Sunday, November 27, 2011

Readers Respond to "The Sunny Side of Smut"--and More

Image:

MIRROR THERAPY
I read with great pleasure ?Reflections on the Mind,? by Vilayanur S. Rama?chandran and Diane Rogers-Ramachandran [Illusions]. These experiments involving the senses are indeed fascinating. Similar experiments were first done by a well-known behavioral optometrist, Robert A. Kraskin, more than 40 years ago in Washington, D.C. He used the techniques in diagnosis and for vision rehabilitation?including for Luci Baines Johnson while her father was in office. He called his regimen of eye exercises ?squinchel? and taught it to many optometrists and vision therapists nationwide at various professional meetings and workshops. As a member of the advisory board of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, I thank you for bringing this useful and interesting phenomenon back into public awareness.
Diana P. Ludlam
via e-mail

MIND-SET ISN?T EVERYTHING
?Painful Pessimism,? by Janelle Weaver [Head Lines], is misleading: most drugs are taken to effect a cure, but the study was only on pain management. It has long been known that pain management is very complex and involves both physical and psychological factors. My wife has ovarian cancer, so I have ?become very aware of how many people truly believe that a positive attitude is the key to a cure. It ain?t necessarily so! We have had drugs fail totally when we expected them to work, and vice versa. Please, please, please, Scientific Amer?ican Mind, don?t feed the antiscience, antipharma sentiment.
?Daouda?
commenting at www.ScientificAmerican.com/Mind

PONDERING PORN
Melinda Wenner Moyer?s article ?The Sunny Side of Smut? [Perspectives] misleads readers by painting a ?sunny? and innocuous picture of pornography. Not only does Moyer?s account leave out much research that depicts pornography in bleaker terms, it also overstates the sunniness of porn. The overall insinuation one gets from the article is that porn is not all that bad.

When children are in porn, no one simply looks at the declining rates of child sexual abuse and blithely insinuates that child pornography has a ?sunny? side to it. There it is acknowledged that the children depicted in child pornography (mainly girls) are harmed in its creation. Nonchild pornography is still a form of prostitution (paying women for sex acts), and there is ample evidence that women are harmed in systems of prostitution. Pointing to those who claim they were not harmed does not erase the harm of those who claim they were.

To indicate that porn does not harm relationships, Moyer looks at studies that take the porn users? side of the equation (their reports of sexual satisfaction and intimacy), as if that is sufficient to indicate that relationships are not harmed by porn. She ignores other research that indicates wives and girlfriends report being deeply hurt by their boyfriends? or husbands? porn use.

Finally, I think the ?benevolent sexism? Moyer indicates that pornography produces hardly compensates for the ?more negative attitudes toward women? that she concedes it brings about.
Saffy Casson
via e-mail

I am a senior family and individual psychotherapist. My long experience is that pornography is not at all harmful to anyone, even adolescents. I am a clinician, however, and not a scientist.

I do know that statistics establish correlations, not causes or effects. The correlations some cite about bad marriages and pornography do not establish anything causal. Spouses who are jealous of their partners? autoerotic private life need to grow up. A jealous partner who interprets the other?s interest in porn as rejection might consider whether the other finds one an unsatisfactory partner in sex and life in general and get to work on making things better.
?Dr. Whom?
commenting at www.ScientificAmerican.com/Mind


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=d3356d7c87be36f313ac1e50d837d36b

patti labelle childish gambino chris hansen sandusky interview with bob costas sandusky interview with bob costas live oak mark kelly

Saturday, November 26, 2011

DealTalk: Goldman, Morgan Stanley bow out of Unicredit cash call (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? A behind-the-scenes tussle for control over a 7.5 billion euro ($10 billion) share sale by Italy's Unicredit (CRDI.MI) has shown how increasingly tense market conditions are driving a wedge between investment banks.

When the opportunity to be involved in a big deal comes along, banks are usually quick to pile in, with fees, league table credit and client relationships to play for, as well as all-important kudos.

But the risk in taking on any transaction in such uncertain markets, let alone underwriting the shares of an Italian bank at a time when Italy's economy is being sucked ever deeper into the euro zone debt crisis, has brought strains to the fore.

U.S. heavyweights Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan considered the risk involved in Unicredit's offering too great for the potential reward on offer, according to a report by IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication.

The 14-strong syndicate of banks appointed will underwrite between 700 million and 850 million euros worth of shares each and will receive fees between 2 and 2.5 percent, said a person close to Unicredit who attended the meeting with the banks.

That source said that when Goldman Sachs was declined a controlling role it then linked up with Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan to present themselves as alternative global co-ordinators of the share sale and requested a vote.

When that vote failed, the three U.S. banks walked away. All three later tried to reopen negotiations but only J.P. Morgan was successful in securing an underwriting position, the source said.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan declined to comment.

PLAYING HARDBALL

Long-time advisor Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) (BAC.N) was appointed as global coordinator alongside Mediobanca (MDBI.MI), in which Unicredit owns an 8.7 percent stake, and Unicredit itself.

BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaolo, JP Morgan, Societe Generale and UBS as joint bookrunners have a lesser role, while ING, RBC, RBS and Santander are co-bookrunners.

As the most senior role in a syndicate, global coordinators have the greatest say in running of the offering -- including, crucially, if and when to push ahead with it.

But having Unicredit and Mediobanca in this position made the U.S. banks wary about how much say they would have, according to other sources close to the negotiations.

One of those sources said the U.S. banks were uncomfortable about relying on risk assessments by banks that were very close to Unicredit.

The three banks were also concerned about BoAML's long-standing ties with Unicredit through Italian lead banker Andrea Orcel, the sources added.

The U.S. banks wanted to increase the financial protection in case the transaction didn't go through, the first source, close to Unicredit, said.

Shares in Unicredit, which holds 40 billion euros of Italian government bonds, have lost half their value this year, leaving its fundraising worth around 50 percent of its market value, and making it painfully dilutive for investors.

A rights issue by fellow Italian bank Banca Popolare di Milano (PMII.MI) last week fell 146 million euros short of its 800 million target, with investors taking up only 81.7 percent of the shares on offer.

"At the last minute they got hung up on a couple of legalistic issues and thought that given the situation is so uncertain they could get some concessions from Unicredit by playing hardball," said a separate source close to the deal .

Such wrangling is not uncommon when companies are under pressure to raise capital.

When Santander launched a 7.2 billion euro rights issue in 2008, at least one bank walked away at the last minute after baulking at the risk of underwriting the deal.

And when Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services (ZURN.VX) was under pressure to raise capital in 2002, one American bank threatened to pull out of the loss-making insurer's syndicate and tell the press the deal was too risky, in order to impose its conditions, the first source close to Unicredit said.

($1 = 0.7506 euros)

(Additional reporting by Douwe Miedema in London and Silvia Aloisi in Milan; Editing by Sophie Walker)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/bs_nm/us_unicredit_syndicate

mirror mirror trailer albert pujols bob knight bob knight lavar arrington yu darvish hope solo dancing with the stars

Lions RB Smith making most of second chance

Kevin Smith

By NOAH TRISTER

updated 4:24 p.m. ET Nov. 23, 2011

DETROIT - Less than four years removed from one of the most sensational seasons college football has seen, Kevin Smith was back home in Florida, waiting and hoping for a chance to revive what once looked like such a promising career.

Let go by the Detroit Lions in March, the injury-plagued Smith was at a crossroads that seemed more like a dead end ? at least as far as his football future was concerned.

"It's a humbling experience. I definitely have an appreciation for the game and know that the NFL is 'Not For Long,'" Smith said. "If you make it one year, two years, no matter what line you get picked, it's always a blessing."

After a half-season out of the league, Smith was finally offered his second chance ? by the same team that wouldn't give him a contract a few months earlier. With its banged-up backfield needing a boost, Detroit brought back Smith. Last weekend, in the second game of his new stint with the Lions, he scored three touchdowns in a 49-35 victory over Carolina.

The next time Smith takes the field, it will be in front of a national television audience, when Detroit tries to end Green Bay's unbeaten run Thursday in a Thanksgiving showdown. And yes, this is one player who can certainly appreciate the symbolism of that holiday.

"The chance to be in the NFL, the chance that God blessed me with another opportunity, is what I'm thankful for," Smith said.

Born in Miami, Smith played both running back and safety at Southridge High School, where he was also an academic honor roll student. As a freshman at Central Florida in 2005, he made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,178 yards.

Two seasons later, Smith carried the ball a staggering 450 times for 2,567 yards, finishing 61 yards shy of the single-season record held by another college star who went on to play for the Lions: Barry Sanders.

Smith turned pro after that, joining a 2008 draft loaded with outstanding running backs. Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall, Matt Forte, Ray Rice and Jamaal Charles were all picked that year.

For a while, Smith looked like he belonged in that class. Taken in the third round, he ran for 976 yards as a rookie, showing promise even while the Lions became the first NFL team to go 0-16.

He was a big part of the offense again in 2009, but toward the end of that season, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Smith came back slowly last year and played in six games, but a thumb injury ended his season in November.

When the Lions let him go, Smith wasn't surprised. He said he respected the team's decision, but the timing clearly wasn't good. Smith first had to wait out the lockout, then try to catch on somewhere else

"With the lockout this year and short training camps and things like that, it was really a terrible situation for him in trying to come back," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Credit to Kevin. He never lost faith, he persevered."

Smith's routine was simple: wake up at 7 a.m., work out until noon. Then he'd go home and play with his son, who is now 18 months old.

Smith tried out for several teams ? he said about a half-dozen brought him in ? but the season dragged on, and he still had nowhere to play. After all his injuries, it wasn't clear if Smith would be heard from again in the NFL.

"I think it was pretty hard on my mom, but she didn't really show any weakness. She's a strong woman. I kind of get that from her. I can honestly say she missed the game as much as I did," Smith said. "She kept a positive attitude. She knew that I would get another shot. She believed."

Looking back, he's realistic about what the future could have held.

"I think I was going to head back to school. The bills still got to get paid, so probably get a job and see what happens the next year," Smith said. "I try not to think too far ahead. In that situation, you don't want to have the attitude of, 'What if I don't get in?' or 'What if nobody calls me?'"

Smith instead focused on staying in shape, fighting the urge to play general manager in his head.

"That right there drove me crazy more than anything ? trying to keep track of, 'He goes down here, well, why wouldn't they pick me up here?'" Smith said. "It's a crazy business, but you get an opportunity and then maybe you get a chance to show some people that maybe they slept on you when they had a chance to pick you up."

While Smith was trying to show he could contribute to an NFL team, the Lions were in the thick of the playoff race after winning their first five games. With quarterback Matthew Stafford finally healthy, Detroit's offense was clicking, but the lack of a consistent running game was a concern.

Rookie Mikel Leshoure tore his left Achilles tendon before the season even started, and Jahvid Best has been hampered by concussion problems. The Lions were thin at running back, and earlier this month, they turned to Smith.

"Any time that you're a player, you realize what an honor and privilege it is to play in the NFL," Schwartz said. "When you're faced with that being gone, maybe it becomes even more so. It just shows you Kevin is very appreciative of what he has in life and how he got here. I don't think there's any room for bitterness."

When the Lions fell behind early Sunday, Smith helped turn the game around, leading Detroit down the field almost by himself with a 43-yard run and a 28-yard touchdown catch. He went on to rush for 140 yards ? more than he had all of last season.

"He played great," Stafford said. "He was breaking tackles, doing a great job picking up blitzes in the pass game, and when his guy didn't come, he was getting out, making some catches and getting yards after the catch. If we can get that kind of effort out of him every week, obviously it would be a great thing."

Fresh legs may be Smith's biggest asset right now, and he can still impress with his vision and cutting ability. On Detroit's final scoring play last weekend, the 6-foot-1, 217-pound Smith took a handoff and danced to the right, avoiding a charging tackler before turning upfield. He then sprinted by another defender and juked his way past one more before trotting into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown that sealed the win.

Smith was chosen NFC offensive player of the week by the NFL, and he might be the biggest X-factor when the Lions (7-3) host the Packers (10-0). He's still settling in back in Detroit, and his family isn't expected to be in attendance on Thanksgiving. Smith says he's heading home after the game.

It may not be a perfect arrangement, but Smith has an opportunity now, a chance to enjoy a gratifying finish to a year that began amid so much uncertainty.

"I could have been anywhere. I could have went to another team and played and had a 2-7 record and been home at the end of the season," Smith said. "I'm right back here where I'm familiar. They're familiar with me. They trust me. I trust them. We're right in the thick of things."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


advertisement

More news
End of the Packers' streak?

PFT picks: Mike Florio and Gregg Rosenthal predict the three Thanksgiving games, and they are split on whether the Packers will stay undefeated.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45420916/ns/sports-nfl/

drake take care tracklist dr murray trial herman cain take care drake cain accuser real housewives of atlanta aesop rock

Friday, November 25, 2011

Mom elated that US students to be freed in Egypt (AP)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. ? The mother of one of three American students arrested in Cairo says news of their pending release is the best Thanksgiving gift.

Joy Sweeney told The Associated Press that the consul general confirmed around 6 a.m. Thursday that the young men, including her 19-year-old son Derrik Sweeney, will be released.

Derrik Sweeney, a Georgetown University student, was arrested during protests Sunday near Cairo's Tahrir Square. Also arrested was Luke Gates, a 21-year-old Indiana University student from Bloomington, Ind., and Gregory Porter, a 19-year-old Drexel University student from Glenside, Pa.

Joy Sweeney says she is elated and that she hopes her son will head home to Jefferson City, Mo., on Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_us/us_egypt_american_students_mother

heather locklear bob costas krzyzewski patti labelle childish gambino chris hansen sandusky interview with bob costas

Thursday, November 24, 2011

American journalist detained by Egyptian police

Protesters attempt to get rid of a tear gas canister during clashes with riot police near Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Protesters attempt to get rid of a tear gas canister during clashes with riot police near Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

A protester gestures to Egyptian riot police during clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Egyptian police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

A boy with a face mask stands with his father in Tahrir square as clashes take place nearby with Egyptian riot police, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Egyptian police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

A protester points to an incoming tear gas canister during clashes with Egyptian riot police, not pictured, near Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Egyptian police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

An injured protester, center, is aided by others during clashes with Egyptian riot police, not pictured, near Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Egyptian police are clashing with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in Cairo. Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square have rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. They want Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

(AP) ? An American film maker has told a colleague by phone that she was arrested by Egyptian police while documenting clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Jehane Nojaim's producer Karim Amer says she was detained and her camera was confiscated.

He said Wednesday he was separated from her after they both fled from tear gas.

Nojaim is an award-winning film maker of Egyptian ancestry, best known for her 2004 documentary "Control Room" about the pan-Arab news station, Al-Jazeera.

Clashes resumed for a fifth day in central Cairo despite a promise by the head of the ruling military council to speed transition to civilian rule, aiming for next July. Protesters demand that the military leave office now.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) ? International criticism of Egypt's military rulers mounted Wednesday as police clashed for a fifth day with protesters demanding the generals relinquish power immediately. A rights group raised the death toll for the wave of violence to at least 38.

The United Nations strongly condemned authorities for what it deemed an excessive use of force. Germany, one of Egypt's top trading partners, called for a quick transfer of power to a civilian government. The United States and the U.N. secretary general have already expressed their concern over the use of violence against mostly peaceful protesters.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, deplored the role of Egypt's security forces in attempting to suppress protesters.

"Some of the images coming out of Tahrir, including the brutal beating of already subdued protesters, are deeply shocking, as are the reports of unarmed protesters being shot in the head," Pillay said. "There should be a prompt, impartial and independent investigation, and accountability for those found responsible for the abuses that have taken place should be ensured."

Clashes resumed for a fifth day despite a promise by the head of the ruling military council on Tuesday to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year, a concession swiftly rejected by tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square. The military previously floated late next year or early 2013 as the likely date for the vote, the last step in the process of transferring power to a civilian government.

The clashes are the longest spate of uninterrupted violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled the former regime in February.

The standoff at Tahrir and in other major cities such as Alexandria and Assiut has deepened the country's economic and security crisis less than a week before the first parliamentary elections since the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi tried to defuse tensions with his address late Tuesday, but he did not set a date for handing authority to a civilian government.

The Tahrir crowd, along with protesters in a string of other cities, want Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian administration to run the nation's affairs until a new parliament and president are elected.

The government offered more concessions on Wednesday, ordering the release of 312 protesters detained over the past days and instructing civilian prosecutors to take over a probe the military started into the death of 27 people, mostly Christians, in a protest on Oct. 9. The army is accused of involvement in the killings.

The military also denied that its troops around Tahrir Square used tear gas or fired at protesters, an assertion that runs against numerous witness accounts that say troops deployed outside the Interior Ministry were firing tear gas at protesters.

Street battles have been heaviest around the heavily fortified Interior Ministry, located on a side street that leads to the iconic square that was the epicenter of the uprising earlier this year. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to keep the protesters from storming the ministry, a sprawling complex that has for long been associated with the hated police and Mubarak's former regime.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said a truce negotiated by Muslim clerics briefly held in the late afternoon, after both the protesters and the police pulled back from the front line street, scene of most of the fighting. State television, meanwhile, broadcast footage from the scene of the clashes showing army soldiers forming a human chain between the protesters and the police in a bid to stop the violence.

The truce was soon breached in a barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets from police and a shower of rocks by protesters.

One of the clerics, Mohammed Fawaz, said he and others were trying to regroup and try again to stop the fighting.

"We're scattered. we are trying to from a new human chain between protesters and police. We want the army to protect us," he said as a white cloud of tear gas hung low over the crowd and shots rang out.

Protester Islam Mohammed, 22, said a friend, Shehab Abdullah, died earlier in the day from what he said was a live bullet fired by police. "I will avenge his death. We all will," he said. "We are defending Tahrir square. If we sleep, police will attack us."

Soon after the truce was shattered, Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehan Nojaim was arrested, according to her friend and co-producer Karim Amer.

He said Nojaim called from her mobile telephone to say that she was detained by military police.

"They arrested her because they don't want anyone documenting what's happening," Amer said.

Elnadeem Center, an Egyptian rights group known for its careful research of victims of police violence, said late Tuesday that the number of protesters killed in clashes nationwide since Saturday is 38, three more than the Health Ministry's death toll, which went up to 35 on Wednesday. All but four of the deaths were in Cairo.

The clashes also have left at least 2,000 protesters wounded, mostly from gas inhalation or injuries caused by rubber bullets fired by the army and the police. The police deny using live ammunition.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday cited morgue officials as saying at least 20 people have been killed by live ammunition.

Shady el-Nagar, a doctor in one of Tahrir's field hospitals, said three bodies arrived in the facility on Wednesday. All three had bullet wounds.

The turmoil broke out just days before the start of staggered parliamentary elections on Nov. 28. The votes will take place over months and conclude in March.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's strongest and best organized group, is not taking part in the ongoing protests in a move that is widely interpreted to be a reflection of its desire not to do anything that could derail the election, which it hopes win along with its allies.

Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters, however, have defied the leadership and joined the crowds in the square. Their participation is not likely to influence the Brotherhood's leadership or narrow the rift between the Islamist group and the secular organizations behind the uprising that toppled Mubarak and which are behind the latest spate of protests.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, was said by a spokesman to be following events in Egypt "with great concern."

"In the new Egypt, which wants to be free and democratic, repression and the use of force against peaceful demonstrators can have no place," spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin. "The demonstrators' demands ... for a quick transition to a civilian government are understandable from the German government's point of view," he added.

___

Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo and Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-23-ML-Egypt/id-4b01fb3bffb8465fb042ede8734e49d6

2011 election results 11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard acrylamide 12 days of christmas advent calendar

Leaders sound pension alarm (San Jose Mercury News)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/165421145?client_source=feed&format=rss

scarecrow festival scarecrow festival texas longhorns texas longhorns oklahoma state football oklahoma state football colt mccoy

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Drug laws fail to protect children

Drug laws fail to protect children [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Kim-Anh Hoang
k.hoang@elsevier.com
31-020-485-3634
Elsevier

Writes former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy

Amsterdam -- "Would legal regulation and control of drugs better protect children?" is a question posed by former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in an editorial to be published in the January issue of Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP).

The editorial, "Children and drug law reform" follows the March 2011 report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, chaired by Cardoso, which made a series of recommendations for reforms of drug laws, including experiments with legal regulation and control.

"If we believe that the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration in all policies that affect them, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, then children have the right to be placed front and centre in drug policy discussions", writes the former president.

Recognising the harms that have befallen children and young people around the world due to drugs prohibition, and the failure of current approaches to protect children from drug use and drug related harms, Cardoso calls for debate on a range of issues including what legal regulation and control of drugs would mean for children.

"I am convinced that the recommendations of the Global Commission will have significant benefits for children and young people," he writes, "I would not support such policies if I did not believe that current approaches have singularly failed in this respect."

But the former president urges caution in relation to possible future business interests in currently illicit drugs. "Our experiences with alcohol and tobacco show that we cannot entrust such commodities to corporations whose interests are in profit maximisation not public health. We cannot relinquish drugs to the criminal market, nor to an unregulated free market."

"To protect children from drugs it is to my mind now beyond debate that drug laws need to be reformed. From what we already know, the ongoing and future identified harms of current drug policies to our children must be considered not as unintended, but a result of negligence, recklessness or simple disregard," concludes Cardoso.

"President Cardoso's editorial is a challenge to politicians, researchers and activists and is a much needed contribution to an important part of the drug policy debate we all too often overlook", said Professor Gerry Stimson, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Drug Policy. "This is no doubt a very difficult and controversial area and I wholeheartedly agree with President Cardoso, we need to create an environment where it is safer to openly discuss these issues."

###

Notes to editors

Editorial: "Children and drug law reform"; Cardoso, F.H.; International Journal of Drug Policy (2011); doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.10.004. Fernando Henrique Cardoso was President of Brazil from 1995-2002. He is chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The Global Commission on Drug Policy's report is available at http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/

About the International Journal of Drug Policy

The International Journal of Drug Policy provides a forum for the dissemination of current research, reviews, debate, and critical analysis on drug use and drug policy in a global context. It seeks to publish material on the social, political, legal, and health contexts of psychoactive substance use, both licit and illicit. The journal is particularly concerned to explore the effects of drug policy and practice on drug-using behaviour and its health and social consequences. It is the policy of the journal to represent a wide range of material on drug-related matters from around the world. For more information go to: http://www.ijdp.org

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including the Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contacts

Kim-Anh Hoang
Elsevier
31-20-485-3634
k.hoang@elsevier.com

Professor Gerry Stimson
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Drug Policy
44-7872-600-908
gerry.stimson@gmail.com



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Drug laws fail to protect children [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Kim-Anh Hoang
k.hoang@elsevier.com
31-020-485-3634
Elsevier

Writes former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy

Amsterdam -- "Would legal regulation and control of drugs better protect children?" is a question posed by former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in an editorial to be published in the January issue of Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP).

The editorial, "Children and drug law reform" follows the March 2011 report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, chaired by Cardoso, which made a series of recommendations for reforms of drug laws, including experiments with legal regulation and control.

"If we believe that the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration in all policies that affect them, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, then children have the right to be placed front and centre in drug policy discussions", writes the former president.

Recognising the harms that have befallen children and young people around the world due to drugs prohibition, and the failure of current approaches to protect children from drug use and drug related harms, Cardoso calls for debate on a range of issues including what legal regulation and control of drugs would mean for children.

"I am convinced that the recommendations of the Global Commission will have significant benefits for children and young people," he writes, "I would not support such policies if I did not believe that current approaches have singularly failed in this respect."

But the former president urges caution in relation to possible future business interests in currently illicit drugs. "Our experiences with alcohol and tobacco show that we cannot entrust such commodities to corporations whose interests are in profit maximisation not public health. We cannot relinquish drugs to the criminal market, nor to an unregulated free market."

"To protect children from drugs it is to my mind now beyond debate that drug laws need to be reformed. From what we already know, the ongoing and future identified harms of current drug policies to our children must be considered not as unintended, but a result of negligence, recklessness or simple disregard," concludes Cardoso.

"President Cardoso's editorial is a challenge to politicians, researchers and activists and is a much needed contribution to an important part of the drug policy debate we all too often overlook", said Professor Gerry Stimson, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Drug Policy. "This is no doubt a very difficult and controversial area and I wholeheartedly agree with President Cardoso, we need to create an environment where it is safer to openly discuss these issues."

###

Notes to editors

Editorial: "Children and drug law reform"; Cardoso, F.H.; International Journal of Drug Policy (2011); doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.10.004. Fernando Henrique Cardoso was President of Brazil from 1995-2002. He is chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The Global Commission on Drug Policy's report is available at http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/

About the International Journal of Drug Policy

The International Journal of Drug Policy provides a forum for the dissemination of current research, reviews, debate, and critical analysis on drug use and drug policy in a global context. It seeks to publish material on the social, political, legal, and health contexts of psychoactive substance use, both licit and illicit. The journal is particularly concerned to explore the effects of drug policy and practice on drug-using behaviour and its health and social consequences. It is the policy of the journal to represent a wide range of material on drug-related matters from around the world. For more information go to: http://www.ijdp.org

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including the Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contacts

Kim-Anh Hoang
Elsevier
31-20-485-3634
k.hoang@elsevier.com

Professor Gerry Stimson
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Drug Policy
44-7872-600-908
gerry.stimson@gmail.com



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/e-dlf112211.php

pumpkin cheesecake sweet potato pie sweet potato pie too short kurt busch kurt busch anne mccaffrey

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

If This Is Nikon's New D800 DSLR, We Should Be Excited [Rumors]

Back in October we reported the first leaked specs of Nikon's new flagship DSLR, the D800. Now the first pictures of the camera have circulated, and boy does it look like it means business. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kiB26BtmnZI/if-this-is-nikons-new-d800-dslr-we-should-be-excited

baked alaska baked alaska battlefield 3 release battlefield 3 release battle field 3 battle field 3 dana wilkey

Google Search for iPad receives big update

The iPad version of the Google Search app received a pretty big update today. It features a revamped UI that provides feedback the moment you begin to type. After tapping a result, the page with load in a a new side panel so that you can continue to scroll...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/L3lKpKTF5nk/story01.htm

pittsburgh steelers steelers baltimore ravens ravens namibia namibia hell on wheels

Sunday, November 20, 2011

What bacteria don't know can hurt them

Friday, November 18, 2011

Many infections, even those caused by antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, resist treatment. This paradox has vexed physicians for decades, and makes some infections impossible to cure.

A key cause of this resistance is that bacteria become starved for nutrients during infection. Starved bacteria resist killing by nearly every type of antibiotic, even ones they have never been exposed to before.

What produces starvation-induced antibiotic resistance, and how can it be overcome? In a paper appearing this week in Science, researchers report some surprising answers.

"Bacteria become starved when they exhaust nutrient supplies in the body, or if they live clustered together in groups know as biofilms," said the lead author of the paper, Dr. Dao Nguyen, an assistant professor of medicine at McGill University.

Biofilms are clusters of bacteria encased in a slimy coating, and can be found both in the natural environment as well as in human tissues where they cause disease. For example, biofilm bacteria grow in the scabs of chronic wounds, and the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. Bacteria in biofilms tolerate high levels of antibiotics without being killed.

"A chief cause of the resistance of biofilms is that bacteria on the outside of the clusters have the first shot at the nutrients that diffuse in," said Dr. Pradeep Singh, associate professor of medicine and microbiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, the senior author of the study. "This produces starvation of the bacteria inside clusters, and severe resistance to killing."

Starvation was previously thought to produce resistance because most antibiotics target cellular functions needed for growth. When starved cells stop growing, these targets are no longer active. This effect could reduce the effectiveness of many drugs.

"While this idea is appealing, it presents a major dilemma," Nguyen noted. "Sensitizing starved bacteria to antibiotics could require stimulating their growth, and this could be dangerous during human infections."

Nguyen and Singh explored an alternative mechanism.

Microbiologists have long known that when bacteria sense that their nutrient supply is running low, they issue a chemical alarm signal. The alarm tells the bacteria to adjust their metabolism to prepare for starvation. Could this alarm also turn on functions that produce antibiotic resistance?

To test this idea, the team engineered bacteria in which the starvation alarm was inactivated, and then measured antibiotic resistance in experimental conditions in which bacteria were starved. To their amazement, bacteria unable to sense starvation were thousands of times more sensitive to killing than those that could, even though starvation arrested growth and the activity of antibiotic targets.

"That experiment was a turning point," Singh said. "It told us that the resistance of starved bacteria was an active response that could be blocked. It also indicated that starvation-induced protection only occurred if bacteria were aware that nutrients were running low."

With the exciting result in hand, the researchers turned to two key questions. First does the starvation alarm produce resistance during actual infections? To test this the team examined naturally starved bacteria, biofilms, isolates taken from patients, and bacterial infections in mice. Sure enough, in all cases the bacteria unable to sense starvation were far easier to kill.

The second question was about the mechanism of the effect. How does starvation sensing produce such profound antibiotic resistance?

Again, the results were surprising.

Instead of well-described resistance mechanisms, like pumps that expel antibiotics from bacterial cells, the researchers found that the bacteria's protective mechanism defended them against toxic forms of oxygen, called radicals. This mechanism jives with new findings showing that antibiotics kill by generating these toxic radicals.

The findings suggest new approaches to improve treatment for a wide range of infections.

"Discovering new antibiotics has been challenging," Nguyen said. "One way to improve infection treatment is to make the drugs we already have work better. Our experiments suggest that antibiotic efficacy could be increased by disrupting key bacterial functions that have no obvious connection to antibiotic activity."

The work also highlights the critical advantage of being able to sense environmental conditions, even for single-celled organisms like bacteria. Cells unaware of their starvation were not protected, even though they ran out of nutrients and stopped growth. This proves again that, even for bacteria, "what you don't know can hurt you."

###

University of Washington: http://www.uwnews.org

Thanks to University of Washington 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 10 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115338/What_bacteria_don_t_know_can_hurt_them

flds revenge revenge extremely loud and incredibly close boston redsox red sox law and order svu

Asia needs further steps amid euro zone crisis: Japan PM (Reuters)

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) ? Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Saturday Asia needs to consider further steps to avoid a financial crisis as the euro zone's debt problems could spill into the region.

While Asia has become more resilient due to its economic management since the region's own financial crisis in 1997/98, it is not immune to Europe's problems, Noda said.

"I don't think Asia is necessarily vulnerable to external shocks (from Europe)," Noda told a news conference after the East Asia Summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

"Given efforts to conduct sound economic policy, the region generally enjoys a current account surplus and its foreign reserves are at high levels, so it has become more resilient to external shocks."

"Having said that, there is no doubt that we could face adverse impact if we cannot build a firewall against the European crisis."

Policymakers around the world are worried that Europe's inability to unify around a debt strategy could hurt their economies.

Greece, Ireland and Portugal - all small, peripheral euro zone economies - have already been forced to accept EU/IMF bailouts as they can no longer afford to borrow commercially.

Now Italy's borrowing costs have reached unsustainable levels, while Spain's are nearing this point and the crisis is even starting to affect triple-A rated France.

While giving no details on what kind of further steps Asia should take, Noda said boosting regional financial cooperation is basically the way to go as Asia tries to prepare itself for possible meltdowns in Europe.

Japan, China and South Korea lead a $120 billion emergency fund, under the so-called the Chiang Mai Initiative, with the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) - part of a move to strengthen ties and avert the repeat of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.

In a move to beef up its foreign exchange defenses in the wake of global uncertainties, South Korea last month signed an agreement with China to double the value of their bilateral currency swap pact after securing a similar deal with Japan.

In addition to such efforts, Asia needs further crisis prevention measures, Noda said.

"Japan is leading discussions on how to prevent crisis and on introducing further steps to avert crisis at a regional level. We need to quickly wrap up those and I proposed that at the summit of ASEAN+3 (ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea)."

(Editing by Jason Szep)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111119/bs_nm/us_asia_eurozone

zip code finder zip code finder blackhawks tigers tigers rangers nlcs

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Craig Crawford: Act 5

My best friend -- and finest journalist I've ever known -- Sean Holton determinedly took a break from brain cancer yesterday to post this response to Facebook well-wishers:

"Thanks to all who have left so many encouraging messages of support on my wall during the past couple of weeks. Your support has meant the world to me as I shrivel up in a state of near nothingness each afternoon watching cooking shows and storing my bodily waste in pickle jars and waiting for these damn Mormons to finish my blood transfusion so I can watch Ice Station Zebra one more time -- (with apologies to Howard Hughes)."

While he wrote, I told him I know it's sad but you're making me laugh. And that's exactly why we love him. It was more than two years ago, in his first month of this epic battle, he wrote the following piece for his blog. It's as though he was preparing us all those many months ago:

by Sean Holton
Same Time Tomorrow
(How Sean Holton Learned To Stop Worrying And Just Have Brain Cancer Instead)

August 24, 2009

I've been thinking lately about why the idea of the individual case of terminal cancer commands such enduring dramatic interest in our society. There are plenty of other life-ending cards people are dealt that are just as horrible and way more tragic in the end. People can be struck dead in a random instant in all kinds of ways -- by lightning, in a car or airplane crash, in a shooting or fire, in an accidental fall from a great height. There are other incurable diseases that are equally or more debilitating over the long haul - those who suffer from multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis come right to mind. People have heart attacks and die on the sidewalk all the time. They get hit by buses. Or they suffer from mental illnesses that lead to suicide or fatal substance abuse. Or they waste away with Alzheimer's disease. And let's not even get ourselves started on the tragedy of the individual deaths that pour forth from wars, genocides and natural disasters.

Right now, I'd rather be dealing with my terminal but potentially manageable brain cancer than to be in any of the situations I just listed. In that twisted sense, I feel lucky.

So what is it about terminal cancer, then, that seems to set it apart and get people so wound up, so personally invested, time after time? How is it that there is this ready-made narrative that people seem to know by heart and are able to latch onto so instinctively?

I think it's because people naturally respond to drama, and lots of cancer cases have all the classic elements that make for the best drama. At the core of the cancer drama is that it is viewed paradoxically as "incurable" but at the same time is known to be "beatable." There is sadness, yet it is mixed with hope. From that essential conflict, you can just cue up the basic, five-act narrative structure that has been a bankable formula for packing cinema multiplexes and theater houses since Shakespeare made it so popular in Elizabethan England, and going back even further than that to when it was perfected by the ancient Greeks.

Act One unfolds by introducing us to both the too-young-to-die protagonist and the evil villain that is the devastating diagnosis. Then Act Two carries things forward by bringing in more complexity and texture, more medical details, the rallying of doctors, family and friends, the wearing of yellow bracelets and bandanas or the shaving of heads in solidarity. In Act Three, we get the marshalling of all available scientific resources to confront the dark force as we approach the climax of the uphill battle against all odds to "beat" the "unbeatable" disease. But dramatic tension is preserved because the final outcome is still unknown (this is crucial).

Acts Four and Five take us through either the heroic recovery of the protagonist or his tragic death and the resulting fallout from either outcome. And either ending does make for a good story in a strictly dramaturgical sense. So that's that.

Now let's look at the other examples I mentioned of how death commonly expresses itself in individual human stories and consider how they fail on the level of sustainable drama:

1. Sudden accidental death of any kind. Failing: The play is over before it can begin.

2. Wasting incurable, diseases of all sorts. Failing: The outcome is known from the start, there's not a lot of action to follow and the movie runs too long.

3. Mental illness, substance abuse and suicide. Failing: Too dark. People don't like talking about it, and they just turn away. Nobody's going to buy tickets for that.

4. Alzheimer's and old age: See #2 and #3.

5. Wars and natural disasters. Failing: These make good action movies, but individual human lives are mere props here. (See Joe Stalin: "An individual death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.")

I don't go into all of this to be blithe about the nature of my specific illness, nor to minimize the real human pain that cancer doles out to its individual victims and their loved ones. But all of those other manifestations of individual death and disability I mentioned deal out equally intense human pain at all of the very same levels.

I saw a slice of this myself when I was coming out of my fog in the intensive care unit after the surgery to remove my tumor. Whole families would file past my door and down the hall, wide-eyed and wondering what they would find when they stepped past a curtain into their loved-one's room -- a loved one who most likely had suffered a sudden, unexpected heart attack or been mortally wounded in a common accident or shooting. And often I would see those families going back the other direction a few minutes later in tears, adults and kids devastated and crying, holding up each other for support as they walked away. Chances are, I thought, there is to be no further drama in those sad stories. The outcomes have already been written. No one will be shaving their heads in solidarity with those people. They'll just be going to a funeral in the next day or two and scattering some ashes or shoveling dirt on a grave.

People ask me how I can remain so positive and upbeat about my situation in the face of such uncertainty. Part of the reason is that I don't see my cancer diagnosis as a drama. I don't conceive of it as an uphill battle against all odds to beat something that is unbeatable. As a 49-year-old man who already has experienced a lot to be grateful for and who has no immediate dependents, I'm not really interested in that kind of story right now anyway.

Right now I see my diagnosis as something else entirely. It is a gift that will give me the opportunity to learn more than I thought I would ever know about the mysterious line between life and death.

In the meantime, it will teach me to love the people I love even more, and to hold them more closely than ever. It will bring me incredible amounts of life-giving strength from the support of friends, past acquaintances and even total strangers. Many people don't ever get that chance. They either just live, or they just die, and they never get to see what's in between. But my diagnosis puts the idea of death in slow motion. It lets me pick up death in my hand and turn it over again and again to study it in its every small detail. I can hold it up to the sunlight each precious day that I remain alive and see it illuminated from any angle I choose.

It is as if Death has softly perched itself on my shoulder in the form of a wild and rare bird. In this form it will neither kill me immediately nor has it yet chosen to kill me slowly and inevitably - as it routinely does to so many people in its so many other, more fearsome forms. Instead, it will allow me to hold it for a while and to look it calmly in the eye. It may even talk to me. After that, of course, the Death Bird may decide to burrow itself into my head and build another nest to lay a second egg-shaped tumor in my brain -- and so kill me in that fashion. Or it may just fly away from me as unexpectedly as it landed, never to visit again until the time comes for it to return to me years or even decades from now; not as a bird, but in another of its myriad forms.

I hope the bird does fly away one day, and I think there is a pretty good chance it might. I guess then I will be able to say I have "beaten" cancer. But I will not gloat, because I will not have beaten Death. No one ever does.

More of Sean's writings:


Sean Holton spent 25 years as an award-winning newspaper journalist. His widely-recognized work as a reporter, writer and editor focused on land development, public policy, politics and governmental issues, including nine years as a Washington DC correspondent and bureau chief for the Orlando Sentinel, and as Associate Managing Editor based in Orlando. Sean holds a master's degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in English and Political Science from Rockhurst University.

?

?

?

Follow Craig Crawford on Twitter: www.twitter.com/craig_crawford

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-crawford/act-5_b_1100846.html

kris jenner kris jenner livestand power ball kelly slater kelly slater palindrome