Friday, August 31, 2012

Australia says killings will not speed up Afghan exit

Australia said Friday it would complete its mission in Afghanistan despite suffering its deadliest day in combat since the Vietnam War and the prospect of further deaths caused by rogue soldiers.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the "terrible combination" of three troops being shot dead by an Afghan colleague and two others dying in a helicopter crash within 24 hours was the worst scenario he had seen in the job.

"It doesn't do anything to my resolve to stay the course, because staying the course is absolutely the right thing to do," Smith told reporters.

"We can't stay in Afghanistan forever, we don't want to stay in Afghanistan forever, and equally it would be wrong to leave prematurely or to leave tomorrow as some people suggest."

Smith said an immediate withdrawal would "increase the risks", compared to the planned gradual transition in which Afghan forces will take control of security in Uruzgan province from the Australians by late 2013.

"We would increase the prospect of Afghanistan again returning to a breeding ground for international terrorism," he said.

Late on Wednesday, three Australian troops were shot dead at close range by an Afghan soldier inside a patrol base near Tarin Kowt in restive Uruzgan, where some 1,500 Australians are deployed.

In the second incident, two Australian special forces soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed in Helmand province on Thursday morning.

NATO has struggled to counter the so-called "green-on-blue" attacks in which uniformed Afghans turn their weapons against their international allies. This was the third such incident to target Australian troops.

Smith said the attacks eroded trust between the troops and led to extra precautions, such as the use of a "guardian angel" in which one armed foreign soldier is tasked with watching Afghan soldiers to prevent attacks.

But he said there was no guarantee that this would be the last insider shooting.

"We can't discount the prospect... that it may happen again, either to us or to our NATO or ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) colleagues," he said.

A close ally of the United States, Australia has so far lost 38 soldiers in the decade-long Afghan conflict.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australia-says-killings-not-speed-afghan-exit-030905088.html

seattle seahawks ryan tannehill cispa baltimore ravens atlanta falcons space shuttle space shuttle new york

Healing Hands for Arthritis | Family Health & Wellness Magazine

Mark your calendar for September 19 and make plans to get pampered at Massage Envy Spa. That day, 10 dollars from every one-hour massage and facial session will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation. Massage Envy has partnered with the Arthritis Foundation because they understand the devastating effects of arthritis on the body and the potential for massage therapy to relieve and control certain symptoms. Affecting one in seven Americans?adults as well as children?arthritis can produce pain, loss of movement and inflammation in the joints, taking a psychological and a physical toll on its sufferers. To find a Massage Envy Spa near you, visit massageenvy.com.

Health Happenings Article by Janet Scherr and Corrie Pelc?? Family Health & Wellness Magazine published by?Style Media Group.

Article appears in the September/October 2012 Issue of Family Health & Wellness Magazine.

Subscribe to the Family Health & Wellness?Magazine Blog!

Source: http://familyhw.com/2012/08/healing-hands-for-arthritis/

ciaa the monkees strikeforce davy jones love actually miesha tate vs ronda rousey idiocracy

Online marketing online Strategy | Marketing

The Ultimate Website marketing Strategy

If you suspect you can begin, make a website, submit it to a couple of directories or blogs, sit a while, relax & watch those lots of money (you?ve witnessed in many marketers? checks) to come, you?ll need to avoid there. It isn?t going to go. You must think: what you do and where want to remain in the longer term. Whether offline or online, you will find only couple of things that matter: ?Buying? and ?Selling?. Basically, to simplify, all of it comes down to this:

Search engine optimization India giving internet marketing solutions look engine marketing services, internet website marketing consultancy and online advertising and raking solutions India, search engine ranking, search engine optimization placements, each engine optimization in India. That is your customer? What the heck is he or she particularly seeking? You need to realise their problems or desires. You have to remain in their shoes and find out what exactly is that may cause them to become feel better (a proposal).

Online marketing company India providing web marketing solutions and look engine marketing services, internet website marketing consultancy and online advertising and raking solutions India, seo, internet search engine placements, each engine optimization in India. What the heck is your offer? Why isn?t they purchase from you finding out? Exactly why you?re much better than the remaining? How come they trust you? Have you been offering your own private or a person?s product? How could you create an irresistible offer so they really beg one to sell it directly to them?

Think regarding it. There are millions of people buying online each and every day. If they are not buying by you then whose fault is that often ? theirs or yours?

Before you will start creating online marketing strategy for your website(s), you need to do a study. This is where all of it begins actually. Much like in any business, you have to understand your location and what else could you do.

Search engine marketing India providing internet website marketing solutions and look engine marketing services, online marketing consultancy and web advertising and raking solutions India, search engine results positioning, internet search engine placements, each engine optimization in India.

Phase 1 ? Online Research

Internet marketing company

In this phase, it?s essential to research your market. Who are most of your competitors? Just what are they doing online? PPC, SEO, pr campaigns, develop his or her products, do affiliate marketing online or Adsense? What are their weaknesses? Will they give a guarantee? Is their product fantastic? Would they build links constantly or not? That is your selected customer? Where would they hangout: MySpace or YouTube? Is he or she freebie seekers or desperate buyers? What forces them to buy one as well as other product? Read reviews, forums, testimonials to find out approximately you may regarding your market you work in.

Search engine marketing India providing online marketing solutions and search engine marketing services, online marketing consultancy and web advertising and raking solutions India, search engine ranking, google search placements, each engine optimization in India.

Phase 2 ? Data Analysis

Online marketing services India

If you?ve performed an extensive online consumer research, you need to systematize the info you could have. Note down do you know the main pros and cons of your competitors. Maybe you?ve additional time than the competitors? Otherwise you know some targeted prospects source that others don?t. How might this affect your business?

Which are the places your audience usually visits? What are their main concerns? Maybe they are certainly not delighted by these products in the market. Can provide something better, maybe in the kind of an additional? There after, you arrived at step 2, which can be developing your internet website marketing strategy.

Search engine marketing India providing website marketing solutions and appearance engine marketing services, internet promotion consultancy and online advertising and raking solutions India, search engine results position search engine optimization placements, each engine optimization in India.

Phase 3 ? Strategy Development

Internet marketing company

When you currently know your target market plus your competitors, you may start making your internet internet marketing strategy (or strategies). Just sit down and contemplate: whom you are and whatever you can offer to the audience.

It involves a little planning. What advertising models you will employ and those to suit your budget? PPC, SEO, email, blogging, podcasting, video blogging, webinars, viral generating the traffic, building back links, banner exchange or others.? You will need to prioritize your online marketing tactics. Figure out what can create for you positive ROI inside shortest time possible.

Do you?ve got enough time to perform search engine optimisation? If that?s so, then sit and do everything you are able to, week in week out, to position at the pinnacle in search engines. Lack time? Then buy PPC traffic and start testing your landing pages effectively.

Search engine marketing India providing web marketing solutions and check engine marketing services, online marketing consultancy and web advertising and raking solutions India, website positioning, search results placements, each engine optimization in India.

Phase 4 ? Monitoring Performance

Internet marketing company

When you would like to internet marketing plan, you can begin implementing it at once. The last step will be to start monitoring your online marketing campaigns. Which keywords people typed into yahoo and google to uncover your web blog? Which keywords brought you the most take advantage PPC marketing? Will you be content with your SEO rankings you aren?t? Do most your visitors leave your website without spending A short period? And many others.

There is no formula on an effective Online marketing strategy. The treatment depends for your individual situation. After you realize your pros and cons, you can develop a great marketing plan. Regardless of whether you?re considering Adsense site, affiliate site or perhaps your own product. Once you determine what you can actually accomplish together with your resources right now, you may create a terrific search engine optimization technique for your internet business last but not least breakthrough on the web.

Source: http://www.coolyourmyspace.com/myspace-marketing/online-marketing-online-strategy.html

blue ivy carter photos purple squirrel blade runner close encounters of the third kind norovirus beyonce and jay z baby droid 4

?Forever Bella? ? Breaking Dawn Wedding Bella Tonner Doll


Tonner has a new Twilight doll and this one is pretty sweet!
It?s a Wedding Bella doll from Breaking Dawn!

Some details on the doll from Tonner:

- Dressed Tonner Character Figure?
? Face includes hand-painted details
- Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
- Kristen Stewart head sculpt
- 16? Tyler bending wrist body
- Cameo skin tone
- Brown painted eyes
- Brown rooted saran hair
- Silver and Blue rhinestone hair decoration with white veil
- White dress with lace applique on sleeves and on the back of the dress,and faux pearl decoration
- White net with lace back of dress with faux pearl dress decoration
- Nude pantyhose
- Gold ring painted on left hand
- Silver ring on right hand
- Bouquet of faux flowers
- White satin shoes with silver glitter decoration
- Stand

It does come with a steep price though, $200!

You can reserve yours now at Tonner.
Tonner does make some gorgeous dolls and this Bella one is exquisite!

Source: Twilight Lexicon

Random Posts

Tags: Tonner Bella Doll, Tonner Doll, Tonner Wedding Bella Doll

Share Post: Twitter - Facebook - More

Share Image:

Add this post to your blog or web page. Terms of Use

Source: http://twilightguide.com/tg/2012/08/30/forever-bella-breaking-dawn-wedding-bella-tonner-doll/

texans lana del rey snl enemy of the state golden globe nominees joe philbin miss america pageant 2012 shipwreck

Introducing BIF's New Senior Experience Designer Chad Lockhart ...

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor
August 30, 2012

Change is good. Massive change is better. Change puts value squarely into focus. It helps to sort through the noise, distractions and illusions to pin point what matters most. Change sheds light upon and is the catalyst of growth. This could not be more apparent to me than now as I leave my current dream job to join a new dreamy gig with the self described group of troublemakers and changemakers at BIF. Change is indeed good and I look forward to designing the future with my new BIF family.

That said, I have had the honor of spending the last decade working with an amazing family of collaborative innovators at Trek Bicycles in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Some of you may know of Trek's Tour de France & WorldCup winning bicycles and athletes, especially one particular athlete and his foundation's great work to find a cure for cancer. Likewise, you may know Trek as a world class performance brand, global bicycle industry leader, a maker of great retailers, athletes and riders or even the largest private advocate for bicycle recreation/transportation facilities in North America. What most people don't know is that Trek's secret sauce is a dedication to change and a belief that continuous change at all levels of the organization leads to amazing growth, inspired performance and social impact. Sounds a little bit like BIF eh? :)

During my time at Trek our Industrial Design team moved from 2 to 25 globally, from a wood paneled room filled with used furniture to a world class [& beautifully branded] facility with Utopian tools and processes (not to mention private trails and a downhill track). I've been lucky enough to be a part of or lead new user centered design/research methods, branded design language processes and cross functional, participatory design & business design practices. Not only that but our team along with our killer engineering, product and creative group partners have forged new collaborative ways to work with professional athletes, normal riders and retail partners to address system challenges and generate market winning, smile making products and services. To say I feel blessed to have been a part of the Trek family is nothing less than an understatement. Trek is an AMAZINGLY innovative place. Trek has shaped me, supported me and changed me profoundly, both personally and professionally.

The question I get from my friends outside of Trek is why the hell would you leave a dream job and killer team at Trek? Great question, after all my user centered research trips involve riding around gorgeous places with happy people and my design work a product ecosystem that is very hard to genuinely dislike. Wow, seriously what the heck am I doing right!!! (insert silent pause) The answer is simple. It is time for a massive change. It is time to follow my heart, and my family, to a place and a team who are shaping the leading edge of innovation, value creation and system modeling. It's time to dive deep into crazy hard system or social problems and test my own design, research and value generation skills and to be a dedicated contributor of the self described craziness that is the BIF frontier.

I sincerely welcome your thoughts and look forward to meeting the greater BIF community (though I know a bunch of you -talkin 'bout you Deb!). You can find me on LinkedIn where you can find out a lot more about me and my experiences beyond the bicycle company. Also, I can be found on twitter @chadlockart and eventually somewhere riding around Rhode Island on a bike I designed with some exceptional peeps in Wisconsin. Change = Good.

Rock the day people!
cL!

To learn more about Chad, visit him on twitter.?

Source: http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/weblog/introducing-bifs-new-senior-experience-designer-chad-lockhart

free shipping esophageal cancer marfan syndrome marfan syndrome britney spears engaged craig smith craig smith

tm_android: Behind the scenes with Sony's designers | Android Central http://t.co/sw4wfL0r (via @iowahawkeyedave)

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/tm_android/statuses/241341291449950208

winter solstice x factor finale pro bowl voting kindle fire update pasco county rooney mara solstice

Uzbekistan, key to Afghan war drawdown, to ban foreign military bases

Today, Uzbekistan?s upper house of parliament approved a new bill banning any foreign military bases on its territory in what appears to be an effort to appease regional power Moscow.

The bill still has to be signed by Uzbekistan?s president. But it appears to quash growing rumors that Tashkent may allow the US to open a military base in Uzbekistan to replace the major air base in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which is due to close in 2014. It also raises questions about Uzbekistan?s support of the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan.

The proposed bill will have an impact on US-Uzbekistan military cooperation, says Joshua Foust, an expert on Central Asia. "Uzbekistan has never been friends with the US per se. And this decision can be explained by Uzbekistan's desire not to be portrayed as an American puppet," he says.

RELATED Think you know Asia? Take our quiz

Uzbekistan left the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-dominated post-Soviet security alliance, in June. Because CSTO members cannot host a foreign base without consent from the rest of the members many interpreted Uzbekistan?s decision as a step forward to open a US base there. The growing number of visits to Tashkent by US diplomats and high profile state officials seemed to support this view.

Moscow has been expressing concern over Uzbekistan?s rapprochement with the US, and Russian media have been publishing reports about the ?New Great Game,? a struggle for the influence in Central Asia.

?Uzbekistan should analyze all repercussions of widening military cooperation with the US,? reported Russia?s popular daily newspaper Kommersant. Regional media reported that the reason for US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake?s visit to Tashkent earlier this month was aimed at securing an agreement on a US base there.

Though Secretary Blake told journalists that the US had no intention of opening a military base in Uzbekistan, his statement didn?t stop speculation.

Uzbekistan hosted an American air base in Karshi Khanabad after 9/11. But when the Bush administration criticized the government after the Andijan massacre in 2005, where Uzbek National Security Service troops fired into a group of protesters killing at least 187 people, the Uzbek government demanded the US vacate the base.

WARMING RELATIONS WITH THE US

What has happened since then has puzzled and angered human rights activists: Relations between the West and Uzbekistan have steadily improved, and all sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan after 2005 have been lifted one by one, despite its poor human rights record.

One possible reason is that the West has been increasingly dependent on Uzbekistan?s support of the war in Afghanistan. When Pakistan closed the main NATO supply route in November, the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a route that relies on Uzbekistan, took up the slack ? about 75 percent of all non-lethal cargo was shipped through the NDN supply route mostly via Uzbekistan. And though the NATO supply route was reopened this summer, a significant portion of materiel is expected to exit Afghanistan via Uzbekistan.

However, it appears as though this new foreign policy decision is aimed at appeasing Moscow, says Sanat Kushkumbaev from the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies.

?Uzbekistan didn?t make public the entire document, only some bits including the part on foreign bases. This only shows that Uzbekistan is trying to send a message to Russia and its neighbors that Tashkent is not going to make a U-turn and host US bases on its territory.?

Russia is an important trade partner, and its political influence in Central Asia is very strong, so the latest move could simply be Uzbekistan attempting to balance its relationship with Russia.

Still, it does raise some questions on the future of Tashkent?s military cooperation with the US and NATO.

MAY NOT BE WHAT IT SEEMS

Experts say it will take some time to see what the ban will mean in practice. Some say the ban on foreign bases might not affect any current contracts with the US. Some observers even suggest that Uzbekistan may still consider hosting a base, but use another name for it and point to the case of the Manas base, which was renamed as a Transit Center after the Kyrgyz government threatened to close it.

Some observers say the new bill may actually signal that Tashkent wants to negotiate the price of its services as Kyrgzstan did in 2009. It may also be looking to raise the fee for the transit of goods going to and from Afghanistan via NDN. This supply route is already proving to be costly and according to the US Senate?s Committee on Foreign Relations, in comparison to the Pakistani route, each truck shipped via NDN costs about $10,000 more.

Tashkent-based political analyst Farkhod Tolipov says Uzbekistan's ban is in an effort to prevent militarization in the region. "Any new base will only lead to a geopolitical competition."

But ultimately, he says, "Uzbekistan wants to portray itself as an independent actor in international relations and respond to all sorts of rumors around its foreign policy [including] the US base."

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

Become a part of the Monitor community

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uzbekistan-key-afghan-war-drawdown-ban-foreign-military-195506992.html

tj holmes waste management two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis a christmas story

Dad: Missing reporter likely in Syrian custody

(AP) ? The father of American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing while working in one of Syria's most volatile regions, said Thursday that he believed his son is alive and being detained by the Syrian government.

From his home in Houston, Marc Tice said he was working with his son's editors at The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers.

"We have a belief that he's in Syrian custody, but we have not heard from the only people who would know for sure. That's the Syrians," he told The Associated Press in a Thursday telephone interview.

The father expressed gratitude to those working on his son's behalf but declined to comment further on the situation. However, in a statement to The Post and McClatchy, the Tice family said, "Austin is our precious son, and we beseech the Syrian government to treat him well and return him safely to us as soon as possible."

Austin Tice worked as a freelance journalist for both media organizations. They reported Thursday that the Czech Republic ambassador to Syria had reported that Tice was alive.

"Our sources report that he is alive and that he was detained by government forces on the outskirts of Damascus, where the rebels were fighting government troops," Ambassador Eva Filipi was quoted as telling Czech television. The Czech embassy staff in Syria will continue to seek information about Tice, she said.

A State Department official says the U.S. is seeking information through Czech officials, who represent U.S. interests in Syria since the U.S. closed its embassy in Damascus.

The Czechs have yet to provide the U.S. with any information, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Tice recently spent time with rebel fighters in Syria and has not been heard from in nearly three weeks.

The 31-year-old former Marine was living in Washington before heading overseas, and had been attending law school at Georgetown University between deployments and his latest reporting trip, his father has said.

"We welcome any news about Austin, after three long weeks without word," Anders Gyllenhaal, McClatchy vice president for news, said in a statement. "If he is in fact being held by the Syrian government, we would expect that he is being well cared for and that he will quickly be released."

In a statement of his own, Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli said, "If the reports are true, we urge these authorities to release him promptly, unharmed."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-08-31-Missing%20Journalist-Syria/id-a078010544b54dde9023a52c02a02d88

bobbi kristina brown keanu reeves pebble beach clive davis cause of whitney houston death the watchmen whitney houston dies

Paul Ryan sets tone for GOP ticket with rousing convention speech

TAMPA -- Paul Ryan worked on this speech for weeks.

The Republican vice presidential candidate used his remarks to the 2012 Republican National Convention as an opportunity to introduce his family, promote Mitt Romney's vision for economic recovery, draw contrasts with President Barack Obama and profess the role of faith in his life. He even dropped in a quick line about Led Zeppelin, his favorite band.

Ryan tore into Obama's federal health care law that passed in 2010, the president's most prized legislative accomplishment. Ryan revived an attack from the campaign trail, accusing the president of passing the law "at the expense of the elderly" by trimming the growth in Medicare spending to pay for it. Between the men on the Republican ticket, Ryan is perhaps the better candidate to address health care, given Romney's support for a state-based proposal with similar provisions.

Ryan also made an enthusiastic appeal to young voters, attempting to tie Obama's policies to the unemployment rate among college graduates.

"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms," Ryan said, "staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." He went on to paint the future of Americans as an "adventureless journey," that relies on government programs from cradle to grave.

At times, Ryan overstepped, appearing to blame Obama for the closing of a plant in his district that shut down before the president even took office. When he railed against Obama's stimulus program, a massive infusion of government spending that passed in the president's first 100 days in office, Ryan neglected to mention that his own office requested that funds be directed to help businesses in his home state.

As a whole, Ryan portrayed a country that isn't better off than it was four years earlier, one that moves from crisis to crisis without an end in sight.

"It began with a financial crisis; it ends with a job crisis," Ryan said of Obama's first term in office. "It began with a housing crisis they alone didn't cause; it ends with a housing crisis they didn't correct."

The speech, which gave Ryan more exposure to voters than he's ever had in his public career, will likely set the tone for how Romney's campaign will use him for the rest of the fall campaign.

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored by the support of this convention for vice president of the United States.

I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity ? and I know we can do this.

I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old ? and I know that we are ready.

Our nominee is sure ready. His whole life has prepared him for this moment ? to meet serious challenges in a serious way, without excuses and idle words. After four years of getting the run-around, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Governor Mitt Romney.

I'm the newcomer to the campaign, so let me share a first impression. I have never seen opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their power.

They've run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they've got left.

With all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money ? and he's pretty experienced at that. You see, some people can't be dragged down by the usual cheap tactics, because their ability, character, and plain decency are so obvious ? and ladies and gentlemen, that is Mitt Romney.

For my part, your nomination is an unexpected turn. It certainly came as news to my family, and I'd like you to meet them: My wife Janna, our daughter Liza, and our boys Charlie and Sam.

The kids are happy to see their grandma, who lives in Florida. There she is ? my Mom, Betty.

My Dad, a small-town lawyer, was also named Paul. Until we lost him when I was 16, he was a gentle presence in my life. I like to think he'd be proud of me and my sister and brothers, because I'm sure proud of him and of where I come from, Janesville, Wisconsin.

I live on the same block where I grew up. We belong to the same parish where I was baptized. Janesville is that kind of place.

The people of Wisconsin have been good to me. I've tried to live up to their trust. And now I ask those hardworking men and women, and millions like them across America, to join our cause and get this country working again.

When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, "Let's get this done" ? and that is exactly, what we're going to do.

President Barack Obama came to office during an economic crisis, as he has reminded us a time or two. Those were very tough days, and any fair measure of his record has to take that into account. My home state voted for President Obama. When he talked about change, many people liked the sound of it, especially in Janesville, where we were about to lose a major factory.

A lot of guys I went to high school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: "I believe that if our government is there to support you ? this plant will be here for another hundred years." That's what he said in 2008.

Well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year. It is locked up and empty to this day. And that's how it is in so many towns today, where the recovery that was promised is nowhere in sight.

Right now, 23 million men and women are struggling to find work. Twenty-three million people, unemployed or underemployed. Nearly one in six Americans is living in poverty. Millions of young Americans have graduated from college during the Obama presidency, ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. Half of them can't find the work they studied for, or any work at all.

So here's the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?

The first troubling sign came with the stimulus. It was President Obama's first and best shot at fixing the economy, at a time when he got everything he wanted under one-party rule. It cost $831 billion ? the largest one-time expenditure ever by our federal government.

It went to companies like Solyndra, with their gold-plated connections, subsidized jobs, and make-believe markets. The stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare, and cronyism at their worst. You, the working men and women of this country, were cut out of the deal.

What did the taxpayers get out of the Obama stimulus? More debt. That money wasn't just spent and wasted ? it was borrowed, spent, and wasted.

Maybe the greatest waste of all was time. Here we were, faced with a massive job crisis ? so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire American continent. You would think that any president, whatever his party, would make job creation, and nothing else, his first order of economic business.

But this president didn't do that. Instead, we got a long, divisive, all-or-nothing attempt to put the federal government in charge of health care.

Obamacare comes to more than two thousand pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines that have no place in a free country.

The president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over. That will come as news to the millions of Americans who will elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare.

And the biggest, coldest power play of all in Obamacare came at the expense of the elderly.

You see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in Washington still didn't have enough money. They needed more. They needed hundreds of billions more. So, they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama. An obligation we have to our parents and grandparents is being sacrificed, all to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. The greatest threat to Medicare is Obamacare, and we're going to stop it.

In Congress, when they take out the heavy books and wall charts about Medicare, my thoughts go back to a house on Garfield Street in Janesville. My wonderful grandma, Janet, had Alzheimer's and moved in with Mom and me. Though she felt lost at times, we did all the little things that made her feel loved.

We had help from Medicare, and it was there, just like it's there for my Mom today. Medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. A Romney-Ryan administration will protect and strengthen Medicare, for my Mom's generation, for my generation, and for my kids and yours.

So our opponents can consider themselves on notice. In this election, on this issue, the usual posturing on the Left isn't going to work. Mitt Romney and I know the difference between protecting a program, and raiding it. Ladies and gentlemen, our nation needs this debate. We want this debate. We will win this debate.

Obamacare, as much as anything else, explains why a presidency that began with such anticipation now comes to such a disappointing close.

It began with a financial crisis; it ends with a job crisis.

It began with a housing crisis they alone didn't cause; it ends with a housing crisis they didn't correct.

It began with a perfect Triple-A credit rating for the United States; it ends with a downgraded America.

It all started off with stirring speeches, Greek columns, the thrill of something new. Now all that's left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday's wind.

President Obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made. He said, well, "I haven't communicated enough." He said his job is to "tell a story to the American people" ? as if that's the whole problem here? He needs to talk more, and we need to be better listeners?

Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What's missing is leadership in the White House. And the story that Barack Obama does tell, forever shifting blame to the last administration, is getting old. The man assumed office almost four years ago ? isn't it about time he assumed responsibility?

In this generation, a defining responsibility of government is to steer our nation clear of a debt crisis while there is still time. Back in 2008, candidate Obama called a $10 trillion national debt "unpatriotic" ? serious talk from what looked to be a serious reformer.

Yet by his own decisions, President Obama has added more debt than any other president before him, and more than all the troubled governments of Europe combined. One president, one term, $5 trillion in new debt.

He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.

Republicans stepped up with good-faith reforms and solutions equal to the problems. How did the president respond? By doing nothing ? nothing except to dodge and demagogue the issue.

So here we are, $16 trillion in debt and still he does nothing. In Europe, massive debts have put entire governments at risk of collapse, and still he does nothing. And all we have heard from this president and his team are attacks on anyone who dares to point out the obvious.

They have no answer to this simple reality: We need to stop spending money we don't have.

My Dad used to say to me: "Son. You have a choice: You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution." The present administration has made its choices. And Mitt Romney and I have made ours: Before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation's economic problems.

And I'm going to level with you: We don't have that much time. But if we are serious, and smart, and we lead, we can do this.

After four years of government trying to divide up the wealth, we will get America creating wealth again. With tax fairness and regulatory reform, we'll put government back on the side of the men and women who create jobs, and the men and women who need jobs.

My Mom started a small business, and I've seen what it takes. Mom was 50 when my Dad died. She got on a bus every weekday for years, and rode 40 miles each morning to Madison. She earned a new degree and learned new skills to start her small business. It wasn't just a new livelihood. It was a new life. And it transformed my Mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswoman whose happiness wasn't just in the past. Her work gave her hope. It made our family proud. And to this day, my Mom is my role model.

Behind every small business, there's a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores ? these didn't come out of nowhere. A lot of heart goes into each one. And if small businesspeople say they made it on their own, all they are saying is that nobody else worked seven days a week in their place. Nobody showed up in their place to open the door at five in the morning. Nobody did their thinking, and worrying, and sweating for them. After all that work, and in a bad economy, it sure doesn't help to hear from their president that government gets the credit. What they deserve to hear is the truth: Yes, you did build that.

We have a plan for a stronger middle class, with the goal of generating 12 million new jobs over the next four years.

In a clean break from the Obama years, and frankly from the years before this president, we will keep federal spending at 20 percent of GDP, or less. That is enough. The choice is whether to put hard limits on economic growth, or hard limits on the size of government, and we choose to limit government.

I learned a good deal about economics, and about America, from the author of the Reagan tax reforms ? the great Jack Kemp. What gave Jack that incredible enthusiasm was his belief in the possibilities of free people, in the power of free enterprise and strong communities to overcome poverty and despair. We need that same optimism right now.

And in our dealings with other nations, a Romney-Ryan administration will speak with confidence and clarity. Wherever men and women rise up for their own freedom, they will know that the American president is on their side. Instead of managing American decline, leaving allies to doubt us and adversaries to test us, we will act in the conviction that the United States is still the greatest force for peace and liberty that this world has ever known.

President Obama is the kind of politician who puts promises on the record, and then calls that the record. But we are four years into this presidency. The issue is not the economy as Barack Obama inherited it, not the economy as he envisions it, but this economy as we are living it.

College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life. Everyone who feels stuck in the Obama economy is right to focus on the here and now. And I hope you understand this too, if you're feeling left out or passed by: You have not failed, your leaders have failed you.

None of us have to settle for the best this administration offers ? a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us.

Listen to the way we're spoken to already, as if everyone is stuck in some class or station in life, victims of circumstances beyond our control, with government there to help us cope with our fate.

It's the exact opposite of everything I learned growing up in Wisconsin, or at college in Ohio. When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. That's what we do in this country. That's the American Dream. That's freedom, and I'll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners.

By themselves, the failures of one administration are not a mandate for a new administration. A challenger must stand on his own merits. He must be ready and worthy to serve in the office of president.

We're a full generation apart, Governor Romney and I. And, in some ways, we're a little different. There are the songs on his iPod, which I've heard on the campaign bus and on many hotel elevators. He actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies. I said, I hope it's not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC, and ends with Zeppelin.

A generation apart. That makes us different, but not in any of the things that matter. Mitt Romney and I both grew up in the heartland, and we know what places like Wisconsin and Michigan look like when times are good, when people are working, when families are doing more than just getting by. And we both know it can be that way again.

We've had very different careers ? mine mainly in public service, his mostly in the private sector. He helped start businesses and turn around failing ones. By the way, being successful in business ? that's a good thing.

Mitt has not only succeeded, but succeeded where others could not. He turned around the Olympics at a time when a great institution was collapsing under the weight of bad management, overspending, and corruption ? sounds familiar, doesn't it?

He was the Republican governor of a state where almost nine in ten legislators are Democrats, and yet he balanced the budget without raising taxes. Unemployment went down, household incomes went up, and Massachusetts, under Mitt Romney, saw its credit rating upgraded.

Mitt and I also go to different churches. But in any church, the best kind of preaching is done by example. And I've been watching that example. The man who will accept your nomination tomorrow is prayerful and faithful and honorable. Not only a defender of marriage, he offers an example of marriage at its best. Not only a fine businessman, he's a fine man, worthy of leading this optimistic and good-hearted country.

Our different faiths come together in the same moral creed. We believe that in every life there is goodness; for every person, there is hope. Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of Life.

We have responsibilities, one to another ? we do not each face the world alone. And the greatest of all responsibilities, is that of the strong to protect the weak. The truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves.

Each of these great moral ideas is essential to democratic government ? to the rule of law, to life in a humane and decent society. They are the moral creed of our country, as powerful in our time, as on the day of America's founding. They are self-evident and unchanging, and sometimes, even presidents need reminding, that our rights come from nature and God, not from government.

The founding generation secured those rights for us, and in every generation since, the best among us have defended our freedoms. They are protecting us right now. We honor them and all our veterans, and we thank them.

The right that makes all the difference now, is the right to choose our own leaders. And you are entitled to the clearest possible choice, because the time for choosing is drawing near. So here is our pledge.

We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead.

We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility.

We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will reapply our founding principles.

The work ahead will be hard. These times demand the best of us ? all of us, but we can do this. Together, we can do this.

We can get this country working again. We can get this economy growing again. We can make the safety net safe again. We can do this.

Whatever your political party, let's come together for the sake of our country. Join Mitt Romney and me. Let's give this effort everything we have. Let's see this through all the way. Let's get this done.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/full-prepared-remarks-paul-ryan-rnc-speech-023400373.html

new orleans hornets ghost rider spirit of vengeance hornets prince johan friso windows 8 logo anguilla gone with the wind

Solar powered robotic sunfish grooves to the Grateful Dead

23 hrs.

A proof-of-concept solar-powered robot modeled after the giant ocean sunfish could one day serve as biological sensor capable of keeping tabs on the environment.

A video released this week by the robot?s maker, senior scientist Tom Zambrano at AeroVironment, shows it swimming in Pacific Ocean as it grooves to the Grateful Dead?s Bird Song.

The delightfully chill viewing experience provides a few details about the robot, called Mola, which is derived from the scientific name of the giant ocean sunfish, Mola mola.

The fish are the largest known bony fish. They will sometimes float to the ocean surface and bask on their long, flat sides. That behavior appears to be the inspiration for the robot.

Mola looks as if its little more than flat solar panel with fins. As shown in the video, solar panels can be attached to rear to make a flexible tail that supplies additional power.

The panels collect enough power from the sun to cruise through the water at 2 knots as a data logger records physical, chemical, and biological information.

We?ve reached out to Zambrano for additional information on the robot and will update if we learn more.?

For now, watch the video and enjoy the high notes from the Grateful Dead. Given Jerry Garcia?s fondness for scuba in his later years, the song selection for the video clip feels alright.

?? via IEEE?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/solar-powered-robotic-sunfish-grooves-grateful-dead-970278

norad santa tracker vince carter sweet potato casserole

Thursday, August 30, 2012

In Contrast To Facebook, Very Few Yelp Insiders ... - Business Insider

Business Insider

?

When Facebook's first lockup expired, insiders rushed for the exits.

The company's first investor, Peter Thiel, cashed out. Early venture investor Accel Partners handed over its shares to its own investors. Cofounder Dustin Moskovitz is still unloading pieces of his position.

So, yesterday, when Yelp, another post-IPO Web company reached a lockup expiration, lots of short sellers thought its stock would decline too.

It did not. In fact, it finished up 22% on the day.

The reason? Yelp's insiders did not sell yesterday.?

Fortune's Dan Primack sleuthed out the story:

?Fortune has learned that venture capital backers like Bessemer Venture Partners, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and Elevation Partners opted to neither sell nor distribute any Yelp shares today, despite having the opportunity to do so.

A source familiar with the situation also says that CEO Jeremy Stoppelman (founder & CEO) and board member Max Levchin also?held onto their entire positions, but I have not yet been able to get secondary confirmation.

Yelp insiders may still sell, but the fact that they did not as soon as they could certainly weakens the argument some of us made that Facebook's insider selling was not a negative signal for the company.

(We still maintain that Thiel, in particular, should not be a guide for anyone hoping to successful navigate the public markets.)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/in-contrast-to-facebook-very-few-yelp-insiders-sold-at-their-first-chance-2012-8

orcl the hartford illinois primary 2012 michael bay zsa zsa gabor illinois primary trayvon martin 911 call

Is Prosecutorial Misconduct a Product of a ?Few Bad Apples,? or is the Barrel Mostly Rotten? (Theagitator)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/244512435?client_source=feed&format=rss

limp bizkit stations of the cross nike foamposite galaxy bill maher seabiscuit dingo nba all star weekend

What you should know about account-wide pets, mounts and ...

Patch 5.0.4 is live and most of your achievements, pets and mounts are now account-wide. The problem is that they will not all show up when you first log in. You also may find that you don't have as many of each pet as you thought you did. Here's what you should know:

So if you logged in and didn't like the size of your pet and mount journal, log on to all of your characters.

The full posts from Blizzard with this information are after the break.

It's finally here, and you'll be able to enjoy just about every mount and pet you own on any character, and any license, under a single Battle.net account. You can also work on a wide variety of Achievements from multiple characters. Please be aware of the rules and guidelines we've just posted for how you can coalesce your account-wide pets and mounts smoothly and safely.

*To see all of your achievements, pets, and mounts, you'll want to log into every character at least once.

When Patch 5.0.4 goes live in the next week, we will be implementing systems that prepare characters for the Pet Battles system that is coming with World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, and bringing account-wide non-combat pets to the game. During the patching process, non-combat pets will be migrated among your characters, with the final result being all of your non-combat pets available to all of your characters. This initial adjustment to your catalog of pets includes several changes that are worth noting.

1. There will be a limit of 500 pets, per player, that can be carried going forward.
Players will be allowed to go over the 500 pet cap during the 5.0.4 migration.
The migration will not convert more than a total of 1500 pets for a player.
Unique pets will be merged, so there will not be more than one unique pet on an account.

2. Pets that can only be used by characters of the other faction will be greyed out.
Such pets can only be summoned by characters of the proper faction.
Examples include: Balloons, Moonkin Hatchlings.
There are certain pets that will not be account-wide. Examples include: Guild Page, Guild Herald, Argent Squire, Argent Gruntling.

3. Players should not see more than one of any unique pets. Examles include: Lil' KT, Murky, and Frosty.

4. All standard pets will be merged. There will be a limit of three per type for players, but the migration can exceed this limit. Examples of standard pets: Orange Tabby Cat, Brown Prairie Dog, Crimson Whelpling.



It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

Source: http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/28/what-you-should-know-about-account-wide-pets-mounts-and-achieve/

Honey Boo Boo Child marilyn monroe Nathan Adrian London 2012 Synchronized Swimming London 2012 hurdles Taylor Kinney Beach Volleyball Olympics 2012

Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up

Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up

Lenovo is expanding its IdeaPad line to include some new S Series ultraportables. Today the company announced the 13.3-inch S300, the 14-inch S400 and the (also 14-inch) S405. These models sport a metallic finish, with color options including crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink. All three models measure 0.86 inches (21.9mm) and weigh 3.97 pounds (1.8kg), and, aside from screen size, the main difference between them is processor type. The S300 and S400 will be available with Core i3 or Core i5 CPUs, while the S405 will ship with an AMD chip (up to a quad-core A8 processor). Storage options include a 500GB, 750GB or 1TB hard drive, and the S400 and S405 are configurable with a 32GB SSD. Lenovo says you can expect up to five hours of battery life from these machines. They'll go on sale in August (aka now) for $499 and up. Though all models will ship with Windows 7, they'll be eligible for an upgrade to Windows 8. Check out our hands-on below.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up

Filed under:

Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4W3V4oU0YtQ/

Megan Rossee NASA grenada grenada Sikh andy reid McKayla Maroney

RNC might be drawing viewers, but not Obama (Washington Bureau)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/244407702?client_source=feed&format=rss

Ashton Eaton London 2012 basketball London 2012 Slalom Canoe Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones chicago bears

Maximize Your Business Leads with Facebook and LinkedIn ...

Throughout time, businesses, especially local-based operations, depended largely on what was known once as word-of-mouth that is now, in the full impetus of the online marketing generation, is known as networking.

Online networking basically comes in two formats ? either for business to business or business to consumer. Business to business networking can mean becoming a member of a local marketing Forum who offers to meet on a weekly or even monthly basis to discuss latest trends in the local business community.

Well most of the people at these meetings may not be involved in the same business; they will use these meeting places as an informal means of gathering local information that may result in contact and sales. In some cases networking forums of this nature may become national, multiplying opportunities to harvest leads.

As far as making contacts online with the same goal of lead gathering then one of the biggest mediums these days is undoubtedly LinkedIn, whose member base is growing at a tremendous rate. LinkedIn houses trade forums for every sector of business as well as for service providers covering every trade and industry sector. For any business, large or small, having an employee of two active on LinkedIn is a very worthwhile investment.

facebook-linkedin

Tremendously larger in scale but on a similar theme is Facebook. It goes without saying that the networking possibilities on this media giant are totally unlimited. Geared towards the business to consumer sector, maintaining a Facebook page can bring tremendous opportunities and will generate a tremendous number of business leads. What must be remembered when launching a Facebook page is to be ready for the massive influx of potential clientele and remember that these leads will generally be one off in nature.

For business owners who are looking for trade in the consumer sector and find the prospect of dealing with Facebook just a little daunting, a little research may help them to find local consumer marketing websites where they can establish a presence.? The obvious advantage for any marketing company that finds such a niche is that they will be a big fish in a small pool instead of being one of many hundreds of thousands reaching out for a market which will probably be less than relevant to them because of the geographical distances involved.

When it comes to setting a marketing leads harvesting policy, companies should sit down and decide exactly what they?re looking for and how to go about it with the minimum costs and maximum effect.? Being able to identify where the best opportunities lie to harvest marketing leads will save a lot of time, money and effort.

?

Tim has been assisting businesses with their promotional activities online and offline. Tim comes from a brand support background, where he helped businesses with?promotional magnets and pens. Over the last 4 years, Tim has been an active contributor in the business community.

'); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); } }); $.post('http://blog.buyrealmarketing.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { action: 'fbc_ping', post_id: '6110', nonce: '765f29be37' }); })(jQuery);

Source: http://blog.buyrealmarketing.com/social-media-6110/2012-08-29/maximize-your-business-leads-with-facebook-and-linkedin-networking.html

mega millions winners anthony davis palm sunday toure patti smith lottery winners lottery winners

Could a cancer drug prevent learning disabilities in some kids?

ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2012) ? A drug originally developed to stop cancerous tumors may hold the potential to prevent abnormal brain cell growth and learning disabilities in some children, if they can be diagnosed early enough, a new animal study suggests.

The surprising finding sets the stage for more research on how anti-tumor medication might be used to protect the developing brains of young children with the genetic disease neurofibromatosis 1 -- and other diseases affecting the same cellular signaling pathway.

The findings, made in mice, are reported in the journal Cell by scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School and their colleagues. The results are also important to understanding the stem cells that become different brain cells.

Neurofibromatosis 1, or NF1, affects one in every 3,000 children, and causes benign tumors to grow throughout the body, large head size and other issues. Many children with NF1 also struggle with learning to read, write, do math and behave well.

This impact on brain function is considered the most common serious issue caused by NF1, and often appears before other symptoms, except for brown patches on the skin that are often mistaken for birthmarks. But while the tumors that erupt mostly later in life have been well-studied, NF1's effect on brain function isn't understood.

In the new paper, the team studied neural stem cells -- a kind of master cell that can become any type of neural tissue. In newborn mice with two copies of the genetic mutation that causes NF1, neural stem cells in a key area of the brain were far more likely to produce a kind of "helper" nerve cell called glia. They produced far fewer cells called neurons, which send and receive crucial signals in the brain and body.

The scientists then took aim at this abnormal cell growth by giving the mice an experimental drug that has already been used in clinical trials for advanced cancer. Called PD0325901, the drug blocks a specific action within cells called the MEK/ERK pathway. It's one of a class of drugs known as MEK inhibitors.

Mice with the NF1 mutation that got the drug from birth developed normally -- in stark contrast to mice with the same genetic mutations that didn't receive the drug. The untreated mice appeared normal at birth, but within a few days had become hunched and scruffy, with abnormal growth of their bodies and brain cells.

The new paper's senior author, Yuan Zhu, Ph.D., cautions that the particular drug in the trial may not be appropriate to give to children who have been diagnosed with NF1. But other MEK inhibitors are being developed against cancer.

"The important thing is that we have shown that by treating during this brief window of time early in life, when neural stem cells in a developing brain still have time to 'decide' what kind of cell to become, we can cause a lasting effect on neural development," he says. Zhu is an associate professor of internal medicine, in the Division of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, at the Medical School.

The scientists didn't study the drug's effect on the behavior or learning ability of the mice, nor their tendency to develop benign brain tumors that can occur in NF1. In order for any such drug-based intervention to work most effectively, he notes, it would have to be given soon after developmental delays or benign tumors are noted in an infant or toddler, and after a NF1 diagnosis is made.

About half of all people with NF1 inherited the mutated gene from a parent, while about half developed it spontaneously in the womb. The disease affects individual patients very differently -- one child born to a parent with mild NF1 can have a severe form of the disease, while their siblings can have mild or moderate symptoms.

Some people with NF1 have a "double hit" form of the disease, where both copies of the gene are mutated in certain body cells. The second mutation, the scientists say, likely occurs in a neural stem cell that goes on to produce unusual neural cells. These patients often have severe learning disabilities, and an enlarged corpus callosum -- a structure that connects the two halves of the brain and contains a large concentration of glia, the same cells that the mice in the new study had larger numbers of.

In addition to NF1, the researchers predict that their findings may have importance for patients with other genetic conditions that affect the same general cell-signaling pathway called RAS. Collectively called neuro-cardio-facial-cutaneous (NCFC) syndromes or ''RASopathies," they include Leopard syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome and Leguis syndrome -- all of which, like NF1, affect the brains, circulation system and the face or head.

The new research is based on several other discoveries made by current or former U-M faculty. The gene for NF1 was discovered in the late 1980s by Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. when he was a faculty member at the U-M Medical School, together with colleagues from other institutions. Collins is now director of the National Institutes of Health. That discovery paved the way for a genetic test that can now help definitively diagnose children with NF1, and guide their treatment.

Judith Sebolt Leopold, Ph.D., a research associate professor of radiology at the U-M Medical School, was a key member of the research team that developed PD0325901 while she worked at the Pfizer Research Laboratory formerly located in Ann Arbor.

The drug was first used in a cancer clinical trial in 2005, which was stopped when side effects on the retinas of some participants' eyes were noted. A new trial, using the drug in combination with another one, and comparing that combination with another drug combination, is now under way. Other MEK inhibitors, or MEKi drugs, are also in testing around the world, as scientists zero in on the RAS pathway as an important player in all kinds of cancer including melanoma.

In addition to Zhu, the research team includes U-M postdoctoral research fellow and former Zhu graduate student Yuan Wang, Ph.D.; Edward Kim, B.S.; former postdoctoral research fellow Xiaojing Wang, Ph.D.; and colleagues from other institutions Bennett G. Novitch, Kazuaki Yoshikawa and Long-Sheng Chang.

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 University of Michigan Health System.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Yuan Wang, Edward Kim, Xiaojing Wang, Bennett?G. Novitch, Kazuaki Yoshikawa, Long-Sheng Chang, Yuan Zhu. ERK Inhibition Rescues Defects in Fate Specification of Nf1-Deficient Neural Progenitors and Brain Abnormalities. Cell, 2012; 150 (4): 816 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.06.034

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/aBdcuxUgGgs/120829093854.htm

autism awareness angelman syndrome total recall troy tulowitzki katie couric good morning america the rock vs john cena acm awards 2012

Check out Kate Hudson's 3 looks in Venice

By Kurt Schlosser, TODAY

Kate Hudson's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" opened the 69th Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, and for good measure the actress was snapped in three?very different looks.

Getty Images

Hudson arrived at the Hotel Excelsior in jeans and a red tank early in the day. For a photocall at the Palazzo del Casino, she sported a white suit and tucked her aviators into the neck of a tan tank. For the red carpet premiere, the actress glammed it up of course, with a shimmering Atelier Versace gown with her hair pulled back.

Hudson, who is mom to 8-year-old Ryder, gave birth to another boy, 1-year-old Bingham, last July with fiance Matthew Bellamy. The Muse frontman was on Hudson's arm in Venice Wednesday night, below.

Andrew Medichini / AP

Which look do you prefer on Kate Hudson? Vote below and share your style thoughts?on Facebook.

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/08/29/13551135-check-out-kate-hudsons-three-different-looks-at-venice-film-festival?lite

alec baldwin kicked off plane mumia mumia uss arizona memorial uss arizona memorial d day red solo cup

Your dreams have been answered cyclists: WD-40 ... - Recreation Law

WD-40 BIKE Launches to the Cycling Industry

Comprehensive line of bicycle care products developed for cyclists and mechanics.

08.28.2012 ? (San Diego, Calif.) WD-40 Company is pleased to announce the launch of WD-40 BIKE, a subsidiary business unit focused exclusively on cycling-specific maintenance products. WD-40 BIKE will offer an initial product range including wet and dry chain lubricants, a heavy-duty degreaser, a foaming bike wash and a frame protectant.

Developed over a span of 12 months via collaboration between WD-40 scientists, professional bike mechanics and independent bicycle retailers, the WD-40 BIKE line was designed for maintenance-minded and discriminating cycling enthusiasts. The line will be featured in bicycle retailers across the United States.

" The WD-40 brand is definitely no stranger to bicycling," offers Mike Irwin, Managing Partner of WD-40 BIKE Company. "The original WD-40 Multi-Use Product has been a mainstay in the toolboxes of bike mechanics for decades. The new WD-40 BIKE line blends our considerable experience with the demands of today?s bike technology to present a comprehensive high-performance maintenance package."

WD-40 BIKE will make its public debut at the Interbike and Outdoor Demo tradeshows, both held in Las Vegas, NV from September 17-21, 2012. Orders will be accepted at that time and begin shipping to US bicycle retailers in November 2012.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.


Source: http://recreation-law.com/2012/08/28/your-dreams-have-been-answered-cyclists-wd-40-bike-launches-to-the-cycling-industry/

susan g komen kenyon martin kenyon martin big miracle slab city

Eyeless Australian fish have closest relatives in Madagascar

ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2012) ? A team of researchers from Louisiana State University and the American Museum of Natural History has discovered that two groups of blind cave fishes on opposite sides of the Indian Ocean are each other's closest relatives. Through comprehensive DNA analysis, the researchers determined that these eyeless fishes, one group from Madagascar and the other from similar subterranean habitats in Australia, descended from a common ancestor before being separated by continental drift nearly 100 million years ago. Their study, which appears in the journal PLoS ONE this week, also identifies new species that add to existing biological evidence for the existence of Gondwana, a prehistoric supercontinent that was part of Pangaea and contained all of today's southern continents.

"This is the first time that a taxonomically robust study has shown that blind cave vertebrates on either side of an ocean are each other's closest relatives," said Prosanta Chakrabarty, an assistant professor and curator of fishes at Louisiana State University's Museum of Natural Science. "This is a great example of biology informing geology. Often, that's how things work. These animals have no eyes and live in isolated freshwater caves, so it is highly unlikely they could have crossed oceans to inhabit new environments."

The cave fishes, of the genus Typhleotris in Madagascar and Milyeringa in Australia, are small -- less than 100 millimeters long -- and usually lack pigment, a substance that gives an organism its color and also provides protection from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. These characteristics, coupled with a lack of eyes and enhanced sensory capabilities, allow cave fishes to survive in complete darkness. For this reason, the fishes have very restricted distributions within isolated limestone caves. It's also why the newfound genetic relationship between the trans-oceanic groups is an exciting geological find.

"The sister-group relationship between cavefishes from Madagascar and Australia is a remarkable example of Gondwanan vicariance -- a geographical split dating back to the Late Cretaceous some 100 million years ago," said John Sparks, a curator in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. "The interesting thing about Madagascar's extant freshwater fish groups, with the exception of a single species, is that all exhibit relationship patterns that are in time with the Mesozoic breakup of Gondwana -- some are related to groups in India/Sri Lanka, and others to groups in Australia. Only a single freshwater species has its closest relative in nearby Africa."

One of the new species discovered by the researchers, which will be named in a future publication, is a novelty among cave fishes because it is fully and darkly pigmented. The analysis the researchers conducted for this fish's tree of life shows that it evolved from a pigment-free ancestor, indicating that some subterranean forms can "reverse" themselves for this character.

"It is generally thought that cave organisms are unable to evolve to live in other environments," Sparks said. "Our results, and the fact that we have recently discovered new cave fish species in both Madagascar and Australia belonging to these genera, are intriguing from another perspective: they show that caves are not so-called 'evolutionary dead ends.'"

Funding for the research expedition was provided by the Constantine S. Niarchos Expedition Fund, established by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to support the research of museum curators around the globe. This particular expedition turned into more of an adventure than the group was planning -- in fact, one of the new species has been given a moniker that means "big sickness" in Malagasy because of the dangers the team incurred while searching for specimens in this dry, inhospitable region of Madagascar.

"Only two specimens of the new pigmented form were recovered from the first cave we searched in Madagascar, despite the fact that we spent hours in this sinkhole," said Chakrabarty. "Even the locals hadn't been inside of it before."

Because remote locales with caving opportunities exist all over the world, the researchers are eager to pursue other opportunities for discovery.

"Conducting this research really developed my love for caving," said Chakrabarty. "You don't always find something exciting. But, when you consider how isolated many of these caves are, especially in places like Madagascar, and how unaffected they have been by the passage of time, you know that the fish in there are going to tell a really good story."

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 American Museum of Natural History, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Prosanta Chakrabarty, Matthew P. Davis, John S. Sparks. The First Record of a Trans-Oceanic Sister-Group Relationship between Obligate Vertebrate Troglobites. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (8): e44083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044083

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/JBe4i_TDjOI/120829151239.htm

lana del rey snl performance nick diaz sheryl sandberg superbowl recipes super bowl kick off chili recipes carlos condit