Oscars 2012: Nominees Meryl Streep, Octavia Spencer and More React (omg!)

Oscar nominations never get old -- even if you're Meryl Streep!

The celebrated actress, 62, scored her 17th nomination on Tuesday (she's won twice), garnering a Best Actress nod for her turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

"I am honored to be in company with such beautiful artists, and touched deeply by my fellow actors for their generosity in giving me this acknowledgment," Streep said in a statement Tuesday.

PHOTOS: Meryl Streep's pregnant Oscar moment

What did some of Streep's fellow nominees -- newcomers and old-timers alike -- have to say about the big-time honor? Check out their reactions (provided at ETOnline) below.

Gary Oldman, nominee for Best Actor in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: "This afternoon in Berlin I have learned that I was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Actor. You may have heard this before, but it has never been truer than it is for me today, it is extremely humbling, gratifying, and delightful to have your work recognized by the Academy, and to join the celebrated ranks of previous nominees and colleagues. Amazing."

PHOTOS: Worst-dressed Oscar stars of all time

Kenneth Branagh, nominee for Best Supporting Actor in My Week With Marilyn: "It was a rare honor to play Sir Laurence Olivier. To be recognized by the Academy for doing so is overwhelming. I'm absolutely thrilled."

Christopher Plummer, nominee for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners: "It's a shot in the arm for a young kid of 82 to receive an Academy Award nomination this morning. My gratitude to writer/director Michael Mills, the Academy, and to everyone involved with Beginners."

PHOTOS: Look back on the Oscars 2011

Jean Dujardin, first-time nominee for Best Actor in The Artist: "I am so grateful to the Academy for this recognition. I can't help but stop and think about how incredible this journey has been. From filming on a Hollywood soundstage to the moment I received this wonderful news this morning, I'm so humbled to be amongst such distinguished and talented people. I share this honor with my friend and director, Michel Hazanavicius. It is his beautiful film that has led me here today. I also share this with the brilliant cast and crew."

Berenice Bejo, first-time nominee for Best Supporting Actress in The Artist: "I'm overjoyed and filled with happiness. I can't believe that a year ago I was learning how to tap dance and today I am nominated for an Academy Award. It was a thrill to work on a project as ambitious as The Artist and I am happy to share this moment with our visionary director, Michel Hazanavicius."

Octavia Spencer, first-time nominee for Best Supporting Actress in The Help: "I am never presumptuous because these sorts of things are beyond our control and I didn't want to be set up for disappointment," Spencer told Variety. "A lot of us actually went to dinner last night and slept over and wanted to be together when we found out, so in case we didn't get that call we wanted to be nice and hungover."

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_oscars2012_nominees_meryl_streep_octavia_spencer_more_170031997/44287484/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/oscars-2012-nominees-meryl-streep-octavia-spencer-more-170031997.html

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Williams out of Australian Open in 4th round

Serena Williams of the US reacts in frustration during her fourth round match against Russia's Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Serena Williams of the US reacts in frustration during her fourth round match against Russia's Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Serena Williams of the US yells in frustration during her fourth round match against Russia's Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Serena Williams of the US makes a forehand return to Ekaterina Makarova during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/John Donegan)

Serena Williams of the US reacts as she plays Russia's Ekaterina Makarova in their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Sarah Ivey)

Serena Williams of the US bounces her racket during her fourth round match against Russia's Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Numbers told the surprising story for Serena Williams in her fourth-round loss at the Australian Open on Monday.

Seven double-faults, including four in one game; 37 unforced errors, and a first-serve percentage of just over 50 percent that had her convinced "maybe I should have started serving lefty."

Some other numbers indicated why her 6-2, 6-3 loss to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova on what she admitted was a still-sore left ankle was more of a shock, particularly at this stage of the year's first major.

She has played 43 singles matches at Melbourne Park since she won the first of her five Australian Open titles in 2003, and Monday's loss was just her third. She's 54-7 since playing here for the first time in 1998, and she hasn't gone out this early here since 2006.

"I'm not physically 100 percent, so I can't be so angry at myself, even though I'm very unhappy," Williams said. "I know that I can play a hundred times better than I did this whole tournament."

Without Williams, who injured her left ankle in Brisbane two weeks ago, the only major winners still in contention were Maria Sharapova, defending champion Kim Clijsters and Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, still in search of her first Grand Slam title, played Clijsters in a quarterfinal on Tuesday. The Belgian advanced to the quarterfinals with a comeback win over Li Na on Sunday in a rematch of the 2011 decider, while Kvitova had some trouble late before beating former top-ranked Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 7-6 (2) Monday. Sharapova was playing Sabine Lisicki on Monday night.

Kvitova will next play Sara Errani of Italy, who beat 2008 semifinalist Zheng Jie 6-2, 6-1.

Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic will try to advance to the quarterfinals and keep alive his chance of winning his third straight Grand Slam when he plays Lleyton Hewitt on Rod Laver Arena after the Lisicki-Sharapova match. The Djokovic-Hewitt winner will play fifth-seeded David Ferrer, a 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 winner over Richard Gasquet, in the quarterfinals.

Earlier, two-time runner-up Andy Murray was leading 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when Mikhail Kukushkin retired from their fourth-round match with a left hip injury, giving Murray an easy path into the quarters.

"It's obviously good for me, I get to conserve some energy," Murray said. "Tough for him, first time in the fourth-round of a Slam."

Murray will next play Kei Nishikori, who had a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 finalist.

The 22-year-old Nishikori became the first Japanese man in the last eight at the Australian Open in 80 years, and only the second man from his country to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the Open Era started in 1968. Shuzo Matsuoka reached the 1995 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

"Is feeling unbelieveable. My first quarterfinal and beating Tsonga, makes me really happy," Nishikori said. "I hope it's big in Japan. A lot of people messaged me a couple of days ago about the round of 16 and now the quarterfinals. It's really exciting."

Makarova, a 23-year-old Russian left-hander, was equally thrilled about her win over Williams. And considering she'd lost in the first round of the last six tournaments she'd played, in awe over who she beat.

"Yeah, I'm surprised because she's a great player and it's really tough to play against her. But, I don't know, I just feeling so good and so focus. So I played my game, and that's it. I won against Serena. That's amazing."

Makarova overcame plenty of Williams crowd support, many of whom weren't that familiar with the Russian. Oracene Price, Williams' mother, was in the players' box with her sunglasses on and a wide-brimmed hat.

In the fourth game of the second set with Makarova serving, Williams netted an easy forehand return. She made an angry sound, and there was a bit of laughter in the crowd. Price just turned away, shaking her head.

After Williams' fourth double-fault in the fifth game of the second set, which gave Makarova the game and a 3-2 lead ? Williams shouted "Oh my god." She looked ready to smash her racket, but in the end bounced it on the court and caught it on the rebound.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner had only played two competitive matches since losing the U.S. Open final to Sam Stosur in September, and her light preparation was curtailed when she badly twisted her ankle as she won her second-round match at Brisbane earlier this month.

For that reason, Williams wasn't about to beat herself up over Monday's loss.

"Am I usually angry? I don't know. Crying? I don't cry. So I don't know what I usually project," she said. "I feel like I didn't play well today. I don't feel like I can't get better."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-23-TEN-Australian-Open/id-61ffb542abd946bba85179896cc357ca

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'Major, major damage' in deadly Ala. storms

Powerful storms spawned a number of reported tornadoes across the South, causing damage in Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. NBC's Al Roker reports.

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Updated at 11:10 a.m. ET: Some 100 people were treated?for injuries?and at least two deaths -- a girl, 16, and man, 82 --?have been confirmed as a suspected twister?swept through Jefferson County near Birmingham, Ala., officials reported.

Officials are also investigating a report of a third death, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Mark Kelly told msnbc.com.

---

Some of those treated have been hospitalized, he added, but exact numbers were not yet available.

No property damage estimate is ready since officials are still focusing on search-and-rescue, but the destruction was "extensive,"?Kelly said.

Butch Dill / AP

This neighborhood in Trussville, Ala., was among those hit by a suspected tornado overnight.

Updated at?9:10 a.m. ET: At least three people were killed as storms swept through Jefferson County near Birmingham, Ala.,?Reuters cited a local official as saying.

Two people were killed in Center Point and one in Oak Grove, said Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Mark Kelly.

A storm system produced a possible tornado that moved across northern Jefferson County around 3:30 a.m., causing damage in Oak Grove, Graysville, Fultondale, Center Point, Clay and Trussville.

"Center Point was hit pretty badly," Kelly said.

"We have major, major damage," said Bob Ammons, another Jefferson County EMA official, speaking of Center Point, Trussville and some unincorporated areas of the county.

"Some roads are impassable, there are a number of county roads where you have either debris down, trees down, damage from homes," added Yasamie Richardsond, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

In Clanton, about 50 miles south of Birmingham, rescuers were responding to reports of a trailer turned over with people trapped, City Clerk Debbie Orange said.

The Birmingham News?reported that in DeKalb County, which suffered casualties and serious damage following the April 27, 2011, tornado, public storm shelters are still not installed, and they will likely not be ready in time for the new tornado season.

Updated at 7:27 a.m. ET:?Firefighters started house-to-house searches in Center Point, Ala., early Monday amid reports that people?were trapped after storms swept through the area.

Butch Dill / AP

Rescue workers help a family out of their neighborhood in Trussville, Ala. on Monday.

Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency Duty Manager Bob Ammons?told The Associated Press that rescuers would do "whatever it takes" to free victims from?damaged?buildings.?

Updated at 6:45 a.m. ET: Alabama Emergency Management Agency says it has received?reports of heavy storm damage in Center Point and other parts of Jefferson County with many houses damage or destroyed.

Updated at 5:21 a.m. ET: A line of "strong to severe storms" that could feature tornadoes pushed through?parts of?Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama early Monday,?Weather.com reported.

Tornadoes were also spotted in Arkansas on Sunday night, but there were no reports of any injuries.

"Some segments within the long line of storms can contain a short-lived, rain-wrapped tornado," Weather.com warned on its website at 5:15 a.m. ET.

Forecasters said?Monday's storms could?feature "damaging winds in excess of 50 mph, heavy downpours and frequent lightning."

Published at 4:47 a.m. ET: Twisters downed trees and power lines in Arkansas leaving thousands without?electricity late Sunday, as forecasters warned that tornadoes and heavy storms could mete out damage to several southeast states into Monday.

The National Weather Service said it received reports of possible tornadoes in Arkansas, Dallas, Lonoke, Prairie and Cleveland counties Sunday night. The storms also brought hail and strong winds as they moved through parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Mississippi.

A tornado tore into an area outside of Fordyce, some 70 miles south of state capital Little Rock at around 8:00 p.m. local time, damaging houses and felling trees and power lines as it moved, according to Accuweather.com.

An official at Dallas County sheriff's department told Reuters that emergency responders rescued a woman after she become trapped in her home. No injuries were reported.

Accuweather carried reports of five other twisters touching the ground in Arkansas, which was pelted by softball-sized hailstones and buffeted by winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour.

The storms were part of a system threatening parts of the South and Midwest overnight. A tornado watch was in effect for parts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee early Monday.

National Weather Service forecaster Marlene Mickelson in Memphis, Tenn., told The Associated Press that the Memphis area had some damage from winds that reached 60 to 70 mph.

Funnel clouds were spotted within 20 miles of Little Rock, according to a national weather service alert, which also issued a flood advisory for the city.

Roughly 13,400 homes were without power across Arkansas as the storms intensified, according to utility provider Entergy Arkansas, Inc.

Msnbc.com, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.??

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10214424-3-people-killed-as-storms-sweep-through-alabama

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Romney to release taxes, Gingrich ready for Obama (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Newt Gingrich worked to capitalize Sunday on his upset victory in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, while Mitt Romney moved quickly to cut his losses before the next contest with a promise to release his income tax returns within 48 hours.

Gingrich said in a round of television interviews that his win, both unexpected and unexpectedly large, showed he was the Republican best able to go toe to toe with President Barack Obama in the fall. "I think virtually everybody who looks at the campaign knows I represent the largest amount of change of any candidate, and I think that's why they see me as representing their interest and their concerns, not representing Wall Street or representing the politicians of Washington," he said.

Romney argued that point, but not another, agreeing in a television interview that he had made a mistake by refusing to release his tax returns before the South Carolina vote. "If it was a distraction, we want to get back to the real issues in the campaign -- leadership, character and vision for America, how to get jobs in America, and how to rein in the excessive scale of the federal government," he said.

The former Massachusetts governor, who made millions in business, said he will make his 2010 return and an estimate for 2011 available online on Tuesday.

The decision marked a concession, as if one were needed, that Romney had stumbled on his way through South Carolina, a state where he led handsomely in the polls several days before the primary.

Florida votes next, on Jan. 31, a 50-delegate contest in one of the most expensive campaign states in the country, and one that Romney can ill afford to lose.

The former governor was an easy winner in the New Hampshire primary earlier in the month. Before that, he was a close runner-up behind former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in Iowa caucuses where the vote count was so confused that he was originally announced the victor.

Despite his loss on Saturday, Romney remains the contender with the largest and best-funded organization. "Three states in now, we got 47 more to go," he said, adding he was looking forward to the rest.

For all the political momentum gained in South Carolina, Gingrich made it immediately obvious that he is short on funds. He urged supporters via Tweet Saturday night to donate money, and then announced the name of his campaign website while making a nationally televised victory speech.

With their comments, both Romney and Gingrich indicated the race was a two-way competition, likely to go into the spring if not longer.

Santorum had other ideas.

"We're going to Florida and beyond," he said. As he did in a pair of debates in South Carolina, he criticized both Gingrich ? calling him a "very high-risk candidate" ? and Romney, whom he called a moderate ill-suited to appeal to conservative voters.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the fourth contender, has already said he will skip Florida and focus on Nevada and other caucus states.

Gingrich won South Carolina despite being outspent. But in addition to the prohibitive cost of campaigning in Florida, a long-term shortage of funds can cripple efforts to compete in the fast-paced series of primaries and caucuses ahead.

Aides say the former speaker raised $9 million in the final quarter of 2011.

Romney has reported taking in $24 million over the same period.

In addition, both men are supported by outside groups that have paid for millions in television advertising. So far, though, Romney's has spent more, and to greater evident effect.

When Gingrich surged in the polls two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Restore Our Future responded with hard-hitting ads that knocked the former speaker off-stride and protected Romney's standing.

Gingrich lacked the funds to respond effectively, lashed out angrily, and sank to a poor fourth place finish. He did not begin to recover until the final days of the race in South Carolina, when he was aided by Romney's missteps, Texas Gov. Rick Perry's mid-week withdrawal and endorsement, and his own strong debate performances.

Also in the interim, Gingrich supporters said that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson had written a $5 million check to an outside group set up to help the former speaker.

Allies of Gingrich have made no secret of their hope that Adelson will help again in Florida, where the pro-Romney organization shows no signs of slowing down.

Even before the polls closed in South Carolina, Romney and a group supporting him had spent $7 million on television advertising in Florida. So far, the only other political ads to run in the state were financed by ASCME, a labor union working to weaken the standing of the former Massachusetts governor.

While a protracted battle for the nomination could benefit Obama, the signs pointed toward a particularly bruising struggle in Florida.

"I don't think that the people of this country are going to choose as the next president of the United States a person who spent 40 years in Washington as a congressman and a lobbyist," Romney said. "That is not going to be, in my opinion, be the most effective way to replace the current president who also spent his career in politics."

Said Gingrich: "I think South Carolinians were the first state to really understand how liberal Governor Romney's record was" as Massachusetts governor said Gingrich. He said his main rival lost ground "as people began to realize that he'd been pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase in a whole range of areas that despite his advertising and his pretending, it was clear that he was way to the left of South Carolinians."

With votes counted from all of South Carolina's precincts, Gingrich had 40 percent to Romney's 28 percent. Santorum won 17 percent to Paul's 13 percent.

Gingrich won at least 23 of the 25 delegates at stake. The other two have yet to be allocated.

Gingrich appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," CBS' "Face the Nation" and CNN's "State of the Union." Romney was on "Fox News Sunday," while Santorum was on ABC's "This Week" and CNN.

_____

Eds: AP reporter Jack Gillum in Washington and Shannon McCaffrey in South Carolina contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Mutant bird flu research halted on bioterror fears

Researchers studying a potentially deadlier, airborne version of the bird flu virus have voluntarily suspended their studies for 60 days because of concerns it could be used as a devastating form of bioterrorism, according to a letter published in the journals Nature and Science on Friday.

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Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical College in the Netherlands, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, defend the research as crucial to public health efforts to detect when the H5N1 influenza virus might change in the wild in a way that could spark a pandemic.

But they are bowing to widespread fear that the mutant viruses "may escape from the laboratories" and be used to create a bioterror weapon, they wrote.

Should scientists create deadly viruses?

A U.S. advisory committee in December had asked Science and Nature to censor details of the research from two teams that was submitted for publication. Biosecurity experts fear an airborne version transmissible between humans could spark a pandemic worse than the 1918-19 outbreak of Spanish flu that killed between 20 million and 40 million people.

The studies from Erasmus and the University of Wisconsin have shown that the mutant H5N1 can be transmitted through the air between ferrets, which are considered good models of how influenza viruses behave in people.

They have not taken the next step to see whether the altered virus can be transmitted the same way between people by coughing or sneezing, because such an experiment would be unethical.

To give the scientific community and governments time to determine whether the research can be conducted safely, the scientists write, "we have agreed on a voluntary pause of 60 days on any research involving highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses" that can produce easily transmissible forms of the virus.

The researchers wrote that no experiments with live, mutant viruses "already shown to be transmissible in ferrets will be conducted during this time."

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46073540/ns/health-health_care/

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Deadly storm grips Northwest in ice, snow (AP)

SEATTLE ? A monster Pacific Northwest storm coated the Seattle area in a thick layer of ice Thursday and brought much of the state to a standstill, sending hundreds of cars spinning out of control, temporarily shutting down the airport and knocking down so many trees that members of the Washington State Patrol brought chain saws to work.

Oregon experienced torrential rain that swept away a car from a grocery store parking lot, killing a mother and her 1-year-old son. East of Seattle, a man was killed by a falling tree as he was backing an all-terrain vehicle out of a backyard shed, authorities said.

The snow, ice and heavy rains continued wreak havoc in the region a day after the system brought a huge snowfall to parts of Washington state. The storm also raised worries that flooding could become a broader concern in days to come.

"It's like a storm in slow motion that keeps happening again and again," said Puget Sound Energy spokesman Roger Thompson.

Amtrak suspended train service Thursday between Seattle and Portland, Ore. Officials in Spokane declared a snow emergency, banning parking along arterials and bus routes beginning Thursday evening. The City of Seattle asked people to get home before dark if possible, fearing even worse icing conditions by nightfall. And authorities told pedestrians to be extra careful on sidewalks and to look out for "falling ice from trees, buildings and power lines."

Freezing rain and ice pellets caused numerous accidents in the Seattle area, where drivers are mostly inexperienced with driving in snow or ice. The State Patrol said it had responded to about 2,300 accidents in a 24-hour period ending at 9 a.m. Thursday, roughly quadruple the average number.

The last widespread freezing rain in Seattle was in December 1996, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Michalski.

The weather service used the Emergency Alert System to break into Thursday morning broadcasts with an ice storm warning for the Seattle area and southwest Washington.

The state Transportation Department closed one highway because of falling trees that also took out power lines, and about 200,000 were without power in the greater Seattle area Thursday, while Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency, authorizing the use of National Guard troops if necessary.

Ice closed Sea-Tac Airport completely in the early morning before one runway was reopened. Lines hundreds of people long snaked around nearly every ticket counter at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with many passengers on their cellphones as they tried furiously to rebook their flights. Reader boards showed the vast majority of flights canceled or delayed.

Cabbies struggled to get people from the airport and safely to their homes or hotels. Chris Van Dyk of Yellow Cab said "it's like servicing Dante's part of hell. It's an ice cube, it's just unreal."

Van Dyk said drivers tried to get people as close as they could to their destinations, but when they entered the side streets, they kept getting stuck.

Braving the icy Queen Anne hill in Seattle, commercial truck driver Darrin Sjostrand was loading his Toyota Prius to drive his wife to the airport.

"It was supposed to warm up," he said. "Ice is kind of the great equalizer. It doesn't matter if you have a four-wheel drive, you're going to slide."

Authorities also worried about flooding in the coming days as temperatures warm up. Rain was forecast throughout the weekend.

"It's a very dangerous situation," said Brad Colman, the meteorologist in charge of the weather service office in Seattle.

Oregon didn't receive the snowfall that Washington did but got plenty of rain. Rising water from heavy rains swept a car carrying four people into an overflowing creek in Albany on Wednesday night. Two people escaped, but one child's body was recovered early Thursday morning, and family members in the afternoon located his mother's body, authorities said.

"The water just got high so fast," said fire department spokeswoman Wanda Omdahl. "It's a big tragedy."

Witness Adam Chance said he arrived just after 7 p.m. in the parking lot of the grocery store and saw the trunk of the car submerge in swirling brown water. A few people standing on the banks waded in but were unable to contend with the violent current drawing water and debris into the mouth of the culvert.

"They got sucked into the pipe," Chance said. "(The culvert) was just sucking down like a straw."

Oregon State climatologist Kathie Dello said the Hawaiian "Pineapple Express" is responsible for the wet weather. The system is creating a fire hose-like effect, dumping a concentrated stream of Pacific moisture on a small area in the western Willamette Valley.

Another Willamette Valley town, Scio, contended with floodwaters and many residents were being evacuated as the city manager said water was pouring down Main Street.

Officials in the city of Turner have issued a voluntary evacuation order to residents, asking them to flee to higher ground as floodwaters from the rising Mill Creek swept through town.

To the west of Oregon's Coast Range, residents were being moved out of Mapleton, with a population of about 900.

Near Issaquah, Wash., a man in his 60s backing an all-terrain vehicle out of a shed was killed by a falling tree, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said.

Washington State University in Pullman was closed. The University of Washington also canceled Thursday classes at three campuses, including Seattle.

The storm caused hundreds of roadway accidents, but no fatalities. On the interstate north of Seattle, a Transportation Department worker responding to an accident was injured in crash. The 36-year-old man was taken to a Seattle hospital and listed in satisfactory condition. The Transportation Department closed state Route 18 near Issaquah because of falling trees.

"We want to make sure all the limbs that are going to come down, come down," said DOT spokeswoman Alice Fiman in Olympia.

Karina Shagren, a spokeswoman for Gregoire, said even though an emergency declaration has been issued, the National Guard has not been called up. Shagren said what sparked the proclamation was concern over truck drivers carrying dairy products not being able to drive more than 12 hours a day due to federal regulations.

Cleanup work at the Hanford nuclear reservation was called off for the day, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory closed as well.

At a bus stop near the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, Canadian transplant Jennifer Hastings waited for the downtown bus.

"I didn't buy snow tires. This is Seattle. We were like, `It doesn't snow here,'" said Hastings, who moved here last year.

___

Cooper reported from Albany, Ore. Associated Press writers Doug Esser, Ted Warren, Shannon Dininny, Rachel La Corte, Nigel Duara and Nicholas K. Geranios contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_us/us_washington_snow

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The Great and Powerful Reddit

Though I visit the rollicking link aggregator a few times a day to find cool stuff on the Web, Reddit isn?t any better than the aggregators BuzzFeed, Hacker News, Techmeme, and Memeorandum in that respect. What?s different about Reddit is that it?s a real, vibrant community, one of the few big websites where the users have constructed an unmistakable moral and political philosophy. Redditors are lefties who have a soft spot for Ron Paul, they?re taken with atheism and the legalization of marijuana, they hate political interference with the Internet, they love Stephen Colbert, and they?re gaga for animated GIFs. I?m a lurker at Reddit, not a participant in the community, and some of the site?s conventions strike me as bizarre. The site?s acronymic bits of insider jargon also represent a barrier to entry for newcomers. But nevertheless, Reddit has become the most exciting place on the Web in the last few months, the center of an earnest yet jokey brand of cultural and political activism.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=640b3feecfb952d2c06dac1a31eaee7f

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Ky. jobless rate has hit 3-year low at 9.1 percent (AP)

FRANKFORT, Ky. ? Kentucky is reporting that the state unemployment rate fell to 9.1 percent in December, a three-year low.

The Office of Employment and Training said that was down slightly from 9.4 percent in November.

The state added 8,400 nonfarm jobs, raising the number of Kentuckians with jobs to 1,808,700.

Seven of the 11 major job sectors reported an increase in job numbers.

Kentucky's trade, transportation and utilities sector added 3,400 jobs in December. The leisure and hospitality sector gained 2,700 jobs. The professional and business services sector added 1,200 jobs. And manufacturing added 1,100.

Education and health services sector lost 1,000 jobs in December. Mining and logging lost 300 jobs for the month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_jobless_rate_kentucky

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Video: Snakes improve search-and-rescue robots

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Designing an all-terrain robot for search-and-rescue missions is an arduous task for scientists. The machine must be flexible enough to move over uneven surfaces, yet not so big that it's restricted from tight spaces. It might also be required to climb slopes of varying inclines. Existing robots can do many of these things, but the majority require large amounts of energy and are prone to overheating. Georgia Tech researchers have designed a new machine by studying the locomotion of a certain type of flexible, efficient animal.

"By using their scales to control frictional properties, snakes are able to move large distances while exerting very little energy," said Hamid Marvi, a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Tech.

While studying and videotaping the movements of 20 different species at Zoo Atlanta, Marvi developed Scalybot 2, a robot that replicates rectilinear locomotion of snakes. He unveiled the robot this month at the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology (SICB) annual meeting in Charleston, S.C.

"During rectilinear locomotion, a snake doesn't have to bend its body laterally to move," explained Marvi. "Snakes lift their ventral scales and pull themselves forward by sending a muscular traveling wave from head to tail. Rectilinear locomotion is very efficient and is especially useful for crawling within crevices, an invaluable benefit for search-and-rescue robots."

Scalybot 2 can automatically change the angle of its scales when it encounters different terrains and slopes. This adjustment allows the robot to either fight or generate friction. The two-link robot is controlled by a remote-controlled joystick and can move forward and backward using four motors.

"Snakes are highly maligned creatures," said Joe Mendelson, curator of herpetology at Zoo Atlanta. "I really like that Hamid's research is showing the public that snakes can help people."

Marvi's advisor is David Hu, an assistant professor in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Biology. Hu and his research team are primarily focused on animal locomotion. They've studied how dogs and other animals shake water off their bodies and how mosquitos fly through rainstorms.

This isn't the first time Hu's lab has looked at snake locomotion. Last summer the team developed Scalybot 1, a two-link climbing robot that replicates concertina locomotion. The push-and-pull, accordion-style movement features alternating scale activity.

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Georgia Institute of Technology: http://www.gatech.edu

Thanks to Georgia Institute of Technology for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116858/Video__Snakes_improve_search_and_rescue_robots

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'Pulverized' chromosomes linked to cancer?

ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2012) ? They are the Robinson Crusoes of the intracellular world -- lone chromosomes, whole and hardy, stranded outside the nucleus where their fellow chromosomes reside. Such castaways, each confined to its own "micronucleus," are often found in cancer cells, but scientists haven't known what role, if any, they play in the cancer process.

In a paper published online on Jan. 18 by the journal Nature, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have mapped out a mechanism by which micronuclei could potentially disrupt the chromosomes within them and produce cancer-causing gene mutations. The findings may point to a vulnerability in cancer cells that could be attacked by new therapies.

"The most common genetic change in cancer is the presence of an incorrect number of intact chromosomes within cancer cells -- a condition known as aneuploidy," says Dana-Farber's David Pellman, MD, the study's senior author. "The significance of aneuploidy has been hard to pin down, however, because little is known about how it might trigger tumors. In contrast, the mechanism by which DNA damage and broken chromosomes cause cancer is well established -- by altering cancer genes in a way that spurs runaway cell division.

"The new study demonstrates one possible chain of events by which aneuploidy and specifically 'exiled' chromosomes could lead to cancer-causing mutations, with potential implications for cancer prevention and treatment," says Pellman, who is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and the Margaret M. Dyson Professor of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School.

Whole chromosomes can end up outside the nucleus as a result of a glitch in cell division. In normal division, a cell duplicates its chromosomes and dispatches them to the newly forming daughter cells: the original set to one daughter, the twin set to the other. For a variety of reasons, the chromosomes sometimes aren't allocated evenly -- one daughter receives an extra one, the other is short one. Unlike the rest of the chromosomes, these stragglers sometimes don't make it to the nucleus. Instead, they're marooned elsewhere within the cell and become wrapped in their own membrane, forming a micronucleus.

"In some respects, micronuclei are similar to primary nuclei," Pellman remarks, "but much about their function and composition is unknown. Previous studies differ on whether micronuclei replicate or repair their chromosomes as normal nuclei do. The ultimate fate of these chromosomes is unclear as well: Are they passed on to daughter cells during cell division or are they somehow eliminated as division proceeds?"

One clue that odd-man-out chromosomes themselves may be subject to damage -- and therefore be involved in cancer -- emerged from Pellman's previous research into aneuploidy. "We found that cancer cells generated from cells with micronuclei also have a great deal of chromosome breakage," Pellman explains. But researchers didn't know if this was a sign of connection or of coincidence.

Another clue came from a recently discovered phenomenon called "chromothripsis," in which one chromosome of a cancer cell shows massive amounts of breakage and rearrangement, while the remainder of the genome is largely intact. "That finding leapt off the page of these studies -- that such extensive damage could be limited to a single chromosome or single arm of a chromosome," Pellman says. "We wondered if the physical isolation of chromosomes in micronuclei could explain this kind of highly localized chromosome damage."

To find out, Karen Crasta, PhD, of Pellman's lab and the study's lead author, used a confocal microscope to observe dividing cells with micronuclei. She found that while micronuclei do form duplicate copies of their chromosomes, the process is bungled in two respects. First, it is inefficient: part of the chromosome is replicated and part isn't, leading to chromosome damage. Second, it is out of sync: the micronucleus keeps trying to replicate its chromosomes long after replication of the other chromosomes was completed. For cell division to be successful, every step of the process must occur in the proper order, at the proper time. In fact, when study co-author Regina Dagher directly analyzed the structure of the late-replicating chromosomes, she found them to be smashed to bits -- exactly what was predicted as the first step in chromothripsis.

The final piece of the puzzle came when Pellman's colleague Neil Ganem, PhD, examined what happens to these pulverized fragments, using an imaging trick that marked the chromosome in the micronucleus with its own color.

"It has been theorized that micronuclei are garbage disposals for chromosomes that the cell doesn't need anymore," Pellman comments. "If that were true, the smashed pieces would be discarded or digested, but we found that, a third of the time, they're donated to one of the daughter cells and therefore cold be incorporated into that cell's genome.

Pellman says that the findings suggest that, unexpectedly, whole chromosome aneuploidy might promote cancer in a very similar way to other kinds of genomic alterations. The key event may be mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressors. This mechanism may also explain how cancer cells acquire more than one such mutation at a time.

"Although chromothripsis occurs in only a few percent of human cancers, our findings suggest that it might be an extreme instance of a kind of chromosome damage that could be much more common," says Pellman, who adds that accelerating this process in cancer cells, thus generating so many mutations that the cells die, may represent a possible strategy for new therapies against certain tumors.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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. Karen Crasta, Neil J. Ganem, Regina Dagher, Alexandra B. Lantermann, Elena V. Ivanova, Yunfeng Pan, Luigi Nezi, Alexei Protopopov, Dipanjan Chowdhury, David Pellman. DNA breaks and chromosome pulverization from errors in mitosis. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature10802

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/-S63k5X-GHo/120119163255.htm

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Tom Russell sings of life from Hollywood to Mexico (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Texas-based singer Tom Russell has led a picaresque life, from teaching criminology in war-torn Nigeria to playing strip joints in Vancouver's red-light district.

He's lived in Spain and Norway, written songs for Johnny Cash, driven a cab and followed bullfighters in Mexico.

Such experiences have given him plenty to write about in his wry, witty songs that reference figures from British writer Graham Greene to Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.

"My career has gone backwards to most people. I didn't come out of a box with my best-selling records and live off that for the rest of my life," Russell told Reuters in an interview in London. "I feel I'm in great shape to write a lot more."

With his rangy frame, sonorous voice and Stetson, he looks like he would be right at home in a cowboy saloon.

But despite his genial demeanor, death often lurks in his songs. He's lived for the past 15 years in the Texan border town of El Paso.

"From near my house we can see Juarez. The most dangerous city in the world. Right across the border is the frontline of the Mexican drugs war."

The border violence is one theme of Russell's latest recording, "Mesabi," which he is showcasing on a string of dates across Europe this spring. It also deals with Hollywood, fame and falls from grace.

The title refers to the Mesabi Iron Range of northern Minnesota where Bob Dylan hails from.

"I went up there a few years ago to play a gig and I got to see the house in Duluth he was born in and the auditorium where he saw Buddy Holly play when he was a kid. Then I went up to Hibbing."

"I was just amazed that he came from this little mining town on the Mesabi Iron Range. Then I thought of myself as a kid in Los Angeles, listening to his records. So that starts this record off."

The thread moves to Los Angeles, where Russell grew up and watching Disney on a Saturday afternoon was a childhood ritual. The song "Farewell Never Never Land" shows his knack for mining gold from obscure sources.

"It's about Bobby Driscoll. He was the voice of Peter Pan in the Walt Disney cartoon. I found out that he died as an unknown junkie, some kids discovered his body in New York, he's buried in an unmarked grave. How ironic a story is that?

Another song recalls Sterling Hayden, the tough-guy actor and star of "Johnny Guitar," who was wracked by guilt for finking on fellow actors during the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s.

Then an ode to Elizabeth Taylor, living with husband Nicky Hilton in an El Paso hotel, takes us to the Mexican border.

Russell has written often about the hardships of Mexican migrants and in "And God Created Border Towns" and "Goodnight Juarez," he laments the violence of the drugs wars.

"Americans tend to want to forget about it -- 30 or 40,000 people have been killed in this drug war that's basically a billion dollar industry and these cartels are killing each other in order to sell us the drugs."

"We're buying the drugs and also selling them the guns. They're killing each other and we have a lot to do with it.

EAST OF WOODSTOCK, WEST OF VIETNAM

In concert, Russell is a hugely entertaining performer, making wisecracks and telling anecdotes between songs. On a recent night at the Cecil Sharp House, home of English folk, he regaled the audience with his off-the-cuff gonzo humor before hushing them with songs of hard times and struggle.

The music was fleshed out with flourishes from flamenco to Mississippi blues from guitarist Thad Beckham that evoked the Tex-Mex border.

As well as his musical adventures, he has published a book of his art work -- "Blue Horse, Red Desert," writes essays on Western life for a ranching magazine. He's also published a detective novel and a book of letters with Charles Bukowski and is working on a novel about Juarez.

His life has often led him down off-beat paths.

Just out of university in Santa Barbara with a masters in criminology, he took a job teaching in Nigeria, then wracked by the war over Biafra.

"In 1969, I didn't go to Woodstock and I didn't go to Vietnam. I went to West Africa. It was an amazingly strange and violent experience, where I grew up very quickly."

"I was arrested getting off the plane because I had taken pictures out of the window and I had no idea it was war zone and you can't do that. There was a U.S. Embassy guy on the plane who bribed my way out of being thrown in jail."

It was during that sojourn that he first read the books of Graham Greene, whose territory also ran from Africa to Mexico.

"I was able to read a lot, read everything. Years later I wrote him a fan letter and he wrote me back a note that I have on my wall in Texas."

But if like Greene, he has found himself a dangerous places and often championed the underdog and the oppressed, he is not staking out a political position.

"I'm not really a political person. My songs certainly aim at a topic but I don't have any overt politics. The song has to be a good song, rather than a song about something that's supposedly good."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/music_nm/us_tomrussell

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Researchers identify potential new therapy approach for hepatitis C

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found a new way to block infection from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the liver that could lead to new therapies for those affected by this and other infectious diseases.

More than 170 million people worldwide suffer from hepatitis C, the disease caused by chronic HCV infection. The disease affects the liver and is one of the leading causes of liver cancer and liver transplant around the world. HCV is spread by blood-to-blood contact and there is no vaccine to prevent it. Current treatments for the disease are only moderately effective and can cause serious side effects.

"As HCV infects a person, it needs fat droplets in the liver to form new virus particles," says Fran?ois Jean, Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Scientific Director of the Facility for Infectious Disease and Epidemic Research (FINDER) at UBC. "In the process, it causes fat to accumulate in the liver and ultimately leads to chronic dysfunction of the organ."

"HCV is constantly mutating, which makes it difficult to develop antiviral therapies that target the virus itself," says Jean. "So we decided to take a new approach."

Jean and his team developed an inhibitor that decreases the size of host fat droplets in liver cells and stops HCV from "taking residence," multiplying and infecting other cells.

"Our approach would essentially block the lifecycle of the virus so that it cannot spread and cause further damage to the liver," says Jean. The team's method is detailed in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

According to Jean, HCV is one of a number of viruses that require fat to replicate in the human body. This new approach to curbing the replication of HCV could translate into similar therapies for other related re-emerging viruses that can cause serious and life threatening infections in humans, such as dengue virus. Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries, with approximately 2.5 billion people at risk of infection globally. In some countries, Dengue has become the leading cause of child mortality.

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University of British Columbia: http://www.ubc.ca

Thanks to University of British Columbia 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 79 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116742/Researchers_identify_potential_new_therapy_approach_for_hepatitis_C_

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Mental illness protects some inmates from returning to jail

Public release date: 17-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University

People with mental illness have gotten a bad rap in past research studies, being labeled the group of people with the highest return rates to prison. But a researcher from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University counters those findings in a new studydemonstrating that inmates with severe mental illnesses alone actually have lower rates of recidivism than those with substance abuse issues or no mental or substance abuse issues.

Past studies compared inmates with severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and severe affective disorders, with a general population of released inmates and found that those with mental illnesses had higher recidivism rates.

The study's principal investigator Amy B. Wilson, assistant professor of social work at Case Western Reserve, said the researchers took a novel approach to studying recidivism among released inmates from one of the country's largest jail systems (Philadelphia) and separated inmates into four categories: those with severe mental illnesses, those with a substance abuse problem, those with dual problems of mental illness and substance abuse, and those with neither problem.

When looking at individual groups, those with mental illnesses alone fared bettereven compared against those with no mental or substance abuse issues.

The findings from the study, "Examining the impact of mental illness and substance use on recidivism in a county jail," were reported in the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry.

The researchers looked at recidivism rates for 20,112 inmates admitted to the Philadelphia jail system in 2003 and then tracked their return rates over the next four years. Using data from Philadelphia's behavioral health system on Medicaid records and from the Philadelphia Country's jail system on admission, release and demographic information, the researchers were able to categorize the individuals into the four groups and follow their readmissions.

Of those readmitted to jail, 32 percent took place in the first year, increased to 45 percent by year two, 54 percent by year three, and 60 percent by year four.

At the end of four years, 54 percent of those with severe mental illness returned to jail, while 66 percent of those with substance abuse problems did, 68 percent of those with co-occurring issues, and 60 percent of those with no diagnosis did.

Each year of the study, those with severe mental illnesses had lower return rates than those in the other three groups.

Wilson says further study is needed, but she speculates that the services offered to those with mental illness alone upon release are more readily available than social services for individuals with dual problems or substance abuse. But much is yet to be learned about how mental illness can protect the inmates from further recidivism, Wilson said.

"These findings point to a possible need for more integrated services for mental and substance abuse, and more attention being paid generally to the ways that substance abuse involvement among people with serious mental illness complicates these individuals involvement with the criminal justice system" Wilson explains.

###

Other contributors are: Jeffrey Draine from Temple University, Trevor Hadley of University of Pennsylvania, Steve Metraux of University of the Sciences of Philadelphia, and Arthur Evans from the City of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health.

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

Public release date: 17-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University

People with mental illness have gotten a bad rap in past research studies, being labeled the group of people with the highest return rates to prison. But a researcher from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University counters those findings in a new studydemonstrating that inmates with severe mental illnesses alone actually have lower rates of recidivism than those with substance abuse issues or no mental or substance abuse issues.

Past studies compared inmates with severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and severe affective disorders, with a general population of released inmates and found that those with mental illnesses had higher recidivism rates.

The study's principal investigator Amy B. Wilson, assistant professor of social work at Case Western Reserve, said the researchers took a novel approach to studying recidivism among released inmates from one of the country's largest jail systems (Philadelphia) and separated inmates into four categories: those with severe mental illnesses, those with a substance abuse problem, those with dual problems of mental illness and substance abuse, and those with neither problem.

When looking at individual groups, those with mental illnesses alone fared bettereven compared against those with no mental or substance abuse issues.

The findings from the study, "Examining the impact of mental illness and substance use on recidivism in a county jail," were reported in the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry.

The researchers looked at recidivism rates for 20,112 inmates admitted to the Philadelphia jail system in 2003 and then tracked their return rates over the next four years. Using data from Philadelphia's behavioral health system on Medicaid records and from the Philadelphia Country's jail system on admission, release and demographic information, the researchers were able to categorize the individuals into the four groups and follow their readmissions.

Of those readmitted to jail, 32 percent took place in the first year, increased to 45 percent by year two, 54 percent by year three, and 60 percent by year four.

At the end of four years, 54 percent of those with severe mental illness returned to jail, while 66 percent of those with substance abuse problems did, 68 percent of those with co-occurring issues, and 60 percent of those with no diagnosis did.

Each year of the study, those with severe mental illnesses had lower return rates than those in the other three groups.

Wilson says further study is needed, but she speculates that the services offered to those with mental illness alone upon release are more readily available than social services for individuals with dual problems or substance abuse. But much is yet to be learned about how mental illness can protect the inmates from further recidivism, Wilson said.

"These findings point to a possible need for more integrated services for mental and substance abuse, and more attention being paid generally to the ways that substance abuse involvement among people with serious mental illness complicates these individuals involvement with the criminal justice system" Wilson explains.

###

Other contributors are: Jeffrey Draine from Temple University, Trevor Hadley of University of Pennsylvania, Steve Metraux of University of the Sciences of Philadelphia, and Arthur Evans from the City of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health.

---

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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/2012-01/cwru-mi011712.php

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Does Your Family Need A Health Insurance Policy? ? ArticlezRank ...

Online resources can be very helpful in your search for health insurance. Naturally, you don?t want to provide your personal information haphazardly, but there are insurance agents through specific companies or websites who can help you in your search. Among other tips, a good rule of thumb is to try contacting a specific agent by telephone before beginning an Internet search.

Increase out-of-pocket expenses. If you are in general good health, and don?t anticipate any large medical expenses in the near future, think about choosing a plan with larger out-of-pocket expenses. Most health insurance companies offer an option of reduced monthly premiums if you agree to pay a yearly deductible and co-pay for certain services and medications.

A good health insurance tip that can save you a lot of money is to be very careful about going to the emergency room. If you go to the emergency room to get treated, you can expect to pay a huge medical bill. In some cases you can even receive two medical bills!

If your family is in the fortunate position of both husband and wife being offered by health insurance it puts you in a good position. Simply choose one over the other, and in no way pay for both. You will save money, and have a luxury most don?t have, the luxury of an option.

Most of us have had to deal with HMO?s, which wield a lot influence. However good their plan may sound on paper, you may want to make a visit to their offices. Are you able to talk face to face with a human being? Or are you doomed to speak anonymously with ?John? or ?Jane? in a call center. This can make a big difference if a problem arises.

A great health insurance tip that can save you money is to make sure you don?t use any prescriptions that have expired. You might think you?re saving money by using up your old prescriptions, but you?ll only harm yourself, and you?re just insuring another medical visit in the future.

Create a plan of action for handling your deductible in the event of a health related incident. These situations are normally few and far between, yet you should set aside a few dollars each pay period until you reach your deductible amount. If it is not easy to save on your own, look at a health insurance savings plan which will be deducted from your paycheck.

If your insurance plan offers prescription drug coverage, make sure you understand it. With some plans, you will pay a considerable amount more for brand name medications. With others, you can save by ordering three month supplies from a particular pharmacy. If you play by the rules you?ll get the medications you need and save money too.

Take detailed noted. When speaking with an insurance agent, take notes regarding the conversation you are having. These could come in handy later. If you are not particularly good at taking notes, request having your conversation recorded. Always ask first. Never record someone without their consent as this is illegal in some states.

If you need or want health insurance and it is offered by your employer then it would be your best bet to get it through them. Many employers pay a certain percentage of the premiums making insurance much cheaper through them than what it would be if bought in the private market.

Generally, the larger the pool, the lower the cost of insurance for those people in the pool. This is why many states are now starting to implement exchanges on the open market, because it will eventually enable a pool the size of the population of the state. It also is why federal insurance plans can be so cheap ? because the pool is millions of employees large. You can also take advantage of this by getting your health insurance through whomever in your family works for the larger company. These premiums will likely be cheaper.

Health insurance can be a dirty word in this day and age. Many who have it, don?t have enough, and many don?t have any at all. Using the information here, you will be better prepared to get the health insurance you need and the most benefit from what you have.

Are you interested in learning more about Massage Tables? Great information and links are available from Jayne?s Massage Table website.

Source: http://articlezrank.com/2012/01/does-your-family-need-a-health-insurance-policy/

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Defense chief condemns urinating Marines video

An investigation has been launched after video emerged that military authorities say appears to show U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

By NBC, msnbc.com staff and news services

Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET:

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has condemned a video that apparently shows U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Afghan men, promising to punish those involved.

"I have seen the footage, and I find the behavior depicted in it utterly deplorable," Panetta says in a statement, adding that he had ordered the Marine Corps and the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan to investigate the incident.

"Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent," he says.

The video that surfaced a day earlier appeared to show American forces urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters could aggravate anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan as the Obama administration hopes to end a decade-long war.

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Updated at 6:58 a.m. ET:

President Hamid Karzai's government "strongly condemned" the video and called the actions by American soldiers "insulting" and "insane."

"The Islamic republic of Afghanistan is demanding the investigation and punishment for the solders from the U.S. government regarding this film as soon as possible," the presidential palace says in a statement released Thursday.

Updated at 6:31 a.m. ET:

The NATO-led International Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan comes close to acknowledging that it thinks the video is real and promises a criminal investigation.

"ISAF strongly condemns the actions depicted in the video, which appear to have been conducted by a small group of U.S. individuals, who apparently are no longer serving in Afghanistan," the coaltion says in a statement on Thursday. "This behavior dishonors the sacrifices and core values of every service member representing the fifty nations of the coalition."??

"Therefore, a United States Criminal Investigatory agency has launched an investigation. It will be thorough and any individuals with confirmed involvement will be held fully accountable,? ISAF's statement adds.

Published at 5:15 a.m. ET:

?

An Internet video showing what appear to be U.S. forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters will not affect efforts to broker peace talks, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban said Thursday.

The video, posted on YouTube and other websites, shows four men in camouflage Marine combat uniforms urinating on three corpses. One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." Another makes a lewd joke.

"This is not a political process, so the video will not harm our talks and prisoner exchange because they are at the preliminary stage," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters.

?

The footage, which the U.S. military said appeared to be authentic but had not been officially verified, could complicate efforts to promote reconciliation as foreign troops gradually withdraw.

?

The Obama administration, seeing a glimmer of hope in its effort to broker talks, is launching a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy with an immediate goal of sealing agreement for Taliban insurgents to open a political office in the Gulf state of Qatar.

?

Marc Grossman, Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, begins a diplomatic blitz this weekend that includes talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and top officials in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

??

'Very, very bad impact'
The video will not help his efforts to build confidence among the warring parties.

?

"Such action will leave a very, very bad impact on peace efforts," said Arsala Rahmani, the top negotiator from Karzai's High Peace Council.

?

"Looking at such action, the Taliban can easily recruit young people and tell them that their country has been attacked by Christians and Jews and they must defend it," he said in the first comments from a high-ranking Afghan.

?

It reported the administration?s best chance for ending the war in Afghanistan had reached "a critical juncture."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the newspaper on Wednesday there appeared to be support, for the first time, for a political resolution that included Taliban leaders who ruthlessly ruled the country from 1996 until the American invasion after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

?

?The reality is we never have the luxury of negotiating for peace with our friends,? it quoted Mrs. Clinton as saying. ?If you?re sitting across the table discussing a peaceful resolution to a conflict, you are sitting across from people who you by definition don?t agree with and who you may previously have been across a battlefield from.?

?

The U.S. Marine Corps has said it would investigate the Internet video of abuse.

??

Marines to be 'held accountable'
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan described the acts depicted in the video as "highly reprehensible" and "disgusting".

?

"The behavior depicted in this video is reprehensible and is not in keeping with the values of U.S. Armed Forces," ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said.

?

A U.S. official said "it should be pretty easy" to identify the Marines in the video and those involved "will be held accountable for their actions."?

The Marines, though not?identified by name, were confirmed to be a sniper team out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., ??U.S. military officials told NBC News. They were?deployed to southern Afghanistan from early 2011 until August of 2011.

?

In a formal statment, a Marine Corps official said: "The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps."

?

At first, the Marines could not determine whether the incident took place in Iraq or Afghanistan, but it was later determned to be Afghanistan.

?

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group in the United States, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and obtained by Reuters.

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"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws," the letter said.

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More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Reuters, NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10131666-deplorable-us-defense-chief-condemns-afghan-corpse-video

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Makin' Their Case (talking-points-memo)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/185467350?client_source=feed&format=rss

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A film about the Union Carbide industrial disaster in India is courting controversy

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Bombay News.Net
Sunday 8th January, 2012 (Source: The National)

The first feature film to be made on the world's worst industrial disaster at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, Central India, 27 years ago, is set to face protests from local groups that work with the victims. ...

Read the full story at The National

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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5717514731

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