. "We found the opposite, which is astonishing at first sight."

Coming together when pressure increases

However, in the condensed phase when pressure increases, the molecules become closer to each other. The research team suggests that, under these conditions, the electron lone pairs on different molecules repel one another strongly, thus hindering the molecules from approaching each other. Since oxygen has more lone pairs than nitrogen, the repulsive force between these molecules is stronger, which makes polymerization more difficult. However, the number of lone pairs cannot be the only determinant of the polymerization pressure. "We believe that it is a combination of the number of lone pairs and the strength of the bonds between the atoms", says Sun.

The many structures of oxygen

At high pressures, gaseous molecules such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen polymerize into chains, layers, or framework structures. At the same time they usually change from insulators to metals, i.e. they become more conductive with increasing pressure. The research team, however, showed that things are more complicated with oxygen. Under standard conditions, the molecule has insulating properties. If the pressure increases, oxygen metallises and becomes a superconductor. With further pressure increase, its structure changes into a polymer and it becomes semi-conducting. If the pressure rises even more, oxygen once more assumes metallic properties, meaning that the conductivity goes up again. The metallic polymer structure finally changes into a metallic layered structure.

Inside planets

"The polymerization of small molecules under high pressure has attracted much attention because it helps to understand the fundamental physics and chemistry of geological and planetary processes" explains Sun. "For instance, the pressure at the centre of Jupiter is estimated to be about seven terapascal. It was also found that polymerized molecules, like N2 and CO2, have intriguing properties, such as high energy densities and super-hardness." Dr. Jian Sun joined the RUB-research group of Prof. Dr. Dominik Marx as a Humboldt Research Fellow in 2008 to work on vibrational spectroscopy of aqueous solutions. In parallel to this joint work in "Solvation Science" he developed independent research interests into high pressure chemical physics as an Early Career Researcher.

###

Ruhr-University Bochum: http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Thanks to Ruhr-University Bochum 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 91 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117178/Oxygen_molecule_survives_to_enormously_high_pressures

2011 election results 11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard acrylamide advent calendar adobe air

MS drug prevented fatal heart condition in lab study

Monday, January 30, 2012

A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found.

Scientists found that Gilenya, a drug recently approved in the US for treating MS, was effective at reversing the symptoms of ventricular hypertrophy in mice.

Ventricular hypertrophy is a fatal cardiac disorder that can result in an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) and cardiac arrest. It is caused by sustained pressure on the heart due to stresses or diseases, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), valvular heart disease or myocardial infarction (heart attack), and is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death worldwide.

Researchers from The University of Manchester and the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered that enhancing the activity of an enzyme molecule called Pak1 that is found naturally in our bodies using Gilenya produced remarkable results in mice with ventricular hypertrophy.

Study co-author Dr Xin Wang, a Lecturer in Molecular Cardiology in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences, said: "Cardiac hypertrophy is the pathological state to respond to sustained stresses on the heart resulting in increases in ventricular wall thickness and muscle mass of the heart. The condition is often associated with fatal complications, such as, heart failure and rhythm disorders, such as ventricular arrhythmias, leading to millions of deaths worldwide each year.

"Our research had previously identified the effect of Pak1 in preventing tissue damage caused by reduced blood flow to the heart, known as cardiac ischemic injury. This latest study used mice with a genetic modification of the Pak1 gene to show how the enzyme, when stimulated by Gilenya, prevented and even reversed the symptoms of ventricular hypertrophy."

The research, led in Manchester by Dr Ming Lei, Dr Xin Wang and Dr Elizabeth Cartwright, and in Chicago by Professor John Solaro and Dr Yunbo Ke, is published in the leading cardiovascular journal, Circulation.

Dr Lei, who is based in Manchester's Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, added: "In recent years, escalating costs, risks, and uncertainty associated with drug development for treating cardiovascular diseases have posed daunting challenges to the pharmaceutical industry. Our discovery opens up fresh avenues for developing a new class of drug for treating several fatal heart conditions. The novel effect of this existing drug means that we have the potential to accelerate the availability of a new therapy for patients with these heart conditions."

###

'Pak1 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Antihypertrophic Treatment in the Heart,' published in Circulation, (doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.048785)

University of Manchester: http://www.manchester.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Manchester 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 42 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117177/MS_drug_prevented_fatal_heart_condition_in_lab_study

power rangers jungle fury ufc 139 fight card houston nutt houston nutt peter marshall peter marshall zombie boy

Just Show Me: 3 great football apps for your Android phone (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you three apps for your?Android phone that'll help you stay on top of the Super Bowl and all the football news.

To get started, download these apps and watch our video. And don't forget to?outfit yourself with a new TV for the big game!

Take a look at these other episodes of Just Show Me that'll help you master your Android phone:

If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/techblog/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120130/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-3-great-football-apps-for-your-android-phone

capital one bowl georgia bulldogs football 2012 nfl draft order winter classic 2012 rashard mendenhall rachel zoe penn state football

Peru: 26 killed in fire at rehab center

LIMA, Peru?? A fire swept through a two-story private rehabilitation center for addicts in a poor part of Peru's capital Saturday, killing 26 people and critically injuring six as firefighters punched holes through walls to rescue residents locked inside.

The "Christ is Love" center for drug and alcohol addicts was unlicensed and overcrowded and its residents were apparently kept inside "like prisoners," Health Minister Alberto Tejada told The Associated Press.

Six men rescued from the building were hospitalized in critical condition, said Peru's fire chief, Antonio Zavala, adding that most of the victims died of asphyxiation. All the victims appeared to be male.

The local police chief, Clever Zegarra, said the cause of the 9 a.m. fire was under investigation.

"There has been talk of the burning of an object, of a mattress, but also of a fight that resulted in a fire. All of this is speculation," he told the AP. "I've been here at the scene from morning to evening but for the moment the exact cause of the fire is not known."

One resident of the center on a narrow dead-end street in Lima's teeming San Juan de Lurigancho district said he was eating breakfast on the second floor of the center when he saw flames coming from the first floor, where the blaze apparently began.

Gianfranco Huerta told local RPP news radio station that he leaped from a window to safety.

"The doors were locked; there was no way to get out," he told the station.

AP journalists at scene said all the windows of the building they were able to see were barred. Journalists were not allowed inside as police cordoned off the block. By early afternoon, all the dead had been removed from the center.

Most of the bodies seen by reporters were shirtless, their faces blackened. Many were also shoeless.

"This rehabilitation center wasn't authorized. It was a house that they had taken over ... for patients with addictions and they had the habit of leaving people locked up with no medical supervision," Tejada, the health minister, said.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Updated 89 minutes ago 1/28/2012 10:40:16 PM +00:00 Romney uses 'history,' surrogates against Gingrich
   2. Gingrich vows to go ?all the way to the convention?
   3. Artists lend their voices to airport PSAs
   4. Romney, McCain rally vets in Pensacola, Fla.
   5. After teen hockey injuries, safety push gains support
   6. Meet 'Rosie' and 'Ken': 2 chimps, many experiments
   7. Teens send 'Lego Man' above the clouds

Authorities said they did not know how many people were inside the center at the time of the fire. They said they were looking for the center's owners and staff, some of whom apparently fled the scene.

The local police chief, Zegarra, identified the owner as Raul Garcia.

'Dantesque proportions'
Zoila Chea, an aunt of one victim, said families paid Garcia $37 to treat an addicted relative and $15 a week thereafter.

She said that neighbors had constantly complained about the center and that it had been closed twice by authorities.

Chea, 45, said relatives were prohibited from seeing interned patients during the first three months of treatment, which she added consisted mainly of reading the Bible.

Her nephew, Luis Chea, was at the center for a month, she said.

Zavala, the national fire chief, said the blaze was of "Dantesque proportions." Firefighters had to punch a hole through a wall with an adjoining building to help people trapped inside the rehabilitation center.

"We've had to use electric saws to cut through the metal bars of the doors to be able to work," Zavala said.

Relatives of residents of the center gathered near the building weeping and seeking word of their loved ones. As the day wore on, nearby sidewalks filled with relatives mourning and trying to console one another.

One of them was Maria Benitez, aunt of 18-year-old Carlos Benitez, who she said was being treated at the center.

"I want to know if he is OK or not," she told ATV television.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46174608/ns/world_news-americas/

new iphone new iphone tmobile iphone van jones van jones dark energy dark energy

Dennis Jett: It's Mitt Assertion That He Is Not Anti-Immigrant That Is Repulsive

The squawking heads were all in such a rush to declare Mitt Romney the winner of the debate on Thursday night that they forgot to listen to what he actually said. Romney, in parrying Newt Gingrich's charge that he is the most anti-immigrant candidate, forcefully declared: "I'm not anti-immigrant. My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Wales. They came to this country. The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive."

That defense is as phony as it is false. It is phony because Romney's father once ran for president. But wait a minute. The constitution says, "No person except a natural born citizen shall be eligible to the office of president." Romney's father was able to run because his parents were American citizens and he therefore acquired citizenship at birth regardless of where he was born. Romney's father came to the United States for the first time, not as an immigrant, but as a full-fledged citizen who just happened to have been born abroad.

As for Romney's father-in-law, Edward Davies, he was born in Wales, but presumably came here as a legal immigrant and eventually attained citizenship. Davies went on to become the mayor of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was also a life-long, avowed atheist, who had nothing but contempt for organized religion. Davies was "converted" to Mormonism by the Romeys in a ceremony 14 months after he died.

So Romney's defense was phony because his father was never an immigrant and his father-in-law was undoubtedly a legal one. His defense is false because he is anti-immigrant, at least the illegal ones. No one has suggested that any of the candidates oppose legal immigration.

When speaking to lily-white crowds in Iowa and South Carolina, Romney's line was basically let's deport all eleven million illegal immigrants. By this point in the debates, even the most casual observer could not have failed to conclude that the Republican Party has become the party of choice for racists. That's why Romney's remarks were clearly an attempt to tap into the xenophobia and racism of his listeners.

When he got to Florida, however, the complexion of his audiences and his remarks both changed dramatically. There are three and a half million immigrants in Florida and in Miami-Dade County there are as many immigrants as there are native-born Americans. So instead of rounding up all the illegals up and shipping them back to where they came from, Romney's talking point became they would all deport themselves once he took office.

Romney has ridiculed Gingrich's suggestion that some mechanism, like local draft boards of the past, be set up to consider making exceptions on a case by case basis. If his father-in-law had entered this country illegally and were still alive, would Romney want to send him back to Wales?

Once faced with voters who have some sympathy for people who came here from abroad, he changes his tune. He claims self-deportation will take care of the problem and he rewrites his family history to make his father an immigrant. His reputation for being someone who will say anything to become president is well deserved.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-jett/romney-immigration_b_1238193.html

urban meyer adam shulman adam shulman nfl power rankings week 13 nfl power rankings week 13 patrice patrice

Syrian troops fight rebels near Damascus (Reuters)

HARASTA, Syria (Reuters) ? A 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad edged closer to the Syrian capital on Thursday as troops battled rebels in a town just north of Damascus and a provincial governor spoke of negotiating local ceasefires.

A Syrian officer told Reuters clashes had been under way in Douma since the morning. Security forces were searching houses for arms and wanted suspects. Reporters were shown home-made grenades among other seized weapons.

The officer was speaking in the tense suburb of Harasta nearby, where troops were deployed in strength.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces had detained 200 people in raids in Douma, a hotbed of protests and armed rebellion against Assad.

Gunfire was close enough to be heard from central Damascus during the night.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For graphic on Arab League http://link.reuters.com/pev65s

For graphic on Syria toll http://link.reuters.com/xav85s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Many of them (in the opposition) have been misled. They will eventually come back to the right way," Hussein Makhlouf, governor of Damascus countryside, told Arab League monitors before they headed for some of the capital's troubled suburbs.

"We have started a dialogue with them, including some armed groups that are controlling positions there," Makhlouf said.

He told the observers that the authorities were using "the same approach as in Zabadani, so the same scenario will happen."

This month the military withdrew armored vehicles encircling the rebel-held town of Zabadani, near the border with Lebanon, after negotiating a truce with its defenders.

Arab observers stopped at an entrance to the Damascus suburb of Irbin, where a dozen soldiers stood guard. Beyond them a crowd of about 100 anti-Assad protesters shouted slogans. The troops showed the monitors the bodies of a soldier and another person they said had been killed in the morning.

The Arab observers soon drove away from the scene without going into the township.

There was no immediate word on casualties in the fighting near Damascus.

DEADLY VIOLENCE

Elsewhere, three people were killed in Homs, a sniper killed a 58-year-old woman in Hama and a 14-year-old boy was killed in the southern city of Deraa, the British-based Observatory said.

The state news agency SANA said "terrorists" had assassinated a colonel in Homs and detonated a bomb in Deraa province, killing an army lieutenant as he tried to defuse it.

SANA said 21 soldiers, security personnel and civilians killed by "armed terrorist groups" were buried on Thursday. It also reported pro-Assad demonstrations in several cities.

The monitors, now without 55 Gulf Arab colleagues withdrawn by their governments this week in protest at continued bloodshed, were resuming work after a one-week gap during which the Arab League prolonged their mission by another month.

Syrian opposition groups have accused the observer mission, which deployed on December 26, of giving Assad diplomatic cover to pursue a crackdown on protesters and rebels in which more than 5,000 people have been killed since March, by a U.N. tally.

The Arab League called on Sunday for Assad to quit as part of a transition plan for which it is seeking U.N. support.

Western and Arab diplomats are working on a draft Security Council resolution on Syria. Russia said it would promote its own text, but did not rule out a compromise.

Russia, one of Syria's few remaining allies along with Iran, has rejected sanctions or military action against Assad.

The Security Council could vote as early as next week on a Western-Arab draft resolution, council diplomats said.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby urged Damascus to end military operations against "defenseless civilians."

In recent months, an insurgency by army deserters and other rebels has increasingly eclipsed peaceful protests against more than four decades of rule by the Assad family.

Activists said the army deployment and clashes in townships around Damascus were a response to insurgents' growing strength.

"The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has almost complete control of some areas of the Damascus countryside and some control in Douma and Harasta," an activist said by telephone from Harasta.

Other activists in Douma, Harasta and Irbin said security forces had gathered in their towns after rebels retreated because they could not fight pitched battles with the army.

"Assad's army has armored vehicles and anti-aircraft guns while we only have rifles and rocket-propelled grenades," said an FSA fighter who called himself Abu Thaer.

The Arab League has suspended Syria and called for Assad to hand over to his deputy, pending the formation of an unity government, constitutional and security reform, and elections.

Michael Posner, the U.S. State Department's top human rights official, said Washington would work with the League to end the bloodshed in Syria, reiterating that Assad must go.

(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut, Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman, John Irish in Paris and Tom Perry in Cairo; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_syria

drew brees drew brees nfl games nfl schedule nfl scores nfl scores jesus montero

Queen's study shows the rights of people with disabilities are not being promoted

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Anne Craig
anne.craig@queensu.ca
613-533-2877
Queen's University

Historic legal rulings did not protect the rights of persons with disabilities

Historic legal rulings did not protect the rights of persons with disabilities, while legal rulings concerned with race or gender provided much more protection of individual rights and freedoms according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Queen's University PhD student Christopher A. Riddle has determined in a recent study.

"The motivation for this examination came from the very simple observation that the rights of persons with disabilities were not being promoted through the very mechanisms designed to ensure justice for everyone," says the study's author.

Section 15 of the Charter states "that every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination." Mr. Riddle came to his conclusion of unequal treatment after examining a number of historic legal cases between 1986 and 2004 that showed prejudice against people with disabilities.

More specifically, the ideal of equality was found to have been interpreted in numerous different manners, across the various cases.

The next step will be to develop a clearer understanding of what it is about equality that excludes people with disabilities, so that researchers can begin to address and incorporate people with disabilities into the existing struggles for social justice.

Mr. Riddle is currently a lecturer at Concordia University. The paper was published recently in Disability Studies Quarterly.

###

---

[ | 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: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Anne Craig
anne.craig@queensu.ca
613-533-2877
Queen's University

Historic legal rulings did not protect the rights of persons with disabilities

Historic legal rulings did not protect the rights of persons with disabilities, while legal rulings concerned with race or gender provided much more protection of individual rights and freedoms according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Queen's University PhD student Christopher A. Riddle has determined in a recent study.

"The motivation for this examination came from the very simple observation that the rights of persons with disabilities were not being promoted through the very mechanisms designed to ensure justice for everyone," says the study's author.

Section 15 of the Charter states "that every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination." Mr. Riddle came to his conclusion of unequal treatment after examining a number of historic legal cases between 1986 and 2004 that showed prejudice against people with disabilities.

More specifically, the ideal of equality was found to have been interpreted in numerous different manners, across the various cases.

The next step will be to develop a clearer understanding of what it is about equality that excludes people with disabilities, so that researchers can begin to address and incorporate people with disabilities into the existing struggles for social justice.

Mr. Riddle is currently a lecturer at Concordia University. The paper was published recently in Disability Studies Quarterly.

###

---

[ | 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/2012-01/qu-qss012512.php

guy fawkes day stevie williams steve williams koch brothers weather phoenix dippin dots triumph the insult comic dog

Amazon may become greenhouse gas emitter

In the struggle against global warming, the Amazon rain forest may be about to switch sides.

Its dense vegetation has long helped cool the planet by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But mass tree deaths brought about by recent droughts and deforestation may be pushing the region to a point at which it will give off more of the greenhouse gas than it absorbs.

?The Amazon might still be a sink for carbon, but if it is it?s definitely moving towards being a source,? says Eric Davidson, director of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Mass. Reporting in the Jan. 19 Nature, Davidson and 14 other researchers from the United States and Brazil weigh evidence that the world?s largest rain forest has become increasingly vulnerable to change.

Thanks to regular measurements of 100,000 trees, scientists estimate that the Amazon was sucking up about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually at the turn of the century. ?Plants absorb the gas during photosynthesis, storing the carbon component as leaves, wood and roots and injecting it into the soil. The entire rain forest is thought to contain about 100 billion tons of carbon, equivalent to 10 years of global CO₂ emissions from burning fossil fuels.

It?s clear that much of this carbon is now being released at the Amazon?s southern and eastern edges, says Davidson, in places where forests have been cleared by loggers or burned to make room for cattle and crops.

Not only do these bald patches store little carbon, they also threaten remaining trees by reducing the amount of moisture that is released into the air and by pulling rain away from the surrounding forest.

Dry seasons in the southern and eastern fringes of the Amazon have gotten longer. And when the rains do come, precipitation that would have been captured by forest runs off into rivers instead. A 2003 study in the Journal of Hydrology found that water flowing through Tocantins River in southeastern Amazonia increased by nearly 25 percent as croplands spread to encompass almost half of the land draining into the river.

For now, the impact of this deforestation will probably remain confined to parts of the Amazon. One computer simulation suggested that a surge in deforestation that cleared 40 percent of the Amazon basin could trigger a tipping point, a runaway conversion of forest to savanna. But Davidson?s team argues that the uncertainties are too great to make such a prediction.?

Climate change, rather than direct deforestation, may ultimately be the factor that threatens the Amazon as a whole. Rising global temperatures are predicted to warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean and stimulate the El Ni?o weather patterns that influence how much rain falls on the Amazon, making droughts more frequent and more severe.

?Our work suggests that as the planet gets warmer, places like the Amazon are probably going to lose carbon,? says Kevin Gurney, an atmospheric scientist at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Trees in the Amazon?s interior are naturally resilient against drought. Their roots reach far below the surface, tapping deep water sources that provide sustenance during lean times.

But even deep-drinking trees have their limits. In a study reported in 2010 in New Phytologist, scientists channeled away up to half of the rain falling on small plots of land in eastern Amazonia for seven years. By the third year, tree growth had slowed substantially and tree death had nearly doubled.

A severe dry spell in 2005 pushed many trees beyond what they could handle even faster. Rainfall decreased over a third of the Amazon, by as much as 75 percent in some places. At the time, scientists estimated that the forest released more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon as trees died off, and labeled the devastation a once-in-a-century event.

Then an even worse drought hit in 2010, when an even larger area lost even more carbon. An analysis of satellite images reported last April in Geophysical Research Letters showed the forest turning brown.

?We?ve seen two climatologically unusual droughts in the last few years,? says Oliver Phillips, a tropical ecologist at the University of Leeds in England. But while these droughts are consistent with the expected consequences of climate change, Phillips is quick to point out that they could be just a statistical fluke, a couple of bad years brought on by natural variability. ?Distinguishing a trend from a natural cycle is difficult,? he says.?

As scientists continue to grapple with understanding what?s happening to the Amazon?s carbon, progress has been made in curbing deforestation in Brazil. Though setting fires to clear land remains a common practice, logging has decreased to less than a fourth of what it was in 2004. Ultimately, the scientists studying the region hope that human beings and the rainforest can find a way to remain allies.

?Brazil has the potential to move from an emerging-market country to a developed country without having destroyed its forests,? says Davidson. ?That?s not something that most countries, including the United States, can say.?

Found in: Environment

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337827/title/Amazon_may_become_greenhouse_gas_emitter

tomb of the unknown soldier tomb of the unknown soldier reo reo chilis snow white and the huntsman snow white and the huntsman

Young Breast Cancer Survivors Face Psychological Distress | Psych ...

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 23, 2012

A new study discovers that cancer treatments can significantly hinder the quality of life of younger breast cancer survivors.

Researchers discovered younger women with breast cancer experience a decrease in their health-related quality of life. They also may experience increased psychological distress, weight gain, a decline in their physical activity, infertility and early onset menopause.

The study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in women, and is the leading cause of death in women under 50 in the U.S.

Researchers note that although the survival rate for younger women with breast cancer has improved over the last two decades, their cancer treatments, despite their effectiveness, can seriously affect quality of life and other health outcomes.

In the study, researchers sought to determine the impact of cancer treatment on the quality of life of younger breast cancer survivors. Patricia A. Ganz, M.D., and colleagues reviewed studies that focused on overall quality of life, psychosocial effects, menopause and fertility-related concerns, and behavioral outcomes related to weight gain and physical activity.

The studies were published between January 1990 and July 2010. Of the 840 titles and abstracts reviewed, they focused on 28 with the most relevant data.

Investigators found that overall quality of life was compromised in younger breast cancer survivors, with the mental issues more severe than the physical problems.

Depression was also a problem as young women were also more depressed compared to the general age-matched population of women without cancer or women over 50 with breast cancer.

Premature menopause, infertility and menopause-related symptoms were more common and contributing factors to the level of distress in women 50 or younger after treatment.

Weight gain and physical inactivity were common health outcomes in younger women, although exercise rates generally increased after treatment.

Researchers believe the findings demonstrate the need for personalized treatment for breast cancer, especially among young women.

?By tailoring [treatment] and giving cytotoxic therapy only to those who may benefit, we can mitigate some of these side effects, but the long life expectancy for these younger women also provides a window of opportunity for cancer prevention and health promotion activities.?

Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Young Breast Cancer Survivors Face Psychological Distress. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 25, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/01/23/young-breast-cancer-survivors-face-psychological-distress/33987.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/01/23/young-breast-cancer-survivors-face-psychological-distress/33987.html

eric decker eric decker dallas cowboys cheerleaders leftover turkey recipes leftover turkey recipes hugo hugo

Iran's Gulf smugglers feel blowback from tensions (AP)

KHASAB, Oman ? By dawn, the unmarked speedboats from Iran pull into port. By dusk, they are racing back across the Strait of Hormuz loaded with smuggled consumer goods ranging from Chinese-made shoes to cut flowers from Holland.

Even as sanctions squeeze Iran ever tighter, there's one clandestine route that remains open for business: A short sea corridor across the Persian Gulf connecting a rocky nub of Oman and the Iranian coast about 35 miles (60 kilometers) away.

Yet even this established smugglers' path is now feeling the bite from the pressures on Iran over its nuclear program.

Business is sharply down, the middlemen and boat crews say, as the slumping Iranian currency leaves fewer customers for the smuggled wares. At the same time, the risks of interception are higher as Iranian authorities step up patrols near the strategic oil tanker lanes at the mouth of the Gulf.

The strait, which is the only access in and out of the Gulf, has been the scene of Cold War-style brinksmanship between Iran and the West after Tehran last month threatened to block the passageway for about one-sixth of the world's oil in retaliation for new U.S. sanctions.

"We used to make two or three trips across every day. Now, it's maybe one," said an Iranian middleman, who gave only his first name Agheel to protect his identity from authorities in his homeland.

He watched crews load up a pickup truck with bolts of fabric from Pakistan and table-size boxes of cut flowers from the Netherlands, before the trucks headed off through the treeless mountains to Khasab port.

The operation smuggles in merchandise to avoid Iranian tariffs and to bring in American and European products that have disappeared from Iranian markets because of international sanctions. Experts note that the consumer items post no real challenge to efforts to block material with military or nuclear uses.

"Still, it shows you can't close off all channels into Iran no matter how hard you try," said Paul Rogers, who follows security affairs at Bradford University in Britain. "People will find a way."

On this side of the Gulf, the smugglers operate under a tacit tolerance from authorities, even though Oman and the United Arab Emirates are close U.S. allies and have pledged to enforce sanctions. The port lies in a sparsely populated peninsula enclave belonging to Oman but encircled on land by the UAE, a legacy of how the area was carved up in the final days of British rule here in the last century that resulted in Oman holding joint control with Iran over the strait.

The goods are legally imported into the UAE and truck drivers take them across the border, paying the customary 50 dirham ($13.50) entry fee, according to the smugglers interviewed by The Associated Press. In Khasab, the merchandise is taken to warehouses and then piled on the docks less than 100 yards (100 meters) from the port police headquarters.

Omani authorities did not respond to requests for comment on the traffic.

The Khasab speedboats are far from the only back channel into Iran. Drug traffickers easily cross the hinterland borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and black market networks stretch across the frontiers with Iraq and Turkey. Authorities in Iraq's Kurdish region have been under pressure for years to crack down on fuel trucks heading into Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

But Khasab stands out for its openness and for lying on the highly sensitive Strait.

A shipment arranged by the Iranian smuggler Agheel this week was done with practiced efficiency.

A pickup truck backed into a wood-floored warehouse with hundreds of cases of cigarettes bundled three together and wrapped tightly in gray plastic weave ? in total 3,000 cigarettes under south Asian brands such as Ruby Menthol. The truck was soon sagging under the weight of boxes piled five high.

Agheel did some quick calculations: Each three-case load cost him about $1,200 and he could sell them to merchants in Iran for the equivalent of about $1,350 under current exchange rates. The truck pulling out of the warehouse represented a potential return of about $4,500.

"If we don't get caught," he added.

The smugglers have their ways of avoiding Iranian authorities.

Spotters off the coast ? on the island of Qeshm and near the port of Bandar Abbas ? call in coast guard movements to Khasab. The speedboat drivers keep close attention to the water conditions on the Strait and try to approach the Iranian coast just after sunset. The trip can take as little as 90 minutes in calm seas and up to four hours in rough water in the stripped down stripped-down 16-foot (five-meter) fiberglass boats.

Agheel's truck passed through the Khasab customs station at midday and then down a strip of hardscrabble road.

At the port ? almost in the shadow of a Costa cruise ship making a day stop ? dozens of boats were being packed and secured for the trip. There were no names or markings on the speedboats. But the items loaded on carried familiar logos: LG 42-inch flatscreen TVs, Discovery Channel DVDs, Panasonic microwaves, Yamaha motorcycle parts. Also in the stacks were textiles, satellite dishes and Chinese-made clothes and shoes.

One boat driver, who gave his name only as Aziz, had a breakfast of eggs, beans and Mountain Dew as he waited for the day's shipment to be loaded for the return run to Qeshm, a long arrow-shaped island near the Iranian coast and a main waystation for the smugglers.

Months ago, he could make as many trips as possible because the merchants in Iran were demanding goods.

But now the struggling Iranian rial ? dragged down partly by U.S.-led sanctions that could target Iran's Central Bank ? has put many things out of reach for Iranians, he said.

"No one wants to buy because the (rial) rate is not stable," he said.

He also said the Iranian coastal patrols have been boosted amid the escalating tensions over the Strait.

On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the American military is "fully prepared" to deal with any Iranian effort to close the waterway. Next month, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard plans naval exercises in the area.

If spotted by patrols, Aziz said the two-man boat crews try to heave the goods overboard. They then must pay back the smuggling network, which can amount to thousands of dollars.

But it's worth the risk, he said.

"The situation is getting worse now," he said. "All the prices are up and Qeshm has nothing else" except smuggling.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_smugglers_in_the_strait

seahawks jets air jordans pecan pie recipe prince philip david wright sugar cookie recipe

Inflammatory mediator promotes colorectal cancer by stifling protective genes

Public release date: 22-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-516-4855
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

UT MD Anderson researchers expose molecular connection between inflammation, methylation

HOUSTON - Chronic inflammation combines with DNA methylation, a process that shuts down cancer-fighting genes, to promote development of colorectal cancer, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report today in the advance online publication of the journal Nature Medicine.

The team's connection of these two separate influences eventually may lead to better combination therapies for treating and preventing colorectal cancer.

In animal experiments, researchers found that prostaglandin E2, a chemical that promotes inflammation, accelerates the development of colorectal cancer by shutting down genes that suppress tumors and repair damaged DNA. They also found that while either an anti-inflammatory drug or a demethylating agent reduced the size and number of tumors in mice with colorectal cancer, the most powerful response occurred when both drugs were used together.

"We've known that chronic inflammation increases the risk of developing cancer and progression of disease," said senior author Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., provost and executive vice president at MD Anderson. "We've also known that tumor-suppressing genes are silenced in human colorectal cancer. However, nobody had made a molecular connection between these inflammatory mediators and changes in gene expression or silencing of genes through affects on DNA methylation."

Cancer prevention potential

The two drugs used in the animal experiments - the anti-inflammatory agent celecoxib (known commercially as Celebrex) and the demethylating agent azacitidine (Vidaza) - are both approved for human use.

"One potential application of our research would be a clinical trial for patients who are at extremely high risk for developing colorectal cancer, such as those with a genetic predisposition, to see if treatment with these agents would decrease their risk," DuBois said.

Prostaglandin E2 and methylation

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a lipid mediator found at high levels at sites of inflammation where immune cells are aggregating. DuBois and colleagues looked for correlations between levels of PGE2 and a class of enzymes called DNA methyltransferases, which attach methyl groups (one carbon atom joined to three hydrogen atoms) to the promoter region of genes, blocking gene expression.

"We found that levels of PGE2 correlate with levels of two methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3, in human colorectal cancer specimens," DuBois said.

Subsequent experiments showed PGE2:

• Directly increased levels of both methylating enzymes in three human colorectal cancer cell lines;
• Increased the silencing by methylation of the tumor-suppressor gene CNR1 and the DNA repair gene MGMT;
• Also expanded methylation of a variety of other DNA repair genes, most importantly silencing CDKN2B and MLH1, which repairs DNA mismatches.

PGE2 silences protective genes in mice

Treating mice that are genetically altered to develop colon tumors with PGE2 increased:

• Levels of the methyltransferase gene expression in tumor cells;
• Methylation of the four tumor-suppressing genes, which reduced the expression of their corresponding messenger RNA and protein levels in tumor cells; and
• Size and number of precancerous polyps.

Giving those mice the demethylating agent azacitidine reversed the effect of PGE2 on tumor growth and on the silencing of tumor-suppressing and DNA repair genes.

Mice treated with azacitidine alone experienced a 60 percent reduction in tumors, and those treated with celecoxib alone, a 77 percent tumor reduction. Treatment with both drugs in tandem cut the number of tumors by 93 percent. All three regimens also reduced the average size of tumors; however, the combination therapy led to the greatest decrease, cutting the size of tumors by half.

Same correlations evident in human colorectal cancers

The researchers found that various processes observed in mice - such as inflammation promotion through PGE2 and another inflammatory agent called PTGS2, methlytransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3B, and the methylation of CNR1, MGMT and MLH1 - are all positively associated in human colorectal cancer, as well.

"These mouse studies make us optimistic that we can extrapolate our data to help treat humans," DuBois said. "Improved understanding of PGE2's roles in cancer progression and the regulation of DNA methylation may provide the basis for developing combination therapy to treat targeted groups of patients, and to prevent cancer from occurring or recurring in high-risk groups."

###

Co-authors with DuBois are first author Dianren Xia, Ph.D., Dingzhi Wang, Ph.D., Sun-Hee Kim, Ph.D., and Hiroshi Katoh, Ph.D., of MD Anderson's Department of Cancer Biology. DuBois has appointments in both Cancer Biology and the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology.

Funding for this research was provided by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

About MD Anderson

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.

---

[ | 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: 22-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-516-4855
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

UT MD Anderson researchers expose molecular connection between inflammation, methylation

HOUSTON - Chronic inflammation combines with DNA methylation, a process that shuts down cancer-fighting genes, to promote development of colorectal cancer, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report today in the advance online publication of the journal Nature Medicine.

The team's connection of these two separate influences eventually may lead to better combination therapies for treating and preventing colorectal cancer.

In animal experiments, researchers found that prostaglandin E2, a chemical that promotes inflammation, accelerates the development of colorectal cancer by shutting down genes that suppress tumors and repair damaged DNA. They also found that while either an anti-inflammatory drug or a demethylating agent reduced the size and number of tumors in mice with colorectal cancer, the most powerful response occurred when both drugs were used together.

"We've known that chronic inflammation increases the risk of developing cancer and progression of disease," said senior author Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., provost and executive vice president at MD Anderson. "We've also known that tumor-suppressing genes are silenced in human colorectal cancer. However, nobody had made a molecular connection between these inflammatory mediators and changes in gene expression or silencing of genes through affects on DNA methylation."

Cancer prevention potential

The two drugs used in the animal experiments - the anti-inflammatory agent celecoxib (known commercially as Celebrex) and the demethylating agent azacitidine (Vidaza) - are both approved for human use.

"One potential application of our research would be a clinical trial for patients who are at extremely high risk for developing colorectal cancer, such as those with a genetic predisposition, to see if treatment with these agents would decrease their risk," DuBois said.

Prostaglandin E2 and methylation

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a lipid mediator found at high levels at sites of inflammation where immune cells are aggregating. DuBois and colleagues looked for correlations between levels of PGE2 and a class of enzymes called DNA methyltransferases, which attach methyl groups (one carbon atom joined to three hydrogen atoms) to the promoter region of genes, blocking gene expression.

"We found that levels of PGE2 correlate with levels of two methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3, in human colorectal cancer specimens," DuBois said.

Subsequent experiments showed PGE2:

• Directly increased levels of both methylating enzymes in three human colorectal cancer cell lines;
• Increased the silencing by methylation of the tumor-suppressor gene CNR1 and the DNA repair gene MGMT;
• Also expanded methylation of a variety of other DNA repair genes, most importantly silencing CDKN2B and MLH1, which repairs DNA mismatches.

PGE2 silences protective genes in mice

Treating mice that are genetically altered to develop colon tumors with PGE2 increased:

• Levels of the methyltransferase gene expression in tumor cells;
• Methylation of the four tumor-suppressing genes, which reduced the expression of their corresponding messenger RNA and protein levels in tumor cells; and
• Size and number of precancerous polyps.

Giving those mice the demethylating agent azacitidine reversed the effect of PGE2 on tumor growth and on the silencing of tumor-suppressing and DNA repair genes.

Mice treated with azacitidine alone experienced a 60 percent reduction in tumors, and those treated with celecoxib alone, a 77 percent tumor reduction. Treatment with both drugs in tandem cut the number of tumors by 93 percent. All three regimens also reduced the average size of tumors; however, the combination therapy led to the greatest decrease, cutting the size of tumors by half.

Same correlations evident in human colorectal cancers

The researchers found that various processes observed in mice - such as inflammation promotion through PGE2 and another inflammatory agent called PTGS2, methlytransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3B, and the methylation of CNR1, MGMT and MLH1 - are all positively associated in human colorectal cancer, as well.

"These mouse studies make us optimistic that we can extrapolate our data to help treat humans," DuBois said. "Improved understanding of PGE2's roles in cancer progression and the regulation of DNA methylation may provide the basis for developing combination therapy to treat targeted groups of patients, and to prevent cancer from occurring or recurring in high-risk groups."

###

Co-authors with DuBois are first author Dianren Xia, Ph.D., Dingzhi Wang, Ph.D., Sun-Hee Kim, Ph.D., and Hiroshi Katoh, Ph.D., of MD Anderson's Department of Cancer Biology. DuBois has appointments in both Cancer Biology and the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology.

Funding for this research was provided by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

About MD Anderson

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.

---

[ | 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/2012-01/uotm-imp011912.php

nancy shevell weezer weezer slavoj zizek paul mccartney adam savage adam savage

Small SC wildly succeeded at making voice heard (AP)

CHARLESTON, S.C. ? South Carolina Republicans established their presidential primary more than three decades ago as way to raise the state's national political profile. They wildly succeeded.

Ever since 1980, when Ronald Reagan won, every candidate who has won the GOP primary in this Southern state of fewer than 5 million has gone on to claim the Republican presidential nomination. State party officials are fond of saying the road to the White House passes straight through South Carolina.

Harry Dent, the late South Carolinian who engineered Richard Nixon's 1968 Southern strategy of appealing to Southern conservatives, and the late state GOP Chairman Dan Ross are generally credited with planting the seeds for the primary.

Former Gov. James B. Edwards, who in the 1970s was the first GOP governor of the state in modern times, says no one at the time thought the presidential primary would morph into what it has become today bringing all the major GOP candidates to crisscross the state with hundreds of reporters in tow.

"I wasn't that foresighted and I don't know that anybody else was or not. I doubt it," said Edwards, who is now 84.

South Carolina is a different battleground from the corn fields of Iowa and predominantly white New Hampshire. The state is poorer, more conservative and has a population that is 28 percent black. Voters don't register by parties so Democrats and independents enter the mix in the primary.

The state has also proven a second-chance for candidates who have stumbled in earlier contests with their different constituencies.

In the GOP primary in 2000, Texas Gov. George W. Bush beat Sen. John McCain of Arizona after he was upset by McCain in New Hampshire. Four years ago, it was McCain who capped a comeback following a dismal showing in Iowa with a win in New Hampshire and another in South Carolina.

Republican state Sen. John Courson, elected to the Senate in 1984, was a Reagan delegate in 1976 when Reagan lost the nomination to President Gerald Ford. Reagan supporters wanted a primary in 1980 because they believed Reagan would fare better against former Texas Gov. John Connelly in an open primary than in a traditional nominating convention.

Courson said two elements have helped to make the primary a success: It's always been the first in the South and has always been held on a Saturday, which party leaders knew would bring conservative Democrats to the polls.

"We had to be the first-in-the-South primary. If any other Southern large state, like Texas or Florida, were before us, we would not see the candidates," he said.

What is lost with all the candidates trooping through is that the primary also helped build the modern Republican Party in South Carolina. Until 2008, the party ran the primary using volunteers. Now it's the job of the State Election Commission.

Getting volunteers involved was central to building the GOP.

"If you start working with the party and working at the polls and organizing the primary, that gives you the stimulus to be a real party," Edwards said.

Much of the proof is in the office-holding.

In 1980, when the GOP presidential primary was established, only 23 of the 170 South Carolina state lawmakers and one of the nine statewide office-holders were Republican. Today, there are 103 GOP lawmakers and the party holds all nine statewide offices.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_south_carolina_primary_history

tropic thunder justin bieber baby justin bieber baby credit unions tower heist reviews recursion amy schumer

Philbin named Dolphins new head coach (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The Miami Dolphins named Joe Philbin as the team's new head coach on Friday.

A statement released by chairman of the board and managing general partner Stephen Ross and general manager Jeff Ireland confirmed Philbin as the franchise's 10th head coach.

"We are thrilled to have Joe Philbin join the Miami Dolphins as our head coach," Ross said. "Joe has all the attributes that we were looking for when we started this process.

"Joe was the right choice to bring the Dolphins back to the success we enjoyed in the past. I know I join our fans in welcoming him as the newest member of the Dolphin family."

Philbin has been the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers since 2007 and originally joined the team as the assistant offensive line coach in 2003.

"I want to thank Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland for giving me the opportunity to become the head coach of one of the premier franchises in professional sports," said Philbin.

"I also want to thank the Green Bay Packers for all the support the organization has given me during my time there."

Philbin replaces interim head coach Todd Bowles, who took over from Tony Sparano with three games remaining in the season. Sparano had coached Miami since 2008.

"The Dolphins have a strong nucleus to build around, and together we will return the team to its winning tradition," added Philbin.

"I have seen how much the fans in South Florida care about the Dolphins, and that passion is one reason why I'm really excited to be here. I can't wait to get started."

(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario. Editing by Alastair Himmer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/sp_nm/us_nfl_dolphins

patriots jets patriots jets the music man the music man steve smith weather san antonio weather san antonio

East Africa's drought: the avoidable disaster http://t.co/SQPnJ3ko via @guardian

• Where we work
• Our work
• Our programs
• Get involved

• Africa
• Americas
• Asia
• Middle East

• Emergency Response
• Nutrition
• Procurement
• Food Security Analysis
• Logistics

• School meals
• Food for assets
• Purchase for progress
• HIV/AIDS
• Focus on women

• Twitter Tweet and follow us. News, emergencies and useful information
• WeFeedback Sharing food, changing lives
• Facebook Join discussions on our wall and be in the loop for info on Facebook
• Freerice Play, learn and donate rice with every right answer!
• YouTube Videos from the field, celebrity ambassadors and more
• RSS feeds Subscribe to our RSS feeds

• Aid professionals
• Students
• Teachers
• Private Sector
• Government Donors
• Media
• Executive Board

• Donate
• Contact
• Privacy

World Food Programme ? 2012

Source: http://www.wfp.org/content/east-africas-drought-avoidable-disaster-httptcosqpnj3ko-guardian

nick fairley tim allen enlightened enlightened stand and deliver when does ios 5 come out when does ios 5 come out

McCardell interviews to be Jaguars receivers coach (The National Football Post)

A familiar face interviewed to be the receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Keenan McCardell, one of the best receivers in franchise history, told the Florida Times-Union that his interview with new Coach Mike Mularkey went well.

?It went good,? McCardell said by phone. ?It went pretty good, I must say. We?re still talking. You just never know, Jacksonville would be a great place. ? At the end of the day I have to teach guys how to be successful just as I was successful.?

McCardell, 42, coached receivers for the Washington Redskins in 2011, but with his contract expiring, it will not be renewed.

For the Jaguars' list of unheralded and somewhat unproductive receivers, maybe McCardell can show them a bit of what made him successful when he was in tandem with Jimmy Smith during the glory days of the franchise in the late 1990s.

Follow me on Twitter @TitanInsider247 and @terrymc13

Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com
?

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5765013024

john wooden mirror mirror tanuki mirror mirror trailer bob knight bob knight lavar arrington

Suspect in Montana teacher's abduction has long criminal record (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? One of two men charged with abducting a Montana teacher reported missing and presumed dead was previously convicted in Florida of nearly a dozen crimes, including burglary and drug offenses, and served time in that state's prison system, legal records show.

Sketchy details from the lengthy criminal record of Lester Vann Waters, 47, came to light as FBI agents and police in Montana and North Dakota pressed their search for possible sites where the remains of the missing woman might have been buried.

Sherry Arnold, 43, a high school math instructor from the northeastern Montana farming community of Sidney, vanished on January 7 after setting off for a predawn run along a truck route on the outskirts of town. She was later reported missing by her husband, and one of her shoes was recovered during an initial search of the area.

Waters was arrested Thursday night in Williston, North Dakota, about 45 miles east of Sidney, following an anonymous tip to a hotline set up in the investigation.

A second man, Michael Keith Spell, 22, was detained for questioning in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Friday, the same day that Arnold's spouse was informed by authorities that his wife was presumed dead.

Over the weekend, authorities named Spell as a second suspect, and the two men, both from Parachute, Colorado, were charged with aggravated kidnapping. Both were being held in Williston.

The FBI on Sunday confirmed that Arnold may be dead even though her body has not yet been found. Investigators have asked landowners in Williston and adjacent rural areas near Sidney to check for possible burial sites where there are mature or rotted trees.

Meanwhile, legal records in Florida, where Waters resided for at least 22 years, showed he was arrested in that state on suspicion of dozens of misdemeanors and felonies dating from 1986 to 2008, and amassed convictions for such offenses as dealing cocaine, burglary and a hit-and-run injury accident.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which listed his occupation as that of a construction worker, also documented that he served time in various county jails and the state penitentiary.

Arnold's disappearance and presumed death have shaken the sense of safety and security in Sidney, the seat of a Montana county known for leading the state in production of sugar beets and dry beans.

The town of 5,000 is experiencing rapid growth linked to a regional oil and gas boom related to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Sidney Mayor Bret Smelser told Reuters in a weekend interview that city officials are seeking to ease the fears "that some of the female population have right now" by reestablishing the neighborhood watch program and examining other kinds of surveillance.

"We hope the community remains the same as it was ... a community that accepts outsiders, knowing that 99.9 percent want a better life just like the rest of us," he said.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Barbara Goldberg)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/us_nm/us_teacher_montana

jessica chastain nook tablet eagles magic johnson involuntary manslaughter stevens johnson syndrome verdict in michael jackson trial