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Saturday 9 March 2013
Conclave to elect new pope to start March 12
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Roman Catholic cardinals will enter a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict on March 12, the Vatican said on Friday, with no clear favorite emerging so far to take charge of the troubled Church.
Benedict's surprise abdication last month has brought most of the world's cardinals to the Vatican for discussions on the problems facing the 1.2 billion-member Church, and to decide on the profile of the man they want to lead them.
After five days of closed-door debate, the red-capped prelates decided on Friday to begin their secret votes in the frescoed Sistine Chapel on the afternoon of next Tuesday following a Mass in St Peter's Basilica in the morning.
A total of 115 elector-cardinals, all aged under 80, are set to take part in a series of ballots which continue until one man receives a two-thirds majority, or 77 votes.
The last six popes have all been elected within four days, with Benedict becoming pontiff in 2005 in barely 24 hours.
The cardinals have made clear they want another quick decision this time to make sure they can all return to their dioceses in time to lead Easter celebrations - the most important event in the Roman Catholic calendar.
"It's been 10 days since I left the archdiocese, and as the old song goes, 'I wanna go home!'" U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a blog on Friday.
The names of several possible frontrunners have been mentioned by church officials ever since Benedict's announcement on February 11 that he was quitting the papacy for health reasons after a rocky, eight-year reign.
Amongst the most mentioned are Italy's Angelo Scola, Brazil's Odilo Pedro Scherer and Canada's Marc Ouellet.
Italians dominated the papacy for 455 years before the election of the Polish-born John Paul, Benedict's predecessor, in 1978. With the vast majority of Catholics now living outside Europe, there is growing pressure for a pontiff from another part of the world.
CONSERVATIVES AHEAD
Whoever takes over will face a daunting challenge, with the Church struggling in the face of sex abuse scandals, rivalry and strife inside the Vatican, a growing shortage of priests and a rise of secularism in its European strongholds.
All the men entering the Sistine Chapel next week were appointed by either Pope John Paul or Benedict -- both conservative theologians who fiercely defended traditional Church teachings on moral issues.
It is therefore highly likely that another conservative will emerge from the ranks.
Vatican watchers say it is vital that the next pope is able to engage confidently with the public in a way that the shy Benedict struggled to do.
"I think the thing we really need is somebody who can communicate the gospel in a way that is understandable and attractive to people in the 21st century," said Rev. Thomas Reese, Jesuit scholar and author of "Inside the Vatican".
"The other thing that I think the cardinals are looking for is someone who can reform or reorganize the Vatican Curia (bureaucracy)," he added.
Concern about the Italian-dominated Curia was aired during this week's discussions, according to various leaks, with some cardinals demanding details of a dossier prepared for Benedict about the dysfunctional administration. He put the report aside for his successor to tackle and has not released the findings.
Cardinals were in the past locked into areas around the Sistine Chapel when they entered the conclave and not allowed out until they had chosen a new pontiff.
But the rules changed before the 2005 ballot and the prelates now get to reside in a comfortable Vatican hotel while they are not voting in the chapel itself.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Friday the cardinal electors would draw lots to see which rooms they would sleep in, with all external contact, including emails and telephone calls, forbidden.
Jamming devices will also be installed around the Sistine Chapel and the hotel to stop outsiders eavesdropping and to prevent mobile phone usage in the area.
One senior churchman is believed to have let slip to friends in Germany that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been elected pope in 2005 before the crowds waiting in the nearby St. Peter's Square were informed.
(Additional reporting by Philip Pullella and Tom Heneghan; Editing by Barry Moody)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/conclave-elect-pope-start-march-12-032106974.html
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Police chief's polygraph targets racist applicants
COOPERTOWN, Tenn. (AP) ? A police chief hired to rebuild a tiny Tennessee department dismantled by scandal is using a lie-detector test to keep racists off his force.
Coopertown Police Chief Shane Sullivan took over the department in November, becoming the 11th chief in as many years. He was hired on the heels of a series of police scandals that for a few months left Coopertown with no police at all. Years before that, a mayor was voted out of office after the local prosecutor accused him of racism and running a notorious speed trap.
Law enforcement experts say Sullivan's polygraph approach is unusual, though some departments use the devices for other purposes during the application process. Others try to root out bias in other ways. One polygraph expert warned that lie detectors can't accurately predict racism for reasons that include people's inability to recognize their own racism.
Sullivan said he doubts racists will even apply for the force if they know about the tests.
"I think the polygraph will definitely keep these people from applying," the 39-year-old chief said.
And he believes the policy is working, because he says it's already discouraged some applicants. "I've told a couple of ones about the polygraph who have not called me back."
Before Sullivan's hiring, the sheriff's department had overseen law enforcement in the town 30 miles northwest of Nashville while the department was temporarily disbanded.
First, the only full-time patrolman was fired over a road rage incident. Then the reserve officer was dismissed after a dashboard camera captured him using a racial slur to describe a black motorist. The dash cam video was later aired in the media. Soon after that, the police chief quit.
Coopertown Mayor Sam Childs said the chief resigned because of the "predatory media."
The rural community of about 4,000 people that is 95 percent white earned a reputation as a notorious speed trap, with about a third of its revenue coming from speeding tickets handed out by city police during the former mayor's tenure. In 2006, the National Motorists Association said Coopertown had one of the most "blatant examples of speed traps in the country." It stopped after a prosecutor filed a petition against the mayor in 2006. Its 25 squares miles encompass significant stretches of Interstate 24 and another highway that drivers use to cut through to Interstate 65.
In 2006, the county prosecutor asked a court to oust then-Mayor Danny Crosby on allegations he was running a speed trap and ordering police to target Hispanics, out-of-towners and soldiers from nearby Fort Campbell, Ky., for traffic tickets.
Although an appellate court agreed with a lower court's finding that Crosby's conduct and statements were strongly suggestive of "bigotry, sexism or utter foolishness," it refused to remove him. Crosby was later voted out of office and the speed trap is gone.
One lifelong resident said he's fed up with the city government and the police department making the town look bad.
"It's put a black eye on the city," Wayne Brown said of Coopertown's controversies. Brown, a mechanic and football coach, said he thinks there should be no city government or police department because they aren't providing any services.
"Other than writing speeding tickets, they don't do anything for us." Brown said of the department.
The new chief intends for his lie detector idea to help clean up the Coopertown's image. Candidates are required to answer whether they have ever committed a hate crime or a race-based crime.
"It doesn't ask if you've ever made a racist remark or slur," the chief said. Nor does the test ask people if they are prejudiced against any ethnic or religious minority.
Sullivan, who has taken the lie detector test himself, said he's hoping to establish a professional police department that can eventually provide 24-hour service seven days a week. Right now, he doesn't have the staff to police the town around the clock and leaves those duties up to the sheriff's office. He's already hired two police officers, both of whom have passed the polygraph, and he wants to add more. The department's budget is about $250,000 this fiscal year, Sullivan said, and the chief makes $41,000.
Bob Peters, a spokesman for the American Polygraph Association, said asking about factual matters is a better approach than using subjective questions about prejudice or racism. He says a polygraph can't accurately predict whether someone is racist.
"There might be people whom I might think have racist attitudes but they might not think so," said Peters, whose association has established best practices for use of the polygraph.
Peters says the new chief is using the best approach, and some voters are applauding him.
"I am very pleased with Chief Sullivan and the effort he is making to create a sound and secure police department for Coopertown," said Valorie Buck, chairwoman of the Coopertown Community Development Committee.
Malik Aziz, national chairman of the National Black Police Association, said the best way to keep bigots from being cops is through extensive background checks.
It's not unusual for police departments to use polygraphs on people before letting them join the force. Police applicants can be asked about past drug use or whether they have been involved in criminal activity.
"I haven't heard of any agency using a polygraph specifically geared toward eliminating racists from the application process," he said.
Sullivan says he's also using background checks to probe the racism issue.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department requires job candidates to undergo a voice stress test during the interviewing process, department spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said. Would-be officers are asked about bias during the test.
Voice stress tests are similar to polygraph tests, but instead of measuring heart rate and blood pressure, they detect changes in an applicant's voice pattern.
The department, she said, also uses an extensive background check and psychologically evaluates its job candidates.
"Polygraphs in and of themselves have a lot of problems," Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said.
Still, Weinberg commended the chief for the effort to bar racist applicants. But she thinks the best way for police departments to be accountable is by making sure citizens have their complaints of unfair treatment investigated.
Carolyn Murray, a professor of psychology at the University of California Riverside, supports other types of testing to detect bias, such as ones that use images of different racial groups and gauge reaction time when they are described as either "good" or "bad." Still, she applauded Sullivan's approach.
"If he's making this effort, he's making the biggest effort I've seen to date," Murray said. "You're not going to get everybody, but you will be able to stop a few people who would have been able to do a lot of damage to citizens."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-chiefs-polygraph-targets-racist-applicants-092508900.html
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Opposition uses tablet to speak out in parliament
Leader of Poland?s nationalist Law and Justice opposition party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski uses his tablet to bypass Parliament rules banning non-lawmakers from taking the floor. Himself a lawmaker authorized to speak from the podium, Kaczynski plays to the lower chamber a pre-recorded speech by Piotr Glinski, his party?s shadow cabinet prime minister. Kaczynski took the floor during a debate over his own motion for a vote of no confidence in the incumbent Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, March 7, 2013. The vote scheduled for Friday is expected to fail for lack of sufficient support. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Leader of Poland?s nationalist Law and Justice opposition party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski uses his tablet to bypass Parliament rules banning non-lawmakers from taking the floor. Himself a lawmaker authorized to speak from the podium, Kaczynski plays to the lower chamber a pre-recorded speech by Piotr Glinski, his party?s shadow cabinet prime minister. Kaczynski took the floor during a debate over his own motion for a vote of no confidence in the incumbent Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, March 7, 2013. The vote scheduled for Friday is expected to fail for lack of sufficient support. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Leader of Poland?s nationalist Law and Justice opposition party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski uses his tablet to bypass Parliament rules banning non-lawmakers from taking the floor. Himself a lawmaker authorized to speak from the podium, Kaczynski plays to the lower chamber a pre-recorded speech by Piotr Glinski, his party?s shadow cabinet prime minister. Kaczynski took the floor during a debate over his own motion for a vote of no confidence in the incumbent Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, March 7, 2013. The vote scheduled for Friday is expected to fail for lack of sufficient support. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) ? In Poland, speaking out in parliament is a privilege mostly reserved for lawmakers, but the opposition has skirted that regulation with the help of a hand-held tablet computer.
Nationalist opposition party leader and lawmaker Jaroslaw Kaczynski has introduced a non-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and a vote is expected Friday.
But when Kaczynski stood up to speak in the lower Chamber on Thursday, he surprised lawmakers by taking out his tablet and playing a pre-recorded policy speech by Piotr Glinski, his Law and Justice party's shadow prime minister, a non-elected official.
The public-relations stunt was apparently aimed at showing Glinski's leadership potential.
Poland's Cabinet is expected to survive Friday's vote.
Special permission is required for non-members to take the floor in parliament.
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Thursday 7 March 2013
Fired employee sues Deutsche over whistleblowing
NEW YORK (AP) ? A former employee is suing Deutsche Bank, saying he was fired in retaliation for raising questions about problems with the bank's systems and charges that were erroneously slapped on some customers as a result.
Gary DeDilectis, who worked in operations, filed the lawsuit against the bank Wednesday afternoon in U.S. district court in Manhattan. Deutsche Bank spokesman Duncan King says the claims are "without merit."
DeDilectis says he was fired in January 2012. The bank refused to give him a reason, he says, though he asked multiple times.
DeDilectis says that around August 2010, he noticed operational problems plaguing the bank. Among them: The bank failed to invest adequately in its systems, causing outages. As a result, paper statements were sometimes mailed to the wrong address or the wrong customer, and the bank failed to keep money for its own trading separate from customers' money, he says.
Sometimes, DeDilectis says, the bank couldn't reconcile its accounts: One 24-hour outage resulted in a $6 billion discrepancy between the previous day's account balances and "undetermined" transactions. Just before Thanksgiving 2011, a systems upgrade over the weekend caused about $1 million in overcharges to customers. DeDilectis says those customers were never notified. King said the bank has been working with its clients to rectify the overcharges since it became aware of the problem.
DeDilectis said he became "increasingly vocal" about his concerns, and "repeatedly informed" his managers and others about problems he saw, communicating via email, phone calls and in person. His concerns were ignored, he says. One time, when he and another employee raised a compliance issue and assigned it "red" status, meaning it could cause a loss for the bank, another worker forced them to downgrade it to "amber," signifying a lesser problem, he says.
According to the lawsuit, DeDilectis started working for Deutsche Bank Securities in New York in late 2007 as director of equity operations and asset servicing. He relocated to Jacksonville, Fla., in 2010.
He's asking for his job back, for back pay, and for his firing to be scrubbed from his record, as well as monetary damages for "emotional distress and loss of reputation."
His lawyer, Larry Pearson at Thompson Wigdor in New York, said DeDilectis has moved to North Carolina and is working part-time as a consultant. He hasn't been able to find comparable work.
___
AP Business Writer Steve Rothwell contributed to this story.
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Cancer Kick ? Spokane firefighters prepared to battle leukemia ...
For Spokane firefighters climbing stairs to save lives is just part of their job, but this weekend they?re doing it for another reason: To raise money in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma.
Wednesday morning firefighters were busy getting ready for their trip to Seattle this weekend for the 22nd Annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb.
?We climb 69 flights at the Columbia Center in full firefighter gear, turnouts, on air, in all our gear, so it?s actually very challenging,? Spokane Fire Lt. Kelly Smith said.
Last year the stair climb in Seattle raised over $1.2 million.
?District 9 has a big team going out, District 10 we have 24 firefighters going over from the City of Spokane,? Smith said.
Fire crews are converging on Seattle this weekend not just from the Pacific Northwest but from all over the world.
?We have teams from Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Canada also, so this is a pretty big deal people from all over come and take part,? said Smith.
There?s a reason they all rally behind this cause, Smith said. Firefighters have three times the greater risk of developing multiple myeloma, and local firefighters have a very emotional, very personal tie to this fundraiser.
One of their own, John Knighten, is battling multiple myeloma cancer. The father of three is in Seattle now for his second bone marrow transplant.
?A lot of what we do is in honor of him and people like that so this is a really worthy cause for firemen it hits us at home, it hits us where we live, and as we know leukemia strikes children. We will do anything for the kids, so that?s why we?re down here,? Smith said.
Article source: http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/Spokane-firefighters-prepared-to-battle-leukemia-lymphoma/-/101214/19211378/-/9mpwv9z/-/index.html
Source: http://cancerkick.com/2013/03/06/spokane-firefighters-prepared-to-battle-leukemia-lymphoma/
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Wednesday 6 March 2013
Blake McClain commits to Florida State: Noles land big defensive end
FSU adds a big defensive end.
Blake McClain, one of the top defensive ends in Florida for the class of 2014, committed to the Florida State Seminoles Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
McClain, out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood High School, is a consensus four-star recruit. He also claims offers from Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, Auburn and West Virginia.
He also happens to be the former teammate of Demarcus Walker, a four-star defensive end who committed to Florida State in 2013, and Kain Daub, a consensus five-star linebacker who Florida State is heavily recruiting along with the rest of the country.
McClain stands 6'4 and weighs 260 pounds, with the frame to eventually play at close to 280 pounds. He visited Florida State during one of the February junior days, and apparently felt comfortable enough on the visit to pull the trigger on a commitment.
He is the sixth commitment for the Florida State Seminoles.
For more on Florida State football recruiting, visit Tomahawk Nation.
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The Battleship That Took Over Union Square
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Egyptian police 'eye sniper' gets 3-year-sentence
CAIRO (AP) ? A Cairo court has convicted a police sniper for attacks on anti-government protesters and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Police officer Mahmoud el-Shenawi became known as the "eye sniper" after he was shown in footage on social networking sites allegedly firing at protesters in the Egyptian capital and aiming for their eyes.
He is said to have inflicted blindness and serious injuries on his targets.
The Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday found el-Shenawi guilty of attempted murder of five men during the deadly November 2011 protests, when several days of violence in a street leading to the heavily fortified Interior Ministry killed 42 people.
Mohammed Mahmoud street became another icon of Egypt's revolution, along with Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the uprising that ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-police-eye-sniper-gets-3-sentence-113758001.html
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Tuesday 5 March 2013
BUSM study reveals potential target to better treat, cure anxiety disorders
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Public release date: 5-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
Boston University Medical Center
(Boston) Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation of emotional memory processing. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could help lead to the development of effective behavioral and pharmacological therapies to treat anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias and panic attacks.
There are two main stages of sleep REM and non-REM and both are necessary to maintain health and to regulate multiple memory systems, including emotional memory. During non-REM sleep, the body repairs tissue, regenerates cells and improves the function of the body's immune system. During REM sleep, the brain becomes more active and the muscles of the body become paralyzed. Additionally, dreaming generally occurs during REM sleep, as well as physiological events including saccadic eye movements and rapid fluctuations of respiration, heart rate and body temperature. One particular physiological event, which is a hallmark sign of REM sleep, is the appearance of phasic pontine waves (P-waves). The P-wave is a unique brain wave generated by the activation of a group of glutamatergic cells in a specific region within the brainstem called the pons.
Memories of fearful experiences can lead to enduring alterations in emotion and behavior and sleep plays a natural emotional regulatory role after stressful and traumatic events. Persistence of sleep disturbances, particularly of REM sleep, is predictive of developing symptoms of anxiety disorders. A core symptom of these disorders frequently reported by patients is the persistence of fear-provoking memories that they are unable to extinguish. Presently, exposure therapy, which involves controlled re-exposure to the original fearful experience, is considered one of the most effective evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy produces a new memory, called an extinction memory, to coexist and compete with the fearful memory when the fearful cue/context is re-encountered.
The strength of the extinction memory determines the efficacy of exposure therapy. A demonstrated prerequisite for the successful development of an extinction memory is adequate sleep, particularly REM sleep, after exposure therapy. However, adequate or increased sleep alone does not universally guarantee its therapeutic efficacy.
"Given the inconsistency and unpredictability of exposure therapy, we are working to identify which process(es) during REM sleep dictate the success or failure of exposure therapy," said Subimal Datta, PhD, director and principle investigator at the Laboratory of Sleep and Cognitive Neuroscience at BUSM who served as the study's lead author.
The researchers used contextual fear extinction training, which works to turn off the conditioned fear, to study which brain mechanisms play a role in the success of exposure therapy. The study results showed that fear extinction training increased REM sleep. Surprisingly, however, only 57 percent of subjects retained fear extinction memory, meaning that they did not experience the fear, after 24 hours. There was a tremendous increase of phasic P-wave activity among those subjects. In 43 percent of subjects, however, the wave activity was absent and they failed to retain fear extinction memory, meaning that they re-experienced fear.
"The study results provide direct evidence that the activation of phasic P-wave activity within the brainstem, in conjunction with exposure therapy, is critical for the development of long-term retention of fear extinction memory," said Datta, who also is a professor of psychiatry and neurology at BUSM. In addition, the study indicates the important role that the brainstem plays in regulating emotional memory.
Future research will explore how to activate this mechanism in order to help facilitate the development of new potential pharmacological treatments that will complement exposure therapy to better treat anxiety and other psychological disorders.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect approximately 40 million American adults each year. While anxiety can sometimes be a normal and beneficial reaction to stress, some people experience excessive anxiety that they are unable to control, which can negatively impact their day to day life.
###
Research included in this study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health under grant award number MH 59839 (PI: Datta) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under grant award number NS 34004 (PI: Datta).
[ | 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: 5-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
Boston University Medical Center
(Boston) Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation of emotional memory processing. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could help lead to the development of effective behavioral and pharmacological therapies to treat anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias and panic attacks.
There are two main stages of sleep REM and non-REM and both are necessary to maintain health and to regulate multiple memory systems, including emotional memory. During non-REM sleep, the body repairs tissue, regenerates cells and improves the function of the body's immune system. During REM sleep, the brain becomes more active and the muscles of the body become paralyzed. Additionally, dreaming generally occurs during REM sleep, as well as physiological events including saccadic eye movements and rapid fluctuations of respiration, heart rate and body temperature. One particular physiological event, which is a hallmark sign of REM sleep, is the appearance of phasic pontine waves (P-waves). The P-wave is a unique brain wave generated by the activation of a group of glutamatergic cells in a specific region within the brainstem called the pons.
Memories of fearful experiences can lead to enduring alterations in emotion and behavior and sleep plays a natural emotional regulatory role after stressful and traumatic events. Persistence of sleep disturbances, particularly of REM sleep, is predictive of developing symptoms of anxiety disorders. A core symptom of these disorders frequently reported by patients is the persistence of fear-provoking memories that they are unable to extinguish. Presently, exposure therapy, which involves controlled re-exposure to the original fearful experience, is considered one of the most effective evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy produces a new memory, called an extinction memory, to coexist and compete with the fearful memory when the fearful cue/context is re-encountered.
The strength of the extinction memory determines the efficacy of exposure therapy. A demonstrated prerequisite for the successful development of an extinction memory is adequate sleep, particularly REM sleep, after exposure therapy. However, adequate or increased sleep alone does not universally guarantee its therapeutic efficacy.
"Given the inconsistency and unpredictability of exposure therapy, we are working to identify which process(es) during REM sleep dictate the success or failure of exposure therapy," said Subimal Datta, PhD, director and principle investigator at the Laboratory of Sleep and Cognitive Neuroscience at BUSM who served as the study's lead author.
The researchers used contextual fear extinction training, which works to turn off the conditioned fear, to study which brain mechanisms play a role in the success of exposure therapy. The study results showed that fear extinction training increased REM sleep. Surprisingly, however, only 57 percent of subjects retained fear extinction memory, meaning that they did not experience the fear, after 24 hours. There was a tremendous increase of phasic P-wave activity among those subjects. In 43 percent of subjects, however, the wave activity was absent and they failed to retain fear extinction memory, meaning that they re-experienced fear.
"The study results provide direct evidence that the activation of phasic P-wave activity within the brainstem, in conjunction with exposure therapy, is critical for the development of long-term retention of fear extinction memory," said Datta, who also is a professor of psychiatry and neurology at BUSM. In addition, the study indicates the important role that the brainstem plays in regulating emotional memory.
Future research will explore how to activate this mechanism in order to help facilitate the development of new potential pharmacological treatments that will complement exposure therapy to better treat anxiety and other psychological disorders.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect approximately 40 million American adults each year. While anxiety can sometimes be a normal and beneficial reaction to stress, some people experience excessive anxiety that they are unable to control, which can negatively impact their day to day life.
###
Research included in this study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health under grant award number MH 59839 (PI: Datta) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under grant award number NS 34004 (PI: Datta).
[ | 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/2013-03/bumc-bsr030513.php
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Are We Doing Personal Finance Wrong? - Beating Broke | Beating ...
As you can probably imagine, as a personal finance writer, I think about personal finance quite a bit.? Often enough that I write several articles a week on the subject.? I don?t consider myself an expert, but I do think that I know a great deal about it.? And I?m beginning to wonder if we aren?t going about it in the wrong way.
The problem with Personal Finance
We rail on the Joneses constantly.? That, by itself, isn?t really a problem.? The Joneses just aren?t very smart with their money.? But, for all that we rail on them, we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find ways that we can go about having things that are similar to what they have for less money.? And that is the problem. The Joneses have the fancy cable television package?? Try Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime!? The Joneses have a fancy new car?? Try a newer off-lease car!? The payments are half what they pay, and the car is almost as nice!? The Joneses have a fancy house?? Try making it affordable by DIY, gardening, and renting out a few of the rooms!
We aren?t the Joneses.? We know that.? We know that we really don?t want to be the Joneses.? But, some part of our natural tendencies somehow pulls us back to them, time and again.? We strain hard to become less like them, and find ourselves back where they are.? That is the problem with personal finance.
Are we doing personal finance wrong?
Changing personal finance
I think what we are really looking for, and what we are really jealous of the Joneses for is financial freedom.? It may only be perceived in the case of the Joneses, but it?s still there.? Freedom, financially, to be able to do the things we want to do, go the places we want to go, and have the things we want to have.? We emulate those who have those things without giving much thought to how they got there.? Maybe the Joneses did it through a boat load of debt.? We rail against debt.? Which only gets us so far.? So many of us struggle with even that part of it.? I know I have, and sometimes still do.? But, I can tell you with certainty, that had my perception of debt not changed drastically from where it was when I began this journey, I would be in a far worse place than I am now.? But, even that is only one small change in the way I think about personal finance.? Our entire perception has to change.
What?s the personal finance endgame?
What is it that we are really looking for.? We decide we want to change how we handle our finances, abandon the way of the Joneses, and make our way to a better life.? But, what is that better life?? If you?re thinking that a secure retirement is it, I think you?re wrong.? I think there?s a better way.? There has to be.? HAS TO BE.? There has to be a better way that doesn?t involve working for 40+ years, pinching every penny, saving every dime, only to end up at 65 or 70 with enough money to make sure you can pay for the medical bills your advanced age brings with it without having to live on welfare.? That can?t be all there is to personal finance, is it?? My word.? What if you retire at 65, and die at 66? I submit to you, that what we are really looking for is personal finance independence.? We don?t want to have to count on a job. We don?t want to count on a paycheck to (hopefully) cover the bills this month.
What is personal finance independence?
Here?s the tricky part.? I think it?s going to vary based on the individual.? What personal finance independence means to you is likely going to be a bit different from what it means to me.? Take, for example, Jacob.? Maybe you?ve heard of him, maybe you haven?t.? He writes a blog about early retirement.? He wrote a book all about it.? It?s got more scientific content than some of the science books I remember from school.? They guy is crazy smart about the subject.? But, when he says it?s early retirement extreme, he?s dead right.? If going to the measures that he went to in order to retire early is what is required, count me out.? In fact, it seemed for a long time that it was either extreme or not.? Nobody had really talked much about the in-between area.? Enter Mr. Money Mustache.? He, too, retired early.? And, while he has his extremities, it?s not quite the same thing.? It?s different for each and every person.? What one person thinks of as retirement isn?t what someone else will think of.? Heck, most of us have been so pre-conditioned to think that retirement should consist of afternoons golfing followed by bingo down at the VFW that it?s no surprise that we scoff at people like Jacob and MMM.
How do we get there?
Oh.? Well, the truth is, I just don?t know.? I think that, with a little help from the Jacobs and MMMs of the world, and a little trial and error, we can find our own personal finance independence.? I think that we can take what we learn, adapt it to our lives, and make something brilliantly wonderful out of it.? I know we can.? We just have to try.? We just have to change personal finance as we know it, and embrace something better.
Source: http://www.beatingbroke.com/doing-personal-finance-wrong/
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White House, FCC chair agree SIM unlocking should be legal
Some good news today in the fight for making it legal to SIM-unlock your phone without having to go through an operator. The White House has swiftly responded to the petition that garnered the support of more than 114,000 people, with a pretty crystal clear subject line -- "It's time to legalize cell phone unlocking."
That's a pretty powerful step in the right direction, but it doesn't actually change anything yet. If you want to (legally) SIM unlock your phone, you still have to go through your operator to get it done. That, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. If your account is in good standing and you've paid off the subsidy on your phone, they should have over the SIM unlock code with no problem.
There are cases, however, that make things a little more difficult, and that's where this legality issue comes into play.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ml8GMs5h4l0/story01.htm
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Monday 4 March 2013
7-Eleven? Franchise Seminar - Westchase, FL Patch
7-Eleven? Stores to Host Seminar on First-Time FranchisingOpportunities in the Tampa/St. Pete Area
WHAT: 7-Eleven, Inc. will hold a franchise seminar for those interested in finding out more about franchising
opportunities with 7-Eleven stores in the Tampa/St. Pete area.
WHO: The company will hold a franchise seminar for those interested in finding out more about franchising opportunities with 7-Eleven stores in the Tampa/St. Pete area.? Lucas Patton, 7-Eleven?s franchise sales representative for the Tampa/St. Pete area, will explain the company?s franchise system, business model and benefits to franchising.
7-Eleven, Inc. provides the land, building, equipment and a turn-key operation for its franchisees.? The average up front, total investment for a 7-Eleven franchise in the Tampa/St. Pete area ranges between $120,000 to $250,000 based on the individual store?s profitability.? This includes the store?s opening inventory, supplies, business licenses, permits, bonds, cash register fund and the
franchise fee.
WHEN: Monday, March 11, 2013
??????????? One session available: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Best Western Bay Harbor
????????????? 7700 West Courtney Campbell Causeway
????????????? Tampa, FL? 33607
INFORMATION: For more information and to RSVP
for the open house, contact Lucas Patton at 813-468-6265 or lucas.patton@7-11.com.? Space is limited.?
For additional information about franchising, 7-Eleven has a new website www.franchise.7-Eleven.com.
Source: http://westchase.patch.com/announcements/7-eleven-franchise-seminar-cf7ed1c4
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Saharan and Asian dust, biological particles end global journey in California
Monday, March 4, 2013
A field study of aerosol impacts on clouds and precipitation in the Sierra Nevada mountains shows that dust and microorganisms transported from as far away as the Sahara desert help to spur the precipitation that California counts on for its water supply.
The CalWater field campaign, funded by the California Energy Commission and led by UC San Diego and NOAA, could help western states better understand the future of their water supply and hydropower generation as climate change influences how much and how often dust travels around the world and alters precipitation far from its point of origin.
"UC San Diego is a leader in addressing complex, multi-disciplinary global challenges, such as water shortages and environmental concerns," said UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "Our researchers work collaboratively to investigate and produce meaningful and impactful research that will further our understanding of our planet and environment, so we can improve human life and our world."
Jessie Creamean, a postdoctoral associate at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., co-authored the paper appearing in the journal Sciencewith Kaitlyn Suski, a graduate student in the laboratory of Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry Prof. Kimberly Prather, who holds appointments at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSD.
"We were able to show dust and biological aerosols that made it from as far as the Sahara were incorporated into the clouds to form ice, then influenced the formation of the precipitation in California," said Creamean, who conducted the fieldwork as a UCSD graduate student under Prather, the study leader. "To our knowledge, no one has been able to directly determine the origin of the critical aerosols seeding mid-level clouds which ultimately produce periods with extensive precipitation typically in the form of snow at the ground."
The study, "Dust and Biological Aerosols from the Sahara and Asia Influence Precipitation in the Western US," appears Feb. 28 in online versions of Science.
Researchers have long known that winds can carry aerosols such as dust at altitudes above 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) from continent to continent. An unrelated 2009 study found that in one instance, Asian dust made a complete circuit around the planet in 13 days.
These dust particles can act as ice nuclei within clouds at warmer temperatures than would occur in their absence. They initiate the freezing of water vapor and water droplets, then precipitate as rain, snow, or hail depending on whether meteorological conditions enable them to attain sufficient mass to fall from the sky before evaporating. Without ice nuclei, ice would likely not form in clouds with temperatures above -38 degrees C (-36.4 degrees F).
Besides dust, aerosols can be composed of sea salt, bits of soot and other pollution, or biological material. Bacteria, viruses, pollen, and plants, of both terrestrial and marine origin, also add to the mix of aerosols making the transcontinental voyage.
The researchers' analysis of winter storms in 2011 found that dust and biological aerosols tend to enhance precipitation-forming processes in the Sierra Nevada. In previous studies, researchers have found that pollution particles have the opposite effect, suppressing precipitation in the Sierra Nevada.
The bulk of the data collected during CalWater came from instruments known as aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometers (ATOFMS), co-developed by Prather, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, which tracked the transport of aerosols through the atmosphere from continent to continent. Measurements in and around clouds utilized the Department of Energy's G-1 research aircraft, which carried other vital instruments, such as a specialized detector for the presence of dust ice nuclei feeding clouds and their presence in the collected residue of ice crystals. That portion of the study was led by co-author Paul DeMott, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University.
Using these tools, the researchers were able to determine that at least some of the dust and bioparticles detected by an aircraft-mounted ATOFMS unit during February 2011 flights through Sierra Nevada storm clouds were in the skies over Oman 10 days earlier, having likely originated in the Sahara a few days earlier. Along the journey, the Saharan dust and microbes mixed with other aerosols from deserts in China and Mongolia before wafting over the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival in California, the aerosols effectively seeded the storm clouds and contributed to the efficiency of clouds in producing precipitation. Two other transportable ATOFMS units housed in trailers at Sugar Pine Dam just south of Interstate 80 in the Tahoe National Forest and other instruments made further measurements. They determined the chemical composition of aerosols at the end of their journey by looking at the particles present in precipitation samples that were collected during storms.
The researchers said it is a major challenge to sort out the relative impacts of meteorology, atmospheric dynamics, and the original sources of the cloud seeds on precipitation processes. They added that further studies like CalWater are necessary to further identify which aerosols are conducive to precipitation formation and which aerosols stifle its production.
"Due to the ubiquity of dust and co-lofted biological particles such as bacteria in the atmosphere, these findings have global significance," the study concludes. "Furthermore, the implications for future water resources become even more substantial when considering the possible increase in [wind-blown] dust as a result of a warming climate and land use changes."
"Hydropower is an essential source of electricity in California providing, on average, 15 percent of our annual generation. More importantly, it provides electricity during hot summer days when it is needed the most," said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. "This state-funded study in cooperation with NOAA will help us understand how small particles in the air affect precipitation and hydropower generation. Additionally, this information will be useful in estimating the effects of our changing climate."
###
University of California - San Diego: http://www.ucsd.edu
Thanks to University of California - San Diego 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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Sunday 3 March 2013
The Engadget Interview: ARM president Simon Segars at MWC 2013
We met up with ARM president Simon Segars at Mobile World Congress to chat about the company's recent milestones -- 8-core big.LITTLE processors, the powerful yet efficient Cortex-A50 architecture (which we discussed with James Bruce last year), MediaTek's Cortex-A7 quad-core SoC (the first of its kind) and Samsung's octa-core Exynos 5 chip -- to name a few. Hit the break to watch our video and read the interview transcript.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/03/the-engadget-interview-arm-president-simon-segars-at-mwc-2013/
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Britain's Rolls, Bentley fight luxury battle for German owners
LONDON (Reuters) - British carmakers Rolls-Royce and Bentley will unveil new vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show next week, joining battle in the fast-growing luxury end of the market on behalf of their German owners.
BMW's
Meanwhile Bentley, part of the Volkswagen
The two German-owned brands hope the new launches will extend an upturn in their markets, which has been boosted by recovering demand in the United States and strong growth in Asia, where customers are increasingly attracted by the history and status of brands such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
The United States and China have traded positions as Rolls and Bentley's largest markets in recent quarters.
"The Wraith, along with the Ghost, is there to compete with Bentley's Continental GT, which at a slightly lower price has been a huge success," said IHS automotive analyst Christoph St?rmer. "Bentley is looking for success with its Flying Spur, which is an all-new vehicle, because the predecessor didn't deliver the sales they were looking for."
"Rolls and Bentley are direct competitors and are like the last men standing in the ultra-luxury, high-end segment so the fight for attention of the super-rich in Geneva will be fierce," he added.
Company insiders say the Wraith, a name first used by Rolls in 1938, will produce as much as 600 horse power from a twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 engine.
So far only two "teaser" images of the Wraith have been released, showing a shallow-sloping "fastback" design similar to that seen on smaller sports cars, while the rear appears similar to the Ghost, with the addition of large exhaust tailpipes at either side of the vehicle.
Torsten M?ller-?tv?s, chief executive of south east England-based Rolls, is confident the new model will "draw superlatives" when it is unveiled in Geneva.
Bentley claims its redesigned Flying Spur, which has a 6-litre, 12-cylinder engine generating 616 horsepower and capable of reaching a top speed of 200 miles per hour, will set "a new luxury performance sedan benchmark".
The Spur has a lower, wider appearance than its predecessor with sharp lines and gently curvaceous surfaces, according to Crewe, north west England-based Bentley.
Bentley was owned by Rolls-Royce for some 70 years, during which time the pair offered similar models. However, since the two parted ways in 1998 they have ruled different segments of the ultra-luxury car market.
Rolls had tended to focus on making larger, more luxurious cars such as the Phantom. But with the 2009 launch of the Ghost, Rolls has looked to take a slice of the market for sportier luxury cars, which Bentley dominates with its Continental range.
Some critics say the German influence has led Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars to lose their British character.
Yet sales have flourished - Rolls sold a record 3,575 cars last year, up from 1,002 in 2009. Bentley, meanwhile, delivered 8,510 cars in 2012, 22 percent more than the year before.
(Reporting by Rhys Jones; Editing by Mark Potter)
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Crews to raze Fla. home over sinkhole; man missing
SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) ? Crews planned to begin demolishing a Florida home Sunday that is perched over a huge sinkhole, after deeming it too dangerous to keep searching for the man swallowed up from his bedroom.
The search for Jeff Bush, 37, was called off Saturday and demolition equipment was seen moving into position Sunday. The 20-foot-wide opening of the sinkhole is almost completely covered by the house and rescuers feared it would collapse on them. Two neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution.
Heavy equipment, including a vehicle with a big bucket scoop on a long arm, was on the street near the house Sunday morning. Authorities said they expected to start the demolition around 8 a.m. Family members gathered on lawn chairs, bundled up with blankets against unusually chilly weather. Several dozen people milled about within view, including officials and reporters.
Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill disclosed the plan hours earlier to raze the home. "At this point it's really not possible to recover the body," Merrill said, later adding "we're dealing with a very unusual sinkhole."
Jessica Damico, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, said the demolition equipment would be positioned on what was believed to be solid ground and reach onto the property to pull apart the house. The crew was expected to try pulling part of the house away from the sinkhole intact so some of the residents' keepsakes can be retrieved.
Bush was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner ? a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa ? when the ground opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house escape unharmed as the earth crumbled.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation. Det. Larry McKinnon said that sheriff's office and the county medical examiner cannot declare Bush dead if his body is still missing. Under Florida law, Bush's family must petition a court to declare him deceased.
"Based on the circumstances, he's presumed dead, however the official death certificate can only be issued by a judge and the family has to petition the court," McKinnon said.
On Saturday, the normally quiet neighborhood of concrete block homes painted in Florida pastels was jammed with cars as curious onlookers converged on the scene.
At the home next door to the Bushes, a family cried and organized boxes. Testing determined that that house and another had been compromised by the sinkhole. The families were allowed to go inside for about a half-hour to gather belongings.
Sisters Soliris and Elbairis Gonzalez, who live on the same street, said neighbors were worried for their safety.
"I've had nightmares," Soliris Gonzalez, 31, said. "In my dreams, I keep checking for cracks in the house."
They said the family has discussed where to go if forced to evacuate, and they've taken their important documents to a storage unit.
"You never know underneath the ground what's happening," added Elbairis Gonzalez, 30.
Experts say thousands of sinkholes form yearly in Florida because of the state's unique geography, though most are small and deaths rarely occur.
"There's hardly a place in Florida that's immune to sinkholes," said Sandy Nettles, who owns a geology consulting company in the Tampa area. "There's no way of ever predicting where a sinkhole is going to occur."
Most sinkholes are small, like one found Saturday morning in Largo, 35 miles away from Seffner. The Largo sinkhole, about 10 feet long and several feet wide, is in a mall parking lot.
The state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations ? including the area where Bush became a victim ? making them even more prone to sinkholes.
Jeremy Bush, who tried to rescue his brother, lay flowers near the house Saturday morning and wept.
He said someone came to his home a couple of months ago to check for sinkholes and other issues, apparently for insurance purposes, but found nothing wrong. State law requires home insurers to provide coverage against sinkholes.
"And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole," Bush said Friday.
___
Follow Lush at www.twitter.com/tamaralush
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crews-raze-fla-home-over-sinkhole-man-missing-082542889.html
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Saturday 2 March 2013
The Engadget Interview: Chul Bae Lee, VP of LG's mobile design lab at MWC 2013
We first met Chul Bae Lee -- VP of LG's mobile design lab -- in Seoul last fall and were lucky to spend a few minutes with him in the company's booth at MWC. LG's flagship Optimus G Pro made quite the splash in Barcelona but looks rather different from the Optimus G. We asked Mr. Lee to walk us through the design process behind the company's new superphone. He mentioned that LG offers two high-end product lines, one focused on premium design (Optimus G), the other on high-performance design (Optimus G Pro) and shared a diagram with us to illustrate this (after the break). The new handset puts an emphasis on ergonomics rather than style by featuring a comfortable and a friendly shape, with soft edges and round corners.
We discussed the extremely narrow display bezel, striking RGB notification ring around the home button, recessed camera lens and IR blaster (for the QRemote functionality). Mr. Lee explained that the placement of the buttons around the Optimus G Pro was carefully chosen to minimize interference with the power / lock key -- this includes the QNote button, which can be remapped to invoke other apps, and even double as a shutter key. We then talked about the new Optimus F series, which blends the design DNA of flagship devices with performance specs (like LTE) at a more affordable price, and the Optimus L II line, which offers unique designs for specific markets (single SIM in Europe, and dual-SIM in Latin America). Hi the break for our video interview and to check out the aforementioned design diagram.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-hj-LO6eNFM/
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