Late member Lisa 'Left-Eye' Lopes will appear on stage through archival projections.
By Gil Kaufman
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706537/tlc-reunion-tour-album-movie.jhtml
billy joel bent new york jets etch a sketch romney sean payton saints bounty program toulouse france
Macneill Lyons / AP file
An image provided by Yellowstone National Park, Mont., shows a gray wolf in the wild.
By John Flesher and Matthew Brown, The Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. --?Federal wildlife officials have drafted plans to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, a move that could end a decades-long recovery effort that has restored the animals but only in parts of their historic range.
The draft U.S. Department of Interior rule obtained by The Associated Press contends that roughly 5,000 wolves now living in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes are enough to prevent the species' extinction. The agency says having gray wolves elsewhere ? such as the West Coast, parts of New England and the Southern Rockies ? is unnecessary for their long-term survival.
A small population of Mexican wolves in the Southwest would continue to receive federal protections, as a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf.
The document was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday the rule was under internal review and would be subject to public comment before a final decision is made.
If the rule is enacted, it would transfer control of wolves to state wildlife agencies by removing them from the federal list of endangered species.
Wildlife advocates warn that could effectively halt the species' expansion, which has stirred a backlash from agricultural groups and some hunters upset by wolf attacks on livestock and big game herds such as elk.
Some biologists have argued wolves will continue spreading regardless of their legal status. The animals are prolific breeders, known to journey hundreds of miles in search of new territory. They were wiped out across most of the U.S. early last century following a government sponsored poisoning and trapping campaign.
In an emailed statement, the agency pointed to "robust" populations of the animals in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes as evidence that gray wolf recovery "is one of the world's great conservation successes."
Wolves in those two areas lost protections under the Endangered Species Act over the last two years.
In some states where wolves have recovered, regulated hunting and trapping already has been used to drive down their populations, largely in response to wolf attacks on livestock and big game herds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that wolf numbers dropped significantly last year in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana for the first time since they were reintroduced in the mid-1990s.
Federal officials have said they are monitoring the states' actions, but see no immediate threat to their survival.
In Oregon and Washington, which have small but rapidly growing wolf populations, the animals have remained protected under state laws even after federal protections were lifted in portions of the two states.
Between 1991 and 2011, the federal government spent $102 million on gray wolf recovery programs and state agencies chipped in $15.6 million. Federal spending likely would drop if the proposal to lift protections goes through, while state spending would increase.
John Flesher reported from Traverse City, Mich.
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ABC Family social security social security paulina gretzky paulina gretzky david bowie elvis presley
MADRID, April 25 (Reuters) - Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina said the 10-match ban given to his team mate Luis Suarez for biting an opponent was 'absurd' and 'excessive'. Uruguay international Suarez was punished on Wednesday by the English Football Association (FA) after he bit the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend. "He knows he is in the wrong, and that it was a mistake, but the 10-game punishment seems absurd to me, excessive and unfair," Spanish international Reina was quoted as telling radio station Cadena Cope by sports daily AS on Thursday. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-suspects-planned-bombs-yorks-times-square-sources-171448477.html
rock and roll hall of fame 2012 brandon rios oklahoma news nascar news doppler radar colorado rockies moonshine
We all have our days when we show up to work with a little red eye, in a bad mood and maybe even a bit ?word challenged.? But when do those signs signal that an employee should be sent for a drug test? And how do you prevent claims of discrimination for singling that employee out? A court ruling last week gave great insights into making sure your drug testing policy and practices are properly aligned with the law ?
Case in Point: Marcus Berry, who is black, worked as a bricklayer for an Indiana company. One day he bumped into a table in the lunchroom, causing coffee to spill onto the lap of one of his white co-workers. The two men argued loudly and then threw cups of coffee at each other.
Berry?s supervisor soon got involved and heard Berry exhibiting, ?abnormal speech, screaming, yelling, facial expressions? and ?spitting, slurping? speech. The supervisor ordered him to take a drug test.
Berry argued that he didn?t need a drug test and he was merely being ?boisterous? because he was partially deaf in one ear. He took the test anyway. It came back positive for cocaine. Berry was fired for violating the company?s drug policy.
Berry filed a discrimination claim against his employer, alleging he was singled out for a drug test because of his race. He argued that the other employee involved should also have been tested because of his own loudness.
The supervisor testified he was just following procedures because, as he stated in his deposition, Berry?s behavior was abnormal, not just loud.? ?Definitely, something was wrong with Berry,? said the supervisor.
Verdict: The court found that Berry's supervisor acted in line with company policy by ordering the test based on his perception of Berry's erratic behavior. Company policy stated, ?Any employee suspected of being impaired by drugs may be required to submit to a drug screening test to determine their fitness to work.?
The court said that, under the company?s policy, ?It is (the supervisor?s) perception that matters ? and he testified that he perceived (Berry) to be loud and out of control,? not the white co-worker. (Berry v. ArcelorMittal USA LLC, N.D. Ind., 4/10/13)
3 Lessons Learned ? Without Having To Go To Court
1. Have a drug testing policy. The court recognized that even a short written policy will go a long way to shield your company from discrimination lawsuits. Don?t forget to have one on alcohol, too. It can even be in the same policy.
2. Have a separate drug checklist. Managers need a tool to use as a guideline to help them document the situation. The court observed the manager checked the box next to ?conflict with employee(s)? as the reason for ordering the drug test and the boxes next to ?speech rambling or tangential,? ?speech fast or pressured,? and ?yelling? as behaviors, he witnessed.
3. Pick and tell. There are many types of substance testing your company can utilize. Be specific about all that apply: pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion and post-accident.
Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...
We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.
The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.
" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/35305/vial-behavior-when-does-employees-unusual-conduct-allow-for-immediate-drug-test "
fbi Watertown Ma Krystle Campbell Pressure Cooker MIT Shooting NFL schedule 2013 Boston Explosion
Google today announced that bloggers on its Blogger publishing platform can now enable a new Google+-powered commenting system for their sites. This means Blogger users can now use Google+ as a commenting platform for their blogs and comments from Google+ will automatically appear on their blogs, too. Google has already enabled this new system on all of its official blogs. This new commenting widget, Google says, will enable bloggers to “see activity from direct visitors, and from people talking about your content on Google+.” This, the company argues, will make it easier to engage with commenters, as all of the comments will be available in one place. The comment widget actually looks quite nice. By default, it sorts comments by popularity (the other choice is ‘newest first’) and also gives users the option to see everybody’s comments or just remarks from users in their own circles. Just like Google+, however, the system doesn’t allow for nested comments beyond the first level. Google also argues that this will make life easier for readers who want to comment. They will get the option to comment publicly – or privately to their circles on Google+. Of course, both the blog owners and the readers will only see the comments they have permission to see. To enable this, Blogger users simply have to flip a switch in their Blogger Dashboard. Older comments will also be imported into the new Google+ comment widget. What About The Rest Of The Web? For now, this new commenting system is obviously restricted to Blogger, but it’s likely that Google is just using its own platform as a staging ground for a wider release in the future. In the long run, Google will likely want to use this to compete with Facebook comments. Facebook launched its commenting system back in 2009, though it’s not clear how many sites still use it.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_p51FlfsXAg/
best picture nominees 2012 academy awards 2012 albert nobbs a star is born oscar nominees oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea
Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/ACKsvKMMShg/
opm passover Florida Gulf Coast University Aaron Craft school closings powerball ariana grande
JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Former President Nelson Mandela was discharged from a hospital on Saturday following treatment for pneumonia, the presidency said in news that cheered South Africans who had waited tensely for health updates on a beloved national figure.
Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who spent 27 years in prison for opposing white racist rule, was robust during his decades as a public figure, endowed with charisma, a powerful memory and an extraordinary talent for articulating the aspirations of his people and winning over many of those who opposed him. In recent years, however, 94-year-old Mandela became more frail and last made a public appearance at the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament, where he didn't deliver an address and was bundled against the cold in a stadium full of fans.
South Africans hold the former leader dear as a symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation stemming from his pivotal role in steering South Africa from the apartheid era and into democratic elections in 1994, at a time of great hope but also tension and uncertainty. The new South Africa, beset by economic inequality, crime and corruption, has not lived up to the soaring expectations of its people, but they still see hope through their icon, Mandela.
Primrose Mashoma, a South African, said she wished that Mandela would live, basically, forever.
"I wish him to stay maybe a hundred more years," she said.
A statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma said there had been "a sustained and gradual improvement" in the condition of Mandela, who was admitted to a hospital on the night of March 27.
"The former President will now receive home-based high care," the statement said.
Mandela had received similar treatment at his home in Johannesburg after a stay at a hospital in nearby Pretoria in December, when he was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones. Earlier in March, the anti-apartheid leader was hospitalized overnight for what authorities said was a successful scheduled medical test.
During Mandela's latest hospitalization, doctors drained fluid from his lung area, making it easier for him to breathe.
On Saturday afternoon, shortly after the presidential statement on Mandela's discharge, a military ambulance was seen entering his home in the Johannesburg neighborhood of Houghton. In recent years, Mandela had been spending more time in Qunu, the rural area in Eastern Cape province where he grew up. But his delicate condition required that he be moved to South Africa's biggest city.
Many South Africans refer affectionately to Mandela by his clan name, Madiba. Buildings, squares, and other places have been named after him, and his image adorns statues and artwork around the country. The central bank issued new banknotes last year that show his smiling face.
"I'm really happy about Madiba coming out," said student Anele Gcolotela, using Mandela's clan name, a term of affection. "I think it's been too long now."
After Mandela's release from prison in 1990, he was widely credited with averting even greater bloodshed by helping the country in the transition to democratic rule, negotiating with the guardians of the same system that had deprived him of freedom for decades. He became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after elections were held, bringing an end to apartheid.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment under apartheid. Most of those years were spent on Robben Island, a forbidding outpost off the coast of Cape Town where Mandela and other prisoners spent part of the time toiling in a stone quarry.
The elderly are especially vulnerable to pneumonia, which can be fatal. Its symptoms include fever, chills, a cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Many germs cause pneumonia.
South African officials have said doctors were acting with extreme caution because of Mandela's advanced age.
In Saturday's statement, Zuma thanked the medical team and hospital staff that looked after Mandela and expressed gratitude for South Africans and people around the world who had shown support for Mandela. The South African government has sought to balance efforts to satisfy wide public interest in Mandela's condition with an intense campaign to preserve the privacy of an ailing figure who already has his place in history.
The African National Congress, the ruling party that led the struggle against apartheid and has held power since its demise, expressed its "happiness" at the discharge of its former leader from the hospital.
"We acknowledge the important role played by President Zuma and his office to keep the nation, the continent and the world informed about progress made on his treatment on a regular basis," the party said in a statement.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-mandela-discharged-hospital-130600264.html
brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers nfl mock draft 2012
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.brobible.com/college/article/university-of-wisconsin-madison-interview
tesla model s act Black Ops 2 Secede ben roethlisberger Diwali elmo
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 22 people and wounded 60 in a crowded election campaign tent in the Iraqi city of Baquba on Saturday, police and medics said.
A decade after the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq is still struggling with political instability and violence that in recent weeks has killed at least 10 candidates who had planned to run in forthcoming local elections.
The vote is due to be held across the country later in April, but has already been delayed in two Sunni Muslim-majority governorates due to security concerns.
The suicide bomber attacked a gathering for Sunni candidate Muthanna al-Jorani in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad. Jorani himself escaped unscathed.
Candidates in Iraq often put up tents during campaigning as a venue to meet potential voters and explain their policies.
"First a hand grenade targeted the tent next to the one I was in," a 23-year-old wounded in the attack told Reuters by telephone from hospital. "People were running in every direction and bits of chair were scattered all over the place.
"A few seconds later, an explosion took place in the same tent."
Most of the 10 candidates killed earlier belonged to the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite politician.
Sectarian and ethnic tensions have risen since the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, inflamed by the conflict in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Shi'ite Iran.
Tens of thousands of Sunnis have staged street protests in Anbar and other provinces against Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, which they accuse of marginalizing their minority sect.
Anbar, which borders Syria, was almost entirely controlled by al Qaeda at the peak of Iraq's insurgency and Sunni militants are again finding strongholds there, security experts say.
The United States has urged the government to reconsider its decision to suspend elections in Anbar and Niniveh governorates, saying it is vital that all Iraqis vote simultaneously.
"We are very concerned by the decision ... to postpone provincial elections in two provinces, Anbar and Nineveh, on the stated grounds of security," said a U.S. diplomat.
Attacks in Iraq are less common than during the Sunni-Shi'ite slaughter that reached a climax in 2006-07, but shootings and bombings still occur almost daily.
Iraq is home to a number of insurgent groups including the al Qaeda affiliate, Islamic State of Iraq, linked by the United States to the militant Nusra Front which is fighting in Syria.
(Additional reporting by Raheem Salman; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attack-iraq-election-campaign-tent-kills-22-police-110740194.html
Holly Rowe Chief Keef FRANK ZAMBONI Tiffany Six aaliyah jodie foster seahawks
FILE - This photo combo shows Rutgers President Robert Barchi, left, and Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti. Mike Rice was fired as the Rutgers men's basketball coach after a video surfaced showing him shoving players and berating them with gay slurs, but critics said New Jersey's flagship public university still has more explaining, and maybe some more firing to do. A group of 13 faculty members Wednesday, April 3, 2013, demanded that Barchi resign for his "inexcusable handling" of the situation. Some Rutgers alumni say Pernetti should be dismissed. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - This photo combo shows Rutgers President Robert Barchi, left, and Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti. Mike Rice was fired as the Rutgers men's basketball coach after a video surfaced showing him shoving players and berating them with gay slurs, but critics said New Jersey's flagship public university still has more explaining, and maybe some more firing to do. A group of 13 faculty members Wednesday, April 3, 2013, demanded that Barchi resign for his "inexcusable handling" of the situation. Some Rutgers alumni say Pernetti should be dismissed. (AP Photo/File)
Former Rutgers men's basketball coach Mike Rice leaves his home Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Little Silver, N.J. Rice was fired Wednesday after a videotape aired showing Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice. Athletic director Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the tape by a former employee in November and, after an independent investigator was hired to review it, Rice was suspended for three games, fined $75,000 and ordered to attend anger management classes. University president Robert Barchi signed off on the penalty. But on Wednesday, Rutgers referred to new information and "a review of previously discovered issues" as the reasons for Rice's termination. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Former Rutgers head coach Mike Rice is driven from his home, Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Little Silver, N.J. With political and social pressure mounting after video showed Rice screaming gay slurs and shoving, kicking and throwing balls at his NCAA college basketball players, the university fired Rice on Wednesday, and then did their best to avoid the blame for not getting it right four months ago. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
In this four-image combo taken from an ESPN video, Rutgers men's basketball coach Mike Rice kicks, shoves, and throws balls at his players during NCAA college basketball practices in Piscataway, N.J. Fueled by outrage from even the governor when the video went public, Rutgers fired Rice on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, after deciding it didn't go far enough by suspending and fining him for shoving, kicking and throwing balls at players along with spewing gay slurs. (AP Photo/ESPN)
FILE - In this May 6, 2010 file photo, Mike Rice, left, former coach of Robert Morris, is introduced as the new men's basketball coach of Rutgers by athletic director Tim Pernetti, during a news conference at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers has fired Rice after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs during practice. With mounting criticism on a state and national level, the school decided to take action on Wednesday, April 3, 2013. relieving Rice of his duties after three largely unsuccessful seasons at the Big East school. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) ? The call from faculty members and politicians to oust top Rutgers University administrators grew louder Thursday, a day after men's basketball coach Mike Rice was fired for mistreating players, including shoving them and berating them with gay slurs.
More than 50 faculty members signed a letter calling for the dismissal of Athletic Director Tim Pernetti and an explanation from President Robert Barchi for why he didn't fire Rice last year when he learned of a video showing Rice's behavior during practices.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney also called for Pernetti to step down or be fired. Pernetti deserves credit for getting Rutgers into the Big Ten conference but mishandled this situation, Sweeney said.
"This incident will continue to hang over Rutgers like a dark cloud for weeks, months and perhaps years to come," the Democratic lawmaker said in a statement. "It seems pretty clear that things were not handled well from the start."
Meanwhile, the number of faculty members calling for Barchi to step down more than doubled Thursday to 28.
The letter calling for Barchi's resignation was first sent to the university's governing boards on Wednesday. In it, the faculty members cite Barchi's "inexcusable handling of coach Mike Rice's homophobic and misogynist abuse" of players, his "continued pattern of insensitivity and arrogance toward issues of diversity" and the "secrecy and lack of transparency that he has exhibited in his relations" with faculty, staff and students.
It's unclear what effect the calls might have on the president or the athletic director. Neither was willing to be interviewed by The Associated Press. Barchi also skipped a town hall meeting at which he'd been scheduled to appear Thursday at Rutgers' Newark campus. Members of the university's two governing boards have been mum.
Barchi, a neuroscience researcher before he became a university administrator, was hired a year ago and took office Sept. 1 to lead the university, which has 58,000 students and 13,000 full- and part-time faculty members on three campuses. He had been president of Thomas Jefferson University, a Philadelphia health sciences university, and before that was an administrator at the University of Pennsylvania.
He was brought to Rutgers as the university takes over two medical schools that now are part of the separate University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The ongoing reconfiguration of the state's higher education system is intended to expand Rutgers' life-science research prowess, and Barchi was chosen largely to oversee that.
He had never been an administrator, though, at a school with athletic scholarships.
Over the past decade, Rutgers' athletic program has grown increasingly ambitious and expensive, largely as the university's football team transformed from an also-ran to a power in the Big East conference. The school's teams are set next year to join the more prestigious Big Ten, a move engineered largely by Pernetti, a former TV sports executive.
Shortly after Barchi took office, he told reporters that high-profile sports teams are an important way to increase the university's visibility but that he wanted to gradually reduce the university's operating subsidy for sports, currently about $8 million per year, while continuing to pay for scholarships for athletes at a cost of about $10 million annually.
Barchi said in a statement Wednesday that Pernetti told him last year about the video of Rice made by a former basketball program employee, but he said he did not watch the video until Tuesday, the day it was made public. A university spokesman declined to comment on why Barchi didn't watch the video last year.
In December, after the university consulted lawyers and commissioned an independent report on Rice's actions, Barchi said he agreed to suspend the coach for three games, fine him and order him to anger management counseling.
He said that when he saw the video, he realized that Rice needed to be removed.
The faculty members calling for Barchi to step down said in their letter that he knew enough to remove the coach months ago.
"Although President Barchi is now suggesting otherwise, he has known about Coach Rice's homophobic, misogynist and abusive behavior for several months now," the letter said.
Ron Becker, head of special collections and university archives at Rutgers, said he believes the handling of the situation needs to be reviewed.
"The value of sports and the Division I atmosphere often trumps some of the basic needs of the university," he said. "The pressure to win and succeed at athletics seems to trump (academics) around here."
While practically everyone who has spoken publicly about the case says it was right to fire Rice, two players in interviews with The Associated Press on Thursday defended the coach, saying the snippets of video were taken out of context.
"I feel if people had a chance to see the other portions of practice, or had been at practice, their judgment would not be as severe," sophomore forward Austin Johnson said. "I am not saying what he did wasn't wrong, because I do believe it was wrong. But it is also tough because it was a highlight reel of his worst moments."
Junior Wally Judge said Rice, who apologized Wednesday, has treated him well and helped him grow as a person and a basketball player.
A Rutgers assistant coach has resigned amid the scandal. According to The Star-Ledger, the assistant, Jimmy Martelli, could be seen on the video shoving a player.
Martelli said in a statement he was "sickened that as an assistant coach I contributed in any way to an unacceptable culture," and he apologized to the players "from the bottom of my heart."
Democratic state lawmakers, particularly Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, have been calling for legislative hearings on why Rice was not fired sooner, but as of Thursday, none had been scheduled.
Keeping the coach on through the season cost the university a portion of his salary ? he was paid $622,500 in 2012 ? and a $100,000 bonus for coaching the final game of the year, which Sweeney said makes his suspension and fine "look even more ridiculous."
Athletic department spokesman Jason Baum said Thursday that the university is contractually obligated to pay the bonus, which is due this month.
___
Delli Santi reported from Trenton. Also contributing to this report were AP reporters Geoff Mulvihill in Haddonfield, Katie Zezima in Newark and AP sportswriter Tom Canavan.
Associated Pressglee glee boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live julio cesar chavez jr Topless Kate
Apr. 4, 2013 ? Children's sense of having and owning a body differs from that of adults, indicating that our sense of physical self develops over time, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Many of our senses -- vision, touch, and body orientation -- come together to inform our perception of having and owning a body. Psychological scientist Dorothy Cowie of Goldsmiths, University of London and colleagues hypothesized that there might be age differences in how these processes come together. To test this hypothesis, they relied on a well-known sensory illusion called the "rubber-hand illusion."
In this illusion, the participant sits with their left hand on a table -- but hidden from view. Instead of looking at her real left hand, she looks at a fake left hand. The experimenter sits across the table and strokes the participant's left hand with a paintbrush while also stroking the fake rubber hand. When the paintbrush strokes are matched so that they occur at the same time and in the same place on the two hands, the participant will often feel as if the fake hand is her own, and perceive the touch she feels as arising from the brush she sees stroking the fake hand.
Cowie and colleagues tested children of three different age groups (4-5; 6-7; and 8-9 years old), as well as adult participants. After experiencing the stroking, the participants were asked to close their eyes and point with their right index finger under the table, so that it was directly underneath the left index finger of their actual hand.
Like adults, children were sensitive to whether the vision and touch cues given by stroking were matched on the real and fake hands. When they were matched, all participants experienced the rubber hand illusion, and when they were asked to point towards their real hand, the points drifted closer to the fake hand and farther away from their own hand.
Interestingly, children of all ages responded more strongly to the illusion than did adults. This shows that children rely more than adults on seeing their body in order to determine their sense of physical self; that reliance on vision created a strong bias toward the fake hand that they were looking at.
These findings indicate that there are two distinct processes underlying the sense of the body that develop according to different timetables -- the process driven by seeing touches on the hand develops early in childhood, while the process driven by seeing a hand in front of us doesn't fully develop until later in childhood.
Co-authors on this research include Tamar Makin of the University of Oxford and Andrew J. Bremner of Goldsmiths, University of London.
This research was supported by a grant from the European Research Council and an award from the Royal Society.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/V1Fbh1VAQu4/130404122457.htm
oscar nominees oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions nba all star game 2012
Apr. 3, 2013 ? The initial clinical trial of a novel approach to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- blocking production of a mutant protein that causes an inherited form of the progressive neurodegererative disease -- may be a first step towards a new era in the treatment of such disorders. Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Washington University School of Medicine report that infusion of an antisense oligonucleotide against SOD1, the first gene to be associated with familial ALS, had no serious adverse effects and the drug was successfully distributed thoughout the central nervous system.
"This therapy directly targets the cause of this form of ALS -- a mutation in SOD1, which was originally discovered here at the MGH by my mentor Robert Brown," says Merit Cudkowicz, MD, chief of Neurology at MGH and senior author of the report in Lancet Neurology, which has been released online. "It's very exciting that we have reached a stage when we can start clinical trials against this type of ALS."
ALS causes the death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, stopping transmission of neural signals to nerve fibers and leading to weakness, paralysis and usually death from respiratory failure. Only 10 percent of ALS cases are inherited, and mutations in SOD1 -- which produce an aberrant, toxic form of the protein -- account for about 20 percent of familial cases. Although that first SOD1 mutation was identified 20 years ago by the team lead by Brown -- who is now professor and chief of Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School -- a technology that directly addresses such mutations became available only recently.
The current study, the first author of which is Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, of Washington University, used what are called antisense oligonucleotides -- small, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that prevent production of a protein by binding to its messenger RNA. While antisense medications have been tested against several types of disease, this was the first trial in a neurological disorder, making the assurance of safety -- a primary goal of a phase 1 study -- particular important. Studies in animal models led by Miller and others found that the experimental antisense drug used in this trial reduced expression of mutated and nonmutated SOD1 and slowed the progression of ALS.
Conducted at the MGH, Washington University, Johns Hopkins University and the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, the trial enrolled a total of 21 patients with SOD1 familial ALS. Four sequential groups of participants received spinal infusions over an 11-hour period of the antisense drug or a placebo, with the active drug being administered at one of four dosage levels. Since participants in one group were free to join a subsequent group more than 60 days later, seven received two infusions and two received a total of three.
Some of the participants reported the type of adverse effects typically associated with spinal infusions -- headache and back pain -- with no difference between the active drug and placebo groups. Participants who receive subsequent infusions reported fewer adverse effects. Cerebrospinal fluid samples taken immediately after infusion revealed the presence of the antisense oligonucleotidein all participants receiving the drug at levels close to what was predicted based on animal studies. Analysis of spinal cord samples from one participant who had later died from ALS found drug levels highest at the site of the infusion and lowest at the furthest point and suggested that prior estimates of how long the drug would persist in the spinal cord were accurate.
Cudkowicz notes that the next step will be a larger study to address long-term safety and take a first look at the effectiveness of antisense treatment against ALS "This is a very important step forward for neurodegenerative disorders in general," she explains. "There are other ALS gene mutations that antisense technology may be useful against. There also is an ongoing study of a different oligonucleotide against spinal muscular atrophy, and ongoing preclinical studies in Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy and other neurological disorders are in development.
"The first person with ALS that I cared for had SOD1 ALS," she adds, "and I promised her a commitment to finding a treatment for this form of the disease. It's so gratifying to finally be at the stage of knowledge where we can start testing this treatment in patients with SOD1 ALS. We also hope that this treatment may apply to the broader population of patient with sporadic ALS." Cudkowicz is the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts General Hospital.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/pNA1_xAHlrM/130403141451.htm
Elena Delle Donne Marriage Equality opm revolution nascar tiger woods passover
JOHNSTON, R.I. - A U.S. couple says they were speechless and moved to tears when Pope Francis hugged and kissed their 8-year-old son in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.
Paul and Christina Gondreau of Johnston and their five children attended Easter Mass at the Vatican. The pope cradled their son, Dominic, who has cerebral palsy.
Videos and photos of the pontiff standing in the "popemobile" and holding Dominic were transmitted worldwide. Pope Francis also hugged and kissed other children as he greeted the crowd after Mass.
Paul Gondreau is a theology professor at Providence College and is teaching this semester in Rome.
A story on the Providence College website says Paul Gondreau called the moment "an incredibly moving encounter." He says his son teaches him daily lessons about how to love.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parents-disabled-ri-boy-were-speechless-moved-tears-172237986.html
Miley Cyrus Twerk ncaa march madness cbs march madness bracket ncaa basketball scores brian urlacher kate upton
Traditionally, gas prices have risen in the spring and peaked during the high-demand summer months. Last year, though, prices spiked starting in February and reached their highs in early May, before declining slightly in summer. Has a new seasonal pattern been established?
The only real ?pattern? here seems to be the absence of one that motorists can predictably rely on. Gas prices usually fall in February. But prices at the pump rose in February 2012, and did so again in February 2013.
So has there been a shift, in which the annual seasonal rise in gasoline prices now starts in February and continues increasing as the weather warms and more cars hit the road? Nope. Gas prices almost always rise in March. But, in a twist that?s perhaps even more surprising than prices increasing during the past two Februarys, the national per-gallon average dropped fairly sharply last month.
AAA announced that between March 1 and 31, gas prices dropped 15? nationwide. That?s the first time prices at the pump have dipped in March in 10 years?and when it last happened, in 2003, the decrease was a mere 1?.
(MORE: Buy an Electric Car, Get a Gas-Powered Car for Free)
?Gas prices in March came in like a lion and are going out like a lamb,? wrote GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan. ?Essentially what we?re seeing here this month is perhaps the largest monthly decrease ever during the month of March ? a month that has almost always seen prices finishing the month substantially higher than where they entered.?
Could it be that gas prices already hit their top levels for the year, when the national average was $3.79 near the end of February? Could drivers catch a break on fuel costs with cheaper prices for the rest of the year? That?s pretty unlikely.
?AAA has no record of gas prices ever peaking in February, and it is too early to say whether prices may have hit a high for the first half of the year,? AAA spokesperson Avery Ash announced in a statement.
Earlier this year, analysts predicted a national average of around $4 per gallon to appear by springtime. That would have essentially been a repeat of 2012, when the average hit $3.94 during the first week of April. Fast-forward a year, though, and the average is roughly 30? cheaper, at $3.637 as of April 2, according to AAA?s Fuel Gauge Report. GasBuddy originally forecast the national averages of around $3.95 for April and $3.85 for May; recently revised predictions stated averages of $3.65 to $3.69 through May.
(MORE: February Gas Price Spike Becoming an Annual Tradition?)
What explains the surprising dip in gas prices in March, and equally surprising expectations of flat prices going forward? ?An increase in refinery production and lower oil prices in early March have combined to provide rare falling prices for motorists in comparison to recent years,? explained AAA?s Ash.
In a CNBC post, Anthony Grisanti, founder and president of GRZ Energy Inc., wrote that we won?t be seeing record-high gas prices in the months ahead because unemployment remains high (meaning fewer people need to commute or have the cash to take road trips) and cars on the road today are far more fuel efficient than they were just a few years ago. Both factors keep demand for gasoline relatively low.
None of this means that gas prices are truly low. Drivers were paying 40? less per gallon as recently as December, after all, when the national average was around $3.25.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gas-prices-almost-never-decline-march-did-last-182955740--finance.html
mega millions winners anthony davis toure patti smith lottery winners lottery winners april fools day pranks
By Ulf Laessing and Paul Taylor
CAIRO (Reuters) - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team resumed long delayed negotiations with Egypt on Wednesday on a $4.8 billion loan to ease a deepening economic crisis in the most populous Arab country.
After two years of political upheaval, foreign currency reserves have fallen to critically low levels, limiting Egypt's ability to buy wheat, of which it is the world's biggest importer, and fuel.
President Mohamed Mursi's government signed a preliminary deal with the IMF in November but postponed ratification in December due to unrest ignited by a political row over the extent of Mursi's powers.
The IMF mission began by meeting finance ministry and the central bank officials and is expected to stay "a week or 10 days or more", government spokesman Alaa El Hadidi told reporters. Prime Minister Hisham Kandil will meet the team when it has completed its work, he said.
Cairo must convince the global lender it is serious about reforms aimed at boosting growth and curbing an unaffordable budget deficit. That implies tax hikes and politically risky cuts in state subsidies for fuel and food including bread.
An IMF deal has eluded Egypt for nearly two years, despite on-off talks first with an army-led government and now with Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood-controlled administration.
Economists say the IMF appears to question whether Egypt has the political consensus needed to enact reforms - doubts that months of turmoil have done nothing to ease.
Parliamentary elections that were due to start this month have been pushed back until October and a new legislature may not be in place until December.
Finance Minister Al-Mursi Al-Sayed Hegazy said on Monday the government aimed to have a loan agreement completed by the IMF's spring meetings, held on April 16-21. But IMF officials have not given a timeline and some private economists say a full deal before the parliamentary polls seems unlikely.
"Our base case is that an IMF deal is unlikely before parliamentary elections, but an emergency loan could possibly be reached in the meantime," Brahim Razgallah, an economist at JP Morgan, said.
"...Since the constitutional crisis, things have become more difficult and the political divide has widened... The IMF will insist on having a political consensus behind the reform programme."
Just before the visit, the government announced an increase in the price of subsidised cooking gas. But it has postponed plans to ration subsidised fuel using smart cards until July 1 and some reports say that date may be pushed back further.
The Egyptian pound has lost a tenth of its value against the dollar this year and is trading even lower on the black market, driving up inflation. Shortages, meanwhile, threaten to exacerbate tension in the street, where Mursi's opponents have been airing political grievances in protests that frequently turn violent.
POUND TUMBLES
The United States and the European Union have urged Egypt to build a broad political consensus in support of reforms required by an IMF programme, but the main political parties have become increasingly polarised.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that Egypt was at a "tipping point", telling reporters: "We share a very real concern in the Obama Administration about the direction that Egypt is apparently moving in."
"We have been working very, very hard in the last weeks to try to get the government of Egypt to reach out to the opposition, to deal with the IMF, to come to an agreement which will allow Egypt to begin to transform its economy and improve the lives of its citizens."
The leftist Popular Current party led by Hamdeen Sabahi, who came third in last year's presidential election, denounced the proposed IMF loan in a statement on its Facebook page and joined a small demonstration outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the mission's visit.
"This loan will lead to colonisation and the continued dependency of the Egyptian economy," Popular Current said, adding it would have negative effects on the economy and on the social and living conditions of Egyptians.
Seeking to protect the Egyptian pound, the central bank has raised interest rates, increasing the cost of borrowing needed to finance a state deficit expected to hit 12.3 percent of GDP without reforms.
An economic plan submitted to the IMF envisages cutting the deficit to 9.5 percent in the fiscal year beginning in July.
The financial crunch has forced the government to cut back on fuel imports, leading to shortages that have caused transport disruptions and power cuts. To ease shortages, Cairo has said it aims to import oil from Iraq and neighbouring Libya while paying off some of the money it owes to foreign energy firms.
Egypt has also cut back on wheat imports, running down grain reserves in the hope that a bumper harvest will be enough to feed its 84 million people.
A government statement on Wednesday said wheat reserves have fallen to 2 million tonnes, enough to last 81 days. On March 27, the government said it had a stock of 2.116 million tonnes.
Without a deal, Cairo could perhaps still limp along for several more months with help from friendly Arab states such as Qatar, but it would not be comfortable.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/imf-egypt-face-tough-talks-4-8-bln-071942118.html
John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012 Tom Daley Leryn Franco The Campaign
