Thoughts on That Thing Called Marriage and Long-Term ...

?

Hello internet-dwelling love bugs.

So, this will be an interesting experiment where I journey forward into writing about relationships. To summarize, my history with relationships that last longer than a year is bleak. It is perfectly ironic that I so quickly knew I wanted to marry Jake when we began seeing each other.

That being said, I must confess: I have very little hands-on experience being in a relationship. Do you want to know a secret, though? I haven?t needed any.

I learned this in many idiotic attempts to be everyone?s perfect girlfriend back when I was chain-dating. It never worked. Enough time would always eventually pass for either a portion of my real self to slip into a conversation, or for me to realize that I was really not with someone I wanted to be with.

Albeit, I was a few years younger than I am now, and it?s possible that the path of every young adult involves screwing up in both relationships with others and themself. I like to think so. It makes for a more empathetic connection to one?s mistakes.

I eventually stopped the identity altering and discovered how much easier it was to be myself (more fun, too). It was also simpler to understand that maybe whomever I was dating might just not ?click? with my reckless and wild soul. Each time I had a bad date or stopped seeing someone, I became more excited about the person I would meet who I did ?click? with ? they would just have to be that much more awesome.

I am telling you all of this because I think I am finally coming to a conclusion about relationships. I have been trying to write this blog post for the past four months and every time I think I?ve read something that encompasses the overall ?gist? of relationships, something comes up in my own in relationship that proves otherwise. I read many books during this period of relationship?philosophizing,?two of which stuck out. ?David Schnarch?s ?Passionate Marriage? was helpful, enlightening and convincing, and Thomas Moore?s ?Soul Mates?, although not quite as accessible, I think had something deeper melded to its core message.

The conclusions I have reached in regards to my own relationship did not come jolting out at me from either book? Or perhaps they are a combination of many ideas merging into a greater whole? Regardless, what follows are now my relationship goal posts. HUZZAH.

1. It?s intrinsic. No one can tell you how to navigate your own relationship with another person. Mostly because no one besides you and your partner has been heavily immersed in the weaving of your particular souls. Thomas Moore was ballsy enough to say in his own book that, ?Establishing intimacy with yourself or another is not a matter of finding new information or borrowing new words for your condition or your personality. Nor is it the application of these words and ideas to your experiences. New ideas about psychology often lead to suggested programs of self-improvement, but such programs work against the soul.? You will be the one to create your own story. Isn?t that a nice thought?

2. The lows are just as good as the highs. As a society we are quick to assume that any negative emotion is a gateway into depression or a disconnect from our inner workings. Feeling happy may be a whole lot healthier and genuinely feel better, but you can?t evolve as a person without experiencing the bad stuff. I don?t mean that you should go and make yourself a nest in the deepest, darkest hollow of your being so you can wallow, rather, you should at least allow yourself to touch upon that real, living sense of being. I say this because the more empathy we have for ourselves ? the more we can forgive ourselves, accept ourselves and feel for ourselves ? the more accepting and understanding we become of our also-imperfect fellow human beings. If more married people said that the good stuff also lies in the arguments and shaky emotions, maybe we wouldn?t feel like such fuck-ups every time we experience something other than joy.

3. I have only been married for six months, so everything I am typing now could be complete nonsense. But I feel once those vows have been said and the knot has been tied, you are left staring at a very real attachment to another person.?I am going to live with this person for as long as life permits it.?(A cab driver once informed me that his first wife died, and his second became a lesbian and left him ? thus, as long as life permits it). As I looked upon this wondrous commitment that I was so very compelled to make, I found myself seeking out a road map or a model that would frame and shape the existence of Jake?s and my relationship. Getting married really does suddenly make the relationship very different, but there were way too many movies, books and TV shows that presented a vision of what the role of husband and wife ?should? look like or ?should? be that did not resonate with me at all ? and that terrifies me.

Jake and I recently went and saw ?This is 40? in theatres? It was quite possibly one of the most depressing movies I have seen. I walked out of the theatre, with Jake?s hand in mine, popcorn-butter smeared across my fretful face, and I could not help but worry that this is what my fate might be. That, one day, I would wake up and my day would begin in and end in frustration and yelling.

When we first got hitched, I had it in my head that maybe we now needed to meet all these marriage requirements; that we now had to act, look and live like grown-ups because we had made this big grown-up decision.

To this, I now say: donkey bullocks.

It is our generation that I believe can rewrite this narrative. I would like to fill the world with more stories of marriages and relationships that embrace our inadequacies. I would like to stop trying to be a ?good? girlfriend or an ?effective? wife and just be me.

??Another problem with the idea of self-improvement is that it implies there is something wrong with who we are. Everyone wants to be someone else, but getting to know and love yourself means accepting who you are, complete with your inadequacies and irrationalities.? ? Thomas Moore, Soul Mates

That?s what I wanted, anyway. When I got married, I just wanted Jake to always be there while I continued being myself.?When Jake and I began seeing each other, neither of us wanted a relationship, and when it came to the point where we were obviously more than just friends, we had a very awkward, but valuable conversation about our relationship. We were both afraid of having to follow the same ?relationship rules? that we had in previous relationships, that we would no longer be able to have the same fun we?d been having together. We concurred that we would approach our future in a manner that was similar to an art project. Onto a canvas we wanted to throw spontaneity, happiness and a mutual appreciation for one another (we hadn?t dropped the L-bomb yet).

With all of the wonderful marital advice we received, none of it really makes a dent until you are actually doing the marriage stuff. And even when you are, you very rarely remember the advice. But maybe this will help or sit somewhere deep in the subconscious of your future or current married/long-term committed brain: resist nothing and enjoy the ride.

?Nobody?s ready for marriage. Marriage makes you ready for marriage.? ? David Shnarch, Passionate Marriage

Like this:

Like Loading...

Source: http://tobeaslut.com/2013/02/28/thoughts-on-that-thing-called-marriage-and-long-term-commitment-in-general/

sag awards 2012 nominees pro bowl 2012 roster yamaguchi road house occupy oakland occupy oakland morgellons disease

Ease Out Your Pressure With Medical Loans To Pay Hospital Bills ...

Ease Out Your Pressure With Medical Loans To Pay Hospital Bills

Life is challenging because you never know what future has in store for you. You could plan for your future but it is too difficult to make the right call always. While you may plan to face a possible tough situation, you might get a tougher one. Certain expenses such as educational expenses, purchasing a property and so on could be along the expected lines and you may plan adequately for the same. Where medical expenses are concerned, it is not possible to foresee and plan to perfection. Unexpected medical condition or surgery not only ruins your health but it could also throw you off balance financially. Medical loans help you by financing for your treatment expenses.

Stay Secure

Banks offer secured loans to help meet your medical expenses. To be eligible for the personal loans for bad credit, you need to provide collateral security. You could offer as collateral your home, car or land. Your choice here has to be based on your needs. If the medical expenses are on the higher side, you need to place a property, which would fetch the required sum for you from banks or any other leading financial institution to which you have applied. With secured loans, you can be assured of comfortably handling your medical expenses with the right type of collateral.

Unsecured Helps Unsecured As Well

If you do not own a property and hence feel unsecured when you incur a medical expense, you have unsecured loans to help you out. Unsecured loans do not necessitate providing collateral for the loan amount. However, getting an unsecured loan sanctioned needs certain norms to be fulfilled. You need to provide proof of stable income and good credit score to be considered favorably. Again, there are lenders who offer loans to people with bad credit score. To have a good credit score and a convincing income statement to prove your ability to repay will help quicken the process of sanction of loan.

Where Doctors Stretch Beyond Operation Theatre To Help You

Many hospitals have various payment programs to help you with settling your medical bills. You need to consult your doctor to learn about possible options to help you out. Most of the hospitals offer to receive payment on easy installments.

Possible Pitfalls

Lenders take into account a few important factors before they approve a medical loan. A medical condition could force you out of work for quite sometime and hence you may not be receiving full salary during the period. This could affect your repayment schedule. On the contrary, if you are eligible for sick leave, the scenario could be favorable for you. You might opt for secured loans or unsecured loans; you need to consider the possibility of increased duration of convalescence period. This would mean that you would not be earning what you would regularly earn and you might have to face more medical expenses during the process. You need to plan for this eventuality if you want to maintain a good credit score.

Plan Your Finances

It is true that we cannot foresee the type of medical expense we may incur. However, once faced with the situation, you need to plan your finances to ensure that you handle your debt comfortably well until you are out of bed. Before applying for a loan, you will have to study your needs. You may consult your doctor and get a clear picture on the possible expenses you could incur in the treatment process. It would do well to consult your insurance agent to know the extent to which your expenses would be covered by insurance. Once you have all the details, you will have a clear idea on the loan amount you would require. You could also work out how much you could comfortably pay each month to ensure you function well when unwell.

Source: http://www.business-providers.com/ease-out-your-pressure-with-medical-loans-to-pay-hospital-bills/

psychosis dianna agron million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars

Greece helicopter prison escape attempt foiled

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? A helicopter swooped down on a prison courtyard Sunday as armed men on board fired on guards and lowered a rope to help a convicted killer make his fourth attempt to escape from a Greek prison.

But the plot was foiled after the prisoner was shot and the chopper forced to land in the prison's parking lot.

The dramatic escape attempt was one of a handful involving helicopters in Greece, and the first time such plans have failed.

Authorities said the chartered helicopter ? carrying two armed passengers, a pilot and a technician ? first tried to rip off the chicken-wire fence surrounding Trikala prison with a hook dangling from a rope. But that didn't work, so a rope was lowered down to whisk away Panagiotis Vlastos. Another prisoner, an unnamed Albanian national also in the courtyard at the time, may also have been part of the escape plan.

At the same time, the armed passengers used AK-47 assault rifles to fire on the prison guards. One guard, who was inside a post, was slightly injured by shards of flying glass. He and others returned fire, injuring Vlastos, who had managed to climb into the helicopter, as well as the helicopter's technician. Vlastos fell from a height of about 3 meters (10 feet) into the courtyard, and the helicopter was eventually grounded in the parking lot.

Vlastos, 43, is a convicted murderer and racketeer serving a life term who had tried and failed three times before to escape from prison.

Prison officials told TV stations Mega and NET that they recovered well over 500 bullets fired from the helicopter. The Ministry of Justice, in statements describing the escape attempt, added that the helicopter passengers also carried, but did not use, "improvised explosive devices."

Authorities said Vlastos was wounded in the legs but is being treated in the prison hospital because his injuries were not deemed serious enough for a transfer elsewhere. The technician's hand was slightly wounded.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot and flight technician had willingly participated in the escape attempt or had been forced to fly to the prison, which is located 328 km (205 miles) northwest of Athens. Also unclear was whether the second would-be escapee was in on the scheme or just happened to be in the courtyard and tried to take advantage of the situation.

The helicopter was hired from a western Athens suburb and was supposed to fly to Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. But it deviated from is flight path to head to the prison.

This is the third time a helicopter has been used in an attempted prison escape in Greece. Convicted criminals Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizaj were whisked by helicopter from the high-security Korydallos prison in Athens in June 2006. They were caught, but escaped for a second time ? again using a helicopter ? in February 2009. Paleokostas is still at large.

Vlastos was first arrested in 1994 in the murder of two members of a rival criminal gang. He was convicted last year as the behind-the-bars mastermind of the kidnapping of shipping tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos. Panagopoulos was kidnapped in January 2009 and released after eight days, when a ransom of ?30 million was paid.

While awaiting trial for the kidnapping, Vlastos tried to escape in December 2011 from Korydallos prison along with three members of armed anarchist group Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire. The four used a pistol and knives to take hostage three prison guards and 25 visiting relatives of other prisoners. The four surrendered to authorities after a five-hour standoff.

Vlastos had also tried to escape, unsuccessfully, in 1994 and 1998.

___

Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greece-helicopter-prison-escape-attempt-foiled-220755584.html

bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither

Q&A: Why investors are wary of Italy's elections

Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi shows his ballots prior to voting in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi shows his ballots prior to voting in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? Investors are keeping a wary eye on Italy as the country heads to the polls Sunday and Monday to elect a new parliament. They fear that a new government and prime minister could weaken or scrap the economic reforms and budget cuts begun by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti during his 15 months in office and hurt Italy's chances of recovering from a decade of low growth.

While the markets are unlikely to punish Italy as they did in 2011-12, they will want to make sure a new government doesn't mean a return to Italy's bad old days.

Here are some questions and answers about this weekend's elections matter for Italy and the rest of Europe.

Q: Why all the worry?

A: Italy's economy ? the third-largest among the 17 European Union countries that use the euro ? has only grown less than a half percent a year on average for a decade. That is compared to 1.25 percent in other rich industrialized countries. Faster growth is needed to shrink Italy's mounting debt burden, which already equals 127 percent of its annual gross domestic product.

Because of its size, Italy's problems can dent market confidence in the whole eurozone. Doubts about Italy's ability to manage its debt caused markets to question whether the euro could survive in 2011-12.

Q: What's wrong with its economy?

Before it signed up to join the euro, which was formally launched in 1999, Italy used to give its economy a boost by to devaluing its old currency, the lire ? a trick that used to make its exports cheaper.

Devaluation helped mask underlying problems such as labor rules that favor vested interests such as unions and established workers, which kill off job prospects for younger people; a high business tax burden and heavy cost to businesses from expensive public utilities and red tape.

Italy "remains in dire need of structural reforms to boost competitiveness and improve trend growth," wrote economists Norbert Aul and James Ashley at RBC Capital Markets. They noted that the only economies that have grown more slowly in the past 12 years are Zimbabwe, San Marino, and Portugal.

A growing economy would increase government revenue from business and income taxes and the country's debt.

Q: Where does Monti come into all this?

A: Italy's political parties installed Monti, a former EU commissioner and academic, as prime minister to lead a temporary crisis government of financial experts in November, 2011. His predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, resigned after high borrowing costs, fed by fears Italy would not pay its debts, threatened the country with financial ruin and rattled confidence in the eurozone.

Monti set about easing some of Italy's anti-business practices, such as labor laws that made it extremely difficult to fire longtime workers. He reduced the budget deficit with the help of an unpopular tax on homes.

Italy's deficit is down to around 3 percent of gross domestic output for last year ? not great, but it complies with the official limit for eurozone members.

However, in January, Monti resigned as Prime Minister after Berlusconi's party withdrew its support and criticized his cutbacks - hence the new elections.

Q: So now the elections are under way, what are investors afraid of?

A: Italy's Byzantine election laws could mean many different outcomes. The worst result would be no party or coalition being able to form a government, leading to new elections.

Researcher Vincenzo Scarpetta at the Open Europe think tank says the probability of this is "very low" but that re-run elections could mean "potentially, huge market pressure, which Italy can hardly afford." This pressure would come in the form of rising interest rates on government debt.

Another possibility could be a parliament so divided that it can't govern effectively, or a shaky coalition of parties with clashing agendas ? meaning that any policies would be the result of endless compromise and back-room deals. A badly split parliament "would surely affect investors' confidence as Italy's political future would remain unclear," said Aul and Ashley.

The return of a government led by Berlusconi's center-right coalition ? regarded as unlikely ? could also dismay markets given his call to repeal Monti's home tax and the lack of confidence markets showed in him in 2011.

Q: What do markets want to see?

A: Analysts say investors seem to be anticipating that the center-left Democratic Party, led by Pier Luigi Bersani will win. Bersani opposes budget austerity but is regarded as not totally against all efforts to improve conditions for business. Markets would like it best if he wins but still needs the seats won by small parties led by Monti to govern. That would mean the government might continue with some of the reforms.

Q: So should we expect market chaos and the eurozone crisis to erupt again?

A: Not right away, no. Italian law requires extensive consultation, so it could take weeks to tell who is in charge. In 2008, it took 24 days for Berlusconi to be sworn in despite a landslide win.

However, an anti-reform result could mean Italy's borrowing costs could rise in the days and weeks following the election.

That would be a sure sign that bond investors are more skeptical of the country's long-term ability to pay.

But it's considered unlikely that the yields would immediately rise to the record levels of last year that threatened to push Italy to default. That is thanks to the European Central Bank, which has done much to calm fears that a country will be unable to pay its debts. In September, the ECB offered to buy unlimited amounts of bonds issued by indebted countries, if they agree to reforms and to cut their deficits. No one has used the program yet but its mere existence has lowered Italy's borrowing costs.

Nonetheless, a new Italian government that rejects reform "will lead to more uncertainty, higher yields and a gradual process toward the situation we had last year," says Carsten Brzeski, an analyst at ING in Brussels.

The big problem is the long-term absence of growth rather than what the markets do next week.

Economists Aul and Ashley warn: "Whichever party ends up in power... needs to focus upon Italy's economic frailties as a matter of priority."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-24-Italy-Election-QandA/id-3e933883d9ea44d6a67ffc12e428f7af

Election Coverage 2012 the blaze Linda McMahon Voting Results 2012 pbs ron paul Cnn Electoral Map

Scientists find genes linked to human neurological disorders in sea lamprey genome

Feb. 24, 2013 ? Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey, a vertebrate fish whose whole-genome sequence is reported this week in the journal Nature Genetics.

"This means that we can use the sea lamprey as a powerful model to drive forward our molecular understanding of human neurodegenerative disease and neurological disorders," says Jennifer Morgan of the MBL's Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering. The ultimate goals are to determine what goes wrong with neurons after injury and during disease, and to determine how to correct these deficits in order to restore normal nervous system functions.

Unlike humans, the lamprey has an extraordinary capacity to regenerate its nervous system. If a lamprey's spinal cord is severed, it can regenerate the damaged nerve cells and be swimming again in 10-12 weeks.

Morgan and her collaborators at MBL, Ona Bloom and Joseph Buxbaum, have been studying the lamprey's recovery from spinal cord injury since 2009. The lamprey has large, identified neurons in its brain and spinal cord, making it an excellent model to study regeneration at the single cell-level. Now, the lamprey's genomic information gives them a whole new "toolkit" for understanding its regenerative mechanisms, and for comparing aspects of its physiology, such as inflammation response, to that of humans.

The lamprey genome project was accomplished by a consortium of 59 researchers led by Weiming Li of Michigan State University and Jeramiah Smith of the University of Kentucky. The MBL scientists' contribution focused on neural aspects of the genome, including one of the project's most intriguing findings.

Lampreys, in contrast to humans, don't have myelin, an insulating sheath around neurons that allows faster conduction of nerve impulses. Yet the consortium found genes expressed in the lamprey that are normally expressed in myelin. In humans, myelin-associated molecules inhibit nerves from regenerating if damaged. "A lot of the focus of the spinal cord injury field is on neutralizing those inhibitory molecules," Morgan says.

"So there is an interesting conundrum," Morgan says. "What are these myelin-associated genes doing in an animal that doesn't have myelin, and yet is good at regeneration? It opens up a new and interesting set of questions, " she says. Addressing them could bring insight to why humans lost the capacity for neural regeneration long ago, and how this might be restored.

At present, Morgan and her collaborators are focused on analyzing which genes are expressed and when, after spinal cord injury and regeneration. The whole-genome sequence gives them an invaluable reference for their work.

Morgan, Bloom, and Buxbaum collaborate at the MBL through funding by the Charles Evans Foundation. Bloom is based at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research/Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish in New York. Buxbaum is from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Marine Biological Laboratory, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jeramiah J Smith, Shigehiro Kuraku, Carson Holt, Tatjana Sauka-Spengler, Ning Jiang, Michael S Campbell, Mark D Yandell, Tereza Manousaki, Axel Meyer, Ona E Bloom, Jennifer R Morgan, Joseph D Buxbaum, Ravi Sachidanandam, Carrie Sims, Alexander S Garruss, Malcolm Cook, Robb Krumlauf, Leanne M Wiedemann, Stacia A Sower, Wayne A Decatur, Jeffrey A Hall, Chris T Amemiya, Nil R Saha, Katherine M Buckley, Jonathan P Rast, Sabyasachi Das, Masayuki Hirano, Nathanael McCurley, Peng Guo, Nicolas Rohner, Clifford J Tabin, Paul Piccinelli, Greg Elgar, Magali Ruffier, Bronwen L Aken, Stephen M J Searle, Matthieu Muffato, Miguel Pignatelli, Javier Herrero, Matthew Jones, C Titus Brown, Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Kaben G Nanlohy, Scot V Libants, Chu-Yin Yeh, David W McCauley, James A Langeland, Zeev Pancer, Bernd Fritzsch, Pieter J de Jong, Baoli Zhu, Lucinda L Fulton, Brenda Theising, Paul Flicek, Marianne E Bronner, Wesley C Warren, Sandra W Clifton, Richard K Wilson, Weiming Li. Sequencing of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) genome provides insights into vertebrate evolution. Nature Genetics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2568

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/31_IzH_8VG8/130224142915.htm

chris cooley condoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye Hurricane Isaac 2012

Wales' Adam Jones ready for Rome scrap with Italy prop Andrea Lo Cicero

Wales prop Adam Jones admits he will have to be at the top of his game against Andrea Lo Cicero in Rome on Saturday.

Jones took the blame for Wales' scrummaging difficulties against France a fortnight ago, a game the Welsh won despite the hosts dominating up front.

The tighthead, can expect a stern examination opposite Italian warrior Lo Cicero, who won his 100th cap against Scotland two weeks ago.

"You can blame many things, but at the end of the day it comes down to the tighthead," he said.

"It was my fault, really. As much as people say the scrum is an eight-man thing, it does need the tighthead to be straight and square.

"At times I felt I was under pressure. I will take it on the chin, I will take the blame - and then I will say the pitch was shocking!

"For us, there are a lot of things we can put right easily. There were a lot of things we didn't do correctly.

"There were a couple of times when certain things happened and we know we should do better than that. If I can't keep the scrum up, then the scrum isn't going to stay up.

"It's the be-all and end-all of my game and if I don't do that well then obviously I have had a bad game.

"Sometimes, I don't know who takes the scrum down," Jones added. "But at the end of the day it is up to the props to keep it up. If we scrummage squarely, that will be half the battle.

"We know it's going to be hard against Italy. We know how good they are. They are very similar to the French. They pretty much mirror each other how they scrummage and are as close to a French scrum as you can get.

"I think I first played against Lo Cicero at the World Cup in 2003. He looks a bit different now. He had a short haircut then, but he's gone to Paris (Racing Metro) and all of a sudden he's grown this gorgeous mane, like my good self.

"He is a good player. He has got 100 caps and I take my hat off to anyone who has played international rugby for that long, especially in the front-row."

Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_8516345,00.html

hopkins dear john derrick rose torn acl pacers undrafted free agents braveheart earthquake california

White House directs open access for government research

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has moved to make the results of federally funded research available to the public for free within a year, bowing to public pressure for unfettered access to scholarly articles and other materials produced at taxpayers' expense.

"Americans should have easy access to the results of research they help support," John Holdren, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote on the White House website.

An online petition on the White House website demanding free access over the Internet to scientific journal articles arising from taxpayer-funded research drew 65,704 signatures.

The directive comes amid a changing landscape for publishing and the availability of information due to the Internet.

Scientists have long published the results of their work in scholarly journals, and many such publications have warned that open access would destroy them and the function they provide the scientific community.

The White House move also came some six weeks after the suicide of Internet openness activist Aaron Swartz, who was renowned for making a trove of information freely available to the public.

Swartz ran into trouble in 2011 when he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to allegedly stealing millions of academic articles and journals from a digital archive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The activist, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, faced a lengthy prison sentence and a hefty fine if convicted in a trial that was set for later this year.

Swartz's family and supporters blamed prosecutors for overreaching in his case, and his suicide drew attention to questions about the 1984 U.S. computer fraud law, much of which was written before the Internet.

Holdren said the decision to provide greater access took the concerns of scientific journals into account.

"We wanted to strike the balance between the extraordinary public benefit of increasing public access to the results of federally-funded scientific research and the need to ensure that the valuable contributions that the scientific publishing industry provides are not lost," he said.

Federal agencies are permitted a 12-month embargo time before offering access and can petition for a longer lag.

The openness directive applies to those agencies with more than $100 million in research and development expenditures. Agencies must develop plans to open data to the public within six months, and those plans will be vetted by the White House.

An industry group said the White House approach is a "reasonable, balanced" solution because it recognizes the value of publishers.

"The OSTP takes a fair path that would enhance access for the public, acknowledge differences among agencies and scientific disciplines and recognize the critical role publishers play in vetting, producing, establishing and preserving the integrity of scientific works," Tom Allen, chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, said in a statement.

But critics of the new policy said its value to the public and to scientists is undercut by the 12-month embargo.

"We are working on the cutting edge of the science. I want to read a new paper NOW, not in 1 year," Vittorio Saggiomo, a chemist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, wrote in an online chat about the announcement.

(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-directs-open-access-government-research-032324158.html

monta ellis wiz khalifa taylor allderdice mixtape reggie wayne taylor allderdice vincent jackson vicki gunvalson pierre garcon

Best Buy Canada and Future Shop may be closing some of their big box stores, but...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/N4BBcom/posts/10152185809411988

Ada Lovelace 12/12/12 manny pacquiao Chopper Live jerry brown michael buble michael buble

Feuds, fiefdoms, betrayals await next pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? If evidence was ever needed that the next pope must urgently overhaul the powerful Vatican bureaucracy called the Curia, the scandal over Pope Benedict XVI's private papers is Exhibit A.

The pope's own butler stole sensitive internal letters to the pontiff and passed them off to a journalist, who then published them in a blockbuster book. The butler did it, he admitted himself, to expose the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican's frescoed halls that he believed was hidden from Benedict by those who were supposed to serve him.

And if that original sin weren't enough, the content of the leaks confirmed that the next pope has a very messy house to clean up. The letters and memos exposed petty wrangling, corruption and cronyism at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The dirt ranged from the awarding of Vatican contracts to a plot, purportedly orchestrated by senior Vatican officials, to out a prominent Catholic newspaper editor as gay.

Ordinary Catholics might not think that dysfunction in the Apostolic Palace has any effect on their lives, but it does: The Curia makes decisions on everything from bishop appointments to church closings to marriage annulments and the disciplining of pedophile priests. Papal politics plays into the prayers the faithful say at Mass since missal translations are decided by committee in Rome. Donations the faithful make each year for the pope are held by a Vatican bank whose lack of financial transparency has fueled bitter internal debate.

And so after 35 years under two "scholar" popes who paid scant attention to the internal governance of the Catholic Church, a chorus is growing that the next pontiff must have a solid track record managing a complicated bureaucracy. Cardinals who will vote in next month's conclave are openly talking about the need for reform, particularly given the dysfunction exposed by the scandal.

"It has to be attended to," said Chicago Cardinal Francis George. With typical understatement, he called the leaks scandal "a novel event for us."

Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German who retired in 2010 as the head of the Vatican's ecumenical office, said the Curia must adapt itself to the 21st century.

"There needs to be more coordination between the offices, more collegiality and communication," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "Often the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing."

Sandro Magister, the Vatican analyst who most closely follows the comings, goings and internecine feuds of Vatican officials, said the "disaster" of governance began unfolding in the 1980s, in the early years of Pope John Paul II's pontificate.

"John Paul II was completely disinterested in the Curia; his vision was completely directed to the outside," Magister said in an interview. "He allowed a proliferation of feuds, small centers of power that fought among themselves with much ambition, careerism and betrayals."

"This accumulated and ruined it for the next pope," he said.

Benedict was well aware of the problems, having spent nearly a quarter-century in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But he never entered into the Vatican's political fray as a cardinal ? and as pope left it to his No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to do the job.

Bertone, though, became a lightning rod for division within the Curia. A canonist, he had no diplomatic experience coming into the job, and the main battle lines drawn in the Curia today come down to his loyalists and those still loyal to his predecessor Cardinal Angelo Sodano. Taken as a whole, the leaked documents seemed aimed at undermining Bertone.

To be fair, the Vatican under Benedict made great strides on some internal governance fronts: the pope insisted on greater financial transparency, and the Vatican passed a key European anti-money laundering test last summer. He insisted on a Vatican trial, open to journalists, for the butler who betrayed him. And as cardinal, after priestly sex abuse cases bounced for years among Vatican offices, the former Joseph Ratzinger took them over himself in 2001.

And very early on in his papacy, Benedict made it clear there was no place in the priesthood for men who sought out power. In a May 2006 homily to newly ordained priests, Benedict warned them against "careerism, the attempt to 'get ahead,' to gain a position through the church, to make use of and not to serve."

Some analysts speculate that the revelations from the leaks at the very least accelerated Benedict's decision to resign. In early 2012, he appointed three trusted cardinals to investigate beyond the criminal case involving his butler. They interviewed widely inside the Curia and out and delivered their final report in December. Its contents are sealed, though speculation is rife that the cardinals minced no words in revealing the true nature of the Curia.

Benedict's biographer, Peter Seewald, asked Benedict in August how badly the scandal had affected him. He replied that he was not falling into "desperation or world-weariness," yet admitted the leaks scandal "is simply incomprehensible to me," according to a recent article Seewald penned for the German magazine Focus.

The Holy See's bureaucracy is organized as any government, though it most closely resembles a medieval court ? given that the pope is an absolute monarch, with full executive, legal and judicial powers.

There's a legal office, an economic affairs office and an office dedicated to the world's 400,000 priests. Three tribunals tend to ecclesiastical cases and a host of departments take up spiritual matters: making saints, keeping watch on doctrine and the newest office created by Benedict, spreading the faith.

John Paul's 1988 apostolic constitution "Pastor Bonus" sets out the competencies of the various congregations and councils, and they function more or less as independent fiefdoms, albeit in consultation with one another when the subject matter requires. In the end, though, the real power lies with two departments: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the secretariat of state, which can block virtually any initiative of another office.

"Who is influential isn't so much dependent on what your office is or your title but whether you have access to the king, or in this case the pope," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican," a bible of sorts for understanding the Vatican Curia.

The same could be said for any executive branch. But in the case of the Vatican, there's a difference.

"Obama can fire anybody he wants from his cabinet," Reese said. "When you make someone a bishop, you make him a bishop for life. When you make him a cardinal you make him a prince of the church. What do you do with a cardinal (who doesn't work out)? He can't go to K Street and get a job as a lobbyist."

Though increasingly international, the Curia is also a very Italian creature, which affects its priorities, weaknesses and style of governance. "Genealogy is important, who begat whom," noted one recently departed Vatican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as to not antagonize former colleagues.

The typical Italian way of getting things done via personal stamps of approval, or "raccomandanzione," guides introductions. The Italian way of persuasion, less overt power play than Machiavellian machinations, governs consensus-building and decision-making.

Italian commentator Massimo Franco recently concluded on the pages of Corriere della Sera that the Vatican bureaucracy today is simply "ungovernable."

Bishop Charles Scicluna, who worked with the pope when he was at the doctrine office, said the problem with the Curia is that the power is so great ? and so close by.

"I think sacred power, with all its trappings, is probably one of the most seductive things in the world if you don't approach it with the right spirit," he said in an interview.

Though it's open to interpretation, Benedict's final homily as pope could be read as a clear message to the cardinals who will choose his successor.

Two days after announcing he would resign, a weary Benedict told his flock gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for Ash Wednesday Mass to live their lives as Christians in order to show the true face of the church ? a church, he said, which is often "defiled."

"I think in particular about the attacks against the unity of the church, the divisions in the ecclesial body," he said. He told those gathered that "moving beyond individualisms and rivalries is a humble and precious sign for those who are far from the faith or indifferent to it."

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said it was wrong to interpret the pope's words as being directed at the Vatican Curia, saying the pope's message was intended as a call for unity among all Christians, a priority of his as pontiff.

"Differences and diversity of opinion are part of the normal dynamic of any institution or community," Lombardi said. He said the way the Vatican's governance problems are often described "do not correspond to reality."

___

Rachel Zoll in New York and George Jahn in Vienna contributed.

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-feuds-fiefdoms-betrayals-await-next-pope-134418432.html

comedy central philadelphia eagles obamacare Todd Akin Register To Vote Fox News Live Obama 2016

Obama to give Ohio state commencement speech (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286189230?client_source=feed&format=rss

courtney mercury retrograde bath salts heart shaped box lucid 2012 ncaa tournament bracket matterhorn

DNC still saddled with debt

The Democratic National Committee raised $4.3 million in January, but is still weighed down by a significant amount of post-election debt.

While it?s not unusual for political parties to creep into the red after an election, Democratic Party ended the 2012 cycle with a debt of $21.5 million, according to a new filing with the Federal Elections Commission.

Continue Reading

The committee?s latest report shows the DNC paying down nearly $700,000 of their post-election debt? ? which shrank to $20.7 million.

The committee has $4.6 million cash on hand, and spent $3.9 million in January.

The DNC enters the 2014 cycle in a similar position to the Republican National Committee in 2010. The RNC ended the 2010 election more than $23 million in debt ? and party regulars worried about the GOP?s ability to compete with Democrats in a presidential year.

Earlier Wednesday, the RNC announced it had raised $6.9 million in January, with $7.1 million in the bank. The committee retired the last of its outstanding debt at the end of 2012.

Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/dnc-still-saddled-with-debt-87890.html

caucus results exton kurt warner kurt warner ricky williams missouri primary minnesota caucus

JFK birthday card from son, other items auctioned for up to $2M

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Thousands of items that belonged to a longtime aide of President John F. Kennedy sold for as much as $2 million in an auction that ended on Monday, nearly 50 years after the president's assassination.

A birthday card from his son, the late John F. Kennedy Jr., fetched $17,000, a flag flown on Kennedy's motorcade limousine sold for $55,000, while a seal that hung above the aide's desk in the West Wing sold for $17,000, excluding buyers' premiums, said Dan Meader, auction appraiser at John McInnis Auctioneers.

A top sale item in the bidding that began on Sunday morning was Kennedy's Air Force One bomber jacket, which sold for $570,000 plus a buyer's premium, far greater than the expectation of a $20,000 to $40,000 final bid.

The collection included letters, photographs, books and other items that had been tucked away in drawers and file cabinets at the home of David Powers, who died in 1998. They were discovered in recent years by relatives as they prepared the Arlington, Massachusetts, residence for sale.

Powers was close to the president throughout his political career, from 1946 until his assassination on November 22, 1963. He later remained close to the Kennedy family and became curator of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston before retiring in 1994.

The auction included personal effects that reflected Powers' years of shared history with Kennedy and his family. Among them were dozens of letters from former first lady Jackie Kennedy and books inscribed by the president.

Some items sold for as much as 20 times their estimated price in bidding sessions that took twice as long as expected, Meader said.

Organizers have not yet tallied the total amount bid in the auction, but it was on the high end of $1 million to $2 million, he said.

"It far exceeded the estimates," Meader said.

Roughly 400 people from across the country attended the auction in Amesbury, Massachusetts, which ended shortly after 5 a.m. (1000 GMT) on Monday. Bidders from around the world participated online, he said.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jfk-items-auctioned-50-years-assassination-025932461.html

vin scully petrino fired george zimmerman charged big sean sherri shepherd sherri shepherd arkansas razorbacks

In honor of his birthday, see George Washington like never before with the Googl...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151485753454238&set=a.158628314237.115142.63811549237&type=1

jk rowling qnexa kingdom of heaven national enquirer whitney houston arizona republican debate arizona debate enquirer

Singapore Jan non-oil domestic exports edge up from year ago

SINGAPORE, Feb 18 (Reuters) - International Enterprise

Singapore (IE Singapore), the country's trade agency, released

January trade data on Monday.

Following are the changes in Singapore's non-oil domestic

export (NODX):

month mth/mth change year/year

(seasonally change %

adjusted) %

Jan -1.8 +0.5

Dec* -4.2 -16.3

Nov* +1.5 -2.6

* month on month changes were revised

For detailed exports data, see IE Singapore's website at http://www.iesingapore.com

CONTEXT:

- The rise in January non-oil domestic exports was led by

printed matter (up 499.5 pct), petrochemicals (up 28.2 pct) and

non-monetary gold (up +53.1 pct), IE Singapore said.

- January exports were aided by the Lunar New Year holiday

beginning on Feb 10 this year unlike in 2012 when it began on

Jan 23.

- Economists polled by Reuters had expected non-oil domestic

exports to rise 3.3 percent year-on-year and 9.6 percent

month-on-month after seasonal adjustments.

- Electronics exports fell 5.6 percent year-on-year in

January, while pharmaceutical shipments contracted by 22.9

percent, IE Singapore said.

- Non-oil domestic exports to the EU fell 18.4 percent

year-on-year and 29.3 percent month-on-month after seasonal

adjustments.

- Non-oil domestic exports totalled S$14.15 billion ($11.43

billion)in January, up from S$13.19 billion in December.

- Singapore's monthly exports tend to be unpredictable

because a significant portion involves inputs for

pharmaceuticals and oil rigs, which can vary sharply from month

to month.

- Manufacturing activity in Singapore rose in January after

contracting for six consecutive months, the city-state's

Purchasing Managers' index (PMI) showed earlier in the month,

helped by an expansion in new orders.

- The electronics industry, which has been in the doldrums,

also saw a pickup in orders, although the overall PMI for the

sector remained below the 50-point level that separates

expansion from contraction.

($1 = 1.2376 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/singapore-jan-non-oil-domestic-exports-edge-ago-003032110--business.html

Brigitte Nielsen Cricinfo Geno Smith ny giants brandon marshall ryder cup Kate Middleton Bottomless

Is the Facebook Hack Part of a Bigger Spy Threat?

In the latest admission from a major company that it had been hacked, Facebook announced in a blog post?on Friday afternoon that?its "systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack" and that "Facebook was not alone," which immediately raised the cyber-espionage question of the moment: Was China behind this one, too? High-profile disclosures of months-long Chinese malware attacks from?The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal raised the public stakes late last month, but the FBI, the Obama?administration, and private security experts are monitoring what is a much wider espionage campaign against major American organizations ? and?Facebook, which appears to have been hacked late last month or in early February, could very well be its latest victim.

RELATED: China May (or May Not) Be Behind the Twitter Hack

Facebook does not detail where the malware compromise was initiated?in its blog post, and company spokespeople are telling journalists it "won't comment on hack origins." But there is an important admission in the official post: "Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well." That sounds awfully familiar to Twitter's hacking announcement?from another Friday evening this month, which some speculated had to do with China?because?of Twitter's nod to the Times and the?Journal. In its own blog post, Twitter said, "We do not believe it was an isolated incident. The attackers were extremely sophisticated, and we believe other companies and organizations have also been recently similarly attacked." Facebook said it shared details with other possibly compromised companies?maybe Twitter was one of them? On the?technical?side, both Facebook and Twitter also mentioned a Java browser plug-in exploit, which may point to a connection between the hacks, even though 250,000 of Twitter's accounts were affected and none of Facebook's were.

RELATED: 83 Million Facebook Users Are Not Real People

It remains unclear if the Facebook attack has anything to do with the Chinese cyber-espionage campaign against high-profile U.S. companies, publications, websites, and more. There is another key word in Facebook's admission ? "sophisticated" ? that makes the hack seem high-level enough. And per Facebook's spokesperson, the attack "didn't reach the legal threshold for user notification," so they did?have?to even say anything. Neither did the?Times?or the?Journal, both of which mentioned an ensuing FBI investigation in their admissions. Facebook also says it has handed over the case to law enforcement officials,?Facebook Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan told Ars Technica's Sean Gallagher. This week, after President Obama issued an executive order and talked about cyber-security threats in his State of the Union address, major companies started sharing hack-attack information with more federal investigators.

RELATED: Chart: Google+ Hit 10 Million Users 50 Times Faster Than Facebook

Sullivan, the Facebook security boss, goes on to say that the Facebook hack "looked like a new campaign that wasn't linked to previous Advanced Persistent Threat activities," referring to the cyber-security term for espionage that targets governments and big companies. So maybe this is isolated and not part of the wave of Chinese cyber threats. Or maybe the "sophisticated" Chinese spying operation just has a fancy new hacking technique to add to its trail of malware malfeasance. But if Facebook's new trouble is related to the Twitter hack, one would think the pattern would "appear to be related" to something, right? Guess we'll have to see which big company comes clean next.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-hack-part-bigger-spy-threat-231207095.html

ben flajnik hunger games premiere red meat bachelor ben good morning america jon hamm jon hamm kim kardashian

Sequoia?s Bryan Schreier Says It?s Time For The Ivy Leagues To Embrace Startups

Sometimes, I feel like every single person in their 20s is hoping to either create or work at the next big startup. But Bryan Schreier, a partner at Sequoia Capital, said that's largely a West Coast phenomenon. For example, according to Sequoia's research, 41 percent of Stanford's computer science majors go to work for a startup after graduation, while that number is only 13 percent for Harvard, with similar results at other top East Coast schools. So Sequoia is hoping to bring those numbers up, in part through a conference at Princeton this weekend (co-hosted ?by student publication Business Today) called Start @ A Startup.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QEerfJtJoJw/

friday the 13th toy story 4 toy story 4 steam kristin chenoweth Robert Blake BLK Water

Heartland Community College receives large Valentine's gift

NORMAL, Ill. -- Heartland Community College received a Valentine's Day gift on behalf of the students there. The gift? $1.5 million.

State Farm Companies Foundation made the donation, which is intended to provide scholarships for students who cannot afford tuition.

State Farm executives said the gift will go to students studying technology.

Republican State Representative Dan Brady said the gift comes at a time when Illinois is taking its time to deliver on state aid for community colleges.

"We're trying to keep our tuition costs as reasonable as possible, but with the challenging state support situation, then we always have to balance that in our tuition and fees. By providing and focusing on scholarships, then this helps make college more affordable for the students," said President of the Heartland Community College, Dr. Allen Goben.

State Farm officials said it is important for them to develop pathways to careers within the community.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50818888/ns/local_news-peoria_il/

katy perry Rihanna Katy Perry Grammys 2013 justin timberlake taylor swift taylor swift Ed Sheeran

Hays - London City: Business Analyst - Basel 2

An opportunity has arisen to join a leading bank to work within a large Trade change portfolio. They have an immediate requirement for a Business Analyst to join the project. The main scope of the role will be to work on the development of both the Business requirements and Target operating model. The specific project is looking to deliver RWA optimisation benefits for the Trade business.

You must be an experienced Business Analyst with very strong knowledge of the full project lifecycle. You will have strong requirements gathering, analysis and Target operating model skills. You must also have a good knowledge of Basel 2 and an understanding of Trade Finance.

To apply, please send your CV Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk

Source: http://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/job/4145920/business-analyst-basel-2/?TrackID=53

el debarge portland weather clintonville battlestar galactica blood and chrome my morning jacket roger goodell psychosis

Rio de Janeiro's epic samba parade

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

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_travel/~3/GMKIBhqZY68/index.html

kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston

Would-Be GOP Presidential Candidate Gets Bad News From Home

Gov. Bobby Jindal's approval rating has trended sharply downward at home over the past three years, according to results released Wednesda by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

A 57 percent majority of Louisiana voters now disapprove of their Republican governor's performance, compared to 37 percent who approve, according to PPP. In August 2010, those numbers were nearly reversed, with 58 percent approving and 34 percent disapproving.

Jindal lost favor both inside and outside his party, according to the survey. His approval rating fell by 22 points among Republicans, by 26 points among independents and by 18 points among Democrats.

The poll surveyed 603 Louisiana voters between Feb. 8 and 12, using automated phone calls.

Jindal, who is considered a possible contender for the next presidential election, easily won reelection as governor in 2011, taking 66 percent of the vote against a field of nine rivals. His term lasts until 2015, when state law will prevent him from seeking a third consecutive term.

PPP's most recent national poll found Jindal running behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan in a hypothetical GOP primary.

Related on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/bobby-jindal-poll_n_2680803.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Kate Middleton Bottomless the Pirate Bay Hotel Transylvania eagles nfl schedule 2012 Fox News Suicide Google

Newly identified natural protein blocks HIV, other deadly viruses

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

A team of UCLA-led researchers has identified a protein with broad virus-fighting properties that potentially could be used as a weapon against deadly human pathogenic viruses such as HIV, Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, Nipah and others designated "priority pathogens" for national biosecurity purposes by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

In a study published in the January issue of the journal Immunity, the researchers describe the novel antiviral property of the protein, cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (CH25H), an enzyme that converts cholesterol to an oxysterol called 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), which can permeate a cell's wall and block a virus from getting in.

Interestingly, the CH25H enzyme is activated by interferon, an essential antiviral cell-signaling protein produced in the body, said lead author Su-Yang Liu, a student in the department of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"Antiviral genes have been hard to apply for therapeutic purposes because it is difficult to express genes in cells," said Liu, who performed the study with principal investigator Genhong Cheng, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "CH25H, however, produces a natural, soluble oxysterol that can be synthesized and administered.

"Also, our initial studies showing that 25HC can inhibit HIV growth in vivo should prompt further study into membrane-modifying cholesterols that inhibit viruses," he added.

The discovery is particularly relevant to efforts to develop broad-spectrum antivirals against an increasing number of merging viral pathogens, Liu said.

Working with Jerome Zack, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and an associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute, the researchers initially found that 25HC dramatically inhibited HIV in cell cultures. Next, they administered 25HC in mice implanted with human tissues and found that it significantly reduced their HIV load within seven days. The 25HC also reversed the T-cell depletion caused by HIV.

By contrast, mice that had the CH25H gene knocked out were more susceptible to a mouse gammaherpes virus, the researchers found.

In collaboration with Dr. Benhur Lee, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a member of the UCLA AIDS Institute, they discovered that 25HC inhibited HIV entry into the cell. Furthermore, in cell cultures, it was found to inhibit the growth of other deadly viruses, such as Ebola, Nipah and the Rift Valley Fever virus.

Intriguingly, CH25H expression in cells requires interferon. While interferon has been known for more than 60 years to be a critical part of the body's natural defense mechanism against viruses, the protein itself does not have any antiviral properties. Rather, it triggers the expression of many antiviral genes. While other studies have identified some antiviral genes that are activated by interferon, this research gives the first description of an interferon-induced antiviral oxysterol through the activation of the enzyme CH25H. It provides a link to how interferon can cause inhibition of viral membrane fusion, Liu said.

He noted some weaknesses in the research. For instance, 25HC is difficult to deliver in large doses, and its antiviral effect against Ebola, Nipah and other highly pathogenic viruses have yet to be tested in vivo. Also, the researchers still need to compare 25HC's antiviral effect against other HIV antivirals.

###

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences: http://www.uclahealth.org/

Thanks to University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences 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.

This press release has been viewed 45 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126740/Newly_identified_natural_protein_blocks_HIV__other_deadly_viruses

Olympics 2012 Olympic Schedule 2012 NBC Olympics NBC Olympics schedule 2012 Olympics Chad Everett London Olympics

WASHINGTON - Uncompromising and politically emboldened, President Barack Obama u...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/timesleader/posts/10151461198072040

doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry lakers trade ann arbor news ides of march elizabeth smart

We hit 400,000 likes on our Facebook Page on Monday and as is the norm around th...

We hit 400,000 likes on our Facebook Page on Monday and as is the norm around these here parts we like to give out something as a little thank you for pushing us to through to these milestones. For those of you who don't Like our page yet, or even if you have no intention... you are still awesome

Below you will find a code that can be redeemed to claim yourself a few goodies to keep you fighting fit on the Battlefield including a 1 Day XP Boost, 1 Day Credit Boost, 50 Combat Bandages and 50 Advanced Adrenaline Shots.

FR6C-7KE7-P2SM-PANB

This can be redeemed on the code redemption page until Thursday 14th February 14:00 UTC

You can Redeem your code here: http://battlefield.play4free.com/en/store/redeem

Source: http://www.facebook.com/bfplay4free/posts/533851563322157

Kenneth Branagh Lupe Ontiveros London 2012 China muhammad ali Opening ceremony London 2012 Google Fiber Olympics Schedule 2012

Middle East lost a Dead Sea of water -- study

NASA / UC Irvine / NCAR

Variations in total water storage from normal, in millimeters, in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, as measured by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, from January 2003 through December 2009. Reds represent drier conditions, while blues represent wetter conditions.

By John Roach, Contributing Writer, NBC News

Freshwater resources in the water-stressed Middle East are rapidly declining at a time when global climate change is projected to make the region even drier, scientists report in a new study.

Between 2003 and 2009, parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran along the Tigris and Euphrates river basins lost 117 million acre feet of stored water, according to gravity measurements taken by a pair of wedge-shaped satellites. That?s nearly the equivalent of all the water in the Dead Sea.?

"It is a pretty big water loss,? Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at the University of California Irvine, told NBC News. "And (the Middle East) is right up there with some of the most water-stressed regions of the world."

Since ground-based data on water usage in the Middle East is difficult to obtain, Famiglietti and colleagues used NASA?s Gravity Recovery and Satellite Experiment (GRACE) to understand how much water mass moved out of the region.?

Then, using satellite images of changes in lake and reservoir water levels, the researchers accounted for about a fifth of the water loss. Computer models of soil moisture and snowpack drying accounted for another fifth. The rest was due to groundwater pumping, primarily for irrigation purposes, Famiglietti said.

Groundwater pumping increased during 2007, when the region experienced a drought, which is a normal response to dwindling surface water supplies, he noted. Such droughts, he added, are expected to increase in the future in response to global climate change.

"So, it is probably a pretty good idea for us to begin thinking about managing the available water resources more carefully, thinking about how to sustain them for the long term," Famiglietti said.

In particular, he said the region needs to begin to pay closer attention to groundwater. The study indicates groundwater withdrawals are high, but what is unclear is how much water is actually in the ground.

Sandra Postel is director of the Global Water Policy Project, which promotes the preservation and sustainable use of freshwater. In an email to NBC News, she said the best opportunity for the Middle East is joint management of shared rivers and aquifers.

"Because water flows across and under political boundaries, it can be used over and over again if managed effectively," she said. "In this way water use is optimized to create greater overall benefits for all parties. If those benefits are then shared equitably among all the parties, water can be a force for peace and trust-building."

Water management in the Middle East is tricky, noted Katalyn Voss, lead author of the paper and a water policy fellow at the Center for Hydrologic Modeling. Turkey has jurisdiction over the Tigris and Euphrates headwaters and controls how much water flows downstream to Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

Turkey?s control of water distribution to the adjacent countries has already caused tension. For example, during the 2007 drought, it continued to divert river water to irrigate its crops, which put pressure on the downstream neighbors.

"Both the United Nations and anecdotal reports from area residents note that once stream flow declined, the northern part of Iraq had to switch to groundwater," she said in a news release. "In a fragile social, economic, and political environment, this did not help."

Findings are to be published online Feb. 15 in the journal Water Resources Research.

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News. To learn more about him, check out his website.?

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/12/16939565-middle-east-lost-a-dead-seas-worth-of-water-study-finds?lite

cnn yahoo news nbc news cnn news Connecticut shooting Nancy Lanza school shootings

Submit Your Article to Article Submission Directories and Boost Your ...

Internet Marketers, Affiliate Marketers and other Online Businesses are on the look out or exploring every avenue possible to promote their businesses. If you happen to be one of them, one of the best ways to achieve this is to submit your article to article submission directories. Article directory submission has numerous benefits and there is no reason why an online entrepreneur should not make the maximum use of this avenue especially when it is free.

Increase Targeted Traffic:

If you have an online business, it goes without saying that the more targeted traffic you drive to your site the more chances you will have of promoting your business. Hence if you submit your article to some of the leading article submission directories, you are bound to get a large amount of traffic to your site. In addition to this, webmasters who appreciate your article will publish it in their websites, thus generating viral targeted traffic to your site. The more quality articles you submit to the article directories the more traffic you will be able to drive to your site. To get a steady stream of traffic ensure that you have a live link in the resource box pointing to your website.

Boost Your Sales:

The success of your online business will ultimately boil down to the amount of sales you are able to generate. Submitting your articles to the popular article directories is a smart way of driving a huge amount of targeted traffic to your site. These visitors are people who are genuinely interested in your products or services and the chances of their becoming your customers are huge.

Become an Expert Author:

Write articles related to the theme of your website on a regular basis. By displaying your expertise, you will be acknowledged by the audience as an expert author. The readers will then make it a habit to visit your website or the article directory to read your article. If they think that your article will give their website visitors a good experience they will publish it in their websites. As more and more websites publish your articles, your reputation as an expert author will grow steadily.

Improves Link Popularity and Page Rank:

When you submit your article to popular high page rank article directories, they give you valuable one way inbound links. When webmasters pick up these articles and publish them in their websites, they provide you with additional inbound links. By publishing more quality articles you will obtain more back links thus increasing your link popularity. Google considers all these links as popularity votes for your site thus increasing the page rank of your site.

Free Advertisement:

Articles submitted to article submission directories are indeed free advertisement for your online business. The resource box at the end of the article tells the whole world who you are, what your business is all about and your website address. Thus by submitting articles on a regular basis you could save on PPC, traffic exchange and other advertisement costs.

Conclusion:

Submitting your articles to article submission directories confers all the above benefits and more. Your success will also depend on how search engine friendly your articles are so that they will appear in the search results for the targeted keywords. When you submit your article make it search engine friendly and reap the benefits.

About the Author

Copyright © Kanaga Siva.

To learn more about Writing Articles, Internet Home Based Business and for tips and advice on Affiliate Marketing you are welcome to visit Expert Author and Marketer Kanaga Siva?s Website and Blog. http://www.business-fromhome.com

Source: http://www.webtvmadeez.com/archives/366

luke bryan NBA jfk airport faith hill metro north taco bell taco bell