Modified protein could become first effective treatment for vitiligo

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have developed a genetically modified protein that dramatically reverses the skin disorder vitiligo in mice, and has similar effects on immune responses in human skin tissue samples.

The modified protein is potentially the first effective treatment for vitiligo, which causes unsightly white patches on the face, hands and other parts of the body. Loyola University Chicago has submitted a patent application for the protein, and researchers are seeking regulatory approval and funding for a clinical trial in humans.

I. Caroline Le Poole, PhD, and colleagues describe the modified protein in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Le Poole is a professor in Loyola's Oncology Institute and in the departments of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology.

About 1 million Americans have vitiligo, and the condition affects about 1 in 200 people worldwide. Vitiligo is most noticeable in people of color, but also can be distressing to Caucasians. Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system goes into overdrive and kills pigment cells, which give skin its color.

Previous studies have found that a protein called HSP70i plays a vital role in the autoimmune response that causes vitiligo. (HSP70i stands for inducible heat shock protein 70.)

HSP70i consists of 641 building blocks called amino acids. Le Poole and colleagues genetically modified one of these amino acids to create a mutant HSP70i. This mutant protein supplants normal HSP70i, thereby reversing vitiligo's autoimmune response.

Resarchers Jeffrey A. Mosenson and Andrew Zloza gave mutant HSP70i to mice that developed vitiligo, and the results were striking. Mouse fur ? affected by vitiligo -- had the coloring of a salt-and-pepper beard. But when the mice were vaccinated with mutant HSP70i, the fur turned black.

"The mice look normal," Le Poole said.

Some of the effects seen in mice also were seen in human skin specimens.

There are no long-term effective treatments for vitiligo. Steroid creams sometimes return some color to affected skin. But this treatment also thins the skin, and can cause streaks or lines. Bright lights, similar to tanning booths, also can return color, but can cause sunburns and other side effects, including vitiligo. Skin grafts transfer skin from unaffected areas to the white patches, but can be painful and expensive. None of the existing treatments effectively prevent vitiligo from progressing.

Le Poole and colleagues wrote that mutant HSP70i "may offer potent treatment opportunities for vitiligo."

###

Loyola University Health System: http://www.luhs.org

Thanks to Loyola University Health System 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 21 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127054/Modified_protein_could_become_first_effective_treatment_for_vitiligo

madmen james cameron liam hemsworth miss canada justin bieber boyfriend marianas trench camille grammer

Using Facebook app may be cheaper than texting

Nidhi Subbaraman , NBC News ? ? ? 1 day

Facebook has sweet-talked 18 cellphone operators in 14 countries to get discounted or free data for Facebookers who text and chat on Facebook's Messenger app.

When the details are ironed out and the deal kicks in, messaging via Facebook?s messenger service may turn out to be cheaper than texting in some countries. The feature will work on the Messenger app for Android or iPhone and the Every Phone service for basic phones.

While Facebook doesn't mention this in its announcement of the deal, The Atlantic brings up the possibility that the feature may make calling cheaper too.

That's an intriguing possibility. Facebook does have a calling service tucked within the Messenger app. But for now, this feature is limited to the Messenger app on iPhones. And, it's only available in the US and Canada--two countries that are absent from the Facebook's list of new mobile operator partners.

If the calling feature did roll out to non-iPhone phones globally, it could make Facebook an attractive mobile tool. In places like India, for example, mobile users go to elaborate lengths to avoid paying call fees on their cell phone, spawning a convoluted but surprisingly functional "missed call ecosystem." It's reasonable to assume that any free mobile service that carried a free (or discounted) calling feature tucked in could become a popular one among mobile phone owners.

Of course, this would depend on what price the "discounted" data plans were fixed at, and if, if ever, Facebook took its voice calling global. If we got that far, would mobile operators be willing to let Facebook up their data-based calling feature and let it benefit from a discounted data scheme? A Facebook spokesperson told NBC News Digital that "the length of the free/discounted data [would be established] at the discretion of the mobile operator." As to the nitty-gritty of the deals, they have no other details to share, so we'll just to wait and see. In the meanwhile, here are the operators involved:

• TMN in Portugal, Tre in Italy, Three in Ireland, Vivacom in Bulgaria, Backcell in Azerbaydzhan
  
• Airtel and Reliance in India
  
• Indosat, Smartfren, AXIS and XL Axiata in Indonesia, SMART in Philippines, DiGi in Malaysia, DTAC in Thailand
  
• Etisalat in Egypt , Viva in Bahrain, STC in Saudi Arabia
  
• Oi in Brazil
  

Nidhi Subbaraman writes about science and technology. Follow on Twitter, Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/facebook-wireless-deal-could-make-messenger-service-cheaper-texting-1C8543846

mega millions results louisville lotto numbers susan powell megamillions winners university of louisville louisville ky

Conservationists try resurrecting coral in Jamaica

ORACABESSA BAY, Jamaica (AP) ? Mats of algae and seaweed have shrouded the once thick coral in shallow reefs off Jamaica's north coast. Warm ocean waters have bleached out the coral, and in a cascade of ecological decline, the sea urchins and plant-eating reef fish have mostly vanished, replaced by snails and worms that bore through coral skeletons.

Now, off the shores of Jamaica, as well as in Caribbean islands from Bonaire to St. Croix, conservationists are planting fast-growing coral species to try and turn things around by "seeding" reefs. The strategy has doubters, with one expert joking that prayer might be as effective, but conservationists say the problem is so catastrophic that inaction is not an option. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, live coral coverage on Caribbean reefs is down to an average of just 8 percent, from 50 percent in the 1970s.

Lenford Dacosta grew up in the north Jamaican fishing village of Oracabessa Bay and spear-fished the waters for most of his 46 years. Now he is part of a crew that tends to a small coral nursery in a fish sanctuary, hoping to revitalize the reef that sustained his village, whose shoreline is now dominated by ritzy resorts.

"I used to think that children would only hear about coral reefs and fish in books," said Dacosta, expressing hope that his work will yield fruit.

Seascape Caribbean, the fledgling company that employs Dacosta and touts itself as the region's first and only private coral restoration business, uses low-tech coral nurseries consisting of buoys and weights with small fragments of staghorn coral suspended from them on strings. The fragments grow on the strings until bits of tannish coral with the beginnings of antler-like branches are ready to be planted onto reefs. Other specialists grow coral fragments on concrete pedestals placed on the seabed.

Advocates say the reef restoration work, focused on the region's fast-growing but threatened staghorn and elkhorn coral species, can boost rates of recovery and improve the outlook for coral. The efforts will never resurrect the vibrant reefs of 50 years ago, they acknowledge, but they believe they can help preserve some of a reef's functionality and beauty.

"Coral cover is getting a little better here and I believe it will keep improving in the gardened areas," said Andrew Ross, a Canadian marine biologist and entrepreneur who founded Seascape Caribbean.

Reef-building coral is a tiny polyp-like animal that builds a calcium-carbonate shell around itself and survives in a symbiotic relationship with certain types of algae. Its reefs serve as vital spawning and feeding grounds for numerous marine creatures. It comes in some 1,500 known species, ranging from soft, undulating fans to those with hard skeletons that form reef bases.

But across the globe, reefs that have proven resilient for thousands of years are in serious decline, degraded by overfishing, pollution, coastal development and warming ocean waters. And threats to coral are only expected to intensify as a result of climate change and ocean acidification due to greenhouse gases.

The stakes couldn't be higher along the Caribbean Sea, which has nearly 8,000 square miles (20,720 sq. kilometers) of coral reefs.

The tropical islands' iconic reefs protect fragile coastlines by absorbing energy from waves during hurricanes and normal conditions. Financially, the Caribbean has a multibillion-dollar beach tourism and commercial fishing economy. In Jamaica alone, reef fisheries support up to 20,000 fishermen.

Caribbean coral has deteriorated so badly in recent decades that a new report from a team of international scientists says that the rocky structures of the reefs are on the threshold of gradual erosion.

"The Caribbean, as a whole region, seems to be in a very poor state," said Chris Perry, a geography professor at the University of Exeter who led the regional coral research.

In the face of this decline, some coral specialists and conservationists say passive inaction would be a grave mistake. They argue that the results of the nascent coral restoration work will be seen in coming years.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, scientists with The Nature Conservancy have reared some 2,500 coral colonies and transplanted over 1,000 fragments to local reefs with the aid of U.S. stimulus money. In the Dominican Republic, the Puntacana Ecological Foundation in the thriving tourist town of Punta Cana has planted some 1,200 fragments of Acropora coral, a genus that includes staghorn and elkhorn.

"What started as an experiment to protect the endangered Acropora species has become one of the largest nurseries in the Caribbean and a laboratory for other resorts and researchers to conduct restoration work," said Jake Kheel, the foundation's environmental director.

The Key Largo, Florida-based Coral Restoration Foundation, a pioneer in efforts to revitalize stressed reefs, has helped the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire set up coral nurseries. Meanwhile, in southern Jamaica, researchers are feeding low-voltage electricity to young coral to try and spur growth, a method that has been used in places like Indonesia and Malaysia.

Some coral experts say the labor-intensive reef restoration projects may be increasingly popular but they have yet to see any significant successes out of them. These critics believe the scope of the problem is simply too vast and restoration efforts don't address the underlying, accelerating forces collapsing reefs.

"It responds more to the very human need to 'do something' in the face of calamity, even if what you do is really a waste of time. Prayer would be just as useful," said Roger Bradbury, an ecologist and adjunct professor of resource management at Australian National University in Canberra.

Bradbury argues that coral restoration actually diverts scarce resources away from what should be researchers' main focus, which is what to do with reef regions after the reefs are gone. "The reefs just won't be there, but something will ? a new sort of ecosystem," he said.

Phil Kramer, a marine geologist who is director of The Nature Conservancy's Caribbean program, acknowledges that the long term outlook for coral reefs is poor in the face of current threats and projected increases in temperature and ocean acidification. But he says that can't justify the "abandonment" of reefs.

"It is true that Caribbean reefs are generally in bad shape at the moment and that if more interventions are not taken we will continue to lose what remains. But I remain cautiously optimistic about the future," Kramer said.

Helping the various restoration efforts, some regional governments are taking action to protect key species on the reefs. Belize, which boasts the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, has established bans on harvesting parrotfish, a colorful herbivore that grazes on the algae and seaweed that smothers coral.

By contrast, parrotfish are now the most popular catch in heavily-overfished Jamaica, sold at the side of the road and in supermarkets and restaurants.

Increasing sea surface temperatures have led to a dramatic rise in coral bleaching incidents in which the stressed organisms expel the colorful algae living in their tissues, leaving a whitish color. Up to 90 percent of corals in parts of the eastern Caribbean suffered bleaching in 2005, and more than half died.

But on Jamaica's north coast, Dacosta says he is gradually seeing some balance restored to the Oracabessa Bay fish sanctuary where he works to transplant coral fragments and scoop up snails and worms from reefs. He says bigger fish and algae-grazing black sea urchins are seen more frequently.

"I tell you," Dacosta said. "We should have started this a long time ago,"

___

David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter/com/dmcfadd

___

Online:

Seascape Caribbean: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seascape-Caribbean/346524898685

The Nature Conservancy's Caribbean programs: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/caribbean/index.htm

Puntacana Ecological Foundation: http://www.puntacana.org/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/coral-comeback-reef-seeding-caribbean-205454031.html

powell the last lecture kim jong un josh powell madonna halftime show linsanity the alamo

Wasp transcriptome creates a buzz

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

New research delivers a sting in the tail for queen wasps. Scientists have sequenced the active parts of the genome ? or transcriptome ? of primitively eusocial wasps to identify the part of the genome that makes you a queen or a worker. Their work, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, shows that workers have a more active transcriptome than queens. This suggests that in these simple societies, workers may be the 'jack-of-all-trades' in the colony - transcriptionally speaking - leaving the queen with a somewhat restricted repertoire.

Studying primitively eusocial species - like these wasps - can tell us about how sociality evolves. Seirian Sumner and colleagues sequenced transcriptomes from the eusocial tropical paper wasps ? Polistes canadensis. All social species ultimately evolved from a solitary ancestor ? in this case a solitary wasp, who lays the eggs and feeds the brood. But how does this ancestral solitary phenotype split to produce specialised reproducers (queens) and brood carers (workers) when a species becomes social?

This paper gives a first insight into the secret lives of social insects. It shows that workers retain a highly active transcriptome, possibly expressing many of the ancestral genes that are required for our solitary wasp to be successful on her own. Conversely, queens appear to shut down a lot of their genes, presumably in order to be really good reproducers.

Long-standing analyses based on the fossil record holds ants and wasps in a clade known as Vespoidea, with bees as a sister group. The team reassess the relationships between the subfamilies of bees, wasps and ants and suggest that wasps are part of a separate clade from ants and bees, though further genome sequences and comparative data will help to resolve this controversy.

The dataset offers a first chance to analyse subfamily relationships across large numbers of genes, though further work is required before the term Vespoidia could be dropped, or reclassified. Sumner says: 'This finding would have important general implications for our understanding of eusociality as it would suggest that bees and ants shared an aculeate wasp-like ancestor, that ants are wingless wasps, and that bees are wasps that lost predacious behaviours.'

Their work suggests that novel genes play a much more important role in social behaviour than we previously thought.

###

BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central 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 40 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127021/Wasp_transcriptome_creates_a_buzz

limbaugh aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio cat in the hat green eggs and ham wiz khalifa and amber rose

Video: Kerry on Syria: ?We want a peaceful resolution?

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50964838/

lisa lampanelli bronx zoo memphis grizzlies celebrity apprentice grizzlies bronx zoo crash april 30

The story of a man, his wallet, and $800

Three years ago, trash collector Harold Walls lost his wallet, which held $800. It turns out, though, the wallet wasn't really lost?it was on vacation. And thanks to a good Samaritan, Walls finally has it back.

DelawareOnline.com has the full story. Walls had assumed he dropped his wallet while collecting trash one morning. He and his partner retraced their steps. Alas, no luck.

[Related: Man reunited with his dog after 10 years apart]

"I wrote it off, honestly," Walls told DelawareOnline.com of the wallet and money, which he'd planned to use to buy a TV. "Ain't no sense in harping about it or crying over spilled milk. Keep moving."

In 2012, the truck Walls and his partner used was retired by the city and sold at auction to a farmer in Maine. The farmer took apart the bench seat in the truck's cab and, lo and behold, he found the long-missing wallet. The farmer mailed it back to Walls, cash included.

[Related: Couple finds, returns over $11,000 found near Golden Gate Bridge]

"I was real surprised it came back with everything. ... It happens to restore a lot of faith that there are still some good people out there," Walls said.

It also serves as a good reminder: If you're missing something, check underneath the cushions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/wallet-800-inside-returned-three-years-190359251.html

London 2012 shot put London 2012 Track And Field Jordyn Wieber michael phelps Kerri Strug Ledecky Nadia Comaneci

Jennifer Lawrence Orders McDonald's For Oscars Broadcast

'Starving' Best Actress nominee tells MTV News she ordered a meal to-go to avoid a real-life 'hunger games.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz and Janell Snowden

Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Steve Granitz/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702506/oscars-jennifer-lawrence-mcdonalds.jhtml

Bourne Legacy Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer dwight howard Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon

Samsung HomeSync Android TV box hands-on (video)

Yesterday, Samsung announced the HomeSync Android TV box, and as expected that device is making an appearance here on the MWC 2013 show floor. Boxy media hubs can only be so attractive, but the HomeSync's grey-and-black aesthetic is sleek, and the brushed-metal finish will look familiar to anyone who's used a Sammy handset or laptop. There's a pair of USB 3.0 inputs, an HDMI port, optical audio and Ethernet connections on the rear, and buttons for power and settings on the front, but you can easily hide the console deep inside your home theater rig -- it can be controlled exclusively with a Android 4.2-equipped smartphone or tablet.

The Jelly Bean-powered HomeSync runs a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 1TB of storage, and it supports up to eight accounts for uploading, downloading and sharing content between devices. Those with a Galaxy device will be able to wirelessly stream content to their TVs in full 1080p, and Play Store access is on board for downloading additional media. It worked well during our hands-on, but as with any WiFi-equipped streaming device, there was noticeable lag when mirroring the smartphone display on the connected HDTV. Still, assuming the price is right, we can see this being a solid component within any home theater setup. Take a closer look in our hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Samsung HomeSync hands-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5U4i45404SM/

leon russell meredith vieira prop 8 larry bird maria menounos proposition 8 ricky martin

Live from Mobile World Congress with Huawei

We're live from Barcelona, Spain with Huawei, which is holding its big press conference today ahead of MWC. Possible Android developments include the Ascend P2, a quad-core successor to last year's Ascend P1. The action starts at 3pm Barcelona time (9am ET), so stick around for all the day's announcements!

You'll find our liveblog after the break.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/A96jeDvOE9E/story01.htm

puerto rico primary manning peyton florida state meghan mccain wilson chandler bristol motor speedway

Watch Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Live Stream Now!

Kick back and relax because MTV News has the next two hours of your Oscars night covered! For the next two hours (until 7:30 p.m. ET), MTV News' Josh Horowitz and VH1's Janell Snowden will be coming to you live from the red carpet outside the Dolby Theater for the 85th Academy Awards. You can [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/24/oscars-2013-red-carpet-live-stream/

Ryder Cup Standings Dexter Season 7 Ryder Cup 2012 Johnny Lewis yom kippur yom kippur avengers

HuffPost Workouts: Oscar-Winning Music You Can Exercise To

While the big moments of the 2013 Oscars undeniably belong to movies (and wardrobe malfunctions), music has been nominated for its very own Academy Award since 1935. Categories for best original score and best original song were introduced at the 7th Academy Awards.

Since then, a wide range of songs and artists have been recognized. Nominated for best original song this year are: "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"; "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted"; "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi"; and "Skyfall" from "Skyfall."

We combed the archives for the Oscar-winning songs you can work out to. Let us know if you actually would in the comments below -- or if we left any off the list!

• "Lose Yourself" from 2002's "8 Mile"
• "Flashdance... What A Feeling" from 1983's "Flashdance"
• "Jai Ho" from 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire"
• "Fame" from 1980's "Fame"
• "Theme From 'Shaft'" from 1971's "Shaft"
• "Things Have Changed" from 2000's "Wonder Boys"
• "Last Dance" from 1978's "That God It's Friday"
• "Hard Out Here For a Pimp" from 2005's "Hustle & Flow"
• "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" from 1987's "Dirty Dancing"

For more from our HuffPost Workouts series, click here.

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/2013/02/24/oscar-workout-music-oscars-songs_n_2736213.html

college basketball oakland pinnacle airlines kansas vs kentucky joe posnanski michael kidd gilchrist national championship

MC Hammer Arrested For Obstructing Officer, Alleges Profiling

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/mc-hammer-arrested-for-obstructing-officer-alleges-profiling/

dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day tornado in dallas texas the island president the maldives

Oil Painting

The following tag(s) couldn't be added to this item

An error occurred while setting up video display.

Choosing an oil painting reproduction for your home can add just the right touch to a room. You may want to explore your love of art through a favorite artist, or review catalogs to see the variety of options available. There are many types of reproductions to express your own style.
http://oilpaintingreview.weebly.com/

1. groups:

   Art and Style

2. tags:

   Oil Painting

3. ????

   |

0 comments // Oil Painting

Source: http://current.com/groups/art-and-style/94059502_oil-painting.htm?xid=RSSfeed

indianapolis colts joseph kony joseph kony ipad 3 release date apple store down apple live blog ohio primary

Euro zone economy to shrink again in 2013, EU says

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The euro zone will not return to growth until 2014, the European Commission said on Friday, reversing its prediction for an end to recession this year and blaming a lack of bank lending and record joblessness for delaying the recovery.

The 17-nation bloc's economy, which generates nearly a fifth of global output, will shrink 0.3 percent in 2013, the Commission said, meaning the euro zone will remain in its second recession since 2009 for a year longer than originally foreseen.

The Commission, the EU executive, late last year forecast 0.1 percent growth in the euro zone's economy for 2012, but now says tight lending conditions for companies and households, job cuts and frozen investment have delayed an expected recovery.

The Commission sees the euro zone economy growing 1.4 percent in 2014, with a figure of -0.6 percent for 2012.

"The improved financial market situation contrasts with the absence of credit growth and the weakness of the near-term outlook for economic activity," said Marco Buti, the commission's director-general for economic and monetary affairs. "The labor market... is a serious concern," he said, in a preamble to the Commission's latest forecasts.

The European Central Bank's promise last year to do what it takes to defend its common currency has removed the risk of a break-up of the euro zone, and member countries' borrowing costs have come down from unsustainable levels.

But the damage from the 2008/2009 global financial crisis and the ensuing euro zone debt crisis has been greater than expected on the real economy, with global demand for euro zone exports one of the few saviors in terms of generating growth.

Joblessness in the euro zone is set to peak at 12.2 percent, or more than 19 million people, in 2013, the Commission said, and both private and public consumption will not make any contribution to improving output, instead dragging on the economy.

The outlook raises the prospect of further interest rate cuts by the ECB to jump-start the economy by reducing the cost of lending for companies and families, although with banks reluctant to lend, any impact may be muted.

Consumer inflation is forecast by the Commission to be 1.8 percent for 2013, and with such pressures contained the ECB may feel more comfortable cutting rates to below the current 0.75 percent level.

"A cut in the main refinancing rate is not the most powerful measure the ECB could implement, but it is a step in the right direction," investment bank JP Morgan wrote in a note this week.

The Commission's overall view is a touch more pessimistic than that of the International Monetary Fund, which sees a 0.2 percent euro zone contraction this year.

The ECB previously cut its estimate of euro zone gross domestic product (GDP) for next year to between a fall of 0.9 percent and growth of just 0.3 percent.

"A weaker-than-expected final quarter of 2012 is set to shift the inception of the recovery towards mid-2013," the Commission said.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Rex Merrifield)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/euro-zone-economy-shrink-again-2013-eu-says-100516656--business.html

hunger games trailer hunger games trailer in plain sight hunger games movie review bats hunger games review jeff saturday

German: US to leave 8,000-12,000 troops in Afghan (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286647870?client_source=feed&format=rss

john mccain game changer selection sunday corned beef recipe time change rpi dst

During Oscars Weekend, Who Will Win Box-Office Gold?

'Identity Thief' looks to take back the #1 spot, as sci-fi horror 'Dark Skies' and action flick 'Snitch' are the only new releases.
By Ryan J. Downey

Melissa McCarthy in "Identity Thief"
Photo: Universal Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702398/identity-thief-oscars-box-office.jhtml

farrah abraham Paul Ryan Speech chris cooley chris cooley condoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby

Defining Success On Your Terms | Care2 Healthy Living

When I was a child, my parents led me to believe that success looked like learning my times tables, following the rules, and being polite to strangers.

When I was a teenager, success looked like making straight A?s, steering clear of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs, and guarding my virginity until I got married.

When I was a medical student and resident, my professors led me to believe that success looked like showing up early, staying late, sacrificing my personal needs for the needs of my patients, coming to work when I was sick, prioritizing my work over my family or friends, overdelivering, curing patients without ever screwing up, and helping out my fellow residents, even if it was long past when I wanted to go home.

When I was a practicing physician, my colleagues led me to believe that success looked like a schedule full of patients, 72 hour call shifts during which I worked my ass off without ever making mistakes, efficiency in the exam room so I could blow through 40 patients a day, billing enough to bring in my fair share of revenue, perfection in the operating room, the adoration of my patients, a six-figure income and a house with an ocean view, and being voted among San Diego?s Top Doctors.

When I was forging ahead in my art career, people led me to believe that success looked like being represented by many galleries, getting my art shown in museums, big ticket art sales, and name recognition for my work.

Now I work in an industry where there?s no limit to the amount of external success you can achieve ? books, blogs, online programs, public speaking, conferences, magazine articles, television talk shows ? the big leagues.

In the past, I let other people define success for me. But this time around, I?m committed to doing it differently.

Success On My Terms

My new motto is ?Just because you can doesn?t mean you should.?

Just because I can publish 20 books doesn?t necessarily mean I should.

Just because I?m invited to speak at a big conference doesn?t mean I should say yes.

Even if the opportunity to host my own TV show arises, it doesn?t mean doing so is necessarily aligned with my priorities.

But? I can?t create the life I dream of living unless I know what success on my terms looks like. So let me take a stab at it?

Success looks like feeling how I want to feel.

My core desired feelings (hat tip to Danielle?s LaPorte?s?Firestarter Sessions) are to feel connected, influential, generous, and easeful. Every opportunity that comes my way ? even ones others might deem ?successful?? ? gets screened through that filter. Will it make me feel connected to loved ones and Source? Will it lend me influence so others will hear my message, and if I shine a spotlight on other people doing great work in the world, will people listen? Will it allow me to take all my friends out to dinner and when the bill comes, say ?It?s on me?? And most importantly, will it feel graceful, effortless,?eggy and playful?

Success looks like making the world a better place.

I dream of?healing health care,?opening hearts,?training doctors to reclaim their true nature as healers, helping people tap into the truth of their?Inner Pilot Lights, inspiring them to cleanse their bodies, minds, and souls,?helping people find their callings,?aiding visionaries who long to change the world,?mentoring those who will help me make the world a better place in their own unique way, writing and?speakingabout what matters to me, and raising funds for?charities I support.

Success looks like following a calling and fulfilling a mission.

After years of floundering around, I now know what I?m here on this earth to do, and I will devote myself to serving that calling ? but only on my terms. Success does not look like writing New York Times bestselling books, reaching millions of people with my message, influencing how people think and act, and fulfilling a dream, only to realize I?ve missed the whole point.

Success looks like prioritizing those I love above achievement.

Last year, I turned down the opportunity to appear on Good Morning America because I had been away from my daughter all week, promising I?d be all hers during her Spring Break. Then Good Morning America called the day before our ski trip and asked me to fly to New York. I said no. My daughter is more important.

Success looks like living from a place of trust, not fear.

I don?t want to say ?Yes? just because I?m afraid it?s my one and only shot.? I want to trust that if saying yes requires me to sacrifice my priorities, the opportunity will arise at some future point, God willing.? Good Morning America hasn?t called me back (yet), but I don?t have a single regret.

Success looks like making room for self care in my life.

Almost every day, I hike or do yoga. I meditate for 20-30 minutes. I drink 4-5 green juices per day.? I treat myself to spa days and retreats at hot springs resorts. I devote whole days to being with friends in my inner circle. I prioritize quality time and physical intimacy with my husband.? I read with my daughter. I take long baths. I get pedicures. I won?t sacrifice these things for any amount of money, fame, or kudos. Period.

Success looks like allowing myself to be a vessel for Divine work in the world.

Success is not unbridled ambition. It?s allowing myself to be used, to be of service, to fully self-actualize, to lift up my gifts and talents so they may be utilized for Divine work in the world. When I first met Martha Beck, she said, with delight in her voice, ?You?re one of us ??a stealth agent for God!? If I am, that looks like success to me.

Success looks like spending a lot of time in nature.

I already live in a small coastal town in the San Francisco Bay area in West Marin County, where the mountains and the redwoods meet the ocean. Success does not look like being on airplanes too much or stuck in big cities or inside closed walls all the time, tied to a computer. Success looks like dancing under a full moon, skiing down a mountain slope, wading in the crystalline waters of a Bali beach, soaking in hot springs under the stars, and frolicking in fields of wildflowers.

Success looks like deep intimacy.

I?m not satisfied with lots of superficial relationships. I?d rather have a smaller number of super intimate ones. I value being brave enough to be vulnerable with the precious beings in my inner circle. I treasure the talks I have with my seven year old about how she used to be a fairy and why she decided to choose me as her Mama. I cherish the deep inner work I do with my mentoring clients and the doctors in the?Whole Health Medicine Institute. When I get to witness the Inner Pilot Lights of others and have my Inner Pilot Light witnessed in return, I feel whole.

Success looks like staying in integrity with myself.

I recognize that integrity is very personal, and it?s never black and white.? I view it as a spectrum from 0% integrity to 100% integrity, with 0 being ?total sell out? and 100 being ?impeccable integrity.? Success looks like staying mostly over 80% aligned with my own unique definition of integrity and never, ever going below 50%.

Success looks like easeful, graceful, eggy financial abundance.

I spent too many years?giving until I was depleted, failing to value myself enough or set clear enough boundaries to charge what my time was worth. Then I declared to fill myself first and everything shifted. Now, the comfortable income I generate allows me to be generous with others (back to one of my core desired feelings.) And it allows my husband and I freedom from anxiety about how the bills will get paid and how I?ll continue to fund the work I do at no cost in the world through the?Daily Flame,?my blog, and?OwningPink.com.

But I?m no longer willing to ?sperm? my way to financial abundance. If it doesn?t flow in easily, it?s not meant to be mine. And I?m unwilling to push, strive or strong arm my way to ?make it happen? anymore. Nope. That?s not success on my terms. On my terms, money flows in generously and effortlessly, and the more I believe this, the more the Universe conspires to prove to me that it?s true.

Success looks like being sovereign.

Nobody owns me. I am never a victim of my circumstances. I have no right to bitch and moan about anything in my life ? ever ? because I always get to choose how I respond to my circumstances, even if my circumstances are beyond my control. I am responsible for and in charge of my life, even as I cede control to the Universe (my choice to let go of the reins and trust.) Success looks like owning my choices and claiming my life as my own. Success does not look like being a prima donna, but it does look like being brave enough to stand before those who might think they know what success looks like more than I do ? and to stay true to who I am and what I care about.

Success looks like beauty.

I love creating beautiful art, surrounding myself with beautiful design, wearing beautiful clothes, immersing myself in the beauty of nature, relishing the beauty of gourmet food arranged beautifully on a plate, and living in a beautiful home. Life is to be relished, savored, appreciated.

Success looks like being a student for life.

If I ever think I?ve learned all there is to learn, I?ve stopped being successful. I will be taking workshops, reading books, studying, and satisfying the kind of intense curiosity that led me to research and write?Mind Over Medicine for the rest of my successful life. As I write this, I?m on an airplane, heading to New York City to speak at the Hay House ?I Can Do It Ignite? conference with inspirational colleagues like Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Cheryl Richardson, Doreen Virtue, Kris Carr, Gabrielle Bernstein, and Anita Moorjani. These people are my teachers in this course called life. Success looks like surrounding myself with inspiring people.

Success looks like fully self-actualizing.

No longer will I wear masks, pretending to be something I?m not so I?ll appear perfect to others. Success looks like being unapologetically ME, even as I strive for continual self-improvement. Success look like fully expressing my gifts in the world, being authentic, and being brave enough to be completely vulnerable and imperfect with those I trust.

Success looks sexy.

Success doesn?t require that I sell out?the sexy and feminine within me in order to appear ?professional.? In fact, success embraces all the fluid, curvy, hip-swaying, pole-dancing, bump-and-grinding, skinny-dipping, thigh-high boot-wearing parts of me.

Success looks like FUN.

My old story ? success looks like sacrifice. My new story ? success is FUN and playful. Success involves a great deal of pleasure, laughter, touch, good food, adventures, and checking things off my bucket list. Hot air ballooning, here I come!

Success looks like inner peace.

No matter how many generous acts I perform, no matter how much I make the world a better place, no matter how much money I earn or how much fame I achieve, no matter how many people I love, who love me in return, it doesn?t really matter if I?m plagued with turmoil.? Success looks like freedom, wisdom, and deep abiding joy.

I?m Not There Yet, But I?m There

When I look at this list, I realize I still haven?t fully achieved the success I dream of achieving, mostly because I?m still learning and growing and figuring out my life. But that doesn?t mean I?m not ?there? yet.?As I wrote about here, I finally realized that there is no ?there,? that there is only here, and that right here, right now, I love my life and I celebrate the present moment, while simultaneously setting intentions that everything on this list will come to pass in its own perfect time.

Clarity is key. We can?t create success on our own terms if we let someone else define success for us. And we can?t create success on our own terms if we don?t know what it is.

What Does Success Look Like To You?

Tell us how YOU define success so you can create it for yourself.

Standing fiercely for success on our own terms,

Lissa Rankin

?

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/defining-success-on-your-terms.html

amityville horror acm passover recipes 2012 kids choice awards kansas ohio state wrestlemania results womens final four

Obama presses GOP to halt automatic spending cuts

by JULIE PACE and JIM KUHNHENN / Associated Press

KING5.com

Posted on February 19, 2013 at 12:06 PM

Updated Tuesday, Feb 19 at 12:06 PM

WASHINGTON? -- Staking out his ground ahead of a fiscal deadline, President Barack Obama lashed out against Republicans, saying they are unwilling to raise taxes to reduce deficits and warning that the jobs of essential government workers, from teachers to emergency responders, are on the line.

Obama spoke as a March 1 deadline for automatic across-the-board spending cuts approached and with Republicans and Democrats in an apparent stalemate over how to avoid them.

Obama cautioned that if the $85 billion in immediate cuts -- known as the sequester -- occur, the full range of government would feel the effects. Among those he listed: furloughed FBI agents, reductions in spending for communities to pay police and fire personnel and teachers, and decreased ability to respond to threats around the world.

He said the consequences would be felt across the economy.

"People will lose their jobs," he said. "The unemployment rate might tick up again.?

"So far at least, the ideas that the Republicans have proposed ask nothing of the wealthiest Americans or the biggest corporations," Obama said. "So the burden is all on the first responders, or seniors or middle class families.?

House Republicans have proposed an alternative to the immediate cuts, targeting some spending and extending some of the reductions over a longer period of time. They also have said they are willing to undertake changes in the tax code and eliminate loopholes and tax subsidies. But they have said they would overhaul the tax system to reduce rates, not to raise revenue. Obama did win an increase at the start of the year when Congress increased the upper tax rate for the wealthiest Americans.

"The American people understand that the revenue debate is now closed," House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement Tuesday following Obama's remarks. "Tax reform is a once-in-a generation opportunity to boost job creation in America. It should not be squandered to enable more Washington spending. Spending is the problem, spending must be the focus.?

Obama's remarks came a day after he returned to Washington from a three-day golfing weekend in Florida.

Congress is not in session this week, meaning no votes will occur before next week and complicating the ability to negotiate any short-term resolution.

Obama said the anticipated cuts were already having an effect, noting that the Navy had already delayed the deployment of a carrier to the Persian Gulf.

"Changes like this -- not well thought through, not phased in properly -- changes like this effect our ability to respond to threats in unstable parts of the world," he said.

Obama wants to offset the immediate spending cuts, known as a sequestration in budget language, through a combination of targeted spending cuts and increased tax revenue. The White House is backing a proposal unveiled last week by Senate Democrats that is in line with the president's principles.

But that plan has met an icy reception among Republicans, who oppose raising taxes to offset the cuts.? GOP leaders say the president got the tax increases he wanted at the beginning of the year when Congress agreed to raise taxes on family income above $450,000 a year.

Obama called on congressional Republicans to compromise and accept the Senate Democrats' proposal.

The Democrats propose to generate revenue by plugging some tax loopholes. Those include tax breaks for the oil and natural gas industry and businesses that have sent jobs overseas, and by taxing millionaires at a rate of at least 30 percent.

A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the Ohio Republican agrees the sequester is a bad way to reduce spending, but put the onus for averting the cuts on Democrats.

"A solution now requires the Senate -- controlled by the president's party -- to finally pass a plan of their own," spokesman Brendan Buck said.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan proposal Tuesday by co-chairs of an influential deficit-reduction commission called for reducing the deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years, with much of the savings coming through health care reform, closing tax loopholes, a stingier adjustment of Social Security's cost of living increases and other measures.

The proposal by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Democrat Erskine Bowles, the former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton, calls for about one quarter of the savings to come from changes in health care programs and another quarter from revenue generated by tax changes.

In their plan, Bowles and Simpson say the automatic cuts scheduled for March 1 are too steep and could set back the economy.

"Sharp austerity could have the opposite effect by tempering the still fragile economic recovery. In order to protect the recovery, the sequester should be avoided and deficit reduction should be phased in gradually," they wrote.

Some Republicans, including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have advocated plugging loopholes, but as part of a discussion on a tax overhaul, not sequestration.

"Loopholes are necessary for tax reform," Ryan said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." `'If you take them for spending, you're blocking tax reform and you're really not getting the deficit under control.?

The sequester was first set to begin taking effect on Jan. 1. But as part of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations, the White House and lawmakers agreed to push it off for two months in order to create space to work on a larger budget deal.

With little progress on that front in recent weeks, Obama is calling for the sequester to be put off again, though it's unclear whether another delay would have any impact on the prospects for a broader budget agreement.

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/politics/Obama-presses-GOP-to-halt-automatic-spending-cuts-191872891.html

ign brandi glanville Xbox 720 HTC One NICOLAUS COPERNICUS kurt cobain Las Vegas shooting

Wirelessly control your Celestron Telescope with the SkyQ Link WiFi Adapter

New for 2013 is the SkyQ Link WiFi Adapter?from Celestron, which allows wireless control of most Celestron motorized telescope mounts that use the hand control computer. There is an IOS interface with telescope alignment mode and a planetarium interface that immediately aims at any celestial object you tap from the SkyView screen. SkyTour generates the [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/21/wirelessly-control-your-celestron-telescope-with-the-skyq-link-wifi-adapter/

daytona bike week mary kay ash tiny houses maya angelou joan of arc tony robbins bon iver

GOP senators are treading carefully with tea party

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2012 file photo, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky, listens at right as Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Twice burned, Republicans are treading carefully around tea party groups as they pursue a Senate majority that slipped through their fingers in 2010 and 2012. "You'd have to be an idiot not to prepare" for primary challenges, says one past director of the Republicans' Senate campaign committee. Strongly conservative candidates have captured primaries in the past two election cycles, only to lose winnable races in the fall. Sen, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is at left, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. is second from right. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2012 file photo, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky, listens at right as Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Twice burned, Republicans are treading carefully around tea party groups as they pursue a Senate majority that slipped through their fingers in 2010 and 2012. "You'd have to be an idiot not to prepare" for primary challenges, says one past director of the Republicans' Senate campaign committee. Strongly conservative candidates have captured primaries in the past two election cycles, only to lose winnable races in the fall. Sen, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is at left, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. is second from right. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Twice burned, Republicans are treading carefully around tea party groups as they pursue a Senate majority that slipped through their fingers in 2010 and 2012. "You'd have to be an idiot not to prepare" for primary challenges, says one past director of the Republicans' Senate campaign committee. Strongly conservative candidates have captured primaries in the past two election cycles, only to lose winnable races in the fall. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Twice burned, Republicans are treading carefully around tea party groups as they pursue a Senate majority that slipped through their fingers in 2010 and 2012.

"You'd have to be an idiot not to prepare" for primary election challenges from the right, no matter the state, says Rob Jesmer, who was executive director of the GOP Senate campaign committee when flawed, conservative candidates captured primaries, only to lose winnable races in the fall.

While incumbents work to ward off or repel challenges from within their party, a Republican tempest already is flaring in Georgia, where GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss is stepping down. Party officials also look apprehensively toward Iowa, where Sen. Tom Harkin's decision to retire down opens up a seat long in Democratic hands.

The developments come at a time the Republican Party nationally is involved in a well-chronicled period of introspection after failing to win the White House last fall. President Barack Obama's support reached 53 percent among women who cast ballots, 60 percent among voters under 30, some 71 percent among Hispanics and 93 percent among blacks. Numerous officials have said the party must find a way to broaden its appeal rather than continue to steer rightward.

Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Republicans, said consternation about a replay of recent politically damaging primaries "at least for the moment, doesn't seem to be an issue" for the GOP. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, who chairs the campaign committee, declined a request for an interview.

Yet the divisions that pit the party establishment against insurgents and self-styled grass-roots groups show no signs of abating.

Karl Rove, a prominent strategist with deep ties to the Republican establishment, recently disclosed creation of a Conservative Victory Fund with the stated goal of backing electable conservatives in party primaries.

But when Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, a longtime conservative and possible Senate contender, was quoted in the National Review as saying he didn't oppose the objectives espoused by Rove's group, he drew a slap from a rival organization with close tea party ties.

"The Republican establishment is becoming increasingly hostile to the conservative movement, and Congressman Price should openly and aggressively oppose their efforts, not defend them," blogged Matt Hoskins, head of the Senate Conservatives Fund, an organization founded by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.

Price's office declined comment.

Steven Law, head of the Conservative Victory Fund, said it was too early to predict which races it would become involved in. He said the organization hopes to "work with other groups that share that mission to see if we can ensure more rigorous evaluation of candidates, find consensus where possible and perhaps most importantly prevent the Democrats from picking our nominees for us."

Incumbent Republicans seem eager to avoid antagonizing groups that have helped elect tea party favorites such as Sens. Mike Lee in Utah, Rand Paul in Kentucky, Marco Rubio in Florida and Ted Cruz in Texas in recent years.

Even before the beginning of the year, the party's Senate leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, hired the campaign manager who guided Paul to his establishment-upending victory in 2010.

The party's second-ranking leader, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, was one of only three Senate Republicans to oppose John Kerry's confirmation as secretary of state. He has said he expects a primary challenge and Democrats recently accused him of being on "Cruz control," as he seeks a new term.

Megan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cornyn disputed the claim while stressing the second-term lawmaker "is proud to have Ted Cruz in the Senate."

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a veteran senator with an independent streak, has been at the forefront of efforts to derail several of Obama's high-level nominees. He is preparing to face voters in a state where the tea party has notched numerous triumphs.

In all, Republicans must gain six seats to win a majority in the 100-member Senate in 2014, and can ill afford the sort of turmoil that led to unexpected defeats in Nevada, Colorado and Delaware in 2010 and in Missouri and Indiana last year.

In four of those races, tea party-based insurgents defeated establishment candidates for the party nomination, only to lose the general election. In Missouri, then-Rep. Todd Akin won his primary with an assist from Democrats, then lost in the fall after saying women's bodies were able to avoid pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape."

The promising news for Republicans is that Democrats must defend 21 of the 35 Senate seats on the ballot next year. Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana and North Carolina are among them, states that Obama lost and where incumbents will be seeking new terms.

Much of the early attention has focused on Iowa and Georgia.

Georgia last elected a Democrat to the Senate nearly two decades ago, and the party is in search of a top-rank contender. At the same time, officials claim renewed interest.

Among Republicans, Rep. Paul Broun has announced he will run, and Price and other members of the state's delegation are also considering candidacies.

All are conservatives, although Broun in particular has drawn attention for some of his remarks since coming to Congress five years ago.

He has said that evolution and the Big Bang theory are "lies straight from the pit of hell," and said before Obama took office he feared the then president-elect would establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

Broun's target voters are plain as he embarks on his statewide campaign. In a poke at potential primary challengers, his campaign website says that since 2007 the congressman has sponsored "more legislation to reduce federal spending that any other member of Congress from Georgia." It adds he has never voted to raise taxes or the government debt ceiling, never supported earmarks, opposed all bailout deals and authored a balanced budget amendment.

In Iowa, a political swing state, public opinion polls indicate Republican Rep. Tom Latham would be the stronger Republican candidate in a fall matchup with Rep. Bruce Braley, the only announced Democrat so far.

But early surveys also suggest a second Republican, Rep. Steve King has an advantage among potential primary voters.

Latham is a low-key congressional veteran, a close friend of Speaker John Boehner and the chairman of an Appropriations Committee panel that sets spending for transportation programs.

With an outspoken style, King is best known for his strenuous opposition to citizenship for illegal immigrants and his penchant for incendiary remarks.

Neither man has announced plans to run, but King has staked out his ground.

"I'm no stranger to outlandish attacks like this," he said in an emailed request for donations after officials with Rove's group cited some of his past comments as possibly problematic.

"Nobody can bully me out of running for the U.S. Senate, not even Karl Rove and his hefty war chest."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-21-US-Senate-Stakes/id-4c4c849e0c3e4f85bfa8c578aa826870

deep impact miesha tate vs ronda rousey idiocracy usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton

GOP senator signals support for Hagel nomination

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A senior Republican senator said he will vote to confirm Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, ensuring President Barack Obama's nominee of the needed votes to make him the nation's next Pentagon chief.

Five-term Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama told the Decatur Daily that while he has concerns about Hagel, he plans to support his fellow Republican and the former two-term senator from Nebraska.

"He's probably as good as we're going to get," Shelby said.

Jonathan Graffeo, a spokesman for Shelby, said Thursday that barring any unforeseen surprises between now and an expected Senate vote on Tuesday, the senator will back Hagel.

Obama's choice to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has faced strong Republican opposition, and last week the GOP succeeded in an unprecedented filibuster of a nominee for Pentagon chief. Shelby joined most of his Republicans colleagues in voting against moving ahead on the Hagel nomination.

With another vote slated for next week, Shelby now stands with two other Republicans who have indicated their support for Hagel ? Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Mike Johanns of Nebraska. The GOP support ? combined with 55 Democratic votes and two other Republicans opposed to delaying tactics ? would give the nomination the requisite 60 votes out of 100 necessary to move ahead.

Republicans have criticized Hagel for his past statements and votes, contending that he hasn't been sufficiently supportive of Israel and has been too tolerant of Iran. They also have challenged his support for reducing the nation's nuclear arsenal and his opposition to the Iraq war after his initial vote for the conflict.

His nomination also has become entangled in GOP demands for more information from the Obama administration about the deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Shortly after the news of Shelby's support, 15 Republicans senators opposed to Hagel's nomination released a letter in which they called on Obama to withdraw the nomination, arguing that Hagel lacks broad bipartisan support and "the occupant of this critical office should be someone whose candidacy is neither controversial nor divisive."

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, took the lead on the letter.

--------

Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-senator-signals-support-hagel-nomination-145925239.html

Daily Show provisional ballot npr rush limbaugh rush limbaugh karl rove Election 2012 Results

Samantha Ronson Sports A Rainbow-Colored 'Do

Samantha Ronson loves to play with hair color, but seems as though this time, she couldn't decide on just one shade.

The world famous DJ, who used to date Lindsay Lohan, sported a mop of plantinum-colored hair mixed with bright green, pink and red while arriving to dinner at Mr. Chow.

Ever since SamRo split from girlfriend Erin Foster last year, we haven't seen the DJ romancing any new ladies. Perhaps this new 'do will get her some attention.

Source: http://x17online.com/celebrities/samantha_ronson/samantha_ronson_rainbow_hair_dj_music_mr_chow_dinner_022013.php

taylor swift Ed Sheeran Fun carrie underwood jack white wiz khalifa ll cool j

Video: Kate?s baby bump makes headlines

>>> as the british newspaper the " daily mail " breathlessly put it today, kate put her baby bump on parade. today's public event at hope house, a rehab facility in south london , was the first appearance by kate middleton in public since being visibly with child. easily the most anxiously awaited birth in the uk since diana herself was pregnant with prince william 30 years ago. to be fair, the " daily mail " went on to describe her as radiant today. now halfway through her pregnancy.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50863318/

jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting mark martin cleveland news daytona race the cutting edge

Video: Obama uses demographics to fight for future Democrat wins

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50850726/

lamichael james derrick rose acl earthquake los angeles unemployment 2012 nfl draft grades young justice

Apple joins Facebook in ranks of the recently hacked

Apple says it was the target of a malware attack that exploited vulnerabilities in the Java plug-in for browsers.?

By Matthew Shaer / February 19, 2013

A cyber warfare expert works on his Apple computer in Charlotte, North Carolina, in this 2011 file photograph. Apple was recently attacked by hackers who infected the Macintosh computers of some employees, the company said this week.

Reuters

Enlarge

In January, Facebook was the target of a "sophisticated attack," which was reportedly triggered when several employees visited what the company?described as a "mobile developer website." Now comes news that Apple was hit in exactly the same fashion.?

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

"Apple has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plug-in for browsers," reps for Apple wrote in a statement obtained by PC Magazine. "The malware was employed in an?attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers."

Apple added?that the malware was isolated and contained, and that there was "no evidence that any data left Apple." The Cupertino company is expected to release a tool that will help users protect their machines against similar malware.?

As Reuters notes, historically hackers have focused their energy on PCs, but as Apple has grown in size and market clout, so too has its attractiveness to black hats.?

Horizons readers will remember that back in September, hacker group AntiSec published more than one million?Apple Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs. AntiSec said it had stolen the UDIDs from an FBI agent's computer, but the leak was eventually traced to a small Florida company called BlueToad, which had been infiltrated by hackers.?

"Once we realized we were responsible, it was the right thing to do to come forward," the CEO of BlueToad said at the time. "We felt it was important for people to understand that there might be a more legitimate source for that information getting out."

It's been a big couple of weeks for hackers and a bad couple of weeks for the hacked. Besides the Apple and Facebook attacks, the official Jeep Twitter feed was commandeered by pranksters; ditto for the Burger King twitter account, which was plastered with photos of the McDonald's logo.?

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter:?@CSMHorizonsBlog

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/_6nHJEaPgLY/Apple-joins-Facebook-in-ranks-of-the-recently-hacked

oscar predictions nba all star game 2012 academy awards 2012 nominations academy awards independent spirit awards 2012 jan brewer independent spirit awards