মঙ্গলবার, ৩১ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Oil above $99 in Asia on Europe's austerity move

(AP) ? Oil rose above $99 a barrel Tuesday in Asia in sync with gains in regional equity markets after Europe took measures to battle its debt crisis.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was up $1 at $99.78 a barrel at midday Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 78 cents to finish at $98.78 on Monday.

European leaders agreed Monday on a new treaty to stop overspending and put an end to the region's crippling debt woes. They also pledged to stimulate growth and employment amid fears of a looming recession. Greece and its bondholders are also inching closer to a deal to significantly cut the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout.

"The announcements in the eurozone helped ease concerns but crude prices are going to be choppy going forward. The market is grappling with a weaker demand scenario and uncertainties in the supply side coming from Iran," said Natalie Robertson, commodities analyst at ANZ Banking Group in Melbourne.

Iran has welcomed international weapons experts into the country in hopes of refuting claims that it is building a nuclear weapon. That eased concerns about possible military action in the region.

Still, Europe plans to embargo Iranian oil this summer to pressure Iran about its nuclear program. If that happens, Iran says it could retaliate by blocking passage through the Persian Gulf, where tankers carry one-sixth of the world's oil exports.

The U.S. is ready to implement sanctions on Iran's central bank that will make it harder for Iran to sell oil. India has however, joined China in saying it will not cut back on crude imports from Iran.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 2.8 cents to $3.07 per gallon and gasoline futures were up 1.8 cents to $2.89 per gallon. Natural gas fell 6 cents to $2.65 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-31-Oil%20Prices/id-7d2f4ea8aa4c455f8fbf4a1f73a6c2dd

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Andrew Jenks: My Day In The Mitt Romney Bubble

A birthday celebration, a memorized stump speech and a rendition of 'America the Beautiful' for 1,000-plus senior citizens.
By Andrew Jenks


Andrew Jenks at Mitt Romney's rally in Tampa, FL
Photo: Gil Kaufman/MTV News

TAMPA, FL — I have been traveling like a mad man for a long time. But nothing compares to Monday, the eve of the Florida Republican primary. I got the chance to be a part of the traveling press corps and follow Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney everywhere he went. For a political junkie like myself, it was like living a dream.

As we covered hundreds of miles, leapfrogging from Jacksonville to Tampa and beyond, I had one goal: to ask Romney about Florida's new voter registration laws and other issues facing young Americans. The former Massachusetts governor hadn't taken a question from the press in more than a week. Still, we were rock stars — well, political ones anyway.

After an early-morning rally at a local heavy equipment seller, we hustled to the Jacksonville airport, where I stood on the tarmac as I was patted down by security. Then I stood in awe as the possible future president got the same treatment.

I was told not to film it, but I had to. What if TSA found a gun in Romney's belt? One of Romney's guys who knows me (and knows I am sometimes up to no good) yelled, "Jenks! Not the TSA!" So, I pretended I was filming a bird and apologized.

"That must be weird," I said to the TSA agent afterwards.

"I've done a lot weirder," he replied. I'm still not sure what that meant. Once we were on the plane, I tried to get as close to Romney as possible so I could get my question in, but I was told to sit toward the back. An NPR reporter told me I could sit as far up as the emergency exit row, but maybe he was just hazing the new kid.

I was enjoying some cherries, cheese and crackers provided by Team Romney when the press corps suddenly stood up and the lights turned off. I thought to myself, "I must be on the wrong plane, right?" That's when they all started singing "Happy Birthday."

The next thing I saw as I recorded this odd scene was the governor delicately walking alone down the dark aisle carrying a birthday cake with candles lighting his face. His expression said, "Why the heck am I carrying a huge, wonky cake as a plane full of photographers capture my every move?" But he seemed relaxed.

For one strange moment, I wondered if this was the future president. When he laughed, we all laughed, and it all seemed kind of normal — celebrating a birthday. But after he cracked a few jokes and doled out chips to everyone, the plane took off, and for the remained of the day I could only see Romney from afar.

"Does Governor Romney do that often?" I asked a German reporter as he chowed on a roast beef sandwich provided by the campaign. He smiled. "You must have come on a special day."

On the plane and bus everyone does their own thing. They are friendly and some joke around, but mostly they sleep, read books on Romney, go through their notes and type on a variety of devices to get their stories in on time. They seem pretty resigned to getting just a few tidbits of actual news on any given day.

The day's final event was at a retirement community called The Villages. As we approached I joked with an ABC reporter that this would probably be the low-key event of the day — just the governor speaking with some senior citizens. She laughed at me. When we stopped, there were barricades up — a lot of them. It was loud. More than 1,000 seniors filled the picture perfect town square as giant video screens rolled footage of visits from past presidential candidates and dignitaries.

By the time Romney took the stage, after just a few events, I knew his speech word-for-word. The opening jabs at Newt Gingrich, a recitation of his favorite verses from "America the Beautiful," and the same story about the cross-country trips his family took when he was a child and ample fire aimed at President Obama's policies.

He finished with a terse comment on how our current president has been reckless, anti-military and anti-business. A few reporters and I agreed that the only story breaking at this point was that Romney actually sang "America the Beautiful" this time around.

And that was it. The day before the biggest primary we have had so far, I celebrated a birthday, went to a concert at a nursing home and learned the words to "America the Beautiful." Sometimes this journey hasn't felt serious enough. I am not always sure that I am covering anything of substance, but hopefully I will return with stories bigger than a TSA pat-down or a nursing home mosh pit.

MTV is on the scene in Florida! Check back here around the clock for up-to-the-minute coverage on the primary caucuses and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

Related Videos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678229/florida-primary-mitt-romney-andrew-jenks.jhtml

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Sexual healing? Not likely

Monday, January 30, 2012

A new study shows the production of sperm is more biologically taxing than previously thought, and expending energy on it has significant health implications.

In research published in PLoS ONE, Dr Damian Dowling of Monash University's School of Biological Sciences and Professor Leigh Simmons of the University of Western Australia have investigated the trade-off between sperm quality and immunity.

The researchers used the Australian cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus to prove that the production of quality sperm is expensive and males are strategic about investing energy in the biological process.

Dr Dowling said investigations into life history trade-offs - investment in reproduction versus future reproduction and survival prospects - have historically focused on females.

"This study challenges the traditional view that sex, and sperm production, come cheaply to males. It is typically thought that females must invest heavily into reproduction, whereas males can freely produce millions of high-quality, tiny sperm on demand, with few costs," Dr Dowling said.

"Here we show that the costs are in fact large, and these costs dictate how much effort a male will devote into any given sexual encounter."

The crickets were housed either with sexually immature females, sexually mature females incapable of reproduction, or sexually mature females capable of reproduction. Sperm quality was measured twice and immune function once during the experiment.

Dr Dowling said the male crickets were more likely to produce high quality sperm when housed with sexually mature females with whom they could mate, indicating a strategic investment of energy.

The researchers also found that production of quality sperm appeared to have a negative effect on the crickets' immune systems.

"Males that invested heavily in their sperm paid the price of being more likely to succumb to a bacterial infection. And we are not talking about STDs here - we are talking about how increased investment into the quality of the ejaculate corresponds with general reductions in immune function," Dr Dowling said.

###

Monash University: http://www.monash.edu.au

Thanks to Monash University 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 146 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117174/Sexual_healing__Not_likely

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সোমবার, ৩০ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Facebook IPO could create the world?s largest internet company (Yahoo! News)

By going public, Facebook could net a cool $10 billion

Want to own a piece of?Facebook? Next week, you can ? the?social media behemoth is expected to file papers for its IPO as soon as February 8. It's a bottom-line boosting move that's been a long time coming.

Facebook was founded in 2004 by?Mark Zuckerberg as a way for Harvard students to connect with each other. In the 8 years since, it's grown into a privately-held company valued as high as $100 billion.

It's expected that an IPO could earn about $10 billion in money for Facebook, which would easily make it the largest IPO in tech history. The previous largest public offering occurred in 2005 when search giant?Google's IPO netted just under $2 billion.

By going public, Facebook will be able to use the value of its stock to acquire other companies. It's also expected to make existing Facebook employees instant millionaires.

(Source)

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120131/tc_yblog_technews/facebook-ipo-could-create-the-worlds-largest-internet-company

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Interview with Zack Fertitta (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193229155?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Analysis: More than ever, businesses must think "what if" (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.

Caution, flexibility, nimbleness and deep knowledge of host countries are more important than ever, executives and their advisers said at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.

Fear of a major geopolitical disruption over the next 12 months has risen to 54 percent, up from 36 percent last quarter, a WEF poll showed at the start of this week's meeting.

"You have to more than at any time in recent memory think in terms of 'what ifs,'" said Vasant Prabhu, chief financial officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (HOT.N).

"This is a world in which you have to think in terms of scenarios and alternate outcomes and what you would do."

Companies are closely looking at their counterparties - their vendors, suppliers and the banks that manage their cash to assess what would happen if they run into problems.

They are worrying about their currency exposure, with one U.S. company chairman in Davos privately saying he had started converting all of his company's cash in euros into dollars since the euro zone debt crisis suddenly deepened last year.

Other risk-averse moves include companies adjusting their supply chains to build flexibility into their business should a natural disaster cause a repeat of the huge disruption which followed the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last year.

And as they enter new markets and face more uncertainty in mature ones, they are putting more effort into understanding local politics and business practices. Some are using former spies to gather intelligence on trade partners.

Behind all this is a growing sense that increased uncertainty is the new reality of doing business. Financial considerations can no longer be the sole focus, advisers and executives said in interviews before and during the WEF in Davos.

"I think fundamentally there is an acknowledgement that this volatility that we are seeing is going to be here for the foreseeable future," PricewaterhouseCoopers Chairman Dennis Nally said.

"You can't predict the solution here in Europe. You can't predict what may happen in the Middle East. You can't predict what could happen in terms of the geopolitical issues in Asia, or certainly what's coming out of Washington," Nally said.

Companies feel an imperative to be better prepared.

"Our own view right now for 2012 is, 'Yes, there are some scenarios that could be bad but we think of them as low probability," Starwood's Prabhu said. "We think 2012 would be a year where the world muddles through."

FLIGHT TO QUALITY

For bankers one consequence is closer scrutiny of the financial health of their business by corporate treasury departments. Ratings downgrades of some banks have prompted corporate treasurers to analyze their relationships and think about switching banks or spreading the risk by hiring more.

"Increasingly, we are seeing clients take a holistic view of integrating strategic capital raising and risk and cash management in this unique time of uncertainty and volatility," said Jacques Brand, global co-head of Investment Banking Coverage and Advisory at Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE).

"As a result, clients are planning accordingly and we are seeing a flight to quality."

Indeed, several major banks have seen their deposits grow, in part because companies have moved their business away from weaker institutions. JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) Treasury & Securities Services unit saw liability balances grow to $370 billion last year, an increase of more than $100 billion in one year, Mike Cavanagh, the division's chief executive said.

"Corporate clients that we talk to are very mindful that they have counterparty and currency risks, and prioritizing them more so than pre-crisis," Cavanagh said.

"To the extent a client has a portfolio of banks providing transaction banking services, they are becoming much more conscious of concentration risk," he added.

Bankers said they are also advising clients to look beyond their immediate trade partners, as what happens to the partners' counterparties could end up affecting their business as well.

"You have to think in terms of two or three degrees of separation. Your vendor, and your vendor's vendor -- when does that create a problem in your supply chain? Your banker and your banker's banker -- when does that create a problem in your financials?" said Samuel Di Piazza, vice chairman in Citigroup's (C.N) Institutional Clients Group.

"Finance departments have to deal with that this year," Piazza said. "Two years ago they didn't. Maybe in '08 they did, but in '10 we felt better about that. It's back on the agenda."

POLITICS OF BUSINESS

For many Western corporations, the euro zone crisis and the gridlock in Washington are also bringing home the fact that politics has an ever bigger role to play in business and markets.

"The euro zone crisis on the surface is a fiscal crisis or a debt crisis but it's going to be resolved as a political issue," said D.J. Peterson, director of Corporate Advisory Services practice at political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group.

Adding to the complexity is the need for companies to find growth in emerging markets, where traditionally the state has played a bigger role in the functioning of markets.

Boutique firms such as Eurasia Group, Oxford Analytica and others, which provide geopolitical advice and analysis, are seeing demand for their services grow rapidly in the last few years and are increasingly finding a role alongside traditional advisers such as investment bankers and lawyers in transactions.

Eurasia's Peterson said the group had been growing at about 20 percent a year. It employs scholars, former policy makers, former regulators and industry experts to gather intelligence and analyze geopolitical trends for clients.

Some, including Oxford Analytica, also use senior people with experience in diplomacy, intelligence and finance to put together advice for corporate clients.

Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services (ZURN.VX) said 2011 had been a rough year for natural catastrophe losses but its business of insuring against political risk is booming.

"From sovereign debt to tsunamis, the universe of enterprise risk seems broader and more consequential than ever before," said Thomas Huerlimann, head of Zurich Global Corporate.

"You need to hedge your political risk to a greater degree than you had to do, certainly in the last 20 years," said Nader Mousavizadeh, chief executive of Oxford Analytica.

(Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson and Ben Hirschler; editing by Janet McBride)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/bs_nm/us_davos_risk

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Marshall's 4 TD catches lifts AFC in Pro Bowl (AP)

HONOLULU ? Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl-record four touchdowns, and the AFC used a second-half surge to beat the NFC 59-41 on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver had a touchdown catch in each quarter, including an early 74-yarder and a 3-yarder in the fourth, in a game filled with highlight-reel catches. He was selected the game's MVP and his four TD catches set a Pro Bowl record.

The 59 points by the AFC set a Pro Bowl mark, and the 100 points scored by the two teams combined was the second highest, a touchdown shy of the 107 scored in 2004.

But it was clear from the start it was Marshall's day. He hauled in a deflected, go-ahead 47-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton, while on his back, to give the AFC a 38-35 lead late in the third quarter. It was Marshall's third TD catch of the game, tying Jimmy Smith's Pro Bowl record set in 2004.

Marshall, making his third Pro Bowl appearance, then nabbed a 3-yard TD pass from Dalton that gave the AFC a 52-35 lead with 8:25 left and put the game away.

The game featured 36 first-timers, including rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, who replaced Super Bowl quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Their selection made this Pro Bowl the first to feature two rookie signal callers.

While Dalton looked composed, Newton played horribly ? struggling to move the ball, stay in the pocket and find his targets, which drew some boos from the sun-splashed, sellout crowd of 48,423.

Newton finished 9 of 27 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dalton, meanwhile, was 7 of 9 for 99 yards and two TDs.

On his first series, Newton overthrew a wide-open Tony Gonzalez over the middle, with the ball sailing into Eric Weddle's hands. The San Diego Chargers safety popped up to his feet and returned it 63 yards to the NFC 23, leading to a 37-yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski, which gave the AFC its first lead of the game at 31-28.

Newton recovered on the next series, airing out a 55-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Panthers teammate Steve Smith, making it 34-31. But he was intercepted again on the next series.

With the Pro Bowlers unable to get out of third gear ? particularly on the offensive and defensive lines ? and hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight, the Pro Bowl featured some good, bad and real ugly ? sometimes on the same play. For example, Aaron Rodgers caught a pass from himself. His throw was deflected at the line and he leaped to catch the ball and backpedaled for a 15-yard loss.

Rodgers was 13 of 17 for 141 yards and two TDs, giving him a quarterback rating of 139.6, higher than his NFL record 122.5 rating during the season. But he was watching late in the game as Newton struggled.

The NFC had three players with 100-yard yard receiving: Gonzalez (seven for 114), Larry Fitzgerald (6 for 111) and Smith (5 for 118).

The AFC and NFC traded score after score, and turnover after turnover in the first half.

Rodgers and Fitzgerald connected for a pair of scores on back-to-back plays to put the NFC up 14-0 early in the game.

After stopping the AFC on fourth down at midfield, Rodgers drove the NFC down the field and threw a 10-yard TD toss to Fitzgerald. Six seconds later, Rodgers aired a 44-yard rainbow in the end zone to Fitzgerald for another score after the NFC got the ball back with a surprise onside kick.

The reception was Fitzgerald's sixth career TD catch in the Pro Bowl, tying Gonzalez's record.

The AFC came right back and tied it up on two deep TD passes on the right side by Ben Roethlisberger. He threw a 34-yarder to rookie A.J. Green, and then connected with Marshall on a 74-yarder.

But Drew Brees and the NFC kept the scoring going. Just like in the regular season, Brees and Saints teammate Jimmy Graham hooked up to give the NFC a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Brees zipped a pass to Graham for a 6-yard score and would later find Brandon Jennings for an 11-yard TD.

Antonio Gates pulled in a 27-yard TD from Chargers teammate Rivers as time expired in the half to tie it at 28.

Each AFC player earned a record $50,000 for the win, while the NFC players received $25,000.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_fo_ga_su/fbn_pro_bowl

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রবিবার, ২৯ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Researchers find cancer in ancient Egyptian mummy

(AP) ? A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment.

The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.

AUC professor Salima Ikram, a member of the team that studied the mummy in Portugal for two years, said Sunday the mummy was of a man who died in his forties.

She said this was the second oldest known case of prostate cancer.

"Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors," she said.

A statement from AUC says the oldest known case came from a 2,700 year-old skeleton of a king in Russia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-29-ML-Egypt-Ancient-Cancer/id-e1ac4d45bf884d0ea6f5c8fb2ede8778

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Do you really need Hire Insurance policy? | US Agency Insurance ...

Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 2:42 am ?

Numerous property owners don?t cease to take into account what happens if you find a fire, somebody destroys in and takes their new Television for computer or hifi, or perhaps a visitor falls and is catagorized on his or her house. The sad the fact is you?re accountable! When your landlord has

insurance cover that protects the specific establishing, that protection does not incorporate your individual property or home or culpability for injuries which exist in originates from you?re renting ~ whether it?s a rental or maybe a home and yard.

If a fireplace need to destroy or injury your house, your landlord?s insurance policies will handle the dwelling. It won?t cover injury or decrease of your things. Nor can it look after the price of short-lived homes for you and your family.

You could think you don?t unique sufficient private house to make the price tag on insurance beneficial. You?re most likely completely wrong! Should you sit down and add together the cost of whatever you private, you will be set for a large wonder. Think about what we have dedicated to things like:

?Furniture and gadgets

?Electronics like Tv set, stereo audio, computers

?Small home appliances like microwaves, toaster oven cookers, for example.

?Clothing

?Art perform like art or designs

?Dishes, silverware and kitchenware

?Sporting gear

?Books

?Jewelry

Would you pay for to exchange most of these things?

More serious, how would you react if the buddy is damaged on your own property and chooses to sue you for healthcare prices plus more? It?s a intimidating imagined, isn?t it?

Think you?re realizing why hire insurance coverage are sometimes a incredibly wise expenditure?

The price of procurment insurance coverage is founded on numerous variables:

? The dollar amount of your coverage

? Deductibles

? No matter whether you choose to be refunded for Cash Worth or Alternative Expenditures (more details on that in just a minute)

? Exactly where your rental property can be found and the amount of earlier promises made, besides by you, but by some others surviving in a similar vicinity.

Let me demonstrate the gap amongst Cash Importance (ACV) and Alternative Expenditures. ACV is the value of your premises back then a loss of profits happens. As an example, but if your television set is a few years older, it?s appreciated at much less than regardless of whether ended up being brand-new. The lesser volume is what you really are repaid.

However, if going for Rc, you?re paid out no matter what it costs to purchase the latest Television concentrating on the same capabilities. Protecting for replacement cost lifts the quality of your high grade so it?s recommended that you get insurance quotes for both ACV and Rc insurance policies. Then you can definitely decide which option meets your needs and price range.

One more thing to keep in mind is that diamond jewelry, useful series, and guns are frequently taken care of with a independent plan or ?rider?. In case you very own most of these goods, be sure you tell your insurance professional. You don?t want to discover right after disaster visits that they can aren?t insured or which they aren?t taken care of with regards to legitimate value.

One way you can cut down the cost of your local rental insurance policies are to check on with regardless of what corporation insures your car. Whenever they supply local rental insurance cover chances are you?ll be eligible for a adjustable-collection cheap.

Procurment insurance cover may be valued at your time and money only for the relief it gives you.

Filed under: Uncategorized

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Source: http://usagencyinsurancequote.com/do-you-really-need-hire-insurance-policy.html

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Okla. lawmakers file state insurance opt-out bill | Washington ...

Two Oklahoma lawmakers have filed legislation to increase the number of state employees who could opt out of state insurance coverage.

The measure expands a 2011 law that allowed state employees and lawmakers to refuse state-funded coverage if they are already covered by another policy.

The law now applies to individuals currently covered by a separate policy. The proposal by Reps. Dustin Roberts and Emily Virgin of Oklahoma City would expand the opt-out option to include those who will be covered by a separate group health insurance plan on or before the beginning of the next plan year.

The current law has already saved an estimated half-million dollars and could ultimately save $1.5 million to $3.5 million annually. Roberts and Virgin say their measure could lead to more savings.

Source: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2012/01/okla-lawmakers-file-state-insurance-opt-out-bill/2144781

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US man helping in Haiti rebuilding is shot, robbed (AP)

MIAMI ? A U.S. man who helped build a trauma center in Haiti after January 2010's devastating earthquake was treated at that hospital after being critically wounded during a robbery in the capital of Port-au-Prince, his wife and doctors said Friday.

David Bompart, 50, of Columbus, Ohio, was shot Tuesday afternoon outside a bank and was in critical condition Friday at a Florida hospital. Bompart was picking up money for an orphanage building project when robbers sprayed bullets at him at close range. He was hit but able to walk to a nearby Project Medishare hospital for help, said his wife, Nicolle Bompart, 45.

The robbers stole his camera and passport, but the money for the orphanage remained safe in Bompart's pants pocket, his wife said. The suspects have not been arrested.

"I feel like this was a robbery (by) some people who were desperate to feed their families, and I choose to look at it as that's why they did it," Nicolle Bompart said.

He underwent two surgeries at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare before he was airlifted Thursday night to a Miami hospital, said spokeswoman Catherine Murphy.

Bompart was on a ventilator at the Ryder Trauma Center and had gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, said Dr. Nicholas Namias, the center's co-medial director.

"What we're dealing with now are the effects of being in shock for a long time in Haiti," Namias said.

Bompart managed Project Medishare's warehouse and logistics, said co-founder, Dr. Barth Green.

Since October, Bompart had been working on building the orphanage through the couple's own charity, Eyes Wide Open International, said his wife, who flew to Haiti after the shooting.

The couple has spent much of their time since January 2010 flying between Haiti, Florida and Ohio for their charity work and for medical care for their 14-year-old son, a Haitian boy they adopted after the earthquake. The Bomparts also have a 26-year-old daughter.

Bompart knew about the potential risks of working in Haiti's capital, which had been prone to instability and violence before the earthquake. But he was devoted to helping widows and orphans in Haiti and he felt he could rely on his training as a former United Nations employee and as a member of the military in his native Trinidad and Tobago, his wife said.

"Honestly, if he was able to tell you, he would say that he would do it all over again, if it would change someone's life or bring awareness to this situation," Nicolle Bompart said. "He would still do it, because that's the kind of guy he is."

___

Online:

For updates on Dave Bompart's progress: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davidbompart

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_gunshot_victim_haiti

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শনিবার, ২৮ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Ideas: Genetic Testing and Insurance: One Datum

Reductions in the cost of genetic testing and improvements in what we know about what it tells us produce obvious benefits; if you know you are? likely to have some particular medical problem, you may be able to take precautions against it. But they also have at least one potential downside. The more is known about the chance of bad things happening to us, the less able we will be to insure against them.

A solution to this problem that is sometimes proposed is to permit individuals to have their genes tested but forbid insurance companies to require testing as a condition of insurance or to use the information it produces. The problem with that is adverse selection. If the customer knows his risk and the insurance company doesn't, high risk and low risk customers are charged the same price, making insurance a good deal for the former and a bad deal for the latter. Insurance companies, realizing that most of those who choose to buy their insurance are bad risks, will charge accordingly, driving more of the low or average risk customers out of the market. In the limiting case, insurance is bought only by high risk customers, at a high risk price. A famous description of the problem is Akerlof's article "The Market for Lemons."

If we allow both insurance companies and their customers to make use of genetic information, then both high risk and low risk customers can buy insurance, but at different prices. The risk of having genetic variants that make you more likely to suffer some expensive medical problem is uninsurable, although you can still insure against the risk that, given those genes, the problem will actually appear.

The theoretical analysis of the problem is straightforward; interested readers can find one version in Chapter 6 of my Law's Order. But the theory does not tell us how large the problem is. That depends on empirical facts, in particular on how much the information provided by genetic testing affects the expected cost of insuring someone.As it happens, I recently came across a datum relevant to that question, as a result of having my own genes tested by 23andMe, a company that does mail order genetic testing. It turned out that I had a genetic variant that implied a moderately increased risk of meningioma, the second most common type of brain tumor.

The information came a little late to be useful. Last summer, while I was part of a group on World of Warfare, one of the other players noticed that I had stopped responding. He called the house. My son took the call, came into my office, and found me half conscious on the floor. The diagnosis at the local hospital was meningioma, a benign (i.e. non-cancerous) tumor inside my skull but fortunately outside my brain. It was large enough to put pressure on my brain, so required surgery. I got surgery, all went well, and I am now fully recovered, aside from a visible scar and a tendency of my scalp to itch.

According to 23andMe, 35,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with meningioma, and in most cases the tumor is small enough not to require surgery. Assume that 10,000 of those, like my case, do, making the annual probability for a random American 1/30,000. Further assume that the average cost is $100,000. That's the right order of magnitude?I saw the figures for what it cost my insurance company, but don't have them ready to hand at the moment. The average cost to the insurance company of that particular risk is then about $3.

Finally, assume that my "moderately increased risk" means twice the average risk, which seems if anything a high guess. It follows that in a world where insurance companies had and used that data, my medical insurance would cost me, or my employer, three dollars a year more than in a world where the data was not available.

There are, of course, lots of other risks that my health insurance insures against. For some my genetics are presumably favorable, for some unfavorable. It would require much more information than I have to estimate how much the cost of insurance would vary from one person to another if all of that information was available and used. But at least the single datum I happen to have suggests that the effects might be small.

Labels: genetic testing, insurance, meningioma, tumor

Source: http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/2012/01/genetic-testing-and-insurance-one-datum.html

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Yankee matchup

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey

By STUART CONDIE

updated 5:43 p.m. ET Jan. 27, 2012

LONDON - Landon Donovan set up both goals for Everton, which rallied to beat Fulham and Clint Dempsey 2-1 Friday night for a berth in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

With the two biggest stars on the U.S. national team facing each other for the first time in six years, Danny Murphy put Fulham ahead at Goodison Park with a 14th-minute penalty kick that beat American goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Donovan's cross from the right flank was headed in by Denis Stracqualursi in the 27th minute for his first goal for Everton. Again passing the extreme right side, Donovan's cross was headed in by Marouane Fellaini in the 73rd minute.

Teammates on the last two U.S. World Cup teams, Donovan and Dempsey had not faced each other since May 6, 2006.

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


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'Bad losers' and?'animals'

Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has labeled Real Madrid's players bad losers and animals after his club won their latest ill-tempered matchup.

Yankee matchup

With the two biggest stars on the U.S. national team facing each other for the first time in 6 years, Landon Donovan?leads Everton past Clint Dempsey's Fulham.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46169073/ns/sports-soccer/

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FM hockey players honor cancer victims with special game

Read?more: Local, Sports, Education, Fayetteville Manlius, Fayetteville Manlius School District, Varsity Ice Hockey Team, Hockey Game, FM, Hockey Players, Cancer, Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness, Raising Money for Breast Cancer, Pink in the Rink, Nancy Chase, Matt Murphy, Kevin Hanon, St. Anne's Parish

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Fayetteville-Manlius?community has a big reason to?be proud tonight.? The Boys Varsity Hockey Team raised $8,000 in a charity game for the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Foundation.?

Hundreds came out to the "Pink in the Rink" at the Onondaga Nation Arena Wednesday.?The idea for the event started after Hockey Mom, Nancy Chase,?lost her battle with the disease.?

"A?lot of people remember her for her smile and her laugh especially. It just made her that much more of an inviting person, it meant a lot to us how welcoming she was and how she was a mother like figure for all of us whenever we were over there," said Derek Andrake.

Nancy was a teacher at Enders Road Elementary School and was involved in the F-M food pantry and a faithful communicant of St. Anne's parish.

"When Nancy?passed away?it?affected these kids a lot, and they wanted to give back.??It's really neat to see them say we want to do something in honor of not only Nancy, but in honor of this cause," said parent Matt Napierala.

The F-M community also continues to mourn the loss of 19-year-old Matt Murphy to leukemia and Father Kevin Hanon, St. Anne's beloved priest, to stomach cancer. The year before, another friend lost her father to brain cancer.

"They need to be proud of themselves.?We hope?that we?teach our kids this kind of stuff. But they get it. They're?very good?kids," said parent Deborah Bell.

Organizers also sold more than 900 "Pink in the Rink" t-shirts for the game. All proceeds are being donated to the Baldwin Foundation.? The team also dedicated a bench to the Chase family marked with "Chase Your Dreams."

Click?here?to see the interview with F-M hockey players which aired Wednesday morning on Today in CNY.

Source: http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=711639

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Investing in stock exchange trading for starters | Chess Improvement

Investing in stocks and options usually comes with many volume of risk. However there are several professionals informing regarding how to invest in the stock market, no person really derives passion for the responsibility of cutbacks encountered by shareholders. And so, you?ll need to be in charge of your actions inside the supply markets. In case your real question is how to invest in stocks and options for beginners, then the evident solution can be via a great deal of supply analysis in addition to coaching. It is possible to understand how to invest in stocks and options solely immediately after reliable train in addition to enthusiastic involvement in trading in addition to starter supply committing activities. The advice with purchasing the stock market for beginners will assist you to inside the undertaking regarding committing.

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DISCLAIMER: This information is just by referrals purposes and doesn?t suggest almost any stock exchange purchases.

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Source: http://uhcclub.com/chess-strategy/investing-in-stock-exchange-trading-for-starters/

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শুক্রবার, ২৭ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Groups sue over Navy sonar use off Northwest coast

FILE - A beached pilot whale is seen in this Jan. 15, 2005 file photo taken near Oregon Inlet on North Carolina's Outer Banks by the U.S. Coast Guard. In a lawsuit being filed Thursday Jan. 26, 2012 by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups claim the National Marine Fisheries Service was wrong to approve the Navy?s plan for the expanded training in the Pacific Northwest. Regulators determined that while sonar use by navies has been associated with the deaths of whales around the world _ including the beachings of 37 whales on North Carolina?s Outer Banks in 2005 _ there was little chance of that happening in the Northwest. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, File)

FILE - A beached pilot whale is seen in this Jan. 15, 2005 file photo taken near Oregon Inlet on North Carolina's Outer Banks by the U.S. Coast Guard. In a lawsuit being filed Thursday Jan. 26, 2012 by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups claim the National Marine Fisheries Service was wrong to approve the Navy?s plan for the expanded training in the Pacific Northwest. Regulators determined that while sonar use by navies has been associated with the deaths of whales around the world _ including the beachings of 37 whales on North Carolina?s Outer Banks in 2005 _ there was little chance of that happening in the Northwest. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, File)

SEATTLE (AP) ? Conservationists and Native American tribes are suing over the Navy's expanded use of sonar in training exercises off the Washington, Oregon and California coasts, saying the noise can harass and kill whales and other marine life.

The environmental law firm Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups filed the lawsuit Thursday against the National Marine Fisheries Service, saying it was wrong to approve the Navy's plan for the expanded training.

They said the regulators should have considered the effects repeated sonar use can have on those species over many years and also required certain restrictions on where the Navy could conduct sonar and other loud activities to protect orcas, humpbacks and other whales, as well as seals, sea lions and dolphins.

Instead, the Navy is required to look around and see if sea mammals are present before they conduct the training.

Kristen Boyles, a Seattle-based attorney with Earthjustice, said it's the job of the fisheries service to balance the needs of the Navy with measures to protect marine life.

"Nobody's saying they shouldn't train," she said. "But it can't be possible that it's no-holds-barred, that there's no place where this can't happen."

In 2010, the fisheries service approved the Navy's five-year plan for operations in the Northwest Training Range Complex, an area roughly the size of California that stretches from the waters off Mendocino County in California to the Canadian border. The Navy has conducted exercises in the training range for 60 years, but in recent years proposed increased weapons testing and submarine training.

The groups want the permit granted to the Navy to be invalidated. They are asking the court to order the fisheries service to study the long-term effects of sonar on marine mammals, in accordance with the Endangered Species Act and other laws.

Regulators determined that while sonar use by navies has been associated with the deaths of whales around the world, including the beaching of 37 whales on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 2005, there was little chance of that happening in the Northwest. The short duration of the sonar use, typically 90 minutes at a time by a single surface vessel, and reduced intensity would help prevent whale deaths, they said. Regulators required the Navy to shut down sonar operations if whales, sea lions, dolphins or other marine mammals were spotted nearby.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, claims that the Navy's sonar use in the Northwest might be strong enough to kill the animals outright. But even if it doesn't, the repeated use of sonar in certain critical habitats, such as breeding or feeding grounds, over many years could drive those species away, making it more difficult for them to eat or reproduce, it claims. The fisheries service should have ordered the Navy to keep out of such areas, at least seasonally, the environmental groups said.

A spokeswoman for the Navy declined to comment on Wednesday, saying she had not seen the lawsuit, and a spokesman for the fisheries service said the agency's lawyers had not yet reviewed it.

The plaintiffs include People for Puget Sound, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, which represents ten Northern California American Indian tribes.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-01-26-Navy-Whales/id-b1ec5b11084c4bee846813c98111b3a8

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Ex-dictator appears in court, doesn't testify (AP)

GUATEMALA CITY ? Former Guatemalan leader Efrain Rios Montt has appeared in court but is refusing to testify in a genocide case involving crimes against indigenous communities during his dictatorship in the 1980s.

Rios Montt has been accused of being responsible for some of the worse massacres during the Central American country's 36 years of civil war. The 85-year-old former general says he was dealing with a war.

Thousands of people demanding justice surrounded a court building in Guatemala City on Thursday when Rios Montt appeared at a hearing before a judge who will decide whether the ex-dictator can be tried on genocide charges.

Prosecutors say Guatemala's military is implicated in at least 100 incidents involving at least 1,771 deaths.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_guatemala_ex_dictator

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Amber Rose Is Making Wedding Plans

Kanye West’s ex Amber Rose is all set on settling down with rapper Wiz Khalifa – once the busy couple can find time to be together for longer than a few days. The model-turned-singer insists the Black & Yellow hitmaker is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with but they [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/amber-rose-is-making-wedding-plans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=amber-rose-is-making-wedding-plans

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Distimo: Being Featured In The Android Market Can Boost Apps? Rank By 172%

androidEarlier this morning, we looked at the findings from analytics provider?Distimo's latest report, which examined what happens when mobile apps go on sale. (Spoiler: when priced correctly, revenue goes way up). The second part of the report looked at the ranking gains that occur when an app achieves "featured" status in a mobile app store like iTunes or the Android Market.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/czzWH_6rM1c/

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৬ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Oscars voting to go electronic

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak is seen before the start of the Academy nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak is seen before the start of the Academy nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Producer Brian Grazer is seen after the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Jennifer Lawrence and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announce the Adapted Screenplay nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

(AP) ? Potential Oscar winners will now be a click away from winning a trophy.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it has partnered with a company to develop an electronic voting system for next year's 85th annual Academy Awards.

The motion picture academy says it entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively to work with longtime accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers to create the new system.

Oscar voting in the past has been compiled through paper ballots sent through the mail.

Ric Robertson, the Academy's chief operating officer, said in a statement that it's the first step the Academy is taking "toward developing a secure and convenient electronic voting system."

The 84th annual Academy Awards are set for Feb. 26.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-25-Oscars-Voting/id-5292f7ea38d9475ea0e87e80f783ba36

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Oil near $100 as Fed vows to keep key rate low

(AP) ? Oil rose to near $100 a barrel Thursday in Asia after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates at record lows at least until 2014 to help jump-start the world's biggest economy.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was up 43 cents at $99.83 a barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose by 45 cents to finish at $99.40 per barrel in New York on Wednesday. At one point it was as high as $100.40.

Brent crude for March delivery was up 71 cents at $110.52 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

The U.S. central bank, which has kept its benchmark interest rate near zero for three years, said Wednesday that it doesn't plan to raise the rate before late 2014.

That caused the dollar to turn lower against major currencies, which makes dollar-priced oil less expensive for holders of other currencies.

"That would mean the U.S. dollar would continue to be cheap versus other currencies, and there is typically an inverse correlation between the value of the dollar and commodity pricing," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst at consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.

"So oil prices are supported by the Federal Reserve statement," he said.

But other analysts saw room for oil prices to fall.

Leaving rates low would encourage businesses and consumers to borrow money cheaply, boosting the economy and leading to higher oil demand. But the Fed also "telegraphed its concern regarding U.S. economic growth ... which is intuitively bearish for oil," said energy trader and consultant The Schork Group.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil rose 2.3 cents to $3.03 per gallon and gasoline futures gained 1 cent to $2.85 per gallon. Natural gas advanced 3.9 cents to $2.77 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-26-Oil%20Prices/id-8e0ea0e9320b4263a3fa72b80a06beb7

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Natural gas price rebounds from 10-year low (AP)

NEW YORK ? Natural gas prices are rebounding from 10-year lows as producers cut back and colder weather forces homeowners to turn up the heat.

The price of natural gas futures rose Tuesday for the third straight trading day, adding 3 cents to finish at $2.55 per 1,000 cubic feet. The futures contract dropped as low as $2.32 on Thursday, the lowest since Feb. 25, 2002.Natural gas rose this week after one of the largest producers, Chesapeake Energy Corp., announced it would slow down production this year. And weather forecasts showed a chilly mix of rain and snow from the Southwest to the Great Lakes. More than half of homeowners use natural gas for heat, and investors are betting they'll need to crank up furnaces as temperatures drop.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell Tuesday as concerns about Europe's beleaguered economy focused again on Greece's massive debt and looming default. Greece's private creditors warned that European leaders were putting the region's financial stability at further risk by not committing enough money to the crisis.

Benchmark crude fell 63 cents to end at $98.95 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price foreign oil varieties that are imported by U.S. refineries, fell 55 cents to finish at $110.03 per barrel in London.

The price of natural gas has plunged as drillers expanded their reach in North America, tapping vast underground shale layers that are rich in gas and oil. Supplies in storage have grown well beyond the five-year average for this time of year. Prices are about 44 percent lower than at the same time last year, and experts say U.S. supplies will continue to test the country's storage capacity because of weak demand.

"You may reach a point this summer that you wouldn't get it all into storage," independent natural gas analyst Stephen Smith said. "If that happens, you're going to see an extreme weakness in natural gas prices."

Homeowners should eventually see lower heating bills, and in some cases lower electricity bills, as more utilities use cheap natural gas to run generators.

In the U.S., retail gasoline prices were flat Tuesday at a national average of $3.38 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular is 15 cents higher than a month ago and 27 cents more than a year ago.

Drivers in the U.S. continue to buy less gasoline, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse. The report released Tuesday is based on credit card purchases as of Jan. 20. It estimates that the four-week average gasoline demand fell by nearly 4 percent when compared with the same period last year. Gasoline consumption has been dropping for 11 months straight, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose a penny to end at $3.02 per gallon and gasoline futures rose about 3 cents to finish at $2.81 per gallon.

___

Follow Chris Kahn on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ChrisKahnAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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Morgellons: Unexplained skin condition is non-infectious, not linked to environmental cause: CDC report

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a comprehensive study of an unexplained skin condition commonly referred to as Morgellons and found no infectious agent and no evidence to suggest an environmental link.

The full results are reported in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

In this study, investigators took an in-depth look at a skin condition characterized by unexplained lesions that contain fibers, threads, or other foreign material, accompanied by sensations of crawling, biting, or stinging. The condition is not currently recognized as a distinct clinical disorder with established diagnostic criteria. However, increasing inquiries to the CDC in 2006-2009 regarding the condition prompted the study in Northern California, where many of the persons who reported these symptoms lived.

The researchers found and enrolled 109 persons with symptoms of this condition by searching through the electronic medical record database of a large HMO. They conducted extensive testing to rule out infectious causes, and found no indication that the condition was attributed an infection. The researchers also determined that the fibers associated with the lesions were apparently fragments of cloth or other debris. The investigators showed that the condition is uncommon, estimating that it results in fewer than four out of 100,000 people seeking medical attention. About half of the study participants had evidence of other medical, most commonly psychiatric, illnesses.

The CDC suggests that people suffering with symptoms similar to those reported in the study should see their health care provider for a complete physical to ensure proper diagnosis of all illnesses, including psychiatric, and follow the recommended treatments.

"We found no evidence that this condition is contagious, or that suggests the need for additional testing for an infectious disease as a potential cause," says Dr. Mark Eberhard, Director of CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria and a lead study investigator. "This alleviates concerns about the condition being contagious between family members and others."

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Journal Reference:

  1. Michele L. Pearson, Joseph V. Selby, Kenneth A. Katz, Virginia Cantrell, Christopher R. Braden, Monica E. Parise, Christopher D. Paddock, Michael R. Lewin-Smith, Victor F. Kalasinsky, Felicia C. Goldstein, Allen W. Hightower, Arthur Papier, Brian Lewis, Sarita Motipara, Mark L. Eberhard. Clinical, Epidemiologic, Histopathologic and Molecular Features of an Unexplained Dermopathy. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (1): e29908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029908

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172321.htm

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বুধবার, ২৫ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Marine mammals on the menu in many parts of world

ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) ? The fate of the world's great whale species commands global attention as a result of heated debate between pro and anti-whaling advocates, but the fate of smaller marine mammals is less understood, specifically because the deliberate and accidental harvesting of dolphins, porpoises, manatees and other warm-blooded aquatic denizens is rarely studied or monitored. To shed more light on the issue, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Okapi Wildlife Associates have conducted an exhaustive global study of human consumption of marine mammals using approximately 900 sources of information.

The main finding: since 1990, people in at least 114 countries have consumed one or more of at least 87 marine mammal species. In addition to this global review, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists work in remote countries around the world to assess and actively address the threat to dolphin populations with localized, applied conservation efforts.

The new global study appears in the most recent edition of Biological Conservation. The authors include: Dr. Martin D. Robards of the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Dr. Randall R. Reeves of Okapi Wildlife Associates.

"International bodies such as the International Whaling Commission were formed specifically to gauge the status of whale populations and regulate the hunting of these giants," said Robards, lead author of the new study. "These species, however, represent only a fraction of the world's diversity of marine mammals, many of which are being accidentally netted, trapped, and -- in some instances -- directly hunted without any means of tracking as to whether these harvests are sustainable."

In order to build a statistically robust picture of human consumption rates of marine mammals around the world, Robards and Reeves started with records on small fisheries focused on small whales (i.e. pilot whales), dolphins, and porpoises from 1975 and records of global marine mammal catches between 1966 and 1975. From there, the authors consulted some 900 other sources and consulted with numerous researchers and environmental managers, an exhaustive investigation that took three years to complete. The team only counted information with actual evidence of human consumption of marine mammals, omitting instances where marine mammals were caught (either intentionally or not) for fishing bait, feed for other animals, medicines, and other uses.

The list of marine mammals killed for human consumption includes obscure species such as the pygmy beaked whale, the South Asian river dolphin, the narwhal, the Chilean dolphin, the long-finned pilot whale, and Burmeister's porpoise. Seals and sea lions are on the list as well, including species such as the California sea lion and lesser known species such as the Baikal seal. The polar bear (a bear that is considered a marine mammal) also makes the list. Three species of manatee and its close relative the dugong, considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, are also widespread targets of human consumption.

Overall, the historical review reveals an escalation in the utilization of smaller cetaceans, particularly coastal and estuarine species since 1970, often caught as accidental "bycatch" in nets meant for fish and other species. Once caught, however, small cetaceans are being increasingly utilized as food in areas of food insecurity and/or poverty, what the authors call "fishing up the food chain."

"Obviously, there is a need for improved monitoring of species such as the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and other species," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of WCS's Ocean Giants Program. "In more remote areas and a number of countries, a greater immediate need is to understand the motivations behind the consumption of marine mammals and use these insights to develop solutions to protect these iconic species that lead to more effective management and conservation."

WCS's Ocean Giants Program works in a number of seascapes of critical importance to small cetaceans in particular. These efforts are focused on the local level to address local impacts on coastal dolphin populations, providing on-the-ground practical conservation actions to compliment the global investigative work highlighted above.

In Congo, Gabon, and Madagascar, WCS conservation scientists Dr. Salvatore Cerchio and Tim Collins are conducting scientific studies to assess the status of impacted dolphin populations, and work with local communities of traditional fishermen to reduce accidental bycatch and deliberate hunting of dolphins. In these regions, the scientists are documenting a worrying trend in increased captures and use of dolphins for food, and they are sometimes also being sold in markets better known for their association with terrestrial bushmeat.

In response, Cerchio and the WCS Madagascar team have worked with local communities to establish a local conservation association composed of fishermen, local traditional laws protecting dolphins, and development of community-based whale and dolphin watching as an alternative livelihood. On the other side of the African continent, the coasts of Gabon and Congo represent one of the last strongholds for the rare Atlantic humpback dolphin. Catches by fishermen in Gabon are extremely rare, but groups of dolphins that cross the border (a finding of recent WCS work) risk capture in coastal gillnets set by artisanal fisherman. "The Atlantic humpback dolphin may well be the rarest mammal in the Congo basin region," said Tim Collins. "Unfortunately, few have ever heard of it, least of all the fisherman eating them out of existence."

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/izjty7luB9s/120124151945.htm

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