Student arrested in Texas college stabbing attack

Students run from the Lone Star College's Cy-Fair campus in Cypress, Texas, where a student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The attacker wounded at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities said. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen) MANDATORY CREDIT

Students run from the Lone Star College's Cy-Fair campus in Cypress, Texas, where a student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The attacker wounded at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities said. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen) MANDATORY CREDIT

Students run from the Lone Star College's Cy-Fair campus in Cypress, Texas, where a student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The attacker wounded at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities said. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen) MANDATORY CREDIT

A Texas State Trooper stands at an entrance as vehicles leave from the Cy-Fair campus of Lone Star Community College in Cypress, Texas on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. More than a dozen people were wounded when a suspect went building-to-building in an apparent stabbing attack at the college campus authorities said. The attack on the Lone Star Community College System's campus in Cypress sent at least 12 people to area hospitals, including four people taken by helicopter, according to Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Robert Rasa. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Melissa Phillip) MANDATORY CREDIT

A police helicopter circles above the Cy-Fair campus of Lone Star Community College in Cypress, Texas, where officials say about a dozen people have been wounded in a stabbing attack Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The Harris County Sheriff's department confirmed at least 11 people wounded and that authorities have one suspect in custody. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Melissa Phillip)

Cassie Foe hugs classmate Christian Wilson after leaving from the Cy-Fair campus of Lone Star Community College in Cypress, Texas, where she witnessed a male getting stabbed on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. More than a dozen people were wounded when a suspect went building-to-building in an apparent stabbing attack at the college campus authorities said. The attack on the Lone Star Community College System's campus in Cypress sent at least 12 people to area hospitals, including four people taken by helicopter, according to Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Robert Rasa. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Melissa Phillip) MANDATORY CREDIT

CYPRESS, Texas (AP) ? A student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack at a Texas community college Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities said.

The attack about 11:20 a.m. on the Lone Star Community College System's campus in Cypress sent at least 12 people to area hospitals, including four taken by helicopter, according to Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Robert Rasa. He said several people refused treatment at the scene.

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said officers responded to the campus after receiving a call about a male "on the loose" stabbing people. He said it was not immediately clear what type of weapon was used.

"Some of the details in the call slip did indicate that students or faculty were actively responding to work to subdue this individual," Garcia said, describing the man as being about 21 years old and enrolled at the college. "So we're proud of those folks, but we're glad no one else is injured any more severely than they are."

Student Michael Chalfan said he was walking to class when he saw a group of police officers running after the suspect. He said one of the officers used a stun gun to help subdue the man, who Chalfan said he recognized from a drama class last year.

Chalfan described the man as "eccentric," saying he often wore gloves and was known to carry stuffed animals. He said although the man was teased by fellow students, he remained friendly.

"I'm surprised because he didn't look like he was hateful to the world," Chalfan said.

Lone Star officials initially urged people on campus, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Houston, to take shelter and be on alert for a second suspect. But the sheriff's department said authorities believe just one person was responsible.

"It was the same suspect going from building to building," department spokesman Thomas Gilliland said.

Michelle Alvarez told the Houston Chronicle she saw the attacker running toward other students and tried to back out of the way. She said she didn't even feel it as he swiped at her neck.

"He came running and swinging at my neck, as I tried to get out of the way," she said.

Garcia said buildings still were being searched Tuesday afternoon. Long lines of vehicles carrying students and staff streamed off campus as law enforcement directed traffic away from the school.

Student Teaundrae Perryman said he was in class when he received a text message from a friend and went outside to see a young woman being loaded into an ambulance with what appeared to be stab wounds to either her neck or head. He said he didn't receive an email alert from the college until 11:56 a.m.

"I was concerned but I wasn't afraid because I was with a large group of people," the 21-year-old said, later adding, "The police got to the scene very quickly."

The four people taken by helicopter and two others with moderate injuries were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Of those six, two patients remained in critical condition, three have been upgraded to good condition and one was discharged Tuesday afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Alex Rodriguez said.

One student said she learned one of her classmates was stabbed after leaving the school's Health Science Center building.

"I called to check on another classmate who was still inside the building and she said the classroom was on lockdown and she said one of the classmates had been stabbed," said Margo Shimfarr-Evans told KHOU-TV. "It happened in the hallway."

Courtland Sedlachek, 18, was in class when his phone started buzzing along with the phones of everyone else in class. The room was temporarily locked down, but students were let out and off campus a short time later, in what Sedlachek described as an orderly evacuation.

He described his reaction as a "little bit of nervousness."

The attack came three months after a different Lone Star campus was the site of a shooting in which two people were hurt. The suspected gunman in that incident is charged with aggravated assault.

___

Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-09-Texas%20College-Stabbing/id-2ca5cfdfa1c24a06ac51182492c2c87f

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Showdown vote on gun reforms set for Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate Democrats set Congress' first showdown vote on new gun restrictions for Thursday as a small but growing number of Republicans appeared willing to join them in opposing conservatives' efforts to block debate from even starting.

Making it personal, relatives of victims of the Connecticut school shootings lobbied senators face-to-face at the Capitol on Tuesday in hopes of persuading enough Republicans to back a debate and votes on meaningful gun restrictions.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters Tuesday that he does not know if Democrats will get the 60 votes needed to break an effort by conservatives to prevent consideration of the legislation. But at least six Republicans have indicated an openness to begin debate. There are 53 Democrats and two independents who generally vote with them in the 100-member Senate, but some moderate Democratic senators might defect on an issue that provokes strong emotions among their constituents.

"It would be a real slap in the face to the American people not to do something on background checks, on school safety, on federal trafficking which everybody thinks is a good idea," Reid said, mentioning the elements of the Democratic firearms measure.

A Senate vote to begin debating the legislation would be a temporary victory for President Barack Obama's gun-control drive. It remains unclear, though, whether there are enough votes for final approval of the legislation.

Obama was calling senators from both parties Tuesday to push for the gun bill, according to a White House official.

Before meeting privately with senators at the Capitol, the Connecticut families had breakfast with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence at the Naval Observatory, according to an administration official. That official spoke only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.

Obama's gun-control proposals have hit opposition from the National Rifle Association and are struggling in Congress, nearly four months after the issue was catapulted into the national arena by December's slaying of 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn.

In a letter to Reid on Monday, 13 conservatives said they will use procedural tactics to try preventing the Senate from considering firearms restrictions, headlined by background checks for more gun buyers and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that he would join the conservatives in trying to block debate.

Earlier Tuesday, Reid stood on the Senate floor before a poster-sized photo of a white picket fence with 26 slats, each bearing the name of a Newtown victim.

"We have a responsibility to safeguard these little kids," said Reid, D-Nev. "And unless we do something more than what's the law today, we have failed."

In a hopeful sign for Democrats, at least six GOP senators have indicated a willingness to oppose the conservatives' efforts to block the gun debate. Sixty votes will be needed to head off the conservative stalling tactics.

"The American people ought to see where everybody stands on this," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who said he wants the debate to proceed.

Also indicating an openness to debate have been GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Roy Blunt of Missouri.

In a written statement, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a leader of the effort to block the gun debate, said that effort would prevent Obama from rushing the legislation through Congress "because he knows that as Americans begin to find out what is in the bill, they will oppose it."

The administration was continuing its efforts to pressure Republicans, with Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder making remarks Tuesday at the White House, joined by law enforcement officials.

Democrats were still trying to assess whether Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had reached an acceptable compromise ? or had a realistic chance of getting one ? with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., on expanding background checks for more gun purchases, Obama's pivotal gun control proposal.

Manchin exited a lunch with other Senate Democrats Tuesday and said he would report to Democratic leaders later about the status of his talks with Toomey.

"We're still working," he said, adding, "I've done everything I can."

An agreement between the two senators, both among the more conservative members of their parties, would boost efforts to expand background checks because it could attract bipartisan support. Abandoning those negotiations would put Democrats in a difficult position, making it hard for them to push a measure through the Senate and severely damaging Obama's gun control drive.

Georgia's Isakson said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" that "the issue on background checks is how far they go and whether they violate rights of privacy." But he also said he believes the issue "deserves a vote up or down" in the Senate.

Manchin has been hoping for a deal with Toomey that would expand the requirement to sales at gun shows and online while exempting other transactions, such as those between relatives and those involving private, face-to-face purchases.

Currently, federal background checks are required for sales by licensed gun dealers but not for other transactions. The system is aimed at preventing criminals, people with severe mental health problems and others from getting firearms.

Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., have also continued working for a bipartisan deal. Kirk, though, is considered too moderate to bring other GOP senators with him.

___

Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler, Jim Abrams, Andrew Miga and Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-senate-dem-sets-showdown-gun-vote-thursday-190903216--politics.html

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HTC One for AT&T and Sprint: what's different?

You'd think after publishing a 6,000-word review, two hands-on posts and a camera explainer, we would have said all there is to say about the HTC One. Not quite. Though the phone has been available in Germany for about a month now, it's only just arriving in other markets. The US version in particular will see simultaneous launches on AT&T and Sprint, and T-Mobile soon to follow. The AT&T and Sprint variants will be available on April 19th, though you can pre-order either for $200 with a two-year contract. By the by, while all three US carriers will offer a 32GB version, AT&T is also selling a $300 model with 64 gigs of built-in storage -- a useful spec, given that the phone has no microSD slot.

We've just finished taking the AT&T / Sprint models for a spin and, as you'd expect, we like them just as much as the global model. If you're seriously considering getting one, we'd still refer you to our original review for an in-depth take on the design, camera performance and Sense 5 skin. When you're done, though, you might want also to meet us after the break: we've got benchmark scores, network speeds, battery life results and bloatware alerts that apply specifically to those US versions.

Gallery: HTC One for AT&T review

Gallery: HTC One for Sprint review

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Sprint, AT&T

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/bI27GSJ53nA/

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Pastor Rick Warren says his son committed suicide

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) ? Popular evangelical Pastor Rick Warren asked members of his Southern California church for prayers as he and his family coped with the apparent suicide of his 27-year-old son.

The church said on Saturday that Matthew Warren took his own life at his Mission Viejo home.

Matthew Warren struggled with mental illness, deep depression and suicidal thoughts throughout his life, Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement, after his body was found Friday night.

"Despite the best health care available, this was an illness that was never fully controlled and the emotional pain resulted in his decision to take his life," the church said.

Allison O'Neal, a supervising deputy coroner for Orange County, declined to release the cause and manner of death pending an autopsy of the young man.

Rick Warren, the author of the multimillion-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life," said in an email to church staff that he and his wife had enjoyed a fun Friday evening with their son. But their son then returned home to take his life in "a momentary wave of despair."

Over the years, Matthew Warren had been treated by America's best doctors, had received counseling and medication and been the recipient of numerous prayers from others, his father said.

"I'll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said 'Dad, I know I'm going to heaven. Why can't I just die and end this pain?'" Warren recalled.

Despite that, he said, his son lived for another decade, during which he often reached out to help others.

"You who watched Matthew grow up knew he was an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man," Warren wrote. "He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He'd then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them."

Another pastor will preach in Warren's place on Sunday as part of a previously planned sermon series, church spokeswoman Kristin Cole said.

The elder Warren founded Saddleback Church in 1980, according to his biography on the church website, and over the years watched it grow to 20,000 members. He and his wife, Kay, began by holding Bible studies for people who weren't regular churchgoers.

Matthew Warren was the youngest of their three children.

As Saddleback grew over the years, it spread out from its Lake Forest headquarters, 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles, adding several other campuses and ministries around Southern California.

The church says it now offers more than 200 community ministries and support groups for parents, families, children, couples, prisoners, addicts, and people living with HIV, depression and other illnesses.

In 2008, the church sponsored a presidential forum with Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney were invited to a similar forum last fall, but Warren canceled it several days beforehand, saying the campaign had become too uncivil.

Warren was named the top newsmaker of the year for 2009 by the Religion Newswriters Association. He gained attention that year with his invocation at Obama's inauguration, as well as with comments he made in the aftermath of California's Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pastor-rick-warren-says-son-committed-suicide-080418298.html

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Pfeiffer: Obama won't enact 'Romney economic plan'

Reacting to an early rejection of the expected details of the White House's budget proposal by Speaker John Boehner, President Obama's senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer pushed back this morning on "This Week," saying that the president would not enact "the Romney economic plan."

"What this president will not do is, come in, right after getting re-elected, and enact the Romney economic plan, which is what the Republicans in the House are proposing," Pfeiffer said.

The White House is expected to release details of a budget proposal this week that includes cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which are unpopular among some Democrats.

But Pfeiffer said those entitlement cuts would only happen on two conditions.

"One, it's part of a balanced package that includes asking - closing tax loopholes that benefit the wealthiest, and two, that it has protections for the most vulnerable, including the oldest seniors," he said.

The news of those details in President Obama's budget was met with a swift statement from the House speaker indicating that raising taxes was a non-starter.

Pfeiffer on This Week

"When the president visited the Capitol last month, House Republicans stated a desire to find common ground and urged him not to make savings we agree upon conditional on another round of tax increases. If reports are accurate, the president has not heeded that call," Boehner said in a statement Friday. "If the president believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to help shore up these programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes. That's no way to lead and move the country forward."

Pfeiffer also addressed the ongoing negotiations over a possible bill that would address gun violence in light of the shooting in Newtown, Conn. last year that left 20 children dead. At this point, only a bill that includes new rules on background checks is likely. Pfeiffer scolded Republican members of the Senate for insisting on a filibuster, recalling the president's most recent State of the Union address.

"Every member of Congress stood up and applauded when the president called for an up or down vote on these measures. Now that the cameras are off and they are not forced to look the Newtown families in the face, now they want to make it harder and filibuster it," Pfeiffer said.

Finally, the president's senior adviser addressed tensions between the United States and North Korea. Pfeiffer said the administration would not be surprised if the secretive communist regime conducted another missile test.

"We wouldn't be surprised if they did a test. They've done that in the past. Like I said, this is something that's been going on with North Korea for many, many years, long before President Obama came to power," Pfeiffer said.

Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.

Go here to find out when "This Week" is on in your area.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dan-pfeiffer-president-obama-wont-145412374.html

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More accurate markers identified for detecting response to epigenetic drugs for myelodysplastic syndromes

Apr. 6, 2013 ? Researchers have identified and validated two DNA methylation markers that could help physicians to more accurately determine a patient's response to epigenetic drugs for treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to Xiaojing Yang, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10.

"The current feedback from physicians is that they cannot tell if a patient is really getting the epigenetic drug they are being treated with or not, which makes it difficult for them to decide whether to stop treatment or increase the dosage of the drug," said Yang. "This pushed us to think, why? Why didn't the current marker work and should we try to seek a better one?"

These drugs, called DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi), work by turning on genes that suppress cancer development, according to Yang. In patients with MDS, these genes are often silenced by the attachment of chemicals called methyl groups to the DNA backbone of the gene (an epigenetic modification made through a process called methylation), and DNMTi prevent methyl group attachment to DNA.

Currently, measuring methylation changes in DNA sequences known as LINE-1 elements is widely used as a predictor of whether or not DNMTi are working, but recent research has found that LINE-1 remethylation after a DNMTi is withdrawn occurs faster than in other regions. This implies that LINE-1 methylation changes may not reflect overall demethylation effects of DNMTi, according to Yang.

Yang and colleagues sought to find improved markers of DNA methylation status. Using the Infinium DNA methylation platform, they assessed the methylation profile of 27,000 genomic regions. The team tested this methylation profile on both normal and tumor bladder tissue samples and on white blood cells from healthy donors. They identified 1,429 regions that were consistently methylated in all three samples.

They then tested the methylation profile of these 1,429 regions in T24 bladder cancer and HL60 leukemia cell lines treated with a DNMTi for 24 hours. Of these, 79 significantly responded to demethylation treatment and remained demethylated beyond 30 days. Further analysis focused on the top two regions, which showed consistent hypermethylation in normal and tumor samples.

To verify their findings, Yang and colleagues studied the DNA demethylation levels of those two markers in urine samples from seven patients with MDS treated with the DNMTi azacitidine. They found that the two markers were significantly demethylated, in contrast to LINE-1 methylation, which showed no clear decreasing trend.

According to Yang, these findings could lead to the use of a simple urine test for detecting response to a DNMTi.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/AjrzzyZLaE0/130407090634.htm

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Rutgers fires basketball coach Mike Rice after abusive video is broadcast by ESPN

Rutgers University in New Jersey suspended coach Mike Rice after a videotape of him physically and verbally assaulting players on the men's basketball team was presented to university officials last fall. After the tape was broadcast on ESPN Tuesday, the university terminated Rice's employment.

By Tom Canavan,?Associated Press / April 3, 2013

Rutgers coach Mike Rice reacts to play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgetown this past February in Piscataway, N.J.

Mel Evans/AP

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Rutgers fired basketball coach Mike Rice on Wednesday after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs during practice.

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The videotape, broadcast Tuesday on ESPN, prompted sharp criticism from Gov. Chris Christie, and the head of the New Jersey Assembly called for Rice to be fired.

With mounting criticism on a state and national level, the school decided to take action, relieving Rice of his duties after three largely unsuccessful seasons at the Big East school. There will be a national search to replace him.

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a former employee. After hiring independent investigators to analyze the tape, he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes. University president Robert Barchi saw the tape and signed off on the initial punishment.

But in a Wednesday email, Rutgers referred to new information and "a review of previously discovered issues" as the reasons for Rice's termination.

"I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice," Pernetti said. "Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community."

Rice, who helped Robert Morris to two NCAA tournament appearances, was one of the hot coaching candidates in the spring of 2010. He interviewed with Fordham, where he played as a guard, only to not get the chance to return to his alma mater. Eventually, there was a difference in opinion in the school's search committee, and Rice's fiery, in-game behavior was a sticking point.

But Rutgers, and Pernetti, took a chance on him not long after that. The Scarlet Knights had an opening because of the unexpected dismissal of Fred Hill, Jr., and Rice, who has strong New Jersey recruiting roots, seemed like a fit.

But he wasn't able to push Rutgers into the upper echelon of the conference, and went just 44-51 at Rutgers. Rice posted just a 16-38 mark in the Big East, after going 73-31 in three seasons at Robert Morris. The Scarlet Knights went 15-16 this season and 5-13 in the league.

But his success ? or lack thereof ? on the court is all secondary now. The school is no longer dealing with an issue of wins and losses, but of right and wrong.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/PBfT6WvTZ8k/Rutgers-fires-basketball-coach-Mike-Rice-after-abusive-video-is-broadcast-by-ESPN

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U.N. approves first-ever global arms trade treaty

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday the first-ever treaty on global arms trade that seeks to regulate the $70 billion international business in conventional arms ranging from light weapons to battle tanks and warships.

There were 154 votes in favor, 3 against and 23 abstentions.

Iran, Syria and North Korea last week prevented a treaty-drafting conference at U.N. headquarters from reaching the required consensus to adopt the treaty. That left delegations that support it no choice but to turn to a General Assembly vote to adopt it.

The Iranian, Syrian and North Korean delegations cast the sole votes against the treaty on Tuesday.

Iran, which is under a U.N. arms embargo over its nuclear program, is eager to ensure its arms imports and exports are not curtailed, diplomats said. Syria's government is embroiled in a two-year civil war and relies on Russian and Iranian weapons, they added.

North Korea is also under a U.N. arms embargo due to its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

The treaty will be open for signature on June 3 and will enter into force 90 days after the 50th signatory ratifies it.

Major arms producers China and Russia joined Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and other countries in abstaining. A number of countries, led by India, which also abstained, complained the treaty favored exporting over importing states.

The United States, the world's No. 1 arms exporter, voted in favor of the treaty despite fierce opposition from the National Rifle Association, a powerful U.S. pro-gun lobbying group.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that the U.N. adopted "a strong, effective and implementable Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that can strengthen global security while protecting the sovereign right of states to conduct legitimate arms trade."

"Nothing in this treaty could ever infringe on the rights of American citizens under our domestic law or the Constitution, including the Second Amendment," he added, referring to the U.S. constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to bear arms.

The NRA opposes the treaty and has vowed to fight to prevent its ratification by the U.S. Senate when it reaches Washington. The NRA says the treaty will undermine domestic gun rights, a view the U.S. government has strongly rejected.

NRA FAILURE?

Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari repeated that his government opposes the arms trade treaty because it does not ban the sale of weapons to non-state actors and "terrorists" like those allegedly active in Syria. The civil war there has claimed at least 70,000 lives, according to U.N. estimates.

Syria routinely refers to rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad as "terrorists" backed by foreign governments.

The treaty does not ban transfers to armed groups but says all arms transfers should be subjected to rigorous risk and human rights assessments first.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the vote as a "landmark agreement that will save lives and ease the immense human suffering caused by armed conflict around the world."

Mexico issued a statement on behalf of 98 U.N. member states saying "an effective implementation of this treaty will make a real difference for the people of the world."

U.N. member states began meeting on March 18 in a final push to end years of discussions and hammer out a binding international treaty to end the lack of regulation over cross-border conventional arms sales.

Arms control activists and rights groups have said a treaty was needed to halt the uncontrolled flow of arms and ammunition that they say fuels wars, atrocities and rights abuses.

The ATT aims to set standards for all cross-border transfers of conventional weapons. It also would create binding requirements for states to review all cross-border arms contracts to ensure that arms will not be used in human rights abuses, terrorism or violations of humanitarian law.

"The agreement of the Arms Trade Treaty sends a clear message to arms dealers who supply warlords and dictators that their time is up," said Anna Macdonald of the global development group Oxfam. "They will no longer be able to operate and arm themselves with impunity."

Amnesty International's Frank Jannuzi said the NRA, which claimed credit last year for persuading the United States to block the treaty in July 2012, had failed this time.

"Iran, Syria and North Korea blocked consensus at the U.N., while the NRA cynically - and ultimately unsuccessfully - tried to erode the U.S. government's support through a campaign of lies about the treaty," Jannuzi said.

The main reason the arms trade talks took place at all is that the United States - the world's biggest arms trader - reversed U.S. policy on the issue after President Barack Obama was first elected and decided in 2009 to support a treaty.

(Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Philip Barbara and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-overwhelmingly-approves-first-ever-global-arms-155542094.html

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Rubio: Immigration deal still needs hashing out

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio cautioned that the bipartisan group of senators working on immigration reform legislation still has details to work out. Democrat Chuck Schumer said the group was on track.

By Philip Elliott,?Associated Press / March 31, 2013

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 12. On Sunday, Rubio said the eight senators working on immigration reform legislation still had many details to work out, and cautioned against premature celebration.

Susan Walsh/AP/File

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Even with one of the largest hurdles to an immigration overhaul overcome, optimistic lawmakers on Sunday cautioned they had not finished work on a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.

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The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties conceded that the negotiations were not finished.

"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.

But it hasn't taken the form of a bill and the eight senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough.

"We haven't signed off," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," he added.

Yet just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows, Sen.?Marco?Rubio?warned he was not ready to lend his name ? and political clout ? to such a deal without hashing out the details.

"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said?Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.

Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.

Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but said 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.

The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.

"I think we're on track. But as Sen.?Rubio?correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement till we look at all of the legislative language and he's correctly pointing out that that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also noted the significance of the truce between labor and business but added that this wasn't yet complete.

"That doesn't mean we've crossed every 'i' or dotted every 't,' or vice versa," said Flake, who is among the eight lawmakers working on the deal.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/NQLoboKklXQ/Rubio-Immigration-deal-still-needs-hashing-out

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Newly approved blood thinner may increase susceptibility to some viral infections

Apr. 1, 2013 ? A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart and a significant cause of sudden death in children and young adults.

For the past 50 years, people with the heartbeat irregularity, atrial fibrillation, and others at increased risk for forming potentially life-threatening blood clots have been given the anticoagulant drug warfarin. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the blood-thinner Dabigatran etexilate (called Pradaxa?) for atrial fibrillation patients. The drug inhibits thrombin, the body's central coagulation activator of the blood clotting system.

In blocking thrombin activity, the drug disturbs the protease cascade of molecular events that normally occurs in coagulation. While clot formation is reduced, the new study shows it may also cause an unintended consequence. "Our findings show that blocking thrombin reduces the innate immune response to viral infection," says study senior author Nigel Mackman, PhD, the John C. Parker Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the division of hematology and director of the UNC McAllister Heart Institute. "The use of the new generation of blood thinners might increase the risk and severity of flu and myocarditis."

A report of the research appears in the March 2013 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Mackman points out that viral infections such as dengue fever trigger activation of the coagulation system but it was considered a bad thing. He says studies on bacterial infections have found that the last product of the "clotting cascade" (the process that occurs in blood clot formation) -- fibrin -- helps activate immune cell macrophages that boosts the immune system.

"But it seems that the antiviral mechanism of the clotting system is not via fibrin but rather via thrombin; namely, its activation of protease activated receptor proteins such as PAR-1," says Mackman. "The new study was aimed at finding out if PAR-1 plays any role in virus infections, a question of importance to the use of Pradaxa? and the development of antithrombotic drugs that target PAR-1 on platelets."

To find the answer, Mackman and colleagues used mice in which the PAR-1 gene is deleted and subjected then to infection with a virus that causes myocarditis. They found that loss of PAR-1 mediated signaling after infection with the cardiotrophic virus resulted in increased viral buildup in the heart, cardiac injury and, later, increased impairment of heart function.

Moreover, the absence of PAR-1 signaling was associated with a slower response to the virus of the innate immune soon after viral infection. The innate immune system provides early defense against disease causing organisms. The defense is almost immediate.

The researchers treated normal mice with Pradaxa?. They showed that thrombin inhibition increased cardiac virus load and cardiac injury after viral infection in a similar manner to a deficiency of PAR-1. In addition, they infected the PAR-1 deficient mice with influenza A and found that PAR-1 signaling was important in controlling the virus load in the lung in the early phase after infection. These results suggest that thrombin and PAR-1 mediate important early antiviral signals after infection.

"Pradaxa? inhibits clot formation by reducing fibrin deposition and platelet aggregation." said Mackman. "Importantly, Pradaxa? might not only facilitate significant lifesaving effects in reducing cardiac death but may also interfere with other processes in the body.

"The results we generated were completely unexpected and in fact our hypothesis was that PAR-1 deficient mice would be protected from viral myocarditis because they would have reduced inflammation," Mackman added. "We are now determining if the traditional long term anticoagulant warfarin has the same effect on viral infection or is this specific to the new blood thinner."

The majority of the study was a collaboration between the Mackman group at UNC and the Charit? -- Universit?tsmedizin in Berlin, Germany, and other groups at UNC, including at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and across the USA.

The first-author is Silvio Antoniak, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Mackman's lab. Other co-authors from Mackman's lab were A. Phillip Owens III, PhD; Martin Baumnacke, MD; and Julie C. Williams, PhD.

The study was supported by the Myocarditis Foundation through a research grant to Silvio Antoniak. Additional funds were provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina Health Care.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Silvio Antoniak, A. Phillip Owens, Martin Baunacke, Julie C. Williams, Rebecca D. Lee, Alice Weith?user, Patricia A. Sheridan, Ronny Malz, James P. Luyendyk, Denise A. Esserman, JoAnn Trejo, Daniel Kirchhofer, Burns C. Blaxall, Rafal Pawlinski, Melinda A. Beck, Ursula Rauch, Nigel Mackman. PAR-1 contributes to the innate immune response during viral infection. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2013; 123 (3): 1310 DOI: 10.1172/JCI66125

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ANitGbFwha4/130401132058.htm

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500 Startups-Backed Food Delivery Startup Chewse Raises $1 Million From Chris Sacca And Others

There are all sorts of startups looking to make life easier, including a whole bunch trying to make ordering lunch a no-brainer. Chewse is the newest entrant into the food delivery game, as it seeks to provide office admins a new, easy way to get lunch catered. To do so, the company has raised $1 million in seed funding from a group of investors that include Chris Sacca and 500 Startups.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H21lIFZ_3eE/

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Exxon cleans up Arkansas oil spill; Keystone plan assailed

(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil on Sunday continued cleanup of a pipeline spill that loosed thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude in Arkansas as opponents of oil sands development latched on to the incident to attack plans to build the Keystone XL line.

Exxon's Pegasus pipeline, which can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Pakota, Illinois to Nederland, Texas, was shut after the leak was discovered late Friday afternoon in a subdivision near the town of Mayflower. The leak forced the evacuation of 22 homes.

The company did not have an estimate for the restarting of the pipeline, which was carrying Canadian Wabasca Heavy crude at the time of the leak. An oil spill of more than 1,000 barrels into a Wisconsin field from an Enbridge (Toronto: ENB.TO - news) pipeline last summer kept that line shuttered for around 11 days.

The Arkansas spill drew fast reaction from opponents of the 800,000 bpd Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry heavy crude from Canada's tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast refining centre.

Environmentalists have expressed concerns about the impact of developing the oil sands and say the crude is more corrosive to pipelines than conventional oil. On Wednesday, a train carrying Canadian crude derailed in Minnesota, spilling 15,000 gallons of oil.

"Whether it's the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, or ... (the) mess in Arkansas, Americans are realizing that transporting large amounts of this corrosive and polluting fuel is a bad deal for American taxpayers and for our environment," said Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Supporters of Keystone XL and oil sands development say the vast Canadian reserves can help drive down fuel costs in the United States. A report from the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, put together by oil and gas consultancy Penspen, argued diluted bitumen is no more corrosive than other heavy crude.

CLEANUP

Exxon said that by 3 a.m. Saturday there was no additional oil spilling from the pipeline and that trucks had been brought in to assist with the cleanup. Images from local media showed crude oil snaking along a suburban street.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration were deployed to the scene.

"Cleanup efforts are progressing 24 hours a day," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers, who added the oil had not leaked into nearby Lake Conway.

"We were very fortunate that the local responders made sure the oil did not enter the water."

(Reporting by Matthew Robinson in New York and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exxon-shuts-oil-pipeline-major-005905765.html

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Versatile music producer Phil Ramone dies at 79: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Phil Ramone, a versatile music producer who won 14 Grammy Awards and worked with a glittering roster of stars like Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles and Paul Simon, died in Manhattan on Saturday, the New York Times reported. He was 79.

Ramone's son, Matthew, confirmed the death to the newspaper but did not release a cause.

Born in South Africa, Ramone was raised in Brooklyn, New York. In the late 1950s he co-founded an independent studio called A&R Recording in New York.

His first Grammy was for his sound engineering on the 1964 jazz-bossa nova album "Getz/Gilberto" by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

He went on to win a total of 14 Grammy Awards, including album of the year honors for producing Paul Simon's top-selling 1975 release "Still Crazy After All These Years" and Ray Charles' 2004 duets album "Genius Loves Company."

Tony Bennett, whose series of "duets" albums were produced by Ramone, said in a statement that Ramone was a "very gifted musician and producer."

"It was a joy to have him work with me in the recording studio on so many projects, as he had a wonderful sense of humor and a deep love of music," Bennett said.

Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, said in a statement Ramone had made "countless significant contributions" to the music industry.

"Our industry has lost an immense talent and a true visionary and genius, and The Academy has lost a very dear and close friend," he said. "Everyone who encountered Phil came away a better person for it, professionally or personally."

Ramone was an early advocate of the compact disc. He played a key role in the introduction of the CD when the 1978 Billy Joel album "52nd Street," which Ramone had produced, was re-released in 1982 as the first commercially available album on CD.

He showed a passion for all forms of entertainment, applying his musical talents to projects in film, theater and television. He worked as a music supervisor on the popular 1983 film "Flashdance" and the 1985 dance movie "White Nights."

The Times reported that, although some media sources had said he was 72, public records and his family confirmed that Ramone was 79.

Ramone was not associated with the punk band The Ramones, whose members all adopted pseudonyms using the surname Ramone.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/versatile-music-producer-phil-ramone-dies-79-report-234022565.html

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White House takes North Korea's threats seriously

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House said Saturday it is taking seriously new threats by North Korea but also noted Pyongyang's history of "bellicose rhetoric."

North Korea warned Seoul on Saturday that the Korean Peninsula had entered "a state of war." It also threatened to shut down a border factory complex that is the last major symbol of cooperation between the Koreas.

"We've seen reports of a new and unconstructive statement from North Korea. We take these threats seriously and remain in close contact with our South Korean allies," said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. "But, we would also note that North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats, and today's announcement follows that familiar pattern."

North Korea's threats are seen as part of an effort to provoke the new government in Seoul to change its policies toward Pyongyang, and to win diplomatic talks with Washington that could get it more aid. The moves also are seen as ways to build domestic unity as North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, strengthens his military credentials.

In recent days, the U.S. flew a pair of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers over an uninhabited South Korean island, dropping dummy munitions as part of annual defense drills that North Korea views as rehearsals for an invasion. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also announced that the U.S. will fortify its defenses against a potential North Korean missile attack on the U.S. by adding more than a dozen missile interceptors to the 26 already in place at Fort Greely, Alaska.

North Korea said in a statement Saturday that it would deal with South Korea according to "wartime regulations" and would retaliate against any provocations by the U.S. and South Korea without notice.

"Now that the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK have entered into an actual military action, the inter-Korean relations have naturally entered the state of war," said the statement, which was carried by the official North Korean news agency and referred to the country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Provocations "will not be limited to a local war, but develop into an all-out war, a nuclear war," the statement said.

The White House has stressed the U.S. government's capability and willingness to defend itself and its allies and interests in the region, if necessary.

"We remain fully prepared and capable of defending and protecting the United States and our allies," Hayden said.

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-US-Koreas-Tension-White-House/id-a73573bc8dd448c8badbdf8fa51e7686

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Caroline Kennedy returns to poetry for 10th book

In this Tuesday, March 26, 2013 photo, Caroline Kennedy flips through her new book "Poems to Learn by Heart" during an interview with The Associated Press in New York. Kennedy's 10th and latest book extols the value of learning poems by heart. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, March 26, 2013 photo, Caroline Kennedy flips through her new book "Poems to Learn by Heart" during an interview with The Associated Press in New York. Kennedy's 10th and latest book extols the value of learning poems by heart. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, March 26, 2013 photo, Caroline Kennedy speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in New York. Kennedy's 10th and latest book extols the value of learning poems by heart. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, March 26, 2013 photo, copies of Caroline Kennedy's new book "Poems to Learn by Heart" sit on display during an interview with The Associated Press in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, March 26, 2013 photo, Caroline Kennedy smiles during an interview with The Associated Press in New York. Kennedy's 10th and latest book extols the value of learning poems by heart. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Beginning work a few years ago on her latest book, an anthology of poems for young people, Caroline Kennedy found herself looking through one of her mother's scrapbooks. She burst into laughter, she says, as she came across a poem that her brother John, as a youngster, had picked out and copied as a gift to their poetry-loving mom.

"Willie with a thirst for gore, Nailed his sister to the door," went the poem, by an unknown author. "Mother said with humor quaint, 'Careful, Willie, don't scratch the paint!'"

The poem "brought back memories of our relationship," Kennedy told a bookstore audience this week. "I laughed so hard."

But for Kennedy, now 55 and a mother of three grown children, there's a deeper meaning to that irreverent ditty. Poetry was a central part of her home life growing up. She and John regularly copied out and illustrated poems for their mother, Jackie, upon birthdays and Mother's Days. Sometimes, they'd recite them too, "if we were feeling competitive." And at family gatherings with their grandmother, there were frequent challenges to recite Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous (and famously lengthy) "Paul Revere's Ride." Only Uncle Ted, it seems, was able to recite it in its entirety.

Now, with her 10th book, Kennedy wants to share with young readers the love for the written word that she feels her poetry-filled childhood helped instill in her (even though her own son, she quips, hates reading and only likes two poems.) Hence the title: "Poems to Learn By Heart."

"It was a combination of remembering my own childhood and thinking about gifts I'd been given," she said in an interview last week at her husband's downtown Manhattan design firm, explaining the genesis of the latest book. "And working in schools and seeing the role that poetry can play in kids' lives."

It's also an effort to promote literacy, a cause Kennedy has supported in a number of ways. "Fourteen percent of American adults can't read," Kennedy says. "It's a slow-motion disaster." She believes poetry can help. "Kids need a way in," she says, "and reading needs to be fun. Poetry can give them that ? with the current emphasis on poetry slams, and these other open mic events. That's actually why I think poetry has a chance."

Kennedy's current book ? a collection of poems from various authors, with introductions by her to each section, and vivid illustrations by John J Muth ? is her fourth to focus on poetry. Her earlier books, especially "The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis," have been huge sellers, pulling in numbers unheard of for poetry anthologies.

"She's committed to becoming an advocate for the written word and poetry in particular," says Gretchen Young, who edited all of Kennedy's poetry books at Hyperion, working with the author to cull down huge numbers of beloved poems. "And she knows she can do that."

As to what else Kennedy can do with her high profile ? and the unique and powerful celebrity status she's held since she was a little girl in the Kennedy White House ? that is a question that people never cease to ask. The latest rumor has her up for an ambassadorship, perhaps to Japan, perhaps to Canada. Asked about those rumors during a recent TV appearance, she responded with typical restraint: "I'd love to serve in any way." She added that she hadn't been asked yet, and her response is still "No comment."

But many expect Kennedy, who considered seeking an appointment to the Senate from New York in 2009 but then withdrew her name from contention amid a flurry of publicity, to take up some high-profile position in the near future. She was an important and avid supporter of President Barack Obama, both in the 2008 and the 2012 elections.

"I'm really glad he's president," she says now when asked how he's doing, giving him high marks particularly in the field of education. "He can't do all the things he'd like to. We have a lot of problems. That's why I want young people to get engaged."

For now, though, Kennedy is making her mark in different ways. She is president of the John F. Kennedy Library Association, and in May will present the Profile in Courage award to former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She still participates in fundraising activities for the New York City public schools, and is joining Laura Bush and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb to help the Library of Congress promote literacy through a new awards program, along with other authors, publishers and scholars.

Another pet project: Libraries, which she says are still critical places for young people to learn analytical skills. She's the honorary chair of National Library Week next month. "I'm into things that are dying out," she quips, then adds that actually they're not: "My son goes to the library all the time (at college.) There's a lot more socializing at the library than you think."

And she hints that she'll be writing other books, though not on poetry. "I think I'm pretty much done with the poetry books," she says. "I haven't figured out the next thing yet."

In any case, her attention to poetry has been a boon for all poets, says Stephen Young, program director at the Poetry Foundation, based in Chicago. "Selling poetry is, for most poets, a challenge," Young says. "It certainly helps when someone like Caroline Kennedy, who has an earnest and genuine interest in poetry, puts together these anthologies."

And while many might think that in this world of tweets and texts, the art of poetry is slowly dying out, the truth is that it seems to be on the upswing among young people, Young says ? partly because of poetry slams and the like, but also due to the Internet. "People can read AND listen to poems on the Web," Young notes.

And clearly, kids like to recite out loud. Along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the poetry foundation sponsors Poetry Out Loud, a contest similar to the National Spelling Bee. In 2006, there were 40,000 participants. This year's contest, which will hold its finals in Washington, D.C., in April, has 375,000, Young says.

It all speaks, in his view, to the fact that "poems are meant to be shared." Kennedy says this too; In her book, along with more famous poems, she includes "Voices Rising," a collaborative poem by students on the "slam team" at DreamYard Prep, a Bronx school Kennedy became familiar with in her work with public schools. Those students contributed ideas to the book, and three of them recited their poem together at Kennedy's kickoff reading last week at Barnes & Noble in New York.

Speaking of young people, Kennedy asked each of her own three kids ? Rose and Tatiana, who have finished college, and Jack, who is still there ? to contribute a favorite poem to her new book. (Tatiana, the "bookworm" according to her mother, translated a poem from Ovid's Metamorphoses, from the original Latin.) But she herself has trouble picking her favorite.

Asked by an audience member at her book reading to do just that, though, she settled on "Don't Worry if Your Job is Small."

"Don't worry if your job is small, and your rewards are few," it says.

"Remember that the mighty oak, was once a nut like you."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-31-Caroline%20Kennedy-Book/id-3907e9b7e33c475d8edbc4577292c361

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Beyonce Drops Bun B 'I Been On' Remix With Houston's Hottest

Z-Ro, Scarface, Willie D, Slim Thug and Lil' Keke all join Bey on remix.
By Driadonna Roland

Beyonce Knowles
Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704649/beyonce-i-been-on-remix.jhtml

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'Survivor' continues to thrive: Season 27 confirmed, possibly more

Michael Yarish/ CBS

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

There aren't many shows on the boob tube that can boast a running record like "Survivor." The reality TV staple is now in its 26th season, and according to CBS, it's not going to stop there.

On Wednesday the network confirmed the competition will return for season 27 later this year.

"CBS' Emmy award-winning reality series 'Survivor' will return with brand-new episodes for the 2013-2014 broadcast season," an announcement on CBS.com read.

But while the official word from the network only promises one more fall-through-winter season, host Jeff Probst tweeted an unofficial announcement that season 28 is a go, too.

When one fan feared the long-running show would be cancelled, and asked Probst if that was true, the host replied, "nope - we are heading out to shoot 27 and 28 in may!"

The current "Caramoan" edition of the series airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Are you happy to hear the show will be back for more, or has "Survivor" gone on for long enough? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Texas retail gas prices drop 4 cents this week

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Retail gasoline prices across Texas have dropped 4 cents this week.

AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average price at the pump fell to $3.53. The national average also has fallen, down to $3.64.

The association survey found Beaumont has the cheapest gasoline statewide at $3.39 per gallon. Dallas and Fort Worth have the most expensive retail gasoline in Texas at $3.62 per gallon.

Texas drivers on average are paying 28 cents less than this time last year.

AAA says it's too soon to determine whether retail prices have peaked for the spring because there's still refinery maintenance to be completed and much of the country has yet to transition to summer-blend gasoline.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-retail-gas-prices-drop-163846501.html

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Memories of near death experiences: More real than reality?

Mar. 27, 2013 ? University of Li?ge researchers have demonstrated that the physiological mechanisms triggered during NDE lead to a more vivid perception not only of imagined events in the history of an individual but also of real events which have taken place in their lives! These surprising results - obtained using an original method which now requires further investigation - are published in PLOS ONE.

Seeing a bright light, going through a tunnel, having the feeling of ending up in another 'reality' or leaving one's own body are very well known features of the complex phenomena known as 'Near-Death Experiences ' (NDE), which people who are close to death can experience in particular. Products of the mind? Psychological defence mechanisms? Hallucinations? These phenomena have been widely documented in the media and have generated numerous beliefs and theories of every kind. From a scientific point of view, these experiences are all the more difficult to understand in that they come into being in chaotic conditions, which make studying them in real time almost impossible. The University of Li?ge's researchers have thus tried a different approach.

Working together, researchers at the Coma Science Group (Directed by Steven Laureys) and the University of Li?ge's Cognitive Psychology Research (Professor Serge Br?dart and Hedwige Dehon), have looked into the memories of NDE with the hypothesis that if the memories of NDE were pure products of the imagination, their phenomenological characteristics (e.g., sensorial, self referential, emotional, etc. details) should be closer to those of imagined memories. Conversely, if the NDE are experienced in a way similar to that of reality, their characteristics would be closer to the memories of real events.

The researchers compared the responses provided by three groups of patients, each of which had survived (in a different manner) a coma, and a group of healthy volunteers. They studied the memories of NDE and the memories of real events and imagined events with the help of a questionnaire which evaluated the phenomenological characteristics of the memories. The results were surprising. From the perspective being studied, not only were the NDEs not similar to the memories of imagined events, but the phenomenological characteristics inherent to the memories of real events (e.g. memories of sensorial details) are even more numerous in the memories of NDE than in the memories of real events.

The brain, in conditions conducive to such phenomena occurring, is prey to chaos. Physiological and pharmacological mechanisms are completely disturbed, exacerbated or, conversely, diminished. Certain studies have put forward a physiological explanation for certain components of NDE, such as Out-of-Body Experiences, which could be explained by dysfunctions of the temporo-parietal lobe. In this context the study published in PLOS ONE suggests that these same mechanisms could also could also 'create' a perception - which would thus be processed by the individual as coming from the exterior - of reality. In a kind of way their brain is lying to them, like in a hallucination. These events being particularly surprising and especially important from an emotional and personal perspective, the conditions are ripe for the memory of this event being extremely detailed, precise and durable.

Numerous studies have looked into the physiological mechanisms of NDE, the production of these phenomena by the brain, but, taken separately, these two theories are incapable of explaining these experiences in their entirety. The study published in PLOS ONE does not claim to offer a unique explanation for NDE, but it contributes to study pathways which take into account psychological phenomena as factors associated with, and not contradictory to, physiological phenomena.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Li?ge, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

1. Marie Thonnard, Vanessa Charland-Verville, Serge Br?dart, Hedwige Dehon, Didier Ledoux, Steven Laureys, Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse. Characteristics of Near-Death Experiences Memories as Compared to Real and Imagined Events Memories. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e57620 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057620

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/nU6TwYi_i1I/130327190359.htm

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