kurbanirchamra: 2013

শুক্রবার, ২১ জুন, ২০১৩

Parenting the littlest media users: A study shows what concerns new parents

Are parents concerned about their wee ones becoming addicted to new media? Meh, not really. Nor are they saying media use is a source of conflict, a new study says.?

By Anne Collier,?Guest Blogger / June 19, 2013

The littlest among us, children under 8-years-old, are growing up with new media. How do parents perceive their wee one's media use? A new study seeks to find out.

Enlarge

Increasingly, digital media are just part of the rhythm of everyday US family life, a significant new study of parents of young children indicates. The study, ?Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology,? conducted by Northwestern University?s Center on Media & Human Development, surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,300 parents of children 8 and under about how media ? both ?traditional? and digital ? inform and fit into their everyday lives and parenting. The authors found that ?78% report that their children?s media use is not a source of family conflict, and 59% said they aren?t concerned their kids will become addicted to new media,? according to?US News & World Report.?

Skip to next paragraph Anne Collier

Guest Blogger

Anne Collier is editor of NetFamilyNews.org and co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a Web-based interactive forum and information site for teens, parents, educators, and everybody interested in the impact of the social Web on youth and vice versa. She lives in Northern California and has two sons.

বৃহস্পতিবার, ২০ জুন, ২০১৩

Obama says still wants to close Guantanamo Bay prison (reuters)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313761726?client_source=feed&format=rss

limbaugh aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio cat in the hat green eggs and ham wiz khalifa and amber rose

Viewpoint: Defining Obesity as a Disease May Do More Harm Than Good

The label is supposed to improve awareness and treatments for the condition, but similar proclamations about alcoholism and other addictions haven?t been so successful.

Rejecting the advice of one of its own committees, physicians at the American Medical Association (AMA) will now classify obesity, which affects about one-third of Americans, as a disease, similar to diabetes and cancer. While there is no standard criteria for such definitions, the designation could contribute to de-stigmatizing obesity, lead to wider coverage of treatments by insurers? Medicare and other insurers currently exclude reimbursement for weight loss drugs? and greater willingness by doctors to address and treat the condition among their patients.

?Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,? the AMA said in a statement from board member Dr. Patrice Harris, ??The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity.?

As admirable and well-intentioned as those goals are, however, there is little precedent that disease labeling will make them achievable. A recent review of studies on conditions like addictions and other psychological problems that can have genetic causes found that such classification generally does reduce the blame heaped on people with the disorders, both by themselves and society. But the labels also increased pessimism about recovery, probably because people assume that as diseases with biological and genetic bases, they are immutable. One study on alcoholism, for example, found that the more people bought into the idea that addiction was a ?chronic relapsing disease? over which they were ?powerless,? the worse their relapses were. Although the label didn?t increase relapse itself, it made it worse if it did occur? and the majority of people with alcoholism will relapse at least once.

There is also some danger that making obesity a disease may lead to some unintended, and potentially harmful, consequences. Consider the example of alcoholism; in 1956, the AMA medicalized alcoholism, with the hope that doctors would begin to ask about and treat cases of excessive drinking and address the medical problems, including liver damage, in a more consistent and effective way. As a result, there is certainly greater awareness of the problems ?both social and medical?that alcoholism can cause. But as a disease, doctors and patients are also more likely to believe that over-indulging requires some kind of intervention and must be treated, most often with total abstinence. The disease concept wound up creating a ghettoized treatment system aimed only at severe cases, with few options for the vast majority of people with alcohol problems who don?t require such extreme measures.

In fact, the American Psychiatric Association?s disease manual, which was revised this year, reflects an ongoing trend of ?medicalizing? normal behavior, leading to inappropriate use of psychiatric medications to treat them. Previous editions of the diagnostic manual included two, discrete categories of substance misuse problems: abuse, which was considered time-limited and amenable to treatment beyond abstinence; and dependence, which was basically chronic addiction.? Now, there is only ?substance use disorder,? which covers mild, moderate or severe cases ? suggesting, for people educated in the idea of alcoholism as disease, that college binge drinkers have the same disease as skid row alcoholics.

MORE:?Mental Health Researchers Reject Psychiatry?s New Diagnostic ?Bible?

Viewing genuine addictions as diseases is certainly an improvement over seeing them as moral weaknesses? and no doubt the same is true with respect to unhealthy weight.?But is being heavy a disease that always warrants a diagnosis, treatment plan and ?correction?? The AMA Council on Science and Public Health, which advised against considering obesity a disease noted that it is more of a risk factor for other conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure than a disease in itself. In other words, it has the same relationship to disease as heavy drinking does to alcoholism: it?s a risk factor, not a disorder. The committee also noted that there are no standard criteria for drawing a line between healthy and unhealthy weights. After a year of study, it?argued?[PDF]:

Without a single, clear, authoritative, and widely-accepted definition of disease, it is difficult to determine conclusively whether or not obesity is a medical disease state. Similarly, a sensitive and clinically practical diagnostic indicator of obesity remains elusive.

Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the most commonly used measure that incorporates height and weight, can incorrectly label muscular, healthy people as being overweight, while also misclassifying some people with unhealthy levels of fat and insulin resistance as being of healthy weight.

The Council also noted that the relationship between being overweight and mortality is complicated? some studies actually found a protective effect of being mildly overweight? suggesting that we are far from understanding the myriad ways in which weight and health are connected.

MORE:?Viewpoint: My Case Shows What?s Right ? and Wrong ? With Psychiatric Diagnoses

In addition, incorrectly categorizing people who can control their lifestyle by changing their diet or becoming more physically active as being unable to do so without medical help could lead to unnecessary surgery, drug treatments and other interventions that come with side effects and complications. College binge drinkers typically cut down on their own after graduation; similarly, most people with mild weight problems do not require medical attention.

All of this doesn?t discount the fact that weight is indeed connected to higher risk of some health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. But it does suggest caution in viewing obesity itself as a disease. Some obese people do have food addictions that may be driven by genetic and metabolic conditions that are clearly not simply failures of willpower. But?not everyone who is obese has such problems.

Telling all obese people that they have a disease could end up reducing their sense of control over their ability to change their diet and exercise patterns. As experience with addictions has shown, giving people the sense that they suffer from a disease that is out of their control can become self-defeating. So the disease label should be used sparingly: just as not all drinking is alcoholism, not all overeating is pathological. These lines are hard to draw, but they can have profound effects on exactly what the AMA is hoping to achieve? greater awareness and more effective treatment of obesity.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/viewpoint-defining-obesity-disease-may-more-harm-good-190023494.html

small business saturday best cyber monday deals best cyber monday deals macaulay culkin Larry Hagman macys jcpenney

Education Chief Lets States Delay Use of Tests in Decisions About Teachers? Jobs

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.nytimes.com --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Responding to complaints, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states could postpone for a year using more rigorous tests to make career decisions about teachers. ? ? ? ? ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/education/us-lets-states-delay-using-tests-to-rate-teachers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Outside Lands washington post revolution Family Guy Boston Marathon huffington post What is ricin Boston Marathon Explosion

Hanson Powers Up For 'Unique' O Music Awards Performance: Tune In Tonight!

Hanson open up to MTV News about their set at OMusicAwards.com, launching at 7 p.m. ET and playing all day Thursday.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709290/hanson-o-music-awards-performance-tease.jhtml

mega millions march 30 lucky numbers odds of winning mega millions mary mary sag aftra merger dj am bully

মঙ্গলবার, ১১ জুন, ২০১৩

Adam Jones Arrested, Accused of Slapping Woman

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/adam-jones-arrested-accused-of-slapping-woman/

Paige Butcher David Petraeus Petraeus Mia Love wall street journal us map Electoral Map

Rachel Uchitel Divorce: Matt Hahn Files, Cites "Cruel and Inhumane Treatment"

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/rachel-uchitel-divorce-matt-hahn-files-cites-cruel-and-inhumane/

the glass castle jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins emma roberts

Russia would consider asylum for U.S. cyber leaker

By Steve Gutterman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia would consider granting asylum to the American who has exposed top-secret U.S. surveillance programs, if he were to ask for it, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stopped short of saying Moscow would accept Edward Snowden, but pro-Kremlin lawmakers spoke out in favor of the idea, tapping into a lingering Cold War rivalry with the United States and a vein of anti-American sentiment Putin has often encouraged.

"Promising Snowden asylum, Moscow takes upon itself the defense of people persecuted for political reasons," Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the international affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, said on Twitter.

"There will be hysteria in the United States. They recognize this as their right alone," he said.

Putin and other Russian officials have often accused the United States of hypocrisy, saying it tries to impose standards of human rights, freedom and democracy on other nations while falling far short of them itself.

"This is an ideological catastrophe for the United States," Pushkov said, referring to Snowden's release of top secret details of National Security Agency eavesdropping programs.

Snowden, who provided the information for reports that revealed broad monitoring of phone call and Internet data by the NSA, fled to Hong Kong and has said he hopes that Iceland might grant him asylum.

"WE'LL CONSIDER IT"

He is not known to have mentioned the possibility of asylum in Russia, where the government taps the phones of opposition members and keeps close tabs on social networks, but Peskov was quoted in Russian daily Kommersant as saying Moscow was open to such an approach.

Asked by Reuters whether Russia would be inclined to grant a request from Snowden, the spokesman said: "It is impossible (to say) now. No one has applied yet. If he says: I request (political asylum), then we will consider it."

Accused by the West of curtailing democracy and civil liberties over 13 years in power, Putin has missed few chances to champion public figures who challenge Western governments, and to portray Washington as an overzealous global policeman.

He has pursued warm ties with U.S. foes such as the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, and this year granted Russian citizenship to Gerard Depardieu after the French actor abandoned his homeland to escape high taxes.

In 2010, the Kremlin suggested Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be nominated for a Nobel prize.

"By tapping telephones and conducting surveillance on the Internet, the U.S. security services have violated the laws of their own country. In this sense Snowden, like Assange, is a rights defender," Pushkov tweeted on Tuesday.

Russia recently began criticizing the United States in annual reports on the state of human rights around the world - fighting back for the drubbing Russia gets in yearly rights reports by the U.S. State Department.

In another pointed intervention, Putin offered on Friday to send Russian troops to the Golan Heights buffer zone between Israel and Syria, after Austria said it would withdraw from a U.N. peacekeeping force. His proposal went down badly in the West because of Russia's support for the Syrian government.

(Additional reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-consider-asylum-american-cyber-furor-134130875.html

micah true blood diamond kansas vs ohio state winning mega million numbers bruce weber google maps 8 bit mirror mirror

Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 announced for PlayStation 4

When Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura made a cameo at Sony's E3 press conference, we expected to hear an update on Final Fantasy Versus XIII -- we were wrong, but not disappointed. Instead of the heavily anticipated spinoff, Nomura revealed Final Fantasy XV to the world, promising the title for the PlayStation 4. It was hard to tell from the action packed trailer, but XV seems to to be a departure from the series' traditional turn-based combat, looking more to us like an action title than an RPG. Speaking of highly anticipated Square-Enix titles that eschew the RPG norm, Nomura followed the announcement with a trailer for Kingdom Hearts III. Unfortunately, neither title was given a specific release date, only the promise that both of them could be enjoyed on the PlayStation 4. Eh, we'll take it.

Follow our liveblog for all of the latest news from E3 2013.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/10/final-fantasy-xv-and-kingdom-hearts-3-coming-to-ps4/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

joe oliver joba chamberlain new york mega millions jetblue jetblue michelle malkin october baby

সোমবার, ১০ জুন, ২০১৩

Self-fertilizing plants contribute to their own demise

Public release date: 9-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Sean Bettam
s.bettam@utoronto.ca
416-946-7950
University of Toronto

TORONTO, ON Many plants are self-fertilizing, meaning they act as both mother and father to their own seeds. This strategy known as selfing guarantees reproduction but, over time, leads to reduced diversity and the accumulation of harmful mutations. A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics shows that these negative consequences are apparent across a selfing plant's genome, and can arise more rapidly than previously thought.

In the study, an international consortium led by Stephen Wright in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto sequenced the genome of the plant species Capsella rubella, commonly known as Red Shepherd's Purse. They found clear evidence that harmful mutations were accumulating over the species' relatively short existence.

"The results underscore the long-term advantages of outcrossing, which is the practice of mating between individuals, that gives us the wide array of beautiful flowers," said Wright. "Selfing is a good short-term strategy but over long timescales may lead to extinction."

Red Shepherd's Purse is a very young species that has been self-fertilizing for less than 200,000 years. It is therefore especially well-suited for studying the early effects of self-fertilization. By contrasting Red Shepherd's Purse with the outcrossing species that gave rise to it, the researchers showed that self-fertilization has already left traces across the genome of Red Shepherd's Purse.

"Harmful mutations are always happening," said Wright. "In crops, they could reduce yield just as harmful mutations in humans can cause disease. The mutations we were looking at are changes in the DNA that change the protein sequence and structure."

The findings represent a major breakthrough in the study of self-fertilization.

"It is expected that harmful mutations should accumulate in selfing species, but it has been difficult to support this claim in the absence of large-scale genomic data," says lead author Tanja Slotte, a past member of Wright's research team and now a researcher at Uppsala University. "The results help to explain why ancient self-fertilizing lineages are rare, and support the long-standing hypothesis that the process is an evolutionary dead-end and leads to extinction."

The researchers said that with many crops known to be self-fertilizing, the study highlights the importance of preserving crop genetic variation to avoid losses in yield due to mutations accumulating.

###

The findings are reported in the paper "The Capsella rubella genome and the genomic consequences of rapid mating system evolution" in Nature Genetics this week. Other lead collaborators on the study included researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Tbigen, Germany and the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute. The research is supported by funding from the US Department of Energy, the Max Planck Institute, Genome Canada and Genome Quebec.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Stephen Wright Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 416-946-8508 stephen.wright@utoronto.ca

Sean Bettam Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science University of Toronto 416-946-7950 s.bettam@utoronto.ca

[ | 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.

Self-fertilizing plants contribute to their own demise Public release date: 9-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sean Bettam
s.bettam@utoronto.ca
416-946-7950
University of Toronto

TORONTO, ON Many plants are self-fertilizing, meaning they act as both mother and father to their own seeds. This strategy known as selfing guarantees reproduction but, over time, leads to reduced diversity and the accumulation of harmful mutations. A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics shows that these negative consequences are apparent across a selfing plant's genome, and can arise more rapidly than previously thought.

In the study, an international consortium led by Stephen Wright in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto sequenced the genome of the plant species Capsella rubella, commonly known as Red Shepherd's Purse. They found clear evidence that harmful mutations were accumulating over the species' relatively short existence.

"The results underscore the long-term advantages of outcrossing, which is the practice of mating between individuals, that gives us the wide array of beautiful flowers," said Wright. "Selfing is a good short-term strategy but over long timescales may lead to extinction."

Red Shepherd's Purse is a very young species that has been self-fertilizing for less than 200,000 years. It is therefore especially well-suited for studying the early effects of self-fertilization. By contrasting Red Shepherd's Purse with the outcrossing species that gave rise to it, the researchers showed that self-fertilization has already left traces across the genome of Red Shepherd's Purse.

"Harmful mutations are always happening," said Wright. "In crops, they could reduce yield just as harmful mutations in humans can cause disease. The mutations we were looking at are changes in the DNA that change the protein sequence and structure."

The findings represent a major breakthrough in the study of self-fertilization.

"It is expected that harmful mutations should accumulate in selfing species, but it has been difficult to support this claim in the absence of large-scale genomic data," says lead author Tanja Slotte, a past member of Wright's research team and now a researcher at Uppsala University. "The results help to explain why ancient self-fertilizing lineages are rare, and support the long-standing hypothesis that the process is an evolutionary dead-end and leads to extinction."

The researchers said that with many crops known to be self-fertilizing, the study highlights the importance of preserving crop genetic variation to avoid losses in yield due to mutations accumulating.

###

The findings are reported in the paper "The Capsella rubella genome and the genomic consequences of rapid mating system evolution" in Nature Genetics this week. Other lead collaborators on the study included researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Tbigen, Germany and the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute. The research is supported by funding from the US Department of Energy, the Max Planck Institute, Genome Canada and Genome Quebec.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Stephen Wright Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 416-946-8508 stephen.wright@utoronto.ca

Sean Bettam Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science University of Toronto 416-946-7950 s.bettam@utoronto.ca

[ | 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/2013-06/uot-spc060913.php
tom brady denver post Scandal denver broncos new england patriots Zayn Malik miss america

Mom gives birth in minivan in hospital driveway

Marcus Ross, left, and his fianc? Melissa Jones hold their newborn daughter Mariah Faith Ross in her hospital room at Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago. Jones couldn't make it inside of the hospital in time Thursday evening, and delivered Mariah in the family's minivan, just feet from the front door of Prentice Women's Hospital. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)

Melissa Jones holds her newborn daughter Mariah Faith Ross in her hospital room at Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago, Friday, June 7, 2013. Jones couldn't make it inside of the hospital in time Thursday evening, and delivered Mariah in the family's minivan, just feet from the front door of Prentice Women's Hospital. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Melissa Jones almost made it.

The suburban Chicago mom was heading to the hospital to give birth. She got as far as the hospital's driveway, but her daughter just wasn't going to wait any longer to come into the world. While nurses rushed out and her children looked on, Jones delivered her baby in the family's minivan Thursday ? just feet from the front door of Northwestern's Prentice Women's Hospital in downtown Chicago.

A doctor leaving work assisted with the front-seat delivery, calling out for gloves and blankets.

"All I could do was hold onto the dashboard and the side of the car" and push, said 30-year-old Jones of Calumet City.

Earlier that evening, Jones was at work as a restaurant cashier at a downtown Chicago hotel when she started having contractions. She called her fiance, Marcus Ross, and asked him to come get her, then made sure one more customer got his order, a milkshake.

Meanwhile, Ross put the four children in the couple's minivan and headed into the city. The plan was to head to the suburban hospital where they'd planned to deliver. His mother would meet them there and they'd hand off the children to her.

But it was soon clear the baby wasn't going to wait long enough to get to the suburbs. With contractions getting stronger and closer, they drove to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital campus and searched for the correct entrance.

"We passed it two or three times," Jones said. In the driveway at last, her water broke. "It pops like a balloon, I kid you not. I felt her slip down the birth canal."

Jones expects that her daughter ? 6-pound-8-ounce Mariah Faith Ross ? will be an unstoppable child because of the way she came into the world.

"She's going to give me a run for the money," Jones said. "She made a grand entrance."

The other children, Jones said, now know for sure where babies come from.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-06-07-Almost%20There%20Birth/id-27be46710076406b8e638084e93d54ed

breaking news new york post Sean Collier Kyrgyzstan Suspects in Boston Bombing Kerry Rhodes Daft Punk Get Lucky

Nuclear plant closures show industry's struggles

Lyn Harris Hicks, a longtime opponent of the San Onofre nuclear power plant and a nearby resident, wears a banner on her hat as she waits for a news conference in front of the plant Friday, June 7, 2013, in San Onofre, Calif. The troubled power plant on the California coast is closing after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Gary Headrick, right, hugs Steve Netherby, center, and his wife Laurie Headrick, left, before a news conference by opponents of the San Onofre nuclear power plant near the entrance to the plant Friday, June 7, 2013, in San Onofre, Calif. The troubled power plant on the California coast is closing after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Lyn Harris Hicks, a longtime opponent of the San Onofre nuclear power plant and a nearby resident, right, hugs Laurie Headrick, left, as they wait for a news conference in front of the plant Friday, June 7, 2013, in San Onofre, Calif. The troubled power plant on the California coast is closing after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Power lines cross a freeway as they make their way to the San Onofre nuclear power plant Friday, June 7, 2013, in San Onofre, Calif. The troubled power plant on the California coast is closing after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A surfer rides a wave in front of the San Onofre nuclear power plant Friday, June 7, 2013, in San Onofre, Calif. The troubled power plant on the California coast is closing after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The decision to close California's San Onofre nuclear plant is the latest setback for an industry that seemed poised for growth not long ago.

In Wisconsin, a utility shuttered its plant last month after it couldn't find a buyer. In Florida ? and now California ? utilities decided it was cheaper to close plants rather than spend big money fixing them and risk the uncertainty of safety reviews.

Meanwhile, the low cost of natural gas is discouraging utilizes from spending billions of dollars and lots of time to build nuclear reactors.

New technology allows drillers to extract more gas within the U.S., increasing the supply and pushing down prices. In states were utilities operate as monopolies, they are reluctant to ask their regulators for permission to build enormously expensive nuclear plants ? or even fix old ones ? when it so cheap to build gas-fired plants.

In places where utilities sell power into the open market, the low prices don't offset the financial risk of building expensive and time-consuming nuclear plants.

"The world has changed with natural gas prices being so low and so much gas being available for so long," said Mike Haggarty, a senior utility analyst for Moody's Investor Service.

Industry supporters acknowledge the challenging economics but say nuclear power still has long-term possibilities. While the costs to build plants are enormous, once online, the fuel and operating costs are relatively low. And reactors can reliably produce power with little or no carbon emissions, said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry lobbying group.

Plants fired by gas cost much more to run when prices surge.

"When gas prices are low, that's great," Kerekes said. "But a lot of people don't like to put all their energy eggs in one basket."

On Friday, Southern California Edison announced it would close its San Onofre plant between San Diego and Los Angeles rather than fix damaged equipment that critics said could never be safely replaced. The twin reactors were idled in January 2012 when a small radiation leak led to the discovery of unusual damage to hundreds of new tubes that carry radioactive water.

Despite spending more than $500 million on repairs and replacement power, the utility, owned by Edison International, decided to call it quits. It faced safety investigations and regulatory hurdles to restart the plant.

In February, North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corp. decided to close the Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida after workers cracked a concrete containment building during an attempt to upgrade the plant in 2009. The containment building is supposed to prevent a release of radiation in case of an accident. An attempt to fix the problem in 2011 resulted in more cracks.

Despite the shutdown, Duke still wants its customers to reimburse the company for $1.65 billion in plant investments. The utility will use $835 million from an insurance settlement to refund customers who had to pay for backup power.

Even working plants are being scuttled. Dominion Resources Inc. announced in October it would close the Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin because it couldn't find a buyer. Dominion CEO Thomas F. Farrell II said the plant's contracts to sell its electricity were ending while wholesale electricity prices are expected to remain low. The company is keeping reactors elsewhere in the country.

"This decision was based purely on economics," Farrell said at the time. "Dominion was not able to move forward with our plan to grow our nuclear fleet in the Midwest to take advantage of economies of scale."

Just a few years back, nuclear industry officials said the time was right for expanding. A more robust economy boosted demand for electricity, natural gas prices were higher, and it seemed Congress might pass legislation restricting the greenhouse gas emissions, a rule that could hurt fossil fuel plants and increase the demand for nuclear power. To further sweeten the pot, the U.S. government adopted tax credits and offered low-cost loans to subsidize construction.

The industry called it a "nuclear renaissance." It was short-lived.

The Great Recession trimmed the demand for electricity as business and consumers cut back, and natural gas prices fell. Several utilities have scrubbed their plans for new plants or delayed them far into the future.

Paul Patterson, a utility analyst for Glenrock Associates LLC, said the idea of a renaissance was "exaggerated to begin with," and low-cost natural gas ended such talk.

Only three nuclear construction projects have moved forward, and they are all under financial pressure.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is finishing a long-mothballed reactor at its Watts Bar plant. Initially budgeted at $2.5 billion, the utility has said finishing the project could cost up to $2 billion more.

Atlanta-based Southern Co. owns a 46 percent share of two new reactors being constructed at Plant Vogtle in eastern Georgia, a project originally estimated at $14 billion. Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power recently asked regulators to raise its share of the construction budget by $737 million to roughly $6.85 billion.

It may cost more. Georgia Power and the companies designing and building the plant are in a legal fight that may cost the utility more money. Separately, an independent monitor hired by Georgia regulators has warned of additional potential costs.

SCANA Corp. announced this week that it expects its costs to rise by around $200 million and the construction schedule to slip while building two reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in South Carolina.

___

Henry reported from Atlanta and can be reached at http://twitter.com/rhenryAP . AP Energy Writer Jonathan Fahey also contributed to this report from New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-06-08-Nuclear%20Future/id-9aa9f3760b94483bbf77f19cec887d5b

ncaa football CES russell wilson Pokemon nhl jillian michaels Freddy E

Can Raspberry Ketones Help You With Weight Loss

Phalaenopsis can also be known as moth, phal, and ice orchids. Thus I researched cleanses and decided around the Master Cleanse, mostly as it was cheap and simple. Another important reasons why you may wish to avoid this bad habit is caused by its uncomfortable side effects on your sleep.

raspberry

For a uterus that hasn't been properly toned through exercising and with herbs like red raspberry ketone leaf, it is difficult to do all of those repetitions, rendering it less effective and at risk of exertion. Easier and faster birth - Now imagine those arms pumping iron. And read about what you should seek and the way much to look at if you are doing decide to invest your bucks in this weight-loss supplement.

If you might be unsure of what your date likes in their salad, it might be an excellent idea to put the "extra" ingredients into separate bowls on the side which means you guys can also add whatever you like to your own salads. Quercetin and gallic acid are known to fight cancer, heart and circulatory disease and age-related decline. Even though you've planned a carefree particular date, an intelligent choice this is Capri Orange by Acqua Di Parma.

Shape the mixture in to a ball, then roll it inside the pecans until fully coated. Most while using times people use supplements and drugs, and yes it works too. It may be considered a bit messy and cold but wow it packs a significant cure-everything starts on contact.

It is interesting to remember that the bar is crafted in small batches, so that absolute freshness could be maintained. Healers could be plentiful, dedicated, well taught, economically accessible, confident and cheerful. For all the folks who suffer from gone through each of the methods and workout regimes but nevertheless have not got the final results, this acai burn diet by Dr oz is the thing that you need to try now.

The second recommendation is that you also add yogurt to your diet. Green smoothies with fresh raw organic greens every single day are best, however, not everyone can do that. No single meal alone will achieve a weight reduction effect when eaten.

Ask the woman inside your life how she feels about the new aroma. R(C=O)R, where 'R' is any organic group. A amount of research to fine-tune the care of one's particular orchid will greatly improve the health and longevity - as well as your joy and appreciation - of these stunning beauty.

Men can make from perfume - probably the most concentrated of fragrances, built to apply simply to pulse points becasue it is the longest lasting. What can be your greatest culinary achievement? The fruit and nut 5 star bar is just like tasty because caramel upscale bars.

About the Author:
Neal is how he's called and he totally digs that name. Minnesota is where he and his wife live and he doesn't prepare on changing it.
Things he loves most is playing lacross and now he is attempting to make money with it. He is currently an office manager but he's always desired his own company.Let me inroduce myself, my name is Gwendolyn Strom. My spouse doesn't like it the method I do but exactly what I truly like doing is ice skating and I would never give it up.
Declaring is how I generate income. My husband and I stay in Kansas and will never move.

Here is more information in regards to raspberry ketone look into raspberryketonesweightloss.webs.com/

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Can-Raspberry-Ketones-Help-You-With-Weight-Loss/4968801

nc state erika van pelt pat robertson hunger games trailer hunger games trailer in plain sight hunger games movie review

মঙ্গলবার, ৭ মে, ২০১৩

Inmates claim state criminal laws were voided | PoconoRecord.com

By RILEY YATES

May 06, 2013

Unbeknownst to most law-abiding citizens, Pennsylvania has had no criminal laws for the past 45 years.

Shocked?

A number of inmates say it's so.

In appeals, now popular in Northampton County, state prisoners insist they have found the keys to their cells. Because of a mistake when the state's constitution was rewritten in 1968, Pennsylvania has been a lawless society, lacking any criminal code.

Though the claims have been called "gobbledygook" by one Easton public defender, and "patently without merit" by the Superior Court, they are the subject of at least four recent post-conviction relief appeals in Northampton County that are costing time and money.

Lawless state

The gist of the appeals is that when Pennsylvania last held a constitutional convention in 1967-68, it failed to put in place a "savings clause" to carry over the state's criminal laws.

As a result, they were all voided when voters ratified the changes in April 1968.

Never mind that the convention delegates, judges, lawyers and lawmakers have never noticed the need for such a clause.

Or that the Legislature has been passing or modifying laws regularly since then. Or that thousands and thousands of people have been punished for violating those supposedly nonexistent statutes ? including three men who were put to death by the state.

"So if I follow your argument," Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli asked one inmate using the premise as the basis of his appeal in June, "then no one in Pennsylvania can be convicted of any crimes, and we should just open up the doors of all of our prisons and let everyone out?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid, although it is a delicate [proposition]," replied Eric D. Vernon, 42, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to child pornography and other charges and is serving up to 10? years at Albion State Prison in Erie County.

"By the way the law is, Pennsylvania does not have the constitutional authority as of this moment, the constitutional authority to prosecute misdemeanors and felonies," said the former west Easton man, who was unsuccessful in overturning his conviction.

Draining

But while the appeals may seem on their face absurd or even humorous, they are draining time, resources and money from all levels of a court system that could otherwise be focusing on more legitimate claims, said legal officials.

The monetary price is significant, though it is difficult to place an exact figure on, Northampton County Court Administrator James Onembo said.

Just bringing Vernon and the others to and from Albion is expensive.

Sheriff Randall Miller estimated the round trip costs at around $1,500 each time, factoring in two deputies' wages, overnight stays, meals and gas.

The prison, which is near Lake Erie, is a 370-mile, six-hour drive from the courthouse in Easton. That's just one piece of the effort required by the appeals.

Because the inmates are indigent, they are granted public defenders or court-appointed lawyers, who earn a fixed annual salary regardless of their workload.

But the cases still chew up those attorneys' time ? and that of a lot of other court employees.

For an appeal, most prisoners get one or more hearings before a judge, a courtroom appearance that also pulls in a law clerk, deputy sheriffs, court officers, a stenographer and a prosecutor.

There's the time both sides invest in legal briefs and of the judge in rendering a decision. Then there's a likely appeal to Superior Court, requiring more legal arguments and the time-consuming reproduction of the lower court's record. And after that, the possibility of further appeals.

"It adds up," Onembo said, underscoring that there is no "shortcut," given a prisoner's right to appeal. "I guess it would be considered safeguards of the system."

For Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, claims like the savings-clause argument is a waste of time.

Morganelli said he wishes there were provisions in place to allow judges to more easily dismiss frivolous appeals without the need for hearings or briefs.

"When a document is filed, unfortunately, the court has to respond to it. You just can't ignore it," Morganelli said. "No matter how crazy it is, generally speaking, we have to file an answer to it. So there's a cost, we have to divert our resources away from other things and respond to this nonsense."

Dismissed

The origin of the claims Vernon and the others are making are murky. But they are widespread enough that they were debated in 2007 and 2008 in a series of inmate letters to "Graterfriends," a monthly publication of the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

A template of one of the legal filings used by some of the Northampton County inmates can be found online.

The document acknowledges that releasing inmates "under these conditions, may very well be distasteful to say the least," but insists that the law nonetheless requires it.

At an appeal in August, Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano asked one Albion inmate where he got the information that prisoners were being let out because the constitution lacked a savings clause.

"Through inmates," said Christopher A. Ayala, 22, a former Bethlehem man serving five to 10 years for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in 2010.

"And I guess the law of attraction," Ayala added.

"The law of attraction?" Giordano asked.

"Yes, positive thinking," Ayala said. "I don't know, it just came to me."

"Oh, OK," said Giordano, who dismissed Ayala's appeal in September, finding the constitution and the state's criminal code "validly enacted" and in his case "properly followed."

Like Vernon, Ayala has since challenged the decision in Superior Court.

Lawyers in a bind

For the court-appointed defense lawyers, such appeals leave them two options. They can research and write a "no-merit letter" to the judge in which they document their clients' claims and why they are baseless.

That sets them up to withdraw from the cases, which would leave defendants with the prospect of proceeding without a lawyer or hiring one privately.

Or the attorneys can decide simply to go through the motions of helping their clients make arguments with which they almost certainly disagree.

Susan Hutnik, a public defender assigned to Vernon's case, prepared a no-merit letter before Roscioli, though she remains his attorney in the appeal to Superior Court that he filed in September.

Hutnik said it is safe to say that there are criminal laws on the books in Pennsylvania. But she said she has nonetheless invested "significant" time investigating Vernon's allegations, including calling the Armstrong County District Attorney's Office and getting it to pull the file of the case that Vernon and others like to highlight.

A website Vernon directed her to, meanwhile, had no connection to criminal law, and was actually that of a Florida-based personal injury and medical malpractice law firm, Hutnik told Roscioli.

All of what Vernon offered had "nothing to do" with his claims, Hutnik said.

"I looked up all of the cases that he cited and reviewed them so I could explain to him why it had no merit," Hutnik said. "Honestly, the argument was so bizarre that I didn't understand what he was talking about."

Distributed by MCT

Information Services

We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.

Source: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130506/NEWS90/305060321/-1/rss01

breaking news whitney houston carmen whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll i will always love you whitney cummings maine caucus

Facebook's Recent Acquisition Parse Launches Hosting For Developers' Web Presence

Parse, the mobile back-end startup that Facebook recently bought to set up a new developer-focused business, just launched hosting. Parse It's meant to help mobile developers that have a desktop web presence or companion experience on the web. The acquisition has already given Parse a boost, with the number of apps it hosts up 33% since the deal was announced.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Sr2CjYC9nQk/

world wildlife fund gsa keith olbermann andrew bynum the time machine michelin tires michelin tires

Beyonce, Madonna, Psy Go Punk At Met Gala

MTV News checks in with gala-goers like Miguel and Karlie Kloss to get their take on 'punk.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Maude Deitch

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706936/beyonce-madonna-psy-met-gala-2013.jhtml

Suspects in Boston Bombing Kerry Rhodes Daft Punk Get Lucky Texas explosion Paul Kevin Curtis man of steel man of steel

Apple Tightens The Noose On Apps For Recommending Apps, Going After Sharing And Search Tools

Apple has recently taken action against apps that violate clause 2.25 of its App Review Guidelines according to PocketGamer, a rule that says no app should replicate functionality of the App Store in order to promote or offer for purchase apps other than your own. The rules recently saw two high-profile app removals, including AppGratis and AppShopper (which subsequently returned after changes were made) but more could follow as Apple is not also reportedly rejecting apps that replication App Store search features, as well as social network sharing of app recommendations.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/F0eStJJBfeU/

sugar bowl downton abbey season 3 2013 Calendar chris christie sofia vergara American Horror Story Patti Page

Lebanon urges U.N. to condemn sovereignty violation by Israel

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Lebanon has called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn violations of its airspace by Israel, which carried out raids in Syria to target what it said were Iranian missiles bound for Hezbollah militants.

Lebanon urged the 15-member council to "compel Israel to halt its violations of Lebanon's sovereignty by air, sea and land, and carry out all its obligations in accordance with resolution 1701," according to a letter obtained by Reuters on Monday.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon, which remains a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanon regularly accuses Israel of violating its airspace.

"The Israeli Air Force continues to violate Lebanese airspace and in the previous days intensified its circuits above Lebanon. This constitutes a disgraceful violation of (Lebanon's) sovereignty," Lebanon wrote to the Security Council.

Intelligence sources said Israel attacked Iranian-supplied missiles stored near the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday and Sunday as they awaited transport to Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel is reluctant to take sides in Syria's two-year-old civil war for fear its actions would boost Islamists who are even more hostile to it than the Assad family, which has maintained a stable standoff with the Jewish state for decades.

The Security Council has been deadlocked on how to end the conflict. Assad's close ally Russia, with the aid of China, has used its veto power to block any condemnations or attempts to sanction the Syrian government.

The United Nations says more than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, which began as peaceful protests against Assad that turned violent when his forces tried to crush the revolt. The violence has become increasingly sectarian.

Five million people have fled their homes, including 1.4 million refugees in nearby countries, the United Nations says.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebanon-urges-u-n-condemn-sovereignty-violation-israel-152416531.html

The Croods ashley greene marquette university Chris Porco cbs sports ncaa tournament kids choice awards

সোমবার, ৬ মে, ২০১৩

Out There: A Glossy Science Magazine or Living Fossil?

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Though the graveyard of journalism is littered with popular science magazines, a new one emerges, Nautilus, with the goal of being ?a New Yorker version of Scientific American.?

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/science/a-glossy-science-magazine-or-living-fossil.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

shea weber greystone sidney crosby at the drive in alternative minimum tax modeselektor gran torino

Mark Ferguson: Rogue Real Estate Agent Should Be... | Stuff.co.nz

Told potential buyers a house had been a P lab

JONATHAN CAMERON/Fairfax NZ

MARK FERGUSON: The Real Estate Agents Authority disciplinary tribunal says the former Taranaki real estate agent should be "barred" from the industry.

A former Taranaki real estate agent should barred from the industry after falsely telling potential buyers a house had been a P lab, the Real Estate Agents Authority says.

Its disciplinary tribunal found former Inglewood agent Mark Ferguson guilty of misconduct but awarded no penalty because he was no longer an agent and was bankrupt.

The authority claimed Ferguson had committed a series of misdemeanours including using a client's testimonial on the internet and in marketing material without their knowledge.

He had also "badmouthed" a property that had previously been listed with him to prospective buyers, telling them it had been used for making drugs. The house eventually sold subject to a drug test, which revealed no trace of drug use.

Another charge alleged Ferguson removed pages of a LIM report before providing it to a potential purchaser.

He also failed to honour a promise to a vendor of a $500 travel voucher in return for her listing, and was charged with inviting parties to sign documents authorising the early release of funds without advising them of the consequences.

"The tribunal expressed the view that he never be considered as suitable for a real estate licence in the future," the authority said in its decision.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8635309/Rogue-should-be-barred-from-real-estate

Auguste Rodin Breaking Amish Indianapolis explosion mike brown bcs rankings jay cutler applebees

PROMISES, PROMISES: When Obama's promises conflict (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/303638144?client_source=feed&format=rss

sunoco titanic ii babe ruth new jersey nets nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne

Childhood disability rate jumps 16 percent over past decade

May 5, 2013 ? More children today have a disability than a decade ago, and the greatest increase is among kids in higher-income families, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.

The study also found that disabilities related to physical health conditions have decreased, while disabilities due to neurodevelopmental and mental health problems have increased greatly.

"Nearly 6 million kids had a disability in 2009-2010 -- almost 1 million more than in 2001-2002," said lead author Amy J. Houtrow, MD, PhD, MPH, chief, Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatrics at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Dr. Houtrow said previous studies have indicated that the prevalence of childhood disability is increasing. She and her colleagues wanted to look more closely at the conditions and socio-demographic factors associated with disabilities.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2001-2002 and survey data from 2009-2010. A total of 102,468 parents of children ages 0-17 years participated in the surveys.

Parents were asked whether their child had any limitations in play or activity, received special education services, needed help with personal care, had difficulty walking without equipment, had difficulty with memory or had any other limitation.

If they answered yes to any of those questions, they were asked whether their child's limitations were due to a vision or hearing problem; asthma or breathing problem; joint, bone or muscle problem; intellectual deficit or mental retardation; emotional or behavior problems; epilepsy; learning disability; speech problems; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; birth defect; injury or other developmental problem.

Researchers classified conditions into three groups: physical, neurodevelopmental/mental health and other.

Results showed that the prevalence of disability increased 16.3 percent from 2001-2002 to 2009-2010.

While neurodevelopmental and mental health-related disabilities increased, those due to physical conditions decreased. This trend was most notable among children under 6 years of age whose rate of neurodevelopmental disabilities nearly doubled over the study period from 19 cases to 36 cases per 1,000 children.

"The survey did not break out autism, but we suspect that some of the increase in neurodevelopmental disabilities is due to the rising incidence or recognition of autism spectrum disorders," Dr. Houtrow said.

The data also showed that children living in poverty experienced the highest rates of disability at both time periods but not the highest growth. The largest increase was seen among children living in households with incomes at or above 300 percent of the federal poverty level (about $66,000 a year for a family of four).

"We are worried that those living in poverty may be having problems with being diagnosed and getting services," Dr. Houtrow said.

Since the study could not pinpoint why the disability rate is increasing, more research is needed, she concluded.

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/ze81aWPMLqM/130505073733.htm

Google News Pray For Boston Anne Frank What Happened In Boston gold price defiance BBC

Left 4 Dead 2 now available on Linux, reclaims beta moniker

Valve's bid to lure gamers away from Microsoft's platform just got a little sweeter: Left 4 Dead 2 is finally available on Linux. Despite early appearances in early leaks, the game has been absent from Steam's Linux compatible library. The wait might have been worth it -- early ports of the game apparently only ran at six frames per second, but it eventually surpassed its Windows counterpart. Now, Valve is looking towards is community to fine tune the port even further, offering a fully functional beta client to Steam users who already own the game. Although the focus here is Linux compatibility, the company is offering the beta to Windows and Mac users as well, and says that running the game on any system helps with testing. Ready to take down the horde? Fire up Ubuntu and get started. Otherwise, you can check out the company's official announcement at the source link below.

Filed under: Gaming