Tiny worm sheds light on giant mystery about neuron

Apr. 30, 2013 ? Scientists have identified a gene that keeps our nerve fibers from clogging up. Researchers in Ken Miller's laboratory at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) found that the unc-16 gene of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a gatekeeper that restricts flow of cellular organelles from the cell body to the axon, a long, narrow extension that neurons use for signaling. Organelles clogging the axon could interfere with neuronal signaling or cause the axon to degenerate, leading to neurodegenerative disorders.

This research, published in the May 2013 Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics, adds an unexpected twist to our understanding of trafficking within neurons.

Proteins equivalent to UNC-16 are present in the neurons of all animals, including humans and are known to interact with proteins associated with neurodegenerative disorders in humans (Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia) and mice (Legs at Odd Angles). However, the underlying cause of these disorders is not well understood.

"Our UNC-16 study provides the first insights into a previously unrecognized trafficking system that protects axons from invasion by organelles from the cell soma," Dr. Miller said. "A breakdown in this gatekeeper may be the underlying cause of this group of disorders," he added.

The use of the model organism C. elegans, a tiny, translucent roundworm with only 300 neurons, enabled the discovery because the researchers were able to apply complex genetic techniques and imaging methods in living organisms, which would be impossible in larger animals. Dr. Miller's team tagged organelles with fluorescent proteins and then used time-lapse imaging to follow the movements of the organelles. In normal axons, organelles exited the cell body and entered the initial segment of the axon, but did not move beyond that. In axons of unc-16 mutants, the organelles hitched a ride on tiny motors that carried them deep into the axon, where they accumulated.

Dr. Miller acknowledges there are still a lot of unanswered questions. His lab is currently investigating how UNC-16 performs its crucial gatekeeper function by looking for other mutant worms with similar phenotypes. A Commentary on the article, also published in this issue of GENETICS, calls the work "provocative," and highlights several important questions prompted by this pioneering study.

"This research once again shows how studies of simple model organisms can bring insight into complex neurodegenerative diseases in humans," said Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the journal GENETICS. "This kind of basic research is necessary if we are to understand diseases that can't easily be studied in more complex animals."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Genetics Society of America, via Newswise.

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

---

Journal References:

1. S. L. Edwards, S.-c. Yu, C. M. Hoover, B. C. Phillips, J. E. Richmond, K. G. Miller. An Organelle Gatekeeper Function for Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-16 (JIP3) at the Axon Initial Segment. Genetics, 2013; 194 (1): 143 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.112.147348
2. Q. Zheng, M. L. Nonet. UNC-16/JIP3/Sunday Driver: A New Cop on the Organelle Highway. Genetics, 2013; 194 (1): 35 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.113.150490

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/top_news/top_health/~3/1e_U4Eh4Zck/130430105950.htm

noaa Jessica Ridgeway ipad mini Kevin Krim Autumn Pasquale ann coulter minecraft

Soap Dish: Days of Our Lives Men Strip (Video)

It is Soap Dish time again and this week I am dishing all about how the hunky men of Days of Our Lives stripped this week. Oh yes it was a Magie Mike moment that was freaking HOT HOT HOT! If you missed the episode never fear you can check it out right here, woot woot! Last week some of DOOL’s hottest men took it all off, well most of it off I guess, heating up the hit NBC show. It was a total Mike Mike spook when Daniel, Brady and Rafe did their best strip tease, for charity of course. The guys strutted their stuff to benefit Salem University Hospital as well as to help our there pal Cameron, who had been moonlighting as a stripper. That of course is a big no no, so the guys decide to step up and take it off. I personally thought the show was awesome, especially since each of the guys dressed up similar to the men of Magic Mike. Plus lets be honest these men are fine, so watching them get down to their skivies was a very nice break in an otherwise long work day. It wasn’t just the guys [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/IlLucnSMm6o/

their eyes were watching god lara logan manu ginobili sports illustrated swimsuit 2012 aretha franklin whitney houston paul williams paul babeu

Why the Anatomy Lab Remains a Fixture of Medicine

NEW YORK ? For hundreds of years, physicians have been dissecting the dead to learn about the inner workings of the human body.

While the subject matter itself hasn't changed much, the study of anatomy has been steadily advancing ? both in terms of the tools available to clinicians and the ways in which educators and students approach the material. Yet amidst these changes, there's no replacement for the hands-on experience of the anatomy lab, physicians say.

Many people think the purpose of the anatomy lab is for students to simply learn the nomenclature for the parts of the body, said Todd Olson, an anatomist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. This is certainly part of the purpose ? "anatomy is the foundation for the language of medicine: the language health-care professionals use for communicating about patients," Olson said. But it's not the only reason. [Image Gallery: The Oddities of Human Anatomy]?

One of the most valuable aspects of the anatomy lab experience is gaining an appreciation of human variability, Olson said. "I've been teaching and studying anatomy for over 40 years, and I've never seen a live or dead person that looks like an anatomy book, because every picture in an anatomy book identifies the 'average' condition," he said. "But none of us are 100 percent average." These differences include those between the old and young, between men and women, and from person to person.

Whereas the anatomy lab remains a cornerstone of medical education, other parts of medical teaching have changed in recent years. As the amount of medical knowledge grows ? for instance, with vast advances in medical imaging ? medical curriculums must grow to keep pace, which ultimately means less time for each concept. Many medical schools have reduced the amount of time spent in the anatomy lab, and some even provide predissected cadavers (called prosections) so students don't have to spend time doing it themselves.

Technology plays an increasing role in the lab these days, too. At NYU School of Medicine, for example, students use a digital 3D software program called the BioDigital Human as a complement to their manual dissections. Technology can be helpful in anatomy education, Olson said, but it?s not going to replace dissection. "Dissection is something that is very real. It is happening to the remains of a once-human being, it is not something that is easily replicated on a computer screen." [Ready for Med School? Test Your Body Smarts]

Also in recent years, anatomy educators have pushed to focus on only the most clinically relevant aspects of anatomy ? what doctors will use in the real world. Rather than having medical students learn every structure in the human body, it's more important they learn about how different parts relate to medical conditions, Olson said. The American Association of Clinical Anatomists, of which Olson was the past president, was founded in order "to bring together anatomy educators around the country who are part of this revolution in how anatomy is presented to health-care professionals," he said.

Hands-on clinical experience

At most medical schools, students take an introductory gross anatomy course in their first year. But at Einstein College of Medicine, some students return to the lab several years later, during their medical residency. Einstein runs an anatomy lab for residents in the physical rehabilitation program of nearby Montefiore Hospital ? a kind of refresher course, as well as a chance for residents to augment their clinical experience.

"I think more and more schools and hospitals are realizing that they want to add this kind of additional education for residents," course director Sherry Downie, a professor of clinical anatomy and structural biology at Einstein, told LiveScience.

During the course, the residents study the musculoskeletal system of six major body areas: wrist and hand; shoulder; head and neck; lumbar spine; hip; and knee and ankle. They spend several sessions reviewing the basic anatomy, and then they have a chance to practice clinical tests on medical student volunteers acting as patients. This allows the residents to see how the various body systems function in living humans, then go back to the cadavers to gain an internal view of the relevant body parts.

For example, the resident might want to test for carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist. The resident could perform "Phalen's maneuver," a diagnostic test for this condition, on the living volunteer patient, and then look at the nerves themselves on a cadaver. "We'll see something in our patients and we'll say, 'Why is this happening?' We'll go straight to that organ or that joint and we'll inspect it on the cadaver and find out what's going on," said third-year Montefiore resident Antigone Argyriou, one of the students in the anatomy course.

In the clinic, you can see that patients are in pain, but you can't see what's going on underneath the skin, Argyriou said. Having the cadavers is "like having X-ray vision," she said, "because then you can see the physics and see exactly why the pathology is painful."

The course also gives the residents a refresher of their basic anatomy knowledge. "I haven't dissected since medical school, and that was years ago, so it's nice to come back here and see it all over again now that I have a better understanding of it," Argyriou said.

The anatomy lab experience is very different as a resident than as a first-year medical student. First-year students are mostly focused on identifying structures from their textbook, whereas residents are interested in how the anatomy has clinical value, said fourth-year resident Sugym Kim.

For Kim and other residents who are returning for their third or fourth year, the lab is also a valuable teaching opportunity. It helps the junior residents understand why they're learning the anatomy, and how a musculoskeletal exam works, Kim said. And like Olson, he doesn't see the course going out of style:

"Anatomy is the basic foundation of medical science," Kim said. "It's just a basic, fundamental course you can't avoid or substitute with anything else."

Follow?Tanya Lewis?on?Twitter?and?Google+.?Follow us?@livescience,?Facebook?&?Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-anatomy-lab-remains-fixture-medicine-133546774.html

imbibe msg network ray j anthony shadid gary carter this means war bobby brown

Pa. abortion clinic no 'house of horrors,' says defense attorney

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? The description of a shuttered abortion clinic as a "house of horrors" is a "political press fabrication," a lawyer for a doctor charged with killing four babies allegedly born alive there said Monday.

Authorities say Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, ran a clinic where desperate women sought late-term abortions they could not get elsewhere. And he got rich doing so, prosecutors said, making millions of dollars over a 30-year career.

Gosnell is charged with killing four babies allegedly born alive and in the overdose death of a 41-year-old patient.

During closing arguments Monday, defense attorney Jack McMahon showed photographs of a relatively neat waiting room and other areas in Gosnell's clinic, saying that pictures don't lie.

He said the clinic wasn't perfect but it wasn't the criminal enterprise that prosecutors claim. The district attorney has called it a "house of horrors."

McMahon said he's not backing down from his opening remarks that the case is an elitist and racist prosecution against Gosnell, who is black.

Prosecutors say Gosnell killed viable babies born alive after putting a steady stream of often low-income, minority women through labor and delivery. Former employees have testified that Gosnell taught them to "snip" babies' necks after they were delivered to "ensure fetal demise."

"Why would you cut a baby in the back of the neck unless you were killing them?" Assistant District Attorney Ed Cameron argued last week, as he asked a judge to send all seven first-degree murder charges to the jury.

Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart, though, threw out three of those counts for lack of evidence they were viable, born alive and then killed.

Gosnell is also charged in the overdose death of a patient, 41-year-old refugee Karnamaya Mongar, of Woodbridge, Va.

The jury must now weigh the five murder counts, along with lesser charges that include racketeering, performing illegal abortions after 24 weeks, failing to observe the 24-hour waiting period and endangering a child's welfare for employing a 15-year-old in the procedure area.

McMahon has argued that there were no live births at the clinic, and he found some support from a prosecution witness, Philadelphia's top medical examiner. Dr. Sam Gulino, who examined 47 aborted fetuses stored in freezers at the clinic, said he could not definitively say if any had taken a breath because the lung tissue had deteriorated.

The prosecution's other evidence to support the live birth argument comes from former employees, who testified that they saw aborted babies move, breathe or even cry. McMahon challenged them on cross-examination, questioning whether they had instead seen post-mortem spasms.

"You have to have definite, voluntary movement," McMahon argued.

The jury has seen a graphic photograph of some of the aborted babies and a worker testified that Gosnell joked that one was so big "it could walk to the bus."

Lynda Williams, Adrianne Moton and Sherry West, all untrained clinic workers, and unlicensed doctor Stephen Massof have each pleaded guilty to third-degree murder charges and testified against Gosnell. And four others have pleaded guilty to lesser charges, including Gosnell's wife, Pearl.

Gosnell did not testify, but could take the stand in the penalty phase if he is convicted of first-degree murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors say Gosnell is a misogynist for the way he treated female patients while the inner-city doctor described himself as an altruist in a 2010 interview with the Philadelphia Daily News.

"I wanted to be an effective, positive force in the minority community," Gosnell said.

Also on trial is former clinic employee Eileen O'Neill, 56, of Phoenixville. She is charged with theft for allegedly practicing medicine without a license.

O'Neill's lawyer said in his closing arguments that prosecutors failed to prove their case against her.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawyer-pa-abortion-clinic-no-house-horrors-171045844.html

AJ McCarron Johnny Manziel ups Aj Mccarron Girlfriend linkedin linkedin CES 2013

Obama and O'Brien Cast Their Versions of D.C. White House Correspondents' Dinner

Both President Barack Obama and Conan O'Brien decided to cast Hollywood versions of D.C. at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year. Obama's version was directed by Steven Spielberg, O'Brien's starred "Tan Mom" as John Boehner.

With the celebrities having walked the White House Correspondents' Dinner red carpet and the crowd in the Washington Hilton having eaten and schmoozed, it came time for the key parts of the evening: remarks from President Obama and Conan O'Brien. Of particular interest was how the president was going to address the recent bombings in Boston, and, along those same lines, what tone O'Brien will take.

Obama came out swinging with jokes at the ready. One of his opening lines joked about his age: ?I?m not the strapping young Muslim socialist I used to be.? He made light of the frenzy over Michelle Obama's bangs, by explaining his strategy for a second term burst of energy showing a series of pictures with his new hairstyle:

?

He riffed on topics ranging from his Jay-Z's trip to Cuba ("I?ve got 99 problems and now Jay-Z is one of them") to BuzzFeed ("I remember when Buzzfeed was just something I did at college around 2 a.m.") He even took aim at the much maligned NBC when he talked about how he made only two shots at the Easter Egg Roll: "The executives at NBC asked ?what?s your secret?" But his highlight was a video with Steven Spielberg, about Spielberg's new project: "Obama." Spielberg cast Daniel Day-Lewis as Obama, but in the video shown Obama played Daniel Day-Lewis playing Obama. Tracy Morgan played Joe Biden. Here's that clip:

?

?

But Obama closed on a more serious note. "These have been some very hard days for too many of our citizens," he said. He also complimented the work of journalists during these days, specifically calling out the Boston Globe and NBC's Pete Williams.

Following Obama Conan O'Brien got his fair share of groans?both in the room and on Twitter?when he took aim at a variety of topics ranging from the Hilton, to dying print media, to Kim Jong-Un. He joked that Arianna Huffington made him watch a 30 second ad before he could say hello to her, and that Matt Drudge wasn't there because he had a "he had a prior commitment to teach a web design class in 1997." There were CNN jokes a plenty, including one about how they ?they replaced the popular Larry King with one of the scheming footman from Downton Abbey.? (That's Piers Morgan, of course.) He explained that the media landscape was like a high school cafeteria with NPR as the table for "kids with peanut allergies." There was also a joke about the time Al Roker soiled himself at the White House.

O'Brien then turned his attention to Republicans, saying that the party refers to Marco Rubio as "our black guy" and joking about Reince Priebus' name. (He was sitting between brothers "Lather Priebus and Repeat Priebus.") He went fairly easy on the president, asking why he was still asking for money, and joking about how old he looks.

Before his final joke he took a moment to address Boston, his hometown, and thank the president for going there, but he ended by casting his version of a dramatized version of the Beltway. There Joe Biden will be played by Bob Barker, Paul Ryan by Mr. Bean, and John Kerry by an Easter Island Head:

O'Brien's performance?in which he talked very loudly into the microphone and occasionally banged a gavel?did not go over entirely well on Twitter:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-obrien-cast-versions-d-c-white-house-234708035.html

shaka smart hungergames bagpipes aspirin aspirin 21 jump street illinois primary results

FILM CAMP for kids make movies! - Annapolis, MD Patch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4/26/13

FILMSTERS Academy, a summer film program for kids is set to begin it?s 12^th year this summer. Celebrating digital literacy and creativity through the art of filmmaking, this film camp allows kids 11-20 years of age to pitch, write, produce, shoot, edit, and act in their own short films. This year, everyone will gather once again for film camp on the campus of Key School in Annapolis, MD. from July 27^th through August 9^th. There are three levels of instruction Beginners (11-15), Intermediates (13-16) and Advanced (16-20) to explore. Limited enrollment.

Led by award-winning filmmakers Patti O. White and K. Lee Anderson (www.filmsters.com), along with several young professional staff and industry guest instructors, ?Film camp provides a collaborative, creative environment where kids can learn through hands-on experience the art of filmmaking,? says Co-founder K. Lee Anderson. ?The program has an 85% return rate,? stated White and Anderson, Co-Creative Directors of the Annapolis Film Festival.

Graduates of FILMSTERS Academy have gotten into top film schools such us; NYU Tisch, Emerson College, University of Texas at Austin, Savannah College of Art and Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Northwestern, Boston College, Ithaca, and Chapman University. ?Many of our FILMSTERS Academy alumnae are now actively working in the business in NY and LA,? says White.?

If you have a creative child who would like to explore the world of music, acting, screenwriting, cinematography, production design, film editing, producing and directing FILMSTERS Academy will be a wonderful experience to try out many aspects of visual storytelling.

Registration is available on our website along with over 80+ short films made by young people.?

For more information visit www.filmstersacademy.com email us at Filmsters@filmsters.com or call 410-263-3023.

Source: http://annapolis.patch.com/announcements/film-camp-for-kids-make-movies

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

Obesity may influence heart function through sex hormones

Apr. 27, 2013 ? New research suggests that changes in sex hormones as seen in obesity may have possible effects on the heart. The study by researchers from Belgium, presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen, Denmark, suggests effects on heart function in healthy men with artificially raised estrogen levels and artificially lowered testosterone levels to mimic an obese state.

Estradiol, an estrogen, is primarily known as a female hormone but it also circulates at very low levels in men. Testosterone is converted to estradiol by the enzyme aromatase, the activity of which might be increased in obesity leading to raised estradiol and reduced testosterone.

To determine whether obesity might alter heart function via changes in sex hormones, Drs Maarten De Smet and colleagues at Ghent University in Belgium recruited 20 healthy men aged 20-40 and used an aromatase inhibitor and an estrogen patch to artificially alter the hormone levels to mimic sex hormone concentrations in obesity (high estradiol and low testosterone) vs contrast by an aromatase inhibitor (low estradiol, high testosterone). Prof Dr T De Backer, Cardiologist, assessed the heart function before and seven days after the intervention using ultrasonographic imaging with strain analysis, which measures the deformation of the heart between the resting and contracted states.

The men with obesity-related changes in sex hormones exhibited altered heart function. At baseline the global circumferential strain was -17.1% +/-3.9, which decreased significantly to -14% +/-2.5 (p=0.01). The contrasting group did not show any difference.

By artificially altering sex hormones in a small number of healthy men, Drs De Smet and colleagues have shown that an altered sex hormone profile as seen in obesity might be relevant for heart function. Adequately powered clinical trials with sufficient duration may establish the role of sex hormones in the heart function of obese men.

Maarten De Smet, Masters student in Medicine at Ghent University, Belgium, and first author said:

"Obesity is a major contributor to heart disease. By giving an aromatase inhibitor and estrogen to healthy men we mimicked the effect of sex hormones in obesity alone, in isolation from the rest of the obese metabolic state.

"In order to pump blood around the body the heart must fill with blood and then contract, pushing the blood out. We found that after increasing the estrogen levels and decreasing the testosterone levels in men for one week the deformation of the left heart chamber was significantly altered.

"Because the contributing factors to obesity, as well as the underlying biology, are so complicated it's a real challenge to tease apart one single aspect, so we think this study is of particular interest. As these results are from a small number of healthy men over one week, we hope to investigate sex hormone changes and the heart in the obese in the long term."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Society of Endocrinology, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

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/top_news/top_health/~3/WqFSu6CkU-U/130428144857.htm

bay bridge band of brothers presidents george washington horsetail falls ice t new york knicks

Obama, Conan O'Brien laugh it up at W.H. dinner (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302119428?client_source=feed&format=rss

chuck colson death meteor showers 2012 ufc 145 jones vs evans marian hossa philip humber red sox

Down 3-0, Celtics try avoid sweep Sunday vs Knicks

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7), Jason Kidd (5) and Raymond Felton (2) are congratulated by teammates including Iman Shumpert (21) while leaving the court during the fourth quarter of New York's 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce (34) and Jeff Green head back up court during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7) gets a hug from teammate Kenyon Martin during the fourth quarter of New York's 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony heads back upcourt after hitting a basket during the second quarter of their 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) ? Hanging on a wall of the Celtics' practice facility, opposite the faded banners that hung in the old Boston Garden a half-century ago, is a spotless one.

It went up a few years ago to hold the location where the NBA's greatest champions would mark their next title.

That banner will apparently remain blank another year. As soon as Sunday, the Celtics' quest for No. 18 could be over for this season.

Down 3-0 to the New York Knicks, the Celtics are thinking much smaller than another title when they host Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.

"You've got to focus on the single game. You can't win four without winning one," Boston coach Doc Rivers said Saturday.

Even that looks difficult for a Celtics team that can't get any offense going. Boston has averaged a feeble 75 points, not breaking 80 in any game, on 39.5 percent shooting.

No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series, as the Knicks know. They were swept by the Celtics two years ago and managed only to get to Game 5 after dropping the first three against Miami last year, when they ran their NBA-record postseason losing streak to 13 games.

Now Carmelo Anthony sees the Celtics in the same position he was in during his first two postseasons in New York, and he wants the sweep.

"To be honest with you, to accomplish that would be spectacular. It would be a dream come true. I've never swept anybody. But we know Game 4 is win or go home for them guys," Anthony said.

"I've been on that side of the ball plenty of times and I know that feeling, so I know the type of energy they're going to come out and display here on Sunday. We've just got to be prepared for the punches that they throw and everything they put out there on the basketball court."

There haven't been any punches, though the Celtics' Jason Terry did take an elbow from New York's J.R. Smith late in Game 3. Terry wouldn't comment on the play Saturday, but said he was annoyed by what he thought was some Knicks' showboating and is clearly agitated by what's gone on in the series.

"I mean, when you get your butt kicked like they've been doing to us the last week or so and you're seeing the same team every day, you're going to get tired of it. Or you're going to lay down. I'm tired of it," Terry said.

The Celtics haven't lost in the first round since 2005 and haven't been swept since Indiana beat them in the first round a year earlier.

They returned to prominence six years ago when they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team with Paul Pierce, and it's been a good run for the Celtics. They won a title in 2008, lost in a Game 7 to the Lakers two years later, and pushed Miami to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals.

But Allen then joined the Heat, and All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo was lost to a knee injury around midseason. Garnett will turn 37 next month and Pierce is 35, and the Celtics have had opportunities to trade both of them. There may be more decisions in the offseason, so the end of this series could actually be the end of an era.

"I dread the end all the time. I really do," Rivers said. "I just like to be able to know when the end is, meaning you're in Game 7 of the world championship. Then you know you're playing for the end. I hate when the end can come early. But I dread them all."

Game 5 would be Wednesday, though the Knicks would prefer to wrap it up Sunday and give one of the oldest rosters in NBA history some extra rest before their first appearance in the second round since 2000.

"For sure," said point guard Raymond Felton. "Just like Melo said, I've been on the other end of the stick as well. I was in Charlotte, made the playoffs for the first time and we got swept by Orlando. So it feels good to be on the winning side. So if we could come out and definitely sweep this game, it would be something special for all of us. For me, for him, especially individually, and then on top of that we'd get a lot of rest. And hopefully Indiana and Atlanta can go to Game 7."

The Celtics believe they can turn things around with more effort, though their execution has been just as poor. Not even Pierce has been immune to their woes, missing a layup on the first possession of Friday's 90-76 loss and just fumbling the ball away on a couple of occasions later in the game.

But forward Jeff Green said his confidence is "still high," even if the Celtics' chances of advancing aren't.

"I mean, look at the guys on this team, guys who have been through so much throughout their career," he said. They've been down. I mean you have guys who are confident in their game and believe that we have a chance, and that's all that it takes."

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-27-Knicks-Celtics/id-7a3b0f2cf1c4447fbd9460e33009ef15

us map Electoral Map concede Obama Acceptance Speech Prop 30 Election 2012 Michigan Election Results

Millions in CIA "ghost money" paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times

(Reuters) - Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash were delivered by the CIA in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags to the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, according to the New York Times, citing current and former advisers to the Afghan leader.

The so-called "ghost money" was meant to buy influence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington's exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying.

"The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan", one American official said, "was the United States."

The CIA declined to comment on the report and the U.S. State Department did not immediately comment. The New York Times did not publish any comment from Karzai or his office.

"We called it ?ghost money'," Khalil Roman, who served as Karzai's chief of staff from 2002 until 2005, told the New York Times. "It came in secret and it left in secret."

For more than a decade the cash was dropped off every month or so at the Afghan president's office, the newspaper said.

Handing out cash has been standard procedure for the CIA in Afghanistan since the start of the war.

The cash payments to the president's office do not appear to be subject to oversight and restrictions placed on official American aid to the country or the CIA's formal assistance programs, like financing Afghan intelligence agencies, and do not appear to violate U.S. laws, said the New York Times.

There was no evidence that Karzai personally received any of the money, Afghan officials told the newspaper. The cash was handled by his National Security Council, it added.

U.S. and Afghan officials familiar with the payments were quoted as saying that the main goal in providing the cash was to maintain access to Karzai and his inner circle and to guarantee the CIA's influence at the presidential palace, which wields tremendous power in Afghanistan's highly centralized government.

Much of the money went to warlords and politicians, many with ties to the drug trade and in some cases the Taliban, the New York Times said. U.S. and Afghan officials were quoted as saying the CIA supported the same patronage networks that U.S. diplomats and law enforcement agents struggled to dismantle, leaving the government in the grip of organized crime.

In 2010, Karzai said his office received cash in bags from Iran, but that it was a transparent form of aid that helped cover expenses at the presidential palace. He said at the time that the United States made similar payments.

The latest New York Times report said much of the Iranian cash, like the CIA money, went to pay warlords and politicians.

For most of Karzai's 11-year reign, there has been little interest in anti-corruption in the army or police. The country's two most powerful institutions receive billions of dollars from donors annually but struggle just to recruit and maintain a force bled by high rates of desertion.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Bell and Sarah Lynch in Washington; Writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/millions-cia-ghost-money-paid-afghan-presidents-office-020006835.html

heart shaped box lucid 2012 ncaa tournament bracket matterhorn chris harrison girl scouts printable bracket

Rolling Stones To Play Echo Park's Echoplex In Secret Show - Echo Park-Silver-Lake, CA Patch

echopark.patch.com:

This is not a joke.

The Rolling Stones will play the Echoplex in Echo Park Saturday night. Owner Mitchell Frank says the show will begin at 9 p.m., with access extremely limited. The LA Weekly says capacity is 700.

Read the whole story at echopark.patch.com

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

Filed by Sasha Bronner ?|?

? "; var coords = [-5, -78]; if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'homepage' ) { coords = [-5, -70]; } else if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'mapquest' ) { coords = [-5, -68]; } FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

1. HuffPost
2. Los Angeles

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/27/rolling-stones-to-play-ec_n_3171829.html

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

93% No

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (90) | Rotten (7)

"No" is a picture that perches precariously on the cusp of a paradox.

A cunning and richly enjoyable combination of high-stakes drama and media satire from Chilean director Pablo Larrain.

A mesmerizing, realistic and often hilarious look at the politics of power and the power of ideas ...

A political drama, a personal drama, a sharp-eyed study of how the media manipulate us from all sides, No reels and ricochets with emotional force.

It's a funny look at the way the media warp public opinion, and a curiously hopeful one.

On every level, "No" leaves one with bittersweet feelings about democracy, love and the cost of compromise.

... features a fine performance by Gael Garc?a Bernal as young ad exec Ren? Saavedra, who didn't, at first, quite realise what he was in for when he decided to assist in the bringing down of military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

No is a great historical document as to how one very important revolution started with a commercial.

The understated performance by Bernal was inspiring, as was the pic.

It's not easy material but it's truly fascinating, and expertly done.

An extremely perceptive and intriguing examination of the effect that media hype and spin have on the political process.

...a bitter and knowing meditation on media manipulation and political subversion.

Larrain deftly mixes social satire and historical drama.

All historical and little drama.

Larrain does a fine job of making No look and sound authentic to its time period, although the VHS-quality photography, all washed-out with colors bleeding together as camcorders did in the '80s, is an occasional irritant.

Silliness is on the side of the angels in a brilliant and highly entertaining film that's part political thriller, part media satire.

It's clear that the language of advertising has become universal, and that political commodities can be sold like soap. But toppling a dictatorship? Now there's a story.

A reflection of a moment in time, made in the image of that moment.

Bernal deftly explores the layers of the character's complexity, including his political apathy.

"No" is filmmaking of the first order.

Old technology plus the packaging of a revolution add up to a Yes

Freshens up a decades-old story with vibrant humor and a good sense of storytelling.

No continually impresses for its slyness and savvy -- rarely has such an eyesore been so worth watching.

No quotes approved yet for No. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_2012/

tcu football westminster bonnaroo 2012 lineup twisted metal sea lion si swimsuit 2012 westminster dog show

'Out of This World' Exhibit Coming to Maifest | Family Friendly ...

One of our favorite events held each year in Covington is Maifest. ?We love taking our kids down to MainStrasse Village to experience all the food, the music, the beautiful chalk art, and of course?. the rides!

Maifest is just around the corner ? May 17, 18, 19 ? and this year they have an out-of-this-world mobile exhibit that kids are going to love ? NASA?s Driven to Explore (DTE).

Sponsored by the folks at John R Green (and located in their parking lot), NASA?s Driven to Explore ?mobile, multi-media exhibit immerses visitors in the story of NASA. Guests will learn why we explore, discover the challenges of human space exploration and how NASA provides critical technological advances to improve life on Earth. The exhibit includes imagery and audio and visual technology to connect visitors with the space program, highlighting advanced human research that will ensure safe and sustainable future missions, and next-generation vehicles and surface systems destined for use exploring beyond low Earth orbit.

As part of this unique exploration experience, visitors have an out-of-this-world opportunity to touch a 3 billion-year-old moon rock brought back aboard Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon in 1972. The moon rock is one of only eight lunar samples in the world made available for the public to touch. Additional exhibits accompany the exhibit and are displayed beneath an inflatable tent that is part of the trailer?s external structure.

Get a feel for the exhibit in this YouTube video:

?

There is no admission charge for Driven to Explore is designed for all ages. ?Touring the exhibit takes approximately 10 minutes.

NOTE: In addition to hosting the exhibit during Maifest, John R Green will be inviting schools to come down to check out the NASA DTE exhibit on the Monday after Maifest, May 20th.

PS. John R Green is an awesome place to go not only for school supplies, but for craft supplies, stickers, just about anything you can think of. We even get our computer paper there!

?

Source: http://familyfriendlycincinnati.com/2013/04/27/out-of-this-world-exhibit-coming-to-maifest/

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

How To Lose The Sequestration Fight (talking-points-memo)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301781550?client_source=feed&format=rss

scotty mccreery megan fox pregnant metta world peace suspension apple earnings report john l smith apple earnings the glass castle

EPA: Alaska mine project could hurt salmon streams

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Build-out of a large-scale mine near the headwaters of a world-class salmon fishery in Alaska could wipe out as many as 90 miles of streams and alter flows in other waterways, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a revised assessment released Friday.

The report said mining activity would claim at least 24 miles of streams in the Bristol Bay region, based on the scenarios evaluated, with the loss of wetlands ranging from 1,200 to 4,800 acres.

The EPA focused on the Pebble deposit and took into account information related to the proposed Pebble Mine but also noted the potential for multiple mines in the region, given the resource base, which would lead to further elimination or blocking of streams and wetland losses.

EPA initiated the review process in response to concerns raised by tribes and others about the impact large-scale mining could have on Bristol Bay fisheries.

Pebble Limited Partnership, the group behind the proposed Pebble Mine, has called the mine deposit one of the largest of its kind in the world, with the potential of producing 80.6 billion pounds of copper, 107.4 million ounces of gold and 5.6 billion pounds of molybdenum over decades.

EPA regional administrator Dennis McLerran said the revised report generally affirms conclusions reached in the initial report last year while including more details on transportation corridors, possible culvert failures and other factors.

It noted, for example, that culvert blockages or other failures would inhibit fish passage. It said production of fish could be lost or diminished if blockages occurred during adult salmon immigration or juvenile salmon emigration and were not cleared for several days.

Extended blockages aren't likely during mine operations, but there could be a greater impact once mine operations end, the report states.

The report also noted that salmon could be affected by in-stream copper levels because leaching could occur during routine mine operations.

Tailing storage facilities and dams to hold mine waste are likely to be in place for hundreds to thousands of years because there is no plan for removal when mining operations end, according to the report. A tailings dam failure could wipe out or degrade rivers and streams for decades, though the risk of that is considered fairly low, the report states.

Conservationists said it was clear the mine would harm salmon and destroy streams, even if nothing ever goes wrong.

"Pebble is far bigger and more threatening to renewable resource jobs than any other mine proposal in Alaska and it's planned for the worst location possible," Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited's Alaska program, said in a news release.

The new report updates an assessment EPA released last year and is meant to address concerns that were raised about things like missing data and incomplete information.

For example, rather than using a hypothetical mine scenario, EPA said it drew from plans developed for Northern Dynasty Minerals, which has a stake in the Pebble Mine; data collected by Pebble Limited Partnership; and its own experts to come up with three different mine scenarios.

EPA said the scenarios realistically represent the type of development expected to happen in the Bristol Bay region. McLerran said it also accounts for modern mining techniques. He said the focus has been on getting the science right so informed decisions can be made in the future.

Critics of the EPA review ? including the state of Alaska and the Pebble Partnership ? fear it could lead to the agency vetoing mining activity in the region.

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said he opposes a pre-emptive veto of the Pebble Mine or other projects and added "an open, public process that answers Alaskans' questions and puts better science on the table is a good thing."

The revised assessment will undergo a new round of peer review and public comment before EPA releases a final report that could affect permitting decisions for the proposed mine.

___

Follow Becky Bohrer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/beckybohrerap .

___

Online:

EPA's Bristol Bay assessment: http://www2.epa.gov/bristolbay

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-alaska-mine-project-could-180650677.html

Olympics Opening Ceremony Time paris jackson paris jackson US weekly amelia earhart Sally Ride Ichiro

Two arrested as Bangladesh building toll rises to 325

By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Two factory bosses were arrested in Bangladesh on Saturday, 72 hours after the deadly collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands, as the death toll rose to 325 and angry workers protested on the streets of the capital.

The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 workers was still on the run.

Police said two of his relatives had been detained to compel him to hand himself in, and an alert had gone out to airport and border authorities to prevent him from fleeing the country.

Officials said the Rana Plaza, on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, had been built illegally without the correct permits, and the workers were allowed in on Wednesday despite warnings the previous day that it was structurally unsafe.

The owner and managing director of the largest of the five factories in the complex, New Wave Style, surrendered to the country's garment industry association during the night and they were handed over to police.

The factory, which listed many European and North American retailers as its customers, occupied upper floors of the building that officials said had been added illegally.

"Everyone involved - including the designer, engineer, and builders - will be arrested for putting up this defective building," junior internal affairs minister Shamsul Huq told reporters.

Anger over the working conditions of Bangladesh's 3.6 million garment workers - most of whom are women - has grown since the disaster, triggering protests and clashes with police. Hundreds were on the streets again on Saturday morning, smashing and burning cars.

Miraculously, people were still being pulled alive from the rubble, seven in all since daybreak on Saturday.

Frantic efforts were under way to extract 15 people trapped under the mound of broken concrete who were being supplied with dried food, bottled water and oxygen.

About 2,500 people have been rescued, at least half of them injured, from the remains of the building in the commercial suburb of Savar, about 30 km (20 miles) from Dhaka.

WRONG PERMIT, ILLEGAL FLOORS

Emdadul Islam, chief engineer of the state-run Capital Development Authority (CDA), said on Friday the owner of the building had not received the proper building consent, obtaining a permit for a five-storey building from the local municipality, which did not have the authority to grant it.

"Only CDA can give such approval," he said. "We are trying to get the original design from the municipality, but since the concerned official is in hiding we cannot get it readily."

Furthermore, another three storeys had been added illegally, he said. "Savar is not an industrial zone, and for that reason no factory can be housed in Rana Plaza," Islam told Reuters.

Dhaka District police chief Habibur Rahman identified the owner of the Rana Plaza building as Mohammed Sohel Rana, a leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front.

"People are asking for his head, which is quite natural. This time we are not going to spare anybody," said H.T. Imam, an adviser to the prime minister.

Wednesday's collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory on the outskirts of Dhaka killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages, and could taint the reputation of the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports.

Sixty percent of Bangladesh's garment exports go to Europe. The United States takes 23 percent and Canada takes 5 percent.

North American and European chains, including British retailer Primark and Canada's Loblaw, said they were supplied by factories in the Rana Plaza building.

(Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-arrested-bangladesh-building-toll-rises-325-043614507.html

jamie lynn spears Chavez Dead Hugo Chavez Dead Bonnie Franklin sinkhole justin bieber Real Madrid Vs Manchester United

A Case of You Movie Review | Video - PopSugar

by Maggie Pehanick 0

Save 2 Favorite 0

Justin Long plays a guy who memorizes a pretty barista's (Evan Rachel Wood) Facebook profile in hopes of winning her over in the film A Case of You. The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where I got a peek. Is the movie worth seeing for its huge list of cameos (Sam Rockwell, Sienna Miller, Vince Vaughn, Peter Dinklage) alone? Find out.

View Transcript?? Transcript

Source: http://www.popsugar.com/Case-You-Movie-Review-Video-29907108

sacha baron cohen oscars the old curiosity shop jane russell meryl streep martin scorsese sacha baron cohen best picture nominees 2012

Movie review: Love, murder and a boy's view of the world in 'Mud ...

"Mud" ? A fugitive (Matthew McConaughey, right) makes a pact with two teens (Tye Sheridan, left, and Jacob Lofland) in the drama "Mud." (Opens April 26.)

Review ? Gritty acting, authentic setting propel drama.

The Southern-fried drama "Mud" is an electrifying example of what happens when you merge a crackerjack yarn with a very specific setting, and then pour on the heat with riveting performances.

In rural Arkansas, two 14-year-old boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), have discovered an old boat stuck in a tree on a remote island downstream from their town. They plan to make the boat their clubhouse, until they quickly figure out someone?s already using it.

?

HHHhj

?Mud?

Boys help a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) in this gritty drama centering on love and murder.

Where ? Area theaters.

When ? Opens Friday, April 26

Rating ? PG-13 for some violence, sexual references, language, thematic elements and smoking.

Running time ? 131 minutes.

The man using it, played by Matthew McConaughey, says his name is Mud. He says he used to live nearby, but has been away a long time. Mud also says he?s come back for his girlfriend, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), from whom he has been separated for a long time.

But Ellis learns more about Mud from other sources. He learns from state troopers that Mud is a fugitive, wanted for killing a man. He learns from Juniper that others want to find Mud before the police do. He learns from Neckbone?s Uncle Galen (Michael Shannon) that the river washes up all sorts of trash, human and otherwise. And he learns from Tom (Sam Shepard), who lives across the river from Ellis and is the closest thing Mud had to a father, that little of what Mud says can be trusted.

At the same time, Ellis is learning other things about love. He watches as his parents (Ray McKinnon and Sarah Paulson) veer closer to divorce. And he experiences the pangs of first love when an older girl, May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant), is sweet to him. Because of these events, Ellis? view of true love ? especially where it pertains to Mud and Juniper ? becomes quite skewed.

Writer-director Jeff Nichols creates a drama equal to his 2011 breakout "Take Shelter." "Mud" channels Ellis? observations and feelings about a tumultuous age ? when young love and family turmoil intertwine ? through an intense crime story. It?s a coming-of-age story with a fascinating, if highly unreliable, adult figure looming large.

It?s the twinned performances of McConaughey and young Sheridan that give "Mud" its juice. McConaughey shows, as he did in "Killer Joe," that he can be a tightly coiled spring waiting to go off. And Sheridan (who appeared in Terrence Malick?s "The Tree of Life") captures adolescent pain and determination without obvious histrionics.

The other "character" that makes "Mud" work is the Arkansas backdrop. It is Nichols? authentic portrait of a life, of houseboats clinging to the river and people scratching out an existence there, that makes Mud?s desperation and Ellis? grit ring true.

movies@sltrib.com

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/56204290-223/mud-love-ellis-mcconaughey.html.csp

the band colton dixon houston weather dwyane wade the night they drove old dixie down levon robbie robertson