Rivals prepare for legal battle over abortion bans

FILE - In this April 16, 2012 file photo, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple speaks in Bismarck, N.D. Dalrymple signed legislation on March 26, 2013 that would make North Dakota the nation's most restrictive state on abortion rights, banning the procedure if a fetal heartbeat can be detected ? something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Rival legal teams, each well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for high-stakes court battles in the coming months over this law and one enacted in Arkansas that would would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. (AP Photo/Dale Wetzel, File)

FILE - In this April 16, 2012 file photo, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple speaks in Bismarck, N.D. Dalrymple signed legislation on March 26, 2013 that would make North Dakota the nation's most restrictive state on abortion rights, banning the procedure if a fetal heartbeat can be detected ? something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Rival legal teams, each well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for high-stakes court battles in the coming months over this law and one enacted in Arkansas that would would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. (AP Photo/Dale Wetzel, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2013 file photo, Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, explains his bill dealing with abortion at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. The bill, which was passed into law on March 6 when legislators overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. Rival legal teams, each well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for high-stakes court battles over the coming months on this law and one in North Dakota that would impose the nation's toughest bans on abortion. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

FILE - In this March 25, 2013 file photo, Kris Kitko leads chants of protest at an abortion-rights rally at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D. Rival legal teams, each well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for high-stakes court battles over the coming months on laws enacted in Arkansas and North Dakota that would impose the nation's toughest bans on abortion. The Arkansas law, approved March 6 when legislators overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. On March 26, North Dakota went even further, with Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signing a measure that would ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, when a fetal heartbeat can first be detected. (AP Photo/James MacPherson, File)

Rival legal teams, well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for court battles over the coming months on laws enacted in Arkansas and North Dakota that would impose the nation's toughest bans on abortion.

For all their differences, attorneys for the two states and the abortion-rights supporters opposing them agree on this: The laws represent an unprecedented frontal assault on the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.

The Arkansas law, approved March 6 when legislators overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. On March 26, North Dakota went further, with Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signing a measure that would ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, when a fetal heartbeat can first be detected and before some women even know they're pregnant.

Abortion-rights advocates plan to challenge both measures, contending they are unconstitutional violations of the Roe ruling that legalized abortion until a fetus could viably survive outside the womb. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks.

"I think they're going to be blocked immediately by the courts ? they are so far outside the clear bounds of what the Supreme Court has said for 40 years," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The center will be leading the North Dakota legal challenge and working in Arkansas alongside the American Civil Liberties Union's state and national offices. Both Northup and ACLU lawyers say they have ample resources to wage the battles, and they expect victories that would require their attorneys' fees to be paid by two states.

Dalrymple, in signing the ban, acknowledged that its chances of surviving a court challenge were questionable, but said it was worth the eventual price tag ? at this point unknown ? in order to test the boundaries of Roe.

North Dakota's attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, initially said lawyers from his office would defend any lawsuits but is now considering hiring outside help. His office is working on a cost estimate for the litigation that could be presented to lawmakers soon.

"We're looking at a sufficient amount to adequately defend these enactments," Stenehjem said.

A lead sponsor of the Arkansas ban, Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert, said threats of lawsuits "should not prevent someone from doing what is right."

He contended that the ban had a chance of reaching the U.S. Supreme Court through the appeals process and suggested that the victory predictions made by abortion-rights lawyers amounted to "posturing" aimed at deterring other states from enacting similar bans.

In both Arkansas and North Dakota, the states' lawyers will be getting pro bono assistance from lawyers with Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group.

Mathew Staver, the group's chairman, said supporters of the bans were resolved to fight the legal battles to the end, and issued a caution to the rival side.

"They ought to hold off on their celebrations," he said. "The cases have a long way to go through the court system."

The North Dakota ban is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1, along with two other measures that have angered abortion-rights backers. One would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, the other would make North Dakota the first state to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is reviewing its options regarding the latter two bills, but definitely plans to challenge the 6-week ban before Aug. 1. Northup said her team is pondering whether to file suit in state court or U.S. district court.

In Arkansas, where the 12-week ban would take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, abortion-rights lawyers plan to file their challenge in federal court within the next few weeks.

Bettina Brownstein, who will be representing the ACLU of Arkansas in the case, said the U.S. district court with jurisdiction over Little Rock had issued rulings in past abortion-related cases that gave her confidence of victory this time.

"Eventually it could go to U.S. Supreme Court on appeal, but that would take a while, and they may not want to hear it," she said. "It's a question of how much money the state wants to spend."

Northup chided officials in both Arkansas and North Dakota for their willingness to spend taxpayers' money on difficult and divisive legal cases.

"It's important that the citizens of those states realize that every dollar spent to defend blatantly unconstitutional laws is taxpayers' dollars wasted," she said.

Attorneys' fees for the upcoming cases are impossible to estimate at this stage, but Northup said her organization received $1.3 million in fees from Alaska after that state lost a recent case regarding an abortion-related law.

The last few years have been intensely busy for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the ACLU and other abortion-rights legal groups as Republican-controlled legislatures have enacted scores of laws seeking to restrict access to abortion. At least two dozen such measures are currently the target of lawsuits, said Northup, who vowed that her organization "will not let unconstitutional laws go on challenged."

Some of the recent laws place new requirements on abortion clinics, others require abortion providers to perform certain procedures or offer state-mandated counseling before an abortion can take place.

At least 10 states have passed bills banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage. One of those laws, in Idaho, was struck down by a U.S. district judge on March 6, while the laws in Georgia and Arizona have been temporarily blocked by judges pending further court proceedings.

Abortion-rights advocates, while eager to defeat the new bans in North Dakota and Arkansas, worry about the impact of the broader surge of restrictions.

"I don't believe these bans are going to take effect, but the danger is that they make the other laws look reasonable," said Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "The ultimate goal is to take this decision away from a woman and her doctor and give it to the politicians."

One of the most frequent targets of the anti-abortion laws is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which ? in addition to providing a range of other health services ? is the nation's leading provider of abortions.

Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, said she found it frustrating that women "continue to be a political punching bag." But she saw an upside to the wave of anti-abortion legislation: more members and more donations for her organization.

"These attacks have served to energize our supporters," she said. "We've gained 2 million members in the past two years."

There's new energy on the other side as well.

The tough North Dakota laws have been welcomed by the protesters who gather weekly in Fargo outside the state's lone abortion clinic.

Among those on hand for the latest protest at the Red River Women's Clinic was Scott Carew, 50, who had brought two anti-abortion posters nailed to pieces of wood.

"Certainly, we're proud of the governor standing up for life," Carew said. "We're going to keep standing up for life until we can't stand up anymore."

___

Associated Press reporters James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D., David Kolpack in Fargo, N.D., and Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

___

Follow David Crary on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-31-Abortion%20Showdown/id-d016fa57cd9c43b08b39a07f87b6d985

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Hong Kong court rejects Filipino maids' plea for residency

Domestic workers in Hong Kong have long been treated a notch below other foreign workers, and are told that admission into the country can never be for the purposes of settlement.

By Robert Marquand,?Staff writer / March 25, 2013

Sringatin, a member of a domestic workers union, cries outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong Monday, March 25, 2013. Hong Kong's top court ruled against two Filipino domestic helpers seeking permanent residency Monday, the final decision in a case that affects tens of thousands of other foreign maids in the southern Chinese financial hub.

Kin Cheung/AP

Enlarge

Hong Kong?s top court announced that foreigners can enter the city as maids and domestic helpers, but cannot expect to settle there as permanent residents.

Skip to next paragraph Robert Marquand

Staff writer

Over the past three decades, Robert Marquand has reported on a wide variety of subjects for?The Christian Science Monitor, including American education reform,?the wars in the Balkans, the Supreme Court, South Asian politics, and the oft-cited "rise of China." In the past 15 years he has served as the Monitor's bureau chief in Paris, Beijing, and New Delhi.?

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The verdict deals a blow to a huge contingent of Filipino maids and nannies ? estimated at some 300,000 females, usually unmarried and under 35 ? who make up a diaspora in Hong Kong. The domestic workers are increasingly seen as an indispensable part of the fast-paced city's social fabric, helping keep the Chinese family working and orderly in a highly competitive environment.

Yet sadly for the maids, today?s ruling reverses a lower court verdict that would have allowed the women?to seek residency.?Had it been upheld, the ruling would have been a breakthrough for the rights of domestic workers, who often complain of overwork, second-class status, and occasionally, abuse.

The system for foreign workers in Hong Kong is stratified. As CNN notes today:

While other foreign workers can apply for permanent residency after spending seven consecutive years in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, domestic helpers are excluded from the law.

Justice Ma wrote in his ruling that foreign domestic helpers are "told from the outset that admission is not for the purposes of settlement."

The ruling was greeted with disappointment by campaigners.

"It's very unfortunate and it's sad but in a way it will make us stronger as it highlights the social exclusion that foreign domestic workers face in Hong Kong," said Cynthia Tellez, General Manager of the?United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

In recent years the ubiquitous Filipino maid has become a staple part of Hong Kong culture. They are known for hard work, dignity, and efficiency. Collectively, they have built a kind of mini-civic society: They have their own postal system, often police themselves, have a variety of support groups, and even run ballots and campaigns for elections back home.

Most middle- and upper-echelon Hong Kong families hire a maid, and apartments usually include a tiny space as the maid?s quarters or abode.

For many years on Sundays, usually their only day off, Filipino nannies peacefully and colorfully gathered in central Hong Kong, along the main boulevard, past the city hall and the old Admiralty building, putting down blankets or chairs and pulling out lunch baskets, stretching out two-or three deep on a sidewalk in a line that often is a half-mile long.

Yet the right of maids to assemble has been under attack, and their overall legal status has been shrinking, as the city contemplates the costs (said to be $3 billion or more) of offering them the kinds of equal access that would involve education and other social services.

The South China Morning Post writes:

The judgment ends the right of abode saga started by a judicial review sought by Evangeline Vallejos Banao, a mother of five, who has worked in Hong Kong since 1986. She had argued that an immigration provision barring domestic workers from permanent residency was unconstitutional.

Mark Daly, a lawyer for Vallejos, said his client was ?speechless but calmly resigned and said ?no problem.?

Vallejos won a High Court ruling in 2011 granting her the right to request permanent residency status, denied to the city?s 300,000 foreign maids until then. The decision however was overturned later on a government appeal.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/AXPsqnhYOmQ/Hong-Kong-court-rejects-Filipino-maids-plea-for-residency

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Brain scans might predict future criminal behavior

Friday, March 29, 2013

A new study conducted by The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., shows that neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal will reoffend following release from prison.

The paper, which is to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, studied impulsive and antisocial behavior and centered on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that deals with regulating behavior and impulsivity.

The study demonstrated that inmates with relatively low anterior cingulate activity were twice as likely to reoffend than inmates with high-brain activity in this region.

"These findings have incredibly significant ramifications for the future of how our society deals with criminal justice and offenders," said Dr. Kent A. Kiehl, who was senior author on the study and is director of mobile imaging at MRN and an associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico. "Not only does this study give us a tool to predict which criminals may reoffend and which ones will not reoffend, it also provides a path forward for steering offenders into more effective targeted therapies to reduce the risk of future criminal activity."

The study looked at 96 adult male criminal offenders aged 20-52 who volunteered to participate in research studies. This study population was followed over a period of up to four years after inmates were released from prison.

"These results point the way toward a promising method of neuroprediction with great practical potential in the legal system," said Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics in the Philosophy Department and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, who collaborated on the study. "Much more work needs to be done, but this line of research could help to make our criminal justice system more effective."

The study used the Mind Research Network's Mobile Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System to collect neuroimaging data as the inmate volunteers completed a series of mental tests.

"People who reoffended were much more likely to have lower activity in the anterior cingulate cortices than those who had higher functioning ACCs," Kiehl said. "This means we can see on an MRI a part of the brain that might not be working correctly -- giving us a look into who is more likely to demonstrate impulsive and anti-social behavior that leads to re-arrest."

The anterior cingulate cortex of the brain is "associated with error processing, conflict monitoring, response selection, and avoidance learning," according to the paper. People who have this area of the brain damaged have been "shown to produce changes in disinhibition, apathy, and aggressiveness. Indeed, ACC-damaged patients have been classed in the 'acquired psychopathic personality' genre."

Kiehl says he is working on developing treatments that increase activity within the ACC to attempt to treat the high-risk offenders.

###

You can view the paper by clicking here: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1219302110.

Duke University: http://www.duke.edu

Thanks to Duke University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127523/Brain_scans_might_predict_future_criminal_behavior

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Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpots get even smarter

Last month I posted a review of the Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpot and had a positive experience with it except for one important thing… Trying to grow a plant in Southern Indiana during the winter months, even with an auto watering flowerpot, just doesn’t work that well due to short sunlight hours. The folks [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/30/click-grow-smartpot-flowerpots-get-smarter/

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Fisher House Foundation Dedicates 60th Facility Worldwide at South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio

Comfort home will provide free temporary lodging for Veterans? families

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) March 28, 2013

The Assistant VA Secretary for Public & Intergovernmental Affairs Dr. Tommy Sowers and Marie Weldon, Director of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) joined Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher today to dedicate the new South Texas VA Fisher House, increasing the network of Fisher Houses serving military and Veterans? families worldwide to 60. This new Fisher House will be the eighth in San Antonio ? creating the largest concentration of Fisher Houses in a single city.

?The mission of Fisher House Foundation partnered with the VA?s mission demonstrates our commitment and compassion to our Nation?s heroes and their families,? said Marie Weldon. ?We are proud to have such an amazing and beautiful resource to offer as a home away from home during their stay in San Antonio. We expect that our Fisher House will be well-utilized and it is very much appreciated.?

The 16-suite, 13,400 sq.-ft. ?comfort home? joins the network of other Fisher Houses operating in the United States and Europe, and was gifted to the VA as part of today?s ceremony. This new home will serve the families of military and Veterans, including those who have suffered severe multiple traumatic injuries while serving their country. Each bedroom suite comes equipped with a private, handicapped-accessible bathroom. Common areas include a fully equipped kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, and patio.

?We are always proud to dedicate a new Fisher House, because we know it will serve thousands of families for years to come,? said Ken Fisher. ?This new home represents a special benchmark, our 60th Fisher House in the world, here in San Antonio, where so many of our military live, serve, raise their families, and seek out medical care. Whether a Veteran of past or current conflicts, we owe our Veterans and their families a debt that can never be repaid.?

The Fisher House program was started by the late Zachary Fisher, founding partner of Fisher Brothers, a New York City-based real estate and development firm. After hearing about the challenges military families faced supporting a loved one in the hospital and the need for an affordable place to stay, Zachary began to construct comfort homes that would provide free, temporary lodging for the families of Veterans and military service members while a loved one was receiving medical care. In the more than 20 years of the program?s operation, hundreds of thousands of families have benefited from the accommodations and support structure of the houses. The model has also been exported to the United Kingdom, where a Fisher House has been completed in Birmingham, and will care for families there.

Construction of this Fisher House was supported by: USAA, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, the Clear Channel Veterans Day Campaign, Imperial Brands / Sobieski Vodka, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Valero Energy Foundation, Jay Leno, Ted L. McIntyre II and Family, BMI Defense Systems, Inc., Newman?s Own Foundation, Bill O?Reilly and ?The Factor? Viewers, the Greehey Family Foundation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Wohlers Family Foundation, the Motorola Foundation, the Tawani Foundation, and Whataburger.

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and Veteran families an estimated $200 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled Veterans.

http://www.fisherhouse.org

About VA San Antonio Healthcare System

The STVHCS is a highly affiliated tertiary health care system comprised of three divisions referred to as the Audie L. Murphy Campus, Kerrville Campus, and Satellite Outpatient Clinic Division. In addition to the acute care services in medical, surgical, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, geriatric and primary care, STVHCS provides specialty care programs in spinal cord injury, community living centers, domiciliary, substance abuse, bone marrow transplant, and radiation oncology. As the part of the VA Polytrauma System of Care, STVHCS is one of five Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers nationwide. STVHCS serves one of the largest primary service areas in the nation and is part of the VA Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17).

http://www.southtexas.va.gov

Jody Fisher
Rubenstein Communications
212-843-8296
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fisher-house-foundation-dedicates-60th-facility-worldwide-south-200228183.html

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Amateur Teams from Mexico and United States prepare for third ...

Rubber match of Ryder Cup style event be decided in Puerto Pe?asco, Mexico

PUERTO PENASCO, MEXICO (MARCH 29, 2013) ? ?Vidanta Golf, the largest golf course operator in Mexico and a subsidiary of Grupo Vidanta, will be hosting the 3rd annual Uniting Nations Cup, May 16-19, at the picturesque Mayan Palace golf resort in Puerto Pe?asco. The Uniting Nations Cup (UNC) is a Ryder Cup style competition with 80 top-notch amateur players from Mexico and the United States.

In the event?s first two years, neighboring countries Mexico and the United States have each claimed victory on the Peninsula de Cortez golf course, a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II co-design. The U.S. and Mexico will have 40-man squads with 20 two-man teams facing off in a match-play format over three days of competition.

?We love being part of this tradition in such a beautiful setting, a Jack Nicklaus championship golf course on the Sea of Cortez,? said Jesus Torres, director of Vidanta Golf. ?It?s a unique competition with a format that allows challenges for every player on every shot. Of course, the most important ingredient of this event is the camaraderie that is built up over the week between the competitors.?

The goal of the Uniting Nations Cup (Copa Uniendo Naciones) is to highlight the alliance between the United States and Mexico beyond their commercial and cultural ties, while attempting to one day rival the international acclaim of events such as the Ryder Cup or the Walker Cup, an amateur contest between the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland. The UNC also aims to promote the expansion of the little-known Mexican port destination of Puerto Pe?asco.

The world-class Nicklaus Design course at Mayan Palace Puerto Pe?asco is in ?spectacular shape,? according to Calvin Nielsen, manager of golf at Peninsula de Cortez. The Peninsula?s 7,100-yard, par 72 layout is one of the most challenging and breathtaking in Mexico and is perennially rated among the country?s elite courses. In typical Nicklaus fashion, golfers will see the good in seven seaside holes, the bad in sloped greens, uneven fairways and thick rough and the ugly in blind shots, pot bunkers and stiff breezes.

Tournament Director Vito Berlingeri said he sees a bright future for the event, which is slated to be held in Puerto Pe?asco through 2016. ?No one else is doing anything like it,? he said. ?When it comes to golf, there are no borders and no language barriers between Mexico and the United States.?

For the second consecutive year, the UNC is being managed by the Arizona Golf Assn. Rules officials Ed Gowan and Lorraine Thies are also provided by the AGA. Sponsors include Antigua, Bacardi, Corona, Coca Cola, Cemex, Vina Chocalan and Zagas.

About Grupo Vidanta

Grupo Vidanta is an award-winning company known worldwide for its leadership in hotels and luxury resorts, championship quality golf courses, and tourism infrastructure, including Mexico?s first privately built international airport at Puerto Pe?asco. The company was founded in 1974 by Daniel Chavez Moran and now boasts an impressive portfolio of resort brands located among the most coveted coastal beach resorts in Mexico. These include Grand Luxxe, The Grand Bliss, The Bliss, The Grand Mayan, Mayan Palace, Ocean Breeze and Sea Garden, with more under development. In addition, Grupo Vidanta?s real estate division, Mayan Island, has built and sold more than 2,000 vacation homes. The company has resort properties operating in Los Cabos, Nuevo Vallarta, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Puerto Pe?asco, Riviera Nayarit, and Mazatlan. For more information, please visit www.grupovidanta.com.

Media contact:
Edward M. Yang,
edward@firecrackerpr.com,
1-888-317-4687 ext. 1,
www.firecrackerpr.com

Source: http://www.insidethegate.com/2013/03/amateur-teams-from-mexico-and-united-states-prepare-for-third-uniting-nations-cup/

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OUYA available at retail on June 4 for $99

The Android-powered $99 OUYA game console becomes available at retail on June 4th -- a date which was revealed this week during the Game Developers Conference. OUYA's calling June 4th its "official launch date," despite Kickstarter backers receiving units starting this month. Essentially, the two month waiting period between Kickstarter boxes and retail availability is being used as a consumer beta, giving OUYA time to adjust its software after getting feedback from early adopters.

It's not clear if bundles will be available, but the game console itself and a controller (as well as power and HDMI cables, plus two AA batteries for the controller) are included in the $99 package. Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and others are on board, so it shouldn't be too hard locating one in June should your interested be piqued -- and yes, pre-orders are available. Of course, it's a pretty small little game console, so it might be a bit tough locating the thing with your eyes.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/cPxJKmHjU0I/

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John Green contributes to book about cancer victim

NEW YORK (AP) ? Young adult author John Green has written an introduction for a book about the teen cancer victim to whom he dedicated his best-selling novel "The Fault in Our Stars."

Penguin Young Readers Group announced Thursday that it will publish "This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl" in early 2014. Along with Green's introduction, the book will compile writings and sketches by the girl from Quincy, Mass., known for the YouTube video journal about her terminal illness.

Esther died in 2010 at age 16.

Green and J.K. Rowling were among her admirers.

The book is named for the foundation started in Esther's memory, "This Star Won't Go Out." Penguin will donate to the foundation, which aids families with children who have cancer.

___

Online:

Foundation: www.tswgo.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/john-green-contributes-book-cancer-victim-100051972.html

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Camila McConaughey: I?m Always Running to Breastfeed

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Marriage Security and Insecurities - NYTimes.com

In The Conversation, David Brooks and Gail Collins talk between columns every Wednesday.

David Brooks: I guess the Supreme Court hearing on same-sex marriage is pretty much dominating the week.

Gail Collins: Whew. I was afraid you were going to demand we discuss college basketball. Go, Marquette!

David: Well, I confess that my emotional life right now revolves around the question of whether Indiana can win a slowed-down, half-court game against a quality opponent. Fortunately, their next two prospective opponents, Syracuse and Miami, are run-and-gun type teams. But I thought it unfair to burden you with that. All of us in the coastal media have to overplay the importance of these same-sex marriage Supreme Court hearings and I?m trying to do my part.

Gail: Even if the Court comes up with some weenie dodge-the-issue ruling, I think we?ll remember this as a big moment that marked a dramatic change in American attitudes.

David: Like everybody else, I?m kind of amazed by the shift in public opinion on this issue. In 3,000 years of Western civilization, no major culture has shifted this fast to give gays and lesbians equality, as the U.S. and Europe have recently. It?s astounding.

Gail: The civil rights movement was the transcendent experience in modern American history. The people didn?t just accept social change ? they gradually re-evaluated their whole history, and it made them extremely sensitive to issues of fairness. And once the American public decides something?s not fair, the battle is pretty much over.

David: I?d ascribe part of the shift, as Frank Bruni did the other day, to those gays and lesbians who were brave enough to come out and show the world what they look like. I?d also say that the deal was sealed once the issue became about marriage. That is, once gays and lesbians were seeking access to one of the most traditional institutions in society, then they were bound to win more support.

Gail: Let?s give some special credit to the normal, run-of-the-mill TV entertainment industry. I have a very clear memory of watching the first season of ?The Amazing Race? in 2001. Each pair of contestants had some little ID tag, like ?bowling moms? or ?fraternity brothers.? There were two guys with a ?life partners? tag. That was the very first time I thought: ?Wow, this is going to work out.?

David: This leads to a general rule. If you want to win respect for your formerly excluded group, try to be more culturally conservative than anybody else. This is something the great and underappreciated A. Philip Randolph understood. You can be politically radical if you are culturally conservative and still get a hearing. The radicals of the 1960s got this one wrong.

Gail: That may be part of a larger rule, which is that people have to be able to identify with the excluded folks. The greatest warriors for gay marriage have been the average gay people who came out to their families and friends and communities. I grew up in one of the most socially conservative neighborhoods in Ohio, and my parents were traditional Catholics. But in her old age, my mother got her home health care from a guy who was gay, who was wonderful to her. Before she died, she rode a float in the Cincinnati Gay Pride Parade.

I don?t know what plans Rob Portman, the Republican senator from Cincinnati, has for the next parade. But we all know what happened to his position on gay marriage when his son came out.

David: Does this feel reversible to you? Everybody is simply assuming that gays and lesbians are winning more acceptance and respect and that this status can never be taken away. I guess I sort of think that is true, but history is full of reversals and shifts. Let?s say evidence develops over the decade that same-sex marriages are not stable and that the outcomes for children are not as good. I guess that might turn the tide. I see opponents of same-sex marriage already turning to Darwin (Oh, the irony!), arguing that children do best when both parents are biologically connected to them.

I wouldn?t be surprised if same-sex marriage shook out the way hetero marriage has ? great stability at the top of the educated class, great instability among the less educated.

Gail: Well, it?d certainly be fascinating if we discovered that gays were better at being married than heterosexuals are. Talk about irony.

David: What should we make of people who opposed gay marriage? Should they be treated like Bull Connor and thrown onto the bad guy lists of history? Is opposing gay marriage now the moral equivalent of opposing the Civil Rights Act, a stain and career ender?

Personally, I don?t think the two are quite comparable. Straight marriage had been around for thousands and thousands of years. It?s not disgraceful to be careful about seeing it redefined. I was never an opponent of gay marriage, but I can?t dismiss the skepticism of people who instinctively resisted change to an ancient and fundamental institution.

Gail: There have been tons of politicians who were slow to accept equal rights when it meant changes in the established social order. Many eventually came around, admitted they were wrong, and were forgiven. But the ones who actively choose hate-mongering don?t ever get a pass.

David: Speaking of marriage, what do you make about Mayor Bloomberg?s posters that try to raise awareness about the downsides of teen motherhood. I would have phrased them differently, so that they don?t appear to stigmatize parents, but I?m glad he?s at least publicizing the facts about this issue.

Gail: Mike Bloomberg, I?m sorry to say, is a walking advertisement for term limits. We?re now in year 12 and lately, everything he does sounds like a nag. I?m looking forward to the day when he can go off and underwrite the gun control movement 24-7.

David: There is no social trend more harmful to America?s future than the rise of out-of-wedlock birth, and aggressive steps need to be taken to reverse this trend.

Gail: The bottom line on single parenthood is the massive changes in the American economy. Women no longer have to stick with unhappy relationships in order to survive. And if they want to have children, they no longer necessarily need a man to support them. I understand your concern, but telling them not to do it isn?t going to work.

David: There are two related issues here. First the rate of teenage pregnancy, highlighted in the poster campaign, and then the rise of single parenthood generally. I?d say the problem is not women leaving unhappy relationships. It?s teenagers having kids before marriage, without any prospect of marriage, while living in environments in which marriage is not even a social norm. It?s the absence of marriageable men. It?s the absence of working-class jobs. It?s lonely people wanting a child they can care for and love. It?s a million different things woven together. Somehow we have to reverse the decline in marriage, without trying to solve every last contributing factor, since unless we can get more kids living in stable homes, all the problems just get worse.

The job is to make marriage more attractive (which basically means creating more men who are worth marrying) and making single parenthood less attractive (which means attaching some stigma to it since the economic penalties are already so profound). The trick is making single parenthood less attractive while not stigmatizing those who are in this position, usually because of ?a series of complex causes and no fault of their own.

I guess the posters fail that test, but at least someone is trying to inform the public about the facts.

Gail: Conservatives were sure that if you eliminated welfare for single moms, it would eliminate ? or at lease greatly reduce ? single motherhood. So in 1996 we had welfare reform. Did not change the trend in the least. Soon half of all babies will be born out of wedlock.

I?ll rally around your ideas to help make lower-income young men more employable. But I don?t think the stigma idea is going to work at all. Let me recommend better high school sex education instead. And maybe a generous contribution to Planned Parenthood.

David: You show me a sex-ed program that works and I?ll give you Marquette as national champion.

Source: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/marriage-security-and-insecurities/

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Speech Pathology As Well As Audiology Definition | Powered For Life

speech pathology as well as audiology definition. ?Speech-pathology? is one of the numerous health-related career fields with lots of task spaces available.
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A delivery pathologist, or perhaps conversation counselor, is actually a psychologist who allows people of various age groups boost their communication skills. Conversation pathologists spot and also cure connection challenges relevant to dialect in addition to conversation. Presentation pathologists is available your wide range of special rehab spots.You can find speech pathologist jobs that aim just in youngsters. The commonest dialog pathology attempts are within educational institutions. Many schools possess regular conversation pathologists that help youngsters work on the language capabilities. A lot of language experienced therapist use professors, staff, distinctive school staff, and parents throughout work to help the particular bothered little one. A number of speech pathologists treat adults with experienced mind injury, head injury, a condition having an effect on their particular dialog, or maybe a draining problem presented by an event such as a swing.
schwinn ad6 airdyne exercise bike review. You will see these kind of speech pathologists operating in medical centers, treatment hospitals, and nursing homes. The majority of presentation pathologists be employed in pre-schools, elementary, along with extra educational institutions. Various other dialog pathologists proved helpful inside nursing homes, health care treatment centers, breastfeeding health care dwellings, individual in home based settings, personal plus loved ones centered providers, out-patient care facilities plus little one day care products and services.
Jobs involving talk pathologists is anticipated to build tremendously right through to all seasons 2016. This interest on bilingual presentation pathologists is likewise most likely to improve, especially practicioners exactly who talk Speaking spanish as well as British. For people who are keen on acquiring a enjoyable and also money-making healthcare job this focuses on encouraging people in wonderful will need, Conversation Pathology might be a wonderful occupation preference.Conversation is vital for you to human being connections as well as communication. The people who manage all these instances these are known as talk pathologists. They help restore as well as remedy presentation problems throughout sufferers. Presentation differently abled men and women usually be put off by other individuals due to their affliction. There are a variety associated with cures readily available for language condition. weber smokey mountain 18.5 reviews.Hostipal wards plus language organizations present you with a extra qualified tactic throughout responding to the patient.

Source: http://powered4life.chuckguyett.com/speech-pathology-as-well-as-audiology-definition/

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Knox saga still not over for Italian courts

File photos combo shows, from left; Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, slain 21-year-old British woman Meredith Kercher, her American roommate Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox was waiting anxiously Monday, March 25, 2013 in Seattle to hear if she will face trial again as Italy's top criminal court considered whether to overturn her acquittal in the murder of her roommate in Italy. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. The court's decision has been postponed to Tuesday. (AP Photo/files)

File photos combo shows, from left; Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, slain 21-year-old British woman Meredith Kercher, her American roommate Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox was waiting anxiously Monday, March 25, 2013 in Seattle to hear if she will face trial again as Italy's top criminal court considered whether to overturn her acquittal in the murder of her roommate in Italy. Italian prosecutors have asked the high court to throw out the acquittals of Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend in the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher and order a new trial. The court's decision has been postponed to Tuesday. (AP Photo/files)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 file photo Amanda Knox gestures at a news conference in Seattle Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, after returning home from Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

Francesco Maresca, lawyer of Meredith Kercher's relatives, center, is surrounded by journalists as he leaves Italy's Court of Cassation, in Rome, Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

FILE - This is a Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 file photo of Amanda Knox as she breaks into tears after hearing the verdict that overturns her conviction and acquits her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, central Italy. Italy's highest criminal court Tuesday March 26, 2013 has ordered a new trial in the case of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate. The court ruled that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend. Knox has been living back in the U.S. while her former boyfriend continues studies in Italy. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2011 file photo Amanda Knox cries after hearing the verdict that overturned her conviction and acquitted her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, central Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, file)

ROME (AP) ? It's not over yet for Amanda Knox.

Italy's top criminal court dealt a stunning setback Tuesday to the 25-year-old college student, overturning her acquittal in the grisly murder of her British roommate and ordering her to stand trial again.

"She thought that the nightmare was over," Knox's attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, told reporters minutes after conveying the unexpected turn of events to his client, who had stayed up to hear the ruling, which came shortly after 2 a.m. West Coast time. "But she's ready to fight."

Now a student at the University of Washington in Seattle, Knox called the decision by the Rome-based Court of Cassation "painful" but said she was confident that she would be exonerated.

The American left Italy a free woman after her October 2011 acquittal ? but only after serving nearly four years of a 26-year prison sentence from a lower court that convicted her of murdering Meredith Kercher. The 21-year-old exchange student's body was found in a pool of blood, her throat slit, in a bedroom of the house the two shared in Perugia, a university town 100 miles north of Rome.

Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's Italian boyfriend at the time, was also convicted of the Nov. 1, 2007, murder, then later acquitted. His acquittal was also thrown out Tuesday and a new trial ordered.

Italian law cannot compel Knox to return for the new trial and Dalla Vedova said she had no plans to do so.

In any case, the judicial saga is likely to continue for years. It will be months before a date is set for the new trial, to be held in Florence instead of Perugia because the small town has only one appellate court, which already acquitted her.

Prosecution and defense teams must also await details of the ruling explaining why the high court concluded there were procedural errors in the trial that acquitted Knox and Sollecito. The court has 90 days to issue its explanation.

Another Knox defender, Luciano Ghirga, said she was gearing up psychologically for her third trial. Ghirga said he told Knox: "You have always been our strength. We rose up again after the first-level convictions. We'll have the same resoluteness, the same energy" in the new trial.

Still, it was a tough blow for the former exchange student, whose parents mortgaged both their homes to raise funds for her lengthy, expensive defense.

"It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair," Knox said in a statement.

She said the matter must now be examined by "an objective investigation and a capable prosecution."

"No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity," Knox said.

Prosecutors alleged that Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex game gone awry. Knox, then 20, and Sollecito, then 24, denied wrongdoing and said they weren't even in the apartment that night, although they acknowledged they had smoked marijuana and their memories were clouded.

An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the slaying in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year sentence.

Sollecito, whose 29th birthday was Tuesday, sounded shaken when a reporter reached him by phone.

"Now I can't say anything," said the Italian, who has been studying computer science in the northern city of Verona after finishing an earlier degree while in prison.

Later, Sollecito said in a statement that he was "saddened" by the high court decision and will "continue to fight for my innocence, hopeful and confident that truth will prevail."

A local Italian news report quoted Sollecito's current girlfriend as saying he and Knox spoke by phone and described him as being psychologically destroyed.

His lawyer, Luca Maori, said neither Sollecito nor Knox ran any danger of being arrested. "It's not as if the lower-court convictions are revived," he said, noting that the high court didn't determine "whether the two were innocent or guilty."

For those familiar with the U.S. legal principle of "double jeopardy" ? which holds that no one acquitted of a crime can be tried again for it ? the idea that the Italian justice system allows prosecutors to appeal acquittals is hard to absorb.

Knox attorney Dalla Vedova dismissed the "double jeopardy" concern, maintaining the high court ruling hadn't decided the defendants' guilt or innocence, but merely ordered a fresh appeals trial, which he said was unlikely to start before early 2014.

The appeals court that acquitted Knox and Sollecito had criticized virtually the entire prosecution case, especially the forensic evidence that helped clinch their 2009 convictions. It noted the murder weapon was never found, and said DNA tests were faulty and that prosecutors provided no murder motive.

In arguing for overturning the acquittals, prosecutors said the Perugia appellate court was too dismissive of DNA tests on a knife they maintained could have been used to slash Kercher's throat as well as DNA traces on a bra belonging to the victim and tests done on blood stains in the bedroom and bathroom.

The court on Tuesday also upheld a slander conviction against Knox. During a 14-hour police interrogation, she had accused a local Perugia pub owner of carrying out the killing. The man was held for two weeks, based on her allegations, before being released for lack of evidence.

Her defense lawyers say Knox felt pressured by police to name a suspect so her own interrogation could end.

Because of the time she served in prison before the acquittal, Knox didn't have to serve the three-year sentence for the slander conviction. The court on Tuesday ordered her to pay 4,000 euros ($5,500) to the man, as well as the cost of the lost appeal.

Whether Knox ever returns to Italy to serve more prison time depends on a string of ifs and unknowns.

"Questions of extradition are not in the legal landscape at this point," another Knox attorney, Theodore Simon, said on NBC TV.

If she is convicted by the Florence court, Knox could appeal that verdict to the Cassation Court. Should that appeal fail, Italy could seek her extradition from the United States.

Whether Italy actually requests extradition will be a political decision made by a future Italian government. It would then be up to U.S. officials to decide whether they will send Knox to Italy, and Dalla Vedova said U.S. authorities would carefully study all the case's documentation to decide whether she had received fair trials.

U.S. and Italian authorities could also come to a deal that would keep Knox in the U.S.

For now, Knox has a memoir, "Waiting to Be Heard," coming out April 30, for which publisher HarperCollins reportedly paid her $4 million. She still plans to appear in a prime-time special with Diane Sawyer to promote the book, according to ABC News.

In her statement, Knox took the Perugia prosecutors to task, saying they "must be made to answer" for the discrepancies in the case. She also said "my heart goes out to" Kercher's family.

The Kercher family's attorney, Francesco Maresca, called Tuesday's ruling "what we wanted" and relayed a message from the late woman's sister, Stephanie.

"To understand the truth about what happened that night is all we can do for her now," the family's message said.

__

AP writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-26-Italy-Knox/id-1732403378434441934528fa26ec7ec3

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Researchers discover the brain origins of variation in pathological anxiety

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

New findings from nonhuman primates suggest that an overactive core circuit in the brain, and its interaction with other specialized circuits, accounts for the variability in symptoms shown by patients with severe anxiety. In a brain-imaging study to be published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health describe work that for the first time provides an understanding of the root causes of clinical variability in anxiety disorders.

Using a well-established nonhuman primate model of childhood anxiety, the scientists identified a core circuit that is chronically over-active in all anxious individuals, regardless of their particular pattern of symptoms. They also identified a set of more specialized circuits that are over- or under-active in individuals prone to particular symptoms, such as chronically high levels of the stress-hormone cortisol.

"These findings provide important new insights into altered brain functioning that explain why people with anxiety have such different symptoms and clinical presentations, and it also gives us new ideas, based on an understanding of altered brain function, for helping people with different types of anxiety,'' says Dr. Ned Kalin, senior author, chair of Psychiatry and director of the HealthEmotions Research Institute.

"There is a large need for new treatment strategies, because our current treatments don't work well for many anxious adults and children who come to us for help."

In the study, key anxiety-related symptoms were measured in 238 young rhesus monkeys using behavioral and hormonal measurement procedures similar to those routinely used to assess extreme shyness in children. Young monkeys are ideally suited for these studies because of their similarities in brain development and social behavior, Kalin noted. Variation in brain activity was quantified in the monkeys using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, a method that is also used in humans.

Combining behavioral measures of shyness, physiological measures of the stress-hormone cortisol, and brain metabolic imaging, co-lead authors Dr. Alexander Shackman, Andrew Fox, and their collaborators showed that a core neural system marked by elevated activity in the central nucleus of the amygdala was a consistent brain signature shared by young monkeys with chronically high levels of anxiety. This was true despite striking differences across monkeys in the predominance of particular anxiety-related symptoms.

The Wisconsin researchers also showed that young monkeys with particular anxiety profiles, such as high levels of shyness, showed changes in symptom-specific brain circuits. Finally, Shackman, Fox, and colleagues uncovered evidence that the two kinds of brain circuits, one shared by all anxious individuals, the other specific to those with particular symptoms, work together to produce different presentations of pathological anxiety.

The new study builds upon earlier work by the Kalin laboratory demonstrating that activity in the amygdala is strongly shaped by early-life experiences, such as parenting and social interactions. They hypothesize that extreme anxiety stems from problems with the normal maturation of brain systems involved in emotional learning, which suggests that anxious children have difficulty learning to effectively regulate brain anxiety circuits. Taken together, this line of research sets the stage for improved strategies for preventing extreme childhood anxiety from blossoming into full-blown anxiety disorders.

"This means the amygdala is an extremely attractive target for new, broad-spectrum anxiety treatments,'' says Shackman. "The central nucleus of the amygdala is a uniquely malleable substrate for anxiety, one that can help to trigger a wide range of symptoms."

The work also suggests more specific brain targets for different symptom profiles. Such therapies could range from new, more selectively targeted medications to intensive therapies that seek to re-train the amygdala, ranging from conventional cognitive-behavioral therapies to training in mindfulness and other techniques, Shackman noted. To further understand the clinical significance of these observations, the laboratory is conducting a parallel study in young children suffering from anxiety disorders.

###

University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://www.wisc.edu

Thanks to University of Wisconsin-Madison for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127463/Researchers_discover_the_brain_origins_of_variation_in_pathological_anxiety

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Chinese Family Buys $4M Apt For Toddler - Business Insider

Nevermind a silver spoon, one Chinese mother has bought a $6.5 million (?4.3 million) flat in Manhattan for her toddler.

Kevin Brown, a senior vice president at Sotheby's International who specialises in selling New York's most prestigious property, said the unnamed woman had snapped up the flat in preparation for when her child eventually becomes a student.

"We were running around the city looking at things and I finally said: 'Well why are you buying?'" Mr Brown said to CCTV, the Chinese state broadcaster.

"And she said, well, her daughter was going to go to Columbia, or NYU or maybe Harvard and so she needed to be in the centre of the city and that was why she was picking this one particular apartment. So I said: 'Oh, how old is your daughter?' and she said: 'Well she's two'. And I was just shocked."

The apartment is in the One57 tower, a 90-floor glass skyscraper on 57th street between Sixth and Seventh avenues and overlooking Central Park.

The building, which is still unfinished, was designed by a Pritzker prize-winning architect and boasts a library with a pool table and 24ft aquarium, a private concert hall, and a "pet wash room". It will be managed by the Park Hyatt hotel brand.

At least one other Chinese billionaire, Silas KF Chou of Hong Kong, has also bought a $50 million apartment in the block, according to the New York Times and the two penthouses in the block have both been sold for $90 million, making them the most expensive single properties in Manhattan.

Mr Brown said Chinese buyers now make up a quarter of his business, in dollar terms.

"What is more interesting is that two years ago, it was only 15 per cent. And before that it was five per cent," he said. "Most Chinese want to be by Central Park, but they are not interested in the park view. They want a southern exposure."

While foreigners only account for two to three per cent of the houses sold in New York, around 11 per cent of that market is now made up by Chinese, who spent $9 billion on property in the United States last year.

The news of the purchase inevitably raised eyebrows in China, with most on the internet curious about where the money had come from. Several comments left on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, suggested that the woman must have been related to a corrupt government official.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-family-buys-4m-apt-for-toddler-2013-3

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Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency's first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal.

Pierson, who most recently served as the agency's chief of staff, will take over from Mark Sullivan, who announced his retirement last month. The agency faced intense criticism during Sullivan's tenure for a prostitution scandal during preparations for Obama's trip to Cartagena, Colombia, last year.

The incident raised questions within the agency - as well as at the White House and on Capitol Hill - about the culture, particularly during foreign travel. In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes.

"Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day," Obama said in a statement announcing Pierson's appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also praised Obama's "historic decision" to name Pierson as the service's first female director.

Pierson, 53, has held high-ranking posts throughout the Secret Service, including deputy assistant director of the office of protective operations and assistant director of human resources and training. She has served as chief of staff since 2008.

That same year, Pierson was awarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award for superior performance in management throughout her career.

She joined the Secret Service in 1983 as a special agent and previously worked as a police officer in Orlando, Fla.

"Julia is eminently qualified to lead the agency that not only safeguards Americans at major events and secures our financial system, but also protects our leaders and our first families, including my own," Obama said. "Julia has had an exemplary career, and I know these experiences will guide her as she takes on this new challenge to lead the impressive men and women of this important agency."

Thirteen Secret Service employees were caught up in last year's prostitution scandal. After a night of heavy partying in the Caribbean resort city of Cartagena, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, to the hotel where they were staying. The incident became public after one agent refused to pay a prostitute and the pair argued about payment in a hotel hallway.

Eight of the employees were forced out of the agency, three were cleared of serious misconduct and at least two have been fighting to get their jobs back.

The incident took place before Obama arrived in Colombia and the service said the president's safety was never compromised. But news of the scandal broke during his trip, overshadowing the summit and embarrassing the U.S. delegation.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the Secret Service has "lost the trust of many Americans" following the Colombia scandal. Pierson, he said Tuesday, "has a lot of work ahead of her to create a culture that respects the important job the agency is tasked with."

Sullivan issued a new code of conduct that bans employees from drinking within 10 hours of starting a shift or bringing foreign nationals back to their hotel rooms.

Sullivan apologized for the incident last year during testimony before a Senate panel.

___

Associated Press writer Alicia Caldwell contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gives-secret-1st-female-director-200139194--politics.html

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Judge Judy's Son Accused of Interfering in Child Rape Investigation

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New Study Links BPA and Childhood Asthma

One out of every ten U.S. children has been diagnosed with asthma. Image: Flickr/JasonUnbound

Kids exposed to a commonplace chemical early in life are more likely to have asthma, according to a study published today.

The study, which tested 568 children and their mothers in New York City, is the first to link early childhood exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) with asthma. Studies with lab mice, however, have found a similar link.

A Columbia University research team reported that children with higher levels of BPA at ages 3, 5 and 7 had increased odds of developing the respiratory disease when they were between 5 and 12. The children studied had roughly the same concentrations of BPA as the average for U.S. kids.

?We saw increased risk of asthma at fairly routine, low doses of BPA,? said Dr. Kathleen Donohue, an instructor in clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and lead author of the study, which was published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology today.

BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastics and is found in some canned foods and beverages, paper receipts and dental sealants. More than 90 percent of Americans have traces in their bodies.

Medical experts for decades have been trying to figure out what has caused asthma rates to skyrocket in children throughout much of the world, beginning in the 1980s. Many suspect that it might have something to do with early-life exposures and changes in immune systems causing inflammation.

One out of every 10 U.S. children has been diagnosed with asthma, and the rate is even higher for black children ? one out of every six, according to 2011 data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

The study doesn?t mean BPA causes asthma or wheezing. But ?it?s an important study because we don?t know a lot right now about how BPA affects immune response and asthma,? said Kim Harley, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies environmental chemicals and children?s health but did not participate in the new research.

?They measured BPA at different ages, measured asthma and wheeze at multiple points, and still found consistent associations,? she said.

The researchers measured BPA in the women?s urine toward the end of their pregnancies. Once born, their children were then tested for BPA at ages 3, 5 and 7. Then they were tested for asthma and wheezing between the ages of 5 and 12.

Even though the researchers took BPA measurements at multiple times, it?s tricky to pin down exposure levels.

?BPA has a short half life, so whatever we take in today will be gone in about 24 hours,? said Joe Braun, an epidemiology professor at Brown University who was not involved with the research.

Braun said the testing was ?as good as we?re going to get for this type of study.? Still, he said, "we?re still not accurately capturing exposure."

Chemical industry representatives assert that there is no clear evidence of any human health effects from BPA exposure.

?The increasing rate of asthma among children is an important public health issue, but there is no scientific consensus on what is causing the increase and this study adds little relevant information to the debate," Steven Hentges, a representative at the American Chemistry Council, said in a prepared statement.

?Because of the limited study design based on single samples to monitor exposure, it is difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from this report," he said.

Sixty-five percent of the mothers were Dominican ? the rest were black women ? and mostly low income. This group of women and children has been studied for more than a decade by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children?s Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. They?ve been tested for a variety of potential effects related to consumer chemicals, air pollutants and pesticides.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=835df998fd55b9047ac9ac5de12d4498

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