Here's a fantastic photo of the F-35 receiving mid-air fuel from a Boeing KC-10, taken on June 19 in Patuxent River, Maryland. It looks so tiny (and so close) to that massive tanker. [Image courtesy of Lockheed Martin]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-fantastic-photo-of-the-f-35-refueling-588286646
Tropical Storm Debby legend of korra magic mike trailer Alan Turing brave Stephanie Rice Meet the Pyro
For ten years Microsoft has been collaborating with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo M?ori (the M?ori Language Commission) and language experts to bring free te reo M?ori interfaces to the technology that millions of Kiwis use every day.
In preparation for M?ori Language Week 2013, Microsoft has announced today that the choice to use te reo M?ori in Windows 8, Office 2013, Outlook.com, and Internet Explorer 10 is available now.
?We are thrilled to continue our support for te reo M?ori,? says Paul Muckleston, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand Limited. ?We are grateful for the hard work that so many people have done to make it possible to weave this taonga into the very latest of tablet, smartphone, PC, and cloud technologies.?
?We are also announcing our support for a new initiative that can bring free te reo M?ori translations to the Internet with the Microsoft Translator Hub in the future,? says Muckleston.
?Microsoft?s ongoing commitment to te reo M?ori deserves to be celebrated,? says Glenis Philip Barbara, Chief Executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo M?ori. ?Microsoft has worked with translators to develop and polish top notch translations for more than 100,000 phrases and they provide a truly immersive experience. It is exciting to see our language so comprehensively supported in the Microsoft products that are widely used in our community.?
Glenis adds that support for te reo M?ori in technology is essential for investing in tamariki by offering an interface from their school years. This allows youth to be immersed in te reo for life.?
New support for te reo M?ori in Microsoft products includes the following.
All of these te reo M?ori options are available today at no extra cost, through a simple change in the Language Settings (Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10, Outlook.com, and Windows Phone 8), or with a free download (Office 2013 from http://aka.ms/Office2013inTeReo). Previous versions of Windows and Office are also supported.
Anne Taylor, Customer Marketing Manager at Microsoft New Zealand Limited, has been a champion of te reo M?ori within Microsoft from the outset. She says the work involved in the development of this M?ori language support would not have been possible without many people working towards a common goal. Individual contributors include Haami Piripi, Huhana Rokx, Sharon Armstrong, Wiha Raki-Hawea, Lee Smith, Te Haumihiata Mason, Te Taka Keegan, Tom Roa, Roger Lewis, Wareko Te ?ngina, Eva Mahara, Hohepa MacDougall, John Moorfield, and Dave Moskovitz.
Taylor says, ?On behalf of Microsoft, I would like to thank everyone who has helped to make te reo come to life in a technological context, and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo M?ori for their encouragement and recognition of the work that has been done.?
?We encourage everyone to try these te reo M?ori interfaces for themselves,? says Anne. ?Our vision is that everyone can immerse themselves in te reo M?ori when they use our technology, to keep the language vibrant with the community leaders who know it well, and to revitalise and grow language use among children and learners.?
Waikato University Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Dr Te Taka Keegan, has worked closely with Microsoft to develop the te reo M?ori interfaces. He says there is a need for greater access to technology to facilitate the use of the language on an everyday basis.??
Dr Keegan says, ?Microsoft?s 10 years of work has laid a foundation for te reo M?ori in the technology environment and highlighted how te reo M?ori can be used in modern contexts.?
?The impact of Microsoft's work is far reaching, giving future generations of M?ori language speakers the expectation that their computing and technology can, and more importantly should, be available in te reo M?ori.?
Building on this work, Microsoft New Zealand Limited announced today that it would support the establishment of a new charitable foundation for te reo M?ori language experts and advocates to bring free te reo M?ori translations to the Internet.
?Microsoft has been researching technology that allows computers to learn how to translate from one language to another for more than a decade,? says Muckleston. ?Microsoft technology powers the free translation tool at www.bing.com/translator/ that can translate any text or website, the translations that people see in Facebook and various consumer apps, and in software that is used by professional translators to help them be more productive.?
Microsoft?s translation service has the potential to make translations to and from te reo M?ori much more accessible to anyone through the Internet, says Pare Keiha, Dean of Te Ara Poutama, Pro-Vice Chancellor M?ori at AUT University. ?Being part of the process of building a new translation service for te reo M?ori will be a wonderful experience for language students.?
He is also excited about the future possibilities. ?If we can bring this ambitious project to fruition over the coming years, professional translators will be able to use the service in their work,? says Keiha. ?It will save a lot of time, so that more things can be translated into te reo M?ori. And anyone will be able to tap into the service to get the gist of what is being said in te reo. Microsoft is taking a neutral approach so there is no restriction on which smart devices can be used to access the service.?
?Microsoft has been consulting with te reo M?ori experts over the last year about the concept of bringing this instant translation technology to everyone. Based on the words of support and encouragement we have received, we would like to work with M?ori on this voyage to translation support in these tools for te reo M?ori,? says Muckleston. ?This won?t happen overnight, and it will take a lot of hard work by Microsoft and many volunteers ? but we think it is important to start on this ambitious project now so that te reo M?ori in the technological environment can be used more widely in the future.?
The first step will be for the community to use a free tool called the Microsoft Translator Hub to immerse the computer learning technology in te reo M?ori, so that the software can learn the vocabulary and grammar of the language. This requires a large collection of works that are available in te reo M?ori and in English or another supported language.
Muckleston says, ?Microsoft offers the Translator Hub as a free service for language enthusiasts and experts to chart their own pathways towards building sophisticated machine translation engines for their own use. It?s a self-service tool that allows people to include everyone in their community who can help to build the engine.?
?Most of the work will be done by enthusiasts and volunteers, and it will be important to recognise their work,? explains Muckleston. ?Microsoft will also give the project a boost with an initial funding grant for a researcher to collect translated works and add them to the Translator Hub to get things underway.?
Based on discussions with te reo M?ori experts, Microsoft is aware that the approach that will receive the widest support in New Zealand is for an independent charitable foundation, governed and controlled by M?ori, to collect and hold the body of translated works so that it can be used not only for the Microsoft Translator Hub project, but also for other projects that will enrich the language in the future.
?We recognise that collecting these valuable translated works from community and Government stakeholders is something that needs to be handled responsibly,? says Muckleston. ?The body of translated works that will be collected will be a cultural treasure in itself, and it is too valuable to be locked into any one company?s service. We understand that it needs to be readily available for other initiatives to study the language and improve access for the entire community.?
?Microsoft?s approach puts M?ori firmly in control of the body of translated works, and the Microsoft Translator Hub project itself,? explains Evelyn Tobin MNZM, JP, and Director, K?tare Enterprises Ltd. ?This is important, because it means M?ori own the process, and the critical decisions. I encourage everyone who is interested in revitalising te reo M?ori to come forward and support this work.?
Leading New Zealand law firm Chapman Tripp has offered to help with the establishment work of the foundation on a pro bono basis.
?Our firm supports the enrichment of te reo M?ori and we are excited to be part of this project,? says Justin Graham, Senior Associate at Chapman Tripp. ?As someone who is learning te reo myself, I feel this is an important project for New Zealand, and I am delighted to be able to volunteer my time alongside people who are recognised as leaders in te reo.?
Language experts Evelyn Tobin, Pare Keiha, and Te Taka Keegan have been nominated as initial trustees for the foundation, and there is an open invitation for iwi nominees, language enthusiasts, and representatives of the Te Taura Whiri i te Reo M?ori to participate.
The charitable foundation is due to be launched soon, which will open up this project to contributions from the public. If you are interested to find out more about the project, if you have feedback for us on the proposal, or if you would like to be part of it, please get in touch with us at TeReoMaori@microsoft.com.
To find out more about Microsoft?s commitment to languages please visit the Microsoft Local Language Program website at http://www.microsoft.com/LLP/. To find out more about Microsoft?s work on language technology please visit http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/mt/.
Article by Waldo Kuipers, Corporate Affairs Manager, Microsoft New Zealand Limited
Topless Kate university of texas UT Austin Lizzie Velasquez NFL Network att libya
By Lucas Shaw
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Alex Karpovsky had written, directed and edited three movies and starred in several more before he met Lena Dunham at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2009. Dunham was there with her first movie, "Creative Nonfiction," and she recruited Karpovsky to star in her next, "Tiny Furniture."
Dunham soon scored a deal with HBO and brought Karpovsky into the fold for one of the most divisive shows on television, "Girls." Karpovksy plays Ray, the manager of a coffee shop who dated Shoshana (Zosia Mamet) until the last episode of Season 2.
Had you ever done TV before "Girls"?
I hadn't, but I needed very little persuasion. I loved the way "Tiny Furniture" came out and was so proud of the movie. I have total faith in Lena. Wherever she wanted to take us, I was willing to go without any hesitation.
How would you say the show has evolved over its first two seasons?
In Season 1 we established a lot of characters, but in Season 2 and now midway through Season 3 we're trying to explore the underpinnings and backstories. That's a lot of fun to do, going to zany and weird places without disorienting the audience - whether that's a coke bender or a really dark episode on Staten Island.
Has the progression of any character particularly surprised you?
All of them have. I don't mean that as a copout, but whether it's Hannah's OCD or Adam's Alcoholics Anonymous past, every character has surprises. There's Ray's dark energy and unresolved interpersonal issues. Every character has shown unsavory, forbidden aspects.
You once said in an interview that you tend to play characters who are "neurotic, guilt-ridden and full of anxiety." Does that apply to Ray?
He's definitely anxiety-ridden, because he's in his 30s and working at a coffee shop, and that's not what he wants to do with his life. Neurotic would seem to apply more to other characters like Hannah and Shoshana. Guilt-ridden certainly, not for taking Shoshana's virginity but for being his own worst enemy.
Why do you play those types of characters?
I have a lot of those properties myself and play those characters in my own films. It's pretty clear I play largely autobiographical versions or caricatures of myself. When you do something some people feel works, you just keep doing it for a long time.
How similar are other people on "Girls" to the people who play them?
I don't know, just because I don't know these people very well. I never knew anyone on the show except Lena before we started working on it. Lena is very different from Hannah. Hannah is still trying to figure things out, struggling and unsure of herself. Lena is almost the polar opposite.
Would you say that people who struggle to get out of their own way is one of the primary themes of the show?
One of the primary themes is the obstacles people in their early 20s are negotiating with, fumbling around in modern-day New York City. It centers on four girls, and the boys are satellites hovering around the four central planets that are at the front door of womanhood.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/emmys-alex-karpovsky-girls-every-character-shown-unsavory-180455737.html
whale shark whale shark platypus platypus overboard east of eden weather radio
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Internal Revenue Service's screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than has been previously disclosed, the new head of the agency said Monday.
An internal IRS document obtained by The Associated Press said that besides "tea party," lists used by screeners to pick groups for close examination also included the terms "Israel," ''Progressive" and "Occupy." The document said an investigation into why specific terms were included was still underway.
In a conference call with reporters, Danny Werfel said that after becoming acting IRS chief last month, he discovered wide-ranging and improper terms on the lists and said screeners were still using them. He did not specify what terms were on the lists, but said he suspended the use of all such lists immediately.
"There was a wide-ranging set of categories and cases that spanned a broad spectrum" on the lists, Werfel said. He added that his aides found those lists contained "inappropriate criteria that was in use."
Werfel's comments suggest the IRS may have been targeting groups other than tea party and other conservative organizations for tough examinations to see if they qualify. The agency has been under fire since last month for targeting those groups.
His comments also indicate that the use of inappropriate terms on such lists lasted longer than has been revealed previously. A report last month by a Treasury Department inspector general said agency officials abolished targeting of conservative groups with those lists in May 2012.
Werfel said preliminary results of an examination he has conducted of his agency have so far found no indication of improper screening beyond the IRS offices that examines groups seeking tax-exempt status.
He said he believes there was "insufficient action" by IRS managers to prevent and disclose the problem involving the screening of certain groups, but has discovered no specific clues of misconduct.
"We have not found evidence of intentional wrongdoing by anyone in the IRS or involvement in these matters by anyone outside the IRS," he told reporters.
Werfel's comments came as he released an 83-page report containing his assessments of the embattled agency and initial steps he is taking to make improvements.
The report describes several new procedures the agency is installing to prevent unfair treatment of taxpayers in the future. They include a fast-track process for groups seeking tax-exempt status that have yet to get a response from the IRS within 120 days of applying.
In addition, the top five people in the agency responsible for the tax-exempt status of organizations have been removed, including the former acting commissioner, Steven Miller, whom President Barack Obama replaced with Werfel.
"The IRS is committed to correcting its mistakes, holding individuals accountable as appropriate" and establishing new controls to reduce potential future problems, Werfel told reporters.
Werfel's comments and report drew negative reviews from one of the IRS's chief critics in Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Issa said the review "fails to meaningfully answer the largest outstanding questions about inappropriate inquiries and indefensible delays. As investigations by Congress and the Justice Department are still ongoing, Mr. Werfel's assertion that he has found no evidence that anyone at IRS intentionally did anything wrong can only be called premature."
The IRS has provided congressional committees investigating the agency documents related to the screening problems. He said work was continuing on removing sensitive taxpayer information from those documents, and he said he expects them to be released soon.
Werfel had promised to produce a report within a month of taking over the embattled agency.
Werfel said he briefed Obama and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew on the report earlier Monday.
___
AP reporter Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/irs-chief-inappropriate-screening-broad-193026105.html
white sox chuck colson ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson humber
By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi
KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban militants attacked key buildings near Afghanistan's presidential palace and the U.S. CIA headquarters in Kabul, a brazen assault that could derail attempts for peace talks to end 12 years of war.
The Taliban, who have said they are willing to take part in talks with the United States and Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration, said they launched the early morning assault, which triggered a 90-minute firefight.
A U.S. envoy was in Kabul on Tuesday to try to smooth the way forward for the stalled talks in the Gulf state of Qatar ahead of the pullout from Afghanistan of most of the NATO-led troops next year. He had been expected to meet reporters at the U.S. Embassy, but the conference was called off.
Karzai was also due to attend, but his whereabouts were not known. A palace official said he was safe.
A Reuters reporter at the palace said the attack began soon after 6.30 a.m. (10:00 p.m. EDT) when at least one man opened fire with an automatic rifle close to a gate to the palace in central Shash Darak district. The fighting was over before 8 a.m.
Reporters at the palace gates for security checks took cover when the firing started.
A senior government official told Reuters four or five attackers had used fake identify papers to try to make their way through security gates in the Shash Darak district, which leads to Kabul's most tightly guarded areas.
One car made it through, but a second vehicle was stopped and those inside began shooting. Grenades were thrown.
The area is home to the presidential palace compound, the Ministry of Defense and an annexe of the U.S. embassy at the old Ariana Hotel. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's Afghanistan station is based there.
Afghan forces and U.S. servicemen returned fire and explosions resounded through the area. Children walking to school were caught in the shooting, but escaped serious injury.
A thick plume of smoke was seen rising from the Ariana at the height of the exchanges.
One of the attackers was killed when he detonated a bomb on his body, the government official said, and three or four were killed by security forces. At least two Afghan security guards were killed.
The U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Jim Cunningham, condemned the attack and called on the Taliban to once again commit to the nascent peace process in Doha.
"We remain steadfast in supporting the Afghan government and people against the scourge of terrorism and the violence directed against them," he said.
REJUVENATING PEACE TALKS
U.S. officials have been trying to rejuvenate peace talks in Qatar, thrown off course after rows last week over the opening there of a Taliban office.
The U.S. envoy appointed to help Kabul pursue peace with the Taliban, James Dobbins, arrived on Monday and met Karzai and the Afghan body intended to negotiate with the insurgents.
He told reporters that Washington was trying to determine if the Taliban were willing to engage in talks.
In claiming responsibility for the attack, the Taliban said it had targeted the presidential palace, the CIA office and the Defense ministry.
But Afghan security officials told Reuters they believed it had been carried out by the Taliban-linked Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network is accused of masterminding high-profile attacks in Kabul and is believed to have close links to al Qaeda.
Adela Raz, a spokeswoman for Karzai, dismissed the suggestion that the palace had been under threat, saying any shooting had taken place far from the compound's walls.
The Defense ministry said the assault had been aimed at the Ariana.
In southern Afghanistan, a roadside bomb killed eight women, two children and an elderly man travelling in a minivan in southern Kandahar province on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Kandahar government said.
(U.S. envoy had been due to meet reporters at embassy, not at the palace, paragraph 3)
(Additional reporting by Dylan Welch; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-attack-afghan-presidential-palace-reuters-witnesses-022942464.html
the old curiosity shop jane russell meryl streep martin scorsese sacha baron cohen best picture nominees 2012 academy awards 2012
June 25, 2013 ? A life without feelings -- unimaginable. Although emotions are so important, philosophers are still discussing what they actually are. Prof. Dr. Albert Newen and Dr. Luca Barlassina of the Institute of Philosophy II at the Ruhr-Universit?t Bochum have drawn up a new theory. According to this, emotions are not just special cases of perception or thought but a separate kind of mental state which arises through the integration of feelings of bodily processes and cognitive contents.
They describe the model in the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.
Earlier theories of emotion
Around the turn of the 20th Century, the psychologists William James and Karl Lange proposed that emotions are nothing other than perceptions of bodily states. According to the James-Lange theory, we do not tremble because we are scared, but rather we are scared because we tremble. "This theory does not, however, consider the cognitive content of many emotions," says Albert Newen. If a student is anxious about an exam, then he is experiencing this anxiety because he thinks, for example, that the exam is important and that he will have a blackout. The so-called "cognitive theory of emotions" therefore says that emotions are essentially an assessment of the situation based on reason: this dog is dangerous because he is baring his teeth. "This theory is also unsatisfactory," says Newen, "because it forgets the feelings as a central component of the emotion." A person can realistically judge that a dog is dangerous and at the same time have no fear because he is an expert in handling dangerous dogs. So the cognitive assessment does not necessarily determine the emotion.
Integrative embodiment theory of emotions
Bochum's philosophers call their new model the "integrative embodiment theory of emotions." The emotional level is -- as postulated by William James -- the central starting point. An emotion only comes into existence, however, when the perception of bodily states is integrated with other aspects. The brain has to combine at least two components here: the perception of our own bodily states in a given situation, for example trembling, and the intentional object, such as the dog, which triggers the fear. Moreover, in "cognitive" emotions, typical thought content can also play a role, for example, with regard to a bull terrier: "bull terriers are particularly strong and dangerous." The result is a separate kind of mental state, namely an emotion that we conceive as a complex pattern of distinctive characteristics.
Emotions for things that do not even exist
According to Newen and Barlassina, the new theory is also superior to Jesse Prinz's most sophisticated theory of emotions so far, because this does not take into account that an emotion can also be directed at an object that is not present or does not even exist. A case study: Karl goes with his girlfriend Antje to a new bar. Because Karl has already been served by the barkeeper Fritz, Antje waits alone at the bar. Karl hears that she is insulted, but does not see by whom. He assumes it is Fritz. In the meantime, however, Fritz has left the room and John, an employee, is at the bar. He passes the insult and then leaves immediately. When Karl comes to the bar to vent his anger at the insult, Fritz is back. Karl is angry with Fritz although the cause of his bodily states associated with the feeling of anger was the utterance by John. The cause, John, and the object of the anger, namely Fritz, do not coincide. The object of anger is also known as the intentional object of anger, because it does not have to exist. People can even experience emotions about things that aren't real, for example, fear of vampires. While all feeling theories of emotion overlook the intentional object as an essential part of the emotion, the cognitive theories do tend to forget the feeling dimension of the emotion. Only the integrative embodiment theory takes all these components into account as constitutive of the emotion.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/8d45QfySl4k/130625073819.htm
Kim Kardashian Baby Lil Snupe aaron hernandez aaron hernandez Paula Dean Racial Slur Vine Summer solstice 2013
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
Share ] Contact: Arantxa Mena
comunicacio@idibell.cat
34-932-607-129
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute
The Fundacin Mutua Madrilea, in its 10th Call for Aids to Research, has selected a project to improve the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome led by researcher Marta Pineda, from the Hereditary Cancer research group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). The aid is provided with 33,000 euros and has a duration of two years.
Hereditary predisposition to cancer
Lynch syndrome is a hereditary predisposition to cancer caused by germline mutations in DNA repair genes. Families with Lynch syndrome have a higher risk of developing several types of cancer, especially of colon and endometrium.
Mutational analysis of repair genes often identifies genetic variants of unknown significance, of which we cannot predict its biological significance and clinical consequences. Identification of a variant of unknown significance is an important limitation for proper risk assessment of cancer predisposition. Such variants represent a 30% of the alterations detected in mutational analysis repair genes.
The aim of the project funded by the Fundacin Mutua Madrilea is to study the pathogenicity of the variants identified in repair genes MSH2 and MSH6.
The funding of this project will imply the incorporation of the functional study of these variants in the routine of the Molecular Diagnostic Unit of ICO and a significant improvement in molecular diagnostics of Lynch syndrome.
The determination of the pathogenicity of a variant is essential to help Genetic Counselling Units in doing family counselling and allows predictive studies of risk and prevention measures and an adequate monitoring.
Improvements in diagnosis
On the other hand, together with the announcement of this aid, the researchers of the hereditary cancer group at IDIBELL and ICO, under the direction of Gabriel Capell have published in the Journal of Medical Genetics a study identifying the first PMS2 mutations in Spain. The study also involved the Institute of Medicine and Molecular Oncology of Asturias (IMOMA) and the University of Frankfurt.
Mutational analysis of PMS2 is particularly complex since there are multiple pseudogenes (sequences similar to that of our genes but with no protein expression capacity) that hinder it. The IMOMA uses a special methodology that avoids pseudogenes and identifies mutations in PMS2 in a more reliable way. Subsequently, the functional study of variants of unknown significance made by ICO and the University of Frankfurt has allowed classifying the variants identified in the PMS2 gene.
This exhaustive strategy of molecular study in the genetic analysis of PMS2 gene has allowed the identification of mutations responsible for the syndrome in 69% of the analyzed patients.
###
About us
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a Spanish leading health research cantre created in 2004 and participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital, the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, and the University of Barcelona. IDIBELL is located at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Barcelona, at Biopol'H Space, and is member of the Health Universitat de Barcelona Campus.
Article reference
Borrs E., Pineda M., Cadianos J., del Valle J.,Brieger A., Hinrichsen I., Cabanillas R., Navarro M., Brunet J., Sanjuan X., Musulen E., van der Klift H., Lzaro C., Plotz G., Blanco I. and Capell G. Refining the role of pms2 in Lynch syndrome: germline mutational analysis improved by comprehensive assessment of variants. Journal of Medical Genetics. 10.1136/jmedgenet-2012-101511
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 25-Jun-2013 Share ] Contact: Arantxa Mena
comunicacio@idibell.cat
34-932-607-129
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute
The Fundacin Mutua Madrilea, in its 10th Call for Aids to Research, has selected a project to improve the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome led by researcher Marta Pineda, from the Hereditary Cancer research group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). The aid is provided with 33,000 euros and has a duration of two years.
Hereditary predisposition to cancer
Lynch syndrome is a hereditary predisposition to cancer caused by germline mutations in DNA repair genes. Families with Lynch syndrome have a higher risk of developing several types of cancer, especially of colon and endometrium.
Mutational analysis of repair genes often identifies genetic variants of unknown significance, of which we cannot predict its biological significance and clinical consequences. Identification of a variant of unknown significance is an important limitation for proper risk assessment of cancer predisposition. Such variants represent a 30% of the alterations detected in mutational analysis repair genes.
The aim of the project funded by the Fundacin Mutua Madrilea is to study the pathogenicity of the variants identified in repair genes MSH2 and MSH6.
The funding of this project will imply the incorporation of the functional study of these variants in the routine of the Molecular Diagnostic Unit of ICO and a significant improvement in molecular diagnostics of Lynch syndrome.
The determination of the pathogenicity of a variant is essential to help Genetic Counselling Units in doing family counselling and allows predictive studies of risk and prevention measures and an adequate monitoring.
Improvements in diagnosis
On the other hand, together with the announcement of this aid, the researchers of the hereditary cancer group at IDIBELL and ICO, under the direction of Gabriel Capell have published in the Journal of Medical Genetics a study identifying the first PMS2 mutations in Spain. The study also involved the Institute of Medicine and Molecular Oncology of Asturias (IMOMA) and the University of Frankfurt.
Mutational analysis of PMS2 is particularly complex since there are multiple pseudogenes (sequences similar to that of our genes but with no protein expression capacity) that hinder it. The IMOMA uses a special methodology that avoids pseudogenes and identifies mutations in PMS2 in a more reliable way. Subsequently, the functional study of variants of unknown significance made by ICO and the University of Frankfurt has allowed classifying the variants identified in the PMS2 gene.
This exhaustive strategy of molecular study in the genetic analysis of PMS2 gene has allowed the identification of mutations responsible for the syndrome in 69% of the analyzed patients.
###
About us
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a Spanish leading health research cantre created in 2004 and participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital, the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, and the University of Barcelona. IDIBELL is located at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Barcelona, at Biopol'H Space, and is member of the Health Universitat de Barcelona Campus.
Article reference
Borrs E., Pineda M., Cadianos J., del Valle J.,Brieger A., Hinrichsen I., Cabanillas R., Navarro M., Brunet J., Sanjuan X., Musulen E., van der Klift H., Lzaro C., Plotz G., Blanco I. and Capell G. Refining the role of pms2 in Lynch syndrome: germline mutational analysis improved by comprehensive assessment of variants. Journal of Medical Genetics. 10.1136/jmedgenet-2012-101511
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/ibri-mmf062513.php
stephen colbert Exodus International John McAfee publix North West James Gandolfini stock market
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. assumes National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden remains in Russia, and officials are working with Moscow in hopes he will be expelled and returned to America to face criminal charges, President Barack Obama's spokesman said Monday. He declared that a decision by Hong Kong not to detain Snowden has "unquestionably" hurt relations between the United States and China.
Snowden left Hong Kong, where he has been in hiding, and flew to Moscow but then apparently did not board a plane bound for Cuba as had been expected. His whereabouts were a mystery. The founder of the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization, Julian Assange, said he wouldn't go into details about where Snowden was but said he was safe.
Snowden has applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries, Assange said.
At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. was expecting the Russians "to look at the options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden back to the United States to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged."
"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust," he added. "And we think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback. If we cannot count on them to honor their legal extradition obligations, then there is a problem. And that is a point we are making to them very directly."
Snowden has given highly classified documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, often sweeping up information on American citizens. He also told the South China Morning Post that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data."
Snowden still has perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said over the weekend.
He had been in hiding in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition but was rebuffed by Hong Kong officials who said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws. The Justice Department rejected that claim, saying its request met all of the requirements of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Hong Kong.
Said Carney: "We are just not buying that this was a technical decision by a Hong Kong immigration official. This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship."
The dual lines of diplomacy ? harsh with China, hopeful with the Russians ? came just days after Obama met separately with leaders of both countries in an effort to close gaps on some of the major disputes facing them.
Snowden arrived in Moscow on Sunday, but his whereabouts were thrown into question Monday when a plane took off from Moscow for Cuba with an empty seat booked in his name. The U.S. has revoked his passport.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be "deeply troubling" if Russia or Hong Kong had adequate notice about Snowden's plans to flee to a country that would grant him asylum and still allowed him leave.
"We don't know, specifically, where he may head, or what his intended destination may be," Kerry said, responding to a question during a news conference in New Delhi where he was discussing bilateral issues between the U.S. and India.
U.S. officials pointed to improved cooperation with the Russians in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and to assistance the U.S. has given Russia on law enforcement cases.
"We continue to hope that the Russians will do the right thing," Kerry told NBC News. "We think it's very important in terms of our relationship. We think it's very important in terms of rule of law. These are important standards. We have returned seven criminals that they requested for extradition from the United States over the last two years. So we really hope that the right choice will be made here."
"We don't know, specifically, where he may head, or what his intended destination may be," Kerry said during a news conference in New Delhi.
Carney said the U.S. was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries through which Snowden might travel or where he might end up.
"The U.S. is advising these governments that Mr. Snowden is wanted on felony charges and as such should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him here to the United States," Carney said.
An Aeroflot representative who wouldn't give her name told The Associated Press that Snowden wasn't on flight SU150 to Havana, which was filled with journalists trying to track him down.
In Moscow, security around the aircraft was heavy prior to boarding and guards tried to prevent the scrum of photographers and cameramen from taking pictures of the plane, heightening the speculation that Snowden might have been secretly escorted on board.
After spending a night in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, Snowden had been expected to fly to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador.
Some analysts said it was likely that the Russians were questioning Snowden, interested in what he knew about U.S. electronic espionage against Moscow.
"If Russian special services hadn't shown interest in Snowden, they would have been utterly unprofessional," Igor Korotchenko, a former colonel in Russia's top military command turned security analyst, said on state Rossiya 24 television.
The White House's tough response to Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden leave came just two weeks after Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for two days of personal diplomacy in a desert retreat in California.
Carney said that after the U.S. sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong, authorities there requested additional information from the U.S.
"The U.S. had been in communication with Hong Kong about these inquiries and we were in the process of responding to the request when we learned that Hong Kong authorities had allowed the fugitive to leave Hong Kong," Carney said.
Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, said his government had received an asylum request, adding Monday that the decision "has to do with freedom of expression and with the security of citizens around the world."
Ecuador has rejected some previous U.S. efforts at cooperation and has been helping Assange avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.
But Assange's comments that Snowden had applied in multiple places opened other possibilities of where he might try to go.
WikiLeaks has said it is providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from the group.
Icelandic officials have confirmed receiving an informal request for asylum conveyed by WikiLeaks, which has strong links to the tiny North Atlantic nation. But authorities there have insisted that Snowden must be on Icelandic soil before making a formal request.
___
Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, Matthew Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry and Vladimir Isachenkov and Max Seddon in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-urges-moscow-expel-snowden-us-173013205.html
apple earnings the glass castle jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins
ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Islamic militants disguised as policemen killed 10 foreign climbers and a Pakistani guide in a brazen overnight raid against their campsite at the base of one of the world's tallest mountains in northern Pakistan, officials said Sunday.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, saying it was to avenge the death of their deputy leader in a U.S. drone strike last month.
The attack took place in an area that has largely been peaceful, hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the Taliban's major sanctuaries along the Afghan border. But the militant group, which has been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for years, has shown it has the ability to strike almost anywhere in the country.
The Taliban began their attack by abducting two local guides to take them to the remote base camp in Gilgit-Baltisan, said Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. One of the guides was killed in the shooting, and the other has been detained for questioning. The attackers disguised themselves by wearing uniforms used by the Gilgit Scounts, a paramilitary force that patrols the area, Khan said.
Around 15 gunmen attacked the camp at around 11 p.m. Saturday, said the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which spoke with a local guide, Sawal Faqir, who survived the shooting. They began by beating the mountaineers and taking away any mobile and satellite phones they could find, as well as everyone's money, said the club in a statement.
Some climbers and guides were able to run away, but those that weren't were shot dead, said the club. Faqir was able to hide a satellite phone and eventually used it to notify authorities of the attack.
Attaur Rehman, the home secretary in Gilgit-Baltistan, said 10 foreigners and one Pakistani were killed in the attack. The dead foreigners included three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, two Chinese, one Lithuanian, one Nepalese and one Chinese-American, according to Rehman and tour operators who were working with the climbers. Matt Boland, the acting spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, confirmed that an American citizen was among the dead, but could not say whether it was a dual Chinese national.
The shooting ? one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in recent years ? occurred in a stunning part of the country that has seen little violence against tourists, although it has experienced attacks by radical Sunni Muslims on minority Shiites in recent years.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their Jundul Hafsa faction carried out the shooting as retaliation for the death of the Taliban's deputy leader, Waliur Rehman, in a U.S. drone attack on May 29.
"By killing foreigners, we wanted to give a message to the world to play their role in bringing an end to the drone attacks," Ahsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.
The U.S. insists the CIA strikes primarily kill al-Qaida and other militants who threaten the West as well as efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan. In a recent speech, President Barack Obama outlined tighter restrictions on the highly secretive program.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who wants to pursue peace talks with militants threatening his country, has insisted the U.S. stop the drone strikes, saying they violate Pakistan's sovereignty and are counterproductive because they often kill innocent civilians and stoke anti-U.S. sentiment in this nation of 180 million.
Sharif responded to the attack on the camp by vowing "such acts of cruelty and inhumanity would not be tolerated and every effort would be made to make Pakistan a safe place for tourists."
Officials expressed fear the attack would deal a serious blow to Pakistan's tourism industry, already struggling because of the high level of violence in the country.
The interior minister promised to take all measures to ensure the safety of tourists as he addressed the National Assembly, which passed a resolution condemning the incident.
"A lot of tourists come to this area in the summer, and our local people work to earn money from these people," said Syed Mehdi Shah, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. "This will not only affect our area, but will adversely affect all of Pakistan."
He said the base camp was cordoned off by police and paramilitary soldiers after the attack, and a military helicopter searched the area.
Volodymyr Lakomov, the Ukrainian ambassador to Pakistan, also condemned the attack and said, "We hope Pakistani authorities will do their best to find the culprits of this crime."
Many foreign tourists stay away from Pakistan because of the country's reputation as being a dangerous place. But a relatively small number of intrepid foreigners visit Gilgit-Baltistan during the summer to marvel at the towering peaks in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, including K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.
An even smaller group tries to climb them. Nanga Parbat is over 8,000 meters (26,250 feet) tall and is notoriously difficult to summit. It is known as the "killer mountain" because of numerous mountaineering deaths in the past.
Pakistan has very close ties with neighboring China and is sensitive to any issue that could harm the relationship. Pakistani officials have reached out to representatives from China and Ukraine to convey their sympathies, the Foreign Ministry said.
The government suspended the chief secretary and top police chief in Gilgit-Baltistan following the attack and ordered an inquiry into the incident, said Khan, the interior minister.
The shooting was one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in the last decade. A suicide attack outside a hotel in the southern city of Karachi killed 11 French engineers in 2002. In 2009, gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore, killing six Pakistani policemen, a driver and wounding several players.
___
Associated Press writer Rasool Dawar contributed to this report from Peshawar, Pakistan.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-10-foreign-tourists-local-guide-killed-200949593.html
doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston free agents nfl 2012 milwaukee bucks bear grylls us news law school rankings
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures while making a speech that was in part about climate change at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi, India on Sunday, June 23, 2013, on his first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures while making a speech that was in part about climate change at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi, India on Sunday, June 23, 2013, on his first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center left, is greeted by Aman Puri, with the Indian protocol office, upon arrival in New Delhi, India on Sunday, June 23, 2013, on his first visit to India as secretary. At right is U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy Powell. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the traveling press on board the airplane as he leaves Doha, Qatar en route to New Delhi, on Sunday, June 23, 2013. In Qatar Kerry spent time discussing Syria and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes a speech in part about climate change at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi, India on Sunday, June 23, 2013, on his first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
NEW DELHI (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged fast-growing India to work with the United States on global warming before it's too late. "The irreversible climate challenge is speeding towards us, crying out for a global solution, " he said.
Kerry spoke on climate change in a speech in New Delhi, the second stop on his two-week swing through the Mideast and Asia, just two days before President Barack Obama is to unveil his long-awaited plan for the United States on the issue.
"The world's largest democracy and its oldest one must do more together, uniting not as a threat to anyone, not as a counterweight to a region or some other countries, but as partners building a strong, smart future in a critical age," Kerry said in a reference to how India is often viewed as a counterbalance to China.
People consulting with White House officials on Obama's plan say they expect the president to put forth regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by coal-fired power plants that are already running. Environmental groups have been pleading with Obama to take that step, but the administration has said it's focused first on controls on new power plants.
More than half of India's power comes from coal and while the U.S. has emission issues of its own, it wants to see India and other nations in the region rely less on old, coal generation facilities. The U.S. is backing a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline that would bring energy to a power-starved region.
Speaking at a convention center to a crowd of several hundred businessmen, students and others, Kerry noted that federal scientists in May reported that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere passed 400 parts per million ? a level never before experienced by man.
"When the desert is creeping into East Africa, and ever more scarce resources push farmers and herders into deadly conflict ... then this is a matter of shared security for all of us. ... When the Himalayan glaciers are receding, threatening the very supply of water to almost a billion people, we all need to do better," he said.
During his first trip to India as secretary of state, the top U.S. diplomat was expected to discuss a myriad of other topics, including enhancing security in the region and prospects for finding a political resolution to the war in Afghanistan.
As NATO troops leave, India fears the country could fall into the hands of a Taliban-led regime, endangering many of India's interests there. Kerry reassured India, which has invested more than $2 billion to reconstruct Afghanistan, that the U.S. commitment to the Afghan people will not end at the close of next year when NATO-led combat troops complete their withdrawal.
In meetings before Kerry heads to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the U.S. expects Indian officials will want to query Kerry about prospects for peace talks with the Taliban. U.S. talks were scheduled to begin in coming days, but a last-minute diplomatic rift over how the Taliban rolled out their new political office in Doha, Qatar, has threatened to scuttle the talks.
"Obviously, we are very realistic about the difficulties of making progress. Making peace is never easy, and a final settlement may be long in coming," he said.
"And let me be clear: Any political settlement must result in the Taliban breaking ties with al-Qaida, renouncing violence and accepting the Afghan constitution, including its protections for all Afghans, women and men. Afghanistan cannot again become a safe haven for international terrorism."
Kerry also spoke about India's archrival, Pakistan.
There is widespread hope that Pakistan's new President Nawaz Sharif will try to improve relations with its Indian neighbor, thus reducing the chance of a fourth major war between the nuclear-armed foes.
But India has been frustrated by Pakistan's failure to crack down on Islamic extremists, which have strong historical links with Pakistani intelligence. Kerry called on Pakistan to continue normalizing trade relations with Pakistan. "Just last year, bilateral trade increased 21 percent," he said.
Washington wants New Delhi to speed up economic reform to increase U.S. business and trade opportunities with India. In the past decade, bilateral trade has increased five-fold, but Kerry is expected to share the concerns of the U.S. business community about trade and about other problems American businessmen are facing in India.
More than 150 U.S. lawmakers teamed up with American business groups last week to press the Obama administration to further press India to ease policies they claim are bad for American exports, jobs and innovation.
Associated Presscleveland plain dealer john scott barry sanders barry sanders jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Saturday for an urgent political resolution to the war in Syria, saying that unless the bloodshed stops, the region could descend into a chaotic sectarian conflict.
Kerry met in Doha with 10 of his counterparts from Arab and European nations to coordinate aid to the embattled rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad in a two-year civil war that has left 93,000 dead. All the nations in attendance agreed to step up aid to the rebels, Kerry said.
While he offered no specifics, Kerry said the assistance would help change the balance on the battlefield, where regime forces have scored recent victories. Kerry blamed Assad for the deteriorating situation in Syria, saying that while the international community was attempting to hold a conference to set up a transitional government, Assad invited Iranian and Hezbollah fighters to bolster his troops.
It was Kerry's first meeting with his counterparts about aid to the Syrian rebels since President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would send lethal aid to the opposition despite concern that weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic extremists in Syria. That decision was partly based on a U.S. intelligence assessment that Assad had used chemical weapons, but Kerry expressed deeper concern about Iran and Hezbollah fighters.
"That is a very, very dangerous development," Kerry said. "Hezbollah is a proxy for Iran. ... Hezbollah in addition to that is a terrorist organization."
Kerry blamed Hezbollah and Assad with thwarting efforts to diffuse sectarian rebels and to negotiate a settlement.
"We're looking at a very dangerous situation," that had transformed "into a much more volatile, potentially explosive situation that could involve the entire region," Kerry said.
The war already has spilled into neighboring countries and is increasingly being fought along sectarian lines, pitting Sunni against Shiite Muslims and threatening the stability of Syria's neighbors.
Kerry met with his counterparts in the Qatari capital on the first stop of a seven-nation trip through the Mideast and Asia where he is tackling difficult foreign policy issues ? from finding peace between the Israelis and Palestinians to trying to gain traction on U.S. talks with the Taliban to end the Afghanistan war. James Dobbins, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, arrived in Doha on Saturday, but talks with the Taliban have not been scheduled.
Kerry seemed to put the ball in the Taliban's court, saying the Americans and Qataris were all on board to help negotiate a political resolution to the war and it was up to the Taliban to come to the table at a new political office they opened last week in Doha. "We are waiting to find out whether the Taliban will respond, Kerry said.
"We will see if we can get back on track. I don't know whether that's possible or not," Kerry said. "If there is not a decision made by the Taliban to move forward in short order, then we may have to consider whether the office has to be closed."
On Syria, Kerry has been pressing hard on Russia to back an international conference intended to end the bloodshed in Syria and allow a transitional government to move the country beyond civil war.
Russia has been the key ally of Assad's regime throughout the two-year conflict.
Top U.S. diplomats are ready to go to Geneva to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials next week to advance the political process, Kerry said. The date and location of the international conference on Syria haven't been announced, but it's already being dubbed "Geneva 2" because a similar event was held there a year ago.
On Friday, Russia's foreign minister said Washington was sending contradictory signals on Syria that could derail an international conference intended to end that country's civil war, warning that U.S. talk about a possible no-fly zone would only encourage the rebels to keep fighting.
Sergey Lavrov also criticized demands that Assad step down. Russian leaders warn that if Assad steps aside, the resulting power vacuum could be quickly filled by al-Qaida connected rebels, who are well-armed and aggressive.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-political-solution-urgently-needed-syria-154043827.html
1940 census instagram for android dallas news dallas fort worth dfw 1930 census nike new nfl uniforms
In a preview of?the many pronouncements to come on the floor of Congress as the House debates a legislative ban on all abortions after 20 weeks,?allow us to introduce you to Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), who believes that abortion should be banned earlier than the Supreme Court says it should?because, in part, he knows fetuses feel pain. He knows this because he says he's seen male fetuses begin masturbating in the womb around 15 weeks into a pregnancy.
RELATED: Arizona Government Website Misdirects Women on Abortions
During a House Rules Committee debate on Monday regarding the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act ? the restrictive abortion bill for which debate begins today and which would ban procedures nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy and effectively dissolve the 23-24 week abortion window provided by?Roe v. Wade???Burgess unleashed the following (video below):
This is a subject I know something about ... Watch a sonogram of a 15-week baby, and they have movements that are purposeful. They stroke their face. If they?re a male baby, they may have their hand between their legs. If they feel pleasure, why is it so hard to believe that they could feel pain?
So, this member of the U.S. Congress has now said, on the Congressional record, that male fetuses at 15 weeks into development are consciously touching their tiny fetal penises to give themselves pleasure. And Burgess is stating, on the Congressional record, that we should trust him because of his experience as a doctor.?According to the GOP Doctors Caucus website, he has practiced as an OB/GYN for 25 years ? 25 years of tiny masturbating fetuses.
RELATED: New Mexico Bill Would Send Rape Victims to Jail for Aborting 'Evidence'
So is he right? Well, sorta ... but not really. In the blurry, ultrasonographic world of masturbating fetuses, the most conclusive finding was in 1996, when two Italian doctors witnessed what they believed was a female fetus purportedly masturbating for 20 minutes and logged their discovery in a letter to?The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. That abstract isn't available online, but their finding has been cited,?and previews of the study exist:?
RELATED: Judith Warner on the Stupak Debate
RELATED: Boehner Gets a Challenger from the Right
But that fetus was at 32 weeks, not 15 weeks,?as Burgess cited. And at 32 weeks, fetuses are usually around 3.5 pounds. At 15 weeks, fetuses are?around 4 inches long and weigh just a few ounces.?Presuming the 1996 finding is the norm (and represents a big jump in itself), the research still doesn't give any credence to Burgess's already shocking don't abort fetuses because they're masturbating?logic, because the fetus witnessed in 1996 was twice the age Burgess cited. Basically, the masturbating fetus argument does not help anything ? and it may undermine Burgess's insistence that fetuses feel pain and pleasure at 15 weeks.?
RELATED: Words, Words, Words: How Akin and the GOP Differ on Abortion
If Burgess wanted to make a point about masturbating fetuses and ban third-trimester abortions, he'd have supporters. ABC News explained in January that both pro-choice supporters (79 percent) and pro-life advocates (96 percent) strongly believe in making abortion illegal in the third trimester. And those third-trimester numbers are very tiny as it is: "In the U.S., 88 percent of abortions are done in the first 12 weeks, according to the Guttmacher Institute; fewer than 1 percent are in the third trimester." ABC News reported.
But that isn't what Burgess and conservatives want. Their restrictive, 20-week ban and attack on Roe v. Wade?is expected to pass the House as early as Tuesday,?the AP reports.?The Democratic-led Senate, of course, is expected to completely ignore the bill, and the Obama administration last night announced a veto threat. Indeed, the only thing that seems to be in question with this bill is which member of the House GOP caucus will try to top Burgess and his masturbating fetuses now that he's topped Rep. Trent Franks, the bill's sponsor, and his "incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy" line from last week.
Here's the video of Burgess at Monday's session ? we don't blame you for double-checking:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-congressman-wants-ban-abortion-save-masturbating-fetuses-142631779.html
Star Wars Episode 7 jfk airport faith hill metro north taco bell taco bell Breezy Point
Link Information - Click to View
'Hoff' crab's oceanic 'road trip'
Source: BBC News
Posted on:
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013, 8:58am
Views: 7
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128700/_Hoff__crab_s_oceanic__road_trip_
nancy pelosi nancy pelosi gop debate republican debate lewis black kirkwood chris brown and rihanna
How's about this for a coincidence? We've just benchmarked the Snapdragon 800 reference tablet, with some very nice results, and now Bloomberg is reporting that Microsoft will use a Qualcomm chip in its next refresh of the Surface RT. The report, based on insider sources, doesn't stretch to detailing whether we'll be looking at the flagship 800 processor specifically, but such a choice would tally with a previous statement from Qualcomm, and it'd also seem like a logical upgrade for the current hybrid which runs on NVIDIA's Tegra 3 and already feels underpowered. As for NVIDIA, the same unconfirmed report suggests that the company will still have a role to play as a supplier "for some versions" of Microsoft's product. That's a curious notion, because it implies we might see multiple iterations of the Surface RT to suit different price points or markets (e.g., those with or without LTE), and at least one version of those could house a Tegra 4. Or it could simply be a diplomatic way of saying that the existing RT products will continue to be sold and supported for a while. Either way, if Microsoft doesn't implement the full force of Snapdragon, someone else hopefully will.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Source: Bloomberg
Hulk Hogan sex tape orioles Sarah Jones chicago marathon Johnny Depp Dead college football rankings Steel Magnolias
By Alina Selyukh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, on Tuesday pledged to champion competition in the telecommunications industry and said an upcoming auction of airwaves is the biggest challenge facing the regulator.
Acknowledging his past as a lobbyist, Wheeler told lawmakers at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on his nomination that at the FCC, he would advocate for the consumers' interest first: "My client will be the American public."
Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said he was certain the Senate would approve Wheeler to succeed Julius Genachowski as FCC chairman.
The next step for Wheeler will be a vote by the committee on his nomination. No date has been set.
Asked to cite the single biggest challenge facing the FCC, Wheeler pointed to the so-called incentive auction, during which U.S. broadcasters would give up some of their airwaves to be sold to wireless providers.
Wheeler called the complex auction process a Rubik's Cube, because the rules that are currently being drafted would have to take account of the many interests at stake.
The FCC has planned this biggest-ever spectrum auction for 2014, although many in the industry say its complexity could mean delays. Wheeler pledged to make every effort to meet the 2014 deadline.
"I understand the concerns," Wheeler said, adding that he was involved in the FCC's very first spectrum auction, which was held in 1994. "This isn't my first rodeo."
Wheeler, who was recently a venture capitalist and an Obama fundraiser and adviser, was a top lobbyist at the National Cable Television Association in the 1980s and then at the wireless industry group CTIA until 2004.
"I am an unabashed supporter of competition," he said. "The role of the FCC has evolved from acting in lieu of competition to dictate the market, to promoting and protecting competition with appropriate oversight to see that it flourishes."
Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, pressed Wheeler about his 2011 blog post in favor of a merger of top wireless providers AT&T Inc and T-Mobile that was ultimately blocked because of concerns about competition.
"There is scarcely anything more important that comes before the commission than merger review," Wheeler said, adding that the blog was a "hypothetical speculation." He cited three factors crucial to merger review: deal-specific facts, legal mandate and precedent.
Addressing a critical issue he will have to tackle as FCC chair - decades-old rules that limit cross-ownership of different U.S. media outlets in one market - Wheeler said he understood the seriousness of the issue and was "specifically trying not to be specific." "I want to become more informed," he said.
Asked by Republican senators about attempts by Democratic lawmakers to get the FCC to press TV stations to disclose sponsors of political ads - a hot partisan issue - Wheeler said he needed and planned to study the topic to determine whether the commission should act, or has the authority to do so.
(Reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Ros Krasny and Steve Orlofsky)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fcc-nominee-wheeler-says-promote-competition-235237300.html
tebow jets romney etch a sketch jeb bush sherry arnold snooty fox el debarge portland weather
