Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Kiwi Boys II Men ? ASC - Around the World?Your Action Sports ...

Courtesy of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International

Alex Dive (NZL) taking one of the waves of the day at Rangiroa, French Polynesia last April. Pic ASP/Will H-S

COOLANGATTA, QLD/Australia (Wednesday, October 31, 2012) ? Two of New Zealand?s finest junior surfers Alex Dive and Johnny Hicks graduate from the pro juniors and prepare to embark on a qualifying mission.

New Zealand professional surfing is a golden era, aside from when Maz Quinn qualified for the ASP World Championship Tour back in 2001, right now is the most exciting time to be a Kiwi surfing fan. Paige Hareb is preparing for her fourth year on the women?s WCT. And now, these two up-and-comers, Dive and Hicks are setting their sights on lighting up the world stage with their unique brand of surfing all while representing the land of the long white cloud.

On the men?s side of things NZ has a tight knit crew including; Jay Quinn, Billy Stairmand, and Richard Christie, all talented surfers trotting the globe posting results at the ASP Prime and 6-Star events and it?s only a matter of time before one of them cracks the elite Top 34. Divey and Johnny, will soon join their countrymen and will no doubt benefit from the knowledge and experience of travelling with this more experienced group.

?I really think New Zealand has a lot of talent right now,? Dive said. ?Kiwi?s are known for being laid back sort of people, but I also think we?re getting known for being pretty competitive too. The guys doing the qualifying events are getting good results all over the place, and there are a lot of exciting young kids coming up in NZ. It?s not going to be long before we have a Kiwi on the Men?s WCT.?

In April Dive and Hicks ventured to Rangiroa, French Polynesia for the final event of their junior careers. The island is remote and only 16 kilometers long and only 50 meters wide at some points. It is paradise. The only downside of this place is that there?s only one wave on the island, but oh boy what a wave it is.

?It was an awesome trip,? explained Dive. ?It was great to have a competition in great waves at a remote location like that. It didn?t really feel like a junior event because we were treated to such a unique surf spot.?

On the western tip of the long/skinny isle is a reef-pass capable of producing perfect Pacific right-hand pits. Depending on the tide you may be sitting up or down the reef, both sections offer open dredging barrels, but beware ? this place is shallow and sharp.

?We got there a day or two before the comp and it was pumping,? said Dive. ?The only problem was that our boards didn?t arrive. The planes are small and normally it wouldn?t be a problem, but with 60-something junior surfers all travelling with three or four boards each, some boards got left behind. It was just lucky for us Kiwis that Ratso (Ian Buchanan) was the head judge and he leant us all boards.?

The day before the competition started the surf was a near perfect six foot, with the occasional bigger set. On borrowed equipment Dive and Johnny were two of the standouts, catching all the bombs and threading the tube with ease.

?It?s great travelling with Johnny,? Dive said. ?He?s real easy going and a lot of fun to be around. We travelled to most of the pro juniors together this year and it was great. It gave us a taste of what it?s going to be like next year when we enter the ASP Star events around the world.?

Dive has been using the back half of 2012 to get some study time under his belt at University, but plans on hitting the ASP Prime and Star events next year.

Follow his progress and results via aspaustralasia.com
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Source: http://actionsportsconnection.com/water/surf/kiwi-boys-ii-men/

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Did bacteria spark evolution of multicellular life?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2012) ? Bacteria have a bad rap as agents of disease, but scientists are increasingly discovering their many benefits, such as maintaining a healthy gut.

A new study now suggests that bacteria may also have helped kick off one of the key events in evolution: the leap from one-celled organisms to many-celled organisms, a development that eventually led to all animals, including humans.

Published this month in the inaugural edition of the new online journal eLife, the study by University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Medical School scientists involves choanoflagellates (aka "choanos"), the closest living relatives of animals. These microscopic, one-celled organisms sport a long tail or flagellum, tentacles for grabbing food and are members of the ocean's plankton community. As our closest living relative, choanos offer critical insights into the biology of their last common ancestor with animals, a unicellular or colonial organism that lived and died over 650 million years ago.

"Choanoflagellates evolved not long before the origin of animals and may help reveal how animals first evolved," said senior author Nicole King, UC Berkeley associate professor of molecular and cell biology.

Since first starting to study choanoflagellates as a post-doc, King has been trying to figure out why some choanoflagellates live their lives as single cells, while others form colonies. After years of dead ends, King and undergraduate researcher Richard Zuzow discovered accidentally that a previously unknown species of bacteria stimulates one choanoflagellate, Salpingoeca rosetta, to form colonies. Because bacteria were abundant in the oceans when animals first evolved, the finding that bacteria influence choano colony formation means it is plausible that bacteria also helped to stimulate multicellularity in the ancestors of animals.

"I would be surprised if bacteria did not influence animal origins, since most animals rely on signals from bacteria for some part of their biology," King said. "The interaction between bacteria and choanos that we discovered is interesting for evolutionary reasons, for understanding how bacteria interact with other organisms in the oceans, and potentially for discovering mechanisms by which our commensal bacteria are signaling to us."

No one is sure why choanoflagellates form colonies, said one of the study's lead authors, UC Berkeley post-doctoral fellow Rosanna Alegado. It may be an effective way of exploiting an abundant food source: instead of individual choanoflagellates rocketing around in search of bacteria to eat, they can form an efficient bacteria-eating "Death Star" that sits in the middle of its food source and chows down.

Whatever the reasons, colonies of unicellular organisms may have led the way to more permanent multicellular conglomerations, and eventually organisms composed of different cell types specialized for specific functions.

Sequencing the choanoflagellate genome

King's 12-year search for the trigger of choanoflagellate colony development was reignited in 2005 when she started to prime cultures of the choanoflagellate S. rosetta for a genome sequencing project. The sequencing of another choanoflagellate, the one-celled Monosiga brevicollis, gave some clues into animal origins, but she needed to compare its genome to that of a colony-forming choanoflagellate.

Surprisingly, when Zuzow tried to isolate the colony-forming choanoflagellate by adding antibiotics to the culture dish to kill off residual bacteria, strange things happened, said King.

"When he treated the culture with one cocktail of antibiotics, he saw a bloom of rosette colony formation," she said, referring to the rose petal-shaped colonies that were floating in the culture media. "When he treated with a different cocktail of antibiotics, that got rid of colony formation altogether."

That "rather mundane but serendipitous observation" led Zuzow and Alegado to investigate further and discover that only one specific bacterial species in the culture was stimulating colony formation. When other bacteria outnumbered it, or when antibiotics wiped it out, colony formation stopped. Alegado identified the colony-inducing bacteria as the new species, Algoriphagus machipongonensis. While she found that other bacteria in the Algoriphagus genus can also stimulate colony formation, other bacteria like E. coli, common in the human gut, cannot.

Working with Jon Clardy of Harvard Medical School, a natural products chemist, the two labs identified a molecule -- a fatty acid combined with a lipid that they called RIF-1 -- that sits on the surface of bacteria and is the colony development cue produced by the bacteria.

"This molecule may be betraying the presence of bacteria," Alegado said. "Bacteria just sit around blebbing off little membrane bubbles, and if one of them has this molecule, the choanoflagellates all of a sudden say, 'Aha, there are some bacteria around here.'"

The signal sets off a predetermined program in the choanoflagellate that leads to cell division and the development of rosettes, she said. The molecule RIF-1 is remarkably potent; choanos detect and respond to it at densities that are about one billionth that of the lowest concentration of sugar that humans can taste in water.

"We are investigating this molecule from many sides. How and why do bacteria make it? How do choanoflagellates respond to it, and why?" King said. She and her team also are analyzing the genome of the colony-forming choanoflagellate and the colony-inducing bacteria for clues to their interaction.

King hopes that this unexpected signaling between choanoflagellates and bacteria can yield insights into other ways in which bacteria influence biology, particularly the biology of the gut.

Coauthors with King, Alegado and Clardy are Zuzow, now a graduate student at Stanford University; Laura Brown, now a faculty member at Indiana University; Shugeng Cao and Renee Dermenjian of Harvard Medical School; and Stephen Fairclough of UC Berkeley. Dermenjian is now at Merck.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. The original article was written by Robert Sanders.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Rosanna A Alegado, Laura W Brown, Shugeng Cao, Renee K Dermenjian, Richard Zuzow, Stephen R Fairclough, Jon Clardy, Nicole King. A bacterial sulfonolipid triggers multicellular development in the closest living relatives of animals. eLife, 2012; 1 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.00013

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/jc083uSCCwo/121024101758.htm

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NJIT professors to receive coveted Edison Awards at R&D Council event

NJIT professors to receive coveted Edison Awards at R&D Council event [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sheryl Weinstein
973-596-3436
New Jersey Institute of Technology

NJIT Research Professor Reginald Farrow and NJIT Professor Gordon Thomas will be the recipients Nov. 8, 2012 in the Liberty Science Center of an Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. The event, which kicks off the Council's 50th Anniversary celebration, will honor more than 30 inventors and 13 New Jersey companies and universities.

The award will honor a medical device invented by both professors and graduate student Sheng Liu: "No Clog Shunt Using a Compact Fluid Drag Path" (U.S. Patent 8,088,091). The device enables the implantable, wireless monitoring of both the extremely slow flow of the cerebrospinal fluid as well as tiny changes in the pressure in a ventriculo-pertoneal (VP) shunt that drains fluid out of the brain.

VP shunts are commonly used by patients suffering from severe excess pressure in the brain due to hydrocephalus or brain injury.

"We are thrilled to honor such significant and interesting patent work for the Council's 50th Anniversary," says Ian Shankland, (vice president and chief technology officer of Honeywell Specialty Materials) and chairman of the R & D Council of New Jersey. "When you think of the tremendous history that New Jersey has in innovation, dating back to Edison in the late 1800s, the Council is fairly young at 50 years, but we have accomplished a lot during this time and we are excited to celebrate this milestone."

Council President Anthony Cicatiello says, "For decades now, the Council has made it a priority to recognize the researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories that New Jersey can boast of and this year is in keeping with that tradition. Both individuals and inventors who are being honored are changing the world and we want to make sure that everyone in New Jersey recognizes the significance of their work and shares in their pride. The Patent Awards Ceremony is the Council's way of showing our appreciation and recognition of these talented individuals and the organizations that support them."

Farrow's research explores the interface between nanotechnology and biophysics and biomedical engineering. His focus is to develop a method to investigate the fundamental properties of biological cells at the nanoscale using an array of carbon nanotube probes. His goal has been to understand how cells communicate both internally and with other cells. This communication drives the individual and collective cell functions at the most basic level.

Farrow and his team have used the same carbon nanotube array platform to fabricate the world's smallest biofuel cell which may be used in the future to power in vivo versions of the nanoprobe array and other biomedical devices. Three patents have been awarded based on Farrow's research at NJIT and others are pending. Farrow was the recent recipient of NJIT's highest research award: the NJIT Overseer's Research Medal and Award.

Thomas is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and was elected to chair the Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP), the largest section of the APS, to chair the Nominating Committee of FIAP, and to serve on the Keithley Prize Committee of the APS. He has published over 150 papers on basic physics, applied physics and biophysics and holds or has pending over 15 patents. He has received an Edison Award for a patent on flexible sensors and the 2011 Innovator Award from the NJ Inventors' Hall of Fame for the body of his inventions and research.

Thomas has served NJIT academically as a teacher and in various committees that work to help students, and has guided five students through their doctoral work. In addition, he has trained high school students and undergraduates from New Jersey in his lab at NJIT both during the summer and the academic year. He has worked to bring a biophysics degree program to NJIT and has developed new courses in biophysics.

Thomas received his PhD in physics from the University of Rochester and has carried out research at Bell Labs, Harvard, MIT and the University of Tokyo.

###

NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


NJIT professors to receive coveted Edison Awards at R&D Council event [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sheryl Weinstein
973-596-3436
New Jersey Institute of Technology

NJIT Research Professor Reginald Farrow and NJIT Professor Gordon Thomas will be the recipients Nov. 8, 2012 in the Liberty Science Center of an Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. The event, which kicks off the Council's 50th Anniversary celebration, will honor more than 30 inventors and 13 New Jersey companies and universities.

The award will honor a medical device invented by both professors and graduate student Sheng Liu: "No Clog Shunt Using a Compact Fluid Drag Path" (U.S. Patent 8,088,091). The device enables the implantable, wireless monitoring of both the extremely slow flow of the cerebrospinal fluid as well as tiny changes in the pressure in a ventriculo-pertoneal (VP) shunt that drains fluid out of the brain.

VP shunts are commonly used by patients suffering from severe excess pressure in the brain due to hydrocephalus or brain injury.

"We are thrilled to honor such significant and interesting patent work for the Council's 50th Anniversary," says Ian Shankland, (vice president and chief technology officer of Honeywell Specialty Materials) and chairman of the R & D Council of New Jersey. "When you think of the tremendous history that New Jersey has in innovation, dating back to Edison in the late 1800s, the Council is fairly young at 50 years, but we have accomplished a lot during this time and we are excited to celebrate this milestone."

Council President Anthony Cicatiello says, "For decades now, the Council has made it a priority to recognize the researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories that New Jersey can boast of and this year is in keeping with that tradition. Both individuals and inventors who are being honored are changing the world and we want to make sure that everyone in New Jersey recognizes the significance of their work and shares in their pride. The Patent Awards Ceremony is the Council's way of showing our appreciation and recognition of these talented individuals and the organizations that support them."

Farrow's research explores the interface between nanotechnology and biophysics and biomedical engineering. His focus is to develop a method to investigate the fundamental properties of biological cells at the nanoscale using an array of carbon nanotube probes. His goal has been to understand how cells communicate both internally and with other cells. This communication drives the individual and collective cell functions at the most basic level.

Farrow and his team have used the same carbon nanotube array platform to fabricate the world's smallest biofuel cell which may be used in the future to power in vivo versions of the nanoprobe array and other biomedical devices. Three patents have been awarded based on Farrow's research at NJIT and others are pending. Farrow was the recent recipient of NJIT's highest research award: the NJIT Overseer's Research Medal and Award.

Thomas is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and was elected to chair the Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP), the largest section of the APS, to chair the Nominating Committee of FIAP, and to serve on the Keithley Prize Committee of the APS. He has published over 150 papers on basic physics, applied physics and biophysics and holds or has pending over 15 patents. He has received an Edison Award for a patent on flexible sensors and the 2011 Innovator Award from the NJ Inventors' Hall of Fame for the body of his inventions and research.

Thomas has served NJIT academically as a teacher and in various committees that work to help students, and has guided five students through their doctoral work. In addition, he has trained high school students and undergraduates from New Jersey in his lab at NJIT both during the summer and the academic year. He has worked to bring a biophysics degree program to NJIT and has developed new courses in biophysics.

Thomas received his PhD in physics from the University of Rochester and has carried out research at Bell Labs, Harvard, MIT and the University of Tokyo.

###

NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2012-10/njio-npt102412.php

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Can This Girl Find Love on a Coding Website?

It's not totally unlike online dating but Noriko Higashi, a programmer at a social gaming company, posted a request for a boyfriend on GitHub, the social coding platform, outlining what she wants in a partner. If you can code, you have a chance at love. Bonus points for running your own server. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/cHRO_vW5J3w/can-this-girl-find-love-on-a-coding-website

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sunni radicals target Shiites to fan sectarian flames in Pakistan

Pakistan Shiite Muslims offer prayers during a funeral for community members killed in an ambush in the northern town of Gilgit on Feb. 29.

By Michael GeorgyReuters

GILGIT, Pakistan -- About 20 men dressed as Pakistani soldiers boarded a bus bound for a Muslim festival outside this mountain town and checked the identification cards of the passengers. They singled out 19 Shiites, drew weapons and slaughtered them, most with a bullet to the head.

The shooters weren't soldiers. They were a hit squad linked to the Sunni Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, or LeJ. They had trekked in along a high Himalayan pass that hot August morning to waylay a convoy of pilgrims.


Here and across Pakistan, violent Sunni radicals are on the march against the nation's Shiite minority.

With a few hundred hard-core cadres, the highly secretive LeJ aims to trigger sectarian violence that would pave the way for a Sunni theocracy in U.S.-allied Pakistan, say Pakistan police and intelligence officials. Its immediate goal, they say, is to stoke the intense Sunni-Shiite violence that has pushed countries like Iraq close to civil war.

More than 300 Shiites have been killed in Pakistan so far this year in sectarian conflict, according to human rights groups. The campaign is gathering pace in rural as well as urban areas such as Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city. The Shiites are a big target, accounting for up to 20 percent of this nation of 180 million.

In January, LeJ claimed responsibility for a homemade bomb that exploded in a crowd of Shiites in Punjab province, killing 18 and wounding 30. LeJ's reach extends beyond Pakistan: Late last year, LeJ claimed responsibility for bombings in Afghanistan that killed 59 people, the worst sectarian attacks since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

"No doubt - (LeJ) are the most dangerous group," said Chaudhry Aslam, a top counterterrorism police commando based in Karachi, whose house was blown up by the LeJ. "We will fight them until the last drop of blood."

For an outlawed group accused of fomenting such mayhem, the leader of LeJ is surprisingly easy to find.

Mian Khursheed / Reuters file

Malik Ishaq, leader of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, speaks during an interview with Reuters at his home in Rahim Yar Khan in southern Punjab province, on Oct. 9.

Malik Ishaq spent 14 years in jail in connection with dozens of murder and terrorism cases. He was released after the charges could not be proved - partly because of witness intimidation, officials say - and showered with rose petals by hundreds of supporters when he left prison in July 2011.

Although Ishaq is one of Pakistan's most feared militants, he enjoys the protection of followers clutching AK-47 assault rifles in the narrow lane outside his home. There, in the town of Rahim Yar Khan in southern Punjab province, Reuters visited him for an interview.

"The state should declare Shiites as non-Muslims on the basis of their beliefs," said Ishaq, calling them the "greatest infidels on Earth." Young supporters with shoulder-length hair in imitation of the Prophet Mohammad hung on every word.

Following the trail
To assess the LeJ threat, Reuters followed the group's trail across Pakistan -- from Ishaq's compound, to Gilgit in the foothills of the Himalayas, recruiting grounds in central Punjab and the backstreets of Karachi on the Arabian Sea coast.

In interviews, police, intelligence officials, clerics and LeJ members described a group that has grown more robust and appears to be operating across a much wider area in Pakistan than just a few years ago. But it had a head start.

The LeJ once enjoyed the open support of the powerful spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence. The ISI used such groups as military proxies in India and Afghanistan and to counter Shiite militant groups.

Since being outlawed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, LeJ has worked with Sunni radical groups al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban in several high-profile strikes. Among them were assaults in 2009 on Pakistan's military headquarters and on Sri Lanka's visiting cricket team. Washington says LeJ was involved in the killing of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Now it is gathering strength anew. The risks are heightened by Pakistan's long-standing role as a battlefield in a proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, which have been competing for influence in Asia and the Middle East since the 1979 Iranian revolution.

That competition has heated up since the United States toppled secularist dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq and left the country under the control of an Iranian-influenced Shiite government. Intelligence officials say the LeJ is drawing financial support from Saudi donors and other Sunni sources.

"Unfortunately, the state for strategic reasons turned a blind eye to the LeJ for a long time," said a retired army general. "Now we have a situation where it has become Pakistan's Frankenstein."

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who is in charge of internal security, told Reuters that "we always take action" against the LeJ when the group is suspected of murder or terrorism. "We track people and arrest them."

When asked why those arrested are often freed, he said: "Look, my job is to arrest people, not to let them go. We all know who lets them off the hook and why," he said, referring to local politicians and elements of the military who turn a blind eye to their activities or even support them in some cases.

Sacred calling
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, whose name means Soldiers of Jhangvi (after its founder, Haq Maulana Nawab Jhangvi), isn't the only lethal militant group that once enjoyed patronage from the spy agency.

One is Lashkar-e-Taiba (Soldiers of the Pure), which fights against Indian control in disputed Kashmir. It is blamed for several deadly attacks on Indian soil, including the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, and an audacious raid on India's parliament in December 2001 with another Kashmiri militant group, Jaishi-e-Mohammad (Army of Mohammad). That raid brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Another is the Pakistani Taliban. Its attack this month on 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in Swat was only the most recent in a long list of strikes on civilian and military targets, mainly in the unruly tribal area along the Afghan border.

What makes LeJ particularly dangerous, however, is that the group is based in Pakistan's Punjab heartland. And it is not just attacking targets in Pakistan's neighbors, but has also targeted the state, including the 2009 attack on Pakistan's military headquarters.

LeJ was established as an offshoot of another anti-Shiite organization called Sipah-e-Sahaba (Soldiers of Mohammad's Companions).

LeJ believes it has a sacred calling -- to protect the legacy of the companions of the Prophet Mohammad - and it sees Shi'ites as the main threat.

Mahmood Baber, educated in a madrassa, was drawn by LeJ's call to holy war against Shiite infidels. His 16-year career in the movement ended in October, when he and other LeJ members were arrested.

Handcuffed and with a cloth thrown over his head at a Karachi police station, Baber described for Reuters the "great satisfaction" he felt killing 14 Shiite "terrorists" over the years. His voice choked with emotion when he said that for 1,400 years Shiites had insulted the companions of the Prophet.

"Get rid of Shiites. That is our goal. May God help us," he said, before intelligence agents led him away for a fresh round of interrogation.

The schism between Sunnis and Shiites developed after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 when his followers could not agree on a successor. Sunnis recognize the first four caliphs as his rightful successors; the Shiites believe the prophet named his son-in-law, Ali. Emotions over the issue have boiled through modern times and even pushed some countries, including Iraq five years ago, to the brink of civil war.

Demonizing Iran
The LeJ's leader, Ishaq, lives in a house whose gate bears a sign inviting residents of the town to debate whether Shiites are infidels.

These days Ishaq calls himself a leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba, the LeJ parent group. Pakistani officials say he still runs, or at least inspires, LeJ. Ishaq denies any wrongdoing, repeatedly saying: "I've been acquitted." He has indeed been acquitted 34 times on charges of culpable homicide and terrorism.

He does not hide his feelings about Shiites, his voice growing strident as he opened a plastic folder filled with printouts from what he describes as Shi'ite Internet sites.

One contained a photo of a pig, an animal considered by Muslims to be dirty, and is accompanied by an insult to Sunnis. Another alleges the Prophet Mohammad's wife committed adultery -- all proof, he says, that Shiites are blasphemous, and deserve punishment.

"Whoever insults the companions of the Holy Prophet should be given a death sentence," Ishaq declares.

Ishaq and other hardline Sunnis believe that Iran is trying to foment revolution in Pakistan to turn it into a Shi'ite state, though no evidence for that is offered.

The Saudi connection
In the Punjab town of Jhang, LeJ's birthplace, SSP leader Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi describes what he says are Tehran's grand designs. Iranian consular offices and cultural centers, he alleges, are actually a front for its intelligence agencies.

"If Iranian interference continues it will destroy this country," said Ludhianvi in an interview in his home. The state provides him with armed guards, fearful any harm done to him could trigger sectarian bloodletting.

The Iranian embassy in Islamabad, asked for a response to that allegation, issued a statement denouncing sectarian violence.

"What is happening today in the name of sectarianism has nothing to do with Muslims and their ideologies," it said.

Ludhianvi insisted he was just a politician. "I would like to tell you that I am not a murderer, I am not a killer, I am not a terrorist. We are a political party."

After a meal of chicken, curry and spinach, Ludhianvi and his aides stood up to warmly welcome a visitor: Saudi Arabia-based cleric Malik Abdul Haq al-Meqqi.

A Pakistani cleric knowledgeable about Sunni groups described Meqqi as a middleman between Saudi donors and intelligence agencies and the LeJ, the SSP and other groups.

"Of course, Saudi Arabia supports these groups. They want to keep Iranian influence in check in Pakistan, so they pay," the Pakistani cleric said. His account squared with that of a Pakistani intelligence agent, who said jailed militants had confessed that LeJ received Saudi funding.

Saudi cleric Meqqi denied that, and SSP leader Ludhianvi concurred: "We have not taken a penny from the Saudi government," he told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia's alleged financing of Sunni militant groups has been a sore point in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned in a December 2009 classified diplomatic cable that charities and donors in Saudi Arabia were the "most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide." In the cable, released by Wikileaks, Clinton said it was "an ongoing challenge" to persuade Saudi officials to treat such activity as a strategic priority. She said the groups funded included al-Qaida, the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Saudi embassy in Islamabad and officials in Saudi Arabia were unavailable for comment.

Shiite revenge
Some Shia groups do look to Iran's clerical establishment for spiritual leadership, but insist they have no aims beyond protecting members from Sunni attacks.

In the offices of a Shiite organization in Karachi, images of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini are featured on a wall clock. There, a Pakistani Shiite woman named Shafqat Batool described what happened to her son, a judge, when he left for work on August 30.

Minutes after Sayid Zulfiqar stepped out of the family home in Quetta, she said, witnesses told the family three men on a motorcycle opened fire with Kalashnikov rifles. One of the assailants then grabbed a weapon from Zulfiqar's bleeding driver and pumped more bullets into her son.

It prompted Zulfiqar's family to move to Karachi. "We are not safe anywhere in the country," his mother said. "People are horrified, people can't sleep."

The fear is palpable in Quetta, the mountainous provincial capital of southwestern Baluchistan. LeJ has unleashed an escalating campaign there of suicide bombings and assassinations against ethnic Hazaras - Persian-speaking Shiites who mostly emigrated from Afghanistan and are a small minority of the Shiite population in Pakistan.

At least 100 Hazaras have been killed this year, according to Human Rights Watch, leaving some 500,000 Hazaras fearful of venturing out of their enclaves.

"We are under siege; we can't move anywhere," said Khaliq Hazara, chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party. "Hazaras are being killed and there is nobody to take any action.

In Quetta and Karachi, Shiite leaders say they are urging young men to exercise restraint and buy weapons only for self-defense.

"We are controlling our youth and stopping them from reacting," said Syed Sadiq Raza Taqvi, a Karachi cleric, seated beside a calendar with images of Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

But with each killing, the temptation to take revenge grows.

Shiite extremists have not adopted the kind of attacks favored by LeJ. But they have hunted down members of the SSP.

One such case was an attack survived by Sohaib Nadeem, 27, son of an SSP member. Men he described as "Shiite terrorists backed by Iran" opened fire on the Nadeem family in their car. Nadeem survived nine gunshot wounds but his father and brothers were killed. "The Shiites are our enemies," Nadeem said.

Confederation of militants
When the Taliban and al-Qaida want to reach targets outside their strongholds on the Afghan border, they turn to LeJ to provide intelligence, safe houses or young volunteers eager for martyrdom, police and intelligence officials said.

"Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is the detonator of terrorism in Pakistan," said Karachi Police Superintendent Raja Umer Khattab, who has interrogated more than 100 members. "The Taliban needs Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Al Qaeda needs Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. They are involved in most terrorism cases."

The massacre of Shiite bus passengers outside Gilgit has had a profound impact on this mountaineering hub in the Himalayan foothills. Never before had Sunni extremists asked for identification to single out Shiites and then kill them on such a large scale.

Akhtar Soomro / Reuters

Police officers Jumma Gul, center, Khan Bahadur, right, and Gul Zaman, stand at the spot where bus passengers were gunned down in the Harban Nala area of Pakistan on Feb. 28.

Sunnis and Shiites, who had lived in harmony for decades, now cope with sectarian no-go zones.

"Sunnis can't go to some areas and Shiites can't go to others," lamented Gilgit shopkeeper Muneer Hussain Shah, a Shiite whose brother was killed in a grenade attack.

When violence erupts, text messages circulate rallying one sect or the other. Shops and schools close. Authorities have banned motorcycles to stop drive-by shootings.

Law enforcement itself is a victim of sectarianism in Gilgit, said police chief Usman Zakria. Shi'ite officers are reluctant to investigate crimes committed by Shi'ites, and the same is true of Sunnis.

"They are in disarray," said Zakria. "None of this has happened before."

Additional reporting by Imtiaz Shah in Karachi, Mehreen Zahra-Malik in Islamabad and Matthew Green in Quetta.

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    Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/24/14671171-sunni-radicals-target-shiites-to-fan-sectarian-flames-in-pakistan?lite

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    Fall Crafts: 7 Ways to Decorate with Brown Paper Bags

    crafts ? decor/DIY

    I am crazy about fall decorating, but I?m not crazy about spending money. Let?s face it, I like spending money???let?s be real. Today?s economy calls for being frugal and creative.?So, while I was in the grocery store doing my weekly shopping, I picked up a package of brown lunch bags for just $2.00. Then, I set myself to find at least five ways to use them in my fall decorating ? and score! I came up with seven ways to use brown paper bags!

    7 Ways to Use Brown Lunch Bags for Fall

    1. Bunting

    I?m not generally one that likes to jump on the latest craze. But I couldn?t resist. Making this bunting was quick and easy. I just stapled the twine to the triangles and didn?t even try to hide the staples.

    2. Fire

    This craft project was so easy I wish I had done it years ago. I used random orange/yellow paper scraps along with the brown bags and cut them into ?flames.? There was no pattern?just cut. Then I stapled it to the back of a 2?4 scrap. I?m in love with this and my kids thought it was a real fire at first (they?re not too bright).

    3. Leaves on the table

    I handed my kids some of those fake fall leaves ??the kind they?ve never seen for real because we live in Texas where the leaves don?t change. We traced them onto the bags and cut. Then I sprinkled them on the coffee table.? Fun!

    4. Leaves on the pumpkins

    I loved the leaves so much that I had to find another use for them. After spreading them around the house, I thought, ?Why not put some on a pumpkin?? I stapled them to twine and hung them from a pumpkin on the porch. ?These pumpkins and leaves just make me happy.

    5. Luminaria

    When I was a kid, my neighborhood would line the streets on Christmas Eve with brown bag luminarias. My family would go out for a walk and I remember how sweet and welcoming the sight was. I just had to make some.

    I folded the bags down along the top four times. This was a slow, careful process. Just take it a little at a time and you?ll get the hang of it. Next, I stole some sand from my kids? sandbox and used whatever small candles I had in the drawer of candle rejects. I just love how the luminaries add a touch of warmth to the front porch.

    6. Letters

    Why-oh-why do I have such a love affair with letters?! Letters make me swoon. We backed these lunch bag letters with black paper, stapled them to twine, and strung it inside the empty frame above my couch. My mind is racing with other places I could use these!

    7. Book covers

    Sometimes my books are just not the right color for decorating. The fall requires warm tones ??everyone knows that! So I took my lunch bags and covered some books. Elementary, my dear Watson.?I can?t wait to try this for Christmas!

    How can you use brown paper lunch bags in your fall decorating?

    Lisa Pennington is a mom of 9 living in the Texas Hill Country, where there are no cold evenings to light a real fire. She blogs over at The Pennington Point where she shares her adventures in homeschooling and running a busy etsy shop, Shop 24.

    Source: http://momitforward.com/fall-crafts-7-ways-brown-paper-lunch-bags

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    Florida State's Thompson out for rest of season

    In this Oct. 13, 2012 file photo, Florida State running back Chris Thompson gets a block as he runs for a six-yard gain in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against Boston College in Tallahassee.

    ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO / PHIL SEARS

    Associated Press

    Published: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 3:01 p.m.
    Last Modified: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 3:01 p.m.

    TALLAHASSEE - Florida State running back Chris Thompson is out for the rest of the season after injuring his left knee in the Seminoles' win against Miami on Saturday.

    The school made the announcement Monday.

    Thompson was the 11th-ranked Seminoles' leading rusher he hurt his knee in the second quarter at Miami after making a 32-yard reception.

    Thompson also missed much of last season with two broken vertebrae, and said he feared that back injury would end his career.

    He had 47 yards on seven carries Saturday night, giving him a team-best 687 yards for the season. He also has 248 receiving yards.

    Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121022/wire/121029907

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    Tuesday, October 23, 2012

    In The Age Of Cloud Music, The iPod Nano Endures ? But For How Long?

    nan1I remember my favorite Sony Walkman. It was yellow. And bulky. And slow. And ugly. I loved it. It played cassettes. Cassettes! I took it to Australia one summer. It's still something I think about from time to time. Just me and my music in this yellow player thousands of miles from home. So when Apple asked if there was a particular color of the new iPod nano that I wanted to test out, naturally, I said "yellow". The difference is that this thing is like 1/20th the size of my Walkman. That's not scientific. In fact, I think I'm not exaggerating it enough. It's like 1/2000000th the size. Sure, let's go with that.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0iPVdxdOn5Y/

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    Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake wedding scoop: A pink dress and a new song

    Zap2it

    6:15 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2012

    Jessica Biel might have been a blushing bride this weekend, but that doesn't mean she walked down the aisle in a traditional white wedding dress. Nope, the "Total Recall" star and now-Mrs. Justin Timberlake instead wore a pink Giambattista Valli dress with a "princess-like silhouette."

    The news comes from stylist Bobbie Thomas, who posted it on her blog. We aren't quite sure how she got the scoop, but it's been confirmed by other sources close to the wedding party. Apparently Valli also designed the dresses worn by the bridesmaids and mothers.

    Timberlake, on the other hand, went more of a traditional route. He enlisted Tom Ford for his tux, and the designer-turned-director also made the outfits for the groomsmen.

    We're still waiting to see official pictures of Biel's dress, but the former "7th Heaven" star reportedly changed into something a little more comfortable when she went to the wedding party. There, a source tells Us Weekly,?Timberlake serenaded her with a new song that "hasn't released yet." Does this mean that now that he has a new bride we can finally have a new album? We can only dream.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Fox17-Entertainment/~3/Sn1PkTA5bVY/zap-jessica-biel-and-justin-timberlake-wedding-sco-20121023,0,7375368.story

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    Presidential race buffets fight for Senate control

    (AP) ? The party that runs the Senate next year may be decided by how well President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney do in toss-up states like Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, where ballots feature parallel Senate races about as tight as the presidential contest.

    The mammoth campaign organizations built by Obama and Romney, his Republican challenger, are focusing their voter registration and turnout efforts in those four states and a handful of other presidential battlegrounds. Congressional candidates there are latching onto the help that can come from the larger, better-funded presidential campaigns.

    In Nevada, Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley is hoping to buttress her challenge to Republican Sen. Dean Heller with the Obama campaign's efforts to register Hispanic voters. In Virginia, the GOP has operated 29 offices across the state combining the operations of Romney, Senate candidate George Allen and House candidates.

    Democrats control the Senate 53-47, including two independents who vote with them. Of the 33 seats up for grabs on Election Day, a dozen are considered competitive, largely in the West and Midwest. Republicans need a net pickup of four seats to take control if Obama is re-elected, three if Romney wins.

    Both sides are measuring the impact of the presidential race at a time when spending on congressional races ? especially by outside groups ? is mushrooming.

    In the House, Democrats have been hoping that a strong Election Day performance by Obama could lift their candidates, especially in states he is expected to win easily like New York, Illinois and California. They may make some gains but seem unlikely to pick up 25 seats they need to wrest House control from the GOP. Only about 60 seats are considered competitive in the 435-member House.

    "There's no question we pick up seats in direct correlation to the president's coattails," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who heads the House Democratic campaign organization.

    Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., deputy chairman of the House GOP's political operation, concedes that a strong Obama showing would likeliest strengthen the Democratic vote in urban areas, where Republicans have few seats anyway. Republicans hope to limit Democratic pickups by winning seats of their own in North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana and even Massachusetts.

    "It helps us if Romney is doing better," especially in rural and suburban areas where many GOP lawmakers come from, Walden said. "And Governor Romney is doing much better" than he was earlier in the campaign, said Walden.

    In Ohio, Republican challenger Josh Mandel is hoping for a late surge by Romney that might also lift him past Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Polls show Brown, who has a liberal pro-labor voting record, consistently leading Mandel and doing better in the state than Obama, whose advantage in the pivotal state has narrowed.

    On Friday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported spending $2.3 million for TV and radio ads to help Mandel, making Brown one of the business lobby's top targets.

    "If Romney could keep it close, Mandel's going to be in the Senate," said Scott Reed, a top political strategist for the chamber.

    In a debate last week, Mandel hammered his rival for supporting Obama's health care overhaul and for driving up the national debt with efforts such as the federal auto rescue. Brown made no apologies, ticking off benefits he said each law brought to average Ohioans.

    "I'm proud of that because now more than a million Ohio seniors now get free checkups," he said of his support for the health care law.

    In wide-open Virginia, the presidential race's impact on the Senate contest may be tempered by the near universal name recognition of the two Senate rivals. Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine are former recent governors, and the $20 million the two have combined to spend so far makes their contest one of the nation's most expensive, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

    "Headwinds will largely come from the presidential, but because name identification is so high for both Governor Allen and Governor Kaine, these races will be nearly mirroring each other," said Pete Snyder, chairman of the GOP's coordinated presidential and congressional campaigns in the state.

    Ticket-splitting is as much as factor in some Senate races as coattails. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is heading toward re-election in West Virginia and there are tight Senate races in Arizona, Indiana and North Dakota, though Romney seems certain to win all four states.

    Obama is sure to win Connecticut, yet professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon, a Republican, is running a well-financed and strong race against Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy for the seat being vacated by independent Sen. Joe Lieberman.

    The presidential contest is also providing plenty of fodder for congressional campaigns ? and not just in the frequent attacks that Republicans make on Obama and Democrats launch against Romney.

    In a play for moderate Virginia voters, Kaine uses one TV spot to position himself between Allen and Obama. The ad states Obama's preference to block a renewal of decade-old tax cuts on income exceeding $250,000, and Allen's insistence ? shared by most Republicans ? on extending the reductions for all.

    "There's a middle ground. Let the tax cuts expire for those earning over $500,000," Kaine tells the camera, calling it "the fiscally responsible thing to do."

    In an Indiana ad, Senate Democratic hopeful Rep. Joe Donnelly attacks his GOP rival, tea party favorite Richard Mourdock, using presidential debate footage of Romney saying he got little done as Massachusetts governor "by saying it's my way or the highway." Mourdock "is all about my way or the highway," the ad says.

    And in a Wisconsin Senate debate last week, GOP candidate Tommy Thompson distanced himself from the House-passed budget written by Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential candidate. His rival, Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin, repeatedly linked him to the blueprint that she argued would raise taxes on the middle class.

    "You're absolutely wrong," Thompson told Baldwin. "I have a plan completely different from Paul Ryan."

    Meanwhile, spending has continued to accelerate on congressional races by both political parties and outside groups, including Crossroads GPS backed by former White House GOP strategist Karl Rove and unions such as the SEIU.

    According to the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, which monitors campaign spending, outside groups have spent $161 million since June 1 on House races and $156 million on Senate races, with Republicans benefiting from a modest advantage.

    But that spending has accelerated in recent days, especially on the GOP side, the foundation found.

    In the week ending last Friday, groups have spent $13 million to help House Democratic candidates and $22 million for House Republicans. Senate Democratic hopefuls have benefited from $6 million, Senate Republicans from $10 million.

    In one instance, an obscure conservative group, the Government Integrity Fund Action Network, spent $1.1 million for an ad attacking Democrat Elizabeth Esty, who is seeking an open House seat in Connecticut. That is a huge expenditure for a House race.

    The Senate Democratic campaign committee spent $1.6 million to advertise against Allen in Virginia.

    ___

    Eds: AP reporter Donna Cassata contributed to this story from Wausau, Wis., and Julie Carr Smyth contributed from Columbus, Ohio.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-22-US-Congress-State-of-Play/id-8a87df3f519d415fb6e8af953674ba9d

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    Monday, October 22, 2012

    Electrical stimulation of the esophagus promising treatment for unresolved reflux symptoms

    ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2012) ? Clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of electrical stimulation of a muscular valve in the esophagus demonstrates promising results in resolving symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and is being presented at the 77th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Las Vegas, NV on October 22.

    Three studies examined small numbers of patients who had a device implanted that uses low energy electrical pulses to strengthen a weak or dysfunctional lower esophageal sphincter (LES) which is the underlying cause of GERD or acid reflux. The LES is the ring shaped muscular valve that keeps the acidic contents of the stomach from the esophagus, or food tube.

    Two studies by investigators Michael Crowell, Ph.D., FACG of Mayo Clinic Scottsdale and Edy Soffer, MD, FACG of the University of Southern California looked at various endpoints including esophageal acid exposure, improvement in GERD symptoms, and reduction of use of acid-suppressing medications known as proton pump inhibitors. In a study of 25 patients, the investigators found that 77 percent of patients reported either normalization or at least a 50 percent reduction in PPI use. At 12 months after the implant of the device, there was a statistically significant improvement in patients' scores on a scale measuring health-related quality of life for patients with GERD. The authors conclude, "Electrical stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter is effective for treating patients with GERD over long-term year duration." The authors reported relationships with the Netherlands-based EndoStim BV which manufactures the device.

    In a separate and unrelated study, Arjan Bredenoord, MD and colleagues at the University Medical Center Utrecht in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, presented a study at ACG of eleven patients with refractory GERD symptoms with devices implanted in the LES. They found that ten of the eleven patients (91 percent) were able to discontinue PPI medications. Overall, their research revealed a statistically significant improvement in patients' GERD symptoms, as well as a trend in improvement in their esophageal pH.

    Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), via Newswise.

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


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

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

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/8_5cAVfZKN8/121022081224.htm

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    Direct Response Marketing Landing Pages to Revamp Real Estate ...

    A real estate investing firm that also develops real estate investor websites, www.RealEstateInvestorsWebsites.net, has released video landing pages for targeted direct response marketing. Real estate investors now have added capability to actively engage website visitors looking to sell their houses to convert them to people who sell their houses.

    Plano, TX, October 22, 2012 --(PR.com)-- A real estate investing company that also builds real estate investor websites, www.RealEstateInvestorsWebsites.net, has released video landing pages, or squeeze pages, for targeted direct response marketing.

    Real estate investors can now actively engage website visitors looking to sell their houses to convert them to people who sell their houses.

    This latest upgrade is a series of upgrades targeting marketing features to enable real estate investors to reach more people and convert more website visitors to closed deals.

    They target to attract leads through advanced onsite search engine optimization targeting the local market where the real estate investors do business. As soon as they land on the website, the visitors get a life-like welcome from a video speaking model. This commands instant attention and adds credibility, increasing response and converting more visitors to prospects.

    The video squeeze pages, or landing pages, help to convert more visitors by offering personalized Ebooks with helpful information to the website visitors.

    Inbuilt follow-up autoresponders take over the marketing process, sending well timed, personalized, helpful information. The goal of these email messages is to convert more prospects into closed deals.

    Each website comes with numerous customizable designs controlled directly from a simple virtual back office. The virtual back office is so simple that real estate investors who are new to computers can easily run their businesses.

    A real estate investor can order a website and have it delivered fully customized and ready for business within one hour.

    For more information, please visit www.RealEstateInvestorsWebsites.net or call 214-227-8718.

    Contact Information:
    RealEstateInvestorsWebSites.net
    Simon Macharia
    214-227-8718
    Contact via Email
    www.RealEstateInvestorsWebSites.net

    Click here to read the full story: Direct Response Marketing Landing Pages to Revamp Real Estate Investing Released

    Press Release Distributed by PR.com

    Source: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/10/22/direct-response-marketing-landing-pages-revamp-real-estate-investing-released

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    GlaxoSmithKline says five late-stage trials meet main goal

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    Sunday, October 21, 2012

    Movie Review: Alex Cross | Movies & TV | Arts & Entertainment ...

    Madea plays Sherlock Holmes

    By Mark Jackson
    Epoch Times Staff
    Created: October 20, 2012 Last Updated: October 21, 2012


    Edward Burns (L) and Tyler Perry examine a document in the mystery-thriller “Alex Cross.” (Sidney Baldwin/ Summit Entertainment, LLC)

    Edward Burns (L) and Tyler Perry examine a document in the mystery-thriller ?Alex Cross.? (Sidney Baldwin/ Summit Entertainment, LLC)

    At first, you hear the name Tyler Perry and you think ?Madea? because Perry made his reputation with, count them?12 movies?playing that character. And then you hear that ?Madea? will now play a cop in a thriller and you think, ?No way.?

    Well, yes way, it turns out. Pretty much. At first the tendency is to snicker because who wants to take Madea seriously? But Perry soon announces his dramatic presence with authority, and everyone breathes easier.

    Unfortunately, putting Perry in Alex Cross is like putting a stock-car engine in a go-kart. It?s too skimpy a vehicle, and he runs the wheels off it.

    Cross (Perry) is a Detroit homicide detective with a Ph.D. in psychology. He?s got well nigh Sherlock Holmes observation skills. Cross and partner Tommy (Edward Burns) are after a sadistic serial killer (Matthew Fox).

    \>");

    The killer, nicknamed Picasso since he likes to make Picasso-styled sketches of his victims, is on a mayhem rampage. Said rampage appears to be headed in the direction of one Leon Mercier (Jean Reno), a man of great wealth, who alerts Cross to his pending Picasso predicament.

    Picasso then kills someone close to Cross, making it personal, and so the chase begins. You know the rest of the story. The only question becomes?after Cross goes home and locks, loads, and straps on an enormous number of guns?can he contain his righteous rage and not be contaminated by Picasso?s poisonous personality?

    As mentioned, the main problem with this film is that it?s just not up to carrying Tyler Perry?s dramatic debut. It?s got bad acting, treacle-y music, loads of clich?s concerning the black middle class, and garish amateur-hour lighting.

    John C. McGinley in the myster-thriller “Alex Cross,” a film about a detective who vows to track down the murderer who killed one of his family members. (Sidney Baldwin/ Summit Entertainment, LLC)

    John C. McGinley in the myster-thriller ?Alex Cross,? a film about a detective who vows to track down the murderer who killed one of his family members. (Sidney Baldwin/ Summit Entertainment, LLC)

    Come to think of it, that actually all adds up to the perfect vehicle for Perry?s coming-out party in light of the Madea milieu, but Perry?s got surprising talent, and it would have been nice to see him better utilized by a director with a more discerning eye for actor interaction.

    Every scene declares, ?This is a movie set and these are all actors pretending to be cops.? You don?t for a second suspend your disbelief that any of them can do that job, which is a shame because Ed Burns grew up in a police household and is highly capable of an authentic police officer portrayal.

    Fox?s killer-creep could have been a contender. It?s a character that any actor would relish; he gets to diet down to half his weight, be an unbeatable illegal mixed-martial arts fighter, and make lots of scary faces. A well-directed, gritty, believable rendering of this film would have made Fox?s performance one for the psycho-killer record books.

    Here?s a bad line. Perry playing Dr. Psychologist Sherlock Holmes Police Man gazes into the middle distance with one raised eyebrow while pondering the source of Picasso?s extreme dysfunction: ?Maybe? his? mother???

    Here?s a good line. John McGinley?s police chief, on hearing the above diagnosis: ?So we?ll go with ?a psychopathic killer with a narrow focus.? That?ll comfort the citizenry.?

    A popular current photo meme has Perry-as-Madea handing a current presidential candidate a ?humble pie? that she?s baked for him and saying, ?It?s o-vah for you!? Luckily for Perry, the dismal direction on display in Alex Cross won?t mean it?s o-vah for his dramatic thespian aspirations.

    ALEX CROSS

    Director: Rob Cohen

    Cast: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley, Jean Reno

    Running Time: 102 minutes

    Rating: PG-13

    The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

    Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/movie-review-alex-cross-305473.html

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    Minority obesity, perinatal health, and testicular cancer among topics for UH Rainbow doctors at AAP

    Minority obesity, perinatal health, and testicular cancer among topics for UH Rainbow doctors at AAP [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Oct-2012
    [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

    Contact: Vic Gideon
    vic.gideon@uhhospitals.org
    University Hospitals Case Medical Center

    Combating obesity in minorities, looking at improvements in perinatal health in Ohio, and treating rare testicular cancer in adolescents are among the presentations physicians from University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital will give at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2012 National Conference in New Orleans Oct. 20 to 23. Susanna Briskin, MD, pediatric sports medicine physician at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, will present "Overcoming Barriers to Physical Fitness in Minority Populations;" Michele Walsh, MD, Chief, Division of Neonatology, will present "Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative-OBs and Neos Working Together To Improve Perinatal Health;" and Jonathan Ross, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Urology, will present data from his abstract "Management of the Retroperitoneum in Children and Adolescents with Malignant Germ Cell Tumors of the Testis" at the annual meeting.

    "We have recognized the magnitude of the obesity crisis, particularly in minority populations," says Dr. Briskin, who is also Associate Professor of Sports Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "We are looking at intervening in schools and at home by targeting high-risk groups early, including building daily routines, involving parents, building structured and unstructured playtime, and encouraging walking and biking."

    Among high school students, Dr. Briskin found the obesity rate at 18.2 percent for African-Americans and 14.1 percent for Hispanics while it is 11.5 percent for Caucasians. The known health risks of obesity include high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, but there are other non-apparent risks. "A non-obese child is more likely to have increased self-esteem, decreased anxiety and depression, lower teen pregnancies and engage in less risky sexual behavior," says Dr. Briskin.

    "The best time to prevent a premature birth is before delivery," says Dr. Walsh, who is a leader in the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative and is Professor of Neonatology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. "In Ohio, obstetricians and neonatologists have collaborated in a ground-breaking way to increase the number of babies born at 39 weeks or more. These efforts have led to over 24,000 infants who have avoided premature birth. Ohio is receiving great recognition for these efforts."

    In her presentation, "Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative-OBs and Neos Working Together to Improve Perinatal Health," Dr. Walsh found Ohio ranked 18th in preterm birth rate at 13.3 percent and 14th in infant mortality rate at 7.8 percent. Under her direction, Ohio obstetricians have reduced scheduled births before 39 weeks by 60 percent after data suggested a higher risk associated with births before 39 weeks of gestation.

    In Ohio, more than 26,000 births have moved from prior to the due date to full term (39 to 41 wks) with approximately 400 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admissions avoided and approximately $10 million in annual Ohio health care savings. Meanwhile, neonatologists have reduced late onset infections in pre-terms from 22 to 29 weeks by 50 percent by educating all pregnant women of the benefits of human milk and encouraging kangaroo care among other practice changes.

    Dr. Ross' study describes the findings in retroperitoneal surgery (in the abdomen) for metastatic disease in children and adolescents with testicular cancer and helps to begin to define how retroperitoneal disease should be handled in these patients. "These are rare tumors and so there is little data guiding their management in these age groups, which is why we're excited by our research," said Dr. Ross, who is a Professor of Urology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. The abstract is also one of seven the AAP has nominated for "Best Clinical Research Abstract."

    Dr. Walsh will also present the Neonatal Education Award to Richard Martin, MD, the Drusinski-Fanaroff Chair in Neonatology, UH Babies & Children's Hospital. The Neonatal Education Award is given annually by the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics to an individual for recognition of outstanding contributions in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine for health care students, professionals, or lay public.

    An internationally renowned neonatolgoist, Dr. Martin has authored/co-authored nearly 130 peer-reviewed articles, has written more than 60 chapters, and edited several monographs and text books, the most prominent of which is Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine (now in its 8th edition) that he co-edits with Drs. Avroy Fanaroff and Walsh. He has been a member of the HED-1 Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Acta Pdiatrica, Journal of Applied Physiology and Biology of the Neonate.

    Dr. Martin's laboratory has focused much of its attention on the biologic basis for apnea of prematurity and its management, employing state-of-the-art biologic tools, and clinical trials for new ventilatory and pharmacologic clinical strategies. In addition, his work has been concentrated on the development of airway function in health and disease, and the roles of lung and airway injury in the development of later respiratory morbidities such as wheezing disorders in children born prematurely. Additional research interest includes nitric oxide activity as it pertains to lung injury and its use in modulating airway contraction. His research has been funded continuously by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years.

    Dr. Walsh will present Oct. 20 during the morning session. Dr. Briskin's presentation is 7a.m. on Oct. 21. Dr. Ross will present Oct. 20 at 11:50 a.m. and a link to his abstract is at: https://aap.confex.com/aap/2012/webprogrampress/Paper15832.html

    ###

    About University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital

    For 125 years, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital has been dedicated solely to the care of children. As one of the most renowned pediatric medical centers and a principal referral center for Ohio and the region, UH Rainbow physicians will receive more than 200,000 patient visits annually. The 244-bed hospital is home to 850 pediatric specialists and 40 special care centers including Centers of Excellence in oncology, neonatology, pulmonology, cardiology, neurology and endocrinology. There is a full complement of pediatric surgical specialists who focus on minimally invasive techniques as well as an outstanding program in bloodless surgery. As the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Rainbow trains more than 100 pediatricians each year and consistently ranks among the top children's hospitals in the nation.


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    Minority obesity, perinatal health, and testicular cancer among topics for UH Rainbow doctors at AAP [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Oct-2012
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    Contact: Vic Gideon
    vic.gideon@uhhospitals.org
    University Hospitals Case Medical Center

    Combating obesity in minorities, looking at improvements in perinatal health in Ohio, and treating rare testicular cancer in adolescents are among the presentations physicians from University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital will give at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2012 National Conference in New Orleans Oct. 20 to 23. Susanna Briskin, MD, pediatric sports medicine physician at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, will present "Overcoming Barriers to Physical Fitness in Minority Populations;" Michele Walsh, MD, Chief, Division of Neonatology, will present "Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative-OBs and Neos Working Together To Improve Perinatal Health;" and Jonathan Ross, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Urology, will present data from his abstract "Management of the Retroperitoneum in Children and Adolescents with Malignant Germ Cell Tumors of the Testis" at the annual meeting.

    "We have recognized the magnitude of the obesity crisis, particularly in minority populations," says Dr. Briskin, who is also Associate Professor of Sports Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "We are looking at intervening in schools and at home by targeting high-risk groups early, including building daily routines, involving parents, building structured and unstructured playtime, and encouraging walking and biking."

    Among high school students, Dr. Briskin found the obesity rate at 18.2 percent for African-Americans and 14.1 percent for Hispanics while it is 11.5 percent for Caucasians. The known health risks of obesity include high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, but there are other non-apparent risks. "A non-obese child is more likely to have increased self-esteem, decreased anxiety and depression, lower teen pregnancies and engage in less risky sexual behavior," says Dr. Briskin.

    "The best time to prevent a premature birth is before delivery," says Dr. Walsh, who is a leader in the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative and is Professor of Neonatology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. "In Ohio, obstetricians and neonatologists have collaborated in a ground-breaking way to increase the number of babies born at 39 weeks or more. These efforts have led to over 24,000 infants who have avoided premature birth. Ohio is receiving great recognition for these efforts."

    In her presentation, "Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative-OBs and Neos Working Together to Improve Perinatal Health," Dr. Walsh found Ohio ranked 18th in preterm birth rate at 13.3 percent and 14th in infant mortality rate at 7.8 percent. Under her direction, Ohio obstetricians have reduced scheduled births before 39 weeks by 60 percent after data suggested a higher risk associated with births before 39 weeks of gestation.

    In Ohio, more than 26,000 births have moved from prior to the due date to full term (39 to 41 wks) with approximately 400 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admissions avoided and approximately $10 million in annual Ohio health care savings. Meanwhile, neonatologists have reduced late onset infections in pre-terms from 22 to 29 weeks by 50 percent by educating all pregnant women of the benefits of human milk and encouraging kangaroo care among other practice changes.

    Dr. Ross' study describes the findings in retroperitoneal surgery (in the abdomen) for metastatic disease in children and adolescents with testicular cancer and helps to begin to define how retroperitoneal disease should be handled in these patients. "These are rare tumors and so there is little data guiding their management in these age groups, which is why we're excited by our research," said Dr. Ross, who is a Professor of Urology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. The abstract is also one of seven the AAP has nominated for "Best Clinical Research Abstract."

    Dr. Walsh will also present the Neonatal Education Award to Richard Martin, MD, the Drusinski-Fanaroff Chair in Neonatology, UH Babies & Children's Hospital. The Neonatal Education Award is given annually by the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics to an individual for recognition of outstanding contributions in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine for health care students, professionals, or lay public.

    An internationally renowned neonatolgoist, Dr. Martin has authored/co-authored nearly 130 peer-reviewed articles, has written more than 60 chapters, and edited several monographs and text books, the most prominent of which is Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine (now in its 8th edition) that he co-edits with Drs. Avroy Fanaroff and Walsh. He has been a member of the HED-1 Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Acta Pdiatrica, Journal of Applied Physiology and Biology of the Neonate.

    Dr. Martin's laboratory has focused much of its attention on the biologic basis for apnea of prematurity and its management, employing state-of-the-art biologic tools, and clinical trials for new ventilatory and pharmacologic clinical strategies. In addition, his work has been concentrated on the development of airway function in health and disease, and the roles of lung and airway injury in the development of later respiratory morbidities such as wheezing disorders in children born prematurely. Additional research interest includes nitric oxide activity as it pertains to lung injury and its use in modulating airway contraction. His research has been funded continuously by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years.

    Dr. Walsh will present Oct. 20 during the morning session. Dr. Briskin's presentation is 7a.m. on Oct. 21. Dr. Ross will present Oct. 20 at 11:50 a.m. and a link to his abstract is at: https://aap.confex.com/aap/2012/webprogrampress/Paper15832.html

    ###

    About University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital

    For 125 years, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital has been dedicated solely to the care of children. As one of the most renowned pediatric medical centers and a principal referral center for Ohio and the region, UH Rainbow physicians will receive more than 200,000 patient visits annually. The 244-bed hospital is home to 850 pediatric specialists and 40 special care centers including Centers of Excellence in oncology, neonatology, pulmonology, cardiology, neurology and endocrinology. There is a full complement of pediatric surgical specialists who focus on minimally invasive techniques as well as an outstanding program in bloodless surgery. As the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Rainbow trains more than 100 pediatricians each year and consistently ranks among the top children's hospitals in the nation.


    [ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2012-10/uhcm-mop101712.php

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