Round or 'shaped,' implants yield good results in breast reconstruction

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
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Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Study provides data on 'patient-reported outcomes' for different types of silicone implants

Philadelphia, Pa. (February 28, 2013) For women undergoing breast reconstruction using implants, most patient-reported outcomes are similar with two different shapes of silicone gel-filled implants, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Assessment of key areas of quality of life after breast reconstruction shows few significant differences with conventional round implants versus newer "shaped" implants, according to the new research, led by Dr. Sheina A. Macadam of University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Does Implant Shape Affect Breast Reconstruction Outcomes? The researchers evaluated patient-reported outcomes in women who underwent breast reconstruction with implants after mastectomy for breast cancer. Reconstructions were done using two different types of silicone gel-filled implants: conventional round implants and anatomical "shaped" implants. The study included 65 women receiving round implants and 63 receiving shaped implants; the round implants all had a smooth surface, while the shaped implants had a textured surface

The patients completed the BREAST-Q questionnaire, which evaluated changes in several areas of health-related quality of life, including satisfaction with breasts and with overall outcome, psychosocial, sexual, and physical well-being, and satisfaction with care. Quality of life is increasingly regarded as an important factor in evaluating the benefits of various types of medical or surgical treatments.

Data on patient-reported outcomes was collected one to four years after breast reconstruction. About 80 percent of women in both groups had reconstruction immediately after mastectomy.

The BREAST-Q data showed good overall outcomes with both types of implants. Average scores for satisfaction with the overall reconstruction (on a 100-point scale) were approximately 77 for women receiving shaped implants and 75 for those with round implants. Scores for satisfaction with the breasts were about 64 in both groups.

Scores in other areasincluding psychological and sexual well-beingwere also similar for the two groups. Just one area differed significantly between groups: women with shaped implants rated their breasts as firmer than women with round implants.

Findings May Help to Guide Women's Choice of Implants In a finding important to plastic surgeons, there was no difference in implant "rippling" between groups. Rippling, or wrinkling, had been a drawback of the first generation of shaped implants. Newer shaped silicone implants are not yet approved in the United States; clinical trials are underway.

New implants are introduced to the breast reconstruction market with limited data on the outcomes important to patientsespecially in terms of how the reconstruction affects key areas of quality of life. "Patient-reported outcomes data is required to provide guidance based on previous patients' experience and satisfaction profiles," Dr. Macadam and colleagues write.

The new study finds few differences in patient-reported outcomes after breast reconstruction with round versus shaped implants. "[T]hese two types of silicone implants are equivalent in terms of satisfaction with outcome," according to the authors.

Dr. Macadam and colleagues point out the increased firmness of shaped implants as "the one notable difference" between the two types. They believe their findings will help surgeons inform patients about the expected outcomes of reconstruction using round versus shaped implants, and may help to guide introduction of the shaped implants for widespread use.

###

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

About Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

For more than 60 years, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has been the one consistently excellent reference for every specialist who uses plastic surgery techniques or works in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. The official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery brings subscribers up-to-the-minute reports on the latest techniques and follow-up for all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction, experimental studies, maxillofacial reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, burn repair, and cosmetic surgery, as well as news on medico-legal issues.

About ASPS

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at www.plasticsurgery.org or www.facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and www.twitter.com/ASPS_news.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2011 annual revenues of 3.4 billion ($4.7 billion).

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

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Study provides data on 'patient-reported outcomes' for different types of silicone implants

Philadelphia, Pa. (February 28, 2013) For women undergoing breast reconstruction using implants, most patient-reported outcomes are similar with two different shapes of silicone gel-filled implants, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Assessment of key areas of quality of life after breast reconstruction shows few significant differences with conventional round implants versus newer "shaped" implants, according to the new research, led by Dr. Sheina A. Macadam of University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Does Implant Shape Affect Breast Reconstruction Outcomes? The researchers evaluated patient-reported outcomes in women who underwent breast reconstruction with implants after mastectomy for breast cancer. Reconstructions were done using two different types of silicone gel-filled implants: conventional round implants and anatomical "shaped" implants. The study included 65 women receiving round implants and 63 receiving shaped implants; the round implants all had a smooth surface, while the shaped implants had a textured surface

The patients completed the BREAST-Q questionnaire, which evaluated changes in several areas of health-related quality of life, including satisfaction with breasts and with overall outcome, psychosocial, sexual, and physical well-being, and satisfaction with care. Quality of life is increasingly regarded as an important factor in evaluating the benefits of various types of medical or surgical treatments.

Data on patient-reported outcomes was collected one to four years after breast reconstruction. About 80 percent of women in both groups had reconstruction immediately after mastectomy.

The BREAST-Q data showed good overall outcomes with both types of implants. Average scores for satisfaction with the overall reconstruction (on a 100-point scale) were approximately 77 for women receiving shaped implants and 75 for those with round implants. Scores for satisfaction with the breasts were about 64 in both groups.

Scores in other areasincluding psychological and sexual well-beingwere also similar for the two groups. Just one area differed significantly between groups: women with shaped implants rated their breasts as firmer than women with round implants.

Findings May Help to Guide Women's Choice of Implants In a finding important to plastic surgeons, there was no difference in implant "rippling" between groups. Rippling, or wrinkling, had been a drawback of the first generation of shaped implants. Newer shaped silicone implants are not yet approved in the United States; clinical trials are underway.

New implants are introduced to the breast reconstruction market with limited data on the outcomes important to patientsespecially in terms of how the reconstruction affects key areas of quality of life. "Patient-reported outcomes data is required to provide guidance based on previous patients' experience and satisfaction profiles," Dr. Macadam and colleagues write.

The new study finds few differences in patient-reported outcomes after breast reconstruction with round versus shaped implants. "[T]hese two types of silicone implants are equivalent in terms of satisfaction with outcome," according to the authors.

Dr. Macadam and colleagues point out the increased firmness of shaped implants as "the one notable difference" between the two types. They believe their findings will help surgeons inform patients about the expected outcomes of reconstruction using round versus shaped implants, and may help to guide introduction of the shaped implants for widespread use.

###

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

About Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

For more than 60 years, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has been the one consistently excellent reference for every specialist who uses plastic surgery techniques or works in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. The official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery brings subscribers up-to-the-minute reports on the latest techniques and follow-up for all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction, experimental studies, maxillofacial reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, burn repair, and cosmetic surgery, as well as news on medico-legal issues.

About ASPS

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at www.plasticsurgery.org or www.facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and www.twitter.com/ASPS_news.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2011 annual revenues of 3.4 billion ($4.7 billion).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/wkh-ro022713.php

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Rose in the Hall? Here's how

Baseball's all-time hits king could rehab his image, starting with his appearance

Donald Miralle / Getty Images

Pete Rose's 4,256 career hits are the most in MLB history and nearly 1,000 more than the active player with the most (Derek Jeter, 3,304).

BY JOE POSNANSKI

updated 1:26 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2013

A few years ago, I tried an experiment. Whenever I spoke ? whether it was at a convention or a church gathering or an Optimist Club meeting ? I would find the time to ask a question: How many of you think Pete Rose belongs in the baseball Hall of Fame?

I would say ? and this is conservative ? at least 90 percent of the hands have gone up in the air.

That?s what statisticians might call "a small sample size." It?s anecdotal. Your experience might be completely different ? you might not know anyone who thinks Rose should be in the Hall. But I?d say most fans ? even some who don?t like Rose ? think he deserves a place in Cooperstown.

Look at it: Rose got more hits and reached base more times than anyone (he also came to the plate more often and made more outs). He was amazing, durable and iconic. He was a hero in perhaps the greatest World Series ever, 1975 against the Red Sox. He played in 17 All-Star Games, won a season MVP, a World Series MVP, two Gold Gloves, three batting championships ? and he was banished for gambling on baseball as a manager almost 25 years ago. Many people think the punishment overshoots the crime.

But it?s one thing to think Rose belongs in the Hall. It?s another to map out a path for him. That?s much harder.

There are two ways to get elected. One is by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but that track seems closed for Rose: his eligibility to be on the ballot expired more than a decade ago. True, Rose?s name never appeared because he was banned. Still, it seems unlikely Rose could get on the ballot now.

Second ? and more importantly ? even if Rose somehow did get on the ballot, he?d get nowhere near the necessary 75 percent of the votes. Remember, this is a group that did not vote anyone in this year.

The other way in is through the Veteran?s Committee, a collection of living Hall of Famers. Again, I?ve been doing my own informal polling. I think Rose has almost no chance of getting 75 percent of their vote. The vets' feelings about Rose, who has alienated so many people with his gambling and bad decisions the last quarter-century, seem even more entrenched than the writers?.

So what?s the Rose road map? Is there one? How could he realistically get in? I asked Dan McGinn, a leading crisis manager who works with companies and individuals coping with the most intense catastrophes and difficulties imaginable. McGinn also believes strongly that Rose does belong in the Hall of Fame.

?Look, you can certainly make an argument that Pete Rose has been his own worst enemy,? he began. ?I could see a scenario where, if he had handled all this in a very different way, he might be in the Hall of Fame right now. ? I think Pete would have to begin by asking himself the question: Are you willing to take advice? That?s essential. He can?t make a direct deal to be put on the ballot for the Hall of Fame, I just don?t see that happening. Pete has to make a commitment to demonstrate that, for the rest of the years he?s on this earth, he will live a different way.

"Is Pete Rose willing to do that? I can?t answer the question. He?s, what, 71 or 72 years old now? [Rose turns 72 in April)]. He would have to decide how he wants to live the rest of his life and if he wants to leave a different legacy."

I interject here to say that nothing in Rose?s past suggests he would be willing to make this sort of commitment and take this sort of advice. Rose signs autographs in Vegas, and he just did that dumb reality TV show ?Hits and Mrs.,", and it took him forever to admit he bet on baseball, after he was caught and expelled. He grabs for attention, even third-rate attention. It is part of his psyche.

But let?s say he did take advice. What could he do?

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More newsDonald Miralle / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50973345/ns/sports-baseball/

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'Amateur hour': Vatican's historic conclave drama

Leading historian Michael Walsh discusses the impact of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, his legacy and whether there's a chance that the next pontiff will be a non-European.

By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News

A lame-duck pope. A secret dossier. Rumors of a gay cabal. A cardinal accused of "inappropriate" behavior.

The Vatican is in an uproar, and church scholars say there hasn't been this much drama surrounding a conclave since 1800, when Pope Pius VI died while being held prisoner by Napoleon.

One Vatican watcher says you have to go back to 1730 ? when Pope Benedict XIII's right-hand man fled Rome in disguise amid allegations of corruption ? to find a conclave buffeted by this much scandal.

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"This is not a healthy situation for any kind of institution," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, an expert on the Catholic Church at Georgetown University.

"It looks like amateur hour."

The conclave that will begin next month to choose Pope Benedict XVI's successor was always going to be an anomaly since it's been centuries since a sitting pontiff resigned.

The pope's historic Feb. 11 announcement has been overshadowed, however, by an extraordinary wave of revelations and accusations.

There were calls for cardinals accused of mishandling the sex-abuse crisis to abstain from voting. Then came a report that Britain's top cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien had been accused of bad behavior by priests, followed by his resignation on Monday.

Over the weekend, the Vatican had to deny an Italian newspaper report that Pope Benedict abdicated because an internal probe into the so-called Vatileaks mess had uncovered a network of gay priests who were being blackmailed.

Now comes the news that the pope will only let two people see the report on the document leaks ? himself and his successor ? despite calls for the Holy See to become more transparent.

Certainly, there have been other modern conclave controversies.?

The 1903 frontrunner, Cardinal Mariano Rampolla, was vetoed by the emperor of Austria-Hungary, prompting a change in rules that allowed Catholic powers to knock down a candidate, said NBC News' Vatican expert, George Weigel.

Hulton Archive via Getty Images, file

Experts say there hasn't been this much pre-conclave uproar since a pope spirited out of Rome by Napoleon's forces died.

The conclave of 1914 had cardinals from Germany and France refusing to speak to each other, and the conclave of 1939 was held against the backdrop of a world hurtling toward war.

But today's level of pre-conclave tension hasn't been seen since 1800, two years after French forces invaded Rome and carried off the pope, several experts said.

"You had a dire situation where Pope Pius VI died effectively still a prisoner of the French. The cardinals could not gather in Rome for the election and had to meet on an island off Venice," said Matthew Bunson, general editor of the Catholic Almanac.

James Weiss, a professor of church history at Boston College, sees the conclave of 1730 more analogous, because it was complicated by internal problems, not outside forces.

He said that when Pope Benedict XIII died after six years, his corrupt and powerful aide, Cardinal Niccolo Coscia, was run out of town amid allegations he looted Vatican coffers.

"The population of Rome attacked his palace and he disguised himself a washerwoman and escaped," Weiss said. Coscia managed to negotiate a return for the conclave, however.

The commotion around the upcoming conclave could have serious consequences.

The Vatileaks intrigue would appear to undermine the cardinals of the Roman Curia, the administrators of the Vatican, while the sex-scandal bombshells weaken the outsiders from dioceses around the world, Reese said.

The various crises underscore some of the Vatican's weaknesses: a lack of transparency and an allergy to change in a rapidly modernizing world with a 24-hour news cycle and exploding social media.

"This is chickens coming home to roost," Weiss said.

Church historians say the clouds hovering over the conclave show why the next pope, unlike Benedict and John Paul II before him, must make Vatican house-cleaning a priority ? from streamlining a web-like bureaucracy to standardizing archaic finances.

"It's always an issue when you have an institution that thinks in terms of centuries, to bring about reforms on a turn of a dime." Bunson said,

Bunson said he thinks those reforms are within reach with the right leader, but Weiss wondered if efforts to usher in a new era aren't already being undercut by the Vatican's announcement that the Vatileaks dossier will stay under wraps.

"That means the cardinals are going into the conclave blind, not knowing who among them may have stuffed their pockets or been part of gay sexual enclaves,"?he said.?

Reese said moving up the date of the conclave ? which the pope announced Monday he would allow ? could also be antithetical to change because it gives the cardinals less time to consider outsider candidates.

"This is the most important thing these cardinals will ever do," he said. "There?s no reason to rush."

As Pope Benedict XVI prepares to step down from his position in a matter of days, Italian newspapers are reporting rumors of blackmail and conspiracy. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

?

Related:

Pope says Vatileaks probe will stay secret

Britain's top Catholic cleric resigns amid allegations of inappropriate behavior

LA's Cardinal Mahony calls himself a scapegoat

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17088868-amateur-hour-vatican-conclave-drama-is-one-for-the-history-books-experts-say?lite

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Chinese pro hackers don't work weekends

Christopher Bodeen , The Associated Press ? ? ? 7 hrs.

Beijing hotly denies accusations of official involvement in massive cyberattacks against foreign targets, insinuating such activity is the work of rogues. But at least one piece of evidence cited by experts points to professional cyberspies: China's hackers don't work weekends.

Accusations of state-sanctioned hacking took center stage this past week following a detailed report by a U.S.-based Internet security firm Mandiant. It added to growing suspicions that the Chinese military is not only stealing national defense secrets and harassing dissidents but also pilfering information from foreign companies that could be worth millions or even billions of dollars.

Experts say Chinese hacking attacks are characterized not only by their brazenness, but by their persistence.

"China conducts at least an order of magnitude more than the next country," said Martin Libicki, a specialist on cyber warfare at the Rand Corporation, based in Santa Monica, California. The fact that hackers take weekends off suggests they are paid, and that would belie "the notion that the hackers are private," he said.

Libicki and other cyber warfare experts have long noted a Monday-through-Friday pattern in the intensity of attacks believed to come from Chinese sources, though there has been little evidence released publicly directly linking the Chinese military to the attacks.

Mandiant went a step further in its report Tuesday saying that it had traced hacking activities against 141 foreign entities in the U.S. Canada, Britain and elsewhere to a group of operators known as the "Comment Crew" or "APT1," for "Advanced Persistent Threat 1," which it traced back to the People's Liberation Army Unit 61398. The unit is headquartered in a nondescript 12-story building inside a military compound in a crowded suburb of China's financial hub of Shanghai.

Attackers stole information about pricing, contract negotiations, manufacturing, product testing and corporate acquisitions, the company said.

Hacker teams regularly began work, for the most part, at 8 a.m. Beijing time. Usually they continued for a standard work day, but sometimes the hacking persisted until midnight. Occasionally, the attacks stopped for two-week periods, Mandiant said, though the reason was not clear.

China denies any official involvement, calling such accusations "groundless" and insisting that Beijing is itself a major victim of hacking attacks, the largest number of which originate in the U.S. While not denying hacking attacks originated in China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday that it was flat out wrong to accuse the Chinese government or military of being behind them.

Mandiant and other experts believe Unit 61398 to be a branch of the PLA General Staff's Third Department responsible for collection and analysis of electronic signals such as e-mails and phone calls. It and the Fourth Department, responsible for electronic warfare, are believed to be the PLA units mainly responsible for infiltrating and manipulating computer networks.

China acknowledges pursuing these strategies as a key to delivering an initial blow to an opponent's communications and other infrastructure during wartime ? but the techniques are often the same as those used to steal information for commercial use.

Office hours
China has consistently denied state-sponsored hacking, but experts say the office hours that the cyberspies keep point to a professional army rather than mere hobbyists or so-called "hacktivists" inspired by patriotic passions.

Mandiant noticed that pattern while monitoring attacks on the New York Times last year blamed on another Chinese hacking group it labeled APT12. Hacker activity began at around 8:00 a.m. Beijing time and usually lasted through a standard workday.

The Rand Corporation's Libicki said he wasn't aware of any comprehensive studies, but that in such cases, most activity between malware embedded in a compromised system and the malware's controllers takes place during business hours in Beijing's time zone.

Richard Forno, director of the University of Maryland Baltimore County's graduate cybersecurity program, and David Clemente, a cybersecurity expert with independent analysis center Chatham House in London, said that observation has been widely noted among cybersecurity specialists.

"It would reflect the idea that this is becoming a more routine activity and that they are quite methodical," Clemente said.

The PLA's Third Department is brimming with resources, according to studies commissioned by the U.S. government, with 12 operation bureaus, three research institutes, and an estimated 13,000 linguists, technicians and researchers on staff. It's further reinforced by technical teams from China's seven military regions spread across the country, and by the military's vast academic resources, especially the PLA University of Information Engineering and the Academy of Military Sciences.

The PLA is believed to have made cyber warfare a key priority in its war-fighting capabilities more than a decade ago. Among the few public announcements of its development came in a May 25, 2011 news conference by Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng, in which he spoke of developing China's "online" army.

"Currently, China's network protection is comparatively weak," Geng told reporters, adding that enhancing information technology and "strengthening network security protection are important components of military training for an army."

Unit 61398 is considered just one of many such units under the Third Department responsible for hacking, according to experts.

Greg Walton, a cyber-security researcher who has tracked Chinese hacking campaigns, said he's observed the "Comment Crew" at work, but cites as equally active another Third Department unit operating out of the southwestern city of Chengdu. It is tasked with stealing secrets from Indian government security agencies and think tanks, together with the India-based Tibetan Government in Exile, Walton said.

Another hacking outfit believed by some to have PLA links, the "Elderwood Group," has targeted defense contractors, human rights groups, non-governmental organizations, and service providers, according to computer security company Symantec.

It's believed to have compromised Amnesty International's Hong Kong website in May 2012, although other attacks have gone after targets as diverse as the Council on Foreign Relations and Capstone Turbine Corporation, which makes gas microturbines for power plants.

Civilian departments believed to be involved in hacking include those under the Ministry of Public Security, which commands the police, and the Ministry of State Security, one of the leading clandestine intelligence agencies. The MSS is especially suspected in attacks on foreign academics studying Chinese social issues and unrest in the western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

Below them on the hacking hierarchy are private actors, including civilian universities and research institutes, state industries in key sectors such as information technology and resources, and college students and other individuals acting alone or in groups, according to analysts, University of Maryland's Forno said.

China's government isn't alone in being accused of cyber espionage, but observers say it has outpaced its rivals in using military assets to steal commercial secrets.

"Stealing secrets is stealing secrets regardless of the medium," Forno said. "The key difference is that you can't easily arrest such electronic thieves since they're most likely not even in the country, which differs from how the game was played during the Cold War."

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/china-hackers-seen-increasingly-professional-dont-work-weekends-1C8543779

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Virus shows promise as prostate cancer treatment

Feb. 25, 2013 ? A recombinant Newcastle disease virus kills all kinds of prostate cancer cells, including hormone-resistant cells, but leaves normal cells unscathed, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology. A treatment for prostate cancer based on this virus would avoid the adverse side effects typically associated with hormonal treatment for prostate cancer, as well as those associated with cancer chemotherapies generally, says corresponding author Subbiah Elankumaran of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg. The modified virus is now ready to be tested in preclinical animal models, and possibly in phase I human clinical trials.

Newcastle disease virus kills chickens, but does not harm humans. It is an oncolytic virus that hones in on tumors, and has shown promising results in a number of human clinical trials for various forms of cancer. However, successful treatments have required multiple injections of large quantities of virus, because in such trials the virus probably failed to reach solid tumors in sufficient quantities, and spread poorly within the tumors.

The researchers addressed this problem by modifying the virus's fusion protein. Fusion protein fuses the virus envelope to the cell membrane, enabling the virus to enter the host cell. These proteins are activated by being cleaved by any of a number of different cellular proteases. They modified the fusion protein in their construct such that it can be cleaved only by prostate specific antigen (which is a protease). That minimizes off-target losses, because these "retargeted" viruses interact only with prostate cancer cells, thus reducing the amount of virus needed for treatment.

Retargeted Newcastle disease virus has major potential advantages over other cancer therapies, says Elankumaran. First, its specificity for prostate cancer cells means it would not attack normal cells, thereby avoiding the various unpleasant side effects of conventional chemotherapies. In previous clinical trials, even with extremely large doses of naturally occurring strains, "only mild flu-like symptoms were seen in cancer patients," says Elankumaran. Second, it would provide a new treatment for hormone-refractory patients, without the side effects of testosterone suppression that result from hormonal treatments.

About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and one in 36 will die of this disease. Men whose prostate cancer becomes refractory to hormone treatment have a median survival of about 40 months if they have bone metastases, and 68 months if they do not have bone metastases.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. R. Shobana, S. K. Samal, S. Elankumaran. Prostate Specific Antigen Retargeted Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus for Prostate Cancer Virotherapy. Journal of Virology, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02394-12

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/~3/ni3nR9kCRLw/130225153141.htm

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Oscars James Bond Tribute: Who Is Shirley Bassey?

Famed 007 singer honors franchise's musical tradition during Sunday's (February 24) ceremony.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Shirley Bassey performs at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Mark Davis/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702513/shirley-bassey-james-bond-oscars-tribute.jhtml

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Scientists find bone-marrow environment that helps produce infection-fighting T and B cells

Feb. 24, 2013 ? The Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern has deepened the understanding of the environment within bone marrow that nurtures stem cells, this time identifying the biological setting for specialized blood-forming cells that produce the infection-fighting white blood cells known as T cells and B cells.

The research found that cells called early lymphoid progenitors, which are responsible for producing T cells and B cells, thrive in an environment known as an osteoblastic niche. The investigation, published online February 24 in Nature and led by Dr. Sean Morrison, also establishes a promising approach for scientists to map the entire blood-forming system.

Scientists already know how to manufacture large quantities of stem cells that give rise to the nervous system, skin, and other tissues. But they have been unable to make blood-forming stem cells in a laboratory, in part because of a lack of understanding about the niche in which blood-forming stem cells and other progenitor cells reside in the body.

"We believe this research moves us one step closer toward the development of cell therapies in the blood-forming system that don't exist today," said Dr. Morrison, Director of the Institute and Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "In understanding the environments for blood-forming stem cells and those of different kinds of progenitor cells, we can work toward reproducing those environments in the lab and growing cells that can be transplanted to treat a host of medical conditions."

These findings eventually may help increase the safety and effectiveness of bone-marrow transplants, such as those needed after healthy marrow is destroyed by radiation or chemotherapy treatments for childhood leukemia, Dr. Morrison said. The findings also may have implications for treating illnesses associated with loss of infection-fighting cells, such as HIV and severe combined immunodeficiency disease, better known as bubble boy disease.

The Nature study augments earlier work by Dr. Morrison and his team that showed endothelial cells and perivascular cells lining the blood vessels in the bone marrow create the environment that maintains haematopoietic stem cells, which produce billions of new blood cells every day. The latest study shows that bone-forming cells create the environment that maintains early lymphoid progenitors.

"Our research documents that there are different niches, or microenvironments, for blood-forming stem cells and restricted progenitors in the bone marrow," Dr. Morrison said. "One way that bone marrow makes different kinds of blood-forming cells is by compartmentalizing them into different neighborhoods within the marrow."

The researchers identified niches for stem cells and early lymphoid progenitors by determining which cells are the sources of a growth factor (CXCL12) necessary for the proliferation of those two populations of blood-forming cells. By taking the same approach for other growth factors in the bone marrow, researchers should be able to map the niches for every kind of blood-forming progenitor cell in the bone marrow, Dr. Morrison said.

The UTSW paper's first author is Dr. Lei Ding, a former postdoctoral research fellow at the Children's Research Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at UT Southwestern. Dr. Ding is now an assistant professor at Columbia University.

Research support came from the HHMI and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Lei Ding, Sean J. Morrison. Haematopoietic stem cells and early lymphoid progenitors occupy distinct bone marrow niches. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature11885

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/~3/IFzoJpE0Wvk/130224142913.htm

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NRA uses Justice Dept. memo to accuse Obama on guns

The National Rifle Association is using a Justice Department memo it obtained to argue in ads that the Obama administration believes its gun control plans won't work unless the government seizes firearms and requires national gun registration ? ideas the White House has not proposed and does not support.

The NRA's assertion and its obtaining of the memo in the first place underscore the no-holds-barred battle under way as Washington's fight over gun restrictions heats up.

The memo, under the name of one of the Justice Department's leading crime researchers, critiques the effectiveness of gun control proposals, including some of President Barack Obama's. A Justice Department official called the memo an unfinished review of gun violence research and said it does not represent administration policy.

The memo says requiring background checks for more gun purchases could help, but also could lead to more illicit weapons sales. It says banning assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines produced in the future but exempting those already owned by the public, as Obama has proposed, would have limited impact because people now own so many of those items.

It also says that even total elimination of assault weapons would have little overall effect on gun killings because assault weapons account for a limited proportion of those crimes.

The nine-page document says the success of universal background checks would depend in part on "requiring gun registration," and says gun buybacks would not be effective "unless massive and coupled with a ban."

The administration has not proposed gun registration, buybacks or banning all firearms. But gun registration and ownership curbs are hot-button issues for the NRA and other gun-rights groups, which strenuously oppose the ideas.

Justice Department and White House officials declined to provide much information about the memo or answer questions about it on the record.

The memo has the look of a preliminary document and calls itself "a cursory summary" and assessment of gun curb initiatives. The administration has not release it officially.

But the NRA has posted the memo on one of its websites and cites it in advertising aimed at whipping up opposition to Obama's efforts to contain gun violence. The ad says the paper shows that the administration "believes that a gun ban will not work without mandatory gun confiscation" and thinks universal background checks "won't work without requiring national gun registration" ? ideas the president has not proposed or expressed support for.

"Still think President Obama's proposals sound reasonable?" Chris W. Cox, the NRA's chief Washington lobbyist, says in the ad.

Last month, White House spokesman Jay Carney said none of Obama's proposals "would take away a gun from a single law-abiding American." Other administration officials have said their plans would not result in gun seizures or a national gun registry.

A Justice Department official who would only discuss the issue on condition of anonymity said the NRA ad misrepresents Obama's gun proposals and that the administration has never backed a gun registry or gun confiscation.

While the memo's analysis of gun curb proposals presents no new findings, it is unusual for a federal agency document to surface that raises questions about a president's plans during debate on a high-profile issue such as restricting firearms.

Obama wants to ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines exceeding 10 rounds that are produced in the future. He wants universal background checks for nearly all gun purchases. Today, checks are only mandatory on sales by federally licensed gun dealers, not transactions at gun shows or other private sales.

His plan also includes tougher federal laws against gun trafficking and straw purchases, which occur when a person legally buys a firearm but sells it to a criminal or someone else barred from owning a weapon.

Interest in the gun issue has intensified since the December shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 first-graders and six staffers at an elementary school. The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee plans to write legislation addressing some of Obama's proposals in the next week or two.

The NRA's Cox declined to say how his organization obtained the memo.

He said the commercial is running online in 15 states, including many Republican-leaning states where Democrats will defend Senate seats next year, such as Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. There are also ads in papers in five states.

The memo was written under the name of Greg Ridgeway, acting director of the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department's research arm. It is dated Jan. 4, nearly two weeks before Obama announced his plan for restricting guns, and Ridgeway's first day as acting chief.

Justice Department officials said Ridgeway was not granting interviews. He came to the institute last July from the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research institution where he studied criminal justice issues, and has a Ph.D. in statistics.

The memo says straw purchases and gun thefts are the largest sources of firearms used in crimes, and that such transactions "would most likely become larger if background checks at gun shows and private sellers were addressed."

Gun control supporters said the NRA ad and the Justice memo don't mention that the current federal background check system blocked gun sales to 2.1 million criminals and others barred from owning guns between 1994, when the checks began, and 2010. Also ignored is that Obama has proposed cracking down on straw purchases to prevent a growth in illegal transactions, they said.

Advocates of restricting guns also said the memo omitted mention of several studies that affirm the effectiveness of firearms curbs. These include a 2010 police group analysis showing more than one-third of police departments found increased criminal use of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines since the 2004 expiration of the ban on those items.

"It doesn't appear to be a serious discussion of gun violence prevention policy, never mind an expression of administration policy," said Joshua Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

The memo says that out of 11,000 annual gun homicides, an average of 35 deaths yearly are from mass shootings, defined as those with four or more victims.

"Policies that address the larger firearm homicide issue will have a far greater impact even if they do not address the particular issues of mass shootings," it says.

It says there were an estimated 1.5 million assault weapons before the 10-year ban on those firearms began in 1994, so their sheer number would weaken a new ban exempting existing weapons. Such guns accounted for just 2 percent to 8 percent of crimes before the 1994 ban, so eliminating assault weapons "would not have a large impact on gun homicides," the memo said.

Recent data on the assault weapons ban impact is scarce because since the 1990s, Congress has blocked most federal research on the effect that firearms have on public health. As part of the gun restrictions Obama proposed last month, he ordered federal scientific agencies to research gun violence.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nra-uses-justice-memo-accuse-obama-guns-084745794.html

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What An Ad During Oscars Costs This Year - Business Insider

The Academy Awards is nicknamed "prom for Hollywood," but it isn't just the biggest night of the year for Hollywood star-watching ? it's also one of the biggest live TV events of the year, which means an ad goldmine for ABC (owned by?Disney).

Perhaps the most apt nickname for the Oscars is "the Super Bowl for women," because it's one of the most important events of the year for advertisers ? arguably the best occasion to reach a captive audience of women. ABC, which broadcasts the event, said it saw the highest demand for Oscar ads in over a decade.

(Read More:?Best Picture Winners With the Biggest 'Oscar Bump')

The average 30 second spot sold for between $1.65 million and $1.8 million, the highest prices since 2008, when ads averaged $1.7 million. That means this year ABC will bring in about $85 million in ad revenue, more than it has in over a decade.

Why are live events more valuable? In a word: Twitter. Chatter on Twitter and?Facebook?is driving more people to be part of the conversation and watch in real time, which means they're watching ads.

And this year ABC is looking to grow the social conversation with a new interactive app and Facebook ballot, which allows movie fans to watch and comment on the show with their friends.

(Read More:?13 Actors Hit With The Oscar Curse)

Plus, there's hope that new host Seth Macfarlane will draw younger and more male viewers, to balance out the traditionally female audience. Hyundi and?JC Penney,which were the biggest ad buyers in last year's telecast are both returning. And we'll see two tech rivals duke it out:?Apple?and rival?Samsung?have both bought slots.

So how does ABC's $85 million take compare? Rival CBS has more big one-off events. In addition to the Grammys, where 30 second spots run as much as $900,000, it also has the Country Music Awards. And this year, it was CBS' turn in the Super Bowl rotation between CBS, Fox and NBC, and Super Bowl spots were the most expensive they've ever been ? as much as $3.8 million.

(Read More:?Jumping Into Oscar Buzz: Aflac for Affleck)

Fox has the biggest regular live show, "American Idol," and NBC has Sunday Night Football, where ads run north of half a million dollars. With the rise of DVR usage, the networks ?ad advertisers ? are willing to pay more and more to capture viewers' attention for rare real-time viewing.

?By CNBC's Julia Boorstin; Follow her on Twitter:?@JBoorstin

This story was originally published by CNBC.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

Tags: Oscars, Advertising, ABC, CNBC | Get Alerts for these topics ?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-an-ad-during-oscars-costs-this-year-2013-2

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Liberal Watchdog Group: 'Fix The Debt' Movement More Astroturf Than Grassroots

The liberal watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy says Fix the Debt ? a key unit in philanthropist Pete Peterson's corps of organizations to battle the national debt ? is a pro-business effort masquerading as a grassroots movement.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, CMD director Lisa Graves called Fix the Debt "an Astroturf supergroup that is exceedingly well funded." The term "Astroturf" refers to groups that appear to be citizen-organized but actually have their roots at consultants' offices inside the Capital Beltway.

A spokesman for Fix the Debt hotly denies the charge. Jon Romano said the center got some of its facts wrong, adding, "It is unfortunate that some would rather cast aspersions and misrepresent this view than engage in a constructive conversation about tackling this very real problem. Demagoguing does nothing to protect the most vulnerable."

Fix the Debt is promoting a citizens' petition, with 346,000 names. CMD, which last year used leaked documents to report on the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council, traced the corporate ties and lobbying records of Fix the Debt leaders.

Among the co-founders, co-chairs and steering committee ? 13 people in all ? it found six who sit on corporate boards, including GE, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley; advisers to Goldman Sachs and the private equity firm KKR; and lobbyists for KKR, the Private Equity Growth Capital Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Fix the Debt also has two well-populated advisory groups: a CEO council with about 90 members, and a Business Leaders Council of about 40.

"They really are posturing as a grassroots movement," says Graves. "They are putting forward this notion of these business leaders not as job creators, but as problem solvers on the economy ? when in fact the record shows that a lot of these companies are actively lobbying to keep tax loopholes open" and to promote other corporation-friendly policies.

CMD's analysis also appears in The Nation, in a package of stories on Peterson's long-running effort to move the national debt to the top of Washington's agenda.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/02/23/172761961/liberal-watchdog-group-fix-the-debt-movement-more-astroturf-than-grassroots?ft=1&f=1014

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Face-Off Classic part of busy weekend for DU Pioneer sports teams

Year No. 4 of coach Bill Tierney's tenure with the University of Denver men's lacrosse team includes high hopes of advancing to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament.

The Pioneers, who made it to the Final Four in 2011 and to the Elite Eight last year, begin their home schedule this weekend with the Face-Off Classic at Barton Stadium.

No. 11-ranked DU (1-1) plays No. 12 Lehigh (2-0) on Saturday and Canisius (0-0) on Sunday. Air Force (2-1) also is in the four-team Face-Off Classic and plays the Golden Griffins and Mountain Hawks in opposite order of the back- to-back doubleheaders.

Lehigh is fifth in the NCAA power rankings, ahead of No. 9 Air Force and No. 10 DU. The Falcons and Pioneers won't meet until an ECAC contest March 23 in Denver.

"We're really excited about getting back home this weekend," Tierney said this week. "We've got some great teams coming in, with Lehigh, who's ranked in front of us in one poll, Air Force and Canisius. It should be a great weekend with four Division I games in two days."

DU began its season Feb. 9 at Duke, upsetting the Blue Devils 14-12. The Pioneers lost 15-12 last weekend to Penn State in Jacksonville, Fla.

"We're coming off a tough defeat to Penn State, and we're looking forward to playing another great team," Tierney said. "Hopefully we'll be better this week and redeem ourselves against a great Lehigh team."

DU is 37-15 under Tierney, the former Princeton coach who led the Tigers to six NCAA titles and to 10 Final Fours.

The Pioneers again are led by midfielders Chase Carraro, Jeremy Noble and Cameron Flint, who are in their third consecutive season of starting together.

Sophomore attack Eric Adamson leads DU with six goals and nine points. Fellow attackmen Eric Law and Wes Berg have combined for nine goals. Sophomore goalie Ryan LaPlante of Fort Collins has started both games.

Also at DU this weekend, the formerly named North Dakota Fighting Sioux invade Magness Arena for the last Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season series between the longtime rivals.

The two-game set begins Friday at 8 p.m. before a NBC Sports Network audience. Saturday's 7 p.m. game will be carried regionally by Root.

UND took three of four points from DU in Grand Forks, N.D., in December, with a 2-2 tie and a 6-3 win.

DU and UND began playing each other in 1949. The Pioneers and UND met for the WCHA playoff title a year ago, with UND winning 4-0.

Throw in the DU women's gymnastics four-team Winterfest Invitational on Saturday night at Hamilton Gymnasium, and it's stacking up to be a busy weekend on the DU campus.

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Polar Plungers warm up to Special Olympics

Participants in the 2012 Polar Plunge weren't about to give Chatfield Reservoir a cold shoulder. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)

fundraising

With the heavy stuff behind us out of this cold front, Saturday's forecast looks perfect for a swim at the Aurora Reservoir. The annual Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Colorado makes its Denver-area stop this weekend, and at a new location. (It previously was at Chatfield Reservoir.) The plunging begins at 1 p.m., with check-in starting at 11 a.m. And it's not too late to register. Plungers must raise at least $85 to participate ($50 for students and Special Olympics athletes). To get to the plunge site, go about 2 miles east of E-470 and Quincy Avenue then south on Powhaton Road. An after-party event will go until 5 p.m. at Arapahoe Park, with food, music and vendors. Outback Steakhouse will provide soup and sandwiches free of charge. For more information, go to specialolympicsco.org.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/Db7sTu8R-nI/sports-weekend-face-off-classic-part-busy-weekend

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MASK OFF MEXICO: Leaders in the Government of the United States' southern neighbor ignored Fast and Furious, now exploiting Sandy Hook

MASK OFF MEXICO: Leaders in the Government of the United States' southern neighbor ignored Fast and Furious, now exploiting Sandy Hook

If you ever wondered why the Mexican government seemed to go out of its way to address an operation led by the U.S. Government, designed to put weapons into the hands of drug cartels, who used those guns to murder innocent people, the actions of Mexico's lawmakers may help answer that question. They are lobbying U.S. Senators to force Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico to force their citizens to register all guns.

Ben Barrack, conservative talk show host, writer, and author of the new book, Unsung Davids, says that when contrasted with the lack of interest on the part of Mexican officials over Fast and Furious, this attempt by Mexican politicians says quite a bit. ?This basically confirms that Mexican authorities are on-board with the Obama administration's attempt to exploit the Sandy Hook shootings,? Barrack said.

The good news, Barrack says, is that American citizens are beginning to connect the dots when it comes to contrasting those two events. In a local CBS news report in Arizona, citizens were interveiwed about the proposal of Mexican lawmakers and multiple references were made to Fast and Furious. ?The behavior of these Mexican officials is the equivalent of ripping their masks off. They're in on it and it doesn't matter why. Ends do not justify the means,? Barrack said.

Some believe that Mexico is playing ball with the Obama administration because it doesn't want to threaten trade relations with the U.S. ?This would be a form of soft blackmail,? Barrack says, ?and if that's being done to prevent the truth about an operation designed to produce dead bodies to further gun control, we have a big, big problem.?

?Once people begin contrasting the details of Fast and Furious with what is being done in the wake of Sandy Hook, a lot of things become very, very clear. In particular,? Barrack says, ?something people cannot bring themselves to admit.?

To find out what that 'something' is, contact Special Guests today for an interview with Ben Barrack.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL DURING SHOW PREP:
http://barracknow.blogspot.com/2013/02/mask-is-off-mexican-government-ignored.html

ABOUT BEN BARRACK...
Ben Barrack is an Investigative Radio Host and Blogger who broadcasts in Central Texas. He is the author of the new book Unsung Davids: Ten Men who Battled Goliath Without Glory. His columns have appeared on Pajamas Media, Human Events, Big Government, World Net Daily and others.

Barrack is a strong critic of the mainstream media and supports patriotic and reliable bloggers who do much of the mainstream media?s work at no charge, with little recognition, while earning their living via other means.

Barrack maintains a website at www.benbarrack.com

Source: http://www.specialguests.com/guests/viewnews.cgi?id=EFyEklyFkuKUpshGBh&tmpl=default

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?You Got Popped!? K.Michelle Taunts Mimi Faust On Twitter Following B.B. King Fight

Source: VH1

Earlier today we reported that ?Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta? star, Mimi Faust responded to a physical altercation that she was involved in with cast member K.Michelle recently. According to Mimi?s statement released to the Jasmine Brand, there wasn?t an actual fight. Instead, the statement says that K.Michelle simply hit Mimi with flowers and that was the end of the altercation. Now, in a statement Twitter-rant of her own, K.Michelle is implying that things went down quite differently than the manner in which Mimi?s camp may want you to believe.

?You should not have brought your skinny A$$ 2my show talking crazy 2me. U got popped. U can?t get mad cuz I think ur boyfriend is down low,? she tweeted.

?Defend yourself not a man u just met who is only using u 4TV. I?ll hurt u with the truth before I tell u a lie. Ain?t nobody got time 4that.?

?Now I?m done with it, I?m in a good place and plan on staying there. Truth hurts deal wit it.?

?A real friend will hurt u with the truth before they tell u a lie,? she finished.

I suppose we?ll all have to wait and see how things actually went down when the new season of ?Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta? airs in April, since I highly doubt that Mona allowed that moment to go down without VH1 cameras hovering around. The singer also officially announced during a D.C. concert that she will not be returning to ?Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta? after this season, which was actually caught on film by Aimer Amour Magazine.

?I?m announcing that, I won?t be on ?Love & Hip Hop??I just feel like when God is brining you to the positive, it?s very hard to say ?Thank you Jesus and f**k you b****es?.?

Check the next page for footage of K.Michelle semi-addressing the fight and announcing her departure from the show. What do you think of her reaction to the fight? Will you miss on her on ?Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta??

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Source: http://madamenoire.com/263623/you-got-popped-k-michelle-taunts-mimi-faust-on-twitter-following-b-b-king-fight/

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Google prepping touchscreen laptop series?

The Wall Street Journal claims that the web giant's new hardware will run the Chrome operating system and embrace cloud computing technology.

The move would see Google move into direct competition in the sector with Microsoft, whose Windows 8 operating system is designed with touchscreen computers in mind.

Google has already made inroads in the budget computing market, selling around 100,000 $199 and $249 Chromebooks in the US during the fourth quarter of 2012.

Source: http://www.dvhardware.net/article57671.html

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Beastly Justice

Illustration by Robert Neubecker

In the fall of 1457, villagers in Savigny, France witnessed a sow and six piglets attack and kill a 5-year-old boy. Today, the animals would be summarily killed. But errant 15th-century French pigs went to court. And it wasn?t for a show trial?this was the real deal, equipped with a judge, two prosecutors, eight witnesses, and a defense attorney for the accused swine. Witness testimony proved beyond reasonable doubt that the sow had killed the child. The piglets? role, however, was ambiguous. Although splattered with blood, they were never seen directly attacking the boy.? The judge sentenced the sow to be hanged by her hind feet from a ?gallows tree.? The piglets, by contrast, were exonerated.

Such a case might seem bizarre to modern observers, but animal trials were commonplace public events in medieval and early modern Europe. Pigs, cows, goats, horses, and dogs that allegedly broke the law were routinely subjected to the same legal proceedings as humans. In a court of law, they were treated as persons. These somber affairs, which always adhered to the strictest legal procedures, reveal a bygone mentality according to which some animals possessed moral agency.

Scholars who have explored animals on trial generally avoid addressing this mentality. Instead, they?ve situated animal trials in several sensible (and academically safer) frameworks. The dominant explanation from legal scholars and historians is that, in a society of people who believed deeply in a divinely determined order of being, with humans at the top, any disruption of God?s hierarchy had to be visibly restored with a formal event. Another hypothesis is that animal trials may have provided authorities an opportunity to intimidate the owners of animals?especially pigs?who ran roughshod through the commons. A sow hanging from the gallows was, in essence, a public service announcement saying, Control your pigs or they?ll die sooner than you hoped. ?

While these explanations go partway toward elucidating animal trials, none of them fully clarify the practice. They hardly explain why citizens went to great pains to create space for humans to judge animals for their actions. Correcting hierarchical order or sending a stern message to animal owners could have been accomplished much more easily and cheaply with summary execution. What the trials strongly suggest is that pre-industrial citizens deemed the animals among them worthy of human justice primarily because they had, like humans, the free will to make basic choices. ?

Judges routinely considered animals? personal circumstances before making a legal decision. Take the exonerated piglets in the opening anecdote. The judge deemed them innocent not only on technical grounds (no witnesses came forth to confirm that the piglets attacked), but also because the pigs were immature, and thus poorly positioned to make clear choices. Furthermore, they were raised by a rogue mother, he indicated, and thus unable to internalize the proper codes of conduct for village-dwelling piglets.

Intentions mattered as well. In a 1379 case, also in France, the son of a swine keeper was attacked and killed by two herds of swine.? The court determined that one herd initiated the attack while the other joined in afterward. The judge sentenced both herds to death because their evident cries of enthrallment during the melee were said to confirm their expressed approval of it, whether they were directly responsible or not. A sow hanged in 1567 was convicted not only for assaulting a 4-month-old girl, but for doing so with extra ?cruelty.? ??

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8221b201fbe132230a38dd6cca95c072

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1957 Ford Thunderbird

Description:

?1957 Thunderbird, Majority Original 1957 Colonial White paint throughout. Owned in Dallas, Tx & southern California both southwest dry climates most important.
49, 318 odometer miles believed original. Fresh rebuilt 312-245 h.p. V8-4BBL and Ford O Matic transmission both rebuilt in Minter's restoration facility.

Master Guide Power Steering and Swift Sure Power Brakes, Engine dress option, Town & Country radio, Windshield Washer, Accessory back up lights, Ford's Magic Air heater.

New gas tank, major brake job and recent carburetor rebuild in Minter's restoration facility. 1957 Colonial White has been owned personally by Amos Minter for years. Buy her today with a Minter Restoration or do her yourself.
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Price: $31,500

Source: http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/ford/thunderbird/1534232.html?refer=rss

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Famous Cuban blogger makes South Florida stop

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A famous activist and Cuban blogger has planned a South Florida stop.

Yoani Sanchez, a known critic of Cuba's Castro regime, is scheduled to speak at Miami-Dade College's Freedom Tower, April 1.

She will also be presented with the college's presidential medal.

Sanchez recently left Cuba to embark on a global speaking tour after the communist country lifted travel restrictions.

(Copyright 2013 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://www.wsvn.com/rss/read/news/articles/local/21009901382227/

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Crazy Guy Remasters 320x240 Doom Screenshot Into Stunning 9600x7211-Pixel Photoshop

This. Is. MADNESS. Watch Deviant Art user Elemental79 converting a 320 x 240 pixel screenshot from Doom—the legendary 1993 game that made first person shooters popular—into a stunning 9,600 x 7,211 image complete with textures, lighting and 3D effects using Photoshop. It's absolutely nuts. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e-OhkQVtF00/crazy-guy-remasters-320x240-doom-screenshot-into-a-9600x7211+pixel-photoshop-image

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