NRA blasted for 'ex-girlfriend? target at convention

'Alexa,' the target formerly known as 'the Ex'

Glenn Beck's speech comparing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Hitler wasn't the only controversy to emerge from the National Rifle Association convention in Houston held May 3-5.

Anti-violence groups are criticizing the NRA for allowing a vendor at its annual conference to display "the Ex," a scantily-clad, blood-splattered female shooting-range target.

According to Zombie Industries, the company that produces the $89.95 Tactical Bleeding Zombies, the targets are "life-sized, three-dimensional tactical mannequins that 'bleed' when you shoot them."

?This is outrageous and dangerous,? Laura Cutilletta, a senior staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, told the New York Daily News. ?Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States. This reprehensible product stokes the fire of relationship violence which already claims far too many of our mothers, daughters and sisters."

(ZombieIndustries.com)

Zombie Industries?which also produces "Nazi" and "Terrorist" zombie targets?said Tuesday it would change the name of "the Ex" training dummy to "Alexa."

?The intention of the company was never to discriminate against women or promote violence against women,? Roger Davis, Zombie Industries marketing director, told the paper.

More than 86,000 attended the three-day NRA convention.

In a keynote address on Saturday, Beck blasted Bloomberg's anti-gun efforts, showing attendees an image of the mayor giving a Hitler-esqe salute.

The Anti-Defamation League condemned the shock jock's presentation.

?While he doesn?t say it, it seems Glenn Beck is implying through an image of Mayor Bloomberg in an apparent Hitlerian salute is that the mayor?s policies on gun ownership and other issues are turning New York City into a Nazi-like state," Abraham Foxman, a Holocaust survivor and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told ABC News. "That suggestion is outrageous, insensitive and deeply offensive on so many levels.?

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) also blasted Beck:

Glenn Beck's use of disgusting imagery, showing a leading Jewish American as a Nazi, at the National Rifle Association's convention was deeply offensive. The NRA and Republican leaders must stand with the ADL and B'nai B'rith in condemning Glenn Beck?especially those who selected him to give the NRA's keynote address. This isn't only about what Beck said, but the disturbing fact that his stunt was embraced with applause and cheers by attendees at the NRA's national convention. The NRA's crowd is the Republican base and all Americans must take note.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nra-ex-girlfriend-zombie-target-173325873.html

lindsey vonn lindsey vonn nit first day of spring Club Penguin Espn Bracket First Day Of Spring 2013

SKorean president to address Congress

President Barack Obama listens as South Korea President Park Geun-Hye speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Barack Obama listens as South Korea President Park Geun-Hye speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Barack Obama and South Korea President Park Geun-Hye shake hands at the end of a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

South Korea President Park Geun-Hye arrives for a meeting with World Bank president World Bank President Jim Yong Kim at the Blair House on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? South Korean President Park Geun-hye is getting a grand welcome from Congress as Seoul and Washington resolve to stand firm against North Korean provocations.

Park was to address a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, a day after she and President Barack Obama urged the North's young leader, Kim Jong Un, to abandon nuclear weapons and rejoin the international community.

The strong message of solidarity was delivered amid signs North Korea was moving to dial down tensions that have escalated since it conducted an underground atomic test in February that drew tightened U.N. sanctions.

Obama declared that the days when the North could win concessions by creating a crisis were over. He said the allies would respond to aggression, but he also endorsed Park's goal of building trust with Pyongyang, as long as it honors international commitments, particularly on denuclearization.

"If what North Korea has been doing has not resulted in a strong, prosperous nation, then now's a good time for Kim Jong Un to evaluate that history and take a different path," Obama told reporters Tuesday as he stood alongside Park. "Should he choose to take a different path, not only President Park and myself would welcome it, but the international community as a whole would welcome it."

Park's attempts to build trust with Pyongyang have gained no traction. Relations have only gotten worse since she took office, two weeks after the latest nuclear test ? the third conducted by the North since 2006.

Pyongyang recently forced the closure of a joint industrial park that was a rare symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

But in a sign that tensions on the Korean Peninsula could be subsiding, U.S. officials reported Tuesday that North Korea has removed from a launch site two mobile, medium-range ballistic missiles that had been readied for possible test-firing.

Park, daughter of the late South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee, is on her first overseas trip since taking office in late February after winning elections in the now democratic nation, one of Asia's strongest economies.

Her visit also marks the 60th anniversary of the military alliance with the U.S. that maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea.

She becomes the sixth South Korean leader to address a joint meeting of Congress. Her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, who had an unusually close bond with Obama among foreign leaders, was the last to do so in October 2011. Also Wednesday, Park was to address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

At Tuesday's news conference, Park said the international community needed to send a firm and consistent message that North Korea's provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons would not be tolerated, so it would be compelled to change.

She stressed the importance of the role of China, the North's key ally and economic benefactor. In a nod to its new apparent willingness to put pressure on Pyongyang, Park said China was "faithfully implementing" U.N. Security Council resolutions intended to curb the North's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

In a significant move, one of China's biggest banks said Tuesday it has halted business with a North Korean bank accused by the U.S. of financing Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-08-US-US-SKorea/id-0926157939464a28994bb111e7b45233

april fools day April Fools Jokes Julie Roberts roses april fools Good April Fools Jokes Dumpster

Music review: Chris Brown "I Can't Win" - She Knows

I wonder if Chris Brown woke up one morning and thought, "I want to air out my dirty laundry for all to see."

Actually, I wonder if he thinks that every morning seeing as he uses Twitter and Instagram more than his peroxide. He rants frequently, and actually thinks seemingly seldom. But I'll hold my bias and cut the guy some momentary relief, and focus on reviewing the track.

So, Taylor Swift does it. Katy Perry did it. Joe Jonas is guilty, too. What do they have in common with Chris Brown? Not-so-subtle songs about their exes.

Want more music news on latest releases and scorned love music like this? Sign up for our newsletter! >>

If you're an entertainment junkie like I am, you'll know that Chris Brown yesterday came clean to Australia's 2Day radio show about being single.

Want more coverage on what went down with Chris Brown yesterday? Check it out here >>

Let's hope Rihanna heard before then.

She definitely may have noticed a glaring red flag when he dropped this song, though ??which isn't featured on his upcoming album. Based on that alone, it sounds like the song is just a means to vent, doesn't it? I mean check out these loaded lyrics:

"I'm not trying to waste our love
I'm just trying to save what's left of it
One day, one day my love
You gon' realized that you?[messed] up"

So... it's Rihanna's fault? I'll stay out of the politics with that, and describe this track as a deep reflection of his own conflicted heart. The woman in this lyrical story is confused herself and he makes note of that. The most powerful line is when Brown sings:

"Girl, you don't love me, you don't love yourself"

Those are some pretty heavy lyrics for Brown, who knows how to make music sound good, but the song possesses a different degree of sincerity. This is an Auto-Tuned dance single that sounds upbeat, but truly has a dark undertone.

Perez Hilton reported that the star unfollowed the Barbadian singer on Twitter and then followed his ex, (which, in the real world, sounds pathetic and is not a big deal) but in Twitterland, this is serious, like a yo mama joke.

Chris Brown and Justin Bieber may be long-lost twins >>

The new album, X, that won't feature this controversial single is out in stores on July 16.

Photo courtesy of Judy Eddy/WENN.com

Want to know what else we are buzzing about? Check out these music reviews:

Daft Punk feat. Pharrell "Get Lucky"
Imagine Dragons "Ready Aim Fire"
Brad Paisley "Beat This Summer"

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/993227/music-review-chris-brown-i-cant-win

brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting mega millions winning numbers autism speaks

Lucky bacteria strike it rich during formation of treatment-resistant colonies

Public release date: 8-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Megan Fellman
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Northwestern University

Research could help in battle against infections that do not respond to powerful drugs

In biology, we often think of natural selection and survival of the fittest. What about survival of the luckiest?

Like pioneers in search of a better life, bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities, known as biofilms. It turns out that a lucky few bacteria become the elite cells that start the colonies, and they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to the distribution of wealth in the U.S. economy, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, Northwestern University and the University of Washington.

The study, to be published online May 8 in the journal Nature, is the first to identify the strategy by which bacteria form initial colonies in biofilms. The research may have significant implications for battling stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to powerful drugs, as well as for other applications.

Biofilms are colonies of bacteria that form on surfaces, including human tissue. Bacteria in biofilms change their gene expression patterns and are far more resistant to antibiotics and the body's immune defenses than individual, free-swimming bacteria, because they mass together and surround themselves with a matrix of proteins, DNA and sugars. This makes seemingly routine infections potentially deadly.

Gerard Wong, a professor in the UCLA bioengineering and chemistry departments; Erik Luijten, an associate professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University; and Matthew R. Parsek, a professor of microbiology at the University of Washington, led a team of researchers who elucidated the early formation of biofilms by using algorithms to track the development of different strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and by conducting computer simulations to map the movements. P. aeruginosa can cause lethal, difficult-to-treat infections. Examples include infections found in cystic fibrosis and AIDS patients.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the individual bacteria that start the formation of micro-colonies have no special inherent qualities.

As bacteria move across a surface, they leave trails composed of a specific type of polysaccharide, or long sugar molecules.

"Some of the bacteria remained fixed in position," Parsek said, "but some moved around on the surface, apparently randomly but leaving a trail that influenced the surface behavior of other bacteria that encountered it."

Bacteria arriving later also lay trails, but tend to be guided by the trails from the pioneers. This network of trails creates a process of positive feedback and enables bacteria to organize into micro-colonies that mature into biofilms. By being at the right place at the right time, and by using communally produced polysaccharides, a small number of lucky cells -- often ones that come later -- become the first to form micro-colonies, which give cells many survival advantages over other bacteria.

Interestingly, these biofilms develop in accordance with Zipf's Law, which is one special form of the rich-get-richer phenomena. A well-known example of this is the distribution of wealth in the United States. Recent statistics indicate that the wealthiest 20 percent of the population have more than 80 percent of the total wealth. Most of the wealth in this elite group is in turn owned by a small elite fraction within the elite, and so on.

"It turns out bacteria do the same thing," Wong said. "By effectively taking a census of bacteria using our recently developed methods, we find that the way they organize into micro-colonies is not random, as was previously thought."

Extending the economic analogy, Wong said the research may provide insight into how to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. "Typically, when we want to get rid of bacteria, we just kill them with antibiotics," he said. "As a result, they develop defense mechanisms and grow stronger. Maybe that's not always the best way to treat biofilms. Perhaps we can regulate bacterial communities the way we regulate economies. Our work suggests that new treatment options may use incentives and communications as well as punishment to control bacterial communities."

"A truly beautiful aspect of this work is how it relies on a combination of experiments and computer simulations," Luijten said. "Only through combination of the totally different types of expertise of three different research groups has it been possible to disentangle what is going on, and how polysaccharides influence the organization of bacteria into micro-colonies."

###

Kun Zhao, Ph.D. from the UCLA Department of Bioengineering and Dr. Boo Tseng Shen from the University of Washington's Department of Microbiology are the paper's lead authors.

The senior authors are Wong, a professor in the UCLA bioengineering and chemistry departments, a member of the California NanoSystems Institute and the UCLA Center for Biological Physics; Luijten, an associate professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University; and Parsek, a professor of microbiology at the University of Washington.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 8-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Megan Fellman
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Northwestern University

Research could help in battle against infections that do not respond to powerful drugs

In biology, we often think of natural selection and survival of the fittest. What about survival of the luckiest?

Like pioneers in search of a better life, bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities, known as biofilms. It turns out that a lucky few bacteria become the elite cells that start the colonies, and they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to the distribution of wealth in the U.S. economy, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, Northwestern University and the University of Washington.

The study, to be published online May 8 in the journal Nature, is the first to identify the strategy by which bacteria form initial colonies in biofilms. The research may have significant implications for battling stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to powerful drugs, as well as for other applications.

Biofilms are colonies of bacteria that form on surfaces, including human tissue. Bacteria in biofilms change their gene expression patterns and are far more resistant to antibiotics and the body's immune defenses than individual, free-swimming bacteria, because they mass together and surround themselves with a matrix of proteins, DNA and sugars. This makes seemingly routine infections potentially deadly.

Gerard Wong, a professor in the UCLA bioengineering and chemistry departments; Erik Luijten, an associate professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University; and Matthew R. Parsek, a professor of microbiology at the University of Washington, led a team of researchers who elucidated the early formation of biofilms by using algorithms to track the development of different strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and by conducting computer simulations to map the movements. P. aeruginosa can cause lethal, difficult-to-treat infections. Examples include infections found in cystic fibrosis and AIDS patients.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the individual bacteria that start the formation of micro-colonies have no special inherent qualities.

As bacteria move across a surface, they leave trails composed of a specific type of polysaccharide, or long sugar molecules.

"Some of the bacteria remained fixed in position," Parsek said, "but some moved around on the surface, apparently randomly but leaving a trail that influenced the surface behavior of other bacteria that encountered it."

Bacteria arriving later also lay trails, but tend to be guided by the trails from the pioneers. This network of trails creates a process of positive feedback and enables bacteria to organize into micro-colonies that mature into biofilms. By being at the right place at the right time, and by using communally produced polysaccharides, a small number of lucky cells -- often ones that come later -- become the first to form micro-colonies, which give cells many survival advantages over other bacteria.

Interestingly, these biofilms develop in accordance with Zipf's Law, which is one special form of the rich-get-richer phenomena. A well-known example of this is the distribution of wealth in the United States. Recent statistics indicate that the wealthiest 20 percent of the population have more than 80 percent of the total wealth. Most of the wealth in this elite group is in turn owned by a small elite fraction within the elite, and so on.

"It turns out bacteria do the same thing," Wong said. "By effectively taking a census of bacteria using our recently developed methods, we find that the way they organize into micro-colonies is not random, as was previously thought."

Extending the economic analogy, Wong said the research may provide insight into how to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. "Typically, when we want to get rid of bacteria, we just kill them with antibiotics," he said. "As a result, they develop defense mechanisms and grow stronger. Maybe that's not always the best way to treat biofilms. Perhaps we can regulate bacterial communities the way we regulate economies. Our work suggests that new treatment options may use incentives and communications as well as punishment to control bacterial communities."

"A truly beautiful aspect of this work is how it relies on a combination of experiments and computer simulations," Luijten said. "Only through combination of the totally different types of expertise of three different research groups has it been possible to disentangle what is going on, and how polysaccharides influence the organization of bacteria into micro-colonies."

###

Kun Zhao, Ph.D. from the UCLA Department of Bioengineering and Dr. Boo Tseng Shen from the University of Washington's Department of Microbiology are the paper's lead authors.

The senior authors are Wong, a professor in the UCLA bioengineering and chemistry departments, a member of the California NanoSystems Institute and the UCLA Center for Biological Physics; Luijten, an associate professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University; and Parsek, a professor of microbiology at the University of Washington.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nu-lbs050613.php

Ball Bearings Macklemore irs forms kevin hart oklahoma city bombing Audrie Pott Bombing In Boston

22 die in gas tanker truck blast near Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A gas tanker truck exploded on a highway north of Mexico City on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 30 as a fireball tore through cars and homes.

Pablo Bedolla, mayor of the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, said 22 people died in the blast that engulfed early morning traffic. Television footage showed burned-out vehicles and debris strewn all over the highway on the edge of the capital.

Local media reported that at least 10 of those killed were children.

"It was a ball of fire which exploded as though they'd put a spotlight in the whole window," resident Carlos Gonzalez Silva told Mexican radio. "We opened the door and it was like fire had blown through the whole of the garden."

Bedolla said the blast had injured more than 30 people and damaged 45. Emergency services in the State of Mexico, which abuts the capital, said 16 vehicles were hit by the explosion.

President Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his condolences.

Mexican radio station Formato 21 said a family of four, including two children aged 6 and 11, were among the dead.

In January, a massive blast at the headquarters of state oil giant Pemex in downtown Mexico City claimed dozens of lives.

Media reports said the gas tanker did not belong to Pemex. The state oil company said it would help in rescue efforts.

(Reporting by Dave Graham and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Sandra Maler and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gas-tanker-truck-explodes-outside-mexico-city-kills-033803570.html

adam shulman adam shulman peanut butter recall jason aldean Brigitte Nielsen Cricinfo Geno Smith

JMIR--Which Bundles of Features in a Web-Based Personally ...

Advertisement: Preregister now for the Medicine 2.0 Congress

Original Paper

Which Bundles of Features in a Web-Based Personally Controlled Health Management System Are Associated With Consumer Help-Seeking Behaviors for Physical and Emotional Well-Being?

Annie YS Lau¹, PhD; Judith Proudfoot², PhD; Annie Andrews³; Siaw-Teng Liaw⁴, MBBS, PhD; Jacinta Crimmins⁵, MBBS; Ama?l Arguel¹, PhD; Enrico Coiera¹, MBBS, PhD

¹Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
²School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
³UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
⁴School of Public Health & Community Medicine, UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
⁵University Health Service, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Corresponding Author:
Annie YS Lau, PhD

Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, University of New South Wales
Level 1, AGSM Building (G27) UNSW
Sydney, 2052
Australia
Phone: 61 431 599 890
Fax: 61 2 9385 8692
Email:

---

ABSTRACT

Background: Personally controlled health management systems (PCHMS), which include a personal health record (PHR), health management tools, and consumer resources, represent the next stage in consumer eHealth systems. It is still unclear, however, what features contribute to an engaging and efficacious PCHMS.
Objective: To identify features in a Web-based PCHMS that are associated with consumer utilization of primary care and counselling services, and help-seeking rates for physical and emotional well-being concerns.
Methods: A one-group pre/posttest online prospective study was conducted on a university campus to measure use of a PCHMS for physical and emotional well-being needs during a university academic semester (July to November 2011). The PCHMS integrated an untethered personal health record (PHR) with well-being journeys, social forums, polls, diaries, and online messaging links with a health service provider, where journeys provide information for consumer participants to engage with clinicians and health services in an actionable way. 1985 students and staff aged 18 and above with access to the Internet were recruited online. Logistic regression, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and chi-square analyses were used to associate participants? help-seeking behaviors and health service utilization with PCHMS usage among the 709 participants eligible for analysis.
Results: A dose-response association was detected between the number of times a user logged into the PCHMS and the number of visits to a health care professional (P=.01), to the university counselling service (P=.03), and help-seeking rates (formal or informal) for emotional well-being matters (P=.03). No significant association was detected between participant pre-study characteristics or well-being ratings at different PCHMS login frequencies. Health service utilization was strongly correlated with use of a bundle of features including: online appointment booking (primary care: OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.01-3.00; counselling: OR 6.04, 95% CI 2.30-15.85), personal health record (health care professional: OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.63-4.89), the poll (health care professional: OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.02-2.12), and diary (counselling: OR 4.92, 95% CI 1.40-17.35). Help-seeking for physical well-being matters was only correlated with use of the personal health record (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.18-2.53). Help-seeking for emotional well-being concerns (including visits to the university counselling service) was correlated with a bundle comprising the poll (formal or informal help-seeking: OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.05), diary (counselling: OR 4.92, 95% CI 1.40-17.35), and online appointment booking (counselling: OR 6.04, 95% CI 2.30-15.85).
Conclusions: Frequent usage of a PCHMS was significantly associated with increased consumer health service utilization and help-seeking rates for emotional health matters in a university sample. Different bundles of PCHMS features were associated with physical and emotional well-being matters. PCHMS appears to be a promising mechanism to engage consumers in help-seeking or health service utilization for physical and emotional well-being matters.

(J Med Internet Res 2013;15(5):e79)
doi:10.2196/jmir.2414

KEYWORDS

personal health record; Web-based intervention; health service; help-seeking; emotional well-being; physical well-being; preventative health; eHealth; consumer; university

Worldwide, governments have made multibillion dollar investments in eHealth to modernize health services delivery, with many questions still unanswered about the uptake, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of these investments [1,2]. In particular, personal health records (PHRs) now form a crucial component in many large-scale national eHealth reform strategies. However, uptake and utilization of PHRs is not as widespread as anticipated [1,2], and there are often gaps between proposed and actual benefits [3]. Finding approaches that effectively engage consumers in the use of PHRs, with the intention to improve health outcomes and reduce attrition rates, remains a high priority in consumer eHealth research [4-6].

PHRs have been advocated as the next generation tool that significantly improves consumers? health behaviors and health outcomes [7]. In a key discussion on personal health records (PHRs) presented by Tang and colleagues, a PHR is an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage, and share their health information [8]. A tethered PHR allows patients to view their own health information that is stored in their health care provider?s electronic health record, whereas an untethered PHR is a stand-alone application that does not connect with any other system [8]. A personally controlled health management system (PCHMS) in this instance is a health management system that allows consumers and patients to connect and engage with their health services online to access tools and resources to manage their health. In this paper, our PCHMS integrated an untethered PHR with well-being journeys, social forums, polls, diaries, and online messaging links with a health service provider.

However, a PCHMS often consists of multiple features, which refer to the functionalities available on the system. What are the features in a PCHMS that encourage consumers and patients to seek help or engage with health services for their well-being concerns? To date, it is still unclear what features contribute to an engaging and efficacious PCHMS.

Past studies have resulted in guidelines for the development of Internet interventions for consumer health [9-12]. Other studies have found features such as personalization, tailoring, and behavior feedback associated with significant consumer health behaviors when applied in the right context [13,14]. Researchers have also advocated for the use of behavioral theories, such as the health belief model (HBM) [15], social cognitive theory (SCT) [16], transtheoretical model (TTM) [17], and the theory of reasoned action / planned behavior [18], in the development of eHealth applications to increase their acceptability and efficacy. Yet, there is currently little literature to guide the features of PCHMS.

In parallel, the idea of creating a ?bundle? of actions has recently been advocated as a way to address system inertia to change [19]. While its clinical applications have been shown to improve the quality and safety in managing ventilation-assisted pneumonia [20] and sepsis in intensive care [21], its applicability in eHealth has not been examined previously. A care bundle is a grouping of care elements for a particular symptom, procedure, or treatment [22]. It follows the holistic principle where a bundle, as a grouping of several evidence-based practices, when used in combination or as a cluster, should have a greater effect on the positive outcome of patients [22]. In eHealth, while evidence is emerging on which ?individual? features are associated with significant consumer health behaviors, the concept of identifying a ?bundle? of effective features in eHealth interventions has not been addressed previously.

For this reason, identifying features (or ?bundles of features?) in a PCHMS that are associated with changes in consumers? health behaviors remains a crucial area for research. In response, we designed an online prospective study to examine how a group of participants in a university setting used a PCHMS to manage their physical and emotional well-being. University students are known to experience elevated distress levels over an academic semester [3,23-30]. Yet, they are infrequent users of health services and hardly engage with services for assistance [31-33]. The aim of this study is to (1) examine whether use of a PCHMS is associated with increased rates of health service utilization and help-seeking behaviors for physical and/or emotional well-being, and (2) identify whether use of any specific PCHMS feature (ie, journey, personal health record, forum, poll, diary, or online appointment service), or bundles of features, is associated with help-seeking behaviors and health service utilization for well-being matters.

Trial Design and Participants

A one-group pre/posttest online prospective study was conducted over a university academic semester (July to November 2011). Inclusion criteria were (1) aged 18 or above, and (2) with access to the Internet and email at least on a monthly basis.

Study Protocol

Students and staff were approached via email lists and advertisements in online print publications, which described the study and invited interested parties to use a PCHMS called Healthy.me developed at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to manage their physical and emotional well-being for an academic semester. Written informed consent was sought online from each participant. Participants then completed a 15-minute online pre-study survey, followed by a 5-minute mandatory online tutorial about Healthy.me prior to using the site. At study completion (end of semester), participants received an email asking them to complete a 15-minute online post-study survey. Two follow-up emails 5 days apart were sent as reminders to noncompleters. Those who completed all surveys were entered into a draw for an AU$500 gift voucher. A researcher was available via a dedicated telephone line and email to answer participants? questions and concerns during the study. Ethics approval was obtained from the UNSW ethics committee.

Measures

At baseline, demographic information (such as age and gender) was collected, as well as information about their use of social networking websites, use of the Internet to find health-related information, and visits to a health professional (including whether they visited prior to the study a health care professional, University Health Service, and the University Counselling and Psychological Services).

In the pre- and post-study questionnaires, measures 1-3 were administered and additional measures (4-5) were administered in the postintervention questionnaire: (more details on each measure are available in Multimedia Appendix 1):

1. COOP/WONCA charts were used to evaluate participants? functional status, defined as physical, emotional, and social status. These scales, which have been demonstrated to be a valid and feasible one-time screening assessment for mental disorders in primary care [34], measure six domains, namely physical fitness, feelings, daily activities, social activities, change in health, and overall health. Responses are via a 1-5 Likert-scale where higher scores indicate a poorer functional status.
2. Well-being self-ratings and lifestyle intention: adapted from the last question in the standardized instrument EUROQOL (EQ-5D) [35], which measures health status, participants were asked to rate their physical and emotional well-being on a scale from 0 to 100. They were also asked to select one of four statements that best describes their intention to practice a lifestyle that benefits their well-being according to the transtheoretical model of behavior change [17].
3. Health advice-seeking and health advice-providing networks: adapted from the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire [36], participants were asked to nominate up to 5 people they have sought advice from, or provided advice to, before and during the study.
4. Help-seeking behaviors and health service utilization: Help-seeking is defined as the behavior of actively seeking assistance [37], regardless of whether the source is informal or formal. A new scale was developed by the authors, adapted from the Actual Help-seeking Questionnaire (AHSQ) [37]. The scale covers help-seeking behaviors for physical and emotional well-being, informal and formal sources, as well as for self or others.
5. Feedback on Healthy.me: participants were asked to provide feedback on their overall experience of using Healthy.me, as well as their feedback on specific features on the website, using a range of scale items such as Likert scale, free-text comments, and checkbox answer options.

This paper focuses on usage of PCHMS features with consumers? health behaviors and thus only reports participants? help-seeking behaviors and health service utilization rates collected at post-study.

PCHMS Usage Metrics

A recent review by Danaher and Seeley [38] concluded there is no single, universally accepted measure for website usage, and researchers are still debating the best methods for defining and measuring website engagement [38].

In this study, we used simple website engagement measures to track participants? activity on the website (ie, PCHMS login frequency and whether participants accessed, or did not access, each website feature). These measures were used to assess whether (1) there was a dose-response effect, that is, was the frequency of PCHMS login associated with rates of health service utilization and help-seeking behaviors, and whether (2) access to PCHMS feature(s) (ie, journey, personal health record, forum, poll, diary, and/or online appointment service) was associated with participants? health service utilization and help-seeking behaviors for physical and/or emotional well-being.

PCHMS Web logs were analyzed to determine whether participants accessed (or did not access) any of the features at any time during the study. Some of these website engagement measures have previously been used to measure user engagement of PHR systems [39].

Intervention

Theoretical Construct

The dose-response phenomenon tested in this study is related to the familiarity principle, reinforcement effect, and the mere exposure effect described by Zajonc [40], where the level of repeated exposure to an intervention is associated with participants developing a familiarity and preference for the intervention and thus increasing the likelihood to use it at times of need. Features such as length of exposure, the spread of experiences, the partitioning of episodes, the peak-and-end events in an incident, and the degradation or improvement in experience over time have been reported to influence a person?s overall impression of an experience [41]. While exposure to a website can be described using different measures, such as number of logins, repeated visits, and duration of visits, we used number of logins as our primary measure since it is one of the most common measures to describe participants? engagement with a website.

Healthy.me

Healthy.me was iteratively developed, and its first version was tested in other settings such as in vitro fertilization and influenza vaccination [42,43]. The first version contained features such as journey, the personal health record, and online appointment booking with the university primary care service. The version of Healthy.me (version 2.0) that was used in this study contained the above-mentioned features as well as online appointment booking with the university primary care and counselling services, a diary, forum, and poll. Details of each feature are described below:

1. Personal Health Record (PHR) for self-recording of medical test results, medications, scheduled appointments, and personnel looking after one?s health (see Figure 1).
2. Online appointment booking with the University Health Service (primary care) and the UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services (sent via email using the ?Book now? button in the PCHMS).
3. Diary for participants to write down their thoughts about their health. By default, the diary is private. However, participants can select to share their diary with all participants enrolled in the PCHMS.
4. Social communication spaces, which support interaction across the continuum of care between fellow participants and clinicians. Features include the poll system and forums moderated by clinicians. Poll system in which participants answer simple health questions (eg, how much sleep did you get last night?), where they can view and compare their response with other participants? aggregated answers in graph format (Figure 2). Forums moderated by clinicians (a primary care physician and a psychologist), where participants can either post their entries on the forum or send one-on-one email messages to other participants in the PCHMS (including clinicians). Guidelines on forum use and the protocol for responding to concerns reported in the forum were approved from the UNSW ethics committee. Posts sent by participants to the ?Report concern? feature on the forum were emailed to clinical and research personnel during the study, who investigated any reported concerns. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) available in the email to the dedicated staff allowed them to withdraw the forum post. The primary care physician and the psychologist not only moderated the forum but were also available to answer questions posted on the forums. No harm from the use of the forum or the PCHMS was reported by participants during the study.
5. Journeys that provide information for consumer participants to engage with clinicians and health services in an actionable way. Participants in this study had access to four well-being journeys for physical and emotional well-being: ?Stay Healthy?, ?Stressed out??, ?Feeling Anxious about the Exams??, and ?My Emotional Well-being Program?.

The four well-being journeys for physical and emotional well-being were designed and developed in consultation with University Counselling and Psychological Services psychologists and University Health Service primary care physicians, utilizing evidence-based consumer education material routinely used at UNSW to promote physical and emotional well-being. Written in youth-friendly language, using evidence-based mental health, psychoeducational, and psychosocial material, the journeys consisted of skills-focused content delivered online, as well as well-being workshops that participants could attend in-person at the University Counselling and Psychological Services. Participants could learn about mindfulness meditation, anxiety management, time management, and stress management at these workshops.

Journeys were delivered via the PCHMS at four pivotal time-points during a university academic semester (ie, beginning of semester, 4 weeks into semester, after mid-semester break, and before exams) to address physical and emotional well-being concerns likely to be concerning participants at each time-point. Participants were alerted with an email when a new journey became available on the PCHMS. These journeys provided task specific knowledge in an actionable way. For example, as participants read the journey for advice on physical or emotional well-being, they could immediately:

• book an appointment with a university primary care physician or a psychologist from the journey page,
• register to attend a well-being workshop,
• post a question on a forum to seek advice from fellow participants or a clinician (primary care physician or a psychologist), or
• send themselves an email reminder to do so later.

A pilot study was conducted in a controlled setting with 15 university staff and students of different ages, gender, and familiarity with computers to test the intervention, the measures, and the research design. Substantive usability issues were resolved before recruiting participants in their real-life setting.

Data Analysis

Analysis was conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. Sequential logistic regression analyses were undertaken to prospectively examine the crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for participants? health service utilization and help-seeking behaviors for physical and emotional well-being matters [44]. Independent variables assessed included whether participants accessed (or did not access) each specific PCHMS feature (journey, personal health record, forum, poll, diary, and online appointment service), controlling for participant?s gender, age, and potential confounders (eg, whether the participant was a university service patient/client prior to the study) to provide a stratified estimate of intervention effect. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to examine correlations among usage of features that were associated with consumers? behaviors.

Participants? health service utilization rates (ie, visits to a health professional, University Health Service, or the University Counselling and Psychological Services), and their help-seeking behaviors for physical or emotional well-being matters were compared at different PCHMS login frequency thresholds (zero logins, once only, two to five times, six to 10 times, more than 10 times). The rationale for selecting these login frequency cutoffs is based on using heuristics to ensure important login frequency thresholds are covered (ie, zero, once only, and ? a high login frequency threshold) and that there are sufficient data points in each frequency threshold to conduct analyses.

Between group analyses were conducted using chi-square analysis. Participants? pre-study characteristics (namely use of the Internet to find health information, use of social networking websites, visits to a health care professional in the past 6 months, and their self-rated well-being ratings classified as over or below 50 at pre-study) were compared between different PCHMS login frequencies using chi-square to assess whether these characteristics were associated with PCHMS usage levels. Descriptive analyses were conducted on participants? reasons for not seeking help during study.

Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 [45]. Tests performed were two-tailed and assumed a cutoff of P<.05 for statistical significance.

Source: http://www.jmir.org/2013/5/e79/

bobbi kristina brown new edition austerity rihanna and chris brown back together pebble beach cause of whitney houston death keanu reeves

Laminopathies: Key components in the disease mechanism identified

May 7, 2013 ? Laminopathies are hereditary diseases that affect mainly the muscle tissue. These diseases include for example Emery-Dreifuss Muscular dystrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and Hutchison-Gilford progeria syndrome.

The underlying defect in these diseases is mutation in the genes encoding lamins or lamin-associated proteins. For example, many mutations in the lamin gene LMNA have been associated with different diseases.

Lamins are crucial components of the nuclear lamina that underlies the inner side of nuclear envelope, and provides mechanical stability to the nucleus. Lamina also participates in many different nuclear processes.

Two theories exist, why mutations in the lamina components cause disease. According to the first theory, mutations cause changes in the nuclear structure, which can lead to cell death in tissues that undergo harsh mechanical strain, such as the muscle. The second theory postulates that disturbed lamina causes changes in the gene expression patterns that are then deleterious for the cell.

A collaborative study between American and Finnish scientists bridge these two theories. The study shows that abnormal structure of the nuclear lamina, caused by laminopathy mutations, lead to changes in gene expression by disturbing the function of a specific transcription regulating protein.

The researchers found out that in laminopathy cells, the regulation of SRF (serum response factor), which controls the expression of many important genes, is disturbed. The molecular basis for this is that LMNA mutations that cause laminopathy alter the cellular localization of emerin, which is an important constituent of the nuclear envelope. Emerin regulates actin in the cell nucleus, and actin in turn is a critical regulator of SRF activator MKL1. Therefore, mis-localized emerin in laminopathies results in reduced activation of SRF by MKL1, and reduced expression of SRF target genes. Because many SRF target genes are critical for muscle function, this finding explains, why laminopathies affect mainly this tissue type. It also gives a mechanistic link between altered nuclear envelope structure and gene expression.

This study will give a glimmer of hope to the patients suffering from laminopathies, by identifying key components that underlie the disease mechanism. Restoring MKL1 activity in laminopathies might be a productive intervention mechanism for these devastating diseases.

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/Pr2Jtv_X3LE/130507060839.htm

Happy Easter Game Of Thrones Season 3 campfire Kordell Stewart cesar chavez Wichita State hbo

Engineers manipulate a buckyball by inserting a single water molecule

May 6, 2013 ? Columbia Engineering researchers have developed a technique to isolate a single water molecule inside a buckyball, or C60, and to drive motion of the so-called "big" nonpolar ball through the encapsulated "small" polar H2O molecule, a controlling transport mechanism in a nanochannel under an external electric field. They expect this method will lead to an array of new applications, including effective ways to control drug delivery and to assemble C60-based functional 3D structures at the nanoscale level, as well as expanding our understanding of single molecule properties.

The study was published as a Physics Focus in the April 12 issue of Physical Review Letters.

"Buckyballs, more formally known as Buckminsterfullerenes, or fullerenes, are spherical, hollow molecular structures made of 60 carbon atoms, with the size of ~1 nm -- 6,000-8,000 times smaller than a regular red blood cell -- and, because of their highly symmetrical structure, very hydrophobic core, covalent nonpolar bonds, and more importantly, relatively non-toxicity to the human body, they are a perfect container for drug molecules," explains Xi Chen, associate professor of earth and environmental engineering, who led the research. He and his team believe their work is the first attempt to manipulate a nonpolar molecule (C60) or structure by an inserted polar molecule (H2O).

Chen says his findings may open a new way of controlling and delivering a nonpolar "big" molecule like C60 through the encapsulated "small" polar molecule like H2O. This could lead to important applications in nanotech and biotech areas, including drug delivery where researchers can "imprison" the polar drug molecules inside a hollow structure and then guide them to their targets.

And, from a fundamental point of view, he hopes that the isolated, encapsulated single molecule, like the H2O one in his study, will provide an important platform for revealing and probing inherent characteristics of a single molecule, free from its outside environment.

"The important role of hydrogen bonds in the properties of water, like surface tension and viscosity, and the precise interactions between a single water molecule and hydrogen bonds, are still unclear," Chen notes, "so our new technique to isolate a single water molecule free from any hydrogen bonds provides an opportunity for answering these questions."

Since the discovery of C60 in the 1980s, scientists have been trying to solve the challenge of controlling a single C60. Several mechanical strategies involving AFM (atomic force microscopy) have been developed, but these are costly and time-intensive. The ability to drive a single C60 through a simple external force field, such as an electrical or magnetic field, would be a major step forward.

In the Columbia Engineering study, the researchers found that, when they encapsulated a polar molecule within a nonpolar fullerene, they could use an external electrical field to transport the molecule@fullerene structures to desired positions and adjust the transport velocity so that both delivery direction and time were controllable. Chen's team came up with the idea a year ago, and confirmed their surprising results through extensive atomistic simulations.

Chen plans to explore more properties of the H2O@C60 molecule and other similar structures, and to continue probing the interaction and communication of the encapsulated single water molecule with its surroundings. "Studying the communication of an imprisoned single water molecule with its outside environment such as adjacent molecules," he adds, "is like learning how a person sitting inside a room makes connections with friends outside, selectively on demand (i.e. with control) or randomly (without control) through, say, over the phone."

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_technology/~3/HF5zw7gjqww/130506103310.htm

ann coulter minecraft Ben Wilson Latest Presidential Polls trump presidential debate debate

BMC to go private in $6.9 billion deal led by Bain, Golden Gate

By Sayantani Ghosh

(Reuters) - Business software maker BMC Software Inc, whose anemic growth has been a source of frustration for its largest shareholder, said it would be taken private by a group led by Bain Capital and Golden Gate Capital for about $6.9 billion.

Elliott Management, which owns 9.6 percent of BMC and had been pushing for a sale for more than a year, had argued that BMC's management was neglecting the huge opportunity to expand into the fast-growing cloud computing market.

"Going private will be very positive for them because it will enable them to make the changes that were necessary, that were much difficult when you are a public company," Lazard Capital Markets analyst Joel Fishbein said.

BMC has some catching up to do in a market now dominated by Salesforce.com Inc and where Oracle Corp, SAP AG and Microsoft Corp are investing heavily.

BMC's revenue is expected to have grown just 3 percent in the year ended March 31 to $2.23 billion, after growth of just 5 percent the previous year. BMC reports fourth-quarter results on Tuesday.

Elliott, Paul Singer's activist hedge fund, succeeded in adding two directors to BMC's board last year after a proxy battle.

The offer price of $46.25 per share represents a premium of less than 2 percent to BMC's Friday close of $45.42.

The stock has risen 4.5 percent since March 21, when Reuters reported that private equity groups were looking to buy the company.

BMC shares were trading at $45.50, up 8 cents, by midday on the Nasdaq.

BMC has two main divisions. The enterprise services management business manages networks, databases and storage and brings in nearly two-thirds of total revenue, but has stagnated over the years.

The mainframe services management unit, which helps automate data center operations, has grown slowly but is a cash cow that could help the new owners maximize profits.

The private equity group also includes GIC Special Investments Pte Ltd, part of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, and Insight Venture Partners, a New York investment firm that focuses on software and internet businesses.

"I think they will streamline the business, focus on the higher growth areas, either divest or spin off some of the unproductive businesses," Fishbein said, adding that he expects it will take 12-18 months to "right-size" the business.

Under the sale agreement, Houston-based BMC has a "go-shop" provision that allows it to seek alternative proposals within 30 days. Analysts said it was unlikely BMC would get better offers.

BMC, which also competes with CA Inc and Compuware Corp, said the deal is expected to close later this year. Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets and Barclays have agreed to provide debt financing for the deal.

Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and BofA Merrill Lynch were financial advisers to BMC, while Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was legal counsel.

Qatalyst Partners, Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets and Barclays served as financial advisers to the buyers, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel.

Sidley Austin LLP was legal adviser to GIC and Willkie Farr & Gallager LLP was legal adviser for Insight Venture Partners.

(Additional reporting by Supantha Mukherjee and Aditya Kondalamahanty in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bmc-sell-itself-private-equity-group-6-9-133359712.html

pretty in pink shark tank john wall gordon hayward gas prices rising stars challenge star trek 2

Trial of alleged neo-Nazi starts in Germany

Beate Zschaepe, member of the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Underground (NSU) enters the court room before the start of her trial in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, May 6, 2013. The highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades opened Monday amid tight security and intense media interest, with the five accused appearing in public for the first time since their arrest more than a year ago. Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutor of complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted she faces life imprisonment. Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Beate Zschaepe, member of the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Underground (NSU) enters the court room before the start of her trial in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, May 6, 2013. The highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades opened Monday amid tight security and intense media interest, with the five accused appearing in public for the first time since their arrest more than a year ago. Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutor of complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted she faces life imprisonment. Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Beate Zschaepe, member of the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Underground (NSU) enters the court room before the start of her trial in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, May 6, 2013. The highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades opened Monday amid tight security and intense media interest, with the five accused appearing in public for the first time since their arrest more than a year ago. Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutor of complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted she faces life imprisonment. Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

A woman is held by police after she tried to force her way into the court in Munich, Germany, Monday, May 6, 2013, before the start of the trial of an alleged member of a German neo-Nazi cell. The highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades opened Monday amid tight security and intense media interest, with the five accused appearing in public for the first time since their arrest more than a year ago. The main defendant is Beate Zschaepe, 38, accused by prosecutor of complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted she faces life imprisonment. Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011. (AP Photo/dpa, Stephan Jansen)

Demonstrators hold photographs of NSU victims in front of the Higher Regional Court in Munich, Germany, 06 May 2013. Accused neo-Nazi terrorist Beate Zschaepe went on trial in Munich 06 May for her involvement in a series of racially motivated murders, bombings and robberies committed by an extreme right-wing underground group, the National Socialist Underground (NSU). The 38-year-old Zschaepe faces charges of being a founding member of a terrorist organization along with arson and attempted murder. The NSU group is believed to have carried out the execution-style murders of eight Turkish immigrants and one Greek man as well as a German policewoman over a period of seven years. Photo by: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

Ralf Wohlleben, alleged supporter of the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Underground (NSU), waits for the start of a trial in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, May 6, 2013. The highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades opened Monday amid tight security and intense media interest, with the five accused appearing in public for the first time since their arrest more than a year ago. Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutor of complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted she faces life imprisonment. Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP) ? An alleged German neo-Nazi accused of involvement in a 10-person killing spree appeared confident and calm Monday as her murder trial opened amid tight security, intense media interest and an immediate request by the defense for a new judge.

Beate Zschaepe ? said to be the sole surviving member of a gang behind the murders ? entered the court in a dark suit, her arms folded, before turning her back to the cameras and appearing to joke with her lawyers.

The hearing began with two motions from the defense lawyers alleging that the presiding judge was biased. Judge Manfred Goetzl put proceedings on hold until May 14 to consider the defense request that he recuse himself from the trial, which is the highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades and could last at least a year.

Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutors of murder for alleged complicity in the killing of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted, she faces life imprisonment. Four others face lesser charges of assisting the cell.

Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies allegedly carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011.

Prosecutors allege the trio had formed the self-styled National Socialist Underground after evading arrest on lesser charges in 1998 and managed to remain largely off the authorities' radar for the following 13 years despite committing a string of violence crimes.

Hundreds of reporters lined up outside the Munich courthouse in the hope of gaining one of the few available seats in the packed courtroom. Police erected security barriers in anticipation of possible protests by far-right and far-left extremist groups.

Aside from Zschaepe, the four other defendants are:

? Ralf Wohlleben, 38, and Carsten Schultze, 33, are accused of being accessories to murder in the killing of the nine male victims. Prosecutors allege that they supplied the trio with the handgun and silencer used in the killings. Wohlleben was once a member of the far-right National Democratic Party, which has seats in two state parliaments in eastern Germany.

? Andre Eminger, 33, is accused of being an accessory in two of the bank robberies and in a 2001 bombing in Cologne. He is also accused of two counts of supporting a terrorist organization.

? Holger Gerlach, 39, is accused of three counts of supporting a terrorist organization.

Like Zschaepe, the co-defendants were known to German authorities before the existence of the NSU ? whose name alludes to the official name of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party ? came to light.

Many of Germany's 3 million Turks have asked how the country's well-funded security services, with their network of informants in the far-right scene, could have overlooked the group's existence for so long. For years, police suspected the immigrant victims of being involved with foreign gangs linked to gambling and drugs.

Families of those killed and survivors of the bomb attacks in particular have said they are hoping not just for justice, but answers to questions such as how the group chose its victims, none of whom were high-profile targets.

One of Zschaepe's three lawyers has claimed that his client faces "execution by media."

Wolfgang Stahl told public broadcaster SWR last week that Zschaepe was being portrayed as "evil incarnate, a murderer, a member of a murder gang, a Nazi bride or a Nazi killer" in a way that could prejudice the trial judges.

Her lawyers have said she will remain silent during the lengthy trial. Under German law Zschaepe won't have to make a plea until the end, though her lawyers have said they will contest the prosecution charges.

___

Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin. He can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/wirereporter

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-06-Germany-Neo-Nazi%20Trial/id-b5b8d6d9c6e84ef3879b3260e1791cef

ubaldo jimenez ncaa final country music awards autism awareness angelman syndrome total recall troy tulowitzki

Thunder Edge Grizzlies In Game 1: Kevin Durant Lifts OKC To 93-91 Win Over Memphis (VIDEO)

OKLAHOMA CITY ? Derek Fisher turned a tough situation for the Oklahoma City Thunder into the worst-case scenario for the Grizzlies.

With the Thunder down by one in the final minute, Fisher poked the ball away from Memphis' Mike Conley, springing three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant into the open court with a chance to put Oklahoma City on top.

Durant pulled up and connected on a jumper with 11.1 seconds left for the last of his 35 points, lifting the Thunder to a 93-91 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"I just wanted to get up the floor as quick as possible and find a shot," said Durant, who finished second in league MVP voting announced Sunday. "That was the only shot I could find and, by the grace of God, it went in."

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.

Thabo Sefolosha kept the Grizzlies from going back ahead, deflecting a pass that Conley was able to corral ? but only after diving out of bounds. Reggie Jackson then hit a pair of free throws for a three-point lead, and Quincy Pondexter couldn't force overtime after getting fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left.

Pondexter, a 72 percent career free-throw shooter, missed the first free throw. He made his second attempt before intentionally missing the third, but Durant swatted the rebound away and Marc Gasol's attempt at a buzzer-beater was late.

"We couldn't get stops. That's why we lost," said Gasol, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. "We didn't lose because of free throws."

Kevin Martin scored 25 for Oklahoma City, which trailed for much of the game but was able to avoid repeating its Game 1 loss from when these two teams met in the West semifinals two years ago. The Thunder were able to rally and win that series in seven.

Fisher, a five-time NBA champion who only joined the Thunder after asking to be released by Dallas for family reasons earlier in the season, turned this game around with his defense.

Conley had gotten past him on a drive to the basket when Fisher reached in from behind and knocked the ball free. It was just the stop Oklahoma City needed.

"He makes plays, whether it's tipping the ball out and getting a steal or hitting the big shot to start the fourth," Durant said. "Or just his leadership in the huddles and the locker room is big for us. We need that."

Zach Randolph chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, and Pondexter and Conley scored 13 apiece. As a team, Memphis went 14 for 24 on free throws. Oklahoma City, which was the league's top foul shooting team with the third-best mark in NBA history, was 22 of 25.

"Obviously, we have to make free throws, especially myself," said Pondexter, who was slapped on his right arm by Jackson on his attempt at the tying 3-pointer. "We've just got to take this as a learning experience and move on."

The series opener was a competitive new chapter in an increasingly fierce rivalry, but there weren't any scuffles this time. They had combined for nine technical fouls in three meetings during the regular season, including one confrontation that got Randolph and Kendrick Perkins ejected.

After letting a seven-point lead slip away in the first half, Memphis surged back ahead with a 15-4 run early in the third quarter that featured two driving layups and a jumper by Conley. The lead stretched to 70-58 when Conley hit a free throw following 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Pondexter and Tayshaun Prince.

The Thunder started to rally before Pondexter's buzzer-beater from the half-court logo to finish the third quarter bumped the lead up to 73-64. That didn't stop Oklahoma City's comeback, though.

Fisher opened the final period with a 3-pointer and Martin converted a three-point play and a 3-pointer as the Thunder went on a 9-2 run, prompting Memphis coach Lionel Hollins to call a timeout with the lead down to 75-73 with 10:08 left.

"That shot at the buzzer, that's a great shot on his part. That's one of those things that it could have really took us back a little," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, "but we still fought through that shot and kept competing when we were down."

After the timeout, the Grizzlies got their lead back up to seven before Durant sandwiched a pair of driving buckets around Fisher's 3-pointer in a 7-0 burst that tied it at 84 with 3:47 to play.

The Grizzlies went back up 90-87 when Serge Ibaka missed one of two free throws and Gasol followed with a hook shot with 1:08 to go.

"If you're up 3 and you've got a minute and a half, you've got to get a stop," Gasol said. "We couldn't get a stop."

Notes: Durant also finished second in the MVP race last season and in 2009. He got 93 of the 121 second-place votes in the balloting announced Sunday. ... The Thunder made their first nine shots in their only win of the season against Memphis, the best start to a game by an NBA team this season. They missed their first 10 in this one. ... Nick Collison was called for a flagrant foul after leveling Prince on a baseline drive in the second quarter. ... In the three regular-season games, the Grizzlies attempted 52 more shots largely because they had 24 more offensive rebounds. Memphis had just one more offensive rebound in this one and two more shots.

Related on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/05/kevin-durant-thunder-grizzlies-video-game-1_n_3219887.html

man of steel man of steel gucci mane Chicago sinkhole Panda Express illuminati illuminati

Iran calls for stand against Israel after Syria attack

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran called on the region to unite against Israel after a reported attack on Syria and said it was ready to train the Damascus government's army.

Israel carried out its second air strike in days on Syria early on Sunday, targeting Iranian-supplied missiles headed for Lebanon's Hezbollah, a Western intelligence source said.

Tehran on Sunday denied the attack was aimed at "its missiles destined for Hezbollah resistance fighters in Lebanon," according to the Islamic state's English-language Press TV.

Iran has supported its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his efforts to suppress a rebellion that has raged for more than two years and which Tehran and Damascus say is being waged by Western-backed "terrorists".

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast urged countries in the region to stand against the "assault", the Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

Iranian army ground forces commander Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on Sunday Iran was ready to support its ally.

"Syria has a powerful army and with the structure and experience it has against the Zionist regime (Israel) it can definitely defend itself and there is no need for intervention by other countries," Pourdastan said, according to Fars.

"But if they need training we can help them," he added.

Iran has denied supporting Assad militarily, although Western diplomats have said Iranian weapons pour into Syria via Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in January Tehran would consider an attack on Syria an attack on itself.

(Reporting By Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-condemns-israeli-attack-syria-081045833.html

jobs report tiger woods masters 2012 nikki haley stan van gundy navy jet crash virginia beach crash stephen hawking

Next Iran president likely to have gentler touch

In this Thursday, May 2, 2013 photo, Iran's former nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rohani, a potential front-runner in the presidential race, center right, is greeted by a supporter, in a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this Thursday, May 2, 2013 photo, Iran's former nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rohani, a potential front-runner in the presidential race, center right, is greeted by a supporter, in a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this Thursday, May 2, 2013 photo, a group of supporters of Hasan Rohani, an Iranian potential front-runner in the presidential race, cheer, in his campaign rally in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this Thursday, May 2, 2013 photo, Iran's former nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rohani, a potential front-runner in the presidential race, waves to his supporters in a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this photo taken on Thursday, April 22, 2010, Iranian presidential hopeful, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prior to departure of Ahmadinejad to Africa, at the Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this photo taken on Monday, May 9, 2011, Iranian presidential hopeful, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, stands next to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prior to departure of Ahmadinejad to Turkey, at the Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran. For eight years, Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N. resolutions as worthless. Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor -- candidate registration starts Tuesday for a June 14 vote -- and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? For eight years, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played the role of global provocateur-in-chief: questioning the Holocaust, saying Israel should be erased from the map and painting U.N resolutions as worthless. His provocative style grated inside Iran as well ? angering the country's supreme leader to the point of warning the presidency could be abolished.

Now, a race is beginning to choose his successor and it looks like an anti-Ahmadinejad referendum is shaping up. Candidate registration starts Tuesday for the June 14 vote.

Leading candidates assert that they will be responsible stewards, unlike the firebrand Ahmadinejad, who cannot run again because he is limited to two terms. One criticized Ahmadinejad for "controversial but useless" statements. Others even say the country should have a less hostile relationship with the United States.

Comments from the presumed front-runners lean toward less bombast and more diplomacy. They are apparently backed by a leadership that wants to rehabilitate Iran's renegade image and possibly stabilize relations with the West.

The result however may be more a new tone rather than sweeping policy change. Under Iran's theocratic system, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wields supreme power, making final decisions on nuclear and military questions. However, the president acts as the public face of the country, traveling the world. A new president might embark on an international image makeover and open the door to less antagonistic relations with Iran's Arab neighbors and the West.

The vote comes at a critical time in Iran, a regional powerhouse with about 75 million people and some of the largest oil reserves in the world. Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers are at an impasse while the Islamic Republic barrels ahead with a uranium enrichment program that many are convinced is intended for atomic weapons. Iran also serves as the key ally of Syria's President Bashar Assad, a mainstay so far helping keep him in power as rebels fight to oust him.

It is also in the middle of an apparent shadow war with Israel. Tehran has blamed Israel for deadly attacks on its nuclear scientists. Israel in turn has alleged Iranian attack plots on its diplomats or citizens around the world, including one where two Iranians were convicted of planning to attack Israeli, American and other targets in Kenya on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned repeatedly that Iran must be stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons, through use of force if need be.

While polls in Iran are unreliable, the tenor of the candidates' speeches reflects a sense among the public that Ahmadinejad's belligerent stance toward the rest of the world has not helped.

"Ahmadinejad has followed a policy of confrontation. He made a lot of enemies for Iran. What were the results?" asked Tehran taxi driver Namdar Rezaei, 40. "The next government should pursue a policy of easing tensions with the outside world."

All the main candidates ? including a top adviser and a former nuclear negotiator ? are closely linked to the ruling clerics, since opposition groups have mostly been crushed. They reflect the mood of Khamenei, himself a former president, who wants nothing more than to end the internal political rifts opened by Ahmadinejad.

On Wednesday, Khamenei told prominent clerics to avoid "divisive" comments during the election. It is the clerics who will select a small group of hopefuls, probably no more than six, for the ballot.

The ultimate goal is to find ways to ease painful Western sanctions that have evicted Iran from international banking networks, brought public complaints over rising prices and cut vital oil exports by more than half. But what still stands in the way is a complicated dance: Maintaining uranium enrichment while addressing Western fears that Iran could move toward atomic weapons ? a charge it denies.

For more than two years, Ahmadinejad has openly defied Khamenei in an attempt to expand the authorities of the presidency. The disputes reached a meltdown point in late 2011, when Khamenei's loyalists mounted an impeachment campaign. Khamenei stepped in to call it off, but warned that Iran could one day eliminate the presidency for a system where the parliament picks a prime minister instead.

"This is a chance for Iran to bring a new tone after eight years of Ahmadinejad," said Ehsan Ahrari, a Virginia-based strategic affairs analyst. "There seems to be a real interest in the ruling system to quiet things down."

Of course, Ahmadinejad is not likely sit on the sidelines after he leaves office. He still carries significant populist support across Iran, particularly in rural areas that benefited from aid from his government. Whichever candidate he backs could get an Election Day bump.

He is now trying to push his top adviser and in-law, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, onto the ballot, but will likely be rejected by the Guardian Council, the group that vets all candidates. Ahmadinejad has been traveling around Iran for weeks, sometimes along with Mashaei.

After the internal political upheavals he triggered, the clerics are expected to stick with safe and loyal candidates, and the candidates know it and are playing to that dynamic.

Tehran's mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, chided Ahmadinejad for "controversial but useless" statements that undermined Iran's international standing.

"Where did the case of the Holocaust take us? We were never against Judaism. It's a religion. ... No one could accuse us of being anti-Semitic," he told Iran's Tasnim news agency last month. "But suddenly, without consideration for the results and implications, the issue of the Holocaust was raised. How did this benefit Iran or the Palestinians?"

Another prominent candidate, Ali Akbar Velayati, took a clear shot at Ahmadinejad by saying Iran needs a "principlist" as the next president ? meaning a conservative who will not question the authority of Khamenei or the ruling clerics.

Velayati, a senior adviser to Khamenei, has joined in an unusual three-way alliance with Qalibaf and parliament member Gholam Ali Haddad Adel. Each has promised to give key posts to the two others should he win the presidency.

"If we do not succeed, we have to try for another eight years in order to take back the country's management," Velayati said in a February speech in the seminary city of Qom.

Velayati has deferred to Khamenei on any possible overtures to the U.S. But Qalibaf and others suggest they would urge the leadership to remain open for direct talks.

"Confrontation with the U.S. is not a value by itself," Qalibaf said. "At the same time, an alliance with or bowing to the U.S. won't meet our interests, too. These are two extremist views. We should follow a realistic approach. Dialogue (with the U.S.) is not a taboo."

Mohsen Rezaei, a former chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard chief who is seeking another chance at the presidency after losing four years ago, says only that he favors a "win-win dialogue."

"That means we won't lose and they (West) won't think Iran is a threat to the world," he said.

And candidate Hasan Rowhani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator and Khamenei's top national security representative, also disparaged Ahmadinejad's grandstanding style, saying Iran needs a "government of prudence."

Another candidate, former Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, said even restoring diplomatic ties with Washington is not out of the question as long as Iranian "interests are ensured."

"I believe there is no need for Iran to be at war with the U.S. forever," he said. "Iran has the capacity to protect and ensure its national interests while having ties with the U.S."

Ahmadinejad foe Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president, appears unlikely to make one last presidential run, despite speculation to the contrary. The official IRNA news agency quoted Rowhani on Wednesday saying the 78-year-old Rafsanjani "will definitely not" be a candidate.

However, Rafsanjani still wields considerable clout, and his endorsement will carry weight. Earlier this week, Rafsanjani urged his nation to lower tensions with Iran's archenemy Israel, which is considering military action over Tehran's nuclear program.

"We are not at war with Israel," Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by several Iranian newspapers, including the pro-reform Shargh daily. He said Iran would not initiate war against Israel, but "if Arab nations wage a war, then we would help."

Ahmadindejad's role in this election stands in sharp contrast to the last, where he was front and center and backed by the clerics. Accusations that his re-election was clumsily rigged by a clerical establishment panicked by the possibility of reformers coming to power led to massive demonstrations and reprisals spanning weeks, the most serious unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution itself.

The election was so contentious that the two main opposition leaders of 2009, Mir Hossein Mousavi and cleric Mahdi Karroubi, remain under house arrest. The remnants of the opposition appear increasingly unlikely to persuade their one major hope, former President Mohammad Khatami, not to seek a comeback run. That leaves them with the choice of boycotting the vote or picking from an establishment-friendly lineup.

While this election is unlikely to spark the same fireworks, a desire for change remains.

"Why shouldn't we be in good terms with the outside world? Why tensions at home and abroad?" asked 35-year-old real estate agent Shahram Rashidi in Tehran. "That's why we really need a totally different president this time."

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-04-Iran-Election/id-58f4e7d573034495972271faddca5cb6

Eric Reid Kyle Long UFC 159 aaron rodgers Lane Johnson Barkevious Mingo nfl draft