Twin CU-Boulder instruments reveal a third radiation belt can wrap around Earth

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
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Contact: Dan Baker
Daniel.Baker@lasp.colorado.edu
303-492-0591
University of Colorado at Boulder

With the flip of a switch, a pair of instruments designed and built by the University of Colorado Boulder and flying onboard twin NASA space probes have forced the revision of a 50-year-old theory about the structure of the radiation belts that wrap around the Earth just a few thousand miles above our heads.

The Van Allen radiation belts donut-shaped rings of so-called "killer electrons" that encircle the Earth were the first discovery of the space age. Data sent back from NASA's Pioneer 3 and Explorer IV spacecraft, both launched in 1958 and both carrying instruments built by James Van Allen, showed the presence of two distinct rings of high-energy electrons.

On Aug. 30, NASA launched the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, since renamed the Van Allen Probes mission, to learn more about the belts, which are known to be hazardous to satellites, astronauts and technological systems on Earth.

Each probe carries a Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope, or REPT, designed and built at CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, known as LASP. When CU-Boulder scientists turned on the instruments, just a few days after launch, they were shocked by what they saw unfold: the formation of a third "storage ring" radiation belt.

"It was so odd looking, I thought there must be something wrong with the instrument," said LASP Director Dan Baker, REPT principal investigator and lead author of the study published online today in the journal Science. "But we saw things identically on each of the spacecraft. We had to come to the conclusion that this was real."

The data sent back to Earth from the REPT instruments during the month of September initially showed two Van Allen belts, as expected. But after a few days, the outer ring appeared to compress into an intense, tightly packed electron band and a third, less compact belt of electrons formed further out, creating a total of three rings. The middle "storage ring" persisted as the belt furthest away from Earth began to decay away in the third week of September, until, finally, a powerful interplanetary shockwave traveling from the sun virtually annihilated both the storage ring and the rest of the outer belt.

Scientists have known that the outer Van Allen belt can fluctuate wildly, at times swelling with charged particles before letting them slip away again, depending on space weather. In the months since the storage belt and the outer belt virtually disappeared, the Van Allen radiation zones have re-formed into the originally expected two-belt structure.

"We have no idea how often this sort of thing happens," Baker said. "This may occur fairly frequently but we didn't have the tools to see it."

The fact that NASA's new tools observed the events at all was somewhat serendipitous. When NASA launches a new spacecraft, instruments onboard are turned on, tested and calibrated in a prescribed order. CU-Boulder's REPT instruments were originally scheduled to be turned on about a month after launch, when the third Van Allen radiation belt would have already dissipated. But Baker and his colleagues lobbied to jump the REPT instrument to the front of the instrument commissioning line.

Baker's concern was that the only other NASA sensors collecting similar though far more rudimentary data on the Van Allen radiation belts were onboard the 20-year-old Solar, Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, or SAMPEX, mission, which was expected to fall back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up in late 2012.

Baker wanted REPT to collect as much overlapping data with SAMPEX as possible so that the two data records could be more easily stitched together and compared with each other. The REPT researchers won their case, and the instruments powered up on Sept. 1.

"Had we not done so, we would have missed this," Baker said. "It's good to be in the right place at the right time with the right instrument."

The two NASA probes, which are flying around Earth in an elliptical orbit, are able to send back observations for the first time from the heart of the two belts as each probe passes through. The information gathered by the twin, octagonal spacecraft will help researchers better understand how space weather affects near-Earth phenomena by interacting with, feeding and stripping away the Van Allen belts.

A better understanding of belt formation, including the number of belts, will help researchers refine their understanding of how and when solar storms can wreak havoc on Earth.

"We can offer these new observations to the theorists who model what's going on in the belts," said Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the Van Allen Probes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and a co-author of the new study. "Nature presents us with this event it's there, it's a fact, you can't argue with it and now we have to explain why it's the case. Why did the third belt persist for four weeks? Why does it change? All of this information teaches us more about space."

###

Other CU-Boulder co-authors of the study include Vaughn Hoxie, a professional research assistant at LASP; Xinlin Li, a professor of aerospace engineering sciences; and Scot Elkington, a LASP research associate.

Contact:

Dan Baker, 303-492-0591
Daniel.Baker@lasp.colorado.edu

Laura Snider, CU media relations, 303-735-0528
Laura.Snider@colorado.edu

Editors: Contents embargoed until 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 28, when NASA will hold a news conference to discuss the new findings on the Van Allen radiation belts. CU-Boulder's Dan Baker will be among the panelists. The news conference will air live on NASA Television at the agency's website. Journalists wishing to participate by phone must contact Geoff Brown at 240-228-5618 or Geoffrey.Brown@jhuapl.edu with their media affiliation no later than 10 a.m. on Feb. 28.

---

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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: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dan Baker
Daniel.Baker@lasp.colorado.edu
303-492-0591
University of Colorado at Boulder

With the flip of a switch, a pair of instruments designed and built by the University of Colorado Boulder and flying onboard twin NASA space probes have forced the revision of a 50-year-old theory about the structure of the radiation belts that wrap around the Earth just a few thousand miles above our heads.

The Van Allen radiation belts donut-shaped rings of so-called "killer electrons" that encircle the Earth were the first discovery of the space age. Data sent back from NASA's Pioneer 3 and Explorer IV spacecraft, both launched in 1958 and both carrying instruments built by James Van Allen, showed the presence of two distinct rings of high-energy electrons.

On Aug. 30, NASA launched the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, since renamed the Van Allen Probes mission, to learn more about the belts, which are known to be hazardous to satellites, astronauts and technological systems on Earth.

Each probe carries a Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope, or REPT, designed and built at CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, known as LASP. When CU-Boulder scientists turned on the instruments, just a few days after launch, they were shocked by what they saw unfold: the formation of a third "storage ring" radiation belt.

"It was so odd looking, I thought there must be something wrong with the instrument," said LASP Director Dan Baker, REPT principal investigator and lead author of the study published online today in the journal Science. "But we saw things identically on each of the spacecraft. We had to come to the conclusion that this was real."

The data sent back to Earth from the REPT instruments during the month of September initially showed two Van Allen belts, as expected. But after a few days, the outer ring appeared to compress into an intense, tightly packed electron band and a third, less compact belt of electrons formed further out, creating a total of three rings. The middle "storage ring" persisted as the belt furthest away from Earth began to decay away in the third week of September, until, finally, a powerful interplanetary shockwave traveling from the sun virtually annihilated both the storage ring and the rest of the outer belt.

Scientists have known that the outer Van Allen belt can fluctuate wildly, at times swelling with charged particles before letting them slip away again, depending on space weather. In the months since the storage belt and the outer belt virtually disappeared, the Van Allen radiation zones have re-formed into the originally expected two-belt structure.

"We have no idea how often this sort of thing happens," Baker said. "This may occur fairly frequently but we didn't have the tools to see it."

The fact that NASA's new tools observed the events at all was somewhat serendipitous. When NASA launches a new spacecraft, instruments onboard are turned on, tested and calibrated in a prescribed order. CU-Boulder's REPT instruments were originally scheduled to be turned on about a month after launch, when the third Van Allen radiation belt would have already dissipated. But Baker and his colleagues lobbied to jump the REPT instrument to the front of the instrument commissioning line.

Baker's concern was that the only other NASA sensors collecting similar though far more rudimentary data on the Van Allen radiation belts were onboard the 20-year-old Solar, Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, or SAMPEX, mission, which was expected to fall back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up in late 2012.

Baker wanted REPT to collect as much overlapping data with SAMPEX as possible so that the two data records could be more easily stitched together and compared with each other. The REPT researchers won their case, and the instruments powered up on Sept. 1.

"Had we not done so, we would have missed this," Baker said. "It's good to be in the right place at the right time with the right instrument."

The two NASA probes, which are flying around Earth in an elliptical orbit, are able to send back observations for the first time from the heart of the two belts as each probe passes through. The information gathered by the twin, octagonal spacecraft will help researchers better understand how space weather affects near-Earth phenomena by interacting with, feeding and stripping away the Van Allen belts.

A better understanding of belt formation, including the number of belts, will help researchers refine their understanding of how and when solar storms can wreak havoc on Earth.

"We can offer these new observations to the theorists who model what's going on in the belts," said Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the Van Allen Probes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and a co-author of the new study. "Nature presents us with this event it's there, it's a fact, you can't argue with it and now we have to explain why it's the case. Why did the third belt persist for four weeks? Why does it change? All of this information teaches us more about space."

###

Other CU-Boulder co-authors of the study include Vaughn Hoxie, a professional research assistant at LASP; Xinlin Li, a professor of aerospace engineering sciences; and Scot Elkington, a LASP research associate.

Contact:

Dan Baker, 303-492-0591
Daniel.Baker@lasp.colorado.edu

Laura Snider, CU media relations, 303-735-0528
Laura.Snider@colorado.edu

Editors: Contents embargoed until 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 28, when NASA will hold a news conference to discuss the new findings on the Van Allen radiation belts. CU-Boulder's Dan Baker will be among the panelists. The news conference will air live on NASA Television at the agency's website. Journalists wishing to participate by phone must contact Geoff Brown at 240-228-5618 or Geoffrey.Brown@jhuapl.edu with their media affiliation no later than 10 a.m. on Feb. 28.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uoca-tci022513.php

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Storm that buried Plains slams Great Lakes region

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A powerful winter storm that buried the U.S. Plains and left at least three people dead moved on Tuesday into the southern Great Lakes region, where it snarled the evening commute in Chicago and Milwaukee, created near-whiteout conditions and forced hundreds of flight cancellations.

Much of the region was under either a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory, according to the National Weather Service, as the system's potent blend of wet snow, sleet and strong winds bore down on north central Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northern Indiana and Ohio.

The most intense snowfall and greatest accumulations were expected through Tuesday night, the NWS said. With winds gusting up to 35 mph, near-whiteout conditions were reported in some rural areas, the agency said.

More than 500 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway airports alone, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Those flights that managed to take off or land faced delays of up to an hour.

The Illinois Tollway agency, which maintains nearly 300 miles of highway around Chicago, deployed its fleet of more than 180 snowplows to keep the roads clear.

As the afternoon rush hour began in Chicago, blowing snow reduced visibility and created treacherous driving conditions, doubling average travel times in and out of the city on major expressways, according to Traffic.com.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation warned that much of Interstate 94 between the Illinois state line and Milwaukee was ice covered.

In Chicago, the city's public school system, the third-largest school district in the country, canceled all after-school sporting events, including six state regional basketball games.

The snowstorm may have discouraged some voters in Chicago and its suburbs from voting in a special election primary to replace indicted Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who resigned the seat in November citing health concerns.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service said the storm would continue to move eastward, dumping 3 to 5 inches of wet snow on Detroit overnight and into Wednesday morning.

It is then expected to move slowly into the Northeast, largely avoiding the cities of New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., but bringing snow to parts of New York state, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, said Brian Korty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"It's going to linger for a long time over portions of the Northeast," Korty said.

Parts of New York and Pennsylvania could get a "sloppy mix" of snow, ice and rain. Already, ice accumulations were causing sporadic power outages across higher terrains of western Maryland, eastern West Virginia and far western Virginia, said Erik Pindrock, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.

"It's a very multi-faceted storm," Pindrock said. "It's a whole potpourri of wintry weather."

In Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, where the storm hit earlier, residents were digging out.

Highways in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas remained closed because of heavy and drifting snow.

Amarillo, Texas, saw 19 inches of snow Sunday night into Monday, the third-largest snowfall ever in that city, Pindrock said.

The storm contributed to at least three deaths, two in Kansas and one in Oklahoma.

A woman died and three passengers were injured Monday night on Interstate 70 when their pickup truck rolled off the icy roadway in Ellis County, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said. Earlier Monday, a man was killed when his car veered off the interstate in Sherman County near the Colorado border, he said.

"We urge everyone to avoid travel and be extremely cautious if you must be on the roads," said Ernest Garcia, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

In northern Oklahoma, one person died when the roof of a home partially collapsed in the city of Woodward, said Matt Lehenbauer, the city's emergency management director.

"We have roofs collapsing all over town," said Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill Jr. "We really have a mess on our hands."

Kansas City was also hard hit by the storm, which left snowfalls of 7 to 13 inches in the metro region on Tuesday, said Chris Bowman, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Another 1 to 3 inches is forecast for Tuesday evening and nearly two-thirds of the flights at Kansas City International Airport Tuesday afternoon were canceled.

In addition to the winter storm, National Weather Service forecasters on Tuesday issued tornado watches across central Florida and up the eastern coast to South Carolina.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Missouri, David Bailey in Minneapolis, James B. Kelleher in Chicago and Corrie MacLaggan in Texas; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Barbara Goldberg, Nick Zieminski, Dan Grebler, Phil Berlowitz and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-buried-plains-slams-great-lakes-region-025456755.html

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Suns end Spurs' 18-game home streak, 105-101 in OT

Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker, unseen with hand at center, reaches for the ball between San Antonio Spurs defenders Tim Duncan, left, and Manu Ginobili, right, of Argentina, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. Spurs' Tiago Splitter (22) watches. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker, unseen with hand at center, reaches for the ball between San Antonio Spurs defenders Tim Duncan, left, and Manu Ginobili, right, of Argentina, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. Spurs' Tiago Splitter (22) watches. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9), of France, shoots over Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic (1), of Slovenia, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker (17) passes around San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) is fouled by Phoenix Suns' Luis Scola, rear, of Argentina, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. Suns' Wesley Johnson, right, also defends on the play. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? Jermaine O'Neal had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Wesley Johnson hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and the Phoenix Suns beat San Antonio 105-101 Wednesday night to snap the Spurs' 18-game home winning streak.

Luis Scola added 15 points and Goran Dragic had 13 points and 13 assists for Phoenix, which snapped a six-game losing streak against San Antonio.

Tony Parker had 22 points to lead the Spurs, who had not lost at home since Dec. 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Tim Duncan had 19 points and 11 rebounds and DeJuan Blair and Kawhi Leonard added 15 points apiece.

San Antonio went 0 for 10 in overtime, its only points in the extra period coming when Parker made 1 of 2 free throws.

Returning from a 25-day road trip due to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the Spurs (45-14) appeared to have the game in hand following a strong third quarter by Parker.

Amid cries of "MVP," Parker had 10 points in the period as San Antonio extended its lead to double digits. His assist to Duncan with 10 minutes left in the third gave the Spurs a 56-45 lead and his 10-foot jumper put them up 69-58.

Leonard's 3 with 1.1 seconds gave San Antonio a 77-67 lead entering the fourth.

The Suns rallied, pulling within 97-95 with less than a minute remaining on Marcus Morris' 3. Parker attempted to keep the Spurs ahead, tossing in a floater, a jump shot and feeding Duncan for a jumper that gave San Antonio a 99-97 lead with 11 seconds left. Manu Ginobili made one of two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to make it 100-97.

Johnson's 3 at the buzzer tied the game at 100 and sent it to overtime.

Both teams went a combined 0 for 14 to open overtime. Marcin Gortat's tip follow was the first basket of overtime, giving Phoenix a 102-101 lead with 1:07 left.

NOTES: After three weeks on the road, the Spurs were finally able to honor Tony Parker as the NBA Player of the Month for January, doing so prior to the game. . San Antonio observed a moment of silence in honor of Dr. Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers owner who passed away Feb. 18. . The Spurs have won 64 games overall on its rodeo road trips, which began in 2003. . A video highlighting the Spurs' recent road trip played prior to the game to Phillip Phillips' "Home." . Dragic and reigning MVP LeBron James of Miami are the only players leading their team in points, assists, steals and free throw attempts. . Scola, Gortat and Markieff Morris have played all 58 games for Phoenix, with Gortat starting each.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-27-BKN-Suns-Spurs/id-f9ddcb2ca768493f98c00f75cca6912c

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Iran sanctions could distort region's economy for years: report

LONDON (Reuters) - Sanctions on Iran are so intricately woven that they will be very hard to untangle, while their impact in swelling Iran's black economy could undermine regional stability for years to come, the International Crisis Group says in a new report.

Describing the "unintended consequences" of sanctions, the report noted that those with the best access to state resources, including the elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), had been best placed to circumvent the sanctions, while smuggling networks had become an integral part of the economy.

"This does not necessarily harm the regime. To the contrary, it has facilitated a symbiosis between state-affiliated organizations such as the IRGC and transnational smuggling networks," it said.

"Over time, organized crime networks likely will become more sophisticated, enabling them to survive even after sanctions have been lifted. Iran's proximity to two countries rating highest on the corruption scale - Iraq and Afghanistan - likely contributes to cross-border criminality, undermining longer-term stability."

Increasingly tough sanctions imposed on Iran's oil and banking sectors over its nuclear program have put enormous pressure on Iran's economy and forced it to seek innovative ways around them.

The West says Iran's nuclear activities conceal a drive towards a weapons capability, an allegation Tehran denies.

The ICG's recommendations are broadly similar to those of many other Iran experts. It calls for a gradual easing of sanctions in return for Iranian concessions on its nuclear program, accompanied by direct talks between Iran and the United States.

But the report, "Spider Web: The Making and Unmaking of Iran Sanctions", is unusual in underscoring the difficulties of easing sanctions, despite the limited progress made this week in talks between Iran and major world powers on Tehran's nuclear program.

Sanctions have become so extensive and complex, and subject to so many different laws worldwide, that it will be hard to find the flexibility needed for diplomacy, the ICG said.

It quoted an unnamed sanctions expert in Washington as saying easing the sanctions was "like dancing in a minefield".

"There are tripwires everywhere," the expert said.

As Iran has adapted its economy to sanctions, the introduction of another tier of exchange rates, the use of barter, front companies and the informal "hawala" system for financial transactions have all contributed to the rise of the informal or black economy, the ICG said.

"Crime rates and corruption have been rising; and smuggling is booming as clandestine networks replace commercial ones. Indeed, smuggling networks are becoming an integral part of the shadow economy that reportedly accounts for 21 percent of GDP."

The growth of the informal economy in the region has been a particular worry in Afghanistan, where the United States has been unable to convince the government in Kabul to crack down on corruption as part of efforts to restore peace before most foreign combat troops are withdrawn at the end of 2014.

In Iran's other neighbor, Pakistan, the black economy has created space for militant groups to flourish, often funded by money from the Gulf, also routed through the hawala network.

(Reporting by Myra MacDonald; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-sanctions-could-distort-regions-economy-years-report-145913198.html

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A Look At The Copyright Alert System | RealTalkNY

Over the course of the next several days our participating ISPs will begin rolling out the system. Practically speaking, this means our content partners will begin sending notices of alleged P2P copyright infringement to ISPs, and the ISPs will begin forwarding those notices in the form of Copyright Alerts to consumers. Most consumers will never receive Alerts under the program. Consumers whose accounts have been used to share copyrighted content over P2P networks illegally (or without authority) will receive Alerts that are meant to educate rather than punish, and direct them to legal alternatives. And for those consumers who believe they received Alerts in error, an easy to use process will be in place for them to seek independent review of the Alerts they received. CCI and its partners have worked hard to meet our goal of implementing a system that educates consumers about copyright and P2P networks, encourages the use of legal alternatives, and safeguards customer privacy.

Full Story: CopyRightInformation.org

AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon, will be using the, ?Copyright Alert System.? After six strikes your internet service could be suspended.

Source: http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2013/02/topic/topic/news/a-look-at-the-copyright-alert-system/

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The Easiest Guitar Tuner in the World

Guitar tuners aren't always the simplest gadgets in the world, even if they're mostly charged with an impossibly simple task. In fact, advanced features on more expensive tuners might confuse someone who doesn't know what they're doing. This one, though, opts for simple and cheap. There's something to be said for that. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/rgZ48l260vI/the-easiest-guitar-tuner-in-the-world

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Anne Hathaway: Oscar speech jokes 'get to me'

By Us Weekly

Anne Hathaway?is a world-famous movie star -- and now an Oscar-winning actress -- but that doesn't mean she's immune to insecurity. In fact, she may be more vulnerable than anyone. Though the 30-year-old star has been praised in recent months for her spectacular performance in the epic movie musical "Les Miserables," she has also been criticized for what some believe is a false, cloying sense of earnestness in her awards show appearances.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Anne Hathaway accepts the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in "Les Miserables."

Speaking to reporters backstage after winning the best supporting actress Academy Award on Feb. 24, Hathaway admitted to feeling hurt by the backlash. "It does get to me," she confessed. "But you have to remember in life that there's a positive to every negative and a negative to every positive."

PHOTOS: What the stars wore to the 2013 Oscars

"The miracle of the universe is that, as far as they know, there's 51 percent matter versus 49 percent anti-matter -- things tip in the scale of the positive," she continued. "So that is what I focus on."

PHOTOS: All the hottest Oscars afterparties

The star -- who beat out fellow nominees?Sally Field,?Jacki Weaver,?Helen Hunt, and?Amy Adams?-- then went on to say that she tries not to let other people's criticism change the way she approaches her own relationships. "I live my life with love," she explained. "I live my life with compassion. I live my life hoping the best for absolutely everyone, no matter how they feel about me. And when you live that way, it's amazing how beautiful every day can be."

PHOTOS: Anne's style evolution

Indeed, Hathaway's life has seemed especially charmed recently. Prior to her successful awards season run, the actress married?Adam Shulman?in September 2012. Addressing her now-husband as she?accepted her Oscar?on Sunday, she gushed, "By far the greatest moment of my life was the one when you walked into it. I love you so much."

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/02/26/17102937-anne-hathaway-jokes-about-oscar-speech-get-to-me?lite

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TripIt Founders Launch Chairish, A Consignment Marketplace To Sell Pre-Owned Home Furniture

After selling travel itinerary startup TripIt to Concur for $120 million, the startup's co-founders, Gregg Brockway and his team are launching their newest venture?Chairish. Chairish is an online consignment marketplace for people to buy and sell pre-owned home furnishings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jJV8OKpfWLg/

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Muscle, skin and gastrointestinal problems cause a quarter of patients with heart disease and strokes to stop treatment in HPS2-THRIVE trial

Feb. 27, 2013 ? The largest randomised study of the vitamin niacin in patients with occlusive arterial disease (narrowing of the arteries) has shown a significant increase in adverse side-effects when it is combined with statin treatment.

Results from the HPS2-THRIVE study (Heart Protection Study 2 -- Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events), including the reasons patients stopped the study treatment, are published online February 27 in the European Heart Journal [1].

Niacin has been used for decades to help increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and to decrease levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) in the blood in people at risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke. However, it has a number of side-effects including flushing of the skin. Another drug, laropiprant, can reduce the incidence of flushing by blocking the prostaglandin D2 receptor that is involved in the process. Therefore, the HPS2-THRIVE study investigated whether combining extended-release niacin with laropiprant (ERN/LRPT), given in addition to an LDL cholesterol-lowering statin, simvastatin, could reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in people at high risk due to existing occlusive arterial disease.

A total of 25,673 patients from China, the UK and Scandinavia were randomised between April 2007 and July 2010 to receive either 2g of extended release niacin plus 40 mg of laropiprant or matching placebo. In addition, all participants received intensive LDL cholesterol-lowering therapy with simvastatin (with or without ezetimibe). Researchers from the Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU) at the University of Oxford (UK), who were responsible for designing and conducting the trial and analysing the results, followed the patients for an average of 3.9 years.

By the end of the study, 25% of patients taking ERN/LRPT had stopped their treatment, compared with 17% of patients taking placebo.

Jane Armitage, Professor of Clinical Trials and Epidemiology & Honorary Consultant in Public Health Medicine at the CTSU, said: "The main reason for patients stopping the treatment was because of adverse side-effects, such as itching, rashes, flushing, indigestion, diarrhea, diabetes and muscle problems. We found that patients allocated to the experimental treatment were four times more likely to stop for skin-related reasons, and twice as likely to stop because of gastrointestinal problems or diabetes-related problems.

"We found that, in the trial as a whole, participants in the experimental arm had a more than four-fold increased risk of myopathy (muscle pain or weakness with evidence of muscle damage) compared with the placebo group. This is highly significant. It appeared that this effect was about three times greater among participants in China than those in Europe, for reasons that are not clear. In the placebo arm (i.e. those on statin-based treatment alone), the statin-related myopathy was more common among participants in China than those in Europe. Therefore -- in combination with the greater effect of ERN/LRPT on myopathy in China -- the excess number of cases of myopathy caused by ERN/LRPT (though low in both regions) was over ten times greater among participants in China than those in Europe (0.53 percent per year compared to 0.03 percent per year)."

Dr Richard Haynes, Clinical Coordinator at the CTSU, said: "This is the largest randomised trial of extended release niacin treatment and it provides uniquely reliable results on adverse side-effects and the ability of patients to tolerate them. Although 25 percent of patients stopped the treatment early, 75 percent continued on it for approximately four years. Currently, we are analysing the final data on the cardiovascular outcomes from the trial, and once we have these we will know whether or not the benefits of the treatment outweigh the myopathy, skin and gastrointestinal problems."

The researchers will be presenting full results on the cardiovascular outcomes at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in March and these will be published in another paper afterwards [2].

The co-principal investigator of the study, Dr Martin Landray, Reader in Epidemiology and Honorary Consultant Physician at the CTSU, said: "Previous research had suggested that improving cholesterol levels in high-risk patients might translate into a 10-15 percent reduction in major vascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. In the HPS2-THRIVE study, 3,400 of the 25,673 participants suffered a major vascular event over an average of four years of follow-up. This means the study has excellent statistical power to discover the effectiveness or otherwise of the treatment."

In an accompanying editorial [3], Professor Ulf Landmesser, of the University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland), points out that although the study showed an increase in myopathy, it also showed that the ERN/LRPT substantially lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by nearly 20%. He writes that these observations "raise important questions as to why niacin/laropiprant did not reduce major cardiovascular events," and he wonders whether laropiprant "is really biologically inert with respect to atherosclerosis and thrombosis."

He concludes that "niacin has failed as a valuable 'partner' of statin therapy in lipid-targeted approaches to further reduce major cardiovascular events in high-risk patients." He continues: "At present, statin therapy has been clearly shown to reduce vascular events effectively and is reasonable well tolerated in most patients. We will still have to wait for the results of ? ongoing studies to see whether another lipid-targeted intervention can further reduce vascular events in addition to statin therapy."

Notes:

[1] "HPS2-THRIVE randomized placebo-controlled trial in 25 673 high-risk patients of ER niacin/laropiprant: trial design, pre-specified muscle, and liver outcomes and reasons for stopping study treatment," by Richard Haynes, Lixin Jiang, Jemma C. Hopewell, Jing Li, Fang Chen, Sarah Parish, Martin J. Landray, Rory Collins, and Jane Armitage, The HPS2-THRIVE Collaborative Group. European Heart Journal.

[2] In December 2012 the pharmaceutical company Merck, which manufactures ERN/LRPT under the trade name Tredaptive and which funded the HSP2-THRIVE study, issued a statement saying the trial had failed to meet its primary endpoint and that "the combination of extended-release niacin and laropiprant to statin therapy did not significantly further reduce the risk of the combination of coronary deaths, non-fatal heart attacks, strokes or revascularizations compared to statin therapy." ERN/LRPT is not approved for use in the USA, and on January 11, Merck announced that it was "taking steps to suspend the availability of TREDAPTIVE? (extended-release niacin/laropiprant) tablets worldwide."

[3] "The difficult search for a 'partner' of statins in lipid-targeted prevention of vascular events: the re-emergence and fall of niacin," by Ulf Landmesser. European Heart Journal. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/eht064

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Society of Cardiology (ESC), via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Richard Haynes, Lixin Jiang, Jemma C. Hopewell, Jing Li, Fang Chen, Sarah Parish, Martin J. Landray, Rory Collins, and Jane Armitage, The HPS2-THRIVE Collaborative Group. HPS2-THRIVE randomized placebo-controlled trial in 25 673 high-risk patients of ER niacin/laropiprant: trial design, pre-specified muscle, and liver outcomes and reasons for stopping study treatment. European Heart Journal, 2013 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/eht055

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/Evx6aULTeDo/130226193840.htm

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NC REALTORS Talk: Flood Insurance Update

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) began on Jan. 1 phasing out the rate subsidies for the vast majority of older properties. The 2012 Biggert-Waters law (which extended the NFIP for 5 years) requires that subsidized rates increase in steps of 25% per year until the affected owners are paying the full cost for flood insurance. Passage of this law was essential to ensure that all properties, including second/vacation homes, would continue to have access to comprehensive coverage under the NFIP.

Some older property owners will spend more on flood insurance.

? Second/vacation home subsidies were the first to see the 25% step increase on Jan. 1

? Business properties, Severe Repetitive or High Loss properties, and properties with a substantial improvement or damage will go next and see the first step on June 1, 2013

? Properties Purchased or with Lapsed/New Insurance are no longer eligible for subsidies so these new policyholders will pay more for this insurance. Our latest information is that this provision will apply to all properties by the end of 2013, but we are awaiting an official bulletin from the NFIP.

Learn more about the Biggert-Waters law and what to say:

? FEMA?s 2013 Rate Schedule for second/vacation homes (which includes the first 25% step increase) (Note: Rates are per $100 of coverage)

? NAR?s summary of the broader set of reforms in Biggert-Waters

? NAR/FEMA?s joint brochure on WHAT TO SAY about flood insurance(Note: the lender is legally responsible for determining if flood insurance is required; the Write-Your-Own insurer calculates and quotes the insurance rate that is required by the new law)

NAR will continue to monitor implementation of the legislative reforms and keep you apprised of any major developments going forward.

Julie Woodson
Director of Political Communications
jwoodson@ncrealtors.org

Source: http://ncrealtors1.blogspot.com/2013/02/flood-insurance-update.html

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Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in an exam room at the hospital in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in an exam room at the hospital in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in her office in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in her office in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.

The results are potentially worrisome because young women's tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women's, and they're much less likely to get routine screening for the disease.

Still, that doesn't explain why there'd be an increase in advanced cases and the researchers and other experts say more work is needed to find answers.

It's likely that the increase has more than one cause, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, the study's lead author and medical director of a teen and young adult cancer program at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"The change might be due to some sort of modifiable risk factor, like a lifestyle change" or exposure to some sort of cancer-linked substance, she said.

Johnson said the results translate to about 250 advanced cases diagnosed in women younger than 40 in the mid-1970s versus more than 800 in 2009. During those years, the number of women nationwide in that age range went from about 22 million to closer to 30 million ? an increase that explains part of the study trend "but definitely not all of it," Johnson said.

Other experts said women delaying pregnancy might be a factor, partly because getting pregnant at an older age might cause an already growing tumor to spread more quickly in response to pregnancy hormones.

Obesity and having at least a drink or two daily have both been linked with breast cancer but research is inconclusive on other possible risk factors, including tobacco and chemicals in the environment. Whether any of these explains the slight increase in advanced disease in young women is unknown.

There was no increase in cancer at other stages in young women. There also was no increase in advanced disease among women older than 40.

Overall U.S. breast cancer rates have mostly fallen in more recent years, although there are signs they may have plateaued.

Some 17 years ago, Johnson was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, and that influenced her career choice to focus on the disease in younger women.

"Young women and their doctors need to understand that it can happen in young women," and get checked if symptoms appear, said Johnson, now 44. "People shouldn't just watch and wait."

The authors reviewed a U.S. government database of cancer cases from 1976 to 2009. They found that among women aged 25 to 39, breast cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body ? advanced disease ? increased from between 1 and 2 cases per 100,000 women to about 3 cases per 100,000 during that time span.

The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

About one in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, but only 1 in 173 will develop it by age 40. Risks increase with age and certain gene variations can raise the odds.

Routine screening with mammograms is recommended for older women but not those younger than 40.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer, said the results support anecdotal reports but that there's no reason to start screening all younger women since breast cancer is still so uncommon for them.

He said the study "is solid and interesting and certainly does raise questions as to why this is being observed." One of the most likely reasons is probably related to changes in childbearing practices, he said, adding that the trend "is clearly something to be followed."

Dr. Ann Partridge, chair of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on breast cancer in young women, agreed but said it's also possible that doctors look harder for advanced disease in younger women than in older patients. More research is needed to make sure the phenomenon is real, said Partridge, director of the breast cancer center at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The study shouldn't cause alarm, she said. Still, Partridge said young women should be familiar with their breasts and see the doctor if they notice any lumps or other changes.

Software engineer Stephanie Carson discovered a large breast tumor that had already spread to her lungs; that diagnosis in 2003 was a huge shock.

"I was so clueless," she said. "I was just 29 and that was the last thing on my mind."

Carson, who lives near St. Louis, had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments and she frequently has to try new drugs to keep the cancer at bay.

Because most breast cancer is diagnosed in early stages, there's a misconception that women are treated, and then get on with their lives, Carson said. She and her husband had to abandon hopes of having children, and she's on medical leave from her job.

"It changed the complete course of my life," she said. "But it's still a good life."

____

Online:

JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/index.htm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-02-26-Breast%20Cancer-Young%20Women/id-356d2232f600473f90de590061d43d38

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NASA Mars rover analyzing powder from drilled rock

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? The Mars rover Curiosity has successfully transferred a pinch of rock dust to its onboard laboratories for inspection, two weeks after drilling into its first rock.

NASA said Monday it received confirmation of the deliveries over the weekend. Scientists will spend the next several weeks studying the rock's chemical and mineral makeup.

Curiosity landed in Gale Crater near the equator last summer on a mission to determine whether the environment was favorable for microbes. It drilled into a flat rock earlier this month and collected a tablespoon-size sample from the interior ? the first time this was achieved on Mars.

The car-size rover still has to drive to Mount Sharp rising from the center of the crater floor. The trip is expected to take at least nine months with stops.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-02-25-Mars%20Curiosity/id-6233a5670790477ea4866ecf8467a1da

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Watch Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, And Naomi Watts React To The Boob Song

New York Magazine:

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane's boob song didn't just irk normal women (and men) watching and tweeting angrily from their sofas; it made plenty of attendees uncomfortable too. If you aren't sure whether it was terribly offensive or just Macfarlane being his normal raunchy self, just watch the reactions of the women whose breasts he sang about.

Read the whole story at New York Magazine

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/watch-charlize-theron-jen_n_2758749.html

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Quvenzhan? Wallis to play title role in "Annie" movie

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhan? Wallis will play the title role in "Annie," Sony's Columbia Pictures announced on Sunday.

"Annie" is due to hit theaters in 2014 during the winter holiday season, and is based on the stage play about an orphan's adventures in finding her family and a better life while overcoming the schemes of orphanage mistress Miss Hannigan.

President of production at Columbia Pictures Hannah Minghella expressed confidence in Wallis' talent and star power.

"With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhan? Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star," she said.

"She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can't wait for audiences to further discover her."

Among the film's co-producers are Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. Carter's 1998 Grammy-winning album "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life" contains a hip-hop version of "It's a Hard Knock Life," a song from the original Broadway musical "Annie."

The hit musical was first made into a film starring Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan in 1982. A made-for-TV version with Kathy Bates in the same role aired on ABC in 1999, and earned two Emmy awards.

Wallis is the youngest actress to ever be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She was nominated for her role as Hushpuppy in indie drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which also earned a nod for Best Picture. "Beasts" is Wallis' first acting job.

Among her other firsts, she will also be the first African-American actress to play Annie, who has been traditionally portrayed as a freckle-faced redhead.

Later this year, she will star alongside Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in Steve McQueen's historical drama "Twelve Years a Slave," based on the book by Solomon Northup.

(Editing by Eric Walsh and Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/quvenzhan-wallis-play-title-role-annie-movie-001907046--finance.html

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Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop dies at 96

(Reuters) - Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, a pediatric surgeon known for his anti-smoking campaigns and efforts to improve diet and nutrition, died at his home in Hanover, New Hampshire on Monday. He was 96 years old.

Koop served as Surgeon General from November 1981 until October 1989, taking stern and sometimes controversial stands on abortion, AIDS, fatty foods, drugs and cigarettes.

His death was announced by Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, where he founded the C. Everett Koop Institute.

(Reporting by Paul Thomasch; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-surgeon-general-c-everett-koop-dies-96-221939651.html

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Prosecutor urges trial for Costa cruise ship capt

ROME (AP) ? An Italian prosecutor has formally requested a manslaughter indictment against the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which crashed into a reef off Tuscany last year, killing 32 people.

The prosecutors' office in Grosseto also wants Capt. Francesco Schettino to be tried for causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship while the frantic evacuation of passengers and crew was still being conducted. A judge must decide whether to order a trial for Schettino and five others named in the indictment request Monday.

Prosecutors also said Costa Crociere SpA, the Italian cruise company, has asked for a plea bargain agreement which, if it was accepted, could see Costa pay a ?1 million ($1.35 million) fine.

The ship went aground off the Italian island of Giglio during a publicity stunt.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prosecutor-urges-trial-costa-cruise-ship-capt-142306259.html

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C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general, dies at 96 (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287405605?client_source=feed&format=rss

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First Round Expands $500K Student-Run Investment Arm, Dorm Room Fund, To New York City Universities

Last fall, First Round Capital debuted The Dorm Room Fund in Philadelphia, which was a $500,000 fund run by an all-student investment team to invest purely in student-run startups in the area. Last year's venture paired eleven undergraduate and graduate students from University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Today, First Round is announcing the expansion of this initiative to New York City. Students can apply here.

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

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Ikea withdraws meatballs in Europe, 21 nations hit

STOCKHOLM (AP) ? Swedish furniture giant Ikea became entangled in Europe's widening meat scandal Monday, forced to withdraw meatballs from stores across Europe amid suspicions that they contained horse meat.

Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected, Ikea said.

The company reacted after authorities in the Czech Republic said they had detected horse DNA in tests of 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) packs of frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. The Czech State Veterinary Administration said it tested two batches of Ikea meatballs and only one of them contained horse meat. It did not say how much.

Meatballs from the same batch had been sent from a Swedish supplier to 12 other European countries ? Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland ? and would be pulled off the shelves in all of them, Ikea said.

Later Monday, the company expanded the withdrawals to stores in 21 countries that were getting meatballs from the same Swedish supplier.

Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said that included most European countries, but not Russia and Norway, which use local suppliers. Stores in Poland and Switzerland use both local suppliers and the Swedish one, but would now only use locally produced meatballs, she said.

"This is an extraordinary effort to ensure that no one is worried," Magnusson told The Associated Press.

She added that two weeks ago Ikea tested a range of frozen food products, including meatballs, and found no traces of horse meat. The company plans to conduct its own tests to "validate" the Czech results, she said.

Ikea's North America branch said the U.S. stores get their meatballs from a U.S. supplier.

"Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the Ikea recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the U.S. and Canada," Ikea North America spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss said in a statement.

Ikea is known for its assemble-it-yourself furniture but its trademark blue-and-yellow megastores also have cafeteria-style restaurants offering Swedish dishes such as meatballs served with boiled or mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam.

European Union officials met Monday to discuss tougher food labeling rules after the discovery of horse meat in a wide range of frozen supermarket meals that were supposed to contain beef or pork. So far those foods include meatballs, burgers, kebabs, lasagna, pizza, tortelloni, ravioli, empanadas and meat pies, among other items.

Authorities say the scandal is a case of fraudulent labeling but does not pose a health risk.

Gunnar Dafgard AB, a family-owned frozen foods company in southwestern Sweden that supplies Ikea's meatballs in Europe, posted a brief statement on its website saying "the batch in question has been blocked and we are investigating the situation."

Spokesman Ola Larsson said the company was conducting its own DNA tests and wouldn't comment further until it has those results.

Sweden's food safety authority said it wasn't taking any action but was waiting for Czech authorities to specify the quantity of horsemeat detected.

"If it's less than 1 percent it could mean that they handled horsemeat at the same facility. If it's more, we assess that it's been mixed into the product," said Karin Cerenius of Sweden's National Food Agency.

The Czech authority said a total of 760 kilograms (1,675 pounds) of the meatballs were stopped from reaching the shelves. It also said it found horse meat in beef burgers imported from Poland during random tests of food products.

"Unfortunately, the testing method we use detects just the quality ... the presence or non-presence of horse DNA," said Jan Vana, a senior official at the State Veterinary Administration. "At the moment, we can't say the quantity of it."

Spanish authorities, meanwhile, announced that traces of horse meat were found in a beef cannelloni product by one of the brands of Nestle, a Switzerland-based food giant.

In a statement on its website, Nestle Spain said it was withdrawing six "La Cocinera" products and one "Buitoni" product from store shelves. It said it was taking the action after traces of horse meat were found in beef bought from a supplier in Spain and that it was taking legal action against the company.

Processed food products ? a business segment with traditionally low margins that often leads producers to hunt for the cheapest suppliers ? often contain ingredients from multiple suppliers in different countries, who themselves at times subcontract production to others, making it hard to monitor every link in the production chain.

Standardized DNA checks with meat suppliers or more stringent labeling rules on disclosing the origin of processed food's ingredients will add costs that producers will most likely hand over to consumers, making food more expensive.

The scandal has created a split in the European Union between nations like Britain, which see further rules as a protectionist hindrance of free trade under the 27-nation bloc's single market, and those calling for tougher regulation, including Austria and Germany.

"Consumers have every right to the greatest-possible transparency," German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said.

At the meeting in Brussels, several EU agriculture ministers called upon the Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to speed up presenting a proposal on tougher regulation by this summer.

The scandal began in Ireland in mid-January when the country announced the results of its first-ever DNA tests on beef products. It tested frozen beef burgers taken from store shelves and found that more than a third of brands at five supermarkets contained at least a trace of horse. The sample of one brand sold by the British supermarket kingpin Tesco had more than 25 percent horse meat.

___

Associated Press writers Juergen Baetz in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ikea-withdraws-meatballs-europe-21-nations-hit-191447570--finance.html

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Hands-on with the LG Optimus L3 II, L5 II and L7 II

LG announced the Optimus L II series last week, and today we got our first chance to check out the new mid-range handsets at Mobile World Congress. As it was last year, the L series represents LG's line of mainstream handsets, with increasingly powerful hardware as the numbers increase.

At the low end, there's the Optimus L3 II, powered by a 1GHz CPU on a 3.2-inch WVGA display. That's 320x240 pixels, and it looks about as good (or not) as you'd expect. On the other hand, this is a super-low-end smartphone, and we'd expect it to be priced as such. It's not all bad news though, as the L3 II runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean beneath LG's own skin, and the software experience is pretty snappy. You do however miss out on some of the higher-end features like the QSlide multitasking capability -- and the same is true of the L5 II and L7 II.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/i9bhhWH-txQ/story01.htm

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Oscars Fashion Twitter Reactions: Style Community Reacts To The 2013 Academy Awards

This year's Academy Awards saw gorgeous dresses, questionable song-and-dance performances and a whole lot of talent. With all the goings on, you better believe that the fashion community had some serious thoughts on the awards ceremony -- and what better place to sound off than Twitter.

Between the account that was created on behalf of Anne Hathaway's nipples and the slew of reactions to Jennifer Lawrence's candid red carpet interview, there were no shortage of laughs in the Twittersphere this evening.

Click through the slideshow below for the best Oscars tweets from the fashion community.

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
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Do you have a style story idea or tip? Email us at stylesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/oscars-fashion-twitter-reactions-2013_n_2756401.html

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Doctor: Iraqi president communicating after stroke

BAGHDAD (AP) ? A doctor who oversees Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's medical care says the president is able to speak and understand people around him as he recovers from a stroke he suffered over two months ago.

In an interview Sunday Dr. Najmaldin Karim described the improvement in the president's health as encouraging and "a good development." Karim oversees Talabani's medical care when he is in Iraq, although the president is currently in Germany for treatment.

Karim says he is hopeful Talabani will be able to return to Iraq, but acknowledged that any decision rests with the doctors treating him in Germany.

Talabani was rushed to a hospital on December 17 for what officials described as a serious stroke. He was later moved to Germany. Few details have been released about his condition.

(Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Source: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/doctor-iraqi-president-communicating-after-stroke

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